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 701 to 725 of 4968 results

701. Who Is the Greatest?

Mark 9:33-37

Understanding Series

Larry W. Hurtado

... to preserve one’s life will be its loss. In 10:35–45, Jesus corrects the ambitions of James and John, indicating that among his followers the greatest person is the servant of the others. A similar point made in 9:33–37 (esp. 9:35) sets the disciples’ ambition to be chief on its head. Some might think it strange for grown men to be arguing about who was the greatest among them (e.g., Nineham, p. 252). But in the context of such groups as the religious sect at Qumran (whose writings are popularly ...

702. The Parable of the Shrewd Manager

Luke 16:1-15

Understanding Series

Craig A. Evans

... owed what is due him, while his former employee, by foregoing a few commissions, now has a brighter future. Having understood the parable thus, it is now much easier to understand why Jesus sees in the action of the dishonest manager a worthy example for his disciples. They, like the dishonest manager, should be able to recognize the advantage in giving up a little now so that some day in the future they may receive much more. 16:8b–13 Several lessons are drawn from the Parable of the Shrewd Manager (16:1 ...

703. The Coming of the Kingdom of God

Luke 17:20-37

Understanding Series

Craig A. Evans

... into three parts: (1) the delay of the Son of Man (vv. 22–25), (2) the suddenness and unexpectedness of the return of the Son of Man (vv. 26–30), and (3) instructions in vigilance (vv. 31–37). Fitzmyer (p. 1167) summarizes the section as follows: “Jesus first tells the disciples that the Son of Man will not come as soon as they wish (v. 22), instructs them about the way in which he will not come (v. 23) as well as the way in which he will (v. 24), but also tells them about what will happen first (v ...

704. The Lord's Supper

Matthew 26:17-30

Understanding Series

Robert H. Mounce

... out of blood portrays violent death (cf. 23:35; Rev. 16:6). The blood of the covenant recalls Exodus 24:8 (rather than Jer. 31:31), in which the sprinkling of the blood was a sign that the people were included within the covenant relationship. Jesus then tells his disciples that he will not drink again of the wine until the day he drinks it new with them in his Father’s kingdom (v. 29). He looks beyond the scene in which his obedience will take him to the cross and pictures a joyous banquet in the fully ...

705. Gethsemane

Matthew 26:36-46

Understanding Series

Robert H. Mounce

... a spot perhaps near the entrance of the garden, Jesus took Peter and the two sons of Zebedee a bit farther to be near him while he prayed (see 17:1–8 for the same group). A great sense of grief and dismay laid hold of Jesus. To the three disciples he acknowledged that his heart was at the point of breaking with sorrow. The GNB aptly translates, “The sorrow in my heart is so great that it almost crushes me” (v. 38). The words reflect Psalms 42:5–6 and 43:5. To the three, Jesus says, “Wait here and ...

706. Jesus Walks On the Water

Mark 6:45-56

Understanding Series

Larry W. Hurtado

... to catch the allusion to these OT passages in Jesus’ words and see the point that Jesus is speaking the way God does. The encounter begins as Jesus was about to pass by them (6:48). The phrase suggests that he intended to make himself visible to the disciples to relieve their fear and to reveal his power to them. On this understanding of the phrase, Jesus’ intent is frustrated, for when they see him they become even more frightened, supposing him to be a sea demon (6:49, a ghost; see note). Even when he ...

707. Wimps or Water Walkers

Matthew 14:22-33

Sermon

King Duncan

... imitate the Master and walk to him on the water. But then he looked down at the waves and became suddenly fearful and began to sink. You know the story well. Jesus has just fed 5,000 hungry men and an untold number of women and children. He tells his disciples to get into a boat and go on ahead of him to the other side, while he dismisses the crowd. In John’s Gospel we read that he did this because the people were ready to proclaim him king after he had performed this amazing miracle of feeding so many ...

708. The Week

Mark 14:1-15:47

Sermon

John Jamison

... Jesus. These were people who knew how to do the job and would do whatever they needed to do to earn their pay. Judas walked over to Jesus, called him teacher, and kissed him, which was the prearranged sign to the mob. A brief scuffle ensued, and one of the disciples pulled a sword and cut off the ear of one of the guys in the crowd; we’re told it was one of the slaves of the high priest. Before things got completely out of hand, Jesus spoke up and distracted them with a little sarcasm. The members of the ...

709. Should We Wash One Another's Feet?

John 13:31-38, John 13:1-17

Sermon

King Duncan

... to follow him. Listen to his words in verses 34 and 35 which serve as the climax of this passage: “A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.” Do you see that rather than simply giving us another ritual to add to our seasonal celebrations, Christ is showing us how we are to love one another in the church? Sometimes we forget what Christ’s love is all about. The washing of ...

710. The True Story Wins

Matthew 28:11-15

Sermon

Lori Wagner

... , ‘He has been raised from the dead, and indeed he is going ahead of you to Galilee, and there you will see him. This is my message for you.” So the women left the tomb quickly both in fear and great joy, and ran to tell Jesus’ disciples. Suddenly Jesus met them and said, “Greetings!” They ran to him, took hold of his feet, and worshiped him. Then Jesus said to them, “Do not be afraid. Go and tell my brothers to go to Galilee. There they will see me.” Meanwhile, while the women were going ...

711. Soul Food

Luke 9:10-17, Matthew 14:13-21, Mark 6:30-44, John 6:1-15

Sermon

Lori Wagner

... from there in a boat to a deserted place by himself. But when the crowds heard it, they followed him on foot from the towns. When he went ashore, he saw a great crowd; and he had compassion for them and cured their sick. When it was evening, the disciples came to him and said, “This is a deserted place, and the hour is now late; send the crowds away so that they may go into the villages and buy food for themselves.” Jesus said to them, “They need not go away; you give them something to eat.” They ...

712. The Bramble King

John 15:1-17, John 15:18--16:4, John 16:5-16

Sermon

Lori Wagner

... those who worship “Judah” more than God the Father and Jesus the Son. Whom do you want for your king? Jesus asked his disciples long before: “You can’t worship both God and money.” One will always take the lead. You can’t worship rules, or ... you wish, and it will be done for you. This is to my Father’s glory, that you bear much fruit, showing yourselves to be my disciples. “As the Father has loved me, so have I loved you. Now remain in my love. If you keep my commands, you will remain in my ...

713. Dorcas, Dinah, or Delilah (Who are You?)

Genesis 34:1-31, Judges 16:1-22, Acts 9:32-43

Sermon

Lori Wagner

... But they can only harm us if we let them. The story of Dorcas is a story of what it means to live as Jesus’ true Disciple in a “gentile” world. It is a story that teaches us what it means to live into the power and presence of the Holy Spirit, and ... identity. A story of a Life receiver, and a Life giver. In the story of Dorcas, we get a glimpse of a woman, who is a disciple of the early church, but who we know spends the bulk of her time creating clothing/cloaks for people in her community. We get a ...

714. Tale of the Tares

Matthew 13:24-30, Matthew 9:35-38

Sermon

Lori Wagner

... we live “in” but not “of” the world. We are not made of it but also not living outside of it! We as Jesus’ disciples are the “wheat” of the world –cultivated with discipline and obedience, loyalty and love in Jesus our Lord and Savior who lives in us ... our own garden and our own growth. To tare is to be human. To love is divine. Jesus invites us to be the kind of disciples who love. It’s in our DNA. We can no sooner sabotage our community by cutting parts out of it than we could cut parts ...

715. Lamb Parade

John 12:12-19

Sermon

Lori Wagner

... angry, and had gone directly to the high priest in order to strike a deal to betray his master and friend. Now, as he listened to Jesus teach in those last days, he was beginning to feel worried. But not worried enough to change his mind. Neither the disciples nor the many people who followed Jesus, looked up to him, and put their hope in him really understood that he would allow himself to be arrested and put to death. Despite what Jesus was telling them, despite his many hints that his demise was at hand ...

716. The Eleventh Commandment

John 13:1-17

Sermon

King Duncan

... this world and go to the Father. Having loved his own who were in the world, he loved them to the end. “The evening meal was in progress, and the devil had already prompted Judas, the son of Simon Iscariot, to betray Jesus . . .” Betrayed by one of his disciples. But it was no accident. It was a deliberate act by one of the closest men to the Lord. Each Lenten season we come to the same troubling question. Why did Judas betray his Master? Thirty pieces of silver was a paltry sum. Why go to the trouble ...

717. Recruiting Volunteers

Luke 10:1-11, 16-20

Sermon

King Duncan

... their homes. We cannot fulfill the calling of God in the comfort of the church. That’s not what Jesus meant for us to do. I’m not saying that to start a stampede toward the doors. Not yet. Wait until the closing hymn. Inside these doors, we grow as disciples. Outside these doors, we go as apostles. We’ve got work to do. But that work must be done in the spirit of the Lord Jesus. So, our first calling as apostles is to pray. Our next calling is to go, offer peace and heal the sick. And our final ...

718. All We Are Left With...

John 13:1-17, 31b-35

Sermon

King Duncan & Angela Akers

... knew. And he washed feet.” (3) Why, in his last night on earth, would Jesus use his awesome, divine power to wash his disciples’ feet? Because Jesus knew that the greatest power in all of Creation is sacrificial love. Isn’t that why God created us and ... live. He had all the power in the universe to stop what was happening to him. He had all the power to make his disciples bow down in worship at his feet. Instead, he knelt and washed their feet. He used his power to show them the sacrificial love ...

719. The Mountain

Matthew 17:1-9

Sermon

John Jamison

... I think it makes good stuff to argue about in seminary classes, I really don’t think it means all that much to us here today. I think what is important for us to see is that this trip to the mountain was a final decision point for the three disciples. Up to this point, they had followed Jesus because they believed in him because of what he had said and did. Then they had proof. The loopholes were filled. They would either follow to the end or they would not follow. It was a clear and simple choice they ...

720. Framed by Love

John 14:15-21

Sermon

April Yamasaki

... included them in his ministry. He would forgive them for falling asleep on him and deserting him in his time of need. And finally he would give up his life on the cross. Clearly for Jesus, love meant even more than washing feet. Jesus’ love for his disciples and for the world cost him his life. It was a self-giving, sacrificial love. It was love in action - often unexpected like washing feet or talking with a Samaritan woman or healing a blind man. For Jesus, love was literally a matter of life and death ...

721. The Last Laugh

Luke 24:1-35

Sermon

Will Willimon

... . "What things? Things concerning Jesus -- a great prophet of mighty deeds. But now the authorities have put him to death. We had hoped he would be the Messiah. We had hoped that he would redeem Israel. But the authorities feared him, the people turned against him, his disciples forsook him. What can a person do? You can't fight City Hall. It was good while it lasted. You win some; you lose some. It is over." "Some of our women, hysterical women, came running in this morning with the tale that his body was ...

722. When Following Is Not Enough

Luke 9:28-36, (37-43a)

Sermon

John B. Jamison

... that day did not say that Jesus was God’s chosen Son, and they should all feel amazed about it. The voice said that Jesus was God’s chosen Son, and they should listen to him. The experience on that mountain top was not meant to make the three disciples feel anything at all. It was meant to remind them, they are called to listen to what Jesus has been telling them and to do what he has told them to do. But, like us, Peter, James, and John were distracted. The very next morning back in Capernaum, as ...

723. No Box Seats In The Kingdom

Mark 10:35-45

Sermon

William G. Carter

... asking." We know perfectly well what we are asking. We want God to meet our unlimited needs and help us get ahead. Yet in a deeper sense, any request for cheap success reveals we do not know what kind of God we meet in Jesus. "Look," he said to his disciples, "we are going up to Jerusalem. And it's uphill all the way. The road is hard and difficult. We face painful twists and turns. There will be suffering, humiliation, and death. There is no easy road to glory. Are you able to drink this cup? Are you able ...

724. Proper 20

Psalm 79:1-13, 1 Timothy 2:1-15, Jeremiah 8:4--9:26, Luke 16:1-15

Sermon Aid

William E. Keeney

... by twenty to fifty percent. Thus the persons who benefit from the steward's generosity will be favorably disposed to help him when he is unemployed. The rich man does not scold or upbraid the steward but commends him for his shrewdness. Thesis: Shrewd disciples will make good use of resources for eternal life. Theme: Making proper use of resources for kingdom purposes. Key Words in the Passage 1. "A Manager." (v. 1) The man apparently had authority to make contracts with sub-renters to use land belonging to ...

725. What's In It For Me?

Mark 10:35-45

Sermon

Steven E. Albertin

... for trying to cut in line in front of them. Jesus has obviously had it with such open displays of shameless ambition. These eager disciples obviously don't get it. "So you guys want places of glory? So you people want places of privilege in my kingdom? So, you ... that at the heart of every religious quest for "salvation" is the "self" that wants to survive. We want to stay in control. Like the disciples, we are sure that we can do it. "Pastor, just tell me what I have to do. Just tell me what I have to believe ...

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