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

Showing 1 to 25 of 2815 results

1. The Parable of the Sower

Matthew 13:1-23

Understanding Series

Robert H. Mounce

... know; 1 Peter 1:10–12 also speaks of the Old Testament expectation about the times of the Messiah (cf. also Heb. 10:1; 11:39f.; and Eph. 3:4f.). 13:18–23 It is Matthew (rather than Mark or Luke) who provides the title the parable of the sower. The parable itself deals with the kinds of soil into which the seed falls rather than with the action of the sower. An awkwardness is introduced by the fact that the seed is not the message itself but anyone who hears the message. The major difficulty, however, in ...

2. The Parable of the Sower

Luke 8:1-15

Understanding Series

Craig A. Evans

... is a mark of discipleship and is essential for the continuation of the ministry. 8:4–8, 11–15 Luke’s version of the Parable of the Sower follows the Marcan version fairly closely. Most changes have to do with style and economy. The most notable modification is the ... 13c; see Craig A. Evans, “A Note on the Function of Isaiah, VI, 9–10 in Mark, IV,” RB 88 (1981), pp. 234–35. The parable may reflect Isa. 55:10–11 and Jer. 4:3 as well. Note that Isa. 6:9–10 is employed in the same telic sense in ...

3. Three Parables about the Unfaithfulness of the Jewish Leaders

Matthew 22:1-14, Matthew 21:33-46, Matthew 21:28-32, Matthew 21:23-27

Teach the Text

Jeannine K. Brown

... leadership for neglecting care for Israel, the chief priests and Pharisees want to arrest him, but their fear of the crowds (who hold Jesus to be a prophet) keeps them from doing this immediately (21:46). 21:28 There was a man who had two sons. The parable of the two sons highlights the importance of responding to Jesus in covenant loyalty by juxtaposing a son who obeys his father after saying he will not and a son who does not obey in spite of saying he will. Jesus makes the correspondences clear (21:31 ...

4. The Parable of the Talents

Matthew 25:14-30

Sermon Aid

William E. Keeney

... fire the third man who goes out to join the multitude of homeless and unemployed. Thesis: If you don't use your abilities, you lose them. Theme: It is not how much you have in the kingdom, it is how well you use what you have. Key Words in the Parable 1. "It." (v. 14) The antecedent to the pronoun goes back to v. 1 of the chapter, referring to the kingdom of heaven. 2. "A Man, Going on a Journey." (v. 14) This is an allusion to the absence of Jesus after his death and resurrection. 3. "Slaves." (v. 14 ...

5. Parables of the Kingdom

Mark 4:1-20

Teach the Text

Grant R. Osborne

... (James 4:4) and will bring his wrath. As in Mark 4:18, desire for possessions deceives and leads to a life of worry, choking out the life of the Spirit (see also Rom. 8:1–13). 4. Receptivity is paramount to bearing kingdom fruit. According to the parable of the sower, receptivity is everything. As the seed addresses every person, the question is whether that seed is taking root and growing in a person’s life. I would apply this lesson/sermon to four groups in the church today: those who do not want to ...

6. The Parable of the Sower

Mark 4:1-20

Understanding Series

Larry W. Hurtado

... (e.g., 1:34, 43–45; 3:12), and this idea that the disciples are given special teaching seems to be a related matter. The disciples are given the secret of the kingdom of God (4:11), and this appears to mean not simply the interpretation of a few parables (see note) but, more profoundly, that they have been chosen to participate in the proclamation and advance of the kingdom of God. That is, to be given the secret is not just to be given some information but is to be made a part of the secret operation of ...

7. A Puzzling Parable with a Sharp Point

Luke 16:1-13

Sermon

Ron Lavin

... of relationships with God and people will be clear, will there be someone who will come forward and say for you, "He (She) is very fond of you Lord. Out of gratefulness for grace, he (she) used the resources of this world to glorify your name and help people." The parable of the bad man's good example is about a steward who is a rascal in many respects, but does one thing right. He is a servant who is left in charge of the estate of the absentee landlord. Guilty of embezzlement, he is hardly a hero. Yet, he ...

8. Parables Discourse: Importance of Response to the Kingdom Message

Matthew 13:1-23

Teach the Text

Jeannine K. Brown

... is a gift, and God often “gifts” it to those whom we least expect to receive it (9:9–13; 11:25–27). So we ought to be careful not to presume to know who will and will not be responsive to the message of the kingdom. As the parable of the soils indicates, the message goes out to all. In addition, there is an ebb and flow to the giving of revelation, as Matthew tells it. Chapter 13 sits midpoint in the story line of Jesus’ Galilean ministry and explains the rejection and antagonism that Jesus has ...

9. Parables Discourse: The “Already and Not Yet” of the Kingdom

Matthew 13:24-30, Matthew 13:31-35, Matthew 13:36-43, Matthew 13:44-46, Matthew 13:47-52

Teach the Text

Jeannine K. Brown

... times in this chapter (13:39, 40, 49) and also in 24:3; 28:20. Matthew uses the phrase to signal the final day, in which God will judge all matters and people (13:40–43). 13:44 The kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden in a field. This parable, along with the following one about the pearl, teaches that the kingdom is of great value. This might seem too obvious a point to make, yet the hiddenness of the kingdom in the present has been thematic in chapter 13 (13:35; see comments on 13:33) and is ...

10. The Parable of the Sower & Weeds

Matthew 13:1-23, Matthew 13:24-30

One Volume

Gary M. Burge

... the kingdom by comparing people to kinds of soil receiving seed. Matthew has narrated a whole range of responses in chapters 8–9 and 11–12 (see commentary on 9:18–38), from great faith (8:5–13) to outright rejection (12:24). In this parable, the spectrum includes, on one end, those who lack any understanding about the kingdom Jesus preaches and brings (13:19) and, on the other, those who hear and understand Jesus’s message and yield much fruit (cf. 3:10 for bearing-fruit motif). Understanding ...

11. The Parable of the Lost Sheep

Luke 15:1-7

Understanding Series

Craig A. Evans

... matter, it does help us to understand the misgivings the Pharisees had with respect to Jesus’ habit of associating with people Jewish society regarded as sinful. 15:2 On Pharisees see note on 5:17; on teachers of the law see note on 5:21. 15:3–6 Jesus’ Parable of the Lost Sheep may have been inspired by Ezek. 34:11–16: “For thus says the Lord God: Behold, I, I myself will search for my sheep, and will seek them out. As a shepherd seeks out his flock when some his sheep have been scattered abroad ...

12. The Parable of the Tenants

Luke 20:9-19

Understanding Series

Craig A. Evans

... is only “an attack on the religious bureaucracy” (Talbert, p. 189) that warns that the new religious authorities will be the Twelve (see Luke 22:28–30; Acts 1:15–26). 20:17 Some have suggested that Ps. 118:22 was related to the Parable of the Wicked Tenants because of a word play involving “son” and “stone.” In Hebrew the expression “the son” and “the stone” sound quite similar. This is probably the reason that the Aramaic version (the Targum) of Ps. 118:22 actually reads: “the son ...

13. Parable Power

Mark 4:26-34

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

... a one-time-only atmosphere for the words you speak. A story may bring a tear or a smile at one telling, and yet, the very next audience experiences the same words in a completely different way. Mark's gospel tells us that Jesus chose to speak in parables. Some people find that very annoying, even a bit dishonest. Why didn't Jesus come right out and say what he meant? Why did he leave behind all these cryptic sayings, loaded with innuendo, instead of a crisp code of laws or a stack of essays with titles ...

14. The Parable of the Great Banquet

Luke 14:15-24

Understanding Series

Craig A. Evans

... of the town (v. 21; also presumably Jewish), and those out in the roads and country lanes (v. 23; presumably Gentiles, though not necessarily to the exclusion of Jews) accept the invitation and so enjoy the banquet. As in 4:16–30, the thrust of the Parable of the Great Banquet is found in its challenge to assumptions about election; that is, those who are well off and apparently blessed may be excluded from the kingdom, while those who are not well off and apparently cursed may be included in the kingdom ...

15. The Parable of the Weeds

Matthew 13:24-30

Understanding Series

Robert H. Mounce

... . No, because you might root up the wheat with them. Let both grow together until the harvest, then separate out the weeds first (bundle them ready to burn) and bring the grain into the barn. The enemy, as we shall soon find out, is the devil. As in the parable of the sower, where seed sown alongside the path is gobbled up by the birds, Satan is the one who obstructs the growth of the kingdom. He is a “hostile man” (echthros in v. 39 is a qualifier) who stands over against the “man who sowed good seed ...

16. The Parable of the Mustard Seed and the Yeast

Matthew 13:31-35

Understanding Series

Robert H. Mounce

... from the house: the only bread to be eaten must be unleavened (Exod. 12:15–20). Against this background it is easy to see why leaven came to symbolize that which was unclean or evil (cf. Gal. 5:9; 1 Cor. 5:6–8). In this parable, however, the leaven does not carry that idea. Jesus is not saying that the kingdom is in certain respects evil! Lohmeyer explains that from the Jewish standpoint the tax collectors and sinners were unclean but would turn out to be those who initiate the redeemed community ...

17. The Parable Of the Weeds Explained

Matthew 13:36-43

Understanding Series

Robert H. Mounce

... understand the full implications of Jesus’ teaching. The one who sowed the good seed is the Son of Man. The field is the world, seen as the place where both the good seed of the gospel and the weeds of the devil are sown. The parable is neither an account of final separation between real and professing Christians within the church nor a statement about the destiny of the human race. It assumes the universal proclamation of the gospel and therefore a final division between those who belong to the kingdom ...

18. Parables of Growing Seeds

Mark 4:30-34, Mark 4:26-29

Sermon Aid

Richard A. Jensen

... , except to come to light. Let anyone with ears to hear listen!" (Mark 4:22-23). When these stories are allowed to have conversation with each other we begin to catch Jesus' full message. The matter of hearing is also emphasized again in 4:21-25. The Parable of the Sower had begun and ended with a call to listen. That is true because what the Sower sows is the word. A word is offered to be heard. Faith comes through such hearing. This relationship between hearing and faith will be evident throughout Mark's ...

19. More Parables of the Kingdom

Mark 4:30-34, Mark 4:26-29, Mark 4:21-25

Teach the Text

Grant R. Osborne

... . you put it on its stand. Jesus continues to address both the crowds and his followers (4:1–2, 10) and now speaks of the kingdom as a lamp (a small, oil-burning clay vessel) meant to light up a room. While the lamp could refer just to the previous parable and its “hidden” meaning or to the coming of Jesus, it is best seen as the kingdom that has arrived in Jesus. The point here is that it is not meant to be hidden under a “bowl” (a two-gallon-size grain measuring bowl) or a bed, where its light ...

20. Two Parables about Prayer

Luke 18:9-14, Luke 18:1-8

Teach the Text

R.T. France

... focus, however, is on present discipleship, and in particular on prayer, which has been a recurrent theme in Luke (see especially 11:1–13) and in his frequent mention of Jesus’s own prayers (3:21; 6:12; 9:18, 28–29; 11:1). The second parable continues the theme by depicting two people at prayer, though its introduction and conclusion point to a wider truth about the reversal of values in the kingdom of God. This truth will then be graphically exemplified in the stories of the children and the rich man ...

21. Two Sons: A Parable

Matthew 21:28-32, Matthew 21:23-27

Sermon Aid

William E. Keeney

... act in obedience once the call is received. The readiness to act in response to God's will is evidence of true repentance. Precis of the Parable The owner of a vineyard had two sons. He told the first son to go and work in the vineyard. The son was rebellious and at ... the father's request but did the work is the one who is right. In the context of the situation in which the parable is placed, the people who had been obvious sinners were more approved than those whose major occupation was to study and teach the ...

22. The Parable of the Persistent Widow

Luke 18:1-8

Understanding Series

Craig A. Evans

... course, the major item for which the disciples are to pray is the Lord’s return (Ellis, p. 213). 18:2 a judge: What sort of official this “judge” is supposed to be in the context of first-century Palestine is not clear (nor does the parable require that the reader know). Marshall (p. 672) notes that “there does not appear to have been a uniform, organised system.” Most matters of dispute were brought before the elders of the local synagogue, but a dishonest judge who had no respect for God hardly ...

23. The Parable of the Sower

Mark 4:1-20

One Volume

Gary M. Burge

... is no mere human harvest, in fact, but a metaphor of the kingdom of God: despite the opposition of religious leaders, fickle crowds, and obstinate disciples, the harvest of Jesus’s ministry will be extraordinary. The rationale for speaking in parables in verses 10–12 constitutes the B-part of the sandwich. In a private setting, Jesus teaches that the gospel is presented differently to different audiences. To “insiders” Jesus proclaims the mystery of God’s kingdom openly. “Mystery” means the ...

24. The Parable of the Wedding Banquet

Matthew 22:1-14

Understanding Series

Robert H. Mounce

... in Revelation 19:7 (gamos) of the “wedding of the Lamb.” The figure of a marriage feast was widely used in ancient literature to portray the blessings of the life to come (e.g., Isa. 25:6ff.). This suggests that we are to interpret the parable in an eschatological setting. The servants who went out to those who had been invited represent God’s messengers in the days of Jesus. Those who had been invited, who refused to come, are the Jewish people who rejected the invitation of Jesus. Instead of joining ...

25. The Parable of the Shrewd Manager

Luke 16:1-15

Understanding Series

Craig A. Evans

... church. When, however, these resources are exhausted and life’s work is finished, the followers of Christ can look forward to entering a home that is eternal, not temporary, a home whose resources will never give out. In vv. 10–12 a second lesson is drawn from the Parable of the Shrewd Manager. The principle of v. 10 is that by the way a person handles himself with very little it is evident how such a person handles himself with much. We come to what for Luke is probably the heart of the matter in v. 11 ...

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