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 2815 results

2376. When? All the Time

Matthew 25:31-46

Illustration

J. Howard Olds

Every time I read Jesus' parable of the Last Judgment, I am struck by the adverb "when." 'Lord, when did we see you hungry, or when did we see you thirsty, or when did we see you naked, or when did we see you sick?' Both those who see and those who fail to see the ...

2377. Doing Nothing and Going to Hell

Mt 25:31-46

Illustration

King Duncan

... Billy Sunday was once asked, "What must I do to go to hell?" Sunday answered, "Nothing." That's the message of Matthew 25. If we want to have hell on earth and hell for eternity, then we will look the other way. The goats were those people in Jesus' parable who saw the need, but did nothing to help. The goats' response is captured perfectly in this paraphrase of today's passage: "I was hungry and you said apply for food stamps. I was homeless and you said there is a shelter in town. I was lonely and you ...

2378. The Four Sacred Chords of Home

Mark 13:24-37

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

... ,” the return of the Son of Man brings them back to their ultimate home. Jesus steps back from the final curtain of the Parousia and once again focuses on the current moment, the current of time in which his disciples are living. The lesson or parable of the fig tree is offered to show how Jesus’ followers may discern the approach of all “these things.” The fig tree, which loses all its leaves over the winter, is something of a late bloomer. Unlike the early blooming almond tree – or the more ...

2379. Mark 13:34-37

Mark 13:32-37

Sweet

Leonard Sweet

2380. Camelot – The Time Will Come Again

Mark 13:24-37

Sermon

David E. Leininger

... , "I have won my battle, and here in this boy is my victory. What we did with the Round Table will be remembered. You will see." Arthur sends Tom off on his mission to tell far and wide the story of Camelot. In a way, that story is a parable of what we commence here today. This is the first Sunday in Advent, the first Sunday in a brand new church year. As has been happening for centuries of Christian history, each year from "December to December" we retell the story of Jesus from beginning to end, and as ...

2381. The Messiah Is Back!

Illustration

Thomas Long

... spontaneously, joyously, and loudly shout, "The 'Messiah' is here! The 'Messiah' is back!" Every head in the library turned toward the voice, but, alas, as the Times reported, "A few minutes later everyone went back to work." A wry story, but also a parable of the often dashed expectations of those who wait for God. Someone cries, "Peace, peace," but there is no peace. Another says, "Comfort, comfort," but there is little comfort. "Come, thou long-expected Jesus," goes the prayerful hymn, and heads turn in ...

2382. Were You There?

John 19:17-27

Sermon

King Duncan

... ? Nobody knew. Peter was not in sight. He was in hiding. But Peter was there just as surely as Judas was there. It scarcely seems possible that Peter would have so disappointed the Master. Peter was present every time Jesus performed a miracle or spoke a parable or communed with God. When Jesus walked on the water, it was Simon Peter who tried to duplicate the feat, but faltered and had to be rescued by Christ. Peter was there with James and John on the Mount of Transfiguration when Jesus was revealed once ...

2383. God’s Two Hands

John 16:5-16

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

... his unique and memorable abilities as a teacher. In fact, more and more writers are arguing that Jesus’ teaching and preaching style seem as much if not more applicable to the 21st century setting than the first century context. Jesus’ pithy parables, probing questions, dissecting diatribes, gentle humor, ironic satire, use of signs — all are trotted out as evidence of a great teacher. Yet there is no escaping one thing: Despite all his eloquence, all his charisma, all his wonder-working powers, when ...

2384. Breaking Loose

Romans 8:1-17

Sermon

King Duncan

... cocoon, we may even fly.” (7) Are you ready to fly? Nothing is impossible to the sons and daughters of God. 1. Pastoral Renewal, date unknown. 2. Dare to Discipline (Wheaton, IL: Tyndale House, Publishers, 1970). 3. Net Results, Feb. 1991. Cited in Parables, Etc, date unknown. 4. 10 Essentials of Highly Healthy People (Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 2003), p. 204. 5. Secrets of Influence from the Art of Storytelling (New York: Basic Books, 2001). 6. Edward Paul Cohn in James W. Cox, Editor, Best Sermons, Vol. 1 ...

2385. Risk Takers

Luke 6:17-26

Sermon

Cynthia Cowen

... possessions and financial security cause them to think they have no need — they lack nothing — and so they have no need for God. They seem to be "rich" in the sight of the world, but in reality they are extremely "poor" and do not even recognize it. The parable of the rich fool exemplifies this. The land of a rich man produced abundantly. And he thought to himself, "What should I do, for I have no place to store my crops?" Then he said, "I will do this: I will pull down my barns and build larger ...

2386. This Fellow Welcomes Sinners

Luke 15:1-3, 11b-32

Sermon

Frank Ramirez

... that Jesus was motivated by the same things they were, so when they sought to discredit him they assumed that accusing this fellow of eating with sinners would cause him great discomfort. Jesus isn't embarrassed in the least. He proceeds to tell two parables about a lost coin and a lost sheep to explain why he was more than willing to eat with those accused by sinners of being sinners. People could understand immediately how lost property could make us change our behavior and how suddenly the missing ...

2387. Don’t Be Afraid

Luke 12:32-40

Sermon

... to be fussing around worrying about such things, you can attend to the work of the kingdom, which, in case you've forgotten, is breaking in as we speak." Honestly, isn't this getting a bit monotonous? Last week, right here in church, we heard Jesus telling us the parable of the rich man who tore down his old, inadequate barns and built new ones to house his abundant crop. We get it Jesus. Don't hoard our goods, sell what we have, give to the poor; let our Father in heaven take care of us. We get it ...

2388. But I Really Like the Best Seat in the House!

Luke 14:1, 7-14

Sermon

... with great respect even to the point of being seated in this place of honor. I can only surmise that it was my clothes that made the difference and allowed me this courtesy. Therefore it only seemed right that I should feed my clothes first."1 This story and Jesus' parable call me up short regarding my drive to be at the top of the heap. "When you are invited somewhere," he says, "don't rush to get the best seat in the house. Be humble and take a lower place because you don't want your host to tell ...

2389. Finish What You Start

Luke 14:25-33

Sermon

... a life of service that would likely, from time to time, result in some amount of suffering, of hardship, and of testing. Little did I know how true those words would be. In my naïveté, I would soon be able to relate quite well to the person in Jesus' parable who failed to estimate the cost of building a tower. I was no different than the king who decided to wage war but never sat down to ascertain if he had enough soldiers to finish the job. In short, I was shocked, though I shouldn't have been, when the ...

2390. Sonny Moneybags

Luke 15:1-3, 11b-32

Sermon

David E. Leininger

... into the house. His older boy just stood, watching him go. There is no indication as to whether Sonny ever went in or not. It is the greatest short story ever written. Until we think specifically about Sonny, we probably do not realize that almost half of the parable is about him. We hear lots about his father and brother, but only little about the older boy. We appreciate the first part of the story, that no matter how low we go, no matter how vile our sin is, our heavenly Father is not only waiting to ...

2391. The Good Samaritan

Luke 10:25-37

Sermon

David E. Leininger

... saw him, [and] passed by on the other side" (Luke 10:32). Another hero! Now what? By normal storytelling conventions, we can expect we are about to meet a third character who will break the pattern created by the first two. In the context of our current parable, the expected sequence would be a priest, a Levite, and then ... ta dah! ... our hero will be an ordinary Israelite who will come to the rescue even when the high muckety-mucks of the temple fail to do so. The story would have an anti-clerical edge ...

2392. Trouble In the Parsonage

Hosea 1:2-10

Sermon

David E. Leininger

... hands of the pharaohs. Then, in spite of all the benefits, they caught Gomer's disease, the roving eye. They began chasing after other gods. It was sad. The story could have ended there, both for Gomer and for Israel. But in one of the most grace-filled parables in all of scripture we learn that, one day, Hosea got word of Gomer's predicament, she had gotten herself involved with a low-life who cared so little for her that he was putting her up for sale on the open market. The prophet scraped together his ...

2393. A Religion That Shows

Haggai 1:15, 2:9

Sermon

David E. Leininger

... , I am considered some money. Haggai would have said, "Amen!" And of course, he would not be alone in that. Jesus would join in. Fully one sixth of all the verses in the gospels attributed to the lips of Jesus and one third of all his parables concern the right management of possessions. Jesus knew that we could very easily come to love that which we have accumulated even more than God. Jesus preached about money, often. They did complete their temple, and they were blessed by God in marvelous ways: Their ...

2394. Advent 4

Luke 1:47-55 or Psalm 80:1-7, Micah 5:2-5a, Luke 1:39-45, Hebrews 10:5-10

Bulletin Aid

Julia Ross Strope

... Thanksgiving (Leader) Living God — we thank you for John and Jesus. We recognize people who make the way easier for us like John did for Jesus. We recognize teachers whose wisdom follows us all our lives — like Jesus’ Sermon on the Mount and his vivid parables. We are grateful for God’s coming to earth and for the care that Mary and Joseph gave to Jesus. During this hour, we listen for fresh ways to embody the Holy and to receive the love offered us. Amen. Call To Confession (Leader) Sin separates ...

2395. Proper 13

Psalm 107:1-9, 43, Hosea 11:1-11, Luke 12:13-21, Colossians 3:1-11

Bulletin Aid

Julia Ross Strope

... /patriarchal views; the preacher will have to be skillful in not violating the sensitivities of younger women and men in the congregation. As in the story of Mary and Martha, Jesus resists taking on the role of conflict manager. He tells the parable of the man who didn’t recognize “enough” but he refuses to invade the boundaries of the brother-brother discussion. It might be interesting to explore some of the global issues that create national and international conflict like: the USA and immigration ...

2396. Mark 12:28-34

Mark 12:28-34

Sweet

Leonard Sweet

... necessarily be expressed by loving one’s neighbor. While the Scribe would have interpreted the “neighbor” as his fellow Jews, Jesus expanded that designation throughout his life. His interactions with Gentiles and outcasts, and his “Good Samaritan” parable (Luke 25-29), made that re-designation of “neighbor” pointedly poignant. Not only does this Scribe whole-heartedly agree with Jesus’ answer, declaring “Well said” (Greek “kalos”). He even makes a surprising extension of it. First ...

2397. Formula for Eternal Life

1 Corinthians 15:35-38, 42-50

Sermon

Richard Gribble

... ? First, we need to review our relationship with ourselves. This might seem an odd way to begin, but if we do not have a good relationship with ourselves we can never progress in our relationships with God and our brothers and sisters. In this sense the parable of the prodigal son (Luke 15:11-32) is instructive. Before the young prodigal could begin his journey home he needed to realize his need for reconciliation. This process began with him. The résumé for eternal life requires us to love what God has ...

2398. On Loan From God

1 Kings 21:1-10 (11-14) 15-21a

Sermon

Stephen P. McCutchan

... do not know how to treat things with respect, it becomes doubly confusing when we then try to treat people with respect. The story of the interchange between King Ahab, the anointed king of Israel, and his neighbor, Naboth the Jezreelite, can serve as an effective parable for what is happening in our society. To properly hear this story I would ask you not to identify with Naboth too quickly. Ahab is known as the anointed one of Israel. The Hebrew word for anointed is messiah and in Greek it is christ ...

2399. When God Measures The Church

Amos 7:7-17

Sermon

Stephen P. McCutchan

... demand that we "let justice roll down like waters and righteousness like an ever flowing stream," we find ourselves frequently falling short on God's demand for keeping the sabbath and returning a minimum of 10% of what God has given us. In Luke 10:23-37, we have the parable of the good Samaritan. You know the basics of the story. A man fell among robbers and was left by the side of the road. Along came a priest and a Levite who both passed him by on the other side. Then came a Samaritan, who didn't belong ...

2400. From Death To Life To…

Jeremiah 4:11-12, 22-28

Sermon

Chrysanne Timm

... his storytelling and in his encounters, he readily embraces those whom the rest of his society would prefer to forget. His teaching in the sermon on the plain pronounces blessing on those who are poor, promising them nothing less than the kingdom of heaven (Luke 7:20). The parables of the lost sheep and the lost coin in Luke 15:1-10 clearly communicate Jesus' intent that no one be excluded from God's banquet table. The story of Lazarus and the rich man in Luke 16:19-31 paints a tragic picture of a man who ...

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