Sermon and Worship Resources

Synonyms: ruler, sovereign, monarch, supreme ruler, crowned head, majesty, Crown, head of state, royal personage, emperor, prince, potentate, overlord, liege lord, lord, leader, chief, star, leading light, luminary, superstar, mogul, giant, master, kingpin, celebrity, lion

Antonyms: queens, peasant, serf, slave, subject, servant, average joe, common man, rank and file, lower class, common person, workers, commoner, the masses, the poor, plebians, bourgeois, proletariat, laborer, working class, middle class, blue-collar, a nobody, subvassal

Showing 1 to 25 of 2306 results

1. Just Common People?

Romans 12:1-8

Sermon

Louis H. Valbracht

... sentiment, Philip Wylie in his "Generation of Vipers" has this to say: "I’ve noticed when people hear that repeated, they generally snicker with a warm sense of self-appreciation. It is, indeed, a bland, a balmy assumption that, intrinsically, the common man is a wonder of all wonders, possessed with an indwelling virtue and automatically endowed by God with marvelousness. Anybody stopping to think knows that that idea is rot, a sentimental, fatuous and absurd expression of zero. Common men spend most of ...

2. Redefining Life

2 Corinthians 12:1-10

Sermon

King Duncan

... church. They suggested that if Paul were really from God, he would brag about his visions and miraculous powers. If he were truly God's man, he'd be tooting his own horn, or turning a profit. Surely he wouldn't be such a "poor and common" man. Paul replied that though he has had awesome visions from God, "nothing is to be gained" from boasting about it. In verses 7 through 10, we learn what separates Paul from the false prophets: "To keep me from becoming conceited because of these surpassingly great ...

3. A Failure To Communicate

Hebrews 1:1-4, Hebrews 2:5-18

Sermon

King Duncan

... More chooses his faith over his royal position. He faces his execution with courage and calmness. A Man for All Seasons is narrated by a character called Common Man. He represents all of us who don't have the courage of our convictions. Common Man never makes waves. Common Man chooses apathy and silence over sacrifice. There is nothing that he would die for. Common Man's last words after the execution of Sir Thomas More are, "You know, it is not hard to stay alive . . . just don't make trouble." (4) Jesus ...

4. Hail, King!

Jeremiah 23:5-6 · Psalm 93 · Revelation 1:4b-8 · John 18:33-37

Sermon

Will Willimon

... a monarchy. The democratic supposition is that wisdom is somehow quantitatively rather than qualitatively derived. Truth is determined by majority vote, something on which 9 out of 10 Americans agree. Truth is a commodity which is available to someone named "the common man." In reality, as we have been reminded during the recent presidential hoopla, what democracy often boils down to is the influence of a huge amount of1money, a mess of caucuses, PAC's, and special interests, all managed by Madison Avenue ...

5. Extreme Measures

1 Kings 21:1-29

Sermon

Carlyle Fielding Stewart

... world of extreme measures where the slaughter of the innocent is as common as the air we breathe, where the innocent are unjustly tried and executed, where people are living in communities and families under siege in fear of their lives, where the common man is afraid to bring truth to powers which have corrupted themselves and have instilled so much fear that people are afraid to take a stand, we need extreme measures of courage, fortitude, faith, tenacity, resolve, and justice to balance the ledgers of ...

6. Will You Be in that Number?

John 11:32-44

Sermon

Mark Trotter

... the gospel lesson this morning, takes place about the time that priest was buried in Peru, because the Moche Indians lived from about the first century until the eight century A.D. The Peruvian grave was for a priest, a king. The grave in Palestine was for a common man. Lazarus was his name. He was the brother of Mary and Martha. Mary and Martha were close friends of Jesus. Whenever he came to Jerusalem, we think he stayed in Bethany, in the house of Mary and Martha. It was there, as a guest in their house ...

7. The Measure of Greatness

Mark 9:33-37

Sermon

Brett Blair

... man who will make history. Give me a man with no goals and I'll give you a stock clerk.” We all understand Penny’s point: A dream though hidden in the most common of men can bring about greatness but a common man with no dream is just that, a common man. There are many ways to measure greatness. Some might say that what makes for greatness is intellect and they would hold up the example of Albert Einstein. Albert Einstein developed his theory of relativity when he was twenty-six years old, and therefore ...

8. Holing Out

2 Timothy 4:9-18

Sermon

Robert R. Kopp

... chip stoc_esermonsk: fairly stable, more ups than downs, and gradually trending upward over time. A good buy, a lucky buy, and I've learned that not everyone can say this about his life. But do not be misled. I am nothing special; of this I am sure. I am a common man with common thoughts, and I've led a common life. There are no monuments dedicated to me and my name will soon be forgotten, but I've loved another with all my heart and soul, and to me, this has always been enough. So when I die, I want people ...

9. We Have All Become Nicodemus

Romans 16:25-27

Sermon

Ronald Love

John Wycliffe is best known to us as a Bible translator. He is remembered as a historical figure for translating the Vulgate, the Bible written in Latin that only the priests could read, into English, a Bible which the common man could read for himself. We also recognize him from the organization that was established in his name, the Wycliffe Bible Translators. It is the mission of this organization to translate the Bible into the common vernacular of every country that presently does not have a Bible that ...

10. You Shall Call His Name Jesus

Matthew 1:18-25

Sermon

King Duncan

... other lions. He was constantly afraid of everything. All the characters felt that only the Great Wizard of Oz could solve their problems. They were most distressed when the never-seen wizard was exposed as an impotent charlatan. He said, "I'm just a common man!" In response to their continuing insistence he finally gave the Scarecrow a diploma, the Tin Woodman a small clock "heart" and the Cowardly Lion a medal. When the story is examined it can be seen throughout the adventures that the Scarecrow was the ...

11. Wanna Fight?

Mark 9:38-41

Sermon

King Duncan

... Christ calls to be light to a dark world. If, rather than bringing light, we bring more darkness, what hope then is there for the world? “. . . if gold rust, what then will iron do? For if [Christians] be foul in whom we trust/ No wonder that a common man should rust. . . .” Jesus said to his disciples, “For whoever is not against us is for us . . .” The church of Jesus Christ is called to be a unifying force in human society, not a divisive one. Our nation and our world seem to be more and more ...

12. Generations

John 4:1-26

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

... the busters feel their past has been stolen. They're tired of being told by boomer parents "You're the first generation in American history who can't expect to live better than your parents." Busters elevate the ordinary – the ordinary man, the common-man, the ordinary life-style, the OK soda. The new Coke drink pitched to busters is even called OK. Not great, terrific, or wonderful. Just "OK." No great ambitions or dreams. No struggle after the best. Be satisfied with OK. For busters work is uncertain ...

13. A Small Town Is Blessed

Micah 5:1-4

Sermon

King Duncan

... think, that God would raise the one who would be the “bread of life” from the so-called “house of bread?” As someone has written: “Bread is one of life’s most common things. God wanted His Son available to all. His birth was announced to shepherds, the common man, but not to the religious elite nor to those with political clout. His cradle was a manger, a common animal’s feeding trough in a lowly stable. You don’t have to be rich to know Him. You don’t have to be well-known or popular to ...

14. At The Manger By Invitation

Luke 2:8-20

Sermon

Bill Bouknight

... determined that their kind would be found by the manger of Bethlehem. The other end of the social ladder was represented by the educated, noble wise Men. God as an equal-opportunity Administrator wanted to be sure that the common man was well represented. So He invited some unusually common representatives, the shepherds. The Texaco Corporation got into some trouble recently because some of its executives were taped (without their knowledge) talking about "Black Jelly Beans." Some disparaging comments were ...

15. Humility: We Know It When We See It

Philippians 2:5-11

Sermon

David O. Bales

... expensive, we're also fascinated by the humble and the common. If you don't believe it, go to any county museum and see all the mementoes of common life lying in state. Despite the flurry given to glamour and wealth, the attraction of Abraham Lincoln, a common man, is still with us today. To know that someone is common, without affectations, like one of us, yet not mediocre, a person we can identify with, and yet still view with respect, awe, or love — that grips us. In this world where sham is bought and ...

16. Jesus' Advance Man

John 1:6-8; 19-28

Sermon

King Duncan

... him preach. They seemed to love being roasted from the pulpit. Nicknamed “the Tornado of the Pulpit,” Nicholson aimed his ministry at men, particularly men who worked in the shipyards. It is said that his straightforward language communicated to the common man. Nicholson would go to the massive shipyard in Belfast at lunchtime. He would conduct Bible studies and preach to the men during their lunch breaks. Thousands of people claim to have been converted under his ministry. And such was the sense ...

17. Trusting In The Lord

Jeremiah 16:1--17:18

Sermon

Ron Lavin

... a parish pastor in Switzerland by the name of Karl reflected the spirit of his times which was human achievement. Like so many other clergymen of liberal persuasion, Karl saw the kingdom of God in human terms. He believed that political changes for the common man could usher in the kingdom of God. He was a socialist politically and a liberal theologically. He was also a scholar who began research on a commentary on the book of Romans. In 1919, Karl published his commentary on Romans. In this commentary, he ...

18. Forgiving Is Forgetting

Sermon

Harold Warlick

... be forgiven if he will not forgive others. In fact, one of the distinctive elements in Jesus’ teaching was this stress on forgiveness of the brother. This finds expression in the Lord’s Prayer and even in Jesus’ prayer of forgiveness from the cross. The common man or woman shares the power of God in being able to forgive others. So often we emphasize being saved as coming solely from the grace of God after our own confession. Yet Jesus continually stressed the fact that a man who cannot forgive his ...

19. Separation of God and State?

Isaiah 44:24--45:25

Sermon

John R. Brokhoff

... is robbed every fifty-eight seconds. A burglary takes place every eight seconds. Moreover, it is popular today to steal from stores in terms of shoplifting. Each year people take goods worth twenty-four billion dollars! Pornography is another evil practiced by the common man in our society. It has invaded adult video games. One is entitled, "Custer’s Revenge." It shows Custer walking naked, except for a hat and boots, across a desert. He meets an Indian woman whom he ties up, tears off her clothes, and ...

20. Mary and Joseph: His Obedient Servants

Luke 2:1-7

Sermon

Maxie Dunnam

... estate” – not rich or famous, not sophisticated or wise in the ways of the world – thrust into the most intriguing, the most thrilling, the most world-shaking event of history. Then there was Joseph. His part in this story is told only by Matthew. A common man, also of “low estate.” As we read Matthew’s account of that event, we see how sharp the sword was that pierced Joseph’s soul. His heart was broken with this terrible ordeal. His betrothed was carrying a child that was not his. Can you ...

21. The Danger of Being Religious

Jeremiah 30:1--31:40

Sermon

John R. Brokhoff

... . Actually, the Bible at Luther’s time was on the list of forbidden books. The church said, "We’ll tell you what is in the Bible, and we only can interpret it for you." This caused Luther and other Reformers to translate the Bible into the language of the common man so that every person could read the truth of God for him/herself. To this day, the Protestant church is known as the church of the open Bible for the people to read. Yet, the irony of our times is that while the average home in America owns ...

22. That Carpenter Is God

Mark 6:1-6

Sermon

Ron Lavin

... Nazareth that was the surprise. "That carpenter, Jesus, the one whom we have known from boyhood, the one who is Mary’s son, the one whose brothers and sisters we know - he is claiming to be a rabbi." The people took offense at the appearance of a common man - one of them, - an unlearned man, - from their own humble town, - a working man from their own class, masquerading as a rabbi. Do you feel the scandal of it? They did not know it then, but the scandal was compounded a hundredfold. Jesus did not just ...

23. Fit the Picture

Luke 4:21-30

Sermon

Cynthia Cowen

... people know that when Jesus returned to Nazareth, he knew his true identity. He was not Joseph the carpenter's son; he was God's Son, descended from the royal line of King David. Yet Jesus did not fit the picture of royalty. He was a common man just like them; nothing extraordinary about his looks. In fact, he looked like them, dressed like them, and worshiped like them, but he did not talk like them. At synagogue worship he was invited to read from the prophet Isaiah. After rolling up the scroll, Jesus ...

24. Hosanna! Please Save Us!

Matthew 21:1-11, Matthew 26:14-16

Sermon

King Duncan

... be a friend is one of the most hurtful experiences in life. William Tyndale was a Catholic priest in the early 1500s in London who had a passion for translating the New Testament from the Greek language into the English language, so that the common man and woman could read the goods news of Jesus Christ for themselves. But the bishop of London refused to let Tyndale make a translation. So William Tyndale traveled to Germany, where he made his translation and then smuggled the English New Testament back into ...

25. Behold The Man Who Taught By The Sea

Mark 4:1-20

Sermon

Thomas A. Pilgrim

It was the end of the school year and a first grade teacher was saying good-bye to her students. One little boy said to her, "Teacher, I sure do like you. I'd like to stay in the first grade forever, but I've been promoted. Boy, I wish you knew enough to teach me in the second grade."1 So many people who are successful are able to look back at a person who first turned on a light inside the mind, who quickened the thinking, who first stirred the desire to learn. Behind every successful person there is the ...

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