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 4967 results

1901. Looking at Jesus from Behind Prison Bars

Matthew 11:2-11

Sermon

Charles L. Aaron

... and learn to trust it, that is Jesus' kind of power. Not only did Jesus answer John's question, he answered it just when John needed to hear it. John recognized Jesus at his baptism, but still had questions. Those questions grew into doubts when Jesus' disciples did not fast. Now, with John in prison, the doubts had intensified so that John had to know the answer. Was Jesus the one or not? As New Testament scholars point out, when John's uneasiness was at its most intense, Jesus gave the clearest answer ...

1902. Sneak Preview

Matthew 17:1-9

Sermon

Charles L. Aaron

... had kept the letter. The letter had been there the whole time, but the inspector didn't have eyes to see it. Do Peter, James, and John have eyes to see God right in front of them? Peter, James, and John are the three insiders among Jesus' disciples. They were three of the first four whom Jesus called. The way Matthew portrays it, they didn't hesitate to follow Jesus when he called (Matthew 4:18-22). All three were busy in the fishing industry when Jesus called, but all three dropped what they were doing ...

1903. Wonderful Opportunities for Mission

Matthew 9:35-10:8 (9-23)

Sermon

Mark Ellingsen

... prioritize, concern for the poor and outcast, why that mission is so wonderful. In chapter 10, verse 8, after urging the twelve to "Cure the sick, raise the dead, cleanse the lepers, cast out demons," Jesus talks about giving away freely to those in need just as the disciples "received without payment." Get the point? Since all that you and I have is given freely by God, it is just logical to engage in a lifestyle of giving away what was never ours. The love of God begets love. How can you and I be stingy ...

1904. Religious Balkanization

Matthew 15:21-28

Sermon

Wayne Brouwer

... of the time in other respects. Furthermore, they were well aware that that Jesus had initiated this journey into a foreign territory, so he must have wanted to be in that setting in the first place. As they listened to the words emerging from his mouth, the disciples must have cringed a little. Prejudice may feel right in the mind and it may breathe with the bellows of the emotions, but when it is voiced it has a way of losing its rich timbre and echoes tinny and hollow. I remember a Saturday evening when ...

1905. Forty Days and Forever

Exodus 24:12-18

Sermon

Tony Everett

... " into a new identity as God's own people. Here could be a spiritual mountaintop high for us, just as it was for Moses and for the disciples. However, we don't always get it. We don't always feel it. Nor should we expect to. It's not about us; it's about God! ... his abiding love at the altar. Today, here in this place, God shows us his radiant glory as we see with the disciples, the shining wonder of God's beloved Son. God is indeed giving us a mountaintop spiritual high. Nevertheless, we will not always ...

1906. Pentecost ... Again!

1 Corinthians 12:1-11

Sermon

Steven E. Albertin

... the right appearance. It is not about me getting the credit when they come or the guilt when they don't. No, my job is simply to proclaim the good news of what God has done in Christ through the power of his Spirit, just like Peter and those first disciples did at the first Pentecost. When I do, God has promised that there will be Pentecost ... again. If and when people respond, it is the work of God's Spirit and not mine. That is good news. That is liberating. You and I are free to do our best and ...

1907. In Spite of Evidence to the Contrary

Romans 4:13-25

Sermon

Steven E. Albertin

... killed. Messiahs do smart things like triumphing over their enemies and not getting themselves killed. So, Peter "rebukes" Jesus. Jesus, in turn, "rebukes" Peter and says one of the most startling things in the entire New Testament. He accuses Peter, the leader of his disciples, of being the voice of the evil one. "Get behind me, Satan. You have set your mind not on divine things but on human things." Jesus is right back there again in the wilderness being tempted by the devil. Once again the promise of ...

1908. Wedding Bell Blues

John 2:1-11

Sermon

Billy D. Strayhorn

... (NRSV) [1] On the third day there was a wedding in Cana of Galilee, and the mother of Jesus was there. [2] Jesus and his disciples had also been invited to the wedding. [3] When the wine gave out, the mother of Jesus said to him, "They have no wine." [4 ... wine until now." [11] Jesus did this, the first of his signs, in Cana of Galilee, and revealed his glory; and his disciples believed in him. I want us to explore this passage through the words TRUSTED,REVEALED AND TRANSFORMED because I think they open up ...

1909. What'll You Have?

Mark 8:27-38

Sermon

Billy D. Strayhorn

... , a hobby, the item he or she invented. Something like that. Today's passage has always reminded me of those game shows. As they are traveling from village to village proclaiming the Good News and healing those in need, one day Jesus stops, turns to the disciples and asks, "WHO AM I?" Actually he says: "Who do people say that I am?" That was the question on everyone's mind. That was the one thing everyone wanted Jesus to answer. That was the question gossips and scholars alike wanted an answer to. Inquiring ...

1910. Remember: Live Worthy of the Calling

Ephesians 4:1-16

Sermon

Billy D. Strayhorn

... of hope and then fill it all with the Holy Spirit and voila, an instant, full-bodied Christian! (2) The Christian faith is about growing and maturing in the faith. That's OUR WORK. In Matthew 28:19-20 Jesus list our job description this way: "Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything that I have commanded you. And remember, I am with you always, to the end of the age." You and I may not ...

1911. Matthew 11:2-11

Matthew 11:1-19

Sweet

Leonard Sweet

... of the Lord. These healings are not specifically associated with the coming of the Messiah. But the dawning of the new messianic age would be marked by such miraculous events. Jesus’ healing roster as evidence of messianic activity gives John and his disciples a new criterion for identifying the Messiah, the Christ. There is no military or political component on his list. Instead healing and wholeness, or shalom and the defeat of death, is what now defines the title “Messiah” and the presence of the ...

1912. Matthew 21:1-1

Matthew 21:1-11

Sweet

Leonard Sweet

... city. That particular route also would recall for Jewish readers the trail taken by David’s triumphant return to Jerusalem after the defeat of Absalom (2 Samuel 19-20). While still a mile or two from Jerusalem proper, Jesus suddenly calls on two of his disciples to go and collect a donkey and her colt from the nearby village. Although Matthew’s text does not offer any explanation for Jesus’ knowledge of the presence of these animals, it is evident that the decision to ride, not walk, into Jerusalem is ...

1913. Romans 8:12-25

Romans 8:1-17

Sweet

Leonard Sweet

... to explore how Paul uses this well-known term as a way to describe the totally new status in which those who follow Christ find themselves. The first verses of this week’s epistle reading is actually the concluding exhortation for Paul’s discussion in 8:1-11. Disciples of Jesus are no longer condemned by the old law, but are now living in “the law of the Spirit” (8:2). Paul uses his vocabulary to signal the importance of the conclusion he is about to make in verse 12, by declaring “ara oun,” and ...

1914. When the Caterers Weren’t Available

Matthew 14:13-21

Sermon

King Duncan

... women and children, too? Quite an undertaking, and it had to be done right away. They didn’t have a week to prepare. But we’re getting ahead of our story. A crowd had followed Jesus out into the wilderness, and evening was approaching. Concerned, the disciples came to the Master and said, “This is a remote place, and it’s already getting late. Send the crowds away, so they can go to the villages and buy themselves some food.” Jesus replied, “They do not need to go away. You give them something ...

1915. Don't Be Afraid

Matthew 14:22-36

Sermon

King Duncan

... , that God is watching over her. That might work for some of us who are going through troubled times. “A bruised reed he will not break, a smoldering wick he will not snuff out.” Don’t be afraid. Christ is with you just as he was with his disciples that day on the Sea of Galilee. Jesus said to them, “Take courage. It is I. Don’t be afraid.” Then, in the midst of this inspiring story, Simon Peter provides us with a little comic relief. “Lord, if it’s you,” Peter called to Jesus, “tell me ...

1916. Laugh, Thomas, Laugh!

John 20:19-31

Sermon

David E. Leininger

... hostility of the temple leaders who had recently tried to have Jesus stoned. Word finally came that it was too late, Lazarus was dead. Two days went by. Suddenly, like a bolt from the blue, Jesus said, "Let's go over to Bethany to see Lazarus." "Wait a minute," the disciples say. "It is too risky. You are liable to be killed if you go that near to Jerusalem." But Jesus responds, "Lazarus is asleep and I must go to wake him." Now the group is even more confused. "What do you mean, you have to go and wake him ...

1917. We Wish to See Jesus

John 12:20-33

Sermon

John Smylie

... into the earth and dying as a grain of wheat, in his losing his life, by being lifted up on the cross. Perhaps we may wonder how Philip and Andrew responded to the words of Jesus. We know that no amount of explanation by Jesus to his disciples that he must be lifted up on the cross, be crucified, and die ever seemed to get through to them, they simply could not embrace or receive that revelation. Yet, Jesus presses on with his messianic actions and message. But why now? Because the world was knocking ...

1918. For the Life of Betsy D. I. Smylie

John 12:20-36

Sermon

John Smylie

1919. When God Says, “No”

Mark 10:35-45

Sermon

Steven Molin

... seemed to get it. And maybe that's why two of Jesus' closest friends, James and John by name, felt comfortable to approach the Savior and say to him "Teacher, we want you to do anything we ask of you." Such boldness! Such self-centeredness on the part of these disciples! "Lord, we want a blank check. We want what we want, and we want it now!" If our children had said this to us, we would surely send them to "time out." But Jesus was so patient with them. "What is it [exactly] that you want me to do for ...

1920. Matthew 25:31-46

Matthew 25:31-46

Sweet

Leonard Sweet

... determines how they are judged. Their actions and attitudes towards those whom they did not even realize were “members” of the king’s family (v.40) is the basis for the king’s judgment. While “the least” may refer specifically to disciples in Matthew’s text, the hardships they are described as suffering were certainly not unique to Christians, whether in the first century or all the centuries since. Jesus’ list describes the most basic types of human needs — food, water, clothing, shelter ...

1921. Life’s Take-Home Final

Matthew 25:31-46

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

... our attempt to draw a line between who we are in one part of our life versus who we are in another part of our lives. “Don’t’ take your work home with you” tries to disconnect what we do 9-5 from who we are 5-9. For Jesus’ disciples that is impossible. In today’s gospel text Jesus makes it clear that Christian life comes with a “take home final.” There can be no dividing wall between what we do for a living and whom we live to serve. There is no distinction between our Monday to Friday work ...

1922. Were You There?

John 19:17-27

Sermon

King Duncan

... soldiers who gambled for Christ’s garments while he hung on the cross . . . and the thieves who died on either side of him . . . and the blessed women, including his mother, who wept at the foot of the cross. Only one disciple, John, the beloved disciple was physically there when Jesus died. Jesus assigned to John the care of his mother. There were other minor characters who were also there when they crucified him including the mob that cried, “Crucify Him! Crucify Him!” Ignorant people, stirred to ...

1923. Mark 16:1-8

Mark 16:1-20

Sweet

Leonard Sweet

... I am raised up, I will go before you to Galilee.”) Jesus has not been “raised” as some ghostly creature to some ethereal plane. Jesus’ body was not in the tomb because he had been resurrected and was on his way to Galilee to meet up with his disciples once again. These women, who remained loyally at the cross during Jesus’ crucifixion, who had accompanied his broken body for its hasty burial, and who had returned in daylight to offer their respects, are not told to go and find the eleven remaining ...

1924. Victorious, but Not Unscarred

John 20:24-31

Sermon

King Duncan

... where the cross was for the rest of her life.” (1) In a like way, after Jesus’ resurrection from the grave, he still bore the scars from the cross. We read in John’s Gospel, “On the evening of that first day of the week, when the disciples were together, with the doors locked for fear of the Jewish leaders, Jesus came and stood among them and said, ‘Peace be with you!’ After he said this, he showed them his hands and side . . .” Then a few verses later we read, “Now Thomas . . . was not with ...

1925. John 6:1-21

John 6:1-15

Sweet

Leonard Sweet

... daily labor) would be enough to provide a mere mouthful for this immense crowd. John allows his readers an insight into the events to come by revealing that Jesus already "knew what he was going to do." John's text also identifies Andrew as the disciple who offers what appears to be the lamest of suggestions. Andrew offers one little boy's dinky dinner (the cheap barley loaves and diminutive fish tidbits hardly amounted to a substantial adult meal) while at the same time admitting that the paltry amount is ...

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