Sermon and Worship Resources

Showing 426 to 450 of 5000 results

Mark 12:41-44

Sermon

Donald B. Strobe

... she could do this. And her love for God was so great that she felt she had to do something. And then I remembered that our Lord never turned away any gift because it was small, or because the giver could ill afford to give it. That scene in Mark’s Gospel came to my mind. Almost two thousand years ago Jesus sat opposite the treasury, watching people making their offerings in the Temple. Wealthy people cast in great amounts-as they should! And Jesus did not knock that at all. But then a poor widow cast in ...

427. Excited!

Acts 2:1-13

Sermon

King Duncan

... team a 22-21 lead. During Kelly's run his coach, Chris Ault of the Wolf Pack, got so caught up in the excitement that he began racing down the sideline alongside Kelly. When Ault reached the FresnoState twenty-yard line, he realized he had gone beyond the marked-off area in which coaches are allowed to roam. He risked having his team penalized fifteen yards. So he just kept right on running. He dashed through the end zone, up a ramp, and out of the stadium. He was found hiding behind a truck. A fan asked ...

428. Beware of Crowds

Mark 1:29-39

Sermon

Mark Trotter

... one who can defeat the demons in this world. And he won't let them speak. What kind of a Messiah is it who travels incognito? Then the third anecdote in this passage. It's in the wee hours of the morning the next day. "A great while before day," Mark says, "Jesus went off to pray by himself." Peter found him. "Chased him down," is the way you can translate the Greek word. That means he abruptly and rudely came upon Jesus as he was by himself, praying. Peter said, "I'm glad I found you, Jesus. Where have you ...

429. The Time of Waiting Is Over

Mark 1:14-20

Sermon

Mark Trotter

... rest and regain his powers. We read that description and it occurs to us that that world is a world that is alien to us. It is something strange to our experience. And in a sense, that is true. But if you read the stories of the demons in Mark, you will notice that they resemble the scenarios of our dreams. Beginning with the Temptation story of Jesus in the first chapter, and continuing through all the encounters with demons who seek to do us ill, and keep us in bondage. We don't talk that way anymore, but ...

430. Advent 1

Matthew 24:36-51, Romans 13:8-14, Isaiah 2:1-5, Psalm 122:1-9

Sermon Aid

Marion L. Soards, Thomas B. Dozeman, Kendall McCabe

... to Matthew 25:13-15 to a degree). There is strong similarity between Matthew 24:37-41 and Luke 17:26-35 and between Matthew 24:43-44 and Luke 12:39-40. Thus, for study, the comparisons are: Matt. 24:36 Mark 13:32 Matt. 24:37-41 Luke 17:26-35 Matt. 24:42 Mark 13:35 Matt. 24:43-44 Luke 12:39-40 The material is remarkably complex. It brings together noticeably disparate traditions and testifies to the rich practice of reflection on the life and teaching of Jesus in the earliest Church. The eschatological ...

431. Palm/Passion Sunday

Mt 26:14-27:66 · Php 2:5-11 · Isa 50:4-9a · Ps 31

Sermon Aid

Marion L. Soards, Thomas B. Dozeman, Kendall McCabe

... discipleship. We are told in v. 4 that every morning God awakens the servant so that he is able to hear God's instruction like a pupil (Hebrew, limmûdîm; NRSV translation, "to listen as those who are taught"). The second section of the song is marked in v. 5ab, when the servant refers to himself and his present situation. In vv 5ab-6 the servant outlines his training in discipleship. Here the work of God is translated into action. The servant does not rebel from God's instruction but accepts suffering in ...

432. How to Turn the Ballot into a Blessing Box

Proverbs 29:2

Sermon

James Merritt

... 't read his lips, read his life; don't listen to what he says in a press conference, see what he does in the Oval Office. Prov. 20:11 reminds us, "Even a child is known by his deeds, by whether what he does is pure and right." The second mark is wicked advisers. "Take away the dross from silver, and it will go to the silversmith for jewelry. Take away the wicked from before the king and his throne will be established in righteousness." (Prov. 25:4-5) Dross is the scum and the filth that must be melted away ...

433. Come To the Water

Matthew 3:13-17

Sermon

Billy D. Strayhorn

... 't help. Bo Peep tries to comfort him but he's still angry because it seems Buzz is taking his place. One of the things that struck me about that scene is that both of Andy special toys, Woody and Buzz, have Andy's name of them. They have been marked with a symbol of his ownership. Jesus knew who He was before he went for baptism by John, but John wasn't sure and neither was the crowd. As soon as Jesus had been baptized "suddenly the heavens were opened to him and he saw the Spirit of God descending ...

434. Audacious Faith

Mark 2:1-12

Sermon

Maxie Dunnam

... Jesus could no longer openly enter a town, but was out in the country, and people came to him from every quarter” (Mark 1:45). Let the picture come alive in your mind. Put yourself into the setting. We’re in the small fishing village ... a pace of one mile an hour. Finally, four days and two hours and seventeen minutes later he completed the race. The race director had already marked his name off the list. He concluded that Wieland wouldn’t be able to cover the 26 miles and 385 yards on his hands and ...

435. Can Teach, Can Do

Mark 1:21-28

Sermon

Robert J. Elder

... what we usually hear about is the result that teaching had on others. About this there is plenty to learn: the eyes of the blind are opened, as are the ears of the deaf, the lame find their legs again, and speechless people begin to sing for joy. Clearly, Mark doesn't want us to listen for well-crafted words of teaching. He wants us to see the kind of work that Jesus does, to invite us to share in the amazement of the Capernaum congregation, and to become part of the movement that spreads the fame of Jesus ...

436. An Announcement about Our Future

Mark 13:32-37

Sermon

King Duncan

... of suffering and death would be taken from him, but still he prayed, “not what I will, but what you will.” Twice during this time he returned to the disciples and asked them to keep watch, but both times he found all of them, including Simon Peter, asleep. Mark says, about Christ’s disciples, “They did not know what to say to him.” No wonder they didn’t know what to say. The Master was pouring his heart out on this, the most critical night in his life, and his disciples whom he had told to keep ...

437. Building a New Team

Mark 8:31--9:1

Sermon

Wayne Brouwer

... is rough. Only those who can tear up their personal score sheets in order to get into God’s game will make the team. Only they are truly called. Only they are equipped to serve and follow and play on the greatest winning team of all time. An Alternative Application Mark 8:31-38. On this second Sunday in Lent it might be profitable to focus on Jesus’ gospel teaching. He is on the road to the cross, and he calls others to join him in that pilgrimage. Lent is a time of self-denial, and Jesus’ words are a ...

438. When the Golden Rule Isn't Enough - Mother's Day

John 15:1-17

Sermon

King Duncan

... command. It is that we are to “love each other as he has loved us.” This command is linked to the first which is to remain in God’s love. When we remain in God’s love, that love will motivate us and give us the power to love others. Mark Buchanan, in his book Hidden In Plain Sight, tells about a time a number of years ago when he was struggling with his attitude toward a certain man. He says he fed his resentment and bitterness to the point where at times he hated this person. One day, when he ...

439. Disagreement Between Paul and Barnabas

Acts 15:36-41

Understanding Series

David J. Williams

... previous journey. Nothing more than this is suggested, but it may already have been Paul’s intention to start a new work once this visitation was done. 15:37–39 But when it came to planning the journey, they could not see eye to eye on whether Mark should go with them again. Barnabas wanted to take him (aorist tense), Paul did not want to take him [present tense, i.e., as a continuing member of the missionary team, liable at any time to desert them], because he had deserted them in Pamphylia and had ...

440. Spiritual Blessings in Christ

Ephesians 1:1-14

Understanding Series

Arthur G. Patzia

... or stamp of ownership in much the same way that things are branded or identified today. This act also confirmed or authenticated something as genuine. A seal on a letter or document, for example, declared that it was legally valid. People belonging to religious cults often were sealed with marks that bore the image of their god(s). The Book of Revelation talks about those who have or do not have “the seal of God on their foreheads” (Rev. 9:4; cf. also 7:2–8; 22:4; 2 Tim. 2:19). In the NT, there are a ...

441. The Day of the Lord

2 Peter 3:1-18

Understanding Series

Norman Hillyer

... mentioning “the fathers” in the NT (Acts 3:13; Rom. 9:5; Heb. 1:1) and especially in view of the words since the beginning of creation. Died prosaically translates ekoimēthēsan, lit. and more strikingly “have fallen asleep,” the usual biblical expression for the passing on of believers (Mark 5:39; John 11:11; 1 Thess. 4:13–14), even in the case of their violent death (Acts 7:60). 3:5 Creation by God’s word is a frequent theme (Gen. 1:3; Ps. 33:6–9; 148:5; Wisd. of Sol. 9:1; John 1:3; Heb ...

442. Jesus Washes His Disciples’ Feet

John 13:1-17, John 13:18-30

Understanding Series

J. Ramsey Michaels

... meal was being served (v. 2a) is a necessary minimum for making sense of verses 4–5. On the basis of the synoptic Gospels, the evening meal is commonly assumed to be Jesus’ last meal with his disciples, a Passover meal at which he instituted the Lord’s Supper (Mark 14:12–26/Matt. 26:17–30/Luke 22:7–23; cf. vv. 21–30). But if this is the case, the author of John’s Gospel has ignored the institution of the Eucharist altogether (even though 6:52–58 suggests that he probably knew of it) and ...

443. Jesus Calling and Accepting the Outcasts

Mark 2:13-17

Teach the Text

Grant R. Osborne

... Capernaum is on the northwest shore of the lake, so it is natural for Jesus to be teaching on the shore. His popularity continues (a “large crowd” is there), and among them he sees Levi, a tax collector. There is some dispute about the identity of this Levi. Only Mark tells us that he was “son of Alphaeus,” and in the list of the Twelve there is one named “James son of Alphaeus” (3:18). Moreover, in the same story in Matthew 9:9 the man is named “Matthew,” and in the list of the Twelve he is ...

444. Jesus Turns to His New Family

Mark 3:31-35, Mark 3:20-30

Teach the Text

Grant R. Osborne

... can). He was defeated in three stages, when he was cast out of heaven (Luke 10:18; Rev. 12:7–9), during Jesus’s ministry (e.g., Mark 3:27), and at the cross (John 12:31; 16:11). At the eschaton the devil and his angels will be cast into the lake of fire ... (Matt. 25:41; Rev. 19:20; 20:10, 14). Moreover, the saints have power over Satan and his minions when they depend entirely on Christ (Mark 3:15; 6:7; James 4:7; 1 Pet. 5:9; 1 John 4:4). We are defeated spiritually only when we give in to Satan’s ...

445. Realizing the True Nature of Jesus the Christ

Mark 8:27-30

Teach the Text

Grant R. Osborne

... 8:34–9:1). This passage picks up the Christology of 1:1 and the truth of Jesus as the Messiah and then defines his messianic work in terms of the Suffering Servant. Understanding the Text We are at the turning point (called the “watershed” by many) in Mark’s Gospel. The first part (8:27–30) sums up the first half of the Gospel and addresses the identity of Jesus. The second part (8:31–33) sets the scene for the second half, the death and resurrection of Jesus. The travel narrative—the road to ...

446. Family in the New Kingdom Community

Mark 10:13-16, Mark 10:1-12

Teach the Text

Grant R. Osborne

... divorce. Divorce was nearly as widespread in Jewish circles (more so among the Gentiles) as today, but Jesus makes it clear that that situation is due to sin and not to the will of God. 2. Sometimes dissolution of marriage is permitted. This issue is not present in Mark, but it is found in Matthew and Paul, so we must review it. The consensus is that the purpose of divorce in the ancient world was remarriage, so to discuss the one is also to discuss the other.5 God’s will is for marriage to be lifelong ...

447. Possessions and Choice in the New Kingdom Community

Mark 10:17-31

Teach the Text

Grant R. Osborne

... a valid question on the surface. It is hard to know if this means a works-righteousness (“what must I do”) theology. However, Jesus does not take it this way, for he responds in terms of actions in verse 21. One’s actions portray one’s heart. In Mark “inherit/enter life/the kingdom” are synonyms for the (eternal) life given by God to all who become followers of Jesus. 10:18 Why do you call me good? Jesus answers the query with a startling (more to us than to the man) question of his own. This ...

448. The Messianic Anointing of Jesus

Mark 14:1-11

Teach the Text

Grant R. Osborne

... was a spontaneous act, stressing the completeness of the gift; her intention was to use all of the perfume on Jesus. He is not just anointed but drenched and covered in the oil. It is also difficult to know whether she intended a messianic anointing, but certainly Mark takes it that way (both king and high priest were anointed for their office). Anointing of the head was a royal act (1 Sam. 10:1; 2 Kings 9:3, 6). James Edwards notes an “outsider” motif: Bethany lay outside Jerusalem, Simon as a “leper ...

449. On the Cross Jesus Is Mocked and Dies

Mark 15:33-41

Teach the Text

Grant R. Osborne

... him also heaped insults on him. The third series of taunts comes from the malefactors to Jesus’s right and left. Luke 23:39–43 tells the whole story, as one of the two repents and asks to be included when Jesus ascends to his kingdom, but Mark wants to center on the mockery, leaving Jesus “completely alone; he has no allies, not even among those who share his fate. . . . The mockery of Jesus is now complete.”1 15:33 At noon, darkness came over the whole land until three in the afternoon. There ...

450. Hearing and Responding

Luke 8:19-21, Luke 8:16-18, Luke 8:1-15

Teach the Text

R.T. France

... traditional title “parable of the sower” (taken from Matt. 13:18) misses the focus of the parable, which is not on the sower but rather on the seed and on the different soils into which it fell. Literally, “one fell”: Luke speaks of four individual seeds (Mark has six individual seeds, three in bad places and three in good soil; in Matthew they are all plural). 8:6 Some fell on rocky ground. To fall directly onto rock (as Luke’s text literally says) would be no better than along the path, and ...

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