Sermon and Worship Resources

Showing 1801 to 1825 of 2962 results

Luke 2:22-33

Sermon

Billy D. Strayhorn

... that encounter goes: Luke 2:22-33 [22] When the time came for their purification according to the law of Moses, they brought him up to Jerusalem to present him to the Lord [23] (as it is written in the law of the Lord, "Every firstborn male shall be designated as holy to the Lord"), [24] and they offered a sacrifice according to what is stated in the law of the Lord, "a pair of turtledoves or two young pigeons." [25] Now there was a man in Jerusalem whose name was Simeon; this man was righteous and devout ...

1802. No Room At The Inn

Luke 2:1-7

Sermon

Billy D. Strayhorn

... into the business district went right by the front lawn of the church. There were slums, and street people who slept in the park a few blocks away, but you couldn't see them from the church. They set the nativity up on the lawn on the designated evening after dark and flooded it with carefully placed spotlights. For anyone driving around the square it was a dazzling sight, a Christmas card come to life. When word got out people came from miles around, from all over the city and the suburbs. The first one ...

1803. Plenty Of Room

Matthew 3:13-17

Sermon

Billy D. Strayhorn

... Eternal God's Claim in our life is. And in reality, it is God who Restores us and makes us like new when we remember Who We Are and Whose We Are and How Eternal Those Claims Are. Conclusion You have been created by a loving God. You are a designer original. There are no plain label or generic brands in God's eyes. You is a unique creation. You have been created in the Image of God, therefore, you each have a famous maker label. It doesn't matter if you have forgotten Who You Are or Whose You Are ...

1804. Flying First Class

Ephesians 1:3-13

Sermon

Billy D. Strayhorn

... whole event. Howard climbs through the surrounding brush to get to Smith, who is having his dinner in front of an open campfire. Howard looks over at the damaged horse, whose leg is now wrapped up with a poultice. Smith says that it is Hawthorne root, designed to increase the blood circulation. Howard asks if the horse will get better, and Smith replies that it already has. Howard wants to know if the horse will ever race again. Smith says, "No, not that one." Howard asks, "Then why are you fixing him?" And ...

1805. Daddy, Tell Me a Story

Deuteronomy 26:1-15

Sermon

King Duncan

... listen to a sermon that didn’t have a single good story. Stories bring the word alive! Scientist Gregory Bateson wrote a book titled Mind in Nature. In it he tells a revealing story. He says that scientists recently found a way to design a software program that makes computers function more like the human mind. After installing the software, the programmers typed in this question, “How does the human mind work?” The computer replied, “Well, let me tell you a story . . .’’ (1) They knew then that ...

1806. Altar Your Presence

John 15:1-17

Sermon

Billy D. Strayhorn

... Jurisdictional Conference, the General Conference all United Methodist Churches around the world. Our founder John Wesley realized there was power in this idea of connection. John Wesley understood the communal nature of the church and of faith. He planned and designed ways for us to stay connected together. We know those ways as bands, class meetings and society meetings. What we would call small group or accountability group meetings where we drew strength, knowledge and wisdom form one another. But he ...

1807. Unstoppable Determination

Philippians 3:1-11

Sermon

King Duncan

... ‑proof bird feeder.” Bill looked at him in disbelief. “You mean,” said Bill, “we can land a man on the moon and send instantaneous messages via satellite to anywhere around the world, but our best and brightest scientists and engineers can’t design and manufacture a bird feeder that can outsmart an animal with a brain the size of a pea?” “Yep,” said the retailer. “Why not?” Bill persisted. “Let me ask you something, sir,” the man replied. “How much time on average have you ...

1808. Gideon: One Giant Leap

Judges 6:11-16

Sermon

Billy D. Strayhorn

... . What I'm talking about is a conspiracy of kindness. While the zealots wanted to change the world by overthrowing the powers that be with military might, Jesus had already begun His great Conspiracy. And it's a conspiracy of love. A conspiracy of grace designed to undermine the work of the enemy and subvert the self centered culture with the pervasive, sacrificial, God centered love of Jesus Christ. The point of this conspiracy is to build up, not tear down. We'll be part of an insurgency of love. We ...

1809. Being A View Master

Romans 2:9-21

Sermon

Billy D. Strayhorn

... birdhouse coming along, Charlie Brown?" He replies, "Well, I'm a lousy carpenter. I can't nail straight. I can't saw straight and I always split the wood. I'm nervous, I lack confidence, I'm stupid, I have poor taste and absolutely no sense of design." And then in the last frame he concludes, "So, all things considered, it's coming along OKAY!" (1) Nobody would ever claim that Charlie Brown was perfect. But the one thing we notice about Charlie Brown, besides the room for improvement, is that he never gives ...

1810. Be A Barnabas

Acts 4:33-37

Sermon

Billy D. Strayhorn

... idea or someone else's. All I know is it works. They're called Barnabas Cards. One of the things Paul writes in Hebrews is "And let us consider how to provoke one another to love and good deeds." Hebrews 10:25. And that's exactly what these cards are designed to do. And here's how they work. Suppose the music was particularly moving or a hymn we sang touched you and lifted your spirits. Or maybe you've noticed that someone hasn't been here in awhile and you've thought to yourself, I need to call them. Or ...

1811. Shaped By The Fire

Acts 2:1-21

Sermon

Billy D. Strayhorn

... our baptism. Through our baptism we are bathed, cleaned and polished. The physical water may dry up but the spiritual waters of our baptism still run and flow through our hearts and souls as Christ shapes and molds us into God's own unique design. IV. Glass Cutting That brings us to one last phase of the Waterford Crystal Factory. Sometimes special pieces are created or chosen to have further enhancement added through etching. The etchers are true artists of the craft. They turn beautiful pieces of crystal ...

1812. What's In A Name?

John 15:9-17

Sermon

Billy D. Strayhorn

... I was able to know them. Grandpa filled that spot in my life. After I was discharged from the Coast guard, we moved to the farm and took over the farm for Grandma and Grandpa. For three years Grandpa and I worked side by side. Together we designed and built a story and a half farmhouse. We did everything ourselves except dig the basement. Grandpa was an experienced carpenter. We cut the timber for the lumber ourselves, off the farm. We milled the lumber ourselves on the same saw mill and planer Grandpa has ...

1813. Cross Eyed: Anger

John 2:13-22

Sermon

Billy D. Strayhorn

... are blind, to bring out the prisoners from the dungeon, from the prison those who sit in darkness." That wasn't just about the Messiah. That was a definition of the Mission of the Jews. And if you look at the construction of the Temple, you can see that God designed a microcosmic view of the world. Look at the size of the Gentile area compared to the size of the area for the Jews. No wonder Jesus got so angry. He also knew they would be doing the same thing to Him, shortly. Squeezing Him out of the picture ...

1814. Amazing Authority

Mark 1:21-28

Sermon

Billy D. Strayhorn

... of justice and standing up for what is right especially in the area of race relationships. The book is pure fiction but the lesson is unforgettable and was life shaping. I wanted to grow up and be just like Atticus Finch. The parables of Jesus were stories designed to teach lessons. We weren't told to go and physically look for the Prodigal Son. But we did learn a deep lesson about grace and repentance and how much God loves us. In that sense, our response to the story is more important than whether it ...

1815. The Obligation to Love

1 Corinthians 13:1-13

Illustration

Cecil G. Osborne

... love, which holds people together in families. "Above this level is a plane which Kagawa calls psychic love. Psychic love includes our association in friendships, in professional and social groups, and in all those relationships which rest on community of mental tastes." Kagawa then designates a still higher level of love based upon conscience. "If one is walking along the road with an enemy on his right hand, and as inner on his left, and if he can walk with them without accusing them, or if he can halt ...

1816. Live and Learn

Isaiah 55:1-13

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

... ’s descendants. Eventually Abraham did well on the “many descendants” part of this divine deal, but following one God was a rule easily and repeatedly broken. New Rule: A longer list of rules, hand-delivered by Moses. These rules (aka the Torah) seemed designed to provide an answer to every possible situation the people might encounter. But more rules just made more rules to break. New Rule: A king and a kingdom are established by God’s covenant with David, and all of David’s descendants. But ...

1817. Abysmal Heights

Philippians 3:1-11

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

... -class competition. Whatever “disability” may qualify each of those athletes to compete in the Paralympics, it is their astonishing abilities that make them champions. Skiing, snowboarding, sledding, ice hockey, curling, all familiar winter sports are played but with specially designed equipment that enables these athletes to soar, speed, and spin. It seems a bit of a stretch to put the label of “disabled” on an athlete who can land a 360 while snowboarding in a wheelchair. “Disabled” would more ...

1818. What Matters In the Light of Eternity: “Church Matters”

Acts 20:13-38

Sermon

J. Howard Olds

... is of God and shall be preserved to the end of time and I would like to offer some reasons why. I. The Church Is of God and Shall Be Preserved Until the End of Time Because Everybody Needs a Place to Belong Biologically humans are designed to be with other people. The need for community is written into our spiritual DNA. You are not called to be a lone ranger; you will never be happy living in isolation. The Church represents the largest association of people in the world. Renowned preacher Fred Craddock ...

1819. Conflict Resolution (Series: Fundamentals of Family)

Colossians 3:1-17

Sermon

J. Howard Olds

... in which her daughter, age 11, was about to enroll. She had just learned her daughter would have to wear a uniform to school. It was not the expense that upset the mother. It was the fact that her daughter would not be able to wear the fancy designer clothes she had purchased for her. The pain she felt was that of a mother whose daughter had been mugged on Main Street. — Sometimes we need to get things in perspective. It will be a happier day in our families when we stop demanding perfection of those we ...

1820. The Gift of Preparation

John 1:6-8, 19-28

Sermon

Billy D. Strayhorn

... Heaven come to sing Hallelujah to the newborn King, I'm not sure. It was a site to behold. Mom and Dad had to do everything in their power to keep from laughing. It was obvious by the look on the young boy's face, that he had spent hours designing and picking just the right toy for each of the characters. Everything about the nativity was wrong or out of place. Who would have thought of Bart Simpson as the baby Jesus. And putting him in a shopping cart as a manger. But at the same time, it was almost ...

1821. Getting It, Together

Matthew 10:24-39

Sermon

Billy D. Strayhorn

... of their first race, Rick typed into his computer, "Dad, I felt like I wasn't handicapped." Since that day, Dick and Rick Hoyt have run 371 races together. But listen to this: This young man with severe cerebral palsy, Rick Hoyt, now works at BostonUniversity designing computer programs for people with disabilities. (3) Wow. Together. Now, I'm certain Mom is just as much a part of that story as Dad, but can't you see Rick's father pushing that wheelchair in race after race, determined with all his might to ...

1822. The Challenge, The Call, The Cure

Matthew 9:9-13

Sermon

Billy D. Strayhorn

... from the people of Coalwood. Everybody seemed to be against them. Everybody seemed to discourage them but those four boys never gave up. They finally, received the reward for their dream and their hard work by winning first prize for their rocket design in the national science fair. Along with the first prize, each boy was awarded a college scholarship and each one graduated. Homer Hickam, went on to train astronauts for the space shuttle program. The lives of those four boys were changed all because ...

1823. On Finding Pentecostal Power

Acts 2:14-41

Sermon

J. Howard Olds

... religion as I can take. God has more important things to do than find you a parking place on a crowded street or an upgraded seat on an airplane. What kind of egotistical maniacs are we to even ask the Almighty for it? God has not designed a personal improvement plan guaranteed to make you “healthy, wealthy and wise.” Bill sat quietly in his small group as long as he could. He listened to one glowing story after another of God’s blessings on believers. Group members were making money, being favored ...

1824. Stewardship of All (Series: Stewardship: Discover This Word and Love It!)

Matthew 26:6-13

Sermon

J. Howard Olds

... in the sixties, it was a severely simple, self-conscious product of modernism. Its barren surroundings allowed nothing to distract from the sermon—no candles, no flowers, no loving shepherd tending his sheep. The only exception was thick, colored-glass windows designed to prevent worshipers from gazing off at the beauty of the Earth during the service. But God does have a sense of humor. “At certain times of the morning, sometimes right during the sermon, a stream of sunlight would burst through ...

1825. Revelation 1:4-8

Revelation 1:4-8

Sweet

Leonard Sweet

... , divine nature of Jesus as the Christ, and to disseminate the absolute conviction that Jesus Christ will return at some final time to render judgment on the world. The John who authored Revelation had the vision of a divine dream for the world, an ordained design for the future. Despite the profusion of evil powers displayed in this book, the final word of John’s vision on the Isle of Patmos is that God’s mission will be brought to completion, that Jesus Christ’s triumph over all adversaries is the ...

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