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 4026 to 4050 of 4986 results

4026. I Think of Maria Often

1 Corinthians 13:1-13

Illustration

... , and cheese. One day she came knocking at their door. There was a cabin that she had up in the hills. She wanted to take the children, of which Eli was one, and hide them there before the SS came. They decided after much debate to stay together as a family, although they were deeply moved at this gesture. He writes about her: If other Christians had acted like her, the trains rolling toward the unknown would have been less crowded. If priests and pastors had raised their voices, if the Vatican had ...

4027. Hooked for Life

Luke 5:1-11

Illustration

Bill Bouknight

... afternoon Papa took me with him to a nearby pond to do a little fishing. I was just learning to use a rod and reel. Papa caught a little bass weighing about half a pound. Then he had to leave for prayer meeting. He asked me if I wanted to stay a bit longer and make a few casts. Of course I did. I remember to this day the top-water plug I was using. I tossed it over near some reeds and let it lie still for a few seconds. Then I just twitched it a couple of times. Then ...

4028. It'll Come Back to You

Luke 9:28-36, (37-43)

Illustration

... looked at him and said, "Well, I've been in the ministry so long I don't think I can remember how to cuss." The young man grinned and said, "Pull on the rope some more and it'll come back to you." The point is this, we ought not stay on the mountain top so long that we forget what it is like to be in the crowd. Like Peter, we shouldn't forget that our work is in the crowds.

4029. Live and Learn

Isaiah 55:1-13

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

... and all of David’s descendants. But David’s house became a badly developed sub-division. The mortgage was taken over by the Assyrians, the Persians, the Babylonians, the Romans. New Rule: Rules don’t work. Instead of rules that establish the way to stay in relationship with God, create a pathway that will enable rule-breakers — that is all of us — to find a way back into relationship with God. Isaiah first revealed the cost of the construction of this road back when he named the Suffering Servant ...

4030. Our Chaotic Life

Luke 13:1-9

Illustration

Staff

This notice appeared in the window of a coat store in Nottingham, England: "We have been established for over 100 years and have been pleasing and displeasing customers ever since. We have made money and lost money, suffered the effects of coal nationalization, coat rationing, government control and bad payers. We have been cussed and discussed, messed about, lied to, held up, robbed and swindled. The only reason we stay in business is to see what happens next."

4031. God Loves the Elder Brother Too

Luke 15:11-32

Illustration

... on the walls for years. It was a picture of Jesus being scourged prior to the crucifixion. And suddenly the realization came to her the Christ had been scourged for her. And those who have studied her life say that this was the great turning point. She had stayed at home in the Father's house. She had done the right thing. But she needed to know that the Christ who was whipped was whipped for Teresa. And there was joy in heaven that day—-not over a soul returning from wild living but for a soul returning ...

4032. Philippians 3:4b-14

Philippians 3:1-11

Sweet

Leonard Sweet

... completely new posture is why Paul can count everything in his old life as “loss” and why he wants to “conform” his new life of faith in Christ to Christ’s own suffering and death. Paul’s prayer here is that “somehow” he will be able to stay the course of faith throughout his life, even to his own death, so that he may share in Christ’s resurrection. Paul concludes by admitting he knows that he has a long road ahead of him in this desire to “conform” to Christ’s sufferings. Because ...

4033. Christ Arose

John 20:1-9

Sermon

King Duncan

... do you explain such a change in a person’s demeanor? It’s incredible. Even more impressively, none of those who claimed to have met Christ after his resurrection ever recanted. They were persecuted, tortured, even martyred, and right to the very end they stayed true to their testimony. He is alive! Father Basil Pennington, a Roman Catholic monk, tells of an encounter he once had with a teacher of Zen. Pennington was at a retreat. As part of the retreat, each person met privately with this Zen teacher ...

4034. What Matters In the Light of Eternity: “Church Matters”

Acts 20:13-38

Sermon

J. Howard Olds

... His father wanted nothing to do with it. New preachers would pay him a visit only to have Mr. Craddock snarl and say, “They just want another number on their rolls.” Lay people would visit, but Mr. Craddock was certain they only wanted his money, so he stayed home alone until he got sick, deathly sick. Fred said, “I flew home to see him. His room was covered with cards and flowers sent from the church. The refrigerator was full of food made by church members. Fred said when I walked into Dad’s room ...

4035. Resurrected Following (Series: Living on the Resurrection Side of Life)

John 10:1-21

Sermon

J. Howard Olds

... someone teaches us how to think or act? Is it when we receive advice about where to go and what to do? Is it when we hear words of reassurance and hope? Perhaps; sometimes. But, what really counts is that in moments of pain and suffering, someone stays with us. More important than any particular action, or word, or advice is the simple presence of someone who cares. When our oldest son was 25 years-old, he underwent open heart surgery to replace the aortic valve. As we gathered around his bed before surgery ...

4036. Valley of Rejection (Series: Peace in the Valley)

Luke 4:14-30

Sermon

J. Howard Olds

... more than two dozen rejection slips before The Cat in the Hat made it to print. Learn from your rejections. We are not perfect and we do not always get it right, but keep coming back until you do get it right. Every rejection can be a lesson if we stay open to new possibilities and new opportunities. What can I do different? How can I improve? What needs can I meet? These are the questions we need to ask if we are to never let a trouble go to waste. Ruth Graham felt an uncontrollable urge to run out of ...

4037. Valley of Weakness (Series: Peace in the Valley)

Luke 6:17-26

Sermon

J. Howard Olds

... 12:9-10). Let me tell you a very personal story. As a kid I was bullied a lot by older siblings and teased to tears almost daily by adults who somehow saw something humorous about intimidating a small child. In elementary school, I stayed to myself and avoided conflicts at all costs with the big eighth graders in that little four room schoolhouse. This flee to safety continued for several years. Then one day, I put away childish ways, found a better identity, developed self-confidence, and decided ...

4038. What Matters In the Light of Eternity: “Life Matters”

Luke 9:18-27

Sermon

J. Howard Olds

... to a CBS news poll, sixty-four percent of Americans are comfortable with coming up short, but here is the disturbing news. Forty-three percent are content to try only once rather than try, try, again. Ninety-five percent admit that after falling down they now prefer to stay down. Few want to keep going, especially when the going is tough. Regrets, I’ve had a few, how about you? I am grateful to family, friends, and churches who encouraged me to get up and try again. I have learned more from my faults and ...

4039. Celebration (Series: Fundamentals of Family)

Luke 15:11-32

Sermon

J. Howard Olds

... again; he was lost and is found” (Luke 15:32). Meanwhile, the older son was in the field. When he heard about the party, he was angry, upset, put out. Not even the humble pleas of a merciful father can persuade him to join the party. He stays in the fields, pouting, rationalizing, and hurting. I don’t mean to be pessimistic, but almost every family I know has a brother, sister, mother, father, son or daughter, who refuses to join the party. They are not about to participate in the celebration. They will ...

4040. Thanks for the Memories

Philippians 1:1-11

Sermon

J. Howard Olds

... not finished with this outstanding church in Methodism. While it is not a perfect church, because it is made up of imperfect people, it has yet to reach its full potential. Did you know that in the 157 year history of this congregation the average stay of a Senior Pastor has been three years? Unlike most large churches of any denomination, this congregation is not dependent upon its Senior Pastor. Nobody can say this is Jeff Fryer’s church or Bob Spain’s church, or Joe Pennel’s church, and certainly ...

4041. Discover The Joy Of Christmas

Luke 2:8-20

Sermon

Billy D. Strayhorn

... we least expect it. But we need to look forward to it. We need to clean up the spiritual clutter in your life. Our lives this time of year are so much like the 12 Crazy Days of Christmas. Somehow, in the midst of all the craziness we have to stay focused because we don't miss it. Let me tell you a story. II. Story A. Tom and Linda had moved into their new house three months ago. They didn't have it completely furnished yet but there was enough furniture to entertain and this year Linda had invited both ...

4042. Discover the Surprise of Christmas

Matthew 2:1-12

Sermon

Billy D. Strayhorn

... and joy he represents at Christmas. However, Santa is not the reason for the season. Santa is a byproduct of the celebration of the Season. And we have to make sure that we focus on the gift of God's Grace that we so desperately need. We have to stay focused because the Gift of the Christ Child changes everything. This child changes lives. He offers us the gift of new life. The gift of hope and purpose and direction. And I can honestly say that no other gift I've ever received at Christmas has ever done ...

4043. Jesus Saves, We're Called To Invest

Matthew 25:14-20

Sermon

Billy D. Strayhorn

... ago I read that EmoryUniversity had posted the new tuition rates on a bulletin board in the administration building. Every department and every school had a significant increase, except for one. Because Candler School of Theology was so heavily endowed, their tuition stayed the same. Someone noticed the significant difference between the school of theology and the rest of the departments and in red ink above the school of theology's tuition rates they wrote: Jesus talked a lot about the use of money and ...

4044. Do You Have Beautiful Feet?

Romans 10:5-15

Sermon

Billy D. Strayhorn

... two in prayer for each person. 8. Carry the cards with you and whenever you get a chance, pray for them. Ask God's blessing in their lives. If you know specific needs in the family, lift those as well. 9. Finally, the cards you laid on the altar will stay there for the next 40 Days. Every week Leslie and I will be praying through them. She will be praying on Wednesdays and I'll be praying on Thursdays. And every Sunday, for the next 40 Days, we will lift them up to God. God knows who they are. 10 ...

4045. Getting Real

Genesis 22:1-14

Sermon

Billy D. Strayhorn

... , and his son Isaac; he cut the wood for the burnt offering, and set out and went to the place in the distance that God had shown him. [4] On the third day Abraham looked up and saw the place far away. [5] Then Abraham said to his young men, "Stay here with the donkey; the boy and I will go over there; we will worship, and then we will come back to you." [6] Abraham took the wood of the burnt offering and laid it on his son Isaac, and he himself carried the fire and the knife. So the ...

4046. Getting It, Together

Matthew 10:24-39

Sermon

Billy D. Strayhorn

... . Not only are we loved but we're in this together. One of the things modern parents have found out is that we are in this thing called parenthood, together. We can't do it alone. A Dad is no longer just "lord of the castle." And Moms don't stay home, watch the kids and coming running to serve Dad at the drop of a hat. Today, Moms have careers, just like Dads. Being a Dad, especially, has taken on a whole new formula than in past generations. Today, in most households, Dads play more of a nurturing role in ...

4047. If Everybody’s Okay, What’s the Problem? (Series: Real Faith for Real People)

1 John 1:5--2:14

Sermon

J. Howard Olds

... of my youth failed to answer. Then one day I decided just to go back to God and let him handle the rest. That’s what I did.” C. What would a spiritual turnaround mean for you? Decide to move on with assurance. Walk in the light. Stay in fellowship. Rejoice in the knowledge that you are a child of God. Enjoy the fruits of the Spirit—love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. We have a problem. It’s called sin. God has a remedy. It’s called grace. We ...

4048. Where There’s Hope, There’s Life

Isaiah 2:1-5

Sermon

J. Howard Olds

... Solomon built the temple. It is where the laws of the Lord were kept and the ways of the Lord were practiced. Let us go up to the mountain, the highest mountain of all. Oatman Johnson wrote over 100 years ago: My heart has no desire to stay Where doubts arise and fears dismay; Tho’ some may dwell where these abound My prayer, my aim, is higher ground. May your aim be higher ground, this December. A couple of months ago, I radically changed my prayer life. Instead of praying to get well, I started praying ...

4049. Follow Your Questions (Series: An Invitation to Christian Discipleship)

John 20:24-31

Sermon

J. Howard Olds

... , the questions do not matter as much any more. When Jesus comes, our faith is no longer an academic discussion, but an intimate trust in out living Lord. When Jesus comes, he takes the gloom, and fills my life with glory, for all is changed when Jesus comes to stay. Faith is the bird that feels the light when the dawn is still dark. Sometimes we wish we could be free as a bird. Do birds really have it made? They toil each day to find food for themselves and their offspring. They never know what a day may ...

4050. Winning the War Over Stuff (Series: Winning The War Over Daily Life)

Luke 12:13-21

Sermon

J. Howard Olds

... service somebody will think if not actually ask, “I wonder how much ol’ John left?” The answer to that question is simple; ol’ John left it all, that’s how much he left. Somewhere in the shadows I think I hear Jesus saying to us today, “Watch out! Beware! Stay Alert! Don’t make a fool of yourself! Separate who you are from what you have! Declare to your Stuff – you are not my life. You must never own me and you will never be my God. I will not be your slave. Somebody needs to be set free ...

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