Sermon and Worship Resources

Synonyms: Levi, disciple, evangelist, tax collector, the 12, the twelve, apostle, sermon on the mount, jewish audience, beatitudes, lord's prayer, great commission, parables, olivet discourse, mount of olives, olivet, synoptic

Showing 2226 to 2250 of 4942 results

2226. Gideon: One Giant Leap

Judges 6:11-16

Sermon

Billy D. Strayhorn

I love to fly but I wonder, how many of you get nervous when flying? If you do you'd probably agree with George S. Kaufman who once said, "I like terra firma - the more firma, the less terra." One of the premier science-fiction writers Ray Bradbury of Los Angeles won a top award in 1968 from the Aviation-Space Writers Association for a Life magazine article he wrote in praise of space exploration. But Bradbury didn't attend the association's awards meeting in Florida. You know why? He won't fly. (1) I ...

2227. Rahab: Seven Minutes To Midnight

Joshua 6:15-25

Sermon

Billy D. Strayhorn

How many of you are interested in genealogy? Then you've probably heard the story about the prominent individual who discovered that one her grandfathers was a murderer who had been executed in the electric chair in one of the State Penitentiaries. She was mortified and went to one of the leading genealogists and asked what she could do. The genealogist thought for awhile and then wrote: "Mrs. Smith's grandfather occupied the chair of applied electricity in one of our best-known state institutions. He was ...

2228. The Character of Christmas; Wise Men: Seeking

Matthew 2:1-12

Sermon

Billy D. Strayhorn

One of the venerable old saints of the church jumped up and stomped out of the annual Christmas play being held at the church. The pastor couldn't figure out what was wrong so he hurried after him. When he caught up with the old man in the parking lot and asked what was wrong he was told, "Preacher, I've gone along with a lot of changes through the years, but this thing tonight just went too much, I mean who ever heard of the Three Wise Men walking up to the baby Jesus in the manger and presenting him with ...

2229. Spiderman: Saved To Serve

Colossians 3:1-4, 12-17

Sermon

Billy D. Strayhorn

When I was a teenager two events happened, not too far apart either, which were catastrophic to everything I held near and dear. My allowance at the time was $3.00 a week. Not a whole lot, I know, but the median income in 1965 was only $6,800. Now, I supplemented my allowance by mowing two yards in the neighborhood for $5.00 each. I was saving as much of the money as possible to buy a 5 speed English racer that I had fallen in love with at the local bicycle shop. I had allotted $1.00 of my weekly allowance ...

2230. Superman: More Than A Super Hero

John 1:1-5, 9-14; John 13:31-32; John 20:30-31

Sermon

Billy D. Strayhorn

John 1:1-5 (NRSV) [1] In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. [2] He was in the beginning with God. [3] All things came into being through him, and without him not one thing came into being. What has come into being [4] in him was life, and the life was the light of all people. [5] The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not overcome it. John 1:9-14 (NRSV) [9] The true light, which enlightens everyone, was coming into the world. [10] He was in the ...

2231. Acts 2:1-21

Acts 2:1-13

Sweet

Leonard Sweet

“Today is the first day of the rest of your life.” That truism seems ready-made for a sappy greeting card. But nothing could be “truer” of the impact Pentecost had on Jesus’ disciples. In an instant, twelve disciples were transformed and recreated. Confused first followers became confident apostles of the new Body of Christ known as the church. After Jesus’ ascension, the disciples followed part of their master’s directive, “Stay in Jerusalem.” (Actually, the phrase means more than “stay put;” it means “ ...

2232. When You Have To Face Your Own Personal Goliath

1 Samuel 17:1-58

Sermon

James W. Moore

For most of us… most days are pretty good days. We have - So many blessings to count, - So much to be thankful for, - So much to appreciate, - So much to celebrate, - So much to rejoice about, - So much to enjoy on most days. But, every now and then… all of us have a “Bad Day.” I decided to explore that reality a little bit this past week,… so I asked a number of people to complete this sentence: “You know its gonna be a bad day when…” How would you complete that sentence? Well, here are some of their ...

2233. Discipline and Means of Grace

Romans 12:1-8

Sermon

Maxie Dunnam

We move now to talk about discipline and means of grace. In my definition of Spiritual Form I chose words very carefully – Listen again: “and appropriating by commitment, discipline and action.” Our discipline is armed at cultivating an awareness of the indwelling Christ. Paul’s words to the Romans make it clear. Listen to Paul in Rom. 12:1-2: “I appeal to you therefore, brothers and sisters, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your ...

2234. Lean Thine Arm on the Windowsill of Heaven (Growing Old Gracefully)

Psalm 90:1-17

Sermon

Maxie Dunnam

In my last sermon, I talked about Parent Burnout. I told some of you that you would get equal time. Today, I’m talking about “growing old”. Next to dying, the recognition that we are aging is the most profound shock of our lifetime. The truth is that the sermon is not just for one segment of the congregation; it’s for all of us. We’re all growing old. And as someone has said, “growing old is not so bad when you consider the alternative.” A 90-year-old was asked what he felt like when he woke up in the ...

2235. Miracles in Contrast

John 1:1-18

Sermon

Maxie Dunnam

Text: “In him appeared life and this life was the light of mankind. The light still shines in the darkness, and the darkness has never put it out” (John 1:5-6 Phillips). A Burden and an Ache. That’s the title of a beautiful, heart stirring book written by Clarence McConkey. It’s a series of word portraits of persons in the inner city, living around the church McConkey served as pastor – persons whose lives are as down-beaten and ravaged as the buildings around them, as torn apart as the shattered economic ...

2236. From Lust to Love

1 Corinthians 13: 1

Sermon

J. Howard Olds

How can a person express their love of basketball, chocolate, their children, God, and their spouse with a single four-letter word - love? That's what I would like us to consider today. In the early part of the 20th century a Jewish philosopher by the name of Martin Buber tried to distinguish between human connections that are mainly "I-It" relationships and those interactions which are primarily "I-Thou" relationships. In "I-It" relationships we seek to acquire and possess. In "I-Thou" relationships we ...

2237. Luke 10:1-11; 16-20

Luke 11:1-13

Sweet

Leonard Sweet

By the Fourth of July the corn is supposed to be “as high as an elephant’s eye.” If you planted early and had warm spring weather you might already be harvesting lettuce, cucumbers, onions, and those upside-down tomatoes you see on tv. And even if you’re still waiting for your plants to produce, every optimistic gardener eagerly envisions the anticipated bounty that is to come. No matter what you are growing or how much you enjoy the “gardening,” we always have one eye looking forward to the final harvest ...

2238. With a Firm Foundation, Application Is Second Nature

Matthew 7:15-23, Matthew 7:24-29

Sermon

Mark Ellingsen

Practice makes perfect. If you do these things for Jesus, the Lord will bless you. Much Prosperity Gospel preaching advocates these themes. It's a word that America wants to hear. Even Reverend Rick Warren of the California megachurch, Saddleback Church, has said that: I must apply its [the Word of God's] principles. Receiving, reading, researching, remembering, and reflecting on the Word are all useless if we fail to put them into practice. We must become "doers of the word."1 Let's get Jesus' "take" on ...

2239. Sick People Like Us Will Always Need The (Divine) Doctor

Matthew 9:9-13

Sermon

Mark Ellingsen

Jesus spent a lot of his time hanging around undesirable folks, not with "good" people like us. I mean here in today's gospel lesson we have the story of his calling Matthew, the tax collector (Matthew 9:9). Of course, most of us have our hang-ups with taxes. But in the eastern part of the Roman Empire in Jesus' day tax collectors were notorious for overcharging the taxed, often with harassment, and keeping the difference between what was actually owed and what was collected, for themselves. In short, they ...

2240. Kingdoms in Conflict

Matthew 21:33-46

Sermon

Wayne Brouwer

When Vince Lombardi was hired as head coach of the Green Bay Packers in 1958, the team was in dismal shape. A single win in season play the year before had socked the club solidly into the basement of the NFL, and sportscasters everywhere used it as the butt of loser jokes. But Lombardi picked and pulled and prodded and trained and discipled the players into become a winning team. They were NFL champions in three consecutive seasons, and took the game honors for the first two Super Bowls. Lombardi was a ...

2241. Dressed for the Banquet

Matthew 22:1-14

Sermon

Chris Ewing

2242. Eat and Run

Exodus 12:1-14

Sermon

David J. Kalas

At some time or another, we've all had to hurry through a meal and hurry away from the table. And so, at some time or another, we've all found ourselves saying, "I hate to eat and run, but...." Everybody has done it. Everybody knows what it's like. But even though everyone says he hates to eat and run, the truth is that not everyone does hate it. Some folks rather like it. As a little boy, I liked to eat and run in the summertime. When the weather is warm and it stays light later, dinner is just an ...

2243. The Vastness of Relationships

Ephesians 1:3-14

Sermon

John N. Brittain

At this time of year, the Christmas and Epiphany seasons, various preachers, teachers, and Sunday school lessons remind us that we sometimes overdo things in our Christmas pageants and Christmas cards by mixing distinct Bible stories together into one great mish-mash. We have the angel choir and shepherds from the Luke 2 Christmas story, which we celebrated last week, along with the kings from the East (not numbered in the scriptures, although we usually settle for three) from Matthew 2, which we will ...

2244. A Disconcerting Sight

1 Corinthians 3:1-9

Sermon

John N. Brittain

I once had a student whose dad was a pilot for a major airline who told me this true story. Her father flew DC-10s from St. Louis to the east coast. There were certain business people who took the same flights on a regular basis and, while certainly not friends, he recognized them enough to exchange pleasantries. One of these frequent travelers was visually impaired and used a guide dog. On one occasion, the flight was so delayed that it was decided to let the passengers back off the plane to wait in the ...

2245. Heroes of Faith

Hebrews 11:29 – 12:2

Sermon

Billy D. Strayhorn

A father was sitting on the floor with his three boys getting ready for bedtime prayers. The two older boys were having an argument about their action figures. The issue was whether Superman was better than He-Man. One boy said that Superman could fly, the other countered that He-Man had bigger muscles. And so it went, back and forth, while the youngest boy, Nicholas age four, just watched. Dad turned to Nick and asked: "So who's your hero, Nick?" Without batting an eye, Nick tilted his head, gave Dad one ...

2246. LENT: The Passion of Christ: "Denied!"

John 13:36-38; 18:12-27

Sermon

Billy D. Strayhorn

A wealthy old farmer was asked by the newspaper reporter to reveal the secret of his success. The farmer shared a story about one of his old roosters. "This rooster was the best at everything he did. He was better at fighting, flying, pecking, jumping and crowing than any of the other roosters on the farm. Unfortunately, he still lost fights to much weaker birds. The trouble was that just as he was winning a fight, he would stop to crow." (1) Maybe that's what happened to Peter. Peter struggled, not with ...

2247. WWF: Smack Down In The Wilderness

Mark 1:9-15

Sermon

Billy D. Strayhorn

A kindergarten teacher was suddenly taken ill and a replacement was hastily found. The substitute teacher was at a loss as to what to do with the children. She decided to tell them stories. And always, at the end of each story, she would say, "And the moral of that story is..." After dozens of stories, the children had sat through dozens of morals. The regular teacher recovered from her illness and returned to her class. One of her students greeted her with a smile and said, "Teacher, I'm sure glad you're ...

2248. From Temple to Table

John 10:1-21

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

As the “wilderness” continues to shrink, the highly populated suburbs weirdly become the new “edges” of civilization. Why else would coyotes have become the greatest danger for small dogs and cats? Why else would deer have replaced moles, grubs, and crabgrass as the biggest landscaping challenge all over suburbia? The only thing worse than having all your flowers nipped off by marauding Bambi’s is the absolutely abhorrent smell of deer repellent. To keep deer from munching down your roses, pansies, zinnia’ ...

2249. Spiritual Gifts: God’s Gift of Fulfillment

1 Corinthians 1:3-9

Sermon

Scott Suskovic

One day all the animals in the forest got together and decided life was not fair. Some animals were better at flying than others. Some animals were better at climbing than others. Some animals were better at swimming than others. To even out the scales, they decided to open a school where the animals could improve in the areas of their weaknesses. After a month in the program, both tempers and frustration levels were rising. The rabbit was the fastest runner but failed miserably at climbing. The squirrel ...

2250. Eternal Life Is Now

1 John 5:9-13

Sermon

Nancy Kraft

Imagine describing what music is like to someone who has never heard a sound. How would you do it? It would be so far from the realm of their experience that you would have nothing to go on really. That's like describing heaven to someone who has only known life here on earth. Now, we know that not one of us has ever been there. But suppose a few of us could pay a visit to heaven just to check it out and come back and tell the rest of us about what it's like. I suspect that it's so foreign to anything that ...

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