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 551 to 575 of 779 results
Sermon
Let me begin with a couple who both appreciated the finer things in life and were comfortably able to afford them. When it came to travel, they went by the best means to the best places. That is, until their plane went down….suddenly….dramatically…..into the choppy waters of the sea. But the emergency exits opened (as engineered) and the inflatable slides were positioned (as instructed), meaning that virtually all were evacuated (as scripted). There they were, crammed into lifeboats, with barely room to ...
552. Gift of Positive Thinking
2 Corinthians 1:18-22
Sermon
Donald Charles Lacy
For generations the "power of positive thinking" has been touted throughout our land. It is among the most popular and utilized thoughts and themes we have ever known. Cutting across all strata of social and economic patterns it is generally a principle espoused. While the influence generated is obvious, secular and less than desirable ways of life have utilized it. It is frequently taken from a Christian basis and becomes a means to achieve ends that at a minimum are questionable. Of course, there are ...
553. Home Alone
Revelation 21:10, 22-27
Sermon
Leonard Sweet
To refer to a group of people as "homeless" one must believe in "home." Might that be part of our problem? Have we lost our concept of "home," if not our "home" itself? It is time to go home again and find that our home is in God. The runaway smash movie of the 1990-91 holiday season was a farcical comedy entitled Home Alone. The plot of the movie whirled around the adventures of a young boy who is accidentally left home alone when his family flies off for a European vacation. While his frantic parents ...
554. Acts 5:27-32
Acts 5:27-32
Sweet
Leonard Sweet
Today's text describes a head-on encounter the religious authorities have with Jesus' followers. The Sanhedrin's frustration is becoming acute. They have tried threats, orders and imprisonment but the apostles keep showing up and keep preaching. This last time, they have really pushed the limit. They not only escape from a well-guarded jail cell, but instead of fleeing for their safety, they immediately continue preaching their message right in the middle of the temple courtyard. Perhaps one of the most ...
555. Fifth Sunday after the Epiphany
1 Corinthians 5:1-13, Isaiah 6:1-13, Psalm 138:1-8, Luke 5:1-11
Bulletin Aid
B. David Hostetter
READINGS Psalter—Psalm 138 First Lesson—For the prophet the exalted vision leads to penitence and purging in preparation for preaching. Isaiah 6:1-8 (9-13) Second Lesson—Paul gives detailed explanation of the witnesses to the resurrection of Jesus Christ. 1 Corinthians 15:1-11 Gospel—Simon Peter like Isaiah is humbled by the awareness of a holy presence. Luke 5:1-11 CALL TO WORSHIP Leader: The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you all. People: And also with you. Leader: For God’s love and faithfulness ...
Sermon
James Merritt
I don't watch a whole lot of television, but one of my favorite shows is CSI. CSI is one murder mystery after another that uses state-of-the-art technology and forensical analysis to find out "Who Done It?" I have yet to see a show that does not absolutely fascinate me with what science and technology can do. That is why I can understand why The Da Vinci Code would appeal to so many people regardless of its religious content, because it is a murder mystery. The victim is the curator of The Louvre Museum in ...
Sermon
James Merritt
Whether it is the Holocaust, the killing fields of Cambodia, the Oklahoma City bombing, 9/11, a tsunami that wipes out 150,000 people in a day, or the massive starvation of millions of children around the world, you cannot deny the reality of evil. On the other hand, we saw last week how science itself has proved with certainty that the world is not eternal. The universe had a beginning. The only feasible option to explain the origin of the universe is a transcendent creator. DNA itself is a compelling ...
Sermon
King Duncan
An elderly man stopped at a hearing aid center and asked about prices. "We have them from $25,000 on down to $1.50," the salesman said. "What’s the $25,000 one like?" asked the elderly man. "Well, it translates three languages and is the latest in electronics," the salesman replied. "And what about the one for $1.50?" the customer asked. "It’s this button attached to a string," said the salesman, pushing it across the counter. "How does it work?" asked the customer. "It doesn’t," said the salesman, "But if ...
Sermon
James Merritt
I want to read one-half of one verse in the Bible from which we are going to base two months worth of messages. It is a verse that is packed with unbelievable implications for you, your life, your family, your future and particularly our church. "The Lord has made everything for His own purposes." (Proverbs 16:4, NLT) I believe everything means everything and I believe purpose means purpose. Behind everything and everyone that has been created on this earth there is a purpose - specifically God's purpose. ...
Sermon
Mary S. Lautensleger
"What's in a name? A rose by any other name smells as sweet." Or does it? This well-known line from Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet is true, but only up to a point. A rose named hydrogen sulfide might remind us of that unmistakable rotten-egg odor, causing us to avoid an otherwise lovely flower that emits a delicate fragrance. The names we are given carry a tremendous influence throughout our lives. The names we are called frequently become synonymous with our identity. A nineteenth-century governor of ...
Sermon
Billy D. Strayhorn
In an old Peanuts cartoon, Lucy is down in the dumps & says to Linus, "My life is a drag. I've never been so low in all my life." Linus, the deep thinker and theologian of the comic strip tries to cheer her up by saying "When you're in a mood like this you should think of the things you have to be thankful for, count your blessings." Lucy replies, "That's a good one, What do I have to be thankful for?" "Well for one thing," Linus says, "you have a brother who loves you!" Lucy responds, "Sometimes, you say ...
Sermon
Billy D. Strayhorn
I love to fly but I wonder, how many of you get nervous when flying? If you do you'd probably agree with George S. Kaufman who once said, "I like terra firma - the more firma, the less terra." One of the premier science-fiction writers Ray Bradbury of Los Angeles won a top award in 1968 from the Aviation-Space Writers Association for a Life magazine article he wrote in praise of space exploration. But Bradbury didn't attend the association's awards meeting in Florida. You know why? He won't fly. (1) I ...
Sermon
Billy D. Strayhorn
A mother asked her little girl if she would like an ice cream sundae. The little girl replied, "I don't want to wait until Sunday... I want ice cream NOW." (1) Have you ever waited expectantly for something? Christmas day, your Wedding Day, a birthday, commissioning. There's that whole jittery sense of anticipation. Well, that's sort of the way I've felt about this sermon. Partly because it's Pentecost Sunday, the day we received the outpouring of God's Holy Spirit and the day we celebrate as the birthday ...
Sermon
J. Howard Olds
My all time favorite story and one you have heard before, is the story about a little girl sitting in the family room one night drawing a picture. Noticing the intensity of his daughter's activity, her Dad asked, “What are you doing?" “I'm drawing a picture of God," replied the girl. “How can you do that?" inquired the Dad. “Nobody knows what God looks like?" Then with a smile on her face the girl said, “They will know when I finish my picture!" In a pluralistic society driven by uncertainty and relativity ...
Sermon
Mark Ellingsen
It takes a lot to be a Christian; you have to make your share of sacrifices. That is the popular version of Christianity. Megachurch pastor, Rick Warren, teaches, on the basis of our gospel lesson for today, that "each of us will have to give a personal account to God." Eternal rewards are at stake if we have served others with our lives.1 That is only part of the story. Those concerned with purpose-driven living make it too hard, but also too easy. The whole story is evident in today's gospel lesson. ...
566. 2 Timothy 3:14-4:5
2 Timothy 3:10--4:8
Sweet
Leonard Sweet
Several years ago an episode of “Antiques Roadshow” featured an usual family heirloom. A book was brought in to the experts for appraisal. The “biblio-expert” was amazed. He claimed the volume was the single thickest book he had ever encountered. Although the volume was only about 10” x 8”, the number of pages bound between its boards brought the book’s height to almost eighteen inches. This weird and wonderful old volume was a dictionary — a book devoted to defining all the words all other books would be ...
Sermon
Cynthia Cowen
Tradition is defined as an inherited, established, or customary pattern of thought or action. Take for instance a cooking method. Sarah asked her mother, "Why do you always cut the turkey in half and put it in two small roasters?" "Because my mother always did. It's a tradition handed down through our family," responded her mother. "But Mom, did you ever think they didn't have big roasters back then?" Tradition — a customary pattern or action. But who said traditions can't be changed? A family tradition ...
Sermon
Leonard Sweet
“Everyone else is doing it.” Do you remember those words? Do you remember begging your Mom or Dad for permission to do something they would ordinarily not permit by insisting, “But Ma, everyone else is getting to do it!” The typical parental response to such childish logic usually went something along the lines of, “Well, if everyone else jumped off a bridge would you do it too?” (Of course now that grown men and women actually PAY to go bungee jumping off of bridges, that argument might not have as much ...
Sermon
R. Robert Cueni
The gospel reading for this week is the parable about two very different men, a Pharisee and a tax collector who went to pray at the Temple in Jerusalem. It is a familiar story. In fact, it is so familiar that some of the surprising edge has worn smooth with the retelling. To grasp its meaning more fully, we need to listen again with fresh ears and open hearts. A little background information might be helpful. In the first century, tax collectors were considered the dregs of society. Taxation in the far- ...
Understanding Series
David J. Williams
Chapter 13 marks a most significant point in the history. Hitherto, Jerusalem and Judea have been the scene of the believers’ activities and Peter the most prominent figure. But now the base of operation moves (at least for Luke’s purposes, ignoring, perhaps, other spheres of activity) to Antioch in Syria, and Paul becomes the center of attention. The very phrase by which Luke refers to the church in Antioch—a quasitechnical term in the Greek—seems to indicate its new status. The Christians are no longer ...
Understanding Series
David J. Williams
14:21–23 Derbe has only recently been located, some sixty miles southeast of Lystra (see B. Van Elderen, AHG, pp. 156ff.). The importance of this town (such as it was, but see disc. on v. 8) lay in its proximity to the border of Roman Galatia and the client kingdom of Antiochus IV of Commagene. Here the apostles preached the good news … and won a large number of disciples (v. 21, lit., “discipled many”; cf. Matt. 28:19). One of these later accompanied Paul to Jerusalem as a delegate of his church (20:4). ...
572. The Law and the Promise
Galatians 3:15-25, Galatians 3:1-14
Understanding Series
L. Ann Jervis
3:1–2 The apostle begins this section of his letter by addressing his readers as foolish Galatians! This designation appears to have been a common one for the Galatian tribes who were often considered barbarians and “foolish.” The ancient Greek writer Callimachus (c. 305–c. 240 B.C.), for instance, uses the word as if it were a standard epithet, writing: “the foolish tribe of the Galatians” (Hymn 4, To Delos [Mair, LCL]). Paul uses this epithet to remind the Galatians that they need not be as they once ...
Understanding Series
Gordon D. Fee
Salutation After the long elaboration in the salutation to Titus (see disc. on Titus 1:1–4), Paul reverts to a more standard, brief form in this final letter to Timothy. Indeed, except for some slight modifications, these two verses are nearly identical to 1 Timothy 1:1–2. However, as in all his letters, these “slight” modifications reflect nuances of his changed circumstances and of his concerns in this letter. 1:1 It may seem somewhat surprising to us that Paul in such a personal letter should style ...
574. Living for God
1 Peter 4:1-11
Understanding Series
Norman Hillyer
Live Wholly for God 4:1 What are the practical implications for Christians of Christ’s suffering and consequent triumph over death and the powers of evil? Recalling the opening of this section, back in 3:18, Peter reverts to the death of Christ. This is the example that believers should follow. They must turn their backs on the immoral practices of their pagan neighbors, formerly their own life-style, and wholeheartedly follow their Master by copying him. Christ suffered in his body, that is, he gave his ...
Understanding Series
Tremper Longman III
The Valley of Topheth (7:30-34): God now explains the extent of Judah’s disgusting idolatry, bringing home the appropriateness of his judgment. For judgment against the practices performed in Topheth, see also Jeremiah 19. 7:30–31 The Judaeans had set up idols in the temple itself and they engaged in child sacrifice at a place called Topheth, located in the Valley of Ben Hinnom. This valley was immediately to the south and west of ancient Jerusalem. We do not know for certain what the word Topheth means or ...
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