Sermon and Worship Resources

Showing 1351 to 1375 of 2962 results

Luke 23:26-43

Sermon

Eric Ritz

Today, we gather in this sanctuary for the solemn day on the liturgical calendar which we call Good Friday. For some it is also known as BLACK FRIDAY. I want to share some thoughts and reflections from what historically has been designated as the FIRST WORD from the SEVEN LAST WORDS OF JESUS CHRIST from the Cross on Calvary. It should not come as a surprise to anyone that the first words from the Cross deal with the issue of FORGIVENESS, and really, what is being implied is forgiveness of our sins. ...

1352. Are We on Speaking Terms with the Almighty?

Luke 18:9-14

Sermon

Eric Ritz

... to a prayer group. The remaining 201 were not. Neither the patients, nurses, or attending physicians knew which group the patients were in. Dr. Byrd recruited Roman Catholic, United Methodist, Baptist, and Jewish groups around the country to pray for the designated 192 patients. They were given the patients'' names, something of their condition, and were asked to pray for these persons by name once each day. No other instructions were given. The results were startling. The prayed-for patients were five ...

1353. Party Time!

Mark 2:18-22

Sermon

King Duncan

... so on through the alphabet. Sit in the back row and roll a handful of marbles under the pews ahead of you. After the service, credit yourself with 10 points for every marble that made it to the front. Using church bulletins or visitor cards for raw materials, design, test and modify a collection of paper airplanes. Start from the back of the church and try to crawl all the way to the front, under the pews, without being noticed. Raise your hand and ask for permission to go to the rest room. (3) You know, we ...

1354. When the Boat Begins to Sink

Mark 4:35-41

Sermon

David G. Rogne

... to them, too, that the Lord was asleep or uncaring. They needed to be reminded that their Lord was with them in a time of persecution, and he would rise to strengthen their faith at the critical moment. This incident became for them an allegory, designed to bring them comfort and hope. And, of course, we too are confronted with storms. We may stand for something we believe to be right, only to discover opposition, ridicule, a storm of protest. Headlines tell us that it happens today: "Holdout Juror Results ...

1355. Waiting for Godot?

1 Corinthians 1:1-9

Sermon

Fredrick R. Harm

... personal enrichment. They are aware that Christ has "never promised them a rose garden." They are not immune from the heartaches, trials, and adversities that are part of the human situation. But they are also convinced that whatever comes to them approaches on a mission designed to be used as an opportunity for growth and advancement in the faith. With God's help they have learned the profound lesson E. Stanley Jones so often taught that "when life throws a dagger one can grasp it by the blade and be cut ...

1356. With a Bang or a Whimper?

2 Peter 3:1-18

Sermon

Fredrick R. Harm

... with which we began -- "Will it end with a bang or a whimper?" Dear friends, after listening to Peter, it really doesn't matter, does it? Amen. 1. The Complete Poems and Plays of T. S. Eliot (New York: Harcourt, Brace and Company Inc., 1952), p. 344. 2. John Dryden, "Design" quoted in Masterpieces of Religious Verse (New York: Harper and Row, Publishers, 1948), p. 9. 3. Elizabeth Barrett Browning, "Aurora Leigh," ibid.

1357. Don't Fence Me In!

1 Corinthians 6:12-20

Sermon

Fredrick R. Harm

... , asked to speak with his pastor. During the visit there were guilt feelings that needed to be talked out and laid at the feet of the forgiving Christ. There were patterns of conduct, formed during the war, that only God could reshape into a worthy design for living. At one point in the conversation the young man described the immoral indulgences which he and other servicemen practiced when they came to certain cities where they found easy access to loose women. It was with no air of bravado or "macho-ism ...

1358. What Are You Going to Do with My World?

1 Corinthians 9:1-27

Sermon

Fredrick R. Harm

... the Christian finds too good to be kept for himself alone. It must be shared in one way or another. What we are referring to is sometimes included in the term "evangelism." During the Epiphany season many congregations set aside a Sunday and designate it as Evangelism Sunday, Friendship Sunday, or Good News Sunday. This day provides members the opportunity for inviting unchurched neighbors and friends to visit their church. It is the hope and prayer of the congregation that Christ's love will so impress ...

1359. The Joy of Shared Truth

1 John 1:5--2:14

Sermon

Paul E. Robinson

... ? It reminded me of Pilate's question spoken when dealing with Jesus, "What is truth?" (John 18:38). This issue of Forbes was a fascinating compilation of articles about what is real in the digital age. One of the articles was by Danny Hillis, a designer of one of the fastest supercomputers in the world. He told of going to Disney World with his children. His young son Noah made the intriguing comment: "Dad, this is a fake Disneyland." A fake Disneyland. Does that make Disneyland real? Is it? He also told ...

1360. Grace in the Midst of the Crush of Time

2 Corinthians 6:3-13

Sermon

Glenn McDonald

... t suggest a Sabbath. It is mandated as one of the original Ten Commandments. Our Sabbath doesn't have to be on Sunday nor even on a weekend. But one-seventh of our time during each week should be reserved to pray and to play. God's design for time also invites us, third, to Abandon Annually. In Old Testament times there were prescribed festivals for God's people. Whole families were compelled to walk all the way to Jerusalem three times each year. These became annual opportunities to enjoy life and to enjoy ...

1361. The Highest Bidder

Ephesians 3:14-21

Sermon

Harold Warlick

... , that is, the hostility between us." Jesus is our peace. In what sense is this true? What Matthew affirms in his Gospel is that Jesus' death was accompanied by a significant change in the Temple in Jerusalem. The geography of the temple area was essentially designed to be a show-and-tell of theological, racial, and gender exclusion. At the perimeter was a sign that said, "No Gentiles beyond this point." Beyond the court of the women was a sign that said, "Males only." Entry to the holy place was reserved ...

1362. A Song, A Dance, A Savior

Jeremiah 30:1--31:40

Sermon

Curtis Lewis

... God is on leave. Otherwise the present state of things wouldn't be possible. God must be on leave. And he has no deputy."1 Exiled, Israel at times felt that God had taken a leave of absence and that they were left to the wicked design of their Babylonian masters. Yes, they had been disobedient. Admittedly, Israel had forsaken God; now she languished in a foreign country, hoping beyond hope that God would somehow come back from his leave of absence and remember, redeem, and restore his people. It is Jeremiah ...

1363. Going, Going, Gone

2 Kings 2:1-18

Sermon

Curtis Lewis

... . His request relates to a custom which in Deuteronomy 21:17 informs us the firstborn son was entitled to a double share of the father's estate, while the younger sons would get only a single share. Elisha is requesting that he be designated as Elijah's rightful heir, receiving double what the other prophets would receive which would indicate to the various schools of prophets that Elisha would now be the "lead prophet." Elijah informed his understudy that this would be a very difficult request to grant ...

1364. Have We Kept Our Contract with God?

Genesis 17:1-27

Sermon

Richard Gribble

... day of our lives. Married people live under a contract made the day they professed their vows to each other. Couples promise fidelity, love, honor, and companionship until the day they die. Each time we promise to pick someone up, meet a person at a designated spot, run an errand, or visit a sick relative or friend, we have made a verbal contract. We usually do not think of these daily occurrences as contracts, but most assuredly they are agreements where at least two parties are counting on each other ...

1365. A Converting Presence

1 John 2:28--3:10

Sermon

Maxie Dunnam

... up the use of the word, we have diminished a cardinal principle of the gospel which the words describes. We simply do not think much or talk much about conversion within the church. And when we think about it, too often we use it to designate only the beginning point of our salvation. When we accept God’s gracious love in Jesus Christ and are justified through our faith in God’s sacrificial gift of himself for our sins. The late 1970s and early 80s have witnessed a resurgence of evangelical Christianity ...

1366. Servants Without Portfolio

Matthew 20:20-28

Sermon

Maxie Dunnam

... characteristic expression of the indwelling Christ. Ambassadors in governmental service of the United States are usually assigned to particular geographical locales. They have a portfolio. It may be Russia, or Great Britain, or Mexico. Occasionally there are persons designated ambassadors at large, or ambassadors without portfolio. As persons in Christ, we are servants without portfolio. Everywhere, in all times, in all places, we are servants. This is the mind of Christ in fullness within us, expressed in ...

1367. Why I Believe In Tithing

Malachi 3:6-18

Sermon

Maxie Dunnam

... the Bible. The first mention of tithing comes with Abraham. After a victorious battle, Abraham gave a tithe of his possessions to Imeal Chezadec, who was the King of Salem, as well as a priest of God. Now hear the amount of the separated portion is designated for the first time and the separated portion is to be 10%. It was common practice among ancient warriors to tithe the spoils of war. Abraham no doubt was familiar with that practice, yet there’s something very unique about what Abraham was doing. It ...

1368. Participants In The Gospel

Philippians 1:1-11

Sermon

Maxie Dunnam

... 15:22. You remember that verse? “For as in Adam all men die, so also in Christ shall all be made alive.” Look clearly at the imagery here – for it’s a very informing, and its one of Paul’s central teaching. Two communities are designated – one, the fallen community, which with Adam we all share, by birth and by choice. Second, the redeemed community, which, with the second Adam, Christ, we share by new birth and choice. Once united to Christ by faith, we are members of a new community which ...

1369. Servants Of The Servant Who Was Lord

Mark 10:35-45

Sermon

Maxie Dunnam

If I had to designate one big idea that has characterized the mood and the movement of people during the past ten or 15 years, I would say that this has been a time of aggressive self-expression. Perhaps the most graphic reflection of it is the advent of assertiveness training. This has been formalized ...

1370. Called To Finish What Is Finished

Colossians 1:24--2:5, Colossians 1:15-23

Sermon

Maxie Dunnam

... kindest people who have nothing apostolic or missionary, who never knew the soul's despair or its breathless gratitude." I think Dr. Forsythe is right -- and he's right because we Christians do not remember who we are or who Christ is. We don't remember that Christ has designed his apostolic mission in the world to include us -- and that he has said of us that we are to finish the great work that he began. I. So, let's begin there. If we are going to finish what is finished; that is, if Christ's ministry of ...

1371. The Gift Of Sleep

Psalm 127:1-5

Sermon

Maxie Dunnam

... heading "Of Solomon". Solomon flourished in the middle of 900 B.C. What we need to know is that the word "of" in this instance, "of Solomon", can also mean "Allah" in the French sense of "in the style of". So, the probability is that that's the designation. It's in the style of Solomon. That seems reasonable when we see in verse two the words "His beloved". In Hebrew that sounds very much like the name given to Solomon. Again, verse 2 speaks of a man having many children and Solomon certainly did -- because ...

1372. God Does The Unexpected

Luke 1:26-38

Sermon

Maxie Dunnam

... ; but that they cannot be charged with lying since they never attempted to give the impression that they were writing history. According to this theory they must have thought that everyone (except the most stupid) would see that their story was a myth designed to convey a religious truth (and presumably that everyone would see what the truth was); that neither Mary nor Joseph, had they lived to read the story, would have been offended or mystified by their distortion of the historical facts in the interest ...

1373. In The Beginning And The End...God

Genesis 1:1-2:3

Sermon

Maxie Dunnam

... . Holmes Rolston, III, is a Colorado State University professor. In an article in The Christian Century entitled "Shaken Atheism: A Look at the Fine-Tuned Universe", Dr. Rolston described the recent discoveries of astro-physicists and micro-physicists about the precise design by which the world came into being. He quoted astronomer Fred Hoyle, whose atheism was shaken by his own discovery that in the stars, carbon just manages to form and then just avoids complete conversion into oxygen. If one atomic level ...

1374. Noah: The Bearer Of An Alternative Possibility

Genesis 6:1-8:22

Sermon

Maxie Dunnam

... have done -- given humankind a cosmic backhand. I. Let's pursue the thought for a moment. How would you have felt had you been God? What would you have done? You gave life for all creation, shaped and fashioned it after your best design, sustained it with your life-given presence and entrusted that creation into the hands of humankind, those creatures whom you gifted with intelligence and freedom. You intended the whole creation to function in wholeness, harmony, beauty, joy, and peace. "But those free ...

1375. God Is Like A Mother

Isaiah 66:1-24

Sermon

Maxie Dunnam

... packed his suitcases. In the process of putting his clothing in drawers, he discovered two long narrow pieces of cloth among the shirts, socks and underwear. They were neatly folded and ironed. At first he didn't know what they were. But when he looked at the design of the cloth, he recognized the pattern. At last it came to him. These were the strings of his mother's apron. She had cut them off for him. "It's all right, parents, to be protective of your children. The proverbial apron strings may provide ...

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