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 1 to 25 of 2273 results

1. The Twelve Apostles

Luke 6:12-16

Understanding Series

Craig A. Evans

... Iscariot) there could be as many as fifteen or sixteen apostles. We have in the Gospels and Acts the following names of men considered among the Twelve: (1) Simon Peter: Matt. 10:2; Mark 3:16; Luke 6:14; John 1:42; Acts 1:13; see also 1 Pet. 1:1; 2 ... 1 Tim. 1:1; 2 Tim. 1:1; Titus 1:1.) In 1 Cor. 15:5–7 Paul seems to make a distinction between the “eleven” (the Twelve minus Judas Iscariot) and other apostles. From his argument in 1 Cor. 3:1–15 it would also seem that Paul regarded Apollos as an apostle ...

2. Jesus Sends Out the Twelve

Matthew 9:35-38, Matthew 10:1-42

Teach the Text

Jeannine K. Brown

... 10:32]), it seems clear that Matthew wants followers of Jesus to understand that their ministry is to be patterned in particular ways on Jesus’ own mission. First, the picture of Jesus as a shepherd to Israel (2:6; 9:36) connects with his call to the Twelve to go to the “lost sheep of Israel” (10:6). The shepherd picture is one of care, protection, and rescue. This is how Matthew has been portraying Jesus in chapters 8–9, and this is how disciples of Jesus should think of their own leadership roles ...

3. The Appointing of the Twelve Apostles

Mark 3:13-19

Understanding Series

Larry W. Hurtado

... . John 1:42; 1 Cor. 1:12; 3:22; 9:5; 15:5; Gal 2:9). The famous saying in Matthew 16:18 is a pun based on the meaning of Peter’s name. In Mark, as in the other Gospels, Peter is treated as the leader or spokesman of the Twelve and is the most familiar figure besides Jesus to readers of these narratives. We shall have much more to note about Peter later. James and John Zebedee are also important, having been mentioned once already (1:19–20), and they reappear as a kind of inner circle with Peter (cf ...

4. Jesus Sends Out the Twelve

Matthew 10:1-42

Understanding Series

Robert H. Mounce

... coming of the kingdom (cf. Mark 9:1) a promise of the second coming of Christ (vol. 1, p. 382). Others hold that the “coming” is a coming of judgment on Israel. One thing we do know is that by the time Matthew wrote, the mission of the Twelve was history and the Parousia had not taken place. This points to a different understanding of what it means for the Son of Man to come. Gundry holds that in writing verse 23 Matthew “implies a continuing mission to Israel alongside the mission to Gentiles” (p ...

5. Lord of the Sabbath and Appointing the Twelve

Luke 6:12-16, Luke 6:1-11

Teach the Text

R.T. France

... development of the story. But alongside the official opposition, we are now more fully introduced to the contrasting group of Jesus’s committed followers. We have read of the call of some of them in 5:1–11, 27–28, but now the inner circle of the Twelve is formalized. It is they who will form the primary audience for Jesus’s teaching on discipleship in 6:17–49, and who will be a constant presence during the story of Jesus’s itinerant ministry right up to the final week in Jerusalem. Historical ...

6. Jesus Sends Out the Twelve

Matthew 10:1-42

One Volume

Gary M. Burge

... family loyalties and obligations were paramount (cf. also 8:21–22). To be “worthy of [Jesus]” is to love Jesus more than all others and to take up one’s cross and follow him (10:38). On the story level, which focuses on Jesus’s teaching the Twelve, the metaphor of a cross poses a vision of discipleship as a path to death, since carrying one’s cross was what Rome forced criminals to do on the way to execution. Matthew is also foreshadowing for his readers Jesus’s own death by crucifixion. While ...

7. Jesus Sends Out the Twelve

Mark 6:7-13

Understanding Series

Larry W. Hurtado

... . If we are to see in the story of Herod that follows (6:14–29) a wicked king like Pharaoh in the Exodus story, it may be all the more likely that Mark has used Exodus imagery in describing the mission of the Twelve. This brings us to the observation that this story of the Twelve is interrupted by the account of the death of John the Baptist in 6:14–29 and ends only in 6:30, providing us with one of the examples of Mark’s narrative technique of sandwiching two stories together. In such cases, the ...

8. The Appointing of the Twelve

Mark 3:13-19

One Volume

Gary M. Burge

... is, to oppose evil and demonic forces. Apostleship thus entails the whole person—the relational, verbal, and behavioral. All lists of the apostles in the New Testament give preeminence to Peter, James, and John as an inner circle among the Twelve. As far as we know, none of the Twelve was a Jewish religious leader. Rather, all were representative of the common and diverse extremes (e.g., a tax collector and a Zealot) in first-century Judaism. The inclusion of the name of Judas, Jesus’s betrayer, reminds ...

9. The Twelve Days of Christmas

Matthew 2:1-12

Children's Sermon

Shirley Jennings

... . I’m going to let you hear the last part of that song. (Play the cassette tape or record.) Those people are singing about the twelve days of Christmas. Now look at the calendars here on the floor in front of us. Sometimes we think of the twelve days of Christmas as being the twelve days before Christmas. Really, the twelve days are after Christmas. Let’s count the twelve days after Christmas as I point to them. Christmas Day is December 25, so we start counting on December 26. You count with me ...

10. Fulfillment of the Twelve

Acts 1:12-26

One Volume

Gary M. Burge

... in Second Temple (i.e., “intertestamental”) Jewish literature, and the organization of the community responsible for the Dead Sea Scrolls also builds on the principle of “twelve.” In this context, Luke emphasizes that the election of Matthias completes the circle of the Twelve, and this signals the beginning of the restoration of God’s people in an eschatological era (see also Acts 26:7). In this new era, the criterion for entering God’s people is no longer one’s ethnic identity but one’s ...

11. The Census of the Twelve Tribes

Num 1:1–2:54

Teach the Text

Joe M. Sprinkle

Big Idea: God fulfills his promises. Understanding the Text Numbers begins with Israel still “in the Desert of Sinai,” where it has received the Ten Commandments (Num. 1:1; cf. Exod. 19:1–2). Numbers continues the story of Exodus and Leviticus. At the end of the book of Exodus, Israel constructs the tabernacle, or “tent of meeting.” The book of Leviticus gives rules for how Israel is to use the tabernacle. Now from that tent at Mount Sinai God gives further instructions. Centuries earlier God had promised ...

12. A Terrorist among the Twelve

Luke 6:12-16

Sermon

Donald B. Strobe

... folks who don’t get much excited about anything. It is easier to cool down a fanatic than it is to warm up a corpse! III. FINALLY, I WANT YOU TO THINK FOR A MOMENT ABOUT THE VAST DIFFERENCES WHICH EXISTED WITHIN THAT APOSTOLIC BAND. Among the Twelve there was a former Zealot and a former tax-collector! There must have been many interesting discussions around the campfire. The Church is not a group of “like-minded” people. Just the reverse. It is a band of cut-throats who might well be enemies were ...

13. Jesus Sends out the Twelve

Mark 6:7-13

One Volume

Gary M. Burge

... to Christ is rendered not by merit or perfection but by dependence on him. Mention that Jesus “gave them authority over impure spirits” (6:7) confirms that Jesus’s disciples, like their master himself, are sent into the world to confront evil. The mission of the Twelve is not their own but is an extension of Jesus’s ministry. The sending of the disciples with only staff, sandals, belt, and tunic (6:8–9) recalls the sending out of the Israelites from Egypt at the exodus (Exod. 12:11). Disciples are ...

14. Jesus Sends Out the Twelve

Luke 9:1-9

Understanding Series

Craig A. Evans

... sins. During this time his disciples have been in training. Now it is time for them to take a more active role in Jesus’ ministry, for the day will come when they will have to assume a much fuller responsibility. 9:1–6 When Jesus had called the Twelve together, he gave them power and authority to drive out all demons and to cure diseases. This authority should not be understood as extending to the forgiving of sins (as in 5:24). The disciples, sent out as apostles, were to heal and to exorcise as Jesus ...

15. Readying the Twelve for Mission

Acts 1:12-26

Sermon

Donald Macleod

After two such unprecedented events as Resurrection and Ascension, certainly this question is in order: what can God do for an encore? Or, one might simply exclaim: what a hard act to follow! The eleven disciples left Mt. Olivet and returned to Jerusalem, as Jesus had commanded them. Naturally, they sought out the Upper Room, a place filled with memories that were now sacred. Other faithful persons joined them until they numbered about a hundred and twenty, (v. 15) including a number of women with Mary and ...

16. Jesus Sends Out the Twelve

Luke 9:1-9

One Volume

Gary M. Burge

In the next episode (9:1–9) Jesus sends out the disciples to communicate the message of the kingdom of God (9:1). The kingdom message includes both the proclamation of good news and apostolic power over disease and demons (9:1–2). Jesus forbids the Twelve from bringing extensive provisions for the journey; he wants them to rely on God for sustenance. The disciples are to be content with the house that receives them (9:4), but if the people reject the message, the disciples are to shake the dust of the ...

17. Choosing the Twelve

Luke 6:12-16

One Volume

Gary M. Burge

... leaders are rejecting Jesus, and he responds by choosing a faithful remnant (6:12–16) who will be responsible for communicating his message to others. The significance of the selection is indicated by verse 12: Jesus spends an entire night in prayer before choosing the Twelve. Simon Peter (6:14) heads up every list of the apostles in the New Testament. Bartholomew is sometimes equated with Nathanael (John 1:44–51). Matthew and Levi (Luke 5:27) are the same person (6:15). The Zealots (6:15) were members ...

18. How to Motivate People

Matthew 10:1-42, Matthew 9:18-26

Sermon

Stephen M. Crotts

... 're a fine softball player. But what they don't want from you is discipleship. Jesus had people pulling on him all the time. "Bid my brother divide the inheritance with me." "My son is ill. Come and heal him." But he spent most of his time with the twelve he selected to be with him. They were the ones who wanted his gospel. They were the ones who asked, "Lord, teach us to pray." "Lord, explain again to us the parable." Why Just Twelve? Now the question might arise, why did Christ select only twelve men? Why ...

19. The New Heaven and New Earth

Revelation 21:1-27

Teach the Text

J. Scott Duvall

... among his people permanently (cf. Exod. 24:15–16; 1 Kings 8:1–13; Ezek. 43:2–5; Isa. 6:1–4). The jasper stone is especially significant since the walls of the city of God are made of “jasper” (21:18), and it is the first of the twelve foundation stones (21:19). It is a translucent stone, perhaps opal or even diamond, specifically associated with the light and glory of God (21:11).5Most importantly, in 4:3 God on his throne has the appearance of jasper. On the basis of this connection between 4:3 ...

20. The New Jerusalem

Revelation 21:1-27

Understanding Series

Robert W. Wall

... measurement it employs. The text’s syntax is admittedly obscure; however, Caird’s interpretation (and translation) is preferred since it underscores the symbolic character of the angel’s action: the angel is measuring the location where God’s true Israel (i.e., “the Twelve”) live in worship and praise of God who dwells there with them. Finally, John describes the precious gems and building materials used to build the city walls (21:18–20) and their gates of pearl (21:21a; cf. Isa. 54:12; for ...

21. Matthias Chosen to Replace Judas

Acts 1:12-26

Understanding Series

David J. Williams

... and without further formality was numbered among the apostles. Much is made of the fact that neither he nor the method by which he was chosen is heard of again, as though the whole thing was later seen as a mistake. But neither is anything heard of most of the Twelve once their names had been listed in verse 13, and so the silence of Acts is hardly grounds to condemn the man. As for the method, the coming of the Spirit soon gave the church a more certain guide to God’s will, though at the time their use ...

22. Jesus Feeds the Five Thousand

Mark 6:30-44

Understanding Series

Larry W. Hurtado

... completes the mission story interrupted by the account of John’s martyrdom in 6:14–29. 6:31 Did not even have a chance to eat: This is the second time Mark has referred to this (see also 3:20). It is all the more striking that Jesus and the Twelve feed the five thousand after the mention of this inability to satisfy their own needs. 6:32 A solitary place: The terms used here and in 6:31 and 6:35 refer to uninhabited areas and recall the wilderness as the scene of God’s protection and provision for ...

23. Details

Matthew 9:35-38, Matthew 10:1-42

Sermon

Marc Kolden

... whether he will also act through us. Pray the Lord to send out laborers. Only a verb form; just a mere detail. Yet the sense that each of the verbs is ongoing makes the back-and-forth relationship between the first century and ours very apparent. We are not the twelve; our mission is not only to Israel. Yet Jesus' words to them also have importance for us as we look at them today. By encouraging us to look closely at the details of this passage, what have I been doing? Is it only an exercise in Bible study ...

24. The Lord's Supper

Mark 14:12-26

Understanding Series

Larry W. Hurtado

... is eating with me: This emphasizes the nature of the treachery as coming from within Jesus’ intimate circle of followers and is likely an allusion to Ps. 41:9. This idea is repeated in v. 20, where the betrayer is specifically described as one of the Twelve, … one who dips bread into the bowl with me (reflecting the ancient Palestinian meal custom of using pieces of the flat unleavened bread as the eating utensil). 14:21 The Son of Man will go just as it is written about him: No specific OT reference ...

25. Jesus Sends Out the Seventy-two

Luke 10:1-24

Understanding Series

Craig A. Evans

... –23), and in Matt. 10:7–16 some of these instructions appear in the Matthean version of the appointing and sending of the Twelve. Like Matthew (see 10:5–42), Luke has assembled these related sayings and has produced a minor discourse. Like the sending of ... among wolves. This saying anticipates the persecution and opposition to be endured by the early Christians. As in the sending of the Twelve (9:1–6), the Seventy must travel light to travel swiftly, not even stopping to greet anyone on the road (cf. ...

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