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 251 to 275 of 2844 results

251. Keeping His Word

John 14:23-29

Sermon

Donald Charles Lacy

Keeping our word has a long and positive history in our nation. For generations, a man was known by whether or not he kept his word. His word was his bond. Deal after deal was made on that basis. The essentials of the business world found it always helpful and even necessary for commerce to run smoothly. Some of us can remember vividly how these agreements functioned. Woe be unto that man who did not keep his word! If it happened more than once or twice and there were no extenuating circumstances, he was ...

252. Fruit with Feet

Acts 9:1-20

Sermon

Frank Ramirez

There has rarely been a transformation from sinner to saint as dramatic as that of Paul, former persecutor of Christians, who became the apostle to the Gentiles. However, the story of Cain Lackey from PatrickCounty, Virginia, comes close. Cain Lackey was known as the Meanest Man in PatrickCounty. He was rough and tough. The year was 1892 and PatrickCounty, Virginia, was a place of dirt fields and mud roads. There wasn't always enough food. People died because there were no doctors. Some places were almost ...

253. Time to Get Wet

Revelation 22:1-6

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

The governor of Washington state just signed a new series of "sin taxes" into effect. The items being taxed include the usual suspects: tobacco products and beer (though NOT beer produced by micro-breweries). But there is a new sinful category: you can now add "snack food" to the roster of iniquity. But the most anticipated money raiser for the state is the "sin tax" on are you ready for this? bottled water. From now on if you want to indulge in guzzling a bottle of H2O, it’s going to cost you. Just over ...

254. Who Will Cast the First Stone?

John 7:45--8:11

Sermon

Maxie Dunnam

There is a down home story about a small town veterinarian who had invented an instrument with which, he boasted, even a child could administer a capsule to a horse, no matter how unruly or reluctant the horse might be. One summer the vet went to county fair to demonstrate his new invention. They couldn’t find anyone who would permit his horse to be a part of the experiment, but they did find a mule, and soon a crowd had gathered to watch. Undaunted, the veterinarian inserted a long glass tube into the ...

255. A Way of Seeing

Genesis 21:8-21

Sermon

Stan Purdum

Remember your childhood suspicion that both your mother and your teacher had eyes in the back of their heads? As you got older, you realized it wasn't literally true, but it was a way of describing their awareness of what you were doing. Well now, we are coming to a place where it could be a much more literal statement. In fact, they could even have eyes in the back of their mouths. There have been some interesting developments in the field of perception, spurred in part by research to help the blind, but ...

256. All About Me?

Romans 1:16-17; 3:22b-31

Sermon

John N. Brittain

Since we all know that one of life's cardinal rules in the twenty-first century is that "it's all about me," I am sort of reluctant to admit this: The Bible is not all about me. Not that I am not there in plenty of places. I am there with Adam pointing the finger at Eve, trying to pass off the blame for my sin to someone else. I am there with Cain, feeling resentment toward someone who is obviously doing better than I and ignoring God's warnings about sin trying to ensnare me, and there I am right ...

257. Captive Free!

Romans 7:15-25a

Sermon

Steven E. Albertin

Have you ever felt "trapped between a rock and a hard place"? Have you ever experienced what we sometimes call "double jeopardy," where regardless of what you choose to do, you are "damned if you do and damned if you don't"? Perhaps you have seen a classic example of "double jeopardy." Someone is trapped high up in a burning building. They can't go back into the building because of the fire. But they can't jump either, because it will be to their certain death. Have you ever been on a frozen pond in the ...

258. Lent 2

Genesis 15:1-12, 17-18, Psalm 27:1-14, Luke 13:31-35, Philippians 3:17--4:1

Bulletin Aid

Julia Ross Strope

Call To Worship Leader: You’re here! Winter is still holding on and things seem very still this second Sunday in Lent. Fortunately, we know that whatever is happening around us, God is with us. (Candles can be lighted to count the Sundays until Easter.) People: We have no reason to be afraid. We’ve asked God to teach us what to do and to lead us along safe paths. Leader: When we look at the world, we see soldiers and terrorists; we hear of violence. Still we trust God. People: We take seriously our own ...

259. Liturgy of the Palms

Psalm 118:1-2, 19-29, Luke 19:28-44

Bulletin Aid

Julia Ross Strope

Call To Worship Leader: Six weeks of Lent are almost finished. Our smudges of Ash Wednesday — signs of discipleship on our heads and hands — are invisible. Today we mix the excitement of the parade of palms with the dread of passion. (The candles can be lighted.) People: We are glad to be here to consider the stories of Jesus and how they impact our living. Leader: Our days are longer and we have “anticipatory anxiety” as we watch spring burst out. For the past weeks, we have read the biblical accounts of ...

260. Liturgy of the Passion

Luke 22:14-23:56

Bulletin Aid

Julia Ross Strope

261. The Healing Power of Faith

Luke 17:11-19

Sermon

King Duncan

There is an old, old story about a traveling evangelist who also advertised himself as a faith healer. In one of his crusade services he jumped on the platform and said, “I have faith that two people will be healed tonight. Where are you?” he asked. “Who would like to be healed?” A man ran down the aisle, named Harry. Asked what his ailment was, Harry said he had a lisp. He explained sadly, “I can’t talk wite.” He was instructed to go behind a curtain. Another man hobbled down on crutches. His name was ...

262. Let It Go

John 3:1-21

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

Sometimes what we think is most familiar is also the most unknown. Take the case of one Midwest family. The matriarchs of the family had passed along a time-honored recipe for the traditional Easter ham. Along with the list of spices and herbs, rubs and glazes, cook times and basting procedures, was the absolutely strict instruction that the last three to four inches of the ham must be cut off — completely removed. This order was an integral part of the recipe that their great-grandmother had passed down. ...

263. Ezra Comes to Jerusalem

Ezra 7:1-10

Understanding Series

Leslie C. Allen

Ezra’s Commission: Chapter 7 introduces us to the person and mission of Ezra. His mission is the second of the three presented in Ezra-Nehemiah. It has two parts: first to take back to Jerusalem valuable supplies and pledges for the temple, along with a fresh group of returning exiles; and second to implement the adoption of the Torah to regulate the life of the Judean community. We notice, looking over the chapter, that it falls into three sections. First, verses 1–10 give a preview of the journey of ...

264. Habakkuk’s Prayer

Habakkuk 3:1-19

Understanding Series

John Goldingay

A Plea and a Vision: Chapter 3 opens with a new heading that is even comparable to that of the book as a whole (1:1), and the chapter closes with its own concluding footnote (v. 19b). The heading designates it as a “prayer,” which takes the narrow form of a plea (v. 2) and of a declaration of trust in Yahweh (vv. 16–19). The main body of the chapter (vv. 3–15) comprises a description of Yahweh’s coming which is both an answer to the plea and the basis for the declaration of trust. While the book would not ...

265. Solomon Asks for Wisdom

1 Kings 3:1-15

Understanding Series

Iain W. Provan

Solomon and Wisdom: Wisdom (Hb. ḥoḵmâ) has already played an important role in the narrative, guiding Solomon in his treatment of those who were a threat to him (1 Kgs. 2:6, 9). It will play an even more central role now in 1 Kings 3. Solomon has a dream wherein he confesses a lack of discernment before God and is promised (among other things) a “wise and discerning heart” (3:4–15). He then hands down a legal judgment in which his use of this new gift is of crucial importance (3:16–28). The major question ...

266. Parables Discourse: The “Already and Not Yet” of the Kingdom

Matthew 13:24-30, Matthew 13:31-35, Matthew 13:36-43, Matthew 13:44-46, Matthew 13:47-52

Teach the Text

Jeannine K. Brown

Big Idea: Though the kingdom and people’s responses to it have a hidden quality in the present time, everything will be made clear in the end—both people’s responses and the great value of the kingdom. Understanding the Text The parables in this section of the Parables Discourse build upon the varied responses to the kingdom introduced in 13:1–23 by indicating the hidden nature of the kingdom in the present. What will be clear in the end is partially hidden in the present, so that it takes eyes of faith to ...

267. The Celebration of the Great Multitude in Heaven

Revelation 7:9-17

Teach the Text

J. Scott Duvall

Big Idea: God and the Lamb receive praise for saving the people of God through the great tribulation and for comforting and protecting them afterward. Understanding the Text The Revelation 7 interlude features a single vision showing the situation of the people of God, but from two different perspectives. First, in 7:1–8 we see God’s people sealed or protected and prepared for spiritual battle. Second, in 7:9–17 we see God’s people celebrating in heaven following their victorious endurance through the ...

268. The Nazirite Vow

Numbers 6:1-21

Teach the Text

Joe M. Sprinkle

Big Idea: Willingly dedicate oneself to God. Understanding the Text The Nazirite regulations continue the theme of purity from Numbers 5. The Nazirites are laymen and laywomen who in a special way have dedicated themselves to God. Amos lists the Nazirite with the prophet as a special kind of holy person (Amos 2:11–12). These regulations also continue the theme of oaths, for both the woman suspected of adultery and the Nazirite make oaths (Num. 5:15–31; 6:2). Historical and Cultural Background Nazirite ...

269. Defeat, Death, and Departure

1 Sam 4:2-22

Teach the Text

Robert B. Chisholm Jr.

Big Idea The Lord’s decree of judgment is certain of fulfillment, bringing tragedy in its path. Understanding the Text This chapter records the initial fulfillment of the Lord’s decree of judgment prophesied by the man of God (2:27–36). The Lord has warned that Eli’s sons would “both die on the same day” (2:33–34). This would be the “sign,” or guarantee, that the prophecy would eventually be fulfilled in its entirety (2:34). The ark of the covenant, mentioned just once in the book to this point (3:3), ...

270. Elihu Makes His Appearance

Job 32:1--37:24

Teach the Text

Daniel J. Estes

Big Idea: The young Elihu claims to know the truth that has escaped Job and his friends. Understanding the Text After Job concludes his words in 31:40, the reader expects to hear Yahweh speak to resolve the debate between Job and his friends. Instead, a young man named Elihu bursts upon the scene, and for the next six chapters he holds the stage. In his long, uninterrupted speech, Elihu summarizes the points made by Job and the friends, often quoting or alluding to their specific words. He agrees with them ...

271. Widows and Their Worries: Back to Bethlehem

Ruth 1:1-22

One Volume

Gary M. Burge

Setting: Famine and Family Tragedy (1:1–5) · The grim opening of this story grips the reader on three counts. First, it is neither a prosperous nor a fruitful time in the nation’s life (1:1). Second, and not unrelated, the people of Israel face famine (1:1). The fact that a famine prevails in Bethlehem, in Judah’s “house of bread,” together with the religious crisis dominating the landscape indicates an unpleasant visitation by the Lord on the land. The Lord promised famine as one among many of his acts of ...

272. Israel Routs the Philistines

1 Sam 14:15-52

One Volume

Gary M. Burge

As confusion grows among the Philistine forces, the Lord sends the whole army into a panic by shaking the ground (14:15–23). The earth tremor frightens the Philistines, and they fight among themselves in all the confusion and flee the battleground. It is the same sort of panic that was behind the victory at Mizpah (1 Sam. 7:7–12) and the defeat of the Midianites under Gideon (Judg. 7:22). Saul’s lookouts at Gibeah report the commotion to their commander, and Saul immediately consults Ahijah the priest, ...

273. Encouragements, Appreciations, and Greetings

Philippians 4:2-9

One Volume

Gary M. Burge

Having reminded the Philippians of their heavenly citizenship and their glorious destiny, Paul returns to the pastoral concerns of the present. The Philippian church needs to have the mind of Christ and stand firm in the unity of the gospel as they face those who are the “enemies of the cross of Christ.” Then they can truly live in joy and contentment and experience the fullness of the grace of God in their community. 4:1–3 · Encouragements to steadfastness and unity:Paul begins this section with another “ ...

274. Final Greetings

2 Timothy 4:9-18, 2 Timothy 4:19-22

One Volume

Gary M. Burge

The pathos of this letter lies in Paul’s urgent, heartfelt request that Timothy join him. He appears to have sent Tychicus to relieve Timothy of his duties in Ephesus at least temporarily (4:5) so he can join Paul, awaiting martyrdom in Rome. Along the way—and this is one of the great stories of reconciliation in the New Testament—Timothy should bring along the once-estranged Mark (with 4:11; cf. Acts 13:5, 13; 15:36–41; Col. 4:10; Philem. 24). Paul’s situation is dire; he has survived a preliminary ...

275. The Validity of Jesus' Testimony

John 8:12-30

Understanding Series

J. Ramsey Michaels

8:12-29 Nicodemus disappears as abruptly as he appeared, and the stage is now set for Jesus to confront the Pharisees again (8:12), this time not through emissaries but directly. Yet his pronouncement I am the light of the world …, the sequel to 7:37–38, is not for them exclusively but for whoever follows me. It is universal in scope and probably, like 7:37–38, future in its orientation. The desire of Jesus’ brothers that he “show himself to the world” (7:4) is coming to realization but with the outcome ...

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