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Showing 1276 to 1300 of 4490 results

1276. David Defeats the Philistines

2 Samuel 5:17-25

Understanding Series

Mary J. Evans

Confirmation and Consolidation: 5:1–5 This section provides an editorial summary of what may have been protracted and at times tense negotiations. The delay between Ish-Bosheth’s death and David’s enthronement over Israel is not known. It was seven years and six months before the capital was moved to Jerusalem, and verse 5 could imply that the two events were simultaneous. However, although it is likely that the negotiations took longer than they would have if Ish-Bosheth had lived, it is unlikely that ...

1277. A Law Written On Our Hearts

Jeremiah 31:31-34

Sermon

King Duncan

You’ve seen her--the lady with the blindfold, a balance, and a sword. She is Lady Justice. She is supposed to represent our judicial system. Since the 15th century the blindfold has represented the idea that justice should be meted out objectively, without fear or favor, regardless of identity, money, power, or weakness. At least that’s what the lady with the blindfold is supposed to represent. For some of us that blindfold may represent the imperfection of some of those who make our laws. After all, there ...

1278. What a Friend

John 15:9-17

Sermon

John Jamison

In your mind, I’d like you to picture a good friend. It may be a current friend or one from the past. Just take a moment, think of a good friend, and picture them in your mind’s eye. Can you see them? When did you first meet them? How did they become a friend? Let’s leave your friend hanging around for a few minutes; we’ll come back to them later. They are going to help us make sense of the scripture reading this morning. The passage from John is describing some of the things Jesus said to his disciples as ...

1279. Flying High

Mark 10:35-45

Sermon

King Duncan

In the backwoods of the Appalachian Mountains, you don’t see too many people hang gliding. But ol’ Zeek decided to save up and get a hang glider. He goes to the highest mountain, and after struggling to the top, he gets ready to take flight. He takes off running and reaches the edge‑‑into the wind he goes! Meanwhile, Maw and Paw Hicks are sittin’ on the porch swing talkin’ bout the good ol’ days when maw spots the biggest bird she had ever seen! “Look at the size of that bird, Paw!” she exclaims. Paw ...

1280. If the Stones Cried Out

Luke 19:28-40

Sermon

King Duncan

(With apologies to Mick Jagger) For most of his ministry, Jesus tried to hide his true identity. He often referred to himself as the Son of Man, and when others tried to worship him or spread the news of his miracles, he told them to keep silent. He didn’t want their praise or publicity. Not yet. His time had not yet come. But it’s time now. As he makes his way to Jerusalem, the time is at hand for him to reveal his mission. Jesus knows what’s waiting for him in Jerusalem. He knows he will be betrayed, ...

1281. The Stone is My Witness

Matthew 28:1-10, Mark 16:1-20

Sermon

Lori Wagner

Props: fossil / replica of a sculpture or an actual sculpture if you can I have here a fossil. Anyone ever see a fossil? Anyone ever feel like a fossil? When things around us are changing so fast, sometimes you can feel like a fossil and not be over 30. But here is a real, true fossil. Take a look at this. Pass it around. For those of you who maybe haven’t seen one of these before –a fossil is a record in stone. When the earth or the resin or tar around it is soft and pliable, usually watery or muddy or ...

1282. Our Light

Genesis 1:1-5 · Mark 1:9-11

Sermon

Will Willimon

Carl Michaelson knew a philosophy professor at Colgate who, whenever a student used the word "God" in his classroom, would stop and beckon the student to come forward and stand with him at an open window. "Show him to me," the professor asked. What a disadvantage believers have when it comes to empirical evidence for God! At first glance, this seems to be a uniquely modern problem. In the old days, Biblical people are always chatting with God, strolling arm in arm with God in the garden. God is everywhere ...

1283. Our Need and God's Provision

John 6:1-21

Sermon

King Duncan

What’s your favorite food? The food you could eat once a day for the rest of your life, if you had to? At this time of year, you can find food festivals all over the U.S. that celebrate just about any kind of food you might enjoy. There’s a Garlic Festival in Gilroy, California. Waikiki, Hawaii hosts a Spam Festival every year—if Spam is really what you long for. Atlanta, Georgia holds a Chomp and Stomp Festival every year that features a chili cook-off and bluegrass concert and dance. If you Google your ...

1284. Never on Sunday

Mark 2:23-3:6

Sermon

Dean Feldmeyer

There are not ten commandments; there are only nine. That other one, the one about resting and not working on the Sabbath, that’s really just a suggestion. No one, not even the most observant Christians — with the possible exception of Hobby Lobby and Chick-fil-a — take it all that seriously, and even they simply close their businesses. Whether or not they actually rest and remember, as the commandment requires, is anyone’s guess. Business Insider lists In-and-Out Burger, Marriott, and Forever 21 as three ...

1285. Living Bread

John 6:51-58

Sermon

Dean Feldmeyer

In my thirty years of ordained ministry and 50 years of church membership, I have discovered that there are five kinds of Christian: Free Riders, Fans, Friends, Followers and Fanatics. FREE RIDERS are Christians in name only. If you ask them, they will tell you that they believe in God and Jesus. They know how to answer the questions correctly. God is the creator of the universe. Jesus is the son of God, blah, blah, blah. They aren’t sure what any of that means. They don’t really think about it. Most of ...

1286. Big Boys Do Cry

Joel 2:1-2,12-17

Sermon

King Duncan

Bob Laurent, in his book, A World of Differents, tells of sitting in the living room reading when he heard a terrible scream just outside his front door. Like most parents, he could distinguish his own child’s crying, and so he flew out the door to the scene of the accident. There was his three-year-old son, Christopher, upside down and bawling, the victim of a hit-and-run collision with a Big Wheel 16 inch toy Tricycle. In one fell swoop, Laurent scooped his son up and had him in the house and up in his ...

1287. Family Reunion

Genesis 29:15-28

Sermon

Will Willimon

"I wish I had no history to report. I've pretended for so long, that my childhood did not happen. I had to keep it tight, up near the chest. I could not let it out. I followed the redoubtable example or my mother. It's an act or will to have a memory or not, I chose not to have one. Because I needed to love my mother and father in all their flawed, outrageous humanity, I could not afford to address them directly about the felonies committed against all of us. I could not hold them accountable or indict ...

1288. When In Our Music God Is Glorified

Isaiah 58:1-9a

Sermon

Will Willimon

“Then your light shall break forth like the dawn, and your healing shall spring up quickly;...” (Isaiah 58:1-9a) In the beginning of Romans, Chapter I, Paul makes a rather remarkable statement after his notorious inventory of the world's moral chaos,-envy, murder, strife, deceit, gossip, idolatry, sexual perversion. Why this bad behavior? Because people don't follow the law? Because we don't lead our lives in accordance with the Bible? Because affluence and immorality go hand-in-hand? Although any of these ...

1289. A Man with Leprosy

Mark 1:40-45

Sermon Aid

Richard A. Jensen

We have before us this week another healing story as the One who brings God's reign explodes into ministry with God's life- giving power! This time it is an unclean leper who comes to Jesus. This has been characteristic of the healings and exorcisms in Mark's first chapter: people come to Jesus for help. One wonders at times if this is Mark's story-formed way of telling us what faith is. Faith is people in deep need who come to Jesus in their desperation! In the case of the leper we could add to this ...

1290. Breakfast Miracle

John 21:1-14

Sermon Aid

John R. Brokhoff

Is this catch of fish on the Sea of Galilee a miracle or just a natural happening? William Barclay claims that it is not a miracle, for it "still frequently happens on the lake." Is it not a miracle that a dead person is alive again to talk and serve? Is it not a miracle that one catch should include all the known kinds of fish? Is it not a miracle that the fishermen would recognize a stranger as the Lord? Is it not a miracle that in spite of the huge number of large fish, the net did not break? If it is a ...

1291. When Jesus Broke The Rules

Mark 2:24

Children's Sermon

Object: a pillow Good morning, boys and girls. I brought a pillow with me this morning. What can you do with a pillow? (Let them answer.) You rest with a pillow. Did you know that Sunday is a Christian day of rest? In the country where Jesus grew up, Saturday was the day of rest. It was called the sabbath. Sometimes we call Sunday the sabbath. Have you ever heard that word? (Let them answer.) I want to tell you a story about Jesus and the sabbath. The sabbath was a very special day of rest in Jesus' day. ...

1292. The Poor in Spirit

Matthew 5:1-12

Sermon

Most of us would say that the Beatitudes are well known and greatly loved by Christian people. They are beautiful. They dance and sing on the lips of those who say them. They have an unparalleled syntax that only the Jewish mind can capture and express. They are immortal. Hymns, anthems, songs, prayers, and liturgy have reflected upon their meaning and beauty. Although we read them in our personal devotion because of their beauty, most of us do not get very excited about poverty of spirit, mourning, ...

1293. From Tears To Triumph

John 20:10-18

Sermon

King Duncan

It was difficult for Jesus to watch people he loved experience such heartache. Never was there a heart more tender than his. When the crowds begged for healing, he complied. When Mary and Martha wept for their brother Lazarus, he called forth Lazarus from the tomb. When the multitude hungered, he gave them fishes and loaves. When they cursed and crucified him, he asked the Father to forgive them. Now his closest friends were grieving. They were grieving because he had been nailed to a cruel cross on a hill ...

1294. Do We Know What We've Got?

Matthew 18:15-20

Sermon

King Duncan

Our lesson from Matthew’s Gospel for today reminds me of a story of a pastor in a drought-stricken part of Alabama last summer who implored his people to pray for rain. In fact, he asked each member of the church to join in a prayer vigil that would continue day and night until God granted their request. Never had there been a greater sense of urgency in that church than was revealed over the next few days. At any hour, one might pass that small rural church and find the lights on and someone at the altar ...

1295. May Christ Be Born In You

Mark 1:1-8

Sermon

King Duncan

Many years ago a pastor was invited to preach at a nearby country church he had never been to before. As he set out he was uncertain which road to take since most rural roads are not clearly marked and the directions he had been given left something to be desired. He stopped to ask directions along the way. The person he asked tried, but mistakenly steered him down the wrong road. The morning was pleasant and although the road seemed a little longer than the pastor had expected, he cheerfully continued on ...

1296. Modeling a Necessary Future

Ephesians 2:11-22

Sermon

Maurice A. Fetty

It was the custom in my friend's church for many years to have a week of family camp in the summer. Families by the dozens packed their cars, vans, and SUVs and made their way to the camp for a week of fun, exercise, and inspiration. There were matins, a hearty camp breakfast, stimulating lectures and discussions, and lots of sports, crafts, and recreational activities. In the evening, appetites were ravenous and vespers were inspirational as they ascended the hill singing, "We Are Climbing Jacob's Ladder ...

1297. Being the Lord's Instrument

Exodus 17:1-7

Sermon

Maxie Dunnam

It’s a terrible thing to believe that nobody needs you. Have you ever had that feeling? That you’ve been put on the shelf and all that is left now is for you to just sit there - to be present, but not to mean anything? It’s also a terrible thing to believe that you’ve lost your influence; nobody pays any attention to you anymore. Unlike E. F. Hutton - when you speak, nobody seems to listen, Moses must have been plagued with that thought throughout the Exodus journey. Over and over again, the Israelites ...

1298. “When We Were Overwhelmed by Our Sins, You Forgave Our Transgressions”

Psalm 65:1-13

Teach the Text

C. Hassell Bullock

Big Idea: Nature’s wonders and God’s forgiveness come together as dual witnesses of grace. Understanding the Text Psalm 65 is a community psalm of thanksgiving,1 grammatically indicated by the plural pronouns (“we” and “our”) in verses 1–5. (See the sidebar “Psalms of Thanksgiving” in the unit on Pss. 9–10.) The psalm of thanksgiving includes two essential elements: a report of the crisis that generated the thanksgiving (“we were overwhelmed by sins,” 65:3a) and the acknowledgment of deliverance (“you ...

1299. Lord of the Sabbath

Mark 2:23-3:6

Understanding Series

Larry W. Hurtado

2:23–28 In this passage the author gives a fourth controversy story, this time dealing with the matter of Sabbath observance, the issue in the next story also (3:1–6). When reading this passage we must remember that the observance of Sabbath rest from labor is a command from the OT (indeed, one of the Ten Commandments, Exod. 20:1–17) and in Jesus’ day was perhaps the supremely important demonstration of a Jew’s loyalty to God and to his nation. Some later rabbis said that the Messiah would come if all ...

1300. Proper 19

Matthew 18:21-35, Romans 14:1--15:13, Exodus 13:17--14:31, Psalm 114:1-8

Sermon Aid

William E. Keeney

Unlimited Forgiveness The parable uses the analogy of a reverse comparison. On the one hand a huge, almost inconceivable debt is forgiven. The amount of the debt of the first character in the parable is staggering. To the person hearing the parable it would be scarcely possible to imagine a debt so monumental, perhaps as hard as to try to imagine today the size of the national debt in the United States. The second character has a relatively trivial debt. It is more the size one might run up on a credit ...

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