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 1851 to 1875 of 3314 results

1851. When A Grain Of Wheat Falls

John 12:20-36

Sermon

Brett Blair

... their can be no fruit. John records these words, “But I, when I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all men to myself.” His cross comes first, then we empowered to carry our own. We are his workmanship, the first fruits, the apostle Paul declares. No one here can truly serve unless he first serves at the foot of the cross. It is a shame then when churches and Christian movements de-emphasize the cross. Theologian H. Richard Neibuhr condemns cross-less Christianity whether liberal Protestantism or ...

1852. Where’s the Power?

Mark 1:40-45

Sermon

Daniel G. Mueller

... him forever (John 14:2). Saint Paul knew there is a great difference between what we want and what God wants. Three times Paul pleaded with God about the same thing, asking to be healed of his "thorn in the flesh." Three times he was turned down. Still, the apostle confessed, "The will of God is good and perfect and acceptable" (Romans 12:2). Things happen and God appears to do nothing about it because he doesn’t do what we want him to do. God does do something; he does what he wants, what he knows will ...

1853. Coping When It Seems Impossible

Sermon

Robert G. Tuttle

... of a deeper need for wholeness. He healed desperate people then, and still does. All of us have problems. In every generation people do. One of life’s purposes is to solve problems, both personal and social. That is how we grow and become real persons. The Apostle Paul saw this with precise clarity: "I have learned to find resources in myself whatever my circumstances. I know what it is to be brought low, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have very thoroughly been initiated into the human lot with ...

1854. Twenty-First Century Reformation

John 8:31-41

Sermon

Warren Thomas Smith

... by good works he would become godly, free, blessed, or a Christian, he would lose both faith and all else.5 In preparing the Smaller Catechism for children, Luther outlined the course: The Ten Commandments should be studied as a basis for awareness of sin. The Apostles’ Creed should be used to illustrate redemption from sin. The Lord’s Prayer was to be memorized as the source of spiritual strength for all believers. The good news in Christ is that in the Cross we see that God suffered for us. Here we ...

1855. The Good News of Easter

John 20:1-9

Sermon

Brett Blair

... changed to exhilarating joy. Their fear changed to an evangelical boldness. They assumed a new audacity. In less then two months they went from cowardly disciples who locked themselves behind closed doors for fear of the Jewish authorities, to courageous apostles who stood before the thousands in the presence of the Jewish authorities proclaiming the Good News of Jesus Christ. Some years ago a college student came by one afternoon to discuss theological issues. That sort of thing does not happen ...

1856. I Am The One Who Jesus Loves

John 13:23

Illustration

Brett Blair

... is actually quoting Scripture. Jesus' closest friend on earth, the disciple named John, is identified in the Gospels as "the one Jesus loved." Manning said, "If John were to be asked, 'What is your primary identity in life?' he would not reply, 'I am a disciple, an apostle, an evangelist, an author of one of the four Gospels,' but rather, 'I am the one Jesus loves.'" What would it mean, I ask myself, if I too came to the place where I saw my primary identity in life as "the one Jesus loves"? How differently ...

1857. Are You Pentecostal?

Acts 2:1-21

Sermon

Brett Blair

... keep this aliveness, this fire burning, this spirit moving? What must exist in us, around us, and through us, if we are to be Pentecostal? Simply these three things: I We are to be in one accord. When the day of Pentecost came, we learn, that the apostles were all together in one place. It was the day that Christ had promised. Beginning with Easter, the resurrected Christ had appeared at various intervals to the disciples. They knew beyond a shadow of a doubt that he was the eternal living Lord. Now he had ...

1858. Nicodemus

John 3:1-21

Sermon

Brett Blair

... pedigree. He must maintain his dignity. It is easy to become preoccupied with preserving privilege. IV Forth, Nicodemus was an educated man. I am proud of my education. My education has opened countless doors for me that would otherwise have been closed. The apostle Paul was proud of his education. He writes that he studied under the great Gamliel, one of the premier scholars of his day. Nicodemus was an educated man, yet his education had not brought him ultimate fulfillment. Master, something is wrong. I ...

1859. No Room for Bitterness

Ephesians 4:17--5:21

Bulletin Aid

Dallas A. Brauninger

Call to Worship Leader: Here is the Apostle Paul's list for right relationships: Women: Speak the truth. Leader: Be angry but do not sin. Women: Resolve your anger before sunset. Leader: Do not make room for the devil. Men: Give up stealing. Leader: Let only talk useful for building up come out of your mouth. Men: Put ...

1860. On the Night when He Was Betrayed

1 Corinthians 11:17-34

Sermon

T. A. Kantonen

... the upper room on "the night when he was betrayed," the night before Good Friday. Before another day is done, a cross would go up on Calvary. But before his earthly life comes to an end, the Lord gathers his disciples around him for an hour of farewell. John, the apostle of love, begins his account of it with the words, "When Jesus knew that his hour had come to depart out of this world to the Father, having loved his own who were in the world, he loved them to the end" (John 13:1). In the sunset glow the ...

1861. The Vulnerable Christ

Philippians 2:1-11

Sermon

Gregory J. Johanson

... Three: The Resurrection. Mary the mother, the sister, Salome, and Mary Magdalene are made suddenly aware of the resurrection event. It was a new beginning. Death - not biological but personal death - could not hold him. He was recreated - the new Adam reborn. The Apostles Creed says, "Born of Mary, suffered under Pontius Pilate, crucified, dead, and buried. He rose again from the dead." We proclaim this as our faith as it was witnessed by his mother. Rudolph Otto speaks of the Holy as the manifestation of ...

1862. Creeds or Deeds

Mark 7:1-23

Sermon

Brett Blair

... members may be suffering but don’t break your promise to God. That kind of strict adherence to tradition is a religion with no heart. Let me also say a word on behalf of creeds. Creeds are good things. They are necessary. Most every Sunday we say the Apostle’s Creed. The Church has been saying that creed for almost 1900 years. It’s one of our rituals, one of our traditions. Does saying it make you holy? No. Does memorizing it make you a saint? No. But if from your heart, you earnestly believe all that ...

1863. What Must I DO to Receive Life?

Mark 10:17-31

Sermon

Brett Blair

... that we also need to remember that to this young boy Jesus was not the Son of God. He was simply a new prophet, with an exciting message, a magnetic personality, and eyes that gripped you when you spoke to him. He was certainly not the Christ of the Apostles' Creed. At this point in his ministry, not even the disciples looked upon Jesus in that regard. The stone of Easter had not yet been rolled away. And so for a few moments this morning I would like to champion the cause of this underdog and look at the ...

1864. Lord, I Want To See

Mark 10:46-52

Sermon

Brett Blair

... the men who genuinely loved him. It was not until the stone was rolled away on Easter Sunday morning that the disciples were really able to see Jesus. It was then that they, at long last, understood the man and the message. It was then that they became apostles instead of disciples. It was then that they brought people to him and moved mountains for him. It was then that the went out into the street, preached the message of the Gospel of Christ, and brought the world to the feet of Christ. But these things ...

1865. You Are A Name!

Luke 2:21-40

Sermon

John R. Brokhoff

... your family name but your given name that describes your nature. When a person's name is too far from a person's personality, we usually give the person a nickname. For years a prominent Georgia politician was known as "Sloppy" Floyd. Apparently the Apostles were not satisfied with the name "Joseph," for they named him "Barnabas," meaning "Son of Encouragement." When a person's nature changes, his name is changed. After Abram's call, he was known as Abraham. Jesus changed the name of Simon to Peter meaning ...

1866. Someone Greater Than a Prophet

Luke 1:26-38

Sermon

Maurice A. Fetty

... Spirit suggests the manifestation of God's presence and power. In Genesis, at the beginning of time, we are told that "darkness was upon the face of the deep; and the Spirit of God was moving over the face of the water." In the middle of the Bible, prophets and apostles are inspired by the Holy Spirit of God, and at the end of the Bible, at the very end of all history, John the Revelator says, "The Spirit and the Bride say, 'Come.' And let him who hears say, 'Come.' And let him who is thirsty come, let him ...

1867. The Next Step

Colossians 3:1-17

Sermon

Harold Warlick

... talking frogs. Christians had their “WWJD” bracelets. Yet a trademark is but the first step. The next step is to improve the product. “What Would Jesus Do?” has to become “What Would Jesus Have Me Do?” Here is the genius of the great apostle. He writes the Colossians that they must let the “word of Christ dwell in you richly as you teach and admonish ...” (3:16). Paul fully understands the transforming significance of the cross of Christ. It is not the “trademark” of a church that flies ...

1868. From Crumbs to Half a Loaf

Ephesians 3:1-13

Sermon

Harold Warlick

... God would be made known to the principalities and powers in the heavenly places” (Ephesians 3:10). Not just on the earth, but in the heavenly places as well. Those who started with the crumbs of Christ now own half the loaf. Such is the claim an amazing apostle stakes against both the world and the heavens. It is the water mark above which no tide of despair, suffering, and evil can rise. Shouldn’t that epiphany make us want to get on with our mission to the world? 1. See Fred B. Craddock, John H. Hayes ...

1869. The Scattering of Lesser Figures

Acts 8:9-25

Sermon

Harold Warlick

... commission was that they were to testify in Samaria. Yet it was not the church that took the message of Jesus to Samaria, it was the Hellenist Philip. The Samaritans believed him and were baptized. But the Holy Spirit held back and forced the apostles to come and bless the Samaritans.5 The Holy Spirit seems to have rebuked the church for its parochialism. Since Peter and John preached the gospel in “many Samaritan villages” on their return to Jerusalem, one might say Peter and John appeared to have ...

1870. Respect

1 Corinthians 12:12-31

Sermon

Harold Warlick

... throbbing concern. He enabled the church to draw upon the Hellenistic notion of paideia3 as a model for its life. Paul’s letters were “teaching sermons.” They were poised to form the character of their hearers and not just transfer information. The great apostle strove to enculturate a habit of thinking about the world in light of the community’s deepest values which would allow the Christian to perceive and act for the good of all in any situation. If respect for those inside the diverse church at ...

1871. Good News for Good Living

1 Corinthians 15:1-11

Sermon

Harold Warlick

... died for our sins in accordance with the Scriptures. • He was buried. • He was raised on the third day in accordance with the Scriptures. • He appeared to Cephas, to the twelve, to more than five hundred people at one time, to James and all the apostles, and last of all, to Paul. This Pauline repetition of the good news is not only one of the earliest creeds of the church, it is also our Rosetta Stone for unlocking the secrets of the human condition. You might remember that Rosetta, now called Rashid ...

1872. Taking the Sting Out of Death

1 Chronicles 15:1-16:6

Sermon

Harold Warlick

... he had been there that long, they said, “Go on home. If you had been allergic you would have passed out by now.” It really makes a difference when the sting isn’t taken out and you can’t see the familiar faces of friends and coworkers. The Apostle Paul states that “the last enemy to be destroyed is death” (1 Corinthians 15:26). Death is the ultimate sting. It is the final meeting toward which our lives move. Saint Augustine says in one of his sermons, as a physician leans over the cot of a sick ...

1873. Your Sins Are Remembered No More! You Are Free!

Jeremiah 30:1--31:40

Sermon

Mark Ellingsen

... ) by grace the “blessed exchange.” His words are powerful and often quoted. Here is how he put it: The third incomparable benefit of faith is that it unites the soul with Christ as a bride is united with her bridegroom. By this mystery, as the Apostle teaches, Christ and the soul become one flesh [Ephesians 5:31-32]. And if they are one flesh and there is between them a true marriage — indeed the most perfect of all marriages, since human marriages are but poor examples of this one true marriage ...

1874. Secondhand Religion

1 Kings 17:7-24

Sermon

Robert Leslie Holmes

... . Paul had a recurring struggle in his life. He called it his thorn in the flesh and said that he asked the Lord to remove it three times. Finally, the Lord said, “My grace is sufficient for you, for power is made perfect in weakness.” With that, the apostle responded, “So, I will boast all the more gladly of my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may dwell in me” (2 Corinthians 12:9). “I have nothing baked, only a handful of meal in a jar, and a little oil in a jug; I am now gathering ...

1875. The Second Touch for the Out of Touch

1 Kings 19:1-18

Sermon

Robert Leslie Holmes

... Version captures his emotion more realistically, “I’ve had enough!” Elijah had all he could take. Death seemed more attractive than life for him. Many systems are involved in being human. The Bible focuses principally on three: body, mind, and spirit. The Apostle Paul, for example, writes, “May the God of peace himself sanctify you entirely; and may your spirit and soul and body be kept sound and blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ” (1 Thessalonians 5:23). Each affects the other, and ...

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