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Showing 2451 to 2475 of 4943 results

2451. Lent 2

Philippians 3:12-4:1, Jeremiah 26:1-24, Genesis 15:1-18, Luke 13:31-35, Psalm 27:1-14, Psalm 42:1-11

Sermon Aid

George Bass

THEOLOGICAL CLUE The Second Sunday in Lent reminds the people of God, who gather for worship this day, that they are following Jesus to Jerusalem, according to the Roman Catholic ORDO, or, in the other lectionaries, are given a preview of what is going to happen in the Holy City. Almost any Gospel for the Day that is selected from St. Luke, which would fit into the liturgical/theological scheme of Lent, will have some sort of orientation to Jerusalem; Luke's whole gospel makes it absolutely clear that ...

2452. A Mother's Pride And Joy

Sermon

Ron Lavin

The story of Samuel is a drama of great intensity, great love, great change, great conflict and great challenge. This story begins with Hannah, in the 11th century B.C., praying to the Lord for a son. She was barren. In ancient times barrenness was a disgrace for a woman. A Mother's Pride And Joy As Hanna and her husband arrived at Shiloh for a religious pilgrimage to the place of worship, Hannah prayed. We pick up this prayer at verse one of chapter one of the book of 1 Samuel. She (Hannah) was in deep ...

2453. God Forsaken

Mark 15:21-32

Sermon

Erskine White

And at the ninth hour, Jesus cried out with a loud voice, "Eloi, Eloi, la'ma sabach-tha'ni?" which means, "My God, My God, why hast Thou forsaken Me?" (Mark 15:34) Many churches today read from the Revised Standard Version or the New Revised Standard Version of the Bible, but it wasn't always that way. In fact, the first RSV translation was printed in 1952. There were great arguments within many congregations between those who wanted to accept the new Bible and those who wanted to keep the old King James ...

2454. Make Way For Poets Of The Heart

Sermon

James Angell

One of the dividends of the ministry is coming to know and enjoy different people - all ages and all human conditions. Often there are surprises. One came for me on a fall afternoon in the 1960s when some members of my Lexington congregation and I visited a Trappist monastery to see what life is like as a monk. Coming out of the Reformed tradition which has no such orders, I never thought of life behind the walls as anything involving me personally. The silences. Rising at 2 a.m. to pray (after having gone ...

2455. Don't Try So Hard!

Mark 8:31--9:1

Sermon

"For the man who wants to save his own life will lose it; but the man who loses his life for me and for the gospel will save it." (St. Mark 8:35 TEV) "We're only number two; we try harder!" I'm sure you've all seen the magazine ad of the car rental agency that uses this slogan. In a way the slogan strongly reflects some of our national thinking. One of the key doctrines of our American enterprise is hard work. If a person's going to succeed in life, we say, he will have to exert himself. It is often ...

2456. Easter 6

Jn 14:23-29 · Acts 14:8-18; 15:1-2, 22-29 · Rev 21:10, 22-27

Sermon Aid

Russell F. Anderson

COMMENTARY Acts 15:1-2, 22-29 The church decided not to require circumcision to be a Christian. Here is the first possible division in the church. The issue was whether it was necessary for a Gentile to become a Jew before becoming a Christian. The problem is given in verses 1-2 and the solution is in verses 22-29. The basic issue was, is a person saved by keeping the Law (circumcision) or by grace? A conference was called at Jerusalem where Peter and James took the position that it was not necessary to be ...

2457. PROPER 13

Lk 12:13-21 · Col 3:1-11 · Ecc 1:2; 2:18-26 · 2 Ki 13:14-20a

Sermon Aid

John R. Brokhoff

THE LESSONS 2 Kings 13:14-20a A sick and dying Elisha promises victory over Syria to Joash, king of Israel. This, the last appearance of Elisha, concludes the series of Lessons on Elijah and his successor, Elisha. The scene is Elisha on his death-bed. Joash, king of Israel, comes to him for guidance. He and the country are in deep trouble. Syria is oppressing Israel. With the symbol of a bow and arrow, Elisha promises victory over Syria as Joash shoots an arrow from Elisha's window toward the East. Again, ...

2458. Changing Bad to Good

Romans 12:21

Children's Sermon

Object: Some cough syrup. Good morning, boys and girls. How many of you have ever had a bad cough? (Let them answer.) Is there anything worse than a bad cough? It makes you hurt everywhere, from the top of your head to the bottom of your feet. Coughs are awful. I remember one night when I coughed and coughed so badly that I could not sleep. I had to sit up all night in a chair. I not only felt bad that night, but the next day I was so tired that I could not keep my eyes open. My chest hurt so badly that it ...

2459. Proper 21 & Pentecost 19

Ezekiel 18:1-32, Psalm 25:1-22, Psalm 99:1-9, Exodus 32:1-33:6, Philippians 2:1-11, Philippians 2:12-18, Matthew 21:28-32

Sermon Aid

THEOLOGICAL CLUE As the church enters the last week of Sundays in the church year, the theological framework - eschatology - is renewed by the readings, particularly by the Gospel for the Day with its emphasis upon divine authority and repentance. The Gospel-context for this week's worship and preaching is the events that occurred after Jesus entered the Holy City to the day now called the Sunday of the Passion, or Palm Sunday. But the theme of today's worship takes the church all the way back to the ...

2460. The Blessing Of Bondage

Genesis 2:4-25, Genesis 3:1-24

Sermon

Barbara Brokhoff

The Bible’s story of Creation and the Fall gives rise to all sorts of stories, like this one: Adam and Eve were walking near the Garden of Eden, showing it to their son, Abel. Abel saw that it was a very beautiful place, and asked, "Daddy, why don’t we live there?" "Well, son, we once did," Adam replied, "but your mother ate us out of house and home!" It is an old story, a story of trees, a man and a woman, a garden, a serpent, rules kept and rules broken, and of God. God formed a man, Adam, of the dust, ...

2461. The Excitement of Meaningful Living

John 10:10 · Matthew 6:33 · Ephesians 3:20

Sermon

Robert G. Tuttle

When Jesus said, "My yoke is easy," he was telling it like it is. This caring, this moral commitment, this faith and obedience we have been talking about are really not a burden upon the life of the individual. All these dimensions of life, when inspired by the Holy Spirit, are generators of strength and purpose. In this way personal life finds its wholeness and completeness, and this is what Jesus meant by saying, "I came that you might have life and have it more abundantly." It is a joyful thing. This is ...

2462. Must We Have All the Answers?

Gn 2:9 · Deut 30:19-20 · Job 52:5

Sermon

Robert Noblett

The young man and his father were headed into New York City for a Saturday outing. It had been some time since they had spent much time together, and the father reasoned that a day such as this was just what was needed. As they crossed The Tapanzee Bridge into Fun City, the son asked, "Dad, what is the name of this bridge?" The father answered, "Son, I don’t know." Later they were driving along Fifth Avenue and the son asked his father, "Dad, is that the Empire State Building?" Replied the father, "Son, I ...

2463. Incalculable Riches by Bishop Roy C. Nichols

Ephesians 3:1-13

Sermon

Leonard Mann

In Ephesians, Chapter 3 and verse 8, Paul says, "To me, least of all the saints, is given the grace to preach the unsearchable riches of the gospel of Jesus Christ." One of our modern translations renders the text thus: "the incalculable riches." I like that better, because it expresses the vastness of the gospel, rather than its "mystery." Paul was sharing this testimony with the members of the churches of the city of Ephesus. They knew him well; for he had first preached in their midst and nurtured them ...

2464. What On Earth Is God Doing? - 1940

Psalm 76:1-12

Sermon

Kent Moorehead

Confronted with such a catastrophe as the contemporary world situation presents, with evil so wildly rampant, destruction and death so widespread and violent, and the threat of the triumph of ruthlessness so imminent, one question keeps coming up to pester and plague religious faith with an incorrigible persistency: With everything seeming to go to pieces, what on earth is God doing? Where is he? Doesn’t he care? Is he unaware, or unseeing, or impotent to do anything about such a ghastly calamity? Of ...

2465. The Wonderful "T" Word

Malachi 3:6-18

Sermon

Bill Bouknight

A small country church had a tough decision to make. Its leaders had met after the worship hour to decide whether to renovate the existing church building or construct a new one. There was only one wealthy person in the church; everybody knew that he would have the last word. Finally he stood up and declared, "I think we ought to renovate our present building. I pledge $5000 to that effort." Then he sat down. He was a large, overweight gentleman and when he sat down, he shook a piece of plaster loose from ...

2466. We Are More Than Laborers - Labor Day

2 Thessalonians 3:6-15, Ecclesiastes 5:8--6:12

Sermon

Bill Bouknight

On this Labor Day weekend, I think it appropriate to tell an old story about a man named Smith. He died and then regained consciousness in the next world. He looked out over a vast expanse of pleasant country. After resting comfortably for a while in a delightful spot, he called out, “Is anybody around here?” An attendant, dressed in white, appeared and said gravely, “What do you want?” Smith asked, “What can I have?” The attendant replied, “You can have anything you want.” Smith named some of his favorite ...

2467. The Flight From Light

Isaiah 60:1-22, Matthew 2:1-12

Sermon

Erskine White

"And being warned in a dream not to return to Herod, they departed to their own country by another way." (Matthew 2:12) The other day I called someone to compliment her on a job she had done exceedingly well. We had worked on a project together which became a great success, in no small part because of the leadership she provided. As I spoke with her, I went on and on about how much her work had been appreciated. "Everyone who was there really loved you," I told her; "in fact, they’re raving about you!" ...

2468. The Ten Commandments - Part 4

Exodus 20:1-21

Sermon

Brett Blair

This morning we conclude our series of sermons on the Ten Commandments. When Jesus came upon the scene, he did not come to a society that was devoid of ethics. The Jews possessed the ethic of the law, and the cornerstone of the law was the Decalogue---the Ten Commandments. For years Vince Lombardy coached the Greenbay Packers when they were at the height of their glory years. He was once interviewed by a sports reporter who asked him the secret of his winning success Simple, he said, I get my players to ...

2469. A Streak of Common Sense

Deuteronomy 18:14-22

Sermon

Thomas D. Peterson

When I was growing up my mother often pleaded with me to use common sense. She was evidently convinced I did not have it or else, for some obstinate reason, refused to use it. Perhaps she was right. I was a wool-gatherer, a day-dreamer, off someplace that she did not know or understand. On the other hand, my older brother was evidently a paragon of common sense. I figured this out because she never urged him to use it. He must have been endowed with a suitable supply, for he was an operator and got things ...

2470. Reinforced With Joy

John 15:1-17

Sermon

O. Garfield Beckstrand, II

Last fall I was invited to a luncheon to hear an outstanding leader in the business world. I sat next to the president of one of our local industries. While we were visiting, stillness fell about our table as everyone there stopped talking and listened to our conversation. When the industrial leader realized this, he looked at the other men at the table and said, "I want to ask the pastor a question which I think we all want to know." Turning to me, he said, "Dr. Gar, why is it that there is so little joy ...

2471. An Unusual Legacy

2 Samuel 23:1-7

Sermon

Roger Prescott

Introduction There are all kinds of documents that tell about a person’s life. Resumes, autobiographies and biographies, obituaries. Generally, they are quite flattering and they skim the cream from a person’s experiences. Failures, broken promises, crushed dreams, and major faults are not stirred to the surface for the public to see. Our real lives, on the other hand, are a blend of good and evil, strength and weakness, hope and despair. But there is another important document that makes up a part of our ...

2472. On the Night when He Was Betrayed

1 Corinthians 11:17-34

Sermon

T. A. Kantonen

There is a unique beauty and tenderness about the hour of sunset. The sun impresses its memory upon a darkening world by tinting the western sky with its most original and harmonious colors. The last hour of the day is its most beautiful and memorable. So it is in human relations. The tender beauty of sunset glows from the hour of farewell. We say goodbye to those who are not so intimate but reserve the last precious moments to those nearest our hearts. And after all else is forgotten we remember the ...

2473. On Loneliness

Sermon

Gregory J. Johanson

HENRY CLOSE’S (see biographical note preceding A New Perspective) sermon On Loneliness grew out of discussions with people in alcoholic rehabilitation programs. In it he deals with the subject of loneliness, an emotion the well-known American psychiatrist Harry Stack Sullivan used to say was the only motivating force in people stronger than anxiety that could move them toward facing the possibility of pain and growth. People have used many different symbols or figures of speech to express their sometimes ...

2474. Make A Little Noise

Luke 11:1-13

Children's Sermon

Wesley T. Runk

Object: A school bell. Good morning, boys and girls! Let me ask you a question and see if you can come up with a good answer. If you wanted to get my attention, how would you do it? Let's just pretend that I'm standing here reading this book, and you come in with some special news for me. How are you going to get me to pay attention? Who would like to try? (Have someone do it.) What if I was a little bit deaf and couldn't hear too well or what if I was asleep? Then what would you do? (Have someone try to ...

2475. The Imperatives of the Resurrection

Matthew 28:1-10

Sermon

David E. Leininger

Do you like to be told what to do? Some do. Some don't. But there are times when even the "don't's" want all the help they can get. After all, there are times when we would have no idea how to proceed WITHOUT some instruction. I suspect that would have been the case if we had been in the garden with the women on that first Easter morning so long ago. Had we all been there, we would have been glad to get any direction at all, because without it, we would have been wandering around like chickens with our ...

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