Sermon and Worship Resources

Showing 1 to 25 of 26 results

Matthew 15:21-28

Sermon

Richard Hoefler

... as by Matthew (15:21-23). Scholars fail to agree as to whether Jesus actually set foot into Gentile territory. Some interpreters like Richard Trench1 are convinced that at no time in his earthly ministry did our Lord pass beyond the borders of the Holy Land. ... ministry among the heathen people which would mar the unity of his career as a prophet of God to Israel."12 Theodore P. Ferris presents this interpretation in even a stronger manner as he suggests in his sermon: Throw away your picture of Jesus as the ...

2. The Great Divide

Matthew 16:13-20

Sermon

King Duncan

... s compassion, Christ makes it possible for us to come into God’s presence. You have undoubtedly seen some of Richard Lederer’s hilarious books, books like Anguished English. Lederer collects funny signs. Some of these signs reflect the difficulty ... makes it possible for us to go to God unfettered by our flaws and blemishes. Rev. Richard J. Fairchild tells about a European ferry boat that capsized several years ago in a raging storm. Many passengers were in the cold and churning water. A man named Andrew ...

3. Why Bother?

Mark 10:46-52

Illustration

... if I sit down by you for a while?" "It's a free country," said Pete, "suit yourself." The stranger introduced himself as Dan Ferris, and Pete was startled when he took out a thermos of coffee and some deli sandwiches, and offered them to the hapless man ... day, Dan came to Pete's single room, helped him get shaved and dressed, and they set off for the computer school. Pete Richards turned out to be a computer genius, and today he lives a fruitful and productive life. No matter where he goes, Pete never tires ...

4. Down in the Dungeon

Psalm 130:1-8

Sermon

King Duncan

... a time of deep depression, the first thing I would say to you is to consult your doctor. Life crises can also bring on times of extended sadness. Theodore Parker Ferris, who served Trinity Church in Boston for many years, once told about a friend of his who always came to see him in the Christmas season. This friend’s husband was ... Power (New York: Warner Faith, 2002). 3. Cited by Nevitt Smith, http://www.ashlandmethodist.org/04-01-04.html. 4. Richard A. Hasler, Emphasis, September/October, 1992, p. 57.

5. Busybodies

Luke 13:10-17

Sermon

King Duncan

... seeing, instead became an inspiration. After getting her a sandwich and something to drink, police from five different jurisdictions teamed up to ferry her home. "I've never seen so many people so nice with me an old lady," she said. They gave me love ... Christian and Still Enjoy Life (Ventura, CA: Regal Books, 1988). 3. "Alternative Medicine Has Many Positive Results," by Dr. Richard Bambino, urgent care physician. Kingsport TimesNews, 6497, p. 4C. Contributed by Dr. John Bardsley. 4. The Associated Press 11/ ...

6. Stumbling in Darkness, Looking for Light

Isaiah 9:1-7, John 1:5

Sermon

John E. Harnish

... displays and CD covers. My earliest recollection is a button from the 1960 presidential campaign. Tilt it one way, you see Richard Nixon; tilt it the other way, you get Henry Cabot Lodge. This seems like an insignificant advertising gimmick, but it really ... Methodism to their nation with great joy. While we were there, the Estonians experienced another great national tragedy. The passenger ferry ship, coincidentally named "The Estonia," sank in the Baltic Sea, taking with it over 800 lives. Given the small ...

7. The Lord Needs You

Jeremiah 1:4-10

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

... would be the equivalent today? Would the Queen of England be seen in anything less than a Rolls Royce? Aren't American dignitaries ferried around in Cadillacs? For Jesus to ride into Jerusalem on a donkey would be the modern-day equivalent of the President of ... now. Besides, what else did you have planned for the rest of the weekend? Alternative Sermon Idea Excuses, Excuses! Richard Lederer, in his book, Anguished English (Charleston: Wyrick & Company,1987), has a chapter (pp. 16-18) listing excuses parents ...

8. Jesus Breaks Our Chains

John 11:1-45

Sermon

Richard Gribble

He was chained, held bound in a life of torment and blasphemy. In the end, however, God would set him free. John Newton, a name probably not familiar to many of us, was born in July, 1725, to a pious English woman and her seafaring husband. From his earliest days, young Newton was attracted to his father's side of the family and to the life at sea. Thus, when he was only eleven years old he became an apprentice aboard his father's vessel, a cargo ship which ferried products throughout the major ports of ...

9. Week One Of Lent

Sermon

Richard Gribble

Monday Week OneLeviticus 19:1-2, 11-18Matthew 25:31-46 Be Holy As Is God We all know that God is divine. This is how we define God. But how does one define divinity? One might say that divinity means omniscience and omnipotence. These are both proper descriptions, possibly even definitions of divinity, but how can a human relate to these things? We know so many things that are more powerful than we and so many people who are more intelligent than ourselves. Maybe we can imagine the divinity of God as all ...

10. Building God’s Kingdom: The Christian Challenge

Romans 10:8-13

Sermon

Richard Gribble

On December 26, 2004, the greatest natural disaster experienced in the world in over a century struck southern Asia. The 9.0 magnitude earthquake, with its epicenter some 1,000 miles southwest of the island of Java, generated a tsunami that traveled outward at almost supersonic speed in all directions. It created death, destruction, dislocation, and mayhem for literally millions of people in some ten nations that border the northeast regions of the Indian Ocean. Thousands of people, tourists on vacation ...

11. Raised to New Life Today

1 Corinthians 15:12-20

Sermon

Richard Gribble

William Wilberforce was a privileged man. He was given a second chance; he was in many ways resurrected. Because of his efforts the world is a much more compassionate and just place. Wilberforce was born in 1759 in Hull, England, the son of a wealthy merchant. As a youth he led a rather dissolute life; his father's money allowed him access to people and things, yet he used his privilege to his advantage or abused it to the detriment of others. In 1780, he became a member of parliament representing ...

12. A Christian's Resumé

2 Corinthians 6:3-13

Sermon

Richard W. Ferris

It's time to update your resume! If you're a part of the workforce of the early twenty-first century, that's a common-sounding statement. Job security is almost nonexistent. Competitive wages might mean a couple dollars above minimum wage. Advancement could very well propose that for your good efforts you would be awarded more work for the same salary. Benefits rarely include 100 percent paid insurance and retirement fund, but rather offer you both at cost to be deducted from your paycheck. With those ...

13. Adam's Legacy

Romans 5:12-19

Sermon

Richard W. Ferris

In the musical Fiddler on the Roof, Tevye is the Jewish father of five girls living in a Russian village who finds himself going through a period that is continually challenging his traditions. First, his oldest daughter, Tzeitel does not want to accept the man picked for her by the village matchmaker. But Tevye has already struck up a deal with this man to marry his daughter. And so Tevye goes through a mental wrestling match with himself that goes something like this: "On the one hand ... I'm the papa, ...

14. Abraham Believed God

Romans 4:1-5, 13-17

Sermon

Richard W. Ferris

Abraham believed God. What more powerful statement of faith can there be than those three simple words? Abraham believed God. Let's make a very important distinction about this statement. It doesn't say that Abraham believed in God. It says, "Abraham believed God," and because of his belief in what God said, Abraham was credited with righteousness. It wasn't just that Abraham believed "in God" as in the belief that "God exists," or that some superhuman being created the universe. Abraham believed what God ...

15. Access Denied

Romans 5:1-11

Sermon

Richard W. Ferris

We live in a world of secret passages. We need keys, and perhaps more than one, to get behind locked doors. We need photo ID's to get past security guards. We need passwords to access computer files. We need PIN numbers to get money out of our own bank account or to charge groceries on our bankcards. Some buildings are so sophisticated that you have to use your handprint to get clearance to enter into secured rooms. Just try to get past security without the right password and the computer screen will begin ...

16. Light Is as Light Does

Ephesians 5:8-14

Sermon

Richard W. Ferris

If you saw the movie, Forrest Gump a few years back, you will remember how Forrest always had a quote from his mama to sum up just about any situation that a person might find himself or herself in. And if Forrest were to comment on this text from Ephesians, he might have this to say: "It's like my mama always used to say, 'Light is as light does.' " Light is as light does. And what light does is shine out of the darkness. What light does is to make darkness disappear. Light and darkness cannot exist in ...

17. Temptation of the Palms

Philippians 2:5-11

Sermon

Richard W. Ferris

A couple of years ago a popular slang expression came out that said: “Give it up.” To show you that like someone who is being introduced or a piece of music that’s about to be played, the person making the introduction will indubitably instruct you to “Give it up for..." And you applaud. You scream and yell and jump up and down. You do whatever it takes to show that you really are excited to see this person or hear this particular song. Go ahead; give it up. If that phrase was around a couple of thousand ...

18. After Good Friday

Hebrews 10:16-25

Sermon

Richard W. Ferris

Obsolete. Superceded. Null and void. Those are words that could be used in a court of law to describe legal contracts or agreements that are no longer in effect. Stipulations become obsolete with the passing of time or when two partners break off their partnership, whether it's a business or a marriage. Procedures can be superceded by new practices when old stipulations become obsolete. Whole contracts can become null and void when one side or the other fails to live up to the agreement. Now the happiest ...

19. Taking You Up with Him

Colossians 3:1-4

Sermon

Richard W. Ferris

"If I go down, I'm taking you down with me." We've all heard that line. It's been used in movies and on television shows. We've seen it written in books and even in real-life news articles. Maybe we've even had it said directly to us. Somebody is in big trouble, and they are not going to face the punishment without involving someone else in their suffering. Sometimes there's even a line that follows: "That's not just a threat; it's a promise," just to let us know that they are not bluffing. If they are ...

20. Living Hope

1 Peter 1:3-9

Sermon

Richard W. Ferris

A middle-aged man was on a Caribbean cruise enjoying his first real vacation in years. On the first day out to sea he noticed an attractive woman about his age who smiled at him in a friendly way as he passed her on the deck. This pleased the man greatly. That night he managed to get seated at the same table with her for dinner. As the conversation developed, he commented that he had seen her on the deck that day and he had appreciated her friendly smile. When she heard this, she smiled and commented, " ...

21. Because

1 Peter 1:1—2:3

Sermon

Richard W. Ferris

22. Sheep that Count

1 Peter 2:19-25

Sermon

Richard W. Ferris

Once upon a time there was a lamb named Edgar. Edgar lived with his family and friends in a large flock that roamed the countryside under the leadership of a kind and protective shepherd. Edgar followed his mother, along with the others, from one grazing spot to another, and seemed perfectly content with his life. He would play games with the other lambs, chase butterflies in the meadows, and nuzzle up close to his mother for afternoon naps in the sun. Like all the other sheep in his flock, he went ...

23. The Church that Jesus Built

1 Peter 2:2-10

Sermon

Richard W. Ferris

In the Old Testament, kings believed that God gave them direction in their dreams. If they wanted to know what they were supposed to do in their administration, they would try to receive a direct word from God in their dreams. If they weren't getting any messages in their dreams while lying in their own beds, then they would sleep in the Temple, where they believed it would work better. And thus we have the origin of the time-honored tradition of sleeping in church. I wanted to point that out at the ...

24. King of the Mountain

1 Peter 3:13-22

Sermon

Richard W. Ferris

In a large stone cathedral in Europe there was a grand, magnificent pipe organ. On a particular Saturday afternoon, the sexton was making one final check of the choir and organ loft high in the balcony at the back of the church. As he was making his inspection, he was startled to hear footsteps echoing up the stone stairway behind him. He thought the doors were all locked and that no one else was in the church. He turned to see a man in slightly tattered traveling clothes coming toward him. "Excuse me, sir ...

25. The Eyes of Your Heart

Ephesians 1:15-23

Sermon

Richard W. Ferris

John Edward believes that people don't just die, but that they "cross over." That's nothing earth shattering to Christians because we believe that, too. We believe Jesus taught it and promised it. We believe scripture tells us that is what happens to us when we die. Before Jesus left his disciples he told them he was going to his Father's house to prepare a room for them. He told the thief on the cross, "Today you will be with me in paradise." When Peter asked Jesus where he was going, Jesus told him, " ...

Showing results