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 401 to 425 of 3926 results

401. The Advice of Hushai and Ahithophel

2 Sam 16:15–17:29

Understanding Series

Mary J. Evans

... Absalom’s challenge to David’s authority could end only with the death of one party or the other. Ahithophel reasoned that this act would convince the people that there could be no possibility of reconciliation between Absalom and his father. Thus Absalom’s supporters would lose the fear of a future betrayal that would leave them to take responsibility and would also know that to lose would probably mean their own death. Thus they would have a much greater motivation to fight to win. Their hands would ...

402. Job's Second Reply to Bildad

Job 19:1-29

Understanding Series

Gerald H. Wilson

... ’ lack of compassion and lament over the divine attack he is experiencing. The friends attack and torment Job because they are convinced he is at fault (19:4, 28). Job continues to claim his innocence and to call the friends to compassion and mutual support (19:21–22). He concludes with a warning that if the friends continue to align themselves with God’s unwarranted attack on Job, they might find themselves the focus of a similar inexplicable outpouring of divine judgment (19:28–29). 19:1–2 The ...

403. Entering the Lord’s House

Psalm 5:1-12

Understanding Series

Craig C. Broyles

... Additional Notes 5:3 Morning by morning: The Hb. text reads lit., “by/at morning,” and so does not indicate repeated prayers. I lay my requests before you: “My requests” is absent in the Hb. text and is supplied by the translators. This supplementation can be supported from the use of this Hb. verb ʿrk elsewhere. On the other hand, the verb’s frequent use in connection with ritual sacrifice (Lev. 1:8–9, 12; 1 Kgs. 18:33) could indicate that a sacrifice was to be offered with the singing of the ...

404. Mercy for the Languishing

Psalm 6:1-10

Understanding Series

Craig C. Broyles

... . This would be consistent with the previous psalms, which appear to be either morning (3:5; 5:3) or evening psalms (4:8). 6:1–3 This psalm’s appeal is structured around two sets of petitions (vv. 1–3 and 4–7), each with its own supporting reasons. The word order in the original Hebrew reveals the emphasis of the opening petition: “don’t in your anger rebuke me!” The psalm may not shun divine discipline as such, only its being done with hostility. Is this mention of rebuke a tacit admission of ...

405. A Prophet Without Honor

Matthew 13:53-58

Understanding Series

Robert H. Mounce

... ). Since in Palestine at the time of Jesus timber was scarce and houses were normally made of stone, the Greek word usually translated “carpenter” (tektōn) probably meant “stonemason.” The mention of Jesus’ mother, brothers, and sisters, without reference to his father, supports the conjecture that Joseph was an older man and probably had died by this time. Although his brothers did not believe in Jesus at this point (cf. 12:46–50; John 7:5), they later became prominent in the church. James was ...

406. Impending Judgment on the Oppressive Wicked and Interim Promises for the Righteous

Psalm 94:1-23

Understanding Series

Craig C. Broyles

... they may persevere until that judgment is realized. The subsequent verses that are addressed to God are praises: verses 12–13 in the form of a blessing and verses 18–19 in the form of thanksgiving. The content of these literary forms, however, supports the claims made in the surrounding exhortation (vv. 8–11) and confessions of trust (vv. 14–16, 22–23). Both the blessing and the thanksgiving offer assurances to individuals that God can protect them in the midst of turmoil. Implicit in this liturgy ...

407. The Davidic King Promised Dominion over Enemies

Psalm 110:1-7

Understanding Series

Craig C. Broyles

... priestly functions upon him. As he sits at Yahweh’s right hand (v. 1), so the Lord is at the king’s right hand (v. 5). The first image points to Yahweh’s appointing the king to royal office, and the second to Yahweh’s support of the king in battle. Although the psalm employs militaristic and triumphalistic language, we should note this is to be an expression of divine, just judgment: the Lord . . . will judge the nations. The puzzling reference in verse 7 may possibly be explained in light of ...

408. Dividing the Spoils

Numbers 31:25-54

Understanding Series

W.H. Bellinger, Jr.

... to go to the soldiers and half to the community. Of the soldiers’ half, one of every five hundred persons or animals is to go to the priests. One fiftieth of the community’s share is to go to the Levites. So the clergy is supported, but so is the broader community. Moses and Eleazar carry out these instructions and verses 32–35 list the inventory: 675,000 sheep, 72,000 cattle, 61,000 donkeys and 32,000 women. The carefully described distribution of these resources prefigures the distribution of land ...

409. Saul's Jealousy of David

1 Samuel 18:1-30

Understanding Series

Mary J. Evans

... David because he led them in their campaigns, perhaps because Saul had ceased to take part in military activity. The approval came not just from David’s own tribe but from across the whole nation, all Israel and Judah; this reinforced Saul’s fear that the support of the populace, as well as that of the Lord, would be taken from him and given to David. 18:17–29 Saul’s obsessive plotting as to how he will deal with David becomes increasingly bizarre. He first decides to follow through, belatedly, on ...

410. David at Gath

1 Samuel 21:10-15

Understanding Series

Mary J. Evans

... that a mixed group of other discontents quickly joined David. Some of these men were perhaps criminals, and it may be that most of them had also fallen afoul of Saul’s intemperate nature, but they formed into a disciplined force. David, perhaps winning the support of the king of Moab by presenting himself as an opponent of the Israelite king, was able to leave his parents in safe custody. He remained for a while at a fortified base until a prophetic instruction sent him into Judean territory. 22:6–10 ...

411. David at Adullam and Mizpah

1 Samuel 22:1-5

Understanding Series

Mary J. Evans

412. Achish Sends David Back to Ziklag

1 Samuel 29:1-11

Understanding Series

Mary J. Evans

... might turn on him. But he is aware that the others are so wary that if David does not remove himself quickly he and his men might be harmed. David reveals himself as a consummate actor, with no compunction about deceiving the one who had protected and supported him. His air of injured innocence masks the delight he must have felt at being so easily able to extricate himself from what might have been a disastrous situation. His protest that he is not to be allowed to fight against the enemies of my lord the ...

413. War Between the Houses of David and Saul

2 Samuel 2:8-3:5

Understanding Series

Mary J. Evans

... Saul, then his chances of quickly gaining the loyalty of the whole nation would be immensely strengthened. He was conscious of their loyalty to Saul and praised them for it. But he makes the point that Saul . . . is dead and thus implies that to support David would not express disloyalty to Saul. David’s arguments are subtle. First he associates his own blessing with the blessing that God gives (v. 6), implying that God’s blessing can be manifested through David and that David is God’s choice. Second ...

414. Joab Murders Abner

2 Samuel 3:22-39

Understanding Series

Mary J. Evans

... He insisted on the return of his wife Michal. Nothing in the text indicates that David still had feelings for Michal, and it is hard to see this as anything other than a political move. Her return as part of the royal entourage would give the supporters of Saul’s family a focus for allegiance to the new regime without betraying their original loyalties. David was aware of the benefit of such moves and maybe felt that personal wishes had to be subordinated to the national good. Ish-Bosheth, as head of Saul ...

415. Ish-Bosheth Murdered

2 Samuel 4:1-12

Understanding Series

Mary J. Evans

416. Accusations

2 Corinthians 2:12--3:6

Understanding Series

James M. Scott

... any concern for personal profit from the divine revelation that he mediates. This is in contrast to Paul’s opponents, to whom he refers as so many (hoi polloi). If 2 Corinthians can be seen as a unity, as the repetition of 2:17 in 12:19 supports, then we can assume that the apostle is referring here to the same opponents as in chapters 10–13. Unlike the opponents who have come into the Corinthian church from the outside, Paul does not peddle the word of God. These “false apostles” have preached a ...

417. The Glory of the New Covenant

2 Corinthians 3:7-17; 4:1-6

Understanding Series

James M. Scott

... 20; Rom. 11:8 (citing a combination of Deut. 29:4 and Isa. 29:10; cf. Isa. 6:9–10). According to m.Sanh. 10:3 (cf. b. Sanh. 110b), Rabbi Aqiba contends that “the Ten Tribes are not destined to return” from exile, citing Deut. 29:28 to support this point: “And he [sc. God] will cast them out to another land as at this day.” Cf. Exod. Rab. 42:9 (on Exod. 32:9): “R. Abin said: ‘To this very day Israelites in the Diaspora are called the stiffnecked people.” See also Saebø, “yôm,” TDOT, vol ...

418. The Call of Abram

Genesis 12:1-9

Understanding Series

John E. Hartley

... Haran. They would have blamed Abram, and at best they would have banished him. Consequently, for Abram to follow God with singleness of purpose, he needed to leave Haran and wander about in a land under no sovereignty but God’s. 12:2–3 God supported the call with two sets of three promises each. In the first set, God expressed a commitment to Abram. The first promise was that God would make him into a great nation. The term “nation” (goy) for Abram’s offspring indicates that his lineage would ...

419. Five Amorite Kings Killed

Joshua 10:16-28

Understanding Series

J. Gordon Harris

... later how important it was to consult the Lord and to receive this promise. Joshua’s counterattack on the five kings demonstrates he had learned two lessons from previous battles. He fights a wise, well-planned operation, and yet victory depends largely on support from God, the divine warrior. Joshua launches a forced march, a 32-kilometer journey that is a demanding, twisting, steep climb from Gilgal. A night march ensured the victory by the element of surprise (10:9–10), as the coalition’s troops ...

420. King Artaxerxes' Letter to Ezra

Ezra 7:11-28

Understanding Series

Leslie C. Allen

... backs up verse 25. The relevance of verses 25–26 to the account of the implementation of the second mission is that the third of the four punishments is echoed in 10:8, and thereby the view of intermarriage as an infringement of the Torah receives support. 7:27–28a Now Ezra’s own voice breaks in, although the editor has in fact been quoting him for most of the chapter. The doxology traces Artaxerxes’ patronage not to his own endeavors, as in verse 6, but ultimately to providential grace. Once again ...

421. The Return to Jerusalem

Ezra 8:15-36

Understanding Series

Leslie C. Allen

... The pattern of the list suggests that and Zaccur was originally “the son of Zaccur” (NJB), as 1 Esd. 8:40 attests (see BHS), and as the following “with him” in the MT implies. The NIV has changed this to with them with some ancient support, which looks like a correction made to cope with the textual alteration. There was ancient uncertainty whether the name was “Zaccur” or “Zab(b)ud” (REB, NJB). 8:15 A series of canals ran from the Euphrates and Tigris to irrigate and provide transportation ...

422. Haman's Rage Against Mordecai

Esther 5:9-14

Understanding Series

Timothy S. Laniak

... is a loss to his honor. Haman’s wife and friends (like Xerxes’ counselors) are ready with a straightforward solution: have Mordecai executed now, thereby removing the threat from his presence (as the king had done with Vashti). If Haman could win royal support for an edict to annihilate an entire ethnic population, surely he could ask the king’s permission to rid himself of one individual. Haman’s superficial “happiness” returns with the thought that he will be rid of his nemesis on the next day ...

423. Jesus' No-Nonsense Guide to Being Rich

Mark 10:17-31

Sermon

April Yamasaki

... beyond that. What he said was not about tithing. It was not about making a charitable donation to a good cause. It was not about giving in return for a tax write-off. Those can be very good, very practical things to do. They are wonderful ways to support the work of the church and to do good in our communities and in our world. But Jesus went beyond that: "Sell what you own, and give the money to the poor." This is an extraordinary call of discipleship, a shocking upside-down call -- especially shocking in ...

424. Jesus' No-Nonsense Guide to Discipleship

Mark 10:46-52

Sermon

April Yamasaki

... of girls and women getting out of the sex trade in Bangladesh (donating funds raised from her hair cutting). To raise funds and awareness, she and her husband hosted a barbecue that also included a silent auction of hair products and pledges of support. So far she's raised $1,675 toward her goal of $2,000. She's following Jesus on the way. A retiree now in his seventies volunteers at the local hospital where he takes patients to and from the radiology department. He seems to know when to engage someone ...

425. Hosanna! Please Save Us!

Matthew 21:1-11, Matthew 26:14-16

Sermon

King Duncan

... for democracy and many people believed that day was at hand. In December 1918, President Wilson was greeted by cheering crowds when he visited Europe. He got a hero’s welcome everywhere he went. Wilson spent his time in Europe trying to gain support for the League of Nations, an international body that would advocate for peace and prevent devastating wars like the West had just suffered. However, members of Wilson’s own party opposed his plan for the League of Nations. He traveled across the country ...

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