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 4326 to 4350 of 4968 results

4326. Prayer - What’s in It for You?

Luke 18:9-14

Sermon

John Wayne Clarke

... day. Jesus, however, was able to weave these tales in a way that touched each life then, and touches each life today. When we listen today with ears of faith, we are likely to find our own life within the life of the parable told by Jesus to his disciples so long ago. One theme that often finds its way into these stories is that there have always been those who place themselves on a higher level than the rest of us, even on a higher level than God! In many ways, the ancient Pharisee was a religious icon ...

4327. Standing Tall in the Lord

Philippians 3:17-4:1

Sermon

Richard Gribble

... our lot. He was rejected. The prologue of Saint John's Gospel sets the stage for Jesus' cross: "He came to what was his own, and his own people did not accept him" (1:11). The forces, enemies of the cross of Christ, were allied against him. Jesus told his disciples, and through them all of us, that we might be betrayed by our brothers and sisters, "but the one who endures to the end will be saved" (Matthew 10:22b). Yes, we have the solution to darkness and the one who can help us to stand firm; his name is ...

4328. Carrying the Burdens of Others

Philippians 2:5-11

Sermon

Richard Gribble

... up their cross and follow me. For those who want to save their life for my sake, and for the sake of the gospel, will save it" (Mark 8:34b-35). Humility means that we should never exalt ourselves, and think we are better than others. Jesus challenged his disciples with a parable: "When you are invited by someone to a wedding banquet, do not sit down at the place of honor ... [Rather] when you are invited, go and sit at the lowest place, so when your host comes, he may say to you, ‘Friend, move up higher ...

4329. Death to Glory

Revelation 5:11-14

Sermon

Richard Gribble

... Jesus was set on a course that would lead from death to glory, sacrificing himself for others and teaching his disciples to do likewise. On numerous occasions in varied ways Jesus played the servant making it clear that such action should be normative for all ... who wish to follow in his footsteps. Jesus told his disciples, "Whoever wishes to be great among you must be your servant, and whoever wishes to be first among you must be your ...

4330. The Prodigal Father

Romans 8:14-17

Sermon

John Jamison

... out of place. Everyone just kind of wandered quietly away, leaving the eldest son standing alone in the middle of the street. With his laws, and his whip. This is Pentecost Sunday, the day Jesus appeared to his disciples after his crucifixion. Among everything else he said that day, and the disciples said afterward, nothing rings more loudly than the statement that Jesus' father is now our father. We are all adopted sons and daughters of the one Jesus called Abba; daddy. And judging from the story we've ...

4331. The Hard Sell

Matthew 6:1-6, 16-21

Sermon

Donald Charles Lacy

... . Those of us who listen carefully to his voice have a struggle with this and it has a lot more to do with our lives than on Ash Wednesday once each year! We must learn to be content with our “alien” status. The Master told his disciples it would be that way. He tells you and me — sometimes frequently — that’s the way it is. We are on different wavelengths. We discover that our assumptions about life and even our most cherished beliefs do not strike a significant chord with those seemingly content ...

4332. Contrarian Christian

Mark 9:33-37; 10:17-31

Illustration

Michael Milton

... it. He is a true contrarian investor. He doesn't follow the crowd. He leaves them and goes to the back of the line where the investing is good. Peter and the disciples need to learn about contrarian investing and how it works with the Lord. You see, Peter was upset. Jesus had told the rich young ruler to give it all away and follow Him. The disciples had done that. Peter was asking, What's in it for me? Jesus told him that the first shall be last and the last shall be first. This is the Christian contrarian ...

4333. Called by a New Name

Isaiah 62:1-5

Sermon

Mary S. Lautensleger

... to carry out worthy goals. But unlike those organizations, the church, this community of faith that we are a part of, was not instituted by human beings. It was created by the Holy Spirit to guide us in serving God's purpose here on earth. The disciples were first called by the name "Christian" at Antioch by those who did not believe in the resurrected Christ (Acts 11:26). It began as a somewhat derogatory name for this new-fangled religion that was to sweep much of the known world. Followers of Christ ...

4334. Home at Last

Nehemiah 8:1-3, 5-6, 8-10

Sermon

Mary S. Lautensleger

... sweeter than honey" (Psalm 19:7, 10). Martin Luther reminds us that the law is also full of God's grace. "The law says, 'Do this,' and it is never done. Grace says, 'believe in this' and everything is already done."1 Before sending his disciples out, Jesus gathers them to give them instructions. He advises them to be "wise as serpents and innocent as doves" (Matthew 10:16). Nehemiah would have understood this advice of Jesus. He has already employed this strategy with those who are trying to undermine his ...

4335. He Will Abundantly Pardon

Isaiah 55:1-13

Sermon

Frank Ramirez

... do less, with each other, and with those around the world? We must tell them of this abundant joy, in the midst of all of life's travails and beyond. Jesus was criticized because he and his disciples didn't fast, didn't wear ashes, but ate, drank, and displayed the marks of life and living. The cross lay ahead for Jesus and many of his disciples, and for us as well, but as today's scripture tells us, as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are God's ways higher than our ways. Stop. In the midst of our ...

4336. Past, Present, Future

Isaiah 43:16-21

Sermon

Frank Ramirez

... want to live like Jesus. Historically, the church of Jesus Christ has tried to find a way to get out of doing what Jesus mandated. One of the most popular "outs" given by church leaders is that this Sermon on the Mount is delivered to the disciples, not the crowds. It doesn't count for us. Only those specially chosen by Jesus should turn the other cheek. This way of thinking became necessary when Emperor Constantine made Christianity legal around the year 315 A.D. Once the church and state became one, then ...

4337. Who?

Acts 5:27-32

Sermon

Frank Ramirez

... , for most Christians his fame rests only upon his oft-quoted remark in the book of Acts. At the time, the apostles were warned by religious authorities that they were to stop teaching about Jesus, or face dire consequences. Perhaps this command came because the authorities feared that the disciples of Jesus would draw the ire of the Roman authorities who would interpret their plan to turn the world upside down as open rebellion against the Empire. More likely, however, it was jealousy for the power these ...

4338. God's Call for All

Acts 9:35-43

Sermon

Frank Ramirez

... reciprocity expressed first in the lives of those who cared for Jesus. The picture emerges during his ministry of a large body of believers who moved from place to place. In addition to Jesus and the twelve apostles, there are references to a sizable number of disciples, male and female. The fact is that all of these people needed to eat and drink, and a place to sleep. Mary of Magdala, after careful Bible study, emerges as a woman of means, possibly of the upper class, who helped support the ministry of ...

4339. Satan’s Talking Points

Mark 13:1-31

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

... is the very thing that some people profess to know, even if Jesus didn’t: “that day or hour.” Participating in the kingdom of God, not cataloging and calculating apocalyptic appearances and disasters that is the role of faithful followers. Jesus has called his disciples, whether in the first century or the twenty-first century, to live fully and faithfully in the time God has placed us in. And God will take of “that day or hour.” As 2012 approaches, and after that it will be 2020, and after ...

4340. If This Is Your Faith, Tell Me Your Stories

1 Thessalonians 3:6-13

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

... of first century “Best Eastern.” In his birth narrative Luke uses the term “kataluma” to describe the place Mary and Joseph find already filled up. The only other time Luke uses “kataluma” it is to describe the “upper room” where Jesus and his disciples gathered for their Passover feast which become the Last Supper (Luke 22:11). Jesus sent out Peter and John to secure this space, telling them to ask their would-be host for him, “Where is the guest room (“kataluma”) where I might eat ...

4341. The Whole Family Survival Kit

Luke 3:1-20

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

... his mind’” (Mark 3:21). And in John’s gospel Jesus’ own brothers taunt him, as only brothers can do so well, daring him to flaunt his powers and announce himself to the world. So his brothers said to him, “Leave here and go to Judea so that your disciples also may see the works you are doing, for no one who wants to be widely known acts in secret. If you do these things, show yourself to the world.’ [For not even his brothers believed in him.] (John 7:3-5) Family is always hard to impress. They ...

4342. I Am the Good Shepherd

John 10:1-21

Sermon

Maxie Dunnam

... of Pentecost. It was not enough for the prodigal son in Jesus’ parable to leave the pigs, the pigs had not yet left him. Back home safe in his father’s house, he still had bad habits to master, and he still had new attitudes to cultivate. The disciples sitting expectantly in the Upper Room long after Jesus had departed from their sight, they knew that Jesus loved them, yet they knew that they didn’t have the power to change the world. They needed to grow in his power in order to heal the sick and ...

4343. Thou Sayest I Am King

John 18:28-40

Sermon

Maxie Dunnam

... , Jesus would say to Mary – thou sayest I’m a king. What would he say to you and me today? This is Palm Sunday. In Luke’s account of the events of that day, the Pharisees challenged Jesus for accepting the praise of his disciples. And they said to Jesus, teacher, rebuke disciples. But Jesus responded, if they remained silent, the very stones would cry out. Whether we say so or not, Jesus is still king. If we fail to say so, even the rocks will cry out. Wouldn’t it be tragic today, wouldn’t it ...

4344. The Wonder of It All

Matthew 1:18-25

Sermon

Maxie Dunnam

... all. Consider the facts – born of humble parents in an obscure province of the Roman Empire; really, the backwashes of civilization; with a public ministry that lasted only three years; crucified between two thieves. There was not a person present at his death, including his disciples that did not think that this was the end of it all. And yet the wonder of Jesus is seen in the fact that what everybody else thought was the end, was really the beginning. But look at this even more closely. Apply to Jesus ...

4345. Every Day God Enriches

1 Corinthians 1:1-9

Sermon

Billy D. Strayhorn

... are brought back into relationship through the cross, the Resurrection and Pentecost are what fortify our relationship and our faith. The Risen Christ and the power of God's Holy Spirit strengthen us Every Day with the "spiritual gifts" we need to not only remain as disciples, but to grow in our Discipleship. We may not notice how God is doing that, or even know how God is doing that. But its an ongoing process, like a journey. You take one step at a time. B. Several years ago The British Weekly published ...

4346. Living In The Spirit Of Peace

Galatians 5:22-25, Colossians 3:14-15

Sermon

Billy D. Strayhorn

... Shalom is wholeness, oneness, it is peace of body, mind, soul and spirit. It is wholeness on every level. (3) In John 14:27 Jesus told the Disciples, "Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts ... Christ Jesus." This is the Peace which fill our hearts with the Grace of God in Christ so we can affirm what Jesus told the Disciples in John 16:33: "I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble ...

4347. Seeing God In The Ordinary: Friends

John 11:1-45

Sermon

Billy D. Strayhorn

... the Son of God may be glorified through it." [5] Accordingly, though Jesus loved Martha and her sister and Lazarus, [6] after having heard that Lazarus was ill, he stayed two days longer in the place where he was. [7] Then after this he said to the disciples, "Let us go to Judea again." [14] Then Jesus told them plainly, "Lazarus is dead. [17] When Jesus arrived, he found that Lazarus had already been in the tomb four days. [18] Now Bethany was near Jerusalem, some two miles away, [19] and many of the Jews ...

4348. Joshua People Obey and Serve

Joshua 1:6-8, 24:14-15

Sermon

Billy D. Strayhorn

... Obedient and Served. I can't help but believe that the reason we are so blessed is because we have been obedient. And because, not just as a few individuals, but as a congregation, we have a Servant Heart. We want to be faithful. We want to make disciples. We want to lead each other into a deeper relationship with Christ. We want our children and youth to love God with their heart, souls, mind and strength. We want to be faithful. Truth be told, we want to transform the world. We want to raise up ministers ...

4349. Walking First Class

2 Corinthians 3:12-18

Sermon

Billy D. Strayhorn

... of the way she walked her life of faith. You and I are called to be walkers. We're called to walk first class, not for ourselves but because our destination is to become like Christ. Our purpose is not only to become disciples but in the process to "Make disciples." Who is looking up to you? Whose life are you influencing? Conclusion Dr. Fred Craddock tells the story of when he was invited to lead a lecture series in Winnipeg, Ontario. He arrived on Saturday night, and a snow storm blanketed the area ...

4350. Do We Live in ‘Why’ or ‘Whynot’

Romans 12:3-8, 16-18

Sermon

Billy D. Strayhorn

... In John 13:13 Jesus says, "You call me Teacher and Lord—and you are right, for that is what I am." And like the Disciples, we are called to learn from Jesus through Worship and Bible Study. Paul reminds us to, "not claim to be wiser than you are." ... " aren't there more dedicated Xns or are we dreaming of mission and ministries which will impact the world, change lives and make Disciples for Jesus Christ and asking "Whynot?" If we truly believe that God is with us; that God guides us; that God teaches us; ...

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