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 2851 to 2875 of 4914 results

2851. Do This And Live!

Luke 10:25-37

Sermon

King Duncan

Many of us are afraid of dogs. It is a common fear. The immortal scientist Louis Pasteur was far more frightened of dogs than most people. Even a distant bark would terrify him. In his mind he could still see a mad wolf which raged through his boyhood village bringing agony and death to many of his neighbors. "I have always been haunted by the cries of those victims," he said time and again. Yet in 1882, past the age of 60, Pasteur gave up all his other studies in an intense search for a cure for rabies. ...

2852. Standing Tall

Mark 10:46-52

Sermon

King Duncan

A few years back, Jim Stovall decided to become a stock broker. Even though he is blind, Jim has a determination and commitment to hard work that has helped him to transcend his disability. Jim also has a wife, Crystal, who supports and encourages him in everything he does. Jim and Crystal studied hard to get through the broker exams, then went through training sessions together. Most of the other students in the training sessions were better educated and better trained than Jim. They had no handicap to ...

2853. Can We Really Trust God?

Romans 4:1-25

Sermon

King Duncan

When Communist forces invaded Vietnam in the 1950s, Hien Pham, like many Vietnamese Christians, was arrested and jailed for his beliefs. After his release from prison, Pham made plans to escape Vietnam. He secretly began building a boat. Fifty-three fellow Vietnamese made plans to escape with him. One day, four Vietcong soldiers came to Pham's house and confronted him. They heard he was planning an escape. Was it true? Of course, Hien Pham lied to them. If he had told the truth, the Vietcong might have ...

2854. Eavesdropping On Eternity

Luke 9:28-36

Sermon

King Duncan

Have you ever been in a public place and found yourself eavesdropping on a conversation? Perhaps it was at the mall or on a bus or standing in the hall at school. You didn't mean to be nosy, it's just that you were the proper distance away, and you could hear every word. A few years ago, the Lexington Herald-Leader of Lexington, Kentucky, published a short list called "Classic Conversation Stoppers." If you overheard these phrases, the urge to eavesdrop would be overwhelming: For example, here's a classic ...

2855. What on Earth Is the Trinity?

John 14:15-31

Sermon

Donald B. Strobe

English mystery writer Dorothy Sayers was also a lay theologian in the Church of England. In one of her books she discussed the difficulty a missionary to the Orient had in trying to explain the Trinity. As you know, one of the symbols for the Holy Spirit is a descending dove. We just sang the hymn: “Come Holy Spirit, heavenly Dove.” The Oriental gentleman, lost in the maze of theology, said: “Honorable Father I understand. Honorable Son I understand. Honorable bird I do not understand at all!” He is not ...

2856. Is Suffering Punishment for Sin?

John 9:1-12

Sermon

Donald B. Strobe

One of the most helpful books of recent years has been Rabbi Harold Kushner’s When Bad Things Happen to Good People. In the opening pages he writes, “Like most people, my wife and I had grown up with an image of God as an all-wise, all-powerful parent figure who would treat us as our earthly parents did, or even better. If we were obedient and deserving, he would reward us. If we got out of line, he would discipline us, reluctantly, but firmly. (God) would see that we got what we deserved in life.” (New ...

2857. Aren’t All Religions Basically Alike?

John 14:5-14

Sermon

Donald B. Strobe

College students have an innate sense of fairness. They may not always practice it, but they usually have it lurking around somewhere. And so they often ask ministers questions like, “Why should Christianity claim to be the one true religion? What is God going to do with all those millions of people who are not Christians, and who never heard of Jesus Christ? Aren’t they as sincere as we are? Aren’t all religions, after all, basically alike?” Those questions usually arise after they have had their first ...

2858. Mother's Day

Proverbs 1:1-7

Sermon

Eric Ritz

I think everyone knows today--that this Sunday is the day we celebrate and honor motherhood. It is the day we descend on Mom to show her our love. It is always inspiring as we leaf through the pages of history to see the great influence that mothers have had on their sons and daughters. Our own founder and spiritual mentor, John Wesley, was deeply influenced by the godly character of his mother, Suzanna. There is much debate and controversy today among Christian leaders and pastors over the Biblical role ...

2859. What Gets Into People?

Mark 1:21-28

Sermon

King Duncan

A man in Maryville, TN, called 911 sometime back to report someone was chasing him down the highway. As it turned out, it was the sheriff that was chasing him. It all started when a deputy noticed the man driving erratically and signaled for him to stop. The man pulled over at first, then spun his pickup truck around and fled down the highway. Soon three patrol cars were in pursuit. At that point the man dialed 911 and reported he was being chased. The dispatcher advised him to stop, but the man would not ...

2860. Christmas Is On Top Of A Steep Hill

Luke 2:21-40

Sermon

Maxie Dunnam

Now will you hear the scripture lesson of the morning, from the 2nd chapter of Luke’s gospel, beginning with the 22nd verse and reading through the 35th verses? “And when the time came for their purification, according to the Law of Moses, they brought Jesus up to Jerusalem to present him to the Lord. As it is written in the law of the Lord, every male that opens the womb shall be called Holy to the Lord, and to offer a sacrifice according to what is said in the law of the Lord. A pair of turtle doves, or ...

2861. The Gospel Of Another Chance (choir Dedication)

Luke 13:1-9

Sermon

Maxie Dunnam

Football season is going full steam. Emotions are running high, and already folks are making predictions about who is going to make it to the different bowls. Also, there are a lot of stories making the rounds. One is about the sometimes famous coach at the University of Tennessee, Johnny Majors. It seems that Mr. Majors bought a bolt of cloth thinking he would have a suit made out of it. He took the material to his tailor in Knoxville where the tailor measured Majors, examined the bolt of cloth, did some ...

2862. Epiphany: The Tragedy of Rejection

Luke 4:14-30

Sermon

J. Ellsworth Kalas

In the church, most of us think of Epiphany simply as a season on the church calendar, and sometimes as a season we don't understand too well. We may recall that we are celebrating particularly the revealing of Christ to the Gentile world, via the Wise Men, but not much more. The dictionary, however, adds further dimension to the word, listen: "a sudden, intuitive perception ... into the reality or essential meaning of something, usually initiated by some simple, homely, or commonplace occurrence or ...

2863. If You Look Like Your Passport Photo

Luke 9:28-36

Sermon

Mark Trotter

When you have your picture taken, are you nervous about the results? They say "the camera doesn't lie," but you and I know better. A woman said to the photographer, "I hope your camera will do me justice." He said, "Ma'am, you don't need justice, you need mercy." The title of this sermon comes from an old aphorism, "If you look like your passport picture, you need the trip." I renewed my driver's license a little while ago. I got one of these new California driver's licenses with your picture on it. So I ...

2864. Now Stand Up Straight!

Luke 13:10-17

Sermon

Mark Trotter

Some of you give me books that you would like me to read, which I am very happy to do. It usually takes me some time to get to them, so sometimes I save them to take on planes with me. If it is near the summertime, I save them to take with me on my summer vacation. Sometimes, I am embarrassed to confess, by the time I get around to reading the book, I can't remember who it was who gave it to me. That has happened with enough frequency lately that I have thought of putting a table out on the patio, pile all ...

2865. Uses of the Past

Philippians 3:4b-16

Sermon

Mark Trotter

There is a man in New York who has gained notoriety because he refuses to join the 20th century. In a few months he will refuse to join the 21st century. He wears high button shoes, and Prince Albert coats. He has mutton chop sideburns, and a handlebar mustache. He lives in a garret in Greenwich Village. He reads Dickens and Jane Eyre, only 19th century novels, and shuns all the things he can that have been manufactured in the 20th century. Now my children, and certain members of this staff, accuse me of ...

2866. Worry and Wonder

Matthew 6:24-34

Sermon

Susan R. Andrews

Well, the orange alert has finally been lowered to yellow. The purported organizer of the 9/11 attacks is now under arrest. And this week, rather than protecting us from biological or chemical poison, it seems that duct tape is being promoted as the perfect cure for warts! Perhaps, just a bit of our terror has subsided. And yet unsettling news is still around us. Tens of thousands of our troops are still in Iraq. Contrary to the wisdom of most religious leaders, including the Stated Clerk and Moderator of ...

2867. Death by Chocolate

Hebrews 9:11-28

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

"Death by Chocolate." Just the words put moisture in your mouth. [If you can bring out here some parishioner's recipe of Death by Chocolate, and tease them with its deliciousness, so much the better.] Almost every upscale, elegant restaurant seems to offer their own version of this extra rich, extra decadent, extra artery-clogging delight they dub Death by Chocolate. For committed chocoholics this dessert offers the ultimate attempt to sweeten the bitterest reality life offers all of us the plain and ...

2868. It Is Good News!

1 John 4:7-21

Sermon

James McCormick

Recently we observed the 100th anniversary of the Wright Brothers first flight in an airplane. 100 years ago, when news of the flight began to spread, a disbelieving cynic said, “I don’t believe it. Nobody’s ever going to fly. But if they do, it won’t be anybody from Dayton, Ohio!” We do tend to be skeptical about good news, don’t we, and particularly so when the alleged good news comes from an unlikely source. 100 years ago it was difficult enough to believe that people could fly. But surely, if such a ...

2869. How to Live a Sizzle-When-It-Drizzles Life

John 10:1-21

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

When the sun went down, life slowed down. That’s how it used to be. When illumination after dark meant a smoky oil lamp or a dangerously dripping tallow candle, there were limitations on activities. Forget all those Hollywood movies. The rich might have had enough candle-power (and servants) to light up a ball room or a banquet hall. But for common, everyday people, the light of one or two lamps and the glow from a small cooking fire was all that brightened the night. Even the faintest light was far more ...

2870. Like a Rose - Holy Communion

Luke 22:7-38

Sermon

James McCormick

For over 2,000 years, Holy Communion has been at the heart of Christian worship. We have called it by many names – the Lord’s Supper, the Mass, the Eucharist – but from the very beginning, followers of Jesus have been brought closer to God and to one another as we have shared in this sacred meal. As we eat the bread and drink the wine, we are doing as Jesus asked us to do. He said, “Do this, as often as you will, in remembrance of me.” As we do this, and as we remember Jesus’ life, his death, his ...

2871. The Church Is Alive and Well

Matthew 16:13-18

Sermon

James Merritt

Lewis Berry Shafer was one of the great theologians of this century, and the founder of Dallas Theological Seminary. Dr. Shafer once said, "Next to salvation truth, it is vitally important for the believer to know the Bible doctrine of the church."1 One of the all time best selling authors in history, Warren Wiersbe, said, "The greatest wonder that God has on earth is the wonder of His church."2 One holy church of God appears Through every age and race, Unwasted by the lapse of years Unchanged by changing ...

2872. Joshua: Why These Stones?

Sermon

John E. Harnish

It was bound to happen. God knew it. Joshua knew it. Someday, a child would ask the question. · Someday, when the people were comfortably settled in the Promised Land and the tales of Abraham and Sarah living in tents had given way to high rise lofts and seaside condos; · Someday, when the stories of Moses and the manna had blended into a mosaic of ancient myth and the traveling tabernacle had been replaced by a permanent temple; · Someday, long after the bones of Joseph had found their final resting place ...

2873. Let God Do the Rest

Ephesians 3:14-21

Sermon

Richard Gribble

Once there was a boy who loved to look at the birds of the air, the flowers of the field, and the clear blue sky. These delighted him and he spent the majority of his time outside wandering about the countryside. One day he saw a crowd of people gathered and as he drew closer he saw that they were listening to a man. He was not sure what it was, but there was something magnetic about this man that drew the boy closer. He sat down on the grass and listened to what the man said. Never in his life had he ...

2874. Looking in All the Wrong Places

Romans 3:19-28

Sermon

Lee Ann Dunlap

The song has long been relegated to the "Golden Oldies" category, but occasionally it can be heard on the airwaves. Long before one-name singers like Cher, Blondie, or Madonna made their mark in pop music, a little-known and even less-remembered singer named "Charlene" topped the charts. The song was addressed within the lyrics to the "frustrated mother" and "unappreciated wife" from the perspective of a woman who has been everywhere and "seen a thousand things a woman ain't s'posed to see." Yet for all ...

2875. Baptism: The Common Call To Holiness

Mark 1:4-11

Sermon

Richard Gribble

Once upon a time long ago a young man decided to become a saint. He left his home, family, and possessions and journeyed into the hot sands of the desert where he eventually found a dark cave. He thought, "I can find God here. I will be alone and nothing will disturb me." He prayed day and night in the cave, but God sent him many temptations. He imagined all the good things in life and wanted them desperately, but he was determined to give up everything and be with God alone. After many months, the ...

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