Sermon and Worship Resources

Showing 2326 to 2350 of 4997 results

Luke 9:28-36 (37-43)

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

... orders the disciples to "Listen to him." How can Jesus be the Messiah, the Son of the Divine, at home in conversation with the likes of Moses and Elijah _ and yet be doomed to the suffering and death he has revealed to them? What kind of Savior is this? Confused beyond reckoning, the disciples choose to say nothing and let the future unfold without their commentary. There are times when saying nothing is the wisest insight we can offer _ both individually and as the church. Sometimes, the most significant ...

2327. Tabloid Testaments?

Luke 15:1-3, 11b-32

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

... more to the pile. Harold St. John used to say "Should a man not lay his hand upon his mouth before he criticizes his brethren?" An old Arab proverb suggests that the words of the tongue should pass through three gateways: 1) Is it true? 2) Is it kind? 3) Is it necessary? Would the older son's gossipy words about his brother's decadent lifestyle pass through those gateways? 1. Were they true? Perhaps. But we are given no clue as to why this older son, who obediently stayed at home and worked the land, should ...

2328. Seeker-Friendly

Luke 15:1-10

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

... hits the nail on the head when he emphasizes the difference between "come and hear" and "go and tell" ministries. "People often say, 'Come and hear the gospel taught in our church' or 'Come and hear our evangelist preach the gospel.' This 'come and hear' kind of religion constitutes a reversal of the Great Commission of Jesus. His instructions to his church were not to invite people to 'come and hear,' but for believers to 'go and tell.' The main responsibility is not to bring the lost to the gospel, but ...

2329. Waiting

Luke 2:22-40

Illustration

William Lynch

Jesuit priest William Lynch has observed that there are two kinds of waiting. One kind waits because there is nothing else to do. The other is a waiting energized by hope. The decision to engage in this hopeful kind of waiting, he says, "is one of the great human acts. It includes, surely, the acceptance of the darkness, sometimes in defiance. It includes the enlarging of one’s perspective beyond the present moment... It simply chooses to wait, and in so doing gives the future the only chance it ...

2330. Acts 2:1-21

Acts 2:1-21

Sweet

Leonard Sweet

... . It is possible, then, that here Luke has put together two different occurrences of Spirit-inspired speech in order to give added strength to the final message he now wishes to voice about the Pentecost event. Peter himself symbolizes and embodies yet another kind of language-gift the dancing flames of the Holy Spirit had imparted the power to turn the fearful and tongue-tied into vital witnesses for Christ's gospel. Peter, the most cowardly on the night of Jesus' arrest, now becomes the most communicative ...

2331. Philippians 4:1-9

Philippians 4:1-9

Sweet

Leonard Sweet

... with no apparent references to outside agitators. The personal ties between Paul and these people are evident as he addresses them in 4:1 as those he loves and longs for. This "longing" Paul voices is an emotional ache, perhaps best understood as a kind of "homesickness." Paul's letter is written while he is imprisoned forcibly kept far away from those who offered him a spiritual "home base." Paul next describes these Philippians as his "joy and crown" expressing both the great happiness and pride that his ...

2332. Galatians 5:1, 13-25

Galatians 5:1, 13-25

Sweet

Leonard Sweet

... to follow. Verses 16-21 and 22-26 divide human behavior into that of the "flesh" (sarx) and that of the "spirit" (pneuma). From the particular example of certain members of the Galatian community held up in verse 15, Paul now generalizes upon the kind of actions and attitudes present in the lives of those under the influence of the flesh versus those steeped in the spirit. Traditional interpretations of these two ways have tended to take Paul literally for example, flesh, sarx, is understood as the base ...

2333. Luke 14:1, 7-14

Luke 14:1, 7-14

Sweet

Leonard Sweet

... gathered there, "Is it lawful to cure people on the Sabbath, or not?" Jesus immediately heals the man. Second, if the Pharisees and lawyers who witness this healing have any doubts about the legality of Sabbath-day healings, they do know what kinds of activities are traditional at Sabbath-day banquets such as the one they are attending. Influenced by the Greek tradition of the "symposium," these Sabbath meals had become a time for extended dialogues, soliloquies and speeches. At these banquets, the body ...

2334. Deuteronomy 18:15-20

Deuteronomy 18:9-13, 14-22

Sweet

Leonard Sweet

... the dead), all share in common an attempt by men and women to determine God's will and foresee God's future plans. Staying in touch with God, knowing God's intentions, had suddenly become a holy obsession for the Hebrew people. Deuteronomy is written as a kind of Last Will and Testament of Moses. These prohibitions are enumerated by a fading leader, a man growing old, who knows that he must prepare his people for the day when he will no longer be there to guide and guard them. The Deuteronomic words address ...

2335. Revelation 7:9-17

Revelation 7:9-17

Sweet

Leonard Sweet

... is the moving force that informs all of what is most accurately called "The Revelation of Jesus to John." This week's text doesn't begin to force us to face some of the scarier stuff in John's vision. The whole of chapter 7 offers a kind of textual time-out from the angst-inducing opening of the seven seals. Whereas the first of these intercessory visions restricts the saved by number (144,000) and by heritage (those from the original 12 tribes), verse 9 begins a second, far more inclusive representation of ...

2336. Learning to Love Ourselves

Matthew 22:34-40

Sermon

James McCormick

... don’t want to stand with the setting sun and hate myself for the things I’ve done. I don’t want to keep on a closet shelf a lot of secrets about myself, And fool myself as I come and go into thinking that nobody else will know The kind of person I really am; I don’t want to dress myself up in sham. I want to go out with my head erect, I want to deserve all men’s respect; And here in the struggle for fame and pelf, I want to be able to like myself. I ...

2337. Philippians 1:21-30

Philippians 1:21-30

Sweet

Leonard Sweet

... living will be in Christ's domain. Because of this conviction, Paul can assert that "dying is gain." Still, the particulars of Paul's theological inferences are not completely clear. Some scholars suggest that with this declaration Paul reveals his belief in a kind of "individual parousia" for those who suffer a martyred death. In this view, the "gain" Paul speaks of is assumed to be his own resurrection and consequent ascension to be fully with Christ. But Paul's oft-repeated faith in the imminent return ...

2338. Hurts Can Heal

2 Corinthians 4:1-18

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

... light of God as he experienced it in the presence of the risen Christ on the Damascus road. At that moment Saul of Taursus became roadkill. Paul the Apostle was born. That was the resurrecting, rebirthing power of the divine light. That is the kind of transfiguration we are challenged to experience everyday in our own discipleship. Transfiguration Sunday is not just about a story of Jesus and a few of his disciples up on a mountaintop. Transfiguration Sunday is about the Christ mandate to see the world, to ...

2339. A Seeking Doubt

John 20:19-23

Illustration

Mickey Anders

... Thomas' doubt as a "seeking doubt, a doubt that wants not to continue to doubt but to come to believe." Thomas makes it clear to us that there is more than one kind of doubt. There is the kind of doubt that does not want to believe, that reaches for arguments in order to deny the affirmations of the faith. But there is also that "seeking doubt." This is a person who earnestly wants to believe but honestly admits that he struggles to understand. This kind of doubt actually energizes and expands faith.

2340. Epiphany 6

2 Kings 5:1-27, 1 Corinthians 9:1-27, Mark 1:40-45

Sermon Aid

John R. Brokhoff

... Wash me or I die! (5:10). Need: Washing is an integral part of life. No one can avoid it. To be and to stay clean in a dirty world, there is need of repeated washings. In this sermon we take a look at various kinds of washing. We wash at certain times and different articles. Outline: Kinds of washing we can do – a. Pilate's washing of hands to avoid responsibility. b. Naaman's washing of the body to be clean. c. Jesus' washing of feet to teach service. Epistle: 1 Corinthians 9:24-27 1. You can be a winner ...

2341. Proper 14

Ephesians 4:17--5:21, 2 Samuel 18:1-18, 2 Samuel 18:19--19:8, John 6:25-59

Sermon Aid

John R. Brokhoff

... divine v. 41. 3. Speak for yourself, Jesus! (6:41-51). Need: The people of Jesus' day created a situation in which Jesus had an opportunity to explain who he was. Many ideas, opinions and reports about him circulated around the land. Today we are no different. All kinds of things are said about Jesus in books, lectures, sermons and conversations. Why not go directly to Jesus and let him tell us who he is? Outline: What Jesus says about himself – a. I am from heaven v. 41. b. I alone see God v. 46. c. I ...

2342. Proper 19

Proverbs 1:20-33, James 3:1-12, Mark 8:27-30, Mark 8:31--9:1

Sermon Aid

John R. Brokhoff

... of wisdom v. 33. Epistle: James 3:1-12 1. Your trouble and your tongue (3:1-12). Need: Our tongues get us into all kinds of trouble. James calls the tongue a fire, a restless evil, a deadly poison. It is the most dangerous organ in our bodies. We need ... restless evil v. 8. 2. Tame your tongue (3:1-12). Need: We can tame everything but our tongues which can get us into all kinds of trouble. The tongue reveals what is in our hearts and exposes our ignorance. One of our greatest needs is to learn how to use ...

2343. Fish Bait

Mark 1:17, 1 Corinthians 15:2-4

Sermon

James Merritt

... pole and had already talked about the different types of bait that would attract fish. He then quoted the verse of scripture that I just quoted about fishing for men and looking for an answer from the children, he said, "Now if I am going to fish for men, what kind of bait do you think I should use?" Before he could answer it a little four year old boy shouted out, "Doughnuts!" As we do think about the type of bait we have to use to catch people, I want to remind you that fishing is simple. All you have ...

2344. Me - A - Missionary?

Acts 1:8

Sermon

James Merritt

... a business, maybe your gift is pulling teeth, maybe your gift is martial arts, maybe your gift is recreation) and we will find a way for you to put that gift to use in God's missionary work. I hope all this sounds good and exciting to you and kind of gets your heart pumping and your blood racing a little bit, but quite frankly none of this will happen unless one other thing happens. The fire of missions will never be ignited in our heart or in our church unless… IV. I Can Discover God's Passion For ...

2345. Being a Woman of God

Acts 16:11-15

Sermon

James Merritt

... across the results of a survey of several thousand women, which found that 15% of the women questioned tented their hair; 22% wore false eyelashes; 38% periodically wore wigs or hairpieces; 80% wore rouge or some kind of facial cosmetics; 93% used nail polish; 98% wore some kind of eye makeup; and 100% voted in favor of a resolution condemning any kind of false packaging! So I've had to ask myself what are the rules in dealing with women? I've come up with a list and it is the best list I can find, and I ...

2346. Parenting 101

Ephesians 6:1-4

Sermon

James Merritt

... pray for ourselves and each other as we just try to pass the course called "Parenting One-on-One." Oh Heavenly Father, make me a better parent. Teach me to understand my children, to listen patiently to what they have to say, and to answer all their questions kindly. Keep me from interrupting them or criticizing them. Make me as courteous to them as I would have them be to me. Forbid that I should ever laugh at their mistakes or resort to shame or ridicule when they displease me. May I never punish them for ...

2347. Who's Number One?

Exodus 20:1-3

Sermon

James Merritt

... , far from it. We have staked the future of our politics upon the capacity of each and all of us to govern ourselves, to control ourselves according the Ten Commandments of God." What an amazing statement! Do the Ten Commandments really carry that kind of clout? That kind of authority? That kind of power? After all, there are only ten of them - one for each finger. They are not very long. You can recite all of them in less than a minute. They are so simple the Bible in Exodus 34:28 simply calls them ...

2348. American Idol

Exodus 20:4-6

Sermon

James Merritt

... heavenly God earthly, the living God dead and the spiritual God material. That is why a created god limits real worship. II. A Created god Leads To False Worship Idolatry is the worship of a god we create instead the God who created us. There are only two kinds of gods you can worship. You can either worship the God who made you or you will worship a little god you have made. You will either worship the creator God or a created god. The Prophet Jeremiah said, "Are there any among the idols of the nations ...

2349. Sex and the City

Exodus 20:14

Sermon

James Merritt

... into sin.'" (I Corinthians 10:12, LB) Wise men and women understand that preserving sexual purity means being careful about what you look at, because the eyes are the window into the mind. The mind is the door into the soul and the soul is the door to all kinds of sin. There has never been a time in our history when it is more important to be careful what you see than it is today. Porn has become the norm. The greatest danger of all is the internet, which is the most powerful, purveyor of pornography in the ...

2350. To Catch a Thief

Exodus 20:15

Sermon

James Merritt

... student discount at the movies when you flunked out at the University of Georgia three years ago. I still haven't hit any of us yet. Let's try this. How about pirating copies of computer programs, video tapes, CDs or DVDs? I've heard all kinds of rationalizations, but none of them work. God calls it stealing. Did I mention unpaid debts? Have you ever borrowed anything and forgotten to return it? Walk through your home sometime and do an inventory. Do you have a book that you borrowed that you never returned ...

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