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 1651 to 1675 of 2665 results

1651. Mark 9:38-50

Mark 9:38-50

Sweet

Leonard Sweet

... are to see themselves as part of an ever-growing network of followers. Membership into this network is not determined by special privilege or unique gifts it is based on acknowledging the name and authority of Jesus. The qualifications for acceptance into this network drop even more dramatically in verse 41. Now all that Jesus requires is only the tiniest hint of respect and interest in those who witness in his name. Giving a "cup of water" is hardly a measure of exuberant hospitality. Yet Jesus insists it ...

1652. Mark 10:2-16

Mark 10:2-16

Sweet

Leonard Sweet

... stop there. Mark's gospel breaks up this discourse by having the disciples and Jesus now leave the crowds and retreat to the privacy of their local home base and the intimacy of a private tutorial. The "whatever cause" phrase from Matthew that is dropped in Mark's gospel remains absent in Jesus' final private words on this subject to his disciples. Matthew knows his audience and is well aware of "unchastity" as legitimate grounds for divorce a point Jesus himself concedes in Matthew 19:9. But before Mark ...

1653. Mark 12:38-44

Mark 12:38-44

Sweet

Leonard Sweet

... temple proper. The "treasury" is probably the site where the 13 collection boxes (one for each tribe), shaped in the form of trumpets, were displayed. People approached these receptacles, which were broad at the bottom and narrow at the top, and dropped in their temple contribution. As Jesus and his disciples watch, they see "many rich people put in large sums" (v.41). Then a "poor widow" approaches. Her presence immediately recalls the harsh treatment "widows" have supposedly received under the authority ...

1654. Mark 13:1-8

Mark 13:1-8

Sweet

Leonard Sweet

... addressed, and the relationship to and dependence upon Matthew and Luke, lies the debate over Mark's eschatology and the place of chapter 13. It doesn't take more than a quick read through chapters 11-14 to notice that chapter 13 could easily be dropped from its place and the narrative between 12:44 and 14:1 would proceed without any hint of disjointedness. Indeed, chapter 13 sticks out from the flow of Mark's Jerusalem narrative, interrupting the pace and progress of these final events with barely any ...

1655. About Sex

1 Corinthians 6:12-20

Sermon

King Duncan

... who? A guy who loves a girl would sooner cut off his right arm than hurt her. In my opinion, this self‑serving so‑and‑so has proved that he doesn’t love you. The predictable aftermath always finds Don Juan tiring of his sport. That’s when he drops you, picks up his line, and goes casting elsewhere for a bigger, and equally foolish, fish. If he loves you, let him prove his love at the altar.” (3) I realize how old-fashioned these words may sound to some people today. And that, of course, is the ...

1656. The Man with Two Umbrellas

John 1:43-51

Illustration

Bill Bouknight

... you." After introductions, the dark-skinned man said, "I am Filipino. I was born into a good Catholic home. I went to the United States as a young man to study in one of your fine universities, intending to become a lawyer. On my first day on campus, a student dropped by to visit. He welcomed me and offered to help in any way he could. Then he asked me where I went to church. I told him I was Catholic. He explained that the Catholic church was quite a distance away, but he sat down and drew me a map ...

1657. The Attitude Change

John 1:43-51

Illustration

Staff

... as his successor. At the next board meeting the son asked his four vice presidents, "What are your goals for the company for the next five to ten years?" One vice-president replied, "Well sir, we're looking at new sizes and shapes for different drills." The son then dropped his bombshell. "I have news for you - there is no market for drills." One could feel the tension in the air. He continued, "From now on we will not think drills. We will not sell drills. We'll sell holes! People don't want to buy a drill ...

1658. Astonishing! - Sermon Starter

Mark 1:21-28

Illustration

Brett Blair

... right when he said that the heavier an object, the faster it would fall to earth. Aristotle was regarded as the greatest thinker of all time, and surely he would not be wrong. Anyone, of course, could have taken two objects, one heavy and one light, and dropped them from a great height to see whether or not the heavier object landed first. But no one did until nearly 2,000 years after Aristotle's death. Legend has it that in 1589 Galileo summoned learned professors to the base of the Leaning Tower of Pisa ...

1659. God's Workmanship

Ephesians 2:1-10

Sermon

King Duncan

... . On into the timeless night Hazel directed them in exercises, stories, songs, prayers. She said to the two children over and over that they mustn’t go to sleep. Meanwhile the wind became a sixty‑mile‑an‑hour gale, the temperature dropped to zero, the gray became utter blackness. And the maddening snow kept falling. The searchers had to give up until daylight. “At two o’clock on Tuesday afternoon, twenty‑five hours from the time the Miner children had disappeared, searchers spotted something ...

1660. 1 Corinthians 9:16-23

1 Corinthians 9:1-27

Sweet

Leonard Sweet

... as “outside the law.” Note that in Paul’s description of his personal plurality he uses the comparative “as” in vv.20-21. He became “as” a Jew. He became “as” one under the law. He became “as” one outside the law. But in v.22 Paul drops the comparative when he takes up the cause of the “weak:” “To the weak I became weak.” To be weak and powerless, to have no status except that of a slave, albeit a slave of Christ, is the heart of Paul’s identity. In weakness Paul finds ...

1661. Evangelism is Holy Communion

John 4:1-26

Sermon

Mike Ripski

... experience of Holy Communion. Of being broken and poured out for the sake of God’s beloved children. “Go, call your husband and come back.” “I have no husband.” And how she must have wished this would be the end of it. That Jesus would drop it – this awkward, embarrassing, shameful, condemning truth of who she is. Jesus knew what is in everyone. “You’ve had five husbands and the man you’re now living with is not your husband.” We’ve tended to jump to the conclusion that is an immoral ...

1662. The Darkness We Create

Luke 15:11-32

Sermon

Mike Ripski

... Elder sons think, “If you show mercy to those who sin, you’re just encouraging them to sin more.” The world loves Elder Sons, because they accomplish a lot. What they accomplish usually is of high quality. They pick up the balls that others drop. They come to work sick, when others stay home. They work overtime, while others punch the clock. I wonder if there have been more sermons preached on the Prodigal Son because the world applauds Elder Sons rather than seeing something wrong with them. I wonder ...

1663. The Potato Salad Promise

Matthew 6:1-6, 16-21

Illustration

... year celebrates student recognition day. One year, after several students had spoken quite eloquently, the pastor started his sermon in a striking way: "Young people, you may not think you're going to die, but you are. One of these days, they'll take you to the cemetery, drop you in a hole, throw some dirt on your face and go back to the church and eat potato salad." We may not like to acknowledge it, but someday, every one of us will have to face the "potato salad promise", that we will all die. "Ashes to ...

1664. Where Is God?!

Illustration

Mark Elliot

... So the mother sent her 8-year-old first, in the morning, with the older boy to see the clergyman in the afternoon. The clergyman, a huge man with a booming voice, sat the younger boy down and asked him sternly, "Where is God?". The boy's mouth dropped open, but he made no response. He just sat there with his mouth hanging open, staring wide-eyed at the imposing figure of the pastor. So the clergyman repeated the question in an even sterner tone, "Where is God!!?" Again the boy made no attempt to answer. So ...

1665. Easter 3

Luke 24:36-49, 1 John 2:28--3:10, Acts 3:11-26

Sermon Aid

John R. Brokhoff

... have? 3. Refreshing (v. 19). To repent and accept forgiveness is to be refreshed. It is like the refreshment of a cold drink on a hot day or like a shower after a hard day's work. To be forgiven brings new life to us. The burden of guilt is dropped. There is a renewed sense of God's acceptance and the Spirit is increased. Here are hope and comfort for sin-wearied people. 4. Blotted (v. 19). Here is a wonderful word concerning the fate of your sins. For Jesus' sake, God blots out our sins when we return in ...

1666. Epiphany 7

Isaiah 43:14-28, Mark 2:1-12, 2 Corinthians 1:12--2:4

Sermon Aid

John R. Brokhoff

... tells us. Outline: When God gets weary of us – a. He sends judgment vv. 22-24. b. He forgives and forgets v. 25. c. He gives us another chance vv. 18-21. 3. When life gets impossible (43:18-25). Need: What do you do when the bottom of life drops out? Collapse? Turn bitter? Commit suicide? In this Lesson God tells us what to do when we are in the depths of defeat and despair. Outline: When life gets impossible – a. Forget the past v. 18. b. Forgive the present v. 25. c. Face the future with God v. 19 ...

1667. Proper 27

Hebrews 9:11-28, Ruth 3:1-18, Ruth 4:13-22, Mark 12:35-40, Mark 12:41-44

Sermon Aid

John R. Brokhoff

... -dollar gifts of the rich. He claims that she gave more than any other because she gave out of her poverty while others gave out of their abundance. THEOLOGICAL REFLECTIONS Gospel: Mark 12:38-44 1. Watched (v. 41). Jesus sat down and watched people drop their offerings in the temple's treasury. He was an observer of people and their ways. That may be one reason for his knowing people so thoroughly and accurately. In his teachings he refers to everyday happenings and objects. Because he knew what people were ...

1668. Christ Understands Us

Luke 24:36-49

Illustration

C. Welton Gaddy

... knows better than any other the depths of discouragement. Do you hear? Do you grasp the meaning? If you did not sense the joy of Easter morning, if you have not felt Christ rise, if you cannot shout hallelujah, that does not mean that you must drop your head and take off toward Emmaus or some other place to give up. Christ understands. He understands you. So, Christ appears. The presence of Christ among us does not depend upon the quality of our understanding of Christ or even upon the nature of our ...

1669. Trust and Obey

Luke 24:36-49

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

It was a PR nightmare for Domino’s Pizza. Two employees recorded themselves as they carefully concocted a “special treat” for their customers. They ceremoniously dropped pizza toppings on the floor, mashed them around, scraped them up, and daintily arranged them on the pie. They stuck cheese strands up their own noses, extracted them, and giddily sprinkled them over the sauce. They squished and spit the condiments over the top. Then, they uploaded their creativity onto ...

1670. A Violent Wind

Acts 2:1-13

Sermon

King Duncan

... fluttered to the ground several yards away from his home, a friend of Flammarion’s was walking by and saw the pile of papers heaped on the ground. Looking them over, he discerned immediately that they were Flammarion’s work and assumed that he had dropped them on his way to his publisher’s. Hoping to avert a small crisis, the man decided to personally deliver the pages to the publishing house. However, the editor was not in his office. Flammarion’s friend simply placed the chapter on the editor’s ...

1671. A Shepherd's Love

John 10:1-21

Sermon

King Duncan

... . One rescuer told how he had climbed down into a hole in the twisted steel and rubble, extending his arm even farther to shine his flashlight into the darkness, when out of the dusty blackness a hand reached up and grabbed his! He was so startled he almost dropped his flashlight and let go of the hand! But instead, he reached back for someone to grab his hand, then someone grabbed that person’s hand, until a human chain was formed and the man trapped in the pile of debris was pulled to safety.” (1) It ...

1672. A Mother's Love

John 15:1-17

Sermon

King Duncan

... . “I look at her carefully manicured nails and stylish suit and think that no matter how sophisticated she is, becoming a mother will reduce her to the primitive level of a bear protecting her cub. That an urgent call of ‘Mom!’ will cause her to drop a souffle or her best crystal without a moment’s hesitation. “I feel I should warn her that no matter how many years she has invested in her career, she will be professionally derailed by motherhood. She might arrange for child care, but one day she ...

1673. The Ride of Your Life

Mark 4:35-41

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

... lots of protective gear. Bike helmets, knee pads, water wings. Dads tend to be both hands on and hands off. Swimming lessons, but then a white water raft trip. Bike-pushing, followed by a mondo mountain bike trail. Bigger knee pads, then diving into the deepest drop at the skate park. Moms say, “You worried me so much!” Dads tend to say, “Don’t worry too much!” Kids need both kinds of parenting. That is the most difficult challenge for single parents, a challenge that can be met and is being met ...

1674. Protected from the Big and Small

Mark 5:21-43

Illustration

Tom Rietveld

... that he had a sore back. Even though he went through such a horrendous fall, Randy still maintained his sense of humor. Because as paramedics carried him on a backboard to the ambulance, Randy asked one thing. He said, "Hey guys, be careful, will you? Don't drop me." When he arrived at the hospital and was examined by the doctors, and they discovered that the only injury he suffered was a bruised lung. Friends, I think sometimes our faith resembles Randy. God protects us from harm in a 110-foot fall, but we ...

1675. Nobody Is Too Big to Fail. Nobody Is Too Small to Prevail.

Mark 6:1-6

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

... new message to offer them? One of the hardest things in the world is to “know” the familiar. Let’s think of our the high school reunions. Imagine being in the high school class of Bill Gates. We can’t do college, because Gates was a Harvard drop-out. But if you had been in Bill Gates’ 10 year high school reunion, you would have talked to a hugely geeky guy, a wannabe working on some weirdo-ideas about some technological wizardry. Ten Year Anniversary grade for Bill Gates: Loser. But what about the ...

Showing results