Sermon and Worship Resources

Showing 1776 to 1800 of 3852 results

1776. Labor Day

Mark 9:14-32

Illustration

King Duncan

... friendly supervisor. Then he started to make frequent changes in their work conditions. But he always discussed the changes in advance. He changed their work hours, number of breaks, and lunch times. Occasionally, he would switch back to the original, more difficult working conditions. To his surprise, changing back to the tougher conditions didn't adversely affect production. Instead, it kept going up. The professor realized that by singling out certain workers, he raised their self-esteem. They developed ...

1777. Two Women Of Faith

Luke 1:39-45

Sermon

King Duncan

... Cyprus in 1974, the Turkish and the Greek Cypriot people have been bitter enemies. Today, Cyprus is split into these two factions. The north of Cyprus is controlled by the Turkish Cypriots. The south of Cyprus is controlled by the Greek Cypriots, the original citizens of Cyprus. But the two communities came together in a stunning show of cooperation for a good cause. A five-year-old Turkish child was diagnosed with leukemia. Doctors said that her only hope is a bone-marrow transplant. Over 500 donors ...

1778. I Can Make It By Myself . . .

1 Corinthians 12:12-31, 1 Corinthians 12:1-11

Sermon

King Duncan

... 's Illustration Service, #1248 5. "Miners took vow to live or die together" by Larry Neumeister, Associated Press, The Knoxville News-Sentinel July 29, 2002, p. A1. 6. David Parsons, Paso Robies, CA in The Preacher's Illustration Service. 7. This story was sent to us by a subscriber. The original source is unknown. Series: "Five Things Christians Should Never Say," #2

1779. It Doesn't Matter What I Do

Jeremiah 17:19-27

Sermon

King Duncan

... s absolutely amazing." (1) Well, it is amazing. But that's life. It takes some crazy twists and turns. Even good people can get burned by it. Author James W. Moore in his book When All Else Fails, Read the Instructions tells a haunting story. It was a story originally told by retired seminary professor Fred Craddock. It's about a young couple in a small town in the Midwest who had a son who played on the high school football team. He didn't get to play much, but his parents were always there, dressed in the ...

1780. Like A Tornado

Acts 2:1-13

Sermon

King Duncan

... harder to accept when a soldier is killed by so-called "friendly fire." On April 27, 2003 a bizarre event took place in New Sweden, Maine. Sixteen members of the Gustaf Adolph Evangelical Lutheran Church became violently ill after a church meeting. Originally, doctors treated the victims for food poisoning. But blood tests soon showed that all the victims had been poisoned by large doses of arsenic. Further investigation by the police determined that someone had put a large dose of arsenic in the coffee ...

1781. The Forward Look

Luke 9:57-62

Sermon

King Duncan

... Company). 4. Kent Crockett, I Once Was Blind, But Now I Squint, Chattanooga, TN: AMG Publishers, 2004, p. 163. 5. Ibid, p. 49. 6. Pat Pearson, Stop Self-Sabotage! (Newport Coast, CA: Connemara Press, 1998), pp. 12-13. 7. This delightful story was sent to us by a friend. The original source is unknown. 8. Life, May 1997, p. 25.

1782. About Work

2 Thessalonians 3:1-5

Sermon

King Duncan

... jerky movements. Her upbeat attitude and sense of humor immediately sets the audience at ease. In one comedy routine, Geri remarked, "You know the hardest thing about having cerebral palsy and being a woman? It's plucking your eyebrows. That's how I originally got pierced ears." (3) Cerebral palsy. And she can laugh about it! You think you have problems? Our attitude determines how much we get out of life--and that includes what we get out of our jobs. "Remember," as motivational speaker Zig Ziglar ...

1783. The Eleventh Commandment

John 13:31-38

Sermon

King Duncan

... those kindnesses, she said, "It was then I knew that there was a God." Intuitively she knew that this is the best evidence we have of the existence of God. In an unloving world, there are yet people who really do care about others. Where did such love originate? It came from the very heart of God Himself. We witness to the world that Christ lives in our heart every time we perform any act of kindness to another. "BY THIS," said Jesus, "shall all men know that you are my disciples, that you love one another ...

1784. First, Last And Always--god!

John 13:1-17

Sermon

King Duncan

... of Time magazine that Israeli scientists are marketing a microchip that, implanted under the skin, will protect film stars and millionaires from kidnap gangs. The chip emits a signal detectable by satellite to help rescuers determine a victim's approximate location. Originally developed to track Israeli secret-service agents abroad, the $5,000 battery-less Sky-Eye chip sold by Gen-Etics runs solely on the neurophysiological energy generated within the human body. Gen-Etics won't reveal where the chip is ...

1785. Frustrated By Their Lack Of Faith

Mark 6:1-6

Sermon

King Duncan

... as if expressing their satisfaction . . . Gathered together in certain forms, the atoms constitute animals of the lower orders. Finally they combine in man, who represents the total intelligence of all the atoms." "But where does this intelligence come from originally?" asked the interviewer. "From some power greater than ourselves," answered Edison. "Do you believe, then in an intelligent creator, a personal God?" asked the interviewer. "Certainly," said Mr. Edison. "The existence of such a God, can to my ...

1786. To Whom Shall We Go?

John 6:60-71

Sermon

King Duncan

... animals. People around you will help you, and you can often do help yourself. However, this help is not always what it could be, and at times you will feel lost and helpless. Finally, there is the divine level, which humans can achieve if they so desire. The original nature of man is similar to that of God. All the privileges of His sacrifice are yours when you live on the divine level. You will get real assistance for making your way through life, because you don't have to rely strictly on yourself or on ...

1787. That Believing Ye Might Have Life

John 20:24-31

Sermon

King Duncan

... They are giants! And we are so small! We are like grasshoppers compared to them." This caused the people to tremble in fear. Because of their fear they went back and stayed in the wilderness for 38 years. They had to wander there until every last one of the original group died before returning to claim the Promised Land. Far too often we see only the problems and not the great problem solver who is right there with us! Nothing is beyond Him, and yet we tend to focus on the problem at hand. We focus on the ...

1788. A Date With Destiny

Philippians 2:1-11

Sermon

King Duncan

... what we have to give. But finally, and foremost, we need a sense of destiny because of who we are--we are disciples of Jesus Christ. We walk in his footsteps. We have been called to be his ambassadors. Violin virtuoso Paganini told of the origin of the Stradavari quartet. A wealthy patron of the arts purchased the four valued instruments and gave them to top musicians. Though they had been kept in "safe" storage, the patron said, "A silent instrument, no matter how well made, is not fulfilling its maker ...

1789. Don't Forget The Batteries

Acts 2:1-13

Sermon

King Duncan

... learn from Pentecost. The source of our power is God's Spirit. THE SECOND THING WE LEARN FROM THE DAY OF PENTECOST IS THAT WHERE GOD'S SPIRIT IS THERE IS UNITY. People of differing backgrounds, differing social classes, differing skin colors, differing national origins, all heard the Gospel in their own tongue. Rather than fragmenting into tiny self-serving groups, they were drawn into a cohesive whole. One day, we are going to see how silly we have been about all the barriers we have erected between people ...

1790. A Lightning Rod Instead of a Cross

Acts 2:1-21

Sermon

King Duncan

... protection against such events ever happening again.” On the Day of Pentecost lightning struck the early church. Not literally, of course, but figuratively. You remember the story. The closest followers of Jesus were gathered in an upper room in Jerusalem. All the original twelve were there, save one. Judas’ place had been taken by Matthias, who had been chosen by the casting of lots. We may speculate that casting lots was an unreliable means of choosing officers for the board by the fact that Matthias ...

1791. Sarah Laughed

Genesis 18:1-15

Sermon

King Duncan

... believe. Where would the Broadway musical be if we could not believe that somewhere over the rainbow bluebirds fly--if we did not dream the impossible dream--if we did not "climb every mountain, ford every stream." As Kermit the Frog asks in the original Muppet Movie "Why are there so many songs about rainbows?" Children have no problem answering that question. Children will clap their hands in glee over the prospect that the impossible will occur. Jacques Lusseyran in his book And There Was Light tells us ...

1792. The Divine Family

Genesis 1:1-2:3

Sermon

King Duncan

... . A rabbi said to a precocious six-year-old boy: "So your mother says your prayers for you each night. Very commendable. What does she say?" The little boy replied, "Thank God he's in bed!" No family is perfect. Yet the family is divine in its origins. The happy, secure home is God's plan for the ordering of society. We want to affirm that truth this day because, as you know, in many quarters the family is under attack. The famous anthropologist Margaret Mead once called it "the conspiracy on the home." She ...

1793. When The Going Gets Tough

Romans 8:18-25

Sermon

King Duncan

... her, but she interrupts with, "I mean, do you think life has any meaning after you've failed nine spelling tests in a row and your teacher hates you?" To which Charlie Brown calmly says, "That's a different question." I was reading recently about the origin of the word "sabotage." It comes from French, where a "sabot" is a wooden shoe. It used to be that when workers in French factories were unhappy, they would throw a "sabot," a wooden shoe, into the machinery, thus "sabotaging" it. I know that there are ...

1794. Living The Kingdom Life

1 Kings 3:1-15

Sermon

King Duncan

... with us in the power of the Holy Spirit. Faith that in all things God works to the good for those who love him. Author Robert Dale relates the story of a country church that is located by a clear spring. Community leaders claim that the spring originated years ago when a slave woman and her children were dying of thirst during a drought. In despair of finding water, the slave woman prayed. Then she found the spring. From that day the spring has never dried up, even during the longest droughts. The community ...

1795. "God News" For Bad Times

1 Kings 17:1-6

Sermon

King Duncan

... . "They little know," said he to his mother, "that I am never alone, for I feel that my every action is guided by Him who ordains all things for His servants, and supplies all their needs." (4) I like the way Charlie Shedd described it in one of his original promises to his tiny son, Peter. Listen to his sensitive and helpful words: "I hope that I will be able to make religion natural to you. It is natural. In fact, I think this relationship with God is the only thing that is one hundred percent natural. We ...

1796. What Kind Of God Is That?

John 9:1-12

Sermon

King Duncan

... . I broke a law. When we break laws, we pay. We pay when other people break laws. Not only terrorists, but such people as drunk drivers bring much unnecessary suffering into people's lives. We make jokes about sin. One fellow said he thought that the doctrine of Original Sin meant that he had to think up a new one every time. We joke about sin, but most of the suffering that takes place in this world is caused by our disobedience of God's laws. The other source of suffering is the natural order. The East ...

1797. Grace: Amazing or Mystifying?

Romans 3:21-31

Sermon

King Duncan

... to the man and welcomed him into heaven. That’s grace. Amazing and mystifying grace. What can you do with this grace? Only one thing. Pass it on to someone else. 1. “Weigh the Cat--and Other Life Lessons” by Adair Lara. Reader’s Digest, Nov. 2000 p. 91-94. Originally published in the San Francisco Chronicle. 2. Erwin Lutzer, Failure: The Back Door to Success (Chicago: Moody Press, 1975), p. 52. 3. PREACHING TODAY

1798. Day People

1 Thessalonians 4:13--5:11

Sermon

King Duncan

... dark secret. Every year, the people conduct a lottery; the “winner” of the lottery is stoned to death in the town square. The townspeople view this ritual of human sacrifice as a necessary way of maintaining their way of life. “The Lottery” was originally written to demonstrate the evils of blindly following society’s morals. It was written four years after the end of World War II, when the world was still grappling with the horrors of Nazism, and a whole German culture that condoned the massacre ...

1799. More Than "Turkey Day" (New) Thanksgiving

2 Chronicles 9:1-28

Sermon

King Duncan

... no one celebrates Thanksgiving quite the way we do in the U.S. And for good reason. Few people on earth have as much for which to be thankful. Nightline host Ted Koppel emigrated to the U.S. from England in his early teen years. The Koppels were originally from Germany, but moved to England at the start of World War II. They had lived through food rationing, and had known the scarcity and desperation that accompanies war. So a few years later, when young Ted heard a jingle on the radio about an antacid that ...

1800. A Way Made Ready

Mark 1:1-8

Sermon

Darrick Acre

... beautiful, pastel pinks and yellows; and of course the brilliant elegance of white. As you drive along, there are elves and carolers, Santa and his reindeer, a snowman or two, and maybe a tin soldier. The decorations are eye-catching, breath-taking, and often amusingly original. One house I saw recently was decked out in red and white lights, with a gigantic “OU” shining in the yard. I am not sure what that had to do with Christmas, but it sure looked good! Of course, you will eventually see a nativity ...

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