Sermon and Worship Resources

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Showing 1526 to 1550 of 4914 results

1526. Yahweh Speaks as the Master Teacher

Job 38:1--41:34

Teach the Text

Daniel J. Estes

Big Idea: Yahweh poses questions about the physical world to demonstrate that Job’s knowledge is too limited to explain how God works in his world. Understanding the Text Throughout the speeches in chapters 3–37, the various human speakers claim to know what Yahweh thinks about Job’s situation, but in chapter 38 Yahweh finally breaks his silence and speaks for himself. Yahweh addresses Job in 38:1–40:2, focusing on his design for the world (38:2), and then Job replies briefly in 40:3–5. Yahweh resumes ...

1527. Swing Low, Sweet Chariot

2 Kings 2:1-18

Sermon

Harold Warlick

Many scholars view this narrative as one occasioned by the fear of an uncertain future followed by a sensation of great joy. Indeed, the narrative resolves the transfer of leadership from one generation of prophets to another. There is anxiety over the death of the great Elijah. How will his power be transferred? Who will have the authority when the great man dies? Certainly the scene is one of crisis. Elisha asks for a "double share" of Elijah's spirit. In Hebrew families the eldest son received a double ...

1528. The Fourth Sunday in Lent

Matthew 20:17-19

Sermon

Kendall McCabe

Power. We hear a lot about that today. We are concerned about the proliferation of nuclear power. Social activists are concerned about empowering the disadvantaged in our communities. We want to limit the power of the government in the management of our private lives. And, of course, we want to protect whatever power we already have. Power. The ability to get things done, to make things happen. We know it is important and we want our piece of the action. It isn't that we want to do anybody any harm by some ...

1529. Salvation in Jesus’ Name

Acts 4:5-12

Sermon

Ron Lavin

It is always important to consider the context of a Bible story to understand it correctly. That is certainly true of Acts 4:5-12, the story of Peter's bold speech before the Jewish religious leaders. By the power of Jesus Christ, Peter and John had healed a crippled man in the temple area in Jerusalem. This healing took place a few weeks after Jesus' death and resurrection. That's part of the front-side context of our story. The front-side context also tells us that the Jewish leaders were deeply ...

1530. The Fruit of the Word

Isaiah 55:1-13

Sermon

Harry N. Huxhold

Andrew Goldfinger, a physicist working with the Space Department at the applied physics laboratory at John Hopkin’s University, has explored a theological understanding of creation. His work is titled Thinking about Creation: Eternal Torah and Modern Physics. The book is a fascinating study of how the scientific theories of the origin of the creation and the maintenance of the creation gravitate more and more to compatibility with the description of the theological understanding of the universe in Genesis ...

1531. Jesus Won! We Won!

John 20:10-18

Sermon

King Duncan

Welcome to this service of celebration. In the spirit of celebration, I would like you to try something. I want you to have a responsive line in the message. Here's how it goes. When I say, "Jesus won!" and raise my hand like this, I want you to respond. "WE WON!" So let's try it. "Jesus won!" (Raise hands) "WE WON!" You have it! When Jesus won, you won! When Jesus defeated death, he defeated it for you! On May 8, 1945, Germany surrendered and World War II was over. In celebration, people packed the city ...

1532. Serpents and Other Signs

Numbers 21:4-9

Sermon

Mark Trotter

The Old Testament lesson this morning is about a serpent on a stick, whatever that is. In fact, it is called a "fiery serpent." This strange passage from the Book of Numbers records an incident in the Exodus, that trek of the Hebrews across the Sinai Desert, out of slavery in Egypt to freedom and a new life in the Promised Land. This passage is known as a "murmuring" passage. There are several of them in the books that describe the Exodus. Murmuring, as in grumbling and complaining, which was constant on ...

1533. When Saying No Means Yes

Luke 4:1-13

Sermon

Mark Trotter

Traditionally the lesson that is to be read on this Sunday, the first Sunday in the season of Lent, is the story of Jesus' Temptation. There is a reason. Lent begins forty days before Easter, excluding the Sundays. Forty days were chosen as the length of the season because Jesus was in the wilderness during his temptation for forty days. The number has an even more ancient significance. Israel spent forty years in the wilderness, in what is called the Exodus. The Exodus and the Temptation are tied together ...

1534. Let the River Flow

Colossians 1:15-23

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

Although the moment the Thanksgiving turkey cools down much of Western culture plunges into the Christmas frenzy, in the church calendar there is one more Sunday before Advent officially gets underway. This is the last Sunday of Pentecost, Christ the King Sunday. It seems pleasantly paradoxical that the church devotes a Sunday to celebrate Christ's exaltedness, his lordship, his omnipotence, just before we begin the weeks of Advent that contemplate Christ's entrance into this world as a frail and tiny ...

1535. Why Every Christian Should Be an Optimist

Psalm 121:1-8

Sermon

James Merritt

Are you an optimist, or are you a pessimist? I heard about an optimist that was talking to a pessimist, and he said, "Isn't this a beautiful sunny day?" The pessimist replied, "It may be, but if this heat spell doesn't stop very soon, all the grass is going to burn up." Two days later the optimist said to the pessimist, "Isn't this rain wonderful?" The pessimist replied, "Well, if it doesn't stop soon, my garden is going to wash away." The next day the optimist invited the pessimist to go duck hunting. The ...

1536. Quenching St. Anthony's Fire

Mark 8:27-38

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

The world invites us to climb ladders; the gospel invites us to lift crosses. What will it be? The Ladder or the Cross? There are two contemporary works of art that have rare symbolic power: the Vietnam Memorial and the AIDS Quilt. Both address the mystery of suffering that has no rhyme or reason; both restructure reality to enable us to deal creatively with the mystery of suffering. In the last half-millennium, a work of art which has exerted great symbolic power on a vast number of people is the " ...

1537. The Holy Trinity

John 3:1-21, Romans 8:1-17, Isaiah 6:1-13

Sermon Aid

John R. Brokhoff

COMMENTARY Old Testament: Isaiah 6:1-8 Isaiah's experience in the temple occurred in 742 B.C., the year King Uzziah died. For the nation it was a time of mourning as well as confusion and concern, for the king was considered a "son of God," God's vice-regent. At the same time the Assyrians were on a rampage and changing the map of the area. In the midst of these troubled times, Isaiah went to worship in the temple and had an experience with a sovereign God who caused him to confess his sins, receive ...

1538. Set An Extra Place

Ephesians 1:15-23

Sermon

Billy D. Strayhorn

Leonard Sweet in his sermon, "The Exquisite Attitude of Gratitude" writes: "On a gray Friday in January 2007, during the peak of the early morning commuter rush, an unassuming young man entered the L'Enfant Plaza train station in Washington D.C. As the crowds rushed by, the man found a place to stand out of the way of the foot traffic. He opened the violin case he carried. He threw into the case a few coins and dollar bills to "prime the pump." And then he proceeded to begin playing. But this was no ...

1539. The Unsuspected Trojan Horse

Psalm 139:1-24

Sermon

Maxie Dunnam

Most of you remember the story of the Trojan horse. The Greeks, under Odysseus, sailed over to Troy and made a huge wooden horse. They then climbed into the horse and were hidden away there. Cassandra warned the Trojans not to take the horse into the city. However, a Greek prisoner, Simon, persuaded them that the horse was sacred and would bring the protection of the gods so the pulled the horse into the city walls of Troy. That night as they slept, Odysseus and his companions crept out of the horse and ...

1540. For Freedom Christ Has Set Us Free

Galatians 5:1-15

Sermon

Maxie Dunnam

There is a story that has been around as long as I have been preaching, so the chances that you have heard it are right good. Even so, I share it. A speaker was scheduled to address some cattlemen. A terrible sleet storm struck on the day of the meeting. When the speaker arrived at the meeting place there were just three men present. The three were seated on the front row of seats — two younger cowmen with an old man between them. After waiting in vain for more people to arrive, the speaker said, “Frankly ...

1541. Sarah

2 Thessalonians 2:1-5, 13-17

Sermon

Scott Suskovic

Max Lucado, in his book, In the Eye of the Storm, writes about a woman named Sarah who was rich.1 Really rich! She inherited twenty million dollars plus had an additional income of $1,000 a day. That's a lot of money today. But in the late 1800s when Sarah lived, it was downright staggering. You can imagine that she was well-known, having come from the elite, upper crust of the New England coast. Well-known and powerful. Her name and money opened doors closed to most of us. Colleges wanted her scholarships ...

1542. Live the Lullaby

Luke 1:46-56

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

Every baby will keep every parent up all night, at least once. It’s a rule. Whether because they are teething or colicky, anxious or tummy-troubled, or just plain fussy, it’s part of a baby’s mission in life to keep its parents awake weeping and wailing. We parents are “hard-wired” to respond to an infant’s cries. What has kept us grieving all week, a grief that can’t be spoken? What has kept our hearts hurting all week, a pain that won’t go away? When an infant or child is in trouble, or hurt, or killed, ...

1543. Hill Climbing

Psalm 121:1-8

Sermon

King Duncan

Life can sometimes seem like an uphill climb, can’t it? Comedian Red Buttons once did a routine in which he told of a bare dinner table. He was a teen and his family was poor. Around the table stood his family dressed in overcoats because they couldn’t afford heat. There was his mother dividing the half-loaf of stale bread among a dozen kids, who swept up and ate the crumbs. “Then,” adds Red Buttons, “then came the Depression!” Buttons was exaggerating, of course. But it does seem sometimes that, when ...

1544. Jesus Taken Up into Heaven

Acts 1:1-11

Understanding Series

David J. Williams

Acts and the Third Gospel clearly come from the same hand. Not only their common dedication, but their common interests and their unity of language and style leave this beyond doubt. Moreover, the way in which they are introduced—the Gospel with its relatively detailed preface, Acts with its shorter introduction echoing the other’s language—points us to the fact that these are not simply two books by the same author, but two volumes of one book. This arrangement of a work into a number of “books” having a ...

1545. Jesus Calling and Accepting the Outcasts

Mark 2:13-17

Teach the Text

Grant R. Osborne

Big Idea: Jesus’s purpose is to bring sinners to forgiveness (2:1–12), and that includes inviting a tax collector to join his apostolic band. Levi uses the occasion to invite other social outcasts to meet Jesus, and that brings opposition from the religious leaders. Understanding the Text This section is all about forgiveness (2:1–12) that leads to discipleship (2:13–17), and this is set in contrast to the intransigence of the religious leaders. There is a reversal, for those who think they are healthy ...

1546. Two Memorable Healings

Luke 5:17-26, Luke 5:12-16

Teach the Text

R.T. France

Big Idea: Jesus brings not only physical healing and social restoration but also spiritual liberation by the forgiveness of sins. Understanding the Text These two episodes develop Luke’s portrait of Jesus the healer, a theme that was alluded to in 4:23 and spelled out in 4:40, and that will remain a prominent feature of his ministry throughout the time in Galilee and on the road to Jerusalem. In 4:40 we learned of Jesus’s ability to heal “various kinds of sickness,” and here that bald statement is filled ...

1547. “I Love You, Lord, My Strength”

Psalm 18:1-50

Teach the Text

C. Hassell Bullock

Big Idea: In David’s life, as in ours, God shows himself to be powerful in deliverance and intimate in grace. Understanding the Text Psalm 18 is generally classified as a royal psalm because it is attributed to King David and deals with his political and military victories. It has the features of an individual psalm of thanksgiving, including the report of the crisis, which has passed (18:4–19), and the vow to give thanks to the Lord (18:49).1 Perhaps in the history of Psalms usage it functiond as an ...

1548. Paul in Ephesus

Acts 19:1-22

One Volume

Gary M. Burge

When Paul himself arrives at Ephesus, he confronts a group of disciples who have not received the Holy Spirit (19:1–7). Paul then places his hands on them, and they receive the Holy Spirit, which is confirmed by their ability to speak in tongues and to prophesy (19:6). In this brief account, Luke provides a significant discussion of the role of Paul, the identity of these Gentile believers, and the message Paul preaches. First, the significance of Paul is revealed when this account is read in light of the ...

1549. Do you need a Pharisectomy?

Matthew 9:27-34, Matthew 9:35-38, Matthew 12:15-21, Matthew 12:22-37, Matthew 12:38-45, Matthew 12:46-50

Sermon

Lori Wagner

“To whom shall I speak and give warning that they may hear? Behold, their ears are closed, and they cannot listen. Behold, the word of the Lord has become a reproach to them they have no delight in it.” (Jeremiah 6:10) Props: Coffee and rolls Every home gets to set their own rules. Some are strange. Some are stringent. Some are strident. Some are just plain goofy. Ever been in a home with a white carpet? I bet you were required to take off your shoes before entering. Ever been in a home with all the ...

1550. Moving On

Luke 6:12-16, Luke 9:1-9, Luke 10:1-24

Sermon

Lori Wagner

Prop: dusty bowl This bowl hasn’t been used in a long time. You can tell, because it’s covered in dust. It hasn’t been touched, cleaned, moved, because it’s been here in this church on this shelf a very long time. [You could also refer to something in a glass case or anything that has sat around for a while.] It’s not being used in ministry or worship. It isn’t something that is used in healing people or baptizing them. It’s here on the shelf, gathering dust. This is perhaps one of the best metaphors we ...

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