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 826 to 850 of 3314 results

826. Keeping Alert For Christmas

Mark 13:32-37, Mark 13:1-31

Sermon

King Duncan

... a season of preparation. It is a time to look both to the future and back to the past. We look forward to Christ's coming again as we remember and celebrate his birth long ago. Before Jesus ascended into heaven he promised the apostles that one day he would return. The apostles asked the same question that has been asked in every generation since, "When will these things be?" If only we knew exactly when Christ will return we could pencil him into our busy schedules. If only we knew when, we could clean up ...

827. Watch What You Eat

1 Corinthians 8:1-13

Sermon

King Duncan

... on their heads don't order Italian. (1) Erma's advice comes from years of experience. A recent survey reveals that sixty-two percent of travelers are bothered by upset stomachs, heartburn, and indigestion. I sound like a Rolaids commercial, don't I? The Apostle Paul probably encountered problems with the food as he traveled the world of his time preaching the message of salvation. Today we are very careful about the foods we eat. We want to eat healthy foods ” foods that are low in fat and cholesterol ...

828. Strength Through Weakness

2 Corinthians 12:1-10

Sermon

King Duncan

... because of these experiences. And then, as more and more people told better and better stories, they began to think that everyone had to have some sort of dramatic religious experience to qualify as a Christian. They even began to ask questions about the Apostle Paul: Paul had never spoken of any dramatic personal experiences, so was he really someone to look up to? Was he really "with it?" Was he a part of the inner circle? There may even have been other leaders in Corinth who claimed that, because ...

829. A Faithful Follower I Would Be

Luke 14:25-35

Sermon

Timothy J. Smith

... to be taken lightly. FOR, YOU SEE, EVEN AS MODERN DAY DISCIPLES OF JESUS CHRIST, THERE WILL BE TIMES WHEN IN ORDER TO REMAIN TRUE TO JESUS WE WILL HAVE TO GO AGAINST THE VALUES OF THE WORLD. One of the great leaders of the early church was the Apostle Paul. Paul knew from his own experience the cost of being a follower of Jesus Christ. Paul had been shipwrecked, stoned, left for dead, and thrown into prison. Paul knew both the joys and the pains in being a follower of Jesus. In our Epistle lesson Paul is in ...

830. You Might Be A Redneck If . . .

Acts 2:1-13

Sermon

King Duncan

... there's a final thing we need to see: YOU AND I HAVE A PLACE IN THIS DRAMATIC STORY. We don't have to be rednecks for God to use us in a dramatic way. In fact, most of us have so many more advantages than did Peter and the Apostles. Most of us are well educated. We are relatively affluent. We are people with an amazing abundance of talents and opportunities. The problem is that you and I have not emptied ourselves and opened ourselves to be vehicles of God's grace. We have so much potential, and we have ...

831. One Giant Leap

John 1:1-18, Isaiah 51:17--52:12

Sermon

Wayne Brouwer

... us except for sin, says the writer of the letter to the Hebrews. The leap from heaven to earth. The leap across the gulf between realities. This is the giant leap of Christmas morning. AND HERE'S A SECOND ASPECT OF THAT LEAP: IT WAS A LEAP OVER CONTRADICTIONS. The Apostle Paul put it this way, in his letter to the Corinthian church. He said that all God's "NO!'s" turned to "YES!'s" in Christ. Isn't that a powerful picture? Every "NO!" on the lips of God turned to "YES!" Can you see Jesus as a young boy ...

832. Whatever It Takes

1 Corinthians 9:1-27

Sermon

King Duncan

... us, the kind of fellowship activities that appeal to us. We rarely stop to ask, what are the needs and the preferences of the people Christ has called us to reach? St. Paul changed the world as we know it. With the help of Peter and the other Apostles he changed the tiny Christian community from a small sect to a worldwide influence. How? He was driven by a passion--to win the world for Christ. He was willing to do whatever it took to achieve his goals--at least whatever was consistent with his calling as ...

833. The Heart Of The Matter

Matthew 5:1-12

Sermon

Eric Ritz

... It may mean the appendix has burst, spreading poison throughout the entire body." (5) We are painfully aware of how little we resemble our Lord. We are hypocrites, but underneath those masks, something quite real is happening. By the grace of God we are "putting on Christ," to use the Apostle Paul's phrase. We are not there yet, but if we are living in him, God is at work giving us a healthier heart. That is why we are in this room today. We are striving to be the same in public as we are in private. We are ...

834. The Total Steward

1 Chronicles 29:1-9

Sermon

Edward Inabinet

... all things new." Christ also waits, but people are slow and late. Have we done what we could? Have I? Have you? A steward will use his body wisely and care for it. Immoralities and excessive habits that degrade and weaken the body will be refused and disdained. The Apostle Paul writes, "Therefore I urge you, brothers, in view of God''s mercy, to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God..." The total steward will use his spiritual gifts for the sake of others. He will believe with the ...

835. Transforming Tragedy into Triumph

2 Corinthians 5:1-10

Sermon

Edward Inabinet

... to the Lord as possible, we will become like Him. Life will then become more of what God wants for all of us. We will draw our strength from Him. He will be our comfort and our shield. Because of our belief in the resurrection, the words of the Apostle Paul are so meaningful, "So, my dear brothers, since future victory is sure, be strong and steady, always abounding in the Lord''s work, for you know that nothing that you do for the Lord is ever wasted as it would be if there were no resurrection." ONE OTHER ...

836. Why the Church?

Matthew 16:21-28

Sermon

Donald B. Strobe

... united in worshipping and praising God, in the name of Jesus Christ. That is what we mean when we speak of the holy catholic church. Catholic means universal, world-wide, all-inclusive, without barriers. It means just the opposite of narrow or sectarian. This is what the apostle Paul meant when he said, In Christ there is neither Jew nor Greek, slave nor free, male nor female; for you are all one in Christ Jesus. (Gal. 3:28) It has taken the Church nearly two thousand years to catch up to Paul’s vision ...

837. What Happens When I Die?

John 14:1-4

Sermon

Donald B. Strobe

... can imagine. And that is the way it is with us. Some say there is nothingness after death. But there are those among us who believe that they have heard whisperings of mighty and wonderful things beyond. We cannot imagine what that new life will be like. The Apostles Creed, following St. Paul, promises that God will give us a new body. I am glad of that, because I’m a bit tired of this world one; it is constantly breaking down. We are promised a new one. But when someone queried St. Paul too closely about ...

838. It’s Hard to Eat While Lying

John 13:18-30

Sermon

Donald B. Strobe

... is He not? As someone once said, “Jesus is Lord of all, or He is not Lord at all.” There is a story of a famous artist who was once commissioned to paint a picture of the Last Supper. He selected his models with the greatest care. For the apostle John he found a young man who was strikingly handsome, with a look of high purpose and a spiritual expression all over his face. The artist then kept on painting and looking for similar suitable models. He left the face of Judas for the last, not being able to ...

839. No Longer Orphans

John 14:15-31

Sermon

Donald B. Strobe

... long after He was gone in and through ordinary people, people like you and like me. It is interesting to note that the book which immediately appears in the New Testament following the Four Gospels is called the Acts of the apostles, not the resolutions of the apostles. They did not spend their time in committee meetings discussing their faith; they went out into the world and put their faith into practice. Like the famous hummingbird whose wing span is too small to allow it to fly but flies nevertheless ...

840. Who Counted the Fish?

John 21:1-14, John 21:15-25

Sermon

Donald B. Strobe

... which the Lord placed the bread has now been made into an altar. People who go there take away small pieces of the stone to bring them prosperity, and they are very effective. Past the walls of this church goes the public highway on which the apostle Matthew had his place of custom. Near there, on a mountain, is the cave to which the Saviour climbed and spoke the Beatitudes.” Just north of this area is a place which is called in the Greek “Heptapegon,” or the “Seven Springs,” usually known in its ...

841. God Doesn’t Take Vacations

John 5:1-15

Sermon

Donald B. Strobe

... it does mean that we can safely leave our cares behind and take some time off, even from doing good things. In doing research on this book of sermons on the Fourth Gospel I came across some fascinating stories from early church history about the apostle John, the presumed author. An early Christian writer named Cassian who lived about 400 A.D. gave us the story of “St. John and the Partridge.” According to the story, one day while John was walking in the countryside, he was gently stroking a partridge ...

842. One Bad Apple

Matthew 26:47-56

Sermon

Donald B. Strobe

... that his suicide was not based on despair, but on hope. Here is how it went: If God is love, then there would be hope even for a Judas who, for whatever misguided reason, turned Jesus over to the authorities. The earliest form of the Apostles’ Creed says that Jesus “descended into hell,” and early traditions say that is precisely what Jesus did during the days between Good Friday and Easter Sunday. And Jesus went there for a specific purpose, hints a couple of New Testament books: to preach to the ...

843. On Getting the Gospel Out

Mark 6:7-13

Sermon

Donald B. Strobe

... ?” they asked him. “Because there is no fourth-class!” he replied. The word “evangelist” has fallen on evil days. Which is a pity, because II. THE FACT OF THE MATTER IS THAT JESUS CALLED HIS DISCIPLES TO BE APOSTLES AND EVANGELISTS. The word “apostle” means “One sent with a message.” The word “evangelist” means one who proclaims Good News. Evangel means, literally, “good news.” “He sent them forth two by two...” Why two? According to Jewish law, two witnesses were needed to ...

844. Jesus Out of Character

Mark 7:24-30

Sermon

Donald B. Strobe

... “the gates of hell.” There is more than a hint in the Gospels that Jesus conceived of His mission and ministry to Jews, and that His disciples would carry the Good News forth to Gentiles. Later on, St. Paul will say that He is the prime apostle to the Gentiles. But Jesus got the whole thing started here, in “the region of Tyre and Sidon.” In Elizabeth Yates’ book: HOWARD THURMAN: PORTRAIT OF A PRACTICAL DREAMER there is the story that when Thurman was in India in 1935, he spoke in many villages ...

845. On Being in the Wrong Place

Mark 15:21-32

Sermon

Donald B. Strobe

... jail, risk themselves for causes greater than themselves. Such were the earliest Christians. When Bill Coffin graced this pulpit a couple of weeks ago, he noted that the book in the Bible titled “The Acts of the Apostles” might better be named: “The Arrests of the Apostles.” The first Christians were those who voluntarily carried the cross of imprisonment and death rather than betray their Lord. Halford Luccock, in the Interpreter’s Bible says: “We all begin life as passers-by...observers of its ...

846. Whose Servant Are You? (Part II)

Philippians 1:1-11

Sermon

Eric Ritz

... reasons many people do not consider Christianity a viable way of life is their unwillingness to surrender the control of their life to anyone except themselves. Most often it is too late in life when they discover what a harsh task-master self can be. I know, like the Apostle Paul, how hard it is to let go of our stubborn wills and our desire for self-determination and self-sufficiency. It is so easy to forget that one has gone before us who gave his life in service to all. Dr. C. Roy Angell tells the story ...

847. Blank Walls or Filled Lives (Part V)

Philippians 1:1-11

Sermon

Eric Ritz

... that you were the greatest?" Ali replied, "Fifty years from now everybody in this room will be dead. Nobody will remember what a great boxer I was. The only way I will not be forgotten is if I can do something to help and to aid my people." (3) The Apostle Paul knew that only what he did for Christ would have any eternal value for the Kingdom of God. This was the principle and the platform from which he would labor for our Lord. May we spend our lives opening ourselves to the vision of life that God has for ...

848. Facing Difficult Decisions in Life! Part VI

Philippians 1:1-11

Sermon

Eric Ritz

... very imminent. Bad luck, you might say. However, Paul knew that if he died he would be instantly with the Lord Jesus Christ for all eternity. Good luck, bad luck, who is to say? However, if Paul is sentenced to death, his gifts and graces as a Christian Apostle would be denied to the Christian church, which is in great need of his bold faith, authentic witness and strong commitment. Paul recognized that there is so much we human beings do not know about the depth of an event when it is happening to us. So ...

849. What a Difference a Day Makes

Matthew 28:1-10

Sermon

Eric Ritz

... died for our sins according to the scripture." Jesus Christ was the only offering that could satisfy the justice of God for the sins of the human race. Jesus was the Lamb of God that has the power to take away the sins of the world. The Apostle Paul experienced that power for himself on the road to Damascus when he was journeying to a destination to kill even more followers of Christ. Charles Wesley, the great hymn writer, expressed this truth when he wrote: He breaks the power of cancelled sin, He sets the ...

850. The Marvelous Meaning of the Cross

Galatians 6:11-18

Sermon

Eric Ritz

... he did not dream of thrones and crowns." (2) If you take the word "pride," which the early church fathers listed as the worst of the seven deadly sins, you will come again to notice that the middle letter is "I." Basically, sin is the big "I." According to the Apostle Paul in Romans 1:18-25, it is when we begin to worship the creature rather than the Creator. It is when we want to decide what is right and wrong, to forget God''s law and will, and replace it with our laws. The cross reminds us how much ...

Showing results