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 2001 to 2025 of 2815 results

2001. Dig In

Jeremiah 29:1-14

Sermon

Mark Trotter

... of my resources to charity. Biblical stewardship is based on the commandment of God, found in the creation, to have dominion. That means to go to work, and to make this place a better place. Dominion means responsibility. Dominion used in the New Testament parables of Jesus is what the master gives the servant when the master goes away. He gives the servant power and authority to do something in this world. Then he returns, and asks, "What have you done with your stewardship? I expected you to use what ...

2002. Here We Go Again

Luke 21:25-36

Sermon

Mark Trotter

... Those who wait for the Lord for the Lord shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run and not be weary; they shall walk and not faint. Jesus told his disciples, "Nobody knows the hour or the day. So watch." Then he told parables of watching to illustrate for us what it looks like to watch. In every one of them people continue to live their daily lives, building houses, investing in the market, raising children, planting gardens, thinking of others, getting outside themselves, all the while, watching ...

2003. If You Can't Stand the Heat

Luke 14:25-33

Sermon

Mark Trotter

... words. But when you ask the crowd to give, that's when the crowd thins out. So maybe the problem was, Jesus had been preaching comfortable words. He had those comfortable words, you know, about God's grace, about how much God loves us--those beautiful parables he told about grace, the prodigal son, the lost sheep, the lost coin (which, incidentally, are in the fifteenth chapter of Luke, which we'll look at next week). Grace--that's what he offered people, he preached it, gave it out freely. He healed the ...

2004. Laugh It Off

I Corinthians 1:18-20, 26-31

Sermon

Mark Trotter

... time to come." That reminded me of the story of Natalie Sleeth. Some of you know that name because she was a church musician. Two of her hymns are in our hymnal. She died of cancer a few years ago, but a short time before she died she wrote a parable for her grandchildren to explain to them what was about to happen. She began with, "Once upon a time," and then told the story of creation as it is found in Genesis, paraphrased it, and then said that God said, "That's good. That's good." Then she talked about ...

2005. Now Try Forgiveness

Matthew 18:21-35

Sermon

Mark Trotter

... times, but seventy times seven." Which means, forgiveness is beyond calculation. There are no limits to it. Which means, it is not a specific solution to a particular problem in your life, but it is a way of life. To drive it home, Jesus tells the parable of the unmerciful servant. A king wants to settle accounts with one of his servants. He discovers that the servant cannot produce the ten thousand talents that he owes. We know that King Herod collected 1000 talents a year in taxes from his people so that ...

2006. Now What Do We Do?

John 1:1-18

Sermon

Mark Trotter

2007. The Extended Family

John 13:31-35

Sermon

Mark Trotter

... door of the house, hammering in the nails to announce that the son can never, ever, ever return to the family. In kinship society that is not uncommon. Jesus lived in such a society. He will attack it later in his adult ministry, most poignantly in his parable of the Prodigal Son, where the son who has broken every taboo in sight, is welcomed home by the father, to the horror of the older brother. So the teaching of Jesus to honor the command, "Honor your father and your mother," is placed in the context ...

2008. The Messiah

Matthew 3:1-12

Sermon

Mark Trotter

... crooked straight, and the rough places plain. So, come home. That is the message of Isaiah. Come home. Your past is forgiven. It is the same message that Jesus preached to us. Those words are not unlike the message of The Prodigal Son, Jesus' favorite parable, which is also an invitation to come home. Israel was in exile in Babylon, the prodigal son was in the "far country." That is the phrase that Jesus used. He is in the "far country," like Babylon. Israel trusts God's invitation to return. The prodigal ...

2009. The Wedding Guest

John 2:1-11

Sermon

Mark Trotter

... off at things, a feast of wine on the lees, of fat things full of marrow, of wine on the lees well refined." There were also those beautiful prophecies saying that when the Messiah comes, it will be like a wedding banquet. Jesus himself told a parable of the bridesmaids and identified himself as the bridegroom. So it must have occurred to the guests. Someone must have said, "Do you realize what this means? Remember the passage in Isaiah?" They could have cited Amos, or Hosea, or Jeremiah as well, where it ...

2010. This Is a Test

Genesis 22:1-14

Sermon

Mark Trotter

... and withers. That is what our life is like. So teach us to number our days that we may get a heart of wisdom. That wisdom we are to get is: "The Lord gives. The Lord takes away." Or the teaching of Jesus in the New Testament. Particularly the parable of the Rich Fool, who built barns and filled them to insure his future. When he built his last barn, and he knew now his future was secure, insuring him of modest immortality, that's when God said, "Fool Tonight your soul is required of you." "The Lord gives ...

2011. The Problem Is Not Faith

Luke 17:1-10

Sermon

King Duncan

... faith and a lot of hard work made Bucky Wertz a champion. The problem, Jesus was saying to his disciples, is not that you have too little faith. The problem is that you are not applying the faith you have. Then Jesus tells them a strange little parable. He says, “Suppose one of you has a servant who’s been plowing or looking after sheep. When that servant comes in from work would you say to the servant, ‘Come along now and sit down to eat’? Not likely. You would probably say, ‘Prepare my supper ...

2012. Epiphany 5

Matthew 5:17-20, Matthew 5:13-16, 1 Corinthians 2:6-16, 1 Corinthians 1:18--2:5, Isaiah 58:1-14

Sermon Aid

John R. Brokhoff

... path of righteousness. As Christians we are lights because we reflect the Light of the world. Christ has given us light and it is our responsibility to let the light shine. Outline: Questions that confront us – a. Is our light shining? Like the foolish virgins in the parable, have our lamps gone out? b. Where is our light shining? A light in midday is unnecessary and wasted. Is our light shining in light's dark places where light is needed? c. Can the light be seen? Good works enable the light to be seen ...

2013. Easter 4

John 10:1-21, Acts 6:1-7, Acts 7:54--8:1a, 1 Peter 2:13-25

Sermon Aid

John R. Brokhoff

... Jesus' suffering: (1) Jesus does not pay back, but absorbs the suffering; (2) Jesus' suffering was redemptive. Because of this, straying sheep come back to their Shepherd. Gospel: John 10:1-10 Jesus is the shepherd and door of the sheep. Today's Gospel consists of two parables (vv. 1-6 and 7-10). Jesus claims to be both the true shepherd and door of the sheep. As the true shepherd, he comes through the gate for his sheep while a false shepherd uses an illegitimate way to steal the sheep. As a true shepherd ...

2014. Proper 6

Genesis 18:1-15, Romans 5:1-8, Matthew 9:35 – 10:8 (9-23), Matthew 9:35-38, 10:1-42, Romans 5:1-11

Bulletin Aid

John R. Brokhoff

... Jesus restricts the ministry of the disciples to Israel - a covenanted people of God. He refers to God's people as "lost sheep." John the Baptist called upon the Israelites to be baptized as though they were Gentiles in need of conversion. In the parable, the father calls his prodigal son "lost." The lostness in the church may be the cause of the church's weakness, apathy, and ineffectiveness. In this text Jesus may be saying to us that we had better evangelize the church before we attempt to convert ...

2015. Christ the King

Psalm 100:1-5, 1 Corinthians 15:12-34, Matthew 25:31-46, Ezekiel 34:1-31

Sermon Aid

John R. Brokhoff

... the sheep and goats, the good and the bad. The basis of the separation is the nations' ministering or lack of ministering to the hungry, thirsty, sick, and imprisoned. The passage is not primarily an appeal for social justice or economic aid. The main point of the parable is the coming separation of the good and the bad who are destined either for heaven or hell. It should also be noted that what was done to Christ was done not to people in general, but to "the least of these my brethren." The brethren are ...

2016. Disappointed in Jesus

Matthew 11:2-11

Sermon

Susan R. Andrews

... actualizing, Jesus became the incarnation of the dream, the embodiment of the new social order, the one who walked the walk and lived the vision. And, brothers and sisters, as the Body of Christ, we are called to do the same. There is a wonderful parable that tells us what "prophecy actualized" might look like in our lives. There was once a woman who was disappointed, who was disillusioned, who was depressed. She wanted a good world, a peaceful world, and she wanted to be a good person. But the newspaper ...

2017. The Offense of Grace

Matthew 5:43-48, Matthew 5:38-42

Sermon

Susan R. Andrews

... and condemnation - this is God's story. After all, God put a rainbow promise in the sky, even though we hadn't earned it. God made manna to fall from heaven, even though the wandering Israelites had done nothing but complain and whine. In Jesus' most difficult parable, the vineyard owner, who is God, pays the one-hour workers the same as the eight-hour workers, and thus gives them - and us - not what we deserve but what we need. And in the archetypal tale of the Prodigal Son, we meet a God who rejoices ...

2018. Building Our Foundation on God

Matthew 6:1-6, 16-21

Sermon

Richard Gribble

... the proper motivation in their personal prayer lives. No one forces us to pray; we do so out of our personal need and that of the world. However, if we are honest, our motivation for communal prayer may be less clear and altruistic. We should recall the famous parable of the publican and the sinner (Luke 18:9-14). Jesus was very clear that the rich publican, while he did all for show on the outside, was unacceptable to God, while the sinner, who realized his faults and dared not raise to eyes to God, went ...

2019. Through the Lens of God

John 4:5-42

Sermon

Richard Gribble

... woman. First-century Jews would have been appalled at such behavior, at the audacity of one who claimed to be a rabbi to engage in such practices. The outrage people felt would have been the same as those who heard Jesus' proclaim his parable of the Good Samaritan (Luke 10:25-37), when the upstanding of Hebrew society, the priest and Levite, pass by the wounded traveler, seemingly unconcerned, while the hated Samaritan treats the man with compassion. Why did Jesus engage the Samaritan woman in conversation ...

2020. Sharing the Pain of Others

Matthew 26:14-27:66

Sermon

Richard Gribble

... sacred and inviolate to the Jews. He ruffled more feathers when he continually associated with outcasts of various natures — sinners, the diseased, women, and foreigners. He ridiculed the religious leaders of his day in many ways, but none more pointed than through parables, such as the Good Samaritan. Maybe most problematic for the Jews was that the Jesus demonstrated through signs, and even stated that he was God. This outrage against the unanimity of God, might have been the straw that broke the camel ...

2021. Reevaluating Our Mission for Christ

John 17:1-11

Sermon

Richard Gribble

... to serve than be served, that humility was more important than power, and that there was an absolute need to sacrifice, even to die to self and live for others in order to find life eternal. Jesus taught publicly through the veiled message of the parables and more directly through the famous Sermon on the Mount (Matthew 5:1-7:29). He used his ability to effect miraculous cures, of mind, spirit, and body to show God's love for the people. He never missed an opportunity to assist another, especially those ...

2022. Sick and Tired of Being Sick and Tired?

Matthew 9:35-10:8

Sermon

Stephen M. Crotts

... of bug bites and scratches. It was easy for these to get infected. So the good shepherd made an antiseptic salve and rubbed it on his little lambs. Not only did it act as a bug repellant. It also helped heal. Luke's Gospel, likewise, shares the parable of the Good Samaritan. When the beaten victim was left for dead, the kind stranger poured wine and oil on his wounds. Same idea. Wine was an antiseptic. Oil was a form of medicine. Today's elders may prescribe the oil of modern medical know-how for your ...

2023. Supper's Ready!

Matthew 22:1-14

Sermon

Stephen M. Crotts

... third fellow invited, but he, too, refused, saying, "I've married a wife." Does that sound familiar? Blaming it on your wife? That's as old as Adam putting the blame on Eve! People have not changed much in the years that separate the first telling of this parable and its telling today. Supper is still ready. God is still willing. The invitations are still going out, and the excuses are still coming in. "Wait Until I Have Some Fun!" Have you ever heard this excuse? "I'll come. I'll become a Christian and sit ...

2024. How to Love God

Matthew 22:34-46

Sermon

Stephen M. Crotts

... the world we really mean business. Your Neighbor Wait a minute! We're not through with this text just yet. There is a fourth way to love God. Jesus said, "Love thy neighbor as thyself." And as if to remove all doubt, Christ told the parable of the Good Samaritan, which explains who our neighbor is (Luke 10:25-37). He is anyone, regardless of color, creed, or economic standing who needs our help. "You shall love" ... there's that word agape again ... "You shall love your neighbor" without qualification. Not ...

2025. Worship Wars!

Luke 18:9-14

Sermon

Stephen M. Crotts

... next?" "Choruses are 7-11 worship. Seven words repeated eleven times!" Any pastor, any active church member alive today is in the trenches of this warfare. Thankfully, the scriptures can be our guide through the mine-fields of this battleground. And today's text, a parable of Jesus, is a good place to begin. Jesus told the story of two men who went into the temple to pray. Each had a totally different experience. So, let's interview them, each in turn. Worshiper Number One: "So, Mr. Pharisee, I understand ...

Showing results