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 2176 to 2200 of 4914 results

2176. The Advocate

John 15:1-17

Sermon

Ron Lavin

The Holy Spirit is called "your Advocate" in the New English Bible translation of John 15:26. Other translations may be helpful in understanding the meaning of the Holy Spirit. The King James Version uses the term "The Comforter." The Revised Standard Version and the New International Version use the term "The Counselor." The Phillips translation and the Barclay translation call the Holy Spirit "The Helper." I like the title "The Advocate" best of all. This term "The Adovcate" includes comforting, ...

2177. Praying With Bloody Knuckles

Isaiah 62:1-12, Isaiah 61:1-11

Sermon

William L. Self

My wife was conducting a prayer workshop recently and a member of the group told her this true story. She had grown up in London and her pastor walked from his home to the church every day. Along the way he had to pass through some rough sections of town, and as he passed one particular bar there was always the same man loitering outside, very drunk and very loudmouthed. The pastor was really angry at the wasted life and annoyed by the obnoxious taunts of the man. He started praying for the man every time ...

2178. Seeds And The Kingdom

Mark 4:30-34, Mark 4:26-29

Sermon Aid

William E. Keeney

At this writing the U.S. House of Representatives has just completed its 100 days of legislation on the so-called Contract with America. It was an effort to change quickly a process which was at work through several decades. Some analysts criticize the legislation for having been put together too hastily. It was driven by a desire to demonstrate instant results. The probability is that the legislation will move through the Senate with more "deliberate speed." The Senate will look more closely to discern ...

2179. Moving At The Speed Of Light: Unknown Apostles

1 Corinthians 2:6-16

Sermon

Frank Luchsinger

How many people are helpful to us in a given stretch of time? How many are helpful to you in a given stretch of time? Folks whose names you may not know who go out of their way to help you out. A while back a mother was driving home, and an eruption of discontent came from the back seat -- two little boys who could not get along. She pulled off to the side of the road and stopped. Sensing there might be a mechanical failure, a police cruiser with two officers pulled up next to her inquiring if she needed ...

2180. Lent 4

Luke 15:11-32, 2 Corinthians 5:11--6:2, Isaiah 12:1-6, Joshua 5:1-12, Luke 15:1-7

Sermon Aid

John R. Brokhoff

COMMENTARY Old Testament: Joshua 5:9-12 Joshua and his people keep the Passover at Gilgal. Under Joshua's leadership the Israelites cross the Jordan to the Promised Land. In preparation for the conquest of the land, all were circumcised as a renewal of the Abrahamic covenant. Also, the first Passover was kept in the Promised Land at Gilgal. It marked the end of the wilderness wanderings. On the day of the Passover, manna from heaven ceased and the people began to eat the fruit of the land. Old Testament: ...

2181. Advent 2

Matthew 3:1-12, Isaiah 11:1-16, Romans 14:1--15:13

Sermon Aid

Russell F. Anderson

COMMENTARY Old Testament: Isaiah 11:1-10 This text is related to Isaiah 9:1-6. "The people who have walked in darkness have seen a great light" (Isaiah 9:3a). In their original context, both passages are believed to be coronation Psalms for God's Anointed One, the king. It is possible that Isaiah composed today's lesson for the coronation of King Hezekiah. Though a king was held to be a direct link between the people and their God, the prophet realized that the righteous rule envisioned in this passage was ...

2182. End times

Mt 24:1-14 · 1 Thess 3:7-13 · Jer 26:1-6 · Ps 105:1-7

Sermon Aid

Russell F. Anderson

COMMENTARY Lesson 1: Jeremiah 26:1-6 Jeremiah is commanded by God to stand in the court of the temple and warn the nation to repent of their sins or be destroyed. This is at the onset of the reign of King Johoiakim, placed in power by the Egyptians. It is possible that the prophet chose this time because of the crowds flooding into Jerusalem for the coronation ceremonies. A fuller rendition of Jeremiah's temple sermon is found in Jeremiah 7:1-7. Lesson 2: 1 Thessalonians 3:7-13 Paul gives thanks to God for ...

2183. Have You Heard The Good News?

Mark 1:1-8

Sermon

John A. Stroman

Have you heard the good news? Mark starts off his gospel with the announcement of the coming of the good news. He reveals to us the content and the nature of that good news. It is "the good news of Jesus Christ, the Son of God." That is what the Advent is all about -- the preparation for the coming of Jesus Christ. This good news is centered in Jesus Christ. This is the mood and feeling that is captured by the African-American spiritual: Go tell it on the mountain, over the hills and everywhere; Go tell it ...

2184. Winners Losers

John 8:31-41

Sermon

Thomas Peterson

The world is filled with winners and losers. Jesus knew all about being a winner. So much so that he shows us how to win, no matter what. I say “no matter what” because in life we cannot, try as hard as we will, avoid loses, failures, accidents, mistreatments, and aging. So, to be a sure winner means that we must find a way of living life so that no matter what inevitable obstacles confront us, we manage to come out feeling right about ourselves and able to keep on with good spirit. To be able to do this ...

2185. What Ever Happened to Wisdom?

Sermon

John R. Brokhoff

Does gray hair bring wisdom or slower reflexes or both? This is the issue over which airline pilots and the Federal Aviation Administration have been arguing for years. The rule has been that pilots cannot fly jetliners after they turn sixty years old. Pilots claim that eligibility after sixty should be determined on a case by case basis. They cite the time when Captain David Cronin, age fifty-nine, brought a jumbo jet back to a safe landing in Hawaii after a huge hole had opened in its fuselage. He ...

2186. Corpus Christi

Mk 4:12-16, 22-26 · Heb 9:11-15 · Ex 24:3-8 · Ps 126

Sermon Aid

Russell F. Anderson

COMMENTARY Lesson 1: Exodus 24:3-8 After Moses and the elders commune with the Lord on the mountain, Moses builds an altar at the foot of the mountain with twelve pillars of stone, representing the twelve tribes. He assembles the people for a covenant ceremony. The people agreed to obey the Lord's commands as delivered by Moses. In witness to the covenant between God and the people, Moses ordered that many beasts be sacrificed. He took half the blood and dashed it against the altar, representing God's ...

2187. Easter 3

Luke 24:36-49, Acts 3:11-26, 1 John 2:28--3:10

Sermon Aid

Russell F. Anderson

Theme: Jesus fulfills all of God's plans and promises. Repent and believe in him and God will give you a new life. COMMENTARY Epistle: Acts 3:12-19 In the first part of the chapter Peter heals a crippled beggar at Solomon's Colonnade in the temple. Great crowds are attracted to Peter and the other disciples and so Peter uses the opportunity to preach the gospel. Peter is brutally blunt in his preaching, accusing them of killing Jesus, even if it was in ignorance. The God of their fathers has glorified ...

2188. The Transfiguration

2 Corinthians 4:1-18, 2 Kings 2:1-18, Mark 9:2-13

Sermon Aid

Russell F. Anderson

Theme: Seeing the vision of God's glory. This being The Transfiguration Of Our Lord, the last Sunday in the bright Epiphany season before the fast of Lent, we need to fix the vision of the glorious Christ in our hearts and minds. God's blessings are promised to those who have the faith to catch the vision. COMMENTARY Old Testament: 2 Kings 2:1-12 It seems to be general knowledge among the prophetic school associated with Elijah that the prophet is going to be taken into heaven on a certain day. Elisha, the ...

2189. Life In His Name

1 John 5:1-12, 1 John 5:13-21

Sermon

Mark J. Molldrem

In 1922, a marvelous treasure was unearthed in the Valley of the Kings in Egypt. The tomb of King Tut, a nineteen-year-old pharaoh, was discovered. He lived 1,300 years before Jesus. One of the valued artifacts that was brought out of this ancient tomb was the figure of "The King upon a Leopard." The leopard was black, the shade of death. The pharaoh was clothed in bright, gilded color, riding regally upon the leopard's back. This figure of "The King upon a Leopard" symbolized the belief that King Tut ...

2190. Selling One’s Soul

1 Kings 21:1-29

Sermon

Robert Allen

Universities in the Northeast take great delight in staging Elizabethan dramas. This is one of the cultural aspects which universities in the Northeast emphasize. It is a way of giving aspiring young actors and actresses some practical experience on the stage and it is a way of taking classical literature out of the boredom of the classroom and making it come alive in the minds of students as they watch it performed on the stage. Perhaps, one of the greatest of the Elizabethan dramas is Christopher Marlowe ...

2191. The Messiah For All

Ephesians 3:4-6

Sermon

Louis H. Valbracht

When you read this you can perceive my insight into the mystery of Christ, which was not made known to the sons of men in other generations as it has now been revealed to his holy apostles and prophets by the Spirit; that is, how the Gentiles are fellow heirs, members of the same body, and partakers of the promise in Christ Jesus through the gospel. The hymns, "As with Gladness Men of Old" and "Brightest and Best of the Sons of the Morning," are two beautiful hymns for the Epiphany. There is only one ...

2192. Emancipation Proclamation

John 8:31-41

Sermon

These are slippery words that Jesus used when, fifteen centuries ahead of Martin Luther, nineteen centuries ahead of Abraham Lincoln, he issued the emancipation proclamation: "If you continue in my word, then you are truly my disciples, and you will know the truth, and the truth will make you free." Slippery words, I said, for when we think we have these concepts, truth and freedom, neatly boxed and wrapped with pretty ribbons, they begin to slip away. The usual baggage we have stuffed inside of them is ...

2193. The Transfiguration of Our Lord

Lk 9:28-36 · 2 Cor 3:12--4:6 · Ex 34:29-35 · Deut 34:1-12

Sermon Aid

John R. Brokhoff

COMMENTARY Exodus 34:29-35 After forty days on the mountain with Yahweh, Moses' face shone. In this passage Moses makes his final descent from Mount Sinai where in communing with God he receives the Decalogue on two tables of stone. When Moses came back to his people, his face was still reflecting the glory of Yahweh to such an extent that Aaron and others were afraid of him. Moses had to urge the people to come near him. To reduce the brilliance, he put on a veil which he removed when he went to his tent ...

2194. Lent 5

Ezekiel 37:1-14, John 11:1-16, John 11:17-37, John 11:38-44, Romans 8:1-17

Bulletin Aid

First Lesson: Ezekiel 37:1-14 Theme: The valley of dry bones Call to Worship Pastor: When hope is overcome by despair, we have the assurance that God restores life. People: We cling to that assurance because there are times when death would be a better description of our existence. Pastor: We are not the first to feel that way. Israel one time felt like a valley of dry bones, and God's message was that they would come to life! People: Our God is full of life! And we know he wants to share it with us. ...

2195. Advent 3

Isaiah 35:1-10, Psalm 146:1-10, James 5:7-12, Matthew 11:1-19

Sermon Aid

THEOLOGICAL CLUE The liturgical/homiletical purpose of this Sunday is to deal with a question that is fundamental to the incarnation, Jesus' identity as the Messiah, who has come to God's people and who will come again. The focus of the gospel shows how Jesus' word and works identified him as the Messiah, the incarnate Word, giving a better understanding of the incarnation as it was revealed in his life and ministry to the church that is about to celebrate his birth. The Gospel also points to John the ...

2196. Call Him a Story Teller

Luke 1:1-4

Sermon

George Bass

One of the treasures of Rome is a painting of Mary, the Mother of our Lord, which resides in the Borghese chapel of the Church of St. Mary Major and is attributed to St. Luke. It is a painting reputed to have healing powers, possibly because St. Luke was a physician as well as a painter; at any rate, on occasions like the cholera epidemic in 1837, it was carried through the streets of Rome to the Church of the Gesu, where it was placed so that the people might venerate it and be spared the dread disease. ...

2197. The Level Ground Beneath The Cross

Romans 3:21-31, Romans 3:9-20

Sermon

Bill Bouknight

I like the story that is told about an old Baptist minister who preached every Sunday on baptism by immersion. His folks agreed with his doctrine, but they were tired of hearing the same subject every week. The deacons undertook to solve the problem through diplomatic means. They complimented the pastor on his pulpit skills and suggested to him that he was such a natural preacher that they wanted to try an experiment. They wanted to hand him a piece of paper with a scripture lesson on it just before he ...

2198. Christmas, Proper 3

John 1:1-18, Hebrews 1:1-14, Isaiah 51:17--52:12

Bulletin Aid

Paul A. Laughlin

First Lesson: Isaiah 52:7-10 Theme: God’s mercy to redeem and might to reign Exegetical Note The prophet, probably celebrating a return from exile, proclaims the same good news that will resound again and again in ages to come: God has returned to rule in mercy and might, bringing peace, goodness, comfort and salvation. Call to Worship Leader: How welcome is the person who brings us good news, especially the kind that both comforts us and gladdens our hearts! People: THAT IS JUST THE SORT OF NEWS WE HEAR ...

2199. King of Atlanta

Romans 8:28-39

Drama

Michael L. Sherer

"We are more than conquerors through Christ ..." Romans 8:35-39 Characters: Lector Announcer Antagonist Protagonist (Participants enter and take their places in the chancel. As they come forward, the congregation sings the hymn "Beneath the Cross of Jesus." When the hymn is completed, the drama begins.) LECTOR: Who can separate us from the love of Christ? Can trouble do it? Or hardship? Or persecution? Or hunger? Or poverty? Or danger? Or death? As the Scripture says, "For your sake we are in danger of ...

2200. The Kingdom And The Seed

Mark 4:4-20; 30-32

Sermon

Ron Lavin

Most of us have planted a garden or lived on or near a farm. In my case, I grew up in Chicago where they have to put cows in zoos because so many city people are shielded from agricultural life and would never otherwise get to see one. But for eleven years I served as the pastor of a church in the agriculturally-oriented community of Davenport, Iowa. Davenport is located in Scott County which is Mississippi River land. It is reported to be some of the richest soil in the world. I learned a lot about ...

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