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 76 to 100 of 2561 results

76. Dry As Toast

Matthew 12:15-21

Sermon

Lori Wagner

... CHOSEN; MY BELOVED IN WHOM MY SOUL is WELL-PLEASED; I WILL PUT MY SPIRIT UPON HIM, AND HE SHALL PROCLAIM JUSTICE TO THE GENTILES. “HE WILL NOT QUARREL, NOR CRY OUT; NOR WILL ANYONE HEAR HIS VOICE IN THE STREETS. “A BATTERED REED HE WILL NOT BREAK OFF, AND A SMOLDERING WICK HE WILL NOT PUT OUT, UNTIL HE LEADS JUSTICE TO VICTORY. “AND IN HIS NAME THE GENTILES WILL HOPE.” Image Exegesis: Dry as Toast "Woe to the worthless shepherd, who deserts the flock! May the sword strike his arm and his right eye ...

We're having a little disagreement. What I want is a big church wedding with bridesmaids and flowers and a no-expense-spared reception, and what he wants is to break off our engagement.

Sally Poplin

78. Getting Ourselves Off Our Hands

Philippians 3:12-4:1

Sermon

Maxie Dunnam

"Bishop Fitzgerald in his book How to be A Successful Failure tells a fascinating story about a young man (barely twenty years old) who was caught one day "stealing sheep." He was charged and convicted. As a penalty, the villagers decided to make an example out of him. They took a branding iron and branded his forehead with the letters "ST"...meaning of course, "Sheep Thief." The brand was permanent and a constant source of shame to the young man. Penitent, he turned to God. He asked God for forgiveness. ...

79. When God Seems Far Off

Psalm 10:1-18

Sermon

Maxie Dunnam

“Why do you stand afar off, O Lord? Why do you hide yourself in times of trouble? Have you ever felt that way? You wanted to say that to the Lord? There have been times in my life when God seemed far off, beyond the reach of communication. I have awakened at 3 o’clock in the morning, morning after morning after morning, and anguished in spirit until day break, but my praying was more frustrating than fruitful. My passionate pleas seemed to bounce off the ceiling and ricochet around the walls. It never ...

80. Breaking Through

Acts 2:1-21 · John 15:26-27; 16:4b-15

Sermon

Lori Wagner

And it shall come to pass in that day, that his burden shall be taken away from off thy shoulder, and his yoke from off thy neck, and the yoke shall be destroyed because of the anointing. (Isaiah 10:27) Summer is coming soon! And with it, all of God’s creatures come out to work their magic in and among us on the earth. One of God’s fascinating creatures is the spider. How many of you have been going on your way or coming into your doorway, and you without knowing it walked right into a spider’s web? You ...

81. Jesus Is Made Known in the Breaking of the Bread

Luke 24:13-35

Sermon

Steven Burt

Luke’s narrative here is one of those narratives that we can easily picture. It was late afternoon on the very first Easter day, and two disciples -- apparently not of the original twelve -- but nevertheless, two disciples, were walking along the dry dusty road from Jerusalem to Emmaus. They were pretty down-in-the-mouth for they had just lost their messiah, Jesus of Nazareth, the one they had thought would be the Savior of Israel. So they were walking along this dusty country road, and there was no air ...

82. Getting Off the Merry-Go-Round

Romans 8:1-11

Sermon

Steven E. Albertin

Have you ever been stuck on a playground merry-go-round? You know how it goes. You start slow, pushing with your feet to gain more speed until you are running. Then you finally jump on to the spinning merry-go-round holding on for dear life. That is when you find yourself stuck. On the one hand, the centrifugal force of the spinning merry-go-round threatens to throw you off. On the other hand, you hold on for dear life to the railing because you are afraid of what might happen to you if you fall off. And ...

83. Breaking The Tabboo

Mark 12:41-44

Sermon

Steven E. Albertin

"Taboo." It's a strange, mysterious, ancient-sounding word that we don't use much any more in our modern, scientifically enlightened world. A taboo is something that is forbidden. A taboo is a prohibition. It is usually associated with something sacred and mysterious. Something that is taboo is set aside, never to be touched and desecrated by human hands. We are usually afraid of the taboo. We are in awe of its power. Taboos control us. In the ancient world certain places or things may have been considered ...

84. Are You Able?

Matthew 20:20-28

Sermon

J. Howard Olds

Are you able? We've been asking that question this Holy Week. Are you able to drink the cup I am going to drink? asked Jesus as the disciples shuffled for position. Can we walk the road Jesus walked, the Via Delarosa, the way of sorrows? Can we eat the bread of brokenness? Can we take up the cross and follow Jesus? Sobering questions, serious questions, the kind of questions that crack open a hardened heart and lay bare the tendons of the spiritual life. The kind of questions to be asked on Maundy Thursday ...

85. Breaking Loose

Romans 8:1-17

Sermon

King Duncan

Charles Simpson of Mobile, Alabama tells of meeting a young man who dives for exotic fish for aquariums. This adventurous young man said that one of the most popular aquarium fish is the shark. He explained that if you catch a small shark and confine it, it will stay at a size proportionate to the aquarium. Sharks can be six inches long yet fully matured. But if you turn them loose in the ocean, they grow to their normal length of eight feet. (1) Mother Nature is amazing. How does the shark know that it ...

86. Give Us a Break

2 Thessalonians 2:1-17

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

When was the last time you took a "breather" from all those distractions that claim to be the most important concerns in life? Take a break from the din and listen instead to the voices of biblical and church tradition - our true "sponsor" whose words we should heed, despite the cacophony of advertising that tries to dissuade us from the tradition. Remember when television shows were regularly interrupted by a velvet-voice announcing, "And now a word from our sponsors"? From there the programming moved ...

87. Reassessing Our Laughter (Series: Questioning Our Values)

Luke 6:17-26

Sermon

J. Howard Olds

On that tragic Tuesday of September 11, 2001, a New York City parish priest standing on the corner of 14th Street and 1st Avenue witnessed the first terrorist plane plunging into the Twin Towers. “I stood there in shock and disbelief,” says the priest. “Without fully comprehending what was happening, I walked into the church and said the morning Mass.” Normally, about a hundred persons attend this weekday service. That morning there were several hundred. The Gospel reading for the day was, “Blessed are you ...

88. The Miracle Comes at the Breaking

Luke 24:13-35

Sermon

Various Authors

Then they told what had happened on the road, and how he was known to them in the breaking of the bread. (v. 35) After his resurrection, Jesus promised that he would be with us everywhere. We can be assured and conscious of his presence in the private place of prayer, but also the rush of daily routines, including a classroom or a crowded restaurant; or even in the midst of a rabid crowd at a sports event. But without a doubt there are circumstances and settings where we are more likely to meet our Lord, ...

89. Prison Break

Matthew 28:1-10

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

Christ is alive! Can I get a witness? Hallelujah! Or as some of us learned in Sunday School, “Hallelu, Hallelu, Hallelu, Hallelujah . . . Praise Ye The Lord.” If Christ is alive, why aren’t we more alive? Why don’t we feel more alive this morning? One word: agoraphobia. Ever heard of it? Every know of anyone who had it? Of all the dozens of phobias people can suffer from, one of the most debilitating is the fear of open spaces. Agoraphobia. A friend born and raised in the Midwest described how she felt ...

90. Repent

Matthew 3:1-12

Sermon

J. Howard Olds

There are nineteen more shopping days until Christmas. The big Christmas parade is past. The decorations are up. The parties are on. It’s beginning to feel a lot like Christmas. In the midst of jingle bells and Santa Claus, we find our way to church hoping to hear a few strains of “Silent Night.” Instead, we are shocked to our senses by a pit bull-type preacher shouting REPENT FOR THE KINGDOM OF HEAVEN IS NEAR! Who is this back roads guy with no degrees, no titles, and not many clothes, whose only ...

91. By Faith

1 Peter 1:3-9

Sermon

J. Howard Olds

One thing I have quit doing the last couple of years is cleaning gutters. Every time I mention it, Sandy immediately hires someone to do it and sends me the bill. Maybe she has heard me tell this story too many times. A certain husband was cleaning leaves off his roof when he slipped and fell. As he slid off the edge, he managed to grasp the gutter for dear life. Dangling there between the heavens above and earth below, the frightened homeowner cried out, “Can somebody up there help me?" Quick came the ...

92. Loving Our Enemies, Christian or Crazy?

Matthew 5:43-47

Sermon

J. Howard Olds

In Bill Adler's popular book of letters from kids, an 8 year old boy from Nashville, Tennessee makes this contribution: “Dear Pastor, I know God wants us to love everybody, but he surely never met my sister." Sincerely, Arnold. There is an old jingle I learned as a child that puts it another way: To live above with those we love, well that will be glory. To live below, with those we know, well, that is a different story. In our Quest for Christian Values, we concluded last week that it boils down to loving ...

93. Courage to Break

Luke 4:1-13

Sermon

Lori Wagner

From 2009-2013 television viewers couldn’t wait each week to watch an innovative, if disturbing, show called “Breaking Bad.” The storyline followed an ordinary chemistry teacher turned villainous meth kingpin. The idiom “breaking bad” which comes from a southern expression for “raising hell” seemed to suggest within the series the contagion of “hellishness” that Walt brought to everyone around him, including his family. All this resulted and escalated from one initial choice. Choices –they fill our lives. ...

94. Light a Candle

Matthew 5:14

Sermon

J. Howard Olds

It was a large impressive waiting room, furnished with the finest of furniture and stocked with the latest magazines. On this particular day, it was packed full of people waiting to see one of three physicians. In the corner of that packed waiting room there sat an elderly lady crying. At first she wept softly, but as the hopes and fears of all of her years began to burst inside of her she began to weep openly. People sitting in that waiting room did what nice people tend to do. They tried to ignore what ...

95. Using the Best Materials

Galatians 5:16-26

Sermon

J. Howard Olds

Within my earthly temple there’s a crowd, There’s one who’s humble and one who’s proud. There’s one that’s broken-hearted for his sins, And one who unrepentant, sits and grins. From much corroding care I would be free, If I could just determine which is really me. Life is a choice. Day by day we make decisions which shape the character of our lives. The habit of good conduct is an indispensable element in the construction of a good life. So what does it mean to be a good person? What do good people have ...

96. Come to the Party

Luke 14:15-23

Sermon

J. Howard Olds

One of my favorite childhood memories is Sunday dinner. My mother was an excellent cook. Student preachers were always hungry. The combination made for Sunday dinners that would put any country club buffet to shame. In fact, my first inclinations toward the ministry came as I watched pastors feasting at the dining room table on chicken breasts and thighs while we children were stuck in the kitchen with backs and wings. It made one think, even as a child. It was at a Sabbath dinner, during a discussion of ...

97. Shake It Off!

Matthew 10:1-42

Sermon

Carlyle Fielding Stewart

Adrenaline pulsed through our bodies as we nervously took our positions in the field. It was an important playoff game, and everyone was feeling the pressure. The second baseman dropped a routine fly in the bottom of the seventh, allowing three runs to score which tied the game. In the third inning the right fielder had uncharacteristically overrun a pop-up after losing it in the sun, permitting the first run. Now it was the bottom of the eight inning, the score tied, runners on first and third with two ...

98. Hope That God Is Nearby

Isaiah 7:1-25

Sermon

J. Howard Olds

I made a discovery some time ago on the word processor that I want to share with you. The difference between the phrase ‘God is nowhere’ and ‘God is now here’ is one tap on the space bar. A. For Some People, God Is Nowhere. He Is Non-Existent. Atheist Richard Dawkins writes, “God is a delusion. I suspect there are a lot of people out there who have been brought up in religion, are unhappy in it, don’t believe it, and wish they could leave it, but just don’t know that leaving is an option. Being an atheist ...

99. What is the Future of Marriage?

Mark 12:18-27

Sermon

J. Howard Olds

A friend looked me in the eye a few weeks ago and said, “Howard, I appreciate the way you keep politics out of the pulpit.” I can only hope that person is still my friend after this sermon. For when it comes to the private and public aspects of marriage, politics and religion become strange and often conflicted bedfellows. First you need to know that I am not a politician, not even a very good church politician, and it’s certainly not my intent to make a political statement today. Furthermore, it would not ...

100. Worship

Hebrews 10:19-25

Sermon

J. Howard Olds

According to the Westminster Catechism, the chief purpose of man is to glorify God and enjoy Him forever. The Ten Commandments of Moses instructs us to “Remember the Sabbath day and keep it holy." I can still hear my mother say, “Get out of bed; it's time to go to church." I will never forget that command. Thousands of you have made a commitment to worship at least once a week these fifty days as disciples should and do. What is this thing we call worship? Why do nearly forty percent of Americans worship ...

Showing results

Showing 76 to 100 of 2561 results

76. Dry As Toast

Matthew 12:15-21

Sermon

Lori Wagner

We're having a little disagreement. What I want is a big church wedding with bridesmaids and flowers and a no-expense-spared reception, and what he wants is to break off our engagement.

Sally Poplin

78. Getting Ourselves Off Our Hands

Philippians 3:12-4:1

Sermon

Maxie Dunnam

79. When God Seems Far Off

Psalm 10:1-18

Sermon

Maxie Dunnam

80. Breaking Through

Acts 2:1-21 · John 15:26-27; 16:4b-15

Sermon