Sermon and Worship Resources

Showing 151 to 175 of 1230 results

Romans 7:7-25

Sermon

King Duncan

... not ready for public performance." I believe that is something like what Paul is trying to say to us. The violinist's fingers will make mistakes, just as we will make mistakes as we live our lives. But as long as we have the Spirit of Christ within us, the ideal will live in our minds and in our hearts for us to strive after. We are only human, that is true. We surrender our lives to God in order that they might be made complete. Then we get on with our lives. And we live confidently and resolutely in the ...

152. Bedlam or Bethleham?

Titus 2:1-15

Sermon

Fredrick R. Harm

... , until one day, late in his life, the villagers look about them, and lo and behold, they make a startling discovery! It is Ernest himself who looks like the Great Stone Face! He had lived so long in the presence of his ideal that he had at last become like his ideal. In similar fashion, whoever thinks long enough in terms of Christ, acts long enough in terms of Christ, lives long enough in terms of Christ will in the end become like Christ. Our text again, "Live lives that are self-controlled, upright ...

153. And God Breathed Into Man

Genesis 2:4-25

Sermon

Maxie Dunnam

... always good to begin there. Has it registered with you that in the first creation story, animals and man are created on the same day -- the sixth. Is there meaning in that? "The Bible does not pretend that we are paragons of virtue, painted saints, and ideal figures of humanity. The Bible is well aware that the struggle of nature also determines our human life, that we too are controlled by instincts and urges, needs and desires, just as are the birds and the beasts of the field. Often our dreams, which we ...

154. And God Breathed Into Man

Genesis 2:4-25

Sermon

Maxie Dunnam

155. Blessed Are Those Who Are Awake

Luke 12:32-40

Sermon

Maxie Dunnam

... like (Pavarotti), dance like (Fred Astaire), write like Camus, paint like Wyeth, and play golf like Jack Nicklaus. Every young couple who comes here for their wedding assure me that theirs is going to be the ideal marriage, the perfect union. I do not dispute such dreaming, nor do I disparage ambition and idealism. In fact, give me an idealist any day over a cynic — especially a 21-year-old cynic. “Yet, those who have weathered turnings of the seasons know that between the dream and the reality falleth ...

156. On the Road Again

Luke 24:13-35

Sermon

Maxie Dunnam

... his wife), and me during this year. Those two children who had been abused are now eight and six. These parents know what Emmaus is all about, because Emmaus is wherever we go and whatever we do to reclaim our sanity when our world goes to pieces; when our ideals and dreams are violated and distorted – when we have to salvage and sort out our feelings, summon the desire and courage to keep going on, or try to forget. It may happen at the betrayal of the one we respect very much, or as the one we loved the ...

157. Going Hard against the Grain

Matthew 5:33-37

Sermon

Phil Thrailkill

... . Are you tempted to the philosophy of cynicism and the habit of passivity it brings as a companion vice? If so, and such is epidemic in our day, then I invite you to listen with fresh ears to Jesus and his radical wisdom for making a difference, not in some ideal world, but right here, and not in some far-off future, but right now starting with you. Jesus’ counsel, which is as easy-to-understand as it is hard-to-practice, is part of a much larger message about the kingdom of God, which is not a place to ...

158. Loving Like God Loves

Matthew 5:43-48

Sermon

Phil Thrailkill

... again; in fact, he became one of Wade's biggest fans at Yankee Stadium.”16 Love your enemies. It might change them, and we know it will change you. Perfect is one of those words that tends to philosophical thought and abstractions, as in the sense of flawless and ideal. A new BMW may be the perfect car in one sense, but a broken down 75 Nova may be a perfect fishing car. To the Hebrew mind that which was perfect was not flawless but that which fulfilled its purpose and was rightly related to God. So when ...

159. Getting Your Politics Right

Matthew 6:5-15

Sermon

Phil Thrailkill

... arrived, and one day the noble Stars and Stripes will take their place in the hall of great nations that had their day and faded. China may be next atop the world heap, or perhaps a revived European Union. All nations, even those with the highest ideals, are under the judgment of the coming kingdom of God, which is where we Christians place our ultimate loyalty. We love our country, but it cannot and should not have first loyalty; that would be idolatry. Yes, I gladly admit that there are lots of Christians ...

160. You Can't Win them All

Matthew 10:2-14

Sermon

Mark Trotter

... The example of Paul and Barnabas is held up so that you will be able to walk away from that with dignity, accepting what has happened, accepting God's forgiveness, not branding yourself as a failure, not punishing yourself because you have not lived up to some ideal. This is a lesson for those who are conscientious about following Christ. This is not for those who don't even try. You are supposed to try, and try hard. It is for those who have a particularly uneasy conscience about trying and not being able ...

161. The Greatest Gift

Matthew 1:1-17

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

... about the logistics of engaging in this service: if the sanctuary doesn't have moveable seats to form a circular seating arrangement, another possibility might be to place the manger in the center of your narthex or foyer with surrounding chairs. While ideally the participants should be facing the manger and each other as well (visual barriers often weaken the intensity that comes from face-to-face connection), this service could also be done in more traditional pew settings. Aside from the challenge of ...

162. Show Me Your Passport

Philippians 1:12-30

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

... some of the Philippian Christians Paul was addressing were also Roman citizens, that is, holders of the most coveted political identity one could have in the first century. Rome was the super power. Rich. Powerful. Its ideals and lifestyles, its gods and its culture, were recognized as the best, the highest ideal, in all the civilized world. But not by Paul. Once he had identified himself as a proud Roman citizen, but now Paul knows that there's only one power that holds his ultimate loyalty, that directs ...

163. Eleven Plus One

Acts 2:1-13

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

... 000 miles on it, being worn out hauling hungry and hurting people to the grocery store, doctor's offices, and church. 3. James, son of Zebedee: Porsche James isn't a son of the earth like Peter, but a man of ideals who tended to forget the individual in pursuit of the ideal. A leader among the apostles and favored by Christ, James was often consumed by the unholy ambition to be Jesus' favorite disciple (perhaps mirroring his desire to be his wealthy father's favorite). A disciple full of zeal and enthusiasm ...

164. Easter 4

Acts 2:42-47, Psalm 23:1-6, 1 Peter 2:13-25, John 10:1-21

Sermon Aid

Marion L. Soards, Thomas B. Dozeman, Kendall McCabe

... live, but only by Christ. Christ judges all human institutions even while he embodies the grace of God in this world. Verses 18-20 are a direct address to slaves to follow an ethic of suffering. This is not a call for some form of idealized suffering for its own sake. Three motifs in particular frame the unjust suffering of slaves in a theological context: grace, fear, and consciousness of God. First, the motif of grace (Greek, charis; NRSV, "approval") in vv. 19-20 puts unjust suffering in a larger context ...

165. Epiphany 5

Psalm 112:1-10, Isaiah 58:1-14, 1 Corinthians 2:6-16, Matthew 5:13-16, Matthew 5:17-20

Sermon Aid

Marion L. Soards, Thomas B. Dozeman, Kendall McCabe

... of prophets as individualistic outsiders who critically evaluate the status quo (those who make up the worshiping com- munity) with a call for righteous ethical action. The result of this kind of idealization of prophets is that worship and ethical action are often pitted against each other, which gives rise to an interpretation of a text like Isaiah 58:1-12 as demeaning worship in favor of good sound ethical application. This line of interpretation (prophetic ethics against the worshipping community ...

166. Proper 29

Psalm 100:1-5, Ezekiel 34:1-31, Ephesians 1:15-23, Matthew 25:31-46

Sermon Aid

Marion L. Soards, Thomas B. Dozeman, Kendall McCabe

... but actually requires that God become the shepherd in order to show us how it works (vv. 17-22). Fourth, once God has shown us what the character of royal power is, we can claim this Davidic ideal in the present time (vv. 23-24). And, fifth, that the realization of this ideal has cosmic implications (vv. 25-31). Ezekiel provides powerful tools both for interpreting Christ the King and for reflecting on what discipleship means because Christ now rules. Psalm 100 - "A Hymn of Praise" Setting. Psalm 100 evokes ...

167. Thou Shalt Not Judge - True or False?

Matthew 7:1-6

Sermon

James Merritt

... of him." If you love your brother you will confront him when he is wrong, and allow him to suffer the consequences of his wrong doing. Dr. William Bennett in his brilliant book, The Death of Outrage: Bill Clinton and the Assault on American Ideals, makes this tremendous statement: Those who constantly invoke the sentiment of "who are we to judge?" should consider the anarchy that would ensure if we adhere to this sentiment and say, in, say, our courtrooms. Should judges judge? What would happen if those ...

168. Making Disciples

2 Corinthians 3:1-6

Sermon

Donald Charles Lacy

... his colleagues. We do not live in the same culture. Disciples are made by common sense as well as martyr — like methodology. Being wise as serpents comes from our favorite rabbi! Yes, the proof is in the pudding but we have to be around to sample the pudding. Ideals push us forward and upward in our spiritual questing. That is good, right, proper, and beneficial. We must never lose sight of them. Ask the Lord to keep you as open as he wants you to be. Summary And Conclusion It is exciting to know you and ...

169. Hebrews 13:1-8

Hebrews 13:1-8

Sweet

Leonard Sweet

... out in the theaters of the day, ridiculing marital faithfulness. Furthermore, the acceptance of slavery built a powerless population often forced to bow to the excesses of their masters. The Jewish-Christian ideal of marriage as a serious covenantal union was unique in this world. But it is not just the "ideal" of marriage that this writer wants honored. He uses the colloquialism of koite (bed) together with gamos (marriage) to explicitly identify the sexual life of the marriage couple as the testing ground ...

170. Hebrews 13:1-8

Hebrews 13:1-8

Sweet

Leonard Sweet

171. Rooted in the Scripture

Mark 4:26-34

Illustration

Edward F. Markquart

... did the French Enlightenment get its ideas? The Renaissance. Where did the Renaissance get its ideas? The Reformation. Where did the Reformation get its ideas? From the Bible. I would like to suggest to you that for many people the ideals of democracy can be traced back through history to the Scriptures themselves. Originally, the hospitals in America were primarily Christian hospitals. The colleges in America were originally Christian colleges. The freedom movement in America for blacks had its origin in ...

172. What Do I Do When I Can't Get Started?

Proverbs 6:6-11

Sermon

James Merritt

... doing it now. Do you need to get involved in a small group? I am going to you to do that now. If you don't, you may end up like the young man, who vowed he would never marry until he found the ideal woman. Unfortunately, when he found her, she was waiting for the ideal man! A scholar once surveyed the scriptures to find out some of the more important words in the Bible. He wanted to find the most significant word, the saddest word, the happiest work, the most emotional word, etc. When he came around to the ...

173. Where Have All the Heroes Gone?

Hebrews 11:1-3, 8-16

Sermon

Clayton A. Lord

... between them, he chose to ask this question: "Young man, tell me of your heroes." Dr. Cain found this was the best clue to their value structure. Our heroes tell us much about our values. Those who have no heroes probably have not yet identified their highest ideals. Heroes not only inspire us, they also prove the greatness of which the human spirit is capable. Who is your hero? Think about it. While you do, I want to tell you that researchers for the World Almanac and Book of Facts asked 2,000 American ...

174. Star-spangled Justice

Isaiah 1:1, 10-20

Sermon

Lee Ann Dunlap

... brave. Anyone listening to Isaiah's words to his nation can't help but hear a message to ours: National security depends upon national righteousness. The best defense against those who would destroy our freedom or prosperity is to live out our democratic ideals without abandon and to practice generosity without fear of want. Or, in Isaiah's words, "Seek justice, rescue the oppressed." What we also need to hear from Isaiah is that this call to national righteousness is not one option to be considered amongst ...

175. Holiness of Heart and Life

Romans 2:21-23

Sermon

Maxie Dunnam

... has a theory which he calls “cognitive dissonance.’ If you teach at a university like Stanford, you are supposed to use big words like that. As strange and new as it may sound, it’s very simple. It means that there is a big gap between my ideals and my actions, what I believe and what I do, my goals and my deeds. There is a difference between the image I have of myself and the image I try to project for other people and that discrepancy is “cognitive dissonance.” Festinger says that the tension ...

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