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 3226 to 3250 of 4957 results

3226. Why Did I Do That?

Romans 7:7-25

Sermon

King Duncan

... the psychoanalyst twice a week." He took a sip of the milk. Then he threw the remainder into the waiter's face. The flustered waiter wiped his face with a towel. "The doctor doesn't seem to be doing you any good," he sputtered. "On the contrary," the man claimed, "he's done me a world of good." "But you threw the milk in my face again!" The waiter exclaimed. "Yes," the man replied. "But it doesn't embarrass me anymore." (2) There are times we ought to be embarrassed. If we are under the law of sin and ...

3227. Set Free Through Forgiveness!

Matthew 18:21-35

Sermon

King Duncan

... as on the day he first hit her. Until she could work through her pain and forgive her ex-husband, this woman would continue to relive her pain and fear. (5) Dr. Michael Brickley, a psychologist who studies successful aging in our culture, claims that most centenarians (people who make it to 100 years old, or more) have learned to get rid of "emotional baggage" from the past. Old hurts, past failures, unfinished business, unresolved relationships, regret - centenarians learn how to process these issues in a ...

3228. A Tale Of Two Brothers

Matthew 21:28-32

Sermon

King Duncan

... 't keep him out of the lineup." There was an article in Vanity Fair magazine recently about basketball superstar, Michael Jordan. According to this story, Jordan's unparalleled success in his sport may come from an overwhelming need to win. Jordan's teammates claim that he cannot stand losing, even in little competitions like board games. If he were falling behind in a friendly game of cards or Monopoly, Jordan might overturn the Monopoly board or throw his cards down in order to disrupt the game. Sometimes ...

3229. Would You Please Listen To Me?

John 1:19-28

Sermon

King Duncan

... as a symbol of this new life they would lead when the Messiah, the Anointed One of God, came. And the people listened! But they did not understand. Some of the leaders of the Sanhedrin, the Jewish ruling council, became concerned when they heard of John's claims. Weren't THEY the official voice of religion among the people? So who was this John, and where did he get the authority to preach that the Messiah was coming? The exchange between John and the priests and Levites in verses 19 through 27 resemble the ...

3230. Nothing Is Impossible With God

Luke 1:26-38

Sermon

King Duncan

... conceive . . ." The impending birth of a child is a source of both joy and apprehension in most households. Will it be a boy or a girl? Will he or she be healthy? Who will the baby look like? There are many superstitions and old wives' tales that claim you can predict a child's destiny by some physical characteristic at birth. According to a book of superstitions collected by Alvin Schwartz, here are a few indicators of your child's destiny: If you have a bald-headed baby with big feet, it will get straight ...

3231. Names For The Christ Child

Luke 2:1-7, Luke 2:8-20

Sermon

King Duncan

... ad for the "Lost and Found" column in the local newspaper. He first wrote, "Golden Lab, male, approximately nine months old; no collar, very friendly, found on Rockbridge Road." But Susan was worried that the excessive detail might encourage just anybody to claim the dog. She asked her husband to abbreviate the ad. With each rewriting she suggested that the clues still provided too much information. Susan sent him back to try again. Growing frustrated at his wife's editorial rejections, he continued to trim ...

3232. The Defining Moment (A Sermon for New Year's)

Luke 2:21-40

Sermon

King Duncan

... socially-ascribed roles no longer fit. Their life dwindles down to a period of anxious waiting. This was not the case with Simeon. Because of the Holy Spirit's promise to him, he could face the future with hope and joy. Composer Oscar Hammerstein once claimed, "I just can't write anything without hope in it." Remember these lyrics from the musical Oklahoma!: "Oh, what a beautiful morning, Oh, what a beautiful day! I've got a glorious feeling. Everything's going my way." In his show South Pacific, one of ...

3233. The Difference Between Looking Good And Being Good

Matthew 23:1-39

Sermon

King Duncan

... on his robes. It would be similar to a competition between Christians over who had the most WWJD clothes in their closet or the biggest fish symbol on their car. In a May 2002 issue of Us Weekly, a celebrity magazine, model Marcus Schenkenberg claims that he often gets paid $5,000 a night just to hang around top nightclubs and look good. The nightclub owners reason that Schenkenberg's good looks will draw in customers. (7) Is Marcus Schenkenberg a young man of character, intelligence, or great talent ...

3234. Caught Between God And Caesar

Matthew 22:15-22

Sermon

King Duncan

... great price . . ." Jessie Lee Brown Foveaux tells the story of a traveling salesman who once came to her small Arkansas town. The man was looking to buy pearls at a low price from the local citizens, then sell them for a profit in the big cities. One resident claimed that he knew a man with a pearl, but he didn't think the fellow could be talked into selling it. He gave the salesman the address of a Mr. Mosely who lived down the street. With great anticipation, the salesman knocked on Mr. Mosely's door. He ...

3235. Hope For A New Year

Ephesians 1:1-14

Sermon

King Duncan

... is a crazy world. It's also a very stressful world. Astronaut Susan J. Helms spent almost six months on the International Space Station, where she became acclimated to a different way of living. In an interview after her return to earth, Helms claimed that she missed the peacefulness of living in space. There were no phones, no Internet connections, no televisions on the International Space Station. There were no problems with information overload. The lack of stress helped her to sleep "like a baby," she ...

3236. Casting Out Demons

Mark 1:21-28

Sermon

King Duncan

... According to these nobodies, you know you're nobody if: "Your twin sister dies and they bury you instead. "Your own reflection in the mirror ignores you. "You had your picture taken beside a tree and everyone admires the tree." One applicant, Evans said, claimed that the government returned his taxes unopened. Another lamented that all of his mail was addressed to "Occupant," and the post office had returned it with the legend, "No longer at this address." Many of us have this feeling; that our lives really ...

3237. Why He Came

Mark 1:29-34

Sermon

King Duncan

... to stay in the garden, or on the mountaintop, or in the home of a friend, but there were people who needed him and so he was out doing the work of his Father. In his memoirs about surviving the World War II concentration camps, Elie Wiesel claims that he and his father motivated each other to survive. Wiesel needed to stay alive to take care of his elderly father. That became his motivation for surviving the concentration camps. He knew that if he died, his father would give up hope and die also. Weisel ...

3238. Willing And Able

Mark 1:40-45

Sermon

King Duncan

... of gravy, go through several loaves of bread and a large pot of beans or other vegetables, and feed two to three dozen people. How can they afford it? S. R. Morris says that at one time he would've told you that they couldn't. However, they have claimed the promise from Proverbs 19:17: "He who is kind to the poor lends to the Lord, and he will reward him for what he has done." Their annual income has increased by nearly $10,000, much more than they spend in feeding the homeless. "God is indeed faithful ...

3239. Light Shines Into The Darkness

2 Corinthians 4:1-18

Sermon

King Duncan

... it had fired seconds before. The jet was traveling too fast. That's happening to a lot of people today--especially among high achievers. They've got places to go, worlds to conquer and toys to accumulate. They never give a thought to Christ and his claims on their life. And some people don't see the light of Christ because of unresolved sin in their lives. Harlan Weschler, a Jewish writer and teacher, related a helpful story. Every night Levi Yitzhak, an elderly Jewish rabbi, reviews the events of the day ...

3240. Wedding, Wine, And Wonderment

Mark 2:18-22

Sermon

Eric Ritz

... important, but what is most important is our experience of the living God. As someone has said, "Faith is a day-by-day process in which GOD will show us what to do moment-by-moment." Sometimes we need to let go of the past in order to claim the present and the future. William Easum in his book Dancing with Dinosaurs tells about a woman who owned the finest winery in all the land. "Everything about the winery was superb. The fertile land yielded some of the finest grapes to be found. The large wooden vats ...

3241. Redefining Life

2 Corinthians 12:1-10

Sermon

King Duncan

... of as below average--in ability, in social status, in how we look, in what we've accumulated or what we've accomplished. And so we strut around with one intent--to convince others that we are, at least, above average. If anyone had the right to claim "above average" status, it would be the apostle Paul. He was an intelligent and ambitious man. He was persuasive, a leader in his community, a man who could communicate powerfully with his voice or his pen. Before his conversion to Christ, Paul was a passionate ...

3242. Christ's Promise To His Saints

John 11:17-37

Sermon

King Duncan

... ." When Chastity visited the medium, he assured her that Joan's and Sonny's spirits were present. (2) We can appreciate the desire to want to communicate with our loved ones after they have passed away. But the Bible warns us against trusting mediums or other people who claim they can contact the dead. The Bible tells us to trust God, because Christ has the power over life and death. There will come a time when we will be reunited, but for now, we trust our loved one to God's care. We tell our children that ...

3243. When Life Tumbles In

Mark 13:1-31

Sermon

King Duncan

... choice. In 1995, model Niki Taylor's young sister died suddenly of a heart attack. Not long afterwards, Taylor's marriage fell apart. And in 2001, Taylor was severely injured in a car crash. She has undergone more than 40 surgeries since the accident. Taylor claims that it was her friends and her faith that pulled her through these tragedies. She has re-focused her priorities. In an article in Family Circle magazine, Taylor comments, "I've learned that tomorrow is out of my hands and that I only have today ...

3244. The Perfect Antidote For Worry

Matthew 6:25-34

Sermon

King Duncan

... be roughly translated, "Daddy." When Jesus spoke of God, he spoke of a loving Father. In Matthew 6:8 of this passage, Jesus reminds his listeners to pray sincerely because, "your Father knows what you need before you ask Him." Author G. K. Chesterton claims that you can learn all the most vital information about person's basic world view and approach to life by asking them this question: "Do you think the universe is friendly?" Chesterton used the word "universe," but really he is asking the question, "Do ...

3245. A Picture Of A King

Psalm 72:1-20

Sermon

King Duncan

... society. In his book Violence Unveiled, French scholar Gil Bailie writes that, for centuries, cultures sanctioned violence of the majority class against the minority class. Humans lived by the classic, Darwinian theory of "might makes right." But all that changed, he claims, the day that Jesus was crucified, the day that "God took the side of the victim." Author Philip Yancey, commenting on Bailie's book, writes, "The gospel may not make societies less violent, but it makes them less sure of their violence ...

3246. I Can Make It By Myself . . .

1 Corinthians 12:12-31, 1 Corinthians 12:1-11

Sermon

King Duncan

... nine miners in western Pennsylvania became trapped 240 feet below ground in a flooded mine shaft. Rescue efforts began immediately, but the rescue crews knew the odds were against them saving all the men. Amazingly, however, all nine miners survived the ordeal. These men claim that it was their decision to bond together that saved their lives. From the outset of the danger, the men watched out for one another. They tied themselves together, so that no one could float away or slip under the water. If one man ...

3247. A Terrifying Darkness

Genesis 15:1-18

Sermon

King Duncan

... happily married for the past eight years. At 87 and 107 years of age, Bill and Helen like to go dancing, and they act in plays at their retirement center---plays which Helen frequently writes and directs. At age 90, Helen tried white-water rafting. Helen claims that she stays vital by learning new things and keeping a positive attitude. As she says, "You can tell I'm an optimist--grateful for everything, every day. The cup is always full. Everything's good. After reading my memoirs, my nephew asked if there ...

3248. Above All--god

Revelation 21:1-27

Sermon

King Duncan

... it a focal point for people from all over the United States seeking spiritual information. Its priests and priestesses sing, chant, dance, play the drums, and make charms or amulets to guard against evil power and summon good luck. Voodoo practitioners claim that they have clients from all walks of life--cab drivers, doctors, teachers, lawyers. As one priestess says, "People turn to voodoo because there's an increasing desperation in our culture for spiritual meaning and direction." Martha Ward, a professor ...

3249. Trust Your Upbringing

2 Timothy 3:10--4:8

Sermon

King Duncan

... s knowledge of the Bible by asking them to name one of the Ten Commandments. A hand shot up and a man shouted out, "God helps those who help themselves?" Everybody laughed, but no one else could do better. According to Philip Yancey, eighty percent of Americans claim to believe in the Ten Commandments, but very few can name as many as four of them. Half of all adult Americans cannot identify the Bible's first book as Genesis. And fourteen percent identify Joan of Arc as Noah's wife. (3) More surprisingly, a ...

3250. Danny Devito In A Tree

Luke 19:1-10

Sermon

King Duncan

... 'll never find true happiness. In an interview with Oprah Winfrey, the singer and actress who calls herself Madonna explains how her life has changed since she first came to fame in the early 80s. Referring to one of her more famous songs, "Material Girl," Madonna claims, "I'm so not the Material Girl now. There were many years when I thought fame, fortune, and public approval would bring me happiness. But one day you wake up and realize they don't. " (1) We could have told her. Psychologist Ed Diener once ...

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