Sermon and Worship Resources

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Showing 1301 to 1325 of 1354 results

1301. Lincoln's Legal Fee

Illustration

... debtor. Lincoln tried to discourage him, but the man was bent on revenge. When he saw that the man would not be put off, Lincoln agreed to take the case and asked for a legal fee of $10, which the plaintiff paid. Lincoln then gave half the money to the defendant, who willingly confessed to the debt and paid the $2.50! But even more amazing than Lincoln's ingenuous settlement was the fact that the irate plaintiff was satisfied with it.

1302. In diem natalem

Titus 2:1-15

Sermon

Ron Love

... before January 6, which is the date for the celebration of the Baptism of Our Lord in the liturgical season of Epiphany. With the church officially recognizing the birth and incarnation of Jesus on December 25, the date of January 6 could no longer be defended. Another reason for this date, and the reason you may be most familiar with, is on December 25 there was a great secular celebration in honor of Sol Invictus, who was worshiped as “The Invincible Sun.” Sol Invictus was the sun God of the Romans ...

1303. Get Out of the Jungle!

John 1:6-8, 19-28

Sermon

Michael L. Sherer

... a pair of twins, a boy and a girl, whose parents decided to teach them survival skills. What they were told was, “It’s a jungle out there. You have to be ready for it. You need to be tough. You need to learn to defend yourselves — or your enemies will devour you.” And so, the twins grew up learning to follow their parents’ often-repeated advice: “Trust no one; suspect everyone.” One consequence of this training was that the twins were always on the defensive. They tended to be argumentative ...

1304. Joshua's Moon Shine

Humor

A mountaineer of one of the back counties of North Carolina was arraigned with several others for illicit distilling. "Defendant," said the court, "what is your name?" "Joshua," was the reply. "Are you the man who made the sun stand still?" Quick as a flash came the answer. "No, sir, I am the man who made the moon shine."

1305. One Good witness

Humor

"Never mind three lawyers," replied the experienced defendant. "Just give me one good witness."

1306. Are you a G.O.A.T.?

Matthew 25:31-46

Sermon

Lori Wagner

... in the same flocks, their personalities and behavior define them as radically different animals. These differences display themselves most in the roles they serve within community. Sheep are by nature communal and relational animals. They build friendships with each other. They defend each other and care for each other. They are intrinsically social creatures who are content with what’s given them and who feel sad and anxious as a communal group. They go where they are led and need social interaction ...

1307. The Foot-board of the Pulpit and the Floor of the Parlor

Ephesians 3:1-12

Sermon

Ron Love

... outraged and offended people throughout the country, because he had used a religious intonation at a state event. During a press conference, the bishop endured a rash of criticisms for the public expression of his faith. Against all these derogatory remarks, the bishop defended himself by speaking one short sentence, “Jesus may not be the Savior of all the people of the United States, but he wants to be!” Paul, in our lectionary reading, said that Jesus came for both the Jews and the Gentiles. Paul ...

1308. Enduring the Trials of Faith

Romans 4:13-25

Sermon

Richard Gribble

... to Gentiles. But Paul’s faith was tested on numerous occasions. He suffered beatings and lashings and was even stoned by those who rejected his message. He was disowned by his own Jewish people. He suffered shipwreck and was forced into exile in defending himself to the emperor in Rome. Yet, it seems that the various trials only made Paul stronger and more determined in his discipleship; the more difficult things became the more fervent was his message and the stronger his faith. The great faith and ...

1309. Untamed

Mark 1:9-15

Sermon

Lori Wagner

... is the enemy of the natural world and not to be trusted. The jungle is the peaceable kingdom, and the cultivated world is an unpredictable and fickle “wild” place, where brother betrays brother, and no one is safe. In the wilderness, you can count on your pack to defend you. You know who your enemies are, whom you can trust, and whom you cannot, and why. And you know your place in the “circle of life,” to quote the phrase from the Lion King. Jesus needs this reminder of who he is before as Son of ...

1310. Wrong by Association, Right by Jesus

Mark 8:31-38

Sermon

Lori Wagner

... in number, would magically disappear the moment things got testy for fear of their own lives. When Jesus tells us today, as disciples and his church, to stand tall in the face of criticism, to proclaim him in the face of ridicule and doubt, to defend him in the face of agnosticism, to uphold him when things get tough, he knows how hard that is. The Gospel in its own time was revolutionary, shocking, sacrilegious. Jesus’ closest disciples faltered in the face of accusation. The Gospel today is no less ...

1311. Overwhelmed

Revelation 1:4b-8

Sermon

Will Willimon

... Sudden Infant Death Syndrome. The carnage due to cancer, or AIDS, or other epidemics. In fact, they don't even call it an epidemic anymore, we call it a "pandemic" because the results are so massive. Little wonder that we are overwhelmed. Some of us attempt to defend ourselves from being swept over by the pain. We tum off the evening news when it begins. I read that someone claims that you can add a couple of years to your life just by not listening to the evening news. We lose ourselves in engagement with ...

1312. Not Gullible; But Skeptical

John 20:19-31

Sermon

King Duncan

... . Ravi was a well-known and well-respected** Christian apologist who died this past year. Lest you get the wrong idea, an apologist is not somebody who apologizes for the faith. Quite the contrary, Christian apologetics is a branch of Christian theology that defends Christianity against the objections of doubters, and Ravi Zacharias was one of the best at that. Ravi grew up in India, one of four children. He endured frequent beatings by his father for doing poorly in school. His family was Anglican, but he ...

1313. Lazarus, Arise!

John 11:1-44

Sermon

Will Willimon

... around and, says John, "From that day on, they took counsel how to put him to death" (11:53). Too much resurrection for one day, too much Easter set loose. The folks up at the Pentagon just can't stand so much life. The powers-that-be, the defenders of the status quo, the watchdogs who keep everybody in place and everything tied down, love darkness rather than light, choose death over life. So they immediately set to work to find a tomb for Jesus, this time with a stone bigger than the one with which they ...

1314. Sword of the Spirit

John 6:56-69 · Ephesians 6:10-20

Sermon

Lori Wagner

... . Forces of hatred. Forces of envy. Forces of anger. Forces of illness and death. Forces of depression. Forces of guilt and shame. Forces of oppression. And there are many more to battle. Your sword of Christ, your armor and shield of faith, will protect you and defend you from all of these and more and will help you to discern the Truth amidst the turmoil. When you are feeling blown about by the winds of change and whipped about by the storms of life, be they spiritual or physical, just remember that you ...

1315. Holding On

Job 1:1; Job 2:1-10

Sermon

King Duncan

... , one task at a time, one job at a time. Focus on mastering this present moment, and you’ll find yourself better equipped to face the stresses of the day. (3) It’s so easy to ignore Jesus’ instructions against worrying. It’s so easy to defend our obsession with anxiety. Is it really that wrong? Let’s say we eliminated worry from our lives—what would replace it? I want to read you a quote from Francois Fenelon, a French Bishop who lived in the 17th century. Fenelon wrote: “Don’t worry about ...

1316. What Jesus Saw

Mark 12:38-44

Sermon

King Duncan

... a fight with a fan who was heckling his team. The referees threw Carlos out of the game for fighting. To escape the wrath of Castor, the team’s owner, Carlos claimed that the heckling fan had insulted his boss’ honor. Castor was so pleased that Carlos defended him that he gave him a 6-month extension on his contract. (2) Some people have a talent for running a con. Jesus had a talent for recognizing people who are running a con. After all, he could examine people’s hearts. He could see what they ...

1317. Fathers Need A Giant Sized Faith

1 Samuel 17:1, 4-11, 19-23, 32-49

Sermon

Billy D. Strayhorn

... had made life difficult for the boy, and he told his father that they threatened to do more harm the next morning. The boy was scared and didn't know what to do. That evening his father taught his son some basic techniques on how to defend himself. Together they explored all the possibilities, including the possibility that he might try to win them over as friends. Dad worked hard to build up his son's self-confidence. The next morning the father and son prayed together. And with a reassuring embrace and ...

1318. Temptation

Luke 4:1-13

Sermon

Will Willimon

... the same worthy goals which propelled us here in the first place. People go to universities for bread and power. People get up on a March Sunday and come to Chapel to pray for spiritual attainments. And Jesus refused. What will Satan offer us? When defending her efforts on the national healthcare debate, Hillary Clinton once said, “All the American people are asking for is security." Security. Is that too much to ask? Security. So we spent $1 trillion on the project. It's called ''health care," but let's ...

1319. Get Up

Mark 5:21-43

Sermon

Will Willimon

... he had sat through thousands of sermons, heard all the slogans and scripture texts. Yet now, standing face-to-face with death, with the loss of his beloved little daughter, I wonder if he recalls any of the comforting words of scripture. What can he do to defend himself against the sting, the sting of death? Among us, not only when we are threatened by a serious illness, not only when we stand beside the grave of someone we love, but each day, there is death. ''I'm always having funerals,'' she said to me ...

1320. What's a Human Book?

Luke 13:10-17

Sermon

King Duncan

... a special ride each year to raise funds for college scholarships in Channon’s memory. The Newsoms and the Christians advocated for a new law in Tennessee, the Channon Christian Act, which was passed in 2014. It puts limits on how criminal defendants and attorneys can negatively portray the victim of a crime. On Easter 2017, some members of the Shepherds RC motorcycle club invited Gary Christian to their church. The message that morning was on Jesus’ encounter with Peter after Jesus’ resurrection. You ...

1321. A Last Appeal

Luke 23:33-43

Sermon

Richard Hasler

... to others not to take for granted the Roman overlords. [2] Regarding the theological meaning of the cross, the New Testament writers used a variety of ways to explain the cross, not just one. For example, they said what happened was like: a defendant going free, a relationship being reconciled, something lost, being redeemed, a battle being won, a final sacrifice being offered, so no one ever has to offer another one again, an enemy being loved. [3] We hear the dialogue between the two criminals. The ...

1322. Imagine This

Matthew 3:13-17

Sermon

John Jamison

... of his ancestors. I can imagine he might have been a bit impudent at times, even arguing with his teachers about some finer points of the various laws. In my mind, he could be a bit cocky, sure of himself, convinced that it was his responsibility to defend and enforce the laws to the absolute best of his ability. And, in my imagination, that is what led him to make the trip down to the Jordan River that morning to evaluate the rumors of a possible new threat there. Remember, this is just my imagination ...

1323. Facing Death

John 18:1-19:42

Sermon

April Yamasaki

... demonstrated throughout her life. The gospel of John tells the story of Jesus’ good life followed by his good death and resurrection. Just as Jesus lived in submission to God, so he submitted to God’s will in his suffering and death. He refused to fight to defend himself; instead, he told Peter to put away his sword, and he healed the high priest’s slave whose ear had been cut off in his brief scuffle with Peter. Even while he suffered on the cross, he cared tenderly for his mother and arranged for ...

1324. Sharing God's Vision

Acts 2:1-21

Sermon

King Duncan & Angela Akers

... t speak the same language. For example, if you told Navy personnel to “secure a building,” they would turn off the lights and lock the doors. Army personnel would occupy the building so no one could enter. Marines would storm the building, capture it, and defend it with suppressive fire and close combat. The Air Force, on the other hand, would take out a three-year lease with an option to buy. Recently I learned an interesting fact: there are a little over 7,000 languages in the world and communication ...

1325. Sola Fide

1 Peter 1:3-9

Sermon

Dr. Ronald Love

... It is a spiritual rebirth where you come to accept Jesus as the Messiah by faith, and this conversation must have had an impact on Nicodemus. We are never told if Nicodemus became a Christian, but we are told that he was the only member of the Sanhedrin who defended Jesus during his trial. It is from the story of Nicodemus that we get the Christian testimony that to be saved, to be converted, to have faith, is to be born again. When Jimmy Carter ran for president of the United States in 1976, he would often ...

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