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 2273 results

776. Judas Agrees to Betray Jesus

Luke 22:1-6

Understanding Series

Craig A. Evans

... in the Fourth Gospel suggests that the idea of Satan entering Judas was part of the passion tradition which Luke felt best explained Judas’ otherwise inexplicable behavior. Judas offered the religious authorities the very opportunity that they sought. Because he was one of the Twelve, he would know where the group met in the evening and when they might be alone. After striking his evil bargain he watched for an opportunity to hand Jesus over to them when no crowd was present. Additional Notes 22:1 The ...

777. This Kiss

1 Corinthians 15:1-11

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

... As everyone learns from urban (or suburban) legend, KISS is an acronym for "Keep It Simple Stupid". The KISS that Paul plants on the Corinthians is composed of those truths that are "in accordance with the Scriptures" and have been witnessed by "Cephas," "the twelve," "more than five hundred," "James," "the apostles," and Paul himself ("also to me"). "THIS KISS" (as Faith Hill would put it), these things of "first importance" (as Paul the Apostle puts it in verse 3) include 1. "that Christ died for our sins ...

778. Momentous Moment

Mark 14:12-26

Sermon

David T. Ball

... that large upper room, after they had begun to eat, Jesus revealed that he knew he was about to be betrayed. “Truly I tell you, one of you will betray me, one who is eating with me.” “Surely, not I?” the disciples all replied. “It is one of the twelve, one who is dipping bread into the bowl with me.” Run, Jesus, run! Why, oh why, didn’t he get away and hide? Instead, with the mightiest powers in the world closing in, he continued on with the meal, taking a loaf and then a cup, and enacting the ...

779. Nehemiah Helps the Poor

Nehemiah 5:1-19

One Volume

Gary M. Burge

... as they promised. Official oaths of this kind were put in writing and kept on record. The whole episode ends with praise to God for this happy resolution. Nehemiah’s leadership style, alluded to in 5:10, is now further explained (5:14–19). The twelve years (5:14) include time after the events of these chapters but certainly indicate the unselfishness and generosity of his leadership at this time. His concern for the poor and needy and his decision to relinquish his income to alleviate the taxes on his ...

780. Luke 10:1-11, 16-20

Luke 10:1-11, 16-20

Sweet

Leonard Sweet

As Jesus and his followers continue to make their way toward Jerusalem, Luke relates situations that continually elevate Jesus in status and authority. Jesus had already sent out the Twelve on a previous missionary journey (9:1-10), and he was apparently in the habit of sending smaller envoys to villages ahead of himself to announce his coming (9:52). Now, a truly ambitious mission is mounted, with Jesus sending out 70 (or 72?) messengers of the Good News. Luke' ...

781. Waiting And Remembering

1 Corinthians 11:23-26

Sermon

David E. Leininger

This was a special night. Eleven of the twelve there with Jesus knew it was special because this was the Seder meal, the preparation for the celebration of the Passover, a highlight of the religious year. Jesus and Judas knew it would be special for another reason — this would be the night of betrayal. Nothing would be the same ...

782. The Judas Gene

John 18:1-11

Sermon

David E. Leininger

... , and he returned it after the deed was done anyway. If, like the other disciples, he was perennially worried about where he stood in the pecking order, he may also have been reacting to some imagined slight. After all, he was the only one of the twelve who was not a Galilean. Shouldn't his job as treasurer have had him included with the inner circle of Peter, James, and John? Was it disappointment? Some Jews were fanatic nationalists who were prepared to go to any lengths to drive the Romans from Palestine ...

783. Worthwhile Arguments

Mark 9:33-37

Sermon

Richard Patt

... himself (even though in his supreme humility at the cross he was). No, the gentle approach of Jesus was to ask this casual question, "What were you arguing about on the road?" And then, in his typical pastoral patience, we read that "Jesus sat down, called the twelve disciples, and said to them, ‘Whoever wants to be first must place himself last of all and be the servant of all’ " (v. 35). A worthless argument was thus made good. III If there must be arguments among us, let’s at least make them ...

784. Tangible Tests

John 20:19-23, John 20:24-31

Sermon

David & Marian Plant

... — the church at its most believable self — is when it blows the tangible test out of the water, scoring off the charts. It’s the early believers and questioners being face-to-face with Jesus. It’s the disciples — not just the Twelve but also others who followed Jesus – face-to-face with the resurrected Jesus. It’s the potential converts — both Jewish and Gentile — meeting face-to-face with real eyewitnesses to Jesus’ life and teachings, seeking answers for all their questions about ...

785. The Beauty of a Childlike Faith

Matthew 18:1-9

Sermon

Bill Bouknight

... about the coming Kingdom of God. When the disciples heard the word "kingdom" they thought of King David's mighty empire a thousand years earlier. They hoped that Jesus might lead a revolutionary army to free Israel from Roman domination. Then perhaps the twelve disciples would be his Cabinet or regional governors. These thoughts set their ambitions to soaring. Even the disciples' relatives got into the act. The mother of James and John asked Jesus to look out for her boys in the coming glory days. Finally ...

786. Luke 13:22-30

Luke 13:22-30

Sweet

Leonard Sweet

... presence of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. All of heaven, Jesus suggests, will be having a huge party - a feast of immense proportions. Jesus does eventually circle back to the original question of "how many." But his implication is obviously well beyond the Twelve, or the Seventy, or any other mystical apocalyptic number. Entering through the narrow door is the only admission ticket required of all these guests - and as verse 26 has already pointed out, previous dining experience is absolutely no guarantee of ...

787. Luke 13:22-30

Luke 13:22-30

Sweet

Leonard Sweet

788. Mark 10:35-45

Mark 10:35-45

Sweet

Leonard Sweet

... to others as the key to genuine discipleship. This week's text begins by identifying two specific disciples, James and John, the sons of Zebedee. James and John, along with Peter and Andrew, often serve Mark both as a kind of "inner circle" among the Twelve and as general representatives of what all the disciples are thinking and feeling. In this case, their question and the later reaction of all the disciples (10:41) suggest they are serving as handy spokesmen for the whole group. The ludicrous nature of ...

789. 1 Samuel 16:1-13

1 Samuel 16:1-13

Sweet

Leonard Sweet

... over Israel. Contrasting the tale of Saul's anointing with that of David's selection as king reveals a vast disparity between the two men. Perhaps the individual most cognizant of these differences is Samuel. Samuel is already a respected seer among the twelve tribes when the people's clamoring for a ruler goaded God into approving them a king. The Lord speaks privately with Samuel, revealing to him where this ruler will hail from and assuring the prophet that this man will be easily recognizable. Samuel ...

790. 1 Samuel 16:1-13

1 Samuel 16:1-13

Sweet

Leonard Sweet

791. Jesus Anointed at Bethany

Mark 14:1-11

One Volume

Gary M. Burge

... as a preparation for his burial, and he commemorates it because the woman somehow understands that the mystery of the gospel is revealed in Jesus’s death (14:9). Mark closes the sandwich by returning to Judas. Identifying him as “one of the Twelve” may warn readers that closeness to Jesus does not guarantee faithfulness. Mark is silent about Judas’s motives for betraying Jesus, although money played a role (14:11). Judas’s betrayal is more premeditated, but all the disciples will defect as well ...

792. Divorce

Matthew 5:31-32

Understanding Series

Robert H. Mounce

... to the message of Jesus. One of the distinct features of Matthew’s Gospel is that the teaching of Jesus is collected into five sections. The Sermon on the Mount (chaps. 5–7) is the first of these blocks. The others are Instructions to the Twelve (chap. 10), Parables of the Kingdom (chap. 13), Life in the Christian Community (chap. 18), and Eschatological Judgment (chaps. 23–25). Each block closes with a formula similar to, “When Jesus had finished saying these things” (7:28; 11:1; 13:53; 19:1 ...

793. Learning from the Sins of the Past

Deut 1:9-46

One Volume

Gary M. Burge

... brought along some fruit (“cluster of grapes,” Num. 13:23) from the Valley of Eshkol (1:25). Nevertheless, the people decided to “rebel” (a technical term for breach of covenant terms) against the command of God because of the report by ten of the twelve spies that advised the land was unassailable. Only Joshua and Caleb thought the land could be conquered despite the presence of the Anakim giants (cf. Num. 13:26–33). Caleb and Joshua, unlike the other ten, feared God, not the obstacles (Num. 14:7 ...

794. The Priestly Garments

Exodus 28:1-5

Understanding Series

James K. Bruckner

... that they used gold thread (see comment at 28:6–14). The chapter describes the purpose of the vestments in various ways: the garments are so they may serve me as priests (vv. 1, 3, 4); the two engraved onyx stones on the ephod vest and the twelve precious stones on the breastplate were “to bear the names” of the tribes of Israel before the Lord (vv. 12, 29); the Urim and Thummim on the breastplate were so the high priest would “always bear the means of making decisions . . . before the LORD” (v ...

795. An Eye for an Eye

Matthew 5:38-42

Understanding Series

Robert H. Mounce

796. Brush It Off

Luke 10:1-11, 16-20

Sermon

Lori Wagner

... and shelter. But that’s not the direction the disciples were given. They are told to take nothing with them, to plan nothing, to count on nothing, to take things entirely as they come! Discipleship with Jesus is not an easy undertaking! The twelve are indeed like lambs (helpless, defenseless, and dependent) among wolves (unknown, foreign, gentile people –whom we might call “loose canons”). They had no idea what to expect. And yet, their job was to be vulnerable –to proclaim the gospel, to be kind ...

797. Luke 17:5-10

Luke 17:5-10

Sweet

Leonard Sweet

The Lukan travel narrative (Jesus' journey to Jerusalem) is interrupted rather abruptly in today's text by two distinct thoughts, the first of which is a demand placed upon him by the "apostles" (v. 5) by whom Luke clearly means the Twelve: "Increase our faith!" The request is the Lukan version of the Matthean account in 17:20 where it is attached to an incident in which the disciples, having been asked to cure a man's son of his epileptic seizures, are unable to do so. In that account, Jesus, clearly ...

798. The Table

Exodus 25:23-30

Understanding Series

James K. Bruckner

... was to hold “the bread of the Presence” in plates and dishes of pure gold. The spirit-filled artisans under Bezalel’s direction were to design these dishes (31:1–6; 35:30–35). Some dishes held incense for the altar. The Lord describes the twelve loaves of bread in Leviticus 24:5–9. The priests would eat this unleavened bread in the Lord’s presence and replace it every Sabbath. It also had a function in the ordination of priests, where they “waved” it before the Lord (called “shewbread ...

799. Persecution in Jerusalem

Acts 12:1-19a

One Volume

Gary M. Burge

... supported by Luke’s statement that Herod persecuted the early apostles to strengthen his standing among the Jews (12:3). In listing the evil deeds of Herod, Luke mentions Herod’s execution of James the brother of John (12:2). Since James was one of the Twelve (Luke 5:10; 6:14), his death signifies the martyrdom of the first apostle, one of the leaders of the Jerusalem church. The miraculous deliverance of Peter from prison recalls a similar event in 5:17–24, but the details included here point back to ...

800. Jesus' Burial

Mark 15:42-47

One Volume

Gary M. Burge

... ,” “James the younger,” and “Joseph” (15:40) are probably (although not certainly) Jesus’s family members mentioned in 6:3. The names of these and the reference to “many other women” (15:41) indicate that Jesus was followed by more than the Twelve apostles. Ironically, women unmentioned before now remain to the bitter end at the cross. True, they stand at a “distance,” but the distance of the women is better than the absence of the apostles. Into the report of the women’s trepidation ...

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