Sermon and Worship Resources

Antonyms: keep, claim, continue, stick by, self-control, power through, achieve, defend, bear, hope, acquire, quick visit, adopt, continue along, adhere, remain, pursue, support, take up, keep up, reuse, advocate, stay, persevere, cherish, keep going, carry on

Showing 1 to 25 of 1044 results

1. Preparing For A Royal Visit

Mark 1:1-8

Sermon

King Duncan

[Note: While King Duncan is enjoying a well deserved retirement we are going back to his earliest sermons and renewing them. The newly modernized sermon is shown first and below, for reference sake, is the old sermon. We will continue this updating throughout the year bringing fresh takes on King's best sermons.] Original Name: Preparing for a Royal Visit New Name: Getting Ready A little boy attended his first symphony concert. He was excited by the splendid hall, the beautiful people in all their formal ...

2. The Time of Our Visitation

Sermon

Leonard Mann

You know how it was that Jesus of Nazareth began his career as a teacher and public figure in Galilee. You know how John came out of the wilderness and preached to the people who gathered around him on the banks of the Jordan. You know how for many long centuries the Jewish people had looked for the coming of their Messiah. When John appeared, their scholars speculated that perhaps this impassioned wilderness man might, actually be the Expected One. They sent their representatives to inquire of him ...

3. Act Quickly - Catch It Early

Matthew 5:21-26

Sermon

King Duncan

Some of you may be familiar with the Darwin Awards. People are nominated for the Darwin Awards when they do something really stupid that costs them their lives. The reason that they are called the Darwin Awards is that by offing themselves in such an absurd way, it is suggested that these misguided folks have inadvertently improved the gene pool for rest of humanity. It’s a cynical view of life, but it has led to a collection of stories that are both true and bizarre. For example, there is the story of a ...

4. The Visit of the Magi

Matthew 2:1-12

Understanding Series

Robert H. Mounce

2:1–2 Luke recounts Joseph and Mary’s journey from Nazareth to Bethlehem in order to comply with census regulations (Joseph was a descendant of David, who was a son of “Jesse of Bethlehem,” 1 Sam. 16:1); Matthew simply states that Jesus was born in the town of Bethlehem in Judea (there was another Bethlehem within the territory assigned to Zebulun, Josh. 19:15). The name Bethlehem means “house of bread.” It was nestled in a fertile countryside some six miles south of Jerusalem, and its history was long and ...

5. Jethro Visits Moses

Exodus 18:1-27

Understanding Series

James K. Bruckner

Jethro, the non-Israelite, met Moses and the Israelites in peace. The first half of Exodus 18 describes the circumstances of Moses’ reunion with his father-in-law Jethro, his wife Zipporah, and his sons. The conversation and action, however, focus on Jethro. Moses’ witness to the Lord’s deliverance is followed by a description of Jethro’s belief and celebration meal with the elders of Israel. The second half of Exodus 18 describes Jethro’s detailed advice to Moses concerning his legal administration. ...

6. Accusations

2 Corinthians 1:12--2:4, 2 Corinthians 2:5-11

Understanding Series

James M. Scott

After the thanksgiving in 1:3–11, the body of the letter begins with a lengthy section in which Paul seeks to deal with various accusations the Corinthians have made against his character and conduct (1:12–2:13). By the writing of 2 Corinthians, Paul has heard the good report from Titus that most of the Corinthians have been reconciled to Paul (cf. 7:6–7). Yet, because of the discrepancy between Paul’s written word and his actions, the Corinthians have become suspicious of Paul’s motives, accusing him of ...

7. Marantha: Come Lord Jesus

Luke 2:21-40

Sermon

Bill Bouknight

A brand new pastor, fresh out of seminary, was preaching his first sermon in his first church. In seminary he had been taught to repeat his text numerous times for emphasis, and to pound on the pulpit occasionally. His text happened to be that promise of our Lord: "Behold I come quickly." At the beginning of the sermon he slammed the pulpit rather smartly and declared, "Behold I come quickly." Then about five minutes into the sermon he did the same thing. About ten minutes into the sermon he did it again. ...

8. A Career in The Kingdom

Matthew 21:23-32

Sermon

Wayne Brouwer

When Sadie and Bessie, the famed "Delany Sisters," were in the early years of their second centuries (103 and 105, respectively) they told interviewers, "God only gave you one body, so you better be nice to it. Exercise, because if you don't, by the time you're our age, you'll be pushing up daisies." Fitness gymnasiums ought to put the Delany Sisters on their billboards and quote them into larger profit margins. Some people get into exercise in a very big way. When Teddy Roosevelt was president of the ...

9. Advent 3

John 1:1-18, John 1:19-28, Isaiah 61:1-11, Isaiah 65:17-25, 1 Thessalonians 5:12-28

Sermon Aid

E. Carver McGriff

COMMENTARY Old Testament: Isaiah 61:1-11 How dear this passage is to Christian hearts, echoed as it was from the lips of Jesus (Luke 4:17-19). These words are, in many ways, as timely today as they were to those disappointed people returning to Israel from their long exile. Excited, they were filled with high expectations when they began to arrive. But social and political disappointments quickly followed. Bone-weary, discouraged, deprived of hope, they trudged in thousands to their fields, probably ...

10. Ambassadors For Christ

2 Corinthians 5:20b-6:10

Sermon

John B. Jamison

He stood quietly and stared out the window. Thoughts were racing through his mind. He paced across the room, then went back to the window. He replayed the memories over and over in his mind. His memories of Corinth. And as he looked out the window he tried to understand what had happened. Paul had visited Corinth years ago during one of his early trips. It was a busy city even then. Corinth sat on a narrow strip of land separating two seas. Seven hundred years ago they had built a stone road across the ...

11. Prayers for the Sundays After Easter

Bulletin Aid

Rolland R. Reece

Our Creator, how we enjoy the arrival of spring. Lush green grass rises in our lawns decorating our streets with home to home carpeting. Bird songs, silent in winter, now fill the air with enchanting melodies. The brown loam of our gardens and fields warms in preparation for the coming seeds and plants. The brilliant colors of jonquils, tulips, and hyacinths edge our flower beds and ring our trees. Who are we that you lavish upon us such splendor? The air warms as the sun dispatches the winds of winter. ...

12. Staying Alive All Your Ministry Life: Will You Finish Well?

Exodus 32:1-33:6

Sermon

Maxie Dunnam

There are some experiences or encounters that are so solidly lodged in our memory they continue to invade our consciousness – to haunt us – to help us or to hinder our Christian walk, to call and challenge us to be more than we are. John Birkbeck is a person around whom for me a whole cluster of memories is gathered – memories that invade my immediate awareness now and then. John was a Scot Presbyterian preacher. During a part of my tenure as the World Editor of The Upper Room, he was the editor of the ...

13. Behold the Blood of the Covenant

Exodus 24:1-18

Sermon

Larry Powell

Jesus of Nazareth had his own agenda. From the beginning, it had confounded even those closest to him. * We think of Joseph and Mary searching anxiously up and down the caravan line for their twelve-year-old son, only to discover that he had remained in Jerusalem to sit among the teachers at the Temple (Luke 2:41-52). * We think of Jesus standing as a young man in the synagogue at Nazareth reading from the book of Isaiah, concluding the reading with the astonishing claim, "Today, this scripture has been ...

14. Ready or Not - Here I Come

Mark 13:32-37

Sermon

John R. Brokhoff

When you were a child, did you play the game, Hide and Seek? If you did, you will remember that the person who was "it" closed his eyes while the rest went to hide. To give them time to hide, the child started counting: 5, 10, 15, 20 and up to 100. Then he would say, "Ready or not, here I come!" The point of the game was to hide oneself so well that the leader could not find you, for if he found you, and beat you back to the goal, you had to be "it" the next go-around. The secret of the game was preparing ...

15. Mary's Song

Micah 5:1-4

Sermon

King Duncan

It was a very cold and windy evening in late November, 1989. The Hotel was quiet, only a few rooms were rented. The banquet complex was full. The bar was hopping and the Dining Room was packed. The sleeping rooms were few, so not many guests were roaming the halls. Then one of the guests was disturbed in his room. He heard a baby crying. He left his room and spotted a box. When he looked in it, he saw a baby! He immediately started running to the Front Desk, screaming, "Come quick! There's a baby in a box ...

16. Sole Brother

Luke 10:25-37

Sermon

It was an hour before conference time. They were getting off to a late start and it looked like speed limit all the way for any chance of making it in time for the opening gavel. The pastor behind the wheel had experienced the inevitable last minute problems relating to Sunday’s bulletin. One of the hymns he’d picked for the service had only the second tune in their hymnals. The congregation wasn’t familiar with it and the choir couldn’t lead it without practice, and they weren’t practicing this week. It ...

17. Acres of Diamonds

1 Timothy 6:10

Sermon

Russell Conwell

I am astonished that so many people should care to hear this story over again. Indeed, this lecture has become a study in psychology; it often breaks all rules of oratory, departs from the precepts of rhetoric, and yet remains the most popular of any lecture I have delivered in the fifty-seven years of my public life. I have sometimes studied for a year upon a lecture and made careful research, and then presented the lecture just once -- never delivered it again. I put too much work on it. But this had no ...

18. A House Or A Home?

Joshua 24:1-27

Sermon

R. E. Lybrand

"Now then," Joshua continued, "honor the Lord and serve him sincerely and faithfully. Get rid of the gods which your ancestors used to worship in Mesopotamia and in Egypt, and serve only the Lord. If you are not willing to serve him, decide today whom you will serve, the gods your ancestors worshiped in Mesopotamia or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land you are now living. As for my family and me, we will serve the Lord." A family moved to a new city where the father's company had transferred him. This ...

19. The Healing Of Simon's Mother-in-Law

Mark 1:29-34

Sermon

James W. Moore

Her name is Jackie Greer. She is without question one of the most amazing persons I have ever known. She is without question one of the most devoted Christians I have ever known. She is without question one of the most influential witnesses for Christ, the Christian faith, and the Christian Church I have ever known. Whoever came up with the idea of the “Energizer Bunny” in those TV commercials must have had Jackie or someone like her in mind. She is so full of life and zest and energy. Her life is filled ...

20. Swift To Hear -- Slow To Speak

James 1:19-27

Sermon

Maxie Dunnam

Four women were playing bridge together in the Recreation Room of a certain retirement center out in California. As they were playing -- but chatting, more than they were paying attention to their game, they noticed an elderly gentlemen wander into the room. They had never seen him before. He was obviously a newcomer to the Retirement Center. Quickly, the four ladies perked up. One of them said, "Well, hello there. You're new here, aren't you?" The old man smiled and said that he was. "Just moved in this ...

21. The One Who Made His Cross

Drama

Production Notes "The One Who Made His Cross" may be presented at a worship service of the congregation, or it may be produced in an area of the church building where more elaborate staging is a possibility. In the second case, it may well be that the drama would be offered as a program rather than a worship segment. Characters may costume themselves in first-century attire. While costumes are not required, they will add to the effectiveness of the presentation. Appendix 1 provides a suggested stage ...

22. The Gospel According to Christ’s Enemies

John 11:1-16

Sermon

Richard Hoefler

John begins his story, "A man named Lazarus, who lived in Bethany." "Lazarus" means "God helps," and "Bethany," some scholars suggest, is a figurative play on the word that means "House of Affliction."1 Thus the plot of the story is prepared for us. God helps a man in a house of affliction. All of us dwell in that same house, and our affliction is that, like Lazarus, one day we will die. We will be struck down, carried out, and placed in a tomb. It will be sealed with a stone of sorrow. And the haunting ...

23. Standing In the Gap: The Work of Intercession

2 Chronicles 7:11-22

Sermon

Maxie Dunnam

I’m excited about what you’re doing in chapel this year here in Orlando. I’m particularly excited about your theme: Standing in the Gap—and the fact that Steve is basing all of his sermons on the Lord’s Prayer. I want to fit into that pattern—but confess to you that I do so out of the kind of sense that D. T. Niles expressed when he described evangelism as “one beggar telling another beggar where to get bread.” None of us are experts in prayer—the more we pray, the more we realize that we are limited—and ...

24. On Your Mark, Get Set, Go!

Mark 1:9-15

Sermon

John Smylie

Mark doesn't waste any time getting us involved in the beginning of our Lord's ministry. In these few verses, we experience Jesus baptized by John in the River Jordan, followed by the Holy Spirit descending upon him. Immediately after, a voice from heaven proclaimed pleasure in Jesus. Moments later, Jesus is driven by the Spirit into the wilderness where we learn he is to be tempted by Satan. And by verse 14 we discover that Jesus is back in the Galilee region preaching, "The kingdom of God has come near ...

25. Job's Third Reply to Bildad

Job 26:1--31:40

Understanding Series

Gerald H. Wilson

Sarcastic Introduction Job’s response to Bildad’s third speech is extended (six chapters long)—even for the usually loquacious Job! Many commentators divide up the chapters attributed to Job to supply an extension to Bildad’s brief speech, as well as to wholly reconstruct a missing third speech for Zophar. Such reconstruction, however, can only proceed on a presumptive assumption of what each speaker would have said—and is thus controlled ultimately by the reconstructor’s theory rather than challenged and ...

Showing results