Sermon and Worship Resources

Synonyms: Levi, disciple, evangelist, tax collector, the 12, the twelve, apostle, sermon on the mount, jewish audience, beatitudes, lord's prayer, great commission, parables, olivet discourse, mount of olives, olivet, synoptic

Showing 1501 to 1525 of 2273 results

1501. A Misplaced Holy Day

Matthew 2:1-12

Sermon

King Duncan

John A. Davis mailed a Christmas card to his brother in December 1942. Nearly 55 years later it showed up at a post office in Tinley Park, Illinois. Davis had long ago figured the card, sent from Jackson, Miss., to Maryville, Tenn., got lost. The long-lost card raised eyebrows at the Tinley Park post office, and Davis' family learned about it through a newspaper account. The supervisor had sent the card on to Maryville but got it back when Davis contacted him. "There is a lot of nostalgia in this thing. I' ...

1502. The Rock

Mark 16:1-20

Sermon

King Duncan

Very early on the first day of the week, when the sun had risen, (the women) went to the tomb. They had been saying to one another, "Who will roll away the stone for us from the entrance of the tomb?" When they looked up, they saw that the stone, which was very large, had already been rolled back. Rocks are a hot commodity! I'm not talking pebbles and peagravel. I'm talking boulders. Refrigerator big chunks of stone. The price tag? Well, let's just say they're not cheap. But won't a shapely stone look ...

1503. Dogsleds And Dogged Determination

Luke 9:57-62

Sermon

King Duncan

Beverly Masek is a Native American living in Alaska. Beverly was born and raised in Anvik, a very small village in the interior of Alaska with a population of about seventy people. Anvik is one of the sites on the legendary Iditarod. The Iditarod is a dog sled race where one person runs through blizzards, ice and wilderness for 1,029 miles! The racer is all alone with help from no other human being. Just the dog team. The musher, as they are called, has to provide for himself or herself as well as the dogs ...

1504. Finishing In The Top 10%

Luke 17:11-19

Sermon

Frank Lyman

Two tiny legs disappearing under the water. That is all the 16th Century Flemish artist Pieter Bruegel depicted of poor Icarus. Two tiny legs. Pieter Bruegel was a moralist as well as a paintera moralist who saw human folly in many guises. In his work, "Landscape With The Fall of Icarus," he portrayed that folly through an interpretation of the Greek myth of Icarus. We recall that Icarus escaped King Minos' labyrinth by fashioning wings from wax. However, he flew too close to the sun, melted his wings and ...

1505. When The Going Gets Tough

2 Timothy 3:10--4:8

Sermon

King Duncan

Two country boys, Zeke and Zeb, decided to build a Bungee Jumping tower down in Mexico to see if it would make them some money. After they got it set up, they noticed that the crowds gathered around but nobody was buying tickets. Zeke said to Zeb, "Maybe you should demonstrate it to them so they get the idea." After Zeb was strapped on he jumped and fell almost to the ground before springing back. As he came back up Zeke noticed that Zeb's clothes were torn and wondered what that was all about. Zeb went ...

1506. What Would It Take?

Philippians 3:1-11

Sermon

King Duncan

One fellow was bragging to another about his grandfather: "My grandfather," he said, "knew the exact day of the exact year when he was going to die. Not only that, he knew the time he would die that day as well." His friend said, "Wow, that's incredible. How did he know all of that?" The first fellow said: "Because a judge told him." An old man looks out from prison bars. This is a view he's seen before. He's been arrested many times. He has suffered numerous beatings. Funny how life turns out. He was once ...

1507. Please Use The Servants' Entrance

John 13:1-17

Sermon

Eric Ritz

Dr. M. Scott Peck is a respected Christian psychiatrist and noted author. You may have read his best-selling book, The Road Less Traveled. Peck is not a theologian, but listen for a moment to his comments regarding our scripture lesson for the day: What a strange way for the guest of honor to act during a final meal with his friends. What incomprehensible behavior from a ruler who would momentarily announce, "I confer on you a kingdom." In those days, foot washing was considered so degrading that a master ...

1508. Convinced Beyond A Doubt

John 20:24-31

Sermon

King Duncan

Years ago, Monroe Parker was traveling through South Alabama on one of those hot, sultry Alabama days. He stopped at a watermelon stand, picked out a watermelon, and asked the proprietor how much it cost. "It's $1.10," he replied. Parker dug into his pocket, found only a bill and said, "All I have is a dollar." "That's ok," the proprietor said, "I'll trust you for it." "Well, that's mighty nice of you," Parker responded, and picking up the watermelon, started to leave. "Hey, where are you going?" the man ...

1509. Four Ways To Defeat Stress

Matthew 14:13-21

Sermon

King Duncan

Would anyone argue with me that stress is a significant killer in our society? Stress takes a terrible toll. Have you ever noticed how much presidents seem to age while they are in office? It is no illusion. Investigators at the University of Cape Breton in Nova Scotia compared the age at death of 162 presidents and prime ministers with their age when they came to power. Those who took office at a young age died about nine years earlier than leaders who seized the reins later in life. The same held true ...

1510. Secrets Of Successful Parenting

Luke 2:41-52

Sermon

King Duncan

The pastor of the Baptist Church had been trying for months to get little Johnny to come to church to be with his third grade Sunday school class. Finally, after talking to Little Johnny and his mother for what seemed to be the hundredth time, Johnny finally agreed to go this next Sunday. The pastor came by the house and picked him up and Johnny did seem to enjoy all of the proceedings except as the baptismal service began he ran out the back door and all the way home. His mother asked him why did he run ...

1511. When The Fish Won't Bite

Luke 5:1-11

Sermon

Frank Lyman

You may have read about a man in California who has to be the worst bank robber in history. He went into a Bank of America in San Francisco and wrote out a stick up note on the back of a deposit slip. He got in line to present his note to the teller, but while he was in line he started thinking that maybe somebody saw him writing the stick up note. Maybe they were calling the police right now. So he decided to get out of line and go across the street to the Wells-Fargo bank. He had to wait in line there, ...

1512. Skating To Where The Puck Is Going To Be

Luke 6:17-26

Sermon

Frank Lyman

In his book, South Carolina Off The Beaten Path, William Fox tells an apocryphal story of two wealthy Charleston matrons who escaped Charleston's oppressive heat by summering in Paris. When they fell upon hard times and could no longer afford Paris they shuttered themselves inside their home, venturing out only at night to catch the ocean breeze. One night a boy recognized them and was ready to greet them, when his mother stopped him by saying, "No, son. We can't talk to them, they're spending the summer ...

1513. Letters Straight From The Heart

2 Corinthians 2:12--3:6

Sermon

King Duncan

There was an item in the newspapers sometime back about a star-struck teenager in 1943 named Lorraine Wagner who sent a fan letter to an actor named Ronald Reagan. Reagan took the time to sit down and write a short note of thanks in return. For the next fifty years, Lorraine and Ronald were pen pals. He wrote to tell her about his career, his marriages and all the mundane things that friends share with one another. She wrote the same things to him. Even after Reagan was elected President, he and Lorraine ...

1514. Extreme Sports, Extreme Fashions, Extreme Faith

1 Samuel 3:1--4:1

Sermon

King Duncan

A high school drama class was performing at a local theater. Somehow an accident occurred and a hole was cracked in the stage floor. Carefully the performers avoided the damaged area until little Joey, juggling bowling pins, accidentally stepped through the hole up to his knee. He apologized to the audience for his clumsiness which caused a heckler to shout, "Don't worry, Joey . . . It's just a STAGE you're going through!" We all go through stages, don't we? One of the stages that Generation X seems to be ...

1515. Finding The Right People

Mark 1:14-20

Sermon

Eric Ritz

Someone has compiled a list of "intentionally ambiguous job recommendations." See if you recognize any of these. First the recommendation and then the translation: Recommendation: While he worked with us, he was given numerous citations. Translation: He was arrested several times. Recommendation: You simply won't believe this woman's credentials. Translation: She faked most of her resume. Recommendation: You will never catch him asleep on the job. Translation: He's too crafty to get caught. Recommendation ...

1516. On Having The Right Credentials

1 Corinthians 1:1-9

Sermon

King Duncan

Humorist Robert Orben says that when he was in grade school, he was told if he wanted to get a good job he had to graduate from high school. So he went to high school. When he was in high school, he was told that to get a good job he had to go to college. So he went to college. When he was just about to graduate, he was told everybody had a bachelor's degree, and to get a really good job, he had to get a master's degree. So he got his master's. Then he was told that a master's degree would take him only so ...

1517. Beaten Up, But Still Standing

Mark 5:21-43

Sermon

King Duncan

Pat Kelly, a major league outfielder in the '70s, was a born-again Christian. One day Pat said to his manager, Earl Weaver, "Aren't you glad I walk with the Lord, Earl?" Weaver replied, "I'd rather you walked with the bases loaded." When one football coach was asked about his offensive team's execution he replied, "I'm all for it." Sports are popular because they are a metaphor for our life experience. You win some, you lose some. Sometimes you feel like the champion of the world. Sometimes you just feel ...

1518. What Does It Mean To Be Really Free?

Galatians 5:1-15

Sermon

King Duncan

What is it that makes a person free? That's certainly an appropriate question for this Fourth of July weekend. What makes us free? By the way, do you know what famous event we will really be commemorating this week? Not sure? A little rusty on your sixth-grade civics? Well you're in good company. According to Chuck Colson, a recent Gallup poll reveals that one out of every four Americans doesn't know that July Fourth commemorates the signing of the Declaration of Independence. Even more amazing, the same ...

1519. Positive Faith

Romans 8:18-27

Sermon

King Duncan

The teacher of a junior high class was trying to illustrate the word miracle. "Young people," he said, "Suppose I stood on the roof of a 10-story building, lost my balance and fell off. Then all of a sudden, in midair, a whirlwind swept me up and brought me safely to the ground. Now what word would you use to describe this?" After a long silence a boy raised his hand and asked, "Luck?" "True, true," replied the teacher. "It could be luck. But that's not the word I wanted. I'll repeat the story. There I am ...

1520. Heroes

Revelation 7:9-17

Sermon

King Duncan

Not long ago, a company in California opened Tinseltown Studios, a theme park devoted to celebrities and the power of stardom. Tinseltown had an interesting twist: for a measly $45 entrance fee, the guests would get to feel what it's like to be famous. Park employees were paid to fawn over visitors, cheer for them, line up along the streets and gawk at them, pester them for autographs. Paparazzi lurked around every corner, snapping photos of the park visitors. Reporters rushed up and asked for interviews. ...

1521. Building An Understanding Of God

2 Corinthians 13:11-14

Sermon

King Duncan

A Jewish boy in grade school was listening to his Hebrew teacher quoting the most important of all the Hebrew Scriptures, Deuteronomy 6:4: "Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one." "When will He be two?" the little fellow asked after mulling this over for a moment in his mind. If the Lord is one, then surely, some day, He will be two. It reminds me of something Mickey Rivers, an outfielder for the Texas Rangers baseball team once said about his warm relationship with Yankee owner George ...

1522. A Friend In High Places

Hebrews 7:11-28

Sermon

King Duncan

"What are a Redneck's famous last words?" asks Redneck expert Jeff Foxworthy. "Simple," he says. The Redneck's last words are, "Y'all watch this!" "Whatever the foolhardy act," says Foxworthy, "his friends always oblige. In fact, they probably put the poor guy up to no good in the first place, just for a laugh. Not that he minds. Men know that their friends," Foxworthy continues, "are going to get them into trouble. They expect it. That's why they're called friends. Have you ever heard a guy describe ...

1523. What In The World Is Happiness?

Luke 6:17-26

Sermon

King Duncan

A family had sold everything possible to pay bills and to put food on the table. Nevertheless, a burglar broke in one night when the family was gone. The family returned and found the door knocked off its hinges. "What did the burglar get?" the police officer asked. The head of the house just shook his head. "Practice," he said. It's not easy being poor. What did Jesus mean, "Blessed are the poor?" Jesus was a master at keeping his listeners off-balance. He always said the unexpected. He praised people ...

1524. Through The Storm, Through The Night

Luke 18:1-8

Sermon

Frank Lyman

Two twelve-year-old boys, Bob and Mike, broke a window while playing baseball. They looked around to see if anyone had seen them. No one was in sight, except for Mike's little brother. They went over and offered him a piece of candy not to tell. He refused it. "I'll give you my baseball," Mike said. "No," said his little brother. "Then what about my new glove?" Bob added. "No!" said the little brother. "Well, what do you want?" they pleaded. With resoluteness, the little fellow said, "I wanna tell." It's ...

1525. Standing Tall

Mark 10:46-52

Sermon

King Duncan

A few years back, Jim Stovall decided to become a stock broker. Even though he is blind, Jim has a determination and commitment to hard work that has helped him to transcend his disability. Jim also has a wife, Crystal, who supports and encourages him in everything he does. Jim and Crystal studied hard to get through the broker exams, then went through training sessions together. Most of the other students in the training sessions were better educated and better trained than Jim. They had no handicap to ...

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