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 626 to 650 of 2815 results

626. Lost and Found

Luke 15:1-7

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

... the safety of the 99 others. They're the responsibility of the rest of the family. It requires a consolidated, communal effort to both safeguard the continued well-being of the 99, while mounting an all-out search for the one that's missing. The thrust of the parable isn't that the 99 are expendable. It's that each and every one of the sheep is vitally important, as worthy of saving as is every other creature. The shepherd does the searching for the lost one. But the well-being and continued security of the ...

627. The Lost and Found Job

Luke 16:1-13

Sermon

James W. Moore

... his car, the woman said: “What are you… some kind of angel or something?” The man said: “At this time of year, angels are really busy, so sometimes God uses regular people like me.” Now, when I first heard this story, it reminded me of “The Parable of the Unjust Steward,” in Luke 16, because we see here that God can use regular people… and sometimes he can also use rascals. The unjust steward was just that… unjust, a rascal. He had been misusing his master’s money… and it cost him his ...

628. Planting Seeds

Matthew 13:1-23

Sermon

King Duncan

... he whispered to his wife. “Worse than that,” she replied. “She doesn’t know what a phone booth is.” Communication between generations can suffer because of a lack of shared experiences. Many factors can affect whether an act of communication is successful. Jesus told a parable. A farmer went out to sow seed. Some of the seed fell by the wayside and the birds devoured it. Some of the seed fell on hard ground and withered because the young plants could not put down deep roots. Some of the seed fell ...

629. What Impresses God

Luke 18:9-14

Sermon

James Merritt

... according to how highly they thought of themselves and how much they thought he thought of them. But when the time came and all were seated, the rich man came back into the room and moved his chair to the other end of the table. Now let me bring this parable down to where we live right now. Because there are several applications: First of all, we learn that it is not how you see you, but how God sees you that matters. Secondly, when you see God the way you should see God, then you will see you the way ...

630. Matthew 25:1-13

Matthew 25:1-13

Sweet

Leonard Sweet

... of the ten maidens with its concluding warning to “watch” doesn’t quite seem to fit the details of Jesus’ illustration, but this third lesson does fit well into the flow of Matthew’s organizational pattern. The parable describes details that would be familiar to any first century Jew for whom the traditions surrounding a wedding celebration were some of the highlights of existence. Unfortunately for readers of the twenty-first century, a lot of these cultural practices are not known, making ...

631. Down the Up Staircase

Genesis 11:1-9

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

... of faithfulness, utterly fail to incarnate that faith. The healing presence of the Lord cannot reach out to the wounded traveler because these men will not act as conduits, or "Jacob's ladders" for God's descent. But Habgood finds the other focus of this parable, though usually overlooked, an even stronger example of the divine desire to be with humanity. The priest and the Levite refused to venture even across the road in order to help the beaten man. They stuck to what they believed was the safety of ...

632. 2 Samuel 12:1-14

2 Samuel 12:1-14

Sweet

Leonard Sweet

... could not fail to ensnare the emotions of the listening king's heart and mind. While in the past David and Nathan may have joined together to hear legal disputes before the court, there is no real sense here that either man supposes this parable is an actual case. Part of Nathan's talent is that despite the hypothetical nature of his tale, it so successfully involves David that it evokes a spontaneous and heartfelt response. When David condemns the pitiless behavior of the rich man in verse 5, therefore ...

633. Luke 10:25-37

Luke 10:25-37

Sweet

Leonard Sweet

The good news: Among even the most biblically impaired, the term "Good Samaritan" carries a full load of moral meaning. The bad news: Our assumed familiarity with this story's plot and players in many ways has tamed the radical message of Jesus' parable. Choosing a Samaritan as the "good guy" is surprising, not only to the confident lawyer questioning Jesus; it also shocks his own disciples. Only a few pages back, Luke's gospel records how some Samaritans themselves had treated the prospect of a visit by ...

634. 2 Samuel 12:1-14

2 Samuel 12:1-14

Sweet

Leonard Sweet

635. Mark 4:35-41

Mark 4:35-41

Sweet

Leonard Sweet

... and exorcising demons. These same two activities are also part of the disciples' mission, as mentioned specifically in 6:12-13. Mark's concern with emphasizing these two aspects of Jesus' witness may therefore be the logic behind the organized groupings of 1) parables (in which Jesus is the teacher/preacher proclaiming the Good News) and 2) miracles (in which Jesus is the healer/exorcist binding the demonic powers of Satan both in nature and in the human miseries of disease, destruction and death). Today's ...

636. The Darkness We Create

Luke 15:11-32

Sermon

Mike Ripski

... for each of the men. But the Jew had grown complacent and slid into hell, while the bum had repented and grown close to God. God’s punch line to Moses: “Just because you spend a lot of time with me, doesn’t mean you know me at all.” (Parables: the Arrows of God, Megan McKenna, pp. 128 ff.) There is more darkness around us than that which winter brings. There is darkness in us as well as outside us. Some of it we create for ourselves, others, and the world. The good news is that a Light shines in ...

637. Proper 11

Genesis 29:15-30, Psalm 105:1-45, Matthew 13:31-35; 44-52, Romans 8:26-39

Bulletin Aid

B. David Hostetter

... - Psalms 105:1-11, 45b First Lesson - Jacob works for Laban to obtain two wives, Leah and Rachel. Genesis 29:15-28 Second Lesson - The Holy Spirit inspires our prayers in the bosom of God's family. Romans 8:26-39 Gospel - We hear more of the shorter parables of Jesus. Matthew 13:31-33, 44-52 CALL TO WORSHIP Leader: The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you all. People: And also with you. Leader: Give God thanks and invoke the hallowed name, making God's deeds known in the world around. People: We ...

638. Fish Bites

Acts 17:32-34

Sermon

James Merritt

... ." (Romans 1:16, NASB) The truth is as we go out and fish, fish will react in different ways. Jesus basically told His disciples the same thing. In Luke 8, He tells a parable about a man who sowed seed on different types of soil. "When a large crowd was coming together, and those from the various cities were journeying to Him, He spoke by way of a parable: The sower went out to sow his seed; and as he sowed, some fell beside the road, and it was trampled under foot and the birds of the air ate it up. Other ...

639. Repentance Is Relationship!

Luke 13:1-9

Sermon

Gary L. Carver

... definitely a clear call to repentance in our text for today. Also in our text is a warning that the time can be short. Notice the parable of the fig tree. A man had a fig tree planted in his vineyard. He went again to the tree looking for fruit but did ... to repentance, and it is a warning that the time could be short. How many of us are guaranteed tomorrow? Today is the day, yet this parable ends on a note of grace because the man who tended the tree said, "Give me one more year. I will dig around the tree ...

640. A Stone’s Throw From: The Harvest

Matthew 13:1-9, 18-23

Sermon

Billy D. Strayhorn

... year we harvested lots of jalapenos that year. And we didn't get a single Beefeater Tomato. But we had enough Cherry Tomatoes for the entire county. You're supposed get what you plant aren't you. Today we're going to look at one of the most famous parables there is, the parable of the Sower from Matthew 13:1-9, 18-23. (NRSV) [1] That same day Jesus went out of the house and sat beside the sea. [2] Such great crowds gathered around him that he got into a boat and sat there, while the whole crowd stood on ...

641. Dealing With the Pain of Rejection - Sermon Opener

Luke 15:1-3, 11b-32

Illustration

James W. Moore

... every time the team went into a huddle he thought they were talking about him! Now, he wasn't being rejected, but he thought he was. Let me hurry to say though, that even when imagined the pain is just as real! That's what happens in Jesus' parable. Remember how the younger brother runs away to the far country, squanders his money in riotous living, but then ashamed and penitent he returns home. The father is so overjoyed. He had feared the worst that his young son might be dead! But here he is alive and ...

642. Jesus Saves, We're Called To Invest

Matthew 25:14-20

Sermon

Billy D. Strayhorn

... . We can't withhold anything. That includes every aspect of our lives, including our wallets. And like the servants in this parable, we are entrusted with the talents God has given us, "each according to their ability." And that word talent is used in ... life eternal. We have to lose it to gain it. But we also have to use it to lose it. That's what happened in the parable. The first two, the five and the two talent servants invested the money entrusted to them and they were rewarded. The one talent man had it ...

643. There Is a Price for Everything

Matthew 13:44-46

Sermon

Maxie Dunnam

... time you thought about a final judgment? Is the way you live affected at all by the fact that one day you are going to stand before the judgment bar of God and give an account for your deeds? Now these are the two big lessons from the three mini-parables in Matthew’s gospel. Add to it our second lesson from Mark - the tough word of Jesus with which we are all familiar. Hear it again: “If any want to become my followers, let them deny themselves and take up their crosses and follow me. For those who want ...

644. What Would Jesus Say About Materialism?

Luke 12:13-21

Sermon

J. Howard Olds

... of “the one with the most toys wins” are now discovering that as they age the essence of life is trying to find a place to put all your stuff. More does not mean merry. IV. A LEGACY IS MORE THAN A LIVING. The whole thing that prompted this parable was an argument over inheritance. Who gets what is left when the guy is gone? Some things never change. Jesus said, ‘I am not going to enter this argument. I am not going to be the arbitrator in this divisive concern of the family.’ But he tells a story ...

645. What the Storms Blow Away

Matthew 7:21-29

Sermon

Charles L. Aaron

... builder doesn't see any problem with his house. Everything is fine until a storm comes. In just a few seconds, the house built on sand crashes down. The house built on rock, which took more effort, more time, more toil to build, stands fast. The details of the parable seem obvious to us. What doesn't seem obvious to us is that building our faith is just as hard as building a house on rock. Do we not realize that the storms of life are coming? We should expect storms! The storms of life expose our weaknesses ...

646. Political Pardon

Matthew 18:21-35

Sermon

Wayne Brouwer

... , "Sometime the hating has to stop." That is the very personal moment of forgiveness. It does not come easy. But if we live under the umbrella of God's mercy, it can come. One-Way Street A second thing Jesus teaches us in his parable is that forgiveness is essentially one-sided. While we hope for reconciliation — a two-sided outcome — in matters of hurt and broken relationships, forgiveness is not the same thing. Forgiveness is initiated by one party, and is often rebuffed or rejected by the other. That ...

647. Ready for God’s Reign

Matthew 25:1-13

Sermon

Chris Ewing

... , a lamp on a stand, giving light to all in the house — the light, in fact, of the world (Matthew 5:15, 14). To have oil is to burn bright in this world with the nature of God. That's how we welcome God's kingdom. When Matthew recorded this parable, he did so for the sake of a church that was getting off-track in its anxiety about the future. The first Christians thought Jesus was returning for them soon; and when he didn't, when years dragged into decades and the end still hadn't come, many began to ...

648. Help Me, I'm Lost

Luke 15:1-10

Sermon

King Duncan

... . Nearby were the Pharisees and the teachers of the law. They had not come to learn from Jesus, but to criticize him, to find fault with him. They muttered with scorn, “This man welcomes sinners and eats with them.” With this mixed audience in mind, Jesus tells his parables: “Suppose one of you has a hundred sheep and loses one of them,” he begins. “Does he not leave the ninety-nine in the open country and go after the lost sheep until he finds it? And when he finds it, he joyfully puts it on his ...

649. Neighbors Who Never Met - Sermon Starter

Luke 16:19-31

Illustration

Brett Blair

... people who were so deprived that they were still living in the superstitions of the dark ages for all practical purposes. The man who I am talking about, of course, is Dr. Albert Schweitzer. And the single parable that so radically altered his life, according to him, was our text for this morning. It was the parable of the Rich Man and Lazarus. The Rich Man and Lazarus were neighbors, you know. They saw each other every day. Oh, not socially you understand, but there was contact. Every day the Rich Man saw ...

650. God Is Good, Life Isn’t Fair

Matthew 20:1-16

Illustration

Johnny Dean

... reward: The more you work and the more productive you are, the more you ought to get paid. Let's face it: this parable is just not fair! But, then again, as someone once said, "God is good, but life isn't fair!" I remember well the first ... me after the service and said, "Preacher, of all the texts you had to pick from, you had to choose my least favorite parable in all of the New Testament! Jesus should have known better than to tell something as unfair as this! The next time you decide to preach about that ...

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