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 151 to 175 of 391 results

151. Looking in All the Wrong Places

Romans 3:19-28

Sermon

Lee Ann Dunlap

... The Christians in Rome to which the Apostle Paul wrote were part of an urbanized culture similar to our own. The gathered community had believers from various pagan and Jewish backgrounds. Voices from the synagogue insisted that the path to wholeness lay in strict adherence to the rules (of the Jewish faith, that is). Belief in Jesus was tolerated at the time for the most part, yet they insisted that salvation lay in observing the Law. But many Gentiles saw little value in circumcision or dietary demands of ...

152. Following a God Who Flip Flops ...

Jonah 3:1-5, 10

Sermon

Schuyler Rhodes

... flexibility instead of consistency. Whether it's in our personal lives, our family lives, our church or our community, it makes sense that we work to be adaptable as change comes. It makes sense that we lean into the forgiving and loving arms of grace, rather than adhere to the rigors of legalism and law. Indeed, isn't that one of the main things Jesus came to tell us? That "the Sabbath is made for people, not the people for the Sabbath" (Mark 2:27). Our traditions, our rules, our doctrines, and our laws ...

153. Great Expectations

2 Kings 5:1-14

Sermon

Schuyler Rhodes

... , his servants persuaded him, and he received the healing that Elisha promised. But the whole story has to make us stop and wonder how we have let our expectations limit us. Well, not so much our expectations perhaps, but rather our rigid adherence to our expectations. I remember calling on an elderly woman once who was quite racist. She refused treatment by a doctor on the hospital staff because he was African-American. No one could persuade, cajole, or otherwise convince her to change her expectations ...

154. Church Slugs

1 Corinthians 12:1-11

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

... to terms with the challenge and threat of political correctness. The liberal and the conservative denominations are once again beginning to square off against each other, each with their own check list of politically correct opinions its members should adhere to, if they wish to be members. There are now PC watchdog committees examining the opinions of faculty at universities, employees in corporations and congressional members on the Hill. In the church, self-appointed "guardian angels" or "thought police ...

155. Get a Life!

2 Timothy 1:1-14

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

... , who blithely accept everyone and everything at face value, may claim "peace of mind." But they cannot say they have lived their life for the cause of justice and peace. Live in the present: Grasshoppers and ants aside, there is a lot to be said for adhering to this dictum and enjoying each moment of life as it comes our way. Jesus didn't spend much time worrying about how he and his disciples were going to finance their future or feed their followers. When pressed on this issue, he simply urged worriers ...

156. Divine Humility

John 1:6-8, 19-28

Illustration

King Duncan

... to far more people than Wesley, baptized many more into the Kingdom of God and was a favorite of such prominent Americans as Benjamin Franklin. Whitefield and Wesley were the best of friends until they had a severe falling out over Whitefield's strict adherence to Calvinist doctrine. Whitefield was asked following this falling out, "Do you expect that you will see John Wesley in heaven?" "No," answered Whitefield. "That's what I thought you would say," his questioner replied. "But you don't know what I mean ...

157. Mazing Grace or Amazing Grace

Isaiah 42:1-9

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

... the completion, the fulfillment, of creation through all the labyrinthine turns of life, all the actions God takes toward that end are likewise brought about through divine grace. Since all of creation exists because of God's grace, Anselm argued, God need never arbitrarily adhere to any set of "laws." The linchpin of Anselm's argument, however, was that as a part of this grace-action of creation, human beings were created by God for one primary purpose: blessedness. As God continues to act in the maze of ...

158. The Devil's I

Acts 5:27-32

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

... in obedience to God that Hosea married Gomer, a woman no man would have willingly chosen as his wife. It was in obedience to God that such ordinary men as the apostles stood before the powerful Sanhedrin and defied their authority. To obey God rather than to adhere to human rules and regulations empowers the faith. All our weaknesses are transformed into strengths when they are used for God's sake. To obey God means to surrender the moment and to put one's past at risk. When we are pleasing God, serving God ...

159. Hebrews 13:1-8

Hebrews 13:1-8

Sweet

Leonard Sweet

... stylistic change that there has been some suggestion that a different author composed this addendum at a different time and place - leaving the church to affix this conclusion at some later date. But while most scholars note this possibility, few actually adhere to the hypothesis. While the style of prose changes in chapter 13, the author's essential vocabulary and primary concerns remain the same. A less drastic theory states that while the author was concerned with voicing general guidelines and Christian ...

160. Matthew 5:21-37

Matthew 5:21-37

Sweet

Leonard Sweet

... even a single stroke of the letter of the law should be abandoned - it must be accomplished in its entirety. Even more distressing is Jesus' demand that his listeners be more righteous than the "scribes and Pharisees" - two groups noted for their painstaking adherence to every jot and tittle of the law. In today's gospel text, Jesus begins to reveal what going beyond the righteousness of the Pharisees means for ordinary men and women. In every case he presents, Jesus offers a more invasive and persuasive ...

161. Philippians 3:17-4:1

Philippians 3:17-4:1

Sweet

Leonard Sweet

... flock. Depending upon what kind of group these "enemies" actually were, Paul's words in verse 19 take on various meanings. If they were Jewish-Christians, Paul's reprimand "their god is the belly" may be a reference to their continued conviction that adherence to the laws governing food was still important. In this same case, "their glory is in their shame" is probably a reference to the nakedness experienced during rites of circumcision. The "earthly things" filling their minds may then refer to all the ...

162. Philippians 3:4b-14

Philippians 3:4b-14

Sweet

Leonard Sweet

... for himself based on the law is a remarkably radical statement for this Pharisee to make. According to Pharisaic interpretations, righteousness was attained by carrying out every jot and tittle of the law. Communion with God was forged through a scrupulous adherence to legal duties. Now as a Christian, faith alone ensures Paul of his right relationship with God. All Paul's previous energies are now a "loss" because his newfound faith in Christ revealed to him that righteousness is a relational existence ...

163. Hebrews 11:1-3, 8-16

Hebrews 11:1-3, 8-16

Sweet

Leonard Sweet

... for the rest of his life, Abraham is also praised for his faith in God's ability to bring forth life from his body that was "as good as dead." Verse 11 has gone through some extensive revisions in the past few translations. While the RSV adheres to a translation that praises Sarah's faithfulness as well as Abraham's in the event of this miraculous fertility, the NRSV has adopted a translation that is probably grammatically correct, even if it is rather disappointedly one-sided in its focus. Based on the ...

164. Matthew 3:1-12

Matthew 3:1-12

Sweet

Leonard Sweet

... camel's hair" garment and a "leather belt" fits precisely the description of Elijah given in 2 Kings 1:8. It is evident from John's reaction to the approach of the Pharisees and Sadducees that he expected some type of visible change to adhere to those who underwent his baptism. Instead of welcoming those members of the religious elite, John the Baptist greets them with a particularly insulting invective, "You brood of vipers." The snake, of course, was vilified in Jewish tradition for being the most sneaky ...

165. Hebrews 13:1-8

Hebrews 13:1-8

Sweet

Leonard Sweet

166. Ephesians 4:25-5:2

Ephesians 4:25-5:2

Sweet

Leonard Sweet

... are intended to be "useful for building up" and to "give grace" (v.29) to members of the church. To be "kind," "tenderhearted" and "forgiving" is the goal set for the Ephesian Christians. There is only one reason that the writer advocates such strict adherence to bodybuilding behavior. The church exists only because Christ has loved us, forgiven us and given himself up as a sacrifice for us. This is the reason all Christians are unified in Christ and why all believers must strive to be "imitators" of God ...

167. James 1:17-27

James 1:17-27

Sweet

Leonard Sweet

... first fruits, as James will elaborate, and we in turn must bear the fruit that reveals God's work, and Word, in us. Beginning in verse 19, James' text takes up the imperative, making clear the force with which Christians are urged to adhere to the behaviors he now sets forth. Instead of the NRSV's pleading tone, "You must understand," a more direct, authoritative tone might better reflect James' point: "Know this!" Using one of his favorite techniques, James stands contrasting behaviors and their outcomes ...

168. Philippians 3:4b-14

Philippians 3:4b-14

Sweet

Leonard Sweet

... . Beginning at 3:1b, a different tone and focus color Paul's letter. Concerns over a specific group and their teachings come under Paul's scrutiny. The most common identification of these "dogs" (3:2) is the "Judaizers" those who taught that both adherence to the Law of Moses and a confession of Christ as Lord were necessary for complete entrance into Christian fellowship. Paul, of course, had no doubts about whether following Jewish law was still a necessary prerequisite for joining the church. It was not ...

169. Romans 8:14-17

Romans 8:14-17

Sweet

Leonard Sweet

... of slavery" and a "spirit of adoption" has most commonly been read as another Pauline comment against the old structures of the Law as it was practiced by first-century Pharisaic Judaism. This interpretation suggests that it was the arduous attempts to adhere strictly to every nuance of the law, an attempt that human nature doomed to failure, that created a "spirit of slavery" and kept people in a perpetual state of "fear." The "spirit of adoption" changes this relationship between God and humanity, giving ...

170. Matthew 5:1-12

Matthew 5:1-12

Sweet

Leonard Sweet

... and punishments. Wisdom Psalm 128:1-2 illustrates the characteristic beatitude form and standard formula: declaration of happiness; description of that happiness; promise of rewards awaiting exhibitions of specific attitude. While Matthew's beatitudes adhere strictly to this traditional form, their content reveals that something new has been added to the standard beatitude recipe. The beatitudes Jesus pronounces are highly spiced with an eschatological message. Blessedness or fulfillment or "congratulations ...

171. Philippians 3:4b-14

Philippians 3:4b-14

Sweet

Leonard Sweet

... of circumcision. What makes a Jew, Paul declares, is circumcision, tribal membership, strict instruction in the law (as experienced by Paul in Pharisaism), zealousness for upholding and protecting the law (demonstrated by Paul through his persecutions of the church) and strict adherence to the law (Paul's blameless righteousness). While in verse 7, Paul the Christian goes on to dismiss the benefits of this genuine Jewishness, Paul the Jew can at least feel the satisfaction of knowing he has provided a more ...

172. Acts 19:1-7

Acts 19:1-7

Sweet

Leonard Sweet

... " or "disciples" (Luke uses a single Greek term interchangeably to refer to both), they are certainly a poorly informed lot. Both their presence and their ignorance remind us of how embryonic Christianity still was its most basic tenents hardly formed, its faithful adherents remarkably diverse. Paul's witness to this particular group in Ephesus is just one more example of his beating out the sparks of sectarianism before they have a chance to ignite a blaze of trouble. Perhaps what is most puzzling about ...

173. Ephesians 3:14-21

Ephesians 3:14-21

Sweet

Leonard Sweet

... sentence. The concluding doxology after this prayer (vv.20-21) is also unique in style and content to the Ephesians writer. Doxologies were usually added at the end of written prayers and they had certain formulas to which they closely adhered. Most doxologies were so formulaic they did not necessarily reflect anything from the content of the prayer itself. This doxology in Ephesians 3:20-21 is different. The author intentionally connects it structurally to the preceding text. The phrase deep within ...

174. Mark 1:40-45

Mark 1:40-45

Sweet

Leonard Sweet

... are “by the book” by the book of Leviticus to be exact. First, he orders the man to seek out a priest, the only one who according to Levitical authority could declare this former leper now legally “clean.” Second, Jesus instructs the man to adhere to the letter of these laws by doing “what Moses commanded,” a reference to the series of blood and burnt sacrifices that needed to be offered to complete his transition to full “cleanliness” (Leviticus 13:47-14:54). The priest’s declaration will ...

175. The “Gratitude Salute”

James 1:19-27

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

... which we get our word “religion” has the root “lig” — which scholars have traced back partly to meaning “pay attention.” Any religious service, any religious act, should make us sit up, shake our heads, and focus in on the divine. When our lives adhere to a set schedule of work, when everyday routines can be acted out without even thinking about them, we loose consciousness to the wonders that surround us. The wonder of God’s creation. The wonder of love. The wonder of family. The wonder of ...

Showing results