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 3451 to 3475 of 4977 results

3451. When Being Good Is Bad For You Or Breaking The Chains Of Co-dependency

1 John 4:7-21

Sermon

Maxie Dunnam

... , or a parent, or a friend. "The co-dependent helps the addict maintain his or her lie. "Those of you who have been involved in any way in an alcoholic home know how important lying is. "We mustn't let people know about Mommy's drinking." "I can quit any time I choose." "Don't make too much noise; Daddy's 'not feeling good' today." "These are the lies by which alcoholism (or other addictions) are covered up. "The very first principle -- the very first principle -- of recovery, of health, is truth. "I am an ...

3452. Dealing With Guilt And Shame

Romans 7:7-25

Sermon

Maxie Dunnam

... ." (Les Carter, Putting the Past Behind, Moody Press, pages 57,58) This kind of thinking has become a kind of religion which we may call "secular humanism". Among it's devastating fallouts is a public education without a value base, that is quite willing to dispense condoms and talk about safe sex, but is not willing to talk about the moral issues in sexual expression, and the deadliness of sexual promiscuity; unwilling to talk about fidelity in marriage and celibacy in singleness. Psychologists and ...

3453. Getting Our Lives Out Of Hock

Psalm 105:1-45

Sermon

Maxie Dunnam

Many of you know my struggle between like-dislike, appreciation-confusion, with Gary Larson's "Far Side" cartoons. I vacillate between like-dislike, appreciation-confusion. I keep on reading them, and I'm not quite sure why. Maybe it's because he gives me something now and then to flavor a sermon. Such is the case with this one. It depicts a bug resting on a leaf which gently sways over a lovely pond. The bug is on his back in the crook of the ...

3454. Reflections On A Calling (ten-year Anniversary Sermon)

2 Corinthians 4:1-18

Sermon

Maxie Dunnam

... , the humor, the ingregruity of all that: Me, here, speaking for God. As I began working on these reflections, Jerry told me a story about Georgie Jessell, the famous entertainer of our grandparent's vintage. He was asked to join the famous "Friar Club" in New York City. This was quite an honor. Jessell's reply was, "I don't know if I want to join a club that would have me as a member." That's the way I sometime feel about ministry. How is it that I'm here? What did God have in mind -- how could it be ...

3455. The Life Question: What Are You Looking For?

John 1:35-42

Sermon

Maxie Dunnam

... by and she doesn't even know it. When she overcomes her delight with herself she looks out from behind the tree, but Sluggo is nowhere to be found. She concludes her reverie in a dismal mood saying, "The trouble with my life is that the realities never quite live up to the expectations." Well, Nancy is right. There is a sense in which the realities never live up to the expectations. But the truth still is, what you're looking for tell the story of who you are. Think about it. Each of you can immediately ...

3456. The Discipleship Question: Do You Wish To Go Away?

John 6:60-71

Sermon

Maxie Dunnam

... then pushed forward a sheet of paper with five names on it -- four of them freshmen players from the night's debacle. "This will be our squad next year," he said. "Losing doesn't make you a loser unless you think you're a loser. I'm not quitting on these kids." An assistant coach offered a toast: "Here's to forgetting tonight ever happened." Krzyzewski picked up his iced tea and looked around the table. "Here's to never forgetting," he said. Those battered freshmen went on to win an NCAA record 37 games as ...

3457. The Cross Question: Am I Not To Drink The Cup?

John 18:1-11

Sermon

Maxie Dunnam

... of God in Jesus Christ on the Cross tells us that there is more love in God than sin in us. Let me repeat that: THE REVELATION OF GOD IN JESUS CHRIST ON THE CROSS TELLS US THAT THERE IS MORE LOVE IN GOD THAN SIN IN US. It is quite possible for us to become so aware of our wretched tendency that we grow oblivious to God's redemptive capacity. Jesus did not die on Calvary simply to fulfill prophecy from the Old Testament. Neither did he suffer and die only as a human sacrifice to appease an angry deity ...

3458. What If

1 Chronicles 7:1-5

Sermon

Maxie Dunnam

... girl named Kay who played with imaginary characters down by the creek behind our house. One of the most precious things she has ever done. Jerry never heard from Kay. She even tried to get in touch with her by phone, but was unable to do so. I'm quite certain that little Kay died. But I'm more than certain that her last days and weeks were made more bearable because of those weekly visits from someone who first began to pray. I can't even begin to imagine what would happen to our congregation. I can't ...

3459. The Need To Pay Attention

Sermon

Maxie Dunnam

... we should be kneeling down in the presence of the aged, that the wisdom of gray hair might give direction for the strength of youth. Well, as you can see, I could have stopped at any one of those places and spent our sermon time today. And I'm not quite sure what caused me to stop at verse 12. Let's pray that it is the Spirit's continuing guidance as I seek to be responsible as your pastor in speaking the word of God from Sunday to Sunday. Listen to it because it is the text for our sermon ...

3460. The Heart -- Our Mirror

Proverbs 25:1-28

Sermon

Maxie Dunnam

... looking at you from a mirror is more important than the man looking into the mirror." If you are overly concerned about your image -- if you are preoccupied with the impression you are making on other people -- the chances are you are not certain of your identity. You don't quite know who you are -- and, more seriously, you are not yet the person God created you to be. Now I could stop there, for that's the big message of the sermon. But let's build on that. Let's play with the image, spin out the idea into ...

3461. All This And Heaven Too

Revelation 21:1-27

Sermon

Maxie Dunnam

... with confidence to our heavenly bodies realizing that every moment we spend in these earthly bodies is time spent away from our eternal home in heaven with Jesus. We know these things are true by seeing, not by seeing, but by believing, and we’re not afraid but are quite content to die for then we will be at home with the Lord. Do you get the feel of that? The discontent which is a divine discontent, our persistent urge to keep moving, to be transformed and to transform, and even to go on and be with the ...

3462. When the Doctors Can't Help You

Mark 5:21-43

Sermon

King Duncan

... No diagnostic tools of any kind. Only prayer and herbs and doctors of the most primitive skill and knowledge. So, people who were desperate for help had no reliable place to turn. But then word got out about a man whose very presence brought healing. So, quite naturally, the people rushed to him. And reached out to him. And, of course, he responded. Many were healed. And the net result was that even more people came. By the thousands they came. And they crushed around him, seeking to avail themselves of his ...

3463. Rejected at Home

Mark 6:1-6

Sermon

King Duncan

... His purpose in life. He "was amazed at their lack of faith," but it did not slow him down. He knew who he was. He knew why he was here--to serve God--and he gave himself completely to the task at hand. Automobile pioneer Henry Ford once said something quite encouraging to those of us who may not feel appreciated. He was speaking of his car, the Model-T, all of which came in the same color and style. His words still ring true. He said, "All Fords are exactly alike, but no two [people] are just alike. Every ...

3464. Adopted! (New)

Ephesians 1:1-14

Sermon

King Duncan

... children. Paul uses the term adoption five times in his writing. The word does not appear in the Old Testament, nor in any of the Gospels. It was not a Jewish concept. Adoption was a Roman concept. You will remember that Paul was a Roman citizen. He was quite at home with the concept of adoption. In the Roman world adoption referred to a legal proceeding in which a person takes into his family a child not his own. The purpose of adoption was to give the person doing the adopting a legal heir. The person who ...

3465. Putting the Puzzle Together

John 6:60-71

Sermon

King Duncan

... died. (3) Pandita discovered what Simon Peter discovered and what Augustine discovered: That Jesus is the way, the truth and the life. He is the key to making sense out of life. There are many diverse philosophies in the world today, some of them quite bizarre. The September 5, 2005, issue of Newsweek magazine focused on "Spirituality in America." The author of the lead article makes the point that more and more people today are creating their own religions out of a mix of orthodox and non-traditional ...

3466. Holy Living

John 6:51-65

Sermon

Donald Macleod

... Christianity could help people to do it." Whatever may have been uncouth and unimpressive about these early Christians, it was always forgotten when people saw the radiant light on their faces. And no pagan philosopher had ever seen anything quite like it - a religion so identified with life that it transformed human personalities and filled their lives with direction, meaning, and high expectation. They seemed to be nourished and empowered by something outside and beyond themselves; with this possession ...

3467. If Only... Next Time

Isaiah 43:1-13

Sermon

Maxie Dunnam

... in order to select a set we like better. According to Hassidic legend, in the end, we freely choose our own personal set of sorrows once more. That's a charming way of saying that when we see the suffering and sorrow of others, more often than not, we're quite happy to keep our own. Self-pity is a debilitating game to play. When we bury ourselves in self-pity we cut off the creativity and the power that might open doors to new life. And ultimately self-pity is a protest against God. It says that we don't ...

3468. Can a Rich Person Go to Heaven?

Mark 10:17-31

Sermon

King Duncan

... room furniture with something much more attractive? We like nice things, and in order to have nice things we’ve got to have money. But Jesus is warning us that money can ensnare us and separate us from God. Dr. Harry Emerson Fosdick once said something quite profound. “Our grandparents were reared to say ‘What shall I do to be saved?’” said Dr. Fosdick. “This generation has been reared to say, ‘What shall I do to succeed?’” And we know it’s true. But it’s our culture. And it is very ...

3469. Fit for God

Psalm 24:1-10

Sermon

King Duncan

... in Washington any more? They call it "spin." No matter what the issue, you know the politicians are going to spin it to make it sound more favorable to their party. Is that so bad? It is if we get to the point that we throw up our hands and quit listening at all. Can we believe anyone is telling us the truth nowadays? "Who may ascend the hill of the LORD? Who may stand in his holy place? He who has clean hands and a pure heart . . ." It does matter that we tell the truth. It does matter that we ...

3470. And the Word Is...Love

Mark 12:28-34

Sermon

King Duncan

... Boa puts it like this: "The Bible is all about relationships. The greatest theologians of church history have agreed on this. Obviously, the first example would be Jesus. When he was asked to sum up the God-centered life, he said that it was quite simple. Love God; love others. Later, Augustine, the great theologian of the early church, observed that everything written in Scripture is meant to teach us how to love either God or our neighbor. More than a thousand years later, a converted Augustinian monk ...

3471. Two Small Coins

Mark 12:41-44

Sermon

King Duncan

... is sacrificial action." (3) It’s a simple story, but a powerful one. The widow gave all she had. Hers was sacrificial action. A leading charity used to say, "Give till it hurts." Then they changed it to, "Give till it helps." Could it be that they quit asking people to give till it hurts because the idea of sacrificial giving is alien to most people today? Jesus said about the wealthy people coming to the Temple, "They all gave out of their wealth; but she, out of her poverty, put in everything--all she ...

3472. The Perfect Man

Hebrews 10:1-18

Sermon

King Duncan

... tiny village in the outermost bush of a remote African province. A lone missionary, a doctor who had given his life to fighting this plague, had gone into this province with the only cure available. It was made from plants indigenous to the region and could quite easily be reproduced by the villagers themselves just by taking some of the leaves and mixing it with some herbs and spices. When he went in, the missionary found that there wasn’t a single person in the village who was free of the disease. They ...

3473. Faith for Troubling Times

Luke 21:5-38

Sermon

King Duncan

... . Something in her has changed. All that, because suddenly she realized Jesus was real. Jesus is real, my friend. Our redemption is at hand. I don’t know what you are going through right now. But, whatever it is, Christ can help you through. The Bible is quite realistic: in this world there are trials and tribulations, but be of good cheer. There is one who has overcome the world. As for the wolf, here is what Isaiah prophesied: The wolf also shall dwell with the lamb, and the leopard shall lie down with ...

3474. The Divine Opportunity

Luke 3:1-20

Sermon

J. Ellsworth Kalas

... even be compared with the baptism which Jesus would bring. His was a baptism with water, to symbolize a washing of life. But Jesus, he said, would baptize with the Holy Spirit and fire. Fire is itself a symbol of cleansing, but an interior cleansing quite beyond the reach of water; thus metals are put in fire to burn away their inner impurities. John seems to suggest that his baptismal cleansing is almost superficial compared with what Jesus would do. Jesus was going to immerse us in the Holy Spirit. Water ...

3475. Songs of the Season

Luke 1:46-56, Luke 1:39-45

Sermon

J. Ellsworth Kalas

... , and a sublime willingness to be used by him. They were kindred spirits in the most profound sense of the word. Elizabeth and her husband Zechariah had waited through all the years of their marriage for the common miracle of conception, but without fulfillment. Then, quite out of the blue, God promised that they would have a son, that his name would be called John, and that he would minister "with the spirit and power of Elijah" (Luke 1:17a). Nearly six months later, Mary was visited by the angel Gabriel ...

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