Sermon and Worship Resources

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Luke 22:7-38, John 13:1-17

Sermon

Carl Jech

... blood of our Lord" as an appropriate symbol we have to realize that such imagery would have asked Jews to give up one of their most pious notions - the kosher taboo against eating blood. In a sense, to ask Jews to give up this taboo is like asking them to "give away the store." Here we have an example of how we may sometimes give up a pious and seemingly central belief for the sake of a higher insight and truth. The point in all of these Lenten sermons has been that some of the things we have said and done ...

2. Giving Away the Kingdom

Luke 12:32-40

Sermon

Dave Zuchelli

One thing I learned a long time ago is that the Bible makes sense. Some things, of course, are mystical and difficult to understand. Other things seem fantastic and beyond the reach of reasonable explanation. But in the grand scheme of all that we find in scripture, everything begins to make sense as we see God’s plan laid out before us. With that in mind, when I hear Jesus say, “Sell your possessions and give to the poor,” I have to wonder: Does he mean for us to sell everything? It seems like quite a ...

3. The Loser

Mark 10:17-31

Sermon

James Merritt

... Kia! Why would walking away with all these riches make him sad? Here is the reason. This man was forced to come face-to-face with the realization that what he owned, owned him. What he possessed, possessed him. What he had had him. Do we literally have to give away or sell everything we have to follow Jesus? No, but we have to surrender everything to Him and be willing to walk away from everything for Him and be willing to give up everything for Him. Jesus put it this way. “In the same way, those of you ...

4. What's In It For Me?

Mark 10:35-45

Sermon

Steven E. Albertin

... we are wrong. Yet, we get to confess our sins. We get to die a little, because we already have been forgiven. We already have the seats of privilege in the kingdom. We give away our money in an offering. Can you imagine it -- giving away the most important source of power and prestige in our society and expecting to get nothing in return, giving away our money for the sake of others, for the sake of the mission of the church? At the end of the service we are reminded, "Go in peace. Serve the Lord." Serve ...

5. Loving

1 Corinthians 13:1-13

Sermon

Larry Powell

... the other day to fasten the glass in a gaslight. Prophecy, faith, knowledge, and people all have intended uses. I wonder how many times they end up being used for the wrong reasons? Paul claimed that unless their aim is love, they count for nothing. If I give away all I have, and if I deliver my body to be burned, but have not love, I gain nothing. (verse 3) A woman testified on the radio some time ago how God had blessed her life because she had contributed money to a certain radio preacher. She stated ...

6. He Touched Me

Mark 1:40-45

Sermon

King Duncan

... given life to needed her to give that gift a second time. Ruth knew what she would do. It wasn’t easy to gather her children around and tell them that they had a half-sister they never knew. It wasn’t easy to relive the story of giving away her baby for adoption. But when she was finished, Ruth’s children rallied around her. They would support her all the way. Ruth went through with the donation, which extended her life 20 years and allowed her to marry and have her own daughter. In a time of physical ...

7. By D Grace of God

Luke 6:27-38

Sermon

King Duncan

... Oscar Mayer Weiner. That is what I truly wish to be . . .”] Chuck Collins was set to inherit a fortune when he became an adult, but instead, he did something that will shock many of us. He chose to give that fortune away. All of it. Collins was inspired to give away his fortune by the tenants of a mobile home park. Yes, I said a mobile home park. The owner of the land on which the park sat was going to sell it. All the tenants would have to move. The only way they could keep their community was to raise ...

8. All Mine To Give!

Sermon

Stephen M. Crotts

... should blame us about this liberal gift which we are administering." The word for "liberal gift we are administering" is hadrotes and it means abundance. The notion here is that God will meet our needs and give us a surplus, even beyond ten percent, that we can give away to others. You can see this type of giving in the book of Ruth. Ruth and Naomi are widows down on their luck looking for their next meal and a new start in life. Boaz is a wealthy farmer busily harvesting his crops. Faithful to God's laws ...

9. A Daughter of Jacob

Matthew 15:21-28

Sermon

Richard Hoefler

... looked at the little old man’s long white beard stained with tears and smiled, "Fret not, little friend," the Lord said. "True, you have given away all your faith, but it is not by your own faith that you enter the Kingdom, but by mine. And the more you give away your own faith, the more room you have to receive mine. You have now a great faith, so enter into my Kingdom."21 This is the main lesson of our miracle story. Great faith comes not as the result of our own effort to have faith, but in the ...

10. What Making a Difference Looks Like

Matthew 5:1-12

Sermon

Phil Thrailkill

... drag line, pulling the crud of sin and self-deception to the surface to be evacuated through confession and repentance. When I wake in the night I heard this prayer bubbling out of my heart. My heart’s desire is to be full of mercy. I want to give away what I most need. And when I stand high on principle or am tempted to read someone the riot act, a question arises from the depths, “What would it mean to show mercy here? What would it mean to open a door for the kingdom to shine through?” Mercy ...

11. Through The Eye Of The Needle

Mark 10:17-31

Sermon

Steven E. Albertin

... were amazed. Shocked would be a better way to put it. If this man couldn't qualify to be a disciple, then who could? This demand that Jesus made of this man was ridiculous. It is impossible to keep. Just think of it: what would happen if everyone would give away their money to the poor? It would be economic chaos. No economy could ever survive. No bank could stay open. No one could borrow money. No one could count on a fair day's wage for a fair day's work. Society would disintegrate. It would lead to death ...

12. Don't Sweat The Numbers

Matthew 6:25-34

Sermon

Mark Radecke

... of a disaster or a new program to help unfortunate children) many of them were quick to take some of their numbers and share them with the needy. And this sharing made them feel good and happy. So although their savings rate was among the lowest, their giving-away rate was about the highest in the world. Now the strange thing about the situation was this: if someone would tell these people, "You know, you really ought to try to save more of your numbers," they'd smile and shuffle their feet and say, 'Yeah ...

13. What's in It for Me?

Mark 10:17-31

Sermon

Michael Milton

... list of relationships and real estate, He adds persecution. It is a poignant introduction of a word that brings sober stillness, no matter how beautiful the other promises. The promise is for rewards, but it is clearly not a health and wealth deal we have here. It is a giving away of our lives to Christ and a promise that He will never leave us and will provide what we need in return. How He does it is another story. But I am here to tell you that He does it. I faced my own insecurities when God called me ...

14. L4G Live For God

Mark 10:17-31

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

... ourselves, to be in relationship with creation itself. The Pacific Northwest Native Americans held a big party called a “potlatch.” It was like a reverse birthday party. Instead of everyone bringing a present, the intention of the potlatch was for the host to give away as much as possible. The most “gifted,” the “richest” member of the tribe, was the one who gave the most away. Jesus’ disciples are a potlatch posse. We are a “tribe” dedicated to giving it all away in order to usher others ...

15. Playing to the Right Audience

Matthew 6:16-18, Matthew 6:1-4

Sermon

Phil Thrailkill

... how many Bible verses we can quote or who the influential people are in our little circle of acquaintances. Jesus did not say if you give alms, but when, and he was speaking to the disciples. Jesus expects his people to have enough to give away. Helping the poor, not just through taxes and institutions and impersonal social service programs, but personally and face-to-face is the responsibility of every Christian. If you are not personally involved with anyone who on the desperate edge of life to the point ...

16. In Search Of A Reason For Being

Hebrews 4:1-13

Sermon

King Duncan

... to build houses for Habitat for Humanity. He needed someone whose life he could improve. Jesus wasn't telling the young man to give away his money because the poor needed it. He was telling the young man to give because the young man needed it. Wealth ... can say, ˜I was with Odies.'" (3) Odies helped give Jeff Comment a purpose for life. Jesus may never ask you and me to give away all our wealth. But each of us has our Odies. It may be a teenager in our neighborhood who desperately needs a sympathetic ear. ...

17. Like Parent, Like Child

Matthew 22:15-22

Sermon

King Duncan

... farmer, with land and employees and social standing. Yet there he was, “running around town with sacks of potatoes on his shoulder, making a spectacle of himself.” It was an act of love, though. Stan would never forget the joy his father experienced giving away 100 pounds of potatoes. (4) There is joy in giving. If you have not discovered that joy it’s not too late. Children learn what’s important in life from watching adults. Jesus said, “Give therefore to the emperor the things that are the ...

18. Thanks Be to God

2 Corinthians 9:6-15

Sermon

Rick Brand

... that God is a God of creation and a God of abundance, able to feed 5,000 from two loaves of bread, and if God has created the world in a way that the more that flows through you the more that flows into you, then we sow abundantly by giving away generously. But "each one must do as he has made up his mind, not reluctantly or under compulsion for God loves a cheerful giver." Giving ought to be a decision that is a part of a planned approach to life. The offering ought not to be what one decides to ...

19. No Other Gods

Joshua 24:1-3a, 14-25

Sermon

King Duncan & Angela Akers

... away instead. A journalist named Mathias Barra wrote about the things he learned when he tried the 30-Day Minimalism Game, which you can find on theminimalists.com website. If you’re not a math person, the game seems simple. On the first day of the month, throw away or give away one thing. On the second day of the month, get rid of two things. On the third day, three things. Easy-peasy. But if you do the math, this means that at the end of 30 days you will have thrown away 465 items. (2) I bet we’d all ...

20. How Much Is Enough?

Matthew 14:13-21

Sermon

Johnny Dean

... laying it on the altar, saying, "Here’s my life, Lord. I’m giving it all to you." But the truth of the matter is that God sends us to the bank and tells us to cash that $1,000 bill in for quarters. And then we go through life giving away twenty-five cents here, fifty cents there, and so on. Instead of watching a ball game, we spend some time visiting a lonely person in a nursing home who has no family. Instead of sipping coffee and reading the newspaper, we get dressed and go to teach Sunday school ...

21. Commitment Beyond Calculation

Mark 12:38-44

Sermon

William G. Carter

... , and then she has to figure out how she is going to live. She is committed beyond all calculation. That is troubling, for it reveals a faith so sacrificial that it scares us to death. Anybody here want to give your money like she gave hers? It would be like giving away your very life! A minister in Gary, Indiana, tells about a woman who came out of the shadows on a Sunday morning just as the worship service was coming to an end. She had two little boys in tow, and told the usher that she wanted to talk to ...

22. Once More with Feeling!

Luke 17:11-19

Sermon

Stephen M. Crotts

... . It says, "If you give a man a fish, you feed him for a day. If you teach him how to fish, you feed him for a lifetime." It does little good to give away a few thousand tons of grain. The hunger will go away for a while but it will return. What we need to give away are know-how, education, and helping hands. We don't need to give away fish. We need to teach them to fish. We need to teach them to farm and manufacture. The answers to the world's problems are certainly very complex. None of us knows all ...

23. Jesus' No-Nonsense Guide to Being Rich

Mark 10:17-31

Sermon

April Yamasaki

How would you like to be rich? The Publishers Clearing House Prize Patrol has offered a $10,000,000 Prize. A recent email read, "Want a six-figure second income? Get rich now!" A local financial institution was giving away copies of the international bestseller by David Bach: The Automatic Millionaire: A Powerful One-Step Plan to Live and Finish Rich. Many of these offers go straight to my recycling bin or get automatically trashed by my spam filter. But The Automatic Millionaire -- in spite of its rather ...

24. The Measure You Give Is the Measure You Get

Mark 4:21-25

Sermon

Maxie Dunnam

... Jerry know that that’s quite something. It’s a vivid illustration - that our interest, our hearts follow our money Now I know that we cannot give what we do not nave. But there’s a deeper truth, and that truth is this: We cannot keep what we refuse to give away. In the financial area of our life this calls for tithing. Why can we not trust God at this point as Christians we trust him in a lot of other ways. We trust Him to save us from our sins. We trust Him to walk with us through the valley ...

25. Being Good

Matthew 5:17-20

Sermon

Will Willimon

... , after the Rieb Young Man has gone away and the disciples have wondered who could possibly be saved, Jesus tells us to baptize and teach the whole world "all that I have commanded you." All? Yea, all, even the bit about turning the other cheek, giving away all that you have, not remarrying after divorce, all. Then comes the punchline that makes the fu1fi11ment of the commands possible and the burden of the law bearable: Lo, I am with you always. Notes: W.D. Davies, in his commentary on the Sermon on ...

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