Sermon and Worship Resources

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Showing 126 to 150 of 4938 results

126. Falling Into Faith

Genesis 15:1-12, 17-18

Sermon

Charley Reeb

Woody Allen once quipped, “If there is a God, he is the ultimate under-achiever.” This statement is a stinging indictment, especially for those who have high expectations of God. Some may even find it offensive. It is unthinkable that God would want to do less than the very best for the world. However, these deflating words are not too distant from the attitude of Abraham at the beginning of Genesis 15. Abraham has waited expectantly for the child that God has promised him and anticipated the joy of a son ...

127. Where Does One Go When Darkness Floods One’s Life?

Genesis 32:22-32

Sermon

James Cobb

There are many places in the providence of God where he waits to meet with us. But there is one strange place where he can always be found. The Psalmist has described the place as the place called wits-end. In the 107th Psalm, verse 28 the Psalmist declares, "They are at their wits-end then they cry to God in their trouble." The place called wits-end is the place of our frustrations and despair. It is the place where we come to the end of our strength and wisdom and are thereby brought to that humility and ...

128. Going The Wrong Way On A One Way Street

Mark 2:23-3:6

Sermon

Ron Lavin

Have you ever made a wrong turn and found yourself going the wrong way on a one way street? I did that not long ago. It certainly was unnerving. One man, who made this mistake said, "I just figured I was late and everyone was coming home." God has a clear one way street for living the good life: "Believe in me and serve your neighbor." That’s what the sabbath day is about: rediscovering God and our neighbor. Anything short of that is as self-defeating as driving your car against traffic on a superhighway. ...

129. Where Can I Go From Your Spirit?

Psalm 139:1-24

Eulogy

Barbara G. Schmitz

Music: Come, Gracious Spirit When Jesus preached his famous Sermon on the Mount, one of the things he said was, "Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted." Today, as we gather together to pray, we know firsthand the promise of Christ's words. For it is natural, at such a time as this, to turn to the Holy Spirit, the Holy Comforter, as Jesus called the Spirit. We pray that the Spirit at this time of Pentecost may fall fresh on us again, to surround and protect and comfort us in our time of ...

130. Turning Potholes into Mud Puddles on the Bethlehem Road

Luke 3:1-20

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

Did you hear? NASA is already testing prototypes of space suits for the first astronauts who will walk on the surface of Mars. Scientists are hoping this event might happen around 2030. That means by the time all the infants playing baby Jesus in this year’s bathrobe dramas known as “Christmas pageants” are getting their driver’s permits! Right now the space suit design weighs about one hundred pounds and completely encases whoever wears the suit within a separate, sealed environment. The environment on ...

131. Second Thoughts

Luke 10:25-37

Sermon

Robert Beringer

Sooner or later the spiritual journey we make as followers of Jesus Christ leads us to a Jericho Road. The Jerusalem-Jericho Road of Jesus' day was the scene of one of the most compelling stories our Lord ever told. To this day, the actual road is little more than a strip of rocky terrain which leads us from Jerusalem south to the village of Jericho. What is remarkable is that in just 15 miles, the elevation drops from 2,400 feet above sea level to 1,400 feet below sea level at the Dead Sea. (I will always ...

132. God Turns Even Grief And Death Around

Eulogy

Joe Barone

Genesis 18:9-15Romans 8:31-39 and Luke 1:46-55 Whenever I come to bury someone who’s lived in deep pain or great poverty, I’m almost overwhelmed. I told a minister one time, “Sometimes I wonder why people have to die the way they have to die,” and he looked at me with tears in his eyes and said, “Sometimes I wonder why they have to live the way they have to live.” I have a friend who is a Christian clown. Everything she does is based on Scripture. And one of her favorite Scriptures is the Scripture from ...

133. Turning Up the Pressure

Job 2:1-13

Teach the Text

Daniel J. Estes

Big Idea: Despite increased adversity, Job reasserts his complete commitment to the sovereign Lord. Understanding the Text Job 2 completes the prologue, which sets the scene for a thorough discussion of a godly response to adversity. Much of the language of 1:6–22 is repeated and intensified in 2:1–10, as the writer uses the technique of repetition with variation to build suspense and interest. When Yahweh’s words in 2:3 are compared to his earlier description of Job in 1:8, it is evident that the first ...

134. Can Two Stay One?

John 13:31-38

Sermon

James Merritt

Many of you either have heard of or remember the famous daredevil Evil Knievel. He was famous for jumping motorcycles over cars, trucks, tractor trailers, and even tried to jump a rocket propelled motorbike over the Grand Canyon. Before all of his jumps he would look into the camera and give this disclaimer: “Kids, don’t try this at home.” The following story I am going to tell you is true, but if you are single and contemplate getting married one day, don’t try this at home. On my very first date with ...

135. Surviving the Big One

Matthew 18:10-14

Sermon

James Merritt

Men, when it comes to women, there is one thing that is absolutely true. Women, when it comes to men, there is one thing that is absolutely true. You’ve heard it before, “You can’t live with them and you can’t live without them.” There is some truth in that old saying and here is why. Relationships are messy. Relationships are just like newborn babies. Every once in a while they mess on themselves and you have to clean them up. You would think that families would have it together. The people who are ...

136. One-Way Street

John 14:5-14

Sermon

James Merritt

It is one of the most photographed streets in America. It is one of the most famous streets in America. Amazingly, it is only one block long, yet tourists will come from all over the world and rent a car just to drive on this street. You may not recognize the name of the street, but you will most probably recognize the picture of it. [Show photo of Lombard Street in San Francisco] This is Lombard Street in San Francisco. The hill is so steep that it would be too dangerous for most vehicles to travel in ...

137. One Commandment is Enough!

Exodus 20:1-21

Sermon

Rules, commandments, and laws are nothing new. For instance, everyone knows Murphy's Law: "If there is a possibility that something will go wrong, it will." Or how about the Law of Gardening: "You get the most of what you need the least." Jones' Rule of the Road is: "The easiest way to fold a map is differently." I like Erma Bombeck's Rule of Medicine: "Never go to a doctor whose office plants have died." One of my favorites is Agnes Allen's Law: "Almost anything is easier to get into than out of." But no ...

138. A Ewe Turn

2 Samuel 12:1-31

Sermon

He made an abrupt U-turn on Easy Street. His applecart of greed was overturned. Max Factor makeup could not mask the portrait of guilt sketched on his face. His gut growled with the gruff voice of self-loathing. Shame squeezed his body with the smothering grip of a boa constrictor. Portrait of a robber baron. Portrait of a bad shepherd whose blackest sheep was his own soul. Portrait of a thief who had discovered his own hand caught in the cookie jar. His Rip Van Winkle soul had been awakened by the still ...

139. Turn on the Lights

John 1:1-18

Sermon

Paul E. Flesner

Many people don't realize the extent of the preparations involved when the President of the United States makes a visit to a local community. A raft of Secret Service personnel check out every building along the route he will travel and near the place he will be appearing. They go over each building with a fine tooth comb from roof to basement in their efforts to prepare for his safety. We often refer to them as "advance persons." They work invisibly behind the scenes to make sure that everything is ready ...

140. The Only One Who Is Number One

Exodus 20:1-3

Sermon

James Merritt

This is the beginning of a series of messages on the Ten Commandments I have entitled, "Playing by the rules: God's game plan for godliness." We live in a universe that is governed by certain rules. In fact, if there were no rules, the cosmos would become chaos. If 2 + 2 did not always = 4, mathematics would be impossible; if E did not = MC2 , physics would go out the window. Without rules, football, basketball, baseball, and every other sport would be a thing of the past. If we did not have rules, ...

141. 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 ...

142. Are You the One?

Matthew 11:1-19

Sermon

David E. Leininger

A few years ago in Reader's Digest a lady reported searching for the perfect birthday card for her husband. She came across a promising one. On the outside it read: "Sweetheart, you're the answer to my prayers." Then she turned to the inside, which was inscribed like this: "You're not what I prayed for exactly, but apparently you are the answer."(1) OK. In a strange way, I will bet that something like that was running through John's mind as he sat there in that prison. He and his people had hoped and ...

143. No One Is Righteous

Romans 3:9-20

Understanding Series

James R. Edwards

With devastating finality Paul now concludes the long discussion of the guilt of humanity which began in 1:18. The passage falls into three parts: a summation of the argument of 3:1–8 (v. 9); a series of proof texts from the OT on the moral failure of humanity (vv. 10–18); and a conclusion that the law is powerless to save (vv. 19–20). Paul enters the final round against his fellow Jews who suppose that the advantage of the law (3:2) secures favor with God. Since 2:1 he has attacked Jewish presumption to ...

144. One Bad Apple

Matthew 26:47-56

Sermon

Donald B. Strobe

At Saratoga, on a battlefield that once was covered with British and American blood, there stands a monument, 155 feet high. The monument is there to commemorate that decisive struggle in which the British made their last stand over two centuries ago. Around the base of this monument are four deep niches, and in each niche appears the name of one of the American generals who commanded there. Above the names stand giant bronze figures on horseback. In the first stands Horatio Gates; in the second, Philip ...

145. On Claiming One’s Inheritance

Mark 10:17-31

Sermon

Donald B. Strobe

As the salesman came to the front door, he turned to the little boy sitting on the steps and asked, “Is your mother home?” The boy said “Yes,” and the salesman began to ring the doorbell. After several rings and no response, he turned to the boy and said, “I thought you said that your mother was home.” To which the boy replied, “She is, but this isn’t my house.” Sometimes we get the wrong answers because we don’t ask the right questions. In Mark 10, we read: “And as he was setting out on his journey, a man ...

146. One Body, Many Parts

1 Corinthians 12:12-31

Understanding Series

Marion L. Soards

In three striking movements these verses introduce (vv. 12–13), develop (vv. 14–26), and apply (vv. 27–31) Paul’s best-known ecclesiastical metaphor: the body of Christ. Scholars debate the exact background from which Paul may have drawn inspiration for developing this memorable image for the church. Paul is likely to have encountered the thinking of Stoic philosophers, some of whom spoke of the cosmos in its unity as a body, and Jewish wisdom thinking, which often reflected upon the idea of corporate ...

147. The Fruit of One's Doing

Jeremiah 16:1--17:18

Sermon

Harry N. Huxhold

A biography of Humphrey Bogart by Sperber and Lax portrays the star of the golden era of Hollywood as a troubled man. Bogart reached stardom in Hollywood as only a limited number have. He was the leading male box office attraction. He was financially secure. He married Lauren Bacall. Yet his discomfort with what he did was obvious always to those who knew him. He worked intensely at his craft. Yet one day while on the set making a new film, he remarked, “What a way to make a living!” On one occasion a ...

148. The One Thing God Can Not Do

2 Timothy 1:1-2:13

Sermon

King Duncan

I don’t know about you, but one of the constants in my life is time spent with God. I depend on time spent in prayer. I lean heavily on the belief that God loves me and that God responds to my concerns. However, suppose when I went to God, I got God’s voice mail instead? Suppose I got an automated voice saying: “Thank you for calling My Father’s House. Please select one of the following four options: Press 1 for a request. Press 2 to give thanks. Press 3 to complain. For all other inquiries, press 4.” So I ...

149. If I Only Had One Wish

2 Chronicles 1:1-12

Sermon

James Merritt

We have all thrilled to the story of "Aladdin and the Magic Lamp" in The Arabian Knights. As you remember, Aladdin finds a magic lamp that, when rubbed, produces a genie who has the power to grant his every wish. We have all imagined finding such a lamp and making certain wishes. So let me ask you a fun question: If you found such a lamp, and you could have one wish, what would you wish for? A humorous story I read illustrates that this requires a great deal of thought. There were three men marooned on a ...

150. Can One Become Two?

Matthew 19:1-12

Sermon

James Merritt

A couple in Sweetwater Texas had a lot of potted plants, and while watching TV the weatherman predicted a cold front coming through. The husband suggests that they bring in the potted plants. The wife goes outside to bring them indoors to protect them from freezing. It turned out that a little garden grass snake was hidden in one of the plants and after it got warm, it crawled out on the floor. The wife saw it just as it went under the couch and she begins screaming hysterically. Her husband who had gotten ...

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