Sermon and Worship Resources

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Showing 1251 to 1275 of 4946 results

1251. Jesus and Andrew

John 1:35-42

Sermon

James W. Moore

Back in the 15th century in a tiny village near Nuremberg, Germany there lived a family with eighteen children. That’s right… eighteen! In order merely to keep food on the table for this large family, the father (who was a goldsmith by profession) worked almost eighteen hours a day at this trade and any other paying job he could find in the neighborhood. Despite their seemingly hopeless condition, two of the older children had a dream. They both wanted to pursue their talent for art, but they knew full ...

1252. In Praise Of Goofing Off

Mark 6:30-44

Sermon

King Duncan

Have you ever noticed that different people have different attitudes about work? I heard about a congregation who had the same pastor for many years. He resigned and they hired a new young pastor with new ideas about church leadership. The first suggestion he made to the church's ruling body was that they hire a part-time person to look after the church lawn. "I'll have you know, parson," said one of the members indignantly, that our former pastor always took care of the church's lawn himself." "I'm aware ...

1253. A Society Out Of Control

Exodus 20:1-21

Sermon

King Duncan

I don't think any of us would term television personality, Phil Donahue, a rigid moralist. On his show sometime back, one of the guests was a man who has written a book on "sexual addiction." The thesis of the doctor's book is that there are people in our society who are addicted to various kinds of inappropriate sexual behavior just as other persons may be addicted to drugs or alcohol. Often in the program, as he described problems such as promiscuity, child molestation, obsession with pornography, etc. ...

1254. Read My Heart As Well As My Lips

Mark 7:1-23

Sermon

King Duncan

A young coed being interviewed on television about her religious beliefs said, "Oh yes, I believe in God, but I'm not nuts about Him." According to the Gallup Poll that is a good description of how most Americans feel about God. Ninety-four percent of us believe in God. When it comes to translating that belief into action, however, most of us are clearly not nuts about Him. We have something in common with the Pharisees. Jesus once summed up the Pharisees chief problem like this: "These people honor me ...

1255. Help Wanted, Dad. Ask For Calvin And Hobbes.

1 Kings 19:1-8

Sermon

Lowell D. Streiker

1. What Do Daddies Do? Six-year-old Calvin is talking to his stuffed Tiger Hobbes: Calvin: Here's a box of crayons. I need some illustrations for a story I'm writing. You can draw something besides tigers, can't you? Hobbes: Sure, Leopards, pumas, ocelots....you name it. (Time passes and we find Calvin in bed with his stuffed tiger, ready to be tucked in by his father.) Calvin: Here Dad, read this story tonight. I wrote it and Hobbes illustrated it. Dad:...Um. OK. (He reads aloud.) "The Dad Who Lived to ...

1256. Living With Pizzazz

Luke 16:1-15

Sermon

King Duncan

What a story! This is the strangest story Jesus ever told! At least it's the strangest one we have in the Bible! There are some other rather strange stories that appear in collections like the Gospel of Thomas. But they didn't make it into the Bible! Think about it! If we're reading this thing correctly, Jesus is telling us to imitate a crook! A downright scoundrel! He cheats on his employer. He lies to his business associates. And yet, says Jesus, here's somebody from whom we need to learn! How could he ...

1257. Building A Church

Acts 1:12-26

Sermon

King Duncan

The rest of the world must surely marvel at the nature of religion in America. For example, you may have read in the newspapers sometime back about the newly formed Positive Impact Church in South Centre, Pa. According to Associated Press reports this church advertised a raffle. Two thousand people signed up. Apparently they didn't read the fine print. They had to attend Sunday services to be eligible to win the prize of $1,000. Only about 30 showed up. "Where are all the people?" asked the minister, ...

1258. A Mother And Her Son (Mother's Day)

Matthew 12:46-50

Sermon

King Duncan

A woman had quit work to stay home and take care of her new baby daughter. Countless hours of peekaboo and other games slowly took their toll. One evening she smacked her bare toes on the corner of a dresser and, grabbing her foot, sank to the floor. Her husband rushed to her side and asked where it hurt. She looked at her husband through her tear-filled eyes and managed to moan, "It's the piggy that ate the roast beef." (1) Another harried mother had three very active boys. One summer evening she was ...

1259. I Can Make It By Myself . . .

1 Corinthians 12:12-31, 1 Corinthians 12:1-11

Sermon

King Duncan

Margo Ballantyne was shopping at a store in Scotland when it seemed that the whole world suddenly stopped. As Margo sorted through stacks of scarves, the other shoppers in the store suddenly froze in place. All conversation ceased. Sales clerks refused to make eye contact with Margo or answer her questions. What would you think if you were in Margo's situation? She assumed that she was unwelcome in the store, that she was out of place. But then, Margo remembered that on this particular day, November 11th, ...

1260. The Not-So-Secret Service

Luke 10:1-24

Sermon

King Duncan

Our illusions fall one by one. First the Easter Bunny. Then the Tooth Fairy. Now .007. Surely you know who I'm talking about--Ian Feming's debonair spy, Bond . . . James Bond. He's a fake. A fraud. He's simply unacceptable as a spy. At least that is what MI5 said recently. Our ideas of what makes a good spy have been shaped--or more accurately, distorted---by movies and television. So this particular news item comes as a shock to those of us who grew up on the wildly successful spy movies. In March 2003, ...

1261. Rebellion in the Vineyard

Matthew 21:33-46

Sermon

King Duncan

A friend of journalist David Halberstam was planning a visit to Japan. It would be his first visit, and he was a little anxious because he couldn’t speak Japanese. How would he communicate with the people he came in contact with? Since most taxi drivers do not speak English, someone suggested that it might be a good idea to carry with him something bearing the name of the hotel at which he would be staying written in Japanese. That was exactly what he did. As soon as he arrived in Japan he picked up a box ...

1262. Depression: When the Spirit Is Faint

Psalm 142:1-7

Sermon

Eric Ritz

A disturbed and deeply troubled individual went to a psychiatrist to relieve his anxiety. He awoke melancholy every morning, and he went to bed in the evening deeply depressed. His day was marked by darkness and clouds. He could not find relief from this anxiety. In his desperate condition, he decided to seek the help of a psychiatrist. The psychiatrist listened to him for almost an hour. Finally, he leaned toward his patient and said to him, "You know, there is a local show at the theater. I understand a ...

1263. The Rest Of The Story

Genesis 3:1-24

Sermon

Maxie Dunnam

As Adam and his sons, Cain and Abel, were walking one day, they passed the beautiful Garden of Eden. Just to pass by was an experience. Adam knew what was inside those beautiful gates -- the lush fruit, the gorgeous flowers -- it was a place of endless delight. An angel with a flaming sword was guarding the gate. Adam said, "Boys, take a good look. That's where we lived before your mother ate us out of house and home." In the words of Paul Harvey, "that's the rest of the story." The first chapter of ...

1264. The Prize of the High Calling of God

Philippians 3:12-4:1

Sermon

Maxie Dunnam

I am intrigued by bumper stickers. Someone was smart. Since modern Americans spend so much of their time in cars, why not turn the bumper into a kind of chrome or, alas with modern cars, plastic bulletin boards. Thousands would get the messages as they come near the car in front of them. It was a brilliant idea. Religious folks have not missed this communication opportunity. So you have the traditional bumper sticker message: “Honk if you love Jesus”. And the more avant-garde, “In case of the rapture, this ...

1265. Let Familiarity Breed Contentment

Hebrews 13:1-25

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

Have you ever taken a new puppy for its first walk in the park? It takes forever. Not only because the pup is clueless about that leash-thing pulling at its neck. Not only because the pup has no understanding of the words you keep shouting at it. But mainly because to the puppy every single thing before its eyes, ears, and (mostly) nose, is brand new and endlessly enticing. A clump of grass is a tickly, delicious torment. A sprinkler head an eternal enigma. A blowing leaf a scuttling strangeness to be ...

1266. Practical Tips For Powerful Prayer

Matthew 6:5-15

Sermon

Bill Bouknight

The most under-utilized power on earth is not ethanol or solar power or even nuclear power. The most under-utilized power on earth is the power of God channeled through prayer. Surveys have revealed that 71 percent of Americans believe that God definitely answers prayer and another 15 percent believe that God probably does. That means that 86 percent of Americans believe that prayer is effective. Nevertheless, just a small percentage of Americans have a specific time set aside each day for prayer. Why is ...

1267. God's Whatever

Philippians 4:2-9

Sermon

Billy D. Strayhorn

"Whatever!" It's a mantra of today's world. Behind that one word, that neck thing they do, the rolling of the eyes and the tone of voice what's really being said by many people is: "Do what you want, it’s not like you're going to listen to me anyway, or if you do, what are the chances you'll understand what I'm saying? Whatever!" There's a lack of hope and a I could care less attitude. I don't know where it comes from. I'm not sure the professionals even know. But we're living in a "Whatever" society. And ...

1268. The Power of a Personal Commitment

Romans 12:1-8

Sermon

J. Howard Olds

While my farmer father only had a fourth grade education, he was a wonderful story teller. One of his favorite yarns was about a chicken and a pig who encountered a hungry man beside the road. Moved with compassion, the chicken said to the pig, “Why don’t you and I go together and give this man a great ham and eggs breakfast?” The pig pondered the proposition for a moment and then replied, “For you that would be a contribution; but for me that would mean total commitment.” On this Sunday when we are asked ...

1269. Rich Man, Poor Man, Beggar Man, Thief

James 2:1-17

Sermon

Billy D. Strayhorn

There's an old story about two crows sitting on the handles of an old plow, on the edge of the field next to a country road. An old pick up comes bouncing down the road. The pick is just coming back from town and the bed of the truck is filled with a months worth of groceries. As it gets alongside the two crows sitting on the handles of the plow, something bounces out of the back of the truck. Crows being crows, the both fly down to see what it is. After some discussion and some tasting they decide that it ...

1270. Why Are You So Afraid?

Mark 4:35-41

Sermon

King Duncan

Karen Fair tells about her three-year-old daughter, Abby, who was having trouble sleeping through the night. She kept waking up because she was afraid. Each time Karen tucked her into bed again, she would remind her that Jesus was with her and that He would keep her safe. The sleepless nights continued, with Abby seeking comfort in her parents’ bedroom. Finally, one night Karen asked her daughter if she had prayed for Jesus to take her fear away and help her fall asleep. “Oh yes,” Abby assured her. “He ...

1271. Drowsy Disciples

Mark 13:1-31

Sermon

David J. Kalas

I watched with amusement, recently, as a gentleman across the table from me at a church committee meeting struggled to stay awake. Our meeting came at the end of what had apparently been a tiring day for him, and now the meeting itself was running long. No one there would question this member’s devotion to the church or his commitment to its work. But he simply could not keep himself awake. His eyes would blur and begin to flicker, his head would start to bob, and finally his chin would sink into his chest ...

1272. Overseers and Deacons

1 Timothy 3:1-16

Understanding Series

Gordon D. Fee

Qualifications for Overseers To this point, Paul has addressed some concerns related to the community at worship and corrected some abuses generated by the activities of the erring elders. Now he turns to the elders themselves and sets forth some qualifications for “office.” He begins, in verses 1–7, with a group called episkopoi (“overseers”); then moves in verses 8–13 to a group called diakonoi (“servants,” “deacons”), with a note also about some “women” in verse 11. It is altogether likely that both “ ...

1273. The Sin and Doom of Godless Men

Jude 1:1-16

Understanding Series

Norman Hillyer

Writer and Readers 1 By custom, Hellenistic letters began with a threefold formula: (a) the name of the sender; (b) the name of the recipient; and (c) an opening salutation. Greek writers followed the pattern “(a) to (b): greetings.” A NT example is the letter of Claudius Lysias to Felix (Acts 23:26). Jewish letters were introduced slightly differently. The opening sentence gave the names of writer and recipient. A second sentence invoked a blessing upon the reader. The three elements of (a) author, (b) ...

1274. Gentiles Exemplify True Discipleship

Mark 7:31-37, Mark 7:24-30

Teach the Text

Grant R. Osborne

Big Idea: Salvation and the kingdom blessings, heretofore experienced primarily by the Jews, are now extended to the Gentiles. A Gentile woman of Tyre shows remarkable faith and humility, and a deaf mute in the Decapolis experiences messianic healing. Understanding the Text Mark now turns to examples of faith, as the Syrophoenician woman is one of the “little people” in Mark, characters who appear only once but carry the theme of what a true disciple should be. As such, she gives a lesson to the disciples ...

1275. Widows and Their Worries: Back to Bethlehem

Ruth 1:1-22

One Volume

Gary M. Burge

Setting: Famine and Family Tragedy (1:1–5) · The grim opening of this story grips the reader on three counts. First, it is neither a prosperous nor a fruitful time in the nation’s life (1:1). Second, and not unrelated, the people of Israel face famine (1:1). The fact that a famine prevails in Bethlehem, in Judah’s “house of bread,” together with the religious crisis dominating the landscape indicates an unpleasant visitation by the Lord on the land. The Lord promised famine as one among many of his acts of ...

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