Sermon and Worship Resources

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Showing 1876 to 1900 of 4935 results

1876. A Penny For God

Mark 12:41-44

Sermon

King Duncan

A huge sofa filled the sidewalk in front of a home. Evidently the sofa had been taken out to the curb by the owner for trash collection. Since the sofa was in pretty good shape, a lot of people driving by slowed down for a closer look. But when they saw how big it was, they'd pass on by without stopping. Eventually a compact car pulled up, and two men got out. They removed all the cushions, turned the sofa upside down, and shook it hard. Then they picked up all the coins that tumbled out of the sofa, ...

1877. The Results Of Resurrection

John 20:19-23

Sermon

Don M. Aycock

Suppose you had just said goodbye to someone you love. If so, you would know the feeling of remorse encapsulating Jesus' disciples after his death. Those disciples were left in a state of total chaos. All along Jesus had tried to make them see that his presence among them was only temporary. He had given them clues about his destiny with such words as You will seek me and you will not find me; where I am you cannot come, and The light is with you for a little longer. Even with these words, however, those ...

1878. Proper 27

2 Thessalonians 2:13-17, 2 Thessalonians 2:1-12, Haggai 2:1-9, Luke 20:27-40

Sermon Aid

John R. Brokhoff

COMMENTARY Old Testament: Haggai 1:15b--2:9 Haggai encourages the exiles to re-build the temple. After defeating the Babylonians who deported the Jews, Cyrus the Great (558-528 B.C.) permitted the return of the exiles to rebuild the temple in Jerusalem. In 521 Cyrus was succeeded by Darius who permitted another wave of exiles to return. Among them was a prophet, Haggai, whose ministry covered only one year, 520. When he saw how the exiles were building their houses to the neglect of re-building the temple ...

1879. Snakes on Your Plate

Luke 11:11-12

Children's Sermon

Wesley T. Runk

Object: A plastic, or rubber, snake and spider. Good morning, boys and girls. How many of you like snakes and spiders? (Let them answer.) Some of you like them, but a lot of you don't like them. The older they get, the less most people like them. I don't know many people who like snakes when they grow older, but when we are young, we do seem to like the things that crawl and slither in the grass. But now I have another question for you. How would you like to come to dinner or breakfast and ask for an egg ...

1880. "At Beneficial You’re Good for More"

Isaiah 63:7--64:12

Sermon

Peter Rudowski

The day of Thanksgiving has come and gone. The football games have been played. The turkey has been devoured. We have had leftovers for several days now, and, at least for the moment, life has returned to some sense of normalcy. Yet in the back of our minds, we know what is yet to come. For many of us Thanksgiving is the beginning of the Christmas season. Thanksgiving is the time when we begin to anticipate another holiday, a time to look forward to the presents that we expect under the Christmas tree. As ...

1881. How Can You Tell A Christian?

John 13:31-38

Sermon

King Duncan

"Johnny," said a teacher to one of her young pupils, "do you think you could explain to the class the difference between ˜like' and ˜love'?" "Well," said Johnny, "I like my parents . . . but I love Milk Duds." This is Mother's Day. It is a day when we show our mothers that they are at least as important to us as Milk Duds. I must tell you, though, that one Mom had a most revealing experience on her birthday. Her two children ordered her to stay in bed. She lay there looking forward to being brought her ...

1882. The Baptism of Our Work

2 Thessalonians 3:6-15

Sermon

King Duncan

A young man came to his teacher with this question, "Who can I get to give me maximum happiness?" The teacher smiled and answered, "Your question reminds me of an old farmer I once knew. Someone asked him how much milk a certain cow gave. He answered, "She doesn't give any. You have to take every drop away from her." One of the hard lessons we learn is that not many worthwhile things in life are given most have to be earned. It appears that work is part of the plan of God for our lives. St. Paul believed ...

1883. Thanksgiving: Where Are You Looking For It?

Deuteronomy 8:1-20

Sermon

Eric Ritz

A little girl whose father was a disc jockey, a radio announcer, was invited to a friend's house for dinner. When she arrived, the mother asked the little girl if she would honor them by saying the blessing. It delighted the little girl. She cleared her throat, looked at her wristwatch, and said, "This food, friends, is coming to you through the courtesy of almighty God." Well, she was right, all food that we eat comes through the courtesy of almighty God. (1) Thanksgiving is a special time of year. Can't ...

1884. The Scariest Drug on the Market

1 Timothy 6:3-10

Sermon

Edward Inabinet

It was Pentecost Sunday. The ushers handed each worshipper a bright red carnation to symbolize the festive spirit of the day. The people listened attentively to the reading of the Pentecost story from the Book of Acts. They heard about the "powerful wind from heaven" and about the "tongues of fire." Then came the sermon. "The Spirit of the Lord is upon us," the preacher began. "Like the powerful wind from heaven!" shouted a woman sitting in the first pew. Then she threw one of the red carnations toward the ...

1885. The Ultimate Thanksgiving Feast

Luke 17:11-19

Sermon

King Duncan

There is a time-honored story about four brothers who left home for college. They became successful doctors and lawyers and prospered. Some years later, they chatted after having dinner together. They discussed the gifts they were able to give their elderly mother who lived far away in another city. The first said, “I had a big house built for Mama.” The second said, “I had a hundred thousand dollar theater built in the house.” The third said, “I had my Mercedes dealer deliver an SL600 to her.” The fourth ...

1886. It's Thanksgiving Time!

Psalm 100:1-5

Sermon

James W. Moore

One of the great comedians of all time was Jack Benny. He was great because he made us laugh at ourselves… at our weaknesses, our foibles, our selfishness, our greed. You remember, of course, how attached Jack Benny was to his money. I love that routine where the hold-up man runs up to Jack Benny and shouts: "Your money or your life!" There is a long pause as Jack goes into that familiar pose with his hand on his cheek. Impatiently, the robber demands again: "I said your money or your life!" Jack Benny ...

1887. Baby Blues

1 Samuel 1:4-20

Sermon

Mary S. Lautensleger

Hannah thought she would scream if one more person invited her to a baby shower! Once she had looked forward to gathering at the well every morning, seeing her friends, and hearing all the latest news. Now she dreaded those encounters, wondering who would be the first to ask her, "So, Hannah. How's it going? Are you 'with child' yet?" She decided that from now on she would draw water later in the day, even if it meant enduring the blistering noonday heat and burning sand. Anything to avoid those smug looks ...

1888. Minority Report

Matthew 13:1-9; 18-23

Sermon

James Merritt

Put on your thinking caps for a moment; become an amateur pastor or theologian, if you will, and see if you can give an answer to the following three questions: 1. If the gospel is the power of God—why doesn't everybody that hears the gospel become a Christian? 2. If the Bible is the Word of God—why doesn't the Bible have the same effect on everyone who reads it? 3. If Jesus is the Son of God—why doesn't everyone believe in Jesus? We can even narrow those questions. Why don't most people who hear the ...

1889. If You Really Want to Be Number One

Mark 9:33-37

Sermon

King Duncan

The politician was sitting at his campaign headquarters when the phone rang. He listened intently, and after a moment his face brightened. When he hung up, he immediately phoned his mother to tell her the good news. “Mom,” he shouted, “the results are in. I won the election!” “Honestly?” she asked. The politician’s smiled faded. “Aw, Mom, why bring that up at a time like this?” We all like to win, don’t we? We all want to be part of the crowd chanting, “We’re number one! We’re number one.” “Winning isn’t ...

1890. Gratitude Not Platitudes

Matthew 6:25-34

Sermon

Billy D. Strayhorn

A certain preacher was known for his uplifting prayers. He always found something for which to be grateful. One Sunday morning the weather was so cold, dark and gloomy that one the church members thought to himself, "I'll bet the preacher won't be able to think of anything for which to be thankful to God about today." But to his surprise, however, the preacher began by praying, "Gracious God, we thank You, that the weather's not always like this." You and I have so much for which to be thankful. Sometimes ...

1891. Jesus Saves, We're Called To Invest

Matthew 25:14-20

Sermon

Billy D. Strayhorn

A few years ago I read that EmoryUniversity had posted the new tuition rates on a bulletin board in the administration building. Every department and every school had a significant increase, except for one. Because Candler School of Theology was so heavily endowed, their tuition stayed the same. Someone noticed the significant difference between the school of theology and the rest of the departments and in red ink above the school of theology's tuition rates they wrote: Jesus talked a lot about the use of ...

1892. On The Night When He Was Betrayed

1 Corinthians 11:23-26

Sermon

Nancy Kraft

Have you ever been betrayed by one of your closest friends? After opening yourself up and becoming vulnerable to another person, to have them abuse the trust you placed in them and stab you in the back can cause more pain than if that person had beaten you to a pulp. If a person who claims to love you turns around and hurts you deeply, you probably do what most of us do in that situation — you hurt them back. Certainly, you wouldn't choose to spend your last night alive with that person. Especially if you ...

1893. The Great Sacrifice of Love

Luke 9:18-27, 1 Corinthians 15:1-11

Sermon

Richard Gribble

In the fifteenth century, a rural village in Germany was home to a family with eighteen children. The family was poor, but despite the difficulty of making ends meet, two brothers in the family still held a dream, namely to pursue their talent as artists. With the financial situation bleak the two boys came up with their own solution to the problem. They agreed to toss a coin with the loser going to the local mines to work so he could support the other while he attended art school. When the first was ...

1894. An Announcement to a Virgin

Luke 1:26-38

Sermon

King Duncan

Pastor Ben Patterson tells about his 5-year-old niece, Olivia, and her best friend, Claire, who were participating in a nativity play at school. Claire was playing Mary, and Olivia played an angel. Before the show, a young boy was going around the dressing room proclaiming to all who could hear him, “I’m a sheep.” Then asking, “What are you?” Each child responded politely, including Olivia, who proudly declared she was an angel. The boy then turned to Claire, who was still struggling into her costume with ...

1895. Joy Giver

Luke 2:8-20

Sermon

James Merritt

[Open gift of stopwatch] Christmas is my favorite time of the year, but like many of us it is absolutely one of the busiest times of the year. If there is ever a season where you always feel like you are short on time, where you get frustrated and angry in having to wait in line, and where you almost feel like right up to the holiday you are trying to enjoy, you still can’t get it all done - it is Christmas! Christmas is so different when you are a child as to when you are an adult. When I was a child, it ...

1896. In Praise of Perseverance

Luke 18:1-8

Sermon

R. Robert Cueni

The newspaper cartoon is a favorite. It concerns the daily adventures of a family with attentive parents and small children. The scene shows the little boy and his mother walking out the front door of the church at the close of the Sunday morning service. There is snow on the church's front lawn. The child revels in wonder. He says, “Yes! My prayin’ worked.” The reader is left to imagine the previous scene from inside the church. The little boy spent the hour with head bowed, eyes closed, hands folded ...

1897. The Charge Against Israel

Hosea 4:1-19

Understanding Series

Elizabeth Achtemeier

God’s Court Case with People and Priests (4:1-10): The redactor of Hosea’s book summarized the prophet’s message for us by collecting together the material in chapters 1–3 and placing it at the beginning of the work. The redactor’s intention with such a collection was that we read chapters 4–14 in the light of that introductory summary. With chapter 4, however, we begin an examination of the separate oracles delivered by the prophet. But they too have been arranged by a redactor, and that constitutes a ...

1898. Jesus Defines Himself as Lord in Contrast to the Leaders of Israel

Mark 12:41-44, Mark 12:35-40

Teach the Text

Grant R. Osborne

Big Idea: In three final conflicts between Jesus and the leaders, he (1) reveals himself as more than the royal Messiah, (2) warns about the hypocritical scribes, and (3) contrasts them with the humble widow, who gives her all to God. Understanding the Text While verses 35–37 belong with the controversy stories of 11:27–12:37, they also are part of the final three narratives that conclude the section, presented together as Jesus’s teaching in the temple grounds. There is a double contrast: (1) Jesus’s true ...

1899. Daniel’s Vision of a Man

Daniel 10:1--11:1

Understanding Series

William Nelson

The Final Revelation: Prologue: Chapters 10 through 12 form one long unit containing the last apocalypse of the book. This unit can be subdivided into three smaller sections: the prologue (10:1–11:1), the body (11:2–12:4), and the epilogue (12:5–13). The proper divisions do not line up with the chapter breaks in our modern Bibles because those chapter breaks are not original; they were inserted long after the Bible was completed and not always in the most helpful places. The prologue sets the stage for the ...

1900. Gratitude

Ephesians 5:15-20

Sermon

Will Willimon

"…be filled with the Spirit,...always and for everything giving thanks in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ to God the Father." I didn't care for him when we first met. He's not the sort of person that you warm up to at first. It takes time, and life, before he becomes part of you. Don't ever think that he comes naturally. You have to work at getting along with him. When we first met, I was young, very young, maybe two or three. My mother never tired, during those early years, of trying to get us together ...

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