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 126 to 150 of 344 results

126. Passing the Easter Miracle On

Acts 3:11-26

Sermon

Donald Macleod

... a genuine miracle and as such it had a past, present and future which gives it a lively credibility even to this day. 1. First of all, there was the past element: the miracle of Peter himself. For us to read the final chapters of the synoptic Gospels and the first chapters of the Book of Acts is to feel there were two Peters: the one before the Resurrection and the one afterwards. Who would recognize these as the same man? During Jesus’ ministry Peter was a clumsy, blundering fisherman, always asking the ...

127. Daring Words

Mark 1:9-13

Illustration

Larry Powell

The Gospel according to Mark, commonly accepted to be the earliest of the synoptics, relates that Jesus began his Galilean ministry by 1. making an announcement, 2. extending an invitation, and 3. issuing a command. It would be pressing the matter entirely too far to even remotely suggest that the sequence of events was intentional, yet there is a certain familiarity about the sequence ...

128. Good Friday

Isaiah 52:13--53:12, Hebrews 4:14-5:10, John 19:17-27, John 19:28-37

Bulletin Aid

Paul A. Laughlin

... may thus be able to be more effective in ministry and service to the world. In his precious name we pray. Amen Gospel: John 18:1--19:42 or 19:17-30 Theme: The triumphant tragedy of the cross Exegetical Note More than the Synoptic accounts, John consistently views the cross primarily as a glorious event of exaltation. In his version of the Passion here, he underscores that perspective with his detail about the kingship of this crucified one, and with his report of Jesus’ final words - "It is accomplished ...

129. Proper 23

Genesis 3:1-24, Mark 10:17-31, Hebrews 4:1-13

Bulletin Aid

Paul A. Laughlin

... and failings that you know so well. In Jesus’ name we pray. Amen Gospel: Mark 10:17-30 Theme: The threat of wealth to discipleship Exegetical note: This passage is a compilation of sayings that reflect the attitude of Jesus toward wealth in the Synoptic Gospels and that seem particularly inimical to a thoroughgoing capitalism. The gist of all the sayings is that radical trust in God and God’s grace is called for in salvation, and that wealth encourages an illusion of self-sufficiency and earning that ...

130. Feed My Sheep

John 21:15-25

Sermon

Ewart E. Turner

... his inability to offer Bible lessons to the emaciated. First nourish and heal the body, then is created the condition for receptivity to the gospel. When Jesus said "Feed my sheep," he meant the total need of the sheep, including the next meal. All three synoptic gospels carry the admonition of the resurrected Lord to Peter, "Feed my sheep," "Feed my lambs." For centuries to come it was to become the text for the Spiritual Life secretaries of women’s organizations in the church and a motto for carving on ...

131. Good Medicine

Proverbs 10:1-32

Sermon

David E. Leininger

... that Jesus was fun to be around, not some dour, unsmiling, serious "religious" type. You know why? Kids. Kids were attracted to him, and I have never met anyone to whom kids were attracted who was grim and glum. Trueblood again: Anyone who reads the Synoptic Gospels with a relative freedom from presuppositions might be expected to see that Christ laughed, and that He expected others to laugh, but our capacity to miss this aspect of His life is phenomenal. We are so sure that He was always deadly serious ...

132. Behold The Lamb

John 1:29-42

Sermon

King Duncan

... his disciples that he must suffer and die. Yet here we find an allusion to that event in the first chapter of John’s Gospel. Most of us are aware that the writer of the Gospel of John, in contrast to the writers of the other three Gospels (the Synoptic Gospels as they are called) was not so much interested in writing history as he was in writing theology. He wanted us to know not only that Jesus came into the world but also what that great fact means. He uses tremendous imagery in this first chapter of ...

133. Sinner Or Saint?

Hebrews 7:11-28

Sermon

King Duncan

... real estate development. (5) "No person can consistently behave in a way that's inconsistent with the way he [or she] perceives himself [or herself]." Okay, then? WHAT DOES THE BIBLE SAY ABOUT US ” THOSE WHOSE BAPTISM HAS BROUGHT US INTO THE FAMILY OF CHRIST? In the synoptic Gospels ” Matthew, Mark and Luke ” we are the salt of the earth and the light of the world. In John we are the fruit connected to Christ, who is the Vine. In Acts we are people of the Way. In Romans we are joint heirs with Christ ...

134. His Name Was Rocky Johnson

Matthew 16:13-20

Sermon

Frank Lyman

... ? Would you be more apt to visit a Dr. Brilliant than a Dr. Klutz? Consider, then, the story of Simon Peter. We know more about Simon Peter than we do any other disciple. We know, for example that he was married, for all three of the Synoptic Gospels tell us that Jesus healed Simon Peter's mother-in-law. Rodney Wilmoth of Minneapolis, Minnesota tells a great story about a nurse who attended a worship service one Sunday morning and heard her minister deliver a sermon based on Jesus healing Peter's mother ...

135. How Do You Explain the Resurrection?

John 11:17-37

Sermon

Donald B. Strobe

... the last day.” But then Jesus gave the whole conversation a startling twist. He said, “I am the resurrection and the life!” Notice the present tense. Here is where John gives us new insight into the meaning of life and death. In the first three (Synoptic) Gospels, the phrase “eternal life” seems to refer primarily to something in the future. It means “the life of the age to come, at the last days.” In John the emphasis shifts to the present. Eternal life is something which has its beginning in ...

136. Love Is Extravagant

John 12:1-11

Sermon

Donald B. Strobe

... keep it for the day of my burial.” But how could that be? She had just wasted it by pouring it out. How could she keep it for the day of His burial when she had already poured it out? Here again we have to look at the other three Synoptic Gospels for a clue to the meaning. Mark’s Gospel is as good a place as any to start. And he has Jesus saying, “She has done what she could; she has anointed my body beforehand for its burial. Truly I tell you, wherever the good news is proclaimed in ...

137. The Jesus Connection

John 15:1-17

Sermon

Donald B. Strobe

... at least have worked in one at one time or another. The figure of the vine may well have been suggested to Jesus by the supper meal of which they had just partaken. They had drunk a cup of the fruit of the vine which (in the other three Synoptic Gospels) Jesus said symbolizes the outpouring of His life in sacrificial love for them. Often, when they walked to and fro from the Mount of Olives, they had seen vines growing on the hillside. Every time they entered the Temple they had seen the symbol of the vine ...

138. The Saint without a Name

Luke 6:12-16

Sermon

Donald B. Strobe

... ; but we do know one thing: He knew the “King of Kings.” Nathanael/Bartholomew said to Jesus in John 1:49: “Rabbi, you are the Son of God! You are the King of Israel!” While nothing is told us about Bartholomew in the Synoptic Gospels besides his name, a number of legends arose concerning him in the early centuries of the Christian Church. Where solid information does not exist, legends tend to fill the void. Earliest tradition says that when the apostles went to their appointed fields Bartholomew ...

139. Secretary to Saint Peter

Mark 1:1-8

Sermon

Donald B. Strobe

... of this century by Prof. B. H.Streeter in his famous book The Four Gospels (1924). Suffice to say that when we read the Gospels we see that there are many remarkable similarities between them...especially the first three. The first three are called the synoptic Gospels (from a couple of Greek words meaning: with the same eye). The Gospels often contain the same incident told in exactly the same words. For instance, the story of the Feeding of the Five Thousand (the only miracle which appears in all four ...

140. Knight of the Woeful Countenance

Mark 10:17-31

Sermon

Donald B. Strobe

... been depicted over the centuries. The New Testament picture of Jesus is one of radiance and joy. I. THIS SERMON IS ABOUT THE ONLY PERSON IN THE NEW TESTAMENT WHO IS SPECIFICALLY DESCRIBED AS HAVING A “WOEFUL COUNTENANCE.” The narrative is found in all three synoptic Gospels. Matthew tells us that this man who sought Jesus out was young. (Isn’t everybody, these days?) Luke tells us that he was a ruler. All three tell us that the man was rich. In our minds we “conflate” all of the Gospels and come ...

141. Torn Curtain

Luke 23:44-49, Luke 23:26-43

Sermon

King Duncan

... rebukes him. Then he says, “Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom.” Jesus says, “I tell you the truth, today you will be with me in paradise.” Darkness descends over the whole land for about three hours. Then all three of the synoptic Gospels tell us something both fascinating and significant: When Jesus was crucified, the curtain of the temple was torn in two. An important symbol, a torn curtain. Torn Curtain was the name of a movie filmed during the Cold War by famed director Alfred ...

142. Baptism of our Lord

Isaiah 42:1-9, Matthew 3:13-17, Acts 10:23b-48

Sermon Aid

John R. Brokhoff

... , which is endemic to baptism, comes from faith in Jesus. Gospel: Matthew 3:13-17 Baptized by John, Jesus received the Spirit and was declared by God to be his Son. Matthew's account of Jesus' baptism differs in two ways from the other Synoptic accounts. Matthew tells of John's reluctance to baptize Jesus who insists upon it in order that he might fulfill righteousness and identify with all who need repentance. The big question is, if Jesus were sinless why would he want John's baptism of repentance ...

143. Proper 15

John 6:25-59, 1 Corinthians 10:14-22, Deuteronomy 8:1-20

Sermon Aid

John R. Brokhoff

... will be with them and they will be in him. This union deals with the Eucharist. It was probably added to the Bread of Life discourse in the final redaction of John. Probably the section was to take the place of the last supper narrative found in the Synoptics. SERMON REFLECTIONS Old Testament: Deuteronomy 8:2-3, 14-16 1. Lessons In The Wilderness (8:2-3). Saint Paul urged his people to be thankful for everything. This would imply that we can be grateful for the bad times of life such as the forty years in ...

144. The Price of God's Glory

John 18:1-19:42

Sermon

Richard Gribble

... life, is his death on the cross. Contrary to what most might see, namely the resurrection as Jesus' greatest triumph, Saint John sees the suffering Christ as the epitome of the Christian call. Jesus not only goes to the cross willingly, as depicted by the synoptic evangelists, he finds his greatest exaltation in his willingness to sacrifice his own desires and needs for the betterment of all. Jesus finds his glory in being cut down for all. If we wish to be true disciples, then we must follow, fully. If we ...

145. The Origins of Passover

Exodus 12:1-30

Sermon

Elizabeth Achtemeier

... table with our Lord on the night that one of us will betray him. He washes our feet (John’s account) and bids us be servants to one another. He gives us the bread and the cup of the new covenant in his blood (1 Corinthians 11:23-26; the Synoptic Gospels). And we are redeemed and set free once again from our slavery to sin and death and reaffirmed as the beloved children of our God. The past to which we look back becomes our present in which we are set free to enjoy once more a foretaste and promise ...

146. Proper 12

Genesis 29:15-30, Matthew 13:31-35, Matthew 13:44-46, Matthew 13:47-52, Romans 8:28-39, Psalm 105:1-45

Sermon Aid

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

... with the saying in v. 52. Significance. We often assume when we encounter parables that if we can successfully reconstruct the original setting in which a parable was spoken that we will have a key to how and when to preach these texts. But the Synoptic Gospels frequently frame and aim the same parables differently, so our assumption may not be a valid one. Or, better, the goal of finding the original setting may be an impossible one. Perhaps, then, we should look within the individual parables or at the ...

147. Proper 27

Joshua 24:1-27, Psalm 78:1-72, 1 Thessalonians 4:13--5:11, Matthew 25:1-13

Sermon Aid

Soards, Dozeman, McCabe

... teaching is given to us so that we will minister to one another. Because we are told of Christ's coming, we are given hope that frees us to care for others. Matthew 25:1-13 - "The Necessity of Being Prepared" Setting. Each of the Synoptic Gospels completes the recounting of the ministry of Jesus with sections of teaching material that are referred to as "little apocalypses"—that is, the last words of Jesus prior to the Passion narrative are remembered as his teachings about the future. In arranging the ...

148. Are You Ready for the Journey?

Mark 8:27-9:1

Sermon

John E. Harnish

... it begins with an act of utter foolishness. The destination is always the same, but the path can be quite different. The good news is we never make the journey alone. Mark records the moment, the invitation to the journey. The story is repeated in all three of the synoptic Gospels as the critical turning point in the life and ministry of Jesus and the journey of the disciples. And in some ways, it reads like an act of utter foolishness. (Read Mark 8:27-9:1) Listen...do, da, do...do you want to know a secret ...

149. Training for a Purpose

Titus 2:11-14

Sermon

Donald Charles Lacy

... experienced as a leader who "lords" it over them. As we study Catholicism we see checks and balances in the Vatican that do away with negative individualism. As we read the New Testament, there is the witness of the four gospels. Even the synoptic gospels show some differences among them. Then, John comes along and thrills us with both mystery and mysticism! However, when we read and study them together, what a magnificent narrative we receive. We are not disciples of Matthew, Mark, Luke, or John. We are ...

150. Let God Do the Rest

Ephesians 3:14-21

Sermon

Richard Gribble

... looked into the man's eyes and then realized that he did not need to give a lot. It really was quite simple. All he had to do was give the little bit he had and the man would do the rest.1 This story, patterned obviously after the synoptic accounts of Jesus' multiplication of the loaves and fish (Mark 8:1-10; Matthew 15:32-39), speaks of the Christian vocation to respond to the Lord. Some of God's children have lots to give — material things, time, and spiritual advice — but others, like the boy, have ...

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