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 26 to 50 of 609 results

26. Marriage: God's Idea

Genesis 2:4-25

Sermon

Bill Bouknight

... . Finally, she insisted that they marry or she would break off the relationship. He agreed and they were married. Someone asked her later why she was so insistent on marriage. She replied, "A man may love his lover, but he will cherish only a wife. And I wanted to be cherished." Marriage---that life-long union between man and wife---is an institution designed and blessed by God. None other can substitute for it. Let's protect it, honor it, celebrate it, advertise it, and thank God for it. This prayer by ...

27. Bethlehem: Capitol of the Universe

Luke 2:1-7

Sermon

J. Ellsworth Kalas

... idea of sometime walking the streets of that little city, and of standing at some point where they can look in silence out over the hillsides to a place where shepherds once heard the angelic message. For those of us who love Christ, it is one of the most cherished spots on earth. As long as I have a memory, I’m sure I will recall my first visit there. It was January, 1970, in the late afternoon; already dusk, in fact. Our tour bus pulled into a great open area where a number of other buses were already ...

28. Finding Love

Mark 10:2-16

Bulletin Aid

Dallas A. Brauninger

... When we find love, let us grow and stretch it to reach beyond ourselves. People: Some among us have lost a life mate to death. Leader: When we have known love, let us remember its joy not measured by clock time. All: When we find love, let us cherish it. Collect Your love, O God, is greater than our love, yet our choice to love is honorable. Because you first loved us, we also have the capacity to love others. Amen. Prayer of Confession Dear God, loving is not always easy. Keep especially near to you those ...

29. You're A Good Kid!

Mark 1:9-13

Sermon

King Duncan

... this paper, her father Lyman, pastor of the local church, smiled proudly. The smile of her proud father was a reward Harriett cherished as long as she lived. Her biographer said, "Neither the honors nor the success she won in later life meant as much ... . He is able to separate our worth as a child of God from our bad deeds. A little child broke a vase that was a cherished heirloom. Because she knew its value, the child cried out when she broke it. Her mother came running. The child was surprised to see not ...

30. The Forward Look

Luke 9:57-62

Sermon

King Duncan

... people. The story is told of a devout Christian who was faithful in his daily devotions. He read portions of scripture and a devotional book, meditated silently for a while, and then prayed. As time went by, his prayers became longer and more intense. He came to cherish this quiet time with God. His cat liked this devotional time, too! She snuggled against her owner and purred loudly. This interrupted the man so he put a collar around the cat's neck and tied her to the bedpost whenever he wanted to be left ...

31. Stop the Offerings!

Hebrews 10:19-39

Sermon

Paul E. Robinson

... away, stood an old rugged cross, the emblem of suffering and shame. And I love that old cross, where the dearest and best for a world of lost sinners was slain. So I'll cherish the old rugged cross, till my trophies at last I lay down; I will cling to the old rugged cross, and exchange it someday for a crown. What does it mean to "cherish the cross"? I mean, the cross was the means of execution back then. It would be like saying, "I will cling to the electric chair," or "I hold the hang noose close to my ...

32. God's Sneak Attack

Luke 2:1-7

Sermon

David J. Kalas

... , on a kind of balcony overlooking the whole scene, there were sopranos from the church choir appearing as singing angels in the skies overhead. It was very exciting for me, as a child, to be part of that scene, for it was such a familiar and cherished scene to me. Among the many traditions that were part of the Christmas season in our home were certain decorations that my mother brought out in December of each year. And among those annual decorations was a little crèche that she would set up prominently ...

33. Epiphany:The Joy of Fulfillment

Luke 4:14-30

Sermon

J. Ellsworth Kalas

... turn the world upside down. What was their secret? Part of the secret is made clear in the latter portion of our lesson for the day. As Jesus explained scripture for the first time to the people in his hometown of Nazareth, he spoke from one of the most cherished portions of the prophet Isaiah: The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he has anointed me to bring good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim release to the captives and recovery of sight to the blind, to let the oppressed go free, to ...

34. Soren's Heart

2 Timothy 3:10--4:8

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

... you worship. (You may want to make this a karaoke interactive and encourage people to show and tell their talismans/amulets.) Whatever the origin of whatever the image, all these little talismans have one thing in common: we carry them, we wear them, we cherish them, we brandish them because they keep us from feeling alone. They empower and embolden us by re-connecting us to others. In every spooky Halloween monster movie you can bet that when the big, bad vampire makes his appearance, someone will whip out ...

35. For Better, For Worse

1 Corinthians 13:1-13

Sermon

Bill Bouknight

... The heart of the marital commitment is expressed in this promise: “I take you to be my wedded spouse, to have and to hold, from this day forward, for better, for worse, for richer, for poorer, in sickness and in health, to love and to cherish, till death us do part…” Even as I perform these sacred ceremonies, I know that some of these marriages will fail. On the other hand, many of these marriages will be gloriously successful. Fifty years later their pictures will be featured in the Commercial Appeal ...

36. The Love Triangle: Man-Woman-God

Psalm 127:1-5

Sermon

Bill Bouknight

... work that God does in our marriages: GOD STRENGTHENS THE BONDS OF LOVE, so that it can face and overcome adversity. When couples stand at the altar and pledge “for richer, for poorer, for better, for worse, in sickness and in health, to love and to cherish, “ they cannot know the vastness of that promise. Without God’s help, a couple is unlikely to be able to keep that promise. Only after God does his miraculous work in our marriages, only then can we begin to understand what St. Paul meant when he ...

37. Aged to Perfection - The Third Age

Genesis 15:1-12, 17-18

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

... it. An alternative title to this sermon comes from a poem by Leona Will Caldwell, of Lakeland, Florida. It is entitled "May It Happen to You:" Old age is cherished in ancient castle, antique furniture, heirloom silver, weathered covered bridges, aged Swiss cheese, vintage wine, a golden wedding ring, a redwood tree. Old age is cherished in almost everything but me. Georges Minois in his book The History of Old Age: From Antiquity to the Renaissance (Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 1989) cites an adage ...

38. Commitment (Series: Fundamentals of Family)

Ephesians 5:22-33

Sermon

J. Howard Olds

... one another. This is just the way loving people are. Sacrificial love is NO MATTER WHAT love. No matter if he is genetically unlucky. No matter if she is destined to be a pain in the neck. No matter if they choose values we despise or despise the values we cherish. No matter what, they are ours. We love them anyway. So, commitment in a single word is LOVE, “To love as Christ loved the Church and gave himself for her.” This is the word of the Lord as I understand it. Thanks be to God. Brought to you by ...

39. On the Road with the Little Children

Luke 18:15-17

Sermon

James W. Moore

... ago, Jesus said: “Let the children come to me. Don’t stop them: for it is to such as these that the Kingdom of God belongs.” There are so many child-like qualities that we as Christians of all ages would do well to embrace and cherish and hold onto all the days of our lives. Let me underscore three of them. I. FIRST OF ALL, CHILDREN HAVE THE UNIQUE ABILITY TO CELEBRATE LIFE. Excitement, zest, energy, enthusiasm, eagerness, delight… whatever we may want to call it… this special ability to celebrate ...

40. Joshua's New Diet

Joshua 5:9-12

Sermon

David J. Kalas

... voice cracks as he prays, and when he has finished, he reaches up to wipe away the tears from his eyes and cheeks. Perhaps we have heard people break down and cry when they're sharing their testimony. Perhaps we have seen people tear up when singing a cherished hymn. But saying grace? Repeating a simple table prayer? Ah, but this prayer is a testimony! For the old man is Joshua, and when he thanks God for bringing forth bread from the earth, it is a testimony, indeed. You and I know what it is to experience ...

41. That’s Why We Call It Good

Isaiah 52:13--53:12

Sermon

David J. Kalas

... It had turned very bad. We read the details in Genesis 6 as we are introduced to Noah. The problem is not that the cosmos had lost its majesty, of course, or that the plants and animals had lost their beauty. The problem was humankind. That climactic and cherished component in God's creation had become very bad, indeed. In stark contrast to what God saw at the end of each day of creation, the writer of Genesis reports that "the Lord saw that the wickedness of humankind was great in the earth, and that every ...

42. Up Close & Personal: Coming Into Focus

1 John 1:5--2:14

Sermon

James Merritt

... answering the door is that a fact or a feeling? One question can determine the answer- - “Is there any known unconfessed sin in my life?” The psalmist wrote in Psalm 66:17-18, “I cried to him with my mouth, and high praise was on my tongue . If I had cherished iniquity in my heart, the Lord would not have listened.” (Psalm 66:17-18, ESV) The psalmist was talking about how he was praying to God and praising God and yet, he said, “If there were sin in my life that I treasured, sin in my life that I ...

43. Are You a Polar Bear?

Ephesians 1:1-14

Sermon

... , recreational drugs and excessive alcohol are out of the question. And Ken is somewhat of an exercise fanatic himself. He’s the kind of guy you would hate to have next to you in the gym. (2) But, let me ask you, do you think he’s wrong to cherish his physical health like that? Don’t you suspect that he is living like God means for us all to live? God wants us all to be happy and healthy. Ultimately the road to happiness is paved with good habits. Would anyone disagree? Let me hasten to add that ...

44. Wives and Husbands

Ephesians 5:22-33

Understanding Series

Arthur G. Patzia

... the readers, it would remind them of Christ’s concern for each one of them. Foulkes finds a helpful analogy from the vine and the branches in John 15: “As in the divine purpose the wife becomes part of the very life of her husband, and he nourishes and cherishes her, even so the Lord does to us as members of Himself, part of His own life that he has joined to Himself” (Foulkes, p. 161). 5:31 The OT verse (Gen. 2:24) from which the author has been drawing his imagery is finally quoted. It confirms the ...

45. The Story of Abraham versus the Story of Israel

Romans 4:1-25

Teach the Text

C. Marvin Pate

... and resurrection atone for our sins (4:25) c. The result of the Christian’s faith: Justification apart from human works to the glory of God (4:23–24a, 25b) Historical and Cultural Background 1. God’s power to raise the dead to life (see Rom. 4:17b) was a cherished belief of most ancient Jews (see Deut. 32:39; 1 Sam. 2:6; Tob. 13:2; Wis. 16:13; cf. Rom. 8:11; 1 Cor. 15:22, 36, 45). 2. Creatio ex nihilo (creation out of nothing), a doctrine held in ancient Judaism (see Philo, Spec. Laws 4.187; 2 ...

46. “Come and See What God Has Done”

Psalm 66:1-20

Teach the Text

C. Hassell Bullock

... in the parallel line he asserts that this was praise. These acts of prayer appear to be not in succession but in synonymy. It indicates a recognition that God is the one to look to for help, not other deities or foreign allies. 66:18 If I had cherished sin.The verse reads literally, “As for iniquity, if I had seen (it) in my heart, the Lord would not hear (me).” The psalmist is somewhat self-reflective and has not detected sinful motives in his heart. This is an oath that he has sworn to establish ...

47. Holding to the Lord’s Paths Amidst Threatening Stalkers

Psalm 17:1-15

Understanding Series

Craig C. Broyles

... the MT’s “from a world” (meḥeled, NIV of this world), we should probably read “make an end” (ḥadal). Instead of whose reward is in this life, a more literal rendering is, “their portion in life.” You still the hunger of those you cherish is a loose paraphrase. This phrase is more literally, “may you fill their belly with what you have stored up.” The Kethib reading (lit. what is “written” in the main text of the MT), ṣepûneka, could be understood positively as “what you have ...

48. Plutarch's Consolatory Letter to His Wife

Illustration

Editor James S. Hewett

... remembrance of those things which so delighted us when she was alive only afflict us now, when she is dead? Or is there danger that, if we cease to mourn, we shall forget her? But since she gave us so much pleasure while we had her, so ought we to cherish her memory, and make that memory a glad rather than a sorrowful one. And such reasons as we would use with others, let us try to make effective with ourselves. And as we put a limit to all riotous indulgence in our pleasures, so let us also check the ...

49. The Sign of the Dove

Matthew 3:1-17 · John 1:1-34 · Mark 1:1-8 · Luke 3:1-38

Sermon

Lori Wagner

... is for us all to be wrapped up in the “garment of righteousness” and sheltered within the presence of God’s wings. In relationship with God, we all become the best people we can be. As we yearn for God, God appears to us. We become God’s cherished treasure, God’s beloved disciple. But the sign of the dove isn’t just a symbol of what “we get” from God. The dove is a relationship bird. And a covenant is a two-way relationship. When the Lord’s presence enfolds you like the wings of a dove ...

50. Knitted Together from the Womb

Exodus 2:1-10

Sermon

Lori Wagner

... field, by going into the line of fire and dragging them to safety. Sometimes, our desire to fulfill an identity we cherish is SO strong, that we walk nearly blindly into a situation or a relationship without realizing the consequences of just how ... an unknown stranger, not knowing if she would ever see him again. It takes a lot of love and courage to let go of what you most cherish, whom you most adore. And yet when faced with the choice however slim to save your child, you give up, and you let go. Love is a ...

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