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 4963 results

1726. Proper 23

Luke 17:11-19, Jeremiah 29:1-23, 2 Timothy 1:1-2:13

Sermon Aid

John R. Brokhoff

COMMENTARY Old Testament: Jeremiah 29:1, 4-7 Jeremiah writes a letter to the exiles in Babylon. The first wave of deportees have arrived in Babylon. They are now held as hostages so that the remaining Jews in Jerusalem would obey and pay their taxes to Babylon. False prophets were among the exiles who were admonished to rebel. They predicted a downfall of Babylonia and a return to Jerusalem in the near future. In opposition to this Jeremiah wrote a letter to the exiles urging them ...

1727. Proper 8

Luke 9:57-62, Galatians 5:16-26, 2 Kings 2:1-18, Luke 9:51-56

Sermon Aid

John R. Brokhoff

... Spirit, authority, and power of the prophet. The mantle was transferred to Elisha who with the same power and authority carries on the work of God's prophet. It is a necessary part of the continuing work of God in the world. The workers go but the work remains. Where one leader leaves off, the next picks up. In the 1994 Olympics the torch was ignited in Olympia, Greece, and one after the other carried the light to Lillehammer, Norway. When the mantle falls on us or the torch of God's truth is passed to us ...

1728. I Go To Prepare A Place For You

Matthew 25:1-13

Eulogy

Barbara G. Schmitz

... who believe in Christ, to God's nearer presence, that presence we had for unknown years before our birth, when we were not yet; and, to celebrate that Christ has gone before us to prepare a place for us for all of eternity to come. For those of us who remain, awaiting our own ascension, so to speak, to "the life of the world to come," this is also a time to reflect on our lives. We know that we have come from God, but do you know to whom you are returning? When the disciple Thomas said to Jesus, "Lord ...

1729. A Dwelling Place

Psalm 23:1-6

Eulogy

Barbara G. Schmitz

... the days of my life, and I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever." God's dwelling place is a forever place. It is a real place. And it is into that heavenly court that we pray N. will be received. _______ How are we who remain preparing for that heavenly dwelling place? Do we, as Paul wrote, "groan under our burden, because we wish ... to be further clothed" with God's dwelling? Even though our outer nature (our body) is wasting away, is our inner nature being renewed day by day ... are we prepared ...

1730. Changed From Glory Into Glory

Romans 8:1-17

Eulogy

Barbara G. Schmitz

... at death awakes to find the human mask stripped away, and what is underneath? A soul transformed into the likeness of Jesus Christ! From glory into glory is now finished. Our transfiguration, our transformation, is complete. This glory which the dead in Christ enjoy today remains a future hope for us. We still await the day when we fall asleep, and wake up in Christ's likeness. This is the promise for those who love God: that from the day of our baptism, through our life's mission and sufferings, until ...

1731. Epiphany 2

John 2:1-11, Psalm 36:1-12

Bulletin Aid

B. David Hostetter

... . We value your call to virtuous living, but often live at a lower level. We appreciate the fidelity of our friends and spouses, but sometimes betray and abandon them. You give us a variety of gifts to serve you in the church, but much remains undone because we squander the abilities you have given us on less worthy causes. Forgive our erratic service that reflects incomplete obedience, for the sake of your ever-obedient Son, Jesus Christ. Amen. DECLARATION OF GOD'S FORGIVENESS Friends, hear the Good News ...

1732. Palm Sunday

Isaiah 50:1-11, Psalm 118:1-29, Psalm 31:1-24, Philippians 2:1-11, Luke 19:28-44, Luke 22:66--23:25

Bulletin Aid

B. David Hostetter

... gifts. We give thanks to you, God-given Jesus. We give thanks to you, still given Spirit. Amen. PRAYER OF DEDICATION Source of all goodness, the temporal value of the offerings we bring varies with the marketplace, but the eternal value of your church's work remains constant as you enable us to serve you in the power of the Spirit. Evermore give us abounding grace through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen. PRAYER OF DEDICATION No gift of ours can match the gift you have given us in Christ, giving God, but our ...

1733. Epiphany 6

Luke 6:17-26

Bulletin Aid

Dennis Koch

... and we have repeatedly turned aside from your will. It seems that our best intentions are undermined by the values of the world and the poor choices we make. We feel relaxed and comfortable as we gather in this place for worship today. We would like to remain here because it is quiet, safe and secure. However, you did not call us so that we could be relaxed and comfortable in that sense. You have called us to enter the mission field. You have called us to blessedness. Help us to move beyond the limitations ...

1734. Proper 23

Luke 17:11-19

Bulletin Aid

Dennis Koch

Gospel Note After an initial impatient protest against God's obvious failure to act in times of wickedness and perversity, Habbakuk receives a divine word of comfort and affirmation: God will act surely and decisively against the unrighteous. Those who have remained righteous will live by their faith, which here means adherence to the covenant and its demands rather than the New Testament's more profound sense of trust in God's grace. Liturgical Color Green Suggested Hymns All Who Believe And Are Baptized ...

1735. Proper 26

Luke 19:1-10

Bulletin Aid

Dennis Koch

... You But Trust In God To Guide You Before You, Lord, We Bow All Creatures Of Our God And King Proper 26 -- Pentecost 24 -- OT 31 Zacchaeus climbed a tree to see Christ. It was a great day for climbing. He could climb up the tree and remain unnoticed. This would be important because of his reputation. No one needed to see him. He wanted to see Jesus. He was curious. Interested. Hopeful. He climbed the tree. He was not ready for what happened next! Jesus spotted him, called him down from the tree and announced ...

1736. What Do You Say To A Burning Bush?

Exodus 3:1-22

Sermon

Steve Burt

... 'd leave our shoes on, because our smelly feet would be even more offensive than our sandals, wouldn't they? Consider instead that this may be an invitation to make contact. God, who in later years would come among us as Jesus, isn't worried about remaining antiseptically perfect. God wants to come and be with us, to make contact, not to avoid it. Now think about this. Holiness doesn't depend on the condition of the place nor the condition of the person. Holiness, to be hallowed, depends on the presence of ...

1737. How Blest Are Those Who Know Their Need Of God

Matthew 5:1-12

Sermon

Mark Radecke

... each year until compounding interest and additional contributions would be sufficient to fund the college education of all 61 children. Six years later, the students were in twelfth grade. All 61 of them! Not one had dropped out. Three had moved away, but they remained in touch with their benefactor, and the promise continued to hold for them as well. Their grades were far superior to those of their predecessors. In fact, one of the ironies of the situation was that some of the students qualified for and ...

1738. Light From And For The East

Matthew 2:1-12

Sermon

Mark Radecke

... Buddhists said to their Christian counterparts, "We appreciate all that you have shared with us about your faith. But you have not said very much about the one thing that fascinates us most, and that is Jesus. Please, in the time that remains, tell us more about Jesus." This churchman was as dumbfounded as he was embarrassed! His group had intentionally focused on those things they thought Christians held in common with Buddhists, thinking to concentrate on Jesus in a subsequent meeting. Those of another ...

1739. Whispering The Lyrics

John 14:15-31

Sermon

Thomas Long

... media mavens moved in for interviews, pushing themselves to think of clever questions to ask a presidential candidate on the way out of a Southern Baptist Church -- "Did you like the sermon?" "Did you enjoy the choir this morning?" "Do you plan to remain a Baptist in Washington?" -- on and on the banal questions spewed. Suddenly, a reporter, probably in a stroke of luck, shouted out a question that genuinely mattered: "Mr. Carter, suppose when you are President, you get into a situation where the laws of ...

1740. Praying To The Congregation

John 17:6-19

Sermon

Thomas Long

... , and, likewise, every word is intended to be overheard by the church and is expressly aimed at teaching the faithful. What it teaches is that Jesus Christ has made it possible for us, too, to be in intimate relationship with God. Because the obedient Son remained in faithful and unbroken communion with the Father, those who belong to the Son may share this closeness. "And this is eternal life, that they may know you, the only true God .... All mine are yours, and yours are mine; and I have been glorified ...

1741. Loving Jesus, Hating The Church

John 9:35-41

Sermon

Thomas Long

... jumps out in the form of a curious statement of Jesus. The religious leaders, haughty and defensive, challenge Jesus, "Surely we are not blind, are we?" Jesus responds, "If you were blind you would not have sin. But now that you say, 'We see,' your sin remains" (John 9:41). The sin of the leaders, then, is that they think they see, that they think they perceive the truth with crystal clarity, that they think they have grasped with their minds the depth and breadth of God. The true community of faith, on ...

1742. When Jesus Arrives Late

John 11:1-16, John 11:17-37

Sermon

Thomas Long

... . Why did Jesus weep? Is he moved with grief over the death of his friend Lazarus? Is he in sorrow over the unbelief around him? Is he anticipating his own death, too? John does not say.1 But even though the reasons for his feelings remain somewhat mysterious, we are still drawn to this picture in the middle of the story of an emotionally affected Jesus, tears slowly falling down his cheeks. Because Lazarus' raising at the end of this story is so dramatic and Jesus weeping in the middle so enigmatic ...

1743. The Breath Of God

John 20:19-23

Sermon

Marc Kolden

... also we need to realize that the command to forgive sins applies to all of us. It simply means that we are all to share the Gospel: as we do it, people will hear and believe; as we do not do it, they will not hear and believe but will remain lost in their sins. That is the risk God takes in Christ. That's why it is so important that we hear this story today so that through it Jesus can give us peace. We need to hear the story so that Jesus can remind us again that he is ...

1744. The Spreading Word

Matthew 13:1-23

Sermon

Marc Kolden

... God to come and turn us out again and that happens as the word of Christ comes to us. Then we not only see God but we see God's world and our fellow creatures. If we focus first on our response, on what kind of soil we are, we remain turned in on ourselves. Then we domesticate Jesus, we "miniaturize" him (as someone has said), to make his word fit into our ways instead of using our ears to hear him and be pulled outside of our preoccupation with ourselves. There is a helpful clue in our gospel reading ...

1745. The Wheat Among The Weeds

Matthew 13:24-30, Matthew 13:36-43

Sermon

Marc Kolden

... of less faith or courage followed these loyalists, so France could be reestablished. Of course, this is a secular example, but that is exactly what Jesus was using also. Perhaps we can see ourselves, members of Christ's church, as those who now need to struggle to remain faithful so that others too may see our faith and take heart. If people see only atheism and evil in the world, they will despair. Cynicism can be contagious; but so can faith and hope. God needs us as a faithful minority for the sake of ...

1746. Friends In Low Places

Matthew 9:9-13

Sermon

Marc Kolden

... friends in low places.] There is one last piece for us to think about today, even as we worship the Lord who accepts us just as we are. Some people have tended to turn this gospel message (of Jesus accepting us just the way we are) into an excuse to remain sinful. They have gotten it right that Jesus came to call sinners altogether apart from any merit or worthiness on our part, but they have gone on to draw the conclusion that this means that it is okay to be sinners. That's not the way it happened in our ...

1747. Envy - Where Is The Grass Greener?

Gn 4:1-26, Mt 20:1-16, Philip 4:10-20

Sermon

R. Curtis Fussell

... 'll show her. I'm going shopping this weekend and I'll buy something that will let Doris know that she can't show me up."4 At every age we are susceptible to envy. We never seem to outgrow our capacity to focus on what someone else has. We remain blind to the gifts and blessings that are ours. Let me suggest that there are three stages(5) in the cycle of envy. The first stage says that the grass is greener on the other side of the fence. At this stage we feel inferior and resent, if not hate ...

1748. The Lamb of God

John 1:29-34

Sermon

William B. Kincaid, III

... in our lives that we have learned to love. We wouldn't expect the call from the Lamb of God to be about anything other than a painstaking faithfulness that dismisses the popularity we have worked so hard to cultivate over the years. People concerned with remaining popular rarely find time to carry crosses. Dr. King reminded us that we are not fit to live until we have discovered something that we would die for.8 All this seems terribly extreme, especially to those of us who have found the church to be ...

1749. How Much Sin Is Too Much?

Matthew 5:13-16, Matthew 5:17-20

Sermon

William B. Kincaid, III

... : Are You Eligible?" Grizzard said he took the test and scored "too close to call."1 How much can I sin and still go to heaven? Lest we fail to recognize the question in that form, perhaps these will sound more familiar. How often can I miss worship and still remain in God's favor? How much prayer time can I forsake and still count on God to hear my prayers when they are the most urgent? We try to walk the tight rope between doing a lot of things that we want to do for ourselves, but we are careful ...

1750. Advent 1

Romans 13:8-14, Isaiah 2:1-5, Matthew 24:36-51

Sermon Aid

Russell F. Anderson

... : Romans 13:8-14 Paul's images of light/darkness and night/day must be viewed against the backdrop of the expectation of Christ's imminent second return. God's new day was about to dawn, revealing all the sordid works of darkness. Spiritually, it remained night but there was still time to prepare for the dawn glinting on the horizon. There was still time to rip off those dirty rags of selfishness and put on the robe of righteousness. In Paul's thinking, sin was associated with the darkness and righteousness ...

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