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 1001 to 1025 of 1232 results

1001. A Word to Prodigals

Luke 15:11-32

Sermon

King Duncan

Retired seminary professor Fred B. Craddock was preaching on the parable of the prodigal son. After the service a man said, “I really didn’t care much for that, frankly.” Craddock asked, “Why?” The man said. “Well, I guess it’s not your sermon, I just don’t like that story.” Craddock asked, “What is it you don’t like about it?” He said. “It’s not morally responsible.” Craddock asked, “What do you mean by that?” “Forgiving that boy,” said the man. Craddock asked, “Well, what would you have done?” The man ...

1002. Adam, the Law, and the Curse of the Covenant

Romans 5:12-21

Teach the Text

C. Marvin Pate

Big Idea: Paul presents another new-covenant blessing: Christians are part of the new humanity created by Christ, the last Adam. Sin and death, instigated by the old-covenant law, began with the fall of the first Adam. This is the curse of the covenant. But Christ has undone the consequences of Adam’s sin by obeying God and thereby creating the new humanity. Understanding the Text Romans 5:12–21 continues the theme begun in 5:1–11: the blessings of the new covenant have replaced the ineffective old ...

1003. “You Are My Son; Today I Have Become Your Father”

Psalm 2:1-12

Teach the Text

C. Hassell Bullock

Big Idea: God’s sovereign control of the universe establishes a touchstone for understanding God’s relationship to us and ours to him. Understanding the Text The content and form of Psalm 2 is generally identified as a royal psalm, composed for and used on the occasion of some Israelite king’s elevation to the throne. We do not know which king, but given the David collection that it prefaces, it could have been composed as a literary introduction to Book 1 (Pss. 3–41). Hilber has made a case for a ...

1004. Proper 7

1 Ki 19:1-18 · Lk 8:26-39 · Gal 3:23-29

Sermon Aid

John R. Brokhoff

COMMENTARY Old Testament: 1 Kings 19:1-4 (5-7), 8-15a Threatened by Jezebel, Elijah flees for his life and is fed by an angel on his way to Mount Horeb. To understand this pericope, we need to get the background in chapter 18. On Mount Carmel, Elijah calls down fire from heaven to prove that Yahweh is the only true God. This is followed by his slaughter of the 450 prophets of Baal supported by King Ahab and Queen Jezebel who sends a messenger to Elijah to tell him that within 24 hours she will have his ...

1005. Hostage Crisis

1 Kings 19:1-8

Sermon

Carlyle Fielding Stewart

Sweat swarmed and beaded the palms of his hands as his heart thumped and pulse escalated. Bulging eyes blinked rapidly as his face twitched. His brown, swollen hands rumbled nervously through the inside pocket of his urine-stained tweed overcoat. "I got to find a match," he said to himself. "I got to find a match." Again he jerked through every pocket of his pants, jacket, and shirt. Still no match. Wildly flailing his arms more frantically now, he began overturning chairs and tables in the room. Yellow ...

1006. Poured Out for Many

Exodus 24:1-18, Mark 14:12-26

Sermon

And Moses took the blood and threw it upon the people, and said, "Behold the blood of the covenant which the LORD has made with you in accordance with these words." (Exodus 24:8) The symbol of blood is both an attraction and a revulsion to Christian piety. For some, it is a rich expression of religious feeling. The hymnwriter says: "There is a fountain filled with blood, drawn from Immanuel’s veins; And sinners plunged beneath that flood Lose all their guilty stains." (W. Cowper, 1779) However, others feel ...

1007. The Need for Transfiguration

2 Peter 1:12-21

Sermon

Hubert Beck

Who has not felt the need for transfiguration? Who has not felt the Cinderella in them needing to be transformed from a deprived stepsister to a beautiful princess? Who has not felt so drab, so hum-drum, so dull, so boring even to one’s own self that one could hardly stand it? In moments like that - and for some people a good part of their life seems to be spent like that! - we feel that we simply must get beyond ourselves. We want to feel transfigured at least, to feel bright and cheery and extraordinary ...

1008. It's a Wonderment

Mark 9:2-9

Sermon

Billy D. Strayhorn

Have you ever said something really dumb? Have you ever opened your mouth and stood there one legged like a flamingo, with all the grace of an elephant on roller skates with your other foot stuck firmly in your mouth? I remember one time when I did. About ten years ago I was serving the little United Methodist Church in Eureka, Texas. We were in the middle of building a new Sanctuary. The pews from the old Sanctuary were solid oak and over a hundred years old. Money was tight and we couldn't afford new ...

1009. The Jamie Farr Connection

Joshua 24:1-27

Sermon

A vivid introduction marks this sermon, using a popular TV personality, local color, and the hint of grace that is in it all. The introductory material keeps surfacing throughout the sermon, giving it a unifying force. Biblical examples do their work economically, not permitting the listeners to go their own way because the instances have been needlessly stretched out in the telling. The vision and the memory and the presence of the crucified and risen Christ enkindle the desire to choose a better way. Go ...

1010. The Transfiguration Of Our Lord

2 Kings 2:1-18, Mark 9:2-13, 2 Corinthians 4:1-18

Sermon Aid

John R. Brokhoff

COMMENTARY Old Testament: 2 Kings 2:1-12 This account of Elijah's being taken to heaven on a chariot of fire pulled by horses of fire is an Old Testament type foreshadowing the transfiguration. Elisha, like the three disciples, was there to witness the event. When Jesus was transfigured, Elijah returned to earth to bear witness to Jesus as the Son of God. Epistle: 2 Corinthians 4:3-6 The glory of God in the face of Jesus cannot be seen by unbelievers who are perishing. Paul proclaims that the gospel sheds ...

1011. Prelude to the Passion

Matthew 21:1-11

Sermon

King Duncan

It’s always fascinating to read about royalty. Recall the hoopla that surrounded the birth of an heir to the British throne last summer. The onslaught of popular interest reminded us that royalty don’t live like we live. Palaces, servants, untold wealth at their command. So has it forever been. Several years ago Queen Elisabeth II visited the United States. The newspapers reported in detail how lavishly the Queen traveled. Her four thousand pounds of luggage included two outfits for every occasion, an ...

1012. Living the Ten Commandments

Exodus 20:1-21

Sermon

Eric Ritz

A rabbi and a pompous woman who were attending a luncheon were conversing. "One of my ancestors," boasted the woman, "signed the Declaration of Independence." "Is that so?" asked the rabbi. "One of mine wrote the Ten Commandments." It was on Mount Sinai that Moses received the Ten Commandments. He didn''t write them. He received them from God, and these commandments have become a reliable guide to behavior for millions of people on this earth. The great preacher, Dr. Phillips Brooks, tells the story of a ...

1013. A Glimpse of Eternity

Mark 9:2-13

Sermon

Eric Ritz

I have often shared with congregations that the key sometimes to unlocking the meaning of a certain Biblical passage is to read what has happened in the book before the particular passage we are reading, and what is going to take place after the passage we are studying. No where is this principle more apparent than in our reading about the mysterious but marvelous story of the TRANSFIGURATION OF OUR LORD. Another key to understanding this passage and other sacred writings is to look not only at the story, ...

1014. A Long Obedience In The Same Direction

Luke 22:39-46

Sermon

Maxie Dunnam

A few weeks ago, I mentioned a preacher- writer I have recently discovered. His name is Eugene H. Peterson, and he has served Christ the King United Presbyterian Church in Bel Air, Maryland for 27 years. He has a book on the Psalms of Ascents -- Psalms 120 - 134 which he titled, A LONG OBEDIENCE IN THE SAME DIRECTION. He got that phrase from Friedrich Nietzsche. This was Nietzsche's word: "The essential thing in heaven and earth is...that there should be a long obedience in the same direction; thereby, ...

1015. Signs of the End of the Age

Luke 21:5-38

Understanding Series

Craig A. Evans

21:5–7 The Lucan eschatological discourse differs from its Marcan source in one major way: The “end” (see v. 9) refers not to the return of the Son of Man, but to the destruction of the temple. This can be seen most clearly when one compares the question of the disciples in Mark 13:4 with the Lucan version of the question in 21:7. In Mark the disciples want to know two things: When the temple will be destroyed, and when the end will come. (In Matt. 24:3 it is even more explicit: when will the temple be ...

1016. Structure And Clarity

Sermon

Michael Rogness

I understand the stories the pastor told and thought they were interesting, but I couldn't see how the sermon fit together. -- A 15-year-old's comment during the writing of this book Many sermons with good material fall flat simply because the audience doesn't follow the flow of the message. With today's audience listening superficially with a short attention span, there are some basic principles one can use so that the sermon will be (a) heard, (b) understood and (c) remembered. Our View And Their View ...

1017. Delivery

Sermon

Michael Rogness

I once visited a church in which the minister delivered what seemed at the time to be an interesting sermon, but I couldn't quite grasp the real thrust of the message, because it was delivered in a monotone, most of it read with little warmth or enthusiasm. [The church secretary] agreed to mail me a copy of the sermon I'd just heard. When the sermon arrived in the mail and I read it, I realized that the structure of the message was coherent and sound and the points well made. I could hardly believe I was ...

1018. Jesus Came Preaching

Mark 1:14-15

Sermon

Donald B. Strobe

“Jesus came preaching,” says St. Mark. Now, that may not seem like anything earth-shaking to you, but I suggest this morning that it is nothing less than astounding! Of all the methods that God might have chosen to change the world-the frailty of human words is just about the most surprising! I find it incredible that God should launch God’s movement to save the world in so frail a vessel as preaching. St. Paul found it surprising, too. Our Epistle Lesson was from II Corinthians. But in I Corinthians Paul ...

1019. Proper 21

Matthew 21:23-27, Matthew 21:28-32, Exodus 17:1-7, Ezekiel 18:1-32, Philippians 2:1-11

Sermon Aid

Russell F. Anderson

Theme: God judges us not based on what we were but what we are. If a sinner turns away from his sin to the Lord, he is accounted as righteous. This is the point of Ezekiel 18. The Gospel makes a similar point, if the rebel turns to obedience, he is accounted as righteous. COMMENTARY Lesson 1: Exodus 17:1-7 (C) The Israelites complain loudly to Moses that they had no water. They question whether the Lord was really with them. In desperation, Moses cries out to the Lord, fearing that they might stone him. ...

1020. Proper 23

Exodus 32:1-33:6, Isaiah 25:1-12, Matthew 22:1-14, Philippians 4:1-9

Sermon Aid

Russell F. Anderson

Theme: The importance of accepting God's gracious invitation to the feast of life. COMMENTARY Old Testament: Exodus 32:1-14 Moses is meeting with the Lord on Mount Horeb and is away from the people for a long time. The people suspect that something perverse has happened to their leader and so they petition Aaron to make gods for them. Taking their jewelry, he fashions a gold calf and proclaims it the object of their worship. Seeing this unfaithfulness, God wants to destroy the people and make a nation from ...

1021. Thanksgiving

Lk 17:11-19 · 1 Tim 2:1-4 · Phil 4:6-20 · 2 Cor 9:6-15 · Deut 8:1-18 · Ps 65

Sermon Aid

Russell F. Anderson

COMMENTARY Lesson 1: Deuteronomy 8:1-18 The people of Israel must remember God's goodness in leading them through the wilderness into the promised land. Since God has blessed them by bringing them into a rich and fruitful land, thankful lives are called for. When the people enjoy prosperity, the children of God must resist the temptation to pat themselves on the back and take credit for all their good fortune.They must render thanksgiving to the Lord, for he is the source of all blessing. The Lord is the ...

1022. Proper 17

Exodus 3:1-22, Jeremiah 15:15-21; 20:7-18, Matthew 16:21-28, Romans 12:1-8

Sermon Aid

Russell F. Anderson

Theme: Suffering for righteousness' sake. Both Jeremiah and Peter rebelled against the idea of suffering for the sake of the kingdom of God; both of them had to be reprimanded by God and brought back into a state of obedience. COMMENTARY Old Testament: Exodus 3:1-15 Moses observes the mysterious burning bush on Mount Horeb and draws closer for an examination. An angelic presence is seen in the fire and then the voice of God calls out to Moses. The voice identifies himself as the God of Abraham, Isaac and ...

1023. Deep Depression Or High Hope?

1 Kings 9:1-9

Sermon

Barbara Brokhoff

Hope, for many, is as futile as the philosophy in a "Peanuts" comic strip which showed Linus and Charlie Brown leaning on a fence, talking. Linus says, "I guess it's wrong to be worrying about tomorrow, maybe we should think only about today." Charlie Brown interrupts him to say, "No, that's giving up. I'm still hoping that yesterday will get better!" A lot of people have no hope for today, and are sure that tomorrow will be just as hopeless. Indeed, in our time "hope" has become a bad word. When the ...

1024. Proper 25

Psalm 65:1-13, Luke 18:9-14, Joel 2:28-32, 2 Timothy 4:9-18, 2 Timothy 3:10--4:8

Sermon Aid

William E. Keeney

TWO MEN PRAYING The parable about two men praying would have shocked the people to whom Jesus told it. He drew upon two well-known and widely accepted stereotypes. First is the Pharisee, who was generally regarded as the epitome of the religious person. Most Jewish families would have been proud to have their son grow up to be a Pharisee. The second was a publican. He was the epitome of the sinner. He was regarded as a traitor because he worked for the Roman occupying government. Most tax collectors were ...

1025. Too Good To Be True

Jeremiah 30:1--31:40

Sermon

Thomas G. Rogers

Jim was 16 years old. He'd only been driving for six months, but already his parents had paid the fines for two tickets that Jim had received for speeding. On the day that Jim's parents received a notice from their insurance company telling them that the cost of their automobile policy had been increased, they told Jim that they needed to talk. After supper, Jim and his parents sat at the kitchen table. It was a serious gathering. His mother began, "We seem to have a problem here. We know you want to be ...

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