Sermon and Worship Resources

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Showing 2351 to 2375 of 4976 results

2351. Haman's Rage Against Mordecai

Esther 5:9-14

Understanding Series

Timothy S. Laniak

... by the king and two answers/offers by the queen. In both answers Esther invites the king to another banquet at which she will state her request. Whichever the nuance, Esther is acting cleverly and intentionally. Certainly the rest of the story will prove her wisdom in keeping the king and his prime minister together over this two-day period. 5:14 His wife Zeresh and all his friends said to him: Zeresh consoles her pouting husband in much the same way that Jezebel comforts Ahab in 1 Kgs. 21:7. Both devise a ...

2352. True Fasting

Isaiah 58:1-14

Understanding Series

John Goldingay

... (cf. Neh. 10:31; 13:15–22). But the overt focus (as in Nehemiah) does not lie on the well-being of people. Rather, it lies on the significance the sabbath plays in developing proper attitudes to Yahweh. The sabbath is holy ground and the people are to keep off it. It is no time for doing business, as the temple is holy ground and is no place for doing business (cf. Mark 11:15–17—quoting 56:7). Speaking idle words is literally “speak a word.” The phrase occurs elsewhere only in Deuteronomy 18:20 ...

2353. Whom Can I Trust?

John 6:55-69

Children's Sermon

King Duncan

... water, and it holds you up above the water and helps you to float. You know that you won't sink under the water with one of these on. You can play and splash around without any fear, because you trust that this float toy will hold you up and keep you safe. You know, sometimes life can seem like a big swimming pool. It's lots of fun, but parts of it are deep and kind of scary. You're not sure you can swim in it by yourself. But we've got something that can help us through life ...

2354. In Search of Heroes

Matthew 16:21-28

Sermon

King Duncan

... , founder of the Salvation Army, and Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. (4) This is the kind of hero Christ is calling you and me to be. The world doesn’t revolve around us. Our first priority is to Christ and his kingdom. That means more than simply keeping the commandments. It means leaving the world a better place because we’ve been here. It means, in short, denying ourselves and following Jesus who gave his life for us and for the entire world. As we have asked several times over the past few weeks, are ...

2355. Actors

Matthew 6:1-6, 16-21

Sermon

John Jamison

... knew they were giving it. The more you paid, the better trumpeter you got, and the better it made you look. Keep in mind, if one good trumpeter was an indication of your level of importance, several trumpets playing together just had to ... hope: some word or some act that will help you find an answer, or help your faith feel more real. Regardless of why you are here, keep the following words in your mind as you leave. Ash Wednesday is fifty days before Easter, created to mark the beginning of a period of ...

2356. The Shepherd

John 10:11-18

Sermon

John Jamison

... day of doing what sheep do. The shepherd found a tree nearby where he could see the entire pasture and settled down in the shade, keeping one eye alert for any danger to his flock. One of the things he was watching for was to make sure none of the sheep ... away from the flock and got lost. Sometimes, a sheep might find a really great patch of food, and with her head down, just keep eating and walking until she’d have followed the path away from the rest of the flock. If that single sheep got far enough ...

2357. What a Friend

John 15:9-17

Sermon

John Jamison

... answered? If Jesus is a friend, which is the basis for the whole thing, why doesn’t he act like a true friend and keep his promise? I understand that may sound harsh and something that some might consider inappropriate to hear from a pulpit. But it is a ... v. 16). It doesn’t say, “Unless God has a better answer.” Again, what kind of friend makes a promise like that and refuses to keep it? To see if we can ease the pain, let’s go back to the beginning and look at the friend you brought into memory when ...

2358. So, You Want to Get Well?

Mark 5:21-43

Sermon

Ron Lavin

... say to us today. Do these ancient healing tales make a difference to you and me? Yes, I believe they do. It may be helpful to keep the words of an old hymn before our mind's eyes as we think about how we are participants in these biblical dramas. The hymn "Just ... up my self-pity and resentments. From a human point of view, I may have a right to them, but self-pity and resentments keep me sick. I may have a human "right" to them, but they are "rights" which are wrong for my own health and wellness. Resentments ...

2359. Giving Up Control

John 6:1-21

Sermon

Ron Lavin

... undo us? When the storms of life threaten us, we can turn to the one who is stronger than we are and stronger than the storms themselves. We can't avoid the storms. They come to the good, the bad, and the indifferent. Just like God doesn't promise to keep us from the valley of the shadow of death, God doesn't promise to eliminate storms from our lives. On the other hand, God does promise that we can get through life's valleys and storms if we trust that Jesus is in control. That's the message of both ...

2360. Sheep Without a Shepherd

Mark 6:30-34

Sermon

King Duncan

... --to become the Shepherd of the sheep. Even more that that, He became the lamb slain for the sins of the world. In his book, A Turtle on the Fencepost, Allen C. Emery tells of the night he spent on the Texas plains with a shepherd who was keeping two thousand sheep. The shepherd prepared a bonfire for cooking supper and providing warmth. The sheep dogs lay down near the fire as the stars filled the sky. Suddenly Emery heard the unmistakable wail of a coyote with an answering call from the other side of the ...

2361. Searching for Happiness

Ephesians 5:15-20

Sermon

King Duncan

... 000 miles to tell you that there is a difference between right and wrong.” Of course there is. And every sensible person knows it’s true. If it is in any way hurtful to you or someone else, it is wrong. If it keeps you from fulfilling your potential as a follower of Jesus Christ, keep your distance. If it causes you to feel ashamed as you look in the mirror, stay away. Don’t do anything dumb. Of course, all of us know there is something within our very nature that makes us prone to doing that which is ...

2362. In It for the Long Haul

John 6:60-69

Sermon

King Duncan

... when they were young, he taught all his kids to enjoy running. Then they taught him how NOT to enjoy it. While he could still keep a pace ahead of them, it was great. But when they began to haul him out of bed early on a frosty morning to run, ... all kinds of people goofing off at the start, but that doesn’t count. To finish does [count], and disciples of Jesus Christ keep on going.” (5) When the enthusiasm fades, when the passion cools, when the numbers drop off, can you maintain your intensity? That is ...

2363. Who Owns the Cloud: Google or God?

Luke 21:25-36

Sermon

King Duncan

... analyze the seasons, trying to see the signs, trying to determine when God’s promises will be fulfilled. It’s a futile effort, to be sure. Jesus says no man knows the hour, no one knows what is in the mind of God, even the angels, but we keep trying. People are always looking for signs concerning Christ’s return. We do not know when that time will be, but we live in anticipation that God will do a good work, that God fulfills his promises. We live in anticipation in the second place, because we also ...

2364. God with Skin On

Luke 2:1-14 (15-20)

Sermon

Susan R. Andrews

... he rocked quietly. “I got through the night because my friend was there.” [3] Brothers and sisters, we can get through this night and all the dark nights of the soul, because God is there — because God is here — swaddling us with grace that holds us tight and keeps us safe — so that we can become the presence of God for others. Our God is a God with skin on — in all the people and all the experiences and all the intuitions — that lead us to a place of peace and wholeness. May it be so, for you ...

2365. The Way Up Is Down!

Mark 9:30-37

Sermon

Robert Leslie Holmes

... it was to be a servant. The knight stood there, unmoved, holding his pose. He would not bend to help her. He just stood at attention keeping his vow to never again bow his knees or lift his arms in homage to anyone but his king. Years passed, and one day an elderly ... that I would bow and lift my arms in homage to you alone, but now that you are here I am an old man unable to keep my vow any more. The years of standing here stiffly at attention, waiting for you to come, have taken their toll. The joints of my ...

2366. What To Say When You Roll Out Of Bed

Mark 12:28-34

Sermon

William G. Carter

... out of bed today? Chances are, those words set the tone for the rest of the day. For the pious Jew the first words of each morning are always the same, and they were the words spoken that morning on FM-106. They were first spoken by Moses, who said, "Keep these words that I am commanding you today in your heart. Teach them to your children and talk about them when you lie down and when you rise" (Deuteronomy 6:6-7). Today I want to spend some time unpacking what it means for us to love God. We know ...

2367. Blago and Radnan, Two Lost Sons

Luke 15:1-3, 11b-32

Sermon

R. Robert Cueni

... things. His only error was failing to grasp the purpose of believing and doing all the things. A righteous and holy life is not a matter of keeping or not keeping the rules and regulations. A blessed life comes by maintaining open and loving relationships with God, community, family, and neighbor. Faithful living is not a matter of rule keeping. It is a matter of healthy, loving, accepting, relationship building with God and all God’s children. In the parable, the younger brother finally figured it out ...

2368. The Value of Doubt

John 20:19-31

Sermon

R. Robert Cueni

... love comes to us and strengthens us to get through those times of doubt and helps us to shift to a more mature understanding of faith. But sometimes in the face of crushing doubt, God’s grace comes as the strength to just go ahead and believe; to keep on keeping on until faith begins to grow. To paraphrase John Wesley, sometimes we must live by faith until we have faith. Thanks be to God who gives us the grace and the strength to do just that. Amen and amen. 1. Frederick Buechner, Beyond Words: The ABC of ...

2369. Can I Get Some Help Over Here?

John 14:23-29

Sermon

R. Robert Cueni

... Johnson appreciated seeing his mother standing on the sidewalk but if he was going to deal with the ongoing, terrifying realities of growing up, there were simply some things Billy had to learn. Jesus touched on this principle in John 14:15. “If you love me, you will keep my commandments.” In other words, when we need a little help, we are to remember the way Jesus taught us to live. We are to love God and love our neighbor. We are to love even our enemies and do good to those who hate us. Rather than ...

2370. If the Stones Cried Out

Luke 19:28-40

Sermon

King Duncan

... to himself as the Son of Man, and when others tried to worship him or spread the news of his miracles, he told them to keep silent. He didn’t want their praise or publicity. Not yet. His time had not yet come. But it’s time now. As he makes ... , “Teacher, rebuke your disciples!” Obviously the Pharisees are offended by this little celebration. “I tell you,” Jesus replies, “if they keep quiet, the stones will cry out.” That’s quite a vivid image, isn’t it--stones crying out. We could imagine ...

2371. A Loving Parent

Revelation 7:9-17

Sermon

King Duncan

... Register newspaper asked readers to send in stories of their Mom’s love. A woman named Donna Devereaux Copeland submitted this short, but powerful example of a mother’s love and comfort: “On my first day of kindergarten [my mother] gave me her wedding ring to keep in my sock as a reassurance I would be all right and that she would return for me.” (2) Can you imagine a mother entrusting her kindergartener with her wedding ring? That’s a powerful symbol of comfort. Her wedding ring was a reminder to ...

2372. Grabbing the Bull by the Horns

Luke 9:11b-17

Sermon

King Duncan

... you can fill, even if you feel you are inadequate for the task, remember you are not alone. If God has called you to a task, He will be with you and will always give you what you need to fulfill that task. 1. John Ortberg, Soul Keeping (Zondervan, 2014), pp. 98-99. 2. Sent by Mary Sutherland MONDAY FODDER, http://family-safe-mail.com/. 3. Alan Smith @Thought-For-The-Day. Join-thought-for-the-day@hub.xc.org to subscribe. 4. http://www.stmatthews-bowie.org/Worship/Sermons/2006/sermon_08_13_06.asp. 5. From ...

2373. Lord of the Sabbath

Mark 2:23-3:6

Sermon

George Reed

... we are loved by God and respond to the directions we are given because we know that they are for our well-being. We trust God's grace and love enough to walk away from the strict keeping of the law when keeping the letter of the law means withholding compassion from one of God's children. Most of us have abandoned keeping a day set apart for leisure, worship, and recreation. We have done so to our own peril. God knows that we must slow down and rest and, more importantly, we must give up the pretense that ...

2374. The World's Most Extraordinary Club

Matthew 5:1-12

Sermon

King Duncan

... kingdom of God. If you were born a child of Abraham, a member of the nation of Israel, then the doors were open for you. You were one of God’s chosen. Another way to open the doors to God’s kingdom, or so it was thought, was by keeping the laws of Moses. The laws passed down through Moses were established to help the nation of Israel honor God and live as a holy people. But over the centuries, these basic laws grew into a collection of 613 rigid rules for righteous living. There were intricate rules for ...

2375. The Law of Unintended Consequences

Matthew 5:13-20

Sermon

King Duncan

... , Sadducees, Essenes, Zealots or just ordinary folks like us, I believe that Jesus wanted them to rethink the role of the Law in their lives. The Law was given to bring us into a relationship with God. The Law wasn’t created for itself; it was created to keep God’s people in a safe, harmonious relationship with God and with each other. The Law was an expression of God’s protective love for us. But we ignored the relationship God wanted with us and fixated on the Law instead. Let me give you an analogy ...

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