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 1626 to 1650 of 4914 results

1626. The New Jerusalem

Revelation 21:1-27

Understanding Series

Robert W. Wall

John’s final, most detailed and most important vision of Christ’s parousia is of a new heaven and a new earth, the Holy City, and the new Jerusalem where the dwelling of God is with men and the old order of things has passed away. Following the return of the Lamb, after his last battle and millennial reign, after the destruction of Satan, of his evil kingdom, and finally of death itself, the vision of the eschatological city of God “may be viewed as the climax not only of the book of Revelation, but of the ...

1627. Corporate and Individual Thanksgiving to the God Who Acts

Psalm 66:1-20

Understanding Series

Craig C. Broyles

This psalm contains both corporate hymnic praise (vv. 1–12) and individual thanksgiving (vv. 13–20). Some commentators (e.g., H.-J. Kraus, Psalms 60–150, vol. 2 of Psalms, A Commentary [trans. H. C. Oswald; Minneapolis: Augsburg, 1989], p. 36), thus believe it consists of two psalms (or their fragments) that were originally separate. But several linguistic features imply they were composed together: Verses 1–12 / Verses 13–20 “Come and see what God has done, “Come and listen, all you who fear God; how ...

1628. The Writing on the Wall

Daniel 5:1-31

Understanding Series

William Nelson

We have seen evidence that the earlier chapters were independent traditions. For example, in chapter 1 the four Jews proved to be wiser than all the other sages, yet they are not asked to interpret the dream in chapter 2; Daniel is prominent in chapter 2 but missing from chapter 3. The author does not do a lot to provide smooth transitions between the different episodes, but there is some continuity in that the first four chapters feature King Nebuchadnezzar. The chasm between chapers 4 and 5 is greater ...

1629. Stargazers

Luke 2:21-40

Sermon

Lori Wagner

“Bright star, would I were steadfast as thou art.” (John Keats) Animation: clip from Pinocchio Star light, star bright, first star I see tonight….. Those are the words of the age-old poem spoken by Pinocchio, wishing upon a star in the Disney classic animated movie. Following his wish, a song was sung by Jiminy Cricket (aka Cliff Edwards) that made it to the top of the music charts. It was the number one selling record in 1940. Can anyone tell me what its name was? . . . . That’s right: “When I Wish Upon a ...

1630. When the Way Is Hard

Matthew 26:14-27:66

Sermon

April Yamasaki

In the gospel of Matthew, the sweep of events from Judas’ decision to betray Jesus, through his arrest, trial, crucifixion, and burial takes less than fifteen minutes to read aloud. Yet the emotional intensity of these events makes for an exhausting read. Alone in my room, I could hardly make it through. If I were to read this as part of worship in my church, I’d want to skip the regular sermon and plan some silence to reflect and recover before we’d sing a song of response. Just imagine living and dying ...

1631. Dealing With Difficult People

1 Corinthians 1:10-18

Sermon

Charley Reeb

How do you deal with difficult people? By difficult, I mean all categories—the gossips, the bullies, the manipulators, the intimidators, the blamers, the criticizers, the complainers, the whiners, and more. Just fill in the blank. Do you know anyone that fits into one of those categories? I imagine you do. This message is going to help you handle difficult people with biblical wisdom. You might be surprised to know that the early church was filled with difficult people. In fact, much of the content of Paul ...

1632. Baptized in Water

Mark 10:35-45, Psalm 104:1-35

Sermon

Thomas C. Willadsen

For the past month in our gospel readings, Jesus has been making his way to Jerusalem. He has been preparing his disciples for what awaited him there. They have rebuked him, been afraid to ask what he meant, and squabbled over who would have positions of leadership in his movement after he left them. Mixed in with his instruction and preparation to his disciples are stories of Jesus healing people seized with demons, disputing with the Pharisees, and lifting up the needs of children and “little ones,” ...

1633. The Mechanics Of Prayer

Matthew 6:5-15, Luke 11:1-13

Sermon

John R. Brokhoff

Note: This isn't a sermon but it's a good primer if you are preaching on the subject. Our goal is to pray like Jesus. We want to improve the effectiveness of our prayers. That is our objective, but what are the means of reaching the goal? We have come to the time when we need to consider the nuts and bolts of Christlike prayer. What do we say? When do we say it? Where do we say it? How long should we pray? How often? These are some of the mechanics of prayer. They are important as means to the end. The ...

1634. God’s Great Final Day

Daniel 7:1-14

Sermon

John R. Brokhoff

Those who do weekend sailing on a very wide body of water have a way of charting their course. They keep their eye on a distant, fixed object on the shore. No matter how whimsically the wind blows, no matter how tricky the cross-currents in the water, they can keep their direction by that immovable landmark at the water’s edge. Otherwise, they would be swept far off their course by the wind and the waves, although they might think that they were headed in the right direction. That distant landmark keeps ...

1635. Easter 6

John 15:18--16:4, Acts 10:23b-48, 1 John 5:1-12

Sermon Aid

Russell F. Anderson

Theme: God calls his own and chooses those who are to live as his dear friends, regardless of our human categories and distinctions. COMMENTARY Lesson 1: Acts 10:44-48 (C); Acts 10:25-26, 34-35, 44-48 (RC) The pericope for the Revised Common Lectionary features the outcome of Peter's encounter with Cornelius, the Roman Centurion. As Peter was explaining the gospel, the Holy Spirit came down on all the believers, including, for the first time, Gentiles. Since God had favored the Gentiles with the Holy ...

1636. Good Friday

John 19:28-37, Hebrews 10:1-18, Isaiah 52:13--53:12, John 18:1-11, John 19:38-42, John 19:17-27

Sermon Aid

Russell F. Anderson

Theme: Healing and eternal life through the sufferings and death of Jesus Christ, God's suffering servant and our Savior. COMMENTARY Old Testament: Isaiah 52:13--53:12 This is the fourth Servant Song. The usual scholarly interpretation identifies the Servant with the nation of Israel. I must straight out confess that I have real problems with this interpretation. First of all, the images are intimately personal. "He was despised and rejected by men; a man of sorrows and acquainted with grief..." (v. 3). A ...

1637. Easter 6

John 14:15-31, Psalm 67:1-7, Acts 15:22-35, Joel 2:18-27, Revelation 21:1-27

Sermon Aid

George Bass

THEOLOGICAL CLUE Had the title for this Sunday, Rogate, been continued in the churches, the readings might have been different and the Sunday would have at least two practical and related thrusts. One of these would be to continue the practice of some of the churches in the Northern Hemisphere, of blessing the fields, in the hope of avoiding natural disasters and anticipating a bountiful harvest. The other would extend the concern for farms and crops for this year to a care of the Earth Sunday as long as ...

1638. You Can't Start a Car With a Cross

Sermon

Ron Lavin

"We beseech you in behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God." (2 Corinthians 5:20) Recently, I reached into my pants' pocket for a loose car key I had put there earlier. "Quarters. Dimes. Pennies. Ah, there it is." I was in a hurry. I tried to put the key into the ignition lock of the car. Then I saw that it wasn't a key at all. It was the tiny aluminum cross that we distributed recently at church. "You can't start a car with a cross," I said out loud. As I dug back into my pocket for the car key, found it, ...

1639. Make Way For Poets Of The Heart

Sermon

James Angell

One of the dividends of the ministry is coming to know and enjoy different people - all ages and all human conditions. Often there are surprises. One came for me on a fall afternoon in the 1960s when some members of my Lexington congregation and I visited a Trappist monastery to see what life is like as a monk. Coming out of the Reformed tradition which has no such orders, I never thought of life behind the walls as anything involving me personally. The silences. Rising at 2 a.m. to pray (after having gone ...

1640. Christmas 2

Jn 1:1-18 · Eph 1:3-6, 15-18 · Isa 61:10--62:3 · Jer 31:7-14

Sermon Aid

John R. Brokhoff

COMMENTARY Jeremiah 31:7-14 Yahweh promises to rebuild the nation of Israel. God's word is one of hope through restoration of the exiles to their homeland. Previously Jeremiah had the unpleasant task of giving God's word as a message of doom, destruction, and exile. Now, God has him give a message for the period after the Babylonian captivity. Through Jeremiah God has a word of hope by promising the gathering and returning the exiles to Zion. Isaiah 61:10--62:3 Israel rejoices that God has clothed him with ...

1641. Pardon for Sin

Romans 5:12-21

Sermon

Dennis Kastens

Human nature will go to great lengths to cover up wrong doings and to excuse its mistakes. In Newark, New Jersey, a lady lost a purse containing twenty-five dollars. A week later it came back in the mail with only fifteen dollars, plus a note from the anonymous finder explaining she had once lost a purse with ten dollars in it. The fact that she once was robbed gave justification to rob a portion from the twenty-five dollars. This justification and rationalization of wrongdoing affects us down the line. It ...

1642. Amazing Grace

Romans 3:21-31

Sermon

Robert G. Tuttle

Before his conversion, Paul had fought passionately to be perfect, according to the Law, but he had found no peace, and now we hear him saying, "For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God; being justified freely by his grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus" (Romans 3:23-24). Paul had found his peace as a gift and not as something earned. Many people are confused about "grace and works." Someone came to me recently asking, "Are we saved by grace, by works, or by both? Help me ...

1643. Pilgrim Living in a Vagabond World

Matthew 7:13-14

Sermon

Leonard Mann

I am thrilled to see a powerful airplane cut a straight path across the sky, above the mountains and the rivers, homing in on some distant destination. I am much moved when I watch a huge ocean liner disengage from the dock, slowly make its way out to the harbor’s edge, and then swing about, point its stately prow toward an oceanside city 3,000 miles away, and open all engines to full power. And I am inspired when I see a man who moves through life as though he is going somewhere and knows where he is ...

1644. The Stone Was Rolled Away (easter)

Luke 24:1-12

Sermon

Maxie Dunnam

"One day a teacher was asking the kids in her fourth grade class to name the person whom they considered the greatest human being alive in the world today -- and the responses were quick in forthcoming and also quite varied too.A little boy spoke up and said, "I think it's Joe Montana. He led the 49ers to another Super Bowl win this year." A little girl said, "I think it's Mother Teresa because she cares for people who are dying and doesn't get paid for it at all." Another little girl said, "I think it's ...

1645. With Jesus In The Wilderness

Luke 4:1-13

Sermon

King Duncan

This is not exactly camping season. Nevertheless, over the six weeks of Lent we are going into the wilderness as we prepare for Easter Sunday. And while we make our journey through the wilderness, we’re going to tell stories, wilderness stories, from the Bible. To get you in the mood, I found a list of camping tips by a man named Bruce Cochran which was printed in the Sept. ‘96 issue of Backpacker magazine. The list is too long to read in its entirety, so I’m only going to mention a few: When using a ...

1646. This Is Not Rocket Science

Acts 2:1-8

Sermon

Mark Trotter

The title of this sermon, "This Is Not Rocket Science," was chosen several weeks ago for reasons that are no longer clear to me. But I do remember that what I hoped to do in this sermon on Pentecost Sunday, the birthday of the Church, was to talk about the Church, particularly on Confirmation Sunday as these young people will be joining the Church, as simply as I can. The expression, "This is not rocket science," is used when somebody has made something too complicated, much more than it needs to be, or ...

1647. Proper 24

Hebrews 4:14-5:10, Job 38:1--41:34, Mark 10:35-45

Sermon Aid

John R. Brokhoff

COMMENTARY Old Testament: Job 38:1-7 (34-41) The arguments of Job's four friends come to an end. Now the Lord joins the discussion and answers Job. Earlier Job called upon God to answer him. This pericope is part of the Lord's answer. Verses 1 through 7 deal with God's creation of the earth. God answers with a series of rhetorical questions. In these questions Job is confronted with the sovereignty and majesty of God. Epistle: Hebrews 5:1-10 Hebrews claims that Christ is superior to the Jewish high priest ...

1648. The Light of Christ

Isaiah 9:2-7

Sermon

Mary S. Lautensleger

Isn't it wonderful to be part of a candlelight Christmas Eve worship service? It's truly breathtaking to see so many people holding candles, preparing to be bearers of Christ's light in the world. One of the special moments of a candlelight service is watching people pass the light through the congregation. One person gives the gift of light to another whose candle is dark and cold. But, the light is unlike a gift that when given, leaves the giver with less. Instead, after the light is shared, both candles ...

1649. Good News about Christ

Revelation 1:4-8

Sermon

King Duncan

Today I want to deal with some of the fundamentals of our faith. You may leave here saying, “Pastor, I already knew those things.” Perhaps, but I’ve learned that people can hear something many times, but not have it really connect to their lives. Besides, as we all know, communication is a tricky thing. I heard about a disappointed soft drink salesman who returned from his assignment in the Middle East. His boss asked, “Why weren’t you successful with the Arabs?” The salesman explained, “When I got posted ...

1650. Accusations

2 Corinthians 1:12--2:4, 2 Corinthians 2:5-11

Understanding Series

James M. Scott

After the thanksgiving in 1:3–11, the body of the letter begins with a lengthy section in which Paul seeks to deal with various accusations the Corinthians have made against his character and conduct (1:12–2:13). By the writing of 2 Corinthians, Paul has heard the good report from Titus that most of the Corinthians have been reconciled to Paul (cf. 7:6–7). Yet, because of the discrepancy between Paul’s written word and his actions, the Corinthians have become suspicious of Paul’s motives, accusing him of ...

Showing results