Sermon and Worship Resources

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Showing 1351 to 1375 of 4972 results

1351. The Gates of Hell

Matthew 16:13-20

Sermon

King Duncan

... as an institution worthy of her time and attention, not unlike a lot of thoughtful people. But she begins her book, Beyond Belief, with an unusual anecdote and a very powerful witness. On a bright, cold Sunday morning in New York, she interrupted her daily run by stopping in the vestibule of a church to get warm. Two days earlier, her two-and-a-half-year-old son had been diagnosed with an invariably fatal lung disease. Two-and-a-half years' old. Barely born and already dying. Imagine the pain in her heart ...

1352. When the Best People Were Left Out

Matthew 21:28-32

Sermon

King Duncan

... , who have not been all they might have been, or should have been, but they've been healed by the wounds of their Master. The kingdom of God has come that was the central message of Jesus' earthly ministry. The kingdom of God is marching forward, and nothing can stop its forward momentum, nothing can prevail against it, not even the gates of Hell. And you have a front-row invitation to be a part of it. This is the greatness of God's grace: salvation cannot be earned, it is a free gift of love offered to all ...

1353. On "supersizing" Our Vision

Mark 12:41-44

Sermon

Siegfried S. Johnson

... , you can have it SUPERSIZED? More french fries to clog your veins. So much Coke that the colossal cup won't jam into the car's console holder. Perhaps nowhere is the American SUPERSIZED appetite for soda pop better evidenced than at 7-11. Thirsty on your way to work? Stop in and buy a 64-ounce Big Gulp! Refills are free. Now, can you imagine Americans in the 50's drinking a 64-ounce Coke on the way to work? Remember those tiny 6 oz. bottles? They seem like toys now. I suspect today's kids would have a hard ...

1354. People Who Inspire Us

2 Thessalonians 1:1-12

Sermon

King Duncan

... little boy, “I dropped the ball." One day in 1990, actress Michelle Pfeiffer was in the parking lot of her movie studio unable to open a car door with her key. So, in frustration, she began beating on the window with her shoe. But she stopped when a studio executive walked up and demanded to know why she was hitting his car. The embarrassed actress suddenly realized that she had confused his car with hers, which was the same make, model, and color. After stammering apologies, Michelle autographed her shoe ...

1355. Easter In November

Luke 20:27-40

Sermon

King Duncan

... attends her weekly meetings is an Alzheimer's patient named Betsy. One day, Janet asked Betsy to read aloud the hymn, "The Old Rugged Cross." Betsy read the first two lines: "On a hill far away stands an old rugged cross, /the emblem of suffering and shame . . . " Suddenly, Betsy stopped reading and began to cry. " can't go on! It's too sad," she explained. Everyone stared in amazement. This was the first time in years that Betsy had communicated in an intelligible manner. Each time Betsy tried to read, she ...

1356. Look Who's Giving Thanks!

Philippians 4:2-9

Sermon

King Duncan

... of all, we are thankful this day to God: for life and health and opportunity and a multitude of blessings beyond our ability to count. And, of course, most of all we are thankful for the gift of Jesus Christ. Paul writes in I Corinthians 1, “I can never stop thanking God for all the wonderful gifts he has given you, now that you are Christ's: he has enriched your whole life." And he has enriched our lives. And so we've come here this day to say, “Thank you." “Thank you, Lord for loving us." “Saying ...

1357. Through The Storm, Through The Night

Luke 18:1-8

Sermon

Frank Lyman

... folks." In an imperfect world it's often the good folks who pay the price for being good. I like the story told of the man who was stopped by St. Peter at the Pearly Gates. St. Peter told him, "Not so fast. We've got a new policy now. You have to tell us that ... Lord's Prayer after him. The physician begins, "Our Father which art in heaven . . . " Little Joe repeats the words and then stops. He seems unable to go on, but then Woodcourt hears him say over and over again, "Our Father." "Our Father." "Our Father ...

1358. Standing Tall

Mark 10:46-52

Sermon

King Duncan

... one in the family shared the mother's very rare blood type of AB negative, and blood banks didn't exist in those days. The young soldier decided to gather his family together to say goodbye to his mother. As he was driving home from the hospital, he stopped to pick up another young soldier who was hitchhiking. The hitchhiker noticed the young man's tears and asked him what was wrong. The young man blurted out the story of his dying mother. In silence, the hitchhiker took off his dog tags and held them out ...

1359. Where Can I Be Safe?

Psalm 46:1-11

Sermon

King Duncan

... that unsuccessful people have. They get scared. They wonder about things. But they don't let their fears and doubts stop them from pressing forward! They do something with their lives, and they take risks in spite of their fears. ... giving." (6) Finding a place of stillness will turn your life around. When you are afraid and wonder where in the world you will be safe, be still. Stop for a moment and reflect on God's great love for you. Don't ask how much others love you, but ask how much you love them and ...

1360. Why The British Coast Guard Doesn't Like Eric, But God Does

Luke 15:1-7

Sermon

King Duncan

... , a dog who's too smart to act like a sheep or this British sailor. Rex is the prized hunting dog of a man named Vernon Bayliss. Vernon's favorite story is about the time he loaded Rex in the back of the pick-up to go hunting. At a stop miles up the road, Vernon noticed that Rex was gone. He spent the rest of the day driving up and down the back roads, calling for Rex. He beat the bushes and wandered into ditches looking for his beloved hunting dog. That night, Vernon returned, heartbroken. But as he pulled ...

1361. I Smell Bread

Luke 24:13-35

Sermon

Mebane Pridgen McMahon

... an eating disorder . . . there have been a number of times this week when I wanted to raise my voice to heaven pleading for an explanation. I wanted to know who allows all this suffering. I wanted to know why it happens, and I wanted to know how to stop it. Immediately I turned to the Holy Scriptures, thumbing through for some help. Then, when I looked at my worship schedule, I realized it was Communion Sunday. It was then that I realized that I might not get all the answers I long for, but what I did get ...

1362. The Bold And Beautiful

1 Corinthians 1:18--2:5

Sermon

King Duncan

... a dog. It happened at a Kansas City Chiefs' game. A dog walked onto the playing field and wandered around. The game was stopped so that the dog could be removed. The umpires tried to shoo him off. The players yelled and hollered at him, "Get out, go home, you idiot dog." The dog by this time was thoroughly confused, ran here and there, and finally lay down on third base, refusing to move. ...

1363. It's All In The Blood

John 18:1-11

Sermon

King Duncan

... deep cut to his heel. The two boys dropped their knives and headed immediately for the mission hospital. They didn't even stop to tell their parents where they were. As the mission doctor labored over the injured boy, the boy's mother burst through ... not sure. (2) Jesus didn't hesitate. He didn't run away. He knew what he would die for. He would die for us. "I am he." Stop for a second and listen closely to Jesus' words. We've heard this declaration before. In Exodus 3, God speaks to Moses out of the burning ...

1364. The Guiding Light for a New Year

Isaiah 60:1-22

Sermon

King Duncan

... for this year is to be in worship every week. Good for you. That's one resolution you've kept for at least one week. I heard about one poor fellow who decided to make only resolutions this year he could keep. He resolved to gain weight, to stop exercising, to read less and watch more TV, to procrastinate more, to quit giving money and time to charity, to not date any member of the cast of Baywatch, and to never make New Year's resolutions again. Maybe he's onto something. Why torture ourselves when we ...

1365. Who's Your Daddy?

Matthew 10:1-42

Sermon

King Duncan

... come from families where there is little tradition of showing physical affection, and that is sad. A man was waiting to pick up a friend at the airport in Portland, Oregon when he noticed a man coming toward him carrying two light bags. The man who was approaching stopped nearby to greet his family. First this man motioned to his youngest son (maybe six years old) as he laid down his bags. They gave each other a long, loving hug. As they separated enough to look in each other's face, the father said, "It's ...

1366. The Idiot's Guide To Christianity

Matthew 10:1-42

Sermon

King Duncan

... population. The reason for this better survival rate was not that God was saving Christians and destroying heathens. The reason was that the Christians were taking seriously the command of Jesus to offer a cup of cold water. Christians didn't know how to stop plagues any better than anybody else, but while the pagans pulled away from the dying, the Christians ministered to the dying by giving them food and something to drink. Many of these Christians caring for the sick died in this loving act, but the ...

1367. Life Is What Happens When You've Made Other Plans

Genesis 37:1-11

Sermon

Dr. Robert E. Lair

... as a musician before becoming a scientist and pioneer in astronomy. "Life is what happens . . ." Without any doubt, life is full of disappointments, misfortunes, hardships, and unsettling experiences. The intrusion of the unexpected catches all of us off guard and unprepared. We are all stopped in our tracks from time to time. All of us ask: WHY? WHY ME? WHY NOW? WHERE DOES IT ALL END? Maybe we even sing the dirge of the Psalmist from time to time: "How deep I am sunk in misery, groaning in my distress ...

1368. Time For A New Vision

Acts 1:1-11

Sermon

Angela Akers

... limits placed on their lives. As he says, ". . . even today, there are little children growing up out there with a McNeil horizon, with parents unable or unwilling to help them understand how limiting it is to stop all your dreams at McNeil--and no Aunt to take them to Pine Bluff." (2) The apostles' vision stopped at McNeil. They were planning for an earthly throne of power. But Jesus was planning a world invasion, not of might and force, but of love and truth and peace. First, Jesus wanted them to spread ...

1369. Memorial Day

John 15:1-17

Sermon

Angela Akers

... agape, a sacrificial love for one another. The greatest demonstration of agape love for us was Jesus' willingness to "lay down" his life for us. The Bible makes it very clear that Jesus knew what he was doing when he allowed himself to be crucified. He could have stopped his suffering at any time. His sacrifice for us was a choice, and it stands as the greatest act of love in history. And as Jesus' followers, we are expected to be willing to do the same for others. This kind of love is not motivated by our ...

1370. A Tale Of Two Brothers

Matthew 21:28-32

Sermon

King Duncan

... five heavily armed men shot out the glass doors of a New York bank and entered the bank firing automatic weapons, wounding twelve people. One of the bank tellers ran from the robbers and made it to an upstairs women's restroom. One gunman chased her, but he stopped at the door to the ladies' room, shouting at her to come out. When she refused, he went downstairs to help his colleagues finish robbing the bank. He might be a murderer and a thief, but he would not enter a women's restroom. (1) Again, maybe the ...

1371. If God Is For Us

Romans 8:28-39

Sermon

King Duncan

... sinful, desires. At times like that, God may very well be against us. God loved Israel. But often Israel discovered themselves on the opposite side of an issue from God's will. And thus that tiny but important qualifier: "IF God is for us . . ." Is God for us? Let's stop and ask ourselves--as Abraham Lincoln urged us to do--if we are on God's side. Have we been reconciled to God by faith in Jesus Christ? Do we seek to live daily in love and harmony with our neighbors? Are we seeking God's will for our lives ...

1372. This Is Not What You Expected

John 12:20-36

Sermon

King Duncan

... : "Very truly, I tell you," he says, "unless a grain of wheat falls into the earth and dies, it remains just a single grain; but if it dies, it bears much fruit." What's that? If it falls? If it dies? What's he talking about? But he doesn't stop there: "Those who love their life will lose it, and those who hate their life in this world will keep it for eternal life." "Oh, Jesus," they think with chagrin. "Here you go again." And suddenly, the disciples get that sinking feeling in the pit of the stomach. Why ...

1373. Are You Ready For Your Inheritance?

Ephesians 1:1-14

Sermon

King Duncan

... dogs, an overloaded sled, and not enough to eat. Things got progressively worse as the dogs began to die until there was only Buck and four huskies left. It took a lot of whipping and clubbing each day to get the dogs ready to move on. Every time the men stopped the sled, the dogs fell down. The men beat the dogs to make them get back up and start pulling the sled again. Only then would the dogs stagger to their feet and half-heartedly attempt to pull the sled. The dogs were in really bad shape when they ...

1374. Beautiful Words Of Life

John 6:60-71

Sermon

King Duncan

... that recently her little brother, Charlie, had died. She asked Santa to take Charlie's presents up to heaven so that he would have something to play with. And then she told Santa of her parents' deep grief. She asked Santa to bring something that would help her father stop crying so much. She wrote, "I heard him tell Mommy that only eternity could cure him. Could you give him some of that?" We all need some of that, don't we? Some eternity. That's why today we have come to spend time with Jesus. Only he has ...

1375. A Penny For God

Mark 12:41-44

Sermon

King Duncan

... . Evidently the sofa had been taken out to the curb by the owner for trash collection. Since the sofa was in pretty good shape, a lot of people driving by slowed down for a closer look. But when they saw how big it was, they'd pass on by without stopping. Eventually a compact car pulled up, and two men got out. They removed all the cushions, turned the sofa upside down, and shook it hard. Then they picked up all the coins that tumbled out of the sofa, jumped back into their car and drove away. Have you ever ...

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