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 1326 to 1350 of 4938 results

1326. I Never Promised You a Rose Garden

John 16:17-33

Sermon

James McCormick

... we become shallow spirits and weak and ineffective human beings! Of course, difficulties in and of themselves do not produce positive results. We all know people who have allowed the painful experiences of life to make them bitter or so discouraged that they give up and stop trying. Everything depends upon what we do with the difficulties which are a normal part of life. The “Why me?” question isn’t helpful. Resentment doesn’t do us any good. Mere stoic acceptance is no better. The best answer is ...

1327. Proper 19

Exodus 13:17--14:31, Matthew 18:21-35, Romans 14:1--15:13, Exodus 15:1-21

Sermon Aid

Marion L. Soards, Thomas B. Dozeman, Kendall McCabe

... this week's lesson to the foregoing material with the word then. Thus there is a relationship between the need for reconciliation and the need for forgiveness. True reconciliation comes through forgiveness, not merely through excusing others. It means giving up our rightful resentment not merely agreeing to regard others as innocent, whether they are guilty or not. Implicit in Matthew's connection of these passages is the crucial spiritual lesson that true reconciliation means the elimination of wrath. Thus ...

1328. The Perfect Storm

Mark 4:35-41

Sermon

James Merritt

... room and began to pull back the rocks and dig out the dirt. Other parents arrived and began sobbing for their children. They were saying things like, "It's too late. You know they're dead. You can't help." Even a police officer encouraged him to give up. But that dad refused. For eight hours, then sixteen, then thirty-two, and then thirty-six hours he dug. His hands were raw, his energy was gone, but he refused to quit. Finally, after thirty-eight gut-wrenching hours, he pulled back a boulder and heard his ...

1329. Chutes or Ladders

Mark 9:2-9

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

... we cannot guarantee the harvest. As mere humans we cannot possibly know the results of our sowing until the eternal harvest, which is brought about by God. We will be judged, not by the results of that harvest, but on the sincerity of our sowing. Grab your chute and carpet. Give up that ladder.

1330. Facing the Wild Beasts Within

Mark 1:9-13

Sermon

Mike Ripski

... . It’s not the style of worship, or the place, or the music that matters most to us, it’s you. We are trying to stand in the middle. We ask you to join us. Granted we all struggle with the wild beasts that would cause us to run away, give up, or fight with those who disagree with us. Jesus faced the wild beasts and committed himself, as the Apostle Paul put, to a more excellent way. Pray for those who will meet tomorrow night to design a proposal for the future worship life of this church. May we resist ...

1331. Being A View Master

Romans 2:9-21

Sermon

Billy D. Strayhorn

... Brown was perfect. But the one thing we notice about Charlie Brown, besides the room for improvement, is that he never gives up. He always tries his best. Today is All Saints Sunday in the life of many churches. A day to celebrate ... Bible calls sinners. But that didn't stop God from loving us. When our kids misbehave, when their brains descend to their backside, we don't give up on them or quit loving them. Sure it disappoints us and hurts us and maybe even alienates us. But we don't quit loving them. They ...

1332. Aha! An Epiphany!

Matthew 3:13-17

Sermon

King Duncan

... difficulty in school, eventually falling to the bottom of his class. In fact, until he got into Junior High, Benny was convinced he was stupid; his nickname was “Dummy.” To complicate things further, Benny developed a violent, uncontrollable temper. But Sonya did not give up on her son. Determined to turn his life around, she required him to read two books a week and write reports on the books. He didn’t realize at the time that his mother herself could barely read. Sonya’s disability did not keep ...

1333. Like

Romans 5:12-21

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

... been programmed to do. Never offer anything nice when you can offer something nasty. Never support when you can undermine. Never extend sympathy when outrage might gain some points. Never celebrate goodness when badness can be hoisted high and calibrated. Let us give up that “against” attitude for Lent. Let us celebrate Lent as a season of “like.” There is plenty in the world that is frightening, and possibly going wrong. But during Lent we have a long-distance, focused view of the ultimate “right ...

1334. A Gospel for Losers

Jonah 3:1-5, 10

Sermon

David E. Leininger

... wonder if maybe this was God's intention all along. God makes wonderful use, and perhaps the best use, of losers! Paul writes to his friends at First Church, Corinth, and recounts a long list of trials and tribulations that he has suffered. But he is not ready to give up. It is "through God's mercy that we have this ministry" (2 Corinthians 4:1 ff), he says, and that is why "we do not lose heart." He considers the gospel of Jesus Christ a precious treasure that needs to be shared with the world, and then he ...

1335. Troubled Waters

Genesis 9:8-17

Sermon

Ken Lentz

... deluge, and all humans were destroyed by waters that were more than troubled (they were catastrophic) except Noah. His confrontation with watery death led to the victory of a fresh start on planet earth and the experience of reconciliation with a God who did not give up on his project humanity. Noah did not save himself. He had no greater ability to tread water than anyone else. In fact, he had no idea about how to build a ship. God was the engineer in the project. Without the intervention of God, Noah ...

1336. What a Way to Start a Church!

Acts 2:1-21

Sermon

William J. Carl, III

... , a tongue-tied stutterer named Moses, a child with a slingshot, and a babe in a manger. Here is this little band of frightened disciples whose leader has gone off and left them; they are stunned, confused, and unable to figure out what to do. They're about to give up, saying things like, "We're never going to get this thing started, never going to get it off the ground. It's never going to grow!" Then along comes God unexpectedly when no one is looking. That's just the way God is. It's like the story of ...

1337. I Am Baptized!

Mark 1:9-13

Sermon

King Duncan

... they might have gotten that impression. Their son had not died. They just wanted the world to know that their son belonged to God: “Christ’s Own Forever.” Baptism means we belong to Christ. It is said that whenever Martin Luther found himself ready to give up, whenever worry for his own life and the life of the Church he loved overwhelmed him, he would touch his forehead and say to himself: “Remember Martin, you have been baptized.” Baptism is a sacrament. Baptism is a sign that we belong to God ...

1338. Go, Climb A Mountain!

Luke 9:28-36 (37-43)

Sermon

Cynthia Cowen

... path of suffering and what seemed like defeat in the eyes of others. It was only by obedience and the knowledge that God was at his side that he could accomplish the plan of salvation. "Not my will, Father, but yours be done." God's will, giving up his life, but only by dying could he give us life here and for eternity. As the hikers looked out from Mount Kilimanjaro, they knew they had experienced the most memorable time of their lives. They remained silent, basking in the accomplishment, letting it all ...

1339. Trick Questions, Big Answers

Luke 21:5-38

Sermon

Scott Bryte

... to worry beforehand how you will defend yourselves" [Luke 21:14]), trust ("for I will give you words and wisdom that none of your adversaries will be able to resist or contradict" [Luke 21:15]) and, to borrow from Winston Churchill, never, never, never, never give up ("By standing firm you will gain life" [Luke 21:19]). This is how people in the midst of rubble and trouble bear witness. Here is where we begin to get the convergence of those contradictory images we noted at the beginning. Even though we are ...

1340. Rubble and Trouble

Luke 21:5-19

Sermon

David E. Leininger

1341. When There’s Nothing Left To Do But Mourn

Jeremiah 8:18—9:1

Sermon

Chrysanne Timm

... nation would neither acknowledge her need nor willingly accept the cure. The physician is ready, but the patient is not willing, The patient is relying on her name and the prestige of her possessions to protect her. And so, once more, God and Jeremiah urge Judah to give up her illusions and face the facts of her illness. The word that came to Jeremiah from the Lord: Stand in the gate of the Lord's house, and proclaim there this word, and say, Hear the word of the Lord, all you people of Judah, you that ...

1342. Five Mission Killers

Matthew 16:21-28

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

... higher. It is good to "be in touch." But this "in touch-ness" is a huge "time tax." If our federal taxes keep us "working for the government" until April 17, how long are we working, how much of our personal time, our personal power, energy and mission, are we giving up to the "time tax?" It may take 107 days to pay off our federal taxes. But we are on the hook for the rest of the year for our "time taxes." We all receive time taxes. And we all dish them out. Morale meetings (meetings to discuss low morale ...

1343. The Exorcism of a Child Develops a Humble Model for Faith

Mark 9:14-32

Teach the Text

Grant R. Osborne

... . In Philippians 1:6 we are reminded that God “who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus.” Share a personal story of struggle or failure of faith or unbelief. Express the wonder that God did not give up on you and continued to work in your life, just as Jesus did with the disciples. The danger of unbelief Object Lesson: Ask a blindfolded volunteer to trust you by falling back, keeping his or her body rigid, knees locked, and feet in place (be sensitive to ...

1344. Ten Commandments and the People’s Response

Exodus 20:1-21

One Volume

Gary M. Burge

... means an insatiable craving to serve oneself at any cost, a clear violation of the first two commandments. It is the heart attitude that surfaces in acts of murder, adultery, theft, and false witness. When Jesus challenges the self-righteous rich young ruler to give up all his possessions and follow Jesus, the ruler acknowledges that his heart is too attached to his wealth (Matt. 19:16–22). 20:18–21 · Having seen and heard the manifestation of God’s presence, the people are afraid and ask Moses to ...

1345. The Great Omission

Mark 1:14-20

Sermon

Charley Reeb

... have one?” Where is our love for God and our passion and love for people? This is what translates! When you forgive while everyone else wants revenge, that translates. When you are loving while everyone else is hateful, that translates. When you don’t give up on people when everyone else wants to, that translates. There is a great debate in the church on how to be relevant in this post-modern world. Because the mainline church is struggling to grow we are falling all over ourselves trying to reach the ...

1346. Surprise! Surprise! Surprise!

Matthew 24:36-44

Sermon

Dean Feldmeyer

... prepare ourselves for this life transforming in-breaking of grace? Again, Jesus answers the question. “...repent and believe this good news.” It is with repentance and faith that we best prepare ourselves for the advent of Jesus in our lives. First, by repentance. We give up our false gods, our idols, our reliance on ourselves, and our worship of things we can buy. We turn away from our separation and estrangement, our old hurts and our grudges. We walk away from the things that keep us from loving and ...

1347. About Face!

Matthew 25:14-30

Sermon

King Duncan

... radically altered by something outside your control. Some of you don’t have to imagine that scenario. You’ve lived it. Fear is a natural response to losing control of your situation. But Amy faced her new life with determination. She wasn’t going to give up, even with no legs below her knees. She tried to return to snowboarding, one of her favorite hobbies, but she couldn’t find prosthetic legs that allowed her to snowboard well. So Amy did a lot of research, partnered with the doctor who provided ...

1348. Mountaintop Experience

Luke 9:28-36 (37-43a)

Sermon

Wayne Brouwer

... Jesus phrase “I tell you the truth, some who are standing here will not taste death before they see the kingdom of God” in verse 27, as the prelude to this amazing event. Second, it is important to note that Jesus did not give up his humanity while expressing his divinity, nor did he become unknown in his divinity so that his humanity was obliterated. The Transfiguration was one of the most impressive Christological moments in Jesus’ earthly life, when the fullness of deity became obviously human and ...

1349. Standing Firm

Philippians 3:17-4:1

Sermon

Bonnie Bates

... our lives, to be faithful can seem a burden; but the questions you ask God, the study you undertake, the prayers you offer and share, these will help lead you to answers, help you make it through the hallway. The Sidewalk Prophets ask us to stand firm and to never give up hope; that God has our lives in his control. Look up those lyrics online. They are comforting words. Amen.

1350. Expectations of a Vital Faith James K. Cobb

Exodus 1:1-22

Sermon

... , suffering is undeserved and prolonged and bitter. The fact is that ordinary people lose control of their lives and see their children abused and murdered; but just as complacency is denied in this text, so is the complacency of despair. The people do not give up, instead they resist the cruelty of Pharaoh. So you see that the perplexities of faith are as old as religion itself. There is a stage when belief in God raises problems instead of solving them. This is particularly true in the experience of one ...

Showing results