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 1679 results

26. What Do You Think You’re Worth?

Matthew 10:1-42

Sermon

John R. Brokhoff

... to hold anything back. If they are angry and feel hostility and fury, they are told to go to a "scream room" and let it out. The grandmother said she was taught to control herself and she wonders whether she was brought up the wrong way. Lack of self-control implies that a person is nothing but good and should not be curbed lest damage be done to the psyche. Could this be a reason for today’s preoccupation with violence? We allow ourselves to express our passion to the hurt of other people. This view of ...

27. Making One's Calling and Election Sure

2 Peter 1:1-11

Understanding Series

Norman Hillyer

... NT (1:4; 2:18, 20) and is found only once in the LXX (Sir. 22:22). The Need to Grow 1:5–7 A more literal translation of vv. 5–7 would run: “In (en) your faith richly provide goodness; in (en) your goodness, knowledge; in (en) your knowledge, self-control …” The wording suggests organic union, a cluster of fruits on the living branch of faith (cf. John 15:1–8). 1:5 For this very reason, as set out in verses 3–4, because all that we need in order to live a godly life is available in Christ, and ...

28. Freedom In Christ

Galatians 5:1-15, Galatians 5:16-26

Understanding Series

L. Ann Jervis

... one’s own desires, or, as Plato puts it “a man being his own master” (Republic 430e; trans. Jowett; cf. Republic 390b)—was a major ethical goal in the philosophies of the ancient Mediterranean world. Xenophon defends Socrates as a man of self-control in word and deed and extols self-control as “the foundation of all virtue” (Memorabilia 1.5.4 [Marchant, LCL]). Paul also recognizes it as a worthy goal (cf. 1 Cor. 7:9; 9:25). The fruit of the Spirit cannot be produced or prohibited by law. Life in ...

29. The Heart of an Intimate Matter

Matthew 5:27-30

Sermon

Phil Thrailkill

... spend time with her, we have to explore their history, hopefully with him present. She feels degraded; he hides in a private computer cave in an addictive cycle of lust and shame. The marriage, oddly enough, dies of visual overload and sensual neglect. Self-control is a virtue both within marriage and also before it. The unmarried practice chastity by abstaining, and the married practice chastity through fidelity of thought and body to one and only one. An inflamed appetite is unlikely to be happy with only ...

30. What’s Going On in Your Orchard?

John 15:1-17

Sermon

Charles L. Koester

... of what’s going on in the orchard of your life. What are you producing? Saint Paul once enumerated in his writings what those fruits of the spirit were. He said, "The fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control." How’s that for a fruit basket? A good list for the cultivation of life’s orchard. With these fruits in mind, what’s going on in your orchard? Nothing goes on unless Christ is our vine of life. Without a firm connection to him ...

31. You Can Talk the Game, but Can You Play the Game?

1 Corinthians 9:24-27

Sermon

Will Willimon

... the letters back with a message scrawled across the bottom from Coach saying, “You are a sore loser." So though it would suit me to keep athletics out of church, here comes St. Paul with his, “Run in such a way that you may win.... Athletes exercise self-control in all things; they do it to receive a perishable wreath, but we an imperishable one. So I do not run aimlessly, nor do I box as though beating the air; but I punish my body and enslave it, so that after proclaiming to others I myself should ...

32. Life by the Spirit

Galatians 5:16-26

Understanding Series

L. Ann Jervis

33. A Little Theology at Christmas

Titus 2:11-14

Sermon

John N. Brittain

... So the grace of God is made known in Jesus Christ so that we can live godly and productive lives. And how are we to go about this? "... training us to renounce impiety and worldly passions, and in the present age to live lives that are self-controlled, upright, and godly...." The aspect of training is one of Paul's themes, which tends to get overlooked in many Christian circles because it clearly carries with it overtones of work and discipline, which some of us rather like to ignore in favor of concepts of ...

34. Freedom Calling

Galatians 5:1-15

Sermon

April Yamasaki

... with peace. On a very practical level, it means refusing to engage in adultery or domestic violence, out of respect and faithfulness to our marriage partner. It means saying no to excessive drinking, to recreational drugs, and related excesses in favor of self-control. It can mean diffusing road rage by exercising patience and allowing another car to go first. It can mean saying a kind word instead of complaining or passing on gossip. It can mean giving generously to relief and development efforts to bring ...

35. Nabuchadnezzar’s Dream and Daniel's Interpretation

Daniel 2:1-23, Daniel 2:24-49

Teach the Text

Ronald W. Pierce

... may seem insignificant compared to the Middle East crisis yet can threaten to consume our lives and overwhelm us with uncertainty and fear. As Paul reminds Timothy, “God gave us a spirit not of fear but of power and love and self-control” (2 Tim. 1:7 ESV). Daniel Interprets Nebuchadnezzar’s Dream (2:31-49): Big Idea: The wise and powerful God of heaven reveals the essential course of redemptive history, which replaces transient human kingdoms with his everlasting kingdom. Understanding the Text ...

36. Power For Christian Living: Am I On My Own?

Romans 3:3-5

Sermon

Maxie Dunnam

... the Spirit.” They are promised that those who do so “will not fulfill the desires of the flesh.” Christians are “led by the Spirit,” and they bear “the fruit of the Spirit: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, generosity, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control.” (Gal. 6:22). Walking in the Spirit means that the life of Christ is reproduced in the life of the believer. As Christians, the Spirit enables us to be, as Luther said, “little Christs” to others. The Holy Spirit empowers us to ...

37. Testing Time

Luke 4:1-13

Sermon

Donald Charles Lacy

... we being picked on? Why is it that some days the devil is a lot closer than God? Yes, most of us know the feeling and it doesn't do much for our self-image! The good book tells us the fruit of the Spirit includes faithfulness, humility, and self-control. Now, we are onto how we can live a victorious Christian life and deal with temptations of various sorts day in and day out. "All things are possible with God" is not a cliché we bring out and brag about periodically. There is a harmony with the Holy Spirit ...

38. Living for God

1 Peter 4:1-11

Understanding Series

Norman Hillyer

... ). Love Heartily for God 4:7 The end of all things is near: The second coming is not in view here as much as is the transience of all that pertains to the closing present age. When he goes on to admonish readers to be clear minded and self-controlled, Peter is not seeking to calm over-excited readers keyed up by the anticipation of Christ’s return, a situation Paul once had to address (2 Thess. 2:1–2). The readers are bidden to hold loosely to earthly commitments and not to let their attention be unduly ...

39. To Elders and Young Men

1 Peter 5:1-11

Understanding Series

Norman Hillyer

... s people must at all times remember that behind the seen is the unseen. As part of Christ’s army, they are all the time caught up in a spiritual war (Eph. 6:12). The standing orders for Christians in this conflict include the need to be self-controlled and alert. As in 1 Thessalonians 5:6–8, where the same Greek terms are used, the notions of wakefulness and sobriety imply the need to avoid the opposite states of sleep and drunkenness. Drunkenness expresses the clouding of the senses, and so a lack of ...

40. Free From What? For What?

Luke 9:51-62

Sermon

Robert C. Cochran

... . But to do this, we must first be freed of the shackles of our bodies, minds, and emotions. This is not accomplished through independence but rather through dependence, total dependence on God. Love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, generosity, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control are gifts from God. Through Christ’s sacrifice we have been set free, but from what? From the tyrannies of the flesh: body, mind, and emotions. We’ve been set free, but for what? We’ve been set free to become slaves ...

41. How to Lower Your Temper (-ature)

Proverbs 16:32

Sermon

James Merritt

... the mighty, and he who rules his spirit than he who takes a city. (Prov. 16:32) You can be slow to anger, and you can control your spirit. Indeed, as a Christian, you have the Holy Spirit within you, and part of the fruit of the Spirit is "self control." (Gal. 5:23) Anger is like a river. A river controlled can generate enough electricity to power an entire city. But if allowed to overflow its banks, it can become a raging flood that destroys everything in its path. Just as a river can be controlled, so can ...

42. Jesus and the Ferris Wheels

Matthew 21:33-46

Sermon

King Duncan

... . But there were some who were “all show and no go.” Like many people today they gave the appearance of religion, but they didn’t know God at all. For they were not bearing the fruit of love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, gentleness, faithfulness and self control. How about you? Do you know God? You’re here in God’s house today. That’s a good beginning, but does the love of Jesus live in your heart? Are you bearing the fruit of love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, gentleness, faithfulness and ...

43. Celebrating with Jesus

Luke 5:33-39

Sermon

Bill Bouknight

... in history? One of the most common words in the Bible is "rejoice." It appears 39 times in the book of Psalms alone. But our joy is disciplined and channeled rather than chaotic. St. Paul tells us in Galatians 5:23 that one of the fruits of the Spirit is self-control. Sometimes I think that the kindest thing a parent can do for a child is to teach him or her to accept the answer "no." If you don’t learn that early, you might end up with five or six credit cards maxed out, up to your earlobes in debt ...

44. Glorious Surprises

1 Corinthians 2:6-16

Sermon

Bill Bouknight

... and leave us sophisticated Methodists alone. But remember, the Holy Spirit makes people more stable rather than less. While the Holy Spirit may make us exuberant and enthusiastic, we are never made weird or unbalanced. One of the fruits of the Spirit is self-control. When our Bible speaks of gifts of the Spirit, it is referring to special talents and abilities that God gives to Christians so that the church is fully equipped for her mission. Ephesians 4 and First Corinthians 12 give us lists of just ...

45. Day People

1 Thessalonians 4:13--5:11

Sermon

King Duncan

... our Lord Jesus Christ. He died for us so that, whether we are awake or asleep, we may live together with Him.. People of the day and people of the night. People of the light and people of the darkness. People of character and reckless people without self-control. People who live in expectation of Christ’s coming and people who live as if there is no tomorrow. Two kinds of people. St. Paul doesn’t realize it, but he has put himself right at the center of today’s so-called culture wars. Ever since ...

46. Grace Has Appeared

Titus 2:11-14

Sermon

James L. Killen

... Training in righteousness is like that. But wait. The last time we repeated our text, we left something out. "The grace of God has appeared bringing salvation to all, training us to renounce impiety and worldly passions, and in the present age to live lives that are self-controlled, upright, and godly ..." - "in the present age." Today is the only day you have to live and today is the day for your salvation and for the living out of life in its fullness. Yes, God acted almost 2,000 years ago to show us God ...

47. Playing to the Right Audience

Matthew 6:16-18, Matthew 6:1-4

Sermon

Phil Thrailkill

... highlights a character quality that stands out in our world of image management and celebrity seeking, where style is mistaken for substance and visibility is taken for virtue. The trait goes under various names. Some label it modesty, others humility; some speak of self-control and wisdom. Whatever the name, the measuring stick for approval is internal, not external. The right thing to do is the right thing to do, particularly if no one is looking, because there is One who is always looking, One who, as ...

48. Put It In A Sack, Swing it Over Your Head and Scream Like A Chicken

2 Kings 5:1-14

Sermon

Billy D. Strayhorn

... 1,738 middle class boys and their families, beginning in the pre-adolescent period and following them through to young manhood. After identifying those boys having the highest self esteem and self control, he compared their homes and childhood influences with those having a lower sense of self esteem and self-control. He found three important characteristics that distinguished them from one another. 1. The children with high self-esteem were clearly more loved and appreciated at home. In other words, tell ...

49. Dressing For The Marriage

Colossians 3:1-17

Sermon

Mary Venema Swierenga

... equal-in-God's-eyes child of God. Gentleness is another worthy garment for a marriage. Aristotle has defined gentleness as the mean between too much anger and not enough. Gentleness has strength in it, but it is not the strength of the self-controlled person. Gentleness is the garment of the God-controlled person. Gentleness has sweetness in it, too. When you put on gentleness, the other can take off self-defensive armor, wariness, fearfulness, and can put on trust. Every marriage could use several garments ...

50. The Spirit Of Pentecost

Acts 2:1-13

Sermon

Carlyle Fielding Stewart

... writer said the Christian religion can be divided into two basic groups: those who have been trained to constrain or hold the Spirit within and those open to expressing or letting go of the Spirit! In the first group, the discipline of self-control must be practiced at all times, where the believer will not lose control of himself in the Spirit because it is intellectually, ethically, and behaviorally inappropriate. Religion in this instance culminates in the believer's capacity to be still and listen, to ...

Showing results