Sermon and Worship Resources

Synonyms: john mark, gospel, missionary, disciple, evangelist, the 12, the twelve, apostle, messiah, messianic, messianic secret, miracles, mercy, kingdom of god, blemish, streak, spot, fleck, dot, blot, stain, smear, trace, speck, speckle, blotch, smudge, smut, smirch, fingermark, fingerprint, impression, imprint, symbol, sign, character, signature, autograph, cross, X, scribble, squiggle, initials, logo, seal, stamp, emblem, device, insignia, badge, brand, trademark, token, monogram, hallmark, logotype, watermark, label, tag, flag, motto, point, level, stage, degree, indication, symptom, feature, evidence, proof, clue, hint, traces, vestiges, effect, impact, influence, characteristic, trait, attribute, quality, property, peculiarity, indicator, grade, grading, rating, score, percentage, target, goal, aim, bullseye, objective, object, end, purpose, intent, intention, required standard, standard, norm, par, criterion, gauge, yardstick, rule, measure, scale, discolor, put one's name on, name, initial, put one's seal on, earmark, indicate, tab, show the position of, show, identify, designate, delineate, denote, celebrate, observe, recognize, acknowledge, keep, honor, solemnize, pay tribute to, salute, commemorate, remember, memorialize, represent, signify, be an indication of, be a sign of, herald, characterize, distinguish, typify, signalize, assess, evaluate, appraise, correct, take heed of, pay heed to, heed, listen to, take note/notice of, pay attention to, attend to, note, mind, bear in mind, give (a) thought to, take into consideration, take to heart

Antonyms: neglect, clean, remove, erase, overlook, disregard, forget, do housework, do the cleaning, omit, cause, detag, clear, smooth, undamaged, unmarked, let ride, ignore, scrub, wash, pay no attention to, take no notice of, abandon, cross off, cross out

Showing 1526 to 1550 of 1629 results

1526. Salvation Through His Suffering

Hebrews 4:14-5:10

Sermon

Dennis Kastens

The people of his ignoble day harassed him, hunted him, and lied about him until they got him where they wanted him - on a T-shaped scaffold intended for the worst of criminals! But though it is true that Jesus thus suffered, nevertheless when we look at Calvary, we are not witnessing a murder. We are not witnessing the death of a martyr. We are not witnessing the execution of a political revolutionary who made a mistake in public relations and got himself crucified. We are not witnessing drama - an actor ...

1527. The Temptations Of Christ And Our Temptations

Matthew 4:1-11

Sermon

Mark Ellingsen

Then Jesus was led up by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil ... And the tempter came and said to him, "If you are the Son of God, command these stones to becomes loaves of bread (Matthew 4:1-3)." Some of the worst temptations seem to come when you are alone, do they not? Of course we are tempted by individuals and sometimes by the crowd. But even in those instances the struggle that their temptations occasion happen in us. Consequently even on those occasions we face the temptation ...

1528. God's Gifts Are Free: Enjoy

Deuteronomy 26:1-15

Sermon

Mark Ellingsen

Thanksgiving: How do we say thanks authentically and not lapse into the platitudes so often associated with this holiday? There are several dangers associated with the holiday. Ever since it was instituted as a national holiday by Abraham Lincoln, and even before when various state governors instituted it in their states, Thanksgiving has not been a strictly Christian holiday. There has been a lot of nationalism and self-congratulations associated with this day. What is the distinctively Christian way to ...

1529. Why Earthly Powers Need No Longer Enslave

Daniel 7:15-28, Daniel 7:1-14

Sermon

Mark Ellingsen

This is a story written for people who had been or were about to be persecuted, if not enslaved. (The book of Daniel was probably written in the mid-second century B.C. during a period of Seleucid [Syrian] domination in Palestine.) It tells them and us how their ancestors had once faced a similar slavery under the oppression of the Babylonians centuries earlier. The implication was that if these ancestors could endure and overcome such bondage, so could they and so can we. Our lesson for this morning is ...

1530. A Protestant (And Catholic) Way To Confess

Romans 10:8b-13

Sermon

Mark Ellingsen

Confession: Most Protestants are inclined to say that confession is Catholic and stop there. Or we hear it said, “Confession is good for the soul.” Even then, we are likely to hear it like Roman Catholics[1], to suppose it means that we are to recount our sins. We don’t need confession in our church! Or do we? Paul gives us a model for confession of the faith in the Book of Romans. Recall that this book is a letter of introduction to the church in Rome. How does he make his introduction? With a confession ...

1531. Nobody’s Too Good To Repent

1 Corinthians 10:1-13

Sermon

Mark Ellingsen

Historically, dating back to ancient times, the third Sunday in Lent was the time when candidates for baptism on Easter (the day when the ancient church performed all baptisms) were given careful scrutiny regarding how prepared they were to become followers of Jesus. In Latin it was called Occuli [Eyes] Sunday, because it was the Sunday that the church had its eye on those who were to be baptized.[1] If we want to keep in touch with this heritage, this is a Sunday, then, for us to reflect how we have been ...

1532. A Sympathetic High Priest

Hebrews 4:14-16; 5:7-9

Sermon

Mark Ellingsen

Whoever wrote this sermon (it is not likely that it was Paul, since its style is different from other books written by Paul) was addressing a group of Jewish Christians. But what he has to say is for us, especially at this time when we remember Christ’s death: Since then we have a great high priest who passed through the heavens, Jesus, the Son of God, let us hold fast to our confession. For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but we have one who in every respect ...

1533. Why The Resurrection Makes Sense

1 Corinthians 15:19-26

Sermon

Mark Ellingsen

If for this life only we have hoped in Christ, we are of all people most to be pitied. But in fact Christ has been raised from the dead, the first fruits of those who have died. (vv.19-20) Christ is risen! But is it true? Where’s the proof? The world and life-experience say there is no proof. In fact, if the great existentialist philosopher of the twentieth century Albert Camus is right, there is nothing in our world that isn’t arbitrary. Camus contends ultimately all there is to life is chaotic ...

1534. Tears At The Tomb

John 11:17-37

Sermon

William G. Carter

By all appearances, the junior high youth group at First Church was going well. Bob and Betsy, their two enthusiastic advisors, planned a full calendar of events to keep them busy. The youth went to roller skating parties and winter retreats. They played a variety of sports, discussed a lot of movies, and celebrated every holiday with a party. But when it came to leading the young teens into the deeper waters of faith, Bob and Betsy were frustrated. One Sunday afternoon, Bob announced the group was ...

1535. Do You See What I See?

Mark 10:46-52

Sermon

Steven E. Albertin

There is a gentle and quaint Christmas carol in which the shepherds of Bethlehem point out to everyone they meet on their way the marvel they have seen in the manger. "Do you see what I see?" they ask all those gathered in Bethlehem. According to this Christmas carol, this birth, which had taken place under the most plain and ordinary of circumstances, would surely have been overlooked were it not for those shepherds who called it to everyone's attention by exclaiming, "Do you see what I see?" In my church ...

1536. Lighting A Fire In A Cold Room

Isaiah 6:1-13

Sermon

Harold Warlick

His name was Father Dominic. He spoke English fluently and he was on a sabbatical leave from his post in France to study in America. He was old beyond his years, a man whose physical resemblance was that of an eighty-year-old instead of his rightful age of 58. At once you knew something was not quite right about him. Father Dominic's teeth ground together when he talked. His eyes were like a monkey's eyes, much too large for the small face that housed them. He appeared to stare right through things and ...

1537. The Merciful

Sermon

John A. Terry

Matthew 5:1-12Matthew 18:23-35 The quality of mercy is not strain'd,It droppeth as a gentle rain from heavenUpon the place beneath: it is twice blest;It blesseth him that gives and him that takes:'Tis mightiest in the mightiest: it becomesThe throned monarch better than his crown.(The Merchant of Venice, Act IV, scene 1) In our practice of "mercy" there is a kind of "I'll scratch your back -- you scratch my back" philosophy. Be decent to others and they will be decent to you. It is like the story on which ...

1538. The Peacemakers

Sermon

John A. Terry

Ephesians 2:14-17Matthew 5:1-12 "With malice toward none, with charity for all, with firmness in the right as God gives us to see the right, let us strive to finish the work we are in, to bind up the nation's wounds, to care for him who shall have borne the battle and for his widow and orphans, to do all which may achieve and cherish a just and a lasting peace among ourselves and with all nations." These are words from President Lincoln's second inaugural address, seeking to make peace after our nation's ...

1539. The Banquet Bowl

Mark 9:38-41

Sermon

Robert Salzgeber

Jesus is suggesting the utter disproportionate nature of God's grace in the Mark text when he says, "I assure you that anyone who gives you a drink of water because you belong to me will certainly receive his reward." In other words, Jesus is saying that we do not even have to be conscious of our discipleship in order to receive his redemptive blessing. Simply giving a disciple a drink is just cause for God to reward/bless that one with his redemptive net. Hence, Jesus says, "For whoever is not against us ...

1540. When God Is Silent

Psalm 35:1-28

Sermon

Erskine White

But [Jesus] did not answer her a word. (Matthew 15:23a) The Canaanite woman came to Jesus for the best of reasons, asking for His mercy; she was praying that Jesus would heal her afflicted daughter. She was determined and who wouldn't be in that same situation? Who among us wouldn't move heaven and earth to reach someone who could cure our ailing child? She came to Jesus begging for help, but at first, He did not reply. Our text says that "He did not answer her a word." Have you ever had that experience, ...

1541. The Vanities Of Work

Ecc 2:1-26

Sermon

Erskine White

What do we gain from our labors under the sun? (Ecciesiastes 2:22) I want to introduce you to someone you may not know very well: the Preacher who. wrote Ecclesiastes. We ought to find him quite interesting; he is one of the most modern personalities in all the Bible. In fact, here is someone very much like you or me. He is a successful man by any measure of worldly achievement and he knows how to enjoy the pleasures of this world. But like many people today, he is also restless. He is looking for deeper ...

1542. When God’s “No” Means “Yes”

Habakkuk 1:1-4, Habakkuk 2:2-20

Sermon

Richard Hasler

Augustine in his autobiographical work Confessions tells the story of his mother Monica’s constant prayers for him. She wished that one day her vagabond son would become a committed Christian. When Augustine decided to leave North Africa and sail for Rome she was horrified. She believed that in Rome’s cosmopolitan environment he would go further astray. She pleaded with him not to sail and prayed with tears that God would intervene, but to no avail. Later, Augustine inscribed these words in the Confessions ...

1543. The Road To The Wilderness

Mark 1:9-13

Sermon

Thomas A. Pilgrim

I have always enjoyed that CBS News segment, "On The Road With Charles Kuralt." He takes us to out-of-the-way places like Bethlehem, Georgia; Farmington, Iowa; and Old Town, Maine. He shows us a piece of Americana, and helps us understand ourselves. So, on the Sundays between now and Easter I want us to go on the road with Jesus of Nazareth be on the roads Jesus traveled in order that we would see him more clearly and understand more nearly what it is we are to do. The first road I want us to travel is the ...

1544. The Road To Capernaum

Mark 1:21-28

Sermon

Thomas A. Pilgrim

Dr. Robert V. Ozment served for many years as the pastor of the First United Methodist Church in Atlanta, Georgia. In one of his books, Love Is The Answer, he told about a lady he went to see in the hospital. She was very complimentary in the things she said about him. She said, "You are the best preacher I have ever heard. I've read some of your books, and you are a great author. You are the sweetest, kindest person in the world. You are a very handsome man." Just then her nurse came in and he started to ...

1545. God Works Through Opposites

Matthew 21:1-11

Sermon

Mark Ellingsen

God simply does not seem to do the sort of things we would expect our God to do. He does not always give us what we want. Most of us do not have everything we had hoped and dreamed for in life. He does not always answer our prayers. After all, we have all lost loved ones. Sometimes God seems so far away. We pray to him, and nothing is there (or so it seems). We look to God to intervene in our world. Yet the hungry, the poor and the oppressed are still with us. Where is God? Why does he seem so powerless? ...

1546. Wash Up First For The Meal Before You Eat!

John 13:1-17

Sermon

Mark Ellingsen

"People just do not take the Lord's supper as seriously as they should. Perhaps it is the frequency with which we celebrate it. Too often we are merely going through the motions and not really getting out of it what we should. The problem is that we are not adequately prepared!" Oftentimes I run across Christians who think this way and even explain their feelings. I am not advocating these sentiments if they are taken as an argument against frequent celebration of the sacrament. We can never receive too ...

1547. What Happens To You When You Die?

Luke 24:13-35

Sermon

Mark Ellingsen

"What happens to you when you die, Dad?" "Of course, son, if you believe in God, you go up to heaven where you will be with God and the angels." Does such a response sound familiar to you? Is not this the answer with which most of us were raised: That when you die, your soul, free from the body, will go to heaven. Is that what happens? Is that what you all think? Do not despair. I shall not call for a show of hands, but I do want you to think about your answer to the question of what we will be like after ...

1548. Led By The Shepherd

John 10:1-21

Sermon

Mark Ellingsen

Decisions, decisions. Life is full of decisions. In fact, a number of philosophers and psychologists tell us that the decisions we make (or our behavior) largely make us who we are. Life is nothing but decisions. How do we make them in a Christian manner? We Christians believe that by his resurrection on Easter, Christ has given us new life (1 Peter 1:3). You have been given a new life! Now that we have that new life, how does it affect the way in which we make decisions? At least two of our Bible lessons ...

1549. What Makes Those Disciples So Darn Happy?

Luke 24:36-49

Sermon

Mark Ellingsen

"I tell you, those disciples had it made! I sure wish that I had been alive in those days. They had it easy. It could not have been very hard for them to believe in Jesus and in God. They had it made! They had Jesus with them all of the time. It is harder for us, because we do not have Jesus; he is with the Father. Consequently, we have to believe in him; faith is all we've got. But the disciples had him present with them. What a gyp! It really is difficult being a Christian when all you have going for you ...

1550. When You’re Free (In Christ), Sacrifice Is No Burden!

Matthew 10:24-39

Sermon

Mark Ellingsen

It takes a lot to be a Christian; you have to make your share of sacrifices. That is the popular version of Christianity. Megachurch pastor, Rick Warren, teaches, on the basis of our gospel lesson for today, that "each of us will have to give a personal account to God." Eternal rewards are at stake if we have served others with our lives.1 That is only part of the story. Those concerned with purpose-driven living make it too hard, but also too easy. The whole story is evident in today's gospel lesson. ...

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