Sermon and Worship Resources

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Showing 2351 to 2375 of 2404 results

2351. Giving It All Up For Jesus And What’s Ahead

Philippians 3:4b-14

Sermon

Mark Ellingsen

... the golden-mouthed one was right on the money. He compared the law by which we are supposed to abide to waste, but noted that waste has a use as from it wheat is gathered.[6] And in its place, in place of the righteousness we think we achieve by being good, God instead gives us his own righteousness through Christ! Since we have nothing left but Christ, now that we know that what we bring to the table is useless waste, Paul speaks of how we Christians yearn to know Christ and the power of his Resurrection ...

2352. God Doesn’t Always Behave Like We Think He Should

Philippians 2:5-11

Sermon

Mark Ellingsen

... , no doubt sung in the early Church: He humbled himself and became obedient to the point of death — even death on a cross (v.8). Again it is evident that God works through vehicles that are apparently contrary to his aims. Through such lowly means, God achieves just the opposite, exalting Christ. Paul adds in our lesson, still singing the same hymn: so that at the Name of Jesus every knee should bend, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to ...

2353. Playing Outside the Rules

Luke 6:27-38 · Genesis 45:3-11, 15

Sermon

Lori Wagner

... . Thank God for that! Next time you’re about to think about fairness, rules, equity, or the “way it’s supposed to be,” think instead of Jesus. Instead, choose love, forgiveness, kindness, mercy. That may not be the human way. But it’s God’s way. And the way to achieving “on earth as in heaven.” Let’s say now the Lord’s prayer together, as we close: [you may choose to recite the Lord’s prayer in the manner you choose]

2354. Unspectacular Faithfulness

Esther 7:1-6, 9-10; 9:20-22

Sermon

Will Willimon

... into the Jewish and Christian canons without controversy. A feminist interpreter explains how Esther, sometimes called ''the most secular book of the Bible, '' caused problems for Israel and the church: ''The reason for the difficulty that the book had in achieving canonical status is its perceived lack of religiosity. Most glaring is the complete absence of any mention of God...concepts of law and covenant are absent,...there are no prayers. (Sidnie Ann White, in The Women's Bible Commentary, Newsom and ...

2355. Unspectacular Faithfulness

Esther 7:1-6, 9-10; 9:20-22

Sermon

Will Willimon

... accepted into the Jewish and Christian canons without controversy. A feminist interpreter explains how Esther, sometimes called ''the most secular book of the Bible, '' caused problems for Israel and the church: ''The reason for the difficulty that the book had in achieving canonical status is its perceived lack of religiosity. Most glaring is the complete absence of any mention of God...concepts of law and covenant are absent,...there are no prayers.[1] He told me how much he was enjoying his Bible study ...

2356. A Caring Woman

Acts 9:36-43

Sermon

King Duncan

... were becoming bored. Purposeless. They had discovered that there is no real joy in golfing every day. What looked like freedom and pleasure to them had become meaningless. Colson writes, “The object of life is not what we think it is, which is to achieve money, power, pleasure . . . The object of life is the maturing of the soul, and you reflect that maturing of the soul when you care more for other people than yourself.” (5) Tabitha, a disciple of Jesus, cared for others. She understood that God had ...

2357. First Things First

Genesis 1:1-2:3

Sermon

Will Willimon

... seemed so miraculous as to be of divine origin. Even without the political mess, there was still enough sickness, natural disaster, and famine about to make one wonder just who is in charge of our earth home. The first tellers of this tale, at 500 B.C., achieved a good deal of what we call civilization. But just beyond the city limits, only a stone's throw or a season of bad weather away, there was the desert, the encroaching, chaotic wilderness ready to take over. A few years ago I came upon a little ...

2358. Wake Up! Get Ready!

Luke 12:32-40

Sermon

King Duncan

... Goetz wrote a book called Death by Suburb: How to Keep the Suburbs from Killing Your Soul. In this book he says that chasing after “immortality symbols” distracts us from living as followers of Jesus. We get so tied to status and comfort and achievement. We find our identity in our jobs. We find our self-worth in our paycheck or our possessions. We spend our lives building up and protecting our own little comfortable, safe existence. And we completely miss the calling to follow Jesus as citizens of ...

2359. Graciousness and Grumbling

Matthew 20:1-15

Sermon

Will Willimon

... chapel, this university. We are here because we are not shirkers. One of the main jobs of the Office of Admissions is to make sure that no eleventh hour workers get into Duke. We are here because, on the whole, we are conscientious, dependable, hard working, high achievers who have been laboring in the academic vineyard since early morning. We didn't get here by relying on grace. We all know that if you fool around the whole semester and wait until the night before the exam to open the book, you're going to ...

2360. The Best Seat in the House

Luke 14:1, 7-14

Sermon

Lori Wagner

... be doormats or think nothing of ourselves and naturally navigate toward the lowest end of the totem pole because we don’t deserve better. He is saying that those who put others first, who want for others the best and who are able to celebrate others’ achievements and successes, who are secure enough in who they are to cheer on others before them and lift others up above them, those people will always feel and be blessed. This is why Jesus follows this first message with a second. If you give a banquet ...

2361. A Young Man's Vow

Luke 14:25-33

Sermon

Richard Hasler

... Africa. His wife, Helene, served as a nurse by his side for many years. Eventually, she had to leave him and return to Europe because of poor health. From time to time Dr. Schweitzer returned to Europe where he was honored for his achievements at Lambarene. Schweitzer was not without his critics who complained about his primitive hospital and its poor sanitary conditions, but the African people loved him and continued to come to him for medical services. During World War II he was prohibited from traveling ...

2362. Lesson from a Prosthetic Toe

Luke 17:5-10

Sermon

King Duncan

... s an ongoing relationship of trust with the God whose Spirit lives in us. And our faith is proved in our ongoing, obedient service to God. It is in the daily disciplines of submitting our will to God that God uses us to do God’s work, to achieve God’s purposes and to bring God’s kingdom to the world. 1. “The Perfect 3,000-Year-Old Toe: A Brief History of Prosthetic Limbs” by Megan Garber, The Atlantic, November 21, 2013. https://www.theatlantic.com/technology/archive/2013/11/the-perfect-3-000-year ...

2363. Small Beginnings, Great Endings

Luke 17:5-10

Sermon

Richard Hasler

... a hundred years. When he wants to make a squash, he requires only two months.”[2] The most important things in life cannot be hurried. Nelson Mandela had to wait in prison for 27 years before his hope for a new South Africa could be achieved. In 1996, he saw the future of South Africa in its children when he dedicated a Children’s Village in Capetown. He called for patience: “It is my hope that within this community a culture of understanding, acceptance, and love can be nurtured. Let this Children ...

2364. Shiny Objects

Matthew 4:1-11

Sermon

King Duncan & Angela Akers

... think of that as a sacrifice. Why? Because our love for them gives us strength. We don’t get distracted, we don’t give up, we don’t give in to Shiny Object Syndrome when the goal is important to us. We’re willing to risk anything to achieve our goal if it’s for something or someone we love. I read the most incredible story about a young man named Chris Bombardier who is the first person with hemophilia to reach the summit of Mt. Everest. Hemophilia is a rare blood disorder that prevents a person ...

2365. The Challenge Of Simplicity

Matthew 5:1-12

Sermon

John Jamison

... planning and plotting. Everything they do is a step to position themselves for some next step on their list. They may truly care about someone or something, but there are reasons. They may have hearts of compassion, but that compassion is there to help them achieve something else. This is like the loyal and devout old gentleman who hasn’t missed a Sunday service in 47 years, who gives more than his tithe, and who offers his smile and prayers freely and openly. But it is not pure. He expects something ...

2366. Faith or Folly

Matthew 4:1-11

Sermon

Lori Wagner

... Whenever we are trying to focus on God, through prayer, meditation, worship, scripture, we will become more and more aware of the kinds of temptations that threaten to lure us toward the “easy ways out” or the promises of a quicker and more satisfying life achieved through the machinations of our own devices or the false pretenses of those who would capture our attention and sway us toward things that glitter and pop. Now, that by no means implies that living a life focused on God needs to be boring ...

2367. Leaving an Empty Chair

Acts 2:42-47

Sermon

King Duncan & Angela Akers

... . They don’t require discipline or sacrifice, and they don’t yield any great rewards. We devote ourselves to things that are challenging and carry high value in our lives. We devote ourselves to our relationships. We devote ourselves to some achievement, like completing a project, or to a personal development goal, like learning a new skill. We devote ourselves to the most important things in life, to the things with lasting value. Devotion requires commitment and humility and self-sacrifice. And that ...

2368. The Power of One Passion and One Prayer

Acts 1:6-14

Sermon

King Duncan & Angela Akers

... changed so many lives. General Booth said, “From the day I got the poor of London on my heart and the vision for what Jesus Christ would do for them, I made up my mind that God should have all of William Booth there was; and if anything has been achieved, it is because God has had all the adoration of my heart, all the power of my will and all the influence of my life.” (7) What could God do through you if He had all the adoration of your heart, all the power of your will and all the ...

2369. When Everything That Matters Has Been Torn Away

Genesis 37:1-4, 12-28

Sermon

King Duncan & Angela Akers

... , “I still missed my real family, but from that moment everything got better . . . I felt like a lot of stuff was lifted off my shoulders, and I felt like me.” He continued to excel in track and began to get some publicity for his athletic achievements. One day, a Somali woman living in London gave him a tape. Farah recognized the voice on the tape as that of his mother, singing traditional songs for him. Someone had tracked down his mother and connected her with the Somali community in London. Sir Mo ...

2370. Staying Power

Illustration

Maxie Dunnam

... for having eyes in your head. The one and only thing that counts is, do you have staying power?” Most of us have found it so, what men and women of great accomplishments have pointed out -- that tenacity and persistence are the greatest factors in achieving success in life. If you’re tempted to give up today, remember what J. C. Penney said, “The difference between success and failure is staying with it two per cent longer.” And you might recall Jesus’ word: “No man having put his hand to the ...

2371. God's Little Acre

Matthew 13:24-30

Sermon

Will Willimon

... Jesus noted elsewhere, "He sends his rain to fall on the good and the bad; He makes his sun to shine on the just and the unjust." His love is so patiently indiscriminate. For all of us grow here, not because of something we have done, or earned, or achieved but because of something which God has done. God planted us here. If you sit here this morning as someone who believes, serves, hopes in faithfulness, it's because God put you here. As Jesus says in John's Gospel, "You didn't choose me; I chose you." Any ...

2372. Failure

Exodus 3:1-22

Sermon

Will Willimon

... later, there's a new name on the front door. I sit on the University's Commencement Committee. To my knowledge, we have never knowingly nominated anyone to speak to our graduates who has been a failure. We look for people who are tops in their field, the achievers and doers, shapers and movers. The graduates don't want to hear an address on, "Reasons Why My Last Three Marriages Ended in Divorce", or "The Day They Came to Tell Me to Clean Out My Desk and Turn in the Key to the Executive Washroom." And yet ...

2373. Dying, We Live

1 Corinthians 15:51-58

Sermon

Will Willimon

... that life could do to us. The worst that life can do to us is to render us unfaithful to Christ, to put our lust for control, our dishonesty about our true condition, our anxious desire for self-preservation before discipleship, to base our lives upon either our achievements or our delusions rather than upon his victory. ''Therefore, beloved brothers and sisters, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that in the Lord your labor [your life!] is not in vain" (15:58).

2374. Redeem the Time

Matthew 24:36-44 · Romans 13:11-14

Sermon

Will Willimon

... run the world on our own - got ripped off by that old thief of a God. Therefore, because we know that our beginning and end is now hid with God in Christ, that the significance and endurance of our lives is not a matter of our achievement but of God's grace, things are put into a different perspective for us. Seemingly trivial human pastimes like, getting ready for an exam, going to class, raising children, washing dishes, become meaningful only as they have meaning to God, only as they are human responses ...

2375. The Gracious Dream

Genesis 28:10-17

Sermon

Will Willimon

... ...when you are fast asleep." And if that be so, then even our best dreams are only projections of our best wishes, still the longing of ourselves as we are, as we are at our best, to be sure, but still just as we are. We can only hope to achieve such dreams, not to be transformed by them. So that's why I want you to note, in this story, there are angels descending. Jacob already had a dream. From the moment of conception, still in the womb, he's had a dream--a dream that he as little brother ...

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