Sermon and Worship Resources

Showing 176 to 200 of 1522 results

Luke 5:12-16

Sermon

Bill Bouknight

... to the God who loved them enough to die for them. After there is a love linkage, then lifestyle choices can be worked out in the light of biblical truth and Christian fellowship. You see, outside the love of Christ, the Bible looks like just a long list of impossible demands dreamed up by a narrow-minded, judgmental God. But after we see the cross and what he did for us there, then the Bible becomes a love-letter from God's heart. With the help of Christ, can't we become places of hospitality for persons ...

177. You Figure It Out

Matthew 22:15-22

Sermon

... a direction. It indicates the sorts of values God calls us to affirm. It gives us an exampled, disciplined life to follow in the person of the Christ. - In addition, God has given us the promises which carry us along when things begin to seem impossible. If I struggle with seemingly insoluble questions and difficulties, it will help me to remember that God walks beside me at such times, that he gives encouragement, that he strengthens me, that he wills my victory over the Evil One and his purposes, and that ...

178. Faith isn’t Easy - But it Works!

Genesis 12:1-8

Sermon

Barbara Brokhoff

... with us, we question all that person says or does. But God, the Promiser in this text, cannot lie, and not one of his good promises has ever been known to fail. We trust the promise because of the Promise-maker. Even though the promises seem outlandish and impossible to fulfill, Abraham trusts them because he feels he can trust the God who made them. That’s what faith is all about. Faith in a doubtful promiser is foolishness, but faith knows that the Word of God is dependable, and to base one’s trust in ...

179. A King Worth Having

Zechariah 9:9-13

Sermon

John R. Brokhoff

... world peace. In our text, it is said, "He shall command peace to the nations." What a promise! Can this king do the impossible? Retired Admiral Gene La Roque reported in 1982 that since World War II, 270 wars and some 800 minor skirmishes and coup d ... because we already have favor for Christ’s sake. What a load that takes off our shoulders! We are free from having to do the impossible of keeping the Law in every detail. Now we can live according to our consciences and by the leadership of the Spirit. We are ...

180. Recovering From the Blahs

1 Kings 19:9-18

Sermon

John R. Brokhoff

... of attainment. We expect to perform miracles. We are too idealistic. We get over-committed to good causes and make rigid demands on ourselves. It is like a pastor who tries to please everybody in a congregation. It is absolutely impossible to please everyone. Like Elijah, some may think they can save the world all by themselves. We can take ourselves too seriously by thinking that everything depends on us. Perfectionists are easy prey to discouragement, for no one can reach perfection. Here is a young ...

181. When the Church Is the Church

Philippians 2:1-11

Sermon

Raymond Gibson

... S.V. translates Paul’s Greek; but J. B. Phillips’ paraphrase gives a truer insight by interpreting Paul as saying, "Do make my best hopes for you come true! Live together in harmony ..." It is well nigh impossible for any group of Christians to agree on everything, to understand everything alike, but it is not impossible for Christians to live together in harmony. In fact, if any human being is to be the person God created him to be, he must be in harmony with his God, his neighbors, and himself. Norman ...

182. Must We Have All the Answers?

Gn 2:9 · Deut 30:19-20 · Job 52:5

Sermon

Robert Noblett

... would answer in the affirmative the question around which we want to build our talk together: Must we have all the answers? In short, I think the answer is now, but let me tell you what makes me answer the question in that way. First, it would be impossible for any one of us to come even close to a state of omniscience and to even attempt that is an exercise in rank arrogance. I am not advocating ignorance; I am, though, advocating a sense of limits with respect to what we can understand and comprehend and ...

183. A Matter of Life and Breath

John 20:19-23

Sermon

John R. Brokhoff

... that in these years the church should make as its emphasis evangelism and world missions. But man cannot carry out this mission given by Christ to the church all by himself. He must have the power of God to bring it to pass. Christ does not give us only an impossible task but he makes available for us the means to do it. This power is in the Spirit which he breathed upon the apostles, and will breathe upon us on this Pentecost Day. What is this power? It is none less than the power of God. We all know that ...

184. Jesus Makes House Calls

Matthew 14:22-36

Sermon

John R. Brokhoff

... , or do you rely upon natural causes only for the answer? Remember Jesus taught that with God all things are possible. It is one of the Christian’s highest privileges just to pray. Through prayer a believer can ask for anything and all things, no matter how small or impossible they may seem to be. You and I do not have to worry about whether we are asking for the right things. It is not for us to judge, just to ask. God will sift out our prayers and will answer those that correspond to his will. And what ...

185. Jesus ... Who?

Matthew 16:13-20

Sermon

John R. Brokhoff

... your needs and problems. At a testimonial meeting a young woman rose and said, "Through this revival I found Jesus Christ and he made me able to forgive the man who murdered my father." You would be surprised what strength can come to your life to do impossible things when you let Jesus come into your life. You can be surprised, too, with what Jesus can do with your life if you turn your life over to him. He can take the shabby, the left-over lives, the garbage and transform them into something beautiful ...

186. Pilgrim Living in a Vagabond World

Matthew 7:13-14

Sermon

Leonard Mann

... That’s a good way to die; there is none better. In the United Methodist Church, when a prospective minister is being examined for ordination, this is one of the questions asked: "Are you going on to perfection?" One young man objected to this question as suggesting an impossible goal. But the wise old bishop said to him, "If you are not going on to perfection, then, pray tell me, what are you going on to?" Even if we never reach all the spiritual and moral summits we seek, we are surely not worse off for ...

187. How to do Extraordinary Things

Mark 6:30-44

Sermon

Bill Bouknight

... Jesus, "It would take $10,000 or $20,000 to feed this mob. Counting women and children, there must be l0,000 people on this hillside. There is no catering service in the Middle East that can handle such a crowd. Lord, why do you ask us to do the impossible?" Jesus asked, "How much food is here? Go and see." In other words, don't bother me with what you wish you had. Count your assets. That's where you always have to start if you want to do extraordinary things. Consider what you have and use it. In 1872 ...

188. A Time for Tears

John 11:17-37

Sermon

Louis H. Valbracht

... situations of life, they can be downright destructive. A young man said to me at his mother’s funeral: "Pastor, I know I’m not supposed to cry, but I have to admit that I feel like crying, because I loved my mother." Look at the impossible dilemma that the attitude of our society has placed him in. If we weep, we feel weak; if we don’t, we’re considered calloused and unfeeling. So our handling of grief today is mostly superficial, emotionally dishonest, and we’re all completely confused about it ...

189. Well, What Did You Expect?

Acts 12:1-19a

Sermon

Louis H. Valbracht

... this day." Prayer with great expectation! Does it work? Talk with a few alcoholics like the man I spoke to not long ago who said: "If only people would realize that it is absolutely impossible for an alcoholic to go through one day of sobriety without the strength that God gives him through prayer." Absolutely impossible without prayer! The testimony of millions of Christian people over centuries of time is too great to be discounted. Do you want a personal testimony? I have never in my lifetime prayed for ...

190. Freedom Can Be Frightening

Leviticus 25:8-55

Sermon

Louis H. Valbracht

... on heroin? What shall we say of a man like Peter Lemon, who, last year, was given a promotion in rank, an honorable discharge, and was awarded the nation’s highest decoration, the Congressional Medal of Honor, for what appeared to be almost incredible and impossible feats of heriosm in battle after he had been thrice wounded? And Lemon says bluntly in a news conference: "Sure, I smoked marijuana over there. All the guys did. We were partying it up the night before it happened. The time I won the medal ...

191. Chapter III

Exodus 20:1-21

Sermon

Frank H. Seilhamer

... s battle to educate the blind, young Helen Keller, the story is a masterpiece on human perseverance and love. Called by Helen’s wealthy southern parents to train their child, "Miss Annie" entered the Keller home to tackle, literally at times, what seemed to be an impossible task. She had set her heart on bringing the youngster out of her dungeon of silence and darkness and on forging her into a useful, creative human being. To do that with a child who had been deaf and blind since shortly after birth was ...

192. 'Nevertheless': A Word of Faith

Luke 5:1-11

Sermon

Bill Bouknight

... creatures on earth that can out-jump Michael Jordon is the Impala. This is an African deer with a supercharged spring. It has a vertical leap of over 10 feet and can broadjump over 30 feet. You would think that the zoos of the world would find it impossible to keep such an animal enclosed. Not so! It's rather easy. Because the experts discovered something about the Impala. It will not jump unless it can see where it is going to land. Therefore, a solid wall even 6 feet tall is a sufficient enclosure. Lots ...

193. When God Was Nothing

Philippians 2:1-11

Sermon

Brett Blair

... to think about that but just as interesting is the fact that Paul was at a loss for words to describe love and he called upon a song. My favorite line in the Hymn is this: But made himself nothing. God made himself nothing. Well, that’s impossible isn’t it? Hw can God who made everything become nothing. The Hymn of course isn’t saying that God ceased to exist, this is poetry. It is a way of expressing how in the world God condescended, changed his nature in being solely divine and became fully ...

194. Resurrection: From Brokenness to Wholeness

Matthew 15:29-39

Sermon

Leonard H. Budd

... ’s world, but so much more is possible. In the care of God, what might be hindrance can, instead, be means of learning, means of growth, means of resurrection to something new. God keeps his creation. God guards. And what seems impossible, with God’s care, is not impossible. Then Jesus again touched Jahmai’s leg. Jahmai could feel a warmth in his touch, in the gentle, caring touch. Jesus’ hand held the leg, pressing it now, pressing it and lifting it so that Jahmai found himself standing taller. He ...

195. A Man Who Laughed at God

Genesis 17:1-27

Sermon

R. Blaine Detrick

... he should become the father of many nations and that the land of Canaan should belong to his descendants - God informed Abraham that a son was soon to be born to him and Sarah. Then it was that Abraham laughed at God, saying that such an event was physically impossible: "How can I father a son when I’m 99 years old, and how can Sarah possibly conceive when she is over ninety?" He laughed so heartily that he fell to the ground. Here was a man of faith showing a failure of faith. With all his virtues and ...

196. The Two Most Important Questions A Christian Can Answer

Matthew 22:34-40

Sermon

Brett Blair

... to stay home and weed the turnip patch while they were gone. He had just begun when some friends came along and persuaded him to go fishing with them, promising to help him weed the garden when they got back. But, as every fisherman knows, it's practically impossible to keep track of the time when your fishing--especially if the fish are biting! When Rufus returned home after dark, his mother was waiting for him. Silently, she led him to his room. He knew what he deserved, so he offered not a word of excuse ...

197. Surprise, It's Christmas!

Luke 1:26-38

Sermon

Brett Blair

... even some who are bishops who do not believe in the virgin birth. And that amazes me. Most of them have no problem at all in admitting that God created all things in heaven and on earth but when it comes to Mary’s pregnancy they say, well, that’s impossible. I will admit that we do not understand it. Many of us, adults included, do not know what we are talking about when we discuss the virgin birth. There is a lot of mystery there, but as I understand it, it means that Jesus came from God. He is God ...

198. Love - A Christian Imperative

John 15:1-17

Sermon

George Bass

... others, when that seems to be the only way to resolve a situation. Leslie Weatherhead tells the story of how, centuries ago, Taiwan (Formosa, then) was governed by a Chinese Governor named Goho. He was a kind and generous ruler, but he inherited an impossible situation; the then-savage tribes had an established custom of offering a human sacrifice each year. He persuaded them to offer animals - oxen or pigs - as their sacrifice instead of human beings, and they did this for forty years. But, then there was ...

199. What God Wants Us To Do

John 6:25-59

Sermon

Richard Patt

... ] asked [Jesus]: ‘What can we do in order to do what God wants us to do?’ " (v. 28, TEV,) What a far-ranging question this is! It’s an all-embracing theme we have to discuss here: "What God wants us to do." Obviously it is impossible for us to use these fifteen minutes or so and come up with a comprehensive answer to this question. Think, for instance, of the rainbow-like nature of our congregation’s members. One of you here today is a successful retired businessman. Your children are grown and ...

200. Strong Faith For Tough Times

Mark 5:1-20

Sermon

James W. Moore

... all the nations of this world could learn to live together in peace without the threat of war, we could take those incredible resources and wage war on hunger, homelessness, disease, illiteracy, and drug abuse. I know it sounds idealistic. I know it sounds like the impossible dream, but I can’t help but think about it. Just think what could be done. Just think what could be done. III. THIRD AND FINALLY, THE MOST IMPORTANT LESSON OF ALL: JESUS CHRIST IS THE PRINCE OF PEACE. I believe with all my heart that ...

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