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 4126 to 4150 of 4963 results

4126. God’s Sign of Love

Luke 2:1-14 (15-20)

Illustration

Tim Zingale

A young girl ran away from home to get married. Her father was angry and said he would never forgive her or ever want to see her again. She was sorry and wrote long letters seeking forgiveness, but still the father remained unforgiving. She eventually had a son. One day, when the boy was old enough to run and play, an idea came to her. Why not send her son to her father. He would be a living letter telling her father of her love for him and that she still very ...

4127. A Table Like No Others

1 Corinthians 11:17-34

Sermon

King Duncan

... that even though they had lived by a rule never to enter a Christian church, their love for the bride had brought them there that night. The gentleman said, “When you invited people to the table and everyone around us began to move, we couldn’t remain seated. We know, Pastor, it’s Jesus’ table, not ours. But we were drawn . . . by some kind of love, so please, we hope we haven’t offended you or your community. But we were received at the table tonight and were deeply moved.” Shortly after this ...

4128. When the Service was Interrupted

Mark 1:21-28

Sermon

King Duncan

... a non-Christian family named Palmer Ofuoku was placed in a mission school by his Nigerian parents because they knew he would receive a good education there. He attended the school for years, yet he did not convert to Christianity. He remained an adherent of a traditional African religion. One year a new missionary came to the school who began to develop close relationships with the students, including Palmer. Eventually the missionary led this young Nigerian to Christ. Palmer Ofuoku explained the missionary ...

4129. Seeking Christ

Mark 1:29-34

Sermon

King Duncan

... in our search for meaning our eyes pick up patterns that, while random, seem to reveal God’s presence. And that gives us peace and . . . hope. And we want the world to know what we’ve seen. It is also a reminder to us of how popular Jesus still remains in the secular world in which we live. Have you ever noticed how often Jesus appears on the cover of Time and Newsweek? Someone once asked the religion reporter for the Washington Post why that was. His answer was that every time Jesus is on the cover of ...

4130. Questions That Puzzle Me

Humor Illustration

... would eat? If Jimmy cracks corn and no one cares, why is there a stupid song about him? If the professor on Gilligan's Island can make a radio out of a coconut, why can't he fix a hole in a boat? Why does Goofy stand erect while Pluto remains on all fours? They're both dogs! If Wile E. Coyote had enough money to buy all that ACME stuff, why didn't he just buy dinner? If corn oil is made from corn, and vegetable oil is made from vegetables, what is baby oil made from? If electricity comes ...

4131. Are You Doing Time On the Bench?

Mark 1:9-13

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

... in the wilderness. The Christian life is more Jeremy Lin than Tim Tebow. Most of us have to do our time on the couch, on the bench. The question is how we will handle our bench time. Will we stay faithful? Will we endure? Will we remain confident in our calling and mission? There is another place in the Bible where it talks about God taking pleasure in us besides Jesus’ baptism. In Hebrews 10, the writer talks about the challenge of bench time: of suffering, and persecution, and public humiliation. The ...

4132. No Cleansing, No Refreshment

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

... Jesus hauled before the authorities. So why does John put this event at the very start of Jesus’ mission? John’s placement lets us consider the recurring necessity of “cleansing.” Jesus cleared out the Temple courtyard. But it is unlikely that it remained clear and clean for long. Does anyone really doubt that the moment Jesus left the Temple mount, all those oxen and sheep and doves, all the money-changers, found their way back to their stalls and their sales? The description of two “cleansing ...

4133. John 3:14-21

John 3:1-21

Sweet

Leonard Sweet

... creativity (1:4-5). With the incarnation the light now comes fully “into the world” (v.19). Yet while the presence of this incarnated light, this Son of Man/Son of God, is welcomed by some, many choose the darkness over the light. For those who remain in the darkness, the shadows hide their evil deeds from being exposed by the light. But for those who choose “what is true,” that is, those who act faithfully and believe, the light holds no fear of judgment. Those who live their lives, whose actions ...

4134. It's A 12 Volt Volt System

John 12:24; Mark 2:22

Illustration

Philip W. McLarty

... , one of my best friends, frustrated with his wife's unwillingness to embrace new technology, railed out at her and said, "Pat, you're just a six-volt battery in a twelve-volt world." That accusation has stayed with me through the years. When something new is required do I remain in the old world? Am I a six-volt battery in a twelve-volt world? Are you?

4135. Mark 1:1-11

Mark 11:1-11

Sweet

Leonard Sweet

... While Matthew and John specifically cite Zechariah 9:9, Mark simply alludes to that text by describing the people’s actions. Despite this week’s moniker of “Palm Sunday” in Mark’s telling, the branches cut, carried, and laid down upon the road remain unidentified (only John 12:13 specifies palm branches). The cry of the people walking along this way is “Hosanna,” a Greek transliteration of the Hebrew “hosa-na” or “save please.” Yet this Old Testament plea for help comes off as more of ...

4136. Will You Be an April Fool for Christ?

Mark 11:1-11

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

4137. Victorious, but Not Unscarred

John 20:24-31

Sermon

King Duncan

... benefits from our system of government though sometimes we can all feel a little sympathy for the businessman who, while on his deathbed, called a friend. He said, “Joe, I want you to promise me that when I die you will have my remains cremated.” “And what,” his friend asked, “do you want me to do with your ashes?” The businessman said, “Just put them in an envelope and mail them to the Internal Revenue Service and write on the envelope, ‘Now you have everything.’” “Victorious, But ...

4138. We Know Where We Are Going

John 20:19-23

Illustration

Steven Molin

... Savior that his life and death has promised us life eternal. And Low Sundays don’t change that promise. And unemployment doesn’t change that promise. Neither does divorce, or bankruptcy, or cancer, or depression, or felony, or failure. Through elation and deflation and every emotion in between, this truth remains; we know whose we are and we know where we are going, because the Son of God has promised. And this, my friends, is faith.

4139. How Odd of God

Acts 3:11-26

Sermon

King Duncan

... the window belonged to them. So since the broken window pane belonged to one faction and the ladder belonged to another, the end result was that the ladder was left leaning against the wall under the window pane. It’s been there since1860; it remains there today. (3) Talk about “acting in ignorance.” But that is how people are all people everywhere under some circumstances. Peter said to the people of Israel that they had done wrong in crucifying Jesus, but that they acted out of ignorance. Then he ...

4140. Acts 8:26 40

Acts 8:26-40

Sweet

Leonard Sweet

... is literally “Spirited away.” The Holy Spirit determines Philip’s new course and audience. Azotus was located north of Gaza along the coat, and it is in that region where Philip now continues to proclaim “the good news.” His venue has once again suddenly changed. But Philip’s witnessing message remains the same wherever he goes.

4141. Idiosyncrasies of the English Language

Humor Illustration

... ? Why do they lock gas station bathrooms? Are they afraid someone will clean them? If a turtle doesn’t have a shell, is he homeless or naked? Can vegetarians eat animal crackers? If the police arrest a mime, do they tell him he has the right to remain silent? Why do they put braille on the drive-through bank machines? How do they get deer to cross the road only at those road signs? What was the best thing before sliced bread? One nice thing about egotists: they don’t talk about other people. Does the ...

4142. Whistling Jesus

John 15:1-17

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

... course of action — to “keep my commandments” (v.10). Just as Jesus’ love for the Father was demonstrated by his perfect obedience to God’s will, even to the cross, so Jesus’ disciples are to demonstrate their love for him by remaining obedient to his commandment. This obedience, Jesus asserts, is not a burden. It is not some nonstop series of trials and tests. It is rather what will enable his disciples to experience complete “joy.” Through their obedience Jesus’ disciples will participate ...

4143. John 15:9-17

John 15:1-17

Sweet

Leonard Sweet

4144. Tough Love

Illustration

King Duncan

... later, the newborn is hurled from its mother's body, falls ten feet, and lands on its back. Within seconds, it rolls to an upright position with its legs tucked under its body. From this position, it views the world for the first time and shakes off any remaining birthing fluid. "The mother giraffe lowers her head just long enough to take a quick look at her calf and then she does what seems to be a very unreasonable thing: she kicks her baby, sending it sprawling head over heels. If it doesn't get up, she ...

4145. How Can I Know God's Will?

Acts 1:12-26

Sermon

King Duncan

... by casting lots. Either choice would have worked out fine because God was going to use whomever they chose to accomplish His purposes. It didn’t matter if it was Matthias or Barsabbas, the other candidate. All that mattered was that God was involved. Still the question remains: How do you know the will of God? Let me suggest some better ways than casting lots. First of all, be a person of prayer and a student of the scriptures. In other words, spend time daily with God. Do not wait until a moment of ...

4146. Toss Your Cap Over the Wall

Mark 3:20-30

Sermon

King Duncan

... to Jesus Christ. Some of you might know of Stookey by the beautiful wedding song that he wrote: He is now to be among you at the calling of your hearts Rest assured this troubadour is acting on His part. The union of your spirits, here, has caused Him to remain For whenever two or more of you are gathered in His name There is Love, there is Love. (4) Others of you might know Paul Stookey as the second member of the folk singing trio, “Peter, Paul and Mary.” At one point in his life, Stookey was going ...

4147. When You Are Wrongly Criticized

Mark 3:20-30

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

... How hurtful must it have been for Jesus to be rejected and labeled “crazy” so early in his ministry by those he had known and loved longest and the best. Despite this deeply personal critical encounter, Jesus does not personalize his response. His focus remains on “the family.” But he simply redefines who that family is. His family becomes all those who do “the will of God” — a definition that leaves the door open for all his blood relatives, but also now includes all those who follow him and ...

4148. Outside of Himself

Mark 3:20-30

Illustration

Scott Hoezee

... to stand outside of yourself. Even today we may refer to a person who is an emotional wreck as being "beside himself" with grief. The idea is that someone has taken leave of his senses (or his senses have taken leave of him) and so what remains for the time being is a person whose emotions are unchecked and unregulated. This is the family's assessment of Jesus. Apparently all Jesus' talk about invisible kingdoms of God and the casting out of demons led members of his own family to the conclusion that ...

4149. Growth Is in Our Reach

Mark 4:21-34

Illustration

Merritt W. Ednie

... of the essential meaning of life and the sources of its deepest fulfillment. If a seed in its dark, restless journey underground is not content until it breaks through the mountain of soil and strains ever higher toward the sunlight, will we human beings be content to have our faith remain simply a seed full of potential?

4150. Idiosyncrasies of English

Humor Illustration

Johnny Dean

... A WALK? WHY DO THEY LOCK GAS STATION BATHROOMS? ARE THEY AFRAID SOMEONE WILL CLEAN THEM? IF A TURTLE DOESN'T HAVE A SHELL, IS HE HOMELESS OR NAKED? CAN VEGETARIANS EAT ANIMAL CRACKERS? IF THE POLICE ARREST A MIME, DO THEY TELL HIM HE HAS THE RIGHT TO REMAIN SILENT? WHAT WAS THE BEST THING BEFORE SLICED BREAD? ONE NICE THING ABOUT EGOTISTS: THEY DON'T TALK ABOUT OTHER PEOPLE. HOW IS IT POSSIBLE TO HAVE A CIVIL WAR? IF ONE SYNCHRONIZED SWIMMER DROWNS, DO THE REST DROWN TOO? IF YOU ATE BOTH PASTA AND ANTIPASTO ...

Showing results