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 426 to 450 of 4963 results

426. Paul Speaks to the Crowd

Acts 21:37--22:21

Understanding Series

David J. Williams

... verb “to see” (as in 1 Cor. 9:1) is in the perfect tense, expressing the abiding result of having seen Jesus. The image would remain in the mind’s eye. The verb “to hear” is in the aorist with reference to the initial event. To have seen the risen Lord ... . on 9:11). This was not mentioned earlier but it was important to mention it now in proof that for Christian Paul the temple remained a place of prayer and worship. A man who had prayed in the temple was not likely to have profaned it (cf. 21:28 ...

427. Paul Sails for Rome

Acts 27:1-12

Understanding Series

David J. Williams

... corresponding to that of the death and resurrection of Jesus (using the storm and the safety of Malta). But whatever Luke’s motive, it remains that he has left us a wonderful story of “journeying mercies” apart from which Paul would never have made it to Rome. 27:1 ... not mentioned again in Acts. Ramsay thinks that Aristarchus and Luke must have signed on as Paul’s “slaves” in order to remain with him (Paul, p. 316). But this ship was not a military transport, and there is no reason why the two ...

428. Body

2 Corinthians 5:1-10

Understanding Series

James M. Scott

... calls “the day of the Lord Jesus” (1:14). That believers are justified by faith in Christ does not mean that they are excused from the judgment according to their works (cf. Rom. 14:10, 12; 1 Cor. 3:12–15; 2 Cor. 11:15). The merciful God remains also a holy God; the reconciler is also the righteous judge. Whereas Paul states here that “we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ (to bēma tou Christou),” he states in Romans 14:10 that “we must all stand before the judgment seat of God ...

429. Boasting

2 Corinthians 11:1-15, 2 Corinthians 11:16-33, 2 Corinthians 12:1-10

Understanding Series

James M. Scott

... as if he were reporting about an acquaintance (I know a man). But by verses 5–7a at the latest the reader realizes that verses 2–4 refer to Paul’s own experience, for the apostle boasts in the experience. The reason for this use of the third person remains unclear, although many explanations have been offered. It is perhaps worth pointing out that Jesus, whom Paul otherwise seeks to imitate (cf. 1 Cor. 11:1; 2 Cor. 1:5; 4:10; see below on 12:8), referred to himself in the third person as the “Son of ...

430. Timothy’s Encouraging Report

1 Thessalonians 3:6-13

Understanding Series

David J. Williams

... ) at the beginning for emphasis. This shows that whatever God has in store for the missionaries—whether to clear the way for them or not (cf. “not what I will, but what you will,” Mark 14:36)—the Thessalonians are foremost in their mind, and this remains their prayer for them. Because Jesus is called “Lord” in verse 11, we must assume that he is the Lord of this verse (see note on 1:1). Thus the prayer is now addressed to him alone. It is for the enlargement of the Thessalonians’ love, love ...

431. Overseers and Deacons

1 Timothy 3:1-16

Understanding Series

Gordon D. Fee

... view it as some form of heilgeschichtliche hymn, that is, a hymn that tells the story of salvation (cf. J. Wilbur Chapman’s “One Day,” or Fanny Crosby’s “Tell Me the Story of Jesus”). If these observations are correct, then the problem that remains has to do with the meaning of the other three lines and how they all relate to one another. Let us turn, then, to what is less certain. Line 2, he was vindicated by the Spirit, presents considerable difficulties. Literally, it says “he was justified ...

432. The Covenant Confirmed

Exodus 24:1-18

Understanding Series

James K. Bruckner

... God is surprising, but so also is their awareness that this was a potentially dangerous situation. God did not raise his hand against these leaders. It was commonly known that one could not see God and live (33:20; see also Judg. 6:22–23). Yet God remained free to make exceptions, taking a visible physical form as with the seventy, later with Moses (33:11), and in the incarnation. Although they saw God, and they ate and drank, the text focuses on God’s feet and something like a pavement made of sapphire ...

433. Offerings for the Tabernacle

Exodus 25:1-9

Understanding Series

James K. Bruckner

... tabernacle and all its furnishings exactly like the pattern I will show you” (25:8–9). The tabernacle was a new paradigm for God’s relationship to the people. God took the initiative to live among them in a very specific way. The Lord would not remain on the distant horizon in a cloud, or unapproachable on a mountain, but would be present in the midst of the camp. God was not geographically fixed at Sinai, but was and would be mobile, traveling with them in the wilderness toward the land of promise ...

434. Consecration of the Priests

Exodus 29:1-46

Understanding Series

James K. Bruckner

... 22–27 and 31–34 describe the procedure for the meat of the ordination ram. They were to take all the fat and the right thigh and wave them before the LORD. They turned to smoke with the first ram (the burnt offering) with three kinds of bread. From the remaining meat that they were to eat, they were to separate the breast of the ram, wave it before the LORD, and give it to Moses for his share to eat. The “breast” of a ram is just behind the front legs and includes the brisket. Verse 28 serves as a ...

435. The Tent of Meeting

Exodus 33:7-11

Understanding Series

James K. Bruckner

... :13; RSV). The seventy elders also saw the God of Israel (see comment on 24:10), yet “God did not raise his hand against these leaders” (24:11). We witness the same concern over seeing someone and speaking to the Lord in Judges 6:22–23 and 13:22. God remained free to make exceptions to the rule, and allowed these people to live (24:10–11; see Num. 12:8; Deut. 34:10; Ezek. 1:26–28). Fretheim comes to three conclusions about the OT claims that people saw God: (a) God can be seen. The issue is not ...

436. Rahab and the Spies

Joshua 2:1-24

Understanding Series

J. Gordon Harris

... by her wits. Rahab’s deception is the way God rescues the blundering spies and ensures that the tribes will possess Canaan. Deception remains the weapon of the marginal and helpless. 2:8–14 The spies learn about Jericho because Rahab comes to the roof where they ... Joshua and still learn the lessons of Jericho in Joshua’s excellent narrative. 2:1, 4–7 Rahab the prostitute: Rahab remains a controversial character in the Bible. A resident of Jericho, she is called a harlot (Hb. zona; Josh. 2:1). Her ...

437. Circumcision at Gilgal

Joshua 5:1-12

Understanding Series

J. Gordon Harris

... them by giving gifts and encouragement. The past was filled with lessons of God’s grace, but new challenges will build the kingdom of God beyond what was possible while Jesus was physically present. That was true in ancient Israel and remains true today. God is in the process of building effective disciples, not in feeding dependent believers. The first Passover in the promised land can continue to teach its lessons through Christian communion, which celebrates regularly the cost of new opportunities made ...

438. Achan's Sin

Joshua 7:1-26

Understanding Series

J. Gordon Harris

... One defeat threatens the fame of Joshua and the Lord (7:9). Defeat at Ai melted the hearts of the people into water (7:5) and sent Joshua and the leaders into mourning. He tore his clothes and fell facedown to the ground before the ark of the Lord, remaining there until evening. The elders of Israel did the same and sprinkled dust on their heads (7:6). The leaders felt deeply the sting of the defeat. In a lament, Joshua cries out in concern to God: Ah [lit. ahah], Sovereign LORD, why did you ever bring this ...

439. The Sun Stands Still

Joshua 10:1-15

Understanding Series

J. Gordon Harris

... been a part of the narrative. The narrative reads smoothly without the account of a return to Gilgal. The slaughter of the fleeing kings has its own account and setting. This story takes place at a cave at Makkedah. Large rocks at the entrance of the cave remain to this day (10:27). The narrator divides the event into three parts (10:16–27). First the tribes roll rocks to block the mouth of the cave to contain the enemy kings while the troops pursue and inflict casualties on the fleeing enemy. Second, the ...

440. Division of the Rest of the Land

Joshua 18:1-10

Understanding Series

J. Gordon Harris

... controls the land, Joshua chides the people for waiting so long to possess the land God has given them (18:3). Control over an area is not the same as settlement. Therefore, he instructs three representatives from the seven tribes to survey the remaining territory. Representatives were to walk through the land, describe it, and divide it into seven portions. Joshua then would cast lots (lot of inheritance, 14:2) for the tribes and thereby assign each a surveyed territory. Joshua states that he will cast ...

441. Eastern Tribes Return Home

Joshua 22:1-34

Understanding Series

J. Gordon Harris

... better on their motives for building the altar. 22:32–34 So the delegation takes home a positive report that praises God and silences talk of war. Cooler heads avert war by listening to and affirming the other’s good intentions. Phinehas remains an example of skillful mediation and the importance of listening. Tempers can cause irreparable damage unless someone is willing to listen and affirm good intentions where they exist. The Gadites and Reubenites then name the altar A Witness Between Us that the ...

442. A Letter to the Exiles

Jeremiah 29:1-23

Understanding Series

Tremper Longman III

... are speaking lies. Rather, the immediate future will not bring redemption but future judgment. This judgment to be directed against those still in the land is described using a, by now, well-used formula: sword, famine and plague (see note at 14:11). The people remaining in Judah are likened to inedible figs. It is not as if God had not warned them of this coming judgment. Indeed, he had sent them true prophets, called his servants, prophets like Jeremiah, to come and warn them. But they have rejected their ...

443. Judgment Against Samaria and Jerusalem

Micah 1:1-7

Understanding Series

Elizabeth Achtemeier

... , but whether they have any basis in historical fact is unknown. What we do know is that Hezekiah’s successor, Manasseh, remained a faithful vassal of Assyria throughout his long reign. Micah predicts the final fall of Jerusalem (3:12), but in his ... turn to Yahweh (7:10, 16–17), but some will not, and they will be destroyed (4:11–13; 5:5–6, 8–9). Then those who remain—the peoples and Israel together—will inherit a blessed realm of peace in the kingdom of God (4:1–4; 5:2–5, 7). First through ...

444. A Call to Build the House of the Lord

Haggai 1:1-15

Understanding Series

John Goldingay

... Yahweh shaking the kharabah (“dry land,” 2:6). 1:12 For remnant the NJPS has simply “rest,” and there are passages where sheʾerit has that meaning (e.g., Neh. 7:72). This would fit with the use of the verb shaʾar in the nipʿal (“remain/be left”) in 2:3. But if the noun here did simply mean “rest” it would seem redundant (no other group has been mentioned), and in the context of Haggai and Zechariah it more likely has theological significance. 1:15a I follow the TNIV in seeing the chapter ...

445. The Promised Glory of the New House

Haggai 2:1-9

Understanding Series

John Goldingay

... of the covenant teaching at least every seven years (Deut. 31:10–13; cf. Neh. 8). Likewise the reference to Yahweh’s spirit being in the people’s midst will recall how that was so when they made the journey from Egypt to Canaan (cf. Isa. 63:11–14); it remains in their midst. The pleas in Isaiah 63:11–14 (and the promises in Joel 2:28–29) may presuppose that this seems not to be so in the time when those prophecies were given, and the people in Haggai’s day may harbor the suspicion that it is ...

446. The Shepherd Struck, the Sheep Scattered

Zechariah 13:7-9

Understanding Series

Pamela J. Scalise

... this people (v. 9). Fully two-thirds of the sheep will be struck down and perish by the stroke of God’s hand. The remaining third will also suffer by being brought into the fire. The first conquest and exile had come to be understood as discipline and purification for ... the surviving remnant (e.g., Isa. 1:25–26). The image of smelting implies a positive outcome, for things of value remain. (Ezek. 22:17–22, however, says specifically that all Israel was dross.) Here verse 9 mentions two steps. God will refine ...

447. Robbing God

Malachi 3:6-18

Understanding Series

Pamela J. Scalise

... of this concrete act of repentance will be the restoration of Israel’s relationship with God. Malachi 3:6–7 prevents any reading of the covenant as a way for Israel to manipulate the Lord. From earliest times they had failed to remain faithful and to fulfill their obligations. But God remained committed to them and continued to offer the covenant as a way to return (Deut. 4:25–31; 30:1–10). When you are in distress and all these things have happened to you, then in later days you will return to ...

448. The First Two Days: John the Baptist’s Message

John 1:19-28, John 1:29-34

Understanding Series

J. Ramsey Michaels

... on the scene. There is no way to be sure how long before the six days Jesus’ baptism is supposed to have taken place or how long Jesus’ association with John is thought to have lasted. The references to the Spirit not only “coming down” on Jesus but “remaining” on him (vv. 32, 33) suggest that John the Baptist may have had weeks or even months to get to know Jesus as a man full of the Spirit (cf. 1:16; 3:34) before publicly revealing him to Israel. Whether this means that Jesus was himself one ...

449. Jesus the Bread of Life

John 6:25-59

Understanding Series

J. Ramsey Michaels

... and for the gospel will save it” (Mark 8:34–35). Later in John’s Gospel, Jesus will speak simultaneously of his own death and of what it means to be his disciple; “I tell you the truth, unless a kernel of wheat falls to the ground and dies, it remains only a single seed. But if it dies, it produces many seeds. The man who loves his life will lose it, while the man who hates his life in this world will keep it for eternal life. Whoever serves me must follow me; and where I am, my servant also ...

450. The Last Day of the Feast

John 7:45--8:11, John 8:12-30

Understanding Series

J. Ramsey Michaels

... hungry, and he who believes in me will never be thirsty”; cf. 8:12; 10:9; 11:25–26; 14:6; 15:5, etc.). Verses 37–38 have the appearance of one of these statements in which the “I am” saying proper has been omitted, and only its corollary remains—as if Jesus had said, “I am the fountain of life”; if anyone is thirsty, let him come to me and drink (cf. Rev. 21:6). Whether this is the case or not, the passage invites comparison with 8:12, in which Jesus’ self-disclosure and confrontation with ...

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