Sermon and Worship Resources

Showing 1701 to 1725 of 3160 results

1701. A Longer Stride and a Larger Embrace

Galatians 2:11-21

Sermon

Maxie Dunnam

... about the monk who was to be her oblate director—that is, the one who guided her studies of the rule (a period that was supposed to last a year but rambled on for nearly three). She spoke with appreciation for this spiritual guide who waited patiently for her to sort out her muddle. Finally she said to him, “I can’t imagine why God would want me, of all people, as an offering. But if God is foolish enough to take me as I am, I guess I had better do it.” The monk smiled broadly and said, “You’re ...

1702. Being A Man of God

1 Peter 2:4-12

Sermon

Maxie Dunnam

... into a single unit, they form a weapon that is terrible to behold.” “Which channel do you want?” asks Linus. After a moment, he turns away, looks at his own fingers and says, “Why can’t you guys get organized like that?” There are all sorts of lessons in this exchange. There are the personal ones that have to do with ourselves. Most of us need more discipline and organization in our personal lives. How do we withstand the tyranny of the urgent, not allowing the immediate claims on our energy to ...

1703. My Prayer For You: Barefoot Days of the Soul

Galatians 5:1-15

Sermon

Maxie Dunnam

... may make it difficult for you to believe that God could love you. Was it an unloving parent whom you could never please? Did the person you loved the most betray you? Were you sexually abused or abused in other ways that made you feel useless? This sort of self-examination is helpful. We do need to examine our personal history and seek to discover these barriers. But I have come to a new understanding of this dynamic. I believe that if you are here this morning, and are wrestling with whether God loves you ...

1704. All This and Heaven Too

Luke 18:18-30

Sermon

Maxie Dunnam

I saw a Gary Larson “Far Side” cartoon recently which I understood. It was set in a cave-like place—dark, dingy—you could feel the chill of the damp air, just looking at it. A row of people are marching into the cave—all sorts of people—well-dressed, shabbily dressed—men, women. Over against the wall of the cave, the devil stands. You know it’s the devil. He has horns, a tail, and a pitchfork. He is surveying his patrons as they enter, a look of glee on his face. On the wall ...

1705. Claim the Promise

John 14:5-14

Sermon

Maxie Dunnam

The pages of the Old and the New Testament are punctuated with promises – all sorts of promises: God’s offer of life and meaning to us. The New Testament is especially packed with promises – many of those promises from Jesus Himself. Listen to Him: “Because I live you will live also. I will never leave you nor forsake you. I am come that…. Come unto ...

1706. Some Healing Is Up To You

John 5:1-15

Sermon

Maxie Dunnam

... , persons who used their illness to get their own way, to manipulate other people for their own self-satisfaction. I’ve known people who refused forgiveness and harbored resentment. I’ve known people who kept a hurt alive as a kind of tranquilizer. It’s an odd sort of thing of wanting to be in a victimized position, in order that they can use the tools of their suffering to do battle with the world, and to do battle with others, to get their own way. I remember counseling with a woman who had that ...

1707. Equipping the Whole People of God: Penultimate Questions

1 Peter 2:4-12

Sermon

Maxie Dunnam

1708. The Prize of the High Calling of God

Hebrews 11:1-40, Philippians 2:12-18

Sermon

Maxie Dunnam

... a “sloppy agape” theology. It said, “God loves you…the rest of us think your a jerk”. As intrigued as I am, I have never put a bumper sticker on my car. A psychiatrist could have a field day with that. Am I a snob of some sort, thinking that most of the people who use this medium come close to being rednecks? Or, grown-up hippies, left over from the sixties who have now become capitalist and traded their VW buses for a BMW, but still have to express their rebellion on their auto bulletin ...

1709. Power For Christian Living: Am I On My Own?

Romans 3:3-5

Sermon

Maxie Dunnam

... . Salvation is “initiated by the Father, implemented by the Son, and applied by the Holy Spirit.” So, we look in this chapter at the power for Christian living which the Holy Spirit provides. GREATER WORKS THAN THESE The Bible is filled with promises, all sorts of promises – God’s offer of life and meaning. The New Testament is especially filled with promises. Many of them come from Jesus Himself. …Because I live, you will live also. …I will never leave you or forsake you. …Abide in me and I ...

1710. Some Healing Is Up To You

John 5:1-15

Sermon

Maxie Dunnam

... the Buddha compared philosophical preoccupation with settling the matter of God’s existence to a man shot with a poisoned arrow. Before the man can allow the arrow to be withdrawn and the wound treated, he insisted upon knowing who shot him, what sort of poison was in the arrow, and what kind of medicine would be administered.. The man died before the questions were answered. Buddha concluded that in the same way, people need to be rescued from the burdens of suffering, craving, and ignorance, no matter ...

1711. The Proof Is In the Pudding

Luke 7:18-35

Sermon

Maxie Dunnam

... In that editorial he talked about how unpredictable it was that Richard Nixon, who built his whole political career on anti-communism with a specialty in Chinese communism, would be the one who would open diplomatic relations with Communist China. The same sort of thing happened with Reagan. He called the Soviet Union “the evil empire,” yet it was he who thawed the Cold War and opened US relations with the Soviet Union. Cousins pointed out that history is filled with such unpredictable incidents, such ...

1712. The Prize of the High Calling of God

Philippians 3:12-4:1

Sermon

Maxie Dunnam

... a “sloppy agape” theology. It said, “God loves you…the rest of us think you are a jerk”. As intrigued as I am, I have never put a bumper sticker on my car. A psychiatrist could have a field day with that. Am I a snob of some sort, thinking that most of the people who use this medium come close to being rednecks. Or, grown-up hippies, left over from the sixties who have now become capitalist and traded their VW buses for a BMW, but still have to express their rebellion on their auto bulletin board ...

1713. The Gospel

Colossians 1:3-6

Sermon

Maxie Dunnam

... is the gospel. Someone put it this way. Jesus came preaching the gospel in order that there might be a gospel for us to preach. So what is the power of the gospel – what it is that Jesus does? I First, Christ comes to free us. There are all sorts of images in the New Testament for this freedom that Christ brings. One of the most powerful is the 13th verse of this first chapter of Colossians: “God has rescued us from the power of darkness and transferred us into the Kingdom of His beloved Son, in whom we ...

1714. Why Being A Christian Has Worn You Down v1

1 John 4:7-21

Sermon

Maxie Dunnam

... to all of us, doesn’t it? We get tired of being good. But it’s not just a periodic getting tired now and then – the truth is we get worn out – being Christian and practicing ministry wears us out. We talk about fatigue in all sorts of ways – what I’m talking about could be designated “compassion fatigue.” Boil it all down, refine it to its most precious essence, and you come out with this: love and compassion is the call of every Christian. Our scripture lesson is more than clear about ...

1715. People With Shining Faces

Luke 9:28-36

Sermon

King Duncan

... like to have this information.” Well, what do you say at this point? There’s really not much you can say, and the youth pastor didn’t even try. He wanted to maintain a pastoral relationship with these young people, and he knew that any sort of condemnation would close the door. A few weeks later, on a weekend retreat, he noticed that Amy was cooler toward John. And on Saturday evening, quite late, the youth pastor saw Amy sneaking around with Paul, another boy on the retreat. Later it was evident ...

1716. What Is Required of Us?

Matthew 5:17-20

Sermon

Phil Thrailkill

... no short cuts to virtue and no instant fixes for bad character and a distorted belief system. Having the Lord cultivate your life and grow a new crop takes time. I am grateful to supply a place of safety and help people make connection with all sorts of resources in and outside the church: doctors, counselors, social services, job possibilities. But I am more than a referral agency. I speak about Jesus Christ and pray with them. There is confession of sin and the gift of forgiveness. We pray for the healing ...

1717. The God Who Must Be Pursued

Matthew 7:7-12

Sermon

Phil Thrailkill

... to answer. What a pitiful view of the greatness of God! It is not what preachers preach but what we are willing to pray for that is the better test of our view of God’s character. I pray more boldly now, even foolishly at times, for healing and all sorts of miracles, and sometimes the most amazing things happen. Not just the safe O God please guide the hand of the doctor prayers, good as those may be, but for God to do what goes beyond the best science has to deliver. My teacher in his matter was the late ...

1718. Comfortable Christianity Is a Big, Fat Lie

Matthew 7:15-23

Sermon

Phil Thrailkill

... , in pastoral conversation, someone looks bewildered and asks, “How did I end up here?” I often quote it and help them trace the path from where they started to where they have now arrived. It is a useful diagnostic tool because it provides a moral map of sorts. Here it is: “Sow a thought, reap an action; sow an action, reap a habit; sow a habit, reap a character; sow a character, reap a destiny.”4 Though separated in time, there is a link between what you think and believe now and the meaning of ...

1719. An Extraterrestrial Celebration

John 13:1-17

Sermon

King Duncan

... , where there was no rubbish collection, people swept out their homes into the street. Not only dust but any household rubbish might be cleared out, so it would be hard to prevent your feet becoming very dirty as you walked around.” (2) This was the sort of thing Jesus was dealing with as he washed the disciples’ feet. We can understand disciples washing their Master’s feet, but whoever heard of the Master performing this rite? He came to Simon Peter, who asked him, “Lord, are you going to wash my ...

1720. Children in the Arms of a Loving God

Mark 10:13-16

Sermon

Michael Milton

... massive oversized frame containing snapshots all of the children he doctored. He was personally invested in the lives of babies and children. We can imagine that Jesus, who knew these babies and had ordained their lives before time ever began, had a similar sort of frame containing snapshots of all of these little ones. He was enjoying His ministry with these babies when suddenly the line stopped. He looked and saw his disciples rebuking parents for doing this. And Jesus, we are told, became indignant. This ...

1721. What We Want for Our Children

John 14:15-31

Sermon

King Duncan

... chores, so she wouldn’t be distracted from her homework or her music practice. Beth, though a fine girl, soon became lazy and spoiled. But Beth Martin was not beyond help. One day she went to the doctor and asked for a prescription of some sort to put the color back in her mother’s cheeks. The wise doctor wrote out a list of instructions for restoring Mrs. Martin’s beauty. First, he suggested that Beth give her mother some sincere compliments and expressions of gratitude for all her hard work. Next ...

1722. Night Moves

Genesis 32:22-32

Sermon

Mark Trotter

... cycle, but it is the third story in the cycle. It's a wonderful story where Jacob meets his equal, his future father-in-law, a man named Laban, who is as devious and has as questionable a character as Jacob does. The story of Jacob and Laban is sort of the Olympic Games of dirty tricks. They are both world-class tricksters. Jacob wins that contest, too. Jacob leaves Padan-Aram a wealthy man with two wives, Leah and Rachel, who are Laban's daughters. He has eleven children as he leaves (he will have one more ...

1723. All Keyed Up

Matthew 28:16-20

Sermon

Mark Trotter

... it happened, but I know when the symptoms first appeared. In the 60's. The diagnoses then were superficial. They said we need to get some balloons into the worship service. Bring in guitars. Parking lots, that was it. Off-street parking, that would turn the Church around. That sort of thing. Today, looking back, we can see that it was much more serious than that. In fact, we were at the end of an age. I mean, it was terminal. I know this diagnosis is going to be hard for some of us to take, so you better ...

1724. How to Look Foolish

1 Corinthians 1:18-25

Sermon

Mark Trotter

... to look good. I think the term now is to look cool . We want to be successful, and we won't be successful if we look foolish. Nobody ever got ahead in this world by looking foolish. That is why our New Testament Lesson for this morning comes as sort of a problem to us, I Corinthians, the first chapter, where Paul says: For the message about the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to those being saved it is the power of God. What happened at Corinth was that people joined the Church because ...

1725. Let's Get Serious

Matthew 21:28-32

Sermon

Mark Trotter

... , is for the saints in Jerusalem. The "saint" in the early Church, is what everybody was called. Everyone was called a saint. So, the offering was for the Church in Jerusalem. They've had a rough time down there in Jerusalem. They've had a famine of sorts. But more than that, it was just tough being a Christian in those days in Jerusalem. Paul knew that better than anyone, because before Paul was converted to Christianity, he had been one of those living in Jerusalem who made it hard for the Christians. But ...

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