Sermon and Worship Resources

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Showing 1476 to 1500 of 4938 results

1476. Gratitude Takes Practice

Luke 17:11-19

Sermon

Maxie Dunnam

... , he concluded, the purpose of the university is "to equip you for the struggles of life, not to guarantee you victory." Well, that's a model of faith as well. That's what faith enables us to do to continue the struggle, to keep on, to refuse to give up. Because, often we have to act in faith before the work of faith is actualized. As the lepers went their way they noticed they were healed. III. With those two learnings, we come now to the focus of the sermon: Gratitude Takes Practice. Let's read verses 15 ...

1477. Out of Order

Mark 6:30-44

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

... Clusters, peanut butter and cheese crackers, and instant bad-breath nacho chips tempting you from behind two inches of unbreakable safety glass. No amount of change, no amount of jostling, kicking, glass-thumping, or swearing will convince those out-of-order machines to give up their empty, fat-laden calories. The goodies seem within easy reach. But the goodies are totally inaccessible. How many people do you know who have all sorts of goodies, all kinds of goodness locked inside them, but you can't get to ...

1478. Ephesians 4:25-5:2

Ephesians 4:25-5:2

Sweet

Leonard Sweet

... us to be emotionless, but neither does he give us the latitude to create an environment for nurturing grudges and rivalry, a "room for the devil." Paul's counsel continues to emphasize the traditional communal values of the commandments (he advises thieves to give up stealing and aid those in need). But it is not only actions but Etudes that Paul wants Christians to adjust. Verses 29-32 stipulate the criteria which must prevail as Christians consider their words, thoughts and deeds. Building up" the body of ...

1479. Ephesians 4:25-5:2

Ephesians 4:25-5:2

Sweet

Leonard Sweet

1480. Chocolat

Luke 4:1-13

Illustration

John Woods

... chocolate smells. You can't help but think that the townsfolk had missed the point – especially when one of the most self-righteous characters breaks into the shop and gorges on the chocolates inside. Lent is not about that kind of ‘self-denial.' There is very little value in simply giving up stuff! It's about giving stuff. Namely, the giving of your life to Christ. Giving up stuff for Lent, as the rest of the New Testament reminds us, does not really achieve anything.

1481. When You’re Free (In Christ), Sacrifice Is No Burden!

Matthew 10:24-39

Sermon

Mark Ellingsen

... fully alive when we're helping others."8 Where he's got it wrong, it seems to me, is that he hasn't appreciated how profound and radical the sacrifice we are called to make is. It is a total renunciation, which we can't really execute. Who can give up mother, father, child, and spouse the way Jesus teaches? It is not natural. It can only be done when your self is totally saturated by the only one who is worthy of love, whose love has so overwhelmed you that you forget about and get free from yourself. God ...

1482. Stop, Drop, Cover, and Roll!

Isaiah 7:10-16

Sermon

Tony Everett

... be faint" because of the "smoldering stumps of firebrands ... who have plotted evil against you" (Isaiah 7:4-5). Speaking even more directly, the Lord God promises, "It shall not stand, and it shall not come to pass" (Isaiah 7:7). Ahaz just wasn't able to give up control. He stood firm in his faith, all right; his faith in himself and his own need to be in control of events. In fact, he even allowed himself to be persuaded to seek aid from mighty Assyria. He did this by recognizing Assyrian supremacy over ...

1483. The Victory Is Ours

Revelation 7:9-17

Sermon

Timothy J. Smith

... victims but rather victors. Thanks to Jesus the battle has already been fought and won. In the end the people will answer the question yes — everything they endured was worth it. John's vision has brought hope to millions of believers. When we feel like giving up, falling prey to the allure of Babylon, when the cost of discipleship seems too great, we need to remember that the victory is already ours — thanks be to Jesus. One day we shall join those who have gone before us, we will join in the grand ...

1484. Proper 9

2 Kings 5:1-14, Psalm 30:1-12; 66:1-20, Isaiah 60:10-14, Luke 10:1-24, Galatians 6:1-16

Bulletin Aid

Julia Ross Strope

... ! When we look around, we see a society that markets things to fill our homes and to decorate our bodies and to keep up with our neighbors. But our souls are not satisfied. We are easily seduced by lithe youthfulness and savvy technology. We give up companionship and community for solitary tasks and before we know it we feel alone in the world. Free us from these temptations and help us promote the community of the Holy Spirit. Coax us from our private journeys into aspirations for the common good — of ...

1485. The Bread Of God

Exodus 16:1-36

Sermon

King Duncan

... could not believe that God would supply their daily needs. Discontent gives us a slippery memory. They murmured among themselves and wished to get back to the fleshpots of Egypt. But when they were in Egypt, they shrieked about oppression and were ready to give up anything for liberty; when they got liberty, they were ready to put their necks in the noose again, if only they could have their stomachs filled. How very human they were"”never satisfied with today. Always looking to the future or back to the ...

1486. Give, Give, Give

Mark 12:41-44

Illustration

... 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 life is not by taking all that we can get, but by sharing all that we have got.

1487. Which Way To Jesus?

John 12:20-36

Sermon

Harry N. Huxhold

... was realistic about what would transpire in his life. It was also realistic about what has to happen in our lives. However, the benefits are all ours. If following Jesus appears difficult because we think we have something in ourselves or the world that we cannot give up, Jesus says we are bound to lose it. Following him through the cross, however, not only guarantees that we have eternal life, but we also live in the presence of Christ. Christ is present with us now. He gives the signs of that in the ...

1488. The Crux Of Being A Christian

Luke 14:25-35

Sermon

Richard Patt

... is this painful thing, this crux about which Jesus speaks here? What is it for which Jesus shockingly announces we should be willing to hate father and mother, spouse, children, and all the rest of the family? What is it for which we must be willing to give up everything? What is the thing about which, as Jesus puts it, we should "count the cost"? At first we are probably tempted to think that it is something like "our salvation" or "our faith in Christ." But, you see, upon closer analysis we would have to ...

1489. God's Passionate Concern

Luke 14:25-35

Sermon

Richard Patt

1490. The Chain Of Command

Luke 7:1-10

Sermon

Alexander H. Wales

... what was. Why is it so hard for us to have that kind of faith? Why is it that we need proof, need to see more than we do to believe? I think that part of our problem is that we are caught by our doubt and our inability to give up control. We want to know before we can believe. We want to see before we can walk. We do not like the idea that someone has that much control over us. This Roman soldier lived his life as part of the chain of command. There were people above him and ...

1491. Church As Redemptive Community

Acts 4:32-37

Sermon

E. Carver McGriff

... people who were still euphoric from the recent infusion of the Holy Spirit. Filled with love for the people around them in life, they wanted to share. They were compassionate toward those who hadn't enough, and generous to the point they were willing to give up their hard-earned possessions for the sake of the needy. We would be petty indeed to find fault with that. The problem is, of course, they were later to discover that although the Holy Spirit does bring a new dimension of sacrificial love, it doesn ...

1492. The Return Of The Lost

Luke 15:1-7

Sermon

Donald Dotterer

... their chores. But to no avail. The little boy had not been there. In that particular rural area there were huge wheat fields in all directions. The local residents organized a search party. But it was so dark and rainy that they soon had to give up the search. At daybreak the next morning a larger search party went out again. Frustrated by the lack of success, one man called everyone together and said: "This is crazy. We're running every which way without any plan or organization or attempt to work ...

1493. Epiphany 7

Mark 2:1-12

Bulletin Aid

Dennis Koch

... O God, O Lord Of Heaven And Earth Prayer for Epiphany 7 What did the people think would happen, Lord? Jesus was preaching the word and the crowd was listening. There was no room to stand inside or near the doorway outside. But the friends of the paralytic did not give up! They climbed up on the roof, made an opening, and lowered their friend down to Jesus. Jesus saw their faith and said the word again, "Your sins are forgiven!" The paralytic heard the word and was set free. We will not ...

1494. Hard Times May Drop In For A Visit

Ezekiel 37:1-14

Sermon

Joann Hary

... were clean cut off from God. And they must have wondered why God would let this happen. After all, they were God's chosen people. "Was God too weak to protect them?" they wondered. "Or was God dead?" Through Ezekiel God lets them know that they should not give up hope. After receiving the vision from God that said, "It is time to breathe new life into the people," Ezekiel encouraged them. He helped them make plans for a new temple, a new city, a new life. And with the coming of Cyrus some 50 or so years ...

1495. Everybody Pray!

Matthew 15:21-28

Sermon

... pride about a job and career long ended, but still vivid in his memory. When I visit him he says, "I pray a lot. It does me good. I come to the Lord with my life each day, and I know he surrounds me and keeps me. I'll never give up praying to the Lord." This man, I say, in the beauty of his humble faith, has been a great teacher to me about prayer. Many years ago in this country the slaves of the South became great teachers of Christianity when they left us the heritage of their prayers in ...

1496. If Only We Would Accept Responsibility ...

Ezekiel 33:1-20

Sermon

Wallace H. Kirby

... watchman failed to give a warning, he was to be held responsible for those killed by the invaders. Ezekiel was keenly aware that he had been called to be God’s watchman, to be a messenger to warn the Israelites of impending destruction for those who did not give up their evil ways. The twofold responsibility of God’s messenger and those to whom he was sent is clearly spelled out by this Old Testament prophet. How often have you and I blamed God for some of the things that happen to us, even some of the ...

1497. The Violence Within, The Violence Without

Zephaniah 3:1-20

Sermon

... the fraud and violence may appear in more subtle and even more devastating forms. The refinement of Pharisaic violence and fraud is one form. The doctrine of "What’s the use? what good will it do anyhow?" is another. The plain, ordinary "giving up" is another. The fancy words for it are anomie, acidia, indifference, malaise, boredom. "Not Pilate, not Herod, not Caiaphas, not Judas fastened on Jesus Christ the reproach of insipidity," writes Dorothy Sayers. "That was left for pious hands to inflict. To ...

1498. A New Plan for Lent

Joel 1:1-12

Sermon

... struck out. The police are on strike! Parades are canceled. Visitors are not visiting, citizens not celebrating. No one laughs, no one revels, no one is even tipsy, let alone drunk. Is this any way to begin Lent - somber and sober? Businessmen are giving up their profits for Lent because of lack of customers. Families are tightening their belts, picking at meager meals, afraid, without police, to venture to the supermarket, let alone risk a restaurant. Is this any way to begin Lent - hapless and hungry? Of ...

1499. Our Midian Moment

Illustration

Staff

... ; he had given up his great ideal. He was a shepherd now, keeping Jethro's sheep, hoping nobody would find him in the mountains to which he had fled. But God found him. And God turned him around. Out of a burning bush God said, in effect, "Moses, don't give up on your dream." Your ideal is good, your goal is worthy, said God. Go down there and bring my people out, God said; but this time do it my way, and I will be with you, and this time you will not fail. Well, you know the story: Moses did ...

1500. A Tale to be Told

Matthew 23:1-39

Sermon

George Bass

... could in foreign lands. Customs generally change slowly, and holding on to them sometimes is quite costly, but people often refuse to relinquish them. Alpheus Shikwaya, a pastor from Namibia who has been studying at our seminary, tells about a woman who was unable to give up village customs. Her child was ill and Pastor Shikwaya said to her, "Take him to the doctor." She said that she had no money, but she had pigs, oxen, and goats. "She said she was too poor to help her child." When the child died, she ...

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