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 3776 to 3800 of 4977 results

3776. Romans 8:26-30

Romans 8:18-27

Sweet

Leonard Sweet

... good.” The ultimate victory of the “good” is outlined by Paul in a tightly knit, step-by-step process he lays out in a series of five verbs. Each verb is weighted with theological baggage, but Paul’s argument is quite straight-forward. Those who “love God” according to Jewish tradition are those who God “foreknew” or “chose beforehand.” In the new Jesus context this chosenness makes Jesus disciples also part of God’s “predestined” or “preordained” design for salvation. Those ...

3777. Living on the Edge

Matthew 13:44-46

Illustration

Thomas A. Pilgrim

Christ's kingdom always calls for the note of sacrifice, taking a chance, living on the edge. There was an man down in Florida who used to wrestle alligators for tourists. One time after one of his performances a lady noticed he wore a string of alligator teeth around his neck. She said, "Oh, that is sort of like wearing a string of pearls." He replied, "Not quite. Anyone can open an oyster."

3778. The Compassionate Christ

Matthew 14:13-21

Sermon

King Duncan

... . A flight attendant came on the public address system. She began with the familiar information on such flights: “Ladies and gentlemen, the captain has turned off the seatbelt lights. We have now attained a cruising altitude of 30,000 feet.” Then she said something quite extraordinary: “Having served many of you on the first leg of this flight, I know some of you still have your bags of peanuts, which you stuffed in your pocket. How many do we have? Five? Please open them and share them with the ...

3779. Won't You Come Home, George Bailey?

Luke 2:1-7

Sermon

... it twice. So now you know. Mystery solved. Would that we could have easily solved the one that has consumed our interest here for the last fortnight. Twelve days ago, I found this rectangle of green coreboard on my desk. For those of you who can't quite make it out, it has two hand-fashioned cones ... green cones ... connected to each other by wire. From the wire dangles a suspended ink cartridge. The lettering reads: "On the first day of Christmas, my true love gave to me." So what is it? A cartridge in ...

3780. It Don't Add Up

Matthew 14:13-21

Illustration

... and I seen their numbers. One of 'em was wearing a six and the other one was wearing a seven, so I just added them numbers together and got fourteen and called number fourteen." The coach hesitated a moment and said, "But son, six and seven make 13." The boy, quite unmoved by the correction, said, "You know what coach? If I was as smart as you, we would have lost the game." Things do not always add up the way they are supposed to, do they?

3781. How Much Is Enough?

Matthew 14:13-21

Illustration

Dan Matthews

... have. And our basic way of seeing the world is by virtue of scarcity. And if we are honest, almost no one of us is free of that yearning to have a little bit more. Oh, we don't want to be accused of being greedy. We simply don't quite have enough. "Maybe other people do," we say to ourselves, "but I don't. I need just a little bit more." John D. Rockefeller was asked at the height of his career by a reporter, "Mr. Rockefeller, how much is enough?" And he responded, "Just a little more than I ...

3782. A Ticket for All

Matthew 15:21-28

Children's Sermon

King Duncan

... opera because Mr. Kahn was Jewish. He had given them over 2 million dollars, but he couldn't get a good seat because of his religion. That's hard to believe, but I understand it is true. That's called prejudice, isn't it? And quite often different groups in our country have been the victims of prejudice–African-Americans, Jews, Latinos, persons of Oriental ancestry, Native Americans, whom we call Indians, etc. People who are prejudiced forget that the Bible says that we all come from one mother and father ...

3783. A Little Time Alone

Matthew 15:21-28

Illustration

King Duncan

... :00 P.M. appointment and did not return. He never told anyone where he went, but because he was observed entering a nearby apartment building, it was assumed he must be visiting a mistress. Not so. The executive explained his habit to the psychologist quite easily. Inside Apartment 2B waited, not a luscious blonde, but a professional woodworking shop that he had set up, where he labored happily to turn out furniture and knick-knacks. He kept his special appointment with himself faithfully because it was his ...

3784. A Mother’s Faith

Matthew 15:21-28

Illustration

King Duncan

... of her son's salvation, she remarked that she had nothing left to live for, for the greatest desire of her heart had been fulfilled. Nine days later, Monica died. And the son she had spent her life praying for, went on to affect the whole world. Monica never quit asking. "Live on as you are living," said the holy man. "It is not possible that the son of such tears should be lost." Are you concerned about someone you love? Keep on asking God for help. Don't let your tears quench the flame of your faith in ...

3785. The Great Divide

Matthew 16:13-20

Sermon

King Duncan

... Christ that makes it impossible for us to live sordid and bigoted lives? First of all, we believe Christ is the earthly manifestation of the Most High God. He is God in human form. God come down to earth. It is an extraordinary claim, really quite breathtaking. Some would say, absolutely incredible. The God who created the billions of stars and planets and moons and everything that exists and ever has existed throughout eternity has come to us, met us where we are, reached out and touched us and loved us ...

3786. The True Olympians

Romans 12:1-8

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

... going? Danish philosopher Soren Kierkegaard once offered this synopsis of spirituality: “To be a saint is to will one thing.” But Professor Kierkegaard: It is one thing to train and “will one thing” when you stand a chance of winning. Professor Kierkegaard: It is quite another thing to train just as hard, to “will one thing” just as fiercely, when you know you will not be the best, when you know you will never stand a chance of winning a medal or even going beyond the first round. There is ...

3787. Overcoming Fear

Mark 4:35-41

Sermon

Bill Bouknight

... and destroying my body. But what cancer cannot touch is my mind, my heart, and my soul. I have faith in God…and hope that things might get better for me. But even if they don’t, I promise you this—I will never give up. I will never ever quit. And if cancer gets me…then I’ll just try my best to go to heaven and be the best coach they’ve ever seen up there.” (1) Jimmy V knew the secret for overcoming fear. St. Paul expressed that secret in these words: “Nothing in all creation will be ...

3788. Introducing A Child to God

1 Samuel 1:1-21

Sermon

Bill Bouknight

... created your child. Treasure your children for what they are, not for what you want them to be. Here is the second lesson in how to introduce your child to God—Teach your child to expect to hear God's "still, small, voice." Old Eli did that quite well for Samuel. He taught the boy that God speaks and we should listen for him. The voice that Samuel heard was so real that he thought that Eli was calling. I have never heard God speaking in such an audible fashion. However, I have certainly received messages ...

3789. Almost Persuaded

Matthew 19:16-30

Sermon

Bill Bouknight

... , and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me.” That gives me a slight touch of the "willies" every time I read it. What if Jesus were to tell you or me in a vision too real to deny: "Son or daughter, I want you to quit your job, sell your house, cash in your investments, and become a missionary." I always try to be mighty gentle with the Rich Young Ruler because I'm glad Jesus doesn't deliver the same challenge to me. Jesus was not saying that all persons should liquidate their material ...

3790. Healed By The Great Physician

2 Kings 5:1-27

Sermon

Bill Bouknight

... time following them. Someone says, “My wife and that dumb counselor said that I am selfish. That’s not the problem in our marriage; the problem is that she doesn’t understand me.” Someone says, “I don’t have an alcohol problem. I could quit any time I wanted to.” Someone says, “There is nothing wrong with my work ethic or job performance. The problem is that my boss and I have a personality conflict.” Someone says, “This ‘repent and get right with God’ business is okay for uneducated ...

3791. The Blessing Of A Godly Mentality

Genesis 18:16-33

Sermon

Bill Bouknight

... day, wearing a business suit. He began working on some important papers. It so happened that his seat-mate was a private in the U.S. Army, who was rather gregarious. This private, who didn’t recognize the General, said, “Sir, we are going to be traveling together for quite a while, so it would be nice if we got to know one another. I’m guessing that you are a banker.” Bradley, not wanting to be rude, but wanting to get some work done, replied, “No, I am not a banker. I am General Bradley, head of ...

3792. Practical Tips For Powerful Prayer

Matthew 6:5-15

Sermon

Bill Bouknight

... each service. Now we have a specific group of people praying now for each worship service, during that worship service. God is answering those prayers. Some years ago the renowned British preacher Leslie Weatherhead told a beautiful story about an elderly Scottish man who was quite ill. The minister came to see the dying man and noticed an empty chair alongside his bed. The older man said, “Let me tell you about this chair. Many years ago I found it difficult to pray, so one day I shared my problems with ...

3793. From Worry To Trust

Matthew 6:25-34

Sermon

Bill Bouknight

... next promotion. If God is the acknowledged Lord of our lives, if his agenda is our top concern, then worry is reduced. Why? Because our focus is on God’s business more than on our own. A new book about Memphis has come out that is quite disturbing. Editor Chris Peck of the Commercial Appeal wrote about it recently. It is entitled “The State of Children in Memphis and Shelby County,” published by the Urban Child Institute. It tells us that Memphis leads the nation in infants who die before age 1. About ...

3794. Sending Good Messages

Ephesians 4:1-16

Sermon

Bill Bouknight

... , not the car.” Wow! That’s good communication. I always thought that the war-time Prime Minister of Great Britain, Winston Churchill, was one of the most brilliant persons of the Twentieth Century. Now I’m sure of it. I discovered a statement he made when he was quite old, just a year or two before he died. Someone asked him, “If you could live your life again, what would you want to be?” Mr. Churchill replied with a twinkle in his eye, “If I could live a second lifetime, I would want to be Mrs ...

3795. The Love Triangle: Man-Woman-God

Psalm 127:1-5

Sermon

Bill Bouknight

... if a police officer barged in, would he believe me when I said, “Look, I’m the pastor here, this is my wife, and we are just practicing our dance steps”? But then, as I thought further about the matter, I decided that it might be quite appropriate that we danced in church. After all, the church is God’s house. God has a vested interest in good marriages, and therefore God would favor the use of his house in strengthening marriages. Dancing together should help that process. I was tempted to run an ...

3796. The Treasure Principles

Matthew 6:19-24

Sermon

Bill Bouknight

... How much is John worth?” everyone assumes that we are talking about John’s financial worth. When you talk about “the bottom line,” everyone assumes that you’re talking dollars. But for a Christian, the bottom line is about eternal matters. Jesus said quite a lot about money and possessions. In fact, 15 percent of everything Jesus said, as recorded in the four gospels, relates to this topic. He spoke more about this topic than about heaven and hell combined. (1) Jesus’ statements about money and ...

3797. The Secret Of Our Confidence

2 Timothy 1:11-12

Sermon

Bill Bouknight

... members of Christ Church was sharing with me memories from her childhood. She said, “My Dad owned a rather large boat and keep it moored near what is now Mud Island. We had many fun times on a sandbar up the river, picnicking and swimming. My brother and I were quite young at the time. Dad would not allow us to go into the water until he had first tied a rope around our waists. He held the other end of those ropes. A few times when I got into deep water, he had to gently pull me to safety. Somehow ...

3798. Mary, Did You Know?

Luke 1:26-38

Sermon

Bill Bouknight

... who came over on the Mayflower. Mary had just become betrothed or engaged to a young carpenter named Joseph. During this year of engagement, Mary and Joseph would never be alone or unescorted for any length of time. These were strict, old-fashioned times, portrayed quite accurately in the current movie, “The Nativity Story.” One day a top-ranking angel named Gabriel visited Mary. The angel told her that she was to be the mother of the long-awaited Messiah, the son of the living God. Gabriel was asking a ...

3799. Why Is Life So Unfair?

Romans 8:28-39

Sermon

Bill Bouknight

... ways of God is entitled “The Will of God” by Leslie Weatherhead. Weatherhead used a strange but very helpful illustration. He said, “Let’s suppose that the toddlers of the world were to have a mass meeting. Let’s suppose that they could communicate quite well. The chairman, after adjusting his bib, might declare, ‘I am sure my parents don’t love me. Look at my knees, all red and scratched. Your knees look as bad as mine. Will someone here propose a motion?’ “Suppose that a chubby little ...

3800. I Am the Keeper of the Zoo

Isaiah 11:1-9

Sermon

... divided (for purposes of classification) into animal, vegetable and mineral, where are we most commonly classified if not "animal?" We may have the spark and soul of the divine (at least some of us think so). And we may be capable of actions that are quite angelic. But we are neither deities nor angels. We are animals….in some ways, wonderfully unlike the rest….but in other ways, very much like the rest. For years, I have been telling preachers….even preachers who love poetry….not to quote poetry in ...

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