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 3251 to 3275 of 3314 results

3251. Selling the Cross

Luke 9:51-62

Sermon

King Duncan

... have dens and birds have nests, but the Son of Man has no place to lay his head.” Jesus isn’t offering earthly security or comfort. He could have protected his followers from these challenges, but he didn’t. Why? In Philippians 3, the apostle Paul says that we know Jesus when we share in his suffering. It is in the difficulties and discouragement of following in Jesus’ path that we understand Jesus’ love for us in a deeper way. And by persevering through the difficulties and discouragement, we ...

3252. Your Ordination

Luke 3:15-17, 21-22

Sermon

Will Willimon

... began to do and teach'' (Acts 1:1). When the heavens open, the Holy Spirit descends upon Jesus. Luke gives a central role to the Holy Spirit throughout his gospel and Acts. In fact, some have noted that Acts ought to be called, not ''The Acts of the Apostles'' but rather ''The Acts of the Holy Spirit," so prominent is the Holy Spirit there. Thus Jesus' baptism becomes a prelude to the other key Holy Spirit events like Luke 4:1-18 and Luke 24:49. Although the voice proclaiming Jesus as the Son is important ...

3253. Radical Love is Godly (Series: Radical Love in a Risky World)

Luke 3:21-23 · 1 John 4:7-8

Sermon

J. Howard Olds

... IS GOD LIKE? Inquiring minds want to know. Our Muslim friends would likely answer GOD IS ONE—with that we can agree. God is one. Our Jewish friends might reply GOD IS HOLY—and with that we can, likewise, agree for God is holy. Centuries ago the Apostle John answered the question this way “God is love!” That’s what I want us to think about today as we prepare for this baptismal renewal and Holy Communion today. When Jesus was about 30-years-old, he traveled to the Jordan River to be baptized by ...

3254. More Than a Popularity Contest

Luke 12:49-53, Luke 12:54-59

Sermon

King Duncan

... value systems. There are three ways that following Jesus creates division, and we need to consider these seriously before we make the decision to commit our life to him. First, following Jesus divides us from the person we used to be. In Second Corinthians 5, the apostle Paul writes, “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come: The old has gone, the new is here!” You are a new creation. Paul would know about these things. Before he became a follower of Jesus, he was a zealous member of ...

3255. A Miracle of Grace

Philemon 1:1-21

Sermon

King Duncan

... who ran away from himself. Onesimus was a slave in Philemon’s household. One day Onesimus stole some property or some money from Philemon—the Scriptures aren’t clear on this point—and ran away. A few years later, Onesimus encountered the Apostle Paul. Ironically, Paul was a friend and spiritual mentor to Philemon. Paul befriended Onesimus, and eventually brought Onesimus to faith in Jesus Christ. After his conversion to Christ, Onesimus became immensely useful to Paul, aiding him in his ministry and ...

3256. Overflowing Joy and Rich Generosity

2 Corinthians 8:7-15

Sermon

King Duncan

... to know that I am not always right, but I am never wrong.” And one of my favorite oxymoron statements comes from entertainer Dolly Parton, who once said, “You'd be surprised how much it costs to look this cheap.” (2) I wonder if the apostle Paul laughed when he wrote these words that introduce our Bible passage today. He wants to tell the believers in the Corinthian church about the incredible spiritual work God is doing in the Macedonian church. He says, “In the midst of a very severe trial, their ...

3257. Lamb and Wolves

Luke 10:1-11, 16-20

Sermon

Dave Zuchelli

... personal victory for us personally. If our name is written in heaven, it should be our desire that others should join us there. Our attitude toward them means a lot. It’s an attitude change that can only be brought about by a renewing of our minds (as the apostle Paul urged in Romans 12). We need to be aware that, when we follow Jesus into the lives of others, there will be rejection — there will be costs involved. At times there will be no place to lay our heads, no time for goodbyes, and no time for ...

3258. Brush It Off

Luke 10:1-11, 16-20

Sermon

Lori Wagner

... is an important part of the message. The mission of the gospel is not an invasion or a take-over. It is simply a message, kindly and respectfully offered to all, no matter how hospitably or inhospitably the teachers are received. This required the disciples (or apostles) not just to be brave but to be vulnerable, to share their most intimate stories, their most heartfelt experiences, and to offer the hand of friendship to those who may scoff, reject, or kick them to the curb. That is a hard thing to do. Not ...

3259. Giving Away the Kingdom

Luke 12:32-40

Sermon

Dave Zuchelli

... the money to the poor, we would die out inside two weeks. I’m just guessing, but I’m pretty sure that’s not the Lord’s intent here. Being a guy who believes the Lord meant what he said; I’ve got to struggle with this one. The apostle Paul once wrote to the Christians at Thessalonica and reminded them of a rule they had instituted while he was with them. It was a simple one. “The one who is unwilling to work shall not eat” (2 Thessalonians 3:10). He also said something similar to the Ephesian ...

3260. All Dressed Up

Luke 12:32-40

Sermon

Lori Wagner

... engaged with scripture or at prayer meeting, to remember to clothe ourselves in an attitude of service, so that no matter where we are or whom we are with, we are attentive to our discipleship identity, to our identity as a follower of Christ, our identity as an apostle to the world and a servant to God’s people. How will this change how you carry on your week? How will this change the way you live your life? For each person it may be different, for each one of us is unique in our personalities and our ...

3261. Lose the Cape

Romans 13:11-14

Sermon

Charley Reeb

... who don’t go to church or claim a religion are yearning for the light and joy of the season. When they don’t find it in the commercialization of Christmas, will they find it in those of us who claim to follow Christ and celebrate his birth? The apostle Paul gave the following appeal: It is now the moment for you to wake from sleep… Let us then lay aside the works of darkness and put on the armor of light (Romans 13:11-12 NRSV). Jesus said something similar in Matthew: “Let your light shine before ...

3262. Inside Out

James 5:7-10

Sermon

Charley Reeb

... he would come across so many people who told him that they have not been hugged or touched in years. They walked away from the encounter new people (http://www.buscaglia.com/ biography). When we know we are loved, we can do anything; conquer anything; overcome anything! The Apostle Paul said it best in Romans 8:37: “We are more than conquerors through Christ who loves us.” The love of God always wins. This is the essence of our faith and what the gospels teach us over and over again. Jesus sums it up by ...

3263. What We Learn from Love

Matthew 1:18-25

Sermon

King Duncan

... was sent to both warn Ahaz and assure him that God was still with him. And part of that assurance was the vision God gave Isaiah of the eventual birth of Jesus. It was an ironclad promise of hope and salvation for all people. In fact, the apostle Paul writes in Second Corinthians 1: 20, “For no matter how many promises God has made, they are ‘Yes’ in Christ.” Pastor Donald Grey Barnhouse writes of a French woman during World War I who was overcome by fear and hopelessness. Barnhouse had taught this ...

3264. Response Ability

Luke 17:5-10

Sermon

Lori Wagner

... salvation, but we just plain don’t need to do anything at all. Ever again. Good deeds or as we used to call them, acts of mercy, are after all, Jesus’ department, right? He is the miracle worker. We are not. Except the Acts of the Apostles would tell us differently. And so would Jesus. In our scripture passage for today, Jesus is pushing back at his disciples pretty firmly, not because they’ve done anything wrong, but because they are willing to sit back and allow him to take full responsibility for ...

3265. A Trick Resurrection

Luke 20:27-38

Sermon

Richard Hasler

... the follower of Jesus dies that the person is immediately in the presence of God. For example, in the last chapter of the book we heard Jesus say to the believing criminal alongside him on the cross, “Today, you will be with me in paradise.” Also, the apostle Paul in his writing speaks of being “absent from the body and present with the Lord” (2 Corinthians 5:8). On the other hand, the New Testament also speaks of a final resurrection of bodies at the end of time (Revelation 20:6-15.) N. T. Wright ...

3266. Stop in the Name of Love

Matthew 3:13-17

Sermon

King Duncan & Angela Akers

... with believers all over the world for the past 2,000 years who have accepted Jesus as their Savior and Lord. When you are baptized, you belong to a spiritual family that stretches across time and space, from every nation and language and culture. The Apostle Paul is a man whose life was completely transformed by the power of Jesus. He went from being a violent persecutor of Christians to being the greatest evangelist of the Christian faith. In his letter to the church at Ephesus, he wanted to address some ...

3267. Time to Listen

Matthew 17:1-9

Sermon

King Duncan & Angela Akers

... things new by loving the unlovable, by healing the unhealable, by welcoming the outcasts?” (4) Isn’t that beautiful? The Law and the prophets became flesh in the person of Jesus Christ. And what did it look like? Grace, restoration, healing, new life. The Apostle Paul writes about Jesus in II Corinthians 5: 21: “For God made Christ, who never sinned, to be the offering for our sin, so that we could be made right with God through Christ.” (NLT) In his perfect obedience and sacrificial death, Jesus ...

3268. Fired Up and Fit for the Feast

Matthew 3:1-12

Sermon

Lori Wagner

... interesting figures in the gospels –John, known as the Baptist. Though we know little about John directly from gospel stories such as this one, we can glean from mention of him, the circumstances of his life, and the many times Jesus’ disciples and apostles encounters John’s disciples, that his ministry was significant, widespread, well-known, respected, and his message feared. He made even Herod Antipas tremble in fear to the point that he took John’s life, needing to sever John’s very head, as ...

3269. Imagine This

Matthew 3:13-17

Sermon

John Jamison

... than Saul, Gamaliel looked at things a bit differently. While putting Saul at the Jordan River is just my imagination, historians do give us a clear picture of how Gamaliel would probably have responded to Saul’s report. A few years later some of the apostles were arrested and brought before the Sanhedrin for trial. The group wanted to make an example of these men and demanded that they all be immediately put to death. Then Gamaliel spoke. He began by reminding them of Theudas and Judas, two other self ...

3270. On the Mountaintop

Matthew 17:1-9

Sermon

April Yamasaki

... those times of confusion and desperation that are also part of human life. When Peter later described this mountaintop experience in a church letter, he skipped over his own impulsive contribution to the scene to highlight instead the main elements centered on Jesus. The apostle said, “we had been eye witnesses of his majesty” (2 Peter 1:16). Peter, James, and John had seen Jesus bathed in glorious light, and they had heard God’s voice of affirmation. In his letter, Peter sought to pass on the good ...

3271. Transformed

John 4:5-42

Sermon

April Yamasaki

... we know that this is truly the Savior of the world” (John 4:42). They scarcely gave the woman credit, yet without her testimony, they might never have come to faith. For this, she has often been called the first evangelist and equal to the apostles. After this account in the gospel of John, the woman disappears from the New Testament record. But clearly she had become an “enlightened” one in keeping with the name she would later receive as Saint Photini. Her ordinary, everyday trip to the well had led ...

3272. Sent

John 9:1-41

Sermon

April Yamasaki

... he did so with the purpose that they would make arrangements for him (Mark 11:1). The early church in Jerusalem chose several members and sent them with Paul and Barnabas to Antioch with the purpose of meeting with the Gentile Christians (Acts 15:22). The apostle Paul wrote to the Philippians, “I hope in the Lord Jesus to send Timothy to you soon, so that I may be cheered by news of you” (Philippians 2:19). So too, Jesus was sent by God with a purpose—carefully, thoughtfully, with attention to detail ...

3273. Smombies

Romans 5:12-19

Sermon

Dr. Ronald Love

... to the promised land. Jonah’s prophecy of judgment gave forty days to the city of Nineveh in which to repent or be destroyed. Jesus retreated into the wilderness, where he fasted for forty days while being tempted by Satan. Tradition holds that the apostles fasted for forty hours while Jesus was in the tomb. The biblical reference to three days is understood to be spanning three days. But it would be forty hours from Friday afternoon to early Sunday morning. Lent provides for us forty days of self ...

3274. Capernaum by the Sea

Matthew 4:12-23

Sermon

Lori Wagner

... of northern Galilee was no mistake or coincidence. This was root central. Here the silent voices of the lost tribes of Zebulun and Naphtali would be sought by God in the person of Messiah. To this end, Jesus chose 12 primary disciples, trained them as 12 apostles, and led them into region after region in the north, searching for those who may still remain faithful and wish for redemption. This was no whim or spontaneous ministry. His was a well-planned out mission. But how would he do this? Today, if you ...

3275. The Ear of the Heart

Philippians 2:5-11

Sermon

Dr. Ronald Love

... of the most important scriptural passages in the New Testament. That line is not only a part of a Christological hymn, but it contains one of the earliest creeds of the church which is, “Jesus Christ is Lord.” Today we often recite in worship the Apostles Creed and Nicene Creed, which are rather lengthy and esoteric. But the earliest creed of the church is simply four words in which the entire doctrine of the church is confessed--“Jesus Christ is Lord.” It is appropriate that we read and even sing ...

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