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. Do Children Like You?

Mark 10:13-16

Sermon

Richard Patt

"Let the children come to me." (v. 14) What’s the test for human success? How do you measure good personality? When do we say that a person knows about interpersonal relations? In short, who is the attractive person - the one who draws the best out of people, and therefore draws others to himself? In our day we might look to the psychology books for answers. Maybe we would read the latest issues of Cosmopolitan or Redbook. They always seem to be having articles about personality-development and achieving ...

3802. You Shall Call His Name Jesus

Matthew 1:18-25

Sermon

King Duncan

You may remember that story of the man hearing a choir sing "O Lamb of God that takes away the sins of the world," and he thought to himself, "If only he COULD take away the sins of the world. What a tremendous and joyful thing that would be “no more wars, no more broken homes, no more abused children, no more hatred, envy, bitterness and strife. If only he COULD take away the sins of the world." Christmas has become more of a secular holiday than a sacred one. It has become an occasion for blatant ...

3803. Mentor, Mediator, Master

1 Timothy 2:1-15

Sermon

King Duncan

When Karen Morse of Henniker, New Hampshire was about to graduate from high school in 1984, she revealed a startling fact she could not read or write at even the most basic level! Karen was in the National Honor Society, in "Who ™s Who in American High Schools," was class president, and was student council president. She was known as a superb orator and a model student. Yet, Karen-a severe dyslexic had developed elaborate ruses through 12 years of school to cover the fact that she couldn ™t even read ...

3804. The Messiah Who Cares About Feet

John 13:1-17

Sermon

King Duncan

M. Scott Peck is a bestselling author, a respected psychiatrist and a growing Christian. He says that the scene of Jesus washing the feet of his disciples stands out as one of the most significant events of Jesus' life: "Until that moment the whole point of things had been for someone to get on top, and once he had gotten on top to stay on top or else attempt to get farther up. But here this man already on top--who was rabbi, teacher, master--suddenly got down on the bottom and began to wash the feet of ...

3805. Expectant Living

2 Peter 3:1-18

Sermon

King Duncan

At this time of year, many children have already written, or are just sitting down to write, their letters to Santa. It's exciting trying to fit all your wishes into one well-worded little note. Maybe it would sound something like these letters: Dear Santa, Please give me a doll this year. I would like her to eat, walk, do my homework, and help me clean my room. Thank you, Jenny. Dear Santa, Thanks for the race car last year. Can I have another one, only this time one that is faster than my best friend's ...

3806. No Salt in the City?

Mark 9:42-50

Sermon

Stephen M. Crotts

Last fall the phone rang in my study. It was a newspaper pollster doing a survey on church and society. His main question was, "What would your city be like without the church?" I was tempted to be funny in my reply. Like the cartoon that shows a pack of wolves howling at the moon. A wolf on the back row is looking worried and asks another fanged friend, "Do you think we're doing any good?" Sometimes I feel like that when the church seems to be ignored or irrelevant. Yet anytime one feels he is small and ...

3807. Who Loves More?

Luke 7:36-50

Sermon

Maxie Dunnam

A friend tells about how when he was a small boy his father’s birthday rolled around, and he did not realize it until it was too late to get his father a birthday present. So, he went through all his resources and came up with 17 cents. He put the dime, the nickel, and the two pennies in an envelope and gave it to his father with a note: “I love you, Dad. Happy Birthday. Thanks for being the best dad in the whole world. Sorry I did not get you a gift. This is all I’ve got.” Years later, at his father’s ...

3808. A Place of Honor

Luke 14:1-14

Sermon

King Duncan

Edward Bowen tells about a minister in Scotland who was concerned that so many stray dogs were being put to sleep. So she invented a new breed of dog, complete with registration papers. She didn’t want any dogs tospend their lives being called mongrels. She determined that her puppies would be the first in a new breed, a breed she called the Newtonmore Haggishound. She now offers membership in that breed to other dogs. Apparently the only qualification to be a Newtonmore Haggishound is that you must be a ...

3809. God, the Enemy

Matthew 10:24-39

Sermon

Stephen M. Crotts

Do you remember when Timothy McVeigh, the man responsible for the bombing of the federal building in Oklahoma City, was executed? As the time of his execution drew near, McVeigh gave a handwritten statement to the warden, intending it to take the place of any verbal comment. In that statement, McVeigh quoted a section of the poem "Invictus," which is Latin for "unconquered." That poem, by nineteenth-century British poet William Ernest Henley (18491903), reads, in part, "I am the master of my fate: I am the ...

3810. Lent 1

Mt 4:1-11, Rom 5:12-21

Sermon Aid

Marion L. Soards, Thomas B. Dozeman, Kendall McCabe

OLD TESTAMENT TEXTS The themes of sin and death that were central to Ash Wednesday are carried over into the First Sunday in Lent. These themes, however, are explored somewhat differently. Rather than a prophetic announcement of divine judgment against the people of God in the form of the Day of the Lord, as was the case in Joel 2, Genesis 2:15-17; 3:1-7 explores the consequences of sin for all humans and for the creation itself through the stark imagery of exposed nakedness in a garden that is quickly ...

3811. I Don’t Like My Options

2 Kings 5:1-17

Sermon

James Merritt

Think about two words: options and decisions. One gives rise to the other. Options are diverse, decisions are difficult. An option only has power when it becomes a decision. The reason why I want you to understand these two words is because basically that is what life is all about. It is amazing to see how one decision can change a life, a family, a nation, and a world. Some unknown people through the years made a decision choosing among options that have radically changed your life to this very present ...

3812. Leaving ‘Last Chance’ Heading For ‘Needmore’

Romans 12:9-11

Sermon

Billy D. Strayhorn

Hope. Our world is filled with people whose lives are standing at the Crossroads. Down one road is despondency and despair, and down the other is total misery and dejection. And that's ALL they see because that's ALL they have ever experienced. Somehow in life they missed the exit sign and the turn off to a life of Hope and Joy and true happiness. They don't know there is another road. They are like the character Leroy from the comic Lockhorns who comes home from work and says to his wife, Loretta, "The ...

3813. The Unsuspected Trojan Horse

Psalm 139:1-24

Sermon

Maxie Dunnam

Most of you remember the story of the Trojan horse. The Greeks, under Odysseus, sailed over to Troy and made a huge wooden horse. They then climbed into the horse and were hidden away there. Cassandra warned the Trojans not to take the horse into the city. However, a Greek prisoner, Simon, persuaded them that the horse was sacred and would bring the protection of the gods so the pulled the horse into the city walls of Troy. That night as they slept, Odysseus and his companions crept out of the horse and ...

3814. Singing With the Saints of Glory

Revelation 5:11-14

Sermon

J. Howard Olds

Sing with all the saints of glory, Sing the resurrection song. Death and sorrow, earth’s dark story, To the former days belong. All around the clouds are breaking, Soon the storms of time shall cease. In God’s likeness we awaking, Know the everlasting peace. Easter people have a song in their hearts that the world never gave. They have a peace it cannot take away. At least that’s the way the Apostle John perceived it as he unveils a glimpse of heaven for all to see. Come, let us take a closer look. I. WE ...

3815. Be Careful What You Wish For...You Just Might Get It!

1 Samuel 8:4-11 (12-15) 16-20, (11:14-15)

Sermon

David E. Leininger

This is graduation time in many communities. We offer our graduates congratulations on a job well done — the emphasis for parents is on well, but we know the emphasis for the graduates is on done. Of course, at this time, the expectation is that we should pass on some words of wisdom. After all, graduation exercises are called commencements— beginnings. As graduates begin this next stage of life, they wonder what lies ahead. We who have "Been there, done that, got the T-shirt" are expected to offer advice ...

3816. The Ball Game

Mark 13:1-31

Drama

Arley K. Fadness

Theme: Some things are worth waiting for Characters: Bill Frank Tone: Frustration, impatience, anticipation Setting/Props: Baseball caps Baseball glove Two glasses Row of chairs (to represent bleachers at a stadium) Baseball (thrown toward Bill and Frank to simulate a foul ball) Approximate time: 5 minutes (Bill and Frank enter the stadium anxious to watch the baseball game. They wear appropriate baseball caps. Frank has his glove and Bill carries two glasses of pop. Bill is visibly upset by having to wait ...

3817. Be Shrewd

Luke 16:1-15

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

Have you heard of the carnival barker who kept yelling “Alive! Alive! Here! Here! Did you ever see a two-headed baby? Come in! Come in!” The gaff is that they don’t have a two-headed baby inside the tent. They only asked if you ever saw one. This is the kind of shrewdness being celebrated in today’s Scripture reading. Carlos Fuentes (1928-2012), the Mexican novelist and playwright whom some called “the soul of Mexico,” gave a long interview about his writing shortly after he turned 50 and began to ...

3818. Israel Rebels Against Rehoboam

1 Kings 12:1-24

Understanding Series

Iain W. Provan

The Kingdom Torn Away: The king is dead. Long live the king! Well, not quite. We are now to read of the tearing away of the kingdom that has been threatened in chapter 11. As Moses led his people out from slavery under the house of the Egyptian Pharaoh, so Jeroboam will lead Israel out from “slavery” under the house of David; as God hardened Pharaoh’s heart in order to accomplish all his will, so the hardness of Rehoboam’s heart will precipitate this schism also. The exodus will take Israel towards a new ...

3819. The Census and Duties of Levites

Num 3:1–4:49

Teach the Text

Joe M. Sprinkle

Big Idea: That which is holy must be guarded. Understanding the Text The census of Israel (Num. 1–2) is followed by the census of the Levites (Num. 3–4). The priests and Levites are not counted in the census of Numbers 1–2 because they are not to participate in the conquest in view of their sacred duties (see the sidebar). But in Numbers 3–4 they have their own census on different principles. In Numbers 3 they count every male from one month old and above who serves as a substitute for Israel’s firstborn. ...

3820. “I Waited Patiently for the Lord; He Turned to Me and Heard My Cry”

Psalm 40:1-17

Teach the Text

C. Hassell Bullock

Big Idea: Waiting on the Lord through trouble and opposition opens our hearts to doing God’s will. Understanding the Text Psalm 40 is an individual psalm of thanksgiving, which is typically composed of the report of a crisis (40:12) and the celebration of deliverance (40:1–3), and these elements do not necessarily occur in that order.1Some commentators insist that this psalm is a combination of two independent psalms, an individual psalm of thanksgiving (40:1–10) and an individual lament (40:11–17). In ...

3821. “God Is Our Refuge and Strength, an Ever-Present Help in Trouble”

Psalm 46:1-11

Teach the Text

C. Hassell Bullock

Big Idea: Human effort is necessary to build God’s kingdom, but the final word is that we should “be still” and recognize that God is the real Builder. Understanding the Text Psalm 46 is a type of poem that challenges form criticism’s assumptions. Gunkel has identified it as a subtype of the hymn, which he labels “Zion Songs.”1 Goldingay helpfully lays out the features of this psalm that overlap with other types and concludes that the psalm of trust is the best choice of categories.2 Indeed, the spirit of ...

3822. Thanks-Giving Is Good for Everyone

Luke 17:11-19

Sermon

David G. Rogne

A.J. Cronin tells of a doctor he knew who prescribed in certain cases of neuroses what he called his "thank-you cure." When a patient came to him discouraged, pessimistic, and full of his own woes, but without any symptoms of serious ailment, he would give this advice: "For six weeks I want you to say 'Thank you' whenever anyone does you a favor, and to show you mean it emphasize the words with a smile." "But no one ever does me a favor, doctor," the patient might complain. Whereupon, borrowing from ...

3823. Jesus Is Coming

Revelation 22:7-21

Understanding Series

Robert W. Wall

The concluding section of early Christian letters often contains the author’s benediction, typically expressed as a prayer or doxology, but often accompanied by many other pastoral conventions as well. In his letters, for example, Paul sometimes closes his correspondence by greeting various acquaintances in a particular congregation (cf. Rom. 16), perhaps to encourage them in their faith (cf. 1 Cor. 16:19–20) or to give them instructions (cf. Col. 4:15–16). In several of his letters, he includes a list of ...

3824. Whom Shall We Obey?

Acts 5:17-42

Sermon

Douglas J. Deuel

A three-year-old girl had not felt well for close to a week. She had a runny nose and a cough. Her mother took her to the doctor. The doctor asked her if her throat hurt. The little girl said, "Yes, it's been hurting all week!" The doctor then asked, "Can you point to where it hurts for me?" The little girl emphatically said, "Right here." Then she proceeded to rub her stomach. It is easy to get confused in life, isn't it? I wonder how many of us fully understand Christ's expectations of us. Even the parts ...

3825. Nowhere To Run, Nowhere To Hide

1 Kings 9:1-9

Sermon

Carlyle Fielding Stewart

After predicting a drought, raising the widow's son at Zarephath, challenging and slaying the prophets of Baal, Elijah the prophet is now on the run for his life from Queen Jezebel and King Ahab. Buoyant, strong, and confident, he has stood toe to toe with the powers that be, denouncing every evil. He has bravely articulated divine intentions, but now we find him fleeing for his life to Mount Horeb. See him now cowering in a cave hewn in the mountain's side, depressed and weary, afraid for his life. Elijah ...

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