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Showing 2401 to 2425 of 4986 results

2401. Lent 4

Lk 15:1-3, 11-32 · 1 Cor 1:18-31 · 2 Cor 5:17-21 · Isa 12:1-6 · Jos 5:9-12

Sermon Aid

John R. Brokhoff

... for fellowshipping with sinners and eating with outcasts. To show what one's attitude should be toward sinners, Jesus tells the story of a father and two sons, a story well-known by most Christians. Three characters are involved: the father, the prodigal, and the stay-at-home brother. It is a story of reconciliation, forgiveness, and acceptance for those who repent and return to the Father. THEOLOGICAL REFLECTION Gospel: Luke 15:1-3, 11-32 1. Himself (v. 17). The first step in making a come-back is to come ...

2402. Counting the Cost in Marriage

Luke 14:25-35

Illustration

Donald Dotterer

... in the fear of God." Each person makes a covenant to love, comfort, honor and take care of the other in sickness and in health. That can be a difficult commitment to keep if a spouse becomes critically ill or severely disabled. The husband and wife agree to stay with each other "for better, for worse, for richer for poorer ... till death do us part." A man and woman must count the cost of what they are getting into in marriage. So it is also with having children. Did you see a recent letter to Ann Landers ...

2403. A Desperate Question

Matthew 11:1-19

Sermon

George Bass

... as we went into the house," the pastor said, "we knew we had been robbed again. And when I went into the bedroom and discovered how they had gotten in, I felt that I had been violated and raped. That just seemed too much to take." But she intends to stay there, in the middle of Washington, D.C., and minister and preach to people who need Jesus just as much as she does. She knows Christ is the One, and she doesn’t have to search desperately for another Savior. Is Christ the One sent by God to be with ...

2404. Cross Work

Matthew 5:27-30

Sermon

George Bass

... . When he left his home in Massachusetts as a captain in the militia during the Civil War, he was followed by a young boy, Johnny Ring, who idolized him as a swash-buckling sort of local hero. When Johnny was discovered, he begged Conwell to let him stay as his orderly; reluctantly, Captain Conwell did as he requested. But the first night there was trouble, because the boy took out his Bible and began to read it in the presence of the captain, who was an atheist. Conwell ordered him out of the tent if ...

2405. Magic Mountain

Matthew 17:1-13

Sermon

... as the experience had been, it completely overwhelmed them. But Jesus knew Peter, and probably the other two, would get their voices back very soon and broadcast, to any who would listen, what took place on that particular mountain. At first they wanted to stay there, but I suspect that by the end of the story they couldn’t wait to get down from those mountain heights and tell the other nine disciples, and anyone else they might encounter, about their experience - "You won’t believe what happened up ...

2406. Walk in Light

Isaiah 2:1-5

Sermon

... she could take a picture. She came back a few minutes later with a color Polariod shot of the dead buck in the back of a pickup truck. The boy went back to the table with the older men, talking of the rigors and rules of good hunting. The boy stayed for a minute, then he left them, stood in the corner, and stared and stared at that picture. He had the most forlorn look on his face. I wondered, what light is going on in that boy’s life today? What is he starting to feel today that he never ...

2407. Desert Springs

Isaiah 35:1-10

Sermon

... into the air. On the far side of this dwindling lake, cattle sought shelter in caves. Only the flamingos feeding on pink larvae in the water stood untouched by the burning heat of the day. Being in that desert was really a life threatening situation. I could not stay in that sunlight very long. Like the cattle, I too had to seek a cave for shelter or the shade of a divi-divi tree. As I drove through that wilderness, wild parrots and rubytopaz hummingbirds flew in and out of the cactus, but there was no ...

2408. Tears in Raniah

Jeremiah 30:1--31:40

Sermon

... tests faith. Luther felt this. He felt it strongly in his forty-seventh year. The Emperor had convened the Diet of Augsburg attempting to force the Protestants to recant. Luther was advised by his Prince not to go to Augsburg for this Imperial Convocation, so he stayed in exile in Coburg, three day’s distance away. There was lamentation and bitter weeping in his heart as he received reports of how badly things were going. He may have felt the urge to refuse to be comforted. Then one evening, in a blaze of ...

2409. Pentecost’s Promises Judith Ann Cobb

Isaiah 44:1-5

Sermon

... until dawn’s early light. Still later, the child will awaken with worries about tests and problems. The parents will get up to listen to dawn’s early light. And then, so much later the child will never have gone to sleep and the parent will stay awake worrying and watching until the sound of the door closing. There’s another dawn’s early light. Our Lord loves us, his own children, so much more than we can even love our children. He promises to pour his Spirit upon his descendants and bless the ...

2410. Where Does One Go When Darkness Floods One’s Life?

Genesis 32:22-32

Sermon

James Cobb

... to dismal failure. The road to hell is paved with good intentions; no matter how sincere they are, good intentions are not enough when it comes to your dealings with God. That means that we must be tenacious in our wrestling with God. We must stay our course in our relationships with God. Jacob was tenacious in his relationship with God. When you are concerned about your soul salvation, cling to God. God alone is dependable; therefore cling to him. Even when your own conscience accuses you or the voice of ...

2411. When God Provides, It’s a Manna Miracle James G. Cobb

Exodus 16:1-36

Sermon

... read recently from a Kindergarten teacher who wrote a song about popcorn. She would have students sit on the floor to sing it and then at the appropriate time, all the children would "pop" until they were standing. But one day the teacher noticed one child who stayed on the floor when all the others had popped up. "What’s wrong?" asked the teacher, "why aren’t you popped like the other children?" "Because," said the little boy, "I’m burning on the bottom of the pan."1 "Burning on the bottom of the pan ...

2412. Sharing Your Safety

Genesis 6:1-8:22

Children's Sermon

... answer.) I feel safe in my home. But, how would you like to spend 562 days in your house without going out side? You could not go to school, church, or the store. You would forget what a park or your friend’s house looked like. Noah and his family stayed on the ark for 562 days, and the only thing they could see was water and the sky. There were no hills, no grass, no trees, or anything. Only water and sky. Noah was happy that God had saved his family from the flood and he thanked God many times ...

2413. Trusting When You’re Terrified

Exodus 13:17--14:31

Children's Sermon

... that my father kept close to me. You had to have faith that your father would be ready to catch you if you started to lose your balance. It was pretty scary experience, but I finally learned how to ride my bicycle after I trusted my father to stay close to me and keep me from falling. The Israelites also learned a lesson in trust when they were escaping from the Egyptian army. The Israelites wanted to be free people, and not slaves, so they followed Moses out of Egypt. At first, the Egyptians were glad they ...

2414. Don't Go Near The Water

Matthew 7:24-29

Sermon

... child, but seldom did she get an argument from me. She knew better than I what was safe. Both of us wanted me sitting at the dinner table that evening. To hear her was to obey her. You and I expect certain of our words to be obeyed. "Don't stay out too late." "Look both ways before you cross the street." "I want that file on my desk before noon tomorrow." "Pick me up at 8:00 p.m." Discussion may follow such words, even negotiation. But the basic word is to be obeyed. Its necessity is clear. What is ...

2415. No Telltale Clues

Matthew 9:9-13

Sermon

... I thought it did us a great service by claiming that God can choose anyone to be his spokesperson. But John Denver was not exactly a startling choice. He was too clean. To be sure, the film depicted his character as slightly agnostic and as a man who stayed away from church. But that's nothing! The Denver character was a hard working, friendly, patriotic American. He was a good family man, a person who did not cheat and who was about as straightforward as a person can be. He was full of Rocky Mountain air ...

2416. The Promise of Homecoming

Jeremiah 30:1--31:40

Sermon

... family beach cottage at Ocracoke for the summer to help heal her wounds. Cate returns to Mountain City to visit her mother before going on to Ocracoke. Her mother has invited herself and her younger daughter Lydia, Cate's sibling, to go to the beach. During their stay at the beach Cate and Lydia have a fierce fight. Cate burns cardboard in the summer cottage's fireplace. Sparks set the roof on fire and the cottage burns. Cate then decides to go to her parents' home in Mountain City while her mother goes to ...

2417. The Call for Justice

Micah 6:1-8

Sermon

Declan Walsh was a Marine officer in World War II in the Pacific. He began the practice of law, but stayed in the reserves. During the Korean police action he was re-called to active duty with the rank of colonel. He was awarded the Congressional Medal of Honor for saving his command when the Chinese army pushed into the conflict. He returned to his legal life and was named Chief ...

2418. Trouble on the Mountain

Exodus 32:1-33:6

Sermon

... ." "They just don't do it like they used to." "They don't sing the 'old' familiar songs anymore." "The church is full of hypocrites." "If acting the way 'they' act is being a Christian, then I want no part of it." "You can't be a Christian and stay in my kind of business." "Preachers preach too long (or are too dull, too simple, too deep) and the services are not over by twelve noon." "It's too cold in the winter and I'm afraid of snakes in the summer!" Will these excuses for our defection stand ...

2419. He Lights Up My Life!

Exodus 33:12-23

Sermon

... the Amorites, the Hittites, the Perizzites, the Hivites, and the Jebusites (and all the other "ites") if you are not with us? What if it is a land of milk and honey to which we go, what good is any of it if you are not there? We'd rather stay right here in the wilderness, we'd rather be nomads without a homeland, and you be with us, than to be in Canaan without you!" Moses was right. Without God, no matter the wealth and largess of the place, we are poor, homeless, lonely, and lacking in wholeness. There is ...

2420. Communion Is Running No More

Mark 9:42-50

Sermon

... or mine. I would seek another route." The lady, the cautious one, was hired. In essence, this is the same kind of caution Jesus tells us to exercise regarding the persons, places and situations which we know will lead us into sinful action. We are to stay away from them - find another route! That's the first thing that you and I can do about our sinful activities. The second thing we are reminded of on this first Communion Sunday is this: Even though we can remove ourselves from situations, activities and ...

2421. Communion Is Realizing Forgiveness

Matthew 26:17-30

Sermon

... away. Pastor Jamison had the window replaced the very next day. It wasn't long before he learned the identity of the child who had pulled the trigger - his name was Dave White. As time passed the other children drifted back to play in the yard again, but Dave stayed away. When asked why, the others said Dave was afraid that Pastor Jamison was angry and would hurt him if he returned. One day while in a store, the pastor saw Dave and greeted him in a friendly manner saying, "Dave, I paid for the window and as ...

2422. If the Son Makes You Free

John 8:31-41

Sermon

... hasn’t changed since we’ve become butterflies. We’ve changed. Or, more precisely, we’ve been changed." "Been changed, yes," said the second. "I didn’t choose this silly looking angel outfit. I was quite content to live out my days as a caterpillar, feeding on cabbage leaves, staying out of trouble and out of the way, taking care of myself. I don’t know why I ever let you talk me into going into that cocoon in the first place. It was dark as death in there. Felt like a tomb." "I think it was a ...

2423. The Sounds at the Summit

Exodus 19:1-25

Sermon

... and fire, and the blast of a trumpet combined to give a mighty message to Moses and the Israelites. It sounds like the eruption of a volcano to you and me, does it not? If so, no wonder the people were told to keep their distance and stay off the mountain, or they would surely die. Volcanoes kill people; it is as simple as that. They vanish, as a rule, without a trace, either buried by ashes and molten rocks, or engulfed by the flowing lava, which destroys everything in its path. The Israelites probably ...

2424. The Abiding Presence

Exodus 33:12-23

Sermon

... are little different than we are. Moses knew that their lives would be extremely difficult, at times, and that they couldn’t make it on their own. They desperately needed God’s presence, or the undertaking would be futile. It might have been better had they stayed in Egypt, were God’s presence not with them at all times. And, indeed, the Israelites were not unique in needing the presence of the Lord in their lives. The difference between them and us is that they knew it; we do not, at least, not ...

2425. Round Trip to Bethlehem

Ruth 1:1-22

Sermon

... . Imagine what it would be like were that woman younger and forced to engage in such religious activities every week, and you have a glimpse of the difficult situation in which Ruth could have found herself. But she was ready to pay any price to stay with Naomi, and that is the stuff of which true Christian fidelity is made. On one level, of course, Ruth’s beautiful response to Naomi represents the qualities of love, self-sacrifice, and fidelity that people ought to strive for in family relationships. On ...

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