Sermon and Worship Resources

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Showing 2426 to 2450 of 4945 results

2426. As Mortals See

1 Samuel 15:1-35

Sermon

Charles Curley

I made a big mistake when I began to read and study in preparation for this sermon on 1 Samuel 15:34-16:13. I decided to go back first and read all of Chapter 15, just to see what could possibly have happened to King Saul to bring us to the tragic point in the story of Israel where we read: "Samuel grieved over Saul, and the Lord was sorry that he had made Saul king over Israel." (1 Samuel 15:35) And that was my mistake, reading Chapter 15, because I got hooked on Saul! Instead of finding Saul a tyrant, ...

2427. Stuck with Super Glue

Romans 8:35

Children's Sermon

Wesley T. Runk

Object: Some super glue and two pieces of wood to be glued together. Good morning, boys and girls. How many of you have ever played with glue? (Let them answer.) It is kind of fun when you have the right kind of glue to play with. Now they make a special kind of glue and while it is the best glue, it is also very dangerous. I brought this glue with me this morning because I wanted to show you something about Jesus and the way that he feels about you. But I never want you to play with this kind of glue, ...

2428. What It's Like

1 Thessalonians 4:13

Children's Sermon

Wesley T. Runk

Object: A fluffy bed pillow. Good morning, boys and girls. We need to talk about something that people do not like to talk about. It is a very big part of living. It is a big experience, but people do not like to talk about it. Do you know what I want to share with you this morning? (Let them answer.) That's right, I want to talk to you about dying and death. People don't like to talk about it, because they don't like to think about it. Dying means that they will not share the things they are doing now ...

2429. Right When the World is Wrong

Jeremiah 30:1--31:40

Sermon

George Paul Mocko

Jeremiah, the Crazy Old Coot Who Was Right When the World Was Wrong; How God Delivers and How Great it Is; and How to Say "Thanks." "Well, I don't like to say, 'I told you so', but ..." You've heard the line, maybe used it. You issue your warnings or give your advice. It is not taken. The events that follow fulfill all those warnings you issued, and then you say it or at least feel it. "Well, I don't like to say, 'I told you so' but I did." To be really truthful, there is often a definite feeling of ...

2430. The Rich Young Ruler

Mark 10:17-31

Sermon

Brett Blair

The rich young ruler falls into that unique category of Bible characters that have been maligned by generations of commentators. We might compare him to the elder brother in the story of the prodigal son. It seems like both of these young men have always gotten bad press and therefore a bad reputation. We have been impressed with the f ct that the rich young ruler was seemingly so near to the Kingdom, but alas his love of money kept him out. We see him as a moral coward, a man who lacked commitment. And ...

2431. Sign of the Times

Luke 12:54-59

Children's Sermon

Brett Blair

Exegetical Aim: Winter and cold as symbols and signs of the world's darkness and the need for God's intervention. (This Children's Sermon is a bit more symbolic than usual, but so is the scriptural text.) Props: A branch with enough green leaves for each child to tear one off. Lesson: As you were coming to church this morning perhaps you noticed the weather. What was the weather like? (response) What kind of things did you see? What kind of sky was there? (response) What was the temperature like? Was it ...

2432. A Visit With An Old Friend

Psalm 23:1-6

Sermon

Johnny Dean

This sermon written after the Columbine Shooting incident. In the first semester of seminary, I remember one of my professors saying something like this: "During your ministry, there will be weeks when your cup overflows with joy and you feel a keen awareness of the presence of God. The sermon will not be quite as difficult to prepare then. In fact, there may even be times when it just seems to write itself, and you are finished with it by midweek and you cannot wait for Sunday to arrive so you can stand ...

2433. When a Member of the Family Dies

John 11:17-37

Sermon

R. E. Lybrand

When Jesus arrived, he found that Lazarus had been buried four days before. Bethany was less than two miles from Jerusalem, and many Judeans had come to see Martha and Mary to comfort them about their brother's death. When Martha heard that Jesus was coming, she went out to meet him, but Mary stayed in the house. Martha said to Jesus, "If you had been here, Lord, my brother would not have died! But I know that even now God will give you whatever you ask him for." "Your brother will rise to life," Jesus ...

2434. "Crown Him Lord of all!"

Sermon

William Luoma

According to the three-year ecumenical lectionary, developed in recent years, the Sunday before Easter is primarily known as the Sunday of the Passion, instead of Palm Sunday. The procession with palm branches is still recommended, but the emphasis of the day has shifted to the Passion of Christ, as seen in the suggested lengthy Gospel readings appointed. In this worship service, however, we have chosen to lift up the Palm Sunday theme, and to focus on the kingship of Christ and his triumphal entry into ...

2435. Tumbling Walls

Ephesians 2:19-22

Children's Sermon

Tim Carpenter

Exegetical Aim: To demonstrate how Christ brings Jew and gentile together. Props: A shoe box and some building blocks. Lesson: This morning I want to teach you about worship. When we want to worship God, where do we usually go? (church) Yes, we go to a church. It wasn't always like that. When Jesus was alive on earth, he was a Jewish person. And the Jews could only go to one place to worship God. Place the Box down. This place was called the temple, and it was in Jerusalem. They believed that God lived in ...

2436. Peter. Rock. Follower of Jesus.

Matthew 16:13-20

Drama

Thomas Blowers

Dramatic Monologue My name is Simon Bar-Jona. And for years I carried that name with pride. Simon-- a strong name, said my mother-- a dependable name, said my father-- a name you can be proud of, said friends and neighbors. "Your great-grandfather's name," everyone reminded me. And I was proud to carry his name as my own. Then one day Jesus began calling me "Peter" and the name stuck. Soon that's what everyone was calling me: Peter. Funny how nicknames get started. We called the old man down on the corner ...

2437. Saving Sinners

Matthew 9:9-13

Sermon

"Jesus left that place, and as he walked along he saw a tax collector, named Matthew, sitting in his office. He said to him, 'Follow me.' And Matthew got up and followed him. While Jesus was having dinner at his house, many tax collectors and outcasts came and joined him and his disciples at the table. Some Pharisees saw this and said to his disciples, 'Why does your teacher eat with tax collectors and outcasts?' Jesus heard them and answered: 'People who are well do not need a doctor, but only those who ...

2438. Walking the Streets

Matthew 10:1-42, Matthew 9:35-38

Sermon

Richard L. Thulin

Most of us have been victims of some kind of stereotyping. Mine is usually attached to the fact that I am a professor. Every once in awhile someone will accost me with words like, "Well, you wouldn't know about that! You live in an ivory tower." The plain fact is that the speaker doesn't even know me, but then that is what gives birth to stereotypes in the first place. I'm usually able to avoid an immediate defensive reaction. "What do you mean?" I ask. "Oh," he says, "you live behind safety glass. You don ...

2439. God of the Ordinary

Exodus 13:17--14:31

Sermon

Some folks can look at something extraordinary, and write it off as commonplace. Ring Lardner was an avid baseball fan, but every other sport to him was just a bore. One afternoon, when a friend took him to see a football game, Lardner watched the action on the field with total disinterest. Suddenly, in the second half of the game, the crowd came to its feet when a punt receiver ran the ball almost the entire length of the gridiron. "Did you see that?" the humorist's friend screamed. "He carried the ball ...

2440. Responding to What We Hear and See

Matthew 11:1-19

Sermon

Joe Pennel

In the semantics of the church, doubt has been a negative word. It is rarely used in a favorable way. Faith, not doubt, is the great word of the church. As I stand here every Sunday morning and look into your up-lifted faces, you look so proper, so content, so believing. You seem to be so certain, so full of faith, and so free of doubt. But, I have a suspicion that the way you look is not the way you are. Beneath the skins of many of you there is planted the seed of honest doubt. Perhaps you do not share ...

2441. Settling Our Differences

Matthew 5:21-26

Sermon

Joe Pennel

On the surface "Tribute" is a motion picture about a man who is diagnosed with cancer and about his response to that disease. But at a much deeper level, "Tribute" is about a man who is not reconciled to his own son. "Tribute" is about a father and son who needed to settle their differences. Like those characters in "Tribute," one of the persistent needs of our life is to settle our differences. There are many ways that we try to settle our differences. Some of us try to settle our differences by taking ...

2442. Lent 2

Genesis 12:1-8, Psalm 105:1-45, Matthew 17:1-13, John 3:1-21; 4:5-42, Romans 4:1-25

Sermon Aid

George Bass

THEOLOGICAL CLUE Lent is structured so that those who keep it will go through devotional exercises designed to bring about conversion of the penitent to the life in Christ. Lent is really the altar (font) call of the church, at which the believers will find forgiveness of their sins and renewal of the gifts God gives in baptism to those who will have him as their God in Jesus Christ. Sunday is seen in the Roman Church, as always, from a sacramental perspective; some pastors in other churches approach Lent ...

2443. The Forgiven and the Forgiving

Matthew 18:21-35

Sermon

Robert G. Tuttle

The miracle of Christ is that strange power that enables me to know that I have been forgiven and, therefore, by grace to possess in my own life the strange and wonderful capability of forgiving others. We want justice. No, we don’t! We want mercy. I have done things in my life that I cannot now straighten out. I need mercy. I need forgiveness. I am caught. There is no hope. I have done so much that I cannot un-do. Woe is me. I’ve had it! I can love, and care, and maybe God will love and care for me, so ...

2444. The Agony and Ecstasy of Sight

John 9:1-12

Sermon

Richard Hoefler

The miracle story of Jesus healing the man born blind is placed against the background of a puzzle that has plagued humankind ever since the first person stubbed his toe on a stone and cried out in pain. It is the question of why there is suffering in the world. Despite the many attempted solutions and suggested answers, people are still not satisfied - only more confused. The stubbed toe still hurts. Is the stone we stumble over placed there by chance or circumstance? Are we somehow engaged in a dangerous ...

2445. At the Door of the Church

Sermon

Harold Warlick

At the close of a worship service a minister was approached by a sincere young man. "Do you think I ought to come to church when I don’t feel like it?" he asked. "There are times when I want to come and really enjoy the service, but there are other times when I’ve no inclination at all. Am I a hypocrite to come then? In addition, sometimes I find worship quite boring. Why should I come to something that bores me?" The minister responded to the young man in this way: "Well, Bob, do you only pay your bills ...

2446. Name Above Every Name

Luke 2:21-40

Sermon

Leonard Mann

The first thing about anyone is his name. A human person is born into the world, and almost immediately a word is chosen to denote him. Not a number, not a sign, not a shape - but a word. And that word becomes everyone’s way of saying who he is. For all of his lifetime that word is used to indicate him. By means of it, he says, "This is I." By means of it, others say, "That is he." In a very real sense the word equals the person, stands for him as his equivalent. This is so very true that I can say, "I am ...

2447. How God Guides

Exodus 13:17--14:31

Sermon

Bill Bouknight

On a hunting trip a few years ago, I went into a remote area I did not know very well. I was alone and stayed longer than I should have. Darkness was falling quickly as I tried to find my way out. Before long I knew I was walking in circles and was utterly lost. A shiver of anxiety ran through me because it was a cold night and I was not suitably dressed to spend the night in those woods. I stopped and prayed. In the silence, off in the distance, I heard an automobile. Therefore, I knew the direction of ...

2448. God Stood Up

Sermon

James Bjorge

As you sit before your television set, the program, "To Tell the Truth," flashes on the tube. The host, Gary Moore, introduces the panel members and the game is soon underway. Three persons come onto the stage and all claim to be the same person. Two are pretenders; one is the real person. The object of the game is for the panelists to discover the right one so they ask questions and then attempt an educated guess. As they toss out their questions, the audience both in the studio and at home is also ...

2449. Our Scheduled Appointments with God

Hebrews 10:19-39

Sermon

Bill Bouknight

That epic movie "Titanic" is breaking attendance records at the theaters, proving yet again that the awful tragedy of 1912 continues to fascinate people. 1645 passengers died that night in the frigid waters of the North Atlantic. Over 600 were saved. As the movie demonstrates, most of the survivors were people who stayed close together and encouraged one another. That same principle applies in our faith journey. The evil one (Satan, the devil) is angered by every profession of faith in Christ. Each person ...

2450. Must Jesus Bear the Cross Alone?

Luke 9:18-27

Sermon

Bill Bouknight

In Douglas Southall Freeman’s classic biography of the famous Southern commander, Robert E. Lee, he tells about a young mother who brought her baby to him to be blessed. General Lee took the infant in his arms, looked at it, and then said to the mother, “Teach him that he must deny himself.” Both of our scriptural texts for today agree wholeheartedly with General Lee. The prophet Joel declared, “Return to the Lord with fasting, with weeping, and with mourning.” Jesus said, “If any want to become my ...

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