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 612 results

476. The Real Winning Attitude

1 Timothy 6:3-10

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

"The one who dies with the most toys wins." Have you seen that bumper-sticker? In the yuppified, narcissistic eighties, that single saying became the defining declaration among possession-possessed up-and-comers. As people surrounded themselves with hot new cars, snazzy stereo systems and miscellaneous gizmos, gadgets, and gratuitous consumerism, the popular mantra was everywhere: "The one who dies with the most toys wins!" Everybody loves to win. And everyone loves a winner. Winning brings a sense of ...

477. Drop It!

John 6:25-59

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

In a recent David Letterman show, Letterman offered his live audience a videotape depicting what he called an incident that took place during a hunting expedition at President Bush's Texas ranch. The clip (actually one that has been around for a while) shows a big, burly hunter, outfitted in the latest camouflage gear, high-powered rifle in hand, being furiously attacked by a deer. The buck jumps on his hind legs and attacks the hunter, slashing and stomping with his strong front legs. The hunter keeps ...

478. Looking for Shoots or Roots?

Matthew 11:1-19

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

The more we move into the Advent season, the more our scripture texts bring the Christ-child’s birth closer and closer to us. Yet here in Matthew 11:2-11 we are back to the relationship between Jesus and John the Baptist. Yet even though this is not part of our text for this week, the mere mention of John’s name should remind us of their cousinly kinship, even of an in utero jump for joy that marked their first meeting--making cousin John the first person to celebrate Advent. As out text opens Jesus has ...

479. 1 Corinthians 1:3-9

1 Corinthians 1:1-9

Sweet

Leonard Sweet

This week's Epistle text, 1 Corinthians 1:3-9, is Paul's preface or proemium to his entire letter. Typical of his letters the apostle begins by specifically identifying his audience (verses 1-2), and then formally greeting them with his own unique "Christianized" format. In verse 3 instead of a simple Greek greeting Paul focuses on the most distinctive action God has taken in human lives: grace. This grace is combined with the more traditional Jewish greeting of peace (shalom) to bring to mind the new ...

480. What is Eternal life?

John 3:1-21

Sweet

Leonard Sweet

Theme: When Jesus promised us “eternal life” in John 3:16, did he mean something more than a reserved place at a future table? Eternal life is the gift of the NOW now. In the gospel text for this week we read one of the most memorable, most quoted, most painted-on signs held up at football games: John 3:16. 3:16 proclaims the gift of the gospel mission and message: “For God so loved the world that He gave his only Son, so that everyone who believes in him may not perish but may have eternal life.” This ...

481. Grace to You, and Peace

Revelation 1:4b-8

Sermon

Lee Ann Dunlap

The weeklong pastor's training event was about halfway through its course and the pastor coordinating the event was enjoying her break with a leisurely stroll across the grounds. But what began as a beautiful leisurely spring day soon turned somewhat anxious when she returned to her room and found a message taped to her door, "Call the bishop's assistant as soon as possible." She spent part of the afternoon playing phone tag between class sessions. "Whatever could it be?" she pondered. The week was flowing ...

482. Matthew 22:15-22

Matthew 22:15-22

Sweet

Leonard Sweet

When Jesus entered the temple (back in Matthew 21:23), his authority was immediately questioned by the chief priests and elders. Jesus quickly quashed their inquiries, but went on tending to those around him, teaching them through his favorite method — parables. But after unfolding three parables Jesus is again confronted with a question from the religious establishment. This question had been carefully crafted as a "trap" and was loaded with intentional "malice." The unusual group that comes to Jesus in ...

483. Funny You Should Mention It…

Matthew 23:1-39

Illustration

King Duncan

A Jewish comedian tells about two men of his faith who met on the street. "Abe, why are you looking so sad?" asks Isaac. Abe answers: "It's my son. I sent him off to college, and now he has come back home all full of Gentile ideas. Where did I go wrong?" Isaac says: "Funny you should mention it! My son, too, has come home from college, with his head all messed up, filled with Gentile ideas. There is but one course open to us. We will ask the Rabbi." So they go to the Synagogue and obtain an audience with ...

484. Plaque Buildup

Romans 5:12-19

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

The world needs a Savior - to save us from ourselves, to scrape the plaque off the human heart. Whoever thought the gooey, grungy film that builds up on your teeth would inspire a huge new growth industry in the cutthroat consumer marketplace? Only a few years ago, "plaque" was something you only heard about in ninth-grade health class or read about on some gruesome wall chart of decaying teeth plastered to your dentist's wall. The only reason you read about it in either of those two places was because you ...

485. Mark 13:24-32

Mark 13:24-32

Sweet

Leonard Sweet

This week's gospel text is from the thirteenth chapter of Mark which, together with Matthew 24 and Luke 21, is often called the "Little Apocalypse." The whole chapter is full of apocalyptic imagery and predictions borrowed from the Old Testament. The texts cited this week are drawn from the second major section of eschatological discussions (vss. 24-37), set apart by its shift in time frame. Verses 24-27 are taken from images foretold in Joel 2:10, Isaiah 13:10 and 34:4, Daniel 7:13, Deuteronomy 30:3 and ...

486. John 1:29-42

John 1:29-42

Sweet

Leonard Sweet

While all the gospels record the event of Jesus' baptism, each does so with an eye turned toward the specific community and situation the gospel writer is addressing. Thus, while there are tremendous similarities between all four versions of the Baptism, there are also subtle and theologically important differences. Not surprisingly, John's gospel gives us the most unique perspective on Jesus' baptism. Here, John the Baptist is actually the central character throughout the active record. The magnificent ...

487. Colossians 3:1-4

Colossians 3:1-4

Sweet

Leonard Sweet

It is exciting to read about the dramatic events the disciples experienced on that first Easter morning. Simon Peter and the "other disciple" witness the empty tomb and one "believes." Mary Magdalene lingers at the abandoned tomb and actually encounters the risen Christ. But if John's gospel narrates the first Easter story, this week's Colossians text (3:1- 4) highlights for later generations of believers the paradox that all Christians must embrace on every Easter morning. In Colossians 2:20, Paul ...

488. Acts 2:1-21

Acts 2:1-21

Sweet

Leonard Sweet

The familiar yet fantastic story of Pentecost is told by Luke in this week's text from Acts. Considerable scholarly ink has been spilled over precisely how Luke put together his account of this event much of it focusing on just where Luke got all the various components his version weaves together. Rather than investigate all the possible threads that Luke may have used, we encourage you to help your people view the completed tapestry Luke created to picture in living color the birthday of the church. The ...

489. Matthew 15:(10-20) 21-28

Matthew 15:(10-20) 21-28

Sweet

Leonard Sweet

This week's gospel lection extends over two separate pericopes: Jesus' discussion about "What defiles?" and his encounter with the Canaanite woman who seeks healing for her possessed daughter. Although each unit presents a coherent story in itself, dovetailing the two suggests a logical extension of one to the next. Jesus' debate over ritual cleanliness begins in 15:1 with a direct dialogue with the Pharisees and scribes who are "from Jerusalem." By specifically identifying these authorities as "from" ...

490. Luke 6:27-38

Luke 6:27-38

Sweet

Leonard Sweet

In Luke, Jesus goes to the mountains for prayer, reflection, refreshment, rejuvenation. It is while enjoying one of these mountaintop moments that Jesus singled out 12 apostles from among his many disciples. Immediately after this, Jesus leads his newly appointed apostles back down the mountain to "a level place," a place where apostles, disciples and a crowd of eager people stand shoulder to shoulder. The level place accords them all equal footing, just as they are all equally in need of Jesus' message. ...

491. Romans 5:1-5

Romans 5:1-5

Sweet

Leonard Sweet

Although Romans 5:1 clearly starts a new section of Paul's letter, it skillfully builds on all that the apostle has already set forth. The example of Abraham, cited in 4:1-22, surely remains dominant in the minds of Paul's audience as they continue to read about the role endurance, character and hope play in the lives of the faithful. But in 5:1-11, Paul becomes primarily concerned with demonstrating how all the spiritual gifts are in fact contained within that one gift that overwhelms all else " ...

492. Luke 14:1, 7-14

Luke 14:1, 7-14

Sweet

Leonard Sweet

Jesus' banquet discourse is directed at two separate audiences. In verses 7-11, he is speaking about and to his fellow guests at this meal. In verses 12-14, he turns away from these guests and focuses instead on the mandates that should guide the behavior of the host. Luke sets the scene and the tone of this long banquet scene in the opening verse of chapter 14. Jesus has been invited to dine at the house of a Pharisee. It was the Sabbath, and "they were watching him closely." The setting and seating that ...

493. 1 Corinthians 10:1-13

1 Corinthians 10:1-13

Sweet

Leonard Sweet

Paul's conversations with the Corinthians take on various tones throughout his letters. At times he harangues, sometimes he pleads; elsewhere he criticizes, cajoles or convinces. In today's text, Paul is continuing his response to the questions some Corinthians had posed previously about eating meat that had been offered to idols. Paul has already urged the Corinthians to be like athletes (9:25) and "exercise self-control in all things." But he now turns to established Scriptural examples to demonstrate ...

494. Matthew 11:2-11

Matthew 11:2-11

Sweet

Leonard Sweet

Matthew is closing out his treatment of the emergence of Jesus' preaching, teaching and healing ministry (4:12-11:1) and opening up a more dialectical section in which he focuses just as intently upon the response Jesus' works and words evoke as on the events themselves. The crowds and the disciples lap up Jesus' words and deeds. But the religious authorities are growing more restive and rigid, convinced that Jesus' ministry poses a threat to them and the status quo. The reading branches in two directions ...

495. Matthew 3:13-17

Matthew 3:13-17

Sweet

Leonard Sweet

With immense care Matthew records the first dramatic action of Jesus' ministry - his baptism at the hands of John. An approaching change of venue is telegraphed by 3:11, where John the Baptist's words predict Jesus' impending appearance on the scene. While Matthew continues to use his unobtrusive third-person voice to describe these events, he vividly colors the story of Jesus' baptism by switching the underlying theme of these verses from one of rejection (the theme which deepened the hue of Matthew's ...

496. 1 Peter 1:17-23

1 Peter 1:17-23

Sweet

Leonard Sweet

Hope, joy, optimism and exuberance characterize the epistle of 1 Peter. Writing to those Jew and Gentile Christians who made their homes in the extreme northern reaches of Asia Minor, this Petrine author seeks to blow gentle breezes of love and joy into the midst of the far-flung faithful. Yet all these good tidings are celebrations of an eschatological future, not a humanly conceived time. Thus 1 Peter also spends as much time discussing suffering - both Christ's and his followers - as it does rejoicing. ...

497. Luke 24:36b-48

Luke 24:36b-48

Sweet

Leonard Sweet

This week's text picks up the post-resurrection events after several miraculous appearances have already been reported. At the tomb the women had encountered two angelic messengers who announced, "He is not here, but has risen." Notice that Luke has at least three women witnessing the pronouncement of the two heavenly beings more than enough to legally validate the testimonies of both the messengers and their tomb-side audience. Similarly, Jesus' Emmaus road appearance is to two men again meeting the ...

498. Mark 8:27-38

Mark 8:27-38

Sweet

Leonard Sweet

The journey that drives Mark's gospel finds Jesus moving on continuing to spread the boundaries of his mission. Already Jesus has been well beyond Galilee, to the northwestern region of Tyre and Sidon, and to the southeast and Decapolis. Now as chapter 8 opens, Jesus and the disciples journey far to the northeast and enter Caesarea Philippi. Here in this distant corner of the countryside, Jesus turns to his disciples and asks, "Who do people say that I am" (v.27)? It is obvious from the recent discussion ...

499. Mark 10:17-31

Mark 10:17-31

Sweet

Leonard Sweet

It seems that as Jesus comes closer to Jerusalem, he hits closer to home with some of the most discomforting and disheartening judgments anyone could hear. Last week Jesus spoke about divorce messing around in our regions of relationships, loyalty and integrity. This week Jesus really gets personal moving from marriage to money. His message is so startling and discouraging that he frightens one potential convert away and strikes doubt and despair into the hearts of his own disciples. In verse 17, the ...

500. My Life Was Changed

John 3:1-21

Illustration

Donald Deffner

World-famed pianist Arthur Rubenstein took aback prime minister Golda Meir and a national audience once when he professed faith in Jesus Christ over Israeli television. According to a report in the Mount Zion Reporter, the incident took place while Mrs. Meir was interviewing the American-Jewish virtuoso. She asked him to name the "greatest event in your life." "When I received Yeshua Harnashiach (Jesus the Messiah) into my heart," he replied. "Since then my life was changed. I have experienced joy and ...

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