Sermon and Worship Resources

Showing 1201 to 1225 of 1795 results

2 Kings 2:1-2, 6-14

Sweet

Leonard Sweet

... the regencies of Jehoram, Jehu, Jehoahaz and Jehoash an astonishing period of about 73 years. The narrative begins by removing all doubt as to the outcome of this particular story: Elijah would be taken "up to heaven by a whirlwind" (2:1). No suspense here! The style is in the manner in which the narrator introduces Elisha's death in 13:14: "Now when Elisha had fallen sick with the illness of which he was to die..." The lack of suspense is not a literary failing but is instead consistent with the narrator ...

1202. Luke 9:51-62

Luke 9:51-62

Sweet

Leonard Sweet

... , drawn-out journey to Jerusalem. In Luke, this is a 10 chapter-long sojourn (9:51-19:45), composed of material that is not found in Mark and only some of which is found in Matthew. The bulk of this material is characterized by the creative language, style and organization of material unique to this gospel writer. While Luke occasionally reminds his readers that Jesus is still on his Jerusalem journey (13:22, 33; 17:11; 18:31; 19:11, 28), for the most part the focus of this section is on Jesus' teachings on ...

1203. 2 Kings 5:1-14

2 Kings 5:1-14

Sweet

Leonard Sweet

... own servants that prompts a positive response from their master. Reminding Naaman that "if the prophet had commanded you to do something difficult, would you not have done it?" (v.13), they urge him not to reject help because the helper's style appears simple and unassuming. The prophet asked of Naaman obedience and humility, not physical/intellectual gymnastics or a hocus-pocus performance. The truth of his servants' words slaps Naaman awake. He stops being the military commander, the friend of kings, the ...

1204. Colossians 1:1-14

Colossians 1:1-14

Sweet

Leonard Sweet

... and personal issues Paul and Timothy are addressing. Perhaps Timothy had a more collaborative role in the authorship than is generally recognized (v.1). But our exegesis of these passages will assume Paul's overall authorship. In overall literary style, Colossians follows a fairly traditional format. Familiar general salutations, accolades of thanksgiving and calls to prayer make up the body of today's reading. It is almost certain that Paul himself had not visited the Colossian Christians. His relationship ...

1205. Hebrews 11:29-12:2

Hebrews 11:29-12:2

Sweet

Leonard Sweet

The epistle to the Hebrews was almost certainly not written by Paul. But it almost certainly was authored by someone who was a very close associate of Paul, someone who knew his theology and thinking, his style and syntax. This author also speaks with a Jewish voice, one comfortably familiar with Jewish theology, tradition and soul. Some favorite candidates for authorship offered by scholars have included Barnabas, Silas, Luke and Apollos. Among these four, Apollos appears to hold the best qualifications ...

1206. Jeremiah 18:1-11

Jeremiah 18:1-11

Sweet

Leonard Sweet

... defeat and exile suffered in 586 BC. Scholars tend to disagree over the complete unity of today's text, with many viewing verses 7-10 as a later Deuteronomic editor's commentary on the original "pottery lesson" given in verses 1-6. However, the content, style and vocabulary of verses 7-10 are so tightly in tune with the insights of this passage that even if they are an editorial addition, they are completely coherent with the intent of the first six verses. The beginning verses of today's text read ...

1207. Luke 16:1-13

Luke 16:1-13

Sweet

Leonard Sweet

... of the parable above, but inserted by the Lukan editor to provide moral instruction on the parable itself. The sayings cast Jesus in the role of the management trainer, and indeed, more than a few of the "children of this age" have regrettably seen in Jesus' leadership style a model for the postmodern CEO. (For example, Laurie Beth Jones, Jesus: CEO [Hyperion, 1996].) Jesus concludes by emphasizing that good managers must be single-minded in their loyalties: "You cannot serve God and wealth" (v.13).

1208. Jeremiah 32:1-3a, 6-15

Jeremiah 32:1-3a, 6-15

Sweet

Leonard Sweet

... technically a prisoner. Now we can return to chapter 32. It would appear that the event described in today's text occurred between the first and second sieges of Jerusalem by Nebuchadrezzar's armies about 588/587 B.C. The text is presented in autobiographical style (v. 6, "The word of the LORD came to me") detailing the divinely foretold visit of Jeremiah's kinsman Hanamel, who will offer Jeremiah a field to purchase as a "right of redemption." This "right" is described in Leviticus 25:23ff and was designed ...

1209. John 1:29-42

John 1:29-42

Sweet

Leonard Sweet

... witness to testify to the light, so that all might believe through him." There is no doubt that John the Baptist had his own following of disciples. They were probably set apart from the rest of the crowds by special rules of discipline, fasting and styles of prayers. It is to this special group that John the Baptist now witnesses about Jesus' true identity. The Baptist brings his own disciples to Christ through a personal introduction. Jesus first asks John's disciples what it is they are "looking for" (v ...

1210. Acts 17:22-31

Acts 17:22-31

Sweet

Leonard Sweet

... intention, they both deny the active presence of the divine within this world. In verses 29-31 Paul makes his argument for the purposeful and redemptive presence of God in human lives, but it is a point still argued within the confines of linear Stoic-style rationalism. He begins by stating that "since we are God's offspring," it reasonably follows that God wants proper recognition of the divine in this world. In verse 30, Paul uses a two-part argument to demonstrate why this divine identity must be claimed ...

1211. Romans 12:9-21

Romans 12:9-21

Sweet

Leonard Sweet

... 12:9-21 makes up a unit of Christian "sententiae," similar to ones found in Hebrew wisdom literature. Some scholars have suggested that Paul even had at his disposal a kind of Semitic source book on the topic of agape. The grammatical style Paul invokes here - used in the context of rules or codes - reflects this typical Hebrew form. Paul begins with a strong, succinct definition of an authentic Christian attitude. Literally verse 9 translates as "the love, unhypocritic" - Paul's injunction that we love ...

1212. Romans 14:1-12

Romans 14:1-12

Sweet

Leonard Sweet

... " a primary component of Christian character in Romans 12:10, he insists here that the ultimate concern of all Christians remains honoring God. In verses 7-12 Paul crafts a masterful argument full of carefully balanced opposites in an almost hymnic style. He begins by holding up living and dying to ourselves in contrast to living and dying "to the Lord." Both Jewish and Hellenistic thought abhorred the selfish mindset Paul preaches against. Self-centeredness was generally decried as an empty, futile gesture ...

1213. James 1:17-27

James 1:17-27

Sweet

Leonard Sweet

The epistle of James is known as one of the "general" epistles. While it begins with salutations and greetings like any other letter, the non-specific discussion in the body of the document reveal that it was not written for any specific congregation. James' style has most often been cited as a form of parenesis a string of admonitions or moral maxims bound together with very little narrative. However, this so-called "epistle" could just as easily had its origin as a Christian homily or sermon. It was the ...

1214. Revelation 1:4b-8

Revelation 1:4b-8

Sweet

Leonard Sweet

... images that will appear in the body of this text, the opening passages of Revelation reveal it to share a familiar, indeed predictable, structure with other writings of its age. Verse 4 begins with a formulaic Greek greeting, practically identical in style to the greetings Paul used in his correspondence. The writer identifies himself only with his name ("John") and then identifies those to whom he is writing. Addressing his work to the "seven churches" in Asia is surely more symbolic than exhaustive ...

1215. Pouring Our Lives into People

Mark 1:14-20

Illustration

Neal Sadler

When speaking at a banquet one time, Billy Graham's style was noticeably different than before the crowds at the stadiums where he speaks. He certainly wasn't an overpowering presence or a good or even polished speaker. But one thing he said that night, memorable to many in attendance, was wondering that if rather than preaching to the masses as ...

1216. God's Workmanship

Ephesians 2:1-10

Sermon

King Duncan

... .” By the grace of Jesus Christ, may it be so. 1. Clean Humor Digest. 2. Reader’s Digest, April 2005, p. 48. 3. Ibid. 4. The Bible Jesus Read (Waterville, ME: Walker Large Print, 1999 ). 5. Steve Hollaway, http://www.latoniabaptist.org/templates/System/details.asp?id=24346&PID=199260&Style=. 6. http://www.nardinpark.org/worship/sermons/20060910.htm. 7. (Nashville, TN: Rutledge Hill Press, 2006), pp. 129-134. 8. (Nashville, TN: W Publishing Group, 2004), pp. 1-2.

1217. Evangelism is Holy Communion

John 4:1-26

Sermon

Mike Ripski

... truth you find unbearable to acknowledge? You change the subject. “You Jews worship in Jerusalem. We worship on Mt. Gerizim. Who’s right?” Jesus responds, “The day is coming when we won’t worship separately, because location, ethnicity, race, ritual, and style won’t matter. Traditional and contemporary won’t matter. Organ or guitar won’t matter. Immersion or sprinkling won’t matter. One cup or many won’t matter. For the worship God desires is in spirit and truth. In spirit, because you ...

1218. Lent 2

Mark 8:31--9:1, Romans 4:1-25, Genesis 17:1-27

Sermon Aid

John R. Brokhoff

... let his hearers decide what he meant. Now there must be no misunderstanding. He, the Christ, is going to suffer shame, suffering and death. That is plain talk. 4. Cross (v. 34). The rugged cross means a rugged way of life for a follower of Christ. The Christian style of life is a hard life. Jesus' life consisted of sorrow, rejection, suffering and death. His followers can expect no less. The Christian life has a cross at its center. John Donne said, "No cross is so extreme, as to have none. There is no gain ...

1219. Epiphany 3

Jonah 3:1-10, 1 Corinthians 7:1-40, Mark 1:1-8, Mark 1:9-13, Mark 1:14-20

Sermon Aid

John R. Brokhoff

... be tomorrow. It is still a reliable position to live as though the time were short. 3. As though (vv. 29-31). In these three verses Paul uses "as though" five times. He urges us to live as though conditions did not exist. It is a kind of "make believe" style of life. Since the end of the world is at hand, we are to live as though the world no longer existed. It is a manner of living that does not take seriously the things of this passing world. Our interests, eyes and values are set upon the spiritual ...

1220. The Nativity Of Our Lord

Isaiah 9:1-7, Titus 2:1-15, Luke 2:1-7, Luke 2:8-20

Sermon Aid

John R. Brokhoff

... is not a philosophy, not a program of activity, not a code of ethics but a person. He walked and talked, laughed and cried, lived and died. In Jesus we saw the love of God. 2. Renounce (v. 12). Should the incarnation make any difference in our style of life? Paul in this pericope says that one purpose of Christ's coming to earth was to persuade us to "renounce" irreligion and immorality. Because of the greatness of God's love shown in the incarnation and because of the cross, we cannot go on living ...

1221. The Ride of Your Life

Mark 4:35-41

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

... . Moms buy bumper pads. Dads buy Band-Aids. Moms schedule “play days.” Dads encourage “throw-downs.” Some of you are not going to be happy about this, and of course there are lots of exceptions, but overall there just do seem to be different styles inherent between Moms and Dads. Moms like to invest in lots of protective gear. Bike helmets, knee pads, water wings. Dads tend to be both hands on and hands off. Swimming lessons, but then a white water raft trip. Bike-pushing, followed by a mondo ...

1222. Proper 10

Mark 6:14-29, Psalm 24:1-10, 2 Samuel 6:1-23, Ephesians 1:1-14

Bulletin Aid

B. David Hostetter

... you all. People: And also with you. Leader: Believer/Priests, you are clothed with the garments of salvation. People: As loyal servants of the heavenly realm we shout for joy. INVOCATION Benevolent God, you receive the worship of your varied peoples with a variety of styles of music and ritual. May our worship offer you the best we can present to you, whatever our talent, in the Spirit of Jesus Christ. Amen PRAYER OF CONFESSION How dangerous is the pride in which we attempt to compare our greatness to yours ...

1223. Mark 6: 1-13

Mark 6:1-6

Sweet

Leonard Sweet

... be the message of repentance and the authority of Jesus that will open doors and provide them with food and shelter. To be sure, there were other first-century itinerants, such as the Cynics, who traveled in a similarly spartan style. But their purpose was to disassociate themselves from the communities through which they traveled. Jesus’ directives assured that the disciples would need to involve themselves personally with the people they witnessed to on their journeys. With his rejection at Nazareth ...

1224. Taking Offense & The Market Place

Mark 6:1-6

Illustration

Will Willimon

... a society in which most daily choices are consumer choices, people have come to view their relationship to the church in similar ways....But once people come to view choosing a church in ways similar to choosing among competing brands and styles of basketball shoes, then enormous pressure is exerted among the church to conceive of itself in those terms as well" (p. 68). And this tendency toward consumerism may be the most detrimental contemporary temptation for the church. Years ago, the great sociologist ...

1225. John the Baptist, Sanctified Indifference, & the King of Pop

Mark 6:14-29

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

... wasn’t always “the whole truth” truth-teller. John the Baptist didn’t decry Herod Antipas’ opulent lifestyle. He could have. John the Baptist didn’t call Herod Antipas on the carpet for glad-handing the oppressor and out-Rome-ing the Roman royal style of politics. He could have. John the Baptist didn’t berate this Jewish tetrach of a Roman province for riding roughshod over the needs of his own people, and instead toadying up to the cruel Emperor. He could have. Why didn’t John the Baptist ...

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