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 51 to 75 of 2404 results

51. Who Gives You Your Grade?

Matthew 11:25-30

Sermon

Mark Trotter

... talented, we are going to show that too. That's why the Law doesn't work. If you try to be somebody by piling up achievements, the jury will always be out. You will always anxiously wait for the verdict from the next person that you meet. But if you are ... it is like standing before a judge, waiting for a verdict. The verdict comes in that we are just, not by our works or our achievements, which always fall short, but we are made just by God's grace given to us in Jesus Christ. We are justified by our faith ...

52. Celebrate Your Critical Mass

Matthew 18:15-20

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

... mind of Christ and the presence of the Holy Spirit. With Christ, the community of faith can move forward, even though perhaps only "two or three are gathered in his name." Without Christ's presence, not even an assembly of 10,000 can achieve results that will empower the church for the future. Jessica Moffatt, the executive minister of FirstUnitedMethodistChurch in Tulsa, Oklahoma, encapsulated the can-do and can-do-it-now attitude that Christ's Spirit can inject into a genuine Christ-body community. If any ...

53. Victorious, but Not Unscarred

John 20:24-31

Sermon

King Duncan

... alive. And that is exactly what he experienced. To me, it is significant that though Christ had been resurrected from the dead, his body still bore the scars from his crucifixion. Victorious, but not unscarred. It is a reminder to me that no one ever achieves anything of lasting significance without getting a few scars along the way. No one makes a lasting contribution to the world who does not pay a price. On this April 15th we might remember a well-known tax evader named Henry David Thoreau. Unlike modern ...

54. Boasting

2 Corinthians 11:1-15, 2 Corinthians 11:16-33, 2 Corinthians 12:1-10

Understanding Series

James M. Scott

... for the boasting in which he is about to engage by asking for their indulgence (cf. v. 1). Having mentioned that the opponents seek to boast in their equality with him (11:12), Paul does some boasting of his own. He knows it is foolish to vaunt his achievements, and perhaps even wrong (cf. 10:18; 12:1, 7), but he accepts the challenge (11:18) of some at Corinth who have forced him to assert his claims (12:11). 11:16 The apostle reiterates his appeal for indulgence from verse 1. Paul is no fool, and ...

55. Sennacherib Threatens Jerusalem

Isaiah 36:1-22

Understanding Series

John Goldingay

... for a monumental engineering project that involved digging a tunnel through the rock of the spur to bring the water from the spring inside the city walls, where it gathered in the Pool of Siloam. That eastern side of the city symbolizes Hezekiah’s achievements in seeking to ensure his city’s security. There the Assyrian stands to confront the king, at the very spot where Isaiah had confronted Ahaz, which reminds both the king and the story’s audience of the confrontation in chapter 7. The army has ...

56. The Woman, the Son, and the Dragon

Revelation 12:1--13:1a

Teach the Text

J. Scott Duvall

... fury, because he knows that his time is short. The call for the heavens to rejoice and the cry of woe on earth are the twin realities of life in the already/not yet of God’s yet-to-be-consummated kingdom. Victory has already been achieved by Christ, but the full and final realization of that victory awaits God’s future action. The devil has “great wrath” (thymon megan) because he knows the time between his defeat and his final judgment is limited, even “short” by comparison with God’s eternal ...

57. Nabuchadnezzar’s Dream and Daniel's Interpretation

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

Teach the Text

Ronald W. Pierce

... Second, the accolades (which approximate worship), as well as the public honors for Daniel and his friends, recall Daniel’s early affirmation that such gifts are from the God who alone is worthy. Warn your congregation or class against the danger of taking personal achievements and honors too seriously. What not to teach. First, this text is not about Daniel’s skill as a young trainee but about the God who blesses him. Second, its purpose is neither to identify the four kingdoms nor to explain how these ...

58. Israel's Unbelief

Romans 9:30--10:21

Understanding Series

James R. Edwards

... word of faith” (v. 8). A Christian is one who confesses that Jesus is Lord over all (Col. 2:15) and who believes that God raised him from the dead. The lordship and resurrection of Jesus are the essence of salvation, and they achieve their full purpose only through confession and belief: if you confess … if you believe. The variable (the subjunctive) is with humanity, if; the certainty (the indicative) is with God, “you will be saved.” One might expect belief to precede confession, but the reversed ...

59. God’s Goodness Redefined: The Nearness of God

Psalm 73:1-28

Understanding Series

Craig C. Broyles

... the revelation received during his entry into the temple. He who would strive to be pure in heart (also v. 13) will find that his own heart fails and that its strength must lie in God alone (v. 26). Ultimately divine agency must be invoked for one to achieve inner purity. Secondly, God is good to Israel (v. 1) in that it is good to be near God (v. 28). While the first “good” is ambiguous, and many have taken it to mean good in a material sense, the second “good” is specific, namely the nearness of ...

60. Boasting

2 Corinthians 11:16-33, 2 Corinthians 1:1-11, 2 Corinthians 12:1-10

Understanding Series

James M. Scott

61. The Ten Commandments

Deuteronomy 5:1-33

Understanding Series

Christopher J. H. Wright

... it is indeed God’s earth, not primarily ours, that the cessation of work points to. Deuteronomy 5:15 calls on Israel to remember the historical events of their redemption from Egypt. The sabbath is thus linked to salvation history and all that was achieved through it and anticipated by it (cf. its eschatological significance for Christians in Heb. 4:1–11). Hence the sabbath could be regarded as a “sign of the covenant” (Exod. 31:16f.). The sabbath thus has the nature both of a creation ordinance and ...

62. Job and the Mind Storm

Job 42:7-17, Job 42:1-6, Job 38:1--41:34

Sermon

Lori Wagner

... -storms once in a while. But remember: God’s love and mercy can overcome any storm, even a perfect storm. And God’s unexpected forgiveness and grace can turn any storm-tossed life into a rainbow of beauty, truth, and goodness. You can’t plan it, achieve it, order it, make it happen. Just repent, relax, and trust the giver. Today, put your impulse to “fix” your life aside. Trust the Spirit. When you do, your life with be filled with all good things. Based on the Story Lectionary Major Text The Book ...

63. Your Wake-up Call

Philippians 3:1-11

Sermon

King Duncan

... focused on becoming the best Navy SEAL possible in order to honor his mentor, Scott Helvenston. Most of us would think that’s a lofty and worthwhile goal. Chad trained hard, made it into the SEAL team, and served in missions all over the world. He had achieved a goal few people could even dream of. Unfortunately, Chad still felt empty and restless. Had he invested all his energy and skills and time in this goal only to find that it wasn’t what he truly yearned for in life? Think about that for a moment ...

64. Measured Salvation

Matthew 20:1-16

Sermon

Lori Wagner

... : God is not fair. Yes, you heard me right. And I’ll say that again to be clear. God is not fair. God is gracious. And the two are completely different concepts. You see, we are brought up in our world to believe that our value lies that “achievement” paradigm, and that we measure our worth with that trusty invisible yard stick we keep by our sides. We all have one. Well, I want you now to reach into your pocket, and pull out that yard stick. Go ahead. Reach down deep into your soul and pull ...

65. You're Never Too Old

Genesis 17:1-27

Sermon

King Duncan

... consider Abraham’s example, we see what faith really is. Faith is a dynamic, forward looking relationship with God. Faith is not sitting on your hands waiting for God to perform a miracle in your behalf. Faith is a matter of movement. It is a matter of achievement. It is a matter of reaching out for a miracle. It is a matter of obedience to God’s commands. There is a humorous story about Bob Zuppke, the colorful former Hall of Fame football coach at the University of Illinois. Zuppke was trying to get ...

66. Dynamic Preaching January 2024 Sermons

Sermon

King Duncan

... t over. At age 16, he was diagnosed with a different form of cancer—Askin's sarcoma, a rare and aggressive cancer. Despite the odds stacked against him, Sean didn't give up hope. Miraculously, he not only survived a second cancer but also achieved something extraordinary. He decided to push the boundaries of what was considered possible for cancer survivors. He decided to climb. He became the first cancer survivor to reach the summit of Mount Everest, the highest peak in the world, in 2002. But Sean didn ...

67.

Psalm 73:1-28

Understanding Series

Craig C. Broyles

68. A Maturing Faith

Acts 16:16-40

Sermon

Douglas J. Deuel

... respond to those ministries today? I have always been fascinated with Michael Jordan. I think he is the most phenomenal and the most graceful athlete of all time. I consider it a real treat to have been able to witness some of his remarkable athletic achievements. Michael Jordan, though, was not always a high-profile and super-successful athlete. In fact, as a freshman in high school, he tried out for basketball, but he did not make the school team. He was cut after the tryouts. As a sophomore, Michael did ...

69. People With Power To Forgive

John 20:19-23

Sermon

Maurice A. Fetty

... his forgiveness as a gift. That is why the paralytic was healed and why the theological fact-finding team from Jerusalem was so angry. They wanted to make God's love and forgiveness conditional. They wanted it to be a reward for law keeping and achievement. To offer forgiveness to anyone who was humble enough to accept it was an affront to their pride and legalism. If then we are to experience self-acceptance, if we are to experience liberation and healing, if we are to know true grace and renewal, we ...

70. Tiny Town: Promised Power

Micah 5:1-4

Sermon

Tony Everett

... through our own efforts to realize our "full potential." True meaning and purpose in life, authentic success, is only found in the free gift of God in Jesus Christ. True nourishment and strength are not obtained through what money can buy or personal status can achieve. Nourishment is given to you, for you in the bread and wine at the Lord's table. This meal nourishes the soul, forgives the sinful heart, and renews the relationship that sustains in the midst of life's turmoil. Strength is given in the power ...

71. The Giver Becomes The Receiver

2 Samuel 7:1-17

Sermon

Harold Warlick

... place and showed him in an instant all the kingdoms of the world. And he said to him, 'I will give you all their authority and splendor ... so if you worship me, it will all be yours' " (Luke 4:5-7). Just like that, promised the devil. Instant achievement. No waiting. No having to grasp the slow wisdom of the world. A shortcut, just for the taking, in an instant, was held forth. But who was deceiving whom? The devil was merely offering to Jesus in a shorter span of time what would ultimately be his anyway ...

72. Proper 12

Mt 13:31-33, 44-52 · Rom 8:26-39 · Gen 29:15-28 · Ps 105:1-11, 45b

Sermon Aid

William E. Keeney

... , read Romans 13:13-14, and it happened to him. He was converted and became a leading figure in developing the theology of the early church. 2. Contrasting Ways to the Kingdom. Luther searched in a way similar to Augustine. He tried many ways to achieve a sense of salvation. After being frightened almost to death when caught in a thunderstorm and thrown to the ground by lightning, he vowed to give up his study of law and become a monk. He joined one of the strictest orders, the Augustinians. He almost ...

73. Service And Reward

Matthew 20:1-16

Sermon Aid

William E. Keeney

... through a person's efforts. These include such factors as level of education, employment, development of skills, hard work, wise investment, or initiatives taken. People who have sought to improve their social and economic status by what they have achieved may resent the higher status of others who were given their status by the accident of birth or nationality or family connections. It would appear to them that life has not been fair. The parable of the laborers who worked longer than others in ...

74. Advent 4

Luke 1:26-38, Romans 16:1-27, 2 Samuel 7:1-17

Sermon Aid

E. Carver McGriff

... to answer for ourselves to the Man Upstairs. I kind of think that when Joe's turn comes, God will be very pleased with Joe. More than with most of us, I suspect. My guess is it'll turn out that what I said at first was wrong. Maybe Joe achieved more in his life than most. I recently was running the channels on my television set and came across the Sally Jessy Raphael talk show, just as she was introducing singer Tommy Sands. Those of a certain age will recall that a generation or so ago, Sands was listed in ...

75. Not Yet Quitting Time

Luke 21:5-38

Sermon

Larry R. Kalajainen

... do good without the power of the Holy Spirit working within us to give us both the will and the ability to do what is right. Our doing what is right is not our achievement, but Christ's achievement within us and through us. That's what grace is: God giving to us what we need to do what God requires us to do, quite apart from any achievement or qualification of our own. But the problem for many of us is that we get weary in well-doing. We get tired. It's hard to be faithful all the time, isn't ...

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