Sermon and Worship Resources

Showing 1476 to 1500 of 5000 results

Romans 8:22-27

Sermon

Gibson “Nibs” Stroupe

... for us and for the world, with a renewed sense of hope and possibility. Because we are asked to stay in the world, Paul reminds us that life in the Spirit will be characterized by struggle. Life in the spirit is not all sweetness and light — it is often marked by struggle. The power of the idols is so deeply rooted in our view of ourselves, and our view of God and the world, that we will often find ourselves in dilemma. This is not news to us — we know what Paul means when he says, "we groan inwardly ...

1477. Don't Mess with the IRS

Matthew 22:15-22

Sermon

King Duncan

... pay for our schools, our military and all the benefits of a free and affluent land. In much the same way we give to God in order that the Gospel may be proclaimed and that future generations may have the same spiritual benefits that we enjoy. Mark Sanborn is a well-known writer and motivational speaker. In one of his books, he tells about a friend of his, now deceased, who was well-known in business circles. His name was Charlie “Tremendous” Jones. Some of you know about this dynamic sales personality ...

1478. Enough Spirit to Go Around!

Acts 10:44-48

Sermon

Ken Lentz

... the reader like the account in Acts 2 that led one leading one New Testament scholar to declare that it was an event marked by "a freight-train-sized sound of wind from Heaven, tongues of fire dancing on heads of disciples ... cries of amazement ... and a ... Saul, David, Solomon, Isaiah, and Jeremiah whispered to him. He saw the same wall, the same stones gazed upon by Peter, John, Mark, Paul, and yes, the great carpenter himself, reaching out to him in the soft breezes and shadows of the evening, Jerusalem ...

1479. An Answer Out of the Whirlwind

Job 38:1-7 (34-41)

Sermon

Robert A. Hausman

... . "Although he was a Son, he learned obedience through what he suffered" (5:8). His suffering was not an aberration, but a part of his perfection. This is God's way, salvation hidden in suffering, hope hidden in despair, life hidden in death. In the gospel for today (Mark 10:35-45), this is what the disciples did not understand. They wanted the best seats in the house, but what they got was the cup of suffering. They wanted to be on the right and left, but what they got was the baptism unto death. This is ...

1480. From Emptiness to Fullness

Ruth 3:1-5, 4:13-17

Sermon

Robert A. Hausman

... story; it would not have lasted this long if there were not. Still, as with Job, we need to contextualize it, or complicate it, in order to avoid a shallow treatment. We can do that by looking at the gospel for today, the story of the widow's mite (Mark 12:38-44). The story of the widow is set in the context of a judgment on material greed and preoccupation with self. There are those, like certain scribes of Jesus' day, who demand respect, walk around in long robes, and take the best seats at banquets. They ...

1481. Do Not Forget Your Servant

1 Samuel 1:4-20

Sermon

Robert A. Hausman

... the mist of insecurity, we seek certitude. The disciples sought such certitude. They were impressed with the empire, at least with its manifestation in great stones and great buildings. Jesus remarks on the impermanence of it all. The gospel lesson is part of what we call Mark's little apocalypse. It talks of judgment, but unlike the popular abuse of this language, it is cautious in its vision. It says, do not be alarmed. The end is still to come. This is only the beginning of the birth pangs. It is about ...

1482. Merciful Anger

Matt 21:18-22; Mark 11:12-19

Illustration

James Packer

... scrap for the handicapped man, nor did they want to see the power and love of God brought to bear on him. There were other instances where Jesus showed anger or sternness. He "sternly charged" the leper whom he had healed not to tell anyone about it (Mark 1:43) because he foresaw the problems of being pursued by a huge crowd of thoughtless people who were interested only in seeing miracles and not in his teaching. But the leper disobeyed and so made things very hard for Jesus. Jesus showed anger again when ...

1483. Pithy, Terse, and Succinct

Mark 1:9-13

Illustration

Luke Bouman

... read and less time to grade. They didn’t imagine, at age 16, that perhaps it meant that they would be better writers. Today, after the advent of the personal computer and the reality of the endless blog on the internet, word conservation is a lost art. Mark, on the other hand, does not have a problem with word conservation. The state of his prose was less important than the scarcity of paper. Or perhaps he just doesn’t want to waste time on details that do not serve his proclamation. Whatever the reason ...

1484. Victorious, but Not Unscarred

John 20:24-31

Sermon

King Duncan

... be with you!’ Then he said to Thomas, ‘Put your finger here; see my hands. Reach out your hand and put it into my side. Stop doubting and believe.’ “Thomas said to him, ‘My Lord and my God!’” Thomas said that unless he could see the nail marks in Christ’s hands and put his finger where the nails were, and put his hand into Christ’s side, he would not believe that Christ was alive. And that is exactly what he experienced. To me, it is significant that though Christ had been resurrected from ...

1485. Getting Back into Shape

John 8:31-36

Sermon

Scott Bryte

... anniversary, and it begs the question, "Is this about something that happened a long time ago, or about what's happening now?" Does the Fourth of July just remember the founding of the country, or does it celebrate the existence of the country? Does a birthday party mark only the day of a person's birth or is it a way of celebrating that person's life? If Reformation Day is just about what happened long ago, then what's the big deal? Put the date in the encyclopedia and on the calendars and be done with ...

1486. You're a Treasure!

Mark 7:24-30

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

... man once again stresses the solitary nature, the one-on-one encounter, between Jesus and a member of the “unclean” population. Jesus separates the man away from the crowd and deals with him “in private” (“kat idian”), a term used everywhere else in Mark to describe Jesus’ secluded moments with his disciples (4:34; 6:31-32; 9:2, 28; 13:3). Once they are alone Jesus focuses fully on the man’s needs, touching his ears and administering spittle, a body fluid that while usually deemed “unclean ...

1487. A Rock Thrown, A Lesson Learned

Mark 12:28-34

Sermon

King Duncan

... message: “Don’t go through life so fast that someone has to throw a brick at you to get your attention!” (1) In Mark 12, we discover the Pharisees, the Sadducees and some of the Herodians trying to trap Jesus. They knew he was stirring up the people ... us. Whoopee! We’re followers of Jesus. I’m sorry to say that many of us who think we are following Jesus have missed the mark altogether. The most important thing Jesus told us to do was to love God and to love our neighbor. What is love to you? A ...

1488. Not So With You

Mark 10:35-45

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

... feet, the filthiest parts of the body in the first century mindset. You don’t wash anyone’s feet without getting your hands dirty and wet. Holiness is not keeping your hands clean, but getting your hands dirty and wet in serving those Jesus loves. The mark of a clean heart? Dirty hands. Question #2: 2) Show me your scars. Do you have any battle-scars from our mission sorties in the world? Tell me your scar stories. In the words of Canadian composer and lyricist Leonard Cohen, “Children show scars like ...

1489. Raised to New Life Today

1 Corinthians 15:12-20

Sermon

Richard Gribble

... positive examples of people, like William Wilberforce, who were given opportunities to change their lives and responded. The call of the apostles is certainly illustrative. When Jesus called, we are told they immediately left family, livelihood, home, and followed him (Matthew 4:18-22; 9:9; Mark 1:16-20; 2:13-14). Indeed, Peter was so taken with the miraculous catch of fish that he did not know how to respond. Thus, he told Jesus, "Go away from me, Lord, for I am a sinful man!" But Jesus told him that in ...

1490. Show Me Your Credentials

2 Corinthians 6:3-13

Sermon

Steven E. Albertin

... credentials, and we are confident in them. Yes, we were made from dust and to dust we shall return. Our lives are fit for the ash heap. We know we are sinners and are willing to admit that ... and even joyfully confess that because our ashen lives have been marked in the sign of the cross of Christ. Because of him, we are not afraid to expose them. We are not so afraid that we must hide them. And the only thing that makes that possible ... and our confession credible ... is Christ and what he did for us on ...

1491. On Not Giving Up

Galatians 6: 7-16

Sermon

April Yamasaki

... them, and then at some point they would switch to their own handwriting as a way of making it more personal, and as a guarantee that the letter was genuine. For example, 2 Thessalonians 3:17 says: "I, Paul, write this greeting in my own hand. This is the mark in every letter of mine; it is the way I write." Here in Galatians, it seems that Paul does the same thing — he takes over from his scribe and writes the end of the letter himself. There's some speculation that Paul wrote in large letters because he ...

1492. The Call of Holiness

Isaiah 6:1-8 (9-13)

Sermon

Derl G. Keefer

... not seen, but come expecting a glimpse of his glory.[4] It is in this humbling experience that we begin to realize that we can be imprinted by his holy mark on our lives. There is nothing in all the world that we can do to imprint ourselves when it comes to holiness. If we have been with God, we will bear his holy mark and people will observe his mark upon our lives. They will see his purity, compassion, joy, reverence, justice, and love stamped all over us. III. A Call To Holiness Is A Call To All People A ...

1493. Pet Peeves and Pet Pleasures

Luke 3:21-38

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

... follow and focus upon it — whether it is a safe or sorry path. Jesus’ “imprint” at his baptism was the voice of his Father declaring the divine pleasure, and the presence of the Holy Spirit, physically and palpably present. No wonder Jesus’ mission was marked by nothing less than joy. French theologian Teilhard de Chardin once said that “Joy is the infallible sign of the presence of God.” But joy is as much the infallible sign of the pleasure, not just the presence, of God. Jesus’ life was ...

1494. John 12:1-8

John 12:1-11

Sweet

Leonard Sweet

... details, discerned by a dozen separate pairs of eyes, will be perceived differently. This week’s gospel text tells of Jesus being anointed. It is a scene that is described in all four gospels, yet each rendition has a separate set of details. Matthew and Mark’s versions (Mark 14:3-9; Matthew 26:6-13) have the most in common. John’s description is very similar. Luke’s description (Luke 7:36-50) has more differences, yet shares details with John, such as the wiping off of Jesus’ feet with the woman ...

1495. Be a Bethany

John 12:1-11

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

1496. Blessed Are Those Who Believe

John 20:19-31

Sermon

King Duncan

... a firm foundation with the bricks others have thrown at him.” Where are you this morning--on the side of the doubters or on the side of the believers? Anybody can be a doubting Thomas. It takes no particular strength of character to say, “Unless I see the nail marks in his hands and put my finger where the nails were, and put my hand into his side, I will not believe.” It does take strength of character to say, “I don’t have all the answers. But I know who is making this world a better place to ...

1497. But First...

Luke 9:57-62

Sermon

King Duncan

... When the rich young ruler asked what he must do to have eternal life, Jesus answered, “One thing you lack: Go your way, sell whatever you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, take up the cross, and follow me” (Mark 10:21). And we read in all three of the Synoptic Gospels the command: “If anyone desires to come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me.” Jesus doesn’t want fans. He wants followers. Jesus wants people who will do more ...

1498. A King Like No Other

Luke 23:26-43

Sermon

King Duncan

... . Friends, these criminals were the people Jesus came to save. On one occasion he declared, “I have come to seek and save that which was lost” (Luke 19:10). And on another occasion he declared, “The well have no need for a physician, but those who are sick” (Mark 2:17) These are the people Jesus gave his life for. We need to remember that. Jesus didn’t come to benefit good people. He came to benefit those who have difficulty being good. Maybe that includes you. I know it includes me. And I need to ...

1499. Remember the Rooster

John 18:25-27

Sermon

King Duncan

... housewife who found comfort in the arms of someone who was not her husband. He died for sinners like you and like me. And, of course, he died for Simon Peter. Someone has said that the most beautiful words in the Bible come after Christ’s resurrection when, in Mark’s Gospel, the women go to the tomb and find it empty and an angel says to them, “Don’t be alarmed. You are looking for Jesus the Nazarene, who was crucified. He has risen! He is not here. See the place where they laid him. But go, tell ...

1500. The Life of Your Table?

Luke 24:13-35

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

... for observant Jews — a way to commemorate the history of Jewish history. For those who follow Jesus, a new tradition was launched in the Upper Room in Jerusalem with the Last Supper. The unleavened bread and the cup of wine offered to his closest disciples marked the first “Passover” of a new era. This was an invitation to a meal where the Lord would always be present, where a gift of hospitality, the offering of food and drink in the name of Jesu Christos, would transform whatever the meal, whatever ...

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