Sermon and Worship Resources

Showing 201 to 225 of 1795 results

1 Kings 2:1-12

Sermon

Stephen M. Crotts

Former Colorado Governor Richard Lamm said: "Future historians will see best the multiple factors that led to the decline of America. But I suggest one of the major factors will be the failure to replace ourselves with enough stable children born to families with the ability to raise successful children." What Governor Lamm is talking about is heritage and our failure to receive it, embrace it, enrich it, and transmit it. Thousands of years ago the prophet Jeremiah observed that his own people had loosened ...

202. Encounters With Christ II: Jesus and Mary and Martha

Luke 10:38-42

Sermon

James W. Moore

... solitude, one who can tune in to the wonders of the universe, one who can experience a sunset or a Brahms melody and feel in that experience the presence of God nearer than breathing. Now, Roger Birkman has developed an interesting way of clarifying these four personality styles, so that we can recognize them more quickly and easily. He says, “Imagine that you have nine cats in a house and that your task is to get the cats out of the house. How would you do it?” How would the action-oriented doer handle ...

203. What Jesus Saw In Martha

Luke 10:38-42

Sermon

James W. Moore

204. The Rights of an Apostle

1 Corinthians 9:1-27

Understanding Series

Marion L. Soards

... the midrash is addressed. In some critical editions of the Greek text, the words when the plowman plows and the thresher threshes, they ought to do so in the hope of sharing in the harvest are set as if they are also a quotation of Scripture. The style of Paul’s words leading into these lines does seem to anticipate another quotation from the law. Although the maxim is similar to phrases in Deuteronomy 24:14 and Sirach 6:19, it does not exactly match any known text. The sense of the statement is plain ...

205. Elisha Traps Blinded Arameans

2 Kings 6:8-23

Understanding Series

Iain W. Provan

Miracles, Trivial and Significant: Elisha’s prophetic activity thus far has been of a relatively private character (2 Kgs. 2:19–25; 4:1–44). Prior to chapter 5, there was just that single excursion into the wider world in chapter 3. We know, however, that it is his destiny to be a pivotal figure in the drama of international politics between Israel and Aram (1 Kgs. 19:15–18). His contact with Aram began in chapter 5 and will now occupy most of our attention for the next two chapters, as we are prepared for ...

206. Pay Attention!

Luke 21:25-36

Sermon

Lori Wagner

Have you ever been so distracted that you started forgetting simple things? I remember when I was in graduate school at Penn that I would be so focused on thinking about my latest research that I would sometimes come out of the shower wondering whether or not I had actually washed my hair. My mind had been on autopilot. I really wasn’t sure. According to the National Institutes of Health, the instances of ADD in the United States has risen from 6.1% in 1997 to a whopping 10.2% in 2016 –the significant ...

207. Swimming Against the Tide

Luke 6:27-38

Sermon

Lori Wagner

Salmon and Steelhead Trout are what scientists call anadromous fish. This means that they hatch in fresh water, then swim to the ocean to live out their lives, then return once again to fresh water to spawn. When the tide turns, they literally swim upstream against the current in order to reach their spawning grounds. This strong instinctual behavior to swim against the flow is driven by their need to reproduce.[1] That drive to reproduce is also the key to how we carry on our faith. We have an astute old ...

208. For Someone Deeply Troubled

Isaiah 40:27-31 · John 14:1-6

Eulogy

Richard E. Zajac

The River Boat [Tell of their valiant struggle and the virtues they embodied despite the demon they could not conquer.] Two strangers, a small boy and an older man, were fishing from the banks of the Mississippi River. As time passed, they discovered that, although the fishing was poor, the conversation was good. By the time the sun began to set, they had talked of many things. At dusk, a large riverboat was seen moving slowly in the distance. When the boy saw the boat, he began to shout and wave his arms ...

209. Your Sins Are Remembered No More! You Are Free!

Jeremiah 30:1--31:40

Sermon

Mark Ellingsen

... the “blessed exchange,” the sharing that goes on between spouses, changes lives. The lovers in a long-time relationship are not the same persons they were when they first fell in love. Could you say that love has made them forget themselves? That is God’s style for setting us free and changing lives. I have a friend who talks of his marriage this way. He says that after 27 years of life together with his wife, sometimes he catches himself thinking or acting in ways he never did before they met nearly ...

210. Servants Without Portfolio

Matthew 20:20-28

Sermon

Maxie Dunnam

... disciple is not superior to his teacher, nor the slave to his master. Anyone who wants to be great among you, must be your servant. Just as the son of man came not to be served, but to serve.” Not only does Jesus call us to this style, he gives us life through this style. Anyone who finds his life will lost it, but he who loses his life for my sake and the gospels, will find it. Well, what is new about that, you’re saying in your mind. I’ve been hearing that all my life. You’re right. We ...

211. A Life Hidden With Christ

Colossians 2:6-23

Sermon

Maxie Dunnam

... rural Mississippi. Paul gave powerful witness to this experience over and over again: I have been crucified with Christ; I am now alive in him. To be a Christian is to change, to become new. It is not simply a matter of choosing a new life style, though there is a new style, as we will see; it has to do with being a new person. The new person does not emerge full-blown. Conversion, passing from life to death, may be the miracle of a moment, but the making of a saint -- presenting oneself perfect in Christ ...

212. Up Close & Personal: Drawing Near

Hebrews 4:14-5:10

Sermon

James Merritt

... your thoughts. You reach out in prayer, because when you draw near to God you will hear from God. Normal 0 false false false EN-US X-NONE X-NONE Style Definitions table.MsoNormalTable {mso-style-name:"Table Normal"; mso-tstyle-rowband-size:0; mso-tstyle-colband-size:0; mso-style-noshow:yes; mso-style-priority:99; mso-style-qformat:yes; mso-style-parent:""; mso-padding-alt:0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; mso-para-margin:0in; mso-para-margin-bottom:.0001pt; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:11.0pt; font-family ...

213. God’s Love and Ours

1 John 4:7-21, 1 John 5:1-12

Understanding Series

Thomas F. Johnson

... the basis of love for one another and of any claim to love for God. 4:7 Love for one another was the writer’s theme in 2:9–11 and 3:11–18, and it will be treated one more time in 4:19–5:4. The writer’s style is to return often to his main topics for further exploration. This is also a key to understanding and interpreting 1 John. (See Introduction, “Outline or Structure.”) In v. 7, the Elder urges his “beloved” (agapētoi; NIV, Dear friends) to keep on loving one another (agapōmen, a ...

214. Apostles of Christ

1 Corinthians 4:1-21

Understanding Series

Marion L. Soards

... as the standard for the evaluation of a steward, Paul reflects on the judgment of himself as the Lord’s steward. The shift of focus in 4:3–5 from God’s stewards to Paul alone leads interpreters to conclude that Paul is responding to criticisms of himself and his style of ministry. This concern in the situation Paul was facing in Corinth has already surfaced in Paul’s discussion (1:17; 2:1–5, 15; 3:1–4, 10), and the motif of judgment was prominent in 2:15 and 3:12–15. As he takes up this matter ...

215. Love

1 Corinthians 13:1-13

Understanding Series

Marion L. Soards

... so that God’s love becomes the Christians’ love. Spiritual gifts must function in service to the aims of God’s love, or Paul says they are, despite their sometimes extraordinary effects, dead ends in themselves. 13:8–10 Once again the style shifts at verse 8. Instead of the pithy wisdom sayings of the foregoing lines one encounters more elaborated arguments. The preceding verses of this meditation on love assert that charismatic gifts are worthless without love. Now Paul further promotes love by ...

216. Faith in the Son of God

1 John 5:1-12, 1 John 4:7-21

Understanding Series

Thomas F. Johnson

217. Uncleanness in the Camp

Deuteronomy 23:9-14

Understanding Series

Christopher J. H. Wright

Community Laws: Defining and Protecting the Community · These last chapters of the central law code have a “flavor” of concern for a compassionate and caring community that takes seriously the claims of kinship and the needs of the weak and vulnerable. That community itself, however, needs clear definition and measures to protect its religious distinctiveness and purity. This need explains the presence, alongside laws that immediately appeal to us by their charitable nature, of other laws that appear much ...

218. Proverbs of Solomon

Proverbs 14:1-35

One Volume

Gary M. Burge

14:1–35 · Commentators disagree regarding how to subdivide Proverbs 14. Striking here is the opening clause (14:1a, “The wise woman builds her house”), which echoes 9:1. It is followed by the first of three occurrences of “the fear of the Lord” in the chapter (14:2, 26–27). One’s conduct reflects one’s attitude toward God (14:2). Wise behavior is constructive; folly is destructive (14:1, 3; the NIV 1984 emends KJV’s “rod of pride” to “rod to his back”). Verse 4 offers a homey illustration of how one wisely ...

219. Wimps Become Warriors

Acts 2:1-13

Sermon

Bill Bouknight

... . With the Holy Spirit I'm a message!" At Pentecost God entrusted the Gospel to a motley crew so obviously underqualified that anybody with common sense would know that the power came from God. My challenge to us today is to dare to live a pentecostal life-style. How does one do that? FIRST, ASK EACH DAY FOR A FRESH INFILLING OF THE HOLY SPIRIT. In Ephesians, chapter 5, verse 18, Paul issues this command: "Be filled with the Spirit." Those who are filled with the Holy Spirit are those who crave it, who are ...

220. Chapter I

Exodus 20:1-21

Sermon

Frank H. Seilhamer

... him, respect him, serve him and obey him. In a word, they would be as faithful to God as he would be to them. Hence, the style of life that would be lived between God and his people was to be determined by how much each meant to the other. Their relationship ... , or steal from one another. Other people, not linked to God in the love-pact might do that, but they would not. And this style of life would be lived out not because God threatened to clobber them for failing to do so. His people would so live because ...

221. In Praise of Feeling Guilty

Psalm 51:1-19

Sermon

Gregory J. Johanson

... . This seems to be a surprising title - greeted by puzzled smiles when I have mentioned it. Feeling guilty feels so bad, it is something we all want to avoid and/or get rid of; how could there be anything to praise? In addition, it has been out of style generally, in recent years, along with its related words, sin and shame - and this has led to a paradox. A comic strip several months ago says it well: (Cathy is one of my favorites.) Walter: "But, Cathy, my sweet ... This is a new age! There is no 'right ...

222. I Am Christ's

2 Corinthians 5:17

Sermon

Maxie Dunnam

... and listen with your heart as well as your ears. What does it mean to be in Christ? It means one, a new status; two, a new style, and three, a new strength. I. First, a new status. To be in Christ is to become a new creation, as Paul puts it in our text ... who we are because of the personal love of God that comes to us in Jesus Christ. II. But not only a new status, a new style. Persons in Christ are people in whom a new principle of life has been implanted. Now get that. Persons who are in Christ are people in ...

223. I Thought You'd Never Ask

John 1:35-46

Sermon

Mark Trotter

... lot to work on in order to be perfect--enough to keep us busy, all of us, for the rest of our lives. So with the style of being Christian that says, I am a work in progress, I am always trying to become a better person, there must also be an ... it; and now I'm about to do it again, because I have come to the conclusion that there is no better summary of the searcher style of being a Christian. In the 13th chapter of Corinthians Paul says, "Now I know in part." That means you don't know everything, it's ...

224. 1 Corinthians 13:1-13

1 Corinthians 13:1-13

Sweet

Leonard Sweet

... the hungry is worthless if it is not motivated by love. The same holds true for martyrdom itself. Of all the possible motives for martyrdom, only love is the one which turns death into a selfless act of divinely inspired devotion. Switching to a didactic style for verses 47, Paul now gives not a definition of love but a description of the ways of love. Verses 4, 5 and 6 create a kind of negative confession, a popular ancient confessional form. Note again that while we, and the Corinthians, naturally assume ...

225. 1 Corinthians 13:1-13

1 Corinthians 13:1-13

Sweet

Leonard Sweet

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