Sermon and Worship Resources

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Showing 1351 to 1375 of 4490 results

1351. Who Are You?

Psalm 16:1-11

Sermon

King Duncan

I'd like to ask you one of the most profound questions I can think of. Who are you? One practical joker produced a book that looked like any other. The title on the outside read, Wild Animals I have Known, and on the inside was a mirror. When his friends opened this book, they found themselves staring at their own reflections. Is that who you are? Are you just some kind of animal? A higher primate? A "naked ape," as Colin Morris called us a few years ago? Or is there a reality beyond the world of the flesh ...

1352. The Third Commandment: God's Last Name Is Not...?

Exodus 20:1-21

Sermon

Eric Ritz

We continue today in our series on the Living the Ten Commandments. Today we come to the third instruction which teaches us: Do not misuse the name of the Lord your God, for the Lord is very serious when his name is used or attached to something or someone. When God’s name is honored so is everyone and everything else. As you have already probably observed the first four commandments deal with our relationship primarily with God. These are vertical. They are directed upward. They deal with our respect and ...

1353. Lord of All

Isaiah 40:1-31

Sermon

Curtis Lewis

A question that is often asked by parents of small children is: "How big are you?" Children are so cute, and generally they give the same answer as they stand on tiptoe and spread their little arms to illustrate how big they are. With arms outstretched and spread wide, they inform their inquiring parent that they are "soooo big!" What children are saying is: "I'm huge. Can't you see how large I am?" When parents ask their children this question, they do so because they want them to realize they are growing ...

1354. Gospel Through The Person

Philippians 1:12-30

Sermon

Maxie Dunnam

Carl Joseph is a young black athlete who comes from a little one-horse town down in Florida. It’s a very poor town. There’s one road in and one road out, one old hotel, one fairly decent restaurant, one high school, one dilapidated theatre that shows ten year old movies, one grocery store, just one of everything. From that town, Carl Joseph entered the University of Pittsburgh on a four-year football scholarship. Strangely enough, he will never play in a single game for the Panthers. But then Jackie ...

1355. Seeing the Good News

Luke 3:1-20

Sermon

John P. Jewell

"All flesh shall see the salvation of God." What amazing words. The deepest sense of these words is that peace, harmony, health and healing will break out all over the world! "All flesh shall see.." means that every single human being on earth will see this come to pass. Sounds impossible doesn't it? This promise from the prophet Isaiah, brought to us in the gospel of Luke courtesy of John the Baptist brings to mind the words of Jesus to his disciples, "For mortals it is impossible, but for God all things ...

1356. Thorns and Thistles

Jeremiah 1:1-19

Sermon

Elizabeth Achtemeier

We modern-day Christians are not called to be prophets in the Old Testament sense of the term. We must remember that when preaching from this text. An Israelite prophet was one who had the ecstatic experience of standing "in the council (i.e., the heavenly court) of the Lord to perceive and to hear his word" (Jeremiah 23:18; cf. 1 Kings 22:13-23; Isaiah 40:1-8). He was then sent as a messenger of that council to tell where, when, and why God was at work in Israel's life. Old Testament prophets had new ...

1357. If I Were a Rich Man

Mark 10:17-27

Sermon

Mark Trotter

The gospel lesson for this morning is from the Gospel of Mark, the story of the rich, young ruler who came to Jesus, asking, "What must I do to inherit eternal life?" This is usually interpreted as a text about money. But it is not really a story about money. It is a story about salvation, and a devastating critique of the popular notion of how you get it. Money is a tool, an instrument, the means to an end. You can do all kinds of things with money. It is often said, "Money is the root of all evil." That ...

1358. Proper 22

Exodus 20:1-21, Isaiah 5:1-7, Philippians 3:1-11, Philippians 3:12-4:1, Matthew 21:33-46

Sermon Aid

John R. Brokhoff

COMMENTARY Old Testament: Exodus 20:1-4, 7-9, 12-20 The Ten Commandments. While assembled at Mount Sinai, the Israelites are given the Decalogue by Yahweh through Moses. These ten absolutes are not independent. They are related to the Mosaic covenant. First came grace in terms of God's deliverance from Egypt and by his promise to take them to a Promised Land. The laws are given for the people's part or response to the covenant. Old Testament: Isaiah 5:1-7 God's judgment upon his people for their failure to ...

1359. Do You Have a GPS - A God Positioning System?

Galatians 3:1-14

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

It's impossible to travel "chic-ly" [stylishly] when you travel with children. I don't care how beautifully matched your luggage; I don't care how organized you pack. Even if you get your kids those cute little rolling suitcases, you will still arrive at your destination with a messy entourage of unpackables. Depending on the children's ages and infatuations, these may be stuffed animals (think Beanie Babies), cars and trucks (think Matchbox), or beeping, blinking boxes (think GameBoy). The one constant in ...

1360. Easter 5

John 14:5-14, John 14:1-4, 1 Peter 2:4-12, Acts 7:54--8:1a, Psalm 31:1-24

Sermon Aid

Marion L. Soards, Thomas B. Dozeman, Kendall McCabe

TEXTS FROM ACTS AND PSALMS The lesson from Acts tells of the stoning of Stephen. The psalm has no actual connection with Stephen's speech or the account of his execution, but in the story of his death Stephen prays. Psalm 31 is itself a prayer-song for deliverance from one's enemies in which the psalmist utters a line (31:5) similar to Stephen's first prayer (7:59), so there is an imaginative way to relate the texts to each other. Acts 7:55-60 - "Living and Dying as Jesus Did" Setting. The pattern of story ...

1361. What Is Eternal Life?

John 3:1-21

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

On Super Tuesday in Lafayette, Tennessee, James Kruger was watching the election results. Suddenly a warning appeared on his tv screen: A tornado was headed toward Lafayette, Tennessee. As soon as he read those words, the lights went out. [You can Google an image of James Kruger, who appears disheveled, confused, and with a huge shiner.] He put on sweat pants, grabbed a flashlight, “and then I heard this noise," Kruger said. He headed for a door, "and all of a sudden I heard the glass breaking and it was ...

1362. Changed Lives - The Woman at the Well

John 4:1-26

Sermon

King Duncan

One day a jet airline left Washington, D.C., with the destination of Columbia, South Carolina. On board was a counselor traveling to Columbia for a mental health conference at the University of South Carolina. The counselor was an atheist. Somewhere during the flight the pilot discovered the landing gear was stuck. That meant trouble. He turned the plane and headed for Greensboro, North Carolina. There was a facility there where mechanics on the ground could give instructions to the pilot by radio and make ...

1363. Love Them Before You Leave Them

John 19:25-26

Sermon

James Merritt

A businessman wanted to send a floral arrangement to a friend who was opening a new branch office. His friend called later in the day to thank him for the considerate gesture, but he was a little bit confused about the card which read: "Rest in peace." The businessman apologized for the mix-up and quickly called to chastise the florist. The florist tried to brush it off, and said: "Look, it could be worse. Somewhere in the cemetery there is a bouquet with a note reading, ‘Good luck in your new location.'" ...

1364. The Revelation Code I: DaVinci, A to Z

Revelation 1:1-20

Sermon

John E. Harnish

It's called the "Isle of Patmos," and Gilligan's Island it is not. It's a rugged chunk of volcanic rock, ten miles long and five miles wide, 35 miles off the coast of Asia Minor in the Mediterranean Sea, full of caves and out-croppings…a kind of desolate beauty. Your tour guide will take you to a small cave carved in the cliff overlooking the sea where tradition says that in about the year 95 A.D., a man named John received a vision, a revelation from God. Then he sent the message out in a round-robin ...

1365. The Job Description of a Leader

2 Samuel 23:1-7

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

If the church is to make a difference in the world, every one of its members must begin to act and think like leaders. Leadership is not for the few and the special, the exception rather than the expected. Whether this mysterious thing called "leadership" comes naturally or is an acquired talent, every Christian must come to terms with it. A biblical style of leadership and language of leadership must become endemic in the church. In the Old Testament and Gospel lessons for this week both David and Jesus ...

1366. ...More...

Luke 16:19-31

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

The world's philosophy is a four-letter word: More. The church's theology is also a four-letter word, but it often means more's opposite: Love. Will the church be a force and a forum for love? The problem with our world, our nation and our church can be summed up in one word: More. "More" has become, as Laurence Shames has put it, America's "unofficial national motto." We want more of everything: more fun, more money, more excitement, more love, more programs, more church members, more, more, more. "More ...

1367. Three Wise Gifts

Matthew 2:13-23

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

Three gifts, if given this Christmastide, will do nothing less than heal the world. Two thousand years ago, gold, frankincense and myrrh were worth (in today's equivalents), six hundred, five hundred and four thousand dollars per pound, respectively. A similar gift today (frankincense and myrrh have declined in value, gold has increased) would set a 20th century king back six thousand dollars for the gold, but only fifteen dollars apiece for frankincense and myrrh. The Magi celebrated the Christ child with ...

1368. UpTime

Mark 6:30-34, 53-56

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

Downtime is uptime if it's God's time. It's been a long time now since we marked the celebration of Easter on the church's calendar. It's an even longer time until the seasons of Advent and Christmas return. It seems that the hot, humid days of summer are the time of year we set aside not only to get a break from school or take a vacation from our job, but also as a time when we take a little "time off" from God. The fluidity of summertime schedules means that more families are out of town, and Sunday ...

1369. From Me to We

1 Corinthians 9:1-27

Sermon

Mike Ripski

Even though I am free of the demands and expectations of everyone, I have voluntarily become a servant to any and all in order to tech a wide range of people: religious, nonreligious, meticulous moralists, loose-living immoralists, the defeated, the demoralized – whoever. I didn’t take on their way of life. I kept my bearings in Christ – but I entered their world and tried to experience things from their point of view. I’ve become just about every sort of servant there is in my attempts to lead those I ...

1370. Heart-Healthy Christians

Romans 8:18-27

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

Beach and bathing suit season has begun. And I’ve noticed something I wonder if you’ll agree with me. The coolest new hot trend is “tiny.” No, not tiny swimsuits those have long been fashionable, at least since Brian Hyland’s 1960 hit single “Itsy Bitsy Teenie Weenie Polka Dot Bikini.” No, the new big thing is small . . . small and smaller portions of food. Worrying over waistlines has encouraged the food industry to re-package their goodies into “100 Calorie” snack bags. Teenie Weenie versions of Oreo, ...

1371. Tear Down This Wall!

Ephesians 2:11-22

Sermon

King Duncan

On June 12, 1987 former President Ronald Reagan spoke in front of the Brandenburg Gate at the Berlin Wall. In his speech he issued a direct challenge to Mikhail Gorbachev, leader of the Soviet Union. Here are the best-known words from that speech: “General Secretary Gorbachev, if you seek peace, if you seek prosperity for the Soviet Union and Eastern Europe, if you seek liberalization: Come here to this gate! Mr. Gorbachev, open this gate! Mr. Gorbachev, tear down this wall!” Twenty-nine months later ...

1372. Got Milk?

1 Peter 2:1-3

Sermon

James Merritt

His name was Howard Hughes. As an aviator, he once held every speed record of consequence and was called the world's greatest flyer. At various points in his life he owned an international airline, two regional airlines, an aircraft company, a major motion picture studio, mining properties, a tool company, gambling casinos and hotels in Las Vegas, along with a medical research institute and a vast amount of real estate. He dated some of the most beautiful Hollywood stars of all time. When Howard Hughes ...

1373. No Room At The Inn

Luke 2:1-7

Sermon

Billy D. Strayhorn

Luke 2:1-7 (NRSV) [1] In those days a decree went out from Emperor Augustus that all the world should be registered. [2] This was the first registration and was taken while Quirinius was governor of Syria. [3] All went to their own towns to be registered. [4] Joseph also went from the town of Nazareth in Galilee to Judea, to the city of David called Bethlehem, because he was descended from the house and family of David. [5] He went to be registered with Mary, to whom he was engaged and who was expecting a ...

1374. No 2nd Class Citizens

Galatians 4:4-7

Sermon

Billy D. Strayhorn

No one really likes labels do they? Especially negative labels and names or stereotype labels and names. Labels and names can be hurtful. What are some of the derogatory names people call each other? This is the interactive part, it's OK to talk in church and during the sermon if the Preacher asks you to. So, shout them out, just remember we're in church and there are children present. My Dad taught us: "Sticks and stones will break your bones but words will never hurt you." Did your folks teach you that? ...

1375. Settling In Celebration

Romans 12:1-2

Sermon

Billy D. Strayhorn

Today IS a day to Celebrate. We should leave Worship today and every day with the same sort of smiles and the same bounce in our step. Today IS a day to celebrate. You see, whenever we gather to worship we celebrate life and faith. We celebrate the fact that God is still in charge and we can leave the burden of running the world to the One who created the world. Whenever we Worship we celebrate God's presence with us; God's deep love for us and the gift of God's Son, Jesus. And because of Jesus, we ...

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