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 1701 to 1725 of 4942 results
1701. Living In The Spirit Of Joy
Galatians 5:22-25, Romans 12:9-21
Sermon
Billy D. Strayhorn
I hope you all got your piece of Laffy Taffy because I want you to share the silly jokes with your neighbor. Go ahead take a second to tell each other one of the jokes. (Explain location of joke & answer) I heard lots of laughter and the room is definitely lighter because of it. There's a certain amount of joy that comes our way simply through laughter. But as Paul points out in Galatians, there's also a deeper joy that comes from a relationship with God. Let's revisit Galatians 5:22-25 and then look at ...
1702. Living in The Spirit of Generosity
2 Corinthians 9:6-12, Galatians 5:22-25
Sermon
Billy D. Strayhorn
Did you know that at one time generosity was illegal in Santa Cruz, California? That's right. It was illegal for someone to put money in other people's parking meters without their permission. The practice called "plugging coins" was considered an illegal act by Santa Cruz municipal code. The fine for a parking violation was $12.00. The penalty "plugging" thirteen dollar. Mr. Twister whose real name is Cory McDonald, is a professional clown and balloon twister, who has spared many car owners in Santa Cruz ...
1703. Spiderman: Saved To Serve
Colossians 3:1-4, 12-17
Sermon
Billy D. Strayhorn
Who do you serve? That's a valid question for everybody, don't you think? Now you probably wouldn't think you would have to ask that question in Church, would you? But the truth is we don't all come with pristine purposes. I'm not trying to make anyone feel guilty but we may not even know that we are at cross purposes with God. That was certainly the case in the life of the Apostle Paul. And that's what the Superhero we're focusing on today had to find out as well. Paul and Spiderman both had to find out ...
1704. Catch of the Day
Matthew 4:18-22, Matthew 4:12-17
Sermon
Billy D. Strayhorn
The year I turned sixteen, we loaded up in family station wagon and drove to Florida to see my Dad's brother Bob. Uncle Bob and Aunt Betsy lived in Miami. One of the cool things about living in Miami was the fresh seafood. You see, I love seafood. If it swims in the water, I'll eat it. I'd rather eat seafood than almost anything else. It doesn't have to be fried, either. It can be baked, broiled, pan fried, steamed or even poached, if done just right. I even like sushi and sashimi (you know the Japanese ...
Sermon
David J. Kalas
The story begins innocently enough. The writer of Genesis simply sets the stage with a reference to geography: "Jacob settled in the land where his father had lived as an alien, the land of Canaan" (37:1). He settled in the land where his father had lived. Jacob is the third generation of patriarchs by whom Israel's God was henceforth known. Several centuries later at the burning bush, for example, the Lord introduced himself to Moses as "the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob" (Exodus ...
Sermon
Larry Lange
The blizzard was kind enough to have shown up on Friday evening, so that when it had finished rattling our windows and dumping about ten inches of perfectly packable snow, we were not in school and had an entire day to enjoy it. By Saturday afternoon, we had shoveled our own driveway and sidewalk. Our neighbor, Mr. Schmidt, had finished hours before, because he apparently made enough money to afford a snowblower. His was the first snowblower on our street. Mr. Schmidt felt he needed a snowblower, because ...
Sermon
Scott Suskovic
Throughout the New Testament, there are numerous verses that say something about fulfillment. Jesus said, "These are my words which I spoke to you while I was still with you, that all things which are written about me in the law of Moses and the prophets and the psalms must be fulfilled" (Luke 24:44). On the cross, Jesus said, "I am thirsty" (John 19:28). He said this in order to fulfill the scriptures. Paul wrote, "But when the fullness of time had come, God sent his Son, born of a woman, born under the ...
Sermon
Tony Everett
At first reading it seems as if today’s text is all about Abram’s journey from relative obscurity to universal fame; from being a childless husband in a tiny and insignificant family to becoming the founding father of a great multitude of nations. Now what would it look like if we read this story with God as the main character? What would it look like if we examined the text from the perspective of God’s initiating action instead of Abram’s immediate faithful response? After all, it’s pretty intimidating ...
Sermon
Tony Everett
Today is called Maundy Thursday by Christians through­out the world. As some of you may already know, “Maundy” is an English form of mandatum, the Latin word for commandment. The scripture theme for this day comes from Jesus celebrating a Passover meal with his disciples on the night that Jesus was betrayed. Here Jesus told them, “I give you a new commandment; that you love one another. Just as I have loved you, you also should love one another” (John 13:34, see also John 15:12-17). Maundy Thursday is a ...
Sermon
Leonard Sweet
In elementary school we all learned the ditty: “In fourteen hundred and ninety-two, Columbus sailed the ocean blue.” Convinced by Christopher Columbus that a new, faster route to the rich spice regions of India could be found by sailing east instead of south, King Ferdinand and Queen Isabella of Spain financed an exploratory mission for this new route. Instead of India, Columbus found the New World — the lands that lay across the Atlantic ocean from Europe. In the long run it was a very good deal for ...
1711. One Thing
Philippians 3:12-4:1
Sermon
James Merritt
I believe that every year that God gives us on this earth is to be a year where we are as productive as we can be for His work and as pleasing as we can be for His glory. The longer you live the more you realize just how fleeting these years are and just how important it is to maximize the potential of each year for being what we ought to be and doing what we ought to do. Every year at least half of us in this will do something that in the beginning will be very exhilarating, but in the end very ...
Sermon
James Merritt
Envision: such a powerful word. In 1969 America did something that had only been dreamed of and fantasized about in books and novels—she put a man on the moon. How did this happen? Because John F. Kennedy on May 25, 1961 envisioned putting a man on the moon by the end of the decade. Nearly a half-century ago, 22,000 acres just south of Orlando, Florida was a swamp where alligators outnumbered people. Porous limestone underlay the vegetal muck. It was land no one wanted until November 22, 1963 when a ...
Sermon
James Merritt
Without question, I can tell you what my absolute, all time, favorite meal is. It is so special that I only get to eat it once a year. It is so special, and so good, and so tasty that it is worth the wait. It is not just what I get to eat that makes it the most special meal of the year, but who I get to eat it with. It is the time of year I get to eat it and it is the occasion that brings me to the table. Can you guess what meal this is? It is Thanksgiving. The reason why Thanksgiving is my favorite meal ...
1714. I'm Listening
1 Samuel 3:1--4:1
Sermon
King Duncan
[While King Duncan is enjoying a well deserved retirement we are going back to his earliest sermons and renewing them. The newly modernized sermon is shown first and below, for reference sake, is the old sermon. We will continue this updating throughout the year bringing fresh takes on King's best sermons.] Original Name: I'm Listening New Name: The Power of Listening Legend has it that President Franklin D. Roosevelt got tired of smiling that big smile and saying the usual things at all those White House ...
1715. Starting Over
John 12:20-36
Sermon
Wayne Brouwer
A college professor presented his class syllabus on the first day of the new semester. He pointed out that there were three papers to be written during the term, and he showed on which days those assign­ments had to be handed in. He said that these dates were firmly fixed, and that no student should presume that the deadline did not apply to her or him. He asked if the students were clear about this, and all heads nodded. When the first deadline arrived, all but one student turned in their papers. The one ...
1716. Abijah King of Judah
2 Chron 13:1–14:1
Understanding Series
Louis C. Jonker
Abijah: Whereas the history of King Abijah (who ruled approximately 912–911/910 B.C.) occupies only seven and a half verses in the Deuteronomistic source text (1 Kgs. 15:1–8a), the Chronicler’s version is much more extensive (twenty-two and a half verses). The reason for this expansion is that the Chronicler completely altered the portrayal of this king. In Kings, Abijah is described as somebody who “committed all the sins his father had done before him; his heart was not fully devoted to the LORD his God ...
1717. Asa King of Judah
2 Chronicles 14:2-15
Understanding Series
Louis C. Jonker
Asa: The Chronicler dedicates the next narrative episode to the reign of King Asa of Judah (ca. 911/910–900 B.C.). As in the Abijah narrative, the Chronicler introduces a significant portion of his own material, creatively restructuring the Asa narrative in the source text (1 Kgs. 15:9–24) within a coherent theological framework. The Deuteronomistic version communicates a positive image of Asa as a king who ensured religious-cultic purity (1 Kgs. 15:11–15), and it narrates an unrelated episode of ...
1718. Jehoram King of Judah
2 Chronicles 21:4-20
Understanding Series
Louis C. Jonker
Jehoram: The previous three kings, Abijah, Asa, and Jehoshaphat, were (mainly) positive role models of the Davidic kingship in both Chronicles and Kings. (For darker episodes, see the turn of events in Asa’s and Jehoshaphat’s reigns in 16:1–14 and 20:35–37, respectively.) However, the Chronicler even enhanced their exemplary profiles with some of his own material. The same does not apply to Jehoram’s history. His portrayal is very negative, with the ominous note already sounding early in the narrative: “he ...
Understanding Series
David J. Williams
Of the Roman historian Livy it has been said that though “the conflicts and issues and struggles in the story of Rome are, of course apparent to him … they are described in terms of individuals; there are not ‘movements’ or ‘tendencies’ or ‘forces’ at work unattached to men. History,” for Livy, “is the record of ‘doings of men’ ” (R. H. Barrow, p. 87). So also for Luke. He tells his story by means of paradigmatic people and events. The events of this chapter illustrate the opposition that the church soon ...
Understanding Series
David J. Williams
It would appear that there was no synagogue in Lystra. The fact, then, that Paul and Barnabas preached in this city, even if they had not gone there expressly for this purpose, marks yet another important departure for the church. Moreover, since there was no audience prepared for their message (see note on 13:14), a new approach in its presentation was called for. Something of what this was is evident in these verses, which include a brief impromptu speech addressed to a pagan audience. The speech is ...
Understanding Series
David J. Williams
14:21–23 Derbe has only recently been located, some sixty miles southeast of Lystra (see B. Van Elderen, AHG, pp. 156ff.). The importance of this town (such as it was, but see disc. on v. 8) lay in its proximity to the border of Roman Galatia and the client kingdom of Antiochus IV of Commagene. Here the apostles preached the good news … and won a large number of disciples (v. 21, lit., “discipled many”; cf. Matt. 28:19). One of these later accompanied Paul to Jerusalem as a delegate of his church (20:4). ...
Understanding Series
David J. Williams
15:22–29 James’ recommendation met with the approval of the whole church (v. 22), that is, of all who were present. Outside the council, however, there remained a significant number of Jewish Christians who wished to take a much harder line with the Gentiles. They continued to disturb the Pauline churches for some years to come. Nevertheless, the council did represent a broad consensus of the church and was an expression of the real unity that was still felt by all Christians (cf., e.g., 4:32). In addition ...
Understanding Series
David J. Williams
20:1a It would appear that soon after the silversmiths’ riot Paul departed Ephesus for Macedonia. The words of encouragement that he addressed to the believers before going may have been along the same lines as those he spoke to their leaders a few months later (vv. 17–35). He had already “decided to go to Jerusalem, passing through Macedonia and Achaia” (19:21), but he may have set out sooner than intended, partly because of the riot, partly because of his anxiety over the situation in Corinth. These had ...
Understanding Series
David J. Williams
28:11 According to the elder Pliny, the winter season when the seas were closed to navigation ended on 7 or 8 February. We may suppose, then, that the travelers’ three-month stay on Malta ended about then. The ship in which they resumed their journey was another Alexandrian vessel, very likely a grain ship, perhaps driven to the island by the same storm that had brought Paul and the others to its shores. Its “sign” was the twin gods. It may be right to say with GNB that the ship was called by that name, ...
1725. Life by the Spirit
Galatians 5:16-26
Understanding Series
L. Ann Jervis
5:16 Paul directs his readers to live by the Spirit. The Greek word translated “live” (peripateite) is literally “walk.” Paul uses this word elsewhere when speaking of living the new life in Christ (Rom. 6:4), a life that is conducted by means of the Spirit (Rom. 8:4). The word suggests continuance, progress, and daily attention. Paul commands his readers to avoid gratifying the desires of the sinful nature by means not of law observance but of living by the Spirit. The Greek for “sinful nature” is ...
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