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 2601 to 2625 of 4943 results

2601. Luke 13:22-30

Luke 13:22-30

Sweet

Leonard Sweet

... Entering the Narrow Door," Matt. 7:13-14/Luke 13:22-24," Forum 5 [March 1989], 118). Striving language suggests that individual commitment had better be strong, for this "narrow door" does not have easy access. Jesus' eschatological image is clearly drawn as he continues to flesh out this proverb. Scholars are divided over whether Luke's version or Matthew's is closer to the proverb's original form. Luke's text develops the whole theme of rejected entry to a much fuller degree and incorporates the teaching ...

2602. 1 Timothy 1:12-17

1 Timothy 1:12-17

Sweet

Leonard Sweet

... act of grace had been truly miraculous. This section ends in verse 17 with what was surely one of the church's earliest liturgical prayers. Even as verses 12-16 celebrate God's new work of redemption in the world through Jesus Christ, verse 17 reminds us of the eternal continuity of God. The Lord is consistent and ongoing through the ages. Against all other claimants, the church ...

2603. Luke 21:5-19

Luke 21:5-19

Sweet

Leonard Sweet

... of giving them a definite time, Jesus describes a series of tell-tale events. One impending sign will be the proliferation of false leaders (v.8). Their success will indicate that "the time is near." Still in response to the disciples' question, Jesus continues to describe other events signaling the rapid approach of this judgment day (v.9). Yet Jesus counsels courage in the face of these "wars and insurrections" - for even these are only portents of even more extensively violent rampages. By verse 11, the ...

2604. Colossians 1:11-20

Colossians 1:11-20

Sweet

Leonard Sweet

... a much more cosmic Christology than usual for Paul. Much of the portion read this week reflects that almost Johannine view of the Christ. This week's epistle reading begins with verse 11, but studies of this section usually back up to verse 9 and continue through verse 14. This is a prayer and praise unit - with Paul praying the Colossian Christians will "lead lives worthy of the Lord" (v.10), gratefully inspired by the tremendous things God has done for them. Verse 11 here is fairly straightforward as it ...

2605. 1 Samuel 3:1-10 (11-20)

1 Samuel 3:1-10 (11-20)

Sweet

Leonard Sweet

... that "visions" of the God of Israel are heard and not seen. Direct contact with the divine is always through a word, not some spiritual "sighting." If the text had stated Eli's hearing had grown faint, then perhaps we would have legitimate reasons to doubt his continued connection with God. What Eli's dimmed eyesight does indicate is that he is growing old. In the way of all things, then, it seems the time is ripe for the young Samuel to step into the aging Eli's shoes. Interpreters are often tempted to ...

2606. Mark 11:1-11

Mark 11:1-11

Sweet

Leonard Sweet

... Psalm 118:25-26, the psalm traditionally sung as the crowds would approach the temple. "Hosanna" is literally a prayer for salvation, "Save, now" or "Save, I pray." The "Blessed is. . ." appeals that follow next are part of the priest's litany a litany which continues in Psalm 118:26 with the invocation "We bless you from the house of the LORD." The psalmist's priestly blessings now repeated in Mark 11:9 could be addressed to either the royal personage alone or all the people following the king's procession ...

2607. John 10:11-18

John 10:11-18

Sweet

Leonard Sweet

... " making Jesus' statement a contrast between "this fold" and the "one fold" of the future. As a result, most medieval Latin writers, who depended on the Vulgate, continued to express both these references with the same word ovile, "fold." Augustine, Wycliffe, Erasmus and eventually the King James Version of 1611 all continued to carry forward this mistranslation. The difference suggested by the two terms was significant for first-century Christians and is equally instructive for 21st-century Christians as ...

2608. John 3:1-17

John 3:1-17

Sweet

Leonard Sweet

... an approaching new life or new age (see Joel 2:28-29; Isaiah 32:15). Even this specific coupling of "water and the Spirit" has scriptural roots in Ezekiel 36:25-26 and in Isaiah 44:3. Jesus' tone becomes perceptively crisper as he continues to try to make the requirements of the kingdom clear to Nicodemus. By verse 7 he is warning Nicodemus, "Do not be astonished ... " and cautioning his nighttime visitor that he cannot restrict the approaching pneuma/Spirit. Nicodemus is urged, rather, to accept this offer ...

2609. Ephesians 1:3-14

Ephesians 1:3-14

Sweet

Leonard Sweet

... not only the redemption Christ brings, but the deliverance God-gifted wisdom gives us from ignorance and hopelessness. We, too, can at last see and comprehend "the mystery of his will." The unifying plan of God to bring everything under the headship of Christ continues to inform the final thoughts of this text. Although the vocabulary does not clearly reflect it, the writer is discussing the gift of Christ and the Holy Spirit as experienced by two different groups of people. In verses 11-12, the focus is on ...

2610. Jeremiah 31:7-14

Jeremiah 31:7-14

Sweet

Leonard Sweet

... any dormant dreams Judah's exiled elites and masses may have harbored. But at this precise moment, when all of Jeremiah's dour predictions had appeared to come true, the prophet suddenly offers a distinctly different message. Instead of solemn scolding or continuing preachments about the people's bad behavior, Jeremiah now proclaims a word of hope to these mournful captives. Today's Old Testament text comes from a section of the Jeremiah scroll known as "The Little Book of Consolation" (chapters 30-33). So ...

2611. Jeremiah 1:4-10

Jeremiah 1:4-10

Sweet

Leonard Sweet

... don't fear those in power (religious or political) for I will be with you (v. 8). The first message God gives to Jeremiah concludes this "call" reading for today. In fact, verse10 provides, in condensed form, the basic thrust of Jeremiah's continuing message throughout his prophetic ministry. The infinitive clauses of verse 10 make it clear these are divine orders, not suggestions. With his prophetic words, Jeremiah is to pluck up, to break down, to destroy, to overthrow, to build and to plant. Note that ...

2612. Luke 4:1-13

Luke 4:1-13

Sweet

Leonard Sweet

... then adopted and adapted to fit his own gospel form. Luke opens by affirming the coherency between Jesus' experience at his baptism and his journey into the wilderness. The Holy Spirit, which comes upon Jesus at his baptism, now fills Jesus. Its guiding presence continues as it leads him out into the wilderness for a period of fasting and testing. Note that in Luke, the Holy Spirit's presence appears almost as an internalized force in Jesus' life. In Mark, the Holy Spirit acts as the external force that ...

2613. Genesis 15:1-12, 17-18

Genesis 15:1-12, 17-18

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

2614. Isaiah 50:4-9a

Isaiah 50:4-9a

Sweet

Leonard Sweet

... thought. It is a new and vital word which serves to "sustain the weary." The vitality of these words comforts and freshens. With true discipleship-discipline, the Servant receives instruction from the Lord GOD "Morning by morning" (v.4). The Servant's ear is continually cocked and ready for the latest word from the Lord. The abuse heaped upon the Servant embodies three of the most humiliating and debasing forms of punishment that could be meted out. The Servant gives his back: where he can be freely struck ...

2615. Acts 10:34-43

Acts 10:34-43

Sweet

Leonard Sweet

... equal footing with the Jewish Christian, Peter. At last Peter is convinced that Jesus Christ is truly "the" Lord of all (v.36). If this revelation is as true as Peter perceives it to be, then he is bound as an apostle and a witness to continue with his proclamation before this Gentile household. In verses 39-41, Peter makes known to these Gentiles the great event that was performed as much for their sake as it was for the redemption of Israel. Peter testifies to the real, agonizing death that Jesus suffered ...

2616. Acts 16:16-34

Acts 16:16-34

Sweet

Leonard Sweet

... retired Roman soldiers in Philippi. In the Roman army, any failure of duty was deemed reason enough to commit one final "honorable" act, suicide. Paul and Silas save the jailer's life by calling out to him and assuring him of their continued presence. The jailer's response to this situation appears abrupt. Although there is no evidence that he has heard the gospel message except, significantly enough, within the context and content of the hymns Paul and Silas had been singing this Roman jailer recognizes ...

2617. 2 Kings 2:1-2, 6-14

2 Kings 2:1-2, 6-14

Sweet

Leonard Sweet

... spirit" (v.9). Elijah acknowledges that this is a difficult request to grant but stipulates the conditions under which it is indeed possible: Elisha must be present when Elijah's translation takes place (v.10). The text then records that the two of them continue on their way "walking and talking" in amiable companionship (v.11) until suddenly they are separated by a "chariot of fire and horses of fire" (v.11). It is not explicitly stated that he ascends into heaven in these selfsame chariots, but rather ...

2618. Luke 12:13-21

Luke 12:13-21

Sweet

Leonard Sweet

... 's fence. Such is the insidiousness of greed, the fool's vice (v.20). After all, Jesus says, fullness of life does not consist in fullness of possessions (v.15). Jesus follows this warning with the parable of the rich man whose wealth was so vast, he continually needed to build in order to warehouse his treasures. There is no indication that the rich man of this parable was an evil man in any other sense. His land produced good harvests; he no doubt worked hard to make it happen. His riches are not ill ...

2619. Jeremiah 2:4-13

Jeremiah 2:4-13

Sweet

Leonard Sweet

... in me that they went far from me ...?" (v.4). He laments the manner in which Israel's faithlessness cheapened her and ruined her: Israel "went after worthless things, and became worthless" herself (v.5). The journey through the pages of the salvific photo album continue. Israel doesn't remember who brought her out of Egypt; who led her through the wilderness, a land so utterly desolate that no one survived save she (v.6); and who "brought [her] into a plentiful land to eat its fruits and its good things (v ...

2620. 2 Timothy 4:6-8, 16-18

2 Timothy 4:6-8, 16-18

Sweet

Leonard Sweet

... speaks of desertion (22:1), deliverance (22:4), salvation (22:5), God's presence (22:11) and even the threat of the lion's mouth (22:13). Paul confidently asserts that the divine hand that has rescued him from his enemies up to this point will continue to keep him safe. That this "safety" is not necessarily a state of physical security is evident in Paul's clear expectation of martyrdom. The safe passage he expects and eagerly anticipates is into the "heavenly kingdom" that awaits him in the future.

2621. Weakness into Strength

2 Corinthians 12:1-10

Sermon

James McCormick

... invited a college student to tea. He was a bright student, but he was not realizing his potential because he thought he knew it all. The two of them sat in the professor’s home, and the professor began pouring tea into the student’s cup. He poured and continued pouring until the tea was spilling over the cup into the saucer and then out of the saucer into the student’s lap. The young man cried out, “It’s full! It’s over full! It can’t hold any more!” The professor stopped pouring and said to ...

2622. Refusing to Quit

2 Timothy 4:5-8

Sermon

James McCormick

... . So, his alma mater put up a plaque in his honor. The inscription reads: “He played four years on the scrubs – he never quit!” It occurs to me that that is one of the highest tributes that could be paid to anyone – that he didn’t quit. Anyone can continue when he is in the spotlight, encouraged by applause. Anyone can keep going as long as he meets with success after success. But for a person to give of his best when the hours are long, the going is tough, the applause is weak, and the chance of ...

2623. 1 Peter 1:17-23

1 Peter 1:17-23

Sweet

Leonard Sweet

... is the cause for Christian "trust in God" (v.21). Believing in Christ's resurrection both grows out of this trust and magnifies it. Christian "faith" and "hope" are dependent upon the trust they have in this redeeming God. Now 1 Peter continues to specify some particular demands made upon Christians who hold this faith and hope. These demands involve not just God, but extend into the community of faith, encompassing all Christian brothers and sisters. 1 Peter calls the diaspora communities to "love one ...

2624. Romans 8:1-11

Romans 8:1-11

Sweet

Leonard Sweet

... according to the Spirit" (v.4). The Spirit is that which makes the resurrection of Christ real in the life of believers (see Romans 5:5 and 8:9-11) and thus makes it possible for the law to become internalized. In verses 5-8 Paul continues to unpack the loaded message he presented in verse 4. Those living "according to the flesh" are incapable of seeing beyond the limitations and inabilities of the flesh. But since Christ's death and resurrection, humans still living in the flesh can nonetheless "set their ...

2625. Romans 12:9-21

Romans 12:9-21

Sweet

Leonard Sweet

... calf future. Thus, while "serve the Lord" remains the more common and accepted translation here, the less popular "serve the opportune time" still has much to say to those trying to nurture the growth of these Christian characteristics. Verses 12-13 continue to name these characteristics - adding hope, patience, prayer, charity and hospitality to the list of Christian attitudes and actions. When the text moves on to verses 14-16, however, the structure gets tangled. For example, verse 14 would appear to fit ...

Showing results