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 2273 results

1276. The Foolish Farmer

Luke 12:13-21

Sermon

Carveth Mitchell

Note, first, that God did not say this man was evil. God said he was a fool. Note, secondly, that most of us would not say he was a fool. We’d say he was an obviously successful businessman. We esteem abundance. Jesus said, "A man’s life does not consist in the abundance of his possessions." We act as though a man’s life does consist in the abundance of his possessions. We have a saying, "If you’re so smart, why aren’t you rich?" As if that were the test of a person’s life. Why would God call him a fool? ...

1277. Dodging the Thrust

Luke 15:8-10, Luke 15:1-7

Sermon

Carveth Mitchell

Jesus was the companion of sinners. Companion? Yes. We get our word "companion" from "com" (with) and "panis" (food). A companion is someone you eat with. Jesus was the companion of sinners. Who were these "sinners"? We’d have a difficult time pinning the label, having, as we do, Paul’s reminder to the Romans, "For all have sinned and come short of the glory of God." (Romans 3:23) The Pharisees had no such problem. For them it was simple: a sinner was any person who did not observe the details of the ...

1278. Working and Praying Go Together

Matthew 14:13-21

Sermon

"When Jesus heard the news, he left that place in a boat and went to a lonely place by himself. The people heard about it, left their towns, and followed him by land. Jesus got out of the boat, and when he saw the large crowd his heart was filled with pity for them, and he healed their sick. That evening his disciples came to him and said, 'It is already very late, and this is a lonely place. Send the people away and let them go to the villages and buy food for themselves.' 'They don't have to leave,' ...

1279. Keep The Devil Out!

Luke 4:1-13

Sermon

Because of the book and movie, The Exorcist, there is probably more talk about the Devil than ever. The movie earned even more than The Godfather - $180 million. For blocks, people lined up waiting to enter the theaters. One theater operator reported that, at each showing, there were four blackouts, six vomiting spells, and many spontaneous leavings during the show. Today, we are pre-occupied with the Devil. In New Jersey, a twenty year old lad persuaded his two best friends to drown him because he ...

1280. Killing A King

Luke 19:28-44

Sermon

"I was treated like a king!" is a common saying when one received the best possible treatment. This is to say that a king deserves and gets the very best. A red carpet is laid out for the king to walk on, lest he dirty his feet. Only the best food is served. His clothes are made of the finest material with top class and style. A king wears genuine jewels, no artificial diamonds or costume jewelry, for a king deserves only the best. A king is given honor, respect, loyalty, obedience, and love. All of this ...

1281. If Only We could Be Loyal ...

Hosea 4:1-19, Hosea 6:1--7:16

Sermon

Wallace H. Kirby

Jackie had been at our worship service on only two occasions, and when she came to me for counseling, I began by saying, "Tell me who you are." We spent over an hour talking about her, for my sole contact with her had been from the pulpit to the pew, an introduction, and a handshake. Jackie felt that her whole life was deteriorating. It began when her father abandoned his family and she watched her mother struggle for years to provide a home for her and her sister. Endowed with a brilliant mind, Jackie did ...

1282. What Shall We Do With This Baby?

Drama

Babies The children of our congregation became involved in our theme. Many of the following ideas were their own. Others came from Sunday school teachers and parents. A Baby Tree - The children have their own small, live tree in our fellowship hall. They chose to decorate it with new and used baby rattles. A baby blanket served as a tree skirt and good, used stuffed animals were donated and placed underneath. Baby Shopping - The children earned and saved money for a shopping trip. Arrangements were made to ...

1283. Proper 9

Exodus 1:1-22

Sermon

The Hebrews who went down to Egypt settled there as guests of the Pharaoh. To those semi-nomadic people, the land, even though passing through a period of exceptional famine, must have seemed lush and green compared with droughtstricken Canaan and the desert which they had crossed. They were there as resident aliens, but at the time it was easy to forget that fact, because they were accorded special privileges, thanks to Joseph's position at the Pharaoh's court. However, the time came when this favorable ...

1284. Our Prayers, Not Questions

Sermon

Recall the Gospel, and St. Luke's words: "One of the criminals, who was hanged, railed at him saying: 'Are you - not the Christ? Save yourself - and us.' But the other criminal said this: 'Lord, remember me when you come to your kingdom.' And Jesus looked at him and said: 'I say unto you, this day thou shalt be with me in Paradise.' " Two condemned criminals, hanging on a cross, and each man is staring death right in the face. And both men have something different to say: The first criminal rails in his ...

1285. Beasts, Saints and Chaos

Daniel 7:1-14

Sermon

"But the saints of the Most High shall receive the kingly power and shall retain it for ever, for ever and ever." But we are not there yet; neither were the people of the text. Because they were not yet there and we are not yet there, we gather here to reflect that some are already there but the rest of us are not yet there. We have enough trouble without the troublesome word "saint" - "the saints of the Most High shall receive the kingly power and shall retain it for ever, for ever and ever." "But I’m no ...

1286. When God Says "Go"

1 Samuel 16:1-13

Sermon

Several years ago Alvar Persson was elected mayor of Grove City, Minnesota. It was an unusual election, partly because of the size of the victory - Persson garnered eighty percent of the vote - partly because Persson is a Lutheran minister and not a politician, but mostly because Persson wasn't even running for office. No one was. Next to the word Mayor on the ballot was a blank space. Only write-in votes could be cast. Of the eleven people whose names were written in, Persson was the clear choice - 202 ...

1287. God Is No Respecter Of Persons

Acts 10:23b-48

Sermon

Do you like trivia questions? Try these: In what country of the world are the most Bic pens sold per capita? What has replaced the 44 revolver as the Great Equalizer in the West? What unique design appears on Sears, Roebuck's best-selling women's shirts? The answers: Bic pens are most popular in Zaire. In that African country, however, people don't write with most of the Bic pens - they wear them. Any man who can scrape together an extra $2.00 will buy a half dozen pens and stick them all in his shirt ...

1288. Is Repentance Necessary?

Acts 2:14-41

Sermon

Is repentance really necessary? If so, for whom? Whom does it satisfy? According to the teachings of the Bible, in the Old and New Testaments, which is the source book of authority for our faith and preaching, the answer is "yes;" repentance is necessary. It is not for God; God has not sinned. Repentance is for us. It satisfies God because God intends that we return to him that we might live and know salvation and peace. In the Old Testament repentance is largely associated with the whole nation of Israel ...

1289. Our Best Example

Luke 2:41-52

Children's Sermon

Object: A box of "Wheaties," a loaf of Wonder Bread, a Bible, a philosophy book. Good morning, boys and girls. I want to begin today by looking for some pretty special volunteers. They must be tall and strong. How many tall and strong people do we have? [Pick several from the group.] That's fine. I brought along a box of Wheaties and some Wonder Bread that builds bodies twelve ways in case any of you think that you may need something to be extra strong for our experiment today. Why don't you hold these ...

1290. A Game for Followers

Luke 18:35-43

Children's Sermon

Object: A game of "Simon Says." Good morning, boys and girls. Isn't this a beautiful way to begin the week? How many of you have been making valentines for the other boys and girls in your class at school? It will be a lot of fun when you get to see all the nice ones that others have been making for you. Say, when you have parties at school or at a friend's house, do you ever play games? You do? I wonder if you have ever played one of my favorite games, "Simon says." Now here are the directions: you must ...

1291. Choosing to Serve God

Luke 11:14-28

Children's Sermon

Object: An old stool or some other object which you can saw in half and allow to stand simply by having the two sides lean against one another. Good morning to you, boys and girls. Here we are in a new month, March. It used to seem funny to me that the year was all divided up into twelve different months with different names to go with each one. But it makes the year interesting and it is kind of nice all divided up. But let me tell you a story about a friend of mine who liked to divide things in a way ...

1292. Bits and Pieces

John 6:1-15

Children's Sermon

Object: Umbrella, one shoe, one sock, one key, one hymnbook, one belt, one tie. You will need a man who will sit very inconspicuously in the congregation without these items until such time as the sermon for children reaches the point where he is called upon. Good morning, boys and girls. I was walking around the church early this morning before anyone else was here, and I thought that I would pick up some things that people often leave. You can't imagine all the things that people forget and leave in the ...

1293. Corpus Christi

Lk 9:11-17 · 1 Cor 11:23-26 · Gen 14:18-20

Sermon Aid

John R. Brokhoff

COMMENTARY Genesis 14:18-20 An Old Testament prefigurement of the Eucharist. Melchizedek, King of Salem, brings out bread and wine to Abraham when the two meet before the sovereign's gates. 1 Corinthians 11:23-26 Paul's report of the Eucharistic tradition. Writing to the Corinthian Christians, Paul reminds them of the teaching concerning Holy Communion which he first received from the eyewitnesses of the Lord and participants in the institution of this Holy Meal in the Upper Room. Luke 9:11-17 Feeding the ...

1294. Epiphany 4

Lk 4:21-30 · 1 Cor 13:1-13 · Jer 1:4-10

Sermon Aid

John R. Brokhoff

COMMENTARY Jeremiah 1:4-5, 17-19 (RC) Even before his birth Jeremiah was appointed a prophet. Jeremiah tells us of his call to preach. It came at the time Josiah was king of Judah (ca. 627 BC). It came as a dialogue with Yahweh who even before his birth was destined to be a prophet. In this dialogue he heard the voice of Yahweh and felt his hand on his lips. There was no human initiative in the call. The words he was to speak were totally the Lord's words. The message he was to proclaim was one of judgment ...

1295. Epiphany 6

Lk 6:17-26 · 1 Cor 15:12-20 · Jer 17:5-8

Sermon Aid

John R. Brokhoff

COMMENTARY Jeremiah 17:5-8 The heart of a human determines good or bad conduct. Biblical scholars are not agreed whether this pericope is by Jeremiah because the material is wisdom rather than prophetic literature. Corresponding to the Gospel lesson, the passage gives the woes (curses) and beatitudes (blessed) of those who do or do not trust Yahweh. It is a contrast of the shrub in the desert and the tree by the riverside. Verses 8-10 consist of a proverb with theological interpretation. They provide a ...

1296. A Renewed Call

Isaiah 49:1-7

Sermon

Have you ever been blue, worried, discouraged, disappointed about a task or job that you agreed to do, were asked to do, or called to undertake? Have you begun the task or assignment or mission with great hopes, high expectations, and tons of energy only, somewhere along the way, the hopes and expectations seem to be trampled and the energy just flows away into weakness and futility? Then you know something of the experience of the servant of the Lord in today's Old Testament Lesson. Yahweh God had called ...

1297. And You Thought God Didn't Care!

Exodus 3:1-22

Sermon

Someone asked a man,"Do you think the biggest problem in the church is ignorance or apathy?" The man replied, "I don't know and I don't care!" Lots of folks believe that about God. He is either unaware of all that concerns us or is indifferent to it. For all those who suspect God of this detached inclination, who think God doesn't care, there is marvelous truth in the text to refute that notion forever. Let's lay a bit of groundwork and see how this is so. Moses, the emissary of God, born to deliver his ...

1298. Trouble on the Mountain

Exodus 32:1-33:6

Sermon

A man was riding on a train. He was pacing back and forth and one of his kids was yelling, "Papa, Papa, I want a glass of water. I want a glass of water." The harried man just kept walking back and forth, and the kid kept yelling. Finally, the man smacked the kid on the seat and told her to shut up. A nice old lady across the aisle stopped him and said, "Mister, I'm going to call the conductor and make trouble for you!" The guy said, "Lady, you're gonna make trouble for me? That kid there is my Becky; she ...

1299. Communion Is Realizing Forgiveness

Matthew 26:17-30

Sermon

And he took a cup, and when he had given thanks he gave it to them, saying, "Drink of it, all of you; for this is my blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins. I tell you I shall not drink again of this fruit of the vine until that day when I drink it new with you in my Father's kingdom." How do you normally react when someone offends you in some way? Perhaps they do something to embarrass you in public. Or maybe they humiliate you in front of your friends. How do you ...

1300. An Intimate Conversation and an Exclusive Covenant

Exodus 19:1-25

Sermon

It was on the Richard Roberts television program, Expect a Miracle, that I learned about the vision which Oral Roberts had a few years ago. Richard Roberts told how his father’s vision had to do with evangelism and mission, that it involved sending missionaries to the ends of the earth - doctors, first, to treat and care for the sick, and then evangelists to preach the gospel to people in countries where Christ is not known at all. Oral Roberts also spoke of the revelation: "God told me I am on the last ...

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