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 4076 to 4100 of 4977 results

4076. This Little Light of Mine

Matthew 5:14-26

Sermon

J. Howard Olds

... do not shine on our own. The flame comes from beyond us. Alex Haley, noted author who wrote great books like Roots, used to say, “I keep a portrait of a turtle sitting on a fence post in my office. Every time I get an award or receive a good book review, I ... the mine fields. You never knew which step might be your last so I learned to live between the steps. I guess I just keep living that way." This little light of mine, am I going to let it shine? III. OUR LIGHTS MUST GIVE THEMSELVES FOR THE CAUSE ...

4077. The Joyful Provider

John 2:1-11

Sermon

J. Howard Olds

... We are empty. Empty leaves us feeling separated from God, unable to cope, confused about priorities and generally exhausted. We can’t keep going on empty. Sooner or later something has got to happen. I guess the question is, have we the faith of Mary ... left over. Isn't that just like Jesus? He just can't do enough; he is abundant in what he has to offer. He keeps on giving. He turns water into wine, sinners into saints, fear into courage, sorrow into joy, defeat into victory, despair into hope, death into ...

4078. The Loving Friend

John 4:1-15

Sermon

J. Howard Olds

... at the well was despised by her village, which was despised by the Judeans, whose ancestors had been humiliated by the Babylonians. From generation to generation humiliation, resentment, and violence were passed down by people keeping the score so they could seek to get even. Then Jesus comes and sets aside score keeping and by treating all as if all were forgiven, he makes forgiveness possible. II. A FRIEND ASKS “HOW ARE YOU?" THEN HANGS AROUND LONG ENOUGH TO HEAR THE ANSWER. Do you know what I mean ...

4079. Loving Our Enemies, Christian or Crazy?

Matthew 5:43-47

Sermon

J. Howard Olds

... ; and instead of going on, they let their hurt fester. After all these years they still use it as an excuse for living an unfaithful life. They keep their hurt on the mantel to remind them of the wrong they incurred. In time they are the only ones left to soak in their self-pity. ... nasty niceness as its great aunt. A perfectionist is Bree on Desperate Housewives frantically trying to keep her perfection intact. Perfection here is Teleos: completeness, wholeness, maturity. And our founder, John Wesley, was ...

4080. Making the Most of Small Beginnings

Matthew 13:31-35

Sermon

J. Howard Olds

... listen. Let those who have ears to hear, hear! III. THE KINGDOM OF HEAVEN IS SURPRISING, LIKE A BURIED TREASURE THAT A FARMER FOUND IN THE FIELD. In his joy he went and sold all that he had and bought the field. In Jesus' day, the safest place to keep your money and your valuables was in the ground. You didn't put your treasures in a bank; you buried them in the earth. The only problem was that you had to remember exactly where you left them. One person's forgetfulness in this story becomes another person's ...

4081. By Belonging

1 Peter 2:2-10

Sermon

J. Howard Olds

... is my rock, my fortress in whom I take refuge." And so, it is all over the liturgy of the Church, the phrases that we use in the community of faith God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in time of trouble. He is the Anchor that keeps the soul, steadfast and sure while the billows roll. The Lord is the Rock of our Salvation. His banner over us is love. Taking that image, Peter offers an invitation. Did you get it in the Scripture reading? The invitation is this: Come to him, the living Stone ...

4082. Embracing Christ—The Light of the World

John 8:12-20

Sermon

J. Howard Olds

... and started working on another light bulb. When it was finished Edison called the same assistant to carry it upstairs to the testing room. That's what Jesus Christ does for us; he gives us a second chance. In fact, He wants us to keep coming back until we get it right. No matter how many times we keep coming back, He gives us grace and that's what grace is all about. He is the light of life; He came to shine on you. No wonder we call grace amazing. We can embody His values. Tiger Woods is a Nike man ...

4083. We Need Martha and Mary

Luke 10:38-42

Illustration

Max Lucado

... Every church needs a Martha. Change that. Every church needs a hundred Marthas. Sleeves rolled up and ready, they keep the pace for the church. Because of Marthas the church budgets get balanced church buildings get repaired and cleaned ... to lock doors, turn off the lights and turn off the fans. Yes, the Marthas are the Energizer Bunnies of the church. They keep going and going and going." Martha was a live wire to be sure. However, even live wires need a time out for recharging. Work without worship will ...

4084. The Real Real Estate

Luke 12:13-21

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

... cannot return our love. Real relationships are not based on tit-for-tat, or quid-pro-quo. Real relationships never keep score. All of our real estate, our real relationships, are built on the same base, the same foundation, as our ... hearing about, blogging about, tweeting about. Just the tiny, little problem that you cannot hold the phone up to your left ear and still keep your call online. It seems that the cleverly concealed antennae in the iPhone 4 is uncleverly placed just in the spot where most people ...

4085. Making the Situation Worse

Luke 12:13-21

Illustration

Charles Hoffacker

... itches and you want relief. But scratching only makes poison ivy worse. Avarice works the same way. We get infected, and we want to scratch, although we know we shouldn't do so. Possessing more and more promises relief, but only makes the situation worse. We keep scratching, but it's no solution. It just makes the situation worse. Jesus issues a warning, a warning inspired by a squabble over inheritance, but one that all of us need to hear. He says: "Take care! Be on your guard against all kinds of greed ...

4086. Cheering from the Stands

Hebrews 12:1-13

Sermon

King Duncan

... once in a while our legs will get tangled in the chain. It might even cause us to fall. This is the problem of sin. It keeps us from winning the race. It stands in the way of the good we would accomplish. We are not perfect people and God forgives our ... witness to the power of God in our lives. We hang in there. We take the blows of life, but, by the power of God, we keep getting up off the canvas. Call it stubbornness, if you will, but it is a divine stubbornness that says, “God has not created me to be ...

4087. A Kingdom that Cannot Be Shaken

Hebrews 1:1-14

Sermon

King Duncan

... let us be thankful, and so worship God acceptably with reverence and awe . . .” He is telling us that we can experience a reality that cannot be shaken, a kingdom that is a gift from God. There are human beings who devote their lives to keeping the earth stable beneath our feet those who regulate our financial institutions, those who seek new medical breakthroughs, those who protect us from terrorism, etc. They do magnificent work. Some of them have made a real impact on society. Frank Lloyd Wright was at ...

4088. Rules and Routine

Luke 13:10-17

Illustration

Any classroom teacher, especially one with a large number of students, will quickly confirm the importance of rules and regulations in keeping a classroom running smoothly and even in keeping the students happy. Everyone likes to know how the people around them are going to behave and when things are going to happen. There is real safety in knowing the people around you will honor the rules. There is also real security in following a routine and knowing what will ...

4089. Center Stage

Matthew 1:18-25

Sermon

Charles L. Aaron

... . For the regrets that seem to hold us hostage, God offers us release. God saves us from the big sins for which we all chip in our two cents' worth. For pollution, and racism, for poverty, and the ways we just let things keep going, God saves us. God doesn't want us just to keep letting these things be, but God saves us. God saves us from the guilt of our sins. On our own we cannot reestablish the relationship we might have had with God. That relationship has been shattered. Only God can pick up the crushed ...

4090. Who's Who

John 1:29-42

Sermon

Charles L. Aaron

... , asking to go to Jesus' dwelling place for quality time? The important thing for us is that the discipleship moves slowly. Now, we can move so slowly that we never get around to it, but John gives an okay to developing the relationship with Jesus slowly. If we keep reading in John, we discover that the disciples did not come fully to believe in Jesus until they had seen the water turned to wine at the wedding in Cana. Coming to believe can be a process. As do all of the gospels, John singles out Simon. In ...

4091. Those Who Most Need a Blessing

Matthew 5:1-12

Sermon

Charles L. Aaron

... choice over. When Jesus blesses the merciful, he moves fully toward those who make a choice. We do not choose to be wronged, to be violated, to be hurt. We can choose how we will respond. We can strike back, or we can be merciful. If we strike back, we keep the cycle of hurt going. We may feel better over the short term, but we will never fully heal. If we choose to show mercy, we take risks. Someone may sneer at our mercy. Someone may call us weak. Mercy may take more strength than we think we have. Yet ...

4092. Becoming Good Trees

Matthew 5:17-30

Sermon

Charles L. Aaron

... do things we wouldn't do if we weren't angry. How much violence has been perpetrated, how many hate crimes have been committed because people couldn't control their anger? Our anger blocks our spiritual growth and our reception of God's grace. Our lust keeps us from seeing people as people. We reduce other people to body parts, assuming they exist for our pleasure. Lust makes us act in ways we never would if our minds were clear. Jesus really is offering us freedom. Freedom from the things that control us ...

4093. Sneak Preview

Matthew 17:1-9

Sermon

Charles L. Aaron

... we cannot find God in a world of competing religions, maybe we can see God in those who choose dialogue to find wisdom in other faith traditions. If we cannot see God because of our own individual pain, maybe we can find God in those who care for us and keep our hopes up. These experiences are not clear and unmistakable evidence of God among us, yet they can be a kind of transfiguration for us. In these experiences we can see God's grace and power shining through the darkness of the world. All of us in this ...

4094. Strong in God’s Name

Matthew 4:1-11

Sermon

Lee Griess

... in the wilderness. Jesus' wasn't alone — the Spirit who led him there to be tempted was there to help him. Never let the devil get you alone. Stay close to the family of God. Whenever you are tempted to let your worship attendance slide, to make commitments that keep you apart from church, resist them. They are the devil's way of pulling you apart and getting you alone. When you begin to think you don't need others, that people at church are just a bunch of hypocrites, or worse yet, when you begin to feel ...

4095. and Forgiveness Come Easy When You’re Filled with The Spirit

John 20:19-23

Sermon

Mark Ellingsen

... good and comfort.5 Isn't this a comforting word? You and I can be confident, certain of a loving God, because he keeps coming back. Jesus will not leave us alone. Our gospel lesson says that the disciples rejoiced when they saw the Lord Jesus ( ... God, the Spirit is as essential for our doing good works, as essential for us when forgiving others, as the air we breathe is necessary to keep us alive! When you see it that way, life is not as hard. Forgiveness, like life, does not always come easy. It's so hard to ...

4096. Having Fun with The Great Commission

Matthew 28:16-20

Sermon

Mark Ellingsen

... in mind how natural it is for us human beings to do evangelism, since we are socially oriented naturally just like the Triune God in whose image we have been made, and when we also keep in mind how much fun and happiness scientists now tell us we can find in spiritual undertakings and in getting focused on projects bigger than we are, then engaging in the Great Commission, doing evangelism, seems like a winner! Nobody has to tell you it's your purpose and require ...

4097. When You’re Free (In Christ), Sacrifice Is No Burden!

Matthew 10:24-39

Sermon

Mark Ellingsen

... part of the story. Those concerned with purpose-driven living make it too hard, but also too easy. The whole story is evident in today's gospel lesson. Jesus was continuing what we read last week — his commissioning and instruction of the disciples. Keep in mind that most New Testament scholars have concluded that the context of Matthew's gospel is the experience of persecution. The church that Matthew was addressing as being harassed by the Roman establishment. It was interpreted by Matthew as a sign of ...

4098. The Road No One Wants to Travel

Matthew 16:21-28

Sermon

Wayne Brouwer

... Jesus. "If anyone would come after me he must deny himself and take up his cross and follow me." That means traditions alone cannot keep our faith strong. It means that life and society and the church will always be changing. It can be frightening to us. How often ... with Peter. Peter wanted Jesus to take the easy way out. He wanted Jesus to save his own life, to guard his own safety, to keep his body intact. But how could the Ragman not be the Ragman? How could the Son of God not be the Son of God? How ...

4099. Political Pardon

Matthew 18:21-35

Sermon

Wayne Brouwer

... into the fields before he would come in his pickup truck and park on the middle of the yard, blowing his horn until Mom went out to talk. Then he would berate her until she was in tears. That was the limit for Dad. Although he had every right to keep farming that land for another year, and at the rental price prescribed by the contract, he gave it all up. "Go rent your land to someone else," he told the landlord. And the man did. My parents said very little about it all after the deed was done. They never ...

4100. Stop, Drop, Cover, and Roll!

Isaiah 7:10-16

Sermon

Tony Everett

... of war were a daily part of life. In the verse before today's lesson begins, the Lord warned Ahaz: "If you do not stand firm in faith, you shall not stand at all" (Isaiah 7:9). Ahaz stood firm on the quicksand of his own plans and efforts to keep power and control. Early in chapter 7, Isaiah describes the first part of this meeting with Ahaz. Ahaz is at a water conduit on the highway to Fuller's field. He was inspecting Jerusalem's water supply in case of a long enemy siege. God had instructed Isaiah to ...

Showing results