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 3051 to 3075 of 4681 results

3051. Mark 5:21-43

Mark 5:21-43

Sweet

Leonard Sweet

... recognition of this divine quality, Jesus confronts the woman. Besides physical healing, he bestows on her the added gift of peace ("shalom"), thus attending to her spiritual as well as physical well being. Now the "messengers of death" arrive on the scene. Bearing the news that Jairus' daughter has died, they proclaim there is no longer any reason to bother "the teacher." If Jesus were but a teacher, perhaps these doom-and-gloomers would be correct. But Jesus is much more. The story implies that Jesus ...

3052. Luke 6:17-26

Luke 6:17-26

Sweet

Leonard Sweet

... sickness knows no distinction between class or race. The concluding statements at the end of the blessings-and-curses section (verses 23 and 26) are worded in a carefully inclusive manner. The phrases focus on those doing the blessing or cursing, not the one bearing it. Both verses stipulate what "their ancestors did to the [false, v. 26] prophets." Thus Gentiles might well have been present and were carefully not excluded from these sentences, as they would have been if Jesus had said 'your ancestors."

3053. 2 Corinthians 5:16-21

2 Corinthians 5:16-21

Sweet

Leonard Sweet

... a hefty exchange of insults and innuendo seems to have occurred, prompting Paul to write a "tearful" letter to the community defending his status and his mission (see 2 Corinthians 2:3ff.). This letter was evidently delivered by Titus, who then returned to Paul bearing the news of its effect. For Paul it was the longed-for message; the church agreed to accept Paul's authority and submit to it (2 Corinthians 2: 5ff.; 7:11). Relieved, but still careful to present himself with defensive armor intact, Paul then ...

3054. Galatians 6:7-18

Galatians 6:7-18

Sweet

Leonard Sweet

... few words, he reiterates all the points he had taken pains to develop in the body of the letter. Matters of circumcision, the flesh, the law, the cross of Christ, boasting and persecution are all sandwiched into these terse lines. The "marks of Jesus" he bears (v.17) are most likely the scars Paul has earned by preaching the truth of this "new creation" to an old and corrupt world. And despite the sternness of verse 17, Paul feels enough unity and camaraderie with those in the Galatian community to add the ...

3055. 2 Kings 4:8-17

2 Kings 4:8-17

Sweet

Leonard Sweet

... over here. Gehazi reveals that the woman is childless, and her husband old - intimating that she yearns for a son. With this insight, Elisha has Gehazi once again summon the woman so that he may pronounce his blessing on her - that she will bear a child "in due time." Incredulous, the woman momentarily drops her respectful demeanor and, directly addressing Elisha, implores him "not to deceive" his servant. Gehazi's information was evidently correct. The mere mention of a child is painful to her. Verse 17 ...

3056. 2 Kings 5:1-15ab

2 Kings 5:1-15ab

Sweet

Leonard Sweet

... powerful men in two countries have all been set into motion by the faithful words of one little slave girl. But there are even more astonishing actions to come in this uniquely beautiful healing story. After the king of Israel is confronted by Naaman, bearing his official letter and his load of riches, the king despairs and suspects a trick. The slave girl's prophet from Samaria, Elisha, now enters the tale to bail out the panicked king. From the outset Elisha is in control of this situation - relieving ...

3057. 2 Timothy 4:6-8, 16-18

2 Timothy 4:6-8, 16-18

Sweet

Leonard Sweet

... scholar trained to understand the intricacies of law, it is likely Paul afforded himself every opportunity for extending his defense. Whatever the chronology, verse 16 makes it clear that Paul's spiritual response remains steadfast and unwavering. Paul not only bears no ill will towards those absenting themselves from his defense, but he also uses this very abandonment as yet another opportunity (like his impending death itself) to demonstrate a true Christlike spirit of forgiveness - by praying for them. A ...

3058. Matthew 1:18-25

Matthew 1:18-25

Sweet

Leonard Sweet

... told him. He takes Mary as his wife - and thus fulfills the prediction that the Messiah will come from the house of David. Furthermore, although now formally married, Joseph has no intercourse with Mary, so that the prediction that "the virgin shall conceive and bear a son" will also be perfectly fulfilled. Finally we are told that when the baby is born, Joseph once again follows the directive from his dream and names the child "Jesus." Joseph's obedience and acceptance of every word spoken by the angelic ...

3059. Matthew 5:13-20

Matthew 5:13-20

Sweet

Leonard Sweet

... -20 create a prose bridge from the poetic Beatitudes and the word-pictures of the salt and light images. The content of verses 17-20 is unique to Matthew's gospel except for one parallel in verse 18 (with Luke 16:17). This text also bears the distinction of being known as one of the most difficult passages in Matthew's gospel. Both the form and the content lend themselves to numerous ambiguities in translation and interpretation. Vocabulary is one of the greatest problems. In verse 17, the terms translated ...

3060. 1 Samuel 16:1-13

1 Samuel 16:1-13

Sweet

Leonard Sweet

... beauty and goodness are not automatically equated. In other ancient cultures, those graced with physical beauty were assumed to hold a special place in the divine favor. Eliab was most pleasing to look upon; a tall, striking hunk of manhood whose very bearing suggested kingship. But the Lord dismisses Eliab and pointedly rejects those very qualities Samuel targeted as "good." Using a whole different set of standards, God proclaims to Samuel: "The Lord does not see as mortals see; they look on the outward ...

3061. Acts 2:1-21

Acts 2:1-21

Sweet

Leonard Sweet

... " have been invested with the power of this Holy Spirit so that they may speak about one thing: salvation through Jesus Christ. It is in verses 22-24 that Peter gives his first public witness about that message the person and power of Jesus Christ. The gift of the Pentecost bears its first fruit in the church's first public testimony about salvation through Christ crucified.

3062. Matthew 14:22-33

Matthew 14:22-33

Sweet

Leonard Sweet

... miracle they are witnessing. Attempts to "explain" this miracle do little more than "explain" it away. Declaring that Jesus is merely walking in the shallows of the surf or seeing this as a misplaced resurrection sighting (based on some of the similarities it bears to John 21:1-8) only succeeds in diminishing the obvious point of the story: the miracle of Jesus' water-walking. Seeing Jesus walking toward them utterly unnerves the disciples. They "cry out in fear." Jesus' response to his disciples is both ...

3063. Exodus 20:1-4, 7-9, 12-20

Exodus 20:1-4, 7-9, 12-20

Sweet

Leonard Sweet

... upheld by rejecting murder. The unique social and legal obligations of the marriage covenant are upheld by the command against adultery. Protecting property, which means one's livelihood and economic survival, actually protects the well-being of all people. Bearing false witness is dismissed as an option. All men and women, whatever their social or economic portion, are to be equal before the truth. By denying any legitimacy to the social catastrophes brought about by lying, cheating, stealing and murdering ...

3064. Joshua 3:7-17

Joshua 3:7-17

Sweet

Leonard Sweet

... the Jordan, there are differences. Like Moses, Joshua has been told by God how to proceed to cross the water. Unlike Moses, however, Joshua himself does not actually participate in performing the miracle. He describes what the result will be when the feet of the ark-bearing priests step into the river. But Joshua either does not know or does not reveal exactly how God intends to go about stopping the Jordan's flow. Joshua is content to focus on the end result the depths of the Jordan, like the depths of the ...

3065. Luke 5:1-11

Luke 5:1-11

Sweet

Leonard Sweet

... a desire for Jesus to physically move away from him. The reference includes the request that Jesus' spirit depart from Simon Peter's own mind and spirit _ as though even a mental or spiritual connection between Jesus and Simon is more than Simon can bear as he recoils at his own perverseness in Jesus' presence. After Simon Peter's anguished confession, Luke once again shifts the focus of his story. Anxious to get to his appointed literary task _ revealing the beginning of Jesus' team ministry _ Luke now ...

3066. Deuteronomy 26:1-11

Deuteronomy 26:1-11

Sweet

Leonard Sweet

... of that deliverance so succinctly or so well. The most miraculous event of all is the fact that the Lord "heard" the cries of the people and then turned a "mighty hand and an outstretched arm," the "signs and wonders" and powers at God's command, to bear on the Israelites' situation. The ultimate result of all this divine intervention was the final reason for this thankful credo _ that God "brought us into this place and gave us this land" (v.9). As the subject circles back to the land, the tithe of first ...

3067. Psalm 1

Psalm 1

Sweet

Leonard Sweet

... " or "utterings" seems to lend strength to arguments against this inward-directed, meditative focus. Linguistic tradition suggests that the psalmist refers to an outward oral activity _ i.e., "from his law he recites day and night." The lush images of fruit-bearing trees standing beside life-giving streams of water portray paradise for desert-dwelling people. The psalmist's image recalls both that of Jeremiah 17:8 and Genesis 2. Indeed, it is quite likely that this writer intends to depict a kind of ...

3068. Luke 13:1-9

Luke 13:1-9

Sweet

Leonard Sweet

... 's "kinder, gentler" version of that episode. This parable begins with the owner of the vineyard visiting his fields to survey their fruitfulness. In Palestine, it was not uncommon for land given over to a vineyard to also include a variety of fruit-bearing trees. The owner's visit is quite intentional _ the text clearly emphasizes how purposefully this man sought the fruit to which he was entitled. Even though this landowner is justifiably perturbed at the fruitless condition he discovers, the man does not ...

3069. Luke 24:35-48

Luke 24:35-48

Sweet

Leonard Sweet

... The good news that God has fulfilled all prophecies in the person of Jesus Christ, the fact of the resurrection, and the imperative that the New Israel (the Church) live in the light of this new reality are all truths that bear constant repeating. Chapter 24 contains two back-to-back stories of resurrection appearances which share parallel developments. While this week's gospel text focuses on Jesus' post-resurrection appearance before his disciples, the similarities between it and the overlapping story of ...

3070. 2 Corinthians 5:16-21

2 Corinthians 5:16-21

Sweet

Leonard Sweet

3071. Galatians 6:7-18

Galatians 6:7-18

Sweet

Leonard Sweet

3072. 2 Kings 5:1-15ab

2 Kings 5:1-15ab

Sweet

Leonard Sweet

3073. Deuteronomy 18:15-20

Deuteronomy 18:9-13, 14-22

Sweet

Leonard Sweet

... In fact, this text notes that the people are on record with Moses' begging that Yahweh will no longer address them directly, either in voice or in holy apparition (v.16). They think they have had far too much exposure to divine directives. Since the people cannot bear to hear God face to face and since Moses' days of life are coming to an end, they are now promised a continuing gift of prophets. They should never be tempted to take up the magical ways of other nations because the Lord will always "raise up ...

3074. 1 Peter 3:18-22

1 Peter 3:18-22

Sweet

Leonard Sweet

... 1 Peter text may say or suggest, this is the central thrust of his message. Christ died for our sins in order that we may live eternally in the presence of God. Whatever suffering Christians may endure here on Earth, whatever wrongs we must bear, are of no consequence in relationship to the tremendous gift of salvation. 1 Peter's next statement begins the author's long explanation of Jesus' mission to "the spirits in prison." Scholars wrestle with this text from its first sentence, where the writer declares ...

3075. John 12:20-33

John 12:20-33

Sweet

Leonard Sweet

... death if his mission is to be undimmed. Although Jesus never addresses the Greeks directly in response, he does offer yet another lesson on discipleship. Like himself, his disciples must be willing to follow God's plan to the end, even death itself, if they are to "bear fruit" (v.24). This leads John to his version of the whoever-would-save-their-lives-will-lose-them/whoever-would-lose-their-lives-will-find-them teaching, a truth found in all four gospels (Mark 8:35; Matthew 16:25; Luke 9:24). The call to ...

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