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 4351 to 4375 of 4977 results

4351. In Corinth

Acts 18:1-17

Understanding Series

David J. Williams

... of the Old Testament (cf., e.g., Exod. 3:12; Deut. 31:6; Josh. 1:5, 9; Isa. 43:5; Jer. 1:8) and contains a twofold command: first, “stop being afraid” (the force of the Greek) and then, keep on speaking [as he had been doing] and do not be silent (v. 9). This idiom of affirmation and negation—“keep on … do not give up …”—adds a certain solemnity to the utterance. It was backed by a threefold promise: that the Lord would be with him (cf. Matt. 28:19f.); that none would harm him—not that the ...

4352. Paul Speaks to the Crowd

Acts 21:37--22:21

Understanding Series

David J. Williams

... that some members of the council were now present to see what was going on—hence the “fathers” (but in 23:1 Paul addressed the Sanhedrin simply as “brothers”). Paul felt that he was in a sense on trial, so he spoke of his defense (this term keeps recurring, 24:10; 25:8, 16; 26:1f., 24). In Acts the word means more than simply answering charges; it includes the thought of witnessing to the Lord. Defense becomes, as it were, attack, and the gospel is preached to the accusers. 22:2 His opening gambit ...

4353. Before the Sanhedrin

Acts 22:30--23:11

Understanding Series

David J. Williams

... Rome in A.D. 66, he was murdered by the sicarii. By all accounts Ananias was a violent and unscrupulous man (he had not hesitated to use the sicarii himself; see Josephus, Antiquities 20.204–207; War 2.241–244 and 441–448), and it was in keeping with this reputation that he now ordered those standing near Paul to strike him on the mouth. He may have thought that Paul was lying or he may have taken exception to his claim to be a citizen of the heavenly commonwealth. Either way, it was an unwarranted ...

4354. The Storm

Acts 27:13-26

Understanding Series

David J. Williams

... the mercy of wind and wave. The aim of the sailors was not merely to delay their course, but to change it. But Roman ships often carried a smaller foresail, as indeed this ship appears to have done (see disc. on v. 40), and this would have sufficed to keep its head as far as possible to the west and the north, away from the dangers of the African shore. So they were driven along—not helplessly, but doing what they could in a desperate situation. 27:18–19 The next day, now driven by the storm beyond the ...

4355. Gift

2 Corinthians 8:16--9:5, 2 Corinthians 8:1-15, 2 Corinthians 9:6-15

Understanding Series

James M. Scott

... Paul in response to their obedience to the Lord. As if to underscore this point, the apostle states that the Macedonians gave in keeping with God’s will (lit., “by the will of God”). Like the freewill offering for the tabernacle, the collection was seen as ... this principle of moderation, the wealthy Corinthians might be in danger of overstepping the bounds of what is rightfully theirs to keep if they did not give generously to the collection. 9:9–10 Paul substantiates his statement in verse 8 by means ...

4356. Paul's Concern for the Galatians

Galatians 4:8-20

Understanding Series

L. Ann Jervis

... prior to conversion to Christ. Paul speaks of pagan gods in a similar way in 1 Cor. 8:5. 4:10 Cf. T. Martin, “Apostasy to Paganism: The Rhetorical Stasis of the Galatian Controversy,” JBL 114/3 (1995), pp. 437–61; “Pagan and Judeo-Christian Time-Keeping Schemes in and Col. 2.16,” NTS 42 (1996), pp. 105–19, esp. pp. 113–19. The word observing (paratēresthe) in connection with religious practice occurs only here in the NT. A similar use is found in Josephus, who speaks of Jews observing sabbath ...

4357. Doing Good to All

Galatians 6:1-10

Understanding Series

L. Ann Jervis

... are to demonstrate the fruit of the Spirit (5:23) even while they correct. Their role will put them in spiritual danger, and so Paul warns them not to be tempted. They can avoid temptation by being watchful. The correctors should spend as much time keeping an eye on themselves as they do on the offender. 6:2 The practical issue of transgression in the Christian community leads Paul to give the umbrella instruction to carry each other’s burdens (see also 5:13–14). This disposition allows fulfillment of ...

4358. Paul the Preacher to the Gentiles

Ephesians 3:1-13

Understanding Series

Arthur G. Patzia

... 4:31; Eph. 6:20; Phil. 1:20) and confidence in approaching God (Heb. 4:16; 10:19). Christians have that boldness in approaching God because their faith and union with Christ have given them confidence. In Christ, all barriers have been removed that would keep the believer from approaching God openly and confidently. Christ has revealed the Father as one who has forgiven his children and who loves them. B. F. Westcott aptly comments that “the right of address and the right of access are coupled together as ...

4359. Thanksgiving and Prayer

Colossians 1:1-14

Understanding Series

Arthur G. Patzia

... it” refer to God’s grace or to this gospel, i.e., did the Colossians come to know the gospel, or God’s grace, in all its truth (en alētheia; cf. RSV, “grace of God in truth”)? From the Greek it appears that truth in 1:6 should keep its identification with this gospel, as in 1:5 (en tō logō tēs alētheias tou euangeliou). The important point, however, is that Paul’s message is based on God’s truth and is, therefore, correct teaching. For the phrase “truth of the gospel,” see Gal. 2:5 ...

4360. Final Instructions

1 Thessalonians 5:12-28

Understanding Series

David J. Williams

... biblical notion of the wholeness of our being must be kept in view. Aspects of our being can be referred to as spirit, soul, or body, but our being is indivisible. It is a whole. We are one. Paul is confident that God will sanctify the Thessalonians and keep them blameless, not because he has prayed, but because the God to whom he has prayed is faithful—the one who calls you is faithful and he will do it. The faithfulness of God, i.e., his utter dependability, is a favorite Pauline theme (see disc. on 2 ...

4361. Instructions on Worship

1 Timothy 2:1-15

Understanding Series

Gordon D. Fee

... and ultimately for eternal life, is to be found in her being a model, godly woman, known for her good works (v. 10; cf. 5:11). And her good deeds, according to 5:11 and 14, include marriage, bearing children (the verb form of this noun), and keeping a good home. The reason for his saying that she will be saved is that it follows directly out of his having said “the woman came to be in transgression.” But Paul could never leave the matter there, as though salvation itself were attained by this “good ...

4362. What Must Be Taught to Various Groups

Titus 2:1-15

Understanding Series

Gordon D. Fee

... ). As with the list of virtues, this, too, assumes the cultural norm of what a good wife was expected to be like (see note). Thus, very much in keeping with 1 Timothy 2:9–15 and 5:9–15, Paul sets a standard, conditioned in part by the cultural norm of what was expected of a good ... go with verse 7 as in the NIV (cf. GNB, RSV); more likely it belongs with the exhortation for the younger men to “keep their heads” (as in NEB, NAB, Kelly, D-C). This usage fits the style of the PE and does not negate the ...

4363. The Old Testament Ritual Described

Hebrews 9:1-10

Understanding Series

Donald A. Hagner

... jar with the manna and the rod of Aaron were put alongside the ark rather than in it (cf. 1 Kings 8:9). The tablets of the covenant are appropriately designated, for they were given in the context of the covenant. Faithfulness to the covenant involved keeping the commandments. The only other NT occurrence of the word tablets (plax) is in 2 Cor. 3:3 where, as here, the adjective stone is included (cf. Exod. 32:16). On cherubim see E. Lohse, TDNT, vol. 9, pp. 438f. Although the noun “mercy seat” (hilast ...

4364. The Blood of Christ

Hebrews 9:11-28

Understanding Series

Donald A. Hagner

... Israel. This is made explicit through the citation of Exodus 24:8 in verse 20. The blood of the covenant (cf. Matt. 26:28) indeed serves a ratifying function whereby both parties obligate themselves to be faithful (hence NIV’s added words to keep) to the stipulations of the covenant. Any unfaithful party was subject to the fate of the sacrificial animal. Thus the blood of the covenant confirmed the reality of the covenant and emphasized the importance of faithfulness to it. 9:22 Although it is generally ...

4365. A Call to Persevere

Hebrews 10:19-39

Understanding Series

Donald A. Hagner

... used as a further incentive to faithfulness and the avoidance of apostasy. The concern of this passage is similar to that of 6:4–8 (cf. 3:12). 10:26–27 The words if we deliberately keep on sinning do not refer to ordinary sins, but to the most grievous and final sin, apostasy. (NIV’s keep on is an interpretive addition intended to reflect the present participle of the Greek; here, however, it may be that the KJV’s and RSV’S straightforward “if we sin” is a more appropriate translation.) This ...

4366. Submission to Rulers and Masters

1 Peter 2:13-25

Understanding Series

Norman Hillyer

... ), that you should follow in his steps. Peter once heard the call of Jesus to follow (Matt. 5:11). At a later critical moment, after Jesus’ arrest, Peter had followed “afar off” (Matt. 26:58, KJV). Now, as if mindful of his failure to keep close enough to his Master, Peter exhorts his friends to follow (epakolouthein, to follow closely) and emphasizes the exactness that is required by adding in his steps, in his very footprints (ichnesin) as it were. The apostle is not suggesting that disciples must ...

4367. The Exodus

Exodus 12:31-42

Understanding Series

James K. Bruckner

... and 13. It changes everything for the generations to come. A deft repetition of words establishes the relationship between the Lord’s vigil and Israel’s vigilance in remembering. The word “vigil” means, literally, “a night of protecting,” or “keeping,” so the people protect or keep this night as a time to honor the Lord. The reference to future Passover vigils bridges this section to the following perpetual Passover statutes. Additional Note 12:37 Rameses was likely at tell ed-Dabʿa, 80 mi ...

4368. Consecration of the Firstborn

Exodus 13:1-16

Understanding Series

James K. Bruckner

... is also called God’s firstborn, as a created people among the nations of the earth. This message provides the contextual explanation for both the Feast of Unleavened Bread and the slaughter and redemption of the firstborn. 13:3–10 Here, Moses’ instructions for keeping the feast in perpetuity mirror the first Feast of Unleavened Bread instruction from the Lord (12:14–20). These verses simply repeat many of the features: Commemorate this day (12:14; 13:3); the day you came out of Egypt (12:17; 13:3 ...

4369. At Mount Sinai

Exodus 19:1-25

Understanding Series

James K. Bruckner

... song at the end of the wilderness sojourn in Deuteronomy 32:10b–11. The second part of the Lord’s first message for the people at Sinai was an invitation for a reciprocal relationship. It begins with the conditional statement, “Now if you obey me fully and keep my covenant.” The most obvious reference is to the covenant that was about to be given: the book of the covenant (21:1–23:19). The people’s agreement to this condition in verse 8 could be read as a declaration of their intent to receive ...

4370. The Lord Commands Joshua

Joshua 1:1-18

Understanding Series

J. Gordon Harris

... the law (torah). The teachings of Moses will show the tribes how to take the land. The law, or instruction, was what Moses gave to Joshua. The Book of the Law ensures success (1:8) when Joshua follows it, keeps it in his mouth for speaking, thinks about it day and night, and obeys it carefully. If Joshua obeys the law in this way, God promises him, Then you will be prosperous and successful. Joshua will achieve prosperity and success (regular victories against the enemies) by following the instructions ...

4371. Israel Fights the Remaining Canaanites

Judges 1:1-36

Understanding Series

Cheryl A. Brown

... an inheritance along with them. This is a beautiful picture of the Lord’s grace and inclusiveness, even pointing to the very partial fulfillment of the God’s promise to Abraham: In you all the nations of the earth will be blessed. Again, in keeping with the author’s perspective, note that Caleb received an inheritance within the tribe of Judah. 1:21 Finally, the author summarizes Benjamin’s activity—or lack of it. It is a brief account in comparison with the others, and it focuses exclusively upon ...

4372. Deborah

Judges 4:1-24

Understanding Series

Cheryl A. Brown

... invitations and entered her tent. The next events unfolded quickly: She put a covering over him, he asked for some water, and she opened a skin of milk and gave him a drink. Then she covered him up again. All of this extra care was perfectly in keeping with the protocols of Semitic hospitality (cf. Gen. 18:1–8), but more so carefully calculated to give Sisera a false sense of security. He peacefully went off to sleep, like a baby on his mother’s lap, but not before he gave Jael final instructions to ...

4373. Abimelech

Judges 9:1-57

Understanding Series

Cheryl A. Brown

... because the name preserves a wordplay that the author appears to work with in the narrative. Ebal was the mountain above Shechem from which the Levites were to read the list of curses (qllym) that would fall upon the Israelites if they failed to keep their covenant commitments to the Lord (Deut. 27:13). It is no accident that the author specifically notes that at the grape harvest festival (hillulim), Gaal and his brothers ate and drank and cursed (wayeqalelu) Abimelech (v. 27), playing on the similar roots ...

4374. Jephthah

Jud 10:6–11:40

Understanding Series

Cheryl A. Brown

... in Hebrew to Jephthah’s “word(s)” (Hb. dabar), and he will develop it into a major Leitmotif in Jephthah’s story (vv. 28, 37). Jephthah was a smooth talker who knew how to use words to his advantage, but he also did not know when to keep his mouth shut. Later, most likely again at Mizpah (v. 29), he will speak words that should have been left unspoken. That Jephthah repeated all his words before the Lord in Mizpah represented a significant step in Israel’s history. As we already noted, the process ...

4375. A Levite and His Concubine

Judges 19:1-30

Understanding Series

Cheryl A. Brown

... woman to have taken any action independent of her husband would have been viewed as prostitution. One reason this argument is important is that interpreters have pointed to the fact that the woman “played the harlot” to justify her husband’s and the Gibeahites’ abuse. In keeping with the human tendency to blame the victim, they conclude that she deserved what happened to her as punishment for her sin. 19:3 Her husband went to her to persuade her to return: The Hb. word leb is repeated in vv. 5, 6, 8 ...

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