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 4826 to 4850 of 4977 results

4826. Spirit-Direct

Acts 10:23b-48

Sermon

Timothy J. Smith

... were concerned. Jesus instructed his followers to go into the entire world to tell people about him. At first Peter was reluctant to go to Gentile lands. The idea of speaking with a Gentile or entering a Gentile’s home made Peter feel quite uncomfortable. It was hard to overcome such strong feelings, especially something that went against everything he had always accepted and believed. Sometimes our faith requires that we stretch in new ways often pushing us out of our comfort zones. So what did Peter ...

4827. Who's the Real Leader?

Joshua 3:1-4:24

Sermon

Argile Smith

... Lord didn’t give the vision exclusively to Joshua. He also placed God’s dream in the minds and hearts of the people of Israel too. Consequently, Joshua didn’t have to impose his vision on the resistant people and force them to make it a reality. Quite the contrary, the leader and the followers shared the same vision and worked together to realize it. Joshua led them to live out the vision of taking the Promised Land that God had given to all of them. Perhaps Joshua learned the value of a clear sense ...

4828. When God Does Something New

Jeremiah 30:1--31:40

Sermon

Argile Smith

... in fear that the crowd had grown too large. When they blocked the traffic, they thought they had put an end to what they feared would be an insurrection. The barricade didn’t stop the people from coming to the church. It had quite the opposite effect. The crowd grew as people attended regularly each Monday night with lighted candles in hand. Pastor Fuhrer encouraged them to carry candles because it would require both hands. With both hands occupied to keep the candles lit while walking, the temptation ...

4829. God Cares

Ezekiel 34:1-31

Sermon

Argile Smith

... us, we have been given the leadership we need for our future. The Lord can be counted on to direct our steps so we will please him with our lives. In pleasing him, we find joy and contentment. Best of all, the Lord doesn’t lead us from a distance. Quite the opposite, God walks with us each step of the way, and he remains intimately involved with us. He challenges us to spend time with him, to listen to him, to trust him, and to obey him. The purpose of these challenges is to help us to follow God ...

4830. You Never Noticed

Luke 16:19-31

Sermon

King Duncan

... now he is comforted here and you are in agony . . .” If there ever was a parable of Jesus that should keep us awake at night, it is the story of the rich man and Lazarus. Why? Because, compared to most of the people in the world, we are quite rich. That is why most of us would prefer not to think too much about this parable. “We’re saved by grace, not by works,” we rationalize to ourselves, so we skip over this parable and other teachings of Jesus much like it concerning our responsibility to the ...

4831. A Faith to Move Mountains

Luke 17:1-10

Sermon

King Duncan

... worked. He was a failure. How would he ever move a mountain with his faith if he couldn’t move a mere paper clip? Finally giving up, he opened the door of his study to find his wife and son outside listening in their night-clothes, looking quite distressed. His wife said, “Darling, why didn’t you tell that paper clip you’d straighten it out for evermore if it didn’t get its act together?” (1) People are amazing, aren’t they? Someone needs to explain to this dear brother the difference between ...

4832. He Ascended Into Heaven

Luke 24:44-53

Sermon

David O. Bales

... physical world tightly, believing that existence is closed to outside influence, and if it’s not scientifically explainable it’s not real. Not only physical scientists, but plenty of medical workers have experiences that point to a physical world that’s quite open to the spiritual realm. Dr. Lori Wiener serves in the National Cancer Institute of Maryland. She’s a social worker and coordinator of the Pediatric HIV Psychosocial Support Program. She’s dealt with many children who claim they’ve been ...

4833. Putting the World Back Together

John 20:1-9

Sermon

David O. Bales

... out about it like this: Mary of Magdala walks outside the walls of old Jerusalem in the dark. It’s dark in more ways than one. She starts to the tomb as the sky turns pink. Picture in your mind Mary approaching Jesus’ tomb while it’s quite dark, stumbling down the path through the unlit, ancient world. Mary hasn’t slept for two nights, numbed by grief and still in shock. She should carefully watch every step but she can hardly manage a shuffle. She saw Jesus die and John’s gospel offers nothing ...

4834. Hope from a Stump

Isaiah 11:1-16

Sermon

King Duncan

... . (6) Hope is based on our faith in God. God is a loving God who watches over His children. Hope is a flower breaking through a slab of concrete. Hope is a shoot coming up “from the stump of Jesse . . .” Nothing is sadder than when hope dies. If you quit trusting God, then where will you turn? Hope is what Christmas is all about. This Advent and Christmas season, turn your eyes to the babe who was born in Bethlehem of Judea, the One foretold by Isaiah in the midst of the ruins of his time. Where God is ...

4835. A Man of God

Matthew 1:18-25

Sermon

King Duncan

... thought Jesus was lost, but they found him in the temple. That is the last we hear about this good man Joseph. Though there is a dearth of information from scripture as well as tradition, many scholars think it is likely that Joseph died when Jesus was quite young. That explains why Joseph was not mentioned with the rest of the family after Jesus had begun his ministry. However, there are some facts about Joseph that we can infer. First of all, Joseph was a man in control of his emotions. That’s important ...

4836. A Faith that Leaves a Legacy

2 Timothy 3:10--4:8

Sermon

King Duncan

... is facing the capital charge of insurrection against the Roman government. He has had his preliminary hearing before Nero. Soon he will stand in his final trial and hear the fateful verdict: “Execution.” How soon? We do not know, but these verses indicate that it will be quite soon. Paul knows that the end of his life upon earth is near. This is the reason he had just passed the banner of the gospel over to Timothy the reason he had just given Timothy the awesome charge of preaching the Word of God to a ...

4837. A Faith that Will Transform You

Luke 19:1-10

Sermon

King Duncan

... . And, because Zacchaeus sought so diligently to see Jesus, Jesus saw him. Even more wonderfully, Jesus knew and called him by name. “Zacchaeus,” Jesus called to him, “come down immediately. I must stay at your house today.” This was bound to strike Zacchaeus quite dramatically. When anyone, especially a stranger, calls us by name, our ears perk up and our senses become more alert. Jesus knows every person’s name. He wants to address every one of us like he addressed Zacchaeus, but we must do as ...

4838. A Faith that Will Bring You Alive

Luke 20:27-40

Sermon

King Duncan

... earth. And after my skin has been destroyed, yet in my flesh I will see God; I myself will see him . . .” (Job 19:23-27) According to the Sadducees, there was no such thing as life beyond the grave. So the question they posed to Jesus is quite surprising. “Teacher,” they said, “Moses wrote for us that if a man’s brother dies and leaves a wife but no children, the man must marry the widow and raise up offspring for his brother. Now there were seven brothers. The first one married a woman and died ...

4839. Duuuh!

John 14:15-31

Sermon

David O. Bales

... , usually from a teenager. It goes, “Duuuh!” We all have needs clamoring within us to get our attention; that’s why Jesus’ Spirit within us has to rap a little on us so we remember we’re no longer in this life just for ourselves. When we don’t quite remember what the Christian life is about, maybe Jesus who lives within us says, “Duuuh!” He says, “If you love me, you will keep my commandments” (v. 15). As Augustine put it, we can love and do as we will. We should be able to work out the ...

4840. Suffered under (Saint) Pontius Pilate

John 18:28-40

Sermon

David O. Bales

... truth.” In the Old Testament “truth” meant something dependable, secure, firm, supportive, reliable. So when Jesus talks about those who belong to the truth it means those for whom Jesus is the source of their life and those who grant him their allegiance. Not quite what Pilate concluded. Yes, Jesus rules people as king, in that his followers will do what he wants. But Jesus speaks of truth for how he influences us. The night before said to his students, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life ...

4841. Jesus Tempted In Us

Matthew 4:1-11

Sermon

David O. Bales

... and says quietly, “I know, but the devil made me to do it.” “When that happens,” the pastor shouts, “you’re supposed to say, ‘Get behind me, Satan.’ ” “I did,” she says. “And he said, ‘Looks good from back here too.’ ” That’s not quite the same as Jesus’ temptations. The devil isn’t struggling every time to get Jesus to do what’s completely wrong so much as to do some things for the wrong reason. It’s a struggle! The word “temptation” in the New Testament also ...

4842. Seeing Jesus

John 9:1-12

Sermon

David O. Bales

... what happened to him and his strained and changing thoughts about Jesus are enough. A horrible lot of Christians think that in order to share their faith, they need a master’s degree in theology or something. Seldom is that necessary. I could almost say (not quite, but almost) that when it comes to sharing your faith, seldom is a master’s degree in theology helpful. People who don’t know a lot of details about the Christian faith can share what they do know, and like this man, they can share what ...

4843. A Faith that Works

2 Thessalonians 3:6-15

Sermon

King Duncan

... take the credit. Try to be in the first group there is less competition.” Did you realize, by the way, that among rich countries people in the United States work the longest hours? Americans work much longer than Europeans, for example. This difference is quite surprising because productivity per hour worked is the same in the United States as it is in France and Germany, and it is growing at a similar rate. In most countries and at most times in history, however, as people have become richer they have ...

4844. A King Like No Other

Luke 23:26-43

Sermon

King Duncan

... me, Lord, when you come into your kingdom.” And at this point Jesus made him a promise, but not to him only, but to all who call out to Christ for salvation: “Truly I tell you, today you will be with me in paradise.” The meaning of that phrase is quite self-evident. The moment this criminal died he would be in the presence of God not because he deserved it, but because of God’s free gift of eternal life. It is the promise that you and I cling to every time we ponder our own mortality or as we ...

4845. Only Time Will Tell

James 5:7-12

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

It is one of those moments parents hope for, even dream about. But it is one of those moments parents are never quite sure will ever come about. It is the moment when you pick up your child from a play date, or birthday party, or sleep-over, and the parent hosting the event declares how well behaved and polite your child has been. Suddenly all those countless drills and dramas about saying “ ...

4846. What If Joseph Were the Patron Saint of 2014?

Matthew 2:13-18

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

... a homecoming. When the immediate danger from Herod’s wrath had passed, that is, when Herod himself had died, Joseph received another personal message from the mouth of God. Joseph was told he could now safely leave Egypt. But that “home” wasn’t quite where it used to be. Instead of Bethlehem or Jerusalem or any of the small communities around the region of the Holy City, the final communique from the angelic messenger warned Joseph away from all those regions. Archelaus, one of Herod’s sons ...

4847. A New Name for a New Year

Ephesians 1:1-14

Sermon

King Duncan

... When people talk about other people, they sometimes say: “That person will always be that way. People never change. They are hopeless.” But God knows better. One of the benefits of being in the ministry is the opportunity to see people change often quite dramatically. Never underestimate the power of God in your life or any one else’s. The book of Genesis describes the life story of Jacob. From his birth he was named Jacob, a Hebrew name which meant “supplanter, schemer, trickster, swindler.” And ...

4848. Cleaned and Claimed

Matthew 3:13-17

Sermon

King Duncan

... a rite which symbolized in part having your sins washed away. John the Baptist preached a baptism of repentance a change of direction for your life. Yet here came a man to be baptized whose life path had been mapped out since the beginning of creation. Quite naturally, John tried to talk Jesus out of undergoing this rite. He said, “I need to be baptized by you, and do you come to me?” John knew that there was something special about Jesus. Remember that John was Jesus’ cousin. Mary stayed with John ...

4849. A Miracle Story

Acts 10:23b-48

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

... meant that he had to work to change “everything” as well — the past, the present, and the future. Jesus did not call disciples just to “follow in the footsteps” he made on earth. It is one thing to follow in someone’s footsteps. It is quite another to fill their shoes, walk in them, and be their feet. Jesus calls his disciples — from the first generation until this generation and for every future generation — to walk in his shoes, to slip on his sandals, to wear his Crocs — wherever that ...

4850. Down in the Dungeon

Psalm 130:1-8

Sermon

King Duncan

... to say, “At the time when he died, if I had known that I would have to live 20 years without him, alone, I would have said, I can’t do it. And,” she said, “I didn’t do it so well in the beginning.” But then she said something quite remarkable to Theodore Parker. She said, “But suddenly it came to me, and every day since then I begin the day by saying ‘God, what can I do for you today? Help me do it, make me do it.’ And He has,” said this courageous woman. And she has responded ...

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