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 3951 to 3975 of 4986 results

3951. Loosing Ourselves in our Possessions

Mark 10:17-31

Illustration

Adrian Rogers

... , had a golden colored rug and a yellow bedspread. He even bought some yellow pajamas. But then he got sick and came down with, of all things, yellow jaundice. His wife called the doctor who made a house call and went up to that bedroom for an examination. The doctor stayed up there a long while. When he came down, the wife asked, "How is he?" "Don't know," said the doctor. "I couldn't find him." Indeed many people today are absolutely absorbed in and lost in a world of greed and materialism.

3952. Life's Little Instructions

Mark 10:17-31

Illustration

Billy D. Strayhorn

... mad and asks, "Do I look stupid?" it's best not to answer her. You should never laugh at your dad if he's mad or screaming at you. You should never pick on your sister when she has a baseball bat in her hands. It's no fun to stay up all night if your parents don't care. You should not be the first one to fall asleep at a slumber party. You can't hide mashed potatoes in your hat. No matter how hard you try, you can't baptize cats. He also offered some really good advice ...

3953. I Hate To Leave This Church

Mark 10:35-45

Illustration

William G. Carter

... Methodist preachers take all of this with a grain of salt, the same way Baptist congregations have learned to be somewhat skeptical when one of their preachers moves on to a better church claiming, "I hate to leave this church and I would rather stay here, but the Lord calls." Baptists note that the Lord rarely calls someone out of one church into another church unless that church has a higher salary. Methodists have likewise noted that there have been few preachers who, once they are elected bishop, turn ...

3954. Service

Mark 10:35-45

Illustration

James W. Moore

... it might go on living as a support for the fragile life of a tiny new baby. The second tree wanted to be made into a big ship, so that it might go on living, carrying important cargo and influential people to exotic new lands. The third tree longed to stay right where it was, existing only as a tree, but growing ever taller, and pointing ever higher, to remind everyone that there is a God in heaven who loves them. Those were their dreams: One wanted to be a cradle, one wanted to be a mighty ship, and one ...

3955. Life Together

Mark 10:35-45

Illustration

William G. Carter

... Life Together. Foster picked up his friend, and the errands did not go well. There were plenty of stops and starts, traffic was bad, and precious time kept ticking away. Finally they pulled into a parking lot, the friend got out, and Richard stayed behind with his book. He opened it to the bookmark, and read these words: "The second service that one should perform for another in a Christian community is that of active helpfulness. This means, initially, simple assistance in trifling, external matters. There ...

3956. A Servant in Saigon

Illustration

Keith Wagner

... Vietnamese. It was not a simple task. First, she needed birth certificates. She went to the hospital and created them herself. She managed to make 219 eligible certificates that satisfied the government. Next she had to find a place for the children to stay when they arrived at Ft. Benning, Georgia here in the states. Again she met resistance and the Secretary of the Army wouldn't answer her calls. Determined to carry out her mission, Betty called his mother and pleaded her case. Virtually overnight, her ...

3957. Shoots of Tomorrow

Jeremiah 33:14-16

Sermon

Mary S. Lautensleger

... pass for dead at this time of year. Metaphorically speaking, we also "lose our leaves" in the autumn of our lives, and it might be easy to give up hope. In a Peanuts comic strip, Lucy looks up to see one solitary leaf clinging to a tree branch. "Stay up there, you fool!" she orders. A gentle breeze lifts the lone leaf from its branch and Lucy watches as it spirals downward toward the ground. "Oh, good grief!" she exclaims. "You wouldn't listen, would you? Now it's the rake and the bonfire. You just can ...

3958. Preparing the Way

Malachi 3:1-4

Sermon

Mary S. Lautensleger

... they arrived at was quite clever, though. The workers froze the mud solid, then cut it into manageable chunks with picks and axes, and hauled it away before it thawed.1 The project lasted forty years, and that persistent engineer in charge stayed on the job until the subway system was up and running. The French government recognized his talent, perseverance, and leadership by presenting him with the Legion of Honor award on four different occasions. Today, the Paris subway system is one of the finest ...

3959. Walking in the Light

Isaiah 60:1-6

Sermon

Mary S. Lautensleger

... . Neon lights with their peculiar shapes and colors, strobe lights, and even candlelight, all have a distinct fascination, especially when seen against a backdrop of darkness. And, who hasn't been wowed by a spectacular laser light show? "Lasertainment" is here to stay. On a clear night in Chile, the stars of the southern hemisphere glisten brightly. The wonder of God's creative power is fully displayed in the innumerable luminaries flung across the limitless reaches of space. On a starry night one January ...

3960. Risky Business

Jeremiah 1:4-10

Sermon

Mary S. Lautensleger

... him to become a teacher, and horrified when she told him which class she had in mind for him. The fourteen-year-old boys! Tom knew all about that class. After all, he had been one of its ringleaders four short years ago. No teacher had ever stayed with that class more than a month, and most didn't last that long. He told Miss Lucy, "No," several times, but she was persistent. Finally, Tom gave in, becoming a Sunday school teacher against his will and against his better judgment. Tom began the task with ...

3961. Like a Tree Planted

Jeremiah 17:5-10

Sermon

Mary S. Lautensleger

... not continue to grow. Being cut off from their root system, they were doomed to die like cut flowers. We must be well-rooted in our faith to survive. Roots can supply an ongoing wellspring of moisture and nutrients. It is important for us to stay connected to God, the source of our life. God provides stability, nourishment, and life. Christ died that we might have new life in abundance. The God-centered persons who trust in God constantly renew their spiritual life energies. Abundant life is a result of ...

3962. Abraham Believed God

Genesis 15:1-18

Sermon

Frank Ramirez

... years ago — it is an essential tension and a constant contradiction that is not settled within our heart of hearts. If our salvation is by faith alone, can't we all just profess our faith in Jesus as our Lord and Savior and just be done with it? We could stay home on Sunday mornings and put our feet up and read the paper and maybe eat leftovers and get some real rest on the sabbath. If our salvation is by works alone, then does it really matter what we profess as long as we're doing the work of Jesus ...

3963. Essentials

Isaiah 50:4-9a

Sermon

Frank Ramirez

... zeal but the Dunkers were a little cautious. What if their young people went out on missions and came back different? Maybe the women wouldn't want to wear plain clothes and prayer veils. Maybe the young men would want to wear bow ties and bowlers. Better to stay at home and preach the gospel in comfortable surroundings. But D. L. Miller took it into his head to go on a trip around the world. Not only that, he brought a new-fangled camera with him. He traveled to the Holy Land, and to Egypt, and to ...

3964. What Are You Looking At?

Acts 1:1-11

Sermon

Frank Ramirez

... greetings, we feel the presence of God very strongly at times - and certainly God is always present wherever we go - but we're also sent out to work in the trenches, to do the difficult work of the kingdom, to get up and go even though we'd rather stay put. The power and authority of Jesus is passed on to the disciples, even though not one of us measures up to Jesus. That doesn't matter. Elisha was no Elijah, but he saw his master ascend into heaven and the prophetic mantle fell on him. Moreover, the manner ...

3965. Jailhouse Rock

Acts 16:16-34

Sermon

Frank Ramirez

... each failure — and each success — far too seriously. After all, each success belongs to God. And each failure — are we all that important that we need to claim failure as ours, also? God's eventual victory is assured. Our part, like Paul's, is to stay in the game, to try, to attempt big things, knowing that God can do far more with our failures than we could with our successes. Certainly, Paul at this point has run into a great brick wall — that place where Christianity meets economics, and where ...

3966. Wisdom's Delight

Proverbs 8:1-4, 22-31

Sermon

Stan Purdum

... books of the world's major religions. In fact, when I met him, he had a copy of a Hindu text with him and was working his way through it. I talked to him some about Christianity as we rode, and he listened respectfully, but without being persuaded. I've stayed in touch with David since then, and it doesn't sound as if he has kept up his reading of other religions, or has found the wisdom he seeks. Perhaps most of us can identify with David, at least at some point in our lives. There may have been a ...

3967. The Smell of Bread

2 Kings 2:1-2, 6-14

Sermon

Stan Purdum

... , however, in some respects, this story has parallels to the last hours of other people as they approach death. For one thing, there is the matter of Elijah trying to leave Elisha behind. I have seen people who had a terminal illness who for some time tried to stay upbeat and positive for the sake of their loved ones. I have also seen some of those folks come to a point where they can no longer carry the load of tending those who have gathered around them. Perhaps there is a point in the dying process where ...

3968. When Nothing More Can Be Done

Amos 8:1-12

Sermon

Stan Purdum

... , in her late fifties, was essentially homebound. Because of the limits imposed by her health, she hadn't been able to come to church in more than two years. I'd visited her in her home a few times, and I also saw her at the hospital during several stays where she underwent various treatments and procedures. In fact, she'd been hospitalized for a few days right before the particular visit with her that I am about to narrate to you. When I'd seen her in the hospital a couple of days earlier, she had not yet ...

3969. A Father's Heart Cry

Hosea 11:1-11

Sermon

Lee Ann Dunlap

... and, when things go awry, a different kind of grief. "When Israel was a child, I loved him," God pronounces, "and out of Egypt I called my son. The more I called them, the more they went from me." Nearly every parent can relate, one would think. "Stay in the driveway," we call to the four-year-old on a tricycle, and he immediately makes a beeline for the street. "You shall worship no God but me," declares the Lord as the first commandment, yet "they kept sacrificing to the Baals, and offering incense to ...

3970. God's Eminent Domain

Jeremiah 18:1-11

Sermon

Lee Ann Dunlap

... , determined long ago that roads, public recreation, electric power, and public utilities are all good things that come with a human price. Now shopping centers fit into this category as well. Regardless of how we feel about eminent domain, it is here to stay, but in today's scripture lesson, the prophet Jeremiah reminds his nation about a greater and higher eminent dominion that must be recognized, even by the Supreme Court. To quote the psalmist, "The earth is the Lord's and the fullness thereof." To ...

3971. New Covenant, New Testament

Jeremiah 31:27-34

Sermon

John Wayne Clarke

... in sovereign grace. Also, it will have as its intent the full realization of a dynamic relationship between God and humankind. For us as New Testament people, it is easy to forget how important a dynamic relationship with God is. This is a sign that God is not going to stay up on the mountain. God is not going to be a distant, scary, menacing, thunder-clapping God, in the fog and mist of the early morning. No, God is going to mix it up with us. We who are on this side of the New Testament might ask what all ...

3972. In the Waiting Room

Luke 21:5-38

Sermon

King Duncan

... drove around until she finally saw her church. She pointed it out to the policeman, and then she told him firmly, “You can let me out now. This is my church, and I can always find my way home from here.” Anne Lamott writes, “And that is why I have stayed so close to mine because no matter how bad I am feeling, how lost or lonely or frightened, when I see the faces of the people at my church, when I hear their tawny voices, I can always find my way home.” (2) Be faithful. Remember Albert Einstein’s ...

3973. A Day of Singing

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

Sermon

King Duncan

... I felt bigger than myself, like I was being taken care of, tricked into coming back to life. But I had to leave before the sermon. (One day), she writes, I went . . . to church . . . so hung over that I couldn’t stand up for the songs, and this time I stayed for the sermon, which I just thought was so ridiculous . . . but the last song was so deep and raw and pure that I could not escape. It was as if the people were singing in between the notes, weeping and joyful at the same time, and I felt like their ...

3974. Angels and Shepherds: Heaven Came Down and Glory Filled My Soul

Luke 2:1-7

Sermon

Maxie Dunnam

... is leaving the call of God to a more specific Christian ministry. I know a housewife married to a non-Christian, upon whom the glory of God comes almost daily at her kitchen table as she waits obediently upon the Lord to provide her the strength and determination to stay Christian and to persevere in a difficult situation. I know a young man who slips off regularly during the day from a profane office crowd to pray in the Men’s Room. I know a fellow, who a few months ago, was sitting at his desk in his ...

3975. John 11:32-44

John 11:17-37

Sweet

Leonard Sweet

... , his friend has been buried in his tomb for “four days” (v.17). That is another way of saying that there can be no doubt that Lazarus is truly dead. When Jesus arrives he is first met by Martha, who comes out to meet him while Mary stays at home. Their discussion enables Jesus to proclaim the great promise, “I am the resurrection and the life. Those who believe in me, even though they die, will live, and everyone who lives and believes in me will never die” (vv.25-26). Martha confesses her faith ...

Showing results