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 426 to 450 of 779 results
Sermon
King Duncan
There is an interesting story that comes out of the Second World War. England and Germany both had state-of-the-art fighter planes. Germany had the Messerschmitt, which was considered to be the world’s fastest fighter plane. The British had the Supermarine Spitfire. The Spitfire was slower than the Messerschmitt. Nevertheless, German pilots were envious of their British counterparts. You see, the Messerschmitt had been designed to hold the perfect German. Who was the perfect German? Who else but Der Fuhrer ...
427. Transformed to Christ
2 Corinthians 3:7-18
Sermon
Richard Gribble
One magnificent, moonlit night, a fisherman climbed the wall of a private estate to partake in the bounty of its fish-stocked pond. He moved with stealth and upon reaching the banks of the pond observed with keen awareness that there was no activity in the bungalow below. All the lights were out. With a sense of confidence, he envisioned his fishing needs taken care of for the full week. Thus, he cast his net into the pond making the light splash. The master of the house remarked to his wife from his deep ...
Sermon
Leonard Sweet
Every large city has a store in which there is nothing but lamps — hundreds and sometimes thousands of lamps. Some are antique, some are new. Some are plain, some are ornate. Some of them unplugged. Some of them are plugged in and showcasing their light. One day a little girl was asked by her mother which lamps she liked best. “I like best the ones where the light shines out.” There are over 300,000 Christian churches in the US. Some are antique, some are new. Some are plain, some are ornate. Some are not ...
Sermon
King Duncan
H. L. Mencken was for a long time the editor of the American Mercury magazine. One day he startled his employees by suddenly shouting, “It’s coming in the doors!” Everyone stopped what they were doing and looked at their boss. “It’s up to the bottom of the desk!” Mencken continued, “It’s up to the seats of our chairs.” “What are you talking about?” asked one of his confused colleagues. “It’s all around us. Now, it’s to the top of our desks,” shouted Mencken as he jumped to the top of his desk. “What do you ...
Sermon
Maurice A. Fetty
"Which of these three, do you think, proved neighbor to the man who fell among the robbers?" He said, "The one who showed mercy on him." And Jesus said to him, "Go and do likewise." — Luke 10:36-37 It was a dark, rainy summer night on a remote road. David was driving home to his lake cottage after a movie in the resort village. Going around a corner he thought he saw it. He slowed, wondering if he had seen correctly. He stopped, backed up in the driving rain, then moved his car toward the edge of the road ...
431. Israel Forsakes God
Jeremiah 2:1-3:5
Understanding Series
Tremper Longman III
Former Bliss (2:1-3): 2:1–3 God again commissions Jeremiah to speak an oracle to the residents of Jerusalem. The oracle reminds the Judeans of their former intimate relationship with God. Jeremiah uses the metaphor of marriage to make his point here. The beginning of the relationship between God and his people was like a honeymoon—pure devotion. The bride, Israel, followed the groom, God, through hard places like the desert, also called a land not sown. This language reminds the hearers of the wilderness ...
Sermon
King Duncan
Mark L. Feldman and Michael F. Spratt in their book Five Frogs on a Log tell about a family visiting Mexico that found itself in a difficult situation. On Sept. 6, 1960, the Salado River in Sabinas, Mexico, overran its banks. Flood waters filled the main road leading from Sabinas across the border into the U.S. Numerous cars and trucks stalled while attempting to cross the border. However, a tow truck driver observed the mess with happy anticipation. You can guess why. He charged an exorbitant fee to tow ...
Teach the Text
Grant R. Osborne
Big Idea: Jesus has sown his kingdom truths among the crowds, the leaders, and his disciples. They are the soil in which his gospel seed is placed, and God holds them responsible for their receptivity to the message of the kingdom. Understanding the Text This parable discourse (chap. 4) is one of two extensive teaching sections (with chap. 13) in Mark, and it interprets the action and mission of Jesus in chapters 1–3. These are “kingdom parables” describing the implications of the arrival of the kingdom in ...
Teach the Text
Grant R. Osborne
Big Idea: The message of the feeding miracle is simple: God will provide. This is the primary miracle in which Jesus involved his disciples, and the question is whether they will put their trust in the God who provides for them in every situation. Understanding the Text Many think of this passage as another round of miracles by the lake. It is far more than that. Here Jesus’s authority is seen in its effect on discipleship. The primary group involved is not the crowds or the leaders but the disciples. This ...
One Volume
Gary M. Burge
The First Mission (1:1–6:22:): The Return of the Jews to Judah · Ezra 1:1–4 provides a general introduction to Ezra-Nehemiah. The first verse sets the pace, beginning with a specific time in history: “In the first year of Cyrus king of Persia” (539 BC). The author purports to give us historical facts. While the book is historical narrative, it does not pretend to give a complete history of the period. Rather, the author selects the material that can best present his message. Immediately the author ...
Sermon
King Duncan
A young woman busied herself getting ready for a blind date. She was to have dinner at an exclusive restaurant with live music and dancing. She was excited. She went out to have her hair done, spent time getting her makeup just right, put on her best dress and was ready for her date’s arrival. However, his expected arrival time came and went. After waiting an hour, she decided she had been stood up. Disheartened, she took off her dress, let down her hair, put on her pajamas, gathered a box of chocolates ...
437. House of Prayer
Matthew 6:5-15, Matthew 6:16-18
Sermon
Lori Wagner
“My house will be called a house of prayer for all the peoples.” (Isaiah 56:7) “Has this house, which bears my Name, become a den of robbers to you? But I have been watching! declares the Lord.” (Jeremiah 7:11) "It is written," he said to them [Temple priests, leaders, and businessmen], "'My house will be called a house of prayer,' but you are making it 'a den of robbers.'" (Matthew 21:13) When Toby, a little 3-year old boy, was chastised by his Mama for taking 7 cookies from the cookie jar without ...
Sermon
King Duncan
Some of you will remember that, on April 18, 2006, a new word entered our lexicon when President George W. Bush made a comment referring to himself as “the decider” during a press conference. A fine, decent man, Mr. Bush was simply asserting that he was the one who ultimately made important decisions in his administration. Let me ask you something: do you consider yourself a decisive person? I’m not talking about routine decisions like what to wear in the morning or which restaurant to choose for lunch. ...
439. You've Got Spirit
Luke 3:15-22 · Acts 8:14-17 · Psalm 29 · Isaiah 61:1-4
Sermon
Will Willimon
"Then they laid their hands on them and they received the Holy Spirit." Let us pray: "O Lord, how can we know Thee: Where can we find Thee? Thou art as close to us as breathing and yet art farther than the furthermost star. Thou art as mysterious as the vast solitudes of the night and yet art as familiar to us as the light of the sun. To the seer of old Thou didst say: Thou canst not see my face, but I will make all My Goodness pass before Thee. Even so does Thy goodness pass before us in the realm of ...
Sermon
Douglas J. Deuel
Years ago, this advertisement appeared in the classifieds of a local newspaper: "Husband says either he or puppies must go. Puppies are playful and cute. Husband is grouchy and unsympathetic. Your choice free." It just may be that our biggest challenge in life is relationships. At home and in the community, we struggle to make positive contributions to our relationship with others. Even within the community of faith, relationships require effort. In today's passage of scripture we see three states in our ...
Sermon
William L. Self
I like the story of the Middle Eastern prince who fell in love with a beautiful peasant girl. Eventually he proposed marriage and she accepted. Such an event should be marked by a gift of rare beauty, so he searched the empire for the most beautiful diamond to give to her. Obviously, the most beautiful diamond demanded a specific box of rare beauty for the presentation of the precious gem. For this he commissioned the royal cabinetmakers to make the most beautiful box in the kingdom for the diamond. On the ...
Sermon
Michael B. Brown
A friend who is a surgeon stopped by a clothing store in a local mall. He had just returned from a hunting trip and was still attired in cap, plaid jacket and muddy boots. Looking through the showroom for a Christmas gift for this wife, he noticed that each available clerk was obviously ignoring him. None asked if they could help. None even acknowledged his presence. Soon he left, went home, showered, dressed and went to another store where he bought his wife an expensive coat. Then he told her to return ...
443. Proper 4
Luke 7:1-10 · Galatians 1:1-12 · 1 Ki 18:20-39 · Ps 96
Bulletin Aid
B. David Hostetter
CALL TO WORSHIP Ascribe to the LORD, O families of the peoples, ascribe to the LORD glory and strength. Honor and majesty are before him; strength and beauty are in his sanctuary. Ascribe to the LORD the glory due his name; bring an offering, and come into his courts. PRAYER OF CONFESSION Constant God, we confess our inconsistency. We are too often prone to seek favor with people than to risk disapproval of Christian convictions. We are prepared to rationalize or reinterpret difficult demands of Jesus and ...
444. Epiphany Of Our Lord
Mt 2:1-12 · Eph 3:1-12 · Is 60:1-6, 9 · Ps 72
Sermon Aid
Russell F. Anderson
THIS WEEK'S TEXT Revised Common: Isaiah 60:1-6 · Ephesians 3:1-12 · Matthew 2:1-12 Roman Catholic: Isaiah 60:1-6 · Ephesians 3:2-3a, 5-6 · Matthew 2:1-12 Episcopal: Isaiah 60:1-6, 9 · Ephesians 3:1-12 · Matthew 2:1-12 Lutheran: Isaiah 60:1-6 · Ephesians 3:2-12 · Matthew 2:1-12 Seasonal Theme: Gifts of God's Spirit Theme For The Day: The Gift Of Guidance. The Magi were guided to the Christ by the light of the star. We are guided to our eternal destiny by the light of the Holy Spirit. Suggested Sermon Text: ...
445. Ascension Day
Luke 24:44-53
Bulletin Aid
RobertT D. Ingram
Greeting Leader: Jesus opens minds. Congregation: Open our minds to resurrection-thinking, O Lord. Leader: Jesus blesses believers. Congregation: Bless our witness with ascension-living, O Lord. Prayer Father, like the first disciples, our understanding is in part and too shallow to sustain us. Our strength fails, and our witness falls silent. Jesus said he would send what you promised. Let it be so. Clothe us with power from on high. Open our minds to understanding, and empower us to be your witnesses, ...
Bulletin Aid
RobertT D. Ingram
Greeting Leader 1: Brothers and sisters, have you heard the prophecies? Many who come in the name of Christ are saying the end is near! Congregation: "Beware that no one leads you astray." Leader 2: But I have heard that we are going to be pulled into war! And there are already so many wars between the nations! Congregation: "Do not be alarmed; this must take place, but the end is still to come." Leader 1: But what about the earthquakes? There seem to be more than usual! Leader 2: And there are people ...
447. Christmas Eve / Christmas Day
Luke 2:1-7, Luke 2:8-20
Bulletin Aid
RobertT D. Ingram
Call to Worship Leader: Jesus Christ is the Word from God who becomes flesh and blood. Cng: God of beginning, God who sends life, God who names us your children, we have gathered here to worship you. Ldr: Jesus Christ is the light from God who enlightens everyone. Cng: Word with God, Word in the beginning, Word who brings life, we have gathered here to worship you. Ldr: Jesus Christ is the grace and truth from God who embraces all who receive him. Cng: Will of God shining in darkness, Will of God giving ...
448. Lent 1
Romans 9:30--10:21, Deuteronomy 26:1-15, Luke 4:1-13, Psalm 91:1-16
Sermon Aid
George Bass
THEOLOGICAL CLUE The church year combines the two seasons of Lent and Easter within a cycle, the Easter Cycle, which puts the observation of Lent, as well as Easter, in proper perspective. The church keeps the Lenten pilgrimage as a journey to the to and beyond the cross to the tomb of the risen Christ, and the annual celebration of the Feast of Feasts, Easter. When Lent began as the quadrigesima, this was quite clear, because Quadrigesima announced that there were now 40 days until Easter. The same thing ...
449. Easter 4
John 10:22-42, Acts 13:13-52, Numbers 27:12-23, Revelation 7:9-17
Sermon Aid
George Bass
THEOLOGICAL CLUE Good Shepherd Sunday fell on the Second Sunday after Easter in the classic calendar and lectionary; it now occurs on the Fourth Sunday of Easter (or, in the older scheme, on the Third Sunday after Easter). Accordingly, the traditional gospel (John 10:11-16) is retained, specifically in Year/Cycle B of the contemporary lectionaries, but John 10 is also employed as the Gospel in Years/Cycles A and C. Last Sunday's theme emphasized that Jesus Christ was the Paschal Lamb, who was sacrificed at ...
450. Shake It Off!
Matthew 10:1-42
Sermon
Carlyle Fielding Stewart
Adrenaline pulsed through our bodies as we nervously took our positions in the field. It was an important playoff game, and everyone was feeling the pressure. The second baseman dropped a routine fly in the bottom of the seventh, allowing three runs to score which tied the game. In the third inning the right fielder had uncharacteristically overrun a pop-up after losing it in the sun, permitting the first run. Now it was the bottom of the eight inning, the score tied, runners on first and third with two ...
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