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 1826 to 1850 of 4967 results

1826. The Smell of Fear

Mark 4:35-41

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

... an unexpected cloud burst, how can we possibly hope to keep ourselves safe from the forces of hate and envy, greed and self-centeredness that drive human beings to embrace violence and cruelty and to disregard the sacredness of all life? In today's gospel text the disciples' fear of a known danger, the winds and waves, causes them to chastise a sleeping Jesus for his unconcern and inactivity. But Jesus' demonstration of unknown divine power causes them to fear their salvation even more than the storm. The ...

1827. Don't Lose Your Footing

Luke 24:36-49

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

... 's brutal boot for so long took joyous advantage of the opportunity to smack him in the face with the soles of their shoes. The feet were seen as the dirtiest part of the human body. Bar none. When Jesus knelt down to wash his disciples' feet; when the resurrected Jesus invited his disciples to touch his feet, he was teaching all his followers not to lose their footing. The church wants the world at its feet. But the place for the church is at the feet of Jesus, who sends his people out to work at the feet ...

1828. Catch the Fever

Mark 1:29-34

Sermon

James Caldwell III

... had, that's so evident in everything we see and hear in this morning's text. It's the fever that God wants us to catch as we minister in his name in his world. The passage starts with a physical fever, doesn't it? Jesus and some of his disciples have just left the synagogue on the Sabbath and have entered Simon Peter's house. Although the text doesn't say this, the custom of the day was to have the big meal of the Sabbath day at midday, after worship at the synagogue. Sort of like our Sunday dinner ...

1829. The Oneness of Twoness

Romans 14:1--15:13

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

... “snowmen,” bland, blank slates on which a culture can write its consumerist dreams. The church of Jesus Christ has been from day one a multi-cultural mishmash of opposing factions who follow the one Lord and Savior of us all. In the first century, as disciples of Jesus were forming faith communities for the first time, the very real, very distinct difference between them made it just as challenging then as it is now to keep peace among those who would be the body of Christ. We read this morning of Paul ...

1830. It Is Also Blessed to Receive

John 13:1-17

Sermon

James McCormick

... of humble service that Jesus rendered. In fact, he asked them later, “Do you understand what I have done for you? I have given you an example. You should do to one another as I have done to you. This is how people will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another.” With the basin and the towel, Jesus gave them and us an example of servant love. Later, at the cross, he gave us the gift of suffering love. And that’s what we usually emphasize – these two loving events. But there is ...

1831. Lent 4

Jn 9:1-41 · Eph 5:8-14 · Ps 23 · 1 Sam 16:1-13

Sermon Aid

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

... one finds the healing account has three parts: a description of the sickness, the act of healing, and some confirmation of the miracle—the person demonstrates health or the onlookers are amazed. But in John 9 there is much more. The healing is "set up" by the disciples' question (v. 2) and Jesus' speech-answer (vv. 3-5). Remarkably Jesus drops out of the story after v. 7 and does not reappear until v. 35. And all the material in vv. 8-41 is dramatic expansion building off the basic miracle story. The text ...

1832. Romans 5: 1-11

Romans 5:1-11

Sweet

Leonard Sweet

... is merely the first step on the road to experiencing a fuller realization of the joyful hope which faith in Christ sets in motion. Verse 5 is the “hinge” in Paul’s argument. Paul now links the “hope” described in vv.1-4 to the disciple’s personal experience of God’s divine love. This love is “poured into” the heart through the gift of the Holy Spirit, a precious gift made possible by Christ’s sacrifice. It is the depth and breadth of this sacrifice, and its transformative power, that ...

1833. Do You Have It

Ephesians 4:17--5:21

Sweet

Leonard Sweet

... for this week draws distinctions in belief and behavior that are as different as night and day, light and dark. Our lectionary reading, part of a larger discussion that begins in Ephesians 4:17 and does not conclude until 5:20, focuses on how disciples are "to walk" in this world. Both the being and the behavior of those transformed by Christ are discernibly different from the rest of the world--as different as "light" and "darkness." As baptized people, argues the Ephesians text, the faithful have been ...

1834. Changed Lives - Simon Peter (Maundy Thursday)

John 13:1-17

Sermon

King Duncan

... me, and just as I told the Jews, so I tell you now: Where I am going, you cannot come. “A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. By this all men will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.” Simon Peter asked him, “Lord, where are you going?” Jesus replied, “Where I am going, you cannot follow now, but you will follow later.” Peter asked, “Lord, why can’t I follow you now? I will lay down my life for you.” That’s ...

1835. Love One Another

Luke 7:36-50

Sermon

James W. Moore

... cups to share. And then He said to His followers, “Look now! This is the way I want you to love. Love one another as I have loved you.” Take up the torch of Christ-like love! This was so important to Jesus… but the truth is… at first the disciples did not get it. They were not tuned in! What Jesus was calling on them to do was a dramatic departure from that “we only have one cup” approach to love that they had been taught all of their lives… to only love those who are just like you and ...

1836. When We Are Caught in a Storm

Matthew 14:22-33

Sermon

James W. Moore

... it… but if there were no wind, then you would have to row! You would have to put your muscle into it. Even then, the task (though not as pleasant as sailing)… would have been manageable enough. However, on this occasion in Matthew’s Gospel, the disciples find themselves facing a number of difficult obstacles. 1. First of all, it is night-time… and consequently visibility is a real problem for them. They’re out there in the dark. 2. Not only that, but also it is cloudy because of the storm which ...

1837. Ten Days of Prayer

Acts 1:12-26

Sermon

King Duncan

... the purposes of God. Prayer is about humbling ourselves before God. Prayer is about opening ourselves to the power of the Holy Spirit. The disciples praying in the upper room for those ten days were asking for the gift of the Spirit. What would it mean for our lives ... gift of the Spirit will do one thing more for us: it will give us a sense of peace. So many times Christ promised his disciples peace. In John 14 we read: “Peace I leave with you, my peace I give unto you: not as the world gives, give I unto ...

1838. Are You Going to Fish or Cut Bait?

Mark 1:16-18

Sermon

James Merritt

... behind Me, fall into My footsteps, and do as I do." In other words, we are to follow the Lord Jesus just as a disciple follows his master. Notice the Lord Jesus does not just say, "Look at Me," "learn from Me," "love like Me," nor "listen to Me." ... , and to bring them in to the kingdom of God. In Mark chapter three we see in verses 13 and 14 how Jesus gathered the twelve disciples. Notice what it says: "And He went up on the mountain and called to Him those He Himself wanted. And they came to Him. Then He ...

1839. Walking on the Water

Matthew 14:22-36

Sermon

King Duncan

... of us can appreciate the feeling of downright panic that these balloon passengers experienced. We’ve been there. Not in a hot-air balloon, perhaps. But there have been times when we’ve been really afraid for a variety of reasons. And it comforts us to read about the disciples of Jesus as they experience what it is to be afraid, too. They’re not up in a hot air balloon, but their situation is just as perilous. They’re in a small fishing boat on the Sea of Galilee. It’s getting dark and a storm has ...

1840. An Unidentified King

Matthew 21:1-11

Sermon

Bill Bouknight

... time. He wins the world, one heart at a time. He will never be elected by a popular majority. No dictator will ever install him as Lord of all. Each of us in the privacy of our own hearts and souls must decide who he is. After Jesus questioned the disciples about the crowd's perception of him, he asked them, "But who do you say that I am?" Simon Peter responded, "You are the Christ of God." Each time a person makes such an affirmation, Jesus the unidentified king is crowned in that life as the King of kings ...

1841. Whose Side Are You On?

Matthew 16:21-28

Sermon

King Duncan

... probably you didn’t mean it. Jesus wasn’t being funny. This was a rebuke of the first order. “Get behind me, Satan! You are a stumbling block to me; you do not have in mind the things of God, but the things of men.” Then Jesus said to his disciples something quite stark, “If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross and follow me. For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for me will find it.” What did he mean? Does it have anything ...

1842. The Lure of the Easy Way - Sermon Starter

Matthew 16:21-28

Illustration

Brett Blair

... anywhere today. Jesus encountered him this time in Simon Peter: "Forbid it, Lord, that you should have to suffer and die." If there is any doubt that Jesus is resisting the lure of the easy way, listen to the words that follow: "If any man would be my disciple, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me." We are the devotees of the easy way even though everyone in this room knows two important truths. 1. The Path to Personal Success Is that of Self-Denial. 2. Self-Denial Is Essential to the ...

1843. God Is Amazing

John 1:43-51

Sermon

Richard Gribble

... , therefore, to again observe and perceive the amazing power of Christ in our lives. The gospels abound in examples of how the people with whom Jesus had contact were amazed at what he did and said. Saint Mark (4:35-41) recounts the amazement of the disciples at Jesus' ability to control nature. A storm rages on the Sea of Galilee and the terrified apostles call out, "Teacher, do you not care that we are perishing?" Jesus rebuked the wind and water and calm comes upon the sea. Mark reports, "They [the ...

1844. Seeing and Not Being Seen

John 12:20-33

Sermon

David T. Ball

... by a Greek name, who may have seemed more approachable for that reason. Philip then went to Andrew, the only other disciple with a Greek name, and together they went and told Jesus. “Jesus,” they may have said, “there are some Greeks ... relate to that? I sure can. I remember as a child, when I was learning about Jesus and the Christian faith, thinking that the disciples must have had a much easier time knowing what Jesus was all about, since they were right there with him, on a daily basis. Some people ...

1845. Final Instructions

Acts 1:1-11

Sermon

Ron Lavin

... , we will be ruled by our own desires which will betray us, a false leader who will lead us astray or the evil one who will deceive us. Unless that which is above us controls that which is within us, that which is around us, will. Jesus taught his disciples that there are three time periods for the kingdom of God: future, past, and present. First, Jesus taught that the kingdom is coming in fullness in the future. He said, "When the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, then he will sit ...

1846. The Christian's Walking-Stick

Mark 6:7-13

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

... is to travel lightly and keep moving. Nowhere do we see him sitting down with the twelve and a map, or a snakebite kit, or a store of provisions, or a feasibility study, or a specific set of "goals,""strategies" and "objectives." Jesus gives the disciples (at times as confused and uncomprehending a lot as ever there has been) only what they need most: a mission and the authority to carry it out. All he recommends they take in addition to this is a walking stick a personal goad to keep them moving when ...

1847. No Excuses

Luke 9:51-62

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

... , not unlike us, this individual claims family responsibilities tie him down and hold him back. According to Jewish tradition it was the duty of the eldest surviving son to see to the burial of his parents. It may not even be the case, therefore, that this potential disciple's father is yet dead. The request could be for a grace period of an undefined amount of time, until this man's father grows old or ill and dies. Who among us doesn't feel the daily schizophrenic tug at our psyches as we try to balance ...

1848. The Problem of Unanswered Prayer

2 Timothy 3:14-4:5

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

... of the world could come in no other way but in this death and resurrection. Jesus' prayer was answered, not as he wanted it, and not where he looked for it. His prayer was answered, not in voices from heaven, but in the soft snoring of his sleeping disciples. His prayer was answered, not with a crown, but with a cross. A small boy was asked if he ever prayed. In answering the question the boy made a wise and profound distinction. He said, "Sometimes I pray, but sometimes I just say my prayers." We all taste ...

1849. The Monster Under Megan's Bed

John 6:1-21

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

... are we to buy bread for these people?" one small solution steps forward. A little child offers as an answer to the food question a new possibility five barley loaves and two fish. With childlike trust, the lad offers all that he has to Jesus and the disciples. Andrew has enough presence of mind (and perhaps a small flicker of hope) to offer these childish gifts to Jesus. But his hard-nosed adult rationality gets in the way, for even as Andrew offers the loaves and fish with one hand, he pulls them back with ...

1850. What Are You Looking For?

John 1:35-42

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

... us has a hole in the heart that only Christ can fill. Jesus knew there were a lot of wrong reasons as well as wrong ways for spiritual searches. Our world abounds today, as then, with counterfeit Christs. When Jesus confronted these two would-be disciples with his haunting question, "What are you looking for?", the answer he received may sound strange to us, but it was actually a pretty good start. "Rabbi," they replied, "where are you staying?" "Teacher," they were saying, "let us join with you and be your ...

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