Sermon and Worship Resources

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Showing 1526 to 1550 of 2404 results

1526. The Lord's Unanswered Prayer

John 17:20-23

Sermon

J. Howard Olds

... same style. We don't need to do that. We will never believe exactly and precisely the same thing. Nor should we. Unity is not uniformity. There must be diversity in our unity or we will all die of boredom. But here is the clue. Unity is not something we achieve. Unity is something we receive. It is not organized by the Church but generated by the Spirit of God. It is an answer to prayer. And that's why churches that pray a lot are usually united in mission and heart. It is more natural for people to fall ...

1527. Priorities

Luke 9:51-62

Illustration

David E. Leininger

An expert on the subject of time management was speaking to a group of business students and, to drive home a point, used an illustration those students will probably never forget. As this man stood in front of the group of high-powered over-achievers he said, "Okay, time for a quiz." Then he pulled out a one-gallon, wide-mouthed Mason jar and set it on a table in front of him. Then he produced about a dozen fist-sized rocks and carefully placed them, one at a time, into the jar. When the ...

1528. Get Up and Go

Matthew 2:13-18

Sermon

J. Howard Olds

... the ignorant, they too have their story. Avoid loud and aggressive persons; they are vexations to the spirit. If you compare yourself with others, you may become vain and bitter; for always there will be greater and lesser persons than yourself. Enjoy your achievements as well as your plans. Keep interested in your own career, however humble; it is a real possession in the changing fortunes of time . . . Beyond a wholesome discipline, be gentle with yourself. You are a child of the universe, no less than ...

1529. Love

John 15:9-17

Sermon

J. Howard Olds

... have others do unto you." I am concerned that after 9/11 we have sunken from justice to revenge. Is fear causing us to falter from our long held values as a country? General Omar Bradley from the ranks of WWII says, “The world has achieved brilliance without wisdom and power without conscience. Ours is a world of nuclear giants and ethical infants." Are we seeing a new wave of racism and profiling sweeping across America as we struggle to find a just solution to illegal immigration? Have the cultural and ...

1530. By Believing

1 Peter 1:13-21

Sermon

J. Howard Olds

... Methodists, were called to live a holy life and to spread scriptural holiness throughout the land. He took this quote of Peter seriously. Verse 15: “Just as he who called you is holy, so be holy in all you do." Now holiness is not some achievement accomplished but a gift of grace received. Holiness is not reserved for super-Christians but available for every Christian. My grandson was describing first grade to me which he is to enter this fall. “After that," he said, “I will be in second grade, then ...

1531. Greed or the Gospel?

Acts 8:9-13, 18-24

Sermon

J. Howard Olds

... all we know about him is the last plea, “Please pray for me." Did the Lord hear his prayer? I can't prove that he did, but I am on Simon's side at this point. At the height of his stardom, Mel Gibson realized he was empty. He had achieved everything he ever hoped for except a sense of purpose. Gibson felt he was drowning in fame, wealth, drink and despair. This led the one-time “sexiest man alive" to his knees and back to God. Of course, not everyone was ready to embrace his conversion. When his movie ...

1532. Fanning the Flames of Family

Ephesians 5:8-10

Sermon

J. Howard Olds

... here? “To love one another." Why are the coaches here? “To love each of you?" They shouted it to one another before every game and before every practice. You see, Joe Ehrmann wanted kids to receive what he never received from his own father and failed to achieve as an NFL football star. That is respect that comes from being loved. Fan the flames of mutual respect—start at home. II. IT'S TIME TO FAN THE FLAMES OF HONEST COMMUNICATION. In Verse 9 we read, “Live as children of the light, for the fruit ...

1533. Dancing with the Saints

Colossians 1:1-14

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

... matter how much or how little the world gives them credit for what they’re doing. It is the teamwork of the dance, not the proportion of effort, that magnifies the grace of movement. TEAM is an acronym for “Together Everyone Achieves More.” TIMING: Timing is everything. Ask any professional athlete. Timing is more important than brute strength or superior skills. For dancers perfect timing brings nothing less than perfection. Lifts are effortless. Turns are in tandem. Movement and melody are one. The ...

1534. Holy Waste

Mark 14:1-11

Sermon

Maxie Dunnam

... of Atlanta, former Ambassador to the United Nations in the Carter administration, told some time back of an experience he had with his youngest daughter. “She has always been the unpredictable one,” he said. While his other children were exceptional students, always achieving academic honors, she made it a point just to get by. While his other children focused on solid career goals, she wanted to be a dancer, or an actress, or a singer. And while his other children paid homage to his “stern father ...

1535. Heart Religion

Mark 7:1-23

Sermon

Maxie Dunnam

... of Atlanta, former ambassador to the United Nations in the Carter Administration, told some time back of an experience he had with his youngest daughter. “She has always been the unpredictable one,” he said. While his other children were exceptional students, always achieving academic honors, she made it a point just to get by. While his other children focused on solid career goals, she wanted to be a dancer, or an actress, or a singer. And while his other children paid homage to his “stern father ...

1536. What Happens When You Are Not Number One?

Mark 10:35-45

Sermon

Maxie Dunnam

... of a shepherd who left the 99 sheep safe in the fold and went out to find the one lost sheep that had gone astray. If we would only remember each one of us is precious to God; unique, unrepeatable miracles of God, precious not because of what we have achieved, or the place we have in society, or the amount of money we’ve accumulated, or what others think of us…we’re precious because we’re God’s creation. God loves us. We belong to Him. But we don’t remember it. So we must press the issue of ...

1537. Sisters

Luke 10:38-42

Sermon

King Duncan

... least that is the contention of Dr. Kevin Leman in The Birth Order Book, Why You Are The Way You Are. It is book on family dynamics and sibling relationships. Dr. Leman maintains birth order often presages accomplishment in life. The first born is the achiever, the middle sibling goes along, and the baby craves and gets all the attention. The oldest and youngest often have this love/hate rivalry says Dr. Leman. Leman must have been an older brother himself. He says the original title of his book was “Abel ...

1538. My Back Yard

Luke 10:38-42

Illustration

Arthur E. Dean Windhorn

True happiness is not achieved it is received as in the case of two brothers Rich and Mike, who are complete opposites. Mike is a successful businessman. Rich, on the other hand, takes seasonal jobs at dude ranches, parks and resorts. Mike is always concerned for Rich's welfare and tries to entice him with ...

1539. A Salvation Army Parade

Matthew 21:1-11

Sermon

Lee Griess

... s not easy to be a follower. Daily we are bombarded with a different message. Daily we are urged to march in a different direction. According to the world around us, life's goal is to be happy, satisfied, forever young, and beautiful. And the way to achieve that goal is all around us — for a price. If we spend the money, heartache and heartburn need never be ours. If we buy the right product, popularity and success are assured. Daily we are told that our value and worth are easily determined — just look ...

1540. With a Firm Foundation, Application Is Second Nature

Matthew 7:15-23, Matthew 7:24-29

Sermon

Mark Ellingsen

... of the last century, Karl Barth, has claimed that "... the righteousness which the Sermon [on the Mount] exacts is inseparable from the one who exacts it. It is his righteousness. It does not consist in the greatness and splendor of what man himself achieves ... Everything depends on the fact that the required righteousness does not now consist in a self-assertive grasping a promise, in a self-willed desire to fulfill the law, as though this were an independent law...."8 Yes, Martin Luther was correct ...

1541. A Career in The Kingdom

Matthew 21:23-32

Sermon

Wayne Brouwer

... who promises me a quick fix, a cheap trick, a sensuous fling that really is love; the politician who has my best interests at stake, and who will make me ruler with him if I just give him my vote; the psychiatrist who will help me achieve gain without pain by lowering my standards to the mud around me. Religious Displacement A disciple sees the world through different eyes and begins the journey of the pilgrim with a cry of repentance. It is the kind of thing one of the psalmists wrote about when ...

1542. All Who Share This Hope

Matthew 5:1-12

Sermon

Chris Ewing

... , over the centuries, the church has — through the daily life of its members as much as through its preaching and teaching — been able to nurture a distinctive vision, a unique outlook on the world that results in a different kind of living in it. That's a pretty remarkable achievement. Our heritage is summed up in the words of the first letter of John, "We are even now children of God; and what we shall be has not yet been made known. But we know that when it is, we shall be like him, for we shall see ...

1543. The Porch Light's On

Isaiah 60:1-6

Sermon

Tony Everett

... the downtrodden and discouraged people in Judah. God promised to reverse their identity from dark, distressed, and oppressed to light, ransomed, and redeemed. This complete reversal was God's action; not theirs. This new identity as children of the light was given by God; not achieved by them. This new identity is also God's free gift to us through the light of the world, Jesus Christ. Our new, God-given identity is not given by others' perceptions. It is given by God in Jesus Christ. Of course, it is not ...

1544. What Were You Thinking?

Micah 6:1-8

Sermon

Tony Everett

... recent workshop where he learned new techniques for congregational success. In his mind's eye, Pastor Bill began to visualize a brand-new sanctuary and family-life center for his people. As he was formulating a newspaper article commemorating this marvelous achievement — wham — Pastor Bill's car collided with the rear bumper of another automobile that had stopped at a red traffic signal. Fortunately, no one was hurt. The pastor's car had only minor damage. Unfortunately, the other vehicle was a police ...

1545. A Blessing in Disguise

Genesis 32:22-31

Sermon

David J. Kalas

... to disguise himself as Esau, and then to carry in a meal she prepared for Isaac to eat. Because Isaac was old and blind, the disguise did not have to pass the sight test; only the touch and smell test. (Rebecca found, incidentally, that she could achieve both of those results by draping Jacob's arms and neck with goat skins, which gives us a sense for what Esau must have been like.) While Esau was still out hunting, Jacob entered their father's tent, and effectively stole his father's blessing, disguised ...

1546. Living on the Edge

Deuteronomy 34:1-12

Sermon

Timothy J. Smith

... to Isaac, and to Jacob, saying, ‘I will give it to your descendants.' " This was another sign that God keeps God's promises. Nearing the end of his life someone might have asked Moses how he was feeling having experienced so much. "This is my crowning achievement," Moses might have replied. "I've been asked time and again was it worth it — well here is my answer — yes, most definitely!" There, on the mountain, having seen the promised land, Moses died. We are told that even though he was 120 years old ...

1547. Not All of This Is Me

Deuteronomy 8:7-18

Sermon

Timothy J. Smith

... is to look around and think that everything we are and everything we have is a result of our own doing, our own smarts, or ingenuity. We live in a world where people live as though they are the only ones who are responsible for their achievements. It is easy to get puffed up, highlighting our jobs and promotions, the neighborhoods where we live, the cars we drive, the vacations we take and many, many other things. Do not fall into that trap this Thanksgiving as we acknowledge that God is behind all ...

1548. Dare to Be Different

Romans 13:11-14

Sermon

John N. Brittain

... . Within a group selfishness can be manifested not only in exploiting and abusing others, but in excluding them by insisting that our way is the only way; that our opinion is the only valid one. The purpose of Christian community, Paul argued, is not to achieve total homogeneity, but to accommodate a wide variety of persons into the household of faith. Now the challenge to "dare to be different" is not just to be different from the surrounding pagan world, but to be different from one another in matters of ...

1549. Righteous!

Romans 1:16-17; 3:22b-31

Sermon

Steven E. Albertin

... the righteousness of God. He rigorously followed all the prescribed programs of the church that were designed to get him the righteousness of God. He worked harder than anyone else to get right with God and be at peace with himself. He was never able to achieve it. He always fell short. He never was able to do enough and be sure that he was righteous. He refused to accept the rationalizations of anyone. His conscience would not let him rest because he knew that he was still falling short. The righteousness ...

1550. The Heifer that Will Change the World!

Romans 11:1-2a, 29-32

Sermon

Larry Lange

... is not an adequate way to connect to God. He believes a third temple must be rebuilt, because about a third of the 613 commandments in the Torah can only be obeyed by re-establishing the animal sacrifice system in a third temple. He believes achieving this complete obedience to the Torah is a necessary preparation for the return of the real Messiah, who will find the third temple a fitting setting from which to conduct judgment day to see who gets to enjoy his everlasting reign of peace. Fundamentalist ...

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