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

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701. I Am Somebody!

Mark 1:4-11

Sermon

David E. Leininger

... that you are Israelites — God’s chosen people ‒ to save you. Get right and do right.” The crowds asked what to do. He responded, “Whoever has two coats must share with anyone who has none; and whoever has food must do likewise.” Tax collectors were told, “Collect no more than the amount prescribed for you.” Soldiers were instructed, “Do not extort money from anyone by threats or false accusation, and be satisfied with your wages.”[1] It was a message that affirmed what they already knew ...

702. The Seventy “Sevens”

Daniel 9:20-27

Understanding Series

William Nelson

... rather, he humbly confesses his sins along with theirs (Dan. 9:20). We must remember Jesus’s warning not to be self-righteous when we pray: we cannot impress God with our good deeds, as the Pharisee attempted to do, but must cry out with the tax collector, “God, have mercy on me, a sinner” (Luke 18:9–14). The phrase “in the earlier vision” (9:21) could be rendered, “in the vision at the beginning,” which raises the question of how far back it is pointing. Some think that “at the beginning ...

703. Lord To Whom Shall We Go?

John 6:56-69

Sermon

David Coffin

... him, “Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life” John 6:67-68 (RSV). John is unique here among the other gospels. Rather than selecting the twelve disciples at another time such as a fishing event or at the tax collector’s booth, the final twelve disciples are the ones who stayed with Jesus despite what other disciples considered unacceptable sayings or teachings. They were the ones who did not walk away or reject Jesus. Also, in John, Simon Peter asked, “Lord to whom shall ...

704. In Those Days: The Voice Of The Time Keeper

Matthew 3:1-12

Sermon

Frank Ramirez

... were a part of it. They were preparing to receive the great Messiah promised in times past and eagerly anticipated in their time. People answered the call. As we read in Matthew, rich and poor, the occupied and the military occupiers, the tax collectors and the overtaxed, religious leaders and those who felt marginalized by their faith, all of them came to the Jordan to hear this message. They didn’t get a text message: “Baptismal Service, River Jordan, 10:30.” They heard “Repent!” that literally ...

705. Give Me Your Word

Luke 16:1-13

Sermon

Jill J. Duffield

... abounds. Even with all the messiness of our questionable motives and impure actions ― grace abounds. That’s the point. The ones who work the least get paid as much as the ones who worked the longest. The prodigal got celebrated, not castigated. Jesus called tax collectors and sinners. The dishonest manager was called prudent. None of us get what we deserve. It’s called grace, but too often we resent it rather than replicate it. When we give our word, when we are called to account, when we say, Lord ...

706. The Temple Tax

Matthew 17:24-27

One Volume

Gary M. Burge

The final passage of 16:21–17:27 narrates Jesus’s pronouncement on paying the temple tax while also introducing the motif of stumbling that will be explored in Matthew 18. The two-drachma temple tax (equivalent to the half-shekel of Exod. 30:11–16) was levied on all adult Jewish males annually, though there is debate on how rigidly this was followed in the first century. When questioned by the collectors of this tax whether his teacher pays it, Peter responds in the affirmative. Jesus then takes the ...

707. Turning Potholes into Mud Puddles on the Bethlehem Road

Luke 3:1-20

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

Did you hear? NASA is already testing prototypes of space suits for the first astronauts who will walk on the surface of Mars. Scientists are hoping this event might happen around 2030. That means by the time all the infants playing baby Jesus in this year’s bathrobe dramas known as “Christmas pageants” are getting their driver’s permits! Right now the space suit design weighs about one hundred pounds and completely encases whoever wears the suit within a separate, sealed environment. The environment on ...

708. Luke 3:7-18

Luke 3:1-20

Sweet

Leonard Sweet

We are still traveling “on the road to Bethlehem” this third Sunday of Advent. But textually we are “wandering in the wilderness.” This week’s gospel text that accompanies us on our journey is focused on John The Baptist as proclaimer and preparer for the coming Messiah. Luke’s text tells us much less about exactly HOW John baptized, and much more about WHY John baptized and what participating in this ritual meant for those who were baptized. The thrust of John’s message is double-edged. He proclaims both ...

709. Held In His Arms

Isaiah 51:17--52:12

Sermon

Paul W. Kummer

Years ago, there was a very wealthy man who, with his devoted young son, shared a passion for collecting art. Together they traveled around the world, adding only the finest art treasures to their collection. Priceless works by Picasso, Van Gogh, Monet, and many others adorned the walls of the family estate. The widowed elderly man looked on with satisfaction as his only child became an experienced art collector. The son's trained eye and sharp business mind caused his father to beam with pride as they ...

710. Christian The King

Ezekiel 34:1-31

Sermon

John R. Brokhoff

"And I will set up over them one shepherd, my servant David, and he shall feed them and be their shepherd. And I, the Lord, will be their God, and my servant David shall be prince among them; I, the Lord, have spoken." "And he made us kings and priests unto God and his Father." (Revelation 1:6a [KJV]) A four-year-old boy was about to have a birthday. His mother told him he could have any kind of party he wanted. He asked for a party where everyone would be a king or queen. In preparation for his big day, ...

711. How Much Is Enough?

Matthew 14:13-21

Sermon

Johnny Dean

I will defend to the death my theory that the most perfect food, the one item that provides nourishment for body, mind, and spirit is a peanut butter and jelly sandwich on whole wheat bread. I have felt that way for as long as I can remember. When I’m feeling a little depressed or lonely or homesick, when I just want a snack, when I’m having lunch by myself, nothing satisfies the hunger of the body or lifts my spirits like a peanut butter jelly sandwich on whole wheat bread. It’s a complete meal. The ...

712. WHAT IS MAN?

Sermon

Larry Powell

Fascinations often come upon me from the strangest sources. For instance, two recent obituaries strike me as being peculiarly fascinating. The first is that of Vitaly Rubin, aged fifty-eight, a Soviet scholar. Rubin, a native of Moscow, was the former leader of the Soviet Jewish emigration movement. The intrigue here is that in 1976, Rubin, a Russian, was allowed to emigrate to Israel where he taught Chinese philosophy, of all things, at Hebrew University. The other obituary was David Wadell Guion's, aged ...

713. Genuine Imitations

1 Thessalonians 1:1-10

Sermon

Raymond Gibson

In the fantastically successful movie, "The Empire Strikes Back," the viewers are invited to continue their involvement in the adventures of the heroes and villains of the first movie, "Star Wars." Once again we find ourselves engaged with Luke Skywalker, Han Solo, Chewbacca, Princess Leia, and the robots Artoo Detoo and See Threepio as they battle Darth Vader and the Dark Empire legions. One of the most fascinating new characters of "The Empire Strikes Back" is a strange little fellow named Yoda, who ...

714. The Light that Shines Within

John 1:1-18

Sermon

Leonard Mann

The story of the birth of Jesus has been variously told. Luke has told it in relation to the appearance of angels and the visit of shepherds. Matthew has told it in the context of a brightly shining star and the coming of wise men from the East. Others may very well have associated the story with other signal happenings mentioned by neither of these; for any event of importance is attended by a variety of incidental circumstances, and in telling of it, one witness will choose to relate one of the ...

715. When Walls Shift and the Ceiling Collapses

John 8:31-36

Sermon

R. Robert Cueni

A retired minister colleague says he feels as though he has been dropped into the present from an ancient era. "So much has changed. I hardly recognize the world in which I live," he laments. "When I walk the aisles of an electronics store I am bewildered by the products. Entire generations of technology come and go before I understand what it is, how it works, or why I might want to buy it. I tell my grandchildren that, technologically speaking, I am a middle twentieth-century kind of guy trapped in the ...

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