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 715 results

101. Are You a Super-Fan?

Luke 19:1-10

Sermon

King Duncan

... do in the Book of Luke. So why did Jesus choose this man at this moment? What do we learn about God from this encounter? One thing we learn from Zacchaeus’ story is you never know who is looking for Jesus. Sometimes you will be surprised. Zacchaeus was a despised tax collector. He was the lowest of the low in the eyes of most Jews. Yet there he was in a tree gazing at the Master. You never know who might be searching for Jesus. Let me give you an example. At the height of his worldwide fame, rock musician ...

102. On the Road with Zacchaeus

Luke 19:1-10

Sermon

James W. Moore

... He was responsible for gathering the hated Roman Tax on the products of Jericho, such as balsam… and upon the costly imports from Damascus and Arabia. In the day of Jesus, the tax-collectors were known for their greed… and were considered outcasts… and classed with thieves and cut-throats. Zacchaeus was a chief tax-collector… so he was greatly despised. 2. Also, Zacchaeus was regarded by the people of Jericho as a “traitor.” He was a fellow-Jew who had betrayed his people, his nation, his faith ...

103. Three Parables about the Unfaithfulness of the Jewish Leaders

Matthew 22:1-14, Matthew 21:33-46, Matthew 21:28-32, Matthew 21:23-27

Teach the Text

Jeannine K. Brown

... who obeys his father after saying he will not and a son who does not obey in spite of saying he will. Jesus makes the correspondences clear (21:31–32): the Jewish leaders are like the son who, in the end, does not obey, and tax collectors and prostitutes are like the obedient son. It is the latter’s proper response of repentance and faith to John’s call to righteousness that constitutes and produces their obedience. 21:31 The first. The parable’s thrust is about the importance of action, although ...

104. The Kings of the South and the North

Daniel 11:2-35

Understanding Series

William Nelson

... an end to his insolence so that he cannot return his insolence to him.” 11:20 Instead of the noun his successor, the Hebrew has a clause: weʿamad ʿal-kanno, “Then one will arise in his place” (see also vv. 7, 21, 38). The Hebrew for a tax collector to maintain the royal splendor is a little awkward: maʿabir nogas heder malkut, literally, “he will cause to pass through an exactor of glory of a kingdom.” The MT does not have the verb “to maintain,” but this is one way to make sense of it in ...

105. Out On A Sycamore Limb

Luke 19:1-10

Sermon

Richard Hasler

... genuine seeker after Jesus whom he heard about so much in recent days. Even though he had obtained fabulous riches and all those riches could buy, there was something still missing in his life. Perhaps Zacchaeus had heard this man really was “a friend of tax collectors and sinners” (Luke 7:34). In spite of the embarrassment and ridicule he would get from the hometown folks, he proceeded to climb this tree and make a fool of himself. Nonetheless, it was Zacchaeus who was picked out by Jesus to go to his ...

106. Eternally Yours

Luke 15:1-10

Sermon

Lori Wagner

... the nose on your face. Because you have Jesus’ vision. That’s truly what Jesus calls us to do. To take on Jesus-eyes and cultivate a Jesus spirit – so that no matter whom we encounter or how different that person is – whether they are tax collectors, sinners, scribes, or Pharisees – we invite them to our table and know they are God’s beloved. And when one of them sees the light and learns Jesus “secret sauce,” we celebrate like we never have before. We feast until the cows come home! Cause ...

107. Proper 21

Matthew 21:23-27, Matthew 21:28-32, Exodus 17:1-7, Ezekiel 18:1-32, Philippians 2:1-11

Sermon Aid

Russell F. Anderson

... and then tells the parable of the Two Sons. The son who said he would do his father's bidding and did not represents the Jewish authorities. The son who, at first, refused to obey his father and then changed his mind stands for the tax collectors, prostitutes and other sinners who heeded God's call for repentance. Jesus' statement that these would go into the kingdom of God ahead of the religious leaders was grossly offensive to them. Thus, the parable is something of an allegory. Psalm Of The Day Psalm ...

108. Proper 5

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

Sermon Aid

Russell F. Anderson

... allows us to plug into the power of God. Perhaps, this power derives because in worship God's Spirit enters into our spirit. Gospel: Matthew 9:9-13, 18-26 Why does Jesus eat with sinners? The Pharisees asked Jesus' disciples why he dined with tax collectors and sinners. This was not a real question, of course; it was a criticism. They could not conceive of any reason why a righteous Jew would ever eat with blatant sinners. Nevertheless, the question remains a good one and a fruitful topic for a sermon ...

109. Proper 5 & Pentecost 3

Matthew 9:9-13, Romans 4:1-25, Hosea 6:1--7:16, Genesis 22:1-19, Psalm 13:1-6, Psalm 50:1-23, Hosea 5:1-15

Sermon Aid

... , "Why? What made you decide to become a pastor?" The answers to that question may be numerous, but they are all variations of one reply, "God has called me to the ministry of his church." Had anyone asked Matthew why he abandoned his lucrative job as a tax collector to follow Jesus, he could only have said one thing: "Jesus said, 'Follow me.' " He did. 1. God's call is pure grace. To be a minister of the Gospel of Jesus Christ - lay minister or ordained pastor - is always an act of grace on the part ...

110. Didn't Know He Was Lost

Luke 19:1-10

Illustration

Robert Beringer

... guards said, "Gosh, I guess he didn't know he was lost until he was found!" Jesus once met a man named Zacchaeus who was like that. Zacchaeus was a Jew but he worked for the Romans as a tax collector, and he was about as popular as folks today who work for the IRS! In those days tax collectors gathered their funds with a little help from the Roman Army, and when Rome's needs were met, they could collect as much as their ingenuity permitted. Zacchaeus may have been small of stature, but he was a "big ...

111. Making It Last

Luke 3:1-20

Sermon

Timothy J. Smith

... to someone who had none. To the person who encountered someone who was hungry, and they had extra food, they should offer the stranger something to eat. There were some tax collectors in the crowd that day. Tax collectors were not very popular in New Testament times. People tried their hardest to stay away from the tax collector because tax collectors were greedy and would often take advantage of people by taking whatever they could from them. They asked John the same question, "What are we do to?" John's ...

112. The Problem With Keeping All The Rules

Luke 18:9-14

Sermon

King Duncan

... and putting them on top. Whether they were despised Samaritans, or deeply feared lepers, or powerless women and children, or hated tax-collectors, or whoever they might be. If Jesus were here in the flesh today, he would be the champion of the ... a good boy. Be a good girl. Then you will be acceptable to God. But there was another man there in the Temple that day. A tax collector. A man who was a traitor to his own people. A man who was corrupt and made his livelihood cheating others. A man we wouldn't ...

113. Why The British Coast Guard Doesn't Like Eric, But God Does

Luke 15:1-7

Sermon

King Duncan

... more than the Pharisees. Jesus is using a vivid picture to get under the skin of his listeners. We've heard the story so many times, we take it for granted. But think about his audience for a moment. Jesus was telling this parable to the "sinners" and tax collectors. It is interesting that in at least one translation of the Bible the word "sinners" is put in quotation marks. That's because Jesus doesn't look at them as sinners. Luke, the writer of this book of the Bible, obviously doesn't look at them as ...

114. Are We on Speaking Terms with the Almighty?

Luke 18:9-14

Sermon

Eric Ritz

... , "Only that prayer which comes from our heart can get to God''s heart." Spurgeon further said, "You can draw to God even though you cannot say a word. A prayer may be crystallized in a tear. A tear is enough water to float a desire to God." The tax collector could only muster a few words and then he beat his breast. I tell you that God heard that prayer. He heard the Pharisee, but He could not act on it for it was not a "prayer." Dwight L. Moody and Charles Spurgeon were great preachers of the nineteenth ...

115. Worship Wars!

Luke 18:9-14

Sermon

Stephen M. Crotts

... neighbor, and third, I keep no eye on God." "Thank you, Mr. Pharisee. Your values and attitudes as well as your zeal in enforcing them, are most clear, and duly noted." Worshiper Number Two: Now, we turn to the second worshiper in the temple. Jesus said he was a tax collector, said he went into the same temple to pray. He did not stand up front, but stood far off, and he would not even lift up his eyes to heaven, but beat his breast, saying, "God, be merciful to me, a sinner!" Let's move closer now and see ...

116. From Black Holes to Red Holes

Luke 18:18-30

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

... of that black hole, he encounters the singularity of God's mercy, the singularity of grace. It is his spiral down this black hole of his own making that brings him to this point of singularity. God's mercy and love swirl away all this tax collector's burden of sin and shame. His humility allows him to fully enter the singularity of this grace without reservation or hesitation. His reward, Jesus proclaims, is that in the coming kingdom this man will be exalted. Likewise the Pharisee stands at the horizon of ...

117. Radical Love is Reconciling (Series: Radical Love in a Risky World)

Matthew 18:15-20

Sermon

J. Howard Olds

... all prayers begin with “Our Father.” The same God who loves us, loves them too. III. Let It Go Verse 17b says, “If the offender refuses to listen even to the church, let such a one be to you as a Gentile and a tax collector.” For the Amish, The Jehovah Witnesses, the Church of Scientology and others, this Scripture is used to justify the practice of shunning. Shunning is the act of deliberately avoiding association with and habitually keeping away from an individual or group who has broken church ...

118. Luke 15:1-10

Luke 15:1-7

Sweet

Leonard Sweet

... his whole community, to join in celebrating the sheep’s safe return. This communal aspect of Jesus’ parable speaks directly to the “grumbling” of the scribes and Pharisees in v.2. Instead of complaining about the presence of “tax collectors and sinners,” those religious authorities should be “rejoicing” that such people are now “listening” to Jesus’ message of holiness and truth. Earlier Jesus had proclaimed that his mission was not to the “righteous” but was to call “sinners ...

119. Help Me, I'm Lost

Luke 15:1-10

Sermon

King Duncan

... us to the final thing we need to see in these parables. When we have a relationship with Christ, we have a new relationship with every other person on earth. Jesus was telling these parables to a crowd that included scribes and Pharisees, as well as sinners and tax-collectors. Jesus wanted them to see that none of them had an exclusive claim on the kingdom of God. We are all sinners saved by grace. Consequently, we dare not look down on anyone else. Each of us is precious to God and so is everyone else on ...

120. Welcome Home

Luke 15:11-32

Sermon

James Merritt

... , saying, “This man receives sinners and eats with them.” (Luke 11:1-2, ESV) There were two groups of people who had come to listen to Jesus that day and each one is represented by one of the two sons. There were the bad guys the tax collectors and sinners. Then you have the good guys – the Pharisees! They were the churchgoers. They were the fundamentalists. They were full of judgment and empty of mercy. One group was so bad they didn’t think God would ever accept them. The other group was so good ...

121. Jesus and John the Baptist

Luke 7:18-35

Understanding Series

Craig A. Evans

... has dawned he is a minor figure. Luke summarizes in vv. 29–30 the differing reactions among the people who had heard the preaching of John (Luke 3:7–17) and had heard and witnessed the ministry of Jesus. Whereas all the people, even the tax collectors recognized God’s righteous demands (see note below) and so had been baptized by John (v. 29; see 3:10–14), the Pharisees and experts in the law rejected God’s purpose for themselves, because they had not been baptized by John (v. 30). In response ...

122. Clean Hands

Psalm 26:1-12

Sermon

Will Willimon

... atheism. I am the measure of all things. My nation, right or wrong, my nation. My nation is worth killing for because it is the extension of my god me. Religion is a - theistic when it no longer needs God to make it work. "This man eats with sinners and tax collectors," they said of Jesus. "Sure," Jesus replied, "If you're well, you don't need a doctor. I've come only for the sick." You don't need a doctor when you're all healthy, strong, well, and full -- like you Pharisees. I've come for the sick, the ...

123. The Joy of Being Found

Luke 15:1-10

Sermon

King Duncan

... Church, used to tell his followers, “Catch on fire for God and people will come and watch you burn!” (2) That’s what Jesus did! He caught on fire for God, and people came to watch him burn. At least, some people did. But while the tax collectors and sinners were listening to Jesus, the religious leaders and teachers of the law were grumbling about him. “This man welcomes sinners and eats with them.” Let that sink in for a minute: Jesus, God in the flesh, welcomed sinners and ate with them. Marc ...

124. The Joy Of Being Found

Luke 15:1-10

Sermon

Richard Hasler

... hymn based on our first parable. As we seek to understand this first parable we must keep in mind the context in which it is written. Luke had just noted that the tax collectors and sinners were coming to listen to Jesus. Also, Jesus had eaten with such people. Therefore, Luke used this parable to show that God’s love reaches out to even one tax collector or sinner who is away from the fold. Such is the amazing love of God that God is not content until all are safely in the fold. The Pharisees and scribes ...

125. The Disciples’ Insufficient Faith to Heal as Jesus Heals

Matthew 17:14-23, Matthew 17:24-27

Teach the Text

Jeannine K. Brown

... Jesus has exempted the children of the kingdom from the requirement of payment (17:25–26), he now qualifies that freedom. The provision of a four-drachma coin to pay for Jesus and Peter avoids putting a cause for stumbling (skandalizo) before the temple-tax collectors. The theme of avoiding causing stumbling will recur in 18:6–9. Teaching the Text 1. Matthew, drawing on the picture of the disciples as those of little faith, encourages his readers to trust fully in Jesus and his authority for doing what ...

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