Sermon and Worship Resources

Showing 1476 to 1500 of 2157 results

1 Corinthians 2:1-12 (13-16)

Sermon

John N. Brittain

... gospel and build the church? But would any deny that each medium carries the danger of overshadowing the message? In the early days of cable television, the college I served had a weekly thirty-minute public access slot on which we broadcast trimmed down versions of our chapel services. It began innocently enough. A couple of video cameras and a simple director's control panel were placed in the back of the room and recorded what went on. But a strange thing happened. People actually were watching. I would ...

1477. For Example

Romans 4:1-5, 13-17

Sermon

David O. Bales

... that he was with his followers always, to the end of the world. Livingstone is an example of Christian faith. We see him walking across Africa, struggling over the years and through hardships and tragedies, yet he trusted God's promise. David Livingstone is a modern version of Abraham, living 4,000 years ago, whom Paul, writing a mere 2,000 years ago, holds up as the supreme example of faith. In our text, the apostle Paul instructs a congregation in Rome that he's never visited. He's explaining faith as the ...

1478. Children of the Heavenly Father

Romans 8:12-25

Sermon

Steven E. Albertin

... need to do is to discover the divine already within us and put it to use. Not only will we be redeemed but this world will be a better place because of us. Listen to Dr. Phil or the latest self-help guru and you will hear a version of this. The immensely popular The Da Vinci Code speaks of the human situation in the same way. Jesus is the revealer of the "divine feminine" symbolized by Mary Magdalene. The "divine feminine" is present in all of us. Salvation is discovering the "divine feminine" within us and ...

1479. The World According to Paul

1 Thessalonians 1:1-10

Sermon

Mary S. Lautensleger

... . 3. 2. Alan Taylor, "A life in words," The Sunday Herald, July 27, 2003, http://www.findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_qn4156/is_20030727/ai_n12583836 [accessed June 1, 2006]. 3. For those who have presentation software and projection capabilities: Simon Birch is the movie version of Owen Meany. I used clips from the movie during the first segment of my sermon. During the portion on the Thessalonians and Paul, I showed photographs of Thessalonica, which abound on the internet. 4. John Irving, A Prayer for Owen ...

1480. Luke 15:1-10

Luke 15:1-7

Sweet

Leonard Sweet

... other tellings. Luke’s attention to detail brings this short parable to life, while his carefully chosen vocabulary ties it firmly to the themes of “lost” and “found” that runs through all three of these illustrations. In Matthew’s version the sheep simply “wanders off.” Here in Luke’s text the focus is on “losing (“apollymi”) and “finding” (“heurisko”) the lone sheep. Matthew’s text merely states that the shepherd “rejoices” over the found sheep. But Luke describes the ...

1481. Here I Am

Hebrews 12:18-29

Sermon

Billy D. Strayhorn

... flowing with milk and honey. After much debate. After much crawfishing and making excuses, Moses finally said: "Here I am." II. ME: A number of people have asked recently about my call to ministry. So I thought I'd share that with you, too. I'll share a brief version. After I got out of the Coast Guard, Mary and I moved to her grandparents farm in Southern Missouri. Grandma and Grandma had offered to build us a house if we would come and take over the farm. That was a no brainer in my book. Mary told me ...

1482. Step By Step

Acts 11:1-18

Sermon

Billy D. Strayhorn

... church and Sunday School, not by our teaching but by OUR EXAMPLE, AND THE STEPS WE TAKE. You see, what we do, proves what we think is important. IV. Sow Love And finally one of the most important steps is that we SOW LOVE. Someone has written A Mother's Version of 1 Corinthians 13. "I can read bedtime stories till the cow jumps over the moon and sing "Ten Little Monkeys" until I want to call the doctor - but if I don't have love, I'm as annoying as a ringing phone. I can chase a naked toddler through ...

1483. LENT: The Passion of Christ: "Betrayed"

John 13:21-30; Matthew 26:14-16; 45-50

Sermon

Billy D. Strayhorn

... 's Creed had an extra phrase in it. One that we don't use very often. It says that after Jesus was crucified, dead and buried, "He descended into hell." There are all kinds of theological reasons why we don't include that in the Protestant version of the Apostle's Creed. But there is an interesting legend that goes along with that phrase. It says that Jesus did indeed descend into Hades for the purpose of finding Judas. Jesus went looking for Judas to offer forgiveness. But remember Judas had lost faith ...

1484. Reversal of Fortune

Luke 6:17-26

Sermon

Billy D. Strayhorn

... ] "Woe to you who are full now, for you will be hungry. "Woe to you who are laughing now, for you will mourn and weep. [26] "Woe to you when all speak well of you, for that is what their ancestors did to the false prophets. This is Luke's version of the Sermon On The Mount, commonly referred to as the Sermon On The Plain. Let's explore this passage together through the idea of "Reversal of Fortune." I. Blessed Beyond Belief A. I want to show you what I mean by this "Reversal of Fortune" through a clip from ...

1485. The Ministry Of Do WOP

James 1:17-27

Sermon

Billy D. Strayhorn

... amongst us, the Encyclopedia Britannica reports: "The term doo-wop is derived from the sounds made by the group as they provided harmonic background for the lead singer." Today I want to change that definition to deal with ministry. This is the Revised Strayhorn Version. "The term Do-WOP is derived from the ministry and actions of faithful believers as we provide harmony and ministry so others can experience the love and grace of Jesus our Savior for themselves." I. Do Works of Praise As "doers of the word ...

1486. Historical Background

Luke 17:11

Illustration

Theodore F. Schneider

... mutually shared. Believed by tradition to be the remnant of the lost tribes of Israel which disappeared after the fall of Samaria to Sargon II of Assyria in 722 B.C.E., the Samaritans had retained many of the traditions of their Hebrew heritage, including their version of the Pentateuch (the Torah) and festivals such as Passover. In 586 B.C.E. the Southern Kingdom, Judah, fell to the Babylonians and many of its leaders and people were carried into exile. Upon the return of the exiles from Babylon in 538 B.C ...

1487. License to Steal

Luke 18:9-14

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

... . Extended warranties. Pre-nuptial agreements. No-fault divorces. Everything in our calculated lives is designed to keep us maximally secure and minimally exposed. But are all these safeguards, all these assurances of a safety-first, risk-free life, nothing more than our 21st century version of the 1st century Pharisee’s prayer in this week’s gospel text? We might not boast about how often we fast, or how much we tithe. But in our hearts we carry the same pride about our ability to shape our world and ...

1488. WWE Raw, Jesus Style

Luke 6:17-26, Luke 6:27-36

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

... , big-time, money-making machines. Every week “A-list” celebrities line up to be the next host of “WWE Raw.” Our twenty-first century gladiators battle it out on cable instead of in the Coliseum. All Saint’s Day is the church’s version of “WWE Raw.” It’s our celebration of the church’s most muscle-bound ancestors. It’s also the church’s challenge to each new generation to start flexing their own spiritual muscles. The “saints” are really those who most adhered to Jesus’ cardio ...

1489. I Shall Not Rush

Matt. 24:36-44; Luke 2:1-20; Psalm 23

Illustration

Kathryn Spink

Here is a version of the 23rd Psalm that ought to be mandatory reading each day of Advent, and a unison reading each Advent Sunday. The lord is my pace setter . . .I shall not rush He makes me stop for quiet intervals He provides me with images of stillness which restore my serenity He ...

1490. The Time of Preparation and the Time of Fulfillment

Matthew 11:2-12

Illustration

Mark Trotter

... a fire in the fireplace and an easy chair pulled up to the fire. He sat down. Then he noticed at his elbow a little table next to the chair, with a Bible opened to the 59th psalm, where there is a verse that reads, in the King James version, "The God of my mercy shall prevent me..." In the old King James English, "prevent" means "go before." Hugh Redwood said that somebody had written in the margin after that verse this paraphrase: "My God in his loving kindness shall meet me at every corner." Redwood said ...

1491. Matthew 3:13-17

Matthew 3:13-17

Sweet

Leonard Sweet

... ’ supremacy over John and his sinless state. John’s water baptism was for the repentance of sins. So ... why? If Jesus was truly without sin, why did he seek out John and submit to his baptism? Matthew’s “Because I said so!” version of this event does not offer any definitive answer. But his depiction of the encounter between the two clearly establishes the supremacy of Jesus. There is power and purpose in Jesus’ seventy mile journey from Galilee to John’s wilderness preaching podium. Jesus ...

1492. Lost Hope

Matthew 3:13-17

Illustration

King Duncan

Do you know how the great composer Tchaikovsky died? There is more than one version of the story but according to one reliable source the end of Tchaikovsky's life is said to have occurred four days after one of his symphonies received an unfavorable reception in St. Petersburg. The great composer, despondent some said, already feeling ill according to others, deliberately drank a glass ...

1493. Carbon Pure and Perfect

1 Corinthians 1:10-17

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

... of us is naturally attracted to one or another facet of the perfect diamond Jesus. But it takes all facets to portray the whole. The apostles didn’t sit down together and compose one succinct “life of Christ.” Instead four different versions, four different descriptions, four different visions of the “good news” were deemed necessary and holy. Jesus is our diamond, whatever his cut. A century ago, Russell H. Conwell was famous for his traveling lecture in which he encouraged listeners to find the ...

1494. Why Are You Here?

1 Corinthians 11:17-34

Sermon

King Duncan

... each plate. “Seven verses were quickly selected. Only one verse remained. The committee in charge asked the supervising architect to make the final selection. His choice was from the Gospel of Matthew, chapter 26. He used the words of the Revised Standard Version of the Bible in which Jesus says to Judas, ‘Friend, why are you here?’” (vs. 50). (1) You remember the setting for this question. Jesus was with his disciples at a place called Gethsemane. He had gone there to pray. Afterward he had a ...

1495. Deuteronomy 30:15-20

Deuteronomy 30:11-20

Sweet

Leonard Sweet

... . Loyalty. Obedience. Love. Those are the watchwords of the Deuteronomic call to faithfulness. Moses’ third and final discourse in Deuteronomy runs from 29:1-30:20. Much of what is said here has been said before in Deuteronomy. But in this “condensed” version the treaty or covenant format is quite obvious (see 29:10-15). Part of that structure involves offering a series of dire circumstances and ominous warnings pointing towards what would result if Israel were to turn her back on this covenant. But ...

1496. Stand Up and Raise Your Voice

Deuteronomy 30:11-20

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

... to respond “I have a voice!” Do you have faith in your voice? Have you used your voice? In the past week young pro-democracy protestors in Egypt have shown they “have faith” in their voice. Even when the electronic, high tech versions of their “voice” were silenced by the government when it cut all internet connectivity; Even when pro-government supporters used old-fashioned camel drivers to incite terror and violence; Even when the army, the “peace-keepers,” looked away and let violence ...

1497. Destructive Anger

Matthew 5:21-26

Illustration

Adrian Dieleman

... . The warfare quickly spread to the grandstands. Among the fans the conflict went from bad to worse. Someone set fire to the stands and the entire ballpark burned to the ground. Not only that, but the fire spread to 107 other Boston buildings as well. Another version of the story is much simpler and more probable: A fan lit a cigar in the right field bleachers and dropped the match through a crack, it caught fire and strong winds pushed the fire through the park. However it started it quickly got out of ...

1498. Hear Him

Matthew 17:1-13

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

... share and celebrate. What is your “provenance story”? What is the provenance of your life of faith? What experiences have you had and who have you encountered that made your own faith “priceless.” This week’s gospel text is Matthew’s version of Jesus’ provenance, the pivotal “transfiguration” event that marks the beginning of a new phase in Jesus’ mission and ministry his movement towards Jerusalem and the cross. Taking with him a select group of Peter, James, and John, Jesus heads for ...

1499. Humor: The One Minute Story

John 9: 1-41

Illustration

Steven Molin

... : I won't eat green eggs and ham anywhere, anytime, under any circumstances." Sam I am: "Here, try it." Some Creature: "Yum. I like it!" THE END Or perhaps your children read the book "Tales of a Fourth Grade Nothing"? Here's the short version: Peter the 4th Grader: "I'm going to do something fun." Fudge, the Little Brother: "Can I come?" Peter, the 4th Grader: "No." Fudge comes anyway and ruins everything. THE END And then there is "A Christmas Carol" by Charles Dickens: Ebenezer Scrooge: "Bah, humbug ...

1500. When Is Easter This Year?

John 20:1-18

Illustration

... For those of you who didn't learn this in confirmation class, the date of Easter corresponds to the first Sunday after the first full moon after the vernal equinox. Seriously. In his article, Ware explains how this came to be. Here's the short version of the story: In 325 A.D., Constantine, emperor of the Holy Roman Empire, convened the Council of Nicea. Among the business before the council was to establish a uniform date for Easter. Out of the discussion and debate came the "Easter Rule," setting Easter ...

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