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 151 to 175 of 326 results

151. The Testimony of a Tax Collector

Matthew 9:9-13

Sermon

King Duncan

... same room if it hadn't been for Jesus. And, of course, there was Judas Iscariot. Actually, an outsider would probably considered him the most promising of the bunch. As for me? By now, you've guessed that my name is Matthew, son of Alphaeus, sometimes known as Levi. Matthew the tax collector. I'm not proud of my past. Bible scholar William Barclay once called me a "quisling, as one who had sold himself into the hands of his country's masters for gain." He's right, of course. But that was then, this is now ...

152. Focusing On The Possibilities

Matthew 14:13-21

Sermon

King Duncan

... change." And because we listen to people who say it can't be done, we give up before victory is ours. There is an autobiography titled In Praise of Imperfection: My Life and Work. It is written by a woman named Rita Levi Montacini, an Italian scientist. By looking back over her life as a scientist, she is convinced that in research, neither intelligence nor efficiency are what really count. What counts, she says, is a tendency to underestimate difficulties. When you underestimate difficulties, she contends ...

153. Barking Pigs and Determined Disciples

Matthew 14:22-36

Sermon

King Duncan

... said, "God places many of His blessings outside of our comfort zones, then asks us to come get them. If we ever want to receive some things we've never had before, we've got to do some things we've never done before." (6) Or as Marv Levy, the former coach of the Buffalo Bills football team once said, "You have to take some chances. If Michelangelo wanted to play it safe, he would have painted the FLOOR of the Sistine Chapel.” There is a character in the classic work Don Quixote named Sancho Panza. Sancho ...

154. Entertaining Angels

Hebrews 13:1-25

Sermon

King Duncan

... you been? Are you okay?" Chris just smiled. “It's fine," he told her, “I'm all right." His companion remained quiet, his eyes on the floor as though not wanting to be noticed. He was tall, dressed rather like Chris usually did, in a flannel shirt, new Levis and lace-up work boots that appeared as if they, too, had just been taken off the shelf. “There was no real age to him," Melissa says. “No wrinkles. Just this perfectly smooth and pale, white, white skin and ice blue eyes. I mean I've never seen ...

155. The Power Of A Focused Life

Philippians 3:4b-14

Sermon

King Duncan

... he went into a McDonald’s one day and said, “I’d like some fries.” He vows and declares that the girl at the counter asked, “Would you like some fries with that?” Focus! Doctors hear some pretty strange stories in their line of work. Audiologist David Levy recalls a frantic client who lost her hearing aid. She had been eating a bowl of cashews while talking on the phone. Her tiny hearing aid was sitting on the table next to her. In the midst of her conversation, she mistook the hearing aid for a ...

156. Any Friendly Bears Out There?

Matthew 22:34-40

Sermon

King Duncan

... every man--I can buy--I, Howard Hughes, can buy any man in the world, or I can destroy him." (4) And yet Howard Hughes ended his life as a bizarre, withdrawn man--possessed by demons we cannot even imagine. A California psychiatrist John Levy studied the children of wealthy people. He found that people who expect to inherit great riches often feel guilty, lack motivation, act emotionally immature, and often find life boring. Who's surprised? I am not. Like the MasterCard commercial says, "There are some ...

157. Light Shines Into The Darkness

2 Corinthians 4:1-18

Sermon

King Duncan

... toys to accumulate. They never give a thought to Christ and his claims on their life. And some people don't see the light of Christ because of unresolved sin in their lives. Harlan Weschler, a Jewish writer and teacher, related a helpful story. Every night Levi Yitzhak, an elderly Jewish rabbi, reviews the events of the day just passed. He identifies the evil he has committed in it. Then, before he goes to sleep he pledges, "I shall not do this again." Each day he follows the identical pattern. He reviews ...

158. What about Spiritual Healing?

John 4:43-54

Sermon

Donald B. Strobe

... in the court of Herod Antipas, Tetrarch of Galilee, perhaps a Gentile. And, inasmuch as Capernaum is right on the East-West trade route called “The Way of the Sea” or the Via Maris, it was a place where weights and measures were established and taxes were levied. Perhaps this man was what we might call a “customs inspector.” He lived and worked in Capernaum, and he had a son who was gravely ill with a fever. We can just picture him, sitting at the dinner table with his wife, worrying together about ...

159. An Unpopular Profession

Matthew 9:9-13

Sermon

Donald B. Strobe

... a special place in His heart for those people who were the outcasts and dregs of society. Jesus called them and changed them. They became “new creatures in Christ Jesus.” (II Cor. 5:17) Like many of the apostles, Matthew had two names. Luke calls him “Levi.” “Matthew” may well have been his new name in Jesus, for it means “God’s gift.” But Matthew only became God’s gift after he had received God’s greatest gift himself. We read in Matthew 9:9, “And as Jesus passed on from there, he ...

160. A Deliverer Is Born

Exodus 1:1-22, 2:1-10

Sermon

Arley K. Fadness

... were on the prowl on the Nile banks, in the streets, in the back alleys, with instructions to kill every Hebrew male child they could find. In this setting of Pharaoh, paranoia over the rapid growth of the Hebrew people, a Hebrew couple from the tribe of Levi married and a baby was born -- a beautiful child to father Amram and mother Jochebed (Exodus 6:20). This child would not be left to the human reptiles. The child was placed in a basket plastered with bitumen in the reeds of the Nile. It was a ...

161. The Messiah

Matthew 3:1-12

Sermon

Mark Trotter

... will have to shake them. So, "I will shake all nations." The bass continues. But who may abide the day of His coming, and who shall stand when He appeareth? For He is like a refiner's fire. Then the chorus concludes with, "He shall purify the sons of Levi," because they believed that you could not stand in the presence of God as a sinner. You must be purified, made holy, before you can stand in front of the Holy God. You notice that the season of Advent follows the same pattern. This is the second Sunday in ...

162. A Brand New Church Out of an Old Brand

1 Corinthians 1:18--2:5

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

... new world? I'll bet every one of you can fill in the best-known product that goes with each of the following brand names. Let's try it. · Wrigley · Singer · Gillette · Nabisco · Kellogg's · Kodak · Sherwin Williams · Del Monte · Campbell's · Levi · Coca-Cola These are the brands that built America. Each one of them was established with its basic product before 1925. Each one is still totally recognizable seventy-five years later. The term "brand" originally derived from the stamping or marking of ...

163. The Attitude of Gratitude

1 Thessalonians 5:18

Sermon

James Merritt

... go to England you will discover that many of the English houses of the Eighteenth Century are very small in size, and they have many small windows in the house. The reason for this is because of the "Window Tax," which is one of the most senseless taxes ever levied by any government. The government was charging houses for the use of the sun when they had more than six windows in the house. Now when I think about the cost of electricity, I shudder to think what would happen if God were to start charging for ...

164. Paying Caesar

Matthew 22:15-22

Illustration

David G. Hagopian

The poll tax mentioned in this passage was levied by the Romans against the Jews beginning in A.D. 6 when Judea became a Roman province. This poll tax was still around years later during Christ's ministry but when it was imposed for the first time, it provoked the rebellion of Judas the Galilean recorded in Acts 5: ...

165. Stand Against or Walk Alongside?

Philippians 2:5-11

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

... out to the lakefront to talk Simon Peter and Andrew into becoming disciples. He sat kicking his feet in the dust at the edge of a well to meet the Samaritan woman. He made a healing house call to cure Simeon's mother-in-law. He walked right in to Levi's tax booth to invite him to "follow me." He interrupted a funeral to raise up the widow of Nain's son. He crossed the Sea of Galilee to heal the Gerasene demoniac. He entered Jairus' home to restore his daughter to life. Even after his resurrection, Jesus was ...

166. Joy and Crown

Philippians 4:1

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

... recently announced that it will now cost you extra if you want to deal with an actual human being. Convinced that it is cheaper to depend on the speed and efficiency of the unsalaried Automatic Teller Machines (ATMs) outside their lobbies, many banks are now levying on customers an additional service charge to use a human teller. It is getting harder and harder to make genuine human connections during the regular course of our days. We cash checks and make deposits at ATMs, pump our own gas and pay for it ...

167. 2 Timothy 1:1-14

2 Timothy 1:1-14

Sweet

Leonard Sweet

... they produced on their own lands, the large landowners in this region force more and more of the poor farmers and shepherds to leave their lands and labor for the rich. Because these wealthy landowners have paid for their luxurious homes with goods levied from the poor, they shall lose their prestigious homes. Because they have planted their vineyards on fields they have confiscated from the small, struggling farmers, they will not see the fruits of their labors - that is, they will never taste the wine ...

168. 2 Timothy 1:1-14

2 Timothy 1:1-14

Sweet

Leonard Sweet

169. Looking at the World through the Eyes of God

John 3:1-21

Sermon

Brett Blair

I can’t think of a greater condemnation to be levied against a people than this: They loved darkness instead of light. I would never want that to be said of me. But that is the way God sees the world. You and I see the world as it is right now. Most of the people around us try and do ...

170. Looking at the World through the Eyes of God - Sermon Starter

John 3:1-21

Illustration

Brett Blair

I can't think of a greater condemnation to be levied against a people than this: They loved darkness instead of light. I would never want that to be said of me. But that is the way God sees the world. You and I see the world as it is right now. Most of the people around us try and do ...

171. Preparing the Way

Malachi 3:1-4

Sermon

Mary S. Lautensleger

... exile has ended, but a spiritual exile seems to permeate the hearts of the people. Their devotion is noticeably half-hearted, and contributions to the offering plate have fallen off dramatically. The priests, who are descendants of Jacob's son, Levi, and of Aaron, are cheating the sacrificial system. They have become complacent and corrupt. Moral standards are practically nonexistent, resulting in a deceptive and selfish people. Those living immoral lives appear to be prospering and enjoying the good life ...

172. Is There Room For A Prophet?

Malachi 3:1-4, Luke 3:1-6

Sermon

Billy D. Strayhorn

... Lord of hosts. [2] But who can endure the day of his coming, and who can stand when he appears? For he is like a refiner's fire and like fullers' soap; [3] he will sit as a refiner and purifier of silver, and he will purify the descendants of Levi and refine them like gold and silver, until they present offerings to the Lord in righteousness. [4] Then the offering of Judah and Jerusalem will be pleasing to the Lord as in the days of old and as in former years. Luke 3:1-6 (NRSV) [1] In the fifteenth ...

173. On the Road with Some Would-Be Diciples

Luke 9:57-62

Sermon

James W. Moore

... together, sipping coffee and talking about life on the rodeo circuit. They were also telling each other about their rodeo-related injuries… a busted knee, a sprained ankle, a broken rib. Just then, a young man walked by sporting… Brand new cowboy boots; A new pair of Levis; A wide belt with a huge belt buckle; A freshly starched cowboy shirt; … and a big white cowboy hat. He was all dressed up for a night at the Rodeo… but you could tell that he had probably never been on a horse in his life. He ...

174. Taught by a Golden Calf

Exodus 32:1-33:6

Sermon

Maxie Dunnam

... or not. What a dramatic picture it is as Moses goes to the gate of the camp and stands there before all of the people and shouts: “Who is on the Lord’s side? Come to me.” What followed was a story, but a realistic one. The sons of old Levi responded to Moses. After this Moses, prayed again to God, confessing his people’s sin, but begging God’s forgiveness. Again Laying his life on the line in that dramatic word, verse 23: “But now, if thou would forgive their sin, and if not blot me, I pray thee ...

175. The Gospel Through the Person

Galatians 4:8-20

Sermon

Maxie Dunnam

... that’s a cryptic commentary on the meaning of the visible Gospel. Only the things that have happened to us can happen through us. Henry Nouwen shares an old legend out of the Talmud, which gives a graphic picture of this image. Rabbi Yoshua Ben Levi came upon Elijah, the prophet, and asked him, “When will the Messiah come?” Elijah replied, “Go and ask him yourself.” “Where is He? asked the Rabbi. “Sitting at the Gates of the City.” “But how shall I know him?” “He is sitting around the ...

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