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 2876 to 2900 of 4681 results

2876. A Church with Nothing to Offer

John 20:19-23

Illustration

Thomas Long

... They were to be a community of profound love with the gates wide open and the welcome mat always out, but here we find them barricaded in a house with the doors bolted shut. They were to be the kind of people who stride boldly into the world to bear fruit in Jesus' name, a people full of the Holy Spirit performing even greater works than Jesus himself (John 14:12), but here we find them cowering in fear, hoping nobody will find out where they are before they get their alibis straight. In short, we see here ...

2877. What’s the Gimmick?

Illustration

Peter Marty

For years St. Anthony's Catholic Church in San Francisco has served meals to people in need. Over the doorway to its dining room the church has posted a sign bearing the inscription: Caritate Dei. One day a young mechanic, just released from jail and new to St. Anthony's, entered the door and sat down for a meal. A woman was busy cleaning the adjoining table. "When do we get on our knees and do the chores, lady?" he asked. " ...

2878. Being Lost Is Terrible, Being Found Is Wonderful

John 14:1-14

Illustration

Arthur G. Ferry

... so lost?" Just then Jim felt a touch on his shoulder. He turned around and saw his father. "My father had come after me and had found me. He held me down, reassured me, then bought me a Coke, a hot dog, a Yo-Yo, a lizard, a little stuffed bear, and a candy apple. I learned a valuable lesson that day: Being lost is terrible...being found is wonderful!" Jesus wanted his disciples to know that even though he would no longer be with them he would not let them get lost. He would be with them every step of ...

2879. Acts 17: 22-31

Acts 17:16-34

Sweet

Leonard Sweet

... , Lives of Eminent Philosophers, 1:110), the meaning behind such an inscription may not have been as Paul uses it here. Not only were generic altars erected to “unknown and foreign gods,” but altars that had fallen into ruin and had to be repaired would also bear the catch-all phrase of “to an unknown god.” For Paul’s purpose, however, he uses this altar inscription to introduce the pagan Athenians to the notion of one God, “the god of whom I tell you” (v.23). Paul doesn’t back down, or give ...

2880. The Power of Testimony

John 4:1-26

Sermon

Mark R. Smith

... is that it elicits action from the hearer. This is the part that keen businesses use to their advantage. Satisfied customers are far better advertisement than even the slickest of New York marketing firms can produce. Word of mouth, as the scripture today bears out, is a powerful motivator – especially when the words are well measured and come from our hearts. I was recently in attendance at a conference where a woman gave her personal testimony as part of the worship service. Her story was no more ...

2881. Losing Sight of Life's Goals

John 17:1-11

Illustration

Brett Blair

... But I don't always see those values. I get caught up in the "thick of thin things." What matters most gets buried under layers of pressing problems, immediate concerns, and outward behaviors. I become reactive. And the way I interact with my children every day often bears little resemblance to the way I deeply feel about them." For us Fathers...to truly be known by our children would be wonderful. I suspect that this is so much more difficult for men than women. And yet here in Jesus' prayer it is his first ...

2882. The Way the World Is

Illustration

King Duncan

... all the animals decided to disarm. They arranged `peace talks' to work out the details. The rhinoceros asked for a strict ban against the use of teeth in war. The stag and porcupine agreed, but the lion and tiger defended teeth as being honorable weapons. The bear, however wanted both teeth and horns to be banned, but suggested that all animals be allowed to give each other a good hug when they quarreled. This only served to offend all the other animals, and so they never could agree. That's the kind of ...

2883. What's Holding You Together?

Matthew 7:21-23

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

... don’t have to sing “Jesus Keep Me Near the Cross.” You don’t have to sing “Beneath the Cross of Jesus, I Feign Would Take My Stand.” You don’t have to sing “When I Survey the Wondrous Cross.” You don’t have to sing “Must Jesus Bear the Cross Alone?” You don’t have to sing “In the Cross of Christ I Glory. . . . Bane and blessing, pain and pleasure, By the cross are sanctified; Peace is there that knows no measure, Joys that thro' all time abide. Choose you this day how you will be ...

2884. Matthew 7: 21-29

Matthew 7:24-29

Sweet

Leonard Sweet

... to act in accordance with him like “a wise man” (v.24). In the example Jesus cites it is the foundation of each house that determines its final fate. The house “founded on rock” is able to withstand the onslaught of the elements that bear down upon it. Despite rain, floods, and winds the house holds together. The stone foundation keeps it from falling apart. By contrast the house whose foundation is laid on shifting sand, when exposed to the same inclemencies, falls apart. The winds that fiercely ...

2885. Building According to Code - Sermon Starter

Matthew 7:21-29

Illustration

Brett Blair

... sound very believable. On the contrary, Jesus was talking about a situation that was very real in the life of the people. What are some points that we may conclude from this story? First, it suggests that we are all involved in building, and that the house that we build bears our own distinctive mark. Secondly, everyone must occupy the house they build. Third, the real test in life comes when the storms are upon us.

2886. For Those Who Have Received Much (Father's Day)

Matthew 10:5-8

Sermon

King Duncan

... into the eyes of the mother, the father, the sisters, the brothers, all the people who were grieving the loss of each young girl and said, ‘I beg you, forgive me. Your daughter is like my daughter; your loss is my loss. May God help you to bear your pain.’ And the king, humbled before them, bowed and walked out to go back to his country, back to his sovereignty.” (5) This king, this Moslem king, gave us an image of our relationship with Christ. The God of all the universe humbled himself and came ...

2887. Matthew 9: 9-13, 18-26

Matthew 9:9-13

Sweet

Leonard Sweet

... is never far from focus. Indeed both the miracles bundled together in today’s text involve issues of ritual purity. Jesus exhibits power over both chronic debilitating disease and even death itself; Jesus practices this power despite the ritual defilement both victims bear. Matthew’s text is vague about the functional identity of the “leader” or “official” who comes to Jesus in v.18. The NRSV supplies “of the synagogue,” but the man could be a leader of any notable body. What is definitive ...

2888. The Iron, Silver, Golden, Platinum and Titanium Rules

Matthew 10:1-42

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

... faithful disciple is one who will “take up the cross and follow me.” The “cross” a disciple “takes up” here is not some nuisance, some ache and pain. As in, “‘How’s your arthritis?’ ‘Oh, we all have some cross to bear.’” The “cross” here we “take us” is public disgrace, shame before the entire community, being forced to drag through the streets those very instruments that will torture then kill us, a death both excruciatingly painful and agonizingly slow. This is authentic ...

2889. A Cup of Cold water

Matthew 10:40-42

Illustration

Larry Klaarn

... know, people are still stopping in Wall at the drug store and buying a few things. We did it last year. The Wall Drug Store still lives off that idea of "free ice-water," although today it is from a drinking fountain in a courtyard, by the stuffed grizzly bear. They still have signs. There's actually one of these signs on Long Island and believe or not there are more out side of the United States. There is one in Amsterdam, the Netherlands, on a bus in London, at the Taj Mahal, and at the north and south ...

2890. Lighten Up!

Matthew 11:16-19, 25-30

Illustration

M.T. Kutz

Lori Beth Jones wrote a book called "Jesus CEO". In this book she wrote: "Perhaps Jesus loved to dance because he was born at a party. I believe any event that has a heavenly light show, people bearing gifts from distant places and a host of angels singing and giving directions is a dance of major proportion. It must have made an impact on him. One of his favorite miracles was to turn water into wine, not vinegar. As his fame and popularity grew, he was constantly invited ...

2891. A Not So Simple Story of Demons and Pigs

Luke 8:26-39

Sermon

... Scott Peck is greatly esteemed in both the Christian and psychotherapeutic worlds. He is the author of The Road Less Traveled and its sequel, Further Along the Road Less Traveled. He is also the author of a little book on the subject of evil, bearing the intriguing title, People of the Lie. It is hard going, but worth the effort. In its pages, Peck sets out to study subjects of demonic possession. Peck believes it is possible to be possessed. Rare ... but possible. He suggests that demonic possession ... if ...

2892. Pro-Life Answers to Pro-Choice Arguments

1 Peter 3:15

Sermon

James Merritt

... still a woman, and a handicapped child is still a child. A person's nature and worth are not changed or devalued by handicap. d. Handicaps do not merit the death penalty. Abortion is killing a child. Then whether or not that child is handicapped or not has no bearing on the matter. In fact, if one can argue that an unborn child should be killed because it will be handicapped, then the argument could also be made that we should kill people who are born who have handicaps. The fact is, it is no more right to ...

2893. The Death That Ends All Death

1 Peter 3:18

Sermon

James Merritt

... intensity to one spot on those leaves. Now I want you to picture the world, a globe covered with billions of people, and above it, like rays from the sun, comes the blinding intensity and heat of the righteous judgment and wrath of God. It is bearing down upon the human race. Then imagine a great cosmic magnifying glass—as wide as the world placed in between, gathering all of that intensity of burning wrath, and focusing it on one spot, on one individual—on Jesus Christ nailed to the cross. Jesus Christ ...

2894. The World Needs Less Mother Goose More Mother Teresa

Isaiah 58:1-14

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

... culture in our technological toys: iTunes, iPods, iToys, iPhones . .. We can’t even do a Wii without two “ii’s.” Third, “stand.” The modern world focused on an understanding of truth as rational principles and propositions that led one to “bear witness” by “taking stands,” formulating positions, drawing lines, and passing resolutions. The problem with all this is that each of these words is wrong for our twenty-first century world and our twenty-second century kids. First, the time zone ...

2895. Interest vs. Commitment

Mt 13:1-23

Illustration

King Duncan

... something, you accept no excuses." Good soil represents the company of the committed " people who are determined to serve Christ to the best of their abilities, people who are willing to make whatever sacrifices are necessary to see Christ's kingdom come, people who by their work and their witness bear fruit that does not perish. What kind of soil are you?

2896. Fertile Soil

Matthew 13:1-23

Illustration

Brett Blair

But there is a fourth kind of soil. There is the seed that falls upon the good earth and takes root and grows to maturity. This crop, we are told, is a harvest that will bear fruit a hundred fold. Jesus mentions this last because itis the thrust of the story. True, there are failures, but the good news is that there is also victory. Now, here is the hard part. Our efforts in life are not always measurable. Sometimes, you may not see the final ...

2897. High and Lifted Up

Isaiah 6:1-8

Sermon

James Merritt

... one that he ever wrote. The following day at the close of his sermon he sang that hymn he had written the day before, and it went like this: Hark, the voice of Jesus calling, "Who will go and work today? Fields are white and harvest waiting, Who will bear the sheaves away?" Loud and long the Master calls Rich reward He offers Thee; Who will answer gladly saying, Here am I; send me; send me? Let none hear you idly saying, "There is nothing I can do," While the souls of men are dying, And the Master calls ...

2898. The Truth about Truth

John 8:31-32

Sermon

James Merritt

... , right and wrong, the word is not tolerance, the word is truth. If there is no such thing as truth, Jesus was both a liar and a fool. For He said, "For this cause I was born, and for this cause I have come into the world, that I should bear witness to the truth." (Jn. 18:37) In this statement we are going to study in John 18, Jesus tells us the truth about truth. I. The Real Principle of Truth Jesus did not say "You shall know a truth," but "You shall know the truth." The Lord Jesus said ...

2899. God Knows Exactly How You Feel

John 19:28

Sermon

James Merritt

... Me?" When Jesus came to Calvary He was offered the same narcotic that the two thieves were offered. Apparently they took it, but He did not. He did not want his senses to be stupefied in any way. He wanted to be in perfect control of his faculties, and to bear the full pain of our pardon. He was going to drink the cup of God's wrath dry to the last drop. Again, He can look us in the eyes today and say, "I know exactly how you feel." Incidentally, why didn't Jesus also say, "I hunger?" He must ...

2900. Don't Sweat the Sin Debt

John 19:30

Sermon

James Merritt

... filled with suffering. There was the social suffering of being rejected by his own family and his own nation. There was the physical suffering of crucifixion, perhaps the cruelest form of punishment in the history of the world. There was the spiritual suffering of bearing the world's sins and being totally separated from His Heavenly Father. We know He suffered, but we will never know how much He suffered. No meter could measure it, no computer could calculate it, no scale could weigh it. When He said, "It ...

Showing results