Sermon and Worship Resources

Showing 451 to 475 of 797 results

451. Sermon on the Mount: Giving, Prayer, and Fasting

Matthew 6:1-4, Matthew 6:5-15, Matthew 6:16-18

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Jeannine K. Brown

... I want to go. Help me to keep a clean mind, a generous heart, and a courageous purpose. Let me never willingly bring harm to any [person]; and if in the complexities of things I cannot help, I do bring harm to any, keep me troubled and unsatisfied until I learn to make my good and [theirs] agree. When there seems to be no straight road forward, and I am caught in compromise, teach me to turn where there is least of evil and most promise of a future good. Let me not only pray, “Thy kingdom come,” but do ...

452. Jesus Sends Out the Twelve

Matthew 9:35-38, Matthew 10:1-42

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Jeannine K. Brown

... their imprisonment (for harboring Jews in their home), was still preoccupied with mission even as her body was wasting away. As she was being brought to the hospital with barely any life left in her, she whispered to Corrie, “[We] must tell people what we have learned here. We must tell them that there is no pit so deep that He is not deeper still. They will listen to us, Corrie, because we have been here.”4 Mission Discourse: Call to Allegiance to Jesus (10:24--11:1) Big Idea: Jesus calls his ...

453. Parables Discourse: Importance of Response to the Kingdom Message

Matthew 13:1-23

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Jeannine K. Brown

... , cannot run the race for the sprinter; and a piano teacher cannot truly help the student who does not practice. The student must take responsibility by responsive engagement with the teacher or coach and by putting into practice what he or she has learned so far. And with faithful response comes the possibility of richer experience in the process of growth and maturity. Scripture: It is a common human fault to claim special knowledge for oneself and one’s own group. “We have the corner on the truth ...

454. Community Discourse: Lavish Forgiveness in the Kingdom

Matthew 18:21-35

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Jeannine K. Brown

... of perpetual violence could be not only damaging but also dangerous. A helpful course can be to distinguish between forgiveness of and reconciliation with an abuser.2We ought to help victims of abuse seek the help that they need to learn what forgiveness looks like in their particular situations (and what it does not look like). 2. According to Jesus’ parable, if we have received and understood the extravagant forgiveness of God, it will lead organically to practicing forgiveness in our relationships ...

455. Jesus Warns of Presuming Reward and Status

Matthew 20:1-16

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Jeannine K. Brown

... others can actually trip us up if we think of the kingdom in terms of limited amounts of grace being distributed based on “deservedness.” Moving beyond the details of the parable (which should not be pressed into service for its metaphorical meaning), we learn that God’s grace is effusive and is based not on what humans deserve but on God’s own nature. If the parable proves troubling, we would do well to capitalize on that response for our preaching and teaching of it. It disturbs us probably ...

456. Jesus Demonstrates Messianic Authority over the Temple

Matthew 21:12-17, Matthew 21:18-22

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Jeannine K. Brown

... 28). Illustrating the Text Jesus shows his messianic authority over the temple by critiquing the Jerusalem temple administration. Quote: Stanley Hauerwas provides helpful context for understanding Jesus’ temple action: It is tempting for us—for people who have learned to distinguish between politics and religion—to describe [Jesus’] entry into Jerusalem as political and his entry into the temple as religious. But his going to the temple is perhaps even more politically significant. . . . The temple ...

457. Jesus Is God’s Faithful Son in Gethsemane and at His Arrest and Trial

Matthew 26:31-35, Matthew 26:36-46, Matthew 26:47-56, Matthew 26:57-68, Matthew 26:69-75

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Jeannine K. Brown

... Hebrews gives significant space to the theme of Jesus’ faithfulness: “Christ is faithful as the Son over God’s house” (3:6 [cf. 3:2]). Although he was “tempted in every way, just as we are . . . he did not sin” (4:15). Instead, “he learned obedience from what he suffered” (5:8 [cf. 2:10]). Because of his faithfulness, he has brought salvation (5:9) and provides help for believers when tempted (2:18). Teaching the Text 1. Jesus as obedient son, facing the greatest of all temptations, remains ...

458. Through His Faithful Death, Jesus as Messiah Redefined Brings Life

Matthew 27:27-31, Matthew 27:32-44, Matthew 27:45-56, Matthew 27:57-61, Matthew 27:62-66

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Jeannine K. Brown

... cosmic implications for humanity, as death is overcome by life. Film: The Princess Bride. In this 1987 movie, two hapless friends of the hero, Westley, have carried his dead body to Miracle Max, hoping to purchase resuscitation. They are surprised to learn that Westley is only “mostly dead.” Further, they are told, “mostly dead” is still “slightly alive.” According to Max, when someone is “all dead,” there is only one thing to do: check the deceased’s pockets for loose change. Jesus, who ...

459. Jesus Inaugurates the Disciple Band and Conquers the Unclean Spirits

Mark 1:14-20, Mark 1:21-28

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Grant R. Osborne

... fish, but now they will bring life to people. In the Old Testament the fishing metaphor is used for coming judgment (Jer. 16:14–16; Ezek. 29:4–5), but Jesus reverses the imagery: netting people for salvation. Also, disciples of rabbis would sit and learn, but Jesus is going to involve them directly in his ministry as he teaches them. 1:18, 20 left their nets . . . left their father. This is the first glimpse of a major discipleship theme: radical commitment to Jesus. The actions of the two pairs of ...

460. Jesus’s Ministry and Popularity Continue to Grow

Mark 1:40-45, Mark 1:35-39, Mark 1:29-34

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Grant R. Osborne

... (1:41–45). In addition, with each new powerful act, Jesus’s popularity soars. The news spreads after the first miracle (1:28), with “the whole town gathered at the door” (1:33). Jesus tries to get away for a time of prayer and learns that “everyone is looking for” him (1:37). Then, after his final healing miracle, he can no longer enter the towns because people are streaming to him “from everywhere” (1:45). This extreme popularity with the crowds will be contrasted with its polar opposite ...

461. Jesus’s Authority to Forgive and Heal Sinners

Mark 2:1-12

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Grant R. Osborne

... behalf of God (Exod. 7:17; 8:10, 12; 10:2), especially Exodus 9:14, where Pharaoh is to know “that there is none like me [the Lord] in all the earth.”3The teachers of the law, like Pharaoh, are at war with God and soon will learn who he (and his Son) really is in essence. “Authority to forgive” does not mean just the right to declare a person forgiven, for the priests had the capability to declare forgiveness on those who had performed the sacrifices; rather, it denotes that Jesus himself possessed ...

462. Failing the Test and Spiritual Failure—Hardness of Heart

Mark 6:45-56

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Grant R. Osborne

... turn? Who will provide answers, solutions, or perspective to your problems? Sadly, many people, including Christians, look only to themselves or others rather than turning to God. Or they look to God only as the last resort. Reflect on how God wants us to learn to depend more upon him as we communicate our needs through prayer. The terrible results of a hardened heart Statistics: The lack of comprehension with regard to the person and purpose of Jesus led the disciples to focus on themselves and not on God ...

463. The Gentiles Are Included in God’s Provision

Mark 8:1-13

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Grant R. Osborne

... of the fact that Jesus a short time earlier had indeed miraculously fed a similar “large crowd.” Yet that is exactly how all of us react to Jesus, understanding and expecting little even after he has met our needs again and again. This failure to assimilate and learn will characterize them in the rest of Mark and be part of the “hardness of heart” in 8:17–19. Note also the reality of their dilemma. Nowhere in the nearby area can they find enough food to satisfy the needs of all these people. Only ...

464. Realizing the True Nature of Jesus the Christ

Mark 8:27-30

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Grant R. Osborne

... (Moses, Elijah, Isaiah, Jeremiah) brought life to the nation through their suffering and rejection, and Jesus as the Messiah will culminate that theme. and be rejected . . . be killed. We have known that Jesus’s death was a distinct possibility from 3:6, when we learned that the Jewish leaders had been plotting it almost from the beginning. But now Mark tells us that death is why Jesus came to earth; it is God’s will and the culmination of his messianic work. In fact, the introductory “began to teach ...

465. Possessions and Choice in the New Kingdom Community

Mark 10:17-31

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Grant R. Osborne

... $500,000 in fifteen years. Most people will choose the greater reward in the future. Jesus warns us not to store up treasures on earth, which will not last, but to save up for ourselves treasures in heaven, which we will enjoy for eternity (Matt. 6:19–21). We must learn to think in light of eternity rather than just the limited scope of this world. This might be a good time to tell your congregation about some of the ways your church invests resources in missions, outreach, and the spread of the gospel.

466. A Call to Servanthood and Suffering

Mark 10:46-52, Mark 10:35-45, Mark 10:32-34

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Grant R. Osborne

... servant (mockery and spitting, Is. 50:6; 53:3; cf. also Ps. 22:7; scourging, Is. 50:6; 53:5; death, 53:8–9, 12).”3 10:37 Let one of us sit at your right and the other at your left in your glory. The disciples have not learned their lesson from 9:33–37; 10:15, 31; discipleship failure continues. They still long for greatness and status. The hubris of James and John here is hard to comprehend. Jesus again has talked about his coming death, and they are saying in effect, “Great, so when you die ...

467. Praying in Faith

Mark 11:20-25 (26)

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Grant R. Osborne

... power of the sovereign God. A great deal depends on one’s basic theological perspective. A robust Reformed perspective centering on the decretive will of God in all things believes that prayer does not change events but rather changes those who pray, as they learn to trust God in every detail of their lives. This is, in the final analysis, a mystery, for we must accept both aspects: the sovereignty of God and the power of prayer to remove obstacles and “receive” from God the objects of the prayer ...

468. Government and Marriage

Mark 12:18-27, Mark 12:13-17

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Grant R. Osborne

... government? Bonhoeffer wrote, in his classic book Ethics, “Political action means taking on responsibility.”4 In a democracy this means that Christians should vote their conscience. American Christians, who are protected by the First Amendment of the Constitution, must learn to boldly speak the truth in love. All Christians, wherever they live, must be willing to engage in the political process. Heaven: a different reality Humor: In one of his Far Side cartoons, Gary Larson depicts a stereotypical view ...

469. The Messianic Anointing of Jesus

Mark 14:1-11

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Grant R. Osborne

... not serve the president last night’s leftovers on paper plates. Rather, you would pull out all the stops, digging up your favorite recipes and using the fine china. As you consider your life of faith, are you giving Christ your very best? We need to learn from the example of the woman who anointed Jesus. This point could be illustrated with a bag of fast food on one table and a beautiful setting on another table. Betraying Jesus Human Metaphor: One of the definitions for “Judas” in the Merriam-Webster ...

470. The Birth of God’s Son Announced

Luke 1:26-38

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R.T. France

... society. Born in London to a working-class family, Aylward worked as a maid, studying on her own to prepare for overseas missionary service. Seeing her education as inadequate, the mission that she applied to rejected her, contending that she could not learn to speak Chinese. Undeterred, Aylward spent her life savings to get to China, a journey filled with dangers, including a trip across Siberia. Aylward in time became a larger-than-life figure among the Chinese, advocating for prison reform, caring for ...

471. The Baby Messiah Recognized

Luke 2:21-40

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R.T. France

... and who notes in this biography that he has “liked growing older.” He writes, “I invite you to explore with me not only the realities of life as we grow older but also the hope and fulfillment—and even joy—that can be ours once we learn to look at these years from God’s point of view and discover His strength to sustain us every day.”3 Music: There are many beautiful musical settings for the Nunc Dimittis (Canticle/Song of Simeon), which has been sung in the church for over fifteen hundred ...

472. Two Memorable Healings

Luke 5:17-26, Luke 5:12-16

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R.T. France

... Luke’s portrait of Jesus the healer, a theme that was alluded to in 4:23 and spelled out in 4:40, and that will remain a prominent feature of his ministry throughout the time in Galilee and on the road to Jerusalem. In 4:40 we learned of Jesus’s ability to heal “various kinds of sickness,” and here that bald statement is filled out by a focus on two specific physical complaints. The first is particularly striking because of the deep-seated fear of “leprosy” and the belief that it was humanly ...

473. The Good Life

Luke 6:17-26

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R.T. France

... hill, but now he returns with them to rejoin the larger group of “disciples” and other hangers-on at a level place on the hillside, which would provide a natural amphitheater. a large crowd of disciples . . . and a great number of people. In 6:13 we learned that there was a wider circle of “disciples” from whom the Twelve were chosen. Now we find that they are “a large crowd.” But even that is not the full extent of Jesus’s following. Despite official disapproval, he is now well known over a ...

474. Power over Illness and Death

Luke 7:11-17, Luke 7:1-10

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R.T. France

... effect of this mode of healing on the Jewish friends? Consider the implications of 7:9. How far is this a foretaste of a radical change in the economy of salvation, with faith taking precedence over race? Are there lessons that we still can learn from this about the irrelevance of our traditional boundary markers? 2. The widow’s son. A sermon or lesson on this passage should emphasize Jesus’s remarkable authority to raise the dead. He is indeed the resurrection and the life (John 11:25). This passage ...

475. Negative Responses to Jesus

Luke 11:33-36, Luke 11:29-32, Luke 11:14-28

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R.T. France

... Lewis. In this essay (1952) about the second coming of Christ, Lewis writes, He [God] could, if He chose, repair our bodies miraculously without food; or give us food without the aid of farmers, bakers, and butchers; or knowledge without the aid of learned men; or convert the heathen without missionaries. Instead, He allows soils and weather and animals and the muscles, minds, and wills of men to co-operate in the execution of His Will. . . . He seems to do nothing of Himself which He can possibly delegate ...

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