Sermon and Worship Resources

Showing 2051 to 2075 of 3160 results

2051. Fruit with Feet

Acts 9:1-20

Sermon

Frank Ramirez

... and grandfathers, and plenty of babies. All the windows were open, and still it was hot, very hot inside, yet no one left. No one wanted to leave, because when someone like Brother Dove came to preach it was something special, very special. The songs were the sorts of songs that everyone already knew. A sweaty man in the front of the church moved his arms up and down, right and left, to direct the singing, but everyone already knew the songs. They didn't need songbooks, which was a good thing, as there ...

2052. What Are You Looking At?

Acts 1:1-11

Sermon

Frank Ramirez

... , Luke presents the resurrection appearances of Jesus as real events and intends to do the same with the ascension of Jesus, which occurs at the end of the gospel and is reviewed at the beginning of Acts. Jesus returns to life not as some vague sort of spirit, or a good feeling sharing by the surviving disciples. Luke is at pains to demonstrate that the risen Jesus could eat and drink with the disciples! He wants us to accept it as something extraordinary that happened in the ordinary world. Jesus leaves ...

2053. The Kindness of Strangers

1 Kings 17:8-24

Sermon

Stan Purdum

... of the northern Hebrew kingdom, Israel. Ahab sat on the throne from 874 to 853, B.C. The chronicler who wrote 1 Kings says of Ahab that he "did evil in the sight of the Lord more than all who were before him" (1 Kings 16:30). Comments of that sort about Israel's kings were not so much judgments on a monarch's governing and political policies as on his religious leadership of the nation. It was a way of saying the king was an idolater, one who worshiped false gods. That was true about Ahab, but in his case ...

2054. The Smell of Bread

2 Kings 2:1-2, 6-14

Sermon

Stan Purdum

... the Jordan River. At each of the destinations, Elijah tries to leave Elisha behind, telling him to remain there because the Lord was telling Elijah to move on. But each time, Elisha refuses and sticks like glue to Elijah. Also, at each destination, bands of prophets (sort of the divinity students of that day) come to Elisha and tell him that the Lord will take Elijah from him that day. To each group, Elisha says that he knows all that, but will not let them say more. Finally, after Elijah miraculously parts ...

2055. Tales of the Spiritually Stupid

Jeremiah 4:11-12, 18-22

Sermon

Lee Ann Dunlap

... program. "Many of these kids get off the bus in our parking lot," the pastor observed. "Some of them stick around and play at our basketball hoop." "But those kids don't belong to our church," came one member's objection. Okay — that was sort of the point! Then there's the pastor in Illinois who, like many others, scheduled her mornings in the office and afternoons doing hospital calls and home visitation. At her annual evaluation, part of the congregation complained they could never reach her because she ...

2056. Living the Vision

Habakkuk 1:1-4, 2:1-4

Sermon

John Wayne Clarke

... about it, and we are the heirs of that vision today. We owe Habakkuk a great debt of gratitude for his faithfulness and strength. In the final analysis, Habakkuk saw sin and anticipated punishment for those sins. As a great religious thinker, Habakkuk undertook to sort through the evidence and put together a vision of a faith that was both logical and enduring. Praise God from whom all blessings flow — especially for the prophet Habakkuk who wrote the vision and made it plain to us today, in our time and ...

2057. Isaiah: The Prophet of Gloom and Glory

Isaiah 65:17-25

Sermon

John Wayne Clarke

... well liked. But like most prophets, he soon became unpopular because his messages were so difficult to hear. He called the people to turn from their lives of sin and warned them of God's judgment and punishment. No one wants to hear that sort of message. Many believe that Isaiah had an active ministry for sixty years before he was executed during Manesseh's reign (according to tradition). Like Micah, Isaiah saw the nation, Israel, as a sinful people who, in spite of their material wealth, were really quite ...

2058. Thanks for Receiving Thanksgiving

Deuteronomy 26:1-11

Sermon

John Wayne Clarke

... we have been set free from. When we acknowledge that our firstfruits are probably a pay check, the question becomes, how does that check become firstfruits? Now the murmur will go up that here comes another plea for money. The church is always looking for money. Well, sort of. Thankful hearts come to us as we ponder and appreciate those things in our lives that give us a sense of security and hope. But most people do not think about their good heath, or financial well being, or clothes on their backs, and a ...

2059. John 11:32-44

John 11:17-37

Sweet

Leonard Sweet

... , the stench of death will be nauseatingly overpowering. Note that in contrast to Jesus’ own resurrection, the stone blocking Lazarus’s tomb must be rolled away by human hands–as will the removal of the burial cloths. Lazarus’ resurrection is of a different sort than Jesus’ will be. This first resurrection is the restoration of life to a human body, and as such requires that human hands help prepare the way. The resurrected body of Christ will need no such human assistance. Jesus reminds Martha of ...

2060. The Good News about the Future

Mark 13:1-31

Sermon

King Duncan

... or slip and fall on it, hurting or killing itself upon impact. Of course, he never did get any monsters, but he did manage to hurt his father who slipped on the Jello instead. (2) The apocalyptic language of Mark 13 about the end of the world is not the sort of thing you want to read right before falling off to sleep. It’s that scary. But life is scary. Isn’t it? I don’t want to ruin your day, but even if you and I are not here when history comes to an end and the “stars fall ...

2061. Journey To The Heart Of Christmas

Luke 2:1-7

Drama

Lois Anne DeLong

... . Why don’t you cover him with it? Miriam: What’s his name? Mary: Jesus. Jordana: That’s a strange name. Why not John or Adam? David: Or, David, like me? Joseph: It’s kind of a long story. This is a baby born for a special purpose. So, he sort of needs a special name. Besides, there already was a famous David in my family. I don’t think we need another one. Ruth: Special purpose? How can he have a purpose when he can’t even talk yet? Mary: Not all purposes require talking. I don’t know exactly ...

2062. “Unto Us A Child Is Born... Next, On Omar”

Luke 2:1-7

Drama

Lois Anne DeLong

... of us were. Wise Man 2: More than curious, as we later found out. Wise Man 1: He practically ordered us to find this king, so he could go worship him, too. Wise Man 2: We continued to follow the star, so we could deliver our gifts. Omar: So, what sort of gifts do you give a king? Wise Man 2: We brought him gold, frankincense, and myrrh. Wise Man 3: I suggested the myrrh. I like the smell. Jacob: It is different ... more along the lines of “Caravan” than “Camel No. 5.” Omar: (giving a dirty look to ...

2063. Good News about Christ

Revelation 1:4-8

Sermon

King Duncan

... Christ as Lord of all. Some of you may have seen the motion picture a few years back, The Apostle. Robert Duvall plays a flawed, but talented Pentecostal/holiness-type preacher. In one service he conducts a type of litany that is sort of a “Jesus cheer.” Imagine his congregation responding each time by shouting, “Jesus!” Who is the King of Kings?” “Jesus!” “Before Abraham was was who?” “Jesus!” “Who is the first and the last?” “Jesus!” “If I’m on the devil’s hit ...

2064. The Gratitude Attitude

Matt. 6:25-33; Psalm 100; Eph. 4:20; Luke 17:11-19; John 6:25-35

Illustration

Billy D. Strayhorn

Rev. John R. Ramsey tells how in one church a certain person provided him with a rose boutonniere for the lapel of his suit every Sunday. At first he really appreciated it but then it sort of became routine. Then one Sunday it became very special. As he was leaving the Sunday Service a young boy walked up to him and said, "Sir, what are you going to do with your flower?" At first the preacher didn't know what the boy was talking about. When ...

2065. The Last Word

John 18:33-37

Illustration

Steven E. Albertin

... with someone and couldn't let the matter drop? You just had to continue making your point. Why? Because you had to have the last word. If you have ever been in a classroom discussion, you have discovered the importance of that class reaching some sort of resolution and conclusion to the discussion. Students will often look to the teacher to settle the matter. The teacher has the last word. If you ever watched Ted Koppel on the late night television show Nightline, you saw him struggle with trying to be ...

2066. 1 Thessalonians 3:9-13

1 Thessalonians 3:6-13

Sweet

Leonard Sweet

... as well. Super-nanny Mary Poppins counseled that “A spoonful of sugar makes the medicine go down, in a most delightful way.” Or in more mountain culture terms, it’s called warming the water before you drown the cat. It is this same sort of good news/bad news scenario that Paul offers today in his letter to the Thessalonians. Having been forced to leave that fledgling Christian community before he really wanted to, Paul is genuinely relieved and greatly pleased to hear from Timothy that, against all ...

2067. If This Is Your Faith, Tell Me Your Stories

1 Thessalonians 3:6-13

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

... faith stories, prayers, and parables that needed to be communicated to that first, most crucial generation. If the first generation, which for Christians is every generation, doesn’t “get it right,” doesn’t hear the message, then there will be no more. Some sort of belief system might endure for a while, watered down and without roots, an air fern faith. But the heart of the story the “God the Father,” “Jesus the Lord,” “love one another” center of our faith would eventually be lost. The ...

2068. The Whole Family Survival Kit

Luke 3:1-20

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

... story that needs some refurbishing or restoration. Last week we suggested that it was far more likely Joseph and Mary stayed in the lower level of one of Joseph’s relatives’ homes when they finally arrived in Bethlehem. If so, there would have been all sorts of family members hovering around. It would have been unheard of for Joseph to help Mary in the delivery of her baby. Attending to a woman in childbirth has always been a female domain. Any available female relative would have been with Mary. Joseph ...

2069. Every Kiss Begins with K

Luke 3:1-20

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

... , faster and further had become the whole point of Christmas. Determined to cure her kids of the “gimmes,” this Mom invented “The Present Game,” and the children learned to “play” it all year long. Each child was given a sack or container of some sort and told to go and choose something in the house to put in it. The present had to fit in the container and they were instructed to find something they though their sibling would like. Then the “gifts” were exchanged. The rules of “The Present ...

2070. I Am the Vine

John 15:1-17

Sermon

Maxie Dunnam

... his prodding and probing. By realizing his presence, by responding to his prodding and probing, and now, three, by resting in his peace. I mean by that, not an escape from the world, but a resting in Christ which enables us to engage the world. I mean the sort of thing that can come to us in the midst of the noise and den of our daily life, in the dark night of confusion and suffering, in the tension of temptation and the rigorous demands of the struggle for moral responsibility. The anonymous poet knew the ...

2071. I Am the Alpha and the Omega

Revelation 1:1-3

Sermon

Maxie Dunnam

... , and Methodist and Presbyterians and Episcopalians, and Lutherans are mainline if you didn’t know that. In our mainline churches, we don’t talk much about the second coming. And therefore, there is a vacuum of thought and conviction, and people are left to all sorts of confused and distorted notions. Now this is not the setting to argue. I do not want to argue, I want to affirm. It interests me that the churches that have kept the great creeds of the church alive, the mainline churches, are those who ...

2072. Deliverance through Thanksgiving

Psalm 50:1-23

Sermon

Maxie Dunnam

... that he had done or maybe for a lot of things that he’d done. He stood to receive the award and to make a response, but he got his tongue twisted, and he said, I don’t appreciate this, but I certainly deserve it. Well, we, we put that sort of twist to the facts of our life. We interpret our success; we interpret our achievements and accomplishments as the result of our own doing. Now this has come home to me in a powerful way, as I have followed the devastating famine tragedy in Africa. Can you see ...

2073. The Rewards of Waiting

Isaiah 25:1-12

Sermon

Maxie Dunnam

... comes out of anything when we prepare for it. One of the reasons the great festival of the church do not have the meaning that they have the potential of having is that we don’t make the preparation for them that we should make. We sort of drift into them. The day comes and we’re there and we garner whatever meaning is available to us then. So Christmas comes and Christmas goes. Easter comes and Easter goes. Pentecost comes and Pentecost goes. And, and the meaning that these great events of Christian ...

2074. What the Lord Does Best

Exodus 1:1-22

Sermon

Maxie Dunnam

... it to you. While we in our modern day try to hide the fact of death, people in another day lived with the inevitability of death, it was a part of their life. And Russell Baker describes how it was in his little community in a beautiful sort of way. Listen to him. ‘Morrisonville had not developed the modern disgust with death. It was not treated as an obscenity to be confined to hospitals and funeral homes. In Morrisonville, death was a common part of life. It came for the young, as relentlessly as it ...

2075. Encouragement from a Friend

Luke 1:39-45

Illustration

Keith Wagner

Theodor was an artist of sorts. He drew cartoons for a living but he wasn't getting anywhere. So, he decided to try his hand at writing and illustrating children's books. After twenty-seven rejections of his book, "A Story No One Can Beat," he was ready to give up. On his way home to ...

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