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 579 results

251. What Kind Of God Is That?

John 9:1-12

Sermon

King Duncan

... . But not on the Forbes list of the four hundred wealthiest Americans. Why not? Think of the head start the descendants of these men had on the rest of us. Could it be that when wealth comes too easily it has a way of diminishing creativity, desire, perseverance? So it is when life comes too easily. We grow through struggle. Of course, all of us would prefer an easier way. One writer recently described his dad's error in editing out commercials with a newly-bought VCR. The intent was to tape White Christmas ...

252. What Would Bill Do?

1 Thessalonians 2:1-16

Sermon

King Duncan

... the top salesmen in the history of Watkins Products--their top salesman ever in the Northwest. ABC’s 20/20 told Bill’s story to the nation on Christmas Eve 1995 and it was later dramatized in an HBO movie starring William H. Macy. Bill Porter’s perseverance and positive thinking have had an impact on many people. As one of his many fans wrote: “I once read that the quality of one’s life is not measured by the things one acquires, but by the lives one touches.” Bill Porter has touched many lives ...

253. WORTH THEIR WEIGHT IN GOLD

Drama

Angela Akers

SUBJECT: Perseverance, aging, appearance CHARACTERS: Great-grandmother, Great-grandson, Mother (of son, granddaughter of great-grandmother) SETTING: At home PROPS: None necessary Great-grandmother: "Well, sweetie, how did you like your bedtime story?" Great-grandson: "It was a good one. Thanks." Great-grandmother: "You''re welcome. Now, go wash that handsome face ...

254. Your Faith: Winning or Whining?

Hebrews 11:1-40

Sermon

Eric Ritz

... At Calvary''s Cross, God demonstrated to us the greater and more excellent way. He freed us from fatal ways of futile fighting and destructiveness. Forgiveness demonstrates faith in God rather than faith in ourselves. SECONDLY, YOU KNOW YOUR FAITH IS GROWING IF YOU HAVE PERSEVERANCE--FOR THE FULL JOURNEY OF FAITH, NOT JUST ONE OR TWO LAPS. When we read the Bible it pulsates with the message, "Go the distance, for the Lord shall be thy confidence." In Deuteronomy 20:4, it declares, "For the Lord your God is ...

255. Together, But Not Enmeshed

John 15:1-17

Sermon

Robert Noblett

... . Nevertheless, when those seeds issue in fruit that is indeed kingdom fruit, we know full well who has been doing the planting. What's more, God often plants seeds in us so that we can carry those seeds of hope, insight, strength, and perseverance to others. Paul puts it rather neatly in his first Corinthian epistle. Writing of his work with that congregation, Paul says: "I planted, Apollos watered, but God gave the growth" (1 Corinthians 3:6). A simple example of seed planting is something that parents ...

256. Congratulations, You've Made the Team

1 Corinthians 9:1-27

Sermon

Fredrick R. Harm

... the memory alert. The second of our training rules reminds us to keep the pace steady: "And run with resolution the race in which we are entered" (v. 1). Our pace is to be a measured one. It is to be with resolution, with patience or perseverance. Dr. William Barclay discusses the Greek word translated "resolution" and calls it "a manly virtue." He prefers to translate it "patience or endurance." It is not a patience that can sit down, bow its head, let things descend on it, and passively endure until the ...

257. The Challenge of God Brings Hope

Genesis 9:1-17

Sermon

Richard Gribble

... pressure; could he meet this great challenge? The trial was a test of his will as well. In the face of overwhelming adversity, could he remain with his client and give her a fair and complete defense? Although the evidence was against his client, Carlo's perseverance would win the day. The trial took place in a small court room in the village where the crime had been committed. Carlo went to the place of the trial in order to find himself. In his investigation Carlo Rienzi discovered a reason for the young ...

258. The Art Of Borrowing And Lending A Donkey

Luke 19:28-44

Sermon

Maxie Dunnam

... embodied, we also are to announce through who we are and what we do. Our gifts and graces from God are needed by God. We are to offer what we have and who we are with courage and trust, and to follow through with prayer and perseverance. While God needs the five talented genius and virtuoso, the expert and the giant, God also needs one-talented followers. God needs ordinary people and the modestly endowed. The brilliant architect cannot make the cathedral come to life without the day-laborer and stone mason ...

259. On The Road Again (emmaus)

Luke 24:13-35

Sermon

Maxie Dunnam

... of opera and look down their noses at country music don't know, or haven't admitted, is that the story-line of opera and country music is often the same. It's the story of love and loss, of pain and suffering, of shattered dreams and courageous perseverance. Consider this line from Conway Twitty's most recent album. "I couldn't see you leaving, but I can see you're gone." Now consider this line from the opera, La Wally. Kallen Machen sang an aria from this opera at her marvelous concert a few weeks ago ...

260. Through God's Breathed Word

2 Timothy 3:10--4:8

Sermon

Maxie Dunnam

... discover that Jesus walked everywhere He went!" That's not all we'll discover if we will keep reading the Bible. We will find life -- the life God promises in Jesus Christ. We will find direction for living the life we are called to live. We will find strength to persevere, and comfort to live with the problems and the pain life brings. So that's our focus today -- continue to grow in your study of God's Word. The plea of the sermon is that we pay attention to the Bible -- God's breathed Word. I. And it is ...

261. If I Have Not Love

1 Corinthians 13:1-13

Sermon

Maxie Dunnam

... does not boast, it is not proud. It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs, Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes always perseveres.” (I Corinthians 13:4-7 – NIV) A friend introduced me to a book of essays written by Richard Seller entitled Mortal Lessons: Notes of the Art of Surgery. Seltzer is a surgeon. He teaches surgery at Yale University Medical School. He also teaches creative ...

262. God's People Will Receive Power

Daniel 7:15-28, Hebrews 12:1-13

Bulletin Aid

H. Burnham Kirkland

Call To Worship Since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and sin which clings so closely, and let us run with perseverance the race that is set before us. Come, let us worship! Collect O Lord God, eternal and everlasting, we give you thanks for all the saints who surround us this day. We have benefited by their faithfulness and their example of a godly life. Give us grace to follow in ...

263. Playing to the Right Audience

Matthew 6:16-18, Matthew 6:1-4

Sermon

Phil Thrailkill

... from ours. It takes energy to respond to God’s grace, but even the desire to take up the effort is itself a gift which can be refused. The God who offers the discipline also offers the desire to take it up and the ability to persevere. John Ortberg gives us a visual image to understand the interplay of what only God can do and what we must do with God’s aid. He writes: “Significant human transformation always involves training, not just trying. Spiritual transformation is a long-term endeavor. It ...

264. Facing Fears, Kingdom Style

Matthew 6:25-34

Sermon

Phil Thrailkill

... in the back door. It is a law of the kingdom of God. Love the Lord God; follow Jesus with his people; listen for the voice of the Spirit. In whatever your station in life, and in whatever job, let truth-telling and service and love be your goals. Persevere in hard times because help is on the way. Take God into your confidence in all matters great and small. Be alert to enemy opposition. Look above you for mentors, around you for partners, and below you for someone to lift up. Ask God to prune away the ...

265. Live Peaceably with All

Romans 12:9-21

Bulletin Aid

Frank Ramirez

... to repay evil with evil, but will overcome evil with good. Amen. Prayer Of Confession One: Let our love be genuine, Lord. We hate what is evil and hold fast to what is good. All: With your help we will rejoice in hope, remain patient in suffering, persevere in prayer. One: Let us all contribute to the needs of the saints and extend hospitality to strangers. All: Grant us the strength to bless those who persecute us, the grace to rejoice with those who rejoice, the courage to weep with those who weep. One ...

266. The Incarnation: What and Why?

Hebrews 2:10-18

Sermon

James L. Killen

... mercy and find grace to help in time of need" (Hebrews 4:14-16). Later the book actually comes close to the image of the parable of the track coach saying, "... let us also lay aside every weight and the sin that clings so closely, and let us run with perseverance the race that is set before us, looking to Jesus the pioneer and perfecter of our faith, who for the sake of the joy that was set before him endured the cross, disregarding its shame, and has taken his seat at the right hand of the throne of God ...

267. Taking You Up with Him

Colossians 3:1-4

Sermon

Richard W. Ferris

... 's why God has given us each other in communion with Christ Jesus. Together, we can see above the pain, the hatred, the mistrust, and the violence that goes on all around us. Together, we can reach up to find the strength to endure and the spirit to persevere. Together, we can find the joy in living that God intended for us. Together, Jesus has taken us all to another level. Not down, but up. Life is good, when we connect with Jesus. Life is joyous, when we keep focused on things above. Life is about being ...

268. Blind Ambition

Mark 9:30-37

Sermon

Mark Trotter

... and how important they were in my life, because they saw their role as coaches as to change boys into men with character, principles and courage. They saw sport as a means of teaching young people what life was really about: hard work, perseverance, team work, sportsmanship, winning humbly and losing graciously. Things like that. Sport is still important in American life. In fact, television has made sports even more influential than ever before. And sports are still teaching us lessons, but most of all two ...

269. Through the Lens of God

John 4:5-42

Sermon

Richard Gribble

... compassion, assistance, and care for others led him to the cross. If we are true to our common vocation to holiness and follow in the footsteps of our Lord, our fate will be the same. But just as Jesus' suffering and cross led to his glory, so if we persevere will we see our own resurrection. As Jesus came to break down barriers and reach out to all, so must we be willing to do the same. First, we must recognize the reality that we do create barriers. Barriers exist in our lives in many ways that often we ...

270. The Choice for God or the World

John 10:1-10

Sermon

Richard Gribble

... of many false prophets. This is often a difficult task, but if we keep our attention fixed on Christ, then we will not be swayed by the errant messages that seem to surround us. Christ is the light at the end of the dark tunnel; we must persevere and diligently hold fast to the road and not seek detours or shortcuts. There is one, and only one, way to find life and that is through Jesus, the gatekeeper. Today's society presents us with many choices and possibilities that only seem to grow more numerous ...

271. A Life Well Lived

2 Timothy 3:10--4:8

Sermon

King Duncan

... , it does not boast, it is not proud. It is not rude, it is not self‑seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.” (I Corinthians 13: 1-7) Does that sound like the kind of religious zealot who could persecute people who didn’t believe the same way he did? I don’t think so. Why sit around regretting what he had once been. That was somebody who no longer ...

272. Gross Personality Disorder

Romans 12:9-21

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

... get up - no matter how early or late I rise - I take a shower. Sometimes I don't WANT to take a shower. But I have to. Why? Because without that morning water ritual I feel grungy and grimy; I feel "wrong" all day long. Paul calls on Christians to persevere in prayer - that is, to pray persistently, continually. Any day that doesn't start with prayer should feel as out-of-whack and wrong to a Christian as a morning without a shower. Don't pray when you get up, and the whole day feels wrong. You just know ...

273. Soul Deep Not Skin Deep

Luke 16:1-15

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

... so much that he died with more money than he had when he was on his deathbed many years before." (Brian Tracey, Focal Point (New York: AMACOM, 2002), 182-83. When we let our lives be what God would make of them, we receive the power and perseverance of a life that's transformed SOUL-DEEP, not just skin-deep. When God's power and presence fill our soul our skin can't contain it. No matter how unlovely, how young, how old, how ordinary, or how seemingly incapacitated our skins may suggest we are, the ...

274. Building Bridges While Getting Shot at from Both Shores

Revelation 22:1-6

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

... and civilizations throughout history. In the Calvinist tradition, every school child learns the five distinguishing doctrines of Reformed faith through the acronym TULIP: T=Total Depravity, U=Unconditional Election, L=Limited Atonement, I=Irresistible Grace, and P=Perseverance of the Saints. Total Depravity: As the third millennium unrolls and outbreaks of brutish atrocities pile up as fast as daily papers, it's difficult to conclude that personalized violence that goldfish mayhem is foreign to our ...

275. Go Meditate!

Revelation 19:1-10

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

... 83 in a 55-mph zone, but rejoices in the truth. Love doesn't give up hope. It always protects our children's self-esteem and spirit, even while doling out discipline. It always trusts God to protect our children when we cannot. It always perseveres, through blue nail polish, burps and other bodily functions, rolled eyes and crossed arms, messy rooms and sleep-overs. Love never fails. But where there are memories of thousands of diaper changes and painful labor(s), they will fade away. Where there is talking ...

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