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 2001 to 2025 of 3926 results

2001. Thankless Jobs

John 10:1-21

Sermon

King Duncan

... Sarah's son died. Sarah's husband took to his bed with grief, and died six months later. In addition to her regular jobs, Sarah began taking classes at beauty school, and eventually turned her husband's barbershop into a beauty shop. In this way, she supported her children. But something kept nagging at Sarah. Throughout the years of her son's illness, Sarah had spent much time in hospital wards, and she was aware that there were many suffering children in these wards who had no one to visit them. So Sarah ...

2002. Power Praying

Acts 1:12-26

Sermon

King Duncan

... of 1932, they became greatly concerned about the spiritual and moral decay in their city. Believing that the situation called for an all-out evangelistic effort, they asked the ministerial association to undertake a united crusade, assuring the clergy of their support. However, the ministers, somewhat skeptical of this type of meeting, declined the request. Though disappointed, the laymen still felt that God wanted to do something big in their city, and not knowing what else to do, they decided to call for ...

2003. A Cup Of Cold Water

Matthew 10:1-42

Sermon

King Duncan

... on the kindness of strangers in the lands which they visited. "Remember," Jesus is saying, "when you receive one of them and help them and give them even a cup of cold water, you are doing it to me." As your pastor, I never apologize for asking you to support the work of Christ through the church. It is actually the highest privilege I can give you. After all, you never know what kind of good can come out of even the smallest gift. I once read about a woman whose church group bought Christmas gifts for a ...

2004. Get Out Of That Boat!

Matthew 14:22-36

Sermon

King Duncan

... cars, homes with pools, club memberships, condominiums in Aspen, and homes in Florida, and they were all scared silly because they lived on the edge of the cliff. One mistake, one change in management, one recessionary cycle, and the paycheck that supported all that wealth could slip away, sending them tumbling down a financial cliff and causing them to lose the accouterments of their lifestyle, and along with that, their right to belong to their community of friends. Frayed collars and secondhand dresses ...

2005. Dressed For The Wedding

Matthew 22:1-14

Sermon

King Duncan

... to give us a picture of God. It is intended to give us a picture of ourselves. And what it says about us is this: MANY OF US ARE NOT WEARING THE RIGHT CLOTHES. We bear the name of Christian, we belong to the Christian family, we even support to a modest degree Christian organizations, but still, we do not wear the right clothes. And the amazing thing is, we are surprised when somebody mentions it. Notice that the poor man in this story is speechless when the father of the groom confronts him. This man ...

2006. Pardon Me, But Do You Know God?

Jeremiah 30:1--31:40

Sermon

King Duncan

... God. To him, God was a legalistic tyrant, not a loving Father. Troubled by the dish towel issue, David raises it with another student: "Will God strike me dead if I use the wrong towel? What's the point?" The answer his friend gives him solemnly supports his system: "Once you start to compromise," he said, "the whole thing will break down. You have to stick to the rules." But David is not satisfied. He meets an older student from this neighborhood who also has been deeply influenced by the system. He cannot ...

2007. The Most Difficult Commandment

Mark 12:28-34

Sermon

King Duncan

... . may also be triggered by imagined affronts to pumped-up egos. "The dangerous ones are those who overestimate how good they are," Baumeister says. "They'll lash out to try and head off anything that might lower their self-esteem." (6) Other studies tend to support Baumeister. Positive self-love can be a healthy thing. Christ does not intend for us to be door mats who let others walk all over us because we do not value ourselves. Healthy self-love leads to self acceptance, improved performance in our work ...

2008. A Misplaced Holy Day

Matthew 2:1-12

Sermon

King Duncan

... A murmur of disapproval rumbled through the audience; untouchables were not supposed to become surgeons! Dr. Chopade then described his wretched boyhood, in which he and his family were segregated from the rest of the village. His widowed mother cleaned latrines to support the family, and young Chopade searched the garbage heaps for food. He told how he was prohibited from attending the village school or even using the village well. Some angry voices in the audience shouted that he had only experienced what ...

2009. Peace, Blessed Peace

John 14:15-31

Sermon

King Duncan

... OF GOD'S PRESENCE IN OUR LIVES. When God is with us, we find peace regardless of what life throws at us. In 1934 Adolf Hitler summoned many of the leaders of the German church to his Berlin office to berate them for insufficiently supporting his programs. Pastor Martin Niemoller explained that he was concerned only for the welfare of the church and of the German people. Hitler snapped, "You confine yourself to the church. I'll take care of the German people." Niemoller replied, "You said, ˜I will take ...

2010. Getting Rid Of Fear

2 Timonty 1:6-14

Sermon

King Duncan

... . At first, the local gangs took a vote as to whether Bill should be killed, but once they saw the kind of work he was doing, they decided instead to protect him. So every day finds Bill Tomes out on the streets of Chicago, offering love and support to anyone who needs it. He hands out friendship and advice, gives people rides to the store, buys them food, bails them out of jail, listens to their problems. He has even comforted the dying. Once Bill came upon a young gang member who had been shot ...

2011. Never Give Up

Luke 18:1-8

Sermon

King Duncan

... I keep his house." It has never been easy being a woman, but it is a picnic today compared to the world in which Jesus lived. Women had few legal rights, and if a woman lost her husband, and she did not have other family members to turn to for support, her plight was dire indeed. There was no welfare system, no social security, and precious few ways for a woman in distress to earn a living. Jesus told his disciples a parable about such a woman. She was a widow who was in a difficult situation over a legal ...

2012. We've Been Bragging About You!

2 Thessalonians 1:1-12

Sermon

King Duncan

... with unbelievers. Lay ministry. The lay people of the church are engaged in such ministries as teaching and discipling. In some cases this happens through consciously discovering, developing, and using their spiritual gifts. Missions. The church actively supports missions, organizing and sustaining a strong program for recruiting, sending, and financing home and foreign missionaries. Giving. Members give an appropriate portion of their income to the local church and/or to other Christian causes. Fellowship ...

2013. Bracing For The Rough Times

Luke 21:5-38

Sermon

King Duncan

... a writer in Leadership magazine told about another athletic contest with a happier ending than the infamous Heidi incident. "On a balmy October afternoon in 1982, Badger Stadium in Madison, Wisconsin, was packed. More than 60,000 diehard University of Wisconsin supporters were watching their football team take on the Michigan State Spartans. "It soon became obvious that Michigan State had the better team. What seemed odd, however, as the score became more lopsided, were the bursts of applause and shouts of ...

2014. Why We Gather At The Table

Exodus 12:1-30

Sermon

Eric Ritz

... place on the Chinese Olympic team. Donghua's decision forced him to miss competing in the 1992 Olympics, but he set his sights on representing Switzerland in the 1996 Games. Life in Switzerland wasn't easy. The government of China gave financial support to its athletes, so they had the finest equipment and facilities at their disposal. The athletic facilities in Switzerland couldn't even compare. But Donghua trained obsessively anyway. Although people respected his skill, Donghua knew they didn't have much ...

2015. An Unlikely Witness

John 20:1-9

Sermon

King Duncan

... is Mary Magdalene who, he says, was delivered from seven demons. Then Luke adds two other names: Joanna, wife of a man named Cuza, one of Herod's officials, and a woman named Susanna, about whom we know nothing else. These women, says Luke, were helping to support Jesus and the disciples out of their own means. Have you ever thought about that? We pay so much attention to the twelve men who follow Jesus, but it is these relatively unknown women who are paying the bills. That is the way that is has always ...

2016. If We Had Known You Were Going To Win . . .

Acts 10:34-43

Sermon

King Duncan

... after he had won a hard-fought battle for election to the U.S. Congress. This man slapped Kuykendal on the back, pumped his hand vigorously and said sincerely: “If I’d know’d you was going to win, I’d of voted for you.” Those are the kind of supporters every politician needs, aren’t they? “If I’d know’d you was going to win, I’d of voted for you.” I wonder if, on the last day, there will not be people approaching the throne of grace with the plaintive cry, “If we’d known you were ...

2017. April Sky

John 20:1-9

Sermon

Frank Lyman

... no football player. But then comes a night in 1957 when Homer looks up into the October Sky and sees the Soviet satellite Sputnik passing over his town of Coalwood. IT IS A VISION WHICH INSPIRES HOMER TO PURSUE A BETTER LIFE. Enlisting the support of three other boys, Homer becomes obsessed with rocketry. A gifted teacher encourages them in their quest, and the boys become so proficient in rocketry that they win a national science competition. All four boys receive college educations, and Homer goes on to a ...

2018. What Would Jesus Really Do?

1 Peter 2:13-25

Sermon

King Duncan

... of adversity, but when the raindrops come, they often come in mighty deluges. One of the great determinants in how successfully we live our lives is how we handle adversity. John Marks Templeton tells about a middle-aged man who attended a men's therapy support group one evening when he felt he was at his lowest ebb. His wife was leaving him. His business was teetering near bankruptcy. He had gained weight over the last few years and his self-esteem wasn't very high. Even his hair was thinning. The ...

2019. Pretenders

Matthew 6:5-15, Matthew 6:1-4

Sermon

King Duncan

... met General Sir Robert Baden-Powell, founder of the Boy Scouts. She became an instant fan of his group's female counterpart, the Girl Guides, and when the Girl Scouts of the USA was organized in 1915, Low became its first president and greatest financial supporter. Rather than fall victim to her increasing deafness, she used it to her advantage as the Girl Scouts grew and required more money. When friends tried to beg off committing to donations, she pretended not to hear them. "What was that you said? Did ...

2020. Where Is Your Heart?

Luke 12:22-34

Sermon

King Duncan

... of the formal educational system: "Unless we work together to strengthen the family," says Coleman, "all the rest; the schools and playgrounds, public assistance and private concern, will never be enough to save our children. No matter how elaborate are our family support systems, they will do little to advance children's well-being if parents elect to spend little or no time with their children." (2) As a society, as a church and as responsible individuals we have a moral obligation to do everything ...

2021. Christmas Brings Us A New Heart

Matthew 2:1-12

Sermon

John Pugh

... and placed in the body of the first young woman. The young woman is very self conscious about the scar from her heart surgery. She always wears high neck blouses to cover the scar. The grieving husband begins to move back into life. He goes to work. His friends support him. One buddy invites him on a blind date. On that date they're served by a waitress who happens to be the daughter of the owner of the cafe. She's also the recipient of his dead wife's heart. Their eyes meet and the smoldering ashes of ...

2022. Making Relationships Work

Matthew 5:21-26

Sermon

King Duncan

... . Harold's parents had a contentious marriage, mainly due to his father's argumentative nature. The elder Bloomfield had always been a stoic, unable or unwilling to communicate his feelings to his son. As a result, Harold had not received the necessary emotional support and nurturing he deserved. Over the years, resentments had built up between the two of them that made their visits difficult for Harold. But knowing that his father had only six months to live, Harold decided that he would make the effort to ...

2023. Letters Straight From The Heart

2 Corinthians 2:12--3:6

Sermon

King Duncan

... bounced out of the water, punched the air, and shouted: “Carolina Panthers!" The Carolina Panthers hadn't played a single game. They weren't even a team at the time. This sports fan wasted all that antacid relief just to show how passionately HE WOULD support those Panthers should the NFL choose to park an expansion franchise in Charlotte. (8) Was this man crazy? No, he was simply communicating how much he wanted professional football in his town. He was a living letter for the Carolina Panthers. I don't ...

2024. In The Middle Of The Night

Luke 9:28-36

Sermon

King Duncan

... future, when they were ready to throw up their hands in despair and resignation. In the middle of their long night, the message of hope was delivered. An unknown woman tells of losing her mother, whom she called, "her dearest friend," to cancer. Always supportive, her mother clapped loudest at this woman's school plays, held a box of tissues while listening to her first heartbreak, comforted her at her father's death, encouraged her in college, and prayed for her, her entire life. When her mother's illness ...

2025. Hey, You Can Only Be Young Twice!

Genesis 12:1-8

Sermon

King Duncan

... like when he was their age. "When I was young," he told them, "closets were for clothes, not for 'coming out of.' Fast food was what we ate during Lent. There was no such thing as computer dating, house husbands, dual careers, commuter marriages, or support groups. There were no tape decks, CDs, artificial hearts, or word processors. And to us, letters grouped together like DDT, VCR, DNA, and MADD would have meant lovers' initials carved on a tree." Aging is not easy. One fellow put it this way, "I still ...

Showing results