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 3651 to 3675 of 4976 results

3651. Catch the Fever

Mark 1:29-34

Sermon

James Caldwell III

... has been sick, my wife would say "He's on fire!" Unless it's a family member we're nursing, we try to keep our distance from people with fevers, because the last thing we want to do is catch the fever. There are risks to catching ... Jesus calls us to take these risks. To bring our light out from under the bushel. To dig up the coins he gave us that we buried for safe keeping, and let God help us multiply them like loaves and fishes. Yes, it's not easy to take those risks. But Jesus doesn't call us to do ...

3652. Not What We Expected

Isaiah 11:1-16

Sermon

King Duncan

... It’s important that we not lose hope, that we do not lose faith. Writes Isaiah in another place, “The people who walked in darkness have seen a great light.” (9:2) That’s where we are sometimes--walking in darkness. But we must keep going. We must believe that we will see a great light. Victor Frankl experienced soldiers giving up hope and dying. Let me tell you about someone who had nearly the opposite experience. Willem Brandt was one of thousands of Dutch citizens also imprisoned in concentration ...

3653. Follow Me!

Matthew 16:21-28

Sermon

James McCormick

... promise to give us everything we need for the journey. And he promised that following him will lead to abundant life, eternal life. We keep saying it over and over again don’t we? One of things I’m most pleased about is that phrase that’s become an ... and sound like Jesus?” I’m pleased about that, because, that’s what it means. To follow Jesus means that, over time, by keeping company with him, by opening ourselves to him, we begin to look and sound like him. And when we do, we become “the ...

3654. Wrestling for a Blessing

Genesis 32:22-32

Sermon

James McCormick

... life was a constant struggle for Jacob. Most of it he brought on himself, but it was a struggle! From the very beginning Jacob was a man of deceit and cunning. Even in the womb, the story says, he grabbed Esau’s heel, trying to keep him from being born first. His name, Jacob, means “supplanter”. One commentator nicknamed him “grabber” - he grabbed his brother’s heel; he grabbed his brother’s birthright; he grabbed some property from Laban. Early in his life, he was not a very nice person, this ...

3655. The Church on Main Street

Matthew 28:16-20

Sermon

James McCormick

... with the things in life that really matter. And I am just as sure as I am sure about anything that the one to put us there and keep us there is Christ. And the good news is that we are not alone as we seek to be faithful disciples. Jesus gave us a big job, ... we have become distracted and have lost our way. When we are at our best, we know that Your way is the way. So help us to keep You at the center of our lives and at the center of our life together, so that we may deal with the things that matter most in ...

3656. Jesus' Forty Days, and Ours

Matthew 4:1-11

Sermon

James McCormick

... doctor pronounced the “C” word, there popped into my mind some verses of scripture that I had not thought about for over fifty years. I know my mother had placed them there because they were from the King James translation. Here are the words: “Thou wilt keep him in perfect peace whose mind is stayed on Thee.” (Isaiah 26:3) Instantly I thought of those words, after not hearing them for over fifty years. They had simply been filed away there for the time when I would need them. In the weeks following ...

3657. Lifelong Disciples

Matthew 28:16-20

Sermon

James McCormick

... me.” And, you know, they are right, 100% right. If the Christian faith is something primarily for children and youth, something you grow out of, something you don’t have to take as seriously later on, then they are right. It’s not worth the effort unless it keeps on growing, day after day, as long as we live. It’s not worth it unless it takes hold of us as adults and makes an obvious, vital difference in our lives. Our children and youth are watching us, you know. And they are making their decisions ...

3658. 1 Corinthians 9:24-27

1 Corinthians 9:1-27

Sweet

Leonard Sweet

... as an example. His own race is not run aimlessly or without hesitation (adelos). He has a fixed goal--to win the prize, the victor's wreath. Paul's purpose is clear and his course unswerving. In the race metaphor this means staying on track, keeping focused on the finish line. But Paul immediately introduces another sporting metaphor, again personalizing the image: "nor do I box as though beating the air." Though it may seem odd to introduce a new sporting image at this point, Paul chooses one of the most ...

3659. The Spread of Sin

Genesis 12:1-8

Sermon

Elizabeth Achtemeier

... promise was fulfilled (Mark 14:24). That is what God is doing here and now in our world, good Christians. He is working to keep his word, to reverse the effects of our sin, to bring blessing on us all, to make of us a new people, living in ... beauty, meaningful work and goodness, fullness of life (which is what “blessing” means) and love. And the story of how God works to keep his promises is the story that runs through the entire Bible. If we believe that sacred history and make it ours, by trusting ...

3660. Under New Leadership

John 1:29-34

Sermon

King Duncan

... -Back-Please-God Ford sedan. Fulghum is behind her in his 1952 GMC two-ton Go-Ahead-and-Hit-Me panel truck. The lady begins to honk her horn at the Range Rover, which the man ignores because he is already on his cell phone talking to London. She keeps honking. He finally hears her, flings down the phone, leans out of the window, and makes an obscene gesture at her. She continues to honk while waving him to stop. Fulghum, then, hits his horn which he salvaged off an old Model A. It goes AAAOOOGAAH. The man ...

3661. Cha-cha-cha Christians: The Dance that Advances

2 Peter 1:12-21

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

... -Cha-Cha, you don’t see life, you don’t DO life, the same way others do. Of course, we all stumble on the dance floor. But we keep dancing because we see the power of God’s love, the redemption of the world, the hope for a new future, in the form of a man on ... when we do. The eschatological character of Christian faith orients us toward the edges of the dance floor, which keep receding ever farther from view and inviting us to explore uncharted territory with creativity and innovation. The courage for ...

3662. Proper 8

Matthew 10:1-42, Romans 6:15-23, Psalm 13:1-6, Genesis 22:1-19

Sermon Aid

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

... of Abraham, today's Old Testament lesson. Luther points out that the command to sacrifice Isaac flew in the face of the earlier promise that from him should come a great nation, but that Abraham was obedient to the command because he trusted God to keep the promise, in spite of all appearances to the contrary. Luther continues: Therefore one should hold fast to this comfort, that what God has once declared, this He does not change. You were baptized, and in Baptism the kingdom of God was promised you. You ...

3663. Commentary for Matthew 4: 1-11

Matthew 4:1-11

Sweet

Leonard Sweet

... makes it clear that Jesus was “led up by the Spirit,” and that none other than the Spirit of God accompanied Jesus on this journey. Indeed, Matthew declares that the entire tempting or testing scene devised by the devil is carried out in keeping with divine design. No where is the Spirit that leads Jesus away from the crowds at the Jordan River described as leaving him at any time during this ordeal. The entire temptation or testing scenario that Matthew records mirrors events found in Deuteronomy 6 ...

3664. Changed Lives - Nicodemus

John 3:1-21

Sermon

King Duncan

... and give you a heart of flesh. And I will put my Holy Spirit in you and move you to follow my decrees and be careful to keep my laws.” (2) Jesus tried to explain to Nicodemus, “I tell you the truth, no one can enter the kingdom of God unless he is born ... and give you a heart of flesh. And I will put my Holy Spirit in you and move you to follow my decrees and be careful to keep my laws.” (2) Jesus tried to explain to Nicodemus, “I tell you the truth, no one can enter the kingdom of God unless he is born ...

3665. God's Dirty Job

Romans 5:1-11

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

... we will be asked at Judgment Day: “Show me your hands.” If our hands are clean and dry, rather than wet, stained, and dirty, then we should fear to hear, “Depart from me.” Are we afraid to passionately engage with others because we are concerned about keeping our hands clean? Do we think we are better than God, who got dirty hands when scooping us out of the dust and clay and breathing into us the breath of life? God wants to use your hands to touch the world. The Incarnation was the greatest ...

3666. John 11:1-45

John 11:1-16

Sweet

Leonard Sweet

... whatever you ask of him”) (v.22). Jesus’ assertion “Your brother will rise again” does not register with Martha. Instead she once again focuses on what SHE knows—-“I know he will rise again in the resurrection on the last day” (v.24). Jesus keeps trying. He shifts Martha’s focus toward something she DOESN’T know, giving her a new definition and a new identity for “the resurrection and the life.” How more direct can Jesus be: “Those who believe in me, even thought they die, will live ...

3667. Parable of the Crabby Grass

Matthew 13:24-30

Children's Sermon

Brett Blair

... is. They have probably spent hours down on their hands and knees trying to pull it up. But it never goes away; it just keeps popping back up. So, how do you think we can get rid of the crabgrass? (response) There is another problem as well. Sometimes it’ ... it. So I have a suggestion for you and for your mom and dad: Stop trying. There's too much of it and it will just keep coming back anyway! Application: That's also true for people. There are so many crabby people and so many crabby things going on in this ...

3668. Hard Work

1 Thessalonians 2:1-16

Children's Sermon

Tim Carpenter

... t it pretty? It must have taken a lot of work to build it. Do you think that it took a lot of work to keep the church going? (response) Application: Let me tell you how old the church is. It’s 2000 years old. The Apostle Paul was one of ... build the church. We ought always to remember that people before us worked hard to make the church. Hold up one of the pictures. We also should keep that work alive by working hard. That’s what Jesus wants you and me to do. Let’s Pray: Thank you God for all of those in ...

3669. When Losing Your Baggage Is a Good Thing

Hebrews 12:1-2

Sermon

James W. Moore

... closed-minded person. A few weeks ago Mayor Bill White was here to speak to our Methodist Men. He was asked how the Safe Clear Program is going. As you know, it’s a new program to move stalled cars off the roadway, to make our streets safer, and to keep the traffic moving. There’s been a lot of discussion about it on TV, in the papers, in the City Council chambers, and over coffee cups and water coolers all over the city. Some people like it and some have problems with it. I don’t know how you feel ...

3670. Changed Lives - Mary Magdalene

John 20:10-18

Sermon

King Duncan

... prefer to stick to what we know. And most of what we know comes to us in the stories of Christ’s passion and his resurrection. As Jesus hangs in agony on the cross, his life ebbing from him, Mary Magdalene is there, beside his mother, Mary, keeping watch. Crucifixion is slow, brutal, bloody, but still she stays. Finally the hour comes. “It is finished,” Jesus says, and bows his head. His body is bound in linen, carried to a garden, buried in a tomb. Before dawn on the third day it is Mary Magdalene ...

3671. Don't Look Back, Remember Lot's Wife

Genesis 19:24-26

Sermon

James W. Moore

... in slow motion and then in super slow motion and finally, he said: “Jim, the good news is that you were ahead. The bad news is you looked back and it cost you, so the lesson is obvious: “Don’t you look back over your shoulder ever again. You keep your eyes focused straight ahead on the finish line!” And then for emphasis, he added: “If you ever do that again, I’m gonna put ‘horse blinders’ on you! Do you understand me, young man?” And I said what any high school boy in his right mind would ...

3672. That's What Jesus Does for Me

Psalm 139:7-12

Sermon

James W. Moore

... the secret service. They go with the President everywhere he goes. They travel with him always. They protect him and take care of him and keep him safe at all times.” And Pascale said: “That’s what Jesus does for me!” Pascale was right, wasn’t’ she? This is the ... what may in this life and in the next, I will be with you to watch over you and take care of you and keep you safe.” The noted journalist, Hugh Redwood, told about a time some years ago when he was at the breaking point. He was… ...

3673. The Gospel According to Winnie the Pooh

Luke 24:13-35

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

... , ‘But I did not see anybody watching!’ The Rabbi replied, ‘God is watching you.’” Adin Steinsaltz, Simple Words: Thinking About What Really Matters in Life (NY: Touchstone, 1999), 46. Bono’s “Walk On” from All That You Can’t Leave Behind “And if the darkness is to keep us apart And if the daylight feels like it’s a long way off . . . And if your glass heart should crack And for a second you turn back Oh no, be strong Walk on, walk on You’re packing a suitcase for a place none of us ...

3674. Luke 24:13-35

Luke 24:13-35

Sweet

Leonard Sweet

... new state of comprehension. Jesus reveals how the messiah “must suffer these things and then enter his glory” (v.26) by walking these two disciples through the scriptures. Jesus uses the Torah itself to show them that this “suffering Messiah” is in keeping with the tradition of the scriptures. Jesus showcases on this Emmaus Road the authoritative journey that all future followers of his must take: finding reasoned validation for our faith from biblical texts and traditions as well as from a personal ...

3675. How to Live a Sizzle-When-It-Drizzles Life

John 10:1-21

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

... give up, never give you away. Second, you need some boots. When it drizzles, wear your rubber boots. You need something to keep you from slipping, sliding, and sloshing. The John 10:10 life has abundant resources for any rainy season. There are no ... faith, which give us a good grip on the slippery surfaces we traverse. Third, you need wipes. When it drizzles, you need to keep your vision clear. Arguably the best invention ever for weather was the intermittent wiper blade on a car’s windshield. When the rain ...

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