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 2815 results

776. Oh, Jerusalem

Luke 13:31-35

Sermon

Frank Ramirez

... in store for Jerusalem. He longs as a mother hen to draw in the people and protect them. And he admits that because of the free will granted to all of us by God, there may be some people he cannot help. Today's passage immediately follows a parable of judgment, complete with the gnashing of teeth. He reminds us that there can be losers, if we insist on making bad choices. Then, when he is told that Herod wants to kill him, he dismisses Herod's power — but still there is compassion. When people choose a ...

777. Stuff!

Luke 12:13-21

Sermon

... from the program! Sarcasm aside, and that was sarcastic I'll have to admit, are we really so different from the rich man in today's parable? Is more ever enough? Are we ever satisfied with what we have, or do we constantly strive for more and more? It doesn't help ... he wished that the sausages were off of his wife's nose. And they sat down for dinner and a fine dinner it was!2 Our parable today asks us to think about our stuff in two ways: How much stuff do we really need and when we have excess stuff why ...

778. No Work, No Food!

2 Thessalonians 3:6-13

Sermon

Scott Suskovic

... at the crack of dawn made it to the front of the line, they expected something more in their paychecks, but were disappointed to find out that their full-day work amounted to the same paycheck as those Johnny-come-latelys who only worked for one hour. Jesus' parable reminds us that in the kingdom of God, all are seen as equals. From those who were baptized as infants to the thief on the cross who made it through the gates at the eleventh hour, all are treated equally. Does that mean that we can sleep in ...

779. Go Hard or Go Home!

Luke 12:35-48

Sermon

King Duncan

... something! Jesus wants his followers to be productive. That’s the first thing we need to see. In today’s lesson he tells a parable about a wise and faithful servant whom his master left in charge of his household. How happy the master will be, Jesus tells ... poor fellow who buried his talent in the ground had even the one talent taken from him (Matthew 25:14-30). In another parable, there is even an unscrupulous servant who found out he was being fired and used his master’s money to buy friends. To his ...

780. An Invitation to a Wedding

Matthew 22:1-14

Sermon

King Duncan

... to the street corners and invite to the banquet anyone you find.’ So the servants went out into the streets and gathered all the people they could find, the bad as well as the good, and the wedding hall was filled with guests.” This parable sounds very much like the parable we dealt with last week about a landowner who rented a vineyard to some rebellious tenants. But this story takes a strange twist. The wedding did go on with those who chose to come. However, “when the king came in to see the guests ...

781. Lost

Luke 15:1-7

Sermon

James Merritt

... and there was little Johnny, sitting in a little toy car, with the stroller right beside him waving at the parents through the window. The father almost started balling his eyes out. They were so relieved, and so happy, and so joyful. This is a modern retelling of a parable Jesus told and a true story about when Teresa and I lost our oldest son James. If that has ever happened to you or when it does know this – you will have just seen the heart and the mind of God. When my son was lost, at that point ...

782. Favoritism Forbidden

James 2:1-13, James 2:14-26

Understanding Series

Peter H. Davids

... case, for as R. Hiyya said: “He who turns his eyes away from almsgiving is as if he worshipped idols” (b. Kettubim 68a, from C. G. Montefiore and H. Loewe, A Rabbinic Anthology [New York: Schocken Books, 1974], p. 413; see further pp. 412–39). Jesus’ parable of the rich man and Lazarus (Luke 16:19–31) taught that the failure to meet an obvious need despite having the means damns a person. 2:17 The term by itself is particularly close to the body-breath analogy and might have suggested it to James ...

783. Praying for Endurance and Healing

James 4:13-17, James 5:1-6, James 5:7-12, James 5:13-20

Understanding Series

Peter H. Davids

... the Old Testament (e.g., Job 31:16–20) and is based on teachings such as Deut. 15:7–11. It is the basis of the parable of the rich man and Lazarus (Luke 16:19–31), for the rich man is condemned to hell simply because there was a need at ... (Grand Rapids: Wm. B. Eerdmans), pp. 57–80, 91–119, 193–212. 5:4 The workmen who mowed your fields also appear in Jesus’ parables (Matt. 9:37; 10:10; Mark 1:20; Luke 10:2; 15:17). In the Old Testament righteous people might protest that they always paid ...

784. Jesus Turns to His New Family

Mark 3:31-35, Mark 3:20-30

Teach the Text

Grant R. Osborne

... our lives and in the world. We must heed the warnings of Scripture regarding spiritual warfare (Eph. 6:10–20) and at the same time remember that “the one who is in you is greater than the one who is in the world” (1 John 4:4). The unpardonable sin Parable: There was a man who went to the store to buy the perfect gift for his son’s birthday. He finds something that he is sure his son will appreciate, but he does not have enough money to buy it. So he sells some of his possessions and even works ...

785. Feasting and Fasting

Luke 5:33-39, Luke 5:27-32

Teach the Text

R.T. France

... regime. This made them unclean in the eyes of the religious purists, and no respectable teacher would be seen in their company. Luke makes a great deal of Jesus’s controversial openness to tax collectors; see 7:29, 34; 15:1, and note especially the parable in which a tax collector is the unexpected “hero” (18:9–14) and the story of the “chief tax collector” Zacchaeus (19:1–10). Interpretive Insights 5:27 by the name of Levi. The story is clearly the same as that of “Matthew” in Matthew ...

786. Lessons on Devotion and Prayer

Luke 11:1-13, Luke 10:38-42

Teach the Text

R.T. France

... weakness, naturally pray to be spared such an ordeal if possible. Luke’s version of the prayer omits the balancing “worst-case scenario,” appealing for rescue when things do get the better of us (cf. Matt. 6:13b). 11:5–8 Suppose you have a friend. This homely parable teaches that it is not a waste of time to ask God for what you need. If even a reluctant neighbor can be prevailed upon to help, how much more so we can count on help from God, who both knows and wants what is best for his people ...

787. Ready for the Kingdom of God?

Luke 13:31-35, Luke 13:22-30, Luke 13:18-21

Teach the Text

R.T. France

... to get through it indicate that only a minority will make it. You cannot simply drift into the kingdom of God. 13:25–27 Away from me, all you evildoers! Not only is the door narrow and difficult, but also it will not remain open forever. This little parable of the householder and his would-be guests adds a note of urgency to the exhortation of 13:24, and the repeated use of “you” enhances its challenge. But it also spells out the reason why some will be unable to enter. The repeated charge “I don ...

788. A Blind Beggar and a Rich Scoundrel

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

Teach the Text

R.T. France

... ’s journey to Jerusalem or “gospel to the outcast” (Luke 9–19), it may be helpful when teaching this passage to review some of the key texts in Luke that carry forward this theme. Notice especially these three: the call of Levi (5:27–32), the parables of lost things (chap. 15), and the Zacchaeus episode. The call of Levi concerns a tax collector and opposition to Jesus’s dining with sinners. It climaxes with Jesus’s claim that, as the great physician, he has not come to call the self-righteous ...

789. Paul Reinterprets the Story of Israel

Romans 2:17-29

Teach the Text

C. Marvin Pate

... God from the heart. Illustrating the Text There is only one covenant relationship with God, based on faith in Jesus. Bible: The Parable of the Prodigal Son (Luke 15:11–32). In this parable the lost son could represent the repentant Gentile, and the older, Pharisaic-like brother could stand for the unbelieving Jew. Bible: The Parable of the Vineyard Workers (Matt. 20:1–16). This parable nicely illustrates the reversal of values and rewards that will be meted out on judgment day. Those who worked all day ...

790. Clean and Unclean

Matthew 15:1-20

One Volume

Gary M. Burge

... (15:15). Jesus’s response to his disciples indicates that he expects them to have understood his teaching here (15:16–17). Despite their insider status in relation to Jesus’s teaching in parables (13:11, 18–23, 36–43, 51), they do not fully understand Jesus’s teachings. Jesus’s words “Are you [plural] still so dull?” (15:16) demonstrate that they have fallen short of his expectations for understanding. Jesus’s call to “listen and understand” (15:10) invites Matthew’s audience ...

791. The Time Is Now!

Luke 24:50-53

Sermon

Robert Leslie Holmes

... to the church in Jerusalem has been carried down through generations and across continents until today, when we hold it and determine what future, if any, it has. The reality of the ascension of Jesus is this: We have work to do. Our Lord has already indicated this in his parables of the talents, each is designed to help the people who first heard them know that his kingdom is not to come immediately. Many of the people who follow him expect the kingdom to be fulfilled when Jesus reaches Jerusalem. These ...

792. Clean and Unclean

Matthew 15:1-20

Understanding Series

Robert H. Mounce

... sin of rejecting Jesus. Jesus’ response to the timidity of the disciples, who apparently did not wish to offend the religious rulers, was that plants not planted by his heavenly Father would be pulled up by the roots, so for the time being they may be left alone (cf. the parable of the wheat and the weeds, Matt. 13:24–30, 36–43). The image of Israel as a vineyard is common in the Old Testament (Isa. 5:1–7; 60:21; cf. 1QS 8.5). Not only has allegiance to oral tradition led them to dishonor the law of ...

793. Jesus' Teaching on Prayer

Luke 11:1-13

Understanding Series

Craig A. Evans

... exhortation to trust God for meeting needs (vv. 9–13). The first and third parts evidently come from the sayings source and appear in Matthew’s Sermon on the Mount, though not together as they are here (see Matt. 6:9–13; 7:7–11). The Parable of the Persistent Friend occurs only in Luke. Evans (p. 43) suggests that Luke may have seen a parallel with Deut. 8:4–20 where Moses reminds the Israelites of God’s adequate provision of food and clothing during their years of wandering in the wilderness ...

794. Faith and Deeds

James 2:14-26, James 2:1-13

Understanding Series

Peter H. Davids

795. Praying for Endurance and Healing

James 5:1-6, James 4:13-17, James 5:7-12, James 5:13-20

Understanding Series

Peter H. Davids

796. Praying for Endurance and Healing

James 5:7-12, James 4:13-17, James 5:1-6, James 5:13-20

Understanding Series

Peter H. Davids

797. Praying for Endurance and Healing

James 5:13-20, James 4:13-17, James 5:1-6, James 5:7-12

Understanding Series

Peter H. Davids

798. Broken Promises

Matthew 21:28-32

Sermon

King Duncan

... and smoked and talked with some of her friends. Now, if you were in the shoes of these parents, which of the babysitters will you hire the next time? (1) Jesus was in a conversation with the chief priests and the elders of the people and he told a parable about a man who had two sons. The man went to the first one and said, “Son, I want you to work in the vineyard today.” The older son was in a somewhat rebellious mood and answered, “No way!” But afterwards he felt bad about his response and went ...

799. Planted for a Purpose

Luke 13:1-9

Sermon

John M. Braaten

... , he simply sidesteps the huge question of why there is pain and tragedy in the world, and he focuses instead on the purpose of human life. To him the question is not, "Why do people die the way they do?" but, "Why are we given life?" By means of the parable of the fig tree when Jesus reminds the people of his day that Israel had a noble calling; God had planted them on earth for a particular purpose. They were to be a special people, agents of God's mercy in the world, and they were to bear fruit befitting ...

800. About Unclaimed Luggage

Luke 15:1-7, Luke 15:8-10, Luke 15:11-32

Sermon

King Duncan

... you make out of yourself and your world is of infinite importance to God. But this brings us to our last question: Is there any way out of the fog? Is there a cure for our lostness? Obviously there is or Jesus would not have told these parables. There can be no rejoicing shepherd, no rejoicing woman, no rejoicing father if that which is lost cannot be found. Joanie Yoder has worked for many years with drug-addicted youth. It can be frustrating work as you might imagine. Yet Joanie says she was never tempted ...

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