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 3726 to 3750 of 4681 results

3726. Money For Jesus

Illustration

Michael P. Green

... containing a thousand dollars, and that I offer one of these bags to each of the first ten people who, by this time tomorrow, will share the gospel with a non-believer and invite him to receive Jesus Christ as Savior. The response of the non-believer would have no bearing on whether one gets the money. What do you think would happen? We all know that there would be a mad rush to get out of here and be one of the first ten to tell somebody about Jesus. Are we more willing to witness out of impure motives ...

3727. Yours Is The Earth

Illustration

Rudyard Kipling

... , And yet don’t look too good, nor talk too wise; If you can dream—and not make dreams your master; If you can think—and not make thoughts your aim; If you can meet with triumph and disaster And treat those two impostors just the same; If you can bear to hear the truth you’ve spoken Twisted by knaves to make a trap for fools, Or watch the things you gave your life to broken, And stoop and build ’em up with wornout tools; If you can make one heap of all your winnings And risk it on one ...

3728. The Materials You Send Up

Matthew 6:19-21

Illustration

Michael P. Green

... belongs to your gardener.” “How is it that he has a house so much better than mine?” “The houses here are prepared from the materials that are sent up. We do not choose them; you do that by your faithfulness while on earth.” This may be a story, but it bears a profound truth about the “treasures” we accumulate.

3729. The Discipline of Pain

Illustration

Michael P. Green

... , sorrow, these are disciplines, God’s gifts to drive us to his very heart, to increase our capacity for him, to sharpen our sensitivities and understanding, to temper our spiritual lives so that they may become channels of his mercy to others and so bear fruit for his kingdom. But these disciplines must be seized upon and used, not thwarted. They must not be seen as excuses for living in the shadow of half-lives, but as messengers, however painful, to bring our souls into vital contact with the living ...

3730. Rejoicing in Suffering

Rom 3:3-5

Illustration

Michael P. Green

It is clear from Scripture that “rejoicing in suffering” is not simply stoicism. It is not simply a grin-and-bear-it attitude of tough-it-out-and-see-how-much-you-can-take, or just-hang-in-there-until-it’s-over-and-don’t-let-anything-get-you-down, or keep-a-stiff-upper-lip. Many people feel that if they do this, they are obeying God and “rejoicing ...

3731. The Limit Load

1 Cor 10:13

Illustration

Michael P. Green

... allowed to carry. There is a good reason for establishing such limits. If the trucks were allowed to exceed their weight limit, the roads would eventually fall apart, because a given road is designed to support vehicles only up to a certain weight. Likewise, God knows how much we can bear when he allows us to be tested. He has assigned a definite “load limit” to each of us and never exceeds it.

3732. The Parable of Wings

Illustration

Michael P. Green

The legend is told about how birds got their wings. They were first wingless creatures. Then God made wings, put them in front of the wingless birds, and said to them, “Come, take up these burdens and bear them.” The birds hesitated at first, but soon obeyed and picked up the wings in their beaks. Because the wings were heavy, the birds laid them on their shoulders. Then, to their amazement, the wings began to grow and soon had attached themselves to their bodies. The birds quickly discovered ...

3733. The Ark Brought to the Temple

2 Chronicles 5:2-6:11

Understanding Series

Louis C. Jonker

... , which stands at the center of the Chronicler’s reconstruction of the monarchical past. The dedication of the temple has different elements and is accompanied by speeches, prayers, sacrifices, music, and a theophany. The whole description from 5:2 to 7:22 bears a liturgical character, as if the Chronicler wanted the reader of his history to experience the glory of the temple again and to reenact the worship performed there. This would, of course, have a clear message to the Second Temple cultic community ...

3734. Peter Addresses the Crowd

Acts 2:14-41

Understanding Series

David J. Williams

... attention from the signs of the last days to the Savior. He wanted them to hear about Jesus of Nazareth (cf. 3:6; 4:10; 6:14; 22:8; 24:5; 26:9). This was the name by which Jesus was known to them, if they knew him at all (bearing in mind that there were visitors in the crowd); and it was under this name that he had died (John 19:19). But the Jews’ estimate of Jesus, evident in their hounding him to the cross, was in striking contrast with his true status, for he was demonstrably a man ...

3735. Peter Heals the Crippled Beggar

Acts 3:1-10

Understanding Series

David J. Williams

... people and events. The events of this chapter illustrate the opposition that the church soon encountered from the Jewish authorities, and the man on whom the spotlight is focused is Peter. The narrative that begins here and runs through to 4:22 bears some similarity to the events described in 5:17–42, with their sequence of arrest, threat, defense, release, and rejoicing. This has led to speculation that these are simply different versions of the same incident, with yet another appearing later, in 12 ...

3736. Peter and John Before the Sanhedrin

Acts 4:1-22

Understanding Series

David J. Williams

... (taking the Greek at its face value), but only that they were lacking in the formal training of the scribes—they were laymen! The same complaint had been made of Jesus (John 7:15), who had also surprised his hearers with his boldness of bearing and speech. Indeed, it may have been the council’s recollection of Jesus that lay behind the comment: They took note that these men had been with Jesus. We cannot think that they only now discovered that Peter and John were Jesus’ disciples. They must ...

3737. The Believers’ Prayer

Acts 4:23-31

Understanding Series

David J. Williams

... hand,” also Exod. 3:20; 13:3; 15:6; etc.) and one that in this book is closely associated with the Spirit of God. In sum, the message of this verse is a “comfortable word” to all Christians. There may be incidents in the Christian life hard to bear, but there are no accidents, for “in all things God works for the good of those who love him” (Rom. 8:28). 4:29–30 In recognition of this, the believers brought their plight to “God’s throne, where there is grace” (Heb. 4:16, GNB). Notice that ...

3738. Stephen Seized

Acts 6:8-15

Understanding Series

David J. Williams

... (still assuming that they were Hellenists), so that the picture we now have of Stephen as a preacher need come as no surprise (see Hengel, Acts, p. 74; Dunn, Unity, p. 270). He is described as a man full of God’s grace—a phrase capable of bearing the double sense of enjoying God’s favor (cf. 18:27) and of being gracious himself toward others (cf. Luke 4:22). Stephen appears to have been a man of great personal charm. He was also an effective preacher (cf. v. 10), whose ministry was accompanied by ...

3739. The Church Persecuted and Scattered

Acts 8:1b-3

Understanding Series

David J. Williams

... , Luke gives us a vivid picture of their being “scattered like seed” throughout the regions of Judea and Samaria—a dispersion (or Diaspora, from the same Greek root as “scattering”) of the new Israel corresponding to that of the old and a “sowing” that would bear much fruit (cf. v. 4). They were the real founders of the Gentile mission. 8:2 Some godly men buried Stephen. Elsewhere this expression is usually used of pious Jews (e.g., 2:5), and such these men may have been. But on the whole, it ...

3740. Simon the Sorcerer

Acts 8:9-25

Understanding Series

David J. Williams

... Spirit’s activity than on his person; what may have been lacking in Samaria was the outward manifestation of that activity in the more evident gifts of the Spirit (cf. 10:46; 19:6). The reference in verse 18 to Simon’s seeing something when the Spirit was given may bear this out, as also the verb “to come (lit., fall) upon” (v. 16), which in 10:44 and 11:15 is used of the Spirit’s coming in a way that was marked by outward signs. We hasten to add, however, that this is not always the way of his ...

3741. Peter’s Miraculous Escape from Prison

Acts 12:1-19a

Understanding Series

David J. Williams

... :12 John, also called Mark: As with Paul, his Roman name (Mark) is most often used (15:39; Col. 4:10; 2 Tim. 4:11; Philem. 24; 1 Pet. 5:13), though in 13:5, 13, he is simply called John. It was not uncommon for first-century Jews to bear a Greek or Roman name in addition to their Hebrew name (cf. 1:23; 4:36; 9:33; 13:1, 9), the similarity of sound appearing to have sometimes guided the choice, for example, Joses / Jason, Joshua / Justus. From Col. 4:10 we learn that Mark was a kinsman of ...

3742. In Iconium

Acts 14:1-7

Understanding Series

David J. Williams

... vv. 2f.). Some commentators take the phrase with their leaders to mean that the magistrates had been drawn into the affair; but their is more likely to refer to their own Jewish leaders, and the reference to stoning (intended perhaps as a punishment for blasphemy) bears this out. In short, the Jews had apparently resorted not to the courts (cf. 18:13), but the expedient of inciting mob violence against the Christians (cf. 17:5). The situation was now dangerous in the extreme, and nothing was to be gained by ...

3743. In Lystra and Derbe

Acts 14:8-20

Understanding Series

David J. Williams

... quibbling. If the two gods were thought of together, Hermes would naturally be thought of as spokesman. He was, after all, the patron of orators. That the people reacted as they did is entirely consonant with what we know of their beliefs, bearing in mind that Lystra was no sophisticated metropolis. Ovid tells how Jupiter and Mercury (the Latin counterparts of Zeus and Hermes) once visited an aged couple, Philemon and Baucis, in the neighboring district of Phrygia (Metamorphoses 8.611ff.). On the basis of ...

3744. Paul and Silas In Prison

Acts 16:16-40

Understanding Series

David J. Williams

... ”] of the Most High God and that they had come announcing the way of salvation. To the pagans of Philippi, this would have meant deliverance from the powers governing their fate; to Luke’s Christian readers much more (see disc. on 4:12; 5:31). Her cries bear a striking resemblance to those of the demoniacs encountered by Jesus, even to the use of the title the Most High God (cf. Luke 4:34, 41, where the same verb “to shout” is employed; and esp. 8:28; see disc. on 19:15). The title was commonly ...

3745. In Corinth

Acts 18:1-17

Understanding Series

David J. Williams

... . 1:26) There were exceptions, however, and most notably “Erastus, who [was] the city’s director of public works” (Rom. 16:23, written from Corinth). It is interesting that at Corinth a pavement, apparently of the first century A.D., has been found bearing the inscription “Erastus Pro Aed. S.P. Stravit” (Erastus pro aedilitate sua pecunia stravit), which means that in return for his aedileship Erastus had laid out this pavement at his own expense. We cannot be certain that this was the same man as ...

3746. The Riot in Ephesus

Acts 19:23-41

Understanding Series

David J. Williams

... notes) and attempting to speak on their behalf to dissociate them from the Christians. But when Alexander made as though to speak by motioning with his hand (see disc. on 13:16), the crowd recognized him as a Jew (by his dress?) and shouted him down—bearing out the wisdom of Paul’s friends in keeping him from the theater—and for about two hours kept up the cry that someone had started in the earlier meeting: Great is Artemis of the Ephesians! (v. 34; cf. v. 28). They may have regarded this chanting ...

3747. Paul’s Arrival at Jerusalem

Acts 21:17-26

Understanding Series

David J. Williams

... may assume that they received the collection in the same spirit in which it was offered (cf. 24:17). The presence of the other delegates at this meeting (Paul and the rest of us—the last indication of Luke’s presence until 27:1) would appear to bear this out. 21:19 Paul reported in detail on his work (the Greek has the sense of recounting every single thing)—a long narration indeed! But since the reader already knows much of the story, Luke is spared the necessity of giving anything more than the one ...

3748. Paul Speaks to the Crowd

Acts 21:37--22:21

Understanding Series

David J. Williams

... of this term stressing his kinship with the Jews) from the high priest and all the Council. This was not the current high priest (Ananias, 23:2), but (probably) Caiaphas. Either he was still alive for Paul to make the appeal of this verse (lit., “he is bearing witness …”) or the appeal was to the collective memory of the Sanhedrin (or their records) as to what had been done in the past. The Greek of this verse could be construed to mean that he had gone to Damascus to arrest only those Christians who ...

3749. Paul Transferred to Caesarea

Acts 23:23-35

Understanding Series

David J. Williams

... letter. Its realistic style makes it possible that Luke had seen it or at least heard it read, perhaps in open court before Felix. Or a copy may have been given to Paul as part of the documentation for his appeal to Caesar. It bears the impress of what a Roman officer might have said, including a better presentation of his own conduct than a strict adherence to the truth might have suggested and a rather contemptuous reference to Jewish “questions about their law” (v. 29). However, we probably do ...

3750. Ashore on Malta

Acts 28:1-10

Understanding Series

David J. Williams

... Paul’s prayers and the laying on of hands (see disc. on 1:14 and 9:11 for prayer and note on 5:12 for the laying on of hands). News of this cure soon spread, and sick people throughout the island came to Paul to find healing. This story bears some resemblance to Jesus’ healing of Peter’s mother-in-law, who was sick with fever, and subsequent healing of many who later came to the house (Luke 4:38ff.). Luke’s use of us in verse 10 raises the question whether his own medical skill had been brought into ...

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