Sermon and Worship Resources

Showing 2201 to 2225 of 3160 results

2201. What Is the Future of United Methodism?

John 2:12-22

Sermon

J. Howard Olds

... present membership will be dead unless something dramatic happens to these people called Methodists. In spite of these sobering statistics, our denominational leaders seem to be buried deep in the miry clay of denial. We don’t play the numbers game, we often hear. It sort of reminds me of a cartoon that I either saw or is just in my mind. On a deserted island there sits a bishop and one leader of a denominational agency where once there were many, many United Methodists living. They look at one another ...

2202. The Dynamics of Being a Dad

Ephesians 6:1-4, Ephesians 6:10-20

Sermon

J. Howard Olds

... . But when the kid got back to the dugout his dad said, “I saw that catch once before in Superior, Wisconsin, only it was night and the ball was a lot harder to catch at night than it was in daytime. Somebody else has done better than you have.” It sort of reminds me of what my speech teacher said once upon a time. There are just some people who are born in the objective case. I don’t know if you have found that to be true or not but what I want you to realize today is how powerful ...

2203. The Door of Prayer

1 Timothy 2:1-8

Sermon

J. Howard Olds

... me to produce one sermon a week worth hearing, the thought of two sermons a Sunday seemed overwhelming. So we had a lot of hymn sings for Sunday night service. At a hymn sing the people present call out their favorite tunes and everybody sort of sings along. Mrs. Stora Barlow was a public school teacher in that congregation. Every time I asked for congregational favorites, Mrs. Stora would call 177. Hymn 177 in the old Cokesbury Hymnal is entitled “Others". Its first stanza goes something like this: Lord ...

2204. The Holy Spirit and You

John 14:15-27

Sermon

J. Howard Olds

... who are not present to defend themselves and we will confront any loose talking that threatens the peace and unity of this Body." He makes that speech to everyone who joins that church. Is it any wonder that the Spirit of God is moving through them in a powerful sort of way? You see, when you get people on the same page loving one another and you get the power of the Spirit coming through prayer, only God knows what might happen. The Spirit teaches us to pray and to love. Could you use the Holy Spirit today ...

2205. When God Builds the House

Psalm 127:1-5, 1 Corinthians 3:10-15

Sermon

J. Howard Olds

... he will never sit." Time spent with our children and grand children has eternal consequences. Investments made in generations to come will reap dividends long after we are gone. Paul wrote the work of each builder will become visible, for the Day will disclose it, the fire will test, what sort of work each has done. In our church Lord, be glorified today. In our buildings Lord, be glorified today. In our lives Lord, be glorified, always. In the name of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit, Amen.

2206. Dime Store Wisdom

Luke 9:51-62

Illustration

Maxie Dunnam

"Many years ago a young man went to work at a hardware store. He found all sorts of junk that took up space but did not sell well. This clerk asked the owner to allow him to put it all on one table and sell each item for 10 cents. He did so and had a successful sale. Later he did the same thing, and had another ...

2207. The Power to Make a Difference

Acts 16:1-5

Sermon

J. Howard Olds

“A hundred years from now it will not matter what my bank account was, the sort of house I lived in, or the kind of car I drove. . . but the world may be different because I was important in the life of a child." — That's what I want us to think about today. Paul, the Apostle of Jesus Christ, sailed the seas of the Western ...

2208. Follow

Mark 1:14-20

Sermon

J. Howard Olds

... call today? II. WILL WE FOLLOW? Several years ago, I stood in the bow of a boat as we motored across the Sea of Galilee, the morning mist blowing across my face. In the distance I could see fishermen coming in from their morning work, sorting fish, tending their nets, working from their boats. I'll never forget the overwhelming feeling that surged through my soul—this is where it all began—Peter and Andrew, James and John leaving their nets, abandoning their boats and following Jesus. What makes normal ...

2209. Why Am I a Christian?

Mark 1:4-11

Sermon

J. Howard Olds

Christian theologian C.S. Lewis once said that Christianity is a religion that you could not have guessed. It is not the sort of thing that anyone would make up. That the Almighty would humble Himself and become a human being in order to suffer and die on a cross to bring new life to His own creation, well, who would have thought it? How odd of God. Yet, it is here that ...

2210. From Pride to Humility

Luke 18:9-14

Sermon

J. Howard Olds

... human likeness." That's humility. Humility comes when you know who you are. You are a child of God. Equality with God is not something to be grasped. We are created in the image of God. We are not God. It seems to me that the human race fundamentally is sort of ticked off that we are not God. It's the very stuff that got Adam and Eve kicked out of the Garden of Eden. There's something inside of us that would like to displace God and take God's place. Remember that old joke about Vince Lombardi, legendary ...

2211. From Greed to Generosity

Mark 10:17-27

Sermon

J. Howard Olds

... We are born to be greedy, to get. We are taught to be greedy. It's the American way. ABC pulled KFC's latest advertisement off television because of its blatant subliminal message to be solved by the viewer in exchange for a free sandwich. I found that sort of interesting because I thought all advertisements had subliminal messages. If you want to look young, feel happy, be accepted, or prove yourself smart enough to grab a good bargain, run over to our store for a sale for a limited time only and make this ...

2212. Make Disciples—Intentionally

Matthew 28:16-20

Sermon

J. Howard Olds

... . That's why the youth and children's ministries of this church are so incredibly urgent and important. That's what we do for children and youth. The spiritual formation, the opportunities of retreats, the times of prayer, the times of personal counsel, the times of sorting it out to help persons form a strong relationship with Christ, this has eternal merit. This church does it well but let us never forget it is tremendously important work. Now let me talk to the rest of us a minute. As one who talks with ...

2213. Something to Brag About

Galatians 6:11-18

Sermon

King Duncan

... had had a rough life. She didn’t feel very good about herself. One day Donna watched weavers working to produce a beautiful new rug. The first thing the weavers did was to shear the sheep. Then, with a detergent they washed the fresh wool. Then the weavers sorted the wool into two piles. Over here was a small pile of perfect white wool. The weavers would take that perfect white wool and weave it just as it was. But over in another area lay a pile of flawed, tarnished, stained wool. The weavers took the ...

2214. Valuing Life Without Playing God

John 10:10-15

Sermon

J. Howard Olds

... opinion, we'll never find politically. All I can do is just mention them this morning. A. When it comes to the question of abortion, life is difficult. On January 22, 1973, three things made the evening news. Former President Lyndon Johnson died. A peace treaty of sorts was announced in Vietnam. And the Supreme Court of the United States handed down the Roe vs. Wade decision opening the door for millions of abortions to happen in all 50 of our states. It also sets forth a debate that has now lasted for 30 ...

2215. Conversion or Credentialing?

Acts 9:1-5, 10-12, 17-19

Sermon

J. Howard Olds

... over his paper and said, “Your mother told me you got your doctorate degree." With all the pride of a new graduate, I replied, “I did!" It got quiet for a while. Then my farmer dad spoke up and said, “I always thought those initials after people's names were sort of like a tail on a pig. They are cute to look at, but they don't necessarily make any more hog." Whether or not education has made me a better “hog," I've known all these years that I needed all the help I could get. So, I've ...

2216. The Humble King

John 12:12-19

Sermon

J. Howard Olds

... the really foolish things that people say about Jesus. I'm ready to accept Jesus Christ as a great moral teacher, but I don't accept his claim to be God." That is the one thing we must not say. A man who was merely a man and said the sort of things Jesus said would not be a great moral teacher. He would either be a lunatic or the devil himself. You must make your choice. Either this man was and is the Son of God, or else he is a madman or something worse. You can shut Him up ...

2217. Marketing or Disciplemaking?

Acts 2:42-47

Sermon

J. Howard Olds

... that stated years ago, the chief purpose of humanity is to glorify God and enjoy him forever. We were not created to please ourselves. We were made to please God. I don't know where that's more vividly expressed than when people gather in all sorts of places and circumstances to worship God and to celebrate God's goodness among us. Certainly that was true of the early Church. They devoted themselves to the apostles' teaching. They were in awe and wonder at the multiple things that God was doing in their ...

2218. Fanning the Flames of Family

Ephesians 5:8-10

Sermon

J. Howard Olds

... at each other. Here in the twenty-first century communication is to get on the television and get at least three or four people screaming at each other at one time and call it news. It seems to me that it's a weird sort of communication. Hardball is the dominant metaphor of American public life making our exchanges confrontational and divisive. Truth is not something to be discovered, but something to be imposed. In microcosmic ways, the same thing happens in families every day. Will Willimon shares in ...

2219. A Thousand Points of Light

Isaiah 60:1-3; 18-22

Sermon

J. Howard Olds

... in these pews on a weekend. My mind is staggered by the potential. You have the ability to change the world. It will take hundreds—even thousands of you to do that. Will you arise and shine today? We need teachers for children, musicians of every sort, people to park cars and the list goes on and on. II. ARISE AND SHINE, MAKE A DIFFERENCE IN THIS DENOMINATION. Brentwood United Methodist Church is one of the few large congregations in America that still puts its denominational label on the front door. In ...

2220. Be Kind!

Luke 10:25-37

Illustration

Ann Landers

Columnist Ann Landers once wrote, "Be kind to people. The world needs kindness so much. You never know what sort of battles other people are fighting. Often just a soft word or a warm compliment can be immensely supportive. You can do a great deal of good by just being considerate, by extending a little friendship, going out of your way to do just one nice thing, or saying one good word." Being civil to one another is the least we can do. Every major religion or philosophy acknowledges that.

2221. Dancing with the Saints

Colossians 1:1-14

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

... faith may be, no matter what form their dance may take, the dance must follow the Jesus tune. “Come Thou Fount of Every Blessing, TUNE MY HEART TO SING THY PRAISE.” This may be the church’s greatest problem: we are signing all sorts of different tunes than the Jesus tune. We are singing political tunes or social tunes or theological tunes or economic tunes rather than Jesus tunes. Back in 1983, former President of Eastern Mennonite Seminary, Myron Augsburger wrote these words: "I believe in justice ...

2222. Holy Waste

Mark 14:1-11

Sermon

Maxie Dunnam

... or speak some special word. And the tragedy is that the impulse is so often strangled at birth. I want to share something very personal with you. I hope by now — during my five years of being your preacher – that you know the spirit in which I do this sort of sharing. What is more authentic than the personal? Is anything real until it becomes personal? I have a beautiful sheep here. I wish you folks in the back and up in the balcony could see him well. He’s beautiful, and if you could look at him up ...

2223. When the Winds Are Against Us

Mark 6:45-56

Sermon

Maxie Dunnam

... Sea Story from Mark 6, closes with these words, verses 51—52: “And he got into the boat with them and the wind ceased. And they were utterly astounded, for they did not under stand about the loaves, but their hearts were hardened.” It’s a sort of puzzling word, even when we register the fact that this experience comes immediately after Jesus multiplies the loaves and fish and feed the 5,000. Why were the disciples astonished that Jesus would come to them and deal with their fears? Mark says, “They ...

2224. You Can't Stay on the Mountain Forever

Mark 9:2-13

Sermon

Maxie Dunnam

... he did not know what to say.” How often do we find ourselves in that kind of predicament. Silence settles over a group, and you think that if someone doesn’t say something, you will scream — so, you say something, and everybody else screams. There are all sorts of times when we grope for something to say. I heard of a minister who returned to a church that he had served to preach an anniversary service. A few years had elapsed, and he was greeting people that he had known. When one woman came to him ...

2225. Our Father...

Luke 11:1-13

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

... of evil stepmothers onto the fairy tale scene. Sadly, until later in the twentieth century, the chances of children losing their mothers and being raised by stepmothers was common. The overwhelming threat to a woman’s life was childbirth, especially if any sort of infection set in after delivery. For example, John Milton’s first 2 wives, Mary Powell and Katherine Woodcock, both died in childbirth. Among upper middle class in 17th century London, one mother died for every 40 births. By the early decades ...

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