Sermon and Worship Resources

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Showing 1776 to 1800 of 4935 results

1776. The Great Depression

Psalm 42:1-11

Sermon

James Merritt

I’m beginning a six-week series of messages that I am entitling “Dealing with Feelings.” I’m going to begin today with the most dominant destructive debilitating feeling of all. Have you ever awakened in the morning and somehow you just knew it was going to be a bad day? Somebody with a great sense of humor described a few clues to let us know that it’s “going to be a bad day” when: You wake up face down on the pavement. You call Suicide Prevention and they put you on hold. Your birthday cake collapses ...

1777. Advent 3

Psalm 126:1-6, Isaiah 61:1-11, John 1:6-8, 19-28, 1 Thessalonians 5:12-28

Bulletin Aid

B. David Hostetter

READINGS Psalter—Psalm 126 First Lesson—The prophet brings glad tidings of relief and renewal. Isaiah 61:1-4, 8-11 Second Lesson—Paul urges cautious optimism as Christians give thanks and pray while waiting for the second coming of Christ. 1 Thessalonians 5:16-24 Gospel—John the Baptist, though a lesser light, is a light widening the eyes of people to see the brighter light of the Christ. John 1:6-8, 19-28 CALL TO WORSHIP Pastor: The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you all. People: And also with you ...

1778. Friends

1 Samuel 18:1-4

Sermon

James Merritt

Friends - It was one of the most watched television shows in the nineties. It was in effect, the twenty-first century version of what friendship is all about. That one word, perfectly describes the relationship between two men named, David and Jonathan, who had, what one could argue is the most famous friendship in the history of the world. As we have just seen in the previous chapter, David had just pulled off one of the greatest upsets in history when, as a nineteen year old shepherd boy, who couldn't ...

1779. Until He Comes

2 Timothy 4:7-8

Sermon

James Merritt

The last two years of my life have passed by faster than a speeding bullet. Though the pace of being President of this Convention has been exhausting, the honor has been exhilarating. I will never get over the fact that you, my fellow Southern Baptists, have entrusted me with this position. Being President of the Southern Baptist Convention has made me realize more than ever how blessed I am to be a Christian and how great it is to be a Baptist. I am reminded of Charles Spurgeon the great British preacher ...

1780. Dead Man Walking

John 11:38-44, John 11:17-37, John 11:1-16

Sermon

James Merritt

In 1927, an S-4 Navy submarine was accidentally rammed by a Coast Guard Cutter, sending it immediately to the bottom of the bay. The entire crew was trapped. Every effort was made to rescue them, but every effort failed. Near the end of the four day attempt, to bring these men to the surface, a diver placed his helmeted ear to the side of the vessel and heard a man tapping Morse Code from inside. This was the last question that he heard. "Is...there...any...hope?"[[1]] If there is any day of the year and ...

1781. More Than a Book

2 Timothy 3:10--4:8

Sermon

Maxie Dunnam

Today we presented each of our third graders a Bible. Why did we do it? Certainly their parents could afford to buy Bibles, and I imagine that in each of the homes from which these children come there are more than one Bible. It isn’t that we thought that if we didn’t get a Bible to them, they would not have access to the scripture. So, why did we do it? We did it to make a statement - to say not only to these children, but to ourselves - all of us - that for the Christian in the church this is it. This is ...

1782. A Small Man Who Was Given a Big Heart

Luke 19:1-10

Sermon

King Duncan

We are told that being tall gives you an advantage in our culture, particularly if you are a male. For example, taller men earn more money on average than their shorter counterparts. If you’re six-feet-two or taller, you’re likely to start a new job at a salary 12.4 percent higher than someone under six feet. It doesn’t make sense and it’s not fair, but that is the way it is. Each extra inch of height is worth an extra $600 a year on average. In 1987 they did a survey of 1,200 MBAs. Average salary of those ...

1783. Proper 20

Psalm 79:1-9, Jeremiah 8:18--9:1, Luke 16:1-15, 1 Timothy 2:1-7

Bulletin Aid

Julia Ross Strope

Call To Worship Leader: Good morning! I hope you rested well last night and have come here to enjoy integrating tranquility, insistent inspiration, and lively conversation. People: We’ve come to celebrate, giving thanks to the Giver of Life, Living Water, and Spirit Fruits. Leader: God is Great Mystery, calling us to relish the beauty of creation and to live as citizens of benevolent society. People: From the east to the west, God moves among the rich and poor, inviting all humankind to collaborate in ...

1784. The New Stone Tablets

Exodus 34:1-28

Understanding Series

James K. Bruckner

Crisis Resolved: The Name of the Lord · Exodus 34 is the theological center of the book of Exodus. The stone tablets with the Ten Commandments, which Moses broke in anger in Exodus 32:19, are remade (vv. 1–4, 27–29). The Lord proclaims the divine name with a full description of who God is in the world. God responds to the golden calf crisis by promising to be a forgiving God in their midst. The Lord then describes how this forgiveness would function (vv. 5–9). The text reiterates representative laws from ...

1785. Thanksgiving and Prayer

Philippians 1:1-11

Understanding Series

F. F. Bruce

Prescript The prescript, or introductory salutation, of an ancient letter regularly contained three elements: (a) the name of the sender or senders; (b) the name of the recipient or recipients, and (c) a word of greeting or good wishes. Examples abound from letters of the New Testament period, in Greek and in Latin, both literary and nonliterary; earlier examples are the extracts from the official correspondence of the Persian court quoted in the book of Ezra; compare Ezra 7:12, “Artaxerxes, king of kings ...

1786. “Love Your Enemies”

Luke 6:27-38

Teach the Text

R.T. France

Big Idea: We should treat other people as God treats us, looking not to our own advantage or satisfaction, but to what is good for them. Understanding the Text This is the middle section of the sermon that began at 6:20. Its first section set out the choice between two ways of life and commended that of discipleship. This section now explores some of the ethical implications of discipleship, with special reference to how we should treat other people and to the effect that this may have on our own ...

1787. Falling Into Faith

Genesis 15:1-12, 17-18

Sermon

Charley Reeb

Woody Allen once quipped, “If there is a God, he is the ultimate under-achiever.” This statement is a stinging indictment, especially for those who have high expectations of God. Some may even find it offensive. It is unthinkable that God would want to do less than the very best for the world. However, these deflating words are not too distant from the attitude of Abraham at the beginning of Genesis 15. Abraham has waited expectantly for the child that God has promised him and anticipated the joy of a son ...

1788. “I Am from Him and He Sent Me”

John 7:25-44

Understanding Series

J. Ramsey Michaels

The temple discourse begins anew with a notice that Jesus cried out. This second announcement (vv. 28–29), like the first (vv. 16–19), initiates an encounter with the crowd, yet itself comes as a response to something already expressed. As verses 16–19 addressed the question that perplexed the religious authorities in verse 15, so verses 28–29 address the debate among the people of Jerusalem in verses 25–27. Specifically, they address the objection that Jesus cannot be the Messiah because everyone knows ...

1789. When You're Rejected

Matthew 21:33-46

Sermon

King Duncan

Have you ever been rejected? It hurts, doesn’t it? There is no pain more familiar to many of us than the pain of rejection. We remember those terrible younger years when we were searching for our identity, and acceptance by our peers was so important. One comedian was talking about his attempts to land a date during his teen years. He says, “I never was very good at this romance thing. It’s true. I remember my teenage years. We used to play spin the bottle. The way we played it was that a girl would spin ...

1790. When I Am Weak, I Am Strong

2 Corinthians 12:7-10

Sermon

King Duncan

I read something interesting recently about one of the world’s most revered religious leaders. He is the Tibetan Buddhist leader known as the Dalai Lama. It seems that, though the Dalai Lama may be what the Buddhists call an “enlightened being,” he has his weaknesses. According to a report in The Week magazine, it’s said he sneaks chocolate chip cookies when he’s supposed to be fasting. And he uses an air gun to scare away irritating birds. Anybody identify with that? Here’s a good one: While the Dalai ...

1791. Knowledge

Genesis 3:1-19 · Psalm 90

Sermon

Will Willimon

It's a story, primitive story, primordial, which means basic, deep; a true story. It's from Genesis, the beginning book of the Bible, beginning of humanity. Genesis means "in the beginning." In the beginning, God made man and woman and put them in the garden. God will keep the good garden. All man and woman must do is to enjoy, to "be fruitful and multiply" -- which sounds enjoyable. It's a story like the ones told to and by children -- naive, fairytale-like, deep, true, like the fairytales told to you ...

1792. Happiness Full Stop

John 15:9-17

Sermon

King Duncan

Good morning, and Happy Mother’s Day to all our mothers and mother-figures in our fellowship of faith. On this special day, we would like to thank all of you who shape our lives and build our families and serve as our safe place as we go out into the world. Mothers have a unique power to influence their children no matter how old those children get. Phil Keith, the former police chief of Knoxville, Tennessee, tells of receiving a call from his mother while he was in the middle of a televised press ...

1793. Metaphors Be with You

John 6:35, 41-51

Sermon

Dean Feldmeyer

His name was John Davis, he was my neighbor, and he was a peculiar person. Don’t get me wrong. I liked him but even his wife said John was an “acquired taste.” I sometimes think that, had he been born thirty or forty years later, he would have been correctly diagnosed as having Asperger’s Syndrome or some other condition associated with the higher functioning end of the Autism spectrum. He was a gifted man, to be sure, a tool designer and metallurgist who worked for a big corporation, very smart and very ...

1794. Truth and Consequences

Luke 16:19-31

Sermon

Lori Wagner

Last week, we talked about Jesus’ parable of the shrewd manager and the Jewish idea of “mitzvah,” carrying out God’s commandments to do good on behalf of others, which really is a way of “bonding” with both God and our neighbors in relationship. As the elite men in the crowd who were listening to Jesus were scowling, Jesus told yet another parable back-to-back with that one. Today’s scripture continues Jesus’ interchange with the parable of the “rich man and Lazarus.” This is the only time that Jesus uses ...

1795. It Is Blessed To Receive

Luke 17:11-19

Sermon

William G. Carter

In the small town of Mapleville, the ecumenical Thanksgiving Eve service was poorly attended. Once it was a popular event for the whole town, gathering people from a variety of denominations and faiths. In recent years, attendance had faded to a faithful few. Most of those who came in any given year were members of the host congregation. What began as a spirited occasion that brought together a variety of clergy, choirs, and congregations had shrunk in numbers and dwindled in enthusiasm. One minister was ...

1796. It Is Blessed To Receive

Sermon

William G. Carter

Matthew 6:25-33 (C) Thanksgiving DayLuke 17:11-19 (L) In the small town of Mapleville, the ecumenical Thanksgiving Eve service was poorly attended. Once it was a popular event for the whole town, gathering people from a variety of denominations and faiths. In recent years, attendance had faded to a faithful few. Most of those who came in any given year were members of the host congregation. What began as a spirited occasion that brought together a variety of clergy, choirs, and congregations had shrunk in ...

1797. Peace, Blessed Peace

John 14:15-31

Sermon

King Duncan

A man went to his doctor to find out why he had been having such severe headaches. The doctor ran some tests and after a few hours called the man into his office. "I have terrible news," he told the patient. "Your condition is terminal." "Oh no!" the man wailed. "How long do I have?" "Ten," began the doctor. "Ten what?" the patient interrupted. "Days? Months? Years?" "Nine," said the doctor, "eight, seven, six . . ." There is a man who was having a bad day. There is a man living in panic, not peace. True ...

1798. The Good News about Money

Mark 10:17-31

Sermon

King Duncan

There is one good thing about a recession. It sobers us up. If we’re lucky it causes us to turn our back on things we don’t need and to hold close the things that really matter. After all, periods of recession usually follow periods of wretched excess. Martha Bolton and Phil Callaway, in their book It’s Always Darkest Before the Fridge Door Opens, tell about strolling through a mall one day laughing at all the things in the mall they didn’t need. Here are some of the things they found that they could do ...

1799. The Promising Invitation

Matthew 11:25-30

Sermon

Marc Kolden

Our gospel reading today contains one of the most familiar passages in the Bible. Most of us probably know it in words of one of the older translations, but most of us do know it. "Come unto me, all ye that labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest" (Matthew 11:28, KJV). For centuries this passage has been used for comforting the grieving, encouraging the struggling, and giving hope when all else seems to have failed. We read it; we underline it; we memorize it. We trust these words when nothing ...

1800. Proper 8

Luke 9:57-62, Galatians 5:16-26, 2 Kings 2:1-18, Luke 9:51-56

Sermon Aid

John R. Brokhoff

COMMENTARY Old Testament: 2 Kings 2:1-2, 6-14 Elisha succeeds Elijah as prophet of Israel. Elisha was a faithful and devout disciple of Elijah. So loyal was he that he would not let Elijah out of his sight. Knowing that he was soon going to depart this world, Elijah asked Elisha what he could give him. Wisely Elisha asked for a double portion of his spirit. This was granted to Elisha, for when Elisha took Elijah's mantle, he used it to separate the waters of Jordan. The power and authority of Elijah's ...

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