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 1409 results

1026. 2 Thessalonians 2:1-5, 13-17

2 Thessalonians 1:1-12

Sweet

Leonard Sweet

“Sticks and stones may break my bones, but words will never hurt me.” Can there be a less true statement? In our Google world of instant communication, constant internet connections, incessant tweets, blogs, and IM’s, words create the only reality most people know. Words cannot only “hurt.” They can transform, destroy, recreate, panic, popularize, polarize, or annihilate any person, idea, cause, politics, reputation, or national debater. Thankfully for those first century faith communities known now as the ...

1027. The Evangelist Has a Shady Past

John 4:1-26

Sermon

King Duncan

After listening to a prominent evangelist on the radio, eight‑year-old Debbie asked her six‑year‑old brother David, “Do you know about Jesus?” Expecting a new slant on the old story, David replied, “No.” Sister said, “Sit still because this is really scary.” After explaining the gospel as only an eight‑year‑old could, she popped the question. “Now, David, when you die, do you want to go to heaven to be with Jesus, God, your Mommy and Daddy, and big sister, or do you want to go to the lake of fire to be ...

1028. Hear Him

Matthew 17:1-13

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

The last couple of weeks have brought us a full plate of pictures from Tunisia, Egypt, Libya. Can any of us ever forget the images from Cairo’s Tahrir Square? Or the monstrous Muammar al‑Gaddafi, also known as Colonel Gaddafi, speaking to his people from the back seat of an automobile holding a white umbrella? But the one that may stick the longest is the human ring of ordinary men and women standing guard around the Cairo Museum, making a barrier of bodies all the way around the perimeter of the building ...

1029. Great Truths

John 9: 1-41

Illustration

James W. Moore

Recently, I ran across a "fascinating list" that carried this intriguing title: "Great Truths About Life That Little Children Have Learned." Let me share a few of these "great truths" with you. No matter how hard you try you cannot baptize a cat. When your mom is mad at your dad, don't let her brush your hair. Never ask your 3-year-old brother to hold a tomato… or an egg. You can't trust dogs to watch your food for you. Don't sneeze when somebody is cutting your hair. School lunches stick to the wall. You ...

1030. Always Right

John 9: 1-41

Illustration

Steven Molin

Several years ago I was preparing to preach a sermon on the rigidness of the Pharisees, and I had folded into each worship bulletin, adhesive labels which said either "I'M ALWAYS RIGHT!" or "I MIGHT BE WRONG." I asked people to stick their labels on their lapels and wear them during the sharing of the peace, and as we shared the peace, the sanctuary was a-buzz with wonderful conversation and laughter. But on the way home that day, I forgot that I was still wearing my label which read I'M ALWAYS RIGHT! At ...

1031. Keep Climbing

John 17:1-11

Illustration

Billy D. Strayhorn

A Canadian by the name of Ashleigh Brilliant draws cartoons to go with pithy sayings called "Pot Shots." There is one I really like. Two people with walking sticks in hand are climbing a mountain in knee-deep snow. The caption reads: "Keep Climbing Upwards! You may never reach the top, but it's definitely in that direction." We have to continue to work toward unity and understanding - between each other, between the races, between cultures and between denominations. We may never reach it, but by working ...

1032. Be Careful Which Ruts You Get Into

Matthew 11:16-19, 25-30

Illustration

James W. Moore

Recently, I was driving on an old dirt road way out in the country when I came to a sign which said: "Be real careful which ruts you get into. You'll be in them for the next 20 miles!" Some people get in the rut of seeing life as nothing more than just coping, just enduring, just surviving, just sticking it out. In a recent Peanuts cartoon, Charlie Brown expressed it like this: "I have a new philosophy of life, Linus. From this moment on, I'm going to only dread one day at a time!"

1033. A Winsome Witness

Acts 8:26-40

Sermon

David E. Leininger

He was an Ethiopian bigwig. Apparently, he was what was called a "God-fearer" — the designation given by Jews to those who were not Jewish but who had expressed faith in their God. No matter how devout this fellow might have been, he would never have been welcomed as a convert — he was a eunuch. Hebrew law was explicit: "No one whose testicles are crushed or whose penis is cut off shall be admitted to the assembly of the Lord" (Deuteronomy 23:1). Very graphic. Very explicit. Very harsh, and especially ...

1034. Grand Opening

Matthew 2:1-12

Sermon

Robert J. Elder

Carefully the plans are laid. The property is purchased, the foundations are poured, the combination of bricks and sticks are put in their proper places, so that, after weeks of work and waiting, the building begins to take shape. Then, when the building is completed, a merchant makes his appearance on the scene, having long since made his purchasing plans and placed his orders for the first selection of goods to be offered to his anticipated customers. The empty store shelves and racks fill with ...

1035. On Your Mark, Get Set, Go!

Mark 1:9-15

Sermon

John Smylie

Mark doesn't waste any time getting us involved in the beginning of our Lord's ministry. In these few verses, we experience Jesus baptized by John in the River Jordan, followed by the Holy Spirit descending upon him. Immediately after, a voice from heaven proclaimed pleasure in Jesus. Moments later, Jesus is driven by the Spirit into the wilderness where we learn he is to be tempted by Satan. And by verse 14 we discover that Jesus is back in the Galilee region preaching, "The kingdom of God has come near ...

1036. Speaking Peace

John 20:19-31

Sermon

John Smylie

On the evening of that day, that first Easter Day, the disciples were gathered together, but as yet none of them had seen their risen Lord. There they were behind locked doors. We can begin to imagine the thoughts they held within their minds, we can almost sense and feel the depth of their fears, and we can listen for their quiet conversation among themselves as they questioned everything. There in the middle of the room were the deepest feelings of guilt because they had scattered and abandoned their ...

1037. The Wisdom of The Cross

1 Corinthians 1:18-25

Sermon

Nancy Kraft

There are some people who have the gift of persuasion. If you've ever seen the Music Man, it's a gift that Professor Hill had as he sold musical instruments to all the kids in town by convincing everyone that they could make beautiful music by just thinking the notes. He was what you'd call a smooth talker, which is a valuable skill for a salesperson. There are also other professions where it helps to have strong verbal skills that can be used for persuasion. Take politicians, for example. Bill Clinton was ...

1038. I’ll Need Another Book…

Matthew 18:21-35

Illustration

Johnny Dean

And Jesus said to Peter, "Here's what I want you to do, Rocky. Go down to Wal-Mart and buy one of those big spiral notebooks they have on their back-to-school specials rack. Pick out a bright-colored one - red or yellow or orange - so you'll be able to keep up with it and know where it is at all times. Better buy some pencils, too - lots of pencils. Then, I want you to write down the name of everyone you know in that big spiral notebook. Leave lots of space between the names, now. You'll need it! And be ...

1039. You Are Supposed to Love Me

Matthew 22:1-14

Illustration

King Duncan

Frederick William I ruled Prussia in the early eighteenth century. Frederick walked the streets of Berlin unattended, and when anyone displeased him, he did not hesitate to use his walking stick to thrash them. Berliners tried to keep their distance. One time, as Frederick William was pounding down the street, a citizen spied him but too late, and his attempt to slide quietly into a doorway proved a failure. "You," called out Frederick William, "where are you going?" "Into the house, Your Majesty," said ...

1040. God, The Good Ally

Exodus 20:1-17

Sermon

Ken Lentz

A group of American tourists once listened to a story told by their Jewish guide. The guide, Moshe, claimed that his story would explain why the commandments were published on two tablets of stone. Moses came down from the mountain with a tablet of stone listing some of the commandments. He first met a group of Kenites. "Do you want the commandments of God?" he asked. "What do they say?" asked the Kenites. "Thou shalt not kill," replied Moses. "Thanks, we think we'll pass," responded the Kenites. Next, ...

1041. Having Trouble Sleeping Through the Night

1 Samuel 3:1-10 (11-20)

Sermon

William J. Carl, III

Having trouble sleeping through the night? You're not alone. Samuel did, too. Sometimes you hear a haunting phrase that sticks with you years later. I heard one like that from Gardner Taylor, that great African-American preacher who once held forth in the pulpit of Concord Baptist Church in Brooklyn. I don't even remember the sermon, which is all right — we're not supposed to remember sermons anymore than we should remember meals; we're supposed to be fed and challenged by them at the moment. I don't ...

1042. Getting Through the Grief

2 Samuel 1:1, 17-27

Sermon

William J. Carl, III

Getting through grief may be one of the hardest things we do as human beings. One of the best ways to begin the process is to find it within ourselves to stand up and say something in a public setting that puts into words both the personal and collective feelings of all who have gathered to mourn. History is replete with stunning examples. Pericles' Funeral Oration as recorded by Thucydides in The Peloponnesian War is certainly one of them. At the end of the first year of war, the Athenians held, as was ...

1043. Job Is for Real

Job 1:1, 2:1-10

Sermon

Donna Schaper

We find Job on the edge of town, his money gone, his children dead, picking at his innumerable sores and scabs. In the Joni Mitchell version of his sorrow, Job speaks of how the children of the wicked frisk like deer while his are dead and gone. In her version, we are also told that Job sees the diggers waiting, leaning on their spades, at the site of his grave. Job's three friends, Eliphas, Bildad, and Zophar show up to comfort him but they do so in a way that only pours iodine on his wounds. God is just ...

1044. Facing the Consequences

Illustration

Tim Kimmel

When you're raised in the country, hunting is just a natural part of growing up. For years I enjoyed packing up my guns and some food to head off into the woods. Even more than the hunting itself, I enjoyed the way these trips always seemed to deepen my relationship with friends as we hunted during the day and talked late into the night around the campfire. When an old friend recently invited me to relive some of those days, I couldn't pass up the chance. For several weeks before the trip, I had taken the ...

1045. Live Churches

Illustration

Staff

Living, breathing churches are always going to have more problems and tension, than churches that are dead. Churches can be alive and well without growth but they need programs and services. Here's a list of contrasts: Live churches' expenses are always more than their income; dead churches don't need much money! Live churches have parking problems; Dead churches have empty spaces! Live churches may have some noisy children; Dead churches are quiet as a cemetery. Live churches keep changing their ways of ...

1046. Encouragement: Out of Many Failures

Illustration

Edward Steichen, who eventually became one of the world's most renowned photographers, almost gave up on the day he shot his first pictures. At 16, young Steichen bought a camera and took 50 photos. Only one turned out--a portrait of his sister at the piano. Edward's father thought that was a poor showing. But his mother insisted that the photograph of his sister was so beautiful that it more than compensated for 49 failures. Her encouragement convinced the youngster to stick with his new hobby. He stayed ...

1047. Hard to Catch

Luke 12:13-21

Illustration

Charles Swindoll

Men who trap animals in Africa for zoos in America say that one of the hardest animals to catch is the ringtailed monkey. For the Zulus of that continent, however, it's simple. They've been catching this agile little animal with ease for years. The method the Zulus use is based on knowledge of the animal. Their trap is nothing more than a melon growing on a vine. The seeds of this melon are a favorite of the monkey. Knowing this, the Zulus simply cut a hole in the melon, just large enough for the monkey to ...

1048. Tacky Messages in Choir

Illustration

Staff

As with many innovations, the originator of 3M's sticky yellow Post-its didn't know what he had at first. Researcher Spence Sliver was curious about what would happen if he mixed an unusual amount of monomer into a polymer-based adhesive he was working on. The result was an adhesive that would "tack" one piece of paper to another and even re-stick, without leaving any residue on the second piece of paper. The company had no use for the new adhesive until 3M chemist Arthur Fry began having problems in the ...

1049. Chapter 11

Illustration

Staff

When the preacher's car broke down on a country road, he walked to a nearby roadhouse to use the phone. After calling for a tow truck, he spotted his old friend, Frank, drunk and shabbily dressed at the bar. "What happened to you, Frank?" asked the good reverend. "You used to be rich." Frank told a sad tale of bad investments that had led to his downfall. "Go home," the preacher said. "Open your Bible at random, stick your finger on the page and there will be God's answer." Sometime later, the preacher ...

1050. Defying the Criticism

Illustration

Christopher Cerf and Victor Navasky

A Universal executive dismissed both Clint Eastwood and Burt Reynolds at a meeting in 1959. To Burt Reynolds: "You have no talent." To Clint Eastwood: "You have a chip on your tooth, your Adam's apple sticks out too far, and you talk too slow." A United artists executive, dismissing the suggestion that Ronald Reagan be offered the starring role in the movie, The Best Man in 1964: "Reagan doesn't have the Presidential look."

Showing results

Showing 1026 to 1050 of 1409 results

1026. 2 Thessalonians 2:1-5, 13-17

2 Thessalonians 1:1-12

Sweet

Leonard Sweet

1027. The Evangelist Has a Shady Past

John 4:1-26

Sermon

King Duncan

1028. Hear Him

Matthew 17:1-13

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

1029. Great Truths

John 9: 1-41

Illustration

James W. Moore

1030. Always Right

John 9: 1-41

Illustration

Steven Molin

1031. Keep Climbing

John 17:1-11

Illustration

Billy D. Strayhorn

1032. Be Careful Which Ruts You Get Into

Matthew 11:16-19, 25-30

Illustration

James W. Moore

1033. A Winsome Witness

Acts 8:26-40

Sermon

David E. Leininger

1034. Grand Opening

Matthew 2:1-12

Sermon

Robert J. Elder

1035. On Your Mark, Get Set, Go!

Mark 1:9-15

Sermon

John Smylie

1036. Speaking Peace

John 20:19-31

Sermon

John Smylie

1037. The Wisdom of The Cross

1 Corinthians 1:18-25

Sermon

Nancy Kraft

1038. I’ll Need Another Book…

Matthew 18:21-35

Illustration

Johnny Dean

1039. You Are Supposed to Love Me

Matthew 22:1-14

Illustration

King Duncan

1040. God, The Good Ally

Exodus 20:1-17

Sermon

Ken Lentz

1041. Having Trouble Sleeping Through the Night

1 Samuel 3:1-10 (11-20)

Sermon

William J. Carl, III

1042. Getting Through the Grief

2 Samuel 1:1, 17-27

Sermon

William J. Carl, III

1043. Job Is for Real

Job 1:1, 2:1-10

Sermon

Donna Schaper

1044. Facing the Consequences

Illustration

Tim Kimmel

1045. Live Churches

Illustration

Staff

1046. Encouragement: Out of Many Failures

Illustration

1047. Hard to Catch

Luke 12:13-21

Illustration

Charles Swindoll

1048. Tacky Messages in Choir

Illustration

Staff

1049. Chapter 11

Illustration

Staff

1050. Defying the Criticism

Illustration

Christopher Cerf and Victor Navasky

Showing results