Sermon and Worship Resources

Showing 1401 to 1425 of 1795 results

1 Peter 3:1-7

Sermon

James Merritt

... jewelry, or the clothing you wear.” (1 Peter 3:3, ESV) I personally know people who take this verse and use it to defend the fact that they don’t wear makeup and except for a wedding ring they don’t wear any jewelry. They never get their hair styled and they just look as plain as they possibly can, because they equate plainness with piety. So, some women let themselves go. They love to use this little mantra, “Don’t love me for what I look like. Love me for who I am.” That obviously is true, but ...

1402. The Ice Bucket Challenge

Romans 13:8-14

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

... that same amazing, transforming, overwhelming love. Timing is everything. Can you imagine the "IceBucket Challenge" in December? Earlier this year (2014) there were some isolated "cold water challenges" for various charities, where jumping into cold water polarbearstyle helped raise funds for several local cancer research fund raisers. But it took a good, hot summer to make the "Ice Bucket Challenge" a "viral" phenomena. Sure, a few Viking souls will jump into freezing water when the air temperature ...

1403. Humvee Holiness and Humble Holiness

Matthew 23:1-39

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

... , the greatest event in the history of the world, he didn’t flaunt his power and presence. In fact, Jesus’ life and death were public, but his resurrection was private and almost secret. Even his public life was restrained and his personal style self-deprecating. Listen to these questions, astonishing in their chasteness: “What things?” Luke 24:19 “Why do you call me good? Mark10:18 “Who made me judge over you?” Lk12:14 He repeatedly asked his disciples who they thought he was, what ...

1404. Changing Times

Mark 1:1-8

Sermon

Wayne Brouwer

... all of the prophecies in this book, seeing from a distance those future events predicted in chapters 40-66. One’s stance on these issues of authorship need not enter the pulpit. Instead, the distinctions between sections ought to inform homiletic intent and style. Whereas Isaiah 1-39 speaks much of coming judgment, the theme and tone changes markedly here at chapter 40. Whether seeing the judgment and its aftermath in a future trance, or experiencing it firsthand in the person of “Second Isaiah,” the ...

1405. Still Surprised After Christmas

Luke 2:21-40

Sermon

David J. Kalas

... story. To go from slave to heir is to change from the one who is property to the one who inherits property, from one who is a belonging to one who belongs. Luke 2:22-40 Each of the four gospel writers has his own characteristic style, themes, and emphases, and this passage from Luke’s gospel is characteristic of its author. First, it is commonly observed that Luke pays more attention to female characters in the telling of his story than the other gospel writers do, and we see that tendency demonstrated ...

1406. Getting to a Teachable Moment

Mark 15:1-15

Sermon

Craig MacCreary

... which one lone juror reverses the minds of the other eleven who are ready from the start to vote to convict the accused of murder. Made in 1954 and done in black and white we usually begin with moans, groans, and side comments about the quaint clothing styles, the incessant smoking, and the obvious fact that today there never would be a jury of twelve white men trying a Puerto Rican young man. That said, the students are soon captivated by how the one juror, the Christ figure, is able to lead the members ...

1407. The Reject

Luke 19:1-10

Sermon

James Merritt

... walks into the door of our church, our home, or our life. We should be attractive to them by the way we love them, by the way we respect them, and by the way we treat them. Just because I do not and will not approve of someone’s life style, does not mean I have the right to treat them with anything less than the love and the respect of Jesus. It really isn’t our job to change people who need to be changed. It is our job to model for them the love of Jesus Christ and put ...

1408. Start at the Epicenter

1 John 1:5--2:14

Sermon

James Merritt

... to begin with. Nicolas Leeson was a 28-year-old man who worked for the British bank, Barings. In 1995, he was in control of large amounts of money for this bank and he tried to increase their holdings through what has been called “casino-style” investing. When his dealings resulted in huge losses, instead of immediately going to his supervisor and telling him what he had done, he covered them up and began to make even riskier deals while trying to recoup the losses. In essence, he began betting double ...

1409. Digging Deeper

Luke 1:1-4

Sermon

James Merritt

... as Koine Greek, the common Greek language of the street, these four verses make up the most beautiful, excellent, classical Greek found anywhere, not just in the New Testament, but anywhere in the Ancient World. Only the very educated, sophisticated writers wrote in this style of Greek. This is what we call a prologue. Luke’s gospel actually begins in verse 5, but whenever a philosopher, an educator, or historian in the Ancient World that was high quality wanted his work to stand on the shelf with the ...

1410. The World's Largest Covered Dish Lunch

John 6:1-15

Sermon

... and they were nervous too, wondering what the catch was. However, after five years, the church now welcomes about 200 homeless people who come in from the streets each Thursday. The people of the congregation sit down with them and they eat a family-style meal together. They put out tablecloths, cut flowers and platters of delicious food with identifiable meats, and over the years folks in the congregation and the homeless people of their city have become friends. One guest said, “We know the food is good ...

1411. She Looked Great, But...

Mark 7:1-23

Sermon

... says that when he was in Bible College he met an interesting young man by the name of Shannon. What made Shannon interesting was his looks. His hair was a different color each week, his ears were loaded with earrings, and he wore big, loose grunge-style clothing. But the most interesting point of his appearance was his shorts . . . and he always wore shorts regardless of the weather. What made his shorts so odd was the way he wore them. You see, he always wore his shorts backwards. That’s right he wore ...

1412. She Looked Great, But...

Mark 7:1-23

Sermon

King Duncan

1413. No Longer Strangers

Ephesians 2:11-22

Sermon

King Duncan

... All he saw was a giant spider, and he was terrified. He took out his ray gun and killed the spider because he knew that spiders capture prey and eat them, and that he was just the right size. Unfortunately, this spider, in good science-fiction style, was part of a race that was far more intelligent than human beings. And, as a result of one of them being killed by an earthman, hundreds of thousands of them subsequently came and destroyed human civilization. Now, what would have happened if the astronaut had ...

1414. Be Careful What You Ask For

Mark 10:35-45

Sermon

King Duncan

... the world in the early 1940s. The sole source of Hopkins’ power was his willingness to serve. (2) Christ is also looking for people whose only desire is to serve him. Of course, serving Christ means serving those whom Christ loves. In his book, The Jesus Style, Gayle D. Erwin described servanthood this way: “A servant’s job is to do all he can to make life better for others--to free them to be everything they can be. A servant’s first interest is not in himself but others . . . .” Obviously, most ...

1415. King Jesus

Luke 1:46-56, Luke 1:26-38

Sermon

Wayne Brouwer

... birth but tied them quickly to stories of other great deliverers who were born to save Israel. Luke's purpose is more clearly seen when the gospel as a whole is read with care. Among the many things that mark Luke's literary passions and style is his desire to locate the story and message of Jesus within its historical context. These are the days of Caesar Augustus, and Quirinius, and Pontius Pilate, and Claudius. The way that Luke relates the events and actions of Jesus' life reflect on incidents that ...

1416. How to Get the Job Done

Luke 10:1-11, 16-20

Sermon

Maurice A. Fetty

... and psychological abuse from generation to generation. In other words, rather than discovering new opportunities for new familial patterns and realities, we repeat the old. Churches do the same thing. If churches succeeded twenty years ago with a certain style and manner and approach, they often wrongly assume they can continue that pattern forever. As a consequence, many mainline American churches are aging and dying. The Roman Catholic church is experiencing a drastic shortage of priests and nuns. Jesus ...

1417. A Complicated Disciple

John 18:15-27

Sermon

King Duncan

... ’s denial of Christ. The story is well known to us all. At the last supper Jesus tells Simon Peter that before the cock crows three times, he will deny him three times. Prior to this Simon Peter has just pledged his allegiance to Christ in his normal, assertive style, “Lord, I am ready to go with you to prison and to death.” And who can deny he meant it? It was the kind of outburst we have come to expect out of Peter. None of the Gospels record the expression that was on Jesus’ face when he answered ...

1418. The Best Translation

Illustration

Michael P. Green

The story is told of four ministers discussing the pros and cons of various Bible translations and paraphrases. Eventually each stated which version, in his opinion, is the best. The first minister said he used the King James because the Old English style is beautiful and produces the most reverent picture of the Holy Scriptures. The second said he preferred the New American Standard Bible because he felt it comes nearer to the original Greek and Hebrew texts. The third minister said his favorite was the ...

1419. A Wife's Nudge

Illustration

Michael P. Green

Katherine, the wife of Martin Luther, dramatically revived the depressed Reformer’s confidence in God’s providence. This has been versified by F. W. Herzberger: One day when skies loomed the blackest, This greatest and bravest of men Lost heart and in an oversad spirit Refused to take courage again, Neither eating or drinking nor speaking To anxious wife, children or friends, Till Katherine dons widow garments And deepest of mourning pretends. Surprised, Luther asked why she sorrowed. “Dear Doctor,” his ...

1420. Abijah King of Judah

2 Chron 13:1–14:1

Understanding Series

Louis C. Jonker

... the conclusion to this royal narrative (2 Chron. 13:22–14:1a) the Chronicler again draws on his source text (1 Kgs. 15:7a, 8). In between, that is, in 2 Chronicles 13:3–21, we find the Chronicler’s own material, where the typical style and theology of this Persian-period writer abound. Second Chronicles 13:3 introduces the reader to a battle that Abijah initiated against Jeroboam of Israel. In 13:4–12 the Chronicler presents the remarkable speech by Abijah, which he delivered from Mount Zemaraim in ...

1421. Asa King of Judah

2 Chronicles 14:2-15

Understanding Series

Louis C. Jonker

... . Cleverly, the Chronicler interrelates thematic terms and their associated themes to build the narrative: those seeking Yahweh and relying on him experience rest, peace, and absence of war. Successful building projects, religious reforms, and victory in battle are associated with this style of existence. The opposite mode of existence is formulated by the negation of the same constellation of concepts: those who do not seek Yahweh and do not rely on him (or rely on worldly powers such as foreign kings or ...

1422. Jehoram King of Judah

2 Chronicles 21:4-20

Understanding Series

Louis C. Jonker

... to impose: he is about to strike your people, your sons, your wives and everything that is yours, with a heavy blow. The terminology used here (with a participle and noun related to the verb nagaph, “to strike”) is typical of the Chronicler’s style. It is often used in Chronicles to describe Yahweh’s punishment for transgressions. The punishment in this case also has a personal dimension for Jehoram: it announces that he will become very ill with a lingering disease of the bowels, until the disease ...

1423. Uzziah King of Judah

2 Chronicles 26:1-23

Understanding Series

Louis C. Jonker

... date of accession correlated with that of the northern king (2 Kgs. 15:1). The Chronicler omitted this comment, together with the remark that the people still brought sacrifices to the high places (2 Kgs. 15:4), something typical of the Chronicler’s style. The narrative continues in the Deuteronomistic version in 2 Kings 15:5 with a remark, “The LORD afflicted the king with leprosy until the day he died.” This follows logically after 2 Chronicles 26:4, indicating that the high places were still in ...

1424. Jesus Taken Up into Heaven

Acts 1:1-11

Understanding Series

David J. Williams

Acts and the Third Gospel clearly come from the same hand. Not only their common dedication, but their common interests and their unity of language and style leave this beyond doubt. Moreover, the way in which they are introduced—the Gospel with its relatively detailed preface, Acts with its shorter introduction echoing the other’s language—points us to the fact that these are not simply two books by the same author, but two volumes of one ...

1425. Peter and John Before the Sanhedrin

Acts 4:1-22

Understanding Series

David J. Williams

... giving an estimate of the number of believers in the country districts as well, including Galilee (cf. 2:41, 47; 6:7; and see disc. on 9:31). 4:10 Whom you crucified but whom God raised from the dead: This construction with relative clauses is characteristic of Luke’s style in the early speeches of Acts (2:24, 32, 36; 3:13, 15; 4:27; 5:30; 10:38, 39; 13:31, 37), where reference is made to the activity of God in and through Jesus. Hanson, p. 78, thinks “it is possible that Luke is in these expressions ...

Showing results