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 926 to 950 of 3314 results

926. Secret Revealed

Romans 16:25-27

Sermon

Donald Charles Lacy

... wasn't long, however, until it was evident their Messiah had not arrived. But the Jews were tough people who refused to give up, so it eventually happened. They didn't know and probably didn't even suspect he would also be made known to non-Jews. The apostle tells us "made known to all the Gentiles." Then, he wants his Jewish brothers and sisters to know this is "according to the command of eternal God." It is a way of conveying to them that they should not look for another. Jesus the Christ was there among ...

927. Deep Calling to Deep

Ephesians 1:3-14

Sermon

Donald Charles Lacy

... in parishes, and any place, for that matter. Secure within their own theological understanding, pastors can lead and enable magnificent blessings to occur among their precious people. At times the dear Lord just prods us to turn them loose! Summary And Conclusion The apostle's gift to us in this portion of Holy Scripture provides a cutting edge of growth for many of us. His emphasis is Christological and offers the opportunity for us to kneel and worship our Savior and Lord more completely. In addition, it ...

928. Getting It Straight

1 Corinthians 6:12-20

Sermon

Donald Charles Lacy

... good care of ourselves. If we are excessively smoking and drinking alcohol, how can we be in top shape to do the Lord's work? When our lives become fragments, especially the misuse of our bodies in a sexual way, look out! Case after case shows the apostle is on target. Someone rather elderly said to me that life is much more than sex and, of course, that is true. Yet, note the part it has played in our lives. What have we done about the devastating hurt that can potentially come from supposedly little ...

929. A Man for All Seasons

1 Corinthians 9:16-23

Sermon

Donald Charles Lacy

... and so we continue to seek to live the Christian life as best we know how. The history of the church is saturated with just what the apostle puts before us. In a way we are caught between two worlds and we have no choice. We live as well we can and hope for ... on. Some people enter this world and others leave. Someone has need of your assistance. Summary And Conclusion The obligation of the apostle to proclaim the gospel is so deeply rooted he senses God will not hold him guiltless for refusing this call. His ...

930. Let God Do the Rest

Ephesians 3:14-21

Sermon

Richard Gribble

... goal and thus keep his contract with God. Jesus called Paul along the road to Damascus and commissioned him to be the apostle to the Gentiles. Paul gave what he had, possibly feeling inadequate like the boy in the story, but trusting that God ... to do the rest. He has total confidence that Christ also will bring strength to the community if the people are rooted in love. The apostle is suggesting that the people's relationship with God is based not on what they have but only on who they are and what they ...

931. Finding Unity through Christ

Sermon

Richard Gribble

... was often hostile as well. Jesus' claim to be the Messiah was rejected by many and his proclamation to be the Son of God was abhorrent for it threatened the monotheism which was so central to Jewish belief. The Acts of the Apostles (4:32-37) specifically says that the followers of Jesus banded together, holding all things in common. Christians, in imitation of Jesus, worked for the collective good; their very survival depended on their ability to be united. Local Christian communities banded together ...

932. Make the Most of God’s Gifts

Ephesians 5:15-20

Sermon

Richard Gribble

... tells the people not to be foolish, suggesting that they seek God's will. Again, Paul understood that people often wish to "go it alone" and not be tuned into God. He tells the Ephesians they must do their best to know God's will in their lives. The apostle goes on to say this can best be accomplished by not wasting time with foolish things, such as with excessive drinking, but to be filled with the Holy Spirit. He suggests using time to praise God and most especially to thank the Lord for all he has done ...

933. Engage Mind before Putting Mouth in Gear

James 3:1-12

Sermon

Richard Gribble

... of a horse and a ship as examples, James demonstrates how the tongue can control the whole body. As a bit guides a powerful horse and a small rudder directs a large ship, so the tongue, seemingly so insignificant, directs a human by the words one uses. The apostle uses a reference from the book of Genesis to show how, through God's plan, all of creation is subject to humans. We have the ability to subdue all things; the created world has been made subject to humanity. All is subject to us, that is, except ...

934. Looking in All the Wrong Places

Romans 3:19-28

Sermon

Lee Ann Dunlap

... keep the cuddly kisses; to find both intimacy and transcendence, relationship without vulnerability. And if we are really good we'll put these experiences to music so others can sing along! It's a tall order. The Christians in Rome to which the Apostle Paul wrote were part of an urbanized culture similar to our own. The gathered community had believers from various pagan and Jewish backgrounds. Voices from the synagogue insisted that the path to wholeness lay in strict adherence to the rules (of the Jewish ...

935. Romans 14:1-12

Romans 14:1--15:13

Sweet

Leonard Sweet

... a vis the more generic dailyness and openness of a Gentile lifestyle. But remember, the pagan world was packed to the gills with special observances, feast and fast days — any and all of which might be difficult for a Gentile Christian to relinquish. The apostle uses this second example of selective behavior to once again argue his points. First of all, he insists that the behavior of the individual Christian be based “in honor of the Lord.” As long as honoring God is the ultimate priority of these ...

936. Making A List, Checking It Twice

1 Corinthians 15:1-11

Bulletin Aid

Frank Ramirez

Call To Worship Round up the witnesses. Peter. The twelve. Five hundred brothers and sisters at one time. James, his brother. All the apostles. Paul the Apostle. If that's good enough for you, then join us in our call to praise! Hallelujah, Jesus is risen! Collect One: How very good and pleasant it is when kindred live together in unity! All: It is like the dew of Hermon, which falls on the mountains of Zion. For ...

937. Jesus and the Ferris Wheels

Matthew 21:33-46

Sermon

King Duncan

... after the martyrdom of Stephen that Saul met Jesus on the road to Damascus and then he knew for certain that, up to this point in his life in spite of his extreme religiosity, he hadn’t known God at all. And Saul the persecutor became known as Paul the Apostle. The same Paul who wrote in I Corinthians 13, “If I speak in the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I am only a resounding gong or a clanging cymbal. If I have the gift of prophecy and can fathom all mysteries and all knowledge, and ...

938. God Is Amazing

John 1:43-51

Sermon

Richard Gribble

... what he did and said. Saint Mark (4:35-41) recounts the amazement of the disciples at Jesus' ability to control nature. A storm rages on the Sea of Galilee and the terrified apostles call out, "Teacher, do you not care that we are perishing?" Jesus rebuked the wind and water and calm comes upon the sea. Mark reports, "They [the apostles] were filled with great awe and said to one another, ‘Who then is this, that even the wind and the sea obey him?' " Jesus' teaching was also very impressive to those who ...

939. Transformation to the Light

Mark 1:14-20

Sermon

Richard Gribble

... simple fishermen were open to God's message; they were still seeking. Unlike some in Israel whose minds were closed, Jesus chose those who sought the light in their lives. These men knew their need for God. Jesus sensed this and chose them to be his apostles. Jesus called the first disciples, but there had to be a response to that call. When the Lord called Peter and Andrew he invited them to fish for people. The invitation was, therefore, to expand their horizons and to do more. Yet, like Mary's invitation ...

940. Apocalypse Wow!

Isaiah 25:6-9

Sermon

Mary S. Lautensleger

... of the dead. In fact, this is one of the few places in the Old Testament where God's defeat of death is promised or even hinted at. This banquet of banquets suggests great joy and celebration, anticipating the end of all sorrow and suffering. The Apostle Paul quotes this very passage from Isaiah to his congregation at Corinth. "Death has been swallowed up in victory" (1 Corinthians 15:54). Death and despair do not have the final word. A new day is dawning when death will no longer do the devouring. Instead ...

941. Is Your Christmas Spirit a Controlled Substance?

1 Thessalonians 5:12-28

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

... ! (A Passion for the Impossible by Hudson Taylor, p. 5) The Thessalonian church was right to have “pneumatic concerns,” because the spirit refuses to follow the rules and bread-and-butter the blueprint. The Apostle Paul did not even give parameters to predict the “good” vs. “evil.” The apostle refused to fasten down God’s spirit to any particulars. God’s spirit “blows where it chooses.” Paul’s point is that the spirit of Christ, the real “Christmas spirit,” will work to accomplish ...

942. Soul-Scrubbing

2 Corinthians 12:2-10

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

... proud leaders, laugh at arrogant humor, and look down on those outside our religious circle. Proud people don't really need God's supernatural revelation. Perhaps that's why there is so little of it in some parts of the church today. "Both the Lord and the apostles repeatedly emphasized the theme that God exalts the humble but opposes the proud (Matthew 23:12; Luke 14:11; 18:14; James 4:6 and 1 Peter 5:5). If we are ever going to hear his voice, we must embrace humility. Jesus was humble in heart (Matthew ...

943. Stay Focused!

Illustration

Eric Ritz

... a tiny mouse. It is a rare human being who can do three or four different things at a time moving in different directions. The Apostle Paul knew his number one priority in life was to live his life to the honor and glory of God by preaching the Gospel. However, ... is not well at the Church in Philippi. His very life could be ended at any moment. And the list goes on. However, the Apostle Paul would not allow anything to cross his path that would deter him from his priority. Paul knew that his new life was a ...

944. 2 Corinthians 5:16-21

2 Corinthians 5:16-21

Sweet

Leonard Sweet

... letter to the church, while 2:14-7:4 and chapters 9-13 are taken from that crucial third letter. Thus it is well to keep in mind that this week's text owes its intensity to Paul's passionate plea for his continuing authority as an apostle for Christ. The Lectionary reading for this week has, unfortunately, hacked off the accepted beginning and ending of this unit. Most scholars see Paul's thought beginning at 5:14 (though some back up even further to 5:11) and continuing through 6:2. Paul spends verses ...

945. Philemon 1:1-20

Philemon 1:1-20

Sweet

Leonard Sweet

... Philemon will voluntarily respond to Paul's wishes (remember how you used to ask your best friend to stay for dinner while standing right in front of your mother, then turn to her and say, "It is OK with you, isn't it Mom?"), the apostle now suggests that Philemon consider something even more radical - the notion that his slave is now his brother in Christ for all eternity. The whole incongruity between Christianity and slavery rears up at us in this one sentence. Certainly Paul opens a can of worms here ...

946. Philippians 4:1-9

Philippians 4:1-9

Sweet

Leonard Sweet

... in Greek athletic games. This crown does not symbolize exalted social status but instead signifies happiness, honor, victory and pride. These are the Christians the ones that fill Paul's heart with joy at the very thought of them and their faith that the apostle now urges to "stand firm in the Lord in this way." Verses 2-3, with their personal message to particular members of the Philippian church, offer us a small glimpse inside this community of faith. In Philippi, it appears that women were some of ...

947. 1 Corinthians 1:3-9

1 Corinthians 1:3-9

Sweet

Leonard Sweet

... a graceful God have "enriched" or "made rich" these Corinthian Christians (v. 5). At the very outset of this letter, Paul is careful to avoid fueling the flames of pride and boasting about spiritual gifts that have spread like wildfire throughout the church. The apostle specifies that the riches enjoyed by the Corinthians are firmly "in him" i.e., in God and in the gifted gracefulness of the Divine. They are not due to any human acts or abilities. Paul lists two specific areas of giftedness: "in speech" and ...

948. Luke 24:1-12

Luke 24:1-12

Sweet

Leonard Sweet

... to their message. They dismiss the stunning news as "an idle tale" or "nonsense" or we might even say as "women's chatter." Of course, "they did not believe them." That the remaining apostles reject the women's testimony so completely starkly contrasts with Luke's own treatment and presentation of women. Throughout Luke's gospel, women are positive witnesses, persons of genuine piety. It is only because they stayed near the cross until Jesus' body was removed that the women knew exactly where ...

949. John 21:1-19

John 21:1-19

Sweet

Leonard Sweet

... any exalted sense of authority for Peter. The flock is still Jesus' flock (my lambs, my sheep); the sheep are only given over to Peter for care. Here in John's gospel, where there is virtually no mention of special churchly titles (not even "apostles"), the most exalted position is one of care-taker or shepherd. Jesus closes his private discussion with Peter with some rather odd remarks about being fastened with a belt by others against his will. The words chosen here suggest two separate images to the ...

950. 2 Timothy 1:1-14

2 Timothy 1:1-14

Sweet

Leonard Sweet

... death and brought "life and immortality." Death itself has been destroyed by Christ, by the gospel among us. Mentioning "the gospel" now inspires Paul to remind Timothy that it is for the sake of this gospel that Paul has been "appointed a herald and an apostle and a teacher" (v.11). It is because he is a messenger for this gospel that Paul finds himself "suffering" (imprisoned). Paul's "not ashamed" declaration probably refers not to the gospel itself, but to the fact that he is imprisoned. What Paul has ...

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