Sermon and Worship Resources

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Showing 176 to 200 of 341 results

176. Maximizing Your Potential

Isaiah 5:1-7

Sermon

Richard Gribble

... This must come to my house," he said. "What did I tell you?" said the blue flower to the yellow. "Now I will adorn this man's house while you will sit in the hot sun and wilt." In time when the man was finished with the blue flower he discarded it into the fire. In time when nature had finished with the yellow flower, there was a whole field of yellow blossoms.1 This delightful but very challenging story contrasts what happens to those who are prepared and those who are complacent. It is also a tale which ...

177. Bloody Lintels — Broken Bread

Exodus 12:1-14

Sermon

Arley K. Fadness

... won the day.2 The redemptive work of Christ is a wondrous work that sets free from bondage, sin, and the power of the devil. There are those who see the shed blood of Christ as a repulsive teaching and believe it is time to discard the imagery of blood that was entirely satisfactory to Paul, Augustine, and Moses. Some suggest there are nobler ways to express the vicarious sacrifice of Christ ... yet the symbolism of shed blood is still very precious in Christian tradition. Repulsed and attracted, we admit ...

178. Irrevocable Gifts

Romans 11:1-2a, 29-32

Sermon

Jeff Wedge

... , at least to some who receive them, like a big box of socks and underwear for Christmas when you are only eight years old. At other times the presents are much more lavish, leading to images of a child surrounded by a sea of gifts and discarded wrapping paper. And there are times, amid the plenty, when frustrated, frazzled people turn to threats in their efforts to maintain some order. "You behave, or I'll take away your presents." Considering the way people behave, it wouldn't be much of a surprise to ...

179. Body Parts and Pride

Romans 12:1-8

Sermon

Jeff Wedge

... that something written almost 1,900 years before the time the words seem to suit can evoke memories of a period only forty years ago, it is an unfortunate mistake to consign these words, along with other faded sayings of those days, to the collection of discarded remnants from that time. These words are quite pertinent for our situation today, and they should carry a lot of meaning for us. It is worth our while to make the effort to listen carefully to what is being said in our lesson this morning. After ...

180. Can't Help Dreaming

Acts 2:1-21

Sermon

Mark Trotter

... desire, an impossible dream, in a finite, limited and sinful world, means that you are going to experience defeat, many times. You may even be labeled as a "loser," because you refuse to compromise, you refuse to be realistic, you refuse to change your dream, or to discard it in order to settle for less in this world. It is especially difficult in a time when success is defined as adapting your dreams and ideals to the smallness of the world. Quixote wouldn't do that. The saints wouldn't do that. Our Lord ...

181. Advent 1

Isaiah 2:1-5, Matthew 24:36-44, Romans 13:8-14

Sermon Aid

John R. Brokhoff

... before the Parousia is about over. Since we sleep in the night, it is time to awaken. With the day Christ is returning to earth to judge. Wickedness is associated with the night - revelry, drunkenness, licentiousness, quarreling, and jealousy. These evils must be discarded in favor of putting on Christ or being conformed to and incorporated in Christ. We will be ready to receive him when we are clothed in Christ and his righteousness. Gospel: Matthew 24:36-44 (C); Matthew 24:37-44 (RC, E) The unexpectedness ...

182. Proper 22

Exodus 20:1-21, Isaiah 5:1-7, Philippians 3:1-11, Philippians 3:12-4:1, Matthew 21:33-46

Sermon Aid

John R. Brokhoff

... God's people to a vineyard. It is natural for a vineyard to produce grapes. If not, the vines are destroyed or replaced. In this parable Jesus teaches that God's peoples are expected to produce good fruit. If they do not, they are subject to being discarded in favor of a people who will produce. This sermon is urgently needed because of the little or no yield by many church members. Because Israel did not produce fruit, God gave his vineyard to the church (v. 43). Will the same happen to the church today ...

183. Christmasize Your Life

Isaiah 11:1-16

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

... of power and influence in Israel's history. Even though Isaiah's message to Israel in the first ten chapters has declared the nation's decay and the people's spiritual bankruptcy, the history of Israel's relationship with God isn't dismissed or discarded. The past generations, all those who had lived and died, made up a rich, fertile layer of spiritual soil - a deep, complex medium capable of sustaining the new generations yet to come. Even in her most broken, battered incarnation, even as a seemingly dead ...

184. The Difference between Happiness and Joy

1 Peter 1:1-12

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

... what we know as happiness. The Scriptures do not have any interest in happiness because happiness CAN be bought. McDonald's got it right in its kid-oriented package called a Happy Meal. Happiness is a cheap, momentary, easily purchased and easily discarded feeling rooted in the fulfillment of selfish desires. In today's epistle text Peter is concerned with spelling out the most basic building blocks of Christian faith. Today's passage enumerates what makes the way of Christ distinct, unique, and worth the ...

185. The Four Marks of Failure

1 Corinthians 12:12-31

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

... unity in which all facets and functions look out for the care and well-being of the whole. When there is a sliver in the foot, the whole body stoops to pluck it out. Likewise in the transformed reality of the Kingdom of God, losers are not discarded, ignored, abandoned. It is the work of the body of Christ to care for the entire body with compassion, with a lifelong commitment to service. For the children of God winning isn't the only thing winning is just a thing. Winning has no relevance to the organic ...

186. Get Out of Your Big Pickup Truck!

John 12:20-36

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

... Louisiana?' I thought. I wasn't sure, but I picked it up and started to imagine. If you have played at a coastal beach, you have almost certainly seen a hermit crab in one of the tourist shacks. They're those little fuzzy crustaceans that inhabit the discarded shells of other creatures. They find a shell, move in, eat, and grow. Then they get to this point, after they've scuttled around and eaten enough seaweed, that they've gotten big enough to need another shell, and if they don't find another shell, they ...

187. The Oneness of Twoness

Romans 14:1--15:13

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

... on Kerry, on Clinton ! At the top of the Senate, there arose such a clatter To eliminate Jesus, in all public matter. And we spoke not a word, as they took away our faith Forbidden to speak of salvation and grace. The true Gift of Christmas was exchanged and discarded The reason for the season, stopped before it started. So as you celebrate "Winter Break" under your "Dream Tree" Sipping your Starbucks, listen to me. Choose your words carefully, choose what you say Shout MERRY CHRISTMAS, not Happy Holiday !

188. What to Do with Yesterday - A Sermon for a New Year

Psalm 103:1-22

Sermon

James McCormick

... regular discipline, we had to pack it up, load it in the car, and take it to the dump. We had to get rid of it. Of course, there is more than one kind of garbage. The kind of garbage we put into our trash cans is relatively easy to discard. It just takes some planning, some effort. When we work at it, it is gone. But there is another kind of garbage that is more difficult to manage. It is the garbage of the past. A great many people have never learned how to deal with yesterday. Instead of looking ...

189. Wrestling for a Blessing

Genesis 32:22-32

Sermon

James McCormick

... the same time we like the familiar, the safe, and the tried and true. I can identify with the Australian bushman who said that he liked his new boomerang well enough, but he had a hard time throwing the old one away! That’s us. We have difficulty discarding the old. We like to cuddle up with the familiar and the comfortable. In fact, throughout life, the lure of the comfortable and familiar is so strong that probably we are not going to move away from them unless something happens to blast us out of our ...

190. A Word of Hope for a Hard World

Matthew 2:13-18

Sermon

King Duncan

... any walks for a while. He’s kind of content to stay at home. (1) You may feel like Tattoo after the last few weeks. This is always such a busy time of the year. But now Christmas has passed. The presents have been opened. The wrapping paper has been discarded. Now it’s time for us to kick off our running shoes and relax. Unfortunately it wasn’t that easy for Mary and Joseph. After the shepherds had gone back to their flocks and the wise men had gone back to the east, Mary and Joseph had to flee for ...

191. Proper 22

Exodus 20:1-21, Matthew 21:33-46, Philippians 3:1-11, Psalm 19:1-14

Sermon Aid

Marion L. Soards, Thomas B. Dozeman, Kendall McCabe

... aim of this commentary will be more general—namely, to interpret the central role of law as a divine gift of salvation to Israel. Such a goal is important because frequently Christians are robbed of this gift when they view the law as a burden that was discarded after Christ. Structure. Exodus 20:1-20 must be read in the larger context of theophany in Exodus 19. The first part of Exodus 19 narrates Israel's arrival at Mount Sinai and their preparation for theophany. In vv. 10-15 Moses is given specific ...

192. A Mother's Love

Mark 7:24-30

Sermon

James W. Moore

... , friendly debate. They loved banter, repartee, mental sparring. Not only that, but back then… men did not discuss theological issues with women. Women back then were treated as inferior, as mindless, as things to be used, as chattel to be owned and discarded. But, look at this… Jesus honors her by including her in a philosophical, theological discussion… the kind that was so important in the Greek world of old. Because of this… the Greek woman understands that Jesus is befriending her… and she ...

193. Love Them Before You Leave Them

John 19:25-26

Sermon

James Merritt

... old to be honored. In fact, there is an even greater lesson. If Jesus can honor His mother while He is dying, surely we can honor our parents while we are living. There is a thinking today that old parents are like old shoes, and they ought to just be discarded when they are too much trouble to bother with. I heard about a mother who was becoming quite old, and it became necessary for her to move in with her son's family. Things were not working out too well because the older woman did not always put items ...

194. The Fellowship of Joy

Philippians 1:3-11

Sermon

James Merritt

... the porcelain industry was big business. The finer and the thinner the porcelain was, the more expensive it was. Oftentimes while making a piece of beautiful porcelain, the potter would crack the porcelain while it was heating in the oven. If a dealer was honest he would discard this porcelain, but dishonest dealers would take wax and melt it and fill up the crack. The only way you could tell if this crack was in the porcelain was to be to hold it up to the light of the sun. Those dealers who were reputable ...

195. What Child Is This?

Isaiah 9:6-7

Sermon

James Merritt

... ; but it is none-the-less a mystery. We are not called to understand it; we are commanded to believe it. John Phillips, a great Bible teacher, once said, "The great mystery of the manger is that God should be able to translate deity into humanity without discarding the deity or distorting the humanity. How did this happen? It happened through the virgin birth. I don't have the time or the space to devote to defending the virgin birth. But there is only one reason to doubt the virgin birth, and that would be ...

196. Bitterness: How to Overcome What You Undergo

Hebrews 12:14-15

Sermon

James Merritt

... of all, forget it. Whatever caused the problem that brought bitterness into your life, must be put behind you. Eph. 4:31 says, "Let all bitterness, wrath, anger, clamor, and evil speaking be put away from you, with all malice." The word "put away" means to dispose of, discard, get rid of. If you're going to remove bitterness from your life, the first thing you've got to do is get that "get even" feeling out of your heart. You've got to bury that problem in an unmarked grave. It was Benjamin Franklin who ...

197. On Running Afoul of the Dress Code

Mt 22:11-14

Sermon

Along about 9:00 last night, I gave semi-serious consideration to wearing my tux for these Ash Wednesday services of worship. Just as quickly, I discarded the idea, given that it might be perceived as frivolous. And whatever else Ash Wednesday is about, it is certainly not frivolous. At issue in this morning's text is "wedding attire" (and what is "appropriate" for such an occasion). I don't suppose there is anyone here who hasn' ...

198. The Great Divide

Matthew 16:13-20

Sermon

King Duncan

... not sure what to do. Hesitantly, he held out his hand in return, but there was no hand to be shaken. There was only a stump of a wrist, which the young man shook warmly. Impressed by the compassion of their two young visitors, the staff soon discarded their gloves as well. But the Amazon River still stood as a great divide between the caregivers and those they cared for. One night the young medical student decided to swim across the river that separated the two societies and spend the night in a leper shack ...

199. A Peculiar People

1 Peter 2:1-10

Sermon

John E. Harnish

... almost anything of value, including the kitchen sink. What's left is a dismal outpost with a struggling economy, little work and disheveled buildings. In the basement of one of the broken-down apartment buildings, you enter through a leaking cellar full of discarded rubble, but then step into one small room, large enough for about thirty people. It's the home of the Paldiski Methodist Church. One room, refurbished, painted a fresh white, with a clean floor and new chairs, all done almost single-handedly by ...

200. Being Single-minded

1 Corinthians 7:29-31

Sermon

Donald Charles Lacy

... even, at times, serious doubts. It is more than a change of pace. It is joy unspeakable that remains calm in the face of the lovely becoming decidedly unlovely. Yes, it is likened to the man who searched the world over and found the pearl of great price, discarding gladly all the others. Whenever the end comes, either with the Second Coming or our deaths, we are hopeful in ways foreign to those who do not have this Savior and Lord. Well, are we claiming too much? Is Paul pointing us in a direction that is ...

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