Sermon and Worship Resources

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Showing 2251 to 2275 of 4914 results

2251. Jesus’s Fallible Followers

Luke 9:51-56, Luke 9:46-50, Luke 9:37-45

Teach the Text

R.T. France

Big Idea: The disciples show that they have not yet absorbed the message and values of the kingdom of God. Understanding the Text Luke 9:51 marks the end of the Galilean ministry and the beginning of the long “journey section” of the Gospel, which lasts until Jesus reaches Jerusalem in chapter 19. This is not a tightly organized travel narrative (indeed, the occasional geographical indications do not fit into a coherent sequence), but rather a collection of varied incidents and (mainly) teaching, including ...

2252. The Invitation

Isaiah 55:1-9

Sermon

Charley Reeb

I don’t know about you, but I love receiving invitations. They make me feel special because they are deliberate and have me specifically in mind when sent. Now, sometimes invitations can be disappointing, especially when they have a hidden catch like, “Come to the wedding, but don’t forget a gift,” or “Come on vacation with us and maybe you will want to buy a time share.” Invitations quickly lose their appeal when there is an agenda hidden behind them. But generally speaking, receiving an invitation means ...

2253. Love

1 Corinthians 13:1-13

Understanding Series

Marion L. Soards

These verses are often referred to as an excursus on love, and there are good reasons for this description. Remarkably, in this extended meditation on love Paul does not write about loving: there is no statement here that X loves Y. Love itself is the actor or the object of reflection. This beautiful passage never attempts to offer an abstract definition of love; rather, Paul rehearses critical characteristics of love and states in practical terms what love is and isn’t or does and doesn’t do. The verses ...

2254. Daniel’s Prayer

Daniel 9:1-19

Understanding Series

William Nelson

Daniel’s Prayer and the Seventy Weeks: Chapter 9 is unique for three reasons. First, it starts with Daniel reading a prophetic text rather than receiving a vision as in the surrounding chapters (chs. 7, 8, and 10). Second, the particular name of Israel’s God, Yahweh, is only found in this chapter (vv. 2, 4, 8, 10, 13, 14, 20). Third, most of the chapter is taken up with a prayer. Elsewhere, the author makes clear that Daniel believed in talking to God (2:18; 6:10), but only here does he record the lengthy ...

2255. Setting His Face Toward Jerusalem

Luke 9:51-62

Sermon

King Duncan

I’ve got a question for you this morning, a quick opinion poll. How many of you believe that current technology makes certain tasks easier? For example, how many of you prefer a washing machine to a washboard when doing laundry? How many of you like keeping in touch with family and friends on Facebook or Instagram? But how many of you also believe that we can misuse technology in ways that the inventors of these various technologies did not even think about when they invented them? For example, there was ...

2256. God's Most Welcome Gift

Isaiah 9:6-7

Sermon

King Duncan

We’re grateful for the boys and girls in our congregation this evening. I want to begin with a riddle just for them. Boys and girls, what did Adam say to his wife on the night before Christmas? The answer: He said, “It’s Christmas, Eve!” And, of course, it’s true. This is Christmas Eve. And what an exciting evening it is as you await the coming of Santa. Of course this is the season for giving and receiving gifts. And the greatest Giver of gifts is God. Think for a moment about all the gifts God has given ...

2257. By the Sea

Matthew 4:18-22, John 1:35-42, John 1:43-51

Sermon

Lori Wagner

Hear the word of the LORD, you nations; proclaim it in distant coastlands: 'He who scattered Israel will gather them and will watch over his flock like a shepherd.' Jeremiah 31:10 Props: Conch Shell You are being called. It’s the middle of Monday morning. You’re in your office amidst the hustle and bustle of people rushing down the hall. You’re late to a meeting. Your report to the boss is due in 20 minutes. You have to pick up your daughter after school and take your son to basketball practice. You can ...

2258. Reveille

Mark 6:7-13, Matthew 10:1-42, Luke 9:1-9, Luke 10:1-24

Sermon

Lori Wagner

Prop: video of the introduction to “Star Trek” (you may want to put a space / stars backdrop up during the sermon) We recently saw the return to theatres yet another “Star Trek” movie. Trekkies are everywhere. There are trekkie conferences, and trekkie clubs. And still millions flock to the movies to see the new generation of “Jim” and “Spock,” “Bones,” and “Scotty” venture into unknown space. Star Trek was one of the first shows to have a diverse cast and to ask questions about what it means to love, to ...

2259. What Really Matters

John 3:1-21

Sermon

King Duncan

Sir Ernest Shackleton was a celebrated explorer during the first part of the 20th century. In his writings he describes some of the tasks he and his companions faced in preparing to return from an expedition to the South Pole. They knew they would have to leave some possessions behind. He writes that he was profoundly impressed with the things his companions considered important, as contrasted with the things they threw away. For example, they took their money out their pockets and left it behind. Even ...

2260. Sword of the Spirit

John 6:56-69 · Ephesians 6:10-20

Sermon

Lori Wagner

Anyone remember the story of the sword in the stone? King Arthur and the Knights of the Round Table?The story has many facets. Most of us probably remember the part about young Arthur, who was just a ward, a servant in the courts, who was able to pull an amazing historic sword from a stone where it was firmly planted. The inscription to the sword said that only the person meant to be the future king would be able to remove the sword. That person would be a person of special nature and character. While ...

2261. A Pep Talk for a New Year

Matthew 2:13-23

Sermon

King Duncan & Angela Akers

I’d like to start this morning by wishing everyone a very Happy New Year. I can’t think of a better way to start this New Year than gathering with other believers and worshiping God. Most of us try to go into the New Year with a positive attitude. Sometimes it helps if we get a little encouragement, maybe a “pep talk” to get us in the right mindset. If so, we’re in luck. There is a kindergarten class in Healdsburg, California, that runs their own free hotline which they call “Peptoc,” P-E-P-T-O-C. The ...

2262. The Challenge Of Simplicity

Matthew 5:1-12

Sermon

John Jamison

The crowds had grown. Jesus had been in Galilee for a while now, speaking, healing, and calling his disciples to follow him. The leaders from Jerusalem certainly had their spies keeping an eye on him, but with the crowds he was gathering, all they could do right now was watch and listen. Wherever Jesus went, there were always a few Pharisees and Sadducees in the crowd looking for things he might do or say they could use against him when they did finally get the chance. His disciples occasionally reminded ...

2263. Learning Our Role

Luke 3:15-17, 21-22

Sermon

John B. Jamison

He was standing out in the river. We can envision John standing out there. His clothes were soaked. His long, wet hair hung down across his face and down his back. If we didn’t know better, we might think he was someone who had wandered out of the wilderness and was having some kind of breakdown. He was standing there, surrounded by people who had come to see him. They had come from all around the country and there were even people from Sidon and Tyre: foreigners, and not even Jewish foreigners. They had ...

2264. Faith and Fury

Luke 19:28-40

Sermon

Lori Wagner

A brand-new book came out in the past couple of months that immediately hit the #1 New York Times Bestseller List and has remained on the list for 14 weeks straight. It’s called “The Let Them Theory.” Written by Mel Robbins, who researched and developed its premise in response to her own personal journey from feeling “stuck” and hopeless in her life’s situation to becoming one of the most successful behavioral experts in the country, the book helps people and organizations alike battle depression and ...

2265. Proper 11

Ephesians 2:11-22, 2 Samuel 7:1-17, Mark 6:45-56, Mark 6:30-44

Sermon Aid

Russell F. Anderson

Theme: Building the kingdom of God. COMMENTARY Old Testament: 2 Samuel 7:1-14a Some scholars judge chapter 7 to be an insertion from a later period. The purpose of this text is to explain why King David did not construct the temple. The setting for this pericope finds David victorious over his enemies; he has built himself an ornate palace and wants to build the Lord a worthy dwelling. At that time, the Ark of the Covenant was housed in a tent. David reveals his plan to Nathan, the prophet, who initially ...

2266. Bringing Love Close

Deuteronomy 6:1-25

Sermon

George Paul Mocko

What John 3:16 is to Christianity, Deuteronomy 6:4-5 is to Judaism. "Hear O Israel: the Lord our God is one Lord; and you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your might." These are the words of the Shema, and as the words that follow indicate, the first words committed to memory by a Jewish child; the words that appear on the mezuza on a Jewish doorpost; the words that appear in the phylacteries worn by the pious on wrist and forehead. The Shema is the ...

2267. How God Guides

Exodus 13:17--14:31

Sermon

Bill Bouknight

On a hunting trip a few years ago, I went into a remote area I did not know very well. I was alone and stayed longer than I should have. Darkness was falling quickly as I tried to find my way out. Before long I knew I was walking in circles and was utterly lost. A shiver of anxiety ran through me because it was a cold night and I was not suitably dressed to spend the night in those woods. I stopped and prayed. In the silence, off in the distance, I heard an automobile. Therefore, I knew the direction of ...

2268. The Manger Is Empty

Mark 1:1-8

Sermon

Billy D. Strayhorn

In a "Peanuts" cartoon strip, good old Charlie Brown says to Linus, "Life is just too much for me. I've been confused from the day I was born. I think the whole trouble is that we're thrown into life too fast. We're not really prepared." And Linus asks, "What did you want . . . a chance to warm up first?" The Advent season is supposed to be our chance to warm up. It's that time to prepare our hearts and homes for the birth of the Christ child. It's that time when we put all the decorations in their place, ...

2269. A Failure To Communicate

Hebrews 1:1-4, Hebrews 2:5-18

Sermon

King Duncan

The following notice appeared sometime back in a newspaper in the northeastern part of the U. S.: "To those of you who bought our book, Skydiving Made Easy, please enter the following correction on page 12, paragraph 3, line 2: The words 'State zip code' should say "Pull rip cord.' We regret any inconvenience this mistake may have caused you." (1) I suspect it might have caused some inconvenience. A husband who was not used to doing housework decided to wash his dirty sweatshirt. After stepping into the ...

2270. Abraham Believed God

Romans 4:1-5, 13-17

Sermon

Richard W. Ferris

Abraham believed God. What more powerful statement of faith can there be than those three simple words? Abraham believed God. Let's make a very important distinction about this statement. It doesn't say that Abraham believed in God. It says, "Abraham believed God," and because of his belief in what God said, Abraham was credited with righteousness. It wasn't just that Abraham believed "in God" as in the belief that "God exists," or that some superhuman being created the universe. Abraham believed what God ...

2271. Every Day God Enriches

1 Corinthians 1:1-9

Sermon

Billy D. Strayhorn

I found out something which I thought was interesting this past week. Do you know what the difference is between vitamin enriched food like enriched flour and food that is fortified with vitamins? Enriched food means that vitamins or minerals have been added to the food. The vitamins and minerals are added to replace the original vitamins and minerals that were stripped and lost during the refining process. For example, if the food originally had iron, but the iron was lost during the refining process, the ...

2272. Poem: Adonais

Eulogy

Percy Bysshe Shelley

I. I weep for Adonais – he is dead! O, weep for Adonais! though our tears Thaw not the frost which binds so dear a head! And thou, sad Hour, selected from all years To mourn our loss, rouse thy obscure compeers, And teach them thine own sorrow, say: “With me Died Adonais; till the Future dares Forget the Past, his fate and fame shall be An echo and a light unto eternity!” II. Where wert thou, mighty Mother, when he lay, When thy Son lay, pierced by the shaft which flies In darkness? where was lorn Urania ...

2273. God Disciplines His Sons

Hebrews 12:1-13, Hebrews 12:14-29

Understanding Series

Donald A. Hagner

Looking to Jesus as the Perfect Pattern With the glorious history of the faithful in mind, our author turns now to his readers. The standard of faith has been set by the record of God’s faithful people in the past, who moved out into the unknown with confidence and who endured hardship without giving up their expectation of a future fulfillment of the promise. But the author now comes to the supreme example of this kind of faith in Jesus—the name that must be the climax of any list of paragons of faith. ...

2274. Warning Against Refusing God

Hebrews 12:14-29, Hebrews 12:1-13

Understanding Series

Donald A. Hagner

2275. Concluding Exhortations

Hebrews 13:1-25

Understanding Series

Donald A. Hagner

A Call to Ethical Living The author has concluded the main part of his epistle, having argued his points with convincing forcefulness, and now turns to various matters he desires to mention before concluding. chapter 13, therefore, is like an appendix. This is not to say, however, that the material in this chapter is unrelated to the main part of the epistle. Indeed, some of the author’s main concerns are again touched upon here, but in a somewhat different way, fleetingly, in order to bring out the ...

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