Sermon and Worship Resources

Showing 1276 to 1300 of 4884 results

John 10:1-21

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

... around the Bethlehem stable where the Lamb of God was born were not witnessing anything new, except the object that was in the manger: the most important sacrificial Lamb who had ever been born, the Lamb who would close down the slaughterhouse of sacrifice, the perfect Lamb of God, who takes away the sins of the world. In John 10 Jesus presents himself as the new gateway, the Good Shepherd.” It was a way completely different from the “meat” sacrifices of the old Temple. The sheep now have a good ...

1277. I Am Counting with You

John 14:1-14

Illustration

Mark Trotter

... county in Tennessee. She had two goals in teaching. One was to teach her girls to be ladies. So she taught them manners as much as she taught them music. She also taught them to play one piece perfectly for the May recital. She rehearsed them and drilled them all year long to play that one piece perfectly, including instructions on how to sit on the piano bench, to spread your skirt as you sit down, and how to announce the song by standing straight and holding your hands together at your waist. The night of ...

1278. Kissing Cousins (Father's Day)

2 Corinthians 13:11-14

Sermon

King Duncan

... understand that this style of kissing had nothing at all to do with romance. Actually, in the early church, men kissed men and women kissed women. Now, if that makes you a little queasy, let me remind you that there are many cultures today in which it is perfectly acceptable for men to kiss men and women to kiss women. In our culture we see parents kissing their children and women kissing women on the cheek, but it is very rare to see men kiss one another. And yet, this is exactly what St. Paul is referring ...

1279. Christ the King

John 18:33-37

Sermon

David E. Leininger

... another question: "Is that your own idea, or did others talk to you about me?" (v. 34). Sounds almost smart-alecky or at least bold considering his situation. The Jewish leaders had brought him to Pilate after their illegal midnight trial. They made it perfectly clear that the expectation was that Pilate would condemn him to death, so one would think that flippant replies might not be the best idea. Pilate, of course, is equally flippant in response: "Am I a Jew?" (v. 35) — the implication being that even ...

1280. Fickle Folks

Mark 11:1-11

Sermon

David E. Leininger

... only when they were going out to war. Kings that came in peace generally rode on a donkey. The king who would deliver Israel would come in peace. The people who saw Jesus that day would have understood the symbolism, and many would have been perfectly happy to cheer such a parade ... many, but not all. Sadly, there were probably some whose cheers that day might have grown quickly silent, some for whom the symbolism of a peaceful king would not have been satisfactory at all, some whose cheers could easily ...

1281. Family Values

Mark 3:20-35

Sermon

Kristin Borsgard Wee

... newspaper article on family values. The gist of the article was that everyone wants strong family values but few can agree on what they are. Then I heard Roger Rosenblatt on public radio being cynical about family values. Rosenblatt said that there are plenty of perfect families around like yours and mine. But, there are so many others that fall short, families like the Walker spy family or the Medicis in Italy or the Macbeths of Scotland or the Oedipus Rexes of Greece. Rosenblatt's point was that there is ...

1282. Maybe Today

1 Corinthians 7:29-31

Sermon

Scott Suskovic

... better. Now he is educated. Now he is enlightened with the truth that rises above the mere literal words. And yet, when that perfect parking spot opens up right in front of the store during rush hour, the first words on his lips are, "Thank you, Jesus ... true — streets of gold, angels with wings, harps, and a pearly gate. I know, I know. I'm too smart for that. And yet, when that perfect blue sky is dotted with a single white puffy cloud I now think, "Maybe today. Maybe this is the day. I've got a grandpa I ...

1283. The Struggle for Freedom

1 Corinthians 8:1-13

Sermon

Scott Suskovic

... be an opportunity for the flesh" (Galatians 5:1, 13). In other words, there are limits to our freedom. What are those limits? In his short book, Freedom of a Christian, Luther explained this freedom by saying that a Christian is "a perfectly free lord of all, subject to none ... [and] a perfectly dutiful servant of all, subject to all." Luther used the very teaching of Paul to say that while we are set free from the law through the gospel, the limit to this freedom is summarized in the words of Jesus, Paul ...

1284. Nocturnal Christians?

1 John 1:1—2:2

Sermon

Nancy Kraft

... hide imperfections in the dark. Maybe that's why it's so attractive to us. If we hide in the darkness, we don't have to see our imperfections. We can even pretend like they don't exist. We can delude ourselves into believing that we're nearly perfect if we stay in the darkness long enough — like people who are raised in a culture where the accepted response to violence is always retaliation with more violence. In the darkness they become so convinced that they are right that they can't see the truth. This ...

1285. I Love You, Too

1 John 4:7-21

Sermon

Nancy Kraft

... us if we don't do what he tells us to do, but precisely because he will never stop loving us no matter what we do. That's why John can make the bold assertion: "There is no fear in love, but perfect love casts out fear; for fear has to do with punishment, and whoever fears has not reached perfection in love. We love because he first loved us" (1 John 4:18-19). Do you remember when Jesus was quizzed by a Jewish expert in the law who wanted Jesus to tell him what the most important law was? Jesus ...

1286. The Vision of God

2 Corinthians 12:2-10

Sermon

Gibson “Nibs” Stroupe

... answer Paul's prayer in a way that is both challenging and comforting: "My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness" (v. 9). Paul finds healing in a way that he did not think was possible, and this is the third level of ... at once comforting and challenging, but it is powerful: "My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness." Amen. 1. For further discussion, see William Barclay, The Letters to the Corinthians (Philadelphia: Westminster Press, 1956), pp. ...

1287. Living in The Present

Hebrews 1:1-4; 2:5-12

Sermon

Thomas Lentz

... our trials. He is Jesus, the Son of God. God had the power to save Jesus from death. Jesus begged God to save him. Although Jesus is God's own Son, still he had to suffer before he could learn what it really meant to obey God. Suffering made Jesus perfect (Hebrews 5:7-9). When our main concern is to shield our children from pain, we will produce self-centered brats who cannot make it in the real world. Most of the truths that we learn in life grow out of our wounds. That is the lesson that comes from ...

1288. You Are in Good Hands with God

Isaiah 40:21-31

Sermon

Richard Gribble

... sat him down and said, "The next time you come home late from school we are going to give you bread and water for your supper, and nothing else. Is that clear, son?" The boy looked directly into his father's eyes and nodded in the affirmative. He understood perfectly. A few days later, the boy came home even later than usual. His mother met him at the door but didn't say anything. His father met him in the living room, but he said nothing as well. That night, however, when they sat down together for dinner ...

1289. Who Is Isaiah’s Servant?

Isaiah 50:4-9a

Sermon

Ken Lentz

... justifies. Human courts may be fair or unfair. A mother-in-law may choose to forgive or hold a grudge forever. International courts may prosecute a criminal dictator but the sentence may be light or execution may be carried off clumsily (Saddam Hussein). God judges perfectly, but that is no comfort to those who see the bumper sticker, "Jesus is coming back and, boy, is he ticked off!" We humans seem programmed to expect the worse. It is only human to expect that God judges like we do: The good guys should ...

1290. God Never Gives Up on Us

1 Samuel 8:4-11 (12-15) 16-20, (11:14-15)

Sermon

William J. Carl, III

... a king. I'll work with them on this." And that's exactly what God does. Which brings us to our third key theme — God never gives up on them even though they insist on doing things their way. Samuel warns the people that it's not going to be perfect with a king, but the people insist because of peer pressure, which makes the people sound as adolescent as Samuel's no-good sons. Like a loving parent who gives his/her children room to grow up and make mistakes, God gives them what they ask for knowing that ...

1291. The Testimony of a Good Conscience

1 Tim 1:19

Illustration

C.F.H. Henry

... me what the highest I know demands that I do. It is the eye of the soul which looks out either toward God or toward what it regards as the highest authority. If I am in the habit of steadily facing toward God, my conscience will always introduce God's perfect law and indicate what I should do. The point is, will I obey? I have to make an effort to keep my conscience so sensitive that I walk without offense. I should be living in such ...

1292. The Creed of Chalcedon

Illustration

Staff

We, then, following the holy fathers, all with one consent teach men to confess one and the same Son, our Lord Jesus Christ, the same perfect in Godhead and also perfect in manhood; truly God and truly man, of a rational soul and body; coessential with the Father according to the Godhead, and consubstantial with us according to the manhood; in all things like unto us, without sin; begotten before all ages of the Father according to the Godhead, and in ...

1293. Training with Water

Illustration

Source Unknown

... start running toward the water, but just as they get to the edge, ready to plunge in and drink, the trainer blows his whistle. The horses who have been completely trained and who have learned perfect obedience, stop. They turn around and come pacing back to the trainer. They stand there quivering, wanting water, but they wait in perfect obedience. When the trainer is sure that he has their obedience he gives them a signal to go back to drink. Now this may be severe but when you are on the trackless desert ...

1294. You'll Pay for the Play

Illustration

Staff

... promptly whacked the ball 300 yards straight down the middle of the fairway. Since he had never driven the ball more than 200 yards, he couldn't believe it. Yet, there it was. His luck continued: long drives on every hole, perfect putting. By the ninth hole, he was six under par and was playing near-perfect golf. The fellow was walking on air. He wound up with an amazing 61, about 30 strokes under his usual game. Wait until he got back to the office and told them about this! But, suddenly, his face fell. He ...

1295. Aim for the Goal

1 Thess 5:23

Illustration

Staff

... , which involves throwing the ball at a selected floor mark on the near end of the lane. Like many bowlers, Bill knew that you can do better if you aim at a mark close to you that's in line with the pins. He proved his point with a perfect 300 game of 12 strikes in a row. Spot bowling illustrates part of a wise approach to life. When Paul wrote to the Thessalonians about the return of Christ, he reminded them that the ultimate goal of their salvation was to "be preserved blameless at the coming of our ...

1296. Jingle Bells at a Funeral

1 Thessalonians 5:12-28

Sermon

King Duncan

... outside. It is the free gift of God that comes with faith in Jesus Christ. If you believe in Jesus Christ and your heart is not filled with joy, ask God for it. It is your birthright as one who has given your life to Jesus. Christmas is a perfect time for doing that. Joy is not only the privilege, but also the responsibility of a Christian. It is our witness to the world that God is alive. A French philosopher once said, “I look at the Christians or those who call themselves such. They look so morbid and ...

1297. Bear the Light

John 1:19-28

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

... . It is not until v.19 that the gospel writer returns to the person of John (who the author never refers to as “the Baptist” or “Baptizer”) and once again emphasizes his role as witness, his mission of testimony. John is given a perfect platform for this activity by the appearance of a group of inquisitors, and envoy of “priests and Levites” sent out by “the Jews” to investigate him. Only the fourth gospel records this exchange. This gospel writer uses the term “The Jews” in a variety ...

1298. Seeking Christ

Mark 1:29-34

Sermon

King Duncan

... ’s, every woman’s, every young person’s deepest need. He gives us direction and purpose for our lives. We never need fear what lies ahead for he goes with us. He never takes us anywhere he has not been himself. He is the pioneer and the perfecter of our faith. And the destination is sure abundant life with the Father. Isn’t that what you are looking for today? 1. Rev. Alex Stevenson, http://www.clifftemple.org/sermons/2001 02 04.html. 2. http://www.geocities.com/Athens/Ithaca/1506/east3a.htm 3. Dr ...

1299. Touched

John 20:24-31

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

... him the previous week. Jesus’ presence offers Thomas the miracle of his resurrected self, the gift of his peace. Jesus’ presence reveals to that doubting disciple evidence that even though he had not been physically present for Thomas’ diatribe, Jesus has perfect knowledge of all that had been said. Thomas’ faithlessness and the other disciples’ failure to convince were both known to this resurrected Lord. Jesus now invites Thomas to do exactly what he had demanded he must if he were to believe ...

1300. Just Like Frank

Humor Illustration

... out to the street and catches a taxi just going by. He gets into the taxi, and the cabbie says, Perfect timing. You're just like Frank. Passenger: Who? Cabbie: Frank Feldman. He's a guy who did everything right all ... to her, even if she was in the wrong; and his clothing was always immaculate, shoes highly polished too. He was the perfect man! He never made a mistake. No one could ever measure up to Frank Feldman. Passenger: An amazing fellow. How did you meet him? Cabbie: Well... I never actually met Frank. He ...

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