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 951 to 975 of 4943 results

951. The Flow of Life

Ecclesiastes 3:1-22

Sermon

Gregory J. Johanson

... more meaningful life. I may be suffering now, but my suffering can be redeemed, and it can also do some redeeming of its own as I continue to move and grow. Things can change for me. I at least need to know that that is a possibility, and that I will not ... do not have needs or that we shouldn’t hurt, and hurt deeply at times. Lord knows we do hurt and suffer, and we’ll probably continue to struggle and agonize. That is a part of the flow of life. But Jesus is saying that we don’t have to worry about it ...

952. Jerusalem, Emmaus and the Meaning of Life

Luke 24:13-35

Sermon

Gregory J. Johanson

... his message but his "entire being, his life, his passion, his death, and his resurrection or the transformation of his personal history, so too the effect of this revelation is seen in the transformation of our personal histories." (Baum) This is the reality; life is continual movement of pain and joy - the invitation to die and rise in the eternal rhythms of redemption and reconciliation. Yes it is true that the "world of men and women dance in laughter and in tears." Before ending, I’d like to include a ...

953. Good News for Bad Times

Isaiah 40:1-31

Sermon

John R. Brokhoff

... for God's coming is to repent. It means to stop sinning and start walking on the straight path of righteousness. When are we going to do this? For my birthday a daughter sent me a humorous card of a Hippie carrying a sign, "Repent." On the inside the card continued, "Tomorrow (today's your birthday! Have a happy one!)" That is the way most of us want it to be: repent, yes, but let's wait until tomorrow and then tomorrow never comes. If we are going to escape the judgment of God and if we want to be accepted ...

954. Praying for a Whole New World

Luke 21:5-38

Sermon

William G. Carter

... , but the essential story stayed the same. A flood wipes out the entire known world. As the book of Genesis says, “The Lord saw that the wickedness of humankind was great in the earth, and that every inclination of the thoughts of their hearts was only evil continually” (Genesis 6:5). So God decided to wash away human wickedness in the waters of a flood. Only Noah’s family and pairs of every animal were spared. When the rain began to fall, it looked like the end of the world. God gives a blessing as ...

955. Why Earthly Powers Need No Longer Enslave

Daniel 7:15-28, Daniel 7:1-14

Sermon

Mark Ellingsen

... Some Jews have believed it to be a symbol for all faithful Jews. Others hold that it refers to the Archangel Michael. For us Christians, this is obviously a prophetic reference to Christ.6 Our Second Lesson from Ephesians 1 (v. 22) makes this point. The text continues in verse 15 which is part of our assigned lesson. Daniel is troubled by the dream. Consequently he asks for help in interpreting the dream’s meaning. He gets it from one of the attendants to the Ancient One (v. 16). Is this one of the angels ...

956. Do You Know?

Hosea 11:1-11

Sermon

John W. Wurster

... knowing smile from a friend, a cheerful conversation with a stranger, a good night’s sleep. I reside in the simplest of places: a phone call from your sister, a meal with your family, a few moments of silence. I am there. Do you know me? “It is I who continues to advocate that justice and righteousness be done. It is I who insists that those cast out and left out not be forgotten. I have seen your prosperity, but I have also seen what you have not done. I will not move from my concern. I know well that ...

957. The Promising Child

1 Samuel 2:12-26

Sermon

Harry N. Huxhold

... May the Lord repay you with children of this woman for the gift she made to the Lord” (2:20). Those blessings became realities in the life of Elkanah and Hannah. Hannah was blessed with the gifts of three more sons and two daughters. In the meantime Samuel continued to mature and grow in his role as the servant of the Lord. One gets the impression that Hannah felt especially blessed in her role as a faithful mother. The Blessed Family The beauty of the Hannah Story for all of us is clearly how the faith ...

958. The Promise of Sight

Isaiah 60:1-22

Sermon

Harry N. Huxhold

... Jesus what God had done earlier in the history of the people of Israel. We affirm this in what God was able to accomplish in the life, death, and resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ. We affirm also that God continues to live and move in history to accomplish the same for those who would recognize that God continues to shine the light of his grace in their lives no matter what comes to threaten, intimidate, or destroy them. As the prophet had to awaken his people to what God was doing for them, so we must ...

959. Light from the Word

Nehemiah 7:73b--8:18

Sermon

Harry N. Huxhold

... Jack Kennedy showed impatience that not more was being done. The Vice President kept pointing to the fact that no law was in place for them to enforce a policy for hiring. The problem was always whether people believed the word or not. The problem continues to this day. Since then there has been considerable legislation to protect civil rights. Yet the problem is whether the legislation is enforced or not. It is one thing to communicate the intent of the word of the law, but the problem is whether people ...

960. His Death

Luke 23:26-43

Sermon

Brett Blair

... all of this the Bible records with the simple words, "And they crucified Him." (Mark 15:24). It is interesting that Jesus is responsible for the abolishment of the cross as a means of capital punishment. In the early part of the fourth century Constantine continued to inflict the penalty of the cross on slaves guilty of, in the old Latin, delatio domini, i.e. of denouncing their masters. Later on he abolished this infamous punishment, in memory and in honor of the Passion of Jesus Christ. From then on, this ...

961. Who You Gonna' Vote For?

Luke 19:1-10

Sermon

Brett Blair

... Election Day, the day Zacchaeus was called down out of that tree, he had to make a choice. Let’s put it in Tuesday’s language: He has to cast his vote. Who will he vote for? I First, he could vote for the Tax Collectors. He could decide to continue his life as it always had been. This way he would retain his wealth, but what would it cost him in the end? Let’s take a look at some background to answer this question. Nothing in first century Judea was quite so hated and despised as was the Roman ...

962. The Imperatives of the Resurrection

Matthew 28:1-10

Sermon

David E. Leininger

... valid today as it ever was. It is eternally true, of course, that the Lord comes to US before we ever come to him. In his grace, his Spirit moves upon our hearts and extends the invitation. But it is equally true that the invitation has never been to just continue SITTING there. You see, Christianity is more than a system of beliefs; it is an active faith, a faith that will be willing to get up out of its chair and on its feet, a faith that will be responsive to the needs of the world and the righteous ...

963. Under the Rainbow

Genesis 9:1-17

Sermon

David E. Leininger

... the decision is made that God will wipe us all out and start fresh. But, as the old spiritual has it, "Noah found grace in the eyes of the Lord," so he and his family would be preserved as progenitors of a new and improved creation. The story continues with Noah working around the house... down in the rec room (or wherever). God lets him know what is coming, gives him instructions on building an ark along with direction on the birds and animals which are to be included. At this point, my mind jumps back to ...

964. Beating Babel

Acts 2:1-13, Genesis 11:1-9

Sermon

David E. Leininger

... to "repent and be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ." It was a great day! One wonders why there have not been more days like that. After all, the Holy Spirit who imparted such power on that rag-tag band did not suddenly vanish. Christians continue to believe that the Spirit empowers the church. We believe that the Spirit is with us now, ready to warm cold hearts, soften stiff necks, penetrate thick skulls, and heal the divisions of Babel. What has gone wrong? If we consider that brief scene described in ...

965. God's Not Done With Us Yet!

Genesis 17:1-27

Sermon

David E. Leininger

... have seen it right here, haven't we? We have experienced some exhilarating times in recent years at First Presbyterian Church, Warren, and I believe we have even more to come. • I believe that we will continue to experience new visions for ministry and mission. Why? Because God's not done with us yet. • I believe we will continue to see new growth, both spiritual and numerical. Why? Because God's not done with us yet. • I believe that the wonderful sense of excitement that is here in this church will ...

966. God Hears

Genesis 21:8-21

Sermon

David E. Leininger

... will object, and probably violently. The world remembers what happened to Anwar Sadat and Yitzak Rabin after coming to terms with the opposition. This is a dangerous business. And the long and bitter struggle between Jew and Arab seems bound to continue. Sad...and especially so considering that the Jew and Arab are "blood brothers," both children of Abraham - Arabs tracing their ancestry back through Abraham's first son, Ishmael, Jews going back through second son Isaac. Then again, perhaps their problems ...

967. Struggling with God

Genesis 32:22-32

Sermon

David E. Leininger

... The LORD watch between me and thee, when we are absent one from another."(3) Benediction? Not at all. This was a threat. Misbehave? May God gethcha! (Remember that the next time you stand in a circle holding hands as you prepare to leave the class.) The journey continues. Jacob is about to be reunited with Esau. What would big brother's reaction be? Jacob decides to find out. He sends a messenger: "Hey everybody, I'm HO-ome." Word comes back that Esau is coming out to meet him, along with 400 of his closest ...

968. Remembering the Good Old Days

Numbers 14:1-10a

Sermon

David E. Leininger

... history are condemned to repeat them." We do not want to go back to Egypt. Yes, there are some things back there that might depress us as Presbyterians and Christians. Why are the churches not as full as they used to be? Again this year I continued the practice I began long before I ever came to St. Paul: attending General Assembly every year - as you probably know, it was in Ft. Worth, Texas this time. Our Stated Clerk reported that Presbyterian Churches in this nation suffered a net membership loss of 21 ...

969. David and Bathsheba

2 Samuel 11:1-27, 12:1-31

Sermon

David E. Leininger

... picture the drama in that throne room. Nathan looks the king squarely in the eye, slowly raises his hand, pointing his finger defiantly forward at the king and says, "You are the man!" You could have cut the horrified silence in that room with a knife. Then the prophet continued: Thus says the LORD, the God of Israel: I anointed you king over Israel, and I rescued you from the hand of Saul; I gave you your master's house, and your master's wives into your bosom, and gave you the house of Israel and of Judah ...

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

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

Sermon

David E. Leininger

... and daddy, my brother and sister; and God, do take care of yourself, because if anything happens to YOU, we're all sunk." That is a child's way of acknowledging the sovereignty of God. In a way, it may seem like whistling through the graveyard to continue with that affirmation. Awful things constantly happen. Some years ago, while we were living in south Georgia, our town was stunned at the crash of a small plane that took the lives of a father, a mother, and their young daughter. I did not know the parents ...

971. The Imperatives of the Resurrection

Matthew 28:1-10

Sermon

David E. Leininger

972. The Church Should Go to Hell!

Luke 4:1-13

Sermon

David E. Leininger

... .(1) But Bailey and McElvaney are not just prescribing shock therapy. Their recommendation is carefully considered and theologically based. Where does the Apostle's Creed tell us Christ went during that period of time between the crucifixion and resurrection? To hell. As the continuing presence of Christ's body on earth, where should the church go in order to find the neediest souls, those farthest from God and closest to despair? To hell. Stand, turn to your pew-mate, grasp hands firmly, look each other in ...

973. Good News For Tough Times

Luke 2:1-7

Sermon

Eric Ritz

... diet of bad news in the past several months. We have seen cruelty and hatred in Bosnia, suffering and starvation in Rwanda. Drugs continue to hit our major urban areas like a plague, and this war is one we are losing not winning. We have seen continuing growth in the incidents of domestic violence and child abuse. The newspapers, magazines and nightly news shows continue to immerse us with reports of various and sundry misfortunes until it almost leaves you numb. You begin to understand the man who said ...

974. God Sometimes Changes His Mind

Jonah 3:1-10

Sermon

King Duncan

... until he came upon a nurse dying of a disease she caught nursing a child back to health. God said, "The selfless devotion of one who saved the life of a child is very precious, but it also is not the most precious thing on earth." The downcast angel continued to wander. One day he saw a farmer prepared to kill a man who was stealing his cattle. The farmer, his gun ready, stood at the window of the thief's cottage, watching as he kissed his children good night and tucked them into bed. At that moment the ...

975. God Of Compassion

Mark 6:30-44

Sermon

King Duncan

... time, to put a stop to it." Where do we get such ideas? Such a view of God must come from sick minds and bitter hearts. A man approached Horace Greeley one day to ask for a donation for foreign missions. Greeley turned him down but the man continued his plea and Greeley again said no. Finally the unfortunate one said: "Why, Mr. Greeley, wouldn't you give $10 to save an immortal soul from going to hell?" "No," shouted Greeley, "not half enough people go to hell now!" I suspect that many people feel that way ...

Showing results