Sermon and Worship Resources

Showing 1976 to 2000 of 3099 results

1976. Is There More Than One Way to Heaven?

John 4:19-26

Sermon

J. Howard Olds

... a Millionaire? The thing I really love about it is I know all the answers under $500. The other thing I really love about the show is life lines. When you get in a corner, you have a place to go for help. I suggest to you, on the subject of salvation, who enables it, and how it is appropriated to people, you better do something besides poll the audience. We ought to ask a friend. The friend is none other than Jesus Christ. Who has the final answer? The biblical witness is profound, true and consistent. The ...

1977. Jesus’ 10 Commandments

Luke 8:26-39

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

... or a food table or a one-armed bandit. Maybe your demon comes in a shopping mall or a porn site. This is a culture haunted by demon possession. Paul Johnson is an English Catholic historian and journalist. He is famous for taking subjects like “The Papacy” or “Ireland” or “The Renaissance” or “Christianity” or “The Holocaust” and writing big books on them. Recently he wrote a biography of Jesus in which he professes to have found a new set of “Ten Commandments.” In his book Jesus ...

1978. About Whose Business Was He?

Luke 2:41-52

Sermon

J. Howard Olds

... walls of Jericho, I believe he didn't do it." The pastor left dismayed. He took his case to the Sunday School Superintendent who said, “I've never had a problem with Johnny before, but I will speak to his parents." Completely flustered the pastor approached the subject at the Church Council. A white-haired gentleman on the council spoke up and said, “Well, Pastor, I move we take the money from the general fund and pay for the walls and leave it at that." Just in case you do not remember, Joshua fought ...

1979. My Country, Is It of Thee?

Psalm 9:9-20

Sermon

J. Howard Olds

... need to consider. If you are under God, you are answerable to God, something all of us would be wise to remember. If you are under God, you are not the master of your own fate, the captain of your own soul. You are a citizen under orders, subject to God's control. There is an old story about the commander of a naval ship who was feeling the power of his maiden voyage. Not far from shore the commander received this communication. “Alter your course 10 degrees to the south." Quickly the commander sent this ...

1980. The Constant God in a Changing World

Psalm 48:1, 9-14

Sermon

J. Howard Olds

... from evangelists more determined to scare us out of hell than to invite us to heaven. Now I find myself rejoicing that God will give the final answer. God knows the whole truth and nothing but the truth. While we see through a glass darkly and make judgments subjectively, God knows all our desires and from Him no secrets are hidden. God cares—we do not stand before a stranger. We do not stand in the presence of an angry God, but in the face of a loving God, “who gave his only Son that we should ...

1981. Let the Living Begin

John 10:1-10

Sermon

J. Howard Olds

... . Just as sharks can smell blood in the water from miles away, the enemies of our souls can smell woundedness as they close in for the kill. They want to take your life away, destroy your confidence, challenge your safety, threaten your future, and make you subject to their power. According to Moses Goldberg, producer of the play about wolves now running at Nashville Children’s Theater, “the wolf is hungry all the time but the only way he can get food is to come up with a scheme.” So the lesson of ...

1982. Are You Able?

Matthew 20:20-28

Sermon

J. Howard Olds

... real do you want to get?" Jesus suffered. Upon that cross of Jesus, my eyes at times can see The very dying form of one who suffered there for me. Dorothy Sayers says for whatever reason God chose to make us as we are—limited, suffering, subject to sorrow and death, He had the honesty and courage to take His own medicine. He expects nothing from us that He has not exacted from Himself. So our Lord suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified, dead, and buried. He suffered, not to save us from suffering ...

1983. Can the Rich Be Saved?

Mark 10:17-27

Sermon

J. Howard Olds

... and have more clothes than we can ever wear. Too many of us spend money we don’t have to buy things we don’t need to impress people we don’t like. We are forever and endlessly drowning in debt. Lest we think the Bible is silent on the subject of money, I remind you that the Bible says more about economics than any other social issue. 1. Proverbs 11:28 says, “He who trusts in his riches shall wither.” 2. Matthew 6:9 says, “Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth.” 3. Luke 16:3 says ...

1984. What is the Connection Between Church and State?

Mark 12: 14-17

Sermon

J. Howard Olds

... table. Today, they feed about 200 people breakfast every Sunday morning and then lead them in worship and Bible study. III. IT’S TIME TO MOVE FROM POLITICAL POSTURING TO INTERCESSORY PRAYER. Every time our General Conference meets, they pass resolutions on every subject under the sun. Most of them come to the floor late at night when delegates are too tired to debate or fast asleep. After conference, these resolutions are published in a book which people seldom read. I have often wondered if a better ...

1985. The Fundamentals of Family Ties

1 Corinthians 13:1

Sermon

J. Howard Olds

... , so he enrolled in a public speaking course at the community college.” Communication in its simplest form requires two things: Speaking clearly and listening carefully. The art of using I messages to say what you mean and mean what you say is not an easy subject to master. But we need to try. Family members cannot read your mind regardless of how long you have been in that family together. So follow the advice of the Bible. “Speak the truth in love.” “Let your yes be yes and your no, no ...

1986. Priorities

Luke 9:51-62

Illustration

David E. Leininger

An expert on the subject of time management was speaking to a group of business students and, to drive home a point, used an illustration those students will probably never forget. As this man stood in front of the group of high-powered over-achievers he said, "Okay, time for a quiz." Then he pulled ...

1987. The Road of Peace

Isaiah 9:2-7

Sermon

J. Howard Olds

... We hate because we don't know any better. If you are a different color, a different religion, a different sexual orientation than I, then I become suspicious of your looks, your actions, your motives. You become a class, a category, a concern, and a subject of demonization instead of a child of God. We hate because we want revenge. Out in Katy, Texas, a group of Muslims bought 11 acres with plans to build a mosque. This suburban neighborhood of Houston however, rebelled. Craig Baker, a neighbor, got so mad ...

1988. What Can Christians Learn from Buddhists?

Romans 8:18, 28

Sermon

J. Howard Olds

... people? Why do the innocent suffer? Why should an innocent child go hungry or be abused? Why is this happening to me? C.S. Lewis once said that, if you never want to be hurt, never love anyone or anything, not even your dog. To love is to subject ourselves to pain. The more we love, the more we hurt. Buddhism says, “If I didn't cling, nothing would frighten me, because there would be nothing I would be afraid to lose, and nothing I would need to be happy." C. LIBERATION IS POSSIBLE The road to liberation ...

1989. What Can Christians Learn from Muslims?

Genesis 21:1-20

Sermon

J. Howard Olds

... had conquered Armenia, Persia, Syria, Palestine, Iraq, and parts of North Africa and Spain. Like all religions, Islam is not united. It is impossible to fully understand the situation in Iraq without understanding the thought patterns of the Sunnis and the Shiites, a subject I must reserve for another day. II. THE FIVE PILLARS OF ISLAM FAITH A. BELIEF: “There is no God but Allah and Mohammed is his prophet." Allah is the Arabic word for God. Allah is creator. Allah is powerful; Allah is merciful. Allah ...

1990. From Laziness to Passion

Psalm 51:1-12

Sermon

J. Howard Olds

... of sloth! The seven deadly sins are not listed for rogues; they are warnings for the righteous-church people who, if they admit to sin at all, usually have several excuses. G.K. Chesterton was asked by a British newspaper to contribute an essay on the subject "What is Wrong with the World?" Chesterton's response was contained in two sentences. "What is wrong with the world? Me!" Bishop Will Willimon says "It is the nature of evil to hide among the good." So we begin these forty days of Lent talking about ...

1991. Serving the Poor—Compassionately

Matthew 25: 31-40

Sermon

J. Howard Olds

... , a gift arrived for the pastor from the king. Inside was a life-size crucifix—a statue with Jesus hanging on the cross. Included was this note from the king: “Place this on the pillar opposite the pulpit so you will always be reminded of your proper subject." Remember what the gospel says of John the Baptist. “He was not the light. He came only as a witness to the light. The true light that gives light to every person" (John 1:8). Saints reflect that light simply by living. One of these years, our ...

1992. Encountering Incomparable Riches

Ephesians 2:4-10

Sermon

J. Howard Olds

... , so our spiritual birth is not something we accomplish, but new life we receive. In Ephesians 2:8 Paul says, For it is by grace that you are saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God. The Bible is explicit on this subject — Sin kills us. We Are Estranged From God. Adam and Eve hide in the Garden. The last person they want to see is God coming to visit them. We Have Deserted Our Ideals. “There are no sadder words of tongue or pen, than those which say ‘I might have ...

1993. Something to Brag About

Galatians 6:11-18

Sermon

King Duncan

... only one thing the cross of Jesus Christ. It’s remarkable for another reason. It is a sign of how seriously Paul took the cross. Maybe we are blasé about the meaning of the cross, but that cannot be said about Paul. He was passionate on this one subject more passionate, perhaps than anyone who has ever lived. What did the cross mean to Paul that made him so passionate about it? First of all, it meant salvation. How much does God love us? Look at the cross and you will see. How desperate is our situation ...

1994. The Loving Friend

John 4:1-15

Sermon

J. Howard Olds

... draw water at high noon. It's too hot. You get your water in the morning or evening. Like watering holes of our time, it's an occasion to socialize, catch up on the news, perpetuate the community gossip. All is fine when talk is cheap unless you are the subject of the rumor mills. Then it's another matter. It hurts. It's painful. It's a problem. You've got to sense that somehow, some way this woman has finally given up coming at the normal time to draw her water. She comes at high noon when she is ...

1995. Finding Plenty in the Midst of Scarcity

Matthew 14:13-21

Sermon

J. Howard Olds

... of this facility. Eight hundred people joined us for lunch four days this past week. We served 1570 meals at the Tennessee Annual Conference and hosted two receptions that served over 500 people each. Yes, church folk can eat! And food is the subject of the miracle that lies before us today. In this story, there are 5,000 men present to hear Jesus speak, not counting women and children, says Matthew. So, if you use modern trends of church attendance, there could have been, ministerially speaking, somewhere ...

1996. Living in Gratitude

Philippians 4:4-8

Sermon

J. Howard Olds

... Do not worry about anything, but in everything, by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving; let your requests be made known to God(Philippians 4:6). A District Superintendent preached a 30-minute sermon in one of his inner city churches on the subject of gratitude. He concluded the sermon by saying, “And remember, however small the gift, always be grateful to the Lord." The offering followed the sermon, and when no one could find the offering plates, the District Superintendent offered his hat for the ...

1997. Jesus Took the Man by the Hand

Luke 10:25-37

Illustration

Barbara Johnson

A man fell into a pit and couldn't get himself out. A subjective person came along and said, "I feel for you down there." An objective person came along and said, "It's logical that someone would fall down there." A Pharisee said, "Only bad people fall into a pit." A mathematician calculated how he fell into the pit. A news reporter wanted ...

1998. What Happens When You Are Not Number One?

Mark 10:35-45

Sermon

Maxie Dunnam

In his book, Hide or Seek, James Dobson tells of a time when John McKay, the great football coach at the University of Southern California, was interviewed on television, and the subject of his son’s athletic talent was raised. Son John was a successful player on his dad’s team. Coach McKay was asked to comment on the pride that he felt over his son’s accomplishments on the field. His answer was most impressive: “Yes, I’m pleased that John ...

1999. Prayer to the Outside Observer

Luke 11:1-13

Illustration

King Duncan

... with his usual parting command to the dog. "Stay!" he ordered loudly, to an apparently empty car. "Stay!" An elderly man was watching the performance with amused interest. Grinning, he suggested, "Why don't you just try putting on the emergency brake?" Our subject today is prayer. To the mind of the unbeliever, watching someone pray is the equal of watching someone say "Stay," to their automobile fully expecting it to obey. To the unbeliever prayer is an exercise in futility. But to the believer, prayer is ...

2000. Lessons from a Fool

Luke 12:13-21

Sermon

King Duncan

... of the thirty-four parables that Jesus told deal specifically and directly with money. There are over 500 verses in the Bible that deal with prayer, but there are over 2,500 verses that deal with money. No one who seriously follows Jesus can avoid this subject. Jesus precedes this parable with this admonition: “Watch out! Be on your guard against all kinds of greed; a man’s life does not consist in the abundance of his possessions.” This is true. Our life does not consist in the abundance of our ...

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