Sermon and Worship Resources

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John 18:28-40

Sermon

Warren Thomas Smith

"For this I was born, and for this I have come into the world ..." (v.37) Who is this Jesus? Shakespeare said, "Some are born great, some achieve greatness, and some have greatness thrust upon them."1 In Revelation we are told Jesus is "King of kings and Lord of lords" (19:16). Still we ask, "Who is he?" One of the essential, significant elements of our Christian faith is the concept of the Kingdo...

2. And It Came To Pass

Mark 13:1-31

Sermon

Warren Thomas Smith

"Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will not pass away." (v. 31) Here is the existential consummation of history. This is the frame of reference within which the early church lived and breathed. In the end it was the parousia, the event of Christ coming in glory. Things of earth would pass away. This would be the final reckoning, the ultimate judgment. I always thought, as have most A...

3. Bezaleel

Exodus 35:30--36:7

Sermon

Warren Thomas Smith

Life is often dull. It can be for moderns; it certainly was drab for many ancients. It is difficult to realize how ashen life has been for a majority of people: unspeakable monotony. These are the impoverished masses, not the wealthy few. Most Egyptians could not enjoy the pageantry of the Pharaohs. Certainly not the caplive Hebrews. For them it was daily toil in the brick pits. LIBERATION Sudde...

4. Called to Be Saints

Matthew 5:1-12

Sermon

Warren Thomas Smith

"Rejoice and be glad, for your reward is great in heaven, for so men persecuted the prophets who were before you." (v. 12) Who is a saint? The historic definition is one whose life is worthy of imitation by all of Christendom. Some add that a sense of humor is a prerequisite, along with having performed miracles. "She is a saint," we say. What do we mean? We usually have in mind a person whose go...

5. Counting The Cost?

Mark 12:41-44

Sermon

Warren Thomas Smith

"Truly, I say to you, this poor widow has put in more than all those who are contributing ... she out of her poverty has put in everything she had ..." (vv. 43-44) It has been called the world’s greatest business transaction. A widow’s gift of two copper coins - perutas, the smallest of Jewish coinage, having the value of two cents, or less - will be remembered for all time. What is it about this...

6. Enduring

Mark 13:1-31

Sermon

Warren Thomas Smith

"But he who endures to the end will be saved." (v. 13) We regard this chapter as the Little Apocalypse - a section that refers to the conclusion of history, similar to what we read in Daniel and Revelation. It is a grim piece, uncomfortable, unsettling. It may have been written as a warning of the impending fall of Jerusalem, which indeed took place in A.D. 70. Why would this passage be incorpor...

7. Epilogue

Psalm 107:1-43

Illustration

Warren Thomas Smith

We are now reciting our lines, taking our cues. For good or ill, this is our drama. We have watched those who have gone before us; we have made jvdgments about their characterizations. Were they irresponsible? Did they muff their lines? Were they tardy on entrances? In short, how did they play their roles? Only history can judge. They are gone - we are here. We are part of humanity and history. W...

8. Habakkuk

Habakkuk 3:1-19

Sermon

Warren Thomas Smith

Gratitude is one of the noblest words in the English language. It pictures us at our best. Conversely, ingratitude reveals a person at his or her worst. "How sharper than a serpent’s tooth it is to have a thankless child!"2 lamented King Lear. Thoughtful people everywhere, of all ages, faiths, and cultures have extolled gratitude. Let us think of gratitude as it relates to our American Thanksgivi...

9. Herod Antipas

Luke 13:31-35

Sermon

Warren Thomas Smith

Almost twenty centuries ago, as a carpenter from Nazareth entered Jerusalem, he was hailed by the population. About the same time, another figure made his appearance in the ancient city. His name was Herod Antipas. The two might have arrived on that significant day. Passover was at hand. A faithful Jew looked upon it as one of the three principal festivals of Israel. Its celebration brought huge ...

10. Issachar

Genesis 49:1-28

Sermon

Warren Thomas Smith

Of all the sins which so easily beset us, spiritual laziness can become the most deadly and deadening. If allowed to permeate the soul, it results in spiritual slavery. There is a legend of the Greek citizen who voluntarily sold himself into slavery because he did not want to be encumbered by the problems of freedom. Many people prefer to spend their days free from mental and spiritual exertion. T...

11. John the Baptizer

Isaiah 40:1-31, Luke 1:67-80, John 1:19-28

Sermon

Warren Thomas Smith

Any great event requires preparation. Significant movements do not merely appear. There must be necessary groundwork, anticipation. The Bible sublimely illustrates the way God raised up heralds who announced the coming ministry and message of Christ. Chief among them is John the Baptizer. We seldom associate John with the birth of Jesus. This is understandable. He was but an infant himself at the...

12. Joseph

Proverbs 10:1-32

Sermon

Warren Thomas Smith

He is the forgotten one of the gospel drama. In reality, Joseph fills an essential role not only in the birth narrative of the Christ, but in the entire story of Jesus. We had better not forget Joseph. If we do, we will be poorer for it, and the Christian message will have lost a noble spirit. JOSEPH’S ROLE A major reason for overlooking Joseph is the historic emphasis on the virgin birth. It is...

13. Leah

Genesis 49:29--50:14

Sermon

Warren Thomas Smith

An elderly woman of keen mind and understanding heart stood gazing at Whistler’s portrait of his mother. "It’s a remarkable painting of a lovely lady," murmured the viewer, "but there is too much peace and calm to be the likeness of a real mother." To be sure, serenity and tranquility are marked qualities of motherhood, yet there has been far more sorrow, pain, and discord in the long history of w...

14. Manasseh

2 Kings 21:1-18

Sermon

Warren Thomas Smith

Manasseh was twelve years old when he began to reign, and he reigned fifty-five years in Jerusalem ... And he did that which was evil in the sight of the Lord. Here is a small hinge of truth upon which a tremendous door swings open to a profound question. Why is it that a merciful God one who is perfect goodness, absolute love, incarnate justice permits an evil man to live a long, successful life...

15. Mary of Nazareth

Isaiah 7:1-25

Sermon

Warren Thomas Smith

"Behold the handmaid of the Lord ..." Mary is very much a part of the gospel story. The mother of Jesus is one of six women so named in the New Testament. Mary is the Greek form of the Hebrew, Miriam, meaning exalted. Moses’ sister bore that splendid name. Mary of Nazareth - has any individual in Scripture suffered more at the hands of the church? Rome has elevated her to goddess - Mariolatry. It...

16. Not Far From the Kingdom

Mark 12:28-34

Sermon

Warren Thomas Smith

"You are not far from the kingdom of God." (v. 34) It was a discussion on the Great Commandment. We call it the "controversy source." An unnamed scribe, one of the straightforward individuals in the gospel narrative, came to Jesus asking a question. It was a candid inquiry, asked by a guileless person. Let us recall, first, that the man was a scribe. His business was recording the scripture. Lon...

17. Onesimus

Isaiah 43:1-13

Sermon

Warren Thomas Smith

It is the middle of the first century A.D. Our scene is a prison, possibly in the Asiatic seaport Ephesus. In a dark little cell, mustiness permeated the air, mold clung to the wall. An earthen floor was packed smooth by the treading of countless prisoners. Sunlight crept through a tiny window at the ceiling. There was a crude table and a smoking lamp where a young man was writing. An older man pa...

18. Phoebe

Joel 2:28-32

Sermon

Warren Thomas Smith

"Sir, a woman’s preaching is like a dog’s walking on his hind legs," scoffed Samuel Johnson. "It is not done well; but you are surprised to find it done at all."1 Had the celebrated man of letters known Phoebe, he would never have made that unfortunate statement; he also would have escaped the wrath of thousands of effective, dedicated preachers. Who is Phoebe? Only a single sentence in the New T...

19. Saved!

Mark 10:17-31

Sermon

Warren Thomas Smith

"Then who can be saved?" (v. 26) We have a sublime vignette before us, a scene in the ministry of Jesus which reveals not only secrets about people, life and values, but the nature of salvation itself. Unhappily, we frequently fail to understand, miss the point, strain at the gnat, and swallow the camel in attempting an explanation. An Honest Soul Our young man is transparently honest. (I call ...

20. Service

Mark 10:35-45

Sermon

Warren Thomas Smith

"For the Son of man also came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many." (v. 45) James and John came to Jesus asking for preferment! It is a situation as old as the institutional church. I know, for I am heart and soul in the institutional church; I love it. I believe in the church. I readily accept the statement, "The Church is of God, and will be preserved to the...

21. Spiritual Blindness

Mark 10:46-52

Sermon

Warren Thomas Smith

"Go your way; your faith has made you well." (v. 52) Blind Bartimaeus! What a haunting theme; what a never-to-be-forgotten scene. It is the concluding narrative in Mark. The setting is Jericho, some fifteen miles from Jerusalem. The point of this dramatic occurrence is simple: Only a blind man saw Jesus. The Sermon At one time, every minister has preached on this text. How could any clergyperso...

22. The Witch of Endor

1 Samuel 28:1-25

Sermon

Warren Thomas Smith

We have been thrilled and enchanted by the weird conversation of the three sisters on the gloomy heath in ancient Scotland: When shall we three meet again In thunder, lightening, or in rain? When the hurlyburly’s done, When the battle’s lost and won, That will be ere the set of sun. Where the place? Upon the heath There to meet with Macbeth.1 Later in the play we have the incantation and recipe ...

23. Twenty-First Century Reformation

John 8:31-41

Sermon

Warren Thomas Smith

"So if the Son makes you free, you will be free indeed." (v. 36) On October 31, 1517, the eve of All-Saints’ Day, at high noon, Martin Luther nailed his 95 theses to the door of the Castle Church at Wittenberg. (We acknowledge that some scholars consider the story to be a pious legend.) It is easy to over-dramatize the event, but one cannot be unmindful of those hammer blows which echoed around t...

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