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 351 to 375 of 4944 results

351. God's in Charge (so shut up!)

Ephesians 5:15-20

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

The more we can shut down our vain defenses and open up to God's words, the more we can benefit from the leadership of God's Spirit. There is a certain earthiness and directness present in the Hebrew Scriptures that is often missing in the New Testament. The New Testament was written in Greek and heavily influenced by the refinements of Greek culture. The patriarchs and kings of Israel, in contrast, are never "prettied up." Indeed, their foibles and faults supply numerous reasons for God to intervene human ...

352. God Stood Up

Sermon

James Bjorge

As you sit before your television set, the program, "To Tell the Truth," flashes on the tube. The host, Gary Moore, introduces the panel members and the game is soon underway. Three persons come onto the stage and all claim to be the same person. Two are pretenders; one is the real person. The object of the game is for the panelists to discover the right one so they ask questions and then attempt an educated guess. As they toss out their questions, the audience both in the studio and at home is also ...

353. Up Close & Personal: Open the Doors

Psalm 100:1-5

Sermon

James Merritt

What I am about to say to you I want to upfront make sure that I am not misunderstood. I am not a name dropper and I don’t like name droppers. During the course of my life I’ve gotten to meet many people, some of whom I consider famous, from the standpoint that they are well-known. But like most of you, I have a few people that I have always wanted to meet, or hope to one day meet. Not because I am star-struck or want to take a selfie with a celebrity to post on the Internet. No, I want to meet certain ...

354. Take Up Your Cross And Follow Me

Matthew 16:21-28

Sermon Aid

Clement E. Lewis

Meditation Hymn: "Above The Hills Of Time"(May be sung as a solo in preparation for worship) Prayer Of Invocation: We come to worship you, our Lord, knowing that you overcame both the cross and the grave. We realize that except for your endurance of the cross and its cruel death, we would not have known the full magnitude of your love for us. Your having made atonement for our sins, makes us aware that we should live the Christian faith fully, knowing that it is the way, the truth, and the life. Thank you ...

355. Keeping the Glow On

Exodus 34:29-35

Sermon

Harry N. Huxhold

Frank Peretti created a stir with the publication of two books, This Present Darkness and Piercing the Darkness. He claims that his books are a creative fictional treatment about the spiritual warfare that is going on in the world. He believes that Christian people have the authority to exercise spiritual control over the things and forces which detract from the promise of what the Christian faith can be. In an interview about the nature of his books, he remarked how Christians have lost the ability to ...

356. Keeping the Main Thing the Main Thing

Luke 9:51-62

Sermon

Arley K. Fadness

They were 5,000 feet in the air in a two-seat Cessna when suddenly the pilot slumped over. It happened not so long ago near Mount Hope, Indiana, to an 81-year-old passenger who was flying to Indianapolis for lunch. When his 52-year-old friend and pilot unexpectedly died, the elder passenger realized he knew nothing about flying and a lot less about landing! In the next twenty minutes you can bet he gave his total attention to the voices on the radio and the instructions given to him. Another pilot nearby ...

357. Take Up Your Cross

Luke 8:1-15

Sermon

Robert V. Dodd

It'll make you undefeatable! In Luke 8:4-8, our Lord tells a parable about "the sower and the seed" to illustrate the proclaiming of the Word and human response. It is curious to note the audacious, almost reckless way in which the seed is sown. The sower must have been really throwing wildly, because we are told that some seed fell on the footpath, some on shallow rocky ground, some among thistles, and some in good soil. To many people the sower's haphazard way of sowing would appear wasteful. Couldn't he ...

358. Keeping In Touch… With The Lord

Exodus 33:12-23

Sermon

Walter Kimbrough

God created us to be social beings. Life is not intended to be experienced in total isolation though moments of solitude are therapeutic. We live on the planet earth with other people and so it is essential for every person to develop meaningful relationships with significant others. Each person is introduced into society through a family unit, the most fundamental organism in existence today. Human relationships do not automatically survive and certainly do not thrive without constant nurturing. In other ...

359. Moses: A Traveling God in a Pop-Up Camper

Exodus 13:17-22, 33:7-11

Sermon

John E. Harnish

So Joseph died in Egypt. Having saved the family from famine, this great-grandson of Abraham dies in hope of the day when they will return to the Promised Land, the land of Abraham's sojourn and God's covenant. And as he requested, the people pack his bones in a coffin, promising to carry them along when the time comes. Decades pass; the people of Israel grow in influence and power. Like many immigrant groups which establish themselves in a new land, they become a threat to the powers that be. (There are ...

360. What Does Jesus Expect of Us?

Mark 8:27-38

Sermon

Donald Macleod

And Jesus went on with his disciples, to the villages of Caesarea Philippi; and on the way he asked his disciples, "Who do men say that I am?" And they told him, "John the Baptist; and others say, Elijah; and others one of the prophets." And he asked them, "But who do you say that I am?" Peter answered him, "You are the Christ." And he charged them to tell no one about him. And he began to teach them that the Son of man must suffer many things, and be rejected by the elders and the chief priests and the ...

361. Down the Up Staircase

Genesis 11:1-9

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

Whose life will be a staircase for God''s descent to earth? The tower of Babel would seem like pretty short stuff compared to today's architectural wonders. Buildings are now built so tall that engineers design flexibility into their frames, allowing them to sway in the swirling winds without damaging the integrity of the structure. Our cities are so filled with sky-scraping boxes that we have created whole new weather and wind patterns within these steel and concrete canyons. A few creatures have even ...

362. The Art of Keeping Quiet

Luke 1:5-25, Ezekiel 3:16-27

Sermon

Lori Wagner

How many of you think of yourselves as extroverts? How many of you are introverts? Can anyone tell me the difference? Introverts gather their energy and power from internal sources and from alone, contemplative time. Extroverts gather their energy from being with other people and primarily from external sources and stimuli. Which is better? Neither is better. Just different. But for years extroversion was seen as “the norm” and introverts were seen as faulty. Introversion was considered an anomaly, kind of ...

363. Keeping Promises

Numbers 30:1-16

Teach the Text

Joe M. Sprinkle

Big Idea: Take solemn promises and commitments seriously. Understanding the Text Following the first census in Numbers is a section dealing with vows, specifically Nazirite vows (Num. 6). Likewise, after the second census Numbers 30 deals with vows, especially women’s vows. Why would a section on vows follow Numbers 28–29, which is on offerings made on holy days? Perhaps because holy days are occasions for completing vows. Numbers 29:39 mentions that “vows” can be completed by sacrifice on holy occasions. ...

364. Scandal

Luke 22:14-23:56

Sermon

Wayne Brouwer

While Don Richardson was a student at Prairie Bible Institute in the 1950s, his heart burned in anticipation of bringing the good news about Jesus to an unreached tribe. He and Carol found their prayers answered in 1962 as they sailed out of Vancouver harbor toward Netherlands New Guinea. Before long, they were deposited by a missionary plane among the Sawi people, a group of tribes living in the trees of the interior rain forest. The jungle floor was too damp for permanent dwellings, so the Sawi helped ...

365. I Lift Up My Eyes To The Hills

Psalm 121:1-8

Drama

Dallas A. Brauninger

Suggestions: Use before the pastoral prayer. 2 readers - senior spouses Key: 1 = man, 2 = woman 1: I lift up my eyes to the hills - from where will my help come? 2: My help comes from the Lord, who made heaven and earth. 1 and 2: He will not let your foot be moved; he who keeps you will not slumber. He who keeps Israel will neither slumber nor sleep. 2: The Lord is your keeper; the Lord is your shade at your right hand. 1: The sun shall not strike you by day, nor the moon by night. 2: The Lord will keep ...

366. Keeping on Top

Romans 12:21

Children's Sermon

Object: A cork, tub, or pan of water. (It would be good to have enough small corks to pass out). Good morning to you, boys and girls. I say that to you every week, don’t I? Maybe you could help me find something new to say. In the New Testament they sometimes said, "Greetings in the name of Jesus Christ," or "Grace be to you." Well, anyway, maybe you will help me find something new to say to you. Has anybody ever called you a cork? You heard me right, has anyone said to you, "Hi, Cork?" No? Well, that’s ...

367. What God Keeps in Heaven for You.

1 Peter 1:3

Children's Sermon

Object: a savings bond or an insurance policy for college. Happy Easter, everybody! Isn't this the most wonderful day in the whole year? You feel so free and easy. There is nothing in the world to worry about, since we know that Jesus has won over everything, including the devil himself. It wasn't always like this, I can tell you that. There was a time when people lived in absolute fear of dying. But not anymore! The grave used to be such a horrible thought that people wouldn't even talk about it to each ...

368. They Grow Up Fast

Luke 2:41-52

Sermon

Mark Trotter

I selected this lovely hymn this morning, "Once in Royal David's City," because of its reference to the childhood of Jesus. It is one of the few places where you will find any reference to the fact that he grew up the way we have to. The third verse reads, "Jesus is our childhood's pattern; day by day, like us he grew." The hymn was part of a fascinating project, one of a series of hymns written by Cecil Alexander, back in 1848, to teach children the meaning of the Apostles' Creed. "Once in Royal David's ...

369. When What You Signed Up For...

Acts 16:9-15

Sermon

King Duncan

I want to ask you a question this morning: how do you respond when God—or life itself—changes your plans? This question is relevant for everyone in the congregation because at some point in your life, God or life, if you will, will suddenly and unexpectedly change your plans for your day, maybe even for your life. There is an old “Peanuts” cartoon strip that I suspect we all can relate to. In the first panel Charlie Brown says, “I learned something in school today, I signed up for folk guitar, computer ...

370. Christian: Don’t Get So Hung Up On Churchy Things!

Revelation 21:10, 22--22:5

Sermon

Mark Ellingsen

There was no temple in the city. Heaven is a place without a temple. A Barna Poll in 2016 found while 73% of Americans identify themselves as Christians, only 37% are likely to be in church (and people typically lie about church attendance in polls). A 2016 Pew Research Center poll found that 20% of the religiously unaffiliated are turned off by institutional religion. It’s all about being “spiritual,” not “religious,” it seems. This vision of the New Jerusalem at the end of time that the writer of the ...

371. Binding Up the Fractured World

1 Corinthians 3:1-23

Sermon

Hubert Beck

The universe is held together in a most remarkable unity. When one reads scientific descriptions of how everything works, whether it be in the cosmic dimensions of the heavenly bodies or whether it be in the mini-dimensions of the atom, one is overwhelmed with wonder. What keeps everything together and holds it in its place? Why doesn’t it fly off into every direction and dissolve into absolute chaos? We know, of course, for it is part of our confession of faith, that somehow we tie all this to the work of ...

372. Keep On Moving

Luke 9:51-62

Sermon

Lori Wagner

Why did the chicken cross the road? To get to the other side. Why did the rooster cross the road? He had something to cock-a-doodle dooo! We laugh at these “old as time” chicken jokes, but think about it. The chicken is kind of wise! Look here, he’s not going to let anything stop him from getting to the other side of that road. He’s a chicken with a purpose, and his goal is to get to the other side of the road no matter what comes his way! Now that’s a chicken with a mission! I’ve seen a lot of animals not ...

373. Who Keeps Getting in My Way?

Matthew 5:1-12

Sermon

Wallace H. Kirby

Some years ago, ten doctors were appointed by the United States Government to meet together and draw up ten laws of public health, which were to be given to the American people to serve as a guide for good health. After twelve days of extensive debate, they found that they could not agree on the laws because of their diverse areas of concern: one was a cancer specialist, one a heart surgeon, one a psychiatrist, and so on. Also, they were from different sections of the country and were concerned that some ...

374. A Portion of Thyself

Matthew 6:1-6, 16-21

Sermon

Wayne Brouwer

At a graduation ceremony, the president of a Christian college stood at the podium and looked out over the huge crowd of people. He shook his head and said to himself (right into the microphone, of course!): “All these Christians in one place, and no one’s taking an offering!” We take offerings a lot, don’t we? Every Sunday at worship services, the money plates are passed. In fact, we can hardly think of a meeting of Christians where there is not some suggestion about offerings, donations, or contributions ...

375. Keeping His Word

John 14:23-29

Sermon

Donald Charles Lacy

Keeping our word has a long and positive history in our nation. For generations, a man was known by whether or not he kept his word. His word was his bond. Deal after deal was made on that basis. The essentials of the business world found it always helpful and even necessary for commerce to run smoothly. Some of us can remember vividly how these agreements functioned. Woe be unto that man who did not keep his word! If it happened more than once or twice and there were no extenuating circumstances, he was ...

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