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 1 to 25 of 4940 results

1. Giving Up

Luke 13:31-35

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

... “throw in the towel,” will you find the strength to “throw your hat into the ring” and give it up to a new challenge, a new mission, a God-charted direction and design for your life? What would happen this Lenten season if instead of giving up red meat you gave up the command and control of your life and trusted the old rugged, red cross of the atonement. What would happen if this Lent you gave up thinking that the life you are living right now is the only life you will ever know? What would ...

2. Never Give Up On God

Matthew 7:7-12

Sermon

James Merritt

... keep on asking." "Seek, and keep on seeking." "Knock, and keep on knocking." The implication is, "Whatever you do, don't give up on God; don't quit praying." You will also notice that each one of these verbs calls for more effort. Ask ... who is in heaven give good things to those who ask Him! But now there is one other thing that we will do if we don't give up on God, and that is we will not only follow God's requirements for prayer, but – II. Follow The Golden Rule For People "Therefore, whatever you want ...

3. Never Give Up

Luke 13:1-9

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

... never gave up. - The Jewish people became exiles. But God never gave up. - John the Baptist was beheaded. But God never gave up. - Peter denied he even knew him. But God never gave up. - The disciples all ran away. But God never gave up. To never give up should be the hallmark of every Christian. But it is not always easy to maintain hope in the face of a down-the-drain situation. Ever feel like Jeremiah: "For twenty-three years ... I have spoken persistently to you, but you have not listened" (25:3)? Have ...

4. Never Give Up

Luke 18:1-8

Sermon

King Duncan

... How important it is that when life closes in on us, we don't quit fighting. We need to heed Winston Churchill's famous speech to the boys at his old school: "Never give up! Never give up! Never give up!" There are some important reasons for not giving up when life strikes its heavy blows. FIRST OF ALL, PEOPLE WHO FIGHT SOMETIMES WIN. Health experts tell us that the most important attribute of people who conquer traumatic health crises is that they are fighters. They simply refuse to let illness have its way ...

5. What to Give Up for Lent

Luke 4:1-13

Sermon

R. Robert Cueni

... abundant life does not come by bread alone. Where are you on this issue? Do you harbor any lingering notion that if you just had a little more money or just acquired a few more possessions you could really be happy? If so, you might want to think about giving up that idea for Lent. You might want to commit yourself to pray and study on why people do not live by bread alone. After his initial failure, the devil tried a new approach. In the twinkling of an eye, the devil took Jesus to a place where all the ...

6. Never, Never, Never, NEVER GIVE UP!

2 Corinthians 4:5-12

Sermon

David E. Leininger

... Steer's too cheap, Cows quit milking and the meat won't keep. Oats all heated, spuds all froze, Wheat crop's busted, wind still blows, Looks some gloomy, I'll admit, but git up, Dobbin, we ain't down yet.[2] Never give up. Never give up. Never, never, never, never give up! The message for the church is surely this: Despite all the things that might discourage us from our work, we cannot be turned aside. Our task is too important. And "earthen vessels" that we are, as the scripture says— plain old jars of ...

7. Do I Give Up Praying Too Soon?

Luke 18:1-8

Sermon

... a year. Why should God listen to me, when compared to them, I’m so well off?" So we get tired and discouraged and we give up. No wonder Jesus remarked, "When the Son of man comes, will he find faith in the earth?" That’s why we also need our Aarons ... out of it? No. Was God’s will done? Yes. Did God’s Kingdom come? Would we have wanted it any other way? Do I give up praying too soon? This isn’t the only issue involved in our prayer life. Lack of persistence isn’t the only reason our prayers aren ...

8. God Never Gives Up on Us

1 Samuel 8:4-11 (12-15) 16-20, (11:14-15)

Sermon

William J. Carl, III

... not turn out to be any better than Samuel's rotten sons. "I won't take it personally," says God, "if they still want a king. I'll work with them on this." And that's exactly what God does. Which brings us to our third key theme — God never gives up on them even though they insist on doing things their way. Samuel warns the people that it's not going to be perfect with a king, but the people insist because of peer pressure, which makes the people sound as adolescent as Samuel's no-good sons. Like a loving ...

9. The God Who Doesn’t Give Up

Hosea 11:1-11

Sermon

... s life. They know where it’s likely to end up, and they know the child is headed for grief and trouble. God is not sending the punishment, but knows that it will happen as a result of their rejection of his way. So the Lord admits that he cannot give up on his children. He asks, rhetorically, "How can I give you up, O Ephraim? How can I hand you over, O Israel?" (Hosea 11:8) Can the Lord just scratch them out of his book? Can he consider them like Admah and Zeboiim, cities that were conflagrated with fire ...

10. Lent: Giving Up

Mark 1:9-15

Illustration

Billy D. Strayhorn

... unkindly. Instead, let your speech be generous and understanding. It costs so little to say something kind and uplifting or to offer a smile. Why not check that sharp tongue at the door? GIVE UP your hatred of anyone or anything! Instead, learn the discipline of love. "Love covers a multitude of sins." GIVE UP your worries and anxieties! They're too heavy for you to carry anyway. Instead, trust God with them. Anxiety is spending emotional energy on something we can do nothing about: like tomorrow! Live ...

11. Are You Giving Up Chocolate for Valentine's Day?

Luke 4:1-13

Sermon

King Duncan

... s Day. It is ironic that this is also the First Sunday in Lent. Lent is generally that season of the year when people have chosen a favorite treat or some vice to give up for these six weeks. One man said his children traditionally gave up something like candy for Lent. Last year, however, he urged them to go beyond that to giving up some habit or sin that they knew was bad for them. About halfway through Lent he asked the children how they were doing with their Lenten promise. His youngest son had promised ...

12. Don't Give Up Now!

2 Corinthians 4:16 - 5:2

Sermon

... wild beasts and be set on fire and used as streetlights all because they would not recant their faith in Christ. Hope says, “Though I walk through the Valley of Death, I will fear no evil.” Hope says, “This, too, shall pass.” Hope says, “I will not give up or despair, for all things work together for the good of those who love the Lord and are called according to His purpose.” Do not lose heart! This is our witness to an unbelieving world. It is a life full of the love of Jesus Christ whether ...

13. Don't Give Up Too Soon!

Acts 15:36-41

Sermon

Harold Warlick

... for he is very useful for the ministry (2 Timothy 4:11)." It is really unbelievable. The rift was healed. The fledgling young disciple filled out. The baby fat turned to muscle and the awkwardness came under control. What a mistake, what a tragic mistake, Paul would have made, giving up on John Mark too soon! As his life wound down, one of the two people who stood by Paul was a person he had fired as a young failure. There is not a person in this room, if my guess is correct, who does not have at least one ...

14. Giving Up Control

John 6:1-21

Sermon

Ron Lavin

... to the need to turn to Jesus, and let God be God. Given a desperate situation we may suddenly realize that our strength is too weak to handle the storm we face and that we need to turn to Jesus and let God be God. It's a matter of giving up control to the Lord who is the one who is in control in the first place. When resources are inadequate for the task, it may dawn on us that we need to turn control of our lives over to God. God has control, of course. It's just that we ...

15. Never Give Up!

Luke 13:1-9

Illustration

Brett Blair

... Islands, though we ourselves never doubted it, we now find ourselves in a position where I say that we can be sure that we have only to persevere to conquer." The church at times forgets that this is also God's message. God has promised never to give up on us. Old Testament and New Testaments together, are a record of how God never, never, never, gave up. Adam and Eve disobeyed the very First Rule. But God never gave up. Abraham wandered, and Sarah laughed. But God never gave up. Moses hid and shook with ...

16. God Never Gives Up on Anyone

John 14:15-21

Sermon

Richard Gribble

... ; rather, he relentlessly pursues our souls. We must do the same, if we truly are the hands, the feet, and the senses of God, as Saint Teresa of Avila reminds us. Yes, the Hound of Heaven doggedly pursues our souls, as he did Robert Stroud, and never gives up. We must pursue God and one another. In order to do this, we must first be totally confident of God's call and answer. There is a famous painting and a popular verse of scripture that provides both the challenge and the answer for us. In the National ...

17. Giving Up Hard Things

Humor Illustration

... , on a Saturday morning, he was passing through the living room on his way to the kitchen. He noticed that his parents had some friends over, and they were all sitting around drinking beer. He approached his dad, and said "I thought you were going to give up drinking!" His father, flustered at being caught, stammered "Oh, Son, this is just beer. It doesn't count. I meant mixed drinks. Hard liquor, son, hard liquor." Peter thought about this for a while, and said "Okay, Dad," and went on into the kitchen. A ...

18. On Not Giving Up

Galatians 6: 7-16

Sermon

April Yamasaki

... coming harvest of eternal life. Let's remember who we are and whose we are — we belong to Christ, and in him, we are a new creation. In him we receive new strength and life and find God's blessing of peace and mercy if we do not give up. Let us pray: O God of new creation, re-create your faith and hope in us. Where there is failure, let us sow forgiveness and the restoration of community. Where there is temptation, let us sow perseverance in doing what is right. Where there is pain, comfort. Where there ...

19. Never Ever Give Up!

Mark 5: 21-43

Illustration

James W. Moore

... physical abilities. Cancer is attacking and destroying my body. But what cancer cannot touch is my mind, my heart and my soul. I have faith in God and hope that things might get better for me. But even if they don't I promise you this. I will never ever give up. I will never ever quit. And if cancer gets me then I'll just try my best to go to heaven and I'll try my best to be the best coach they've ever seen up there. [Then, pointing to his 1983 Championship team, he said,] I learned a ...

20. Never Give Up

Luke 18:1-8

Children's Sermon

King Duncan

... EastmanKodak. Because George never gave up, he made it easier for all of us to take pictures. Our Bible passage today is about never giving up, also. It's about a poor old woman who has been treated badly. She goes to a judge to ask for his help. The ... to help the poor old woman. But she just keeps coming back, asking the judge over and over for his help. She just won't give up. So finally, the judge gives in and helps her. He admires the old woman because she had enough faith to keep trying. God says that ...

21. God Never Gives Up

Luke 15:1-10

Sermon

Mark Trotter

... comes, the Messiah is going to eat with the righteous in his kingdom. This man eats with sinners. The message was clear. In Jesus, we believe, God has come to us. In Jesus, we believe, God seeks us, seek after us, until God finds us, and never gives up, never gives up on anyone. Even the lost he goes after. General Lee, at the end of the Civil War, said of General Grant, “He just keeps coming.” Relentlessly, God seeks after us. It is not because we have repented that God comes to us. It is because God ...

22. Don't Give Up - He Hears!

Luke 18:1-8

Sermon

King Duncan

... talking to a wall. Later in his life, however, he said, "God did not always answer my prayers, but he answered me. He gave me the courage, the faith and the perseverance to keep going, to keep believing and to keep working." This widow that Jesus told about did not give up. Some of us are crying out to God night and day. Often just hanging in there is our most difficult trial. But there is one more critical thing to be said. JESUS WANTS US TO KNOW THAT GOD DOES HEAR AND HE DOES CARE. WE ARE NOT FORSAKEN. IF ...

23. The Problem With Giving Up Chocolates

Mark 8:34-38

Sermon

King Duncan

... up his cross and follow me . . .'" (RSV) What does he mean by telling us to deny ourselves? Does he not mean that we are to listen to our values and not our needs? That is what self-denial is all about. It isn't about giving up chocolate for Lent! Giving up chocolates or (anything else) may be a good spiritual discipline. It may certainly be good for your waistline, but it is not the kind of self-denial that Jesus had in mind. Self denial is about stepping out from ourselves and asking the question: Am I ...

24. Give Up?

John 6:60-71

Drama

Robert F. Crowley

... difficult things. JUDAS: That's right. Jesus himself said we should be as wise as serpents but as innocent as doves. MESHULLAM: I don't know. JUDAS: Come on. What do you have to go back to? MESHULLAM: My family. JUDAS: Jesus said that if we're not willing to give up our families, then we're not worth following him. MESHULLAM: For a guy who doesn't listen to him, you quote him a lot. JUDAS: I listen selectively. I remember what will help our cause. MESHULLAM: I don't think I can do it. JUDAS: You can't just ...

25. Giving Up Our Comfortable Customs

Luke 12:35-48

Illustration

Carveth Mitchell

One of the favorite stories of the great Danish philosopher, Soren Kierkegard, concerns an emperor, touring his domain and receiving the accolades of his people. When the entourage reached the market square of one village, his carriage was surrounded by cheering villagers and peasants. To the amazement of his neighbors, one brash young farmer stepped out of the crowd and approached the emperor's carriage. "Give me a boon, Sire," he pleaded. "Grant me a special blessing." The villagers were even more amazed ...

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