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 1276 to 1300 of 4957 results

1276. Childs of Center Point

Drama

Michael L. Sherer

... EIC continued its hard-line today as the controversy over dealing with the victims of the recent pollution epidemic continues. Management for EIC, at a press conference this morning, argued that they are not in any way responsible for the epidemic, claiming that university studies have not proven to their satisfaction that their chemicals were directly tied to the illnesses in North Flats. Furthermore, the EIC spokesman threatened if the city presses them on the issue they will consider closing the factory ...

1277. Religion in Focus

Mark 8:27-30

Sermon

Richard Patt

... made any reference at all to the great events of the cross and of Easter. "What about you? Who do you say I am?", Jesus asked his closest followers here. In the survey mentioned above, churchgoing Christians fared little better than those who claimed no identification with organized Christianity! They also gave typically unfocused answers about Jesus. Our Lord was mostly perceived as a great religious figure of the past. An unfocused lens on the camera will not produce very good results. So are not Jesus ...

1278. The Heart of The Gospel

Isaiah 52:13--53:12

Sermon

Alton F. Wedel

... on toes that wanted to be tickled. Antagonists came out from woodwork like cockroaches in a kitchen. An evangelism board that had neglected its evangelism, a stewardship committee that had never met and much less worked, a board of elders that could make no claim except that they were elder - all flicked their ashes in his face. Those with whom the pastor had become the closest as he bore their burdens with them suddenly became most distant. Those for whom he worked the hardest suddenly became his hardest ...

1279. The Good News of Easter

John 20:1-9

Sermon

Brett Blair

... create a more believable story they would have had men discovering the tomb first. The evidence is that they told the story as it actually happened. 4. Paul's testimony supports the fact of the empty tomb. Paul was a respected Jew. But he claims he encountered the risen Christ. I should add here that Paul does not have in mind a spiritual or metaphorical death and rebirth. He wrote in his letters “he was buried” and “he was raised.” So, other than the resurrection itself, what reasonable explanation ...

1280. Paul's Thorn In The Flesh

2 Corinthians 12:1-10

Sermon

Bill Bouknight

... When life delivers a problem or pain, force it to pay dividends. If life gives you a thorn that you and God can't remove, make it produce a rose. The minister Bruce Larson states this principle as follows: "In every disaster, God has a gift for you. Claim it." In chapter twelve of Paul's second letter to the Corinthians, he illustrates this truth in his own life. In verse 7 he tells us: "A Thorn Was Given Me..." What was this thorn? We don't know. It was some very painful, chronic affliction. Sometimes Paul ...

1281. Smart, Wise, and Foolish

1 Corinthians 1:18--2:5

Sermon

Gregory J. Johanson

... "religious" people really turn me off. I experience some of them as arrogant and am offended and embarrassed by others. But then, consider this ... the Gospel itself is both offensive and absurd. No thinking persons could be expected to take seriously the divine claims of a person who was executed as a common thief, however clever a teacher or however strong a hero he might have been. So must have concluded many persons in the Corinthian church of Paul’s day who were deeply influenced by the prevailing ...

1282. Backsliding

John 6:60-71

Sermon

Brett Blair

... I don’t think a single reason can be identified as to why so many stopped following, a combination of issues probably, as we have already noted: His teaching confused some. His images offended others. But primarily, I think it was his claim to be the new source of life, his claim to be greater than Moses, a new Manna. Either way, they weren’t buying it and they left. Just like that. One day they were disciples and the next they were not. They became backsliders. I First, I would suggest that backsliding ...

1283. You Don't Need Jesus

John 1:19-28

Sermon

John R. Brokhoff

... as a fact of life, and make it acceptable by legalizing it. If we do not accept sin as a way of life, we deny it. We actually claim that we do nothing wrong. When a public figure was having trouble with the press, she said, "I have never done anything wrong in my life. I wasn ... Christ as Lord and Savior. Apparently we are failing in witnessing to Christ. The percentage of U.S. citizens who claim membership in Protestant churches continues to decline and by the year 2000 it will represent only 34 percent of the ...

1284. Someone Greater Than a Prophet

Luke 1:26-38

Sermon

Maurice A. Fetty

... world gets smaller and smaller we become more and more aware of other cultures and religions, and we increasingly wonder about our own religion. If once we thought of them in rather exclusive terms, can we do so in a world which seems to have relative exclusive truth claims? If once we thought of Christianity as the final word in religion, can we do so in face of a vital and resurgent Islam in the world? In his recent, brilliant discussion of Islam, Dr. Charles Ryerson of Princeton reminded us that Moslems ...

1285. Two Blessings for an Unwed Mother

Luke 1:46-56, Luke 1:39-45

Sermon

William G. Carter

... the child in Elizabeth’s tummy “leaped with joy” when the mother of Jesus walked in the room. Elizabeth was six months along in her pregnancy. Pediatricians say that’s when Junior starts kicking like a soccer player. No need to make a theological claim about that kick; it seems like it was only a kick. What’s more, I have learned that when two pregnant women find one another, they usually do not talk theology. The conversation turns instead to swollen ankles, stretch marks, morning sickness, or ...

1286. What a Star Can't Tell You

Matthew 2:1-12

Sermon

William G. Carter

... act. What is God doing? The Wise Men assume a new king has been born. In his commentary on the story, Raymond Brown observes that ancient historians often interpreted the skies through the births and deaths of famous people. The Roman historian Suetonius, for instance, claimed that the birth of Augustus was predicted by an unusual portent in the heavens. Emperor Nero became so alarmed when a comet appeared in the sky that he ordered the deaths of notable people in his realm.1 No one in the first century ...

1287. Today

Luke 4:14-30

Sermon

William G. Carter

... hair who walks down Broadway wearing a sandwich-board and screaming, “Repent for your sins! The End is near!” A lot of people think that’s what a prophet should do: shout at people and make them nervous. As an old-fashioned radio preacher once claimed, “The truest test of prophecy is this: A prophet predicts doom of the sinner.” In the story we heard today, Jesus is a different kind of prophet. He stands squarely within the tradition of the prophets of Israel. In place of the sandwich board, Jesus ...

1288. Hated, Excluded, Reviled, Defamed — And Leaping For Joy

Luke 6:17-26

Sermon

William G. Carter

... hungry for the love of God that they will do almost anything to earn the blessing. In college, I met a man named Stephen who claimed to be a “recovering Jew.” He had been raised to keep his distance from Christians. Now, due to the meddling of God, he had ... you be snatched away. That is the good news for you and me. Thanks to Jesus, we belong to God. Nobody can cancel God’s prior claim on our lives. Who are you? Rich or poor? You are a child of God. Who are you? Hungry or full? You belong to the ...

1289. Truce or Peace?

Sermon

Harold Warlick

... middle of the campus,” he suggested. “Good Lord, we can’t,” I retorted. “Don’t you know the history? One group of faculty and administrators will present a study claiming they know everything. Then another group will present a counter study showing they know everything.” “Well,” he declared, “We’ve gone about it the wrong way. Don’t claim to know anything. Just get Virgil Dunn to stand up there beside you and you report that we need to tear the church down. I’ll make a motion. All ...

1290. From Crumbs to Half a Loaf

Ephesians 3:1-13

Sermon

Harold Warlick

... wisdom of God would be made known to the principalities and powers in the heavenly places” (Ephesians 3:10). Not just on the earth, but in the heavenly places as well. Those who started with the crumbs of Christ now own half the loaf. Such is the claim an amazing apostle stakes against both the world and the heavens. It is the water mark above which no tide of despair, suffering, and evil can rise. Shouldn’t that epiphany make us want to get on with our mission to the world? 1. See Fred B. Craddock ...

1291. Even Our Business Belongs to God!

Jeremiah 32:1-44

Sermon

Mark Ellingsen

... of God are always unattractive and appear evil....”3 God works in this hidden way to humble us by confounding our wisdom. Then we will see how foolish and sinful we are and become totally dependent on him (1 Corinthians 1:20-29). Commenting on Psalm 30, Luther claimed: We must not judge by what we feel or by what we see before us. The Word must be followed, and we must firmly hold that these truths are to be believed, not experienced; for to believe is not to experience. Not indeed that what we believe is ...

1292. Living Free

Haggai 2:1-9

Sermon

Mark Ellingsen

... it.”4 Most of the time we are not willing to live out our freedom responsibly. Back in the sixteenth century Dr. King’s insights were more or less endorsed by his namesake, Martin Luther. Of course Luther emphasized our freedom. The Christian, he claimed, is “lord of all, subject to none.” But he also asserted that “a Christian is a perfectly dutiful servant of all, subject to all.”5 Living free (in Christ) involves service to God and our neighbors. Maybe the problem with American society today ...

1293. Why Earthly Powers Need No Longer Enslave

Daniel 7:15-28, Daniel 7:1-14

Sermon

Mark Ellingsen

... the real Daniel’s interpretation of a dream [in chapter 2]. That is why it does not matter who wrote our text for today, as the whole book is properly said to be in the heritage of Daniel and so no distortion is made by the Bible by claiming that this dream is Daniel’s. It is in his tradition.5) At any rate, the four beasts in our lesson also refer to completeness. We might say that they symbolize all the earthly powers. The story about this dream continues, and what happened next says something about ...

1294. At The Potter's House

Jeremiah 18:1--19:15

Sermon

John W. Wurster

... , but I’m not sure why it should be such a big concern to God. What does being faithful to your spouse really have to do with religion? Then there’s that bit about worshiping other gods. That’s a big one for Jeremiah. He claims it’s a big one for God, too. In fact, he claims that our exclusive loyalty to God matters more than anything (e.g., 2:6-8, 7:23, 11:9-13, 16:10-13). I think it is just unrealistic. I mean sure we’re grateful that God brought us out of Egypt and led ...

1295. Light from the Word

Nehemiah 7:73b--8:18

Sermon

Harry N. Huxhold

... Second Giving of the Law. Ezra’s reading was a repetition once more of giving of the Law as a way for God to make a claim on this people. The Hebrew understanding of a reading of the Law as the word of God was that one should relate to it as though ... pleased that he could see good results to the effort that had been made to have the people understand the kind of mutual claim that God and people had on one another. Interpreters cite this occasion as the beginning of Judaism. This was the start of ...

1296. Keeping the Glow On

Exodus 34:29-35

Sermon

Harry N. Huxhold

... with the giving of the commandments. All that was revealed was preceded with the introduction, “I am the Lord your God who brought you out of Egypt, out of the house of slavery.” The agreement that followed was based on the fact that God had made his claim upon Israel. God had established them as God’s people by this act of delivery, this act of redemption and healing. What followed was based on the assumption that God would do for them what only a god could do for people. Then followed not only the ...

1297. His Teachings

Luke 20:27-40

Sermon

Brett Blair

... Caesar’s and to God the things that are God’s. Well, it is the age old question of God and government. Where do you draw the line? What I hear Jesus saying is that the government does have a legitimate claim upon your life, but (and this is the part that we so often ignore) God also has a claim upon your life. I realize that that is a fine line, sometimes, and it is often something that we have to struggle with. This may sound trite, but let me give you an example. I was driving down the street recently ...

1298. His Trial

Luke 22:66--23:25

Sermon

Brett Blair

... ,” he says. They shout back the words that he does not want to hear, “We are not allowed to put a man to death.” At this point Pilate understands that this is an explosive case. What are the charges, Pilate demands. The reply? Subverting the nation, claiming to be a King. Pilate gives Jesus a glance and asks, are you a King? The Messiah replies, “Is that your idea, or have others suggested it you?” What, says Pilate, am I a Jew? Your own nation and chief priests have brought you before me. Jesus ...

1299. His Resurrection

John 20:1-9, John 20:10-18

Sermon

Brett Blair

1300. The Political Controversies Of Jesus

Luke 20:27-47

Sermon

Brett Blair

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