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 3876 to 3900 of 4946 results

3876. Promises

Psalm 119:57-58

Children's Sermon

Mark A. Hultquist

Text: Psalm 119:57-58 - You are my portion, O Lord; I have promised to obey your words. I have sought your face with all my heart; be gracious to me according to your promise. Materials: A picture of a rainbow. Message: Can you think of some promises you have made to someone? Perhaps you promised to keep a secret that your friend told you. Or maybe you promised to go and play at someone's house after school one day. Or perhaps you promised always to be someone's friend no matter what happened! Promises are ...

3877. Make a List for God

Philippians 4:4-6

Children's Sermon

Wesley T. Runk

Object: Your Christmas shopping list, or, if you want, call it the list for Santa Claus. Lesson: Good morning, boys and girls. It seems to me that there is something special in the air. We must be getting close to something, but I haven't figured out yet what it is. Does anyone here know of anything that we are getting close to that I don't know about? (Let them answer.) Christmas, that's right. What day does Christmas come on? (Let them answer.) The twenty-fifth of December. That is only nine days away. I ...

3878. The Love Of Evil

Psalm 52:1-9

Sermon

Erskine White

You love evil more than good. (Psalm 52:3) Centuries ago, the great philosopher, Socrates, asked a question which troubles the sensitive conscience: "How can people know what is good but do what is bad?" The question has been pondered through the ages and we should be asking it tonight as we begin the forty day period of Lent. For some people, the answer to evil lies in education. They figure that people do bad things because of ignorance and so they put their hope in "getting the facts." They argue that ...

3879. Epiphany 5

Psalm 138:1-8, 1 Corinthians 15:1-11, Judges 6:1-40, Isaiah 6:1-13, Luke 5:1-11

Sermon Aid

George Bass

THEOLOGICAL CLUE The thematic and theological framework of the Christian tends to be rather "thin" by the Fifth Sunday after the Epiphany; the manifestation of Jesus to the world and the beginning of his ministry remain, however, to inform the church about Jesus in its worship and work. The readings tend to reinforce the weak signals that are being sent out by the kerygmatic content of the church year, mainly because they have been selected with the theological themes of Epiphany in mind. As also happens ...

3880. What Children Can Teach Adults

Luke 10:1-24

Sermon

Thomas Slavens

• Children’s Day • Children’s Day • Children’s Day It is the usual thing to think in terms of what adults can teach children. Adults have much to teach. They teach children ways to develop their bodies, personalities and their relationships with God. At the same time children can often teach adults. Adults sometimes become so proud, skeptical or self-righteous that they need to recover some of the spirit of childhood. Jesus said, “Truly, I say to you, whoever does not receive the kingdom of God like a ...

3881. An Our Good Works And Generosity

Matthew 6:1-4, Matthew 6:5-15, Matthew 6:16-18, Matthew 6:19-24

Sermon

Mark Ellingsen

Jesus was giving his famous Sermon on the Mount. In the middle of it he looked at the disciples from his sitting position (as was customary for Jewish rabbis of the first century when they were teaching). And Jesus said: "Beware of practicing your piety before men in order to be seen by them; for then you will have no reward from your Father who is in heaven (Matthew 6:1)." To whom was Jesus referring with these words? He was probably talking here and at other points in the sermon about the Pharisees. ...

3882. The Dreamer Within You

Joel 2:18-27, Joel 2:28-32

Sermon

Richard Hasler

The setting for the movie Dead Poet’s Society is a proper New England prep school steeped in tradition and discipline. Into this rather stiff environment comes a new English instructor played by Robin Williams. He has an unorthodox method of teaching. He stands on his desk at times to make a point. He electrifies his students. He has them reading poetry as they practice soccer so that they will see the connection between the two. He prods them to think for themselves, to get in touch with their feelings, ...

3883. Beasts, Saints and Chaos

Daniel 7:15-28, Daniel 7:1-14

Sermon

Paul W. F. Harms

"But the saints of the Most High shall receive the kingly power and shall retain it for ever, for ever and ever." But we are not there yet; neither were the people of the text. Because they were not yet there and we are not yet there, we gather here to reflect that some are already there but the rest of us are not yet there. We have enough trouble without the troublesome word "saint" - "the saints of the Most High shall receive the kingly power and shall retain it for ever, for ever and ever." "But I'm no ...

3884. Revised Edition

Psalm 71:1-24

Eulogy

Richard F. Bansemer

Death After a Stroke The meditation text is Psalm 71:6: "Upon thee I have leaned from my birth; thou art he who took me from my mother's womb. My praise is continually of thee." The elderly often impress us with two qualities seldom found among the young: trust and simplicity. These characteristics are almost always the exclusive gift of the aged, for they alone have spent their lifetime learning how to combine the two into a style of living. In the many years we've known each other, I've never known ...

3885. Bound for Glory

Hebrews 13:1-25

Children's Sermon

Tim Carpenter

Exegetical Aim: We are bound together by our faith. Props: A ball of yarn, and a couple of adult or youth helpers. Lesson: [Stand the children in a tight circle.] Today we are going to play a little game, but you have to play it quickly, and you have to do just as I say. Give the ball of yarn to one of the children. I want you to hold on to the end of the yarn and throw the ball to someone across from you. Now, you hold on to the yarn and pass it to someone else. Then that person will hold on to the yarn ...

3886. No Room In The Inn

Luke 2:1-7

Sermon

Brett Blair

Wally was big for his age--seven years old. Everyone wondered what role the teacher would give him in the annual Christmas play. Especially considering the fact that he was also a slow learner. Perhaps he could pull the curtain. To everyone’s surprise the teacher gave Wally the role of the innkeeper. The boy of course was delighted. After all, all he had to learn was one line: “There is no room in the inn.” He had that down in no time. Then came the night for the program. The parents took their places. ...

3887. The Lantern

John 18:3

Children's Sermon

Wesley T. Runk

Object: A lantern Good morning, boys and girls. Over the next couple of weeks I want to share some stories with you about some soldiers and a man whom they hardly knew named Jesus. The stories are exciting because they make us feel sad, afraid, courageous and happy. But remember, the stories that I am telling you really happened. Not one of them is make-believe. Each of these stories can be found in the Bible, and I am going to give you something each week so that you will always remember them. Today's ...

3888. Hard Times May Drop In For A Visit

Ezekiel 37:1-14

Sermon

Joann Hary

I don't know how many of you have seen the movie Sister Act, but if you haven't, you probably should. It is filled with good humor, but it also makes a marvelous point. In the movie a casino singer witnesses a gangster execution and then agrees to testify. In order to protect this "wild woman of the world," the police hustle her off to an inner-city convent in San Francisco to pose as a nun so they can keep her hidden and safe until the trial. In the first place, she doesn't want to be there and keeps ...

3889. The Women

John 20:1-9

Drama

William Grimbol

Setting: Five women gathered in a courtyard garden for conversation Time: Christ's ministry Characters: Shirlee Diane Nancy Carol Karen Patti SHIRLEE: Nonsense! DIANE: Quit acting as though you are the only intelligent person present (Pause) ... please. SHIRLEE: Oh, good grief, don't be so offended, but really, miracles? Every year there is some new magician, some new mystic, some awesome miracle worker. (Standing, assuming a mocking tone.) I will make the blind see. I will make the deaf hear. I will ...

3890. Vacillation - Pontius Pilate

Sermon

Ron Lavin

"... Suffered under Pontius Pilate ..." you say in your creed each Sunday. Millions of Christians speak my name every Sabbath and connect it with the suffering of Jesus Christ. They point their finger at me and speak my name along with Judas and Herod. Let me tell you my side of the story. Let me tell you about my suffering at the hands of Jesus of Nazareth. We Romans were the conquerors of Judea, but she refused to be conquered. I was the governor, but she refused to be governed. My appointment as ...

3891. Hard Work for the Gospel

1 Thessalonians 2:1-16

Children's Sermon

Tim Carpenter

Exegetical Aim: To remind the children that the existence of the church is owing to the hard work of many. Props: Any old pictures of the church, an old bulletin, old church newspapers, etc. (If yours is a new church, you will have to adapt this.) Lesson: Do you know how old this church is? This church was founded in 1826. substitute your info That’s a long time ago, isn’t it? Look at some of these pictures and articles about the church. Show the props Think about your parents. They are old, right? That ...

3892. Monologue: Silent Silas

Acts 15:22-35

Drama

Robert F. Scott

There was a man named Silas. We read of him in Acts and in several of the Epistles. Yet in the whole of the New Testament there is not one word from Silas himself: not a word that he said, not a scrap of a letter in his own name. Was he silent? We know he was not. He was a prophet for Christ; he exhorted, taught, preached, prayed, and sang. Of all that Silas said, what was it and what was it worth? The First Epistle of Peter was written by the hand of Silas. If we were to ask Peter, what might he say? ...

3893. The Ambiguity of Life, Deciding for Christ

John 10:22-42

Sermon

Carl Jech

I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish, and no one shall snatch them out of my hand. (John 10:28) I've seen it from both sides - from the side of the family with a difficult child and from the side of the mother who complained that one "rotten apple" in her son's third grade class was disrupting the learning environment for the whole group. Both sets of parents would no doubt prefer to live in a simple, unambiguous world in which everything rolled smoothly along like clockwork. The fact is, ...

3894. An Easter-Life

Acts 10:23b-48

Sermon

Carl Hoefler

What does Easter mean to you? In the secular world, it means fluffy bunnies, brightly colored eggs, hidden baskets, and lots of lush chocolate candy. If you are a child, there is nothing wrong with this. Easter is a happy day, and God loves to hear the laughter of little children; but, if you are an adult and this is all that Easter means to you, then there is something tragically missing in your faith-life. Interestingly enough, the word "Easter" appears nowhere in the Bible. The word "Easter" was ...

3895. No Ignorant Brethren

1 Thessalonians 4:13--5:11

Sermon

Rev. Kenneth H. Sauer

The year has literally flown by. As I was inserting the check for today's offering in the envelope, I noticed that there are just six Sundays left. The new year will be upon us too soon! And with a new year will come new work, and obviously new money will be needed to do that work. That is why we have a funding program in the middle of November. If we expect the leadership of our church to present us with an intelligent plan for spending money next year, we must provide ourselves with an indication of what ...

3896. If I Should Die Before I Wake

Lk 11:1-13; 12:22-34; Mt 6:5-15

Illustration

Brett Blair

You're are familiar with the childhood prayer "Now I lay me down to sleep, " but I was little surprised to learn that it is a shortened version of an Old English prayer, which goes like this: Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John, bless the bed that I lie on. Before I lay me down to sleep, I give my soul to Christ to keep. Four corners to my bed, four angels there aspread, two to foot, and two to head, and two to carry me when I'm dead. I go by sea, I go by land, the Lord made me by his right hand. If any danger ...

3897. Is Christianity An Escape?

Luke 21:5-38

Sermon

What does this Scripture mean? There are preachers on radio and television who delight in conjuring with these words about wars and tumults, earthquakes, famines, and pestilences, terrors, and great signs in the heavens, and connecting them with current events in Afghanistan, India, the Middle East, Ethiopia, Central America, and Russia. (But one author has counted 300 wars in Europe in the last 300 years. How can anyone single out any single war as a sign that the end of the world is upon us?) Some ...

3898. Life in the Sunbelt

Malachi 4:1-6

Sermon

Remember the song: "That’s what I like about the South"? There appears to be something special about the southern area of our nation. People who live there seem to love it. They say its good for your health. Industry is shifting in that direction. Flocks of snowbirds flee there from winter’s drabness in the North. People like me dream of someday owning a place in Florida. The sunbelt draws us. There is promise in thoughts of it. It must have been a southerner who wrote the old song that says, "Cheer up, my ...

3899. You Are Worth Much!

Matthew 10:1-42

Sermon

"So do not be afraid: you are worth much more than sparrows!" (St. Matthew 10:31 TEV) The other day I was visiting a man about forty-five years old in the hospital. He was not a member of our parish, but I was informed that he had a spiritual problem and that he might appreciate visiting with a minister. He did have a spiritual problem, one that we all can have at times. You see, the man had been in an automobile accident a few days ago. He was "out with the boys" one night - actually something he rarely ...

3900. If Only We Would Do The Obvious ...

2 Kings 5:1-27

Sermon

Wallace H. Kirby

Ann, a new member of our church, gave the outward appearance of having her life all together. Tall and good-looking, she dressed well, was extremely neat, and seemed secure in pursuing an advanced degree after some years of teaching. She immediately became active in the life of the church and was especially gifted in creating excitement in some of the programs. The staff was concerned about overloading her with responsibilities, but her graciousness in accepting them and the efficient manner in which she ...

Showing results