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 3376 to 3400 of 4681 results

3376. Love

John 15:9-17

Sermon

J. Howard Olds

... you have been left out of any divine plan, you are wrong. Jesus is calling you. Why don't you come home? To be loved is to have a friend. How was it Joseph Scriven put it? “What a friend we have in Jesus, all our sins and griefs to bear!" Jesus is not just a friend of saints. He's a friend of sinners too. To Judas, who is about to betray Him; to Peter, who is about to deny Him; to the other ten, who are about to desert Him; Jesus says, “I do not call you servants any ...

3377. Honoring God in a Pluralistic Society

Matthew 22:37-40

Sermon

J. Howard Olds

... light." Who then can be saved? As a life-long Christian, I believe Jesus is the way, the truth and the life. I love to tell the story of His life, death and resurrection, of His grace, forgiveness and love. It is the calling of every Christian to bear witness to Christ and when necessary to use words. So I challenge you today to accept Christ as Lord and Savior and become a faithful disciple. As to the breadth and depth and scope of Jesus' saving act, only God knows. Jesus said, “I have other sheep which ...

3378. Keeping Company with the Weary

Matthew 11:25-30

Sermon

J. Howard Olds

... in over our heads, it's time for observation, evaluation and often change. Take My yoke upon you; learn from Me. In the Church we call that discipleship. That is what Christian living is all about. Not ease, but new equipment Not burden free, but burden bearing Not escape, but extra strength to do what you are challenged to do Does not the Bible say, “I can do all things through Christ who gives me strength"? III. REST IN JESUS. To these invitations Jesus offers a promise, “You will find rest for your ...

3379. Loosening Up for Better Production

Matthew 13:1-9, 18-23

Sermon

J. Howard Olds

... for seed? God's seeds grow better if the soil of the heart is cleared." So let our prayer be, “Plow me and till me and loosen up the hard places of my life that I may be receptive to the seed of your work and become capable of bearing much fruit. The crop produced in receptive soil is nothing less than miraculous. Normal crop production in Jesus' day would be four, ten, at the most, fifteen fold of what is sown. This productive soil, the power of God's germinating spirit, yields a harvest of thirty, sixty ...

3380. Hot Air or the Holy Spirit?

Acts 2:1-13

Sermon

J. Howard Olds

... rumor a lot quicker than we embrace reality. ‘Why be bothered with the truth when I am already convinced of my story and I plan on sticking to it?' When do I understand that every truth is not mine to tell, and many things that are right do not bear repeating? Before you spread something you've heard you might do well to ask “Is it truthful?" “Is it helpful?" To those questions give an honest answer. The Holy Spirit can help us speak the truth in love and the Church ought to model that kind of living ...

3381. Giving Our Gratitude

Philippians 4:10-20

Sermon

J. Howard Olds

... Today I raise that question with you on this important day in our life together. “What will you do with the years you have left on earth?" For some that's most of life! For others, it's only a fleeting moment! Yet, time like an ever rolling stream bears all who breathe away. The urgent question of stewardship is what will we do with what we have? I. THE FIELDS ARE RIPE FOR HARVEST. Jesus made that statement. He had just given a Samaritan woman a taste of living water and she, in haste, left her water pot ...

3382. Always Say a Prayer

Luke 11:1-13

Illustration

Leonard Sweet

... got no time to spare, But as you hurry and scurry, ASAP: Always Say a Prayer. In the midst of family chaos, quality time is rare. Do your best; let God do the rest, ASAP: Always Say a Prayer. It may seem like your worries are more than you can bear. Slow down and take a breather, ASAP: Always Say a Prayer. God knows how stressful life is; he wants to ease our cares, And he'll respond to all your needs, ASAP: Always Say a Prayer.

3383. A Faith That Transforms, Not Just Adorns

Hebrews 11:1-40

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

... entire life. The faith of Abraham, or Abrahamic faith, was not a comfortable faith. Faith didn’t bring Sarah a life of rest and ease. Faith gave the elderly, post-menopausal Sarah an unlooked for pregnancy. Faith gave Sarah the opportunity to be pregnant and bear a child — at the age of eighty or so! This was not an adorning faith but a transforming faith. Hope hurries to make things better right now. Faith isn’t focused on the right now. Faith has long-distance vision. Hope hurriedly sweeps out all ...

3384. Hard Words to Hear at Christmas

Matthew 3:1-12

Sermon

Charles L. Aaron

... who came such a long way to hear him. When John begins the heart of his sermon in verse 10, the judgment roars out. Fire seems to be John's favorite threat. John presents two images of judgment. The first is an axe chopping down a tree that bears no fruit. The dead wood will be tossed into the fire. The second image is familiar to every farmer. The farmer sifts the grain with a winnowing fork. The heavier wheat falls to the ground. Usually the chaff just blows away. John tosses the chaff into the fire ...

3385. The Horror before the Blessing

Matthew 2:13-23

Sermon

Charles L. Aaron

... efficiency, Herod has the soldiers kill all of the children under two years of age in Bethlehem. Terrorism is nothing new. Matthew tells the story with dignified understatement. The scene itself and the immeasurable grief afterward might be almost more than we can bear to imagine. Christians in our world today know of grief this heavy. In Latin America, people know what it is like for a family member who has challenged the government simply to disappear. In some cases, the family never knows what became of ...

3386. A Strange Way in and a New Way Out

Matthew 2:1-12

Sermon

Charles L. Aaron

... three outsiders who come to Jesus. We find curious not that Matthew has Gentiles come to worship Jesus, but that they find Jesus the way they do. These Gentile visitors are not kings, but Magi. We often call them "wise men." That title bears some explanation. In biblical times, especially in the Old Testament, "wisdom" meant many things. A wise person could be someone who had a particular skill, such as an artisan. A wise person could be someone who observed life, arriving at mature conclusions about how ...

3387. Who's Who

John 1:29-42

Sermon

Charles L. Aaron

The first chapter of John bears some similarity to the pilot episode of a television series. In that first episode, the writers and director want to introduce all of the main characters. In a television series, what we learn about the main characters in the first episode helps us understand them for the rest of the ...

3388. God’s Weather Report

Matthew 5:38-48

Sermon

Charles L. Aaron

... God is perfect. That is not perfection as in not making mistakes. It is perfect as in being whole. We live in a broken, imperfect world. We will not all face the situation that Immaculee Ilibagiza faced. We will face challenges in showing love and offering forgiveness. We bear witness to the character of God, who causes the sun to shine on the good and the bad. We are the salt of the earth and the light of the world. We in the church show the world what it means to love, to forgive, to resist our feelings ...

3389. One in Faith and One in Service

John 17:1-11

Sermon

Lee Griess

... and taking some seeds from a burlap bag slung across his shoulder, he began to plant them. When he was finished, he quietly left town and moved on to the next town, where he did the same. You see, Chapman had read that there were few fruit-bearing trees in the Midwest and he decided to do something about that. So John Chapman, alias Johnny Appleseed, set out and in giving of himself in service to others, left a lasting legacy of himself for generations to come. God calls us to be spiritual Johnny Appleseeds ...

3390. and Forgiveness Come Easy When You’re Filled with The Spirit

John 20:19-23

Sermon

Mark Ellingsen

... those locked doors of our lives. And when he comes, he comes in a warm friendly manner. That's what the offer of peace is all about. Luther goes on to add that with this example Christ presents his heart, who he is and what kind of heart he bears to us. Christ treats his disciples and us so tenderly, not reproaching anyone for unbelief and sin. Instead he comforts, strengthens, and lifts them, and us, up. This was done for our good and comfort.5 Isn't this a comforting word? You and I can be confident ...

3391. Sick People Like Us Will Always Need The (Divine) Doctor

Matthew 9:9-13

Sermon

Mark Ellingsen

... like us. After all, Americans think of themselves as basically good and decent people. In fact, there is a widespread consensus in America that we are all too healthy most of the time for a doctor. This message is even in the church. Poll data bears out the validity of this conclusion. A 2000 New York Times poll revealed that 73% of the American public believe that we are born good. Another, much more recent 2005 poll of American Christians conducted by the Barna Research Group revealed that only 54% of ...

3392. When You’re Free (In Christ), Sacrifice Is No Burden!

Matthew 10:24-39

Sermon

Mark Ellingsen

... ; for in Christ he has been born into a new existence, in order that he may constantly be full of good fruit. Everything such a person does becomes easy for him, not troublesome or vexatious. Nothing is too arduous for him or too difficult to suffer and bear.11 Doing good, making sacrifices, comes easy when God's freeing grace takes over in your life. There is no need to be so serious about your purpose in life. God will give it meaning. His all-consuming love and grace, so full of comfort and assurance ...

3393. It’s Not about You; It’s All about God

Matthew 13:1-9, 18-23

Sermon

Mark Ellingsen

... not part of the original parable! The general consensus among these scholars is that if you study the parable, it is not about us, not about what kind of soil we are, but about Jesus, about God, about why his kingdom is not fully realized and does not bear fruit, but that when the kingdom is realized it will happen suddenly and without warning, just as much of the work of the sower seems useless, the interpretation of the parable with which most of us grew up was a later addition of the church in order to ...

3394. Kingdoms in Conflict

Matthew 21:33-46

Sermon

Wayne Brouwer

... a "Royal Grant." This was essentially a gift bestowed by a person of power and political privilege upon someone down-caste a rung or more. Usually the king noticed an act of bravery in battle, or striking beauty in the ballroom, or uncommon beneficence in bearing, and gave a gift in public recognition. One obvious example is that of Persian king, Xerxes, honoring Mordecai in the story of Esther (chs. 3-6). The Royal Grant was always a one-way act, with no specific reciprocal deed required. The second type ...

3395. Dressed for the Banquet

Matthew 22:1-14

Sermon

Chris Ewing

3396. From “Uh-oh” To “Ah-hah!” — An Axe, A Stump, And A Shoot

Isaiah 11:1-10

Sermon

Tony Everett

... describes the new order — God's upside-down and inside-out order of the coming kingdom of this righteous branch. In the new creation, natural predators will live in peace with their usual victims: wolves and lambs, leopards and young goats, lions and calves, bears and cows, babies and poisonous snakes, will live together in peace (Isaiah 11:6-9). Now what kind of world is that? What kind of vision is that anyway? When is this ever going to happen? Aren't our lives, our communities, our very existence ...

3397. Stop, Drop, Cover, and Roll!

Isaiah 7:10-16

Sermon

Tony Everett

... 7:13). In spite of Ahaz' stubborn refusal, God persists and provides a sign that we all are ready to affirm and to celebrate. Look again at verse 14 in our text. "Therefore, the Lord himself will give you a sign. Look, the young woman is with child and shall bear a son, and shall name him Immanuel." Now, that's a sign that can't be ignored. That's an offer from God that can't be refused: Immanuel ... God is with us, now. That is God's Advent promise! Christ has come! Christ is coming! Christ will come again ...

3398. What About the Baby?

Isaiah 9:2-7

Sermon

Tony Everett

... Hebrew, the same word, lanu, is translated both as "for us" and "to us." Now, remember our Old Testament text in Isaiah 7:14 from last Sunday? Here, Isaiah also announces an impending kingdom changing birth! "Look, the young woman is with child and shall bear a son, and shall call him Immanuel." In Hebrew, immanu is translated "with us." El is translated as "God." But, what about the baby? Why bother with all this scholarly language stuff? This right here, right now, that baby has become lanu immanu or God ...

3399. Losers, Weepers

Isaiah 49:8-16a

Sermon

Tony Everett

... arms and open hands, God gathered them and declared, "Finders, keepers! You are mine forever!" With outstretched arms and open hands, pierced by nails fastening him to the cross, Jesus Christ demonstrated that forever love for you and the world. The marks of those nails bear the permanent image of God's love for you, for us, for the world. In Christ, God has also inscribed us on the palms of his hands. That's good news, friends! We may be "losers, weepers" if left alone, but in Christ, God proclaims ...

3400. Forty Days and Forever

Exodus 24:12-18

Sermon

Tony Everett

... Uh huh," replied the manager, as she began to look around for something, anything, that required her attention. "So, what's the big deal about this puzzle?" "Just look at the side of this puzzle box," exclaimed another professor. "It clearly and precisely bears the inscription ‘2-4 years.' We assembled it in only forty days!" The chanting bedlam resumed. "For-ty days! For-ty days!" And the manager bowed her head and silently prayed, "Lord, give me strength," as she swiftly darted behind the counter. Can ...

Showing results