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 1151 to 1175 of 4959 results

1151. Plant It and Stand Back!

Luke 17:5-10

Sermon

Mark Trotter

... is there simply to remind them that they owe their whole life to God. God saved them. God created them. God has sustained them. To have faith means to trust that God can do that again. It is in that same understanding of faith, that Jesus says to the disciples, "God is still dong these wonderful things in the world. You can order this sycamine tree to be uprooted, and be planted in the sea, and it will obey you, if you had faith the size of a mustard seed." This is the message. The problem is not that ...

1152. The Day Life Increased

Matthew 28:1-10

Sermon

Mark Trotter

... . It is just Mary Magdalene and the other Mary. Mary Magdalene and the other Mary arrive at the tomb, find it empty. Jesus is not there. An angel is there, who says, "He is not here; for he has risen...tell the disciples to go to Galilee." So they go looking for the disciples. The disciples are hiding someplace. The Marys don't know where they are. On their way down the road, Jesus himself appears to the two Marys. They recognize him. They fall down and worship him. He says to them, "Tell my brethren to go ...

1153. Trinity

John 3:22-36, Matthew 28:16-20, 2 Corinthians 13:11-14, 2 Corinthians 13:1-10, Exodus 34:1-28, Genesis 1:1-2:3

Sermon Aid

John R. Brokhoff

... , he assures them that he will be with them. Though he leaves the earth, he will still be with them in their hearts and minds. Gospel: John 3:16-18 God's cosmic love. THEOLOGICAL REFLECTIONS Gospel: Matthew 28:16-20 1. Mountain. Jesus directed his disciples to meet him on a mountain in Galilee. The place was significant. It was in Galilee, the place of his ministry. As it began and continued in Galilee, it would complete the circle to end it there. It was on a mountain where great spiritual experiences ...

1154. Proper 5

Matthew 9:18-26, Matthew 9:9-13, Hosea 6:1--7:16, Hosea 5:1-15, Romans 4:1-25, Genesis 12:1-8

Sermon Aid

John R. Brokhoff

... . The expression of grace is God's promise; and faith believes in, and accepts, the promise. All, Jew and Gentile, with the faith of Abraham are made righteous. Gospel: Matthew 9:9-13, 18-26 Jesus calls Matthew, a tax collector, to be a disciple and eat with "sinners." The calling of a despised outcast, a tax collector by the name of Matthew, provides the setting for Jesus' response to the Pharisees who criticize him for his fellowship with publicans and sinners. His answer indicates that God wants mercy ...

1155. Proper 16

Matthew 16:13-20, Romans 11:33-36, Romans 12:1-8, Isaiah 51:1-16, Exodus 2:1-10, Exodus 1:1-22

Sermon Aid

John R. Brokhoff

... God. No human can understand the wisdom of God nor his ways. The mind cannot fathom the depth of God's love and truth. For Paul, God is all in all. Gospel: Matthew 16:13-20 At Caesarea Philippi Peter confesses that Jesus is the Christ. Jesus takes his disciples out of the country to Caesarea Philippi, a city built in honor of Caesar Augustus. Jesus' public ministry has come to a close and now he turns to the training of the twelve as he goes to Jerusalem to carry out his mission as Messiah. This pericope is ...

1156. Still in One Peace

Matthew 11:25-30

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

... and it's time for home and bed. Each new day begins with rest. Likewise the true Christian Sabbath begins a new week as the sun sets on the old, and starts that fresh week with a specific directive to rest. So it is that Jesus' first offer to new disciples is that of rest - of a break from our old lives and of freedom from the burdens we tried to bear alone. Yet rest isn't all that discipleship is about. Jesus is offering here a vacation with a vocation. "Rest," Jesus says, by taking up "my yoke," a yoke ...

1157. Why Are Christians Such Bad Tippers?

Matthew 10:1-42

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

... be insignificant in the eyes of the world. Our text today makes clear they are NOT insignificant in the eyes of God. In fact, in this text Jesus seems to be indicating that all those who go out in his name may be called little ones. His new disciples are no more than fledglings in the flight of faith. The problem seems to be that today we aren't so much little ones in faith as we're lackadaisical or loutish. The Sunday afternoon cadre of waiters who cringe at the prospect of having "Christian" customers ...

1158. From Ha-Ha's to Ah-ha's

John 16:5-16

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

... where they were going. That is the power of the "Aha"-to make us see the same things, and hear the same words, but with a completely new understanding. This "aha" moment is what Jesus was promising his disciples in today's gospel text. The Holy Spirit, the Spirit of truth, would come to them in the post-resurrection age and would reveal to disciples things they could not "bear," could not take in or understand, during their time with the earthly Jesus. In this new age the Holy Spirit would make known to the ...

1159. God's Original Seatbelt (Mother's Day)

John 13:31-38

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

... second Sunday in may as Mother's Day. Ann Jarvis used "mother love" to spread Jesus' love commandment from the "Boys in Blue" to "Johnny Reb." Jesus commanded all his disciples to do a simple, a monumental thing--to love one another "as I have loved you." It was this seat belt love that would enable others, enable "everyone," to recognize Jesus' disciples when they saw them. [If you omit the above historical section, pick back up here.] Jesus, Messiah, Son of Man, Son of God, didn't ask much--just that we ...

1160. You've Won the Heavenly Sweepstakes!

John 14:15-31

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

... accepting the validity, the necessity, for a Spirit-filled possession? Why do so many churches find comfort and contentment in just "trusting the process" year after year, opportunity after opportunity? In today's gospel text Jesus taught that if his disciples would simply love him and obey his commandments (which were themselves repeated demands to "love others as Christ as loved you"), then they would experience a oneness with him and with God that would empower them beyond their wildest imaginings ...

1161. ASAP

Luke 11:1-13

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

... The entire prayer has been shortened enough to fit into SMS's limit of 160 characters. A spokesperson calls the SMS prayer an experimental form of virtual worship. When Jesus was the most stressed, the most pressed by the crowds, the most frustrated by his disciples' ignorance, most abused by the sinfulness and cruelty of humanity that's when Jesus found the most time for prayer. He knew that it was only in prayer, only in that intimate communication with the Creator of the Universe, that he could find the ...

1162. I've Got Your Back Covered

Revelation 22:1-6

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

... about Jesus' teaching, more than the counsel of an Advocate. The Paraclete brings with it Jesus' ultimate gift: the presence of his peace, the peace that Paul said passes all understanding. No wonder Jesus specified in today's gospel text that the peace he promised his disciples wasn't the kind of peace the world gives. Worldly peace is achieved for only moments at a time. Worldly peace is enforced by the threat of the sword. Jesus promised his peace to all who loved and obeyed him, a peace that comes from ...

1163. A New Calling

Matthew 4:18-22

Sermon

King Duncan

... the congregation--think it would be great to earn our living doing nothing but fishing. Except, if we had to do it to earn a living, we would probably find it was like a lot of other jobs--repetitive, demanding, often boring. Still, it was a way for these disciples to earn a living. In a way, it helped form their identity. To this day, even though he spent most of his life leading the church, we think of Simon Peter as “the big fisherman.” I wonder how many of us define ourselves by the work we do. We ...

1164. Epiphany 3

Psalm 27:1-14, Isaiah 9:1-7, 1 Corinthians 1:10-17, Matthew 4:12-17, Matthew 4:18-22

Sermon Aid

Marion L. Soards, Thomas B. Dozeman, Kendall McCabe

... to identify with the male kings and lords who rule the spaces.) Repentance follows, complies with, or results from the work of God. The Kingdom does not come as we repent; rather, as the Kingdom comes we repent. The account of the call of four disciples in vv. 18-22 is a lesson about the Lordship of Jesus and the absolute demands of discipleship. It is impossible, even dangerous, to attempt historical and psychological explanations of this passage: for example, Jesus had met these men earlier and had made a ...

1165. Saving Private Ryan

Acts 1:8

Sermon

James Merritt

... of angels who had gathered around the Lord Jesus Christ after he had come back from earth. They were asking him questions, and one angel said, "Lord, how are you going to spread the gospel message throughout the world?" The Lord Jesus said, "I have called out my disciples to carry out my great commission. They in turn will go and share the message of the gospel; then others will respond and they in turn will go and share with others who need to be saved." One angel said, "Are you telling me that you have ...

1166. A Strong-willed Woman

Matthew 15:21-28

Sermon

King Duncan

... Woman, you have great faith! Your request is granted.” And her daughter was healed from that very hour. There are some powerful lessons in this little story. The first is about the power of persistence. This woman was not going to be put off. She annoyed the disciples. She was ignored for a time, even by the Master. But she was determined she was going to make her voice heard. Good for her. Too many people cave in. They give up too quickly. This is often the dividing line between those who succeed in life ...

1167. How To Be An Easter Person

Luke 24:1-12

Sermon

Bill Bouknight

... required in order to be Easter persons. FIRST, AN EASTER PERSON IS ONE WHO SEARCHES FOR JESUS. The angels told them that they were looking in the wrong place for a live person. But at least the women were searching. That is more than we can say for the disciples. They were huddled in fear and despair behind locked doors. There is a great promise in the Old Testament book of Jeremiah about those who search for God. “You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart. I will be found by you ...

1168. Unlikely Election

Acts 1:12-26

Sermon

John E. Harnish

... used to say) "wait on God," if they had allowed the Spirit to move first—God would have provided the appropriate replacement for Judas. [1] It's the first and the last time we hear of Matthias. It's also the first and the last time we hear of the disciples having an election. 1. It might have been the church's first big mistake. It might have been the first time, but it wouldn't be the last time the church allowed politics to come before Pentecost. It might have been the first time, but it wouldn't be the ...

1169. In the Upper Room

John 17

Sermon

John E. Harnish

... this…" This week we look at what truly is the Lord's Prayer, the prayer our Lord prayed around the Last Supper table, just hours before his agony in the garden, the brutality of the beatings and the suffering of his cross. In this prayer, Jesus prays for his disciples—the ones God has given him, the ones who have received his word, the ones who will carry his word into the world. He prays for the eleven who remain and he remembers the one who has left. Even Judas makes it into Jesus' prayer in a kind of ...

1170. Transformation to the Light

Mark 1:14-20

Sermon

Richard Gribble

... darkness of ignorance, error, and sin, and seek the light. However, this was only one part of their call. Not only were they to seek the light, they were also called to radiate that same light to others. We are all inheritors of the efforts of these first disciples. As we were given the light, so must we transform our lives, believe in the good news, and share the light with others. Christianity requires us to respond to God's call and bring the light to others. First, we must fully adopt the light in our ...

1171. Mission Impossible

Mark 11:1-11

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

... into the big city and simply helping themselves to some stranger's property hardly sounded like a mission for the sake of the Messiah. But Jesus makes this impossible-sounding mission possible by anticipating every question, every quibble, every quandary these disciples might face. First, they are sent as a team of two so that they might lend one another strength and companionship along the way. As team members, they could take turns feeling confident or scared, leading or following, doubting or believing ...

1172. One Breathwork, Many Bodyworks

Acts 2:1-21

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

... deeds of power" (v.11). There is only one way to make the growth of globalism and the ties of tribalism work together in our postmodern world. Instead of seeing others as threats to our own heightened sense of tribal protectiveness, we must be like the disciples on Pentecost and wholly enter into the tribal contexts of others. Tribalism of the past has viewed the tribalism of others as a danger an organized threat to our own tribe. Tribalism of the global future must see members of other tribes as worthy of ...

1173. What Is a Good Samaritan?

Luke 10:25-37

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

... in others. It was love that stopped the Samaritan in his tracks along the Jericho road; love that reached out and tended the wounds of the hurt traveler, love that loaded the man on his own mount and took him to the inn for more care. 3. A Good Samaritan Disciple is ... Alive with Hope We live in a world of cosmic gloom. When you look at what we are facing and what is going on out there on the Jericho roads of these latter days of the 20th century, it is enough to make Robert Schuller say, "I can't ...

1174. John 11:1-45

John 11:1-45

Sweet

Leonard Sweet

... away in the revelation that Jesus "loved" Lazarus and his two sisters, Martha and Mary (v. 3, 5). Some scholars posit that the emphasis the Johannine writer places on Jesus' love for Lazarus may indicate that Lazarus is in fact the unnamed "beloved disciple" referred to later in the gospel. Others view Lazarus as Jesus' best friend. Yet this love does not immediately compel Jesus to rush to the ill Lazarus' side. Instead, Jesus delays even beginning his journey for two days, and does not arrive at Bethany ...

1175. Matthew 16:21-28

Matthew 16:21-28

Sweet

Leonard Sweet

... and that he move into kairos time as the scheme of "divine things" begins to unfold before them. In verses 24-26, Jesus offers discipleship advice for his followers to carry with them on this journey to Jerusalem. He begins by insisting that true disciples will "deny" themselves in order to take up their cross and follow him. Though denying oneself is language we find psychologically familiar today, this was an odd phrase for both the Hebraic and Aramaic ear to hear. The concept of a freestanding "self" was ...

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