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 3926 results

1651. Easter 6

John 14:15-31

Sermon Aid

... table and book; in water, and bread, and cup; in paintings and drawings and sculpture; in architecture and drama and dance. Pastor: God is here! Can you feel God? Ministers: We feel God through Holy Spirit, the Counselor: in fellowship around God's table; in support and challenge from God's word; in common-unity of purpose and mission; in persons who love the unlovely, who love their enemies, who love those who persecute them, who love us ... Pastor: Let us celebrate with this God who is living and who is ...

1652. Ascension Sunday

Matthew 28:16-20, Luke 24:50-53

Sermon Aid

... of love." People feel guilty for not "going into all the world," but often don't witness to people whom they have known for years. 2. Corporately: Many who insist that the church preach the "Gospel and save souls" have actively supported policies of racism, militarism, and closed housing. One response is to work with those groups seeking to challenge these idols. Stewardship Challenge Consider this: Build on the stewardship of action verses words. "The early Christians were persecuted, not because of what ...

1653. Pentecost 27

Matthew 24:1-35

Sermon Aid

... truths? Ministers: We know God through the word, spoken and sung, in the Scriptures and the hymns, in laughter and in joy, in hurt and in sadness. Pastor: God is here! Do you experience God's realities? Ministers: We experience God through Holy Spirit, in support and challenge from God's word, in common unity of purpose and mission, in persons who love as God taught us to love. Pastor: I invite us to celebrate God's presence and power, God's comforting and confronting us. Ministers: So be it! Amen! (source ...

1654. Christ the King

Matthew 25:31-46

Sermon Aid

... to the poor and powerless, those who cannot defend themselves. Offer some specific ways by which people can respond, as for example: 1. Write letters to Congress, but first, get a sophisticated understanding of the legislative process. 2. Eat less and slower. 3. Support hunger agencies. 4. Discover some facts we don't know. 5. Read some books about the problem and solutions. 6. Be an instigator of community change to effect no longer doing things for the hungry but with them. William Nottingham has said ...

1655. Dry Bones And Live Hope

John 11:17-37

Sermon

Charles Curley

... ? When we come face to face with the death of someone we love, some very primitive fears arise - and they are often fears for ourselves. These fears attack the very framework of our lives, the structure which helps us make sense out of life. The supporting structure of Mary’s life had as its foundation an assumption which went something like this: "We are friends of Jesus, Jesus will protect us from harm." But Lazarus died, and the framework of Mary’s life came tumbling down. She had lost her brother ...

1656. Three Secrets of A Life Well Lived

2 Timothy 4:6-8

Sermon

Brett Blair

... ! So what are we to do? Here is the secret. Here is how you handle those times when you have been abandoned. Listen to the words of Paul once again and then I want to break it down for you. Paul says, “At my trial, no one came to my support, everyone deserted me.” Now notice the next three things. “May it not be held against them. But the Lord stood at my side and gave me strength. So, that through me the message might be fully proclaimed and all the gentiles might hear it.” Did you catch the three ...

1657. True And False Prophecy

Mark 14:27-31

Drama

... allow us to keep the sabbath, even when serving in the army. They exempt us from ceremonies of worship toward the emperor which are offensive to us. They even allow us to collect a temple tax, not only in Palestine but throughout the Diaspora for the support of our holy work here. We believe we deserve such special considerations and we will work hard to maintain them. Let the Romans keep the peace with justice, and we will keep the faith with proper zeal and patience. Let the Romans have control, and we ...

1658. Steadfast and Faithful

Genesis 9:1-17

Sermon

... , and the underworld. It was believed that water surrounded earth, above and below. The firmament, spread above earth like a huge dome, was thought to be the floor of a heavenly ocean, above which was the dwelling place of the gods. The firmament was supported by pillars and sunk into the subterranean waters. In the depths of these waters was believed to be Sheol, the Kingdom of the Dead. The Psalmist betrays this worldview in writing: Thou didst set the earth on its foundations, so that it should never ...

1659. Christ Our High Priest

John 18:28-40, Isaiah 52:13--53:12

Sermon

... cross, through our wide-angle lens. The cross signifies a spiritual battle, carried on in our behalf by God in Christ, whose kingdom is not of this world. The fact is that all three viewpoints about Christ’s saving work on the Cross are supported by Scripture. All three, despite their contradictions, contain truth. All three are also necessary, to correct each other and to remind us that the Atonement is essentially a mystery, that no one theory can exhaust its meaning. When your pictures of the Cross are ...

1660. When Old Nick Met Nicodemus

Drama

... him. Joseph of Arimathea No, that’s not the only reason I remained a secret disciple. I was a coward! I was fearful for my position. I was a failure to him when he needed me so desperately! Nicodemus What do you mean? You stood with me, in support of Jesus in the meeting of the Sanhedrin! Joseph of Arimathea Yes, but it was too late! Too late! For three days I have wept out in repentance for my failure. But it is too late! Nicodemus (Taking Joseph by the shoulder) Joseph, I have something I want ...

1661. "The Return"

Drama

... in your heart you hold them in contempt, and in your sleep have nightmares about them? You who have been charged to provide security and turned it into oppression; freedom and turned it into corruption? You never hesitated to call upon my bride for her support when it suited your purposes; here you call her meddlesome. You who accused her of unfaithfulness and with neglecting my poor brother? She gave him something. What did you do? Liberal Lady I wrote letters to him. Jesus What did you do with the letters ...

1662. Death: Commonality Explored

Deuteronomy 34:1-12

Sermon

... and it especially grants us a means to reach out to those parts of traditions different from our own. In helping another pilgrim accept himself/herself before the death angel, we prepare ourselves to do the same thing. Ministry is real ministry as we support and learn from one another. I knew a winsome fellow who would jokingly say, "The hardest thing for me to do every morning is to look into the mirror." My response was standard: "I can relate! I can relate! Thank you." Furthermore, I am confident ...

1663. Loyalty: Imperative Ingredient

Ruth 1:1-22

Sermon

... of God;" "that grace for wise and peaceful governance be given to rulers, so that obedience to their commands not necessitate disobedience to God;" and meaning, therefore, "the Creator’s purposes will be fulfilled." Those advocates of Christian unity who support and affirm the World Council of Churches, have been bombarded with rhetoric, and much worse, which insists this expression of a world organization is anti-nationalistic and, in fact, communistic. What many such diatribes never seem to consider is ...

1664. Acceptance: The Keynote

Ruth 2:1-23

Sermon

... ’s way into the Kingdom. Saint James offers a solution: "But some one will say, ‘you have faith and I have works.’ Show me your faith apart from your works, and I by my works will show you my faith." (2:18) We work hard as Christians, supported by the grace of God and knowing the fullness of discipleship springs from the interlocking of faith and works. Our efforts never run amiss, as long as we are sensitive to all that is happening and willing to learn. I can well remember a denominational executive ...

1665. Growing in Our Environment

Illustration

Bill Bouknight

... eight inches in an aquarium. People are like the shark in at least one respect. We grow according to the possibilities around us. If we live or work in a setting that is critical, harsh, and unloving, we never become very much. But if we live or work in a supportive, encouraging atmosphere in which we feel free to take responsible risks, our dreams become bolder and our accomplishments bigger. If people are telling us, ‘You can do almost anything you set your mind on,’ then our production soars.

1666. Faithful People in a Fiery Furnace

Daniel 3:1-30

Sermon

Bill Bouknight

... you refuse to laugh and say instead, "We need to pray for that man"? Somebody at the office, maybe the boss, wants to have the annual office party at a casino, with dinner and a concert. Do you dare to protest? Or do you go along and support that malignant industry down in Tunica that victimizes the poor, the ignorant, and the addicted? Sometimes I think all the radio stations in Memphis are almost owned by the gambling industry. If the Christians in Memphis would stay away from Tunica and urge others to do ...

1667. "Gone Fishing!"

Luke 5:1-11

Sermon

Bill Bouknight

... on you’re going to be working for God, fishing for people." Now Simon Peter and his friends sense how great and capable Jesus is. They turn over their fishing business to friends and relatives, confident that Jesus will see that the business is viable enough to support their families. They "left everything and followed him." (Luke 5:11) I. God Calls Us Into Deep Water I find three life-lessons here that I feel called to apply to our hearts. The first is this: God Calls us into deep water. By deep water I ...

1668. Don't Let the Parade Pass You By

Luke 19:28-44

Sermon

Bill Bouknight

... had a similar kind of love/hate attitude toward Jesus. They cheered him on the first Palm Sunday as he entered Jerusalem, but then shouted "Crucify him" the following Friday. The Palm Sunday crowd was enthusiastic but fickle. As the politicians would say, Jesus’ support was broad but shallow. The big money and the power structure were against him. Many in the crowd were not really yelling "Hurrah for Jesus." They were using his parade as a way of saying, "Down with Rome." In verses 28 through 36 we ...

1669. Do You Believe In Easter?

Luke 24:1-12

Sermon

Bill Bouknight

... was no time to anoint the body with spices as was the custom. The first opportunity to do that was the following Sunday morning. Anointing the dead was usually women’s work. Therefore, early on Sunday morning, certain women from Galilee who had supported Jesus’ ministry came to the tomb. Mary Magdalene was the leader. It is interesting that God allowed Mary Magdalene to be the first person on earth to tell the good news of Jesus’ resurrection. Women were considered little more than property in the ...

1670. Train Whistle In The Night

Matthew 25:1-13

Sermon

... left in the dark, cold loneliness of the night. At first glance it might seem as though Christ were telling us about a first-century fuel shortage or energy crisis. And a quick review of the parable gives us the impression that he was lending strong support to the first commandment of the new religion - that you are what you have. Five young women have sufficient oil for their lamps and apparently are something that the other five women are not. But a longer look at Christ’s word picture begins to give ...

1671. Paul’s Midnight Ride

Acts 22:30--23:11

Sermon Aid

... , on the other hand, were more secular in their outlook and included wealthy merchant families and politically active Jews. Their political know-how enabled them to elect most of the high priests (including the current leader, Ananias), although their popular support was not as great as that of the rival Pharisees. Besides these two parties, there were also minor sects like the Zealots and Essenes, but these were unlikely to be represented in the Sanhedrin. Summoned by Roman messengers, the members ...

1672. It Isn’t Fair!

Matthew 20:1-16

Sermon

... , by accident of birth or other circumstances beyond their control, don’t enjoy such benefits. Beyond the mere unpleasantness, the disadvantaged nations (or regions) often suffer economic hardships which go hand in hand: too many people crowded into an area unable to support it adequately; poverty, because industry is unable to take off or be sustained, or because industry is not as possible there as in other regions. We see newsclips of the starving of the world and shake our heads. Among the other ...

1673. Welcome to the Training Table!

Matthew 22:1-14

Sermon

... , untested players who have warmed the bench forever and forever. Suddenly they seem to jell and come together. Against everybody’s expectations they begin to move, to execute smooth plays, to score. Out of admiration and sympathy, the crowd comes to life in support of their performance. Many a game has been won by the second team. Sometimes a star first-stringer gets his or her first opportunity at such a serendipitous moment. That’s God’s style. He calls the seasoned, nurtured, well-prepared team ...

1674. You Figure It Out

Matthew 22:15-22

Sermon

... not register at all. Their arguments are similar to those who will register but request alternate service. - Still others have said that a government which engages in war should be resisted actively. During the Vietnam Conflict, this movement grew in the land, supported in part by professing Christians. They argue that to let the government pursue a warlike policy is to participate in murder. We could make a Christian argument for any of these points of view. Wiser folks than any of us here have advocated ...

1675. Suffering for Christ

Matthew 10:1-42

Sermon

Dennis Kastens

... and read out the instructions. "Men of the Twelfth Legion," he shouted, "you have shown your valor and unity in battle in a way that has brought victory after victory over the enemy. Now I am calling on you to demonstrate once again your support of our Imperial Caesar and your obedience to his laws. Tomorrow we will sacrifice to the gods." After the legionnaires were dismissed, two soldiers came to the Captain’s tent and asked permission to speak. They advised the Captain that there were forty Christians ...

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