Sermon and Worship Resources

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Showing 126 to 150 of 307 results

126. Broken and Beautiful

Luke 18:9-14, Psalm 51:1-19

Sermon

Bill Bouknight

... horses are utterly subservient to the will of the driver. They do not "do their own thing" or willfully pull in any direction they choose. They march in majestic tandem, following the direction of their driver. That is "brokenness" in the biblical sense. It means to renounce self-will so as to serve the will of Christ. It means to be like clay in the hands of our God. King David uttered Psalm 51 as a heart-felt confession, following his indictment by God for adultery and murder. Despite his failings, David ...

127. Dual Citizenship I - What Do We Owe To Our Country?

Matthew 22:15-22

Sermon

Bill Bouknight

... The guest speaker was himself a naturalized citizen. Today he is a vice-president of a bank. His very presence spoke volumes about the American dream. Finally, the new citizens stood to take their vows. But before they could do so, they first had to renounce their previous citizenship, whatever it was. You can be a citizen of only one nation at a time. Then altogether, with tears flowing down their cheeks, they declared, "I pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America..." I want to declare ...

128. The King's Reception (What Are You Wearing to the Wedding?)

Matthew 22:1-14

Sermon

Brett Blair

... material possessions and family ties. He saw how absorbing they can be. He saw how completely they can use up one’s thoughts and affections, so that nothing is left over for the higher things in life. And it is a mistaken notion to think that one must renounce business and family to follow God. Vows of poverty and celibacy for everyone is nowhere enjoined by Christ. All that is required is that we keep the claims of His Kingdom first in our lives. What is needed here is a right sense of value and a wise ...

129. Christmas 1

Isaiah 9:1-7, Titus 2:1-15, Luke 2:1-7, Luke 2:8-20

Bulletin Aid

Paul A. Laughlin

... may help to realize in part the Kingdom that you surely will establish in full glory through Jesus Christ. Amen Prayer of Confession Almighty and compassionate God, we regret that we have not lived graceful lives in response to your gracious gift: we have not renounced our godless ways, forsaken our worldly values, or lived our lives in temperance, honesty and righteousness. Forgive us, we pray, and teach us to draw our example and our strength from the child who was born in grace and who will come again in ...

130. Epiphany 3

Jonah 3:1-10, 1 Corinthians 7:1-40, Mark 1:1-8, Mark 1:9-13, Mark 1:14-20

Bulletin Aid

Paul A. Laughlin

... 29-31 (32-35) Theme: An ethics of detachment for a perishing world Exegetical note Writing with an urgency that stems from his belief in the imminent parousia, Paul sketches an interim ethics of detachment (but not withdrawal) that relativizes (without renouncing) worldly goods, relationships, and involvements because they are transient and provisional rather than lasting or final. Call to Worship Leader: Arise, people of God! For we are called to be different! People: GOD CALLS US IN CHRIST TO VALUE THINGS ...

131. The Promise Of Life ("U" Turns Permitted)

2 Samuel 12:1-31

Sermon

Roger Prescott

... for the man’s children. The poor man loved this lamb as one of his children. Yet one day the wealthy man decided to take that poor man’s ewe lamb, even though he himself had many. David’s response to this tale was what Nathan had hoped for. He renounced the rich man and gave his royal opinion angrily: As the Lord lives, the man who has done this deserves to die; and he shall restore the lamb fourfold, because he did this thing, and because he had no pity. - 2 Samuel 12:5-6 Then follows one of the ...

132. Francis of Assisi

1 Corinthians 1:18--2:5

Drama

Michael L. Sherer

... -working folk. The Cardinal of St. Sabina, however, seems to have prevailed upon the Pope to allow the group to organize, arguing that Francis and his friends were only asking permission to do what the New Testament already commands all Christians to be doing: renounce wealth and preach the good news of Christ. Inside sources suggest the Pope’s resistance may have been related to the fact that the Vatican is caught in an embarrassment of wealth these days, and that the Holy Father’s robes were in stark ...

133. Why Must We Carry A Cross?

Mark 8:31-38

Sermon

Brett Blair

... blood, toil, tears, and sweat." The Italian freedom fighter Gerabaldi told his followers that he offered them only hunger and death. These were demanding leaders, but Jesus was a thousand times more demanding then they were. Jesus said, "So, therefore, whoever of you does not renounce all that he has cannot be my disciple." Possession cannot stand between you and the Lord. Jesus went so far as to say, "If anyone comes to me and does not hate his own mother and father, his wife and children, his brothers and ...

134. Then He Went Home

Mark 3:20-30

Sermon

Ron Lavin

... ? A nation? Nation with nation? A return to God! "If you return, I will restore you," says the Lord. Repentance unites us. "Who is family to me?" Jesus asked. "Those who do the will of my Father. Those who return to my Father. Those who repent. Those who renounce their evil ways." "My family is not perfect. Every member of my family is a sinner, but a sinner who repents of his sins and keeps coming back to my Father," Jesus teaches. "If you return, I will restore you," says the Lord. Jesus went home one day ...

135. Heal the Sick; Cast Out the Demons

Matthew 10:5-8

Sermon

Ron Lavin

... of the human being or the exterior dimensions of what Saint Paul calls "the powers of the air" (Ephesians 2:2) or "the Principalities and Powers" (Ephesians 1:21; 6:12; Romans 8:38; Colossians 1:16; 2:10; 2:15). In the Baptismal service parents are asked to renounce "the Devil and all his ways," not because we know about the details of the Devil, but because we recognize that there is a power of evil within us and around us which is stronger than we are. There is a lot which we don’t know. One thing ...

136. Clear and Clean and Good

Titus 2:1-15

Sermon

T. A. Kantonen

... of hell is the fire of a tortured conscience. Thanks be to the Savior who purifies our conscience from dead works to serve the living God. Thirdly, the coming of Christ means that life can be good. The grace of salvation, says the apostle, "trains us to renounce irreligion and worldly passions and to live sober, upright, and godly lives in the world." It produces people "who are zealous for good deeds." The apostle is careful to point out that it is not these good deeds of ours that save us. "He saved us ...

137. Why Prophets Get Under Our Skin

Luke 3:1-20

Sermon

Maurice A. Fetty

... I.R.S. not to extort through taxes. And possibly those cheering the loudest would be those multi-millionaires Forbes magazine calls "The New Refugees." In a recent article (Nov. 21, 1994, p. 131), Forbes says that quite a number of rich Americans are renouncing their U.S. citizenship to live in places like the Bahamas and Bermuda where they are not taxed to death. Francis Mirabello, a Philadelphia lawyer, spoke in Bermuda this fall at a conference regarding offshore money. He said, "I talk to a new client ...

138. With All Your Heart

Joel 2:12-17, Joel 2:1-11

Sermon

Carlyle Fielding Stewart

... say we have sinned is one thing. To turn away from sinful ways is quite another thing. God wants a repenting heart. A heart that is open to being used by God to set new directions for the future. The conviction of sin causes an action that renounces and turns away from sin. Repenting of sin is turning toward God for resolution and deliverance from the conditions of sin. The heart that acknowledges God, confesses its sin, and returns to God in word and action is truly a heart that God is seeking. Actually to ...

139. While He May Be Found

Isaiah 55:1-13

Sermon

Carlyle Fielding Stewart

Isaiah issues a four-part injunction to the people of Judah to return to God, to renounce their iniquities, and to reaffirm the promises of the Davidic Covenant: come (55:1), listen (55:2), seek, and call on God while he is near and can be found (55:6). This plea is pertinent to Christians during this season of Lent, a season of exile and return, renewal ...

140. The Children of Promise

Jeremiah 30:1--31:40

Sermon

Harry N. Huxhold

... experience the return from exile by the hand of God will be repentant. However, their repentance will appear differently than we normally expect. Usually we think of people groveling in the dust and ashes as they mourn over their sinfulness and renounce their stubbornness. This time, however, the repentance obviously would be different. It was not as though the remnant had no sorrow for their sins. This people will have had their days of mourning and sorrow for their rebelliousness and their indifference ...

141. The World Is Crowded With Gethsemanes

Luke 22:39-46

Sermon

Brett Blair

... will not fall into temptation.” Now that’s odd. You would expect Jesus to say, pray that you are able to endure the hardship to come. But hardship brings temptation: Temptation to compromise our principles, temptation to pursue pleasure over adversity, temptation to renounce our faith in God. Peter, James and John quickly learned this lesson as they denied that they knew Jesus. They left the scene of his betrayal afraid for their own lives. They did not pray so they did not stay. Prayer helps us cope ...

142. The Apostles' Creed: "Suffered, Dead, and Buried..."

Mark 15:1-15

Sermon

David E. Leininger

... were willing to give up what their leader considered wrong methods. Such is the stuff of moral influence. This is what some scholars want to say concerning the way the death of Christ affects us. We see what he went through and are so moved that we renounce our evil and everyone lives happily ever after. The only problem is there are lots of folks who have never heard the story, so they cannot respond. Hmm. Another approach. This one is the RANSOM TO THE DEVIL theory. This one has the devil offering God the ...

143. Sonny Moneybags

Luke 15:11-32

Sermon

David E. Leininger

... . After all, Junior was the one that got the laughs. I wonder what would have happened had Junior met Sonny on the road instead of their father. I doubt that the boy would have ever made it to the house. Sonny would have rightfully pointed out that Junior had renounced this place in favor of another. Just because things had not worked out as well as planned was no reason in the world for him to be welcomed back with open arms by these people whom, not so long ago, he had said he could care less about. It ...

144. The Triumphant Christ

Revelation 1:1-3

Sermon

King Duncan

... the telephone (not Alexander Graham Bell) was thrown in jail for twenty years for his "heresy" that people could talk over wire. (3) In June 1633, Galileo, then seventy years of age, was forced to kneel before the Inquisitional Tribunal of Rome and renounce the Copernican theory, a concept that was to make possible the modern science of physics. Each of these apostles of truth was persecuted because their perceptions did not conform to the accepted norm. But you can't bury truth. Sooner or later truth ...

145. Last Words

Luke 24:36-49

Sermon

King Duncan

... , that just ain’t so. Last words more often reflect the personalities and humor of the individuals more deeply. Voltaire, a French Enlightenment writer, historian, and philosopher known for his wit and criticism of Christianity, reportedly said, when asked by a priest to renounce Satan, "This is no time to make new enemies." Oscar Wilde, an Irish poet and playwright known for his epigrams, said, "Either that wallpaper goes, or I do." This was in reference to the wallpaper in his room at the hotel where he ...

146. In Defense Of Ceremony

Luke 3:15-17, 21-22

Sermon

King Duncan

... never place too much emphasis on this sacred rite. Henry E. Horn once described baptism as the early church practiced it on the island of Rhodes. Listen to his vivid words: "Converts would...face away from the font toward the West, still dark, and renounce the powers of darkness--a particularly fearsome thing to do when they knew that this made them outlaws. Next, they went down into the water and were submerged three times into the life of Christ,gasping "I believe" before each submersion. Then they were ...

147. Set Free

Ephesians 1:1-14

Sermon

King Duncan

... next to me start to the front, and well, there I’d go again. I joined the Methodist Church at least thirty times when I was a kid. Every time I’d do something bad, I’d go join the church again. I’d walk down to the front and renounce my sins and ask Jesus Christ to come into my heart. And all of a sudden I had a new slate in the eyes of the Church. Then I’d slip off and smoke a long strip of cedar bark rolled up in a newspaper ” and suddenly I was back ...

148. Beyond Temptation

Matthew 4:1-11

Sermon

King Duncan

... closed and doors locked. They began singing a hymn quietly but with deep emotion. Suddenly, the door was pushed open and in walked two soldiers with loaded automatic weapons. One shouted, "All right ” everybody line up against the wall. If you wish to renounce your commitment to Jesus Christ, leave now!" Two or three quickly left, then another. After a few seconds a few more. "This is your last chance. Either turn against your faith in Christ," he ordered, "or stay and suffer the consequences." Another ...

149. Dogsleds And Dogged Determination

Luke 9:57-62

Sermon

King Duncan

... strong in their faith, confident that they were doing God's will. Perpetua reported that the suffering she experienced in prison only brought her closer to God, and increased her joy and peace. Twice, Perpetua's father came to the jail and begged her to renounce her faith. He was from a noble, well-connected family, and he could have assured her freedom if she had cooperated. Though it broke her heart to refuse him, she held fast. The day before they were executed, this tiny band of Christians gathered ...

150. Heroes

Revelation 7:9-17

Sermon

King Duncan

... decisions. AND HEROES MAKE PAINFUL SACRIFICES. Heroes are committed people who are willing to pay the price of their convictions. There was a time when dreadful battles raged in Scotland. In one of these battles the Marquis of Huntly was captured. His captors demanded that he renounce his loyalty to King James--or else lose his head on the chopping block. It took him no time at all to respond. He was ready. He spoke with firmness: “You can take my head from my shoulders, but you will never take my heart ...

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