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 426 to 450 of 4490 results

426. Males or Females?

Acts 18:1-3, 18-19, 24-26

Sermon

J. Howard Olds

Perhaps the battle of the sexes has been going on since the beginning of time. At least the jokes go all the way back to Adam and Eve. One joke says that when God finished the creation of Adam, He stepped back, scratched His head and said, “I can surely do better than that." Then He created Eve. Another joke says Adam became lonely after a few weeks in the Garden, so he asked the Lord for a companion. The Lord said, “Let me think it over and get back to you." So the next day the Lord said to Adam, “Here's ...

427. The Gentle Healer

John 9:1-11

Sermon

J. Howard Olds

The Gentle Healer came into our town today. He touched blind eyes and the darkness left to stay. More than the blindness, He took their sins away. The Gentle Healer came into our town today. The Gentle Healer of which Michael Card speaks is the Jesus I want to know. The 9th Chapter of John is a kind of showdown for Jesus. He heals a blind man and encounters the wrath of the powers that be. Come, let's listen in on this drama involving the disciples, an unnamed blind man, Jesus, the community, the parents, ...

428. By Belonging

1 Peter 2:2-10

Sermon

J. Howard Olds

When I was out three years ago trying to raise eleven million dollars for building expansion and renovations, a member of this congregation gave me a brick. She didn't throw it at me even though she might have felt like it. She discreetly handed it to me after a meeting saying, "As we forge into the future let us not forget the past." You see, the brick came out of our old building on Church Street and she had kept it all of these years. I don't plan to keep it. I plan to put it in the archives being ...

429. The Broken Body of Christ

1 Corinthians 11:17-26

Sermon

J. Howard Olds

Humpty Dumpty sat on a wall, Humpty Dumpty had a great fall; All the king's horses and all the king's men, Couldn't put Humpty together again. Who is Humpty Dumpty anyway? He appears to be some egghead with scrambled brains, a nerd, a dork, a geek. But let's not be too quick to judge. Many think he was King Richard III, the hunchbacked monarch who rode a horse named Wall. In the Battle of Bosworth Field, King Richard fell from his horse and his body was hacked to pieces by the enemy. Maybe the resilience ...

430. A Thousand Points of Light

Isaiah 60:1-3; 18-22

Sermon

J. Howard Olds

One of my favorite stories goes something like this: An old man was walking the beach one morning when he saw a kid in the distance doing something like a dance. As the old man got closer to the boy he said, “Good morning, what are your doing?" “Saving starfish," replied the kid. “The sun is up, the tide is going out. If I don't throw these starfish back into the ocean they will all die." “But, young man, there are miles and miles of beach and starfish are everywhere. You can't possibly make a difference ...

431. Unfaithful Israel

Jeremiah 3:6-4:4

Understanding Series

Tremper Longman III

Israel More Righteous Than Judah (3:6-11): 3:6–11 We now have a prose oracle that is set during the reign of Josiah. Jeremiah 1:2 indicates that Jeremiah’s prophetic ministry began in Josiah’s thirteenth year (626 B.C.) Since Josiah’s reign came to a close with his death on the battlefield in 609 B.C., this oracle should be dated between these two dates. The oracles are not in chronological order so we cannot use this rare dating to fix the time of the surrounding oracles. Josiah was the first king to rule ...

432. Paul’s Longing to See the Thessalonians

1 Thessalonians 2:17--3:5

One Volume

Gary M. Burge

2:17–20 · Exit of the founders: The founders of the church were torn away from the new converts in Thessalonica, an experience Luke describes in Acts 17:5–10 and Paul recalls here (2:17). The Greek text indicates that the apostles were “made orphans,” an expression that in Paul’s day could indicate a child’s loss of parents or the tragedy of losing one’s children. The separation, however, was only physical—not mental. The longing for the Thessalonians prompted great, even extreme, efforts to return. The ...

433. The Parable of the Sower

Luke 8:1-15

Understanding Series

Craig A. Evans

The Parable of the Sower: This section is comprised of three parts: (1) the Parable of the Sower (vv. 4–15), (2) the Parable of the Lamp (vv. 16–18), and (3) Jesus’ definition of his true family (vv. 19–21). What unites these three parts is the theme of hearing and obeying the Word of God (see vv. 8, 15, 18, 21). Luke has obtained these materials from Mark. A comparison of the parallel passages in Matt. 13:3–50 and Mark 4:2–34 highlights the different emphases that the three Synoptic evangelists are able ...

434. Absalom, Absalom

2 Samuel 18:1-18

Sermon

Sue Anne Steffey Morrow

I was unprepared for the effect the Vietnam Veterans' Memorial would have on me. As we approached the low, polished black granite V-shaped wall, between the great memorials to Lincoln and Washington on the Mall. I felt the first wave of effect or shock and grief. I recognized a holy silence of all as we moved past the names, more than 58,000 of them, America's children whose lives were taken by the war in Vietnam. Our faces were reflected in the granite so as we begin to read the names Leroy Pierson, Jimmy ...

435. He Lights Up Our Life

John 1:8

Children's Sermon

Wesley T. Runk

Objects: Some light-bulb packages with the light bulbs. Good morning, boys and girls. Today is a good day for us to continue to understand something about the person of John the Baptizer. We are only a short time away from the day when Jesus will be born again into our world as the Christmas child, but before then we need to get ready, and no one helps us more to get ready than John the Baptizer. John knew who he was. He did not try to kid anyone into thinking that he was the most important person in the ...

436. Our Time Will Come!

1 Samuel 16:14-23

Sermon

Donald Zelle

Now the Spirit of the Lord departed from Saul, and an evil spirit from the Lord tormented him. And Saul's servants said to him, "Behold now, an evil spirit from God is tormenting you. Let our lord now command your servants, who are before you, to seek out a man who is skilful in playing the lyre; and when the evil spirit from God is upon you, he will play it, and you will be well." So Saul said to his servants, "Provide for me a man who can play well, and bring him to me." One of the young men answered, " ...

437. Tears on Easter?

John 20:10-18

Sermon

John R. Brokhoff

Mary stood weeping outside the tomb, and as she wept she stooped to look into the tomb, and she saw two angels in white, sitting where the body of Jesus had lain, one at the head and one at the feet. They said to her, "Woman, why are you weeping?" She said to them, "Because they have taken away my Lord, and I do not know where they have laid him." Saying this, she turned around and saw Jesus standing, but she did not know that it was Jesus. Jesus said to her, "Woman, why are you weeping? Whom do you seek ...

438. Parable of Jealousy and Jeopardy

Illustration

"Why does Tommy have so many fine toys and I have only a few?" asked Richard. "We have tried to see that both you boys receive equally from all that we can give you," answered the mother, "but you seem to break up your toys, and never pick them up or take care of them." "But his toys look better than mine, and they last longer," argued Tommy. "I throw mine around because they are not very good anyhow." "Just like that Walt Disney tune says, 'it's what you do with what you've got, that pays off in the end ...

439. BIG DADDY, J.C., AND THE SPOOK

Illustration

John H. Krahn

Many Christians are hurt by even the slightest criticism of their faith. Yet God often uses attacks and slurs on one’s faith to strengthen it. Madalyn Murray O’Hair was invited by the Student Christian Association to speak at a certain college in Ohio. Mrs. O’Hair will go down in history as the one who knocked prayer and Bible reading out of the public schools. Over 350 students, faculty, and townspeople gathered to hear Mrs. O’Hair discuss her views in opposition to God and religion. She lambasted ...

440. The Cross: A Gift Of Life

Isaiah 52:13--53:12

Sermon

King Duncan

Good Friday For Chester Szuber, it was the gift of life. The cost, however, was so dear he almost didn't accept it. The youngest of his 6 children an exuberant 22-year-old nursing student had been killed in a car accident and it quickly became clear her heart could be transplanted into his chest. According to an Associated Press story, the family had little time to decide. Patti's death on a mountain road in Tennessee came while she was on a trip with a friend before her return to nursing school. The car ...

441. The Ultimate Thirst Quencher (Alternate Addition to the "I Am" series: Living water)

John 7:25-44

Sermon

Eric Ritz

Have you ever been extremely hot and extremely thirsty? Go with me in your imagination to South America, to the country of Chile. There is a desert there, the Atacama Desert. In the Atacama Desert it does not rain for centuries at a time. This forsaken, narrow strip of land lies along the western coast of South America. It is protected from clouds by the Andes Mountains, the world''s second highest mountain range. Some parts of the Atacama Desert have not seen rain in 400 years. Although the desert is ...

442. Ephesians 3:14-21

Ephesians 3:14-21

Sweet

Leonard Sweet

In this final portion of chapter three the Ephesian author at last returns to the prayer he began back in 1:16-17, thus definitively closing the first praise and proclamation portion of this epistle before the exhortative remainder of the letter (chapters 4-6). This portion of Ephesians could easily be compared to a classic Cecil B. DeMille movie an earthquake, followed by a flood, capped off by a volcanic eruption and a tornado. The writer begins a litany of prayer requests: that we be "strengthened with ...

443. Proper 28

1 Samuel 1:1-20, Hebrews 10:1-18, Hebrews 10:19-39, Mark 13:1-31

Sermon Aid

John R. Brokhoff

COMMENTARY Old Testament: 1 Samuel 1:4-20 Elkanah had two wives. Hannah was barren and was ridiculed by the second wife, Peninnah. When the family went to Shiloh to worship, Hannah slipped away to pray. She prayed so intensely with tears for a son that the high priest, Eli, accused her of being drunk. In her prayer she promised God that if he gave her a son, she would dedicate him to the Lord. In due time she had a son and named him Samuel. Epistle: Hebrews 10:11-14 (15-18), 19-25 This one supreme ...

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

Acts 20:13-38

Sermon

J. Howard Olds

I love thy kingdom Lord, The house of Thine abode, The church our blest Redeemer saved With his own precious blood. My heart resonates with those words penned by Timothy Dwight more than two hundred years ago. I love the church. A thousand sermons finely tuned could not express my gratitude, for all that I am, all that I have, all that I hope to become, I owe to the Church of Jesus Christ. The Church is of God and shall be preserved to the end of time and I would like to offer some reasons why. I. The ...

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

John 10:1-21

Sermon

J. Howard Olds

A famous actor was the guest of honor at a social gathering. As people gathered around, they asked the actor to recite excerpts from various literary works. He obliged and did so brilliantly. Finally, an elderly pastor asked the author to recite the 23rd Psalm. The actor hesitated at first and then agreed on one condition. The pastor would return the favor. The actor’s recitation was brilliant and eloquent. People responded to the actor with lengthy applause. The pastor’s rendition was feeble and frail. ...

446. Resurrected Glory (Series: Living on the Resurrection Side of Life)

John 17:1-5

Sermon

J. Howard Olds

William Barclay says “It was in their death that the great ones found their glory.” I’ve been thinking about that statement, and I believe it is true. Abraham Lincoln had his enemies in his lifetime, but even those who had criticized him saw his greatness when he died. Joan of Arc was burned as a witch and a heretic by the English. But some people left the scene saying “We are all lost because we have burned a saint.” Martin Luther King, Jr. was ridiculed as a radical, a rabble-rouser, and a dangerous ...

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

Luke 6:17-26

Sermon

J. Howard Olds

“Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me. ...For when I am weak, then I am strong” (II Corinthians 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. ...

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

Luke 12:13-21

Sermon

J. Howard Olds

Have you noticed how almost everything you buy these days has a warning label on it? Welcome to the world of protection from litigation. Some of the wackiest ones include: A bottle of sleeping pills with the warning: “Caution, may cause drowsiness” A fishing lure with the warning: “Harmful if swallowed” Washing machine with the instructions: “Don’t put people inside.” It causes me to start thinking about appropriate warning labels for worship to be printed in the bulletin: “Sleep at your own risk” “Caution ...

449. Radical Love at Home (Series: Radical Love in a Risky World)

Luke 15:11-32

Sermon

J. Howard Olds

When our Lord wanted to drive home a truth, he told a story and the greatest story ever told is the story in the Bible of the Prodigal Son. Every preacher has tried to preach it; songs have been written about it; movies have been made of it. There are Prodigal Ministries and Prodigal Magazines, but let not our familiarity with the story blind us to its meaning for our lives. For whoever you are, wherever you came from, however you perceive your future, you are in this story, in every word on every line. “A ...

450. Does Love Really Make the World Go ’Round? (Series: Real Faith for Real People)

1 John 4:7-21

Sermon

J. Howard Olds

What makes the world go ’round? Do you ever ask yourself that question? In our global economy, many people would say that money makes the world go ’round. How else can one explain our obsession with the stock market and the federal manipulation of interest rates? Some might say that power makes the world go ’round. That might be why two smart men would spend 2 million dollars each trying to be elected mayor of Nashville. A job, mind you, that pays $136,000 a year! Hunger for recognition and status is in ...

Showing results