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 3576 to 3600 of 4963 results

3576. No Holding Back

Mark 12:28-34

Sermon

David E. Leininger

... someone doing to you. In fact, go the extra mile and deliberately do things for one another that you know would be appreciated. And one more thing: be generous. In a nutshell, that is what it means to love your neighbor as yourself. No holding back. Clear enough? I hope. I wish we did a better job of it. The biggest hindrance is money. We worry too much about it. Whether we will have enough. The stock market goes crazy, and we fret about our paper losses. Of course, none of us misses any meals because of it ...

3577. The Trouble with Stables

Luke 2:1-7

Sermon

David E. Leininger

... no razor - just a motorcycle, one earring, and a ponytail. She drops out of school, runs off with him, gets pregnant, and dies in child birth. Mom and Dad sit there under the tent during the graveside service hearing the preacher talk about life and hope and resurrection...but they are not really listening. Both are thinking the same thing: "Where did we go wrong?" Who knows? Finally, the funeral is over. The people who came by the house to offer their sympathy and condolences are gone. All that is left ...

3578. One Shock after Another

Luke 3:1-20

Sermon

David E. Leininger

... those who loved him of Jesus' torture and murder. He had healed the sick, given sight to the blind, restored the limbs of the lame, and even brought the dead back to life. The hopes and dreams of his followers had convinced them that this was God's Messiah - the Anointed One, the one who would lead them into a glorious future. But now those hopes and dreams were dust and ashes. It was over...or was it? We know better. There was one more shock to go. Resurrection. You see? I told you: the story of Jesus is ...

3579. Fish Bait

Luke 5:1-11

Sermon

David E. Leininger

... may well be a lesson in that for us too. If we are going to "catch people" as Jesus said, we had better use attractive bait. What do the people we are trying to catch see in us that would make them want to be here with us? Anything? I hope. But I know all too well that what some out there see from church folks is not very attractive at all. What was in the paper yesterday? Another story about the Episcopal battle over the consecration of a gay bishop, one from a Catholic diocese in the midwest about how ...

3580. Would a Loving God Really Let Anyone Go to Hell?

Luke 16:19-31

Sermon

David E. Leininger

... the key to a long and happy pastorate. The result is the pabulum that often issues forth on Sunday mornings. Well, I am not a masochist nor do I have a pastoral death wish, but I am not content with giving you pabulum. I hope you are not content to be fed with it either. I hope you are ready to be challenged to think and not simply rely on past understandings. The question this morning, "Would a loving God really let anyone go to Hell?" is one to which almost all of you already have an answer. Whether that ...

3581. Building a World

Acts 2:1-21

Sermon

King Duncan

... to carry the message to the world that we are a God-invaded planet--that something positive has entered our world--that wars and pestilence and suffering and death are not the will of our Creator-God, but that God’s will is life and love and hope for all people. We are those entrusted to drive through the snow, as it were, whatever the cost, to bear the news to our generation. That is what God expects out of this group of people. Something positive has entered our world. Something positive is expected out ...

3582. Head's Up!

Luke 21:5-38

Sermon

David E. Leininger

... the statue lying in the rubble, and figured everyone in Spencer needed to see that Jesus was still there, so they stood him up for all to see. I am reminded of Advent's call to look up, to see that Christ is still here, to raise our heads with hope and anticipation, knowing that he is coming again. Luke reminds us to live our lives trusting that he keeps his promises, that Jesus is with us in the chaos of our daily lives, in the ordinariness and in the tragedy that daily life affords. Advent calls out to us ...

3583. East of Easter

Luke 24:13-35

Sermon

David E. Leininger

... like us. They had the same concerns that have been common in every age - keeping body and soul together, keeping out of trouble, keeping up with the Joneses, keeping in tune with the times, and now keeping a stiff upper lip in the face of dashed hopes and shattered dreams. Just like us. They were religious folk, having walked the several hours to Jerusalem a few days before from their home in Emmaus. With a real sense of excitement, they had gone to the holy city - obviously for the Passover, an event no ...

3584. The "E" Word

John 1:35-42

Sermon

David E. Leininger

... he has gotten things straightened out by now, not only with school, but with his understanding of evangelism. To Duffey's credit, it is not just the "E" word. It is a way of life in faithful response to the command of his Savior. But I hope someone, someday, tells Duffey about Andrew. Amen! 1. Matthew 28:19-20 2. www.gallup.com reporting on a poll taken March 17-19, 2000 3. ibid. 4. Roy Oswald, Making Your Church More Inviting, (Bethesda, MD: Alban Institute, 1992), p. 57 5. Joe Donoho, Good News Travels ...

3585. The Gift of Fire

Acts 2:14-41, Acts 2:1-13

Sermon

David E. Leininger

... , power. Will we treat the Spirit as a gift we would just as soon do without? Will we simply be fascinated by the Spirit as we watch others set on fire? Or will we pray, "Lord, give US that fire." That is MY prayer for St. Paul Presbyterian...and I hope...I hope...it is yours. Amen! 1. Taken from a story told by Dave Wood in Grit Magazine, Jan.31- Feb. 6, 1988

3586. Surprised By Christmas

Isaiah 9:1-7

Sermon

King Duncan

... . The year was 1809. A war-weary world was anxiously watching the march of Napoleon across Europe. People were discouraged. Hope for the future was frail. All the while, however, babies were being born. Alfred Lord Tennyson, Edgar Allen Poe, Oliver ... Come to You") (3) For one brief moment in the midst of the insanity of war, there came a message of God's love and God's hope. That is what Christmas is all about. God sent a babe into the world. And that babe grew to adulthood and he gathered around him men and ...

3587. I Have Been Baptized

Luke 3:1-20

Sermon

King Duncan

... of, and that one dip won't do him any good; you'll have to anchor him out in deep water overnight." The objector was right. If the hope for cleansing was based on the efforts of the water, there was going to have to be a whole lot more water used! (1) It is not ... read like this: `I'm sorry that I took your speakers, but now I have repented my sins and asked Jesus to forgive me. I hope you will forgive me too. I no longer take other people's belongings...God has changed me. I'm a new creature since I asked ...

3588. Put Out Your Nets

Luke 5:1-11

Sermon

King Duncan

... times of discouragement. You've worked hard preparing for a test in school. But somehow you seemed to have studied the wrong assignment. You had hoped for an A, but now you'll settle just to pass. We've all been there, haven't we? A troubled man paid a visit ... fisherman standing beside their boats with nothing to show for their labors. All they can do now is clean their nets and hope for a better day tomorrow. THEN, INTO THE SCENE STEPS JESUS. What powerful words ” into the scene steps Jesus. This is the ...

3589. The Secret Ingredient Of Success

Luke 13:1-9

Sermon

King Duncan

... . "I'm a quick leaner." Probably his last job was with the highway department. "I seek challenges that test my mind and body because the two are usually inseparable." That was probably on Shirley MacLaine's resume. "Here are my qualifications for you to overlook." O.K. "Hope to hear from you shorty." Takes one to know one. (1) Do you know what it takes to make it in life? It takes hard work. It takes doing it right the first time. People talk about working smarter and not harder, but that can be deceptive ...

3590. How To Stay Young Forever

Revelation 22:1-6

Sermon

King Duncan

... good question for each of us. What do you believe in now? The answer to that question will, in large measure, determine how well we spend our remaining days on earth whether they be many or few. There is a fountain of life ” of renewal, of healing, of hope and joy. It comes from trusting Christ. There is One who says to us, "Come . . . Come . . . take the water of life without price." He offers his fountain of eternal youth to any who would receive it. All we have to do is receive what He freely gives. 1 ...

3591. On Being Mistaken For A Mannequin

Acts 2:42-47

Sermon

King Duncan

... kind of church. Named St. Stephens, it is called "the Church at the End of the Road." Luccock concluded that "the end of the road" is a fitting location for a church. There are so many people at the end of life's road whose strength and hope are gone, it is there the church needs to be. (3) Halford Luccock was describing the church at its best ” a caring church, a church where love is experienced. Jesus said that the world would know his disciples by their love for one another ” and that was certainly ...

3592. On Fooling a Mafia Don

Luke 16:1-15

Sermon

King Duncan

... to keep their good will he was offering them a deal they could not refuse. If they paid their bills immediately, they could settle for 60 cents on the dollar. Of course, he assured them with his fingers crossed, he had been authorized to make this offer. And he hoped they would remember this act of good will when he came to their company to submit his resume. In other words he used his bosses' money to buy good will with possible future employers. Now, did this man do wrong? Of course, you say. He was not ...

3593. God Believes In Us, Too

Luke 19:1-10

Sermon

Dr. Chane M. Hutton

... don't understand. We've been very worried about him, but ever since you were here yesterday, his whole attitude has changed. He's fighting back, responding to treatment . . . It's as though he's decided to live." The boy later explained that he had completely given up hope until he saw that teacher. It all changed when he came to a simple realization. With joyful tears he expressed it this way: "They wouldn't send a teacher to work on nouns and adverbs with a dying boy, would they?" (4) To know that someone ...

3594. The God Of The Living

Luke 20:27-40

Sermon

King Duncan

... Perhaps it is the loss of a relationship. Perhaps it is a failure in school or at work, but for whatever reason, there are people who give up and give in. Even if they do not literally end their life they settle for a bleak, desolate existence. They lose hope of any joy in their lives, any satisfaction, any sense of purpose or fulfillment. Thus the importance of this phrase. God is the God of the living! GOD DOES NOT WANT US TO GIVE UP. Saints of God are not people who have things made easy for them. Saints ...

3595. Overcoming "Work-avoidance Syndrome"

2 Thessalonians 3:1-5

Sermon

King Duncan

... situation. Ninety-six percent of the members were on welfare and food stamps. Many had more debt than they could ever hope to pay off. They decided to do something as a congregation to improve their situation. They pooled their resources and bought ... or food stamps and everyone is employed. (3) It's not that people on the bottom don't want to work. What they lack is hope, incentive, a feeling that they can improve their situation. So, yes, let's reform welfare ” if we can help people move on to better ...

3596. Comfort My People

Isaiah 40:1-31

Sermon

King Duncan

... BRINGS US TO OUR SECOND WORD PRESENCE. Isaiah continues, "In the desert, prepare the way for the Lord, make straight in the wilderness a highway for our God . . . ." God has come into our world, says the prophet. God has come to enter into our story and to offer us hope. An Army chaplain in World War II finally made it back to America on the first Christmas Eve after the war was over. He'd been overseas for nearly two years and hadn't seen his family in all that long time. He called his wife and told her ...

3597. A Time For Miracles

Luke 1:26-38

Sermon

King Duncan

... if we lived out on a daily basis the love, compassion and charity that are part and parcel of this special season the world would be changed. The world is waiting for the people of God to live out what we say we believe: That Jesus Christ is the hope of the world; That living the Christ life the life of love and sacrifice and self-giving is the only ultimate way that humanity can be saved. When Christmas lives in our hearts, then we will have at least made a beginning to spreading the spirit of Christmas to ...

3598. Destined To Have A Great Year

Ephesians 1:1-14

Sermon

King Duncan

... and I have observed that people who have such a faith ” who trust God in all things and who look daily for God's blessings ” live a better quality of life and are more successful than those who have no such faith. So, I say with confidence and hope that, come what may, you and I are destined to have a great year! 1. From a sermon by Pastor Don Emmitte. 2. (Ventura, California: Regal Books, 1995). 3. From CORRIE TEN BOOM: HER LIFE, HER FAITH, copyright 1983 by Fleming H. Revell Co. Cited in James Hewett ...

3599. Swimming With The Sharks

Mark 9:2-13

Sermon

King Duncan

... of the transfigured Christ. And the same thing can happen to us. Like the disciples we can also be terrified in Christ's presence because we are imperfect, but we soon discover that in his presence we are not without value and we are not without hope. Because Christ loves us, change is possible. This is the heart of today's lesson: The proper response to the transfigured Christ is transformation. To see the transfigured Christ is to be aware not only of our inadequacies but also our possibilities. As he is ...

3600. When The Waters Begin To Rise

Genesis 9:1-17

Sermon

King Duncan

... he did housework, a Bible verse kept coming to mind: "He who did not spare his own Son but gave him up for us all, will he not also give us all things?" (Romans 8:32, RSV). Above the darkness and gloom, Herman saw a star of hope. He prayed. He believed. Six months later he got a job answering mail for Dr. Walter Maier's "Lutheran Hour" radio broadcast. He also wrote rhymes for Christmas cards and helped in the shipping department at Concordia Publishing House. Two years later Herman was manager of Concordia ...

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