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 2376 to 2400 of 4967 results

2376. These Are a Few of My Favorite Things

Matthew 10:24-39

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

... " and the blessings of this life. When the time comes and all is revealed, Jesus announces in this week's text that we disciples are to shout from the rooftops that which Jesus has revealed to us in secret. What had Jesus made known to his first disciples? He was the Son of God. What had Jesus shared with his first disciples? The Good News of the gospel. What had Jesus revealed to his disciples? The miracle of his resurrection. No wonder Jesus called for this kind of news to be hollered out for all to hear ...

2377. Day-Timers or Begging Bowls

Matthew 14:22-33

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

... long way off. Certainly this was no time to expect visitors especially someone without a boat. When they least expected it, suddenly,...there was Jesus, striding right up to them in the morning light. Jesus' appearance in that place is so unexpected that the disciples don't even recognize him. Their first reaction in the face of this utterly unpredictable encounter is one of fear. Fright closes their eyes and hearts to the true identity of their visitor. Because they don't expect to see Jesus out walking on ...

2378. Do You Look Good On Wood?

Matthew 16:21-28

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

... with the stunning prediction of how he would be violently killed by his enemies. It is a message that still makes all of us recoil with horror just as Peter did. For post-Easter Christians, however, it is easier to read Jesus' passion predictions than it was for his disciples to hear them. Unlike them, we tend to focus on the bottom line the Resurrection. For most of us out in the pews today, the much more difficult message to hear in this text is the challenge Jesus extends to those who would be true ...

2379. Anywhere Goes

Romans 14:1-12

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

... , a sage met his rival. The sage politely greeted his rival, but the man arrogantly disregarded the greeting. The sage's young disciple was furious, condemning the ostentatious behavior of the rival sage. Waiting for a while, the sage asked his disciple a question: "Are you angry at a person with an ugly face?" "No," replied his disciple. "Then, why are you angry at a person with an ugly heart?" the sage calmly reasoned. (AndrewSunghoPark, et al., "Epiphany 6: Anger," Korean Family Devotions [Nashville ...

2380. Genesis 2:18-24

Genesis 2:18-24

Sweet

Leonard Sweet

... a long section on teachings in discipleship, begun in retreat back in 8:24 and continuing until Jesus reaches Jerusalem. Chapter 10 deals with a series of controversies and tests from both outsiders (various Pharisaic groups) and insiders (his own disciples). The first confrontation here is over the "hot" issue of divorce where debates over its legality were raging among the various schools (Shammai, Aquiba, Hillel). Verse two makes the motive behind the Pharisees' question explicit. They are quizzing him ...

2381. Mark 12:38-44

Mark 12:38-44

Sweet

Leonard Sweet

... teaching is indicated by his physical location - "he sat down opposite the treasury" taking up the traditional position used by rabbis when conducting their classes. Having placed himself directly across from the financial collection center for the Temple, Jesus engages his disciples in one final lesson. Singling out the widow's gift should be seen not so much as praising her devotion and selfless generosity as it should a back-door, back-handed indictment of the religious system that allows such injustice ...

2382. Luke 6:17-26

Luke 6:17-26

Sweet

Leonard Sweet

... the mountains for Matthew, the sea for Mark, and the plain (the "level place") for Luke Luke's choice of location seems to be not only a "level place," but a leveling place as well. Here the perhaps slightly smug apostles, all the rest of the disciples, and a large, milling crowd from all over the countryside and all walks of life, gather together in equanimity. If Jesus is speaking from a truly level place that means that all seats are "general admission." There is no balcony or box seats or mezzanine for ...

2383. Luke 5:1-11

Luke 5:1-11

Sweet

Leonard Sweet

... 's chosen messenger. But while the message is eagerly received, the messenger is in danger of being bowled over by the crowd's exuberance. Instead of seeing the water at his back as a barrier, Jesus determines to use it as a stepping stone. The soon-to-be-disciples are drawn into service first as providers of a floating podium. Jesus steps into one of the empty boats and invites Simon, the boat's owner, to "put out a little way from the shore" (v.3). From this new vantage point, Jesus can now start teaching ...

2384. Luke 24:1-12

Luke 24:1-12

Sweet

Leonard Sweet

... recall the essence of his passion prediction "that the Son of Man must be handed over to sinners, and be crucified, and on the third day rise again" (v.7). This Lukan call for remembrance is the first step toward their revitalized life as continuing disciples of Christ: not only to remember the Jesus they knew but now to view him with the clarity of post-resurrection sight. The women immediately respond to the challenge. They do remember and are transformed and enlivened by their memory. The women not only ...

2385. Luke 10:25-37

Luke 10:25-37

Sweet

Leonard Sweet

... "moral" and "upright" in order to demonstrate how much more is required than mere observance of and obedience to the law. Love for the neighbor should have motivated that priest and Levite and moved them to that wounded traveler's side. While Jesus' disciples and other listeners might have been secretly rejoicing at the audacity of using two members of the religious "establishment" as the "bad guys," all were surely shocked when Jesus introduced as the hero in this parable, a Samaritan. James and John had ...

2386. Luke 12:49-56

Luke 12:49-56

Sweet

Leonard Sweet

... that creating strife was the purpose of his mission. It is only when he is rejected that Jesus brings judgment instead of peace. Division is not something Jesus creates others create it through the choices they make. Verse 52 indicates that Jesus and the disciples are now approaching a climactic moment. They are on their way to Jerusalem and thus are drawing ever closer to the "baptism" Jesus envisions. As they go, Jesus predicts they will leave a trail of discord and disruption in their wake, as families ...

2387. Genesis 2:18-24

Genesis 2:18-24

Sweet

Leonard Sweet

2388. Mark 12:38-44

Mark 12:38-44

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

2389. Mark 4:26-34

Mark 4:26-34

Sweet

Leonard Sweet

... to swing the sickle, not any ability to discern the mysterious forces of the divine that brought about harvest time. Perhaps these texts are best known as "The Farmer and the Harvest." The thrust of this parable is not some "heavenly meaning" but the disciple's duty to be obedient here on Earth. Today's second parable has never suffered from an identity problem. It has always been confidently referred to as the parable of the mustard seed. Not only is its focus clear, the pedigree of this parable ...

2390. Luke 17:5-10

Luke 17:5-10

Sweet

Leonard Sweet

... thoughts, the first of which is a demand placed upon him by the "apostles" (v. 5) by whom Luke clearly means the Twelve: "Increase our faith!" The request is the Lukan version of the Matthean account in 17:20 where it is attached to an incident in which the disciples, having been asked to cure a man's son of his epileptic seizures, are unable to do so. In that account, Jesus, clearly exasperated, says, "How much longer must I put up with you?" (17:17). He then declares that if they had faith the size of a ...

2391. Matthew 3:1-12

Matthew 3:1-12

Sweet

Leonard Sweet

... moving picture. Instead of waxing eloquent about the greatness of the One to come, John invokes the image of a relationship familiar to his listeners. In the first-century world of master-teachers, revered rabbis and their schools of loyal students and disciples, a seriously devoted student would literally dog his teacher's steps, following him wherever he went. Every aspect of a great rabbi's life was worthy of observation and emulation by a truly dedicated student. But a well-known rabbinical saying drew ...

2392. Matthew 13:24-30, 36-43

Matthew 13:24-30, 36-43

Sweet

Leonard Sweet

... domain. Such an image suggests that the scope of the Son of Man's reign was to be far greater than had been suspected. Note that the servants of the master are not even included in this explanatory list of actors. Undoubtedly, the disciples listening to the first telling of this parable would have considered themselves the overly-eager servants. In this allegorical retelling, however, all those who listen to Jesus as the Son of Man and accept his words are counted together and undifferentiated among the ...

2393. Matthew 13:31-33, 44-52

Matthew 13:31-33, 44-52

Sweet

Leonard Sweet

... parables in general and his explanation of the parable of the weeds among the wheat in particular. The three images that follow in quick succession in verses 44-52 - after Jesus' remedial tutorial - seem to act as a kind of "pop quiz" to test the disciples' comprehension. The illustrations in 44-50 are so obvious and straightforward, however, that many scholars do not even classify them as "parables." Jesus appears to have given easy tests. The first two of these images share a common theme: people becoming ...

2394. Matthew 22:15-22

Matthew 22:15-22

Sweet

Leonard Sweet

... of what Jesus' ministry has been about. But they have no interest in any of Jesus' messages and press on to their pre-planned question: "Is it lawful to pay taxes to the emperor, or not?" Jesus' first response gives these well-educated disciples and well-heeled Herodians a first-hand taste of Jesus' famous impartiality and equanimity. Instead of answering outright, he first reveals their true intent entrapment and duplicity. Then, Jesus boldly labels them for what they are "hypocrites." Part of the power of ...

2395. Mark 1:29-39

Mark 1:29-39

Sweet

Leonard Sweet

... extend his hand and all the healing power it holds so that this woman might perform her duties in health and comfort and with joy. She is not simply the woman who serves them she is an honored member of the household Jesus and his disciples have temporarily joined. Based on Mark's assertion that Jesus' fame spread everywhere (v.28), the quiet, domestic scene at Simon's house is soon transformed by a throng of people seeking Jesus' healing touch. Note that Mark subtly asserts these were obedient, law-abiding ...

2396. Mark 5:21-43

Mark 5:21-43

Sweet

Leonard Sweet

... her body that when it suddenly vanished, she could not fail to feel its absence. Although the healed woman might have been content to sneak away, never even bothering Jesus with her presence, Jesus will not let what has happened go unannounced. Though the disciples are befuddled by Jesus' demand ("Who touched me?"), the healed woman knows Jesus is speaking to her. Verse 33 recounts how the woman comes in "fear and trembling" and tells him the "the whole truth." Jesus' reason for calling the woman out is not ...

2397. Remember Me

Luke 22:7-38, John 13:18-30

Sermon

King Duncan

... death and resurrection: a never-ending bridge of bread. As long as we eat the bread and drink the cup, we will not forget. We will not lose touch with who we are and who made us his own. Do you remember the climax to the story of the two disciples on the road to Emmaeus who found themselves in the presence of the risen Christ, but did not recognize him? At the end of the story they did have their eyes opened and they did recognize him. How? Luke tells us, “And he was known to them in the BREAKING ...

2398. Was It Really Necessary?

John 19:17-27

Sermon

King Duncan

... to pay the ultimate penalty for our faith. This may be the first reason that Jesus had to die. He could not ask his disciples to pay a greater price than he was willing to pay. There is a second reason why the cross was necessary. Without the cross ... for my soul, for my soul, to lay aside his crown for my soul.” That is why it had to be. Jesus could not ask his disciples to make a sacrifice he was not willing to make himself. There was no other way to reveal the awfulness of man’s sin and the awesomeness ...

2399. Death Has Been Conquered

Mark 16:1-20

Sermon

King Duncan

... today. It is so good to know that Christ does live. We share in the joy of Mary Magdalene and Peter and all those disciples and devoted followers to whom the risen Christ appeared when death could no longer contain him. For you see, he lives in our hearts ... today. It is so good to know that Christ does live. We share in the joy of Mary Magdalene and Peter and all those disciples and devoted followers to whom the risen Christ appeared when death could no longer contain him. For you see, he lives in our hearts ...

2400. Mark 8:31-38

Sweet

Leonard Sweet

... is a rejection of God. Instead of quieting Jesus down, Peter’s attempted “rebuke” leads Jesus now to address a wider audience. The “crowd,” all those who may have followed Jesus and listened to his teachings, are addressed and are invited to become disciples of this new kind of Messiah. But it is a troubling invitation. Jesus insists that in order to follow him people must “take up their cross” (v.34). After two millennia as a sacred symbol it is hard for twenty-first century readers to ...

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