Sermon and Worship Resources

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Showing 1351 to 1375 of 4935 results

1351. The Authority of Jesus

Drama

Curt M. Joseph

Judas: So this is it. (The three look around the room. Judas continues in a sarcastic voice.) Yes, first class all the way. Matthew: Yes, it is a bit musty in here. It kind of reminds me of an old storeroom or attic. It will take quite a bit of cleaning to get this place in shape. Judas: (He throws his money bag on the table and a cloud of dust goes into the air.) That’s an understatement! I thought Peter and John were supposed to get everything ready. Where are they? Andrew: Peter told me that he, James, ...

1352. Love: The Greatest Commandment and the Greatest Challenge

Matthew 22:34-40

Sermon

Eric Ritz

I believe we would all agree that Christianity is about the gift of God''s love and of God''s expectation of us to be loving. The key word in Christianity is love. Christianity is founded on the interconnectedness of God''s love and our response to the gift of God''s love, and how we then share what we have experienced with others. Perhaps some of us remember the scene in the marvelous movie, "Alice in Wonderland," when Alice states, "A word means what I want it to mean." This is exactly the great ...

1353. Being Christ

Ephesians 1:15-23

Sermon

Maxie Dunnam

Our scripture lesson for the message is found in Paul’s letter to the Church at Ephesus. The 1st chapter, the 15th through the 23rd verses. This is the word of the Lord. “For this reason, because I have heard of your faith in the Lord Jesus Christ, and your love toward all the saints, I do not cease to give thanks for you, remembering you in my prayers. That the God of our Lord Jesus Christ the father of glory may give you a spirit of wisdom and a revelation in the knowledge of him. Having the eyes of your ...

1354. The Problem with Signs

John 6:25-59

Sermon

King Duncan

An old farmer always called his hogs to the feeding trough by hitting it with a piece of wood. Tap-tap-tap. That's all it took and they would come running. It was a great system, until, for some odd reason, he noticed them losing weight. He couldn't understand it. Then one day, he discovered the culprit. A woodpecker was pecking on a tree nearby. Every time the woodpecker pecked, tap-tap-tap, the hogs came running. I guess all that extra running kept them trim. The people of Israel were no different from ...

1355. If Only... Next Time

Isaiah 43:1-13

Sermon

Maxie Dunnam

A young man who had made it big had been away from home a long time traveling to exotic places all over the world. He had not been very attentive to his widowed mother. His conscience began to bother him and he decided to do something about it. He sent her a unique gift, a rare South American parrot for which he'd paid $1200. Well, time went by. Two weeks, three weeks, and he heard nothing. And the fourth week he called. When he got his mom on the phone he said, "Did you get the bird I sent you?" "Oh yes ...

1356. The Church: An Enclave of Resistance v1

Romans 12:1-8, Romans 12:9-21

Sermon

Maxie Dunnam

Last September, there was a groundbreaking service for a Catholic cathedral that is going to be constructed in Los Angeles. The Diocese of Los Angeles commissioned the famous Spanish architect Jose Rafael Moneo to design the building. Their hope is that the cathedral will be completed by the beginning of the millennium. It’s to be a pectacular witness to the glory of God. There were models of the cathedral at the groundbreaking service and on the basis of the models a Los Angeles Times reporter wrote a ...

1357. Why Being A Christian Has Worn You Down v2

1 John 4:7-21

Sermon

Maxie Dunnam

A mild little boy, not known for being ugly or mean, was being chastised and about to be punished for pulling a little girl’s hair. His mother asked him, “Son, why did you do it? That’s just not like you.” “Mama,” he responded, “I just got tired of being good all the time.” It happens to all of us, doesn’t it? We get tired of being good. But it’s not just a periodic getting tired now and then – the truth is we get worn out – being Christian and practicing ministry wears us out. We talk about fatigue in all ...

1358. Pour the Salt and Turn on the Light

Matthew 5:13-16

Sermon

James Merritt

I am beginning a brand new series of messages today on the Sermon on the Mount that I have entitled, "The Only Way to Live." The reason I have given it that title is because that is exactly what Jesus tells us in the greatest sermon ever preached in the history of the world—the Sermon on the Mount. A Chinese Christian came to a missionary one time and said, "I have learned to quote the entire Sermon on the Mount by memory." He stood before the missionary and perfectly quoted the sermon word-for-word. The ...

1359. The Spirit of Cross Pointe

1 Corinthians 9:19-23

Sermon

James Merritt

At a riding stable where horses could be rented, the following sign was posted: "We have fast horses for folks who like to ride fast. We have slow horses for folks who like to ride slow. We have big horses for big folks and little horses for little folks and for those who have never ridden horses before we have horses that have never been ridden." That sign reminded me of something that I did many years ago that I am going to confess to today. There is a side of me that many of you do not know about and ...

1360. What a Difference a Day Makes

Exodus 20:8-11

Sermon

James Merritt

I want you to think about something I just recently read. It will make you tired just listening to it, but think about it. There are 365 days in the year, but you take weekends off, so you have to subtract 104 days. That leaves you with 261 working days, but you only work 8 hours a day; the other 16 you are either sleeping or tending to your own business, so you have to subtract 174 days. That leaves 87, but wait, we are not through subtracting yet. You eat lunch every day and although lunch hours vary, it ...

1361. A Cure for the Workaholic

Genesis 2:1-3

Sermon

James Merritt

If you are from the Deep South especially, you have to like Jeff Foxworthy. He made the word "redneck" universally famous. He was the one who said, "You might be a redneck if all of your salad bowls have "Cool Whip" stamped on them." Nobody knows how to identify a redneck, better than Jeff Foxworthy. I came across some ways you can also identify a workaholic. In case you are wondering whether or not you might be one, just consider the following: If it frustrates you that they don't allow laptops on a ...

1362. My Mission from God

John 17:18

Sermon

James Merritt

We shared with you over the last several weeks just as God has a purpose for your life God has a purpose for His church. Those purposes are identical. The first purpose we learned was worship. That is how the church glorifies. The second purpose is fellowship. That is how the church gains. The third purpose is discipleship. That is how the church grows. The fourth purpose is ministry. That is how the church gives. All these purposes have something in common and that is - we will continue in some ways to ...

1363. When We're Estranged from God

Matthew 6:1-6, 16-21

Sermon

King Duncan

It’s an old story, but it bears repeating. An armed robber accosted a French priest on a dark, back street in Paris and demanded his wallet. As the priest opened his coat to reach for his wallet, the thief caught sight of his clerical collar, and immediately apologized. “Never mind, Father, I didn’t realize you were a priest. I’ll be on my way.” The priest was relieved, of course, and good-naturedly offered the man a cigar. “No, thank you, Father,” the robber said, “I gave up smoking for Lent.” (1) One of ...

1364. Welcome Home

Luke 15:11-32

Sermon

James Merritt

A picture is worth a thousand words. Sometimes they should be because certain pictures can leave you speechless. I have often thought that if my house were burning down and I could only grab a few things as I ran out the door, I would bypass the jewelry, the clothes, and any furniture. I would take some pictures because pictures matter to me. And they matter to us all. We’ve now entered what might be called “The age of the snapshot.” 82% of Americans say they take pictures with their cell phones, up from a ...

1365. Thanksgiving for the Thessalonians' Faith

1 Thessalonians 1:1-10

Understanding Series

David J. Williams

Address and Greeting 1:1 Paul frequently associates himself with others in the prescripts of his letters (cf. 1 Cor. 1:1; 2 Cor. 1:1; Gal. 1:1f.; Phil. 1:1; Col. 1:1; 2 Thess. 1:1; Philem. 1). In most cases it must be doubted that the others made any material contribution to the letters, being named simply out of courtesy, and so in this case. The letter bears all the hallmarks of a Pauline epistle (see Introduction on The Authenticity of 1 Thessalonians and disc. on 3:1), such that it is difficult to ...

1366. Caring for the Vineyard We Did Not Plant

Matthew 20:1-16, Joshua 24:1-27

Sermon

Lori Wagner

How many of you have seen an episode of “This Old House”? How many know what I’m talking about? The show, on television for nearly 40 years (since 1979), now also has a website and a magazine. The innovative show has developed a “buzz” as the “go-to” site for creative hands-on remodeling --for men and women alike! Its premise is simple: how to take an ordinary, drab, old, crumbling, or even condemned house, a “fixer-upper” if you will, and renovate and revision that house into a new, sound, and exquisite ...

1367. Stamped with God’s Own Image

Matthew 22:15-22

Sermon

Albert G. Butzer III

And they brought him a denarius. Then he said to them, “Whose head is this and whose title?” — Matthew 22:19 Recent DNA tests reveal that a software engineer from South Carolina shared an exact match to the maternal mitochondrial DNA of King Richard III of England. As you may know, the King’s bones were discovered in 2012 under a parking lot in England on land that was once a friary. The bones showed signs of a spinal deformity the king was known to have had. The skull showed wounds consistent with ...

1368. Why Doesn’t God Prove Himself To Doubters?

2 Peter 1:16-21

Sermon

Charley Reeb

If you’ve ever doubted God’s existence or know someone who has, this message is for you. If you are afraid to express your struggles with faith, this message is for you. The truth is, 99% of us are in one of those categories, and 1% is lying. So this message is for everyone! I have gone through seasons of doubt. It’s called being human. It is normal. I wouldn’t be much of preacher if I didn’t struggle with doubt. I wouldn’t have much to offer. I believe with Frederick Buechner that “doubts are the ants in ...

1369. Stewards of Our Money

Mark 12:41-44

Sermon

Jerry L. Schmalemberger

We "Caretakers of Creation" are in charge, being placed in that position by no less than the Almighty. We have seen from the creation story in Genesis how God brought into existence all that there is, and then put us humans in charge of it all. So far we have discovered that we are in charge of these things: • All the natural resources so that future generations have enough. • The hungry of the world so that they might be fed. This is one of the signs of the Kingdom. • Our bodies and their care, so that we ...

1370. Why I Believe In Tithing

Malachi 3:6-18

Sermon

Maxie Dunnam

Let’s pray together. Come Holy Spirit, Heavenly dove, with all your quickening powers. Come shed abroad a Savior’s love, and that will quicken ours. I believe that preaching is not so much the preparing and the delivering of sermons, as it is the preparing and the delivering of oneself. I hope you know by now that there is nothing I take more seriously than my call to preach. And there is nothing I invest more time, energy, and spirit power in than the task of preaching from Sunday to Sunday. When I ...

1371. If, Because, Regardless

2 Thessalonians 3:6-13

Sermon

Billy D. Strayhorn

There's a silly story going around about two factory workers, Joe and Lester, who were talking. "I know how to get some time off from work," said Joe. "How do you think you'll do that?" asked Lester. Joe proceeded to climb up to the rafters of the factory and hang upside down by his knees. The boss walked in, saw Joe hanging from the ceiling, and asked him what on earth he was doing. "I'm a light bulb," Joe answered. "I think you need to take some time off," said the boss. So, Joe jumped down and walked ...

1372. Persistent Prayer

Luke 18:1-8

Sermon

Jill J. Duffield

I must begin with telling it plain: I love this parable. I likely love this parable for all the wrong, not very Christian reasons. I love this parable because the most vulnerable, least powerful person gets vindicated. The widow with no real recourse, no protection unless it is granted to her, no official status or leverage, gets justice, which could also be translated as “avenged” or even “take revenge.” The long-exploited woman gets revenge. The underdog wins and this is such a rare occurrence I want to ...

1373. Why Me Lord?

2 Corinthians 9:6-8, Exodus 35:4-5, 10-11

Sermon

James Merritt

If God can speak and a sun begins to shine and a moon begins to glow, and stars begin to twinkle and planets begin to rotate, surely God could build platforms, churches, and tabernacles. The only thing that God has ever built without the help of human hands, is the universe we live in. Ever since creation God has never acted alone. He created the world for us, but He builds nothing without us. Why? In Exodus 35 we see how God asked Israel for money and materials to build the tabernacle. "And Moses spoke to ...

1374. Irrevocable Gifts

Romans 11:1-2a, 29-32

Sermon

Jeff Wedge

People have had a wide variety of reactions to the idea of politically-correct language. One of the more interesting is a series of books by James Finn Garner. A look at the contents of the volumes gives an insight into the way things are handled. The stories include such titles as the politically-correct bedtime story of "The Three Codependent Goats Gruff," and the holiday story of "Rudolph, the Nasally-Empowered Reindeer." Under the humorous approach there lurks a problem that can cause us real ...

1375. Freedom In Christ

Galatians 5:1-15, Galatians 5:16-26

Understanding Series

L. Ann Jervis

Paul’s Direct Warning: To Become Circumcised Is to Be Divorced from Christ 5:2 Now Paul turns up the heat with a direct address—Mark my words! I, Paul, tell you. No longer using Scripture, Paul states forthrightly: if you let yourselves be circumcised, Christ will be of no value to you at all. The options are clearly laid out: either circumcision without Christ or Christ without circumcision. While Paul has referred to the “circumcision group” (2:12) as those who are opposed to the “truth of the gospel” ...

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