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 2076 to 2100 of 2817 results

2076. Neglect

Matthew 13:24-30, 36-43

Illustration

King Duncan

... , and the ceiling of the second-floor bedroom finally caved in under the weight of hundreds of pounds of honey and thousands of angry bees. While the woman escaped serious injury, she was unable to repair the damage of her accumulated neglect. That's a parable about many people's lives, is it not? We let things go. We put off dealing with them. We ignore that which is disturbing, yet inconvenient until it is too late. And our ceiling comes crashing in. Neglect. What a powerful word. It describes many family ...

2077. In Love with Howard

Matthew 13:44-46

Sermon

King Duncan

... went to bed feeling well connected to the universe for a long, long time. It was a Howard Family Enterprise . . .” (1) That’s a pretty healthy view of the universe for a child to have. He is part of the universal family enterprise. Jesus told many parables about the kingdom of God or the kingdom of heaven (the terms are interchangeable), and he used many expressions to try to explain what the kingdom was like. Two of his most popular descriptions are found in today’s lesson from the Gospel of Matthew ...

2078. What Is Heaven Like? - Sermon Starter

Mt 13:31-43

Illustration

Brett Blair

... and you'd be the gas station attendant." Yes, we often think we have the proper perspective on an issue when in fact we are way off. Jesus understood this propensity for us humans to get it wrong. Especially when it comes to things spiritual. So he told a few parables. He said the kingdom of heaven is like: 1. A Small Seed 2. A Hidden Treasure 3. And a Pearl of Great Price

2079. My Dog Saw The Rabbit

Matthew 13:44-46

Illustration

Brett Blair

... until the night was nearly spent. By morning, only my dog continued the hunt. "Do you understand," the old man said, "what I have told you?" "No," replied the young monk, "please tell me father." "It is simple," said the desert father, "my dog saw the rabbit." Jesus told a parable about a man who one day in the market place saw the pearl of great price. The merchant understood at once the value of the commodity before him and he sacrificed everything to obtain it.

2080. A Precious Gift

Matthew 13:44-46

Illustration

Brett Blair

... for the monk. He returned the stone to the monk and made a request: "Please give me that which enabled you to give me this precious stone!" A commitment of the whole heart, that's what heaven, the Kingdom of Heaven requires of its followers. I love this last parable because Jesus does not say the Kingdom of Heaven is like a pearl of great price. He says the kingdom of heaven is like a merchant, a merchant who finds a great deal on a flawless stone and does everything in his power to close the sale. That's ...

2081. A Strong-willed Woman

Matthew 15:21-28

Sermon

King Duncan

... She’s in prison, Mr. President.” “I’m not surprised,” replied FDR, “but what for?” (2) Eleanor Roosevelt was a woman of strength. She was controversial, but she was not reluctant to speak her mind about things she considered important. Jesus told a parable about another such woman. Remember? “In a certain town there was a judge who neither feared God nor cared about men. And there was a widow in that town who kept coming to him with the plea, ‘Grant me justice against my adversary.’ For ...

2082. How To Be An Easter Person

Luke 24:1-12

Sermon

Bill Bouknight

... see the wounds in his hands and side. Later Jesus showed Thomas his wounds and then said, “Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed.” (John 20:29) Norman Vincent Peale, that dear departed positive-thinking saint, often used a familiar parable to teach resurrection. He said, “Let’s suppose that an unborn infant, in its mother’s womb, is able to reason and speak. Suppose also that someone says to it, ‘Soon you must leave this place and be born. You will enter a different realm ...

2083. Stop Fuming, Start Forgiving!

Matthew 6:5-15

Sermon

Bill Bouknight

... would be some days when we might say to ourselves, “I dare not pray the Lord’s Prayer right now, because there is a grudge in my heart that must first be resolved.” In chapter 18 of Matthew’s gospel, Jesus told a little story or parable about forgiveness. A certain king wanted to settle accounts with his servants. One of them owed the King $10,000. The kind and generous king wrote off the debt, just cancelled it, without even taking a tax deduction. The servant should have been grateful. But that ...

2084. Never Say What You Won't Do!

Genesis 2:4-25

Sermon

Bill Bouknight

... and are praying together daily, the marriage will have a layer of divine protection. And the spirit of the living Christ will nudge both of them toward needed changes, flexibility, and maturity. I want to close this message with one of my favorite stories-the parable of Johnny Lingo. On a certain isolated Pacific island, it was the custom that when a young man proposed marriage, he would announce his intention to the entire village. Then he and the whole community would go to the young woman’s home. Her ...

2085. The Treasure Principles

Matthew 6:19-24

Sermon

Bill Bouknight

... has given his all for us! (1) Alcorn, Randy, The Treasure Principle, (Multnomah Publishers: Sisters, OR, 2001), p. 9. (2) Doudera, Ralph, Wealth Conundrum, (Signature Editions: Sugar Hill, GA, 2005), p. 25. (3) Menninger, Karl, Whatever Became of Sin?, (Hawthorn: New York, 1973), p. 153. (4) Moore, James W., Jesus’ Parables of Life, (Dimensions for Living: Nashville, 2005), p. 20.

2086. I Believe In God The Father Almighty

Genesis 1:1-2:3

Sermon

Bill Bouknight

... hand, if God were Almighty but not a Father, he would scare the daylights out of us. God is a wonderful blend of power and grace. What is God really like? Jesus gave us the best answer when he told the greatest short-story in history. We call it the parable of the Prodigal Son and it is found in Luke 15. You remember the story. A rebellious teenager leaves home, desiring to live as if his father were dead. The father’s heart is broken. The boy takes his money and heads for the fast lane and the bright ...

2087. Ministry By Faith: Does She or Doesn't She?

I Corinthians 16:14, James 2:14-26

Sermon

John E. Harnish

... 't we? If we say we "Have Faith," can it be seen in us? 1. The first distinguishing mark of faith at work in our lives is the coloring of love. When Jesus was asked to sum it all up—all the law and the prophets, all his teachings and parables—when he was asked, "What's the greatest commandment, that is to say, what matters most? Give us one sound bite we can take home with us"—he gathered up all of his own teaching and ministry: You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, soul, mind ...

2088. Only Matthew…Only Joseph

Matthew 1:1-13

Sermon

John E. Harnish

... of fire, but I say it's time." Well I say God has already done that. God has already come down here to settle things once and for all. God has already spoken. He has spoken in the form of a child born to Joseph and Mary, spoken through the parables of an itinerant teacher and healer, spoken in the life of one who has inspired the ages, spoken ultimately from a cross and an empty tomb. And if we are not going to listen to the Word he has already spoken, there is little chance we will listen to the ...

2089. Barnabas Found the Way

Acts 4:35-5:16

Sermon

John E. Harnish

... a result, he put everything in its proper perspective. Let's be clear up front. The Bible does not say "things," "wealth" and "money" don't matter or are not important. In fact, it's just the opposite. One-third of all of Jesus' parables have to do with our relationship to material things. The Bible tells us they are vitally important, that they matter a great deal. Evidently, Barnabas learned their true value, their true worth. Evidently, Barnabas learned that every good gift comes from God and, therefore ...

2090. The Revelation Code IV: The Fight at Frodo's Tower

Revelation 19:1-21

Sermon

John E. Harnish

... in mind, it would not be a battle raging around Jerusalem in 2006. Instead, it would be the earlier total destruction of Jerusalem at the hand of Rome in 70 A.D., resulting in the death of over one million inhabitants. Like the rest of the book, it is a parable, picture language, a symbol, a narrative. Just like Frodo and Sam at the Two Towers. J.R.R. Tolkien was a devout Roman Catholic and a friend of C.S. Lewis, so it is no surprise that his great epic speaks like a morality play. Scott Davison says: The ...

2091. Make the Most of God’s Gifts

Ephesians 5:15-20

Sermon

Richard Gribble

... to whom much has been entrusted, even more will be demanded" (Luke 12:48b). We have all been given by God many wonderful gifts and talents. We are to use them well and wisely to make the most of what God has given us. Paul certainly had heard of Jesus' parable of the talents (Matthew 25:14-30) and realized his need not to hide but use fully what he had been given. He could, therefore, proudly claim as his ministry came to and end: "I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the ...

2092. God’s Wisdom or the World?

James 3:13-4:3, 7-8a

Sermon

Richard Gribble

... , "I tell you this man [the tax collector] went down to his home justified rather than the other; for all who exalt themselves will be humbled, but all who humble themselves will be exalted" (Luke 18:14). Humility comes from God; arrogance comes from the world. The parable of the man with a super abundance of wealth (Luke 12:13-21) is another example of making the choice between God and the world. All the man seems to be concerned about is where to store his great wealth; he seems totally oblivious to the ...

2093. Where Is Love?

Hebrews 9:1-28

Sermon

Lee Ann Dunlap

... in the Old Testament for a good artistic rendering. In the days when Moses and the Hebrews traveled the desert the tabernacle served as a kind of divine "mobile home" in which the holy and transcendent God could travel with the chosen people, a "visual parable" to use Eugene Peterson's phrase, showing that "people just can't walk in on God." (That's his paraphrase of Hebrews 9:8, which the NRSV translates, "The way into the sanctuary was not yet opened.") For a typical Israelite of Moses' generation to ...

2094. Why We Need to Forgive

Matthew 18:21-35

Sermon

King Duncan

... one another, and forgiving one another, if any man have a quarrel against any: even as Christ forgave you, so also do ye” (Col. 3:13). Slide 4 THIS IS TO SAY THAT WE ARE TO MODEL OUR FORGIVENESS ON GOD’S FORGIVENESS OF US. Jesus told a parable about a man who owed his king ten thousand talents. That’s about the equivalent of ten million dollars. The king was ready to have the man, his wife, their children and all their possessions sold to satisfy the debt. The man came begging on his knees to ...

2095. Forgiveness Written in Stone

Matthew 18:21-35

Illustration

Brett Blair & Stephen Felker

... in stone where no wind can ever erase it. So real forgiveness leaves the sins of others and our hurts in the past. Yet Jesus understands the difficulty of such forgiveness. To keep on forgiving is a God-like characteristic. It is contrary to human nature. So he tells the parable of an unmerciful servant which will help us obey His commandment to keep on forgiving.

2096. Spite Houses

Matthew 18:21-35

Illustration

Billy D. Strayhorn

... Huntsville, Alabama; one in Boston, one that is supposed to be haunted and has been turned into a Bed & Breakfast in Fredrick, Maryland; and a triangle shaped "Spite House" in Montlake, Washington, a suburb of Seattle. Our passage today from the Gospel of Matthew is the parable of the ungrateful servant. It's story about our debt of sin. It's about God's free and redeeming grace. It's also about anger and spite, and the judgment that follows an unforgiving spirit. Let's look at the passage. Note: This story ...

2097. So What’s That Like?

Mark 4:26-34

Bulletin Aid

Frank Ramirez

... you and love you for yourself. Amen. Prayer Of Confession Lord of knowledge, God of wisdom, calm us, give us pause, for every time we think we have plumbed the depths of your mystery you reveal new wisdom, greater insights, deeper meanings. Even as we explore again parables we have known for years we praise your name that your Spirit is bright and new, ready to speak to us again in the circumstances we find ourselves in now. Scatter your seeds in the fertile fields of our community. We pray we will be ready ...

2098. Weaving the Spirit’s Trail

Matthew 20:1-16

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

... Bulls & Bears?” or “The Forbes Journal” or “The Wall Street Report?” What words come to mind to describe a “business person:” practical, pragmatic, predictable, bottom-line, etc. The hands-on vineyard owner runs a large agricultural enterprise. In Jesus’ parable the business owner suddenly breaks all the rules. First, there are his bizarre hiring schedules. Either this vineyard owner is so clueless to his land’s needs that he completely fails to hire the correct amount of workers-—he’s ...

2099. Generosity Is the Secret to Our Joy

Matthew 20:1-16

Illustration

John Claypool

There is an old rabbinic parable about a farmer that had two sons. As soon as they were old enough to walk, he took them to the fields and he taught them everything that he knew about growing crops and raising animals. When he got too old to work, the two boys took over the chores ...

2100. Monkey Business

Matthew 20:1-16

Illustration

Brett Blair

It seems that even monkeys, if they could read, would get indignant about this parable. In the Australian newspaper "The Melbourne Age," there was an intriguing report from the University of Atlanta called: "Monkeys want to see justice done." At the University of Atlanta, researchers have been testing capuchin monkeys. They gave them the task of picking up a small granite stone and bringing it ...

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