Sermon and Worship Resources

Showing 1 to 25 of 29 results

Zephaniah 3:14-20, Luke 3:7-18

Sermon

King Duncan

... row, center. She had a huge grin on her face. The grin, and Stacy, remained planted in that spot until the end. Stacy told the reporter: ‘It was the most astonishing thing I’ve ever seen in Washington. Joshua Bell was standing there playing in rush hour, and people were not stopping, not even looking, and some were flipping quarters at him! Quarters! I was thinking, Omigosh, what kind of a city do I live in that this could happen?’” (5) One of the world’s great musicians playing on ...

2. An Exquisite Attitude of Gratitude

Ephesians 1:15-23

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

... it! Do NOT show Potts’ final or semi-final performance in the competition. In spite of the 15 million and 10 million hits, the magic is in the less popular, 1.5 million hits audition performance. Once again, the crowds miss the magic.) Do you get it now? Joshua Bell is Jesus. Jesus is playing exquisite music, the music of the spheres, all around us. And we are so busy we can not receive his gifts of burning bushes ablaze all around us. Do you get it now? Paul Potts is you and me. The ultimate music Jesus ...

3. Set An Extra Place

Ephesians 1:15-23

Sermon

Billy D. Strayhorn

... traffic. He opened the violin case he carried. He threw into the case a few coins and dollar bills to "prime the pump." And then he proceeded to begin playing. But this was no ordinary street musician. The anonymous violinist in the train station was Joshua Bell, renowned virtuoso, star of the symphony circuit. Only three days earlier audiences had shelled out between 100.00 to 200.00 bucks for a ticket to watch him play at Boston's Symphony Hall. Now, as he stood just a few feet from clueless commuters ...

4. If It Had Been a Snake

John 1:29-42

Sermon

King Duncan & Angela Akers

... 2-3 inches of counter space right in front of me. My brain filters it out. A second reason why we might miss something obvious is because we are distracted or fooled by seeing the thing in an unexpected context. In 2007, internationally known concert violinist Joshua Bell, dressed in casual clothes and a ball cap, positioned himself near a garbage can in a Washington, DC subway station and played the violin. Busy DC commuters passed him by. A few dropped coins into his violin case. No one expected to see an ...

5. Jesus: What's in a Name?

Matthew 1:18-25

Sermon

Maxie Dunnam

... said her mother “We’ve got it all timed just about right. On Christmas Eve he’ll be sitting around the fire, the door bell will ring and a postman will knock and say, with a big smile, “Merry Christmas from your family in Arizona.” Every eye in ... the fulfillment of their life, in the Promised Land. “The two most important people of that period are Moses and Joshua. Moses began the exodus and Joshua finished it. Therefore, if you want to understand who Jesus was and what he means to us you look at ...

6. Reversal and Victory

Judges 4:1-7

Sermon

Timothy J. Smith

... Time and time again, the ancient Israelites failed when they turned their backs against God. We see this pattern repeated throughout the books of Joshua and Judges. The people of old just did not seem to "get it" succumbing to the same mistakes over and over again. As ... made a point of telling their pastor, "You don't have to worry about that bell next time, pastor. That's our job." Ron proudly claimed, "We rang the bell every Sunday for the rest of my tenure with that congregation."2 Deborah's presence ...

7. When God Leads

Joshua 3:7-17

Sermon

King Duncan & Angela Akers

... with us. Each time in the Bible that God speaks to us, it is to guide us back into a relationship with Him. In these verses from Joshua 3, God provides a promise, a reassurance, and a direction that empowered the people of Israel, and that can empower our life today. The promise of God that ... with-crisscrossed-white-lines. 3. New York Daily News, Religion Section, 10-13-85, p. B-14, Charles Bell. 4. Wesley Study Bible (Nashville, TN: Common English Bible, 2012), p. 283. 5. “The Calling of Delight: Gangs ...

8. Trumpet Medley

Joel 2:1-2, 12-17

Sermon

David J. Kalas

... the trumpet was used routinely to signal the beginning of special times and sacred observances. What the ringing of the church bell has meant to so many souls in more recent generations would have held the same meaning in the trumpet sound for the ... ancient Israelites on so many holy days. To the people who served in the armies of Joshua or Gideon, meanwhile, the sound of the trumpet had a very different association. Trumpets, you recall, were literally the instruments of ...

9. Sparkle

Luke 4:31-37

Sermon

Lori Wagner

... of a spirit other than God! And the whispers of mutiny lead to death. [Gesture to the talismans in the front.] It’s not bells, or signs, or incense, or even the rosary that keep the spirit of sin and deceit away from our hearts and minds. It’s the ... Turned from the Spirit of God The Apocryphal Psalms (Aramaic Psalms Used as Incantation in Jewish Exorcisms) Satan Accuses High Priest Joshua and the Lord Cleanses Him in Clothes of White (Zechariah 3) The Lord Will Remove the Spirit of Impurity from the ...

10. The Triumphant Christ

Revelation 1:1-3

Sermon

King Duncan

... in the rice market. The market fell through and he lost every penny. No one saw him again for five years. Then, in 1859, Joshua Norton walked into the office of the San Francisco BULLETIN and told them to print a proclamation that he was Emperor Norton I, emperor ... old man for insisting on the theory of the law of gravity. The man who first invented the telephone (not Alexander Graham Bell) was thrown in jail for twenty years for his "heresy" that people could talk over wire. (3) In June 1633, Galileo, then ...

11. Seeing the End from the Beginning

Numbers 13:1-2, 17-33

Sermon

James Merritt

... man, everyone a leader among them." (13:2) Notice that God did not say, "I will give." He said, "I am giving." The reason why Joshua and Caleb had smiles on their faces was because they had the deed in their pockets. The land was already theirs. All they had to ... trust God, He will see the victory through to completion. III. Vision Causes Irritation Do the following names ring a bell to you: Shammua, Shaphat, Igal, Palti, Gaddiel, Gaddi, Ammiel, Sethur, Nahbi, and Geuel? Now if you think it is some kind of ...

12. Natural Or Supernatural?

Luke 9:28-36

Sermon

Louis H. Valbracht

... . Miracles to them were simply happenings that were unusual or unfamiliar or surprising. And so, if the sun stood still at the order of Joshua, or a man walked upon water, or changed water into wine, that was amazingly out of the ordinary, but there were no laws broken ... in Luther's day. Christians started out putting bells in their church towers, not to call the faithful to worship, but to frighten away the demons. And so, all over Europe, you find old bells inscribed with such mottos as Ad Fugandos demones ...

13. Emergency!

Genesis 11:1-9

Sermon

Lori Wagner

... morning? The show would start out the same each week: firefighters sitting around, having a good time, maybe even asleep. The fire bell would ring, and firemen and firewomen would leap up, pull on their boots, run to the big pole, slide down, and jump ... akin to God wiping away humanity in Noah’s flood. It’s akin to God’s voice bringing down the walls of Jericho through Joshua’s “shofar.” It’s akin to God setting the altar afire as Elijah confronted the prophets of Baal (1 Kings 18). It’s akin ...

14. Something To Die For

Mark 10:35-45

Sermon

King Duncan

... Following Christ is about serving others. In just a few short weeks we will begin to see people in uniforms in shopping malls ringing bells collecting donations for the poor. They are doing the work of the Salvation Army. In 1878, when the Salvation Army was really beginning to ... to be more like him. Let's return now to our story about the Civil War. It has an exciting ending. Colonel Joshua Chamberlain had a decision to make. He had been ordered to shoot 120 deserters or take them with him. When he reached ...

15. A Way Made Ready

Mark 1:1-8

Sermon

Darrick Acre

... beginning of the gospel (good news) about Jesus Christ, the Son of God.” Does the concept of “beginning” ring a bell with you? The Scriptures talk about “beginnings” in a variety of places; none more prominent than Genesis 1:1, “In the ... souls who would stand up and say, “Oh, I’m going to follow God.” People like Joshua, who would say, “As for me and my household, we will serve the Lord” (Joshua 24:15). In contrast, the witness of the Old Testament portrays the majority of folks saying ...

16. With Jesus In The Wilderness

Luke 4:1-13

Sermon

King Duncan

... ear, do not go into the woods alone. The guitar of the noisy teenager at the next campsite makes excellent kindling. Bear bells provide an element of safety for hikers in grizzly country. The tricky part is getting them on the bears. (1) Good suggestions ... was a man and he refused to ask for directions. Seriously though, why did God keep them wandering in the wilderness? Even when Joshua took over and led them into Canaan, it was many years before they subdued it. And even when they were in the promised ...

17. Don’t Stop Thinking About Tomorrow

Proverbs 16:1, 9, Philippians 3:12-15

Sermon

James Merritt

... foes. Nobody ever encountered more opposition than Moses, Jesus, and Paul—three of the most visionary goal-oriented men in the Bible. Do the following names ring a bell with you: Shammua, Shaphat, Igal, Palti, Gaddiel, Gaddi, Ammiel, Sethur, Nahbi, Geuel? They probably don't, but those were the first names of the spies that were sent out with Joshua and Caleb to investigate the land. They were the ones who brought back a minority report that said: "the land could not be taken." They were the ones wearing ...

18. Seat of Power

Mark 10:35-45, Matthew 20:20-28

Sermon

Lori Wagner

... humble followers of our Lord and Savior. No matter where his path may take us. Amen. *Huffington Post, 2014 online. Taco Bell has a similar invitation, although not as blatantly selfish: “Live mas!” (Live more!) Based on the Story Lectionary Major Text Matthew ... of God, of Moses, of David, and now of Jesus. “Be strong and do not turn to the right or to the left” is the message (Joshua 1:7, 23:6). But follow the ways of God. “Do what God commands of you.” (Deuteronomy 5:32, 17:11, 28:14). See also 2 ...

19. Love Transcending Law and Custom

Matthew 1:18-25

Sermon

... God in human history. He did as the Angel requested He named his son Jesus, which is a Greek form of the Hebrew "Joshua" meaning "he shall save". As the ancient saviors of Israel saved their people from foreign oppressors, so Jesus was to save his people ... helped. The most tight-fisted search for places to give away some hard cash. The busiest people in town take time to ring bells on street corners. Agencies and churches get calls from people who actually want to lend a hand. Volunteers seem to pour out of ...

20. For He Shall Save His People

Matthew 1:18-25

Sermon

Staff

... men, with whom he is pleased.” What does that mean? It makes me want to run and hide more that it makes want to sing Jingle Bells. Look at our text in Matthew 1:21. The same strange thing occurs. The angel tells Joseph, Don’t be afraid to take Mary as you ... , the name Jesus (which is, of course Greek because the New Testament was written in Greek) is the Hebrew equivalent of Joshua, which translated means: The Lord will save. The Advent message says to us that in the midst of our depressions, our fears ...

21. For He Shall Save His People - Sermon Starter

Matthew 1:18-25

Illustration

... men, with whom he is pleased." What does that mean? It makes me want to run and hide more that it makes me want to sing Jingle Bells. Look at our text in Matthew 1:21. The same strange thing occurs. The angel tells Joseph, "Don't be afraid to take Mary as you ... , the name Jesus (which is, of course Greek because the New Testament was written in Greek) is the Hebrew equivalent of Joshua, which translated means: The Lord will save. The Advent message says to us that in the midst of our depressions, our fears ...

22. Out of the Barnyard

John 11:38-44

Sermon

Robert Bachelder

... have come to power. Instead the churches acquiesced in Hitler’s rise and even supported him at times. They rang their bells to salute Nazi victories until they were taken away to be melted down for the German war effort. In contrast to ... majority report will always be: We cannot defeat them, let us turn back. But the Church needs always to take the stand of Caleb and Joshua who said: "We are well able to overcome." We need to fly out of our comfortable barnyard with the boldness of Dr. Daggett. With Christ ...

23. Living Upside Down

Mark 2:23-3:6

Sermon

Kristin Borsgard Wee

... will get to consider living in a new way. If we decide to grant ourselves a sabbath, that means at least for one day each week, we can stop running, stop responding to the bells and sirens of our world, stop seeing the dust balls, the bills, and the weeds, just for one day. On this one glorious day, we can take the time to feel the wind ... Borg, Meeting Jesus Again for the First Time (San Francisco: HarperCollins, 1994), p. 69 f. 2. Abraham Joshua Herschel, The Sabbath (Toronto: HarperCollins, 1951), p. 13.

24. The Lord Comes and Reigns

Zechariah 14:1-21

Understanding Series

Pamela J. Scalise

... the seventh month and the people celebrated its dedication at the Feast of Tabernacles (1 Kgs. 8:2, 65–66). Centuries later, Joshua and Zerubbabel set up the altar at the temple site in Jerusalem, and then the people celebrated the Feast of Tabernacles (Ezra ... Yahweh’s final victory, so the horses for royal messengers and war chariots will be retired into holiness. They will wear bells and the inscription HOLY TO THE LORD. These details mark a spectacular increase in holiness, for the high priest’s ...

25. Ben-Hadad Attacks Samaria

1 Kings 20:1-12

Understanding Series

Iain W. Provan

... free (v. 34). 20:35–43 The LORD has been with Israel as of old—so that Israel may know anew who is truly the LORD. But the sequel to the fall of Aphek will begin alarm bells ringing in the mind of the reader who remembers Elijah’s accusation of 18:18 and the sequel to the fall of Jericho in Joshua 7. Ahab, said Elijah, was the troubler of Israel (Hb. ʿkr), and it was in the aftermath of the fall of Jericho that Achan similarly “troubled” Israel (Hb. ʿkr, Josh. 7:25), by making improper use of ...

Showing results