Sermon and Worship Resources

Showing 2251 to 2275 of 3160 results

Luke 14:25-35

Sweet

Leonard Sweet

... to his kingdom. For Jesus’ audience these words were astonishing. But for Luke’s readers that directive would have had a new reality. By the later first century, choosing to follow Jesus, choosing to be a disciple, had all sorts of consequences. Jewish converts would find themselves ostracized from the synagogue community and from their own families. Rome found the new Christian sect disturbing and threatening politically, socially, and religiously. No wonder they systematically set about to persecute ...

2252. A Lamp To My Feet

Psalm 119:105

Children's Sermon

Marti Kramer Suddarth

... walking down a path, I have a symbol of me living my life, doing the things I do, and making the decisions that I make. In Bible days, people didn’t have battery-operated flashlights. When David wrote this verse, he was probably thinking about an oil lamp of some sort. Your word in this verse really does mean God’s word or the Bible, but when the verse says that God’s word is a lamp, it doesn’t literally mean that we can use it like an oil lamp or a flashlight. Instead, it means that the Bible ...

2253. Luke 15:1-10

Luke 15:1-7

Sweet

Leonard Sweet

... communal celebrations over the “found” is accompanied by finders eating together. In the first century, even as the twenty-first century, it would be a serious social faux pas to invite friends and neighbors over to “celebrate” without providing some sort of repast and libation. In Luke’s third parable, the story of the lost and found son, the celebratory banquet is greatly detailed. This directly rebukes the initial complaint of the Pharisees and scribes that Jesus not only welcomes the presence ...

2254. Compound Interest Your Life

Luke 15:1-7

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

... truck overturned, spilling its whole load of manure fertilizer, burying the woman and her rebellious hubcap. Retribution and accountability for living a self-interest life are rarely that swift. When we go seeking what we want, oblivious to everyone and everything else, we cause all sorts of trouble. It’s easy to see the self-centered, self-interested blight of someone who values their beloved car or hubcap over the life of another human being. It’s harder to see the log in our own eye. No one wants a ...

2255. Here I Am

Hebrews 12:18-29

Sermon

Billy D. Strayhorn

... this day I can't remember what it was that I was going to ask, but what came out of my mouth was: "How do I become a preacher?" After picking my jaw up off the ground I told Bob that's not what I was going to ask. He sort of blew it off but told me to come by the office the next day so we could talk. The thought stuck with me. But the next day I went and told Bob in no uncertain terms that I didn't want to be a preacher. I was happy farming ...

2256. Step Into The Vision

Hebrews 11:1-3, 8-15

Sermon

Billy D. Strayhorn

... like that. Mr. Moller had built a hovercraft. That was all the rage then. There were even detailed instructions on how to build one out a single sheet of plywood; a 10 horsepower Briggs and Stratton engine; canvas and an airplane propeller. Over the years, I've sort of kept up with Paul Moller because of one of the predictions he made. He said that by turn of the century, we would all be driving flying cars. Just like George Jetson. And the thing that has fascinated me the most about Paul Moller, is the ...

2257. Living The Faith For Dummies

Luke 10:25-37

Sermon

Billy D. Strayhorn

... then goes, 'Darn that's hot!' "See? If he'd been wearing his sign, I could have stopped him." (3) Maybe the lawyer in today's passage of Scripture could have used one of those signs. Or maybe one those books for Dummies. Like our theme slide. Because that's sort of what this passage is all about. Within this encounter and the parable is Christianity 101. "It's Living the Faith for Dummies". Let's look at this passage we've come to know as the parable of the Good Samaritan. Luke 10:25-37 Luke 10:25-37 (NRSV ...

2258. Called To Freedom

Galatians 5:1-15

Sermon

Billy D. Strayhorn

... about on the deck, read, talk, whatever. They can do whatever they please within the environment of the cruise ship. And the whole time, the cruise ship continues to carry them toward the destination. Both freedom and surrender are present and they don't contradict. That's sort of what it's like when we surrender our lives to Christ. We give ourselves to God's will and God's destination for our lives. Within the environment of God's will, we're free to do whatever. In short, freedom is self-control, self ...

2259. Come

Revelation 22:12-14, 16-17, 20-21

Sermon

Billy D. Strayhorn

... 't just true about horses. Sometimes we acts like horses, too. We're presented with every opportunity to drink and "take the water of life as a gift." But we don't. We hold back. Sometimes even when we're thirsty. B. But drinking from the "water of life" is sort of like tuning your guitar. I was sitting there tuning my guitar the other day and kind of grumbling and wondering all at the same time at how my guitar could get out of tune just sitting in its stand. That's always been a puzzle to me, but if ...

2260. LENT: The Passion of Christ: "Betrayed"

John 13:21-30; Matthew 26:14-16; 45-50

Sermon

Billy D. Strayhorn

... the dead just like the others. He witnessed all the miracles and heard all the teachings. He was even the treasurer. Of course Scripture says he was a thief and stole from the treasury for his own use. And putting a thief in charge of the money is sort of like putting Colonel Sanders in charge of the chicken house. So, WHY? Why did Judas betray Jesus. There have been a ton of explanations down through history. Some have said it was simply because he was greedy. But 30 pieces of silver wasn't all that much ...

2261. Rich Man, Poor Man, Beggar Man, Thief

James 2:1-17

Sermon

Billy D. Strayhorn

... of all he's eaten sends him crashing, helplessly to the ground and dies. The moral of this story is simple: "Don't fly off the handle if you're full of bologna." I know that's bad but what can I say, because in one sense, in a roundabout sort of way, that's exactly what James says in a portion of his letter. What he writes is this: James 2:1-17 (NRSV) [1] My brothers and sisters, do you with your acts of favoritism really believe in our glorious Lord Jesus Christ? [2] For if a person with ...

2262. We Are Blessed, Adopted and Sealed

Ephesians 1:3-14

Sermon

Billy D. Strayhorn

... and adopted. III. Sealed A. We are blessed and adopted. But we also need to remember: We are sealed. We are SEALED with the water of our Baptism and the presence of the Holy Spirit. You might say that our Baptism and the presence of God's Holy Spirit are sort of like a "God's Housekeeping Seal of Approval." You see the world offers lots of seals of approval. Seals that tells us we just have to be good enough. Not great, just good enough. But God's measuring stick is different than the world's. Because God's ...

2263. Rich In His Poverty

2 Corinthians 8:7-15

Sermon

Billy D. Strayhorn

... and unfolded each one of them to give them that aged look. Then I took that Band-Aid box and put the map and three old silver dollars inside. On the top of the first map I wrote something more like: "There Be More." Each map had a riddle of sorts which had to be deciphered for the map to make sense. And of course each map lead to the next place where more treasure was buried. Boys will be boys and they had discovered a pile of dirt, not too far from the house, next to the old chicken coop ...

2264. Beneath The Shadow Of The Cross

Mark 15:16-37

Sermon

Billy D. Strayhorn

... The people were already singing. Passover was a joyous time. It was one of the high holy days of Judaism. It was a time to gather the families together. People came from all over the country to stay with their friends and relatives. Passover always had sort of a homecoming, Christmas and Mardi Gras atmosphere all rolled into one. It was a time of remembrance and celebration. It was both festive and introspective. And on this day, the first day of the week, the pilgrims were entering Jerusalem armed with the ...

2265. WWF: Smack Down In The Wilderness

Mark 1:9-15

Sermon

Billy D. Strayhorn

... . Yet, even though we have morals, every single one of those morals are challenged. Every single day, we step into the wrestling ring of life and struggle with living up to those morals and the relationship with God which those morals represent. Jesus wrestled with the same sort of thing every single day of His ministry. Today we read in Mark about one of those wrestling matches. Jesus wrestled with the temptation to turn away from God and seek His own will. Let's look Mark 1:9-15 (NRSV) [9] In those days ...

2266. Eyes To See, Ears To Hear

Matthew 13:1-23

Sermon

James McCormick

... and out of the water, and Alfie, utterly alone and miserable. Then the theme music began to play and the words struck me with great power. Do you remember? “What’s it all about, Alfie? Is it just for the moment we live? What’s it all about when we sort it out, Alfie? Are we meant to take more than we give? Or are we meant to be kind and give? I’ve been needing love, Alfie. Without true love you just exist, Alfie. Until you find the love you’ve missed, you’re nothing, Alfie.” Do you hear it ...

2267. The Post-it Note

Matthew 24:36-44

Illustration

... on Wednesday. “Are you ready for lunch? This is the day you promised to take me out to Applebee’s for my birthday.” “Oh, yes indeed, Sharon!” said Mary as she tried to cover herself for having forgotten Sharon’s birthday. Sharon was a sensitive sort who got her nose bent out of shape at any perceived slight. Mary thought everything was just fine as they got into the car. But then, as she settled into her seat, Sharon, in a very sarcastic voice shouted, “Thanks a lot, Mary!” Mary asked ...

2268. An Angel Came to Joseph

Matthew 1:18-25

Illustration

Samuel G. Candler

... that the angel can appear to you and me, too. In the Bible, the annunciation does not occur only once, but twice-not just to a woman, but also to a man. The Bible, then, carries an implicit message that God does appear over and over again, to various sorts of folks. Matthew and Luke both have it right, but they are different stories. God continues to come into the world, but we have to trust other sources! What are you giving for Christmas this year? I do not mean what are you getting. We all want something ...

2269. Don’t Forget Joseph

Matthew 1:18-25

Illustration

Johnny Dean

... it – put the Wise Men and the shepherds around the Christ child, for there is the center of sanity in a large, crazy world. But don't forget Joseph. Put him even nearer to the Christ child. He's earned his place there. Because Joseph – the forgotten one, who just sort of hangs around the stable like a doorman or something and doesn't have any lines in the Christmas pageant – has much to teach us about the Christmas story, and about unwavering faith.

2270. You Bring Me Great Pleasure

Matthew 3:13-17

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

... just “going along to get along,” getting along to get ahead, forgetting “doing right” in order to “do better” — either professionally, financially, or personally. Don’t live 2011 as a “people-pleaser.” Live 2011 as a “God pleaser.” God asks us to do all sorts of people DIS-pleasing things. Don’t call the cops to get rid of the homeless, hand-out experts on your block. Find a way to hand them something more than spare change or a coffee. Listen to their stories. Offer them your ear ...

2271. Eyewitness News

John 20:1-9

Sermon

King Duncan

... depressed. He’d come to help and hadn’t done a very good job. Before he left, they prayed and he prayed for a sign for Emma. Something to ease her grief and to help her know the truth of the resurrection. As they walked down the hall, he felt sort of useless because he hadn’t been able to reach her. When he opened the door, the first thing Pastor Strayhorn noticed was that it had stopped raining and the sun was starting to peek out of the clouds. The sky off in the east was still dark and stormy ...

2272. Daring Thomas

John 11:1-16

Sermon

King Duncan

... moment, and it opened President Sadat’s eyes to the possibilities of a peaceful future between the two countries. Mrs. Sadat reports that he came back from the trip energized, full of joy. Not long afterwards, he was assassinated. (4) It’s sad, but that sort of thing happens in the real world even today. It takes people who are really committed to peace, really committed to justice, and, with regard to Thomas, really committed to the Lordship of Jesus Christ to make any real difference at all. Let me ...

2273. Matthew 5:13-20

Matthew 5:13-16

Sweet

Leonard Sweet

... Scriptures. What Jesus does not spell out to his audience here is just how exactly this “fulfillment” comes about. Matthew’s infancy narratives had taken great care to provide details that showed Jesus’ birth as fulfilling all sorts of scriptural requirements for his messianic identity. Likewise Jesus’ own blamelessness and obedience to the law during his lifetime are evident throughout Matthew’s gospel. But despite Jesus’ own assertions here, “fulfillment” seems to suggests something more ...

2274. Christians under Construction

1 Corinthians 3:1-23

Illustration

James L. Killen

People print all sorts of things on T-shirts, from advertisements to obscenities to affirmations of faith. One fellow was seen wearing a T-shirt with the words, "Christian Under Construction," printed on it. We can all appreciate what he meant by that. We can talk about the difference faith in Christ is supposed ...

2275. What Christians Are Really Made Of

Matthew 5:38-42

Illustration

C. S. Lewis

This text from Matthew makes me recall the words of C.S. Lewis, "Surely what a man does when he is taken off his guard is the best evidence for what sort of man he is. If there are rats in a cellar, you are most likely to see them if you go in very suddenly. But the suddenness does not create the rats; it only prevents them from hiding. In the same way, the suddenness of the provocation does not make me ill-tempered; it only shows me what an ill-tempered man I am."

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