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 551 to 575 of 4934 results

551. No Need For Weeping Anymore

John 20:10-18

Sermon

Erskine White

Jesus said to her, "Woman, why are you weeping?" (John 20:15) Sometimes we forget. We focus so much on the joy and celebration of this day, on the bright flowers and festive music, that sometimes we forget; the first sound heard on that first Easter Sunday was the sound of weeping. It was Mary Magdalene's weeping. Tears of hopelessness poured out of her in loud wailing and moaning; her body convulsed in grief and her sobbing pierced the quiet of the early morning stillness. We often overlook the fact that ...

552. Step Five - Integrity

Jn 4:16-24 · 1 Jo 1:5-10 · Is 6:1-8

Sermon

John A. Terry

Step five: Admitted to God, to ourselves, and to another human being, the exact nature of our wrongs. I have been accused during this sermon series of being too sober - in my preaching. So: joke de jour. A minister, a priest and a rabbi were having lunch one day. They were talking about the spiritual support they gave the members of their congregation: listening to their confessions, saying words of absolution, visiting them when they were ill and comforting them in times of loss. What the minister, priest ...

553. Heart To Heart

Ezekiel 18:1-32

Sermon

John R. Brokhoff

"Cast away from you all the transgressions which you have committed against me, and get yourselves a new heart and a new spirit!" "A new heart I will give you and a new spirit I will put within you; and I will take out of your flesh the heart of stone and give you a heart of flesh." (Ezekiel 36:26) Do you have heart trouble? You may be one of thirty million Americans who have physical heart trouble. Heart disease costs Americans fifty billion dollars a year. In some people, the heart needs repair or a ...

554. A Taxing Encounter

Matthew 9:9-13, Mark 2:13-17, Luke 5:27-32

Sermon

Lori Wagner

Whoever does not love does not know God, for God is love. (1 John 4:8) Prop: Envelope…junk mail marked IMPORTANT You know those envelopes you get in the mail sometimes marked IMPORTANT! Here is one of them. You scramble to open it, thinking it’s a check or some important document that you need . . . only to find that it’s an ad to buy life insurance or something you don’t need! Yikes! Fooled again. Living in our culture is a lot like that. Signs are everywhere telling you that THIS message is IMPORTANT! ...

555. No Fair!

Matthew 20:1-16

Sermon

Lori Wagner

Prop: a ruler or yardstick We love our measuring sticks. When our children are young, we measure their growth and notch little marks in the wall, as they grow taller and taller. We measure our flour and our water to make just the right bread. We measure how much money we put into the bank, so that we can save for college for our kids and our grandkids. We measure our anniversaries, our birthdays, our tenures at various positions. In fact, we measure how many years we’ve been members of this church, don’t ...

556. Does God Give A Damn?

Exodus 5:22--6:12

Sermon

John R. Brokhoff

"Moreover I have heard the groaning of the people of Israel whom the Egyptians hold in bondage and I have remembered my covenant. Say therefore to the people of Israel, ‘I am the Lord, and I will bring you out from under the burdens of the Egyptians, and I will deliver you from their bondage, and I will redeem you with an outstretched arm and with great acts of judgment, and I will take you for my people, and I will be your God.’ " When someone does not care, bitterly we say in the vernacular, "He does not ...

557. Blow The Trumpet In Zion

Joel 2:1-11

Sermon

Larry Powell

Is there a word which falls upon the human consciousness with a more resounding "thud" than the word "Repent"? "Oh no," you say. "It is the theme of the prophets, the touchstone of the gospel, and the initial requirement for entrance into the kingdom." That is true, but it is also true that the inherent dynamic of "Repent," one of the foremost action words in the vocabulary of humankind, has been neutralized by a generation no longer arrested by its appeal. A concrete sign in the shape of a cross stands ...

558. Treasured Relics

Matthew 25:14-30

Sermon

King Duncan

If you were asked to buy the tackiest gift imaginable, what would you buy? Martin Marty was once invited to a postnuptial party. He was asked to bring "a gift in the worst possible taste." The purpose was to embarrass the newly married couple. They would open their gifts standing in front of their family and friends and "ooh and aah" as they opened each tacky item. Marty found a five and dime store and began his search for the tackiest gift. To his delight he discovered a yellow plastic dove with a silver ...

559. Sleeping through a Revolution

Mark 14:32-42

Sermon

Donald B. Strobe

The story is told of a mother who called up the stairs to her son: “Get up! It is time to go to church.” The son said, “Aw, Mom, I don’t want to go to church. The people there all make fun of me. They don’t really like me. Nobody there ever listens to what I say. I’d rather stay home in bed.” The mother said, “But son, you’ve got to go.” The son said, “Give me two good reasons.” The mother replied, “Well for one thing, you are forty-two years old; and, for another, you’re the minister!” I’ve always had ...

560. Elephants in the Room: Sexploitation

1 Thessalonians 4:3-8

Sermon

Charley Reeb

One of the great things about preaching on sex is that I don’t have to work very hard getting your attention! I was in Leesburg this past week doing work for the Board of Ordained Ministry. A colleague asked me what I was preaching about today. I said, “Sex.” He replied, “Are you for or against it?” I said, “I am very much for it! I enjoy sex a lot!” You may be surprised to hear me say that, but it needs to be said from the pulpit. Why? Because over the years the church has done a pretty terrible job ...

561. Lion of Judah

Gen 49:1-28, Judges 13-15, Matt 4:12-17

Sermon

Lori Wagner

[If there is a Lions Club still functioning in your community, find out if any member of your church is a member. Then either use this moment as an interactive to talk about their club, and rituals, or you tell the story and use them to back you up so that you make sure you’re getting the story right.] So the interview might go like this . . . . or turn this into a narrative . . . or make it a personal story. How many here belong to or know someone who belongs to a local Lion’s Club . . . . . Do you have ...

562. Fifth Sunday of Lent

John 12:20-36

Bulletin Aid

RobertT D. Ingram

Greeting Leader: Jesus said, "Whoever serves me must follow me." Congregation: Lead me, Lord, lead me in righteousness; make thy way plain before my face. For it is thou, Lord, thou, Lord only, that makest me dwell in safety. Leader: And Jesus said, "Where I am, there will my servant be also." Congregation: Lead me, Lord, lead me in righteousness; make thy way plain before my face. For it is thou, Lord, thou, Lord only, that makest me dwell in safety. Leader: And Jesus said, "Whoever serves me, the Father ...

563. An Our Good Works And Generosity

Matthew 6:1-4, Matthew 6:5-15, Matthew 6:16-18, Matthew 6:19-24

Sermon

Mark Ellingsen

Jesus was giving his famous Sermon on the Mount. In the middle of it he looked at the disciples from his sitting position (as was customary for Jewish rabbis of the first century when they were teaching). And Jesus said: "Beware of practicing your piety before men in order to be seen by them; for then you will have no reward from your Father who is in heaven (Matthew 6:1)." To whom was Jesus referring with these words? He was probably talking here and at other points in the sermon about the Pharisees. ...

564. When Christians Quarrel: Resolving Conflict in the Church

Matthew 18:15-20

Sermon

Jerry L. Schmalemberger

One of the things I like best about the New Testament is that it is so practical. It must have been the fact that Jesus had human beings called disciples always with him that forced him to speak in such everyday terms about everyday problems. Sometimes Christians disagree in the congregation of believers. Sometimes they quarrel. Sometimes they hold grudges against each other. The Scripture for today says that we must never tolerate any situation in which there is a breach of personal relationship between ...

565. Whatever It Takes

1 Corinthians 9:1-27

Sermon

King Duncan

Pastors are used to being the targets of jokes. It goes with the territory. A parishioner had undergone a serious operation and was still under the influence of the sedative when his pastor came, so the pastor just said a prayer and left. The next day he returned and asked the patient if he had been aware of his visit. “I vaguely remember your visit yesterday. I remember opening my eyes and thinking 'I can't be in Heaven because here is my pastor!" We are accustomed to being the targets of jokes and we are ...

566. Get a Charge

Matthew 21:28-32

Sermon

Mark Trotter

The news media is turning its attention now to the 2000 elections, which means that for the next year we are going to be preoccupied with politics. I think if you asked someone in our society what they expect of a politician, they would say leadership. If you asked them to define that, I think they would say it means selflessness, giving oneself to the common good of the nation, standing for what is right, and not only for what is expedient, representing everyone, the common folk as well as those in power ...

567. How to Be a Blessing

I Peter 3:8-12

Sermon

Mark Trotter

I love the story of a man who bought a new Alfa Romeo, the luxury Italian sports car, and wanted to do something to celebrate his purchase. So he went to the Catholic priest, and said, "Father, will you bless my Alfa Romeo?" The priest said, "Yes, but what's an Alfa Romeo?" The young man said, "Never mind, you wouldn't appreciate the significance of this purchase in my life." So he went to an Episcopal priest, and said, "Father, I've just bought an Alfa Romeo. Will you bless it for me?" He said, "Yes, but ...

568. Lost Baggage: Flying Standby

Matthew 7:1-6

Sermon

James Merritt

Two young men walk into church. They both are the same age -22, same height, same weight, and same build. The first young man walks in with a crisply starched long-sleeved Polo shirt, freshly ironed slacks, clean-cut, fresh-shaven, and wearing shoes in the latest style. The second male walks in wearing a t-shirt, blue-jeans with more holes than pockets, flip-flops, tattoos on both arms, a nose-ring and orange hair. Immediately, if we are honest, most of us would look at the first male and think, “He needs ...

569. An Unholy History

Ezekiel 20:1-29, Ezekiel 20:30-49

Understanding Series

Steven Tuell

Oracles of Destruction: The date formula in Ezekiel 20:1 is the first since 8:1; the next date in Ezekiel appears at 24:1. These dated oracles thus set chapters 20–24 apart. Still, we can find little if any formal unity here. Ezekiel 20–24 is a miscellaneous collection of various types of material, from historical recitation (20:1–26) to judgment oracle (21:25–27) to allegory (ch. 23). In many ways, this material reprises earlier images and themes (e.g., compare 22:23–31 with 7:23–27; and ch. 23 with ch. ...

570. Possessions and Choice in the New Kingdom Community

Mark 10:17-31

Teach the Text

Grant R. Osborne

Big Idea: This section is about choices and the effects emanating from them. The wealthy man chooses his possessions and therefore will be “last” in God’s kingdom. Those disciples who choose to “leave everything” will be made first, blessed now and vindicated for all eternity. Understanding the Text Wives and children (10:1–16) had very little social status, and Jesus elevated their place in God’s new community. Now he turns to rich and poor. The rich man, though with high moral standards, chooses the ...

571. The Condition Of Mercy

Matthew 18:21-35

Sermon

Donald Dotterer

Let us pray: Our Father and our God, on this day we give you thanks for all the blessings of our lives. In these moments, may we learn something about what it is for which we need to be most thankful. Lord, in these moments may we experience your mercy and your grace. In Jesus' name we pray, Amen. A social psychologist by the name of David Myers has written a book titled The Pursuit of Happiness. The book has 59 pages of references and a 43-page bibliography. This large number of citations clearly ...

572. Holy Tares!

Matthew 13:24-30

Sermon

John R. Brokhoff

Another parable he put before them, saying, "The kingdom of heaven may be compared to a man who sowed good seed in his field; but while men were sleeping, his enemy came and sowed weeds among the wheat, and went away. So when the plants came up and bore grain, then the weeds appeared also. And the servants of the householder came and said, to him, ‘Sir, did you not sow good seed in your field? How then has it weeds?’ He said to them, ‘An enemy has done this.’ The servants said to him, ‘Then do you want us ...

573. Have You Heard the News?

Ephesians 2:1-7

Sermon

James Merritt

That question used to be a very simple question that called for a simple answer. But thanks to what is now known as the "Information Super Highway," that has become a deeply complicated question. Go to any news sight on the Internet, and you will be bombarded with a series of choices. It's not so simple just to call up the news. Because when you go to any news website, you have to make a decision. Do you want local news? National? International? Financial? Political? Social? Medical? And on and on it goes ...

574. Doing Right When You Have Been Done Wrong

Ephesians 4:31-32

Sermon

James Merritt

I have been ordered by Dr. Freddie Gage to speak on the topic of bitterness and forgiveness. Now like most preachers, I don't like to be told what to preach, but in Freddie's case I gladly acquiesce because I knew if I didn't, Freddie would get bitter and never forgive me. Now some people might think it strange to speak on a topic of bitterness to a bunch of Baptists. But bitterness is certainly no stranger to Baptist churches. I heard about a Baptist businessman that was taking a business trip on an ...

575. You Can't Fool God: Ananias and Sapphira

Acts 4:33 - 5:11

Sermon

Billy D. Strayhorn

A family from South Carolina went to New York City for their vacation. They told all their friends they were going to attend the Broadway musical, My Fair Lady. Unfortunately, the play was sold out when they tried to get their tickets, and they couldn't get in. They were disappointed, but they were also embarrassed. They didn't want to have to go back home and tell their friends they missed the highlight of their trip. In fact, they were so embarrassed that they decided to make their friends think they had ...

Showing results