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 776 to 800 of 4959 results

776. In The Middle Of The Night

Luke 9:28-36

Sermon

King Duncan

... ? If you have ever laid awake mulling over a deep hurt or a nagging worry, you know what he is talking about. The middle of the night can be mighty long and lonely. The story of Jesus on the Mount of Transfiguration occurred at a time when the disciples were in the middle of a long night. The story is told by Matthew, Mark and Luke with an almost equal amount of detail. It is significant that each of the Evangelists introduces his telling of the story with the same word, "after." That word is something more ...

777. Aging Is Mandatory; Maturity Is Optional

Mark 9:33-37

Sermon

King Duncan

... sleep in 1955. The Princeton faculty was assembled and told that Einstein was dead. There came a quick gasp of surprise. Then, from the back of the room, came a voice: "So, who gets his office?" (1) It didn't take long for their true feelings to emerge. The disciples together for a little heart-to-heart chat. When he finally had their attention, he said to them, "Whoever wants to be first must be last of all and servant of all." Then he took a little child and put it among them; and taking it in his arms ...

778. "yes, And..."

Luke 24:44-53

Sermon

King Duncan

... show. So, for 20 years, the announcement that this was his last show ensured Leonard a big ovation at the close of his act. (1) Our Bible reading for today is about Jesus' "final curtain," but he didn't need any gimmicks to keep his audience's attention. The disciples were hanging on his every word. This was the last time he would ever speak to them in the flesh, and they didn't want to miss a word of it. In chapter 24, Luke tells us: Then he opened their minds so they could understand the Scriptures. He ...

779. No Longer Orphans

John 14:15-31

Sermon

Donald B. Strobe

... . We are never alone, for Christ's continuous coming to be with us is a blessed and most glorious fact. He came at Bethlehem. He came to the bedside of the sick and dying in the Galilee. He came to the tomb of Lazarus at Bethany. He came to the disciples in the Upper Room, ever after His death and resurrection. He came in the Holy Spirit at Pentecost.(Acts 2) He has continued to come to those who love and serve Him down through the ages. He continues to come to us through the medium of sermon, song, and ...

780. On Panicking Close to Shore

John 6:16-24

Sermon

Donald B. Strobe

... Yes, He knows! Hang on. He comes. He cares. He is with us even when we do not know that he is near. And He comes to us and says, It is I. Do not be afraid.’ “ As I said, Jesus’ words on this occasion are simply, “I am.” The disciples may well have thought to themselves, “That sounds familiar. Where have we heard that phrase before? Oh, yes, that was the divine Name given to Moses when he met God in the burning bush and asked, “What is your name?” In the Bible, “name” means more than mere ...

781. Half-Time is Now Over

Luke 24:13-35

Sermon

Eric Ritz

... Jesus was giving them a chance to change the world. That brings us to a question that we should often ask ourselves as we travel on our own Emmaus road. Are we affecting the world--or is the world infecting us? Jesus knew there would be no instant disciples or microwave saints--but that we would need His presence forever in our lives. We would need him to guide every step of the journey we take, knowing that he has walked every step before us. Christ came not to remove all suffering from our journey but to ...

782. When the Storms Come

Mark 4:35-41

Sermon

King Duncan

... asks, "Why are you so afraid? Do you still have no faith?" I believe this is the crux of the lesson. We know that storms come. We believe that Christ has the power to calm the storms. Why are we afraid to trust God's promises? Christ knew that his disciples were human beings, given to fear. He knew that they were still growing in their faith. His retort to them sounds harsh, but it is the harshness of a coach who wants his players to get the routine down precisely so that when they are tested they will be ...

783. An Extraterrestrial Celebration

John 13:1-17

Sermon

King Duncan

... . John tells us that it was just before the Passover Feast. Jesus knew that the time had come for him to leave this world and go to the Father. The evening meal was being served, and Judas Iscariot was already plotting to betray him. According to John, Jesus wanted his disciples to know just how much he loved them, so before we get to the story of the bread and the wine, we have one of the most shocking scenes in human history. The Son of God got up from the meal, took off his outer clothing, and wrapped a ...

784. Joy to the World

Mark 16:1-8

Sermon

Mark Trotter

... just take care of those things. They assumed that it was all over. It had ended on Friday. They got to the place where he was laid, Joseph of Arimathea's tomb. He is not there. An angel is there. The angel announces, "He is risen. Go tell the disciples and Peter that he is not here, and he will meet them in Galilee." And they went out and fled from the tomb; for trembling and astonishment had come upon them; and they said nothing to any one, for they were afraid. That is astonishing. They were trembling and ...

785. Thanks for Nothing!

Luke 21:5-38

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

... salvation. If we could do it ourselves, we wouldn't have need of a savior. There is nothing you did to deserve this. There is nothing you can do to earn this. All that is, and all that is in you, is a gift. If you would call yourself a disciple of Christ this Thanksgiving, you're asked to offer up a very special, very specific prayer. Thanks for nothing, Jesus! Thank you for emptying our minds of judgments so your wisdom can reveal God's plan and God's purpose for this day. Thank you for emptying our hearts ...

786. No Self-Respecting Christian

Matthew 16:21-28

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

... was fully and equally represented, took the first thirty years of his human life-span to grow into his messianic identity. The road to Jerusalem and the cross was as difficult a journey for Jesus as it is for each and every disciple who's ever followed him. Disciples of Jesus, we who dare to call ourselves "Christian," were not commanded by our Master, our Savior, to shapeup and get respectable. Jesus calls us to be Rodney Dangerfields, "get-no-respect" people. Will you this morning deny your self-serving ...

787. Which Will It Be - the Silvered Cross or the Slivered Cross?

Matthew 17:1-13, Mark 9:2-13

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

... clueless about Jesus and his mission after this event as before. The transfiguration functions more as a booster-shot of energy for Jesus Moses and Elijah both tasted rejection and ridicule on earth than it did as to boost the faithfulness of the disciples. The disciples have an excuse: they are awed by the cloud, the presences, the voice from above. We have no excuse for being uncomprehending about the mission of Jesus and his message about true discipleship. The cross of Christ tells us that we're broken ...

788. Changed Lives - Mary Magdalene

John 20:10-18

Sermon

King Duncan

... of mountain peaks and blue skies in Microsoft Excel 97. Do you know what these little hidden software surprises are called? Easter eggs! Surprise! (3) Surprise is the best word to describe that first Easter Sunday. No one expected Jesusto rise from the dead. If you think the disciples made all this up, it just doesn’t jibe with the record. They were just as shocked as you and I would be if we went to the funeral of a loved one, and suddenly a person who had been dead for three days got up out of the ...

789. Recognizing Christ

Luke 24:13-35

Sermon

King Duncan

... Jesus to rise from the grave. Even though he had tried to prepare them for this event, they didn’t have a clue. They were confused. They were grieving. They were starting to scatter, perhaps out of fear that their lives might be in danger too. The two disciples in our story for the day were leaving Jerusalem. They were defeated. Their dreams lay in dust. It was time to get away and to reflect on their future. What were they to do with their lives now? Go back to fishing or farming or whatever they had ...

790. Star Witness

John 1:35-51

Sermon

James Merritt

... when God will providentially put people in your path, and give you an opportunity to share the Lord Jesus Christ. This is exactly what happened here. As Jesus was walking, He is spotted by John the Baptist. He cries out, "Behold the Lamb of God!" Two of the disciples of John the Baptist hear him, and they begin to follow Jesus. It was in the providence of God that Jesus would walk that day in that place, and would be seen by John the Baptist who would make that statement, who would in turn motivate those ...

791. From Selfishness to Servanthood

Matthew 20:20-28

Sermon

Bill Bouknight

... feet, and my feet looked new. Looked at the world and the world did too!” Today’s message and the next three are under the general title, “U-Turn Recommended.” I will focus on certain radical changes that are mandatory when one becomes a disciple of Jesus Christ. The radical change I’m declaring today is “From Selfishness to Servanthood.” Robert Fulghum, who wrote “All I Really Need to Know I Learned in Kindergarten,” says that he has attached to the mirror in his bathroom a picture of a ...

792. A Say-so Spirituality

John 20:19-31

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

... ) is a positive answer to the question "Do you believe you are a special agent of the Lord?" We can answer that question "Yes," we can fill in that hole with our number 2 pencil, because we have God's "say-so." When Jesus appeared to the fear-frozen disciples locked away in that secretive upper room, he did more than witness to the miracle of his resurrection. He came to proclaim his "peace." He came to impart the Holy Spirit. He came to pronounce that as the Father had sent him into the world, so he now ...

793. Say What?

Luke 9:28-36 (37-43)

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

... to stay in place, to meditate, to just sit down and wait, until the word and power from on high arrive. "I don't know" can be good theology. No one really knows what happened during the six days Jesus shared with the trio of disciples on the Mount of Transfiguration. Nobody even knows where the Mount of Transfiguration is. All we really know is that Jesus and his three closest friends climbed a mountain of prayer and entered the presence of God. Something wondrous and miraculous happened to them, something ...

794. Mark 6:7-13

Mark 6:7-13

Sweet

Leonard Sweet

... of his true nature. In this week's gospel text, these two roads merged into one path as Jesus sent his frail contingent of followers out to minister to the villages of the land. That Jesus chooses this particular moment to usher his disciples forth into their first "solo missions" is somewhat surprising. They have evidenced no great new insight into Jesus and his mission. They are still gamboling along, bumbling about two steps behind each punch line in his parables, about three steps behind in recognizing ...

795. Luke 19:28-40

Luke 19:28-40

Sweet

Leonard Sweet

... and glory into the future, "in heaven," instead of "on earth." In the final verses in this week's text, Luke interjects his favorite nemeses into this triumphal scene. From out of the watching crowd some Pharisees complain to Jesus about his disciples' exuberant behavior. Whether these Pharisees are concerned for Jesus' safety (a highly unlikely event in Luke's gospel), or simply trying to protect their own political necks is not at issue. Regardless of its motivation, their criticism evokes from Jesus the ...

796. Acts 2:1-21

Acts 2:1-21

Sweet

Leonard Sweet

... message of true equality and reciprocity among all people in the Spirit. Ironically, this week's lectionary reading stops at verse 21 before Peter reveals the capstone to his message, indeed the real reason for a Pentecost event. Peter and the rest of the disciples who we may now call "the church" have been invested with the power of this Holy Spirit so that they may speak about one thing: salvation through Jesus Christ. It is in verses 22-24 that Peter gives his first public witness about that message ...

797. Matthew 9:35-10:8 (9-23)

Matthew 9:35-10:8 (9-23)

Sweet

Leonard Sweet

... , Matthew has been busy stockpiling healing and miracle stories one after another in order to build an indisputable case for Jesus' divinity. Matthew's focus on the miracles has been so intense that there has been little said up to this point about the disciples who follow him and are witnesses to all these wondrous works. Verses 35-38 serve, then, a transitional purpose. They offer a final summing up of Jesus' healing ministry while opening up a new line of discussion the mission and message that must ...

798. Luke 19:28-40

Luke 19:28-40

Sweet

Leonard Sweet

799. Mark 11:1-11

Mark 11:1-11

Sweet

Leonard Sweet

... Jesus knows about his animal and his use of the phrase "The Lord needs it. . ." certainly seems to identify this as another wonder story. Jesus intuitively "knows" a colt meeting all his requirements is located on a certain street. He also is able to pass along to his disciples the words that will act as a kind of "open sesame" for them. Their response of "The Lord needs it. . ." should be seen as a reference to Jesus as "the Lord" not, as some suggest, as "the Lord" or master of the colt. Typical of Mark's ...

800. Matthew 23:1-12

Matthew 23:1-12

Sweet

Leonard Sweet

... . The problem Jesus addresses here is the gaping hole that has developed between the spoken words and lived practices of the teaching scribes and Pharisees. The weight of this rift between word and deed falls directly on the shoulders of those, like Jesus' disciples, who earnestly attempt to live according to the Law. Their sacrifices of time, money and goods made it possible for a class of scribes and Pharisees and rabbis to exist in the first place. But, instead of standing shoulder to shoulder with those ...

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