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 401 to 425 of 779 results
Sermon
John R. Brokhoff
Pentecost VIII That same day Jesus went out of the house and sat beside the sea. And great crowds gathered about him, so that he got into a boat and sat there; and the whole crowd stood on the beach. And he told them many things in parables, saying: "A sower went out to sow. And as he sowed, some seeds fell along the path, and the birds came and devoured them. Other seeds fell on rocky ground, where they had not much soil and immediately they sprang up, since they had no depth of soil but when the sun rose ...
Sermon
Louis H. Valbracht
In the best tradition of science fiction, it is always a little, three-toed, one-eyed, green skinned creature with a radio antenna sticking out of the top of his skull that steps out of a flying saucer space ship and says to the first American he meets: "Take me to your leader." Have you ever asked yourself, if you were confronted by such a question, just where or to whom would you take this visitor from another planet? I suspect that many of us would be forced to answer: "I’d be glad to take you to our ...
Sermon
Robert Leslie Holmes
There are two facts we all need to remember before we can make any real sense out of life. The first is that God is sovereign and holy, just and loving. The second is that we are not. We are servants, unholy, self-centered, and self-seeking. This Scripture passage is a marvelous illustration of this. You would think that seeing God send fire from heaven would change a corrupt heart every time. That, however, is not the case, as we can see from the life of Ahab and his Jezebel. I. The Sliding Spiral Of ...
Sermon
King Duncan
A little boy in a Christmas program had but one sentence to say, "Behold, I bring you good tidings." After the rehearsal he asked his mother what "tidings" meant. She told him tidings meant "news." When the program was performed, he was so scared before the large congregation that he forgot his line. Finally the idea came back to him and he blurted out, "Hey, I got good news for you!" Each of our lessons from the Scripture this morning is about the good news of Christmas. Isaiah tells us that a virgin will ...
Sermon
King Duncan
One of the favorite television commercials of many of us, for the past few years, has been John Houseman's commercials for a banking investment firm. You remember his famous words in that commercial. In a beautiful British accent he would say, "We make money the old fashioned way. We earn it." Houseman expresses the deeply held belief of many people that what resources one has should be earned. Expecting to get something for nothing is wrong. Gains that come too easily or too quickly or as the result of ...
Sermon
King Duncan
Savanarola, the great Florentine preacher of the fifteenth century, one day saw an elderly woman worshipping at the statue of the Virgin Mary which stood in his city's great cathedral. On the following day, he noticed the same woman again on her knees before the Blessed Mother. With great interest, Savanarola observed that day after day, she came and did homage before the statue. "Look how she reverences the Virgin Mother," Savanarola whispered to one of his fellow priests. "Don't be deceived by what you ...
Sermon
Timothy Wilkins
Quite possibly the largest mausoleum in the world is the Taj Mahal. Under construction from 1632 to 1645, that oversized tombstone required over 20,000 men in the process of construction. It took 76 years to build the Great Pyramids of Egypt near Cairo. It required 7-1/2 years for Solomon ™s temple to be built. Ten thousand men were used in the process of cutting timber from Lebanon. Another 70,000 men were used for carrying the wood and constructing the temple, and another 20,900 men were used as ...
Sermon
King Duncan
The speaker at a woman's club was lecturing on marriage and asked the audience how many of them wanted to "mother" their husbands. One member in the back row raised her hand. "You mean you really want to mother your husband?" the speaker asked. "Mother?" the woman said. "I thought you said smother." A Protestant young man was marrying a Catholic girl. They met with her priest to sign some prewedding ceremony papers. While filling out the form, the young man read aloud a few questions. When he got to the ...
Sermon
King Duncan
Americans are amazingly law-abiding folk. We obey the rules. If you don't think so, travel to other countries. Watch people in countries we normally think of as civilized push in front of one another while waiting in line. Try driving in many of the great cities of the world. Those who travel greatly have horror stories to report. People drive through stop signs as if they were not there. And traffic lights receive not much more respect. Meanwhile, in the home of the free and the brave, we passively do ...
410. Maturity In Christ
Colossians 1:27-28
Sermon
King Duncan
What would you say are the top three tourist spots in the world? Time's up. The three most-traveled-to places in the world are: Rome (the seat of Catholicism and Vatican City), Mecca (the holiest site in the Islamic world), and Orlando, Florida (the home of Disney World). (1) More people visit those three places than any other on earth. I'm not exactly sure what that says about us, but it's an interesting fact. I guess it means that the three most influential figures in the world are the Pope, Mohammad, ...
Sermon
Eric Ritz
At the magnificent cathedral in Milan, Italy, there are three possible doorways to gain entrance to that building. Over the left doorway is carved an inscription that reads: "All that which pleases is but for a moment." Above the door on the right is written: "All that which troubles is but for a moment." Over the central door is the inscription: "That only is important which is eternal." This example reminds us that the doors we open--and the doors we allow ourselves to go through--determine not only the ...
Sermon
Eric Ritz
We continue on our journey today as we examine and reflect on--for our spiritual edification--"The Fifth Word" of our Lord Jesus Christ from the cross. So far, we have heard our Lord share these words from the cross: First he said, "Father, forgive them for they know not what they do." Then he promised the repentant thief, "Today you will be with me in Paradise." He committed the care of His mother, Mary, to his closest friend John. Last week we heard that powerful cry from the cross "My God, My God, why ...
Sermon
Eric Ritz
The ability to communicate correctly with each other is one of the greatest challenges of our time. Our inability to communicate is sometimes at the heart of many of our greatest and most serious problems. We mis-communicate with each other when we don''t say or don''t hear what we really need to say or hear. I''m reminded of the story of the older couple who lived in the mountains. One evening the old gentleman was feeling rather romantic, and he complimented his wife and said, "I''m proud of you, Ma." ...
414. The Triumph of the Cross
Galatians 6:11-18, Acts 1:1-11
Sermon
Eric Ritz
In T. S. Eliot''s classic writing, MURDER IN THE CATHEDRAL, there is a revealing scene when Archbishop Thomas Beckett goes back to the cathedral knowing that King Henry II has pronounced him to die. Knowing that he will be murdered, Beckett goes back to the cathedral. Out of respect for the Archbishop some of the guards of the cathedral lock the doors. However, the Archbishop cries out, "Unbar the doors! Throw open the doors. I will not have the church of CHRIST which is a house of prayer, a sanctuary, ...
Sermon
Eric Ritz
There is a story about a first year theological student who was given to napping in her Basic Theology Class. Over a period of time the professor took notice of it and was somewhat angry. One day he noticed her falling off to sleep and decided that he would catch her in the act of taking a snooze. The professor had the habit of asking questions off the top of his head during class sessions. One afternoon the professor asked the question, "Why does God permit hardships, troubles and adversity in our ...
Sermon
Eric Ritz
Today, I invite you to look and examine for a few moments these words coming to us from the Gospel of St. Luke which describe the Homecoming of Jesus to the Town of Nazareth and his subsequent rejection by them. As our Gospel Lesson opens it states: "And he came to Nazareth where he had been brought up, and, as his custom was, he went into the synagogue on the Sabbath Day." I have never been to the Holy Land, but one of my colleagues who has shared with me a slide picture of the actual synagogue where they ...
Sermon
King Duncan
One Saturday Ken Erickson’s wife cleaned out leftovers from the refrigerator. She gave the one remaining portion of tortellini to their 6-year-old son, Jeremy. Their 8-year-old son, Matthew, also wanted some, so bickering ensued. After several unsuccessful attempts to mediate the dispute, Ken decided on a theological approach. Hoping to convince Jeremy to share his portion with Matthew, he said, “Jeremy, what would Jesus do in this situation?” Jeremy immediately responded, “Oh, Dad, He would just make more ...
Sermon
Maxie Dunnam
I am intrigued by bumper stickers. Someone was smart. Since modern Americans spend so much of their time in cars, why not turn the bumper into a kind of chrome or, alas with modern cars, plastic bulletin boards. Thousands would get the messages as they come near the car in front of them. It was a brilliant idea. Religious folks have not missed this communication opportunity. So you have the traditional bumper sticker message: “Honk if you love Jesus”. And the more avant-garde, “In case of the rapture, this ...
Sermon
King Duncan
Two men from the United States were riding on a train in Britain. English trains have compartments where six or seven people can be seated. In the compartment with these two men was a very distinguished looking gentleman. The two Americans were quietly discussing this gentleman between themselves. In a very low tone one of them said, “I would wager money that he is the Archbishop of Canterbury.” The other man said, “I don’t think so. I’ll take that bet.” So the first man approached the gentleman and said ...
420. Promises to Keep
Hebrews 8:1-13
Sermon
James McCormick
Do you know the name Tom Dooley? Not the folk song Tom Dooley, but Dr. Tom Dooley? You need to know his story, because Dr. Tom Dooley was a Twentieth Century saint. While serving in the Navy, he saw the physical suffering of the people of Southeast Asia - so much illness and suffering, so few doctors to deal with it. When his tour of duty was over, he resigned his commission and went to Indochina, now Laos, to serve as a medical missionary. There he poured out his life on behalf of the people. He saw ...
Sermon
James Merritt
There was a young boy who wanted to go down to the lake and fish, and his mother asked him to take his little sister along. Well, he protested vigorously. He said, "Mama, the last time she came with me I didn't catch a single fish." The mother said, "Well, I will talk to her and I promise this time she won't make any noise." The boy said, "It wasn't the noise Mom, she ate all my bait." I have come to the conclusion that there are basically four reasons why people do not catch fish: (1) Some people are ...
Sermon
John E. Harnish
What a motley crew, a seemingly mismatched band of brothers—a red-headed dwarf, a wispy Elfin, a quartet of hairy-toed hobbits and a couple of fumbling and feuding humans. It's a strange and unlikely assembly, especially when arrayed against the overwhelming and foreboding forces of evil that surround them. An odd and rag-tag bunch with the most improbable mission…to save the world! It's the "Fellowship of the Ring" in Tolkien's massive narrative, and it's not at all unlike the odd collection of improbable ...
423. The Hard Sell
Matthew 6:1-6, 16-21
Sermon
Donald Charles Lacy
Our blessed Lord presses the issue. Do you or do you not want to be my disciple? If you do not, then it is with great sadness that your Savior must move on with those who are willing to fully commit themselves. In our lives, each and every one of us receives Christ’s invitation of discipline and abandonment of the world. No longer are we getting acquainted. We are being asked to come into a relationship at once glorious and painful. Yes, it comes to all of us — sooner or later. It is like moving from an ...
Sermon
Leonard Sweet
Is life becoming more complex, or what? I don’t know about you, but I’m needing some simplicity to offset that complexity. I’m looking out at some of you: we have in our midst some people who are tech-savants, up-to-the-nanosecond in every new app and digital advance, every new social media minutia; and we have in our midst some “off-the-grid,” computer-phobic, techno-anaphylactic Luddites. And then there are the rest of us, the most of us the in-betweeners. But whoever you are, we can agree on one thing: ...
425. Going For the Gold
Philippians 3:4-14
Sermon
David E. Leininger
The apostle Paul must have been a sports junkie. He was always using sports metaphors to make his point. For example, our text: "... I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus" (Philippians 3:14). Paul is "going for the gold" in these long-running Olympics that we call the Christian life. Have you ever wished you could be a spiritual giant like Paul or any of the other great saints of the church? Sure, we would like to be great Christians — faithful ...
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