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 2026 to 2050 of 2815 results

2026. The Man in the Tree

Luke 19:1-10

Sermon

King Duncan

... is important for us not to think of the war dead as merely a number--31,379--but as individuals with their own personal dreams, people they loved and people who loved them. God never thinks in numbers. That’s what Jesus was saying to us in the parable of the ninety and nine. The shepherd doesn’t look and see merely a flock of sheep, a mass, a blob of white. Every sheep is individually prized. A few years ago a faculty member at the University of Pittsburgh made a survey among his students and colleagues ...

2027. Tell You the Truth

John 14:5-14

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

... - a phrase he repeats over and over again. In a wide variety of situations, to all sorts of audiences, Jesus telegraphs the importance of what follows with this identifying phrase: "I tell you the truth." It was almost as if Jesus couldn't tell a parable or start a story without saying, "I tell you the truth." The NRSV translates this phrase as "Very truly I tell you," while the King James Version records "Verily, verily I say unto you." Most literally the translation would read in English, "Amen, amen ...

2028. Dolphin Drops

Isaiah 56:1-8

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

... or faked up pose – as long as the interior guide of mishpat (justice) and tzedekah (righteousness) remain straight and unshaken at the center of their being. John Moriarty is one of Ireland's leading scholars of Celtic spirituality and folklore. Moriarty tells a parable that is found in various forms in a variety of cultures. In the Celtic version a collector of shellfish finds himself marooned for the night on a rock. When the tide came in, dolphins gathered at the rock in the darkness and, shedding ...

2029. Conversion to Christ

Jeremiah 23:1-8

Sermon

Richard Gribble

... life to the boy. We can bring new life to others if we have the courage to admit our shortcomings. A second area of common necessity is our need to get involved. Too often opportunities come our way and we, like the priest and Levite in the Parable of the Prodigal Son (Luke 11:15-32), simply "pass by," and in the process we often miss the presence of God that passes before us. We need to minister actively to others, to be the Christ present on earth. Contemporary life brings many challenges and questions ...

2030. From Black Holes to Red Holes

Luke 18:18-30

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

... his exalted sense of self-importance, self-sufficiency. In the approaching kingdom of God, this self-exaltation will be stripped away and this Pharisee will find himself humbled before the One who IS all-powerful and truly righteous. Even as Jesus' parable draws his listeners away from their own black holes of pride and prejudice, self-absorption and self-importance, Jesus' relentless journey towards Jerusalem leads him towards his own black hole. The spiritual pull towards the Holy City and the sacrifice ...

2031. Someone to Watch over Me

Luke 15:11-32

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

... disgust. · With anticipation-not disappointment. Throughout Luke's gospel the writer most often refers to God as "Father." The parental image Luke paints is not a stern, distant, condemning patriarch. In today's gospel text, the so-called Prodigal Son parable develops the character of a loving, compassionate father beyond all expectation, beyond all reasoning. This father breaks all social/cultural rules, all standards and norms of this day or our own. The only constant that motivates, that validates, that ...

2032. What's the Value of Your Life?

Genesis 28:10-22

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

... God this morning? Michael Paul Gallagher is Professor of Fundamental Theology at the Gregorian University in Rome. One day he asked "the most saintly person I've ever known" this question: "What difference does Christian faith make?" The answer he got came in the form of a parable: Suppose I asked you to carry a bag for me and leave it in a house down the road, and suppose you generously did that, that would be good. If you thought there was just rubbish in the bag but you carried it because I asked you ...

2033. Who Let the Dogs Out?

Romans 13:8-14

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

... screaming and pushing him. As he stood at the end of the line, he man said, "I'm going to try once more, and if you do that to me again, I'm not going to open the store." Can you come up with a better parable for what happens after Thanksgiving to Christ's birthday message – a message of love, selflessness, emptying and joy. Christ, the host of the Christmas party keeps getting pushed to the back of the line by crowds of consumers who equate Advent with acquisition, Christmas with consumption, goodness ...

2034. My Precious, My Precious

Luke 12:13-21

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

... so we can serve ourselves. But instead of health lines, hope lines, or help lines we have an explosion in pornography sites, online scams, electronic theft, and worthless spam. More examples In today's gospel text Jesus uses a simple, surprisingly direct parable to demonstrate the foolishness and folly of a self-serving nature. The already rich man suddenly has even more prosperity thrust his way when his lands yield a bonanza a surprise bumper crop. Faced with this largesse, the rich man must seriously ...

2035. Wherever You Are, You Are Always at Home

Luke 2:41-52

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

... his parents' frantic search for him, the adult Jesus surely understood how powerfully their love for him had driven them. Let's try a little experiment, shall we? Let's read Jesus' story of the lost sheep, keeping this temple experience in mind. So he told them this parable: "Which one of you, having a hundred sheep and losing one of them, does not leave the ninety-nine in the wilderness and go after the one that is lost until he finds it? When he has found it, he lays it on his shoulders and rejoices. And ...

2036. A Personal Testimony

Luke 2:1-7

Sermon

Russell N. Gallimore

... been more than repaid with the unsearchable riches of Christ! That’s my story. How often it comes to mind! Just think! I almost had no room for the Christ! And as I have reflected on that across the years, it seems to me something of a parable of the human predicament: so often people exclude the Christ from the inn of their hearts! How about you? Have you made room for the Christ? [Turn toward the congregation and begin to move away from manger] Oh, one other thing…I think I forgot to introduce myself ...

2037. A Personal Testimony

Luke 2:1-7

Drama

Russell N. Gallimore

... been more than repaid with the unsearchable riches of Christ! That’s my story. How often it comes to mind! Just think! I almost had no room for the Christ! And as I have reflected on that across the years, it seems to me something of a parable of the human predicament: so often people exclude the Christ from the inn of their hearts! How about you? Have you made room for the Christ? [Turn back to congregation and begin to move away from the manger, then turn back towards to the congregation] Oh, one other ...

2038. Get Out of Your Big Pickup Truck!

John 12:20-36

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

... . A strategy of safety always fails. A strategy of risk sometimes succeeds. As our text makes clear--a grain of wheat falls to the ground and dies, thereby producing much grain (John 12:24)--Jesus' teaching sanctions and elevates human risk-taking. (See also Jesus' parable of the talents [Matthew 25:14\-30].) Early disciples of Jesus left the security of home, temple, and tradition and risked it all on Jesus (Mark 7:5). We worship a risk-taking God. When God created the universe, he took risks by creating a ...

2039. Jesus' Forty Days, and Ours

Matthew 4:1-11

Sermon

James McCormick

... that the same setting, the same event can be used either for inspiration or for temptation, depending upon who is doing the interpretation. Jesus would often use natural settings as sources of inspiration. He would see a farmer planting seed, and he would begin a parable, “Behold a sower went forth to sow…” He would see a shepherd tending his flock, and Jesus would say, “I am the good shepherd, I know my sheep, and my sheep know my voice.” Jesus would call attention to a vineyard and say, “I am ...

2040. Epiphany 5

Psalm 112:1-10, Isaiah 58:1-14, 1 Corinthians 2:6-16, Matthew 5:13-16, Matthew 5:17-20

Sermon Aid

Marion L. Soards, Thomas B. Dozeman, Kendall McCabe

... wake of the Beatitudes, Matthew offers a collection of the sayings of Jesus to explicate the meaning of discipleship. Mark contains similar statements (salt [9:49-50] and light [4:21]) in widely separated contexts, but the sayings are made as riddle-parables, not pronouncements, to guide the disciples in understanding their call. As in Mark, Luke separates the words on salt (14:34-35) and light (8:16), but Luke agrees with Matthew against Mark in having Jesus utter these sayings publicly to the multitude ...

2041. Proper 18

Psalm 149:1-9, Romans 13:8-14, Matthew 18:15-20, Exodus 12:1-30

Sermon Aid

Marion L. Soards, Thomas B. Dozeman, Kendall McCabe

... " Setting. The lesson comes in the latter portion of the fourth major section of Matthew's presentation of Jesus' ministry, where Jesus is busy teaching his disciples what it means to be the Church. The teaching combines admonitions and warnings. Our lesson follows Jesus' parable of the lost sheep, a text that reveals both God's desire to recover those who are "lost" and God's joy over finding them. With God's ways made plain, our lesson turns to the responsibilities of Christians for several dimensions of ...

2042. Changed Lives: Adam and Eve

Genesis 3:1-24

Sermon

King Duncan

... it may sound,” wrote Dr. Weatherhead, “the roots of that plant had gone down and down and displaced stones, broken the cement, and so weakened the whole wall that it fell before the onslaught of rain and wind and tempest.” (2) That is a parable of human existence. Smoking that first cigarette, sharing that first intimate conversation, slipping that first dollar out of the cash register, saying yes when we should have said no--we used to call it sin. Now we talk about our mistakes. Yet anytime we sink ...

2043. The Power of Belief in a World of Lost Hope

Jn 20:1-18

Illustration

King Duncan

... own resurrection began that moment. Easter isn't just about dying. It's about the power of belief in a world of lost hope. It is about knowing that no situation is beyond God's redeeming power. Note: There is no historical reference to this story. Treat it as a parable.

2044. Birth into a New World

Jn 20:1-18

Illustration

King Duncan

In his book, Teaching Your Children about God, Rabbi David Wolpe, a professor at the Jewish Theological Seminary of America, recalls an ancient Jewish parable about twin unborn children lying together in the womb. One believes that there is a world beyond the womb "where people walk upright, where there are mountains and oceans, a sky filled with stars." The other unborn twin can barely contain his contempt for such foolish ideas. Suddenly the "believer" ...

2045. Christ’s Holy Checkmate

John 20:1-18

Illustration

Eric Ritz

... just a few years ago, an internationally famous chess player was admiring the painting when all of a sudden he lunged forward and exclaimed: "Wait a minute! Look! Faust has another move and that move will give him the victory!" The painting is something of a parable for us Christians, because here we see symbolized the good news of Easter. Think of it. When we look at the Cross on Good Friday, it looks (at first glance) like evil has won. It looks like the defeat of righteousness. It looks like goodness is ...

2046. When Do You Feel God's Pleasure?

Matthew 3:13-17

Sermon

James W. Moore

... becomes a sour stomach and a bitter memory and a poisoned soul. Jesus knew this… and so, He called for us… to be bridge builders, to be peace-makers to receive forgiveness from Him and offer it to others. This was a key theme of many of His parables. It was a dominant theme in the Sermon on the Mount. It was the major theme of His life… So, this is number one, First of all, we feel God’s pleasure when we forgive like Christ forgave,… when we offer to others Christ-like forgiveness. II. SECOND ...

2047. A Mother's Love

Mark 7:24-30

Sermon

James W. Moore

... his hand on that track and followed it, it would lead him out! That's what he did. He held onto the track and followed the track and eventually it brought him out of the dark, out of the depths of the mine… to light and safety. That's a parable for us, isn't it? If we will hold onto the track of love and follow wherever it leads, If we will make love our attitude in life, no matter how dark some moments may be… the love-track will bring us out and lead us to the light. As ...

2048. What in the World Are We Doing?

Matthew 28:16-20

Sermon

James W. Moore

... are those sheep I want to buy. Well, I hope someone will come along to help that poor man. I am so busy. If he only knew, I’m sure he would understand. He should have stayed home anyway.” Aren’t we glad that Jesus didn’t tell the parable like that? He didn’t tell the story like that because He wants us to be “little redeemers”… to give our time, our energy, our prayers, our talent, our resources and our hands, and our hearts to redeeming the world… and He will always go with us. Where ...

2049. The Bridge over Troubled Water

Psalm 23:1-6

Sermon

James W. Moore

... productively, creatively, redemptively. Remember the day when a man stepped up in the crowd and broke in on Jesus’ teaching and tried to trip Him up with loaded questions? It was a difficult, tricky, troublesome situation,… but look what Jesus did. He told the parable of the Good Samaritan. And remember the Cross? He used it and made of it God’s messenger. Leslie Weatherhead put it like this: “The cross looked like defeat to the disciples, It was called defeat by the world, It felt like defeat by ...

2050. Christmas Gifts That Always Fit

Luke 2:8-20

Sermon

James W. Moore

... So they did. Waving away the security guards and the medical helpers, the son’s head sometimes buried in his father’s shoulder, the two men stayed in Derek’s lane… and crossed the finish line, as the crowd watched, then rose, then cheered, then wept. It’s a great parable for Christmas, isn’t it? Realizing that we can’t make it, that we are down and out, that we need help, that we need a Savior. God comes into our world (into our arena) to pick us up, to hold us up, to see us through, and to ...

Showing results

Showing 2026 to 2050 of 2815 results

2026. The Man in the Tree

Luke 19:1-10

Sermon

King Duncan

2027. Tell You the Truth

John 14:5-14

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

2028. Dolphin Drops

Isaiah 56:1-8

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

2029. Conversion to Christ

Jeremiah 23:1-8

Sermon

Richard Gribble

2030. From Black Holes to Red Holes

Luke 18:18-30

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

2031. Someone to Watch over Me

Luke 15:11-32

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

2032. What's the Value of Your Life?

Genesis 28:10-22

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

2033. Who Let the Dogs Out?

Romans 13:8-14

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

2034. My Precious, My Precious

Luke 12:13-21

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

2035. Wherever You Are, You Are Always at Home

Luke 2:41-52

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

2036. A Personal Testimony

Luke 2:1-7

Sermon

Russell N. Gallimore

2037. A Personal Testimony

Luke 2:1-7

Drama

Russell N. Gallimore

... been more than repaid with the unsearchable riches of Christ! That’s my story. How often it comes to mind! Just think! I almost had no room for the Christ! And as I have reflected on that across the years, it seems to me something of a parable of the human predicament: so often people exclude the Christ from the inn of their hearts! How about you? Have you made room for the Christ? [Turn back to congregation and begin to move away from the manger, then turn back towards to the congregation] Oh, one other ...

2038. Get Out of Your Big Pickup Truck!

John 12:20-36

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

2039. Jesus' Forty Days, and Ours

Matthew 4:1-11

Sermon

James McCormick

2040. Epiphany 5

Psalm 112:1-10, Isaiah 58:1-14, 1 Corinthians 2:6-16, Matthew 5:13-16, Matthew 5:17-20

Sermon Aid

Marion L. Soards, Thomas B. Dozeman, Kendall McCabe