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 751 to 775 of 4977 results

751. Praying for Endurance and Healing

James 5:13-20, James 4:13-17, James 5:1-6, James 5:7-12

Understanding Series

Peter H. Davids

... and younger sons were given money and told to make their own fortune. Trade was the best way to make money. It entailed risk, but it was the only way to get ahead, for small farming was too uncertain and the large population of Palestine put pressure on the land, keeping prices up and interest fairly high. So one took a large stock of goods to a place they were scarce and attempted to trade at a profit for the rare goods of that land (e.g., Matt. 13:45–46). When all had been sold, one took the foreign ...

752. The Ten Commandments

Deuteronomy 5:1-33

Understanding Series

Christopher J. H. Wright

... in Israelite law carried a death penalty, which would make the capital nature of adultery anomalous (see note on the eighth commandment). Also, the view that wives were property in the OT has been shown for nearly half a century to be simplistic and false, but it keeps surfacing in both popular and scholarly writings. For a full survey of the legal and social status of wives in Israel and the wide range of scholarship on the issue, see C. J. H. Wright, God’s Land, ch. 6, pp. 183–221. It is also often ...

753. Pay Attention!

Luke 10:38-42

Sermon

Robert C. Cochran

... and a coach would throw a baseball out to the first baseman when the inning was over. He would put it in his mitt and keep it there so he had a ball to use to warm up the other infielders when he returned. The practice stuck, and people were too ... ? I’ll tell you what I think about: I want to do a good job on Sunday morning. I want to deliver a good sermon and keep the mistakes during the service to a minimum because, after all, this is my job. And sometimes, with all this attention on doing well, I forget ...

754. Joseph, When Did You Know?

Matthew 1:18-25

Sermon

King Duncan

... of Information, but it was not released. Most copies of it ended up destroyed after the war. But a few copies of it survived. This poster also has the crown of King George VI and white typeface on a solid color background. But its message read simply: Keep Calm and Carry On. (6) Keep Calm and Carry On. Isn’t that what Joseph and Mary did when God told them that they would bring God’s Son into the world? And isn’t that a sign of their great faith and courage? That kind of faith and courage comes from ...

755. A Bridge Between Two Worlds

Luke 18:1-8

Sermon

King Duncan

... on earth. So what about our poor widow? Jesus notes that she kept coming back day after day. She kept demanding justice until her persistence wore the judge out. It says in vs. 5: “Even though I don’t fear God or care what people think, yet because this widow keeps bothering me, I will see that she gets justice, so that she won’t eventually come and attack me!” The Greek verb he uses here is hupopiazo. It's a boxing term and it means to strike someone with a full blow in the eye. This widow has no ...

756. Jacob's Well

John 4:1-26, John 4:27-38, John 4:39-42

Sermon

Lori Wagner

... allowing our soul to corrode in the rank, stagnant waters of life without God. The greatest folly we can make is to think we can make water better than God, or to bottle up the “living water” rather than let it run free and flow. Proverbs 4:23 tells us “Keep your heart with all vigilance for from it flows the springs of life.” Our heart is the place where God wants to dig a well, from whence we can draw on the living waters of God’s Holy Spirit and allow it to refresh and renew our lives. You can ...

757. Do(n't) Rock the Boat

Mt 14:22-36, Mk 4:35-41, Lk 8:22-25, Jn 6:16-24

Sermon

Lori Wagner

... you in the boat….that Jesus is near, whether walking on the water toward you, or sleeping there beside you. One of the earliest metaphors for the tradition of the church is the anchor. But the anchor described (in Hebrews 6) is not used to pull the boat back or keep it from moving. The anchor is used when the wind is high and the storm is raging to pull the boat forward. It’s called kedging. You throw the anchor out in front of the boat, then pull the rope, so that the boat can move forward during the ...

758. Praise God! Selah!

Luke 1:67-80, Luke 1:57-66, Luke 1:46-56, Luke 1:39-45, Luke 1:26-38, Luke 1:5-25, Luke 1:1-4

Sermon

Lori Wagner

... good…..the good news of the gospel….to soak in the revelation of God, in the know-ing of God….to be taught, guided, given wisdom by God is the best way to “look, taste, see that the Lord is good!” In Acts 15:12, all of the people keep silent to listen to Paul and Barnabus tell what signs and wonders God had done. When Jesus teaches, people listen….and then ask questions. When Jesus heals…he tells us “that man is not blind from any sin he’s done…but his blindness will attest to the glory ...

759. Sim Lev!

Mark 13:1-31, Mark 13:32-37, Matthew 24:1-35, Matthew 24:36-51

Sermon

Lori Wagner

... are able to recognize Jesus in ways that we couldn’t before, and to know He is there, even when hard times set in, if only we “put our hearts” into knowing Him. “Paying attention” to the signs of Jesus in our midst is a decision to keep our hearts engaged in that relationship with Jesus, even when doubt creeps in, even when lies about him are told, even in a culture that doesn’t believe, even when our faith is assaulted and challenged. Worship…. is “paying attention” to God in the midst of ...

760. The Tragedy of Caiaphas

John 18:1-27 · John 11:45-47 · Matthew 26:36-75

Sermon

Lori Wagner

... being satirical? We cannot possibly know all of what went on in Caiaphas’ mind, but we do know he expressed concern that the people would begin revolting against Rome as a result of Jesus’ ministry. And that by sentencing this one man to death, he could keep peace in the Temple of Jerusalem –and the butter upon his own bread! So when he asks Jesus to confirm who he is, and when Jesus replies “I am,” he confirms the oracle. Caiaphas had already decided that Jesus must die. And he already knew who ...

761. A Restless Spirit

1 Samuel 28:1-25

Sermon

Lori Wagner

... purpose, but maybe we did something that hurt or harmed in some way someone else, and our mind just won’t let it go. And that ghost pops up again and again and again in the most inopportune time to remind us how awful we are. These kinds of “ghosts” keep us from living in joy, in peace, in hope. These “ghosts” can become a living hell. The most ghastly ghost is not a “ghost” grasping hold of us; it’s a “ghost” we won’t let go of. This is the story of Saul. It’s not Samuel and it ...

762. Deep Faith

Genesis 6:1-8:22, Genesis 5:1-32

Sermon

Lori Wagner

... you are the fisherman or fisherwoman casting a lure of your own, there’s something about the sea that lures you in as well, that keeps you coming. British poet David Sutton puts the allure like this: “the music of not going anywhere,/that waves make against the sand.” I want ... all the tears in the canvas of creation, we bless you. We thank you for the promise that nothing in all creation can keep us from your love, even while we confess that that love is so often a stranger to us and that our lives are ...

763. The Raising of Paul

Acts 14:8-20

Sermon

Lori Wagner

... own way. Yet he has not left himself without testimony: He has shown kindness by giving you rain from heaven and crops in their seasons; he provides you with plenty of food and fills your hearts with joy.” Even with these words, they had difficulty keeping the crowd from sacrificing to them. Then some Jews came from Antioch and Iconium and won the crowd over. They stoned Paul and dragged him outside the city, thinking he was dead. But after the disciples had gathered around him, he got up and went back ...

764. Knitted Together from the Womb

Exodus 2:1-10

Sermon

Lori Wagner

... ….and time to let go and walk into the new space that God has created for you. Sometimes your faith is like a basket that shelters you and propels you, shields you or helps you through difficult passages in your life. Sometimes your faith is that first braid that you keep in your hand to remind you of the power of prayer, of the power of the Holy Spirit in your life, of the power of God’s love for you, the power that never fails. The covenant that never breaks. I invite you to hold that braid tightly in ...

765. Emergency!

Genesis 11:1-9

Sermon

Lori Wagner

... , the word for “house” can mean both a “house” or a “household,” meaning the genealogy of many generations of a people, ie the House of David, or the House of Jacob. We are not to build our own “house” in which to keep God in or shut ourselves in or keep God out or keep God’s people out. We are to be the “household of God,” to be God’s people wherever God’s ladder of hope is needed in the world in any place or time. Jacob’s stone/rock/pillar reminds too of Jesus’ proclamation ...

766. Run Away Bride

Exodus 24:1-18, Matthew 22:1-14, Hosea 1:1-2:1

Sermon

Lori Wagner

... tree, what it has meant to you, how long you’ve had it, you may hold onto it, dead as it is, for a long time, keeping it in the corner, or perhaps watering it endlessly hoping somehow it will revive. But in the end, you are just harboring a dead, brown tree ... we make, no matter how much we mess up –God remains SO in love with us, that God sent His Son to redeem us, revive us, keep us alive and in love, so that we can experience what’s it’s like to be in joyful and loving relationship with God. God ...

767. Mercy Me!

Romans 14:1--15:13, Luke 6:27-36, Luke 6:37-42, Luke 6:43-45

Sermon

Lori Wagner

... forward to the altar. Kneel down, and with all of your heart, repent to the Lord. Repent of all of those judgments you’ve made on others in your life and in your relationships. Repent of all that pride and need for control and power. Repent of all that is keeping you from being in right relationship with Jesus our Lord and Savior. And pray as you do: “Lord, remove from me my heart of stone, and give me a heart of flesh.” Jesus is going to do a miracle in your life today. All you need to do is commit ...

768. Caring for the Vineyard We Did Not Plant

Matthew 20:1-16, Joshua 24:1-27

Sermon

Lori Wagner

... of that culture, to be the subversive “mustard seed” in that vineyard, the salt and light that can season and illumine the world. We are not called to avoid our culture, to be offended by our culture, to arm ourselves with defenses, to build walls around us to keep people from asking us too many questions we cannot answer or countering our faith with hard challenges. We don’t have to have all of the answers. But our faith needs to be able to stand up to any inquiry or inquisition, and we need to be ...

769. The Healing Tree

Revelation 22:1-6, Luke 8:1-15

Sermon

Lori Wagner

... they will reign for ever and ever. The angel said to me, “These words are trustworthy and true. The Lord, the God who inspires the prophets, sent his angel to show his servants the things that must soon take place.” “Look, I am coming soon! Blessed is the one who keeps the words of the prophecy written in this scroll.” I, John, am the one who heard and saw these things. And when I had heard and seen them, I fell down to worship at the feet of the angel who had been showing them to me. But he said to ...

770. The Politics of Love

Mark 15:1-15

Sermon

Lori Wagner

... couldn’t calm down the bloodthirst and decisive hate directed toward the quiet rabbi. Likely Herod felt a bit threatened and cornered in his own position. After all, he needed to quell any attacks upon his own power and person, while attempting to keep them out of the Roman eye. Herod’s imposed balancing act, despite his eggshell personality, is definitely unenviable. So Pilate has a dilemma. The Jewish authorities are calling for Jesus’ death. Pilate is the only one who can make that call. And yet ...

771. No Partiality

Acts 10:34-43

Sermon

Will Willimon

... is the six-year-old, eyes bright with enthusiasm, parading out triumphantly for the first day of school. Here is the same one, ten years later. What happened to the bright eyes? Well, you see, the bright eyes were dulled by the Standardized Tests, and Report Cards, and keep your letters within the lines and your feet on the floor. "Oh, I'm just not good in math," she says, "No, I couldn't, I get all nervous when I speak," he declares, "Girls, aren't supposed to play soccer," she says as she leaves the field ...

772. For The Love of God is Giving

Mark 12:38-44

Sermon

Billy D. Strayhorn

... that. Social Security alone is seven and half percent. If you are self-employed or have to claim self-employment for Social Security reasons like I do, you pay fifteen percent. Then you pay your taxes on top of that. All God asks for is ten percent We get to keep the other ninety percent. That's even a better deal than you get at most restaurants. The last time I checked, the going rate for tips was 15 percent. And what do you get? Oh, you get a great meal and good service but four to six hours later you ...

773. Listen!

Luke 9:28-36, (37-43a)

Sermon

King Duncan

... couldn’t get the public’s help in tracking down the stolen van. In Matthew 17, Jesus tells Peter, John and James to keep this moment on the mountain a secret until after Jesus has been raised from the dead. Well, guess what, folks? Jesus has been ... glory of God right in front of us. It’s a life-changing experience. What are we supposed to do with an experience like that? Keep it to ourselves? No. We are called take the hope, the joy, the truth of that moment and live it out in the valleys. Share it ...

774. What Are You Bananas About?

Philippians 3:17-4:1

Sermon

King Duncan

... is behind this stunt because Coach Parker is known for motivating his teams with the phrase, “Win the Whole Banana.” Now that doesn’t sound very motivating to me. I’m not even sure what it means. But this is the phrase that Coach Parker keeps putting on his team’s white board throughout the season—Win the Whole Banana. It’s memorable., I’ll give you that, and it must be effective because both the girls’ and boys’ wrestling teams won state titles. But it’s also probably the reason that ...

775. You Will Always Have The Poor With You…

John 12:1-8

Sermon

Schuyler Rhodes

... his eyes on the ball. As we move toward Jerusalem and Palm Sunday, it’s important that we come together as a people of Christ to build a community that can maintain its focus on love, compassion, and hope. It’s important that we keep our eyes on the ball. And as we keep our eyes on the prize, let us remember our call is not to agreement on issues, but to unity in Christ. Let us remember to rise above the forces that would divide us. Let us take a seat at the table with Lazarus who has been raised from ...

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