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 76 to 100 of 2273 results

76. The Healing of a Boy With an Evil Spirit

Mark 9:14-32

Understanding Series

Larry W. Hurtado

... him,” the same term used to describe the action of God in raising Jesus from the dead, e.g., Mark 14:28; Acts 3:15; 4:10; 5:30. 9:28 His disciples asked him privately: Here again, there is the Markan theme of the special instructions given to the Twelve. Cf., e.g., 4:10–12, 33–34; 7:17. 9:29 Only by prayer: In some manuscripts there is the addition of “and fasting” after these words, but this reading appears to be the result of some copyists inserting a reference to the practice of fasting at a ...

77. Behold The Man Who Trained Disciples

Luke 10:1-20

Sermon

Thomas A. Pilgrim

... he told them, "I am sending you out as lambs among wolves." Now, sending them out was important not only on that occasion, but also it later became the same method the early church used in its mission to carry the gospel around the world. Jesus gave the twelve what we call "the great commission." He sent them out. That is the method Jesus used. It is still the best method -- sending out disciples to spread the good news about Jesus Christ, the Kingdom of God, the mission of the church of Christ. What if our ...

78. The Sending Plan (Alternate title: Our Human Predicament)

Mark 6:7-13

Sermon

Ron Lavin

... were offended. Jesus was rejected in his own hometown. Therefore Jesus made plans to send others out in his name. We pick up the story in verse 6: "And he was amazed at their lack of faith. Then Jesus went around teaching from village to village. Calling the Twelve to him, he sent them out two by two and gave them authority over evil spirits." When Jesus was rejected in Nazareth, he saw it as a sign of what was to come -- his suffering, death, and resurrection. When he was gone, others would have to carry ...

79. Lord of the Sabbath

Matthew 12:1-14

Understanding Series

Robert H. Mounce

... story is recorded in 1 Samuel 21:1–9. Although the Jewish leaders knew the story well, they had failed to grasp its spiritual lesson, that is, human need must take precedence over ceremonial technicalities. The bread that David received from the priest was from the twelve loaves that were placed every Sabbath on a table of pure gold in the house of God. When they were replaced with new bread, they could be eaten by the priests. The hunger of Jesus’ disciples (v. 1) parallels the hunger of David’s men ...

80. No Turning Back

John 6:56-69

Sermon

Frank Ramirez

... about the spiritual aspect of this flesh and blood more clearly? The gospel took place in the real world. Body and blood, broken and spilled, nailed to the cross. It was not always easy. It’s not always good to pretend that things are easy, either. “So Jesus asked the twelve, “Do you also wish to go away?” Simon Peter answered him, “Lord, to whom can we go? You have the words of eternal life. We have come to believe and know that you are the Holy One of God (6:67-69).” We’re so used to the way ...

81. What Price Must We Pay?

Luke 6:20-31

Sermon

John Wayne Clarke

... wants for us to live. Let us retrace some of what has already happened to this point in Luke's Gospel. Jesus chooses twelve of his disciples for a special role. We can say, with some authority, that he chose twelve because that number represents the twelve tribes of Israel. By choosing these twelve Jesus was saying that they represented for him the new Israel. With something new, comes some new ways of living life. New values are outlined in this passage, new ideas that carry the power to transform the ...

82. Bread of Another Kind (Bread of Life II)

John 6:25-59

Sermon

Charles R. Leary

... would get their long-awaited “R & R.” He put them on a boat, sending them out of sight across the lake. Seven, he dismissed the crowd. Eight, he himself went up the hillside alone to pray and rest. Nine, during the night a storm at sea scared the Twelve “out of their wits,” so he reunited with them on the boat. By morning, they were at their new work location. That brings us to today’s Gospel. And guess what? The crowds were already there. They greeted him with a teaser, “Rabbi, when did you get ...

83. Matthew 14:13-21

Matthew 14:13-21

Sweet

Leonard Sweet

... nor or of the disciples’ duties. When everyone had finished eating, the disciples gathered up the “leftovers,” a huge amount that filled twelve baskets. The number twelve is of course loaded with symbolism—reflecting both the twelve disciples collecting this bounty and the twelve tribes of Israel, which is suggested by the number of disciples. The abundance of Jesus’ impromptu feast—regardless of how many last minute guests arrive -testifies to the richness and fulfillment that will greet guests ...

84. Choose To Be Chosen

Mark 6:7-13

Sermon

George W. Hoyer

... cross forever. We are chosen. We can now choose to be chosen. What now are we to do? Of course, we, too, have been chosen by God to be witnesses to all these things. But what we are to do above all and first of all is exactly what the twelve told the people in the villages to do: "Repent and believe!" Believe that God has indeed chosen you in Christ Jesus to be his child and heir. Accept your being chosen. And repent -- that is far more than saying, "Sorry," far more than "promising to do better." Repenting ...

85. A Quiet Man · Andrew

John 1:35-42

Sermon

Gordon Pratt Baker

... . The disciples had just returned from an extensive evangelistic mission on which he had sent them, and they were understandably weary. (Mark 6:7-13) At the same time the crowds were pressing the Master and his small band so persistently that neither he nor the Twelve had had "leisure even to eat." (Mark 6:31-32) The people, however, had seen the group embark and immediately set out after them. It may be that some in the crowd had overheard the disciples discussing the place for which they were heading. Or ...

86. The Rich Young Man

Matthew 19:16-30

Understanding Series

Robert H. Mounce

... earthly kingdom. Christians linked the concept with the enthronement of the Son of Man. The idea of judging (v. 28 has the participle krinontes) should be taken in the sense of ruling. The Hebrew judge was virtually the ruler of Israel. The symbolism of the twelve tribes is carried over into New Testament to represent the Christian church (cf. James 1:1). Everyone who has forsaken home and family will be rewarded a hundred times over and will inherit eternal life. But many who are first (those who have not ...

87. Wherever You Are, You Are Always at Home

Luke 2:41-52

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

... of God the Father. It is self-evident to this young Jesus that he must be "in my Father's house." There, in the midst of the holy temple, Jesus felt God's presence most fully and as a result felt completely at home. On the other hand, the twelve year-old Jesus' response is also full of the self-absorption so typical of all adolescents. Adolescence is when we stop being defined as our parents' children and we start the struggle to find and be our own selves. There is a refreshing (if aggravating to parents ...

88. Plan Your Leisure - Jesus Did His!

Mark 6:30-44

Sermon

Charles R. Leary

... block out spots on your calendar for your walk, your jog, your golf outing, the movie, just like your dental appointments? If you don’t, it is less than what we call planned. Planned leisure is chosen leisure. Let’s take a look at how Jesus encouraged the Twelve to choose a plan of leisure: Return and Report bring your work up to date and sign out. Retreat and Recovery don’t be reluctant; pack and get on the road. Reconnect and Refuel get back in touch with the real you. Return to the Rhythm of life ...

89. Just Who Does This Guy Think He Is?

John 6:56-69

Sermon

Rick McCracken-Bennett

... never will be." Peter looked around at the others to see if they were with him and they nodded. Then he said, "Jesus, in the time we've been with you, we have come to believe and know that you are God's holy one." And the rest of the twelve nodded again. It would be a long time before they understood all that Jesus was teaching. And they would get it wrong some of the time, especially that eager, impetuous Simon Peter. But they hung in there with him. They pondered his words; they asked Jesus and each other ...

90. The Call To Follow

Mt 4:19; 16:24 · Lk 22:39 · Jn 21:22

Children's Sermon

Robert B. Lantz

... Apostles! Do you know what the work "apostle" means? (Responses -- Some guesses may be close; allow some expression.) An apostle is a learner. It may also mean "a messenger." So the Twelve Apostles were persons who learned and were sent out with a message. What was the message that they were to tell? (Responses -- About God, about Jesus, and so forth.) The apostles went out to tell people the truths that they were learning from their teacher. And who was their teacher? ( ...

91. Signs of the End of the Age

Mark 13:1-31

Understanding Series

Larry W. Hurtado

... end, then these verses cannot be the “these things” that assure one that an end will come! Thus, the these things of verse 30 must also refer, not to the end itself, but to the tribulations described in verses 5–23. These things will happen in the lifetime of the Twelve (v. 30), but that does not mean that the end will happen in so short a period of time. Also, in verse 29, we are told that the events of verses 5–23 signal that the time is near, right at the door. The Greek reads literally “it [or ...

92. The Resurrection

Mark 16:1-20

Understanding Series

Larry W. Hurtado

... that Mark originally ended his Gospel at verse 8, and that no further material followed (e.g., Lane, pp. 590–92). In this view, Mark did not plan to bring his Gospel to a close with a resurrection appearance of Jesus and a commissioning of the Twelve, but instead wanted to confront his readers with a story of Jesus’ resurrection that was somewhat open-ended and inconclusive. This view argues that Mark wanted his readers to be left with the command about going to Galilee (v. 7) to see Jesus, and he ...

93. The Resurrection of Christ

1 Corinthians 15:1-11

Understanding Series

Marion L. Soards

... to be unmerited and transforming. Grace characterized the power of God as it had moved in Paul’s life; but as one looks back through Paul’s references to tradition, one sees that grace characterized the appearances to the apostles, James, the five hundred, the Twelve, and Cephas; and even the resurrection of Christ himself. The power and continuity of God’s grace were Paul’s main concern, and his determination to allow the magnificence of God’s grace to be manifested in his own life was a sign of ...

94. The Woman and the Dragon

Revelation 12:1--13:1a

Understanding Series

Robert W. Wall

... and a crown of twelve stars on her head with astral imagery current in Greco-Roman mythology (Ford, Revelation, p. 197), it is best to understand her by the biblical symbols known to and used by John. For example, the number twelve symbolizes the twelve tribes of Israel (cf. Rev. 7); thus, the twelve stars symbolize God’s people. The crown as well as the sun … and moon symbolize either God (cf. Isa. 60:1; Ps. 104:2; Rev. 21:22–23) or the cosmic significance of God’s people (cf. T. Naph. 5:1–8) in ...

95. Jesus Taken Up into Heaven

Acts 1:1-11

Understanding Series

David J. Williams

... were concerned in part with the gift of the Spirit. But already the Holy Spirit was involved in what he was doing. For it was through the Holy Spirit that he was now teaching them. Some commentators prefer to attach this phrase to Jesus’ choice of the Twelve, but the most natural reading of the Greek is to take it with the statement “he gave instructions” and to understand it to mean that, in his teaching, Jesus was invested with divine power and authority. At all events, we are here given notice that ...

96. The Third Appearance

John 21:1-14

Understanding Series

J. Ramsey Michaels

... , 20:19–23 and 20:26–29, yet the disciples in chapter 21 are, in any case, not the same group to whom Jesus appeared in chapter 20. They are not “the Twelve”; nor are they eleven or ten; they are seven in number, and it is not certain that the two anonymous disciples of verse 2 were even included among “the Twelve” mentioned in 20:24. The appearance being described is the third appearance to disciples of Jesus, not to one group of disciples in particular. The appearance to Mary Magdalene was a ...

97. Proper 16

John 6:25-59, John 6:60-71, 1 Kings 8:22-61, Ephesians 6:10-20

Sermon Aid

Russell F. Anderson

... -therapy, came to the same conclusion when he observed those who barely existed with him in Nazi concentration camps. Those who found meaning in life in some purpose beyond their own survival fared much better in the hellish environment of the camps. Dead End. Jesus asked the twelve, "Do you also want to go away?" Peter replied, "To whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life" (v. 68). The others walked away but the paths that they chose were all dead ends. Peter knew that Jesus is the only way to ...

98. Seat of Power

Mark 10:35-45, Matthew 20:20-28

Sermon

Lori Wagner

... s Dinner (Luke 14) Peter’s Sermon on the Sovereignty of Jesus Sitting at God’s Right Hand (Acts 2) The Sermon and Stoning of Stephen (Acts 7) Matthew’s Witness to John’s and James’ Mother’s Request of Jesus Now Jesus, going up to Jerusalem, took the twelve disciples aside on the road and said to them, “Behold, we are going up to Jerusalem, and the Son of Man will be betrayed to the chief priests and to the scribes; and they will condemn Him to death, and deliver Him to the Gentiles to mock and ...

99. What Church Is All About

Psalm 100:1-5

Sermon

James Merritt

... , about Israel. The psalmist is reminding the Jewish people that Israel is unlike any other nation in history. God began with a man named Abraham. He gave him a son named Isaac. He gave him a grandson named Jacob. To Jacob he gave twelve sons. To the twelve sons he gave twelve tribes. From these twelve tribes he formed an entire nation. Now the nation rebelled, it was scattered, down-trodden for over 3,000 years. But almost 50 years ago, God miraculously remade them, and one day all of Israel will recognize ...

100. Offerings at the Dedication of the Tabernacle

Numbers 7:1-89

Understanding Series

W.H. Bellinger, Jr.

... offering; a goat for a sin offering; and two oxen, five rams, five male goats and five male lambs a year old as a fellowship offering. The final sentence is a summary, naming the giver. 7:18–83 A tribal leader brings gifts from each of the twelve tribes, one on each of twelve days. These gifts in one series supply the needs of the sanctuary. What is remarkable about this passage is its meticulous repetition. The gifts from each tribe are exactly the same, and the text repeats each one. Each tribe offers ...

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