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 2701 to 2725 of 3314 results

2701. Tradition Must Leave Room for Revelation

Luke 20:27-38; 2 Thessalonians 2:15

Illustration

Johnny Dean

The apostle Paul, in his letter of encouragement to the struggling young church at Thessalonica, wrote, "Stand firm and hold fast to the traditions we taught you, either by word of mouth or by our letters" (2 Thessalonians 2:15). Tradition is important. But tradition has to leave room for revelation, because ...

2702. Proper 14, Pentecost 12, Ordinary Time 19

1 Kings 19:9-18, Psalm 85:8-13, Matthew 14:22-36, Romans 10:5-15

Bulletin Aid

Amy C. Schifrin

... . Arguments at work, grumbling at home: each event reminds us of how little we control and how much we fear. Help us, Lord, that we might listen for your voice in the least likely of places. And help us, Lord, that we might hear. All: Amen. Apostles’ Creed As you confess the Creed today begin in a whisper and end in full voice. If you use a synthesizer, set it on a “vocal aah or ooh.” Have your musician prepare a chord progression that increases with the intensity of the congregational voices, adding ...

2703. Romans 13:11-14

Romans 13:8-14

Sweet

Leonard Sweet

... of God on earth: Emmanuel, God with us, God present in our midst. The epistle text from Romans for this first Sunday of Advent continues an exhortation started by Paul back in 12:1. Once again the text sounds the eschatological notes that the apostle has been ringing throughout this section of his letter. There is a definite sense of urgency, of immediacy, in Paul’s insistence to these Roman Christians that “now is the moment for you to wake from sleep.” Most commentators agree that Paul’s words ...

2704. Romans 15:4-13

Romans 14:1--15:13

Sweet

Leonard Sweet

... is God’s “reboot” button for humanity. And it arrives when we least expect it. As the temperatures and snows fall, a new way of life is introduced into this world. The epistle text for this week joins Paul’s argument midstream. The apostle is making his case for common ground between those whose faith is “strong” and those whose faith is “weak.” Paul’s personal faith was so utterly transformed by his experience of the risen Christ that the old categories of Jew or Gentile, “clean ...

2705. Carbon Pure and Perfect

1 Corinthians 1:10-17

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

... as we slowly turn it, letting each facet take its turn catching and releasing the light. Each one of us is naturally attracted to one or another facet of the perfect diamond Jesus. But it takes all facets to portray the whole. The apostles didn’t sit down together and compose one succinct “life of Christ.” Instead four different versions, four different descriptions, four different visions of the “good news” were deemed necessary and holy. Jesus is our diamond, whatever his cut. A century ago ...

2706. Eyewitness News

John 20:1-9

Sermon

King Duncan

... OF THE TITANIC, THROUGH EYEWITNESS REPORTS. There were people who were there. They saw him. They saw the nail prints in his hands and the mark of the sword in the side that was pierced. Their eyewitness testimonies have been preserved for us in Scripture. The Apostle Peter was one of those eyewitnesses. We have his testimony in Acts 10. He was preaching in Caesarea to a Gentile audience at the home of Cornelius, a Roman army officer. Listen to his words: “You know the message God sent to the people of ...

2707. Polycarp: He Never Did Me Wrong!

Matthew 4:1-11

Illustration

James S. Stewart

Polycarp (A.D. 70-155) was bishop of Smyrna and a godly man. He had known the apostle John personally. When he was urged by the Roman proconsul to renounce Christ, Polycarp said: "Eighty and six years have I served Him, and He never did me any injury. How then can I blaspheme my King and my Savior?" They took him out and put him to death. Later ...

2708. Romans 4:1-5, 13-17

Romans 4:1-25

Sweet

Leonard Sweet

... from God. Paul insists that it is precisely “not before God” (“ou pros theon”) that Abraham cannot claim any boasting rights. What Paul is out to prove is that God’s “reckoning” of Abraham is not an exception to the human situation the apostle spelled out in Romans 3:27-28. To argue this point Paul moves from scriptural quotations to an example taken from everyday life. In human relationship, work done for another demands due wages. But Abraham was not reckoned as righteous because of any ...

2709. John 20:19-31

John 20:19-23

Sweet

... a “low” excitement Sunday, and a much lower attendance Sunday for most churches today, this week’s gospel text starkly reminds us just how “low” Jesus’ disciples were on Easter Sunday itself. Despite Mary Magdalene’s astonishing report to the apostles “I have seen the Lord,” they show little evidence of having been given any “good news.” We find them still hunkered down in the residence where they had celebrated Passover. They have literally locked themselves in that Upper Room: locked ...

2710. 1 Peter 2: 2-10

1 Peter 1:13-2:3

Sweet

Leonard Sweet

... served by selected workers, and each god demanded physical expressions of sacrifice and commitment from anyone who dared approach the deity. The familiar Old Testament reference Peter uses to reframe the Christian position seems to suggest that the apostle is about to describe yet another “temple-based” relationship, this one between Christ and his followers. But Peter focuses on “living stone” and a “spiritual house” where there will be offered “spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God.” The ...

2711. The Scope of Love

John 14:15-31

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

... It is the “Spirit of truth” promised in today’s gospel text and breathed out upon the disciples’ community after Christ’s resurrection. It is the Spirit in Acts 2 that transformed “along‑for‑the‑ride” disciples into heroic trail-riding apostles. When Jesus breathed new life into his failing followers, he recreated humanity. From that moment on, every new Christian bears Jesus’ name and is filled with Jesus’ Spirit. The first breath we take outside the womb fills our lungs with oxygen ...

2712. When Christians Pray

Acts 1:12-26

Sermon

King Duncan

... a troubled person.” Her friend uses the word enabled because he knows he couldn’t do these things without God’s help. By recording each “enabling,” he is giving God all the glory. Relying constantly on God’s strength, he can testify with the apostle Paul, “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me” (Philippians 4:13). “As you enter each new day,” says Joanie Yoder, “ask God to strengthen and use you. You can be sure that as you look back on your day, you’ll praise ...

2713. Acts 2:1-13

Acts 2:1-13

Sweet

Leonard Sweet

... describes in Acts 2:1-4 is likened to the sound of rushing wind and tongues of fiery flames, in order to somehow convey the power and presence contained in this moment. The spiritual rebirth of Jesus’ disciples into apostles of Christ is accompanied by the miraculous sounds and sights associated with theophanies throughout the Hebrew Scriptures. “Pentecost” was a Jewish festival celebrated on the fiftieth day (“pentekostos”) from Passover. Originally it was a harvest festival, with offerings of ...

2714. Those Kissing Christians

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

... and held, suffered and died — all in order to “kiss and tell” the love of God for this world. What Jesus “told” was the message of redemption, the message of forgiveness, the message of amazing grace and endless love. Even as his apostle Paul continued to “encourage,” or “exhort” cantankerous congregations such as these Corinthians, Jesus kept chipping away at the hard-shell of humanity in order to find a soft cheek to kiss. Consider the story Jesus told of the “prodigal son,” which ...

2715. Kissing Cousins (Father's Day)

2 Corinthians 13:11-14

Sermon

King Duncan

... God sent Christ into the world. The second Holy Kiss was when God sent His Holy Spirit into the world. What has kissing got to do with the Trinity? Love is what the Trinity is all about. There is an ancient legend that, as the aged Apostle John lay dying, his brokenhearted community gathered round him and begged him to impart one last word. He mustered his final breath and said, “Love one another.” He fell silent. “Is there more?” they asked. “That is enough,” he said. (6) It is enough. The holy ...

2716. Romans 7:15-25a

Romans 7:7-25

Sweet

Leonard Sweet

... heard in Paul’s words the struggle of one who was immature in their faith, confessing Christ but still struggling to accept the grace of “the law of the Spirit” (Romans 8:2). Whichever way one reads Paul’s text, it is evident that the apostle is emphasizing for his Roman readers the vast chasm that lies between the perfection of God’s law and the ability of men and women to embody that perfection in their own lives. Paul’s heartfelt frustration is the disparity between “willing” and “doing ...

2717. He Ascended Into Heaven

Acts 1:1-11

Sermon

David E. Leininger

Familiar words. Churches have been repeating them for centuries in the Apostles' Creed: I believe in God the Father almighty, Maker of heaven and earth, and in Jesus Christ, his only Son our Lord, who was conceived by the Holy Ghost, born of the Virgin Mary, suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified, dead, and buried. He descended into Hell. The third day ...

2718. A “No Surprises” Easter

John 20:1-18

Sermon

David E. Leininger

... . That Mary wanted to hold on to him is not unusual. We always cling to the familiar, especially in upsetting circumstances. But Mary had work to do, a mission to pursue. She would become the world's first witness to the resurrection, that death, what the apostle Paul would call "the last enemy," had been defeated. Good news indeed. It is a story we have heard over and over and over again. It is not surprising anymore, but for me (and I suspect millions of others) there is great comfort in that. Several ...

2719. Laugh, Thomas, Laugh!

John 20:19-31

Sermon

David E. Leininger

... doubter now. We find a Thomas who says to the rest, "Let us also go ... that we may die with him" (John 11:16). Thomas, a faithful friend, faithful even unto death. The next time we find Thomas mentioned in scripture is in chapter 14 of John. The apostles had gathered to celebrate the Passover. Their master was trying to explain to them that the task for which he had come to earth was about to be undertaken. Jesus would be leaving them — he would be returning to the bosom of the Father, but he was doing ...

2720. A Winsome Witness

Acts 8:26-40

Sermon

David E. Leininger

... keeping the faith in spite of obvious obstacles, let me credit Philip here for his willingness to follow the Lord's lead. By way of background, Philip was one of the church's first deacons, the seven individuals who were chosen to assist the apostles with the social ministry of assisting those in need. However, within a short time, the deacons' job description had expanded to preaching and teaching, as well. Just prior to this encounter on the Gaza road, this willing worker had led a successful preaching ...

2721. The Voice

1 Samuel 3:1-10 (11-20)

Sermon

David E. Leininger

... The Danger Of Sleeping In Church." As Bible scholars know, there is another story in the New Testament that could be titled the same way (Acts 20:7-12). Young Eutychus of Troas was at worship one Sunday evening, seated on the windowsill. The apostle Paul was the visiting preacher, and he did preach ... and preach and preach and preach. He preached until midnight. Then Eutychus dozed, and crashed. He fell out the window, toes over teacups, three stories to the ground. Miraculously, he survived, the fall and ...

2722. A Gospel for Losers

Jonah 3:1-5, 10

Sermon

David E. Leininger

... that needs to be shared with the world, and then he admits, "we have this treasure in jars of clay...." What? A precious treasure in such a fragile and humble container? Apparently, this has been God's intention all along. I love the way the apostle Paul affirms that in his own experience. "We are hard pressed on every side, but not crushed; perplexed, but not in despair; persecuted, but not abandoned; struck down, but not destroyed" (2 Corinthians 4:8-9). Down but not out. Did you look in the mirror ...

2723. He Descended Into Hell

1 Peter 3:18-22

Sermon

David E. Leininger

... almighty, maker of heaven and earth; and in Jesus Christ, his only Son our Lord, who was conceived by the Holy Ghost, born of the Virgin Mary, suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified, dead, and buried. He descended into hell." Familiar words from the Apostles' Creed, but words that not every church recites. "He descended into hell" was not in the earliest versions of the creed. In fact, we do not run into the statement at all until about 400 years after Christ. The other ancient statement of faith ...

2724. Preaching Back Home

Mark 6:1-13

Sermon

David E. Leininger

... the trials of this time with my people." So Bonhoeffer went back. Within a year, he was prohibited from preaching. The following year, he was prohibited from publishing. He became active in the resistance movement and was arrested in April 1943. Like the apostle Paul, Bonhoeffer did some of his most memorable work from prison, calling attention in his letters and papers to the necessity for a "worldly Christianity," the kind of faith that is willing to get involved in the great struggles of humanity. He ...

2725. A New Year’s Resolution

Ephesians 4:25 -5:2

Sermon

David E. Leininger

... of the universe to a manger in Bethlehem, a sinless life on the hills of Judea, a sacrifice on a hill called Calvary. His kindness continues as he sustains us through his body, the church, and as he nourishes us at his table. This same one, through the apostle Paul, told us to "Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you. Be imitators of God, therefore, as dearly loved children and live a life of love, just as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us ...

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