Sermon and Worship Resources

Showing 1601 to 1625 of 4884 results

2 Kings 2:1-18

Sermon

Harold Warlick

... tends to operate. Preachers and teachers die and their sons and daughters bow before the new effective preachers and teachers. New arms grasp the mantle to fight fire with fire. But no one is hailed as Christ's successor. He has left no work unfinished which others may perfect. He has done no work which another may do again. The whole of human nature is taken up to the throne of God in him. His parting is a happy greeting and the portent of an inseparable reunion for us all. It lets us endorse our lives and ...

1602. Our Jealous Husband

Exodus 20:1-21

Sermon

Paul W. Kummer

... 't God give me one too?" Godliness with contentment is great gain. How much gain we get is directly related to who is god of our desires. Darn, those button holes never line up! Can you imagine anyone ever getting the first commandment right and then perfectly keeping the rest? Wouldn't you like to meet that person? You can. You have. He lives inside your heart, dear Christian. Imagine, Jesus never disobeyed his parents. He never lusted after things or a woman. He didn't just happen to forget to return a ...

1603. The Voice From Heaven

Luke 3:1-20, Luke 3:21-38

Drama

Dallas A. Brauninger

... still allow yourselves the joy of being filled with expectation? People of your time follow the wrong river when you wonder if any of these "institutional" or organizational acts of commitment still count for anything. In your day, few stand on the pedestal of perfection. What does the setting aside of a person for God's use matter to the everyday person? How do we know we are the right ones for a job whether the responsibility is as church officer, deacon, teacher, or pastor? Cannot the lifework of ...

1604. The Pastor Who Created A Monster

Haggai 1:1-15, Haggai 2:1-9

Sermon

Thomas G. Rogers

... what he could say that would help people to catch a vision of the goal as well as what he could say to provide encouragement so that the members of the church would feel they could reach the goal. He finally decided upon what he thought was the perfect sermon text -- the book of Haggai. When the church members came to worship the next Sunday, the sign in front of the church that announced the coming sermon read: "You Can Reach Your Goal -- God Is With You!" The sign indicated that the sermon text was going ...

1605. Too Good To Be True

Jeremiah 30:1--31:40

Sermon

Thomas G. Rogers

... the new covenant of which God speaks will only come into existence at the end of time in the world to come. Until then, it serves as a metaphor. It is a vision from God of what our covenant relationship with God will someday become. At that time we will perfectly become the people God created us to be. It is a glorious vision, but for now, it is too good to be completely true. Even though it is only a vision of the future, it is nonetheless an important part of our Christian walk on this side of eternity ...

1606. All The World Is Waiting For The Sunrise

Acts 10:34-43

Sermon

Gerald Whetstone

... transfixed butterflies. All of them just stuck there forever, fading along with their labels. People get stuck too. Maybe they could be labeled right where they're immobilized: "Sandy -- Waiting for a New Career Opportunity to Magically Appear," or, "Lee -- Still Hoping for a Perfect Romance." What if we're just stuck in yesterday? "My soul waits," says the Psalmist, "and in his word do I hope. My soul is waiting for the Lord more than those who watch for the morning; more than those, I say, watching for ...

1607. How Costly Grace? Or Does Spelling Count?

Micah 6:1-8

Sermon

Paul E. Robinson

... that kind of wholesome, healthy, lifegiving commitment to the way of God in Christ with a poor, sick substitute of something God would never ask of us, such as the lifeless body of a child or the paltry offering of a few good deeds or a string of perfect attendance pins, or even the ability to cling firmly to some proper doctrine set up by the church or denomination of our choice. No, the life of faith comes from active, humble love, embracing both our neighbor and our God. And such a life of meaning and ...

1608. Daring To Trust The Roots

Isaiah 11:1-16

Sermon

Paul E. Robinson

... seems oft so strong, God is the ruler yet." Imagine being able to say gently but firmly that out of the stump of Jesse, out of the stump of a Church sometimes gone wrong, out of the stump of a former Christian society that even back then was far from perfect, will come the Kingdom of God. Imagine being able to say gently but firmly that the life of joy and forgiveness within the Church is a foretaste of things to come and that there will be some in the world who will listen and hear and turn and will be ...

1609. The Sacred Other

Isaiah 42:1-9

Sermon

Paul E. Robinson

... biased. The dean of Wesley Theological Seminary while I was there was L. Harold DeWolf. Dean DeWolf was Dr. King's mentor and friend through his doctoral program and throughout his momentous ministry. While I always knew Dr. King was not Jesus and was not perfect, I have always respected him as a man who dared to speak truth and face the most violent racism with courage and gentleness. While his heart was frequently broken by those who were known as his followers but did not always follow his nonviolent ...

1610. Choosing Sides

Romans 8:1-17

Sermon

Sandra Hefter Herrma

... . Paul verifies for us that this is definitely the way of peace. It is the treaty, if you will, between God and us. We will make God the ruler of our lives, and God will promise us resurrection and peace. This is not a guarantee that our lives will be perfect, smooth, untroubled. It is a guarantee that when our boat is tossed by raging waves, we will have the inner peace and trust in God to be able to sleep in the back of the boat with Jesus. This treaty has been offered to us by God, long before we ...

1611. Say Goodbye -- Say Hello

Sermon

Richard Hasler

... the text is the pioneer motif. Jesus' redemptive work on [our] behalf is described in the following manner, "It was fitting that God, for whom and through whom all things exist, in bringing many children to glory, should make the pioneer of our salvation perfect through sufferings." According to the writer of the Letter to the Hebrews, Jesus, the pioneer, opened the way to a more intimate relationship with God. Jesus, born in a manger, grew to manhood in the normal stages of growth. He was thoroughly human ...

1612. Where Are You?

Hosea 11:1-11

Sermon

Richard L. Sheffield

... been there before. Someone once said: "Learn from the mistakes of others; you can't live long enough to make them all yourself" (Source unknown). Some of us try anyway! But the Bible calls us to learn from the mistakes of all those people you thought were perfect like Moses, and David, and Isaiah, and Jeremiah, and even the 12 disciples. To learn from their lives, and our lives, as we live them where we are right now. I haven't forgotten Hosea. Hosea was a prophet who lived about 700 years before Jesus was ...

1613. Mother's Day

Romans 16:1-27

Sermon

Brett Blair

... writes makes an excellent springboard for a Mother’s Day sermon. Some people ridicule Mother's Day as a lot of sentimental drivel. They say that it is nothing more than the creation of the greeting card companies and the florists. And, to be perfectly candid, there are many ministers who shun this day because, they say, it is not a religious holiday. Furthermore, they preach from the lectionary, which has an assigned scriptural reading each week, and therefore mother’s day is left out. Well, of course ...

1614. A Salute to Mothers

Romans 16:1-27

Sermon

Brett Blair

... makes an excellent spring board for a Mother’s Day sermon. Some people ridicule Mother's Day as a lot of sentimental drivel. They say that it is nothing more than the creation of the greeting card companies and the florists. And, to be perfectly candid, there are many ministers who shun this day because, they say, it is not a religious holiday. Furthermore, they preach from the lectionary, which has an assigned scriptural reading each week, and therefore mothers day is left out. Well, of course, we must ...

1615. Week Four Of Lent

Sermon

Richard Gribble

... to dive head first into any and every challenge that comes our way. An open attitude, however, is important so that we can grow and in the process find God in ever more great and wonderful ways. Of all the seasons of the year Lent is the perfect time to attempt to stretch ourselves. We will not be able to do all things, but we can make efforts to broaden who we are. Mohandas Gandhi, Martin Luther King, Jr., and Oscar Romero all accepted challenges to broaden themselves and then had the courage to challenge ...

1616. Week Two Of Lent

Sermon

Richard Gribble

... filling a water glass and seeing the water run over on all sides, in all directions. God's love and mercy are like that. They cannot be contained; they go out to all people for all time. Lent is a time when we think about our sinfulness. No one is perfect; as St. Paul says, all have sinned. But the important lesson today is to realize the unlimited love of God. The priest who could love and forgive the man who had killed his whole family is the image of God's love for us. One would not think such ...

1617. Divine Naivet

Isaiah 63:7--64:12

Sermon

Paul E. Robinson

... . Who could trust his judgment again if he made such a claim, knowing full well that they could not be trusted to walk the straight and narrow? Compare if you will the difference between our song about wonderful Santa Claus, before whom one must be perfect or tremble, and the Lord God, who embraces imperfect creatures, acting as though they had done nothing wrong. The parable of the Prodigal Son might better be called the parable of the Loving Father. It was Jesus' way of communicating the amazing love and ...

1618. Foreshadowing

John 12:1-11

Drama

Pamela Urfer

... you agree, Lord? JESUS: Another time we will, Judas. But this is a special occasion. JUDAS: Special occasion? What special occasion is this? LAZARUS: (Worried) I didn't realize that this was a special occasion. I hope everything is in order. JESUS: Everything is perfect, Lazarus. Except for one thing. LAZARUS: Tell me what that is, Lord, and I will provide it. I'll send Martha, or better yet, Mary, out to get it. JESUS: Never mind, Lazarus. Here comes Mary now. And she hasn't forgotten. MARY enters carrying ...

1619. The Witness Of The Centurion

Drama

Dann J. Ettner

... did this in order to become aransom for His people. I have even heard it said that I spoke thetruth when I said, "Surely He was the Son of God." They say thatI proclaimed the fact that Jesus was God Himself, sent by theFather, to become the perfect sacrifice for sins. And because Hedied on the cross all who believe in Him will live forever withGod. This is a hard thing to believe. I do know that there wassomething very different in the man Jesus. I even believe that Hewas responsible for the darkness over ...

1620. They Drew Back And Fell

Drama

Dann J. Ettner

... . It was not as if someone lost hisbalance and worked through the ranks like dominoes. No one evertouched me. I just fell, letting go of my sword and shield as Iwent down. How it happened, why it happened, I cannot tell. Itwould have made a perfect opportunity for that Jesus to escape.But He just stood there waiting for us to stand up and find ourswords, torches and lanterns. Jesus asked a second time, "Who is it you want?" We responded,"Jesus of Nazareth," almost fearing His response as if the meremention ...

1621. Great Africans Of The Bible: The Shulamite

Drama

Pamela Urfer

... may not approve. SOLOMON: Because you come from the peasant class? I will not allow such snobbery to interfere with our happiness. BELOVED: There is one other little, teeny thing that may stand in the way. SOLOMON: And what is that, my beloved, my dove, my perfect one? BELOVED: My skin. It's a different color from yours. SOLOMON: (Looks at her skin as if seeing it for the first time) Oh! So it is. Well, what difference does that make? BELOVED: It's a different color from everyone in your family. SOLOMON ...

1622. Hands

Acts 14:3

Children's Sermon

Kenneth Mortonson

... it? (HANDS!) We are told that the movement of the hand is governed by 30 different joints and more than 50 muscles. Every day we use these hands to perform nearly 1,000 different functions. Our hands are very special because of the way they work and they are perfectly coordinated with the eye and mind. Our hands are indeed a most wonderful part of our body. We should thank God, our Creator, for them. It is important for you to remember that you can use your hands in so many ways, for good or bad. You can be ...

1623. Doing What You Were Meant To Do

Jeremiah 29:11

Children's Sermon

Teresa L. Major

... is not working correctly. Let's try again. (Try to draw on the paper.) It's still not working. Something is keeping this marker from doing what it's supposed to do. Look at the tip of this marker. What do you see? (Children respond.) The tape is ruining this perfectly good marker. The tape is blocking the ink and keeping the marker from doing its job. What good is a marker that can't write or draw? God has something special for each of us to do. It's important that we don't let anything keep us from doing ...

1624. Too Close To The Edge

Proverbs 4:14-15

Children's Sermon

Teresa L. Major

... : It's a lot smarter to stay as far away from trouble as you can, rather than trying to see how close you can get to it without getting hurt. Preparation: None. I have a story for you today. There was once a king who was searching for the perfect husband for his daughter. The king was like any father. He wanted his daughter's husband to take care of her, love her, and protect her. Finally, the king found three handsome, strong young men, each of whom was a possible husband for the lovely princess. The king ...

1625. A Great Gift

Luke 6:1-11

Drama

Pamela Urfer

... . You have a master's touch. BOB: (Graciously) You ladies are too kind! ANN: No, no! We're not being kind. We're being truthful. BETH: Ann's right! I come to this church just to hear you play. ANN: I agree with Beth. Your accompaniment of the choir is perfection. BETH: But your solos are even more inspiring. When you play, I hear the angels singing. ANN: You should be so proud! You've been doubly, triply, blessed in your ministry. BOB: Yes, I have been blessed. God's been very good to me. ANN: It's not only ...

Showing results