Sermon and Worship Resources

Showing 1276 to 1300 of 5000 results

Mark 1:14-20

Sermon

Daniel G. Mueller

... , that I may preach there also,; for that is why I came out. and he went throughout all Galilee, preaching ..." telling the good news (Mark 1:38-39). Some of the people who heard that good news were the disciples. They not only heard what Jesus had to say to ... him, "Go home to your friends, and tell them how much the Lord has done for you and how he has had mercy on you" (Mark 5:19). Go tell them, Jesus said. Through the words of his people, Jesus is revealed; he is manifested to others. It happens through ...

1277. Enduring

Mark 13:1-31

Sermon

Warren Thomas Smith

... history, similar to what we read in Daniel and Revelation. It is a grim piece, uncomfortable, unsettling. It may have been written as a warning of the impending fall of Jerusalem, which indeed took place in A.D. 70. Why would this passage be incorporated in Mark? Why not omit such jarring predictions? In truth, most of us do not care to be troubled about catastrophes over which we have little power. I was speaking at a college chapel and referred to scientists who predict a new ice age will come within the ...

1278. Conflict and Hope: One in the Spirit

Philippians 1:12-30

Sermon

Gregory J. Johanson

... love casts out fear," but it is one thing to know it and another thing really to act on it. Paul says to the Philippians and us that we are not to be "frightened in anything by our opponents." And finally, perhaps most important, is that the conflict is marked by a basic unity. We are to be "of one spirit, one mind, striving side by side for the faith of the gospel...." It is, therefore, a conflict that brings us together, and not a conflict that separates us. It is a conflict which makes us aware that we ...

1279. From Crumbs to Half a Loaf

Ephesians 3:1-13

Sermon

Harold Warlick

... ” (Ephesians 3:10). Not just on the earth, but in the heavenly places as well. Those who started with the crumbs of Christ now own half the loaf. Such is the claim an amazing apostle stakes against both the world and the heavens. It is the water mark above which no tide of despair, suffering, and evil can rise. Shouldn’t that epiphany make us want to get on with our mission to the world? 1. See Fred B. Craddock, John H. Hayes, Carl R. Holladay, and Gene M. Tucker, Preaching Through the Christian Year ...

1280. A Vision of Freedom

Isaiah 65:17-25

Sermon

Mark Ellingsen

... Either way you are still a slave. That was the Jewish condition. Likewise, psychologists have observed that slavery leaves its mark on those enslaved. The experience of oppression keeps on oppressing, even after the external constraints are no longer in place ... come? In a sense, as we have noted, it has come, or at least will soon come. It was initiated with the incarnation of Jesus Christ (Mark 1:14-15). But we can better discern how it has already come and what impact this vision can have on us today if we ...

1281. The Dilemma (A Drama about Tithing)

Mark 10:17-31

Drama

Dave Marsh

... some reverb to it so it sounds like it's hollow and you're good to go. Cast: Dave: A normal guy at church Mark: An offering collector Props: Chairs Pre-recorded V.O. tape Offering basket Handful of change Twilight Zone theme (if possible. BTW, you can find ... m not going to do that to God. So, what’s a good number? Hmmm. Let’s just make it $20. Dave: (Beginning to panic as he sees Mark walking in with the basket) Oh no, here he comes! Is $20 right? I mean, oh, I don’t know! Didn’t I give like $40 last ...

1282. The Healing of Jairus' Daughter and the Hemorrhaging Woman

Mark 5:21-43

Sermon

James W. Moore

... for thinking he can do anything about this. But Jesus goes in to that little girl, and He resurrects her. He loves her into life, and then (I love this) He tells them to give her something to eat. Now, of course, there are many beautiful lessons here in Mark 5 in these two dramatic stories of healing, and we could go off now in any number of directions. But for the moment, let’s look closely together at the power of love and the amazing, incredible things love can accomplish when it is given and when it ...

1283. The Healing of Blind Bartimaeus

Mark 10:46-52

Sermon

James W. Moore

... crying.” Let me ask you something… How long has it been? How long has it been since you heard your brother or sister crying? How long has it been since you stopped and did something about it? Now, don’t miss the conclusion of this great story in Mark 10. After Bartimaeus received his sight, look at what he did… he followed Jesus on the way! See what this means? Bartimaeus was so moved, so touched, so inspired, and so changed by the love of Jesus… that he wanted to be a part of it. He wanted to ...

1284. His Triumphal Entry

Luke 19:28-44

Sermon

Brett Blair

... focused upon the Nazarene. Time passed. More time passed. An uneasy restlessness came over the crowd. What was Jesus going to do? Just so we can keep the record straight I will read to you what Jesus did as it was recorded verbatim from the Gospel of St. Mark. He went into the temple, and when he looked around at everything, since the hour was already late, he went out again,” And as they say, that’s it, there ain’t no more. He went into the Temple, looked around, turned, and walked back out. He did ...

1285. It's O.K. To Be Extravagant

John 12:1-11

Sermon

James W. Moore

... I were in a similar situation, there would be people who would spare no expense to get me back. They wouldn’t haggle over the price. They wouldn’t say, ‘Well, let me think about it.’ I like to think that they would say, ‘We’ll do anything for you.’” (Mark Trotter 4/2/95) The point of that story is this: sometimes it’s O.K. to be extravagant! Now, that is precisely what this story in the Gospel of John is all about. Remember the story with me. Jesus is on His way to the cross. It is just ...

1286. The Ten Commandments #4: The Sabbath

Exodus 20:1-21

Sermon

David E. Leininger

... a pin, she was carrying a burden. Under the same heading, it was decreed that false teeth were not to be worn on the Sabbath...they were a burden. I am afraid some Jewish brothers and sisters looked less than their best on Synagogue days. In Mark's gospel, the Pharisees complained to Jesus that his disciples were gathering corn on the Sabbath...reaping.(3) That was work, a violation of the fourth commandment. But consider this: a woman was not allowed to use a mirror on the Sabbath to prevent exactly the ...

1287. "Wow!"

Mark 9:2-13

Sermon

David E. Leininger

... James and John were headed back down the mountain, Jesus told them to "tell no one about what they had seen." That made sense. Who would have believed it anyway? But the three of them believed it. They had been there, and those moments on that mountain would forever mark their lives and change the way they looked at everything. Certain "WOW" moments have a way of doing that. There is a true story of a 33-year-old truck driver by the name of Larry Walters who was sitting in his lawn chair in his backyard one ...

1288. Stay in the Boat!

Matthew 14:22-36

Sermon

David E. Leininger

... walking on water than we do. A ghost? Add to their dread of drowning the panic at the presence of a poltergeist. Then Jesus spoke: "Take heart, it is I; don't be afraid." Now, up to this point, we have similar stories in the gospel accounts of both Mark and John.(2) Even though we have already noted how very special walking on water is, the church has no problem (or at least not MUCH problem) with Jesus doing it - we believe that Jesus is God in human flesh and something like suspending the law of gravity ...

1289. About Kissing

2 Corinthians 13:11-14

Sermon

King Duncan

... , it stood for "Christ." During the largely illiterate Medieval days, a signature cross, an "X," was a legally valid mark, chosen because it was a religious symbol and also represented chi, the first letter of the Greek word for Christ ... soldiers' letters, that is. The British and American governments were afraid that spies within the armed services might begin using the "XXX" mark to encode secret messages. Spencer lists some old superstitions about kissing: "If your nose itches, you'll kiss a fool." "A ...

1290. On Being Mistaken For A Mannequin

Acts 2:42-47

Sermon

King Duncan

... all this from the front porch of her house. After the search had lasted nearly half an hour, she finally called out to them, "I don't want to bother you men," she said, "but will it be cheating if I tell you where the golf balls are?" Mark Sutton goes on to say, "As we look around us, we see people searching for lost values, for real meaning in life, and for hope. We must not keep silent. Fulfilling the Great Commission means sharing Jesus Christ with those around. It means speaking up and guiding them ...

1291. Finding Calm In The Storm

Mark 4:35-41

Sermon

King Duncan

... us that the disciples were filled with awe, and said to one another, "Who then is this, that even wind and sea obey him?" I. The Fury of the Storm There are three elements of this word picture that Mark has painted for us that we need to ponder this day. The First is the fury of the storm. Storms are part of life. Some days are pleasant and non-challenging, but, as we noted, the weather can change rapidly. Soon thunder is crashing around us and our tiny craft ...

1292. Crying On Palm Sunday

Luke 19:28-44

Sermon

Donald B. Strobe

... crowned with success, after all! But Jesus knew better. He knew how fickle were the crowds; He knew that, when push came to shove, He couldn't really count on the people; and that when the chips were down and the cross went up, all would forsake Him and flee. (Mark 14:50). The same people who on Palm Sunday, had waved Jesus in, on Good Friday waved Jesus out again. He who rode into town in triumph, was carried out of town on a cross. How quick were the crowds to shout "Hosanna!" on Palm Sunday but also how ...

1293. One Word Changed Everything

Matthew 16:13-20

Sermon

King Duncan

... soldiers told him their problem, "We don't know how tall one meter, eighty-six centimeters is." So he translated the meter and centimeters into feet and inches and made a mark on the mess hall wall. Some of the men looked at that mark and turned away, knowing they could not measure up to it. Others stood up against the wall, but they fell short of the mark by an inch or more. Finally Slim stretched himself as tall as possible, but he fell one-quarter of an inch short. Not one of them came to the six feet ...

1294. The Gift Of Inadequacy

Luke 18:9-14

Sermon

King Duncan

... a verse of Scripture. "`I am not come to call the righteous...'" he said. And added, "YOU-KNOW-WHO said that." (5) The church is a hospital for sinners, not a museum for saints. None of us should be intimidated by the saintly among us. Like Captain Stormfield in Mark Twain's story none of us has a harp, a halo, or a set of wings. If we could look into every heart, we would see there the gift of inadequacy. That is why we come to worship each Sunday ” not to trumpet our accomplishments, but to confess our ...

1295. Searching For Saints

Matthew 5:1-12

Sermon

King Duncan

... . And like Lucy, we might sigh and say, "It's a mystery," Charlie Brown. "What is a saint anyway?" And Charlie Brown might answer: "Well, a saint is someone who is kind, doesn't smoke, is prompt, smiles a lot, eats sensibly, avoids cavities and marks their ballot carefully . . . Avoids too much sun. Sends overseas packages early. Loves all creatures above and below . . ." Is that your definition of a saint a nice person who abides by all the rules? Francis of Assisi bears the title of Saint but according to ...

1296. Convinced Beyond A Doubt

John 20:24-31

Sermon

King Duncan

... the third encounter we have with Thomas in the Gospel. This was after the resurrection. Thomas wasn't with the other disciples when Jesus revealed himself to them. So the other disciples told him, "We have seen the Lord!" But Thomas said to them, "Unless I see the nail marks in his hands and put my finger where the nails were, and put my hand into his side, I will not believe it." Thomas Had Trouble Believing the Good News of Easter. That's why, when Jesus said that he was going to prepare a place for them ...

1297. I Didn't Expect This In Church!

Mark 1:21-28

Sermon

King Duncan

... stand here for a moment and watch your husband be baptized." Ernestine turned to see Bruce praying over Alfred and she shouted out from the top of the baptismal steps, "I HOPE HE DROWNS!" (2) That is as close as most of us will come to the scene that Mark describes at the synagogue in Capernaum. We don't really understand what the New Testament writers mean by demon possession. Was it mental illness? We don't know. What we do know is this: Jesus brought out the best and the worst in people. If you were on ...

1298. Faith In Conflict

Mark 6:14-29

Sermon

Eric Ritz

... 's hatchet man. And he went to jail for his role in the Watergate scandal. While in prison Colson had a genuine conversion experience and today he is a leading spokesperson for evangelical Christianity. He has first-hand experience of kingdoms in conflict. Our story from Mark's Gospel concerns a man caught in a conflict. His name is Herod. Thinking about Herod reminds me of a census taker in West Virginia who was climbing to a cabin nestled high up on a mountain side when he met a youngster. He asked the ...

1299. The Gates of Hell

Matthew 16:13-20

Sermon

King Duncan

... singing with the congregation; and the priest, a woman in bright gold and white vestments, proclaiming the prayers in a clear resonant voice. As I stood watching, a thought came to me: Here is a family that knows how to face death . . . "The day after we heard Mark's diagnosis--and that he had a few months to live, maybe a few years--a team of doctors urged us to authorize a lung biopsy, a painful and invasive procedure. How could this help? It couldn't, they explained; but the procedure would let them see ...

1300. On "supersizing" Our Vision

Mark 12:41-44

Sermon

Siegfried S. Johnson

... so valuable, say the net pages, that were he to spy a $1.00 dollar bill lying on the sidewalk --he would actually LOSE money were he to take the few necessary seconds to stoop to pick it up. That's SUPERSIZED WEALTH! (2) In our text from Mark, Jesus did some of this type of proportionate calculations of wealth. He saw the rich giving enormous sums to the temple treasury, and a poor widow giving two measly copper coins. This scene provoked a comment from Jesus. "Truly I tell you, this poor widow has put in ...

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