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 376 to 400 of 4958 results

376. A Life Hidden With Christ

Colossians 2:6-23

Sermon

Maxie Dunnam

... second big truth, which is the burden of our message today. To live a life hidden with Christ in God means also that we are united in Christ's resurrection. When Paul refers in verse 4 of Chapter 3 to "Christ who is our life", he is making an astounding claim. The new life into which we enter by conversion is nothing else than the life of Christ Himself. If this were his only reference to it we might question it, but this is no sideline thought. In 2 Cor. 4:10, Paul speaks of "the life of Jesus" being "made ...

377. Singing In The Rain

John 15:1-17

Sermon

Maxie Dunnam

... three years ago when he pledged $30,000 to our "Because We Care" program -- $30,000 that was beyond the tithe of his then- earned income -- he talked excitedly about how he has been able to pay that pledge, and how he is going to pledge $10,000 to "Claiming the Promise". So this "Claiming the Promise" program is not just a matter of raising $2 million dollars to finish paying for these buildings, though we need to do that in order that the ministry and mission of this church might go forward unhampered. But ...

378. Saying Yes To Forgiveness

2 Corinthians 5:11--6:2

Sermon

Maxie Dunnam

... saying yes to God.Two, saying yes to forgiveness is our clearest witness to the fact that we are Christian.Three, we say yes to forgiveness by forgiving ourselves.And four, in saying yes to forgiveness we offer freedom to another and we claim freedom for ourselves.Let me close with a story that underscores the need and the dynamic of saying yes to forgiveness. "Father William Scanlon was involved for many years working with runaway teenagers who gravitated to the Tenderloin District of San Francisco. Some ...

379. Baptized...and Baptized

Luke 3:1-20

Sermon

Maxie Dunnam

... in the baptism of an infant -- to make baptism a great act of prevenient grace. If parents in the church fulfill their responsibility in relation to the child, baptism becomes a means of grace for the child as the child comes to the point where he or she can claim for herself, or himself, the faith into which he or she has been nurtured. So, in baptism, we name a child as a child of God. "After the death of her husband, Prince Albert, Queen Victoria said, "There is no one left to call me Victoria." I know ...

380. Obedience Really Matters

Matthew 7:15-23

Sermon

Phil Thrailkill

... , towards what would finally become the doctrine of the Trinity, that the one God of the Jews is shown in Jesus to be not just a unit but a unity, a mysterious and loving eternal communion of three: the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. To make the claim that Yahweh is Lord and that Jesus is Lord, and ultimately that the Holy Spirit is also Lord is the distinctive Christian confession.13 This is who God is revealed to be, and that truth is entrusted to the church by the Holy Spirit. And if you say it ...

381. Complete Joy

Philippians 2:1-11

Sermon

Jeff Wedge

... something for him. If people feel any encouragement in Christ, any strengthening from the body of Christ in the church, any appeal to that part of us which is good and true, any calling of us by Christ to be a part of his work here, then Paul has a claim on them to do what he wishes. If there is any consolation from love, any encouragement for us from our fellow believers, any comfort in our times of sorrow and loss from the body of Christ, then Paul has a ...

382. What to Do with Yesterday - A Sermon for a New Year

Psalm 103:1-22

Sermon

James McCormick

... all the garbage of the past. I want to suggest several steps in that process. 1. First, we take yesterday’s garbage, we name it and we claim it. We tell it like it is and we acknowledge that it has our name on it. It’s our garbage! Naming it is what we ... to speak the name of your demon in confession enables God to give you power over it. That’s the first step. We name it and we claim it. 2. Second, we learn from it. We allow God to bring something good out of it. One of the great truths of our faith is ...

383. Advent 2

Matthew 3:1-12, Romans 14:1--15:13, Isaiah 11:1-16, Psalm 72:1-20

Sermon Aid

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

... messianic king endure throughout time. Finally, vv. 18-19, through proclamation to the glory of God, move the focus of the prayer beyond the boundaries of Israel. Psalm 72:1-7, 18-19 emphasizes even more strongly than Isaiah 11:1-10 how important it is for us to claim God's salvation in our present lives as a ground for our Advent faith. Certainly we do not want to interpret Psalm 72:1-7, 18-19 as a prayer for Jesus. Verse 1 presupposes that the king does not have the justice and righteousness of God, hence ...

384. Epiphany 6

Mt 5:21-37 · 1 Cor 3:1-9 · Ps 119 · Dt 30:15-20

Sermon Aid

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

... to the Christian, and in no way should law be equated with legalism. Deuteronomy 30:15-20 has illustrated how law is really an expression of God's love. Psalm 119:1-8 is a continuation of the theology in Deuteronomy 30:15-20. Both texts are clear in their claim that law is not salvation but the result of God's salvation. God's liberating action in the Exodus, God's leading Israel through the wilderness, and God's giving of the land to Israel constitute salvation. The law is a road map of what to do once we ...

385. Proper 22

Exodus 20:1-21, Matthew 21:33-46, Philippians 3:1-11, Psalm 19:1-14

Sermon Aid

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

... larger coherent statement in 3:4b -14 out of context. The result, upon hearing the lesson, may be disastrous for preaching. In 3:2-4a Paul warns the Philippians to be on guard against those advocate Jewish observances (perhaps the law). Against the claims to authority of those who would advocate Jewish practices in the context of the church, Paul delineates his own credentials. Thus in 3:4b -14 Paul is arguing down opponents, not simply presenting his accomplishments. If verses 4b -14 are read in isolation ...

386. What More Can He Give?

Colossians 1:15-23

Sermon

James McCormick

... intended to be, but God is not the problem. Some people talk as if God is somehow reluctant to receive us, to forgive us, to claim us as His sons and daughters, and that something had to be done to persuade God or to enable God to do all of that. ... . Now, I don’t fully understand that. As sinful as we are. As unworthy as we are. For God to love us anyway and to claim us as His children even in our unclean condition – I don’t fully understand that. But that is clearly so. That’s precisely why the ...

387. The Sword of the Lord

Hebrews 4:12-13

Sermon

James Merritt

... to be the word of God. Someone once made this astute observation about the Bible: I know man did not write this Book. A good man would not have written it because it claims to be from God, and a good man would not make a false claim. A bad man would not have written this Book because it condemns his own evil, so it must be written by God! Over 310 times you will find in the Bible these phrases: "the word of God", or, "the word of the Lord." In the Old Testament alone, phrases like " ...

388. I Believe That Jesus Was Conceived By The Holy Spirit

Luke 1:26-38

Sermon

Bill Bouknight

... lengths to save sinners like you and me. In order to save us, God had to become one with us, though without sin himself. That decisive invasion of earth from heaven began when Jesus was “conceived by the Holy Spirit, born of the Virgin Mary.” When we claim that Jesus was conceived by the Holy Spirit and born of the Virgin Mary, we are into strange obstetrics. Why is that truth counted among the essentials of our faith? Because it conveys three basic truths that are at the very heart of our faith. First ...

389. I Believe That Jesus Suffered Under Pontius Pilate

John 1:29-34

Sermon

Bill Bouknight

... Notice in verse 8 that Pontius Pilate, the judge, is fearful and anxious. Isn’t it strange that the man he is condemning to death shows no sign of fear, but the judge is fearful? Why was Pilate afraid? Perhaps because of superstition. It was common knowledge that Jesus claimed to be the Son of God. Pilate probably thought, “If he is the Son of God and I condemn him to death, I am in real trouble.” Then there was the matter of Pilate’s wife. She had had a dream about Jesus. So she warned her husband ...

390. Searching: MySpace

Hebrews 11:8-13

Sermon

John E. Harnish

... not! It is not graduation from Sunday School. It is not just a nice rite of passage for every pre-teenager to impress their parents. It is not the end of your participation in the life of the church. Rather, it is exactly the opposite. It is a day of claiming your place in this space, signing on, signing up, logging in to the work of Christ in the world. After this day you will not come to worship because your parents made you do it, but because you made a promise to be here, to be present. You will not ...

391. Accepting the Unconventional in Life

Mark 2:13-22

Sermon

Richard Gribble

... words that artificial conventions that keep certain people on the fringes, for whatever reason, must be ended. He has come to those who need assistance, those who need to hear the word, those who are "sick" spiritually. We often hear people claim, "Don't preach to the choir!" Jesus preached to all, but he clearly held a preferential option for those in need. Today Christians speak of a preferential option for the poor -- materially, socially, psychologically, and spiritually. It would have been much easier ...

392. No Excuses

Luke 9:51-62

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

... must not be too deeply rooted in their own lives and selves. One cannot have total security on earth and enjoy freedom in the Spirit. The second person in this text receives a personal invitation from Jesus to follow him. But, not unlike us, this individual claims family responsibilities tie him down and hold him back. According to Jewish tradition it was the duty of the eldest surviving son to see to the burial of his parents. It may not even be the case, therefore, that this potential disciple's father is ...

393. 1 Corinthians 1:10-18

1 Corinthians 1:10-18

Sweet

Leonard Sweet

... community itself. Whether working as a baptizer or a teacher or a cook - all are full and equal members of the body of Christ. More than that, all this diversity is necessary in order to maintain the health of the community. None may claim exclusive importance over any other group within the body. The final two verses introduce a theme which will be developed more fully next week. Paul not only celebrates his unique "teacherly" role in the Christian community; he brags that he is deficient in "eloquent ...

394. 1 Corinthians 1:18-31

1 Corinthians 1:18-31

Sweet

Leonard Sweet

... gift of the Cross, the sacrifice of Jesus Christ, are those who "get it" and enjoy "righteousness and sanctification and redemption" (v.30). Clearly these eternal gifts - not the momentary insights of some human perception or the social points gained by claiming membership in some popular leader's clique - are the results of celebrating the "foolishness" of God in Christ. Only with these drastically re-ordered concepts of power and wisdom well-established does Paul permit the Corinthians any room for their ...

395. Luke 2:41-52

Luke 2:41-52

Sweet

Leonard Sweet

... confided to the reader that as Jesus grew up he was "filled with wisdom" (v.40). Luke is not concerned with chalking up some genius childhood points to further credentialize Jesus' adult ministry. Instead, Luke appears to be firmly establishing the moment when Jesus himself claimed his dedication to the Lord's service as had been promised during the ceremony recorded in verses 22-24. But that long-ago event is far from Joseph's and Mary's minds as they confront Jesus in the temple. Mary's words to her ...

396. Colossians 1:15-28

Colossians 1:15-28

Sweet

Leonard Sweet

... , the new, unprecedented creation that now exists since the Resurrection. Christ reigns supreme over both the old and new creation. He has primogeniture rights over both. Yet another blow is struck against the incipient gnosticism in Colossae by this hymn's claim that "in him all the fullness (pleroma) of God was pleased to dwell" (v.19). Gnostic teachings identified the whole host of spiritual beings (aeons or emanations) that lay between the supreme God and the created universe as the pleroma. The Christ ...

397. Ephesians 2:11-22

Ephesians 2:11-22

Sweet

Leonard Sweet

... and near, says the Lord." Those considered "far off" in Isaiah's text were understood to be the Israelites in exile. But since the dissolution of Israel, the text had long been used to distinguish the "far-off" Gentiles from the "near-by" Jews. The writer now claims this unity has been brought to pass only through "the blood of Christ." Verses 14-18 are widely recognized as a hymn of praise that the author has inserted into his text. The "for" that marks the beginning of this section and the "so then" that ...

398. Proper 5

Mark 3:20-30, 1 Samuel 8:1-22, 2 Corinthians 4:1-18, Mark 3:31-35

Sermon Aid

John R. Brokhoff

... by saying that if this were so, Satan's house would be divided with internal conflict. In that case, his evil kingdom could not stand. 3. Never (v. 29). This is a hard word. One who sins against the Holy Spirit can "never" get forgiveness. The sin is to claim that Jesus has an evil spirit. If he does, then the sinner will never repent and come to Jesus for forgiveness. He is sure that he has done no wrong. Jesus is the one who is wrong. Because of this delusion, a person can never be forgiven. This person ...

399. Did You Know...You Can Be Forgiven For Anything?

1 John 1:8-10

Sermon

James Merritt

... have a relationship with God, once you come into His presence you come into the ultimate, "No Spin Zone." You can't spin sin. You can't say, "It all depends on the what the meaning of ‘is' is". It doesn't get any plainer than verse 10, "If we claim we have not sinned, we make God out to be a liar and His word has no place in our lives." (I John 1:10, NIV) II. Admit The Fault Of Your Sin The remedy for sin is not a good lawyer, not a Watergate cover-up, not a good ...

400. Decoding the Da Vinci Code (Part Two - Explaining the Facts)

1 Peter 3:15

Sermon

James Merritt

... in the world is that Jesus Christ and Jesus Christ alone is the only human being on this planet to be worshipped as God. In a real sense, it is one thing to listen to what others say about Jesus, but what did Jesus say about Jesus? Did Jesus really claim to be God? I can give you, again, many passages, but just listen to one. "Jesus said to them, 'Truly, truly, I say to you, before Abraham was born, I am.'" (John 8:58, NASB) Those two little words "I am" is known as the "tetragramnaton" which is the sacred ...

Showing results