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 201 to 225 of 2273 results

201. The Faith of a Saint

Luke 6:17-26

Sermon

King Duncan

... after this all-night prayer vigil, Jesus calls a larger group of “disciples” to him, from which he chooses twelve, designating them as his apostles. Perhaps the larger group from which the twelve were selected was the group of seventy that was sent out two by two in chapter 10. But it’s difficult to separate the selection of the twelve from Jesus’ teaching on the plain. For example, when Jesus said, “Blessed are you who are poor . . .,” notice that he did not say, “Blessed are all who are poor ...

202. God Will Take Care of You

Matthew 14:13-21

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

... . First, Jesus declares a call to action. But not the action of sending the crowd away that already had been suggested. Instead the action Jesus demands is from the disciples themselves: "you give them something to eat." Imagine if you were one of The Twelve. How would you have responded to this directive? Here is what the disciples did: they don't actually refuse Jesus' command, but they reveal that they have already been gathering whatever meager provisions they could find and their take is paltry: five ...

203. Why Doesn’t God Prove Himself To Doubters?

2 Peter 1:16-21

Sermon

Charley Reeb

... Thomas. His signature scene appears in the chapter 20 of John. Appearances of the resurrected Jesus were happening everywhere. Most of the disciples had encountered him, but not Thomas. Here is what Thomas had to say about that: But Thomas (who was called the Twin), one of the twelve, was not with them when Jesus came. So the other disciples told him, “We have seen the Lord.” But he said to them, “Unless I see the mark of the nails in his hands, and put my finger in the mark of the nails and my hand ...

204. You Are God's Temple

1 Corinthians 3:1-23

Sermon

King Duncan

... his tragic death. (3) What a sad, sad story. Robert Howard had no sense of personal identity. He did not know who he was. He tried to live his life through the fictional Conan. In the real world, he was a man who couldn’t cope. Contrast Robert Howard with the twelve-year-old girl in Flannery O’Connor’s short story. This girl is moved by the idea that she is the dwelling place of God. What a healthy idea to grab a young woman’s brain. This idea gave her a heightened sense of her own worth. St. Paul ...

205. Family Matters

Luke 2:41-52

Sermon

King Duncan

... and friends. When they did not find him, they went back to Jerusalem to look for him. After three days they found him in the temple courts, sitting among the teachers, listening to them and asking them questions. Luke tells us that everyone who heard the twelve-year-old Jesus was amazed at his understanding and his answers. When his parents saw him there in the temple, they were astonished. His mother said to him, “Son, why have you treated us like this? Your father and I have been anxiously searching for ...

206. The 4 LAWS of a Whole Personality

Matthew 11:1-19

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

... . From one Christmas to another I keep forgetting what there were eleven of, or what those six geese were doing. But our consumer culture has forgotten that those twelve days don't start today, on December 12 and go through Christmas Eve day. The twelve days of Christmas start on Jesus' birthday, December 25, and continue through to January 6, Epiphany, when the church calendar marks the arrival of the three traveling kings or wise men at the baby Jesus' bedside. December 12 is NOT the start of Christmas ...

207. Judas

Luke 22:1-6

Sermon

Carl E. Zahrte

... what you’ve been thinking? Was I there? Of course I was. Do you have to ask that? My name is Judas, the son of Simon. There are not many people who know anything about Jesus Christ who do not know something about me, too. Yes, I was one of the twelve whom Jesus chose to be his apostles. Almost 2,000 years have passed since I lived and died, but people still remember me. They recall that I used a kiss as the sign to his enemies when I betrayed Jesus into their hands. Perhaps you wonder, how could I do ...

208. Found Of God

John 20:24-31

Sermon

King Duncan

... his commitment to Christ. And certainly he was no coward. PERHAPS IT WAS HIS BRUTAL HONESTY THAT HAS TARNISHED THOMAS' REPUTATION. Fast-forward with me to the Last Supper. Jesus is speaking some of the most beautiful words ever recorded. "Let not your heart be troubled," he says to the twelve. "Believe in God, believe also in Me. In My Father's house are many rooms; if it were not so, I would have told you; for I go to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again, and ...

209. Extreme Humility

John 13:1-15

Sermon

King Duncan

... performed this task. And so, their Master, whom Isaiah once described as Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace (9:6), knelt in front of each one and quietly washed the crud from their feet. Only days before, Jesus had said to the twelve, “Whoever wishes to become great among you shall be your servant, and whoever wishes to be first among you shall be your slave” (Matthew 20:26-27). The disciples learned that night as never before who was the greatest among them. “Do you ...

210. Look Up and Live

Numbers 21:4-9

Sermon

David E. Leininger

... result from Sunday school: the report of a land "flowing with milk and honey" (and to prove it they had brought back a bunch of grapes that was so huge that it took two of them to carry it), but the populace matched the grapes — also huge. Two of the twelve spies — Joshua and Caleb — said, "So what, let's go." But the other ten said, "No way; they would turn us into dog meat." Again, the weeping and wailing and whining starts: "If only we had died in Egypt! Or in this desert! Why is the Lord bringing ...

211. 1 Corinthians 15:1-11

1 Corinthians 15:1-11

Sweet

Leonard Sweet

... phrases, the style differs from his own, and the fact that the confession reaches beyond the scope of Paul's immediate discussion all support its previous institutional existence. The confession closes by proclaiming the risen Christ's appearance to "Cephas, then to the twelve." The separate appearance to Cephas (Simon Peter) suggested by this text, is not recorded in any of the gospels - although there is a vague allusion to such an appearance in Luke 24:34. Yet Peter gained much status in the early church ...

212. 1 Corinthians 15:1-11

1 Corinthians 15:1-11

Sweet

Leonard Sweet

213. On The Night He Was Betrayed

Mark 14:12-26

Sermon

Erskine White

... feet wide, bounded to the left and right by the walls of the houses, which border right on the edge of the street. As you come near the location of the Upper Room, you climb a number of steps which are built into the street. Jesus and the twelve kept walking up these steps until they reached the particular house which held the Upper Room. They did not eat the Last Supper sitting at a table, as Leonardo da Vinci has painted it - that was a European custom. Instead, they followed Middle Eastern practice and ...

214. Outrageous Love

John 13:1-15

Sermon

Shirley Gupton Lynn

... were dry and dusty, and everyone wore sandals. So even those coming directly from a bath would have dirty feet by the time they reached the feast. But Jesus and the disciples are poor; they have no servants. Certainly it never occurred to any of the twelve to do the honors, so the usual pre-feast foot-washing had been left undone. There is the clatter of dishes, the smell of food and the hum of conversation. Suddenly, while they are still eating, the disciples' conversation slows, then stops. Silence hangs ...

215. The Problem with Being Idle

2 Thessalonians 3:6-15

Sermon

King Duncan

... men to condense all human wisdom into one memorable phrase. They returned after twelve years of work with twelve volumes. "It is too large," protested the king, "condense it further!" So the wise men returned in a year and presented one large volume in place of the twelve. "It's still too large," protested the king. They went out again, only to return the following day with a single statement written on a slip of paper all the world's wisdom in one line: There is no free lunch. I don't know that sentence ...

216. Gethsemane

Mark 14:32-42

Understanding Series

Larry W. Hurtado

... if possible he might be spared the coming ordeal (v. 35), followed by his obedient acceptance of what he knows to be God’s plan (v. 36), gives us the most memorable glimpse of the humanity of Jesus. Mark’s readers, who have been warned through Jesus’ words to the Twelve (e.g., 8:34–38; 10:38–39; 13:9–13) that they too may have to face trial and even execution for his sake, were surely supposed to see Jesus’ prayer as a powerful example to them of the submission to the will of God they were to ...

217. Christmas 2

Matthew 25:31-46

Bulletin Aid

RobertT D. Ingram

... one another to get at the message that Luke is preaching. Visuals Recruit some of the better artists in the congregation to cut out life-size figures from cardboard. Have them paint these figures to look like old Jewish scholars gathered in discussion with the twelve-year-old Jesus. Place these figures in a front corner of the sanctuary, or in an unused part of the choir loft, where the congregation can see them as they worship. Figures of Mary and Joseph hurrying to the scene can be posed in another ...

218. Behold, the One Who Betrays Me Is With Me

Luke 22:14-34

Sermon

Will Willimon

... this story? Later, we would remember his rather odd promise spoken amid all our betrayal. “I confer on you, just as my Father has conferred on me, a kingdom, so that you may eat and drink at my table in my kingdom, and you will sit on thrones judging the twelve tribes of Israel.” It was an odd thing to say to us, considering how well he knew us. To you, you betrayers and misunderstanders, I will give my kingdom, and you shall rule. To you, Peter, who intends to do well this night, but won't. To you, all ...

219. Paul Before Agrippa

Acts 25:23--26:32

One Volume

Gary M. Burge

... traditions (26:4–8). He has led an impeccable life as a faithful Jew since he was a child (26:4), and he belongs to the sect of Pharisees, the “strictest sect of our religion” (26:5). Then he ties the gospel that he preaches to the hope of the twelve tribes of Israel (26:6–8). This claim is important for a number of reasons. First, Paul is claiming that the gospel is the fulfillment of God’s promises to Israel, a point that has been made repeatedly in the Lukan narrative (cf. Luke 2:25, 29–31 ...

220. The Legacy

Mark 9:30-37

Sermon

Lori Wagner

... consist of every person who followed Jesus around from place to place, because he was trying to avoid the super large crowds and those who wanted his attention. But he still had a significant group who traveled with him to learn: men, women, and children. The twelve were the “leadership” among the group. In the end, Jesus would not be betrayed by some lone ranger. He would be betrayed by one from his trusted leadership group. At this point, he already knew. As for the others, he needed them not only to ...

221. Mark 9:38-50

Mark 9:38-50

Sweet

Leonard Sweet

... become the greatest. After he flips their expectations upside down (the least shall be the greatest), Jesus continues the lessons in discipleship in verse 38. Just as the individual disciples had been trying to one-up each other, so now the "chosen" community of the twelve try to distinguish themselves collectively as better than the rest of those who invoke Jesus' name. Aghast that a man outside their group would dare to cast out demons in the name of Jesus, they resolve to stop him. The disciples want the ...

222. Mark 9:38-50

Mark 9:38-50

Sweet

Leonard Sweet

223. Jesus Feeds the Five Thousand

Matthew 14:13-21

Understanding Series

Robert H. Mounce

... more reliable in its details than such sources generally are” (p. 139) is unnecessarily harsh. 14:13–17 When Jesus heard everything that had taken place (cf. v. 12), he withdrew by boat to a secluded spot. Mark and Luke connect the retreat with the return of the Twelve, who needed a period of rest (Mark 6:30–31; Luke 9:10). The place was near the city of Bethsaida (Luke 9:10), on the northeast shore of the lake. This area was governed by the tetrarch Philip and would provide some immunity from Herod ...

224. Mark 9:38-50

Mark 9:38-50

Sweet

Leonard Sweet

... other disciples. He tells Jesus of their recent attempt to stop someone from casting out demons in Jesus' name. At issue here is not the practice of exorcism itself. The problem rather is that the disciples believe since this person is not a member of The Twelve, he has no right to use Jesus' name when casting out demons. Jesus rejects this privatized vision of power. Because this man employs Jesus' name, he is participating in the power of Jesus, and he witnesses to the authority Jesus' name has over evil ...

225. Mark 6:1-13

Mark 6:1-6

Sweet

Leonard Sweet

... . Their “unbelief” (“apistia”) shocks (“ethadmazen”) Jesus. But here in Mark it also opens the door for spreading the word farther and faster. In Mark Jesus’ “failure” at Nazareth is immediately overturned by the implementation of the mission of the Twelve. The power rejected by his family and neighbors in Nazareth is now funneled out into the world through the work of Jesus’ chosen and specially commissioned disciples. While many scholars and rabbis had disciples to whom they offered ...

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