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 476 to 500 of 4959 results

476. Matthew 10:40-42

Matthew 10:40-42

Sweet

Leonard Sweet

... this connectedness makes the extended logic of verses 41-42 more obvious. First, the reference to "prophets" can be taken literally, as prophets were understood to be ones who spoke for God, who were God's mouthpiece to the people. If, indeed, the disciples' relationship reached behind Jesus to God, this designation "prophet" is literally correct. The NRSV has improved upon the RSV and the NIV by re-translating verse 41 in a more literal fashion as well. The RSV and NIV has compressed this reference to ...

477. Mark 6: 1-13

Mark 6:1-6

Sweet

Leonard Sweet

... . In Judaic tradition any legal testimony had to be witnessed by at least two individuals. This “two-by-two” tradition was also recognized and practiced by the early Christian communities who would be reading Mark’s gospel. Jesus passes on to his disciples for their first missionary trip a specific power, a power which mirrors what he himself practiced on his first public appearance — to have power over “unclean spirits” (see 1:22,27). Jesus continues with a series of precise directives for the ...

478. Mark 9:38-50

Mark 9:38-41

Sweet

Leonard Sweet

... “Whoever is not against us is for us” (v.40). His logic is simple. If a great “deed of power” is accomplished in his name, those involved will not respond by speaking “evil” about Jesus. Jesus’ message to John and the rest of his disciples is to welcome those who are not “against us.” This advice may also reflect the wisdom of Numbers 11:26-29, where the prophets Eldad and Medad were accepted by Moses despite Joshua’s objections that they stood outside the ranks of the recognized ...

479. Thursday: Broken Bread And Broken Trust

Mark 14:10-26

Sermon

Billy D. Strayhorn

... which marked the doors of the Israelites when Pharaoh named his own punishment and proclaimed the death of every first born child. And now, this First Born Child of God, God's only Son, the Lamb of God who will take away the sins of the world, stood before his Disciples and proclaimed the wine as a symbol of His blood which would be poured out, like the blood on the door posts, as a sign of life and a sign of the forgiveness of the sins of the world. Jesus used the third cup of wine in the Seder or ...

480. John 16:12-15

John 16:5-16

Sweet

Leonard Sweet

... of truth.” The guidance that the Spirit will provide is the continued revelation of the truth of Jesus himself. While the Spirit will be a genuine new experience of the divine presence in the world, and as such will reveal new insights to the disciple community, nevertheless it is also true that the Spirit is completely bound up with God the Father and Jesus the Son. The Spirit does not reveal anything of its own creation. The Spirit will speak only “whatever is heard” from the unified Godhead. Father ...

481. A Career in The Kingdom

Matthew 21:23-32

Sermon

Wayne Brouwer

... even during a term at college or university. It is something that involves a whole-life commitment, surrounding every motive of our hearts and every choice of our minds. This is what Jesus expected of his relationship with the twelve when he called them to himself as "disciples." The other word in the Bible for those who take religion seriously is "pilgrim." A pilgrim is someone who is on a journey in life. A pilgrim is someone who has a past in which she is not wallowing, someone who has a present to which ...

482. LENT: The Passion of Christ: "Raised"

John 20:1-18

Sermon

Billy D. Strayhorn

... them, 'I am ascending to my Father and your Father, to my God and your God.' " [18] Mary Magdalene went and announced to the disciples, "I have seen the Lord"; and she told them that he had said these things to her. This morning I want to look at this ... passage through two points: THE TOMB IS EMPTY, BUT NOT THE PROMISE. I. The Tomb Is Empty A. The Good News which Mary and the Disciple discovered, and the Good News for us, the Good News that brings us here today is: THE TOMB IS EMPTY. There are four places that ...

483. Blind Ambition

Mark 10:35-45

Sermon

King Duncan

... ambition can be destructive. Ambition under God’s control can be used in a powerful way. If you really want to be number one, says Jesus, be number one serving God and your neighbor. “Whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant,” Jesus said to his disciples, “and whoever wants to be first must be slave of all. For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.” Author Max Lucado tells about some people in his church that he ...

484. John 13:31-35

John 13:31-38

Sweet

Leonard Sweet

... neighbor as yourself.” Jesus’ declaration, however, explicitly insists that attitude become action: “Just as I have loved you, you also should love one another. By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another” (vv.34-35). In 13:15 Jesus had “set an example” of doing, as he washed his disciple’s feet and commanded them to “do as I have done for you.” Now as Jesus is about to set out for the cross he offers a “new commandment,” a commandment about ...

485. Great Balls of Fire!

John 20:19-23

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

... cross in 19:30 — poured out of his side in blood and water into the lives and futures of all his followers, even as some huddled fearfully at the foot of the cross. In today’s text, John 20:19-23, we hear how those still frightened disciples were hunkered down in the “upper room,” where they had celebrated Passover with their Master. Suddenly — in a room with locked doors — Jesus stood in their midst. John makes it clear in his gospel that Jesus had fulfilled all of what God had empowered him to ...

486. An Announcement about Our Future

Mark 13:32-37

Sermon

King Duncan

... do not know when the owner of the house will come back whether in the evening . . .” As we wait for Christ’s return, what is the significance of evening? In the very next chapter Mark tells us “when it was evening, Jesus ate his very last meal with his disciples, and tells them, ‘one of you will betray me.’” Evening is the time of betrayal. Think about that for a moment. What would it mean for you to betray Christ? Here we are in this time of waiting for Christ’s return. Could it be a time of ...

487. It Was a Dark and Stormy Evening! Father's Day

Mark 4:35-41

Sermon

King Duncan

... wind and the waves and made them behave! At Jesus’ command, the winds and waves became completely calm. Do you possess the Spirit of Christ? Then be calm. “Greater is He that is in you” than any force trying to overwhelm you (1 John 4:4). He said to his disciples, “Why are you so afraid? Do you still have no faith?” We all know what it is to be afraid, don’t we? It’s the most common of all human emotions. Of course, some of us have a higher threshold for fear than others. One man, we’ll call ...

488. A Room with Locked Doors

John 20:19-23

Sermon

King Duncan

... mightily to accept the reality of the resurrection. Experiencing new life did not happen overnight just as it often doesn’t happen that way for us either. But listen as the story continues, “On the evening of that first day of the week, when the disciples were together, with the doors locked for fear of the Jewish leaders, Jesus came and stood among them . . .” In the midst of their fear and confusion, Christ came to them. Even though the doors were locked, he came and stood among them. This shows ...

489. Jesus Changes Water to Wine

John 2:1-11

Understanding Series

J. Ramsey Michaels

... model of Jesus’ entire Galilean ministry, in which he turns the water of traditional ritual cleansing (v. 6) into the wine of a new and joyous messianic age. Jesus’ ministry is seen in much the same way here as in certain synoptic parables. When asked why his disciples did not fast, he once asked in return, “How can the guests of the bridegroom fast while he is with them? They cannot, so long as they have him with them” (Mark 2:19). Jesus was not, of course, the bridegroom at the Cana wedding, yet ...

490. Jesus Predicts Peter's Denial

John 13:31-38

Understanding Series

J. Ramsey Michaels

... Yet the prevailing emphases are different. The last of the three pronouncements concludes by hinting again at the theme of mission: The new command of mutual love is not an end in itself but a means to the end that all men will know that you are my disciples (cf. 17:21, 23; 15:16; for a different perspective on the same theme, cf. 13:18–20; 15:18–16:4a). All the themes of the farewell discourses, in fact, are present in verses 31–35, simply awaiting fuller development. If the new command is regarded ...

491. Jesus’s Glory and Majesty Disclosed

Mark 9:2-13

Teach the Text

Grant R. Osborne

... of God’s kingdom) takes place “six days” later, an allusion to Exodus 24:15–16, when the Shekinah cloud enveloped the mountain before the voice of God spoke and Moses entered the cloud. Now God is speaking of a newer and greater Moses. The inner circle of disciples are once again alone with Jesus (5:37; 13:3; 14:33; cf. Exod. 24:1, where Aaron, Nadab, and Abihu with the seventy elders accompanied Moses up Sinai) and are taken by Jesus onto a new Sinai, a final place of revelation where God’s glory ...

492. The Model of Jesus for Discipleship Service, Not Self-Seeking

Mark 9:33-37, Mark 9:38-41, Mark 9:42-50

Teach the Text

Grant R. Osborne

... a ministry will honor Jesus and should not be negated. It will not slander Jesus’s name. The proverb of verse 40 (“whoever is not against us is for us”) seems excessive (there should be a middle ground) but is intended against the sectarian exclusivism of the disciples here (cf. Rom. 14:11–15:13). 9:41 gives you a cup of water in my name.Most place this with verses 38–40, but it repeats the idea of verse 37 (receiving a child) and fits well with verse 42 (reward and punishment). Still, there is ...

493. Divided Loyalties

Luke 12:1-12, Luke 12:13-21

Teach the Text

R.T. France

... and offer of forgiveness. 12:12 the Holy Spirit will teach you . . . what you should say. For a very similar promise, see 21:12–15. This is not an excuse for lazy preachers; it is an assurance that in the intimidating setting of a formal hearing, faithful disciples will not be left to their own devices. This is a very practical outcome of the gift of the Spirit promised in 3:16 (and cf. 11:13). 12:14 who appointed me a judge or an arbiter between you? The man (presumably the younger of two brothers ...

494. At the Tomb

Luke 24:1-12, Luke 23:50-56

Teach the Text

R.T. France

... on 8:2–3. “Mary” was a common name, but comparison with Matthew 27:56 and Mark 15:40; 16:1 suggests that this “Mary of James” (a literal translation; the phrase more normally would indicate the wife of James) was the mother of one of the two disciples called “James” in 6:14–15. Only Luke indicates the presence of more than the three named women in the group at the tomb. 24:11 they did not believe the women. For men who (like the women themselves until they met the angels) as yet had no ...

495. The Power of the Trust Factor

John 14:1-4, John 14:5-14

Sermon

Robert Leslie Holmes

... well" (Matthew 6:31-33). "Cast all your anxiety on him, because he cares for you" (1 Peter 5:7). "Come to me, all you that are weary and are carrying heavy burdens, and I will give you rest" (Matthew 11:28). All these things Jesus has already taught the disciples as they walked together. So when he says, "Do not let your hearts be troubled. Believe in God, believe also in me," it is really a quick refresher course. The best way to handle life's tough times is to run to Jesus and be safe! Trust God! Trust ...

496. The Appointing of the Twelve Apostles

Mark 3:13-19

Understanding Series

Larry W. Hurtado

... do not include the phrase translated here “designating them apostles” (3:14), and it is likely that these words were added in some Markan manuscripts by scribes influenced by the parallel account in Luke 6:13. 3:16 The twelve: All four Gospels refer to a group of twelve disciples as a kind of core group. In numerous references, including the very earliest (1 Cor. 15:5, dated about A.D. 51), they are referred to as “the Twelve” (cf., e.g., Mark 4:10; 6:7; 9:35; 10:32; 11:11; 14:10, 20, 43; Acts 6 ...

497. Without Conflict There Is No Story

Mark 6:1-13

Sermon

Ron Lavin

... best for you and he won't ever desert you. It isn't easy to be a Christian today because we live in a culture that opposes much of what Christians teach, but I believe in you and God believes in you. You have great potential to be a fine disciple of the Lord. We just have to get you through this very difficult period of stress which is very real. Here is a Bible verse for you to take with you. You might want to use it every morning in your prayers and memorize it. The Bible verse is John ...

498. Grabbing the Bull by the Horns

Luke 9:11b-17

Sermon

King Duncan

... us. So we have to grab the first bull, no matter how scary it may look. Jesus seized every opportunity to share God’s message and love with the world. I love what writer Jennifer Self had to say about Jesus’ ministry: “You never see Jesus urging his disciples to hurry because they needed to get to the next town by a certain time. He knew what had to be done and gave himself plenty of time. He never lost focus and embraced interruptions that fit into his purpose. “At the end of Jesus’ life on earth ...

499. In Need of a "Rally Monkey"

Luke 17:5-10

Sermon

King Duncan

... need a Rally Monkey to motivate them to come from behind? What could have caused his apostles to make this unusual request that Jesus increase their faith? If you read the preceding four verses before today’s lesson, you get a clue to what Jesus was asking of his disciples that so overwhelmed them. I’ll bet you will be surprised at the answer. He asked two things of them—two things that he also asks of you and me. Are you ready? The first thing he asked of them was that they not be a stumbling block ...

500. Higher Ground

Luke 24:36-49, Luke 24:50-53

Sermon

Lori Wagner

... he was betrayed. The very place David wept in defeat years before. Now the very place Jesus would culminate his victory over all defeat, over all betrayal, over all sin and every death. With his ascension, Jesus becomes one with the heavenly Father and will be with his disciples from here forward in the form of the Holy Spirit, who will bring Jesus to life in all of them. The time of ascension is the time when God’s Son has completed his physical time on earth and will now sit at the right hand of the ...

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