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 1726 to 1750 of 2665 results

1726. Experiencing God

Acts 2:1-21

Sermon

Stan Purdum

... has ever devised. He later became a Christian, entered the ministry, and became an ardent abolitionist, working to end slavery. His conversion to Christ was brought about by several factors, but one was a dream Newton had one night. In the dream, he accidentally dropped a sacred ring into the sea from the deck of his ship. Jesus appeared and saw that Newton had lost an incredible treasure. Jesus offered to dive into the water and retrieve this ring — like the ring given to the prodigal. When he awoke ...

1727. Being What We Are

1 Samuel 8:4-20

Sermon

Stan Purdum

... we bring little rock combos to lead us in singing praise choruses, and project high-impact visual images on screens hung in our sanctuaries. This was to reach people who either won't come to traditional services or who do come but emotionally drop out while they are there. We have learned valuable things from this experiment. We have added some excellent new music and songs to our repertoires and loosened up some of the stiffness that had dominated worship. We have become more conscious that not everybody ...

1728. Misled By Beauty

1 Samuel 15:34-35, 16:1-13

Sermon

Stan Purdum

... weeks, she is to narrow the group down to one she'd be willing to spend some time with. Near that point, however, some hunky guys are brought in, and you get to see whom the young woman will now choose. On the first series, the woman dropped all of the average Joes and opted for a hunk. While I think these shows, especially Average Joe, send a terrible message, their creators are also very astute in realizing how big the potential audience is for such programming. According to one survey, 99 percent of ...

1729. The God of War and Peace

1 Samuel 17:(1a, 4-11, 19-23) 32-49

Sermon

Stan Purdum

... just war," and that the committee's deletion of the hymn implied a dishonoring "of the memories of those who died for God and country."1 In recalling the battle over this hymn, I found myself wondering if the committee would have made the original decision to drop it if they had been working in the immediate years following the events of 9/11 rather than a few years before. I say that because those events caused many people to rethink their position on warfare. And events after 9/11 in Afghanistan and Iraq ...

1730. What’s So Amazing about Grace?

2 Samuel 7:1-14a

Sermon

Stan Purdum

... been understood up to that point. In the past, it had been marked by the word "if." It was a conditional arrangement, with God saying in effect, "If you will obey me, then I will make of you a great nation." But now, in his words to David, God drops the "if." He simply says, "I will make for you a great name ... I will appoint a place for my people Israel ... I will give you rest from your enemies ... I will raise up your offspring after you." In other words, God now says nothing about any conditions. God ...

1731. The Maybe Moment

2 Samuel 11:1-15

Sermon

Stan Purdum

... by one, but the old man kept picking them up. Finally the devil took the man's hand and pulled him toward the door. When they got there, the old man grabbed hold of the doorframe with his other hand and cried out, "Jesus, save me." Immediately the devil dropped his hand and fled. The old man began to weep, and the Lord appeared to him, asking why he wept. The man answered, "Because the devils have dared to seize a man and treat him like this." The Lord replied, "You had been careless. As soon as you turned ...

1732. The Thick Darkness

1 Kings 8:(1, 6, 10-11) 22-30, 41-43

Sermon

Stan Purdum

... this passage from the Bible is telling about God. Some years ago in Vancouver, British Columbia, a man by the name of Morris Davie was arrested and charged with setting a forest fire. While Davie was in jail awaiting trial, a police officer saw Davie drop to his knees and pray out loud, "Oh God, please let me get away with it, just this once." Naturally, the police officer's testimony about this became part of the evidence against Davie. His defense attorney tried to have the testimony thrown out, arguing ...

1733. What Shall We Become?

Luke 3:7-18

Sermon

Gary L. Carver

... that, Whyte reports getting up off his knees in a cold sweat for, suddenly, intercession had become more than a matter of words. Now it was the precious substance of his own life that was at stake. He pondered this question very deliberately for a while and then dropped back to his knees and said, "Yes! I hereby relinquish half of the time I have left, if this will enable my friend to survive." He got up off his knees with no idea of what the ultimate outcome of this agreement would be. This little episode ...

1734. Testing Time

Luke 4:1-13

Sermon

Donald Charles Lacy

... shall be miraculously rescued? Maybe we could make a trip to the SearsTower and announce in advance we are going to jump from more than 100 stories. Then, we will be quick to point out that God always comes to the aid of his children. The angels will drop from the heavens and we will be unscathed. Does that sound like the beginning of a profitable Hollywood movie? Well, it is a way of putting you and me — to some extent — in Jesus' place. Maybe we should have picked out the very top of the tallest spire ...

1735. Fish and Sheep

John 21:15-25, John 21:1-14

Sermon

Donald Charles Lacy

... is never a secular calling to a profession like other professions. Peter caught a glimpse of his own death. Again, Jesus proceeded in what can be termed a logical progression. The all-important threesome was out of the way. Essential answers had been given. As Peter heard the words drop from his Master's lips, he must have trembled. Would he have to die for his faith? For a man like Peter to be taken where he didn't want to go, potentially was a very hard pill for him to swallow. When it happened, he was to ...

1736. A Samaritan Took Care of Him

Luke 10:25-37

Sermon

David R. Cartwright

... is revealed to us. He was simply a man traveling down the road. The road the man was traveling on remains, to this day, as one of the most dangerous roads in the world, the road from Jerusalem to Jericho. In a little less than eighteen miles, the road drops from 2,500 feet above sea level at Jerusalem to 770 feet below sea level at Jericho. For as long as anyone can remember, this road has been noted for being one not everyone should travel on, at least not alone, and certainly not at night. Why the man ...

1737. You Fool!

Luke 12:13-21

Sermon

Ron Lavin

... for one took time, more time than shopping for two. She looked for a small steak, feeling lonely and forsaken, even by God. Suddenly a woman came up to her. She was blonde, slim, and lovely in a soft green pantsuit. She picked up a large pack of T-bones, dropped them in her basket, hesitated, and then put them back. She turned to go and once again reached for the pack of steaks. Then she saw Betty watching her. She smiled and said. "My husband loves T-bones, but at these prices ... I just don't know what to ...

1738. Jesus Brings Hope

Revelation 1:4-8

Sermon

Richard Gribble

... to the building. The pilot observed the scene, and remembering from his history lessons, realized what was happening. He radioed the IGW headquarters; the master was informed. "The mass must be stopped; it must be stopped," he cried. Planes were sent, bombs were dropped, gunfire was applied, but the mass continued. Then the words were spoken, "This is my body, given for you." With that, a crack of thunder was heard and a streak of lightning flashed through the sky. The clouds parted and in the distance ...

1739. Enduring the Trials of Faith

Revelation 7:9-17

Sermon

Richard Gribble

... home, his own plane, and significant real estate holdings. In November 1975, however, the bottom again fell out of Bill Mitchell's world. Piloting a turbo-charged Cessna with four passengers onboard, Bill was forced to abort a take-off, causing the plane to drop about 75 feet, like a rock, back to the runway. Smoke filled the plane and fearing that he would again be burned, Bill attempted to escape. Pain in his back and his inability to move his legs thwarted his efforts. In the hospital again, Bill ...

1740. Jesus Rewards the Just

Revelation 22:12-14, 16-17, 20-21

Sermon

Richard Gribble

... tired of holding up my head and looking pert and wide awake. It gets tiring having the sun shine on you all the time, with the wind beating against you and bees taking all of your pollen. So it is easy to get sleepier and sleepier and then finally you drop off. Then you wake up at the nicest time of the year. Why I like to die, I really do." Some how this did not help the boy as much as one might think. "I am not a flower," he said. "I might not come up again." On another day ...

1741. God’s Grammar

Galatians 3:23-29

Sermon

John Jamison

... . Their offense would be carried down from father to son, and was cause for the breach between the two groups now. If you ran a business and a Samaritan was to pay for your product or services, rather than touch the money they had held, you had them drop their money into a bucket of water, to remove the uncleanliness before you handled it. In some parts of the country even today, if a Jew happens to walk across the property of a Samaritan, the Samaritan will run outside, throw a handful of straw on the spot ...

1742. Divorce and Children - Sermon Starter

Mark 10:1-12

Illustration

Brett Blair

... to 1,000 percent from 1960 to 1998. Households headed by single mothers increased by more than 25 percent, and those led by single fathers grew, get this, by almost 62 percent. And this next finding is astounding: For the first time ever, nuclear families dropped below 25 percent of households. That's a mom and a dad and children, the nuclear family, represents less than a quarter of all homes. Another finding partially explains why this is happening: A third of all babies are born to unmarried women (33 ...

1743. The Good News about Money

Mark 10:17-31

Sermon

King Duncan

... , "Would you please give me some money so that I can get on the bus?" What would you do in that situation? Karen hesitated and said, "When I get on the bus I will see." In the next 30 seconds as she walked up the steps to the bus and dropped in her $1.25 fare Karen quickly thought through what she should do. She said the sort of things we say to ourselves. "Why should I help him? Why should he get a free ride? There are so many other people who have greater needs." Karen had noticed he was ...

1744. An Invitation to Joy

Zephaniah 3:14-20

Sermon

Mary S. Lautensleger

... then spread across the land (Philippians 4:4-7). Several years ago, a thirteen-year-old Japanese girl named Sadako died of radiation-induced leukemia, often referred to as atomic bomb disease. She was one of many who suffered the after effects of the bomb dropped on Hiroshima during World War II. During her illness, Sadako was able to entertain herself and raise her spirits by making origami cranes. There is an old Japanese legend that says cranes live for 1,000 years and that the person who folds 1,000 ...

1745. What's in a Name?

Isaiah 43:1-7

Sermon

Mary S. Lautensleger

... , and carries us across the floods of this world. On the other hand, water seems to be quite gentle and purposeful. It meanders downhill, finding its own way, respecting obstacles in its path until it finds a way around or through them. With one little drop at a time, over millions of years, water can form a huge canyon. Covering most of the earth, water represents both power and serenity. Water heals, cleanses, and nourishes, and is the primary component of our own bodies. In baptism, God speaks to Jesus ...

1746. Choosing to Believe

1 Kings 18:20-39

Sermon

Stan Purdum

... poor man died and was carried by angels to be with Abraham in paradise. Not long afterward, Dives also died, but he went to Hades, the final destination of the unrighteous. There he was in misery. He called to Abraham to send Lazarus to him with a drop of water for his tongue, but it was not to be. Abraham responded kindly but plainly to Dives. During your life, Abraham told Dives, you had a life of plenty and Lazarus had nothing. But now things have reversed and following death, said Abraham, there is an ...

1747. The Smell of Bread

2 Kings 2:1-2, 6-14

Sermon

Stan Purdum

... War and the ready availability of store-bought loaves, the aroma of freshly baked bread was a scent they associated with their homes. Many would have recalled coming home from school to find that their mothers had just baked some bread. They'd have dropped their books, taken a seat at the kitchen table, received a glass of milk and chunk of that soft, aromatic bread spread with butter, and been nourished. As children, few realized what a great experience that was, but the day would come, when far from ...

1748. Asking for Help

Mark 10:46-52

Illustration

Richard J. Fairchild

... and with the help of the librarian found Mrs. Roosevelt's home address. Then he sat down and composed a letter telling her about his plight. He wrote it and rewrote until he had it exactly the way he wanted it. When he put the letter in an envelope and dropped it in the mailbox, even his young wife wondered if it was worth the time and the postage he'd spent on it. To Fred's amazement, Mrs. Roosevelt agreed to meet him. When the meeting ended, she promised to help him. In the months and years ahead Fred got ...

1749. A Voice in the Wilderness

Luke 3:1-20

Sermon

King Duncan

... lost his wallet. The owner of the diner had already sized him up and knew he didn’t have the money. The owner came around the counter, approached the man, and bent down as if to pick up something. The owner said to the man, “Well, looks like you dropped this $20 bill.” Now the man had enough to pay for breakfast and a little more to keep for the road. He never forgot this totally undeserved act of generosity and goodness. He now gives to others as someone once gave to him. (7) This Advent season we ...

1750. Good News about Death

John 11:38-44

Sermon

King Duncan

... . Obviously Lazarus was not an old man. And she had seen Jesus’ healing power at work. She knew that if the Master had been there and had willed it, Lazarus would still be alive. We feel her grief, because some of us have been there. A young father drops dead from a heart attack. A young mother becomes a victim of cancer. Surely if God had been there . . . Surely if God had known. Life’s mysteries are too great for us, aren’t they? That’s why the story of Lazarus is so important. Not because it ...

Showing results