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 301 to 325 of 747 results

301. Searching For A Lost God

Romans 9:30--10:21

Sermon

King Duncan

... with their lips but who would not know him if they bumped into him in the hallway after the service this morning! They no more have the Spirit of Christ in their heart than the man in the moon. And yet they are some of the most vocal advocates of the Christian faith. Most of you know what I am talking about. The German philosopher Nietzsche once said, "I will not believe in the Redeemer of Christians until they show me they are redeemed." We can appreciate his concern. What does it mean to "believe with ...

302. I Can Have Anything?

John 14:5-14

Sermon

King Duncan

... when his diciples decide to get into action doing the work God has called them to do, and when they enlist God's help, nothing is impossible! And that's true. Nothing is impossible for the church of Jesus Christ! Dr. Robert Schuller, that legendary advocate of Possibility Thinking, says that there are two words that have killed more God-inspired dreams and hopes than anything else he can think of. The two words are "Be realistic!" If we Christians, Dr. Schuller says, were "realistic" then nothing would be ...

303. Come Home For New Year's

Jeremiah 30:1--31:40

Sermon

King Duncan

... US FREE, AND THAT IS GOD. Come home, God says. Come home. "Even if you have been banished to the most distant land under the heavens, from there the Lord your God will gather you and bring you back." Dave Thomas, the founder of Wendy's, is a big advocate for adoption. He was an adopted child himself, and he is very grateful for the love and values his adoptive family gave him. Dave tells the story of Kandy, a teen who was adopted. Kandy had only been with her adoptive family for about a year when her birth ...

304. Getting Rid Of Fear

2 Timonty 1:6-14

Sermon

King Duncan

... , hospitals, and squatters' camps all over the nation. She traveled around the world, speaking with kings, presidents, and the destitute with equal enthusiasm and compassion. During her husband's presidency, she acted as unofficial ambassador to the world and devil's advocate to his conscience and the conscience of a nation. She achieved all this in spite of the fact that she was painfully shy. After her husband's death, with no official capacity, Mrs. Roosevelt continued to be a spokesperson for dozens ...

305. A Friend In High Places

Hebrews 7:11-28

Sermon

King Duncan

... make one sacrifice for us all. And then in Hebrews 7 we read: "For Christ has entered into heaven itself, to appear now before God as our Friend." (LB) Wow! What a thought. We have a friend in heaven intervening in our behalf. We have an advocate with the Father. The Emperor Augustus once sent his friend Claudius to tour the world and report back on what he learned. Claudius would be traveling outside the Roman Empire among the savage barbarian tribes. His life would be in danger. Augustus sent him with a ...

306. Setting An Example

1 Thessalonians 1:1-10

Sermon

King Duncan

... to give food to the hungry and help to the destitute. One of Rose's daughters was greatly influenced by her mother's example of sacrificial love. And now, as Paul Harvey would say, for the rest of the story: This daughter, Agnes, grew up to become an advocate for the poor all over the world. She devoted her whole life to caring for those in need. For young Agnes grew up to become Mother Teresa, the twentieth century's living example of Christ in the world. (4) Mother Teresa became who she was because of the ...

307. Entertaining Angels

Hebrews 13:1-25

Sermon

King Duncan

... of Hebrews believed in angels. And he said something interesting: “Be not forgetful to entertain strangers: for thereby some have entertained angels unawares." Now there are a couple of ways of interpreting his words. IT COULD BE THAT HE WAS ADVOCATING SIMPLE HOSPITALITY TO STRANGERS: “Be not forgetful to entertain strangers . . ." Hospitality to strangers is a cherished tradition in Middle Eastern countries. There is an old legend that tells how Abraham pitched his great tent at a crossroad. The flaps ...

308. Dirty, Rotten Scoundrels

Luke 16:1-15

Sermon

King Duncan

... a [blank] (and here he used a four-letter word that we don't use in polite society) about the hungry." And then he added, "And some of you are more upset that I said [blank] than you are about the fact that people are starving." Now, Tony was not advocating using four-letter words. He was trying to make a point and he did so in quite a shocking way about our misplaced sense of values. Some of us who would never use vulgar language can walk right by a person in need and not bat an eye. One does ...

309. The Servant-king

John 13:1-17

Sermon

Angela Akers

... --unconditional, undeserved, sacrificial, no strings attached love--is all about. AGAPE LOVE WILL GO TO ANY LENGTHS FOR THE SAKE OF OTHERS. It cannot stoop too low, hang on too long, or suffer too much for the sake of its loved ones. Now I am not advocating that someone stay in an abusive relationship for the sake of love. Abuse is not, and never will be, love. But status-seeking and selfishness never interfere with acts of agape love. Many years ago, a sticky situation arose at the wedding ceremony for the ...

310. Who's Your Daddy?

Matthew 10:1-42

Sermon

King Duncan

... A Good Dad Gives His Children His Time. I know you're busy, Dad, but here are the grim statistics: In general, parents spend about 40 percent less time with their children than parents did in 1965. Lettie Pogrebin, in Family Politics and Growing Up Free, advocates "more dad and less mom" in the family. According to Pogrebin's disturbing study of how much time men spend with their children, the average father interacts with his baby less than thirty-eight seconds a day. Dads don't make much of an impression ...

311. The Benefits Of Trusting Christ

Romans 10:1-21

Sermon

King Duncan

... worthless by the FDA and that there was no "new and improved" version. He died a few days later! (5) What you believe can have great power over your life. Even if what you believe is wrong, it can affect you in profound ways. Paul is not advocating a course in the power of positive thinking, though we know there is power in belief. Paul tells us to believe in something specific--the resurrection of Jesus Christ. Now imagine for a moment what it does to a person when he or she truly believes in Jesus ...

312. It's A Good Thing There Weren't Unions . . .

Matthew 20:1-16

Sermon

King Duncan

... , 1992). 2. INSIDE THE MIND OF UNCHURCHED HARRY AND MARY, (Grand Rapids: Zondervan Publishing House, 1993.) 3. John Claypool, "First Class"”Jesus Style," THE PAST SPEAKS TO THE FUTURE (Nashville: Abingdon Press, 1995), pp. 151-152. 4. As told by David R. Palmer, "Becoming a Believer," February 26, 1989, VIRGINIA ADVOCATE.

313. Maturity In Christ

Colossians 1:27-28

Sermon

King Duncan

... about us. Only when we realize that, will we discover the true meaning of life. So, St. Paul's goal is to bring us to maturity in Christ. Paul was in prison when he wrote these words to the Colossians. This isn't some abstract theory Paul is advocating, it's real life experience. He had discovered the real secret of happiness. If you want to experience life in all its fullness, allow Christ to live in you. Move from self to service; live by Christ's value system and not your own; understand that it's not ...

314. Who Should I Invite To My Party?

Luke 14:1-14

Sermon

King Duncan

... and more on building a quality product. We live in a time of hyperbole. Exaggeration. Few products live up to their advertising. When one does, we are surprised, delighted. But, of course, I doubt this is what Jesus had in mind. He seems to be advocating a lifestyle of humility. Nothing ground shaking there. It's the second part of this lesson that's disturbing. Let's imagine your daughter is getting married. Jesus says in effect, "Don't invite your boss and all your well-off friends to your daughter ...

315. The Grief Of God

Luke 19:28-44

Sermon

King Duncan

... on April 19, 1951. (Mostly remembered because of his "old soldiers never die; they just fade away" conclusion.) But here is what he said before that: "I know war as few other men now living know it, and nothing to me is more revolting. I have long advocated its complete abolition, as its very destructiveness on both friend and foe has rendered it useless as a means of settling international disputes." MacArthur went on: "The threat of war must be abolished if the world is to go on, and if it does not go on ...

316. FAITHFUL UNTO DEATH

Revelation 1:1-3

Eulogy

Edward Inabinet

... the longer I was over there, the more I became convinced that it was the other way around that counted--that because we might not be around much longer, we had to take extra care how we behaved." (2) That is a wise attitude. It is the attitude that Jesus advocated. The promise of a crown of life is to those who are willing to submit their will to God''s will. It is to those who say, tomorrow I may be in the presence of the King. I need to live accordingly. SECONDLY, IT IS A PROMISE TO THOSE WHO ...

317. A HEALTHY REBELLION

Drama

Angela Akers

... believe that? The Indonesian government shut down three newspapers because they were criticizing some government policies." Wife: "Shhh...listen to this next piece. I heard about this one today. A writer in Bangladesh is getting death threats because she advocated peaceful resistance against some unfair laws. It''s awful." Husband: "Can you imagine living under a government like that?" Wife: (joking) "Just a minute ago, you wouldn''t have minded it." Husband: "Whoa, wait a minute. That''s ...

318. Making Sense of the Ascension

Luke 24:50-53

Sermon

Donald B. Strobe

... is a local law which says that no structures may be placed within 30 feet of a property line. Elsaesser, a Roman Catholic, says that the crosses aren’t permanent because they’ll only be on his property until the second coming of Christ (Michigan Christian Advocate, July 17., 1989, p. 3). Anybody want to bet that, if allowed to stand, they will be there longer than he will?? Again and again, misguided Christians have set the day and the hour of Christ’s return, and made fools of themselves, even though ...

319. What on Earth Is the Trinity?

John 14:15-31

Sermon

Donald B. Strobe

... of the Greek word “parakletos.” You may have heard preachers use the English form of the word: Paraclete. (Not parakeet! Theres that honorable bird again!) A parakletos was someone found in ancient courts of justice, a legal assistant, a counsel for the defense, an advocate, one who pleads the cause of another. It also was the Greek word for one who runs alongside a fainting soldier and cheers him on. We could all use a bit of cheering on, from time to time! Thats what the Holy Spirit is supposed ...

320. On Getting the Gospel Out

Mark 6:7-13

Sermon

Donald B. Strobe

... they amazed the world by the way in which they loved one another; and “cannibals” because they regularly partook of the Body and Blood of Christ. Even at great risk! And it is still going on. In the June 6 issue of the Michigan Christian Advocate, the Rev.Clem Parr of our Aldersgate Church in Redford, tells of his recent experiences in Mozambique. He describes the services which were held in that war-torn country. “People often walked many miles to be with us. They repeatedly risked their lives to ...

321. Dealing with Our Doubts

Mark 9:14-32

Sermon

Donald B. Strobe

... parent that “All things are possible to him who believes.” All things? That’s a pretty broad statement. And it must be seen in the light of Jesus’ own teaching and life. It is not appropriate to ask God to do parlor tricks. Jesus is not advocating our using faith as sort of magic for our own personal advantage. He rejected that temptation Himself, when the devil dared him to jump off a cliff and trust God to save Him. The God of Jesus Christ doesn’t do parlor tricks. Jesus rejected that temptation ...

322. Jesus and the IRS

Mark 12:13-17

Sermon

Donald B. Strobe

... , by which an ever diminishing element of Christianity and an ever increasing element of nationalism are entering into the alloy known as modern religion... The new religion has its rituals. The flag is supplanting the cross.” (J.A Lasswell, Northwestern Christian Advocate, Feb. 10, 1927) Some forty years later I watched those words come true. While serving First United Methodist Church in Grand Rapids, a fellow pastor in that community, the late Rev. Donn Doten, found himself the target of all sorts of ...

323. Preparing for Something Big

Mark 13:1-31

Sermon

Paul E. Flesner

... theme of this first Sunday in Advent is to focus our attention on the real meaning of Christmas, then we need to realize that celebrating the birth of Jesus was important to our ancestors in faith because he was coming back again! I am not advocating a change in the customs used to celebrate Christmas. I am suggesting that we need to change the manner in which we prepare to celebrate Christmas. I believe we need to recapture the sense of eager anticipation about the second coming of Christ which was present ...

324. Chosen

John 15:1-17

Sermon

David G. Rogne

... ? Maybe not, if we are left to our own devices. But Jesus indicates that there is a power available to help us move beyond ourselves and our own interests. That power he calls paraclete. It is a Greek word, translated variously as comforter, counselor, advocate, helper. Literally, it means "one called to our side to help." One understanding of the word is that it comes from ancient warfare. When Greek soldiers went into combat they went in pairs, so that when the enemy attacked they could draw together back ...

325. Grace in the Midst of Judgment

2 Corinthians 5:11--6:2, 2 Corinthians 5:1-10

Sermon

Glenn McDonald

... by a whale of an attorney. Our defender will be Jesus himself. 1 John 2:1 affirms, "If anyone does sin" -- and that would include the person currently on your left, the one on your right, and the one sitting in your chair -- "we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous." The amazing fact is that when the record of sins of any Christian is opened in the next world, the angels will proclaim, "Lord, this file is empty. There is nothing written on it. Everything that was once recorded here ...

Showing results