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 876 to 900 of 2815 results

876. It Isn't Fair!

Matthew 20:1-16

Sermon

Brett Blair

... last ones to be selected, and you could see the hurt on their faces. The landowner asked of them: Why are you standing idle. Their response: Because no one has hired us. They were the rejects, the bottom of the barrel. Now go back to the beginning of the parable and reread what the landowner said to those he hired at the beginning of the day. He said, "I will pay you what is right." What he paid these last workers who were in the fields only one hour was not correct based upon the minimum hourly wage scale ...

877. Dual Citizenship II - What Do We Owe To God?

Matthew 22:15-22

Sermon

Bill Bouknight

... that is simply not where most of the sick, hurting and hungry people are, so they never hear our message. But imagine what would happen if the poor and needy could see us where they live, as we meet them at their point of need. Luke gives us an unforgettable parable in his chapter 16. It's about a rich man who had the best of everything. At his back door was a poor man named Lazarus who was filthy and sick. Both men died. Lazarus found himself in heaven, cradled in the bosom of Abraham. But the rich man ...

878. Practicing Righteousness

Matthew 6:1-4

Sermon

Richard A. Jensen

... that if we understand it, if we know about it, then it’s gone, then it’s no longer a secret, then it’s no longer righteousness. This theme of hidden righteousness is present in other parts of Matthew’s gospel. It is present in the judgment parable in Matthew 25. Jesus tells us that God will separate the sheep from the goats. The sheep inherit the kingdom prepared for them from the foundation of the world. They receive it because they saw Jesus hungry, thirsty, a stranger, and so on, and they helped ...

879. Preconceived Ideas

Mark 8:27-38

Sermon

Brett Blair

... a new idea. But Jesus rejected it then as he does now. Secondly, others say that the Messiah is a judge. They believe that Jesus came into the world as condemner and convictor. Well, this is certainly not a new idea either. It was the one talent man in the parables of the talents who went to the master and said: “I knew you were a hard man reaping where you did not sow.” Some of us still talk that way today. Evangelism has been given a bad name because for years the model has been to hold a fiery hell ...

880. The Temptation To Pass By On The Other Side

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 ...

881. There Are Other Worlds To Sing In

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 ...

882. The One in the Middle

Matthew 25:14-30

Sermon

David E. Leininger

... -talent servant do with his two talents? He doubled them, and wound up returning four talents to the boss. His performance was, proportionately, on a par with that of the five-talent servant. He did just as well as the shining-star example in the parable. Frankly, although the parable does not say it, I suspect that the master was at least somewhat surprised when he received the four talents from the servant in the middle. We can assume that the master was astute - that is why he is the master in the story ...

883. Is God Like Daddy? - Father's Day

Luke 15:11-32

Sermon

David E. Leininger

... on a Monday, that would be no excuse for skipping school; and by the same token, a rainy Sunday would be no excuse for missing Sunday School. His system of values would have been obvious. Of course, I do not know all this. After all, this is a parable - these are fictional characters. But I think we can reasonably assume those things because that is the kind of man the father is presented to be. There is one other thing that I do not know, but that I like to assume anyway. I think the Prodigal Son would ...

884. Would a Loving God Really Let Anyone Go to Hell?

Luke 16:19-31

Sermon

David E. Leininger

... one to which almost all of you already have an answer. Whether that answer is truly reflective of the Biblical witness is what we will deal with. Let us hear the word of the Lord: (Luke 16:19-31) Would a loving God really let anyone go to Hell? Our parable seems to indicate the answer is Yes. The righteous will be rewarded with an eternity of comfort and peace and the sinners are going to burn. Some of you, I am sure, would be content to leave it at that, get out of here and beat the Methodists to the ...

885. My Younger Brother Gets Away With Everything

Luke 15:11-32

Sermon

King Duncan

... consequence, researchers tell us oldest children, as a rule, get special pleasure out of pleasing their parents while the baby of the family tends to be more of a free spirit. Now we come to the most famous older child/younger child story in all of literature - the parable of the prodigal son. A father has two sons. There is the older boy who wants to please Dad. He stays at home, works on the farm, does all the things that he has been taught to do. Those of you who are oldest children understand. He wants ...

886. Beaten And Bloody, But Fortunate Nonetheless

Luke 10:25-37

Sermon

King Duncan

... consciousness now. Who is this man who is stopping to help me? Who is this man who may be saving my life? Who is he?" The parable of the Good Samaritan. Who was it who proved neighbor to the man who had been beaten and robbed and left by the road to die? ... A TIME WE LAY BY THE ROAD. Here is where grace enters the picture. All of us know the essential lessons of this ancient parable. We are to help people in need. Regardless of their religion, their race, their national origin, we are to stop and try to help ...

887. Three Foolish Things You Can Do With Your Money

Luke 12:13-21

Sermon

King Duncan

... her to the floor and sat on her until police arrived. The woman was charged with unarmed bank robbery. People do crazy things where money is concerned. Jesus told about such a person. Jesus didn't call him crazy, but he did call him foolish. Most of us know Jesus' parable almost by heart. "The ground of a certain rich man produced a good crop," said Jesus. Is there anything wrong with that? No, not so far. As far as we know the man came by his wealth honestly. He didn't cheat. He didn't lie. He didn't steal ...

888. I Don't Have Time For A Banquet

Matthew 22:1-14

Sermon

King Duncan

... day rejected the Christ. Thus the Father opened the invitation to His banquet to all who would come, righteous and unrighteous alike. Those who reject the invitation don't get a second chance, but to any who will come, the door is open. That is the obvious message of the parable. I don't believe Christ would mind, however, if we dealt for a few minutes with the excuses all of us offer God at some time or another especially that most common excuse of all, "I don't have the time." IF I WERE TO ASK MANY OF YOU ...

889. In Praise Of Doers

Matthew 25:14-30

Sermon

King Duncan

... strong nearly thirty years later. (1) I believe Jesus loves the Earl Fitz' of this world. That is the lesson of the parable of the talents. The man with five talents used his five talents and made five talents more and his master was exceedingly ... BE TAKEN FROM YOU! An agnostic fellow of a socialist nature called Jesus cruel. He quoted this verse that comes at the end of the parable of the talents: "For to everyone who has will more be given, and he will have abundance; but from him who has not, even what ...

890. Do This And Live!

Luke 10:25-37

Sermon

King Duncan

... . BUT ONE THING MORE NEEDS TO BE SAID. WE LOVE OUR NEIGHBOR BECAUSE CHRIST FIRST LOVED US. The lawyer who asked Jesus about the great commandment wanted clarification. "And who is my neighbor?" he asked. At this point Jesus told him a parable--a parable all of us know by heart--the parable of the Good Samaritan. Each of us at some time or another has identified with the priest or the Levite who passed by on the other side or perhaps in our better moments with the Samaritan himself who ministered to the man ...

891. Lost In America

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

Sermon

King Duncan

... do anything about their situation. That is the first thing we need to see. The world is filled with lost people. This brings us to the second thing we need to see. Lost people are God's greatest concern. That is what Jesus is saying to us in these two parables. God's heart breaks in concern for all those who are lost. Henri Nouwen tells the story of an old man who used to meditate early every morning under a big tree on the bank of the Ganges River. One morning, after he had finished his meditation, he saw ...

892. Why Jesus Likes Sinners

Luke 18:9-14

Sermon

King Duncan

... the tax collector went back to his house justified, but the Pharisee did not. Why? The answer is found in the crowd Jesus was talking to. Verse 9 is the key. Listen to this revealing description of the crowd Jesus was addressing: "He also told this parable to some who trusted in themselves that they were righteous and despised others...." The kind of moral he was drawing was determined by the audience to whom he was speaking. If he had been speaking to a group of tax collectors, the Pharisee might have been ...

893. Are You Dressed For The Banquet?

Matthew 22:1-14

Sermon

King Duncan

... please hand me my green dress?" (1) We're not told how the Downs resolved this dilemma, but it reminds me of one of Jesus' parables. "The kingdom of heaven may be compared to a king who gave a wedding banquet for his son," Jesus began. The king's son ... it be that the king felt this improperly dressed man did not take this accession seriously enough? Perhaps this part of the parable is designed to reinforce the idea that God's invitation really does matter. Perhaps you have been reading about the "politics of ...

894. Whoever Would Have Thought?

Mark 4:26-29, Mark 4:30-34

Sermon

King Duncan

... shade." It is hard for us to get excited about this, since we live in an age with all sorts of amazing discoveries, but for people living in prescientific days it must have truly baffled their minds ” that something so large could come from such a small seed. The parable of the mustard seed is a word of encouragement for us. Things might not be what you and I want them to be, but there is still hope. God works in mysterious ways. God is still with us even when our efforts are frustrated, because He is the ...

895. Don't Forget Your Ticket

2 Corinthians 5:11--6:2, Luke 14:15-24

Sermon

King Duncan

... are only two kinds of people in the end: those who say to God, ˜Thy will be done,' and those to whom God says, in the end, ˜Thy will be done.' All that are in hell choose." Some of us can identify with the "street people" in one of the parables those who were invited at the last minute. The good news is that enough of the "street people" accepted the invitation to fill the banquet hall. The bad news is that no doubt many of them didn't accept the invitation because they felt that they were just not worthy ...

896. Entitlements

Luke 16:19-31

Sermon

King Duncan

... here to dip the tip of his finger in water and cool my tongue. . . O Father Abraham. . . please send [Lazarus] to my father's home. . ." What arrogance. The rich man thinks even in hell he's entitled to have somebody serve him. Entitlement. Let's use this parable of the rich man and Lazarus to set the record straight. What are some of the things to which you and I are entitled? The Scriptures are very plain about our entitlements, but you may be surprised at what it says. FIRST OF ALL, WE ARE ENTITLED TO ...

897. Never Give Up

Luke 18:1-8

Sermon

King Duncan

... woman lost her husband, and she did not have other family members to turn to for support, her plight was dire indeed. There was no welfare system, no social security, and precious few ways for a woman in distress to earn a living. Jesus told his disciples a parable about such a woman. She was a widow who was in a difficult situation over a legal matter. She needed the intervention of a judge, but the judge in her district, Luke tells us, was a man "who neither feared God nor cared about men." Yet this poor ...

898. The Sower and the Seed

Matthew 13:1-23

Sermon

Brett Blair

... Middle East. We have seen it all before. Ever since the Viet Nam war we have seen it. The result is that we have become desensitized to the point that we are hard-crusted, just like the soil in Jesus story. When we hear this part of the parable, we can’t dismiss it by simply concluding, "Well, this is a reference to some old reprobate." Friends, we all can fall prey to this. And here is the problem: The seed of the gospel cannot take root in the hardened heart. We are all familiar with these individuals ...

899. What the Heck Is Sin?

Luke 15:11-32

Sermon

Donald B. Strobe

... : “The world is really admirably arranged. I like sinning. God likes forgiving. What could be better for both of us?” But God doesn’t like forgiving. It costs God something. God loves sinners, yes, but God doesn’t love sin.I doubt that the Father in Jesus parable loved the smell of the pigs on his son as he threw his arms about him and welcomed him home. After all, the father was a good, pious Jew! They don’t get along well with pigs. An early pagan critic of Christianity named Celsus, who said ...

900. The Chicken or the Egg

Mark 1:1-8

Sermon

Donald B. Strobe

... ; rather, it is God’s forgiveness that causes our repentance.(William Hordern, Living by Grace, Phila.: The Westminster Press, 1975, p. 78) To illustrate: just remember the familiar parable of the Prodigal Son, which I prefer to call the parable of the Prodigal God, for prodigal means lavish, wasteful, and extravagant, and the point of Jesus’ parable is that God is lavish with love toward us. Prof. Hordern asks us to consider this question: Was (the boy) forgiven only when he returned home, and was ...

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