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 176 to 200 of 3314 results

176. As I Am A Witness

Luke 24:36-49

Sermon

Lori Wagner

... and Lordship is not just to “say” so, but to “do” so. As a witness for Jesus, you testify publicly, as John and Peter and Paul and Barnabus did to their detriment. As a witness for Jesus, you heal and teach and evangelize in His name, as the first apostles did, and many after them. To witness to the truth of Jesus is to preach the truth of scripture and to verify God’s covenant of grace. To witness to the resurrection of Jesus is to dare to show people a vision of a world to come that they ...

177. You Are What You Wear

Luke 24:1-12, Luke 24:36-49

Sermon

Lori Wagner

... evil and destruction. You can’t fight the universe without the power of the ship that sustains you. You can’t fight forces of evil without the power of God behind you and within you. Jesus promised as He ascended that the Holy Spirit would come and clothe the apostles with the power of God, so that they could be empowered to go out and preach and gospel even in dangerous places. The miracle of God-powered apostleship is that all you need to do is “go.” God will do the rest! God is the power of “GO ...

178. The Sending Plan (Alternate title: Our Human Predicament)

Mark 6:7-13

Sermon

Ron Lavin

... care must deal with the whole patient." Healing is a ministry of God. Jesus commanded that we bring healing to one another by his power. We protest: "We can't do that. We are too flawed ourselves to heal others." Flawed or not, we, like the original twelve apostles, are sent to bring healing to the body, mind, and spirit. God is the one who brings healing. He brings healing to us and then sends us forth that it might touch others through us. Henri Nouwen says that we are "wounded healers,"2 healers who are ...

179. Welcoming Christ

Matthew 10:40-42

Sermon

Marc Kolden

... But there is one more twist that we should see in these verses. Not only do we receive Christ through his followers but when we receive Christ we receive the one who sent him. In him, we meet God. That's the central Christian confession. That's why the apostle preaches "Jesus Christ, and him crucified" (1 Corinthians 2:2). Christ is the one in whom the true God comes to us. [When today we receive our Lord's body and blood under the signs of bread and wine, God himself enters into us in all his fullness. The ...

180. Life in the Community of Believers

Acts 2:42-47

Sermon

... a check against it. It is like storing up food so that when you are hungry you can be fed. It is important so that you may draw upon that faith, which you have stored up for life. They devoted themselves to the teachings of the Apostles. Second they devoted themselves to "fellowship." When we are in life with other persons, it is important to feel that we are not simply alongside one another but that we are together. The early Christians believed that one of the most important assurances they could claim ...

181. Jesus the Hope of the World

Drama

Curt M. Joseph

... , and then we can give it to you and then you can let us in. Thomas: (He goes to the door, reaches out to open it, and stops suddenly.) Pretty tricky. Thought you would get me. I know; you have to answer the following questions. First, which one of the apostles was so arrogant, so cocky, and thought he was so full of faith that he could walk on water, but wound up having to be saved by the Master? (Thomas laughs out loud.) Peter: It was me - Peter. Thomas: Okay. Now, which of the ...

182. Let Us Cross To The Other Side

Mark 4:35-41

Sermon

Ron Lavin

... no turning at all, for we are still in the center asking the questions. That is the wrong side of the sea. "God, why did this happen to me? Are you punishing me? Are you there? Have you deserted me? Don’t you care? Are you asleep?" Saint Paul the apostle, as he writes to his friends in Corinth who have found faith but are in danger of going back to former ways of thinking, says, "From now on, therefore, we regard no one from a human point of view" (2 Corinthians 5:16, RSV). There you have it "from the ...

183. The Communion of Saints

Hebrews 12:1-13

Sermon

T. A. Kantonen

... heaven have entered the Sabbath rest of the people of God, but the saints on earth have a battle on their hands. The Apostle speaks of encumbrances which must be thrown off, of the tenacious hold of sin which must be broken. That is what led Luther ... -off branch of a fruit tree has to bear fruit. He is the bridegroom, we are the bride. "I betrothed you to Christ," says the apostle, "to present you as a pure bride to her one husband" (2 Corinthians 11:2). There are many other images, but the strongest of them ...

184. Time For A New Vision

Acts 1:1-11

Sermon

Angela Akers

... . . even today, there are little children growing up out there with a McNeil horizon, with parents unable or unwilling to help them understand how limiting it is to stop all your dreams at McNeil--and no Aunt to take them to Pine Bluff." (2) The apostles' vision stopped at McNeil. They were planning for an earthly throne of power. But Jesus was planning a world invasion, not of might and force, but of love and truth and peace. First, Jesus wanted them to spread his message in Jerusalem. Seems simple enough ...

185. Joy: The Echo of God's Presence In Us! (Part I - Introduction)

Philippians 1:1-11

Sermon

Eric Ritz

... scholars that this Epistle to the church of Philippi was written in 62 or 63 AD while Paul was a prisoner in Rome. This was not the first time for Paul to be in a jail cell. We know from the Book of Acts in chapter sixteen that the Apostle Paul personally birthed this congregation. This church always held a special place in Paul''s heart and memory, and in return he was held in high regard by them. This congregation was established in 52 AD in what we know today as northern Greece. This letter in front of ...

186. We Must Obey God

Acts 5:17-42

Sermon

Elizabeth Achtemeier

... accusation and proclaim that nevertheless, God has exalted Jesus to the position of power on his right hand as Leader and Savior, giving forgiveness to Israel. This enrages the Sanhedrin, who want to sentence the apostles to death, but fortunately, a faithful Pharisee named Gamaliel intervenes and saves the apostles from being killed. They do not escape punishment entirely, however. They are beaten and then released, only to go on preaching and teaching (vv. 33-42). "We must obey God rather than men," the ...

187. Completing The Master's Work

Luke 24:44-53

Sermon

Richard Gribble

... the Holy Spirit, whose arrival we will celebrate next week at Pentecost. The Spirit not only guides and directs our ways, but will provide inspiration and any and all things that might be needed for the commission the apostles have received. Thus, as Jesus ascends to the heavens and a reunion with the Father, the apostles need not be fearful. They can be confident that God will be with them every step of the way as they initiated the construction of God's kingdom in a formal way. Jesus came to our world ...

188. How to Love God

Matthew 22:34-46

Sermon

Stephen M. Crotts

... a book, for in doing so there will be more of him to love God." Yes, our minds are for the love of God. As the Apostle Paul said, we should "Study to show ourselves approved unto God, workmen that need not be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth" (2 Timothy 2 ... measure your love for God you look at the person you love least. That is an indication of how you love God. John the Apostle said it correctly when he said, "If anyone says, 'I love God,' and hates his brother, he is a liar." Power To Love Right ...

189. Don't Forget the Mustard

Luke 17:1-10

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

... Mark 4:32 recounts that Darius sent Alexander the Great a bag of sesame seed to symbolize the vast number of his army. In return, Alexander sent back a sack of mustard seed, showing not only the number but the fiery energy of his soldiers. The apostles have the wrong quality in mind when they implore Jesus to increase their faith. Faith is not about quantity. Faith is about quality. Faith is not about size. Faith is about spice. The tiny mustard seed reveals its strength when it is bitten into – it bites ...

190. The Counter Intelligence of the Cross

1 Corinthians 1:18--2:5, 1 Corinthians 1:10-17, 1 Corinthians 1:1-9

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

... made possible by God, not by the individual, it can be expanded to all, to “those in every place” who “call on the name of our Lord Jesus Christ” (v.2). It is only now, after this salutation has correctly identified Paul (as “an apostle”) and the Corinthian Christians (as the “holy”) that he now offers his signature greeting: “Grace to you and peace” (v.3). It is divine grace that has brought both Paul and the Corinthians their unique identity---grace offered by “God our Father” but ...

191. Proper 27

Joshua 24:1-27, Psalm 78:1-72, 1 Thessalonians 4:13--5:11, Matthew 25:1-13

Sermon Aid

Soards, Dozeman, McCabe

... . Verse 13 announces the topic, "those who have died"; and it recognizes the motivation for the following teaching: "so that you may not grieve as others who have no hope." Verse 14 then sets out the christological foundation of the position that the apostles propound and here explain: "God will bring with [Jesus] those who have died." Verses 15-17 describe the events at the coming of Christ using the images of apocalyptic eschatology. Finally, v. 18 applies the teaching about the coming and the fate of ...

192. How to Rub People the Right Way

Acts 4:36-37

Sermon

James Merritt

... a real encourager; he will champion the underdog. He will jump on the bandwagon when everybody else is jumping off. He'll walk into your house when the whole world has just walked out. Do you notice how he did it? "But Barnabas took him and brought him to the apostles. And he declared to them how he had seen the Lord on the road, and that He had spoken to him, and how he had preached boldly at Damascus in the name of Jesus." (v.27) He never brought up his past; he never alluded to his mistakes. He didn ...

193. Does Easter Make a Difference?

Acts 4:32-35

Sermon

Ron Lavin

... , but everything they owned was held in common" (Acts 4:32b). It was a brilliant experiment, but it was flawed by sin. As we read on the hindside of our text, two people, Ananias and Sapphira, sold their property, but lied about the proceeds. The apostles were trying to emphasize the angelic side of personality, but had to face the reality of the demonic side of personality as well. That's why the experiment in community failed. These early followers had the right idea, namely that our purpose in life is ...

194. Acts 10:34-43

Acts 10:34-43

Sweet

Leonard Sweet

... him before the Lord on equal footing with the Jewish Christian, Peter. At last Peter is convinced that Jesus Christ is truly "the" Lord of all (v.36). If this revelation is as true as Peter perceives it to be, then he is bound as an apostle and a witness to continue with his proclamation before this Gentile household. In verses 39-41, Peter makes known to these Gentiles the great event that was performed as much for their sake as it was for the redemption of Israel. Peter testifies to the real, agonizing ...

195. Acts 2:42-47

Acts 2:42-47

Sweet

Leonard Sweet

... may see it, approach it, and be warmed - possibly even ignited - by it. There is an old adage: The place for the fire is in the fireplace. Koinonia: Teaching is a forward-looking, even a next-generation, activity. But the seeds sowed by the apostles' teaching needs fertile soil in which to germinate. Thus it is that Luke next highlights what is arguably the most special gift the Holy Spirit bestowed on these new believers - the ability to become a true fellowship (koinonia) community. Earlier in chapter 2 ...

196. Easter 7

Acts 1:12-26, 1 John 5:1-12, John 17:6-19

Sermon Aid

John R. Brokhoff

... , and thus what happened to Jesus had to happen. In today's world, there is chance, luck and accident. In the Bible things just do not happen by coincidence. God is in all and over all. 2. One (v. 21). Who will be the one to succeed Judas as an apostle? Who is qualified for that high office? Peter says he must be one who knows Jesus, who was with Jesus from the time of his baptism through the resurrection. He must be one who lived with Jesus when he was on earth and one who lives with him now. He ...

197. They Devoted Themselves

Acts 2:42-47

Sermon

Billy D. Strayhorn

... own at least one Bible but 70% of non-Christians and 23% of Christians said they never read the Bible at all. (2) How can we know anything about a book we never read. Contrast that to the early Church. "They devoted themselves to the apostles' teaching." People are starving for answers to problems. Some are dying from spiritual starvation and yet they never open up God's guidebook to life. Or they never attend a worship service and just soak in the presence of God. The early church "devoted themselves ...

198. The Heifer that Will Change the World!

Romans 11:1-2a, 29-32

Sermon

Larry Lange

... 32) in their "unbelief" (Romans 11:20), he also believed that they had not "stumbled so as to fall" (Romans 11:11), but that "there is a remnant, chosen by grace" (Romans 11:5) whom "God has the power to graft ... in again" (Romans 11:23). The apostle Paul uses the same grafting image to describe how the Gentiles became Christians. He treats "the elect" among his people no differently than he treats those who have been "elected" to be Christians (Romans 8:33; 9:11; 11:7; 11:17-23). The disobedience that can ...

199. We Are the Champions

Romans 12:1-8

Sermon

Larry Lange

... from gifted champion of the church to dead meat in the course of less than a year? In the second lesson, the apostle Paul explains that all Christians have gifts: gifts of equal value, gifts equally necessary for the accomplishment of God's agenda, gifts ... chop off our own finger. There is for even the weakest member one last transformation hidden in the reality of their baptism. The apostle Paul wrote elsewhere in his letter to Rome: Do you not know that all of us who have been baptized into Christ Jesus ...

200. 2 Timothy 3:14-4:5

2 Timothy 3:10--4:8

Sweet

Leonard Sweet

... ’s epistle text we might think Paul’s apostolic urging of Timothy to continue his ministry is couched in traditional, familiar language. But the first century communities to whom Paul’s words were directed heard a new sound and found a new meaning in the apostle’s letters. Yet today’s text does start with a reminder to Timothy to recall the past — recalling the lessons he had learned and remembering those whom he had learned from as a child. Timothy’s mentor in the faith had been no less than ...

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