Sermon and Worship Resources

Showing 1351 to 1375 of 2157 results

Mark 1:14-20

Sweet

Leonard Sweet

As a gospel writer Mark isn’t know for being a “detail man.” In fact, Mark’s gospel reads almost like the “Cliff Notes” version of Jesus’ life. And yet, so skillful is Mark’s compressed compilation that every storied moment, every key metaphor and every essential message of Jesus’ mission are portrayed with power and passion. Because Mark’s narrative offers slimmer pickings of detail than the other gospels, it is all the more ...

1352. Are You Better at Wearing or Bearing Crosses?

Mark 1:14-20

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

... one to whom we turn. True “conversion” is a life of “fullness” where the “fullness” is Christ, not the highest rung on the ladder. What did Paul say? “We preach success?” No, Paul said, “We preach Christ, and him crucified.” “Any version of the gospel that substitutes the message of personal success for the cross is a manipulative counterfeit,” writes A. C. Thiselton in his commentary on The First Epistle to the Corinthians. Fourth, people with a kingdom identity are less known for ...

1353. Healing and Wholeness to Many

Mark 1:29-39

Illustration

Urban Legend

... audience and promptly left the platform. Have you tasted Jesus? Please pass this on Saints! Jesus has risen... and he's coming back one day! Taste and see that the LORD is good; blessed is the man who takes refuge in Him. A MORE CONDENSED GENERIC VERSION GOES LIKE THIS: Bob Allred tells the story about a country preacher who was listening to a seminary professor cast doubt on the core issues of the faith. When the professor finished his lecture, the elderly pastor got up, took an apple from his lunch bag ...

1354. Facing the Wild Beasts Within

Mark 1:9-13

Sermon

Mike Ripski

... faith Westerhoff saw growth in faith as a process of expansion. He likened our maturation into Christ-likeness to the growth of a tree. A young tree is still a tree, even though it only has a few rings. An older, larger tree is an expanded version of the younger tree. And, since the more mature, expanded tree still contains within it all its earlier rings, there is no room for judgment of those who are less mature. A new Christian and a mature Christian are both Christians. B. “Experienced faith” The ...

1355. An Unexpected Call

Illustration

Billy D. Strayhorn

... said, 'Almighty God'. I was afraid to answer!" God is still God. God still reaches out through the unexpected and Transforms lives. Sometimes we're knowingly a part of that great ministry. Sometimes we have no clue. But with us or without our awareness God still transforms lives. Note: Many version of this story exist on the internet but it has never been verified. We label this "urban legend" and should be introduced as such.

1356. Worship on the Mountaintop...And Everywhere Else

Mark 9:2-13

Sermon

Mike Ripski

... , while we know the stories of how others have encountered God, we don’t expect anything similar will happen to us. II. The Context in Mark’s Telling of the Story Now it’s important to place what is about to happen in the context of Mark’s version of the good news he experienced in Jesus. In Mark’s telling of the good news story, Jesus heals a blind man before the mountaintop experience and heals a blind man after it. Mark is pointing out that, when it comes to “seeing” who Jesus is, there’s ...

1357. Our Need for Prayer and Communion with God

1 John 4:8

Illustration

Digma.com

... them the “mystery remains. No one can fully explain, why love and intimacy matter so much." Let me let you in on a little secret. We know why. We know that we are made in the image of God. And if God is love, so are we. Note: The above version of this story taken from http://www.digma.com/digma-images/video-scripts/fredericks_experiment.pdf The video can be found here: https://digma.com/fredericks-experiment/?video=play

1358. Lent 5

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

Sermon Aid

John R. Brokhoff

... formal vv. 33, 34 "They shall know me." Epistle: Hebrews 5:5-10 1. Go to Gethsemane! (5:7-10). Need: Gethsemane was a place of prayer, a place where Jesus wrestled with God, a place where a life-death decision was made. In this passage we have the Hebrews' version of Jesus' Gethsemane experience. It is a place where we can learn. Outline: Go to Gethsemane to learn of Jesus – a. How to pray v. 7. b. How to obey v. 8. c. How to die v. 9. 2. What a cross can do for you (5:8-9). Need ...

1359. Easter 3

Luke 24:36-49, 1 John 2:28--3:10, Acts 3:11-26

Sermon Aid

John R. Brokhoff

... understand what we read. If our minds are open, we will see Christ's face shining through the pages. 4. Name (v. 47). Jesus explains to his disciples that in accordance with scripture they are to preach repentance and forgiveness to all nations. This is Luke's version of the great commission in Matthew. What are we to do about this life, death and resurrection of Jesus? Is it only a page of history, a story to be told, a memory to be cherished? No, the significance of Jesus' career is that it has worldwide ...

1360. It's Not a Snuggie Love

Mark 15:1-15, Mark 11:1-11

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

... hollow or false. But the crowd’s words are uttered only because it “feels good” to celebrate together, not because they have faith. In fact, you might call the love the crowd pours out at Jesus’ feet a 1st century version of “Snuggie love.” Like the trendy “as seen on TV” hottest Christmas present of 2008, the “Snuggie” blanket — the “blanket with sleeves” — the crowd’s love is warm, comfortable, enveloping — and cheap. You know the “Snuggie” I’m talking about ...

1361. Easter 5

Acts 8:26-40, 1 John 4:7-21, John 15:1-17

Sermon Aid

John R. Brokhoff

... Christ and according to tradition, he introduced Christianity into Ethiopia. It should be noted that verse 37 ("If you believe with all your heart, you may." And he replied, "I believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God.") is omitted in the older manuscripts and some modern versions place the verse in the margin. Epistle: 1 John 4:7-12 In six verses very much is said about the nature of God, the nature of love and the responsibility to love both God and people. The key to the passage is "God is love." (v ...

1362. Lent 1

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

Sermon Aid

John R. Brokhoff

1363. Proper 12

Ephesians 3:14-21, John 6:16-24, John 6:1-15, 2 Samuel 11:1-27

Sermon Aid

John R. Brokhoff

... the church and in Christ. Gospel: John 6:1-21 This pericope is the first of a series of five passages from John 6 dealing with Jesus as the Bread of Life. In this passage the Bread of Life provides bread miraculously for 5,000 people. It is John's version of the feeding of the 5,000. Some scholars see this passage as the institution of the Lord's supper which is omitted in John's history of the passion. In John's gospel the miracles are "signs" of Jesus' messiahship. In this case the people saw the miracle ...

1364. Proper 15

John 6:25-59, 1 Kings 2:1-12, 1 Kings 3:1-15, Ephesians 4:17--5:21

Sermon Aid

John R. Brokhoff

... experience. c. Internalized Christ comes into a person's life. d. Homogenized Christ and the believer are fused into one. 2. What is holy communion? (6:55-58). Need: This passage is associated with the holy communion. Scholars believe that it is John's version of the last supper. The body and blood of Jesus are in, with and under the sacramental bread and wine. Yet, many church members do not understand nor appreciate the importance and significance of the Lord's supper. Forty percent of the members neglect ...

1365. Anybody NOT seeing red?

1 John 1:5--2:14

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

... and chatty. But all are short. Social media like twitter keep your global network connected and up-to-the-minute with the needs and concerns of our tweeps, with “tweeps” being those people you are following and who are following you. In fact, the Google version of “What A Friend We Have in Jesus” might be “What A Tweep We Have In Jesus.” This past week I posted a tweat that asked if anyone else noticed that Christians have some of the lowest irritation thresholds of anyone around, or if this ...

1366. Servants of the Most High

Jn 15:1-8; Rom 7:7-8:2

Illustration

Brett Blair

... Now, when I hear words like this, I want to respond with, "I am the Walrus, goo goo g'joob." Beatles fans will understand. This kind of Utopian Christianity is only possible in a perfect world. It is even said that John Lennon later disavowed his secular version of this starry eyed optimism, his song Imagine. Even as the best of Christians, we struggle with sin: revenge, hatred, lying, sexual desires. Paul understood the struggle. What he wanted to do, he did not do. What he did not want to do, he did. The ...

1367. The Source of Joy and Life

John 17:6-19

Illustration

Donald Deffner

... 't know it, but they were at the mouth of the mighty Amazon river, whose fresh water flows far out to the sea. God's fresh living water in his teaching and in his word are always there. Why do we despair? "Dip it up!" HERE'S ANOTHER VERSION OF THIS ILLUSTRATION The Amazon River is the largest river in the world. The mouth is 90 miles across. There is enough water to exceed the combined flow of the Yangtze, Mississippi, and Nile Rivers. So much water comes from the Amazon that they can detect its currents ...

1368. A Violent Wind

Acts 2:1-13

Sermon

King Duncan

... it must have been blown there by the wind completely intact! It was only several days later that the friend would meet Flammarion and admit the truth of what happened. (3) Our lesson from the book of Acts for today begins this way in the New International Version of the Bible: “When the day of Pentecost came, they were all together in one place. Suddenly a sound like the blowing of a violent wind came from heaven and filled the whole house where they were sitting. They saw what seemed to be tongues of ...

1369. Heart-Healthy Christians

Romans 8:18-27

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

... s 1960 hit single “Itsy Bitsy Teenie Weenie Polka Dot Bikini.” No, the new big thing is small . . . small and smaller portions of food. Worrying over waistlines has encouraged the food industry to re-package their goodies into “100 Calorie” snack bags. Teenie Weenie versions of Oreo, Chips Ahoy, Fudge Stripes all our favorites shrunk down so that each cookie only has a few polka dot calories apiece. With such down-sized delights it takes a decent handful to count back up to 100 calories, so we can ...

1370. Mark 4:35-41

Mark 4:35-41

Sweet

Leonard Sweet

... drown them, they wake Jesus up, screeching hysterically at him: “Teacher, do you not care that we are perishing?” (v.38). In other words, “Wake Up, Jesus! Don’t you care that we’re gonna drown!” While Matthew’s (8:25) and Luke’s (8:24) versions of this story seem to soften the disciples’ words to a prayer and a plea, Mark’s text keeps the accusatory tenor in the disciples’ wake-up call to Jesus. They rebuke Jesus and accuse him of not caring about them and their situation. By the way ...

1371. The Ride of Your Life

Mark 4:35-41

Illustration

Leonard Sweet

... ,' Jesus was talking to the disciples. He was calming his men. And once calmed, they could face the storm without the need of any supernatural intervention." Now that's nifty. Except for one small fact. The story doesn't read that way. In Mark's version, Jesus speaks to the waves. He does not speak to his men. What's more, this is one of those stories where the familiar translation utterly fails us. The familiar translation is both deceptive and wrong. When Jesus calms the storm, he is not overly gentle ...

1372. Brave Soldiers

Mark 6:14-29

Illustration

Craig Brian Larson

... the parachutes would not open in time from that height. "Oh," said the Gurkhas, "that's all right, then. We'll jump with parachutes anywhere. You didn't mention parachutes before!" Any church could use such Gurkha-like commitment and courage. A SHORTER VERSION In his book One Crowded Hour, Tim Bowden describes an incident in Borneo in 1964. Nepalese fighters known as Gurkhas were asked if they would be willing to jump from airplanes into combat against the Indonesians. The Gurkhas didn't clearly understand ...

1373. Epiphany 6

Psalm 1:1-6, Jeremiah 17:5-10, Luke 6:17-26, 1 Corinthians 15:12-34

Bulletin Aid

B. David Hostetter

READINGS Psalter—Psalm 1 First Lesson—Spiritual survival and growth depend on our trust in God. Jeremiah 17:5-10 Second Lesson—Paul argues that denial of the resurrection of the dead undermines the whole gospel. 1 Corinthians 15:12-20 Gospel—Luke gives us his version of the Beatitudes and Woes pronounced by Jesus. Luke 6:17-26 CALL TO WORSHIP Leader:The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you all. People:And also with you. Leader:Come and put your confidence in God. People:We will put our ...

1374. Unwise and Wise Living

Ephesians 5:15-20

Illustration

William R. Baker

Jewish rabbis tell a poignant story that drives home the point of Proverbs 18:21. As the story goes (and five versions of this appear in Greek literature), Rabbi Simeon ben Gamaliel one day asked his servant to go to buy some good food for him in the market. When the servant returned home, he presented the rabbi with a tongue. The next day, the rabbi told the servant to go to ...

1375. A Certain Word in an Uncertain World

1 Chronicles 29:1-9

Sermon

James Merritt

... plans. We should make plans. We should set goals. Proverbs 16:9 says, "We should make plans - counting on God to direct us." (Proverbs 16:9, LB) One of the biggest reasons why our plans change so often is because we do our planning without any praying. The version of the Bible that I use quotes Proverbs 16:9 this way, "A man's heart plans his way, but the LORD directs his steps." (Proverbs 16:9, NKJV) The Lord is directing our steps. Therefore, one of the things we should be constantly saying to the Lord ...

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