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 101 to 125 of 344 results

101. Epiphany 3

Matthew 4:18-22, Matthew 4:12-17

Bulletin Aid

Dennis Koch

Gospel Notes Matthew's rendition of the beginning of Jesus' ministry agrees with the other Synoptic Gospels in identifying Galilee as the point of departure. But his distinctive connection with "the Galilee of the Gentiles" of Isaiah 9:1-2 is probably intended to underscore the universality of Jesus' mission, of which Matthew here offers a compendium: preaching the nearness of the coming Reign of God (" ...

102. Maundy Thursday

John 13:1-17

Bulletin Aid

Dennis Koch

Gospel Notes John's account of the Last Supper differs from the Synoptics in placing it on the day before the actual Passover meal and in recounting a footwashing, an act that for the evangelist symbolically entwines two principal symbolic themes: cleansing and mutual submission. The former of these appears to refer mainly to the import of Jesus' crucifixion for the disciples, while ...

103. Proper 22

Matthew 21:33-46

Bulletin Aid

Dennis Koch

Gospel Notes Form-critical analysis of this passage in light of the other versions of the parable in the Synoptics and the Gospel of Thomas reveals that the original point of the story was not Christological; nor was it primarily allegorical. Rather, it was a simple, if shocking, "Kingdom" parable, whose point was the value of the coming Reign of God and the extraordinary, even desperate measures that the lowly ...

104. Bread of the Eucharist (Bread of Life IV)

John 6:25-59

Sermon

Charles R. Leary

... you read Matthew’s, Mark’s and Luke’s versions of the Last Supper, it is easy to recognize in them that Jesus chose bread to take the place of his broken body, and wine to take the place of his shed blood. Most liturgies use these Synoptic references to the Last Supper rather than the one in John because the meaning is more obvious. John offers no interpretation of his text. Three: By the time John wrote, Christianity had been around two and a half generations. The story had been told again and again ...

105. An Untouchable God?

1 Samuel 6:1-7:1

Sermon

Robert Noblett

... only when God wants to be touched. That issue is addressed fully and forever later in the New Testament and in no place there more poignantly than in the story of the woman who suffered with a severe bleeding disorder, related in all the synoptic gospels. (Mark 5, Matthew 9 & Luke 8) This woman’s alleged uncleanness removed her from the consolations of faith (see Leviticus 15); it was held that her condition rendered her unacceptable to God. Little wonder that when she heard of Jesus and his healing ...

106. The Unclean Spirit

Mark 1:21-28

Drama

Dallas A. Brauninger

... they are children of God. Finally, we know we are valid and we count. Demons: Demons are spiritual beings who recognized Jesus before followers of Jesus did. A demon, a cosmic power opposed to God, is an unclean spirit. The Synoptic Gospels cite twelve references using the word "demon." In the present miracle story, a separate personality spoke through the individual. People living in Old Testament days believed evil spirits were the bearers of disease and mental problems. They believed evil spirits ...

107. Stilling The Storm

Mark 4:35-41

Drama

Dallas A. Brauninger

... may have taken the lead the night of the storm. GOSPEL PARALLELS Compared with Matthew and Luke, who used the common Q source, Mark is terse and to the point. The Gospel of Mark was written about a decade earlier than the other Synoptic Gospels. According to Pherigo (See The Interpreter's One-Volume Commentary), Mark was a contemporary of Paul. Mark, who was from a background of liberal, Hellenistic Judaism rather than the Judaism of Jerusalem, was probably a key member of the gentile Christian community ...

108. Proper 8

Mark 5:21-43

Drama

Dallas A. Brauninger

... ). Healing is more than only something external or done to us. Jesus understood that healing involves something internal to the person. Healing involves the whole person in partnership with the ingredients of the healing process. GOSPEL PARALLELS All three Synoptic Gospels tell these two healing miracles, however Matthew offers a condensed version. Matthew begins the telling as a continuation of Jesus' healings. The Lukan pair of miracles is somewhat shorter but close in rendition to the Markan story. Mark ...

109. Lent 4

John 3:1-21, Numbers 21:4-9, Ephesians 2:1-10

Sermon Aid

Russell F. Anderson

... to accomplish good works. A tractor is not designed for the purpose of driving around but for accomplishing good works. So too, God created us anew in Christ Jesus for good works (v. 10). Gospel: John 3:14-21 The enthronement of Christ (v. 14). For the synoptic gospels the enthronement of Christ as Lord and king occurs after the Ascension. For John the cross is Christ's throne, revealing his glory and power. Being lifted up on the cross is equivalent to being lifted up on a throne. John has a point. In the ...

110. Lent 5

John 12:20-36, Jeremiah 30:1--31:40, Hebrews 4:14-5:10

Sermon Aid

Russell F. Anderson

... to investigate the possibility of becoming disciples of Jesus. Philip goes to Andrew (who introduced Peter to Jesus) with the request. They both approach their Master. Jesus responds that it was now time for his ministry to add the crowning touch. While the synoptic gospels identify the resurrection as the time of glorification, John sees the crucifixion and resurrection in the same frame. The cross lifts up Jesus in all his glory and power. These Greeks who wanted an audience with the Lord can see him in ...

111. Prayer for Mark 10:17-31

Mark 10:17-31

Bulletin Aid

Dennis Koch

Gospel Note This passage is a compilation of sayings that reflect the attitude of Jesus toward wealth in the Synoptic Gospels and that seem particularly inimical to a thoroughgoing capitalism. The gist of all the sayings is that radical trust in God and God's grace is called for in salvation, and that wealth encourages an illusion of self-sufficiency and earning that constitutes a formidable stumbling block to such ...

112. Fish Miracle

1 Corinthians 15:1-11, Isaiah 6:1-13, Luke 5:1-11

Sermon Aid

John R. Brokhoff

... the word of God. People still flock to fearless preachers who speak the Word of God from the Scriptures. This is one of the secrets of church growth. Lake (v. 2) - Only Luke calls the Sea of Galilee a lake, the lake of Gennesaret. The other synoptic writers call it the Sea of Galilee. In his gospel John refers to it as the Sea of Tiberias (6:1), named after the town, Tiberias, located on the lake, and after the Roman emperor, Tiberias. Having been rejected by the Nazareth congregation, Jesus took to ...

113. Transfiguration

Luke 9:28-36 · Matthew 17:1-8 · Mark 9:2-8

Sermon Aid

John R. Brokhoff

... that the transfiguration took place during Jesus' ministry and it gave the disciples an insight into Jesus. Matthew and Mark say that it was six days after the Caesarea Philippi conference, but Luke claims it was eight days. According to the synoptic authors, the transfiguration occurred prior to Jesus' last journey to Jerusalem. Mountain (v. 28) - The Good News Bible translates "mountain" as "hill." The traditional place, Mount Tabor, was more than a hill. The place more likely was Mount Hermon, which is ...

114. Baptism of the Lord

Acts 10:23b-48, Isaiah 61:1-11, Isaiah 42:1-9, Psalm 45:1-17, Psalm 89:1-52, Luke 3:1-20, Luke 3:21-38

Sermon Aid

George Bass

... Lord. The Baptism of our Lord is the theme, the only theme and story, for the First Sunday after the Epiphany. It should also be noted that the churches want the full story of Jesus' baptism to be told, hence the three versions of it in the synoptic gospels are read in their respective cycles; the first and second readings remain the same from year/cycle to year/cycle. Why have the churches given such prominence to Jesus' baptism, especially if he were sinless and not at all in need of baptism? Part of the ...

115. Nothing Is Impossible

Exodus 13:17--14:31

Sermon

Walter Kimbrough

A marvelous story is told by the synoptic gospel writers about a boy who was possessed by an evil spirit. His father was concerned sufficiently enough to seek help for the boy in a time when all help had failed. The boy was brought to the disciples of Jesus with the request for healing, but they were powerless ...

116. Keeping In Touch… With The Lord

Exodus 33:12-23

Sermon

Walter Kimbrough

... not supplication, or begging, but a simple asking for and affirmation of that which we know is waiting for us at the hands of our Father. Further, it is contended that prayer has simplicity. It’s not tough to understand or master. Each of the three synoptic gospel writers found the need to tell the story of the unnamed woman who had been bleeding for 12 years without finding relief. Medically, she should have been dead as the result of a depleted blood supply. But, for whatever reason, she was still alive ...

117. The Resurrection Is Freedom

John 11:38-44

Sermon

Mark Ellingsen

... with it is a present reality! Think about that point for a moment. This idea that the new life given in the resurrection is already available to the faithful is a central (though too often overlooked) theme in Jesus' preaching. Think how often in the first three (synoptic) gospels Jesus proclaims that the kingdom of God (the new order of things) "is at hand (Matthew 4:17; Mark 1:15; Luke 11:20; 17:21)."2 John seems to make the same point in his representation of Jesus in our gospel story today. When Jesus ...

118. The Signs Of Salvation

Luke 19:1-10

Sermon

Theodore F. Schneider

... to reward the righteous and punish those who are beyond the usual pale of social respectability. Clearly, "salvation" is the goal of God's plan for his Son, Jesus Christ, and this salvation is an important part of the Christ event. Among the synoptic gospels, Luke is the only one to assign to Jesus the title "Savior." Paul writes of awaiting and working out our salvation. For Luke, salvation is something already achieved. "Today salvation has come to this house." The ancient Hebrew root word most often ...

119. For What Are We Fishing?

Luke 5:1-11

Illustration

J. Ellsworth Kalas

The Synoptic accounts of this story include the miraculous catch. Kalas treats the Lukan passage in the following way: If this is where the story ended [i.e. with the miraculous catch], it would be an interesting but rather inconsequential little miracle. It might feed our desire for a gospel of success ...

120. Baptism of our Lord

Isaiah 42:1-9, Psalm 29:1-11

Bulletin Aid

... to be low-key and "a bruised reed," however, gave even the primitive Church reason to identify Jesus with the Servant; and God's declaration in v. 1 about placing the Spirit upon him and about his bringing "justice to the nations" certainly influenced the Synoptic accounts of Jesus' baptism. Call to Worship Leader: The voice of God thunders upon the waters! People: THE VOICE OF GOD IS FULL OF POWER AND MAJESTY! Leader: The voice of God shakes the forest and the wilderness! People: AND IN GOD'S TEMPLE ALL ...

121. Epiphany 3

Matthew 4:12-17

Bulletin Aid

Theme: Calling for repentance for a Reign that is coming Exegetical note Matthew's rendition of the beginning of Jesus' ministry agrees with the other Synoptic Gospels in identifying Galilee as the point of departure. But his distinctive connection with "the Galilee of the Gentiles" of Isaiah 9:1-2 is probably intended to underscore the universality of Jesus' mission, of which Matthew here offers a compendium: preaching the nearness of the coming Reign of God (" ...

122. Maundy Thursday

1 Corinthians 11:17-34

Bulletin Aid

Theme: A memorial meal and more Exegetical note Although Paul's version of the Last Supper here is earlier than those of the Gospels, it is more stylized than the Synoptic accounts in the way it parallels the bread and cup. Both statements contained here emphasize the memorial aspect of the meal, but verse 26 entails a future, eschatological reference as well: it is a meal of proclamation "until." Call to Worship (based on Psalm 89) Leader: Let the heavens praise ...

123. Maundy Thursday

John 13:1-17

Bulletin Aid

Theme: The cleansing crucifixion Exegetical note John's account of the Last Supper differs from the Synoptics in placing it on the day before the actual Passover meal and in recounting a footwashing, an act that for the evangelist symbolically entwines two principal symbolic themes: cleansing and mutual submission. The former of these appears to refer mainly to the import of Jesus' crucifixion for the disciples, while ...

124. Proper 22

Mt 21:33-46 · Php 3:4b-14 · Ex 20:1-20

Bulletin Aid

... and likeness of Christ Jesus. In his precious name we pray. Amen. Gospel Lesson: Matthew 21-33-46 Theme: Claiming God's coming Reign Exegetical note Form-critical analysis of this passage in light of the other versions of the parable in the Synoptics and the Gospel of Thomas reveals that the original point of the story was not Christological; nor was it primarily allegorical. Rather, it was a simple, if shocking, "Kingdom" parable, whose point was the value of the coming Reign of God and the extraordinary ...

125. What Is Your Holy Week Address?

Matthew 27:45-56

Sermon

Robert Noblett

... one of the ears of the high priest’s slave. Next we have Good Friday with its suffering, and its mood is defeat. Jesus is treated to a kangaroo court, completely lacking in any semblance of judicial respect, found guilty and taken away to be murdered. The synoptic Gospels paint a picture that reflects defeat. It was now about the sixth hour, and there was darkness over the whole land until the ninth hour, while the sun's light failed; and the curtain of the temple was torn in two. (Matthew 27:45, 51, GNB ...

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