Sermon and Worship Resources

Synonyms: Levi, disciple, evangelist, tax collector, the 12, the twelve, apostle, sermon on the mount, jewish audience, beatitudes, lord's prayer, great commission, parables, olivet discourse, mount of olives, olivet, synoptic

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1. Jesus Proclaims Judgment on the Temple and the Nation

Mark 13:1-31

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Grant R. Osborne

... create terrible havoc, but God is sovereign, and the doom of the forces of darkness is certain. So also is Christ’s return, when the saints will be gathered in resurrection into glory. Understanding the Text This middle portion of the Olivet Discourse moves into apocalyptic themes, introducing the antichrist and great sacrilege, the devastating tribulation carried out against God’s people, the return of Christ, and the rapture of the saints. In verses 5–13 the destruction of the temple is primary, but ...

2. The Four Horsemen

Revelation 6:1-17

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J. Scott Duvall

... is not a long-term option. God in his sovereignty exercises patience even as his people suffer injustice. But delayed judgment should not be taken to mean no judgment. One day God will judge wickedness and vindicate his people. Jesus closes his Olivet Discourse with several parables that warn of God’s coming judgment on unbelievers at the end of the age (Matt. 24:43–25:46). Teaching the Text Revelation 6:9–17 offers substantive points of application for the contemporary Christian. 1. We should ...

3. The Necessity of Vigilance in Light of the Parousia

Mark 13:32-37

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Grant R. Osborne

... 102:26; Isa. 51:6; 2 Pet. 3:7, 10, 12); only God’s word is eternal (Isa. 40:6–8; Matt. 5:18; cf. Wis. 18:4; 4 Ezra 9:36–37). The emphasis on “my words” builds upon Jesus’s unity with God and refers especially to the Olivet Discourse as a whole and verse 30 in particular. The disciples cannot depend on the events of world history or the strength of the world powers. All such are doomed. Only God and his word have permanence. The shifting sands of time will “pass away,” and only God’s truths ...

4. Signs of the End of the Age

Matthew 24:1-35

Understanding Series

Robert H. Mounce

... crisis was quite natural. A parallel situation in Revelation pictures the final conflict in terms of hostility brought to bear on the church through the powers of the Roman Empire in consort with the religious leaders of the Asian church. The Olivet Discourse (as it is often called) is best understood if we do not press it unduly at points where we may be uncertain about an exact temporal fulfillment. Matthew moves freely between the coming destruction of Jerusalem and the final consummation. Whether ...

5. Praying in Faith

Mark 11:20-25 (26)

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Grant R. Osborne

... mountains could refer to (1) the Mount of Olives, on which theywere standing and which carried apocalyptic symbolism (cf. Zech. 14:4), or (2) the Temple Mount, which would fit Jesus’s prediction of the destruction of the temple here and in the Olivet Discourse;4 the latter makes better sense here, though it could also simply be (3) a general “metaphor for accomplishing great things.”5 I would combine the second (demanded by “this mountain”) and third. As Jesus had given his disciples power to cast ...

6. The Parable Of the Weeds Explained

Matthew 13:36-43

Understanding Series

Robert H. Mounce

... in the traditional terms of Jewish apocalyptic. The Son of Man will send out his angels to uproot from his kingdom “everything that is spoiling it” (Phillips) and “all who violate His laws” (Weymouth). The same scene is portrayed later in the Olivet Discourse (24:30–31). Some find it strange (Beare calls it “grotesque,” p. 313) that angels rather than demons inflict punishment, but in Revelation 14:18–20 angels are very much involved in carrying out the vengeance of God on the wicked. The ...

7. Jesus Saves, We're Called To Invest

Matthew 25:14-20

Sermon

Billy D. Strayhorn

... , we have to use it or lose it. Remember Jesus Saves, We're Called to Invest in a life that honors Him and brings glory to God. 1. William H. Willimon, Remember Who You Are, (The Upper Room, Nashville, TN, pp. 27-28) 2. Adapted from The Parables In the Olivet Discourse by HamptonKeathley IV. It may be viewed at http://www.bible.org/docs/nt/books/mat/mat25.h™. 3. Andrew M Greeley 4. Parables, Etc. (Saratoga Press, P.O. Box 8, Platteville, CO, 80651; 970-785-2990), March 1998

8. Prophetic Actions—The Temple Condemned and the Fig Tree Cursed

Mark 11:12-19

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Grant R. Osborne

... upon the people. The judgments of God from Isaiah and Jeremiah are about to descend. The cursing of the fig tree and condemnation of the temple tell the “why” of the judgment to come: the people have rejected God’s Messiah and desecrated his temple. The Olivet Discourse will tell the “what,” the content of the judgment soon to come. 11:18 began looking for a way to kill him, for they feared him, because the whole crowd was amazed at his teaching. The plot to kill Jesus goes back to 3:6, where ...

9. The Messianic Anointing of Jesus

Mark 14:1-11

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Grant R. Osborne

... failures that will run through chapter 14. Understanding the Text In the first part of the passion story (chaps. 11–12) the conflict between Jesus and the Jewish authorities grows more and more severe, culminating in the diatribe of 11:28–30. In the Olivet Discourse the implications of their refusal to follow God and accept his Son are detailed: the coming judgment is proclaimed in 11:12–21 and described in 13:3–23, the destruction of Jerusalem and the temple. There will be no more contact with the ...

10. Jesus Is Tested in Gethsemane

Mark 14:32-42

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Grant R. Osborne

... deep sorrow is heightened further when Jesus adds “to the point of death,” emphasizing the great intensity of the despair. The pain is so great as to be just like dying. Stay here and keep watch. The demand for spiritual vigilance echoes the theme in the Olivet Discourse (13:34–35, 37). He wants the disciples to pray with him, perhaps with an echo of Exodus 12:42: “Because the Lord kept vigil that night to bring them out of Egypt, on this night all the Israelites are to keep vigil to honor the Lord ...

11. On the Cross Jesus Is Mocked and Dies

Mark 15:33-41

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Grant R. Osborne

... darkness at the crucifixion is a harbinger of the judgment to come, first in the destruction of Jerusalem in AD 70 and then in the eschaton, the destruction of the world of evil, at the end of history (see also the discussion of the Olivet Discourse in Mark 13). Illustrating the Text The darkness will turn to day! Classic Sermon: “It’s Friday but Sunday’s Coming,” by Tony Campolo. For the followers of Jesus, “Good Friday” must have been the bleakest day of their lives. Jesus was crucified. Jesus ...

12. The Supernatural Witness to the Significance of Jesus’s Death

Mark 15:42-47

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Grant R. Osborne

... . It could have a positive purpose, signifying new access to God, with Christ’s sacrifice producing the end of the sacrificial system and a new, direct relationship with God. It could also have a negative purpose, building on the cursing of the fig tree and the Olivet Discourse to signify God’s judgment on the nation and the violent end that the temple and Jerusalem will have in the near future. A growing number of scholars are beginning to agree that this is not an either/or but rather a both/and event ...

13. The Conclusion

Revelation 22:7-21

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J. Scott Duvall

... to persevere in faithfulness to Jesus.8 Theological Insights Throughout Revelation we have seen a strong connection between eschatology and ethics. Those who anticipate and long for Christ’s return are called to holy living. We see the very same emphasis in Jesus’s Olivet Discourse in Matthew 24–25 (and parallels in Mark 13 and Luke 21). Jesus repeatedly warns his disciples to “stay alert” in order to be ready for his return (e.g., Matt. 24:33, 42–44; 25:13). He then explains that being prepared ...

14. The Day and Hour Unknown

Mark 13:32-37

One Volume

Gary M. Burge

The Olivet Discourse concludes in 13:32–37, on the subject of the distant future. “About that day or hour no one knows,” says Jesus (13:32). “That day” reintroduces the theme of the second coming of verses 14–27. Remarkably, in this, the only passage in the Gospel of Mark where Jesus ...

15. Gethsemane

Mark 14:32-42

One Volume

Gary M. Burge

... to Golgotha, for in the valley below Jerusalem his soul is crucified, and on a hill above Jerusalem he will relinquish his body. The three warnings of Jesus to the disciples to “watch” (14:34, 37–38) reveal their failure to fulfill the Olivet Discourse (13:36–37), and they prefigure Peter’s three forthcoming denials. The admonition to the disciples, “Watch and pray,” for “the spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak” (14:38), is a reminder that trust and obedience of God are always a ...

16. The Time Is Now!

Luke 24:50-53

Sermon

Robert Leslie Holmes

Unlike John or Peter, the gospel writer Luke was a cool-headed intellect. Luke was a physician. As a physician, he was trained to keep his emotional distance from the events he saw. Nobody wants a physician who lets emotion run ahead of intellect. We want our medical doctors to be able to confront the most remarkable experiences and stay calm; to analyze, decide the best course of action, and prescribe whatever it takes to get the patient well again. Above all else, "Keep calm and carry on." That is, do ...

17. The Woman, the Son, and the Dragon

Revelation 12:1--13:1a

Teach the Text

J. Scott Duvall

Big Idea: God protects Jesus Christ and the messianic community against satanic attack. Understanding the Text As well as being the start of a new major section, Revelation 12 stands as the theological heart of the book because it shows why the church faces spiritual hostility in this world and how God provides the victory. Revelation 12:1–14:20 forms a grand interlude detailing the cosmic conflict between God and the forces of evil, as well as God’s vindication of his people and judgment of the ...

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