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 1051 to 1075 of 4944 results

1051. No Partiality

Acts 10:34-43

Sermon

Will Willimon

When I first read it, it seemed an odd text for Easter: "And Peter opened his mouth and said: "Truly I perceive that God shows no partiality, but in every nation any one who fears him and does what is right is acceptable to him. You know the word which he sent...the word which was proclaimed throughout all Judea...how God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Spirit and with power; how he went about doing good and healing...They put him to death by hanging him on a tree; but God raised him on the third ...

1052. How Does Your Garden Grow?

Matthew 13:1-9

Sermon

Billy D. Strayhorn

This morning I want to start with a short quiz. 1. True or False? Grass seeds can't be planted in hot weather? False. It just takes more work to keep the ground damp. 2. True or False? Newly planted seeds should be kept in soggy soil? False. Damp soil is best. 3. True or False? Fruits can be grown indoors. True. Mary's grandpa grew strawberries in a wash tub. 4. True or False? Plants need dark as well as light? True. They are just like us in that respect. Look at the Poinsettia. 5. True or False? Berry ...

1053. Cloak of Power

Psalm 5:1-12

Sermon

Lori Wagner

The Sun of Righteousness shall arise with healing in His wings. Malachi 4:2 Props: Prayer Shawl or Tallit (with Tzizit) or Cloak/Diver’s helmet Have you ever had the opportunity to take or watch a scuba diving lesson? What happens is this: a group of students, young and old, listen as the instructor has them practice fitting on the scuba helmet. Of course the helmet is part of the breathing tank apparatus, which supplies them with oxygen down below the surface of the water. You can’t watch this without ...

1054. Children, Just Forever

Mark 9:42-50

Sermon

George W. Hoyer

You are now, each one of you, and you have always been since you were baptized, one of these "little ones" who believe. Since the name of Christ was laid on you, and you were marked with his cross, he has claimed you as one of his "little ones" of which the text speaks, "these little ones who believe in me." At the time Jesus said these words there were only "little ones" for Jesus had not been around long enough to have big ones, people who had been believers in him for a lifetime, or for half a lifetime ...

1055. As We Forgive Those Who Trespass Against Us

Genesis 32:22-32

Sermon

Steve Burt

A man got out of the Navy and planned to attend college. Before departing for the college town, though, he and his wife stopped by his parents' house in their old hometown so they could pick up a few items he'd left there in the attic -- pictures from school days, bowling trophies, a high school letter sweater, and a coin collection. The trouble came when the man couldn't find the coin collection that had been his joy growing up. He had collected nearly every Lincoln Head penny from 1909 on, including a ...

1056. Is It God's Will?

Hebrews 2:5-18

Sermon

Erskine White

For because He himself has suffered and been tempted, He is able to help those who are tempted. (Hebrews 2:18) A young woman is driving her car down the highway on a bright summer's day. She's got the radio turned up and the windows turned down; her long hair is flowing freely in the wind; it's one of those days when it feels just great to be alive. Suddenly, as she rounds a bend in the road, there is another car speeding towards her in the wrong lane. She tries to turn out of the way, but her car spins ...

1057. The Greatest Wonder Of All!

John 14:5-14

Sermon

John M. Braaten

The celebration of Pentecost, with its mighty demonstration of power by the Holy Spirit, is a good time to reflect on some of the mighty deeds of God, because God’s awe-inspiring acts aren’t all locked back there in the memory banks of Bible history buffs; they are still happening all around us. Discovering them is a real adventure because we all, young and old, tend to be impressed by that which is uncommon, unusual or extraordinary. I recall seeing a youngster holding a popcorn kernel in his fingers; he ...

1058. Into The Whirlwind

2 Kings 2:1-18

Sermon

Robert Allen

Certain events, no matter how long ago they happened, are forever etched in your mind. One such event that I shall always remember happened when I was in the third grade. It was late April, but it was not a beautiful spring day. Instead, it was a day marked by spring rains. It was a day that was dark and dreary. It was a day packed full of tornado warnings. Finally, late in the afternoon, the school bells rang at an unscheduled time. The teachers led all of the children into the hallways and told us to ...

1059. The Road To The Cross

Matthew 27:11-26

Sermon

Mark Ellingsen

Passion Sunday, the whole story of the dastardly plots and betrayals that brought Jesus to the cross, lies before us. You know the story well. It is filled with a number of subplots, all of which provide insights about the kind of people that we are and how our sins nailed Jesus to the cross. We see how the disciples (especially Judas and Peter, as well as the sons of Zebedee), each in his own way, failed our Lord. In similar ways we have failed him. We hear the story of our Lord's courage, his love of ...

1060. Let God Be God

John 3:1-21

Sermon

Dean Lueking

What an Immense Privilege is Ours! Today it is with an especially deep sense of gratitude and humility that I preach the text chosen for this sermon. Think of it - we come together in faith, health, and freedom to worship the living God. He welcomes us. He knows us by name. He invites us to know him by name. These are all wondrous and momentous gifts. Just to be able to know God and to proclaim the truth of his being here among us and his being for us is the first privilege of life. At times we are tempted ...

1061. The Old and the New

1 Corinthians 5:1-13

Sermon

Jon L. Joyce

"CLEANSE OUT THE OLD LEAVEN THAT YOU MAYBE A NEW LUMP" I suppose that the oldest controversy in history is the struggle between the old and the new. Even our Lord got into it one day when he said to the religious leaders: "No one puts a new patch on an old garment" ... and ... "neither is new wine put into old wine skins." So the conflict goes on between the past and the future. In age after age, there are patchers and there are creators - some who try to patch up the thread-bare garment, and some who are ...

1062. Do You Know?

Hosea 11:1-11

Sermon

John W. Wurster

“ ‘It was I who taught Ephraim how to walk, I took them up in my arms; but they did not know that I healed them’ (11:3). They did not know me. Do you? “‘I led them with cords of human kindness, with bands of love. I was to them like those who lift infants to their cheeks. I bent down to them and fed them.’ (1:4). But they did not know me. Do you? “I fashioned a world in love, bringing forth order from chaos and light from darkness. I filled the seas and the land and the air with life. As the climax of my ...

1063. Good News For Tough Times

Luke 2:1-7

Sermon

Eric Ritz

Recently, three men were nervously waiting in the Father's room at the Good Samaritan Hospital as their wives prepared to give births to their first children. The men were too scared to go in. Soon the head nurse arrived with good news from the birthing rooms. She said to the first father-to-be, "Sir, you are a father of twins!" "That's great," he said. "I'm a baseball player and I am going to sign a contract with the Minnesota Twins. This will be good press." Soon, the nurse arrived and said to the second ...

1064. Pray Constantly

Luke 18:1-8

Sermon

King Duncan

Two women met unexpectedly one day in the parking lot of a local bookstore. One had a great bundle of books in her arms. "What in the world are you doing," her friend asked, "opening your own bookstore?" "No," said the woman, "these are all books about prayer. All my life I have been hearing about the importance of prayer, so I finally decided to learn how to pray. I have bought fourteen books on the subject. And not only that, I have signed up for two courses in prayer, one at my church and one at a ...

1065. Good News for Tough Times - Encouragment for the Soul

Luke 2:8-20, Luke 2:1-7

Sermon

Eric Ritz

Recently, three men were nervously waiting in the Father''s room at the Good Samaritan Hospital as their wives prepared for the births of their first children. They were too scared to go in. Soon the head nurse arrived with good news from the birthing rooms. She said to the first father-to-be, "Sir, you are a father of twins!" "That''s great," he said. "I am going to sign a contract with the Minnesota Twins. This will be good press." Soon, the nurse arrived and shared with the second father-to-be, "Sir, ...

1066. He Came by Night

John 3:1-21

Sermon

David G. Rogne

I came upon Jesus quite by accident. We didn't travel in the same circles, so it was unlikely that we would ever have met socially. I was passing through the marketplace in Jerusalem one day when I heard him speaking to a handful of people who had stopped to listen. "Just another wandering street-preacher," I thought to myself. But as I passed by I heard him talking about the Kingdom of God, and about God himself, in such unsophisticated terms, uncluttered with a lot of theology, that I could see he was ...

1067. Getting It All Together Inside

Psalm 51:1-19, 1 Thessalonians 5:23-24

Sermon

Maxie Dunnam

R.D. Lange is an imminent philosopher, and one of the most perceptive observers and discerning describers of the human situation. He has said this, what we think is less than what we know. What we know is less than what we love. What we love is so much less than there is, and to this precise extent we are much less than what we are. What a challenging assessment. We are much less than what we are. Now that’s a needed perspective, but unfortunately our perspective is poisoned. We are confused about what is ...

1068. The Work of An Evangelist

Colossians 1:1-14

Sermon

Maxie Dunnam

Do we need to remind ourselves of what the work of an evangelist is? An evangelist is one who shares in word, deed and sign the good news of Jesus Christ – the good news that redeems us from sin, makes us whole, and transforms us into participants in God’s Kingdom enterprise. I like the way Paul expresses the work of God in our lives – Col. 1:13-14: “God has rescued us from the power of darkness, and transferred us into the Kingdom of the Son of His love, in whom we have redemption through His blood, the ...

1069. You Can't Win them All

Matthew 10:2-14

Sermon

Mark Trotter

The title of this sermon, "You Can't Win Them All," sounds like what Bruce Bochy might say in the locker room after each game the Padres play. At least the Padres aren't as bad as the 1962 Mets, who managed to lose 120 games that season. The last game of the season in 1962, Joe Pignatano hit a triple play to end the game. It was a wonderful ending for an infamous season of the Mets. Casey Stengel was the manager of the Mets that year. After that last game, he called the team together in the locker room, ...

1070. Seeking Things Above

Colossians 3:2

Children's Sermon

Tim Carpenter

Exegetical Aim: Setting our minds on heavenly things. Props: Cut out the following shapes from construction paper and write the corresponding word on the cutout: A cross (Jesus), star (Light), heart (Love), dove (Spirit), and crown (God). Each cutout should at least be the size of an 8 1/2” x 14” piece of paper. Before the service, tape the shapes in various places on the ceiling of the church on the walls in high inconspicuous places. The point is to keep the children from seeing the cutouts before the ...

1071. Honor Graduate

Exodus 20:12

Sermon

James Merritt

To be an honor graduate is considered quite an accomplishment. These honors, as you know, are in Latin and they are used to indicate the level of academic distinction with which an academic degree is earned. There are typically three types of Latin honors in order of increasing level of honor. They are: Cum Laude (with honor), Magna Cum Laude (with great honor) and Summa Cum Laude (with highest honor). One of my goals when I went to college was to be an honor graduate. I didn't want to get an ordinary ...

1072. The Driver’s Seat

Proverbs 16:4

Sermon

James Merritt

I want to read one-half of one verse in the Bible from which we are going to base two months worth of messages. It is a verse that is packed with unbelievable implications for you, your life, your family, your future and particularly our church. "The Lord has made everything for His own purposes." (Proverbs 16:4, NLT) I believe everything means everything and I believe purpose means purpose. Behind everything and everyone that has been created on this earth there is a purpose - specifically God's purpose. ...

1073. The Challenge Of Generosity

Malachi 3:10, Luke 6:36-38

Sermon

Billy D. Strayhorn

I want to read a little book to you by one of my favorite children's authors, Judith Viorst. I have enjoyed her stories and the adventures of Alexander and his brothers. This is another one of those and it's entitled: Alexander, Who Used to Be Rich Last Sunday. (Read the Book out loud) Alexander needs to change doesn't he? He needs a better understanding and stewardship of money. A lot of us are like Alexander. We know the old saying "Money talks" is true because ours keeps saying "Good-bye." So what is it ...

1074. Clear to the Better End - Parent Burnout

Sermon

Maxie Dunnam

I’ve told you this story before I think, but it’s the most appropriate story with which we can begin the sermon today. A man had an awful day at work. Everything had gone wrong. There was one interruption after another, and he was never able to complete his work. When he entered the door at home that evening, he knew that his wife must have had a similar day. You could see it on her face. So, to set the process straight he began, “I’ve had the worst day of my life; it’s been bad news, bad news, bad news. I ...

1075. The Law and the Promise

Galatians 3:15-25, Galatians 3:1-14

Understanding Series

L. Ann Jervis

3:1–2 The apostle begins this section of his letter by addressing his readers as foolish Galatians! This designation appears to have been a common one for the Galatian tribes who were often considered barbarians and “foolish.” The ancient Greek writer Callimachus (c. 305–c. 240 B.C.), for instance, uses the word as if it were a standard epithet, writing: “the foolish tribe of the Galatians” (Hymn 4, To Delos [Mair, LCL]). Paul uses this epithet to remind the Galatians that they need not be as they once ...

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