Sermon and Worship Resources

Synonyms: complain, moan, groan, whine, mutter, grouse, bleat, carp, cavil, protest, rumble, gurgle, murmur, growl, roar, complaint, muttering, grievance, objection, protestation, quibble, criticism, charge, accusation

Showing 1 to 25 of 879 results

1. God Gives the Pharisees the Finger!

John 7:25-44, John 7:45--8:11

Sermon

Lori Wagner

... in the law, so that we can take what we want. But Jesus saw through all of this right away with the Pharisees and their handling of both divorce and adultery law. This brings us to the law. If a woman (called a sotah or a suspect) was accused by her husband of adultery, and not caught in the act, then the “test of bitter waters” would be applied. The woman would be brought into the Temple Court surrounded by the Sanhedrin and others, as well as some Master Rabbis who may be invited to judge additionally ...

2. Week Five Of Lent

Sermon

Richard Gribble

... end their plot is discovered through the wisdom of Daniel. The Law of Moses contained no mercy; rather the elders have exacted on them the penalty they tried to impose on Susanna. In the Gospel we hear another story of accusation, but there are several important differences. From all indications the accusation against the woman is true. She does not deny it. The law says she is to be stoned, but the Lord goes above the law and offers another alternative. Jesus, the one who is always trying to be a teacher ...

3. Who Will Cast the First Stone?

John 7:45--8:11

Sermon

Maxie Dunnam

... a regime that fosters death squads in Central America. It’s often true that those who are involved in sin are quick to accuse the sins of others. That’s a dramatic expression of it; let’s bring it down to where we live - at levels that ... in my life, in your life and in the life of the world. Two things stand out in Jesus’ response to the woman and her accusers. One, the privilege of judgment belongs to God, not to us. Jesus was forthright in his command, “Judge not, lest you be judged.” (Matthew 7 ...

4. There's A Man Going Around Taking Names

John 1:19-28

Sermon

Thomas Long

... Christians are persuaded that it is the world which is finally on trial, and they give their testimony accordingly. Placing their trust in the Christ who "will come to judge the quick and the dead," the Christian community has been bold to face all worldly accusers, whether they come from Rome with swords, from Birmingham with police dogs, from Warsaw with a rifle, from Hollywood with a sneer, or from Washington with a court order. As the folk hymn puts it, "All my trials, Lord, soon be over." Fenn has also ...

5. Extreme Measures

1 Kings 21:1-29

Sermon

Carlyle Fielding Stewart

... had no one to defend him. No one would come to his aid. The conspirators had no compunctions in taking his life. Who would defend him? How would his death be avenged? His family would forever live with the memory of their loved one being falsely accused then executed like a common criminal. Who would mourn and weep for them? How often we cringe at the slaughter of those innocents who have never been avenged nor their assailants brought to justice. But who was powerful enough to battle the king and queen in ...

6. The Client

Zechariah 3:1-7

Sermon

James Merritt

... blame you for limping; he will push you in the mud and then blame you for getting dirty. He is called in Revelation 12:10 "the accuser of the brethren." He is the "tattletale" par excellent. The devil not only loves to get you to sin, he loves to point out your sin ... mud in that puddle. Then he will trounce you and jump on you while you are in the mud puddle. Then he will taunt you and accuse you of being dirty. That is exactly what he had done to Joshua and what he does to you and to me. II. The Grace of ...

7. Do you need a Pharisectomy?

Matthew 9:27-34, Matthew 9:35-38, Matthew 12:15-21, Matthew 12:22-37, Matthew 12:38-45, Matthew 12:46-50

Sermon

Lori Wagner

... . Jesus is the host. And he says to all his guests, “Welcome to the feast.” Disciples of Jesus –is the Lord in this house? The Lord is in the house!!! *Photo from henryherz.com (The Misty Montes) Based on the Story Lectionary Major Text Matthew’s Witness to Jesus accused of beelzebul (9:27-9:38 and 12:15-12:50) Minor Text Exodus 7-11: The Egyptians Do Not Heed Moses’ and Aaron’s Miracles 1 Samuel 16-19: The Story of David, Goliath, and Saul’s Vendetta 2 Kings 1: The Story of Ahaziah’s Bid to ...

8. The Infiltrator

John 10:1-21, John 10:22-42

Sermon

Lori Wagner

... written in your Law, ‘I have said you are “gods”’? If he called them ‘gods,’ to whom the word of God came—and Scripture cannot be set aside— what about the one whom the Father set apart as his very own and sent into the world? Why then do you accuse me of blasphemy because I said, ‘I am God’s Son’? Do not believe me unless I do the works of my Father. But if I do them, even though you do not believe me, believe the works, that you may know and understand that the Father is in me ...

9. Pilate's Sign

Sermon

Jerry Eckert

... to be king. Visitor: But Herod was already king, right? Local: That's right. So Pilate took Jesus off to talk with him privately. One of the guards told me that Pilate asked him if he wanted to be king. Jesus asked Pilate, "Is that your opinion or just their accusation?" Pilate answered back that he didn't know. He wasn't from here. He asked Jesus what he had done. Jesus didn't deny he was king. He just wasn't the kind of king the leaders and Pilate thought. If he was, Jesus said, he'd have sent in ...

10. OUR LORD TORMENTED

Sermon

E. Jerry Walker

... charges was all too obvious. Since when had the high priests of the Jews been so devoted to the paying of taxes to Caesar? No, there was something else behind this, and Pilate was not going to be tripped by them. Not this time! He turned to the accused. "Are you the king of the Jews?" he asked. There was no fear, no flinching in the man’s countenance. Quietly, yet firmly, he said, "You have said so." Pilate was taken with the man’s answer. His whole bearing was one of strength, openness. There was none ...

11. So You Want to Be in the Lead?

Exodus 17:1-7

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

... mistake. And tell the truth now: how many of you even realized how grammatically absurd were these first words on the moon? There's another thing that will happen when you carpe manana, when you go out in the lead: you will be caught up in altercations and accusations. Ever wonder why there's very little manual photographic evidence of the very first first man on the moon? There was a huge behind-the-scenes battle in the Apollo 11 crew as to who would be the first to set foot on the moon. Buzz Aldrin was ...

12. Christianity's First Sermon

Luke 23:26-43

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

... to others is made explicit in John’s gospel. Christianity’s sermon got a harsh review. The Jewish authorities complain about its message, chastising Pilate for writing it. Pilate’s retort is as affirming, yet as enigmatic, as Jesus’ own defense before his accusers: “What I have written, I have written” (John 19:22). In John 8:32 as Jesus is addressing an uncomprehending crowd he challenges them to become his disciples for then they “will know the truth and the truth will make you free.” What ...

13. The Little Boat

Mark 4:35-41

Sermon

Ron Lavin

... others. They had felt him care for them. It's just that at this moment, as they fought for their very lives and Jesus slept, it appeared that he didn't care. They got sucked into the illusion of the moment, forgetting the deeper truth of their experience. They accused Jesus with a question: "Teacher, don't you care?" This is the question we often ask in the storms of life. We, too, get sucked into the illusion of the moment. "Where is God when we need him?" "God, are you asleep? Don't you care? Aren't you ...

14. The Cry for God

Exodus 17:1-7

Sermon

James G. Cobb

... the thousands of years. When the people of Israel were on the move, having come through the Red Sea and led on their way by God out of Egypt, the time came at Masseh and Meribeh when they were thirsty; and because they were in great want of water, they accused God of abandonment. In the seventeenth chapter of Exodus, they tempt the Lord with their question and ask, "Is the Lord among us or not?" This cry to God has gone up early in the history of God’s people and it continues ... The cry for God would be ...

15. Defended By the Divine

Mark 14:1-11

Sermon

Barbara Brokhoff

... good either. It has been said that a man will pay one dollar for a two dollar item if he needs it, but if it is on sale for two dollars and worth only one dollar, a woman will buy it whether she can use it or not! Women are accused, too, of being overly sentimental. They cry at strange times - even happy occasions like graduations and weddings. Big things they handle calmly, then an unexpected small gift will break them up. And logic - "the logic of a woman" is a proverb all its own! Well, here a woman is ...

16. Sustaining the Weary with a Word

Isaiah 50:1-11

Sermon

Carlyle Fielding Stewart

... the compassion of Christ. We not only hear and take heed to the prophet’s words, but we know also that the word has been made flesh in Jesus Christ. The words of the prophet in this text can be words that Christ himself spoke as he faced his accusers and tormentors and as he prepared for his own death upon his entry into Jerusalem. Hear the words of the prophet which can be the words of Christ which sustain the weary in times of trial and difficulty. “... I have not been rebellious and I have not drawn ...

17. A Forgiving Presence

John 7:45--8:11

Sermon

Maxie Dunnam

... to be on the horns of a dilemma, he reverses it. The problem is clear, sin and the need of forgiveness. So Jesus doesn’t deal alone with the sin of a woman, in fact, he focuses first not on the woman’s sin, but on that of her accusers. They must have been shocked speechless. I’m sure they were immobilized by Jesus’ words, “Let him who is without sin, cast the first stone.” And then he knelt down to write in the sand. Was he allowing the people some relief from their engagement with him in order ...

18. When You Are Wrongly Criticized

Mark 3:20-30

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

... — an inclusive “gnomic” utterance that begins with “whoever” or “if anyone” (see Mark 9:37-40; 10:29-31; 10:43,45; 11:23). “Family” is now redefined as “whoever does the will of God.” Jesus does the will of God by being accused of demon possession and sorcery, by being rejected, by suffering and dying. “Doing the will of God” admits one to Jesus’ family and it binds all new family members together as “brother and sister and mother.” But admission to this new family comes ...

19. The Lost Five Commandments

Mark 12:35-40

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

... unexpected ways. The Sanhedrin “big boys” couldn’t argue with his answers. But Jesus himself never took advantage when he bested his challengers. He never piled on after making his point. When Jesus was confronted with the “life-and-death” dog pile of the woman accused of adultery, he not only refused to pile on, his words, “Let he who is without sin cast the fist stone,” caused those who were warming up their pitching arms to slink off. Thou shalt not pile on. 3. Thou Shalt Not Pile In There ...

20. Rally or Rail?

John 18:28-40

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

... being arrested. Pilate continues to press, but with less overt hostility. He asks Jesus the neutral, “So you are a king?” As a political survivor in volatile Rome, Pilate knows how to cover his bases. Although he surmises that Jesus’ arrest and the accusations of the Sanhedrin have a backstory, and he has learned that there are no violent threats to Rome’s rule from this man, he also knows that any confession of “kingship” may be useful as this situation plays itself out. Jesus’ next response ...

21. Lord of the Sabbath

Luke 5:33-39, Luke 6:1-11, Luke 7:18-35

Sermon

Lori Wagner

... of Man is lord of the Sabbath.” On another Sabbath he entered the synagogue and taught, and there was a man there whose right hand was withered. The scribes and the Pharisees watched him to see whether he would cure on the Sabbath, so that they might find an accusation against him. Even though he knew what they were thinking, he said to the man who had the withered hand, “Come and stand here.” He got up and stood there. Then Jesus said to them, “I ask you, is it lawful to do good or to do harm on ...

22. Shameless Passion

Isaiah 50:1-11

Sermon

Paul W. Kummer

... seems to take away the pain. Millions of hurting, shame-filled people in our world need freedom from guilt and fear. The antidote to smelly feet and bad breath is Romans 8:1: "Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus." No accusation from the One who counts the most! Because Jesus in his passionate passion took your sin, bore your shame, and was even rejected by God, you are not rejected. God will never turn his back on you. His desire is that you are never ashamed! What are ...

23. Jesus Rejected

Mark 15:1-15

Sermon

R. Sheldon MacKenzie

... , to construct a stronger case than the evidence will bear. Whether this was true when Jesus appeared before Pilate we will never know. We do know that Pilate began to wonder whether all he was hearing was correct. Especially in view of the silence of the accused. The silence of Jesus is the most dignified response he could make, in the face of the persistent interrogation by his enemies, and in view of the sly attempt to destroy him by innuendo. And all of it against the background of a mob so stirred ...

24. The Sin of Judging

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

Sermon

Dennis Kastens

... area is often just as untenable as that of the New Zealand chief, who said, "I have clear title to this land, for I ate the former proprietor." There was a day when a disheveled woman, caught in the very act of adultery, was brought to Jesus; her accusers, the Pharisees, were about as intent on killing her as they were anxious to entrap our Lord. Now Jesus did not condone what she had done, but he knew that these men were not blameless either. "He that is without sin among you, let him first cast a stone ...

25. Let Us Cross To The Other Side

Mark 4:35-41

Sermon

Ron Lavin

... had felt him care for them. It’s just that at this moment, as they fought for their very lives and Jesus slept, it appeared that he didn’t care. They got sucked into the illusion of the moment, forgetting the deeper truth of their experience. Then they accused Jesus with a question: "Teacher, don’t you care?" That is the question we naturally ask in the storms of life. That is the question asked from the human shore of the sea. The Human Side of the Sea "Don’t you care?" That is the feeling which ...

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