Sermon and Worship Resources

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Showing 1976 to 2000 of 4976 results

1976. Treasure Hunters

Luke 12:13-21

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

... nest" where the family was raised showing its wear and tear, more 55-65-year-olds are moving up in house size. In part, this trend reveals that the "booster" generation is both wealthier and healthier than were their parents. They can easily keep up the house payments and keep up with the demands of the house. But as more couples and singles choose to rattle around in larger and larger houses, some which look like log cabins on steroids, it is clear that our culture is still convinced that "bigger is better ...

1977. Jesus' Bad Manners

Luke 19:1-10

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

... hospitably. We welcome them and show them a seat. We don't expect them to know where the living room is by instinct. We bring them something to eat or drink. We don't expect them to know where the glasses are in the cupboard or where we keep the crackers. We direct them to the bathroom, and we walk them into the dining room. It's all just common courtesy. But our church-homes don't always practice such "common" courtesy. For those of us "at home" in Sunday morning worship, the whole procedure is familiar ...

1978. Do Not Grow Weary in Well-Doing

2 Thessalonians 3:6-13

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

... another direction (relaxing, focusing, cleansing, purifying). Consider those idle Thessalonians. While their hands had nothing to do, their minds churned with anxieties about the imminent appearance of the Lord. Is it any wonder that Paul counseled them and the rest of their church to keep working, keep moving, keep active? For only in that activity would they find peace. The church is to be a rescue shop at the same time it's a rest stop - we are to work and to rest at the same time. The church is a place ...

1979. On Time

Matthew 24:36-44

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

... doing. But they had a "cellular connection" to the Messiah, and when the Messiah called, they received the message and gladly took the invitation. To be an on-time, cellular Christian today does not rely on any pricey piece of Motorola technology. The "cells" that must keep us attuned to Christ's frequency must be every cell of our bodies. If our bodies can become receivers, open to the vibrations of the Spirit, if our souls can amplify the signals we pick up and transmit them to all who come in contact ...

1980. Enemies of Promise

Matthew 3:1-12

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

... junior high - where our education system and adolescence work together to divide school-age children into "brains," "geeks," "hoods," "nerds," "popular," and "weirdos." In their last summer together as "just kids," the boys commit to one another as fast friends. It is a promise they cannot keep as childhood slips away. When you walk into a room full of 4-year-olds, you see just children. You cannot pick out who will be the doctor and who will end up in jail. At four there is an equal amount of promise in ...

1981. 1 Corinthians 10:1-13

1 Corinthians 10:1-13

Sweet

Leonard Sweet

... wonder. We wonder first of all at Moses' question in verse 13: Are we to understand that Moses does not yet realize to whom he is speaking? What is it that Moses wants to know and why is it so crucial to his role as leader of the Hebrews? Keeping in mind that in ancient Near-Eastern culture, knowing someone's name was a sign of holding power over that person or thing, we see that Moses' question was more than strange; it was audacious. It would seem Moses was trying to wrest some information from God that ...

1982. John 20:19-31 [Genesis 2:5-24]

John 20:19-31 [Genesis 2:5-24]

Sweet

Leonard Sweet

... you") and Cain's defensive response in Gen. 4:9 ("Am I my brother's keeper?" You bet you are!). Adam is imitating God in gardening the earth and husbanding the animals - Adam is the bearer of God's image. We are not simply to "keep" or "tend" the garden but also to "till" it. God's creative work is not yet finished. Thus we sing "Finish then thy new creation" ("Love Divine, All Loves Excelling"). God continues to create the world with us partners in that ongoing creativity. vv.18-19: "It is not good ...

1983. Hebrews 13:1-8

Hebrews 13:1-8

Sweet

Leonard Sweet

... the instinct for self-preservation told these struggling Christian enclaves to stay away from those in prison. Associating with those in jail would only bring down the keen eye and long arm of Roman law on the rest of them. Better to stay their distance and keep their peace. But the author of Hebrews insists that true phil¡a meant that every captive Christian was an imprisoned family member, and thus could not be abandoned. Here he goes even further than his words in Hebrews 10:32-34 by asking for extreme ...

1984. Acts 5:27-32

Acts 5:27-32

Sweet

Leonard Sweet

... ministry and his trial (see Matthew 27:63, John 9:16, 24; 11:47) and toward Jesus' followers (see Acts 4:17). But here, this refusal even to name Jesus' name seems only foolish and perhaps even fearful. Refusing to utter Jesus' name also continues to keep the Sanhedrin members at arm's length from experiencing for themselves the power that names bestow. Refusing to name Jesus' name appears as one more sign of the Council's increasing powerlessness in the face of all that is now happening "in his name." The ...

1985. Matthew 24:36-44

Matthew 24:36-44

Sweet

Leonard Sweet

... moment. This is the first use of this term in Matthew's gospel - though it will now be repeated in verse 43 and in 25:13 and 26:38, 40, 41. Clearly, as the upcoming events in Jerusalem grow closer, Jesus is cautioning his disciples to keep alert to the signs about them and to ready themselves for the unexpected. The Matthean text personalizes the Messiah's impending arrival for each listener by having Jesus switch from "Son of Man" language to declaring that it is "your Lord" who is about to arrive ...

1986. 1 Corinthians 10:1-13

1 Corinthians 10:1-13

Sweet

Leonard Sweet

1987. John 20:19-31 [Genesis 2:5-24]

John 20:19-31 [Genesis 2:5-24]

Sweet

Leonard Sweet

1988. Hebrews 13:1-8

Hebrews 13:1-8

Sweet

Leonard Sweet

1989. Remember Your Baptism

Acts 19:1-22

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

... Grandma said, giving him a hug. “I was standing at the window and saw the whole thing. Because I love you, I forgave you. I wondered how long you would let Sally make a slave of you.” What’s your duck? What “duck” do you keep remembering? What duck do you keep letting it remind you everyday of your shortfalls and short-comings? It is so much easier to remember our sins than to recall our salvation. It is easier to see the cracks and broken places in our lives than to feel the strength of God’s ...

1990. Jesus Is Contagious!

1 Corinthians 9:1-27

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

... % natural sharers. The cutting edge today in software engineering is to make it easier to share. Think about it. 90% of us are spiritual consumers. We do not naturally share the love of Christ or the benefits of being in Christ. We hoard it and keep it to ourselves. Jesus is Contagious -INFECT! In today’s text Paul argued two strong points. First, he refused to accept the “rights” that he might have claimed as an apostolic witness for the gospel. He could have preached full time. He could have refused ...

1991. Mark 1:40-45

Mark 1:40-45

Sweet

Leonard Sweet

... who was touched. According to the rabbis, touching a leper, being a leper, was akin to touching or being a corpse. When the leper in today’s text approaches Jesus and kneels before him, he breaks these Torah statutes (Mishnah texts declare that a leper must keep at least fifty paces away from those who are not infected). The leper described in v.40 breaks that rule, even as he declares his absolute faith in Jesus’ ability to make him “clean.” “Because leprosy was viewed as a curse from God it was ...

1992. 2 Corinthians 4:3-6

2 Corinthians 5:1-10

Sweet

Leonard Sweet

... “veiled” to some. This “veiled” reference recalls 3:14-16, where Paul describes the “veil” that is over the minds of the Jews when Moses’ “veiled” face hid the true, glorious conclusion of God’s salvation purposes. This “veil” that keeps some people fixed upon the old covenant keeps them from seeing the truth of the new covenant established by Jesus Christ. This veil which lies over the minds and hearts of those who do not believe the gospel has been drawn down by “the god of this ...

1993. Easter 2

Acts 4:32-37, 1 John 1:5--2:14, John 20:19-23, John 20:24-31

Sermon Aid

John R. Brokhoff

... it to create faith in Christ. THEOLOGICAL REFLECTIONS Gospel: John 20:19-31 1. Shut (v. 19). The disciples shut the doors to keep out their Jewish enemies. Behind the shut doors, they met in fear, worry and despair. It is not likely that the shut doors ... out the enemies, for locks are made to be broken. They locked themselves in a room with open doors. Certainly their shut doors could not keep Jesus out. Fear and worry only lock us in and do not lock foe or friend out. 2. Peace (vv. 19, 21, 26). Three times ...

1994. Lent 2

Mark 8:31--9:1, Romans 4:1-25, Genesis 17:1-27

Sermon Aid

John R. Brokhoff

... 's people. 3. Sense of belonging to God. b. What you will do for God. 1. Walk with God v. 1. 2. Be blameless v. 1. 3. Keep his covenant v. 10. Epistle: Romans 4:13-25 1. Our father of faith (4:13-25). Need: One of our deepest needs is faith. With the ... to get God to make promises, but the price is what we pay to make them our own. In Lesson 1 Yahweh told Abraham to keep the covenant by circumcision, an act of obedience. Faith is the issue in Lesson 2, because by faith God's promises are appropriated. For the ...

1995. Proper 10

2 Samuel 6:1-23, Ephesians 1:1-14, Mark 6:14-29

Sermon Aid

John R. Brokhoff

... daughter were accomplices to the murder and therefore equally guilty. 3. Swore (v. 23). Herod made a promise he should not have made. Perhaps he was too proud to retreat, for he would lose face before all the dignitaries in his kingdom. Moreover, he lacked the courage to refuse keeping the promise. Maybe he was afraid to face his wife, Herodias, when the party was over. Old Testament: 2 Samuel 6:1-5, 12b-19 1. Ark (v. 2). It is called the ark of God or the ark of the covenant. Like today's altar the ark was ...

1996. Anybody NOT seeing red?

1 John 1:5--2:14

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

... . Some are smart and to-the-point; others are breezy and chatty. But all are short. Social media like twitter keep your global network connected and up-to-the-minute with the needs and concerns of our tweeps, with “tweeps” being those ... why this might be so. Why are Christians so irritable? Here are a few of the responses I got. I’m going to keep their twitter names, or disguise them, because some private messaged me on the twitter account. But here are the reasons for “Irritable Christian Syndrome ...

1997. Proper 7

2 Corinthians 6:3-13, 1 Samuel 17:1-58, Mark 4:35-41

Sermon Aid

John R. Brokhoff

... gospel to proclaim. b. We administer God's grace to the repentant and believing. c. We have a world to change. 2. Are you a help or a hindrance? (6:3). Need: Paul is concerned about a Christian's being an obstacle to faith in Christ. Probably Christians keep more people out of church than they bring into church. Paul in this pericope gives evidence that proves he is no obstacle because of his hardships endured for the gospel's sake. Outline: Are you an obstacle to faith? a. You fail to witness for Christ? b ...

1998. The Rush and the Hush of Pentecost

Acts 2:1-13

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

... Red Sea, the breath that raised the dry bones, the power that blew the trumpets and brought down the walls of Jericho: combined with the still, small voice, the nine month silence of Zechariah, the private mountain top meditations of Jesus. Some things are too glorious to keep silent about. Some things are too wondrous to mention. The RUSH and the HUSH are both at the center of a life enriched by the gift of the Holy Spirit. In fact, when you are living in the Spirit, the times of greatest rush can be the ...

1999. The Third Ear and the Imagination of Jesus

Mark 4:1-20

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

... is clear sailing or clogged arterials on the major commute-routes. Seattle is a city consistently in the Top 10 for its gelatinous traffic jams – the LA freeway is a breezeway compared to Seattle’s Route 5 most of the time. And the Seattle newscasters like to keep minute-by-minute track of how slow you can go. Now it takes 20 minutes longer than normal — wait! No, it just climbed to 22 minutes longer. Okay, make that 23 minutes, above the average drive-time to go from Point A to Point B. These days ...

2000. First Sunday of Advent

Psalm 80:1-19, Isaiah 64:1-9, Mark 13:24-37, 1 Corinthians 1:1-9

Bulletin Aid

B. David Hostetter

... the good news! People: In Jesus Christ, we are forgiven. Exhortation Be alert and watchful, for no one knows when the Son of Man will come with great power and glory. Do not neglect to finish the work he has given you to do. PRAYER OF THE DAY Divine Timekeeper, keep us alert by the chimes of the times that whether Christ comes again, at dawn or high noon, in the evening or at midnight, we will be ready to welcome his return, enabled by the Spirit to show that our house is in order and that we are honored by ...

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