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 351 to 375 of 4968 results

351. More Than Meets The Eye

Luke 17:1-10

Sermon

King Duncan

... student stood up, turned his chair over and to his surprise found a stick of gum taped to the bottom. Others did the same and also found gum. They were so sure they didn't have it because they hadn't actually seen me give it to them." (3) The disciples asked Jesus to increase their faith. Jesus replied that they already possessed as much faith as they would need for the tasks at hand. And so do we. Our task is to choose the ways we can use our faith. What task could you handle this week knowing that you ...

352. This Is Not What You Expected

John 12:20-36

Sermon

King Duncan

... If it dies? What's he talking about? But he doesn't stop there: "Those who love their life will lose it, and those who hate their life in this world will keep it for eternal life." "Oh, Jesus," they think with chagrin. "Here you go again." And suddenly, the disciples get that sinking feeling in the pit of the stomach. Why does Jesus have to make everything so hard? Why can't he just relax and enjoy the moment? He's never been more powerful or more popular than he is now? Why can't he leave well enough alone ...

353. Easter 7

John 17:1-11, Acts 1:6-14, 1 Peter 4:12-19; 5:6-11, Psalm 68

Sermon Aid

John R. Brokhoff

... chapter 13. The hour of his departure has come. He reports to the Father that he has accomplished the work he was sent to do. He reveals God to his followers, for to know the Father and the Son is to have eternal life. Then he prays for his disciples who are in the world that they may have the oneness that he and the Father have. This Lesson can be used for preaching whether or not the ascension was observed last Thursday with an Ascension Day service. If not, the sermon could deal with the ascension - "I ...

354. Pentecost! Slow ... and Sure!

John 20:19-23

Sermon

Stephen M. Crotts

... to know God, but don't ask me to make him known. And the text tells us that Jesus would have none of this with his disciples that first Easter. And I can assure you he'll have none of it here this most recent Easter! "As the Father has sent me, so ... ministered. Now he is gone. And who should walk in the door next but Thomas, one of the twelve! "Where have you been, Thomas?" the disciples ask in frustration. "We have seen the Lord! He has come. He is risen! He has ministered to us his peace and gladness and ...

355. Out of Order

Mark 6:30-44

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

... ' first response was to give of himself, to teach them many things, filling their needs with his words and wisdom. Only when he had personally addressed the spiritual hungers of these peripatetic crowds did he turn the people and their hungry stomachs over to his disciples. Is your soul wrung with anxiety, grief, and pain this morning? Are you stressed, depressed, self-obsessed? Are you Out of Order in more ways than one? Jesus is here to feed you. Jesus is here to free you from what's wrecking your insides ...

356. With Jesus No Mission Is Impossible

John 6:1-14

Sermon

James Merritt

... , Andrew did a little better. While Philip was running his fingers over his calculator, Andrew went off looking for food. He finds a little boy who brought a lunch of five loaves of barley and two small fish. But he wasn't too proud of his catch. "One of His disciples, Andrew, Simon Peter's brother, said to Him, ‘There is a lad here who has five barley loaves and two small fish, but what are they among so many?'" (vv.8-9) Andrew looked at the size of the multitude, and then he looked at the source of the ...

357. Discipleship: The Beauty and the Cross

Luke 2:21-40

Sermon

Richard Gribble

... to be served but to serve, and to give his life a ransom for many." Service and ministry are integral parts of the Christian call; they are not ideas that we can choose or not choose to engage. It is part and parcel of being a true disciple. How we will serve is a question that must constantly be before us. A third element of discipleship is its call to sacrificial love. From the outset of salvation history, God has demonstrated a sacrificial love for us, bending over backward it seems at almost every turn ...

358. John 14:23-29

John 14:23-29

Sweet

Leonard Sweet

... ). In the same way, genuine "love" reaches beyond specific guidelines and encompasses all of life's actions and attitudes. By keeping this word of love, Jesus declares, both God and Jesus will "make a dwelling" with or "be at home" with the loving disciple. Conversely, those who do not love Jesus again the inference is back to the New Commandment to love each other as Jesus has loved them cannot succeed in keeping any part of Jesus' "word." Jesus' teachings, his spirit, his very presence will be unavailable ...

359. Acts 1:6-14

Acts 1:6-14

Sweet

Leonard Sweet

... that will extend even "to the ends of the earth" (v.8). One of the remarkable things about the story of Christ's Ascension is the speed with which Luke reports the event occurred. As soon as Jesus announces the gift of Spirit - empowerment to his disciples, before they even have a chance to respond (which surely they would do given half a moment) Jesus is "lifted up." Events continue to pile on top of one another, for even "while he was going" the two "men in white robes" appear before the astonished ...

360. Matthew 10:24-39

Matthew 10:24-39

Sweet

Leonard Sweet

... to counsel that one type of fear is justified - "fear him who can destroy both soul and body" (v. 28). But he immediately disarms this potential threat with an analogy so ludicrous that no doubt remains about the safety of a loyal disciple's soul. Jesus reminds his disciples that if the souls of halfpenny sparrows garner the attention and concern of God, then how can they doubt God's providential and protective presence for them? They may not see the pattern to God's plan or understand their own role ...

361. Mark 4:35-41

Mark 4:35-41

Sweet

Leonard Sweet

... The Miracles of Mark 4:35-5:43," Biblical Theological Bulletin 11:1 [1981]: 13-16). In 1:27 and again in 1:39, Mark distills Jesus' ministry into preaching the Good News and exorcising demons. These same two activities are also part of the disciples' mission, as mentioned specifically in 6:12-13. Mark's concern with emphasizing these two aspects of Jesus' witness may therefore be the logic behind the organized groupings of 1) parables (in which Jesus is the teacher/preacher proclaiming the Good News) and 2 ...

362. Mark 13:1-8

Mark 13:1-8

Sweet

Leonard Sweet

... "I am he" are attempting to take on Jesus' messianic identity. That all these pretenders are blatantly false is made clear in Mark's text, for the signs and events that will usher in the messianic age have not yet occurred. Jesus' warning to his disciples that they not be "led astray" by these false messiahs is coupled with a specific guide. Although they may be frightened, perhaps panicked, by the "wars and rumors of wars" that are soon to begin, these events themselves are not the eschaton. "The end is ...

363. The Ride of Your Life

Mark 4:35-41

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

... , the first time he demonstrated his mastery over nature. Jesus had healed people before this, but there were lots of wandering faith healers in Jesus’ day. Here was a healer who could command the wind and the waves to obey him. If you or I are one of the disciples, I know what we’re doing after that miracle: high fiving one another for the wisdom of our choice. Did we pick the right guy to follow, or what? You know so-and-so could never have done what Jesus just did? Are we good or what? Then we ...

364. How Great Is Your Faith

Matthew 15:21-28, Matthew 15:1-20

Sermon

Billy D. Strayhorn

... come whining to Jesus about her, "Tell her to go away." Jesus ignored both them and her. But she kept shouting. So Jesus says, "Look lady, I've only come for the lost sheep of Israel, I can't be fooling with the likes of you." I think the disciples heard this and semi, sort of believed it. They might have even nodded their heads in agreement. Scripture did say they were the chosen. But this woman wouldn't be denied. She even got on her knees and begged. Jesus looked down and called her a dog. In those ...

365. The Smell Of Smoke Still Lingers

John 21:1-19

Sermon

Billy D. Strayhorn

... nose. He'd remember and feel a pang of remorse but he'd also smile a knowing smile. A smile that said, "I'm forgiven." We have all had those Peter moments in our lives. We've all had those moments when we have denied Christ or denied being a Disciple of Christ. We've all had those same selfish moments. If you've ever smelled the fire of failure then I invite you to take a deep breath and smell the fire of forgiveness. You see that's the Good News. Like Peter, we can experience the fire of forgiveness ...

366. The Calling of Our Baptism

Luke 3:21-22; Matthew 28:18-20

Sermon

J. Howard Olds

... . “My church was feeding the homeless, so I baked 12 pies on Christmas Eve and took them up to the church.” Discipleship has no retirement plan. We are called to be in ministry and service to others. By the waters of baptism we are called to BE disciples, to live into our discipleship. So let me ask you a question. If you were arrested for being Christian, would there be enough evidence to convict you? For whom are you living your life? Who is your audience? Whose approval means the most to you? We like ...

367. Who's Who

John 1:29-42

Sermon

Charles L. Aaron

... quality time? The important thing for us is that the discipleship moves slowly. Now, we can move so slowly that we never get around to it, but John gives an okay to developing the relationship with Jesus slowly. If we keep reading in John, we discover that the disciples did not come fully to believe in Jesus until they had seen the water turned to wine at the wedding in Cana. Coming to believe can be a process. As do all of the gospels, John singles out Simon. In John, Simon's brother, Andrew, brings him to ...

368. The Five-a-Day Rule

John 20:24-31

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

... and unprecedented. His own agenda of “proofs” is subverted. His gut reaction is to blurt out a personal confession with immense theological insight, “My Lord and My God.” Thomas may have had his “doubts” about the reports he heard from his disciple community. But he never wavered in his commitment to them. He spent three years traveling the countryside with them. He ate meals with them. He witnessed miracles with them. He listened to Jesus with them. His community spirit was strong and healthy ...

369. The 4 Words that Tell What It Means to Be a Christian

Luke 24:50-53

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

... have access to any of the vast sources of information and “new updates” that are available to all those who are not personally caught up in the whirlwind. Those most in need of information are those who are most cut off from information. When the disciples hunkered down in the upper room after the crucifixion — let’s call them ‘upper room shut-ins’ they were “off the grid” of their cultural information highway. They did not know if Jesus’ death on the cross was the end of Jerusalem’s and ...

370. Disintegration and Reintegration

Mark 14:1-15:47

Sermon

John Smylie

... it is possible for him in the strength of his humanness to turn away from his Lord. He flatly denies that possibility and Jesus knows only too well that Peter will be haunted by his behavior and his denial that is only a few hours away. The rest of the disciples also refuse to believe that they will turn away from their Lord. A few of them go into the garden and our Lord asks them to simply stay awake, to watch and pray with him for a few hours. But once again the frailty of their humanness shines forth and ...

371. Speaking Peace

John 20:19-31

Sermon

John Smylie

... someone upon which to place the blame. Perhaps it was best for them to remain huddled away behind closed and locked doors, best to keep a very low profile. When it was evening on that day, the first day of the week, and the doors of the house where the disciples had met were locked for fear of the Jews, Jesus came and stood among them and said, "Peace be with you." — John 20:19 Jesus then showed them his hands and his side. He showed them the vivid evidence that this was he who had been with them before ...

372. It’s a New Year: Take 7 Steps Forward

John 1:43-51

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

... legality and morality. The line Jesus stepped on with impunity was the line that divided human beings from God’s love. Faith forward steps stumble forward over that line all the time, no matter how much it knocks our shins or stubs our toes. Faith forward disciples bring God’s love, Jesus’ sacrifice to all, no matter where they stand. Will you step over the line in 2012? 7) Stand Firm Jesus always comes in surround sound. It’s time to hear the both/and. You can’t step forward without standing firm ...

373. John 15:9-17

John 15:1-17

Sweet

Leonard Sweet

... speaks with the imminence of the cross in plain sight — “to lay down one’s life for one’s friends” (v.13). The sacrifice Jesus is about to make, laying down his own life for their sake, is to be the template for the love all Jesus’ disciples are to show. Lest we think that this command to offer sacrificial love for “one’s friends” is a watered down version of directives given elsewhere (Matthew 5:43-47) to show love for one’s enemy, it would be good to recall that in this context Jesus ...

374. The Arrest of Jesus

Mark 14:43-52

Teach the Text

Grant R. Osborne

... just that but were afraid that an arrest would incite the crowds, which were enamored of Jesus. But the Scriptures must be fulfilled. This could be a reference to the sword incident that has just occurred (Luke 22:37 notes Isa. 53:12), or perhaps the desertion of the disciples (Zech. 13:7 in Mark 14:27), but more likely this is a reference to the whole of Jesus’s suffering and death. The passion predictions in 8:31; 9:31; 10:33–34 (1 Cor. 15:3: “he died for our sins according to the Scriptures”) as ...

375. Getting Ready for the Passover

Luke 22:7-38, Luke 22:1-6

Teach the Text

R.T. France

... written on people’s hearts, by the personal knowledge of God, and by the forgiveness of sins (Jer. 31:31–34). 22:21 him who is going to betray me. On the verb “betray,” see on 22:4. Jesus knows Judas’s plans, and he wishes to prepare the other disciples for the shock, but in Luke’s version he does not specifically identify the traitor. 22:22 The Son of Man will go as it has been decreed. “Decree,” used only here by Luke in his Gospel (he uses the same verb in Acts 2:23), would be more ...

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