Sermon and Worship Resources

Showing 2051 to 2075 of 3099 results

2051. I Went Down to the River to Pray

Mark 1:4-11

Sermon

Robert J. Elder

... abandonment: sickness, poverty, homelessness, disease, injustice, unemployment, loneliness, warfare. The opening sentence of Genesis should be read with the emphasis placed not upon the object of creation — in the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth — but upon the subject: In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth. Affirming that to be true, what force could ultimately displace us? We have all been thinking for many weeks and months of those service men and women on duty at ...

2052. Family Values

Mark 3:20-35

Sermon

Kristin Borsgard Wee

... parents. We all go through some kind of separation from parents in the process of finding ourselves. Later in life, when our parents are gone, we find we are still separating from our image of them. But revolting against family is not freedom. Revolt just subjects us to another kind of law. Paul Tillich, the theologian, put it like this: "What is necessary finally is dependence on that which gives ultimate independence."1 Our goal is to depend on God. For Jesus, family is not about genetics and who raised ...

2053. But Is It True?

Luke 2:8-20, Romans 16:25-27

Sermon

Scott Suskovic

... , just the imagination of a maverick, renegade scribe gone wild in the sixth century making the Christmas story as believable as the story of Jack and the beanstalk? You see, there comes a point in which that question is no longer reserved for academia or the subject of a book trying to ride on the successful coattails of The Da Vinci Code or casual conversation around eggnog. There comes a time in which that question, "Is it true?" becomes a matter of life and death. The week before Christmas, I spend some ...

2054. The Fullness of Time

Galatians 4:4-7

Sermon

Scott Suskovic

... passively sits back waiting to be found. Ours is a God deeply committed to our eternal life and willingly manipulated world events, set in motion each piece of the puzzle, and announced his promise to you that in the fullness of time, God sent his Son, born of a woman, subject to the law to buy freedom for us who were slaves to the law, so that he could adopt us as his very own children. Amen.

2055. The Width and Depth of God’s Grace

Romans 6:3-5, 1 Peter 3:18-22

Sermon

Nancy Kraft

... , now saves you — not as a removal of dirt from the body, but as an appeal to God for a good conscience, through the resurrection of Jesus Christ, who has gone into heaven and is at the right hand of God, with angels, authorities, and powers made subject to him. — 1 Peter 3:18-22 Now, if you couldn't follow all that, you're not alone. This passage has been the center of controversy among Christians for hundreds of years. Over a dozen different theories have tried to explain what Peter means here ...

2056. Genuine Hope

Romans 4:13-25

Sermon

Nancy Kraft

... become Jews? For males in particular, this wasn't something you'd want to go through unless it was absolutely necessary. Now, as a missionary to the Gentiles, Paul was particularly sensitive to their plight. His biggest objection to the whole idea of Christians being subject to the Jewish law was mostly theological. In this passage, he is making a strong case by using the example of Abraham. Would any who argued against Paul dare to say that the father of them all, Abraham, was not righteous before God? And ...

2057. The Ear, the Tongue, and the Temper: A Lesson in Spiritual Anatomy

James 1:17-27

Sermon

Thomas Lentz

... a city" (Proverbs 16:32). The ear, the tongue, and the temper — all three elements of our personal and physical anatomy, yet all three ruled with special distinction when they become integrated within the anatomy of our faith. The ear, the tongue, the temper — even these for the Christian are subject to the rule of Christ in our lives. Amen.

2058. Oops! I Did It Again

Matthew 16:21-28

Sermon

King Duncan

... trip he noticed a porter moving about with a decided limp. The porter told young Emery that he had an ingrown toenail. A chiropodist had worked on it the previous day, and it had become infected. Obviously he was in great pain. They talked about other subjects and Emery went to bed. During breakfast the next morning Emery’s father commented upon the way the porter appeared to be in pain. Emery filled him in on the reason. After the meal, Emery went back to the observation car, returning to their car a ...

2059. A Difficult Day to Follow Jesus

Matthew 18:21-35

Sermon

King Duncan

... who sins against me? Up to seven times?’” Jesus answered, “I tell you, not seven times, but seventy times seven.” Don’t you think that is an interesting lesson for this day? After all, this is the ultimate lesson in all of scripture on the subject of forgiveness and, when it comes to 9-11, forgiveness is the last thing many Americans plan to do. The day after September 11, Bishop William H. Willimon saw a couple being interviewed on the news. They were standing on the street, before the wreckage ...

2060. An Attitude of Mercy

Illustration

John A. Terry

... Mrs. Tulloch was resting on a couch in her room. When the Queen was announced, Mrs. Tulloch struggled to rise quickly from the couch and to curtsy. The Queen stepped forward: "My dear," she said, "don't rise. I am not coming to you today as a queen to a subject, but as one woman who has lost her husband to another." That is what God did in the person of Jesus. He came not as a removed monarch, but as one of us. In his mercy, Jesus shared in our own pain. And so this attitude of mercy is a ...

2061. Jesus Would Do What?

Philippians 2:1-11

Sermon

King Duncan

... he does. But he also understands that human beings are by nature self-centered. Nobody really has to tell us to love ourselves. Of course there are some people who need to learn to stand up for themselves. Some people allow themselves to be subjected to all kinds of abuse because of their unwillingness to assert themselves. But do not confuse this with humility. News columnist Bill Farmer tells about J. Upton Dickson, a fun‑loving person who announced he was writing a book about people who let others ...

2062. Where's Dad?

Matthew 2:13-18

Drama

Arley K. Fadness

Theme: Parenting, fathering (A preaching subject may be on Joseph as a fatherly role model.) Characters: Brad Nelson Bowling Alley Proprietor Stranger Tone: Thoughtful, emotionally painful Setting/Props: Bowling alley setting with bowling balls Table and chairs Soda Telephone Approximate time: 5-7 minutes (Brad Nelson is sitting at a table sipping a soda. Bowling alley ...

2063. The Adoption

John 1:1-18

Drama

Arley K. Fadness

... in that area. (sarcastically) How long have you lived in the ghetto? Dylan and Dorie: (look smitten) We weren’t, Uncle Gus ... (laugh nervously) Uncle Gus: I noticed you dress in trendy clothes — be careful or you’ll look like gang members. Mom: (changes subject) Well, Merry Christmas, Gus. Dad: And have a happy New Year! Let’s all sing a Christmas carol. (All sing “Deck The Halls.”) [Scene 3] Dylan: Do you really think Uncle Geezer will be invited to live here? Dorie: I’d rather have a ...

2064. Joy To the World

John 1:1-18

Drama

Arley K. Fadness

... was a dissenter for his religious views and really unjustly jailed. Issac: You’re not doing an exposé, are you? Reporter: No, no — I want to interview you — they say as a small boy you amused your parents by writing rhymes. Issac: (visibly relieved at the subject) That I did. Reporter: They say you showed the signs of poetic genius and ... Issac: (interrupts) I don’t know about that. It is true I wrote hymns for worship at church. Reporter: Tell me about that. How did you happen to write hymns? I ...

2065. Get the Monkey off Your Back

Matthew 22:15-22

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

... , but with a distinctively twenty-first century difference. Instead of the power of an authoritative official determining the participant’s willingness to “zap” or nuke, this time the only impetus to pull the trigger was . . . money. The experiment instructed subjects: “Either administer a painful electric shock to a person in another room and make one British pound (about $1.50), or spare the person the shock and forgo the money.” Although initially 64% of the participants claimed they would ...

2066. God Is the Hound of Heaven

Jeremiah 31:7-14

Sermon

Richard Gribble

Students of American history have always been fascinated by the life and career of the sixteenth president of the United States, Abraham Lincoln. Honest Abe, as his Kentucky and Illinois peers knew him, is the subject of history lessons from primary school through graduate school education. Lincoln was the stereotypical backwoodsman who felt the call to public service on local, state, and national levels. He became well known for his anti-slavery political and moral stance and saw his goal as president to ...

2067. Troubled Waters

Genesis 9:8-17

Sermon

Ken Lentz

... from Johnstown, Pennsylvania, died and went to heaven. Saint Peter was directing the activities and explained to him, "Each Friday we have a get-together for the new members. To break the ice, every new member must make a speech to all the others here, on any subject desired." The man from Johnstown said, "I think I'll talk on the Johnstown flood." Saint Peter replied, "I think it's all right but I'd better warn you; Noah will be in the audience." The story of Noah's ark has its origins in ancient history ...

2068. Joy Is for Leaping

Song of Songs 2:8-13

Sermon

Donna Schaper

... awesome reproductivity of earth and spring, of fig tree and gazelles, of dinner dates and gazing at each other through lattice. The church is always talking about something important: life and death, birth and fecundity. We have a lot to say about the subject. Most of it is terribly important. No wonder there are so many good fights about it. Spring is important. How we think about is important. Spring is connected to important matters like sensuality, seed corn, sexuality, and vacation. Solomon knew it all ...

2069. Having a Good Name

Proverbs 1:20-33

Sermon

Donna Schaper

... creed. A creed is a statement of belief, within or outside of a religious context. It is the choice to commit to this rather than that. We name ourselves by X, not Y. What is good about creeds, according to Jaroslav Pelican, the best scholar on the subject, is that they save us from short term being. They link us to long pasts. They are a stay against individualism, which is different than individuality. Names are often individual parts of group goals. We name ourselves by who we belong to. This loss of ...

2070. Finding the Good Woman Part in Us All

Proverbs 31:10-31

Sermon

Donna Schaper

... aggressively by the church so that she would not have religious power. Dan Brown, an unlikely agent of the Holy Spirit, but an agent nevertheless, has told Mary Magdalene's story in such a way that the poor woman has been on the cover of Time and Newsweek, is the subject of a movie, and I could go on. Despite the happy ending of Brown's book, women remain hidden. For years, I kept a tab on my refrigerator of how many women were on the front page of the New York Times. It wasn't pretty compared to the number ...

2071. Practice What You Preach

Illustration

... you to prepare a sermon on the Ten Commandments, and to bear down especially on stealing, because there is a great deal of stealing on the plantation." The slave's countenance fell at once. He said he wouldn't like to do that; there wasn't the warmth in that subject there was in others. I have noticed that people are satisfied when you preach about the sins of the patriarchs, but they don't like it when you touch upon the sins of today.

2072. Secure and Sure

Illustration

Source Unknown

... I'm living in sin, I'll make it. After all, 'once saved, always saved!'" The third group are born-again believers who enjoy a warm, secure relationship with Christ each day. The objective basis of our salvation is the finished work of God's Son on the cross. The subjective basis for our assurance is our believing the truth about Christ (I John 2:2,4; 2:15; 5:1), loving the brethren (I John 3:14, 18, 19, 4:7-8), and obeying Christ's commandments (I John 2:3-5).

2073. Waves & Waves of Liquid Love

Acts 2:1-13

Illustration

Brett Blair

... tears. I must have continued in this state for a good while. I returned to the front office, but as I turned and was about to take a seat by the fire, I received a mighty baptism of the Holy Ghost. Without any recollection that I had ever heard the subject mentioned by any person in the world, the Holy Spirit descended upon me in a manner that seemed to come in waves of liquid love; it seemed like the very breath of God. I wept aloud with joy and love."

2074. Value of the Bible

Illustration

Staff

... to support you, and comfort to cheer you. It is the traveler's map, the pilgrim's staff, the pilot's compass, the soldier's sword, and the Christian's character. Here paradise is restored, heaven opened, and the gates of hell disclosed. Christ is its grand subject, our good its design, and the glory of God its end. It should fill the memory, rule the heart, and guide the feet. Read it slowly, frequently, prayerfully. It is a mine of wealth, a paradise of glory, and a river of pleasure. Follow its precepts ...

2075. Collecting Compliments

Illustration

The brilliant physician and writer Oliver Wendell Holmes, Sr., and his brother John represent two radically different views on the subject of flattery. Dr. Holmes loved to collect compliments, and when he was older he indulged his pastime by saying to someone who had just praised his work, "I am a trifle deaf, you know. Do you mind repeating that a little louder?" John, however, was unassuming and content to be ...

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