Sermon and Worship Resources

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Showing 1751 to 1775 of 3926 results

1751. The Kingdom of God Is a Party

Matthew 22:1-14

Sermon

Bill Bouknight

... have just learned that God loves them in spite of their failings. Teenagers who may have very low self esteem learn here that they are unique creations of God and indescribably precious. Divorced people who often are burdened with guilt and financial problems find a supportive family here to help them start over. And often, for the first time in a long time, they learn to smile again. Our joy should find expression in our warmth toward each other. Church should be a hugging kind of place. A social scientist ...

1752. The Might of the Mite

Mark 12:41-44

Sermon

Bill Bouknight

... minimum balance of my other bills, I continued to give to the church first. The Lord demonstrated to me each month that my faithful giving would be rewarded by him, and it was. Sometimes in the form of unexpected income, sometimes in the love and support of folks like the Smiths, and sometimes in the form of deeper and more significant spiritual growth that would not have happened for any other reason." That letter humbled me. It made my tithing seem small by comparison. His giving reminded me of the only ...

1753. That Horse Called Style

2 Corinthians 8:1-15

Sermon

Bill Bouknight

... at the last minute and hassle folks about giving." You can check for yourself and see if the BRV is not true to the scripture. Today I call us to be faithful to our word. Each of us stood at the altar of this or another church and pledged to support the church with our time, talent and money. Are you being true to your word? Your pledge card today will give part of the answer. If you want to take the spiritual temperature of a Christian, read his or pledge card. Our pledge cards are a commentary on our ...

1754. No Retaliation

Matthew 5:38-42

Sermon

Bill Bouknight

... helped prevent unlimited feuds like that of the Hatfields and McCoys. Because this Lex Talionis is in the Old Testament, lots of Christians believe that it should govern our behavior. I have heard it used as a Christian's rationale for supporting capital punishment. But Jesus clearly repudiated Lex Talionis. Jesus said that retaliation, however controlled or restricted, has no place in the Christian life. Jesus taught us to replace retaliation with tough, wise love. In verses 39 through 41, Jesus gives us ...

1755. Defeating Giants

1 Samuel 17:1-58

Sermon

Bill Bouknight

... against a giant, use what you've got. THEN I NOTICE A THIRD STRATEGY OF DAVID: INVITE GOD INTO THE ARENA WITH YOU. David said to Goliath, “I come to you in the name of the Lord of hosts." If you place yourself in a moral position that God can support, and if you call on him in faith for a purpose that is in his will, God will go to battle with you. And as St. Paul said, "If God is for us, what does it matter who is against us?" The word impossible is banished from the dictionary. Whether ...

1756. A Prophet in a Panic

1 Kings 19:9-18

Sermon

Bill Bouknight

... BELIEVER. God sent Elijah to find a co-worker named Elisha. Not only did Elijah train Elisha to be his successor; Elisha was a comforting companion in times of crisis. Every Christian needs at least one other believer with whom he is accountable and mutually supportive. The need for such sharing is the reason that the small-group movement is booming in the Christian church. If you are not a part of a small group or church school class, seek one right away. One fine spring morning a farmer was out plowing ...

1757. Getting on the Active List

John 1:35-42

Sermon

Bill Bouknight

... looking over my shoulder because immediately I remembered my 1966 political campaign when Rosalynn and I had traveled the state and had shaken hands with 300,000 Georgians, extolling my good points, and asking them to vote for me. I had asked 300,000 to support me, but only 140 to affirm Jesus. The terrible difference in those numbers brought me to my knees." My purpose today is to transfer some Christians from the inactive to the active witness list. Let me define witnessing: It is sharing the good news ...

1758. A Large Fish Story

Jonah 1:1-17, Jonah 3:1-10

Sermon

Bill Bouknight

... too stubborn and angry then. Now, in the darkness of that submarine growling prison, Jonah is more humble. The entire second chapter of Jonah is his beautiful prayer to God, affirming that even in the black depths of a whale's innards, God is there, supporting and caring. Then God spoke to the fish again, and it regurgitated Jonah on the beach, presumably back in Palestine. Imagine that! Jonah paid for ship's passage to Tarshish. But the Lord cut off his escape route, rescued him from drowning, and provided ...

1759. Right on the Money!

Proverbs 10:1-32

Sermon

Bill Bouknight

... of the credit cards, many of us have le irresponsible and undisciplined in our finances. If the average 65-year-old American were to cash in everything he owns, he would be worth about $100. Evidently he is depending on someone perhaps the government, to support him. Over 80 percent of Americans owe more than they own. The average American entering Laurelwood or Oak Court Shopping Centers today has seven credit cards, with a combined balance of over $2000; and he or she pays the minimum amount each month on ...

1760. The Best Way to Help Someone

Colossians 4:7-18

Sermon

Bill Bouknight

... do was to put my youngest daughter out of my house, without any money, and forbid her to come back until she was ready to enter a treatment facility. But I knew from experience and prayer that any help I gave her prior to that time would simply support her addiction.” That is what you call tough love, doing what is wise rather than just what makes you feel good. If you really want to help somebody, pray first, perhaps even today during this service of Holy Communion. Then God will give you a wise formula ...

1761. The Mission of Christ Church

Nehemiah 6:1-14

Sermon

Bill Bouknight

... wanted to mature his twelve disciples, he put them in a group setting. That is still a good plan. Growing in Christ is not a solo act, it's supposed to be a group experience. In the context of a small group we experience the love, mutual support, and accountability that is so important for Christian growth. Let me share a portion of a letter I received several months ago from Grace and Jim Hayden. "In October we were in a serious car accident. The car was totaled. For the next five weeks it was extremely ...

1762. God's Design for Marriage

Ephesians 5:22-33

Sermon

Bill Bouknight

... You won’t win them for Christ by carrying on a power struggle with them, or by putting them down. You won't win them by saying piously, "I'm praying for you," or by playing my sermon tapes real loudly at home. But a cooperative, gentle, loving, supportive, praying wife can win over the most uncouth, belching, grunting heathen in Shelby County. There is no limit to what God can do through a godly wife. Almost every husband deep in his soul wants to be his wife's hero, her knight in shining armor, her rock ...

1763. How to Handle Criticism

Matthew 11:1-19

Sermon

Bill Bouknight

... criticism is made to you directly, just say “Thank you, brother, I will consider it. Have a nice day.” You may not need to consider it more than five seconds before dismissing it. Though the vast majority of Memphis and Christ Church supports our involvement in the “Love Thy Neighbor, “ Easter at the Pyramid event, we do have critics. I have received letters, usually unsigned, that begin this way; “You liberal do-gooders ought to mind your own business.” Because I know that racial reconciliation ...

1764. How to Fix the Past

1 John 1:5--2:14

Sermon

Bill Bouknight

... and Eve in the Garden of Eden, he has been noted for his subtle, shrewd tendencies. The Evil One is a genius in suggesting ways for us to rationalize almost any sin. Someone says, “That infidelity was not my fault. If my spouse had been more supportive and understanding, it would not have happened.” Someone says, “No, I don’t report all my income on a tax form. The main reason is that the tax system is unfair and it’s slanted against people like me. So, I just make a little anonymous correction ...

1765. Our Lord's Abundant Table

Matthew 14:13-21

Sermon

Brett Blair

... three days down that hole felt like. Their story will no doubt become a made for TV movie. One of the humorous images told about in their days together is the story about the lunch box. Apparently, just as they found the hole that would become their 77 hour life support a lunch box with a corned-beef sandwich and a mountain dew suddenly appeared floating in the water--now we know how coal miners eat. That was all they had to eat for three days. I don’t know about you but if I had my choice of drinks in ...

1766. Saturday Night And Sunday Morning

Drama

Pamela Urfer

... I thought for a while there that the whole city was going to join with us to throw out the Romans. Joseph: The whole country, you mean! John: It really seemed as if everything was falling into place, at last. Nicodemus: We had friends, supporters, backers. Peter: Even in some pretty high places, like you and Joseph. John: And the people, too, the ordinary people, were beginning to get excited about the possibilities. Joseph: And what possibilities! With his power, his talents, he could have done anything he ...

1767. Forgiveness

Luke 23:26-43

Sermon

Burton F. Blair

... his own T-bar to the place of crucifixion. The executioners tied the victim’s wrists to the T-bar to minimize movement when the nails were driven into the wrist bone - not in the palms of the hands. Nails in the palms of the hands would not support the weight of the body. A crucifixion was not a pleasant sight to see. Despite the pain and shock to the bodily systems caused by the nails, the victim rarely died from the wounds in and of themselves. The real problem for the crucified was breathing. Increased ...

1768. What Is Christianity Without the Cross?

Matthew 16:21-28

Sermon

Brett Blair

... sit-in. When heavily armed riot police arrived, the students were forced into the streets. Then they marched, crucifixes held high, to a nearby church where they were joined by twenty-five hundred other students from nearby schools for a morning of prayer in support of the protest. Soldiers surrounded the church. But the press was there as well and pictures from inside of students holding crosses high above their heads flashed around the world. So did the words of the priest who delivered the message to the ...

1769. Your Place Is Behind Jesus

Matthew 16:21-28

Illustration

Johnny Dean

... was, "Peter, your place is behind me, not in front of me. It's your job to follow me in the way I choose, not to try to lead me in the way YOU would like me to go." Certainly what Jesus said immediately after his rebuke of Peter would support that interpretation. He told all of his disciples, including Peter, that not only did HE have a task that was set before him by God, but that THEY also had work to do. "Deny yourself, take up your cross, and follow me," Jesus said. "Get on this new thrill ride ...

1770. Restoring Our Sense of Priorities

Exodus 20:1-21

Sermon

Donald Macleod

... us to do and to be. In The Book of Common Prayer at the end of the Confirmation Service, the minister says: Go forth into the world in peace; be of good courage; hold fast to what is good; render to no person evil for evil; strengthen the faint hearted; support the weak; help the afflicted; honor all people, love and serve the Lord, rejoicing in the power of the Holy Spirit.

1771. Unfulfilled Potential

Judges 16:23-31

Illustration

Larry Powell

... posts, bars and all, to "the top of the hill that is before Hebron" (16:1-3). He was bound with seven fresh bowstrings but snapped them from his body as if they were paper (16:8-9). He grasped the two middle pillars which supported the temple of Dagon, and removed them, causing the temple to fall, killing more than three thousand persons (16:29-30). To Samson, life was apparently one fun-filled, irresponsible frolic after another and, in a word, he tragically "wasted" himself. Delilah, the Philistines, his ...

1772. Song of a Poet Laureate

Psalm 2:1-12

Sermon

Gordon Pratt Baker

... whole earth. So great is the Lord’s affection for her, in fact, that he will expand her boundaries well beyond the narrow strip of seaboard she now occupies to provide her a territory greater than the domains of the giant empires on either side of her. In support of his prophecy the psalmist reminds the monarch that the Almighty has long since chosen him as his instrument for fulfilling the divine intent here. I have set my king on Zion, my holy hill. (Psalm 2:6) All that remains is for the king to accept ...

1773. Song of a Prophet

Psalm 46:1-11

Sermon

Gordon Pratt Baker

... High" (Psalm 46:4). And who can assail God on his throne? It is a thought to stir the blood, and the poet cannot resist following through on it by likening the divine presence in the nation’s capital to a river whose canals provide life-support to all who line their banks. Knowing as the prophet does that river cities are prone to develop their lifestyles around the waters flowing through them, he suggests that so, too, will his neighbors in Jerusalem shape their ways after the Holy One in their midst ...

1774. Song of a King

Psalm 101:1-8

Sermon

Gordon Pratt Baker

... 101:2b, 3a) It is not that the king expects to do all this in his own strength. In fact, such a thought would never have occurred to him. Rather, he is confident that the God whose ways he proposes to copy will be at his side supporting him in his defense of righteousness and steadying him whenever he might be tempted to waver (Psalm 101:3b). "A Mirror for Reigning Princes" Having thus committed his personal life to the Almighty, the new king spells out the principles that will govern his reign. Let the ...

1775. Song of a Philosopher

Psalm 139:1-24

Sermon

Gordon Pratt Baker

... him is not only protective. It is strengthening as well. What a difference it makes in our lives when we know that we never face our decisions or trials alone! Come what may, therefore, be it good or ill the poet can rest assured that God is with him to support or redeem. Whither shall I go from thy Spirit? Or whither shall I flee from thy presence? If I ascend to heaven, thou art there! If I make my bed in Sheol, thou art there! If I take the wings of the morning and dwell in the uttermost parts of ...

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