Sermon and Worship Resources

Showing 2076 to 2100 of 3852 results

2076. Seeing the End from the Beginning

Numbers 13:1-2, 17-33

Sermon

James Merritt

... in all of the world. In 1998, forty-two million people went through the turnstiles at Disney World alone. It sits on forty-three square miles of some of the most prime property in the entire state of Florida. It is twice the size of Manhattan Island. Originally, it took seven years to plan, and four and one-half years to build. On October 1, 1971, Disney World had its grand opening. As they were having the dedication ceremony, someone turned to Mrs. Walt Disney and said, "Isn't it a shame that Walt didn ...

2077. America: You Are Too Young to Die

Psalm 80:1-19

Sermon

James Merritt

... may rejoice in You." Never forget the proper sequence of revival. First, there is repentance, then there is restoration, then there is revival, and then there is rejoicing. Have you ever heard the expression "Under the gun?" I was interested to read the origin of that expression. It came from a supposedly true-to-life account of an anonymous young naval officer. According to the story, back in the middle 1700s when the colonists here in America were engaged in rebellion against England, the Royal Navy was ...

2078. What Church Is All About

Psalm 100:1-5

Sermon

James Merritt

... essence of worship is when you come into the presence of the Lord and behold His face. When you do that, it will literally set you to singing. Christianity is not only a saving faith, it is a singing faith. The word "psalm" actually means "song." This psalm originally was not only to be studied, it was to be sung. There is something wrong with a saint that doesn't sing. The overflow and the outflow of being filled with the Holy Spirit is singing. The Bible says be filled with the Holy Spirit. But then it ...

2079. Jesus: The Hope of a Godly Family

Psalm 127:1-2

Sermon

James Merritt

... first child. (Ps. 127:1-2) Stage two: The family expands to include the birth of children. (Ps. 127:3-5) Stage three: The family goes through the years of training, loving, disciplining, and releasing the children. (Ps. 128:1-3) Stage four: The family reverts back to its original condition a husband and wife in their last years together. (Ps. 128:4-6)4 In these first two verses we are studying the beginning of the home. Now in order to begin a home you've got to have at least three things: First of all, you ...

2080. In Defense of the Offense

1 Corinthians 1:18-25

Sermon

James Merritt

... of David, a hexagram formed by combining two equal lateral triangles. It speaks of God's covenant with David; that his throne would be established forever, and that the Messiah would be descended from him. Islam is symbolized by a Crescent, originally depicting a phase of the moon. It is a symbol of sovereignty and Muslim victory. Even secular ideology has its signs. The Marxist hammer and sickle adopted in 1917 by the Soviet government, represented industry and agriculture. They were crossed to signify ...

2081. The Other Side of Worship

1 John 1:1-4

Sermon

James Merritt

... to the person sitting next to you and do something you may have already done before, but I want you to do it again. I want you to shake hands with them. I tell you why you did that, though you didn't realize it. The custom of handshaking originated in primitive times. Men carried their weapons in their right hands, and when a man extended his empty right hand to take the hand of the other person, it meant he was coming in peace. Over the centuries the act of shaking hands, which prevents either man from ...

2082. The Battle of New Orleans

2 Timothy 3:1-4:8

Sermon

James Merritt

... . I don't believe there is a group of Bible believers anywhere in the world that love Jesus more than Southern Baptists. I sometimes feel like a lady who lived up in the mountains of North Carolina. She was a Baptist through and through. She even believed the original manuscripts of the Bible were published in Nashville. Her nephew was talking to her one day and he said, "Aunt Jane, if the Lord were to come back, and you asked him if He was a Baptist and He said, ‘No,' what would you say?" She said, "I ...

2083. What to Wear to the War

Ephesians 6:13-17

Sermon

James Merritt

... being paid to teach philosophy, english, biology, mathematics …often take time from their class periods to undermine the Bible and orthodox Christianity. Why are they not doing the same thing with the sacred books of other religions? The answer is that Satan, the original liar, is sympathetic with books that lie. His real enmity is directed against the book of truth, because it contains the dynamite for his defeat. Everyday we must put on the belt of truth, which is the word of God. II. The Breastplate ...

2084. Come On Baby, Light My Fire

Matthew 3:11-12

Sermon

James Merritt

... Word of God. He is the agent of incarnation. He caused the Virgin Mary to conceive and give birth to the Son of God. He is the agent of illumination. He alone reveals the truth of God. The Holy Spirit is involved in our salvation. God the Father is the originator of salvation. For it is He who sent the Lord Jesus Christ. God the Son is the mediator of our salvation. For He is the one who died for our sins. But God the Spirit is the facilitator of our salvation, as He is the one who opens our blind ...

2085. When God Speaks You Better Listen

Jonah 1:1-17

Sermon

James Merritt

... because they repented at the preaching of Jonah; and indeed a greater than Jonah is here." Jonah is a very interesting character in the Bible. If he were going to college today he would certainly go to the University of Nevada at Las Vegas, because he was the original "Runnin' Rebel." Jonah got off to a bad start with God, and then did everything he could to make it worse. First, he resisted God; then he rebelled against God; and then of all things he tried to run from God. I remember one time Mohammed Ali ...

2086. Why You Should Be Afraid of Sin

Numbers 32:23

Sermon

James Merritt

... generally from 5 to 9 years after a woman has had an abortion. Doctor Ann Spechhard, a psychologist in Northern Virginia, has found common symptoms that vary in intensity from woman to woman. Outstanding among these is depression. In her original study of 30 women suffering from high stress following an abortion, she found that more than 60% experience frequent crying, the inability to communicate, sexual inhibitions, suicidal tendencies, and increased alcohol and drug use. Between 80 and 100% suffered from ...

2087. Power in the Pulpit

Philippians 3:1-11

Sermon

James Merritt

When I was asked to speak on the topic "Power of the Pulpit" I could not help but think about a term that originated with Theodore Roosevelt when he was President of the United States. He referred to the White House as a "Bully Pulpit," meaning a terrific platform from which one could persuasively advocate the truth. In a real sense I believe that every church pulpit should be a "Bully Pulpit." I am ...

2088. Why You Should Trust In God

Proverbs 3:5-6

Sermon

James Merritt

... 'm here to tell you that all of God's word was written to show us why we ought to trust God. We ought to trust God for this reason: When we trust him He guides us. Understand this. God does not make Xerox copies or clones. He makes only originals. Whether you are a plumber or a preacher; an electrician or an evangelist; a mechanic or a missionary, God has a plan for you. God wants to guide your every step. In one of the greatest passages in all the Bible, the wisest man who ever lived, gives us some ...

2089. No Fear

Psalm 23:4

Sermon

James Merritt

... Be Afraid Of Death’s Power “Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil;” (v.4a) You may not know this, but there actually is a valley in Israel called “The Valley of the Shadow of Death.” It originated centuries and centuries ago beside a fresh water stream in a valley located between Bethlehem and Jerusalem. Now there are times I’m able to take groups to that valley, and other times I’m not, because the stream which is fed by overflowing rivers of water ...

2090. The Superhero Miracle of Humor

Matthew 14:13-21

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

... the “dark” knight. In a world where cautious despair is the new optimism, and dark clouds the new sunshine on the horizon, the “dark” component has now taken over the identity of every other the character in the movie. One of Batman’s original adversaries was “The Joker.” Like all of the first generation of bad guys opposing “The Caped Crusader,” the Joker was both a bad guy and funny man. The Joker liked to taunt law enforcement authorities with elaborate pranks and pratfall. The Joker ...

2091. Matthew 14:22-33

Matthew 14:22-36

Sweet

Leonard Sweet

... Jesus’ authority is fully in focus as he asserts himself with his disciples. In an unusual move Jesus orders his disciples to leave him — putting them back into the boat that had brought them to this far side of the Sea of Galilee. Although Jesus had originally intended for his disciples to accompany him on his quest for a moment of solitude and prayer, after being thwarted by the hungry crowd (vv.13-21) he changes his mind. Now he sends the disciples packing, perhaps even using them as a kind of ...

2092. An Unidentified King

Matthew 21:1-11

Sermon

Bill Bouknight

I have always sensed there was something strange about the original Palm Sunday celebration in Jerusalem. A huge question mark looms over the whole event. Think about it...A crowd estimated to be between 100,000 and 200,000 lines the roadsides to cheer an itinerant preacher from Nazareth named Jesus; yet they are not really sure why they are cheering. ...

2093. Matthew 15:21-28

Matthew 15:21-28

Sweet

Leonard Sweet

... . Matthew identifies this woman using the traditional biblical designation of her ethnicity, a “Canaanite,” instead of using the more “politically correct” geographical description used by Mark, a “Syrophoenician.” The term “Canaanite” immediately brings to mind those original Ba’al-worshiping inhabitants of the “promised land” that were displaced by the chosen Hebrews. The woman is not just any Gentile, in other words. She is a descendant of those God had first identified as “other ...

2094. Not Bad, Just Too Busy

Luke 2:1-7

Sermon

Bill Bouknight

... , send the decorations back to the attic, and contemplate those bills that we must face in January. In moments of special introspection, we might ask, “Is this the kind of celebration that pleases and glorifies the Lord Jesus?” There is one character in the original Christmas event with whom we can easily identify—the Bethlehem innkeeper. His inn is mentioned in the Christmas story but we are not told the proprietor’s name. There is just this one phrase in verse 7 of Luke 2-“because there was no ...

2095. Mary, Did You Know?

Luke 1:26-38

Sermon

Bill Bouknight

... shrank way down to the size of a fertilized egg in a teenager’s womb, he was fully God. The other reason for the importance of virgin birth is this -it confirms that Jesus did not have the birth defect that all the rest of us have; that is, original sin. God’s unique DNA overcame and purified the sin heritage in Mary. Therefore, Jesus was the only person since Adam and Eve born without sin. Gabriel told Mary that her son would be a “holy one.” That made him uniquely qualified to bear our sin. He was ...

2096. I Believe In Jesus Christ

Colossians 1:15-23

Sermon

Bill Bouknight

... Mount, Armstrong asked Ben-Dov whether Jesus had actually walked in that exact area. Ben-Dov replied, “Certainly. Jesus was a Jew. These are the steps leading to the Temple, so he must have walked here many times.” Armstrong then asked if these were the original steps, and Ben-Dov confirmed that they were. “I have to tell you,” said Armstrong, “I am more excited stepping on these stones than I was stepping on the moon.” (3) That’s the way one feels when one declares from the heart that Jesus ...

2097. Stumbling in Darkness, Looking for Light

Isaiah 9:1-7, John 1:5

Sermon

John E. Harnish

... TV personalities used to close his show singing a somewhat schmaltzy chorus which still speaks a word of truth. I've tried to research it and the best I can find is that it was a song based on a quotation from Eleanor Roosevelt during the war years, which originally came from an ancient Chinese proverb: It is better to light just one little candle than to stumble in the dark. Better far then to light just one little candle, all you need's a tiny spark. If we all say a prayer that the world will be free ...

2098. Saints By Faith: Good to the Last Drop

Revelation 7:9-17

Sermon

John E. Harnish

... Jesuses they had on their dashboards and the fish they ate on Friday, but nothing to do with us. The great irony is that as religiously conservative as my family was, we never celebrated "All Saints," but we made a big deal of Halloween—the day which originally had to do with evil spirits and ghosts and goblins! I am glad that in my lifetime those old prejudices have broken down and that Methodists have reclaimed this day of remembrance, a day to celebrate the lives of those who have died in Christ, a day ...

2099. The Song of an Awe-Filled Life

Psalm 138:1-8

Sermon

John E. Harnish

... and say it again thank you. [3] When we are captured by the "awe factor," the only appropriate response is gratitude, thanksgiving, and praise. I have lots of friends who think they can improve my preaching by passing on e-mail insights and humor. I don't know the original source so I can't vouch for the percentages, but the truth of the message is still there: If you have food in the refrigerator, clothes on your back, a roof overhead and a place to sleep, you are richer than 75% of this world. If you have ...

2100. A Peculiar People

1 Peter 2:1-10

Sermon

John E. Harnish

... first allegiance is to the cross rather than to any standard, sign or flag, "therefore, you are a holy nation, God's own people." Now the problem of misunderstanding what it means to be "a holy nation" goes right back to the beginning, with God's original call to the Children of Abraham, the people of Old Testament Israel. As early as the Book of Deuteronomy, obviously the people were beginning to think they were special. We can start to believe it is all about our goodness, our identity, and who we are ...

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