Sermon and Worship Resources

Showing 1 to 25 of 793 results

Genesis 2:4-25

Sermon

Alton F. Wedel

... were designed for happiness, companionship, continuing creation as the man and woman came together in their children, sharing totally. Original Design is Lost But we are living in a fallen world. The innocence of Eden, where the man and woman both were naked and ... were not ashamed, is now behind us. The original design is lost. The perfection of creation with its unity and beauty is destroyed. And "holy marriage" has become the victim of our ...

2. Caring for the Vineyard We Did Not Plant

Matthew 20:1-16, Joshua 24:1-27

Sermon

Lori Wagner

... the identity of its owner and the uniqueness of its neighborhood. That’s where true creativity, insight, and a sense of purpose and goal is all important. You need to know who you are and what your style is in order to create it out of someone else’s original design. This is our challenge in the Church today. Today’s mission fields are vineyards we did not plant. More than that, today’s culture is a vineyard we do not know! To be in mission within the world in the way that God intends us to be, the ...

3. A Vision of Beauty and Hope

Isaiah 2:1-5

Sermon

King Duncan

... nations and will settle disputes for many peoples. They will beat their swords into plowshares and their spears into pruning hooks. Nation will not take up sword against nation, nor will they train for war anymore.” In the Garden of Eden, God set forth the original design for humanity. God created Adam and Eve to live in a relationship of trust with God and with each other. When we rejected God’s ways, we also rejected the unity that was meant to strengthen and protect the human race. And what took the ...

4. Humankind: The Climax of Creation

Genesis 1:1-2:3

Sermon

Bill Bouknight

... . If all this be true, if we are made in the image of God, what does it all mean? What are the implications for our living? Let me lift up three and I beg you to write them down: FIRST EACH OF US IS AN INCREDIBLY PRECIOUS ORIGINAL DESIGN OF ALMIGHTY GOD God does not create trash or disposable people. The world puts dollar values on people. In a recent court case, the estate of an unborn child was awarded damages totaling $75,000. An economic index used by the government for health planning put the value ...

5. The Mystery of God’s Will and God’s Threefold Blessing

Ephesians 1:1-14

One Volume

Gary M. Burge

... , not to some elect portion. It does not refer to Christians only but to the entire race. It was God’s plan for creation that we humans would be his special delight, able to commune with him and praise him forever. It is this original design, marred and corrupted by human rebellion, which God has now restored in Christ Jesus. The concept of predestination (or election) emphasizes God’s initiative, God’s choice in creating—and now in re-creating. There is no hint here of his choosing some people ...

6. John the Stall Cleaner

Mark 1:1-8

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

... cripple us, instead of embracing the Advent of God’s forever new, rebirthing, redeeming, fractal love in this world. Mark’s gospel starts, like Genesis starts, with everything new — “a new beginning.” The Genesis text introduces us to God’s original design for creation, for life, for humans. The Mark text reveals the continuation of God’s “beginning” in the “gospel,” in the “good news” of “Jesus Christ, the Son of God.” This is the Advent that we “prepare” for. Nothing less ...

7. The Whole Family Survival Kit

Luke 3:1-20

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

... , we are practically brothers!” By 2005 the quest for the “Six Degrees of Kevin Bacon” took on a serious scientific status when The National Geographic Society, IBM, and the Witt Family Foundation launched “The Genographic Project.” Although originally designed to trace the migration patterns of certain indigenous peoples, anyone could participate in the Project. All that was required was to send a DNA sample — a simple cheek swab — and the scientists would analyze the sample’s mitochondrial ...

8. Playing Golf at Midnight

Mark 10:46-52

Sermon

King Duncan

... in New York City. It is an engineering marvel. Completed in 1883 and known for its granite towers and steel cables, the bridge took 14 years to construct. At least two dozen people died in the process of building the bridge, including its original designer. (2) That designer was an engineer named John Roebling. When Roebling came up with the idea of building this massive suspension bridge over New York City’s East River to connect the boroughs of Manhattan and Brooklyn, everyone thought he was crazy. But ...

9. Get the Garbage Out!

Matthew 3:1-12

Sermon

King Duncan

... who know each other intimately and spend much time with each other invariably start to reflect each other’s character and attitudes and priorities. John is saying, “The kingdom of heaven is near to you. God’s got a plan for restoring this world to His original design of justice and mercy and peace. And you’re going to miss it if you don’t align your thoughts with God’s thoughts. If your mind is fixed on outward shows of religion rather than filled with the spirit and thoughts and priorities of ...

10. What Heaven Will Be Like

Matthew 13:24-30, 36-43

Sermon

King Duncan & Angela Akers

... ourselves conforming to it. Re-defining what sin is. Accepting our distorted systems and distorted lives instead of standing fully in our identity and relationship as children of God. But Jesus assures us that God has a plan to restore creation to God’s original design. The kingdom of heaven is the culmination of God’s vision for and promise to humanity. That’s why it was Jesus’ favorite subject to teach and preach about. Notice that from the creation story in the Garden of Eden to the last images ...

11. More Than Just Image

Ezekiel 34:11-16, 20-24

Sermon

King Duncan & Angela Akers

... and cynical world, Jesus is our example and our hope. And this Sunday is set aside to remind us that one day Jesus will establish God’s Kingdom on the earth. So as we examine this passage from Ezekiel 34, I want us to see God’s original design for leadership. We can’t understand the value of godly leadership until we contrast it with ungodly leadership. We can’t understand or appreciate the blessing of knowing Jesus as our King until we compare him to every human leader in history. And then we see ...

12. Faithfulness In These Days

Romans 10:8b-13

Sermon

Bonnie Bates

... our everyday lives, we may not always feel Jesus with us ― and yet he is there. I want to recount a story from my own life. In my seminary days, I participated in a spiritual group working through the spiritual exercises of Saint Ignatius. Originally designed as a thirty-day retreat for those determining a call to the religious life, the nineteenth annotation was developed for a weekly experience. Thus, each day of the original program was studied as a week. The first seven weeks were focused on learning ...

13. The Greatest Gift

Matthew 1:1-17

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

... of memories were made visible in the following fashion. As each person walked into the chapel, they were given a paper cross which could be folded into a box by folding along printed diagram lines. Each cross-box was unique, with original designs and favorite Christmas quotes hand-written on side panels days before by members of the class. Some students drew pictures (some simple, some elaborate) on the crosses. Others pasted stickers on the crosses. But all crosses bore hand-penned sayings and biblical ...

14. Final Greetings

2 Timothy 4:9-18, 2 Timothy 4:19-22

One Volume

Gary M. Burge

... insult to God’s dignity by Adam’s disobedience has been more than turned aside by the second man’s obedience. Christ has “destroyed death and has brought life and immortality to light” (2 Tim. 1:10), restoring God’s creation to its original design of reflecting his glory. Paul’s sufferings have done nothing but contribute to the reestablishment of God’s splendor. Second, the benediction: “The Lord be with your spirit. Grace be with you all” (4:22). Paul continues to assure Timothy of the ...

15. Joash Repairs the Temple

2 Chronicles 24:1-16

Understanding Series

Louis C. Jonker

... source text (24:14), which indicates that there was still some money left after the restoration of the temple, so they could replace the temple objects. In the end the restoration was successful, and they rebuilt the temple of God according to its original design and reinforced it (24:13). In the following two verses (24:15–16) the Chronicler supplements the source text by adding a comment on the death and burial of Jehoiada. The high esteem the Chronicler bestows on this priest finds expression in his ...

16. The Wickedness of Joash

2 Chronicles 24:17-27

Understanding Series

Louis C. Jonker

17. God's Original Seatbelt (Mother's Day)

John 13:31-38

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

Anybody here this morning remember what it used to be like to drive a car . . . before power steering? before automatic transmission? before air conditioning? before seat belts? Let's stop there for a moment. Before seat belts, parents could pack eight kids into a family car, ages one week to 18 years, with no restraining thoughts or devices. Automobile safety is much more regulated than it used to be. Today we have laws requiring children under four years and forty pounds to be buckled into some sort of ...

18. The One and Only Original Sin

1 Peter 3:18-22

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

In a culture where even the atheists claim to have a "spirituality," it's time for the church to soul out. Until March of 1997, the approaching Third Millennium sneaked up on us like some great, fun adventure. For intrepid entrepreneurs, the year 2000 promises huge sales in commemorative junk. Party planners have been plotting big New Year's Eve blowouts for years. Except for those nerdy computer types who are wringing their hands and predicting crash and burn for all computer systems that use just two ...

19. Prologue to the Law of the Temple: The Lord Comes Home

Ezekiel 40:1--43:12

Understanding Series

Steven Tuell

The Law of the Temple – Intro to Ezek. 40–48: The book of Ezekiel ends as it began: with a vision of the Glory of the Lord. Like all four visions in the book, this one begins with Ezekiel’s favorite expression for entry into the visionary state, “the hand of the LORD was upon me” (40:1; see the discussion of 1:3, and compare 3:14, 22; 8:1; 37:1). However, chapters 40–48 are linked particularly with chapters 1–3 and 8–11, the other two visions of the Lord’s Glory. Not only theme, but also structure join ...

20. The Law of the Temple

Ezekiel 43:13-27, Ezekiel 44:1-31, Ezekiel 45:1-12, Ezekiel 45:13--46:24

Understanding Series

Steven Tuell

At the center of Ezekiel 40–48 in its final form is a law code. It is the only body of law in the Hebrew Bible that is not ascribed to Moses. This material falls into three parts: an introduction (43:10–27), the main body of the law code (44:1–46:18), and an appendix dealing with the temple kitchens (46:19–24). The law code itself deals broadly with access to the divine presence by right priesthood and right liturgy. These chapters also describe a secular leader (called the nasiʾ, the term generally used ...

21. The Revolution Against Evolution

Genesis 1:1

Sermon

James Merritt

It is the ultimate question of all questions - Where did the universe come from? Why does it exist? Genesis 1:1 simply states, "In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth." (Genesis 1:1, NASB) So the very beginning of God's word to man says man had a beginning, a divine beginning, a supernatural beginning. Believe it or not, the Christian message does not begin with "Accept Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior." It begins with "In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth." The Bible ...

22. The Resurrection

Mark 16:1-20

Understanding Series

Larry W. Hurtado

16:1–8 The resurrection of Jesus was the single most important event in the formation of faith in Jesus in the early church. The resurrection not only overturned the effects of the crucifixion, giving life where there was death, but more importantly, signified that Jesus had been vindicated by God and made the prince and pioneer of salvation for anyone believing in him. In 1 Corinthians 15:12–28, Paul gives a concise description of the meaning of Jesus’ resurrection, portraying the risen Jesus as the basis ...

23. The Heart of an Intimate Matter

Matthew 5:27-30

Sermon

Phil Thrailkill

Convictions and opinions are not the same, are they? Someone has said, “Opinions are many, convictions are few; opinions change often, convictions rarely do.” Opinions live on the surface; convictions go deep. Opinions thrive around the gossipy edges; convictions live near the center of life. One way to tell the difference is to ask, What would you make a sacrifice for- of real money, of significant time, of patient suffering, even of life if necessary? The more you would pay, the closer you move to the ...

24. Trials and Temptations

James 1:1-18, James 1:19-27

Understanding Series

Peter H. Davids

Wisdom for Life’s Tests 1:1 The letter from James opens with a simple and direct greeting. The writer identifies himself simply as James, a servant of God. There was only one James so well known in the early church that he would need no other form of identification, and that was James the Just, brother of Jesus, leader of the church in Jerusalem. The readers are expected to recognize the name. Yet for all his prominence and important position in the church (so important that the letter from Jude begins, “ ...

25. Listening and Doing

James 1:19-27, James 1:1-18

Understanding Series

Peter H. Davids

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