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 1451 to 1475 of 4968 results

1451. Easter 3

John 20:19-23, Acts 2:14-41, 1 Peter 1:1-12, John 20:24-31

Sermon Aid

John R. Brokhoff

... the cross. This gives us an idea of the believer's body after death: A spiritual body with the characteristics of the physical body which make identification and communication possible. 2. Peace. "Peace be with you" was the salutation Jesus used each time as he approached the disciples. It is a gift of Christ - he gives it as a blessing. Peace is one of the gifts of the Spirit. It is not a man-made peace, but it comes as a by-product of a proper relationship with God through Jesus Christ. Peace results from ...

1452. Easter 6

Acts 17:16-34, 1 Peter 3:8-22, John 14:15-31

Sermon Aid

John R. Brokhoff

... knowable - Lesson 1. c. The difference the Spirit makes - Lesson 2. Gospel: John 14:15-21 (C, RC) 1. With You In Spirit (14:15-21). Need: When a person cannot be present at an event, he sometimes says, "I'll be with you in spirit." Jesus said to his disciples that he is about to leave them, for his death and ascension are coming soon. For their comfort, he tells them he will come to them in the Spirit. They will not be left desolate in a hostile world. He will be with them in Spirit. Outline: Jesus promises ...

1453. Proper 8

Genesis 22:1-19, 2 Kings 4:8-37, Romans 6:1-14, Romans 6:15-23, Matthew 10:1-42

Sermon Aid

John R. Brokhoff

... is not cheap. Christianity is a challenge to the strong and brave. What is the cost of discipleship? Then we can decide whether we can afford becoming or being a Christian, or maybe we cannot afford not to be a Christian. Outline: What it costs to be a disciple of Christ. a. Placing Christ first in your life - v. 37. b. Taking your cross - a life of sacrifice - v. 38. c. Investing your life in Christ's cause - v. 39. 2. The Troubler Of Humankind. 10:34 Need: King Ahab called Elijah the "troubler of Israel ...

1454. Call Waiting

John 1:29-42

Sermon

Susan R. Andrews

... This morning's Gospel Lesson from John is a "call" story, but unlike so many call stories in scripture this one is not crisp, dramatic, or decisive. Today there is no flashing light, no booming voice, no clear instructions as to what the disciples are to do. Instead, what we hear is Jesus asking a question - a strange, penetrating question. But it is the question that forms the foundation for understanding "call" for understanding vocation. The question is: "What are you looking for?" Now, please note what ...

1455. Kairos Commitments

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

Sermon

Susan R. Andrews

... and his temptation is immediately followed by his call to others - to Simon and Andrew, to James and John. What is clear is that Jesus cannot and does not redeem the world alone. God-in-flesh means God-in-all-of-us. Just before these first disciples are called, Jesus makes an astounding announcement. "The kingdom of God - the rule of God - is at hand." The time, my friends, is now. This announcement is astounding for two reasons. First, the Jews had always believed that the kingdom would only come at the ...

1456. Do You Get It?

Matthew 16:21-28

Sermon

Stephen M. Crotts

... been given, but that for some reason he or she just doesn't - or won't - understand. In today's gospel, we could say that Peter "just doesn't get it." It seemed last week that he knew what was going on. In answer to Jesus' question about who the disciples thought he was, Peter, as their spokesman, said "You are the Messiah, the Son of the living God." Jesus commended him for that and told him that he was "blessed" because God had revealed that to him. Peter was on a roll and so, it would seem, are Jesus and ...

1457. Can You Hear Me Now?

Acts 2:1-13

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

... still heard only by us in that individually familiar tone. Pentecost is the day on which the disciples finally found their voice. And yet it wasn't their own voice they found. It wasn't their own voice that they heard. You think the ethnically diverse ... on and the significance what was being proclaimed: God's deeds of power. What sounds strange and foreign to the disciples' own ears, makes perfect sense to these representatives of the world. The Holy Spirit's first appearance brought an intelligible word to the rest ...

1458. Straw Polls and Soul Quakes

1 Corinthians 12:12-31

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

... looking for a new job, spouse, or place to live. Hot news is always a word-of-mouth event. Word-of-mouth is what breathes the true small-town spirit into any out-of-the-way village. Word-of-mouth is what Pentecost Sunday is all about. Jesus' disciples had been hunkered-down, hiding-out like scared rabbits in a warren. Once they are suddenly filled with the Holy Spirit, they begin to speak in tongues (Acts 2:4). There's nothing quiet or clandestine about this word-of-mouth moment. Like a freight train, the ...

1459. The CatWalk Church and the CrossLove Church

John 15:1-17

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

... in 29 years around the world." Of course not everyone's commitment to crosslove will lead them to literally heft about a big hunk of wood. Geese fly in rhythm, but not in unison. Abiding in – the sacramental lay-down love Christ has offered to all his disciples frees us from the dreary, duck-like sameness we can so easily acquiesce in. I think my soul is a tame, old duck, Dabbling about in the barnyard muck, Fat and lazy, with useless wings; But sometimes when the north wind sings And the wild ones hurtle ...

1460. Salted with Fire

Mark 9:42-50

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

... followers what true discipleship means, especially what true discipleship may cost. At the heart of Jesus' lesson is the message that discipleship means service to others, sacrifice for the sake of others. Privilege and power, rank and honor do not make up the resume of a true disciple of Christ. It's only in service to others, Jesus insists; it's only in working for others that any glimpse of glory may be attained. A task as simple and unassuming as giving a cup of water to drink to one who bears the name ...

1461. The World's Best Hearing Aid

Mark 9:2-13

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

... and lived. What's keeping us from hearing God's voice? Have you managed to develop you own selective hearing to the point that only a few mealy-mouthed platitudes about generally being "nice" define your Christian identity, your discipleship journey? When God commanded Jesus' disciples to listen to him, God didn't add "sometimes," or "when it fits into your lifestyle," or "as long as it doesn't disturb the rest of your life." God's message to us was simple and unadorned: Listen to him. First and foremost ...

1462. Sing the Resurrection Song

Mark 16:1-20

Sermon

James McCormick

... name. Listen. Do you hear it? He is singling you out. He is calling your name. Some of us are leaving for Israel tomorrow. Some others will be leaving in about 10 days. For us it is not just another tour. It is a spiritual pilgrimage. Like the first century disciples, we are running to the tomb. We expect to find that it is still empty. And what we hope for, more than anything else, is to experience there the risen and living Christ, who will place joy in our hearts and a song on our lips. Because that’s ...

1463. Palm/Passion Sunday

Mt 26:14-27:66 · Php 2:5-11 · Isa 50:4-9a · Ps 31

Sermon Aid

Marion L. Soards, Thomas B. Dozeman, Kendall McCabe

... 9 ("The Lord GOD helps me"). This confession allows for further affirmations about God's salvation by the servant in v. 7 and a direct address to his oppressors in v. 8. In v. 7 the two "therefores" state the servant's resolve to be a disciple, because God is near. In vv. 8-9a the servant addresses his opponents through a series of questions: "Who will contend with me?" "Who are my adversaries?" "Who will declare me guilty?" The answer, of course, is no one. The striking thing about this suffering servant ...

1464. Proper 8

Matthew 10:1-42, Romans 6:15-23, Psalm 13:1-6, Genesis 22:1-19

Sermon Aid

Marion L. Soards, Thomas B. Dozeman, Kendall McCabe

... No one in the survey mentioned service. Yet, as the Gospel reveals in vv. 40-42, there are those who answer Christ's calling and who do live lives of discipleship. To these Christ speaks of rewards. Above all, there is the reward of relationship with other disciples, Christ, and God. This provides the joy of community, and it probably provides much more. Christ himself came in service, and as we receive others in his name, we receive him. In his company, we will be led to new avenues of service. There is a ...

1465. Thomas - Sermon Starter

John 20:19-23

Illustration

Brett Blair

... recognizing a fact, just as 2 + 2 = 4, and the sun is in the sky. You are my Lord and my God! These are certainly not the words of a doubter. Unfortunately history has remembered him for this scene where the resurrected Christ made an appearance to the disciples in a home in Jerusalem. Thomas was not present and when he heard about the event he refused to believe it. Maybe he was the forerunner of modern day cynicism. Maybe the news simply sounded too good to be true. Thomas said: Unless I feel the nail ...

1466. Matthew 15:21-28

Matthew 15:21-28

Sweet

Leonard Sweet

... suggest that it makes textual sense to keep Jesus teetering on the border of these lands and render “eis” as “toward.” What is clear, however, is that the Canaanite woman “came out” from her village in order to petition Jesus and his disciples for her daughter’s sake. As with the earlier similar healing story of the centurion’s servant (Matthew 8:5-13), the one in need of healing is not physically brought before Jesus. Matthew identifies this woman using the traditional biblical designation ...

1467. From the Tomb

John 20:1-18

Sermon

John E. Harnish

... the courtyard where he had denied him three times. He has had all weekend to think about it, and now he is determined not to fail him again. The least he can do is protect his grave. They see the empty grave cloths and run back to tell the other disciples. Whew…I don't know about you, but all this running back and forth has worn me out! Mary finally catches up and passes them on the way. Now she is really exhausted. Remember, this is her third trip this morning. Her eyes are blurred by weeping, her heart ...

1468. The Quiet Day of Pentecost

John 16:5-16, John 15:18--16:4

Sermon

George Reed

... to teach them and lead them. Just as to know Jesus was to know God, so to know the Spirit was to know Jesus. While Jesus of Nazareth, their rabbi and teacher, was no longer with them, the Spirit continued Jesus' presence and teaching. The issue for the disciples now was discovering how to learn from the presence of the felt but unseen Spirit when they had been so slow to learn from the physically present Jesus. The answer lay in two events. They had met the risen Christ and they had been empowered with the ...

1469. UpTime

Mark 6:30-34, 53-56

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

... thought they were escaping to a "deserted place" with Jesus. Instead, they had a short, restful boat trip and then witnessed the miracles of Jesus, the Good Shepherd, feeding the 5,000 and the divine Christ walking on water. Which experience do you think left the disciples more rested and refreshed in spirit? God was present both in their time of rest and in their "revving-up." Have you ever just settled down with a cup of coffee, a favorite snack and a magazine, all ready to enjoy a little quiet time only ...

1470. Quenching St. Anthony's Fire

Mark 8:27-38

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

... is poured out, community is born and healing is begun. Pain and suffering open to birth and resurrection. In the words of St. Augustine: "The greater the joy, the greater is the pain which precedes it." Or in the lesson Jesus sought to teach his disciples in Mark, before he could reach "the joy set before him," Jesus had to pass through the pain of many "dark nights" and "shadowed valleys." The journey of Jesus' life teaches us, as it taught those with St. Anthony's Fire, that before resurrection sunrise ...

1471. The S-factor

John 14:23-29

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

... 400-acre ranch into a religious community called St. Andrew's Priory. As you enter the grounds, you find that the land is posted: "No Hunting Except for Peace." The world is hunting for peace. What will we give it? Jesus asks us today, as he asked his disciples back then, "What do you more than others?" The world offers people a bar where everybody knows your name. That's not good enough. "What do you more than others?" The S-factor enables us to offer people not a bar, where everybody knows your name, but ...

1472. James 3:13-18

James 3:13-18

Sweet

Leonard Sweet

... for the dissemination of wisdom can humans finally possess a tiny measure of this precious gift. In truth (verse 28), the only real wisdom that humans are capable of cultivating is a healthy "fear of the Lord" by "departing from evil." The disciples in this week's gospel text dramatically demonstrate a profound inability to grasp this Jobean understanding of wisdom. The location of this text, the home turf of Capernaum in Galilee, and Jesus' expressed intent that his presence there not be announced, reveals ...

1473. Mark 9:38-50

Mark 9:38-50

Sweet

Leonard Sweet

... to injury, these men then begin arguing over which of them is most likely to become the greatest. After he flips their expectations upside down (the least shall be the greatest), Jesus continues the lessons in discipleship in verse 38. Just as the individual disciples had been trying to one-up each other, so now the "chosen" community of the twelve try to distinguish themselves collectively as better than the rest of those who invoke Jesus' name. Aghast that a man outside their group would dare to cast out ...

1474. Matthew 10:40-42

Matthew 10:40-42

Sweet

Leonard Sweet

... mission's rewards as well. In verse 42, the concluding sentence goes one step further. Now behavior that imitates the gospel message, without the accompaniment of a preached or taught word, seems to qualify the giver for a reward similar to that of the disciples and the "welcomer." The "little ones" in this final verse may be Matthew's designation of simple, seemingly unimportant or poor Christians. The "little ones" are those most in need those to whom a "cup of cold water" really does make a difference ...

1475. Luke 10:38-42

Luke 10:38-42

Sweet

Leonard Sweet

... the first century. Whether women were accorded the opportunity for education, and if so, how much, remains an unknown. Certainly in this instance, neither Jesus nor his other followers, nor Martha and Mary themselves appear to see their presence in the midst of this discipling band as highly unusual or improper. It also appears from the context of this story that neither Martha nor Mary was married. The home Jesus enters is clearly designated as Martha's, and no mention of a spouse is ever made. If this is ...

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