Sermon and Worship Resources

Showing 1251 to 1275 of 3160 results

Acts 8:26-40

Sermon

Donald Macleod

... accompanied by true and honest understanding. Many of us approach the Bible as we would a recipe book, expecting to find and extract simple and concise solutions to our daily problems and troubles. This is a naive and fruitless exercise. The Ethiopian was not of this sort: "He invited Philip to come up and sit with him" (v. 33). And Philip explained to him the whole sweep of biblical revelation that climaxed in the coming of Jesus of Nazareth (v. 35). Someone has said that the Bible tells us all we need to ...

1252. Easter Turns ONLY into ALSO

Acts 10:23b-48

Sermon

Donald Macleod

... shining waters of the Mediterranean Sea with the white sails of the boats and the larger cargo ships on their way to countries beyond the horizon. Suddenly, he was caught by a vision of a huge sheet let down from the heavens, laden with every sort of animal, reptile and bird anyone could imagine, and a voice said, "Rise, Peter, kill and eat." This occurred three times, and each time Peter protested on the basis of the ancient Jewish exclusiveness: "I have never eaten anything that is common or unclean" (v ...

1253. Readying the Twelve for Mission

Acts 1:12-26

Sermon

Donald Macleod

... the group had done this), but he added, "Act as if everything depended on oneself." The group didn’t have their heads entirely in the clouds; they got down to business over a concrete detail. You all know the story. Two names were put forward in a sort of primary (it must have been by a voice vote): Barsabas and Matthias whose qualifications were well known and acceptable to all. Then a season of prayer was decided upon, followed by a casting of lots which put responsibility upon each one to vote as his ...

1254. Looking for Signs

John 4:43-54

Illustration

Larry Powell

Several years ago I was a member of the Arkansas delegation which attended a jurisdictional seminar of some sort in Dallas, Texas. Our delegation included an exceptional Christian gentlemen, whose name you would probably recognize, just recently assigned as the Episcopal leader of the Arkansas Area. As a matter of fact, he had moved into the Episcopal residence only two weeks prior to the seminar. One evening as we ...

1255. I Believe In Heaven

John 14:1-4

Sermon

Robert Allen

... to know if they will be reunited with those who go before them. I don’t know if I can adequately explain it, but I believe that our personal identities will survive the deaths of our bodies. I don’t believe that we will be simply absorbed back into some sort of creative gob. I believe in a concept of heaven where you will still be you and I will still be me. One of the old gospel songs promises: We shall come with joy and gladness, We shall gather round the throne, Face to face with those who love us ...

1256. Blessed among Women

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

Sermon

Erskine White

... introduces us to Mary, as she encounters the angel Gabriel, we see that while Mary is faithful and obedient, she still has a mind of her own. Gabriel greets her by calling her "favored one," and immediately, the text says Mary is "perplexed." She "ponders what sort of greeting this might be" (1:28-29). Perhaps she senses that to be favored by God is to have your life turned upside down. Perhaps she recalls her Old Testament scriptures, which amply demonstrate that people pay a price in this world for acting ...

1257. Your Light Has Come

Isaiah 60:1-22

Children's Sermon

Erskine White

... wake up from a bad dream in the middle of the night, think of how happy you are when your mother comes into your room and turns on the light. Then, after you have calmed down, she leaves the light on, and you aren’t scared any more. That’s sort of how we all feel now that Jesus is in the world. The light of goodness and salvation has been turned on in our souls, and we who were walking in darkness have seen the light. We aren’t scared anymore. Whenever you are tempted to do or say something ...

1258. The Wallenda Factor

Illustration

C. W. Bess

... the accident. Motivational speakers and managers now call this the Wallenda factor. Beware of being so afraid of failure that you dwell on the negatives. If so, you will succeed only in the ultimate negative, which is nothing. Life is a risk we must take. Be careful in a prudent sort of way, but don’t be paralyzed by a fear of failure. In Jesus Christ we can be positive and progress on!

1259. Just A Whisper

Isaiah 9:1-7

Sermon

Frederick C. Edwards

... tired and irritable. We’re not even ready for Christmas. Then something wonderful happens. Christmas comes whether we’re ready or not. On Christmas Eve, if we allow it, a quietness and expectation steals over us. There is a quiet excitement of the sort that Franz Gruber wrote, and we sing this haunting hymn, "Silent night, holy night ..." For Christ is born among us once again. Christmas Eve’s expectation becomes Christmas Day’s fulfillment, and the whisper of God’s love is spoken once again ...

1260. You Can Go Home Again!

Jeremiah 3:6-4:4

Sermon

Frederick C. Edwards

... place where you used to live? The neighborhood looks different. The trees are bigger. Strangers who live in the house now look at you with some suspicion as you drive by very slowly, perhaps thinking you’re casing the joint. The scene looks familiar in a strange sort of way; your house usually looks smaller than you remember it, and not as warm and friendly. In fact, there is often a nostalgic sadness at being unable to capture what once was but never will be again - even a moment of that time, or a voice ...

1261. Wade In The Water

2 Kings 5:1-27

Sermon

Frederick C. Edwards

... he probably would have returned home thinking the God of Israel was powerless after all. If the Galilean leper had not been healed he might have thought Jesus a fraud, or at least not so remarkable a healer as he had heard. Both of these were success stories of the sort we like to hear. We want it to be that way for us, too. I wonder, do you suppose there were some people who came to Jesus whom he could not or at least did not cure? Did he have to tell anyone, "I’m sorry. There’s nothing more ...

1262. And Now For Something Completely Different

Isaiah 43:14-28

Sermon

Frederick C. Edwards

... behind them - to get rid of for good, to release, to be forgiven of, and to forget. They brought this latter bit of writing with them to the service, and there was a time to look it over and think about it one last time. Then came an offering of sorts. The people were asked to take out and read, and then wad up the pages representing the things they wanted to get out of their lives, and to place them in a large ceramic pot which someone brought around to each one. It was interesting to note that some ...

1263. Coming Down The Mountain

2 Kings 2:1-18

Sermon

Frederick C. Edwards

... soul and its life-long effect reached John Wesley through the intellect, and the Spirit of that encounter accompanied him throughout his life. It was no vision, as for those three disciples, but a more ordinary inspiration that dawns upon the spirit through the intellect, of the sort that you or I might have when in our quest to know the power of God in our own lives we come to a moment where we say, "Aha!" and realize that our spirit has been touched profoundly, perhaps by something we have read or heard ...

1264. Pontius Pilate - Adamant, But Acquiescent

Luke 22:66--23:25

Sermon

Carl E. Zahrte

... way of life and now had assembled in front of the palace in which I stayed at Jerusalem, demanding that he be condemned to death. What a bunch of hypocrites they were, standing outside my dwelling so as not to "defile" themselves, yet spewing forth all sorts of lies from hearts that overflowed with envy. Yes, I knew that those leaders of the people were angry at this Jesus, and very suspicious of his growing popularity. After all, I was well aware of the dramatic entrance he had made into Jerusalem the ...

1265. We Do Not Have To Stay The Way We Are!

Joel 2:1-11

Sermon

Durwood L. Buchheim

... some explosive results. Our journey to Easter should not be all peace and tranquility: Lent is a season for crash helmets. It is a season for deep self-examination, intense emotion, purging the soul and reorienting life by discovering anew not only what sort of power it is "we so blithely invoke," but also about the dark powers which are at work in human experience. Lent began as a time when candidates for baptism would like gladiators preparing for battle, discipline themselves for the spiritual warfare ...

1266. Courageous Preaching

Isaiah 50:1-11

Sermon

Durwood L. Buchheim

... stations tell us to evacuate our town and literally run for our lives. Perhaps we would quickly plan some strategy of escape, maybe with some close friends and relatives. Or we might hold a hurried congregational meeting and decide to leave in some sort of protective caravan. No matter what our specific response, all of a sudden we would experience what it is like to become a homeless people. Suddenly, without warning, we are part of that vast number of refugees whose chief goal becomes survival. We ...

1267. Wheel Within The Wheel

Acts 1:12-26

Sermon

Durwood L. Buchheim

... . Though this particular election and text may not be high on our interest scale, it does convey three truths that are worthy of our remembering. The first truth is obvious, but sometimes forgotten, and that is the importance and necessity of organization. Without some sort of structure and organization there would be chaos. This was made very clear already in the book of Exodus. Moses was in charge of a congregation that was getting too large for him to handle alone. We also know it wasn’t an ideal ...

1268. Dual Citizenship II - What Do We Owe To God?

Matthew 22:15-22

Sermon

Bill Bouknight

... Ronald McDonald House. Just a week ago she was killed in an auto accident. MARRS was the ministry that attracted Amy to Christ Church. Somehow I feel now that her imprint will always be on that ministry. A second ministry need is Manna Ministry. These persons sort, bag and deliver groceries to Methodist food pantries in the city. It requires three hours, one day a month. A third ministry is Habitat for Humanity. If you will give us some of your weekend time in September, we will construct a house and enable ...

1269. Authenticity vs. Showmanship

Matthew 23:1-12

Sermon

Joseph M. Freeman

... people who took the Pharisees and scribes very seriously: 1) They would eventually feel disheartened and discouraged by unending rules, and thereby discount and distance themselves from the religious enterprise; or 2) they would become the kind of devotees who would be a sort of sub-college or group, just a couple steps below the status and station of scribe and Pharisee. They would fashion their own sense of security, set their own level of life station, and thereby have their own airs of superiority over ...

1270. The Path of Quality

Drama

William Grimbol

... joy ... think of the lives that sit "dead" and dreary wondering if they will ever face the alcoholism - the incest - the compulsive gambling or eating - the abuse of children or mates ... think of the grief never faced ... the priorities never sorted ... the dreams never actualized ... think of the mouths still waiting to be fed ... the peace still searching for makers ... think of the passionate denial of our possession by possessions, our addiction to accumulation ... think, just think, of how many times ...

1271. Stewards and Our Bodies

1 Corinthians 6:12-20

Sermon

Jerry L. Schmalemberger

... suffering and debasement. We see exploitation of our sexuality on every side: prostitution, media advertising, pornography, child abuse, filthy jokes, and language. These are all distortions of God’s good gift. In our homes and in our churches with our children, we need to help sort out the right and wrong of society’s beliefs about sex. We need to base all we say and do on biblical principles and to conduct our own relationship with our spouse as a model of Christian conduct. It is true that some kind ...

1272. Resurrection: From Sin to a Second Chance

Psalm 23:1-6

Sermon

Leonard H. Budd

... to God you could go back in time just one minute or just one day to stop whatever was about to happen; but you can’t. What do you do when you are hit by the rod of despair? You do what David did. You leave it to God to sort out. You accept the consequences. You hope for the resurrection. David and Bathsheba’s first child died. I do not know why. I do not believe that God demands the death of a child in payment for a parent’s sin. I do believe that the Good Shepherd sees what ...

1273. William Booth and His Hallelujah Army

Sermon

Jerry L. Schmalemberger

... Methodist revivalist preacher. He had great success bringing religion to the masses of people. That very success caused considerable jealousy among other Methodist clergy. In 1861, he left the Methodists because of their unwillingness to let him reach out with the Gospel to all sorts of people. The reasons he gave for leaving the Methodist organization were three: 1. The poor and down-and-out would not go where he sent them. 2. They were not wanted when they did go. 3. He soon discovered that he wanted them ...

1274. Shepherds and Bathrobes

Luke 2:1-7

Sermon

Thomas Long

... the kind of boy for whom the word "awkward" was an apt description - awkward in manner, awkward in social relationships, even awkward in size, his growing frame always pushing at the limits of his clothing. His peers liked him well enough, but he was the sort of person who was easy to overlook, to exclude from the center of things. When Joseph and Mary appeared at the inn, he stood ... awkwardly ... in the doorway, slumping a bit toward the couple as they made their request for lodging. He then dutifully ...

1275. Hot Tubs and Fishing Trips

Mark 1:14-20

Sermon

Thomas Long

... anguish? I guess we all got it inside of us.4 "We all got it inside of us," and because we do, we are willing to leave the land of anguish in favor of a beckoning land of peace and meaning. Personal or religious renewals are often changes of this sort. As some of the singers in Bernstein’s Mass express it: What I need I don’t have What I have I don’t own What I own I don’t want What I want, Lord, I don’t know ... What I say I don’t feel What I feel ...

Showing results