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 201 to 225 of 388 results

201. I Am The Bread Of Life

John 6:24-35

Sermon

Brett Blair

There is a bit of Jewish humor that goes like this: An old man goes to a diner every day for lunch. He always orders the soup du jour. One day the manager asks him how he liked his meal. The old man replies, "It was good, but you could give a little more bread. Two slices of bread is not enough." So the next day the manager tells the waitress to give him four slices of bread. "How was your meal, sir?" the manager asks. "It was good, but you could give a little more bread," comes the reply. So the next day ...

202. “The Lord Is My Shepherd, I Lack Nothing”

Psalm 23:1-6

Teach the Text

C. Hassell Bullock

Big Idea: The Lord as David’s shepherd watches over him and, with his gentle agents of goodness and mercy, pursues him into the Lord’s house. Understanding the Text Psalm 23 is an individual psalm of trust (see the sidebar “Psalms of Trust” in the unit on Ps. 16).[1] Psalms of trust arise out of some trouble that the psalmist has experienced, although we cannot always determine specifically what it was. Yet through this experience the psalmist has learned to trust in the Lord. Sometimes these psalms ...

203. Will God Be With Us?

Exodus 33:12-23

Sermon

King Duncan & Angela Akers

Have you ever felt desperate for just a few minutes of time by yourself? We all need “alone time” occasionally to clear our head and relieve a little stress. So it is hard to imagine what it is like for prominent people, like the President of the United States, who never get a single moment alone. There are approximately 1,300 Secret Service agents who serve as the security detail for the President, the Vice President, and their family members. It is their job to ensure that our nation’s most powerful ...

204. Micaiah Prophesies Against Ahab

1 Kings 22:1-28

Understanding Series

Iain W. Provan

Ahab Dispatched: The house of Ahab stands under the prophetic curse. The full outworking of God’s wrath is to be delayed until the reign of Ahab’s son, because of the king’s response to Elijah (21:27–29). Ahab’s own death, however, has now been foretold by two different prophets, with no delay in prospect (20:41–42; 21:19), and we thus anticipate an early fulfillment of their prophecy. The appearance now of a third prophet brings us to that fulfillment, as Ahab marches out to meet the Arameans at Ramoth ...

205. Ahab Killed at Ramoth Gilead

1 Kings 22:29-40

Understanding Series

Iain W. Provan

206. Jeremiah Buys a Field

Jeremiah 32:1-44

Understanding Series

Tremper Longman III

32:1–15 The narrative begins by giving the date of the event that follows. It is the tenth year of Zedekiah, the eighteenth of Nebuchadnezzar, clearly within months of the downfall of Jerusalem. Indeed, the siege of Jerusalem has begun. According to Jeremiah 52:4–5, the Babylonian army arrived at the gates of Jerusalem in the tenth month of Zedekiah’s ninth year. Thus we are to imagine this story taking place within the walls of Jerusalem which was encircled by the Babylonian army. Furthermore, Jeremiah ...

207. How Does Prayer Work?

1 Corinthians 2:1-12 (13-16)

Sermon

Charley Reeb

If you grew up in the church, I am sure you were taught that prayer is important. Even if you don’t have much of a religious background, there is a good chance you have heard about the benefits of prayer. If you need something, ask God for it. If you need guidance, ask God for it. If you are worried, pray about it. If you need strength, pray for it. But maybe you struggle with prayer because you never seem to get the results you are looking for. You pray and never seem to get an answer. You are frustrated ...

208. The Kings of the South and the North

Daniel 11:2-35

Teach the Text

Ronald W. Pierce

From Persia to Greece (11:2-20): Big Idea: Often working behind the scenes, God foresees and oversees the struggles of his people with hostile world forces. Understanding the Text See the unit on 10:1–11:1 for a discussion of the larger context, structure, and comparisons of chapters 10–12. Against this backdrop, 11:2–20 (the extended unit’s second section) divides into two parts: a summary of the transition from Persia to Greece (11:2–4) and a description of key events in the Ptolemaic and Seleucid wars ( ...

209. Oh, God!

Revelation 7:9-17

Sermon

King Duncan

Some of you will remember a couple of humorous films a few years ago in which the late comedian George Burns played God. Oh, God, parts I & II, were not great movies, but they did allow us to reflect on what God is really like. A pastor was trying to explain to a child about God. The pastor said. “God is everywhere!” "Everywhere?” asked the little boy. “Everywhere!” said the pastor. The boy went home and told his mother, “God is everywhere! The pastor said so.” “Yes, I know,” said the mother. “You mean he ...

210. Now Stand Up Straight!

Luke 13:10-17

Sermon

Mark Trotter

Some of you give me books that you would like me to read, which I am very happy to do. It usually takes me some time to get to them, so sometimes I save them to take on planes with me. If it is near the summertime, I save them to take with me on my summer vacation. Sometimes, I am embarrassed to confess, by the time I get around to reading the book, I can't remember who it was who gave it to me. That has happened with enough frequency lately that I have thought of putting a table out on the patio, pile all ...

211. Epiphany 3

Psalm 27:1-14, Isaiah 9:1-7, 1 Corinthians 1:10-17, Matthew 4:12-17, Matthew 4:18-22

Sermon Aid

Marion L. Soards, Thomas B. Dozeman, Kendall McCabe

OLD TESTAMENT TEXTS Isaiah 9:1-4 has been chosen as the Old Testament lesson for this Sunday because it is quoted in Matthew 4:15-16. The larger text of Isaiah 9:2-7 was the Old Testament lesson for Christmas Day. Psalm 27:1, 4-9 is the first section of a psalm that presents the prayer of an innocent person who is being falsely accused and persecuted. Isaiah 9:1-4 - "Salvation for Zebulun and Naphtali" Setting. The historical setting of Isaiah 9:1-4 is most probably in the latter third of the eighth ...

212. Paul in Ephesus

Acts 19:1-22

Understanding Series

David J. Williams

This section and the one before it are a pair. They are both concerned with the relationship of Christianity to an imperfect form of the faith—“the baptism of John.” In this case Paul deals with the situation himself. These verses include also a brief description of his ministry in Ephesus, aspects of which are illustrated in the following section. But again we must turn to Paul’s letters to fill out our knowledge of these years. They show that his achievement in Ephesus was at the cost of much suffering ( ...

213. Jesus Predicts His Death

John 12:20-36

Understanding Series

J. Ramsey Michaels

The principle that the “whole world has gone after” Jesus (v. 19) finds immediate illustration in some Greeks who were among the worshipers at the festival (v. 20). Their request to see Jesus was directed at Philip (cf. 1:43–44), ceremoniously passed along by him to Andrew, and by the two of them to Jesus (vv. 21–22). These two disciples have been seen together twice before: first as Jesus’ agents in initially gathering a group of followers (1:35–45), and later as the two whose faith Jesus tested before ...

214. Caring for the Needy and Commissioning Apostles

Mark 3:7-12, Mark 3:13-19

Teach the Text

Grant R. Osborne

Big Idea: Jesus again leaves the urban setting for a ministry at the Sea of Galilee, healing the sick and demonstrating authority over all powers. At the same time, we see the second stage of discipleship as Jesus elects and empowers twelve disciples/apostles, making them the restored new Israel. Understanding the Text This passage (3:7–12) begins a new section of ministry by the lake (3:7–6:6). At the same time, it starts another cycle in Mark (defined by Jesus’s ministry to the disciples, the crowds, and ...

215. Giving Comfort

Isaiah 40:1-31

Sermon

King Duncan

Once there was a Baptist minister and humorist named Grady Nutt. Grady could tell some of the most hilarious stories. One of Grady’s classic stories was of a seminary student who pastored a rural church on the weekends. Word came to this student preacher that a man in his church had died. Could he come and conduct the funeral? The young preacher had never done a funeral before, but after receiving counsel from one of his seminary professors about how to proceed, he drove out to the home of the man who had ...

216. Leading as Loving

Sermon

Robert Noblett

Leadership is constantly being sought. The issue is neither academic nor boring because leadership is almost always pivotal. For this reason, schools, families, corporations, service clubs, governmental bodies are all perpetually in a search for capable leadership. So is the church. Every year nominating committees in churches sit down and attempt to identify and enlist potential leaders. And that is a crucial task. The decisions they make can mean dynamic movement or inertia. I have been in churches where ...

217. Song Of Loss Song Of Hope

2 Samuel 1:1-16

Sermon

Charles Curley

David loved Jonathan and, from the day they met, David was loved in return, with a love which has virtually defined the meaning of friendship down through the generations. "The soul of Jonathan was bound to the soul of David, and Jonathan loved him as his own soul." - 1 Samuel 18:1 The difficulty was that Jonathan was Saul's son and heir. Jonathan was to be the next king of Israel, following his father, King Saul. God had disinherited Jonathan, dethroned Saul, and sent Samuel to anoint David King of Israel ...

218. Song of an Historian

Psalm 78:1-72

Sermon

Gordon Pratt Baker

The author of the Seventy-eighth Psalm is a person with his eye on the events that have shaped Israel. Not that he is engrossed in the bare facts of her history. He is too strongly steeped in the traditions of his people in general and the prophets in particular for that. It is rather that he sees the happenings of her past as God’s footprints in the sands of time. History: A Sacred Trust The psalmist’s approach to his country’s story takes advantage of a poet’s license regarding it. So he departs from the ...

219. Torn Curtain

Luke 23:44-49, Luke 23:26-43

Sermon

King Duncan

Imagine you are directing a movie. It’s a controversial movie about the life of Christ. And suddenly, during the Sermon on the Mount, your lead actor, who plays Jesus, is struck by lightning. Someone sees fire on the left side of his head and light all around his body. Smoke is seen coming out of his ears. Cast members are screaming. Wouldn’t you think, if you were the actor playing Jesus that, just maybe, God was telling you something? Well, such an event really occurred during the shooting of Mel Gibson’ ...

220. Love

Romans 12:9-21

Understanding Series

James R. Edwards

In his famous hymn to love in 1 Corinthians 13 Paul says, “if … I have not love, I am nothing” (v. 2). In Romans 13 he says that “love is the fulfillment of the law” (v. 10), and he enjoins Christians to owe no one anything except the debt of love (v. 8). In the latter half of Romans 12 Paul provides insight and guidance concerning the nature of love. Love is defined at the outset (v. 9), middle (v. 17), and end (v. 21) as a commitment to good, and especially the victory of good over evil. This section is ...

221. Tempted By Good

Matthew 4:1-11

Sermon

Don M. Aycock

Have you ever noticed that almost every mountaintop experience in life is followed by a valley experience? You graduate from school with the great expectation of making your mark in the world, but you find out that the world doesn't exactly welcome you with open arms. You get married with the full expectation that your new spouse will relieve your loneliness and solve your problems, but you find out you are still you. Life's high moments are often followed by low times -- depression and bewilderment. If we ...

222. A Prophet Like Me

Deuteronomy 18:14-22

Sermon

Frederick C. Edwards

Most people have a rather warped view of the biblical prophets. We have tended to see them as rather like a man I saw outside Saint Stephen’s Cathedral in Vienna, dressed in what looked like bed sheets, wearing a beard, with a sign around his neck, and carrying a staff, and shouting things to anyone who happened to look his way. He reminded me of some of the cartoons I had seen in the New Yorker magazine, depicting long-bearded characters in similar dress, usually announcing the end of the world. Certainly ...

223. I’ve Lost the Cutting Edge

2 Kings 6:1-7

Sermon

James Merritt

Do you ever feel as if you've lost the cutting edge; you're not hitting on all eight cylinders; you're swimming in mud and running in tar; you just can't get it together? I want to share with you some stories that are absolutely true. They actually happened, and I believe you will agree with me that these are people who had lost the cutting edge: An Illinois man, pretending to have a gun, kidnapped a motorist and forced him to drive to two different automated teller machines, where the kidnapper proceeded ...

224. The Messed Up

John 4:1-26

Sermon

James Merritt

In 2006, Alitalia Airlines, the official airline of Italy, made a slight mistake on its website regarding international airfare from Toronto, Canada, to the island of Cyprus. They advertised business-class seats for $39. It was supposed to be $3900, but somebody left two zeros. Two thousand tickets were immediately snapped up and it cost the airline $7.7 million. Somebody messed up. In 1990, 75 million phone calls across the United States went unanswered after a single switch at one of AT&T’s Switching ...

225. My God, My God, Why Have You Forsaken Me?

Psalm 22:1-31

Understanding Series

Craig C. Broyles

This is an extraordinary psalm that takes us to the extremes. Its haunting words, “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?” were quoted by Jesus on the cross. It develops from an individual in the dust of death (v. 15) to universal acknowledgment of the kingdom of God. In the lament we read “all who see me mock me” (v. 7) and “all my bones are out of joint” (v. 14), but in the praise sections we hear, “All you descendants of Jacob, honor him!” (v. 23), “All the ends of the earth will . . . turn to the ...

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