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 1901 to 1925 of 3314 results

1901. The Discipline of Discipleship

Mark 10:17-31

Sermon

David E. Leininger

... in the English New Testament as "disciple" is mathetes, a LEARNER. What brings this subject to mind is our continuing national fascination with the just-completed Olympic games and grows out of that wonderful biblical imagery used so regularly by the apostle Paul comparing the Christian life to athletics. Running, wrestling, boxing...with a crown of glory at the end to the winner. How does one attain the victory, and particularly in such August company? DISCIPLINE! Now take that DISCIPLINE root and move ...

1902. One Shock after Another

Luke 3:1-20

Sermon

David E. Leininger

... again on this first Sunday of Advent is a wonderful context for dealing with shocks. You see, the whole gospel is one shock after another. Think about it. God in human flesh. Shock. Born to an unwed teenage mother. Shock. From Nazareth (which even the apostles felt was a no-account town: "Can anything good come from Nazareth?"(1)). Shock. King of kings and Lord of lords. A gilded cradle for the newborn? No, a manger full of fodder. Shock. One shock after another. And the shocks would continue. As Jesus ...

1903. Ready or Not, Here He Comes!

Luke 3:1-20

Sermon

David E. Leininger

... for reflection, for introspection, for taking spiritual inventory, and, yes, even for change. Ready or not, here he comes. Are you ready? For those who are, I have good news indeed. Because those changes in our lives bring with them something wonderful. No wonder the Apostle Paul could write the Philippians and tell them to "Rejoice in the Lord always; I will say it again, Rejoice!...The Lord is near." Ready or not, here he comes. And the Lord's nearness results in what Paul calls "the peace that transcends ...

1904. The Church Should Go to Hell!

Luke 4:1-13

Sermon

David E. Leininger

... for any more mumbled, meaningless "The Peace of Christ be with you's" in their book, Christ's Suburban Body.(1) But Bailey and McElvaney are not just prescribing shock therapy. Their recommendation is carefully considered and theologically based. Where does the Apostle's Creed tell us Christ went during that period of time between the crucifixion and resurrection? To hell. As the continuing presence of Christ's body on earth, where should the church go in order to find the neediest souls, those farthest ...

1905. Pentecostal Power

Acts 2:1-21

Sermon

King Duncan

... talks in different ways,” she continued. “ To them, we sound like we talk very slow, and all our words are drawn out.” His eyes got big, and he asked, “You mean they hear funny, too?” Not everybody who listened to the apostles on that first Pentecost understood what they were saying. Only those who were connected. Pentecost is about communication. And it is about connection, listening as well as speaking. Finally, the Miracle of Pentecost is about cooperation. You know what happened following the ...

1906. The "E" Word

John 1:35-42

Sermon

David E. Leininger

... folks to send more money to keep this soul-winning ministry on the air. That is not us. That is not our way of reaching people. Do you know whose way I like? The fellow we met in our lesson from John's gospel a moment ago...Andrew...the apostle with the missionary heart. Apparently, he had always been a religious man - up till now he had been a disciple of John the Baptist, another fire and brimstone preacher in the manner of the Strodes. But one day Andrew met Jesus...and Andrew was never the same again ...

1907. The Gift of Fire

Acts 2:14-41, Acts 2:1-13

Sermon

David E. Leininger

... church on that momentous and earth-shaking Pentecost...FIRE. You remember. The faithful had gathered there in that room near the temple in Jerusalem, 120 of them. They had been there for the better part of ten days, spending their time in prayer, choosing another apostle to replace Judas who had recently committed suicide, talking among themselves of the ministry of their Lord Jesus who had been taken up from them into heaven just a week-and-a-half before. Just prior to his ascension, Jesus had told them to ...

1908. Happy Birthday, Dear Church

Acts 2:14-41, Acts 2:1-13

Sermon

David E. Leininger

... the Lord's teachings and who appear hopelessly taken with themselves and their private concerns. Even in the account of the Lord's ascension into heaven, they were still asking Jesus if he was about to throw out the Romans and give Israel back to the Israelites! The apostles do not seem to understand much at all. To their credit, they knew enough to do what they had been told: Go to Jerusalem and wait. Now, it was about to pay off. Pentecost. It began at daybreak with the sound of the ram's horn being blown ...

1909. About Kissing

2 Corinthians 13:11-14

Sermon

King Duncan

... people. Some theologians wonder if the Corinthian Christians were cursing others in the name of Jesus. That would, of course, be a gross misuse of Jesus' name. But that's how out of hand this church was. (7) Now, within this context, listen again to the Apostle Paul's final words to them. He writes, "Finally, brethren, farewell. Mend your ways, heed my appeal, agree with one another, live in peace, and the God of love and peace will be with you. Greet one another with a holy kiss . . ." PAUL WAS APPEALING ...

1910. Messies Anonymous

Philippians 3:1-11

Sermon

King Duncan

... living as followers of Jesus here and now? John Haggai tells about two men who were contemporaries. The first, Clifford Baron, was one of the greatest orators America has ever seen. One respected pastor called him, "the greatest preacher since the apostle Paul." Audiences everywhere were spellbound by his messages. At age 25 Clifford Baron had touched more lives, influenced more leaders, and set more attendance records than any clergyman his age in American history. The other man was Dawson Trotman. Trotman ...

1911. The Triumphant Christ

Revelation 1:1-3

Sermon

King Duncan

... could talk over wire. (3) In June 1633, Galileo, then seventy years of age, was forced to kneel before the Inquisitional Tribunal of Rome and renounce the Copernican theory, a concept that was to make possible the modern science of physics. Each of these apostles of truth was persecuted because their perceptions did not conform to the accepted norm. But you can't bury truth. Sooner or later truth will out. There was an interesting story in the newspapers some years ago. A security guard at the California ...

1912. Good News For Broken Hearts

Luke 7:36-50

Sermon

King Duncan

... see God's heart. And one thing more: ONLY JESUS CAN FORGIVE SINS. Before the Reformation Martin Luther was in his monk's cell weeping because of his sins. His confessor, a young man, simply didn't know what to do, so he began repeating the Apostles' Creed. "I believe in God the Father Almighty, Maker of heaven and earth; And in Jesus Christ His only Son our Lord; who was conceived by the Holy Ghost, born of the Virgin Mary, suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified, dead, and buried; He descended into ...

1913. Can People Change?

Galatians 1:11-24

Sermon

King Duncan

... NOT EASY. It is interesting to note that after his conversion, St. Paul did not go immediately to Jerusalem. Instead he went away to Arabia and then returned to Damascus. It was three years before he went to Jerusalem to confer with Cephas (Peter) and the other Apostles. Evidently Paul needed time to assess what had taken place in his life. Change is not easy. To paraphrase Mark Twain: Habits can't be flung out the window; they have to be coaxed downstairs, a step at a time. Centuries ago in England, if a ...

1914. Overcoming "Work-avoidance Syndrome"

2 Thessalonians 3:1-5

Sermon

King Duncan

... ears raised high. He then sits up and ponders what Linus said. As he resumes his original position he thinks to himself, "I stayed awake all day yesterday and I was still poor." Today's lesson from the epistle sounds more like it is from Newt Gingrich than the Apostle Paul. Paul writes, "For even when we were with you, we gave you this rule: If a man will not work, he shall not eat.'" What a discussion we could have about this verse! Could we talk? as Joan Rivers would say. Could we talk for a few moments ...

1915. A Very Special Man

Luke 2:22-40

Sermon

King Duncan

... me. I thought he was living today. If not, can someone please tell me the meaning of the empty tomb? Maybe he just went out to lunch? Or the meaning of the lives of all those who have died to say he lives, from the apostles to, say, Archbishop Romero. Maybe they were all fools or charlatans?" (2) Powerful response. Father Berrigan and Billy Graham probably would not agree on many things but here they are brothers. Some of you will remember when President Richard Nixon got carried away with excitement ...

1916. Resuscitating An Iguana

Ephesians 2:1-10

Sermon

King Duncan

... recovery. (1) Now that story may not impress you, but it impresses me. I think I would have difficulty bringing myself to give mouth-to-mouth resuscitation to an iguana. I salute Officer Tori Matthews. She went beyond the call of duty. In Ephesians 2:4 the Apostle Paul writes to the church at Ephesus: "God, who is rich in mercy, out of the love with which he loved us even when we were dead through our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ ” by grace you have been saved ” and raised us up with ...

1917. More Than A Mannequin; Not Quite A Masterpiece

Acts 4:32-37

Sermon

King Duncan

... love." The first community of believers was alive. They were filled with love. And one thing more: THEY HAD A VIVID FAITH IN THE RESURRECTED CHRIST. Here is where they got their real power. We read in our lesson for the day: "And with great power the apostles gave their testimony to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus, and great grace was upon them all." Here is what motivated these early believers to form a community in the first place and here is where they found the grace to love one another with such a ...

1918. Gambling On God

Acts 1:12-26

Sermon

King Duncan

... choose both of them. We know that numbers had great significance in biblical times. There had been twelve tribes in Israel. The early church may have thought of itself as the new Israel and thus wanted to preserve twelve as the number of apostles. Whatever the motivation, they felt they must choose between the two candidates, and so they prayed mightily for God's guidance and then they cast lots to make their selection. In their defense we might make two important observations. First of all, both candidates ...

1919. A Firm Grip On Your Balloon

Acts 2:1-13

Sermon

King Duncan

... 's coming into the world, his death upon the cross and his resurrection from the dead. And three thousand people were added to the church that day. That in a nutshell is what happened on that day we celebrate today. But not everybody who heard the Apostles' testimony that day were touched by it. In the crowd there were at least three kinds of people. SOME WERE MERE SPECTATORS. We read that three thousand persons were added to the church. Surely at least twice that number paused for a moment and then moved ...

1920. Blood Sprinkled On A Modern Altar

Exodus 24:3-8, Mark 14:12-16, 22-26, Hebrews 9:11-15

Sermon

King Duncan

... from Eden, where Adam and Eve enjoyed a carefree existence, to Patmos, where John had his vision of a new heaven and a new earth. There are many persons who doubtless assume that our faith began with Jesus and the twelve disciples. Or with Paul and the Apostles, as they sought to interpret for the early church the meaning of Christ’s life, death and resurrection. If St. Paul were here, however, he would advise us that our faith started at least as far back as Abraham, when God chose a special people to be ...

1921. All Dressed Up

Ephesians 6:10-20

Sermon

King Duncan

... ! That's why it's so light!" We wear clothes for function and for fashion. Clothes keep us warm and dry and protect us from hurting ourselves. They also make a statement about who we are and how we feel about ourselves. All of this and more is what the Apostle Paul has in mind when he tells us to put on the armor of God. The imagery is quite vivid. Christians are those who are going out into the world to do battle against evil. Thus we must dress as soldiers. The soldier Paul has in mind was a first ...

1922. The Manger Is Empty

Mark 1:1-8

Sermon

Billy D. Strayhorn

... . We tune our hearts and souls to the movement of God's Holy Spirit so that we can once again experience the entrance of God into the world through the birth of His Son in a stable in Bethlehem. Another way we prepare is through prayer. The apostle Paul says, "Pray without ceasing." That means our spirits should never be very far from God's Spirit. Prayer should be such a natural part of our spiritual lives that we are always prepared for the coming of Christ, whether during Advent or for the second coming ...

1923. Light For Our Lives

John 1:1-18

Sermon

King Duncan

... of the British Honduras on the Caribbean . . . .the cloud up there looks a little like the profile of Thomas Eakins, a famous painter and sculptor . . . And that group of clouds over there gives me the impressions of the stoning of Stephen . . . I can see the Apostle Paul standing there to one side." Lucy responds, "Uh, huh, That's very good . . . .What do you see in the clouds, Charlie Brown?" and Charlie responds with his typical note of inadequacy: "Well, I was going to say I saw a ducky and a horsy, but ...

1924. See My Hands and Feet

Luke 24:36-49

Sermon

King Duncan

... to give his life in service to others. That is the difference the thought of eternity made in Paul Tournier's life. The same kind of thing happened in the lives of those first disciples. From frightened and uncertain men marked by doubt and envy, they became apostles of great courage and self-giving. How about you? What difference has been made in your life by seeing the hands and feet of the risen Christ? Has it caused you to take more seriously your walk with the Man of Galilee? Has it had some effect ...

1925. A Most Successful Sermon

Acts 2:14a, 36-41

Sermon

King Duncan

... not a particularly religious, but in all other respects an ideal churchman.” He or she has an inadequate foundation. Notice how the three thousand who heard Simon Peter that day responded to his preaching. They came to Peter and the rest of the apostles and asked, “Brothers, what shall we do?” This is a critical point in their lives. Will they be “ideal churchmen, but not particularly religious?” Will they have a tiny foundation under a tall structure? “Brothers,” they ask. “What shall we do ...

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