Sermon and Worship Resources

Showing 3826 to 3850 of 4508 results

Sweet

Leonard Sweet

This Sunday marks the beginning of Advent, a season in the church calendar that, in similar fashion to Lent, is a time for spiritual preparations and reparations. It is in this spirit of preparation/reparation that Jesus admonishes his listeners to watch and be ready for the unexpected and unpredictable return of the Messiah. Jesus' immediate concern here, in what stands as one of his final discou...

3827. Matthew 24:36-44

Sweet

Leonard Sweet

Matthew the believer and theologian takes seriously the importance of Jesus' words to that first generation of disciples. But Matthew the Gospel writer and apologist to the second generation audience of Christians also takes seriously the needs and questions of his readers. To this end then we need to compare Jesus' words in Matthew 24:34 with his confession in 24:36. In verse 34 Jesus predicts th...

3828. Eschatological Discourse: Prediction of the Temple’s Destruction

Teach the Text

Jeannine K. Brown

Big Idea: Jesus predicts the temple’s destruction—a vindication of his own message and mission as the Son of Man—and warns his followers not to confuse the signs of its destruction with the event itself. Understanding the Text This passage begins Matthew’s fifth and final discourse containing Jesus’ teaching (chaps. 24–25) and is directed to the disciples. The focus of 24:1–35 is Jesus’ predicti...

3829. Jesus’s Fifth Discourse—The Eschatological Discourse

One Volume

Gary M. Burge

24:1–25:46 Review · Matthew’s fifth and final extended section of Jesus’s teaching continues with the theme of judgment on Jerusalem leaders and the temple begun in chapters 21–23. Matthew provides glimpses of Jesus’s second coming or reappearing and the end of the age, with its final judgment of all peoples. Regarding the temple’s destruction, Jesus warns his followers against confusing precursor...

3830. Signs of the End of the Age

Understanding Series

Robert H. Mounce

24:1–2 In Matthew’s Gospel the first two verses of chapter 24 are closely related to the last two verses of chapter 23. Jesus had said, “Your house is left to you desolate” (23:38) and now adds that not one stone of the temple will be left on another (24:2), Mark’s intervening account of the widow’s gift (Mark 12:41–44) is omitted. As Jesus was walking away from the temple (hieron, the entire comp...

3831. Promise or Threat?

Sermon

"Wars and rumors of wars," Jesus said. Nation against nation, kingdom against kingdom, famines, earthquakes, tribulation, even death sentences for the faithful, wickedness multiplied, and all the while the Gospel is preached around the world - these are some of the signs of Christ’s second coming and the end of the age. Tell me, would you consider his words a promise or a threat? My first recolle...

3832. Are You Ready?

Bulletin Aid

Frank Ramirez

Call To Worship Always be ready! Always have your bags packed. Always believe the call of God is moments away. Always remember God is calling, calling to all, always. Collect Lord, we know not the hour of your coming, but we know in this hour, where two and more are gathered in your name, you dwell in our midst. We do not seek the key to your timetable. In our worship today we seek to redeem the ...

3833. Proper 29 * Pentecost 27 * Ordinary Time 34

Bulletin Aid

Signs of the end! False prophets False Christs Wars Rumors of wars Famines Earthquakes Persecution Hatred Betrayal Death Or As far as that goes, Things that have always happened! Should I be afraid? Should I prepare for the end? Or should I go on as usual Buying and selling Crying and laughing Living And Dying? I Don't Know!! Lord, forgive me when I see signs of the end in everything, And when I...

3834. Pentecost 27

Bulletin Aid

Dennis Koch

Gospel Notes Jesus foretells the end of Jerusalem and gives the signs of the approaching end of the world. In the last days Christians will be severely persecuted by the corrupt world. This calls for endurance through the sufferings. The Christian will be saved if he endures to the end. According to this passage there is much to endure: hatred, betrayal, wickedness. It will be an endurance contest...

3835. Pentecost 27

Sermon Aid

Liturgical Color: Green Gospel: Matthew 24:1-14 Theme: Signs of the End. Pastoral Invitation to the Celebration One pastor began this way: "We are here to celebrate the presence and power of God; we prefer to celebrate God's comforting; we also, however, celebrate God's confronting. We can't have one without the other. We can't have the crown without the cross." You may want to continue with t...

3836. A Discussion Among Angels

Drama

Matthew Powell

Cast Storyteller The Archangel Michael The Archangel Uriel The Archangel Raphael The Archangel Gabriel (The Storyteller stands off to one side. Michael, Uriel, and Raphael are seated in the center and stand when they speak and remain standing. Gabriel sits slightly farther back from the others. He stands and comes forward when he finally speaks) Storyteller: A company of angels, returning from t...

3837. "Simon Says"

Children's Sermon

Wesley T. Runk

Object: The game "Simon Says." Lesson: For many will come in my name, saying, "I am the Christ," and they will lead many astray. Good morning, boys and girls. How many of you like to play games? (Let them answer.) Almost all of you like to play games and I know that you will like the one we are going to play this morning because it is one of my very favorites. The game is called "Simon Says" and...

3838. There's Only One Right Way

Children's Sermon

Object: A maze. Draw a maze with many false paths. The center should be marked GOD. If you wish you may make a copy with the correct path colored in and lettered THE CHRIST. Good morning, boys and girls. It is nice to be at the beginning of some things, don't you think? I like beginnings. I like to begin games and begin to eat and other things like that. But you know, I have to be careful where I...

3839. And Then The End

Sermon

"It was the best of times. It was the worst of times." True only of Dickens’ A Tale of Two Cities? Or true of innumerable eras? Consider this day, these times. Technological developments set millions free from the drudgery of repetitive labor. Billions of dollars are donated annually to various charities and trillions of hours are similarly given - many of them to ease the burden of the poor and ...

3840. While We Watch for the Coming

Sermon

Jerry L. Schmalemberger

Matthew 24 is a tough one! Some preachers are not honest with its interpretation. In this chapter the author of Matthew gathers together interweaving strands of material about the future. The sentences are all mixed up, and they deal with six different subjects of the future. There is advice given by Jesus as to what to expect. 1. The attack in Jerusalem by Titus. "So when you see the desolating ...

3841. Is There Hope For World Peace?

Sermon

Bill Bouknight

I received an interesting Christmas card from a dear friend, a retired Air Force General. On the front was a white dove with an olive branch in its beak, hovering above the world. Inside the card were these words: “Peace on earth.” Beside those words my friend had added a big question mark. Then he wrote, “Is peace possible in a world like this?” This General was asking the $64,000 question. Go t...

3842. When Will The Pain Go Away?

Sermon

George Johnson

A young mother in her 30s with three children came to her pastor to talk about her husband's impending death. He was dying of cancer. "I'm afraid," she said. The pastor listened and asked a few questions to help her express her fear. One of the questions he asked was, "Are you afraid of losing your faith?" There was silence. "Yes," she said. And then there were more tears. There are times when one...

3843. Sim Lev!

Sermon

Lori Wagner

“Let us hold unswervingly to the hope we profess, for he who promised is faithful.” (Hebrews 10:23) “Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength.” (Deuteronomy 6:5) Prop: ruby slippers (you may use these as an example of an “anchoring” metaphor/sign) OR bud of a fig tree // recommended: Holy Communion elements One of the most mesmerizing tales of th...

3844. Were These Not Warnings?

Illustration

James Kegel

There was once a man who was always afraid of death. He was afraid that death would suddenly overtake him and find him unprepared, so he made a bargain with the Grim Reaper that death would give him clear, repeated notices before he would come. One day, however, unannounced and altogether unexpectedly, the Destroyer appeared to demand his life. "How could you break your pledge?" the man protested...

3845. Prepare for Judgment

Illustration

Michael Bogart

A terrible destruction wiped out the Roman Cities of Pompeii and Herculaneum in A.D. 79. The explosion of Mount Vesuvius was so sudden, the residents were killed while in their routine: men and women were at the market, the rich in their luxurious baths, slaves at toil. They died amid volcanic ash and superheated gasses. Even family pets suffered the same quick and final fate. It takes little imag...

3846. A Small Backyard

Illustration

Billy D. Strayhorn

A Sunday School teacher was trying to emphasize the Christmas story of the Star in the East compared with other stars in the sky, so he asked his class to count the number of stars they could see at night. The next Sunday the answers varied from 149 to "too many to count." The students were pretty much agreed that there were a whole bunch of stars. All except for Bobby who said he only counted, "T...

3847. Cargo Cults - In John They Trust

Illustration

Paul Raffaele

During World War II, the tiny island of Tanna in the South Pacific became one of many outposts that American troops temporarily occupied. The residents of Tanna, previously sheltered from the developed world, were exposed to things like radios, packaged foods, cigarette lighters, and Jeeps. They never forgot the mysterious luxury goods that the G.I.’s brought with them. After the troops moved awa...

3848. End times

Sermon Aid

Russell F. Anderson

COMMENTARY Lesson 1: Jeremiah 26:1-6 Jeremiah is commanded by God to stand in the court of the temple and warn the nation to repent of their sins or be destroyed. This is at the onset of the reign of King Johoiakim, placed in power by the Egyptians. It is possible that the prophet chose this time because of the crowds flooding into Jerusalem for the coronation ceremonies. A fuller rendition of Je...

3849. Signs Of Christ's Return

Sermon

Phyllis Faaborg Wolk

After a long hike from Jerusalem, Jesus and the disciples found a resting place on the Mount of Olives. As they relaxed and enjoyed the peacefulness away from the crowds of the city, the disciples asked Jesus a question about the end of time. "Tell us, when will this be, and what will be the sign of your coming and of the end of the age?" Those questions have been repeated over and over since the...

3850. What Time Is It?

Sermon

Will Willimon

A woman of my acquaintance has thrown away her watch and decided to have nothing more to do with clocks. ''I have freed myself from the tyranny of time," she says. She has had it with bourgeoisie, middle-class punctuality. She will now live as if every day were a vacation at the beach. Something in me would like to be her, free from time's tyranny, measuring time as did my ancestors -- through the...

Showing 3826 to 3850 of 4508 results