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 326 to 350 of 779 results

326. John 20:19-31

John 20:19-31

Sweet

Leonard Sweet

This week's lengthy gospel text contains two distinct pericopes and a separate conclusion. The content of each of these two stories may be distinct, but they intentionally mirror each other closely in form. The extreme importance of the Johannine message delivered by these two scenes is evident by their placement. The final two verses read today (vv. 30-31) constitute John's original ending to his gospel before the events in chapter 21 were belatedly added. Thus, the events and reactions described in 20:19 ...

327. As Seen from the Solitary Broom Tree

1 Kings 19:1-18

Sermon

Stan Purdum

I'm not sure when the term "burn out" ceased being only a description of what happened to a campfire when you ran out of firewood to a term describing the experience of long-term exhaustion and diminished interest, usually coming immediately after an extended period of overwork, but the expression seems to fit that later situation, doesn't it? Exhaustion, deep weariness, all used up, nothing more to give, wiped out, burned out — call it what we will, its symptoms are all too familiar to many of us. A study ...

328. Power!

Mark 1:4-11

Sermon

David E. Leininger

In a former congregation of mine, a Sunday school teacher told me of an incident that happened there some years ago. Two of the young girls in her class — both about nine years old — came to her and said they wanted to be baptized. She was understandably pleased at their desire and told them to go home and talk to their parents about it, then appropriate arrangements could be made. A week later, the girls came back with the sad news that the parents thought they should wait until they were older and could ...

329. The Case Against Capone

Illustration

Bruce Larson

When I was a small boy, I attended church every Sunday at a big Gothic Presbyterian bastion in Chicago. The preaching was powerful and the music was great. But for me, the most awesome moment in the morning service was the offertory, when twelve solemn, frock-coated ushers marched in lock-step down the main aisle to receive the brass plates for collecting the offering. These men, so serious about their business of serving the Lord in this magnificent house of worship, were the business and professional ...

330. Be Hatched or Go Bad

Mark 16:1-8

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

Christ is Risen! [The people respond:] He is risen indeed! Happy Easter, everyone! “Because I live,” Jesus said in John 14:19, “you also will live.” I wonder: how many of you are sitting out there, festooned in your Easter Sunday best, but your fingers are slightly stained? How many of you colored Easter eggs this weekend? I do think I can see some pinks, blues, greens, and purples shining on your fingers from all the Easter eggs you colored, hid, found, cracked, or consumed. Take comfort in this: you are ...

331. Peter at Cornelius’ House

Acts 10:23b-48

Understanding Series

David J. Williams

10:23b–29 The setting for the third scene of this story is again Caesarea. The journey to the capital seems to have taken the best part of two days (v. 30), probably because the Christians were not mounted. Peter took with him six companions—Jewish Christians like himself (v. 45, lit., “men of the circumcision”; see disc. on 11:2)—who, according to a variant reading of 11:11, had been staying with him in Simon’s house. Their road lay along the coast, and since Apollonia was situated about halfway between ...

332. List of the Family Heads Returning With Ezra

Ezra 8:1-14

Understanding Series

Leslie C. Allen

Bringing Glory to the Temple: Ezra was given two mandates in chapter 7. The first was to lead a party of immigrants back to the homeland and to take along the sacred contributions of the Persian court, the Babylon satrapy, and Jews remaining in exile, and deliver them to the temple authorities in Jerusalem. This first assignment is accomplished here. Apart from the conclusion in verses 35–36, this section comes from the Ezra memoirs and falls into three parts: 7:28b–8:20; 21–30; and 31–34. Each part has a ...

333. Habakkuk’s Second Complaint

Habakkuk 2:2-20, Habakkuk 1:12--2:1

Understanding Series

John Goldingay

A Protest and an Answer (ii): In a sense there was nothing surprising in Yahweh’s response to Habakkuk; it is entirely in keeping with Isaiah’s understanding of the role of Assyria and with Jeremiah’s understanding of Babylon. But Yahweh has given hostages to fortune in noting that the Babylonians are inclined to violence, that they seize homes that do not belong to them, that they make up their own rules for the conduct of relationships, that they worship themselves, their power, and their glory. How can ...

334. Paul's Chains Advance the Gospel

Philippians 1:12-30

Understanding Series

F. F. Bruce

Paul’s Present Situation The Christians of Philippi were deeply concerned about Paul. They cherished a warm affection for him; they knew that he was now in custody awaiting trial and that his case was due to come up for hearing soon before the supreme tribunal of the empire. How was he faring right now? And what would be the outcome of the hearing when once it took place? How, moreover, would its outcome serve to advance the gospel throughout the Roman world? Paul knows what is in their minds, and he ...

335. Jerusalem to Be Inhabited

Isaiah 44:24--45:25

Understanding Series

John Goldingay

Cyrus, Yahweh’s Anointed Shepherd: We have noted that the two sections on the restoration of a blind and deaf servant (43:22–44:23 and 42:18–43:21) paralleled one another, but that the former lacked an equivalent to the last paragraph (43:14–21). This parallel ending now follows, in 44:24–45:8, with its lyrical postscript (45:8) marking it as an ending. Yet 43:22–44:23 did have a different sort of lyrical postscript (44:23). For 44:24–45:8 also marks a beginning. It makes an announcement whose significance ...

336. The Glory Departs

Ezekiel 8:1-18, Ezekiel 9:1-11, Ezekiel 10:1-22, Ezekiel 11:1-15, Ezekiel 11:16-25

Understanding Series

Steven Tuell

These four chapters contain the second of the three great visions of the Lord’s Glory that punctuate Ezekiel’s prophecy. As with the first (chs. 1–3), Ezekiel dates this second vision to the precise day (8:1), refers to the hand of the Lord (8:1), and titles it “visions of God” (8:3). Further, he makes explicit reference to the earlier vision (8:4; 10:15, 20, 22), including summary descriptions of some portions (e.g., compare 8:2 with 1:26–27) and virtually repeating others (e.g., compare 10:9–12 with 1:15 ...

337. Saul Forfeits a Dynasty

1 Samuel 13:1-15

Teach the Text

Robert B. Chisholm Jr.

Big Idea: God’s people can forfeit their privilege and blessing by foolishly disobeying the Lord’s word. Understanding the Text As chapter 12 concludes, one hopes and may even expect that Saul will succeed. After all, empowered by the Lord’s Spirit, he defeated the Ammonites, and the rebellious people responded positively to Samuel’s call to covenantal renewal. Yet there was unfinished business. The Ammonites have been defeated, but the Philistine problem remains. The Lord announced to Samuel that the new ...

338. Resolution: The Covenant to Change

Ezra 10:1-44

One Volume

Gary M. Burge

Ezra is not ashamed to let his great emotional distress be seen and heard by the public. This is an example of how God can use the sincere emotional expression of a righteous person to bring conviction on the whole congregation. Ezra’s leadership is noteworthy; he does not force the people to submit to him. He trusts God to work among the people. Then, their representative, Shekaniah, comes to Ezra and urges him to lead the way in changing the situation. The law required the people to put away their ...

339. Israel's Unbelief

Romans 9:30--10:21

Understanding Series

James R. Edwards

Righteousness: Gift or Reward? So far Paul has considered the case of Israel from God’s side. God made choices from among Abraham’s descendants to create a peculiar people for himself. The election of Jacob over Esau was independent of human merit or responsibility, since the choice was made when both were still in Rebekah’s womb. If in subsequent generations God hardened Pharaoh and blessed Israel, it was “in order that [his] purpose in election might stand” (9:11), a purpose rooted in mercy and directed ...

340. The Return to Jerusalem

Ezra 8:15-36

Understanding Series

Leslie C. Allen

341. Everlasting Salvation for Zion

Isaiah 51:1-16

Understanding Series

John Goldingay

Four Wake-up Calls and a Departure Call: In 50:4 the subject suddenly changes again—in two senses. The grammatical subject is once again a human “I” rather than a divine “I,” and the thematic subject is the pressure upon this human “I.” In both respects the passage parallels 49:1–6, and it will emerge that 50:4–52:12 forms a sequence parallel to 49:1–50:4, analogous to double sequences we have noted earlier in chapters 40–55. The arrangement of sections is not as tightly parallel as in earlier instances, ...

342. Sin, Confession and Redemption

Isaiah 59:1-21

Understanding Series

John Goldingay

Critique of the Community (59:1-8): While there are positive notes throughout 56:9–59:8, the dominant tone is confrontational, and even the positive notes incorporate barbed comment. The way the passages speak of shalom, which occurs six times (57:2, 19, 21; 59:8), sums up this point. This distinctive concentration of references finds its closest parallel in Zechariah 8, which again belongs to the same period as Isaiah 56–66. Admittedly there are no specific indications of a particular context here, and ...

343. How Much Should We Pack?

Matthew 9:35-10:8, (9-23)

Sermon

William G. Carter

As much as I like to travel, I am never sure how much to pack. When my wife and I take off for a week long vacation, we do our best to keep a week’s worth of possessions down to one suitcase. That is the goal. There is never a guarantee it will happen. Packing is determined by two contradictory principles: how do we move quickly? How can we be prepared for every contingency? How many pairs of pants can I take, or in my wife’s case, how many pairs of shoes? Should we pack a sweatshirt? Does it rain in New ...

344. Anointed and Appointed

John 15:9-17

Sermon

Lori Wagner

This is the time of year in which we begin to celebrate graduations! Graduations are not just endings but beginnings. They signal the end of an era of learning and the start of an era of adulthood or maturity in one’s course of study that allows graduates to launch in dynamic and hopeful ways. High school and college graduates will now have the opportunity to become vital members of their communities. They will take part in the workforce, in politics, in the world of ideas, and they will take on the ...

345. Easter 2

Jn 20:19-31 · 1 Pet 1:3-9 · Acts 2:14a, 22-32 · Ps 16 · Ps 111

Sermon Aid

Russell F. Anderson

THIS WEEK'S TEXT Revised Common: Acts 2:14a, 22-32 · 1 Pet 1:3-9 · Jn 20:19-31 Roman Catholic: Acts 2:42-47 · 1 Pet 1:3-9 · Jn 20:19-31 Episcopal: Acts 2:14a, 22-32 or 1 Pet 1:3-9 or Jn 20:19-31 · Gen 8:6-16; 9:8-16 · Acts 2:14a, 22-32 Lutheran: Acts 2:14a, 22-32 · 1 Pet 1:3-9 · Jn 20:19-31 Theme For The Day: The theme of faith and doubt runs through the lessons for today. In the First Lesson, Peter attempts to elicit faith on the part of his hearers in the risen Christ. In the Second Lesson, Peter points ...

346. Proper 14

Mt 14:22-33 · Rom 9:1-5 · Ex 14:19-31 · Ps 106:4-12

Sermon Aid

John R. Brokhoff

The Miracle Of Walking On Water When it comes to a body of water (river, lake, gulf or sea), there is one thing humans cannot do. We can drink water, float on it, swim in it and under it, and drown in it. We can sail on it, fly over it and in submarines we can travel and explore under it. But, there is one thing we cannot do: walk on it. Yes, we can ski on it, even without skis when we barefoot ski behind a speeding boat. To walk on water like walking on the ground would be a miracle. Since it is ...

347. Congratulations, Joseph, It's A God!

John 1:1-18

Sermon

King Duncan

A man had fallen off a fishing pier into deep water and was about to go under. Another fisherman nearby, hearing his cry for help, said, "How can I help you? What can I do?" The drowning man said, "For God's sake, give me something to hold on to!" This is the first Sunday of a new year. Marjorie Holmes once said that each New Year is like opening an intriguing mystery story. What's going to happen? Where will it lead? Charles Lamb once contended that New Year's Day is every person's birthday. He was more ...

348. Lesson From A Blind Man

Mark 10:46-52

Sermon

King Duncan

Eugene was a wimpy prince; stunted in growth, ugly, sickly, pale and hunched back. Everyone in Louis XIV's castle had written him off and ignored him. The young prince wandered around in the shadows of the French monarch's castle going unnoticed among the nobles and royalty who attended the balls, ballets, and parties. Eugene's friends were the slaves. No one else would have anything to do with him. Eugene wanted to be a soldier so he went to Louis XIV and asked for a commission in his army. Louis wouldn't ...

349. The Awesome Power Of Believing

John 1:1-18

Sermon

King Duncan

I am convinced that this can be the best year of your life if you will simply accept one principle: WHAT YOU BELIEVE IS MORE IMPORTANT THAN WHAT YOU HAVE OR WHO YOU ARE. Can you accept that? The most important matter in your life is not what is happening to you, but what is happening in you. The story is told about a man on a train crew who was accidentally locked in a refrigerator box car. The rest of the crew did not notice that he was missing and went home for the night. When the man realized that he ...

350. Remember Your Baptism

Romans 6:1-14, Colossians 2:6-23

Sermon

Maxie Dunnam

In his book, The Gospel For The Person Who Has Everything, William Willimon tells of a young friend, age 4, who was asked on the occasion of his 5th birthday what kind of party he wanted to have. I want everybody to be a king and queen, Clayton said. So, he and his mother went to work, fashioning a score of silver crowns – cardboard and aluminum foil, purple robes – crepe paper, and royal scepters – sticks painted gold. On the day of the party, as the guests arrived, they were each given a royal crown, a ...

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