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 1076 to 1100 of 4939 results

1076. It's Worth Everything!

Matthew 13:45-46

Children's Sermon

Wesley T. Runk

... he was going to have it, and so he did the only thing that he could do. He sold everything else. He took all of his money, sold his jewels and all of the furs, and bought the one pearl. He knew what he wanted, and he was willing to give up everything to have it. That is the way we should feel about God's kingdom, says Jesus. The Kingdom of God is so important, so beautiful and is everything that was ever promised. No matter what you have today, it is not worth anything compared to the Kingdom of God ...

1077. Is Anybody There? Does Anybody Care?

Isaiah 49:8-26

Sermon

Robert Beringer

... resource. That great missionary David Livingstone, may have been God's vehicle for opening up the continent of Africa to the Christian gospel, but never forget that his success story began back in Scotland where a humble pastor was so discouraged, he was tempted to give up the ministry altogether. In one whole year's work in his parish, this poor pastor had brought only one person to a saving knowledge of Jesus Christ, and that person was a mere boy. What possible good could a young boy make in the kingdom ...

1078. Changing The Rules

Mark 7:1-23

Sermon

Robert Salzgeber

... walked over to the church cemetery to check the grave of their friend to make sure it hadn't been disturbed. They were all startled and disturbed when, after looking for quite some time, they could not find the fresh grave. Just as they were about to give up in utter frustration the pastor approached them and said, "You cannot find the grave because it is not there where you are looking for it. Yesterday, I felt really guilty after telling you that you could not bury your friend here in the cemetery. So I ...

1079. Storms of Life

Mark 5:21-43

Children's Sermon

Brett Blair

... those two quarters for me. What all can we buy with those two quarters? (response) Now, I happen to know that in envelope number two up there is one of two things. There is either a piece of paper worth almost nothing or two dollars. Do we want to give up our two quarters with which we can buy candy or a coke and see what's in envelope number two? (response) If they say "no" convince them to proceed by saying your pretty sure that there are two dollars inside. Get the envelope. Give me the two quarters and ...

1080. Carry Your Cross

Mark 8:31--9:1

Children's Sermon

Brett Blair

... your shoulders? (response) Jesus said that each of us has a cross and we should pick it up and carry it.When they are finished stay around the cross. What happened as you tried to carry the cross? (response) Christians experience a lot of pain. Sometimes we have to give up our toys and give them to others. When someone is mean to us we need to be kind to them. If we have extra money, instead of buying another toy we should give it to other kids who need food and clothing. When someone asks us to help them ...

1081. Some Man

Luke 10:38-42

Sermon

... for the university he had founded. He obtained a teaching post at the University of Toledo but was fired when he was tried for treason - though found innocent - during World War I. He had to publish his own books to circulate his ideas, but he didn’t give up his convictions or his faith. In 1932 he and his wife bought some acreage in Vermont, built their own home and lived off the land. They divided their days into four hours of "bread labor," four hours of creative effort (he wrote over fifty books and ...

1082. If Only We Would Hold On ...

Jeremiah 20:7-18

Sermon

Wallace H. Kirby

... was tempted to take it, but deep down he felt that his divine duty was to stay in that place. He did. He held on, and when things began to change, his ministry became tremendously fruitful. Jeremiah’s word for us is to hold on. He tells us not to give up. We have to be realistic and face facts, as he did. We have to admit that times get tough and things may not always be looking good for us, but we are not alone. There are some programs today that carry a message of encouragement and hope to people in ...

1083. Your Calling from God

Genesis 12:1-8

Sermon

... . You must leave one behind to go somewhere you believe God wants you to be. You must leave something behind if you are to do what God has put on your heart to do. During Lent, consider your calling from God. That does not necessarily mean leaving or giving up something, but rather giving something for God’s sake to the world. Remember that Jesus gave up his glory with the Father and became like one of us, identifying with our humanity and our desire to be fully human, to save us. His willingness to go on ...

1084. Ready or Not

Matthew 10:1-42

Sermon

... to discipleship as they do in Luke (14:25-27). But even here they feel like a slap across the face. Who really wants to talk to his or her congregation about the sword that Jesus brings into family dwellings? Who really wants to stress the willingness to give up honor and even life for the sake of Jesus? Such talk can be like a sword itself, unsettling and threatening to all of us. Congregations probably do not want to hear about it. Some of us do not want to preach about it either. Many of us may also ...

1085. Gold, The Color of Wealth and Riches

Matthew 2:1-12

Sermon

... inflation, nuclear arms race, sickness, war, and failure? When we reflect upon things even just briefly, we certainly have cause to ask the question, "Just what’s so great, what’s 'happy' about the new year?" Now, lest we bury our heads in our hands and give up, even before the new year has begun, let’s consider what happened one week ago this morning. You know, Christmas! You remember Christmas, don’t you? It was in all the papers. It’s the biggest holiday of the year. There’s a Christmas tree ...

1086. The Changes Children Bring

Isaiah 11:1-16

Sermon

... take life as you’ve known it and turn it upside down. In his book, Fatherhood, Bill Cosby asks just one question of those who want to have children: Why? "Why would you have children when all your other acts were rational?" Why would you give up the comfortable patterns of your life for "the joys of frantically coping with reproductions of yourselves?" Think of all the changes children bring. Once, it didn’t matter where you kept things in the house. You could put products like cleaning liquid or razor ...

1087. Out of the Barnyard

John 11:38-44

Sermon

Robert Bachelder

... leave the barnyard in the hands of the earthbound geese, and then the Church would be doomed indeed. Instead let us listen to the words of our lesson this morning. They are as heartening as any we find in Scripture. They seem to say to the Church: Do not give up on yourself. Jesus had only to shout to Lazarus: "Come out" - and he did. Lazarus arose from the darkened tomb. If we will but listen for our Master’s voice, so will we. So will this church. We will fly out of this barnyard and into the world ...

1088. The Strength of Poverty

1 Corinthians 1:18--2:5

Sermon

Hubert Beck

... it means to possess nothing. Therefore, they are the ones who can be possessed by the Giver of all things. In a culture like ours the challenge is almost exactly the opposite. Can we, who have so many things that we would hate to lose or give up voluntarily, renounce them all as inconsequential in the interests of possessing the kingdom of heaven? "Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven," we hear in the Gospel for today, setting the tone for all the beatitudes to follow. Let us ...

1089. William Booth and His Hallelujah Army

Sermon

Jerry L. Schmalemberger

... oppressed was by far the major emphasis of his ministry, I think perhaps the greatest thing he taught us is that no one is ever beyond the help, concern, and care of God. A person can never reach such a low state of being that God gives up. There are also some other interesting things about William Booth: he supported the idea of women clergy long before most people even thought of it. William married Catherine Mumford in 1855. They had a number of children, all who eventually took leadership roles in the ...

1090. Not of the World

John 17:6-19

Sermon

Richard A. Jensen

... born from above or born anew. When Jesus Christ gives us his word, we experience a new birth. Reborn Christians are not of this world. Since we are not of this world, Jesus says, the world hates us. (See John 17:14.) The world and the evil one do not give up on us easily. They work to conform us to the world’s values. One of the chief values of our culture, of the American world in which we live, is the accumulation of riches and things for their own sake. The world and the Evil One would very much like ...

1091. God’s Wounded Healers

Jeremiah 8:4--9:26

Sermon

Gregory J. Johanson

... and hugged my leg, and the two of us stood there for a moment, looking out over the water. Henri Nouwen gives us some language and concepts to help us understand our loneliness. He says: When we are impatient, when we want to give up our loneliness and try to overcome the separation and incompleteness we feel - too soon we easily relate to our human world with devastating expectations. We ignore what we already know with the deep-seated intuitive knowledge that no love or friendship, no intimate embrace ...

1092. A Messenger of Promise

Malachi 2:17--3:5

Sermon

Harry N. Huxhold

... The act of purifying gold is a drastic action that brings good results. The dross is melted away in the hot fires of purification, but the result is the pristine metal of shining gold. So as we get through the first step of contrition, that is the act of giving up on ourselves, we are purified to permit God to make us what we should be. So also our repentance is likened to the fuller’s soap that washes away the impurities of our sins and our selfish desires. What opens up to us in the covenant as we make ...

1093. The Danger of Discipleship

Luke 14:25-35

Sermon

David E. Leininger

... , even your own life. Then you must be prepared to die for the cause. As Jesus has said, anyone who is not prepared to give up EVERYTHING cannot be a member." "Uh-huh. Well, thank you, Reverend. We will get back to you as we continue our search." Sure! Is ... than ever hurt or offend. That is what appeals to most. Then we hear Jesus: unless we hate our families, carry our crosses, and give up all our possessions, we cannot be his disciples. So why don't we all - you and me both - just turn in our resignations ...

1094. From Coping To Conquering

2 Corinthians 4:1-18

Sermon

King Duncan

... persons about Christ. He knew that God would use those opportunities to cause the faith to sprout up in unexpected places. While imprisoned he wrote some of the loftiest words in all human culture. If you know what you are doing is from God, you don't give up just because you have been blown off course. You assume that is where God means for you to be, and you go on doing what you believe God would have you do. Thus, opposition becomes opportunity. THIS IS WHAT THE GOSPEL IS ALL ABOUT. It is about taking ...

1095. How Shall We Prepare?

Luke 3:1-20

Sermon

King Duncan

... time. They collected taxes on behalf of the Roman government. They were despised as collaborators. They were also infamous for their lack of ethics. They would add extra fees to the amount they collected. This generally made them quite prosperous. John does not tell them to give up their jobs. After all, somebody has got to do this dirty business. What he tells them is to exercise honesty in their work. They are in a position of trust. They need to honor that trust. Does it appear to you that honesty is a ...

1096. While It Was Still Dark

John 20:1-9

Sermon

King Duncan

... a day in a sweatshop. She tried to go to school at night ” but kept falling asleep over her books. Yet she never lost HOPE. Even after she married and her three sons were born, there were still hard times, but she would not allow her family to give up. She urged Lee and his brothers to think about what they had, not what they DIDN'T have. She taught them that in hardship you develop a capacity to appreciate the beauty that exists in the SIMPLEST elements of life. The attitude that she conveyed to Lee Salk ...

1097. We've Been Bragging About You

2 Thessalonians 1:1-12

Children's Sermon

King Duncan

... and beautiful. Our Bible passage for today is about a people under pressure. These people were followers of Jesus. Everyone around them made fun of them and persecuted them and tried to get them to give up their faith. They were under a lot of pressure to give up their faith, to stop believing in Jesus. But they didn't give up. Even though they were under a lot of pressure, even though people around them gave them a really hard time, they still chose to follow Jesus and to live they way He wanted them to ...

1098. April Sky

John 20:1-9

Sermon

Frank Lyman

... and truth and all things virtuous Rose when he rose." The good news of Easter is that IT DOESN'T END with women anointing a life-less body. IT DOESN'T END with disillusioned disciples retreating into their houses. And IT SHOULD NOT END with us giving up the search for joy and purpose. Easter ends with Mary testifying to her frightened and discouraged friends: "I have seen the Lord." Easter ends with the disciples opening their eyes to Jesus as he breaks bread with them. And, if we keep the faith, Easter can ...

1099. Love Of Life

Ezekiel 37:1-14

Sermon

King Duncan

... race. But Grete was waiting right there for her to cross the line. Sadly, someone had stolen a case of finishers' medals, and Grete learned that Zoe would not get a medal for her efforts. So Grete ran across town to her apartment and asked her husband to give up his own medal that he had just won that day in the marathon. She returned in time to cheer Zoe across the finish line and drape the medal around her neck. Every year since, Grete Waitz has waited at the finish line for Zoe Koplowitz. The two women ...

1100. Going Home for Christmas?

John 1:1-18

Sermon

Eric Ritz

... . When the sixteen-year-old daughter did not return from school that day, Katheleen and her husband, Jesse, sought help from the police, the FBI, the governor, and even from national TV networks. Jesse and Katheleen, working people, were not about to give up. They printed thousands of fliers and delivered stacks of bulletins to truck stops across Florida and Georgia. Thousands of people responded. Some said they saw her. Exhausting many of their resources, they never gave up. On Tuesday, June 29, 1982, they ...

Showing results