Sermon and Worship Resources

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Ezekiel 15:1-8, Ezekiel 16:1-63, Ezekiel 17:1-24

Understanding Series

Steven Tuell

... all of this imagery, the most important feature of the vine is, of course, its fruit—from which comes “wine that gladdens the heart of man” (Judg. 9:12–13; Ps. 104:15). Even when texts use the metaphor negatively, it is the fruit of the vine, or the absence of fruit, that ... New York: Brill, 1993], pp. 169–70; and Blenkinsopp, Ezekiel, p. 76). On the other hand, as Daniel Smith-Christopher notes, we have no reason to think that Ezekiel’s audience was predominately or exclusively male (“Ezekiel in ...

2. Two Parables about Prayer

Luke 18:9-14, Luke 18:1-8

Teach the Text

R.T. France

... the subject of the preceding section and will return in 18:8b. 18:2 who neither feared God nor cared what people thought. The judge in the story represents God, but this initial description makes it clear that his character is not to be seen as a reflection of ... his heartbroken mother prayed faithfully for him, learning how to love him in godly ways and letting God change her. Finally, Christopher submitted his life to the Lord and has spent the years since basing his identity on Christ and living out this ...

3. Act Quickly - Catch It Early

Matthew 5:21-26

Sermon

King Duncan

... neighbor for his stabbing was a complete failure. A witness confirmed that the neighbor was not even in the apartment. All Christopher got for his attempt at revenge was an accidental death sentence. (1) Could anybody actually be that dumb? Well, yes. Notice ... who is taking you to court. Do it while you are still with him on the way, or he may hand you over to the judge, and the judge may hand you over to the officer, and you may be thrown into prison. I tell you the truth, you will not get out until ...

4. Paul's Prayer For Us

Ephesians 3:14-21

Sermon

King Duncan

... million in 1981. Subsequently she was sued by her son's teenage friend. Why did he sue her? It was because she had asked him to pray for her. The friend, Christopher Pando, prayed to his favorite saint. When his prayer was answered, Christopher claimed half of Fernandez's jackpot. The case went before a panel of five State Supreme Court judges, who ruled against the boy, declaring soberly that in a modern court, there was no way to prove the efficacy of prayer. (1) After comedian George Burns played God in ...

5. Ready For A Change

Matthew 9:9-13

Sermon

King Duncan

... the most beautiful, loving people I know." In fact, when Ron Bronski was brought to trial for his crimes, the police officers, prosecutors, and judge who had gotten to know him were so convinced that the former gang member was a new man that they set him free. Today ... living--then Jesus says to you, "Follow me." 1. James E. Kiefer, http://justus.anglican.org/resources/bio/56.html 2. Christopher Carrier, "From Darkness to Light," May 2000, pp. 101-106. 3. Lee Strobel, the Case for Faith (Grand Rapids, Mich.: ...

6. Daniel’s Training in Babylon

Daniel 1:1-21

Understanding Series

William Nelson

... which is an abbreviated form of “Yahweh,” the proper name of Israel’s deity. Daniel means “El is my judge”; Hananiah, “Yahweh is gracious”; Mishael, “Who is what El is?”; and Azariah, “Yahweh has helped.” The chief ... ancient propaganda tool. But the Jews had no such images, so the temple vessels from Jerusalem served the same purpose (D. L. Smith-Christopher, “The Book of Daniel,” The New Interpreter’s Bible, vol. 7 [ed. L. Keck; Nashville: Abingdon, 1996], p. 38). 1:3 The word ...

7. Persistence And Prayer

Luke 18:1-8

Sermon

Richard Hasler

... was setting up the judge to be the opposite of how God answers prayer. If the widow could wear down the judge by her persistence, Jesus was saying in this story how much more God will be willing to answer our prayers in contrast to this judge’s action. Of course ... this horrible war. Lewis B. Smedes who taught at Fuller Theological Seminary for many years called our attention to Michael Christopher’s powerful play called The Black Angel. The story was about a former German officer who tried to rebuild his ...

8. Keep on Praying

Luke 18:1-8

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

... adjudicator. Neither does this widow, whose age we don't know, seem to possess or practice any feminine wiles to sway this judge to her side, convincing him to give her a favorable ruling. But this widow does have persistence. This widow knows the power ... of the past 1000 years yielded the following list: 10) Galileo 9) Copernicus 8) Albert Einstein 7) Karl Marx 6) Christopher Columbus 5) William Shakespeare 4) Charles Darwin 3) Martin Luther 2) Isaac Newton 1) Johann Gutenberg Without exception, each ...

9. It Is Really Something New by Dr. Frank Bateman Stanger

2 Corinthians 5:11--6:2, Acts 17:16-34

Sermon

Leonard Mann

... the climax of history will be manifest in the victory of righteousness. "God has appointed a day in which he will judge the world in justice." God is not going to judge the world in a tyrannical or arbitrary manner. Nor is he going to judge the world remotely. God’s purposes will be fulfilled at that day when he will judge the world in justice. Christoph Blumhardt, influential German pastor who ministered a century ago and whose eschatology was refreshingly confident, wrote: "Jesus is already victor. He ...

10. Piercing A Hole In The Darkness

Job 38:1--41:34

Sermon

King Duncan

... not press charges against me. There an upright man could present his case before him, and I would be delivered forever from my judge . . . God has made my heart faint; the Almighty has terrified me. Yet I am not silenced by the darkness, by the thick ... God. God is sovereign, ultimate, all-powerful, all-knowing, and holy, holy, holy. Though we cannot explain God, most of us say with Christopher Morley: "I had a thousand questions to ask God: but when I met Him, they all fled and didn't seem to matter." Does ...

11. Peacemaking and Self Control

Matthew 5:21-26

Sermon

Phil Thrailkill

... kick them out of the people of God. With this word I presume to know where they stand with God and appoint myself as judge, jury, and executioner. In effect, I damn them. Jesus says that such a verbal offense is worthy of Gehenna, the perpetually smoldering, stinking ... eighty-seven years ago as regards World War I. How is that? In a 1994 article, "Wars' Lethal Leftovers Threaten Europeans," Christopher Burns writes: "The bombs of World War II are still killing in Europe. They turn up, and sometimes blow up, ...

12. Two Adulterous Sisters

Ezekiel 23:1-49

Understanding Series

Steven Tuell

... and thrust me behind your back, you must bear the consequences of your lewdness and prostitution.” Just as God judges the princes of Jerusalem in 22:12 for forgetting the Lord, so now, Ezekiel declares, the entire city has ... Lam. 4:21). As stripping was a means of shaming prisoners of war (see the discussion of Ezek. 16:37–41, and Smith-Christopher, “Ezekiel,” p. 154), this woe is likely directed against the Babylonians. These oppressors, the prophet declares, will themselves be forced to drink to ...

13. The Reversal of the Deuteronomic Curses and Blessings: Replacing Law with Faith

Romans 9:30--10:21

Teach the Text

C. Marvin Pate

... repentance (Rom. 10:14–15, 18); (b) but Israel persisted in their sin of unbelief (Rom. 10:16, 18, 21); (c) therefore God judged Israel by sending that nation into exile (the covenant curses; compare Rom. 10:16, 18, 21 with the exilic setting of Isaiah 52 ... interest in His dear Son.”5 Anyone who believes on and confesses the Lord Jesus Christ will be saved. Biography: Christopher Hitchens and Peter Hitchens are brothers: one is an atheist, the other a Christian. After Peter regained his Christian faith, ...

14. Hugging The Coastline

Hebrews 11:1-40

Sermon

King Duncan

... Carolina home, spending much of the rest of his life on the speaking and revival circuit. Public opinion soon judged him a fool. His simple faith, and the dangerous challenge it withstood, made him a laughingstock among many ... 1400s. A child was born in Genoa--one who would push back the frontiers of what we think about our planet. His name? Christopher Columbus. As one author has written: "Columbus was not only an explorer, he was an entrepreneur. Before refrigeration and rapid transportation, most food ...

15. Tremendous Trifles

Exodus 20:1-4, 7-9, 12-20

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

... , that have pledged to help these kids. Give us a chance to love them and teach them before a prison educates them in hate and pathology." The judge was so struck by this novel idea, and so taken by this church's resolve to get involved in these kids' lives, that he brought each one ... milestone but a lifelong lodestone. We can do this. If the church won't, who will? Alternative Sermon Idea Christopher J. B. Wright, in his new book Knowing Jesus Through the Old Testament (1995), argues that Jesus' values were ...

16. Totally Poured Out

2 Timothy 4:9-18

Sermon

King Duncan

... have finished the race, I have kept the faith. Now there is in store for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will award to me on that day and not only to me, but also to all who have longed for his appearing.” These are ... would climb as he had never climbed before. And, when he reached the limits of strength and endurance, that would be that. So Christopher Bell went to Switzerland to a special place that he had in mind, and one morning some weeks later started out alone ...

17. Quantum Leap

Acts 13:13-52

Sermon

Carl Jech

... make a huge difference, a Quantum Leap. Many years after the publication of his novel on which the play and film Cabaret is based, Christopher Isherwood wrote a memoir in which he gives a look behind the scenes of his original stories. He was not saying that the novel ... in Jesus mean to believe that salvation is God's business? Does believing in Jesus mean to believe that it is not our job to judge who is or can be saved? If we understand the gospel of grace to mean that the only way to be saved is by God, ...

18. Who Is God Anyway?

2 Corinthians 13:11-14

Sermon

King Duncan

... a challenge just to keep up. But keep up we must. In the April 1989 issue of Cook's magazine, Christopher Kimball, publisher and editorial director, unveiled a theory he calls the Ascending Organ Thesis. The idea has application beyond the ... is Father, Son and Holy Spirit ” but those three manifestations are not enough. God is also Creator, Sustainer, Provider. God is Judge, Savior and Deliverer. God is Light, Love and Peace. There are historical and theological reasons for emphasizing the persons of Father ...

19. An Empty Cup

Job 23:1--24:25

Sermon

King Duncan

... he calls Jack. He asks about Joy: "What news, Jack?" "Good news, Harry," Lewis responds. "I think good news." "I'm very glad, Jack. Christopher can scoff, but I know how hard you've been praying, and now God is answering your prayer." "That's not why I pray ... Havner writes, "I accept whatever He does, however He does it." This is a man who knows that God is not at our command. We judge the world by what we can see. But God is in control of a realm of reality far greater and more mysterious than we can ...

20. Who's In Charge Here

Judges 21:24-25

Sermon

James Merritt

... will not be familiar with; one you will be very familiar with. Here is the first quote, given by historian Christopher Dawson, over thirty years ago: We have entered a new phase of culture we may call it the Age of ... father in the living room, he will then learn not to respect the police officer on the street, the principal in the classroom, or the judge in the courtroom. I want you to listen to this quote by Charles Swindoll. He is speaking about deliberate disobedience from young people; willful defiance. ...

21. Yahweh Speaks as the Master Teacher

Job 38:1--41:34

Teach the Text

Daniel J. Estes

... Silmarillion, by J. R. R. Tolkien. This book, which was published posthumously in 1977 by Tolkien’s son Christopher, presents a poetic depiction of the creation of the world. This description is imaginative and also speculative, because ... we miss out on when we lose sight of his unspeakable might and greatness. Even moral innocence does not give a human the right to judge God’s justice. Bible: Consider Jesus’s response to the Father’s will in the garden of Gesthemane and in the passion. Unlike all ...

22. The Joy of Being a Caring Person

Mt 25:31-46 · Lk 16:19-31

Sermon

Robert G. Tuttle

... priest and the Levite just didn’t care. They were in too big a hurry. They were too busy, and they overlooked the essential thing. God judges us in accordance with our reaction to human need: Do you love? Do you really love? How do you show your love here in human relationships ... , everyone fighting his counterpart for that extra advantage, which in the long run is no advantage at all. Christopher Frye paints a tragic world picture: "Those fabulous wings, unused, folded in the heart." And Martin Luther adds ...

23. A Liturgical Drama For Advent

Drama

Tom Eberle

... light them ourselves [The family approaches the altar which has an Advent wreath and two additional candles placed on it.] Here Christopher [older child], use these matches. O.C: I’ll light them, but you guys say the words. Mother: What words? O ... as soon as it gets dark. Six: Hopes of a breakthrough in the Middle East were dimmed today ... Narrator: [interrupting] "How long will you judge unjustly and show favour to the wicked? You ought to give judgment for the weak and the orphan, and see right done to ...

24. A Faith for the Uncharted Way

Matthew 1:18-25

Sermon

Leonard Mann

... worry about what the answer page will say. And, of course, this Faith lets us know that if we don’t put it together rightly, we’ll be judged by what we find when we turn the last page. In other words, this Faith fixes it so we don’t have to know all the answers ... in gracefully and heartily answering their call, day by day, page by page, as the leaves are turned. Most people admire Christopher Columbus, his courage and venture. We admire him not because he sat by the seaside with his chin in his hand; ...

25. THE JOURNEY

Drama

Jerome W. Nilssen

... about modern economics. GRACE No, not terribly much. CAIN Well, if you did, you’d know first of all that you can’t judge a man by his hat, right? GRACE I thought you looked like a conductor, that’s all. CAIN And second, the biggest ... makes ... sense. CAIN Like ideas. The big money - economically speaking - is in big ideas. For example, take the First American. GRACE Christopher Columbus? CAIN The Noble Redskin. Patiently waiting in his humble teepee for the restoration of his rights. He’s got time ...

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