Sermon and Worship Resources

Synonyms: contest, tournament, match, game, round, heat, fixture, event, meet, encounter, rivalry, competitiveness, vying, contesting, opposition, contention, conflict, feuding, battling, fighting, struggling, strife, war, opposing side, other side, other team, field, enemy, foe

Showing 1 to 25 of 2887 results

1. The Battle of New Orleans

2 Timothy 3:1-4:8

Sermon

James Merritt

... right is told to shut up. Another President speaks openly of his faith in God and his trust in Christ, and he is told to shut up. Well, I believe 41,000 Southern Baptist pulpits must not be silent. There is a cultural rebellion we must confront. That is a battle worth fighting. II. There Is a Doctrinal Recklessness We Must Condemn In verse 8, Paul warns about people in the last days who will "resist the truth." In the last days we will find people who claim to be on the same side of the fence as we are, at ...

2. Battle Stations

Ephesians 6:10-18

Sermon

James Merritt

... . I say it again, you've got to have that quiet time. You've got to have a devotional life where daily you just get alone and have sweet fellowship with God. Because your quiet time, your devotional life, is not only where you get strength for the battle; it is where the battle is won. Now I want to warn you of something. Satan will do everything he can to keep you from having that quiet time. Because that is the secret to victory. That is the secret to joy. That is the secret to peace. That's why you must ...

3. Our Champion Rides Into Battle

Isaiah 50:1-11

Sermon

Gerald Whetstone

... us to be his witnesses, to share in his victory and to invite others to join in its victory, too. This will be our Easter theme -- to focus on the spiritual gifts God gives us for this warfare of our whole lifetime. But not beyond our lifetime. For then the battle is done and the victory won also in us. Is it possible to wage war with such weapons, even in this modern world of ours? An event only a few years ago provides a wondrous story. The movement to topple the Berlin Wall began in the churches of East ...

4. Decisive Battles With Temptation

Matthew 4:1-11

Sermon

Robert Allen

... to us each day and each day we must choose. There is no aspect of life where a sense of control and purpose is more clearly demanded than in a person’s moral character. It is here that we must choose what is right and what is wrong as we battle with temptation. A few years ago, I was in Washington, D.C. to attend some briefings at Congress. One evening I was invited to a dinner party in one of the Congressional office buildings and it wasn’t difficult to notice that there was a lot of drinking. There ...

5. The Battle Against the Ammonites

1 Chronicles 19:1-19

Understanding Series

Louis C. Jonker

... in order to elevate Solomon. This section can be divided into three subsections. It is structured by the repetition of the temporal indication “in the course of time,” which occurs in 18:1; 19:1; and 20:4. First Chronicles 18 (|| 2 Sam. 8) contains narratives of battles against a whole variety of neighboring nations, as well as indications of booty taken from them. First Chronicles 19:1–20:3 (|| 2 Sam. 10; 11:1; 12:29–31) focuses on the Ammonite war, while 1 Chronicles 20:4–8 (|| 2 Sam. 21:18–22 ...

6. Doing Battle with Demons

Luke 8:26-39

Sermon

David E. Leininger

... as well? Just remember, the message is there is hope in Jesus. Then remember the Lord's instruction: "Return to your home, and [tell the story]...tell how much God has done for you." Let us pray. O God, there are times when we would rather NOT battle the demons. It is so much easier to give in. Give us the strength for the struggle, for Jesus' sake. Amen! 1. Leviticus 11:7; Deuteronomy 14:8 2. New Interpreter's Bible, electronic edition, disk 2, (Nashville: Abingdon, 1996) 3. Genesis 3:7; 9:21-27; Isaiah ...

7. The Battle For Control

Romans 7:7-25

Sermon

King Duncan

... . Somehow Trochilus survived. When he reached home, he ordered his servants to wall up the two windows of his home which looked out upon the sea. He didn't want to look out on those waters some beautiful summer day and even be tempted to venture out again. The battle for control. A little boy scraped a chair across the kitchen floor and climbed on it to reach the cookie jar on the top shelf. His mother heard the noise and called out, "What are you doing in there?" With his hand in the cookie jar, the child ...

8. The Battle of the Wisdoms

James 3:13-18

Sermon

Harold Warlick

... a smile on his face and stating that "good" and "evil" are matters of individual tastes. To the contrary, he is walking across the stage of Holy Scripture, grabbing a code of conduct, raising its hand high in the air and screaming, "This is the winner in the Battle of the Wisdoms and this is the loser." James' ancient rhetoric meets our modern mind and often we are tempted to boo, hiss, and throw whatever is within our grasp at someone who would dare try to squeeze us with a "do-and-don't" list. Elizabeth ...

9. Betrayed by God in Battle?

Psalm 44:1-26

Understanding Series

Craig C. Broyles

... 25). The psalm contains no historical or geographical allusions that point to a particular defeat known from the historical books of the OT, but Sennacherib’s invasion in 701 B.C. during Hezekiah’s reign (2 Kgs. 18:13–19:37) or the death of Josiah in battle with Pharaoh Neco in 609 B.C. (2 Kgs. 23:29–30) are likely candidates. The latter is particularly suitable because of the explicit appeal to the people’s loyalty to God’s covenant (v. 17), the renewal of which was central to Josiah’s reform ...

10. Battle Cries

2 Samuel 1:17-27

Sermon

Michael Mills

... cry of mourning was heard in every home. David was slain by the news of defeat and death. Salty tears gushed down his bronzed and battle-scarred cheeks. His heart was a Dead Sea of sorrow. His pen bled with the anguish of a broken soul as he poured out ... are not alone in grief. All of us have worn stripes of suffering in God’s army. All of us are wounded warriors in life’s battles. David continued to work. He did not sit in his goats’ hair tent and pluck his harp all week. He had an enemy to defeat. A ...

11. Intercession for the King Before Battle

Psalm 20:1-9

Understanding Series

Craig C. Broyles

... references to the sanctuary on Zion and to the king’s sacrifices and burnt offerings exhibit the psalm’s attachment to temple rituals and testify to their importance. Ritual sacrifice may have been part of the psalm’s liturgical performance. (On sacrifices offered before battle see 1 Sam. 7:9–10; 13:9–12.) Yet the psalm also makes clear that ritual sacrifice in no way manipulates or binds the God of Israel to act favorably on the worshiper’s behalf, even if that worshiper is a king. Yahweh ...

12. Defeat in Battle with Edom

Psalm 60:1-12

Understanding Series

Craig C. Broyles

... O God. God, not the enemies, is the problem addressed in the psalm. The remainder of this section focuses on how he has reversed the normal pattern of a Yahweh war. He performs the expected actions but does so against his own people. He has burst forth against their battle lines (Hb. prṣ, contrast 2 Sam. 5:20). You have shaken the land echoes the older songs celebrating Yahweh’s coming to save and the earth’s shaking in response (Judg. 5:4; Ps. 18:7; cf. 1 Sam. 14:15)—except this time he appears and ...

13. Doing Battle With Death

Romans 8:1-17

Eulogy

Laurence A. Wagley

... is a parent God who comes to be with us and to share our grief, but this is also the God who has done battle with death and who has overcome it! Let the Church gathered here witness to the Good News that even this ultimate enemy, the enemy ... of Jesus Christ, we are brought to newness of life. And so, people of God, gather around this miracle today. God has entered into our battle against the death of this child, and in this death we suddenly see the world in a new way. Be sure that the death we see here ...

14. On Picking Your Battles

Matthew 18:15-20

Sermon

King Duncan

... had fired pilot Altan Tezcan and co-pilot Erdogan Gecim. It seems these two were flying 240 passengers from Bangkok to Istanbul when they got into a fist fight in the cockpit while arguing over the plane's altitude. It's important that we choose our battles. Endangering a plane-load of passengers by fighting over who's right is irresponsible. So is endangering a marriage or a company or a job or a church. Yes, it sometimes happens in a church --and not only between pastors and choir directors, as in our ...

15. God's Battle Against Sin

Zephaniah 1:1-3

Sermon

Elizabeth Achtemeier

... remnant (Zephaniah 3:11-13). The fourth line of verse 17 reads in the Hebrew, "He will hold his peace in his love," and the reference is to the war cry of God in 1:14. No longer does he shout as he enters into battle with his foes. The shouts and clang of battle have been stilled and there is peace, because God has defeated his enemies. That is a picture of the future in Zephaniah, a time that will come "on that day" (v. 16). That phrase is found in most of the prophetic writings, and it always refers ...

16. Battle Hymn of the Reformation

Luke 8:26-39

Illustration

Brett Blair

... in 1529, has been called "the greatest hymn of the greatest man of the greatest period of German history." It has also been dubbed the "Battle Hymn of the Reformation" and with good reason. The Reformation touched off one of the most influential movements in world history. But before this famous Battle Hymn could be written Luther had to battle his personal demons and exorcize them from his own life. Luther felt utterly worthless and incapable of carrying the burdens of priesthood. On occasion Luther ...

17. A Battle of the Seasons

Illustration

Craig Brian Larson

... summer, when the moose eat continually. The one that consumes the best diet for growing antlers and gaining weight will be the heavyweight in the fight. Those that eat inadequately sport weaker antlers and less bulk. There is a lesson here for us. Spiritual battles await. Satan will choose a season to attack. Will we be victorious, or will we fall? Much depends on what we do now before the wars begin. The bull-moose principle: Enduring faith, strength, and wisdom for trials are best developed before they're ...

18. Jesus’ Prayer: The Pause in the Battle

John 17:1-11

Sermon

David O. Bales

... first runner is splendid and soon is so far ahead that he’s out of sight. One runner is slow and soon lags way behind. The only race interesting for its competition is between two equally able runners. Pretty soon everyone at the meet is watching those two battle for second and third and almost forget who’s the best in the whole race. The church can be like that as we major in minors. We settle for the pretty good instead of the best. Jesus’ prayer faces us with what is and who is supremely important ...

19. Saul’s Final Battle

1 Samuel 28:1-25

One Volume

Gary M. Burge

... a word of encouragement from Samuel, who himself has witnessed God’s miraculous intervention against the Philistines (1 Sam. 7:10–11). Unhappily Samuel’s response is anything but encouraging and contains the same grim words he spoke at his last meeting with Saul after the battle with the Amalekites (1 Sam. 15:22–29). Because Saul has failed to carry out God’s fierce wrath against the Amalekites, he has lost the right to rule, and the next day he and his sons will die (28:18–19). Just as Eli and ...

20. In Battle Or In Bed

Illustration

Mark Brinsley

... exposed to wounds and death. But invariably he displayed extraordinary calm under fire, a calm too deep and masterful to be mere pretense. His apparent obliviousness to danger attracted notice, and after the first Manassas battle someone asked him how he managed it. "My religious belief teaches me to feel as safe in battle as in bed." Jackson explained, "God (knows the) time for my death. I do not concern myself about that, but to be always ready, no matter where it may overtake me." He added pointedly ...

21. A Zealot’s Greatest Battle

Drama

... has Barabbas’ sica in his hand) The sica ... (He calls after Barabbas, but he does not hear) You forgot something! (His voice trails off) Your sica! (He throws it on the ground) Jesus ... Sir ... I think you would have been proud of me. I won! I won my greatest battle! For these past three days, I have faced the greatest temptation of my life ... to take up the sica again. But I won! I fought off all of those old hatreds that were pulling at me. I meant it, sir, when I dedicated my life to you. I will be ...

22. The Battle Hymn

Matthew 17:1-9

Illustration

... be improved. Early the next morning she arose in her hotel room and quickly scribbled out some new lyrics, inspired by her memory of the soldiers from the day before. Her new words were published in the spring 1862 issue of Atlantic Monthly and the "Battle Hymn of the Republic" became the major war song of the Union forces. The opening words and the refrain are certainly familiar: "Mine eyes have seen the glory of the coming of the Lord...Glory, hallelujah! his truth is marching on." Perhaps the last verse ...

23. The Battle Is Already Over

Illustration

Richard J. Mouw

... . Similarly, we may seem now to be surrounded by the forces of evil disease, injustice, oppression, death. But the enemy has actually been defeated at Calvary. Things are not the way they seem to be. It is only a matter of time until it becomes clear to all that the battle is really over.

24. Thanksgiving for the King’s Victories in Battle

Psalm 21:1-13

Understanding Series

Craig C. Broyles

Psalm 21 contains praise in response to God’s answering the intercession for the king in Psalm 20. While it may be a thanksgiving after battle victory, it is more probably a thanksgiving in anticipation of it, inspired by a prophetic oracle claiming that the intercession of Psalm 20 has been heard. This psalm also testifies that the king’s power derives from Yahweh (21:1, 5, 7, 9, 13). 21:1–6 The liturgy begins ...

25. The Spiritual Battle

Romans 7:7-25

Bulletin Aid

James Wilson

Call To Worship Leader: Let all who struggle to live for Christ gather this day! People: For there are days when our lives seem so short of God's will for us Leader: Yet the Lord sees our hearts and loves each one of us still. People: And there are times when we have turned our backs on the Lord. Leader: Yet the Lord calls each of us home with accepting, unconditional Love. All: Blessed be the name of the Lord! Collect O God, You know all things -- even the secrets we would choose to hide -- and You have ...

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