Sermon and Worship Resources

Showing 1751 to 1775 of 3099 results

1751. The Lure of the Easy Way - Sermon Starter

Matthew 16:21-28

Illustration

Brett Blair

... in the excitement of it all. Jesus asked them, "Who do you say I am?" and Simon Peter answered enthusiastically, "You are the Christ, the Son of the living God!" It was one of the most dramatic moments in the disciples' pilgrimage with Jesus. Then Jesus changed the subject. He began to tell them that the crowds would soon turn against Him; He would be crucified, on the third day he would be raised. The disciples didn't know what to make of all this. Simon Peter took Jesus aside: "Forbid it, Lord, that these ...

1752. In Celebration of American Thanksgiving

Philippians 4:2-9, 1 Thessalonians 5:12-28

Illustration

... governed many other communities – when we see that in three or four years the United Sates has in sober fact become the greatest military, naval, and air power in the world – that, I say to you in this time of war, is itself a subject for profound thanksgiving. We are moving forward in this struggle which spreads over all the lands and all the oceans; we are moving forward surely steadily, irresistibly, and perhaps with God’s aid, swiftly towards victorious peace. There again is a fitting reason for ...

1753. Taking the Long View

2 Peter 3:8-15a

Sermon

Donald Charles Lacy

... Lord's first and his second coming. In all cases it has to do with "holiness and godliness." Our hope is encompassed in an eternal love that can give us untold joy, as generations pass. No one is above this view and in one way or another all are ultimately subjected to it. There is a call for celebration not because we emerge as people of hope but as the Holy One reveals himself both as God and man. All of this leaves us with more open doors than we can possibly enter. It is not lack of opportunity to come ...

1754. Making Disciples

2 Corinthians 3:1-6

Sermon

Donald Charles Lacy

... their ages — has no real substitute. We can at times see salvation in the faces of others. Our spirit bears witness to their spirit. There is a sense of both peace and vibrancy that involves heart and mind — in particular, the heart. Some would label this subjectivity and even worse. Yet, we know in the Christian religion this is paramount and gives us the proof we seek. Can we be fooled occasionally? Of course, we can. Is this reason to shy away from the Spirit that gives life and offers sermons that ...

1755. From Father Failure to Divine Father

Romans 8:12-17

Sermon

Maurice A. Fetty

... elevate psychologists and psychoanalysts to the position of perfect father, the one who explains all and provides the necessary and meaningful answers to reality. Freud held sway as an authoritarian figure for many years. Indeed, the Christian idea of God had to be subjected to Freudian psychoanalysis to see if it was acceptable. God, said some of the Freudians authoritatively, was illusion. God was out and Freud was in. When the God of our Christian illusions is deposed, people do not then live in a vacuum ...

1756. No-fault Religion

2 Corinthians 5:6-10 (11-13), 14-17

Sermon

Maurice A. Fetty

... was a veteran of several highly placed relationships and groups, and was regarded as a leader in his field. Nevertheless, he was required to submit numerous letters of recommendation from club members as to his worthiness, qualifications, and suitability. He then was subjected to casual, but rather stuffy, scrutiny as the membership committee sniffed him out at a reception for potential new members. He made it, but later quoted Groucho Marx's self-deprecating line that he wasn't sure he wanted to belong to ...

1757. In Solidarity with Jesus

Hebrews 1:1-4; 2:5-18

Sermon

Richard Gribble

... . Jesus is God and sits with the Father in majesty on high. Next, we learn of the dignity of the human race. Although humans are lower than the angels, they are crowned with glory and honor. We are reminded, as Genesis tells us, that all of creation is subject to humans. The human race is the crown jewel of God's creation. With these two premises set, the author then makes the connection that Jesus, although God, was, for a period of time, made lower than the angels and crowned with glory and honor. That is ...

1758. Why We Need to Forgive

Matthew 18:21-35

Sermon

King Duncan

... when the doctor returned, he said, “Well, it’s good to see you’ve taken my advice. I take it you’re working on your will.” “This is no will,” said the man. “It’s a list of people I plan on biting before I die.” Our subject today is forgiveness. How many times must I forgive someone who has hurt me, abused me, exploited me? That is Simon Peter’s question. How many times? Would seven times be enough? Peter thought that he was being generous. After all, the rabbis of his day taught that ...

1759. When Life Isn't Fair

Matthew 20:1-16

Sermon

King Duncan

... the landowner said, “Didn’t I pay you what we had agreed on? If I want to be more generous with these others is it not my right? Is it not my money to do with as I please?” Boy, that’s a hard teaching particularly when applied to the subject of salvation. Since most of us in the church feel that we are those who have labored since six o’clock in the morning, this may be one of Jesus’ most difficult teachings to accept. Is it true? Can a person be an absolute scoundrel right up until the moment ...

1760. Christ’s Twin

Philippians 2:1-11

Sermon

King Duncan

... is a better way. Some of you may remember the man who is credited with making Japan a modern industrial giant. His name was W. Edwards Deming. He died some years back, but he lectured into his 90s in 20 cities a year around this country on the subject of quality control. Deming began each speech with the story of the 5‑year‑old girl who, with her mother, had sewn a costume for a Halloween party contest. “So much fun,” Deming said about the kids at the party. “So curious. So eager to learn. Boys ...

1761. Philippians 2:1-11

Philippians 2:1-11

Sweet

Leonard Sweet

... the name of “Jesus” derives from the Hebrew for “savior.” Exalted by God, Jesus the Christ now has the power to save. This salvation will be offered to all those who recognize Jesus’ saving identity. The “knee shall bow” is a description of the one-kneed posture offered by a subject to their ruler. From that position, Christians are to speak a confession of faith “that Jesus Christ is Lord,” exalted and enthroned by God the Father.

1762. The Blessing Complex

Philippians 3:1-11

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

... ” will feel inferior. You’ve heard of the “superiority complex?” This is someone who looks at life through the spectacles of superiority. The Swiss psychoanalyst Carl Jung popularized the term “complex,” and taught us that “complexes” are not subject to reason. Jung named a bunch of them, and we’ve come up with a lot more: the “Mother” complex, the “Narcissus” complex, the “Casanova” complex (which looks at everyone, and everything, as the next elusive possession), the Paranoid ...

1763. Christ the Righteous Judge

Revelation 20:11-12

Sermon

Shirley Gupton Lynn

... perfectly clear: HOLDON. GOD WILL WIN. EVIL WILL HAVE ITS DAY, BUT JESUS CHRIST HAS ALREADY ASSURED THE VICTORY. BUT TO SHARE IN THAT VICTORY, CHRISTIANS MUST BE 100% FAITHFUL, FOR ALL PERSONS ARE 100% ACCOUNTABLE TO GOD. The details of the judgment are the subject of hot debate among Christians, but almost no Christian denies there will be a judgment and the standard will be Jesus Christ, our allegiance to him or rejection of him as Lord, and our obedience to his teachings. Jesus said on earth, you recall ...

1764. Blazing a Path to Christ

Mark 1:1-8

Sermon

Richard Gribble

... may satisfy a parent's need to ward off the harsh words between children, but we all know the great power in words. Words can be instructive. Teachers and many other professionals use words to impart information and gain intellectual mastery of a subject. Words can certainly be inspirational. Skilled orators and preachers can inspire others to achieve great things through words. Words can be used to correct errors and rectify problems. Words can thus help us blaze a trail to Christ, but we must be judicious ...

1765. Paying Caesar

Matthew 22:15-22

Illustration

David G. Hagopian

... and an enemy of the people who shared popular resentment to the poll tax as an unlawful imposition by a heathen government. If, by contrast, Christ were to have denied that the poll tax be paid, he would have made Himself out to be an enemy of Rome and possibly, subject Himself to the charge of sedition.

1766. Setting All the Idols Down

Hosea 2:14-20

Sermon

Schuyler Rhodes

... who Christians have experienced in the person of Jesus Christ. In Greek, the word refers literally to the worship of images. In Old Testament understanding, the concept includes the worship of alien gods. The story related in chapters 1-3 of Hosea has long been the subject of academic debate. For the sake of our focus today, we will not explore all of the arguments concerning this. For our purposes, we will assume that it is idolatry that is at the top of Hosea's list as we approach this passage for today ...

1767. Apocalypse Wow!

Isaiah 25:6-9

Sermon

Mary S. Lautensleger

... . I don't think churches today would have many applicants for custodial positions if grave digging were included in the job description. Fortunately, burial practices are quite different today, since the invention of backhoes and other modern equipment. Death and burial are difficult subjects to broach with our loved ones. We usually do not even want to entertain such thoughts. It is much easier for us to be in a state of denial even when confronted with the inevitable. Let's face it, death is a scary ...

1768. Having the Last Word

2 Samuel 23:1-7

Sermon

Mary S. Lautensleger

... "divine rights." Historically, nations have long believed that kings ruled because they were chosen by God to do so. Some nations even considered their kings to be divine. Kings were accountable only to God; therefore, it was sinful for their subjects to disobey them. Kingships are heredity positions, ostensibly passed on through the genes. The people know who their next leader will be, regardless of his or her qualifications or lack thereof. Inheriting the kingdom through bloodlines was not the case ...

1769. What Is the Will of God?

Matthew 22:34-40

Illustration

Rudolf Bultmann

... your strength" (Mk. 12:28-34) There is no obedience to God which does not have to prove itself in the concrete situation of meeting one's neighbor, as in Luke (10:29-37), probably unhistorical but with the right of correct understanding of the subject matter, makes clear by combining the illustrative narrative of the Good Samaritan with Jesus' discussion of the greatest commandment. The demand for love surpasses every legal demand; it knows no boundary of limit; it holds even in regard to one's enemy (Mt. 5 ...

1770. Moses’ Seat

Matthew 23:1-12

Illustration

Brett Blair

... On that platform was a special seat, reserved for the most respected teacher in the synagogue. Today, we speak in universities of the chair of philosophy or the chair of history. The chair is reserved for the most esteemed person in any given subject. Well, Moses' seat was, in essence, the chair of philosophy in ancient Israel. So Jesus is attacking the highest symbol of religious authority. Well, that's what the Pharisees and scribes claimed. He actually wasn't attacking the chair; rather, he was attacking ...

1771. Staying Open to God

Matthew 23:1-39

Illustration

King Duncan

... agreement on doctrinal issues. We came together not for confession and forgiveness but for debate." This change in attitude towards God had its greatest impact in Kefa's prayer life: "God Himself had become a distant figure," he writes. "He had become a subject of debate, an abstract category. I no longer prayed to Him as a living Father but as an impersonal being who did not mind my inattention and unbelief." When he realized how far he had drifted from God due to theological speculations, Kefa repented ...

1772. Keeper of the Springs

Proverbs 31:10-31

Sermon

Peter Marshall

... that pioneer women never knew–material advantages: education, culture, advances made by science and medicine; although the modern mother knows a great deal more about sterilization, diets, health, calories, germs, drugs, medicines and vitamins, than her mother did, there is one subject about which she does not know as much–and that is God. The modern challenge to motherhood is the eternal challenge–that of being a godly woman. The very phrase sounds strange in our ears. We never hear it now. We ...

1773. Second Coming

Matt 25:1-13; Rev 22

Illustration

R. Geoffrey Brown

... in the sunlight. Most impressive of all is the great, white horse. Upon the horse sits a still greater rider with the armies of heaven behind him. He comes to set everything straight at last for everyone of us who has hoped in him, and for everyone who has been subjected to the pain and prejudice of living for Jesus Christ in a world seemingly gone mad.

1774. Stepping Out on Faith

Matthew 25:14-30

Sermon

King Duncan

... several signs along the road that warned CAUTION: LOW FLYING AIRCRAFT. “I wasn’t quite sure what we were supposed to do,” Brenda confesses. “Duck our heads? Veer off the road when a plane is approaching?” It makes you wonder, doesn’t it? By the way, on the subject of signs there is a sign on Route 5 near downtown San Diego that reads like this: CRUISE SHIPS USE HOTEL EXIT. I can’t say for certain that there are any cruise ships on the San Diego Freeway, but I hope they know to get off at ...

1775. Pop Quiz: Advent

Mark 13:24-37

Illustration

Matthew T. Phillips

On Friday, a teacher told his class that he was going to give a surprise quiz the following week. One clever student—we'll call him Jamie—went home and thought about this pop quiz. He didn't know the subject very well, and was upset that he was going to miss his whole weekend to study. Jamie tried to figure out what day the quiz might be. First, he noticed that it couldn't be Friday, because if they got to Thursday and hadn't had the quiz yet, then ...

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