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 426 to 450 of 2815 results

426. Sermon on the Mount: Final Warnings and Call to Obey Jesus’ Words

Matthew 7:13-14, Matthew 7:15-23, Matthew 7:24-29

Teach the Text

Jeannine K. Brown

... the mark of a disciple (7:15–20; see also 12:33–37; 13:18–23; 21:18–22, 43). Bearing fruit means doing the will of God (7:21) rather than doing evil, a topic to which Jesus will return (12:46–50). The sermon concludes with a parable about the wisdom of putting Jesus’ words into practice (7:24–27). The narrative conclusion to the Sermon on the Mount (7:28–29) includes the first of five uses of the formula “When Jesus had finished saying [these things],” which closes each of the five major ...

427. Jesus, Not Jewish Leaders, Interprets the Torah Rightly

Matthew 15:1-20

Teach the Text

Jeannine K. Brown

... , the former to describe Jesus’ hometown and the Pharisees (13:57; 15:12) and the latter to describe Jesus’ disciples (26:31; see also 13:21). 15:13 Every plant that my heavenly Father has not planted will be pulled up. This saying is reminiscent of the parable of the wheat and weeds (13:24–30) as well as the theme of revelation introduced at 11:25–27. 15:14 they are blind guides. This is a significant indictment of those meant to lead the people of Israel, as the Pharisees and teachers of the ...

428. Playing One Hand

Matthew 13:1-9, 18-23

Sermon

Tom Garrison

... hand that rocks the cradle rules the world" has much truth to it, and this side of "the one hand" image needs to be underlined as well as the other. This brings me back to where we started. Jesus began his ministry in exuberance, and halfway through he told the parable of the soils. It represented his coming of age, I believe, coming to terms with both failure and potency, with the kind of creature he was and the kind of world in which we all live. Three out of four of his seeds did not make it, but some ...

429. The Cost of Being a Disciple

Luke 14:25-35

Understanding Series

Craig A. Evans

... on the cost of following Jesus (vv. 25–33) and (2) the saying on worthless salt (vv. 34–35). Part of the section on counting the cost has to do with the king who plans for war (vv. 31–32), which may provide a link with the preceding Parable of the Great Banquet (vv. 15–24), since Deuteronomy 20 apparently has conceptual and verbal parallels to these Lucan passages (so Evans, pp. 47–48; see commentary on 14:15–24 above). The main point of the section is that the would-be follower of Jesus had ...

430. Amazing Grace

Luke 18:9-14

Sermon

Will Willimon

... what had happened to him during the service. All he could say to anyone who would listen was, ''God loves me.'' Today's gospel is a familiar parable—the Pharisee and the tax collector. Be careful. Parables can be of two types. Some parables are clear example stories. Last Sunday we had a parable about a persistent widow who pestered a careless judge. Luke says that Jesus told that parable to show that people, ''Ought to pray always and not lose heart.'' We are to keep at prayer, just like that widow. That ...

431. Shameless!

Luke 11:1-13

Sermon

Dave Zuchelli

... giving us whatever it is we want. While it sounds like that, we need to blush again. Let’s go back to our original discussion of parables. Most of them make one point. The point of this one is not that we should try to shame the Lord into doing our bidding. It ... being said that these various avenues may well be how God answers our prayers from time to time. But the point of the parable is this. We should go to him first. Because we are bold and audacious enough to believe he is the overall answer to any ...

432. Seeds

Matthew 13:1-9, 18-23

Sermon

William G. Carter

... times easier to look out there than it is to reflect in the mirror and ask, “Why isn’t the seed of God’s kingdom growing and flourishing in me?” It is a worthy question – but I don’t think it has a lot to do with the parable. This is the parable of the sower. The sower went out to sow. What did he do? He threw the seed all over the place. He showed no caution, no preparation, no hesitation, and so the seed went everywhere. He did not prepare the ground, pull up the weeds, or remove the stones ...

433. Speaking of Us

Matthew 21:33-46

Sermon

Steve Molin

... is confess our shortcomings to this gracious God. We hide our sin, we justify our sin, we compare our sins to others and take pride that we sin less. And God cries out “How can I forgive you if you insist that there is nothing to forgive?” In this parable, Jesus is not speaking to us. That’s too vague. Jesus is speaking to you. No, Jesus is speaking to me. I am the wicked tenant personified. But I have met the landowner and find him to be a compassionate and gracious God. He gives me a second chance ...

434. Proper 18

Psalm 139:1-24, Philemon 1:8-25, Philemon 1:1-7, Jeremiah 18:1--19:15, Luke 14:25-35

Sermon Aid

William E. Keeney

... to divine blessings. The people are unaware of the struggle and suffering that lies ahead for those who follow him. He has to try to bring them to a more realistic understanding of what it means to be his disciple. That is the setting for two brief parables that call his followers to count the costs of living in the kingdom in a world still filled with evil. Context of the Lectionary The First Lesson. (Jeremiah 18:1-11) The passage is the familiar analogy that Jeremiah uses of the potter and the clay. If ...

435. Advent 1

Isaiah 63:7--64:12, 1 Corinthians 1:1-9, Psalm 80:1-19, Mark 13:32-37, Mark 13:1-31

Sermon Aid

William E. Keeney

... Some used them for rejoicing and fulfillment of their longings; Herod saw the signs as occasion for threat and fear. The use of the parable can point beyond the birth to the end of Jesus' life and on to the hope and longing for the fulfillment of history and ... work in history to accomplish God's purposes more fully. Some may need to note that in the revision of the Lectionary, this parable has been moved from Proper 28 to Advent 1. If you are still following the earlier lectionary order you may want to ...

436. Lent 5

John 7:45--8:11, Luke 20:9-19, John 12:1-11, Philippians 3:12-4:1, Philippians 3:1-11, Isaiah 43:14-28

Sermon Aid

John R. Brokhoff

... . Why must you pay rent to God? a. Because of who you are: a steward and not the owner. b. Because God as the owner has a right to the rent. c. Because God makes it possible for you to pay the rent. 3. Future shock! (20:15-18). This parable clearly says that rejection of Christ will bring future judgment upon a people. It applies to the 20th century as well as to the first. If Christ came today, would we not also kill him? This rejection means future shock for us. We are facing future shock: a. Because we ...

437. Playboy Or Plowboy -- Let The Party Begin

Luke 15:11-32

Sermon

Lee Griess

... us our text for this morning. "Son," he says, "you are always with me, and all that is mine is yours!" What an amazing story, this parable of the Prodigal Son. For there's more to it than just the story of a runaway boy. For each and every one of us, it ... to forgive, his refusal to rejoice at the return of another were just as offensive to Jesus as the sins of the playboy. This parable is a story about God, our God, who loves us with an everlasting love and accepts us, playboy and plowboy alike. It is a ...

438. The Return Of The Lost

Luke 15:1-7

Sermon

Donald Dotterer

... his arms, and carry them in his bosom, and gently lead the mother sheep." (Isaiah 40:11) The point that Jesus is making with his parable is this: God our Father in heaven is like the good shepherd who would leave his 99 sheep to find the one that has gone ... is good news for us, people who so often feel lost and alone in a difficult and confusing world. As Edward Carothers observes, this parable illustrates very well for us Jesus' belief that, with God's help, our lives can move from bad to good, from hurt to ...

439. Surprised By Grace

Matthew 20:1-16

Sermon

Donald Dotterer

... study of God's Word and holy law could at a late hour walk into God's kingdom alongside those who labored for that reward all of their lives. The point of Jesus' teaching is that it is not the industriousness of the laborer that counts. The message of the parable is the great goodness that God shows to all of the workers in his kingdom, regardless of when they come in to live and to work.3 All people are created equal. That, my friends, is the way that God thinks of us, no matter what our opinion is of ...

440. Kingdom Etiquette

Luke 14:1-14

Sermon

W. Robert McClelland

... what Jesus invites us to do when he hands us an invitation to the banquet of the kingdom. We are to come as his friends and sit with him as honored equals. Later, as Jesus gathered with his disciples for their last supper together, he dramatically enacted his own parable. He told them, "No longer do I call you servants, for the servant does not know what his master is doing; but I have called you friends, for all that I have heard from my Father I have made known to you (John 15:15)." And then he added ...

441. Do I Give Up Praying Too Soon?

Luke 18:1-8

Sermon

... and Sidon, now a part of Lebanon. An outsider. On top of that, a Canaanite, of the race that occupied the Promised Land when Joshua crossed the Jordan to take it away from them, a mortal enemy of the Children of Israel. And like the widow in Jesus’ parable, nothing going for her except persistence, in spite of the obstacles. She was pleading with Jesus for her daughter who was possessed by a demon. I think she must have felt our Lord was ignoring her. I can identify with that. There are times when I must ...

442. Proper 24

Lk 18:1-8 · 2 Tim 3:14--4:5 · Gen 32:22-30 · Ex 17:8-13 · Hab 1:1-3, 2:1-4

Sermon Aid

John R. Brokhoff

... a heart C. God - a loving Father who vindicates 2. The Power of Persistence. 18:1-8. Need: How long should we pray for the same favor? How long is "long"? We have a tendency to grow weary in praying about the same need or problem. Jesus told this parable to teach us that we ought "always" to pray. (v. 1) We are to keep praying until the prayer is answered. That answer may be "yes," "no," or "wait." Outline: To get power through persistence in prayer - A. Overcome the tendency to stop praying - v. 1 B. Have ...

443. Lent 3

John 4:1-26

Sermon Aid

... there is not one piece of fruit on it. This happens for three years. No wonder the owner wanted to cut it down. This is a parable of life. The tree represents a human who has nothing to show for his/her life. It is a barren, fruitless, wasted life. What can be ... 8 This is life's most searching question. Did your life count for anything? A life can be like the fig tree in the parable. a. Planted by God God created man, provided and cared for man. As a result, man has a responsibility to produce fruit worthy of ...

444. Lent 5

Jn 8:1-11; 12:1-8 · Lk 20:9-19 · Isa 43:16-21 · Php 3:8-14

Sermon Aid

John R. Brokhoff

... Why must you pay rent to God? A. Because of who you are: a steward and not the owner. B. Because God as the owner has a right to the rent. C. Because God makes it possible for you to pay the rent. 3. Future Shock! 20:15-18. This parable clearly says that rejection of Christ will bring future judgment upon a people. It applies to the twentieth century as well as to the first. If Christ came today, would we not also kill him? This rejection means future shock for us. We are facing future shock: A. Because we ...

445. Invincible Harvest

Matthew 13:1-23

Sermon

... listen with the feeling that "I've heard all this before." I am content to remain passive, putting the whole burden of communication on the speaker. It is a difficult thing to listen well. Perhaps this is also why preachers tend to focus on the soils in Jesus' parable of the sower. Preachers are no different than the rest of us and they know it. They tend to be just as unresponsive as we are. When they plead with us to listen, they also plead with themselves. They too want to be good soil that yields grain ...

446. Proper 21 & Pentecost 19

Ezekiel 18:1-32, Psalm 25:1-22, Psalm 99:1-9, Exodus 32:1-33:6, Philippians 2:1-11, Philippians 2:12-18, Matthew 21:28-32

Sermon Aid

... covenant with them, and judge them according to their new, not their old, ways of living. The addition of verses 1-4 (E, L) was made because it declares that the lives of all people - "father's life and the son's life" - belong to God; this points to the parable of the father and the two sons. The extension on the end of the reading gives a powerful conclusion to the lection: House of Israel, in future I mean to judge each of you by what he does - it is the Lord Yahweh who speaks. Repent, renounce all your ...

447. When Yes Means No and No Means Yes

Matthew 21:28-32

Sermon

Jerry L. Schmalemberger

... have to be coaxed. Everyone who works with us must be careful not to hurt our feelings. We must be thanked over and over again. It is easy, indeed, to do the right thing but in a way that makes it unattractive to those around us. We learn in this parable that the Christian way is not only in performance and not promise, but also in doing and responding in a gracious and loving and joyful manner. Jesus summed it all up in a story recorded in Matthew 21:28-32, "What do you think? A man had two sons; and ...

448. An Invitation to a Feast

Matthew 22:1-14

Sermon

Jerry L. Schmalemberger

... been the rebellious, warring people who finally provoked Rome to come in and smash them. It would be a mistake just to look at this parable in light of what it said to the people who heard it for the first time. Let’s carefully consider what this Gospel has to ... life waiting for you if you’ll just come in. It’s an invitation to a feast and you’re the one invited! This parable says in its last analysis that God’s invitation to us is the invitation of Grace. This isn’t an awards banquet. Those who ...

449. The Art of Living Until

Matthew 24:36-51

Sermon

Leonard Mann

... have believed, and am certain that he is able to keep until that day that which I have entrusted to him" (2 Timothy 1:12 Ad.). Paul is saying: I do not know about Jerusalem, but I do know for sure about something farther along. Many of the parables of Jesus are teaching us the crucial importance of having confidence in the outcome. One of these may be read in Luke 19. In this situation Jesus was dealing with a bunch of people who wanted everything to come out right - right then. They really believed, so it ...

450. Dealing With The Pain of Rejection

Luke 15:11-32

Sermon

James W. Moore

... every time the team went into a huddle he thought they were talking about him! Now, he wasn’t being rejected, but he thought he was. Let me hurry to say though, that even when imagined the pain is just as real! That’s what happens in Jesus’ parable. Remember how the younger brother runs away to the far country, squanders his money in riotous living, but then ashamed and penitent he returns home. The father is so overjoyed. He had feared the worst that his young son might be dead! But here he is alive ...

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