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 376 to 400 of 2273 results

376. Jesus Arrested

Mark 14:43-52

Understanding Series

Larry W. Hurtado

... should probably think in terms of a small force of perhaps a dozen or a little more, for the object was to make the arrest without creating a great commotion, in a place where Jesus would be alone with only his closest followers—the Twelve. Judas aided the priest’s plans with information about Jesus’ movements and when he would he easiest to capture. If the priest lacked this kind of information, the arrest would have been much more difficult, since Jesus characteristically entered the city only with ...

377. A Monolgue from Peter

Mark 8:27-30

Drama

Dr. Raymond Bailey

... He meant, I just shot off my motormouth. Jesus ignored me and said again, "Someone has touched me -- power has gone out from me." The woman came forward, knelt before him, proclaiming that she was the one, and that she was healed. We followed Jesus, the twelve of us -- followed Him for three years. We ministered with Him, and for Him. We were glad to be "insiders" with the Messiah. We were expecting to have positions of power in His soon coming kingdom. Then He threw us a curve ball -- anachronistically ...

378. John 6:1-21

John 6:1-15

Sweet

Leonard Sweet

... expressly ordered to gather up all the fragments left over "so that nothing may be lost" (v.12). These small remains ("klasmata") are to be carefully kept and available for future use. Significantly "twelve baskets" full of these fragments remain, echoing the number of the twelve tribes of Israel. Jesus has fed five thousand, but, but clearly there is enough of this miraculous meal for all of Israel to dine upon. This manna-connection is not lost on the now full-bellied crowd. The promise of a prophet like ...

379. The Conversion of Saul

Acts 9:1-19a

Sermon

Elizabeth Achtemeier

... . An apostle, in Paul's thought, was one who had seen the risen Christ and had been sent to announce that good news. No mention is made of seeing the Lord in Luke's account, and for Luke, the only apostles were the twelve in Jerusalem who had been with the Lord during his life on earth. Luke always wanted to exalt the importance of the Jerusalem church. Despite these differences, both Luke and Paul himself record that in the vicinity of Damascus, Paul underwent a life-transforming experience, which changed ...

380. Mark 9:30-37

Mark 9:30-37

Sweet

Leonard Sweet

... they had been arguing about who was to be the greatest? That a formal lesson is now to occur is signaled by Jesus sitting down and calling his disciples to surround him and listen. By denoting at this point the rowdy, restless band of followers as "the Twelve," Mark reminds the reader that this unlikely lot is the "chosen" of Jesus. They are the ones given authority to preach, teach and heal in Jesus' name. In their hands and hearts lies the future of Jesus' ministry. Delivered to this special group in this ...

381. Jesus Sends Out the Seventy-two

Luke 10:1-24

One Volume

Gary M. Burge

... two.) The disciples are like innocent lambs being sent out into a world full of hostility; yet workers are needed for the harvest (10:2–3). The instructions that are given to the seventy (-two) are very similar to the instructions that Jesus gave to the Twelve in Luke 9:1–6. The urgency of the task is underlined. There is no time for the long greetings characteristic of oriental culture (10:4). Financial support should come from the town in which the disciples reside, but they should be content with the ...

382. The Unsilenced Voice

Mark 6:14-29

Sermon

Kristin Borsgard Wee

... another horrific story in Judges about a woman who is taken by a group of men and tortured, beaten, and raped. When she comes home to her husband more dead than alive, in anger he kills her and cuts her body into twelve pieces which he distributes to the twelve tribes of Israel. Who in their right mind wants to preach on a text like that? The answer is: no one. The people who put together the lectionary know this and tend to leave them out. We preachers calmly progress through a summer of Mark texts on the ...

383. Jesus Feeds the Four Thousand

Matthew 15:29-39

Understanding Series

Robert H. Mounce

... in his sources and copied them both. Lohmeyer (JBL, vol. 56, pp. 235ff.) supports the view that the duplication relates to the ethnic composition of the audience. The feeding of the five thousand is addressed to a Jewish population (the twelve baskets of Matt. 14:20 represent the twelve tribes of Israel), and the feeding of the four thousand relates to the Gentiles (the seven baskets of Matt. 15:37 symbolize the seven deacons of Acts 6:1ff.). Carrington (The Primitive Christian Calendar, p. 16) says that ...

384. Six Days to Make a Decision for Christ

Mark 8:27-38

Sermon

Rick McCracken-Bennett

... lead. Jesus broke up his one-on-one with Peter and called the crowd together. Had they heard the confrontation? Had they sensed the anger in Jesus' voice even if they couldn't quite make out the words? We don't know. But regardless he had something to tell the twelve and the others in the crowd. The verbs used here in his speech to the crowd are important. Listen to them with only an additional word or two. Deny yourself. Take up your cross. To save your life you must lose it. Lose your life (for the right ...

385. Matthew 10:40-42

Matthew 10:40-42

Sweet

Leonard Sweet

... At the conclusion of the 10th chapter of Matthew, Jesus enumerates once and for all the power and authority that is to be accorded his disciples. All of the chapter focuses on the missionizing responsibility Jesus bestows upon his disciples. Jesus invites the Twelve to be extensions of his own ministry - showing primary concern for Israel (vv.5-6), healing the sick in body and spirit, and expecting nothing in return for their efforts except perhaps violence and persecution. After painting a fairly bleak and ...

386. The Death of Samson

Judges 16:23-31

Understanding Series

Cheryl A. Brown

... order to give it a proper burial in the family tomb. Now that we have scrutinized Samson’s story in greater depth, some further comments are in order. A number of interpreters have pointed out that Samson is to be viewed on two levels, as the last of the twelve judges and as a mirror of Israel. He more than any other judge embodied the tragedy that was Israel at that time—born by an act of God, set apart to God from birth (Exod. 19:4–6), blessed to be a blessing; and yet continually repudiating that ...

387. Monologue: Mary Magdalene - Liberated Woman

John 20:1-9, John 20:10-18

Drama

Robert F. Scott

... standing in the garden, near the tomb, when Jesus came to me and called me by name. It was he! He had risen, as he said! He was alive! Why should I be the one to see him first? Why not his mother, or John, or Peter, or all of the twelve? Was it pure chance, or was it a special honor that I should be the first to shout with joy? For I did shout! “I have seen the Lord! “I shouted it to the disciples. I shouted it to his mother. I shouted it to all the believers. I shouted ...

388. The Apostles' Creed

Matthew 28:16-20

Illustration

Staff

... It is said that this earlier and first adopted version was based on the Trinitarian formula found in The Great Commission in Matthew 28:19. It was widely accepted in the 4th century, that, under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, each of the Twelve Apostles contributed an article to the twelve articles of this creed: I believe in God the Father almighty; and in Christ Jesus His only Son, our Lord, Who was born of the Holy Spirit and the Virgin Mary, Who under Pontius Pilate was crucified and buried, on the ...

389. The Calling of the First Disciples

Mark 1:14-20

Understanding Series

Larry W. Hurtado

... frequently mentioned in Christian tradition than Andrew or James (mentioned as martyred in Acts 12:2). Simon Peter is prominent among the disciples in all the Gospels and in most Christian tradition is regarded as the representative and chief of the twelve apostles. Casting a net … fishermen: Fishing was a major industry in Roman times around Lake Galilee, and the impression one gets here is that these four men were partners of small (or perhaps large!) businesses. They were in all likelihood “middle ...

390. Treasures from the Past

1 Corinthians 15:1-11

Sermon

Mary Austin

... of first importance what I in turn had received: that Christ died for our sins in accordance with the scriptures,and that he was buried, and that he was raised on the third day in accordance with the scriptures, and that he appeared to Cephas, then to the twelve. Then he appeared to more than five hundred brothers and sisters at one time, most of whom are still alive, though some have died.Then he appeared to James, then to all the apostles. Last of all, as to someone untimely born, he appeared also to me ...

391. The Breastplate

Exodus 28:15-30

Understanding Series

James K. Bruckner

... were to fashion the breastpiece from the same material as the ephod, with gold, and finely twisted linen in blue, purple and scarlet. It was to be a span long and a span wide (9 in.) and folded double, forming a pocket for the two decisions stones. The twelve precious stones were set in gold filigree (like the onyx), each engraved with one name of one tribe, and mounted in four rows of three on the breastpiece. The square breastpiece also had four gold rings, one at each corner. The top corner rings of the ...

392. A Levite and His Concubine

Judges 19:1-30

One Volume

Gary M. Burge

... to get up so that they can be on their way. Receiving no response from her and probably discovering then that she is dead, he loads her up on his donkey, takes her corpse home, and cuts her into twelve pieces, sending them to the twelve tribes of Israel presumably to demand retribution. The receipt of cut-up human body parts apparently achieves its intended result (19:30–20:48). The tribes react with disgust and anger, and except for Benjamin, gather together at Mizpah to discuss the appropriate response ...

393. Never Really Alone

Mark 14:1-15:47

Sermon

Mary Austin

... and stoic, ignoring the joy all around him, or anxious and jittery, waiting for the other shoe to drop, or rolling His eyes in dismissal of the nonsense. I picture Jesus smiling, looking around him at the radiant faces of the twelve and the hope-filled eyes of the masses. Knowing that the twelve would soon run for their lives and the masses would soon reject him, Jesus still stayed fully present for the party.” (Alicia Britt Chole, Forty Days of Decrease) Jesus knows that he’s soon to be betrayed and ...

394. Matthew 9:35-10:8 (9-23)

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

Sweet

Leonard Sweet

... . Thankfully, Matthew's text spares no detail. Whereas Mark and Luke expend only about a dozen lines on this commissioning scene, Matthew's text devotes over 100 lines to describe the particulars of this new mission. The basic "authority" Jesus gives the Twelve mirrors the scope of his own ministry activities the disciples will be able to cure all disease, all sickness. Before continuing with the content of the mission, however, Matthew takes time to list the names of all 12 of the officially commissioned ...

395. Unity and Division in the Early Church: Appointing the Seven

Acts 6:1-7

One Volume

Gary M. Burge

... the discussion of the inclusion of the outcasts and Gentiles in God’s eschatological banquet (Luke 5:27–32; 7:34; 14:8–24; 19:7). In this account, therefore, when the seven are called to “wait on tables,” they are to extend the work of the Twelve as they witness God’s power beyond the confines of Judea. This account concludes with a summary statement: “So the word of God spread” (6:7). Being the first of three similar summary statements that focus on the powerful word of God (cf. 12:24; 19 ...

396. Matthew 10:40-42

Matthew 10:40-42

Sweet

Leonard Sweet

This week's gospel text closes out Matthew's chapter-long missionary discourse. In 10:1, Jesus gives the Twelve their marching orders, and the similarity between the mission of the Twelve and Jesus' own mission is striking. Both healing and preaching are key parts of their repertoire. But the news is not all good, for Jesus reveals to the faithful that they will face along the way hardship and persecution from many sources, even from their own families. The final verses ...

397. A Purse and Two Swords

Luke 22:35-38

Sermon

... Was there anything you lacked?" Well, even Jesus didn't remember it perfectly. He got the words right. But he didn't get the audience right. He is presently talking to the twelve. But when he first sent a group out, telling them not to worry about money, supplies (or even shoes, for that matter), he was talking to the apostles….the seventy rather than the twelve (see Luke 10). At that time, Jesus was saying: "There's work to be done and you're ready to do it." Or, to be more precise: "The harvest is ripe ...

398. When C Is Not Average

1 Samuel 16:1-13

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

... ." But look how God used these average people to do wondrous and mighty things. Ordinary people like Moses, who couldn't talk before people; ordinary people like Isaac, who was an honest man, a good man, but boasted nothing special about himself; ordinary people like the twelve disciples, none of them rich, or famous, or studied - just twelve common men with uncommon faith. And if you read the Bible with an eye toward whom God chooses, you will see over and over again that God has let the gospel hang by a ...

399. The Little Children and Jesus

Mark 10:13-16

Understanding Series

Larry W. Hurtado

... Notes 10:13 The disciples rebuked them: The verb here is the same one used in 4:39, where Jesus rebukes the wind, and in 8:32–33, where Peter and Jesus engage in heated conflict. It implies a strong action and again pictures Jesus and the Twelve in a major disagreement. This is indicated also in v. 14, where Jesus becomes “angry.” 10:14 Let the little children come to me: As indicated in the discussion above, the positive attitude of Jesus toward the children may have been used by Mark partly to ...

400. Division of the Land

Ezekiel 48:1-29, Ezekiel 48:30-35

One Volume

Gary M. Burge

... to the four sides of the city, each of which has three gates bearing the names of three of the tribes (48:30–35). In this system the Ephraim and Manasseh of verses 4–5 have merged into Joseph, and Levi is counted as one of the twelve tribes. Leah’s six sons (or the tribes bearing their names) are positioned at the northern and southern gates. Finally, Ezekiel concludes his prophecy by identifying the name of this twelve-gate city. It is “the Lord is there.” “Jerusalem” is conspicuous by its ...

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