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 1776 to 1800 of 4967 results

1776. The Peace That Christ Gives

John 14:15-31

Sermon

King Duncan

... battle going on within many of us. Few of us know what it is to live lives of contentment and peace. Jesus said to his disciples, "I am leaving you with a gift ” peace of mind and heart! And the peace I give isn't fragile like the peace the world ... need for life come from? It comes from God's indwelling Spirit. This was the most important gift that the Father bestowed upon those first disciples of Jesus. And this is the most important gift He can bestow upon us. And He will give it to all who ask. It's ...

1777. Who Is Your Hero?

Matthew 17:1-13

Sermon

King Duncan

... saw no one except Jesus himself alone. As they were coming down the mountain, Jesus ordered them, "Tell no one about the vision until after the Son of Man has been raised from the dead" (NRSV). When they came down from the mountain, who do you imagine became the disciples' hero? IF YOU DO NOT HAVE A HERO, MAY I RECOMMEND JESUS? If a hero is someone you look up to, identify with, even try to imitate, may I recommend Jesus? Let me suggest a couple of reasons. FIRST OF ALL, OTHER HEROES WILL LET YOU DOWN. The ...

1778. Skating To Where The Puck Is Going To Be

Luke 6:17-26

Sermon

Frank Lyman

... seek their own security through wealth have nothing to look forward to? We are not designed to live merely for the pleasure of today, we live with an eye to the future. F.R. Maltby captured this when he wrote, "Jesus promised his disciples that they would be completely fearless, absurdly happy and constantly in trouble." Christians anticipate the future. We look forward instead of backwards. It's like a conscientious choral director working with a choir. In the rehearsals she teaches them to sit forward on ...

1779. It Could Happen To You!

Luke 24:36-49

Sermon

Siegfried S. Johnson

... like one in ten billion, one in ten zillion, one in a whole eternity. Yet there he was. Jesus in the midst. Or, was it an illusion? Was Jesus not really in the midst, but instead only in the mist? Listen to Luke's description of the disciples' reaction. "Startled and terrified, they thought they were seeing a ghost." Could it be Jesus in the midst? No, the news is too startling. Can't have happened. Jesus tries to assure his friends that what they are seeing is real. The impossible has happened. "Why are ...

1780. It's A Question Of Priorities

Mark 9:33-37

Sermon

King Duncan

... without wings." Striving to be number one can be healthy as long as we are able to put it into perspective. Winning isn't everything. Neither is it the only thing. In fact, being number one can cost you your soul. Notice that Jesus didn't scold the disciples for wanting to be number one. What he tried to do was help them put it into perspective. Some anonymous writer put it like this: "Imagine life as a game in which you are juggling five balls in the air. You name them: work, family, health, friends, and ...

1781. The Not-So-Secret Service

Luke 10:1-24

Sermon

King Duncan

... qualified to serve as real domestic spies. A secret agent can't exactly keep his secret status if he stands out too much. (1) Who would have thought? James Bond was too tall, as well as too flamboyant to be a real spy. I doubt that Jesus chose his disciples on the basis of their height, do you? As he sent them out into the world, he certainly didn't seem concerned that they would stand out too much. In fact, he warned them that they would stand out--and that their mission could be dangerous. Listen to these ...

1782. How Do You Explain the Resurrection?

John 11:17-37

Sermon

Donald B. Strobe

... in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.” (Gal. 2:19b, 20) In our imaginations, let us go to that Upper Room in Jerusalem on that first Good Friday evening. We find the door shut, and the disciples huddled behind it, their faces ashen with fear. They are heartbroken and disillusioned. We quickly go away for a pall of gloom hangs over the place like a mushroom cloud. But three nights later, we return again. Can this be the same house? The same people? It was all ...

1783. Whatever became of Kingdomtide?

John 16:17-33

Sermon

Donald B. Strobe

... he never let criticisms of his sermons bother him on the principle that “a hit dog hollers.” (Ferguson, op. cit., p. 85) Yes, I have gotten letters, but I do not believe that I have ever suffered real persecution for anything I have done or said as a disciple of Christ. Have you? Does that ever trouble you? That you don’t get into more trouble, I mean? I recall that our Lord said that the time to worry about our souls is when everybody is saying nice things about us. I am always haunted by the poster ...

1784. The War of Malchus’ Ear

John 18:1-11

Sermon

Donald B. Strobe

... right to use the garden when He was in Jerusalem. While Jesus was always a special friend to the poor, He certainly had some rich friends as well. Indeed, the Gospels indicate that He even had some wealthy women friends who supported the roving band of itinerant disciples during His ministry! Evidently it was Jesus’ custom to go to that garden for a time of peace and quiet when the crowds got too much for Him. This may be the reason why Judas knew exactly where to find Him on that fateful night, for it ...

1785. That Would Be Some Miracle!

John 6:1-15

Sermon

Donald B. Strobe

... , and it seems that is precisely what they did. Luke tells us that Jesus was headed for Bethsaida (which means “House of the Fisherman), near where there was a large, grassy plain. At first Jesus went up upon the hill behind the plain and sat there with His disciples. The crowd began to appear in droves. They had walked nine miles around the north end of the lake, and had come to see more of this amazing rabbi’s signs and wonders. We are also told that the Feast of the Passover was near, and there would ...

1786. When Compassion Overcomes Irritation

Mark 6:30-44

Sermon

Donald B. Strobe

... I need to be immersed in a world where the signs aren’t all printed in Old English and people’s hands aren’t all folded in prayer. I need a freshness that will revive my God-asphyxiated soul.” (Pulpit Digest, July/August 1988, p. 30) Jesus and His disciples needed a time for rest and relaxation; re-creation of body, mind, and spirit. And so do we. So don’t feel guilty while you’re doing nothing but lying on a beach somewhere this summer with a good book. But (as the Moment of Mission reminded us ...

1787. A Sign for a Sign

Mark 8:11-13

Sermon

Donald B. Strobe

... as “deacons” (Acts 6:1-6) Only Jesus presides as host giving thanks (the Greek word here is the same one from which our word “Eucharist” comes). Nothing whatever is said of the disciples own hunger, or of their eating. Their work is exclusively as servants of the sheep. Is this parallel to Matthew 16 where Jesus tells the disciples that their task is to take the Good News into all the world? I have a hunch that it is so. The “seven baskets full” indicates abundance. The number seven was special ...

1788. Holy Thursday

Mark 14:12-26

Sermon

Donald B. Strobe

... and eat with us in “meal covenant.” Eating together has special significance for the people of the Bible. And for us. John’s Gospel concludes with a post-Easter picnic on the beach. It is again a sign and symbol of restored fellowship. Jesus eats with His disciples to tell them that all debts are cancelled, all sins forgiven. By eating with them, he is saying to Peter, “You denied me. But I forgive you. Come, eat with me.” Judas wasn’t present, but if he had been, our Lord would have said to him ...

1789. The Lord's Prayer: A Surplus of Meaning

Matthew 6:5-15

Sermon

Eric Ritz

... our summer worship schedule. I will be sharing with you why I trust The Lord''s Prayer and how it has inspired and shaped the church and its people from the moment it was shared by Jesus. I have always been impressed that the request from the disciples to teach and instruct them how to pray was the only such request in the word of God. They never asked how to conduct an evangelistic mission. They never asked how to conduct an every member canvas. They never asked how to conduct a stewardship campaign. They ...

1790. King of the Road

Luke 24:13-35

Sermon

Eric Ritz

... . They were sharing a pity party, not a celebration of the Risen Christ. But then it happened. In verse 31, the breaking of the bread, they realized that they were not alone, for the Risen Christ was with them. I believe Jesus knew there would be no instant disciples or microwave saints--but that we would need His presence forever in our lives to guide every step of the journey we take on the road of life. One of the great comforts for each Christian is knowing that Christ has walked every step we will have ...

1791. Singing in the Storm

Mark 4:35-41

Sermon

Eric Ritz

... -- not run away from it. You have the Greatest Captain in the world to enable you to fight the good fight and run the good race. Fourth, the storms of life only become dangerous when they seep or penetrate to the inside. I believe this storm forced the disciples to begin to answer a question deeply embedded in their souls, "Who exactly is this man Jesus? What truth of God is really living inside of me?" It is always easier to talk and recommend all the claims about Jesus to other people than to have those ...

1792. Making a Difference

John 1:43-51

Sermon

Paul E. Flesner

... this because average people like you and me are often tempted to discount the ordinary. That is where I hear the story of Nathaniel speaking. God's will for history is not accomplished only by the elite or powerful. It is accomplished by the actions of ordinary disciples like Nathaniel -- like you and me. That's something we need to hear once in a while. We need to hear that our debates and disagreements about how to solve the injustices of life do have an effect on the course of human events. In a global ...

1793. Making Compassion a Verb

Mark 6:30-44

Sermon

David G. Rogne

... from it. I learned right then not to approach people about business matters when they are not on duty. Jesus was able to deal with such intrusions more graciously. In the passage we are looking at, Jesus has been rejected by the people of his hometown, his disciples have just returned from a mission he sent them on, and he has been informed about the murder of his cousin, John the Baptist. People were pressing in on him, seeking all kinds of help. Jesus felt that it was time to withdraw and get some rest ...

1794. In the Hot Seat

Mark 10:35-45

Sermon

Cathy A. Ammlung

... doesn't allow us to be uninvolved spectators to its drama and action. No, fast finger or slow, from the moment of our baptism, we were drawn right into a lifelong Hot Seat, with not Regis Philbin as host, but our Lord Jesus calling us by name to be his disciples. Of course, this gospel isn't a game show; and the Final Answer (worth our life, not a mere million bucks) has already been provided by our gracious Host. But there are all kinds of questions he might ask us. They could be summed up by just one: "Do ...

1795. The Joy of Shared Truth

1 John 1:5--2:14

Sermon

Paul E. Robinson

... and was made manifest to us -- that which we have seen and heard we proclaim also to you.... -- 1 John 1:1-3a (RSV) Do you hear that? He's trying in every way to convince his readers that what he's talking about is real. He and other disciples have heard and seen with their very eyes and touched this word of life, this Jesus. Such enthusiasm, yet such awareness of how impossible it must come across to others -- just too good to be true. Will anyone ever believe it? Have you ever had such an overwhelming ...

1796. Have We Kept Our Contract with God?

Genesis 17:1-27

Sermon

Richard Gribble

... , but they are not in written form. As God made a contract with Abram, sealing it with a change of name to Abraham and the practice of circumcision, so we have a contract with the Lord, sealed with our baptismal commitments to live holy lives as disciples. During this Lenten season let us renew our relationships with the many people with whom we have contracts, within our family, place of work, and most especially with God and God's people, the church. Let us be faithful to what we proclaim. It is Jesus ...

1797. Calming the Boat

Mark 4:35-41

Children's Sermon

King Duncan

... death! They woke Jesus up and said, "How can you sleep when we are about to drown?" Jesus woke up and said to the wind and waves. "Quiet down!" and the sea became calm. (Stop shaking the "boat.") Then Jesus said to the disciples, "Why were you afraid? Didn't you know I was here?" The disciples were amazed that even the wind and waves obeyed Jesus. When we have hard times in our lives–maybe not wind and waves, but troubles–we need to remember that Jesus is there and wants to help us just like he helped ...

1798. This Is Eternal Life (Easter Message)

John 17:1-5

Sermon

Maxie Dunnam

... replied, "We are!""What's the score?""They have 23 -- We have 0.""They have you 23 to 0?" The man was confused. "Ithought you said you were winning.""Oh, we are," explained the little boy. "You see, we ain't come to bat yet!" It was easy for the disciples to quit. The one in whom they had placed their hopes was dead. It was 23 to nothing in their life that Easter morning. And we are sometimes tempted to quit. Jobs don't go well. There is strife in our marriage. A doctor's diagnosis is dismal. Children do ...

1799. I Saw Satan Fall

Luke 10:1-24

Sermon

Maxie Dunnam

... Kingdom of God has come near to you.’” Don’t get hung up here with the ministry of healing which Jesus obviously gave to his disciples. You don’t have to jump off the deep end of a pool to get into the water. You can walk in from the shallow end ... to call the “High Priestly Prayer” in John 17. Not the prayer he taught us to pray, but his own last anguishing prayer for his disciples and us. Listen to him as he prays: “I ask not only on behalf of these, but also on behalf of those who will believe ...

1800. Can a Rich Person Go to Heaven?

Mark 10:17-31

Sermon

King Duncan

... who keeps the household running smoothly. Pretty soon he is one of the wealthiest people in the village. Several years later the monk comes back to find a mansion where the lean-to had been. “What is the meaning of this?” the monk asks. The disciple replies, “Holy Father, there was no other way for me to keep my loincloth.” (1) That’s how it happens. As comedian George Carlin has said, “Stuff is important. You gotta take care of your stuff. You gotta have a place for your stuff. Everybody’s ...

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