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 4176 to 4200 of 4968 results

4176. To Be a Christian

Acts 11:19-30

Sermon

James McCormick

... words, “Do unto others as you would have them do unto you.” “Yes,” said the pastor, “about as much as astronomy can be summed up in the words, “Twinkle, twinkle little star, how I wonder what you are.” No, there is more to it than ethics. “The disciples were called Christians first in Antioch.” But what does it mean to be a Christian? I. Let me say it as simply as I know how: To be a Christian is to belong to Christ. It begins with a relationship and then expresses itself in a lifestyle ...

4177. A Haven for Troubled Hearts - Sermon Starter

John 14:1-4

Illustration

Brett Blair

... can bring you down, time can bend your knees. Time can break your heart, have you begging please, begging please. Beyond the door there's peace I'm sure, And I know there'll be no more tears in heaven. Jesus has just had the Passover meal with his disciples. He has washed their feet in an act of servanthood. He has foretold his betrayal which Judas will soon perform. He has predicted Peter's denial. He has told them he is leaving. But he adds this word of hope: Do not let your hearts be troubled. Believe in ...

4178. Remember Christ’s Glory

John 14:15-31

Illustration

Barbara Lundblad

... the dream alive. In the midst of the despair around you, recall this time, this special place. And, perhaps - who knows - perhaps this one brief, shining moment will come again. We're tempted to hear Jesus singing Arthur's song as he gathers with his disciples for the last time. Jesus knew he would soon be betrayed by one of his closest followers - betrayed, arrested, and finally killed. Here at the Passover table, Jesus spins out his last words to his closest friends. We can well imagine Jesus calling them ...

4179. A Dead Balloon

Acts 2:1-21

Illustration

Brian Stofregen

... to go; but you know it's going somewhere. (We don't know where the wind comes from or is going.) Jesus did not give the disciples the Spirit's power so that they could stay behind locked doors in fear. It is given as a power to move people out into the ... power. The Spirit given to you in baptism remains forever. On the other hand, over and over again in Acts, we read that certain disciples were filled with the Holy Spirit. Their filling didn't just happen once, but over and over again. So we also need to be ...

4180. Best Advice

Matthew 7:24-29

Illustration

Brett Blair

... enemy drops sugar in your coffee, what's the worst think that is going to happen to you? Nothing. But if your best friend drops strychnine in your coffee? You're dead. You have to stand guard at the door of your mind." CONCLUSION: Perhaps a few of the Disciples would have said that this was the best advice they ever got from Jesus: When you construct your house build it on the rock. When the winds blow and rains come it will still be there after the storm. Those who build on the sand will find otherwise ...

4181. The Healing Power of Touch - Sermon Starter

Mark 5:21-43; Matt 9:1-8

Illustration

Brett Blair

... a very personal nature and she did not want to discuss the issue publicly. According to Levitic Law, a woman who was bleeding was considered unclean and under law could touch no one. There were many ancient taboos. She did not want to have to go through the disciples to see Jesus. She wanted the doctor and not the nurse. She thus devised a plan. Having heard the stories of Jesus' power, she declared: If I but touch the hem of his garment I will be healed." We smile at that and say: How innocent, how naive ...

4182. Never Underestimate the Power of a Cold Cup of Water - Sermon Starter

Matt 10:40-42

Illustration

Brett Blair

... back with me to the first century. Think about those 50 years after Jesus' death and what it must been like for Jesus' disciples. Before the last one died their efforts had brought 500,000 men, women, and children into the ranks of the church. But what ... 's way of saying they were slaves to Christ. It is quite likely we shall never be tested to the extent that the disciples were but there are some ways to gauge our commitment. Let's look at a couple this morning... 1. Sacrifice is a sign of mature commitment. 2 ...

4183. Those Romans 7 Moments

Romans 7:7-25

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

... , empowered the divine word, then had a Romans 7 moment: he fled from the Lord and was swallowed alive by a fish. Peter proclaimed Jesus to be “My Lord and my God” and led the disciples throughout Jesus’ ministry, then had a Romans 7 moment: he slunk away when recognized as one of Jesus’ disciples, and denied three times that he even knew Jesus. The Pharisees sought to bring the Law as a living presence into every aspect of the people’s lives, but they created such a narrow constricting structure ...

4184. A World Without Easter

1 Corinthians 15:12-20

Sermon

James Merritt

... day He will be raised up…' But not only is Jesus a liar, but that means Matthew, Mark, Luke, John, the twelve disciples, and the Apostle Paul were all liars. That is the problem with a dead Christ; we must forfeit our message. II. We Must Forget Our ... Mission Now our mission is Mt. 28:19-20, which you all know as the Great Commission: "Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to ...

4185. Sleep With the Lions Without Being Eaten

Daniel 6:1-28

Sermon

James Merritt

... have the Holy Spirit's power. The die has been cast; I have stepped over the line. The decision has been made. I am a disciple of Jesus Christ. I won't look up, let up, slow down, back away, or be still. My past is redeemed, my present makes ... , back up, let up, or shut up, until I've preached up, prayed up, stored up, and stayed up for the cause of Christ. I am a disciple of Jesus Christ. I must go until heaven returns, give until I drop, preach until all know, and work until He comes; and when He comes to ...

4186. First-Class Christianity

Ephesians 5:18-21

Sermon

James Merritt

... he use the analogy of being drunk? Because he was not only speaking by way of contrast, he was also speaking by comparison. There is a real sense in which the result of being Spirit-filled may be compared to being intoxicated with alcohol. If you remember, the disciples were accused of being drunk when they were filled with the Spirit at Pentecost. Peter said in Acts 2:15, "these are not drunk, as you suppose." That is, he did not deny that they appeared to be drunk. He just said that they were not drunk ...

4187. Heaven: The Home of a Godly Family

John 14:1-6

Sermon

James Merritt

... a heaven? The Lord Jesus lays out before us two things we need to understand about heaven. A. Heaven Is a Matter of Faith Everything Jesus tells us about heaven was meant to be not only a word of confidence, but also a word of comfort. He said to the disciples in v.1, "Let not your heart be troubled." The word for trouble there literally means to be "shaken together" or "stirred up." It is a word used to refer to rough waters in a stormy sea. Jesus was saying, "Don't be all shook up, don't let your ...

4188. Just the Right Touch

Mark 5:25-34

Sermon

James Merritt

... see the multitude thronging You, and You say, ‘Who touched Me?' "The moment this woman touched him Jesus knew it, because He felt power had gone out of him. Somebody had touched him in a special way. Somebody had given him "just the right touch." Now the disciples didn't realize it, but He knew it. Like a hound on the trail of a rabbit, Jesus begins to search through the crowd looking for the guilty party. Like the rabbit who knew he would eventually be caught, the woman comes forth fearing and trembling ...

4189. The Church Is Alive and Well

Matthew 16:13-18

Sermon

James Merritt

... what our Lord had to say about the church. I. The Glorious Foundation of The Church Jesus' teaching on the church came as a response to a question and answer session that He had with His disciples. First, he asked a question concerning public opinion: "When Jesus came into the region of Caesarea Philippi, He asked His disciples, saying, ‘Who do men say that I am?' So they said, ‘Some say John the Baptist, some Elijah, and others Jeremiah or one of the prophets.'" (vv. 13-14) Now there were all kinds of ...

4190. God Really Cares

Matthew 27:46

Sermon

James Merritt

... own, and His own did not receive Him." (Jn. 1:11) His family had forsaken Him. "For even His brothers did not believe in Him." (Jn. 7:5) His friends had forsaken Him. "Then all the disciples forsook Him and fled." (Mt. 26:56) For two days Jesus had entered into increasing loneliness. He began with twelve disciples in the Upper Room. But there were eleven left after Judas went out. Then only three were with Him as He prayed in the garden of Gethsemane. Only two, Peter and John, followed Him to the courtyard ...

4191. It's Not How You Start But How You Finish That Counts

Ephesians 4:1, 11-16

Sermon

James Merritt

... winning at the end is because he was the best finisher. Carl Lewis is walking living proof that it is not how you start, but it is how you finish that counts. Now part of our Mission Statement is "to make disciples of all people…equipping the saints for the work of ministry." Now making disciples leads to maturity, and equipping the saints leads to ministry. Our job is to bring people to the Master. But when we bring people to the Master, our job is not finished, it is just beginning. Because then we are ...

4192. Never Let Them See You Sweat (Fruit of the Spirit: Self-Control)

Galatians 5:23

Sermon

James Merritt

... as his traveling lovers. A group of homosexual men begins the play by drawing lots for the different roles they will play. One plays "Joshua" the Hebrew version of "Jesus," while the others adopt the role of the various disciples and the Virgin Mary is in drag. When they come to the passion scene, they give it a homosexual twist. Pontius Pilate asked, "Art thou the king of the queers?" To which Joshua responds, "Thou sayest." I make it plain, without any apology, when a society will put on that ...

4193. No Excuses

Luke 9:57-62

Sermon

James Merritt

... , but he also wants particular obedience. "But you go and preach the kingdom of God." (v.60b) Now I find it interesting that instantly Jesus called this man to preach. Now I think all of you know that every Christian has been called to be a disciple. But did you know that every disciple has been called to preach? He said to this man, you are to "preach the kingdom of God." I want to teach you something about who you are in the plan of God, whether you are an ordained minister or not. Every Christian has the ...

4194. Saved to Share

Acts 26

Sermon

James Merritt

... said, ‘Who are You, Lord?' And He said, ‘I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting.'" (vv.12-15) Now we can all relate to Paul because he stood in a unique position to the other disciples, and stands in the same position that anyone who meets Christ stands in today. You see, all the other disciples knew Jesus in the chronological sequence of His birth, life, death, and resurrection. But Paul, like us, encounters Jesus Christ in the logical sequence of His resurrection, death, life, and birth. From the moment ...

4195. The Superhero Miracle of Humor

Matthew 14:13-21

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

... text, the divine miracle is magnified by its abundance, providing far more than could ever be consumed or even appreciated by those being served. What a joke! In today’s text Jesus dares his disciples to be his Robin: feed the people gathered before them. Jesus then uses the scant provisions the disciples can muster to feed the mulling multitude. And here’s the final punch line: twelve baskets full of leftovers remain after the five thousand have been filled to capacity. God does not just “provide ...

4196. The Great Divide

Matthew 16:13-20

Sermon

King Duncan

... differences are of little importance. Others shape our existence from the cradle to the grave. No divide, however, is as important as that divide represented in our lesson for the day. Jesus asks his disciples, “Who do you say I am?” At first the Master asked, “Who do people say that I am?” And the disciples answered, “Some say John the Baptist; others say Elijah; and still others, Jeremiah or one of the prophets.” No problem there. Most of the world acknowledges Jesus as a prophet, or at least ...

4197. The True Olympians

Romans 12:1-8

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

... the Rock of Ages. And on that Rock is written this: “For God so Loved THE WORLD.” (John 3:16) I love that #1 Olympics commercial from VISA: “GO World!” [Let’s here you all say that together: “Go World! Go World!”] If you are a disciple of Jesus this morning, if you are a Christ follower, then you are called to present your bodies as dedicated beings. Like the Olympic athletes, like Michael Phelps, you are called to “will one thing:” you are to be the Body of Christ for this world. We ...

4198. Prime The Pump!

Luke 17:1-10

Sermon

Bill Bouknight

... by issuing a very difficult command. He said, “Even if your brother mistreats you seven times in a single day, and each time asks for your forgiveness, you must forgive him.” The disciples must have rolled their eyes in disbelief. They were folks just like us. The believed in “three strikes and you’re out.” Why give some misbehaving brother seven chances? They responded, “Before we can do that, we must have more faith. We’re at least a quart low.” But Jesus ...

4199. Saints By Faith: Good to the Last Drop

Revelation 7:9-17

Sermon

John E. Harnish

... of our lives who, one way or another, have helped us toward whatever little we may have, or ever hope to have, of some kind of seedy sainthood of our own. [2] The communion of the saints, the fellowship of God's people, the believers and disciples of Jesus Christ, here and now. Peter Gomes, chaplain at Harvard and one of the great preachers of our day, admits that: The word "saint" gives us trouble in our day, suggesting perfection and virtue. The saints of the Roman Catholic canon are people who have ...

4200. Moses: On the Manna Diet

Exodus 16:1-5

Sermon

John E. Harnish

... come, if the crops failed, if they didn't do the hard work, there was no Kroger down the street or king-sized freezer in the kitchen waiting to meet their everyday need. They knew the bread was daily and their lives depended on it. So Jesus invited his disciples to pray, "Give us this day our daily bread." Daily manna…just enough. It's so simple. It's so obvious. Yet all of our trappings of modern life shield us from the reality. When we cut through all the "stuff," let loose from the weight of the luxury ...

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