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 51 to 75 of 715 results

51. The Weakest Link

Luke 18:9-14

Sermon

James Merritt

... , this man went down to his house justified rather than the other." (v.14) The highway to heaven is paved with the concrete of humility. Now on the outside you would have thought the Pharisee was the one that was close to God. But on the inside it was the tax collector who had God's heart. The Bible says in Ps. 34:18, "The Lord is near to those who have a broken heart, and saves such as have a contrite spirit." Do you know what really impressed God so much about this man? He was willing to humble himself ...

52. Prayer - What’s in It for You?

Luke 18:9-14

Sermon

John Wayne Clarke

... both men pray. The difference is in the way they pray. One prays filled with pride and spirit. However, that spirit and pride is in himself! The other prays with a sense of humility. When you look at this reading you get a real sense that the tax collector is fully aware of his status, not only to the general public, but more importantly, to his standing before God. One of the primary ways that Jesus taught his disciples was to speak to them in parables. He was able to help them better understand day-to ...

53. Danny Devito In A Tree

Luke 19:1-10

Sermon

King Duncan

... tax burden. The problem with this is that the extra cash was taxable, too. What finally happened? The winner skipped the free jet trip and took a cash settlement. (7) None of us likes to pay taxes. Still, we don't have the hatred for the tax collector that the people had in Jesus' time. Imagine, if the setting were Palestine today and a Palestinian in each village acted as an agent of the Israeli government--and skimmed off some extra besides, he would not last long. And yet Jesus called Zacchaeus down from ...

54. Jesus’ Hospital

Matthew 9:9-13

Sermon

... us to come follow him, but we have to get up and start moving as Matthew did so many years ago. Matthew, by the way, means "Gift of God" in Hebrew. Strange when you think of it, that one with such a name would be a tax collector. Tax collectors were hated by the Jews because these toll masters were seen as turncoats, mercenaries, if you will, who worked for Rome against their own people. In Tibet, when the communist Chinese forces took over in 1959, many Tibetans collaborated with the enemy. They were hated ...

55. A Streetcar Named Desire

Luke 19:1-10

Sermon

James Merritt

... the fire of passion that we ought to have burning in our hearts which even today is burning in the heart of the Lord Jesus Christ. I. The Passion to See "Then Jesus entered and passed through Jericho. Now behold, there was a man named Zacchaeus who was a chief tax collector, and he was rich. And he sought to see who Jesus was, but could not because of the crowd, for he was of short stature. So he ran ahead and climbed up into a sycamore tree to see Him, for He was going to pass that way." (vv.1-4 ...

56. Out On A Limb

Luke 19:1-10

Sermon

Larry R. Kalajainen

... Zacchaeus may have seen himself as a practitioner of "real-politik," but his countrymen saw him as a thief and a traitor. I say thief, because though Rome required a certain amount in taxes from its colonial subjects, it also turned a blind eye to how much the tax collector was able to gouge for his own pockets above and beyond the required sum. So long as he was not so greedy that he incited actual revolt, he was free to fleece his fellow-citizens for as much as he could get them to tough up. So Zacchaeus ...

57. A Reminder of the Graciousness of God

Matthew 9:9-13, 18-26

Sermon

King Duncan & Angela Akers

... corrupt that they weren’t allowed to serve as witnesses in court. Who could trust them? Now it makes sense, doesn’t it, when the local religious leaders saw Jesus hanging out with Matthew, they asked his disciples, “Why does your teacher eat with tax collectors and sinners?” The moment that a rabbi named Jesus chose Matthew as his disciple was the defining moment of Matthew’s life. So I wonder, when he looked back on this moment years later, why he would include this dig against him from the ...

58. Twelfth Night

Luke 2:1-7, Luke 2:8-20

Drama

Jerry Eckert

... . Even for our little town of Bethlehem, that will take weeks with all these strangers around. Field Announcer 1: You may be just the one I'm looking for. Can you tell me where I can find Joseph and Mary of Nazareth? They came here almost two weeks ago. Tax Collector: I haven't run into them yet. They could be anywhere. Why don't you ask the innkeeper? Everyone checked in with him when they came. He's had a madhouse ever since this census was put into effect. The innkeeper and his wife are good people. They ...

59. Two Sons: A Parable

Matthew 21:28-32, Matthew 21:23-27

Sermon Aid

William E. Keeney

... Scripture Isaiah 5:1-7 Ä The song of the vineyard. Amos 6:6-8 Ä Justice, not sacrifice, desired by the Lord. Micah 6:6-8 Ä What the Lord requires beside sacrificial ceremonies. Matthew 7:21, Luke 6:46 Ä Saying Lord, but not obeying. Luke 3:12-13 Ä Tax collectors admonished by John the Baptist. Luke 7:37-50 Ä How Jesus forgave a prostitute. James 1:22-25 Ä Faith demonstrated by works. 1 John 3:18 Ä Love not in word or speech, but in real deeds. Content of the Pericope The parable is unique to Matthew ...

60. When Christians Quarrel: Resolving Conflict in the Church

Matthew 18:15-20

Sermon

Jerry L. Schmalemberger

... good qualities. "It may be that Jesus was saying something like this: ‘When you have done all this, when you have given the sinner every chance, and when he remains stubborn, you may think he is no better than a tax collector and Gentile. Well, you may be right. But I have not found tax collectors and Gentiles hopeless. My experience of them is that they, too, have a heart that can be touched, and there are many of them like Matthew and Zacchaeus, who have become my best friends. Even if the person is ...

61. When the Best People Were Left Out

Matthew 21:28-32

Sermon

King Duncan

... believe him." (NIV) That really was a punch line, and the Pharisees were the ones who were punched. I imagine Jesus heard some gasps and "How dare he!" from the crowd that day. It was unthinkable to compare the righteous Pharisees to blatant sinners like the tax-collectors and prostitutes. Didn't he know that the Pharisees were too good to be lumped together with the likes of them? Didn't he know that only those people with the right "credentials," so to speak, would make it into the Kingdom of God? What ...

62. Reflecting God’s Abundant Love

Luke 18:9-14

Sermon

Molly F. James

... issue here is what the Pharisee’s belief says about God. If what the Pharisee says is true, then God is capricious and vain. The Pharisee’s view is a theology of scarcity. It promotes the belief that God would not or cannot love both a Pharisee and a tax collector that God somehow loves us more when we are superior to our neighbors. No, that is not our God. Our God is a God of abundance and authenticity. Our God is a God who loves each and every one of us — for we are his beloved children. God’s ...

63. The Good Catch

Matthew 17:24-27

Sermon

Lori Wagner

... pay up!” No big deal! The interesting part of the story that make us all smile a bit is that Jesus tells Peter to go and find what he needs within a fish’s mouth. But like most of the stories in scripture, this one told by Matthew the tax collector incidentally, this may be more than a literal pulling of coins from the jaws of a muscht! Peter is a fisherman. He makes his living hauling in fish. Most of what he catches is probably tilapia –St. Peter’s fish we call it—which is abundant in the Sea ...

64. Begging and Bragging

Luke 18:9-14

Sermon

Scott Bryte

... idea. There were these two men who went up to the temple to pray. One of them was a Pharisee and the other was a tax collector. The tax collector had nothing to brag about. His relationship with God was a mess and he knew it. If he was out to impress God with how ... life was, then he didn't have a leg to stand on. His prayer was not a resume. No amount of padding would have helped. The tax collector's prayer wasn't a resume, it was a plea. "God, be merciful to me, a sinner!" (v. 13). It wasn't bragging, it ...

65. Matthew 9: 9-13, 18-26

Matthew 9:9-13

Sweet

Leonard Sweet

... power he commands, an authority and power which may be available to them as well. After calling his fishermen disciples, the only other “calling” recorded in Matthew’s gospel is his own (9:9). In today’s text Matthew is described as a “tax collector” (“telones”), one who was employed to collect the great variety of taxes levied on the people by the regional ruler, Herod Antipas. Jesus’ call comes to Matthew while he is busily engaged in his work. He is in the “tax booth,” collecting ...

66. Where is the Nearest Sycamore Tree?

Luke 19:1-10

Sermon

Johnny Dean

... he is, or even who he thinks he is, but on the basis of who Jesus is. Let’s look at the story. Just before Jesus enters Jerusalem on Palm Sunday, he passes through Jericho. There he has an encounter with a man named Zaccheus, who is a chief tax collector and very rich. If you can’t remember any other Bible story from your childhood, I expect that you remember this one, possibly because of the cute little song that came with it: "Zaccheus was a wee little man, and a wee little man was he/ He climbed up ...

67. Same Question, Same Answer

Luke 3:1-20

Sermon

William G. Carter

... , holding their noses with one hand and holding up their wallets really high with the other hand. All the time they’re saying to themselves, “Yes, Lord, you can have my life, but you’re not going to get my pocketbook.” In the first century, a tax collector made his money on the mark-up that he charged his neighbors. According to the system, the right to collect taxes was sold to the highest bidder. One of your neighbors, a Jew, could buy the privilege to take your tax money and give it to the ...

68. Lord of the Dance

Mark 2:13-22

Sermon

Mark Trotter

... own efforts, we get there by grace. Now let me quickly point out that Matthew left the tax collecting business, and became a disciple of Jesus. He repented of that life, and began to live the life that God wanted him to live. I believe that he gathered his tax collector friends together to meet Jesus because they also wanted to leave the life they were living, and live a better life. They wanted to leave a life of bondage, and to be freed for the fullness of life. So a sub-text of this story is, the way you ...

69. John the Baptist Prepares the Way

Luke 3:1-20

Understanding Series

Craig A. Evans

... in position to take advantage of people were the soldiers (i.e., Jewish policemen), who could use their authority and power to their own advantage (v. 14). John tells them to be content with their pay. Interestingly, both groups (i.e., the tax collectors and the soldiers) have problems with greed and are in positions of authority that enable them to satisfy this greed. All of John’s answers contribute significantly to Luke’s views about possessions and wealth. According to Luke, the evidence of true ...

70. The Little Loser

Luke 19:1-10

Sermon

Will Willimon

... you can't remember any Bible story from your childhood I expect that you remember this one -- little Zacchaeus, the little man in the sycamore tree. For all his wealth, Zacchaeus has two big problems. Not only does everyone in Jericho hate him for being a tax collector, a lackey for the Roman government, a cheat who makes his living by fleecing everyone in town on behalf of the Romans; but he is also ridiculously short: five-foot two at the most,- maybe four-foot-ten even. So Zacchaeus, for all his wealth ...

71. Biography Of A Changed Person

Luke 19:1-10

Sermon

Robert Beringer

... Cronin, you won't have any more trouble with Paul's name. You see, he's Paul Adams now. We've adopted him."1 That is a wonderful story of costly grace, and that is exactly the wonderful gift that Jesus once gave to a heart-hungry tax collector named Zachaeus. Step Four: Rearrange Life's Priorities But there is one more very important step in this biography of a changed person. Once Zacchaeus accepted the grace and forgiveness Jesus offered, he made his decision to give back the goods and money he had stolen ...

72. The Good Son

Matthew 21:28-32

Sermon

Frank Lyman

... . These men had the respect of their community and were the bearers of God's truth, but had betrayed their trusts. They were the "first son" in Jesus' parable. They had said "Yes" to their heavenly Father, but had not done the job. Jesus told them that the tax collectors and the prostitutes would enter the kingdom of God before they would. THIS IS A PARABLE ABOUT INTEGRITY. What we say should match what we do. It's a parable for our time as we see with too much regularity that those who should be people of ...

73. Only the Lost and the Least

Luke 15:1-10

Sermon

Ron Lavin

... from God and people by that sin. The word may also be used to describe someone who is confused by his or her surroundings (geographic, mental, or spiritual) and can't find his or her way home. The Bible uses the term "lost" both ways. Jesus welcomed tax collectors and other bad people who had broken the commandments of God and the laws of the land. He didn't welcome them because he approved of their behavior. He welcomed them because he saw what the religious leaders of his day didn't see; their need ...

74. A Blind Beggar and a Rich Scoundrel

Luke 19:1-10, Luke 18:35-43

Teach the Text

R.T. France

... coming to the people as a whole (1:69, 71, 77; 2:30), but now it is brought down to the individual level. this man, too, is a son of Abraham. Jesus issues this riposte to the grumblers in 19:7. To some Jews, a tax collector (and especially a chief tax collector), even if Jewish by birth, had forfeited any right to be counted among the chosen people. But Zacchaeus’s repentance has restored his birthright. It was to Abraham that God’s promises to his people had especially been made (1:55, 73), and it was ...

75. Parabola

Luke 10:25-37

Sermon

Lori Wagner

... Parable of the Lost Sheep The Parable of the Lost Coin The Parable of the Prodigal Son The Parable of the Dishonest Manager The Parable of the Rich Man and Lazarus The Parable of the Widow and the Unjust Judge The Parable of the Pharisee and the Tax Collector The Parable of the Ten Pounds The Parable of the Wicked Tenants The Parable of the Fig Tree The Mysterious Parabolic Vision in Revelation (4 and 5) The Parable of the Sower (told by Matthew) That same day [the day the Pharisees accused him of having ...

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