Sermon and Worship Resources

Showing 1226 to 1250 of 3099 results

Sermon

Michael J. Anton

... not made a dent in the living of many? You can play with that question a long time. It can lead you into all sorts of interesting tangents and down fascinating avenues. You can keep your gray matter stimulated as this question channels you to the whole subject of predestination, to the matter of God’s plan for his world, to the point of God’s plan for you, to the item of man’s freedom of choice. Very interesting stuff that comes out of this question. But also very frustrating, because the answers are ...

1227. MAGICIAN, SORCERER

Micah 5:12; Acts 8:9

Illustration

Stephen Stewart

... to reveal the future to eager customers. This type of magic is called natural because no supernatural claims to power are ever made in connection with it. In fact, the magicians who perform it are, as a rule, the most outspoken skeptics on the subject of genuine magic. It is their business to mystify, and they know that their public is easily fooled. They achieve their effects by the skillful use of illusioned trickery. The first magicians of this type were probably those very priests who were supposed to ...

1228. PHYSICIAN

Luke 5:31; Colos. 4:14

Illustration

Stephen Stewart

... it wrong to have a man attend her. In the early stages of medical practice, attention was more frequently applied to surgical aid and external applications. Even down to a comparatively late period, outward maladies appear to have been the chief subjects of medical treatment among the Hebrews, although they were not entirely without remedies for internal and even mental disorders. The Bible is generally not complimentary concerning the doctor’s ability to cure his patients. Mark 5:26 says, "he suffered ...

1229. WIZARD

Deut. 18:11

Illustration

Stephen Stewart

... fear of the witch herself, who admitted that she was in danger of her life because she granted Saul’s request. Leviticus as well as Deuteronomy specifically stated that the practitioners of the art of necromancy, as well as their clients, were subject to the death penalty. There is, to most of us, something inherently distasteful and frightening in the thought of trying to establish communication with the dead, and yet spiritualism and the spiritualist cult leaders are very popular. Perhaps you know of ...

1230. The Forbidden Anger

Matthew 5:21-26

Sermon

Bill Bouknight

... Holy Spirit can we grow toward the ideal of the Sermon on the Mount. Now, let me close with a true story about anger and God's transforming power. There was a pastor who had a chronic problem with anger. His wife and young son had often been subjected to his wild outbursts of temper. The little boy would often hide in a closet and tremble during his father's explosions of anger. The pastor sought and received counseling. He asked a group of friends in a prayer fellowship to pray for him, that he might gain ...

1231. The Heavier the Purse, The Tighter the Strings

Mark 10:17-31

Sermon

Bill Bouknight

... hills of North Carolina. A few years ago he was invited to preach at the prestigious Riverside Church in New York City. That church has long been noted for its activist preachers and liberal, politically correct agenda. Will Campbell was asked to preach on this subject: "What Riverside Church Can Do to Help the Future of Race Relations in America." Campbell took for his text the same one I am using today, the story of the rich young ruler. At the beginning of his sermon he asked, "What can Riverside Church ...

1232. Right on the Money!

Proverbs 10:1-32

Sermon

Bill Bouknight

... track was moved only six inches to the left, the trains went to St. Louis or Chicago. This enormous variance in their final destination was brought about by a matter of a few inches turned much earlier at Amqui. How does that relate to our subject for today? It means that switching our financial habits just a little bit now can change drastically where we end up later. A few crucial corrections now can prevent disaster later, and enable us to experience God’s riches blessings. In the final analysis, we ...

1233. 'Nevertheless': A Word of Faith

Luke 5:1-11

Sermon

Bill Bouknight

... that makes no sense. The only way to deal with a corporate enemy is to bash him, and do it hard. Lord, I know what your book says about sexuality, but frankly, it's hopelessly old-fashioned. Modern science and psychology have rendered scripture obsolete on this subject. There are ways to take precautions and be protected against sexuality's dangers. Lord, I know what your book says about tithing, but look, I'm a CPA. There is no way that you can take 10 percent off the top without being hurt by it. Maybe ...

1234. The Healing Power of Touch

Matthew 9:18-26

Sermon

Brett Blair

... --the man born blind and the children in Jerusalem being two examples. An embrace, a kiss, an arm on the shoulder, a pat on the back--all of these are ways of expressing a love which goes beyond words. It is lamentable that we are so paranoid on this subject in America. We have grown touchy about touching. In other parts of the world they do not seem to have this hang-up. To me, the guideline that we can use for this is from the 3rd chapter of Ecclesiastes. You recall the familiar verses that read: There is ...

1235. All You Need To Know About Heaven

John 14:5-14, John 14:1-4

Sermon

Bill Bouknight

... was a strong Christian unit. Mr. Rogers took seriously his role as spiritual leader. Often at supper the family would have a Bible quiz or discuss some spiritual truth. One evening the family was discussing what heaven will be like. 7-year-old Jimmy grabbed this subject and ran with it; he had a very creative imagination. Jimmy said, “When we get to heaven, the big angel will call the roll. He will come to the Rogers family and say, 'Daddy Rogers' and Daddy will say 'Here! '. Then the angel will call out ...

1236. The Voices Of Christmas

Drama

Jerry Nordstrom

... is designed to reveal the realities of Christmas - both the detrimental and the divine. This is not a play with scenery and characters who speak to one another. Cast members address visualized listeners as if no interruptions from other characters or changes of subject occur. Lines may be read or recited; most important is that lines sound spontaneous and real. The cast may stand or be seated on various levels. No one needs to move about, though a limited amount of pantomime is recommended. During telephone ...

1237. Forgive Us Our Debts

Matthew 18:21-35

Sermon

Brett Blair

... colleague and demands immediate payment of a paltry amount of money. Having been forgiven, he cannot now forgive. The King finds out about what has happened and he again summons the servant before him. We had better be careful about how we handle this whole subject of forgiveness, because one day our life is going to be exposed. Jesus said in Luke 12: “What is veiled will be unveiled, and what is hidden will be known.” Nobody is going to get away with anything. You thought that it was just Bill Clinton ...

1238. Preparing for the Wrong Thing

Luke 12:13-21

Illustration

Larry Powell

... son of a family was entitled to inherit twice the share as the younger brother (Deuteronomy 21:15-17). In all probability the person who approached Jesus in our text was a younger brother who wanted more than his legal share of an inheritance. Jesus replied to the subject at hand by citing the parable of the "Rich Young Fool." The bottom line of the parable is that the rich fool had prepared for the wrong thing. He had taken his goods into account, but had made up no provision for his own soul. A dear ...

1239. A Steadfast Love

Psalm 103:1-22

Illustration

Larry Powell

... poem from the paper and put it in his pocket with the thought of perhaps setting it to music one day. Later that evening in Edinburgh, Moody preached a sermon on "The Good Shepherd," then called on Sankey for a solo. Not having been told beforehand the subject of Moody’s sermon, and certainly unprepared to sing, Sankey was taken by complete surprise. He had absolutely no idea what piece of music would be appropriate for the moment, even if he had had time to think about it. At a loss, he approached the ...

1240. Song of an Exile

Psalm 16:1-11

Sermon

Gordon Pratt Baker

... author of the Sixteenth Psalm is a person who can sing in the face of adversity. One of the Hebrews forcibly dispersed among the Gentiles following the Exile, he is a stranger in a strange land, surrounded by enemies and under constant threat of death. Subject to attack from every side, he is being pressured to engage in pagan practices. Nor can he escape the pressure, since fanaticism possesses no limits. Individuals in every age have been martyred for their faith, and the poet knows only too well that at ...

1241. Song of a Prophet

Psalm 46:1-11

Sermon

Gordon Pratt Baker

... that He that complies against his will Is of his own opinion still. Accordingly, the poet follows the prophecy with an invitation to friend and foe alike to join a Kingdom greater than the kingdoms of this world, one in which all people will be equal subjects of a merciful Monarch who seeks nothing but their good and asks nothing but their love. Be still, and know that I am God. I am exalted among the nations, I am exalted in the earth! (Psalm 46:10) "Drop your hatreds," the psalmist represents the ...

1242. Song of an Evangelist

Psalm 103:1-22

Sermon

Gordon Pratt Baker

... that they, too, may escape the depths. A Broadening Vision It is but one small step from a personal experience to a social vision, and the poet takes it with alacrity. By the very character of the divine nature, he concludes, all people are subjects for the divine grace. Does not God love his people as a father loves his children? (Psalm 103:13). Granted, the psalmist first applies the concept to his own country. The Almighty, he declares works vindication and justice for all who are oppressed. He ...

1243. I Believe In Heaven

John 14:1-4

Sermon

Robert Allen

... , I like the concept of a heaven where there is continual growth. Winston Churchill, in his book, Painting As A Pastime, said: When I get to heaven I mean to spend a considerable portion of my first million years in painting, and so get to the bottom of the subject ... I believe in a heaven that will not be boring, but an adventure; I believe in a heaven where we can continue to grow and develop. II. I believe that in heaven there will be a time of reunion. When I think of eternal life, I think of the ...

1244. What To Give The God Who Has Everything

Psalm 50:1-23

Sermon

Erskine White

... a frame. I do believe she appreciated that simple present more than many others she had been given over the years. What gifts can we give to God? That’s a far more perplexing question than we ever face with our friends or relatives, and it happens to be the subject of our text today. Do we even think about what we might give God at this or any other time of year? We often list the things God could give us to make us happy (like better health or the winning lottery number or even world peace), but how ...

1245. Send Me!

Isaiah 6:1-13

Sermon

Frederick C. Edwards

... to be something very special. He could never live the privileged and pampered life to which he had been born. He was changed. Change is not always easy to accommodate, either in ourselves or by those around us. Several years ago there was a film called The Subject Was Roses. It portrayed a young man who returned home from the army only to discover that he was a different person than the boy who had left three years before. He was mature and independent - his own man. And the difference between what he had ...

1246. The Scandal Of Redeeming Love

Hosea 2:2-23

Sermon

Frederick C. Edwards

... blended with fiction becomes the means to enhance or discredit; to glorify or defame. The popularity of this material in tabloid papers, magazines and talk shows indicates that the public seems to have an insatiable appetite for it. Probably most of the subjects of the scandal and gossip, half-truth and innuendo would far rather be left alone than to see their names and pictures, and the supposed details of their lives, paraded before the public. The prophet Hosea, however, used the painfully lurid details ...

1247. Coming Down The Mountain

2 Kings 2:1-18

Sermon

Frederick C. Edwards

... a scholar who had done some significant inquiry into the life and work of one of its own most illustrious former scholars, the 16th century Scottish reformer, John Knox. The tradition in that and several other universities was that, if possible, a cap belonging to the subject of the study - in this case John Knox - would be given to the person being honored, if such a cap could be found. In that way the honoree would have something personal, imbued at least in thought, by a sense of the man who had once ...

1248. Simon Peter: Strong Stone or Crumbling Clay?

Luke 22:54-62

Sermon

Carl E. Zahrte

... , the words poured out, "I am not." She hadn’t said it that loudly and I hoped no one had heard her, but in a short while one of the men said, "Hey, you are one of them." Again I quickly denied it. I must have tried to change the subject and talk about other things, but that didn’t help, because then someone else said, "Surely you were with Jesus. We can tell from your accent that you’re from Galilee." Fear flooded over me, like the surging waves from the Sea of Galilee when I had seen Jesus walking ...

1249. We Do Not Have To Stay The Way We Are!

Joel 2:1-11

Sermon

Durwood L. Buchheim

... will than one’s affections. To "rend the heart" is the call to change. It is a strong exhortation to subdue the will. The "tearing of garments" was part of the usual ritual for mourning (2 Samuel 1:11). It was a visible expression of grief and subject to misuse. "Look how sorry I am!" "Rending one’s garments" is a way of repenting loudly so all people can see what great "repenters" we are. It is repentance growing out of pride. Both our Old and New Testament lessons for today speak against a repentance ...

1250. Easter: The Festival Of Joy

Isaiah 25:1-12

Sermon

Durwood L. Buchheim

... writes, "In the midst of life we are in death." So the first prayer many of us learned is a very realistic prayer. The reason death is such a well-kept secret is because of our fear of it. We don’t like to talk about unpleasant things so the subject of death is taboo in too many of our churches. It seems that the more affluent and prosperous we become, the more fearful we are of death. Death means the end of all the toys we have accumulated. Others fear death because it may not be the end, but rather ...

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