Sermon and Worship Resources

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Acts 9:1-6, (7-20)

Sermon

King Duncan

... you look back on it years later. But not in that moment. In that moment, it was frustrating. A man named Norm Williams shared a misunderstanding he had at his local library when he requested copies of two books by author Deborah Tannen. Tannen is ... this Scripture lesson is, “Lord, what do You want me to do?” Our Bible passage for this morning ends with a new challenge for Saul. After he has been struck blind, knocked to the ground, and confronted by the voice of Jesus, then Jesus says, “Now get up and go ...

2. I Believe in Easter

Acts 9:1-29

Sermon

James Merritt

... . 27:1, "The Lord is my light and my salvation." Now this was no ordinary light. For, first of all, Paul was blinded by that light. "Then Saul arose from the ground, and when his eyes were opened he saw no one." (v.8a) God had to cause physical blindness in order to give Paul ... Physician. At the end of the book, Caldwell encourages her readers if they want more information to read the gospel of Luke. William Murray did, and by the time he finished the gospel of Luke, he got on his knees and gave his heart to ...

3. Martyrs, Monsters, and Miracles

Acts 9:19b-31

Sermon

King Duncan

... the stand in a trial. He approached her and asked, "Mrs. Jones, do you know me?" She responded, "Why, yes, I do know you, Mr. Williams. I've known you since you were a young boy. And frankly, you've been a big disappointment to me. You lie, you cheat, you ... our young people and our children. They are a delight to have around. It was Barnabas who helped convince the church at Jerusalem that Saul was not a monster, that the change in his life was real. We all need a Barnabas in our lives, a person who believes ...

4. Your Wake-up Call

Philippians 3:1-11

Sermon

King Duncan

... destruction. Ironically it was a way of life that looked, on the outside, like a great success. Paul, whose Hebrew name was Saul, was an Israelite, a descendant of Abraham, from the tribe of Benjamin. He had a respected family heritage. He was a student ... peace and fulfillment. No other goal will satisfy your life in the same way. And that brings us back to the story of Chad Williams, our Navy SEAL who thought he would find success in a military career with one of the most elite special forces teams in the ...

5. David the Conqueror

2 Sam 5:6-25

Teach the Text

Robert B. Chisholm Jr.

... that the Lord has raised him up for the sake of his people, Israel. 5:21 The Philistines abandoned their idols. Following Saul’s death, the Philistines “proclaim the news in the temple of their idols” (1 Sam. 31:9). But now, ironically, the ... speech in the film about freedom, about warring against cruelty, has the ethos of David in the Old Testament. He says, “I am William Wallace. I seek a whole army of countrymen to defeat tyranny. What will you do without freedom? We will fight, and we may ...

6. Acquaintances Or Friends?

2 Samuel 16:15--17:29

Sermon

Arthur H. Kolsti

... it is his own son. Through the casting of lots the finger points directly to Jonathan, who confesses that he took a taste of honey. Saul vows to kill him but the people rise as one and bluntly tell the king not to touch one hair of Jonathan's head. The ... one another. The play, Inherit The Wind, revolves around the Scopes trial and the argument between the opposing attorneys, William Jennings Bryan and Clarence Darrow. During the play Matthew Brady (Bryan) says to Henry Drummond (Darrow), "What happened? We ...

7. Saul on the Rampage

1 Samuel 22:6-23

Teach the Text

Robert B. Chisholm Jr.

... of the self-destructive consequences of blatant disobedience. Illustrating the Text Power corrupts, generates jealousy and fear, and produces a paranoia that casts allies in the role of enemies. Literature: Lord of the Flies, by William Golding. Few fictional works illustrate so vividly the terrible fate that befalls Saul in this passage as this well-known work of fiction (1954) by this Nobel Prize–winning British author (1911–93), which was also made into two films (1963, 1990). Lord of the Flies tells ...

8. The Lord Chooses a New King

1 Samuel 16:14-23, 1 Samuel 16:1-13

Teach the Text

Robert B. Chisholm Jr.

... loved one (2 Sam. 13:37). Samuel’s remorse is deep and painful. It is clear that Samuel is not part of some conspiracy against Saul, who eventually loses his throne because of divine disapproval, not human betrayal. 16:4 the elders of the town trembled. The elders’ fear at Samuel’ ... great leaders and the trend today: The faith-world of John Wesley, Jonathan Edwards, John Jay, William Wilberforce, Hannah More, Lord Shaftesbury, Catherine Booth, Hudson Taylor, D. L. Moody, Charles Spurgeon, Oswald ...

9. Down in the Dungeon

Psalm 130:1-8

Sermon

King Duncan

... man who is skillful in playing the lyre; and when the evil spirit from God is upon you, he will play it, and you will be well.’ So Saul said to his servants, ‘Provide for me a man who can play well, and bring him to me.’ One of the young men answered, ‘Behold, I have seen ... A World View on the Baby Boomer Blues,” USA Today, April 21, 1989. 2. Pat Williams, The Paradox of Power (New York: Warner Faith, 2002). 3. Cited by Nevitt Smith, http://www.ashlandmethodist.org/04-01-04.html. 4. Richard ...

10. Man Proposes; God Disposes

Acts 1:15-17, 21-26

Sermon

Ron Lavin

... was a mistake on the part of those Catholics to think they could get a Baptist to completely become a Catholic. There are small mistakes and bigger ones. Saul's big mistake caused lives to be lost. God disposed of the matter by choosing him as his missionary apostle, thus correcting the apostles' smaller mistake of choosing ... proposes; God alone disposes. You can build a life around that principle. 1. William Barclay, Commentary on the Acts of the Apostles (Philadelphia: The Westminster Press, 1976), p. 17.

11. “Your Sin Will Find You Out”: The Lord Confronts His Sinful Servant

2 Samuel 12:1-31

Teach the Text

Robert B. Chisholm Jr.

... 16:30). 12:15 the Lord struck the child. The Lord struck (nagap) Nabal (1 Sam. 25:38), and David anticipated that he would strike Saul (1 Sam. 26:10). But now, ironically, the verb is used with David’s child as the object. Actions directed toward David’s enemies in ... the fathers. Illustrating the Text Divine discipline is severe even when forgiveness is extended. Literature: King Lear, by William Shakespeare. This play (1608), viewed by many as full of biblical allusions, is a study in the consequences ...

12. What Would It Take?

Philippians 3:1-11

Sermon

King Duncan

... in the book of Acts, chapters seven and eight. At that time, he is a young Pharisee. He is not known as Paul, but Saul. Saul is of the tribe of Benjamin, one of the original twelve tribes of the nation of Israel. He has a family lineage he can ... Now that I wanted to lose it, I was winning it." (5) How have your priorities changed since you gave your life to Christ? William Manson spoke a challenging word concerning the nature of the Christian life. He said, "The life the Christian is called to live with Christ ...

13. Vendetta

2 Kings 1:1-18

Sermon

Lori Wagner

... makes people sink to the lowest possible state of humanness. Think of the Hatfield and McCoy feud which became a war. In 1954 William Golding wrote a book about a similar state of human fallenness called “Lord of the Flies.” In the story, several boys are stranded ... Kings 1) Minor Text The Egyptians Do Not Heed Moses’ and Aaron’s Miracles (Exodus 7-11) The Story of David, Goliath and Saul’s Vendetta (1 Samuel 16-19) Psalm 1: Do Not Follow the Wicked Psalm 37: Do Not Fret About the Wicked Psalm 151 ...

14. Broken and Beautiful

Luke 18:9-14, Psalm 51:1-19

Sermon

Bill Bouknight

... Saul. Compared to the sins of David, Saul's failings seem minor. He was guilty of incomplete obedience. But his punishment was awesome when compared to David's. Saul's throne and God's Holy Spirit were taken from him. Why the difference in punishment? Saul's confession was half-hearted, much more a rationalization, full of excuses. Saul ... compare themselves to the holiness of God and beg for mercy. The late Scotsman William Barclay told about traveling by train from Glasgow, Scotland to London. As they passed ...

15. Not Far From the Kingdom

Mark 12:28-34

Sermon

Warren Thomas Smith

... transformation, not the least of whom was the gentle Ananias who greeted the young Pharisee as "Brother Saul." So it was that Saul gradually became Paul. Few people have experienced so dynamic a transformation: Physical, moral, mental, and spiritual influences ... feel like going. God may have a special blessing in store). Even so, Wesley went to the prayer service at Aldersgate Street. William Holland was probably the man who was reading Luther’s Preface to Romans: In the evening I went very unwillingly to a ...

16. Therapy in Melody or Healing in 4/4 Time

1 Samuel 16:14-23

Sermon

David E. Leininger

... out the evil spirits.(1) And it works. As the lesson has it, "...David would take his harp and play. Then relief would come to Saul; he would feel better, and the evil spirit would leave him." These days we have our own evil spirits. Some are small and private ... played chamber music in the midst of all the grief and grime. Finally, all but one of the musicians had to leave, so William Harvey was left with his solo violin. A man in fatigues who introduced himself as Sergeant Major asked if Bill would mind ...

17. “Be Exalted, O God, above the Heavens; Let Your Glory Be over All the Earth”

Psalm 57:1-11

Teach the Text

C. Hassell Bullock

... ) Historical and Cultural Background The title associates the psalm with David and identifies more specifically an occasion when “he had fled from Saul into the cave.” The book of 1 Samuel relates two incidents when David is in a cave. The first is the cave ... God’s care for us! (For “eagle’s wings,” see “The Text in Context” in the unit on Ps. 91.) As William O. Cushing proclaims in his hymn Under His Wings, Under His wings I am safely abiding; Tho’ the night deepens and tempests are wild. Still ...

18. A Father’s Friend

2 Samuel 9:1-13

Sermon

... mom’s garden behind the garage. Back in the 1890s, tragedy had sounded a death knell to a family in Big Bend River, near Spokane, Washington. William Jackson Smart had just buried his wife. She had left him with five small boys and a baby girl to raise. In the spring of 1910 ... . As one of the few survivors of Saul’s family, it was felt that David, Saul’s greatest enemy would kill Mephibosheth if he caught the lad. Years passed, and one day a servant of Saul’s told David that Mephibosheth still lived. ...

19. Dynamic Preaching January 2024 Sermons

Sermon

King Duncan

... . In fact, he was the last of Israel’s Judges and the first of its prophets. Remember, it was Samuel who anointed both King Saul and King David to be kings. He had an important role to play in the Old Testament. He played that role thanks to a mother ... to the mindset of a pre-scientific world. Perhaps it is because we have been exposed to so much human evil in our century. William Barclay tells of a traveler in Soviet Georgia in the days before the Second World War. She was taken to see a very humble ...

20. Barren No More

1 Sam 1:1-20–2:11

Teach the Text

Robert B. Chisholm Jr.

... given right to rule as Israel’s king. The narrator demonstrates that God rejects Saul and chooses David. Though he does exhibit some political ambition, David does not usurp the throne and then claim divine authority to ... said terrible things about Jesus “a long time ago.”10 The justice of God identifies with and vindicates his oppressed people. Poetry: William Cullen Bryant. The following poem by Bryant (1794–1878) was found (interleaved) at the opening of chapter 40 of Harriet Beecher Stowe ...

21. A Vexing Vision

Acts 9:1-6 (7-20)

Sermon

Charley Reeb

... against it. He went, despite the risk of appearing foolish. He went, despite the risk of losing his life. He went and paid a visit to his worst nightmare, Saul of Tarsus. And we are left asking, “How was Ananias able to do such a thing?” The answer to that question is found in verse 18. When Ananias ... Amazing About Grace? (Grand Rapids, Michigan: Zondervan, 1997), p. 70. 4. William H. Willimon, Pulpit Resource, 29.2, p. 25. 5. Desmond Tutu, No Future Without Forgiveness (New York: Doubleday, 1999), 8.

22. Yesterday, Today, and Forever

Acts 8:26-40

Sermon

Ron Lavin

... the work of Christ. Stephen, another deacon chosen to help with spreading the good news, had been martyred, with Saul watching and approving. Saul was the fanatical Pharisee who was "ravaging the church by entering house after house; dragging off both men and ... unheard of. We hit the scene when there were 5-and-10-cent stores, where you bought things for five and ten cents. Sanders or Williams sold ice cream cones for a nickel or a dime. For one nickel you could ride a street car, make a phone call, buy a ...

23. “In the Lord I Take Refuge”

Psalm 11:1-7

Teach the Text

C. Hassell Bullock

... with God that enabled him to trust the Lord. For example, as David volunteers to stand against the giant Goliath, he recounts to Saul his successful battles against lions and bears. And, David says, “The Lord who rescued me from the paw of the lion and the paw ... brings hope as it provides direction. In the midst of distress, speak honestly with God. Literature: Stories for the Journey, by William R. White. In this book, White shares the story of a seminary professor, Hans, who was devastated by the loss of ...

24. “Your Love Is Better Than Life”

Psalm 63:1-11

Teach the Text

C. Hassell Bullock

... gives convincing reasons to assign Psalm 63 to the time of Absalom’s rebellion. His reasons are the following: (1) during Saul’s pursuit, David could not easily call himself “king”; (2) during his flight from Absalom he spent one or two days ... Desire God: How I Fight for Joy, by John Piper. Piper writes about fasting as a way to deepen our hunger for God. He quotes William Law: “If you don’t feel strong desires for the manifestation of the glory of God, it is not because you have drunk deeply and ...

25. Overcoming Envy

Matthew 20:1-16

Sermon

King Duncan & Angela Akers

... back from the battlefield, the women sang, “Saul has slain his thousands, but David his ten thousands,” and a sickness began to grow in Saul’s heart so much so that you read in the Old Testament that Saul spent the rest of his life tracking ... Daily Mail, Reader’s Digest (Reader’s Digest USA). 2. (New York: Quill, 1984), pp. 2-25. Cited in Doug Sherman and William Hendricks, How to Succeed Where It Really Counts, (Colorado Springs, Colorado: NavPress, 1989), pp. 28-29. 3. Faith Popcorn and Adam Hanft ...

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