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 2815 results

951. Checked the Ditch Lately?

Luke 10:25-37

Sermon

Arley K. Fadness

... vehicle. Then we realized, it was the same golden eagle we had seen, because they found it in exactly the same spot. In Jesus' parable, it is a man that is found beaten and bleeding, lying in a ditch by the side of the road. A sharp lawyer had just ... ditch, we do not know. How long the man lay in the ditch, we do not know, either. Presently, along comes a Samaritan, in Jesus' parable, a Samaritan despised by the Jews, but when he sees the man in the ditch, he is moved with compassion. He stops, goes to ...

952. Sister Act(s)

Luke 10:38-42

Sermon

Arley K. Fadness

... and the story are examples of the Great Commandment "to love the Lord your God with all your heart and your neighbor as yourself." The Good Samaritan parable illustrates "love to neighbor," whereas the Mary-Martha story illustrates "love to God." Meet the two M & M sisters — Mary and Martha. They are two peas in the same pod and yet so different. Martha and Mary live in the same town — Bethany in Judea. They live in the same ...

953. The Great Divide

Luke 16:19-31

Sermon

... connected, and we should do all in our power to stay that way and not step over the other and pretend they don't exist or don't matter. For there are consequences when we aren't connected. Not just at the end of our days as this parable illustrates, but now, right here there can be severe consequences when we distance ourselves from our brothers and sisters. Still, by opening our eyes, and coming face-to-face with those we might have avoided in the past, we can change at least ourselves. A few weeks ago ...

954. A Fool and His Money

Luke 12:13-21

Sermon

David E. Leininger

... a hearse. Please be careful here. Do not make the man worse than he was. He was not unlike most of us in his passions and motives. Notice, too, that what happened was not a punishment. The message of the parable is not that God does not like people who work hard and are successful. The parable is simply an observation of the way life is for all of us, rich or poor, successful or struggling. Death is one of those facts of life, and no matter what you accumulate, nothing will change that. Another fact is ...

955. Two Sinners

Luke 7:36-50

Sermon

King Duncan

... t talking about the woman. He was talking about Simon, and everyone who is like Simon. We don’t feel as much love for God that the forgiven prostitute feels, because we have never felt the need she felt. There were at least two sinners involved in Jesus’ parable the woman and Simon the Pharisee. And in Jesus’ eyes it was easier to forgive a prostitute who mourned in her heart that she had sinned than it was to forgive this Pharisee who thought he was so superior and didn’t really need to be forgiven ...

956. Treasure Hunt

Matthew 13:44-46

Sermon

King Duncan

... it. You can only open yourself to it. Happiness is yielding control of your life to God. That’s the meaning of the kingdom of heaven or the kingdom of God (in the New Testament, the two are used interchangeably). Sometimes we are puzzled when we read Jesus’ parables about the kingdom of God. Remember that the Kingdom of God simply means allowing God to rule over your life. When you open yourself to God and ask God to take charge of your life and allow God to make whatever changes in your life need to be ...

957. How to Forgive

Matthew 18:21-35

Sermon

King Duncan

... hug to yourself any resentment against anybody, you destroy the bridge by which God would come to you.” After cautioning Simon Peter to forgive one who has done him wrong seventy-seven times, Jesus told a parable quite a humorous parable really, because of the level of exaggeration involved. Jesus told a parable about a man who owed his king ten thousand bags of gold. This is a staggering sum of money. Have you priced gold recently? Someone has estimated that ten thousand bags of gold would today be worth ...

958. Come Home

Matthew 25:14-30

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

... , after never hitting land for seven to ten years, comes back to exactly that same noisy neighborhood to raise its first family. Come home. Every living creature longs for home. We are not alone in our longings for home. We are not alone in our homesickness. The parable of the Prodigal Son is usually told as a story of forgiveness and acceptance. But the FIRST step in that story is the step made homeward by the son who realizes his life is a mess and he needs to restore basic relationships. The prodigal son ...

959. A Few Remaining Tremors

Matthew 18:21-35

Sermon

James Merritt

... able to forgive no matter what?” Yes. I am going to give you the same reason that Jesus is going to give us in a story He is about to tell us. It is found in our Key Take Away: Forgiven people forgive people. Jesus loved to teach in parables and the parable we are about to read may be the most powerful story ever told in all of the Bible about forgiveness. You will never get to the what of forgiveness until you understand the why of forgiveness. In this story, there are two dos and one don’t that we ...

960. Making One's Calling and Election Sure

2 Peter 1:1-11

Understanding Series

Norman Hillyer

... is that which is imparted to us by God and from God, without any labour on our part; but the oil is that which man ought to add by his own diligence and faithfulness, that the flame may be fed and increased. Thus the matter is set forth without a parable in this passage of Peter: in verses 3 and 4 we have the flame; but in verses 5 and 6, and those which follow, we have that which man himself ought to add [lit. to pour upon it], the presence of divine grace being presupposed” See Bengel, Gnomen, vol. 5 ...

961. Jesus’ Love and the World’s Hatred

John 15:1-17

Understanding Series

J. Ramsey Michaels

... here add a second identification to each of the “I am” formulas (my Father is the gardener, v. 1; you are the branches, v. 5). The result is not a full-blown parable (both 10:1–5 and 10:12–13 are more like parables in the sense of telling a real story), but something similar to the interpretations attached in the synoptic Gospels to the parables of the sower (Mark 4:13–20 and parallels) and of the weeds in the field (Matt. 13:36–43). Jesus identifies himself in relation to the Father in verses 1 ...

962. Interpreting the Times

Luke 12:54-59, Luke 12:49-53, Luke 12:35-48

Teach the Text

R.T. France

... 12:46 He will cut him to pieces. This is a surprisingly vivid and violent image. The setting in an ordinary household has been left behind. The following clause, “assign him a place with the unbelievers,” shows that the intended application has invaded the parable. This violent end represents the lot of those who have abused their Lord’s trust and so have failed in their discipleship. 12:47–48 The servant who knows the master’s will . . . the one who does not know. This is a separate saying ...

963. “You Are My Son; Today I Have Become Your Father”

Psalm 2:1-12

Teach the Text

C. Hassell Bullock

... ”—fall down in humble submission to the sovereign God (2:12; cf. James 4:10). This is the gospel in miniature. Illustrating the Text History and parable History: Psalm 2 represents the raw rebellion of the “kings of the earth” against God and his anointed. It is both history and parable. What happened in David’s time is history, and as parable it presents the stark opposition to God that characterizes all humanity (Acts 4:23–31). Robert Rosenblatt wrote an article in Time (“What Really Matters ...

964. “No One Can Redeem the Life of Another or Give to God a Ransom for Them”

Psalm 49:1-20

Teach the Text

C. Hassell Bullock

... height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord” (Rom. 8:35, 38–39). Invest in eternity. Bible: Psalm 49 provides a great connection to the parable of the rich fool (Luke 12:16–21). In this parable Jesus tells the story of a rich man who plans to “take life easy; eat, drink, and be merry.” But God says to the rich man, “You fool! This very night your life will be demanded from you. Then who will get what you ...

965. Jesus’ Teaching on Prayer

Luke 11:1-13

One Volume

Gary M. Burge

... a plea for forgiveness since believers manifest God’s forgiveness to others. Third, believers should pray that God will shield them from temptation that would lead them into sin. Then, in a story about a person requesting provisions from a friend at midnight, Jesus tells a parable about prayer (11:5–8). The arrival of a friend at night would not be unusual in the Middle East because it would be too hot to travel by day. Moreover, no host would fail to offer food to a guest. The “friend” inside is ...

966. Watchfulness

Luke 12:35-48

One Volume

Gary M. Burge

... robes that needed to be tied up with a belt when one wanted to run or engage in serious work. Verse 37 envisions a reversal of roles that was unheard of in Palestine. If the servants are faithful, then the master will serve them. The parable of the alert house owner (12:39–40) demonstrates that the disciples cannot predict with certainty when the Son of Man will come; therefore, they must always be ready. Peter inquires about whether Jesus is speaking specifically to the apostles/disciples or to all ...

967. Divine Tenants

Matthew 21:33-46

Sermon

Kristin Borsgard Wee

... the values of the kingdom. Ownership of the vineyard is not the issue. This vineyard is not for sale and never will be. The owner isn't looking for buyers, he is looking for tenants, people who will give him his share of the crops at harvest time. This parable is about stewardship and that's a word that sticks in our craw. We would much rather talk about ownership. You and I have worked hard for what we have. We have deeds, titles, fences, and hedges to prove our ownership. We have gone to a lot of trouble ...

968. The Gift of Failure

Matthew 21:28-32

Sermon

Kristin Borsgard Wee

... an odd kind of gift. Now that everyone in that class knew the worst I could do, there was nowhere to go but up! Jesus tells another parable. This one is about a father and two sons. The father tells the first son to go and work in the vineyard. The son says sure ... the kingdom before a church council member. (Remember, Jesus is speaking to leaders of the synagogue.) The point of the parable is this: Everything depends on going into the vineyard and doing God's work. God is looking for people who will go, and ...

969. Throwing Away the Calculator

Matthew 18:21-25

Sermon

Kristin Borsgard Wee

... into the kingdom by standing in the shoes of a child. Here, at the end of the chapter, the same humility takes the shape of a slave with a debt so enormous only an act of majestic pardon can wipe it out. The problem of the servant in today's parable is that he missed the experience of forgiveness altogether. He thought he was getting off the hook and that was the end of it. It never crossed his mind that what was really happening to him was that he was being forgiven from the heart by someone who understood ...

970. Jesus Anointed by a Sinful Woman

Luke 7:36-50

Understanding Series

Craig A. Evans

... this Galilean preacher may not be a prophet after all. Jesus’ response evidences his prophetic capacity, for he has perceived his host’s thoughts. Simon’s address to Jesus as teacher may indicate newly found respect for Jesus (see note below). Jesus next tells the parable of the moneylender who canceled the debts of the two debtors (vv. 41–42), and then he applies it to the love that the woman has shown for him. This stands in vivid contrast to the minimal respect that Simon has shown. Because the ...

971. Warnings and Encouragements

Luke 12:1-12

Understanding Series

Craig A. Evans

... of this material is scattered in Matthew (5:25–26; 6:19–21, 25–33; 10:19–20, 26b–36; 12:31–32; 16:2–3, 6; 24:43–51) and thus should be understood as being derived from the sayings source utilized by Matthew and Luke. Luke’s Parable of the Rich Fool (vv. 13–21) and the saying on watching and waiting (vv. 35–40) are unparalleled (though cf. the latter with Matt. 24:43–44). Evans (pp. 45–46) relates most of Luke 12 to Deuteronomy 12–13, where Israel is commanded to tithe faithfully ...

972. The Sign of Jonah

Matthew 12:38-45

Understanding Series

Robert H. Mounce

... might as well go home. Upon arriving, it discovers its house swept clean, redecorated, and standing empty. So it invites seven other demons (and these worse than itself) to move in with it. Little wonder that the man (the house) was worse off than before! The parable has to do with the spiritual condition and destiny of Jesus’s hearers. Jesus had come to his people with the message of messianic deliverance (cf. Luke 4:17–19). The kingdom of heaven had come, and the power of evil was being broken. In the ...

973. The Sheep and the Goats

Matthew 25:31-46

Understanding Series

Robert H. Mounce

... talent, they will be thrown outside into the darkness (vv. 14–30); and like the “goats” who do not respond to the needy, they will suffer the fate of the devil and his angels (vv. 31–46). The clear-cut distinction between the two groups reminds us of the parable with which Jesus closed his Sermon on the Mount (7:24–27, the wise man who built on rock and the foolish man who built on sand). Both the first and the last of the five discourses in Matthew end with the same emphasis. 25:31–46 Shortly ...

974. Watchfulness

Luke 12:35-48

Understanding Series

Craig A. Evans

... and Christians in general (Marshall, p. 540; Ellis, p. 181). Thus, the answer of the question is only implied. As church leaders, Peter and the apostles are especially to be alert and ready, teaching the other disciples to be prepared as well. The Parable of the Faithful Manager illustrates this. The wise manager will run the household well by properly delegating the work to the other servants. When the master of the house returns he likely will promote the faithful servant (=when Jesus returns his faithful ...

975. The World Hates the Disciples

John 15:18--16:4

Understanding Series

J. Ramsey Michaels

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