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 1201 to 1225 of 3314 results

1201. For Us Or Against Us?

Mark 9:38-50

Sermon

Frank Ramirez

... My lord Moses, stop them (Numbers 11:28)!” And Moses responded: “Are you jealous for my sake? Would that all the Lord’s people were prophets, and that the LORD would put his Spirit on them (Numbers 11:29)! ” John, who was one of the three apostles that was with Jesus when he was transfigured, (and perhaps he thought he was special because he’d been up on the mountaintop) reported, like Joshua: “Teacher, we saw someone casting out demons in your name, and we tried to stop him, because he was not ...

1202. What Are You Bananas About?

Philippians 3:17-4:1

Sermon

King Duncan

... In the meantime, he would be with them in the presence of the Holy Spirit. “Therefore, my brothers and sisters,” writes St. Paul, “you whom I love and long for, my joy and crown, stand firm in the Lord in this way, dear friends!” Remember that the apostle Paul most likely wrote these words from prison. He’d lost his job and his cushy place in society when he became a follower of Jesus. He’d been beaten and jailed and harassed many times for spreading the good news of Jesus Christ. It was only a ...

1203. Nose Hairs And Disney

1 Corinthians 12:12-31a

Sermon

Mary Austin

... it; if one member is honored, all rejoice together with it. Now you are the body of Christ and individually members of it. And God has appointed in the church first apostles, second prophets, third teachers; then deeds of power, then gifts of healing, forms of assistance, forms of leadership, various kinds of tongues. Are all apostles? Are all prophets? Are all teachers? Do all work miracles? Do all possess gifts of healing? Do all speak in tongues? Do all interpret? But strive for the greater gifts. And ...

1204. When the Doors Were Shut

John 20:19-31

Sermon

King Duncan

... we believe is the testimony of people like Thomas who, like the other disciples, gave his life for his belief in Christ’s resurrection. Do you know how Thomas’ story ends? Do you know where he died? He died in India, of all places. He became the apostle to the people of India. He brought the gospel of Christ to that land that was so culturally different from northern Israel where Thomas himself grew up. It is said that Thomas died a martyr after he was run through with five spears by five soldiers ...

1205. The Steady March Forward

Luke 9:51-62

Sermon

Dave Zuchelli

... the way are merely that — distractions. They are not the sum total of our lives. They are merely obstacles to be hurdled, gone around, or obliterated. Despite them, it’s on to the New Jerusalem. My guess is we often have times of denial much like the early apostles did. We don’t want to know God’s will for our lives. Ignorance is bliss. We can’t be responsible for what we don’t know, right? There’s a big problem with the life of a disciple. When we’re following Jesus, it’s quite clear ...

1206. I’ve Come To Bring Fire

Luke 12:49-56

Sermon

Dave Zuchelli

... didn’t explain what he meant by it. He quickly moved on to say he had not come to be a reconciler but a divider. This sounds way out of place for Jesus. He is called the great reconciler in other portions of Scripture. For example, the apostle Paul told us that God “reconciled us to himself through Christ” (2 Corinthians 5:18). In Ephesians 2:11-16, he explained that Jesus had reconciled both Jews and Gentiles to the Father. Furthermore, he added in his letter to the Colossians 1:20 that the Christ ...

1207. Why Christianity?

Romans 1:1-7

Sermon

Charley Reeb

... ask you why you follow Jesus rather than a zillion other religions and philosophies out there, what would you say? Would you be able to give a solid answer? Would your answer be convincing? The apostle Paul was absolutely convinced of the truth of Christ. He wrote: Paul, a servant of Christ Jesus, called to be an apostle and set apart for the gospel of God — the gospel he promised beforehand through his prophets in the Holy Scriptures regarding his Son, who as to his earthly life was a descendant of David ...

1208. Put On Your Apocalypse Jacket

Luke 21:5-19

Sermon

King Duncan

... hope is a dangerous thing but with hope all things are possible. This brings us to the second thing that needs to be said: We can have hope if we make up our minds beforehand to see the future through Jesus’ eyes. In First Corinthians 2, the apostle Paul writes that followers of Jesus take on the mind of Christ (I Cor. 2: 16). This is why Jesus spoke so much about the coming kingdom of God. It is God’s promise that the work of the kingdom includes restoring and redeeming creation, bringing justice ...

1209. Thankful Living In A Grumpy World

1 Corinthians 1:1-9

Sermon

Charley Reeb

... gratitude and you want that to change. You want to be more at peace with life and experience more joy and thanksgiving. How can we capture the peace and joy of gratitude more often in our lives? Well we can go back to scripture. Once again, the apostle Paul shows us exactly how to experience more joy through gratitude. In the first chapter of Philippians, Paul gives us the key: “I thank my God every time I remember you. In all my prayers for all of you, I always pray with joy because of your partnership ...

1210. When You’re Out Of Tune

1 Corinthians 3:1-9

Sermon

Charley Reeb

... and has a plan for them. Churches don’t thrive until they begin living to reach the world that God so loves. In addition to reaching out more than reaching in, a church is fine-tuned when it is inclusive rather than exclusive. Inclusive Rather Than Exclusive The apostle John said, “For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life” (John 3:16 NIV). Once again, notice what Jesus does not say. He doesn’t say, “For God so ...

1211. Leaving an Empty Chair

Acts 2:42-47

Sermon

King Duncan & Angela Akers

... new community to be a team. God intended us to be one Body---the Body of Christ active and working in the world. Our passage reads, “They devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and to fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer. Everyone was filled with awe at the many wonders and signs performed by the apostles. All the believers were together and had everything in common. They sold property and possessions to give to anyone who had need. Every day they continued to meet together in the ...

1212. The Just-In-Case God

Acts 17:22-31

Sermon

King Duncan & Angela Akers

... the truth about God, he dedicated the rest of his life to serving Him. And that commitment to serving God created new opportunities for the people of the Gold Coast of Africa. (6) If anyone knew what it meant to confront the reality of God, it was the Apostle Paul. Before he became a follower of Jesus, he had actively and violently persecuted members of the early Christian church. But once he saw the truth of God in the life of Jesus, he repented and gave the rest of his life to sharing the message of Jesus ...

1213. Catholic

Matthew 13:31-33, 44-52

Sermon

William G. Carter

... quality of life for which Jesus teaches us to pray: the will of God, on earth as it already is in heaven (Matthew 6:10). This is what grows. This is what rises. Not the accomplishment or the arrogance of humanity, but the rule of God over all life. The apostle Paul could testify to this. He wrote a letter to a church in Rome, full of people he had never met. And he declared on the largest possible screen, “All things work together for God for those who love God.” It was meant to be. God’s will is ...

1214. Be Near, Ye Faithful

1 Thessalonians 5:16-24

Sermon

Ronald Love

... spiritually strong while waiting for the parousia, which means the day of judgment. We are not expected to go to the extreme of celibacy, which is an acceptable path for those who choose it, but we must heed the instructions provided by the apostle Paul. The Christian should be one that is always giving thanks, even in the harshest situations. The Christian must be receptive to the guidance of the Holy Spirit. The Christian must be attentive to the prophets. The Christian must be respectful and obedient ...

1215. The Feast of Leviathan

Luke 24:36b-48

Sermon

Lori Wagner

... in real time! Not just in a distant future, but in the real world, here and now. For Jesus’ disciples, these words are the “flesh” upon which we must feast in order to be the apostles he needs us to be. Jesus’ urgency in this brief time he has yet on earth is to help his disciples and apostles understand his bodily resurrection and his place within the scriptural heritage. Why? It’s vital to their ability to carry on his mission. In these power and meaning-packed passages in which he appears to ...

1216. Yada, Yada, Yada!

Mark 6:30-34, 53-56

Sermon

Lori Wagner

... that personal relationship, that ability to be seen. It’s a hunger in our world for relationship. “To know and be known” is everyone’s greatest need. Healing begins when people are seen. Being an apostle of Christ does not just mean to share the good news in words. Part of being Christ’s apostles means seeing with the eyes of Jesus and allowing people to recognize Jesus through you. Michelangelo perhaps said it best in his painting of “God and Adam.” In one of his most famous paintings, called ...

1217. Comma

1 Thessalonians 3:9-13

Sermon

Scott Bryte & Kimberly Miller van Driel

... again. Advent is a time of waiting ― real waiting. There is more to it than just reenacting the long wait for the birth of the Messiah. In Advent, we are reminded that all of Christian life is waiting for Jesus to come again as he promised. In the Apostles’ Creed, we distill to the bare bones what Christians believe about Jesus. It is hardly a complete list, but it is the essentials. Jesus is the Son of God. Jesus is our Lord. He was conceived of the Holy Spirit, and the Virgin Mary gave birth to him ...

1218. Wait for It...

Luke 24:44-53

Sermon

Lori Wagner

... disciple of Jesus means simply “paying attention” to the guidance of the Holy Spirit and listening for our unique call as apostles and the church. In 7 more days, we will celebrate the time of Pentecost! It’s an awesome and joyful celebration in which ... our waiting time is over, and we are called to action –as disciples, as followers, as servants, as apostles. Take this time to prepare, take time to listen, take time to marinate in the love of God. Because change is ...

1219. Last Things First

Matthew 24:36-44

Sermon

Frank Ramirez

... talk about the child in the manger. Yet, this doesn’t spoil the story for us. If anything, knowing the glorious ending enhances our appreciation of the humble beginning. Here’s the real deal. This is how the early church learned about Jesus. The apostles proclaimed his return long before anyone got around to talking about his birth. In other words, the early church knew the ending of the story before they knew the beginning. And guess what — knowing the ending didn’t spoil the story for them either ...

1220. What’s In a Word?

Luke 2:1-14, (15-20)

Sermon

Frank Ramirez

... was close at hand since they lived there too. It served as a bed for the newborn Jesus. Remember that Mary, the mother of Mark, for instance, built an upper room on her home in Jerusalem that was used by Jesus and the apostles for the Last Supper. It was where the apostles and the women waited while Jesus was dead and buried, and where Jesus appeared to them after his resurrection. It’s where the Holy Spirit descended at Pentecost, and where Peter went after an angel helped him escape from prison. None of ...

1221. Then There Was One

Luke 17:11-19

Sermon

J. Will Ormond

... us rule-keeping, upright, churchgoing Christians this story of the ten lepers is not a simple "sweet little story." The question which haunts us is: "The other nine, where are they?" Perhaps some of us can say, "I attend church regularly. When I say the Apostles' Creed, I am sure I believe every word of it. I pay my pledge, usually on time. Occasionally I volunteer for the night shelter." But is that enough? Where is the exuberant praise, the extravagant gratitude, the wild, joyful freedom in living, the ...

1222. The Beginning And The Ending

Luke 1:1-4; 24:44-53

Sermon

J. Will Ormond

... " on the last page. A much more appropriate phrase is "To be continued," for the conclusion is open-ended. We have already noticed how Luke's gospel cries out for a sequel. And Luke does not disappoint us. In the book of the Acts of the Apostles he continues the story. There we find a fuller account of Jesus' ascension into heaven. We see the promise of the coming power fulfilled when the Holy Spirit descends on the gathered company on the day of Pentecost. We find many stories of the disciples fulfilling ...

1223. When Self-esteem Gets Out Of Hand

Luke 18:9-14

Sermon

J. Will Ormond

... false bravado or an unctuous Uriah Heep groveling humility. Such people need help in raising their sense of self-worth. But this sermon is not addressed to this group, except, perhaps, in an oblique kind of way. But can self-esteem get out of hand at times? The apostle Paul gave this warning to the Roman Christians and to us: "I say to everyone among you not to think of yourself more highly than you ought to think" (Romans 12:3). Jesus must have known some people whose self-esteem had gotten out of hand and ...

1224. Topsy-turvy Christianity

Luke 6:17-26, Luke 6:27-36

Sermon

J. Will Ormond

... these words. What do you think your reaction would have been? That might depend on the part of the gathered company to which you belonged. According to Luke's chronology Jesus, just before he began this Sermon on the Plain, chose from among his disciples twelve whom he called apostles (Luke 6:12-16). These words must have come as a shock to them. Did some of them wonder what they had gotten themselves into? Did they ask one another, "Does he mean if we are poor we are blessed, but if we are rich we have woe ...

1225. Anybody Listening?

Mark 6:1-6

Sermon

William G. Carter

... you're getting a weekly manicure." Is anybody listening? That's the question that haunts every preacher. Sometimes we preachers stand up in the pulpit, offer the fruits of careful study and thought, and wonder if anything is getting through. Other times we feel like the apostle Peter in the third chapter of Acts, who said, "I have no silver or gold, but what I have I give you" (Acts 3:6). On the rare days when the words are tightly crafted, the logic is unusually clear, and the metaphors are finely tuned ...

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