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 576 to 600 of 2815 results

576. Proper 17

Hebrews 13:1-25, Jeremiah 2:1-3:5, Luke 14:1-14

Sermon Aid

John R. Brokhoff

... he would break the sabbath by healing the man. At the same time Jesus was watching them to see how they took their places at the dinner table. It was so noticeable and it must have disgusted Jesus to the point that he took the occasion to tell them a parable about humility. 2. Place (vv. 8-10). Apparently there were no place cards as is usually done at a formal dinner. People had to find a place at the table(s). Where should one sit? It was up to the guests. The place chosen indicated what they thought of ...

577. The Wheat Among The Weeds

Matthew 13:24-30, Matthew 13:36-43

Sermon

Marc Kolden

... in terms of farming. But Jesus took this familiar picture and used it to talk about the rule of God. So, if we are to understand this parable as God's word for today, we have to see that the farmer's words and actions are those of God and the wheat and the ... faithful want vindication now because we fear we might lose faith -- especially as Christians become more and more of a minority. But the parable tells us that God doesn't judge now, lest in gathering up the weeds the wheat might get rooted up, too. Let' ...

578. Proper 27

1 Thessalonians 4:13--5:11, Hosea 11:1-11, Joshua 24:1-27, Matthew 25:1-13

Sermon Aid

Russell F. Anderson

... passage, God speaks as the parent of a rebellious child. Yet his anger and frustration are tempered with love and mercy; God cannot bring himself to banish or destroy his beloved. How many times has our rebellion caused the Lord to count to ten? Outline: 1. We see a parable of God's love and grace for us in the relationship of Hosea with his faithless wife 2. The prophet speaks of the pain and anger the rebellion of his people causes (vv. 8-9) 3. God's long-suffering love is stronger than his wrath 4. God ...

579. How To Plant An English Garden

Mark 4:26-29, Mark 4:30-34

Sermon

William G. Carter

... you could plant a garden and let it go. Nevertheless, that was what the man said. And that is what Jesus said in one of the parables we have heard. He tells us about someone who planted a garden and left it alone. The sower did not worry about weeding. Neither did he ... human effort. We do what we can, and spend the rest of the time living. Robert Capon points out, Once the man in the parable has sown the seed, he does nothing more than mind his own business. He goes to bed at night and gets up in the morning ...

580. Joy At Midnight

Matthew 25:1-13

Sermon

Erskine White

... all were told about a storm coming that night. Needless to say, I was not alone. The hardware store was full of other last-minute shoppers looking to do the same thing. As I stood there in line with my shovel and my bag of salt, I thought about the parable of the ten maidens, which is our text this morning, and I thought about a new way to tell the story: Then the kingdom of heaven shall be compared to ten people who sat down one night to watch the evening news. Before long, the All-Wise, All-Knowing and ...

581. Lent 5

John 7:45--8:11, Psalm 126:1-6, Isaiah 43:14-28, Philippians 3:1-11, Luke 20:9-19, John 12:1-11

Sermon Aid

George Bass

... to be arrested, tortured, tried and put to death, if he believed that things would turn out this way in Jerusalem? He knew that God had sent him to be the savior of the world and that this was the only way that God's plan could work out. The parable breaks down at the end, because God doesn't destroy those who reject them; Annas and Caiaphas and Pilate and the rest of the people who were involved in the plot to take Jesus' life, seemed to get away with it. God has never cast out the Jews, never destroyed ...

582. Redrawing The Landscape

Multiple Scriptures

Sermon

Harold Warlick

... church histories and many brochures of universities, they are accounts of what building was built when. And we exonerate those people who, like the shepherd in the story, work long hours or give big gifts to help us acquire our property. And, like the woman in the parable, most of us will work double shifts in order to regain lost money. Let me lose my wallet and I'll turn the house upside down trying to look behind every door and sweeping every corner looking for that lost money and those lost credit cards ...

583. Use It or Lose It

Matthew 25:14-30

Sermon

Johnny Dean

... slave number three. He took the one talent away and ordered the lazy servant to be cast out into the darkness forever. The point of the parable is a reminder that we are not measured by what we have to begin with, but by what we do with what we have. The ... ve been given. And when at last we come to the throne of grace, to offer back what we have been given, like the master in parable God will not ask, "How many talents did you have?" but "What did you do with what I gave you?" The old Negro spiritual, "There ...

584. The Sound of Everlasting Joy

Luke 15:11-32, Matthew 28:1-10

Sermon

Wallace H. Kirby

... true home in Christ and find in him the way of life, trusting his will for us, the sounds of joy naturally ring in our ears and happiness springs up in our hearts. In the garden, the two Marys were joyous because all was right. In the parable, the lights went on in the father's house because something wrong had been made right. The world was different for the prodigal son because he was different. Everything was right because he was right in returning home. And there was music and dancing that night. For ...

585. The Sower

Matthew 13:1-23

Drama

Robert A. Lehmann

... around him that he got into a boat and sat there. The people all stood on the beach, and he told them many things in parables. Solo 4: They found him, Solo 2: Surrounded him, Solo 3: And begged for a story. Solo 1: Give us a story! Solo 4: Make ... listened, Solo 3: To have seen, Solo 4: To be converted, Solo 1: To be healed. Solo 5: So you, therefore, are to hear the parable of the sower. When anyone hears the word of the kingdom without understanding, the evil one comes and carries off what was sown in his ...

586. Seeking What Matters

Matthew 13:44-46

Sermon

... , even better than we, the immense importance of life's inevitable element of trade-off and barter. In Matthew 13 he gives us some parables of the Kingdom, saying to us that the Kingdom of God is a goal that is really worth going for. He says, "The kingdom ... what is worthwhile in life and what its supreme values are, you and I need something akin to the jeweler's art. In these parables of Jesus, one man stumbled upon a treasure, but he did know what it was when he saw it. The other man diligently sought ...

587. Life's Greatest Treasure

Matthew 13:44-46

Sermon

... and music, the proper family background, our present moral uprightness, our own cherished goodness - all that goes out the window. God's grace can really lay us low, can't it? It tells us that any poor soul can have this treasure. Yes, as Jesus once indicated in another parable, the man who comes to work at 3 in the afternoon will receive the same wages as the man who came at 8 in the morning. God's amazing grace is operating! And if we're not too spiritually sophisticated to admit it, the joke is on us ...

588. PROPER 13

Lk 12:13-21 · Col 3:1-11 · Ecc 1:2; 2:18-26 · 2 Ki 13:14-20a

Sermon Aid

John R. Brokhoff

... do with my life?" It is a shame to waste your life when you have but one life. It is a tragedy to waste a life on unimportant causes. Then there is also the future prospect of facing God to give an account of the stewardship of your life. The parable in today's Gospel is the tale of a man who wasted his life on the acquisition of material goods. "This night your soul is required of you." Outline: A life that is wasted A. Is motivated by greed - v. 15 B. Accumulates great possessions - v. 18 C. Is devoted ...

589. Proper 17

Lk 14:1, 7-14 · Heb 12:18-19, 22-24; 13:1-8 · Eze 18:1-9, 25-29 · Prov 25:6-22

Sermon Aid

John R. Brokhoff

... he would break the sabbath by healing the man. At the same time Jesus was watching them to see how they took their places at the dinner table. It was so noticeable and it must have disgusted Jesus to the point that he took the occasion to tell them a parable about humility. 2. Place (vv. 8-10). Apparently there were no place cards as is usually done at a formal dinner. People had to find a place at the tables(s). Where should one sit? It was up to the guests. The place chosen indicated what they thought of ...

590. Pentecost 27

Lk 19:11-27 · 1 Cor 15:54-58 · Isa 52:1-6

Sermon Aid

John R. Brokhoff

... 19:20-26. Need: In recent years we have become conservative in politics, religion, and elsewhere. As in all things, there is danger in going to an extreme. It is possible to be ultra, ultra conservative to the point that it ceases to be a blessing. In this parable we have the tragic case of an extreme conservative who refused to take a risk, who held on to what he had, and who was scared of failure. In the end, he lost what he feared he would lose. Outline: Consider the curse of ultra-conservatism. A. Fear ...

591. Real Absence

Matthew 25:1-13

Sermon

... seeing be equipped to wait, expecting the delay, prepared for my absence and my silence. To be sure, we are enjoined in other passages of scripture to watch, to be on the alert, lest we be caught unprepared for his coming. And those are necessary words. But this parable warns us to be prepared no less for his delay, not to be shocked by his silence nor amazed by his absence. For these are simply part of the life of faith. We detect God’s absence only because we have been privileged to catch a glimpse of ...

592. Possession is Nine Tenths of the Fall

Matthew 21:33-46

Sermon

D. Wayne Burkette

... effort to bend the divine will to fit our own purposes, and thus a way of possessing God and God’s favor. Perhaps it was such perversion of religion which was uppermost in Jesus’ mind as he told the Parable of the Wicked Tenants. Many biblical scholars believe that this was the last parable Jesus told. And, although it has been regarded generally as a reference to Judaism’s rejection of Jesus as Messiah and his eventual death, surely it is more than that. Could it be that in what was probably his ...

593. The Gift That Claims Our Response

Matthew 22:1-14

Sermon

... of Heaven always claims our response. God’s grace is free, but it is not cheap. We have a need to respond to what we have been given and to do so in ways that show our thanksgiving for the Giver of all good gifts. The connection between this parable and the nature of the church is inescapable. In my study is a nineteenth-century print entitled "Saving the Lost." It is an artist’s representation of the mission of the church to rescue those who are perishing in a sea of sin. A poor soul, awash in an ...

594. Pentecost 7

Matthew 18:21-35, Romans 14:1--15:13, Exodus 20:1-21, Psalm 19:1-14, Psalm 103:1-22, Genesis 50:15-21

Sermon Aid

... you, you meant evil against me; but God meant it for good, to bring it about that many people should be kept alive, as they are today. So do not fear; I will provide for you and your little ones, he assured them. The story is quite compatible with the parable of the unforgiving debtor in Matthew 18:21-35. Exodus 20:1-20 (C) The Roman and Episcopal lectionaries place most of this reading (20:1-17) on the Third Sunday in Lent, Year B; the Lutheran Lectionary assigns 20:10-17 (18-22) to the same Sunday in Lent ...

595. A Ewe Turn

2 Samuel 12:1-31

Sermon

... a wayfarer stopped by to visit him. The prince decided to rob the pauper. He pilfered the ewe lamb and turned the wooly creature into Iambchops for his guest. David’s heart growled with silent revulsion at the wickedness of the rich man of the parable. Nathan’s withered voice, cracked with age, was proving to be a power drill, driving deep into David’s tortured and guilt-blanketed psyche. David ordered the rich man to be executed for his cruelty. Unvoiced but insistent, his tell-tale heart beat out ...

596. Proper 12

Matthew 13:44-46

Sermon Aid

... , lots of money, more time to have fun, etc. Conclude with how little we get by wishing. Proclamation of the Word Consider this: You may want to title the message, "On Seeking the Best Gift." Spell out the purpose of parables in general and these parables in particular. Note their similarities and differences. Then, focus on one in particular. Stewardship Challenge One pastor used this quote from Martin Luther: "Every person needs two conversions: the first of his/her heart; the second of his/her pocketbook ...

597. It Isn’t Fair!

Matthew 20:1-16

Sermon

... . But, of course, it is his right to spend his money as he chooses, especially if he must do it the way he did to get the task completed before all the harvest spoiled. It might well be that in its original setting the parable was intended as a stinging commentary on party spirit and class distinction within the fledgling Christian community. By the time the gospels were assembled (moreso, even, than when Jesus taught), there would have been a line of demarcation between "old-line Jewish Christians," "more ...

598. Picking A Winner, Claiming A Treasure

Matthew 13:44-46

Sermon

Bill Bouknight

... of a merchant who discovered a magnificent pearl. The pearl was the diamond of the ancient world, the most precious of stones. He was so captivated by this particular pearl that he sold all that he had in order to be able to purchase it. In these little twin parables, Jesus is saying first, DISCOVERING THE KINGDOM IS SUPREME JOY. The greatest joy on earth is to know God personally, to live in the center of his will, to be powered by his Holy Spirit, to be secure in his love, and to be busy in his service ...

599. The Greatest Story Ever Told

Luke 15:11-32

Sermon

Bill Bouknight

... looking baby in the mirror will do likewise. Suddenly, with a flash of understanding, she gets it. The kid in the mirror is I. The classic story of the Prodigal Son is like a mirror. You may think you are listening to an ancient parable that has little or no relevance for you, but then, suddenly, you see yourself in the story. Sometimes you identify with the father, often with the wayward son, and sometimes as the critical older brother. The word prodigal, of course, means wasteful or reckless extravagance ...

600. The Forgiving Father (Father's Day)

Luke 15:11-32

Sermon

Brett Blair

... of sinners, not the lover of sinners. The truth is that God is more eager to reestablish relationship with you after you have sinned than you are. God is not sitting on his throne with a litany of sins to read off to you. Just like the father in the parable, he is eagerly waiting for you to return. God’s love is not miserly; it is extravagant. This is what Paul had in mind, I think, when he wrote to the Christians in Rome: “He who did not spare his own son, but delivered him up for us all, how ...

Showing results

Showing 576 to 600 of 2815 results

576. Proper 17

Hebrews 13:1-25, Jeremiah 2:1-3:5, Luke 14:1-14

Sermon Aid

John R. Brokhoff

577. The Wheat Among The Weeds

Matthew 13:24-30, Matthew 13:36-43

Sermon

Marc Kolden

578. Proper 27

1 Thessalonians 4:13--5:11, Hosea 11:1-11, Joshua 24:1-27, Matthew 25:1-13

Sermon Aid

Russell F. Anderson

579. How To Plant An English Garden

Mark 4:26-29, Mark 4:30-34

Sermon

William G. Carter

580. Joy At Midnight

Matthew 25:1-13

Sermon

Erskine White

581. Lent 5

John 7:45--8:11, Psalm 126:1-6, Isaiah 43:14-28, Philippians 3:1-11, Luke 20:9-19, John 12:1-11

Sermon Aid

George Bass

582. Redrawing The Landscape

Multiple Scriptures

Sermon

Harold Warlick

583. Use It or Lose It

Matthew 25:14-30

Sermon

Johnny Dean

584. The Sound of Everlasting Joy

Luke 15:11-32, Matthew 28:1-10

Sermon

Wallace H. Kirby

585. The Sower

Matthew 13:1-23

Drama

Robert A. Lehmann

586. Seeking What Matters

Matthew 13:44-46

Sermon

587. Life's Greatest Treasure

Matthew 13:44-46

Sermon

588. PROPER 13

Lk 12:13-21 · Col 3:1-11 · Ecc 1:2; 2:18-26 · 2 Ki 13:14-20a

Sermon Aid

John R. Brokhoff

589. Proper 17

Lk 14:1, 7-14 · Heb 12:18-19, 22-24; 13:1-8 · Eze 18:1-9, 25-29 · Prov 25:6-22

Sermon Aid

John R. Brokhoff

... he would break the sabbath by healing the man. At the same time Jesus was watching them to see how they took their places at the dinner table. It was so noticeable and it must have disgusted Jesus to the point that he took the occasion to tell them a parable about humility. 2. Place (vv. 8-10). Apparently there were no place cards as is usually done at a formal dinner. People had to find a place at the tables(s). Where should one sit? It was up to the guests. The place chosen indicated what they thought of ...

590. Pentecost 27

Lk 19:11-27 · 1 Cor 15:54-58 · Isa 52:1-6

Sermon Aid

John R. Brokhoff

591. Real Absence

Matthew 25:1-13

Sermon

592. Possession is Nine Tenths of the Fall

Matthew 21:33-46

Sermon

D. Wayne Burkette

593. The Gift That Claims Our Response