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 4944 results

1. Keep Up the Pace

Illustration

Grant Lovejoy

A recent television documentary pointed out that the cheetah survives on the African plains by running down its prey. The big cat can sprint seventy miles per hour. But the cheetah cannot sustain that pace for long. Within its long, sleek body is a disproportionately small heart, which causes the cheetah to tire quickly. Unless the cheetah catches its prey in the first flurry, it must abandon the chase. Sometimes Christians seem to have the cheetah's approach to ministry. We speed into projects with great ...

2. Sermons

Sermon

John R. Bodo

... excuses. Jonah did not get away with it. The Lord appointed a great storm to rock the ship in which Jonah was trying to rock his conscience to sleep. It took terror, raw terror, to bring Jonah to his senses. He had been very successful in keeping up a good front, until the storm broke. Then he cracked. The flashes of lightning revealed a man in terror for his life, a man riddled with guilt, a man whose disobedience to God had involved a whole shipload of innocent, unsuspecting people in raging disaster. But ...

3. When Tragedy Strikes

Psalm 23:1-6

Sermon

James W. Moore

... and learned hard, last Sunday – is that you can never be sure that you'll ever see someone again in this lifetime. So it's best to keep up to date in all of your relationships. If you need to say, "I love you," say it. If you need to say, "I'm sorry," say it ... of death, I will fear no evil for thou art with me." Let us pray. O God, as we walk through this hard valley, help us to keep up to date on all of our relationships. Help us to take up our loved one's best qualities and keep them alive, and help us to ...

4. What's in It for Me?

Mark 10:17-31

Sermon

Michael Milton

... as June’s arm was cocked back ready to sail another projectile through the class, that our teacher returned. “June! What are you doing?” I forgot to tell you that the teacher was her mother. But poor old June Day met her match, and she just couldn’t keep up her image of being perfect. And you know what? Neither can you. None of us can. We cannot come to God based on our righteousness. Do you know what God calls it? He says our righteousness before Him is like filthy rags. So what do we do? We divest ...

5. On Taking Candy from a Stranger

Luke 13:10-17

Sermon

King Duncan

... must add that Orthodox Jews are human. Some of them have found a way to modernize their celebration of the Sabbath so it’s not as inconvenient as it once was. With the help of modern technology, many Orthodox Jews can now keep the Sabbath while also keeping up with the times. How? Well, as you might guess, “There’s now an app for that.” Let me introduce you to a computer program called “Time-It Right.” Time-It Right is a device that can be set to operate all the electrical systems in your house ...

6. Facing Fears, Kingdom Style

Matthew 6:25-34

Sermon

Phil Thrailkill

... . More stuff, better stuff, more stylish stuff, stuff our parents never had, always knowing the next rung on the upwardly mobile ladder to the earthly heaven of ultimate stuff. Alarms and insurance to protect our stuff, wills to pass on our stuff, accountants to keep up with our stuff, tax specialists to keep the government from getting our stuff. Worries to remind us of our stuff. Needing a regular fix of new stuff to keep our mood lifted and neuro-chemistry adjusted. Shopping not for things we need but to ...

7. Joy Giver

Luke 2:8-20

Sermon

James Merritt

... you something now that may surprise you. It turns out that somebody found the time, not only to wonder how much time we really have on our hands, but to quantify and qualify the average time Americans spend in just daily life – the stuff that we call “keeping up.” What they found is true of all of us. Time is the great equalizer. This stopwatch doesn’t care if you are rich, poor, stupid, ugly, brilliant or tragically a Florida Gator fan. Everyone gets the same 24-hour day as the person(s) on their ...

8. Paul of Tarsus

2 Corinthians 12:1-10

Drama

Michael L. Sherer

... to accept you? In a very short time there would be no church at all in Corinth. And the gospel would be nothing but a laughing stock. Roman soldiers bully people. We persuade with love and imitation of the strong example of the Crucified. Keep up your spirits and your hope. And keep in touch. Your brother, Paul. ANTAGONIST: Well, you can hardly blame that young fellow for getting discouraged. After all, Christianity is supposed to change people. But look at that crowd in Corinth. You’d think they hadn ...

9. The Devil's Sermon

Philippians 3:17-4:1

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

... Call me crazy, but I still believe that Soon and Very Soon.... Call me crazy, but I still believe that My Hope Is Built on Nothing Less.... Call me crazy, but I still believe that Surely, the Presence of the Lord is in This Place. The Devil says: "Keep up." Jesus says: "Keep on keeping on." 3. Keep Your Options Open. What the Devil means by this is that you've got the right to choose, and to choose without commitment. Cover all your bases. In a classic 1994 "Dear Abby" letter, one woman wrote: Dear Abby: I ...

10. A New Point of View

2 Corinthians 5:16-21

Sermon

Steven E. Albertin

... . If that is the case, then why do we work such long hours? Why do we complain that we are always under pressure? Why do we say there are not enough hours in the day? Why are we always worried about tomorrow? Why does our lifestyle always have to keep up with the Joneses in Zionsville or Carmel? Because the truth of the matter is that the "human point of view" has become the most important thing in our lives. "The human point of view," what others think of us, has become our god. The problem is that those ...

11. A Pilgrimage To Bethlehem

Matthew 3:1-12

Drama

Matthew Powell

... nothing. Sometimes they could get no bread; they offered to pay for it but there was none to be had. Storyteller 1: As they were walking along one warm day, Gregory became hot, tired, and thirsty. Ivan was the better walker of the two and Gregory found it hard to keep up. Gregory: If I could only have a drink of water. Ivan: Well then, friend, have one. Myself, I don't need one. Gregory: Then you go on, Ivan. I'll just go up to that little hut there and ask for some water. I will catch up with you in ...

12. This Is Our Song

Psalm 121:1-8

Sermon

Michael J. Anton

... . "The Lord will keep you from all evil; he will keep your life." Oh boy, I need some assurance, some confidence he is really looking out for me. That someone bigger really cares, that someone has his hands around my life. I don’t know how much longer I can keep up this chase, this frantic search for some satisfaction, some little ounce of joy. And a God to keep me from evil, a God to take this load of guilt off my back. I can’t carry it too many more miles; it eats at me. I can feel my failures ...

13. A Kingdom Investment Policy

Matthew 6:19-24

Sermon

Phil Thrailkill

... still on the scene from beyond the grave, looking for students and rebuilding lives. Learning to spot what he is doing and getting in on it keeps faith from reducing itself to a list of doctrines and duties. You are looking for a person and trying to keep up with his activity. I love it when the Presence interrupts my work. Stuff happens! Quirky stuff! Stuff that make me dizzy and hungry for more. It is wisdom and revelation from God, sometimes so unobtrusive as not to be noticed till later on. A few weeks ...

14. Hill Climbing

Psalm 121:1-8

Sermon

King Duncan

... that dares love attempt.” What a beautiful picture of a loving God coming to comfort God’s people in the night. “What love can do, that dares love attempt.” We are most likely to feel our helplessness at night. In the darkness, when we no longer have to keep up appearances and we have nothing else to distract us from the truth, we let our struggles and questions gnaw at us. But when we lie awake at night and ruminate on our situation, we can be assured that God is right there with us. In the book of ...

15. Just a Closer Walk With Thee

James 4:8

Sermon

James Merritt

... convinced that nobody was listening anyway, and he began to greet the rest of his guests with a smile saying this: "I murdered my grandmother this morning." Roosevelt said that everyone smiled and said things like, "Wonderful!" "Lovely!" One person even said, "Great, keep up the good work!" Roosevelt said there was one person, however, who did listen, a foreign diplomat. When he said that to the diplomat, the diplomat leaned over and whispered in Roosevelt's ear, "Mr. President, if you did I'm sure she had ...

16. Fiscal Fitness

Proverbs 3:9-10

Sermon

James Merritt

... you to begin right now. The fact is, if we got by with less today, we could save up more for tomorrow. d. Don't keep up with the Jones's. Will Rogers said, "People borrow money they don't have, to buy things they don't need, to impress people they ... !" That is true. I can save you a lot of sleepless nights and anxiety if you will just learn that not only should you not keep up with the Jones's, but if you ever do catch up with them, they will just refinance! There is nothing wrong with having things money ...

17. Hazardous to Your Wealth: Myths about Money

Malachi 3:7-12

Sermon

James Merritt

... mankind. You learn both from experience and Scripture; too much prosperity can bring too much pride. Myth No. 3: I have to keep up with the joneses. That is one of the most destructive tendencies all of us fall into. Benjamin Franklin once said, "The eyes of ... we eat. The air that he breathes is just as free to him as the air that we breathe. To put it simply, you don't have to keep up with anyone you're not in a race with, and you're not in a race with the Joneses. Myth No. 4: My net wealth determines my ...

18. God Cares About Justice!

Exodus 20:1-21

Sermon

David E. Leininger

... has caused so much dissatisfaction in life because of the mad dash to acquire more and more, to keep up with the Joneses and never quite making it. Or look at what the god BUSINESS has done...family, friends, church, loving relationships all lost because too much time ... and effort has to be expended to keep up with the competition. Or good old Bacchus - the ancient god of PLEASURE...300 people per week - 17,000 per year - dead on ...

19. New (Testament) Math

Matthew 18:21-35

Sermon

Johnny Dean

... Jesus spoke again. "Here’s what I want you to do, Peter. God down to Walmart and buy one of those big spiral notebooks they have on their back-to-school specials rack. Pick out a bright-colored one – red or yellow or orange – so you’ll be able to keep up with it and know where it is at all times. Better buy some pencils, too – lots of pencils. Then, I want you to write down the name of everyone you know in that big spiral notebook. Leave lots of space between the names, now. You’ll need it! And ...

20. Dollar Signs and Life Symbols

1 Timothy 6:3-10

Sermon

Rev. Donald R. Shank

... awful temptation it can become. But money isn't the culprit - the problem is within ourselves and our attitude, for the Scripture says the love of money is the root of all kinds of evil. For love of wealth people will cheat, lie, betray, murder, try to keep up with the Joneses, manipulate others, find loopholes, go further in debt to give the impression or illusion of prosperity. We start by possessing a few things; then we strive to possess more; soon we're adrift in a sea of things and strive so hard to ...

21. Being Prepared

Matthew 25:1-13

Sermon

King Duncan

... . The mother giraffe is not being cruel to her baby. Quite the contrary! She knows that lions and hyenas and leopards would love to make a meal of a baby giraffe. So, she needs her baby calf to get to its feet as quickly as possible so that it can keep up with the herd. Kicking him is her way of protecting her young one from predators. Sometimes we may also feel as though life has no sooner gotten us to our feet when it turns around and suddenly knocks us back down. The next time that happens to you, think ...

22. Cut Your Losses!

Mark 9:42-50

Sermon

King Duncan

... so, he made this step. At first, cutting off the news was like cutting off a hand, but the result was dramatic. Not only did he get more work done, but he had no difficulty keeping up with significant news stories at all. If any story was really important, other people would be talking about it and he could keep up through them. Look after the little things. That is the point. Diversions that distract you from your goals ” time wasters that drain the hours out of your day. One of the best antidotes to sin ...

23. On Not Giving Up

Galatians 6: 7-16

Sermon

April Yamasaki

... avoiding persecution, which is another motive he mentions (v. 12). Instead of worrying about what looks good, instead of trying to avoid persecution or criticism from others, we need to do the right thing and keep on doing it. For the things of this world — keeping up appearances, being anxious about what others might think — these things are part of the world that has been crucified to me, and I to the world as Paul says here (v. 14). Instead, we live to Christ. We live according to a new creation! So ...

24. Joseph, When Did You Know?

Matthew 1:18-25

Sermon

King Duncan

... wife. But Joseph trusted the promises of God. And he knew it was worth the risk to follow God, even when it wasn’t easy. At the start of World War II, the British government’s Ministry of Information created a set of three posters to keep up the morale of the British people as they faced a brutal war with Germany. Each poster bore the crown of King George VI and a simple message in white typeface against a solid color background. The first poster read: Your Courage, Your Cheerfulness, Your Resolution ...

25. Making Your Days Count

Mark 9:33-37

Sermon

King Duncan

... are fidgeting until they die." (1) Our central purpose is the thing that keeps us from fidgeting our lives away. Maybe our central purpose is pleasure and self-gratification. Maybe our central purpose is status-seeking and power. Maybe our central purpose is keeping up with our neighbors, or raising a great family, or making our dad proud, or retiring early, or doing good works in our community. Whatever that central purpose is--whether we consciously choose it or just drift along with our desires--it is ...

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