Sermon and Worship Resources

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Showing 2076 to 2100 of 4934 results

2076. When Jesus Comes

Luke 8:22-25

Sermon

Maxie Dunnam

"Jesus walks in church today, Jesus speaks while people pray Touch and hear one bowed in grief Strengthening a weak belief, Healing habits too long King, Showing judgments reckoning, Granting one a new life's start. His garment's hem just brushed my heart. (Quoted by Leonard H. Budd, Jesus Christ My Healer, Church of the Savior, Cleveland, Ohio). Did that take you by surprise? Plunging right in, quoting a poem, every word of which you need to get to get the picture. You who are regular attenders and hear ...

2077. A Chosen People

Isaiah 43:14-28

Sermon

King Duncan

A major university experienced an amazing turnaround in its football program a few years ago. The next spring, at the opening of spring training, the coach gathered his players together for a team meeting. As the players found their seats, the coach announced he was going to hand out awards that many of the players had earned in the fall. As the coach called players forward and handed them their awards, they were cheered on by their teammates. Then one of the assistant coaches gave the head coach a placard ...

2078. You Will Never Walk Alone

Luke 24:13-20, 25-26, 28-35

Sermon

Mark Trotter

Summer is not far away now. It is a time when many people travel. If you are going abroad, I am sure you have already made plans to do so. If you have told anybody about your plans, I am sure you have gotten a lot of advice on where to stay, where to eat, and what to see. Through the generosity of many of you in this church, Jean and I were able to take a trip to Germany last summer. We had a wonderful time, made so in large part because of the advice that some of you gave us who had been there. The best ...

2079. Don't Make Me Come Down There

Luke 18:1-8

Sermon

King Duncan

Jess Moody, pastor of the First Baptist Church in West Palm Beach, Florida, needed a secluded place to study one night. He decided on the sound booth of the church. He was engrossed in his studies when suddenly he heard two boys talking loudly, laughing, cursing in the sanctuary. “Why don’t you go up into the pulpit where that blankety blankety preacher gives his sermon,” one of them said loudly, “and ask those blankety blankety deacons to take up an offering so you can buy a new car?” Pastor Moody was ...

2080. Show Me Your Passport

Philippians 1:12-30

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

This is my passport. Can you see it? It used to be that this little blue passport was an open sesame . . . it could open doors closed to other people around the world; it could open mouths wide in wonder about what it was like to actually live in the US; it could open eyes to see in ways of freedom and liberty and justice for all. Under the protective cover of this little blue book, a citizen could travel to even remote and dangerous destinations. We were US citizens. And we had behind us and above us the ...

2081. What to Do When Life Is the Pits

1 Peter 5:5-11

Sermon

James Merritt

You would think that fear, anxiety, stress, and worry has always been a part and parcel of everyday life. But studies now show that these things have never been so epidemic as they are today. Two sociologists in the 1920's examined a small American town—with a fictitious name of Middle Town, though the town itself was real—and found that they could not establish a single case of overt anxiety syndrome among anyone who lived in the town. When Dale Carnegie set out to research his best selling book, How to ...

2082. Have You Heard the News?

Ephesians 2:1-7

Sermon

James Merritt

That question used to be a very simple question that called for a simple answer. But thanks to what is now known as the "Information Super Highway," that has become a deeply complicated question. Go to any news sight on the Internet, and you will be bombarded with a series of choices. It's not so simple just to call up the news. Because when you go to any news website, you have to make a decision. Do you want local news? National? International? Financial? Political? Social? Medical? And on and on it goes ...

2083. Put Up and Shut Up

Proverbs 18:21

Sermon

James Merritt

"I have never been hurt by anything I didn't say." Calvin Coolidge It's a funny thing with kids: after they are born we can hardly wait until they start talking, then after they learn to talk we can hardly wait for them to shut up! Someone has observed that children go through four stages in their communication with their fathers. First, they call you "Da-da." Then they call you "Daddy." Then they call you "Dad." Then they call you "collect!" Solomon was extremely concerned that his children be wise in the ...

2084. Turn Right with the Right Turn

Luke 13:1-8

Sermon

James Merritt

The late George Gallup, Sr. did a nationwide poll and discovered one of the most bewildering paradoxes of his career. He discovered that religious interest is growing at an unprecedented rate, but so is immoral behavior. Gallup's poll revealed: "Little difference between those who go to church and those who don't."[1] Now what Gallup discovered is what many people, both inside and outside of the church, deep down know in their hearts. There really is little difference between most people who go to church ...

2085. With Malice toward None, With Charity for All

Matthew 5:43-48

Sermon

James Merritt

In his second Inaugural address, March 4, 1865, just a little over a month before he would be assassinated, Abraham Lincoln uttered these immortal words: With malice toward none; with charity for all; with firmness in the right, as God gives us to see the right, let us strive on to finish the work we are in; to bind up the nation's wounds, to care for him who shall have borne the battle, and for his widow and his orphan—to do all which may achieve and cherish a just and lasting peace among ourselves and ...

2086. A Double Share of the Spirit

2 Kings 2:1-12

Sermon

Schuyler Rhodes

Each one of us gathered here today comes bearing the echoes of great people in our lives. Each one of us bears the mark of someone who touched us in a powerful way. It might be a mother or father, a grandparent, or an aunt or uncle. It could be a neighbor who took you under his or her wing, or a teacher, or even, dare I say, a pastor. If you're really blessed, you might even receive more than one such fellow traveler. The blessings of such people walking with us on our journey cannot be underestimated. ...

2087. Put Me In Coach!

1 Peter 4:10

Sermon

James Merritt

[Song: "Center Field"] I love that song. Not so much because of the tune, but because of the spirit of the lyrics. It is all about somebody that wants to get into the game. He wants to play. He doesn't want to sit on the bench. He wants to be on the field making a contribution to the team. He has a "put me in coach" attitude that is the subject of the message today. We are continuing in our series of 40 Days of Purpose and today we are going to look at God's fourth purpose for your life which is this - You ...

2088. Counting the Cost of Discipleship

Luke 14:25-33

Sermon

Ron Lavin

The best thing to say to a pastor after you hear a sermon that moves you is not, "That was a good sermon." That's a little better than saying, "That was a lousy sermon," but in saying, "That was a good sermon," you may be missing the point of preaching. The point of preaching is for the listeners to put the Word of God into action. Soren Kierkegaard, the Danish theologian, says that the role of listeners in a devotional address is not that of an audience at a play. The pastor's role, he says, is not that ...

2089. New Creations in Christ

Revelation 21:1-6

Sermon

Richard Gribble

There once was a very unhappy old man. For him, things were never right and, thus, he grumbled quite a bit. He complained that he had to get up in the morning, and when nightfall came it was too soon. He complained when he had to work, but found it boring when he did not work. He talked about how people paid insufficient attention to him, yet when others spoke to him he seemed annoyed or irritated. He hated it when it rained and found the sun too hot when it shined. In winter, he longed for the summer and ...

2090. What Happens When You Are Not Number One?

Mark 10:35-45

Sermon

Maxie Dunnam

In his book, Hide or Seek, James Dobson tells of a time when John McKay, the great football coach at the University of Southern California, was interviewed on television, and the subject of his son’s athletic talent was raised. Son John was a successful player on his dad’s team. Coach McKay was asked to comment on the pride that he felt over his son’s accomplishments on the field. His answer was most impressive: “Yes, I’m pleased that John had a good season last year. He does a fine job, and I’m proud of ...

2091. All Who Share This Hope

Matthew 5:1-12

Sermon

Chris Ewing

There's nothing like a week with two funerals, a wedding, Halloween celebrations, a community farewell party, a church tea, and several pastoral crises to make a body realize that none of us is an island. Mind you, just now, I'd kind of like to be an island for about three days! But only for three days. For the truth is, we are profoundly connected with and dependent upon each other ... and on the whole, that is good. Did you ever think about the implications of the fact that as human beings the God in ...

2092. Rich In His Poverty

2 Corinthians 8:7-15

Sermon

Billy D. Strayhorn

One of my favorite memories is the summer of the treasure hunt. A number of years ago, when my wife's nephews, Chris and Matt, and our son Joshua were around seven or eight, we decided that the two families needed to take vacation at the same time so the boys could get to know each other. So we all met at the farm where my wife's parents live. It's a great place for kids. Well, there were no video games or cable TV to keep them entertained and the boys were starting to get bored. I was out in great- ...

2093. The Lenten License to Steal, Drink, Lie and Swear

Romans 4:1-25

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

The world is divided into two kinds of people. Those who like cruises and those who don’t. Or to be more precise: those who think a cruise is a foretaste of heaven, and those who think a cruise is the aftertaste of hell. The world is divided into two kinds of people. Those that suck the life out of every day, and those that let every day suck the life out of them. The world is divided into two kinds of people. Those who walk into a room and say, "There you are!" and those who say, "Here I am!" (Thanks! ...

2094. Fickle Folks

Mark 11:1-11

Sermon

David E. Leininger

Have you ever been called fickle? If you have, you probably did not like it. Fickle is not something any of us would ever want to be known as. The dictionary defines "fickle" as "Inconstant in feeling or in purpose; changeful; capricious." Roget's Thesaurus gives synonyms for the word "fickle" like "indecisive; unstable; unreliable; irresponsible; vacillating." And beyond that, there is almost a connotation of dishonesty about the word "fickle." No one would want to be called fickle. But every year about ...

2095. What Does It Mean to Be Blessed?

Matthew 5:1-12

Sermon

King Duncan

“‘I’m so blessed.’ You hear it more and more these days,” notes Pastor Richard Allen. “Most noticeably . . . from famous people, and often in acceptance speeches. Clutching a golden statue they say, ‘I’m so blessed to be here today’ . . . My issue,” continues Allen, “with such usage is not that it is flippant, or even untrue. Actors and politicians can be deeply sincere about feeling blessed. My issue with such usage is that it is so easy. It requires little effort, in a moment of victory, to know oneself ...

2096. Jesus’ Prayer: The Pause in the Battle

John 17:1-11

Sermon

David O. Bales

In 1936, near the beginning of the Spanish Civil War one horrible center of fighting was the Alcázar fortress near Toledo. In the middle of horrific fighting, however, every day the firing stopped twice in order to allow a blind beggar to tap his way on the street between the firing lines. We can imagine how welcome those few minutes were to the men on both sides. They probably hoped that the blind man walked slower to give them a few more seconds of peace. Then the reprieve ended and the slaughter again ...

2097. A Global Celebration

John 20:1-9

Sermon

King Duncan

Eureka Springs, Arkansas is the home of the Great Passion Play in the Ozarks. There is a humorous story going around about the actor who at one time played the part of Christ in this passion play. As the actor carried the cross up the hill of Golgotha a tourist began heckling him, making fun of him and shouting insults at him. Finally, the actor had taken as much as he could take. So he threw down his cross, walked over to the tourist . . . and punched him out. After the play was over, the director told ...

2098. Jesus Prays for Us

John 17:6-19

Sermon

King Duncan

A visiting preacher in a small town in Kentucky was concerned when he began the first night of a revival meeting and noticed all of the men were wearing guns. Although rattled, he did the best he could with his sermon. When finished, his anxieties heightened as several of the men approached the pulpit with their guns drawn. In panic, he turned to the chairman of the deacons, sitting next to him. The deacon calmed his fears: “Don’t you worry,” he said. “They ain’t coming after you. They’re looking for the ...

2099. Living for God

1 Peter 4:1-11

Understanding Series

Norman Hillyer

Live Wholly for God 4:1 What are the practical implications for Christians of Christ’s suffering and consequent triumph over death and the powers of evil? Recalling the opening of this section, back in 3:18, Peter reverts to the death of Christ. This is the example that believers should follow. They must turn their backs on the immoral practices of their pagan neighbors, formerly their own life-style, and wholeheartedly follow their Master by copying him. Christ suffered in his body, that is, he gave his ...

2100. Blemished Sacrifices and Admonition for the Priests

Malachi 1:6-14, Malachi 2:1-9

Understanding Series

Pamela J. Scalise

Reverence for God’s Name: The second speech continues the theme of family relationships and domestic life as a metaphor for Israel’s life with God. Verse 6 introduces the Lord as a father figure and master of a patriarchal household. By the contempt they have shown for the Lord’s table and the food placed on it, the priests have fouled their own home, hurt the other family members, and brought the name of the Lord, their father and master, into disrepute. Yet an opportunity for restoration and renewal ...

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