Sermon and Worship Resources

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Matthew 2:1-12, Isaiah 60:1-22, Ephesians 3:1-13

Sermon Aid

John R. Brokhoff

... is revealed that God wants the Gentiles to share in the kingdom. Christ is for all men; he died for all. This implies that the church has an obligation to spread the gospel to all nations that all might come into God's realm. 2. Can the church be exclusive? If it is the will of God, as the Second Lesson claims, to include all people (Jews and Gentiles) in the kingdom, the church must fulfill that will. Thus, the unity of humankind should be a reality in the church, for both Jew and Gentile are one in Christ ...

202. Passion Sunday

Isaiah 50:1-11, Luke 22:14--23:56, Philippians 2:1-11

Sermon Aid

John R. Brokhoff

... 's voice strengthening you v. 4. b. Willingly accepts the suffering v. 5. c. Endures suffering patiently v. 7. d. Trusts in God to deliver from suffering v. 7. 2. The worst kind of suffering (50:6). Need: During Passion Week we are inclined to dwell exclusively on the physical suffering of Jesus: the torture of a crown of thorns, the scourging, the carrying of the cross to Calvary, the nails in hands and feet, the slow physical draining until exhaustion. There is this side to suffering as our text says, "I ...

203. Proper 26

2 Thessalonians 1:1-12, Habakkuk 2:2-20, Habakkuk 1:1-4, Luke 19:1-10

Sermon Aid

John R. Brokhoff

... will have a bonanza. Then Christ will come and destroy Satan. In today's Lesson, Paul encourages his people who are being persecuted for their faith. He assures them that God in Christ will avenge the wicked and will afflict them with eternal destruction and exclusion from the presence of God. Then Paul prays for his people that they may be worthy of their calling and, by fulfilling their faith in good works, will be Christ's glory. Gospel: Luke 19:1-10 Jesus brings salvation to Zacchaeus, a social outcast ...

204. Trinity Sunday

Romans 5:1-11, Proverbs 8:1-36, John 16:5-16

Sermon Aid

John R. Brokhoff

... the Spirit, he (usually referred to as "It") is a mystery, a ghost, who is experienced by fanatics, charismatics, pentecostals, and others. The average Christian refers to God. Then there are the lesser deities, Jesus and the Spirit. If God the Father is held exclusively, we become Unitarians. If Christ is supreme, we over-rate him to the down-grading of the Father and Spirit. For some, the Spirit overshadows Father and Son. In referring to God, we need to refer to the particular person of the Trinity: God ...

205. Easter Sunday

Acts 10:23b-48, Psalm 118:1-29

Bulletin Aid

B. David Hostetter

... than our own. We find it difficult to discern the similarities below the surface differences and the deeper reverence for you that we may share. We need to learn to witness to our faith in you without pride of race and nationality. Forgive any exclusive attitude that may prevent our communicating the good news of the resurrection of our dying, rising living Savior, Jesus Christ. Amen. Declaration of God's Forgiveness Hear the Good News! The Lord's love endures forever. The Lord chastens us but does not ...

206. Lent 2

Luke 13:31-35, Psalm 27:1-14

Bulletin Aid

B. David Hostetter

... the imbalance in our lives that too often allows our appetites to run away with us, so that we seem to live for eating and drinking and love-making. Our minds are too busy with plans to get ahead and satisfy bodily desires to the exclusion of the refreshment of the spirit, the exercise of the mind, the discipline of the body. Forgive our excesses and deliver us from them through our Lord Jesus Christ. Amen. DECLARATION OF GOD'S FORGIVENESS Hear the Good News! Christ will transfigure these bodies belonging ...

207. Proper 16

Luke 13:22-30

Bulletin Aid

Dennis Koch

... of the feast from which some late comers are excluded by the owner of the house. What is intended here is the apocalyptic messianic feast, and a warning that the coming reign of God, which is in principle inclusive (vv. 28-29), will in fact be exclusive, precisely because of the dilatoriness of would-be participants. Liturgical Color Green Suggested Hymns O Christ, Our Light, O Radiance True Built On A Rock Hope Of The World In Christ There Is No East Or West From All That Dwell Below The Skies Proper 16 ...

208. Envy - Where Is The Grass Greener?

Gn 4:1-26, Mt 20:1-16, Philip 4:10-20

Sermon

R. Curtis Fussell

... friend Larry, whom he hadn't seen in over ten years. In their teens Robert and Larry had a friendly rivalry going between them. So Robert came up with this idea of trying to impress Larry that he had become extremely wealthy. There was a very exclusive neighborhood in town with many magnificent homes which would be ideal for this scheme. Robert had talked about this scheme with his buddies at the Lions' Club. As it happened, one of the Lion members who lived in this neighborhood offered Robert his home for ...

209. Two Kinds of Life and Death

Illustration

John R. Brokhoff

... is exterminated or extinguished? If so, there would be a merciful nothingness. However, the Bible teaches that a soul apart from God, living in death, is in hell, a state of misery. Paul describes the condition in hell: "They shall suffer the punishment of eternal destruction and exclusion from the presence of the Lord and from the glory of his might" (2 Thessalonians 1:9). As there is eternal life, there is also everlasting death. It is to save us from this fate that God gave his Son to die for us and to ...

210. Christ The King

Ephesians 1:15-23, 1 Corinthians 15:12-34, Ezekiel 34:1-31, Matthew 25:31-46

Sermon Aid

Russell F. Anderson

... observed in the First Lesson from Ezekiel. God, the Shepherd, promises to seek out and bring back those who have strayed. Who are Christ's brothers and sisters? (v. 40). Who are those Christ identifies as the least, his brothers and sisters? Are they exclusively those named on the roster of his disciples or does Jesus identify himself with all downtrodden people everywhere? An argument can be made either way. However, if the brethren are only those called by his name, then we have something of a parochial ...

211. Easter 5

John 14:1-4, John 14:5-14, Acts 7:54--8:1a, Acts 17:1-9, 1 Peter 2:4-12

Sermon Aid

Russell F. Anderson

... If we know him, we will always be with him. He is the Lord, but also our gracious host, who opens his arms of welcome to us at the end of our life's journey. Many rooms. Could this possibly mean that heaven will be an inclusive, rather than exclusive, state of being? Many people think of the heavenly home as hemmed in by all sorts of zoning regulations. Only those who believe as I do will enter the gates of glory, they think. It makes sense that the One who ate with sinners and tax collectors, will welcome ...

212. Epiphany 2

Jn 1:29-42 · 1 Cor 1:1-9 · Is 49:1-7 · Ps 27

Sermon Aid

Russell F. Anderson

... in vain, I have spent my strength for nothing and vanity ..." (v. 4). Then, in practically the same breath, he adds, "Yet surely my cause is with the Lord, and my reward with my God." It's quite obvious that faith and futility are not mutually exclusive. Some of the greatest saints, called to the most difficult tasks have, at times, felt like they had been abandoned by God and that their labors were in vain. This is quite natural because those who exercise the greatest faith usually meet the most opposition ...

213. Epiphany 5

1 Corinthians 1:18--2:5, Matthew 5:13-16, Matthew 5:17-20, Isaiah 58:1-14, 1 Corinthians 2:6-16

Sermon Aid

Russell F. Anderson

... people complained that their ritual acts of fasting produced no demonstrable effect in securing God's aid. They mistakenly thought that their ritual acts would obligate God to grant their wishes. Their religion was centered on ritual to the exclusion of relationships. Religion means, literally, that which binds together. Thus, religion is essentially about relationships. The point that Isaiah was trying to make is that relationships are what matter to the Lord. When our actions isolate and imprison people ...

214. Proper 22

Philippians 4:2-9, Philippians 3:1-11, Philippians 3:12-4:1, Isaiah 5:1-7, Exodus 20:1-21, Matthew 21:33-46

Sermon Aid

Russell F. Anderson

... appearance of anti-Semitism. In its original context, the parable is one of judgment against the nation of Israel. They had not lived up to the covenant or rendered the obedience which was owed God. They would not be able to keep their special designation as the exclusive caretakers of God's kingdom. That designation was given to the church, made up of those who render repentance and the fruit of faith. It's not that the Jews were more sinful than other people, nor is it true that they are excluded from God ...

215. Proper 24

Exodus 33:12-23, Isaiah 45:1-7, Matthew 22:15-22, 1 Thessalonians 1:1-10

Sermon Aid

Russell F. Anderson

... labor as God's dear children. Gospel: Matthew 22:15-22 Levels of loyalty. The Pharisees and Herodians wanted to catch Jesus in an either/or trap. Is it right to pay taxes to Caesar or not? They thought that loyalty to God and to the state were mutually exclusive. Jesus taught that both had a claim on our loyalty but on much different levels. As citizens of this world, we owe support to our government. But we are also citizens of God's kingdom, which lays on us a much more basic claim to our loyalty. Caesar ...

216. Proper 4

Genesis 6:1-8:22, Deuteronomy 11:1-32, Matthew 7:21-29, Romans 1:1-17, Romans 3:21-31

Sermon Aid

Russell F. Anderson

... relate primarily to society through its individual members. Most Christians would probably agree that Christians need to express their faith both through institutions and individuals. The problem is that mainline denominations channel their energies and resources almost exclusively into institutional expressions, to the neglect of the personal dimension of faith. Diehl hastens to point out that the wrong kind of individualism can be destructive to faith but individualism is of two stripes. The first kind ...

217. Reformation Sunday

Jn 8:31-36 · Rom 3:19-28 · Jer 31:31-34 · Ps 46

Sermon Aid

Russell F. Anderson

... with his people, not written on parchment or etched in stone, but written on the human heart. God will bestow not only the desire but the power to do his will. This new covenant will be intrinsic rather than external. It will also be inclusive rather than exclusive, not just reserved for the righteous few (v. 34). Lesson 2: Romans 3:19-28 No person will be accounted righteous by keeping the law of God. He who breaks part of it is guilty of all. The good news proclaims that the righteousness of God is ...

218. Easter Day

John 20:10-18, John 20:1-9, Colossians 3:1-17, Acts 10:23b-48

Sermon Aid

Russell F. Anderson

... death would seem the antithesis of life. Those dancing to the drumbeat of the moment wouldn't understand that Christians are also celebrating life, but in a very different way. The followers of the Man from Nazareth have discovered that life and death are not mutually exclusive. As strange as it seems, they have found that the door to the celebration of life is only through death. Christ gave himself to death that we might gain eternal life. As we give our life to Christ and neighbor, we learn to dance with ...

219. Trinity Sunday

Mt 28:16-20 · Jn 3:16-18 · Gen 1:1--2:4a · Ex 34:4-9 · 2 Cor 13:11-13 · Ps 8

Sermon Aid

Russell F. Anderson

... disciples saw the glorified Lord, they worshipped him but Matthew adds, rather parenthetically, "but some doubted" (v. 16). We don't know who doubted but it is interesting to note that no one was chastised for their doubt. Faith and doubt are never completely exclusive one of the other. Even the most substantial faith experiences an occasional doubt. Otherwise, it would not be faith but sight. God honors even the most puny faith, if it is acted upon. On whose authority? That's the question Jesus was asked ...

220. The Poor In Spirit

Sermon

John A. Terry

... enemies, and encouraged them "to bear up under this life of toil and care, because a blessed home awaited them in the far-off bye and bye." The congregation felt consoled. "They basked," Ms. Angelou wrote, "in the righteousness of the poor and the exclusiveness of the downtrodden." They believed what the preacher and the Bible said. The ugliness of their present lives would make little difference in the long run. They would finally overcome by the power of God. The people in the revival tent seemed to have ...

221. The Warrior And The Shepherd Are One!

Isaiah 40:1-31

Sermon

Harold Warlick

... Liberator and a resolve to take on his role of shepherd. This demands all the Advent preparation we can muster. Excerpts from The Doctrina show that "the Way" is a term which had come by the end of the first century to have an exclusively ethical meaning. There had been efforts to develop Christianity along nonethical lines into a mystical "spirit" to the neglect of morals. The apostle Paul had to fight off a boastful band of false prophets in Corinth who maintained that the gifts of the spirit delivered ...

222. Come Holy Ghost, Our Hearts Inspire

Acts 10:23b-48

Sermon

E. Carver McGriff

... into the lives of us all is the point of this passage. Actually, there's a bit of politics indigenous to the time and place involved here, also. The Jews were surprised and perhaps upset that Gentiles should receive what they expected should be exclusively theirs. However, most of them quickly accommodated themselves to the universal gift of the Spirit as Peter made it plain that in fact it was God who gave the gift and that was not to be debated. Apparently, though, this all raised some serious questions ...

223. Another Kind Of Success

6-16, 2 Samuel 5:1-5

Sermon

Arthur H. Kolsti

... have been popular in every time and place. The story of Abraham Lincoln whose life led from the log cabin to the White House is a staple of Americana. So are the stories of Horatio Alger. He started writing just after the civil war. He wrote exclusively about underprivileged young people who through honesty, preseverance, and diligence went on to win fame and wealth. Ragged Dick and Tattered Tom were just two of the heroes he wrote about in over a hundred dime novels. Nearer to our own time are the rags-to ...

224. Drop-Everything-Discipleship

Mark 1:14-20

Sermon

John A. Stroman

... and their livelihood. They walked away from their old life, their old ways of doing things, their kindred and family. Taking A Risk This is a radical and bold move on their part. Why? Why did they do it? It appears that their response is simply and exclusively based on the power of Jesus' personality and message. The call of Jesus is so strong in their lives that all of the encumbrances of their old lives are jettisoned -- their boats and nets, their families, their old life and old ways of doing things are ...

225. Discovering The Unexpected

Luke 2:21-40

Sermon

John A. Stroman

... expected a Christ who would be a smashing success, but to them he was not because he died the shameful death of a criminal. He was the unexpected Christ because he did not fit into their scheme or plan of things. They wanted a Christ they could keep for themselves exclusively as part of their nation, but his life was like a river, a current so strong that no bank could contain it. Jesus did not come then where men and women expected him to come. He may not come today where we expect him to come. We have a ...

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