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 276 to 300 of 391 results

276. Being Wronged versus Claiming One’s Right

1 Corinthians 6:1-11

Teach the Text

Preben Vang

... of the church who are engaged in bringing this matter before the unjust (adikoi; NIV: “wrongdoers”) have themselves become like the adikoi. Common to all adikoi is that they do not inherit the kingdom of God. Paul’s point is clearly not that adherence (or the lack thereof) to a specific set of moral requirements or laws will secure (or hinder) entrance into God’s kingdom. Rather, the very evidence that someone has become a Christ follower is that his or her value system and perspective on life ...

277. Marriage, Sexual Intimacy, and Spiritual Devotion

1 Corinthians 7:1-40

Teach the Text

Preben Vang

... was converted through the invitation or testimony of a believing spouse, he or she could be an excellent illustration of this topic. Use an interview format to draw out how he or she saw Christ in the other spouse and how that spouse’s adherence to Paul’s instructions worked. Invite him or her to share words of encouragement to any other believers struggling in mixed-faith marriages. A believer in a mixed-faith marriage or home has an enormous privilege to evangelize humbly and authentically every day ...

278. Imitation and Role Modeling

1 Corinthians 10:23--11:1, 1 Corinthians 10:14-22

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Preben Vang

... readings of “grace” and “faith” enable an interpretation of community membership that proves foreign to the “body” language Paul uses to describe the Christian life. To Paul, the litmus test for being a Christian is not simply a matter of adherence to statements about salvation through Christ. Paul’s issue in Corinth is that some claim a truth about their freedom (no law requires them to abstain from certain foods) while disregarding their responsibility to Christ’s community. Paul’s ...

279. Fighting Wars and Keeping a Promise: David Establishes an Ideal of Kingship

2 Sam 8:1–10:19

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Robert B. Chisholm Jr.

... promise to make the nation secure (2 Sam. 7:10–12), David now embarks on more military campaigns, and the Lord demonstrates his commitment to David by giving him still more victories. David in turn demonstrates his loyalty to the Lord by adhering to some Deuteronomic regulations pertaining to kingship, ruling in a just manner over Israel, and acting with goodwill toward Jonathan’s son Mephibosheth and Nahash’s son Hanun. Still more military successes follow, but the conflict with Ammon sets the stage ...

280. Ruling in the Fear of the Lord

2 Samuel 23:1-7

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Robert B. Chisholm Jr.

... to all that he has accomplished; it defines his purpose as Israel’s king. 23:3 When one rules over people in righteousness. The divine oracle speaks of the benefits of a righteous ruler. “Righteousness” refers here to morally upright behavior, which entails adherence to God’s moral standards (22:21–25). Such behavior finds its source in the “fear of God,” which is a humble, genuine respect for his moral authority and produces obedience (Deut. 6:2; 10:12). This description of the ideal king ...

281. David Listens to the Voice of Wisdom

1 Samuel 25:1-44

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Robert B. Chisholm Jr.

... has placed himself under a serious self-imprecation when he fails to fulfill the vow.6 However, since this is an inappropriate and rash vow (vv. 32–34), God will not and does not hold David accountable for failing to keep it. Obedience is better than adhering to ritual (cf. 15:22), so David would only compound matters by fulfilling it. His decision not to carry it out is wise and commendable.7 25:23 bowed down before David with her face to the ground. Abigail’s humble response to David mirrors David ...

282. Turning Up the Pressure

Job 2:1-13

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Daniel J. Estes

... has already lost so much, he now feels that he has lost the support of his wife as well. 2:10 Job did not sin in what he said. Job replies to his wife that she is speaking like a foolish woman, that is, her speech does not adhere to God’s path of wisdom. By contrast, Job’s speech, which is a window into his heart, demonstrates his unshaken integrity, just as Yahweh has anticipated in his challenge to the adversary. In literary terms, Job’s wife articulates the temptation for Job to act contrary to ...

283. Job Feels Both Confidence and Terror

Job 23:1--24:25

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Daniel J. Estes

... the refining of gold as he expresses what God seems to be doing in his life. In the ancient world, gold was refined by placing it in a crucible along with lead. As great heat was applied to it, the gold melted, and when it cooled the dross would adhere to the lead, leaving the purified gold (cf. Ezek. 22:17–22). In 23:10 this process is used to picture how God employs adversity either to refine Job from his sin (as the friends insist), or, better, to reveal the sterling quality of Job’s life, which will ...

284. Elihu Makes His Appearance

Job 32:1--37:24

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Daniel J. Estes

... get their god to send a lightning bolt to ignite their sacrifice, Yahweh answers Elijah’s prayer in a dramatic and undeniable fashion. In Psalm 29, a thunderstorm is portrayed as the voice of Yahweh, clearly countering and rejecting the false claims of the adherents of Baal and Adad. Interpretive Insights 37:1 At this my heart pounds and leaps from its place. As Elihu observes God’s mighty display of power in the storm, he has a strong emotional response. This strong rush of adrenaline is similar to ...

285. “The King Rejoices in Your Strength, Lord”

Psalm 21:1-13

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C. Hassell Bullock

... (vv. 16–18) c. Petition (vv. 19–21) 3. The celebration (vv. 22–31) a. First vow to praise (v. 22) b. Call to praise (v. 23) c. Reason for praise (v. 24) d. Second vow to praise (v. 25) e. Praise by the Lord’s adherents (v. 26) f. First declaration of worship: all nations (v. 27–28) g. Second declaration of worship: the rich and the poor (v. 29) h. Third declaration of worship: future generations (vv. 30–31) Historical and Cultural Background David’s familiarity with the ferocious animals of ...

286. “Into Your Hands I Commit My Spirit”

Psalm 31:1-24

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C. Hassell Bullock

... “rejects” the idolaters. The Hebrew syntax heightens the contrast between the idolaters and the suppliant: “But as for me—in the Lord I trust.” The verb “trust” (bth) normally takes an object preceded by the preposition b (“in”), suggesting “adhering to,” but here it takes the preposition ’el (“to”), which means “hanging on.”[9] The “worthless idols” (hable-shaw’) are literally “idols without substance.”[10] See also Jonah 2:8, and comments on 39:8. 31:7 I will ...

287. Daniel in the Den of Lions

Daniel 6:1-28

Teach the Text

Ronald W. Pierce

... equivalent of the Aramaic term for “satrap” suggests smaller provinces are included (Hist. 3.89).3 Worship was reserved exclusively for the gods in ancient Persia—not for kings.4There was a struggle at this time, however, between adherents to monotheistic worship of Ahura Mazda (associated with Zoroastrianism) and the Magi enticed by an encroaching syncretism of religions. Also at this time, Cyrus was redistributing sacred images to their respective peoples, reversing the centralization of pagan idols ...

288. Ahaz King of Judah

2 Kings 16:1-20

One Volume

Gary M. Burge

... next segment of the story, the reign of Ahaz (16:1–20). The Ahaz administration has a bad start: previous kings were censured for not removing the high places, but Ahaz goes a step further by actually worshiping at these installations. Even worse, he adheres to the terrifying practice of child sacrifice, and such conduct presages a litany of compromises and surrenders in this chapter. Ahaz follows the ways of the nations that the Lord drove out, and his egregious conduct paves the way for such nations to ...

289. Fourth Vision - Joshua Cleansed

Zechariah 3:1-10

One Volume

Gary M. Burge

... The New Testament warns against his efforts to frustrate God’s purpose (cf. 1 Pet. 5:8; Rev. 12:10). But God himself intervenes on behalf of Joshua and his people. This speaks powerfully to the infinite grace of God and also to his unfailing adherence to his purpose with regard to Israel. God silences Satan with a double rebuke, as he also gives a twofold affirmation of support for Israel: (1) Satan is reminded that God has chosen Jerusalem and will not be deterred from carrying through with his sovereign ...

290. The Fulfillment of the Law

Matthew 5:17-20

One Volume

Gary M. Burge

... ) rather than abolish them. He warns his followers against breaking or influencingothers to break any of the torah’s commands (5:19). In fact, their torah observance (“righteousness,” Greek dikaiosynē), understood as an expression of covenantal loyalty, must surpass the covenant adherence of the Pharisees and teachers of the law (5:20;cf. 15:6; 23:1–4 for the latter’s lack of obedience). As 5:21–48 makes clear, it is Jesus’s interpretation and explanation of the torah that must guide his ...

291. The Lord of the Sabbath

Matthew 12:1-14, Matthew 12:15-21

One Volume

Gary M. Burge

... ; both controversies are focused on Jesus’s practice of the Sabbath (12:1–8, 9–14). The Pharisees (12:2) were a Jewish sect considered to be experts in the law and were zealous in their obedience to it. An important part of their focus was adherence in everyday life to purity regulations intended to govern temple worship. Their desire was “to live out the rigor and piety of what was experienced at temple all year long” (Brown 2007, 209; cf. the description of the Pharisees on pp. 207–10). In the ...

292. Judgment on Jewish Leadership

Matthew 23:1-39

One Volume

Gary M. Burge

... woes is the crowds and Jesus’s disciples (23:1) rather than the teachers and Pharisees themselves. Matthew intends this chapter to shape the discipleship and leadership of the Christian community, focusing on themes of avoiding hypocrisy and right teaching of and adherence to the law. Jesus begins by calling the crowds and disciples to respect the teaching role of these leaders (see the description of the Pharisees in the commentary on 12:1–14) but warns against following them in their actions since ...

293. Jesus Questioned about Fasting

Mark 2:18-22

One Volume

Gary M. Burge

... population in Jesus’s day, exercised an influence far beyond their numbers because of their uncompromising allegiance to the sovereignty of God, their belief in the resurrection of the dead and in the existence of angels and demons, and their scrupulous adherence to both the written torah and the oral traditions founded on it. Jesus stood in formal agreement with most of the foundational beliefs of Pharisaism, although he emphasized fulfilling the intent rather than simply the letter of the law. It is ...

294. The Faith of a Syrophoenician Woman

Mark 7:24-30

One Volume

Gary M. Burge

... John the Baptizer (6:14–30). A Gentile woman who belongs to the infamous pagans of Syria Phoenicia seeks out Jesus, begging him to relieve her daughter of a demon (7:26). No one with such notorious credentials surely ever presumed to approach an adherent to the “tradition of the elders.” “ ‘First let the children eat all they want,’ [Jesus] told her, ‘for it is not right to take the children’s bread and toss it to the dogs’ ” (7:27). Although Jews often spoke of Gentiles as “dogs ...

295. The Little Children and Jesus

Mark 10:17-31

One Volume

Gary M. Burge

... . To a man who has, in fact, kept the law, Jesus declares, “One thing you lack. . . . Go, sell everything you have . . . give to the poor. . . . Then come, follow me” (10:21). Jesus offers himself as a substitute for the man’s possessions. The man’s full adherence to the law, good as it is, is no substitute for knowing and following Jesus. This offer, however, the man cannot accept. Standing on his own merits, he is self-confident; but when he is called to give up his security and follow Jesus, his ...

296. Jesus Arrested

Mark 14:43-52

One Volume

Gary M. Burge

... , but Mark simply identifies him as “one of those standing near” (14:47). Jesus reproaches the crowd for assaulting him as a “bandit” or “robber” (14:48; NIV “leading a rebellion”), the word in Greek (lēstēs) sometimes referring to an adherent of the Zealot movement. The reference to the fulfillment of Scriptures in 14:49 must recall Isaiah 53:12: he “was numbered with the transgressors.” “Then everyone deserted him and fled” is Mark’s bitter climax to the arrest. All have drunk ...

297. The Resurrection and Marriage

Luke 20:27-40

One Volume

Gary M. Burge

... is faced with a question about the resurrection from the Sadducees (20:27–40). The Sadducees were an aristocratic group who were the most powerful political faction in Palestine. They rejected both the oral tradition of the law, to which the Pharisees adhered, and belief in the resurrection and angels (cf. Acts 23:8). They relied only on the Old Testament Scriptures for their theology, focusing especially on the Torah. In this episode they try to show that the doctrine of the resurrection is ridiculous ...

298. The Prologue

John 1:1-18

One Volume

Gary M. Burge

... of the darkness points to the cross. But as the Book of Glory (13:1–20:31) shows, the power of darkness will not prevail. John indicates, however, that the light has its followers; Jesus has his disciples (1:12–13). Even though his own people—adherents to Judaism—spurn his message, those who do receive him obtain power to become God’s children. Verses 12–13 anticipate the story of Nicodemus (3:1–21), in which this rebirth is explored. A careful reading of 1 John shows that “children of God ...

299. Jesus Prays for His Disciples

John 17:6-19

One Volume

Gary M. Burge

... God’s presence. Like the good shepherd of 10:7–18, Jesus has protected his sheep until now, but other provisions will soon be necessary. (2) Joy and perseverance (17:13–16). Conflict will hallmark the life of any who simultaneously live in the world and adhere to God’s word. This was made clear in 15:18–16:4a. Jesus, however, asks not simply for spiritual protection (17:15) but for a new disposition: joy in the midst of suffering. (3) Holiness (17:17–19). This attribute reflects the presence of ...

300. Continuing Opposition to the Apostles by Jewish Leadership

Acts 5:12-16

One Volume

Gary M. Burge

... , 47; 4:4), and healing of the sick (5:16; cf. 3:1–10). The apparent tension between 5:13 and 5:14 can be resolved by recognizing that the word “join” in this context does not refer to “believed in the Lord” (cf. 5:14) but simply adhering to the group of believers (cf. 9:26; 10:28; 17:34). Other details in this account highlight the continuity between Jesus and his apostles. The power that is transmitted even through Peter’s shadow (5:15) reminds one of Jesus’s own magnificent power (Luke 8:44 ...

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