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 2273 results

951. The Advice of Hushai and Ahithophel

2 Sam 16:15–17:29

Understanding Series

Mary J. Evans

... He had proved so successful in the past that he had proved as reliable as a prophet or an interpreter of the Urim and Thummim (Exod. 28:30; Num. 27:21), in other words, his advice was as good as that of one who inquires of God. 17:1 Again, the twelve thousand may refer to twelve troop units or battalions, which would have had fewer than a thousand men in each one. 17:16 To take David’s whole group across the fords of the Jordan, even with the limited supplies they would have managed to gather in the short ...

952. The Boy Jesus at the Temple

Luke 2:41-52

Understanding Series

Craig A. Evans

2:41–52 Although this is not exactly an infancy story, it is apparent that Luke intends this episode of the finding of Jesus in the temple to be part of his larger narrative. This episode concludes with a refrain (v. 52) similar to those closing other episodes within the infancy narratives (1:80; 2:40). This incident serves as a transition from the infancy to the adulthood of Jesus. It also illustrates Jesus’ growth and wisdom (2:40). The opening verse not only sets the stage for the episode itself, but ...

953. A Dead Girl and a Sick Woman

Luke 8:40-56

Understanding Series

Craig A. Evans

8:40–56 The stories of the resuscitation of Jairus’ daughter and the healing of the woman with the hemorrhage are also derived from Mark (5:21–43). As often is the case, Luke has abbreviated his Marcan material. (Matthew’s version is the briefest; 9:18–25.) The emphasis of both of these episodes is the need to have faith in Jesus. In view of what Jesus has just accomplished on the lake (vv. 22–25) and among the Gerasene people (vv. 26–39), the need to have faith in him becomes all the more compelling. The ...

954. A Word to Busy Parents

Luke 2:41-52

Sermon

King Duncan

Today we’re going to be talking about the Christian family. I believe most of us will agree that raising a family can be challenging. In fact, raising a family changes with each baby. Someone has made a list of the ways having a second and third child is different from having your first. See if any of you can identify with these differences: For example, if you are a mom, your clothes change. With the first baby you begin wearing maternity clothes as soon as your gynecologist confirms your pregnancy. With ...

955. The Phrase We Never Want to Hear

John 20:19-23, John 20:24-31

Sermon

King Duncan

I have a brain-teaser for you this morning. What is the one phrase that nobody likes to hear, but everybody likes to say? The phrase is, “I told you so.” When someone doesn’t listen to us, they ignore our advice and get themselves in trouble, we are quick to say, “I told you so.” But we absolutely hate it when others are right, and they throw those words at us. I read of two amazing “I told you so” moments recently. In the 1970s, the mayor of Fudai, Japan, pushed through a plan to build a ridiculously ...

956. The Invitation

Matthew 20:1-15

Sermon

Will Willimon

Jesus said that God's Kingdom is like a man who had a vineyard which needed harvesting. The man goes out into the marketplace and hires some workers agreeing to pay them one denarius a day. They go to work. Mid-morning he looks over his vineyard and sees that more workers will be needed if the job is to be done, so he goes back into the marketplace where he encounters some men still standing around whom no one has hired. Even though a third of the day is over, he asks them to go to work for telling them ...

957. The Family

Genesis 37:1-36

Sermon

Will Willimon

Because we are all at the beginning, let us begin at the beginning with the Book of Genesis, a Bible book whose name means ''in the beginning." Let us begin with a family story, which seems appropriate, appropriate considering that many of you students have begun your college careers by separating from your families in order to come to Duke, a separation which pains some of you and delights others. We begin with a family story. It's a story not about just any family but the first family, since the head of ...

958. First World Problems

Luke 12:13-21

Sermon

King Duncan

Have you ever stopped to notice the things that you worry about? If you were to make a list of the last three things you worried about, what would be on it? I ask this question because most of us live fairly insulated lives. We have a place to live. We have enough food to eat. We are not in danger of starvation or homelessness or dying from a simple infection because we can’t afford antibiotics. We are insulated from the dangers of extreme poverty that afflict about 689 million people worldwide. That’s ...

959. Equipped for Our Calling

Matthew 9:35-10:8, (9-23)

Sermon

King Duncan & Angela Akers

This morning we’re going to start off with a little confession time. It’s good for the soul. Every once in a while, do you wish you could call in “sick” to work and have a day to relax? There’s an old term that is used for skipping out of some obligation, like not going to work or school when you’re supposed to. It’s called “playing hooky.” It comes from an old Dutch term for the game “hide-and-seek.” So a person who is playing hooky from work is hiding from their boss for the day. (1) It’s a good thing ...

960. Living Through Hard Times

2 Corinthians 5:20b-6:10

Sermon

Bonnie Bates

Sometimes it is hard for us to accept the hardships of this life. Certainly, in the current situation, with so many people in so many communities and countries still affected by the COVID-19 pandemic, there is much worry and anxiety. Yet, worry and struggle have been a part of the human condition almost as long as human beings have been on the earth. As Paul wrote this second letter to the church in Corinth, he was reminding the people that he, too had struggled: “in beatings, imprisonments, and riots; in ...

961. Joseph's Friend

Matthew 2:13-18, Matthew 2:19-23

Drama

Robert F. Crowley

Theme: Fatherhood is a solemn responsibility given by God. Modern fathers could learn a lot from Joseph, the man who was the stepfather of Jesus. Summary: Joseph, the stepfather of Jesus, talks about his relationship with Jesus. A monologue. Playing Time: 3 minutes Setting: A neutral playing area which could represent the home of Joseph Props: None Costumes: Hebrew, of Jesus' time Time: The time of Christ Cast: JOSEPH -- an elderly Hebrew man JOSEPH: What I wouldn't give to live those years over again -- ...

962. The Body

1 Corinthians 12:12-31

Drama

Robert F. Crowley

Theme: Is the body of Christ able to work together in harmony because the spirit of the Lord is upon it, or is it meant to operate like any other organization? Summary: Pastor Ralph needs some work on his car and he is also dealing with differing factions in his church. He is not having a good day. Earl, his friend and mechanic, gives him some good advice on taking care of his car and then relates it to his church -- get all the parts working together; after all, they all have the same manufacturer -- the ...

963. Sent From The Mountain

Matthew 28:16-20

Sermon

William G. Carter

There is nothing like taking part in a worship service with 17,000 people. If you are surrounded by a choir that large, all of the hymns sound in tune. With that many people gathered to pray in the same place at the same time, you have no doubt God will hear somebody in the crowd. And when a super-charged speaker stands up to challenge people to follow the commandments of Christ, the group dynamics of such a huge crowd ensure that someone, somewhere, is ready to answer the challenge. That was the case in ...

964. They Didn't Have To Do It, But They Did

Genesis 14:1-24

Sermon

Carlyle Fielding Stewart

Life is filled with stories of those selfless saints who have done the great things, made the great sacrifices and moved the boundaries of human reciprocity beyond their current constraints. A friend shared with me his experience at getting a flat tire while traveling at night through Southern Georgia en route to Florida. He knew of black men being lynched on remote Southern roads and now he was stranded on a road at eleven o'clock at night. It was pitch black with no houses in sight, and he was filled ...

965. Take Up Your Ministry

Mark 9:38-41

Sermon

Steven E. Albertin

Several years ago at my previous congregation I remember a discussion I had with the church council. It was very revealing of the kind of distorted vision of ministry that is very much afoot in the church these days. I had a sudden change in my vacation plans and was going to have to be out of town for a Sunday that I had not planned on. I was having great difficulty finding another pastor to fill the pulpit. It was the summer. Many pastors are already on vacation and those who are available for pulpit ...

966. Simply Simon

Luke 7:36-50

Sermon

Alexander H. Wales

I just don't understand the man! I invited him into my home and what do I get? INSULTS! He was a guest in my house. I don't think he understands who he's dealing with! Some people just can't be satisfied with what they've received. Let me explain ... "You see, a few weeks back, I heard that Jesus of Nazareth was going to be in our area. You know, he's that roving preacher who's so popular with the public right now. In fact, I've heard he's done some amazing things during his meetings. And he teaches some ...

967. "Do This In Remembrance Of Me"

Luke 22:7-38

Sermon

Alex Gondola

Philosophers and anthropologists have long debated over what makes human beings different from other creatures. It isn't our ability to build houses: birds and beavers build houses. It isn't our use of tools, either. Many animals use tools. Even a simple gull can employ a rock to open a shell. We aren't different because we organize into societies. Ants have an elaborate social structure, including "hospitals" for their sick and "nurseries" for their young. Nor is it the use of language that sets us apart ...

968. Baptism In Three Movements

Matthew 3:13-17

Sermon

William B. Kincaid, III

There are two very different ways to think about baptism. The first approach recognizes the time of baptism as a saving moment in which the person being baptized accepts the love and forgiveness of God. The person then considers herself "saved." She may grow in the faith through the years, but nothing which she will experience after her baptism will be as important as her baptism. She always will be able to recall her baptism as the time when her life changed. The second approach wouldn't disagree with any ...

969. How Much Sin Is Too Much?

Matthew 5:13-16, Matthew 5:17-20

Sermon

William B. Kincaid, III

Of all the pressing questions of the day, a sign on one person's desk asks, "How much can I sin and still go to heaven?" The question seems amusing until we stop to think about it. Inherent in this question is a bold-faced confession that there is no interest at all in pursuing a life shaped wholly by the spirit of God, but at the same time we do not want to be so recklessly sacrilegious that we forfeit completely the rewards of the hereafter. The late Southern humorist Lewis Grizzard said thinking about ...

970. I Am Coming Soon

Sermon

Ronald Lavin

See, I am coming soon... -- Revelation 22:12 (NRSV) ____________ Clyde Schmidt was a member of First Lutheran Church. His family had belonged there for four generations. His grandfather was a Lutheran minister. Clyde and his wife, Ida Mae, were pillars at First Lutheran. Clyde's faith was shaken one day when Ida Mae asked him for a divorce. It had been a difficult year. His lumber business was quite demanding. He had not spent as much time with his wife and children as he had desired. In addition, Clyde's ...

971. Jesus And The Disciples

Sermon

Jerry Eckert

Comment: I have always wondered how Jesus gathered his Disciples. The way the biblical stories go, it seems like he knew most of them one way or another. So I hypothesized that they may have known each other as children. How, since they were from a number of different towns not that close together, could they have had contact? Having taught a few lab schools, I decided that maybe something like that might have occurred! Since the Sunday for which I was preparing was Rally Day, I wondered what a teacher ...

972. Any FAX, Or E-Mail From God Today?

1 Samuel 2:12-26

Sermon

Harold Warlick

You and I live in a world of communication. Analysts tell us that most of us will spend two years of our lives on the telephone. Most likely they will not be the best two years. Future generations could spend more than five years of their lives "talking" with people around the globe as they come home from work or school, download their computers, and get out on the information highway. Calling a college student has changed dramatically in the past decade. Over two-thirds of American college students now ...

973. The Light Within Epiphany

Isaiah 60:1-22

Children's Sermon

B. Kathleen Fannin

Object: An acorn which has begun to sprout and a plain-looking rock which has been split in two to reveal a bright red interior. (A geode would also be very useful for this sermon.) Lesson: Revelation; light; brokenness; life Text: "Arise, shine; for your light has come, and the glory of the LORD has risen upon you. For darkness shall cover the earth, and thick darkness the peoples; but the LORD will arise upon you, and his glory will appear over you." "I have a word I would like to ask you to think about ...

974. Jesus And The Disciples

Mark 10:17-31

Sermon

Jerry Eckert

975. Feeding The 5000

John 6:1-15, John 6:16-24

Bulletin Aid

RobertT D. Ingram

Theme: If the miracles are only signs pointing to Christ, how much greater he must be than these astounding miracles. Truly, the one before whom we bow is beyond human comprehension. GREETING Leader: With just five barley loaves and two fish, Jesus fed the crowd of five thousand people. Congregation: O God, feeding five thousand was nothing. Every day Jesus feeds millions with the living bread of his body. Leader: After the five thousand ate, the disciples gathered up more fragments than there were loaves ...

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