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Showing 1676 to 1700 of 4963 results

1676. God's Evangelism Plans

Acts 16:16-40

Illustration

Richard A. Jensen

The fall of Haile Selassie in 1974 did not bring the kind of peace that the Ethiopians had hoped might follow their somewhat "benevolent" dictator. They had hoped for democracy. They had hoped for freedom. What they got, instead, was a Marxist state that ruled with an iron hand. Repression was everywhere. Persecution was everywhere. The Christian church became a target of this repression and persecution. The almost 20 years of Marxist rule was a very difficult time for the Christians of Ethiopia. ...

1677. Alesander The Mediocre

Drama

Robert F. Crowley

... : Alas, there is nothing I can do.\nAGAMUSE: To do nothing is to allow the enemy to win.\nALEXANDER: Is this all that you bring me -- your derision? \nAGAMUSE: I bring you hope.\nALEXANDER: Hope? I have forgotten the word.\nAGAMUSE: You will remember soon enough.\nALEXANDER: What is that that you carry? Is that your hope? \nAGAMUSE: It is.\nALEXANDER: Bring it to me. (AGAMUSE CROSSES TO ALEXANDER) Mud! \nYou have brought me a pot of mud! What trickery is this? \nAGAMUSE: No trickery, honored King. I would ...

1678. The Compassionate Healings

Mark 5:21-43

Sermon

Ron Lavin

... had grown worse" (Mark 5:25-26, NEB). These are the circumstances under which trust is generally broken. But on the basis of what she heard about Jesus, she approached him. She looked into Jesus' eyes and his face and saw something which gave her hope. She saw compassion. The second surprise going on in the first story is the compassion of Jesus. The woman with bad theology saw what thousands of others have seen in the face of Jesus -- compassion. The woman brought trust to the relationship. Jesus brought ...

1679. From The Redemption Of A King To A King Of Redemption

2 Samuel 23:1-7

Sermon

Zan W. Holmes

... of all individuals within the kingdom.[1] By the grace of God, this is the leadership symbolized in David, the redeemed king. On this Christ the King Sunday, David the redeemed king is also a symbol of hope for us all. It is a symbol of hope for the man who sat in the large cathedral and reflected on his sins. It is a symbol of hope for all who know failure. Redemption is available in every situation. In fact, the good news for us is that we have a king of redemption in Jesus Christ. To be sure, Jesus is a ...

1680. When All Is Said And Done

Mark 13:1-31

Sermon

William G. Carter

... that Jesus does not speak about the end of the world, as much as he speaks of a world that is coming to an end. One hopes we can hear the difference. For, in a world like this, human institutions like the Temple crumble apart stone by stone. It seems an inevitable part ... 's easy to give in. Neill Hamilton, who taught at Drew University for many years, once observed how people in our time lose hope for the future. It happens whenever we let our culture call the shots on how the world is going to end. At this ...

1681. Dinner Parties With A Difference

Luke 7:36-50

Sermon

Maurice A. Fetty

... to the temple or synagogue as a kind of guilt offering. But she was not the kind of person priests and rabbis could count on for solid support of their religious institutions. Mothers attempted to shield their daughters from this woman's influence. Wives hoped their husbands never would fall into her seductive traps. But even the priests and rabbis had to acknowledge that somewhere out there, men were giving her business, perhaps even good men. Are there any good men here today? Are there any bad women here ...

1682. Arise! Shine! For Your Light Has Come

Isaiah 60:1-22

Sermon

Robert A. Hausman

... packaged and with great promise. It can numb us, but without all the calories. It leaves us in the darkness. The people of Israel were in the darkness in the 5th century B.C.E. They had returned to Jerusalem from exile in Babylon with great hope. They were going to rebuild the city, its walls and its temple. They were going to restore Israel to greatness; but many did not want to return. They had made a life for themselves. Those who did return found opposition from without and within, from the neighboring ...

1683. A Tree Well Watered

Jeremiah 16:1--17:18

Sermon

Robert A. Hausman

... the other a blessing (v. 7). Today we think of blessings as social niceties ("Bless you!") and curses as harmless expletives ("I hope it comes back to haunt you!"). In Biblical usage, however, blessings and curses are the bearers of power. To be blessed is ... breath departs, they return to the earth; on that very day their plans perish. Happy are those whose help is the God of Jacob, whose hope is in the Lord their God (Psalm 146:3-5). Such a misplaced trust brings with it a curse: Cursed are those who trust ...

1684. Love Your Enemies--It Will Drive Them Crazy

Luke 6:27-36

Sermon

Richard A. Wing

... helped hide Jewish people. Right there in her living room, as Glen was sitting there, she told the story of that time right after the Second World War when she was preaching that we needed to forgive all people, even those who were holding others in oppression. The only hope in the world was going to be in God's forgiveness as seen in Jesus Christ. A former Nazi sat in the front row while she said that. He stood up afterward, came to her, extended his hand, and said, "I was among the Nazis, and I need your ...

1685. An Awesome Homecoming

Sermon

Tony Everett

... all evil and suffering. Instead, the Christmas promise was and is Jesus the Christ, son of the living God. It was and is a promise of love and faithfulness that leads to the cross. It was and is a promise that leads to forgiveness and hope, overcoming our bondage to sin and suffering, and uniting us in a community bound by baptism, not by ties of family name, race, gender, or geography. Perhaps our Christmas expectations need a different focus. Perhaps there is a deeper quality to homecoming. Remember those ...

1686. Roots Near The River

Jeremiah 16:1--17:18

Sermon

Tony Everett

... all else," says Jeremiah. "It is perverse -- who can understand it?" (v. 9). The apostle Paul states it differently. "I do not understand my own actions. For I do not do what I want, but I do the very thing that I hate" (Romans 7:15). So then, what hope do we have if even Paul cannot help himself? Like the godly person described by Jeremiah, we need roots near the river -- the river of the water of life in Jesus Christ; the river of the water of baptism. Paul continues: "Wretched man that I am! Who will ...

1687. Looking Back; Moving Forward

Exodus 34:29-35

Sermon

Tony Everett

... the very presence of the Lord God. Jesus brought the disciples down from a glorious mountaintop experience to walk with him to Jerusalem on a journey that led straight to the cross. It, too, was a frightening journey. It was a journey of suffering and hope, passion and promise, despair and joy. It is a journey that Jesus invites us to share today. The Ark of the Covenant of the Lord was carried triumphantly by the children of Israel throughout their wanderings. The cross was carried in glory by Jesus to ...

1688. Lent 4

Psalm 32:1-11, Joshua 5:1-12, 2 Corinthians 5:11--6:2, Luke 15:1-7

Sermon Aid

William E. Keeney

... . As people prepare for the Easter events they may use the parable to examine their own relationships to God. The parable poses the question of what kinds of attitudes and behaviors alienate us from God and cause grief akin to that of a father who finds his hopes for his children unfulfilled. People can ask themselves how they can better respond to a God who gave his special son that the people in the world might be saved. The parable addresses both the persons who indulge in the sins of the flesh and those ...

1689. Weather Signs

Luke 12:49-53

Sermon Aid

William E. Keeney

... has allowed the walls to be broken down and the vineyard ravished. He pleads with God as the shepherd of Israel to restore the vineyard and save the people. Context of the Gospel Lesson Jesus addressed a crowd who gathered to hear him. They are full of hopes and expectations that he will usher in a kingdom of glory and power. He is aware that he is generating opposition. He tries to warn the crowd that his preaching and healing will not automatically lead everyone to enter the kingdom of God. He foresees a ...

1690. Proper 17

Psalm 81:1-16, Hebrews 13:1-25, Jeremiah 2:1-3:5, Luke 14:1-14

Sermon Aid

William E. Keeney

... the church as a means for social climbing. They join the church that will give them connections. It is usually a church that is characterized by people who are a step or two up from the social and economic class from which the person is coming. They hope that the identity with the church will give them enhanced social status or economic opportunities. That reason for joining the church is the same kind of seeking a higher place as at a wedding feast. It is a form of prostituting Christianity. It is using it ...

1691. Blessed Betrayal

1 Corinthians 11:17-34

Sermon

Don M. Aycock

... cursed. But Jesus broke bread, and said in this way that love is more enduring than hate. This wretched betrayal of Judas was not the last word! His hateful attitudes toward the Son of God and toward others was not the end of the story! This fact gives me hope that my unchristian attitudes and my actions which betray Christ are transformed and made to work for his purposes. Christ still breaks the bread and hands it to us, knowing fully well what we are. But his love will not give up or let go. 48 He gives ...

1692. The Tale Of Three Women

Ruth 1:1-22

Sermon

John A. Stroman

... , yet they are bound together in the midst of a hostile world. This is a story of relationships, of family. To be in any family is to venture forth like Ruth and Naomi, without guarantees for the future, but, even in the worst of futures, it is more hopeful and bearable when we bear it with one another. God was about to work out a remarkable future for Ruth. She wasn't sure what it all meant, but she had the feeling that her life was to have significance and meaning, if she was faithful and loyal, although ...

1693. Judgment Day

Mark 13:1-31

Drama

Steven E. Albertin

... . It's just too shocking to be true. Everything gets turned upside down. Nothing is as it should be. Right becomes wrong. Good becomes evil. And yes, as we just saw, heaven becomes hell. We wouldn't have made the same mistake, would we? Or would we? I hope this little drama has helped to reveal how shocking God's ways are when compared to our human sensibilities. If we are really honest with ourselves, we must admit that we would have had just as difficult a time as the girl in the drama when it comes ...

1694. Miracle Four: Healing A Paralytic

Mark 2:1-12

Sermon Aid

Harold H. Lentz

... Christ. Persistence of this sort is a well-known custom in the East. If a favor cannot be obtained in any other way, then the person or persons seeking it will set to crying and making a disturbing noise around the person whose attention they are seeking. It is hoped that this will catch the ear of the one whose favor is sought, or even wear down his opposition. Thus, it is common practice for such a means to be employed by farmers who want their taxes lowered after a year of failed crops. The same means is ...

1695. All Dressed Up And Somewhere To Go!

Isaiah 62:1-12, Isaiah 61:1-11

Sermon

Harold Warlick

... church's walls, dressed in royal garments, and remain silent while friends die of cancer and AIDS and the world tears apart through war and hunger. We are called to break our silence so all may come through the great tragedies in life with a spirit of hope. We are to break the silence and indifference of our privileged positions so others may be able to recover from the pain and suffering of their past events. Ten years ago an African-American woman called a North Carolina pastor. She told him that she had ...

1696. A Bad Temperament Can Kill You

2 Kings 5:1-27

Sermon

Harold Warlick

... knew that a bad temperament can kill you worse than leprosy. Each day of life we can see women who have been wronged by men, lying in wait for some suffering to beset those who have wronged them. We see men who have been wronged by women, hoping that they suffer, hoping that they get paid back. We can see children who have been wronged by their parents actually glad of every pain of body that the parent experiences. Meet hate with hate. Let evil be returned for evil. What a way to live. They've hurt us, and ...

1697. To Have And To Hold (Your Tongue)

Acts 10:23b-48

Sermon

Paul W. Kummer

... our speaking habits? First, we must learn and receive strength from Jesus, the One who kept his mouth shut and didn't even defend himself when accused at his trial. Our hope is in the cross and the open tomb of this Easter season and the One who conquered both. He forgives wayward tongues and empowers us always to speak the truth in love. The hope is hearing Jesus' tongue say, "Father, forgive them for they know not what they do," and using our tongues to cry out to him and say, "Forgive me, Jesus, and make ...

1698. By What Authority?

Mark 1:14-20

Sermon

John A. Stroman

... why is it still religion as usual?" Look around. The whole world is changing. The Spirit is breaking out all over the place. New light is breaking forth in areas that never before gave even the slimmest signs of hope. Jesus, who said, "I am the light of the world," and is the source of both light and hope, says to us, "Follow me." The Challenge To Follow Jesus Are you willing to follow Jesus as he calls you into the community-at-large? What would that mean? It would mean as Jesus carried out his ministry in ...

1699. Permission To Daydream

Joel 2:28-32, Joel 2:18-27

Sermon

Robert P. Hines

... That's the power of a dream. There are forces in the world that do not want us to dream or have visions. These forces would like nothing better than for us to be content with the way things are, or to be so discouraged that we give up hoping for a better day. Teachers sometimes correct their students for daydreaming. But God gives us permission to dream. God gives us the Spirit so that we may dream. God calls us to dream. To dream, to envision a future filled with promise because God is sovereign, is an act ...

1700. The Burdens Of The Past

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

Sermon

Robert P. Hines

... has any life experience will readily agree that attitude makes all the difference in the world. If you get up in the morning and expect the worst, you'll probably get a fair share of unpleasant things. But if you face the day with optimism and hope, then you'll probably find all kinds of good things. In his book The Informed Heart, Bruno Bettelheim pointed out that those who went through the concentration camps of World War II discovered that "they still retained the last, if not the greatest, of all the ...

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