Sermon and Worship Resources

Showing 176 to 200 of 5000 results

Mark 8:31--9:1

Understanding Series

Larry W. Hurtado

... refuse to renounce Christ in such a situation, even if the punishment were death. And for the gospel implies that the person charged has come to the attention of authorities on account of preaching the Christian message. The gospel in this absolute sense is with one exception used only in Mark and in Paul (see, e.g., 1:15; 10:29; 13:10; Acts 15:7; Rom. 10:16; 11:28; 1 Cor. 4:15; 9:14, 18, 23; 2 Cor. 8:18). The term means not only the message but also the activity of circulating it, and this little phrase ...

177. A Man with Leprosy

Mark 1:40-45

Sermon Aid

Richard A. Jensen

... Two responses to Jesus are presented in this story. People can be in fear in Jesus' presence or they can have faith. The contrast between fear and faith will be a strong theme in later chapters of this Gospel. We have identified a series of passages in Mark 1:40--3:6 where Jesus transgresses the religious boundaries of his day. Each of these texts will occur in the Cycle B lectionary. Still, it might be well at some point to treat these passages together so that the reality of Jesus' boundary-breaking will ...

178. The Resurrection of Jesus and the Promise of Victory

Mark 16:1-20

Teach the Text

Grant R. Osborne

... lists (including those in 1 Cor. 15:5–8), we have at least eleven appearances: Mary Magdalene (John 20:14–18), the group of women (Mark 16:5–7; Matt. 28:9–10), Peter (Luke 24:34; 1 Cor. 15:5), two disciples going to Emmaus (Luke 24:13–35), the ... us (Rev. 12:9; 20:3), and God has provided “a way out” (1 Cor. 10:13): the power of the risen Lord. Mark contains the strongest emphasis on discipleship failure of any of the Gospels. The disciples completely abandon Jesus (14:50–52) and are cowering ...

179. John the Baptist Prepares the Way

Mark 1:1-8

Understanding Series

Larry W. Hurtado

... but that seems to have acquired a special significance for early Christians as a technical term for the message of salvation through Jesus. (See, e.g., Mark 1:14–15; 8:35; 10:29; 13:10; 14:9; Rom. 1:1, 16–17; 1 Cor. 4:15.) Here too the term refers to ... God only by God (1:11; 9:7), by demons (3:11; 5:7), and by one man, the centurion at the cross (15:39), illustrating Mark’s emphasis upon the blindness of people to Jesus in his own ministry. (See “Son of God,” NIDNTT, vol. 3, pp. 634–48.) 1:2 It ...

180. Blind Bartimaeus Receives His Sight

Mark 10:46-52

Understanding Series

Larry W. Hurtado

... and beautified the town, making it his winter capital. In Jesus’ time it was still a well-built, attractive town in a pleasant part of Palestine. (On the site and its history, see, e.g, IDB, vol 2, pp. 835–39; IDBSup, pp. 472–73.) Both Matt. 20:29 and Mark 10:46 agree in describing the healing as taking place on Jesus’ way out of Jericho, though Luke 18:35 says that it happened as Jesus was approaching the city. The NT Jericho was located a bit south of the OT site and only a few miles north of the ...

181. The Death of Jesus

Mark 15:33-41

Understanding Series

Larry W. Hurtado

... during the time of Moses. If this latter allusion is intended here, it (like the Amos 8:9 passage) would mean that the darkness was a sign of divine judgment upon those who rejected Jesus. Jesus’ cry in verse 34, the only words from the cross recorded in Mark, also seems to be an allusion, this time to Psalm 22:1, a psalm already alluded to in earlier verses of the narrative. Some scholars take this allusion to mean that Jesus is to be seen as serenely quoting perhaps the whole of Psalm 22, the prayer of ...

182. A Lack of Faith

Mark 6:1-6

Sermon Aid

Richard A. Jensen

... the future. Jesus is preparing the disciples for their ministry beyond his death. This is clearly an anticipation of the Christian Church and its mission. The disciples go forth to do what Jesus had been doing. They go forth to proclaim the coming of the reign of God. In Mark's telling of the Jesus story a vital part of the ministry of Jesus in establishing the kingdom is an attack on the world of the demonic. (See 1:21-28, 34, 39; 3:14-15, 20-30; 5:1-20.) Jesus, therefore, gives the twelve authority over ...

183. The Banquet

John 6:25-59

Sermon

Robert Salzgeber

... the invitation with pricked conscience. Elizabeth had said over the phone, "I do understand, pastor, if you cannot come. I know you are a busy man, but if you have time, how wonderful it would be to share a cup of tea with you." Despite his guilt Mark invented all sorts of reasons not to go to see Elizabeth. He had important meetings to attend: the County Helpline Board was meeting that afternoon and he was a member of the board; there was also a vacation Bible school meeting late into the afternoon and a ...

184. The Banquet

John 6:25-59

Sermon

Robert Salzgeber

185. The Parable of the Sower

Mark 4:1-20

Understanding Series

Larry W. Hurtado

... is made between those outside and the disciples, to whom is given the secret of the kingdom of God (4:11). This same division is reflected in 4:33–34, where the disciples get explanations, but the crowds do not. We have seen already the note of secrecy in Mark’s account of Jesus’ ministry (e.g., 1:34, 43–45; 3:12), and this idea that the disciples are given special teaching seems to be a related matter. The disciples are given the secret of the kingdom of God (4:11), and this appears to mean not ...

186. Signs of the End of the Age

Mark 13:1-31

Understanding Series

Larry W. Hurtado

... ’s account (cf. 4:1–34; 12:1–12). 13:30 I tell you the truth: This Greek phrase connotes solemn assurance like an oath (see note on 3:28). This generation will certainly not pass away until all these things have happened. The term generation is used elsewhere in Mark to refer to those who did not accept Jesus and to the period of time in which the disciples must remain true to him (cf. 8:12, 38; 9:19), but it is probably used here to mean that the events of vv. 5–23 (these things) will happen within ...

187. New Life Goes On

Mark 5:21-43

Sermon

David Coffin

... intend to show the reader that Jesus’ resurrection from the grave was real. Those, whose faith is in this Jesus, will also have a new life like his. This is more good news of the text. Why the secrecy? This is called the “messianic secret” that is unique to Mark’s gospel. There have been volumes written on this and we will not resolve the scholarly issues this day. I happen to believe that Jesus did not want people to identify him as Messiah or Son of God until he died on the cross for the sins of ...

188. Which Kingdom Do We Serve?

Mark 6:14-29

Sermon

David Coffin

... us to write our own chapter ending of our discipleship journey. Will we meet Jesus to do more mission wherever we identify a Galilee or will we simply live in fear? The good news is God gives us many second chances, even if we fail like the disciples did in Mark’s gospel. The other good news is that the Herodias’ and King Herod’s need not have the last word in our lives if we serve the kingdom of God that John and Jesus preached. In modern terms being told, “You’re fired!” need not be the final ...

189. A Dead Girl and A Sick Woman

Mark 5:21-43

Sermon Aid

Richard A. Jensen

... for example, as a threefold response to the question of the disciples: "Who then is this, that even the wind and the sea obey him?" (Mark 4:41). Who is this? This is the One who brings the kingdom near by casting out a legion of demons, healing a woman ... Jesus in response: "What have you to do with me, Jesus, Son of the Most High God? I adjure you by God, do not torment me" (Mark 5:7). After a brief conversation, Jesus cast out the legion of demons from the unclean man and sent them into the unclean pigs. A ...

190. The Healing Of Simon Peter's Mother-In-Law

Mark 1:29-34

Drama

Dallas A. Brauninger

... dialogue. Somehow, we assume a disciple is telling the story. The storyteller did not say that Simon and Andrew were present, but only that it was their house. We know only that "they" entered the house and that Jesus and some others, probably disciples, entered with James and John (Mark 1:29). A Disciple: I was there. Any one of us could have told the story. I told it as I did. I spoke briefly and to the point. I spoke as if it were nothing unusual for Jesus to care for us and for members of our family ...

191. Jesus, the Suffering Messiah

Mark 14:1-11

Sermon

Richard A. Jensen

... , Father," he cried, "all things are possible to thee; remove this cup from me; yet not what I will, but what thou wilt" (Mark 14:36). Jesus is to be a suffering Messiah. The disciples could not comprehend that at all. Jesus himself struggled mightily with his ... them, their eyes were blinded. They denied their Lord. There is only one faith confession in this whole Passion story, according to Mark. Mark paints for us a story of consistent ignorance and denial on the part of the disciples. But there is one man ...

192. When the Rules Change

7:1-8, 14-15, 21-23

Sermon

David Coffin

... or CD and he would have left both a paper trail and cyber cloud media set of messages. For modern job seekers and the couple who are seeking to get married as soon as possible, this means thinking outside the box. Also, as this relates to Mark 7, one must ask what is the result or outcome of the particular purity, politically correct or implied traditions of the day? When the rules change, such laws either may nor may not be helpful. Would the Christian couple be willing to use the WICCA temple fellowship ...

193. Jesus Heals A Paralytic

Mark 2:1-12

Sermon Aid

Richard A. Jensen

... interrupting the flow of the story or leaving the story behind for a few minutes. This is an important task to master in the storytelling art. Forgiveness of sins strikes very close to the heart and soul of the Christian proclamation. This is the only passage in Mark (and one of the few passages in the Gospels) where Jesus announces forgiveness of sins. The goal of our story on this pericope can well be that of shaping the telling of the story in such a way that this passage gets center stage. We can tell ...

194. The Temptation of Christ

Mark 1:9-13

Sermon Aid

Richard A. Jensen

... that the reader does not lose sight of the fact that it is just such activity that occupies Jesus during this phase of his ministry, Mark dots the pages of 1:14--8:26 with additional summary-passages: Jesus continues to preach (1:38-39), to call disciples (2:14; 3: ... announced by Jesus that the kingdom of God has come near to us. Faith tends to be the possession of "the little people" in Mark's Gospel. Jesus saw the faith of the men who brought a paralytic for healing: 2:5. The woman with the flow of blood ...

195. Who Is This Man?

Mark 14:43-52

Sermon

Mark Trotter

... Jesus, not a disciple. I think you ought to go back to that church that you belong to and tell them that you are an admirer of Jesus, not a disciple." How would you like to have a brother like Clarence Jordan, putting it to you all the time? Well Mark is doing the same thing, more gently, more subtly, but it's the same thing. He is saying, it wasn't just the disciples who forsook him and fled. There was a young person there, dressed in baptismal garb. Which reminds us that he had been asked at his baptism ...

196. The Calling of the First Disciples

Luke 5:1-11

Understanding Series

Craig A. Evans

... . In Luke, of course, Jesus uses it in reference to the kingdom of God. By employing the same expression in both the Gospel and Acts, Luke links Jesus’ preaching and the later apostolic preaching. Lake of Gennesaret is also commonly referred to as the “Sea of Galilee” (see Mark 1:16; Matt. 15:29) into which and from which the Jordan River flows. See HBD, p. 330. 5:2 fishermen, who were washing their nets: See E. F. F. Bishop, “Jesus and the Lake,” CBQ 13 (1951), pp. 398–414. 5:3 Then he sat down ...

197. Jesus Feeds the Five Thousand

Luke 9:10-17

Understanding Series

Craig A. Evans

... that he had this OT text in mind as he produced his own version of the feeding of the 5,000. 9:10 they withdrew by themselves to a town called Bethsaida: This statement is curious in light of the wilderness setting of the miracle that follows (v. 12). Mark says nothing of a town (6:31, 32, 35). Why Luke mentions a town at all is difficult to understand. Some mss. read “a wilderness place” to bring the Lucan version closer to the Marcan version and to avoid the awkwardness of going to a town and then ...

198. The Healing of a Demon-possessed Man

Mark 5:1-20

Understanding Series

Larry W. Hurtado

... area to the south and east of the Sea of Galilee featuring ten cities that formed a league for trade and defense about A.D. 1. This area was mainly Gentile in population. (See “Decapolis,” IDB, vol. 1, pp. 810–12.) All the people were amazed: Mark characteristically describes the response of people as amazement or surprise (1:22–27; 2:12; 5:42; 7:37; 9:15; 12:17), but this does not connote full understanding or acceptance of Jesus. Even those who reject Jesus are described as amazed at him (Nazareth ...

199. Easter Fear

Mark 16:1-8

Sermon

Will Willimon

... him closely when he was alive; now that he's dead, it's the least we can do. It's a bit easier to be a disciple of Jesus when he's dead, isn't it? When he's dead, you can count on his being in one place. Throughout Mark's gospel, there is this breathless, ceaseless account of peripatetic Jesus. ''After this he went there....immediately Jesus led them to....then they went on to....now they came to." With Jesus, there was no time to catch ones breath, take stock, figure things out, sit back and reflect. There ...

200. Outsiders and Insiders: A Gospel Surprise

Mark 9:38-41

Sermon Aid

Richard A. Jensen

... might be the best center for a sermon on today's text. The text is full of surprises about who the outsiders are and who the insiders are. Earlier we referred to a professor of theology who once said: "Whenever you want to draw lines in order to mark who is outside the kingdom and who is inside, always remember: Jesus is on the other side of the line! Jesus is always with the outsiders!" That thought stands behind our story telling for today. The context set by Tolbert's comments form a good context for our ...

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