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 1276 to 1300 of 2815 results

1276. The Shocking Samaritan

Luke 10:25-37

Illustration

Ben Squires

... of Jesus, a shock only heard by people living in the context of the story, a shock lost on us, but when Bailey changes the location and races of the characters, we today might have a better sense of the impact Jesus meant to have with this parable. Bailey writes that the Good Samaritan is like "a Plains Indian in 1875 walking into Dodge City with a scalped cowboy on his horse, checking into a room over the local saloon, and staying the night to take care of him. Any Indian so brave would be fortunate ...

1277. Late For Class

Luke 10:25-37

Illustration

Johnny Dean

... . This professor was known for his strictness. He often penalized students even if they were tardy! After spending a fair amount of time on the parable of the Good Samaritan, he posted a notice on the board telling the students that that days class was being moved to the other side of the campus. On the only route to the new class room, he staged a drunk lying on the ground asking for help. To the ...

1278. Sisters

Luke 10:38-42

Sermon

King Duncan

... scholar raises an interesting point in his commentary, Wrestling With the Word. McCurley says: “The story, of course, is the story of Jesus’ visit to Mary and Martha. And what is striking to me is that it occurs immediately after the Parable of the Good Samaritan. The Good Samaritan is a parable about going and doing . . . And one gets . . . to wonder about whether or not one can do and do and do all the time. Where does one stop for a moment for any refreshment, and what kind of refreshment ought it be ...

1279. Luke 11:1-13

Luke 11:1-13

Sweet

Leonard Sweet

... pray repeatedly, persistently, boldly pounding on God’s “door” day and night. Prayer is not to be viewed as a “sometime chore,” but as a function of daily life, as necessary to living as breathing or eating. The scene Jesus draws with his parable in vv. 5-8 is familiar and homey. It suggests the real world scenario of a small village with small homes and big families. The “daily bread” has been consumed before the unexpected “friend” arrives, necessitating an urgent race to the next-door ...

1280. The Real Real Estate

Luke 12:13-21

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

... grains and goods? How big a nest egg could he build so that he could “retire” to “eat, drink, and be merry” for the rest of his days? But this rich farmer had no investment in relationship with God or with others in his community. In Jesus’ parable the rich man only talks to himself. Why? Because he is the only person he truly cares about. He loves his “stuff.” He loves himself. The rest of the world, its people, its problems, are none of his concern. He believes that by increasing his worldly ...

1281. Your Life Is on Loan

Luke 12:13-21

Illustration

Mark Trotter

... reporter asked him, "Have you learned anything through this?" He said, "Your life is on loan." We can't take our possessions with us. We are going to leave our possessions behind. "The things you have prepared, whose will they be?" But that is not the main point of the parable. The main point of the parable is that your life is on loan, too. "Fool! This night your soul is required of you."

1282. Letting Go of Our Nets

Matthew 4:18-22

Sermon

Charles L. Aaron

... could not imagine on the first day. They saw miraculous healings. Would it be worth leaving everything behind in order to see a paralyzed man walk away? (Matthew 9:2-8). To see a little girl raised from the dead? (Matthew 9:25). We know that they heard intriguing parables. What would we give up to hear Jesus say to us, "to you it has been given to know the secrets of the kingdom of heaven"? (Matthew 13:11). What would that kind of spiritual insight be worth? How much of a pay cut would we endure in order ...

1283. The Vastness of Relationships

Ephesians 1:3-14

Sermon

John N. Brittain

... still a little boy, nor do he and I relate in the same way we did then. But we are still father and son, the relationship remains while it changes. Scripture makes it clear that we are expected to grow and bear fruit. Jesus spoke about it in parables. Paul, in Romans 12, calls us to undergo a process of transformation of our minds. Last week's lesson from Hebrews reminds us that both the end toward which we strive and how we get there are important. This is where the Holy Spirit enters today's lesson: When ...

1284. The Ordinary in God’s Hands

1 Corinthians 11:23-26

Sermon

David O. Bales

... to our Lord Jesus as the greatest example of God's grace in our ordinary existence. After Jesus started preaching, he mostly traveled in Galilee's smaller villages, and, along with healing the masses as well as the privileged, he told parables of how God works in ordinary life. He presented parables about laborers who stood in the bazaar waiting to be hired and of children playing wedding who, when tired of that, played funeral. Jesus talked of a shepherd who set out to find a sheep lost from the flock's ...

1285. The Cost of Discipleship - Sermon Starter

Luke 14:25-35

Illustration

Brett Blair

... Have in Jesus." But, we must come to see that on many occasions he is not our friend but our adversary. One day, as Jesus was being followed by a large crowd, he turned on the them, sensing that the demands of discipleship were not getting through, he told two parables. In these parables we learn the three great requirements of Christianity. To follow Jesus: 1. We must establish our priorities. 2. We must count the cost. 3. We must pay the price.

1286. Finder's Keepers

Luke 15:1-10

Sermon

Billy D. Strayhorn

... found. Let's look at Luke 15:1-10 (NRSV) : [1] Now all the tax collectors and sinners were coming near to listen to him. [2] And the Pharisees and the scribes were grumbling and saying, "This fellow welcomes sinners and eats with them." [3] So he told them this parable: [4] "Which one of you, having a hundred sheep and losing one of them, does not leave the ninety-nine in the wilderness and go after the one that is lost until he finds it? [5] When he has found it, he lays it on his shoulders and rejoices ...

1287. Moving Day

John 14:23-29

Sermon

Billy D. Strayhorn

... , as close as a peanut in our pocket. And the key to that relationship is simple: PREPARING, WELCOMING AND HONORING GOD. Let God Move in and into your life. 1. The Pastor's Story File (Saratoga Press, P.O. Box 8, Platteville, CO, 80651; 970-785-2990), August 1997 2. Parables, Etc. (Saratoga Press, P.O. Box 8, Platteville, CO, 80651; 970-785-2990), September 1989 3 ...

1288. LENT: The Passion of Christ: "Denied!"

John 13:36-38; 18:12-27

Sermon

Billy D. Strayhorn

... 'll trust Christ Jesus, who died on the cross for your sake, you can be assured that your sins, your failures have been FORGIVEN AND FORGOTTEN. 1. Amusing Grace, Seven Worlds Corporation 2. Molly Ivins, "The Fun's in the Fight," (Mother Jones 18 (May/June 1993), 16-17), 3. Parables, Etc. (Saratoga Press, P.O. Box 8, Platteville, CO, 80651; 970-785-2990), Feb 1999 4. Parables, Etc. (Saratoga Press, P.O. Box 8, Platteville, CO, 80651; 970-785-2990), Nov 1998

1289. Wedding Bell Blues

John 2:1-11

Sermon

Billy D. Strayhorn

... into a wine that will change the world. It is the King's Wine. If Jesus can transform water into wine, He can transform us into new creations Trust Jesus. Let His true glory and identity be revealed and you will be transformed. 1. Clean Jokes, www.jokeaday.com 2. Parables, Etc. (Saratoga Press, P.O. Box 8, Platteville, CO, 80651; 970-785-2990), January 2002 3. Robert Coles, The Spiritual Life of Children(Boston: Houghton Mifflin, 1990), pp. 333-335. 4 ...

1290. Unlocking the Access

Ephesians 3:1-12

Sermon

Billy D. Strayhorn

... 's Grace. 1. (Copyright 2003 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.) 11/24/03 - COLUMBUS, OH, ABC 13 National/World news 2. Preaching Magazine (Preaching Resources, Jackson, TN), Vol. 11, No.2 3. Parables, Etc. (Saratoga Press, P.O. Box 8, Platteville, CO, 80651; 970-785-2990), April 1990 4. Parables, Etc. (Saratoga Press, P.O. Box 8, Platteville, CO, 80651; 970-785-2990), December 1986 5. Willaim Barclay, The Daily Study Bible, (The letters to the Galatians and Ephesians) pp. 129-130. The Wesminster ...

1291. Jesus the Toxicologist

Luke 16:19-31

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

... body is not the place the toxins of life take root. It is in our soul. It is in the innermost connection of ourselves to this world and to the next, that toxic substances do the most damage, and are the most difficult to wipe out. Jesus’ parable provided the cure, the knock-out blow, for all of life’s toxic moments. It is the rich man, the condemned one, who realizes that the only true remedy is repentance. To “repent” (“metanoia”) is to “turn away” from one’s old life and old attitudes ...

1292. What Are You Doing?

Luke 16:19-31

Illustration

Edward F. Markquart

... in the person of Dr. Albert Schweitzer. The truth of the parable finally penetrated his heart and Dr. Schweitzer wrote the following words: "We British (and Americans) are the rich people. Out there in Africa lies wretched Lazarus. Just as the rich man sinned against Lazarus because of his lack of heart and compassion, so the rich man would not put himself ...

1293. Rich Man, Poor Man, Beggar Man, Thief

James 2:1-17

Sermon

Billy D. Strayhorn

... Man, or Thief, when we COME EMPTY, we LEAVE FILLED. So, empty yourself this morning. If you're full of bologna or not, empty yourself of all that might separate you from God. COME EMPTY to this All You Can Eat Buffet of Grace and Forgiveness and LEAVE FILLED. 1. Parables, Etc. (Saratoga Press, P.O. Box 8, Platteville, CO, 80651; 970-785-2990), July 1982 2. Parables, Etc. (Saratoga Press, P.O. Box 8, Platteville, CO, 80651; 970-785-2990), March 1987

1294. Chosen

John 15:9-17

Sermon

Billy D. Strayhorn

... best friend!" Our best friend just happens to be Jesus, who chooses us to love for Him in the world. Sometimes who you choose as friends says a lot about your own reputation. Say "Yes!" to God's choice. 1. Adapted from an idea at: http://www.ministryandmedia.com 2. Parables, Etc. (Saratoga Press, P.O. Box 8, Platteville, CO, 80651; 970-785-2990), March 1984 3. Parables, Etc. (Saratoga Press, P.O. Box 8, Platteville, CO, 80651; 970-785-2990), August 1996

1295. Until You Beat the Path

Luke 18:1-8

Illustration

Robert Dunham

... have to beat a path to God's door before [God will] open it, but because until you beat the path, maybe there's no way of getting to your door." Buechner's comment got me thinking that maybe there's more to this parable than we have sometimes seen. What if Jesus offered this parable not only as a call to prayerful persistence but also as a reminder to the church of the importance of securing justice for the poor and the oppressed in their midst? Alan Culpepper says, "To those who have it in their power to ...

1296. An English Grammar Reminder

Luke 18:1-8

Illustration

Brett Blair

... 300 pounds. His nickname is "Tiny" In the old Three Stooges comedies, the one guy who had no hair was called, "Curley". I think you get the idea. Metaphors paint vivid pictures for us through word pictures or contrast in order to emphasize the truth about something. Well, in the parable we're going to look at this morning, Jesus uses two metaphors to teach us something about God. And He uses both kinds of metaphors that I've just described, to do that. In this ...

1297. Carbon Pure and Perfect

1 Corinthians 1:10-17

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

... Dejected, he cast himself into the sea. One day, the man who had purchased Ali Hafed’s farm found a curious sparkling stone in a stream that cut through his land. It was a diamond. Digging produced more diamonds — acres of diamonds, in fact. This, according to the parable, was the discovery of the Golconda diamonds. The Jesus diamond is not found in faraway places. The Jesus diamond is in front of you, on the cross, and within you, on the throne, if you will let into your life Carbon Pure and Perfect.

1298. The Children of Light Get Flustered

Matthew 13:24-30

Illustration

Robert Farrar Capon

... the weeds. He has no need to hang around. Unable to take positive action anyway - having no real power to muck up the operation - he simply sprinkles around a generous helping of darkness and waits for the children of light to get flustered enough to do the job for him" (Parables of the Kingdom, p. 102).

1299. Maybe Today

1 Corinthians 7:29-31

Sermon

Scott Suskovic

... of the good Samaritan where a man went from Jerusalem down to Jericho and was jumped by thieves who left him half dead. If that had never happened historically, that is, if there were no such man who made such a trip, that parable would still be true. Why? Because the truth of that story is not contingent on the historical fact of a man walking down a road but rather in the truth about helping one's neighbors. See the difference? Another example. Jesus told his disciples that if your right hand causes ...

1300. A Difficult Day to Follow Jesus

Matthew 18:21-35

Sermon

King Duncan

... all that debt of yours because you begged me to. Shouldn’t you have had mercy on your fellow servant just as I had on you?” In anger the king hands him over to the jailers to be tortured, until he pays back all he owes. Having told this parable, Jesus said, “This is how my heavenly Father will treat each of you unless you forgive your brother or sister from your heart.” This is the one teaching of our faith that separates us from all others faiths we are to forgive as we have been forgiven. We are ...

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