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 3551 to 3575 of 4946 results

3551. It’s About Time!

Drama

Sarah Walton Miller

You will recognize the many scriptures on which this skit is based. Suggestion: if this is done in a study group, get some good concordances. Let the students search out the scriptures used. They all relate to time. At stage back, on risers or other levels, are three characters: TIME PAST, TIME PRESENT, TIME FUTURE. Perhaps they are similarly dressed. Downstage left are two high stools. On one is CHRISTIAN-WITH-EXCUSES, on the other NON-CHRISTIAN. At downstage right is a small lectern for the READER. ...

3552. When Something is About to Happen

Mark 13:32-37

Sermon

Thomas Long

"I’ll tell you what keeps me coming to this church." The man who spoke was punching the air with his finger, pronouncing every word with force, and the dozen or so other people in the room turned to listen. The group called themselves the "Searchers Class," and had done so since the time, more than ten years before, when, as young adults, they had formed an alternative church school class, and "Searchers" had seemed then like a daring and accurate name. Now, as the "Searchers" crept into middle age, the ...

3553. Not of the World

John 17:6-19

Sermon

Richard A. Jensen

The preacher urged his television congregation to tithe. "Give 10¼ of your income to the Lord," he said. "But why should I tithe?" someone asked him. "To get," the preacher replied. "We tithe in order to get. I want to get healed, I want to get well, I want to get money, I want to get prosperous." This popular form of Christianity was recently written up in Time magazine. The "prosperity Gospel." That is what it is called. There are many who peddle its wares. You might have heard some of them on radio or ...

3554. How Life’s Pressures Affect Good Judgment

Mark 6:14-29

Sermon

Brett Blair

In the opera Faust, there is a fight to the finish between Satan and the young man Valentine. During the course of the fight, Satan breaks Valentine's sword and he stands poised to slay him. But the young boy takes the two pieces of his sword and fashions them into a cross. Confronted with this symbol of faith, Satan becomes immobilized and Valentine is saved. It is an interesting concept: A dramatic demonstration of faith. Unfortunately such resolution of faith does not always save you. In fact, it might ...

3555. The Ten Commandments #7: No Adultery

Exodus 20:1-21

Sermon

David E. Leininger

I remember the first time I ever preached on this text. I was more than a little reluctant...not because I was concerned about the sensitivity of the subject, but rather its relevance. You see, I was serving a congregation at that time that was OLD. I mean REALLY OLD - twenty percent of them were over 80! Did they NEED to hear, "You shall not commit adultery?" But I was in the midst of a series on the Ten Commandments, so I could not comfortably skip this one. I mentioned my concern, and the word that came ...

3556. Gettin' Ready For Quittin' Time

Luke 21:5-38

Sermon

King Duncan

Chuck Swindoll told a rather gross, but humorous story in one of his books. It takes place right after his graduation from high school. He was working in a machine shop in Houston, Texas. One of the men he worked near in the shop was named Tex. He was an unforgettable character. Tex spent most of his adult life operating a turret lathe in that shop. He was a typical machinist. He wore a little gray and white striped cap "always greasy" and overalls that needed an oil change. And, of course, he chewed ...

3557. Held Hostage

John 18:33-37

Children's Sermon

King Duncan

Object: a thermos filled with hot cocoa, a large coffee mug (Be very careful pouring hot liquids around small children might want to use an adult volunteer to demonstrate) Good morning, boys and girls. You know, we're starting to enter the winter months, and the weather is going to get colder soon. And there's nothing better to drink in cold weather than hot cocoa. (Pour cocoa from thermos into mug) That's what I like about this thermos. A thermos is a container that keeps hot stuff hot. I can put my hot ...

3558. Why Jesus Did Not Hire A P. R. Guy

Mark 7:31-37

Children's Sermon

King Duncan

Object: None Has anyone ever told you a secret? Could you keep that secret? Who did you tell? Have you ever told someone a secret? Did they keep the secret, or did they tell someone? How did you feel if someone told the secret? Sometimes little children are so excited they tell someone what is in their present instead of keeping it a secret, don't they? I've known small children who were so excited about the present that they didn't even realize they had told the secret. Jesus often told people to keep his ...

3559. Did He Dance?

Mark 10:46-52

Children's Sermon

King Duncan

Object: None or bring a child's paddle ball game (a ping-pong shaped paddle with an elastic string attached with a ball on the end that you hit away from you and it bounces back OR another possible game to use would be Lesson: And many were sternly telling him to be quiet, but he kept crying out all the more. Catch a ball party game favors--that is a ball on a string attached to a cup with a handle on the bottom and you throw the ball up and try to catch it in the cup.) Option: Go to a party store and buy ...

3560. To Care for the Earth

Leviticus 25:1-7

Sermon

Edward Inabinet

A health-food enthusiast was dominating conversation at a party. "I don''t eat food with additives, preservatives or anything that''s been sprayed," he said forcefully. "Nor do I eat anything with chemicals added to it." "How do you feel?" asked an interested listener. With a sad look on his face he replied, "Hungry!" This morning we are dealing with a theme that is important to many of us and relevant to all of us--the stewardship of our environment. The care of the earth is dear to God''s heart. It ...

3561. Tired of Trying?

James 5:7-12

Sermon

Eric Ritz

I have had the privilege of seeing the play, Fiddler on the Roof--both on Broadway and in a variety of other settings. It is a very moving and memorable play. The play begins with the "fiddler" balancing on a steep rooftop in the village playing his fiddle. The main character, Tevye, points to him and suggests that the fiddler symbolizes all the people of the village. Yes, that does certainly describe us as a people. Trying to balance family, careers, hobbies, church, faith and a host of other things. ...

3562. The Witness of Being

Genesis 1:1—2:4a

Sermon

James L. Killen

Things are. The world is. The universe, whatever that is, is. I am. You are. That didn't just happen. Some people believe that is the result of an awesome succession of accidents but I just can't believe that. All of this didn't just happen. It must have been the result of some kind of a miracle. And if there was a miracle, there must be some miracle worker. Nothing that Darwin or anyone else has discovered can deny that. As a matter of fact, for those who are perceptive, the discoveries of modern science ...

3563. True Reformation

John 8:31-36

Sermon

Stephen M. Crotts

The key idea in this passage in the Fourth Gospel is truth. Jesus says, "If you continue in my word, you are truly my disciples, and you will know the truth, and the truth will make you free." Truth has taken a beating in the past century. We have come to a supposedly post-modern era in which a lot of people think that there isn't any real truth that's true for you just as much as it's true for me. We're told that there are no grand narratives about reality that are true for everybody - just "whatever ...

3564. Confused as Pigeons

Matthew 16:13-20

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

It seems that every weekday morning, before tourists and schoolchildren descend on London's Trafalgar Square, city-authorized volunteers toss more than a hundred pounds of bird seed to a swarm of hungry pigeons. Then, four hours later, the city pays for a trained hawk to fly around the square and chase the pigeons away (Wall Street Journal, 11 February 2005). Anyone identify with those poor pigeons? Not since the first century has the Christian church faced a culture as confused and confusing as ours. Just ...

3565. Epiphany 6

Mt 5:21-37 · 1 Cor 3:1-9 · Ps 119 · Dt 30:15-20

Sermon Aid

Marion L. Soards, Thomas B. Dozeman, Kendall McCabe

OLD TESTAMENT TEXTS The Old Testament lessons for this Sunday articulate the completion of God's salvation and encourage the reader to enter God's new world. Deuteronomy 30:15-20 is a call for Israel to choose life in the land over death in the wilderness, while Psalm 119:1-8 provides encouragement for the worshiper, who has left the wilderness and entered the land, to persevere in walking on God's roads in God's world. Deuteronomy 30:15-20 - "Bond Yourself to God and Choose Life" Setting. The book of ...

3566. Proper 22

Exodus 20:1-21, Matthew 21:33-46, Philippians 3:1-11, Psalm 19:1-14

Sermon Aid

Marion L. Soards, Thomas B. Dozeman, Kendall McCabe

OLD TESTAMENT TEXTS Exodus 20:1-20 is the account of the revelation of divine law to Israel that occurred at Mount Sinai. Psalm 19 is a hymn in praise of law. Exodus 20:1-4, 7-9, 12-20 - "The Gift of Law" Setting. The most prominent event in Israel's wilderness journey is the revelation of law at Mount Sinai. After Israel is led out of Egypt in Exodus 15 their initial wilderness journey is described for 3 chapters ( Exodus 16 -18). In Exodus 19:1 the journey stops and the reader is informed that Israel ...

3567. Seeking Things Above

Colossians 3:2

Children's Sermon

Tim Carpenter

Exegetical Aim: Setting our minds on heavenly things. Props: Cut out the following shapes from construction paper and write the corresponding word on the cutout: A cross (Jesus), star (Light), heart (Love), dove (Spirit), and crown (God). Each cutout should at least be the size of an 8 1/2” x 14” piece of paper. Before the service, tape the shapes in various places on the ceiling of the church on the walls in high inconspicuous places. The point is to keep the children from seeing the cutouts before the ...

3568. From a Distance

Hebrews 11:1-3, 8-19

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

Faith requires distance for it to be true faith. No distance, no faith. Most of us know that the technical term for nearsightedness (which, ironically, means we can see things that are near to us but cannot see those that are far away) is myopia. It's a handy word with an interesting sound that wordsmiths such as writers and preachers find highly useful. Not many of us, however, are probably familiar with the medically correct term for the opposite vision condition: farsightedness (that is, the ability to ...

3569. Wanted: A Lasting Marriage. Only Good Chemists, Bad mathematicians, Expert Soul-O-Flexors Need Apply

Mark 10:2-16

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

107 million married persons in the United States are asking the question, "How can I make my marriage last?" The answer is in the details. Here's my favorite "Go Figure!" for 1997: A major status symbol in this greedy-get-more consumer culture of ours is something that no amount of money can buy. You can't inherit it; you can't discover it; you can't even own it. What is it? What is this remarkable commodity that draws gasps of astonishment and admiring glances when it is revealed? It's a miracle marriage ...

3570. Proper 14

Psalm 50:1-23, Isaiah 1:1-31, Luke 12:32-40, Hebrews 11:1-40

Bulletin Aid

B. David Hostetter

READINGS Psalter—Psalm 50:1-8, 22-23 First Lesson—The prophet decries the hypocrisy of ritual worship without moral reform and responsibility for the poor. Isaiah 1:1, 10-20 Second Lesson—A definition of faith precedes an honor roll of the faithful. Hebrews 11:1-3, 8-16 Gospel—Jesus admonishes the faithful to be ready for the unexpected return of their Lord. Luke 12:32-40 CALL TO WORSHIP Leader: The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you all. People: And also with you. Leader: Gather to God, you ...

3571. Epiphany 2

Psalm 40:1-17, Isaiah 49:1-7, John 1:29-42, 1 Corinthians 1:1-9

Bulletin Aid

B. David Hostetter

READINGS Psalter - Psalms 40:1-11 First Lesson - The servant of the Eternal is a light to the nations. Isaiah 49:1-7 Second Lesson - Through Jesus Christ we know God's grace, receive all spiritual gifts, and are sustained to the end, when we will be found guiltless. 1 Corinthians 1:1-9 Gospel - John the Baptist titles Jesus the Lamb of God and heaven declares Jesus to be the Son of God who will baptize with the Holy Spirit. John 1:29-42 CALL TO WORSHIP Leader: The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you ...

3572. The Challenge Of Generosity

Malachi 3:10, Luke 6:36-38

Sermon

Billy D. Strayhorn

I want to read a little book to you by one of my favorite children's authors, Judith Viorst. I have enjoyed her stories and the adventures of Alexander and his brothers. This is another one of those and it's entitled: Alexander, Who Used to Be Rich Last Sunday. (Read the Book out loud) Alexander needs to change doesn't he? He needs a better understanding and stewardship of money. A lot of us are like Alexander. We know the old saying "Money talks" is true because ours keeps saying "Good-bye." So what is it ...

3573. Condition Yellow Christians

John 5:1-15

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

In every family album, there is always the same picture. It’s one of the most prized photographs in every collection. It features one of the most joyous, unforgettable moments in any parent’s life. It’s the moment when that first child, your tiny, newborn baby, is gently placed in your arms. As you look at your child, such tremendous emotions crowd your heart and mind — love, hope, joy, gratitude, peace, anticipation, wonder. But there is one more revelation that new Moms and Dads don’t usually expect. ...

3574. When You Want to Run Away

Psalm 11:1-7

Sermon

Maxie Dunnam

In Concord, California, a customer became enraged at an automated teller, and kept punching it because the machine refused to dispense $80 from the man’s account. The customer was arrested and charged with “malicious mischief.” This is not an isolated incident. According to police reports, so many people were beating up on automated machines when they first appeared everywhere in the 1980’s that it became this nation’s most serious crime problem. Does it make you mad? I’ve seen people livid with anger, ...

3575. The Hungry Monkey

Leviticus 19:1-2, 9-18

Sermon

Tony Everett

During a meeting of the parish stewardship committee, members viewed a thirty-second video clip taken in the monkey house of a local zoo. The zookeeper placed some "monkey delicacies" (banana bits, lettuce, and others) into a plastic container with a very tiny opening. Then she put the bottle on a table and left the room. Soon, one of the monkeys slowly approached the container, reached carefully inside, and grasped a large handful of treats. Unfortunately, with its fist full of food, the monkey was unable ...

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