Sermon and Worship Resources

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Showing 1876 to 1900 of 4933 results

1876. Even Marriages Made In Heaven Require Earthly Care

Mark 10:1-12

Sermon

Maxie Dunnam

Almost everything began in the Garden of Eden. As Adam and Eve were leaving that paradise, driven from it because of their disobedience, Adam’s assessment of the situation was, honey, we live in a time of change. Prior to that, non-scriptural tradition has it that as Eve was coaxing Adam to eat of the apple, she asked, “Adam, do you love me?” His response was, “Who else?” The rest of you’ll get that in a minute. That was the beginning – the beginning of male-female relationships, the beginning of marriage ...

1877. The Need To Pay Attention

Sermon

Maxie Dunnam

One of the tough problems in preaching from the book of Proverbs is settling on a focus. You can put your dipper down into this flowing stream at any point and come up with a refreshing drink of bracing inspiration, searching wisdom, probing questions, or challenging direction. Where would you have stopped to spend some time in reflection as you read this 20th chapter of Proverbs? How long would it take you to get through it if you stopped at every point that begged your attention? I invite you to spend ...

1878. Oskar’s Cruelty

Ezekiel 37:1-14

Sermon

Bill Mosley

Schindler's List is a true story of World War II. It focuses on the heroism and self-sacrifice of Oskar Schindler, a Catholic from Krakow, Poland. Schindler goes from wanton war profiteer to a conspirator who tries to free condemned prisoners from concentration camps. In one sequence, we see Jews being herded like cattle onto freight trains, hungry, hot, and thirsty. The train is taking them to the death camps. The German soldiers are lolling about the station docks and enjoying the suffering they see, ...

1879. Serpents and Other Signs

Numbers 21:4-9

Sermon

Mark Trotter

The Old Testament lesson this morning is about a serpent on a stick, whatever that is. In fact, it is called a "fiery serpent." This strange passage from the Book of Numbers records an incident in the Exodus, that trek of the Hebrews across the Sinai Desert, out of slavery in Egypt to freedom and a new life in the Promised Land. This passage is known as a "murmuring" passage. There are several of them in the books that describe the Exodus. Murmuring, as in grumbling and complaining, which was constant on ...

1880. Being Christian in the Family

Matthew 7:24-29

Sermon

James McCormick

When the Empire State building was being planned, there were cynics who said that you can’t build a building out of concrete and steel 102 stories high. It is impossible. The whole thing will come crashing down! However, engineers said that there is virtually no limit to how high you can build, providing the foundation is deep enough and strong enough. Jesus was a builder. He understood the importance of foundations. That is why he painted the vivid picture contrasting sand and rock as foundation materials ...

1881. The Iron, Silver, Golden, Platinum and Titanium Rules

Matthew 10:1-42

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

The ability of the human brain to store, retain, and recall enormous amounts of information is miraculously impressive. Unfortunately, sometimes information gets permanently stored that we would love to “dump.” [This would be a great moment for an interactive: Ask your congregation if they have any songs or phrases or quotes that keep ringing in their ears despite all attempts to banish them. What tapes keep playing in their minds that they wish they could mute?] High on that list for me are all the ...

1882. Poor Relations

James 2:1-13

Sermon

Mike Ripski

I. Poor Questions Are we as concerned about the poor as the Bible is? Do you know personally a poor person or family to have firsthand knowledge of what their life is like? How do you reconcile having so much and others having so little? Should the church continue its participation in Room in the Inn, a ministry of hospitality with the homeless? Our church has been involved in Room in the Inn for many years. Have we worn out? Are we experiencing “compassion fatigue”? Is there enough commitment among us to ...

1883. Lasting Impression

Luke 3:34-38, Matthew 1:5, 16

Sermon

James Merritt

We have all heard of the actress Brooke Shields. What you may not know about her is her family tree or what we would call her "mosaic" is pretty impressive. Hanging from her family tree are the likes of Charlemagne, El Cid, William the Conqueror, five popes and the royal houses of virtually every European country. Before you think there is something special about her genealogy think about this. Experts now say that even without a documented connection to some notable ancestor, the odds are virtually one- ...

1884. Chaos or Christ: Dreams Which Calm our Fears

Matthew 1:18-25

Sermon

J. Howard Olds

Author Scott Peck opens one of his most popular books with these three simple words: LIFE IS DIFFICULT. “If we can embrace that truth," continues Peck, “life will no longer be difficult." I'd like to talk about that for a few moments this morning. In Matthew's account of Jesus' birth, there are no angels singing, no shepherds watching, no cattle lowing, no tiny babe wrapped in swaddling clothes lying in a manger. In verse 18, Matthew says the birth of Jesus the Messiah took place in this way. “When His ...

1885. Turning Evil Into Good

Genesis 45:1-8a, 50:19-20

Sermon

J. Howard Olds

The year was 1963. I was a graduating senior in high school and as president of our class I wrote in the year book this simple philosophy of life. “All things work together for good." Today, nearly 40 years later, I want to tell you why I still believe that statement is true. We catch up with our hero, Joseph, in the waning years of his life. His father is dead. His brothers are feeling guilty and afraid. But this young dreamer has lived too long to be revengeful. He has spent enough time in prison to ...

1886. Let Go of the Stone

Mark 16:1-8

Sermon

J. Howard Olds

A friend and colleague of mine was declared dead by the IRS a few years ago, even though he was very much alive. Due to MS, Jim was confined to a wheel chair and depended on disability Social Security for survival. So you can imagine the shock of being informed you are dead and no longer eligible for benefits. Jim called the IRS. They asked him multiple questions, but could not by conversation declare Jim to be alive. He wrote them letters and sent them pictures, but such correspondence did no good. It was ...

1887. We Believe in the Forgiveness of Sins

1 John 1:5-2:2

Sermon

J. Howard Olds

Ernest Hemingway wrote a story about a father and son who had a serious misunderstanding. In the story, the boy finally runs away from home. The father, however, is not content to let his son go. In an effort to find the boy, the father puts an ad in the Madrid, Spain newspaper. It contained these words: Dear Paco, Meet me at the town square at noon on Sunday. All is forgiven. Your father. That Sunday 800 males by the name of Paco showed up at the town square. They all came seeking forgiveness from their ...

1888. Letting Go of Our Nets

Matthew 4:18-22

Sermon

Charles L. Aaron

Did they have any idea what they were getting themselves into? Peter, Andrew, James, and John had no crystal ball that day when Jesus called them. When the call came, they were going about business as usual: casting nets, pulling them back in, sorting and salting the fish, taking them to market, and maintaining their equipment. However it was that they became fishermen, they had not chosen an easy profession. Yes, I've seen the bumper sticker: "A Bad Day Fishing is Better than a Good Day at Work." These ...

1889. Having Fun with The Great Commission

Matthew 28:16-20

Sermon

Mark Ellingsen

I find it interesting that today as we commemorate the Trinity doctrine, the church assigns the Bible reading that includes Jesus' Great Commission — Jesus' mandate to go and make disciples of all nations (Matthew 28:19). You can't do evangelism without believing in the Trinity, proclaiming the Triune God in whose name we baptize. And to believe in the Trinity, it seems, is to be an evangelist. That's the way it's supposed to work, but it does not feel that simple when you hear these words as calling you ...

1890. Leaving Home

Genesis 12:1-8

Sermon

King Duncan

There was an article about two Irishmen who set up a company in order to sell dirt genuine Irish dirt to Americans. The two men say the demand for this “official Irish dirt” has been phenomenal. They sold one million dollars worth of their product in a very short time. One elderly New York businessman placed a $100,000 order so he could be fully buried in genuine Irish soil. (1) Obviously that gentleman was very, very homesick. His body was in the US, but his heart was still in his homeland. That happens ...

1891. Having Trouble Sleeping Through the Night

1 Samuel 3:1-10 (11-20)

Sermon

William J. Carl, III

Having trouble sleeping through the night? You're not alone. Samuel did, too. Sometimes you hear a haunting phrase that sticks with you years later. I heard one like that from Gardner Taylor, that great African-American preacher who once held forth in the pulpit of Concord Baptist Church in Brooklyn. I don't even remember the sermon, which is all right — we're not supposed to remember sermons anymore than we should remember meals; we're supposed to be fed and challenged by them at the moment. I don't ...

1892. Prelude To A Sacrament

Exodus 12:1-4 (5-10) 11-14

Sermon

David J. Kalas

We have a table before us. It is a familiar table; we have gathered around it together countless times before. It features the cherished elements of bread and wine; and taken together, those elements on this table form a sacrament. Across the many traditions within the Christian church, we call this sacrament by different names. The Roman Catholics refer to the Mass, while the Eastern Orthodox church uses the Divine Liturgy. A number of Protestant denominations call it the Eucharist, others holy ...

1893. Extreme Love

1 Corinthians 13:1-13

Sermon

King Duncan

Our lesson today is on love. Now, obviously we’re not talking about romantic love, though sometime we might talk about romantic love. After all, it’s an important part of our lives. I read something funny recently. It was an announcement that was made in the chapel of a very conservative church college some years back. It went something like this: “On this campus there is to be absolutely no physical contact of any kind between male and female students. There is only one legitimate exception to this rule. ...

1894. When God Does Something New

Jeremiah 30:1--31:40

Sermon

Argile Smith

After a prolonged spate of bad news about the national and global economic situation, we welcome good news about the economy, even if it’s only a little bit of good news. Likewise, after a long illness, we enjoy hearing our physician tell us that things are going to look up for us soon. And who wouldn’t be glad to hear about their child or grandchild striking a winning rhythm at work after an extended season of losses characterized by his or her performance? Jeremiah welcomed the good news about God’s plan ...

1895. The King's Edict in Behalf of the Jews

Esther 8:1-17

Understanding Series

Timothy S. Laniak

Esther’s Counterplot: Chapter 8 begins with the king’s personal fury abating, but Esther and her people still have a problem. The architect of the edict against them is dead but the edict itself—the unalterable edict—is still alive. This chapter continues the reversals begun with the parade in chapter 6. Many elements from chapters 2–3 are now taken up in the movement toward resolution. Haman’s edict from 3:12–15 will be reversed by the edict that allows the Jews to protect themselves in 8:9–16. Mordecai ...

1896. The Cost of Discipleship

Luke 14:25-35, Luke 14:15-24

Teach the Text

R.T. France

Big Idea: The kingdom of God demands our full commitment; you cannot be a half-hearted disciple. Understanding the Text Jesus’s table talk in the house of a leading Pharisee continues with a parable about a similar banquet, which picks up the theme of 14:12–14, the challenge to invite those who cannot reciprocate. In the parable, however, the host represents God himself, whose open-hearted generosity is the model that we are called to follow. But the parable also highlights the obverse of that free grace, ...

1897. Translucent Grace

Mark 9:2-13, Luke 9:28-36, Revelation 1:9-20, Revelation 2:12-17

Sermon

Lori Wagner

“And I tell you that you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of Hades will not overcome it.” (Matthew 16:18) Prop: translucent stones or another kind of gem (or larger white stones onto which people can write the name of Jesus) He was an upstanding Christian, long-time servant in ministry, Chair of the Administrative Council, member of the Trustees, organizer of the yearly fund-raiser and the monthly Men’s Breakfast. “Carl” (as we’ll call him) was one of the “cornerstones” of ...

1898. A Message To You from God

John 1:1-18

Sermon

King Duncan

Bill called his parents to wish them a happy New Year, and his dad answered the phone. “Well, Dad, what’s your New Year’s resolution?” Bill asked him. “To make your mother as happy as I can all year,” Dad answered. When mom got on the phone, Bill said, “What’s your resolution, Mom?” She answered, “To see that your dad keeps his New Year’s resolution.” (1) Welcome on this first Sunday of a New Year. Our topic for today is communication—an important topic in the family, in the workplace, even in the church, ...

1899. We Would Like to See Jesus

John 12:20-36

Sermon

King Duncan

If you could spend an evening hanging out with a celebrity, who would you want to hang out with? An organization named CharityBuzz is an online auction site that allows people all over the world to bid on exclusive experiences with world-famous celebrities. All the money raised goes to support various charities. You can bid on a private tour of the Vatican, or a golf game with a professional golfer and caddies, or a behind-the scenes tour of Conan O’Brien’s show with Conan himself as your tour guide. In ...

1900. Not Your Lips, but Your Life

Mark 7:1-8, 14-15, 21-23

Sermon

King Duncan

I’ve got a pop quiz this morning for all you history buffs. What is something that was declared illegal 100 years ago, but is perfectly legal today? I’ll give you a hint: it inspired the 18th Amendment to the Constitution. In what was termed the Noble Experiment, the United States government made it a crime to manufacture, transport or sell alcoholic beverages. From 1920 to 1933—a period referred to today as the Prohibition Era—all the bars and saloons and liquor stores in the nation shut down. Or did they ...

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