Sermon and Worship Resources

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Showing 1401 to 1425 of 4963 results

1401. Advent 1

Isaiah 2:1-5, Matthew 24:36-44, Romans 13:8-14

Sermon Aid

John R. Brokhoff

... on the outside wall of the United Nations building in New York City. Why has this dream of world peace not been realized? Lesson 1 gives the conditions for peace, a price the world has yet failed to pay. This sermon is needed to avoid giving people a false hope of peace now when the nations are far from God. The sermon should arouse people to support the world mission program of the church that one day all nations will come to God. Outline: Peace for the world is possible. a. Not now but in the last days ...

1402. Proper 5

Matthew 9:18-26, Matthew 9:9-13, Hosea 6:1--7:16, Hosea 5:1-15, Romans 4:1-25, Genesis 12:1-8

Sermon Aid

John R. Brokhoff

... In this sermon, we find in the text the proper safe places to put our faith. Outline: As Christians, we believe in - a. God - v. 17. 1. Brings life out of death. 2. Creates something out of nothing. b. God's Promise: his Word - vv. 13, 16. c. Hope - v. 18. Hope against hope - when the promise seems to be impossible of fulfillment. Epistle: Romans 4:18-25 1. What Counts With God (4:18-25). Need: What really pleases God? What can we do to move God to accept us as sinners? The one thing we can do to get right ...

1403. The Power of Positive Dreaming

Matthew 1:18-25

Sermon

Susan R. Andrews

... deeply within each one of us. Our dreams - waking dreams and sleeping dreams - these are spiritual windows into our souls. And so Joseph dreamed. And what he discovered was that Mary's baby was not a disgrace, not an embarrassment, not a problem, but instead the very possibility of hope for himself and for the world. Joseph dreamed, and what he discovered was that he could behave in a new way, that he must behave in a new way - that is if he wanted the God in him, the God in Mary, the God in the world to ...

1404. God's Delight

Matthew 3:13-17

Sermon

Susan R. Andrews

... sisters, this day as we remember the blessings and power of our baptism, as we set apart brothers and sisters for particular tasks of ministry, I pray that all of us will continue to be God's delight - powerful servants - pouring out our power for the hope and nourishment of the world. May it be so - for you and for me. Amen. 1. William R. White, Stories For The Journey (Minneapolis: Augsburg Press, 1988), p. 24. 2. Stephen S. Rosenfeld, Washington Post, January 8, 1993. 3. White, op. cit., p. 71, adapted.

1405. Worry and Wonder

Matthew 6:24-34

Sermon

Susan R. Andrews

... silent music in his fingers that constantly, pervasively, magically sustain him. Yes, we watch his soul striving for the vision, the kingdom of God beyond his Jewishness, beyond the evil of Hitler. Yes, he lives - spiritually and emotionally - in an inner place of trust and hope that no anxiety can control. The Apostle Paul writes: "It is a terrifying thing to fall into the hands of the living God." But the terror he talks about is not the terror of anxiety. It is the terror of awe. Worry replaced by wonder ...

1406. Jesus Transforms the Darkness into Light

John 20:1-18

Sermon

Richard Gribble

... her, "I need to rewrite my sermon." The next day, David did not talk about "New Being" or estrangement from authentic selfhood; he simply told the story of how God raised Jesus from the dead and in the process gave him and all people new life and hope. People in the congregation thought the sermon was good, but what really got them talking was the strange group of visitors who parked their shiny motorcycles in front of the church and sat in one of the front pews. When one of the ushers inquired about the ...

1407. Reevaluating Our Mission for Christ

John 17:1-11

Sermon

Richard Gribble

... . If we were to review our lives, as Jesus does in this prayer, would we be able to honestly say that we have used God's gifts wisely and well for the benefit of all? Or have we been more like the younger son who squandered his gift of bringing hope and in the process lost his talent and devastated his village? It is not always easy to use our gifts well, wisely, and for the betterment of all, and, thus, we often need the assistance of others. This we have, however, in the community faith. We can and must ...

1408. Things to Come!

Matthew 13:47-52, Matthew 13:44-46, Matthew 13:1-23

Sermon

Stephen M. Crotts

... hauled in and the catch is sorted, good and bad. One sees here men dragging the nets ashore. Grace does not work alone. We co-labor with God. The catch is a mixed haul, some good fish, others worthless. A time of sorting comes. Do you see the hope Jesus is sharing in these last three parables? Now watch this: In verse 51, Jesus asks the twelve, "Have you understood all this?" And they readily respond, "Yes!" They hadn't the slightest clue, even as we today often do not! Scribe Verse 52 begins with the words ...

1409. Do You Get It?

Matthew 16:21-28

Sermon

Stephen M. Crotts

... Messiah, for a long time. They'd gone through religious and political turmoil for generations and now were suffering under the Roman occupation. The hope was that when the Messiah, God's true king, came, it would be the end of all that. They wouldn't have to be ... and knowledge to the witness of the apostles who didn't get it to begin with. If you haven't gotten it yet, there's still hope for you. Why was the cross necessary? It was to deal with the problems of sin and evil in the world - really to deal with ...

1410. Humans, Inc.

Luke 19:1-10

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

... , and the ability to engage in inter-group contact, is a key distinguishing feature of homo sapiens versus Neanderthals. 4) The fourth H of Humans, Inc. is Hope. Because of symbolic thinking, only humans have the ability to think and plan for the future. Jesus inspired in Zacchaeus a sense of hope. In fact, only humans are merchants of hope. 5) The fourth H of Humans, Inc. is Honor. Zacchaeus honored his debts, and acknowledged his wrongdoing. As much as anything, it was Zacchaeus' willingness to treat ...

1411. Are You Turned On to Christ?

1 Peter 1:1-12

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

... we experience these same turn-ons. · When you miss the big Saturday after noon game on TV because you are helping spring clean an elderly neighbors home, is your heart turned on? · When you listen to and work with the youth in your church, is your hope turned on? · When you look around your church and see your brothers and sisters surrounding you with their faith, is your joy turned on? · When you long to communicate to the twenty-first century world the saving grace that was brought to us by our first ...

1412. Are You Living the Three Advents?

Romans 13:11-14

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

... it was 4am. You heard right: 4am. But that wasn’t enough for one huge mall outside Seattle. At this mall the entire place opened at 12:01am, with all the stores prepared to stay open until Saturday at 10pm. “Black Friday (so named because merchants hoped a strong showing on that day would put them “in the black” for the whole holiday season) is now more apt a name than ever. The biggest sales are conducted in the blackness of night. In this week’s epistle text Paul had some particularly pertinent ...

1413. It Is Good News!

1 John 4:7-21

Sermon

James McCormick

... it in faith, we know that there is no other way to say it: it is good news indeed! George Kaufman, the playwright, once said that he began life as an optimist, but he got over it. He said that often, when the telephone rang, he would rush to it, hoping that it would be good news. But usually it was someone asking for a loan, or asking him to help a relative get a job. He said, “It took me a long time to realize that people were not sitting around saying, ‘What good thing, what wonderful thing can we ...

1414. Christmas Eve\Christmas Day

Luke 2:1-7, Isaiah 9:1-7, Psalm 96:1-13, Titus 2:1-15, Luke 2:8-20

Sermon Aid

Marion L. Soards, Thomas B. Dozeman, Kendall McCabe

... our lives. Thus, in the present, grace yields salvation and that means the negation of some characteristics of our being and creation of others. Christian living has a present, but it also has a future. Titus 2:13 reminds us that we live awaiting our hope: "the manifestation of the glory of our great God and Savior, Jesus Christ." While Christmas comes after Advent and reminds us of the present reality of grace, which came in the historical figure of Jesus Christ, we must not conclude that the full purposes ...

1415. Proper 7

Psalm 86:1-17, Romans 6:1-14, Matthew 10:1-42, Genesis 21:8-21

Sermon Aid

Marion L. Soards, Thomas B. Dozeman, Kendall McCabe

... , they will inherit the benefit of Christ's Resurrection as they will themselves be raised from the dead. This has profound meaning for the present. Believers are now freed from sin, because they died with Christ to sin. And as they look to the future in hope of resurrection, they are freed from sin and free for living a new life, which itself is a prolepsis of the resurrection life to come. The mind-set behind this argument and its basic logic will seem strange to we whose imaginations have been stunted by ...

1416. Proper 13

Psalm 17:1-15, Romans 9:1-29, Matthew 14:13-21, Genesis 32:22-32

Sermon Aid

Marion L. Soards, Thomas B. Dozeman, Kendall McCabe

... not get lost looking at the trees. Rather, the end of the path Paul takes, not the scenery along the way, is the point to which the apostle directs us. God brought forth the Christ from Israel, and that is both Israel's greatest privilege and Israel's greatest hope. The coming forth of Christ is not merely one item among many in Israel's favored past; for Christ does not belong to the past. He came, but more importantly God has set him "over all" so that he is (though Paul does not use this language in this ...

1417. Changed Lives: Judas

Matthew 26:14-16

Sermon

King Duncan

... to me. Please change your mind about him. Love, Bobbie.” (8) Sounds like Uncle George made a bad choice, maybe a lot of bad choices. Don’t worry, Bobbie, Christ came to show his love for people who make bad choices. That’s the only hope most of us have. 1. Sheila Walsh in Boundless Love, edited by Traci Mullins (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan , 2001), pp. 19-20. 2. Myron S. Augsberger, The Communicator’s Commentary, Vol. 1 (Waco, TX: Word Books, 1982), p. 291. 3. Christina Baxter, The Wounds of Jesus ...

1418. That's What Jesus Does for Me

Psalm 139:7-12

Sermon

James W. Moore

... death, I will fear no evil, for Thou art with me.” Again and again, he spoke aloud the strong words of Jesus: “Lo, I am with you always.” Later, he said, those promises of God “to be with us in every circumstance” kept him alive and sane and hopeful. Now, it is very unlikely that any of us will ever have to go through that kind of traumatic experience, that kind of blatant abuse… but we all know what the dropping off place feels like… and how painful it is. But, when it comes, when it happens ...

1419. Magnanimity: The Essential Spirit of the Christian

Philippians 4:4-7

Sermon

James W. Moore

... (or for that matter) to be critical of anybody. Besides that, I like Cathy. She is my friend. She is OUR friend… and she has so many wonderful qualities and I think we should focus on those good things. She is really a lot of fun and I hope that someday you all can get to know her better and appreciate her more… like I do. Besides that, my Mom taught me an important lesson some years ago that I have tried my best to live by daily. She said: ‘George, remember this: Brilliant people talk about ideas ...

1420. Turning Doubt Inside Out

Luke 23:39-43

Sermon

James Merritt

... will play in the big leagues. But when asked his greatest fear, he said: "That I might not make it to heaven." Ben Davis has a problem. It is obvious that he believes in heaven. It is obvious that he wants to go to heaven. It is obvious that he hopes to go to heaven. But it is also obvious that the health of his faith has been infected with the virus of doubt. I have met very few Christians who have never doubted their salvation. One woman boasted to Dwight L. Moody: "Mr. Moody, I have been saved for twenty ...

1421. America: You Are Too Young to Die

Psalm 80:1-19

Sermon

James Merritt

... three things for his country. But he was not just asking for any ordinary three things, he was asking for what he knew were the only three solutions that would solve Israel’s problems; the only three cures that would heal Israel’s sickness; the only three hopes that would ensure Israel’s survival. Listen to what Asaph asked God to do for Israel, and I want to employ you to ask God to do this for America. Because America really is too young to die. I. Remind Us of Your Goodness Inv.8 Israelis compared ...

1422. Nothing but the Blood

1 John 1:7

Sermon

James Merritt

... that scroll were the sins that Martin Luther had committed. The scroll was accurate. It was true. The devil was reading them one after another and pointing a fiery bony finger into the face of Martin Luther and condemning him and accusing him and saying, "What hope of heaven do you have as a miserable sinner?" Martin Luther said that he thought his very soul was slipping down into hell. But then the Lord spoke to Martin Luther and said, "Martin, tell him to unroll the scroll all the way down." Martin Luther ...

1423. The Tincture of Time

Matthew 13:24-30, Matthew 13:36-43

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

... egg separator divides the yolk from the white. A small yolk-sized center bowl catches the yolk, while the whites spill over the edges and down into another bowl. When Judgment Day comes and Jesus is deciding what to do with us all, here is what I hope and pray for: that that day Jesus' nail-pierced hands will operate like a divine "egg separator." In Jesus' hands my sins and shortcomings may pour through those nail holes, placed in his palm for my sake, while my goodness and true humanity stay cupped in his ...

1424. The Blessing Of A Godly Mentality

Genesis 18:16-33

Sermon

Bill Bouknight

... wanting to be rude, but wanting to get some work done, replied, “No, I am not a banker. I am General Bradley, head of the Joint Chiefs of Staff at the Pentagon.” After a slight pause, the young soldier said, “Wow, sir, that is a very important job. I sure hope you don’t blow it.” (3) It is an understatement to say that we Christians have a vital role to play in America’s future and we dare not blow it. When I consider the biblical witness as a whole, I find four ways in which people of faith can ...

1425. Joshua: Why These Stones?

Sermon

John E. Harnish

... to step into that stream, to pile our stones in that river of new life, and to cross over. The pile of stones on the riverbank symbolized the forward movement of the people on the journey of faith. The very act of piling them up affirms confidence in the hope that there will, in fact, be another generation of children to ask the question. After all, there is still a land to be possessed, cities to be built, a new community to be established...lots of work ahead. But they piled up the stones as a bold act of ...

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