Sermon and Worship Resources

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Showing 1801 to 1825 of 4935 results

1801. In the Mirror

Luke 15:1-3, 11b-32

Sermon

Wayne Brouwer

The first birth is extraordinarily exciting, isn’t it? My wife and I were married less than a year when our firstborn came along. We knew right away that she was the most beautiful, most intelligent, most promising human being that had ever come into this world! Parenting the firstborn is an experiment in everything new. First smile, first coo, first steps, first words… One first we did not anticipate, however, was the first time our little Kristyn recognized herself in the mirror. We had often held her up ...

1802. Homecoming

Jeremiah 30:1--31:40

Sermon

Robert A. Hausman

"Goin' home, goin' home, I'm a' goin' home." These words from the spiritual song sound the plaintive, universal longing for homecoming. We all resonate warmly to the idea of going home to "see the folks," to return to our roots, to recapture memories. In poetry and in song, homecoming has been celebrated. This text speaks of Israel's homecoming, but it is not an ordinary homecoming. It is not the return of the conquering hero or the prodigal, the soldier or the servant. It is not a return from a self- ...

1803. How To Find Water When Your Well Runs Dry!

Jeremiah 2:1-3:5

Sermon

James McLemore

First, we must establish and explain to you that most of the water you drink comes from a well. Your fathers and mothers and grandparents were well acquainted with this fact, because most of them were born on a farm. On a farm, you had to find a source of water before you built a house, because land had no value if it did not have a well. Well water was always located below the surface. The farmer had to select a good site, dig a deep cistern (a man-made hole), and tap the well springs of underground water ...

1804. Forever Plaid

Isaiah 42:18-25

Sermon

William L. Self

A few years ago there was a popular off-Broadway musical which gave a good insight into how life was in the 1950s. The name of the show was Forever Plaid, which was the name of a singing group of four good guys (Sparky, Smudge, Jinx, and Frankie). They wore dinner jackets and bow ties and each vocal arrangement soared to stratospheric heights of harmony. They were the most sought after entertainment for weddings, conventions, proms, and country club socials, but they had bigger plans that included a zoom ...

1805. God Can Change The Past

Eulogy

Joe Barone

Psalm 22:1-8, 14-31, Isaiah 42:1-4Luke 24:1-9 and Revelation 7:13-17 It always amazes me to think that God can change the past. I know, of course, God can change the future, but the past? “My God, my God, why has thou forsaken me?” the psalmist shouts, the very words Jesus cries from the cross in the gospel according to Mark. And in crying them, Jesus changes forever, and in fact adds to, our understanding of the psalm. Think about it. “O my God, I cry by day, but thou dost not answer,” the psalmist says. ...

1806. Beyond the Ordinary

Matthew 5:38-42

Sermon

Joe Pennel

At 7:00 a.m. every Monday, I teach Bible study. About twenty of us meet from 7:00-7:15 a.m. for coffee, juice, and a light breakfast. Each week, a different member of the group brings the food for the rest of the crowd. The fare consists of biscuits, muffins, bagels, and various breads complete with the appropriate condiments. For fifteen minutes, we sip hot coffee and nibble on high-calorie homemade delights. After breaking our fast, we settle in for the Monday morning Bible study. When we studied Matthew ...

1807. The Coming of the Lord

Luke 21:5-38

Drama

There are four characters in this play. Their sexes are not at all relevant to the action, nor are their ages. #1 is somewhat vain and pompous about being told the news first, but is also a bit giddy at the thought of it all. #2 is a bit dense and slow-witted, but excited and expectant. #3 has a bearing of absolute certitude, knows what is right and will not be swayed. The Angel is somewhat condescending and annoyed at having to deal with these people, especially since the number is more than was planned ...

1808. Begging Bartimaeus

Mark 10:46-52

Sermon

Richard F. Bansemer

The sermon today is from the Gospel of Mark, the 10th chapter, verses 51 and 52. "And Jesus said to him, ‘What do you want me to do for you?’ And the blind man said to him, ‘Master, let me receive my sight.’ And Jesus said to him, ‘Go your way; your faith has made you well.’ " Jericho is about as far away from Jerusalem as a twenty minute drive. It’s a mere fifteen miles. That’s pretty close, unless you’re walking as Jesus was. For him it was a day away, at most. A good walker could cover it in four or ...

1809. Naaman, the Leper

2 Kings 5:1-27

Sermon

Don Yocom

The Old Testament gives us many illustrations for evangelistic purposes. The story of Naaman is an excellent analogy for us. Leprosy in his day was considered incurable and we can compare it to sin. Leprosy was not confined just to the poorer class of people either. Both Naaman of the Old Testament and a man known as Simon the Leper in the New Testament had the dread disease; and neither of them was from the poorer or lower classes of society. It was so much like sin. St. Paul said we are all in need of ...

1810. God's Job Profile

Amos 7:10-17

Sermon

King Duncan

Have you ever wanted to give God suggestions about how He ought to do things? Not earth-shattering suggestions, perhaps. Just simple things ” like the foods we eat. Why not put all the vitamins and minerals in the tasty foods? Save all the fat and cholesterol for spinach and liver and Brussel sprouts. And perhaps God could do a little better job of distributing the weather. The Mid-west doesn't need as much rain as it has been receiving. Meanwhile there are places in the world that are experiencing drought ...

1811. Embedded In Bedrock Or Destroyed By A Typhoon

John 18:25-27

Sermon

Dale Dickerson

On March 17, 1930, construction began on what was to be the tallest skyscraper ever built. Towering 1,472 feet, an incomprehensible 102 stories, the Empire State Building remained the tallest man-made structure from 1931 to 1970. It was built at a cost of more than 40 million dollars. During a typical storm this great structure absorbs as many as 20 bolts of lightning. In July of 1945, due to low visibility, a B-25 bomber inadvertently crashed into the side of the Empire State Building. Strangely enough ...

1812. To a Life Beyond

John 6:51-58, Revelation 7:9-17

Sermon

Stephen M. Crotts

The torches burned long into the night in the banquet hall. Their flickering light cast grotesque shadows across the huge table. Most of the seated revelers were slumped in their places sleeping off the effects of food and grog. There were a few murmured conversations, occasional outbursts of ribald laughter. Few but the king noticed when a tiny sparrow flew in the open window, pecked at a table scrap, circled the hall several times, then winged through another open window into the remaining night. The ...

1813. A Passion for Christ (New)

Acts 3:11-26

Sermon

King Duncan

A man was sitting in a psychiatrist’s office. He was complaining about an obsession that was ruining his life. “It’s baseball, Doctor,” he said. “Please help me. Baseball is destroying me. I can’t even get away from it in my sleep. As soon as I close my eyes, I’m out there chasing a fly ball or running around the bases. When I wake up, I’m more tired than I was when I went to bed. What am I going to do? The psychiatrist sat back and folded her hands. “First of all,” she said, “you have to make a conscious ...

1814. Great Joy

Isaiah 35:1-10

Sermon

John E. Harnish

This is a sensuous season, a season of smells, sights, sounds… ...chestnuts roasting on an open fire, Jack Frost nipping at your nose; yuletide carols being sung by a choir and folks dressed up like Eskimos... Jingling bells and sleigh bells and silver bells, a mother's deep prayer and a baby's low cry. It's a season for the senses. Isaiah the prophet turns poet when he tries to picture the promise of God's salvation, the hope of God's redemption, the joy of God's good news, and new life in our midst. But ...

1815. Cured Cripples and Crabby Critics

Luke 13:10-17

Sermon

Ron Lavin

Have you ever been crippled by something that happened to you? At age seventeen, Joni Eareckson, dove into the Chesapeake Bay, hit the rocks, and was paralyzed for life. She lives in a wheelchair today. Physically, she is still crippled by the accident, but she has overcome the excruciating mental and spiritual pain of her situation. Faith in Jesus Christ made a major difference in her life. Ron Heagy, a football player from Oregon, broke his neck in the Pacific Ocean in California when he dove into a ...

1816. Let The Shofar Sound!

Joel 2:1-2, 12-17

Sermon

Ken Lentz

The school bell rings. The noonday siren sounds. The church bells call the faithful to worship. In the fifties, the wail of the sirens urged American citizenry to take cover from a potential imminent atomic attack; children took position beneath their desks and those at home headed to the bomb shelter in the basement. The book of the prophet Joel urges the trumpeter to sound the shofar, translated "trumpet," (v. 1) to warn that "... the day of the Lord is coming, it is near...." The "shofar" was usually a ...

1817. Thanksgivings to Remember

Deuteronomy 8:1-20

Sermon

Argile Smith

Joan sat on the sofa reflecting on the Thanksgiving Day holiday that she and her children had enjoyed together. Her children and their spouses seemed to enjoy the meal she had prepared, and she couldn’t have been happier in the kitchen with them stirring around in the living room and helping out in the kitchen. Most of all, she delighted in having all of her family at home and at her dinner table one more time. Even though her grandchildren seemed to be a little fidgety at times, she was grateful they sat ...

1818. Judgment on Israel's Enemies

Zechariah 9:1-8

Understanding Series

Pamela J. Scalise

The First Oracle: The arrangement of the various prophetic sayings in Zechariah 7–8 has opened up a space between the return to the land and the promised age to come. God has reaffirmed the cherished promises but moved them into the future relative to the fourth year of Darius, thereby encouraging the waiting community to hold on to its hopes. Meanwhile, God makes clear to them that the Law and the earlier prophetic preaching still define their relationship to God. Even after coming through the experience ...

1819. The Temptation of Jesus

Matthew 4:1-11

Understanding Series

Robert H. Mounce

4:1 The baptism of Jesus, which culminated with the voice from heaven declaring divine approval, is followed immediately (Mark 1:12 has “at once”) by a time of temptation. The parallel account in Luke indicates that Jesus was tempted by Satan throughout a forty-day period (Luke 4:22). Matthew describes the dramatic conclusion of this period (“after [Jesus fasted] forty days and forty nights … the tempter came to him,” vv. 2–3). It is not at all uncommon for temptation to follow closely our times of ...

1820. The Restored Exiles Sowing in Tears and Reaping with Joy

Psalm 126:1-6

Understanding Series

Craig C. Broyles

“When the LORD brought back the captives to Zion” appears to refer to the restoration from Babylonian captivity. This event was obviously met with a response of laughter and songs of joy. The early postexilic period, however, was also marked by hardships, and so there was still the need to petition Yahweh to “restore our fortunes” (see further below). This historical setting accords well with the psalms of ascent in general and with the two preceding psalms in particular. As with most psalms, however, ...

1821. A Vision of Beauty and Hope

Isaiah 2:1-5

Sermon

King Duncan

In 1948, a World War II veteran named Earl Shaffer was the first person to hike the entire Appalachian Trail. This 2,160-mile hiking trail connects Springer Mountain, Georgia, with Mount Katahdin, Maine. It is billed as the longest hiking-only footpath in the world. Shaffer was restless after the war and he was grieving the death of his best friend. He needed to find some peace, so he set out alone on this challenging adventure. It took him through forests and streams and over mountains. He reached Maine ...

1822.

Psalm 126:1-6

Understanding Series

Craig C. Broyles

The Restored Exiles Sowing in Tears and Reaping with Joy “When the LORD brought back the captives to Zion” appears to refer to the restoration from Babylonian captivity. This event was obviously met with a response of laughter and songs of joy. The early postexilic period, however, was also marked by hardships, and so there was still the need to petition Yahweh to “restore our fortunes” (see further below). This historical setting accords well with the psalms of ascent in general and with the two preceding ...

1823. An Awesome Homecoming

Sermon

Tony Everett

Many people enjoy jogging early in the morning, when the mist still clings to the trees and tall grass that line the roadside. Cardinals and Carolina wrens have just begun singing their wake-up calls to the sun. A family of deer gathers at the edge of the woods lining the pasture. God is in heaven and all is right with the world. Not today. Two hundred yards ahead, on the only road leading home, looms a huge, dark, teeming mass of something alive and menacing, stretching from one side of the road to the ...

1824. The Man From Galilee VI: The Tragedy Of His Victory

Matthew 21:1-11

Sermon

Thomas A. Pilgrim

Some of you experienced the victory of World War II. Others of us have at least seen on television old newsreel footage of the celebration of victory in Europe. Then came victory over Japan and other victory parades. There were no such celebrations after the wars in Korea and Vietnam. But after the Allied victory in the Persian Gulf we attempted to make up for all of that with tremendous celebrations and victory parades. The attention of the entire nation was fixed on General Norman Schwarzkopf, who was ...

1825. Improving Your Serve

Isaiah 49:1-7

Sermon

Robert Beringer

Charles Swindoll in his popular book, Improving Your Serve, tells of how he was at first haunted and then convicted by the Bible's insistence that Jesus came not to be served, but to serve and to give his life a ransom for many (Mark 10:45)." The more he studied what the Bible says about servanthood, the more convinced Swindoll became that our task in this world, like that of Jesus, is not to be served, not to grab the spotlight, and not to become successful or famous or powerful or idolized. Our calling ...

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