Sermon and Worship Resources

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Mark 13:24-37

Sermon

Robert J. Elder

... ? Is the world's end the same as its conclusion, its finish? Or is the world's end more analogous to the old catechism which asks, "What is the chief end of man?" suggesting that the end is the goal, the purpose of time, not just its termination? In Mark's gospel, Jesus questions the assumption that people can know anything about the timing of the world's finish. He declared that even he didn't know: "... about that day or hour no one knows," he said, "neither the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the ...

2477. Due for Renewal

Mark 2:13-22

Sermon

Robert J. Elder

... longer holds together and must be replaced by something new. That is when we are due for renewal. Jesus spoke of the coming kingdom of God and the new covenant between God and Israel that would emerge as the kingdom advanced. In our passage from Mark, Jesus answered the people's question about fasting by declaring that when one considers God is at work in the present time establishing a new relationship with God's people, the only appropriate response must be joy. Fasting and maintaining a long face is as ...

2478. Disintegration and Reintegration

Mark 14:1-15:47

Sermon

John Smylie

... the heart and center of our faith. We need to hear the whole story. We need to be reminded not in part but completely of the grace and mercy and sacrifice, the passion and suffering which is our Lord's. When we read this entire passage found in Mark's gospel we meet a number of people. Right before our eyes we watch almost every one of them coming apart at the seams, disintegrating before us. The painful passage, the many verses that we are encountering today point to a picture of human frailty, a picture ...

2479. When the Impossible Becomes Imminently Possible!

John 6:1-21

Sermon

Robert Leslie Holmes

... had in mind to do." Life is full of farfetched demands for which our resources seem inadequate. According to Matthew, Mark, and Luke, the disciples would have sent the people away hungry. Jesus, however, lived his life by another principle: " ... see just now. Second, believe in the possibility that Jesus will work through you. Christ says, "All things can be done for the one who believes" (Mark 9:23 NRSV). By God's grace, in Christ's power we can do "all things." We were born to live with faith. Jesus says, " ...

2480. Destruction Instruction

Mark 13:1-8

Sermon

... be wars and famines and earthquakes and false prophets. "But," Jesus adds, "that doesn't necessarily mean that the end is near." If we were to read a bit further into Mark's gospel, Jesus explains that other signs would tell them that the kingdom is near, but even these signs are more general than specific. And then, at the end of chapter 14 of Mark, Jesus lowers the boom. In reality, Jesus says, "No one knows the day or the hour when this will occur; neither the angels in heaven, nor the Son of Man." Even ...

2481. I’ll Need Another Book…

Matthew 18:21-35

Illustration

Johnny Dean

... be sure you have room at the end to write down the names of new people that you meet. Every time someone gives you the dirty end of the stick, get your notebook out, open it to the page with their name on it, and make a mark beside their name. When someone gets 490 marks beside their name, you don't have to forgive that person ever again for anything." Peter thought about what Jesus had said for a minute. Then he spoke up again. "But, Lord, if I do that, I'll spend all my time writing in that stupid ...

2482. Is God Fair?

Matthew 20:1-16

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

... , in the shadow of the cross, mercy became not a weakness, not an exceptional event. Mercy became a strength and signpost. The word which we translate as “sin” is hamartia. It literally means “missing the mark.” Anyone here hit bulls-eyes every time? How many of us score a direct hit every time? If you miss the mark, mercy is not an option. Mercy is an imperative. God is just. God is merciful. Both qualities define the all powerful, the absolute, nature of God. There is the story of a woman who sat ...

2483. Matthew 22:15-22

Matthew 22:15-22

Sweet

Leonard Sweet

... than “the spirit of the staircase.” In today’s gospel text Jesus offers one of the all time great “perfect comebacks” to the first of three questions posed to him by the Pharisees. While in Mark’s gospel the Pharisees are merely “sent” to Jesus (Mark 12:13), in Matthew’s version of this confrontation he makes the Pharisees the intentional instigators of a plot to ”entrap” Jesus through their questions. Matthew also introduces another group to those questioning Jesus, “the Herodians ...

2484. Recognizing the Lord

Isaiah 60:1-6

Sermon

Richard Gribble

... out to many different people, discovering in them things equally special and important that he found in his own Jewish people. Jesus' long conversation with a Samaritan woman (John 4:1-42), his encounter with the Syro-Phoenician woman (Mark 7:24-30), and his numerous encounters with lepers (Matthew 8:1-4; Mark 1:40-45; Luke 17:11-19) demonstrated his desire to reach out to others but especially those on the margins of society. Jesus took his message outside Israel as well, to the regions of Tyre and Sidon ...

2485. No Litmus Test for Jesus

2 Kings 5:1-14

Sermon

Richard Gribble

... were questioned, he responded forthrightly, "Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick; I have come to call not the righteous but sinners" (Mark 2:17). Jesus synthesized his teaching on acceptance when he said, "Here are my mother and brothers! Whoever does the will of God is my brother and sister and mother" (Mark 3:35). For Jesus all who were willing to follow him were members of his family. Yes, Jesus never required a litmus test for anyone — nor should we! The Christian ...

2486. The Divine Deal ...

Genesis 17:1-7, 15-16

Sermon

Ken Lentz

... Abraham was the third of four "dispensations." Following the dispensation of the creation and the covenant with Noah, God made a deal with Abraham, after which God made a deal with the nation of Israel at Sinai. God's deal with Abraham, a new era, was marked by the change in Abram's name. Abram ("may God be exalted") was changed to Abraham ("the father of many nations"). The deal was somewhat one-sided. Abraham had no responsibility to God in exchange for God's blessing, except perhaps to say "thank you ...

2487. Who Is Isaiah’s Servant?

Isaiah 50:4-9a

Sermon

Ken Lentz

... ," "lost," and "blind." The pastor discovered that she had been raised in a church served by her childhood pastor who engaged in pulpit slamming and condemnation. As a child, week after week, she was reminded that she was a worm, a wretched excuse for humanity marked by festering sin wounds. Surely she was fit only for the eternal fire. It took almost a year of weekly meetings, but she finally was able to integrate the gospel good news into the fabric of her soul, heart, and mind. She slowly climbed upward ...

2488. Small Sin, Large Grace

2 Samuel 11:26-27, 12:1-13a

Sermon

Donna Schaper

... praise to the human spirit. You see, David comes back from this horror. He manages a new and useful life after his double insult and injury. He manages to have new life. He is a living example of resurrection before Jesus ever went to the cross. I went to St. Mark in the Bowery's Good Friday Blues Service. A man sang with a voice as robust as Paul Robeson's, "Jesus just left Chicago for New Orleans," and it brought me straight to tears. Why? I have no real idea. I just know that songs don't die and New ...

2489. Oh, That I Knew Where I Might Find Him

Job 23:1-9, 16-17

Sermon

Robert A. Hausman

... , the gospel offers a difficult challenge. Jesus says, "It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for someone who is rich to enter the kingdom of God" (Mark 10:25). "Then who can be saved?" the disciples ask. Jesus looked at them and said, "For mortals it is impossible, but not for God; for God all things are possible!" (Mark 10:27). It is a reminder of the total objectivity of grace. It comes to us, not as a reward for our piety, not as a "not-guilty verdict" in our legal case, not ...

2490. All Is Restored?

Job 42:1-17

Sermon

Robert A. Hausman

... he offered himself" (Hebrews 7:27). In addition to these Christological insights from Hebrews, we can also make a point of contact with the Jesus of the gospel lesson for today, the healing of blind Bartimaeus (Mark 10:46-52). The miracle story comes as the conclusion to the third passion prediction unit which Mark sets up (10:32-45). First Jesus predicts his passion (10:31-34), then James and John show their misunderstanding by seeking greatness (10:35-40), followed by Jesus' reference to true greatness as ...

2491. Are You a King?

2 Samuel 23:1-7

Sermon

Robert A. Hausman

... into the body of this risen Christ. Baptism is the tomb in which we die with Christ, but also the womb from which we are reborn in the Spirit. We now live by the promise of baptism: We have been sealed by the Spirit and marked with the cross of Christ forever. If we have been marked with the cross, we know we will finally wear the crown in glory. For now, we seek to live out the covenant God made with us in baptism, proclaiming the gospel of Christ in word and deed, following the example of our Lord Jesus ...

2492. Fulfilled Prophecies

Illustration

Peter Stoner

... quadrillion) Stoner suggests that "we take 10 to the 17th silver dollars and lay them on the face of Texas. They will cover all of the state 2 feet deep. Now mark one of these silver dollars and stir the whole mass thoroughly... Blindfold a man and tell him he can travel as far as he wishes, but he must pick up [that one marked silver dollar.] What chance would he have of getting the right one?" Stoner concludes, "Just the same chance that the prophets would have had of writing those eight prophecies and ...

2493. Many Ways To a Good Grade

Illustration

Tim Hansel

... Fine," I said. "And others?" "Yes," said the student. "There is a very basic measurement method that you will like. In this method, you take the barometer and begin to walk up the stairs. As you climb the stairs, you mark off the length of the barometer along the wall. You then count the number of marks and this will give you the height of the building in barometer units. A very direct method. "Of course, if you want a more sophisticated method, you can tie the barometer to the end of a string, swing it as ...

2494. In Battle Or In Bed

Illustration

Mark Brinsley

The courage of Civil War leader Stonewall Jackson in the midst of conflict can be a lesson for the believer. Historian Mark Brinsley wrote: A battlefield is a deadly place, even for generals; and it would be naive to suppose Jackson never felt the animal fear of all beings exposed to wounds and death. But invariably he displayed extraordinary calm under fire, a calm too deep and masterful to be mere pretense. ...

2495. Circle the Bucket

Illustration

... meticulously to catch the ball and each year students secretly moved the bucket to one side, so that the ball crashed thunderously to the floor. Tiring of this rather stale joke, the professor traced a chalk line around the bucket. The students moved the bucket as usual, traced a chalk mark around the new position, rubbed it out and replaced the bucket in its original spot. "Aha!" the professor explained, seeing the faint outline of the erased chalk ...

2496. Happy To Help Out

Illustration

Knofel Stanton

... down, and voluntarily went to work. He continued taking calls until daylight. Sometime during that next day, he stood up, stretched, put on his overcoat, and just before leaving, he introduced himself quietly to the other operator, "I'm Mark Hatfield. Happy to help out." Then Senator Mark Hatfield unobtrusively walked out. The press could hardly handle that story. There seemed to be no way for a conservative Republican to give a liberal Democrat a tip of the hat, let alone spend hours doing a menial task ...

2497. Knee High

Illustration

Nicholas Mokelke

When I think of perspective, I am often reminded of a conversation between me and my son in the summer he turned four. That spring, Mark had asked for a spot in the family garden to call his own. He turned the soil, broke the clumps, and planted his favorite vegetable corn. Toward the middle of July, Mark was concerned that his corn was not growing fast enough. I tried to reassure him that the corn was doing just fine by quoting him the familiar benchmark used by farmers, "Knee high by the fourth of July ...

2498. Aim for the Goal

1 Thess 5:23

Illustration

Staff

... 's Olney Alleys, Bill had a screen placed just above the foul line to obscure his view of the lane. His purpose was to demonstrate the technique of spot bowling, which involves throwing the ball at a selected floor mark on the near end of the lane. Like many bowlers, Bill knew that you can do better if you aim at a mark close to you that's in line with the pins. He proved his point with a perfect 300 game of 12 strikes in a row. Spot bowling illustrates part of a wise approach to life. When Paul wrote to ...

2499. Blasphemy Against the Spirit

Illustration

Staff

... and scarcely conceivable potential in man: To declare war on God. This is not done in weakness and doubt, but by one who has been overcome by the Holy Spirit and who knows very well on whom he is declaring war" (E. Schweizer, The Good News according to Mark, 1971, 87; cf. H.W. Beyer, TDNT I:624; O.E. Evans, "The Unforgivable Sin", ExpT 68, 1956-57, 240-44). This is the blasphemer who does it deliberately, after encounter with the God of grace, as the context shows. For Jesus has just been accused of casting ...

2500. Thank You for Coming

Hebrews 1:1-14

Sermon

King Duncan

... the meaning of Christmas day. God’s plan for humankind has been fulfilled. The Savior of the world has come. He is the perfect representation of God, and now he reigns with God, world without end, forever and ever. 1. A story from Norman Vincent Peale, Author Unknown. 2. Mark Adams, http://www.redlandbaptist.org/sermons/sermon20001224.php. 3. Luis Palau, Where Is the Child? Luis Palau, 142. 1988, p. 1-2 Cited by Raymond McHenry, Something to Think About (Peabody, MA: Hendrickson Publishers, Inc., 1998). 4 ...

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