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 126 to 150 of 4489 results

126. Conversion or Credentialing?

Acts 9:1-5, 10-12, 17-19

Sermon

J. Howard Olds

It's been an eventful week in the Olds' household. Sandy and I flew in from vacation last Tuesday and immediately drove to Lexington, Kentucky to participate in the service of ordination of our son, Wes, who is now a full elder in our denomination. As I recessed from that service a long-time friend of mine asked, “Howard, which was the best, your ordination or the ordination of your son?" Without hesitating, I replied “Need you even ask?" It is a moving and humbling experience to see your son or daughter ...

127. Breaking News: A World Gone Wild

Romans 8:18-27

Sermon

James Merritt

The media called 2010 “The Year The Earth Struck Back.” Take your pick–tsunamis, typhoons, and tornados. What is called “Natural Disasters” killed a quarter of a million people in that 12 month period. More people were killed world-wide by natural disasters in 2010 than were killed in terrorism attacks in the past 40 years combined.[1] When it comes to Breaking News you can always count every year on some natural disaster interrupting your regularly scheduled programming. Let’s just take four of them and ...

128. Tying Up A Strong Man

Mark 3:20-30, 1 Samuel 8:1-22, 2 Corinthians 4:1-18, Mark 3:31-35, Psalm 138:1-8

Sermon Aid

William E. Keeney

Mark's gospel account very quickly gets into the conflict that will eventually culminate in the death of Jesus. Despite, or because of, Jesus' works which aroused wonder and amazement in the multitudes, opposition also arose. Any activity so extraordinary upset the status quo. His popularity threatened the authority and leadership of the official religion. They had to try to put it down before it got out of hand. Even the friends and family of Jesus were concerned about him. How often do people try to ...

129. Breaking News: Thomas Doubts Jesus Alive

John 20:24-31

Sermon

CSS

For the past two weeks I have had a knot in my stomach. Holy week and Easter were joyful events here in our church and I'm still excited about this being the Easter season. That's not what has me anxious. Along with most of you, I have been watching the news closely and praying about the mid-east conflict. For more than a week there were suicide bombings every day. Some of those suicide bombers even children. And then there is the possibility of our going to war with Iraq again. Incredible news stories ...

130. Living on Full Alert

Matthew 24: 36-44

Sermon

J. Howard Olds

Surprise! Surprise! Life is full of surprises! Some surprises are awesome. Someone will get an engagement ring for Christmas. Some surprises are awful. As long as we live, will we ever forget those exploding Twin Towers? Some surprises are a combination of awesome and awful. A parishioner called her pastor and said, “I need a little help. My father just won a 30 million dollar lottery. He is 96 years old, has heart trouble and I am concerned if I tell him, he will have a heart attack. Would you mind paying ...

131. How To Triumph Over Terrorism

Ephesians 6:10-18

Sermon

J. Howard Olds

A year has now gone by and those of us who live and work outside the Northeast have gotten on with our lives. After all, isn’t that what you are supposed to do when you face a tragedy or a great loss—go on! But will we ever be able to simply go on? Something changed that September day that will never simply go away. We now know that we are vulnerable. We now know that the threats of terror are no longer a half a world away. We now know things change — and not always for the better. Will the stock market ...

132. The Door of Celebration

Luke 19:36-44

Sermon

J. Howard Olds

In the early 1800's, Henry Milman wrote a Palm Sunday hymn containing some lyrics that go like this: Ride on, ride on in majesty, In lowly pomp ride on to die. Bow thy meek head to mortal pain, Then take, O God, thy power and reign. Palm Sunday is a paradox. This opening event of Holy Week is bittersweet. We break the gloom of Lent with loud hosannas only to see a cross rising on the horizon. On the one hand, Jesus prepares for it. On the other hand, He weeps over it. Palm Sunday is a day for both cheers ...

133. The Loving Friend

John 4:1-15

Sermon

J. Howard Olds

With apologies to Carole King, I'd like to describe my friendship with Jesus Christ in a paraphrase of a popular song: When you're down and troubled And you need someone to care And nothing, no nothing, is going right, Close your eyes and think of him And soon he will be there To brighten up even your darkest night. You just call out his name And you know wherever he is He'll come running, to see you again. Winter, spring, summer or fall All you've got to do is call And he'll be there, yes he will. You've ...

134. Marketing or Disciplemaking?

Acts 2:42-47

Sermon

J. Howard Olds

I don't remember my first experience at worship. I was carried there as an infant in my mother's arms. I can almost count on one hand the number of weeks in my 59 years of life that I have not been somewhere in a worship service to praise and thank God. Worship is a part of my DNA. It's just deep within my soul. It was the Westminster Catechism that stated years ago, the chief purpose of humanity is to glorify God and enjoy him forever. We were not created to please ourselves. We were made to please God. I ...

135. God, What Are You Up To?

Genesis 12:1-9

Sermon

Stan Purdum

One of the better programs on television from 2003 to 2005 was a series on CBS called Joan of Arcadia. Like many thoughtful shows, this one did not score high enough to stay on the air for long, but it did last two seasons. The title alludes to Joan of Arc, the fifteenth-century teenager who believed she heard the voice of God urging her to save France from England during the Hundred Years War. That Joan led an army into battle, successfully forcing the British to retreat from Orleans. Later, captured by ...

136. On Not Giving Up

Galatians 6: 7-16

Sermon

April Yamasaki

A word of encouragement came from an unlikely source the other day in a television interview with Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson. The former football player, wrestler, and now actor was asked about a low time in his life when he was very discouraged about his career and future. "How did you make your way back from that?" he was asked. The Rock replied, "You have to put yourself out there. You have to get out there and fail, and learn from your failures." What advice would you give to someone who is discouraged ...

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

Jeremiah 8:18—9:1

Sermon

Chrysanne Timm

When a person is diagnosed with a serious disorder, one that threatens their very existence, life as we know it is turned upside down. There is research to conduct about traditional and alternative treatments. There are specialists with whom to consult. Sometimes there are changes in lifestyle and in priorities to be considered, as Tim McGraw sang in his 2004 hit, "Live Like You Were Dying." I have watched this process in many parishioners over the years. Quite often everyone, including the person with ...

138. I Wonder Why My Prayers Go Unanswered?

Luke 11:1-13

Sermon

Charley Reeb

Warren Wiersbe tells of the time when he was helping to paint the outside of his neighbors’ home. His neighbors had a small black dog that had a ritual of going to the back door of the house. Once the little dog took up his station at the back door, he would bark and bark until someone finally got the message and let him out. One day Wiersbe was painting the outside of the house when no one was home. The neighbor’s dog started his ritual at the back door and barked and barked all day long. The sad thing, ...

139. Breaking Down Walls

Ephesians 2:14

Children's Sermon

Object: a brick and a picture of the Great Wall of China Good morning, boys and girls. I brought something to build with today. What is it? (Let them respond.) You're right, it's a brick. What can we build with bricks? (Let them respond. They may name some of the following things.) You can build houses, basements, towers, patios, garages, churches, forts and schools with bricks. Did you know that a long time ago, people used to build fences of bricks or stones to separate their land? One person's land went ...

140. The Man, the Message, and the Mission

Luke 12:49-53

Sermon

George Bass

The Lord said: "I came to cast fire upon the earth, and would that it were already kindled! I have a baptism to be baptized with; and how I am constrained until it is accomplished! Do you think that I have come to give peace on earth? No, I tell you, but rather division; for henceforth in one house there will be five divided, three against two and two against three; they will be divided, father against son and son against father, mother against daughter and daughter against her mother, mother-in-law ...

141. An Invitation to Christian Discipleship

Matthew 4:18-22

Sermon

J. Howard Olds

Day by day they arrive in the mail. We call them invitations. A new store is opening for business and you are invited to see. A friend is getting married and you are invited to share in the celebration. Your class is having a reunion and you are invited to attend. Hardly a day passes, but someone requests the honor of your presence. There is an invitation of a divine kind that cuts through history and transcends time. It comes from Jesus Christ. It has your name on it. It is an invitation to Christian ...

142. The Darkness Before the Dawn

John 13:18-30, John 13:31-38

Sermon

J. Howard Olds

Cartoonist Charles Schultz charmed the world for years with his cartoons. His gospel according to Peanuts includes a character by the name of Snoopy who longs to be a writer. Snoopy begins every story he writes with those familiar words, “It was a dark and stormy night." Maundy Thursday, so long ago, was a dark and stormy night. The Bible says in John 13:30, “After receiving the bread, Judas went out and it was night." If there was no storm in the sky there certainly was a storm in the souls of the ...

143. Praising God All Day Long

Psalm 100:1-5

Sermon

J. Howard Olds

Happiness is…. Well, how would you define it? The playpen philosopher, Marvin, says, “Happiness is a diaper fresh from the dryer on a cold morning." Author Robert Fulghum says, “Happiness is a big box of crayons, the kind with the sharpener built in." Ziggy says, “I wish I knew the secret to happiness. I would tell everybody I know." Writer John Powell says, “Happiness is an inside job." The Westminster Confession says, “To be happy is to glorify God and enjoy him forever." The author of Psalm 100 says, “ ...

144. What Would Jesus Say About War?

Matthew 5:1-12

Sermon

J. Howard Olds

Once more we Americans gather for worship amidst the imminent danger of war. This week our government officials told us to gather supplies of food and water, make emergency communication plans with our families, and buy duct tape. Many of our sons and daughters, grandsons and granddaughters have been deployed to military alert positions. Today we wait for yet another United Nations resolution. In one sense, there is nothing new about wars and rumors of wars. In my lifetime alone, there have been over a ...

145. Welcoming God Into Our Homes

Revelation 21:1-8

Sermon

J. Howard Olds

A Sunday School teacher asked her students where God lived. After the usual answers of heaven and in my heart, Bobby spoke up and said, “God lives in the bathroom at our house!” “Why the bathroom?” inquired the teacher. “I don’t know,” replied Bobby. “I only know that my Dad gets up every morning and beats on the bathroom door where my sister is taking forever to get ready for school and exclaims, ‘My God, are you still in there?’ God lives in the bathroom at our house.” Where does God live at your house? ...

146. Follow

Mark 1:14-20

Sermon

J. Howard Olds

If my wife puts up with me another five weeks, we will have been married forty-two years. For those of you too young to remember, things have changed. There were no cell phones or text messages forty-two years ago. E-mail and iPods were not even dreamed of. Even land phones were party lines. So, young teenagers in love back then had to find creative ways to communicate. That's where The Cokesbury Hymnal came in. During long sermons in the little church of our childhood, Sandy and I communicated through ...

147. Hope That God Is Nearby

Isaiah 7:1-25

Sermon

J. Howard Olds

I made a discovery some time ago on the word processor that I want to share with you. The difference between the phrase ‘God is nowhere’ and ‘God is now here’ is one tap on the space bar. A. For Some People, God Is Nowhere. He Is Non-Existent. Atheist Richard Dawkins writes, “God is a delusion. I suspect there are a lot of people out there who have been brought up in religion, are unhappy in it, don’t believe it, and wish they could leave it, but just don’t know that leaving is an option. Being an atheist ...

148. Finding Our Place In All Creation

Job 38:1-18

Sermon

J. Howard Olds

Parents of a college freshman received this letter from their daughter near the end of her first semester. Dear Mom and Dad. Sorry I failed to write all semester, but college life has kept me really busy. About two months ago I was slightly injured in a car accident near the shopping mall. The injuries were not too serious and the paramedic was really nice. We went out a few times and he invited me to move in with him, which sure beats dorm life a lot. He's extremely smart even though he dropped out of ...

149. Let Go of the Stone

Mark 16:1-8

Sermon

J. Howard Olds

A friend and colleague of mine was declared dead by the IRS a few years ago, even though he was very much alive. Due to MS, Jim was confined to a wheel chair and depended on disability Social Security for survival. So you can imagine the shock of being informed you are dead and no longer eligible for benefits. Jim called the IRS. They asked him multiple questions, but could not by conversation declare Jim to be alive. He wrote them letters and sent them pictures, but such correspondence did no good. It was ...

150. Reconsider

Matthew 1:18-25

Sermon

J. Howard Olds

Have you seen the cartoon featuring a gentleman and his cat? The man is holding his pet feline over a kitty litter box shouting firmly, “Never, never, never, ever think outside the box." What's good for cats may not be so good for people. The hope of the world lies with creative dreamers who are willing to think outside the box. At least that seems to be the case surrounding the birth of Jesus. While people complained that things never change and nothing new ever happens around Nazareth, the angel of the ...

Showing results