Sermon and Worship Resources

Showing 2176 to 2200 of 4884 results

Luke 6:17-26

Sermon

Wallace H. Kirby

... one evening. Among her guests was a well-known actor of that day. During the usual after-dinner conversation, the hostess asked the actor if he would recite something for the group. Perhaps, she suggested, he could do the Twenty-Third Psalm. With perfect diction, a well-modulated voice, and proper intonations, he gave a very polished reading. He was rewarded with very warm applause. For some reason, another guest who was virtually unknown to the group was requested to follow suit. He had nothing of the ...

2177. No Condemnation!

Romans 8:1-17

Sermon

Dennis Kastens

... matched anywhere else. It offers to us life’s highest good! It reassures us weekly (and we need it that often!) that there is "No condemnation," namely that God delights in mercy! O depth of love, to me revealing The sea where my sins disappear! In Christ my wounds find perfect healing, There is no condemnation here; For Jesus’ blood through earth and skies Forever "Mercy! Mercy!" cries. - Johann A. Rothe

2178. Salvation Through His Suffering

Hebrews 4:14-5:10

Sermon

Dennis Kastens

... appreciation of what he endured, and helps us to focus more reverently upon the true significance of Golgotha and what it means in terms of our eternal destiny." Through what he suffered ... he became the source of eternal salvation to all who obey him. (Hebrews 5:8, 9) O perfect life of love! All, all, is finished now, All that he left his throne above To do for us below. No pain that we can share But he has felt it smart; All forms of human grief and care Has pierced that tender heart. And on his thorn ...

2179. Amazing Grace

Romans 3:21-31

Sermon

Robert G. Tuttle

Before his conversion, Paul had fought passionately to be perfect, according to the Law, but he had found no peace, and now we hear him saying, "For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God; being justified freely by his grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus" (Romans 3:23-24). Paul had found his ...

2180. Life - The Womb of the Eternal

Romans 8:18-27

Sermon

Robert G. Tuttle

... be received into heaven, or we reject grace and miss heaven. Paul, in Romans 12, puts it another way. "Be not conformed to this world, but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God." Or, by another translation, "Let God remold your minds from within." Let God give you eternal birth from within. We move in this life, if we will, from temporary, material existence into "the glory that shall be revealed in us." But our awareness ...

2181. The Impartiality of God

Acts 10:23b-48

Sermon

Hubert Beck

... ever sort through them all? Better stated, how does one ever find a true Savior among the many who offer themselves to the world? It is difficult to imagine why the Christian idea that humanity needs a Savior meets with such strong resistance when it is perfectly evident that our great search is the search for a way out of the human dilemma, the search for a solution to humankind’s floundering in the face of its obvious potential. In short, it is a search for a Savior. When Christians speak of a Savior ...

2182. Discerning the Way of God

1 Corinthians 2:6-16

Sermon

Hubert Beck

... of this age understood this," showing how they turned right and wrong inside out by crucifying the Lord of glory, it must be the stuff that goes to make up a godly life, this "wisdom of God." That is just what Paul promises. Only God himself can know perfectly what his will is for the humanity of his creation, "the Spirit searches everything, even the depths of God. For what person knows a man’s thoughts except the spirit of the man which is in him? So also no one comprehends the thoughts of God except ...

2183. The Need for Transfiguration

2 Peter 1:12-21

Sermon

Hubert Beck

... signs are typical of the presence of God in other stories and are quite evidently meant to reinforce the words that come from the cloud, "This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased; listen to him." In Christ himself the revelation of God is made perfect. All the signs surround him and superimpose themselves on him so that he and they are inter-connected. The words and the signs all mark Christ out as the Son of God, and are plainly designed to become the basis of such a confession. That is why ...

2184. Journey to the Cross I: Jesus And The Demon-Possessed Man

Mark 5:1-20

Sermon

James W. Moore

... wealthy family who was about to graduate from high school. It was the custom in that affluent neighborhood for the parents to give the graduate an automobile. “Bill” and his father had spent months looking at cars… and the week before graduation they found the perfect car. Bill was certain that on graduation night that car would be his. After the graduation ceremonies, Bill’s father handed him a gift-wrapped Bible! Bill was so furious that he threw the Bible down and stormed out of the house. He and ...

2185. Journey To The Cross VI: Jesus And Pontius Pilate

Matthew 27:11-26

Sermon

James W. Moore

... a cause... a purpose... a ministry... that’s more important than all the money and all the material possessions in the world. Pastor James W. Moore says he visited a successful businessman in his luxurious office suite one day. It was magnificent, elegant, perfectly and expensively furnished. He showed him into his private office, closed the door and said... “Jim, I have everything I have ever dreamed of having and more. I have wealth, power, authority. I have a fine home, three luxury cars... money to ...

2186. Journey To The Cross VII (Easter): Jesus And The Women At The Tomb

Mark 16:1-20

Sermon

James W. Moore

... Jeter, excited about their plan to desert Jeter. When they got to the privet hedge, Rosemary gave her pre-arranged signal… and one by one, they all left the parade and hid, trying hard not to giggle out loud. They were so proud because their trick was working perfectly. Jeter just kept on marching all alone. When Jeter reached the end of the street he looked back. He turned around and saw that he had been deserted by all of them. Then he did something that Rosemary had not counted on. At the age of eight ...

2187. DEATH: THE SAD CELEBRATION

Illustration

John H. Krahn

Before one becomes very old there comes the startling realization that one day you will die. Death is the universal enemy of humankind. Although life has been extended through medicine, all eventually die. Death is always decisive. It holds the only perfect winning record. But for the Christian, death loses some of its sting. It loses the sting of finality and eternal separation from loved ones. There is no sadness for us who die in the Lord. It is replaced by a wonderful, eternal life with God. There is ...

2188. UP THE DOWN ESCALATOR

Illustration

John H. Krahn

... to the other side. Another setting. Dinner is just about served. Some very special people are your guests. Candles are lighted, the food is on the table, and you’ve waited to the last possible minute to uncork the wine. You want the temperature to be perfect, for your guests are connoisseurs of the grape. Down goes the corkscrew, you are careful, you begin to pull the cork out only to find it disintegrating with pieces dropping back into the wine bottle. The times that try men’s souls are usually not ...

2189. Justification By Faith

Romans 4:1-25

Bulletin Aid

James Wilson

... honored the faith of Abraham and Sarah and made of them a new nation, accept our faith today and use us in a mighty way to lead others to a living faith in You. In Christ we pray. Amen. Prayer Of Confession Lord, so often righteousness has meant to us perfection under the Law and we have all but given up any personal hope as a result. Forgive us, Lord, and help us to hear Your messages of mercy and grace based not on our deeds alone, but on our faith and our willingness to serve You. Touch our hearts, dear ...

2190. REMEMBER YOUR BAPTISM

Illustration

John H. Krahn

... the Hope Diamond set into a ring. Well, most of us already possess a jewel of even greater value. In his Large Catechism, Martin Luther makes this concluding statement about Holy Baptism: "No greater jewel can adorn our body or soul than Baptism: For through it, perfect holiness and salvation become accessible to us, which are otherwise beyond the reach of man’s life and energy." I am sure if any of us owned one of the great gems of the world, we would not easily forget about it. Rather we would feel ...

2191. THE CHRISTMAS MESSAGE: I LOVE YOU

Illustration

John H. Krahn

... is present with us. He speaks to us once again the message of Christmas as he says to each of us, "I love you. I want to be close to you every day of your lives. Please be wise and invite me in. There is no one who is so perfect that he cannot welcome a fuller participation of my indwelling. There are some who have yet to welcome my powerful presence and, unfortunately, we are only occasional guests of one another and may be strangers in eternity. And to you I say, come, do not live another day without my ...

2192. NOT GUILTY!

Illustration

John H. Krahn

... Not guilty" verdicts on people who do wrong. This system began when a cry broke the silence of a Bethlehem night. A child was born, and God became a man. Jesus became God’s answer to people who need help. God had a plan. Jesus was to live the perfect life. He did. When he got older, he began to speak out against sin, and before long he was in trouble. At age thirty-three his enemies brought a case against him, and they crucified him on a trumped-up charge. Three days later, several women visited his grave ...

2193. THE ART OF EXPRESSING LOVE

Illustration

John H. Krahn

... Lord make you increase and abound in love to one another and to all men ..." The Lord gives us the ability to increase our ability to love. Want to know how to become a better lover? Open your heart and welcome in the fullness of God’s love. Let the perfect love of God within you express itself to people around you. A strong vertical love affair with God produces a strong horizontal love affair with others.

2194. AMAZING GRACE

Illustration

John H. Krahn

God’s grace is amazing in the lives of all his people. For even the most righteous man falls painfully short of the perfection that God requires of those who will be with him in heaven. The Bible says that at the end of time only those without any sin, none at all, will be able to stand in God’s presence. This causes us problems, big problems, for none of us qualifies. If ...

2195. LOVE TAKES SWEAT

Illustration

John H. Krahn

... ?" More often than not my question is greeted with embarrassed silence. Those that venture forth with an answer are often very general or vague like, "I feel good when we are together." Sometimes there is the diplomatic answer, "I like everything about her, she is so perfect." It is hard to keep a straight face as I wonder how such a response will hold up in six months. In general, much of our contemporary concept of love is unbiblical and unhelpful. Too much of what passes itself off for love today is ...

2196. The Call to Obedience

Luke 22:42 · Romans 1:17 · John 15:10

Sermon

Robert G. Tuttle

... , and he was sad for the rest of his life. He missed life - really missed what life is all about. What if we should really miss life! Obedience to God is not queer and sad. It is delightful and natural. Our problem is "we feel that we can manage life perfectly well on our own - or with just a little help from God." Then, we miss it. We take just as little help from God as possible, and we never realize what life under God really is. But throughout the whole process, God in his mercy keeps "nudging" us. God ...

2197. The Gospel According to Christ’s Enemies

John 11:1-16

Sermon

Richard Hoefler

... ? Could he not have kept Lazarus from dying?" How true this is of tears. Some interpret tears as weakness, others view them as a sign of true strength. But here we see that it is God who weeps. For people of faith, this is an example of strength made perfect in weakness. The one who weeps for a victim of death possesses the power to bring victory out of death. A Change Then John tells us, "Deeply moved once more, Jesus went to the tomb." The intention of John at this point is a matter of much discussion by ...

2198. Lost in Wonder, Love, and Praise

Romans 11:33-36

Sermon

Raymond Gibson

... that God is complete, that "from him and through him and to him are all things." One of the best loved hymns is "Holy, Holy, Holy! Lord God Almighty!" The third stanza reminds us that, "Only thou (God, that is!) art holy; there is none beside thee, perfect in power, in love, and purity." To be holy is to be different, and worship helps us to understand that God is totally different from ourselves. God is absolute in power, in love, and in purity. We human beings are totally the opposite. God is sinless ...

2199. What Form of Church Does God Want for the Furture?

Romans 12:1-8, Romans 12:9-21

Sermon

Raymond Gibson

... same as the church in first century Rome, which led St. Paul to say, "Do not be conformed to this world but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that you may prove what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect." If our church is to be part of the church of the Lord Jesus Christ in the twenty-first century, it cannot be conformed, or deformed, or even reformed. It must be transformed. Unlike reformation, transformation is not something we can do for ourselves. Transformation will ...

2200. "Can Do" Christianity

Philippians 4:10-20

Sermon

Raymond Gibson

... , "A thorn was given me in the flesh, a messenger of Satan, to harass me, to keep me from being too elated. Three times I besought the Lord about this, that it should leave me, but he said to me, ‘My grace is sufficient for you, my power is made perfect in weakness." As a result of his confession of weakness in prayer, Paul was thus able to say, "I will all the more gladly boast of my weaknesses, that the power of Christ may rest upon me" (2 Corinthians 12:7-9). If it was true for St. Paul, how ...

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