Sermon and Worship Resources

Showing 1 to 25 of 461 results

1. Looking for Ducklings: Kissing the Sidewalk

Acts 7:54--8:1a

Sermon

Tony Everett

... is not about the control of princes, priests, or kings. It is about the power of the risen and reigning Christ, the Son of Man himself. Because God revealed this to Stephen, Stephen was able to suffer and even to die with the courage and confidence of Christ’s continuing presence with him. While the stones were flying, Stephen could still pray, “Lord Jesus receive my spirit” (Acts 7:59). Here was not only the bedtime prayer of Jewish children (see Psalm 31:15) it also echoed Jesus’ own prayer on the ...

2. Stephen’s Speech to the Sanhedrin

Acts 7:1-53

Understanding Series

David J. Williams

... 2:14; Heb. 9:12; 1 Pet. 1:18f.; see note on 8:32f.). Significantly, the title “redeemer” belongs to God in the Old Testament, but Stephen saw Moses both as the type of Christ and as acting for God and therefore able to bear such a name. That this was indeed an ... 4; 6:10; also Rom. 2:25, 29)—who in the past had resisted the Holy Spirit (cf. Num. 27:14; Isa. 63:10) and were still deaf to God’s message (v. 51). Their fathers had killed God’s messengers, the prophets (cf. 1 Kings 19:10, 14; Neh. 9:26; ...

3. Stephen Seized

Acts 6:8-15

Understanding Series

David J. Williams

... congregation must be ruled out. In any case, Paul appears to have lived in Jerusalem from an early age and may have had no strong personal links with the land of his birth, though obviously some ties with Cilicia did still remain (cf. 9:30; see disc. on 22:3). 6:10–11 Inspired by the Spirit (cf. v. 3), Stephen spoke with such cogency that his opponents were unable to get the better of him in arguments (cf. Luke 12:12; 21:15; 1 Cor. 1:17; 2:6; 12:8f.). So they resorted to other means. They hired informers ...

4. Transforming Love

Acts 9:1-19a

Sermon

Douglas J. Deuel

... had been a domineering and a violent persecutor of the followers of Christ. Saul had been present at the stoning of Stephen (Acts 7:58). Then he helped to lead a great persecution against the church. "Saul laid waste the church, and entering ... girl, she finally felt whole again. She felt once again that in spite of what had happened to her and all of its ugliness, she was still a child of God. She was loved and she had value in God's eyes. Her beautiful little girl represented the miracle of God's love for ...

5. Stephen’s Stones

Acts 7:54--8:1a

Sermon

Richard F. Bansemer

... untimely death? Maybe you are stronger than others, but most of us would die more like a dog than a martyr. Who could say, in his last two comments, the words that Stephen said: "Lord Jesus, receive my spirit." "Lord! Do not remember this sin against them!" Maybe we could say the first, but who could mean the second? Chances are, each of us is still holding a grudge against someone in his life. Chances are, we’ll never get around to forgiving that person who harmed us. It’s not my purpose to dig up old ...

6. Christians Die Well

Acts 7:54--8:1a

Sermon

Barbara Brokhoff

... room, the dying man feebly and weakly roused himself on one elbow and said, "But remember, if I get well, our old quarrel still stands!" Stephen’s forgiveness of his enemies was more honest than that. With his dying breath, he prayed for those who caused his death. Stephen Died Without Fear (verse 60) As the stones hailed down upon his body; bruised, bleeding, and broken, Stephen prayed for his enemies and died. But note how the Scripture describes his death, "And when he said this, he fell asleep." "Fell ...

7. Practicing and Preaching

Acts 7:54--8:1a

Sermon

... of it. . . apostles, teachers, healers, administrators, helpers. . . (1 Corinthians 12:5-10) Luther, too, realized the importance of this election of Stephen arid the others. The slogan he gave their movement was "priesthood of all believers," which is another way of saying you don' ... to the poor, to dead last. Aiding the poor is another job only laypeople can do well. Youth work is still another ministry best done by laypeople. It takes special gifts of talent, patience, and even charisma to lead youth into ...

8. Excuses! Excuses!

Matthew 25:14-30

Sermon

King Duncan

... created so far is purely destructive.” Then he added, “Talk about creating life in our own image.” Hawking may not be a religious man--or maybe he is. Who knows what is really in anyone’s heart? Still, he has an accurate insight into humanity’s essential nature. Now I realize that Stephen Hawking is an exceptional man. Just as Fanny Crosby, the blind author of so many great hymns was an exceptional woman. And I know we should not expect everyone to have the determination that they had. We should ...

9. The Unity Of The Church

Ephesians 4:1-16

Sermon

Erskine White

... or the Abstract of Principles of 1859?" "Why, I subscribe to the New Hampshire Confession of 1833." "Die, you heretic!" cried Stephen, and he pushed the man off the bridge. It's fun to laugh at the silly ways Christians divide themselves from ... been said that eleven o'clock on Sunday morning is the most segregated hour in America and it saddens Jesus to see it is still true as He walks through our imaginary town. Finally, on an outlying road, is the newest church in town, the Fundamentalist Bible Church. They ...

10. Where Heaven And Earth Meet

Genesis 28:10-22

Sermon

King Duncan

... don't know much about God. I only know how you looked after that experience in your jeep. You looked like the little girl Stephen King described in his novel Firestarter, whose hair sometimes seemed to be on fire. Ever since you shared that story with me, I' ... occasion: he built a pillar to mark the spot. This dream marked a turning point for Jacob the striver, the supplanter. Though he still is a deal-maker--even with God--this vision marked a new understanding for Jacob of who he was and what was expected ...

11. Easter 4

1 Peter 2:13-25, Acts 7:54--8:1a, Acts 6:1-7, John 10:1-21

Sermon Aid

Russell F. Anderson

... " (v. 24). A psychiatrist struggled with a very difficult patient. "I've done everything I know how to do but you are still the same," she sobbed. "I have failed to get through to you." From that moment, the patient began to show a dramatic ... lay waste to God's sheep. We too are doors by which others enter into the fold of faith. How widely is it open? Outline: 1. Stephen was a window to God's forgiving grace (What the Apostle Paul witnessed may have led to his conversion) 2. We are windows to the eternal ...

12. No Partiality

Acts 10:34-43

Sermon

John N. Brittain

... again, a second time, "What God has made clean, you must not call profane." This happened three times and Peter was still pondering it when the messengers from Cornelius arrived. Isn't it tempting to remind ourselves how Peter had denied Jesus three ... a mistake to think that it was settled once for all at Nicaea or Constantinople or Chalcedon. A few years ago (2003), Stephen Prothero, the chair of the religion department at Boston University, wrote an important book, American Jesus: How the Son of God Became ...

13. Which Jesus? This Jesus!

Acts 17:1-9

Sermon

Barbara Brokhoff

... he? But first, let’s remember the background of the story that raises the question. Last Sunday we read and heard of Stephen, the first Christian martyr, who was stoned to death for the Christian faith. But while he was dying and praying for ... that indicate the crying need of the soul: "Just a Closer Walk With Thee," "Draw Me Nearer," "O Love That Wilt Not Let Me Go," "Still, Still With Thee," "What a Friend We Have in Jesus." Persons of all time have echoed the urgency to have a Jesus who comes in a ...

14. The Choosing of the Seven

Acts 6:1-7

Understanding Series

David J. Williams

... next, which are largely an account of the “acts of Stephen,” serve a twofold purpose. First, they complete Luke’s picture of the early church while it was still for the most part confined to Jerusalem, noting certain problems that ... that area. But this is sheer speculation. What we do know of the two will be discussed in the following sections. Here, we need only notice that Stephen is said to have been a man full of faith and of the Holy Spirit (v. 5). His was a faith not different in kind from the ...

15. Your Wake-up Call

Philippians 3:1-11

Sermon

King Duncan

... cell phones as their alarm clocks, so the idea of a wake-up call seems outdated. But there are a few high-end hotels that still advertise a personal wake-up call that is guaranteed to get you out of bed. One luxury hotel in Aruba makes an initial wake-up call ... even participated in an act of mob violence when a crowd of equally zealous Jews stoned to death a young preacher named Stephen. By his own standards, Paul was very successful in achieving his goals. But what does it mean if you are very successful ...

16. The Cost of Being Christian

Acts 7:54--8:1a

Sermon

... to save all the world as demonstration of the breadth of God’s love. They stoned him to death for that. It cost him something to be a Christian. It cost Stephen his life. It is my perception that the effort to limit Jesus, and the preachings of Jesus, to that which gives you a good feeling in your heart and helps you have the hope of heaven is still very strong. Let a preacher spend too much of his time on what Jesus demands and expects more than he does on what Jesus has to offer and the preacher may ...

17. A Man Who Walked the Talk

Acts 7:55-60

Sermon

King Duncan

... . The old man rose up on his elbow and spoke one final word, “But remember, if I get well our old quarrel still stands.” We can understand his attitude. The need for revenge is a powerful emotion. However, compare his attitude with a woman in ... in behalf of those who had put him there. Of course, he was the son of God. We might expect that out of him. But what about Stephen? He was a frail human being like you and me and yet as the stones ravaged his body, he lifted up his gaze and prayed, “Lord, do not ...

18. What Fills Your Life Now?

Acts 7:55-60

Sermon

King Duncan & Angela Akers

... : “Popularity is how many likes you collect. Impact is how many lives you enrich.” (2) Our Bible passage for this morning is about a man who enriched many lives. In fact, his life left such a lasting impact that he is still inspiring people all over the world today. His name is Stephen, and he was a leader of the early church. For the last couple of weeks we’ve been talking about how the Christian Church began, when the Holy Spirit that Jesus had promised filled a group of men and women in Jerusalem ...

19. Stephen’s Speech to the Sanhedrin

Acts 7:1-53

One Volume

Gary M. Burge

... , the brothers of Joseph sold him into Egypt because of jealousy (7:9). When Moses first stood up for his fellow Israelites, they rejected him as their leader, a fact that Stephen repeats twice in this speech (7:27, 35). In the concluding section, Stephen accuses them of being “stiff-necked people,” whose “hearts and ears are still uncircumcised,” and of resisting the Holy Spirit (7:51). This statement not only identifies them as the enemies of the Holy Spirit (cf. Isa. 63:10), but also, by calling ...

20. A Life Well Lived

2 Timothy 3:10--4:8

Sermon

King Duncan

... ’s cloak while the mob did its work. Not only did Paul not intervene, he helped create the climate that brought about Stephen’s death. Paul knew all about “hate speech.” He had been guilty of it himself. His target was the early Christians. No wonder that later Paul called himself the “chief of sinners.” Still, he ends his life with no regret. Oh, I’m sure that if Paul had been given the opportunity to go back and clear up his record, he would. I’m sure he would have given anything if it ...

21. Believe in Jesus

Acts 16:25-34

Sermon

James W. Moore

... or screams… just that gracious spirit saying: “Lord, forgive them.” Paul couldn’t get over that… because he knew Stephen had something he didn’t have… Paul was deeply troubled, deeply burdened by that. And then came the Damascus ... Christ came looking for him and he said: “Paul, I know what you’ve been doing. I know you’ve been working against me,… but I still love you and I want you with me. I want you on my side.” That moment turned it all around for Paul. The whole world didn’ ...

22. Easter 4

Acts 2:14-41, Psalm 23:1-6, Acts 6:1-7, Acts 7:54--8:1a, 1 Peter 2:13-25, John 10:1-21

Sermon Aid

... that echoes Jesus' word from the cross, also reported by Luke alone, "Father forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing." Stephen's words suggest that his executioners really did know what they were doing, and he even reports that Saul fully approved of the ... Baptism. The theology is sound, the liturgical rite is appropriate because it is built on solid tradition (and it may still be called confirmation). An ancient prayer for the gifts of the Holy Spirit is used as the Prayer of Blessing ...

23. When Ten Equals Two

Exodus 20:1-21

Sermon

Larry Powell

... contain one’s service to God as being performed out of a sense of reverence, we can but wonder to what extent reverence is still a part of the modern experience. The first table relates:** (**Lutherans: (1) You shall have no other gods ... (2) ... the name of God ... ... respect may be the result of, among other things, ignorance, arrogance, crudeness, or stupidity. Alexander H. Stephens, the diminutive, thin-faced Georgian who compensated for his physical infirmities by honing his intellectual capacities ...

24. That Believing Ye Might Have Life

John 20:24-31

Sermon

King Duncan

... . His brave presentation to a skeptical body of physicists over 20 years ago was the beginning of a new understanding of our vast and majestic universe. (1) Unable to stand or walk, he cannot even speak except through a computerized translator. Stephen Hawking is still alive, not only physically, but also intellectually and emotionally as well. His life is a wonderful example of the human spirit's desire to be victorious in the face of devastating illness. Add the right attitude to the right aptitude and ...

25. The Master Has Come - To Be Lord of Life

Luke 24:1-12

Sermon

... church school those L’eggs panty hose containers, with some object inside which represented new life. Not wanting to embarrass Stephen, and being afraid he had not understood, the teacher asked the children to place containers on the table to be ... is over." But they didn’t know it wasn’t over. It wasn’t over until Easter morning. He has a power over death - and it’s still not over. God always has the last word. That is the good news of Easter. God has a power over death. We think death is the end ...

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