Sermon and Worship Resources

Showing 2401 to 2425 of 4997 results

Luke 2:1-14, (15-20)

Sermon

Billy D. Strayhorn

... the manager agreed to post a sign with the remaining boxes which read: "If you're missing Baby Jesus, call 7126." All week long Mom kind of hovered around the phone. Every time it rang she'd get an excited look on her face. It was obvious, she wanted to give ... foot in house door when he was on the phone. "Ed, hey, how are ya, Ed? Yes, Merry Christmas to you, too. Say Ed, we have kind of an unusual situation here. I know you've got that pick-up truck. Do you still have some oil in that barrel on your truck ...

2402. How Does Your Garden Grow?

Matthew 13:1-9

Sermon

Billy D. Strayhorn

... world Missions Interpreter work every other year, and he was here on the US. So, he went to one of our American Supermarkets and was absolutely amazed at how much toothpaste; how many brands and types there were. In his home country of the Congo he only had 1 kind of toothpaste, Colgate. That's it. There are more choices on the dollar menu at McDonalds and Wendy's than most people of the world have. In some countries, they don't even have the choice of what to eat. They don't even have the choice of whether ...

2403. Radical Love at Home (Series: Radical Love in a Risky World)

Luke 15:11-32

Sermon

J. Howard Olds

... like that. We, like the prodigal, want to hear, “Welcome home, my child; come on in.” If we failed to hear it from our earthly father, then we need even more to hear it from our Heavenly Father. “A certain man had two sons.” This man is some kind of dad. He is gracious, compassionate, and forgiving. A. He is Gracious. He divided his property between them. Sometimes I wonder what I might have said if one of my two sons had made such a request of me. Only some of my responses can be repeated in public ...

2404. Follow Your Mentors (Series: An Invitation to Christian Discipleship)

John 14:15-31

Sermon

J. Howard Olds

... my brother. When I think of the Holy Spirit – the Comforter, the Counselor, the ever-present Third Person of the Trinity, who loves us, who teaches us and grants us peace, I think of the Holy Spirit as my Mother. We have a Spiritual Mentor of a Divine Kind. A. When the Holy Spirit is our Mentor, we have God’s PRESENCE. Listen to the teaching of Jesus in John 14, “The Father will give you another Comforter who will be with you forever. You will know this Counselor for she lives with you and will be ...

2405. Jesus’ Trail of Tears (Series: Questioning Our Values)

Luke 19:28-44

Sermon

J. Howard Olds

... seems to me that empowered him to do it was that he believed in a higher purpose. It was not about Him anymore. It was about the redemption of the world. Do I have that kind of trust in God? We cannot walk this Via Delarosa together this week without asking the question, do I have that kind of trust? Do I have that kind of devotion to higher purposes? Jesus wept that week. He wept tears of surrender. III. We Shed Tears for Salvation It is Friday now. The kangaroo court is over, the trial is finished, He is ...

2406. The Voice of the Shepherd

John 10:1-10

Sermon

Billy D. Strayhorn

... Hugh Redwood. Later he made his hard decisions, and they proved to be wise ones. He didn't run away but went on to accomplish great things and to live a useful and fulfilled life. (2) "The God of my mercy shall go before me. My God, in His loving-kindness, shall meet me at every corner." Or as the twenty-third psalm puts it, "The Lord is my Shepherd." B. I personally find great comfort in that idea. The Good Shepherd goes before us to prepare the way, which means there is no place that we go that the ...

2407. Easter Heart Burn

Luke 24:13-35

Sermon

Billy D. Strayhorn

... Nexium. I went 4 days without it once during a change over between insurance companies and mail in prescriptions, I don't ever want to do that again. I'd forgotten what acid indigestion and heartburn were like. But one thing I haven't forgotten or lost is the kind of Heart Burn that Cleopas and his companion experienced on the Road to Emmaus. It was that Easter Heart Burn that came, not from an encounter with a fiery hot bowl of Tex Mex chili but with an encounter with the Risen Christ. Let's look at Luke's ...

2408. Don't Settle for Half A Glass

Matthew 4:1-11

Sermon

Billy D. Strayhorn

... religiously like I did last week? Some of you have told me that you watched so you could see the commercials and try and figure out which ones I'd use today. A number of you have told me you figured out which ones I wouldn't use. They were kind of obvious. Today is the first Sunday in Lent. Lent is that season of preparation for the devastation of Good Friday and the joy and celebration of Easter. It remembers and celebrates the preparation of Jesus on His road to the Cross. And the very first event in that ...

2409. A Gratitude Adjustment

Luke 17:11-19

Sermon

Billy D. Strayhorn

... piece of celery or a lettuce leaf. And if she doesn't get it, she starts squealing like a stuck, well, Guinea Pig. The one thing I can always count on from both Midnight and Pearl is an honest to goodness "Thank You." Oh, not a verbal, "Why thank you kind sir." But Midnight rubs all over you, beats you to death with her tail and licks you hand. Sometimes she's even more affectionate than that and will actually take my hand in her mouth, which is a Labs way of saying thank you. And Pearl, well, have you ever ...

2410. Chosen by God

Ephesians 1:1-14

Sermon

Maxie Dunnam

... of the church’s life, but none of them was as focused as Dad. None of them as perceptive of the heart of the matter and the kind of decision I was making a decision of vocation, of call. I want you to know that that is the reason I’m here. In the core ... to spend their life. Chosen! II But there’s something more here, we are chosen by God. At a much deeper level, but the same kind of feelings that were mine when I was chosen for a team on Sunday afternoon in Mississippi came when I was baptized, when I ...

2411. Living While You Wait

Philippians 4:2-9

Sermon

Maxie Dunnam

... the Mother of Jesus. And what is this Jesus is saying? It is a more blessed thing to live in obedience than to have been the Mother of the Messiah, the mother of our Lord. Now that’s a radical word. Joy, rejoicing, comes primarily from obedience. That kind of rejoicing is always renewing. II. The second signal for living while we wait: Grace is communicated by gentleness. Paul said in verse 5: “Let your gentleness be known to all men. The Lord is at hand.” I know that when Paul said, “The Lord is at ...

2412. Give Yourself

2 Corinthians 8:1-15

Sermon

Maxie Dunnam

... money might be borrowed to build the first buildings. I could identify with stories of families that decided 10, 15, 20% during the first two or three years of the church’s life in order to get it going. Some of you know something about that kind of liberality. But, there’s something special here in this text. It says that the people begged for the opportunity to take part in the relief of the saints. Now, you see that’s getting beyond building our own buildings. That’s getting beyond establishing ...

2413. There Is a Price for Everything, Part 2

Matthew 13:44-46

Sermon

Maxie Dunnam

... , I still had something left in me.” What a picture. If you are going to win a race, you have to give everything. You can’t keep back a reserve, you can’t have anything left inside when you cross the finish line. It’s the kind of story Jesus would tell. It’s the kind of story he did tell: A man sells everything to buy a field in which a treasure is hidden. A merchant exchanges all the pearls he has collected through the years for the one pearl of great price. When the fish nets are pulled in the ...

2414. Come Forward to God's Throne Where There Is Grace (Relief for Guilt)

Hebrews 4:1-13

Sermon

Maxie Dunnam

... a Jew would perceive it - the life of feeding hogs. It was the abominable sin, the disgrace of all disgraces for the family, the most terrible humiliation a father could suffer because of his son. You know the story. The father, of course, either learns about or suspects the kind of life his son is living. His heart is broken. But he doesn’t close the door of his house - in fact he keeps it wide open. No, more than that Not only does he keep the door wide open. Everyday, he wanders down the lane and looks ...

2415. The Gospel Through the Person

Galatians 4:8-20

Sermon

Maxie Dunnam

... , that limitations do not have to limit us – and now a third lesson. III Paul showed us that we can be tough yet tender. Paul loved the Galatians. He saw them as his spiritual children. This was no surface bond, no sentimental affection. It was the kind of love that was tender, but tough. Integrity was preserved in the honesty of an open and trusting relationship. Try to feel the depth of that relationship. “If it had been possible, you would have plucked out your own eyes and given them to me.” (v ...

2416. Characteristics of the Church

Acts 2:42-47

Sermon

Maxie Dunnam

... private, they asked Jesus, “Why could we not cast out the devils”, and Jesus gave them that sober and challenging word: “This kind can come out by nothing but prayer and fasting.” This was one dramatic instance. Jesus was always having to call the ... history.” (The Commercial Appeal, Aug 5, 1986, an article by Dr. D. L. Cuddy.) Do you catch the spirit of that? A kind of arrogant, snide reference to religion as superstition and Biblical stories such as that of Adam and Eve as irrelevant myths. How ...

2417. Doing Our Best

Romans 12: 1-13

Sermon

J. Howard Olds

... trying to find the sweetest nectar. We are human beings, made in the image of God and created in such a way, that we can make strong commitments and keep them for a lifetime. That is the beauty of being a human being. I invite you today to ponder those kinds of commitments. What would our lives be like if the most we could ever expect from another human being is, “I'll be there if I can, but do not really count on it." You cannot build a world that way. So, I would like to simplify your weekends. This ...

2418. Touching Hearts and Transforming Lives

2 Corinthians 5:11--6:2

Sermon

J. Howard Olds

... . Then I became a Christian. I knew a real transformation had taken place in my life when five months after my conversion, Allison came to her mother and said, “Mommy, I want God to do for me what He did for Daddy sometime ago." That is the kind of change we are talking about. You cannot add religion on to your life. You are too busy already. We are talking about reorienting. We are talking about changing. We are talking about transforming the very soul. Put on a new set of glasses through which to see ...

2419. The Difference Disciples Make

Matthew 5:13-16

Sermon

J. Howard Olds

... much concern for others as they had for themselves. In the little town of my origin, my father lies today in a hospital. It is very unlikely that he will ever live an independent life again. My father is far from perfect. But, he is a salt of the earth kind of person. Orphaned at age 11, he could have lived his days resentful. Instead, he got a job, took a wife, and together they dug out a living through the years that seemed to be plentiful. He could borrow money on a handshake, cut a deal on his word, and ...

2420. Impossible Possibilities

Luke 1:26-38

Sermon

J. Howard Olds

... ever done To deserve even one of the pleasures I've known? Tell me Lord, what did I ever do, to deserve loving you and the kindness you've shown?" Do you ever have those feelings? The feelings of awe, amazement, and wonder that God has a purpose, a place and a ... living the good life as a second-year law student at Yale. With a promising career and plenty of time to party, David had a kind of life that would make young men ache with ambition and old men seethe with envy. Yet on the inside David was empty. One ...

2421. When It's Time For Forgiveness

Matthew 18:21-35

Sermon

J. Howard Olds

... Jesus Christ, you are forgiven. Do not go home today until you know that. Don’t try to live your life without receiving that kind of grace. I have said it to grown men and watched tears roll down their cheeks. I have said it to elderly ladies and ... sharing his pain. As he did, he took his handkerchief and began to twist it and turn it as if the twisted handkerchief represented the kind of twisted spirit that was existing inside of his hurt soul. As he began to talk about it, he twisted it more and more and ...

2422. Household of Faith

II Timothy 1:3-7

Sermon

J. Howard Olds

... is to be unwaxed, non-touched up. To be sincere is to be genuine, real, earnest, honest, heartfelt, natural. The kind of faith that other people need from you and me is authentic spirituality. What your sons, daughters, grandchildren, nieces, and ... something; we learned about it in Sunday School. You don't pass people by." When you turn young, creative minds loose, they come up with all kinds of ideas, better than the rest of us. They said, “We've got an answer. We'll pack a lunch box in the back of our ...

2423. Embracing an Endless Line of Servants

1 Corinthians 3:5-23

Sermon

J. Howard Olds

... is it we sing it sometimes? Our hope is built on nothing less Than Jesus blood and righteousness I dare not trust the sweetest frame But wholly lean on Jesus Name. On Christ the solid rock I stand, All other ground is sinking sand. Have you found that kind of anchor? Pay attention to the foundation because you are going to need a good foundation in the world. Make sure it’s solid. Once more the bishops of our church are engaged in a feverish debate concerning the nature of Christ. Was He really born of ...

2424. Deciding To Excel In Everything

II Corinthians 8:1-7, 11-12

Sermon

J. Howard Olds

... from someone in town who said, “We would like to know if the President is expected to be in worship this coming Sunday.” The pastor kindly replied, “Whether or not the President is going to be here this Sunday, I am not sure, but I am sure that God is going ... ? IV. WHEN IT COMES TO SEVICE, WHY NOT THE BEST? There is one other tab in your insert, “Service,” and if you would be kind enough to pull it out I would like to talk about it for just a moment. According to Peters and Waterman in their book, In ...

2425. Praising God All Day Long

Psalm 100:1-5

Sermon

J. Howard Olds

... hard way. Many of us think that we have made it on our own, done it our way. We are self-made, I did it my way, kind of people. In the movie Shenandoah, Jimmie Stewart plays the role of a prosperous Quaker farmer during the Civil War. He is a widower and hard worker ... them starved to death over the winter. The rest of them would have died had it not been for some sympathetic and kind Native Americans who came to take care of them. In 1789 George Washington issued a decree of thanksgiving after he had led this ...

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