Sermon and Worship Resources

Showing 1926 to 1950 of 3099 results

1926. The Whole Family Survival Kit

Luke 3:1-20

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

... gather together for a “picture perfect” Christmas, that there aren’t more merry-hairy-meltdowns? Less Norman Rockwell’s “Freedom from Want” or Thomas Kinkade’s “Hometown Christmas Memories -More Picasso’s “Guernica.” Dealing with the stress of “relativity” is the subject of a U-Tube video put out for the holidays. The video both pokes fun, and pokes in the eye, the “blessing” that is family. Here it is in case you haven’t seen it. It offers a “Family Survival Kit” for ...

1927. The Word that Changed the World

John 1:1-18

Sermon

King Duncan

... Through him, God still speaks to individual hearts today. That may be a little deep to most of us, but it is a wonderful truth that leads us to this conclusion: Christ has come into the world that God’s Word might be accessible to all. Anytime we get into subjects like the pre-existent Word, many of us may sit there with a glazed expression on our face. And I know I run the risk of sounding like a theology professor I once heard about. This professor was a man who simply could not express the truth of God ...

1928. The Good, The Bad and The Ugly

Luke 23:32-46

Sermon

Billy D. Strayhorn

... angry fists, I'm sure the story might have been different. There's a scene in the movie that I think shows just how hardened the Unrepentant Thief truly was. It's actually about the Good and the Ugly characters. In the movie, Tuco, the Ugly, has subjected Clint Eastwood, the Good, to a grueling journey through the desert without water or rest. It's at the end of this journey, when Eastwood is near death that they encounter a run away coach from the Confederate Army. Tuco leaves Eastwood for dead, stops the ...

1929. Living By The Spirit

Galatians 5:16-25

Sermon

Billy D. Strayhorn

... desires is opposed to the Spirit, and what the Spirit desires is opposed to the flesh; for these are opposed to each other, to prevent you from doing what you want. [18] But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not subject to the law. [19] Now the works of the flesh are obvious: fornication, impurity, licentiousness, [20] idolatry, sorcery, enmities, strife, jealousy, anger, quarrels, dissensions, factions, [21] envy, drunkenness, carousing, and things like these. I am warning you, as I warned you before ...

1930. Habits

Luke 3:15-17, 21-22

Illustration

James Garrett

... continuously converted all the days of our lives, continually to turn to God as children. Life is a continuous conversion. In every setting in which we are put we have to "put on the new person." There are whole areas of our lives which have not yet been brought into subjection, and it can only be done by this continuous conversion.

1931. Spiderman: Saved To Serve

Colossians 3:1-4, 12-17

Sermon

Billy D. Strayhorn

... and forgiveness of Jesus, we can never be the same. Nor should we want to be. Martin Luther King, Jr. Once said, "Everybody can be great. Because anybody can serve. You don't have to have a college degree to serve. You don't have to make your subject and your verb agree to serve.... You only need a heart full of grace. A soul generated by love." "You only need a heart full of grace. A soul generated by love." You and I have been "Saved To Serve" because "With great power comes great responsibility." How ...

1932. Altar Your Gifts

Malachi 3:10, Luke 6:27-42

Sermon

Billy D. Strayhorn

... Money and Giving are probably the hottest topic of all. Jesus talked a lot about money. Sixteen of the thirty-eight parables were concerned with how to handle money and possessions. In the Gospels, an amazing one out of ten verses (288 in all) deal directly with the subject of money. (1) Since Jesus and the Bible talk so much about money, it has to be an important matter. Money, possessions and giving are important issues in the Kingdom of God. How we use our money, what we do with it, how we spend it, what ...

1933. Gideon: One Giant Leap

Judges 6:11-16

Sermon

Billy D. Strayhorn

... he wrote in praise of space exploration. But Bradbury didn't attend the association's awards meeting in Florida. You know why? He won't fly. (1) I think that is so ironic. But then we all have our own fears and foibles don't we. And so did the subject of today's sermon in this series on Heroes of the Bible. I'm talking about Gideon. Gideon was the sixth judge of Israel. Remember, there was a period after Joshua's death, when the people of Israel were a loose knit group of tribes. Prophets and Judges were ...

1934. Gratitude Not Platitudes

Matthew 6:25-34

Sermon

Billy D. Strayhorn

... thankful heart, thankful focus and thankful living which helps us "strive first for the kingdom of God and his righteousness" Once upon a time, there was a far away land that was ruled by a vicious king. His iron fist reached into every corner of his subjects' lives. Every corner, except one. Try as he might, he couldn't destroy their belief in God. In his frustration, he finally summoned his advisors and asked them: "Where can I hide God so the people will forget about him?" One suggested hiding God on the ...

1935. John 2:1-11

John 2:1-11

Sweet

Leonard Sweet

... that literally translates as “what to me and to you.” The NRSV translation tries to make this question focus on the lack of wine: “What concern is that to you and to me.” But the idiom is concerned with the lack of relationship between the two subjects, “What have you to do with me?” As Jesus embarks on his public ministry, he cuts the apron strings, so to speak, and makes one thing clear to everyone. It is his utterly unique relationship with the Father that gives him his purpose and power, not ...

1936. The Wedding Was Saved, but the Marriage?

John 2:1-11

Sermon

King Duncan

... said, “Everyone brings out the choice wine first and then the cheaper wine after the guests have had too much to drink; but you have saved the best till now.” It seems like a frivolous use of Jesus power, really water to wine. It’s been the subject of a host of low-brow humor. Like the Baptist preacher who was caught with a load of moonshine whiskey. He claimed he was just hauling water. When confronted with the fact that it was whisky rather than water, he exclaimed, “It’s a miracle. Our blessed ...

1937. Spiderman: Saved To Serve

Colossians 3:1-4, 12-17

Sermon

Billy D. Strayhorn

... of Jesus, we can never be the same. Nor should we want to be. Martin Luther King, Jr. Once said, "Everybody can be great. Because anybody can serve. You don't have to have a college degree to serve. You don't have to make your subject and your verb agree to serve.... You only need a heart full of grace. A soul generated by love." You and I have been "Saved To Serve" because "With great power comes great responsibility." 1. www.movieministry.com 2. Fred B. Craddock, Craddock Stories, (Chalice Press ...

1938. Motivated for Life

Jeremiah 1:1-19

Sermon

King Duncan

... as fast if we required prospective members to walk barefoot across an eight‑foot bed of live coals. Or maybe they would grow faster. Who knows? Anything that comes too cheaply isn’t appreciated. I mention fire-walking in order to deal with a bigger subject. What does it take to motivate people? Millions of dollars worth of motivational books, tapes and seminars have wrestled with this question. If you have the answer, it will make you rich. A more pressing question for many of us is, how can I motivate ...

1939. Praying for the People

Luke 4:14-30

Illustration

Gary L. Carver

... at you?" She said, "Yes, my mama taught me that when people speak mean of you, you pray for them just like Jesus prayed for the people who spoke mean of him." You see, when Jesus lives in your heart, you just can't hate anybody. Note: Ruby was the subject of this famous and controversial Norman Rockwell painting. Notice the graffiti on the wall.

1940. Our Own Wilderness Experience

Luke 4:1-13

Illustration

Leah Grace Goodwin

Jesus was really tempted. By definition temptation is something that appeals to us. But how can the Spirit-filled Son of God be tempted by something that is potentially sinful? Spirit-filled, sanctified, spiritually vibrant Christians are still subject to temptation. Jesus was hungry. There was nothing wrong with craving bread after a forty-day fast. All of us have certain desires, wants, needs, both physical and emotional. We crave food when we are hungry. We need companionship, acceptance, approval of ...

1941. Isaiah 55:1-9

Isaiah 55:1-13

Sweet

Leonard Sweet

... witnessing vocation, proclaiming God’s glory before nations that are unknown and unknowing (vv.4-5). But there is also a subtle change in pronouns by verse 5. Whereas the plurals used in the earlier verses invites the identification of all Israel as the subject, by v.5 the references are in the singular. This suggests that these new nations would be called by an individual, not by a “people.” The individual Second Isaiah has already identified in chapters 53 and 54 as God’s messianic Servant. As the ...

1942. We Serve a Risen [and Rising] Savior

Luke 24:1-12

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

... . OK . . . you’re right. It is true that Calvin didn’t want Servetus to be burnt at the stake for heresy. He wanted the lesser punishment of beheading. And you don’t want to read the writings of Martin Luther on certain subjects the last 20 years of his life. Sometimes evil and death go on the offensive, while good and resurrection sleeps. Slavery. Apartheid. Genocide. Ecocide. Gendercide (100 million girls are missing in the world today, the demographers tell us). But whatever dissonance hangs in ...

1943. Valley of Suffering (Series: Peace in the Valley)

Isaiah 52:13--53:12

Sermon

J. Howard Olds

... . Dalai Lama, the spiritual and political leader of Tibet, suffered so much from the Chinese who ravaged his land and murdered his people, yet he continues to radiate peace and joy. Someone asked the great spiritual leader how it was possible that a man subjected to so much persecution could avoid being filled with anger and a desire for revenge? The Dalai Lama replied, “In my mediation I allow all the suffering of my people to enter into the depth of my heart, and there to be transformed into compassion ...

1944. Jesus Saves, We're Called To Invest

Matthew 25:14-20

Sermon

Billy D. Strayhorn

... 's tuition rates they wrote: Jesus talked a lot about the use of money and possessions. Sixteen of the 38 parables are concerned with how to handle money and possessions. In the Gospels, an amazing one out of ten verses (288 in all) deal directly with the subject of money. The Bible offers 500 verses on prayer, less than 500 verses on faith, but more than 2,000 verses on money and possessions. (1) Since Jesus and the Bible talk so much about money and possessions they must be an important issue in the ...

1945. Could We Start Again, Please? (Series: Real Faith for Real People)

John 3:1-21

Sermon

J. Howard Olds

... real problem. And there he landed. He did that with the wealthy tax collector Zacchaeus and landed on the question of integrity. “All that I have stolen, I will repay four-fold.” He did that with the woman at the well and landed on the subject of marriage. “Go call your husband.” And here in John 3, Jesus does that with the powerful, prestigious, political Nicodemus by saying, “Flesh gives birth to flesh, but the Spirit gives birth to spirit. Do not be surprised at my saying ‘You must be born ...

1946. Why Should I Read The Bible? (Series: Real Faith for Real People)

2 Timothy 3:10--4:8

Sermon

J. Howard Olds

... is a great debate going on in Christianity these days about the inerrancy of Scriptures. I think it is a mute discussion. In the first place, the original manuscripts do not exist. More importantly, the moment I say, “The Bible says...,” the words are subject to fallibility, for I am fallible. The Bible says, “For God so loved the world,” but I suspect there might be as many as 100 different interpretations of that text in the congregation today. So, all Scripture must be interpreted in light of ...

1947. A Fireside Conversation

John 21:15-25

Sermon

King Duncan

... to the Polo brothers, “You . . . go to your high priest and tell him on my behalf to send me a hundred men skilled in your religion and I shall be baptized, and when I am baptized all my barons and great men will be baptized and their subjects will receive baptism, too, and so there will be more Christians here than there are in your parts.” Astounding! This is where most of the world’s people live today China, India, the Orient, and Kubla Khan was offering to help Christianize it all. However, for ...

1948. The Color Wheel of Blindness

John 10:22-42

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

... , ends the driving careers of many older adults. In driving, there comes a time when experience and insight don’t help. What is required is eyesight. The problem with the old adage “what you see is what you get” is that vision is surprisingly subjective. Ask any police officer trying to get eyewitness reports at the scene of an accident and they will confirm that ten witnesses will give ten very different versions of the event. They eye might be an amazing piece of biological equipment. The eye might ...

1949. Will 2012 Be the End of the World?

Revelation 7:9-17

Sermon

King Duncan

... , or ever will be wiping away the tears from His children’s eyes. Hollywood is missing a real opportunity. Since this topic of the end of time keeps rearing its ugly head, and since some people really do worry about it, let’s spend a few moments giving the subject a little perspective. The first thing we need to say is this: This world will come to an end some day, but the odds of it happening in our lifetime are very, very remote. Every scientist will tell you that there will be an end to this universe ...

1950. Come and See

John 1:29-42

Sermon

Billy D. Strayhorn

... Andrew and John. There's a scene in the first Toby McGuire Spiderman movie that sort of gets to the point I'm making. In the beginning of the movie Spider-Man, Peter Parker undergoes a transformation. Bitten by a spider that's been subjected to genetic experimentation, Peter develops superpowers and becomes a hero who nightly swings between the skyscrapers, looking for some endangered soul to rescue. One such soul is Mary Jane, a young woman he secretly loves. Of course, she falls for Spider-Man, but not ...

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