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 3201 to 3225 of 4963 results

3201. Taking Aim

Acts 2:14-41

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

... picture of Jesus; holes and jagged marks covered his face and his eyes were pierced out. Brother Len said only these words, "In as much as you have done it unto the least of these my brothers and sisters, you have done it unto me." The students remained in their seats, even after the class was dismissed, their eyes focused on the picture of Christ. Only slowly did they leave the classroom, tears streaming down many of their faces. Matthew 25:40 And the King will answer and say to them, "Truly I say to ...

3202. The Best Places to Live

Jeremiah 29:1-23

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

... it were not a life lived in the promised land. But the most important part of the exiled peoples continued existence was that even though they must adjust their outside living conditions, their inner life, their faith and faithfulness, was to remain untouched, intact, and vital. God's directive, communicate through his prophet Jeremiah, instructs the exiled people of Jerusalem to pray for their Babylonian captors, for the welfare and well-being of that whole city, and by inference for that whole oppressive ...

3203. The Jesus RX and the Biology of Belief

John 20:24-31

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

... similarly paralyzed by the nocebo effect. Although Mary Magdalene and the disciples gathered in that closed room, all testified excitedly that they had encountered the risen Jesus. Thomas let doubt and disbelief close the door on his own entrance into the story. He remained locked up--in his heart and spirit and mind-as much as in that small closed room. Unable to believe, Thomas was unable to respond to the hope, the anticipation, and the excitement that filled the other disciples. The risen Christ used ...

3204. The Lamb's Book of Life

John 1:29-34

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

... the Lamb of God, Jesus carried the genetic tradition of the suffering servant, as prophesied by Isaiah, into his own life and ministry. As a paschal lamb, Jesus' sacrificial death takes away the sins of the world. But the future role of this Lamb of God still remains. In Jesus' human lifetime, it was a part of his genome not yet expressed – the judging Lamb of God, the one who breaks the seven seals of the scroll in Revelation, the lamb who decides whose name is entered in the Book of Life and whose name ...

3205. The Ultimate Happy Meal

Matthew 14:13-21

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

... in the kingdom of God. How many billions served? That's up to you and me. A little boy from the inner city was struck by a car and taken to the hospital. It was quickly determined that he wasn't seriously injured, but the doctor ordered that the boy remain overnight for observation. In due course, a nurse brought a tray to his bedside. On it was a tall glass of milk and a light snack. As the little boy reached out for the tray, he remembered the way it was at home: he had to share with all his ...

3206. What Is Jesus Doing?

Matthew 28:1-10

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

... women, crying, moaning, rending the fabric of their clothes. Women are a key part of the community's mourning process. But the Sabbath was sneaking in even as Nicodemus and Joseph hurried to get Jesus' body safely entombed before sunset. The women, although they remained as long as they could, had to get back to their homes, their families, and prepare to greet and observe this sad Sabbath. Their mourning, their formal expressions of grief and loss, of respect and love for their master and teacher, had to ...

3207. Your Cheatin' Heart

Luke 6:17-26

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

... the loyalty and fidelity of the people to their divinely-appointed King David, Absalom's "heart-stealing" was ultimately a capitol offense. Proverbs 4:23 warns those who would be faithful and righteous to "Watch over [or keep] your heart" so that it remains safe from thievery by others. Heart-thieves, like Absalom, treat others as objects – using them as means to achieve an end. Absalom kissed and glad-handed every petitioner from every tribe who came seeking a judgment from King David. It was part of ...

3208. You've Got Mail!

John 10:22-42

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

... , marriages, tragedies, and triumphs weeks or even months after they had occurred? That was the reality of long-distance life only a little over a century ago. Even with the advent of the telegraph and telephone there were still whole communities, whole countries, that remained cut off from any communication other than the occasional arrival of a smudged and battered envelope. And even though letter-writing was honed to a fine art, it couldn't replace the sound of a loved one's voice, the sound of sighs and ...

3209. Is God Showing through You?

2 Peter 1:12-21

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

... representative. But the act of piling up or peeling away those transparency pages still fascinates young children. There's something about being able to slowly strip away the skin, the muscles, the various systems that work so perfectly together within the body, that remains riveting. It's like getting a secret peek at a collection of hidden miracles. The human fascination with getting a glimpse of that which is usually kept out of sight is part of the power of the Transfiguration. Only a chosen few were ...

3210. The Golden Bull or the Old Rugged Cross?

Acts 16:16-40

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

It has changed somewhat over the years, but the essence has remained the same. · "Go west, young man." · "A chicken in every pot." · "A house of one's own." · "A college education." · "Be your own boss." · "Free Agent." We call it the "American Dream," and while it has been fueled by noble notions such as freedom and equality, it has always been ...

3211. What's the Value of Your Life?

Genesis 28:10-22

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

... 17th century violin. 3. Value can change in an instant, without warning. 4. Value is shaped by perception – and perception is not free of personal prejudice. 5. When the world changes, the value of an object may change – even if the object itself remains exactly the same. Art collectors have always counted on Lesson #3. Any serious collector stockpiles works by respected, noted living artists knowing full well that the moment that living artist becomes a dead artist, the value of his or her artwork will ...

3212. Y'all, What's in Your All?

Colossians 3:1-17

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

... and downright friendly. The old English plural "ye" sounded so stiff and stilted, no wonder it found itself relegated to the warehouse of worthless words. Y'all, on the other hand, although used to address any number of persons larger than one, has remained vital because of its comforting intimacy and inclusiveness. When your host or hostess softly drawls, "Y'all get enough to eat now? There's plenty more, please help yourselves." Despite the fact that you may be standing at a taste-testing fair in ...

3213. By Heart

2 Timothy 3:10--4:8, Deuteronomy 30:11-20

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

... By the shores of Gitche Gumee, By the shining Big-Sea Waters, Stood the wigwam of Nokomis . . ." I only made it through the first eight lines before needing a prompter.) Whether it was a Bible verse, a poem, or a song, those words learned so long ago remain imbedded in our minds, even if in a garbled, jumbled form. Anyone know where Gitche Gumee is? For good or ill the first lessons learned are the ones that stay with us the longest. That's why you can remember your first bicycle-lock combination, but you ...

3214. Building Bridges While Getting Shot at from Both Shores

Revelation 22:1-6

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

... . Nip-by-nip, pick-by-pick, the targeted fish will be attacked over and over again until it finally dies of its injuries. Even then its little floating corpse will be mangled and maligned until it's scooped out of the tank and the remaining fish are satisfied that the different fish is gone forever. That kind of behavior vicious, without conscience, arbitrary is what encourages human beings to label it as "beastly." When people exhibit that kind of brutality we call them animals, inhumane, brutish. Yet that ...

3215. I've Got Your Back Covered

Revelation 22:1-6

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

... fleeting. It's based on balances of power, or balances of terror. The peace of Jesus, the peace he provides through the presence of the Holy Spirit, our personal paraclete, is truly the peace that passes understanding in this world. Jesus' peace remains with his disciples even when they're: In the midst of Fallujah; On the border between Pakistan and Afghanistan; On gang-ravaged urban streets in our big cities; Lying in a critical care hospital unit; Struggling to support a family; Coping with addictions ...

3216. Greeting and Meeting Jesus

Philippians 3:12-4:1

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

... have the poor with you. How often had Jesus linked his mission to the eternal presence and needs of these poor. Jesus' words remind his disciples that even as Mary prepared his body for his physical departure from them, part of him would always remain. In Matthew 25:35-40, Jesus specifically asserts that he would personally be present in every hungry, thirsty, homeless, or imprisoned person his disciples encountered (see Matthew 25:31-46). In the words of my friend Jesse B. Caldwell, III, "How I pray that ...

3217. The Good Life vs. The God Life

Isaiah 55:1-13

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

... milk, a soul-satisfying feast of complete delight. In the midst of extended exile, in the face of national defeat and humiliation, Isaiah's text promises that God's covenant is yet alive. It's as it has always been, an everlasting covenant. God's presence remains in their midst, because God has never withdrawn God's steadfast, sure love for David (verse 3). Don't seek after the good life of Babylon. Seek after the GodLife, the abundant life of a covenant relationship with God. But there's a cost involved ...

3218. Which Will It Be - the Silvered Cross or the Slivered Cross?

Matthew 17:1-13, Mark 9:2-13

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

... you by Jesus." The cross looms everywhere. Even in this transfiguration moment of glory the shadow of the cross falls on the disciples. It's true, the transfiguration didn't seem to do that much for the disciples who witnessed it. Peter, James, and John remained as clueless about Jesus and his mission after this event as before. The transfiguration functions more as a booster-shot of energy for Jesus Moses and Elijah both tasted rejection and ridicule on earth than it did as to boost the faithfulness of the ...

3219. Be Ready!

Matthew 24:36-51

Sermon

King Duncan

... runs a red light. “Hey, what’s the big idea?” Mr. Smith yells. “That was a red light!” “Don’t worry, fella,” the cabbie replies, “My brother drives a cab too, and he does that all the time.” Mr. Smith grits his teeth and tries to remain calm, but he loses his cool when the driver runs a second red light. “Are you insane? You’re just asking for trouble,” he yells. “I know what I’m doing, man,” says the cabbie. “My brother runs red lights all the time, and nothing’s ever ...

3220. Mystery

Ephesians 3:1-13

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

... mystery, the whole of the secret. Their exclusive knowledge brought them an exalted position within the larger gnostic group. Thus even for those who considered themselves part of a mystery religion, the mystery itself, the answer they sought, the fulfillment they longed for, remained a secret guarded by a very few. In today's gospel text, Paul uses language that would have been familiar to first-century Gentiles who lived in a culture filled with a variety of these mystery religions. Paul now has been made ...

3221. The Dash of Discipleship

Luke 3:1-20

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

... with arthritis and her eyesight grew dim that Grandma Moses replaced her tiny embroidery needle with an easier-to-hold paintbrush. Her mission, incarnating beauty and peace into the world, took on a new expression in paint. But the mission itself remained unchanged. Howard Finster, a Baptist preacher from Georgia, spent the first 65 years of his life pastoring churches. Not until his seventh decade of living did he begin painting . . . eventually becoming the most widely galleried artist of the second half ...

3222. Making Holiness

Luke 1:67-80

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

... is only as long as the last burst of laughter. For gifted athletes, there is only that split-second of perfect timing that results in a great catch or an amazing shot. For my grandmother the perfect expression of her greatest talent lasted only as long as a crumb remained of her latest cake. Baking a cake for Gramma was an act of art, an expression of a lifetime of finely-honed skills. All of her cakes came from a creative combination of head work, hand work and hard work. Her head and her hands beat to the ...

3223. Innercizing Your Shopping List

1 Thessalonians 3:6-13

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

... session now insures that Soren will never again spell the word "like" as l-a-c-k, the reality is that the traits we most like about ourselves are also the areas in which we will find the most lack in ourselves. It's a reality that will remain true throughout all our lives not just Soren's. On this first Sunday of Advent our Scripture lesson reminds us that Paul is both overwhelmed with a sense of liking and a sense of lacking. He is thankful for the Thessalonians' continued faithfulness. Yet at the same ...

3224. There Will Be No Adults in Heaven

Mark 10:13-16

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

... the brim around folded it in just his way and established his own look. While his everyday hats have generally moved from sporting the decals of a baseball team to the advertising his favorite skateboard outfitter, his style and distinctive crease have remained constant. This fall he felt deeply offended and personally assaulted when his school adopted a new dress-code: no hats to be worn during school hours. Suddenly, along with everything else that goes with entering eighth grade, Thane was being shorn of ...

3225. Blue Highway Blessings

Ephesians 1:1-14

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

... Spring was criticized by some for bringing humans into natural habitats, he countered by calling hiking "green bonding." If people don't bond to these trails, Spring argued, they will get lost to roads and development; if they do bond to the trails, they will always remain a trail. If trails aren't used they will vanish. A lot of trails are lost to roads since people don't use them. Along each pathway Spring found sights and sounds to celebrate. While many of the spectacular tails he blazed ended up gazing ...

Showing results