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 901 to 925 of 4986 results

901. The Flight From Light

Isaiah 60:1-22, Matthew 2:1-12

Sermon

Erskine White

... today. How often do we cling to the things which keep us in darkness, thinking we are better off staying on the dead-end path we are accustomed to as opposed to trying a new and unfamiliar road? It takes courage to come home by a different route ... , and sometimes we prefer to stay with the sadness and darkness we know rather than leap sight unseen into the light of unfamiliar joy. There once was an impoverished ...

902. Maximizing Opportunities

Illustration

Barry L. Johnson

... . Woody explained why some defensive backs get more interceptions than others. It’s a matter of courage and position. As soon as the quarterback drops back to pass, the tension is on. The defensive back has two choices. He can play it safe and simply stay far behind the receiver so as to make the tackle after the catch. Or, he can do the job right and position himself so as to appropriately step between the receiver and the ball at precisely the right moment. The first choice minimizes risk. The ...

903. Send Me!

Isaiah 6:1-13

Sermon

Frederick C. Edwards

... . His parents didn’t know how to respond to this young man. Because he had changed, they had to change, too. The whole family structure began to fall apart. And the son, realizing that he was the focus of their pain, could not stay. He had to leave. How we want people to stay the same. We don’t reason that out, of course, but somehow we assume it. Children grow up and become independent. They do not want to be directed by their parents as they were when they were younger. The child must eventually put ...

904. Feeling Down And Looking Up

Isaiah 40:1-31

Sermon

Frederick C. Edwards

... is good we need to keep in mind that two of every three times he comes up to bat, he fails! That might even have been about what that ancient prophet’s average was, too. Despite his best efforts probably most of the exiles or their descendants stayed where they were - in Babylonia. We must never be discouraged for lack of dramatic success. Perhaps there is more impact on the lives we touch than is apparent. Jesus had an amazing power to uplift people, in ways more than just the curing of bodies. I think ...

905. And Now For Something Completely Different

Isaiah 43:14-28

Sermon

Frederick C. Edwards

... and to them, he was forgiven by them. They continued to visit him during his entire prison term, and in time they came to care for and even love him. Imagine that! When the young man was let out of prison they invited him to visit them, and he even stayed with them, as he tried to put together the shattered pieces of his life. They helped him get into an alcohol abuse treatment program. Later on he began to go to church with them. In time he came to be regarded almost as a member of their family, incredible ...

906. Simon Peter: Strong Stone or Crumbling Clay?

Luke 22:54-62

Sermon

Carl E. Zahrte

... watch and pray. But it had been a long day and we dozed off a bit. "Peter," I heard him say, "Peter, watch and pray to stay out of temptation. The spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak." Then my flesh began to tingle, because I saw the light of burning torches ... they had taken him. I didn’t know what I would do there, but I was totally unprepared for what happened next. At first I just stayed in the shadows, but there was quite a chill in the air and the men had made a fire there, so I edged up to it. ...

907. Pontius Pilate - Adamant, But Acquiescent

Luke 22:66--23:25

Sermon

Carl E. Zahrte

... people raised objections, too, when I posted the superscription above the head of Jesus on the Cross. It read, "This is Jesus of Nazareth, King of the Jews." They wanted to have me change it. They wanted it to read, "This man said he was King." Well, it stayed just the way it was. I told them, "What I have written. I have written." But now, because you are guilty of cowardice and compromise, because you, too, were there, what would you say? I hope that each of you, in true sorrow for your sins, and sincere ...

908. Courageous Preaching

Isaiah 50:1-11

Sermon

Durwood L. Buchheim

... for them were still valid. We, who may be in danger of being seduced by the power of the world, need to hear that God’s word is more powerful than any country, any ideology, any ism - even consumerism! We do not have to stay captive to our culture. We do not have to stay captive to things. Our source of strength is not in getting and getting but in the power of the Spirit working through God’s word. That is one of the important reasons for attending church. Here is where our memories are refreshed that ...

909. Christian Courage

Acts 4:1-22

Sermon

Durwood L. Buchheim

... about how you are to defend yourselves or what you are to say; for the Holy Spirit will teach you at the very hour what you ought to say." We certainly see this promise coming true in Peter. What a change! What a transformation! Peter did not stay the way he was. A short time before, Peter had been afraid of just about any kind of confrontation, especially with the authorities. Before, their servants had so frightened him that he denied his Lord three times. Now, having spent a night in jail, fully aware ...

910. Bridges, Not Walls!

Acts 10:23b-48

Sermon

Durwood L. Buchheim

... was beginning to understand that the basic issue was not kosher meat or food, but equality between Jews and Gentiles. Equality on the basis of their common creation by God, this was God’s revelation to Peter and it was like another conversion. Peter didn’t stay the way he was. In the presence and power of God’s Spirit, his attitude changed. This Peter who left his fishing boat in response to Christ’s invitation; this Peter who on the Mount of Transfiguration had seen the glory of Christ and heard ...

911. Bethlehem: Capitol of the Universe

Luke 2:1-7

Sermon

J. Ellsworth Kalas

... the floor at the spot which tradition says was the actual site of the birth of Jesus. Around it, in Latin, is an inscription which translates, "Here Jesus Christ was born of the Virgin Mary." You want to stay longer, but other tourists are already crowding down the stairs and you know that by your staying you are making it difficult for others. Outside, you try to get it all in perspective. This is where He began His earthly journey. How strange! Your mind goes from the sight you have just left, an ornate ...

912. Nazareth: The Hidden Years

Luke 2:41-52

Sermon

J. Ellsworth Kalas

... I tell myself that I want to go to Israel again some day, and that when I do, I will decide (not the travel agent) how long I will stay in each place. If that ever happens, I will spend more time in Nazareth. If you go to Nazareth today, you will find a city of nearly 30, ... he say to himself, "There are lessons to be taught, bodies to be healed, lives to be lifted, souls to be saved, and here I stay in this backwash of a town, cutting a board and fitting a wooden yoke to an ox!"? And yet, I tell you, it may be ...

913. The Garden: All Things New

John 20:1-9

Sermon

J. Ellsworth Kalas

... ran to the tomb, and saw that the body wrappings were still there, including the burial cloth that had been around his head. They didn’t know what to make of it, so they simply went back to what they could understand, their own homes. But Mary stayed outside the tomb, crying. Once more, she bent over to look into the tomb. Now she saw two angels there, where Jesus’ body had been. They kindly asked why she was crying, and she explained that someone had taken her Lord away, and she didn’t know where ...

914. Resurrection: Temporal to Eternal

Luke 24:13-35

Sermon

Leonard H. Budd

... taking deep breaths that would bring strength to his tired muscles. He still had four miles to go, and he dared not stay too long, lest the great gates of the City be fastened shut - locking him out. Despite his panting, and the pounding of his ... !" It was that sad, sad finality that had led the runner and a companion to leave the city earlier this very day. "Why stay here?" was their early morning question. "There is nothing left for us in the fellowship. There is nothing left but memories that bring ...

915. Resurrection: From Brokenness to Wholeness

Matthew 15:29-39

Sermon

Leonard H. Budd

... upon that sea so easily roughed by the winds from Mount Herman. Jahmai, except for his leg, would have been trained to fish the waters. But his unsteady stance would have put himself and others in peril. So Jahmai was told to stay upon the shore, and be of help to those who stayed behind, those who waited for the fisherman to return. How much his life was chained to his leg, that crooked leg. Jahmai had often heard of Jesus’ wonder with healing - the power that he had to heal sick bodies. There was that ...

916. When Something is About to Happen

Mark 13:32-37

Sermon

Thomas Long

... act of searching itself seemed to take more and more energy. Indeed, the whole business of being a part of the church at all felt, at times, like a burdensome weight, and on this Sunday morning that weight had tugged the conversation toward the question, Why stay in the church? "I’ll tell you," he said, "what keeps me coming to this church," and every head turned in his direction. The sudden rush of interest made him hesitate, uncertain of his own thought, but he pushed on. "It’s strange, I know, but ...

917. Inevitabilities and the Last Days

Mark 13:1-31

Sermon

James W. Robinson

... was fulfilled, when Jerusalem fell to the army of Titus, who was to be Emperor of Rome, and the temple was destroyed. We are no more prepared for change than the early disciples. There is the seed within the soul that wants to send down roots into something solid, and stay put. We want a house we can call our own, in a town we can call our home. We want to work for a company that treats us like human beings, and not like data on a computer screen. We want the institutions of our society to remain strong and ...

918. Noise Is Anything That Corrupts the Integrity of a Message

1 Samuel 3:1--4:1

Sermon

Thomas D. Peterson

... intends it to come to us. Christ calls: "Tom/Tom; Mary/Mary; Edgar/Edgar; Francine/Francine." Recently I talked with a young friend who has been flirting with the ministry for several years. He would go so far, then back away, move ahead again, then retract. He stayed one semester in seminary, then returned home. Now he tells me that he wishes once more to enter the ministry. I responded by asking him if he were ready to hear the call of Christ and accept that call for an extended period of time, no matter ...

919. People Are Different, People Are The Same

Drama

Marge Passamaneck

... a big red candle and spoke of the birth of a baby many centuries ago. MR. JACKSON: The mother and father, Mary and Joseph, were just simple people travelling to Bethlehem. When they found there was no house where they could spend the night, they had to stay in a stable. There were horses, cows, and sheep there, but they heaped straw into a warm and comfortable bed. That night Mary gave birth to a boy - a red-faced baby just like all babies, but somehow different. TONY: Then a brightness came into the stable ...

920. Why Do People Have to Die?

John 12:20-36

Children's Sermon

Wesley T. Runk

... very important seeds because they are going to tell us the story of what happens after we die. If each of you take the seed I am going to give you and put it on your shelf, nothing will happen to it. It will just stay a plain old seed and eventually if you let it stay there long enough it will turn into dust and when the first good wind comes along it will blow away. The shell of that seed kind of reminds me of a casket, like they put people in when they die. The real stuff in that ...

921. Christmas Carols · What Child Is This?

Luke 2:1-20

Children's Sermon

Wesley T. Runk

... at home in bed? It wasn’t a very pleasant experience, was it? Being sick had a lot to do with one of our favorite Christmas carols and a man by the name of William Dix. Mr. Dix became very sick when he was just a young man, and he stayed sick for a long time. There was not a lot that a person could do when he became ill a long time ago, except to rest and take the few medicines that they had in those days. For the most part Mr. Dix just sat in a chair with a ...

922. The Snake

Drama

Robert Clausen

... , Harry. For God’s sake, let the thing go and come with me. HARRY: No. I’m not going to be a nobody again. GEORGE: You’re a nobody now. You’re nothing next to that snake. HARRY: I’m staying with the snake. GEORGE: Drop the rope, Harry. We’ll find a way to kill the snake. HARRY: You’ll have to kill me first. GEORGE: For the last time, Harry ... HARRY: I'm not going with you. GEORGE: If that's it, Harry ... HARRY: That's it, George. Goodbye. ...

923. Andrew · An Open Mind

John 1:35-42

Children's Sermon

Wesley T. Runk

... ’t going to just stand around so he and this other man followed Jesus. They had only walked a short way when Jesus turned around and asked them what they were looking for. Well, they were kind of flabbergasted and so they said they wanted to know where he was staying. Well, He said, "come and see." They did and they ended up spending the whole day. Wouldn’t that be great to spend a whole day with Jesus? Now some of us might want to keep such a special friend as Jesus a secret so we wouldn’t have to ...

924. The Miracle

Luke 2:1-7

Sermon

Theodore L. Yewey

... that soon was stacked to make a crude bed for the weary travelers. Their tired bodies really did not notice the little jabs from the hay, nor were they offended by the odors and sounds of the stable. Their exhaustion covered all of that. It was a place to stay and that’s what they needed this night. But they would need much more than that before the night was over, for the woman’s child would be born. There in the dark night the birth pains continued and grew more frequent. The man searched in vain for ...

925. Clean Light

1 Corinthians 6:12-20

Sermon

William F. Dunkle

... assure us that even our bodies, our feeble, fickle, faltering bodies, can glorify God. Frances Ridley Havergal wrote: "Look at a poor, little, colorless drop of water, hanging weakly on a blade of grass. It is not beautiful at all; why should you stop to look at it? Stay till the sun has risen, and now look. It is sparkling like a diamond; and if you look at it from another side, it will be glowing like a ruby, and presently gleaming like an emerald. The poor little drop has become one of the brightest and ...

Showing results