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 951 to 975 of 1225 results

951. The Missing Figure in the Nativity Scene

Mark 1:1-8

Sermon

King Duncan

... was for the people who heard John preach. If you have difficulty getting into the Christmas Spirit, look into your heart and see if the problem could be greed, or lust, or anger, or resentment, or guilt. Sin always robs us of our joy regardless of the season. Evangelist Franklin Graham tells about a woman named Tia Ana who discovered the joy that comes to those who have been washed of their sins. Ana grew up in the capital city of El Salvador. As a young girl, Ana was abused by close family members. She ran ...

952. Turn the Other Cheek

Humor Illustration

Evangelist Sam Jones was chided for hitting a man. "Why did you do it?" asked a friend. "Well," said Sam, "The Bible says to turn the other cheek when someone strikes you. A man hit me and I turned the other cheek. And after that I hit him back. The Bible doesn't tell us what to do after we have turned the other cheek, so I hit him."

953. Dirty Water

Humor Illustration

After an evangelistic series at our church, 102 people were scheduled to be baptized. The men wore black robes; the women wore white robes. During the baptism the dye from the black robes began to make the water look dirty, and I heard two little boys behind me discussing the matter. "How come the water is getting so dirty?" The first boy asked. "That's their sins being washed away," replied the second. - Lynda Schroder

954. Fill Me Lord

Humor Illustration

There was a fellow in the South who wasn't very deep in his commitment to Christ but who loved to go to Revival meetings. Every time a visiting evangelist put up a tent on the outskirts of town, he was there. When the invitation was given at the close of the service this man would be the first one to the altar. Kneeling at the altar he would spread out his arms and pray loud enough for everyone in ...

955. No Further Instructions

Humor Illustration

A successful Irish boxer was converted and became a preacher. He happened to be in a new town setting up his evangelistic tent when a couple of tough thugs noticed what he was doing. Knowing nothing of his background, they made a few insulting remarks. The Irishman merely turned and looked at them. Pressing his luck, one of the bullies took a swing and struck a glancing blow on one side of ...

956. Doing Nothing and Going to Hell

Mt 25:31-46

Illustration

King Duncan

The famous evangelist Billy Sunday was once asked, "What must I do to go to hell?" Sunday answered, "Nothing." That's the message of Matthew 25. If we want to have hell on earth and hell for eternity, then we will look the other way. The goats were those people in Jesus' parable ...

957. I Want My Dollar Back!

2 Corinthians 8:1-15

Sermon

King Duncan

... in months everybody gave. That approach might work, but stealing chickens is not a big problem around here. Some of you remember the wonderful television host Art Linkletter. What you may not know is that Linkletter grew up in poverty. His father was an itinerant evangelist who sometimes preached on street corners. The family lived where they could, on such money as his father was able to collect from his "offerings." Once they occupied one room in an old folk's home. Most of the rooms they lived in were ...

958. Simple Enough?

John 13:31-35

Sermon

Frank Ramirez

... win a great victory over the world. Will we follow through with the battle plan, or will fatigue, cowardice, or exhaustion prevent us from achieving this great thing? Today's scripture passage is short, but there's a lot there. And it's simple. John the Evangelist knew he had an important message, and he chose to write it in the world language of his day, Koine Greek. Koine Greek was not fancy Greek. It wasn't literary Greek. It was letter writing Greek, receipt writing Greek, business Greek. Greek was ...

959. The Call of God

Jeremiah 1:4-10

Sermon

David E. Leininger

... it is most apt. A young farmer one day saw a vision while out in his field. Up in the bright blue sky he saw the fluffy, white, summer clouds form the letters "P C." He was convinced that this was God's way of telling him to become an evangelist: "P C — Preach Christ." So off he went. After a few months of a notable lack of success, he came back to his own home church to talk with his pastor, a sympathetic man who realized that the farmer was simply not suited for the task he had set for ...

960. Life After Life

1 Corinthians 15:12-20

Sermon

David E. Leininger

... own Son die so that we might live. Knowing all that, we do not have to understand. We will have life after life! My wife spent some of her high school years at Northfield in Massachusetts. Northfield is a school that was founded by one of the most famous evangelists of the last century, Dwight L. Moody. In fact, his grave is on the campus. I love what Moody said: "One day you will read in the paper that D. L. Moody of East Northfield, Massachusetts, has died. Well, don't believe a word of it. I shall have ...

961. The Uniquely Christian Commandment

John 13:1-17, 31b-35

Sermon

David E. Leininger

... another" (John 13:35). The command to love is really a command to witness with our lives, to be so winsome in our own fellowship that those outside will want to come in. Indeed, love for one another — doing for one another — may be the most effective evangelistic tool we have at our disposal. As I said earlier, this is a commandment with which it is easy to be uncomfortable. Even after the parameters are defined, the "speed limits" are set, the standard is so high as to be utterly intimidating. I do not ...

962. Rich Man, Poor Man

James 2:1-13

Sermon

King Duncan

... He had not come for the dinner. God replied, “I did come. If you had fed the old man, you would have fed Me.” (2) Scripture is clear, Old Testament and New: our closeness to God is reflected in how we treat those less fortunate than ourselves. Evangelist Jim Wallis has an interesting twist on this idea. He says that he often does a little Bible quiz for audiences he’s speaking to. He asks this question: “What is the most famous biblical text in America about the poor?” He says that every time he ...

963. Big Men in Little Planes

Mark 9:33-37

Sermon

King Duncan

... own community and around the world get the kind of help they need, whether it is food or medicine or education, whatever they need to thrive. If you want to be the greatest, commit your life to serving the least and the lowest. I like the way evangelist Bill Glass puts it. Some of you who are football fans may remember Glass. He was All-Pro defensive end for the Detroit Lions and the Cleveland Browns for many years. Since leaving football he has been involved in Christian ministry. He talks about what he ...

964. Jesus - The Leader of Our Team

Philippians 1:1-11

Sermon

Richard Gribble

... the road is easy that leads to destruction, and there are many who take it. For the gate is narrow and the road is hard that leads to life, and there are few who find it. — Matthew 7:13-14 Saint John is unique among the gospel evangelists in the many titles he gives to Jesus. He describes Jesus as, “the way, the truth and the life,” “the Bread of Life,” the “door,” and “gate.” The powerful image of the vine and branches well illustrates the centrality of Jesus: “I am the vine, you are ...

965. Responsibility Comes with Privilege

Acts 8:4-8

Sermon

Richard Gribble

... to be responsible. Thus, she was the one chosen to succeed her father. Today we close the Christmas season by celebrating the Baptism of our Lord. We are reminded not only of the Lord's baptism, as we hear described by all the synoptic evangelists, but possibly more importantly our own baptism. This sacrament brought us great privileges but significant responsibility is ours as well. The Acts of the Apostles, from which our lesson is taken today, is really two books in one. Often referred to as the "fifth ...

966. Raised to New Life Today

1 Corinthians 15:12-20

Sermon

Richard Gribble

... as well was given a second chance. Indeed, he claimed that he should never be called an apostle as he had been so fervent and zealous in his earlier persecution of Christians (1 Corinthians 15:9-10). Yet, God transformed him into the most famous evangelist and missionary of all time. Paul's efforts transformed Christianity from a sect of Judaism into the major world religion it is today. But this all happened because he was open to the call and accepted resurrection in his life. Resurrection not only brings ...

967. Heaven on Earth

Revelation 21:1-6

Sermon

Steven E. Albertin

... wild, fantastic, and bizarre images of heaven and what it will be like when God finally brings the world to an end. The images are not meant to be literal pictures but imaginative poetry and metaphor that make it almost seem as if the author, Saint John, the evangelist, was on some kind of psychedelic drug when he wrote it. In today's reading John gives us another picture of what it will be like when that last day arrives. There will be an end to the suffering and pain that has afflicted life in this world ...

968. An Uncomplicated Gospel

Galatians 1:1-10

Sermon

April Yamasaki

... response to God's grace and freedom, but they are not the same thing. Paul's own life was a vivid example of this. Once he had persecuted the church, but soon after his dramatic conversion on the road to Damascus, he became a tireless evangelist and church planter. During his ministry he experienced imprisonment, beatings, stonings, shipwrecks, and many other trials. Yet he knew that it was not his own efforts that absolved him of his past life. It was not God's grace-and-evangelism, God's grace-and-church ...

969. The Gospel According To Pronouns

Acts 10:34-43

Sermon

David J. Kalas

... , for he went on to articulate just what that message was. But the fact remains: He begins with "you." This is the ultimately personal part of the gospel: The part that is addressed to "you." We hear it right from the beginning from the very first evangelists. On Christmas night, the angel over the fields outside of Bethlehem announced this good news: "To you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is the Messiah, the Lord" (Luke 2:11). Most birth announcements simply report the details of the ...

970. Oh, By the Way…

Daniel 7:1-3, 15-18

Sermon

R. Kevin Mohr

... a revelation given by God through a mediator to a seer concerning future events. Another main reason we don't understand apocalyptic literature is that we have been conditioned by certain popular theologians of the late 1960s and 1970s, and by some television evangelists still on the air today, to think of apocalyptic writings as blueprints for the end times. That lens for understanding this type of literature results in a frenzy of speculation about a timetable for the last days. The result is that while ...

971. The Joy of the Lord

Nehemiah 7:73b--8:18

Sermon

King Duncan

There is an ancient Egyptian myth which says that, after death, every individual is confronted with two questions that have to be answered honestly. First, did you find joy? And second, did you bring joy? Evangelist Billy Graham says that “Joy is one of the marks of a true believer. This is not a gushy emotion or a forced grin, but the security of knowing God’s love.” Graham tells about a news story concerning soldiers in the Persian Gulf years ago watching videotapes from their ...

972. The Cross Burden or Blessing?

Philippians 3:12-4:1

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

... and heal this world. Life is best lived under the weight of the cross, but a cross that does not drag us down but lift us up. Embracing the cross of Christ does not make us hunchbacks — it enables us to stand straight and be wholly human. Evangelist E. Stanley Jones once observed that Christians are called not to bear Christ’s cross upon their own backs, but to use Christ’s cross to accomplish those things one could not do otherwise. The cross we are called to carry is not a crushing, back-breaking ...

973. Coincidence or Providence?

Acts 16:11-15

Sermon

King Duncan

... s household, probably servants as well as children, if she had children. Lydia seems to have been the head of her household. No husband is mentioned. Perhaps she was a widow. We simply do not know. There could have been extended family. Anyway, to house four traveling evangelists in addition to the rest of her household and servants indicates that Lydia’s house was quite large for the time. It’s important to note that Lydia was not a Jew, but she did worship God. We’ll talk more about that in just a ...

974. Between a Rock and a Hard Rock Thrower

Galatians 1:11-24

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

... . Paul followed the Law with his whole being until that unexpected experience with the risen Christ on the Damascus Road. Then his zeal for the Law was immediately transformed by that revelation into an unshakeable zeal for Jesus the Christ, an evangelist to the Gentiles, responsible for the expanding the Christian faith to the ends of the Roman Empire. It is one of the greatest ironies of church history that Peter, the unschooled, semi-observant fisherman became the apostle who blended Torah-obedient ...

975. Two Sinners

Luke 7:36-50

Sermon

King Duncan

... doing. “If this man were a prophet,” he sneered, “he would know who is touching him and what kind of woman she is that she is a sinner.” Yes, she was a sinner, but that was not for Simon to decide. That was for God alone to decide. The great evangelist and author F.B. Meyer once said that when we see a brother or sister in sin, there are two things we do not know: First, we do not know how hard he or she tried not to sin. And second, we do not know the power of the forces ...

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