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 3601 to 3625 of 4976 results

3601. Rejoicing in Reality

Matthew 5:1-12

Sermon

Susan R. Andrews

... watching Touched by an Angel and reading Chicken Soup for the Soul. And they - we - are the ones buying all those tear-off inspirational calendars with daily pithy quotes, so that when we hit rock bottom today, we can tear it off and find something tangible to keep us going tomorrow. As tough and together as we appear to be to others, we are as needy and impoverished of spirit as any of the people taught and touched by Jesus. And it is that very neediness that invites and receives God's blessings. It is ...

3602. Jesus Breaks Our Chains

John 11:1-45

Sermon

Richard Gribble

... by the cares of this world, which have such a strong and popular attraction these days. People seemingly cannot break from the materialism that constantly vies for our attention and calls us to seek to be rich in the eyes of the world. We spend a lot of time "keeping up with the Joneses" and in the process we become trapped in the rat race of contemporary society. For others, a burden in our family, at work, or in the community where we live, might have hold of us and will not let go. Many people must carry ...

3603. Things to Come!

Matthew 13:47-52, Matthew 13:44-46, Matthew 13:1-23

Sermon

Stephen M. Crotts

... 's word on the world ... and leave the results to God. Yet all the while knowing there will be a treasure in Israel, a pearl of the gentiles, a net full of fish! Just you wait and see! Suggested Prayer: Oh Lord God, the duty is mine, the results yours. Keep me true, keep me true. For Christ's sake. Amen.

3604. Do You Get It?

Matthew 16:21-28

Sermon

Stephen M. Crotts

... any body hanging on it, and when Easter does come we'll cover it with lilies. Being on top of the world? We like to say "God Bless America" - and of course there's a way we should pray that. But when we say it, do we mean, "God, keep America number one" the way some Jews of the first century looked for the restoration of the Davidic empire? Do we want America to be blessed without any corresponding sacrifice on our part, or without having any concern about being a blessing to others? If we do have that ...

3605. History: His Story

Matthew 21:33-46

Sermon

Stephen M. Crotts

... owns the place, but we've been acting like we do. That brings us to the end of the text, the part where the owner of the vineyard has had enough, and so it is that he destroys the wicked tenants and leases his vineyard out to others who will keep faith with him. Again, this is but the tale history bears. Consider, if you will, the history of the Mediterranean nations. One-by-one they have risen to power in the vineyard. One-by-one they have turned their backs on God. One-by-one they have been evicted: Egypt ...

3606. How to Love God

Matthew 22:34-46

Sermon

Stephen M. Crotts

... 't help it, sir. I've got religion." The usher quickly answered back, "Well, you didn't get it here, so keep quiet." Traditionally some churches have been cold and formal. If you show emotion you're breaking the rules. Influential church reformer John ... she saw a small boy about seven years old. He was poorly clothed, barefooted, and standing over a heater vent in the sidewalk trying to keep warm. He had a bundle of newspapers under his arm and was trying to sell them to the pedestrians. The woman went up to ...

3607. Don't Make Me Come Down There

Luke 18:1-8

Sermon

King Duncan

... story about not giving up. About persistence in prayer. But have you read THE REST OF THE STORY. Jesus continues, “Listen to what the unjust judge says. And will not God bring about justice for his chosen ones, who cry out to him day and night? Will he keep putting them off? I tell you, he will see that they get justice, and quickly.” This is a story not only about persistence in prayer, it is a story about justice and about God’s plan for God’s world. In effect, Jesus is having God say, “Don ...

3608. Worship Wars!

Luke 18:9-14

Sermon

Stephen M. Crotts

... is upheld." "Well, you certainly have strong opinions, sir." "And they are right, too, I assure you!" "So, you have one eye on your neighbor, one on yourself. What is the third thing that happened in worship for you?" "I keep one on myself, one eye on my neighbor, and third, I keep no eye on God." "Thank you, Mr. Pharisee. Your values and attitudes as well as your zeal in enforcing them, are most clear, and duly noted." Worshiper Number Two: Now, we turn to the second worshiper in the temple. Jesus said ...

3609. A Life Well Lived

2 Timothy 3:10--4:8

Sermon

King Duncan

... the Grandmas Gone?” In the dim and distant past; When life’s tempo wasn’t so fast Grandma used to rock and knit, Crochet, tat, and baby sit. When the kids were in a jam, They could always call on Gram. But today she’s in the gym Exercising to keep slim. She’s checking the web or surfing the net, Sending e‑mails, now she’s really set. Nothing seems to stop or block her, Now that Grandma’s off her rocker. I don’t know if that little poem describes your grandmother or not. Let’s talk for a ...

3610. Wondering Wonder

Luke 2:1-7

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

... Neil, Seasons of Grace [Hoboken, NJ: John F. Wiley & Sons, 2003], 37-38). Being connected to the world and all the wonders in it was essential for any good shepherd. Shepherds needed to keep their eyes open for fresh water, fierce predators, tasty grasses, and sneaky thieves in order to keep their flocks safe. Despite all their responsibilities, however, shepherds were also star-gazers. It was shepherds that first imagined the lines between stars, creating and naming the constellations in the sky. The stars ...

3611. The True Definition of a Sanctuary

Matthew 25:14-30

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

... third servant earns him rebuke, the label of wicked and lazy, and thrusts him into the outer darkness far away from the joy of his master. In taking no risk, he had risked it all. And lost. Jesus doesn't want his disciples to hunker down and keep their heads low. Disciples aren't called to avoid risk, high stakes, and genuine challenges. A disciple of Jesus operates within the world of high risk. Jesus placed himself in the firing line of history. Sometimes he calls us to place ourselves in the firing line ...

3612. A High FLOSS Church

Romans 14:1--15:13

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

... that set groups apart, that kept one part of a community from sitting down at table with another part of the community, were serious, identifying, and divisive differences. Among orthodox Jews, Muslims, and Hindus diet is still a distinguishing factor, Keeping kosher also means keeping apart from those who aren't. Paul cared less for individual differences than he did for the great message of the gospel. Whether weak or strong the community of faith stood together before God. We are servants of the Creator ...

3613. Gross Personality Disorder

Romans 12:9-21

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

... space is a skill we've well-honed. But on Sunday morning in the church parking lot, Christians who outdo each other in honor park in the distant corners, out in the back forty, or even leave the car at home and car pool it in order to keep the prime parking places open and welcoming to visitors, to strangers who may come by. Coming up behind a car at a stop sign the other day its one bumper sticker caught my eye. Instead of touting some political agenda or declaring some constitutional right, this plain ...

3614. How Can Religion Go Bad Doing Good?

Matthew 7:21-23

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

... ,711 concrete slabs, all at various heights. The rows and rows of concrete create an undulating sea - vast, stark, and unsettling. In addition to the slabs themselves, the pathways that lead between the concrete rows are cobblestone, making them uneven and unsteady - keeping all those who walk among them constantly off-balance. This sea of concrete is located on five acres, right next to the mighty Reichstag, the seat of German government. Furthermore, this memorial to Nazi victims is erected just a stone's ...

3615. The Insight of Eyesight

John 9:1-12

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

... the commercials that implore us to save the children. We hurry past the street-people littering our sidewalks with their misery and despair. " We black-out the sounds of abuse that drift from a neighbor's window. Instead of keeping our eyes focused on the future we prefer blinders that keep us narrowly trained on our present plodding path. Real discipleship costs. The price? Giving up our own visions and agendas and securities for the visions and agendas of God. To those given the gift of sight, there's a ...

3616. How to Beat the Devil

Matthew 4:1-11

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

... one-point game the test becomes not of skill, or style, or strength. No: at that crunch point everything comes down to timing. How long to hold onto the ball before the buzzer; how many times to pass the ball; how to work for what shot; how to keep the ball away from the other team. Ideally the team down by one point wants to make their winning shot with virtually no time left on the clock, giving the opposing team no chance to respond. Of course, waiting until the last second has risks. If that final shot ...

3617. The Chair

Psalm 46:1-11

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

... done, in Whom this world rejoices; Who from our mothers' arms has blessed us on our way With countless gifts of love, and still is ours today. O may this bounteous God through all our life be near us, With ever joyful hearts and blessed peace to cheer us; And keep us in His grace, and guide us when perplexed; And free us from all ills, in this world and the next! All praise and thanks to God the Father now be given; The Son and Him Who reigns with Them in highest Heaven; The one eternal God, Whom earth and ...

3618. Come Back

Luke 21:5-38

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

... to 911. "My daddy killed me with a knife and I'm gone," the boy told a dispatcher. "Can you please send the Army men or the ambulance?" The soft-spoken child gave a wrong address and then hung up. But a second dispatcher called back, keeping him on the line while a frantic search was under way. On Wednesday, authorities released the remarkable tape of Anthony Sukto's calm courage during the Oct.22 ordeal, and the frantic efforts to find him. "What's going on there?" asked dispatcher Kristine Woodrow. "My ...

3619. Unchained Melody

2 Timothy 1:1-2:13

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

... Christ, in the first years of the church. We call those words the New Testament. A rule among the monks of Pachomius ("Rule of Pachomius") was that everyone in the monastery should know by heart at least the New Testament and the Psalms. In order for us to "keep my words" in the heart, as Jesus directed, we must know his words and be able to tell his stories. One of the reasons why Christians are a people of many words but scant power is that we aren't speaking the right words . . . the wonderful words of ...

3620. The Seven Deadly Fears

2 Timothy 1:1-2:13

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

... a phobia listing ("We have nothing to fear but fear itself"). While many of us may feel uneasy in tight places, or rather queasy looking down from some high perch, true phobias are different. These are paralyzing, life-altering, life-limiting fears that keep those who suffer from them locked-up, locked-away, locked-down. Ever since September 11, 2001, Americans have had to re-examine their own relationship to fear in general and all the particular fears that surround us every day. Anyone who protests that ...

3621. Yes!

Jeremiah 1:1-19

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

... say yes? First of all, make up your mind. There are some people who can't seem to make up their minds. They want to always keep their options open. Make a commitment. One way or the other. Either you're going to follow Jesus or you're not. Either you're ... . Don't offer him a divided heart. Of course, our hearts are always divided . . .and deceitful . . . and desperately wicked. None of us keeps all our promises. But we ask for a whole heart, an undivided heart, and with the homage of our heart we pray, "Lord ...

3622. Addiction Free

Psalm 30:1-12

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

... , that just looking at him and pointing to your own mouth will cause him to bellow out "No!" and run for the hills. Egil is in such a hard place because he is fighting two different addictions at once. The Phenobarbital that enabled him to keep to keep his seizures at bay also pulled a hazy, softening cloud over all the information and experiences that bombard any new-to-this-world child. As the medication level drops the decibel level of the world goes up, jarring all Egil's sense. The other addiction ...

3623. The Problem with Busybodies

2 Thessalonians 3:6-15

Sermon

King Duncan

... tell everyone how things should be done. Let the pastor earn his money; let him do all the work. Never give to your church in advance. Wait until you get your money’s worth, and then wait a bit longer. Never encourage the pastor; if you like a sermon, keep mum about it. Many a pastor has been ruined by flattery. It is good to tell your pastor’s failings to any strangers who may happen in, though; they might be a long time finding them out otherwise. If there happen to be a few zealous workers in the ...

3624. From Ha-Ha's to Ah-ha's

John 16:5-16

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

... the key of F-sharp without writing a note . . . and felt the music in your soul. The very nature of "aha's"--can leave you with some long dry spells. Life has droughts of little delights. We easily fall into daily routines, grinding ruts, which keep us wedged into the pre-recorded and predictable. This is not just a postmodern problem. In fact in the eighteenth century some road designers and path-way providers took it upon themselves to inject a little diversity, a little spice, into the daily drudgery of ...

3625. Let the River Flow

Colossians 1:15-23

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

... feet and clapping our hands. When we feel the power of Christ's cohering, binding love, we are not strapped down, we spring up. The Christ-rhythm is what moves the church onto its feet out of the pews, through its doors, and into the world. Rhythm keeps the melody and harmony moving. This overflowing of Christ moves our feet in the right direction – out of here! TEMPO: The speed of any piece of music is called its tempo. A piece may rocket along like "The Flight of the Bumblebee." Or it may lounge about ...

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