Sermon and Worship Resources

Showing 2301 to 2325 of 4997 results

Ephesians 4:1-16

Sermon

Bill Bouknight

... . Some spouses replace the truth with an overdose of sympathy. They say, “Oh John, what’s happening at the office is not your fault in any way. Your boss is unreasonable. There is not an ounce of truth in his criticisms. You are being used as a scapegoat.” That kind of shallow fluff gets old. Every now and then, at the right time, we need to get it straight from someone who loves us. How are we going to improve and grow if the one who loves us most doesn’t ever level with us? That brings me to the ...

2302. Ministry By Faith: Does She or Doesn't She?

I Corinthians 16:14, James 2:14-26

Sermon

John E. Harnish

... of his own teaching and ministry: You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, soul, mind and strength; and you shall love your neighbor as you love yourself. (Matthew 22:34-40) "That's it?" "Yeah, I guess that's about it." "But Jesus, what about some kind of a litmus test? I mean, there must be something more than that, some list of dos and don'ts, some measurable criteria for determining who's in and who's out of the kingdom. Maybe smoking and drinking? That's what it was when I was a kid back ...

2303. The Revelation Code III: The Mark on Harry's Forehead

Revelation 13:11-14:7

Sermon

John E. Harnish

... an outrage!" roared Hagrid, "Harry Potter not knowin' his own story." Then he relates to Harry the story of the death of his parents at the hands of the dreaded Voldemort, the name so fearsome Hagrid can't even say it, so he refers to him in code language—a kind of a 666 "you-know-who." He says: "You-know-who" killed your parents, and then came after you. But he couldn't do it. Ever wonder how you got that mark on yer forehead? That was no ordinary cut. That's what yeh get when a powerful, evil curse ...

2304. What Ever Happened to Norman Rockwell?

Colossians 3:1-17

Sermon

John E. Harnish

... of caveats and non placets at its creator. My first-born must have no gravy. The third-born begs off mushrooms. "This piece is all fat." "I can't eat that many carrots." "Quiet!" I shout. It's pretty negative, but it works, and in the shuffling stillness the kind of order comes again. I quote to them St. Paul on the subject of pots talking back to potters. I remind them that we are the children of God, not a mob. The oldest one agrees. My heart lifts. But just about that time, the youngest one knocks over ...

2305. In the Upper Room

John 17

Sermon

John E. Harnish

... for the eleven who remain and he remembers the one who has left. Even Judas makes it into Jesus' prayer in a kind of regretful, pained acknowledgement of the loss of one who had traveled with him, prayed with him, ministered with him, and now ... because of the disciple's word, and he prays for you and me. 1. His first prayer is that we would all be one. With a kind of rapid redundancy and blinding repetition, he prays, not only for his disciples, "but for those who will believe in me through their word, that ...

2306. Training for a Purpose

Titus 2:11-14

Sermon

Donald Charles Lacy

... we touch. We are not lethargic people. We are zealous people! Our good deeds are given birth by a right relation with God the Father through his Son, Jesus the Christ. There is excitement and love in all of this that lays before the world, acts of kindness for the spiritual benefit of everyone. No one should be confused by our lives, as we go about being empowered by the Spirit of the holy God. Nonbelievers are to view in their midst actions and even reactions by those redeemed. There will be criticism for ...

2307. No-fault Religion

2 Corinthians 5:6-10 (11-13), 14-17

Sermon

Maurice A. Fetty

... to allow the fact that God might change someone rather suddenly and dramatically, instead of through a long process. But whether as a seed changing into a flower, or as a self-centered, spoiled, rich kid in a former church of mine, who overnight became generous and kind and thoughtful, because of conversion, I do believe people change. They can become, as Paul said, a new creation, a new being. And why is that so? It is because in God's no-fault religion our past is not held against us. After all, it was ...

2308. Jesus Is the Recipe for Eternal Life

Ephesians 4:25-5:2

Sermon

Richard Gribble

... she was speechless. The box was almost empty; there were only five small pebbles inside. It took a couple of days for her to recover from the shock of the almost empty box, but when she did, she went to the local pastor and told him the whole story. With kind words he told her, "Your box tells us that when you came to church, God was not central in your mind and your neighbors were not central in your prayers. It is clear that most of the time you were thinking how pious and holy you are and how everyone ...

2309. Christ’s Twin

Philippians 2:1-11

Sermon

King Duncan

... of others.” In other words when you are humble, your attitude is Win/Win. That is, you not only look out for your interests, but also for the interests of others. You love your neighbor as you love yourself. I don’t need to tell you how rare this kind of attitude is. There are many people who only look out for number one. Some of these are leading people in our community. Some of them are church people. They don’t break laws. They’re faithful to their spouses. They keep the law, but in their dealing ...

2310. Oh, You'd Better Watch Out!

Mark 13:32-37

Sermon

King Duncan

... even the old folk singer Pete Seeger was there, though we are not told why. (6) But surely none of these is the anti-Christ. The parts of the Bible that foretell the end of time, the apocalyptic literature as it is called by scholars is written in a kind of code and is open to much interpretation. And, obviously, it is all pre-space age imagery. My own guess is that, if it were being written today, instead of Revelation 19:14 describing the armies of heaven going to war at the end of time “riding on white ...

2311. Mary, Did You Know?

Luke 1:26-38

Sermon

King Duncan

... wife, Elizabeth, would have a son, despite her old age. Elizabeth and Mary are cousins. Then Gabriel visits Mary. Following Gabriel’s visit to her, you may remember, Mary visits Elizabeth and the baby in Elizabeth’s womb jumps when they meet. You won’t find these kinds of details in the other Gospels. (2) Luke begins today’s story by telling us that in the sixth month, God sent the angel Gabriel to Nazareth, a town in Galilee, to a virgin pledged to be married to a man named Joseph, a descendant of ...

2312. Brothers and Sisters of Jesus

Mark 3:31-35

Sermon

George Reed

... need to reach them not because they will help us but because we need to help them." It is not about enlarging the family so it can survive, but rather it is about helping others to know the joy of a relationship with God in Jesus Christ. There are all kinds of programs and special campaigns that congregations can run to try to draw in crowds. Some of them are awful and some of them are very good. In evaluating them, however, we need to keep in mind that our goal is to make disciples of Jesus Christ and not ...

2313. A Level Playing Field for God

Isaiah 40:1-11

Sermon

Schuyler Rhodes

... of faith. Let us fulfill the partnership that God yearns to enter into with us. Let's respond to the call of the prophet with what John Wesley called the "energy of love." And if we stop to think about it, we know what to do, don't we? What kinds of mountains do the poor people in our community have to climb, simply to get enough to eat or a place to sleep? Bring down that mountain! What deep valleys must be traversed by people in our community who are illiterate or who do not have access to quality public ...

2314. It’s All about Jesus

Isaiah 52:13--53:12

Sermon

Ron Lavin

... throughout his ministry. He took ordinary people and made them extraordinary, extra-ordinary. Christ adds a plus to our ordinary lives. We have looked at two implications of Peter’s words, “Jesus is Lord of all.” He is Lord of all people, of every color and kind, race, culture, and my Lord. He is also Lord of life. I am called to come under his authority for living my life. The third implication of this first-century creed that Jesus is Lord of all is that death is not fatal. Since “God raised him ...

2315. Lord of All!

Acts 10:34-43

Sermon

Ron Lavin

... Jesus did throughout his ministry. He took ordinary people and made them extraordinary, extra-ordinary. Christ adds a plus to our ordinary lives. We have looked at two implications of Peter's words, "Jesus is Lord of all." He is Lord of all people, of every color and kind, race, culture, and my Lord. He is also Lord of life. I am called to come under his authority for living my life. The third implication of this first-century creed that Jesus is Lord of all is that death is not fatal. Since "God raised him ...

2316. Looking for Love in the Classifieds and All the Wrong Places

Ephesians 2:4

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

... Hobby: music, literature. One of the conditions of a future mate: a move to the Polar North region." It is not just people looking for mates who advertise in the classified pages. An advertisement for a "loving pastor" that appeared in the 1903 Methodist Reporter reveals the kind of love it was looking for in their pastor: "Must have small family, if any, and be able to furnish a horse and come to church unassisted. Must not be afraid to work, have no hobbies, have a good clear head, a warm loving heart and ...

2317. The Golden Calf and the Golden Table

James 1:17-27

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

... insidious sin. Piety which fails to penetrate the heart is worthless - a lifeless idol, a "piosity" not a piety. True piety, James insists, will be evidenced by a life lived in obedience to the demands of God's word. The tangible results of this kind of faith (in James the example is the support of widows and orphans) can easily be placed on the golden table of the right worship of God. While James focuses on the idolatry or faithfulness of individual worshipers, the same choice confronts the gathered ...

2318. Interior Decorations

Luke 21:5-38

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

... forth sprouts and leaves, decorating the tree with the lush greenery of new life. Jeremiah also uses this language of exterior regeneration to symbolize interior changes when he describes the new branch which will "spring up" from David's line (33:15). What kind of ornamentation can we choose this season which can decorate our inner as well as our outer "living rooms?" Four Christmas ornaments we might select to beautify our souls come to us as gifts from the first Christmas family and witnesses: 1) The ...

2319. Get a Life!

2 Timothy 1:1-14

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

... who harbor no suspicions, live for each day, invest themselves only where they can easily see the impact they make while going along cooperatively with each day's events must, indeed, enjoy peace of mind. But do each of these traits necessarily nurture in us the kind of life God is calling us to live? Is this the peace that passes all understanding? What happens when we consider each one of these peace-inducing traits in the light of the gospel? Absence of suspicion: On the face of it nothing could seem ...

2320. Rags and Robes

Micah 1:1-7; 2:1-11

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

... credit cards, it is hard to imagine what the experience of homelessness is like. In an effort to more fully understand the kind of life these people are struggling to live, St. John's on the Lake pastor Lex D. Rivers, of Miami Beach, Florida, ... under one of the most compelling campaign slogans ever penned: "Give us bread, but give us roses." It is the small, sweet moments of kindness and love that lift the human spirit and can re-weave the rags of poverty into robes of dignity. We can clothe the world. ...

2321. The Cost of Non-Discipleship

Luke 21:5-38

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

... sermons have been preached to a worn and weary congregation about "the cost of discipleship?" We intimate that people must be prepared to give up something of great value in order to "buy into" the Christian system of salvation, as if it were some kind of heavenly time-share condominium. This whole notion of the "cost of discipleship" needs re-examination. The lifestyle that costs us our very lives is, in fact, non-discipleship - as Jesus pointed out when he revealed that "those who want to save their life ...

2322. O Holy Nightmare

Matthew 24:36-44

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

... . Among the first transformations that need to occur is replacing the commercialized concept of a "holiday" with the sacred observation of a "holy day." Preparing for a holiday - that is, a day off or a week-long vacation from work - does involve a frenzied, kind of slap-happy series of errands and chores so that when the time comes you can leave. A holiday is a break from your ordinary routine and a time to rather selfishly spoil yourself by focusing on your favorite activities - golfing, swimming, reading ...

2323. Had-To

James 1:17-27

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

... your own room?" "Had-To." "Your Alzheimer's parent/ friend/ neighbor doesn't even know you're there. Why do you bother to spend so much time with him or her?" "Had-To." "Do you really tell your children you love them every day?" "Had-To." "If you think being kind to people at work who undercut you is going to get you anywhere, you're sucking on your own balloon juice." "Had-To." "It's no use pushing this church into the 21st century. It'll never change." "Had-To." "You know how much it costs to feed the ...

2324. Paying Dues to God

Matthew 22:15-22

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

... there is only one solution to the challenges facing your church. Doing justice to God means being open to the creative power of God within us. Dues #2: Caring The biblical witness also reveals that our God is a caring God a God for whom kindness and mercy warm the breath that the Holy Spirit breathes on us. Rabbi Joseph Telushkin currently serves the Synagogue of the Performing Arts in Los Angeles. In his recent book, Words That Hurt, Words That Heal (New York: William Morrow, 1996), he tells how he begins ...

2325. Connect the Dots

Luke 4:14-21

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

... each time you respond to anything you encounter in life, your reaction is just one tiny "dot" on an otherwise blank sheet of paper. Over the course of a lifetime, your paper becomes filled with dots. If every experience you had in life was registered as a dot, what kind of pattern would those dots begin to form? We need to take steps to help us make sure that every "dot," every response we make, reflects the living presence of Christ in our lives. If the church is the body of Christ, then each one of us is ...

Showing results