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 326 to 350 of 747 results

326. Have We Kept Our Contract with God?

Genesis 17:1-27

Sermon

Richard Gribble

... not of the right mind today." Such an attitude suggests an on-again, off-again agreement with God, but this cannot be for the true and loyal disciple. God, as Francis Thompson's immortal poem, "The Hound of Heaven" suggests, never ceases to be our advocate and will leave no stone unturned in searching for our soul. We, therefore, cannot take an attitude of partial participation. We can either follow Jesus all the way or leave the road somewhere along the journey; the choice is ours. Yet, we know, because we ...

327. In The Kingdom Now

Philippians 3:12-4:1

Sermon

Maxie Dunnam

... than 100 pounds, and always looked about eight years younger than God. She joined forces with a group of 40,000 women in the 1930s and 40s, in what was called The Association of Southern Women for the Prevention of Lynching. Later, she was active in advocating the desegregation of schools and got a lot of obscene telephone calls – calling her everything but the gentle woman that she was. She did not let these calls deter her - no one could intimidate her. She knew that racism was evil, and she knew that ...

328. Pentecost: The Neglected Factor

Acts 1:1-11

Sermon

Maxie Dunnam

... is more than an intellectual affirmation. It’s more than a doctrinal statement. It’s a decision of the will and it’s a commitment of life. Because we’re who we are, stubborn persons, intent on sitting on the throne of our own lives, we’re not willing to advocate this kingdom to any other Lord. So Paul concludes, no one can call Jesus Lord except by the Holy Spirit. We can’t do it in our own power. The Holy Spirit moves into our lives when we’re open to Him and He gives us the power to come ...

329. Putting the Puzzle Together

John 6:60-71

Sermon

King Duncan

... her, she could find no relief. But one day in Calcutta, she heard a talk on Jesus, the Messiah who loved and accepted all people, even women. She became a believer. As a Christian, Pandita, with the help of her brother, began a campaign advocating education and expanded rights for women. She especially abhorred the practice of child marriages which was commonplace. Child brides were often married off to much older men. If the men died, the child widows were often kicked out of their houses and abandoned by ...

330. Homesick For a Future: New Life for the New Millenium

Genesis 12:1-8

Sermon

Maxie Dunnam

... , we need a new language. Well, I am not sure it is a new language – what it really is, is an old language made new. How desperately we preachers need it. There is a dark and powerful passage in Morris West’s book, The Devil’s Advocate that challenges us here. Monsignor Meredith has grown weary in the church; his life has become institutionalized, his faith reduced to an “intellectual conception, an arid assent of the will.” Yet now his words have struck a responsive chord in the Bishop; they have ...

331. Let Me Say That Again

John 14:15-31

Sermon

Maxie Dunnam

... without Him? In verse 18 He said, “I will not leave you alone.” The Jerusalem Bible renders that “I will not leave you orphans.” Listen to more of what Jesus said in that setting: “I will come to you.” “I shall ask the Father, and he will give you another Advocate, to be with you for ever, that Spirit of truth whom the world can never receive since it neither sees nor knows him; but you know him, because he is with you, he is in you. I will not leave you orphans; I will come back to you. In a ...

332. A Church for the 21st Century: Holy, Charismatic, Apostolic - An Enclave of Resistance

Luke 4:14-30

Sermon

Maxie Dunnam

... courtroom. We see them on the streets, walking alongside the shackled Africans. We see them dressed in rather severe clothes with comber countenances, so much so that at first the prisoners think they’re sick. Then it seems to the inmates that their advocates are upset about something. They are upset about something. They’re upset that these men, women, and children, who are thought to be slaves, are being held in custody. The Christian group is upset that anyone could be made a slave of another. Some ...

333. Power For Christian Living: Am I On My Own?

Romans 3:3-5

Sermon

Maxie Dunnam

... us to Bear the Burdens of Life and be More Than Conquerors In His preparation to leave his disciples, Jesus promised to send the Holy Spirit. In John’s gospel the Greek designation for Holy Spirit is translated variously “comforter,” “advocate,” or “counselor,” indicating the empowering presence of the Holy Spirit. I have seen it many times – persons who are transformed from people who are helpless objects of forces beyond their control into dynamic, active, decision-making persons who ...

334. The Church: An Enclave of Resistance v2

Romans 12:1-8

Sermon

Maxie Dunnam

335. The Church: An Enclave of Resistance v1

Romans 12:1-8, Romans 12:9-21

Sermon

Maxie Dunnam

... courtroom. We see them on the streets, walking alongside the shackled Africans. We see them dressed in rather severe clothes with somber countenances, so much so that at first the prisoners think they’re sick. Then it seems to the inmates that their advocates are upset about something. They are upset about something. They’re upset that these men, women, and children, who are thought to be slaves, are being held in custody. The Christian group is upset that anyone could be made a slave of another. Some ...

336. The Supreme Sacrifice

Hebrews 10:1-18

Bulletin Aid

H. Burnham Kirkland

... bear some of the responsibility, for we have not been as eager or willing to witness to your will for humanity as those who seek to build their own kingdoms. Forgive us, we pray, and by the power of your Holy Spirit make each of us an ardent advocate of your kingdom. Amen. Offertory Prayer Lord, we know that you do not desire offerings meant to purchase our forgiveness, so we bring these gifts as tokens of our gratitude for the great gift of your Son, Jesus Christ. Bless these gifts, we pray, and use them ...

337. The Holy Spirit Came Upon Them

Acts 2:1-13

Sermon

Elizabeth Achtemeier

... from this text. First of all, it is clear that God keeps his promises. His Christ had promised the disciples at the Last Supper that he would not leave them desolate, but that he would come to them in the Person of the Holy Spirit as their Advocate, Counselor, and Teacher (John chs. 14-16). Further, the risen Christ had promised the apostles that they would be clothed with the power of the Spirit from on high. Here now, at Pentecost, the Son of God keeps those promises, as he always keeps his promises. We ...

338. Commencement Address

Acts 1:6-14

Sermon

Bill Mosley

... mothers would be opposed to anything that threatened their children. The day has changed some from Howe's vision, which really involved mothers accepting responsibility for the world because of their children, and not children honoring mothers. By 1908, Anna Jarvis was advocating that all mothers be honored on the second Sunday in May, and in 1912 the Methodist Episcopal Church recognized the day and raised it to the national agenda. I hope you see the inconsistency. The day that Julia Ward Howe called for ...

339. Adoption Papers

John 14:15-21

Bulletin Aid

Frank Ramirez

Call To Worship God will not leave us abandoned. God is our advocate. God calls us to worship today. Collect We call to mind the promises of Jesus and boldly make the claim that we are all adopted members of your family in love. Hallelujah. We praise you, God. Amen. Prayer Of Confession The tumult and the shouting dies. The captain and the ...

340. Thank God for the Church

1 Corinthians 1:1-9

Sermon

James L. Killen

... are going on in your church, aren't they? They go on in all churches. And some of us are very disillusioned because of them. Some of us are tempted just to give up on the church and to withdraw into the "solitary spirituality" that so many in our culture advocate and maybe even to feel superior about doing it. But that is no answer. Paul will go on in his letter to tell us that we ought not to become complacent about these things. The work that the church has to do in the world is too important for us ...

341. How Does It Work?

1 Corinthians 2:1-16

Sermon

James L. Killen

... for the counter-culture. It scared the bejeebers out of parents whose children were young people during that era. People seem to like to have some kind of "wisdom" to follow. But Paul said that wasn't what was important. Now understand, Paul was not an advocate of "dumbing down." Some have said that there is a tendency in our culture today to muddle everything down to the very lowest possible level of intellectual and cultural activity so that no one will expect too much of us. That is not what Paul was ...

342. All Your Facilities Intact

Acts 17:16-34, Colossians 1:15-20

Sermon

Mark Trotter

... was God who came to us in Jesus. If it was God who came to us in Jesus, then we believe that Jesus is now with God, one with God, "very God of very God." Or in the image that the Letter to the Hebrews crafted, he is now our Advocate. We quoted that in the Call to Worship for this morning. "We have not a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weakness, but one who is like us, who was tempted in every way that we are tempted, and yet sinless. Let us then with confidence draw ...

343. Now Stand Up Straight!

Luke 13:10-17

Sermon

Mark Trotter

... called men's magazines, who said, "Men don't want to be equal. It is as simple as that." It is a terrible fact, this irony. If pornography is the propaganda of violence to women, then religion is its ally. Every religion in the world has advocated male superiority. Every religion in the world has been used to justify what can only be described as abusive behavior toward women. The Bible, itself, has been interpreted to say that women, by order of creation, are subordinate to men. The Garden of Eden story in ...

344. Stay in the City

Luke 24:44-53

Sermon

Mark Trotter

... streets of the ancient world. The Christians took them in. They cared for the sick, especially lepers, and all those in any age whose sicknesses ostracized them from society. They were hospitable to strangers. They were forgiving of enemies. They were advocates of peace. They refused to participate in activities that dehumanized life. They were faithful in those activities that would enrich life, especially worship. Through their public worship as a witness to the community, they said God is real, God loves ...

345. Three Small Steps in Our Faith Journey - Sermon Starter

Luke 17:1-10

Illustration

Brett Blair

... Disciples. There are many names with varying nuances of meaning but in the end they all describe the same thing. We are a people of Faith, faith in Christ to be sure, but faith nonetheless. We are not a business or institution. We do not sell or produce anything. We advocate no earthly cause. We serve no worldly authority. We come to a church building made by men. And to do what? Practice our faith. But we just as well could have met on a hillside or cave. Our leader is not here, not so that I can show him ...

346. Willibald Krautman's Trip To Heaven

Matthew 11:2-11

Drama

Matthew Powell

... golden scales. I have never done any real damage in anger (Pauses), like other people. (Pauses) I never cut off anybody's ear. Saint Peter: (Coughs in embarrassment) Well, now. If you want to make a court case out of this, you ought to have an advocate or a defender. Willibald: Fine. Just let me come into heaven and I will find one. Saint Peter: No, nothing impure can enter. You'll have to look down on earth for someone to speak for you. Willibald: (Sheepishly) On earth? Well, I, that is, I unfortunately ...

347. Lent 1

Genesis 2:4-25, Genesis 3:1-24, Romans 5:12-21, Matthew 4:1-11

Sermon Aid

John R. Brokhoff

... may be a creative one based on the hymn. See the devil flee when this hymn is sung with earnestness and conviction! David used music to drive the devil out of Saul - 1 Samuel 16:23. Outline: What are we singing about? a. Our deadly foe - first stanza. b. Our Advocate in the fight - second stanza. c. Our secret weapon - third stanza. d. Our ultimate victory - fourth stanza. Lesson 1: Genesis 2:15-17; 3:1-7 1. What It Means To Be Human. Genesis 2:15-17; 3:1-7 Need: Today there is a popular emphasis upon being ...

348. Proper 6

Genesis 18:1-15, Romans 5:1-8, Matthew 9:35 – 10:8 (9-23), Matthew 9:35-38, 10:1-42, Romans 5:1-11

Bulletin Aid

John R. Brokhoff

... are saved twice: once by Jesus' death and once by his life. By his death, we are reconciled to God. Is this not enough? Though reconciled while on earth, the final judgment is coming. Because of the resurrection, Jesus will be at the judgment as our Advocate and Mediator. Because he lives, we will be saved from the wrath of God. PREACHING POSSIBILITIES Gospel: Matthew 9:35-10:8 1. Ministry And the Ministry (9:35-10:7). Need: Members of the congregation need to realize that they are ministers of the gospel ...

349. Proper 11

Genesis 28:10-22, Romans 8:1-17, Romans 8:18-27, Matthew 13:24-30, Matthew 13:36-43

Sermon Aid

John R. Brokhoff

... groan in travail to bring the entire person under the Lordship of Christ. Epistle: Romans 8:26-27 1. Weakness (v. 26). It is characteristic of humanity to be weak. The particular weakness in this case is our ignorance and inability to properly pray. The Spirit becomes our Advocate to help us. He prays for us. We often ask friends to pray for us. Ever ask God the Spirit to pray for you? Here we see the imminence and transcendence of God. It reminds us of Jesus, Son of God, praying in Gethsemane to the Father ...

350. Proper 12

1 Kings 3:1-15, Matthew 13:47-52, Matthew 13:44-46, Genesis 29:15-30

Sermon Aid

John R. Brokhoff

... degree. A psalmist said, "The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom." Lesson 2: Romans 8:26-30 1. Weakness (v. 26). It is characteristic of humanity to be weak. The particular weakness in this case is our ignorance and inability to properly pray. The Spirit becomes our Advocate to help us. He prays for us. We often ask friends to pray for us. Ever ask God the Spirit to pray for you? Here we see the imminence and transcendence of God. God the Spirit is in us as the imminent God, and he prays for us to ...

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