Sermon and Worship Resources

Showing 1 to 25 of 85 results

Job 38:1--41:34

Understanding Series

Gerald H. Wilson

... saying that they have not spoken rightly of God (the only place they speak is in the dialogue!) as God’s servant Job has. This strongly indicates that God is commending Job’s counter speeches in the dialogue as having spoken rightly about God. If this is indeed the case (as ... see Gordis, Job, pp. 460–61; Pope, Job, p. 262). In a chase or race, the ostrich leaves the horse and rider behind and laughs in derision at all attempts to run faster. Ostriches have been clocked at peak speeds approaching 80 kph ( ...

2. Jacob Blesses His Sons

Genesis 49:1-28

Understanding Series

John E. Hartley

Jacob’s Last Testament: Just before his death, Jacob, the patriarch whose name Israel will become the name of the nation that will develop from his children, delivers his last testament, focusing on the destinies of his twelve sons. Since God has appeared to Jacob from time to time, he has the authority to describe the character of each tribe in regard to its future settlement in the promised land. This testament is a complex piece, for it is the composite of three genres: deathbed blessing, farewell ...

3. The Song of Moses and Miriam

Exodus 15:1-21

Understanding Series

James K. Bruckner

... introduction and between the three stanzas of the hymn of praise. “I will sing to the LORD, for he is highly exalted. The horse and its rider he has hurled into the sea.” (v. 1b) 15:1 Moses and the Israelites sang this song to the LORD. The natural response to their ... mention the Exodus victory. You rule over the raging of the Sea; . . . You crushed Rahab like one of the slain; with your strong arm you scattered your enemies. (Ps. 89:9–10) The waters saw you, O God, the waters saw you and writhed; the ...

4. A House Or A Home?

Joshua 24:1-27

Sermon

R. E. Lybrand

... television of the mail being carried hundreds of miles by horsemen. One rider would gallop alongside another and pass a saddlebag of important messages to him. The fresh rider would carry the mail for a distance, and then hand it to ... the downfall of this country is approaching rapidly. But if you and I, as Believers, will set an example by constantly working to create strong Christian homes for our families, there may be hope for the future. A little boy asked his busy mother to help him find something ...

5. The Four Horsemen

Revelation 6:1-17

Teach the Text

J. Scott Duvall

... have thought of persecutions occurring under the reign of Nero or Domitian. 6:5–6 there before me was a black horse! Its rider was holding a pair of scales . . . “Two pounds of wheat for a day’s wages, and six pounds of barley for a day ... we have arrived at the end of history (cf. 6:12–17; 11:15–19; 16:17–21). Revelation 6:9–17 encourages us to stand strong as faithful witnesses regardless of any opposition we may face. Outline ii. The fifth seal (6:9–11) (1) The souls of the martyrs under ...

6. Riding A Train

Mark 10:17

Children's Sermon

Kenneth Mortonson

Purpose: To help children understand why we need rules and regulations; and why they should be followed. Material: A train ticket, if available; or a plastic credit card. Lesson: Have any of you ever ridden on a train? ... It is an interesting experience. Long ago, when people rode on the train, they bought a ticket from a person in the station, and when they got on the train, they gave the ticket to another person who was called the conductor. But this is not the case with many trains today. In ...

7. People Who Procrastinate

Luke 9:51-62

Sermon

King Duncan

Most of you are familiar with that time-honored story about a board meeting that Satan once called in hell. At this meeting Satan put this question to his senior advisors: “We need to develop a new strategy for causing havoc upon earth. Do you have any suggestions for a new means of reaching human beings for our side?” One advisor suggested, “Tell them there is no heaven.” Another said, “Tell them there is no hell.” But the prize winning suggestion was judged to be much more effective: “Tell them there is ...

8. The Apothecary

Isaiah 40:1-31, Isaiah 61:1-11

Sermon

Lori Wagner

Prop: Apothecary mortar and pestle or apothecary jar / symbol of apothecary (snake on staff) “He has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim freedom for the captives and release from darkness for the prisoners, to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor and the day of vengeance of our God, to comfort all who mourn, and provide for those who grieve in Zion—to bestow on them a crown of beauty instead of ashes, the oil of joy instead of mourning, and a garment of praise instead of a spirit of despair ...

9. The Curriculum of God’s Kingdom

Matthew 4:12-17

Sermon

Phil Thrailkill

... Danish fisherman. One day Jens was angling for salmon in central Norway's Gaula River when he was swept away by a strong current. Kjell Wilhelmsen, 55, spotted him. Wilhelmsen had fished the Gaula for 25 years and knew where the current would carry Ovesen ... your pain. Share your pain with me, and gain strength from the sharing." J'onn cries out in anguish, then rests his head on the rider's chest. A calmness comes over him. J'onn is baffled but transformed by the stranger's compassion.16 For a moment I want us ...

10. Having The Last Word

John 18:28-40

Sermon

Steven E. Albertin

... enough money. The other loves to give it away. One believes that the weak must serve the strong. The biggest guns and the most bucks do matter. The other believes that the strong get to serve the weak. That the last shall be first and the first shall be last. ... of racial segregation and the status quo were not going to let them have the last word. While in jail the Freedom Riders were often treated poorly and brutally in order to break their spirits. They were deprived of food or given lousy food. Noise ...

11. The Song of Deborah

Judges 5:1-31

Understanding Series

Cheryl A. Brown

Deborah' Song: The Song of Deborah is a rare treasure in the OT, an ancient epic poem embedded in a narrative. While it shares this nearly unique character with a handful of other such texts (Exod. 15:1–18; Deut. 32:1–43; Isa. 38:10–20; Jonah 2:2–9), there is wide agreement that it is the oldest literary witness to early Israelite life and faith. Some scholars believe that it, or part of it, is contemporaneous with the events themselves, while others suggest that it was composed within a generation of the ...

12. The Man Among Myrtle Trees

Zechariah 1:7-17

Understanding Series

Pamela J. Scalise

Superscription to the Vision Reports and Oracles (1:1): Zechariah now describes a series of visions received during one night in the second year of Darius. These reports attach revelations of God’s will and works to aspects of the people’s experience as subjects of the emperor. Zechariah 3:8 provides the key to this way of reading part two of Zechariah when it calls the Jerusalem priesthood a mofet, a sign or portent for the “Branch” to come. In every episode of the vision there is some concrete, present ...

13. Zerubbabel the Lord’s Signet Ring

Haggai 2:20-23

Understanding Series

John Goldingay

December: More than two more months have passed; the day of the final prophecies by Haggai that are recorded, the 24th day of the ninth month (December) is exactly three months from the day when people began the work on the temple, on the 24th day of the sixth month (September, Hag. 1:15). The festival of Hanukkah, commemorating the rededication of the temple after its desecration by Antiochus Epiphanes, was subsequently set to begin on the day after this, on the 25th day of the ninth month (December), ...

14. Yet Alive....Are We?

Romans 12:1-13

Sermon

John E. Harnish

Two centuries of annual conferences have opened with the hymn which asks the essential question: And are we yet alive…? For the early circuit riders, it was a literal reality, a personal greeting. Not having seen or heard from each other for the past year while traveling their far-flung circuits, there was no way of knowing who had survived the rigors of those difficult days when many of them died before they were 35. And they would answer the question with joy as they greeted one another: And are we yet ...

15. Living Bread

John 6:51-58

Sermon

Dean Feldmeyer

In my thirty years of ordained ministry and 50 years of church membership, I have discovered that there are five kinds of Christian: Free Riders, Fans, Friends, Followers and Fanatics. FREE RIDERS are Christians in name only. If you ask them, they will tell you that they believe in God and Jesus. They know how to answer the questions correctly. God is the creator of the universe. Jesus is the son of God, blah, blah, blah. They aren’t sure what any of that means. They don’t really think about it. Most of ...

16. In the Event of Power Failure

Acts 1:1-11

Sermon

Charley Reeb

... you what my Father promised; so stay here in the city until you are clothed with power from on high.” — Luke 24:49 “Be strong in the Lord and in the strength of his power.” — Ephesians 6:10 “Now to him who by the power at work within us ... a ball of fire and set ablaze your world with the love of Jesus Christ. I dare you! 1. Adapted from Circuit Rider © copyright The United Methodist Publishing House, Charles D. Reeb — January/February, 2002. 2. Audio recording of a sermon by the late Bishop ...

17. The Warrior Messiah Conquers the Two Beasts and Their Followers

Revelation 19:1-21

Teach the Text

J. Scott Duvall

... two of them were thrown alive into the fiery lake of burning sulfur. The rest were killed with the sword coming out of the mouth of the rider on the horse, and all the birds gorged themselves on their flesh. In Revelation 19–20, four groups are thrown into the fiery lake: the beast and ... of sin in the interest of an emasculated doctrine of sentimental affection finds no support in the strong and virile realism of the Apocalypse.”6 3. Opposing Christ will have catastrophic results. From the perspective ...

18. For I Have Chosen You!

Haggai 2:20-23

Sermon

Frank Ramirez

... disarray at the sight of these magnificent war machines. But no human general was going to lead this army. The key phrase that the riders would fall, "everyone by the sword of the comrade," makes it clear that this is God's victory. Just as Gideon sent most ... exam. Because we don't know the end of God's term, we have to be ready for the test always. Jesus warned his apostles in strong language: "Beware that no one leads you astray. Many will come in my name and say, 'I am he!' and they will lead many astray. ...

19. The Kings of the South and the North

Daniel 11:2-35

Understanding Series

William Nelson

... ’s funds. According to Jewish tradition, Heliodorus’s mission was not successful, because a visitation from heaven thwarted him. A rider on a horse and two men appeared, who beat Heliodorus until he collapsed and was carried away (2 Macc. 3). ... to become king of the land of Egypt, in order that he might reign over both kingdoms. So he invaded Egypt with a strong force, with chariots and elephants and cavalry and with a large fleet” (1 Macc. 1:16–17 NRSV). Ptolemy VI Philometor, Antiochus’s nephew ...

20. Taming the Tongue

James 3:1-12, James 3:13-18

Understanding Series

Peter H. Davids

... of these animals and they are controlled: not just the head, but the whole horse, is forced to go wherever the rider wishes. A second analogy is to ships. Ships were one of the largest structures early Christians knew. Even a small fishing vessel ... of hate and prejudice, of jealousy, slander, and envy lick straight up from the lake of fire. 3:7–8 Having said some rather strong things about the tongue, James now turns to arguing his case in detail. His main point will be that the tongue, that is, human ...

21. Two Kinds of Wisdom

James 3:13-18, James 3:1-12

Understanding Series

Peter H. Davids

22. Daniel’s Dream of Four Beasts

Daniel 7:1-14

Understanding Series

William Nelson

... where “the Spirit of God was hovering over the waters” (Hartman and Di Lella, Daniel, p. 211). But, in fact, there is a strong contrast between the two passages (Collins, Daniel, p. 294). In Genesis, God is creating the world, bringing order out of chaos. The Spirit ... clouds—his name is the LORD [Yah]” (Ps. 68:4). This presents a problem, though, because in Israel the cloud rider is normally Yahweh. Yet, we already saw that Yahweh is the “Ancient of Days.” Then this transcendent one, with human ...

23. Crossing the Sea

Exodus 13:17--14:31

Understanding Series

James K. Bruckner

... self-revelation to humanity up to that historical moment. When the people looked up they saw the force of the chariots, riders, and infantry marching after them. The children of Israel were terrified and cried out to the LORD. Their next response was ... a new reality with the dry land in the midst of the divided water: all that night the LORD drove the sea back with a strong east wind and turned it into dry land. A special word turns up in “dry land” (kharabah). This is not the more common “dry ground ...

24. The Creator and His Providential Ordering of Creation

Psalm 104:1-35

Understanding Series

Craig C. Broyles

The Creator and His Providential Ordering of Creation Psalm 104 hymns Yahweh as Creator. Every four or five verses (or lines of Hb. poetry) appear to be marked off by repeated terms and to treat a distinct realm of creation (vv. 1–4, 5–9, 10–13, 14–18, 19–23, 24–26, 27–30, 31–35; see further Allen, Psalms 101–150, pp. 31–32). The psalm is very cosmopolitan, echoing motifs from Israelite creation traditions (e.g., Gen. 1, showing both parallels and contrasts), wisdom traditions, Canaanite Baal imagery, and ...

25. The Lord Will Care for Judah

Zechariah 10:1--11:3

Understanding Series

Pamela J. Scalise

The Lord’s Compassionate Care for Judah and Joseph (10:1-12): 10:1–2 Two verses forge a connection with the abundant crops of 9:17, that needed God-given rain (v. 1), and also connect with the unreliable shepherds (v. 3) who did not fill the leadership vacuum of verse 2. In these verses, both a hymnic description of divine provision (v. 1; cf. Job 38:25–27) as well as a critique of false intermediaries who do not give God’s word (v. 2) support the admonition to rely on the Lord alone. Seeking rain from the ...

Showing results