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 1976 to 2000 of 3314 results

1976. Changing Lives Through Jesus Christ!

2 Corinthians 5:11--6:2

Sermon

Linda Richard

... God is making his appeal through us; we entreat you on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God. For our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God." (1) IN II CORINTHIANS 5: 17-21, THE APOSTLE PAUL SAYS THAT IF ANYONE IS "IN CHRIST" THAT PERSON IS A NEW CREATION. Everything old has passed away . . . everything has become new. The phrase "in Christ" sounds a bit strange to us, and we need to take a moment to understand what it means. Paul is saying that ...

1977. Take This Job And Love It

2 Thessalonians 3:6-15

Sermon

King Duncan

... if we didn't have this written record to Paul's tireless efforts in behalf of the Gospel, we could judge by his many travels how much the Gospel meant to him. Paul Rogers of Centerville, Tennessee, has done some calculating of just how far the Apostle Paul walked in his efforts to spread the gospel. According to Acts, he took three missionary journeys. The second of these alone amounted to three thousand miles, two thousand of which would have been on foot. The average daily distance of a traveler of that ...

1978. Passions

1 Corinthians 2:6-16

Sermon

Frank Lyman

... . For Paul became, as you will remember, the great missionary to the Gentiles. Paul's background is fascinating. Politically, he was a Roman citizen, inheriting his Roman citizenship from his father. It proved to be his passport to the world. Unlike the other apostles who were Galileans, Paul's Roman citizenship allowed him to "appeal to Rome" whenever he found himself challenged, threatened or even jailed. Culturally, Paul was a Greek. He grew up in the Hellenic city of Tarsus in the coastal region of Asia ...

1979. One Life To Live

Isaiah 42:1-9

Sermon

King Duncan

... whom they adjudge as not having the will power, the character, the personal discipline that they have. They become the pharisee looking down at the tax-collector, the older brother refusing to welcome the prodigal back home. They become rigid reactionaries stoning the Apostle Stephen. Righteousness is a gift from God. It is not something we simply earn. When Paul Powers was seven years old, his mother died of pneumonia. After his mother's death, Paul's father became an alcoholic. He also began beating Paul ...

1980. Counterfeit Christianity

Matthew 7:15-23

Sermon

King Duncan

... to give lip service, but not life service, to the kingdom of God and the Lordship of Jesus Christ. You can have eloquent words but an empty witness, and Jesus knows the difference. We are never to substitute talk for a truthful testimony. The Apostle's Creed is great, but apostolic power to produce apostolic faith is even greater. Authentic creeds lead to dynamic deeds. Sound doctrine and sound living walk hand-in-hand. Dr. Clarence Jordan wrote a popular translation of the New Testament known as the ...

1981. His Name Was Rocky Johnson

Matthew 16:13-20

Sermon

Frank Lyman

... his nets to follow Jesus. He would need to leave everything he was--his impatience, his anger, his inconstant way of life. Christ needed Simon Peter to make the transition from being a disciple (from the Greek mathetes which means learner) to become an apostle (from the Greek apostolos which means one sent forth.) That is a journey that every mature Christian must make sooner or later--from learner to one sent to convey the good news to others. For Peter it would be a difficult journey. Jesus takes his ...

1982. Why Did I Do That?

Romans 7:7-25

Sermon

King Duncan

... write, "I can will what is right, but I cannot do it. For I do not do the good I want, but the evil I do not want is what I do." (NRSV) Sounds like he belongs in our church, doesn't it? He's one of our own. The Apostle Paul was like the rest of us. His intentions were the best in the world. His actions, though, did not measure up. Why was he like that? Why are you and I like that? Paul says it is the law of sin at work in our lives. Paul doesn't ...

1983. A Tale Of Two Brothers

Matthew 21:28-32

Sermon

King Duncan

... lad to the Savior who miraculously used the boy's simple lunch to feed a multitude. And finally he is directing a group of seeking Greeks to Jesus." The parishioner walked away thoughtfully, for he had received a new glimpse of the importance of that unpraised apostle. (7) We need more Andrews in the church. We need more disciples who are directing their friends and their family to Jesus. Christ has called us to make an impact on this community. "Yes, Father, I will go." We are those who have said we would ...

1984. Expectant Living

2 Peter 3:1-18

Sermon

King Duncan

... moment count. To the day keepers, living each day well is an art form, and it requires concentration and guidance. The day keepers remind the people to do every job, no matter how mundane, with a sense of purpose. (6) Let's take this message from the apostle Peter and use it as our "day keeper," to remind us of how we should live holy and fruitful lives. The Christmas season, as most of us experience it, seems almost designed to distract us from God-centered living. There is so much pressure to shop, shop ...

1985. Stop Those Two Dear Women From Fighting

Philippians 4:2-9

Sermon

King Duncan

... . Conflict happens. Even in church. Some of you are thinking, “Especially in church.” A cartoon showed this notice on a church bulletin board: “213 days without a split!” (1) Conflict happens. It even happened in the churches that bore the direct influence of the Apostle Paul. Listen to Paul’s words to the Church at Philippi, as recorded in the Living Bible: “Dear brother Christians, I love you and long to see you, for you are my joy and my reward for my work. My beloved friends, stay true to ...

1986. Choices

Mark 1:9-13

Sermon

King Duncan

... so many other talented young stars. (5) At a crossroads moment, Elvis Presley chose to follow his own desires. Eventually, those desires devoured his very life. Pastor David L. McKenna, in his commentary on the book of Mark, reminds us that the apostle Mark was writing to a small band of Roman Christians who were under constant persecution from the Roman government and surrounding society. The Romans invented the barbaric practice of sending unarmed Christians into the arena with hungry lions as a form of ...

1987. Beginning Again

Ephesians 2:1-10

Sermon

King Duncan

... past. Regret provides the ammunition for the twin demons of shame and guilt. It erodes our self-esteem. It is the little voice that whispers in our ear, "Remember your failures, remember your foolish decisions. Remember the kind of person you were." The apostle Paul, of all people, understood the corrosive power of regret. As a devoted Pharisee, Paul--then called Saul--had been a chief persecutor of the early Christian believers. In the book of Acts, chapter 7, we read of the execution of Stephen, a young ...

1988. Are You Ready For Your Inheritance?

Ephesians 1:1-14

Sermon

King Duncan

... remember. Since then, this obscure song from the prison road crew has earned Carter thousands of dollars. (2) Do you think that unexpected blessing changed Mr. Carter's life in any way? Would it change yours, if you were in his place? The apostle Paul was known for a sort of single-minded enthusiasm. He was extraordinarily enthusiastic when he wrote the passage from Ephesians which we read a few moments ago. In our Bibles, this passage is broken down into nice, neat paragraphs with proper punctuation. In ...

1989. The Perfect Antidote For Worry

Matthew 6:25-34

Sermon

King Duncan

... able to say, "Thank you God for the gift of life and all the blessings of life," and then to trust God for all our lives--then, and only then, will we be able to relax and enjoy all that God has provided. That's why the Apostle Paul could write from a prison cell in Rome, "Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus ...

1990. I Can Make It By Myself . . .

1 Corinthians 12:12-31, 1 Corinthians 12:1-11

Sermon

King Duncan

... decaying trash quickly became a health hazard. A nationwide absence of ordinary garbage collections would paralyze the country in a few short weeks. (6) In the body of Christ, everyone is important. Even the seemingly insignificant participants are urgently needed. As the Apostle Paul reminds us: "The head cannot say to the feet, "˜I don't need you!' On the contrary, those parts of the body which seem to be weaker are indispensable . . . If one member suffers, all suffer together; if one member is honored ...

1991. Boldly Going . . . Nowhere

Philippians 3:1-11

Sermon

King Duncan

... his friend added, "You know, really, you ought to live every day like you have only a few more days to live." (3) He's so right. When you're about to lose all the perks, you realize you should have spent more time on life's purpose. The apostle Paul understood that. His life evaluation moment was so sudden and significant that he found it necessary to change his name just to express the difference in his life. Paul, whose given name was Saul, had a very comfy position in life, until he met Jesus. Saul was ...

1992. Like A Tornado

Acts 2:1-13

Sermon

King Duncan

... as the word "wind." He may have been saying that the spirit was present in a powerful way. But I like to visualize the special effects. I like to think of the wind shaking paintings on the wall, perhaps slinging them to the floor. I like to think of the Apostle John's hair being blown and Simon Peter trying to keep his napkin on the table. Of course, John may have been bald. And Simon Peter may have wiped his mouth on his sleeve, since we view him as such a crude man. Nobody knows. All we know is there ...

1993. Don't Be Ashamed . . .

2 Timothy 1:1-2:13

Sermon

King Duncan

... on it, the pulpits of the world would be largely silent. (Someone's thinking somewhat cynically, that would not be a bad thing.) Nevertheless, for the next four Sundays we are going to take II Timothy at face value--that it was the last letter written by the Apostle Paul before his martyrdom. And that it was written to a young protege named Timothy. Why? Because there is much wisdom in these words--wisdom for you and me as well as for this young pastor. And the words will have more meaning if, in our minds ...

1994. Don't Be Ashamed . . .

2 Timothy 1:8

Children's Sermon

King Duncan

... nice, wouldn't it? Or suppose we ran errands for an elderly person? Or went out of our way to be kind to disabled person, etc?) But suppose after doing this good thing, we were punished for it? That wouldn't be fair, would it? In today's scripture the Apostle Paul is in jail because he told other people about Jesus. He had been doing something very good, and he was being punished for it. That wasn't fair. But he is writing to his friend Timothy and telling him that he isn't ashamed of being in jail. You ...

1995. A Life Without Apology

2 Timothy 1:1-2:13

Sermon

King Duncan

... up of atoms?" The younger boy looked thoughtful for a moment, then said, "Mom! That means you're made up of Eves." Children are wonderful. And our most important responsibility is to prepare our children to live fully, completely and joyfully as children of God. The Apostle Paul is writing from a prison cell in Rome to his young protÃ©gÃ©, Timothy, a pastor in Ephesus. He is giving counsel as a parent to his child. He wants his young friend to come to full maturity in Christ. And from his wise counsel ...

1996. A Life Without Apology

2 Timothy 2:8

Children's Sermon

King Duncan

... you didn't want anyone to see, this box would be a good place to put it, wouldn't it? Why is that? The box has a lock on it, doesn't it? What kind of things would you like to put in this box? In today's scripture, the Apostle Paul is talking about something that cannot be locked up. What do you think that is? [Read the scripture] He was talking about God's Word. God speaks to us though the Bible. Over the ages, evil governments have tried to keep people from reading the Bible, but sooner or ...

1997. Maturity In Christ

Colossians 1:27-28

Sermon

King Duncan

... , the church. I became its servant according to God's commission that was given to me . . ." That is how Paul saw himself, as a servant of the church. You and I look back and see him as a leader of the church. After all, he was the great apostle to the Gentiles. Without St. Paul, Christianity might have remained primarily a Jewish sect. He was one of the great religious leaders of all time, but he viewed himself as a servant. The best leaders are always of that mind-set, whether it is in church or business ...

1998. Winners And Losers

Luke 13:22-30

Sermon

King Duncan

... a right relationship with God. "Make every effort to enter through the narrow door, because many, I tell you, will try to enter and will not be able to." But we cannot talk about God's judgment without also talking about God's love. In Ephesians 3: 18, the apostle Paul writes to the believers in Ephesus that he prays they will be able to grasp, "how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, and to know that this love surpasses knowledge . . ." And in II Peter 3: 9, we are assured that the Lord ...

1999. Marks Of A Champion

1 Timothy 6:3-10

Sermon

King Duncan

... ," "knock-out punch," etc. Let's face it. Men, for the most part, talk about sports. Surely you've read Men Are From Mars, Women Are From Venus. Men talk about sports; women talk about relationships. At least, that's what the experts say. The Apostle Paul was a man. And so he occasionally used language from the world of sports. Consider our text from his letter to Timothy: "Fight the good fight," he says. Now that wouldn't be an extraordinary remark, except that most early Christians were pacifists. They ...

2000. Bread From Heaven

John 6:25-59

Sermon

King Duncan

... lived up to his expectations. Many great teachers, writers, musicians, politicians, lawyers, and leaders from every field credit Professor John Erskine for their accomplishments. They believed in the greatness he saw in them. (2) Jesus' words had the same effect on his apostles. With one command, Jesus could have called down all the powers of heaven and earth to set up his kingdom. He could have vanquished the whole Roman military, destroyed his enemies, and amassed all the wealth and power on earth for ...

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