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 2526 to 2550 of 4943 results

2526. A Guide for Growth

Philippians 1:1-11

Sermon

Maxie Dunnam

My friend, Don Shelby, minister of First United Methodist Church in Santa Monica, California, has told a moving story which introduces the sermon today. It happened when Don was a pastor in San Diego. One weekday morning, on arrival at the church, he was called to the sanctuary. The custodian wanted him to see a strange offering which had been placed at the very center of the altar. Upon examination they discovered it to be a pair of brown corduroy trousers, a belt, a white T-shirt, a pair of tan suede ...

2527. The Unsuspected Trojan Horse

Psalm 139:1-24

Sermon

Maxie Dunnam

Most of you remember the story of the Trojan horse. The Greeks, under Odysseus, sailed over to Troy and made a huge wooden horse. They then climbed into the horse and were hidden away there. Cassandra warned the Trojans not to take the horse into the city. However, a Greek prisoner, Simon, persuaded them that the horse was sacred and would bring the protection of the gods so the pulled the horse into the city walls of Troy. That night as they slept, Odysseus and his companions crept out of the horse and ...

2528. What Would Jesus Say About the Media?

Mark 9:1-9

Sermon

J. Howard Olds

I was 11 years old when Santa Claus brought our family its first television. I was ecstatic! This black and white, three-station miracle with a tall antenna towering above our roof put me in touch with the outside world. It’s hard to believe that after all these years. After all, where I come from, a mega-bite was something a snake might inflict on you, a mouse was a critter to be found in a corn crib, a net was something to fish with, and only spiders spun webs at night. My how times have changed. In my ...

2529. From Lust to Love

1 Corinthians 13: 1

Sermon

J. Howard Olds

How can a person express their love of basketball, chocolate, their children, God, and their spouse with a single four-letter word - love? That's what I would like us to consider today. In the early part of the 20th century a Jewish philosopher by the name of Martin Buber tried to distinguish between human connections that are mainly "I-It" relationships and those interactions which are primarily "I-Thou" relationships. In "I-It" relationships we seek to acquire and possess. In "I-Thou" relationships we ...

2530. A Thousand Points of Light

Isaiah 60:1-3; 18-22

Sermon

J. Howard Olds

One of my favorite stories goes something like this: An old man was walking the beach one morning when he saw a kid in the distance doing something like a dance. As the old man got closer to the boy he said, “Good morning, what are your doing?" “Saving starfish," replied the kid. “The sun is up, the tide is going out. If I don't throw these starfish back into the ocean they will all die." “But, young man, there are miles and miles of beach and starfish are everywhere. You can't possibly make a difference ...

2531. Masks

Matthew 23:1-12

Sermon

Chris Ewing

There are going to be a lot of people running around out there with masks on this week. People pretending to be something they're not — or maybe trying on something that in part they are, or want to be. (put on mask)1 Masks are interesting things. We all wear them, you know, and not just on Halloween. We put on the brave smiling mask when our hearts are breaking. We put on a gruff mask to keep people at a distance. We put on a wild and crazy mask to get attention or to avoid responsibility. We put on an " ...

2532. Something Special To Share

1 Thessalonians 5:11

Children's Sermon

Marti Kramer Suddarth

Objects: Card stock printed with scripture reference and verse Pair of glasses Toothbrush Medicine bottle Toy Book Article of clothing Item of food Today, I’m going to tell you something that I imagine you never thought you’d hear someone tell you in church. Don’t share. That’s right. I’m telling you not to share. (pause) Well, actually, I’m not talking about everything, but there are some things that we just shouldn’t share. (Hold up each item for the children to see as you talk about it.) One example ...

2533. John 20:19-31

John 20:19-23

Sweet

This first Sunday after Easter is colloquially referred to as “Low Sunday.” After the crescendoing expectations of Holy Week and the celebration of the Easter morning surprise, it is now time to keep moving forward. Christ is risen. Now what do we do? But if this is a “low” excitement Sunday, and a much lower attendance Sunday for most churches today, this week’s gospel text starkly reminds us just how “low” Jesus’ disciples were on Easter Sunday itself. Despite Mary Magdalene’s astonishing report to the ...

2534. The Heart of the Matter Is the Heart!

Mark 7:1-8, 14-15, 21-23

Sermon

Robert Leslie Holmes

Traditionalism is the living religion of the dead or the dead religion of the living. Tradition imagines that nothing worthwhile will ever again be done for the first time because everything worth doing has already been done. Therefore, traditionalism repeats what it imagined always was and what it imagines always will be. The problem with tradition for tradition's sake is a terminal case of spiritual heart disease. In this scripture reading, a delegation of religious leaders makes their way from Jerusalem ...

2535. Dividing Walls

Ephesians 2:11-22

Sermon

Gibson “Nibs” Stroupe

"Welcome to the center of the world!" This is the message of the first chapter of Ephesians. The author of Ephesians has told the Gentile-based churches that they have been brought into the center of all that is — in the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ. In the rest of this letter, he will be seeking to tell them the meaning of this great news. He wants to stress that this relocation of themselves by God's motivating grace means that they are called to change the way they understand their ...

2536. Not Another Rerun!

Jeremiah 31:27-34

Sermon

R. Kevin Mohr

Not another rerun! Many of us probably expressed that sentiment at some point during the past summer when we sat down in front of the television for an hour or so of relaxation after a hard day's work. Disappointment then set in as we surfed our favorite channels only to discover that overly hyped unreal "reality" shows and reruns of programs we had already seen were all that was being shown. By the time fall came around we were eager for something new. Our desire for something new extends to more ...

2537. Be Shrewd

Luke 16:1-15

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

Have you heard of the carnival barker who kept yelling “Alive! Alive! Here! Here! Did you ever see a two-headed baby? Come in! Come in!” The gaff is that they don’t have a two-headed baby inside the tent. They only asked if you ever saw one. This is the kind of shrewdness being celebrated in today’s Scripture reading. Carlos Fuentes (1928-2012), the Mexican novelist and playwright whom some called “the soul of Mexico,” gave a long interview about his writing shortly after he turned 50 and began to ...

2538. Living “I Don’t Know” While “In the Know”

Matthew 21:23-27

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

In every elementary school class, in every high school and college course, in every job, in every church, in every denomination, on every floor of every building, there seems to be a resident “know-it-all.” You know the type. As much as we despised and resented those resident know-it-alls, we love the current universal know-it-all. It’s name is . . . . . Google. But even in a world where the phrase “Google It!” has become every parent’s answer to every question we can’t answer, we still have that ...

2539. A Guide to a Rich and a Joyous Life

Exodus 20:1-21

Sermon

King Duncan

Leland Gregory, in his book Stupid History, tells of a colossal error that once occurred in transmitting the Ten Commandments. In 1631, King Charles I ordered 1,000 Bibles from an English printer named Robert Barker. Printing was not an exact science in those days, and sometimes mistakes were made and usually overlooked but not in this case. Barker inadvertently left out a single word in the Seventh Commandment in Exodus 20:14 the word “not.” Readers were shocked to find out that God had commanded Moses “ ...

2540. Suffering for Being a Christian

1 Peter 4:12-19

Understanding Series

Norman Hillyer

Suffer Cheerfully for God 4:12 Dear friends signals the beginning of a new section, as Peter returns to the subject of suffering, though in particular to suffering on account of being a Christian. That a painful trial should come to those who have committed their lives to God’s keeping should not cause surprise. Conversion does not bring exemption from troubles, though it does assure believers of divine assistance through troubles. To have been born again into new spiritual life (1:3) will inevitably ...

2541. Signs and Oracles of Judgment

Ezekiel 4:1-5:17, Ezekiel 6:1-14, Ezekiel 7:1-27

Understanding Series

Steven Tuell

The material between Ezekiel’s call (chs. 1–3) and his vision of Jerusalem’s destruction (chs. 8–11) falls into two parts. Chapters 4 and 5 present a series of four sign-acts depicting Jerusalem’s siege and fall (4:1–3, 4–8, 9–17; 5:1–17). Chapters 6 and 7 are oracles of judgment directed against the mountains of Israel (ch. 6) and the people, particularly the leaders, of Jerusalem (ch. 7). However, these two sections are neatly interwoven. In the fourth sign-act, the Lord calls down destruction upon ...

2542. Parables of the Kingdom

Mark 4:1-20

Teach the Text

Grant R. Osborne

Big Idea: Jesus has sown his kingdom truths among the crowds, the leaders, and his disciples. They are the soil in which his gospel seed is placed, and God holds them responsible for their receptivity to the message of the kingdom. Understanding the Text This parable discourse (chap. 4) is one of two extensive teaching sections (with chap. 13) in Mark, and it interprets the action and mission of Jesus in chapters 1–3. These are “kingdom parables” describing the implications of the arrival of the kingdom in ...

2543. The Gospel of God in Christ through Paul

Romans 1:1-17

Teach the Text

C. Marvin Pate

Big Idea: Paul, the apostle to the Gentiles, was divinely chosen to preach the gospel of God in Christ, the end-time fulfillment of the twofold Old Testament promise of the restoration of Israel and the conversion of the Gentiles. Understanding the Text Romans 1:1–7 forms the first half of Paul’s introduction to Romans (1:8–15 is the second half). The introduction, or prescript, to ancient letters consisted of three parts: identification of the author, identification of the recipients, and a salutation or ...

2544. The Conclusion

Revelation 22:7-21

Teach the Text

J. Scott Duvall

Big Idea: Those who obey this authentic prophecy from God, which proclaims how to live in light of Christ’s imminent return, will be eternally blessed. Understanding the Text The somewhat random organization of the conclusion results from the many things John is trying to accomplish in this closing section. There are various speakers (John, an angel, Jesus, the Spirit and the bride, the hearers), important parallels with the prologue in 1:1–8,1and three central themes that reinforce the overall message of ...

2545. “In God I Trust and Am Not Afraid. What Can Mere Mortals Do to Me?”

Psalm 56:1-13

Teach the Text

C. Hassell Bullock

Big Idea: To ask God to store our tears “in his bottle” is to affirm our trust in God’s attentive care to the detail of our miseries. Understanding the Text Psalm 56 is an individual lament that, suggested by the Greek and Aramaic translations of “A Dove on Distant Oaks,” came to be used as a community lament (see the comments on the title below). As is often the case with laments, the psalm is tempered by statements of trust (56:3, 4, 11), so much so that we would not go entirely wrong if we called it an ...

2546. Take Your Job and Love It

2 Thessalonians 3:6-13

Sermon

King Duncan

A company president was addressing her employees: “I know you’ve all heard that we’re going to be automated,” she said, “and you’re worried that these robots will take over your jobs. Well, I’m happy to tell you that not only will no one be laid off, but you will only be required to come to work one day a week for a full week’s pay. That’s right, you’ll only have to work on Wednesdays but you’ll still receive your full salary!” And then a voice piped up from the back of the room. Someone asked, “Do you ...

2547. The Tithe

Malachi 3:6-18

One Volume

Gary M. Burge

In the fifth disputation, Malachi argued that God would show his justice in judgment at his appointed time. The prophet, true to the prophetic tradition, calls for a response in preparation for the coming of the messenger and the messenger of the covenant. The appeal for a particular response links this section to the third disputation (3:10–16). In both sections, God is expecting a renewal of fidelity: in marriage (2:10–16) and in worship (3:7–12). The former is representative of our love for others and ...

2548. The Weak and the Strong

Romans 14:1--15:13

One Volume

Gary M. Burge

14:1–15:13 Review · Unity in diversity: The believers in Rome are “holy people” (1:7), but they also have problems. In the final paragraph of his exhortation, Paul addresses the conflict that exists between believers who regard the Christian faith as an essentially Jewish movement and believers who do not pay attention to distinctive Jewish traditions—that is, between Jewish Christians and Gentile Christians (cf. 15:7–9). The critical debate is not about whether Gentile Christians must be circumcised (as ...

2549. As You Go, Remember…

Matthew 28:16-20

Sermon

Tom Garrison

What intrigues us the most is that mysterious boundary where the human and the divine intersect. This was the place I said I wanted to plant my life and to do my central work. This was, in fact, living out the charge that was given to me the night I was ordained to the Christian ministry. I still remember the way an old pastor stated it. He said, "Tom, I admonish you to stay close to God, stay close to humankind, and to make it the goal of your ministry to bring God and humankind closer together." This ...

2550. Turn Your Gaze from Me before I Am No More

Psalm 39:1-13

Understanding Series

Craig C. Broyles

Psalm 39 is most akin to the prayer psalms of the individual but it is unlike any other, as its closing petition alone shows: “Look away from me, that I may rejoice again before I depart and am no more.” It resonates with Job and Ecclesiastes more than with other psalms. The refrain, “each man’s life is but a breath” (Hb. hebel, vv. 5, 11), echoes that of Ecclesiastes: “Everything is a breath” (Hb. hebel, NIV “meaningless,”Eccl. 1:2; 12:8). Unlike most psalms, this one has a ring of autobiography (esp. vv ...

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