Sermon and Worship Resources

Showing 2051 to 2075 of 3852 results

2051. Three Eggs, Not Bad!

Matthew 7:21-29

Illustration

There is an old joke that circulates frequently in preaching journals and on the Internet. It serves to bring me back to earth when I think about my own preaching. It is one of those stories whose origin is unknown. Just before going into surgery a pastor's wife told him that should she not survive the surgery, he should be sure to check the shoebox under their bed. She went into surgery, he to the waiting room. "Shoebox under the bed?" he thought. Their home was nearby. ...

2052. Cook Food. Serve Love.

Matthew 10:1-42

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

... the Christ.” In fact, Jesus’ words are startling. When disciples go out and are welcomed by others it IS welcoming Jesus. Disciples are not “imitations.” Disciples are the real deal. Disciples are not “copies,” or a copy of a copy. Disciples are “originals.” Do you hear it? Jesus IS present, God IS present when disciples come in the name of the one who has sent them. It’s not about “imitation.” It’s about implantation. No wonder “welcoming” is such a mandate. Instead of a Kempis ...

2053. Historic: Background to the Declaration of Independence

Galatians 5:1-15

Illustration

Staff

... of "natural law" differed in that it substituted the inalienable right of "the pursuit of happiness" for "property," emphasizing that happiness is the product of civic virtue and public duty. The concept of the "pursuit of happiness" originated in the Common Sense School of Scottish philosophy, of which Lord Kames was the best-known proponent. Jefferson emphasized the contractual justification for independence, arguing that when the tyrannical government of King George III of England repeatedly violated ...

2054. A Not So Simple Story of Demons and Pigs

Luke 8:26-39

Sermon

... them demonic. Over the years, I have accumulated a small list ... very small, really ... of people I would consider demonic. Not disagreeable. Not dislikable. Not even disgusting. But demonic. These people appear to be possessed by something that ... whatever its origin ... has gradually taken on a life and power of its own. Scott Peck suggests that whenever you meet such people, conventional therapies will simply not work. It requires something like exorcism. By way of definition, Peck defines exorcism as ...

2055. A World Without Easter

1 Corinthians 15:12-20

Sermon

James Merritt

... one word in Greek, the word pseudomartus. The word pseudo means "false." A pseudo intellectual is someone who thinks he is smart, but he is not. A pseudonym is a false name. The other half of the word is the word that gives us the English word "martyr." Now originally the word martyr did not mean someone who died for a cause, it meant witness. So literally the word is just what it says; we are false witnesses if Jesus Christ has not been raised from the dead. In fact, it is worse. If Jesus Christ has not ...

2056. They Lied and They Died

Acts 5:1-11

Sermon

James Merritt

... , a lesson about hypocrisy and deceit and lying to the Holy Spirit of God. I. The Deception of the Saints To put this story in context, we must go back to the last two verses of chapter 4 (Remember, the chapter divisions were not in the original manuscripts; they were added later to enable us to read the Bible more smoothly). "And Joses, who was also named Barnabas by the apostles (which is translated Son of Encouragement), a Levite of the country of Cyprus, having land, sold it, and brought the money and ...

2057. The Sword of the Lord

Hebrews 4:12-13

Sermon

James Merritt

... about the wonder, the wisdom, and the work of this the greatest of all books. We are told in no uncertain terms what the Bible is, what the Bible does, and why the Bible is unlike any other book that has ever been written. I. It Is Divine in Its Origin Just what is this book called the Bible? The term that is used for it here in v.12 is "the word of God." Even though this book was penned by 40 different writers, who wrote 66 different books over a period of 1600 years, it has only one author ...

2058. High and Lifted Up

Isaiah 6:1-8

Sermon

James Merritt

... Now you will notice in verse one the word Lord begins with a capital letter, and then is finished with lower case letters. But in verse five the word Lord appears in all capital letters. The reason for that is because two different Hebrew words are used in the original text. When the word Lord occurs in lower case letters, the translator is indicating to us that this is the word Adonai which is found in the Hebrew Bible. Adonai means "Sovereign One." It is not the name of God; it is a title for God. In fact ...

2059. The Supreme Worth of the Second Birth

John 3:1-9

Sermon

James Merritt

... , and came to earth as the Son of man, that sons of men might leave this earth and go to heaven as sons of God. The only way a son of man can become a son of God is to be born again into the family of God. I. The Origination of Regeneration Everyone on earth got here by birth, but no one chose to come here by birth. You did not choose to be born; you did not choose where you were born; you did not choose when you were born. Physical birth is something that happened to you without ...

2060. The Truth about Truth

John 8:31-32

Sermon

James Merritt

... Jn 16:13, "When He, the Spirit of truth has come, He will guide you into all truth." The Greek word for truth is a compound word made up of a verb and an alpha privative. When a Greek wanted to make a word mean the opposite of what it originally meant, he would prefix the Greek letter, alpha, to the beginning of the word. Now the word for truth is a word that comes from a verb that means "to escape notice, to be unseen, to be concealed." Attached to that is that little alpha privative which negates that ...

2061. The Church Is Alive and Well

Matthew 16:13-18

Sermon

James Merritt

... excathedra, his word is final. Well, I know that Peter could not have been a pope. Because the Bible says that Jesus healed Peter's mother-in-law. Why would he want a mother-in-law if he didn't even have a wife. But a little study of the original language will clear up any misunderstanding. Peter is from Petros, a masculine form of the Greek word for a small stone, a tiny boulder. If you are from Arkansas it means "little rock." But the word rock is from the Greek word Petra, which is the feminine form of ...

2062. Did You Know?

1 Timothy 1:15

Sermon

James Merritt

... as to reflect the crossing of the arms for prayers to the One who died on a cross.4 Today from Europe to Latin America, from Asia to Africa, from Australia to North America, restaurant is the universal word for an eating establishment. Did you know that the origin of the word restaurant goes back to a Bible verse taken out of context? The "rest" in restaurant comes from the promise of Jesus in Matthew 11:28, "Come to Me all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest." Prior to 1766, public ...

2063. You Can Take It to the Bank

2 Peter 3:1-10

Sermon

James Merritt

... going to be set free. But furthermore we are told that "the heavens will pass away with a great noise." That comes from a single Greek word which literally means "with a hissing and crackling sound," or "with the rushing sound as of roaring flames." Originally, it referred to the whizzing of an arrow rushing to its target. When the atomic bomb was first tested in the Nevada desert, more than one reporter said that it gave forth "a whirring sound," or "a crackling sound." Finally, we are told "the elements ...

2064. Confronting a Christless Culture

2 Timothy 3:1-17

Sermon

James Merritt

... If there is a God, has that God spoken?" Well, I am here to declare to you He has; inerrantly, infallibly, incomparably, and incontrovertibly through His Word. Paul calls it "given by inspiration." The word inspiration literally meaning "breathed out" by God. This Book originated in the mind of God, was communicated from the mouth of God, and elucidated by men of God moved by the Holy Spirit. That's why Jesus could say unequivocally, "Your Word is truth." (John 17:17) When the waves of eternity finally lap ...

2065. I Believe in Easter

Acts 9:1-29

Sermon

James Merritt

... , they started calling Edith "Edith Easter." Everybody on that floor was excited about Edith Easter except one woman. Her name was Phyllis Cross. She was the head nurse. She had been a nurse in an army hospital. She had seen it all and heard it all. She was the original G.I. Jane. She had been married three times, she was hard, cold, did everything by the book. She made it plain from the beginning "I don't want anything to do with this Edith Easter in Room 824. She is a religious nut." Well, one morning the ...

2066. Try a Little Kindness (Fruit of the Spirit: Kindness)

Galatians 5:22

Sermon

James Merritt

After Confederate General Robert E. Lee retired from the military, he was named President of Washington & Lee University in Lexington, Virginia, originally named Washington Academy because of a gift from George Washington. The name was changed in 1871 in honor of General Lee. While Lee was president of the University, a new student came into his office and asked for a copy of the school's rules and regulations. Lee looked at ...

2067. What Child Is This?

Isaiah 9:6-7

Sermon

James Merritt

... the Jehovah who is the Mighty God of chapter 10. He is in complete control of this universe. c. No Condemnation He is called "Eternal Father." This literally translated says, "He is the Father of eternity." For the Hebrew mind-set, a father denoted source, or origination. Jesus is the father of all things pertaining to eternity. In Heb. 1:10-12, listen to what God the Father said to God the Son: "You, Lord, in the beginning laid the foundation of the earth, and the heavens are the work of Your hands; They ...

2068. The Surety of Security

Jude 1:1-2

Sermon

James Merritt

... sentence. Now whenever the Greeks wanted to emphasize something, they would always put it last. Jude wants us to understand that everything he is about to say is true of us because of the calling of God. The word "calling" refers to an official summons. It originally referred to how someone would be summoned to fill an office, to assume a duty, or to take a position. The thing that Jude wants us to understand is that salvation begins with the call of God. Salvation does not begin with the sinner, it begins ...

2069. Don't Forget to Remember

Jude 1:5-7

Sermon

James Merritt

... . At the southern tip of the Dead Sea there is a massive processing plant which extracts these minerals from the Dead Sea to be used in Israel and around the world. Why do I tell you all of that? Because it is also on this very location that the original cities of Sodom and Gomorrah were located. Now, whatever remained of those cities is buried under a sea called the Dead Sea. Think about it. Buried at the bottom of the Dead Sea is a dead city Sodom and Gomorrah. The Lord Jesus said about Sodom and Gomorrah ...

2070. A Man on the Run

Jonah 1:1-4

Sermon

James Merritt

One of the all-time classic novels and movies, as you well know, is Gone with the Wind. You may not know, however, that the original story had more than just a kernel of truth in it. There was a Rhett Butler, but his real name was Rhett Turnipseed. Scarlet O'Hara was Emelyn Louise Hannon. In fact, Rhett did walk out on her and joined the Confederate Army. When the war was over, Rhett Turnipseed ...

2071. Dad: The Head of a Godly Family

Joshua 24:15

Sermon

James Merritt

... that most closely correlates with crime, it's not poverty," he said, "it's not employment, it's not education, it's the absence of the father in the family."9 Contrary to what the liberal political establishment wants you to believe, the true origins of the crime problem are family disintegration in general and the large number of young men disconnected from their families and wives and children. When young males are torn either from the discipline of their fathers or the social obligation of marriage and ...

2072. Away In a Manger

Luke 2:1-7

Sermon

James Merritt

... years before Caesar made his decree, before Quirinius ordered the census, God said that is where my Son will be born. I am sure that Caesar Augustus sat on his throne, in charge of the Roman world, thinking that he had made the decision that was altogether original and unique. But little did he know he was simply running the errands of a minor prophet named Micah. For Caesar Augustus had no idea that a teenaged pregnant girl, named Mary, was about to bare a Son, named Jesus, who would be the Savior of the ...

2073. Joy to the World

Luke 2:8-12

Sermon

James Merritt

... you will never understand the meaning of Christmas, nor the real joy of Christmas until you get into your heart that Christmas is the coming of a Savior. The title Savior, the noun salvation, and the verb to save, are found in every book in the New Testament. The origin of these words is the Latin salvare, which means to make safe or secure. It means to deliver from the penalty and the power of sin. The Apostle John said, "And we have seen and testify that the Father has sent the Son as Savior of the world ...

2074. Are You Going to Fish or Cut Bait?

Mark 1:16-18

Sermon

James Merritt

... hired staffs and appointed committees and held many meetings to define fishing, to defend fishing, and to decide what new streams should be thought about. But the staff and committee members did not fish. Large elaborate and expensive training centers were built whose original and primary purpose was to teach fishermen how to fish. Over the years courses were offered on the needs of fish, the nature of fish, where to find fish, the psychological reactions of fish, and how to approach and feed fish. Those ...

2075. How to Turn the Ballot into a Blessing Box

Proverbs 29:2

Sermon

James Merritt

... and marched right through the gates. We had better learn in America how to turn the ballot box into a blessing box, and we do it by being a righteous people, voting for righteous leaders. For only then can we ask God to bless America. 1 David Barton, Original Intent, pp. 332-333. 2 Ibid. p. 335. 3 Ibid. p. 333. 4 From the Website WWW.ChristianAnswers.net 5 Richard Capel, Finish Strong, p. 15. 6 From the Website WWW.washtimes.com 7 Barton, Op.Cit., p. 333. 8 Cited by John Maxwell, Developing the Leader ...

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