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 4946 results

3651. Don’t Sweat the Big Stuff

Matthew 6:25-34

Sermon

James Merritt

I wonder if anybody here can relate to what the great theologian and philosopher, Irma Bombeck, once said: I've always worried a lot, and frankly I'm good at it. I worry about introducing people and going blank when I get to my mother. I worry about a shortage of ball bearings, a snake coming up through the kitchen drain. I worry about the world ending at midnight and getting stuck with three hours on a twenty-four hour cold capsule. I worry about getting into the Guinness World Book of Records under " ...

3652. The Easter Era

Acts 10:34-43

Sermon

Frank Ramirez

Most of us probably enjoy taking part in Easter rituals both here at church and at home. There are things we have done since we were children, and we're glad to pass them on to the next generation. Some of these practices are deeply religious. We may have taken part in solemn Maundy Thursday and Good Friday services, or greeted the Easter Sunrise with song and celebration! Some of the practices may be a little secular, but we practice them religiously as well — breaking our Lenten fasts with a special ...

3653. When It's Time to Reconcile

Romans 12:9-21

Sermon

J. Howard Olds

Artist Billy Davis recorded a song a few years ago that goes something like this: “I’d like to teach the world to sing in perfect harmony, I’d like to hold it in my arms and keep it company. I’d like to see the world for once all standing hand-in-hand, And hear them echo through the hills for peace throughout the land.” Well, wouldn’t we all? Is peace and harmony a pipe dream or a purposeful pursuit? Is reconciliation a realistic expectation or a useless fascination? What is this ministry of reconciliation ...

3654. Males or Females?

Acts 18:1-3, 18-19, 24-26

Sermon

J. Howard Olds

Perhaps the battle of the sexes has been going on since the beginning of time. At least the jokes go all the way back to Adam and Eve. One joke says that when God finished the creation of Adam, He stepped back, scratched His head and said, “I can surely do better than that." Then He created Eve. Another joke says Adam became lonely after a few weeks in the Garden, so he asked the Lord for a companion. The Lord said, “Let me think it over and get back to you." So the next day the Lord said to Adam, “Here's ...

3655. One in Faith and One in Service

John 17:1-11

Sermon

Lee Griess

A few choice words — that's what Jesus gives us this morning — a few choice words about our lives and faith. Just hours before being arrested, just hours before being tried and condemned, Jesus gathered his disciples around him and in all sincerity bowed his head and prayed for them and for us. These words from John 17 are part of a great discourse recorded by the gospel writer John, part of a great priestly prayer that Jesus offered up to his heavenly Father. These are words that unite us to God. And in ...

3656. Be Healed, Be Held

Mark 5:21-43

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

Every morning all humans do the same thing. We get up, take a shower, brush our teeth, and then decide what we are going to wear. Generally in western culture it remains true that “Clothes make the man,” or in the name of a popular website, “Clothes make the girl.” Got a teenager? Then you know what I’m talking about. Then you know oh-so-purse-painfully how important it is to have the “right look.” To wear the “right duds” so you can be the “right dudes.” Even if you are not a “fashionista,” it is almost ...

3657. Are You Part of the Scandal?

Luke 15:11-32

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

In many local elementary schools, every few weeks the “Lost and Found” box is emptied out and the contents are scattered down the length of the main hall. Coats, mittens, shoes, sweatshirts, gym clothes, are all laid down and spread out in the hopes that their owners will spot them and take them home. But the scene of all those empty clothes creates an eerie sensation, as if it is not the clothes that had been left behind, but that the children themselves have somehow been “lost” — zapped out of their ...

3658. Financial Planning

Luke 12:13-21

Sermon

King Duncan

A woman who lost her husband several years ago developed a friendship with a man who had also lost his spouse. They seemed a perfect match. All their children agreed they should get married. So a date was set and invitations were sent out. The invitations read like this: “Phil, Richard, Karen, Allison, John, Matt and Steve request the honor of your presence at the marriage of their mother and father. Because they are combining two households, they already have at least two of everything. So please, no ...

3659. A Global Celebration

John 20:1-9

Sermon

King Duncan

Eureka Springs, Arkansas is the home of the Great Passion Play in the Ozarks. There is a humorous story going around about the actor who at one time played the part of Christ in this passion play. As the actor carried the cross up the hill of Golgotha a tourist began heckling him, making fun of him and shouting insults at him. Finally, the actor had taken as much as he could take. So he threw down his cross, walked over to the tourist . . . and punched him out. After the play was over, the director told ...

3660. Don’t Be a Trender - Be a Trendsetter

Matthew 15:21-28

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

“Trending” as in “what’s trending?” is a social networking term used to describe what latest “hot new thing” is gaining popularity online and in our TGIF (Twitter, Google, Instagram, Facebook) culture. If you know what is “trending” then supposedly you’ve got your finger, or at least your texting finger, on the pulse of “what’s happening” in the world today. What have you heard is trending? Anyone?...This would be a great time for you to enter the congregational space and interact with your people about ...

3661. That's Not Fair

Matthew 20:1-16

Sermon

King Duncan

Some years back an anonymous dialogue circulated on the Internet. It was aimed at parents. It went like this: Whenever your children are out of control, you can take comfort from the thought that even God’s omnipotence did not extend to His own children. After creating heaven and earth, God created Adam and Eve. And one of the first things God said was “DON’T!” “Don’t what?” Adam replied. “Don’t eat the forbidden fruit,” God said. “Forbidden fruit? We have forbidden fruit? Hey Eve, we have forbidden fruit ...

3662. To the Rescue

Genesis 3:1-24

Sermon

James Merritt

Some of you may remember the most famous advice communist of all time. Her name was Ann Landers. For decades, her answers to every question you could imagine from all over the country was read in hundreds of newspapers. Her byline “Dear Ann”, became famous all over the world. Towards the end of her career, she sat down for an interview with NBC and she was asked this question, “Of all the questions you have received over all of your years what is the most frequent question you have been asked?” Her answer ...

3663. Signed, Sealed, and Delivered

2 Timothy 3:10--4:8

Sermon

James Merritt

Every week that you walk into this church you hear me say something that actually begs a very big question that deserves to be answered. For example, I am going to tell you right now to take your Bibles, or your smart phone, or your tablet and [Turn to II Timothy 3]. Then as we do every week we read a passage from the Bible. This particular passage says this, “All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness,that the man of God ...

3664. Digging Deeper

Luke 1:1-4

Sermon

James Merritt

The Christian faith is without question the most unique religious faith in history. If there is any religious faith that proves that the thinking that all religions basically teach the same thing and are leading us to the same path is false, it is the Christian faith. The reasons for that are many, but the greatest reason is this. The Christian faith is based on one single man. Not only that, it is based on the belief that this man, named Jesus, not only lived like every other man and died like every other ...

3665. I Don't Get No Respect

Luke 4:14-30

Sermon

King Duncan

Some of you will remember the late comedian Rodney Dangerfield who made a handsome living with the phrase — “I don’t get no respect.” “I don’t get no respect,” Rodney would say, adjusting his tie. “I tell ya when I was a kid, all I knew was rejection. My yo-yo, it never came back . . . With my dog I don’t get no respect. He keeps barking at the front door. He don’t want to go out. He wants me to leave . . .” Said Dangerfield, “I asked my old man if I could go ice-skating on the lake. He told me, ‘Wait till ...

3666. Which Parade Are You In?

Matthew 21:1-11

Sermon

King Duncan

A pastor was asked to speak for a certain charitable organization. After the meeting the program chairman handed the pastor a check. “Oh, I couldn’t take this,” the pastor said with some embarrassment. “I appreciate the honor of being asked to speak. You have better uses for this money. You apply it to one of those uses.” The program chairman asked, “Well, do you mind if we put it into our special fund?” The pastor replied, “Of course not. What is the special fund for?” The chairman answered, “It’s so we ...

3667. Elephants in the Room: Depression

Lamentations 3:17-26

Sermon

Charley Reeb

One of my favorite actors was Paul Newman. He played some of the best roles in motion picture history. Here is picture of Newman in one of his most famous roles, Cool Hand Luke. Cool Hand Luke is an important film with layers of meaning. Newman plays an unruly prisoner in a Southern chain gang during the 1930’s. Some folks have suggested that Newman’s character is somewhat of a Christ figure. For example, Luke surrounds himself with a band of followers. He also performs miracles, like a death defying ...

3668. About Face!

Matthew 25:14-30

Sermon

King Duncan

I’d like to take a quick poll this morning. If you could choose to visit a famous site around the world, like the Eiffel Tower in Paris or the Colosseum in Rome or the Giza Pyramids in Egypt or any other place of your choice, which would you choose to see? That’s not an easy question to answer. There are so many beautiful places in the world to visit. British photographer Oliver Curtis has created a very successful career in films, television and fashion photography. His success revolves around capturing ...

3669. No Turning Back

John 6:56-69

Sermon

Frank Ramirez

At the dawn of the Space Age it looked like the United States was losing the Space Race — and soundly. The Soviet Union had launched the first artificial satellite in 1957. In response the Vanguard rocket blew up on the pad. Both nations then began to work on putting a human into space. The American Project Mercury was projected to put a man in orbit by late 1960, but delay after delay — sometimes out of caution and sometimes out of concerns for safety because the rockets continued to blow up, allowed the ...

3670. Beware! Angels

Matthew 1:18-25

Sermon

Will Willimon

''Angels are big this Christmas," said the florist as he placed yet another cherub on the tree. An outburst of bestselling books testify to our current infatuation with angels. Why does the whole world seem so interested in angels, and at this time in human history? The word ''angel'' means, in the Greek, ''messenger." Angels are messengers of God. That's why artists portrayed them with wings. Angels, messengers from God. But in one Mercedes Benz TV commercial, angels are depicted as cute, hermaphroditic ...

3671. The First Sign of Civilization

Luke 10:25-37

Sermon

King Duncan

I have an important question for you this morning: what is something that is essential for human life, is highly contagious, yet most of us take it for granted? Any ideas? It’s kindness. You might think I’m exaggerating when I say it’s essential for human life and highly contagious, but I believe I can back that up. A student once asked anthropologist Margaret Mead what she considered to be the first sign of civilization in a society. What separates an uncivilized collection of people from a true ...

3672. A Young Man's Vow

Luke 14:25-33

Sermon

Richard Hasler

A young man awakens in the morning and hears the birds singing. He realizes how fortunate he is. It is summer time and he is back home in his father’s parsonage in Gunsbach, Germany. Recently, he has been reading about Jesus’ call in the gospels: “Whoever does not carry the cross and follow me cannot be my disciple.” “From everyone to whom much is given, much will be required.” Whoever would save his life shall lose it, and whoever shall lose his life for my sake and the gospel shall save it.” What do ...

3673. A Woman Dancing

Exodus 15:20, 21

Sermon

Will Willimon

"Then Miriam, the prophetess, the sister of Aaron, took a timbrel in her hand; and all the women went out after her with timbrels and dancing. And Miriam sang to them: 'Sing to the Lord, for he has triumphed gloriously; the horse and his rider he has thrown into the sea."' (Exodus 15:20, 21) The serious, white, Western reporter commented, ''Here in South Africa, funerals of slain black South Africans begin as religious services but are quickly transformed into something like political demonstrations." ...

3674. Flatliners

Luke 6:17-26

Sermon

Richard A. Wing

What would happen if on this Sunday we were to come to Jesus and ask, "Tell us flat-out what you're about?" Jesus might, on this particular day, say, "I have come to give comfort to the uncomfortable and to make uncomfortable those who have comfort." He has a way of flattening things out. Jesus is a flatliner. What if we were to ask that question of the entire Bible? "Don't give me the six-week course. Just give me a compendium of that battered and complex book. What does it look like?" He would have to ...

3675. The Waiting Place

Isaiah 63:7--64:12

Sermon

William L. Self

While we were keeping our eighteen-month-old grandson for the weekend so his parents could catch up on their sleep, my wife Carolyn and I were talking about this sermon. I had the idea, but it lacked something. Carolyn had taken Benjamin upstairs for his nap. About fifteen minutes later, she came bursting into my study and said, "I've got it! Read this," and she thrust into my hand Oh, the Places You'll Go! by Dr. Seuss. As she was reading this book to Benjamin, she came upon these words: The Waiting Place ...

Showing results