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 876 to 900 of 1249 results

876. King Me!

John 18:33-37

Sermon

... to ask you to do a very insane thing. Flying in the face of the "king me" mentality of the world in which we live, I am going to suggest that we pay homage to another king. In a world that unashamedly proclaims, "Me first!" I will ask that we adopt a credo that says, "Others first." Though it may offend some, I am going to invite you to process to the altar and lay your tribute to this king we worship in this place. If you have a gift to share, you come forward. If you have no stewardship card ...

877. The Fullness of Time

Galatians 4:4-7

Sermon

Scott Suskovic

... manipulated world events, set in motion each piece of the puzzle, and announced his promise to you that in the fullness of time, God sent his Son, born of a woman, subject to the law to buy freedom for us who were slaves to the law, so that he could adopt us as his very own children. Amen.

878. It’s God’s Will?

Ephesians 1:3-14

Sermon

Scott Suskovic

... idea I made up — nor did Luther or Calvin. It comes right out of the writings of Paul. Long ago, even before he made the world, God loved us and chose us in Christ to be holy and without fault in his eyes. His unchanging plan has always been to adopt us into his own family ... God's secret plan has now been revealed to us ... for he chose us from the beginning, and all things happen just as he decided long ago. — Ephesians 1:4-5, 9, 11 (paraphrase of NIV) For those whom he foreknew he also predestined ...

879. It’s about Grace

Ephesians 2:1-10

Sermon

Nancy Kraft

... at stake. Do you remember what it was? "It's about the economy, stupid." Lest anyone get sidetracked on unrelated issues, the reminder was ever before them: "It's about the economy, stupid." As Christians who happen to also be Lutheran, there is a phrase that we could adopt that might help us clarify the core issue at stake for us. For we have a tendency to get sidetracked with so many extraneous issues that we can lose sight of our center. That's when we need to stop and remind ourselves: Duh! It's about ...

880. Bothered and Bewildered

2 Corinthians 4:5-12

Sermon

Gibson “Nibs” Stroupe

... of being the baggage handler of such a treasure. God is bold to entrust this valuable and important message to ordinary folks like the Corinthians and like us. When Paul speaks here of earthen vessels, he is asking us to remember who we are: children of God, adopted and called by God to be bearers and messengers of this great treasure. He asks the Corinthians to listen, to have hope, and to keep working in their "ordinary" journeys, for they are now rooted in the reign of God through Jesus Christ. Like the ...

881. Dividing Walls

Ephesians 2:11-22

Sermon

Gibson “Nibs” Stroupe

... Race: Southern Presbyterians 1946-1983 (Tuscaloosa, Alabama: University of Alabama Press, 1994). 2. For more information on Oakhurst, see Nibs Stroupe and Caroline Leach, O Lord, Hold Our Hands: How a Church Thrives in a Multicultural World (Louisville, Kentucky: Westminster John Knox Press, 2003). 3. Oakhurst Presbyterian Church Mission Statement, adopted in 1990, revised in 1998.

882. A Higher Calling

Ephesians 4:1-16

Sermon

Thomas Lentz

... of the judge who questioned the prisoner, "What are you charged with?" "I was doing my Christmas shopping early," said the prisoner. "That's not an offense," said the judge. "How early were you doing your shopping?" "Before the store opened," replied the man. Ralph Waldo Emerson said, "Adopt the pace of nature, her secret is patience." Today I may not be as humble as I should be, but I can do better tomorrow. I may not be as kind and gentle as I should be, but I have time to improve. There are some people I ...

883. A Difficult Day to Follow Jesus

Matthew 18:21-35

Sermon

King Duncan

... to Sweden with the secretary, but who apparently fell in a well and drowned while walking the dog. So the infidelity never happened except in Terry’s mind. But because she imagined that it did happen, Terry lived with immense feelings of abandonment. She adopts a lifestyle of alcoholism and jealous rage, of vituperative anger. And she almost ruins the lives of those closest to her in the process. (5) It is a sad, sad story. Even if her husband betrayed her and abandoned her, surely forgiveness would have ...

884. At the Banquet...In Your Pajamas

Matthew 22:1-14

Sermon

King Duncan

... but who in their personal lives show none of the signs of actually being Christian? As someone has said, grace is free, but there are standards. It is expected if you accept Christ’s free gift of eternal life, that from that day forward, you will seek to adopt Christ’s character as well. Or, to put it another way, you are invited to be a guest at Christ’s banquet table, but you are not allowed to spit in his face with unacceptable behavior after you are there. We’re not talking about legalism here ...

885. The Ball Game

Mark 13:1-31

Drama

Arley K. Fadness

... them the next day. You wait until they’re mature and then you enjoy them. Bill: Yeah, that’s different. Frank: Or what about a couple who want to start a family? They just don’t get instant kids ya-know. Whether you have them by adoption or naturally it all takes time, but it makes the actual event that much sweeter. Sometimes it takes patience. Bill: I’m not convinced. Frank: (turns and yells at peanut vendor) Hey, can we get some peanuts down here someday this week? (turns to Bill) Now where ...

886. Troubled Waters

Genesis 9:8-17

Sermon

Ken Lentz

... 's mercy under a clear, sunny sky. God had not withheld his promise. We are those who have been drowned in the waters of baptism. We have been taken by the chaotic waters. But we have also been raised up because on that day God called us by name and adopted us as his own. He made a promise. He will not withhold that promise. Amen.

887. The Divine Deal ...

Genesis 17:1-7, 15-16

Sermon

Ken Lentz

... that comes from the water. Perhaps a candle will be lit from the Christ candle, the sign of the blessing transmitted from Christ, Abraham's "seed." Sometimes oil or water is traced on the forehead of the baptized, replacing circumcision, the mark of adoption by the resurrected Christ, again, the "seed" of Abraham. Faith is at the center of baptism, the faith of those who present the child at infancy, or the faith of those who profess their faith before their adult baptism. Saint Paul links our baptismal ...

888. Who Is Isaiah’s Servant?

Isaiah 50:4-9a

Sermon

Ken Lentz

... that you gave to me I have given to [my disciples] and they have received them and know in truth that I came from you ..." (John 17:8). The student learns by listening. "Faith comes by hearing." An American studying in Germany was "adopted" by a German family who invited him to spend his weekends with them. Using a book of devotions developed by Zinzendorf and the Bohemian Brothers, "Losungen," the family, father, mother, and three children began each day at breakfast with Bible readings, commentary, and ...

889. What Is Our City?

Acts 4:32-35

Sermon

Ken Lentz

... in 325 and ending in Chalcedon in 451 went to a great deal of effort to dot the "i's" and cross the "t's" of the good news, just to make sure that the succession of teachers in the church would keep it straight. The early church adopted Sunday as its day of worship in order to keep the resurrection event at the center of the story of Jesus. A young American student at the University of Heidelberg in Germany was discussing theology in one of the local student taverns one evening with two German students ...

890. Facing the Consequences

Illustration

Tim Kimmel

... act only makes matters worse. I worship a God of forgiveness and solutions, and at that moment in our conversation I was anxious to turn toward hope and healing. I asked Tom what they had decided to do. Would they keep the baby, or put it up for adoption? That's when he delivered the blow. With the fire burning low, Tom paused for a long time before answering. And even when he spoke he wouldn't look me in the eye. "We considered the alternatives, Tim. Weighed all the options." He took a deep breath. "We ...

891. When Was Jesus Born?

Illustration

Staff

When was Jesus born? No, not on December 25. Though Christians had adopted that date by A.D. 336, Christ was born "when shepherds watched their flocks by night." In other words, most likely in the spring. And no, He wasn't born in the year A.D. 1. The Bible tells us that Herod the Great ruled Palestine when Jesus was born, ...

892. The Iniquity of us All

Illustration

James Packer

... sin, Jesus' death was an act of redemption (Gal. 3:13; Eph. 1:7; 1 Pet. 1:18-19). By mediating and making peace between us and God, it was an act of reconciliation (Rom. 5:10-11). It opened the door to our justification (pardon and acceptance) and our adoption (becoming God's sons and heirs Rom. 5:1,9; Gal. 4:4-5). This happy relationship with our Maker, based on and sealed by blood atonement, is the "New Covenant" of which Jesus spoke in the Upper Room (1 Cor. 11:25; Matt. 26:28).

893. The Apostles' Creed

Matthew 28:16-20

Illustration

Staff

... symbolum romanum), or Old Roman Creed, is an earlier and shorter version of the Apostles’ Creed. It was based on the 2nd-century Rule of Faith and the interrogatory declaration of faith for those receiving Baptism. It is said that this earlier and first adopted version was based on the Trinitarian formula found in The Great Commission in Matthew 28:19. It was widely accepted in the 4th century, that, under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, each of the Twelve Apostles contributed an article to the twelve ...

894. The Nicene Creed

Illustration

Staff

The Nicene Creed is a statement of belief widely used in Christian liturgy. It is called Nicene because it was originally adopted in the city of Nicaea (present day İznik, Turkey) by the First Council of Nicaea in 325. We believe in one God, the Father almighty, maker of heaven and earth, of all things visible and invisible. And in one Lord Jesus Christ, the only Son of God, begotten from the ...

895. The Creed of Chalcedon

Illustration

Staff

... ; as the prophets from the beginning have declared concerning Him, and the Lord Jesus Christ Himself has taught us, and the creed of the holy fathers has handed down to us. Note: The Chalcedonian Definition is a declaration of Christ's nature, adopted at the Council of Chalcedon in AD 451. Chalcedon was an early centre of Christianity located in Asia Minor. The council was the fourth of the Ecumenical Councils that are accepted by Chalcedonian churches which include the Eastern Orthodox, Roman Catholic, the ...

896. Religion of the Founders

Illustration

Brett Blair

... to force the separation of church and state, said the following: "Had the people, during the Revolution, had any suspicion of any attempt to war against Christianity, that Revolution would have been strangled in its cradle...At the time of the adoption of the constitution and the amendments, the universal sentiment was that Christianity should be encouraged, not any one sect...in this age there can be no substitute for Christianity...That was the religion of the founders of the republic and they expected ...

897. What Pleases God?

Illustration

Staff

... the Lord Jesus Himself has confirmed to His own "little flock" that "it is your Father's good pleasure to give you the kingdom" (Luke 12:32). Thus, not only have we been created "for Thy pleasure" (Revelation 4:11), but also we have been predestinated "unto the adoption of children by Jesus Christ Himself, according to the good pleasure of His will" (Ephesians l:5). This is far beyond our comprehension, so we merely rest in the great truth that "it is God which worketh in you both to will and to do of His ...

898. The Price for Ten Million Dollars

Illustration

James Patterson and Peter Kim

What are you willing to do for $10,000,000? Two-thirds of Americans polled would agree to at least one, some to several of the following: Would abandon their entire family (25%) Would abandon their church (25%) Would become prostitutes for a week or more (23%) Would give up their American citizenships (16%) Would leave their spouses (16%) Would withhold testimony and let a murderer go free (10%) Would kill a stranger (7%) Would put their children up for adoption (3%)

899. Limitless Deity

Illustration

Gregory of Nazianzus

... things are there in the character of God which are not found in the Spirit? What titles which belong to God are not also applied to Him? He is called the Spirit of God, the Spirit of Christ, the mind of Christ, the Spirit of the Lord, the Spirit of adoption, of truth, of liberty; the Spirit of wisdom, of understanding, of counsel, of might, of knowledge, of godliness, of the fear of God. This only begins to show how unlimited He is.

900. Second Century Rules

Mark 1:40-45

Illustration

Elizabeth Elliot

... over the 1,800 years since this one was actually recorded. And let's say it's beyond quaint. It's absurd and yet it is the answer given in the most celebrated Christian schools of the second century! Is it possible that the rules that have been adopted by many twenty-first-century Christians may sound as absurd to followers of Christ a 100 years years from now? Jesus asked the man he healed not to say how he had been healed. Why? Because of our scruples. We have a penchant for taking the greatest moments ...

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