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 1201 to 1225 of 4943 results

1201. A Way of Seeing

Genesis 21:8-21

Sermon

Stan Purdum

... sermon: But like Elijah we need to hold on to our belief in God's goodness. God will again send the rain on our land. We will continue to pray for it. Perhaps it is already too late for this year's crop, and we need to be ready to care for the farmers and ... God.But like Elijah we need to hold on to our belief in God's goodness. God will again send the rain on our land. We will continue to pray for it. Perhaps it is already too late for this year's crop, and we need to be ready to care for the farmers and ...

1202. Endless Line of Blunder

Exodus 1:8

Sermon

David J. Kalas

... Christ lives on in every corner of the globe. Within the relatively narrow confines of the twentieth century, the Soviet Union came and went. The God it sought to outlaw continued to be worshiped. The gospel it sought to silence continued to be shared. And the church that was there for centuries before the Soviet Union existed continues now for decades after its demise. Turn the page, and the story is always the same. Small-minded and frightened antagonists, who endeavor to snuff out God's word and God ...

1203. Living on the Edge

Deuteronomy 34:1-12

Sermon

Timothy J. Smith

... with her patients in the hospice unit of the hospital. On Monday, the raging winds shattered the hospital's windows and burst open doors. By Tuesday, the power was out, the water supply was cut off, and the hospital was flooding. Ruby continued to take care of her patients — bathing them, feeding them, and dressing their wounds. When help arrived on Wednesday, Ruby assisted in the evacuation. She finally left the hospital on Thursday, having kept her promise to care for her patients. Her faith sustained ...

1204. Hearts on Fire

Jeremiah 31:31-34

Sermon

Timothy J. Smith

... where we feel loved and accepted as God in Christ loves each one of us. The church is where we are held accountable for our actions in love. And the church is the place where we experience a new sense of community. The church continues to evolve to reach new generations of believers. What is burning in your hearts this Reformation Sunday? William Sloane Coffin once suggested that the problem plaguing the modern church is our sense of complacency. We come to church not expecting anything out of the ordinary ...

1205. The Victory Is Ours

Revelation 7:9-17

Sermon

Timothy J. Smith

... their second child that fall. "It was a happy, busy time and my journal entries were full of hope and gratitude for the future Calvin and I were building together," she says. However, all that changed on the morning of September 11. Months passed as LaChanze continued to struggle and come to terms with her husband's death. During that time, her second daughter was born. She realized that she would need to take care of her girls. "So I pushed myself daily," she explains of that time. One day, a playwright ...

1206. The Vastness of Relationships

Ephesians 1:3-14

Sermon

John N. Brittain

... better to take refuge in the Lord than to put confidence in mortals. It is better to take refuge in the Lord than to put confidence in princes. — Psalm 118:1, 5-6, 8-9 Today we bless God because of the work of salvation God has continued and brought to completion in Jesus Christ, a work that began before the foundations of the world and that extends to the heavenly places. As amazing as the deliverance at the Red Sea may have been, as awe-inspiring as David's mighty conquests extending the boundaries of ...

1207. All About Me?

Romans 1:16-17; 3:22b-31

Sermon

John N. Brittain

... :27-29) and the crowning vindication of Jesus was the resurrection (Acts 2:32; 3:15; 4:10; 5:30; 10:40; 13:30). Jesus' ministry continues unhindered through the Holy Spirit (Acts 5:3; 10:42-43). God has provided for the Gentiles' salvation (Acts 10:47; 11:15; 15:7-11 ... are in the story, the initiative is not always seized. Amos and Hosea are sent to warn the northern kingdom that if they continue to live in a way that alienates them from God bad things will happen. They don't — so they do. Isaiah warns that ...

1208. Captive Free!

Romans 7:15-25a

Sermon

Steven E. Albertin

... make choices. Because of this captivity, "I do not do the good I want, but the evil I do not want is what I do." We are "caught between a rock and a hard place." We continually are trapped in "double jeopardy." There are numerous examples of this in the New Testament. Jesus continually confronts people with this gruesome reality. One of my favorite examples of this is in Matthew 18 and the parable of the unforgiving servant. In the parable, Jesus speaks of a servant who owed his master a huge debt ...

1209. A Winning Life

Hebrews 13:1-25

Sermon

King Duncan

... stated his feelings about the moral slide in our society: “We have actually convinced ourselves that slogans will save us,” he said. “‘Shoot up if you must, but use a clean needle,’ or, ‘Enjoy sex whenever and with whomever you wish, but protect yourself.’ No!” he continued, “The answer is no! Not because it isn’t cool or smart or because you might wind up in jail or dying in the AIDS ward, but because it’s wrong!” (4) Most of us can relate to his words. We believe a strong sense of ...

1210. Remember: Live Worthy of the Calling

Ephesians 4:1-16

Sermon

Billy D. Strayhorn

... of flour and 10 pounds of sugar arrive at the home of every widow in town just in time for holiday baking, thanks to this former slave. The inscription on his plaque reads: "Not what you get, but what you give." (7) When we give from the heart, that gift continues to grow and keeps on giving. Conclusion Remember: Live Worthy of the Calling. It's not the size of the gift that is at the heart of things. It's the size of the heart of the giver that matters. That's why your gift is important. No one person ...

1211. At Cross Purposes

Mark 8:31-38

Sermon

Billy D. Strayhorn

... had disappeared beneath the raging swells into the black of night. His body was never recovered. By this time, the two teenagers were sitting up straight in the pew, anxiously waiting for the next words to come out of the old minister's mouth. "The father," he continued, "knew his son would step into eternity with Jesus and he could not bear the thought of his son's friend stepping into an eternity without Jesus. Therefore, he sacrificed his son to save the son's friend. How great is the love of God that he ...

1212. 2 Timothy 3:14-4:5

2 Timothy 3:10--4:8

Sweet

Leonard Sweet

... in the Pauline letters artfully combined Old Testament faith traditions with the new message of the gospel of Jesus Christ, through new combinations of words and ideas. In today’s epistle text we might think Paul’s apostolic urging of Timothy to continue his ministry is couched in traditional, familiar language. But the first century communities to whom Paul’s words were directed heard a new sound and found a new meaning in the apostle’s letters. Yet today’s text does start with a reminder ...

1213. Romans 13:11-14

Romans 13:8-14

Sweet

Leonard Sweet

... where our faith should be on high alert, preparing our hearts and spirits for the arrival of the wholly new work of God on earth: Emmanuel, God with us, God present in our midst. The epistle text from Romans for this first Sunday of Advent continues an exhortation started by Paul back in 12:1. Once again the text sounds the eschatological notes that the apostle has been ringing throughout this section of his letter. There is a definite sense of urgency, of immediacy, in Paul’s insistence to these Roman ...

1214. Deuteronomy 30:15-20

Deuteronomy 30:11-20

Sweet

Leonard Sweet

... other “gods” of the cultures that surrounded and threatened to overwhelm Israel. *Obedience to God’s law, to each and every part of the Torah. *Love for the God who had chosen to establish an eternal, loving, relationship with the people and who continues to offer them life in the presence of the Divine. Loyalty. Obedience. Love. Those are the watchwords of the Deuteronomic call to faithfulness. Moses’ third and final discourse in Deuteronomy runs from 29:1-30:20. Much of what is said here has ...

1215. Disillusioned Thomas

John 20:24-31

Sermon

King Duncan

... pastors will talk about the nature of doubt and how doubt is a healthy emotion. All of us doubt at some times in our lives. However, doubt is a somewhat intellectual exercise. Very cerebral. It’s possible to have doubts about some aspect of Christian faith and still continue serving Christ as if you have no doubt at all. We now know that, to a certain extent, this was true of Mother Teresa, one of the great saints who ever lived. But it’s been true of many saints through the ages. All of us doubt from ...

1216. From Temple to Table

John 10:1-21

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

... of these shepherds as outsourced employees of the Temple. According to the Torah, every day two lambs were required for sacrifice in the Temple that’s 730 lambs needed each year. The twice daily offering of a male lamb was known as the tamid (or “the continuous offering”). It was the first offering and the last offering of each day (Numbers 28:1‑8). During the hour of the final sacrifice of the day the Final Sacrifice was offered up. On top of that there were tens of thousands of lambs needed by ...

1217. John 14:15 21

John 14:15-31

Sweet

Leonard Sweet

... Not knowing” Jesus as the truth, “not knowing” the Spirit of truth, is what defines the world as “the world.” Conversely, it is “knowing” this Spirit that will create the new community of faith Jesus is calling into being. Jesus continues to offer promises and consolation to his companions, poignantly pledging he will not “leave you orphaned.” There has been considerable discussion and disagreement over what Jesus next promises. Primarily the debate is whether in vv.18‑20 Jesus is now ...

1218. What the Future Holds

Mark 13:1-8

Sermon

David E. Leininger

... any of us were born, that will be here after all of us die and that binds us to one another because it binds us to Christ."[3] What does the future hold? By the grace of God, in the midst of everything else, it holds the continuing ministry of the church. 1. Bass Mitchell, via Ecunet, "Sermonshop 1997 11 16," #35. 2. Nate Castens, via Ecunet, "Gospel Notes for Next Sunday," #800. 3. Robert Bellah, quoted by Jerry L. Van Marter, "Church Is Best Equipped to Rebuild Communities," PCUSA NEWS, #4041, 2/12/97 ...

1219. A Four Word Memoir

Philippians 1:12-30

Sermon

King Duncan

... family, whatever, until he’s all relaxed. Then, when I think I’ve got him relaxed, I lean over, look him square in the eye and say, ‘What’s your purpose in life?’ It’s amazing how top executives fall apart at that question. “Well,” he continued, “I was interviewing this fellow the other day, had him all disarmed, with my feet up on his desk, talking about football. Then I leaned up and said, ‘What’s your purpose in life, Bob?’ And he said, without blinking an eye, ‘To go to heaven ...

1220. Matthew 21:23-32

Matthew 21:23-27

Sweet

Leonard Sweet

... and hosannas and gets the common people all riled up. Then this country bumpkin storms into the temple itself and tosses out all those making a legal living by changing currency and selling the certified blemish-free animals that are crucial to the continuance of temple business. For the religious establishment, this Jesus was acting as though this were his house, even as he was standing in the center of their own “living room,” the temple. Far from being “gentle Jesus, meek and mild,” the Jesus in ...

1221. Jesus Would Do What?

Philippians 2:1-11

Sermon

King Duncan

... Are you sure this is right?” I had even less patience. “I said I was sure an hour ago and I’m still sure.” “‘It was the phone call from the president of the company that finally got me out of bed and down to the site,” this young executive continued. “If I had to hold these guys by the hand, so be it. I sought out the worker who had called me first. He sat looking at my plans with his head cocked to one side. With exaggerated patience I began to explain the drawing. But after a few words ...

1222. The Need for Transformation

Jonah 3:1-5, 10

Sermon

Richard Gribble

... . He picked it up but it was filled with dirt and other things; it was simply a dirty éclair. Before he discarded it, he caught sight of the homeless person he encountered earlier, walked up to him and said, "Here, my man, is some food for your hunger." The man continued to walk back to the office thinking he had done his good deed for the day. That night, while he was sleeping, he had a dream. In his dream he was in a restaurant that was very active with many patrons. It took some time, but he finally got ...

1223. Commissioned for Christ

2 Kings 2:1-12

Sermon

Richard Gribble

... to share with his master, the prophet, in all respects. His devotion to Elijah is laudable, but possibly more importantly is his desire to follow in Elijah's footsteps. He requests a double portion of the prophet's mantle, a sure sign of his desire to continue the prophetic ministry. When Elisha witnesses the prophet's rise to the heavens on a flaming chariot, he knows his wish shall be granted for he has the promise of God. Elisha willingly accepted the commission that God gave to him. In fact, in a very ...

1224. One Nation Under God?

Illustration

Brett Blair

... the downward cultural spiral. It is unlikely that the 19 percent whose faith affects their lives and world view can change the moral and social conditions of our country through political means alone. 2019 The religious landscape of the United States continues to change at a rapid clip. In Pew Research Center telephone surveys conducted in 2018 and 2019, 65% of American adults describe themselves as Christians when asked about their religion, down 12 percentage points over the past decade. Meanwhile, the ...

1225. The Missing Figure in the Nativity Scene

Mark 1:1-8

Sermon

King Duncan

... Malachi 3:1 that refers to a prophet who would prepare the way of the Lord: “Behold, I will send my messenger, and he shall prepare the way before me . . .” The Jews of Jesus’ day expected Elijah to come before the Messiah; indeed, some modern Jews continue to await Elijah’s coming. This is why the disciples asked Jesus in Matthew 17:10, “Why then do the teachers of the law say that Elijah must come first?” Jesus tells his disciples that Elijah has already come in the person of John the Baptist ...

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