Sermon and Worship Resources

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Showing 1551 to 1575 of 2665 results

1551. Whatever It Takes

1 Corinthians 9:19-23

Sermon

James Merritt

... . He was not espousing the philosophy: "When in Rome do as the Romans do"; if you want sinners to hear you that you've got to sin with them. He was talking here about the Old Testament ceremonial law. When he ministered to Gentiles he dropped all of those Jewish ritual and ceremonial traditions. When he was with the Gentiles he followed Gentile accustoms and Gentile customs as long as it did not violate a biblical principle. But when Paul was in Jerusalem he followed Jewish religious customs. They observed ...

1552. Nothing but the Blood

1 John 1:7

Sermon

James Merritt

... , but no blood?—Death would have come. The point I'm making is this: If there was any other way to be saved, any other way to be cleansed, any other way to be forgiven, any other way to be accepted, then Jesus would not have died nor shed one drop of His blood. But that He did die and that He did shed His blood, tells us that only His blood can cleanse us from all sin. I read a true story one time of a part of six people who began a dangerous descent of a peak in the ...

1553. Let's Get Ready to Rumble

Ephesians 6:10-20

Sermon

James Merritt

... about ten feet below the water line to just above the water line. Theoretically, a torpedo hitting the armor belt would not penetrate into the hull and cause flooding. Likewise, armor-plating would be placed along the upper surface of the ship to repel bombs dropped from airplanes. Well God has given us armor guaranteed to repulse the most powerful missiles, the strongest bombs, and the mightiest torpedoes that Satan can fire at us. No wonder James said in Jas. 4:7, "Resist the devil and he will flee from ...

1554. How to Handle the Mess of Stress

Exodus 18:23-27

Sermon

James Merritt

... the Mississippi River. Well, he went down once, came up and yelled for help. He went down the second time, came up and yelled for help. He went down the third time and came up and said, "If somebody doesn't come help me I'm going to have to drop one of these anvils that I'm carrying." That was Moses' problem. The anvils needed to be carried, but he could not carry them by himself. So listen to the advice his father-in-law gives him: "Moreover you shall select from all the people able men, such as fear ...

1555. Why?

Job 3:11-12, 16, 20, 23

Sermon

James Merritt

... the foundations of the earth? Tell Me, if you have understanding." (38:4) What he said to Job in effect was: "You wouldn't even be here trying to ask me a question if I hadn't decided to create you to begin with." Then in Job 40:2 he drops the final bomb: "Shall the one who contends with the Almighty correct Him? He who rebukes God, let him answer it." Even though I don't know any truly final answers to the whole problem of evil, there are some things I do know. I know that evil is real ...

1556. Star Witness

John 1:35-51

Sermon

James Merritt

... for?" They then asked him, "Where are you staying?" and he invites them to come and spend time with him. Here was a situation that God brought about into life of Jesus of which He took advantage. In your life there will be times that God will literally drop someone into your very lap and you will have an opportunity you didn't ask for, but you were ready for, to share the Lord Jesus Christ. Recently on a Sunday night, I shared about how I was involved in a television shoot out in the woods with David ...

1557. Turn Right with the Right Turn

Luke 13:1-8

Sermon

James Merritt

... to tell you the burden of my heart. I am becoming more convinced, the longer I pastor, that we have a lot of counterfeit Christians in the church. Oh, they do a lot of good; they're religious; they may even bring their Bibles to church and drop a dollar in the plate. But when they stand before God, God is going to reveal them for the counterfeit that they were, because they've never repented. We don't hear preachers preach much about repentance anymore. I pray this morning, as I preach this message, that ...

1558. Murder in the First Degree

Matthew 5: 21-26

Sermon

James Merritt

... the church. I would be shocked if there is not someone listening to this message right now that either does not have something against someone or maybe does not know someone that has something against you. Either way Jesus said reconciliation is so important that you should drop what you are doing in the church. Get outside the church and find that person who needs the church and get right with them before you can worship God. This is one of the very few times in the Bible where we are told that there is ...

1559. Repeat After Me

Philippians 3:1-11

Sermon

James Merritt

... Jesus and he realized he was spiritually bankrupt. Now in today's terms that proud Pharisee would have won every prize there was to win—the Pulitzer, the Medal of Honor, the Most Valuable Player, the Heisman Trophy, the Gold Medal. His was the name dropped by anybody who was a name-dropper. Nobody's trophy's case was larger. In his home were plaques, diplomas, framed letters from influential individuals, newspaper articles. He was the Man of the Year, the Man of the Decade, the Man of the Century. But ...

1560. Me, Myself and God

Psalm 23:1-6

Sermon

James Merritt

... certain city. He was awakened one night by the telephone in his hotel room, and a friend had called to tell him that his home had burned to the ground while his wife and two children were sleeping and they were consumed in the flames. He was so stunned, he dropped the receiver and sat there for what seemed like an eternity in unbelievable agony. He hung up the phone and began to pace the floor. He screamed, he wept, he cried out to God. He said he couldn’t take it any longer and he just burst out of the ...

1561. Final Destination

Psalm 23:6

Sermon

James Merritt

... were first asked to recall an argument in which they became very angry or frustrated. The patient was to relive that experience in their mind for five minutes. The doctors noted that these patients’ immune system became depressed and the antibody levels dropped 55%. Six hours later their immunity system was still depressed. On the other hand, patients were then told to re-experience an event that involved love, care, or appreciation. This emotional reaction caused the antibody level to rise 40% and it was ...

1562. The Broken Window Theory

Matthew 13:24-30, 36-43

Illustration

King Duncan

... cite people for even minor infractions. Littering, public drunkenness, vandalism and other small crimes were noted and swiftly dealt with. When the police attended to the "little things," they sent a message that the community cared about setting higher standards for itself. Major crimes like theft, assault, and drug dealing dropped dramatically once the minor crimes were under control. Neglect. Broken Windows. Weeds growing in the garden.

1563. In Love with Howard

Matthew 13:44-46

Sermon

King Duncan

... in this world for which you would sell everything you own? It has been reported that in his race for the Republican nomination for president of our country, Mitt Romney spent more than 42 million of his own dollars. That’s a lot of money. However, when he dropped out, he still had quite a bit of money left in his personal piggy bank. He didn’t invest everything he owned in his failed attempt for the nomination. I wonder if he regrets spending so much or, perhaps, he regrets he didn’t spend more. How ...

1564. My Dog Saw The Rabbit

Matthew 13:44-46

Illustration

Brett Blair

... dogs joined in the chase, barking and running. They ran a great distance and alerted many other dogs. Soon the wilderness was echoing the sounds of their pursuit but the chase went on into the night. After a little while, many of the dogs grew tired and dropped out. A few chased the rabbit until the night was nearly spent. By morning, only my dog continued the hunt. "Do you understand," the old man said, "what I have told you?" "No," replied the young monk, "please tell me father." "It is simple," said the ...

1565. The Compassionate Christ

Matthew 14:13-21

Sermon

King Duncan

... in body. So when we hurt, he understands, for he has been hurt too. A man named Al Wiener survived the Nazi concentration camps of World War II. He entered a labor camp when he was 15. Years in those camps took their toll. Over time his weight dropped to 80 pounds and he was weak and always hungry. He was slowly starving to death. In one labor camp he worked in a textile factory. There were German women who worked in the textile factory. They were forbidden from speaking to prisoners like Al. They were not ...

1566. Won't You Come Home, George Bailey?

Luke 2:1-7

Sermon

... that big a hurry to get from one to the other. For if God can live here, so can we. Albeit differently than we have done so far. Because we've got a baby to take care of now. Whose name is Love. And it would be shame to drop it or walk away from it ... having seen what it looks like ... and having felt what it feels like. Which is why Christmas, which begins with a visitation (God's), is ultimately about a transformation (ours). Peter Gomes returns to ask: "Have you ever noticed that most secular stories ...

1567. And Hungry People Were Fed

Matthew 14:13-21

Illustration

King Duncan

... old at the time, who read about Dr. Albert Schweitzer's missionary work in Africa. He wanted to help. He had enough money to buy one bottle of aspirin. He wrote to the Air Force and asked if they could fly over Dr. Schweitzer's hospital and drop the bottle down to him. A radio station broadcast the story about this young fellow's concern for helping others. Others responded as well. Eventually, he was flown by the government to Schweitzer's hospital along with 4 1/2 tons of medical supplies worth $400,000 ...

1568. Have Faith Anyway

Matthew 15:21-28

Illustration

David E. Leininger

... were of people confused with their imprisonment and sometimes destroyed with their release. Painfully, silently, the audience relived the events of Wiesel's young life when he was the only surviving member of his family. Finally the stories ceased. His eyes dropped to the floor. There was no sound at all in that mammoth room for what seemed an agonizing eternity. Then he repeated the question, "After Auschwitz, can we still believe?" He shook his head slowly, sadly, "No, no,..." before concluding powerfully ...

1569. Overcoming Fear

Mark 4:35-41

Sermon

Bill Bouknight

Many years ago when I was a young preacher, I noticed one day that a new family had moved into a neighborhood not far from my church. So I dropped by late one afternoon. I noticed that one car was parked in the carport. I went to the side door, the one opening onto the carport. I had rung the door bell only once when I heard a deep, bass growl that sounded like the rolling of thunder. It was ...

1570. Introducing A Child to God

1 Samuel 1:1-21

Sermon

Bill Bouknight

Some years ago I noticed that a particular family had dropped out of church. So, I made some inquiries concerning them. I found out that one of their children was an excellent young soccer player. His particular soccer league had scheduled their games for Sunday mornings. So, the parents and the child had a choice to make—whether to attend Sunday ...

1571. The Lost And Found Collection

Luke 15:1-7

Sermon

Bill Bouknight

... from God. Sometimes the demands of work separate a person from the Good Shepherd. It becomes tempting to work over the weekends, or to catch a flight out on Saturday night to save a little money. Because of time constraints, one begins to drop out of Sunday School, then out of church-related ministries, and then out of worship too. Simultaneously, one often drifts away from the Good Shepherd. That’s how we modern sheep stray from the Master. Then suddenly darkness comes. Something happens which highlights ...

1572. Sending Good Messages

Ephesians 4:1-16

Sermon

Bill Bouknight

... Either one might say, “I wish there was less routine and more romance in our love-making.” A German sociologist found after extensive research that couples during their first year of marriage chat with each other about seventy minutes per day. This drops to thirty minutes a day during their second year, and declines further during each successive year. By the eighth year most couples spend very little time communicating. That is deadly. Earlier I told you about a husband who delivered the wrong message ...

1573. For Better, For Worse

1 Corinthians 13:1-13

Sermon

Bill Bouknight

... effort looking after Jim. I was neglecting my career, and had nothing in return, except that I could leave him at any time, which for me was far from a privilege.” (3) The other great enemy of marital commitment is DIVORCE. While divorce rates have dropped in recent years, the United States still has the highest divorce rate among Western nations. About forty out of every one hundred first marriages will end in divorce. That’s more than double the divorce rate of 40 years ago. (4) With no-fault divorces ...

1574. The Love Triangle: Man-Woman-God

Psalm 127:1-5

Sermon

Bill Bouknight

... . Dancing together should help that process. I was tempted to run an advertisement in the church bulletin inviting married couples to come dance at the church. But I did not want to create a theological dispute with our Baptist friends, so I dropped the idea. However, I would offer this truth that is almost biblical—the couple who not only pray together but also dance together is almost impossible to separate. Every great marriage is a glorious triangle, a three-way relationship between man, woman ...

1575. An Excellent Epitaph

2 Timothy 4:6-8

Sermon

Bill Bouknight

... selects a player who is the natural team leader. Coach Taylor challenges him to perform a very difficult drill. This player gets down on his hands and feet, and another player gets on his back. It is difficult to carry that player for ten yards, without dropping to his knees. The coach challenges this young man to carry that player fifty yards. All the way the coach is urging, daring, challenging him, “You can do it! Don’t give up! Keep going! Don’t quit on me!” When the player finally collapses, he ...

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