Sermon and Worship Resources

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Showing 1976 to 2000 of 4490 results

1976. Can Two Stay One?

John 13:31-38

Sermon

James Merritt

Many of you either have heard of or remember the famous daredevil Evil Knievel. He was famous for jumping motorcycles over cars, trucks, tractor trailers, and even tried to jump a rocket propelled motorbike over the Grand Canyon. Before all of his jumps he would look into the camera and give this disclaimer: “Kids, don’t try this at home.” The following story I am going to tell you is true, but if you are single and contemplate getting married one day, don’t try this at home. On my very first date with ...

1977. “For Your Sake We Face Death . . . as Sheep to Be Slaughtered”

Psalm 44:1-26

Teach the Text

C. Hassell Bullock

Big Idea: Sometimes when we have been faithful to God and bad things still happen to us, the best and only explanation is that it is for God’s sake. Understanding the Text Psalm 44 is a community lament that follows some national defeat of Israel’s army (44:9), even though the psalmist, speaking on behalf of the king, cannot understand why this has happened, since Israel has not forgotten God or “been false” to his covenant (44:17). Psalms 42–43 celebrate the psalmist’s hope that he, isolated and dejected ...

1978. Come Clean

Joel 2:1-2, 12-17

Sermon

Charley Reeb

There is an old story about a mother of eight who walked into her house after visiting with a neighbor and found her five youngest children huddled together in the middle of the living room. On closer examination, she discovered that her children were gathered around a family of skunks. Utterly shocked, she screamed, “Run, children, run!” Responding to their mother’s command, each child grabbed a skunk and ran.[1] This story is a poignant parable of our sinful nature. Like giddy children huddled together ...

1979. Less Is More

John 1:(1-9) 10-18

Sermon

Charley Reeb

I want to share with you a simple biblical message about how to find contentment. So often our lives get out of control because we fall under the spell of a terrible myth. The myth is that more is better — the more we have, achieve, attain, or buy the happier we will be. This myth is no more powerful than during the Christmas season which has just come and gone. We saw all the ads promising utopia if we bought the perfect Christmas present. Many of us bought those presents and still no utopia. How long did ...

1980. Broken Promises

Matthew 21:28-32

Sermon

King Duncan

That creative writer Father Andrew Greeley tells a story--a parable, really--about two sisters who worked as babysitters in their community. A young couple had recently moved into the neighborhood. They hired the younger of the two sisters to sit with their children. Imagine their surprise when they came home to find their home a complete mess, with their kids looking haggard, and the babysitter half asleep on the couch. The next day, however, the children excitedly told their parents how they had fun with ...

1981. Getting It Right in the Coming Year

Galatians 4:4-7

Sermon

King Duncan

It seems strange that New Year’s Eve should fall on a Sunday. But that, of course, is what today is. Many of you are looking forward to New Year’s Eve parties. I’ve always appreciated writer Bill Vaughan’s words: “Youth is when you're allowed to stay up late on New Year's Eve. Middle age is when you're forced to.” I won’t ask how late some of you will be up. Some of you will celebrate via your television. I also like what some comedian said about that. He said, “I love it when they drop the ball in Times ...

1982. Some Things I've Learned Since I Knew It All

Mark 4:26-34

Sermon

Ron Lavin

Have you ever suffered from "sophomoritis"? It's not a physical disease, like arthritis. It's a spiritual disease many college sophomores get when they get filled up with knowledge, come home on a vacation, and act like they know more than the folks around whom they grew up, especially their parents and younger siblings. That happened to a young man named Adam. He was studying to be an engineer at the University of Illinois in Urbana. On Christmas break, he got quite caught up with himself and started ...

1983. Six Days to Make a Decision for Christ

Mark 8:27-38

Sermon

Rick McCracken-Bennett

Whether they knew it or not, the disciples were about to begin an intensive seminar on discipleship. It was time for Boot Camp. As Mark implied in his repetitive use of the word, "immediately," there was an urgency about Jesus and he was running out of time before he handed over the reins to the twelve. He needed to know what they understood and what they didn't; how much remediation was this bunch going to require? Were they able to see beneath the signs that he had performed to the deeper, richer message ...

1984. What Kind of Sheep Are You?

Luke 2:1-7, Luke 2:8-20, Ezekiel 34:1-31

Sermon

Lori Wagner

“I have gone astray like a lost sheep; seek your servant, for I do not forget your commandments. (Psalm 119) Animation: “What Kind of Sheep Are You” Online Test: http://selectsmart.com/FREE/select.php?client=baaa Animation: Live Lamb (you can rent a lamb at your neighborhood 4H club or a nearby farm) Animation: Shepherd’s staff (any large natural wood staff will do) We love the Christmas story for its simplicity. Simple shepherds, simple sheep, simple message, simple mission. It all seems so simple. Hence ...

1985. The Lamb

Luke 19:28-44, Matthew 21:1-11, Mark 11:1-11, John 12:12-19

Sermon

Lori Wagner

[Optional Prop: Door frame and Cross] If you’re like many people at this time of year, you are anticipating the great Easter Feast, especially if you gave up something you love for Lent. What was it for you? Was it chocolate? Did you go on a special diet? Those are the most popular. But I’ve heard a couple of really unusual ones too, like not using your curling iron for the duration of Lent. Or declining to watch your favorite tv show. And then there are the really strange ones. In fact, if you google ...

1986. Apples, Onions, and Cheese

Mark 7:1-23, Mark 7:24-30

Sermon

Lori Wagner

The word of the Lord Almighty came to me. This is what the Lord Almighty says: “The fasts of the fourth, fifth, seventh and tenth months will become joyful and glad occasions and happy festivals for Judah. Therefore, love truth and peace.” This is what the Lord Almighty says: “Many peoples and the inhabitants of many cities will yet come, and the inhabitants of one city will go to another and say, ‘Let us go at once to entreat the Lord and seek the Lord Almighty. I myself am going.’ And many peoples and ...

1987. Identity Crisis

Genesis 32:1-21, Genesis 32:22-32, Genesis 33:1-20

Sermon

Lori Wagner

We all walk with a limp. Our walk with God is a broken gait. Or at least an uneven one. God is always in the lead. Always sure. Always strong. We (on the other hand) walk with God weakly and imperfectly. Sometimes even disastrously. But as long as we continue to walk, we remain in relationship. And that’s what’s most important. In life, our limps and our scars tell our stories. Stories of the struggles we’ve survived. Stories of the wounds we’ve suffered. They leave a visible trace upon our person, a ...

1988. Deep Well

John 4:1-26

Sermon

Lori Wagner

“Dig deeper!” the prospector cried. Imagine digging a hole in the earth only 4 ft wide, being lowered on a ladder into a dark, narrow passageway down to nearly 1285 ft. That’s a quarter of a mile deep –with only a candle for light. That’s deeper than the height of the Empire State Building and 850 feet below sea level. And imagine using only hand tools to chip away at stone and earth, piling it all into buckets to be raised to the top, one bucket at a time. Now imagine doing that for 24 hours a day for ...

1989. Breath of God · COVID-19 and the Resurrection

John 20:10-18, John 20:1-9

Sermon

Lori Wagner

This year, Easter Sunday falls during the COVID-19 pandemic. A time when we are secluded in our homes and told to wrap our faces in cloth if we dare to go out for groceries or supplies. Walk into the grocery store, and you’ll see people wandering quietly through the aisles with gloved hands and masked faces. Get too close, and you’ll register a wide-eyed look of alarm on the face of that passerby. We are in hiding from an invisible beast. “The Beast” is what people are naming the virus. It attacks ...

1990. Let’s Really Know Jesus

John 14:1-4, John 14:5-14

Sermon

David & Marian Plant

I am married to a directionally challenged person. In the car if I ask her which way to go, she may say left while pointing right. After years of marriage I have learned that the pointing is always correct, not so much the words used. Thomas was a wonderfully directionally challenged person. Jesus told him there was a place prepared for all. Thomas went... how do I get there? Jesus’ response to Thomas was one of the truly great responses of all time from Jesus. “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No ...

1991. Walking in the Way of Love

Ephesians 4:25-5:2

Sermon

King Duncan

I’ve got a pop quiz for you today: how many steps does it take to walk around the world? Since we aren’t Jesus and can’t walk on water, we are excluding oceans and major bodies of water. Well, there is a website that measures such achievements as walking around the world. According to their calculation, it takes the average person around 20 million steps to make that walk. Can your Fitbit register 20 million steps? Or would it melt down after about 10 million? Among the handful of people who have proof ...

1992. How to Beat a Stress Test

Ephesians 6:10-20

Sermon

King Duncan

If you have ever spent any time in an airport then you know how busy, crazy and complicated they can be. And think about all the things you don’t see—for example, the inner details of doing intensive security checks . . . or matching up thousands of pieces of baggage with the right traveler and the right airplane . . . or monitoring weather conditions all over the world. It’s pretty incredible that millions of people fly all over the world every year with few disruptions. How do airports do it? Well, did ...

1993. 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 ...

1994. Joy on an Elephant

Philippians 4:4-7

Sermon

Mary Austin

On this third Sunday of Advent, we hear again from Paul’s letter to the believers at Philippi. Many scholars believe that he wrote this letter from prison, perhaps even during his last prison term in Rome, before his death, but we don’t know for sure. It’s clear that he wrote from a prison cell somewhere, and that he wrote about his deeply held idea of cultivating joy in all things. Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, Rejoice. Let your gentleness be known to everyone. The Lord is near. Do not ...

1995. The Richest Family in Church

Luke 4:14-21

Sermon

King Duncan

It’s tough to preach your first sermon at a new church. Most pastors experience at least a few jitters as they head to a new church to preach. Can they remember the main points to their sermon? Will the sound system work? Will the congregation stay awake? It’s nerve-wracking. Not exactly on par with the stresses faced by police officers or brain surgeons or middle school teachers, but nerve-wracking in its own way. So I appreciate a story Pastor John Jewell shared about his first time preaching as a supply ...

1996. Have You Seen a Buck Flying Past?

Luke 16:1-13

Sermon

King Duncan

A young man named Andrew was working at his first job, and he had made a few mistakes. One day, his boss called him into the office and demanded an explanation for his poor work. Andrew began making excuses, claiming that his mistakes were the fault of his co-workers. His boss suddenly pointed out the window and exclaimed with alarm, “There it goes!” As Andrew turned to look, his boss announced, “It’s a buck flying past!” Have you ever seen a buck flying past? When we are called to account for our mistakes ...

1997. The Complete Picture

John 11:1-45

Sermon

King Duncan & Angela Akers

Quick quiz for you this morning: whose portrait is on the front of the one-dollar bill? That’s right, George Washington, first President of the United States. If you have a one-dollar bill on you, I’d encourage you to take it out right now and look at it. Don’t worry, this isn’t my sneaky way of taking up a special offering. If you don’t have one on you, you may want to look up an image of one on your phone. The man who painted Washington’s portrait was a famous artist named Gilbert Stuart. He painted a ...

1998. The Cost of Commitment

Genesis 22:1-14

Sermon

King Duncan & Angela Akers

What is the longest distance you have ever walked? Try to picture that journey in your mind. What mental and physical reserves were required for you to keep going when you wanted to quit? More importantly, how did you feel when you finally stopped? Most of us are fortunate to have some form of transportation, whether it’s a bicycle, car, bus or Uber to take us where we want to go. Long journeys no longer require much effort or commitment. We can’t remember the last time we walked to the point of exhaustion ...

1999. Weeds

Matthew 13:24-30, 36-43

Sermon

William G. Carter

One summer day, it was my turn to mow the yard. The dew had burned off, the grass was dry. I fired up the Briggs and Stratton, lowered the blade, and took it for a spin. The job took about 45 minutes and it was done. Yet as I circled the front yard for the first time, I realized my lawn is full of weeds. Now I knew there were a few. A weed-and-feed expedition earlier in the spring eliminated most of the dandelions. It seems other undesirables have invaded our plot of land. That is a big deal in the town ...

2000. Will God Be With Us?

Exodus 33:12-23

Sermon

King Duncan & Angela Akers

Have you ever felt desperate for just a few minutes of time by yourself? We all need “alone time” occasionally to clear our head and relieve a little stress. So it is hard to imagine what it is like for prominent people, like the President of the United States, who never get a single moment alone. There are approximately 1,300 Secret Service agents who serve as the security detail for the President, the Vice President, and their family members. It is their job to ensure that our nation’s most powerful ...

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