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 801 to 825 of 1225 results

801. The Cost of Being a Prophet

Mark 6:14-29

Sermon

George Reed

John the Baptist is one of the heroes of the Christian faith. More of the churches that bear the name Saint John do so in honor of John the Baptist than John the Evangelist. Perhaps it is because he is so closely linked with the birth of Jesus as Mary and Elizabethshare their pregnancies. John is the one who baptizes Jesus and it is after the death of John that Jesus begins to enter into his public ministry in earnest. Yet, few people wear ...

802. Yesterday, Today, and Forever

Acts 8:26-40

Sermon

Ron Lavin

... the entrance sacrament into Christian community are the themes running through not only Acts 8, but the story that follows our text. Acts 9 opens with the story of the colossal conversion of Saul, the persecutor, who became Saint Paul, the missionary apostle and evangelist. Like the Ethiopian, Saul is changed by Jesus. He confesses Christ as Lord and Savior is baptized and gets the new name Paul. These are all yesterday's stories, stories of what happened in the past. What difference do they make for today ...

803. From a Distance

Hebrews 11:1-3, 8-19

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

... s no bottom to your eyes, they hold more," he once told his faithful landlady (O'Connor, Wise Blood [New York: Farrar, Straus and Giroux, 1962], 222). [Warning: Hazel Mote's usefulness in the illustration ends with this quote. His career as an evangelist of questionable character ended with his self-inflicted blindness.] Perhaps distance does the same thing for all of us who are sighted. A hyperopic view of life's dreams and expectations can stretch out before us, full of infinite possibilities - even while ...

804. Do You Look Good On Wood?

Matthew 16:21-28

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

... we are empowered to "live a new life" (Romans 6:4 NIV). When Christ enters our lives, we experience the deepest character changes one can ever have. What is "character"? At its simplest, character is living your life according to a set of shared values. My evangelist-mother, Mabel Boggs Sweet, had a sermon in which she argued that character was what you do when nobody is looking. Character enables life to be lived from the inside out. Are we prepared for a character change? Think we could look good on wood ...

805. God Will Be God

Matthew 20:1-16

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

... person of Jesus, the Christ. The most unfathomable sacrifice made by God is the redemptive death of that love and grace on a cross for our sake and for our salvation. Thank God ... that God is God, and we are not. Alternative Sermon Idea Oklahoma evangelist George Brock III says that Jesus "came down, laid down, got down, sat down and stepped down." First, Jesus "came down" to show us God's love. Second, Jesus "laid down" his life as he was "wounded for our transgression; chastised for our iniquity." Third ...

806. Seeker-Friendly

Luke 15:1-10

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

... in-house pottage. Evangelism gadfly Roy Fish hits the nail on the head when he emphasizes the difference between "come and hear" and "go and tell" ministries. "People often say, 'Come and hear the gospel taught in our church' or 'Come and hear our evangelist preach the gospel.' This 'come and hear' kind of religion constitutes a reversal of the Great Commission of Jesus. His instructions to his church were not to invite people to 'come and hear,' but for believers to 'go and tell.' The main responsibility ...

807. Mark 12:38-44

Mark 12:38-44

Sweet

Leonard Sweet

... been powerfully shaped by the 70s issues of Jewish and Christian identity. "Judaism created Christianity by pushing it out," Bernard Brandon Scott has argued. And the attempt at establishing boundaries, distinctions and rationales heavily influence the Evangelists' presentation of Jesus' problematic relationship with the Pharisees (whom some biblical scholars argue he seldom if ever encountered) and Sadducees (whom he vigorously opposed). With the exception of the exchange between Jesus and the scribe in ...

808. 2 Timothy 3:14-4:5

2 Timothy 3:14-4:5

Sweet

Leonard Sweet

... and toward the old "myths" or false teachings (see 1 Timothy 1:3-7). Paul closes this charge in verse 5 with another su de directed toward Timothy - contrasting Timothy's loyalty with those in verse 4. Timothy is to "be sober," "endure suffering" and "do the work of an evangelist." This final directive covers not only all that Paul has specifically dealt with in this letter, but anything else that might conceivably be seen as a part of a vital ministry.

809. Mark 12:38-44

Mark 12:38-44

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

810. Acts 2:1-21

Acts 2:1-21

Sweet

Leonard Sweet

... reality, at least an ongoing possibility. The Holy Spirit is what pushes the church out from behind those closed upper-room doors and into the marketplace, the public square, the board room, etc. Because Pentecost happened, the church's evangelistic mission was born. Relating the Texts Paul's pastoral counsel to the contentious Corinthians is both decisive and diplomatic. The Corinthian church is evidently a strong, growing, vital faith community - charged up for Christ and eagerly committed to the ...

811. Mark 1:1-8

Mark 1:1-8

Sweet

Leonard Sweet

... " clearly directs this urgent order to a group, not any one individual. With the wilderness motif established in verse 3, the narrator continues its use in verse 4. Some scholars have suggested that placing John "in the wilderness" might have been the evangelist's later reaction to the events in order to make John's mission more theologically consistent with the gospel's own themes. However, John's personal "wildness" would seem to discount this concern. His entire lifestyle embodies a wilderness motif. The ...

812. John 1:43-51

John 1:43-51

Sweet

Leonard Sweet

... clear that, despite Philip’s enthusiasm, Nathanael is less than impressed. “Nazareth” was nothing to boast about in Nathanael’s opinion. There were no “90210” connotations that came to mind with the locale of Nazareth. Philip does not miss the evangelistic moment: He urges Nathanael to “Come and see” for himself. As Nathanael approaches, Jesus greets him with an unusual salutation: “Here is truly an Israelite in whom there is no deceit” (v.47). The Greek term here translated as “deceit ...

813. Out of Nazareth

John 1:43-51

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

... , this “Yes” book. He was unable to write and hardly able to see or speak. But with the help of his daughter he dictated the book as best he could into a cassette recorder. The book stands as a summary of all this world renowned Methodist missionary-evangelist did and said . . . a “last will and testament” Jones called it. The book begins as strong as a book can: “Jesus is The Yes, the divine Yes.” The Divine Yes became his best-selling book, the book E. Stanley Jones is most known for. And this ...

814. Jesus Is Contagious!

1 Corinthians 9:1-27

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

... our parents. We share everything about our spouses, our siblings, and our parents, with our friends (the “family” we get to choose). But even with those with whom we feel closest, what “big things” do you share? What do you pass along? What are you an evangelist for? The truth is we don’t share nearly enough. For most of us, except for sleazy celebrity gossip, the new information we glean, the kernels of insight we uncover, we tend to tuck away and add to our own private store of secret knowledge ...

815. Pain Is Part of the Process

Mark 1:9-15

Illustration

King Duncan

Saint Patrick, the patron saint of Ireland, was a very devout Roman Catholic evangelist. One of the stories that grew out of his ministry concerns a time when he was baptizing new converts in a river. He would wade out waist-deep into the water and call out for new Christians to come to him, one by one, to receive the sacrament. Once he ...

816. Overcoming Temptation and Spiritual Growth

Mark 1:9-15

Illustration

Fulton J. Sheen

John the Evangelist, who is praised for his charity, once induced his mother to use political influence, and on another occasion, when the city of the Samaritans rejected our Lord, he and his brother, James, asked our Lord to rain down fire from the heaven and destroy the city. This was not charity. ...

817. Perennial Money Changers

John 2:13-22

Illustration

Brett Blair

... within the church itself. In our text for this morning, we read that the ones who were trading and selling in the temple were the scribes and Pharisees the religious leaders of the day. That modern man is searching for spirituality is evident. The circulation of evangelistic magazines, which sold a modest 1 million copies per year back in the 1960's, has soared to past 12 million in sales in the 1990's. People are searching for spirituality, but many feel that they cannot find it in the walls of the church ...

818. Easter 5

Acts 8:26-40, 1 John 4:7-21, John 15:1-17

Sermon Aid

John R. Brokhoff

... (KJV). d. Receive baptism vv. 36, 38. 2. Win a convert to Christ! (8:26-40). Need: Personal witnessing for Christ is becoming a lost art. This is proved by the decline in church membership during the 70s. The new evangelism is no longer focused on evangelists and revivals. It is now a lay movement in which members visit prospective Christians. Many church members feel inadequate to witness and do not know how to win a person to faith in Christ. In this text we have a layman who witnesses and wins a person ...

819. Lent 4

Numbers 21:4-9, Ephesians 2:1-10, John 3:1-21

Sermon Aid

John R. Brokhoff

... is meant for every person. There is nothing sectarian about Christianity. Predestination and election in terms of some destined to be and not to be saved have no part in these verses. Because of the universal significance of Christ and the cross, Christianity inherently must be evangelistic and missionary in order that the good news of the cross may be known by all peoples. 2. World (vv. 16, 17, 19). "World" can be used in several ways. It can mean creation and thus we can say, "This is my Father's world ...

820. Epiphany

Ephesians 3:1-13, Matthew 2:1-12, Isaiah 60:1-22

Sermon Aid

John R. Brokhoff

... which was at first denied. Under pressure from the new president and national publicity, a majority of members later voted to allow non-whites to apply for membership. Another implication is that a church's outreach must not be limited to one race or class. Evangelistic efforts should be made to the church's immediate neighborhood even if the people are different from the church's constituency. WORSHIP RESOURCES Psalm Of The Day: Psalm 72:1-14; Psalm 72; Psalm 72:1-7, 10-14 "All kings shall bow down before ...

821. Epiphany 2

John 1:43-51, 1 Corinthians 6:12-20, 1 Samuel 3:1--4:1

Sermon Aid

John R. Brokhoff

... the old word "evangelism" is "growth." For a decade now the mainline churches have been losing members. A new interest in adding numbers to the church exists. In the 19th century, evangelism was identified with mass meetings, revivals and evangelists. Today we happily have a return to biblical evangelism in terms of personal witnessing and lay visitation of prospects. Recent statistics show that people join the church primarily through the invitations of friends. Sometimes it is called relational evangelism ...

822. Epiphany 3

Jonah 3:1-10, 1 Corinthians 7:1-40, Mark 1:1-8, Mark 1:9-13, Mark 1:14-20

Sermon Aid

John R. Brokhoff

... Jesus but he calls us as disciples. Discipleship is a result of grace. 4. Become (v. 17). "I will make you become fishers of men." To be a Christian is a growing experience. To become winners of people for the kingdom is to be trained as witnesses and evangelists. The Christian life is one of becoming what we are by the grace of God. 5. Immediately (vv. 18, 20). Jesus immediately called certain ones to be disciples. He knew whom he wanted and needed. He did not have to weigh the matter. There was no problem ...

823. Proper 14

Ephesians 4:17--5:21, 2 Samuel 18:1-18, 2 Samuel 18:19--19:8, John 6:25-59

Sermon Aid

John R. Brokhoff

... v. 47) 2. Unless (v. 44). Jesus told the group that no one will come to him and believe that he is the Bread of Life from heaven "unless" God draws him. We do not make a decision for Christ but God chooses us to be his children. The evangelistic emphasis on coming to Christ and choosing Christ needs to be examined theologically in the light of this passage. An "altar call" should not be necessary. It is God who gives the call and grants faith. God always takes the initiative by coming to us before we can ...

824. Victory over Ourselves

Luke 24:36-49

Illustration

King Duncan

... . Then we would be powerful indeed. Dwight L. Moody once demonstrated the principle like this: "Tell me," he said to his audience, "how can I get the air out of the tumbler I have in my hand?" One man said, "Suck it out with a pump." The evangelist replied, "That would create a vacuum and shatter it." Finally, after many futile suggestions, Moody picked up a pitcher and filled the glass with water. "There," he said, "all the air is now removed." He then explained that victory for the child of God does not ...

825. We Are Not Ghosts

Luke 24:36b-48

Illustration

Keith Grogg

... , reflecting on the ocean. And I was just about to say, "Steve, I can't figure out why I'm not out here every morning," but he had started to speak first, and he said, "Why am I not out here every morning?" John, the most sacramental of the four evangelists, puts this scene with the risen Jesus on the beach; and Jesus has built a little campfire, and he asks the disciples returning from their morning trawl to bring some fish to add to the ones he's already got on the grill, along with bread that he has ...

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