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 2126 to 2150 of 4943 results

2126. An Attitude of Gratitude

1 Thessalonians 5:12-28

Sermon

David E. Leininger

... effort worthwhile. He was worth it. Finally, the evening came around when I would have the opportunity to give the gift. I handed it to him, nicely wrapped; he tore the paper off, grunted, set the book for which I had so diligently searched off to the side, and continued the conversation with no reference at all to the gift. I confess I was a little nonplussed by that. I did not expect for him to fall on the ground and kiss my feet for such generosity; it was not that big a deal. But I would have expected ...

2127. When All You've Ever Wanted Isn't Enough

Ecc 2:1-26

Sermon

David E. Leininger

... of things unsaid, Warren begins - perhaps for the first time - to glimpse himself and the life he has lived. He finally comes to wonder about the question we raised a minute ago. If a person lives and dies and no one notices, if the world continues as it was, was that person ever really alive? Of course, there is nothing new about such thoughts. The book from which we read earlier - Ecclesiastes - is, of all the books in the Bible, uniquely concerned with this question of the meaning of life. Ecclesiastes ...

2128. The Lord's Prayer: Hallowed Be Thy Name

Matthew 6:5-15

Sermon

David E. Leininger

... save us from our sins. Needless to say, the pastor was quite pleased with all the responses until finally one little lad piped up, "I know what God's name is...it's Harold, same as mine." The preacher looked askance at the little fellow prompting the boy to continue: "Sure, we say it all the time. "Our Father, who art in heaven, Harold be Thy name..." Sad to say, there are many adults who do not have a much better understanding of "Hallowed be Thy name" than young Harold did. About the only time we use the ...

2129. The Lord's Prayer: "Our Daily Bread"

Matthew 6:5-15

Sermon

David E. Leininger

... day, they would awaken in the morning to find that what they had gathered in excess of their daily needs had gone rotten. Plenty was provided for each day. All God asked was that the people have enough faith in the divine provision to trust that the manna would continue to come as long as necessary. The message is clear: God is our provider EVERYDAY; God did not simply wind this world up like a clock then wander off to let us fend for ourselves. The God who gives you and me the day to begin with will also ...

2130. The Lord's Prayer: Please Forgive Us as We Forgive

Matthew 6:5-15

Sermon

David E. Leininger

... have used that form ever since. The difference is not theological but historical.(3) A more MODERN translation of the prayer would be, "Forgive us our sins as we forgive those who sin against us." So saying, I will add that I think there is good value in continuing to use the metaphor of debts for sins. When we speak of sin as a debt, several things happen. One is that we remind ourselves that we are personally responsible for our sins (none of this, "the Devil made me do it"), just as we are personally ...

2131. Regis and Jesus

Matthew 6:19-24

Sermon

David E. Leininger

... lives, to see if there are elements in them that ought not to be, and, by the power of God, make some changes. We continue to study Jesus' words in the Sermon on the Mount and come across "Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth..." Uh, Jesus ... of it." Good common sense wisdom: "Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth..." But Jesus did not stop there. He continued, "store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust consumes and where thieves do not break in and steal ...

2132. What Is Truly Important

Matthew 6:25-34, Matthew 6:19-24

Sermon

David E. Leininger

... paid off. He has got this massive crop in and now he needs storage space. Good for him. He says to himself, "I will pull down my barns and build larger ones, and there I will store all my grain and my goods." So far, so good. But then Bigger continues, "And I will say to my soul, 'Soul, you have ample goods laid up for many years; relax, eat, drink, be merry.'" Nice thought. But we know how the story ends. God says, "You fool! This very night your life is being demanded of you. And the things you have ...

2133. Tragedy and Triumph

Matthew 7:24-29

Sermon

David E. Leininger

... s all part of the process of exploration and discovery. It's all part of taking a chance and expanding man's horizons. The future doesn't belong to the fainthearted; it belongs to the brave. The Challenger crew was pulling us into the future, and we'll continue to follow them." Then he concluded, "The crew of the space shuttle Challenger honored us by the manner in which they lived their lives. We will never forget them, nor the last time we saw them, this morning, as they prepared for the journey and waved ...

2134. The Incomparable Christ

Matthew 11:1-19

Sermon

David E. Leininger

... who is to come, or are we to wait for another?" Are you the one who is to come, or are we to wait for another? Not only the question of an ancient text, but the question that has been repeated ever since, and until the end of time, will continue to be asked by every human heart. Of course, the answer of the Gospel, the faith in which we have been raised, says ABSOLUTELY! Yes, Jesus is the one. This Jesus is unique. He is the INCOMPARABLE CHRIST. Listen again to the Apostle Paul: He is the image of the ...

2135. Good News for Tenant Farmers

Matthew 13:1-23

Sermon

David E. Leininger

... to as "stooling out." Whereas normally, each seed sends up one stalk and produces one head of wheat, when the weather is cooler and wetter, the grain will send up a second and even a third stalk. The yield is therefore abundantly greater." Pastor Janet continues. "I see it as an example of something that humans have no control over. If the wheat stools out, it is not because the farmer was especially clever or because the soil was so good, but because the weather conditions were right. It seems that ...

2136. The Freedom in Forgiveness

Matthew 18:21-35

Sermon

David E. Leininger

... in 1984 for two rapes he did not commit. Sentenced to life plus 54 years, the Gibsonville man was angry at police and prosecutors, his own lawyers and even the victims. But after three years in prison, Cotton began to change. "I learned I couldn't continue to live with the hatred and the bitterness," he says. Cotton spent nearly 11 years in prison before a new lawyer, using DNA evidence, won his release this past June. But from the moment he forgave, Cotton's spirit was free. There IS freedom in forgiveness ...

2137. A World in Turmoil

Matthew 21:1-11

Sermon

David E. Leininger

... we were told that the only way to peace was war, and now thousands upon thousands are dead, exponentially more have been grievously wounded. The myth of redemptive violence writ large. And we are told there is no way anyone can predict how long it will continue. And into that world this week again steps someone who would offer another way. He rode into Jerusalem, not on a chariot with arms upward and outward and his fingers spiking a "V" sign for victory. Not waving and grinning at all those people in their ...

2138. What Do You Believe About Eternal Life

John 14:5-14

Eulogy

James W. Moore

... most minute and insignificant parts of His universe, doesn’t it made sense to assume that He applies it also to the masterpiece of His creation – the human soul? I think it does. And everything science has taught me – and continues to teach me – strengthens my belief in the continuity of our spiritual existence after death. Nothing disappears without a trace.” When someone we love dies… or when we face our own death, we need to remember that… Remember that God loves us and that God is on both ...

2139. Following Orders

Matthew 28:16-20

Sermon

David E. Leininger

... finds its fullest expression in the life of the fellowship. Why would Jesus include this as a part of the marching orders for his troops? Simply because all the learning in the world about what God has done for us in Jesus Christ and what God continues to do through the Holy Spirit only really makes an impact on us within community. Without the support of other believers, without someone around to help fan the flame that is within us, we soon die down to nothing more than Christian "embers"...not much good ...

2140. The Healing Touch

Mark 5:21-43

Sermon

David E. Leininger

... seventy of them out two by two as advance teams to the towns on the planned itinerary, part of their instructions were to "cure the sick who are there, and say to them, 'The kingdom of God has come near to you'" (Luke 10:9). The healings continued long after that first generation of believers was gone from the scene. In fact, in the second century a pagan critic of Christianity by the name of Celsus complained that the church kept going and growing by attracting "the sick, the fools and the sinners." (2 ...

2141. Jesus and Divorce

Mark 10:1-12

Sermon

David E. Leininger

... fact that although it is possible to affirm marriage as an institution "designed and ordained of God for the welfare and happiness of [hu]mankind," there is no certainty that God is the instigator of any specific marital union or that God intends the continuation of the union regardless of the personal consequences to the persons involved.(8) How SHOULD we deal with divorce then? Ask anyone who has gone through a divorce and they will tell you that there are few situations in life which can cause that ...

2142. Sunday's Coming

Mark 11:1-11

Sermon

David E. Leininger

... , and on Friday Pilate thought he had washed his hands of a lot of trouble. The Pharisees were struttin' around, laughin' and pokin' each other in the ribs. They thought they were back in charge of things. But they didn't know it was only Friday! Sunday's comin'! Campolo continues, "He kept on working that one phrase for a half hour, then an hour, then an hour and a quarter, then an hour and a half. Over and over he came at us, "It's Friday, but Sunday's comin!" By the time he had come to the end of ...

2143. When Your Church Provokes You

Matthew 13:1-23, Hebrews 10:19-39

Sermon

David E. Leininger

... will be left here upon another; all will be thrown down." Quite something to imagine when you realize that the stones were about the size of a mini-van. And with the benefit of our perspective...20/20 hindsight...we know he was right. As Jesus and his friends continued to walk and talk together, they made their way across the valley and finally rested in one of their old haunts on the Mount of Olives. Off in the distance, the Temple dome dominated the landscape, and the sight prompted the conversation to ...

2144. Tell It Again, Daddy

Mark 13:24-37

Sermon

David E. Leininger

... (early Camelot?), the entrance of sin into the picture - not only Adam and Eve, or even Lancelot and Guinevere, but you and me as well - then the reminder that sin does not have the last word: grace, mercy and the love of Jesus do. In a cycle that continues, our story is very much like the story of Camelot, for we, like Arthur, know that the shattered vision is not the end of God's story with us. "Tell it again, Daddy." Do you remember saying that when you were little? Or hearing it from your own children ...

2145. The News from Nazareth

Luke 1:46-56, Luke 1:39-45

Sermon

David E. Leininger

... asks how this is possible since she is still a virgin; the angel says not to worry: "The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you." Uh-huh. Then, as proof that this incredible announcement could be taken seriously, Gabriel continues, "Even Elizabeth your relative is going to have a child in her old age, and she who was said to be barren is in her sixth month. For nothing is impossible with God." Now we come to today's text and find young Mary (and young she surely ...

2146. The Trouble with Stables

Luke 2:1-7

Sermon

David E. Leininger

... awfully important. God's home was no stable. God's dwelling is all the glories of the universe, but the choice was made to leave that. God chose to come SEEKING us. On that night of nights, heaven reached down to earth, and that reaching has continued, and WILL continue, until heaven and earth finally pass away. Thou didst leave Thy throne And Thy kingly crown When Thou camest to earth for me.(3) Will God lead us out of the stable? Perhaps. Perhaps not. The promise is that even that stable will turn out to ...

2147. Fish Bait

Luke 5:1-11

Sermon

David E. Leininger

... may be all he catches today, he thinks to himself. After all, he and his partners had been out fishing all night and had caught nothing but an occasional nap. So Jesus climbs in, Simon pushes off, and the teaching continues. We have no clue as to how long the preaching and teaching continues, but for awhile we expect. Finally, it is over. Simon and his mates are ready to get home for some shut-eye in preparation for another night's work - after all, night time, especially the early morning hours before dawn ...

2148. A Fool and his Money

Luke 12:13-21

Sermon

David E. Leininger

... to help him plan bigger barns. The hours pass, finally the architect says, "Look, I have got to get home. I have been out every night this week." "Leave the plans with me", says the man, "I will keep working on them. We can pick it up tomorrow." So he continues to work with his drawings and his figures. Mrs. Farmer comes in to say, "Goodnight, dear. Don't work too late." But he barely hears her, so caught up is he in the vision of the future. The hours pass, and he senses what seems to be a knock at ...

2149. Would a Loving God Really Let Anyone Go to Hell?

Luke 16:19-31

Sermon

David E. Leininger

... places where it indicates NO. And if scripture is not crystal clear, we had best not be making any absolute statements. However, if we take seriously the freedom of choice God has given us, it seems we are forced to conclude that there is a possibility that some will continue to reject God, to hang on to their sins, no matter how much "adjustment" has gone on. As C. S. Lewis has written, "There are only two kinds of people in the end: those who say to God, 'Thy will be done,' and those to whom God says, in ...

2150. Leaping Lepers - Thanksgiving

Luke 17:11-19

Sermon

David E. Leininger

... -related meeting, without fear of harassment, arrest, torture or death, you are fortunate - billions of people in the world cannot.(7) It is not hard for us to count our blessings, is it? Most of us could easily jot down a rather lengthy list. But the story continues. "Jesus asked, "Were not all ten cleansed? Where are the other nine? Was no one found to return and give praise to God except this foreigner?" Hmm. Despite the fact that this text has been used for years as a club to beat us into being more ...

Showing results