Sermon and Worship Resources

Showing 1351 to 1375 of 4999 results

Romans 8:1-17

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

... passions, no “take-it-to-the-front-line” faithfulness. Instead, like liquid gelatin, those who have no backbone pour themselves into whatever mold is put before to them for the simplest, easiest gain. The apostle Paul was definitely not a “lukewarm” or “wishy-washy” kind of guy. In fact, he warned the church at Rome “Do not let the world squeeze you into its mold” (Romans 12:2, Phillips translation). Of course, the church can “squeeze” you into a mold of its own making just as firmly as ...

1352. On the Ropes: Round 2 - Debating God

Habakkuk 1:12--2:1

Sermon

James Merritt

... noticed that when you bargain with God and He doesn’t deal that then you start debating God and you start giving God all kinds of reasons why He should have done things your way? That is exactly where we find Habakkuk. To remind you of the story, Habakkuk ... other. You’ve got those who have put their trust in themselves and those who put their trust in God. Those are the only two kinds of people who have ever lived. On the one hand, you’ve got those who He says in verse 4 are “puffed up-his desires ...

1353. Family Re:Union - For the Love

Deuteronomy 6:1-25

Sermon

James Merritt

... in mind to really grasp the import and the impact of this statement. First of all, it is a command. Don’t you think it is kind of odd that God would command us to love Him? I mean, “How do you command somebody to love you?” In a sense if you really ... would have married her the next night after our second date. The fact that God commands us to love Him tells us something about the kind of love God is commanding. It is not a feeling, because you can’t command a feeling. It is a surrender; an act of the ...

1354. Envision: The Great Commandment

Matthew 22:34-40

Sermon

James Merritt

... back and look at this commandment and think about it a little more deeply and examine it a little more closely. In a sense, it is kind of odd that God would command us to love Him. In one sense, “How do you command someone to love you?” If you really could ... would have been the most popular guy in high school! The fact that God commands us to love Him, tells us something about the kind of love God is demanding. It is not a feeling, because you cannot command a feeling. It is a commitment. It is a surrender ...

1355. How to Hug

Romans 13:8-14

Sermon

King Duncan

... mall. This is starting out as a very “touchy-feely” sermon, isn’t it? The world seems to be divided between two kinds of people, huggers and non-huggers. Have you noticed that? Reader’s Digest carried an item recently about Melinda Schmitt of ... we loved. This is what life is about, love. In a recent sermon, Pastor John Ortberg told about an 8-year-old boy who was kind of a nerdy, clumsy, chubby kid. One time a group of bullies were chasing him calling him, “Fat Freddy.” He ran toward the home of ...

1356. Dust Off The Throne

2 Samuel 7:1-11, 16, Luke 1:26-38, Romans 16:25-27

Sermon

David J. Kalas

... has to say. Still more rare is David’s move here: the king initiates the conversation, not because of what he wants from the Lord, but because of what he wants to do for the Lord. David’s sensitivity is exemplary. He saw for himself precisely the kind of thing that we usually need someone else to point out to us. Indeed, David saw for himself essentially the same thing that the prophet Haggai was required to point out to the Jews of post-exilic Jerusalem 500 years later (see below). Nathan’s reflexive ...

1357. Still Surprised After Christmas

Luke 2:21-40

Sermon

David J. Kalas

... we witness something of the significance of names. It is against that larger backdrop, then, that we see the importance of being given a new name. The promise of a new name that appears here in Isaiah is echoed in Revelation (2:17), and it is revealed on a kind of case-by-case basis as we see the Lord giving new names to Abram (Genesis 17:5), Jacob (Genesis 32:28), and Simon (John 1:42). The scripture theme and personal appeal of a new name manifested itself for many generations in the giving of a new name ...

1358. A Watery Grave

Mark 1:9-13

Sermon

David J. Kalas

... , in just one verse, we are given a powerful portrait of Jesus’ temptation experience. It lacks the dialogue of the other two synoptics, but it does set the stage: wilderness, Satan, wild beasts, and angels. Taken with the previous verse, we are presented with a kind of metaphor of the Christian’s experience. Inasmuch as the follower of Christ may expect to share in Christ’s experiences, we are duly warned by this passage about what lies in store. He was driven by the Spirit, as we may aspire to be ...

1359. An Annual Reminder

John 20:1-9

Sermon

David J. Kalas

... only to discover that he’s not there at all. Ah, but it’s not that the casket is altogether empty. No, someone else is there, sitting up, alive, and apparently waiting to talk to them. The “young man, dressed in a white robe” seems to be a kind of holy forwarding address. It turns out that the one they had come looking for was no longer there. He had moved on. This helpful young man waiting there was evidently waiting for precisely such visitors so that he could send them on to Galilee, where “he ...

1360. Je Suis Jesus

1 Corinthians 7:1-40

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

... needs to reclaim its identity as the Body of Christ, past, present, and future. Je suis Jesus. Each disciple needs to be able to hold over their head a felt-tipped marker sign announcing, “Je suis Jesus” or “I am Jesus.” No, each of us is not some kind of new-born Messiah. But in the two-fold meaning of the French phrase of solidarity “Je suis Charlie:” first, I am a follower of Jesus, I am a part of his story; and second, I participate in his identity and embody his spirit. As the church, as ...

1361. Show Me Your Baptismal Certificate

Mark 1:9-13

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

... our authority to minister in the body of the church and to exercise Jesus’ mission in the world. To say “I am baptized” is to proclaim an identity found in a love that cherishes the most when it lets the loved one go. It’s more than a “kind” love. It’s a sacrificial love. It’s a love that “lays down” one’s own preference so that others can “pick up” the truth. When a parent truly loves a child, they give them away . . . We give them away for baptism; We give them away to school ...

1362. Everything Must Go: Striking It Rich

1 Timothy 6:3-10

Sermon

James Merritt

... to be able to afford things for my kids that my dad could never buy for me. I wanted to be able to wear the kind of clothes that the other kids wore. I wanted to be able to travel to some place other than Florida for a vacation. (Don’t ... you someone whose number one god is money. Which is why Paul goes on to say, “For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evils. It is through this craving that some have wandered away from the faith and pierced themselves with many pangs.” (I Timothy 6:10, ...

1363. Peacemaker

Luke 2:8-20

Sermon

James Merritt

... world gives do I give to you. Let not your hearts be troubled, neither let them be afraid.” (John 14:27, ESV) This is a different kind of peace than what the world gives and what the world understands. It is not just a human peace; it is a heavenly peace. It is ... peace with God, but you don’t have the peace of God. There are basically three things that can rob you of this kind of peace. Sometimes you have uncontrollable circumstances - things like sickness, the death of a loved one, or the loss of a job. ...

1364. Satisfied Customer

John 6:25-59

Sermon

James Merritt

... was able to ask a lady named Ingrid that very question. We had a chance to get into a spiritual conversation and she said she had rarely gone to church growing up except at Christmas and Easter and it had been many years since she had been in any kind of church at all. I asked her if she would mind us talking about spiritual things and she admitted that she hadn’t had a spiritual conversation with anyone in her entire life and she would welcome it. I said, “Ingrid, I would like to ask you a fundamental ...

1365. The Good Life

John 10:11-18

Sermon

James Merritt

... about a guy that was a major mega worrier. He worried about everything. He worried so much he developed all kinds of problems, nervous ticks, high blood pressure, sleepless nights. It was affecting his job, his marriage, his personal relationships. He was ... many dangers to the sheep such as disease, poisoned grass, bad water, wild animals. But that is why Jesus is the good one of a kind shepherd. Because when Jesus starts out with a hundred sheep he ends up with a hundred sheep. He doesn't lose one of them. I ...

1366. The Desperate

John 9:1-12

Sermon

James Merritt

... words and obscenities and profanities that would make Hollywood blush. She looked at that parrot and said, “I’m not going to have that kind of language in this house. I’m going to teach you a lesson. I am going to put you in the freezer for 30 ... .”(John 9:6-7, ESV) I do not mean any disrespect to my Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, but you’ve got to admit that is kind of gross. Just the fact that he spit some of you mothers right now are saying, “Didn’t Mary teach Him better?” Here is what I ...

1367. It's All Good

Revelation 21:1-27

Sermon

James Merritt

... and Him, and raised Him from the dead so that He could rescue us from our predicament and take away the one barrier that keeps us separated and reconnect with us. Almost every Easter that is what everybody hears and that is where the story stops. If you came today, kind of with the attitude, “Okay, let’s get this man out of the tomb and get this over with so I can go home”, you are really going to be glad you came today. I am going to do something on this Easter Sunday that I’ve never done before ...

1368. Seismic Shift

2 Corinthians 7:2-16

Sermon

James Merritt

... will regret when they do something wrong, especially when they hurt someone else. Paul wisely points out there are two different kinds of sorrow over sin. There are two different types of guilt-trips. One puts you on the freeway of forgiveness and ... is our pride that keeps us from going to someone we have wronged and asking for forgiveness. The reason why you don’t experience the kind of joy and freedom that you ought to have in knowing the Lord Jesus Christ is because you refuse to repent. Why don’t we ...

1369. Signed, Sealed, and Delivered

2 Timothy 3:10--4:8

Sermon

James Merritt

... book has a text, but not every book has a canon. Only a book like the Bible, which is in reality a collection of books, has a canon. The word “canon” comes from a Greek word which literally means, “reed.” Back in biblical days a reed was used kind of like a straight ruler is used today. It was used to measure something. So a canon denotes a straight rod, or a rule, or the criteria by which something can be measured to see whether or not it fits a particular category. The Bible is actually a book ...

1370. Jesus Prays for Us

John 17:6-19

Sermon

King Duncan

... he pray that? There is strength in unity. When you have friends and family and fellow church members to whom you can turn in times of trouble you can bear almost any pain, any turmoil in your life. The church at its best provides that kind of support, that kind of one-ness. That wonderful preacher Barbara Brown Taylor gives us a picture of a church where unity provides comfort and security. She writes, “Like the brain-damaged young man who shows up one Sunday and asks to become a member of the church. As ...

1371. Brushing Your Teeth with Oreos

Luke 2:41-52

Sermon

King Duncan

... For example, all European countries give families more leisure time together, and more tax exemptions for things like child-care than we do. Imagine the sacrifices that Mary and Joseph had to make to fulfill the demands of their religion. But they did so gladly. That’s the kind of people they were. I doubt not at all that had an impact on Jesus. I’ve always loved that story of the little boy who was asked if he believed in God. He answered, “Well, yes I do.” When asked why, he said, “Well, I guess ...

1372. Gift

2 Corinthians 8:16--9:5, 2 Corinthians 8:1-15, 2 Corinthians 9:6-15

Understanding Series

James M. Scott

... their means (cf. 2 Cor. 8:3a; Sir. 14:11), but rather that they should give according to what they happen to have on hand in their possessions, as did the Israelites in Exodus 35:23–24. In other words, the Corinthians are encouraged to offer gifts in kind, which could include a variety of commodities and not necessarily just money (see above on 2 Cor. 8:2; cf. Ezra 7:22). On the analogy of Ezra’s mission, however, we might expect that the offering consisted mainly of silver and gold (cf. Ezra 7:15–16 ...

1373. Accusations

2 Corinthians 10:1-18

Understanding Series

James M. Scott

... to deal severely with these people who regard him as behaving according to the standards of this world (lit., “according to the flesh”). In 1:17 Paul mentions that he has been accused of making his travel plans “according to the flesh.” When he mentions the same kind of criticism in the present context, it may relate to his plans to come to Corinth in order to deliver the collection to Jerusalem. If Paul’s plan to come to Corinth is construed by the opponents as a self-serving trip (cf. 12:14–18 ...

1374. Boasting

2 Corinthians 11:1-15, 2 Corinthians 11:16-33, 2 Corinthians 12:1-10

Understanding Series

James M. Scott

... his stance on boasting (v. 30), an oath formula (v. 31), and a concrete illustration of the persecution he endures (vv. 31–33). 11:30 The apostle emphasizes his stance on boasting carefully phrasing the sentence as conditional. He would rather not boast, since any kind of boasting, other than boasting in the Lord (cf. 10:17), is foolishness (cf. 11:1, 16–17). But if the apologetic situation in Corinth requires it (lit., “If it is necessary to boast”), then he will boast in such as way as to reveal ...

1375. Paul's Concern for the Corinthians

2 Corinthians 12:11-21

Understanding Series

James M. Scott

... boasting, Paul realizes that he has been a fool. All the way along, the apostle has indicated his reluctance to engage in this kind of foolish boasting (cf. 11:21–23, 30). “It is necessary to boast,” he states in 12:1, for in the face of ... ) and guilty even of the vile perversions, including impurity, sexual sin, and debauchery. From the apostle’s dualistic perspective, there are only two kinds of people: those who stand on the side of Christ and the people of God, and those who stand on the side of ...

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