Sermon and Worship Resources

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Showing 1451 to 1475 of 2404 results

1451. Death to Glory

Revelation 5:11-14

Sermon

Richard Gribble

... thinking about what it might cost personally, Jesus unhesitatingly placed himself in harm's way, allowing himself not only to suffer ridicule and abuse, but ultimately death by crucifixion. Jesus never shied away from his goals nor the challenge necessary to achieve them. He never looked back or questioned his mission, confident that the death he endured would bring the glory and the inauguration of his kingdom in this world. Moving from death to glory, living the Easter message, is a great challenge ...

1452. Where Have All the Heroes Gone?

Hebrews 11:1-3, 8-16

Sermon

Clayton A. Lord

... mission and didn't let anything get in his way. He loved us so much that he gave his life for us. That's what I call a hero. The truth is that everyone has heroes — people they want to be like — but heroes are not just famous people who achieve outstanding things. They are individuals who live life with a deep and abiding faith that allows them to do great things. Abraham's faith allowed him to follow God through the good and the bad. The only thing that separates him from us is the level of faith he ...

1453. Do Not Be Quickly Shaken

2 Thessalonians 2:1-12

Sermon

Donna Schaper

... have a double calling, both to secure and to shake people up. They need to be prophetic and pastoral at the same time. Most people want ministers to stabilize their lives, to keep them from being shaken. The goal many parishioners come to church to achieve is stability. They don't want to be shaken. They want to be secured. Unfortunately, ministers also shake people up. Saint Paul enters this remarkably interesting double bind to tell us that we are not to be easily or quickly shaken. In other words, we ...

1454. When Christ Is King

Colossians 1:11-20

Sermon

Donna Schaper

... Christians are free because Christ is their king. We are free for the wise foolishness, the foolish wisdom, of the crucified God, and are blest by it. It is a freedom that can be enjoyed only by people who are ready to admit their own utter incapacity to achieve it on their own. We have to stop being our own king and our own ruler. It is not the freedom of the rich who "have" everything. It is instead the freedom, according to Douglas John Hall, "of those who are conscious enough of their emptiness and lack ...

1455. The Hard Sell

Matthew 6:1-6, 16-21

Sermon

Donald Charles Lacy

... is you and me — at least — upon some occasions. Isn’t it interesting and irritating how the problem seems to recur all during our lifetimes? Some of us may even have secret diaries that resemble Saint Augustine’s Confessions. The world says show off your achievements. The dear Lord says do your ministries in the quietude and holy secrecy that best serves his purpose. The world says we must not hide our good deeds and the more they are seen, the better. The world says don’t restrain your natural ...

1456. Individual Success over All

Mark 10:17-31

Illustration

John Killinger

Robert Bellah and his associates, the sociologists who wrote Habits of the Heart and The Good Society, two distinguished books about American life, say that the desire to get the most out of one's life, to be the best or achieve the highest, is a hallmark of our time. We are so intent on fulfilling ourselves and our destiny, say these scholars, that we put our own lives and careers above everything else. Our individualism matters more to us than the success of any larger entity or institution. ...

1457. Operation Omega

Mark 10:35-45

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

... can we go? Jesus told his disciples that they must be “slave to all.” Whatever heap we stand before — we are to burrow to the bottom of it. There is only one way for disciples to reach these new lows. Climbing to the top is a human achievement, but sinking to the bottom of the barrel takes the divine presence. To be “slave to all” requires the incarnation of Christ in our lives every day — “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me” (Philippians 4:13). The secret to being last is ...

1458. A Prayer for a Unity of Love

Illustration

Thomas Lane Butts

... does not mean that we cannot blend important parts of our lives with others and walk with them in a higher unity. When Jesus prayed that his disciples might be one in John 17, it was a prayer for a unity of love, not ideas. We do not achieve unity by persuading everyone to be like us nor by finding the lowest common theological denominator. Our common loyalty is not to a set of human-made theological propositions (and all theological propositions are of human construct). Our common loyalty is to Christ.

1459. A Servant in Saigon

Illustration

Keith Wagner

... about being a martyr, nor is he wanting us all to be Mother Teresa or a Betty Tisdale. He is talking about denying ourselves the demand for power, honor and status and being servants. Faith is a paradox. Life in the kingdom is not acquired with honors, prizes, achievements, awards and success. It is realized with sacrificial love, unwavering faith and belief that God has a seat reserved just for us. It's better than the 50 yard line. It is not just good for a single game or a single season. It is good for ...

1460. No Box Seats in the Kingdom

Mark 10:35-45

Illustration

William G. Carter

Joel Gregory became the pastor of First Baptist Church of Dallas, an impressive congregation with almost thirty thousand members. It was the crowning achievement of a preacher career. First Baptist Church occupies five city blocks in downtown Dallas. It houses two schools, a college, and a radio station. The church gave him a nice home, memberships in exclusive country clubs, and luxury box seats for Dallas Cowboys football games. They weren't box seats ...

1461. Having a Life Purpose

Mark 10:35-45

Illustration

... contribution to the world. Everyone has a purpose in life beyond one's immediate interests and gratifications, though that purpose frequently goes undiscovered. Many people devote their entire lives to the pursuit of greater ease and pleasure. Those who had not found the "why" that gives meaning to existence may achieve material success, yet the real goodness of life will elude them. The true meaning of life lies in sharing our particular qualities of greatness with others.

1462. Priceless

Isaiah 52:13--53:12

Sermon

Frank Ramirez

... he expects we will share. Who would believe what he has to report — that someone would be willing to innocently endure not just physical pain, but abuse, misunderstanding, shame? How could it be that the servant God intends to lift up, to honor, to exalt, should achieve this status by suffering? We expect just the opposite. Isaiah is seeing clearly, not through a glass darkly, but more clearly than we see, that stark X-marks-the-spot that stares in this face on this day of all days. He was seeing the ...

1463. When Desire Goes Bad

1 Kings 21:1-21a

Sermon

Stan Purdum

... the affluence and advertising of our age encourages it. Of course, wanting is a very necessary part of being human. It is a form of energy and motivation that drives invention, discovery, mastery, improvement, and accomplishment. The fruit of healthy desire is achievement and satisfaction. But like any appetite, it needs to function with some restraint, because when it goes too far, when it becomes our primary motivation, it becomes destructive, both to us and to others. The Bible's word for desire gone bad ...

1464. Star-spangled Justice

Isaiah 1:1, 10-20

Sermon

Lee Ann Dunlap

... binds together the various people and ideologies into a common national myth expressing the best of what we hope to be as a nation. During our national holidays we remember and reflect upon the stories of those before us who have struggled to achieve our national ideals: the Minutemen of Lexington and Concord, the Continental soldiers of Valley Forge, the bloody battles fought to free slaves and maintain unity of the states, as well as those who have marched in picket lines and protest movements to gain ...

1465. God's Eminent Domain

Jeremiah 18:1-11

Sermon

Lee Ann Dunlap

... produce. We cannot determine our own destiny; we can only receive it from the hand of God. When we relinquish all illusions of self-determination, we are freed to hear the good news: God is working on our behalf to give to us what we can never achieve on our own terms. Jesus gave his life to reveal God's love, God's goodness — and Easter revealed God's power. When called to obedience, even unto death, Jesus did not resist; and his affirmation of God's eminent domain changed the course of human history ...

1466. Small Towns

Luke 2:1-14

Sermon

King Duncan

... to the bridge. That’s when his guardian angel, Clarence, comes down on Christmas Eve to show him what his community would be like without him. The angel takes him back through his life to show how our ordinary everyday efforts are really big achievements. Clarence reveals how George Bailey’s loyalty to his job at the building-and-loan office has saved families and homes, how his little kindnesses have changed the lives of others, and how the ripples of his love will spread through the world, helping ...

1467. He Left Behind the Mediocrity

Mark 12:28-34

Illustration

Michael Shapiro

... to his old high school and asked to see his file. All his grades and academic information from kindergarten through high school were stored in one big file. His extracurricular activities were listed in the Permanent Record. According to his Permanent Record, he was a mediocre student without many distinguishing achievements. And yet, Shapiro found comfort in reading his Permanent Record. He knew that he had left behind that mediocrity and created a successful career for himself.

1468. Give, Give, Give

Mark 12:41-44

Illustration

... nature of animals. Only man knows how to be a giver. God is a giver. He gave us life itself. And his ultimate gift was that of his son. What more cherished, more precious, more intimate gift could one give than that of his only child? If we want to achieve God likeness, we must be givers too. God does not ask us to renounce our possessions. He does ask us to renounce our spirit of possessiveness. He does not ask us to give up necessitates, but he does ask us to share out of our abundance. The deepest joy in ...

1469. If We Do It, It Will Work

Luke 2:1-7

Drama

Lois Anne DeLong

... by youth or adults. “God,” who is heard, but never seen in the play, ideally should be voiced by an adult. The play calls for one “lighting effect,” a pinpoint spot to symbolize the star. If theatrical lighting is not available, a similar effect can be achieved by dimming the sanctuary lights, and placing someone in the front row with a small flashlight. (Stage is empty as the play begins. The person reading the part of God will be stationed in the choir loft, or off to one side of the stage, with a ...

1470. A Squirrely Holiday

Matthew 6:25-34

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

... who have not heard the good news, who have given up hope, who have slipped between the cracks, who are hidden under heavy weights. There is no place we cannot find the kernels of God’s kingdom. Being a squirrel means expending a lot of energy in order to achieve the goal of gathering. We too need to be energized, to be up and doing what God has called us to do. Squirrels do not grow weary in well-doing. They don’t take time off to sleep in on Sunday morning. Squirrels don’t just blow off meetings ...

1471. Plenty Good Room

John 14:1-4

Sermon

Maxie Dunnam

... I disagree with the analogy. God did not make us grubs. We are the highest and the most noble beings that we can be, and so the pull is not for something other than what we are as human beings; the pull is to be fully human, to grow, to achieve, to create. We are creatures that are driven by a divine discontent, and we do not believe in immortality, because we can prove it. We keep on trying to prove it because we believe in it. We’re hungry for eternity. Now that pull of discontent comes in conflict with ...

1472. Deliverance through Thanksgiving

Psalm 50:1-23

Sermon

Maxie Dunnam

... the award and to make a response, but he got his tongue twisted, and he said, I don’t appreciate this, but I certainly deserve it. Well, we, we put that sort of twist to the facts of our life. We interpret our success; we interpret our achievements and accomplishments as the result of our own doing. Now this has come home to me in a powerful way, as I have followed the devastating famine tragedy in Africa. Can you see those film clips on television? Images of little children who are no more physically ...

1473. The Martha and Erma Christmas

Luke 2:41-52

Illustration

Brett Blair

How many of you drive yourselves crazy every year trying to have a Martha Stewart's Christmas? You know who you are. And you know as hard as you try you're never able to achieve it. It always turns out to be an Erma Bombeck Christmas doesn't it? I have a letter here that Martha Stewart sent to Erma Bombeck. Hi Erma, This perfectly delightful note is being sent on paper I made myself to tell you what I have been up to. Since ...

1474. Every Day God Encourages

Acts 4:36-37; 11:22-24

Sermon

Billy D. Strayhorn

... manager. In 1986 he formed his own company and has become a successful motivational speaker. At series of his motivational speeches was produced for public television. Mr. Washington saw the program and called Les Brown to tell him how proud he was of his achievement. (5) Les Brown had to work hard to finish high school. But because of the confidence Mr. Washington had in him and helped him have in himself, Les Brown gained new motivation. You see, when others believe in us we gain confidence in ourselves ...

1475. Living In The Spirit Of Peace

Galatians 5:22-25, Colossians 3:14-15

Sermon

Billy D. Strayhorn

... even really know it. They've worked hard for all that they have and yet now it doesn't bring the Joy or Happiness they once thought it would. They worked to reach a certain level of position in the company t hey work for but now that they've achieved it, it's not as rewarding as they thought. Stuff and more stuff, position and power have all left them empty and maybe even emptier than when they started. Their lives have become like that piano. All they have is a new coat of paint. Their lives are still ...

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