Sermon and Worship Resources

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Showing 1551 to 1575 of 4914 results

1551. The Catch

John 21:1-14, John 21:15-25, Acts 10:1-8, Acts 10:9-23a, Acts 10:23b-48

Sermon

Lori Wagner

Props and visuals: fishing boat / fishing net / tablecloth and stick / backpack / diaper bag / purse or satchel You know how some dreams won’t let go of you? Sometimes God has a message for you, and speaks in this “forgotten language” of dreams. Sometimes God needs to prepare you for something that’s hard for you to hear. In our scripture story today as told in the Acts of the Apostles, God was preparing Peter for his visit with Cornelius. And for something even greater! But as everything goes with Peter, ...

1552. In diem natalem

Titus 2:1-15

Sermon

Ron Love

John Wesley was the founding father of the Methodist denomination. Even though he had been leading his followers throughout England for several years preaching repentance, Wesley himself still questioned the validity of his own faith. While leading and inspiring others, Wesley’s was consumed with doubts regarding his own salvation. Wesley felt depressed and dejected for his seeming lack of faith. Realizing this, a few friends compelled Wesley to accompany them to a Moravian society meeting in a room on ...

1553. Prepared Servants

Luke 12:35-48

Sermon Aid

William E. Keeney

Watching. Waiting. Preparedness. Servanthood. These are key words that appear in Jesus' teachings and parables in the Gospel accounts. We are told by advertising experts that a product name must be repeated several times before people remember and can identify it. Either Jesus repeated the message frequently so people would remember it, or it was a constant theme which he used in many different ways and on different occasions. In any event it is a theme that occurs so often in the Gospels that it must be ...

1554. Epiphany 3

Mt 4:12-23 · 1 Cor 1:10-18 · Is 9:1-4 · Amos 3:1-8 · Ps 27 · Ps 139

Sermon Aid

Russell F. Anderson

COMMENTARY Old Testament: Isaiah 9:1-4 This passage is a portion of the First Lesson for Christmas Day. On that occasion it was employed as a fulfillment of the expectation of the birth of the Messiah. In the context of Epiphany it is used as a fulfillment of the promise that the Messiah would be a light for all the nations. This passage was written during a time of great darkness and gloom. The tribes of Zebulon and Naphtali had been subjugated by the Assyrians in 734 B.C. Yet, the prophet envisions a ...

1555. The Nativity Of Our Lord

Luke 2:1-20 · Titus 2:11-14 · Isaiah 9:2-7 · Ps 96

Sermon Aid

Russell F. Anderson

THIS WEEK'S TEXT Revised Common: Isaiah 9:2-7 · Titus 2:11-14 · Luke 2:1-14 (15-20) Roman Catholic: Isaiah 9:2-7 · Titus 2:11-14 · Luke 2:1-14 Episcopal: Isaiah 9:2-4, 6-7 · Titus 2:11-14 · Luke 2:1-14 (15-20) Lutheran: Isaiah 9:2-7 · Titus 2:11-14 · Luke 2:1-20 Theme For The Day: The Good News of Christ's Birth COMMENTARY Lesson 1: Isaiah 9:2-7 The prophet declares the dawning of a new day of light, justice and everlasting peace for the downtrodden of the Lord. A son is given who mediates the very ...

1556. Between The Parentheses

Revelation 1:4-8

Sermon

William G. Carter

Whenever a preacher announces a sermon text from the book of Revelation, a lot of people grow nervous. Revelation is widely regarded as the most confusing book in the Bible. The book is chock-full of strange visions, eerie sounds, and jolting images. Wild-eyed interpreters have offered curious interpretations of the future, turning to Revelation and neglecting the rest of the Bible. In short, the book of Revelation has been considered a happy hunting ground for heretics. It is no wonder that many ...

1557. New Life From Old

1 John 2:28--3:10

Sermon

Mark J. Molldrem

Easter is in springtime for a reason. Springtime is that time of year when new life emerges from the old. Easter is that time of history when New Life emerged from the old. You might well imagine the surprise of the first disciples when they discovered the empty tomb, and later when they had a close encounter with the risen Christ. Peter, in a journal-like comment, rehearses the events in his conversation with Cornelius and his family and friends: "We are witnesses to all that he did both in Judea and in ...

1558. The Fruit of Forgiveness

Genesis 45:1-28

Sermon

Harry N. Huxhold

One of the outstanding personages of the modern era was Howard Hughes. Mr. Hughes was regularly featured in the news from the 1920s through the 1970s. He set world speed records in his day for air travel. He designed and produced new planes. He contributed much to the advancement of commercial air travel. He produced motion pictures in Hollywood and made considerable innovations in that industry. He managed and enhanced the oil drill tool industry he inherited from his father and became the second richest ...

1559. Uncle Abraham

Romans 4:13-25

Sermon

William G. Carter

I have good news for you this morning. None of you are good enough to be here. Sorry about that. I thought I saw a few of you flinch. Maybe I need to be a bit more sensitive in how I begin. Let me try again. I have good news for you this morning: God is not impressed with a person in this room. By the look on some of your faces, I'm not sure that was any better way to start a sermon. Give me one more opportunity to get this sermon started. Here it goes. I have good news for you this morning: Every single ...

1560. Shaped By The Fire

Acts 2:1-21

Sermon

Billy D. Strayhorn

Happy Mother's Day to all of our mothers in congregation. Years ago, I asked my Mom if I was a gifted child, she looked at me sort of funny and said, "Well, I certainly wouldn't have paid for you." Years ago I read story about female physician who was taking her four-year-old daughter to preschool. Mom, the doctor, had left her stethoscope on car seat, & her little girl picked it up, hung around her neck and began playing with it. Mom had this moment of thrill as she thought, "Be still, my heart, my ...

1561. Eye Opening Faith

John 9:1-41

Sermon

Billy D. Strayhorn

Years ago, I remember hearing a speaker or reading an article about the Wycliff Bible translators in Africa. They always used the local people to help them translate the Scripture. In one particular area, the people were helping but without a whole lot of enthusiasm. No one even seemed to even be the least bit interested in the story of Jesus. Until they came to this passage and then the whole village began to buzz with excitement. The translators couldn't understand why, so they asked and were admonished ...

1562. Dress For Faithfulness

Ephesians 6:10-20

Sermon

Billy D. Strayhorn

One of my favorite comedians was Danny Kaye. I loved his movies and one of my favorites was the Court Jester. In this movie Danny Kaye is a volunteer with "The Fox" a Robin Hood type character who is trying to protect the rightful heir of the throne (an infant). Danny Kaye takes the place of the new Court Jester, Giacomo, to gain access to the throne and a key that will let "The Fox" and his men into the city through a secret tunnel. It's all typical Danny Kaye fair. One of my favorite scenes is the ...

1563. The Birth of John

Luke 1:67-80, Luke 1:57-66

Teach the Text

R.T. France

Big Idea: Both the extraordinary circumstances of his birth and his father’s inspired utterance testify to John’s pivotal role in the plan of salvation. Understanding the Text The two angelic announcements in 1:11–17 and 1:26–37 are now followed by accounts of their fulfillment in the birth of John and (in the next section) the birth of Jesus. Linking this passage closely with the opening scene of the Gospel are the return of Zechariah’s power of speech, lost at the time of Gabriel’s announcement (1:20–22 ...

1564. Into the Wilderness

Luke 4:1-13

Sermon

Wayne Brouwer

Jesus was tempted. We know the story is there, but it isn’t our favorite, is it? Somehow it tarnishes our ideas about Jesus. Was he as wimpy as we are, almost ready to step over the edge of whatever morality we might have left, at the first offer? Ray Stedman, great twentieth-century preacher, remembered a morning at a restaurant. He was the featured speaker at a large church conference out east and was finishing his presentation notes as he ate breakfast. The eatery had unique décor, including good ...

1565. What Goes on When He Comes in?

Acts 19:1-22

Sermon

Fredrick R. Harm

As we grapple with the meaning of our first text for today, Acts chapter 19, how appropriate is the oft-used phrase, "We only get one chance to make a first impression." Unquestionably the disciples of John the Baptist, whom Paul met early in his visit to Ephesus, seemed to lack some evidence of God's Spirit in their lives. Their "first impression" was spiritually deficient! Christian scholars throughout the centuries have sought to determine what Paul sensed in these disciples that caused him to question ...

1566. “No One Can Redeem the Life of Another or Give to God a Ransom for Them”

Psalm 49:1-20

Teach the Text

C. Hassell Bullock

Big Idea: In the face of death, wealth cannot buy God off, but he can and does redeem (spare) our lives from the power of death at his own will. Understanding the Text Psalm 49 has typically been classified as a wisdom psalm and dated anywhere from the tenth to the second century BC (see the sidebar “Wisdom Psalms” in the unit on Ps. 37). Kraus prefers the category of didactic poem because this psalm, like Psalms 73 and 139, aims to reflect on a problem.1In the same frame of thought, Craigie imagines that ...

1567. Dangerous

John 12:12-19, Zechariah 9:9-13, Zechariah 9:14-17

Sermon

Lori Wagner

Are you dangerous? Are you sure? Today, I want to ask you, what does it mean to be a “dangerous” follower of Jesus? What does it mean to live “dangerously” in this world as a follower of Jesus? Would Jesus want us to live dangerously, or to be dangerous? Let’s put it another way…. How many of you feel that your faith is a dangerous force that can disrupt the powers and principalities of this world? How many of you believe that Jesus is a dangerous force? That the Holy Spirit is a dangerous force that can ...

1568. Why Join the Church?

Acts 2:1-21

Sermon

Mark Trotter

My wife and I were driving down the freeway one day, and she saw the title of the sermon on the marquee, "Why Join The Church?" She said, "That's the dullest title I've ever seen!" I asked her if she had ever heard Tammy Wynette sing, "Stand By Your Man"? Actually I believe it is a good title because it reflects the opinion of many people, that it is not necessary to join the Church in order to be a Christian. I suppose most of your neighbors feel that way. They probably wonder what you are doing getting ...

1569. The Ministry of Unbinding

John 11:38-44

Sermon

Maxie Dunnam

Listen! We cannot raise people from the dead as Jesus did, but we share in the deliverance of those he has raised! Death and what is done about that — is in Jesus’ hand. It is He who can say with power: “Come forth! Come forth from your tomb.” But deliverance — that’s in our hands. “Unbind him” Jesus said, “unbind him that he might live.” So, we talk today about the ministry of unbinding. I Rehearse the story, so that our focus will be clear and we will not be questioning something that we think has been ...

1570. The Teacher

Mark 1:21-28

Sermon

Will Willimon

Do you know Sybil Vann? Elizabeth Tripp? Mary Wilds? You ought to. They are very powerful people. And I know that many of you are here because you want power. Sybil Vann, Elizabeth Tripp, Mary Wilds could teach you power mongers a thing or two about it. Last week, buying aspirin at supermarket, I almost reached for a bottle of expensive aspirin, then I remembered what Elizabeth Tripp taught us in her science class: ''People, aspirin is aspirin. It's that simple. The only difference in aspirin is in the ...

1571. Job's Second Reply to Zophar

Job 21:1-34

Understanding Series

Gerald H. Wilson

The Inexplicable Prosperity of the Wicked In chapter 21, Job responds to Zophar’s accusations by thoroughly deconstructing the foundation on which they rest. Zophar has claimed that the wicked perish both in an ultimate sense and in their relentless quest for that which does not satisfy—the gnawing greed that consumes the wicked from the inside out. Job assesses Zophar’s claims as so much “nonsense” and “falsehood” (v. 34) when held up to the mirror of real life as Job both knows and describes it. Far from ...

1572. Becoming A Faithful Witness

Isaiah 50:1-11

Sermon

Douglas J. Deuel

A family decided to send a playpen to their friend who had just given birth to her fourth child. She responded by writing this thank-you note to them. "Thank you so much for the pen. It is wonderful. I sit in it every afternoon and read. The children can't get near me." Wouldn't it be nice if we could shelter ourselves from the relational challenges of life? Someone has written that, for twentieth century Americans, our lawns are our moats. All too often we do seek distance from others. That inclination ...

1573. You Can Be Articulate

Mark 7:31-37

Sermon

Michael B. Brown

A quick look at any medical journal reveals thousands of phobias that afflict people ... not discomforts or unpleasantries, but full-blown, pulse-raising, sweat-inducing, emotionally debilitating phobias. They come in all shapes and sizes. We find arachnaphobia (the fear of spiders) and musophobia (the fear of mice). There are claustrophobia (the fear of confined spaces with no visible exit) and hydrophobia (the fear of water which prevents anyone from knowing the joys of swimming in summer or deep sea ...

1574. They Drew Back And Fell

Drama

Dann J. Ettner

The Witness Of An Arresting Soldier Invocation Hymn Responsive Dialogue 1 Corinthians 2 P: When I came to you, brothers, I did not come witheloquence or superior wisdom as I proclaimed to you the testimonyof God. C: We have not received the spirit of the world but thespirit who is from God, that we may understand what God hasfreely given us. P: For I resolved to know nothing while I was with youexcept Jesus Christ and Him crucified. C: This is what we speak, not in words taught us by humanwisdom but in ...

1575. You Meant Evil; God Meant Good

Genesis 45:1-28

Sermon

Robert A. Hausman

"I am your brother, Joseph, whom you sold into Egypt." With this poignant revelation, we come to the primary resolution of the Joseph story; but do we remember the beginning? It all started with a dream! Young Joseph was the favorite son of his father, the son of his old age. He was the one with the luxurious coat from his father. Joseph was too good to be true, the kind brothers can hardly abide. He was also a bit of a snitch. He brought an ill report of his brothers to his father. Then Joseph had a dream ...

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