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 2576 to 2600 of 3315 results

2576. Only Jesus

Mark 9:2-9

Sermon

Billy D. Strayhorn

... were transformed by this experience. But it wasn't an instant transformation. it was on ongoing, slow, day by day process. If it had been instant, Peter wouldn't have run away at the crucifixion or doubted prior to Pentecost. For some, like the Apostle Paul, transformation happens overnight. But most of us get transformed a little at a time, like building up your savings. We are transformed gradually by a faith relationship with Jesus and with others who love and serve Jesus. We're transformed through the ...

2577. A Soul Restored

Psalm 23:2-3a

Sermon

Billy D. Strayhorn

... require a balanced meal, we need the green stuff. We need antioxidants and vitamins that can only be found in vegetables and fruit. It's the same when we seek to nourish our souls. They need the good stuff, they need to be fed and cared for. The Apostle Paul called it Pure Spiritual Milk. Today is one of those days when God's provision of Pure Spiritual Milk is laid before us in a very concrete way. Today we come face to face with God through Christ. Today we celebrate the Sacrament of Holy Communion. God ...

2578. With Overflowing Cup

Psalm 23:5

Sermon

Billy D. Strayhorn

... eight. Woodrow Wilson couldn't read well until he was eleven. Six Olympic athletes from America had to overcome asthma. God does prepare a table before us in the presence of these kinds of enemies. God helps us conquer them, which allows us to say with the apostle Paul, "I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me." (3) II. You Anoint My Head A. The second portion of this verse says, "thou anointest my head with oil." It was the custom of the host at banquet to anoint the guest or guests of honor ...

2579. Nehemiah: The Fix

Nehemiah 1:1-11

Sermon

Billy D. Strayhorn

... -overs and second chances. V. Serve A. And that leads right into the very last lesson of VBS which was how we serve. Nehemiah knew that the best way to strengthen our faith is by putting it into action, by doing something with it just like the apostle Peter. That's what the great commission is all about serving. Jesus told us to go into all the world with the Good News, preaching, teaching, baptizing, making disciples, feeding, nourishing and caring for God's flock in the world today. B. In other words, we ...

2580. Generous Hearts

1 Timothy 6:11-19

Sermon

Billy D. Strayhorn

... I've prepared three sermons. Just kidding. This morning is actually the kick off for our fall Stewardship Campaign titled "Called To Generosity." As I was looking at the Sunday lessons which have been prepared and thinking about generosity and giving, I kept think about what the apostle Paul wrote Timothy. Read: 1 Timothy 6:11-19 (NRSV) You may be thinking to your self, I'm not rich. Few of us are by American Standards. But by the rest of the world, even the poorest of us have more then the average person ...

2581. How Does Jesus Show He Is the Greatest?

John 2:1-11

Illustration

Sigurd Grindheim

... 21st century where they were to answer the question: how does Jesus show you that he is the greatest? One thing that probably wouldn't make the top ten: Jesus showing up at a small town wedding, making water into wine. But that's what the apostle John reports as Jesus' primary miracle, when he revealed his glory to the disciples, when he showed them his greatness. Why couldn't Jesus have found a better purpose when he performed his first miracle? Why couldn't he have intervened in some of the many political ...

2582. Here I Am, Send Me

Joel 2:28-32, Isaiah 6:1-13

Sermon

Billy D. Strayhorn

... continues to ask the same question of every individual who has given their life to God through Christ. That question is still: "Whom shall I send, and who will go for us?" Our response should always be, "Here I am, send me." II. The Vision A. The Apostle Paul reminds us that we are not only children of God but heirs to the Kingdom. And remember, in Gospel of John, at the Last Supper, Jesus told the Disciples and through them, us, "I no longer call you servants....now I call you friend." Friends, brothers ...

2583. The Adventure Begins

Ephesians 1:15-23, Acts 1:1-11

Sermon

Billy D. Strayhorn

... read about the Ascension of Jesus and the commission Jesus gave them to go into the world starting in Jerusalem, then going into Judea and Samaria and then even to the ends of the world. It was at that moment that the True Adventure of being an Apostle began. The other was just a training expedition. For us, and especially for our third graders who are receiving their own study Bible today, when we crack open the pages of this book, The Adventure Begins. And in that Adventure we Discover God's Story and Our ...

2584. The Dachshund Dilemma

Luke 4:14-30

Sermon

King Duncan

... or to death, but Barnabas believed the best about Saul. Taking him to the leaders of the Jerusalem church, Barnabas vouched for his conversion. He documented the validity of Saul’s transformation by reporting his public preaching of Christ in Damascus. Because the apostles knew Barnabas and trusted him, they accepted Saul. (7) How grateful I am that there are persons in our church family with the spirit of Andrew the spirit of evangelism, and Barnabas the spirit of encouragement. Each of us has a gift ...

2585. Harmony and Humor: The Ties That Bind Christianity’s Many Christianities

Luke 4:14-30

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

... are scandalous in so many ways. Long before Jesus was convicted as a criminal of the state, as a heretic of faith, and was executed in the most public, excruciating, and humiliating way, he was advocating scandal. Jesus recruited apostles from smelly fishermen. That was scandalous. Jesus dined with despised Roman tax collectors. That was scandalous. He walked among the wicked, pressed the flesh with lepers, socialized with social outcasts, offered advice to adulterers. That was scandalous. Jesus engaged ...

2586. Luke 13:31-35

Luke 13:31-35

Sweet

Leonard Sweet

... been killed within Jerusalem (see Jeremiah 26:20-23; 38:4-6), historically many prophets who met a violent end did so outside of the city. Jesus’ words here echo his previous declaration in 11:49 that Israel will kill and persecute the very apostles and prophets sent to her by God. The mention of stoning is especially telling. Stoning was the most frequently noted form of capital punishment in the Old Testament, and was especially used against those found guilty of blasphemy. The prophets, the very ones ...

2587. The World of the Prophet

Luke 13:31-35

Illustration

James T. Batchelor

... really appreciate it?" Would you expect people to hunt down this very wealthy, very generous person and kill him? Welcome to the world of the prophet. If you were to take these examples and replace the money with forgiveness, you would exactly describe the insanity that faces the prophet, the apostle, and all the messengers of God. God wants to cover us in His gifts of forgiveness, life, and salvation and for some reason, that makes people angry.

2588. What Matters In the Light of Eternity: “God Matters”

Acts 17:16-34

Sermon

J. Howard Olds

... in the eighteenth century could be said of religion in the twenty-first century. In short, the world is polarizing over religion. It is getting both more and less religious at the same time and that’s what I would like to talk about today. When the Apostle Paul walked among the idols on Mars Hill in Athens, he found an altar dedicated “TO THE UNKNOWN GOD.” And when he gets a chance to address the crowd, he says, “Now, what you worship as something unknown I am going to proclaim to you” (Acts 17 ...

2589. Thanks for the Memories

Philippians 1:1-11

Sermon

J. Howard Olds

... a hike in the woods. But at the risk of nostalgia, that tastes good with the first bite but grows bitter with the second and third chew, I want to use this Memorial Sunday to remember. I Thank My God Every Time I Remember You. (Verse 3) Paul, an apostle of Jesus Christ, who could have been bitter with pain and twisted by abuse, writes from a dingy Roman prison words of great affirmation. I thank my God every time I remember you. Did you see the cartoon featuring a small cat being attacked by a big dog? The ...

2590. Discover the Surprise of Christmas

Matthew 2:1-12

Sermon

Billy D. Strayhorn

... up the cut in her eye-lid… and the little girl did not flinch. She just held on tight to her Father. That's a parable for us in our spiritual lives and a graphic reminder of the Good News of Christmas and part of the reason Jesus came. The Apostle Paul in Philippians 4:13 writes: "I can do all things through him who strengthens me." The Surprise of Christmas is the simple fact that it is not a one day event. The Good Will and outreach of love shouldn't and can't end with the Christmas Season. This ...

2591. Where do You Live?

Romans 14:1-12

Sermon

Billy D. Strayhorn

... come up short and alone. But the Good News is that we don't have to do it alone. Christ Jesus stepped into the scene and said, "I'll take his burden of sin. I'll take her burden of sin. When they triumph, we all triumph." Or as the apostle Paul writes: [7] We do not live to ourselves, and we do not die to ourselves. [8] If we live, we live to the Lord, and if we die, we die to the Lord; so then, whether we live or whether we die, we are the Lord's. [9] For ...

2592. Seen The Doctor Lately?

Romans 12:9-21

Sermon

Billy D. Strayhorn

... in verse 13, "Contribute to the needs of the saints; extend hospitality to strangers." In our circumstances we could interpret this to mean, contribute so the church can pay the light bill, salaries, buy curriculum and continue reach out to others through evangelism. The apostle John writes, "We love because Christ first loved us." And the same could be said for giving and for evangelism. We give to God through the church because of the life, hope, faith and forgiveness of Christ. We share the Good News of ...

2593. Getting It Right

Romans 5:1-8

Sermon

Billy D. Strayhorn

... ; his girlfriend Shauna Adams, 33, was hospitalized in fair condition. The house was a rental. It's strange but some people just can't seem to get it right, can they? We may not be able to get it right on our own. But the Good News is, that the Apostle Paul says we have been made right with God. And that is very Good News, especially for those of us who seem to get it wrong all the time or at least most of the time. Let's look at the passage from Romans 5:1-8. [1] Therefore, since ...

2594. Is God For Real? (Series: Read Faith For Real People)

Acts 17:16-34

Sermon

J. Howard Olds

... site this week named, “Love God’s Way Ministries Where Fags are Hated.” That Christians or Muslims would consider any war to be holy is a training ground for relentless evil. What have we who believe in God done to the God in whom we believe? The Apostle John had a better idea, “Whoever does not love, does not know God, because God is love” (I John 4:8). Last September, I preached among the ruins of a church were John penned these words. John was old then, probably in his nineties. As I preached ...

2595. Radical Love is Truthful (Series: Radical Love in a Risky World)

Ephesians 4:1-16

Sermon

J. Howard Olds

... that we’ve got to strive for in the midst of life. And Paul says we’ve got to have it in the Church. That’s what he’s talking about here in the 4th chapter of Ephesians. He gives us a list of spiritual gifts. He talks about apostles, prophets, evangelists, pastors, teachers, and a host of other spiritual gifts that makes the Church what it is. But we must make every effort in the midst of all of these multiple gifts to maintain the unity of the spirit, for there is one body and one spirit, just ...

2596. Radical Love is Risky (Series: Radical Love in a Risky World)

Luke 6:27-36

Sermon

J. Howard Olds

... The first hearers were shocked by it. Theologians through the ages have tried to explain it. The survival of humanity today may depend on our living it. I want to talk today about ‘why not?’ Why not love our enemies? A. Why Not the Way of Love? When the Apostle Paul wrote his immortal love poem in I Corinthians 13 to the cantankerous church at Corinth, he began by saying “And now I will show you a more excellent way.” If the way of love is a more excellent way, if the way of love is a better way ...

2597. Follow Me (Series: An Invitation to Christian Discipleship)

Luke 24:1-12

Sermon

J. Howard Olds

... or not. But even in a religious bookstore you can hardly find a book on following. Yet that is the only thing Jesus ever asked people to do. When Jesus first caught up with Peter, he was in Galilee, running a fishing business. Jesus did not go through the Apostle’s Creed, he did not give him a long list of things he ought to do, he did not ask him how many time he had been to church. Jesus just said, “Follow me.” The incredible thing is that Peter did, along with John, Andrew, James, and others. Their ...

2598. Stewardship of the Church (Series: Stewardship: Discover This Word and Love It!)

Acts 20:13-38

Sermon

J. Howard Olds

... good place to start. Think about that when you complete your Prayers and Presence cards. When God comes to church, hearts are touched and lives are transformed. Sins are forgiven and relationships are restored. Hope is gained and healing happens. When Peter and the Apostles were arrested for healing people in the name of Jesus, the Sanhedrin was ready to kill them. But, Gamaliel stood up among them and said, “Wait a minute. If their purpose is of human origin, then it will run its course and die. But ...

2599. Finding Common Ground

Galatians 3:15-25

Sermon

J. Howard Olds

... found myself humming the tune of Lee Greenwood’s song as I touched back down in the U.S.A. a couple of days ago. While we were treated well everywhere we went, I’m proud to be an American where at least I know I’m free. The Apostle Paul was proud to be a Christian for Christ had set him free. Spiritual freedom was on his mind when he wrote this little letter to the churches in the region of Galatia. Some might call this letter in the Bible a Christian declaration of independence. Thomas Jefferson, in ...

2600. Follow Your Mentors (Series: An Invitation to Christian Discipleship)

John 14:15-31

Sermon

J. Howard Olds

... . I know Paul told Timothy that women ought to be quiet in church, but he never seemed to practice what he preached. Pheobe was a deaconess, which in Greek means “minister.” Priscilla ran the church which met in her house at Ephesus. Junias was a female apostle. Tryphena and Tryphosa were dainty and delicate women who worked hard for the Lord. The mother of Rufus was like a mother to Paul. Who can read this list without coming up with a list of their own? Ruth fed me chicken salad sandwiches when I was ...

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