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 3726 to 3750 of 4963 results

3726. I Heard My Brother Crying

Mark 10:46-52

Illustration

James W. Moore

... were dancing around their heads. Finally, she freed him. She picked him up and quickly took him outside and revived him just as the roof of the house caved in. By this time, firemen were on the scene and the neighbors had gathered outside the smoldering remains of the house. The neighbors had been too frightened to go inside or to do anything to help, and they were tremendously impressed with the courage of the twelve-year old girl. They congratulated her for her heroic efforts and said, "Terri, you are so ...

3727. Seeing Life's Meaning

Mark 10:46-52

Illustration

... the knowledge of her impending death. The day that she chooses to live over is her twelfth birthday. Her mother is pre-occupied with preparations for the celebration. Her father returns home from work exhausted. Only Emily is aware of the few precious moments now remaining. She pleads: "Momma, just look at me once as though you really saw me." But her mother pays no attention. Emily can only relive the day; she cannot change anything. She goes to her father and tries to talk to him, but he is busy reading ...

3728. In the Waiting Room

Luke 21:5-38

Sermon

King Duncan

... suitors at bay, Penelope announced that when she finished weaving a particular garment, she would choose among these persistent suitors. There was something these suitors did not know, however. Each night Penelope undid the stitches that she put in during the daytime, and so she remained faithful to Odysseus until he returned. That is our call to be faithful. While we wait for Christ’s return, we are his body in the world, called to do his work. The church has been serving the world in Christ’s name for ...

3729. A Day of Singing

Zephaniah 3:14-20, Luke 3:7-18

Sermon

King Duncan

... away, begging for money. She had no idea what was going on, but whatever it was, she wasn’t about to miss it. Stacy positioned herself 3 meters away from Bell, front row, center. She had a huge grin on her face. The grin, and Stacy, remained planted in that spot until the end. Stacy told the reporter: ‘It was the most astonishing thing I’ve ever seen in Washington. Joshua Bell was standing there playing in rush hour, and people were not stopping, not even looking, and some were flipping quarters at ...

3730. No Room for Jesus

Luke 2:1-7

Sermon

King Duncan

... of the construction site to the other, he accidentally bumped his leg against a wooden box. He was irritated by this. Impatiently, he brushed the dust from his leg and ordered the workers to throw the box out. The emperor did not realize that the box held the remains of his beloved wife. He had thrown out her coffin. He had failed to remember that she was there. “Thus the one for whom the temple was being built had been cast out. The one who had inspired the whole project was forgotten. The one the temple ...

3731. Simeon and Anna: The Quiet of the Country

Luke 2:21-40

Sermon

Maxie Dunnam

... so satisfied and so delighted all the rest. Till in anger he threw down his pen and went home to his own house. But at midnight, an angel appeared to Simeon, and said to him: “Simeon, I am Gabriel that stands in the presence of God and, behold, thou shalt remain in this thy captivity til thou shalt see with thine own eyes the Lord’s Christ, made of a woman, and til the virgin’s son shall put his little hand into thy aged bosom, and shall there loose thy silver cord.” And it was so. And the same ...

3732. Mary and Joseph: His Obedient Servants

Luke 2:1-7

Sermon

Maxie Dunnam

... of death” for a long season. The winter of our discontent, our near-despair, may extend into what should be spring – time of new beginnings. We don’t control he schedule; God does. We only control our reaction and response. And our response must be to remain thoughtful, prayerful, and obedient – looking always for God’s answer, not grasping for our own. Also, for most of us, memory is a gift of God. Most of us, in retrospect, can claim the fact that God has acted in our lives in the past, has ...

3733. Too Easily Satisfied

Mark 12:34

Illustration

Scott Hoezee

... the business of driving away the demons of doubt, despair, cynicism, arrogance, and anything else that hinders people from believing our message and so entering Jesus' kingdom. The kind of unclean spirits Jesus so routinely encountered have not gone off duty, my friends. Just look around. It is because they remain so real and powerful that we must proclaim and also live under the rule of God right now. The kingdom of God is at hand. We live knowing that this is true! We live to help others believe it, too.

3734. Show and Sell or Show and Tell?

Hebrews 9:11-28

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

... the inner sanctum of the Temple, and the sacrifice made once-and-for-all by Christ on the cross. The human “show” of an annual sacrifice was permanently stuck in re-runs. The show was re-enacted year after year after year. Yet the human condition remained unchanged. Christ's sacrifice wasn't just for “show.” It was “once for all at the end of the age to remove sin by the sacrifice of himself” (v.26). Christ's life, death and resurrection wasn't just another “Show.” Christ’s life, death and ...

3735. A Symbol of Hope

Mk 12:38-44

Illustration

King Duncan

... on fire. They escaped with only the clothes on their backs. There were no close neighbors to help so he and his father walked to a distant village to get supplies. As they returned they saw something that stayed with Ruele Howe all those years after. Beside the charred remains of what had been their house, his mother had laid out lunch on a log. She had placed a tin can filled with wildflowers on the log. It was a symbol of hope in the midst of tragedy. This is the Christian faith, isn't it? She didn't ...

3736. Clergy Playing It Safe

Mark 12:41-44

Illustration

... Clergy often come to their calling with a distinct aversion to conflict and to having to deal with money issues. Our culture seems to reinforce them in that behavior. So long as clergy are cowed and anxious in the face of money and wealth, they will remain silent about the spiritual issue that touches our culture more deeply than any other. The more I steeped myself in this book and looked at churches around me, the more I became convinced this behavior is the way a culture controls a challenge to itself. A ...

3737. Christmas: Before And After

Luke 2:1-7

Drama

Lois Anne DeLong

... Joseph: We’ll be fine. I’m sure of it. (Mary and Joseph exit off left with the black cloth. Other actors enter and remove chairs and table as Narrator speaks.) Narrator: The Bible tells us that Mary and Joseph made the trip to Egypt safely, and remained there until word reached them that Herod had died. It was just one time of many when Joseph followed the advice of our fictional friend, Samuel, to “Love him, protect him, teach him ... and let God do the rest.” If our four little scenarios have one ...

3738. The Word Made Flesh

Luke 2:1-7

Drama

Lois Anne DeLong

... from the book of Isaiah and the birth of Jesus, showing how his coming was a fulfillment of those prophecies. It has sixteen speaking parts, four of which are best for little ones, another four which should be played by teens or adults, and the remaining suitable for children in-between. The lead role of Esther was written for a girl about twelve. The stage setup includes a table, downstage left, with chairs on either side. A second table is set upstage on the right with several chairs. A door needs ...

3739. Thankfulness Can Be a Matter of Perspective

Matthew 6:25-34; John 6:25-35

Illustration

... see the hedgerows, highways, and the rivers delineating the landscape. Didn't you feel a sense of wonder? Don't you remember thinking, "Wow! That is unbelievable!"? Along the way, many of us have lost the wonder of things like flying. We should try to keep things in perspective and remain thankful for the amazing things that we enjoy every day in our unbelievable present.

3740. Freedom Riders

John 18:33-37

Illustration

Steven E. Albertin

... the jail would begin to rock and swing to sounds of gospel singing. What began as a few weak voices would grow into a thundering and defiant chorus. The Freedom Riders would sing of their faith and their freedom. Sometimes they would even press their remaining mattresses out of their cells between the bars as they shouted, "You can take our mattresses, but you can't take our souls!" The Freedom Riders were behind bars in jail, but they were really free. They were supposed to be guilty, but they were ...

3741. God Is Not Far Away

Luke 21:5-38

Illustration

Keith Wagner

... us. We allow doom and darkness to dominate our lives rather than hope and light. Jesus is telling us that "to understand the world's troubles as omens of doom is to misread them. The world's tribulations and our personal trials can be understood as reasons for us to remain faithful, hopeful and optimistic."

3742. Luther on Signs of Christ's Coming

Luke 21:5-38

Illustration

Martin Luther

... ", eating, drinking, building, planting, buying, selling, marrying and giving in marriage, that every one must see and say either ruin or a change must come. It is hard to see how a change can come. Day after day dawns and the same conditions remain. There was never such keenness, understanding and judgment among Christians in bodily and temporal things as now - I forbear to speak of the new inventions, printing, fire-arms, and other implements of war...This compels me to believe that Christ will soon come ...

3743. The Whole Family Survival Kit

Luke 3:1-20

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

... voice and “leaped in her womb” (Luke 1:40). Yet in John’s gospel the adult John the Baptist claims, “I myself did not know him, but the one who sent me to baptize with water said to me, ‘He on whom you see the Spirit descend and remain is the one who baptizes with the Holy Spirit’” (John 1:33). John, Jesus’ forerunner, his Elijah, needed his shirt-tail cousin Jesus to be pointed out to him. After being born in some relative’s back room, Jesus didn’t grow up a spoiled single child either ...

3744. All Great Bridges Stem from Tiny Beginnings

Luke 3:1-20

Illustration

Keith Wagner

... the thread and fired it back across the gorge. The cord was then pulled across. One by one the Inca added thicker and thicker ropes, finally hauling into place a 200 pound floor cable that was created off site. Made of grass, this is the last remaining Inca rope bridge. It is reconstructed every June and continues to serve as access accross the gorge. It began with a single thread. Think how many changes take place in life because of a single phonecall, the implementation of one idea, one visit, or a single ...

3745. Advent 3

Lk 3:7-18 · Phil 4:4-7 · Zeph 3:14-20 · Isa 12:2-6

Sermon Aid

John R. Brokhoff

... religious leaders of his day, but to the people. He blasts their false security of claiming ancestry of Abraham. Though Jews, they are to repent in ethical fashion: "fruits of repentance," ethical behavior. Then he answers their question, "What then shall we do?" The remaining paragraph in the pericope is John's description of his relationship with Christ. He says he is not the Christ but he points to the coming Christ who in judgment will baptize with fire and the Spirit. Luke considers John's preaching as ...

3746. Plenty Good Room

John 14:1-4

Sermon

Maxie Dunnam

... this – in my Father’s house are many dwelling places. The Greek word is moanie. As a noun it may be translated rooms as you find it in the Revised Standard Version, or mansions as you find it in the King James’ Version. As a verb, it may be translated remain or abide. It is the Greek word Jesus used later in chapter 15 when he said, abide in me. If you abide in me, and my words abide in you. So when you put that verb form and that noun form together, what do you have? Jesus is saying, if ...

3747. The Wisdom of the Wise Men

Matthew 2:1-12

Sermon

Maxie Dunnam

... ’s flagship and onto Nelson’s quarterdeck. And this fellow knew Nelson’s reputation for courtesy and kindness and thought that he could trade on the reputation. He walked across the quarterdeck with his hand outstretched to greet nelson as an equal. But Nelson’s hands remained at his side. When the admiral got to him, Nelson said, ‘First your sword and then your hand.’ That’s the way it is in our relationship to Jesus. We give him our hand in friendship when we have surrendered our life to his ...

3748. “Yes” to Faith

Luke 1:39-56

Illustration

Keith Wagner

... up for people who couldn't speak for themselves. She was eventually awarded an honorary degree from Yale. President Theodore Roosevelt dubbed her "American's most useful citizen," and she was awarded the Nobel Prize for Peace. No matter how famous she became, Jane Adams remained a resident of Hull House, where she eventually died. (from God's Lessons of Life for Mom, Honor Books) As long as there are ordinary people, like Jane Adams, who are willing to give love to the ills of society there will always be ...

3749. Fruitcakes, Fruit-Baskets and New Year’s Babies

Ephesians 1:1-14

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

... your life “fruitful?” There is no question of the ABCs . . . Attendance, Buildings, Cash. There is something that even goes beyond “faithfulness.” That is “fruitfulness.” “Every good tree bears good fruit, but a bad tree bears bad fruit,” Jesus says in Matthew 7:17. "Those who remain in me, with me in them, bear fruit in plenty," Jesus says in John 15:5. Galatians 5 says to look for specific fruit. Not numbers, but we can see if there is fruit. How do you know you are growing in the image of ...

3750. Every Day God Encourages

Acts 4:36-37; 11:22-24

Sermon

Billy D. Strayhorn

... and a great number became believers and turned to the Lord. [22] News of this came to the ears of the church in Jerusalem, and they sent Barnabas to Antioch. [23] When he came and saw the grace of God, he rejoiced, and he exhorted them all to remain faithful to the Lord with steadfast devotion; [24] for he was a good man, full of the Holy Spirit and of faith. And a great many people were brought to the Lord. Barnabas was a true encourager. He offered encouragement to the early church. What Barnabas did for ...

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Showing 3726 to 3750 of 4963 results

3726. I Heard My Brother Crying

Mark 10:46-52

Illustration

James W. Moore

3727. Seeing Life's Meaning

Mark 10:46-52

Illustration

3728. In the Waiting Room

Luke 21:5-38

Sermon

King Duncan

3729. A Day of Singing

Zephaniah 3:14-20, Luke 3:7-18

Sermon

King Duncan

3730. No Room for Jesus

Luke 2:1-7

Sermon

King Duncan

3731. Simeon and Anna: The Quiet of the Country

Luke 2:21-40

Sermon

Maxie Dunnam

3732. Mary and Joseph: His Obedient Servants

Luke 2:1-7

Sermon

Maxie Dunnam

3733. Too Easily Satisfied

Mark 12:34

Illustration

Scott Hoezee

3734. Show and Sell or Show and Tell?

Hebrews 9:11-28

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

3735. A Symbol of Hope

Mk 12:38-44

Illustration

King Duncan

3736. Clergy Playing It Safe

Mark 12:41-44

Illustration

3737. Christmas: Before And After

Luke 2:1-7

Drama

Lois Anne DeLong

3738. The Word Made Flesh

Luke 2:1-7

Drama

Lois Anne DeLong

3739. Thankfulness Can Be a Matter of Perspective

Matthew 6:25-34; John 6:25-35

Illustration

3740. Freedom Riders

John 18:33-37

Illustration

Steven E. Albertin

3741. God Is Not Far Away

Luke 21:5-38

Illustration

Keith Wagner

3742. Luther on Signs of Christ's Coming

Luke 21:5-38

Illustration

Martin Luther

3743. The Whole Family Survival Kit

Luke 3:1-20

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

3744. All Great Bridges Stem from Tiny Beginnings

Luke 3:1-20

Illustration

Keith Wagner

3745. Advent 3

Lk 3:7-18 · Phil 4:4-7 · Zeph 3:14-20 · Isa 12:2-6

Sermon Aid

John R. Brokhoff

3746. Plenty Good Room

John 14:1-4

Sermon

Maxie Dunnam

3747. The Wisdom of the Wise Men

Matthew 2:1-12

Sermon

Maxie Dunnam

3748. “Yes” to Faith

Luke 1:39-56

Illustration

Keith Wagner

3749. Fruitcakes, Fruit-Baskets and New Year’s Babies

Ephesians 1:1-14

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

3750. Every Day God Encourages

Acts 4:36-37; 11:22-24

Sermon

Billy D. Strayhorn

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