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 3076 to 3100 of 4681 results

3076. Mark 16:1-8

Mark 16:1-8

Sweet

Leonard Sweet

... man" as an angelic messenger, what was called in apocalyptic literature an angelus interpres. Typical of angelic visitors, the young man's first words are of reassurance ("Do not be alarmed/amazed"). But it is the rest of this angel's message which reveals that he bears news from a divine source. All of Mark's Easter message is contained in the body of this heavenly messenger's words. In this angel's message lies the fulfillment and the future of the whole gospel. First, there is the Easter Good News: Jesus ...

3077. John 10:11-18

John 10:11-18

Sweet

Leonard Sweet

... relationship between God and God's chosen people. Little wonder that these "I am" statements were heard as first-century fighting words. In verses11-14, Jesus follows his claim to being a "good shepherd" by defining the first characteristic such a shepherding one bears: "The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep." What we are used to translating as "good" here (kalos) would be more fully understood as "model," "ideal" or even "noble." This is the Good Shepherd not as opposed to a "bad" shepherd ...

3078. 1 John 5:9-13

1 John 5:9-13

Sweet

Leonard Sweet

... , God's essence must be false as well. To take such a stance cuts one off from the mission and sacrifice of Christ. The unbeliever who does not accept as truth the witness God gives about the Son cannot expect to receive the gift that this God's testimony bears witness to that is, the gift of eternal life. The witness of the water, the blood and the Spirit do not point toward the identity of Jesus as the Christ, the Son of God, only for Christ's own sake, These witnesses work together to open our eyes to ...

3079. James 1:17-27

James 1:17-27

Sweet

Leonard Sweet

... and including our life-birth "by the word of truth." Our life from God is more than physical creation (birth-life); we receive regenerative birth (life-birth) from "the word of truth." We are the first fruits, as James will elaborate, and we in turn must bear the fruit that reveals God's work, and Word, in us. Beginning in verse 19, James' text takes up the imperative, making clear the force with which Christians are urged to adhere to the behaviors he now sets forth. Instead of the NRSV's pleading tone ...

3080. Mark 8:27-38

Mark 8:27-38

Sweet

Leonard Sweet

... cross" on this final death march to the execution site was a torture reserved for only the most despised of state criminals. Yet this is the very image Jesus chooses to represent as the fate of his most devoted disciples. As evidence that cross-bearing must become the true disciple's way, Jesus offers his listeners the paradox of verse 35. The "life" saved or lost in this verse is the Greek "psyche," which includes a threefold dimension: "life," "soul" and "oneself." Clearly, all three meanings are intended ...

3081. Jeremiah 31:7-14

Jeremiah 31:7-14

Sweet

Leonard Sweet

Anyone who has ever pored over the book of Jeremiah knows that it is not exactly what you would call a "cheery read." The English language has even adopted the term "jeremiad" to describe any excessively woeful, wrathful, bad-news-bearing message or messenger. Jeremiah is renowned as a prophet of doom and gloom. He berates the people for a litany of sins and bad behavior. He preaches constantly about the divine judgment and destruction that awaits them because of their attitudes. Frankly, Jeremiah had good ...

3082. Luke 9:28-36 (37-43)

Luke 9:28-36 (37-43)

Sweet

Leonard Sweet

... unnerves both the priests and the common people who see him. Moses' face apparently has been permanently transformed by his exposure to the divine. This radiance that reveals itself as a sign of God's presence is simply too much for the Israelites to bear. Henceforth, Moses takes to wearing a veil over his face, except when he is repeating messages from God to the people. It seems likely that this is also the kind of "change" Jesus' face took on during the Transfiguration experience. His features became a ...

3083. Romans 8:14-17

Romans 8:14-17

Sweet

Leonard Sweet

... here reflects his comfortable knowledge of Roman law and culture. In Roman law the adoption process must be witnessed by another party in order for it to be legally binding on all parties. In this case it is the Spirit who Paul sees "bearing witness" to this divine adoption. The cry "Abba! Father" which newly adopted sons and daughters may now legitimately call out itself demonstrates the closeness of a believer's relationship to God. The Aramaic "Abba" was, of course, Jesus' own favorite divine address ...

3084. John 16:12-15

John 16:12-15

Sweet

Leonard Sweet

... all that will be involved in that experience for his followers especially because "now" the promised Spirit is not yet with them. Verses 13-15 turn their focus on the impending presence of this "Spirit of truth." These verses tell the disciples what they can bear instead of dwelling on what they cannot yet stand to hear. Verse 13 employs the language and imagery of the Psalms (25:5, 86:11) to describe how this promised Spirit of truth will operate. The Spirit will act as "guide," taking the disciples "into ...

3085. Luke 17:11-19

Luke 17:11-19

Sweet

Leonard Sweet

... way." Remember that the followers of Jesus were first called people of "The Way." At the outset of the story, Luke carefully foreshadows the surprising faith-witness by specifically mentioning the region of Samaria. Although found only in Luke's gospel, the story does bear some resemblance to other occasions in which lepers are healed. Remember the first cleansing account (Luke 5:12-16; Matthew 8:1-4; Mark 1:40-45) where Jesus is moved by the cries of the lepers? In both healing stories the "unclean" lepers ...

3086. Matthew 3:1-12

Matthew 3:1-12

Sweet

Leonard Sweet

... of snakes trying to slip out of a blazing field or a fiery future (i.e., "the wrath to come"). Invoking still another vivid image familiar to his Jewish audience, John next demands that his listeners, especially those slippery Sadducees and Pharisees, "Bear fruit worthy of repentance" (v.8). Once more invoking their common past, the Baptist denies that an Abrahamic genealogy gives an individual any special access to the kingdom now drawing near. Using what was familiar and literally "at hand" (or better yet ...

3087. A Powerful Sacrament

Mark 1:1-8

Sermon

King Duncan

... . That makes sense, doesn’t it? If the script has failed us, we need to disengage ourselves from it. Easier said than done. How do we undo a lifetime of programming from our family, from our society, from all the myriad influences that have been brought to bear on us. That, says Brueggemann, is the task of the church and its ministry to detach us from that powerful script. That’s suppose to be my job each week. Not to entertain you, not to reinforce prejudices that you already hold, but to give you an ...

3088. John 1:(1-9) 10-18

John 1:(1-9) 10-18

Sweet

Leonard Sweet

... 's Gospel. New Testament scholars the stature of Rudolf Bultmann, Ernst Kasemann, J. A. T. Robinson and Raymond Brown have all grappled with this relationship and have yet to come to any consensus. What is generally accepted is that John's Gospel bears the marks of two redactors in addition to its original author. These redactors skillfully created a text that spoke the truth of Christ's message for all the earth while addressing the distinctive needs and concerns facing the Johannine community. Scholars ...

3089. Matthew 17:1-9

Matthew 17:1-9

Sweet

Leonard Sweet

... faithfulness based on signs (vv.5-12). Then Peter at last declares Jesus to be "the Messiah, the Son of the living God" (v. 16) and is simultaneously blessed by Jesus and ordered to keep silent. Death and resurrection await him, Jesus reveals, and cross-bearing is to be the way of all discipleship. Only after all this does Jesus take Peter, James and John up the mountain to be "by themselves." In Matthew's Gospel this is a watershed moment, not only because of the miraculous mountaintop experience that ...

3090. Mark 16:1-8

Mark 16:1-8

Sweet

Leonard Sweet

... is meant to suggest he is an angelic being. Some scholars have suggested that the young man who runs away in fear at the moment of Jesus' arrest is also a Markan angel. His dismay and dread at Jesus' arrest (which no angel could bear to witness) may then be contrasted with his calm, assured presence in the tomb. This angel's presence transforms the Markan resurrection narrative from simply an "empty tomb" encounter to a positive pronouncement story. Without an appearance by the risen Jesus himself, Mark ...

3091. Luke 3:1-6

Luke 3:1-6

Sweet

Leonard Sweet

... verses 4-5 are from Isaiah 40:3. "As it is written" was the traditional way of introducing a quotation from Hebrew Scriptures, validating their authenticity and authority for the reader. Note that the quotation Luke cites here does not have any direct bearing on the baptismal ministry John is offering to people. Instead, this text serves to generally concur with John's message of promised salvation through God's power. Isaiah 40:3 describes the necessary preparations made for the approaching visit of a king ...

3092. Isaiah 9:2-7

Isaiah 9:2-7

Sweet

Leonard Sweet

... the necessary gender of a new Davidic king and contrasts the child's "born-ness" with his other nature a divine gift with divine origins. Finally, just as the shoulders of the Hebrews were burdened with their enslavement, so this new king's shoulders bear the weight of his rule and his God-given authority. This baby is further identified through a series of divinely-given names. Name-giving upon ascending the throne was a common Middle-eastern practice. The name revealed at that time was indicative of what ...

3093. About Sex

1 Corinthians 6:12-20

Sermon

King Duncan

... numbers today are even more staggering and the content is definitely more explicit. One dramatic change is in the sexual mores or lack thereof of the lead characters in television dramas. People laughed when Dan Quayle chided the television character Murphy Brown for bearing a baby out of wedlock. Mr. Quayle may not have known how to spell “potato,” but in this instance he was on the right path. We have reached a moral tipping point in our society. As never before, our entertainment media is encouraging ...

3094. Where a Cross Should Be Worn

Matthew 6:1-4

Sermon

King Duncan

... our hearts. “Rend your heart and not your garments,” says Joel 2:23. That’s much harder to do, isn’t it? It’s much easier to rend your clothes than to rend your heart. It’s much easier to wear a cross around your neck than it is to bear it daily in everything you do. Just a few years back we witnessed a bloody conflict in the Balkans between Christians and Muslims. Don’t assume that Christians were the good guys. One of the most notorious killers of Muslims was a man by the name of Arkan. When ...

3095. He Stands Alone

Mark 1:29-39

Sermon

King Duncan

... .” Her mom tried to explain that Jesus was there in spirit not body, but the five‑year‑old didn’t get it. Finally, her mom said, “That’s enough, Laura, let’s go home.” Laura resisted. Mom insisted. Then Laura bolted across the aisle and bear‑hugged a marble post. She yelled out, for all to hear, “I’m not leaving till I see Jesus!” Her mother was humiliated. The more she asserted, the louder Laura protested. Finally the priest came over, bent down, took Laura by the hand, and gently ...

3096. Jesus Baptism and Ours

Isaiah 42:1-9

Sermon

Mike Ripski

... will be called Israel, which means, the one who contends, wrestles, strives with God.” A voice from a burning bush said, “Moses, you are mine. Go to Egypt and tell Pharaoh to let my people go.” “Mary, you are mine. You will conceive by the Holy Spirit and bear the Son of God.” “Joseph, you are mine. Do not divorce Mary, for her baby has been conceived by the Holy Spirit. When the baby is born, name him Jesus, for he will save his people from their sin-sick souls.” Whose are we? How are we to ...

3097. Jesus Radical Prescription

Matthew 5:21-26

Sermon

Mike Ripski

... view and treat each other. This is Jesus’ radical prescription for life in God’s new world. “Radical” means “at the roots.” Jesus wants to cut off anger at its roots, so any growth from it will wither and die. It will not grow and bear its poisonous fruit. Jesus says, “When someone sues you, work out a satisfactory resolution before you go to court. Seek genuinely to make amends. Put the other’s well-being ahead of your own, even if it means sacrificing on your part. What is most important ...

3098. Thin Spaces

Matthew 17:1-13

Sermon

Mike Ripski

... they fell to the ground and were overcome with fear.” It seems to me that one of the emotions associated with “Thin Spaces” is fear. I. Unholy Fear Retired Bishop Ken Carder tells this story in his sermon, “Balancing Beliefs and Behavior.” Some of us bear the scars of a religion that emphasizes being good in order to avoid God’s punishment. An incident from my childhood left an indelible mark on me. Our family lived on several farms as sharecroppers during my early childhood. One day as my older ...

3099. You Must Start Over!

John 3:1-21

Sermon

Mike Ripski

... anything worth having is worth working for. We believe that what we need, we can figure out a way to get. Though we’ll never say it, our behavior says it for us: We believe we are self-made men and women. “Nicodemus, the present tense of born is bear, as in to carry. Your mother carried you. She gave her life to you. She labored to deliver you. She fed you. Comforted you. Protected you. It was all gift. All grace.” We don’t control our birth. We don’t applaud the newborn, “Way to go! Look way ...

3100. The Biggest Lie

Mark 1:40-45

Illustration

... tell the biggest lie gets to keep the dog." Of course the pastor was taken aback. "You kids shouldn't be having a lie-telling contest!" He then launched into a ten minute sermon about lying. "Don't you kids know that lying breaks the eighth commandment, do not bear false witness. Why, when I was your age, I never told a lie." There was dead silence for about a minute. Just when the pastor began to think that he'd gotten through to them, the smallest kid gave a deep sigh and said, "All right, give him the ...

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