Sermon and Worship Resources

Showing 1601 to 1625 of 3099 results

1601. What Making a Difference Looks Like

Matthew 5:1-12

Sermon

Phil Thrailkill

... , you are on the verge of something life changing. You have been successfully disconnected from this world’s priorities. The God who offers blessedness can only do so by deeply restructuring our desires. Before we can become agents of the kingdom, which is the subject of the second column of blessings, we must enter it ourselves and be dealt with by God. We are never done with the downward path to emptiness and the upward way of the birthing of new desires and capacities. Emptying and filling is the ...

1602. Comfortable Christianity Is a Big, Fat Lie

Matthew 7:15-23

Sermon

Phil Thrailkill

... you renounce the spiritual forces of wickedness” (meaning the personal evil of Satan and his angels)? to which you answer Yes. Despite our recent fascination with psychotherapy as the dominant model of ministry, Methodists believe in spiritual warfare, that all are subject to dark attacks. The human problem, in a sense, is up there and in the heavens. Many of our struggles are with powers we cannot see that work behind the scenes arranging temptations, orchestrating deceptions, and delighting in all the ...

1603. Resurrection

Acts 10:34-43

Sermon

King Duncan

... have loved ones on the other side who await us. They are walking slowly so that we can catch up. Alfred Krupp, a famous munitions maker, lived in constant fear of death. Everyone throughout his entire company was strictly forbidden to refer to the subject of death in conversation. He ran from his own house because a relative of his wife’s suddenly died there. And when Mrs. Krupp objected, Alfred became so enraged that he initiated what was to be a lifelong separation. During his last sickness, he offered ...

1604. Branching Out

John 15:1-17

Sermon

Michael Milton

... What do you think?” He said, “Well, it sounds like you weren’t.” There was a disconnect. There was no union. Listen to the late and great Professor John Murray of Westminster Seminary speak on “union with Christ”: Union with Christ is a very inclusive subject. It embraces the wide span of salvation from its ultimate source in the eternal election of God to its final fruition in the glorification of the elect. It is not simply a phase of the application of redemption; it underlies every aspect of ...

1605. Children in the Arms of a Loving God

Mark 10:13-16

Sermon

Michael Milton

... to Eternal Life. The key is that the presence of children is a constant reminder of how a person is saved. It is not their innocence, for anyone who has ever been with a two-year-old can see the sin nature at work. Nor is it just the subjective aspects of childhood like trust or naiveté. It is one singular aspect of children that Jesus is pointing to as necessary to come into His kingdom. The key must be called helpless dependency. There is no other way to get into the kingdom of God. Jesus said that you ...

1606. Love without Limits

John 13:31-38

Sermon

John K. Bergland

... said, "You sure got quiet all of a sudden." And I nodded my head. "Am I offending you?" he asked. And before I could respond, one of the patrons who knew me said, "He is a minister." Suddenly, there was an awkward pause, and the conversation shifted to a different subject. As I left the shop, I kept asking myself, "How could a person be so obtuse and cruel?" Lest I become too self-righteous, I want to take a scalpel to my own heart. You may want to be included. Think of the person you cannot stand to be ...

1607. The Blessed Promise

John 17:20-26

Sermon

King Duncan

... miners died. One of the miners who died, Martin Toler, Jr., wrote a note in his last hours: “Tell all I’ll see them on the other side.” Let’s talk for a few minutes about heaven. The modern church probably does not address the subject of heaven often enough. In fact, there are probably more jokes about heaven than sermons. Ruth Sturdivant says that when her nine-year-old granddaughter addressed a letter to God at the Pearly Gates, Heaven, it was returned. Someone at the postal service had written ...

1608. Thank God for Dads

Galatians 2:11-21

Sermon

King Duncan

... It makes fingerprinting easier.” Challenge the young fellow to arm wrestling. Introduce him to the family by calling each family member to the living room using a whistle, then making them stand at attention and salute. As they leave, talk into a walkie-talkie, “Subject is wearing khakis and a blue polo shirt, driving a green Ford.” (2) Follow these principles and I feel certain your daughter’s date will feel intimidated. We laugh to keep from crying. I want to focus our attention on the 20th verse ...

1609. Stick to the Knitting

John 1:43-51

Sermon

Mark Trotter

... opened it up. It was a present from the king. Inside was a life-size crucifix, a life-like statue of Jesus on the cross, with this instruction: "Place this on the pillar opposite the pulpit, so that the one who stands there will always be reminded of his proper subject." This is how we are to be regarded, as servants of Christ and stewards of the mysteries of God revealed to us by Christ.

1610. You Are Somebody!

Galatians 3:26--4:7

Sermon

King Duncan

... else feel small, insignificant, unworthy could be held accountable for their words or actions. ABC News’ science editor Michael Guillen tells about being part of a famous experiment in cooperation with the former anchor of ABC news, the late Peter Jennings. The subject of the study was racial prejudice. In one of the segments, they did an experiment featuring a schoolteacher and a large group of students. The teacher began by dividing the kids into two camps: Blue Eyes, or “Bluies,” and Brown Eyes ...

1611. The Bent-over Woman

Luke 13:10-17

Sermon

R. Robert Cueni

... . There is a non-biblical proverb that holds: "God never gives us more than we can handle." That proverb, of course, is objectively false. There are problems that can crush the life out of us. We can be literally crushed to death. While objectively false, it is subjectively very helpful to believe "God never gives us more than we can handle." If you don't believe you can handle what comes your way, you won't. Without faithful confidence, it takes only a tiny problem to bend you over. If, on the other hand ...

1612. A Place of Honor

Luke 14:1-14

Sermon

King Duncan

... in Chicago many years ago. We decided to try an experiment. We made a study of every single reference in the whole Bible to the poor, to God’s love for the poor, to God being the deliverer of the oppressed. We found thousands of verses on the subject. The Bible is full of the poor. "In the Hebrew scriptures, for example, it is the second most prominent theme. The first is idolatry and the two are most often connected. In the New Testament, we find that one of every sixteen verses is about poor people; in ...

1613. Honest Abe

Genesis 12:1-4a

Sermon

Bill Mosley

... , and other discussion classes. Abraham believed the Lord, and it was reckoned to him as righteousness. What is righteousness? Righteousness has to do with the fulfillment of the demands of a relationship. It could be a relationship between people, between king and subjects, man and wife, parent and child. Siblings. Usually a covenant or contract or agreement is involved. It's like accepting a "free puppy." You get something, but it carries with it the obligation to feed and care for it, and you really ...

1614. Death: A Way of Life

Isaiah 52:13—53:12

Sermon

Bill Mosley

... eat of the tree, thou shalt die the death." It was the first death in the world.1 Sheen goes on to a similar imaginative story about Mary receiving the body of her grown son, Jesus, as it is taken down from the cross. The moment has been the subject of artists through the ages, notably the famous Pieta sculpture of Michaelangelo. And I don't want to belabor the sadness of the moment, which was surely there. Jesus died on the cross. You've heard that so often you may lose the reality of it. "They spoke to ...

1615. Bear Love

Acts 1:1-11

Sermon

Bill Mosley

... celebrate that person's influence on their lives. What we're really celebrating is Mother Love, and what that means. What it means is, something someone does, usually at a cost to themselves, so that we know we are loved. Here's what I mean. It's a whole different subject, but it gives us a picture to see what love is. This is from October 1990 Backpacker magazine. It's how to tell the species of bear you are looking at. Now get the picture. You can see the bear. He's here. This is not a book exercise. It ...

1616. A Deliverer Is Born

Exodus 1:1-22, 2:1-10

Sermon

Arley K. Fadness

... great storehouses at Pithom and Rameses, which archaeologists today have confirmed as two of the most likely sites of forced labor. But the hardy Hebrews continue to flourish. Oppressed people in every age have been able to identify with these Hebrews subjected to slave labor. The Black religious tradition, while unique to Black Americans, contributes much in song and theology to the belief that "God is on the side of the oppressed." The Black American experience, in which they groped for meaning, relevance ...

1617. Look Who Is Standing at the Door

James 4:1-12; 5:1-12

Sermon

James L. Killen

... experience of envy and competitiveness that could spoil your season. Open the door and welcome the judge who will help you to get things into a right perspective. But some may be wanting to cry out, "Wait! Why must we be talking about such a somber subject as judgment during this season when we want to be happy and celebrate Christmas?" The answer is that it is part of our preparation for a real celebration of Christmas. The first verses of our scripture lesson for today spoke of waiting patiently for the ...

1618. Grace Has Appeared

Titus 2:11-14

Sermon

James L. Killen

... not that we have to be good so that God will love us. It is that, once we have discovered God's love and taken it into ourselves, God's love works within us to make us good. Think of athletes training for the Olympics. They subject themselves to rigorous disciplines and do it gladly because they want to accomplish something that is important to them. Training in righteousness is like that. But wait. The last time we repeated our text, we left something out. "The grace of God has appeared bringing salvation ...

1619. With a Song in Your Heart

Ephesians 1:3-14

Sermon

James L. Killen

... a difference what song your heart sings. A certain man who served in the Air Corps during the Second World War told his son later of his experience after being shot down behind enemy lines. He was captured and confined in a prison camp where the prisoners were subjected to exceptional cruelty. He told his son that the only thing that made him able to endure the ordeal was the songs he had learned in Sunday school when he was growing up. He really had not been much of a churchman but he remembered the hymns ...

1620. A Holy-wood Ending

1 Peter 4:12-14, 5:6-11

Sermon

Richard W. Ferris

... messages from relatives and friends. Upon reading the first message, she fainted and fell to the floor. The widow's son rushed into the room, found his mother on the floor, and saw the computer screen that read: To: My Loving Wife From: Your Departed Husband Subject: I've Arrived!! I've just arrived and have been checked in. I see that everything has been prepared for your arrival tomorrow. Looking forward to seeing you then! Hope your journey is as uneventful as mine was. P.S. Sure is hot down here! We ...

1621. Complete Joy

Philippians 2:1-11

Sermon

Jeff Wedge

... , one side of the argument, left and organized another congregation. Consider the small congregation that was exploring options for the floor in the parish hall. Everyone agreed that the old floor needed to be replaced, but the argument came when the subject of covering the floor was raised. The lowest cost covering was the carpet on sale at the warehouse outlet nearby, but one member of the council objected strenuously. While the objections were heard, the council eventually voted to purchase and install ...

1622. Bragging Rights

Philippians 3:4b-14

Sermon

Jeff Wedge

... ." "Oh, my," the woman said, "that will never do. Can't you just forget about him?" "No, I can't." After some further discussion, the genealogist agreed to put the best possible face on the story in the final report. The final report read, "Subject's maternal grandfather worked in a state institution in upstate New York. Very dedicated to his work, he literally died in harness." Most people today would prefer to hide the fact of ancestors with unsavory lives. Certainly an ancestor who was executed by the ...

1623. Living in Denial

Luke 16:19-31

Sermon

King Duncan

... it together intending to persuade, and thinking that when people hear his witnesses they will begin to believe it too. But he is sadly mistaken. The TV higher‑ups are as cynical as ever; delighted with his ratings, but uninterested in the subject. The book ends with a conversation between Tennell and an associate. “‘Even if Davidson has come back to life, Cass, [these people] don’t have a chance,’ [says the associate.] “‘I think they do,’ [Tennell responds]. “‘No, Cass,’ [argues the ...

1624. Being More than Civil

1 Corinthians 1:1-9, 1 Corinthians 1:10-17

Sermon

Mark Trotter

The trial of a president is a terrible thing for a country to endure. We can be grateful that in the Senate, at least, the proceedings have been conducted in a more civil manner than we have been subjected to over the last several years. Although we have been told that just underneath the surface, in the Senate as well, there are deep divisions and the same partisan acrimony that has characterized the investigation and the impeachment. There has always been division in the world. In our own society, ...

1625. The Light of the World

John 20:1-18

Sermon

Mark Trotter

... , but that we ought to model a dialogue, a Christian dialogue for the world, that you can discuss controversial issues, and admit to different opinions without being divided from one another. He and his wife, who hold differing opinions on that subject, give workshops across the country on Christian dialogue. Campolo, when he speaks, will sometimes remind his audience of a sermon that he heard his African-American preacher deliver once, with this wonderful title: "It's Friday - But Sunday's Comin." What ...

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