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 3101 to 3125 of 4967 results

3101. Will The Real Saints Please Stand Up

Esther 4:1-17

Sermon

John E. Harnish

... the third day, in accordance to the scriptures. (I Corinthians 15:1) It's the reminder of the central message of the Gospel, a reminder of the word we have to proclaim. And today, just as in the Corinthian church, there is a desperate need for disciples of Christ to be grounded in the faith, to grow together in our spiritual journey, to nurture one another in the life and spirit of Jesus Christ. John Wesley's genius in the early Methodist movement was the network of "class meetings, societies and bands" for ...

3102. Gathered In, Sent Out

1 Corinthians 15:1-11, Ephesians 4:1-16

Sermon

John E. Harnish

3103. Growing Up

1 Corinthians 13

Sermon

John E. Harnish

3104. Called to be a Christian Community: Cracked Pots and Clay Jars

2 Corinthians 4: 1-18

Sermon

John E. Harnish

3105. Grasshopper Religion

Numbers 13:25-33, 14:1-10

Sermon

John E. Harnish

3106. Praising God on an Oatmeal Box

2 Samuel 6:12-23

Sermon

John E. Harnish

3107. Romans 13:8-14

Romans 13:8-14

Sweet

Leonard Sweet

... and despair. But the “now” is revealed to all who believe in Christ’s resurrection and have experienced the transformation of the divine/human relationship because of Christ’s sacrifice. Trust in Christ’s triumph over death “opens the eyes” of disciples, waking them up to this astonishing new reality. The “awake” theme Paul plays here is conjectured by some commentators to be part of a liturgical piece, either from baptismal instructions or from an early Christian hymn. It is already the ...

3108. Taking a Necessary Step

Acts 19:1-7

Sermon

Donald Charles Lacy

... the time of their conceptions and the evident, close relationship between their mothers. It is said that in certain parts of the world there are still a few who follow only the baptizer. After 2,000 years the transition apparently has not been made. Among those disciples that Paul found, they had no clear witness of the far greater one who would follow John. This may very well be a special word for those today who are good, morally upright people but have not made the discovery of Jesus the Christ. Our duty ...

3109. Prayer: A Way of Life

James 5:13-20

Sermon

Richard Gribble

... apostles to pray as well (Mark 14:32-42). When Jesus' hour had come he prayed for those who would be left behind; he never forgot his friends (John 17:1-26). Besides being a man of prayer, Jesus also instructed his followers on how to pray. He taught his disciples that prayer was a private matter; it was not to be used to make others think you are important. In the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus said, "Whenever you pray, do not be like the hypocrites; for they love to stand and pray in the synagogues and at the ...

3110. Don’t Fear the Wait

Mark 13:1-8

Sermon

Richard Gribble

... North American society, but living in the world does not mean we must be of the world. We must be the sign of the times of which Jesus speaks. One of the more prominent signs of today's world preaches an anti-Christian message. We, the contemporary disciples of Jesus, must be, therefore, a sign of a different Christ-centered message. We must be a sign for the vigilance that is needed and the preparedness we must undertake. These must be the signs we give to the world, not the fear that paralyzes and leads ...

3111. Brothers and Sisters of Jesus

Mark 3:31-35

Sermon

George Reed

... in Jesus Christ. There are all kinds of programs and special campaigns that congregations can run to try to draw in crowds. Some of them are awful and some of them are very good. In evaluating them, however, we need to keep in mind that our goal is to make disciples of Jesus Christ and not perpetuate an organization. We are about the work of inviting people to come and do the will of God for their lives and for the life of the world. We have the way to a full and abundant life that offers meaning and hope ...

3112. Where Is Your Trust?

Mark 4:35-41

Sermon

George Reed

... of life, we either avoid asking the hard questions about the meaning of our lives or we too easily come up with some quick, canned answer. When the storms are raging and all seems lost we act and speak out of the truth of where our hearts are centered. The disciples had been following Jesus and learning from him. They still had not come to the point of fully realizing who he was or what he had to teach them. They are left at the end of the story still asking, "Who is this?" They do not yet understand the ...

3113. Power Failures and Power Surges

Matthew 25:1-13

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

... ? Is our church being run by the fossil fuel of hidebound church bureaucrats and high-powered preachers? Or is our church being powered by The Voice, by the wireless Spirit of God? There is no real “energy crisis,” at least for those who count themselves as disciples. The greatest power this earth has ever known was expended on the cross. It was the power surge of One, that transformed, that reversed, the power-grid on this earth. The Voice of love once and for all overcame the power of death and in so ...

3114. Prepare the Way - Sermon Starter

Mark 1:1-8

Illustration

Brett Blair

... . You can read about that in Luke 7:29. Yet, John gathered a respectable following. He attracted many hearers among the lower class, many of whom received baptism by his hands. John even drew a group of disciples around him, which is significant for two reasons. First, some of these disciples later became disciples of our Lord. Secondly, a number of people began to think of John himself as being the long expected Messiah. For that reason John's gospel felt obliged to specifically point out "There was a man ...

3115. Stand Together or Fall Apart

Acts 2:42-47

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

... trying to discern the non-violent glue that will establish and maintain their identity. Before his death Jesus spoke often about what should be the true nature of this new community. In Mark 10:42-44 he responded to the petty but disruptive rivalry among the disciples by proclaiming that "You know that among the Gentiles those whom they recognize as their rulers lord it over them, and their great ones are tyrants over them. But it is not so among you; but whoever wishes to become great among you must be ...

3116. Minding Your Heart

Mark 6:30-44

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

... your presence was being sought? But our rationalistic prejudices are still pretty strong as well, and more often than not, we "mind our hearts" all too effectively. Ironically, perhaps one of the places we most assiduously police for "heart attacks" is our life of faith. The disciples in this week's gospel text are guilty of this "safe-centered" love of reason. They can think of a number of reasons why the multitude should get moving. It's late. They're hungry. They are in a remote area with no place to buy ...

3117. Back to School

Luke 2:41-52

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

... to spread the gospel by "teaching them to do all things whatsoever I have commanded you." Dallas Willard calls this phrase "The Great Omission" from "The Great Commission" of Matthew 28:19-20 in The Spirit of the Disciples: Understanding How God Changes Lives (San Francisco:: Harper and Row, 1988), 15. Just how deadly an omission is made pointedly clear by the sense of exhaustion and lethargy that permeates so many congregations. Education is the primary means congregations have of keeping young. The ...

3118. Down the Up Staircase

Genesis 11:1-9

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

... promise, "Know that I am with you and will keep you wherever you go, and will bring you back to this land, for I will not leave you until I have done what I have promised you" (v.15). This week's Gospel text propels this divine promise into the disciples' present and into our future. Jesus' carefully constructed reply to Philip's question reveals how the divine presence has once more come down in order to fill up the voids in our lives. God has become incarnate in the person of the Son. The ...

3119. Rags and Robes

Micah 1:1-7; 2:1-11

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

... LuAnn Barrows has made a name for herself through her paintings that put traditional biblical themes into everyday rural American life. She paints Jesus in rustic farm settings, wearing old faded overalls, preaching to crowds of overalled and gingham-dressed disciples. Reviewing Barrows' work for Arts magazine (April 1992), William Hendricks, Dean of Southern Baptist Theological Seminary, notes that throughout the history of Christian art there has always been a desire to depict Jesus as "one's own kind", a ...

3120. The Cost of Non-Discipleship

Luke 21:5-38

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

... salvation, total redemption. Furthermore, in Paul's words, we receive this unmerited justification "by his grace as a gift, through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus" (Romans 3:24). Note that "as a gift": We do not lose anything of value in becoming disciples; we gain our very lives. What blinds most people to the heart of the good news of the gospel today is a growing conviction that the concept of human sinfulness is some kind of an ancient, outmoded, simplistic myth. Despite abundant evidence to the ...

3121. Five Steps to Takeoff

Mark 1:14-20

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

... . There are dangers known and unknown that accompany the mission, no matter how routine any mission may appear. By saluting, the airboss reminds the pilot of the seriousness of the venture and elevates what may be a routine into a significant moment. Jesus called his first disciples not only to learn at his feet but to join them in offering the world the saving message of the gospel. This is truly a mission of life or death. The gospel has the power to save to "rescue the perishing" but only if those called ...

3122. Take an Ember Day

Mark 4:35-41

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

... . Instructional time is over. Mark 4:33 notes that Jesus only taught as long "as they were able to hear it." He knew that pouring water into an already overflowing cup doesn't really give you any more water. Along with this abrupt halt in lessons, Jesus directs his disciples to set out for a new site. It is time for a change of scenery. Both these decisions are made with supreme assurance. Jesus doesn't worry over what he may miss by going "across to the other side" or what will become of the crowd when it ...

3123. Strength's Weakness

John 20:19-31

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

... was once an athlete's source of power and pride becomes the weakest, most vulnerable part of his or her body. There comes a time in every athlete's life when no longer does "practice make perfect." Instead, practice only makes pain. Among Jesus' 12 disciples, Thomas was not singled out as an example of "doubt" because he possessed a watered-down commitment or a frail faith. In John 11:16, it is Thomas who loyally if bluntly declares his willingness to follow Jesus back to Bethany and Lazarus' tomb, even ...

3124. Onward Christian Hell-busters

Matthew 10:40-42

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

... ? Why is the church so late on hate? How do we work with God to fight against evil, to make our world such that God can once again say, as God said when the world was created: "And God saw that it was good?" When Jesus wanted to ask his disciples "Who do people say that I am?" and "Who do you say that I am?" he took them to a place called Caesarea Phillippi, the capital city for Herod Philip and Gaulinitis. Caesarea Phillippi was famous in Jesus' day for a couple of things. First, it was celebrated for its ...

3125. Just Showing Up Doesn't Get the Job Done

Matthew 25:1-13

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

... showing up doesn't get the job done!" Matthew's parable-allegory of the 10 bridesmaids seems to emphasize this same kind of message to his reader it takes more than good intentions to be a faithful member of the Christian community. In fact, being a disciple of Christ requires us to commit to eight crucial words. These eight words will direct the whole course of our lives if we take them seriously: Show Up, Be Present, Be Yourself, Let Go. Show Up. Getting there, no matter what the speed, is not everything ...

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