Sermon and Worship Resources

Showing 1451 to 1475 of 5000 results

1451. The Shared Life of the People of God, Part 2

Galatians 6:1-10

Sermon

Maxie Dunnam

... against a pride that leads to destruction. It causes envy, jealousy, anger, greed, intolerance and useless worry. So, there is a healthy pride and a false pride. Within the shared life of the people of God, self-understanding, self-appreciation, and self-affirmation mark the integrity of each one of us. Here is what I’m talking about. “The country priest in George Bernanos’ diary is counseling with a young woman whose lack of healthy pride had led her into endless difficulties and hurts. “It’s a ...

1452. Characteristics of the Church

Acts 2:42-47

Sermon

Maxie Dunnam

... of the most searching commentaries the Old and the New Testaments. Dr. Peak once received a letter from a young man who had been his student. It contained a compliment which came close to the highest that a Christian can ever know. The young man said, “I marked — especially at the prayer meetings at Western Street —— your magnificent faith in a loving father, and if you don’t mind my saying what is in my heart - I held on to you, Sir, while you held on to Jesus.” Sometimes it’s that way - all ...

1453. He Came, He Is Coming

Luke 21:5-38

Sermon

Maxie Dunnam

... Source, the ending He.” That’s the song of Advent, and it reminds us that what happened at the beginning and what will happen at the end are mysteriously related to what happened at Christmas. “He is the source, the ending He.” (Quotes from Mark Trotter, God Only Knows, this introduction about Advent suggested by him as well as the direct quotes). Our scripture lesson today is Jesus’ dramatic picture of his own second coming. We call it Apocalypse. It pictures a show down between good and evil, a ...

1454. A Parable in a Miracle

Mark 1:40-45

Sermon

Maxie Dunnam

... make me clean.” Then there is packed into one beautiful sentence, almost everything Jesus was about. Listen as Philipps translates it: “Jesus was filled with ‘pity for him, and stretched out his hand and placed it on the leper, saying ‘Of course, I want to be clean!” (Mark 1:41 Philips) That tells it all. Stay with that encounter for just a moment to get the full impact of it. By law, the leper had no right to even draw near Jesus, much less speak to Him. How, we don’t know, but this leper knew ...

1455. Casting Out Demons

Mark 1:21-28

Sermon

Maxie Dunnam

... . He spoke directly to the forces that control the man, verse 25: “But Jesus rebuked him, saying, ‘Be silent, and come out of him!”. Now go on to verse 26: “And the unclean spirit, convulsing him and crying with a loud voice, came out of him.” Mark would leave no doubt about it: The demon immediately obeyed. Jesus is the Mighty One. All of this leads me now to make some bold declaration in conclusion. One, if you take the New Testament seriously, you have to deal with this issue of demonic powers ...

1456. When It's Time to Wait

Luke 2:21-40

Sermon

J. Howard Olds

... it was “seeing the Messiah before I die." That was his singular reason to live— “To see the Messiah before I die." What is your personal mission statement? What is your reason for living? What do you hope to accomplish? What is the singular thing that will be your mark on the face of the earth? What is your reason for being? You see, when your purpose is great, you will be willing to wait. If you have not figured out why you are here, if you have no reason to be born, save to consume the corn and ...

1457. What Would Jesus Say About Medical Care?

Mark 2:1-12

Sermon

J. Howard Olds

... each other. If one of them is not working, the other two parts are sick. The key is to have the spiritual connections. As you said, we are whole, we are not just fragmented parts.” We want to talk a lot more about this in a few days. Thank you Mark. There is a Balm in Gilead that makes the wounded whole. There is a place, that quiet peace, near to the heart of God. Let us step forward to be part of the team that makes people well. 1. Paraphrase of Michael Cord, The Gentle Healer 2. Bruce Larson, There ...

1458. You Can't Stay on the Mountain Forever

Mark 9:2-13

Sermon

Maxie Dunnam

... it is well that we are here; let us make three booths, one for you and one for Moses and one for Elijah.” (vs 5). Mark felt that he needed to explain why Peter would say something like that so he added this word, in verse 6, “For he did not ... valley. Which leads to our next focus. III We can’t stay on the mountain forever. That fact is made dramatic in the way Mark tells the story. I referred to this a moment ago. When Peter made his response expressing his desire to build three tabernacles — one for ...

1459. Sick People Like Us Will Always Need The (Divine) Doctor

Matthew 9:9-13

Sermon

Mark Ellingsen

... good emerge from our sinful, selfish motives. Life is truly miraculous and joyful when you continue to feel the need for our spiritual doctor! Amen. 1. For more details on tax collectors in the Roman Empire, see Eduard Schweizer, The Good News According to Mark, trans. Donald H. Madvig (Richmond, Virginia: John Knox Press, 1970), p. 65. 2. New York Times magazine, 7 May 2000; Barna Research Online, "Beliefs: Salvation" 2005, at www.barna.org. 3. Rick Warren, The Purpose-Driven Life: What On Earth Am I Here ...

1460. Kingdoms in Conflict

Matthew 21:33-46

Sermon

Wayne Brouwer

... with faith and fealty. Abram was not merely the target of a nice gift; he was now called to share the mind and the mission of the Maker. God declared name changes for Abram and Sarai, and also required the act of circumcision which would publicly mark all the males of the family as "owned" by God. The outcome to this fourth covenant-making event was strikingly different than that following the previous three. Most notably, when pushed to the limit of trust in Genesis 22, the new Abraham gave evidence that ...

1461. Dressed for the Banquet

Matthew 22:1-14

Sermon

Chris Ewing

1462. Restoration Frustration

Isaiah 63:7-9

Sermon

Tony Everett

... verse of our text today: ... It was no messenger or angel but his presence that saved them; in his love and in his pity he redeemed them; he lifted them up and carried them all the days of old. — Isaiah 63:9 There may have been, in little Mark's prayer, a lot of "Christmasing" going on during the last few weeks. There may still be some remnants of restoration frustration that linger in your heart. In Christ, God's child, God has restored you and redeemed you. In Christ, God lifts you up and will carry you ...

1463. The Armor of Light

Romans 13:8-14

Drama

Larry Lange

... in India artificial legs is going to accomplish anything at all. Love certainly doesn't make for exciting nightly news. And it certainly doesn't seem like love is going to accomplish anything when those who love end up on crosses. But we're all marked with that cross, Harry. (Harry looks in the mirror trying to see if he is marked with a cross, shrugs it off, then returns to looking through the binoculars.) In baptism, Harry, when we put on the armor of light, when we put on the Lord Jesus Christ, we were ...

1464. A Truly Universal Operating System

Romans 14:1-12

Sermon

Larry Lange

... He heard that the group that had withdrawn from worship was speculating that since corporations almost had to have XC to compete successfully in the global economy, soon Macrosoft would be tracking all its customers with a mark "so that no one can buy or sell who does not have the mark" (Revelation 13:16-17). The mark was supposed to be the name of the apocalyptic beast and "the number of its name" (Revelation 13:17). A fellow from the group, named John, even claimed to have discovered that number in the XC ...

1465. It's Just A Little Thing

Mark 12:38-44

Sermon

Billy D. Strayhorn

... It. Simple Stupid. It also reminded me of how everyone, even the little ones, like to put there two cents worth in. And this morning, we find out the origins of that phrase, "putting your two cents worth in." It comes from our reading from Mark. Let's look at Mark 12:38-44. Mark 12:38-44 (NRSV) [38] As he taught, he said, "Beware of the scribes, who like to walk around in long robes, and to be greeted with respect in the marketplaces, [39] and to have the best seats in the synagogues and places of honor ...

1466. I Doubt It

John 20:19-31, Act 4:32-37

Sermon

Billy D. Strayhorn

... part of life and even of faith. With the help of God. It's as natural as breathing, as long as you let the breath of God breathe within the doubt. Ask God to breathe life into your doubt through the Doubters Prayer. You know it. It's found in Mark 9:24 in the words of the father of the mute boy that the evil spirit kept throwing into the fire. Jesus asked the father if he believed that Jesus could heal his son. The father said, "Lord, I believe, help my unbelief." The willingness to name your doubt is ...

1467. WWF: Smack Down In The Wilderness

Mark 1:9-15

Sermon

Billy D. Strayhorn

... waited on him. [14] Now after John was arrested, Jesus came to Galilee, proclaiming the good news of God, [15] and saying, "The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God has come near; repent, and believe in the good news." Jesus wrestled with temptation. Mark doesn't go into the detail the other Gospels do but we know one thing, Jesus overcame temptation. He was able to say "No" to temptation and "Yes" to God. Jesus won the "WWF: Smackdown In The Wilderness." Jesus triumphed. I. W:Wrestling With Temptation ...

1468. The Case of the Dancing Men

Psalm 51:1-19

Sermon

King Duncan

... He forgives. Come, experience God’s grace this night. [Tonight the symbol we will leave here with will not be a drawing of a dancing man reminding us of our sin. Rather we will leave with a cross marked on our forehead as a reminder of God’s grace. We wear this mark not as a sign of our superiority but as a mark of humility and thanksgiving for what God has done for us. Thanks be to God for His unconditional acceptance of sinners like you and me.] 1. http://www.fccleb.org/sermons/Slater.4.20.03.html. 2 ...

1469. We Must Not Lie

Matthew 5:33-37

Illustration

Adrian Dieleman

A pastor ended one Sunday service by instructing his people, "I would like all of you to read Mark 17 before next Sunday." The following Sunday, true to his word, he asked the congregation, "How many of you actually read Mark 17 this past week?" Almost everyone in the pews raised their hands. The pastor then stunned his people by announcing, "Ladies and gentlemen, there is no 17th chapter in Mark." We must not lie. We must mean what we say and say what we mean. Our "yes" must be "yes" and our "no" must be ...

1470. Hear Him

Matthew 17:1-13

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

... give him credit for. This is an event steeped in symbols and studded with the most important people in Israel’s past. Keeping memories alive was one of Israel’s strengths. If this was to be a new milestone along the way of faith, it needed to be marked in some way. When the ark of the covenant finally crossed over the Jordan River and into the Promised Land, Joshua commanded the priests carrying the ark into the Jordan River to pause in the middle of the river. As the waters pulled back on either side ...

1471. Do You Know Jesus?

John 11:1-45

Illustration

King Duncan

... years ago. Cody was eight. Four days earlier, Cody died in a tragic accident. There lay Cody in a casket. His right hand clutched a rope. Cody loved tying knots. His favorite stuffed animal lay beside him, along with his Bible and a picture of his brother. Mark Tabb reports that over two thousand people came through the funeral home in southern Kentucky the night before Cody's funeral. They all heard the same story of how Cody wanted to be a preacher, just like his dad. And they all heard the same question ...

1472. Laugh, Thomas, Laugh!

John 20:19-31

Sermon

David E. Leininger

... and my God" (v. 28). Thomas ... doubting Thomas. I have always felt sorry for him. One incident, one remark, after a particularly traumatic experience ... the murder of his master ... has tarred him ever since. It makes no difference that the rest of his life was marked by faithful service to his Lord. Thomas became doubting Thomas, and his name has been used ever since as a euphemism for the skeptic. That is not very fair. The first time we encounter Thomas is in chapter 11 of John. Jesus had just been ...

1473. Clearing Out the Pipes

Matthew 6:1-6, 16-21

Sermon

John Smylie

... a rather large part to what we are called to do on Ash Wednesday and in the season of Lent? The ashes that get marked on the forehead's of those who come to the Ash Wednesday services may appear startling, strange, and even incongruent with the gospel text ... let go of that dead body, we would not be here feasting on his living body. Had she not let her son bear that cross, the mark of mortality, the ashes upon us would fill us with fear rather than hope. So here we are at the beginning of a journey. Where ...

1474. Out of Control

Mark 5:21-43

Sermon

Kristin Borsgard Wee

... . If we controlled God, we could get a miracle when we need one. But these miracle stories are not about control. They are stories about what God is like and how God acts. Mark wrote the stories down so that we would know that Jesus was no ordinary man. Mark wanted people to have faith so they would have strength to function when things got out of control. Mark wanted them to know that even when Jesus is gone he still has the power to still the storms of our lives and raise us out of a living death to life ...

1475. Busy with a Purpose

1 Corinthians 9:24-27

Sermon

Scott Suskovic

... it clear that he doesn't want that to happen to his life. He wants his life to count. He longs for meaning and purpose, not running aimlessly or beating the air. Jesus asked, "What does it profit a person to gain the whole world and forfeit his soul?" (Mark 8:36). Let's change that a bit and ask, "What does it profit a person to gain the whole world, win the entire tournament, close the biggest deal, have the busiest calendar, and forfeit his marriage, his children, his health, and his God?" I don't think ...

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