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 2301 to 2325 of 3314 results

2301. Called to be a Christian Community: Cracked Pots and Clay Jars

2 Corinthians 4: 1-18

Sermon

John E. Harnish

... peace." One spirit, one hope, one Lord, one faith, one baptism, one God and Father of us all, who is above all and in all and through all. Then he says that within that household, we have all been given various gifts-apostles, prophets, evangelists, pastors and teachers. And I would expand the list to include: singers and secretaries and social workers builders and businessmen and bean counters doctors and dietitians and designers carpenters and carpet layers and contractors lawyers and lecturers and lovers ...

2302. Grasshopper Religion

Numbers 13:25-33, 14:1-10

Sermon

John E. Harnish

... spirit, one hope, one Lord, one faith, one baptism, one God and Father of us all, who is above all and in all and through all. Then he says that within that household, we have all been given various gifts—apostles, prophets, evangelists, pastors and teachers. And I would expand the list to include: · singers and secretaries and social workers · builders and businessmen and bean counters · doctors and dietitians and designers · carpenters and carpet layers and contractors · lawyers and lecturers and ...

2303. Praising God on an Oatmeal Box

2 Samuel 6:12-23

Sermon

John E. Harnish

2304. Wake Well, Wake Welcome

Romans 13:8-14

Sweet

Leonard Sweet

... than a few good reasons to wake up on the wrong side of the bed. Just read 2 Corinthians 11 sometime. Beatings, imprisonment, rejection, shipwrecks, death threats, one stoning, these are things that could make it tough to wake with a sunny disposition. But the apostle’s “awakenings” were consistently filled with joy, with peace, with hope, for Paul knew that the joy of the Lord was his strength. In other words, in whatever state Paul was in, he could “wake well” to a new day. Bill Borden, the 20th ...

2305. Training for a Purpose

Titus 2:11-14

Sermon

Donald Charles Lacy

... Jesus Christ — was present in a new way. It was as though he had been reborn among us. Focus We are trained in order to be useful to others. Body 1. A negative individualism is counterproductive. When Christ was born among us, he began early on to have apostles close to him. While they were strong individualists, not one was allowed to go it alone and be the only spokesperson for our Lord. Even Peter, who seems to be dominant in the gospels, is not allowed to tell the others what to do. And when we visit ...

2306. Taking a Necessary Step

Acts 19:1-7

Sermon

Donald Charles Lacy

... so precious and at times we make it more difficult and complicated than it is. This is because we do not trust fully in the one who called us. Paul's friends in Ephesus did not appear to be unhappy solely with John's baptism. It took the apostle to point to the fact they were actually living in a preliminary period, awaiting more. He was emissary, teacher, and ordained clergy at the same time! Sometimes you and I are put into places where we fulfill the same functions. A key layperson doesn't know about the ...

2307. Looking Out for Others

1 Corinthians 8:1-13

Sermon

Donald Charles Lacy

Being able to synthesize in such a way that harmony can be the outcome is among the many things the Apostle Paul does well. The often-pesky church at Corinth desperately needed such a skill, written and practiced in charity. To follow his inspired advice comes as a gift to all of us, 2,000 years ago or today. The individualistic Christianity, largely the work of Protestants, has been and is ...

2308. Gift of Positive Thinking

2 Corinthians 1:18-22

Sermon

Donald Charles Lacy

... -Christian ethical system. The harm they may do is found in the reality of their goal, which is solely to produce that kind of a person who can cope in a secularized environment. As long as we live we are coping but how we do this is crucial. The apostle's message is fundamentally for those already in the fold. Yet, we must not deny its appeal to the unconverted. In a way, there is a chasm between using and utilizing. The first is often understood as a means to get what you want, regardless of the methods ...

2309. Making Disciples

2 Corinthians 3:1-6

Sermon

Donald Charles Lacy

... open book. That didn't mean he shared all the confidential material about pastors! It did mean, as a man and bishop, his life was there for all to explore. His words are like a sturdy lighthouse that refuses to go down in stormy weather. The vulnerability of the apostle is well known. Many Jews hated him and some Christians didn't trust him. To one group he was a turncoat and to the other someone who didn't fit well at all. Nevertheless, as he persistently laid his life on the line, he must have hid nothing ...

2310. Proclaiming Jesus Christ

2 Corinthians 4:3-6

Sermon

Donald Charles Lacy

... anymore? Some even say that if it isn't broke, why fix it? Common sense and pride say to leave well enough alone. So, our proclamation rates above the average in our biased inspections. When I already have all of this, why should I want more? The apostle says it isn't enough, until our proclamation is fully unfettered. Are we moving along lines that are not all that important? No. Why? Because the purpose is to proclaim Jesus Christ and that is only supremely done by losing ourselves in him. Is there room ...

2311. Birthpangs of the New Age

Romans 8:22-23

Sermon

Maurice A. Fetty

2312. Parades and Crosses — The Challenge of Ministry

2 Corinthians 4:5-12

Sermon

Maurice A. Fetty

... been ignored, even ridiculed, persecuted, and killed. He mentioned William Tyndale and John Huss, who were burned at the stake. He pointed out the threat on Martin Luther's life and the fact that Polycarp was burned at the stake. Then, of course, he mentioned the Apostle Paul and Jesus himself. "In the long sweep of history, he said preaching has often been very difficult. And right now, it is out of fashion in Western culture. Fads and fashions come and go, but the gospel of Christ and the Bible and the ...

2313. The Acceptable Time

2 Corinthians 6:1-2

Sermon

Maurice A. Fetty

... is the acceptable time, because if we wait for the perfect time, the perfect minister, and the perfect church, we will wait forever. Paul had a lot of critics, even in the Corinthian church, who challenged his authority as an apostle, who questioned his methods, and who disputed his teachings. The critics notwithstanding, Paul pointed out how he and his associates had not put any obstacles in their way for believing. He had undergone shipwreck, imprisonment, mockery, beatings, hunger, afflictions, hardships ...

2314. Modeling a Necessary Future

Ephesians 2:11-22

Sermon

Maurice A. Fetty

... Ephesians, like the writer of 1 Peter, envisions quite a different kind of holy temple. This temple is to be built not of stones, but of spirit-filled people who are themselves the living stones of an ever-expanding temple of God. Built on the prophets and apostles with Jesus Christ as the chief cornerstone, this temple is to be as expansive and inclusive as the very Spirit of God. However, most of us wonder if God is as interested in people quite different from us as he is in us. Theologian Theodore Wedel ...

2315. Jesus Is the Recipe for Eternal Life

Ephesians 4:25-5:2

Sermon

Richard Gribble

... a laborer who knew and probably experienced the human tendency to work for ourselves alone and thus to short-circuit things and possibly use an unethical practice or two. Thus, he tells the Ephesians to labor with their own hands for the betterment of all. The apostle places charity in his recipe for eternal life. He calls his readers to give to those in need. Our charity to others is not only in material possessions but in time and attitude as well. Charity requires that we realize that all is gift and ...

2316. God Our Protector and Shield

Ephesians 6:10-20

Sermon

Richard Gribble

... will know the truth, and the truth will make you free" (John 8:31b-32). Anything but the truth is a masquerade, but God sees through the disguise. God's truth will protect us. Next, Paul says to put on the breast plate of righteousness. The apostle believed that justice must govern our relations with each other. Saint Matthew's depiction of the final judgment (ch. 25) clearly demonstrates it is what we do or do not do for others, rather than our particular belief, that brings us to eternal life. Paul then ...

2317. God’s Wisdom or the World?

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

Sermon

Richard Gribble

... . In other words, God is inclusive, not exclusive like the world. In the world, social Darwinism continues suggesting that the powerful, rich, and beautiful should dominate others. God's wisdom does not differentiate; all are God's children. Finally, the apostle says that those who demonstrate the wisdom of God will manifest peace and yield a harvest of righteousness. James next addresses what happens when we make friendships with the world. Conflicts and disputes are the general problem. If we make ...

2318. Power and Compassion

Hebrews 5:1-10

Sermon

Lee Ann Dunlap

... and able to wade into the torrents on our behalf, and able to reach us where we are, and wrap us securely in the strength of his loving arms — arms that once were stretched wide for us upon the cross of Calvary. In the words of the Apostle Paul, Jesus, God's royal Son "did not count equality with God as something to be grabbed, but made himself nothing ... He humbled himself, and became obedient to death, even death on a cross" (Philippians 2:6, 8). The prince — for the sake of his royal subjects ...

2319. You Say It, I Say It

John 18:33-37

Bulletin Aid

Frank Ramirez

... rulers of the world say what they will. Jesus Christ is Lord and King, King of kings, Lord of lords. Forever. Collect No one puts the words in our mouths, Lord. We proclaim you King of king and Lord of lords! Amen. Prayer Of Confession Lord, your trusted apostle, Peter, said he would never abandon you, yet you stood alone before Pilate. You forgave him and sent him out to feed your sheep. We thought we would never abandon you as well, but in our lives and our lifestyles we have made it clear that sometimes ...

2320. New Rules, Old Fools

1 Corinthians 7:29-31

Bulletin Aid

Frank Ramirez

... work. (based on Psalm 62:5-12) Collect Now God! If not now, when? If we cannot see your kingdom today, we can pledge to live by your rules, even where they do not fit the world around us. As your people we pray. Amen. Prayer Of Confession With the Apostle Paul we take a step back to see beyond today's cares to the glory that is soon upon us. We must engage in commerce, laugh, love, and grieve, attend to our aches and pains, live a life worthy of the calling. But tarry this hour, this moment, Lord of ...

2321. Been There. Done That.

1 Corinthians 11:23-26

Bulletin Aid

Frank Ramirez

... To Worship One: What shall I return to the Lord for all his bounty to me? All: I will lift up the cup of salvation and call on the name of the Lord. (based on Psalm 116:12-13) Collect Lift high the cross. Lift high the cup. Like the apostles at that final supper, we stand on the brink together, not knowing what may happen, but we know we must let go, and fall or fly with Jesus. Grant us the courage, King of salvation, to step into the darkness with you, that we may forever walk in the light ...

2322. Drained To The Dregs

Philippians 2:5-11

Bulletin Aid

Frank Ramirez

... This week, Lord, we are tempted to become spectators, to cheer for Jesus as he enters Jerusalem, to listen with wonder to his words, to greedily watch as the bread and cup are offered that we might take our share in his last supper, nod sleepily with the apostles in the garden, to stand stunned as he is arrested, look on with horror as he is crucified, and wait, wait, wait with the women at the tomb, wondering what we will do about that large, large stone. But this is no spectator sport. This is our life ...

2323. The Longest Shortest Half Of A Verse

Mark 6:1-13

Bulletin Aid

Frank Ramirez

... to this place, or to stay away, to serve you with our hearts, hands, and feet, or to serve you with our lips only. Send us among the ones hurting in our neighborhoods. Send us further, beyond, to the four corners of the world! We would be your disciples, your apostles, your family. Amen. Prayer Of Confession How is the time so urgent, which God gives us only once? And how is the world so empty, that it is loved by us too much, that we walk in it like one dreaming, little thinking of the span of God's vast ...

2324. Philippians 3:4b-14

Philippians 3:1-11

Sweet

Leonard Sweet

... Paul enumerates all the qualities and qualifications he has to his credit. Since circumcision has been at the center of the Judaizers’ demands, Paul cites his own circumcision as the first evidence for personal “confidence.” Not only was the apostle circumcised; his family was scrupulously observant in performing this ritual, since it took place on the prescribed “eighth day” after their son’s birth. In case the ritually correct observance of circumcision was not enough to demonstrate his family ...

2325. The Blessing Complex

Philippians 3:1-11

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

... born into the world begins life saddled with a $175,000 debt? And that was before the 1 trillion hijacking of Main Street by Wall Street. I do mean the dizzying up/down of stocks. The person who would have understood this is the Apostle Paul. For Paul pioneered a new form of accounting: everything that had traditionally been counted as “gain” was suddenly turned upside down and revealed to be a “loss.” All those brokerage firms and banking giants that were doing so “well” at financing mortgages ...

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