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 1926 to 1950 of 4935 results

1926. Begin With the Blueprints

Deuteronomy 6:1-9

Sermon

James Merritt

Put together one very run-down house, a needy family who deserves a better place to live, several opinionated designers, one week and what do you get? The answer is - Extreme Makeover: Home Edition. It is not only a fascinating show to watch, but it will touch even the hardest of hearts. Each episode features a race against time on a project that would ordinarily take somewhere between 3-4 months to achieve. A team of designers, contractors, and several hundred workers have just 7 days to totally rebuild ...

1927. The Maybe Moment

2 Samuel 11:1-15

Sermon

Stan Purdum

Earlier this year, Debra Bezzina was piloting her Nissan Altima down Interstate 96 in Michigan. Reaching for a pack of gum in her pocket, she took her eyes from the road for a couple of seconds. All of a sudden, a voice, speaking with urgency, said, "Not, Not, Not." Yanking her attention back to the road, Bezzina realized that her car had started to drift across the solid white line to the right. She quickly corrected and went safely on her way. Bezzina was grateful for the warning, but there was nobody in ...

1928. A Chance To Sing

Matthew 9:32-34

Sermon

Billy D. Strayhorn

In the middle of the soloist's anthem at church one Sunday, a young boy turned to his grandmother and whispered, "She can't sing very well, can she?" Grandma knew the woman had had a deep love for God so she said, "Well, she sings from her heart. That's what makes it good." He nodded thoughtfully. Several days later they were riding together and singing along with the radio when the grandson turned to his grandmother and said, "Gramma, you sing from your heart, don't you?" (1) I remember the choir in one ...

1929. Audacious Faith

Mark 2:1-12

Sermon

Maxie Dunnam

Some of you have seen the play, “Big River”, now playing in New York. This setting of Mark Twain’s Huck Finn is well done. The music is exceptional. For days after I saw it, I found myself blurting out, “Arkansas, Arkansas, O how I love Arkansas.” I would find myself humming the tune and trying to remember the words of that haunting piece. In one scene, two river rogues who have commandeered Huck and his barge, schemed to put together a sort of vaudeville act for river towns. To arouse curiosity, crowd and ...

1930. By Belonging

1 Peter 2:2-10

Sermon

J. Howard Olds

When I was out three years ago trying to raise eleven million dollars for building expansion and renovations, a member of this congregation gave me a brick. She didn't throw it at me even though she might have felt like it. She discreetly handed it to me after a meeting saying, "As we forge into the future let us not forget the past." You see, the brick came out of our old building on Church Street and she had kept it all of these years. I don't plan to keep it. I plan to put it in the archives being ...

1931. Oops! I Didn't See You

Luke 16:19-31

Sermon

King Duncan

Dr. James Dobson tells about a friend of his, a specialist in obstetrics and gynecology. One day this friend telephoned another specialist in the same field and asked him for a favor. “My wife has been having some abdominal problems and she’s in particular discomfort this afternoon,” he said. “I don’t want to treat my own wife and wonder if you’d see her for me?” The other specialist invited the doctor to bring his wife in for an examination. When he did he discovered (are you ready for this?) that she was ...

1932. WWF: Smack Down In The Wilderness

Mark 1:9-15

Sermon

Billy D. Strayhorn

A kindergarten teacher was suddenly taken ill and a replacement was hastily found. The substitute teacher was at a loss as to what to do with the children. She decided to tell them stories. And always, at the end of each story, she would say, "And the moral of that story is..." After dozens of stories, the children had sat through dozens of morals. The regular teacher recovered from her illness and returned to her class. One of her students greeted her with a smile and said, "Teacher, I'm sure glad you're ...

1933. The Awesome Power of a Mustard Seed (Father's Day)

Mark 4:30-34

Sermon

King Duncan

A man was out on the golf course. He spotted another man who seemingly had four caddies. “Why so many caddies?” the first man asked the second. The second golfer replied, “It’s my wife’s idea. She thinks I should spend more time with the kids.” Well, that’s one way of doing it. I suspect he’s the same Dad who was asked by his wife when they brought home their first baby to help with changing diapers. “I’m busy,” he said, “I’ll do the next one.” The next time came around and she asked again. The husband ...

1934. About Getting Drunk

Ephesians 5:15-20

Sermon

King Duncan

A juggler, driving to his next performance, is stopped by a traffic cop. “What are these matches and lighter fluid doing in your car?” asks the officer. Was he a potential arsonist, thought the officer or, even worse, a terrorist? “I’m a juggler,” the driver answered, “and I juggle flaming torches in my act.” “Oh yeah?” says the doubtful cop. “Let’s see you do it.” The juggler gets out and starts juggling the blazing torches masterfully. A couple driving by slow down to watch. “Wow,” says the driver to his ...

1935. Poem: Adonais

Eulogy

Percy Bysshe Shelley

I. I weep for Adonais – he is dead! O, weep for Adonais! though our tears Thaw not the frost which binds so dear a head! And thou, sad Hour, selected from all years To mourn our loss, rouse thy obscure compeers, And teach them thine own sorrow, say: “With me Died Adonais; till the Future dares Forget the Past, his fate and fame shall be An echo and a light unto eternity!” II. Where wert thou, mighty Mother, when he lay, When thy Son lay, pierced by the shaft which flies In darkness? where was lorn Urania ...

1936. Moses Flees to Midian

Exodus 2:11-25

Understanding Series

James K. Bruckner

The second half of Exodus 2 (vv. 11–25) begins with Moses walking among the Hebrew laborers. Three times in these verses he intercedes on behalf of weak persons who had been wronged, thereby showing himself to be God’s friend. Nevertheless, in addition to demonstrating the gifts God had given him, these three short scenes also reveal what was lacking in Moses’ character and education. Each encounter shows who he was and also changed him in significant ways. In striking down the Egyptian Moses encountered ...

1937. Israel and the Present Curses and the Past Blessings of the Covenant

Romans 9:1-29

Teach the Text

C. Marvin Pate

Big Idea: Chapters 9–11, which correspond to the curses component of the covenant (chaps. 5–8 enunciate the blessings), answer the question “Have God’s promises to Israel failed?” Paul answers, “No!” In 9:1–5 he broaches the problem of Israel’s unbelief. Israel previously enjoyed the blessings of the covenant but is now under its curses for rejecting the Messiah. Understanding the Text In order to situate Romans 9:1–5 in its literary setting I must briefly make four points. First, what is the relationship ...

1938. The Power of the Trust Factor

John 14:1-4, John 14:5-14

Sermon

Robert Leslie Holmes

How can we trust God when life seems to turn on us? You know what I mean, I am sure. You are going through life with ease and smoothness then all of a sudden things begin to unravel. You put your head down and try harder but it does not work. As one old saying puts it, "The harder I try the behinder I get!" No one in all human history personifies those words better than Job. Scripture speaks glowingly of this good man, describing him as "blameless and upright." It says that Job "feared God." If the ...

1939. In It for the Long Haul

John 6:60-69

Sermon

King Duncan

Youth speaker Wayne Rice tells a delightful story about the Sydney Swans of the Australian football league. Australian football, of course, is what we usually think of as Rugby. It is the most successful sport in terms of TV viewership in Australia. An exception to the success of the league for many years was the Sydney Swans. Until recently, the Swans had the worst record of any team in the league. They also had the worst attendance. Most of their home games were played in front of empty seats. But a ...

1940. God's Most Welcome Gift

Isaiah 9:6-7

Sermon

King Duncan

We’re grateful for the boys and girls in our congregation this evening. I want to begin with a riddle just for them. Boys and girls, what did Adam say to his wife on the night before Christmas? The answer: He said, “It’s Christmas, Eve!” And, of course, it’s true. This is Christmas Eve. And what an exciting evening it is as you await the coming of Santa. Of course this is the season for giving and receiving gifts. And the greatest Giver of gifts is God. Think for a moment about all the gifts God has given ...

1941. Like a Phoenix

Mark 6:1-13

Sermon

Dean Feldmeyer

Almost every culture has, in its foundational mythology, a Phoenix or firebird. The one with which we westerners are most familiar is the Greek Phoenix which, like all such mythological creatures, is said to die in a burst of sparks and fire only to be born anew from its own ashes. Because this mythological creature lives in a constant cycle of birth, death, and rebirth, the Phoenix is, in most cultures, a symbol of renewal. While early Christians rejected any literal interpretation of the Phoenix myth, ...

1942. Simon of Cyrene - Reluctant Reliever or Submissive Servant?

Mark 15:21-32

Sermon

Carl E. Zahrte

Was I there? Yes, and I’m so glad that I was. Yes, I was there on that day when they crucified my Lord. My name is Simon of Cyrene, and what happened on that day marked a new beginning in my life. Oh, I wasn’t very happy about it at first, that’s for sure. The way things happened, I resented it deeply when I was compelled to pick up the cross-beam and carry it for Jesus. After all, I had just arrived at the holy city and was about to enter Jerusalem. Then, all of a sudden, everything seemed to go wrong. At ...

1943. Becoming A Faithful Witness

Isaiah 50:1-11

Sermon

Douglas J. Deuel

A family decided to send a playpen to their friend who had just given birth to her fourth child. She responded by writing this thank-you note to them. "Thank you so much for the pen. It is wonderful. I sit in it every afternoon and read. The children can't get near me." Wouldn't it be nice if we could shelter ourselves from the relational challenges of life? Someone has written that, for twentieth century Americans, our lawns are our moats. All too often we do seek distance from others. That inclination ...

1944. The Merciful

Sermon

John A. Terry

Matthew 5:1-12Matthew 18:23-35 The quality of mercy is not strain'd,It droppeth as a gentle rain from heavenUpon the place beneath: it is twice blest;It blesseth him that gives and him that takes:'Tis mightiest in the mightiest: it becomesThe throned monarch better than his crown.(The Merchant of Venice, Act IV, scene 1) In our practice of "mercy" there is a kind of "I'll scratch your back -- you scratch my back" philosophy. Be decent to others and they will be decent to you. It is like the story on which ...

1945. The Merciful

Matthew 18:21-35

Sermon

John A. Terry

The quality of mercy is not strain'd, It droppeth as a gentle rain from heaven Upon the place beneath: it is twice blest; It blesseth him that gives and him that takes: 'Tis mightiest in the mightiest: it becomes The throned monarch better than his crown. (The Merchant of Venice, Act IV, scene 1) In our practice of "mercy" there is a kind of "I'll scratch your back -- you scratch my back" philosophy. Be decent to others and they will be decent to you. It is like the story on which George Bernard Shaw based ...

1946. Know What Time It Is!

Luke 16:1-15

Sermon

W. Robert McClelland

While reading the Bible, Mark Twain once quipped, "It is not the parts of the Scripture that I don't understand that bother me. It's the parts that I do understand." There are plenty of passages of Scripture that speak to us and trouble us. But, alas! for me, this is not one of them. Bernard Anderson referred to the Bible as a special delivery letter with our address on it. That may be true, but this particular bit of Scripture had best be marked, "return to Sender; no one at this address!" This is simply ...

1947. Saved From Water: The Storm

Luke 8:22-25

Sermon

Steve Swanson

Jesus performed many miracles during his ministry. These miracles didn't really prove that he was the Son of God, but they certainly did draw crowds. The disciples who have relayed these stories to us through the Gospels were part of those crowds, sometimes as reporters, sometimes as witnesses. The disciples, for instance, didn't really see the water become wine. That happened in an outer hallway. They must have heard the details from the servants or from Mary. Other miracles they saw with their own eyes, ...

1948. Step Five - Integrity

Jn 4:16-24 · 1 Jo 1:5-10 · Is 6:1-8

Sermon

John A. Terry

Step five: Admitted to God, to ourselves, and to another human being, the exact nature of our wrongs. I have been accused during this sermon series of being too sober - in my preaching. So: joke de jour. A minister, a priest and a rabbi were having lunch one day. They were talking about the spiritual support they gave the members of their congregation: listening to their confessions, saying words of absolution, visiting them when they were ill and comforting them in times of loss. What the minister, priest ...

1949. The Outsider

Sermon

Ron Lavin

A man suffering from a dreaded skin disease came to Jesus, knelt down, and begged him for help. "If you want to," he said, "you can make me clean." Jesus was filled with pity, and reached out and touched him. "I do want to, "he answered. "Be clean!" At once the disease left the man, and he was clean. Then Jesus spoke sternly to him and sent him away at once, after saying to him, "Listen, don't tell anyone about this. But go straight to the priest and let him examine you; then in order to prove to everyone ...

1950. No Tears for Me, Please

Luke 23:26-43

Sermon

John R. Brokhoff

And there followed him a great multitude of the people, and of women who bewailed and lamented him. But Jesus turning to them said, "Daughters of Jerusalem, do not weep for me, but weep for yourselves and your children. For behold, the days are coming when they will say, 'Blessed are the barren, and the wombs that never bore, and the breasts that never gave suck!' Then they will begin to say to the mountains, 'Fall on us'; and to the hills 'Cover us.' For if they do this when the wood is green, what will ...

Showing results