Sermon and Worship Resources

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Showing 126 to 150 of 4935 results

126. How to Get the Job Done

Luke 10:1-11, 16-20

Sermon

Maurice A. Fetty

And [Jesus] said to them, "The harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few; pray therefore the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into his harvest." — Luke 10:2 It's a startling fact but true — Jesus and politicians have a lot in common. This no doubt comes as a surprise to those who regard politics as a dirty business, or who think of politicians essentially as liars and who believe steadfastly that politics and religion don't mix. Nonetheless, Jesus and politicians have a lot in common. When you ...

127. Sleep With the Lions Without Being Eaten

Daniel 6:1-28

Sermon

James Merritt

I read something recently that blessed me and inspired me, and I hope it will you too. It is entitled: THE WORLD NEEDS MEN...[AND I MIGHT ADD WOMEN] Who cannot be bought; whose word is their bond; who put character above wealth; who possess opinions and a will; who are larger than their vocation; who do not hesitate to take chances; who will not lose their individuality in a crowd; who will be as honest in small things as in great things; who will make no compromise with wrong; whose ambitions are not ...

128. Samuel Confronts the People

1 Samuel 12:1-25

Teach the Text

Robert B. Chisholm Jr.

Big Idea: The security of God’s covenant people depends on their allegiance to the Lord, who remains committed to them. Understanding the Text This chapter provides a fitting conclusion to the story of Saul’s accession to kingship. Facing a serious military threat from the Ammonites (12:12), Israel demanded a king like all the nations, for they thought such a king, supported by a standing army, would give them the security they so desperately needed (8:19–20). When the time came to choose this king, the ...

129. Sermons

Sermon

John R. Bodo

Introductory Note "Thomas the Doubter" is obviously an Easter sermon. However, for Christians every Lord's Day is Easter, because ours is a Resurrection faith. Without the Resurrection, we have nothing distinctive -- for our own comfort and growth or for a world in pain. In "Thomas the Doubter" I hazard a hypothesis about Thomas' life prior to his meeting Jesus. The hypothesis seems fairly plausible. His nickname, Didymus, appears in the biblical record (John 11:16). "Thomas the Doubter" argues for the ...

130. The Council at Jerusalem

Acts 15:1-21

Understanding Series

David J. Williams

The acceptance of the Gentiles into the church without the necessity of circumcision (with the implication of submission to the whole law) might seem to have been assured after the conversion of Cornelius and his friends. At that time, even in Jerusalem, the bastion of Jewish tradition, those Christians who had met to consider the matter had agreed that God had “granted even the Gentiles repentance unto life” (11:18), though they probably never dreamed that this would be anything more than an exceptional ...

131. The Rebirth

John 3:1-21

Sermon

Ron Lavin

The story of Nicodemus is fascinating and intriguing. Nicodemus came to Jesus secretly by night, probably because he didn't want anyone to see him. He came to Jesus with a compliment. He said, "Rabbi, we know that you are a teacher who has come from God. For no one could perform the miraculous signs you are doing if God were not with him" (John 3:2), thinking that Jesus, like most people, would be impressed by a compliment. He came wanting to discuss theology, assuming that Jesus would be interested in a ...

132. What's The Bottom Line?

Matthew 21:33-46

Sermon

George Johnson

What are your thoughts when you first wake up in the morning? What am I going to wear today? Is the bathroom free? What's the weather like? Can I stay in bed just a little bit longer? I am waking up earlier now that I'm on the other side of 50, the second side of life. My thoughts early in the morning are usually around the day's appointments. Let's see, Lois needs that article by 9. I could go to the hospital over the lunch hour. Confirmation is today. What meeting do I have tonight? Will Viv and I have ...

133. Joseph

Drama

Charles L. Koester

INTRODUCTION: [This portion is read from the lecturn by the introducer or narrator.] Of all the persons involved and related to the Advent, the coming, of Christ, there is one who is the "forgotten man" of the Nativity. Even the great artists of the world, many of whom have lavished their imagination upon the scene of the Nativity, have been content to make him part of the dark backgrounds of their paintings. Yet, this man was much more than just a piece of fleshly furniture. As his wife, Mary, was chosen ...

134. God Knows

Isaiah 5:1-7

Sermon

John W. Wurster

It’s a phrase meant to underscore the limits of our knowledge. We use it to describe our lack of understanding. It’s a way of admitting that we just don’t know everything. Having reached the end of our abilities to comprehend, we roll our eyes heavenward and say with varying measures of exasperation, confusion, and befuddlement, “God knows.” “God knows why that happened.” “God knows what I was thinking.” “God knows why she did that.” I suppose in some way it’s a statement of confidence: if we don’t know, ...

135. Good for the Soul

Proverbs 28:13

Sermon

James Merritt

Two very famous sports figures hit the news this past week and both of them have a direct influence on the message that I am preaching today. Joe Gibbs, the former head coach of the Washington Redskins, who took them to the Super Bowl four times and who also owned a Winston Cup winning NASCAR team is leaving the sport of car racing to go back to coach the Washington Redskins. Hearing that reminded me of a true story that Coach Gibbs told about a friend of his who owned a beautiful Labrador retriever. The ...

136. B.T.D.T.

Matthew 11:25-30

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

To a "weary and heavy-laden" generation who has Been There, Done That, Jesus offers something radically new: real rest! Have you ever watched a commercial for that glow-in-the-dark neon-green soft drink "Mountain Dew"? It's exhausting. The television screen is filled with frenetic action. Young men spend 60 seconds catapulting out of airplanes on snowboards, leaping off cliffs while wearing parachutes, hurtling down rugged mountains on mostly airborne bicycles, and rollerblading through complete loop-the- ...

137. When "Well Done" Is Rare

Matthew 25:14-30

Sermon

Eric Ritz

Jesus was one of the greatest storytellers and communicators who ever lived. He was able to communicate the great spiritual truths and insights about the kingdom of God by using the everyday ideas and items of life. He often taught in parable form. The communication experts of today agree that parables are an excellent way to teach because they allow each person to see themselves and how they are pictured in the story. The story I am opening with is called "The Person Down the Road." In thirty, forty or ...

138. Being A Sheep Is Not So Bad (compared With Being A Goat)

Ezekiel 34:1-31

Sermon

King Duncan

Faye Neff, writing in THE CLERGY JOURNAL, tells about a newspaper in Maine that printed an embarrassing mistake. The paper ran a photo of the local board of council members, but someone placed the wrong caption under the picture. Beneath the photo were these words: "Naive and vulnerable, the sheep huddle for security against the uncertainties of the outside world." Can't you just imagine that caption, asks Neff, under a variety of photographs? Under a picture of the president and his advisers? Or perhaps ...

139. I Love My Church

1 Chronicles 29:3

Sermon

James Merritt

Recently someone sent me a list entitled, "Satan's Beatitudes." They said if the devil were to write his Beatitudes they would probably go something like this: Blessed are those who are too tired, too busy, too distracted to spend an hour once a week with their fellow Christians—they are my best workers. Blessed are those Christians who wait to be asked, and expect to be thanked—I can use them. Blessed are the touchy. With a bit of luck they may stop going to church— they are my missionaries. Blessed are ...

140. Reflections on a Bumper Sticker

Mark 2:1-12

Sermon

Mark Trotter

When I see a bumper sticker, I like to pull up along side the car and see if the message fits the driver. Sometimes it's a surprise. I saw an off-color bumper sticker on a car. I pulled up along side, and saw a little old lady driving. It makes you wonder what's happening to our world. Jean saw a car with a bumper sticker on it that said, "Honk if you love Jesus." So she pulled up along side and honked, and the man flipped her off. So you never know. I saw a bumper sticker that said, "Life is too short to ...

141. Not What You Expected

Hebrews 2:10-18

Sermon

John N. Brittain

Some years ago, my wife and I took a group of students on a short-term mission trip to Belize, the only English-speaking country in Central America, where our main task was refurbishing a church-run elementary school. At the end of our time there, the congregation held a celebration dinner and program including traditional foods, costumes, songs, and stories: One of them was a traditional children's story. It told of a monster who would periodically come out of the thickets and eat bad little children, ...

142. Putting Mom in Heartbreak Hotel

1 Kings 2:5-6

Sermon

James Merritt

I want to tell you the story of an Old Testament character by the name of Joab. Joab spent his entire life as the Commander in Chief of the armies of the Nation of Israel. He was David's hand-picked general. David was God's anointed king over Israel and, as you know, he was a type and a picture of the Lord Jesus Christ, who is also God's anointed king. Joab served David all of his life only to be slain, at the command of David, at the end of his life. Now Joab's downfall can be attributed to one simple ...

143. The Problem Is Not Faith

Luke 17:1-10

Sermon

King Duncan

Christians are funny people. In one of his books, Chuck Swindoll tells about a lady who wanted desperately to go on a tour to Israel. But she wanted a sign to confirm that it was God’s will. The morning after she began planning the trip, she woke up at 7:47 a. m. The tour group to Israel was planning on flying over on a 747 jet. That was her “sign” that confirmed God was going to bless this trip. Another young man needed to buy a car. But he wanted to know that whatever car he bought was in God’s will for ...

144. Proper 19

Matthew 18:21-35, Romans 14:1--15:13, Exodus 13:17--14:31, Psalm 114:1-8

Sermon Aid

William E. Keeney

Unlimited Forgiveness The parable uses the analogy of a reverse comparison. On the one hand a huge, almost inconceivable debt is forgiven. The amount of the debt of the first character in the parable is staggering. To the person hearing the parable it would be scarcely possible to imagine a debt so monumental, perhaps as hard as to try to imagine today the size of the national debt in the United States. The second character has a relatively trivial debt. It is more the size one might run up on a credit ...

145. When Is Being Right Wrong?

Romans 3:19-28

Sermon

Rick Brand

I finally got a copy of the Rules of Life. We all want them because we think that having a set of rules for life will make life so much easier and less confusing. Just find the twelve rules and follow them and it will take away a lot of worry and agony out of life. So I was excited when I got them. I do not know who made them up, but I got them by e-mail off the Internet, so I know that makes them official. The Twelve Rules of Life: Never give yourself a haircut after three drinks. There are only two tools ...

146. The Church on Main Street

Matthew 28:16-20

Sermon

James McCormick

During my years of ministry, church buildings have been located in a variety of places. There was Monterey Road, Clinton Boulevard, Culver Avenue, Gibbs Street, Duarte Road, Hardy Street. And in 1982, for the first time I became pastor of a church on Main Street. I’ve always thought that is where the church should be – not off on some side street somewhere - but on Main Street. Of course, you know, when I talk about Main Street, I am not talking primarily about geography. I am talking about ideas and ...

147. One Step at a Time

Nehemiah 2:1-10

Sermon

James Merritt

Two hundred thousand miles from home. You can't pull over to a gas station. You can't take your spaceship into the garage, but you now know that you have two hours to keep your space ship from becoming a permanent tomb floating in outer space. Jim Lovell, John Swigert, and Fred Haise realized they were facing an elephant of a problem, but they kept their wits about them enough to realize that the way to solve their problem was the same way you eat an elephant - one bite at a time. Has it ever occurred to ...

148. “Come and See What God Has Done”

Psalm 66:1-20

Teach the Text

C. Hassell Bullock

Big Idea: God’s redeeming work in our lives is the extension of his great redeeming acts in history. Understanding the Text This psalm appears to be a hybrid of a hymn, a community psalm of thanksgiving, and an individual psalm of thanksgiving.1It only hints at the adversity that has prompted the psalmist to make and pay his vows of thanksgiving to God in the temple (“when I was in trouble,” 66:14). This hint, though nothing more than that, takes its place parallel to Israel’s trial in Egypt, which he ...

149. What It Takes to Stay Christian

1 Thessalonians 1:1-10

Sermon

Raymond Gibson

Eleven months ago when I first arrived in Versailles as your new pastor, it was my custom to arise at 5:30 A.M. every morning and run four or five miles before breakfast. I weighed 147 pounds, and for a man of my age, I was in good condition. I was five pounds under my ideal weight, I felt fresh and trim, had a great deal of energy, and slept like a newborn baby. My muscles were firm and tough, I was in excellent health and knew it. As the months passed, changes have taken place. Partly because of my ...

150. When Nothing Can Be Done

Mark 1:40-45

Sermon

Thomas Long

"I’m sorry, nothing can be done." There are probably no more terrible words than these. They mark the end of labor, the end of possibility, the end of hope. The family holds vigil in the surgical waiting room. The dated magazines on the table have been read and re-read. The wall clock moves in slow motion, and the family waits. A dark spot on an X-ray demanded attention. "We just don’t know," the surgeon had said. "We’ll have to go in and check." Now he appears, a loosened surgical mask around his neck, ...

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