Sermon and Worship Resources

Showing 2026 to 2050 of 4884 results

2026. Prayer

John 17:1-5

Bulletin Aid

... to God and his Church (Attendance, support, all that stuff) Is it OK if I keep my fingers crossed? That's a tall order! What if I can't do it? Can't live up to those promises? Does God - Or the congregation - Or the minister Expect me to be perfect? Will they still love me Value me Accept me If I'm not? Do I dare make promises That I might not be able to keep? Lord, forgive me for what I'm about to do - Making promises with my fingers crossed - And help me to mean them And to ...

2027. Nervous Hands

Psalm 139:1-24

Sermon

... friends and I would take the bus. The bus let off at the corner and I would walk home alone in the dark. Now you have to realize that all of my life I lived on the same street. My parents still live on that street. I knew that street perfectly well, but at night it was different. The street was lined with large oak trees whose limbs hung over the street. About every third of a block there was a street light. The street light played all kinds of tricks as it shone through the limbs of the trees. The ...

2028. Estranged Hands

Psalm 143:1-12

Sermon

... I really am. Guilt is a scar. It is a reminder that we are sinners. Guilt is a reminder of the scars that exist on our heart. It gives testimony to the many times we have transgressed God's will. Our guilt scars remind us that God would have a perfect right to break his relationship with us. The scar on my hand is healed. It serves as a reminder, but it no longer interrupts the function of my hand. While I do not forget the error, the ability of my hand to be used is as great as it ever ...

2029. The Simplicity of God's Call

Romans 8:28-39

Sermon

... . But there's a feeling about the Christian life that before we begin, we have to do a lot of other things first: that we have to understand everything, or we're unbelievers; that we have to believe everything, or we're hypocrites; or that we have to be perfect, or we're not worthy. And because of these things, many people never accept Our Lord's invitation. But this is like saying that we have to arrive on our journey before we start; or that we have to know everything before we've begun; or that we have ...

2030. In Turning to God

John 18:1-11

Bulletin Aid

... , Judas leans over and whispers it; and Our Lord says to him, "Thou sayest it, Judas, you are the one." And who can imagine the tremendous shock that Judas must have felt as he heard these words. (But Judas has only planned it in his heart, and Judas still has perfect freedom of choice.) But Peter, not hearing all of this, now states rather gruffly: "Lord, no one is going to hurt you." "I'd give my life for you, Lord." And Peter, for all of his good intentions, is to be just as shocked by what Our Lord says ...

2031. Dear Mrs. Day

Luke 15:1-7

Sermon

Thomas C. Short

... the best day ever. That’s not true for me. My joy comes from the knowledge that God loves me on good days and bad days, and that even from everlasting to everlasting I belong to God and God belongs to me. That’s the source of my joy. The perfect love of God does not only cast out fear; it also ushers in joy. Well, Mrs. Day, all of this has come from the heart of your lost sheep. I wanted to share this part of my story with you because I remember your love and patience toward me when ...

2032. God Is a Mystery

Luke 19:1-10

Sermon

... are spitting out answers faster than we can ask questions. Test tubes are running over with answers. Sociologists can tell us how many people are going to move in a certain zone of the city in the next decade, and the wizards of Madison Avenue have perfected psychosuggestion to the place where you and I wonder if we are still in control of our lives. Mysteries are being solved, and answers are being given. We live in the answer age. Why shouldn’t Will Barrett expect to have answers and information about ...

2033. PARABLE OF THE BEST CHURCH

John 15:9-17

Illustration

... . But you may proudly wear what you have chosen," reasoned the mother. We are all made by the same Heavenly Father and dwell within the boundaries of what God has made for man. We worship Christ in many different ways. Some honor Him as a great Teacher, as a perfect Example, as the Son of God, and as a personal Saviour. We all may honor Him in remembrance of the Words He spoke, "In this shall ye know my disciples, that ye love one another," and "The Sabbath was made for man, not man for the Sabbath." Each ...

2034. Parable of Cutting Tile

1 Corinthians 15:35-58

Illustration

... and then heavier blows were made. "It looks to me," said the boy, "like you are getting nowhere. You haven't begun to cut through." "Watch," said the father. After a number of blows carefully repeated, the father gave one hard blow and the tile separated with a perfect cut. "Why didn't you hit it that hard in the first place?" asked the boy. "It would have ruined the tile and made it worthless," said the father. "All those earlier blows set the pattern for the final one." There are many things in life that ...

2035. The Violence Within, The Violence Without

Zephaniah 3:1-20

Sermon

... I could move mountains ... if I bestow all my goods to feed the poor ... if I give my body to be burned and have not charity, I am nothing." Paul was a living example of this - Pharisee of the Pharisees, Hebrew of the Hebrews, as touching the law perfect. Because his zeal did not know love, he violated the name of God Almighty in the name of God Almighty. What shall we say to all this? Nothing! The first response is silence. Be silent before the Lord God. The noise of religion and solemn assemblies must ...

2036. The Seventh Sunday of Easter

John 17:1-5

Sermon

Kendall McCabe

... . But we need to realize what we mean by power and what God means by power are two different things. Power simply means the ability to carry out a purpose. Before you talk of God's power, you must know God's purpose. That purpose is the perfection of creation, including you and me. God's greatest power is the power of love revealed through Jesus Christ. That is why, at the Last Supper when Jesus prayed about being glorified, he also spoke to the disciples his new commandment to love one another. The more ...

2037. God Is No Respecter Of Persons

Acts 10:23b-48

Sermon

... Jesus, cursed and hid. Could it be if Christ's forgiveness of Peter, on Easter, did not return the disciple's pride, at least it did give him a heart sensitive for the shortcomings of others? Could it be this same humiliated saint was the perfect choice to tell the foreigner of God's grace? God is no respecter of persons - he is not partial to one race over another, once class over another, one nation over another. Our human accomplishments and abilities simply are not very impressive to the Almighty ...

2038. The Focus of Fitness

Jeremiah 18:1--19:15

Sermon

... reason lies in the last verse of the text for today, Jeremiah 18:11: "Return, every one of you from his evil way, and amend your ways and your doings." That is a call to fitness. In Jeremiah’s eyes, it applies to everyone of us. No one is perfect. Jeremiah, one of the major prophets, lived during the time of the destruction of Jerusalem, 640 to 587 B.C. He made use of object lessons, such as a loincloth, (Jeremiah 13:1-11); wine jars, (Jeremiah 13:12); pottery, (Jeremiah 18:1-11); a broken jar, (Jeremiah ...

2039. ... and Justice for All

Ezekiel 18:1-32

Sermon

... some kind of justice. In our own country we have laws, courts, judges and juries. We have rights and appeal procedures; we have fines and incarceration. Our system has city, county, district, federal and supreme courts. Justice works, but certainly not always perfectly. Even though we are at times skeptical of the system and possible abuses, I don’t know many who would be willing to trade our system for something else. Our judicial system seems to be either praised or criticized, depending on how ...

2040. Let the Journey Begin

Matthew 6:1-4

Sermon

Dean Lueking

... as it should be. All hinges upon the Father's knowing us and our knowing the Father. With our souls secured by Christ, and with faces lit with hope and a holy joy we: . . . run with perseverance the race that is set before us, looking to Jesus the pioneer and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God. (Hebrews 12:1-2)

2041. Whose Meal Is It?

Exodus 12:1-30

Sermon

... to show mercy and to deliver them. In particular, it is a time for saying, "Do you remember...?" Do you remember how our people were in slavery down in Egypt and the Angel of Death was coming? Do you remember how an Angel of the Lord said, "Slay the most perfect lamb you have. Take the blood and put it on the doorpost so that when the Angel of Death comes along to destroy the enemies of God, the Angel of Death will pass over you and you will live." Do you remember? They did not die, they lived. Do you ...

2042. Easter 4

Acts 13:13-52, Revelation 7:9-17, John 10:22-42

Sermon Aid

... , Paul in Lesson 1 says Jesus is the Son of God. In Lesson 2 Jesus is in heaven at the right hand of God sharing the glory of the Godhead. How important is this understanding for the average person? Only when we see Jesus as God, can we explain his perfect life, his prayer power, his miracles, and both his resurrection and ascension. If he is not God, how can he send the Holy Spirit? This may boggle the mind: How can two be one? How can one plus one make one? Sermon: How one and one make one. 10:30 ...

2043. Pentecost

Jn 14:8-17, 25-27; 20:19-23 · Acts 2:1-21 · 1 Cor 3-7, 12-13 · Gen 11:1-9

Sermon Aid

John R. Brokhoff

... emphasize secular education, we neglect a spiritual education. One of the main functions of the Holy Spirit is to teach us. (v. 26) Because of our ignorance in spiritual matters, it is time to convince the congregation to enroll in the school of the Spirit with the Spirit as the perfect teacher. Outline: What the Spirit can teach us - a. Who Jesus is - vv. 8-11 b. How to get prayers answered - vv. 13-14 c. What the Spirit can do for you - vv. 16-17, 25-26 Gospel: John 20:19-23 1. The Spirit of Jesus (20:22 ...

2044. Proper 6

Lk 7:36--8:3 · Gal 2:11-21 · 1 Ki 19:1-8

Sermon Aid

John R. Brokhoff

... one. He who claims he has no sin misses out on the greatest things of life. In today's gospel, the poor, unfortunate character was not the sinful woman but the "good," proud Pharisee. His life was empty. There are many "good" Christians who claim guiltlessness but are perfectly miserable. Outline: The values of a true confession of sin. a. The value of being forgiven - v. 48 b. The value of loving - v. 47 c. The value of having peace - v. 50 2. Our Church is Too Small (7:36-50). Need: One of our problems is ...

2045. Proper 8

Lk 9:51-62 · Gal 5:1, 13-25 · 1 Ki 19:15-21

Sermon Aid

... down fire to burn up the village that rejected him, Jesus "rebuked" them. We often forget this side of Jesus. We usually think of a man meek and mild and one who always turns the other cheek. We think of Jesus solely as a person of perfect kindness and understanding. But Jesus can become angry over wrong. He criticized and gave strong disapproval to James and John for wanting to get revenge. Like God, Jesus is a person of love and justice. When something is wrong, Jesus does not hesitate to condemn it ...

2046. Proper 9

Lk 10:1-12, 17-20 · Gal 6:7-18 · 1 Ki 21:1-3, 17-21 · Isa 66:1-14

Sermon Aid

John R. Brokhoff

... matter of "inheritance." Naboth received it from his forefathers and he wanted to keep the land in the family. There are some things worth more than money. One's birthright should not be sold for a mess of pottage. 2. Came (v. 17). It was an almost perfect crime. Jezebel's scheme seemed to have been successful. The people stoned Naboth to death for alleged blasphemy and nobody seemed to know the truth of the matter. Ahab was happy and was in the act of possessing the lot when Elijah appeared. How did Elijah ...

2047. Proper 10

Lk 10:25-37 · Col 1:1-20 · 2 Ki 2:1, 6-14 · Deut 30:9-14

Sermon Aid

John R. Brokhoff

... and character. Outline: Are we asking the right questions? a. The question of eternal life - v. 25. Eternal life is the result of obedience to God's laws. "Do this and you will live." But, who is able to "do" all the commands? It would require a perfect person. The question that should have been asked, "How can I, a sinner, inherit eternal life?" This would give the answer, "And this is eternal life: to know thee, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom Thou hast sent." b. The question of neighbor - v. 29 ...

2048. Proper 11

Lk 10:38-42 · Col 1:21-29 · Gen 18:1-10 · 2 Ki 4:8-17

Sermon Aid

John R. Brokhoff

... time Jesus overlooking Jerusalem cried because the people would not accept him. What joy, what peace, what love awaits anyone who will "receive" Jesus into their houses or hearts! 2. Distracted (v. 40). Because Jesus was a celebrated guest, Martha wanted everything to be perfect - the best food, expertly served, and on time! But, she got no cooperation from her sister who let her do all the work while she listened to Jesus talk. There was so much to do - food to be cooked, table to be set, candles lighted ...

2049. Proper 12

Lk 11:1-13 · Col 2:6-15 · Gen 18:20-32 · 2 Ki 5:1-15

Sermon Aid

John R. Brokhoff

... When you appeal for others - the righteous in the city C. When you are reasonable - ten are as valuable as fifty. A Christological emphasis can be made here. If God would save a city for ten righteous, would he do it for one righteous person? There was one perfectly righteous one in the world - Jesus Christ. For his sake, God saves the world! Lesson 2: Colossians 2:6-15 If You Want Real Life. Need: We live on earth only once, and almost everyone wants to get as much out of life as possible. For many months ...

2050. Proper 16

Lk 13:22-30 · Heb 12:5-7, 11-13, 18-29 · Jer 28:1-9 · Isa 66:18-23

Sermon Aid

John R. Brokhoff

... be with God on Mount Sinai was a "terrifying" experience for the Israelites. One could not touch the mountain for fear of death. They could not bear to hear God's voice. The sight of God made Moses tremble with fear. The God of Mount Sinai was one of perfect holiness, justice, and wrath. He was the transcendent, totally-other God. It is this side of God that is missing in today's concept of God and in our worship services. Many no longer fear God. 2. "Mediator" (v. 24). Now we have come closer to God than ...

Showing results