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 2676 to 2700 of 3926 results

2676. The Measure You Give Is the Measure You Get

Mark 4:21-25

Sermon

Maxie Dunnam

... ll not be able to receive.” Tithing is the elementary expression of the Christian faith, and a practical response to the truth that giving is the law of the Kingdom. What can be closer to us, what represents more intimately who we are, how we live, the network of support in which we’re involved - than our money? To take that act of faith, to simply take God at His Word, and return to Him 10% of what He’s blessed us with - it’s the simplest, most straight-forward way in expressing our trust in God. A ...

2677. A Parable in a Miracle

Mark 1:40-45

Sermon

Maxie Dunnam

... Civil Rights Movement following his time at Ole Miss. He became disillusioned with the way the National Council did ministry, feeling that they were far more sociological than they were theological, and became a “Minister at Large”. He had a support group called “The Committee of Southern Churchmen” seeking to minister not only to the victims of oppression but their oppressors as well. His radical, — and I use that word in a positive way — his radical understanding of the Gospel is demonstrated ...

2678. The Unforgivable Sin

Mark 3:20-30

Sermon

Maxie Dunnam

... of thought. We feel threatened or vulnerably exposed because someone close to home is in trouble. Isn’t that the reason families of alcoholics and drug addicts often become enablers of the sick person? Is that the reason folks close themselves off from the loving support they need when a loved one or family member is going through psychiatric treatment or maybe is in trouble with the law, or is on the verge of bankruptcy. We’re embarrassed. We don’t want our friends to know. We’re afraid of what ...

2679. My Name Is Legion

Mark 5:1-20

Sermon

Maxie Dunnam

... . When we are alienated, we become desperate, and we act and do things we never would do in our right mind. You see it in the father in a divorce situation, who takes out his anger and hatred for his wife on his children, withholding financial support of them to spite the mother. And you see it in a mother with custody of children, denying the father a relationship with them as a manipulative ploy - actually hurting the children - robbing them of a father’s love they need, because of desperation in the ...

2680. Two for the Price of One

Mark 5:21-43

Sermon

Maxie Dunnam

... was a more dramatic move because of the risk he took, and the extremes to which he went. This also teaches us about faith. Remember now that Jairus was “one of the rulers of the synagogue.” This put him in a position of having to support the rigid rules and regulations and defend the hidebound doctrine of the Law. This would have certainly put him in opposition to Jesus. But he was desperate. His daughter was gravely ill, so he made a deliberate decision. “Here we enter the realm of speculation, but ...

2681. Judas, A Person Like Us

Mark 14:43-52

Sermon

Maxie Dunnam

... of Judas that is rather common. I’d like to disclaim the notion held by a lot of folks that Judas was a puppet, predestined to play this certain role as the betrayer of Christ, with no personal choice in the matter. Now I know that notion is partially supported by Scripture. Jesus referred to Judas as the “son of Perdition.” It is very easy to settle on the notion that Judas was a pawn in a plan devised either by Satan or by God and there are those who believe it was Satan’s work, while others ...

2682. Should America Repent?

Matthew 3:1-12

Sermon

J. Howard Olds

... you do something, that in the long run, you regretted and you are sorry about? You have come to the right place. This is where these things get dealt with, even in the middle of December. III. REPENTANCE, WHEN IS IT NECESSARY? Should America repent? While I do not support a theology that makes God a partner with Osama bin Laden in trying to teach America a lesson, I do subscribe to a theology that no one should let a trouble go to waste. Whatever the challenge you face in life, do not let that moment go to ...

2683. On Being Faithful and Focused

Hebrews 11:1, 32 – 12:2

Sermon

J. Howard Olds

... word that he said to me when he was teaching me the game." I suspect that deep in our own souls today, each of us in our own way, has a roll call of heroes as we recall these listed and others. We recall the words, advice, help, care, and support they have given us. They have made us who we are and what we are. Will those who have gone before us find us faithful? Will those who come behind us find us faithful? Isn't it interesting, this intertwining of life, where nobody is on the stage alone. We ...

2684. We Hold These Truths To Be Essential

1 Peter 3:8-16

Sermon

J. Howard Olds

... eye today and say, “I'm in the business of producing faithful disciples of Jesus Christ." That is why we are here. We must understand that together. You see, a disciple is a follower, a learner, a lover. A disciple is an apprentice, an adherent, a student, a supporter, a devotee. I believe in building a church on the principle of easy entry, and high expectations. I know you can do it in a variety of ways. I know you can set up lots of hoops through which people need to jump in order to become a member ...

2685. Turning Evil Into Good

Genesis 45:1-8a, 50:19-20

Sermon

J. Howard Olds

... , to redeem the moment, and to claim the time. God himself found Joseph there and provided a way of escape. Lewis Smedes writes in one of his books, “When I flopped into nothingness, I fell into the hands of God. I was held and would not be dropped. I was supported and would not sink. I was held together and would not fall apart. I was accepted and could not be rejected. I was loved and would not be despised. I was in hell and God was there for me." God is for us. That in itself is redemptive. God does ...

2686. Doing What Disciples Do

John 15:12-17

Sermon

J. Howard Olds

... I died. “It is written,” said Jesus to Satan, “worship the Lord your God.” Abide in love. II. WE ABIDE IN LOVE THROUGH PRAYER Prayer really does not change many things, but it changes us dramatically. Bobby was a regular guy who went to work and supported his family. One day Bobby started slipping into the church sanctuary on his way home from work and spending some time in prayer. Trying to be more helpful than he needed to be, a pastor approached Bobby and asked if he could assist. “No,” said ...

2687. Impossible Possibilities

Luke 1:26-38

Sermon

J. Howard Olds

... salvation hung on the answer of that little girl." Mary, You are highly favored. What does that mean, to be highly favored? To be highly favored in a horse race means you are likely to win. To be highly favored in an election means that you are affectionately supported by friends. To be highly favored by God means that you have been chosen for a partnership which fulfills the will of God on earth as it is in heaven. Mary is chosen. Jesus said to his disciples, You did not choose me, I have chosen you, and ...

2688. When It's Time For Forgiveness

Matthew 18:21-35

Sermon

J. Howard Olds

... mercy and faced the facts with a forgiving heart. There are hundreds of places we could go to illustrate it. I think of Nelson Mandela emerging from 26 years of imprisonment in South Africa. He could have released revenge upon the supporters of apartheid and turned loose hatred in that country. Instead, this Methodist Christian stepped forward with a message of forgiveness and reconciliation and because of his Christian witness, South Africa avoided a blood bath. People forgive. The forgiveness of people ...

2689. Building a Lasting Legacy

Matthew 7:24-29

Sermon

J. Howard Olds

... Christ. Let the banners that have led our procession proclaim our purpose - God is touching hearts and transforming lives. God cares that 50% of this county has no church home. God wants children to be blessed, prodigals to be welcomed, and families to be supported in the tremendous task of raising children. It is the will of God for people everywhere to become faithful disciples of Jesus Christ. Let us open wide the gates of glory that whosoever will may come to know the Lord. Let us build a community ...

2690. The Holy Spirit and You

Acts 2:1-13

Sermon

J. Howard Olds

... comes to you, he will guide you into all truth." The word Jesus used for this advocate is paraclete. It is a word that means “called along side another." It comes from the military world. As surely as there is a soldier on the front line who is supported by his fellow soldiers at all times, so it is that this paraclete of God comes into our presence to be with us, to guide us, to direct us, to lead us in all truth. Sometimes we translate the word paraclete as comforter. The Comforter has come. David ...

2691. Why Join a Church?

Acts 2:42-47

Sermon

J. Howard Olds

... for one another, minister to one another, bear one another’s burdens. We will never achieve Christian maturity apart from Christian community. We need more resources than our interior lives can supply and more influences than our few like-minded friends will give us. We need the support of a community of people who are both like us and different from us. I was playing golf recently. I always look up too much when I am golfing. I happened to be looking up and I saw a flock of geese flying right over the ...

2692. Why Am I A United Methodist?

I Timothy 1:12-17

Sermon

J. Howard Olds

... community that reaches out in love and concern for one another. Because the church was bogged down with temporal matters, Wesley took his message to the open fields. When people believed, he organized them into societies and class meetings for spiritual support and accountability. Loving hearts set other hearts on fire. I am a United Methodist Christian today because I believe deeply in warm-hearted, experiential religion. III. UNITED METHODISTs BELIEVE IN HOLINESS OF HEART AND LIFE I am a United Methodist ...

2693. Encouragement

Illustration

Ronald Love

... thing he could utter, Eisenhower said the plebe looked like a barber. With that remark the plebe drew himself up to his full height, squared his shoulders, thrust forth his jaw, and responded that he was a barber. It was as a barber that he had supported his family prior to coming to the Academy. Devastated, Eisenhower returned to his room. He retold the incident to his roommate, confessing, "I've just done something that was stupid and unforgivable. I just managed to make a man ashamed of the work he did ...

2694. Convening A Construction Crew: Nobody Builds Alone

Acts 2:42-47

Sermon

J. Howard Olds

... of New York have learned to be a community. Can we employ in everyday life the principles we’ve learned in an emergency? It is a paradox that we have both a hunger for and a cultural inclination against community. Since 1950, supportive social connections and informal networks of people have weakened. Eye-to-eye interactions are waning in an age of “loose connections,” say sociologists. People visit less, belong to fewer groups, and more often live alone. Robert Putnam, in his book, Bowling Alone ...

2695. About Whose Business Was He?

Luke 2:41-52

Sermon

J. Howard Olds

... and in favor with God and people." Faith is more than saying yes to certain foundational questions, as important as that may be. Faith is more than accepting Jesus Christ as your personal Lord and Savior, as important as that may be. Faith is more than supporting your church with your prayers, presence, gifts and service, as important as that may be. Faith is a lifetime of growing in wisdom and favor with God and people. It is the constant discernment of God's will and the courage to follow it. We are ...

2696. What Would Jesus Say About Marriage?

Matthew 19:3-12

Sermon

J. Howard Olds

... .” I suspect somewhere down in the depths of our souls we know that. I think that is why we get all dressed up, spend a lot of money, invite friends and family and have a gigantic celebration. Marriage calls for our finest intentions and best support because something sacred is happening. The promise of a lifetime covenant is now much longer than ever before in the history of the world. Rock star, Rod Stewart, has said, “The problem with marriage is that our vows have been in existence for six hundred ...

2697. What Would Jesus Say About War?

Matthew 5:1-12

Sermon

J. Howard Olds

... of one mind about war. Officially we believe “war is incompatible with the teachings of Christ and urge the peaceful settlement of disputes among nations. However, the Church acknowledges that when peaceful alternatives have failed, armed force may be necessary.” We support those who serve in the military and those who conscientiously object to such service. Some of us are pacifists. Others of us endorse “just war” theories. All of us yearn for the day when peace and justice will prevail for all ...

2698. Singing With the Saints of Glory

Revelation 5:11-14

Sermon

J. Howard Olds

... door. We have a song to sing, we have a savior to proclaim, we have a church to serve. I believe that with all my heart. So let me stop preaching and start meddling. Here are some facts you need to know: - You are doing a fabulous job supporting your church. The general fund is in the black and the 9.2 million pledged in this capital campaign is coming in on schedule. You are being faithful. Please remember however that the campaign fell one million dollars short of the stated need. - The new property has ...

2699. The Down Side of Christmas

Matthew 2:13-18

Sermon

J. Howard Olds

... I spent a very quiet Christmas together yesterday. In the aftermath of Christmas Eve, we took time to count our blessings, open a few presents from friends, and mostly thank God for the beautiful gift of life. Then Sandy started meddling. She said, “I know we support the church and contribute to the community and try to live faithful lives, but when I hear the cry of the children, I wonder if we could not be doing more? Could we live more simply that others may simply live?" She is right. What difference ...

2700. Come to the Party

Luke 14:15-23

Sermon

J. Howard Olds

... eternal things. How can we avoid embarrassment when we choose the trivial over the eternal, pleasing ourselves over pleasing God, material things over spiritual things? “I just got married, so I cannot come” (Luke 14:20). He had a biblical reason to stay home. The Bible was supportive of him. In Deuteronomy 24:5 it says, “When a man takes a wife he shall not go to war, be charged with any business but shall be free at home for one year and shall cheer up his wife which he has taken.” God knows our ...

Showing results