Sermon and Worship Resources

Showing 1626 to 1650 of 3160 results

Jeremiah 30:1--31:40

Sermon

Curtis Lewis

Simon Wiesenthal in his book, The Sunflower, relates a discussion that took place at the Mauthausen Concentration Camp when he was a young Jewish prisoner. Wiesenthal was sound asleep one night when Arthur, another young prisoner, a sort of dreamy skeptic, grabbed him by the shoulder and began to shake him awake. "Simon, do you hear?" "Yes," he stammered, "I hear." "I hope you are listening; you really must hear what the old woman said." "What could she have said?" "She said ...'God was on leave.' What do ...

1627. I'll Be Somewhere Listening

1 Samuel 3:1--4:1

Sermon

Curtis Lewis

... we, will we, have Eli's spirit of relinquishment? May it be so. Eli had a spirit of relinquishment, but it is to Samuel that we must look to see ... The Availability of Samuel When one reads the Call Narrative of Samuel, it appears that Samuel is a sort of passive person who seems very content to remain in the background. By the conclusion of 1 Samuel 3, he will emerge as a prominent figure on the national scene. How does Samuel move from the shadows into the spotlight? He does it by being available to God ...

1628. How to Recognize a Prophet

Deuteronomy 18:14-22

Sermon

Curtis Lewis

... who will stifle and harm the purpose and passion of the nation. Our scripture for this Lord's Day focuses on the function of the prophet in the life of the nation. The prophet of the Old Testament did not serve as has often been depicted as some sort of spiritual rooster continually crowing to remind the people of Israel of their obligation to God. The fear of Moses was that there would be various prophetic roosters crowing and stating, "This is God's way," or, "That is God's way." It is to the issue of ...

1629. Have We Kept Our Contract with God?

Genesis 17:1-27

Sermon

Richard Gribble

... , but during the great season of Lent, the concept of service to God's people might well be emphasized. We are called to minister to God's people in little and great ways. If we have the time, energy, and opportunity to serve the poor in some sort of volunteer service, such as at a soup kitchen, homeless shelter, or free clinic, this would be a great response to the call of discipleship and certainly would make great strides in upholding our end of the contract with God. We may have the opportunity to visit ...

1630. Look Inside and Discover Life

Numbers 21:4-9

Sermon

Richard Gribble

... his true self; his self awareness was minimal. As our Lenten journey continues let us be filled with the desire to place our spiritual houses in order. Let us begin by looking inward and taking the often perilous journey of introspection. Let us be honest, sort out problems, and then begin to build our lives anew. We start by being reconciled, move to personal acceptance, refuse to participate in acts that hurt others, and finally set a straight course for the future. Today, may we take the first step on ...

1631. The Church: Identity And Function

1 Peter 2:4-12

Sermon

Maxie Dunnam

... . Now I do that for two reasons. First of all, I do a lot of work when I travel and so I have to work on airplanes and there’s more space in that particular seat to spread your books out and your portfolio and your writing materials and that sort of thing. And there’s more room for your feet as well. But the second reason that I select that seat is that if the plane is not crowded, then the flight attendants always sit there as well for the take off and landing. Sure enough, sure enough on that ...

1632. Dying And Rising With Christ

John 15:1-17

Sermon

Maxie Dunnam

... a little Methodist church in Conway, South Carolina. Two weeks after I left that conference, I received a letter from one of these women, who, along with her pastor, was extending me an invitation to come to that church and lead in some sort of spiritual renewal emphasis. After extending that invitation she wrote, and I’m quoting directly from her letter, ‘I thought you might be interested in our group of six, obviously thoroughly enjoying the Lord and each other.’ And they were certainly doing that ...

1633. A Forgiving Presence

John 7:45--8:11

Sermon

Maxie Dunnam

... Jesus’ feet with tears of repentance, dried them with the hair of head, and anointed his feet with precious perfume that she had brought. Simon said to himself, “If this man Jesus knew who this was. If he was really a prophet, then he would know sort of person this is that is touching him. That she’s a sinner.” But Jesus knew what Simon was thinking, but he changed the focus from the woman to Simon himself. He confronted Simon with his own sin and then he announced unequivocally, “Therefore I tell ...

1634. A Guiding Presence

Romans 8:1-17

Sermon

Maxie Dunnam

... his skillet over it, and it worked. But by the time he had cooked his eggs, his coffee was three miles away. That’s a parable of life. That’s a parable of life, the winds of the world blow and would take the fire of our life in all sorts of directions. Likewise, the wind of the spirit blows, and as Jesus said, we know not from where it comes or whither it goes. But we hear it and we feel it. We need to learn to distinguish between the wind of the world and the wind of the spirit ...

1635. Servants Without Portfolio

Matthew 20:20-28

Sermon

Maxie Dunnam

... which we are to climb to the top, or it’s a series of battles which we must win in order to gain the reward of success or position or money or power or influence or prestige. We are told, in fact it’s hammered into our heads in all sorts of direct and subtle ways, that to be a real man, to be a real woman, is not only to survive the formidable competitive struggle for success, but to victorious. Anybody can make it to the top, we’re told, if we just try harder. In its most blatant expression ...

1636. Playing A Role Or Being A Truth

Matthew 16:21-28

Sermon

Maxie Dunnam

... to fit into the new suburban secular setting. In either choice, we get all tangled up in duplicity and guilt. And I want you to know I’m not going to be victimized by that. We’re driven by the fear of being found out when we participate in that sort of thing, and our energy is used in efforts to convince everyone that the front is what we really are. So we’re like shaven French poodles, never quite sure that people are seeing us for what we really are. I like what Shirley Lynn said about Dr. Beatty in ...

1637. Living Lightly

Genesis 45:1-28

Sermon

Maxie Dunnam

... , for the best of all the land of Egypt will be yours.’ Now the King James version has that 20th verse, regard not your stuff, for the best of all the land of Egypt will be yours. I like that. Regard not your stuff. There’s all sorts of meaning there. By the time you and I become adults, we have a lot of stuff. We’ve learned so many wrong things, stored up so much misinformation, learned to respond in so many destructive ways, adopted all the biting, snarling, snippy ways of relating, become secretive ...

1638. Confession And Supplication

Philippians 1:1-11

Sermon

Maxie Dunnam

... that is rare, Tim began to search himself. Who failed, that a young person such as this should die without Christ? The moving and challenging and judging thing came as Tim told me the story, then asked, almost pleading, “Dr. Dunham, what can we do that that sort of thing will not happen again?” Now that’s supplication. When we feel so keenly, even though the feeling may be helplessness, when we care so deeply, that we sorrow for, that we brood with, that we anguish over the condition of others and our ...

1639. Why I Believe In Tithing

Malachi 3:6-18

Sermon

Maxie Dunnam

... a training center for ministry to young sailors and marines at the nearby military bases. And we began to support foreign missionaries. Inspired by all that, a woman in the congregation who lost her son in Viet Nam wanted to give the insurance money for some sort of Christian work in that war-torn country, and she wanted me to go to Viet Nam and investigate that possibility. I personally borrowed the money to go on a mission tour that included Viet Nam. But if you remember the history of that war, there ...

1640. Christmas Is On Top Of A Steep Hill

Luke 2:21-40

Sermon

Maxie Dunnam

... day, some believed, that some great celestial champion would descend upon the earth and take control. Some believed that there would arise another king out of David’s line, all the ancient glories of Israel would be revived. Some believed that God himself, in some sort of cataclysmic way, would break into history by supernatural means, thus enters Simeon. And this is another reason I like him and identify with him. He was among a few people in Israel of that day known as the quiet of the land. They had ...

1641. Participants In The Gospel

Philippians 1:1-11

Sermon

Maxie Dunnam

... . The season when we put the emphasis upon the taking the light of the world into the world. So today I’m beginning a series of sermons on the Book of Philippians. During this Epiphany season and throughout Lent, I want us to live with this book. It’s a sort of manifesto for living and sharing the gospel. It is a call to share and be the light. So with that setting in mind, in chapter 4 verse 1, Paul tells of what he thinks of the church at Philippi. “My brethren whom I love and long for, my joy ...

1642. The Christian Life Defined By Prayer

Philippians 1:1-11

Sermon

Maxie Dunnam

... our culture is so far gone down the path of sexual promiscuity, selfish indulgence, moral indifference, flabby thinking, that only those who consistently chose the superlatively good can make any difference in the world. And I pray God that the church will model that sort of thing. Paul knew and he lined it out for us, that you may approve the things that are excellent, but Paul adds another characteristic in verse 10 – that you may be sincere and without offense. Waymoth translates this, that you may be ...

1643. Working Out Our Salvation

Philippians 2:1-11

Sermon

Maxie Dunnam

... see you again and your hearts will rejoice, and no one will take that joy from you. I close with this. A few years ago, I did a filmed conversation which was across the church and continues to be used in study groups and that sort of thing, a filmed conversation with Archbishop Anthony Blume, the Russian orthodox, who has written so helpfully about a life of prayer. When I questioned Anthony Blume about ordinary persons, like you and me, living the contemplative life of prayer in the every day world, he ...

1644. Soul Drain

Psalm 63:1-11

Sermon

Maxie Dunnam

... , as it’s the tradition for young people to sit in our balcony here. And that particular Sunday, the balcony, as well as the sanctuary was packed. The balcony especially packed with young people, and people were really involved in the preaching. He was a dramatic sort of fellow, and he would pound the pulpit now and then to make a point, and one young person, a young woman, was sitting on the front row in the balcony and was intently involved in everything the preacher was saying. And when he made one ...

1645. Pentecost: The Neglected Factor

Acts 1:1-11

Sermon

Maxie Dunnam

... and it’s going to become more thrilling yet. A couple of weeks ago, I sat with a person in my office for an hour and a half. He had made an appointment, having been in our worship service only once. This fellow has never made any sort of Christian profession. In fact, never even a hint of such. You may find it hard to believe, but because of his unique situation, he has experienced the Christian movement negatively, even antagonistically. There has been the time when the church, for him, was the enemy ...

1646. Constantly Abiding

Philippians 2:1-11

Sermon

Maxie Dunnam

... that commitment. I knew that her life was tougher than most, the burdens of rearing a family, working all day to earn bread and serving as both mother and father to her children, because the father had abandon them. Facing the kind of loneliness that sort of life often holds. Yet she knows the source of guidance and power, in Christ, constantly abiding. So we have to develop a healthy dependence upon the Lord. A third principle of “in Christ” living may sound flip, but it is actually profound. Live in ...

1647. The Family: A Place For Persons

2 Timothy 1:1-2:13

Sermon

Maxie Dunnam

... .” Isn’t that beautiful? I became an optimist the day I realized that the first family was not in the White House but in Bethlehem. Then she added, “when I falter, I drop to my knees and pray – dear heavenly father, (this is a tongue in cheek sort of thing) I thank you for all my blessings. For my wonderful husband who has the thermostat set at 68 and is saving my energy for my trip to the Harvard Medical School. For my warm and understanding mother who told everyone the shelf paper in my kitchen ...

1648. He Is Not Here He Is Risen

Mark 16:1-20

Sermon

Maxie Dunnam

... of life. They tell you Jesus had done only good in his ministry. He had healed the sick and reached out to the hopeless. Still He died an agonizing death between two criminals. It wasn’t fair, and still isn’t. Heart attacks, strokes, cancer - all sorts of illnesses come along. Birth defects, tragic accidents things happen all the time where lives are twisted and broken. It doesn’t make any sense, and life isn’t fair. That stone is a reminder of the tragedy and adversity that can come to the people ...

1649. Saints In The Light

Colossians 1:1-14

Sermon

Maxie Dunnam

... and a blasphemy against God to give in to the pain, hopelessness, and helplessness we feel, the gnawing doubts that haunt us by passing through our struggles, conflicts, pain, disillusionment, and despair with the superficial affirmation, “It’s God’s will.” That sort of glossing over with glib affirmation is a straw bridge which will not hold as we pass over or through the debilitating depths to which we are often plunged. Such shallow, facile words are empty and do not affirm the Almightiness of ...

1650. A Christian Style Of Being And Doing

Colossians 3:18-4:1

Sermon

Maxie Dunnam

... you to perform an elementary exercise. Make a list of how you spend your time in the course of a week -- the time you give to playing tennis, having lunch with friends, watching soap-operas, bridge games, morning coffees, social clubs. Put that sort of time involvement up against devotional time, Bible study, preparation for teaching Sunday School or working with youth, service to others through MIFA, neighborhood centers, or nursing homes. What does it look like? What does the way you spend your time say ...

Showing results