Sermon and Worship Resources

Showing 1 to 25 of 258 results

1. Thou Shalt Not Judge - True or False?

Matthew 7:1-6

Sermon

James Merritt

... rating so high, despite wave after wave of scandal, is a firm public embrace of non-judgmentalism. One Republican voter interviewed by the Washington Post, said, "[Clinton] is no different than anybody else, so why should I judge?" Ann Landers told Frank Rich, a New York Times columnist that in the wake of the accusations and revelations against President Clinton, she was (presently) surprised at the lack of outrage among her readers. "There was so little negative mail, and such an outpouring of support ...

2. Are You a Taker or a Giver?

2 Corinthians 8:7-15

Sermon

Maurice A. Fetty

... to a party. If there has been extraordinary materialistic indulgence, there has also been an indulgence of authority. Some parents, says Franks, are always asking their children if it's "okay," asking their permission. A ten-year-old boy told the author, "Trust ... of the world often give a greater percentage of their wealth to the work of the church than do the rich widows and the rich business and professional people and celebrities. In your relative affluence and abundance, are you a taker or giver? We return ...

3. What Does God Really Want?

2 Corinthians 8:1-5

Sermon

James Merritt

... was the period known as The Great Depression. In the 1930s there was a wealthy man who lost everything he had. Now while he was rich he was known as a man who had given unbelievably sacrificially and generously to the Lord's work. When he lost all that he had ... you may; All you can hold in your cold dead hand Is what you have given away. III. God Wants Us To Grow In Grace Now quite frankly the part of the story I am going to tell you now you are going to find very difficult to believe, because I do as well. ...

4. How Did I Get That Job?

Luke 12:13-21

Sermon

Dave Zuchelli

... a tad closer to the truth, but our rich friend didn’t even get today. It was still today when he died. When tomorrow came, he was already lying in a tomb. Most of us don’t take kindly to this story. Frankly, we don’t think it’s fair. The ... wraps things up in this story. He says, “This is how it will be with whoever stores up things for themselves but is not rich toward God.” And there’s the crux of the matter. We should remember that parables are generally told to drive home one particular tenet ...

5. The Real GPS: Gospel Positioning System

John 21:15-25

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

... recently asked his students, “Who is your hero?” Jack expected he would get a listing of athletes, rock stars, the rich, the famous, maybe a few token moms and dads, brothers and sisters. What he wasn’t expecting was the answer he ... last survivor of the Annexe. And every August 4th, Miep Gies would draw the curtain, take the phone off the hook, and mourn her lost friends — the Frank family. She was not a hero, she said, but she had done all she could to help her friends. Jesus doesn’t ask us to be ...

6. The Sin of Robin Hood

Exodus 20:15

Sermon

James Merritt

... . My motto with taxes is: Pay as little as you need to, but as much as you have to. c. You Can Steal Personally Quite frankly, I believe stealing from a man's person may be even more serious than stealing from a man's purse. You see, money can be ... is by gossip and by slander. Did you know that it is possible to steal a man's reputation as well as steal a man's riches? William Shakespeare said, "He who steals my purse, steals trash; but he that filches from me my good name, robs me of that which not enriches ...

7. Broken Pieces

Matthew 1:3, 5, 6

Sermon

James Merritt

... David, fully human, born of a virgin and thus the sinless Savior of the world. Most of the names in either list, quite frankly, are just a bunch of no names. To us they are nobodies - people we have never heard of. Closer examination reveals a ... chest is a lot of dirty laundry. You would think the lineage of Jesus would be a roll-call of the rich, the famous, the elite and the admired, but quite frankly some of it reads more like a police line-up and the inmates at the county jail. The first thing that ...

8. The Proverbs of Solomon

Proverbs 10:1-32

Understanding Series

Roland E. Murphy

... from an early or unpleasant death that is supposedly the fate of wrongdoers. Such a fate deprives them of the riches they strove for. At a later period, righteousness came to be understood particularly as almsgiving (cf. Tob. 4:7– ... rebukes openly (lit. to the face) makes peace.” The Gk. reads ho de elegchōn meta parrēsias eirēnopoiei, “But he who rebukes with frankness makes peace.” 10:11–12 The NIV does not bring out the chiasm in these verses; the catchword is Hb. ksh (to cover, conceal). 10: ...

9. Staying Alive All Your Ministry Life: Will You Finish Well?

Exodus 32:1-33:6

Sermon

Maxie Dunnam

... Gerald and Lora by surprise – to hear a letter, written by their son, going out to bless thousands of people who had heard Frank preach. Well, I told Frank that story. The next week, when he was back in Atlanta, he called my in-laws and shared a pastoral visit over the ... partner in a law firm. The ancient word “oblate” proved instructive for me. Having no idea what it meant, I appreciated its rich history when I first looked it up in the dictionary. But I also felt it presumptuous to claim to be an “ ...

10. You Provoke Me...and That's Good

Hebrews 10:1-18

Sermon

King Duncan

... me that day. Those four laps gave a very troubled teen’s life a completely new direction. And so I will always be grateful to Frank Wethern . . . For some reason, he and Coach Kafka . . . not only reached out to me at my biggest moment of need, they did it by zeroing ... took place between Mother Theresa and Tony Robbins, the motivational speaker whose infomercials once told everyone how to be rich, popular and successful. Robbins is about 6’7” and Mother Theresa was about 4’2”. Robbins asked Mother ...

11. Acres of Diamonds

1 Timothy 6:10

Sermon

Russell Conwell

... lies along with it." "Well," said he, "I don't see any sense in their thus talking about my family and myself. Conwell, tell me frankly, what do you think the American people think of me?" "Well," said I, "they think you are the blackest hearted villain that ever trod ... about, and you can judge your success in any line by the lies that are told about you. I say that you ought to be rich. But there are ever coming to me young men who say, "I would like to go into business, but I cannot." "Why not?" "Because ...

12. How To Be Truly Wealthy

1 Timothy 6:3-10

Sermon

King Duncan

... 4) The same thing is happening to us, but we rarely ever see it. Like our Bible passage today says, we have let the pursuit of riches become a “temptation and a trap,” and we don’t even realize it. A young man left the business world to become a monk. At ... realized that all his wealth was not making him happy. Monaghan began selling off his “stuff”: three houses designed by Frank Lloyd Wright, the Detroit Tigers baseball team, and thirty vintage automobiles--one of which was a $13 million Bugatti. He ...

13. Rich In God's Sight

Luke 12:13-21

Sermon

Richard Patt

... things of the spirit. But when we look objectively, we are concerned about our own security -- both for the present and the future. Frankly, we have money on our minds more than we'd like to admit. Often these material concerns are so pervasive that in honesty ... runs out, and we hear the voice say, "Fool! This night your soul is required of you." The question being called, of course, is this: Rich? or rich in God's sight? You and I do not have to have Jesus draw us a picture (as he did in this parable) in ...

14. Chapter 11

Illustration

Staff

When the preacher's car broke down on a country road, he walked to a nearby roadhouse to use the phone. After calling for a tow truck, he spotted his old friend, Frank, drunk and shabbily dressed at the bar. "What happened to you, Frank?" asked the good reverend. "You used to be rich." Frank told a sad tale of bad investments that had led to his downfall. "Go home," the preacher said. "Open your Bible at random, stick your finger on the page and there will be God's answer." Sometime later, the preacher ...

15. The Fear Of Taking The Plunge

Luke 12:35-48

Sermon

Richard Patt

... of taking the plunge is that we trust in our own assets more than we do in God's promises. Note the word "promise." Frankly most of us have difficulty believing anything could be much more promising than the status quo. We surmise: If something isn't broken, ... who will support and affirm you. Those who are wise have previously taken time to nurture and maintain friendships -- that rich storehouse of other human beings with whom we can share the burdens that weigh us down (and, conversely, through whom we ...

16. Can't Get No Satisfaction

Exodus 20:17

Sermon

James Merritt

... and you become jealous of what others have and you want what they have whether God wants you to have it or not. Quite frankly, it is a disease that affects not only our finances, but it affects our families. I want to share with you today three cures ... for many years thought to himself, "Since this man is going to give this property to somebody, he may as well give it to me. I am rich. I've got all that I need and I should qualify because I am totally satisfied." He went up to this man's door and knocked on ...

17. Children Of Dust Or Children Of God?

Ephesians 1:1-14

Sermon

King Duncan

... life for his faith. Each Sunday during the offering, says Swindoll, his father poked him and silently pointed to Frank Loesch with pride. Sometimes Chuck would see a tear in his father's eye. To his dad and to all of the people in that congregation, this was what authentic Christian living was all about. (3) "Power to become children of God." This is no superficial positive thinking, "how to get rich in ten easy lessons," kind of enthusiasm. This is faith to move mountains enthusiasm. This is faith to face ...

18. Proper 28

Judges 4:1-24, Proverbs 31:10-31, Zephaniah 1:7, 12-18, Malachi 2:1-9, Matthew 25:14-30, 1 Thessalonians 5:1-11

Sermon Aid

Russell F. Anderson

... the meaning of life in the Omega point, Christ' second coming 4. At the Omega point, time yields to eternity Frank Tipler, a distinguished physicist has written an interesting and controversial book titled, The Physics Of Immortality. Tipler predicts that ... Christ The Gambler. Sermon Angle: The master in the parable is Christ and we are those to whom he has entrusted his substance. We are richly endowed with that which is his. What a chance he is taking! Quite a gamble! That seems to be Christ's way. In his ...

19. The Judge of the Living and the Dead

Matthew 25:31-46

Sermon

Albert G. Butzer III

... New Testament we also find a fair measure of God’s judgment. In the gospel of Luke, for example, Jesus told a story about a rich fool, a wealthy farmer who had a particularly successful harvest. “What should I do?” he said to himself, “for I have no place to ... unsettling message about God’s judgment. It is a message that most of us would rather not hear. It is a message that, frankly, I would rather not preach. In the face of such a message, some of us might sink into hopelessness and despair. But I ...

20. Close the Loopholes

Ephesians 4:25-5:2

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

... precise the denials, the more likely that they are hiding something. And when politicians begin a sentence with "Let me be perfectly frank ..." don't believe them. They are telling you they aren't telling the truth ("Lies, Lies, Lies," Time, 9 October 1992). No ... spirit keeps the body of Christ on a mere subsistence diet, refusing to glory in or enjoy the embarrassing abundance of riches God has lavished on us. Such a diet eventually starves the capacity for grace, empathy and forgiveness right out of the ...

21. The Demanding Word

Matthew 13:1-23

Sermon

... deep. Other seed fell among thorns. These vigorous weeds crowded out the grain plants and they didn't mature. And some seed fell on good rich top soil. And that seed grew up and resulted in healthy plants. But as we look at the story I wonder whether we have always ... times. But isn't there a whole other side to this question that might just put some of the burden upon the hearers? Frankly, don't all of us usually approach the Word of God too casually? It turns out to be like reading the evening newspaper ...

22. The Star Thrower

Matthew 2:1-12

Sermon

Maurice A. Fetty

... cramp, the other was completely bald." Architect Frank Lloyd Wright, my fellow Wisconsin native, was not known for his modesty. As the architect of the age, he typified the arrogance. When an attorney characterized Frank Lloyd Wright as America's greatest architect, Wright ... the hungry with good things, and the rich he has sent empty away. -- Luke 1:46, 52-53 It is true, of course, that Jesus' own Church since the days of Constantine has been often associated with the rich and powerful. If in Europe only five ...

23. A Religion that Shows

Haggai 1:1-15

Sermon

David E. Leininger

... that which we have accumulated even more than God. The rich young ruler came to Jesus, anxious to know the way to eternal life, but his possessions possessed him even more than his desire for life. The rich man who built huge barns to hold his goods was ... our own community. They might not be as visible as the need for a new manse, but they are challenges to be met. Frankly, the biggest challenge we have here is financing our work without relying on our endowment funds. That is a powerful temptation, and one ...

24. Grace in the Midst of the Crush of Time

2 Corinthians 6:3-13

Sermon

Glenn McDonald

... we work together with him, we urge you also not to accept the grace of God in vain." Will we capture the richness of this moment through an act of spiritual submission -- or miss this opportunity altogether? Henry Stanley is chiefly remembered as the American ... to keep going forward into the unknown, or to head back toward security. That night he approached his friend and helper Frank Pocock. "Now, Frank, my son, sit down. I am about to have a long and serious chat with you. Life and death -- yours and ...

25. RSVP—By Invitation Only

Luke 14:15-24

Sermon

James Merritt

... greatest myths we have to battle with non-Christians, is the belief that somehow for Christianity faith and fun are mutually exclusive. Quite frankly, a lot of Christians give that impression. The way some of you worship the expressions on your face look as if you ... dinner to a fancy banquet? Most women would kill to get all dressed up to be taken to a formal dinner and to hobnob with the rich and famous, and to wined and dined free of charge. In fact, too many women are like the one I heard about who was in ...

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