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 1409 results

1. Friends

1 Samuel 18:1-4

Sermon

James Merritt

... is you cannot choose who your loyal friends will be, but you can choose to be a loyal friend to others. You can choose to be a friend; you cannot choose to have a friend. Your friends will choose to be your friends and the ones who choose to stick by you no matter what - those are your true friends. II. Lift Your Friends Higher In Life In Chapters 18 through 20, you find that six different times Saul tried to kill David, until David finally was forced to become a fugitive on the run. In fact, Jonathan saves ...

2. A Reminder to God...and to Us

Genesis 9:1-17

Sermon

King Duncan

... , sometimes a promise of deserved punishment can be modified by mercy. And there are times when a promise may be broken if it’s the wrong kind of promise. Sometimes there are extenuating circumstances. Still we are inspired when anybody makes a promise and sticks by it. Some of us are still inspired by the promise that the late actor Danny Thomas once made. It occurred during his early years in show business when he was suffering setback after setback. During one of his darkest moments, he was cornered in ...

3. The Compleat Christian

Romans 5:1-5

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

... who rejected him to try again and wrote letters again and again to some of the most churlish churches ever to bear the name of Christ. Like the Old Testament concept of hesed - God's steadfast love - Christian endurance means sticking by our faith, sticking to our grace and demonstrating our faithfulness even when the odds are overwhelming. Do you have a recognizably Christian character? There are plenty of unique "characters," both inside and outside the church. Often these are individuals so concerned ...

4. Three Words America Needs to Hear

Acts 24:1-27

Sermon

Edward Inabinet

... times in the Bible, and there it means to distinguish right from wrong and to do the right. It means to tell the truth; it means to be a just and honest person, to be one who acts in responsible love toward others. It means sticking by those principles which God has given, those divine principles such as we find in the Ten Commandments, the Beatitudes and the other standards that God has laid out before us. Righteousness always deals with morality. It reflects a sense of obligation to God and to humanity ...

5. John 1:29-42

John 1:29-34

Sweet

Leonard Sweet

... to profession, from the past event of the baptism to present empowerments. When John verbally identifies Jesus as the “Lamb of God” in the presence of John’s own disciples, John’s long-held testimony takes hold. Instead of sticking by their teacher, two of John the Baptist’s apprentices demonstrate what good students they have been. Despite, or perhaps better, because of their commitment to John’s teachings, these two disciples immediately “followed Jesus,” an individual with whom, according ...

6. A Long Line Of Love

Ruth 1:1-22

Sermon

King Duncan

... all, here is a man feeling the weight of his guilt who confesses his crime for the sake of his soul. What does Hollywood know about such despair? And here is someone who loves him so much that she causes him to face up to his wrongdoing and then sticks by him through all the subsequent punishment. Hollywood would never buy it. It's out of touch with where we are. It's about faith and values and undying loyalty. But, friends, that is what love is. That is what real love is. I wonder, as young couples stand ...

7. The Healing Power of the Cross

Luke 23:26-43, Mark 15:33-41, Luke 23:44-49

Sermon

James W. Moore

... time stands still… because this is one of the greatest moments in all of human history, one of the highest mountain peaks in all of the Bible. It is the picture of unconditional love. It is the portrait of amazing grace. It is the measuring stick by which we gauge our forgiveness of others. Listen! If you ever wonder, “Should I forgive that person who has wronged me or hurt me? If that question, “Should I forgive? Ever comes into your mind… just remember the image of Jesus hanging there… nailed to ...

8. The Unfettered Word

2 Timothy 2:8-15

Sermon

Will Willimon

... at things, and that perhaps he had misinterpreted what I said, and, even if he had not, I could very well be wrong. "Don't you back off with me," he snapped. "1 just said that your sermon shook me up. I didn't ask you to take it back. Stick by your guns -- if you're a real preacher." Then he said to me, with an almost desperate tone in his voice, "Preacher, don't you ever forget that some days, the only thing saving me from complete despair is whatever word of God you happen to speak in the sermon ...

9. Christianity Can Be Fun

Sermon

Harold Warlick

... remain one." I am not certain this retreat from life would please our Lord. When Jesus anticipated his impending death, he had a wealth of religious symbols to choose from in perpetuatinghis memory. He could have left us a book of quotations, like Confucius and Chairman Mao, and said, "Stick by these for my name’s sake." He could have left us a list of don’ts to protect us from the rest of the world. He could have gone out in a blaze of glory and left a powerful name for us to try to live up to. Instead ...

10. TO LIVE IS CHRIST

Illustration

John H. Krahn

... for those who want to live a life that’s meaty ... one that counts for something. Christ calls no one to "Easy Street." Jesus only made two promises to his disciples: that they would get into trouble if they followed him, and that he would stick by them when they did. Those who live their Christianity often find they receive as many jeers as cheers. There is always trouble when one speaks out against injustice. Most of Christ’s disciples were killed for their efforts. Evil rarely sits idly by when under ...

11. Called To Freedom

Galatians 5:1-15

Drama

Jerry Eckert

... some things and I've said some things people can easily take out of context. My point on circumcision was that it is a very physical celebration of our unity in Abraham and God's covenant with him. It doesn't hurt to do physical signs to help us stick by our commitments. Barnabas: There you go again, telling me you're for circumcision. Paul: No, listen to me. I am not against it. There are good things about it. I'll probably preach circumcision the rest of my life. But, it is not important! Do you hear that ...

12. Reuben:The Rooster With a Reminder

Matthew 26:69-75

Children's Sermon

Wesley T. Runk

... on. On the other side of town Jesus had been arrested the night before and had gone through a whole series of awful experiences. One of his most loyal followers was a man named Peter who told Jesus the night before at a very special dinner that he would stick by him no matter what happened. Jesus told Peter that it was a nice thought but that he would pretend not to know him three times before the rooster crowed. Well, as you know the soldiers came and arrested Jesus and took him away. At first Peter put up ...

13. The Next 5 (A Drama about Love)

1 Corinthians 13:1-13

Drama

Dave Marsh

... , there’s Ted Turner. Hmmm. Nah. That’s 2. Um, there’s Mel Gibson… nah, not my type. Oh, here we go. Dino. Dave: You mean from the Flintstones? Beth: Yeah. I know it sounds weird but Dino has great qualities. He’s a faithful friend – always sticking by Fred. He’s happy to see him every time he comes home. He really has a heart of gold. Dave: Ok, ok. Whatever. My turn. Let’s see. Um, there’s Mother Theresa. Nah. Too nice. Hmmm, there’s Martha Stewart.. don’t think so… There’s Oprah ...

14. Sticking Together

Luke 11:17

Children's Sermon

Wesley T. Runk

Object: Sticks, twigs, or pencils and a string Good morning, boys and girls. Have you noticed how much earlier morning comes every day now or how the night seems to go away sooner every day? That's the way God planned it when he made part of the day light and the night dark. The day that has the most darkness is December 22, and every day up until June 22 gets lighter and lighter and after June 22, it gets dark earlier until December 22 again. God divided the days so that they would be just right. God made ...

15. He Ought to Stick Out!

1 John 4:7-21

Sermon

Charles L. Koester

"By this we know that we abide in him, and he in us, because he has given us of his own spirit." If you’re looking for a creative challenge, attempt explaining where Jesus is now to a group of young children. To explain God as Father and creator can be done through objects in nature. A child will comprehend the Creator through trees and flowers. The life our Lord lived on earth can be explained, too. It is tangible history. But try to explain, to a child, where Jesus is now, now that he took off into the ...

16. Tossing Sticks in the Air

Matthew 7:21-29

Illustration

King Duncan

An elderly Scottish woman was making her way through the countryside. Each time she came to a crossroads she would toss a stick into the air. Whichever way the stick came down was the direction she went. At one intersection, however, an old man saw her toss her stick into the air not once, not twice, but three times before resuming her journey. The old man was curious. "Why are you throwing your stick like that?" he asked. She squinted and replied, "I'm letting God direct my journey by using this stick." " ...

17. Stick to the Knitting

John 1:43-51

Sermon

Mark Trotter

"Stick to the knitting," is a phrase that I came across in that book by Peters and Waterman, In Search of Excellence. They outlined some successful businesses that emerged in this country following the Second World War. One of the characteristics they said successful businesses had in common was that they focused on what they did best. Peters and Waterman called that, "stick to the knitting." There have been other studies of businesses since then, founded after America's rude awakening that it was no ...

18. A Stick in the Air

Illustration

Staff

An old Scottish woman went from home to home across the countryside selling thread, buttons, and shoestrings. When she came to an unmarked crossroad, she would toss a stick into the air and go in the direction the stick pointed when it landed. One day, however, she was seen tossing the stick up several times. "Why do you toss the stick more than once?" someone asked. "Because," replied the woman, "it keeps pointing to the left, and I want to take the road on the right." She then dutifully kept throwing the ...

19. Stick-to-it-tiveness

Luke 18:1-8

Children's Sermon

Brett Blair

Exegetical Aim: Practice won't make you perfect, but persistence will surely get you closer to your goal. Props: A musical instrument you do not know how to play. A guitar is used here. Lesson: Good morning! (response) What is this I have in my hand? (a guitar) That's right. Does anyone know how to play the guitar? (response) Point to one of the strings: Do you know what string this is? (response) Pluck the string so that it sounds out. Do you want to know what string this is? (yes) Well, you will have to ...

20. Stick Your Head Out

Illustration

Staff

Behold the turtle; he makes progress only when he sticks his neck out. These words by James Bryant Conant have special meaning for writer James Michener. In 1944, when Michener was nearly 40, he was serving in the U.S. Navy on a remote island in the South Pacific. To kill time, he decided to write a book. He knew that the chances of anyone's publishing it were practically nil. But he decided to stick his neck out and give it a try. Michener had decided that the book would be a collection of short stories. ...

21. The Christian's Walking-Stick

Mark 6:7-13

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

If "words are the bugles of social change" it is time for the church to trumpet a different tune than "planning" and "programming." Today's church is called to rediscover the spirited discipline (i.e., "walking stick") of preparedness. In 1989 President Bush challenged the community of public educators to join with him in rescuing our failing system of teaching our children. By 1991 neither the national governing bodies, nor the local educators had yet agreed on what kinds of measurements (tests, programs ...

22. Hold Hands and Stick Together

John 17:1-19

Illustration

Maxie Dunnam

Robert Fulghum was a feature writer for The Kansas City Times. I'm not sure he's still there, because he has written a runaway best seller entitled All I Really Need to Know, I Learned in Kindergarten. That book is an expansion of an article he wrote for The Kansas City Times a few years ago. It was this article that launched his writing career. Listen to a part of it: "Most of what I really need to know about how to live, and what to be, I learned in kindergarten. Wisdom was not at the top of the graduate ...

23. Sticking Up for God

Acts 13:8

Children's Sermon

Wesley T. Runk

Object: None or Magic 8 ball to show what someone like Bar Jesus might consult Have you ever been tricked? When someone makes you believe that you can have something for nothing, and you agree to try it his way and end up losing everything, you have been tricked. Some people have some very good tricks. People who like to trick other people also like to have very powerful friends so that if something goes wrong, the powerful people will protect them. It happened this way a long time ago to St. Paul and his ...

24. Sticks and Stones

1 Samuel 17:1-58

Sermon

Goliath slew David. The boy’s bubble of life burst. For twelve years he had lived in a bubble built by doctors to prevent disease from assaulting his body, which lacked immunity to any disease. Recently David died in a Houston hospital room. Hospital staff had come to love him. Doctors meeting the press wept openly. A retired gift shop lady said to a reporter that David had come to be thought of as their own boy by the entire city of Houston. Houston mourns his passing. It always seems to those who scan ...

25. Stick Together

Humor Illustration

There is a lesson for the church in this old story: There was a sailor and a land-lover who went out fishing one day. The land-lover hooked a great big fish. As he reeled it in, it was so heavy that it began to pull the ship itself. All of a sudden the fish made one last surge for freedom, and it pulled the land-lover overboard. Being a land-lover, he couldn't swim a stroke. As he was trying to hold on to the fish, and coming up for air, he began to scream for help. "Help! I can't swim." The sailor, ...

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