Sermon and Worship Resources

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Showing 1351 to 1375 of 4986 results

1351. Not What You Expected

Hebrews 2:10-18

Sermon

John N. Brittain

... notion of burning out. Their motto became, "I'd rather flame out than burn out." Sounds dynamic and Type-A, doesn't it? But some sage pointed out the fallacy. Whether you flame out, they wrote, or burn out, you are still out. God calls us to stay in, to not grow weary. Because of its imagery and modeling from the Hebrew Bible, many Christians have ignored the book of Hebrews (just as we have ignored the Hebrew Bible for that matter), which emphasizes holding these two poles together not so much in tension ...

1352. In the Balance

Romans 5:12-19

Sermon

David O. Bales

... in right relation with God. Jesus did, hanging onto God even as he hung on the cross, clinging to God even when he felt abandoned. That's the difference between Adam and Jesus. Adam separated from God. Jesus stayed tight with God. Jesus puts us back together with God and holds us there. See the difference? Sin can energize people to action, but it continues to separate people further and further from God. Steve Arrington, sent to prison, is an example of that. Sin paints people into a corner ...

1353. Surprises

1 Peter 4:12-14; 5:6-11

Sermon

David O. Bales

... need to ponder what led to World War II and what came out of it. "Keep alert," Peter warns us against evil. More important, stay sensitive to God's presence, "because he cares for you." God isn't an impersonal cloud that blindly massages life. God is at least ... trust them. The government is wary of them. Peter says that such struggles test us, and, in the sense, refine us. If we stay open to God's Spirit during such difficulties, the problems that the devil would use to tempt us, God will redirect in order ...

1354. Captive Free!

Romans 7:15-25a

Sermon

Steven E. Albertin

... 't go back into the building because of the fire. But they can't jump either, because it will be to their certain death. Have you ever been on a frozen pond in the middle of winter when the ice begins to slowly crack under your feet? You can't stay put with the ice slowly caving in under your feet, but if you start to move, the pressure from your steps pressing on the ice will only make the ice crack more quickly. There is no good choice. You are in "double jeopardy." You are "trapped between a rock and ...

1355. Mentoring Matters

1 Thessalonians 2:9-13

Sermon

Mary S. Lautensleger

... lessons, but in a world full of cynicism, consumerism, and disenfranchised people, they need to be taught again and again: Take time to stare out the window instead of at your computer screen. Laugh a lot. It's natural to die, but love is how you stay alive. Morrie Schwartz is our messenger. We listen because he treats us with respect, he makes us laugh, and he's learned "how to give out love, and to let it come in." Mentoring matters. Relationships matter. Paul invested time in discipling new Christians in ...

1356. A Double Portion

2 Kings 2:1-2, 6-14

Sermon

Billy D. Strayhorn

... up to heaven by a whirlwind, Elijah and Elisha were on their way from Gilgal. [2] Elijah said to Elisha, "Stay here; for the Lord has sent me as far as Bethel." But Elisha said, "As the Lord lives, and as you yourself live, I will not leave you." So they ... went down to Bethel. [6] Then Elijah said to him, "Stay here; for the Lord has sent me to the Jordan." But he said, "As the Lord lives, and as you yourself live, I will not leave ...

1357. Step By Step

Acts 11:1-18

Sermon

Billy D. Strayhorn

... Tony Campolo. Tony has spent much of his life traveling around the world speaking at Christian gatherings. His wife, Peggy, stayed at home and chose to pour her life into raising their children. Years ago when Peggy Campolo would occasionally travel ... replied, "Oh, I'm just a physicist. I'm just trying to discover a cure for cancer." Peggy Campolo, in her very description of a stay at home mom, proclaimed what Rick Warren was talking about and the first Step we have to take in this Step By Step process of ...

1358. Fresh Grilled Forgiveness

John 21:1-19

Sermon

Billy D. Strayhorn

... he was picked up by a couple of marines headed to Los Angeles. They dropped him off and he checked into a flea bag motel. He stayed there two nights, that's all the time he had the money for. The guy at the counter told him he should check out the YMCA. ... Levi was afraid to get off. His folks had driven over 250 miles to get there. He was afraid of the reception he faced, so he just stayed in his seat. The stewardess finally told him he HAD to get off. This was back in the days when you walked down a set of ...

1359. Beneath The Shadow Of The Cross

Mark 15:16-37

Sermon

Billy D. Strayhorn

... somber and introspective. In that mood, Jesus got up and quietly lead them to the Mount of Olives and the Garden of Gethsemane so he could pray. On the way he asked Peter, James and John to go pray with him. They did but they had difficulty staying awake. While they were fighting sleep and while Jesus was praying great drops of blood, a commotion broke out. All of a sudden the garden was filled with Temple Guards, priests, and Roman soldiers. The chief priests and elders were there, too. And right in the ...

1360. Step into Your 'Adjacent Possibility'

Luke 17:11-19

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

... had ever known before. Everyone here this morning is one of the nine cured lepers. We know the power of Christ’s touch. We know the gift of Christ’s sacrifice. We accept his love and forgiveness. But we keep within our carefully structured lives. We stay “within ourselves.” What would happen if we chose to move into the “adjacent possible?” What would happen if we turned around and took a hop into the holy? What would happen if we leaped into the unknown that lies just barely outside our zone of ...

1361. God Will Be With Us

Isaiah 7:1-25

Sermon

King Duncan

... act of thoughtfulness. If someone forgets to invite you, he or she can still be your friend. “Your underwear is $8.95 for a three-pack. Three pairs of shoes are more than enough. You are unable to see wrinkles in your clothes. Everything on your face stays its original color. The same hairstyle lasts for years, maybe decades. You only have to shave your face and neck. “You can play with toys all your life. One wallet and one color for all seasons. You can wear shorts no matter how your legs look. You ...

1362. A Child Will Be Born

Isaiah 9:1-7

Sermon

King Duncan

... we see in our children’s eyes. God entered the world as a babe in a manger. Here’s the second thing we need to see: That babe became our Savior. “And he will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.” He didn’t stay a baby, did he? He became “the man for others.” There are no adjectives lofty enough to describe our feelings about the man from Nazareth. I like the way Dan Owens put it: Just ask the angels what they think of Jesus, they’ll tell you, “A ...

1363. Can You Be Popular and Serve Jesus?

Luke 6:17-26

Sermon

King Duncan

... her and her husband, Sammy, to pack up and drive to the LBJ ranch in Texas to prepare for the Johnsons’ vacation stay. “I’m not going to do it,” Zephyr told Johnson defiantly. She explained that on the two‑day trip, she would have ... license plate.” By this time the boy was out of his car with a confused look on his face. The patrolman was shouting at Peggy. “Look, stay out of this. This is none of your concern. I’m pulling this kid for a traffic violation and this is none of your business.” ...

1364. Didn’t You Hear the Bells?

Luke 19:1-10

Illustration

Keith Wagner

... seen the lovely chapel but she missed the sound of the bells. With all her senses she had only experienced part of the beauty. Zacchaeus was blinded by his selfishness, but that did not keep Jesus from seeing him as a whole person. Jesus wanted to stay with Zacchaeus. To miss this part of the story is to remain in the dark. Jesus had to go to his house because this represented what Jesus was all about; giving grace toward those who are lost. In the gospel of Luke, Zacchaeus became the symbolic recipient ...

1365. Climbing the Tree

Luke 19:1-10

Illustration

Larry R. Kalajainen

... Very gingerly, he made his way down, branch by branch, and when he finally got on the ground, he discovered his knees were trembling with the excitement and fear of the whole experience. Like a typical small boy, however, once he knew he could conquer the tree, he couldn't stay out of it, and before long, he went up and down it like a monkey. Somehow, the risk of being out on a limb high in the tree became as routine as brushing one's teeth. Years later, long after he had grown out of his tree-climbing days ...

1366. Back to Real Life

Matthew 2:13-18

Sermon

King Duncan

... to Joseph in a dream. “Get up,” he said, “take the child and his mother and escape to Egypt. Stay there until I tell you, for Herod is going to search for the child to kill him.” So Joseph got up, took the child and his mother during the night ... and left for Egypt, where he stayed until the death of Herod. The holy family left just in time, for when Herod realized that he had been outwitted by the wise men, ...

1367. “Your Honor:” Jesus’ Honor Code of Turning the Other Cheek

Matthew 5:38-42

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

... but I did not believe her then. You have proven it to me this morning. . . I never believed there was a God before, but what I have just felt is so strong that I will never doubt the existence of God as long as I live.’ The commander stayed for lunch with the congregation and offered money from his own pocket to parishioners who had loved ones taken away. Two weeks later, all of the men who had been taken were released from the basement cell where they had been imprisoned and some had been tortured. Sarah ...

1368. Your Honor: Jesus' Honor Code of Turning the Other Cheek

Matthew 5:38-42

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

1369. Love of Enemies

Matthew 5:43-48

Illustration

Joyce Hollyday

... , but I did not believe her then. You have proven it to me this morning. . . I never believed there was a God before, but what I have just felt is so strong that I will never doubt the existence of God as long as I live.' The commander stayed for lunch with the congregation and offered money from his own pocket to parishioners who had loved ones taken away. Two weeks later, all of the men who had been taken were released from the basement cell where they had been imprisoned and some had been tortured. Sarah ...

1370. Come with Me to the Mountain

Matthew 17:1-13

Sermon

King Duncan

... 1) To this day, they do not know the identity of the stranger who led them to safety. Swindoll thinks he may have been an angel. Mysterious things happen on mountains. In our lesson from Exodus, the Lord says to Moses, “Come up to me on the mountain and stay here, and I will give you the tablets of stone, with the law and commands I have written for their instruction.” Then Moses set out with Joshua his aide, and Moses went up on the mountain of God. This turned out to be one of the most pivotal events ...

1371. The Gospel Has Been Proclaimed

John 20:1-18

Illustration

Steven Molin

... preach the sermon in chapel the following day. He had never preached a sermon before, he was nervous and afraid, and he stayed up all night, but in the morning, he didn't have a sermon. He stood in the pulpit, looked out at his ... service has ended. Go in peace." The dean was not happy. "I'll give you another chance tomorrow, and you had better have a sermon." Again he stayed up all night; and again he couldn't come up with a sermon. Next morning, he stood in the pulpit and asked "Do you know what I ...

1372. The Five-a-Day Rule

John 20:24-31

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

... , in hope that we start to entertain the most doubts about ourselves, our lives, our choices and our faith. With Spring Break lines behind them and a long time until summer vacation, even the most serious student can start to doubt the value of slogging on and staying in school. As spring and new growth bursts all around us, the same old job, the dullness of deadlines, the grind of every-day work, can fertilize furtive doubts about the value of our work, of our careers, of our dreams. With so much of our ...

1373. Disillusioned Thomas

John 20:24-31

Sermon

King Duncan

... time. A person goes through a difficult time when they feel God has let them down and the first thing they do is drop out of the fellowship. They miss one Sunday, then a second, and before very long, going to church takes far more effort than staying home. Friends, that’s always a mistake. This is where the people are who care about you. A Presbyterian pastor once told Tony Campolo about his early days of ministry at a small country church. One day, a young woman came to the church to present her child ...

1374. Loving Deeply (Mother's Day)

1 Peter 1:13-2:3

Sermon

King Duncan

... man for trying to burden them with his dilemma. That’s the way the world operates. Love is the exception, not the rule. There was a column in the Denver Post sometime back about an 85-year-old Denver woman, Ellie Lindecrantz, who was flying to Florida to stay there for a few months. She was to be met in Florida by her husband, who had driven the family car there. After arriving at Denver International Airport, 85-year-old Ellie had asked for a wheelchair to take her to the gate. She was waiting under the ...

1375. In Our Own Language

Acts 2:1-13

Sermon

King Duncan

... Guinea. In the small village of Hauna Marilyn teaches the people to read and write their own language and has aided in the formation of a strong church. One day, a canoe loaded with 15 people from a distant village arrived to receive medical help. They stayed for a week in Marilyn’s village and attended services where they heard the Gospel for the first time. Before they returned home, the visitors asked, “Could you come to our village so that we might know about God, too?” Several weeks later, some ...

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