Sermon and Worship Resources

Showing 1426 to 1450 of 4508 results

Drama

This sketch is a pantomime; there is no dialogue. The congregation sings a joyful song, referring to the togetherness and unity of the Church ("Stand together for what you believe," "Songs of God"). After the last verse, a group rises from the congregation (four to eight people). They sing through the last verse of the song again as they approach the altar and gather around it, holding hands with...

1427. House On Sand

Drama

Robert F. Crowley

Theme: The family that fails to build its house on the Rock, Jesus, is heading for some stormy weather. Summary: Shirley, the daughter, had a bad day at school. Mom had a hard day at home, and Dad comes home tired and out of sorts. There is bound to be an explosion. Playing Time: 3 minutes Setting: Shirley's home Props: School books Costumes: Contemporary, casual Time: The present Cast SHIR...

1428. Are You a Gold-Painted Rock?

Children's Sermon

Wesley T. Runk

Object: Some ordinary rocks and pebbles Lesson: "Beware of false prophets who come to you disguised as sheep but underneath are ravenous wolves." Well, boys and girls, we’re together for the last Sunday in July. It seems as if the summer months just started yesterday and now we only have one more month of summer before school starts again. That doesn’t sound so good at first to all of you who go...

1429. Good Fruit...Good People

Children's Sermon

Object: A good apple and a rotten apple. Good morning, boys and girls. Have you ever noticed how you can tell what kind of a person someone is by the things that he does? Do you know what I mean? A person who is mean does mean things, and a good person does good things. Have you ever seen one of these before? [Hold up the good apple.] An apple! How about this apple? [Hold up the one with rotten ...

1430. Burrs on the Apple Tree?

Children's Sermon

Wesley T. Runk

Object: Some oranges, pears, apples, cherries, etc. Good morning, boys and girls. How are you on this fine morning? Do any of you have fruit trees in your yards or in a yard nearby? What kind of trees do you have in your yard? [Let them answer.] That sounds delicious. I love apples and pears. Does anyone have a banana tree or a coconut tree in his yard? How can you tell what kind of a tree you ha...

1431. Gordon Glove and Henry Hand

Children's Sermon

Wesley T. Runk

Object: A glove on a stick. Good morning, boys and girls. I brought a little friend with me to help us learn something this morning. My friend's name is Gordon. His full name is Gordon Glove, and he belongs to another friend of mine by the name of Henry Hand. Henry is not here this morning, but I think you will know why when I tell you a little bit about Gordon. I asked Gordon to come because he ...

1432. Yielding to Spiritual Maturity

Sermon

Thomas Lentz

Peter Drucker has conducted management seminars for both businesses and churches. He says, "Leadership is not magnetic personality. That can just as well be a glib tongue. It is not making friends and influencing people; that is flattery. Leadership is lifting a person's vision to higher sights, the raising of a person's performance to a higher standard, the building of a personality beyond its no...

1433. What the Storms Blow Away

Sermon

Charles L. Aaron

A friend once pastored a church with a beautiful building. On a clear, sunny day, everything looked great: stone facade, majestic cross, and windows that were both shiny and clear. A hard rain exposed a flaw you couldn't see on a sunny day. The clear, shiny windows leaked. Right after a good rain, a dark semicircle of water marked the hallways by the windows. Those water stains were tattletales. T...

1434. With a Firm Foundation, Application Is Second Nature

Sermon

Mark Ellingsen

Practice makes perfect. If you do these things for Jesus, the Lord will bless you. Much Prosperity Gospel preaching advocates these themes. It's a word that America wants to hear. Even Reverend Rick Warren of the California megachurch, Saddleback Church, has said that: I must apply its [the Word of God's] principles. Receiving, reading, researching, remembering, and reflecting on the Word are all...

1435. Milli Vanilli Religion

Sermon

James Merritt

Several years ago one of the greatest scandals ever to hit the music industry occurred. Two young men had formed a group called Milli Vanilli. They cut an album called "Girl, You Know It's True." For that album they won a Grammy Award. They were invited to give concerts everywhere. They were making money by the boatloads. There was only one problem. They had lip-synced the entire recording, and t...

1436. An Unpopular Preacher

Sermon

Mike Ripski

I. Rev. Ike’s “gospel” There was a professor at my theology school, who was on the mailing list of “Rev. Ike.” Professor May posted Rev. Ike’s literature on his office door for all to see. Rev. Ike was an early proponent of what has come to be called the “prosperity gospel.” Rev. Ike preached that it is God’s will for you to be wealthy now. God doesn’t want you to wait for the sweet by and by. Y...

1437. What's Holding You Together?

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

One of the hottest YouTube videos the past couple of weeks is one where evangelist Louie Giglio introduces the molecular cellular structure called “laminin.” Giglio uses laminin to show how we are “fearfully and wonderfully made.” I want to use laminin to challenge you this morning with a fearful and wonderful choice. It’s a choice that determines how you go through life: trying to hold yourself ...

1438. No Instant Maturity

Sermon

Maxie Dunnam

A man went into a department store, picked up a game of chess took it to a salesman and said, “Tell me how to play it as you wrap the package.” That’s descriptive of our situation. We want to know how to do it quickly. We don’t want to take the time to follow each necessary step. No fascination is keener than our fascination with short-cuts. We want to be “saints suddenly”. We dream long for ins...

1439. Obedience Really Matters

Sermon

Phil Thrailkill

It is because we are a people of such high intelligence, and perhaps the threat of product liability litigation, that the following warning labels were recently found on consumer products? On a Duraflame fireplace log: "Caution - Risk of Fire." On a children’s Batman costume: "Warning: Cape does not enable user to fly. On a bottle of hair coloring: "Do not use as an ice cream topping." On a cardb...

1440. Counterfeit Christianity

Sermon

King Duncan

Sometime back the United States Treasury tackled one of its most vexing problems. Sophisticated, hi-tech resources now available to the average citizen have become real problems to the Treasury Department. With the introduction of high quality ink jet printers, computer scanners and other office equipment into homes and offices across the nation, the amount of counterfeit money almost doubled in t...

1441. Comfortable Christianity Is a Big, Fat Lie

Sermon

Phil Thrailkill

“Thus you will know them by their fruits.” Matthew 7:20 In his novel A Painted House, John Grisham describes a pious Sunday school teacher eulogizing a character named Jerry Sisco. He was a mean guy who’d been killed just the night before in a back alley fight after picking on one person too many. In the words of the little boy who’d seen the fight with his friend Dewayne: "She made Jerry sound ...

1442. How Can Religion Go Bad Doing Good?

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

Public art. If ever there were fight'n words, these two simple words, "public art" would certainly qualify. The moment the intention for any new public artistic display is announced, the public outcry begins - an outcry that only reaches its full volume when the new piece is unveiled. The opening of the new Holocaust Memorial in the heart of Berlin is no exception. From the moment the memorial fi...

1443. Can a Christian Go to Hell?

Sermon

John R. Brokhoff

Not everyone who says to me, "Lord, Lord", shall enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. [Matthew 7:21] If as a Christian you land in heaven, will you be surprised? Once a pastor was invited back by his former congregation to speak for an anniversary celebration. A dear old lady came up to him and said, "And, of course, you know about my dear husband, ...

1444. Epiphany 9, Ordinary Time 9

Bulletin Aid

Amy C. Schifrin

Order For Confession And Forgiveness Leader: In the name of the Father, and of the Son, + and of the Holy Spirit. All: Amen. Silence for self-examination, repentance, and confession Leader: O Lord, O God of truth, All: we confess to you that we have been ashamed of the gospel and of the life of holiness to which you have called us. We confess that we have sought our own righteousness, not yours....

1445. Proper 4, Pentecost 2, Ordinary Time 9

Bulletin Aid

Amy C. Schifrin

Litany Divide the congregation into two voices. I: From the corners of the earth you gather us in. II: From the darkest corners of our lives you call us to the light. I: You bless us with your holy commandments. II: You bless us with your abundant grace. I: As we await your coming, let us live in your grace. II: As we await your coming, guide us through every storm. I and II: May our lives be livi...

1446. Proper 4

Bulletin Aid

B. David Hostetter

READINGS Psalter--Psalms 46 First Lesson--This is a story of judgment and salvation that will become a parable of the church. Genesis 6:11-22 Second Lesson--Paul makes clear to the Romans that the good news is not that God is tolerant of moral negligence but that there is provision for salvation through faith. Romans 1:16-17, 3:22b-28 (29-31) Gospel--Jesus warns against hypocrisy, which will be ex...

1447. Parable of Association

Illustration

Jerry went out to play in the barnyard and as he watched the pigs wallowing in the mud he seemed to envy the fun they were having and soon he himself first waded and then sat down slopping in the mud. As some friends passed by, one said, "I see farmer Brown has another pig in his pen. He now has ten pigs." But Jerry stood up indignantly and hollered, "Hey, I'm not a pig, I'm a boy." In this day...

1448. A Flock of Sheep or a Pack of Wolves?

Illustration

John R. Brokhoff

Pierre von Paassen in his book Days of Our Years, tells of a hunchback, Ugolin, who lived in a small French village. He had a hard time because he was a monstrous looking creature. Children would not play with him. One night some drinking men starting making fun of him. They kicked him, spit on him, tore off his clothes, and finally left him in a pool of blood. Later that night the local priest fo...

1449. Because He Wouldn’t Know; He Wasn’t Known

Illustration

Peter Hiett

In the movie Good Will Hunting, Will Hunting is a genius. He knows about everything with his head, but he uses that knowledge to hide from pain in his heart. He meets a counselor (played by Robin Williams) and guards his heart from the counselor by dissecting the counselor with his knowledge and crucifying the counselor's passions for art and his bride on his own knowledge. The counselor confronts...

1450. Struggling with Doubt, Standing on Faith

Illustration

Donald M. Tuttle

In his book The Case for Faith, Lee Strobel tells of 30-year-old preacher getting ready for what would be a major crusade. But despite his calling, the preacher was wrestling with doubts. He doubted whether or not he could trust what he read in the Scriptures. He was struggling with the philosophical and psychological questions people were raising about the Bible. For weeks he searched for answers...

Showing 1426 to 1450 of 4508 results