Sermon and Worship Resources

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Showing 1501 to 1525 of 4935 results

1501. Like a Rose - Holy Communion

Luke 22:7-38

Sermon

James McCormick

For over 2,000 years, Holy Communion has been at the heart of Christian worship. We have called it by many names – the Lord’s Supper, the Mass, the Eucharist – but from the very beginning, followers of Jesus have been brought closer to God and to one another as we have shared in this sacred meal. As we eat the bread and drink the wine, we are doing as Jesus asked us to do. He said, “Do this, as often as you will, in remembrance of me.” As we do this, and as we remember Jesus’ life, his death, his ...

1502. What Impresses God

Luke 18:9-14

Sermon

James Merritt

There was a very lost, wicked, rebellious man who decided it would be good for business if he went down to the church and joined it. He was an adulterer, an alcoholic, and had never been a member of a church in his life. But when he went down to the altar to join the church, he gave public testimony to the church that there was no sin in his life, and that he had grown up in the church, and they readily accepted him as a member. When he went home he told his wife what he had done, and his wife, a very ...

1503. Are You Ready for the Journey?

Mark 8:27-9:1

Sermon

John E. Harnish

It all begins with one emperor penguin jumping out of the water and doing a belly splash onto the ice. Then he rises on his little web feet and the rich, resonate voice of the narrator says: "Like most love stories, it begins with an act of utter foolishness. Each year at about the same time, the emperor penguin will leave the comforts of his ocean home and embark on an incredible journey. Though he is a bird, he won't fly. Though he lives in the ocean, he won't swim. For the most part, he will walk. But ...

1504. Proclaiming Jesus Christ

2 Corinthians 4:3-6

Sermon

Donald Charles Lacy

It is not easy to promote someone else. Human nature rises up against it. If we believe in our self-worth and capabilities, why should we try to sell someone else? Yes, and why should we seek to gain acceptance of a religious leader, who will eventually cause us trouble. For example, Jesus for some was not only an irritant; he was an anathema as well. As usual, Saint Paul is not much interested in whether you like or accept him as a person. His driving mission is to proclaim Jesus Christ as Lord. He and ...

1505. Birthpangs of the New Age

Romans 8:22-23

Sermon

Maurice A. Fetty

1506. Don't Be Afraid Of The Light

John 8:12

Sermon

James Merritt

Pop Quiz Question: What was the very first command that God ever gave in the Bible? Answer: "Let there be light" (Genesis 1:3, NASB) Light is a major theme in the Bible. God and light are so interconnected and so inseparable that the Bible even says, "God is light and in Him there is no darkness at all." (I John 1:5, NASB) That verse alone sheds a lot of light on the verse that we are going to be studying today where Jesus said, "I am the light of the world." (John 8:12, NASB) You may not think this is ...

1507. That The World May Believe

John 17:20-26

Sermon

Maxie Dunnam

In one of his writings, Thomas Carlyle told of a country boy who went to a fancy dinner. In the midst of the meal, he got a piece of hot potato in his mouth. Much to the embarrassment of all those dignified ladies and gentlemen there at the table, he spit the piece of potato out and put it back on his plate. Then he looked around at the shocked faces of all those gentled people and said, “You know, a fool would have swallowed that.” We come today in our preaching through John’s GospeI to the 17th chapter. ...

1508. The Beginning of the Story

Mark 1:1-8

Sermon

Maxie Dunnam

“And now you know the rest of the story!” That’s the way Paul Harvey closes those dramatic monologues which keep your mind on tiptoe as you discover the fascinating life details and historical quirks of notable people and events. Paul Harvey is a craftsman with words and pulls us to the edge of our seat to learn the rest of the story. Mark, our Gospel writer, does the same thing - but for “the beginning of the story”, not the rest of it. A visitor to the Grand Canyon looked at that mighty panorama of God’s ...

1509. This Gospel Is for Our Children

Mark 10:13-16

Sermon

Robert Leslie Holmes

The gospel of Jesus Christ is for our children! "The promise is for you and your children" (Acts 2:39). It always has been. Since the dawn of the grace covenant, God has spoken of his interest in and love for our children. He tells Abraham, "I will establish my covenant as an everlasting covenant between me and you and your descendants after you ... to be your God and the God of your descendants after you" (Genesis 17:7). Children always have been, and are, a vital part of God's covenant plan for his world ...

1510. Love - The Basic Christian Call

1 Corinthians 13:1-13

Sermon

Richard Gribble

During the 56 years of his life, Adolf Hitler did incredible harm and was responsible for the death of millions of people. Yet in all of the horror that he unleashed, there were pinpoints of light and nobility. One German soldier, Private Joseph Schultz, was one of those pinpoints. Schultz was sent to Yugoslavia shortly after the Germans invaded that country. He was a loyal, young, German soldier on patrol. One day the sergeant called out eight names, his among them. They thought they were going on a ...

1511. Two Kinds of People

Jeremiah 17:5-10

Sermon

King Duncan

Some wag has said that there are basically two kinds of people in the world: those who divide people into two kinds of people and those who do not. Jeremiah says in our text for the day that there are indeed two kinds of people. One kind he calls cursed; the other he calls blessed. The life of the cursed he compares to a low bush in the desert, inhabiting a parched and desolate wilderness. The life of the blessed, on the other hand, he compares to a tree planted by the waters--that spreads her roots out by ...

1512. Titus' Task on Crete

Titus 1:1-16

Understanding Series

Gordon D. Fee

Salutation What is striking about the salutation to Titus is its considerable differences from those in 1 and 2 Timothy, especially its lengthy elaboration of Paul’s apostleship (vv. 1–3), a phenomenon found elsewhere only in Romans. These verses, which form a single, extremely complex sentence in Greek, conclude with a note about his apostleship as a trust. The main thrust, however, emphasizes the purpose of that apostleship: to bring God’s people to faith and truth, and thus to life. That life, he ...

1513. A Blind Beggar and a Rich Scoundrel

Luke 19:1-10, Luke 18:35-43

Teach the Text

R.T. France

Big Idea: Two incidents at Jericho demonstrate Jesus’s mission to save the lost, whatever their place in society, whether oppressed or oppressor. Understanding the Text The journey that began in 9:51 is near its end, as Jesus and his disciples cross the Jordan and enter Jericho before the final climb up to Jerusalem. Two events in Jericho illustrate again the deep social divisions that came to our attention in 18:14–30, and the issue of the salvation of the rich (18:18–27) is explored further in the story ...

1514. Paul's Longing to Visit Rome

Romans 1:1-17

Understanding Series

James R. Edwards

The Salutation The first seventeen verses of Romans serve as an introduction to the epistle and fall into three parts. The first part, verses 1–7, is Paul’s salutation. In the second part, verses 8–15, Paul introduces himself and speaks of his desire to visit Rome. The third and final part is verses 16–17, in which Paul broaches the seminal theme of his gospel, justification by faith for both Jew and Gentile. First, the salutation. Letters in Hellenistic times followed a standard literary pattern. Unlike ...

1515. The Power of the Wilderness

Luke 4:1-13

Sermon

Lori Wagner

It is not by strength that one prevails. (Hannah’s Prayer) Props: hiking boots or tricycle (you’ll need a child volunteer from the congregation for this) and matches (or one large match) to light a candle; oil Some of you have probably seen the movie Wild, based on the recent best-selling book. The story is about a young woman, Cheryl Strayed, who takes a long trek through the mountain trails of Washington State in order to deal with her “inner demons.” She is mourning the loss of her mother. She is trying ...

1516. The Art of Critique

Matthew 11:16-19, 25-30

Sermon

Lori Wagner

Today, as our world continues to become ravaged by COVID-19, people are feeling anxious, impatient, frustrated, and critical. We are less busy with the things that normally hold our attention. We are bored with staying inside, refraining from seeing the people we love and doing the activities that animate us. We are sick and tired of being “sick and tired!” The more cooped up we feel, the angrier we get. And our often kind and calm demeanor is turning testier and more critical. As humans, when our ...

1517. Mind Your Manners

Luke 14:1, 7-14

Sermon

Will Willimon

"For everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted." Luke 14:1, 7-14 If you are new here you have been subjected to what is called Freshman Orientation. That's when PISCES, ASDU, DCM, CAPS, and every other campus acronym tries to orient you to life at Duke, tries to put you in your place, so to speak. If you are a Freshman, you have already been subjected to long hours of sitting in auditoriums, listening to speeches, and standing in lines at receptions. I also ...

1518. Pressing On In Faith

Philippians 3:4b-14

Sermon

Bonnie Bates

Recently at the gym, working out with my personal trainer, and straining to finish the third set of an exercise, the trainer began to encourage me. “You’re doing great! You can do it.” As I read this portion of Paul’s letter to the church of Philippi, I was reminded of this encouragement. To many, it seems, at least at the beginning of this reading, that Paul was bragging a little. No one deserved to be more confident in his acceptance into the faith than he did. After all, he was a circumcised Jew. He was ...

1519. Two Thieves

Luke 23:32-43

Sermon

Erskine White

And He said to them, "Truly I say to you, today you shall be with Me in Paradise." (Luke 23:43) Have you ever thought about how lonely Jesus was as He made His way to Calviary’s hill and hung on its cross to die? Someone has compared it to the feeling you get in the hospital as you are being wheeled into the operating room. You feel radically alone as you wave good-bye to your family and friends, because they can’t undergo your surgery for you! You have to do it yourself. You are surrounded by people - the ...

1520. Come The Judgment Day

Jeremiah 16:1--17:18

Sermon

Erskine White

I, the Lord, search the mind and try the heart, to give to everyone according to their ways. (Jeremiah 17:10) In our text from Jeremiah, the prophet proclaims God's judgment over each of us as individuals, but sometimes I wonder: who really believes in a Last Judgment any more? Who takes seriously the idea that God "searches the mind and tries the heart, to give to everyone according to their ways"? A number of years ago, a judge named Horace Gray was forced to free a guilty man because of a legal ...

1521. Shake It Off!

Matthew 10:1-42

Sermon

Carlyle Fielding Stewart

Adrenaline pulsed through our bodies as we nervously took our positions in the field. It was an important playoff game, and everyone was feeling the pressure. The second baseman dropped a routine fly in the bottom of the seventh, allowing three runs to score which tied the game. In the third inning the right fielder had uncharacteristically overrun a pop-up after losing it in the sun, permitting the first run. Now it was the bottom of the eight inning, the score tied, runners on first and third with two ...

1522. Dealing with the Devil

Matthew 4:1-11

Sermon

Johnny Dean

I used to believe that children were born pure and innocent. Then I became a parent. Now I believe in original sin. When my oldest son was about three years old, I was outside doing some yard work one afternoon. I took Kevin outside to play while I trimmed the hedges. Holding his hand, I knelt down beside him so that we could look at each other face to face. Slowly and carefully I said, "Now, Kevin, you can play here in our front yard. You can go next door and play in your friend’s front yard. You can ride ...

1523. The Most Misunderstood Gift

Acts 2:1-13

Sermon

Barbara Brokhoff

There is no doubt - the most misunderstood God of the Trinity is the Holy Spirit. There is also no doubt - the most misunderstood gift of the Holy Spirit is the gift of speaking in tongues. Nearly every Christian has already chosen his "side" regarding the speaking in tongues. Few people are neutral on the subject - most are either "anti-tongues" or "pro-tongues." Not everybody even wants to hear the pros and cons. They remind you of the woman who said to her husband, during a discussion: "Don’t confuse me ...

1524. When Your Church Provokes You

Matthew 13:1-23, Hebrews 10:19-39

Sermon

David E. Leininger

...And let us consider how to provoke one another to love and good deeds, not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another, and all the more as you see the Day approaching. And now you know where the strange sermon title comes from. True enough, the church often DOES provoke us in the wrong way. You may have heard me tell of my father's response when, years ago, I asked him what the hardest part of being a minister was. I had posed the question just after he had ...

1525. Whoever Would Have Thought?

Mark 4:26-29, Mark 4:30-34

Sermon

King Duncan

There comes a time in everyone's life when they are just about at wit's end. Teachers have certainly experienced this. Helen Mrosla remembers teaching a ninth grade class "new math" a number of years ago. Her students were working hard, but she could tell that they just didn't understand the new concepts. And they were growing more frustrated and edgy with each passing class. Then one Friday afternoon Helen decided to depart from her lesson plan. She instructed each student to list each person's name in ...

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