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 976 to 1000 of 3314 results

976. Minding the Store of Our Lives

1 Corinthians 10:1-13

Sermon

Richard Gribble

... and we too know from our reading of the Hebrew Scriptures, that the people chose another route and most were struck down in the desert. The community wandered rather aimlessly for forty years; even Moses was not granted entry to the land God promised. The apostle tells the people that these events happened to serve as an example not to follow. The community is to avoid the evil path their ancestors in the faith trod. Paul then gives more details on specific evils to be avoided, providing a short list of ...

977. Jesus, The Light of the World

Revelation 21:10, 21:22-22:5

Sermon

Richard Gribble

... Saul from Tarsus was a zealous persecutor of Christians, was converted by the resurrected Christ on the road to Damascus. The light he received was so bright that his darkness of error, ignorance, and unbelief was dispelled and he was able to become the great apostle to the Gentiles. We must be so inspired so that in similar, but probably not so dramatic ways, we can bring the light of Christ to others and help dispel the darkness of our world. Jesus, the light of the world, the resurrected Lord, restored ...

978. Good News about Ambition

Mark 10:35-45

Sermon

King Duncan

... cup I drink and be baptized with the baptism I am baptized with . . .” They, of course, have no idea what this means until much later in their lives. In fact, James was the very first of the apostles to die, as recorded in the twenty-second chapter of Acts. He was taken and murdered, beheaded, by Herod the first of the apostles to be martyred. John lived a much longer life, but much of it was lived in exile. They would drink Christ’s cup, but they will not get what they are asking for here. Jesus says ...

979. Abraham Believed God

Genesis 15:1-18

Sermon

Frank Ramirez

... fact that, as Genesis 15:6 says, "And he believed the Lord; and the Lord reckoned it to him as righteousness" and not worry about how exactly the thing works. Is Abraham's belief a reflection of his faith or a reflection of his works? You see, both the Apostle Paul and James, the brother of Jesus, quote this verse, yet they seem to quote it in quite different contexts. In Galatians 3:5-7 we read: "Well then, does God supply you with the Spirit and work miracles among you by your doing the works of the law ...

980. Living the Vision

Habakkuk 1:1-4, 2:1-4

Sermon

John Wayne Clarke

... vision of God, Jesus who is Christ. It is in the person of Jesus that the final vision has been written and made plain for all to witness. "Write the vision and make it plain." God made it clear and concise for all of us in Jesus. The Apostle Paul saw that vision and wrote about it, and we are the heirs of that vision today. We owe Habakkuk a great debt of gratitude for his faithfulness and strength. In the final analysis, Habakkuk saw sin and anticipated punishment for those sins. As a great religious ...

981. Every Day God Encourages

Acts 4:36-37; 11:22-24

Sermon

Billy D. Strayhorn

... Testament is Barnabas. Let's look at Acts 4:36-37; 11:22-24 and you'll see why. Acts 4:36-37 (NRSV) [36] There was a Levite, a native of Cyprus, Joseph, to whom the apostles gave the name Barnabas (which means "son of encouragement"). [37] He sold a field that belonged to him, then brought the money, and laid it at the apostles' feet. Acts 11:21-24 [21] The hand of the Lord was with them, and a great number became believers and turned to the Lord. [22] News of this came to the ears of the church ...

982. Finding ‘Comfort’ Instead of ‘Little Hope’

Romans 12:12-15

Sermon

Billy D. Strayhorn

... Jesus into the world because for the most part, the world was still living in Little Hope. Let Us Pray I read a story recently about a mother and daughter who had gone to a museum together and were standing look at a sculpture of Jesus and the Apostles at the Last Supper. The little girl was transfixed and fascinated by the sculpture and was taking in all of the details with a fine tooth comb. All of a sudden she pointed to the round, unleavened bread in Jesus' hand and said in astonishment, "Mom? Did they ...

983. Be A Barnabas

Acts 4:33-37

Sermon

Billy D. Strayhorn

... . And that brings us to the person who is the inspiration behind today's sermon. Barnabas. Let's look at the passage from Acts 4:33-37 I. Who Was That Masked Man A. His name was really Joseph. Barnabas was a nickname given to him by the Apostles and the Christian community. In the passage we learn that Barnabas means "Son of encouragement." He was a blessing wherever he went. And everyone recognized that. And it held true in all of his life and ministry. As we read further in Acts, we see Barnabas was the ...

984. A Good Word for The Pharisees

Luke 13:31-35

Illustration

Jirair Tashjian

... of Jesus and not always antagonistic. Jesus is often invited to the home of a Pharisee for dinner (Luke 7:36, 11:37; 14:1). In Acts 5:33-39, when the Jewish Sanhedrin wanted to kill the apostles, a well-known Pharisee, Gamaliel, counsels them to be careful how they treat these men. If the undertaking of the apostles is of human origin, Gamaliel says, it will fail; "but if it is of God, you will not be able to overthrow them in that case you may even be found fighting against God!" Some Pharisees had even ...

985. Abysmal Heights

Philippians 3:1-11

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

... Paul’s life. Faithfulness no longer was an objective end. Faithfulness was now experienced everyday in the person of Jesus the Christ. As a Pharisee Paul wove Torah obedience and observance into every warp and woof of the tapestry of daily life. As an apostle of Christ, Paul embedded the suffering, death, and resurrection of Christ into every facet of the tapestry of daily life. For Paul it was not just the Risen Christ, but the Rising Christ, that guarded and guided the follower of Jesus. For Paul’s ...

986. Valley of Betrayal (Series: Peace in the Valley)

Luke 22:47-53

Sermon

J. Howard Olds

... of his Lord. Yet he betrays the Son of Man with a kiss – an ultimate sign of friendship. Come; let us consider this deep, dark valley of betrayal. I. The Plot: What Made Him Do It? Scholars have asked that question for centuries. For John, the apostle, the answer is simple. Greed made him do it. For John, Judas was a thief, a money-grabber, and a back stabber. He simply decided to take the cash and let the credit go. One day Martha anoints Jesus’ feet with expensive perfume and Judas protests. “Why ...

987. Guard the Good Treasure

2 Timothy 1:1-14

Sermon

Billy D. Strayhorn

... and his sincere faith. Obviously Timothy is the real deal. Listen to what Paul writes: 2 Tim. 1:1-14 (NRSV) [1] Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God, for the sake of the promise of life that is in Christ Jesus, [2] To Timothy, ... Christ Jesus, who abolished death and brought life and immortality to light through the gospel. [11] For this gospel I was appointed a herald and an apostle and a teacher, [12] and for this reason I suffer as I do. But I am not ashamed, for I know the one in whom ...

988. What Things Are Perfect Joy

John 14:23-29; Gal 6:14

Illustration

St. Francis of Assisi

... grants to his friends, is the grace of overcoming oneself, and accepting willingly, out of love for Christ, all suffering, injury, discomfort and contempt; for in all other gifts of God we cannot glory, seeing they proceed not from ourselves but from God, according to the words of the Apostle, ‘What hast thou that thou hast not received from God? and if thou hast received it, why dost thou glory as if thou hadst not received it?' But in the cross of tribulation and affliction we may glory, because, as the ...

989. Acts 2:1-21

Acts 2:1-13

Sweet

Leonard Sweet

... s directive, “Stay in Jerusalem.” (Actually, the phrase means more than “stay put;” it means “wait, be patient, and don’t take any precipitous action,” which they of course did by casting lots and filling the job opening of the 12th apostle.) Fifty days after Passover is the Jewish festival of Pentecost. Originally this was strictly an agricultural festival, celebrated seven weeks and one day after the first fruits of the grain harvest. By the late first century, after the destruction of the ...

990. Where Do We Grow from Here?

Ephesians 4:1-16

Sermon

Maxie Dunnam

... , another truth emerges. We must discover our gifts. Look at the scripture again. Put verse 7 with verses 11 and 12 and listen: “But to each one of us grace was given according to the measure of Christ’s gifts.. and He himself gave some to apostles, some prophets, some evangelists, and some pastors and teachers, for the perfecting of the saints for the work of ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ (New KJB). Two truths are sharply stated here. First, each is gifted. “To each one of us grace ...

991. Characteristics of the Church, Part 2

Acts 2:42-47

Sermon

Maxie Dunnam

... happen. And how else should it be? The dynamic which has shaken empires, changed the course of history , turned the world up side down. We’re in that stream of the Spirit. “And fear came upon every soul; and many wonders and signs were done through the apostles.” But how often do we forget! How often do we move out on our own, take things in our own hands, try to domesticate the Spirit, and turn the church into something tame and controllable. Let me picture it, using an image of Wes Seeliger who is ...

992. Convening A Construction Crew: Nobody Builds Alone

Acts 2:42-47

Sermon

J. Howard Olds

... themselves” (Acts 2:42). It doesn’t take second-hand emotion, but first-hand devotion to be a community Christian. Are you willing to make the commitment? Verse 43: “Everyone was filled with awe and many wonders and miraculous signs were done by the apostles.” The word most characteristic of the early Christian community was “Awesome”! Over the last few weeks Sandy and I have developed a ritual. We get the mail, sit down side by side, then laugh and cry our way through the hundreds of cards and ...

993. Living on Full Alert

Revelation 22:12-14, 16-17. 20-21

Sermon

J. Howard Olds

... responds with a one word prayer. It is a simple prayer, one that I try to pray quite regularly and one that I want to introduce to you today. John responds by saying, “Maranatha Come Lord Jesus.” Let us even now pray that prayer with the old Apostle. “Come, Lord Jesus.” I. INTO OUR TROUBLED WORLD, COME, LORD JESUS. We live and move and have our being in an atmosphere of anxious concern about huge problems. Our world is at war. War brings out the worst that is in us. We start wars for noble reasons ...

994. The Power to Belong

Acts 4:32-35

Sermon

J. Howard Olds

... says, “What's mine is God's, lets share it." Sharing here was not a matter of legislation; it was a matter of love and liberty. From time to time those who owned land or houses sold them, brought the money from the sales and put it at the Apostles' feet. There was no April 15, deadline on these transfers and it was certainly not considered to be an inheritance tax. If some of you were smart, you would do the same thing with your assets. Let the Church have it before the government takes it. So the early ...

995. Conversion or Credentialing?

Acts 9:1-5, 10-12, 17-19

Sermon

J. Howard Olds

... to the Gentiles, as well as the Jews. Paul wrote more than one third of the New Testament. Paul first articulated the meaning of being “Alive in Christ," “Saved by grace" and “Justified by faith." Let's see what we can learn from this first century apostle of Jesus Christ and see if we can find some insight into how we may live our faithful lives ourselves as faithful disciples of Jesus Christ. PAUL WAS A CREDENTIALED MAN. He was gifted by birth, by education, and by personality. PAUL WAS GIFTED BY ...

996. Converting to Christianity

Acts 2:14, 36-41

Sermon

Schuyler Rhodes

... word that has been translated as "repent" in this instance is metaneo, which means "to have another mind." This is a view, not of shame, guilt, and confession, but rather the utterance of a call to transformation. It is the same call that is echoed by the apostle Paul when he writes, "Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your minds, so that you may discern what is the will of God — what is good and acceptable and perfect" (Romans 12:2). The call to conversion that we ...

997. The Victory Is Ours

Revelation 7:9-17

Sermon

Timothy J. Smith

... us. As we discovered, in Jesus' ministry there were times when those in positions of power took exception to his teachings. The religious leaders who should have been supportive of Jesus and his ministry were the very ones who plotted against him. The apostles experienced personal hardship as they told others about Jesus, as did many early Christians. It is not easy following Jesus, whose teachings and way of life seem to run counter to what our culture defines as important. A frequent question we ask after ...

998. Are We There Yet?

James 5:7-10

Sermon

John N. Brittain

... their ears, and comprehend with their minds, and turn and be healed. (Isaiah 6:10) Isaiah's whole life's work would be, God said, one of frustration. While James would not have had him in mind as a prophet, I think I could be forgiven for including the apostle Paul on the list who famously had had some physical infirmity that he learned to bear with God's grace, concluding, in 2 Corinthians 12, "So, I will boast all the more gladly of my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may dwell in me. Therefore I ...

999. No Partiality

Acts 10:34-43

Sermon

John N. Brittain

... understand that God shows no partiality, but in every nation anyone who fears him and does what is right is acceptable to him" (Acts 10:34-35). But we know the rest of the story. We know that Peter, along with some of the other apostles, would have difficulty with this. It was one thing to proclaim God's incredible openness but another to eradicate all sins and errors and prejudices. In our relationship with God, some things change in an instant; others take a lifetime for the process of sanctification ...

1000. Caught in the Middle

1 Corinthians 1:1-9

Sermon

John N. Brittain

... As a lifelong Wesleyan, I recognize the danger of seeing John Wesley's notion of "going on to perfection" lurking around every corner. But it is almost impossible not to see it in the conclusion of Paul's introduction: God gives us these gifts and strengthens us, the apostle says, "so that you are not lacking in any spiritual gift as you wait for the revealing of our Lord Jesus Christ. He will also strengthen you to the end, so that you may be blameless on the day of our Lord Jesus Christ." The simple fact ...

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