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 1176 to 1200 of 2815 results

1176. Christ Signs The Letter Of The Church

Colossians 1:15-23

Sermon

Maxie Dunnam

... waters lose their salt content, and freshwater fish such as green and rainbow trout hover in the cool depths. This is a long analogy to say one thing: the bayous went to the ocean, but the ocean also came to the bayous. Though limited, as all our words and parables are, it is a picture of Christ - the image of the invisible God. He shows us what God is; He also shows us what all persons are meant to be. "Found in the fashion of man," he was human, revealing the model of our humanity -- the image in which ...

1177. Singing In The Rain

John 15:1-17

Sermon

Maxie Dunnam

... with me, for I have found my sheep which was lost." Again, the word of Jesus is, "Even so, I tell you, there will be more joy in Heaven over one sinner who repents than over 99 righteous persons who need no repentance." Of course the climax of those three parables of the lost and the found is that of the lost son, and how well we know that story. But -- capture again the celebration when the son had finally come home -- when the one who was dead to the Father was now alive again -- when the one who was lost ...

1178. It's All God's Doing

Ezekiel 17:1-24

Sermon

Maxie Dunnam

... .Don't worry -- Be Happy!Look at me. I'm Happy! At first, it seems superficial, but when you think of it for awhile, it isn't superficial. Isn't this what Jesus was saying in his two little parables about farmer's sowing seed? It's not something that we do -- it's not something that we produce. One line in the parable tells the whole story: "The earth produces of itself." It's out of our hands -- it's the Lord's doing. And it begins as a small thing, like a grain of mustard seed -- yet it grows and ...

1179. Faith Working In Love

James 2:14-26

Sermon

Maxie Dunnam

... . But rather, whether faith without works can save. His answer to that is a resounding "no". Before we take issue with James, see the similarity between his words in our text, verses 14 - 17, and Jesus' parable of the Last Judgment in Matthew 25. This is the only time Jesus told us what Judgment is going to be like. Do you remember the parable? When the Son of Man comes in his glory and gathers before him all the nations of the world, he's going to separate the sheep from the goats. He's going to place the ...

1180. The Word And Words

Luke 4:14-30

Sermon

Maxie Dunnam

... , "Now Charlie Brown, I just want to ask you one question. On the ship of life, which way is your deck chair facing?" Charlie Brown responds: "Gee whiz, Lucy, I'm still trying to figure out how to open mine up." There's a parable in that -- a parable for our life. We need direction. Scott Peck opens his very helpful, best selling book, The Road Less Traveled, with this simple sentence, "Life is difficult." Well, it is. It's difficult at every level. Do we believe that there is a distinctive Christian ...

1181. Who Loves More?

Luke 7:36-50

Sermon

Maxie Dunnam

... you get that? Jesus not only stated it in words—“I have come to call not the righteous but sinners to repentance”—He acted it out. As I said a moment ago, Luke is the only one who records this story. He is also the only one who records Jesus’ parable of the prodigal son. I think there is significance in that. In both instances, in this story and in the story of the prodigal son, Jesus is seen clearly on the side of sinners. That was hard for Simon to take. He was shocked by it, and we are still ...

1182. The Need To Pay Attention

Sermon

Maxie Dunnam

... is the way to live prayerfully. It is certainly one of the ways we "pray without ceasing." Simply to pay attention to life. I didn't expect to find the meaning of life in an antique beetlenut box, but I did -- at least in part. I found a parable of life in that unexpected place. This is often the case. We stumble upon meaning, blunder into the presence of holiness, find life when we're not even looking for it, if we pay attention. I was visiting a home which was furnished with fascinating antiques. A small ...

1183. To Live Is To Grow

1 Timothy 4:1-16

Sermon

Maxie Dunnam

... ten days a large pool of warm, stagnant water lacking most forms of marine life remained closer than usual to the bird's feeding area. The birds began starving to death by the hundreds. Area wild life officials were at a loss to prevent it. That is a parable. The auklets were dependent on what the ocean was constantly bringing them. That food was not present in the stagnant waters being left unfed by the tide. Our natural habitat is not in the past nor in the future, but in the now. There is no food for ...

1184. Generic Christianity Is Not Enough

Romans 12:1-8

Sermon

Maxie Dunnam

... shut. There comes a time when our second chances have run out. How we live is important. What we believe makes a difference. Jesus put it this way: “Inasmuch as you did it unto the least of these, you did it unto me.” And in that parable he talked about persons being cast into outer darkness. There are judgments in life -- and there is the judgment. So I ask you again: do you believe that how persons respond to Christ and the Christian gospel makes an eternal difference? Generic Christianity may say no ...

1185. Comfortable Christianity Is a Big, Fat Lie

Matthew 7:15-23

Sermon

Phil Thrailkill

... hand, as someone did for us. Let’s go together to a new life. You know the song, “Oh, who will come and go with me, I am bound for the promised land.” There are only two ways, and comfortable Christianity is a big, fat lie. Let the parable of the eagle and the rattlesnake fix the imagery of the two ways in your memory. It goes like this: “There is a great battle that rages inside every person. One side is the soaring eagle. Everything the eagle stands for is good and true and beautiful. The eagle ...

1186. Joy to the World

Mark 16:1-8

Sermon

Mark Trotter

... him shamefully. So he sent a third, and a fourth, and many more, and some they beat and some they killed. So he said, "I will send my son. Surely they will respect my son and receive him." When the son came, they took him and killed him. Then the parable asks, "What will the owner of the vineyard do?" It is a rhetorical question. You don't have to answer it. But Jesus, in fact, answers it. He says, "He will come and destroy the tenants." That is what was expected. If truly this was the Son of God, then ...

1187. The Heart Has Eyes

Ephesians 1:15-23

Sermon

Mark Trotter

... and now. But it will be remembered then, and there. As Paul said to the Corinthians, "Now I know in part; then I will know fully." Extending the stage for moral behavior beyond our sight also give significance to the meaning of stewardship, what Jesus talked about consistently in his parables. He said that what we have now is here, given to us, not to spend, but to invest. Even if it is a widow's mite, or a mustard seed, or even if it is just a single talent that we have, we are to see it not as ours ...

1188. This Is the Day

Matthew 6:25-34

Sermon

Mark Trotter

... end. That's what the New Testament means by eternal life. It is time suspended. It is when there is no regret about the past, and no fear or anxiety about the future. There is only this day, this moment, which the Lord has made. I'll tell you a parable. An American was down in Mexico, on one of those beautiful beaches, near a village. He came upon a fisherman coming up with his boat onto the beach. He got out, unloaded his catch, just one fish. The American asked him how long it took him to catch that fish ...

1189. When to Hold On

II Timothy 3:14-4:5

Sermon

Mark Trotter

... am as excited about it as everybody else. I was disappointed in the game last night, as everybody else, so I am tempted to talk about baseball. In fact, I am tempted to switch the sermon from this text in II Timothy, to the Gospel lesson, which is the Parable of the Importunate Widow, who keeps banging on the door of the judge, pleading for justice. He won't give it to her, so she keeps banging. She's importunate. She keeps on going, never gives up, no matter what everyone says to her. They say, "You might ...

1190. Don't Make Me Come Down There

Luke 18:1-8

Sermon

King Duncan

... springs up between them. Likewise with God, God is just; God’s will is that the Bobbies of life will be protected from the Billies of life. (2) That’s what justice is, and it is a very important part of the biblical message. This woman in Jesus’ parable came to the judge and pleaded with him to give her justice. Someone was doing her wrong. And the judge heeded her request. And Jesus says that the Judge of the universe is like that judge. One day God will set the world right. God will intervene on ...

1191. The True Definition of a Sanctuary

Matthew 25:14-30

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

... 't called to avoid risk, high stakes, and genuine challenges. A disciple of Jesus operates within the world of high risk. Jesus placed himself in the firing line of history. Sometimes he calls us to place ourselves in the firing line of history as well. The parable of the talents is less about using your talents wisely than it is about risking all for the master. The hundredfold increase of talents for those servants who risked everything isn't a lesson in wise money management. Instead it's a call to step ...

1192. How Can Religion Go Bad Doing Good?

Matthew 7:21-23

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

... literally, lawless ones? What law isn't being obeyed that turns seemingly right-acting men and women into lawless ones? What does Jesus really want from us? As Jesus' message continues in this week's text, he turns to a parable to animate his teaching. Jesus' parable contrasts the stability of the house built on sand with that of the house built on rock. Although both houses are completed well before the rains and winds and floods begin their onslaught, the difference in their foundations determines their ...

1193. Keep on Praying

Luke 18:1-8

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

... were not opened to justice. His heart wasn't warmed with compassion. His spirit wasn't compelled to righteousness. This judge simply wimped out and wore out. Woody Allen is famously quoted as insisting that "90 percent of life is just showing up." The parable of the annoyingly persistent widow-woman teaches that we must show up again, and again, and again, and again. And only the most persistent, the most hard-headed, the most annoying, the most stubborn, make it into the history books as persons of note ...

1194. Be Kind

Ephesians 4:17--5:21

Sermon

James McCormick

... when they tried to keep children away from him. Jesus was concerned about everybody. He had compassion for everybody: Jews, Samaritans, Gentiles, lepers, thieves, prostitutes, tax collectors - everybody! He expressed that compassion in kindness. One of his best known parables, the parable of the Good Samaritan, is about one person helping another person in need. It’s about human kindness. It was so important to Jesus, in fact, that he made it the essential mark of authentic discipleship. He said, “This ...

1195. Proper 22

Exodus 20:1-21, Matthew 21:33-46, Philippians 3:1-11, Psalm 19:1-14

Sermon Aid

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

... 21:33-42 - "The God Who Gives and Keeps Sending" Setting. The verses of the lesson follow directly on those of last Sunday's text. Readers are asked to refer to the discussion of setting for last week's Gospel lesson. Structure. The lesson comprises the parable of the wicked tenants, which culminates in a question to the audience (vv. 33-40), the audience's answer to the question (v. 41), and subsequent comments by Jesus to his audience (vv. 42-43). In his final remarks Jesus quotes a passage of scripture ...

1196. Changed Lives - Nicodemus

John 3:1-21

Sermon

King Duncan

... is at hand.’” (Matt. 3:1-2). Jesus used almost the same language when he began his ministry. His first sermon began like this: “The time is fulfilled and the kingdom of God is at hand. Repent and believe in the gospel.” (Mark 1:15) Many of Jesus’ parables were about the Kingdom. He described the kingdom as a mustard seed which is planted in the ground and which grows into an enormous tree. He described it as leaven which a woman puts into a loaf of bread, as a pearl of great price for which a ...

1197. The Lost and Found Sheep

Luke 15:1-7

Sermon

James W. Moore

... , and a great celebration… because this beloved and precious sheep was lost… and now she was found and was safely back with the flock. In Luke 15, Jesus is painting his best picture of what God is like… and what God wants us to be like. In this parable, Jesus is showing us dramatically three great things about God and His love. 1. First, that god’s Love is inclusive and that God wants us to be inclusive in our loving. 2. Second, that God’s Love is forgiving and that God wants us to be forgiving ...

1198. Don't Look Back, Remember Lot's Wife

Genesis 19:24-26

Sermon

James W. Moore

... added: “If you ever do that again, I’m gonna put ‘horse blinders’ on you! Do you understand me, young man?” And I said what any high school boy in his right mind would say in that moment, “Yes sir.” Now, that experience is something of a parable for us. Over the years, I have remembered that lesson many times. “Don’t look back, go forward. Focus on what’s ahead, not on what’s behind!” That is precisely what the Apostle Paul was saying in his letter to the Philippians. He put it like ...

1199. When We Are Caught in a Storm

Matthew 14:22-33

Sermon

James W. Moore

... Isn’t it fascinating that the presence of Christ is often most visible and most welcome when we are caught in a storm and rowing against the wind? Remember this amazing story with me. It’s a miracle-story, but it is also a parable-story. It’s like a “Parable Acted Out.” It deals with the frustration and helplessness we sometimes feel. It deals with the hard struggles of life. It deals with the overwhelming flood of problems that rush in against us… and pour down upon us. But, it also reminds us ...

1200. John 10: 1-10

John 10:1-21

Sweet

Leonard Sweet

... I translate it as “I tell you the truth”), Jesus uses this exclamation to call attention to an important theme or thrust he is about to make. Most often Jesus’ “Amen” does not introduce a completely new subject, but rather follows an event or dialogue or parable with a further important conclusion. In the case of John 10:1, Jesus’ “very truly I tell you” points back to his words to the healed blind man and to the harsh behavior and doubting words of the Pharisees. In verses 1-10 Jesus offers ...

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