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 334 results

151. The True Shepherd

John 10:1-10

Sermon

Lee Griess

It's no wonder that the image of the shepherd was so frequently on the lips of our Savior. It's no surprise he used that illustration so often. For the image of a shepherd and the sheep was very much a part of Jesus' heritage and culture. Abraham, the father of the Jewish people, was the keeper of great flocks of sheep. Moses was called by God to be God's deliverer of the ancient Jewish people while living as a shepherd and tending the flocks of his father-in-law. And David, the greatest king of the Jewish ...

152. Epiphany 2

Jn 1:29-42 · 1 Cor 1:1-9 · Is 49:1-7 · Ps 27

Sermon Aid

Russell F. Anderson

COMMENTARY Old Testament: Isaiah 49:1-7 The prophet of second Isaiah shares his strong sense of being called by the Lord; he was set aside for his prophetic/servant role while he was still in his mother's womb. He was called to relay some painful truths and feels as if his efforts have met with futility, but then the Spirit of God gives him hope and strength for his mission of restoring the wounded and scattered sheep of the defeated flock of Israel. The Spirit gently chides him for his constricted view of ...

153. A Blessing Behind Locked Doors

John 20:19-23

Sermon

William G. Carter

Every Sunday morning, the people of a church in the Pacific Northwest say, "Peace be with you." They begin the worship service with a hymn of praise. The people confess their sins together, and hear of God's forgiveness. Then they are invited to turn to others around them and pass the peace. It has become an exuberant moment in an otherwise sober occasion. Friends leave their pews to embrace one another. Newcomers are warmly welcomed with a kind word or a hug. Nobody thought much about the weekly ritual ...

154. Equipping the Whole People of God: Penultimate Questions

1 Peter 2:4-12

Sermon

Maxie Dunnam

Some of you have known me long enough to know that one of my favorite theologians is Charles Schultz, the artist who gave us the wonderful Peanuts cartoons. In one of my favorite cartoons, Lucy comes storming into the room and demands that Linus change TV channels and then threatens him with her fist if he doesn’t. “What makes you think you can walk right in here and take over?” asks Linus. “These five fingers,” says Lucy. “Individually they are nothing, but when I curl them together like this into a ...

155. What the Lord Does Best

Exodus 1:1-22

Sermon

Maxie Dunnam

There is an old Jewish folk saying which affirms what the Lord does is certainly best, probably. Now there is an ambiguity there, but it’s really a profession faith. What the Lord does is best, probably. Ours is a society that thrives on certainty. The Lord calls us to live with mystery. Ours is a high-tech civilization, so we’re preoccupied with fact. The Lord calls us to live in faith. Last Sunday we began this series of sermons on the book of Exodus, and we’re going to preach through this great book in ...

156. A Prophecy Against Gog

Ezekiel 38:1-39:29

Understanding Series

Steven Tuell

Gog of Magog: Both Gog and his kingdom, Magog, are a mystery. Apart from Ezekiel 38–39, the name “Gog” appears in the Old Testament only in 1 Chronicles 5:4, where Gog is a descendant of Reuben—clearly not the foreign ruler Ezekiel describes. Magog appears in Genesis 10:2//1 Chronicles 1:5 as second in the list of nations descended from Japheth, youngest son of Noah, whose descendants populate the lands north of Israel. These texts group Magog with other nations in Asia Minor (present-day Turkey), ...

157. “Do Not Drag Me Away with the Wicked”

Psalm 28:1-9

Teach the Text

C. Hassell Bullock

Big Idea: The menaces of leadership are myriad, sometimes posed by cordial faces with malicious intentions, and we pray that God will be the real Shepherd. Understanding the Text Gunkel lists Psalm 28 among the individual complaint songs, the genre that, in his view, forms the basic material of the Psalter.[1] Gerstenberger, based on the elements of petition, thanksgiving, and intercession, agrees and considers this psalm a model representative of the individual complaint psalm,[2] commonly referred to as ...

158. I Am the Vine

John 15:1-17

Sermon

Maxie Dunnam

Jesus was the master of figurative language. He used stories to proclaim his great truths. He told parables, he painted word pictures, he referred to ordinary things in order that he might underscore extraordinary and eternal truths. The disciples would have been able to identify this image of Jesus, the image of the vine and the branches, fruit bearing and pruning, dead branches burned. They would have been able to identify with it because Palestine was the land of vineyards. But more than that, the vine ...

159. Lord of the Sabbath

Matthew 12:1-14

Understanding Series

Robert H. Mounce

Opposition Mounts: In chapter 12 Matthew relates a number of incidents that reveal the basis for Pharisaic opposition to Jesus and his ministry. Jesus vindicates his disciples’ plucking grain on the Sabbath (vv. 1–8), restores a paralyzed hand on the Sabbath (vv. 9–14), moves away when he hears of a plot against him (vv. 15–21), refutes the Pharisees’ claim that he drives out demons by the power of Beelzebub (vv. 22–32), calls his antagonists “snakes” who will be held accountable on the day of judgment (vv ...

160. Passing on the Flame

Psalm 138:1-8

Sermon

Billy D. Strayhorn

Garfield gets up one morning and still half asleep, looks in the mirror. Seeing his face he says, "Boy, do I need a shave." Then you hear the electric razor buzzing and Garfield's frantic thought, "Wait a minute!" In the final scene, John has this startled look on his face as he sees Garfield with the fur shaved off the bottom half of his face. And with a very perturbed look on HIS face, Garfield says, "I forgot I was a cat, okay?" (1) Just like Garfield, sometimes we forget who we are. Sometimes we forget ...

161. More Than Just Image

Ezekiel 34:11-16, 20-24

Sermon

King Duncan & Angela Akers

Would you agree that we are an image-conscious society? Appearances are important to us. And not just our personal appearances. We want the things in our environment—our homes and cars and sneakers and even our lunches—to look Instagram-ready. The problem with living in an image-conscious society is that we are easy to deceive. Too often, appearance wins out over substance. If something looks good on the outside, we don’t question its authenticity or integrity. Author Mark D. Roberts tells of meeting a man ...

162. Job’s Reply to Zophar

Job 12:1--14:22

Understanding Series

Gerald H. Wilson

Job’s Equal Wisdom 12:1 Undeterred by Zophar’s stringent warnings, Job answers Zophar’s harshness with equal venom. 12:2 Doubtless. Job begins his reply to Zophar with the same word with which he began his response to Bildad (ʾomnam, “surely, certainly, without a doubt,” 9:2), but here the word drips with intentional sarcasm. Job clearly has his doubts about the wisdom of the three friends—especially after the rather unfeeling rebuke that Zophar has just pronounced. He directs his reply at all three ...

163. Epiphany 5

Psalm 112:1-10, Isaiah 58:1-14, 1 Corinthians 2:6-16, Matthew 5:13-16, Matthew 5:17-20

Sermon Aid

Marion L. Soards, Thomas B. Dozeman, Kendall McCabe

OLD TESTAMENT TEXTS Both Old Testament texts underscore the importance of integrating faith into all aspects of our lives. Isaiah 58:1-12 explores the inherent interrelationship between worship and ethics, while Psalm 112:1-9 (10) functions in praise of godliness. Isaiah 58:1-9 a (9 b-12) - "Worship and Ethics" Setting. Isaiah 58:1-12 is a critique of worship. The opening line is a question by the worshiper, asking why God is absent from worship or at the very least why God is not responding to acts of ...

164. Shepherd Dreams

Jeremiah 23:1-8, 1 Samuel 16:1-13, Psalm 80:1-19, Psalm 23:1-6, John 10:22-42, John 10:1-21

Sermon

Lori Wagner

Prop: shepherd’s staff (invisible cloak / rock of salvation / living water / sling and staff) We all have dreams for our children! We set them free to make their own decisions in the world, but at the same time we take care to guide them, pray for them, dream for them, envision a future for them in which we play a relational part. We so want them to live fulfilling and satisfying lives, filled with life, love, and happiness. Anyone want to dispute that? Being a parent is a kind of higher calling, in which ...

165. Christ the Wisdom and Power of God

1 Corinthians 1:18--2:5

Understanding Series

Marion L. Soards

God’s Peculiar, Powerful Way This paragraph is crucial, both in the context of this particular letter and for the overall understanding of Paul’s theology. Here he delivers the heart and essence of the gospel he believed and proclaimed. Paul’s lines reveal that God works in a most peculiar way—first, God works in defiance of the standards of this world as they are understood or construed by humanity, and second, God’s work is powerful so that it incapacitates, reverses, even turns upside down the values of ...

166. The Image of Gold and the Fiery Furnace

Daniel 3:1-30

Teach the Text

Ronald W. Pierce

Nebuchadnezzar Builds the Statue (3:1-12): Big Idea: God sometimes allows believers to face dark times of crisis in which their faith and faithfulness are challenged, even with the penalty of death. Understanding the Text Daniel 3:1–30 is woven into the book’s overall literary structure in two ways. First, it advances the narrative of chapters 1–6, in which the first four focus on Nebuchadnezzar (chaps. 1–2 with historical markers and 3–4 without) and the last two show the transition from Belshazzar of ...

167. That's Our God For You!

Luke 19:28-44

Sermon

John M. Braaten

Palm Sunday is an event in Christ's life that many people, particularly young people, enjoy. It is action packed, filled with lots of commotion and noise - especially noise. It centers around a grand parade with all the excitement and frenzied emotion of a political convention. The "Triumphant Entry into Jerusalem," as it is sometimes called, includes people lining the streets craning their necks to see, waving palms, and lots of shouting. For many people who like lots of activity, Palm Sunday is their ...

168. Being A Man of God

1 Peter 2:4-12

Sermon

Maxie Dunnam

Some of you have known me long enough to know that one of my favorite theologian is Charles Schultz, the artist who gave us the wonderful Peanuts cartoons. In one of my favorite cartoons, Lucy comes storming into the room and demands that Linus change TV channels and then threatens him with her fist if he doesn’t. “What makes you think you can walk right in here and take over?” asks Linus. “These five fingers,” says Lucy. “Individually they are nothing, but when I curl them together like this into a single ...

169. Nicodemus: A Young Old Man

John 3:1-21

Sermon

David O. Bales

Sermon Note: This story sermon is best read with a “special” voice reserved for the scripture included in the story. Read the scripture with a lower and slower voice so that the congregation realizes that all the rest is the story is “commentary” on the scripture. When the last farmer from the most distant field arrived home to his family and the temple police were tromping their patrols around Jerusalem’s walls and the remaining member of the Sanhedrin set aside the last legal brief and blew out the seven ...

170. In Remembrance

1 Corinthians 11:23-26

Sermon

King Duncan

Albert Einstein, one of the most brilliant men who ever lived, at one time lived in a small frame house in Princeton, New Jersey. One day Einstein was asked for his telephone number. He looked puzzled for a minute, then asked for a phone book (I know. Those of you under 25 are wondering, “What’s a phone book?” Ask one of our older members after the service.) Anyway, I think it is interesting that Albert Einstein, a very smart man, did not even know his own phone number. Was he simply forgetful? Not ...

171. Faith and Freedom

Mark 5:21-43

Sermon

Billy D. Strayhorn

During World War II, a General and one of his Lieutenants were traveling from their base to a base in another state. They were forced to travel with civilians aboard a passenger train. They found their compartment, where two other folks were already seated. There they found an attractive young lady and her grandmother. The four of them had a friendly visit for most of the trip, at least until the train entered a long and rather dark tunnel. Once inside the tunnel, the passengers in this particular car ...

172. Epiphany: The Tragedy of Rejection

Luke 4:14-30

Sermon

J. Ellsworth Kalas

In the church, most of us think of Epiphany simply as a season on the church calendar, and sometimes as a season we don't understand too well. We may recall that we are celebrating particularly the revealing of Christ to the Gentile world, via the Wise Men, but not much more. The dictionary, however, adds further dimension to the word, listen: "a sudden, intuitive perception ... into the reality or essential meaning of something, usually initiated by some simple, homely, or commonplace occurrence or ...

173. Dry Bones

Ezekiel 37:1-14, Ezekiel 37:15-28

Sermon

Lori Wagner

Prop: a broken piece of pottery I want to read to you this morning a translation of Ezekiel’s prophetic story, translated from the Hebrew by Rabbi Arthur Waskow. This is the most vivid reading of this scripture that I have ever heard. You’ll see why when you hear it. [Read the scripture translation.] The imagery, the sensory experience of Ezekiel’s prophetic vision, the mystery and wonder of God’s creative breath, these are made so vivid in this reading. No? You get such a sense of the metaphor that God is ...

174. He Has Done All Things Well

Mark 7:31-37

Sermon

King Duncan

It's time for us to visit again with our old friend Charlie Brown. Charlie, Linus, and Lucy are on their way to school. It's show and tell day. Lucy asks Linus if he has remembered to bring anything for show and tell. "Yes," Linus answers, "I have a couple of things here to show the class." He then unfolds some papers. "These are copies I've been making of some of the Dead Sea scrolls," he says. Holding them up for Charlie Brown and Lucy to inspect he continues."This is a duplicate of the scroll of Isaiah ...

175. Staying Alive All Your Ministry Life: Will You Finish Well?

Exodus 32:1-33:6

Sermon

Maxie Dunnam

There are some experiences or encounters that are so solidly lodged in our memory they continue to invade our consciousness – to haunt us – to help us or to hinder our Christian walk, to call and challenge us to be more than we are. John Birkbeck is a person around whom for me a whole cluster of memories is gathered – memories that invade my immediate awareness now and then. John was a Scot Presbyterian preacher. During a part of my tenure as the World Editor of The Upper Room, he was the editor of the ...

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