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 301 to 325 of 2815 results

301. The Gospel According to Christ’s Enemies

John 11:1-16

Sermon

Richard Hoefler

... ’s miracle, Lazarus does, in fact, rise from the dead and the Jews who witnessed it are not persuaded. So a Synoptic parable becomes an event in John. The miracle of the raising of Lazarus is for Richardson an illustration of "the truth that Christ is ... value life as it was given. They spent time but they didn’t invest it. So they died without dividends. The second truth of this parable is: one day is all we need. Jesus says if we "walk in the daylight" we "will not stumble." To walk in the daylight is ...

302. A Kudzu-Kind of Kingdom

Matthew 13:1-23

Sermon

Bill Bouknight

... . No one recalls the name of the Sunday School teacher who invited him, no one except God. That's the way it is in the kingdom of God. Tiny, inauspicious beginnings are blessed with glorious results. Now, Let's Look to the Third Parable Found in Verse 33. This Is the Parable of Yeast or Leaven. Leaven was a little piece of dough kept over from a previous baking of bread. Of course, since it was not refrigerated, it gradually fermented. Thus, yeast or leaven was produced for the next baking of bread. Only a ...

303. Coming Home

Luke 15:1-3,11b-32

Sermon

Mark Trotter

... stayed in the culture in which I was raised. I never questioned it. I was always faithful to it. And now, look what has happened. It's just disgusting, it's immoral, that's what this is, that my brother would be treated in such a way." Go to the parable, see what happens. The younger son returns. The father gives him the robe and the ring and the party. The older son refuses to join in the party. He is standing outside of the house, on the porch, the sound of revelry from inside the house coming out. He has ...

304. Proper 28

Judges 4:1-24, Matthew 25:14-30, 1 Thessalonians 4:13--5:11, Psalm 123:1-4

Sermon Aid

Marion L. Soards, Thomas B. Dozeman, Kendall McCabe

... how the story begins. The master hands out his property. The sums given are remarkable, although we miss this fact because the parable reports the amount in "talents." A talent was approximately 12,000 days wages, or the earnings of over thirty-eight years ... that only threaten are often ineffective, merely turning off the hearers. But in fact, the majority of events in this parable are positive—though the master's lengthy speech overwhelms us with the recognition of possible condemnation file no sermon on ...

305. Luke 16:1-13

Luke 16:1-13

Sweet

Leonard Sweet

... that the "children of this age" are more adept at dealing with their own generation than are the so-called "children of light." Jesus suggests that being a little streetwise might be a good thing. Abandoning this traditional view, some scholars prefer to view the parable through the lens of irony. Jesus' comments in verses 8-9 are better understood as an example of irony in which Jesus says in fact the precise opposite of his meaning. He may have said, "You are such a clever fellow, deceiving your master to ...

306. Proper 6

2 Corinthians 5:11--6:2, Mark 4:30-34, 2 Corinthians 5:1-10, Mark 4:26-29, 1 Samuel 16:1-13

Sermon Aid

John R. Brokhoff

... it grows. When we think the kingdom has lost its influence and power, it is slowly and surely growing. This sermon is needed to encourage people to ever have a growing edge and to reassure them that the kingdom is in the process of coming upon earth. Outline: The parable of the secret seed shows – a. The miracle of growth v. 27. b. The manner of growth v. 28. c. The maturation of growth v. 29. 2. What God does while man sleeps (4:26-32). Need: There are those who think that God's kingdom depends on their ...

307. Use It or Lose It

Matthew 25:14-30

Sermon

James Merritt

... 's not what you have, it's what you do with what you've got that counts with God. Now the emphasis on this parable is not on the faithful servant, but on the unfaithful servant. Notice how he responds: "Then he who had received the one talent came and ... return on what does belong to me?" The slave was verbally hanged with his own verbal rope. Now we learn the hard lesson of the parable. Whatever you do for God now will reap an eternal reward later, but whatever you don't do for God now will be lost forever. " ...

308. The Opportunity of a Lifetime

Matthew 25:14-30

Sermon

James Merritt

... according to his own ability; and immediately he want on a journey. (Matthew 25: 14-15, NKJV) Notice that every man in this parable had been given gifts. One man was given five talents, another man two, and another man one, but every man had at least ... return on what does belong to me?" The slave was verbally hanged with his own verbal rope. Now we learn the hard lesson of the parable. Whatever you do for God now will reap an eternal reward later, but whatever you don't do for God now will be lost forever ...

309. Life’s Purpose Is Often Hidden!

Matthew 13:24-30, 36-43

Sermon

Mark Ellingsen

... that since the end is coming, the judgment is at hand, and we need to get on the stick and live faithfully or suffer the consequences.2 But that is not the Jesus we know, not a threatening judge. No, our Jesus, the one who seems to have taught the Parable in its original form, is a wonderful Savior.3 And his original point seems to have been that life is messy, even in the church, that God's purpose, that our purpose, that the purpose of life is often hidden. Let's take another look at Jesus' own point. One ...

310. Luke 15:1-10

Luke 15:1-7

Sweet

Leonard Sweet

... by insisting that the joy felt at the repentance of one who had been “lost” should be as celebrated by the earthly faith community as it is by the heavenly hosts. By fulfilling his mission to bring sinners to repentance, Jesus compounded the joy in heaven. The second parable in today’s text is found only in Luke. It precisely mirrors the format of the first. Unique also to Luke is his balancing of a story featuring a male character with a story about a woman (see 1:6-7; 2;36-38; 4:25). Luke’s ...

311. When We Feel Lost

Luke 15:11-32

Sermon

King Duncan

... his tail between his legs. He is hungry and hurting. Home is starting to look awfully good. However, is he truly penitent or is he simply posing, play-acting, so he can worm himself back into his father’s good graces? We don’t know. Since this is a parable and not a real life incident, there is no follow-up. We can only imagine that he is heading home for good. Or maybe not! Some of you may know a young person who has become involved with drugs. The first thing to go is their truthfulness. Many parents ...

312. Are You Part of the Scandal?

Luke 15:11-32

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

... makes all the wrong choices at every turn. When he gets in trouble he chooses the worst possible options as a “way out” — he becomes a servant to swine, and he cannot even snack on their disgusting food. One of the reasons we like the parable of the prodigal son so much is that we like the contriteness of the contrary youngster. He “came to himself.” He realized the miserable life he was living was worse than anything that the servants and day-laborers who worked for his father were experiencing ...

313. Everything Counts

Luke 16:1-15

Sermon

James Merritt

... a liar and a thief. (Come to think of it—in today’s culture maybe this story would be right at home!) Now we know the giver of the Ten Commandments would never commend either one, but it is that very aspect of the story that makes this parable both difficult and fascinating. You may have already figured out that Jesus is addressing one of his favorite topics, which is money. In fact, I have told you before that Jesus taught more about money than He did any other topic. He taught more about money than He ...

314. Always Ready

Matthew 25:1-13

Sermon

David G. Rogne

... thought to bring extra oil. Those who had not brought extra oil tried to borrow from those who had. They were denied and had to run to the stores to try to find a merchant who would open up and sell them oil. Meanwhile, the bridegroom arrived and the parable ends with those who are prepared going into the feast. The door was closed and those not prepared were left outside. Some see this as a message of warning by Jesus to the Jews of his day who should have been prepared for his coming but were not. Others ...

315. Talented People

Matthew 25:14-30

Sermon

David G. Rogne

... In the story Jesus told, the servant who was given the stuff of life and told to invest it, to risk it for the sake of his lord, could not bring himself to do anything. He froze. He only clutched the talent, never giving it or himself a chance. Jesus' parable gives a further warning that if we fail to use what God has given us, we lose it. The fellow who didn't invest his talent eventually lost it. That is not an arbitrary sentence on the part of an unfeeling judge, it is simply an observation about the law ...

316. They Should Have Fired That Shepherd

Luke 15:1-3 (8-32)

Sermon

Schuyler Rhodes

... the Prince of Glory died; My richest gain I count as loss, And pour contempt on all my pride. I love that hymn, but then I meditate on the words and I can’t help myself. The wondrous cross? It is a notion similar to what we see in the parables. The cross isn’t wondrous. It’s an instrument of state execution on which the Savior of the world was horribly murdered. We are once again called upon to let go of our preconceived notions. We are called to abandon that which we think is real and open our hearts ...

317. The Dishonest Manager

Luke 16:1-13

Sermon

Richard Hasler

... what belongs to another, who will give you what is your own?” (16:11-12). We do not really own anything. If we are not faithful in our daily tasks how will we be able to handle in the future what is really ours? Finally, we read in the parable: “No slave can serve two masters; for he will either hate the one and love the other, or be devoted to one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and wealth” (16:13). Conceivably today one could work several part-time jobs doing one on regular time and the ...

318. Proper 6

Luke 7:36-50, Galatians 2:11-21, 1 Kings 21:1-29, Psalm 5:1-12

Sermon Aid

William E. Keeney

... on the meal and begins to show gratitude to Jesus by washing his feet with her tears and wiping them with her hair. Simon concludes that Jesus was not a prophet or he would not let such a morally unclean woman behave that way. Jesus responds with a parable and a rebuke of Simon. It also leads Luke to note that women were part of the company that traveled with Jesus in his itinerant ministry. Context of Related Scripture 1. On feetwashing, see John 13:1-10 where Jesus washed the disciples' feet when they had ...

319. Proper 22

Philippians 4:2-9, Philippians 3:1-11, Philippians 3:12-4:1, Isaiah 5:1-7, Exodus 20:1-21, Matthew 21:33-46

Sermon Aid

Russell F. Anderson

... . Isn't that the way it always is? We pronounce our own judgment by the way that we live and the manner that we judge other people. God takes no delight in judgment, only in mercy. Outline: 1. The religious leaders did not see themselves in Jesus' parable 2. The verdict they rendered on the tenants was the judgment they themselves deserved 3. In judging others, we judge ourselves 4. If we live in Christ, we are freed of all judgment WORSHIP RESOURCES Psalm Of The Day: Psalm 19 "Let the words of my mouth ...

320. God's Bag of Cookies

Matthew 21:33-46

Sermon

Johnny Dean

... re looking at today, are tragedies, where things don’t end the way we’d like them to end, where we’re forced to trust a God who sometimes doesn’t deal with the world the way we think the world ought to be handled. Listen to a modern parable: One afternoon a church office assistant took a well deserved coffee break. She stopped by the vending machine and bought a bag of cookies, which she slipped into her purse. The she waited in line for a cup of coffee. After she got her coffee, she found a vacant ...

321. The Friend At Midnight

Luke 11:1-13

Sermon

Brett Blair

... for the plaintiff. Now get out of my court and don’t let me see you again. Good riddens! Again, the point that Jesus is making is not that God is like a corrupt judge who must be pestered so that we can finally get his attention. These two parables—the friend at midnight and the unjust judge, are stories that tell us not about God but about us. You see our fault lies not with how we grammatically compose our prayers; the fault lies not with the words used; rather, the problem is that we are not earnest ...

322. God Is Good But Not Easy

Luke 18:1-8

Sermon

... difference the goodness of God could have meant in his life. He could have been a different man if he had learned from this parable, God is good but not easy. The only people who experience the goodness of God are those who try to relate to God rather ... they work against us, when there is joy and when there is sadness, God shares God’s goodness of love with us. In this parable, Jesus reminds us that God’s goodness is better than a bargain, and he encourages us to persist In our relationship to God until ...

323. Proper 20 & Pentecost 18

Matthew 20:1-16, Philippians 1:12-30, Philippians 1:1-11, Exodus 32:1-33:6, Jonah 4:1-11, Isaiah 55:1-13, Psalm 27:1-14, Psalm 145:1-21, Psalm 106:1-48

Sermon Aid

... or am absent, I may hear of you that you stand firm in one spirit, with one mind striving side by side for the faith of the gospel. He offers that same advice to all Christian congregations today. Matthew 20:1-16 Today, Jesus would have to rework his parable about the man who went out to hire day-laborers to work in his vineyard; it would be too easily misunderstood as a story that seems to denigrate the worth of labor and, at the same time, puts down labor unions and the benefits they have gained for the ...

324. Holy Tares!

Matthew 13:24-30

Sermon

John R. Brokhoff

... once said, "The church is like Noah’s ark. If it were not for the storm outside, you could not stand the stench inside." This is not a pretty picture of the church, but you need to know it as it is lest you be disillusioned and disappointed. In the parable, Jesus taught that there are holy tares in the wheat. "Throw Out the Bums!" What are we to do with these people in the church who are not living up to the teachings and example of Christ? The first thing we human beings think of is, "Throw out the bums ...

325. The Tragedy of the Unprepared Life

Matthew 25:1-13

Sermon

Brett Blair

... have a wedding, I admonish those in the wedding to be ready, to make a special effort to be ready on the day of the ceremony. I plead with them to arrive early and be dressed and ready to go. Sometimes it works out and sometimes it doesn’t. Jesus’ parable about a wedding, is told not from the vantage point of the bride and groom, but of the ten young maidens who had been invited to the happy occasion, five of them were foolish, said Jesus, five of them were wise. What was the measure of their wisdom? In ...

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Showing 301 to 325 of 2815 results

301. The Gospel According to Christ’s Enemies

John 11:1-16

Sermon

Richard Hoefler

302. A Kudzu-Kind of Kingdom

Matthew 13:1-23

Sermon

Bill Bouknight

303. Coming Home

Luke 15:1-3,11b-32

Sermon

Mark Trotter

304. Proper 28

Judges 4:1-24, Matthew 25:14-30, 1 Thessalonians 4:13--5:11, Psalm 123:1-4

Sermon Aid

Marion L. Soards, Thomas B. Dozeman, Kendall McCabe

305. Luke 16:1-13

Luke 16:1-13

Sweet

Leonard Sweet

306. Proper 6

2 Corinthians 5:11--6:2, Mark 4:30-34, 2 Corinthians 5:1-10, Mark 4:26-29, 1 Samuel 16:1-13

Sermon Aid

John R. Brokhoff

307. Use It or Lose It

Matthew 25:14-30

Sermon

James Merritt

308. The Opportunity of a Lifetime

Matthew 25:14-30

Sermon

James Merritt

309. Life’s Purpose Is Often Hidden!

Matthew 13:24-30, 36-43

Sermon

Mark Ellingsen

310. Luke 15:1-10

Luke 15:1-7

Sweet

Leonard Sweet

311. When We Feel Lost

Luke 15:11-32

Sermon

King Duncan

312. Are You Part of the Scandal?

Luke 15:11-32

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

313. Everything Counts

Luke 16:1-15

Sermon

James Merritt

314. Always Ready

Matthew 25:1-13

Sermon

David G. Rogne

315. Talented People

Matthew 25:14-30

Sermon

David G. Rogne

316. They Should Have Fired That Shepherd

Luke 15:1-3 (8-32)

Sermon

Schuyler Rhodes

317. The Dishonest Manager

Luke 16:1-13

Sermon

Richard Hasler

318. Proper 6

Luke 7:36-50, Galatians 2:11-21, 1 Kings 21:1-29, Psalm 5:1-12

Sermon Aid

William E. Keeney

319. Proper 22

Philippians 4:2-9, Philippians 3:1-11, Philippians 3:12-4:1, Isaiah 5:1-7, Exodus 20:1-21, Matthew 21:33-46

Sermon Aid

Russell F. Anderson

320. God's Bag of Cookies

Matthew 21:33-46

Sermon

Johnny Dean

321. The Friend At Midnight

Luke 11:1-13

Sermon

Brett Blair

322. God Is Good But Not Easy

Luke 18:1-8

Sermon

323. Proper 20 & Pentecost 18

Matthew 20:1-16, Philippians 1:12-30, Philippians 1:1-11, Exodus 32:1-33:6, Jonah 4:1-11, Isaiah 55:1-13, Psalm 27:1-14, Psalm 145:1-21, Psalm 106:1-48

Sermon Aid

324. Holy Tares!

Matthew 13:24-30

Sermon

John R. Brokhoff

325. The Tragedy of the Unprepared Life

Matthew 25:1-13

Sermon

Brett Blair

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