Sermon and Worship Resources

Showing 1 to 25 of 387 results

Proverbs 27:6, 9, 17

Sermon

James Merritt

... as you may think you have, but you really better not have many friends at all, for our text today, in the New American Standard, reads this way: "A man of many friends comes to ruin." It can be a danger to have too many friends. The name John Carpenter may not mean very much to you, but he is the thirty-one-year-old Internal Revenue Service Officer who won the single largest one-time cash award in the history of American television, excluding lotteries, when he won $1 million. When he appeared on the show ...

2. Herod and Jesus

Drama

Jon Joyce

... and you foolishly promised her whatever she wished. And then her mother connived with her to ask for John’s head on a platter. HEROD: [Interrupts] I said ... JESUS: [Holds up his right arm to silence HEROD] And you delivered an innocent man’s head on a platter to the daughter of your mistress. HEROD: [Slamming his fists together] Silence! [He pauses, puffs, regains his regal manner] We are in here to talk about you, carpenter, not about your king. I recall, and it was not so long ago, that you sent a ...

3. That Carpenter Is God

Mark 6:1-6

Sermon

Ron Lavin

... named Jesus" - may not be fully appreciated. We need to hear this statement of the divine becoming human in all of its astonishing and bewildering splendor. In the lofty words of John 1:14, "The Word became flesh and dwelt among us." It is put in a plainer package here in Mark. That flesh was a carpenter’s son who himself plied the carpenter’s trade - a Nazarene named Jesus. The divine entered the human. Why is this so important? Because is shows how far God will descend to lift us up. God entered the ...

4. Only a Carpenter

Mark 6:1-6

Sermon

Donald B. Strobe

... in a sermon at First United Methodist Church. But here it is. Does that not sum up the message of St. Mark, the message of the Gospel? We are all invited to “Kiss a Carpenter” - one Carpenter in particular: Jesus of Nazareth. “Simon, do you love me?” Jesus is reported to have asked the Big Fisherman at the end of His earthly journey.(John 21:15,16) It is a question he asks each of us again and again. “Do you love me? How about a kiss?” The only kiss He ever got, according to the Gospels, was ...

5. Only the Neighbors’ Kid

John 6:25-59

Sermon

Donald B. Strobe

... says that three parties are present at the conception of every child: the father, the mother, and the Spirit of God! But John does not deny that Jesus is Joseph’s son. Nor does he say that Joseph was a carpenter. Did you catch that? Two other Gospels call Joseph a carpenter: Mark 6:3 and Matthew 13:55, but Luke and John do not. In fact, the word which we usually translate “carpenter” may better be translated “builder.” And what do you build with in Jesus’ part of the world? Stone, if you are ...

6. The Church Is Alive and Well

Matthew 16:13-18

Sermon

James Merritt

... day just as there are all kinds of opinions about Jesus in our day. There are some who say Jesus was a great preacher like John the Baptist. There are others who would say that Jesus is a great person like Elijah, upon whom the mantle of God rested. Then there ... man said, "Is it 4 ft. high?" He said, "Yes, it is." He said, "Well, what assurance do I have that it will not fall down?" The carpenter said, "Well, I not only built it 4 ft. high, I built it 5 ft. thick, so if it falls down it will be a foot higher ...

7. Fish Miracle

1 Corinthians 15:1-11, Isaiah 6:1-13, Luke 5:1-11

Sermon Aid

John R. Brokhoff

... he was astonished, and all that were with him, at the catch of fish which they had taken; 10 and so also were James and John, sons of Zebedee, who were partners with Simon. And Jesus said to Simon, "Do not be afraid; henceforth you will be catching men." 11 And ... is still used in the church's iconography. There is more than one miracle in this pericope. It was a miracle when a carpenter of Nazareth told a professional fisherman how to catch fish and succeeded! It was a miracle to catch two boat loads of fish ...

8. The Rejection of Jesus in His Own Hometown

Mark 6:1-6

Teach the Text

Grant R. Osborne

... –13) is set between two rejection stories, first the opposition of Jesus’s hometown (6:1–6) and second the arrest and death of John the Baptist (6:14–29). After the triumphs of his succession of miracles and the wonder that this caused among the people, we are ... he began his ministry at about age thirty-four, those for whom he had been the village carpenter. What happened to Jesus happened to all the prophets (see especially Isaiah and Jeremiah) whose messages were rejected and their lives ...

9. A Mountain-Top Experience

Mark 9:2-13

Illustration

Larry Powell

... presence of God, i.e., "firey, cloudly pillar," overshadowed them, and a voice spoke from the cloud; "This is my beloved son; listen to him" (Mark 9:7). Dramatically, the carpenter’s son was now understood to be the "Son of God." There is also one other noteworthy reference in our selected scripture. In Mark 9:5, James, Peter, and John wanted to erect three booths (or tabernacles) on a sacred spot and remain there in the afterglow. Moses had been tempted to do the same thing following his own mountaintop ...

10. I'm On a Mission from God!

Jonah 1:1-17

Sermon

... off. Suddenly, here is Jonah walking up the beach saying REPENT. What would you have done? I think I'd repent! Do you think John Belushi could have done something with that? "I'm on a mission from God!" Of course, you who are a part of the church ... . They needed to do that." Mission around the world? Pick a place. You would be hard pressed not to find a Presbyterian presence, and Marj Carpenter could probably tell you a story about it. God bless 'er. "I'm on a mission from God." Yes, I am. And you are. And ...

11. The Journey Begins

Luke 5:1-11

Sermon

James Merritt

... t you and I go into business together? I know how to fish and You know where to fish. I’ve got this vision. We could open up restaurants all over Israel. We could call them something like “Long John Savior” or “Jesus’ Crab Shack.” Then the thought hit him, “Why would Jesus, a poor carpenter, who didn’t own a home and had no money of his own, travel the countryside preaching, teaching, and healing for nothing? In fact, He could have gotten into somebody else’s boat. Why did He get into mine ...

12. A Christmas To Remember

Matthew 1:18-25

Sermon

King Duncan

... any of the gospels does Joseph ever say a word. We don't know a lot about Joseph other than he was a carpenter from the small town of Nazareth. "At first view there was nothing striking about this man. His simple, well-worn clothes revealed him ... They drove all through the night and the family spent Christmas with the nephew in the hospital. His secretary of many years said, "John was working quietly and without fanfare. He could not conceive of this family not being together on Christmas. He feels he has so ...

13. Jesus' Baptism: Affirmed by God

Mark 1:9-13

Sermon

Maxie Dunnam

... Jesus, that of God, and then from where we stand. Look at the baptism first from Jesus’ perspective. Verse 9 says, “In those days, Jesus came from Nazareth of Galilee and was baptized by John in the Jordan.” From his perspective, Jesus’ baptism was a moment of personal decision and commitment. He had been doing manual labor in the carpenter’s shop until he was 30 years of age. He knew that the time had come for him to leave his family, his friends, his vocation, the security that he had grown up ...

14. The King and His Castle

Matthew 16:13-18

Sermon

James Merritt

... were all kinds of opinions about Jesus 2,000 years ago. There were some who said that Jesus was a great preacher like John the Baptist. There were others who said that Jesus was a great person like Elijah. There were others who said that Jesus was a ... fall down?" The man said, "It is absolutely impossible for this fence to ever fall down." The man said, "How can you assure me of that?" The carpenter said, "Well, I not only built it 4 ft. high, I built it 5 ft. thick so that if it does fall down it would be a ...

15. Judas

Luke 22:1-6

Sermon

King Duncan

... the study of the Word. Bunyan was helped by Luther's witness. Yet the dark valley of temptation was not yet over. Finally, Scriptures like John 6:37, "He that comes to Me I will in no wise cast out" began to burn their truth into Bunyan's soul and he ... carpenter at the time of Christ's crucifixion. His wife suggested to him one day that the Roman government was advertising for carpenters to make a bid on crosses that they used for execution. They could sure use the extra money, she reminded him. The carpenter ...

16. You Are a Child of God…Uh-Oh

Matthew 3:13-17

Sermon

King Duncan

... to be baptized that day may have been that this was his way of initiating his own ministry. He was thirty years old. He had helped his mother raise his younger brothers and sisters. He had served his young adult years in the carpenter shop. Now it was time for him to fulfill his calling. Baptism at the hand of John was his way of announcing to the world that he was ready to begin the ministry that within three years would send him to the cross. If it seems that being baptized by a rough-cut preacher like ...

17. Jesus and the Baptists

Mark 1:1-8

Sermon

Donald B. Strobe

... the same age. Both grew up in relatively the same period of history. But there the similarity ends. Jesus spent his early years in the carpenter’s shop, and then took up the task of being an itinerant rabbi. John, we are told, spent his early years in the wilderness, living the life of a hermit, and then burst upon the scene as a fire-breathing evangelist. What John did during his years in the wilderness, we do not know. But there has been much speculation...especially since the discovery of the Dead Sea ...

18. The Bridge Builder

Luke 6:27-36

Sermon

King Duncan

... a hitch. Then the long collaboration fell apart. It began with a small misunderstanding and it grew into a major difference, and finally it exploded into an exchange of bitter words followed by weeks of silence. One morning there was a knock on John's door. He opened it to find a man With a carpenter's toolbox. "I'm looking for a few days work," he said. "Perhaps you would have a few small jobs here and there. Could I help you?" "Yes," said the older brother. "I do have a job for you. Look across the creek ...

19. Building Bridges

Illustration

Staff

... a hitch. Then the long collaboration fell apart. It began with a small misunderstanding and it grew into a major difference, and finally it exploded into an exchange of bitter words followed by weeks of silence. One morning there was a knock on John's door. He opened it to find a man with a carpenter's toolbox. "I'm looking for a few days work," he said. "Perhaps you would have a few small jobs here and there. Could I help you?" "Yes," said the older brother. "I do have a job for you. Look across the creek ...

20. Why Jesus Was Baptized

Matthew 3:13-17

Sermon

King Duncan

... . A SECOND REASON WAS THAT THIS WAS HIS WAY OF INITIATING HIS OWN MINISTRY. He was thirty years old. He had helped his mother raise his younger brothers and sisters. He had served his young adult years in the carpenter shop. Now it was time for him to fulfill his calling. Baptism at the hand of John was his way of announcing to the world that he was ready to begin the ministry that within three years would send him to the cross. United Press International sometime back carried an unusual story about a bank ...

21. A Scholar · Nicodemus

John 3:1-21

Sermon

Gordon Pratt Baker

... a humility which the role traditionally attributed to his rank has tended to conceal. Reluctant to believe the Almighty had spoken his last word or unfolded his last secret, Nicodemus was willing to sit at the feet of a carpenter "not yet 50" (John 8:57) whom Jerusalem's leaders were labeling an ignorant man. (John 7:15) Nor was it a small concession on his part to do so. For one thing by seeking Jesus' counsel he was acknowledging that a Galilean untrained in the schools was as much a teacher from God as ...

22. An Invitation That Went Astray

Matthew 3:13-17

Sermon

King Duncan

... s no holding on to a little part of it. There’s no negotiation for a better deal. That is the deal. In responding to John’s invitation Christ shows us what it means to be baptized—it means beginning a new life in him. But it means a second thing, ... of heaven, to heal diseases, to set people free from demons. It would have been safer and more comfortable for him to remain in the carpenter’s shop, but that was not God’s plan. He was to take his ministry out into the world. He was to be a person ...

23. If It Had Been a Snake

John 1:29-42

Sermon

King Duncan & Angela Akers

... , “Look, the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world!” Nothing has changed in Jesus’ appearance or his circumstances. He still looks like an average Joe. He’s still a carpenter from Nazareth. But suddenly, John looks past his biases and distractions and sees Jesus for who he really is. And two of John’s disciples see it too. They immediately leave John and begin following Jesus. What did John see? And how would it change our lives if we could see Jesus for who he really is? The first thing ...

24. Baptism Of Our Lord

Mark 1:9-13, Mark 1:1-8, Acts 19:1-22, Genesis 1:1-2:3

Sermon Aid

John R. Brokhoff

... of Jesus, for he alone saw the dove and heard God's voice. From this moment Jesus is aware that he is the Son of God. THEOLOGICAL REFLECTIONS Gospel: Mark 1:4-11 1. From (v. 9). Jesus came from Nazareth to the place where John was preaching and baptizing. He left home and his carpenter shop to enter the full-time work of God. He set an example for the disciples who also were to leave all and follow him. It was a major decision, crisis and turning-point of Jesus' life. When we come for baptism, we, too, face ...

25. The Pop Quiz

Matthew 16:13-20

Sermon

Johnny Dean

... going to be out of town for a couple of months, and I would like to see the house finished when I return." The carpenter saw this as a great opportunity to make some extra money. He skimped on building materials, hired winos that hung out at the local ... they responded positively. "Well, Lord, we’ve heard lots of good things about you. Some people say you’re the ghost of John the Baptist, and some even say that you’re the reincarnation of Elijah himself, the greatest prophet in our history. That’s ...

Showing results

Showing 1 to 25 of 387 results

1. Friends

Proverbs 27:6, 9, 17

Sermon

James Merritt

2. Herod and Jesus

Drama

Jon Joyce

3. That Carpenter Is God

Mark 6:1-6

Sermon

Ron Lavin

4. Only a Carpenter

Mark 6:1-6

Sermon

Donald B. Strobe

5. Only the Neighbors’ Kid

John 6:25-59

Sermon

Donald B. Strobe

6. The Church Is Alive and Well

Matthew 16:13-18

Sermon

James Merritt

7. Fish Miracle

1 Corinthians 15:1-11, Isaiah 6:1-13, Luke 5:1-11

Sermon Aid

John R. Brokhoff

8. The Rejection of Jesus in His Own Hometown

Mark 6:1-6

Teach the Text

Grant R. Osborne

9. A Mountain-Top Experience

Mark 9:2-13

Illustration

Larry Powell

10. I'm On a Mission from God!

Jonah 1:1-17

Sermon

11. The Journey Begins

Luke 5:1-11

Sermon

James Merritt

12. A Christmas To Remember

Matthew 1:18-25

Sermon

King Duncan

13. Jesus' Baptism: Affirmed by God

Mark 1:9-13

Sermon

Maxie Dunnam

14. The King and His Castle

Matthew 16:13-18

Sermon

James Merritt

15. Judas

Luke 22:1-6

Sermon

King Duncan

16. You Are a Child of God…Uh-Oh

Matthew 3:13-17

Sermon

King Duncan

17. Jesus and the Baptists

Mark 1:1-8

Sermon

Donald B. Strobe

18. The Bridge Builder

Luke 6:27-36

Sermon

King Duncan

19. Building Bridges

Illustration

Staff

... a hitch. Then the long collaboration fell apart. It began with a small misunderstanding and it grew into a major difference, and finally it exploded into an exchange of bitter words followed by weeks of silence. One morning there was a knock on John's door. He opened it to find a man with a carpenter's toolbox. "I'm looking for a few days work," he said. "Perhaps you would have a few small jobs here and there. Could I help you?" "Yes," said the older brother. "I do have a job for you. Look across the creek ...

20. Why Jesus Was Baptized

Matthew 3:13-17

Sermon

King Duncan

21. A Scholar · Nicodemus

John 3:1-21

Sermon

Gordon Pratt Baker

22. An Invitation That Went Astray

Matthew 3:13-17

Sermon

King Duncan