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 926 to 950 of 1967 results

926. The Baby Who Changes Everything

Isaiah 7:1-25

Sermon

Robert Beringer

There was a commotion in Roaring Camp. Cherokee Sal, the only woman in this rough, tough mining settlement, was dead after giving birth to a son whose father was unknown. Around the crude cabin where the newborn child lay helpless and crying, the hundred or so hard-bitten goldrush miners gathered in curiosity and concern. Death was so common here, but birth - this was a whole new experience. Stumpy, a fugitive from justice on charges of bigamy, had by common consent taken charge of the little one's arrival ...

927. The Tinsel Time Machine

Drama

Edward Long

Production Notes A minimum of characters are needed. No elaborate costuming, make-up, or stage setting are involved. The play can be performed in chancel or on stage. "Extras" may be readily incorporated at the last minute (wearing winter coats) into the "carolers" in the England segment. It can be performed books in hand, or some or all of the cast may wish to memorize their lines. Only three rehearsals are needed for an effective presentation. The action is simple. The actors and actresses are urged to ...

928. Six Nails of the Cross IV: The Nail of Indecision

Matthew 27:11-26

Sermon

Wesley T. Runk

Pilate was caught: he wanted to make the best of two worlds. Should he sentence Jesus to death? That's hard to do to a man who has impressed you so favorably ... with his innocence, with his strength, with his wisdom. But what should he do with the overwhelming opposition to Jesus? Should he, Pilate, take a stand against the majority who opposed him? Releasing Jesus would mean an encounter with the Sanhedrin in the Jewish court, and Pilate did not want that. Sentencing Jesus would mean putting to death a ...

929. The Gospel of the Little Man

Luke 19:1-10

Sermon

Children of all ages quickly recognize Zacchaeus as the little man who shimmied up a sycamore in Jericho to get a glimpse of Jesus as he passed through town. His story has long been a favorite with the children of the church schools, especially those who have experience in climbing trees. His image is imprinted on the mental screen of everyone familiar with the story, for when pilgrims tour the Holy Land and come to Jericho, to see a sycamore rates high in their priorities, and travel guides who find ...

930. Who is Greatest Among You ...

Matthew 23:1-39

Sermon

How quickly we learn the desire to be great. The quest to become "number one" is a given in our competitive society. To some degree it is what fosters achievement and causes people to strive for excellence. Few people succeed without a fairly strong motivation to be foremost in their field. That’s the positive side. The negative side has to do with the absence of compassion and the undue pride that can go along with ambition. We can feel sorry for losers, but we prefer to associate with winners. Nothing ...

931. The Doubting Sum

Matthew 28:16-20

Sermon

The Holy Trinity When the eleven disciples, minus Judas, came to the mountain previously chosen by Jesus to meet him, some doubted. We would like to speak concerning the sum of doubt. Doubt adds up to zero. It is not a negative number; it is nothing! When we think of the word doubt we associate words like: indecision, uncertainty, hopelessness and powerlessness. People with convictions act. The opposite of doubt is faith and only faith has power. Imagine the eleven, with the doubters included, hearing ...

932. Nag, Nag, Nag!

Matthew 15:21-28

Sermon

John R. Brokhoff

Pentecost XIII And Jesus went away from there and withdrew to the district of Tyre and Sidon. And behold, a Canaanite woman from that region came out and cried, "Have mercy on me, O Lord, Son of David; my daughter is severely possessed by a demon." But he did not answer her a word. And his disciples came and begged him, saying, "Send her away, for she is crying after us." He answered, "I was sent only to the lost sheep of the house of Israel." But she came and knelt before him, saying, "Lord, help me." And ...

933. Defended By the Divine

Mark 14:1-11

Sermon

Barbara Brokhoff

Women have sometimes had the reputation for doing some pretty dumb things. My preacher-husband, John, and I drove to a preaching mission in Mississippi recently. Three different times, the same day, we found ourselves behind a woman (a different one each time) who signaled to make a turn, then turned the opposite direction from her signal. It reminded me of the person who said "When a woman sticks out her arm, and indicates a left turn, the only thing you can be absolutely sure of is that the window is ...

934. Simon Peter: Strong Stone or Crumbling Clay?

Luke 22:54-62

Sermon

Carl E. Zahrte

Were you there? Were you singing that song again? Were you wondering, when you heard my name, how I could do what I did on that dreadful night when I denied vehemently that I even knew Jesus? Oh yes, I was there, all right, and it still pains me to think about it. My name is Simon, the son of John. Most of you may know me better by another name - Peter. That’s what Jesus himself called me when my brother Andrew brought me to Jesus for the first time. Do you know that the name Peter means "stone," or "piece ...

935. Nicodemus

John 3:1-21

Sermon

David E. Leininger

They say, "There is no fool like an old fool." And I am afraid that is exactly what I have been. I have been so busy protecting our religion that I have been missing our God. I should explain. My name is Nicodemus. I am a member of the Sanhedrin, one of the seventy men charged with the oversight and defense of our historic and honorable faith, the faith of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, the faith of our fathers for hundreds and hundreds of years. Our task - one handed down from generation to generation since ...

936. The Apostles' Creed: "God...Almighty"

Mark 15:33-41, Mark 15:21-32

Sermon

David E. Leininger

"I believe in God the Father, Almighty..." Do you now? Is this the same God that the folks down in Colombia believe in, the folks who have just lost homes, health, and loved ones in that devastating earthquake Monday? The same God to whom prayers are directed from those trying to survive the ethnic slaughter in Kosovo? The same God to whom the family of Tiffany Long [a local 10-year-old found raped and murdered] prayed for her safe return from school? "God, the Father, ALMIGHTY...?" Right! In Russell Baker ...

937. Ready or Not, Here He Comes!

Luke 3:1-20

Sermon

David E. Leininger

John is an amazing character, isn't he? Not what we would expect as we come up to Christmas. What if, riding atop the last float of the Macy's Thanksgiving Day parade, there was not jolly old Saint Nick, but a wild-eyed John the Baptist dressed in a glorified burlap sack? Even the perpetually perky Katie Couric would wince as she offers parade commentary from her reviewing stand, not quite sure what to say. But this is not mid-town Manhattan and this is no Macy's extravaganza. It has been something of a ...

938. Be Joyful

1 Thessalonians 5:12-28

Sermon

King Duncan

Bill Adler wrote a book once that consisted of children's letters to Santa Claus. Here are some of the letters: "Dear Santa: Last year you didn't leave me anything good. The year before last year, you didn't leave me anything good. This year is your last chance. Alfred Dear Santa: My baby brother would like a cowboy suit. Do you have one with diapers? --Andy Dear Santa: In my house there are three boys. Richard is two. Jeffrey is four. Norman is seven. Richard is good sometimes. Jeffrey is good sometimes. ...

939. A Lesson From Two Golfers And A Saint

Mark 1:9-13

Sermon

King Duncan

Saint Patrick, the patron saint of Ireland, was a very devout Roman Catholic evangelist. One of the stories that grew out of his ministry concerns a time when he was baptizing new converts in a river. He would wade out waist-deep into the water and call out for new Christians to come to him, one by one, to receive the sacrament. Once he baptized a mountain chieftain. Saint Patrick was holding a staff, called a crosier, in his hands as the new converts made their way to the water. Unfortunately, as he was ...

940. All Dressed Up

Ephesians 6:10-20

Sermon

King Duncan

When Edgar Allen Poe was a young man, he was a cadet at West Point. But he didn't really like it there. He didn't like all the rules, and all the training he had to go through, so one day, when all the cadets were supposed to turn out in formation on the parade grounds, and march before the generals, Edgar Allan Poe checked his rule book to find out what the dress code was for the occasion. It said that he was supposed to wear white gloves and a white belt. So that's what he put on: white gloves and a ...

941. Preparing For An Unknowable Future

Mark 13:1-31

Sermon

King Duncan

Let's suppose that the world really was coming to an end. How, do you suppose, the headlines of our major newspapers would read? One day at lunch a crowd of reporters, bankers, brokers and PR types at the National Press Club in Washington, D.C. speculated on how various news media would play the story of the end of time. Here are some suggested headlines: *LOS ANGELES TIMES: NO TRAFFIC ON FREEWAYS TONIGHT. *USA TODAY: WE DIE! (Late Sports, 1C) *THE WALL STREET JOURNAL: MARKET CLOSES EARLY. *SPORTS ...

942. Jeremy And Jesus

Luke 1:39-45

Sermon

King Duncan

(Fourth Sunday in Advent) There is a book titled BARREN COUPLES AND BROKEN HEARTS. It is about married couples who desperately want to have children but, for one reason or another, are unable. It is one of life's ironies, isn't it? Some couples have unexpected and even unwanted pregnancies. Other couples who are totally unfit to be parents also have no difficulty breeding. Then there are those couples with so much love to give but who are denied the opportunity. Of course, children are a challenge. I read ...

943. A Prize Is Waiting For You!

Matthew 13:44-46

Sermon

King Duncan

It is a true story - no matter how much like a fairy tale it may sound. A totally unsuspecting man literally stumbled upon the world's largest diamond - all 3,106 carats of it. It happened in Premier Mine #2, near Pretoria, South Africa, in early 1905. This amazing stone was then sent in an ordinary cardboard box to England. One hundred and five stones were cut from this diamond, known as the Cullinan diamond. Two of the largest stones which it produced, the 530-carat Star of Africa and the 317-carat ...

944. Grumblers Among God's People

1 Corinthians 10:1-13

Sermon

King Duncan

At a certain popular resort there are hot springs and cold springs side by side. Local people washed clothes in the hot spring and then rinsed them in the cold. A tourist, watching the procedure, said to one of the natives, "How bountiful of nature to supply these springs." "Not so bountiful," said the native. "You'll notice there's no soap." A new pastor was full of enthusiasm on his first Sunday. He mentioned the thrill of accepting the call of the congregation, particularly since it had been a unanimous ...

945. Fishing Stories

John 21:1-14

Sermon

King Duncan

One day many years ago, a fisherman's wife blessed her husband with twin sons. They loved the children very much, but couldn't think of what to name them. Finally, after several days, the fisherman said, "Let's not decide on names right now. If we wait a little while, the names will simply occur to us." After several weeks had passed, the fisherman and his wife noticed a peculiar fact. When left alone, one of the boys would turn toward the sea, while the other boy would face inland. It didn't matter which ...

946. How To Love

John 15:1-17

Sermon

King Duncan

You can learn things being around children. Here are some truths one father learned: There is no such thing as child-proofing your house. You should not throw baseballs up when the ceiling fan is on. A ceiling fan can hit a baseball a long ways. Glass windows (even double pane) don't stop a baseball hit by a ceiling fan. If you use a waterbed as a home plate while wearing baseball shoes, it does not leak. It explodes. A king-size waterbed holds enough water to fill a 2,000 sq. ft. house almost 4 inches ...

947. Is It Time To Tear Down Our Church?

Mark 13:1-31

Sermon

King Duncan

Pastor Daniel Bohlman had a problem. The front of his new church was very small only enough room for a pulpit. When a prominent member died, Bohlman had to figure out where to place the coffin for viewing. The most reasonable place seemed to be in the back of the church, where there was more room. All they needed to do was move out one of the back pews for the funeral service, then replace it afterwards. Problem solved or so Pastor Bohlman thought. But certain members of the church were outraged that ...

948. Something To Die For

Mark 10:35-45

Sermon

King Duncan

It is one of the most dramatic stories to come out of the Civil War. Colonel Joshua Chamberlain of the Union Army's 20th main regiment received orders from General George Meade to shoot 120 deserters, or take them with him into battle at Gettysburg. No one would be allowed to return home. At this point in time, the Union army was demoralized and in disarray, and Chamberlain's decision would be a monumental one. He walked slowly to where the deserters waited, knowing that he had to make a decision about the ...

949. Drinking From His Cup

Matthew 20:20-28

Sermon

King Duncan

What is there about certain people that sets them apart from the crowd? That causes other people to hold them in awe? Kyle Rote, former All-American football player from S.M.U., played eleven years for the N.Y. Giants in the NFL. He scored a touchdown on an average of once every six times he caught a pass. He scored fifty times in three hundred receptions. The greatest tribute ever paid an athlete in modern times was paid by his college and pro teammates. Fourteen of them named their sons Kyle! (1) Stan ...

950. Where Meek Souls Will Recieve Him Still

John 3:22-36

Sermon

Darrick Acre

Nicodemus silently creeps through the dark streets of Jerusalem, keeping to the shadows, vigilant, lest anyone sees him. He is on a mission. The teacher, Jesus, is in Jerusalem. Wonderful things are said of Him. He has amazed the people with miraculous signs; astounded them with the authority of His teaching. He has stirred Nicodemus’ curiosity, pricked his interest, and even enlivened his hope. “Surely,” he thinks to himself, “this man is from God. I’ve got to meet him.” But how? Official opposition to ...

Showing results