Sermon and Worship Resources

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Mark 1:4-11

Sermon

King Duncan

... and join the church for a variety of reasons. Some regard baptism as a form of spiritual insurance in order to escape the fires of hell. I hope it works for them. But that’s not the best reason either. The best reason for being baptized is to welcome Christ ... But he made the most of those few short years, investing them for God’s glory. (5) We can thank God for Richard Taylor’s conversion. He left his addictions, his unsavory lifestyle and his criminal friends behind. And he had a positive influence ...

2. Where Are You?

Hosea 11:1-11

Sermon

Richard L. Sheffield

... Chapel at St. Patrick's Cathedral. At the other end of the pew, by coincidence, was an old friend I hadn't seen in 15 years. Richard had lost most of the hair on the top of his head. I had lost all the hair on my top lip. So it took us ... to life's questions. But the basic question of the Bible is not that of those who try to scare people into heaven by scaring the hell out of them. Asking questions like "If you were to die tonight where would you be tomorrow?" The basic question of the Bible and of life ...

3. Entitlements

Luke 16:19-31

Sermon

King Duncan

... things they get only because of their money and connections. It may remind us of that devastating barb hurled by Ann Richards at George Bush at the Democratic convention years ago: "He was born on third base and thinks he hit a triple ... angels to be with Abraham in the place of the righteous dead. The rich man also died and was buried, and his soul went into hell. There, in torment, the rich man saw Lazarus in the far distance with Abraham. "Father Abraham," the rich man shouted, "have some pity! Send Lazarus ...

4. Generic Christianity Is Not Enough

Romans 12:1-8

Sermon

Maxie Dunnam

... become far too casual about life -- how we act, how we relate to others, the values we hold --become all too relative. Richard Holloway, a writer I have only recently discovered, former Anglican bishop of Edinburgh, tells of an experience one wet summer Sunday when ... thy life God to glorify, Jesus to imitate, a soul to save, a body to mortify, sins to repent of, virtues to acquire, hell to avoid, heaven to gain, eternity to prepare for, time to profit by, neighbors to edify, the world to despise, devils to ...

5. Friends

Proverbs 27:6, 9, 17

Sermon

James Merritt

... know that there are teenagers in jail today because they chose the wrong friends? Did you know that there are people in hell today because they chose the wrong friends? When I go into prisons and minister, it is amazing how when you talk to prisoners ... on a pound of butter, and a real friend will have a sharpening correcting influence on your life. I will be forever convinced that Richard Nixon lost his presidency because he didn't have one true friend around him. He did not have one person who early on could ...

6. How Do You Get To Heaven?

1 Thessalonians 4:13--5:11

Sermon

King Duncan

... In Port Gibson, Mississippi, there is a tombstone that reads like this: Here lies the body of Bob Dent; He kicked up his heels and to Hell he went. Back to merry England for this one on the tomb of a woman who was one of four wives: Stranger pause And shed ... of leukemia. Mr. Skelton has built a shrine in his home and has not been able to touch anything in the room that is just as Richard, his son, had left it. (3) Our hearts go out to this grief-stricken man, but there is a better way to deal with death. St ...

7. Coping When It Seems Impossible

Sermon

Robert G. Tuttle

... peace, separated from meaningful life. If she continues in this state of willful separation and dies in it, she is in hell. But God does not want it so. If she can accept the love and forgiveness of Christ, she will be free, ... heal and enable can be put in another way: It was a naive but impressive tribute ... when Kenny Everett said about the "Peter Pan Christian," Cliff Richard, "I don’t know what he’s on, but it works!" (Derick Greeves, Expository Times) I know what Paul "was on," and it works! Behind ...

8. Lift High the Christ!

John 12:20-36

Sermon

George Bass

... : "Richard was a fine man. We shall see no finer in our time." He relaxed, even though he couldn’t get the lid open, because the gardener would soon come. But before he knew what was happening, a small panel opened and a metal arm injected him with a fluid that paralyzed him - and soon his death was inevitable. The coffin had been built so that it even dug a grave; lowered itself into it, and pulled in the dirt behind him. The younger brother who had viewed the coffin and said to his brother, "To hell ...

9. The Grace Question: Are You A Teacher...and Yet Do Not Understand?

John 3:1-21

Sermon

Maxie Dunnam

... , for Thou art with me, Thy rod and thy staff they comfort me." I prayed those words continually as an incantation against the hell raging in me." God rescued Dan Wakefield. He found his way back to sanity, health, and a renewed relationship with God that brought ... Slowly, she unfolded the paper and a quarter fell out. Spreading the paper out in front of her, she found a note written on it in Richard's 7-year-old scrawl. "I done it for love." Love is a matter of grace. It's always gift. And we could go on ...

10. The Grace Question: “Are You a Teacher…and Yet Do Not Understand These Things?”

John 3:1-21

Sermon

Maxie Dunnam

... , for Thou art with me, Thy rod and Thy staff they comfort me.” I prayed those words continually as an incantation against the hell raging in me.” God rescued Dan Wakefield. He found his way back to sanity, health, and a renewed relationship with God that brought ... unfolded the paper and a quarter fell out. Spreading the paper out in front of her, she found a note written on it in Richard’s 7-year-old scrawl. “I done it for love.” Love is a matter of grace. It’s always a gift. The most important ...

11. Oops! I Didn't See You

Luke 16:19-31

Sermon

King Duncan

... him to Abraham’s side.” The rich man also died, said Jesus, but he didn’t go to Abraham’s side. Instead he found himself in hell. From this realm of torment, he looked up and he saw Abraham far away. Then the rich man couldn’t believe his eyes. There at Abraham ... . 4. David McCullough, Mornings on Horseback (1981), pp. 97,101,167; Hofstadter, op.cit., pp. 209-210. Cited in Richard Shenkman, Legends, Lies & Cherished Myths of American History (New York: Harper & Row, Pub., 1988), pp. 39-40. 5. Philip ...

12. Knowing When To Run

Genesis 39:1-2, 6b-16

Sermon

J. Howard Olds

... in my life when I wish God did not trust me so much. While temptations come in all shapes and sizes, Richard Foster, in his classic book, The Challenge of the Disciplined Life, says there are three particular temptations that are present especially ... I pull out a match, strike it, and then I put it out with my fingers and it burns a little bit. Then I say to myself, ‘Hell is a whole lot hotter than this match,' and I'm drawn back to reality again." Sometimes it is just smart to run. People of integrity know ...

13. The Happy Hypocrite

Matthew 6:1-4, 5-6, 16-18

Sermon

King Duncan

... by the city newspaper of Harlingen, Texas one day and said that he was from Cleveland, Ohio. His name was Donald Richards. He was visiting the area, he said “to encourage more motorists to use their seat belts.” He said that his wife had ... Max Beerbohm, a British writer and cartoonist, titled “The Happy Hypocrite.” The story is about a despicable and dissolute man named Lord George Hell. Lord George fell in love with a beautiful young lady. He knew he could not win her heart if she knew what he was ...

14. Baptism And Self-Esteem

Mark 12:28-34

Sermon

Steven E. Albertin

... to abuse their children or to become criminals? They have no self-esteem. Do you remember the cheerful and goofy guru of weight loss, Richard Simmons? Why is he not only an advocate of weight loss but also such a cheerleader and promoter of positive thinking? You aren't ... 't that one of the ultimate consequences of hell: living without any sense of self-esteem, trapped in the depths of our despair and self-hatred? Such hell is not just in eternity. There can be "hell on earth" right now. When we confess our ...

15. Until He Comes

2 Timothy 4:7-8

Sermon

James Merritt

... as the mercy of God; the problem of sin as well as the pleasure of salvation; repentance as well as faith. H. Richard Niebuhr once described what is called Classical liberalism as consisting in a "God without wrath, bringing people without sin, into a kingdom ... faith. We are being told today by some church growth gurus, baby boomer experts, and church marketing agents, "Don't preach on hell, don't talk about money, don't mention politics, don't be controversial." Well, I'm reminded of what William Booth, the ...

16. Act Quickly - Catch It Early

Matthew 5:21-26

Sermon

King Duncan

... who is angry with his brother will be subject to judgment . . . anyone who says, ‘You fool!’ will be in danger of the fire of hell. “Therefore, if you are offering your gift at the altar and there remember that your brother has something against you, leave your gift there in front ... Publishers, 2004), p. 71. 3. (Nashville: Thomas Nelson, 2008). 4. Richard De Haan, http://preceptaustin.org/hebrews_12_sermon_illustrations.htm 5. Diogenes Allen, Between Two Worlds (Atlanta: John Knox Press, 1971), p. 25.

17. Know What Time It Is!

Luke 16:1-15

Sermon

W. Robert McClelland

... , it had little or no effect on his well being. Gerald Ford may have felt magnanimous in granting the pardon, but Richard Nixon felt guilty and his depression, the reports said, increased. The problem with this theology for me personally is that while ... amazing clarity; especially if it is divine love. The New Testament Saul had boundless energy and commitment. Unfortunately, he was also hell-bent on persecuting Christians. That is, until he caught God's attention. The Holy One decided that with all that get ...

18. The Stranger at the Tomb

Mark 16:1-20

Sermon

George Bass

... but the whole world - so that everyone may know that Jesus is Lord and believe and trust him. Two brothers, Richard and Daniel Gunther, wrote about a Kannon Buddhist ceremony they witnessed, and in which they participated, in Sao Paulo, ... Table to experience his presence in the meal he has provided in his Body and Blood. The One who himself, according to the Creed, "descended into Hell" and had a fire walk of his own, now sends us forth. "Go and tell" the story, not simply a story of human potential but of ...

19. Building A Church

Acts 1:12-26

Sermon

King Duncan

... music's so loud it scares the devil out of them." (1) Did you know that in Columbia, S.C., there is a Richard M. Nixon Memorial Church, a congregation blending Baptist and Quaker doctrines? The pastor, Rev. Noel Vande Grift, said the inspiration to name the ... , he still hitched a ride to the stadium and made it there by kickoff time. He is determined to cheer on his team, come hell or high water. As he says, "Only death will keep me from a football game." (7) We encounter people who are passionate about many ...

20. Drowning In A Sea Of Stuff

Luke 12:13-21

Sermon

King Duncan

... . Many of us are drowning in a sea of stuff. Let me ask you a very important question: Does Jesus say this man is going to hell because he built bigger barns? No. Does Jesus call this man a sinner because he built bigger barns? No. Does Jesus even say it is wrong ... possessions. Imagine if we put our time and energy to better uses. Jesus knows we are not evil people; simply foolish. Dr. Richard Halverson, while serving as chaplain of the U.S. Senate, made a speech in which he said that modern man suffers from ...

21. Playing to the Right Audience

Matthew 6:16-18, Matthew 6:1-4

Sermon

Phil Thrailkill

... blessings. That was the same night I turned down heaven’s offer to give an extra twenty at Bible School! How little I learned! Richard Foster wrote: “When we let go of money, we are letting go of part of ourselves and part of our security. But this is ... talk to a pastor.” We went into the office, and I listened. I believe that a special place in the hottest parts of hell are reserved for those who steal the innocence of young men and women. They steal what cannot be replaced and inflicts wounds that are ...

22. Better To Be a Loner than a Loser

Daniel 1:1-21

Sermon

James Merritt

... to be a loser. You might say that day that a loner was killed by two losers. The losers are now alone in hell, the loner is now with Jesus in heaven. James Patterson and Peter Kim wrote a book entitled The Second American Revolution. In ... politician is more concerned with being popular than with being right, and is more interested in reputation than he is in character. Richard Capen, Jr., former publisher of the Miami Herald, was speaking about making decisions according to opinion polls. Listen to what he ...

23. How to Deal with Friends, Foes, and Fools

Proverbs 27:6

Sermon

James Merritt

... it is better to be alone than in bad company." George Washington It is fair to say that there are people in hell today because they chose the wrong friends. Our jails are filled with thugs who should have been college graduates contributing to society, ... soon after his release from prison. There was still much hostility toward the entire Watergate crowd, especially Richard Nixon. Questions were being thrown at him rapid fire, and the students were becoming increasingly hostile. One student stood up and ...

24. The Pride Is Right

Jeremiah 9:23-24

Sermon

James Merritt

... foreign land, a fugitive from justice, penniless. Howard Hopson died in an insane asylum. Arthur Cutten went bankrupt and died in a foreign country. Richard Whitney had just been released from Sing Sing Prison. Ivar Kreuger and Leon Frser both committed suicide.3 What is the point? God ... God," then you can know the pride is right. 1. John Blanchard, Whatever Happened to Hell?, p. 268. 2. Charles Swindoll, Growing Deep in the Christian Life, p. 93. 3. A. L. Williams, All you Can Do Is All You Can Do, But All You ...

25. Tremendous Trifles

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

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

... parent (s) with these words: "If you don't go to FirstBaptistChurch with your kid, I'd like to lock you up." Richard Weissbourd has another equally powerful answer but one that comes before sentencing a criminal to church. Weissbourd teaches at Harvard's ... the Evil One. For it is the only community on earth to whom the keys of the kingdom are given. The gates of hell can prevail against anything and everything but the church. In the church's brandishing of the Ten Commandments, we are not offering this ...

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