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 3801 to 3825 of 4943 results

3801. Second Thoughts

Luke 10:25-37

Sermon

Robert Beringer

... ? Would Christians today be involved in feeding the hungry, sheltering the homeless, overcoming prejudice, and standing with the outcasts of society who spend their lives struggling with AIDS or living in our prisons? I seriously doubt that God would be able to continue the transforming work of Jesus Christ, if all those sensible reasons we give ourselves about our own security and self-interest were allowed to take control! Thank God the Holy Spirit sometimes allows us to win that battle with our second ...

3802. The Witness Of The Centurion

Drama

Dann J. Ettner

... have to hang there long. Many of the prisoners hang in painand suffering for more than a day. Jesus died after only sixhours on the cross. His death became a blessing as far as I wasconcerned. After we hung Him on the cross He continued to show a calm,almost loving, spirit toward us, His executioners. First therewere His words, "Father, forgive them, for they know not whatthey do." Can you imagine why anyone would want his executionersforgiven? He was an extraordinary man. He even made sure that Hismother ...

3803. Broadway

Matthew 7:13-14

Sermon

Robert Beringer

... to talk. They sat down over Cokes as she poured out the sorry tale of the mess she had made of her life. "It's incredible seeing you today," she said. "I've been thinking all week about something you said in a sermon just before I left home." She continued, "It was all about some boy in a faraway place, and you said that it was there that he came to himself. Do you really think that kind of thing still happens? Do you think I could ever go home? Would my folks ever take me back like that boy ...

3804. Summer Fruit

Amos 8:1-14

Sermon

Richard L. Sheffield

... some test tubes in a laboratory. It's completely under our control. The debate is about whether we should now destroy all remaining remnants of the smallpox virus to insure that it will never, ever, for all time, destroy a human life again. Whether we dare even to continue to experiment with this deadly disease, when it's within our power to destroy it once and for all, is the now question. Think of it. We have come that far in knowing how to protect human life. Yet, if you read Amos, and you read the rest ...

3805. The Great Commission

Matthew 28:18-20, Mark 16:15

Children's Sermon

Robert B. Lantz

... still going on and there are still a few places where that message has not reached. Have you ever thought that maybe God would use you to become one of those people who goes to a land far away to teach them about God's love in Jesus Christ? God continues to call people to that task. Sometimes we call them missionaries; sometimes they are just tourists or business people who share God's good news with others as they travel. We can all share God's good news with other people, can't we? I hope you will learn ...

3806. Setting Things Right

Luke 10:25-37

Children's Sermon

Kenneth Mortonson

... have made a mistake? ... (You say you are sorry, and if you can, you try to set things right.) Now what do you think you should do if you find that someone else has made a mistake? ... (Wait for possible answers. If there are no right answers, continue.) Suppose you went home after church and found that someone had knocked over all the chairs around your kitchen table; what would you do? ... (Set them up right so that you could sit on them to eat.) Suppose you saw someone sitting on a curb, holding his ...

3807. Too Close To The Edge

Proverbs 4:14-15

Children's Sermon

Teresa L. Major

... can come to the edge without falling over the cliff." The wise king stood back and the test was begun. The first young man came barreling around the bend, horses at full speed. He came about this far from the edge (hold arms about two feet apart) and continued down the road, proud of himself for how well he had done. The king watched in silence. The second young man, full of hope that he would win the king's confidence, and the princess' hand in marriage, brought his team of horses around the turn even more ...

3808. Thanks, Dad

Exodus 20:1-21

Children's Sermon

Teresa L. Major

... about God that day. He taught me that we get ourselves into places that we can't get out of, and that sometimes we are too weak to go on, but during those times, God picks us up, carries us, and lets us rest until we are strong enough to continue. I learned a lot from my parents. Today, Father's Day, let's be sure to say, "Thanks, Dad." Remember to let your dad know how much you love him and appreciate him. God bless you.

3809. Rise Again!

Matthew 28:5-6

Children's Sermon

Teresa L. Major

... watching my hands? Do you remember how Jesus died? (Children respond.) He died on a cross, then he was buried. He was alive (light the candle and display for all to see), and then he was crucified. They killed him. Jesus was dead. (Blow out the candle but continue to hold it up.) (Most of these candles take between twenty and thirty seconds to relight. Practice with the same candle several times to know how much time you have to speak.) But that is not the end of the story. Jesus had said that he would die ...

3810. Play The Fool

1 Corinthians 3:1-23

Sermon

Richard Hasler

... gospel, are we ready to add a new dimension to our Christian lifestyle? Could it be possible that our own daily discipleship should have a sophomoric quality about it? Are we called to be "wise fools"? In our lectionary text today Paul continues sharing his concern about rivalry in the Corinthian congregation. He cannot understand why different groups are rallying around various leaders who have served the congregation in one way or another. Using the metaphors of the building and the temple he explicitly ...

3811. Week Five Of Lent

Sermon

Richard Gribble

... many. However, God never abandons the people and sends another sign. The raising of the serpent in the desert prefigures the raising of Christ on the cross. The bronze serpent is a sign of the constant presence of God with the Hebrews. The faithlessness of the Jews continues in the Gospel. Jesus realizes the people's inability to believe. One more sign will be given. "When you lift up the Son of Man, you will come to realize that I am ...." Jesus gives a foreshadowing of his own death. The cross will be the ...

3812. The Second Meal

Sermon

Robert F. Scott

... in the city, who was a sinner, having learned that he was eating in the Pharisee's house, brought an alabaster jar of ointment. She stood behind him at his feet, weeping, and began to bathe his feet with her tears and to dry them with her hair. Then she continued kissing his feet and anointing them with the ointment. Now when the Pharisee who had invited him saw it, he said to himself, "If this man were a prophet, he would have known who and what kind of woman this is who is touching him -- that she is a ...

3813. The Seventh Meal

Sermon

Robert F. Scott

... ; the celebration in Jerusalem was a step in Jesus' plan of redemption for us all.When Jesus sat at table with the sinners of Jericho, salvation blossomed into actions of thanksgiving. Then the Savior entered Jerusalem with cheers and the waving of palms, in order to spread for us a continuing table of forgiveness and rebirth, of thanksgiving and service, of rejoicing and praise.

3814. Now, Even Now....

Joel 2:1-11

Sermon

Gerald Whetstone

... we have not loved God with our whole hearts, nor have we loved our neighbors as ourselves. So we fall on our knees and repent and pray for forgiveness. "Now," our scriptures begin -- our Lent begins -- repent and return to the Lord. The reading from Paul continues the theme as the passage concludes, "Now is the acceptable time; behold, now is the day of salvation." "Now" indeed encompasses not only our past, but also our future. The present is bound with memory and hope. Now is the moment we begin this holy ...

3815. Don't Sell Your Inheritance for Cabbage Soup

Genesis 25:19-34

Sermon

R. Robert Cueni

... in your life is wherever you are right now. After all, today is the only day of your life over which you have any say. Therefore, believe today the best and make the best of today. Life will, however, get even better wherever it takes you tomorrow, if you continue to believe that possible. God has created us in such a way that every age has its special problems and its special joys. God gives us the strength to deal with the problems as we encounter them. He also provides the grace to make the most of the ...

3816. The Risky Business of Faith

Genesis 12:1-8

Sermon

R. Robert Cueni

... risk leaving what seems safe, secure and comfortable in order to trust God and step out in faith. The scripture tells us they "journeyed on by stages toward the Negeb" (12:9). In that sense, we are always moving through some stage of life. Living is a continual journey. It is futile to think we can arrive at a certain place where everything will be safe and secure. We are on a pilgrimage from birth to death to eternity. We never get it all together. We never solve all the problems or remove all the dangers ...

3817. An Arranged Wedding, But An Intentional Marriage

Genesis 24:1-67

Sermon

R. Robert Cueni

... to doing everything they can to make their partner feel loved and appreciated. Unfortunately, even that is not always enough. Some people do everything within their power to make their marriage work and it still fails. For many very complicated reasons, divorce is a continuing reality. It is not my intent to lay guilt or blame this morning on the divorced. My point is to stress the fact that without a mutual commitment to make a marriage work, it seldom, if ever, does. Our scripture lesson for this morning ...

3818. God's Power Over Death

Exodus 1:1-22, 2:1-10

Sermon

Steve Burt

... 't. We must look for them, witness to them and their transformative power, and keep telling our stories -- the way Moses' mother and sister did, the way Pastor Todd and Gary's mother did, the way Mary Magdalene and the disciples did. God is repeatedly and continually working powerful miracles in our lives. We must see them through the eyes of faith, and as a people of God, we must share the wonder of our God with the world. 1. Steve Burt, "The Power Of The Resurrection Over Death," 56 Lectionary Stories For ...

3819. But You Can't Get Water Out Of A Rock!

Exodus 17:1-7

Sermon

Steve Burt

... first soldier simply smiled and said, "Water? You expect too little, my friend. Not only water from a stone, but great soup and warm fellowship." Will we, individually and as a people of God, see the rock and not the water? The liabilities and not the assets? Will we continue to listen to the voice that says, "You can't get water out of a rock ... or soup from a stone?" We must trust God, who says through the lips of Jesus, "I have come that you may have life, and have it more abundantly." We must trust God ...

3820. A Law We Can Live With

Exodus 20:1-21

Sermon

Robert S. Crilley

... are laws, so to speak, that we can live with, because in the deepest sense possible, they offer us the opportunity for life both with the Lord and with one another. Small wonder then that these ten, while etched in stone and stored in the ark, have continued for every generation to define our relationship with the Almighty and with humankind. Some of you may be familiar with the story told by Francis Dorff of a large monastery which had fallen on hard times.5 In years past, the abbey had housed many young ...

3821. Recalling, Remembering, And Rejoicing

Deuteronomy 8:1-20

Sermon

Robert S. Crilley

... it again! "Take care that you do not forget the Lord your God," Moses tells the Israelites, "for it is Yahweh who has brought you to this place." Such, I suppose, could be said for each of us as well. Okay then, it's time to make the crossing and continue on with the journey. There are people here who need your concern and compassion. There's a community out there which needs to be nourished by the good news of the gospels. There's a world in need of your prayers and the promise of our Savior Jesus Christ ...

3822. A Long Obedience In The Same Direction

Matthew 3:13-17

Sermon

Mark Radecke

... the wilderness to be tempted by the Evil One. Immediately, in other words, Jesus was tempted to abandon his long obedience in the same direction. He resisted that diabolical temptation, and in his preaching, teaching, healing, reconciling, restoring, liberating ministry, Jesus continued that long obedience in the same direction. On the cross of Calvary, he pursued it to its inevitable end. This Jesus God raised from the dead. His long and perfect obedience in the same direction is the salvation of us all ...

3823. Giving Thanks Empowers

Luke 17:11-19

Sermon

Phyllis Faaborg Wolk

... the love of Jesus hold him and relax him. His ears of faith were opened, enabling him to hear and feel Jesus' love for him. He thanked Jesus for that gift of new life, shared by a little girl. And as he gave thanks, he was empowered to continue proclaiming Jesus' love to others through the rest of Lent and on into Easter. The house was dark except for the light that illumined the corner of the family room. There Sam sat in his rocking chair trying to concentrate on a novel he had started the night before ...

3824. The Promise Of The Spirit

Sermon

John A. Stroman

... church we have been told to the point of weariness what is wrong with us. Many articles have been written about the demise of the mainline churches with their dwindling membership and attendance. Someone has figured out mathematically that if the United Methodists continue to lose members at the present rate, the last Methodist will leave the face of the earth in the year 2037. This is a very sobering thought. The Dilemma Of Decline To borrow a line from Dickens, these are, for the mainline Protestants ...

3825. The Intersection Of The Cross

Matthew 5:31-32

Sermon

Mark Radecke

... Jesus' word: "Moses gave you this law and these loopholes for your hardness of heart." That is not a concession, but a judgment upon all of you, divorced or not. It is evidence of your stubbornness and your coldness. It is an accusing finger pointed continually at you. You are people with a heart of stone, interested not in hearing and hearkening to God's will, but in manipulating, conniving, and finagling your way around it. You are cold and unmoved and hard of heart and those words describe not a ...

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