Sermon and Worship Resources

Showing 2026 to 2050 of 5000 results

2026. The Ten Commandments #2: No Idols!

Exodus 20:1-21

Sermon

David E. Leininger

... all be put to shame. The ironsmith fashions it and works it over the coals, shaping it with hammers, and forging it with his strong arm; he becomes hungry and his strength fails, he drinks no water and is faint. The carpenter stretches a line, marks it out with a stylus, fashions it with planes, and marks it with a compass; he makes it in human form, with human beauty, to be set up in a shrine. He cuts down cedars or chooses a holm tree or an oak and lets it grow strong among the trees of the forest. He ...

2027. The Ten Commandments #5: Honoring Parents

Exodus 20:12

Sermon

David E. Leininger

... die when no longer commercially useful, but they did. I cannot imagine a child knowingly allowing a parent to do without the necessities of life, but they do. I have seen it. Even in the church. It was a problem in Jesus' day, too. In Mark's gospel, Jesus condemns the religious leaders who tried to avoid providing for their aging parents by declaring that all their own worldly goods were dedicated to God, "Korban," as it was called.(3) "Korban" in Hebrew means "gift." By declaring property Korban, it was ...

2028. The Ten Commandments #7: No Adultery

Exodus 20:1-21

Sermon

David E. Leininger

... the rabbinical scholars, states that the penalty for adultery involving a married woman is strangulation - "The man is to be enclosed in manure up to his knees, and a soft towel set within a rough towel is to be placed around his neck (in order that no mark may be made, for the punishment is God's punishment). Then one man draws in one direction and another in the other direction, until he be dead."(5) Yuck! But historically, it is safe to say that the penalty was rarely enforced. Good thing too, because as ...

2029. A Theology of Work - Labor Day

Deuteronomy 5:1-33

Sermon

David E. Leininger

... the centuries of slavery in Egypt. Unrelenting hard work is not good. Sabbath observance to this very day serves as the distinctive mark of the Jewish people that separates them from Gentiles and presents a testimony to their faith. In times of duress, faithful ... Liguori Faithware, 1996) used by permission of Westminster/John Knox Press 8. 1 Samuel 21:1-6 9. Hosea 6:6 10. Mark 2:27 11. Peter Marshall, "Living Like Gerbils," Christianity Today, 4/27/92, p. 15 12. Juliet Schor, The Overworked American: ...

2030. Now That School's Out...

Proverbs 8:1-36

Sermon

David E. Leininger

... I was there, when he drew a circle on the face of the deep, When he made firm the skies above, when he established the fountains of the deep, When he assigned to the sea its limit, so that the waters might not transgress his command, When he marked out the foundations of the earth, then I was beside him, like a master worker; And I was daily his delight, rejoicing before him always, rejoicing in his inhabited world and delighting in the human race. According to this, Wisdom is not about to take a back seat ...

2031. A Gospel for Losers

Jonah 3:1-10

Sermon

David E. Leininger

... the eye of the beholder. The sports world's attention in recent weeks has been on the assault on Major League Baseball's all-time one-season home run record - 61 by Roger Maris in 1961. As of this morning, Mark McGwire of the St. Louis Cardinals and Sammy Sosa of the Chicago Cubs are within striking distance - Mark has 54 and Sammy 53, both with the month of September left to play. People pay big money to come to the ballpark to see them hit home runs. But neither one of them manage to do it more than one ...

2032. Going Fishing

Mark 1:14-20

Sermon

David E. Leininger

... game warden?" the old-timer inquired. "Yup." Unruffled, the old man began to move the fishing pole from side to side. Finally, he lifted the line out of the water. Pointing to a minnow wriggling on the end of the line, he said, "Just teaching him how to swim."(1) Mark Twain once spent a pleasant three weeks in the Maine woods but was now on his way home. As he was making himself comfortable in the train on the way back to New York, a sour-faced New Englander sat down next to him, and the two struck up a ...

2033. Make It Right!

Matthew 5:21-26

Sermon

David E. Leininger

... something against you, leave your gift there before the altar and go; first be reconciled to your brother or sister, and then come and offer your gift." MAKE IT RIGHT!!! After all, the same Bible that says BELIEVE also says BEHAVE. Amen! 1. Mark 3:1-5 2. Matthew 21:12-13; Mark 11:15-17; Luke 19:45-46; John 2:13-16 3. Quoted by Peter J. Blackburn, http://members.xoom.com/_XOOM/pblackburn/sermons/pbcomm06.htm 4. William Barclay, The Daily Study Bible, CD-ROM edition (Liguori, MO: Liguori Faithware, 1996) used ...

2034. The Apostle's Creed: Jesus Christ...Our Lord

Matthew 16:13-20

Sermon

David E. Leininger

... ?" Malcolm Muggeridge, for most of his life a skeptic, following his conversion became wonderfully reflective. In his book, Jesus Rediscovered, writes, Beneath the Church of the Nativity in Bethlehem, a silver star marks the alleged precise spot where Christ was born. A stone slab nearby is supposed to mark the exact site of the manger wherein he lay. The Holy Land is littered with such shrines, divided up like African territories in the old colonialist days, between the different sects and denominations ...

2035. The Ultimate Question

Matthew 16:13-20

Sermon

David E. Leininger

... being, "You are the Christ, the Son of the living God." Amen! 1. TV Guide, 5/6/00, p. 24 2. James Poniewozik, "Human, None Too Human," TIME, 5/15/00, p. 86 3. http://www.hollywoodjesus.com 4. Shorter Catechism, Q.21 5. Matthew 19:24; Mark 10:25; Luke 18:25 6. Matthew 16:24; Mark 8:34; Luke 9:23 7. G. K. Chesterton 8. Quoted by Charles Jacobs, "Life's Most Important Question," sermon, in 88 Evangelistic Sermons (New York: Harper & Row, 1964), p. 19 9. "The Greatest Story, Retold," TV Guide, 5/6/00, p. 18

2036. Ephphatha...Be Opened

Mark 7:31-37

Sermon

David E. Leininger

... you want to be, the person God wants you to be. "EPHPHATHA...Be opened!" No, as a sermon title, that might not get Mrs. O'Leary off the bus. But it is a word we need to hear...over and over and over again. "EPHPHATHA...Be opened!" Amen! 1. Mark Sprowl, Meadowview Presbyterian Church, Louisville, KY, via PresbyNet, "Eculaugh" #3160, 7/17/96 2. Luke 2:52 3. Susan O'Shea, via PresbyNet, "SERMONSHOP 1996 08 18," #124, 8/16/96 4. Doug Behm, via Ecunet, "Illustrations for This Week," #435, 9/4/97 5. Via PresbyNet ...

2037. Welcoming Jesus

Mark 9:33-37

Sermon

David E. Leininger

... day in Capernaum. That is Jesus' message today. And remember, "Whoever welcomes one such...in my name welcomes me..." Amen! 1. Eric Marshall & Stuart Hample, comp., (New York: Pocket Books, 1966) and (New York: Essandess Special Editions, 1967) 2. Matthew 18:3, Mark 10:15, Luke 18:17 3. William Schwein, "Preaching on the Lessons," Clergy Journal, July 1997, p. 43 4. John and Sylvia Ronsvalle, Behind the Stained Glass Windows: Money Dynamics in the Church, (Grand Rapids, Mich. : Baker Books, 1996), p. 218 5 ...

2038. "A Friend Indeed"

Mark 10:17-31

Sermon

David E. Leininger

... Walk this afternoon, the reappearance of World Food Day on the calendar this Thursday, and a focus on FRIENDS who happen to be in NEED is a natural. On top of that, the church's lectionary Gospel lesson, that sad story of the "Rich Young Ruler" (even though Mark's account does not say either "young" or "ruler"), holds up a huge red flag about the way we are often overly-enamored of our possessions. If there are indeed friends in need, the biggest reason is that their friends have not jumped in to help, Ted ...

2039. Sunday's Coming

Mark 11:1-11

Sermon

David E. Leininger

... were the religious leaders. Hope for them would have involved bidding a not-so-fond farewell to the Romans, but that was not their true priority. Truth be known, their deepest hope would have been for Jesus not to upset their apple cart. No chance. According to Mark's gospel, the day after the parade, Jesus came to the Temple and made a wreck of things. Of course, near the end of the week, Jesus gathered with the Twelve in the Upper Room to celebrate the Passover. One would think that these who had traveled ...

2040. Different From A Camel's Hair Sport Coat

Luke 3:1-20

Sermon

Frank Lyman

... forgiveness. It is after you have realized that there is a Moral Law, and a Power behind the law, and that you have broken the law and put yourself wrong with that Power it is after this and not a moment sooner that Christianity begins to talk." Mark's gospel begins by telling us that the story of Jesus is Good News, that the good news begins with John the Baptizer, and that John began by preaching repentance. WHAT WE NEED TO SEE IS THAT REPENTANCE IS GOOD NEWS, FOR FORGIVENESS CAN BE RECEIVED! An announcer ...

2041. Wrestling In A Title Bout

Genesis 32:22-32

Sermon

Mark Clark

... MAGAZINE, Dec. 17, 1993. 2. E. Bendann, DEATH CUSTOMS, (London: Dawsons of Pall Mall, 1969), p. 145. 3. PERSONAL SELLING POWER, October 1994, p. 3. 4. LEXINGTON HERALD-LEADER, September 8, 1994, p. C4. 5. Lewis Grizzard, "The Name's The Game," SATURDAY EVENING POST, Jan/Feb. 1993, p.26. * Mark Clark is the pastor of the Pellissippi United Methodist Church, Knoxville, TN.

2042. Living With The Aches And Alleluias

Mark 13:32-37

Sermon

Eric Ritz

... to enter OUR HEARTS more deeply. This is why we do not lose heart or hope. This is why our aches do not drown out our alleluias because our God comes to us. God comes to us to change our lives from chaos to completion. Our lesson from Mark's Gospel deals with that event that shall herald the end of history, the Second Coming of Christ. The biblical description of that final victory of good over evil, light over darkness, love over hatred is both vivid and disturbing. And yet the second coming of Christ will ...

2043. A Lesson From Two Golfers And A Saint

Mark 1:9-13

Sermon

King Duncan

... good living finding golf balls that others thought were lost and irretrievable. It wasn't always easy work, but it brought him great rewards. Jim Reid is not the only one who specializes in finding that which is lost. God is the ultimate finder of that which others have marked off as irretrievable. What God finds is not lost golf balls but lost people. Our baptism reminds us that when we stray from being what God has created us to be, God comes to us to give us a chance to start over. (4) You and I did not ...

2044. What Makes A Family?

Mark 3:31-35

Sermon

King Duncan

... boat and at people who can walk up stairs, and I think I've been dealt a lousy hand. But through it all, I never had any thoughts of suicide. (1) Where does Superman draw his strength? From his wife and children. What does it take to make a family? Mark tells us about a most unusual event in Jesus' life. Jesus was not very far into his ministry. Already crowds were starting to gather wherever he taught. He was in a house teaching one day when members of his family showed up. They had come to take him back ...

2045. Stealth Christians

Mark 7:31-37

Sermon

King Duncan

... 't mind if I do," replied the man. And he walked right in. (4) That hobo had a clever way of inviting himself in for a meal. He found a gimmick that worked! We don't need gimmicks to bring people to Christ. Notice what happens in this story from Mark's Gospel. Jesus charged them to tell no one; but the more he charged them, the more zealously they proclaimed it. The truth of the matter is that Christ could not be hidden. When you find someone who could do the things he did, people are going to tell about ...

2046. In Search Of A Reason For Being

Hebrews 4:1-13

Sermon

King Duncan

... Christ shared with his Father. Jesus knew the young man's heart. He knew what this young man needed. The prescription that Jesus gave this young man is not a prescription Jesus would give to everyone. It was designed to meet this particular young man's need. Mark tells us that Jesus looked on the young man and loved him. Jesus saw his sincerity, his humility, his obvious potential. But he also saw a gaping hole in his life. And Jesus took direct aim at that hole. "You lack one thing," Jesus said. "Go, sell ...

2047. God Sometimes Changes His Mind

Jonah 3:1-10

Sermon

King Duncan

... to be the first king of Israel but soon God realized that Saul was not worthy of such responsibility. God changed his mind and had Samuel the prophet anoint David to be the new king of Israel. The God of the Old Testament was not afraid to mark out a new direction. Consider the predicament of Jonah. God gives Jonah the assignment of preaching to the people of Nineveh. Jonah is to tell the people of Nineveh that God is going to destroy the city because of their wickedness. Then an amazing thing happens. All ...

2048. Losing Favor Or Losing Flavor?

Mark 9:42-50

Sermon

King Duncan

... rafters. They first cut a rafter and then traced around it with a pencil and cut another one. They based the third rafter on the second the fourth on the third and so on. What they didn't take into account was the width of the pencil mark. Each rafter was one pencil mark wider than the one before. After a while, this can add up to quite a difference. By lunch time they looked at the barn and discovered it was going up at a very strange angle because they had deviated from the original standard. (2) Do you ...

2049. The Most Beautiful Story Ever Told

Isaiah 7:1-25

Sermon

King Duncan

... , he had second thoughts about their impending marriage. He didn't want to humiliate Mary publicly. He loved her too much for that. He resolved to put her away quietly. Joseph's emotions remind me of something that happened to Mark Maurer of Hilton Head, South Carolina. For some reason Mark was in the doghouse with his wife. He wanted to make amends so he ordered her some flowers and told the florist that the card should read, "I'm sorry, (comma) I love you." Unfortunately, his instructions must not have ...

2050. Response To The Resurrection: Christian People In A Pluralistic Society

Acts 17:16-34

Sermon

King Duncan

... . They asked Robertson some very pointed questions. One of these concerned a fundraising letter that was mailed out by the Robertson Organization following his victory in the Michigan state caucus in which he said to his supporters, "The Christians are winning." Mark Greene wanted to know how nonChristians were to feel about Robertson's candidacy in light of such a statement. Could Robertson be president of all the people if he was representing only the evangelical Christian community? This leads us to a ...

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