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 1626 to 1650 of 2273 results

1626. In Life Nothing Works but the Impossible

Matthew 1:18-25

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

EXEGESIS of Matthew 1:18-25 Matthew begins his gospel by taking special care to establish Jesus’ historical and theological identity. The first seventeen verses enumerate the genealogy of Jesus “the Messiah” and establishes Joseph’s lineage as a descendant of the royal house of David. Yet this information also problematizes the narrative, for Matthew also reveals that Jesus’ conception was a miraculous work of the Holy Spirit. Mary, a betrothed young woman, remained a virgin until Jesus’ birth. In today’s ...

1627. A New Calling

Matthew 4:18-22

Sermon

King Duncan

Comedian Garry Shandling once commented on the phenomenon of wake-up calls in hotels. He says: “Here’s a little tip from me to you as an experienced traveler: Wake-up calls--one of the worst ways to wake up. The phone rings; it’s loud; you can’t turn it down.” Then with impeccable timing Shandling adds, “I leave the number of the room next to me, and then it just rings kind of quiet, and you hear a guy yell, ‘What are you calling me for?’ Then you get up and take a shower. It’s great.” (1) True story. A ...

1628. Advent 2

Matthew 3:1-12, Romans 14:1--15:13, Isaiah 11:1-16, Psalm 72:1-20

Sermon Aid

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

OLD TESTAMENT TEXTS The future looms large during Advent. We are, after all, entering into a sacred time of hope when we look with expectation toward the consummation of our salvation. If, however, we become too preoccupied with our future, we may miss the salvific work of God in our present lives, which actually grounds our Advent faith. Our Old Testament texts for this Second Sunday of Advent confront us with this danger. Both are messianic texts that soar to breathtaking heights in envisioning the ...

1629. What Is Eternal Life?

John 3:1-21

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

On Super Tuesday in Lafayette, Tennessee, James Kruger was watching the election results. Suddenly a warning appeared on his tv screen: A tornado was headed toward Lafayette, Tennessee. As soon as he read those words, the lights went out. [You can Google an image of James Kruger, who appears disheveled, confused, and with a huge shiner.] He put on sweat pants, grabbed a flashlight, “and then I heard this noise," Kruger said. He headed for a door, "and all of a sudden I heard the glass breaking and it was ...

1630. God's Dirty Job

Romans 5:1-11

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

Do you ever have family TV night? How do you battle for control of the remote? Or are there any choices everyone can agree on? In a lot of households there is one that crosses all generations. It’s on the Discovery Channel. It’s called “Dirty Jobs.” This surprising hit has host Mike Rowe taking on a new, disgusting, you-never-even-thought-of-doing-that “dirty job” each week. He has cleaned dairy farm floors. He has plucked stinging blood worms out of low tide muck. He has scrubbed out penguin enclosures ( ...

1631. What Do You Think of The Resurrection?

John 20:1-18

Illustration

Brett Blair

Some years ago a college student came by his pastor's office to discuss theological issues. That sort of thing does not happen often. I hope it will not disappoint you to hear that most of the pastor's days are spent in meetings and with budgets, and staff issues and reports and not discussing theology. Eventually the conversation came around to the subject of Easter. After all, if you take Christianity seriously, it will ultimately always lead you to Easter. "What do you think of the resurrection, he ...

1632. Never Read Any of His Books

John 20:1-18; Luke 24:36-49

Illustration

James W. Moore

Let me tell you a true story that happened some time ago: A young boy's father died in a car wreck when he was twelve years old. He read it in the newspaper before anyone got word to him to tell him about it. When he saw that picture of the family car smashed-up on the front page of the newspaper… and read that his dad had died in that accident, he was thrust immediately and painfully into the shocked numbness of deep grief. Strangely, one of his very first feelings were those of guilt. He had remembered ...

1633. The Lost and Found Elder Brother

Luke 15:25-32

Sermon

James W. Moore

Have you heard the story about a little girl named Mikki who was walking down the sidewalk with her mother one day? They were walking together, (mom and daughter) holding hands. As they walk along, little Mikki asks: “Mommy, what is God?” Her mother answers: “Well, Mikki, God is the creative force, the first cause, the unmoved mover, the unseen primal producer of existence, the binding, sentient energy which underpins all physical manifestation, the…” At this point, the little girl interrupts. “Mommy, ...

1634. What's So Great about Going to Church

Isaiah 6:1-8

Sermon

James W. Moore

He is a comedian… and he was very, very funny,… but in recent months he has become very, very political. And now (in my opinion) he’s not so funny anymore… because now he considers himself an authority on everything that has to do with politics. Now, he considers himself the final word on everything that has to do with life in our country and in our world. He is brash and cocky. He is rigidly opinionated, closed-minded and even insulting towards anyone who disagrees with him. Now, let me hurry to say that ...

1635. For Those Who Have Received Much (Father's Day)

Matthew 10:5-8

Sermon

King Duncan

Before we begin, I want to wish all the Dads in the room, “Happy Father’s Day.” Fathers don’t get much respect anymore. Bill Cosby observed once that boys grow up spending hours and hours throwing footballs and going to games with their Dads. And when they make it big on the college scene, before the big bowl game they get interviewed, and the first thing they say is, “Hi Mom!!” No, fathers don’t get much respect anymore. But the news on Father’s Day isn’t all bad. The National Center for Fathering ...

1636. Matthew 9: 9-13, 18-26

Matthew 9:9-13

Sweet

Leonard Sweet

Our gospel reading for this week picks and chooses from a series of event/encounters that begin to define Jesus’ mission and ministry. Although a variety of currents are ebbing and flowing in this text, the underlying give-and-take is about the identity and nature of discipleship. First, a new individual disciple, Matthew, is singled out and called in almost case-study fashion. Then a surprising definition for all who would become disciples is offered. Finally, within the context of stacked-together ...

1637. The Healing Power of Touch - Sermon Starter

Mark 5:21-43; Matt 9:1-8

Illustration

Brett Blair

As Matthew's story begins this morning, Jesus, the great physician, is on his way to make an emergency house call. There was a little girl who was in a grave state and her father implored Jesus to come. We are told that a large crowd of the curious followed Jesus. Some were hoping he would succeed, others that he would fail; most probably got caught up in the excitement of the parade. In this throng was one woman who was there for quite a different reason. We are told that for twelve years she had been ...

1638. I'll Always Be There for You!

Ephesians 6:1-4

Illustration

Jack Canfield

Many years ago an earthquake almost flattened Armenia. The deadly tremor killed over 30,000 people in less than four minutes. In the midst of all the confusion of the earthquake, a father rushed to his son's school. When he arrived there he discovered the building was collapsed flat. Standing there looking at what was left of the school, the father remembered a promise he made to his son, "No matter what, I'll always be there for you!" Tears began to fill his eyes. It looked like a hopeless situation, but ...

1639. The Iron, Silver, Golden, Platinum and Titanium Rules

Matthew 10:1-42

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

The ability of the human brain to store, retain, and recall enormous amounts of information is miraculously impressive. Unfortunately, sometimes information gets permanently stored that we would love to “dump.” [This would be a great moment for an interactive: Ask your congregation if they have any songs or phrases or quotes that keep ringing in their ears despite all attempts to banish them. What tapes keep playing in their minds that they wish they could mute?] High on that list for me are all the ...

1640. High and Lifted Up

Isaiah 6:1-8

Sermon

James Merritt

Several years ago Life Magazine devoted an issue to God. On the front cover was one big question: "When You Think of God What Do You See?" I began to imagine if that magazine came out today, how we, here in America, might answer that question. I believe there are some people who see a God who looks like Santa Claus, and really doesn't care whether we are naughty or nice; a God who winks at sin and giggles at iniquity; a God who is "too loving to let anyone go to hell;" a God who accepts everyone just the ...

1641. The Truth about Truth

John 8:31-32

Sermon

James Merritt

I honestly don't believe that I will ever preach a more important sermon than this one. I hope after I introduce my topic, your ears will perk up, your back will straighten up, your eyes will light up, and you will focus your attention on me with laser-like intensity. Listen carefully to the next three statements: There are no absolutes. All truth is relative. You have no right to force your idea of right and wrong on anyone else. Currently, sixty-two percent of American adults believe these statements to ...

1642. After the Casket Is Closed

Luke 23:46

Sermon

James Merritt

I recently read a letter from the South Carolina Department of Social Services that gives great insight into how the government can sometimes look upon death. Dear Sir: Your food stamps will be stopped effective March 1992, because we received notice that you passed away. May God bless you. You may re-apply if there is a change in your circumstances.1 Circumstances do not change death, but death does change circumstances. We saw that this past week when John McSherry, a 51 year old umpire, collapsed and ...

1643. The Lord of the Harvest

Matthew 9:35-38

Sermon

James Merritt

The famous explorer, Rear Admiral Robert Peary, who is credited as being the first person ever to reach the North Pole, was on one of his many polar expeditions one time headed north with one of his dog teams. At the end of the day, when he stopped to take a bearing on his latitude, he was perplexed to discover that he actually was farther south than he had been at the beginning of the day. The mystery was eventually solved when he found out that he had been traveling on a gigantic ice floe. Ocean currents ...

1644. The Church Is Alive and Well

Matthew 16:13-18

Sermon

James Merritt

Lewis Berry Shafer was one of the great theologians of this century, and the founder of Dallas Theological Seminary. Dr. Shafer once said, "Next to salvation truth, it is vitally important for the believer to know the Bible doctrine of the church."1 One of the all time best selling authors in history, Warren Wiersbe, said, "The greatest wonder that God has on earth is the wonder of His church."2 One holy church of God appears Through every age and race, Unwasted by the lapse of years Unchanged by changing ...

1645. Let Me Tell You about the Birds and the Bees

Proverbs 5:15-23

Sermon

James Merritt

A little third grade boy named Johnny came in from school one day, walked up to his daddy and said, "Daddy, there's something I need to ask you." "What is it son?" "Daddy, where did I come from?" Well, the father very nervously reached over and picked up some diagrams and pictures, because he had been planning for just this moment. He spent the next forty-five minutes explaining the process of birth. With a smug look on his face, inwardly congratulating himself on his great job, he said, "Son, does that ...

1646. What to Do When Life Is the Pits

1 Peter 5:5-11

Sermon

James Merritt

You would think that fear, anxiety, stress, and worry has always been a part and parcel of everyday life. But studies now show that these things have never been so epidemic as they are today. Two sociologists in the 1920's examined a small American town—with a fictitious name of Middle Town, though the town itself was real—and found that they could not establish a single case of overt anxiety syndrome among anyone who lived in the town. When Dale Carnegie set out to research his best selling book, How to ...

1647. Will the Real God Please Stand Up?

2 Corinthians 13:14

Sermon

James Merritt

In the 1950s, one of the most popular TV shows was a game show called "To Tell the Truth." A person in a certain profession was brought in, along with two other people, and they were asked questions by a panel of celebrities to determine who the person really was. The job of the three contestants was to try to fool the celebrities into selecting the wrong person. When the celebrities made their choice, the MC would then say: "Would the real ___ please stand up?" After a moment of suspense, the real person ...

1648. You Can Take It to the Bank

2 Peter 3:1-10

Sermon

James Merritt

I read a story about an angel of the Lord who telephoned the editors of five major newspapers with this message: "God says the world will end tomorrow." The New York Times carried a front page headline which read: "The World Will End Tomorrow Reliable Source Says" A box read: "Analysis on page 11." The Wall Street Journal's front page headline read: "World Ends Tomorrow; Market Plunges" The headline in USA Today read: "We're Gone!" The Headline in the LA Times read: "World Ends Tomorrow; Bill Clinton says ...

1649. The Fountain of Truth

2 Peter 1:12-21

Sermon

James Merritt

All of us learned in school about the legendary Spanish explorer, Ponce de León. In fact, to travel from where we live to downtown Atlanta, you can go down Ponce de León Avenue. Ponce de León discovered the State of Florida because he was looking for the legendary fountain of youth. There are still many today on the quest for that fountain of youth, but they never have found it and they never will find it. For there is no such fountain. But even though there is no fountain of youth, there is a fountain of ...

1650. Preach the World and Reach the World

2 Timothy 4:1-5

Sermon

James Merritt

A young preacher just out of the seminary had been called to pastor a church in a college town. Most of the college professors were members of the church. As he thought about that cultured congregation, he became very intimidated in preparing his first sermon. He called his dad, who was a wise and godly pastor, and said, "Dad, I'm having a hard time preparing my sermon. If I talk about geology I will be looking at a Ph.D. in geology. If I talk about sociology I will be staring at a Ph.D. in sociology. If I ...

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