Sermon and Worship Resources

Showing 1501 to 1525 of 5000 results

Acts 2:42-47

Sermon

James Merritt

... where you belong. It is very easy to spot a family that really loves each other, because there is one tell-tale sign. They love to be together in community. There is nothing that helps a fire to burn more brightly than bringing coals together. The final mark is… IV. We Will Be Concerned For Unbelievers Notice how this picture ends. This church was – “Praising God and having favor with all the people. And the Lord added to their number day by day those who were being saved.” (Acts 2:47, ESV) If that ...

1502. Leave Your Calculator Home

Matthew 22:15-22

Sermon

King Duncan

... that God used that moth to teach her a lesson: she didn’t need to be storing up her money; she needed to be using it for God. She returned to the church (she lived just across the street) and asked for her card back. She doubled her amount, then marked it out and tripled the amount. David Dykes says, “Folks, I had a hard time getting that moth in her purse . . . No, seriously, I don’t know how it got there, but Nell says she believes God put it there.” (8) I love that story. There are many people ...

1503. Dust in the Wind

Matthew 6:1-6, 16-21

Sermon

Timothy Cargal

... sacred service (the liturgy) that has been given to them, the people will demonstrate that they are indeed God’s people. Their past sinful actions may have called this association into doubt, but by sincerely entering into the rituals they will once again mark themselves as those whom the world will expect God to protect (v. 17). But simply going through the motions won’t do. They cannot simply abstain from food, but must “sanctify a fast.” They cannot simply gather together to commiserate, but must ...

1504. I'll Never Forget That Night

John 13:1-17

Sermon

Wayne Brouwer

... wears well the name “The Book of Glory.” A highly significant prologue opens the gospel (1:1-18), and an epilogue obviously written by another party and added after the initial gospel was completed (ch. 21) brings it to a close. Following Mark’s lead, the synoptic gospels clearly identify the final meal that Jesus shared with his disciples as a Passover celebration. Strangely, for all the other symbolism in the fourth gospel, John clearly steers away from that connection here in chapter 13. Why? The ...

1505. The Kingdom Is at Hand

Mark 1:14-20

Sermon

King Duncan

... T-shirt these are visions of a Jesus who never challenges us, never provokes us, never paints a picture of what we can yet be. From the very beginning of his Gospel Mark gives us a picture of a grow-up Jesus. Mark says nothing about Jesus’ birth. Instead he begins with Jesus’ baptism at the hand of John the Baptist. Then, Mark says to us, “After John was put in prison, Jesus went into Galilee, proclaiming the good news of God. ‘The time has come,’ he said. ‘The Kingdom of God has come near ...

1506. Have You Checked Your Love Levels Recently?

Mark 9:2-13

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

... ). Matthew (17:5) links this glare to something else — to a divine declaration that “This is my Son, the Beloved.” In other words, for Matthew it is a love light. Mark’s gospel also emphasizes the loving relationship that brings about this miraculous illumination — “This is my Son, the Beloved; listen to him!” (Mark 9:7) Mark and Matthew both focus the beam of Jesus’ divine radiance on love, but the Luke inclusion encourages us to see this radiance as the glory of love. The personal power of ...

1507. Like a Butterfly

Mark 9:2-13

Sermon

King Duncan

... to that covenant in a few weeks. What a magnificent event this event of the transfiguration was. And only Peter James and John were privy to it. We don’t know why this honor was accorded only to them unless the answer is found in the last verse of Mark’s account: “As they were coming down the mountain, Jesus gave them orders not to tell anyone what they had seen until the Son of Man had risen from the dead.” It could very well be that, if the other disciples had been there, they wouldn’t have been ...

1508. Show Me Your Baptismal Certificate

Mark 1:9-13

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

... human and divine is forever sealed in this moment. Jesus is one with us in our human frailty. Jesus is one with us in his divine ability to love all of us and turn our frailty into healing streams of love, mercy, and strength. In Mark’s gospel, after the first miracle of “Can anything good come out of Nazareth?”, things do not go all that well following this baptismal experience. Jesus’ solidified identity as both human and divine gives him a one way ticket to the “wilderness.” Instead of Jesus ...

1509. Digging Deeper

Luke 1:1-4

Sermon

James Merritt

... this book and when you do your shovel will hit the same rock that Luke hit with his shovel – the rock of a resurrected Jesus. [1] Cited by Peggy Noonan, When Character Was King, (Viking Press: New York, 2001) pp 237-238. [2] See Further, Mark Roberts, Can We Trust The Gospels, (To be added later per Pastor) [3] Sir William Ramsey, The Bearing Of Recent Discovery Of The Trustworthiness Of The New Testament, (London: Hotter and Stoughton, 1915), p.222. [4] Nelson Glueck, Rivers In The Desert: A History of ...

1510. When Is Enough...Enough?

Mark 10:17-31

Sermon

King Duncan

... life he had been taught that if he had enough money and if he was a good guy, that would be enough. But it wasn’t. Mark tells us that Jesus looked at him and loved him. Jesus knew this man was trying to live as his society told him he ought to ... the eye of a needle than for someone who is rich to enter the kingdom of God.” The disciples were even more amazed, says Mark, and said to each other, “Who then can be saved?” That’s a good question. If accumulating toys won’t bring you happiness and ...

1511. A Man with No Name

Mark 10:46-52

Sermon

King Duncan

... in life when a person tries to make a meaningful change do others try to discourage him? But Bartimaeus cried out even louder, “Son of David, have mercy on me.” And something interesting happened. Jesus stopped. How beautiful are those words in Mark’s Gospel, “Jesus stopped . . . and said, ‘Call him.’” In the midst of the pressing crowd, Jesus was willing to stop and minister to one needy soul. “Call him,” said Jesus. And someone called to Bartimaeus, and said, “Cheer up. The Master is ...

1512. Michael Corleone and the Widow

Mark 12:38-44

Sermon

King Duncan

... t been guilty of devouring any widow’s house. What is Jesus talking about? Jesus warned people in his day to watch out for those teachers of the law who seek praise from people while at the same time they abuse their privileges. Listen to these words from Mark’s Gospel: As he taught, Jesus said, “Watch out for the teachers of the law. They like to walk around in flowing robes and be greeted with respect in the marketplaces, and have the most important seats in the synagogues and the places of honor at ...

1513. A Complicated Disciple

John 18:15-27

Sermon

King Duncan

... looking for Jesus the Nazarene, who was crucified. He has risen! He is not here. See the place where they laid him. But go, tell his disciples and Peter, ‘He is going ahead of you into Galilee. There you will see him, just as he told you.’” (Mark 16:6-7). Here we find the angel specifically telling the women that Jesus not only wants to see his disciples, but that he especially wants to see Peter. Why? Because he loved Peter. In spite of his weaknesses, Christ loved Peter and he had already forgiven ...

1514. The Choosing of the Seven

Acts 6:1-7

Understanding Series

David J. Williams

... healing; see note on 5:12) as the rite by which church members were designated for specific tasks (cf. 13:3). In the Old Testament it signified sometimes a blessing (cf. Gen. 48:14), sometimes a commissioning (cf. Num. 27:18, 23), and so was a fitting mark of the church’s recognition of God’s gifts in these men and of their dedication to the service of God and the church. Moreover, that it was the apostles who laid hands on them (but see notes) indicates that the Seven had apostolic authorization for ...

1515. Stephen Seized

Acts 6:8-15

Understanding Series

David J. Williams

... of one whose communion with God was such that something of the divine glory was reflected in him. Oddly, the same had been said of Moses (Exod. 34:29ff.; cf. 2 Cor. 3:12–18). He and Stephen had this in common, then, that they bore the mark of having been with God. And yet Stephen was accused of “speaking against Moses and against God” (v. 11). Plainly the accusation was false, and this was his vindication by a higher court (see disc. on 7:55f.). Meanwhile, for the members of the Sanhedrin, it must ...

1516. Simon the Sorcerer

Acts 8:9-25

Understanding Series

David J. Williams

... :6). The reference in verse 18 to Simon’s seeing something when the Spirit was given may bear this out, as also the verb “to come (lit., fall) upon” (v. 16), which in 10:44 and 11:15 is used of the Spirit’s coming in a way that was marked by outward signs. We hasten to add, however, that this is not always the way of his coming, as 1 Corinthians 12:29f. makes abundantly clear. But still the question remains, Why were the apostles sent? There is no indication that the laying on of hands, much less of ...

1517. Herod’s Death

Acts 12:19b-25

Understanding Series

David J. Williams

... Caesarea, and these games must have been held in A.D. 44. On the whole, we are inclined to stick with Josephus and to accept this as the year of the king’s death. During the festival, Herod made an oration from his seat in the theater to mark the settlement of a dispute between himself and the cities of Tyre and Sidon. These were free, self-governing cities within the province of Syria and important centers of trade (see disc. on 21:3 and 27:3). Josephus says nothing of this dispute, or of the Phoenician ...

1518. Barnabas and Saul Sent Off

Acts 13:1-3

Understanding Series

David J. Williams

... .” Later, Silas is effectively an apostle, though he is never called by that name.) 13:2–3 While they were … fasting … they fasted and prayed: In early Christian practice fasting was not uncommonly linked with prayer (cf. 14:23 and variants of Matt. 17:21; Mark 9:29; Acts 10:30). The Jews had extended the practice of fasting far beyond the one fast prescribed by the law (the Day of Atonement; cf. 27:9), and Jesus assumed that his disciples would continue the practice (Matt. 6:16–18; but cf. Matt ...

1519. On Cyprus

Acts 13:4-12

Understanding Series

David J. Williams

... to their day-to-day needs, though the term used to describe him (Gk. hypēretēs, “servant,” “attendant,” “minister”) is sometimes used of Christian ministers in an official sense (26:16; 1 Cor. 4:1), and on that basis it has been suggested that Mark served as a catechist and may also have baptized the converts. On the other hand, the use of the corresponding verb (hypēretein) in 20:34 and 24:23 favors the sense that he was simply their general factotum. When the Romans annexed Cyprus in 58 B ...

1520. In Pisidian Antioch

Acts 13:13-52

Understanding Series

David J. Williams

... “because” of the resurrection. That is, the resurrection of Jesus is an assurance that the kingdom of God has arrived, bringing forgiveness and the restoration of all things in its train. As a lesser miracle was once said by Jesus to be a sign of forgiveness (Mark 2:10), the greater miracle of the resurrection was even more a sign of that blessing. For the Christian use of Psalm 16, see the discussion on 2:29–31. Paul’s exegesis and the presuppositions on which it is based are exactly the same as ...

1521. Eutychus Raised from the Dead at Troas

Acts 20:7-12

Understanding Series

David J. Williams

... 2:42) and the full sense of what they were doing expressed in 1 Corinthians 10:16. Second, they met on the first day of the week. This is a Jewish expression, but it must still be asked whether Luke was thinking in Jewish or Roman terms in marking the days. By Jewish reckoning this would have been a “Saturday” night (as we would call it), since the new day started for them at sunset, making Saturday night the beginning of the first day of the week. But because Luke speaks of “sunrise” as “the next ...

1522. Paul's Concern for the Corinthians

2 Corinthians 12:11-21

Understanding Series

James M. Scott

... considers the Corinthians to be “infants in Christ” (cf. 1 Cor. 3:1). However, if the children are adults (the term is frequently used simply of progeny, irrespective of age), then they may well be expected to support their elderly parents (cf. Exod. 20:12; 21:17; Mark 7:8–13). Elsewhere the apostle affirms that he does have an apostolic right to support (cf. 1 Cor. 9:1–18). 12:15 Having stated that he will not be a burden to his spiritual children when he comes to visit in Corinth, Paul goes on ...

1523. The Law and the Promise

Galatians 3:15-25, Galatians 3:1-14

Understanding Series

L. Ann Jervis

... or the revelation of the Lord. Hearing means more than noting that something has been spoken; it means understanding and responding to what is heard (cf. Rom. 10:16; 1 Thess. 2:13). It bears the same meaning in Paul and in the rest of the NT (e.g., Mark 4:23; 1 John 1:1; Heb. 2:3) as in our modern context when a person might say “I hear you,” meaning “I accept what you are saying.” The phrase “believe what you heard” emphasizes that the activity of the Christian is to believe. This way of being ...

1524. Thanksgiving and Prayer

Colossians 1:1-14

Understanding Series

Arthur G. Patzia

... ) as the heretics are teaching (2:8–15). Second, the gospel is bringing blessings (lit., bearing fruit) to the whole world, even as it is to the Christians in Colossae. The true word of God is something that reproduces and grows (cf. the parable of the sower in Mark 4:1–20 and parallels); it does not sprout and then die out quickly (1 Pet. 1:23–25) as the false teaching was prone to do (2:14–15, 19). Paul is establishing criteria by which the Colossians can counter the claims of the false teachers ...

1525. Paul’s Longing to See the Thessalonians

1 Thessalonians 2:17--3:5

Understanding Series

David J. Williams

... in addition, they are the product of the prince of this world’s special targeting of the Christian (cf. 2:18; 3:5). “In this world,” Jesus warned, “you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome this world”—and its prince (John 16:33; cf. Matt. 5:11f.; Mark 8:34ff.; John 12:31; 14:30; 15:18–21; 16:11; Acts 14:22; Phil. 1:29). Believers will share in that victory and, in a sense, they already have. But as long as this age lasts, they must not expect an easy life. But Paul is saying ...

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