Sermon and Worship Resources

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1. God Is Personal

Luke 15:1-10

Illustration

Carl B. Rife

I majored in philosophy in college. One thing I discovered was that in an attempt to be intellectually respectable, God got turned into an impersonal being or force. God became an "it" in most philosophical systems. One thing that helped me more than anything else was to understand that God is personal and is not an "it." Such a view holds its weight intellectually because the highest thing we kno...

2. God Made My Day

Psalm 118:1-29

Sermon

Carl B. Rife

"God Made My Day" is one anonymous Christian's response to the infamous line of Clint Eastwood's Dirty Harry character who says,"Go ahead, make my day," as he holds a gun on a thug and dares him to make a move. The implication is that Harry Callahan's day would be made if he were given the opportunity by a false move by his antagonist to mete out his rough version of justice by wasting the guy, as...

3. God Said It. I Accept It. That Settles It.

2 Timothy 3:10--4:8

Sermon

Carl B. Rife

All scripture is inspired by God and is useful for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, so that everyone who belongs to God may be proficient, equipped for every good work. 2 Timothy 3:16-17 Like the other bumper stickers we talked about, this bumper sticker raises some issues for us. The meaning of this bumper sticker greatly depends on the spirit in which it...

4. I Found It!

Luke 15:1-7, Luke 15:8-10

Sermon

Carl B. Rife

"Or what woman having ten silver coins, if she loses one of them, does not light a lamp, sweep the house, and search carefully until she finds it? When she has found it, she calls together her friends and neighbors, saying, 'Rejoice with me, for I have found the coin that I had lost.' Just so, I tell you, there is joy in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner who repents." Luke 15:8-10...

5. Kierkegaard's Four Steps in the Religious Quest

Luke 15:1-10

Illustration

Carl B. Rife

There was a man by the name of Soren Kierkegaard, a Danish philosopher back in the 19th century. The interesting thing is that his writings did not make a real impact on thought and religion until the 20th century. In some of his writings he talks about several different steps that we as human beings take in the religious quest. The first level he talks about is the aesthetic level. Now you do not...

6. Let Our Kids Pray

Matthew 6:5-15

Sermon

Carl B. Rife

Quite a few years ago I saw a bumper sticker on a car that said, "Let Our Kids Pray." I had an immediate reaction and I acted immediately on the reaction. I went to my car and got a pen and paper and wrote on the paper "Who's stopping them?" and put it under the windshield wiper. Now that bumper sticker and my response get us into the whole area of prayer in the public schools. I would like to pr...

7. Teenage Death Due to Drinking and Driving

Job 3:1-26

Eulogy

Carl B. Rife

My God! Why? This sermon was preached at the memorial service for a fourteen-year-old girl who was killed in an automobile accident involving teenage drinking. May God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ give you grace and peace. The tragic death which brings us together today weighs heavily on all of us. A young life so rich in promise has been cut short - a young life that in some ways was clos...

8. Through the Valley of the Shadow

Psalm 23:1-6

Eulogy

Carl B. Rife

For a Cancer Victim This sermon was preached at the memorial service for an aunt who died of lung cancer. Recently, while I was driving in Frederick, I had a rather lengthy wait at a stop light while a very long funeral procession went through the intersection. I must admit that my reaction was annoyance and impatience: I had things to do and places to go. But as I moved beyond my initial feelings...

9. Warning! In Case Of Rapture This Car Will Be Unmanned.

Mark 13:1-31

Sermon

Carl B. Rife

"From the fig tree learn its lesson: as soon as its branch becomes tender and puts forth its leaves, you know that summer is near. So also, when you see these things taking place, you know that he is near, at the very gates. Truly I tell you, this generation will not pass away until all these things have taken place. Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will not pass away. Mark 13:28-31 ...

10. Who Moved?

Luke 15:1-10

Illustration

Carl B. Rife

Who is lost? It reminds me of a story of a husband and wife who had been married for 15 years and the wife is sitting buckled in on her side of the car and the husband is sitting buckled in on his side of the car. The wife says, "Dear, why don't we sit as close as we used to?" The husband turns and says to her, "Well, honey, who moved?" Why isn't God as close to us as he used to be? The question i...

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