Sermon and Worship Resources

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Showing 2376 to 2400 of 4933 results

2376. God Enjoys AND Enjoins Us

Matthew 22:1-14

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

Director/actor Woody Allen is known for a lot of quotes. But maybe his most famous quote is this one. Anyone want to guess what it is? “Ninety percent of life is just showing up.” But Woody Allen is famously wrong. Ninety percent of life is what we do AFTER we show up. Why do we want to believe Allen’s computations so badly? We eagerly embrace Woody’s calculus because it takes us off the hook for all but ten percent of our lifetime of screw-ups, fall-flats, and melt-downs. It is easy to just “be there.” It ...

2377. If We Miss a Deadline

Mt 22:1-14

Illustration

King Duncan

A tough, old cowhand sauntered into a saloon and began drinking whiskey by the bottle. The more he drank, the more unruly he became, shooting holes in the ceiling and floor. Everybody was afraid to take on the old cowhand. Finally, a short, mild-mannered storekeeper walked up to the unruly cowhand and said, "I'll give you five minutes to get out of town." The old cowhand holstered his gun, pushed the whiskey bottle away, briskly walked out, got on his horse, and rode out of town. When he left, someone ...

2378. Broken Love

2 Cor 5:18-19

Illustration

Brett Blair

Keith Hernandez is one of the best baseball players in history. He is a lifetime .300 hitter who has won numerous Golden Glove awards for excellence in fielding. He's won a batting championship for having the highest average, the Most Valuable Player award in his league, and even the World Series. Yet with all his accomplishments, he has missed out on something crucially important to him -- his father's acceptance and recognition that what he has accomplished is valuable. In an interview he was asked about ...

2379. The Testimony of a Good Conscience

1 Tim 1:19

Illustration

C.F.H. Henry

The glory of a good person is the testimony of a good conscience. A good conscience is able to bear very much and is very cheerful in adversities. An evil conscience is always fearful and unquiet. Never rejoice except when you have done well. You shall rest sweetly if your heart does not accuse you. Sinners never have true joy or feel inward peace, because 'there is no peace for the wicked,' says the Lord (Isaiah 57:21). The glory of the good is in their consciences, and not in the tongues of others, The ...

2380. You Can Go Home Again

Luke 15:11-32

Illustration

Max Lucado

Longing to leave her poor Brazilian neighborhood, Christina wanted to see the world. Discontent with a home having only a pallet on the floor, a washbasin, and a wood-burning stove, she dreamed of a better life in the city. One morning she slipped away, breaking her mother's heart. Knowing what life on the streets would be like for her young, attractive daughter, Maria hurriedly packed to go find her. On her way to the bus stop she entered a drugstore to get one last thing. Pictures. She sat in the ...

2381. Practice Makes Perfect

Illustration

Brett Blair & John Troup

Have you ever worked to get better at something? If so, you soon realized that the cliche "practice makes perfect" is true. Olympic Athletes seem to succeed with effortless grace, but their performances aren't as easy as they look. The average Olympian trains four hours a day at least 310 days a year for six years before succeeding. Getting better begins with working out every day. By 7:a.m. most athletes have done more than many people do all day. How well an athlete performs is often attributed to mental ...

2382. Yogi-isms

Humor Illustration

Yogi is famous for his way with words. On a flight back from a game, he was wearing a blue suede jacket. George Steinbrenner, Yankee owner, asked Yogi about the jacket. "Carm (his wife) got me two," said Yogi, "a navy blue and a navy brown." Another time, Yogi was watching a Steve McQueen movie on television. "Carm," he said, "I've never seen this movie before. He must have made it before he died." Yogi once observed his roommate, Dr. Bobby Brown, as Brown was studying that ponderous medical tome, GRAY''S ...

2383. A Faith That Matters Between Sundays

Romans 3:19-28

Sermon

David E. Leininger

On October 31, 1571, an Augustinian monk by the name of Martin Luther marched up to the castle church door in Wittenberg, Germany, where he was on the university faculty, and posted 95 theses or propositions concerning church policy and practice he proposed for debate. Why there and then? Well, the church door was the community bulletin board — notices and advertisements were regularly placed there, just as they are on the bulletin board today at the grocery store. As to October 31, then and now that is ...

2384. John 13:31-35

John 13:31-38

Sweet

Leonard Sweet

As Judas slinks out the door and into the night, Jesus’ first act is to turn that treachery into triumph. The disciples who heard Jesus tell Judas to “Do quickly what you are going to do” (v.27) do not attach any particular significance to Judas’s departure. But Jesus recognizes that as the door closes behind his betrayer, the way to the cross has now finally been fully opened. Judas’ act of betrayal is not a death knell to Jesus’ mission and ministry. Rather, it is the first chord of a final triumphal ...

2385. Rich Through Giving

2 Corinthians 8:7-9

Children's Sermon

King Duncan

Object: Some money Good morning, boys and girls. Did you know that there are some things in life that increase the more you give them away. Let's say that you love somebody. When you give them your love, they give love back. Now you have more love than you started with. The same thing happens with a smile. You give a smile to someone. They smile back. Now you are happier and smile even more. It's wonderful to give away something that increase in value the more you give. Money doesn't work quite like that. ...

2386. Gabriel Brings an Answer to Daniel’s Prayer

Daniel 9:20-27

Teach the Text

Ronald W. Pierce

Big Idea: Despite the prayers of a faithful servant, the persistent sin of God’s people can bring serious consequences before their punishment is completed. Understanding the Text See the unit on 9:1–6 for a discussion of the larger context, structure, and comparisons of this chapter. Against this backdrop, 9:20–27 is the appearance vision proper. It can be divided into three parts: Gabriel’s arrival to answer Daniel’s prayer (9:20–23), the announcement of “seventy ‘sevens’” (9:24), and an explanation of ...

2387. Abraham’s Test

Genesis 22:1-24

One Volume

Gary M. Burge

Sometime later God tests Abraham. It is not clear how much later, but Isaac is old enough to carry wood for a fire and carry on an intelligent conversation with his father. For the first time the verb (but not the idea) “test” occurs in the Bible. As early as chapter 12 God tested Abraham when he told him to leave Ur with his family, and Abraham went out not knowing “where he was going” (Heb. 11:8). As a matter of fact, Abraham’s life begins and ends, as far as divine speech goes, with two imperatives: “ ...

2388. Moses’ Final Blessing

Deuteronomy 33:1-29

One Volume

Gary M. Burge

Before Moses dies, he gives his blessing to the tribes of Israel, just as Isaac (Gen. 27:27) and Jacob (Gen. 49:1–28) have done. Here for the first time he is called “the man of God,” thus linking him with the prophets of whom this same title is used later on (1 Sam. 9:6, 10). These deathbed blessings played a key role in the Near East and were valid in a court of law even though they were given orally and often were in a poetic form, which makes their interpretation and translation quite difficult (cf. ...

2389. Final Greetings

2 Timothy 4:9-18, 2 Timothy 4:19-22

One Volume

Gary M. Burge

The pathos of this letter lies in Paul’s urgent, heartfelt request that Timothy join him. He appears to have sent Tychicus to relieve Timothy of his duties in Ephesus at least temporarily (4:5) so he can join Paul, awaiting martyrdom in Rome. Along the way—and this is one of the great stories of reconciliation in the New Testament—Timothy should bring along the once-estranged Mark (with 4:11; cf. Acts 13:5, 13; 15:36–41; Col. 4:10; Philem. 24). Paul’s situation is dire; he has survived a preliminary ...

2390. A Misunderstanding of Sacrifice and the Presumption of Hypocrites

Psalm 50:1-23

Understanding Series

Craig C. Broyles

In contrast to most psalms, it is God who addresses his people in Psalm 50. As a psalm, it is set in Israel’s liturgical worship at the temple on Zion (v. 2). As a prophecy, it shows us that temple worship was no mere monologue. Psalms 81 and 95 are also prophetic psalms and are explicitly set in the context of corporate, liturgical worship. Each of these psalms also alludes to Mosaic traditions (Sinai, exodus, and wilderness). 50:1–6 This prophetic psalm introduces Yahweh in the language of a thunderstorm ...

2391. Can These Bones Live?

Ezekiel 37:1-14

Sermon

Brant S. Copeland

And so Ezekiel prophesies. The sand of that dry valley becomes his bema. The dry bones become his congregation, and to his amazement, his sermon causes quite a stir. There is a noise like a truckload of dredels going over a Tallahassee speed bump. A rattling and a clattering and a coming together of bones, and before Ezekiel knows it, he’s got--what? A bunch of bodies all lined up in neat rows, listening politely and showing no sign whatsoever of any life. In short, my friends, Ezekiel has a valley full of ...

What another would have done as well as you, do not do it. What another would have said as well as you, do not say it. What another would have written as well, do not write it. Be faithful to that which exists nowhere but in yourself - and thus make yourself indispensable.

Andre Gide

You have not lived a perfect day, even though you have earned your money, unless you have done something for someone who will never be able to repay you.

Ruth Smeltzer

2394. When the Music Stops

Matthew 24:36-44

Sermon

Lori Wagner

Ever notice that right before a storm is about to hit the birds go silent? All of a sudden, an eerie blanket of quiet descends all around you, and you know something ominous is going to occur. For us it could mean a storm, a hurricane, or some other natural disaster. For all of our gifts as human beings, we are the last creatures on earth it seems to sense when something momentous is coming to pass. Scientists believe that this is because animals have a better sense of sound and vibration than we do. They ...

2395. Terms Of Endearment

John 12:1-8

Sermon

Wayne Brouwer

In his short story, “The Capital of the World,” Ernest Heming- way reported an event they talk about in Madrid. A young man named Francisco, lovingly called Paco by his parents, grew to be a teen at odds with his father. No matter how a day began, it was sure to end with angry words and heated arguments. Paco and his father became enemies living under the same roof. Finally the young man ran away, drifting eventually to the large metropolis of Madrid, where anyone could get lost and create a new identity. ...

2396. The Rhythm of Your Heart

Luke 12:13-21

Sermon

Lori Wagner

What kind of music moves you? Take a moment and think of that tune or that song that completely captivates you, softens your heart, reduces your stress, entirely engages you in that moment, immerses you in bliss. Much like the sound of the waves crashing from the ocean onto the rocks, certain sounds, certain waves, certain frequencies resonate with us, entirely changing our focus, our mood, and our spiritual awareness. Psychologists now know, music also changes our brain. Studies show in fact that those ...

2397. Who's The Neighbor

Luke 10:25-37

Drama

Robert F. Crowley

Theme: Being of service to others no matter who they are. Summary: A modern retelling of the Good Samaritan parable in the form of a game show. Playing Time: 10 minutes Setting: A TV studio Props: Scripts Signs -- "Cheer" ;"Hello Milton" ; "The End"; "Applause", Road map Masks Raiment First aid kit Bandage Costumes: Costume pieces to be added to street clothes Time: Prime time Cast: Announcer Milton Whitestein (HOST) Rupert Willies George Scrimshaw William Brandioggan Certain Man Wife -- of Certain Man ...

2398. What Shall We Say To This?

Romans 6:1-14

Eulogy

Bob Kaul

Young Man's In both of these passages from his letter to the Romans, Paul begins with a question that is probably rattling around in most of our minds this week. What then are we to say? What then are we to say about these things? What in the world has gone wrong in the world that the life of such a young man as ____________ should come to such a tragic end? What shall we say? ____________ was a person with many fine qualities; Paul would even call them "gifts of the Spirit." ____________ had the gifts of ...

2399. Black And White

1 John 1:9

Children's Sermon

Mark A. Hultquist

Object: Each child will need a sheet of white paper and a black crayon. How many of you are good at coloring? I know you do a really good job because I've seen some of the work you have done in your Sunday School classes! I was really impressed by the beautiful choices of colors in those pictures! This morning we are going to do a little bit of coloring during the service here. I brought along a piece of paper for each of you. Each piece is blank. And I also brought a crayon for each person and I'll pass ...

2400. Jesus Came to Save Sinners

1 Timothy 1:12-20

Bulletin Aid

Carl Hoefler

Call to Worship Pastor: Our sins are greater than we would like to admit; but great as they are, our Lord's grace is sufficient to save us. People: God is so merciful! We believe not only that we are sinners, but that he is willing to save us. Pastor: Amen! Christ Jesus came into our world to save sinners. And that includes each one of us. People: Praise be to God our Father, and Christ Jesus his Son, our Savior! Collect O God of great mercy, who sent your Son into our world to save sinners: Pour out your ...

Showing results

Showing 2376 to 2400 of 4933 results

2376. God Enjoys AND Enjoins Us

Matthew 22:1-14

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

2377. If We Miss a Deadline

Mt 22:1-14

Illustration

King Duncan

2378. Broken Love

2 Cor 5:18-19

Illustration

Brett Blair

2379. The Testimony of a Good Conscience

1 Tim 1:19

Illustration

C.F.H. Henry

2380. You Can Go Home Again

Luke 15:11-32

Illustration

Max Lucado

2381. Practice Makes Perfect

Illustration

Brett Blair & John Troup

2382. Yogi-isms

Humor Illustration

2383. A Faith That Matters Between Sundays

Romans 3:19-28

Sermon

David E. Leininger

2384. John 13:31-35

John 13:31-38

Sweet

Leonard Sweet

2385. Rich Through Giving

2 Corinthians 8:7-9

Children's Sermon

King Duncan

2386. Gabriel Brings an Answer to Daniel’s Prayer

Daniel 9:20-27

Teach the Text

Ronald W. Pierce

2387. Abraham’s Test

Genesis 22:1-24

One Volume

Gary M. Burge

2388. Moses’ Final Blessing

Deuteronomy 33:1-29

One Volume

Gary M. Burge

2389. Final Greetings

2 Timothy 4:9-18, 2 Timothy 4:19-22

One Volume

Gary M. Burge

2390. A Misunderstanding of Sacrifice and the Presumption of Hypocrites

Psalm 50:1-23

Understanding Series

Craig C. Broyles

2391. Can These Bones Live?

Ezekiel 37:1-14

Sermon

Brant S. Copeland

Andre Gide

You have not lived a perfect day, even though you have earned your money, unless you have done something for someone who will never be able to repay you.

Ruth Smeltzer

2394. When the Music Stops

Matthew 24:36-44

Sermon

Lori Wagner

2395. Terms Of Endearment

John 12:1-8

Sermon

Wayne Brouwer

2396. The Rhythm of Your Heart

Luke 12:13-21

Sermon