Sermon and Worship Resources

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Showing 1701 to 1725 of 4935 results

1701. Ten Friends Drive Us to the Promise

Exodus 20:1-4, 7-9, 12-20

Sermon

Arley K. Fadness

"One day last spring, something memorable happened at Carleton University (in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada, not to be confused with Carleton College, Northfield, Minnesota). Thirty-one students in the same class turned in identical research papers. It was determined that the students had all accessed the same Internet website. If only one student had done it, the ruse might not have caught the professor's attention. But here's what else opened the instructor's eyes: the research paper's topic was â€˜ethics.' ...

1702. High and Lifted Up

Isaiah 6:1-8

Sermon

James Merritt

Several years ago Life Magazine devoted an issue to God. On the front cover was one big question: "When You Think of God What Do You See?" I began to imagine if that magazine came out today, how we, here in America, might answer that question. I believe there are some people who see a God who looks like Santa Claus, and really doesn't care whether we are naughty or nice; a God who winks at sin and giggles at iniquity; a God who is "too loving to let anyone go to hell;" a God who accepts everyone just the ...

1703. Nothing but the Blood

1 John 1:7

Sermon

James Merritt

The greatest evangelist of the Twentieth Century, without question, was Billy Graham. The greatest evangelist before him of the Nineteenth Century undoubtedly was Dwight L. Moody. Both shared a common trait. They were criticized because of a particular subject they preached about. When Billy Graham was getting started, a professor from Cornell University wrote him a letter and said, "Mr. Graham, you have great talent, and you have what it takes to be a successful minister. But if you want to continue to be ...

1704. Fatal Attraction

Matthew 5:27-30

Sermon

James Merritt

A teacher was working with a grammar lesson and she said to one of her students, "Willie, what is it when I say ‘I love you, you love me, he loves me?'" Willie replied, "That's one of those triangles where somebody gets shot." Well, it used to be a situation where somebody would get shot—with a gun. Today it's a situation that gets shot with a television camera. Television refers to adultery, to sex outside of marriages, 13 times more frequently than it mentions intimacy between a husband and a wife. There ...

1705. I’m At the End of My Rope

2 Kings 4:1-7

Sermon

James Merritt

James Dobson tells the true story of a little toddler named Frankie. He was a handful to say the least. One day he pulled a chair over to the front window of his house, and carefully placed it inside the drapes. He was standing there staring out at the world when his mother came looking for him. She spied his little white legs protruding beneath the drapes, and quietly slipped in behind him to see what he was doing. She got there just to hear him say to himself in very somber terms, "I've got to get out of ...

1706. April Love

Sermon

Stan Purdum

It's a bit odd that the lectionary committee placed this reading from the Song of Solomon in late summer, for it seems like a springtime text. Springtime, according to the poet Tennyson, is that time when "a young man's fancy lightly turns to thoughts of love,"1 but I guess summer love is pretty exciting, too. Some recent research, however, suggests that what actually may be going on in the young man may have more to do chemical molecules than with seasonal madness. The researchers recruited a bunch of ...

1707. A Puzzling Parable with a Sharp Point

Luke 16:1-13

Sermon

Ron Lavin

A young boy used to describe foods like spinach by saying, "I hate it." His wise mother responded, "Don't say you hate it. Just say, ‘I'm not very fond of it.' " She also taught her son that when he really liked some food to say, "I'm really fond of this." The boy said, he was "really fond" of cookies, candy, and cake. His mother told him, "Too many cookies, too much candy, and cake can be bad for you. You can be very fond of the wrong things." Something like that is going on underneath the story of the ...

1708. Life in The Spirit

Romans 8:22-27

Sermon

Gibson “Nibs” Stroupe

Chapter 8 of Paul's letter to the Romans is one of the greatest chapters in all of scripture. It has many verses that we know by heart. For instance, verse 18: "I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worth comparing with the glory about to be revealed to us." Or the verse that follows it: "For the creation waits with eager longing for the revealing of the children of God." And then there are the powerful closing words of the chapter that are often read at funerals: "For I am convinced ...

1709. Quitters

John 6:60-71

Sermon

King Duncan

There is a time-honored story about a football game featuring two mismatched teams. One team was much larger than the other. The larger team was dominating the game, severely intimidating the smaller team in the process. The hitting was fierce. The smaller team had one player, however, who might make a difference. His name was Calhoun and he was the fastest running back in the league. His coach felt that if Calhoun could get any blocking at all, he could easily break free and outrun the larger players. The ...

1710. Blind Ambition

Mark 10:35-45

Sermon

King Duncan

It’s been more than twenty years, but I suspect most of us remember the case of the “Texas-Cheerleader-Murdering-Mom.” Wanda Webb Holloway of Channelview, Texas wanted her daughter Shanna, 13 at the time, to be picked for the high school cheerleading squad. Her rival for this honor was a girl named Amber Heath. Wanda Webb Holloway was the organist at the local Baptist church. She was a respected member of the community. However, that did not keep her from going to extreme measures to try to get her ...

1711. At Mount Sinai

Exodus 19:1-25

Understanding Series

James K. Bruckner

Meeting God at Sinai: Exodus 19 is the theological and literary pivot of Exodus. Nowhere do we find a fuller revelation of God in relation to the people. In the preceding chapters Israel had been “let go” from serving the pharaoh so that they might serve/worship the Lord. Here they serve/worship at the place of Moses’ original calling and receive their own call to be God’s “kingdom of priests” to the world (chs. 25–31; 35–40). The larger literary structure of Exodus 19–24 comprises a chiasm (see below) and ...

1712. Cain and Abel

Genesis 4:1-26

Understanding Series

John E. Hartley

Cain Slays Abel and Lamech Boasts: The first siblings are unable to live in harmony. Hatred propels Cain to murder his own brother. The tragic, brute power of sin also finds expression in Lamech’s boasting song, in which he brazenly gloats over a wanton killing while pronouncing threats against others. These incidents illustrate how Adam and Eve’s disobedience unleashed sin as a destructive power in society and brought death into the world. This chapter has four parts: the births of Cain and Abel (vv. 1–2a ...

1713. Isaac and Rebekah

Genesis 24:1-67

Understanding Series

John E. Hartley

Finding a Wife for Isaac: Abraham’s last major responsibility in light of God’s promises is to find a wife for Isaac. Otherwise the promise of numerous offspring will perish for lack of an heir. The text does not address why Abraham waited so long to fulfill this responsibility. Abraham commissions his most trusted senior servant to travel to Haran to find a wife for his son. In order to preserve the integrity of his offspring, this wife must come from the line of Terah. The servant is confident that he ...

1714. Wisdom and Foolishness

1 Corinthians 1:18--2:5

Teach the Text

Preben Vang

Big Idea: Christians cannot use the commonly accepted wisdom that guides the surrounding culture as the standard for their thinking and living. Understanding the Text In the ancient world, “wisdom” was not an abstract concept unrelated to daily living. To the contrary, it was a way of living based on a given understanding of life’s purpose and of what actions reasonably would accomplish such purpose. Various philosophers (lit., “lovers of wisdom”) competed to gain a following for their particular brand of ...

1715. Scrubbing Our Social Media Accounts

Romans 5:1-11

Sermon

King Duncan

We’re about two months away from high school and college graduation season. It’s a very exciting and stressful time for students, teachers and parents. Our prayers are with all our young people as they make the move into jobs or college or some new chapter of their lives. There’s an online company called BrandYourself that claims it has the perfect graduation gift for high school and college students. It’s called the “Student Makeover.” It’s not a beauty and grooming service. It’s an online service for ...

1716. Worship is Your Rest Stop

Genesis 1:1-2:3, Psalm 92:1-15, Luke 5:33-39, Luke 6:1-11, Galatians 3:1-14

Sermon

Lori Wagner

Today, we’re going to delve a bit into our imaginations. I want you to imagine for a moment that you are in your favorite place –that place where you feel relaxed and calm and refreshed and happy. Can everyone think of a place like that? Is it by the sea? In a garden? In the mountains? Maybe for you it’s a real place, or maybe it’s an imaginary place. But I want you to take time and imagine that place right now. What are some of those places for you? [Give people time to answer.] Okay, now close your eyes ...

1717. Our Strange, Strong Peace

John 14:15-31

Sermon

David & Marian Plant

Reflecting on her experiences with the Holy Spirit, pastor and educator Marian Plant once wrote, “There are times when the last thing I need in my life is the activity of the Holy Spirit. That “presence” of God which has a way of seeping into the psyche and unsettling one’s accepted ways of carrying on life. That manifestation of the Holy which alights on one with the innocence of a summer firefly, but whose motive is to transform the unsuspecting believer into something akin to a fiery dragon on behalf of ...

1718. Being Good

Matthew 5:17-20

Sermon

Will Willimon

Let's say that we're all here today because we want to be better people. We are here to be good, to become more righteous. After all, surely this is one of the main functions of religion, the Christian or any other, to make us better than we would have been if we had not gotten up on a cold February morning and gone to Chapel And let's agree that, even if we have not arrived, we are at least on our way toward goodness because we did get up and go to the Chapel, which in no way is meant to detract from ...

1719. In the Wilderness of Temptation

Mark 1:9-15

Sermon

Billy D. Strayhorn

I had the strangest dream the other night. I found myself standing at the gates of heaven talking to St. Peter. I thought, "Oh, man, there's still a bunch of stuff I haven't done yet." St. Peter grinned and said, "Don't worry, you're just here for a guided tour." And sure enough that's all it was. St. Peter took me around showing me all the sights. The streets really are paved with gold. Everything was more beautiful than I could ever describe. But there was one really strange aspect about heaven. ...

1720. On Rendering to God and to Caesar

Mark 12:13-17, Isaiah 42:1-9

Sermon

Will Willimon

'I am the LORD,...my glory I give to no other, nor my praise to graven images.” The story is told of a remote Methodist congregation somewhere in a forgotten corner of North Dakota. One week, they had a terrible blizzard. Everything was snowed under. All the roads were blocked. They got not a piece of mail the whole week. This meant that the Methodist church received no mailings from the conference office in Bismarck. For the first time in its life the little congregation knew not whether the second Sunday ...

1721. Take Up Your Cross

Luke 8:1-15

Sermon

Robert V. Dodd

It'll make you undefeatable! In Luke 8:4-8, our Lord tells a parable about "the sower and the seed" to illustrate the proclaiming of the Word and human response. It is curious to note the audacious, almost reckless way in which the seed is sown. The sower must have been really throwing wildly, because we are told that some seed fell on the footpath, some on shallow rocky ground, some among thistles, and some in good soil. To many people the sower's haphazard way of sowing would appear wasteful. Couldn't he ...

1722. Seeds And The Kingdom

Mark 4:30-34, Mark 4:26-29

Sermon Aid

William E. Keeney

At this writing the U.S. House of Representatives has just completed its 100 days of legislation on the so-called Contract with America. It was an effort to change quickly a process which was at work through several decades. Some analysts criticize the legislation for having been put together too hastily. It was driven by a desire to demonstrate instant results. The probability is that the legislation will move through the Senate with more "deliberate speed." The Senate will look more closely to discern ...

1723. The Wisemen

Matthew 2:1-12

Sermon

Jerry Eckert

I hate it when Christmas is over. There's so much good music, such tasty foods, so much color and warmth. And presents! I love presents! I wish we celebrated all twelve days of Christmas. I could be dissuaded from that last enthusiasm if it meant that I would be given all the presents from that funny Christmas carol: 22 turtle doves 30 French hens 36 calling birds 40 gold rings 42 geese a'laying 42 swans a'swimming 40 maids a'milking 36 ladies dancing 30 lords a'leaping 22 pipers piping 12 drummers ...

1724. The Faith Of Outsiders

Matthew 15:21-28

Sermon

William J. Carl

Have you ever had an inner emotional pain that would not go away? A depression that would come and go in waves? Sometimes it seemed like everything was completely normal and then it would come upon you totally unexpected. Perhaps it was related to something that happened in your childhood, something so awful that you couldn’t tell anyone, not even your spouse or your best friend because in reality you weren’t really sure you believed it yourself. Sometimes it would sneak into your dreams, dreams so bad ...

1725. That's Our God For You!

Luke 19:28-44

Sermon

John M. Braaten

Palm Sunday is an event in Christ's life that many people, particularly young people, enjoy. It is action packed, filled with lots of commotion and noise - especially noise. It centers around a grand parade with all the excitement and frenzied emotion of a political convention. The "Triumphant Entry into Jerusalem," as it is sometimes called, includes people lining the streets craning their necks to see, waving palms, and lots of shouting. For many people who like lots of activity, Palm Sunday is their ...

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