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Showing 1251 to 1275 of 4957 results

1251. Judgment Day is Coming (Adapted)

Matthew 13:24-30, Matthew 13:36-43, Matthew 13:47-52

Sermon

Bill Bouknight

... his promise, as some think of slowness, but is patient with you, not wanting any to perish, but all to come to repentance." God will never allow someone to be condemned to hell unjustly or undeservedly. And God gives to most people many chances to repent of sin and claim Jesus Christ as Lord. III Third, it is God who judges in the end not us. No person is authorized to compose a list of those who are going to hell. It is perfectly proper to say out of love, "If you reject the gracious offer of Christ, you ...

1252. As the Twig Is Bent

2 Timothy 3:10--4:8

Illustration

Larry Powell

... instruction at his mother’s knee and later received formal training from some of the most outstanding scholars of his time. Instruction served them, as it serves us, as a strong potion. We are not speaking of education in general here, though the same claim may be made for it. Some things can be learned on one’s own and achieved from personal experience apart from instruction. The focus here is upon that part of our knowledge which has come to us through intentional instruction. There are simply some ...

1253. Beyond Ambiguity

Isaiah 42:1-9

Illustration

Larry Powell

... ’s rise to power, the Blockade of Britain, the Common Market, and other far sweeping events. The writings of Nostradamus are, however, exceedingly ambiguous, requiring a great deal of imagination on the part of the reader to even remotely apply them to events claimed as "fulfillments." I personally place no stock in this ancient mystic’s poetic "prophecies." But there is no ambiguity in the prophecies of Isaiah: (1) "Behold my servant, whom I uphold, my chosen, in whom my soul delights; I have put my ...

1254. Song of a Shepherd

Psalm 23:1-6

Sermon

Gordon Pratt Baker

... nights he tended his own flocks under God’s watchful eye; and once again, as has happened so often before, he finds his heart flooding with gratitude: "The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want" (Psalm 23:1). The psalmist knows a personal shepherd. He claims the Almighty’s hovering care for his own. Thus, he can face the twilight years with thanksgiving and in peace since, out of his long experience, he is confident of five truths concerning the character of the divine Redeemer. A God Who Guides In the ...

1255. I Believe In Prayer

Luke 11:1-13

Sermon

Robert Allen

... were my children), and by carefully managing her money, she raised her two children and sent them to college. She died a couple of years ago at 94 years of age. About thirty minutes after her last piano lesson of the day, a sudden heart attack claimed her life. She was an ordinary lady, who made an extra-ordinary discovery. She discovered a comfort, she discovered a peace, she discovered a strength, when she cried out to God from the darkness of her soul. III. Prayer affirms that we are not alone. Prayer ...

1256. I Love A Parade

Matthew 21:1-11, John 12:12-19

Sermon

Robert Allen

... every eye focused upon him. The parade through the Holy City was an act of courage. The parade through the Holy City was a bold claim to be God’s Anointed One. The parade through the city was a daring risk to live with a commitment to his faith. Just as ... there are no longer any moral decisions to make, but because we have so watered-down morality that it no longer has any claims upon our lives. Perhaps, he is right, but our faith still demands boldness. No matter how watered-down we have allowed our faith ...

1257. Blessed among Women

Luke 1:39-45, 1 Samuel 2:1-11

Sermon

Erskine White

... in our text. "God has looked with favor upon the lowliness of His servant," she says. She is a simple peasant girl, engaged to a carpenter and living in a dusty little village in a dusty little nation. She never calls herself anything unique or special, never claims to be more educated, refined or worthy in any way than anyone else. In fact, Mary realizes that the glory which has come to her is all God’s doing: "The Mighty One has done great things for me," she confesses. She will be blessed among women ...

1258. Wheel Within The Wheel

Acts 1:12-26

Sermon

Durwood L. Buchheim

... concern for the continuity of the church after the death of Jesus. This is the third truth coming through God’s word for today. I am reminded of those great words from 1 Peter: "You are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a dedicated nation, a people claimed by God for his own, to proclaim the triumphs of him who has called you out of darkness into his marvelous light." (2:9-10) In the organization called the church there are to be no distinctions between laity and clergy, men and women, Jews or Gentiles ...

1259. Stewards and the Hungry

Matthew 25:31-46

Sermon

Jerry L. Schmalemberger

... the children to starve, and yet they do; and we see it on our television screen year after year. No one knows the reasons we continue to have so much world hunger; we can only depend on the authorities that we read on the subject and their opinions. They claim there’s a certain lack of understanding and concern and that we fail to take the time to consider why hunger continues to exist. We close our minds to taking any of the blame as American citizens who live very "high on the hog" at the expense of the ...

1260. Resurrection: From Sin to a Second Chance

Psalm 23:1-6

Sermon

Leonard H. Budd

... fences in my time, but at least I’ve never killed anybody - at least not like David did." We enter the valley of the shadow of self-deception whenever we believe that what the Bible says about sin somehow doesn’t apply to us. Saint John says, "If we claim to be without sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us." Being human, we go astray and enter the valley of the shadow of self-deception all the time, and we cannot get out unless someone rescues us. That is what the shepherd boy intended to ...

1261. A Citizen of Three Worlds

Sermon

R. Blaine Detrick

... ). Another time he took advantage of his Roman citizenship was in Caesarea. He had been in prison there for two years, waiting and waiting for the procurator to make a decision about his case. Finally - to avoid being returned to Jerusalem for judgment - he claimed the rights of a Roman citizen and said, "I appeal unto Caesar." This was the reason for his voyage to Rome, where before Caesar himself, any Roman citizen had the opportunity of a trial (Acts 25:9-12). Heavenly Citizenship But the secret of Paul ...

1262. Augustine, Defender of the Faith

Sermon

Jerry L. Schmalemberger

... of free will and imperfect creatures, 2) evil does not stop at the church doors, and 3) as a member of the human race, it is only by God’s grace that we are saved. The Manicheans claimed there was an evil god or power which was eternally opposed to the good god. Augustine defended the essential goodness of all creation. He claimed evil is the product of free will and our own imperfect nature. Augustine knew first-hand! He had tried out the lust of the flesh and lived a self-indulgent life, right up to his ...

1263. John Wesley: Religion of the Heart

Sermon

Jerry L. Schmalemberger

... , and a heart religion. I believe we need a good dose of Methodism in our Christian faith today. For some reason some claim it’s not good to be a "bleeding heart" or "do-gooder." Yet, that was the very center of Jesus’ teaching. Conversion ... for the leper, bind up wounds of the beaten traveler, visit those in prison, care for the children, the poor, and the downtrodden. He claimed we should even love our enemies as much as we love ourselves. Wesley’s general rule of life was, "Whenever you are to do ...

1264. An Understated Masterpiece

Mark 1:21-28

Sermon

Thomas Long

... lives, giving us overwhelming experiences of grace and love. But warm and exciting religious experience is not the totality of Jesus’ impact on our lives. Every action of Christ brings truth, every experience of Christ forms wisdom in our hearts, every encounter carries an enduring claim upon us to live in new ways. Every time we sing "Amazing Grace" we can also sing "This is a new teaching!" Since New Year’s Day 1984, the family of Sam Todd has been looking for him in vain. A seminary student, Sam left ...

1265. The Remnant Year

Jeremiah 30:1--31:40

Sermon

Thomas D. Peterson

... . From time to time she sorts through her treasures and comes up with one: "Look, this will do nicely." Then she goes to work, carefully squeezing the pattern to make a blouse or skirt. At last she comes to me, "Here, how do you like this?" She has claimed for herself a remnant that otherwise would have been discarded. From a near-nothing she moved first to a possibility and then to an actual article of clothing. That which would have lain on a counter and gathered dust not only adds to the income of the ...

1266. A Streak of Common Sense

Deuteronomy 18:14-22

Sermon

Thomas D. Peterson

... tradition was about to be fulfilled in a new dimension. Transcendent powers were at work. But, what does John call the people to do? Repent and do works that befit repentance, he calls out. The streak of common sense shines through. He calls them to claim the long-range security with God through repentance and pay heed in daily faithfulness toward this end. We can all understand and do the works John suggests: share a second coat with another when we have two; share food with the hungry; take no money ...

1267. Epiphany 2

1 Samuel 3:1--4:1, John 1:35-42, 1 Corinthians 6:12-20

Bulletin Aid

Paul A. Laughlin

Old Testament: 1 Samuel 3:1-10 (11-20) Theme: Human receptivity in times of divine silence Exegetical Note This well-known account of Samuel’s eventual response to God’s persistent but misperceived call is rich in possibilities, not the least of which is its claim that the event occurred in days when "the word of the Lord was rare" (RSV) and visions either infrequent or nonexistent. Call to Worship Leader: People of God, let us be receptive to the voice of God, for it may come at the most unexpected ...

1268. Easter 4

Acts 4:1-22, 1 John 3:11-24, John 10:1-21

Bulletin Aid

Paul A. Laughlin

... THE TRUTH OF OUR DEEDS AS WELL. Collect O God of love, who have commanded us to love you and one another in deed as well as word, touch our hearts with a measure of your compassion; that our own love may not be empty expressions and hollow claims, but real and true and effective. In the name of Jesus we love and we pray. Amen Prayer of Confession God of loving kindness, we confess with the deepest shame our tendency to give lip-service to love, while ignoring the concrete situations that cry out for real ...

1269. If You Had Been Here

John 11:17-37

Sermon

Louis H. Valbracht

... God. A man in Florida brought a lawsuit against "God and Company" when an insurance firm denied his claim for damages in an accident on the grounds that it was an "act of God." So he brought suit against God and Company and named as co-defendants the ... churches of the city who claimed to be God’s representative. Well, the court dismissed the case as disrespectful. The defendant, you see, didn’t show up. But that’s ...

1270. Advent 2: Let Us Go Over To Bethlehem And Find The Promise of Christmas

Matthew 1:18-25

Sermon

James W. Moore

... that! God is a loving parent. He cares for his children like Joseph cares for ME.” Joseph did his job well because He knew God had called him to do it… and He also knew the great promise of Christmas, the promise you and I can claim today… GOD IS WITH US. NOTE: This sermon series on Advent is currently a publication of Abingdon for Bible Study during Advent. Jim Moore has granted this series to eSermons users to use in preparation of their Advent sermons. The material may be used in oral presentation ...

1271. The Need for A Community of Healing

Mark 1:29-34

Sermon

Maurice A. Fetty

... , and slowly, but gradually, he was on his way to recovery. What made the difference? Good medicine and expert specialists to be sure. But he and his wife also will tell you that the prayers made the difference. In the near total exhaustion and bleakest moments, they claim they were sustained by faith and prayer -- their own, and the faith and prayer of others when they were too weak to pray for themselves. I have had many people tell me that. One man told me that when his minister took his hand to pray for ...

1272. The Terrible Tree

John 18:1-19:42

Sermon

George Bass

... and officers of the Jews who actually cried out, "Crucify him, crucify him!" Pilate did just that. Jesus posed no threat to the continued Roman occupation of Jerusalem and the rest of the Holy Land; Pilate was well aware of that. The Jews knew it too. Anyone claiming to be the long-awaited Messiah would have had a difficult time with them, especially if he did not measure up to their expectations. Jesus didn’t. He was not the warrior Son of David, but the Son of God who came as the Suffering Servant. "If ...

1273. The Passing of the Peace

John 20:24-31

Sermon

George Bass

... we will take the resurrection, and all of its implications for new life now, as seriously as we take the cross during Lent and Holy Week. That’s why Thomas appeals so much to many of us. He wanted to see for himself, to be certain that what his friends claimed they had seen and heard was actually so. Who can fault him for his "Unless I see the print of the nails, and place my finger in the mark of the nails, and place my hand in his side, I will not believe"? He is often called "doubting Thomas," but ...

1274. Behold the Blood of the Covenant

Exodus 24:1-18

Sermon

Larry Powell

... scriptures; "Could you not watch with me for one hour?" 3. Giving In to Hidden Agendas Judas too, had his own agenda. All of Jesus’ talk about the New Covenant and the shedding of his blood did not deter him. Straight from the meal, he rushed to claim his blood money. So preoccupied was he by his own motives, whatever they were, that he had not been slowed when Jesus had confronted him at the table. Matthew records that as they were eating, Jesus announced, " ‘Truly I say to you, one of you will betray ...

1275. "Job" Is Our Name Too

Job 6:1-7:21

Sermon

Richard L. Eslinger

... darkness? Can you bind the chains of the Pleiades, or loose the chains of Orion?" And, of course, Job must answer, "No." Only God is holy and has created all things. So Job confesses to God that he repents in dust and ashes. He repents, not of his claim to innocence, but of his presumptuousness. For he had sought to make God deal with him on the basis of some very human "wisdom." But note this! God now, at the end, still declares Job innocent. God has not asked Job to reject what he has known about himself ...

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