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 1026 to 1050 of 4963 results

1026. John 15:9-17

John 15:9-17

Sweet

Leonard Sweet

... though this love is steadfast and sure, it is also a love that may be lost. Thus, Jesus urges his disciples to "abide" or "remain" in his love. The "condition" of this unconditional love is spelled out in verse 10 "If you keep my commandments, you will abide in ... the part of the disciples. The disciples must demonstrate that they love Jesus by keeping his commandments in order to remain recipients of Jesus' love. There is both respect and freedom for the disciples' chosen actions implicit in this design. But ...

1027. John 17:6-19

John 17:6-19

Sweet

Leonard Sweet

... acknowledges the harsh realities that will confront those he leaves behind. "The world has hated them," Jesus admits, because when they belong to the Father and the Son they no longer "belong to the world" (v.14). Yet, Jesus knows the disciple's place still remains with this world he does not ask God to whisk his followers out of it. Neither does Jesus pretend that all will be smooth sailing. He asks for special protection for these disciples especially from the powers of "the evil one," because he knows ...

1028. Ephesians 6:10-20

Ephesians 6:10-20

Sweet

Leonard Sweet

... Verses 18b-20 outline how this state of constant prayer is to be attained we must "keep alert" and "persevere." Constant prayer was greatly emphasized in the early church community for it was only by remaining in a state of constant contact with God that Christians felt assured that God's protective presence remained near at hand, ready for the imminent eschaton. By persevering in prayer "for all the saints" that is, for all those who are members of the body of Christ the bond between individual Christians ...

1029. Mark 9:38-50

Mark 9:38-50

Sweet

Leonard Sweet

... that once the disciples allow pettiness, selfishness or pride to flatten their discipleship, they will never be able to regain its original sharp, distinctive, pleasing flavor. Salt that has lost its "saltiness" is worth nothing. Jesus urges his followers to remain salty that is, remain his true disciples/servants by letting all concerns of greatness fall away and by being "at peace with one another." The paradox of Christian discipleship, Jesus teaches, is that it must be carried out in a spirit of genuine ...

1030. Mark 13:1-8

Mark 13:1-8

Sweet

Leonard Sweet

... white marble facade. Its enormous stones spoke of solidity and strength. But Jesus' proclamation didn't just predict the temple's demise, it promised such total destruction that not even two stones that had been laid together in the building would remain after the temple's collapse. After showing Jesus uttering such a stunning condemnation, it is not surprising that Mark next describes yet another private tutorial session among Jesus and his disciples. Although Luke and Matthew both record a similar private ...

1031. The Heart of the Matter

Psalm 51:1-19

Sermon

King Duncan

... , and intuition. We can live lives of prayer and communicate earnestly with God. We can become brilliant theologians, ministers, or Bible study leaders. Yet, if we live with unresolved issues in our lives, we will still remain stagnant and continue to lack hope’s true joy in our lives. We will remain emotionally impoverished. (3) The problem was not with Kierkegaard’s mind but with his heart. Each of us developed needs when we were only infants or small children, and they are still speaking to us today ...

1032. We Have a Choice to Transform

Mark 8:31-38

Illustration

Brett Blair

... brothers who were caught stealing sheep. The punishment back then was to brand the thief's forehead with the letters ST which stood for sheep thief. As a result of this, one brother left the village and spent his remaining years wandering from place to place indelibly marked by disgrace. The other remained in the village, made restitution for the stolen sheep, and became a caring friend and neighbor to the townspeople. He lived out his life in the village an old man loved by all. One day a stranger came to ...

1033. Proper 12

Ephesians 3:14-21, John 6:16-24, John 6:1-15, 2 Samuel 11:1-27

Sermon Aid

John R. Brokhoff

... He would not be forced into being like a king, the kind of king the people wanted one who could feed them, one who could rid the country of the Romans, one who could bring military might and glory to the nation. Old Testament: 2 Samuel 11:1-15 1. Remained (v. 1). This word indicates the situation in which David was at the time of the double crime of adultery and murder. David "had it made." He was secure as king. He had conquered his enemies. The country was prosperous and he was rich. No longer did he have ...

1034. Proper 15

John 6:25-59, 1 Kings 2:1-12, 1 Kings 3:1-15, Ephesians 4:17--5:21

Sermon Aid

John R. Brokhoff

... indulge in wickedness; the wise live righteously. Because the days are evil, Christians are to make the most of the time that remains before the end and the return of Christ. The wise will understand the will of God in terms of right living in ... and drinking the bread and wine of the eucharist we have the exalted experience of a mystical union with Christ. He abides (exists, remains) in us and we in him. The believer and Christ are one. This makes the holy communion the peak of religious experience, the ...

1035. The Power of Belief

John 20:24-31

Sermon

King Duncan

... little girl, Tara Holland dreamed of becoming Miss America. In 1994 she entered the Miss Florida pageant and won the title of first runner-up. She tried again the next year and once again was first runner-up. Tara was tempted to give up but she remained focused on her goal. In 1997 she moved to Kansas and entered the Miss Kansas pageant. She won that pageant and later that year, she was crowned Miss America. A reporter asked if she was nervous walking down the runway in front of millions of people watching ...

1036. From the Vine

John 15:5-6

Illustration

Gerald Whetstone

... drilled home the reality, "apart from the tree the limb cannot survive." This fact of nature was used by Jesus as a metaphor for the Christian life. I am the vine; you are the branches. If a man remains in me and I in him, he will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing. If anyone does not remain in me, he is like a branch that is thrown away and withers; such branches are picked up, thrown into the fire and burned. We cannot live the Christian life and be fruitful Christians apart from Christ any ...

1037. The Power of Belief

John 20:24-31

Sermon

King Duncan

1038. Trinity Sunday

Matthew 28:16-20, Psalm 8:1-9, Genesis 1:1-2:3, 2 Corinthians 13:11-14

Bulletin Aid

B. David Hostetter

... World, Illumining Spirit, having seen the light in Jesus Christ, we come to worship you on the day of the week when Jesus was raised from death to life. Illumine your written word in our hearing so that our response may be genuine and dispel the darkness that remains with us; for the sake of Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen PRAYER OF CONFESSION God of love, Son of grace, Spirit of community, it is easier to recite the creed than to test our faith in the living of it. Self-examination can be painful, and we would ...

1039. Our Help Comes from Above

John 6:16-24

Illustration

Ozzie Smith

Looking out at my backyard during the fall, I noticed the leaves falling while the tree branches remained stretching heavenward not only did they remain that way after the leaves were gone, but when the snows came and the often brutal winds of Chicago seemed to bend them into submission. But in the spring the trees seemed to speak to me saying, "Notice that we kept our branches lifted towards where our help comes from." ...

1040. A Higher Priority

John 6:56-69

Illustration

Brett Blair

... from Paris to the United States, only slow-moving ocean-going ships. And so Bill found himself in a dilemma. Should he go to Paris and risk not being at his wife's side when their first child was born? Or should he withdraw from the team and remain behind. Bill's wife insisted that he go to Paris. After all, he had been working towards this for all these years. It was the culmination of a life-long dream. Clearly the decision was not easy for Bill to make. Finally, after much soul searching, Bill decided ...

1041. What a Difference a Day Makes

Exodus 20:8-11

Sermon

James Merritt

... , 10 from 21 leaves only 11 actual full work days in the entire year, but of course, you do not work on Christmas, New Year's, Independence Day or Thanksgiving. Most firms now allow 10 paid holidays per year. After subtracting the 10 paid holidays from the 11 days remaining - you've got 1 full work day to your credit and you want to take that day off? Forget it! [1] As hard as it is to believe, the longest of the Ten Commandments deals with one simple thing - taking a day off. It fascinates me that God has ...

1042. The Clone Zone: The Bible and Cloning

Genesis 1:26-28

Sermon

James Merritt

... asked for many years: What can the zygote as it multiplies, produce every different kind of cell in the body—kidney, liver, brain scan etc.—while the skin cell or the kidney cell or the liver cell is destined however many times it multiplies to remain just that—a kidney, liver, or skin cell forever? In other words, as the embryo matures cells become specialized, and they lose the flexibility to manufacture other body parts like that first cell was able to do. So once an adult cell has specialized, or ...

1043. What Child Is This?

Isaiah 9:6-7

Sermon

James Merritt

... climbers lost their lives. Jon Krakauer wrote about this in his best-selling book, Into Thin Air. On their final climb to the top, several climbers violated clear instructions not to be on the summit after 2:00PM. This delay caused the entire group to remain in a dangerous sector of the mountain far too long. A murderous storm blew in on the climbers and they found themselves in a fight for their lives. That full-blown blizzard sent the chill factor plummeting 100 degrees below zero. They were enveloped in ...

1044. Hark! The Herald Angels Sing

Luke 2:8-12

Sermon

James Merritt

... problem and come up with a cure. Unfortunately, their conclusion was there is no known cure for this unusual disease. In reality, we all suffer from spiritual Trimethylaminuria. Our souls reek from the stench of sin and no matter how hard we try to cover it up, the smell remains. The only difference is there is a cure. I John 1:7 says, “The blood of Jesus Christ his son cleanses us from all sin." (I John 1:7, NKJV) That Christ who brings that cleansing is the greatest gift of all, a gift so great that it ...

1045. Joseph – The Promise Believed

Matthew 1:18-25; 2:13-23

Sermon

James Merritt

... Joseph in a dream and said, 'Get up! Take the Child and His mother and flee to Egypt, and remain there until I tell you; for Herod is going to search for the Child to destroy Him.' So Joseph got up and took the Child and His mother while it was ... still night, and left for Egypt. He remained there until the death of Herod. This was to fulfill what had been spoken by the Lord through the prophet: 'OUT OF EGYPT I CALLED ...

1046. A Tradition of Fighting

Mark 7:1-8, 14-15, 21-23

Illustration

... , newly ordained minister who went to serve his first church. He noticed that on the first Sunday, when he said the prayers, the congregation on the left side of the church stood at the beginning of the prayers, and the congregation on the right side remained seated. The young minister thought this was a bit odd, but he kept going in the prayers—until he began to hear some murmuring between the two sides, then the murmuring turned into grumbling and then people yelling at each other, each side proclaiming ...

1047. The Dark Side Revealed

Numbers 32:23

Sermon

James Merritt

... saying you "did" take a silver tray from my house and I am not saying you "did not" take a silver tray, but the fact remains that one has been missing ever since you were here for dinner. Love, Your Son Several days later he received a letter from his mother ... , I am not saying that you "do" sleep with Julie and I am not saying that you "do not" sleep with Julie, but the fact remains that if Julie were sleeping in her own bed she would have found the silver tray by now. Love, Mom What is the lesson? Maybe ...

1048. With The End In Mind

Philippians 3:7-11

Sermon

James Merritt

... clearer I will show Christ in my life. Did you know that people are drawn more to a life that shows Christ than they are to lips that simply speak Christ? Both are necessary, but if your lips are not backed up by your life, your lips may as well remain silent. Years ago, I got a letter from a church member about his son-in-law, who is a surgeon. He was called out one morning for an emergency surgery and when he returned home his little boy, Zack, asked his dad about the surgery. He said, "Dad, did you ...

1049. Being What We Are

1 Samuel 8:4-20

Sermon

Stan Purdum

... center. Make the church like a school. Not one of those ideas is bad, and there is room in the church for elements of every one of them. But in the end, just as Israel's best route would have been to remain a unique body not like the other nations, so the church's best route is to remain what Christ calls us to be, his body in this world. You see, Israel got its monarchy. But even the best of the kings that came along in that line — David — was not free from monopolistic urges, and the worst of the ...

1050. Nice Guys Finish First

Proverbs 1:20-33

Sermon

Stan Purdum

... and righteousness on their part. In that society, the priests held special authority because they were the mediators of that covenant between the people and God. Later, however, after Israel became a monarchy, things began to change. King David remained conscious of his religious obligations before God, but his son Solomon, who succeeded him to throne, gradually turned away from God. The powerful and united kingdom that Solomon inherited from his father thrust Israel into new circumstances. Economically ...

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