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 651 to 675 of 1232 results
651. Risky Business
Jeremiah 1:4-10
Sermon
Mary S. Lautensleger
Su Xueling (pronounced ZOO-ling) is a different breed of entrepreneur, delivering instant noodles on her bicycle to satisfy fast-food appetites in central China. She wanted to use her business acumen to spread the gospel message in a land where religion has been controlled or suppressed by the government for decades. Ms. Su's father is a communist revolution veteran, and religion has always been considered a leading threat to Communist rule. A Christian revival of sorts had already begun to sweep through ...
Sermon
Frank Ramirez
Perhaps you have taken a vacation with the intention of seeking out some historical or national monument. Some of the favorites are probably Mount Rushmore, the Liberty Bell, the Gettysburg Battlefield, or Valley Forge. Indeed, this may have been the point of the whole vacation, to take in an important site that ties the past to the present, and on into the future. Certainly, if you have been to Valley Forge, for instance, even on a warm summer's day, it is hard not to shiver as you consider the horrific ...
Sermon
Maxie Dunnam
“Why do you stand afar off, O Lord? Why do you hide yourself in times of trouble? Have you ever felt that way? You wanted to say that to the Lord? There have been times in my life when God seemed far off, beyond the reach of communication. I have awakened at 3 o’clock in the morning, morning after morning after morning, and anguished in spirit until day break, but my praying was more frustrating than fruitful. My passionate pleas seemed to bounce off the ceiling and ricochet around the walls. It never ...
Sermon
Tony Everett
Here we are gathered together a few days after Christmas. How did you celebrate the birthday of Jesus? How did everything go for you? For most folks, some empty spaces remain. Just like our pews this morning, where there are empty spaces that were filled on Christmas Eve, there may be post-Christmas empty spaces in our hearts. For most of us, Christmas preparations and celebrations rarely meet expectations. Not everything goes smoothly. Not every gathering is joyful. Not every program and worship service ...
Sermon
David J. Kalas
In 1956, director/producer Cecil B. DeMille tried to do in motion pictures what artists had attempted to do for centuries on canvas: capture this moment. It is the ancient writer of the book of Exodus who reports and describes the moment for us. And the children of Israel, in prayers and songs for centuries afterward, remembered the moment, and the God who brought it all to pass. The Hebrew people, newly freed from their slavery in Egypt, had just begun their journey toward the promised land. They would go ...
656. A Question of Loyalty
Joshua 24:1-3a, 14-25
Sermon
Timothy J. Smith
Lookout Mountain is a popular tourist destination located in the northwest corner of Georgia, just six miles from Chattanooga, Tennessee. From high atop the mountain, on a clear day seven states are visible with the naked eye. Most photographs fail to capture the beauty of this panoramic view. Information boasts of an unforgettable journey ... "where each step reveals natural beauty and wonders." Lookout Mountain also played a role in the American Civil War. Nearing the end of his life, Joshua called a ...
Sermon
John N. Brittain
How familiar Paul's words in 1 Corinthians 1 sound! Chloe's people had reported quarreling among the believers. Imagine that — disagreements in a church! There were rivalries and backstabbing even in the very earliest days of the Christian community. Paul's words are worth examining because factionalism is a perennial issue in the Christian community, found not just within modern day congregations, but between local congregations within a denomination, between churches in a given community, among religious ...
Sermon
Leonard Sweet
Do you realize how much you pay to get “roughed up?” You heard me right. You even pay big bucks to get roughed up on a daily basis. To be sure, you don’t think about this activity as getting “roughed up.” You probably think of it as your morning shower or your evening bath. But consider what you do as you go about your daily cleansing rituals. Whether you use a washcloth, a loofah, or one of those “buff-puff” thingies, as you rub and scrub in the bathtub or shower you are roughing up and sloughing off dead ...
659. Passing the Test
1 Corinthians 10:1-13
Sermon
Steven E. Albertin
"Students, it is time to get out your pencils, close your books and remove any notes from your desks. The test is about to begin." Those are words that make us shudder, our hearts start to pound and the palms of our hands begin to sweat. From our earliest days in school, we all have had to learn to deal with tests. It may begin with a simple first grade spelling test. But it doesn't take too long before it morphs into ISTEP, the SAT, the Bar, the Boards, or a doctoral qualifying exam. Or it might be as ...
Sweet
Leonard Sweet
If you’ve ever had your wallet or purse stolen you know that the worst “loss” is not the cash (who has it!) or the credit cards (you just cancel them). The worst loss is all those personal, “heart” things you keep close to you. *Your ancient Social Security card that you got at age 15. *Photos of parents, kids, and siblings that are faded and creased from being carted about for years. *Those little “oddments” that remind you of who you are and where you come from — a broken piece of jewelry, a note giving ...
Sermon
Leonard Sweet
If you’ve ever had your wallet or purse stolen you know that the worst “loss” is not the cash (who has it!) or the credit cards (you just cancel them). The worst loss is all those personal, “heart” things you keep close to you. Your ancient Social Security card that you got at age 15. Photos of parents, kids, and siblings that are faded and creased from being carted about for years. Those little “oddments” that remind you of who you are and where you come from — a broken piece of jewelry, a note giving ...
662. Mugwumpers
1 Kings 18:20-21 (22-29) 30-39
Sermon
Stephen P. McCutchan
In certain streams of Christianity, it is common to speak of people being "born again." The phrase comes from an exchange between Jesus and a Pharisee named Nicodemus in the third chap­ter of John. In that exchange, Jesus contrasts being born of the flesh with being born of the Spirit. To be born of the flesh is to be shaped by the genes of your parents and their background. You come into this world with a heritage as a given. Because you live according to the demands of the flesh, you also possess the ...
Sermon
Leonard Sweet
If you’ve ever driven across the U.S. using I-90 (the northern route), you have seen signs for “Wall Drug.” Located in Wall, South Dakota, Wall Drug is a totally smarmy, schmaltzy, middle-of-nowhere “tourist trap.” And it is THE place to stop. Why? Because around 1936 the family running Wall Drug figured out that they were still on the road to somewhere. Wall Drug’s “claim to fame” is that when Mount Rushmore opened, Ted and Dorothy Hustead, owners of a “mom’n’pop” pharmacy/soda fountain shop way out in ...
Sermon
Tony Everett
In today’s first lesson the apostles are gathered with their families in an upstairs room somewhere in Jerusalem. So much had happened during the past few months that it was hard to put it all together. They had accompanied Jesus into the city, receiving a royal welcome fit for a king. Then there was their last supper together, followed by Judas’ betrayal and the arrest in Gethsemane, their own narrow escape from the soldiers, and that most horrible crucifixion. They had just about given up all hope when ...
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
Leonard Sweet
The season of Advent is a “waiting game.” Everyone is “waiting” for something. *Students anxiously wait for finals to be over and the start of Christmas break. *Some employees have the big wait, as they hold their breath and learn whether or not there will be a Christmas bonus. *Retailers count the days til they can count the bottom line from the season’s buying frenzy. *Kids of all ages can’t wait to open up the brightly wrapped presents starting to appear under the tree. Everyone is waiting . . . for the ...
Sermon
Leonard Sweet
There are two things we absolutely crave in our lives: predictability and spontaneity. We crave the comfort of predictability. We work long and hard to grow life in a steady job, a certain career, a consistent source of income. We earn degrees, save money, buy insurance, invest for retirement. We have a home, a family, a schedule, which gives structure and meaning to our days and nights. We build our lives on the secure foundation of predictability. But conversely, we also crave spontaneity. We hunger for ...
Sermon
King Duncan
Growing Strong in the Season of Lent Luke 22: 31-34; 54-62 (Passion Sunday) or John 18:15-27 (Good Friday) It is very difficult to think of the events of Holy Week without thinking of Simon Peter’s denial of Christ. The story is well known to us all. At the last supper Jesus tells Simon Peter that before the cock crows three times, he will deny him three times. Prior to this Simon Peter has just pledged his allegiance to Christ in his normal, assertive style, “Lord, I am ready to go with you to prison and ...
Sermon
Robert Leslie Holmes
A pastor friend who lived in an apartment complex in San Francisco tells about the time that he and his wife parked their brand new Honda Accord under cover in the secured parking area next to their apartment complex. The next day they decided to celebrate the purchase of that new car by going out to breakfast together. Not only would they enjoy eating out together, it would give them another opportunity to drive their new automobile. Leaving the apartment building, they greeted the guard on duty at the ...
Sermon
Tom Garrison
When we fly we are well aware of the fact that you cannot simply go out and buy a ticket and get on an airplane anymore. Nowadays, because of all the skyjacking and dangers, there is an elaborate system of surveillance before you get near an aircraft. Understandably, the authorities want to know what you are bringing with you to the plane. And so your own person and everything you are carrying is carefully examined. As I found myself thinking about our communion, I wondered what it would be like if there ...
671. Paying What's Due
Matthew 22:15-22
Sermon
David G. Rogne
In Joseph Heller's book Catch-22, an Air Force bombardier is desperately seeking relief from going out on the deadly missions he must fly each day. As he gets close to the number of missions that will allow him to be rotated, the number of missions needed for rotation keeps changing. He concludes that only a crazy person would keep flying those dangerous missions. He thinks he must be crazy, and therefore he should be sent home. His superiors agree with him that a crazy person should be sent home but only ...
Sermon
Don Tuttle
When my sister and I were teenagers, my mom was worried about the people with which we were friends. Every so often, she would remind us to choose wisely. “Bad company destroys good morals,” she would say. Or, “You’re defined by the company you keep.” Or my personal favorite: “If you lie down with dogs, you get up with fleas.” Like most parents, Mom wanted to protect us from those that might get us into trouble. In that light, I wonder if anyone every warned the disciples about hanging around with Jesus. ...
673. Smombies
Romans 5:12-19
Sermon
Dr. Ronald Love
Joseph Chamblin was lost, and then he was found. In 2011, Chamblin was lost. He was a staff sergeant in the United States Marines and one of the four snipers court-martialed for urinating on the fresh corpses of Taliban fighters in Afghanistan. In 2016, Chamblin was found. He was dating Laura Buckingham who was well known, having appeared on the cover of Southern Indiana Living with her son. It was a son of whom she wanted sole custody from her previous relationship with Brad Sutherland. The best way to be ...
Sermon
King Duncan & Angela Akers
Let me ask you an odd question: If you died tomorrow, how hard would it be for your loved ones to sort through your belongings? I stole that question from Ashley Hamer, a science writer and podcaster, in an article she wrote about the practice of Swedish death cleaning. Have you heard about this? It sounds morbid, but it’s actually a good idea. Swedish death cleaning is the practice of going through your possessions every few years and getting rid of the things you no longer need or no longer feel ...
Sermon
Mary Austin
It was often said that the late President Reagan was the “great communicator.” He was very talented, but the title really belongs to Jesus. In all the gospel stories that we have, he’s always communicating something. Every time he heals someone, there’s a message about God’s love for people. Every time he teaches, there’s a lesson about who God is, or who Jesus is, or who the people of God should be. Every time he pokes the religious authorities, there’s a warning. Whenever he acts on the sabbath, there’s ...
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