Sermon and Worship Resources

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Showing 2076 to 2100 of 4957 results

2076. Which Way To Jesus?

John 12:20-36

Sermon

Harry N. Huxhold

... . The city had undoubtedly better than doubled its population with all the visitors. Crowded in and among them were the followers of Jesus who must have also grown in number as Jesus received the ovation and outstanding recognition on Sunday. No doubt anyone who had claimed any association with Jesus now wanted to be a part of his scene. Well, there were other people, too, who wanted to meet Jesus. It is their experience with Jesus that is worthy of our attention. The Greeks In the crowds pressing to get to ...

2077. Easter Jogging

John 20:1-18

Sermon

Harry N. Huxhold

... were completely unnerved by the presence of the empty tomb. Yet the people who had the most trouble with Easter were none other than the disciples of our Lord. It is a most striking feature of all the Easter Gospels that not one of them portrays a hero who claims to know that this is what the disciples should have expected. Not one of them says, "We should have known this was going to happen." It did not dawn on a single member of our Lord's company to say, "After all of the surprises, the wonderful things ...

2078. Easter Power

John 20:19-23, John 20:24-31

Sermon

Harry N. Huxhold

... natural ways for a human to come into the room. Yet the Risen Christ is able to communicate with the disciples. The very first thing that he does is to give them the evidence of what had taken place. He reintroduces himself as their Lord and Master. His credential for claiming his place in the center of their lives is a scar. He is able to show them the badges of honor he wore because of his crucifixion. He has five scars. They are the nail prints in hands and his feet and the wound where he was lanced in ...

2079. Easter Understanding

Luke 24:36-49

Sermon

Harry N. Huxhold

... there are breakdowns in communication with the world as to significance of the Christian Gospel. However, it is also true that the communications between Christians are also not the best. In spite of the fact that one denomination after another claims total allegiance to the scriptures, we have significant differences in interpretation. Then there are the so-called non-denominational Bible study groups who come along to tell us they will clear up the communications by taking everything literally, and all ...

2080. Anybody Listening?

Mark 6:1-6

Sermon

William G. Carter

... are parents, we also steer kids away from the Sunday comics, wash behind dirty ears, tie stiff shoes, brush someone's hair in the face of certain opposition, and beg everybody to get into the car. It's hard work getting ready for worship! But if we wish to claim a home in God's kingdom, we need to truly get ready for worship. What does that mean? It means to enter the sanctuary with a hungry heart, to whisper a prayer for God to speak even if people around us are speaking inanities, to tune into the prelude ...

2081. From The Redemption Of A King To A King Of Redemption

2 Samuel 23:1-7

Sermon

Zan W. Holmes

... man, King David slept with her. In order to conceal his deed, he had her husband, Uriah, placed in the forefront of an upcoming battle -- then had his general order the rest of the army to fall back so Uriah would be killed. King David them claimed Bathsheba for himself. But what made David's sin so great and notable is that David was the king! Uriah was his subject. David represented the host country. Uriah was the Hittite, the stranger, an alien who had married into the tribe. David, the king, represented ...

2082. The Sign For Home

John 6:1-15

Sermon

George W. Hoyer

... only recording the fact that Jesus said "grace" before lunch. We will hear the echo of that blessing later when we prepare our table for another of our Lord's bread blessings. In fact, we will think more about that in the next four Sundays as the gospels record Jesus' claim to be the bread from heaven. But for now, focus on the meaning of this sign. It shows us the way home. Try to see this as God sees it. God had been setting up signs for home ever since the first couple had been put out of their home ...

2083. Love And Money

Mark 10:17-31

Sermon

William G. Carter

... tenth chapter of Mark. It begins as a success story. Jesus is preaching about the kingdom of God, traveling here and there. Somebody runs up, kneels down, and says, "Jesus, what must I do to get whatever you've been talking about? What must I do to claim the life of God's eternal realm?" Obviously that's the kind of question Jesus wants to hear. For seven chapters he has been surrounded by disciples who chase away children, quiver in disbelief, and argue over which of them is the greatest. Finally, here's ...

2084. No Box Seats In The Kingdom

Mark 10:35-45

Sermon

William G. Carter

... office and I didn't want it but, once the Lord calls" ... Methodist preachers take all of this with a grain of salt, the same way Baptist congregations have learned to be somewhat skeptical when one of their preachers moves on to a better church claiming, "I hate to leave this church and I would rather stay here, but the Lord calls." Baptists note that the Lord rarely calls someone out of one church into another church unless that church has a higher salary. Methodists have likewise noted that there have ...

2085. Can You See Where We're Going

Mark 10:46-52

Sermon

William G. Carter

... , imagination, and interest in urban ministry. People of courage are invited to apply. Would it surprise you to learn that those are two potential advertisements for the same church? Both advertisements are true of one congregation I know. The difference between the ads lies in what they claim to see. Is the church of Jesus called to sit at the high places in stained glass glory? Or is it our business to stay on the road to the cross? The truth is people see only what they want to see. The Gospel of Mark ...

2086. When All Is Said And Done

Mark 13:1-31

Sermon

William G. Carter

... of the world, as much as he speaks of a world that is coming to an end. One hopes we can hear the difference. For, in a world like this, human institutions like the Temple crumble apart stone by stone. It seems an inevitable part of this age. But Jesus claims this worn-out world is passing away. In a world like this, there are people who stand up to tell the truth, who speak good news, and who point to what God is doing. As a result, they are abused, beaten down, and betrayed by those close at hand. That ...

2087. It Is Blessed To Receive

Luke 17:11-19

Sermon

William G. Carter

... discovered on the road he did not have a priest like the others. Where else could he go, but back to Jesus? Whatever the reason, the text offers no explanation why he returned to offer thanks and others did not. While nine former companions moved ahead to claim their future, he paused, turned back, and said, "Thank you!" There is no obvious reason for his return. No one prompted him to do it. Neither did anyone urge him to say thanks. All we know is this man, more than anybody else, knew how to receive ...

2088. It's OK To Stir Up God

Luke 11:1-13

Sermon

Richard Patt

... as persons. What would you imagine those to be? The first need we have, the speaker said, is to know someone who will listen to us. We all have a story to tell, a need to verbalize our feelings. We want someone who will listen to that. Secondly, he claimed, we want the person listening to believe what we are saying. We want someone who will trust our story. Finally, the television speaker said that when we have found such a person who listens to us and trusts us, we want to be assured that such a person is ...

2089. Rich In God's Sight

Luke 12:13-21

Sermon

Richard Patt

... take time to listen to them. They stand on tiptoe in their desire to make meaningful commitments. Young people are ready; they are always standing near the edge of responding. They are eager souls. But at this point a lot of adult persons would claim that they have a heart for children, their own and youth generally. Concerned adult Christians would further point out that they do feel an urgency about the whole matter. Indifference is not their problem. But a problem does plague them: they feel inadequate ...

2090. Dinner Parties With A Difference

Luke 7:36-50

Sermon

Maurice A. Fetty

... here today? Who then is welcome at Jesus' table? Christians with Pharisaic attitudes like those of Simon believe only the good people should gather at the table, that only the worthy should come to Christ's dinner party. His feast, they claim, is only for those who have "arrived" religiously. Those of lesser religious and moral status politely should excuse themselves. Not so, says Jesus. Untrue. Unlike dinner parties which are called to enhance our mutual admiration society, my dinner party is different ...

2091. Why Did Pastor Hypnotize Jenny?

Jeremiah 33:1-26

Sermon

Tony Everett

... Word of God. And so were you. So were we. Just as the Hebrews in Jeremiah's day, we might act as if we are hypnotized by all the discouraging and disappointing happenings around us and within us. Nevertheless, Gary, you have reminded us that we are baptized, we are claimed by God, and we are named children of the Heavenly Father, forever. The Lord is our righteousness. The days are here. The promise has been fulfilled. Christ has come! Christ is coming! Christ will come again!

2092. How Long Will You Limp? (Because God Is Tired Of The Bull)

1 Kings 18:16-46

Sermon

Carlyle Fielding Stewart

... stop limping and start walking with confidence, trust, and faith in God! How long will you limp between two opinions, people of God? It is time to take the moral high ground, to stand on the pinnacles of trust and confidence in God, to put the bulls aside, and to claim the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob as the foundation to our hope and future as a people of God! How long will you limp? Amen!

2093. Extreme Measures

1 Kings 21:1-29

Sermon

Carlyle Fielding Stewart

... are unafraid of the repercussions of power, but possess the strength and resolve to be advocates for human justice. Such persons put their lives on the line for love, truth and freedom. They know the hazards of the undertaking, but they speak for God and claim his promises for victory. They are men and women who do not shirk the awesome task of exacting justice and speaking truth to the powerful. Elijah was courageous in his confrontation of King Ahab. He prophesied that Ahab, too, would meet an awful end ...

2094. A Christian With A Conflict Of Interest

Isaiah 5:1-7

Sermon

James McLemore

... always home, always alone. She complained about her job, she complained about her husband, sometimes she even complained about the Lord. She said she was just trying to get the Lord's attention, but Saturday she was trying to get the attention of available men. She claimed that she wasn't the best person, but she wasn't the worst person. She was a Christian, but she had this conflict of interest. The child of this dynamic duo was a desperate child. He was in-between, in-between childhood and adulthood, in ...

2095. Glowworms

Revelation 7:9-17

Illustration

William Manchester

... cram into it!" He then went on to speak at length about the shortness of life and ended by saying, "We are all worms. But I do believe that I am a glowworm." Because of Jesus Christ, all who trust in him as Savior and Lord can make the same claim.

2096. Advent 1

Luke 21:5-38, 1 Thessalonians 3:6-13, Jeremiah 33:1-26, Psalm 25:1-22

Sermon Aid

William E. Keeney

... the Ukraine and went to Siberia in the nineteenth century, and the Branch Davidians in Texas in this century. These groups have ignored the clear warning of Jesus to his disciples that only God knows the future with certainty. We should be wary of any who claim to predict exactly when, where, and how Christ will return and usher in a new age on earth. 4. Certainty in the Midst of Uncertainty. While life is fragile and the future fraught with uncertainty, we do not need to live with constant apprehension and ...

2097. The Blind Guiding The Blind

Psalm 92:1-15, Luke 6:46-49, 1 Corinthians 15:35-58, Isaiah 55:1-13, Luke 6:37-42

Sermon Aid

William E. Keeney

... propose to do, that strengthens you in doing it. It is harder for you to live lower than what you want to be since you have stated to others your highest purposes. Is it perhaps a difference between the demand you place on yourself as opposed to a claim you make as to what you have achieved? To pretend that you have already arrived when you are not truly aspiring to get there is perhaps the crux of hypocrisy. Homily Hints 1. Good Disciple-Teacher Relations. (v. 40) Jesus says that a disciple is not above ...

2098. Proper 6

Luke 7:36-50, Galatians 2:11-21, 1 Kings 21:1-29, Psalm 5:1-12

Sermon Aid

William E. Keeney

... the setting of the parable. CONTEXT Context of Luke Luke places the parable in a setting immediately following an encounter with the disciples of John the Baptist. John wonders about Jesus' mission since Jesus did not follow the ascetic practices of John. Jesus claims the test of his ministry is not in a life in the wilderness but in the followers he produces. His eating with people usually avoided by the strict religious leaders sometimes led to the accusation that Jesus was a glutton and winebibber. Luke ...

2099. Proper 10

Luke 10:25-37, Colossians 1:1-14, Amos 7:10-17, Psalm 82:1-8

Sermon Aid

William E. Keeney

... what Amos has said to King Jeroboam. Amaziah, the priest at Bethel, then admonishes Amos to return to Judah from where he had come and not continue to bother Israel with his prophecies. Amos first disclaims that he is a prophet but then proceeds to claim he has a prophecy from the Lord to deliver to Israel. He delivers the warning of dire consequences to Israel as a result of their actions. The Second Lesson. (Colossians 1:1-14) Paul commends the Colossians for their faithfulness and love for all the ...

2100. Prepared Servants

Luke 12:35-48

Sermon Aid

William E. Keeney

... ! We live in a universe that has certain regularities to it. That is what makes science possible. A basic assumption of science is that a condition must be publicly verifiable to be accepted as part of this regularity of nature. If what a person claims to be a cause and effect relationship cannot be reproduced by someone else in the same circumstances, it is suspected and is not accepted as a true finding. Christians believe, however, that a realm of being exists where personal freedom allows for the ...

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