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 501 to 525 of 4943 results

501. Gift

2 Corinthians 8:16--9:5, 2 Corinthians 8:1-15, 2 Corinthians 9:6-15

Understanding Series

James M. Scott

... exhorted the Corinthians to complete the collection that they had begun (8:7–15), Paul recommends the emissaries he will send to take it to Jerusalem (8:16–24; cf. 1 Cor. 16:3–4, where Paul’s original plan was different). In doing so, Paul takes up where he left off in verse 6, with the sending of Titus. Paul wants to send Titus back to Corinth with two companions in order to bring the collection to a fitting conclusion. Paul did not need letters of recommendation to or from the Corinthians (cf ...

502. Weather Signs

Luke 12:49-53

Sermon Aid

William E. Keeney

... of Jesus' different style. The leaders of the religious institutions resented his challenge to their authority and the breaking of some religious taboos. The revolutionaries who wanted to overthrow the Roman occupiers by force were disappointed when Jesus refused to take up arms and engage in terrorist acts. On the other hand, the Roman officials saw in Jesus a potential for causing riots, unrest, and revolutions. 2. Religion Causes Conflicts. It is ironic that religion causes some of the worst conflicts ...

503. Hot Tubs and Fishing Trips

Mark 1:14-20

Sermon

Thomas Long

... of call, the feeling that an ultimate claim had been placed on his life, at the time of his ordination: I felt for the first time that I was being entrusted with something, that’s all - there in that empty cathedral ... that day when you ordered me to take up this burden. I was a man without honor And suddenly I found it ... the honor of God.8 I felt for the first time that I was being entrusted with something ... "Follow me," said Jesus, "and I will send you fishing in my name." That same summons comes ...

504. After The Beep

Isaiah 66:1-24

Sermon

King Duncan

... soul in Nebraska recorded this message on his answering machine, accurately describing my affliction while delightfully paraphrasing Shakespeare: To speak or not to speak, that is the question! Whether ˜tis nobler in the mind to leave a message after the beep, or to take up arms against a sea of answering machines, and, by opposing, end them! To dial, to speak, no more! Thus answering machines do make cowards of us all! (2) I suppose I may as well get used to it. The marvels of technology cannot be ...

505. More Than "Turkey Day" (New) Thanksgiving

2 Chronicles 9:1-28

Sermon

King Duncan

... attribute for the believer. Gratitude is to be linked to caring for others. If God has blessed us, then we should seek to be a blessing to others. In our lesson from the Epistle, he is writing to the believers in the church at Corinth, asking them to take up a collection to give to their poorer brothers and sisters in Macedonia. He knows that the Corinthians want to hang on to their money just as much as we do today. So in order to “sell” his plan, he reminds them of the blessings God has poured out ...

506. Grace in the Midst of Hopelessness

Romans 8:18-27

Sermon

Glenn McDonald

... grounds for hope. Our hope -- this confidence that our existence in both the present and the future is completely secure and utterly meaningful to God -- is experienced most significantly through God's gift of the Holy Spirit. The third person of the Trinity takes up permanent residence within every true follower of Jesus. The Spirit is God's guarantee that there is an amazing future awaiting us, and that we haven't been abandoned to hopelessness and weakness in the meantime. Hope is no small matter on the ...

507. Do You Look Good On Wood?

Matthew 16:21-28

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

... Would you look good on wood? Do today's churches offer a faith strong enough that it can command a sacrifice? Do you have enough faith to offer up a genuine sacrifice for Christ's sake? Can you imagine the feel of the splinters as you take up your cross and follow him? Can a church in today's self-centered, self-help culture ask its people to sacrifice something for the sake of the gospel? Jesus' challenge to all would-be disciples requires more than a "feel-good" or self-hug spirituality. True discipleship ...

508. Exodus 24:12-18

Exodus 24:12-18

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

... individual responsible for communicating God's words to the people, the kabod of God is gradually contained more and more fully by the constricts of a tabernacle-enclosed religion. The kabod which settles for a time on Mt.Sinai in 24:18 eventually takes up residence within the carefully designed structure of the tabernacle, as described in the final verses of the Exodus book - 40:34-35. What had been an individual call from God to Moses is now a fully developed and institutionalized faith. Because this ...

509. Aroma of Christ Church

Ephesians 4:17--5:21

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

... curtails that anger by placing a time limit on its existence with the proverbial “Do not let the sun go down on your anger.” Carefully nursed anger, anger that stays the night, anger that takes up residence in the heart, offers a potential place (“topos”) for the devil to take up residence. The sacred space that is the community of faith must avoid offering the powers of darkness any foothold within their midst. The next directive sounds perfectly Pauline. It is an admonition to thieves: turn ...

510. U-Turns Permitted

Joel 2:1-11

Sermon

Rodney Thomas Smothe

... occasion for celebrating new life in Christ. A by-product of this newness that renewal brings is a desire to share the joy that we have found with others. Sharing with others God's redemptive acts moves us beyond just giving up something to taking up the opportunities to share God's grace in our lives with others. Evangelism and discipleship are also appropriate responses to our new faith journeys. Following an Ash Wednesday worship service a woman who was visiting with a neighbor said to me, "This is the ...

511. Proper 11

Romans 8:18-27, Isaiah 44:6-23, Genesis 28:10-22, Matthew 13:24-30, Matthew 13:36-43

Sermon Aid

Russell F. Anderson

... and another a useful plant? Weeds are wild. You don't have to plant them or cultivate them. What's more, they're prolific. However that alone is not enough to classify a plant as a weed. What makes a weed a weed is that they just take up space. They produce no fruit to eat, generally, no flower of notable beauty. They monopolize space that could be better occupied by a more useful plant. Nature abhors a vacuum. It would rather have weeds than nothing at all. The grim sower. Death is pictured as the grim ...

512. Jesus Heals A Paralytic

Mark 2:1-12

Sermon Aid

Richard A. Jensen

... were. We could deal with the theme of blasphemy or authority. Good luck with any of them! We have said little in this chapter about the two authoritative words of Jesus in this text: "Son, your sins are forgiven" (Mark 2:5); "I say to you, stand up, take up your mat and go to your home" (Mark 2:11). Either or both of these words calls us as preachers to speak for Jesus. Our listeners need to hear these words addressed to them personally in the midst of their need. It might be best, therefore, to consider ...

513. Peter's Confession, Christ's Prediction

Mark 8:27-30

Sermon Aid

Richard A. Jensen

... story I will be there to call you to faith in my way of the cross. When you hear this story I will invite you to take up your cross and follow me." Or this series of stories focused on the blindness of the disciples could end in prayer. Fashion a closing prayer that invites ... to open our blind eyes. Still another route for a sermon on today's texts would focus on Jesus' call to take up his cross and follow (Mark 8:34- 38). Here, too, we might tell the stories of Jesus' three "passion/resurrection" predictions ...

514. Hearing the Difficult News

Mark 9:30-37

Bulletin Aid

Robert D. Ingram

... following words.) Leader 1: Jesus said, "Whoever welcomes one such child in my name welcomes me, and whoever welcomes me welcomes not me but the one who sent me." Leader 2: That all we adults, gathered for something as important as worshiping God, should take up valuable time because of one child is...well, it is the way that Jesus teaches us to behave. Congregation: Jesus, if this is what you teach, then this is what we will do.(Have the worshipers sing the song "Jesus Loves the Little Children.") Greeting ...

515. A Continuing Presence

John 16:5-16

Sermon

Larry Powell

... and God's trinity ... The threefold experience of God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit." The great preacher then goes on to conclude that both doctrines lie helplessly beyond human comprehension. Let us narrow the orbit now to take up the matter of God's Trinity. We will allow Macartney's conclusion than an exhaustive theological comprehension of the Trinity may well be beyond our reach, but it is within our capacity to understand manifestations of God in all three persons. Norman MacLeod ...

516. Are Half-Painted Rainbows Enough?

Mark 4:30-34

Sermon

James Weekley

... a bit too far. While visiting him he said, "Henry, Henry, why are you there?" Thoreau replied, "Mr. Emerson, why aren't you here?" Today, the magnetism of the Christ summons us to that "hereness," to keep his truth sunnyside up. As the Master Carpenter he seeks to take up shop in our character. He sees our wealth of potential. With his hands and our faith, his goodness of hope can happen. In one of his stories he draws upon the analogy of a mustard seed. It's scarcely larger than a pin head. If given proper ...

517. Overcoming Life's Obstacles

Matthew 14:22-36

Sermon

... , the wind and the waves became an obstacle and he started to sink. But the courage of faith took over. He centered his hope on Jesus, and the Lord saved him. So there we have the three elements: the dream, the obstacles and the courage of faith. Let us take up this three-pronged message now under the theme, OVERCOMING LIFE'S OBSTACLES. I. First of all, the dream. Peter had a dream here. He had a wish. He had a vision. He wanted to be close to his Lord Jesus. Amidst this churning storm, Peter wanted to be ...

518. Proper 7

Lk 9:18-24 · Gal 3:23-29 · 1 Ki 19:9-14 · Zech 12:7-10

Sermon Aid

John R. Brokhoff

... ' question as to who he is, Peter confesses him as the Christ. Then as the Messiah, he announces the necessity of his going to Jerusalem to suffer, to be rejected, to be killed, and to rise from the dead. A follower of the Christ will do the same: deny self, take up his cross, and follow him by losing his life in Christ's cause and thereby saving his life. THEOLOGICAL REFLECTION Gospel: Luke 9:18-24 1. Who (v. 18). Who am I? Who do you think I am? Jesus had the answer to the first question. He knew he was ...

519. Behold the Blood of the Covenant

Exodus 24:1-18

Sermon

Larry Powell

... prominent landmark; no spontaneous outbursts of joy; not even the slightest notion that the messianic agenda was nearing its conclusion. Instead, the scriptures witness against them, to a man, as individuals engaging in pathetic scenarios of personal preoccupation. Let us take up those preoccupations. 1. Giving in to Lust for Power Within moments, "a dispute arose among them, which of them was to be regarded as the greatest" (Luke 22:24). May God have mercy! The King of kings, the personification of ...

520. The Ultimate Question

Matthew 16:13-20

Sermon

David E. Leininger

... that the ones for whom Jesus had the most contempt were the religious folk of his day; for people who want comfort rather than challenge from their faith, we surely do not want to hear, "If any want to become my followers, let them deny themselves and take up their cross..."(6) Those are all a part of the Biblical picture, but "No, Lord. Let us simply say, `You are the Christ, the Son of the living God,' and leave it at that." I suspect Lorenzo Minoli and his screen writers would agree with the wisdom ...

521. What Do You Believe About Eternal Life

John 14:5-14

Eulogy

James W. Moore

... of living freight to the place of her destination. Her diminished size is in me, not in her. And just at the moment when someone at my side says, ‘There she goes!’ there are other eyes watching her coming and other voices ready to take up the glad shout, ‘Here she comes! Here she comes! On the other shore.’” Now, why did these great Christians and millions and millions of Christians who came along after them, believe so unwaveringly, so unflinchingly in eternal life? Why were they so unafraid of ...

522. In Search Of A Reason For Being

Hebrews 4:1-13

Sermon

King Duncan

... asked him to do both. Doesn't that happen in real life? God gives a glimpse of how our lives might be, but we turn away. Not for any dramatic reason but because at the time it seems like too much trouble, it would cost us some money, it would take up our Saturdays when we could be out on the golf course. And the chance passes us by for life eternal, abundant, triumphant. Most of us have the same needs as this young man. We need a purpose that will challenge us and a person who will inspire us. I don ...

523. Rushing And Realizing

Isaiah 2:1-5

Sermon

King Duncan

... a second thing we need to see: ADVENT TELLS US WHAT GOD WANTS. Isaiah writes: "He will judge between the nations and will settle disputes for many peoples. They will beat their swords into plowshares and their spears into pruning hooks. Nation will not take up sword against nation, nor will they train for war anymore." In using the imagery he does in vs. 4, Isaiah is calling on words from Roman poetry with which his audience might be familiar. For instance, Virgil wrote, "When right and wrong are confused ...

524. People of Influence

1 Thessalonians 1:1-10

Sermon

King Duncan

... England belonged to Rome. Innocent III was the most powerful pope in history. Yet his name is largely forgotten today. At the same time that Pope Innocent was amassing his power, another man from a tiny town in Italy was laying down his own power to take up the cross of Christ. This man, named Francis, was born to a wealthy family in the small town of Assisi. He lived a life of ease and self-centeredness until two tragic events brought him to his knees: he suffered a serious illness, and then, while serving ...

525. God’s Strange Arithmetic

Mark 10:1-12

Sermon

Donald B. Strobe

... A.A. Deckett officiating. The groom is a popular young bum who hasn’t done a lick of work since he got expelled his junior year in college. He manages to dress well and keeps a supply of spending money because his dad is a soft-hearted old fool who takes up his bad checks instead of letting him go to jail where he belongs. The bride is a skinny, fast little idiot who has been kidded by every boy in town since she was 12 years old. She sucks cigarettes and drinks mean corn liquor when she is out joy-riding ...

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