Sermon and Worship Resources

Showing 1976 to 2000 of 3852 results

1976. History: His Story

Matthew 21:33-46

Sermon

Stephen M. Crotts

... was stoned. Amos was murdered with a club. John the Baptizer was beheaded. And the Son sent from God? He was Jesus, and him we impaled upon a cross outside the city near a garbage dump. It still has not stopped. Which of the original apostles escaped persecution and death? Peter was crucified upside down. Paul was beheaded. James was put to the sword. Stephen was stoned to death. History goes on down through the twenty centuries of Christendom. Huss was burned at the stake. Wycliff was exiled. Luther ...

1977. The Greatest Gift

Matthew 1:1-17

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

... , the gifts of memories were made visible in the following fashion. As each person walked into the chapel, they were given a paper cross which could be folded into a box by folding along printed diagram lines. Each cross-box was unique, with original designs and favorite Christmas quotes hand-written on side panels days before by members of the class. Some students drew pictures (some simple, some elaborate) on the crosses. Others pasted stickers on the crosses. But all crosses bore hand-penned sayings and ...

1978. Three Ways to Know a Saint

Sermon

King Duncan

... the fullness thereof; Voted that the earth is given to the Saints; Voted that we are the Saints.” Christians may not agree on what constitutes a saint. And I doubt that we could get together on a list of the top ten saints, especially if we omitted the original twelve Apostles. What is it that makes a saint in the first place? Is it personal virtue and discipline? Or is it concern for the poor and the outcast? Is a saint pious and austere? Or is a saint merry and outgoing? We have had examples throughout ...

1979. The Man in the Tree

Luke 19:1-10

Sermon

King Duncan

... spread out an air-bag under the tree as a police psychologist was sent up in a ladder‑bucket to negotiate with the man. After a two‑hour stand‑off, the man agreed to come down. But he learned a hard lesson. He may have to pay many times the original taxi fare he tried to evade. At last report the fire brigade was planning to send him a $4,300 bill for the rescue operation. Why did a crowd gather to watch? Because it’s odd to see a grown man up in a tree. One of the best known ...

1980. A High FLOSS Church

Romans 14:1--15:13

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

... service in God's name is at the center of all the community's actions. [Note: This sermon can also be used as a Labor Day Sermon. If so, use as follows . . . ] This weekend is extended by a day for many in recognition of Labor Day. What was originally a triumph for labor unions has become a day off from school right after it starts, and a way to squeeze an extra drop out of summer. But for thousands of people in Louisiana, Mississippi, and Alabama, this year Labor Day will be a day of truly grueling, heart ...

1981. A Cubed Community

Matthew 18:15-20

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

... a cubit?" A cubit, of course, is just a linear unit of measurement--the approximately 17-22 inches of the human forearm, the ancient world's equivalent of a "yard" or a "meter." (Editor's NOTE, and with apologies: This is a change from what I originally wrote, when I thought that I had "discovered" that "cubit" was a measurement that factored in a volume quotient. NOT SO. Or at least there's no evidence of this that I can yet find.) Throughout the Hebrew Scriptures God is always giving construction projects ...

1982. Live and Learn

Matthew 15:21-28

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

... to live and die as a faith community without ever experiencing that event. Yet changing one's mind has gotten nothing but bad press. In the feeding-frenzy of political campaigns, any evidence that any candidate re-positioned, re-thought, or simply re-considered their original views on any given issue is lambasted as flip-flopping or wishy-washy. In the Main Stream Media's (MSM) judgment, any adjustment of one's stand, or one's understanding, over the course of twenty or thirty years is deemed a sign of ...

1983. The Difference between Happiness and Joy

1 Peter 1:1-12

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

... 'S CUP WITH RELIGIOUS SENTIMENT; PRINTED IN BLACK WITH A PINK LUSTER TRIM, probably Staffordshire or N. East England (Sunderland), circa 1820. This is a rare collectors or personal item for those who like early lustre or devotional pieces. It was probably given originally to a child, perhaps as a Sunday School prize or as a reward for scriptural achievement. The mug is cylindrical, small and has a pretty luster trim, with a black-printed verse beneath (which befits its serious message). Here's the message ...

1984. Soren's Heart

2 Timothy 3:10--4:8

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

... religious symbol - a cross, a fish, a medal - to remind yourself and show the world of the faith you cherish, the God you worship. (You may want to make this a karaoke interactive and encourage people to show and tell their talismans/amulets.) Whatever the origin of whatever the image, all these little talismans have one thing in common: we carry them, we wear them, we cherish them, we brandish them because they keep us from feeling alone. They empower and embolden us by re-connecting us to others. In every ...

1985. The FUD Club: Fear, Uncertainty, and Doubt

2 Thessalonians 2:13-17

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

... , or letter” (v.2) declaring that the parousia of Jesus (the Second Coming) had already occurred. This declaration caused the church community in Thessalonia to become “unsettled” and “alarmed,” not only because the timing of the parousia was not as originally taught by Paul. At Christ’s return followers were to be “gathered to him” (v.1). If no such “gathering” had occurred in Thessalonia, the faithful would surely feel abandoned, anxious and fearful of the times. No wonder the “un ...

1986. A Brand New Church Out of an Old Brand

1 Corinthians 1:18--2:5

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

... · Del Monte · Campbell's · Levi · Coca-Cola These are the brands that built America. Each one of them was established with its basic product before 1925. Each one is still totally recognizable seventy-five years later. The term "brand" originally derived from the stamping or marking of cattle or sheep for identification purposes. Outside of that use, branding usually had a negative connotation. Slaves, criminals, and adulterers were branded or tattooed to indelibly mark their disgraces. To wear the ...

1987. A Sourdough Sprirituality

Matthew 13:31-35

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

... is filled with indigenous, marauding microbes and spores waiting to ambush sugars. When that happens, there starts a bubbly cauldron of bacteria, a colony of microorganisms. Wherever you go, those microorganisms pounce on that sourdough starter, making it unique and original. 5) "To stand on the meeting of two eternities, the past and the future," is the goal of life, said 19th century author Henry David Thoreau. Sourdough starter is a good illustration of this, an AncientFuture faith. In order for things ...

1988. Move Life from Duty to Destiny

Luke 21:5-38

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

... news/worse news” is more than offset by the ultimate good news he finally brings. In v.13 he declares that as his disciples stand before all these establishment enforcers, they will have the perfect opportunity to be “witnesses,” a word which originally carried the double meaning of “martyr” and “messenger.” This Lucan declaration will come to fruition again and again in Acts (3:15; 4:33; 5:32; 20:26) as the disciples do “bear witness”— sometimes under the direst of circumstances. Jesus ...

1989. Thanks Be to God

Deuteronomy 26:1-15

Sermon

Richard Gribble

... , as we hear in the reading, how they are to celebrate the harvest and the goodness of God to them. This festival will be a sign of their commitment to God and a realization that all the blessings of the Israelite community have their origins in God. Scripture scholars suggest that this passage from Deuteronomy refers to the spring festival of Azymes, which was established in the new "promised" land as a way to demonstrate faith and thanksgiving. In opposition to the fertility cults that dominated the land ...

1990. Eleven Plus One

Acts 2:1-13

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

... Hillman writes that, "As humans become faceless under their blown-dry hair and cosmetics, cars pick up more distinctive names and fronts, those personalized expressions by which even small children can at once discern the make and model" ("Perambulate to Paradise," Utne Reader; originally published in Resurgence). In 2000, U.S. Americans will spend a half-trillion dollars on cars. We'll spend an average of $24,000 to drive one of the 16 million new cars expected to be sold this year – a rate of about ...

1991. Four Cornerstones

Ephesians 2:11-22

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

... , incarcerations, physical abuses, and ridiculing that lay ahead of them. But the gift of the Holy Spirit which had blown into their lives, into their hearts, and into their souls, kept the new apostles unwaveringly fixed on preaching Christ. Ultimately every one of the original twelve disciples met a martyr's death. But no one of them was ever defeated. All had already received the victory of Christ. Underlying all the foundational walls – to the north, the south, the east, and the west is a rock that's ...

1992. Generations

John 4:1-26

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

... is the generation that will see the year 2000 before they finish high school. In 1995, the Net-gens have seventy-three million people under the age of nineteen – a group 60 percent larger than the baby bust and almost as large as the original baby boom (78 million). By 2015, the boomlet generation will outnumber aging baby boomers. Millennials are also mouse potatoes at four. Totally raised in an electronic culture's complete mix of visual and aural, this is the first generation that will live its entire ...

1993. I'm a Chunk of Coal, but I'm Gonna Be a Diamond

Jeremiah 1:1-19

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

... generation, in which you shine like stars in the universe," the Bible says (Phil. 2:15). Jesus said the kingdom of heaven was like "a pear of great price" (Matthew 13: 45). God has created each one of us to be a dazzling one-of-a-kind, original gemstone. But like Jeremiah, there are some steps and stages that we must go through before our beauty shines through. In judging any gemstone, there are four C's that come into play. An expert gemologist judges every stone by these four Cs: 1. Cut 2. Clarity ...

1994. Jedi Christians

Matthew 14:22-36

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

... , Dick calls for the creation of an Order of Jedi Christians, just like earlier Christian created orders like the Jesuits, Franciscans, and John Wesley's Holy Club. This Order of Jedi Christians would serve to "recover the radical nature of Jesus' original vision for his disciples." A Jedi Christian would be single-minded in a commitment to deny self, take up a cross and follow Jesus. Jedi Christians would: obey the great commandments (Luke 10:26-38), master the weapons of spiritual warfare (Ephesians ...

1995. Let the River Flow

Colossians 1:15-23

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

... your steak approach; people really DO want to please God and serve God, although their motivations and inclinations may be blocked. In other words, our true nature needs releasing, our old nature doesn't need fixing or fulfilling so much as our original nature needs unblocking and unleashing. Edwards defines the new covenant this way: "The normal Christian life is nothing more or less than the outflowing of the indwelling Christ." In Edwards' words, "True obedience is not gritting our teeth and 'doing the ...

1996. Poison Control

Romans 7:7-25

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

... from our life. Our sinful nature is so predictable and pernicious that Paul calls it a law. Like the law of gravity or the laws of thermodynamics, it's an inescapable force governing human actions and behaviors. According to the biblical doctrine of original sin, the poison of sin has infiltrated our spiritual bloodstream and flowed into every member in our body – our hearts, our hands, our minds, our feet, our mouths, our eyes, our ears – all have been poisoned by the toxicity of the sin-infection ...

1997. Straw Polls and Soul Quakes

1 Corinthians 12:12-31

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

... were a kid? One person starts a rumor and whispers it to the next person in line. They in turn whisper the message to the next person, and so on, all the way down the line. Inevitably the final message recited is far different than the original rumor that had started the game. Evidently the gossip line between the Jerusalem street on that first day of Pentecost and the Christian congregation at Corinth had suffered a similar kind of lapse in communication. Some believers, gifted with the ability to speak in ...

1998. Christianity's First Sermon

Luke 23:26-43

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

... of the accuracy of Pilate’s words: “You are saying it.” Pilate finally crumpled under the pressure from the three-pronged demand for Jesus’ blood: 1) from the Sanhedrin; 2) from Herod; and 3) from the mob. But Pilate never veered from his original perception of Jesus. Pilate knew the accusations against Jesus were groundless. Pilate knew the verdict of death was an injustice. Yet while the gruesome sentence was being carried out he managed to assert the truth about Jesus’ identity as he knew it ...

1999. My Precious, My Precious

Luke 12:13-21

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

... like the lucky lotto ticket-holder, a 68-year-old cleaning woman from Massachusetts who recently won almost 300 million dollars, every now and again there drops a benevolent bombshell to reaffirm our belief in attic fortunes and lottery treasures. The Antiques Roadshow was originally a BBC program. In 1986, a couple from Barnstaple, Devon, dropped by the show while taking their dog for a walk. They took with them an old picture from the loft which neither of them liked, and were dumbfounded when told it was ...

2000. By Heart

2 Timothy 3:10--4:8, Deuteronomy 30:11-20

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

... dent just be popped out. "No!" he said. Then he explained why. The sheet metal with which today's cars are made is so thin that it has no memory. Many of us can remember when metal or tin cans had memory. It could be brought back to it's original shape without too much trouble if it sustained a dent of some sort. Could it be that as a people of faith, our metal (faith) has become so thin that we're in danger of losing our memory? Our metal is tempered by Bible study, participation in worship, prayer, etc ...

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