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 2626 to 2650 of 4914 results

2626. Losers Keepers

Mark 8:31--9:1

Sermon

Donald B. Strobe

The Texas millionaire stipulated in his will that he be buried in his favorite possession: his $90,000 Rolls-Royce. When the time came, two laborers were shoveling the last bit of dirt onto the now-buried luxury car. One finally turned to the other and said, “Boy! That’s living!” Not really. Not according to Jesus. Death comes to everyone, from the richest to the poorest, and the finest car in the world won’t make a difference on the other side of eternity. “For what shall it profit a man, to gain the ...

2627. A Faith that Works with a Victorious Attitude

Philippians 2:12-18

Sermon

Eric Ritz

Today, we continue to preach and study through the marvelous letter of the Apostle Paul to the church and believers at Philippi. As many of you know, I often begin with a story or illustration, but today I want to begin our work by addressing and hopefully clearing up two major misconceptions or misinterpretations often associated with this text. THE FIRST MISINTERPRETATION IS THAT WE ARE SAVED BY OUR ATTEMPTS AT GOOD WORKS RATHER THAN SOLELY BY THE GRACE OF GOD revealed through the all sufficient, ...

2628. Miracles In Contrast

John 1:1-18

Sermon

Maxie Dunnam

A Burden and An Ache is the title of a beautiful, heart-stirring book written by Clarence McConkey. It’s a series of word portraits of persons in the inner city, living around the church McConkey served as pastor, persons whose lives are down-beaten and ravaged even as the buildings around them. People who are as torn apart as the shattered economic and social structures that have sustained them. One of those persons is Ruby. Let me introduce you to her in the first person as McConkey did: “Ruby is a child ...

2629. More Tolerable For Sodom And Gomorrah

Luke 10:1-24

Sermon

Maxie Dunnam

Cracow, the ancient capitol of Poland, remains a medieval city for it somehow escaped the devastation that leveled so many other European cities during the war. Cracow was once a flourishing member of the Hanseatic League, an association of independent merchant towns that exerted so much power and influence in the Middle Ages. The hugh sprawl of covered market still stands in the central square, dominated by a tower from which each night a trumpet tune sounds (the interesting thing is that in the midst of ...

2630. Awake to Glory

Luke 9:28-36

Sermon

J. Ellsworth Kalas

Today we celebrate one of the most neglected passages in the Bible. It's possible that more sermons have been preached from some of the obscure places in First and Second Chronicles than from this tremendously significant scripture which describes the transfiguration of our Lord. At the time of the transfiguration, Peter finally broke the awed silence, but the Gospel writer says that he knew not what to say. I expect we preachers and teachers still feel a bit that way when we approach this story; probably ...

2631. This Is a Test

Genesis 22:1-14

Sermon

Mark Trotter

Our text for this Sunday is from the Book of Genesis, the story of Abraham's sacrifice of his son, Isaac. It is one of the most powerful, profound, and disturbing stories in all of the Bible, and all of literature, for that matter. It is the conclusion of the story of Abraham, and therefore it cannot be understood apart from the whole story of Abraham. The story of Abraham is the story of a promise. The promise was given to Abraham, and to Sarah, this childless couple, that they would be given a child, and ...

2632. Try to Be Nice

Philippians 4:2-9

Sermon

Mark Trotter

I remember a cartoon; it showed a middle-aged man, pot-belly, frown on his face, wearing a T-shirt. Across the T-shirt was the message, "Please don't ask me to have a nice day." I first saw that cartoon on our refrigerator door, placed there when our children were still living at home. They thought it captured their father. It probably did. I can identify with W. C. Fields, who said, "I start off each day with a smile, and get it over with." I confess I don't like clichés, especially clichés like "Have a ...

2633. Can You Smell the Perfume?

John 12:1-11

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

A group of men celebrated on and on in a sports bar. "Here's to 94," one of them toasted. "Hip-94-Hooray," another of them cheered. "Ninety-four, Ninety-four," "Ninety-four," they chanted in unison. The waitress could take the mystery no longer. When one of them left for the men's room, she intercepted him and asked, "Why the big deal about 94?" "It only took us 94 days to finish this puzzle we've been working on." "What's so special about that?" He replied, "Hey, the box reads 5-7 years." Puzzles are not ...

2634. Christmas Gifts That Always Fit

Luke 2:8-20

Sermon

James W. Moore

Have you ever had a “Reality Check?” I had one last Sunday morning. Right after the 8:30 service in our Sanctuary, I rushed up to the second floor to get something I needed for the 9:45 service. I went up the stairs in the Commons to the long corridor that leads down to the Youth Chapel. About 50 yards up ahead of me our young people were gathered together out in the hallway (as they do every Sunday morning) visiting and waiting for Sunday School to start. When I was about 40 yards away from them, I saw ...

2635. The Death That Ends All Death

1 Peter 3:18

Sermon

James Merritt

Jesus Christ died when he was about thirty-three years old. Other than the fact that he died as a relatively young man, on the surface there seems to be nothing unusual about that statement. The reason why that seems to be a routine statement is because death comes to everyone. When the Irish writer, George Bernard Shaw, completed a statistical study on the subject of death, he said he came to this firm conclusion: "One out of one people dies." Normally that is why biographers seldom spend much time on the ...

2636. Sleep With the Lions Without Being Eaten

Daniel 6:1-28

Sermon

James Merritt

I read something recently that blessed me and inspired me, and I hope it will you too. It is entitled: THE WORLD NEEDS MEN...[AND I MIGHT ADD WOMEN] Who cannot be bought; whose word is their bond; who put character above wealth; who possess opinions and a will; who are larger than their vocation; who do not hesitate to take chances; who will not lose their individuality in a crowd; who will be as honest in small things as in great things; who will make no compromise with wrong; whose ambitions are not ...

2637. Moses: A Traveling God in a Pop-Up Camper

Exodus 13:17-22, 33:7-11

Sermon

John E. Harnish

So Joseph died in Egypt. Having saved the family from famine, this great-grandson of Abraham dies in hope of the day when they will return to the Promised Land, the land of Abraham's sojourn and God's covenant. And as he requested, the people pack his bones in a coffin, promising to carry them along when the time comes. Decades pass; the people of Israel grow in influence and power. Like many immigrant groups which establish themselves in a new land, they become a threat to the powers that be. (There are ...

2638. Grace to You, and Peace

Revelation 1:4b-8

Sermon

Lee Ann Dunlap

The weeklong pastor's training event was about halfway through its course and the pastor coordinating the event was enjoying her break with a leisurely stroll across the grounds. But what began as a beautiful leisurely spring day soon turned somewhat anxious when she returned to her room and found a message taped to her door, "Call the bishop's assistant as soon as possible." She spent part of the afternoon playing phone tag between class sessions. "Whatever could it be?" she pondered. The week was flowing ...

2639. The Outstretched Arms

John 19:28-37, John 19:17-27

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

This week offers the challenge of confronting the scandal of the cross head-on. In order to prepare for Easter, the Church must first recognize just how shocking Jesus'' death by crucifixion is and be able to make some theological sense out of it. At almost no other time of the year does the church become such a cesspool of stagnant clichés and phantom phrases as during Lent. Perhaps, then, Lent is a good time for some doctrinal preaching that can help your parishioners come to a renewed appreciation for ...

2640. A 24-7-365 God

Hebrews 7:23-28

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

God can be a 24-7-365 God because Jesus was a 1-time Savior. In football, the quarterback calls out a series of numbers before the ball is hiked. Sometimes these numbers are random. Other times they themselves are signals, letting the other players know what play the quarterback wants to run. Christians can also designate a series of numbers that represent how God's presence will be played out in their lives: 24-7-365. It's not a very complex code to crack. The God revealed through Christ's sacrifice is a ...

2641. Fingerprints of the Soul

Romans 5:1-5

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

Unlike "fingerprints," which everyone is born with, we die with soulprints. How deep those soulprints go depends on the depth of our moral character and virtue. Do you know who your patron saint is? Maybe you didn't even know that you were born on the "feast day" of Saint Somebody-or-other. "Feast Day" refers to the death date, not the birth date, of a designated saint. Death dates, rather than birthdays, were celebrated as "feast days" because it was assumed that the saint's birthday into eternity was on ...

2642. Galatians 2:15-21

Galatians 2:15-21

Sweet

Leonard Sweet

Paul's letter to the Galatians, while highly personal and emotional, yet also offers some of the clearest and most powerful expressions of theology the apostle ever wrote. The text read for today's epistle lesson starts a new section in the letter. It is concerned with the theological fallout created by the actions of Peter and the others in Antioch. Paul has already told the Galatians how he confronted Peter and openly voiced his displeasure with what he called their "cowardly" or "insincere" behavior. ...

2643. God's Workmanship

Ephesians 2:1-10

Sermon

King Duncan

Not too long ago a listener called a disc jockey while he was on the air at a local radio station to ask about an upcoming lunar eclipse. “The eclipse can be seen at 1:30 in the morning,” the DJ told the caller. “That late?” the caller snapped. “Why can’t they schedule these things earlier so kids can enjoy them too?” (1) I wonder who at the station she thought was in charge of scheduling lunar eclipses? A mother tells about her precocious six-year-old in his first day of parochial school. His teacher made ...

2644. First Sunday after the Epiphany (Baptism of Our Lord)

Psalm 29:1-11, Isaiah 42:1-9, Matthew 3:13-17, Acts 10:34-43

Bulletin Aid

B. David Hostetter

READINGS Psalter--Psalms 29:1-11 First Lesson--The prophet envisions the gentle strength of the Messiah. Isaiah 42:1-9 Second Lesson--Luke records a brief of the introduction by Peter of Jesus the Messiah. Acts 10:34-43 Gospel--Jesus is baptized as if he were a sinner like us and is consecrated to be God's special Son. Matthew 3:13-17 CALL TO WORSHIP Leader: The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you all. People: And also with you. Leader: Ascribe to the Eternal the glory due to God's name. People: We ...

2645. Decoding the Da Vinci Code (Part Two - Explaining the Facts)

1 Peter 3:15

Sermon

James Merritt

There is a true, but old story about a pastor who went to see a play one time that featured a very famous British actor and the theater was just packed. He noticed that a lot of the people there were members of his church who hardly ever attended church. He happened to meet with this actor the next day and he asked him this question, "How do you draw such large crowds by presenting fiction while I present facts and hardly anyone comes to here me?" The actor, who had been at this man's church before, said " ...

2646. A Stone’s Throw Away

1 Samuel 17

Sermon

James Merritt

Anyone who knows anything about the Bible knows that beyond question, the central character and the hero of the entire Bible is the Lord Jesus Christ. With the exception of Jesus Christ, one individual has more scripture devoted to Him than any other individual. Would you know who that is? Hint: It is neither Paul nor Moses. This character is mentioned in I and II Samuel, I Kings, I Chronicles, and seventy-five psalms. He is the first person named in the New Testament after Jesus Christ and he is the last ...

2647. A Breadbasket Full of Goodies

John 6:25-35

Sermon

John Wayne Clarke

In this the sixth chapter of John's Gospel, Jesus begins to withdraw to the east side of the Sea of Galilee. He has fed the 5,000, and he has walked on water. The press of the crowds had become all consuming and he needs some solitude to prepare himself for what lay ahead. Considering that the crowds that followed him more than likely knew of the feeding of the 5,000, and some may even have heard of the miraculous walking on water, it is difficult to explain why in these verses, they would doubt anything ...

2648. Priceless

Isaiah 52:13--53:12

Sermon

Frank Ramirez

The Island of Rodriguez in the Pacific Ocean, not that far from Zanzibar, has mainly managed to stay out of the notice of history, if history is the record of slaughter and disease. But thanks to extraordinary events far, far away it managed to impinge itself on human history on at least one occasion. On August 27 of 1883, James Wallis, chief of police on RodriguezIsland, not far from Zanzibar, wrote: "Several times during the night (26-27) reports were heard coming from the eastward, like the distant roar ...

2649. You Can't Fool God: Ananias and Sapphira

Acts 4:33 - 5:11

Sermon

Billy D. Strayhorn

A family from South Carolina went to New York City for their vacation. They told all their friends they were going to attend the Broadway musical, My Fair Lady. Unfortunately, the play was sold out when they tried to get their tickets, and they couldn't get in. They were disappointed, but they were also embarrassed. They didn't want to have to go back home and tell their friends they missed the highlight of their trip. In fact, they were so embarrassed that they decided to make their friends think they had ...

2650. We Believe in the Holy Spirit

John 14:15-18, 25-27

Sermon

J. Howard Olds

Let us begin this sermon with a prayer. Let us pray: “Come Holy Spirit, fill the hearts of your faithful And kindle in us the fire of your love. Send forth your Spirit and we shall be created And you shall renew the face of the earth. O God, who by the light of the Holy Spirit Did instruct the hearts of the faithful, Grant that by the same Holy Spirit We may be truly wise and ever enjoy his consolations. Amen. We believe in the Holy Spirit. We baptize our people in the name of the Father and of the Son and ...

Showing results