Sermon and Worship Resources

Showing 201 to 225 of 656 results

1 Samuel 25:1-44

Sermon

... spare everyone else. Abigail Smith tried to keep peace between her headstrong father and her impertinent lover. Dealing with her boyfriend was not easy. After all, here is a sample of one of his love letters: Dear Madam, I enclose a catalogue of your faults, imperfections and defects. You can’t sing, you are unable to play cards and you walk with your toes turned inward. This Abigail had a tart tongue and could hold her own in a heated discussion with her beau. Her father, a Congregational minister, was ...

202. Some Assembly Required

Malachi 2:17--3:5

Sermon

... across the floor to see what you have to work with. Then, you look for the directions. You have to follow directions. You have to understand what the creator intended for the toy if you are to put the thing together as it was designed. But we live in an imperfect world - a world still tainted by the fall into original sin. This means that nothing is perfect, so some of the 4,176 pieces you need must be missing. Evidently, this is part of the ritual of assemblying toys. It’s a test of your temper and your ...

203. Proper 22

Mt 21:33-46 · Php 3:4b-14 · Ex 20:1-20

Bulletin Aid

... IT AS OUR OWN! Collect Sovereign God, you have promised us your glorious Reign for the future. Help us now to claim it as our own: that, preparing for its coming glories, we may become participants in its present gifts, which abound even now in our imperfect world. In Jesus' name we pray. Amen Prayer of Confession Righteous God, we confess that we do not consistently keep your promised coming Reign before us as our goal, and that we settle all too eagerly for the world as it is, as if there were nothing ...

204. Easter 4

John 10:1-21

Sermon Aid

... for) other persons; (2) Being parasites, rather than contributors; (3) Ignoring the tragedies of human separations and alienations. After several moments of silence after each, ask them to respond with the words, "Hear our confessions, Lord." Then say, "Be merciful to your imperfect disciples, Lord." For assurance, make sure that they hear that God forgives all sin, with a capital S. "If you're still hanging onto something that you think God has not, will not, or cannot forgive, I invite you to spend some ...

205. A Glory Revealed to Faith Alone

Numbers 21:4-9

Sermon

... , 1982) p. 179.] On the basis of this grammatical analysis I have expanded my translation of "who believe on him" (en auto) with the phrase, "by looking upon him." In John, "to look upon" means "to believe in." See John 6:40 1. Literally, "this worthless bread." 2. Imperfect in the Greek, inferring an action that has just now commenced. 3. Luther’s Works, vol. 22, Sermons on the Gospel of St. John, (St. Louis: Concordia, 1957), p. 339. 4. See Genesis 22:1-14. 5. John 8:35. 6. See John 6:40. 7. Charles ...

206. You Figure It Out

Matthew 22:15-22

Sermon

... the rightness of at least some of these multiple choices. If it had convinced itself that there was only one true and final answer for all loyal citizens, it would not have allowed for conscientious objector status. We have been plunged into a broken, imperfect, and ambiguous world. Like it or not, we are forced to give answers to complex questions which are only partly satisfying. Blacks and whites begin to merge into shades of gray. This infuriates us sometimes because we would rather say, "What’s right ...

207. Jesus Gives Us Tomorrow!

Acts 1:1-11

Sermon

Barbara Brokhoff

... to life. And not far away, on another mountain just outside the Jerusalem walls, he had died in pain, shame, and darkness. Jerusalem, Bethany, Calvary - and now Olivet. Here on Olivet he prepares to leave those he loves so dearly, those who love him so imperfectly, but still the best they can. Jesus leaves, but before he leaves them, he gives ... The Promise of the Spirit (Acts 1:8) Before Jesus leaves these eleven faithless, but learning to be faithful, men, he gives them the promise of the Holy Spirit ...

208. Who Are God’s People?

Exodus 19:1-25

Sermon

John R. Brokhoff

... we are an entity scattered among all nations. The emphasis is not to be placed upon "nation" but upon "holy." What does it mean to be a holy people? To be holy is to be different from the world. God is holy and the world is sinful. The world is imperfect, but God is perfect. To be holy is to be different from the world by being like God. "Be holy, for I am holy." "Be merciful as your Father in heaven is merciful." The problem is that we, the people of God, are not what we ought to be - holy ...

209. Jeopardy, by Jeremiah

Jeremiah 23:9-32

Sermon

Richard F. Bansemer

... be angry, let him be angry at them. Let God’s wrath and fury and power and might spill out on those others who make us angry, too - communists! blatant sinners! murderers! thieves! Or, we could, and I suppose we do sometimes, figure since God is God and we are imperfect, then we "have it coming" now and then, and there is nothing like a good stern reprimand from God to clear the air and start us over with a clean slate and another chance. It’s like a child’s comfort in a spanking. He knows when it’s ...

210. BE A DARKNESS DISPELLER

Illustration

John H. Krahn

... Christ shines in the world through each of us as we take seriously that we are a chosen people belonging to God. There is no disembodied Christianity. The Lord calls us to relate to him in the community of the church with all of its warts and imperfections. Christianity is a social faith, a community of fellow believers. Jesus continues to build his church upon our confession of faith that he was the one promised by the Father to die and pay the penalty of our sinfulness and to defeat death and the grave by ...

211. PERFECT LOVE

Illustration

John H. Krahn

Perfect love cannot be defined by imperfect people. Our world is full of statements of love. We have love songs, love perfumes, love manuals, and love stories. Love is a very popular concept. Yet perfect love, the kind that can even cast out fear, is not earthbound. Instead, it is heaven-found. Perfect love is a love ...

212. THE ONLY WAY OUT

Illustration

John H. Krahn

... . You had sinned and continue to sin. It is your nature from the time of the Fall. Therefore, you cannot save yourself. Although some of you sin less than others, none of you is perfect. My Father demands perfection - he will not stand for any imperfection in eternity. Fortunately for you, my Father is also compassionate, and his love goes beyond human love. He wanted to reclaim you as his own, therefore, he decided to be inflicted with suffering and death. To accomplish this, he sent me - part of himself ...

213. "I Don’t Want to Be Perfect - Or Do I?"

Matthew 13:1-23

Sermon

Robert G. Tuttle

... , Christian lifestyle and Christian insights; and they changed England. They were not perfect, but they were "yearning" after perfection. They were "going on" to perfection. They were getting closer to it day by day. The early Methodists "knew they were ignorant and imperfect - but they knew they had a clue to life," in their new experience of Christ. They went on to a greatness of character and to a dynamic expression of Christian love. They continued to change England. These early Methodist fathers were ...

214. When the Church Is the Church

Philippians 2:1-11

Sermon

Raymond Gibson

... I could ever find a perfect church, I would join it!" Bishop Moore looked the man straight in the eye and said, "My friend, the church is not perfect because I am a part of it. And if you ever become a part of it, it will be even more imperfect!" The bishop’s summation of the state of the church certainly was accurate, but probably many of us can identify with the complainant’s dream of being part of a perfect church. Wouldn’t it be great to be a member of a congregation where there was never a ...

215. A LITURGICAL DRAMA FOR ALL SAINTS’

Drama

Tom Eberle

... Zero, but pure in heart - isn’t that a little too good? Mary: You would like to know if I’m too good to be true. Box: Well, are you? Mary: If you want me to say I’m not perfect, I will say it. I’m human, I’m imperfect. Does that make you feel better? Box: Well, yes. At least you’re woman enough to admit it. I didn’t think you had it in you to level with me. Thank you. Mary: Thank you! For what? You seem to take pleasure in my confession. Why is that? Box ...

216. What Do You Think You’re Worth?

Matthew 10:1-42

Sermon

John R. Brokhoff

... am a man of unclean lips." When Peter realized how good and great Jesus was, he fell down on his knees before him and said, "Depart from me, Lord, for I am a sinful man." In the sight of God I am nothing, for I see all my sins, my imperfections, my unworthiness, my helplessness. Is this good or bad? It is bad if you look at it in terms of self-contempt. It is bad if you despise yourself as adding up to a cipher. To have a Christian’s sense of worthlessness does not mean you despise yourself to ...

217. The Waters of Your Baptism

Colossians 2:6-23

Sermon

Bill Bouknight

... a special way to the Holy Spirit. Listen again to simon Peter's words: "Repent and be baptized...and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit." A third reason for baptism is that it is the doorway into the church which is, despite all its imperfections, the Body of Christ. We were meant to live in Christian community. Baptism is that invisible mark upon each of us that signifies that we are part of the community of faith. The fourth and most important reason for baptism is this: Each time the sacrament ...

218. Unwrapping Presents ... and People

Sermon

James Bjorge

... death. But God did not tolerate the reign of death. He sent his Son to die for the sins of the world and then he followed it up with a crashing crescendo of the resurrection. He met death head on and the Lord of Life was victorious. But in an imperfect world death still lingers around. He has his brief say in the great play of life. However, his time on stage and his lines are very limited. He is no longer in the director’s seat. And after his little intrusion he can no longer get on stage again for ...

219. MR. CAIN

Drama

Jerome W. Nilssen

... loves you ... just like you are. CAIN The whole world loves a Rotarian. JAREL That’s right. Just keep telling yourself that. CAIN I don’t know. It still gets me, when I look in the mirror and see that scar. JAREL I’ve got a few imperfections too. Nothing so noticeable, of course. CAIN I’ve got a wicked imagination. JAREL That’s your whole trouble. CAIN I simply couldn’t have killed my own brother. That’s unnatural. JAREL You take things too serious. CAIN There are certain details I can’t ...

220. Judgement Day Is Coming

Matthew 13:24-30, Matthew 13:36-43, Matthew 13:47-52

Sermon

Bill Bouknight

... who referred to people as 'loSt.' He described hell as the everlasting fire, the shut door, and the outer darkness where there are endless tears and gnashing of teeth.” Jesus did not slant judgment and hell toward those who were broken and imperfect, but toward those who proudly refused God's mercies, those who were too self-satisfied to repent. John Wesley, our Methodist founder, pulled no punches in talking about judgment and hell. He referred to hell as banishment from God. He declared, “There is ...

221. The Forbidden Anger

Matthew 5:21-26

Sermon

Bill Bouknight

... who commanded those impossible standards is the one who forgave an adulteress, a thief on the cross, a disciple who had denied ever knowing him. The Jesus who called us to be perfect is the same one who paid the penalty on the Cross for the sins of imperfect folks like you and me. The Sermon on the Mount is both absolute ideals and absolute grace, without one compromising the other. Only as we are healed by grace and equipped by the Holy Spirit can we grow toward the ideal of the Sermon on the Mount. Now ...

222. The Mission of Christ Church

Nehemiah 6:1-14

Sermon

Bill Bouknight

... victim of alcohol and drug abuse. He made everybody else laugh but he was miserable inside. One of his good friends said this about Chris: "Everybody loved him, but ultimately that wasn't enough, because he didn't love himself. " How can we love ourselves with all our imperfections until we first know that God loves us? So much that he provided a way to cleanse us from all sin and to claim us as His children for all eternity. That's what God has done through Jesus. And we have the privilege of sharing that ...

223. Must Jesus Bear the Cross Alone?

Luke 9:18-27

Sermon

Bill Bouknight

... take up our cross daily. God is not content just to save our souls. He wants to make us holy. Though we were once good for nothing, He wants to make us good for something. So, He subjects our souls to His refining fire, to burn off all the imperfections and to make us as holy as He is holy. As Hebrews 12: 11 tells us, “Discipline always seems painful rather than pleasant at the time, but later it yields the peaceful fruit of righteousness…” Let’s suppose that you go on a diet and start a work-out ...

224. Judgment Day is Coming (Adapted)

Matthew 13:24-30, Matthew 13:36-43, Matthew 13:47-52

Sermon

Bill Bouknight

... who referred to people as 'lost.' He described hell as the everlasting fire, the shut door, and the outer darkness where there are endless tears and gnashing of teeth.” Jesus did not slant judgment and hell toward those who were broken and imperfect, but toward those who proudly refused God's mercies, those who were too self-satisfied to repent. John Wesley, our Methodist founder, pulled no punches in talking about judgment and hell. He referred to hell as banishment from God. He declared, “There is ...

225. Using our Special Talents

Romans 12:6-8

Children's Sermon

Wesley T. Runk

... nothing to ashamed of to let Jesus help us with our spiritual problems. God wants us to pray to Him for our help and when we get it we will be glad and strong. A BETTER WAY 1 Corinthians 13:1-13, verse 10: But when the perfect comes, the imperfect will pass away. Object: Two methods of doing the same thing, one much more efficiently than the other. Good morning, boys and girls. Look what I brought with me to show you. What is it? That's right, a camera. Good old Candy Camera, one of my oldest and dearest ...

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