Sermon and Worship Resources

Showing 1 to 25 of 1204 results

Acts 1:12-26

Sermon

George Bass

... are indebted to those who have participated in the preaching of the gospel; it often cost them their lives and they became martyrs. Matthias was a martyr - and a model for our ministry as believers in Jesus’ resurrection today. He is no zero, despite his relative anonymity and our lack of knowledge about him. And so the Church remembers and writes about him today: Before him the fulness of the Kingdom and the feast that is yet to come - Behind him the cross and empty tomb - and the call to witness to the ...

2. Messies Anonymous

Philippians 3:1-11

Sermon

King Duncan

... . Lorene's house was so messy she couldn't bring her terminally ill husband home from the hospital to die. These people (whose names have been changed to protect the sloppy) and thousands more have been aided by a self-help group appropriately named Messies Anonymous. (M.A.) Sondra Felton, a Florida high school teacher, founded M.A. in 1982 because she understood the pain of people who just couldn't get organized no matter how hard they tried. She suffered from the same problem. Ms. Felton decided she could ...

3. Anonymous Notes

Illustration

Staff

This is one of the top pieces of advice a leader can take to heart: If you receive a negative, anonymous note, ignore it! If they're not willing to sign their name, it's not worth reading, so don't take heed to it. Like the pastor who received an with nothing but the word "FOOL!" written on it. The next morning he got in church and said, "I've ...

4. Sinners Anonymous

Matthew 9:9-13

Sermon

Dennis Kastens

As Jesus passed on from there, he saw a man called Matthew sitting at the tax office; and he said to him, "Follow me." And he rose and followed him. And as he sat at the table in the house, behold, many tax collectors and sinners came and sat down with Jesus and his disciples. And when the Pharisees saw this, they said to his disciples, "Why does your teacher eat with tax collectors and sinners?" But when he heard it, he said, "Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick. Go and ...

5. Workaholics Anonymous

Genesis 2:1-3

Sermon

James Merritt

Are you a workaholic? See how many of these questions you answered yes to: Do you get more excited about your work than about family or anything else? Are there times when you can charge through work and other times when you can't get anything done? Do you take with you to bed, on weekends, on vacation? Is work the activity you enjoy most and talk about most? Do you work more than 40 hours a week? Do you turn your hobbies into money making ventures? Do you take complete responsibility for the outcome of ...

6. Anonymous Proposal

Humor

She answered the phone to hear a repentant voice. "I'm sorry, darling," he said. "I have thought things over and you can have the Rolls-Royce as a wedding present, we will move to the Gold Coast, and your mother can stay with us. Now will you marry me?" "Of course I will," she said. "And who is this speaking?" THE ROTARIAN

7. Where Is My Guest Room?

Mark 14:12-26

Sermon

Donald B. Strobe

... Letter to the Ephesians. In the Hebrew Bible, there are at least three authors at work in the Book of the Prophet Isaiah. They were undoubtedly students of the original prophet, but we have no record of their names. They were anonymous. So-Brother Anonymous has given us a lot. Somebody (Anonymous, perhaps), once said that there is no limit to the good a person can do, if that person cares not who gets the credit. And it is true. We wish we knew more about this unknown “householder” of whom Mark speaks ...

8. A Miracle Child

Exodus 2:1-10

Sermon

Maxie Dunnam

... way another wonder to perform. Now that’s the case with Moses. He was a miracle child, and that’s what we want to look at today as we continue preaching through this great book. Note first the remarkable fact that all the persons in this drama are anonymous. Did you notice that as we read? Moses’ sister is not named. The Egyptian princess who played such a significant role in rescuing Moses from the river is not named. Even the mother and father of Moses are not named at this point in the drama. Now I ...

9. Rising to New Life

1 Corinthians 15:1-11

Sermon

Richard Gribble

... greatest event, the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead. There is no more central event for followers of Jesus, since through the Lord’s conquest of death we, who seek to follow in his footsteps, now possess the possibility of eternal life. As Alcoholics Anonymous has almost literally brought millions of men and women from the brink of death to a renewed life in sobriety, so Jesus’ resurrection brings renewal to our lives. We need not wait to our moment of death and judgment to find the fruits of ...

10. The Waters of Your Baptism

Colossians 2:6-23

Sermon

Bill Bouknight

... of her dress. Because she was a large lady, a few extra bulges were not noticeable. Then on a memorable Sunday afternoon that folks still talk about in Georgia, Raynelle was led into the water by Anonymous. After speaking the words of ritual, he tried to immerse Raynelle, but he couldn't get her under. Anonymous was determined and a great struggle ensued. It looked like a couple of hippos out there, bobbing up and down. Now, the current in the Chattahoochie is rather swift. In the midst of the baptismal ...

11. Grumblers Among God's People

1 Corinthians 10:1-13

Sermon

King Duncan

... :05 a.m. not 6:30." The pastor wondered if the author of the letter understood that the purpose of a sunrise service is not to identify the actual moment of sunrise so much as to celebrate the resurrection of Jesus. Grumblers like anonymity. Rev. Henry Ward Beecher one Sunday morning found an anonymous note with just one word written on it FOOL. That morning he held up the note to his congregation and said, "I have known many an instance of a man writing a letter and forgetting to sign his name, but this is ...

12. The Death of Jesus

John 19:28-37

Understanding Series

J. Ramsey Michaels

... is not the narrator himself (i.e., the beloved disciple), he is at any rate someone close to the narrator and well known to him, for the narrator says of this witness without hesitation or qualification, he knows that he tells the truth (v. 35b). Like the anonymous disciple of 18:15–16, he is an important source for one small part of the story, and he may (as most commentators suppose) be the author of the whole story. But what exactly did he see that was decisive? The entire crucifixion scene? The two ...

13. My Colors Will Be Clear

Matthew 14:22-36

Sermon

Bill Bouknight

... was the only disciple with enough courage to get outside the boat and fly the colors of faith. Simon Peter reminds me of a story, perhaps apocryphal, of a lady down in Georgia who wanted very much to be baptized by immersion. She knew that the Rev. Anonymous McBride was baptizing folks each Sunday afternoon down on the Chattahoochee River . This lady was also deathly afraid of water. But she came up with a solution. Her son had been in the Navy and had brought home a flotation device. She cut some of that ...

14. Time Taken, Life Restored

Mark 5:21-43

Sermon

William G. Carter

... touch became a conversation face-to-face. She told him what she'd done. He said, "Daughter, faith has made you well. Go in peace. Be healed of your disease." It was a big moment for her. There she was, sick, desperate, and anonymous. And Jesus healed her, blessed her with his peace, and gave her the name "daughter." What I want you to notice is Jesus took the time to do all of this. For twelve years, the woman heard the scriptures declare her "unclean" because of her hemorrhage. Jesus took the time ...

15. For Those On The Outside

Luke 8:40-56

Sermon

... soul which is buried in stone. If we seek Christ in even a small way, then we will feel the chisel and mallet of the Lord God beginning to set us free, so that we may be healed of our afflictions and thus made whole and happy and free. This anonymous woman came to Jesus seeking a magical cure, but she came away understanding the mystery of faith, the real depth of faith. Jesus healed her through his attention and his love. Because in the end she did trust him to heal her. Jesus was able to say to her ...

16. Genuine Imitations

1 Thessalonians 1:1-10

Sermon

Raymond Gibson

... about saving souls, and more about teaching young boys how to be good citizens than he did about teaching them how to be good Christians. That is what we know about the late Mr. Smith, who was a good man, a patriot, a solid citizen, and an anonymous Christian. For those who might protest that I am being too hard on the late Mr. Smith, I would remind them that the last recorded words of Jesus according to the Gospel of Matthew were, "Go therefore and make disciples of all nations ... teaching them to observe ...

17. The Priesthood of All Believers

1 Peter 2:4-12

Sermon

T. A. Kantonen

... you there is a discord in the divine harmony, a gap in the divine plan. Your heart and your head form a combination which is utterly unique and without which God cannot do a certain piece of work that needs to be done. The third principle of Alcoholics Anonymous is this: do something for others. Forget yourself in the service of others. Never mind whether you get paid for it or not, never mind whether you are appreciated or not. Just learn to look at life from the point of view of the needs of others. Here ...

18. Anything Better Than the Golden Rule?

Luke 6:27-36

Sermon

William G. Carter

... assurance your enemies will be kind to you. What is missing in the Golden Rule is a means to handle those occasions when the community breaks down, when people cease to take one another seriously, or when people call up the newspaper and leave anonymous complaints without any common responsibility. A good deed for others gives no assurance that others will be good to you. That is the limit of the Golden Rule. Remember what that woman said to me after that sermon? She said, “There’s nothing better than ...

19. Draw Nigh To God

James 4:1-12

Sermon

Maxie Dunnam

... submit. It goes against the grain of our macho "take control" stance. But isn't this attitude the source of most of our problems? We seek to control our own lives, to control our own destiny, to go in our own power -- and look where we are. Again, Alcoholics Anonymous can teach us. The second step in the AA Recovery Program is this, "Came to believe that a power greater than ourselves could restore us to sanity." And the third step is,"made a decision to turn our will and our lives over to the care of God ...

20. Christ the King

Psalm 100:1-5, 1 Corinthians 15:12-34, Matthew 25:31-46, Ezekiel 34:1-31

Sermon Aid

John R. Brokhoff

... from Christ. This is far different from the practice of giving people recognition for their service and from the practice of putting plaques with donors' names on each gift to the church. In this sermon we want to encourage people to be Christians Anonymous. Outline: How to be a Christian Anonymous – a. Have the mind and heart of Jesus. b. Have compassion for the hurting people of the world. c. Have a desire to fulfill a need. Old Testament: Ezekiel 34:11-16, 20-24 1. Is The Lord Your Shepherd? (34:11-16 ...

21. The Spirit of...Winter?

Luke 1:26-38

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

... going along to donate it to a suitable shelter that would give it to someone who would welcome it. Gifts given in this way came to be called a present from Santa. Such a designation enabled the child to understand that this is another name for an anonymous gift given to someone whom we don't know, but whom we love anyway because God does. (Presents within the family can be "From Santa" or "From Santa and . . .") This was the original ritual of Christmas: giving to the poor, the hungry, the needy and the ...

22. 2 Kings 5:1-15ab

2 Kings 5:1-15ab

Sweet

Leonard Sweet

... he arrives, his reception is far from what he expected. Naaman's presence, which had struck fear into the heart of Israel's king, is hardly even recognized by Israel's prophet. Upon hearing of Naaman's arrival, Elisha simply sends out some anonymous messenger to deliver his message to the Aramean. Until now Naaman has been remarkably flexible and amiable, willingly traveling out to the prophet's remote outpost to ask for the healing touch. But Elisha's apparently impersonal response to Naaman's presence ...

23. 2 Kings 5:1-15ab

2 Kings 5:1-15ab

Sweet

Leonard Sweet

24. Welcome, Rich and Poor

Luke 16:19-31

Sermon

Ron Lavin

... cried aloud, "O make me meet To follow the steps of your wounded feet." My thought is now for the souls of men I have lost my life to find it again E'er since one day in a quiet place I met the Master face to face. — Anonymous The poet wrote, "My thought is now for the souls of men." In other words, he now is about the business of disillusioning people, freeing them from their illusions about God, eternity, and life. 1. Adapted from an article in The Joyful Noiseletter, a publication of The Fellowship of ...

25. Lifestyles of the Rich and Faithful

2 Corinthians 9:6-15

Sermon

Mary S. Lautensleger

... he has established for them. Paul also praises the efforts of the churches in Macedonia, hoping to stir up a little healthy competition among the various churches. Today we practice anonymous giving since it is impolite for church people to talk about their giving. But doesn't anonymous giving easily become anonymous non-giving? While spiritual humility insists that we not flaunt our giving, most of us would be embarrassed for others to know how little we actually give. John Wesley opposed tithing ...

Showing 1 to 25 of 1204 results