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 1751 to 1775 of 4490 results

1751. Marriage: God's Idea

Genesis 2:4-25

Sermon

Bill Bouknight

Guess who is celebrating a 50th wedding anniversary! Queen Elizabeth and Prince Philip of Great Britain. I was delighted to read that they are giving a big party at Buckingham Palace for all couples who were married in 1947. I was reminded of the couple in their upper 70's who were celebrating their golden anniversary. It was a wonderful day, but long and tiring, with guests from out of town. Finally, the husband and wife were alone at the end of the day. The husband was hard of hearing and often guessed ...

1752. When The Cheering Stopped

Mark 11:1-11

Sermon

Brett Blair

Some years ago a book was written by a noted American historian entitled “When The Cheering Stopped.” It was the story of President Woodrow Wilson and the events leading up to and following WWI. When that war was over Wilson was an international hero, There was a great spirit of optimism abroad, and people actually believed that the last war had been fought and the world had been made safe for democracy. On his first visit to Paris after the war Wilson was greeted by cheering mobs. He was actually more ...

1753. Anything Better Than the Golden Rule?

Luke 6:27-36

Sermon

William G. Carter

A few years ago, I accepted an invitation to preach in a church in upstate New York. The sermon was based on Matthew’s version of what we have just heard from the Gospel of Luke: “Turn the other cheek. Give to everyone who begs from you. Pray for those who curse you. And love your enemies.” These are nearly impossible words to put into practice, much less hear, and I said as much in my sermon. Jesus is instructing us to take the initiative for making peace, to move beyond revenge and retaliation. We cannot ...

1754. Beyond Our Sight, Within Our Hearing

Luke 9:28-36

Sermon

William G. Carter

I wonder what they were thinking as they started up the mountain. Peter, James, and John were tagging along. I’m sure Jesus was a few steps ahead. After all, he was the only one who knew where they were going. Those three disciples had put in a lot of miles. Every one of those miles was spent following wherever he went. It had been that way since the first day, when they got in step behind him on level ground. Jesus was walking around the lakeshore, snatching them one at a time. >From that day forward, ...

1755. Profits And Losses

Mark 8:31--9:1

Sermon

King Duncan

Joan trembled as she put on her lipstick. She never dreamed she would be caught in this predicament. Forty years old, active in her church, with a fifteen year old daughter and a loving husband and she was considering having an affair ” with her boss, Jim. "Jim's such an attractive man," she thought to herself as she checked her lipstick in the mirror. "He's everything Bob is not. He takes care of himself, wears great clothes, and he's fun. And he's a visionary. The company's broken every record since he ...

1756. The Seven Year Switch

2 Corinthians 5:11--6:2

Sermon

King Duncan

I've got two pieces of good news for you this morning. First of all, did you realize that no one in this room is the same person they were seven years ago? Approximately every seven years, we are entirely new. Every cell, every atom, in our body dies and is replaced with new ones in that period of time. There is not one atom in your body today that was there seven years ago. Someone has called this the "seven-year switch." I don't know about you, but I find that quite refreshing. The process of dying and ...

1757. A Father Pleased With His Son

Mark 1:9-13

Sermon

King Duncan

Is there any son or daughter in this world who is not thrilled by this little declaration of praise from a parent, "I'm proud of you?" When baseball great Henry Aaron hit his 715th home run breaking Babe Ruth's remarkable record, that is what he said: "I don't' remember the noise, or the two kids that ran on the field. My teammates at home plate, I remember seeing them. I remember my mother out there and she hugging me. that's what I'll remember more than anything about that home run when I think back on ...

1758. The Shy Member of the Trinity

John 14:15-31

Sermon

Donald B. Strobe

The disciples were distressed. They had good reason to be. Jesus had just told them that He was about to leave them. The One whom they had loved most in all the world was going to go away. Soon they would be on their own. How would they carry on without Him? How could they face the world without the encouragement and support of His presence beside them? It seemed to be the end of everything. Then it was that Jesus said some very strange things to them. He told them that it would actually be to their ...

1759. I THIRST: The Fifth Word

John 19:28-37

Sermon

Eric Ritz

We continue on our journey today as we examine and reflect on--for our spiritual edification--"The Fifth Word" of our Lord Jesus Christ from the cross. So far, we have heard our Lord share these words from the cross: First he said, "Father, forgive them for they know not what they do." Then he promised the repentant thief, "Today you will be with me in Paradise." He committed the care of His mother, Mary, to his closest friend John. Last week we heard that powerful cry from the cross "My God, My God, why ...

1760. Facing Difficult Decisions in Life! Part VI

Philippians 1:1-11

Sermon

Eric Ritz

J. Wallace Hamilton, one of the great voices of Methodism, once shared an old story that I want to use to open our sermon today. "An old Chinese farmer had one prized workhorse for his small farming enterprise. For example, when it was time to plow, he hooked the animal up to the plow and it broke the ground for planting. When it was time to take the harvest to the market, he would hitch the horse to a wagon. When he wanted to travel any great distance, he would put a saddle on it and ride the horse. The ...

1761. Peacemaking and Self Control

Matthew 5:21-26

Sermon

Phil Thrailkill

The date was June 11, 1963; the place- The University of Alabama at Tuscaloosa. Vivian Malone, a young black woman, enrolled that day as a freshman. Federal troops ensured her entrance, but the doorway was blocked by Governor George Wallace. Holding out for segregation, the governor ultimately failed, and Ms. Malone became the first African-American to graduate from the University of Alabama. Vivian wasn't the only newcomer that day. James Hood was at her side and needed encouragement. So she slipped him a ...

1762. The Real Winning Attitude

1 Timothy 6:3-10

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

"The one who dies with the most toys wins." Have you seen that bumper-sticker? In the yuppified, narcissistic eighties, that single saying became the defining declaration among possession-possessed up-and-comers. As people surrounded themselves with hot new cars, snazzy stereo systems and miscellaneous gizmos, gadgets, and gratuitous consumerism, the popular mantra was everywhere: "The one who dies with the most toys wins!" Everybody loves to win. And everyone loves a winner. Winning brings a sense of ...

1763. The Weakest Link

1 Timothy 1:12-20

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

Am I the only one left who gets embarrassed watching other people stand up and make fools of themselves? I cringe when anyone is caught on camera and on-mike saying and doing stupid things. I close my eyes when someone on television gets tongue-tied, looks ridiculous, or just generally exposes their humanity. I even get squeamish and decide it's time to pour another cup of coffee when Al Roker starts chatting up the crowd lined outside "The Today Show" broadcast window. But the rash of "reality TV" ...

1764. The Thrill of Victory Beats the Agony of Defeat

Judges 7:1-17

Sermon

James Merritt

The United States is known around the world as a "Christian nation." There are several reasons why one might think that is true. In America there are: 1,485 Christian radio stations 300 Christian television programs 96% of all Americans are "believers in God" 70 million born-again believers 148 million professing Christians 62% of all Americans say they have "made a commitment to Jesus Christ that is still important in their life today." Now if America is indeed a Christian nation, you would think that God ...

1765. Do Not Be Quickly Shaken

2 Thessalonians 2:1-12

Sermon

Donna Schaper

Several years ago, Lyle Schaller made the observation that ministry, once a "high status, low stress" vocation was now just the opposite: "high stress and low status." Why? Clergy have a double calling, both to secure and to shake people up. They need to be prophetic and pastoral at the same time. Most people want ministers to stabilize their lives, to keep them from being shaken. The goal many parishioners come to church to achieve is stability. They don't want to be shaken. They want to be secured. ...

1766. As Seen from the Solitary Broom Tree

1 Kings 19:1-18

Sermon

Stan Purdum

I'm not sure when the term "burn out" ceased being only a description of what happened to a campfire when you ran out of firewood to a term describing the experience of long-term exhaustion and diminished interest, usually coming immediately after an extended period of overwork, but the expression seems to fit that later situation, doesn't it? Exhaustion, deep weariness, all used up, nothing more to give, wiped out, burned out — call it what we will, its symptoms are all too familiar to many of us. A study ...

1767. Walking First Class

2 Corinthians 3:12-18

Sermon

Billy D. Strayhorn

McFaith. You know people like that don't you? They want Gospel Lite as if it were something consumable and not something to consume their souls. They don't want to bear the cross as Jesus said, but they'll gladly wear it as jewelry. They don't seem to get it. They have no idea what their destination or purpose in life is all about. They remind me of a story told about the late Supreme Court Justice Oliver Wendell Holmes. When he was eighty-eight years old he was traveling by train. When the conductor came ...

1768. Taught by a Golden Calf

Exodus 32:1-33:6

Sermon

Maxie Dunnam

“Atheism is not our greatest danger, but a shadowy sense of God’s reality.” That’s the contention of Harry Emerson Fosdick, and I agree. Our problem is not atheism how many atheists do you know? That which is destroying the moral fiber of our nation, weakening the Christian witness, and turning Christian churches into reflections of the club mentality of a secular age is a shadowy sense of God’s reality. Just let that image tumble around in your mind for a moment - a shadowy sense of God’s reality. ...

1769. How Can I Keep From Singing?

Mark 1:40-45

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

There is a story of a Vermont farmer who was sitting with his wife one evening on the porch, looking at the beautiful valley laid out before them. Everything about the moment was filled with peace. At last the farmer spoke quietly, as if reluctant to break the spell. “Sarah,” he said, “we’ve had a lot of ups and downs together during these forty years, and when I’ve thought of all you’ve meant to me, sometimes it’s been almost more than I could do to keep from telling you.” Sometimes things just “leak” out ...

1770. When the Going Gets Tough

2 Corinthians 12:1-10

Sermon

King Duncan

The golf course was crowded with golfers one pleasant fall morning. Bob was standing in front of a tee preparing to swing at his ball. He visualized hitting a beautiful shot that would carry hundreds of yards. As he was standing there lost in his thoughts, an announcement came over the public address system: “Would the gentleman standing at the women’s tee please back up to the men’s tee?” Bob ignored the announcement. He continued his pre-shot routine. Again, the announcement came across the PA system: “ ...

1771. Open the Window, Aunt Minnie, Here It Comes!

Jeremiah 33:1-26

Sermon

King Duncan

Before the advent of television, baseball broadcasts depended on colorful announcers to captivate a listening audience. One of the best of these announcers was named Rosey Rowswell. Rowswell was the radio voice of the Pittsburgh Pirates. The star slugger with the Pirates at the time was Ralph Kiner. Rowswell got his audience to imagine a little old lady with an apartment window facing Forbes Field. Whenever Ralph Kiner would connect with a potential home run, Rowswell would yell, “Open the window, Aunt ...

1772. When We Are Uncertain about The Future

Genesis 15:1-12, 17-18

Sermon

King Duncan

A young man tells of visiting a college, which had a series of security call boxes every few hundred feet or so. If you were wandering around the campus at night and felt uneasy about somebody following you, for instance, you could hit the button and have a security officer come investigate immediately. On one of these phones hung a sign that said, “Out of Order.” Underneath it someone had scrawled. . . “Keep Running!” (1) Fear is a powerful emotion, isn’t it? It’s like the story of the Bishop who had an ...

1773. Why Matter Matters

2 Peter 3:1-18

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

The 1935 comedy “A Night at the Opera,” starring Groucho Marx, Chico Marx, and Harpo Marx, has been given the honor of being selected for preservation in the National Film Registry by the Library of Congress. A smash hit at the box office, “A Night at the Opera” was the first film the Marx Brothers made after Zeppo left the act, and the first film they made for Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer after leaving Paramount Pictures. There is a moment in the film when Groucho Marx, in the character Driftwood, says, “It’s all ...

1774. Everything Must Go: Striking It Rich

1 Timothy 6:3-10

Sermon

James Merritt

I didn’t grow up poor, but I certainly didn’t grow up rich. If you were to divide the middle class into lower, middle, and upper my family would probably have been close to the upper part of the lower end. We lived in decent houses, but never one that had air-conditioning or a fireplace. Probably the nicest car we ever drove was a brand new Volkswagen Beetle. I wore decent clothes, but never name brands. The most money my dad ever made in a week was $100 dollars. Every summer my dad would raise ...

1775. The Coming of the Lord

1 Thessalonians 4:13--5:11

Understanding Series

David J. Williams

Although the formula, “Now about …” (peri de), which sometimes appears to have marked Paul’s answers to questions (see disc. on 4:9) does not occur, 4:13–18 is probably his answer to a question about the fate of deceased believers. From the teaching the missionaries gave while they were still with them, the Thessalonians would have known the general eschatological scenario that Paul unfolds in these verses, but at least some of them were still unsure where the Christian dead fitted into it. They may have ...

Showing results