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 2101 to 2125 of 3926 results

2101. An Unpopular Profession

Matthew 9:9-13

Sermon

Donald B. Strobe

... HIM. In recent years Biblical scholars have debated back and forth as to the identity of the author of the Gospel which bears Matthew’s name. Some insist that Matthew the Apostle could not have written it. Others insist that he did. This opinion is supported by the testimony of Bishop Papias in the second century: “Matthew set down in writing, in the Hebrew language, some words of the Savior. Each one translated them as he was able.” One problem is that the Gospel is written in excellent Greek, and ...

2102. Afraid of Sanity

Mark 5:1-20

Sermon

Donald B. Strobe

... know that Jesus Christ speaks words of sweet sanity, and has come to put us in our right minds! When madness seizes so much of the world and the world’s leaders, it is all the more necessary to restrain the madness within ourselves and to pray for and support those persons who are trying to restore sanity to our demented world and to bring about peace between nations and peoples. WHEN JESUS WAS ASKED TO LEAVE, WHAT DID HE DO? He left. For all His power he does not force Himself on us. He doesn’t stick ...

2103. Only a Carpenter

Mark 6:1-6

Sermon

Donald B. Strobe

... of age,” when He began His ministry. (3:23) Thirty was a rather advanced age for that time. Why did He wait so long to start His work? Probably because Joseph died while Jesus was a small boy, and as the first-born He took upon Himself the support of His mother and brothers and sisters, and only when they were old enough to fend for themselves did He go forth to preach and teach. It is at least a plausible explanation. “Is this not Mary’s Son?” the townspeople asked. Yes, of course...but He was ...

2104. When Compassion Overcomes Irritation

Mark 6:30-44

Sermon

Donald B. Strobe

... , and spirit. And so do we. So don’t feel guilty while you’re doing nothing but lying on a beach somewhere this summer with a good book. But (as the Moment of Mission reminded us) “keep those cards and letters coming” - your church needs your support in the summer - perhaps more than any other time - for, while we are on vacation, the church is still here, working away at bringing ministry to persons in need, week after week. II. “AS HE WENT ASHORE HE SAW A GREAT THRONG, AND HE HAD COMPASSION ON ...

2105. Losers Keepers

Mark 8:31--9:1

Sermon

Donald B. Strobe

... his or her membership vows at least annually. John Wesley would have approved, I think; but the idea meets resistance. Imagine getting 1500 members of First United Methodist Church to stand before the altar and once again take the vows to follow Christ, and to support the church by their prayers, presence, gifts, and service! Why, we can’t even get some of them to come through the doors of the church at least once a year, or to give even a dollar to help keep those doors open! “Whoever would save ...

2106. On Not Knowing What to Say

Mark 9:2-13

Sermon

Donald B. Strobe

... life alone. We have the vision to sustain us. “This is my beloved Son; listen to him.” (Mark 9:7) I can think of no better advice. Would that the Church had heeded it over the centuries. Perhaps we would not have used religion to support war, greed, hatred, prejudice, racial and religious bigotry, child labor, and capital punishment. In 1706, Jonathan Swift observed that “we have just enough religion to make us hate, but not enough to make us love, one another.” Mike Royko, in a column a few years ...

2107. Knight of the Woeful Countenance

Mark 10:17-31

Sermon

Donald B. Strobe

... them? How are you using them?” There are many things in life to which people come running up eagerly, and from which they walk away sorrowfully. Church Membership vows fall into this category. How easily we stand before the altar and affirm that we will support the Church by our “prayers, presence, gifts, and service.” And then we forget to pray for the Church. We casually allow our attendance to fall off. We either give nothing or so very little that just keeping our name on the rolls causes others ...

2108. On Claiming One’s Inheritance

Mark 10:17-31

Sermon

Donald B. Strobe

... T IT? Note carefully that word “do.” It represents one of the greatest misunderstandings about the Christian Faith. Methodists are most susceptible to this misunderstanding. We are often referred to as the “doers” of Protestantism. Just find a good cause to be supported, and Methodists are usually there. In fact, we are so busy doing good works that someone once commented that he thought the Methodists’ patron saint was “St. Vitus.” Now, I am not knocking it. Now, I hope that you know me well ...

2109. Childish or Child-like?

Mark 10:13-16

Sermon

Donald B. Strobe

... to Jesus. The discovery of the child as a person of inalienable rights is a relatively new one in Christian history...and child labor laws were not passed until nineteen centuries after Jesus...and most were passed over the objections of church people! They supported long hours of child labor because it kept the children off the streets! In 1915 a poet by the name of Sarah Northcliffe Cleghorn wrote: “The golf links lie so near the mill/That almost every day,/The laboring children can look out/And ...

2110. Not the Seasons for Figs

Mark 11:12-19

Sermon

Donald B. Strobe

... , and hope them in the most calamitous!” The fig tree lied with its leaves. We often lie with our lips. We promise God that we will be faithful stewards of His good earth; that we will live as God’s children, that we will support God’s Church with our “prayers, presence, gifts, and service.” But where’s the fruit? Sherwood Eddy once said that “Christianity is not believing the impossible, (it is) doing the incredible.” have we done anything incredible lately? There’s a new TV series (at ...

2111. Jesus and the IRS

Mark 12:13-17

Sermon

Donald B. Strobe

... seem to have taken their principles of exegesis from Mark Twain: ‘Get the facts first; then you can distort them as you wish.’ Generations have done just that. The words have been distorted into a divine injunction to support any government, no matter how unjust, vicious, and oppressive. They have been cited even as giving Jesus’ blessing to that disastrous separation between political conduct and religious conduct which has resulted in the ‘split personality’ of Christians and churches ...

2112. Please, Don't Let me Jabez Anyone Else (Part 5)

1 Chronicles 4:1-23

Sermon

Eric Ritz

... young people, "Be careful who you run around with." And that is why the fellowship of the church is so important. Here is where you can find people who will build you up. Here is where you will find people who will give you the support you need to resist evil. We’re told that wild dogs on the African plains kill their prey by separating individual animals from the herd. They accomplish this with precise cutting abilities. Isolated, the victim seldom escapes. Satan utilizes a similar tactic in the cunning ...

2113. The Ultimate Thirst Quencher (Alternate Addition to the "I Am" series: Living water)

John 7:25-44

Sermon

Eric Ritz

... . Some parts of the Atacama Desert have not seen rain in 400 years. Although the desert is located right next to the Pacific Ocean, the prevailing winds come down from the lofty mountains and sweep out to sea. But as dry as it is, even the Atacama supports life. There are tiny pockets where fog from the sea creates enough moisture for plants and even some animals. As we open the seventh chapter of John''s gospel we find a religious ceremony in progress. Jesus is in Jerusalem for the Feast of the Tabernacles ...

2114. Where the Bread Loaf Is Not a Stone

Matthew 7:7-12

Sermon

Eric Ritz

... a whole lot more than just a meal. A distinguished American Rabbi tells the story of a famous Israeli poet whose father died when he was a young boy. The lad''s mother labored constantly during the day in a little store in order to give meager financial support to her children. Only in the evening did she have time to cook the family meals or clean the household. Late one night the future poet awakened to see his mother kneading dough for the next day''s bread. As she baked by candlelight, her lips formed ...

2115. Living the Ten Commandments

Exodus 20:1-21

Sermon

Eric Ritz

... for a good life. On the campus of Ohio State University there is a building called the Wexner Art Center. It is a unique building designed to represent the Post-Modernist view of reality. The building has no pattern to it. Staircases go nowhere. Pillars support nothing. The architect designed the building to showcase our modern values in life. To this architect modern values go nowhere and are senseless. As H. G. Wells puts it, "Until a man has found God, he begins at no beginning, he works to no end ...

2116. The Third Commandment: God's Last Name Is Not...?

Exodus 20:1-21

Sermon

Eric Ritz

... at the altar with a small child in your arms and you took sacred vows to raise the child in the church. You gave your word! Remember when you were received into the fellowship of the church. You took sacred vows and made a promise. Again, you promised to support our church with your time, talent and treasure. You gave your word. Think about it. The good news of the gospel is that God keeps his words and promises. He sent his son Jesus. "And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us." Even when Christ died on ...

2117. The Ninth Commandment: Liar, Liar

Exodus 20:1-21

Sermon

Eric Ritz

... to cry on their pillows. Even its name hisses. It''s called gossip. Office gossip. Shop gossip. Party gossip. It makes headlines and headaches. Before you repeat a story, ask yourself: Is it true? Is it fair? Is it necessary? If not, shut up. From our other supporting lesson from Proverbs 6:16-20 we read that there are seven things that are detestable to God. As I review this list, four of them deal with the improper use of the tongue and lying. What part of "Thou Shalt Not . . ." don't we understand? We ...

2118. Someday - Today

Luke 4:14-30

Sermon

Eric Ritz

... and He saw Simon and Peter, did He say, Would you please consider following me--SOMEDAY? During the Revolutionary War a young man came to George Washington and said, "General Washington, I want you to know that I believe in you and your cause. I fully support you." General Washington graciously thanked him and asked, "What regiment are you in? Under whose command do you serve? What uniform do you wear?" "Oh," said the young man, "I''m not in the army, I''m just a civilian." The General replied, "Young man ...

2119. The Power of Encouragement (Part VIII)

Philippians 2:1-11

Sermon

Eric Ritz

... as our Lord and Saviour. ENCOURAGEMENT AND UNITY ARE POSSIBLE IN THE CHURCH WHEN WE LOOK FOR THE COMMON GROUND OF COMPASSION RATHER THAN THE BATTLEFIELD OF COMPETITION. I recently was reviewing a tape on marriage and the need for the husband and wife to support and encourage each other rather than exchange verbal warfare. A certain wife said to her husband, "You make me wish I had a lower IQ so I could enjoy your company better." He responded, "Before we were married your chin was your best feature. Now ...

2120. The Destructive Power of Dis-Unity

Philippians 4:2-9

Sermon

Eric Ritz

... demanded. "It is when you look on the face of any woman or man and see that she or he is your sister or brother. Because if you cannot do this, then no matter what time it is, it is still night." PAUL KNEW THAT IT WOULD TAKE THE SUPPORTIVE FAITH COMMITTEE TO LEAD EUODIA AND SYNTYCHE, WHO WERE BLINDED BY AMBITION AND ARROGANCE, TO SEE THE LIGHT OF GOD''S LOVE UPON EACH OTHER''S FACE. Paul did not want Euodia and Syntyche degraded for their disagreements, but for them to build a bridge for each other to ...

2121. The Temptation to Talk Transformation

James 2:14-26

Sermon

Eric Ritz

... doctrine and its application to everyday life and behavior, but they''d gotten lazy. James knew what true faith was, but his emphasis was on what true faith does. Even Martin Luther, who struggled with the Book of James for a long time because he thought it supported a work righteousness salvation, wrote, "Good works do not make a good man--but a good man does good works." James states the same thing in verse 26--"Faith without works is dead." Before I go much further in this sermon, there is one major side ...

2122. Tired of Trying?

James 5:7-12

Sermon

Eric Ritz

... , Lincoln was persistent--and because of it our nation survived its greatest crisis. Here is a litany of a man who never tired of trying, because DUTY and OBLIGATION propelled him forward. 1816 -- His family was forced out of their home. He had to work to support them. 1818 -- His mother died. 1831 -- Failed in business. 1832 -- Ran for state legislature--lost. 1832 -- Also lost his job--wanted to go to law school but couldn''t get in. 1833 -- Borrowed some money from a friend to begin a business and by the ...

2123. The Tender Touch (Part 1)

James 5:13-20

Sermon

Eric Ritz

... a ten-month, double blind experiment that was scientifically controlled and documented. The patients were divided into two groups with no statistical difference between group A or B. The patients were not told which group they were in. Group B received no prayer support. Each patient in Group A had two people praying for them. Those who prayed for the patients were scattered throughout the country and did not know the patient''s name--only the person''s medical problem. When the results were tabulated, the ...

2124. The Lord Is My Shepherd

Psalm 23:1-6

Sermon

Eric Ritz

... claimed personally what a larger faith community has believed and taught. The Old Testament faith community was far more corporate and community minded in its scope. The people of Israel saw themselves as a NATION--as a people with a common unity--that was loved and supported by a God who had made a covenant with them. They had a solidarity with each other. This Psalm is the personal faith of an individual--kindled by a faith community at worship and at work. David did not live in social isolation--nor was ...

2125. A Cup Overflowing

Psalm 23:1-6

Sermon

Eric Ritz

... tentative and temporary. A good example is Muhammad Ali. He was three times on the cover of SPORTS ILLUSTRATED--more times than any other athlete. His name was known throughout the world, and everywhere he traveled he was accompanied by an entourage of supporters. That was then, but what about now? A sportswriter visited Ali and found the photos and posters recounting Ali''s achievements lined up on the floor of his barn, leaning against the walls. On the pictures were white streaks--bird droppings from the ...

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