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 276 to 300 of 4946 results

276. As You Go, Remember…

Matthew 28:16-20

Sermon

Tom Garrison

What intrigues us the most is that mysterious boundary where the human and the divine intersect. This was the place I said I wanted to plant my life and to do my central work. This was, in fact, living out the charge that was given to me the night I was ordained to the Christian ministry. I still remember the way an old pastor stated it. He said, "Tom, I admonish you to stay close to God, stay close to humankind, and to make it the goal of your ministry to bring God and humankind closer together." This ...

277. What God Keeps in Heaven for You.

1 Peter 1:3

Children's Sermon

Object: a savings bond or an insurance policy for college. Happy Easter, everybody! Isn't this the most wonderful day in the whole year? You feel so free and easy. There is nothing in the world to worry about, since we know that Jesus has won over everything, including the devil himself. It wasn't always like this, I can tell you that. There was a time when people lived in absolute fear of dying. But not anymore! The grave used to be such a horrible thought that people wouldn't even talk about it to each ...

278. For Christ’s Sake, What’s Going On?

Matthew 18:15-20

Sermon

Michael L. Sherer

"There’s no fight like a church fight," someone once told me. Unhappily, that’s proven true time and again. Of all communities, you would think (or hope, at least) that congregations organized around the cross of Christ would be exemplars to the world. We have the promises, the hope, and the forgiveness God gives to his own select community. For heaven’s sake, it ought to make a difference in the way we live, at least within our own redeemed community. But someone else once pointed out to me that Satan isn ...

279. Boldly Going . . . Nowhere

Philippians 3:1-11

Sermon

King Duncan

In Operation Desert Storm a few years ago, for camouflage purposes, a division of soldiers had to repaint their Humvees to the color of the surrounding sand. The result was that the Humvees suddenly acquired a distinctly pinkish cast. As you can imagine, this became quite a source of humor for the soldiers. Someone even made a bumper sticker for one of these Humvees. It read, "Ask me about Mary Kay." Human beings are so creative. Particularly when it comes to humor. We can see evidences of that creativity ...

280. Keeping Promises

Numbers 30:1-16

Teach the Text

Joe M. Sprinkle

Big Idea: Take solemn promises and commitments seriously. Understanding the Text Following the first census in Numbers is a section dealing with vows, specifically Nazirite vows (Num. 6). Likewise, after the second census Numbers 30 deals with vows, especially women’s vows. Why would a section on vows follow Numbers 28–29, which is on offerings made on holy days? Perhaps because holy days are occasions for completing vows. Numbers 29:39 mentions that “vows” can be completed by sacrifice on holy occasions. ...

281. Keeping Our Promises

Sermon

Harold Warlick

Do you remember the first time someone broke a promise to you? For most of us, I imagine, that occurred in our childhood. Remember what a shocking experience it was? A quote I uncovered from an unknown author stands unchallenged in the affairs of men: "The vast majority of man’s problems arise because individuals fail to keep their promises." The history of the Christian faith is a history of promises broken. The term covenant in our Scriptures means a solemn promise made binding by an oath which may be a ...

282. Where Can I Go From Your Spirit?

Psalm 139:1-24

Eulogy

Barbara G. Schmitz

Music: Come, Gracious Spirit When Jesus preached his famous Sermon on the Mount, one of the things he said was, "Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted." Today, as we gather together to pray, we know firsthand the promise of Christ's words. For it is natural, at such a time as this, to turn to the Holy Spirit, the Holy Comforter, as Jesus called the Spirit. We pray that the Spirit at this time of Pentecost may fall fresh on us again, to surround and protect and comfort us in our time of ...

283. The Gift That Keeps On Giving

2 Kings 5:1-27

Sermon

Keith Hammer

It is a hectic Sunday morning after worship. People are streaming in and out of the pastor’s office as he tries to put away all of the things that seem to have accumulated on his desk since he arrived earlier that morning. Suddenly Neta appears at the door. “Pastor, I’d like you to meet Emily Johnson. She’s worshiping with us for the first time today and wants to join our church.” The pastor puts aside what he is doing and greets Emily warmly. He invites her to sit down for a minute so that he can get to ...

284. Joseph's Brothers Go to Egypt

Genesis 42:1-38

Understanding Series

John E. Hartley

Jacob’s Sons Buy Grain in Egypt: The scene shifts to Canaan, where Jacob’s family feels the full brunt of the famine. Their hope for survival rests on the availability of grain in Egypt. Therefore Jacob sends his sons to Egypt (vv. 1–4); the brothers negotiate with Joseph (vv. 5–25) and then return to Canaan (vv. 26–38). 42:1–4 To cope with the crisis of the famine the mournful Jacob reasserted his leadership. Having learned that there was grain in Egypt, Jacob called his sons together, scolded them for ...

285. Keep Spinning

1 John 4:7-21

Children's Sermon

Kenneth Mortonson

Purpose: To show our need for regular worship and study; and to see our need to put into practice what we have learned from God. Materials: A piece of cardboard and a piece of string, about four feet long. Special Preparation: Draw a five or six inch circle on the piece of cardboard and cut out the disk. Punch two small holes in the disk, about one-eighth of an inch on either side of the center of the circle. Loop the string through these two holes and tie the ends together. Hold the knot in one hand and ...

286. Where Does One Go When Darkness Floods One’s Life?

Genesis 32:22-32

Sermon

James Cobb

There are many places in the providence of God where he waits to meet with us. But there is one strange place where he can always be found. The Psalmist has described the place as the place called wits-end. In the 107th Psalm, verse 28 the Psalmist declares, "They are at their wits-end then they cry to God in their trouble." The place called wits-end is the place of our frustrations and despair. It is the place where we come to the end of our strength and wisdom and are thereby brought to that humility and ...

287. Mending Broken Relationships

Matthew 5:23-24

Children's Sermon

Wesley T. Runk

Object: Scotch tape; a piece of colored paper that can be torn easily Good morning, boys and girls, and a happy middle of July. It sure is strange how the days pass so quickly and there are so many things to do before school starts again. Makes us wonder if we’ll get them all done. Most of the time we have fun, although every once in a while I hear noises that make me think boys and girls aren’t having such a good time. When I hear screaming and yelling and name-calling, I think that something else is ...

288. The Great Divide

Luke 12:49-56

Sermon

I have to admit, this is not the Jesus I'm comfortable with. All this talk about bringing fire to the earth and that he can't wait until it's set ablaze. What kind of talk is that? Then there is the part about how households will become divided because of him. For goodness' sake, that's exactly opposite from the kind of community we're trying to build here. Can you imagine if I announced an adult education program that promised to teach you how to divide your families in five easy sessions? You wouldn't ...

289. WHERE DO I GO FOR A REFILL?

Drama

Angela Akers

SUBJECT: Exhaustion, spiritual nourishment, church CHARACTERS: Waiter, Man SETTING: Diner PROPS: Table and chairs, coffee pot and coffee cup, plate with some food, apron for waiter Waiter: "Hey, what can I get you?" Man: "Burger and a cup of coffee, please." Waiter: "You got it." Man: "Oh, and keep the refills coming." Waiter: "Whatever you say." (Waiter brings him burger and coffee. Man gulps down the coffee and motions for more) Man: "Refill, please." Waiter: "You must have a late ...

290. When the Going Gets Tough

2 Corinthians 12:1-10

Sermon

King Duncan

The golf course was crowded with golfers one pleasant fall morning. Bob was standing in front of a tee preparing to swing at his ball. He visualized hitting a beautiful shot that would carry hundreds of yards. As he was standing there lost in his thoughts, an announcement came over the public address system: “Would the gentleman standing at the women’s tee please back up to the men’s tee?” Bob ignored the announcement. He continued his pre-shot routine. Again, the announcement came across the PA system: “ ...

291. Keep That Light in Your Eyes

John 20:1-18

Illustration

David Martin

As Bunyan's Pilgrim felt the forward pull of his journey, the question was put to him by an Evangelist, 'Do you see yonder wicket gate?' He answered, 'No.' Just No. He knew the power of the negative. But then the Evangelist said to him, 'Do you see yonder shining light?' He said, 'I think I do.' Then said the Evangelist, 'Keep that light in your eye, and go directly thereto, so shalt thou then see the Gate ...' That is the message of Easter. Keep that light in your eye, and go directly thereto, So shalt ...

292. Keep the Stars in Your Eyes

Ephesians 1:3-14

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

In a culture where even the atheists claim to have a "spirituality," it's time for the church to soul out. Until March of 1997, the approaching Third Millennium sneaked up on us like some great, fun adventure. For intrepid entrepreneurs, the year 2000 promises huge sales in commemorative junk. Party planners have been plotting big New Year's Eve blowouts for years. Except for those nerdy computer types who are wringing their hands and predicting crash and burn for all computer systems that use just two ...

293. The Art of Keeping Quiet

Luke 1:5-25, Ezekiel 3:16-27

Sermon

Lori Wagner

How many of you think of yourselves as extroverts? How many of you are introverts? Can anyone tell me the difference? Introverts gather their energy and power from internal sources and from alone, contemplative time. Extroverts gather their energy from being with other people and primarily from external sources and stimuli. Which is better? Neither is better. Just different. But for years extroversion was seen as “the norm” and introverts were seen as faulty. Introversion was considered an anomaly, kind of ...

294. Everything Must Go: “Abandon Ship!”

1 Chronicles 29:1-9

Sermon

James Merritt

In America, it is called a dollar. In England, it is called a pound. In Europe, it is called a euro. In Israel, it is called a shekel. In China, it is called a yen. Different countries call it different things, but we all know it is money. It is everywhere. Money has been around forever. Interestingly, we didn’t start using paper money until the mid-1600’s, before that it was gold, silver, and bronze. Before that it was a unit of weight like barley or bread. By itself money really is nothing. It is just ...

295. Keeping God First in the Polls

John 3:1-21

Sermon

James Weekley

Did you know that a glass of hippopotamus milk contains eighty calories, or that only five percent of people are able to dream in color? Facts are intriguing but, just as quickly, they are easily forgotten. The recent knowledge explosion has had a great impact upon technology. With that technological 'know how,' we thought we had a blank check to the future. Then came the new bullies on the block: environmental pollution and computer impersonalism. The marriage of knowledge and technology were not creating ...

296. Who Keeps Getting in My Way?

Matthew 5:1-12

Sermon

Wallace H. Kirby

Some years ago, ten doctors were appointed by the United States Government to meet together and draw up ten laws of public health, which were to be given to the American people to serve as a guide for good health. After twelve days of extensive debate, they found that they could not agree on the laws because of their diverse areas of concern: one was a cancer specialist, one a heart surgeon, one a psychiatrist, and so on. Also, they were from different sections of the country and were concerned that some ...

297. How Can Religion Go Bad Doing Good?

Matthew 7:21-23

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

Public art. If ever there were fight'n words, these two simple words, "public art" would certainly qualify. The moment the intention for any new public artistic display is announced, the public outcry begins - an outcry that only reaches its full volume when the new piece is unveiled. The opening of the new Holocaust Memorial in the heart of Berlin is no exception. From the moment the memorial first became a topic of discussion seventeen years ago, the fur began to fly. Battles began between the German ...

298. Keeping Company with the Weary

Matthew 11:25-30

Sermon

J. Howard Olds

Invitations: They grab our attention every day. Somebody is getting married, a friend is having a party, a business is hosting a luncheon and we are invited. What would our lives be like without invitations? The greatest invitation ever offered came from the heart of Jesus Christ addressed to pilgrims like you and me. It is printed in your bulletin. Will you read it with me because it is Jesus' invitation to you? “Come to me all you who are weary and are carrying heavy burdens, and I will give you rest. ...

299. Stuff!

Luke 12:13-21

Sermon

It's everywhere you look. Stuff! From garage sales, to trunk sales and flea markets, to dumpsters, to folks riffling through your trash to find something of value ... and if they're lucky, something with your social security number on it. Stuff is everywhere. Don't get me wrong. I love stuff. By most measures I have too much of it. When Nancy and I were first married the only reason she could drag me to garage sales was the fact that I wanted to be with her all of the time. But standing there, looking at ...

300. But I Really Like the Best Seat in the House!

Luke 14:1, 7-14

Sermon

Years ago I was a director of alcohol and drug programs in a neighboring county. Sadly, I developed a new addiction. I'll put it as honestly as I can ... I became hooked on self-help books, tapes, and videos, especially those that promised if I followed their ten simple steps I would rise to the top of my field. I practiced thinking and growing rich and I studied the magic of thinking big. You name it, and sadly, I probably read it and treated it with close to the respect I gave the Bible at that time. I ...

Showing results