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 2301 to 2325 of 4957 results

2301. The Meek

Psalm 37:1-40

Sermon

John A. Terry

This is not the beatitude of anyone claiming "I am the greatest." In fact, like all the other beatitudes, we have to wonder how practical these words are. What business could survive being meek? This is not a slogan you are likely to find above the door to the Stock Exchange on Wall Street. Meekness will not win ...

2302. The Persecuted

John 15:18-27

Sermon

John A. Terry

... that there is just so much theological shelf space, that product differentiation is not viable for go- as-you-please Protestants. Currently, none of the mainstream Protestants -- your Lutherans, your Episcopalians, your Southern Baptists, your Methodists -- can really claim more than a ten percent market share. He says, "My strategy is to consolidate the various brand names, even the strong flagship brands like Southern Baptist, into one identifiable Exxon-like entry. The target audience here is Mom ...

2303. God, The Son

Matthew 2:1-12

Drama

Jerry Eckert

... and the need to repent, but he didn't scare people with their own fear. By the time I learned that lesson, I was in prison. Jerry: You sent some of your students to check him out, didn't you? Marshall: They told me he made no claims. He asked them to report to me what they saw. Jerry: Which was? Marshall: The lame healed, the lepers cleansed, the unrighteous changing their ways, the discouraged becoming encouraged again, all the things I had been working for. There's nothing like doing what you say you ...

2304. Pilate's Sign

Drama

Jerry Eckert

... Jesus, put a purple robe on him and make a crown of thorns on his head. There was blood all over. But Jesus was still alive. Pilate yelled to the crowd, "Look at him!" The crowd yelled back, "Crucify him!" Then someone in the crowd yelled, "He claims he's the son of God." That surprised Pilate and threw him. He went over to Jesus and asked him, "Who are you?" Jesus didn't answer him. Pilate threatened, "I have power over you." Jesus replied, "Who gives you that power?" Visitor: Good question! Local: Right ...

2305. The Adventure Of The Empty Tomb

Mark 16:1-20

Sermon

Jerry Eckert

... had some difficulty working our way to the laboratory of Dr. Wells because there were only a few carriages available due to the holy day. And then we hit a fanatic who would only allow a fare to go a mile at which point he would stand and claim to ride further would be work on a holy day. Holmes' effort to resolve the mystery of the Resurrection had an awkward beginning. We attained the Wells residence after considerable walking. He ushered us in, almost as though we were expected. "I must admit I have been ...

2306. Paul, The Great Missionary

Philippians 1:1-11

Drama

Jerry Eckert

... you've been in prison? Paul: "All I want is to know Christ and to experience the power of his resurrection; to share in his sufferings and become more like him in his death, in the hope that I myself will be raised from death to life. "I do not claim that I have already succeeded or have already become perfect. I keep going on to try to win the prize for which Christ Jesus has already won me to himself. Of course, my brothers and sisters, I do not think that I have already won it; the only thing I ...

2307. Taking Christ's Side

Mark 9:38-41

Bulletin Aid

RobertT D. Ingram

... in.(Continue in silent prayer.)Brothers and sisters, there are those who would exclude us from the fellowship of Christians; but Jesus called us by name, sacrificed his life for our forgiveness, and sent us to proclaim the same good news to others. You are claimed, you are forgiven, and you are commissioned with the title "Christian". Now let the love of Christ guide your hearts, and be at peace with one another. Amen. Blessing Not everyone will follow you, but if they are not against you, then they are for ...

2308. Holy Arithmetic

John 6:1-15

Sermon

Donald Macleod

... Rome); divide (carve out a new Jewish empire); but Jesus wanted to plant, in each soul, the seedling of God's kingdom and, by holy living, i.e., repentance, prayer, and faith, allow it to multiply, until a new age of love and peace would claim the allegiance of the inhabited earth. To maintain this vision and purpose, Jesus needed spiritual reserves, not military or political power. The people wanted to make him a king, but, John said, "He withdrew again to the hills by himself." He could not simply give ...

2309. Holy Believing

John 6:25-59

Sermon

Donald Macleod

... believe Jesus and let his person operate within your life. When you and I consume bread and allow it to go through our digestive processes, its nutrients nourish and strengthen our whole body system so that we can work, think, and aspire as human beings. Jesus claimed to be the Bread of Life. His life, if accepted and received by us, would provide what is necessary for our souls. Paul experienced this working of the person of Christ within his own life when he wrote: "... I live; yet not I, but Christ lives ...

2310. What Does Jesus Expect of Us?

Mark 8:27-38

Sermon

Donald Macleod

... religion of self-centeredness published from many Christian pulpits in these days, and blandished continually by televangelists over the tube. Its sales talk is: expand confidence in your own self and capture fame and fortune as your reward and prize. Even those who claim to be most "orthodox" err in making the fruits of religion something for one's own personal advantage. But, to qualify truly as a fellow traveler with Christ, the primary demand is to deny self. Jesus said, following on the heels of Peter ...

2311. Choosing Your Spirituality

Sermon

Charles R. Leary

... , he encouraged it, but in a perspective of informed charity so the reconciling ministry of Jesus Christ would be at the center, not personal and self-serving agendas. Question Two: Does this spirituality make me proud to be human? Many media personalities, claiming to be Christian, specialize in putting listeners on a guilt-trip for having human desires. They offer one option: repress your God-given natural desires, or let the Devil rule and take you to Hell. They have a proclivity for negatives, like ...

2312. Making the Mystery Work for You

John 3:1-21

Sermon

Charles R. Leary

... are things about life and faith we do not understand. I am not going to suggest that you resign your effort to understand. Oh, no! the search is on! But I am suggesting that you’ll add a plus to your search when you acknowledge the mysteries, claim them, and let them work for you. I have four basic words, all beginning with “S”, which will make four “rules of thumb” to deal with the riddles and mysteries in life. The words are: Start, Strive, Sacrifice, Space. Start where you are. You can’t go ...

2313. What’s a Sunday For?

Sermon

Charles R. Leary

... expecting to hear the great words of Scripture being read and interpreted by different lips. And thirdly, I go to church, not expecting a ticket for a guilt-trip, but expecting to find ways to get the conflicts, anxiety, frustrations and stress out of my system. I claim God’s peace and harmony asking for a balancing of the energies of wholeness for body and mind. Point Two: The Sabbath Commandment is a call to Rejoice in the glory and the beauty of God’s creation. Take time to smell the roses. Then find ...

2314. Celebrating the Marvel of Growth

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

Sermon

Charles R. Leary

... church that welcomes people of all races and nations into her folds, celebrating the marvel of growth. Thank you, blessed Lord, for planting in our heads the thoughts of God, in our hearts the love of Jesus, and in our hands the deeds of gentle love and service. 1. Biologists claim each seed has eight interacting systems equivalent to DNA/RNA in humans. 2. The C.S.S. Publishing company, Inc., Lima, Ohio, Emphasis, June 1982, page 27. 3. Story told in Tony Compolo, Who Switched the Price Tags?

2315. I Saw a New Heaven

Revelation 21:1-27

Sermon

John R. Brokhoff

... above is one unending Easter day, throbbing with the celebration of Resurrection. Another aspect of life in heaven as the vision describes it is that there is no more pain. No more suffering, no more sickness, no more heartache, no more pain! St. Paul claimed that this future prospect even alleviated suffering on earth, for he wrote, “I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worth comparing with the glory that is to be revealed to us.” In other words, today’s sufferings hurt less ...

2316. Wisdom for the Living of These Days

Proverbs 2:1-22

Sermon

John R. Brokhoff

... was not the same as wisdom. The words of our text were written by a wise man. Traditionally, Solomon is considered the author of Proverbs. Wisdom and Solomon are practically synonymous. He will always be remembered for his wise decision concerning the two women who claimed the same living child as their own. Solomon ordered the baby to be cut in two with each mother receiving one half. The one woman begged Solomon not to do it, to give the living child to the other woman. Wisely Solomon recognized the one ...

2317. Can We Love Too Much?

Deuteronomy 6:1-25

Sermon

John R. Brokhoff

... with authority. He constantly emphasized truth and knowledge of God. Both of these demand a mind. He ordered his disciples to be as wise as serpents. Maybe some of us wish Jesus had not added “with all your mind,” because we do not want to think. It is claimed that seventy-five percent of us do not think, fifteen percent think that they think, but only ten percent of us really think. We often want a preacher to tell us what to think and believe. We may go to a Bible class and insist upon a lecture ...

2318. God’s Great Final Day

Daniel 7:1-14

Sermon

John R. Brokhoff

... engaged in cannot win in the end. It is a lost cause. Great Britain has discontinued the number 666 from its license plates because that is the number of the beast, called Satan, in the book of Revelation. People with a license plate carrying that number claim that they have been bedeviled by bad things happening to them. Ronald Reagan had his retirement house number changed from 666 to 668. Whether numbers have anything to do with it or not, the beast is on the losing side. Evil can never ultimately win ...

2319. Renewal of the New

Jeremiah 30:1--31:40

Sermon

John R. Brokhoff

... , it must also be “improved.” The preacher of Ecclesiastes does not agree. He wrote, “There is nothing new under the sun.” There is an old saying, “The more things change, the more they remain the same.” On the other hand, Jeremiah in our text claims there is something new. Speaking for God, he promised a new covenant. The old covenant made at the time of Moses was broken by Israel. God’s promise of a new covenant was fulfilled by Jesus, who was the mediator of the new covenant. Accordingly ...

2320. The Dream For Wisdom

1 Kings 2:1-12

Sermon

Sue Anne Steffey Morrow

... Solomon. First and foremost, wisdom - hokmah - is the capacity to discern ... to reason ... especially good from evil. And it is the ability to make good judgments. Solomon demonstrates this capacity to discern soon after his dream at Gideon. Two harlots come before him both claiming to be the mother of an infant. Solomon calls for a sword, proposing to give one-half of the baby to each. The true mother responds, "Give her the child." The other harlot says, "Divide it." Solomon returns the child to its true ...

2321. The Temple Of Wisdom

1 Kings 8:22-61

Sermon

Sue Anne Steffey Morrow

... suspended me. The song helped me to hold together the goodness and all that which is wrong. We are promised God's presence as we seek to worship God. Next the ark of the covenant is brought into the Temple disclosing, as someone has said, "that God's moral claim is at the heart of God's being, and is the essence of God's presence." This is the truth which is threaded throughout the whole of 2 Samuel and 1 Kings: that, in a manner that remains mysterious, God is present when we live within the framework of ...

2322. Living By Faith And Trust

Mark 5:21-43

Sermon

Leonard H. Budd

... has the Lord done for you?" Uncle Harry laboriously raised himself with the help of his cane and the pew in front, looked up at the evangelist, and shouted back, "Well, he's just about done me in!" There are some folks, far less troubled than Uncle Harry, who claim to be Christian yet concentrate on that same done-in condition. But that is not the message of faith from the Bible, even when spoken by Uncle Harry from the pew of a church. We seek to hold faith, trust in God and the life through Christ that ...

2323. Path To A New Life

John 3:1-21

Sermon

Leonard H. Budd

... be "born again" has sometimes been arrogantly used, as a badge of self-righteousness. But when Jesus was talking with Nicodemus he did not mean it that way. And so, we should not accept it that way. To be "born again" is to recognize our spiritual character, and to claim Christ as the One who shapes that character. It is that step which personalizes Jesus Christ for each of us. Jesus Christ is my Lord! He has meaning for me. That meaning shapes my life now and for eternity. I would be so bold as to say that ...

2324. Pathway To God's Kingdom

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

Sermon

Leonard H. Budd

... are sharing in the planting of seeds of God's love and kingdom. But more, you will receive, this week, the blessing of other plantings. Those blessings are part of the walk, too. Through it all, you are growing toward the harvest time - in your living now, and in your claim to that eternal kingdom of God's great love. It is mystery. It is growth.

2325. Pleased To Reconcile

Luke 23:26-43

Sermon

Larry R. Kalajainen

... deep magic from the dawn of time, she is entitled to have the blood of anyone who is a traitor. So she demands to be allowed to sacrifice Edmund on the Stone Table, a large ritual stone that has always been in Narnia. Aslan acknowledges the justice of her claim, but then offers to become the victim of the sacrifice himself in place of Edmund. The witch, of course, is delighted at this offer, for she not only gets the blood she demands, but gets rid of her ancient enemy and arch-rival Aslan at the same time ...

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