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 526 to 550 of 4964 results

526. Jesus the Messiah from Joseph’s Family Line

Matthew 1:1-17

Teach the Text

Jeannine K. Brown

... at the very beginning of the Gospel sets the tone for the next four chapters (1:1–4:16), which focus on elaborating the identity of Jesus as the Davidic Messiah-King who enacts Israel’s restoration from exile, as faithful and obedient son, as Gentile hope, and as “God with us.” In relation to the rest of Matthew 1, the genealogy poses a conundrum that Matthew will solve in 1:18–25: how Jesus can legitimately appropriate Joseph’s lineage even though his biological connection is to Mary (and not ...

527. Thanksgiving and Prayer

Colossians 1:1-14

One Volume

Gary M. Burge

... “faithful,” a term rarely used by Paul to describe humans (though he identifies Timothy as such in 1 Cor. 4:17). His letter will continue to build on this identity by encouraging the Colossians to “continue in [their] faith” and hold fast to the “hope held out in the gospel” (1:23). 1:3–12 · Thanksgiving In these nine verses, Paul begins and ends with thanksgiving for the Colossians’ being in Christ. The descriptions in 1:3–4 and 1:12 parallel each other, the latter expanding on the ...

528. The Coming of the Lord

1 Thessalonians 4:13--5:11

One Volume

Gary M. Burge

... to minimize the grief of the church in the face of death, though he does not prohibit grief (John 16:6; Acts 8:2; Phil. 2:27). His and his companions’ concern is simply that the Christians’ grief not be like that of nonbelievers, who have no hope in the face of death (Eph. 2:12). Gentile hopelessness was expressed frequently in funeral epitaphs, some of which read, “I was not, I was, I am not, it doesn’t matter” (see Green, 218). In response to the grief the Thessalonians experience in the face of ...

529. Paul's Longing to Visit Rome

Romans 1:1-17

Understanding Series

James R. Edwards

... were Christian churches in Rome more than two decades before Paul wrote this epistle. 1:9–10 This section and chapter 15:14–33 are the only clearly autobiographical parts of Romans. Paul recounts the history of his longing to visit Rome, a history of expectant hopes and frustrated desires. The God whom he worships is witness to his constant prayers for Rome (v. 9) and longstanding desire to visit the city (v. 11). God, whom I serve with my whole heart has the ring of an oath, which is not uncommon in ...

530. Elihu

Job 32:1--37:24

Understanding Series

Gerald H. Wilson

... of Job in trying to understand the wondrous works of God. 37:19 Tell us what we should say to him. Elihu ridicules Job’s determination to bring God to court to hear his case. If Job is unable to match God in the realm of nature, how can he hope to stand against him in a contest of words? There is no way for humans to set out an effective case against the master of the universe. The darkness here symbolizes the lack of knowledge that prevents Job from understanding (and accepting) what God is doing in the ...

531. Paul's Plan to Visit Rome

Romans 15:23-33

Understanding Series

James R. Edwards

... about latent hostility awaiting him in Jerusalem. Neither (apparently) was anyone else. He had already escaped one plot on his life there (Acts 9:29–30), and omens of yet another awaited him (Acts 20:22–25; 21:10–11). It is for good reason that Paul hopes to be rescued from the unbelievers in Judea (v. 31). In no uncertain terms he reckons with the possibility of losing his life at the hands of Jews who were opposed to the messiahship of Jesus. So ominous were impending events that in this, the only ...

532. So, You Want to Get Well?

Mark 5:21-43

Sermon

Ron Lavin

... He changed my life. He can change yours." That is what is called a major reversal. Power had gone out from Jesus and into the broken woman. That is called a miraculous reversal. The woman who wanted to get well, got more than she could ever have hoped for. More than her body was healed. Getting well meant that she was given a power of life she had never experienced before this encounter. Suddenly, as we often see in the gospel of Mark, another interruption, a disrupting movement in the woman's story, comes ...

533. All in the Family

Acts 2:1-11

Sermon

King Duncan

... Crystal’s baby. With great joy, she agreed. When Holet told his wife of this encounter, she immediately agreed that this was God’s will for their family. Three weeks later, Crystal gave birth to a beautiful baby girl with serious addiction-related health issues. The Holets named her Hope. As Ryan Holet says, “I was led by God to take the chance. God brought us all together. I really don’t have any other way to explain it . . . I am so thankful and blessed and humbled that we are allowed to have ...

534. We Have Waited

Isaiah 25:1-12

Sermon

Will Willimon

... of a church, the horrifying crucifixion was used behind the altar during Lent, through Good Friday. There, over the altar, was the agony and despair and horror of life in the valley; the wretched, long wait, the hanging there without relief, without hope. Then, on Easter Sunday, as the first rays of light dawned, as worshipers gathered in the little church, the priest took the panels, opened them, swung them out to reveal the Risen Christ, body no longer caught, bruised, and bleeding, this time soaring ...

535. Terms Of Endearment

John 12:1-8

Sermon

Wayne Brouwer

... carried a photograph that had been taken several years before, a picture of the two of them, mother and daughter, at a happier moment in both their lives. She got the photograph enlarged and made dozens of copies. Then she scattered those pictures around the area, hoping that one would catch her daughter’s eye. On each photo she penned these five words: “Come home! I love you!” And one day the girl did see. She began to remember what love was all about. A holy restless gripped her soul, battering her ...

536. The Advent Of Our Lord

Zephaniah 3:1-20

Sermon

Robert A. Hausman

... ones, and you shall no longer be haughty in my holy mountain. For I will leave in the midst of you a people humble and lowly. They shall seek refuge in the name of the Lord -- the remnant of Israel (3:11-12). This is a much more modest hope than the one expressed in our text. A remnant of the people will be spared God's judgment. They will live humbly and faithfully on Mount Zion. They will act righteously and live peacefully. Perhaps we can place ourselves into this scenario. Who are the haughty and proud ...

537. It Ain't Over 'Til It's Over

Ezekiel 37:1-14

Sermon

Gerald Whetstone

... whoever lives and believes in me will never die." Now, even now, "I am the resurrection." Martha is taken aback, but by grace she knows it is true: "I believe that you are the Christ, the Son of God, the one who is coming into the world." Into the world! Hope belongs not only to some other realm but to this world in which she and Mary and you and I all live! The raising of Lazarus then is not, of course, the promise that we and our loved ones will be returned after death to this world. Lazarus again will ...

538. The Sixth Meal

Sermon

Robert F. Scott

... would not abandon any person. By going, he could offer the sick man healing for his body; by going, he could offer the Pharisees healing for their souls. People might be hostile, they might be indifferent; Jesus still went to them, appealed to them, longed for them, hoped for them, gave them a chance to respond to God. And Jesus asked the lawyers and Pharisees, "Is it lawful to cure people on the sabbath, or not?" But they were silent. So Jesus took him and healed him, and sent him away. Everyone knew the ...

539. Hoofs, Paws, And Christmas Pause

Titus 2:1-15

Sermon

Frank Luchsinger

... cut home after sledding. Who's to say? Congratulations. You've made it! He Comes To Reclaim Our Value We await our blessed hope, the One who comes to redeem us -- to reclaim our value. To us, who are in danger of being valueless because of the ... took the small portrait of "Bessie" from the wall and sat with it in his hands -- sat like one who would never dream, nor wish, nor hope again. But then he sensed a presence in the room. He could see clearly every object by the light of the lamp above his head. And ...

540. The Prophetic Word-- And The Living Word

Isaiah 40:1-31

Sermon

Thomas A. Pilgrim

541. Proper 21

1 Timothy 6:11-21, Jeremiah 32:1-44, Luke 16:19-31

Sermon Aid

John R. Brokhoff

... this message from getting to the people, Jeremiah was confined to the palace. His message would demoralize the people at a time when the city was beseiged. Sometimes authorities do not want citizens to hear the truth of bad news. 3. Again (v. 15). Here is a word of hope for the nation. When times were at their worst, when the city was about to be sacked, and when the people were about to be enslaved and sent to a foreign land, Jeremiah buys a piece of land in his hometown because the Lord told him that the ...

542. The Man From Galilee VII: The Triumph Of His Defeat

Matthew 28:1-10

Sermon

Thomas A. Pilgrim

... there in the future. In every situation, every challenge, every sorrow, He will meet us. In every act of kindness, mercy, and compassion, He will meet us and be with us. In every kind of ministry, service, and witness, He will meet us and bless what we do, give, and hope. In every time of study, prayer, and worship, He will meet us and be in the midst of us. Some of you saw a movie a few years ago called Places In The Heart. It is the story of a heroic woman, played by Sally Fields, whose husband is killed ...

543. The Sadness Of God

Isaiah 51:17--52:12

Sermon

E. Carver McGriff

... to make a later call. He let him walk. Why? Because he trusted that boy to decide for himself when the time was right. That's what God does with us. We're free to decide. But God paid the price of sharing our sometimes painful life situations in the hope that we'd make the right decisions. Here's what we need to understand. Our choices do matter. What kind of person I become does matter. My moral conduct does affect other people, and therefore it affects God. It's up to me to choose what sort of person I ...

544. The Wish

Hebrews 11:1

Children's Sermon

B. Kathleen Fannin

... with a friend of mine who just happened to be a minister. We were talking about prayer and he suggested to me that prayer takes many forms. He said that God hears all of our desires, even the ones we don't usually think of as prayer, such as wishes, hopes, and dreams. "As he spoke, I suddenly remembered the year my dad was in Korea. I remembered how I had wished for a white rabbit every week -- and the tremendous love I felt when I opened the package from my dad and found the little toy rabbit. "Because of ...

545. The Unclean Spirit

Mark 1:21-28

Drama

Dallas A. Brauninger

... us. They do not keep silent. In that sense I asked for help. However, I was helpless to say, "Jesus, something has gone wrong inside me. It feels as if it were controlling me at its whim." Healed now, I feel like an entirely different person. Now I have hope. Interviewing The Unclean Spirit Asker: Bear with me on this one, unclean spirit. It is not my style to think about demons as entities, let alone to talk to them. I do not know exactly who you are or what has taken over the person in this miracle. You ...

546. Let The Children Come To Me

Psalm 42:1-11

Eulogy

Mary Venema Swierenga

... it was long enough for us to come to love him and so we grieve, missing him. But we do not grieve as those who have no hope. For ____________ is now with God. He now has a body that works. He has no need to struggle for breath any more. He lives in heaven ... he says: "My soul is cast down within me." But then he knows that his faith is not dead, for he discovers he can still say, "Hope in God, for I shall again praise him, my Savior and my God." But the grief washes over him yet again, and he laments to God ...

547. The Wisdom In Waiting

Luke 12:35-48

Sermon

W. Robert McClelland

... or in heaven will not hurry the process along. It is a frustrated farmer who attends his scattered seed day and night hoping that by coaxing it along it will sprout and grow more rapidly. Not until the time is fulfilled will it do so. Waiting ... who are content witht he status quo have no future. It is the future which promises what is not yet, but which is looked toward with hope for its becoming. People who change society and make a difference in the way things are, are people who can wait. They live in the ...

548. Our God Delivers!

Daniel 3:1-30

Sermon

Erskine White

... ? It is not war horses or nuclear missiles, as awesome as those weapons may be. Nor is it the peace movement and arms treaties alone, as important as their work may be. Look first to God and to His church. As God's people make the church a sign of hope for the world, a place of redemption where the world can hear us clearly say: "Our God delivers! Take heart and keep the faith, for there is no other God who can deliver in this way." III. Our text from Daniel also offers practical help for our personal lives ...

549. Proper 9

Galatians 6:11-18, Galatians 6:1-10, 1 Kings 21:1-29, Isaiah 66:1-24, Psalm 66:1-20, Luke 10:1-24

Sermon Aid

George Bass

... Jesus Christ, not simply the 70, has been entrusted with the message of his gospel, which is the only real message of peace and hope that the world can have. 2. It is of critical importance to note that the 70 were to declare that "peace" to the ... is a prerequisite to peace; peace begins in the hearts and minds of the people of God and only the "gentle," according to Paul, may hope to know it. 2. But gentle people know the difference between right and wrong, and they stand for what is right and true, even to ...

550. Proper 16

Luke 13:22-30, Isaiah 28:1-29, Isaiah 66:1-24, Jeremiah 28:1-17, Hebrews 12:1-13

Sermon Aid

George Bass

... the "first-born," the martyrs who have died to witness to the faith, as well as others who have been "born again" in Jesus Christ and through their baptism. The reading belongs to an earlier exhortation by the writer, but it is also a word of promise and of hope in Jesus Christ. Luke 13:22-30 (RC, E, L, C) This reading has the ring of unpalatable "universality" to it, when Jesus answers the question put to him at the beginning of the pericope, "Lord, will those who are saved be few? "with" And men will come ...

Showing results