Sermon and Worship Resources

Showing 1751 to 1775 of 3852 results

1751. Skating To Where The Puck Is Going To Be

Luke 6:17-26

Sermon

Frank Lyman

... paper sack. I would like to buy $5.00 worth of God, please. Jesus demands more than $5.00 worth of God. We are more to him than that. Jesus taught that when a seed falls into the earth, what emerges from the ground is something quite different from the original seed. So, when we die and fall into the earth, what emerges is not our old self, but a new creation, eternally bound to God. If our destiny is eternal life with God, then it's now time to skate to where God is, to learn to love, even as ...

1752. Light For A New Year

Isaiah 60:1-22

Sermon

King Duncan

... Using flint and steel, John Morris started a fire in his fireplace. And nobody knows why, but it became a point of pride in the Morris household not to let that fire go out. When John built another cabin for his family later on, coals from the original fire were transplanted to the fireplace of the new house. Members of the Morris family proudly declared that they would keep the fire going, to honor the wishes of John, who had charged his family, "The fire must never be allowed to go out." That fire became ...

1753. Extreme Sports, Extreme Fashions, Extreme Faith

1 Samuel 3:1--4:1

Sermon

King Duncan

... , ice climbing, skateboarding, paragliding, and who knows what's next. PARADE magazine sometime back described a fad in California (where else?). It was a version of soccer played barefoot with a fiery, gasoline-soaked ball. Supposedly this extreme sport originated in Java, where it is played as a martial-arts exercise. Kicking the flaming ball around is supposed to help players confront their fears. (1) Extreme sports is just one contribution, though. Generation X has introduced us to extreme fashions ...

1754. Who Are Your Gentiles?

Acts 10:23b-48

Sermon

Landon Winstead

... a real threat to world security, and he had missiles trained on places like Tel Aviv. A majority of the regular customers were Jewish, and tensions between Arabs and Jews were running high. All the customers in the diner froze when Harry announced his national origin. The next morning, as the pastor was getting ready, he heard a radio report that the U.S. had begun bombing Baghdad, Iraq. The pastor dropped what he was doing and ran to the subway, hoping to reach the diner before Harry opened that morning ...

1755. Finding The Right People

Mark 1:14-20

Sermon

Eric Ritz

... younger workers. It is "easier to learn than it is to unlearn." This does not mean that the disciples were instantly imparted all the truth at one time. However, they were willing to go the first step. This does not mean that the original disciples did not have doubts, questions, or sometimes stubborn spirits; but they were willing to crawl before they walked. Remember, Jesus is going to spend three full years training these disciples, and, through the power of the Holy Spirit, to continue that teaching ...

1756. Living With Difficult People

1 Corinthians 1:10-17

Sermon

King Duncan

... , and the ones standing yelled at the ones sitting to stand up. The rabbi, educated as he was in the Law and commentaries, didn't know what to do. His congregation suggested that he consult a housebound 98-year-old man, who was one of the original founders of their temple. The rabbi hoped the elderly man could tell him what the actual temple tradition was, whether standing or sitting for this important prayer. So, he went to the nursing home with a representative of each faction of the congregation. The one ...

1757. The Heart Of The Matter

Matthew 5:1-12

Sermon

Eric Ritz

... another human being, but you cannot legislate the ability to love your enemies. You cannot legislate the ability to pray for those who despitefully use you--that must come from the heart. It cannot come from the gavel and bench. Higher ground must originate and come from a higher source. Please do not misunderstand. There is some validity in attempting to make a difference in our society by using the political process to prevent people from doing evil things. Limiting what a person can do outwardly, however ...

1758. Birdbaths and Flagpoles

Matthew 13:1-23

Sermon

King Duncan

... youths to ‘martyrdom'" by Jack Kelley, USA Today, June 26, 2001, p.1A-2A. 4. John Beukema, Stories from God's Heart (Chicago: Moody Press, 2000), pp. 22-23. 5. Rebecca Cook in Teen People, cited in "Everyday Heroes," Reader's Digest, Nov. 2001. 6. "Dr. Cool" by Alisa Smith, originally published in Outside Magazine, reprinted in Reader's Digest, February 2005, pp. 109-111.

1759. Family Survival

Genesis 37:1-11

Sermon

Stephen DeFur

... in your family's life that are more important than dealing with this one head-on, whatever age your children are, because I guarantee you . . . they're aware of it. I heard a real important principle this week that will profoundly affect my parenting. It's not original with me, but I think a real helpful principle in dealing with kids: Children don't need to be treated equally, but they need to be treated uniquely. What if Zebulon, who was one of Jacob's twelve sons, had come to Jacob one day and said, "Do ...

1760. What In The World Is Happiness?

Luke 6:17-26

Sermon

King Duncan

... years after his death and resurrection theologians still wrestle with his exact meaning. No better example can be found than the Beatitudes found in differing forms in both Matthew and Luke. Many modern translators contend that the word “happy" is closer to Jesus' original meaning than “blessed." That doesn't help. That means that, among other things, Jesus said you are happy if you are poor, happy if you are hungry, happy if you are down-hearted, happy if you are hated and happy if you are persecuted ...

1761. Passing The Test Of Faith

2 Timothy 1:1-2:13

Sermon

King Duncan

... . Stokes in her book Simple Words of Wisdom gives us a beautiful picture of faith in its purest sense. She tells about a scene in the action-packed movie Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade, in which Indy's quest is to find the Holy Grail, the original chalice used by Christ at the Last Supper. But in order to prove himself pure in heart, Indy must face life-threatening challenges that test his humility, his obedience, and his trust. In the final challenge, Indy finds himself teetering on the brink of a deep ...

1762. Like Cupped Hands

Mark 10:1-12

Sermon

Frank Lyman

... misery. And many people in churches are divorced--and being divorced was the last thing they ever wanted to happen. As we acknowledge the suffering which is in every divorce, we also acknowledge our hope in God for restoration. Jesus locates marriage in God's original plan. As we read in Genesis: "Therefore a man leaves his father and his mother and clings to his wife, and they become one flesh. And the man and his wife were both naked, and were not ashamed." (Genesis 2:24-25) This ancient understanding ...

1763. The Grateful Samaritan

Luke 17:11-19

Sermon

King Duncan

... Luke, was a Samaritan. Seeing this, Jesus said, "Were there not ten cleansed? but where are the nine?" We know, don't we? They were off celebrating, reuniting with family or friends. They were too preoccupied living out their good fortune to think about its origin. That's life. That's realism. Every one of us in this room has been blessed beyond measure, but probably only about 10 percent truly live grateful lives. The grateful Samaritan. Don't you imagine that from that day forward, he lived his life in ...

1764. It's A Question Of Priorities

Mark 9:33-37

Sermon

King Duncan

... [faith] are made of glass. If you drop one of these, they will be irrevocably scuffed, marked, nicked, damaged, or even shattered. They will never be the same." 1. "Losing Is Not An Option" by Elizabeth Gilbert, READER'S DIGEST, March 2000 p. 101-106. Originally published in GQ. 2. Earl Wilson, THE SHOW BUSINESS NOBODY KNOWS (Chicago: Cowles Book Company, Inc., 1971), p. 81. 3. PEOPLE WEEKLY. 4. August, 1982. 5. From a sermon by Rev. Eric S. Ritz. 6. "Making the Weight" by Christina Cheaklos and Ellen Mazo ...

1765. Dirty, Rotten Scoundrels

Luke 16:1-15

Sermon

King Duncan

... called us to be. 1. Bruce Nash and Allan Zullo, The Hollywood Walk of Shame (Kansas City: Andrews and McMeel, 1993), pp. 80-81. 2. Scriptures in this sermon are from the NIV bible. 3. Someone sent this illustration to us years ago and I simply do not know the original source.

1766. The Good Son

Matthew 21:28-32

Sermon

Frank Lyman

... tax collectors and prostitutes are better than the priests. He was saying that when tax collectors and prostitutes heard the message of John the Baptist and Jesus and turned from their evil and embraced the good, they were better than those who had originally embraced the good, and had not lived their lives accordingly. These prostitutes and tax collectors were "the second son" in Jesus' parable who first had rejected the Heavenly Father's call, but now were embracing it. Jesus' words were not well received ...

1767. Passions

1 Corinthians 2:6-16

Sermon

Frank Lyman

... "know nothing?" If he has, then something terrible has happened. Those who remember their American history may recall the "Know Nothing" Party of the mid-1840s. The party's name sounds humorous. Who could take pride in "knowing nothing?" Yet, the origins of the party are more insidious than humorous. In the early 1840s many Roman Catholics were coming from Europe and tending to settle in the larger cities. A backlash rose against them. Secret societies formed to oppose their immigration. Calling themselves ...

1768. The Edge Of Night

Philippians 2:1-11

Sermon

King Duncan

... Publishers, Inc., 1998). 5. Steve Brown, OVERCOMING SETBACKS (Colorado Springs, CO.: Navpress, 1992), pp.91-92. 6. Dick Abel, Brigadier General, USAF. Colonel Jeff O'Leary, TAKING THE HIGH GROUND (Colorado Springs, Colo.: Victor, 2001), pp.32-34. 7. An original story by Charies F. Krieg, St Joseph's Seminary, Plainsboro, New Jersey THE PASTOR'S STORY FILE, Volume 17, Number 6, April, 2001, Editor.- Michael Hodgin. 8. Richard Exley, STRENGTH FOR THE STORM(Nashville: Thomas Nelson Publishers, 1999), pp.53 ...

1769. Why Don't We Just Tell Them Our Names?

John 10:1-21, Psalm 23:1-6

Children's Sermon

King Duncan

Object: A toy that is labeled as to its origin. Lesson: God is the shelherd of us all and calls us by name. Good morning boys and girls, As you know, many of the things we use every day come from all over the world. This toy was made in Hong Kong. Your car may have come from Japan or ...

1770. Names For The Christ Child

Luke 2:1-7, Luke 2:8-20

Sermon

King Duncan

(This meditation is based on a sermon by Siegfried S. Johnson, pastor of First United Methodist Church, Warren, Arkansas. The original sermon is titled "On Names That Preach" and was written for the Third Sunday of Advent. The complete text of this excellent sermon can be found in the subscriber section of our website.) Puritans of 17th century New England gave their children names that reflected their faith. The names they ...

1771. Finding Something Amazing To Live For

Mark 1:14-20

Sermon

King Duncan

... they intended to await the public sale of tickets for Star Wars Episode I; Attack of the Clones, scheduled for release May 16, 2002. Teiten said he was actually involved in an art project which involved "waiting for something." He was keeping a log of his experience and originally wanted to await the film for two years. "I'm becoming very aware just how long an hour is," he said, and "what happens in an hour." At the time of the report on this pair of young Star War devotees, the film's distributors had not ...

1772. Willing And Able

Mark 1:40-45

Sermon

King Duncan

... . They unloaded their picnic meal and invited the park's homeless to join them. It now takes several of the homeless to help carry the coolers, thermoses, pots, pans, and other containers they unload from their pickup each Sunday afternoon. In less than a year their original group of about 10 to 15 has nearly doubled. On an average Sunday they cook about 20 pounds of potatoes, make a half gallon of gravy, go through several loaves of bread and a large pot of beans or other vegetables, and feed two to three ...

1773. Leaving The City of Regret

Mark 2:1-12

Sermon

King Duncan

... THAT THE WAY WE THINK AND THE WAY WE FEEL CAN HAVE A PARALYZING EFFECT ON US. People have had their bodies shut down because of powerful emotions. "Psychosomatic" we call it. It doesn't mean that the pain or paralysis is imagined. It means that it originates from a hurt not to the body, but to the psyche. Dr. Bernard Lown tells about a former patient who suffered from congestive heart failure. In spite of her condition, this woman led a relatively full life. One day, a group of medical students visited this ...

1774. A Green Couch For God

1 Corinthians 1:18--2:5

Sermon

King Duncan

... blood. Of course, he is referring to his crucifixion, but not all of Jesus' listeners understand this. Many of them think he is speaking blasphemy or nonsense. Verse 66 records, "From this time many of his disciples turned back and no longer followed him." Jesus turns to his original twelve apostles and asks, "You do not want to leave too, do you?" And Peter answers for all of them when he says, "Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life. We believe and know that you are the Holy One of ...

1775. Are You Ready For Your Inheritance?

Ephesians 1:1-14

Sermon

King Duncan

... ? The apostle Paul was known for a sort of single-minded enthusiasm. He was extraordinarily enthusiastic when he wrote the passage from Ephesians which we read a few moments ago. In our Bibles, this passage is broken down into nice, neat paragraphs with proper punctuation. In the original Greek version, however, it is a 220-word run-on sentence written by a man who was so excited that he didn't even stop long enough to throw in a comma. It's an English teacher's nightmare! What was St. Paul so excited about ...

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