Sermon and Worship Resources

Showing 1576 to 1600 of 4884 results

John 20:19-23

Sermon

Maurice A. Fetty

... law-keeping, but on the basis of God's gracious judgment which intends not to destroy, but to heal and make whole. The forgiven person experiences God not so much as judge, but as lover. But religiosity wants always to make God the lawyer who demands perfect obedience before he will love and forgive. Not so, says Jesus. God is ready to forgive those ready to accept his forgiveness as a gift. That is why the paralytic was healed and why the theological fact-finding team from Jerusalem was so angry. They ...

1577. Called To Pull Down; Called To Rebuild

Jeremiah 1:1-19

Sermon

Robert A. Hausman

... you. Like Jeremiah, we must trust that same promise. God has commissioned us not because of wisdom which we have gathered, but because of the wisdom God promises to bestow on us; not because of strength which we have gained, but because God's strength can be made perfect in our weakness; not because of special tools which we possess, but because of the special tools which God provides us. The tools given to Jeremiah and to us are the two-edged sword of the word of God, the word of God as law and gospel ...

1578. Love Your Enemies--It Will Drive Them Crazy

Luke 6:27-36

Sermon

Richard A. Wing

... time I read in the book of Hebrews that the one whom we call our priest is the same one who participates in the various sins we preach against. When I read that as a very young man, I said, 'For that reason alone I can enter ministry.' As for perfection, you can forget it. I am the same as you are, no better." "Then, Dick, I have one question to leave you with, 'Why do you preach this message?' " And in the dream I remember saying to him that I have discovered that if we keep looking at this text ...

1579. What Money Can't Buy

2 Kings 5:1-27

Sermon

Carlyle Fielding Stewart

... Elated with his cure, Naaman offered Elisha money for his services but was refused because the prophet had something that money could not buy. We understand that Naaman wanted to pay him as a token of his appreciation for what Elisha had done. This was a perfectly normal and good thing to do, but Elisha refused the money because deep down he had something that money could not buy. The deeper lessons of this text tell us that both Naaman and Elisha had something that money could not buy. Note that there was ...

1580. A Christian With A Conflict Of Interest

Isaiah 5:1-7

Sermon

James McLemore

... , holy and pleasing to God -- this is your spiritual act of worship. Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God's will is -- his good, pleasing, and perfect will." Confront your conflict. Correct your ways. Crucify your desires on the cross. Your conflict will die, but your spirit will rise again. And then you will become a Christian, with no conflict of interest."

1581. Proper 12

Psalm 85:1-13, Colossians 2:6-23, Hosea 1:1-2:1, Luke 11:1-13

Sermon Aid

William E. Keeney

... toward us. That requires a true repentance which means a change of our actions and attitudes. From that we become renewed and ready for restoration of right relationships with other persons. Finally the prayer should conclude with a commitment to follow Christ more perfectly. It is also a prayer for strength and courage to follow the will of God according to the insights received and the strengthening of the human spirit by the presence and action of the Holy Spirit. 4. Modeling Prayer. Jesus is, of course ...

1582. Proper 18

Psalm 139:1-24, Philemon 1:8-25, Philemon 1:1-7, Jeremiah 18:1--19:15, Luke 14:25-35

Sermon Aid

William E. Keeney

... warns the people that in like manner the Lord can shatter and rework his people if they do not shape up according to the Lord's will. If they continue to do evil, they will have to be ground up by suffering until they are restored to a more perfect vessel for God's purposes. The Second Lesson. (Philemon 1-21) Paul writes to a rich Christian whom he had brought into the church. He writes on behalf of a slave who apparently ran away to Rome but then became an assistant to Paul there. Paul wants Philemon to ...

1583. Let Me Explain: A Sermon By Judas Iscariot

Matthew 26:1-5

Sermon

Don M. Aycock

... kept teaching; we kept listening. But I always wondered, "When will Jesus turn against Rome?" The end climaxed quickly ... for him ... for us ... for me. The time came when he made up his mind to go to Jerusalem. It was during the time of Passover. "Perfect," I thought. "He is going to declare himself to be the Messiah, and the people will join him in driving out the tyrants." That's all I ever wanted. The people greeted Jesus with jubilant excitement. They spread palm branches and leaves out before him ...

1584. Blessed Betrayal

1 Corinthians 11:17-34

Sermon

Don M. Aycock

... , and he chose to honor even the smallest amount of faithfulness. I do not know if that gives you hope, but it surely does give it to me. What separated Jesus from the rest of humanity was the fact that his were unmixed motives. He had a perfect God-consciousness and was always motivated by love. Can you say that about yourself? Can any of us? I can imagine the conversation among the disciples in the upper room after the crucifixion of Christ. It might have gone 49something like this, if we will allow them ...

1585. God's Most Unmistakable Message

John 20:1-9

Sermon

Don M. Aycock

... God's law. He broke the Sabbath knowingly and refused to follow dietary laws. For him, God was the ultimate authority, and not the religious leaders' understandings of God. But the guardians of the faith were not asleep to the dangers Jesus posed. They were perfectly aware that if he got away with such practices, soon the whole country would be living by this new spirit of religion instead of its stern moral obligations. So the Pharisees, out of their loyalty to God, sought to put an end to the country ...

1586. What To Do With A Self-willed Child

Luke 2:41-52

Sermon

Charles H. Bayer

... if to say, "Go ahead, just try and teach me something." One wonders about our future. I suggest it lies with that minority of young people who are curious about their world, about ideas, about religious values, and about politics. It is not that Jesus was a perfect child. He was not, if we take this text seriously. But he was curious, and curious young people will make a better world. My consistent worry is whether we have enough of them. The text reports that the family returned home. Jesus had learned his ...

1587. The Limits Of Love

Luke 4:14-30

Sermon

Charles H. Bayer

... were the curse of Israel. Ahab had married foreign women, including Jezebel, and had hell to pay for it. Young preacher Jesus could have found a thousand more appropriate Old Testament stories to use as illustrations for this sermon. But he wanted to make the point perfectly clear at the outset of his ministry: God's love did not have national or ethnic borders. The second illustration was not much better. It was an account of how Elisha healed a man named Naaman, who happened to be an officer in the Syrian ...

1588. Why Be Good?

Luke 6:37-42

Sermon

Charles H. Bayer

... stand on one side of that equation and sometimes on the other. Sometimes we know we need to be forgiven and sometimes we know we need to forgive. And when those two values are in balance then grace comes through; and without grace we cannot live. If I must be perfect for you to love me, I am through, dead as a doornail, hopeless as garbage. It is only when I realize that I have been forgiven for all my arrogance and greed, all the injury and hurt I have given you, all the cruel things I have done on purpose ...

1589. On The Road To The Cross

Luke 20:9-19

Sermon

Glenn E. Ludwig

... he puts us in this vineyard of his, and gives us the freedom to work at it, and even gives us the freedom to harm his messengers and each other by acts of hatred and violence. And yet, God sent his son in love -- for you and me. What a perfectly illogical, irrational, profound thing to do! So, what is our response? Take that parable apart any way you want to, and we are the tenants in the vineyard. And what are we to do? -- to tend the place, to bear fruit, to care for each other, and to thank the ...

1590. How to Affair-Proof Your Marriage!

2 Samuel 11:1-27

Sermon

Stephen M. Crotts

... why happily married couples read, study, talk, ask, "How am I doing?" They listen, acquire role models, keep marriage among their top priorities. Without such action, the marriage develops a slow leak, until, like David and Michal, an ice age sets in. And they make the perfect couple. He's a pill! And she's a headache! Encounter So, David and Michal are estranged. Next in the anatomy of an affair comes the encounter. King David is middle-aged. He's lost a step on the battlefield, so he stays home while the ...

1591. You Can Create A Godly Heritage!

1 Kings 2:1-12

Sermon

Stephen M. Crotts

... the driver said, "you've left something behind. A bad impression." So many die and leave a bad impression. As Jeremiah 2:7 says, we've made our "heritage an abomination." A Good Example Now some examples of a good heritage. Certainly King David was not a perfect man. His coveting, adultery, murder, and lying show us that no heritage is untainted by sin. But still David was "a man after God's own heart." That's because he could repent. And such pleases God. King David has left us an example. His biography is ...

1592. Mirror, Mirror ON The Wall . . .!

Sermon

Stephen M. Crotts

... New Testament.\n You see, Paul's body was all a part of God's plan. Paul did not choose it, but God chose him for it. Paul prayed for a "better" body, but God said, "No." He said, "My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness" (2 Corinthians 12:9). \n The truth is that the Lord gives each of us the talents, opportunities, and limitations we need to fit into his plan and achieve his goals for our lives. The problem comes when we do not accept that which we are. We grumble ...

1593. Judgment Day

Mark 13:1-31

Drama

Steven E. Albertin

... no idea it would be like this. Well, thanks ... (She starts toward heaven. She hesitates, then comes back) Now I don't want you to think just because I choose heaven that I've always been a model of good behavior ... (Hastily) I haven't always been perfect. Who has? (She laughs as though sharing a joke) I'm not trying to get out of anything. Man: I understand. Woman: All right, then. Just so long as it's clear. (She starts toward heaven. Hesitates. Comes back) Er ... pardon me ... Man: Yes? Woman: I mean ...

1594. Miracle Four: Healing A Paralytic

Mark 2:1-12

Sermon Aid

Harold H. Lentz

... doctrine of justification by faith. But he was only partly right. There is a second part to the doctrine. He was overlooking this part. When we are justified by Christ's death, we are no longer driven by the impossible demands of the law to live perfect lives in obedience to that law. But we are now impelled by gratitude to God for his gift of salvation to strive to please him in every way possible. Legal demands have been replaced by loving obedience. Caring For Others. The story of four men bringing ...

1595. Miracle Ten: Healing A Blind Beggar

Mark 10:46-52

Sermon Aid

Harold H. Lentz

... and only one returned to give thanks for being cured from a horrible disease. We ask many things of God and do so rather frequently. Are we quick to express gratitude when our prayers are answered? Do we remember daily that God is the giver of every good and perfect gift, and then take the trouble to express our gratitude? It is a very selfish person who is glad to receive but can't be bothered to give thanks. Ann Landers is often asked what one should do who sends a gift to someone, say a grandchild, but ...

1596. Getting In Tune Again

Isaiah 40:1-31

Sermon

William L. Self

... house. I get the Christmas lights from the attic, bring them down, and usually spend three days untangling them and at least two more days trying to find a replacement bulb so they will work. Last year when we got the lights down from the attic, they unfolded perfectly. I plugged them in and every light worked. That was a great surprise for us. I have never had that experience in my entire life. I knew right then it would be a good Christmas. Another thing that I like about Christmas is that it forces us to ...

1597. Famous Last Words

Deuteronomy 18:14-22

Sermon

William L. Self

... of the people was to hear and do the word. The test of the leader was whether the forth telling actually worked out in their lives. "The proof was in the pudding." When these famous last words of Moses are closely examined, we see that Jesus fits this profile perfectly, and ultimately he became the head of the church and the leader of the people of God. As Moses led them from bondage in Egypt, so Christ leads from the bondage of sin. Like Moses, his life was spared in infancy. Like Moses, he was a powerful ...

1598. What It Takes To Be A Winner

Isaiah 40:1-31

Sermon

William L. Self

... just as it was to God's people in exile, and this is what will win the race of life. Athletes who participate in the Olympic Games know well the importance of hopeful waiting. It is the time when long hours are spent in practice, skills are honed, timing is perfected. All in all, it is a very busy time -- but it is waiting for the moment of performance, of hoping for the victory that the waiting has prepared them for. The summer of 1996 brought the Olympics and two and a half million visitors to the city of ...

1599. Seven Habits Of Highly Effective Christians

2 Kings 5:1-27

Sermon

William L. Self

... must wash in the old river Jordan. We affirm that washing in church, in Sunday Bible study, and in prayer, but we don't like it. Naaman was told to wash seven times in the river Jordan. No one really knows why it was seven times, although seven is the perfect and sacred number. Allow me to suggest seven things that will not only change a life at the core but also will make that life very stable and effective in a most difficult world. 1. We must make a profession of our faith in Jesus Christ as Savior and ...

1600. Point Of Origin

Genesis 1:1-2:3

Sermon

Harold Warlick

... Essentially, it's when something is recognized for what it is. When the wise men saw Jesus and knew what he looked like, that was an epiphany. Actually, Jesus was not the Messiah or the Savior until somebody recognized him as the Messiah. Like in sleep, it's perfectly possible to be unaware of what's going on around you. Each year Epiphany is celebrated on January 6. It's the time after Christ's birth when people recognize him not as the babe in a manger, but as the Lamb of God. Only when people recognize ...

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