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 2817 results

826. Counting The Cost - Sacrifice

Luke 14:25-35

Sermon

Donald Dotterer

... successfully against 20,000?" This is the mistake that Saddam Hussein made against the Coalition of Nations, which opposed his invasion of Kuwait. Hussein was crushed, because he did not carefully count the cost of his aggression. The point that Jesus is making in these parables is that the life of faith in God also has a price. As the great German theologian Dietrich Bonhoeffer has put it so directly, there is a "cost of discipleship." There is no such thing as "cheap grace." If we want to know God, and ...

827. Preaching the Miracles of Jesus

Sermon Aid

John R. Brokhoff

... miracles were an essential part of Jesus' ministry to proclaim the Word of God, the good news of salvation. This proclamation came through his words and deeds. His words were in parables; his deeds were in miracles. In his book, Gravity and Grace, Joseph Sittler said, "The parables are spoken miracles; the miracles are spoken parables." In each miracle there is a truth portrayed. These truths are "signs" pointing to a truth. The truth points to Christ as St. Augustine explains: "Let us ask of the miracles ...

828. Living The Alternatives

Luke 17:1-10

Sermon

W. Robert McClelland

... religious leaders could say what they wanted to about him. Alive, he spoke for himself! Therein lies the danger of a vision. It is like a live grenade rolling around among the troops. You never know when it will go off in someone's imagination. A non-canonical parable makes the point. Once a farmer sought to raise a single baby eagle which he had found in the wilderness. He raised it with his chickens and it grew strong. But alas! this king of birds came to think of itself as a chicken rather than an eagle ...

829. Preaching the Miracles of Jesus

Sermon Aid

John R. Brokhoff

830. Proper 6

Galatians 2:11-21, 1 Kings 19:1-8, 2 Samuel 12:1-31, 2 Samuel 11:1-27, Psalm 32:1-11, Luke 7:36-50

Sermon Aid

George Bass

... the death of Uriah the Hittite, in order to marry his pregnant wife, with whom he has had an affair, is unthinkable in the eyes of God. Something had to be done about it, and Nathan was sent by God to confront King David. He did so with the familiar parable of the rich man, who had "many flocks and herds," and the poor man, who had "nothing but one little ewe lamb." The outcome of the story is predictable up to the point where it takes a twist when David becomes angry, failing to realize that the ...

831. Proper 21

Luke 16:19-31, Psalm 146:1-10, Amos 6:1-7, Joel 2:18-27, 1 Timothy 6:11-21

Sermon Aid

George Bass

... Christ our Lord." THE READINGS Amos 6:1a, 4-7 (RC); 6:1-7 (E, L) This reading, which denounces people who live in the utmost luxury, oblivious to the plight of people living in desperate need around them, points to the Gospel for the Day, the parable of Lazarus and Dives. It puts down people who love themselves more than they love God and other persons, indirectly suggesting that such people probably live "in the lap of luxury" at the expense of others. The least that can be said about them is that they ...

832. Proper 24

Luke 18:1-8, Psalm 121:1-8, Exodus 17:8-16, Genesis 32:22-32, Habakkuk 1:1-4, Habakkuk 2:2-20, 2 Timothy 3:10--4:8

Sermon Aid

George Bass

... and the prayer and worship life of the Holy Catholic Church. This makes it clear that God cannot be "worn down" by prayer and petition, and that he answers prayer and acts according to his own plan and in his own time. God is the central figure in the parable; he always was and always will be for his people in their prayers. SERMON SUGGESTIONS Luke 18:1-8a (E, L); 18:1-8 (RC, C) - "The Responsive Judge." As I read and study this pericope, I do so in the context of my grandfather's regular reading of the ...

833. The Unfairness of God

Matthew 20:1-16

Sermon

William J. Carl

... employees and teachers with students. Sometimes that’s just the way life is, which is in part the point of the parable of the laborers in the vineyard. Chances are most clergy and laity of congregations around America have never been migrant ... gift of God. In addition to all this is the amazing grace given to us through Jesus Christ that is beyond all imagination. In the parable of the unforgiving servant (Matthew 18:23-35) the king forgave his servant’s debt for 10,000 talents. In today’s rate of ...

834. Have You Accepted Jesus' Invitation?

Matthew 22:1-14

Sermon

George Johnson

... God, of being saved from the power of sin, the experience of grace, the experience of being born anew. The call to follow is still being heard. The power of God to change people is still operative and available today as it was when Jesus told this parable.I believe the Holy Spirit is leading people from darkness to light. "There is being added to the church day by day those who are being saved." God is still in the business of converting, changing people, calling people to leave their nets and follow. The ...

835. Illusion Or Reality?

Sermon

Harold Warlick

... , a VCR or a watchman. Some of us even have to have a beer in our hand at a social function or throw our lives into food or sex. Anything to keep us from being alone. At times we have a lot in common with the character in this parable called the prodigal son. The more unhappy, alone, and lost the son feels, the more he celebrates, parties, and throws himself into the company of "friends." He diverts himself from his loneliness. He can no longer stand being alone; he must have something going on all the time ...

836. Crown Him Lord!

Luke 23:26-43

Sermon

Theodore F. Schneider

... of our need to trust God's grace. None of us can forget Jesus' words just before the beginning of today's lesson: "Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do." The ever-present grace of God is one of Luke's gospel themes. From the parables of the waiting father and the "good" Samaritan, and now from the story of the penitent thief on the cross, all of these reported only by Luke, we have heard forthrightly the good news of Jesus Christ. Gentile and Jew, sinner and saint, young and old, it makes ...

837. It Just Doesn't Work That Way

Matthew 13:24-30, Matthew 13:36-43

Sermon

Johnny Dean

... ’ll sort it all out come harvest time." And Jesus says the Kingdom of God is like that? This, then, is a parable about the church. Now, there are two predominant reasons modern people give for not being Christian, not associating with the church. Excuse ... between a morning glory and a pea vine, we are the last ones to know the good from the bad. Now, I’m not saying this parable is ONLY about the church. I think it applies also to the world we live in, the mixed quality of life in God’s garden. God ...

838. And Who is my Neighbor?

Luke 10:25-37

Sermon

Johnny Dean

... . In a subtle way it is very comical: George says that he never heard of that one but the truth is that law is as old as the tablets Moses brought down from Mount Sinai. There’s nothing NEW about it. The story of the Good Samaritan is really a parable about the Mosaic Law and how it is to be understood and lived. Retelling of the story. The lawyer stands up and addresses Jesus. He is going to test Jesus’ understanding of the Law. He looks at Jesus and asks: "What must I do to inherit eternal life?" This ...

839. Encounters With Christ III: Jesus and Nicodemus

John 3:1-21

Sermon

James W. Moore

... again and again. It was the most exhilarating book she had ever read in her life. What was the difference? Simply this: She now had met the author. She knew him personally. He was her friend; indeed, she was in love with him. This story is a wonderful parable for what it means to “come alive” to the Bible. If we don’t know Christ personally, the Bible is hard to read, difficult to get into, easy to put aside. But, when we know Christ personally and intimately, when we feel His love and return His love ...

840. Encounters With Christ V: Jesus and James and John

Matthew 20:20-28

Sermon

James W. Moore

... others! Be ambitious to serve other people. Selfish ambition is blind and fraught with problems and difficulties. Now, let’s break this down a bit and bring it closer to home with three thoughts. I. FIRST OF ALL… BLIND SELFISH AMBITION MAKES YOU ARROGANT. Jesus once told a parable about two men who went up to the Temple to pray. One was a Pharisee, a religious leader, who prayed loudly, pompously, arrogantly… The other man was a Publican, a tax collector, who prayed humbly, penitently, contritely. The ...

841. Jesus, Mary, Gustav Mahler, Brother Martin, and the Magi

Luke 20:9-19

Sermon

Carl Jech

... as the founder of the Lutheran Order. Perhaps, too, if there had been more leaders like Rabbi Peli at the time of Jesus, the Christian interpretation of what the "Messiah" was all about would have been better understood. Let us think along together about this parable of the tenants who thought that they could usurp the prerogatives of the owner of their land. They thought that they were "set" in their position and didn't have to listen to any new messages from the owner. Clearly, they represent the Jewish ...

842. The Great Banquet Feast

Luke 14:15-24

Drama

Robert A. Lehmann

... of God's Kingdom Characters: Narrator The Master Four solo voices. Narrator: When Jesus finished telling the parable of the marriage feast, a man sitting at the table with Jesus exclaimed, Solo 3: What a privilege it would be to get into the Kingdom of God! Solo 1: He was fascinated by the story. Solo 2: He was moved by the great things Jesus told. Solo 4: How ...

843. The Wedding Feast

Matthew 22:1-14

Drama

Robert A. Lehmann

... of the Kingdom of heaven Characters: Narrator a king Three solo voices (or a narrator and four solo voices). Narrator: And again Jesus spoke to them in parables. Solo 1: He told them a story. Solo 2: A story with a message. Solo 3: A story with an inner meaning. Narrator: And Jesus said to them: The Kingdom of heaven may be compared to a king who gave a marriage feast for his son. Solo 1: How can ...

844. The Good Samaritan

Luke 10:25-37

Sermon

Brett Blair

... years. It hid the apathy of the characters behind the mask of humor. In that final episode Jerry Seinfeld unmasked it and the critics couldn’t stand it. The show wasn’t trying to get a laugh it was trying to make a point. It is the point of Jesus’ parable: Anytime we refuse to stop and help and be a friend to someone in need, then we are committing the sin of the Priest and Levite on the Jericho Road. III Then a third person happens down the road and this individual, as it turns out is not a Jew ...

845. Building Barns, Postponing Life

Luke 12:13-21

Sermon

Brett Blair

... is God that will be our rock and our sanity and our security; not a mutual fund. When the doctor calls you in one day and says: It is cancer. It is God that will offer you the peace and calm that you so desperately seek. The man in the parable was a fool because he banked on full barns. Let us as the people of God store our money in the stomachs of the hungry, the minds of the uneducated, the bodies of the sick, the spirits of the oppressed, and the spread of the Gospel. Then we shall be ...

846. Partners With the Eternal

Matthew 14:13-21

Sermon

... We don't have what it takes. But the story doesn't end here and I don't think Jesus ever intended it should. There was something he wanted to teach those people, to show them, to demonstrate. He who often taught in parables, telling stories, was now about to teach through a parable of a different kind, a parable of action - not a teaching story, but a teaching act. So he said: bring those loaves and fish to me. Bring them to me, he was saying, and let's see if TOGETHER you and I might be able to feed those ...

847. Life's Third Dimension

Matthew 20:1-16

Sermon

... soul, the inner quality of what we really are. Of this our real personhood consists. There is every evidence that it is in this dimension that we are seen by God. We may see life in length, and maybe in breadth, but God sees it also in depth. Now this parable of the laborers in the vineyard - we are inclined to read it from point of fairness, what we deem to be just. Our minds are commercially oriented, we measure and equate, we put things in the balances to see how they tip. We think in terms of more or ...

848. No Snap Courses

Luke 17:1-10

Sermon

Carveth Mitchell

... of God. (Luke 9:62) God is easy to please, but hard to satisfy. Serving our Lord is a relentless and unending task. In our choosing of, and our discussion about, Christian discipleship, we must not neglect to include this facet of the nature of God. III This parable keeps us from being proud of our virtues or smug in our goodness. We are only doing what is expected of us. These verses keep us from self-pity in our sorrows, our setbacks and our hardships. The words, "I’ve always been a good person. Why ...

849. Counsel for Discouraged Disciples

Habakkuk 1:1-4

Sermon

... midst as a group," or did he mean both? In any case, the implication is that if God is on the throne within you, there is nothing that can defeat you. Much time in Jesus’ brief ministry was spent in counseling the disciples against discouragement. The parable in today’s Gospel lesson is only one among many examples. A few basic emphases in his counseling are easily identified, and they are just as important for us today as they were to the band of twelve to whom they were originally addressed. Some of ...

850. Let God Be God

Zephaniah 3:1-20

Sermon

... , and oppressive people who listened to no voice and accepted no correction from any source. What Zephaniah saw as essential for them to do was to get their act together by learning to "call on the name of the Lord and serve him with one accord." Jesus’ parable in the lesson read from Luke’s record of the Gospel deals with the problem of self-righteousness. Jesus saw a fundamental difference in the way a Pharisee and a tax collector prayed. The focus in both these lessons, as you can see, is on the God ...

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