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 4576 to 4600 of 4977 results

4576. Jesus Heals Many

Luke 4:38-44

Understanding Series

Craig A. Evans

... 4:42–44 Jesus is so popular, his cures in such great demand, that he has to seek out a solitary place. Even so, he is pursued, and when he is discovered, the crowds tried to keep him from leaving them. This enthusiasm for Jesus is due primarily to his healings and aid. In keeping with popular views about the blessings associated with the coming of the Messiah, the people expected such benefits and eagerly sought them. However, as the Nazareth sermon so graphically illustrated (4:16–30), Jesus’ idea of ...

4577. Offerings for Unintentional Sins

Numbers 15:22-31

Understanding Series

W.H. Bellinger, Jr.

... of the people. The chapter contains several sections connected by refrains and a sequence of themes. 15:22–31 The chapter here moves to consider the circumstance in which the people unintentionally fail to keep any of these commands given to Moses. While the commands in verses 1–16 introduce the issue of keeping instructions, verses 22–31 deal more widely with the violation of any Mosaic laws. Verse 24 defines an inadvertent violation as one of which the community is not aware. In that case, a whole ...

4578. The End Times

Daniel 12:1-13

Understanding Series

William Nelson

... who lead many to righteousness and the celestial bodies is symbolic, not literal. 12:4 Daniel is instructed to close up and seal the words of the scroll until the time of the end (12:4). A better translation for the first verb is “to keep hidden” or “secret” rather than merely “to close up” as in the NIV. Similarly, Gabriel tells him earlier to “seal up the vision” of chapter 8, “for it concerns the distant future” (8:26). One wonders, then, whether this new command applies only to the ...

4579. “I Am from Him and He Sent Me”

John 7:25-44

Understanding Series

J. Ramsey Michaels

... in rabbinic literature, see the Mishnah, Aboth 2.6; 3.11). The authorities’ first impression of Jesus when he appeared at the festival was that he was unschooled in the law (cf. v. 15), and despite all that had transpired since then the Pharisees persisted in keeping this impression alive. Their scornful question in verse 48 implies that none of their number has believed in Jesus, and that no one who truly knows the law would ever do so. Out of nowhere, and as if in reply to this claim, Nicodemus (who has ...

4580. The Claims of Jesus About Himself

John 8:48-59, John 8:31-41, John 8:42-47

Understanding Series

J. Ramsey Michaels

... who obey his teaching (v. 51; cf. vv. 31–32). It is like reopening an old wound. Once more Jesus’ claim is rejected by means of an appeal to Abraham (v. 52; cf. v. 33). For Jesus to pretend to give life so that if anyone keeps your word, he will never taste death is to put himself ahead of even Abraham and the prophets (vv. 52–53). Life and death are here conceived in purely physical terms, as if Jesus is promising exemption from physical death. Without pausing to correct the misunderstanding, Jesus ...

4581. Jesus Promises the Holy Spirit

John 14:15-31, John 14:1-4, John 14:5-14

Understanding Series

J. Ramsey Michaels

... in turn they will receive the divine love. The sequence is as follows: (a) The disciple is to love Jesus and keep his commandments. (b) Consequently the Father (and Jesus) will love the disciple and grant the disciple a revelation. The only ... and with all your soul and with all your strength. These commandments that I give you today are to be upon your hearts.” Loving God and keeping his commandments became a common way of describing the duty of Israel (e.g., Exod. 20:6; Deut. 5:10; 7:9; 11:1). The emphasis ...

4582. The World Hates the Disciples

John 15:18--16:4

Understanding Series

J. Ramsey Michaels

... Jesus had once said, “but a son belongs to it forever” (8:35). Though a servant might be loved by his master, Jesus selects another word, friend (Gr.: philos, vv. 13–15), to call particular attention to his love for the disciples (v. 12) and to keep that love ever before them (cf. 13:1; also 13:23, the disciple “whom Jesus loved”). But the distinction goes deeper. A master’s love for his servants does not involve telling them his business (except what they need to know to do their jobs), but ...

4583. Laban Pursues Jacob

Genesis 31:22-55

Understanding Series

John E. Hartley

... by this name in recognition that the God of his father had appeared to Laban the night before Laban met up with him, putting fear in Laban’s heart so that Laban would not harm him (v. 42). Jacob knew that his only assurance that Laban would keep the terms of this covenant was Laban’s dread of this powerful God. 31:54–55 Jacob then offered a sacrifice there in the hill country to provide his relatives a festive meal, celebrating the solidarity of his family, now fully and officially on its own. All ...

4584. Passover Restrictions

Exodus 12:43-51

Understanding Series

James K. Bruckner

... additional statutes designed to preserve the original purpose of the celebration: to form a community around the historical deliverance of God’s people. These verses are sometimes treated as an appendix but, besides adding regulations to perpetual Passover keeping (vv. 24–27), they are also an integral part of a structure that centralizes God’s action and the actual deliverance of the people. Additionally, they provided instruction for adjudicating future Passovers for the “many other people” who ...

4585. Follow the Lord's Commands

Deuteronomy 26:16-19

Understanding Series

Christopher J. H. Wright

... as God’s priesthood in the midst of the nations and both are linked to covenant obedience. The chapter thus brings the whole legal section to a close with the reminder that obedience to the law was not an end in itself. Nor was it merely the means of keeping Israel secure in the land. Ultimately there was a missionary purpose to the law. Just as it had been founded upon the basis of God’s redeeming grace in the past, so it was motivated by the vision of God’s name being known and honored among the ...

4586. Jehoiakim King of Judah

2 Kings 23:36--24:7

Understanding Series

Iain W. Provan

... Passover celebration in 2 Chronicles 30:18–20. Jesus cleanses the temple, like both Hezekiah and Josiah (Matt. 21:12–13 and parallels; John 2:13–17), looking for a truly reformed religion. He himself is one who, like Josiah, keeps the whole law of Moses and actively promotes its keeping (e.g., Matt. 5:17–20; 8:4). There is to be no lasting reform, however, and no immediate deliverance for Jerusalem from her foreign oppressor (Rome). Jesus does not function as a Hezekiah in this respect, at least not ...

4587. Jehoiachin King of Judah

2 Kings 24:8-17

Understanding Series

Iain W. Provan

4588. Zedekiah King of Judah

2 Kings 24:18-20a

Understanding Series

Iain W. Provan

4589. The Fall of Jerusalem

2 Kings 24:20b--25:26

Understanding Series

Iain W. Provan

4590. Jehoiachin Released

2 Kings 25:27-30

Understanding Series

Iain W. Provan

4591. A Prophecy Against Assyria

Isaiah 14:24-27

Understanding Series

John Goldingay

... They are promises of blessing for Israel. The poems in Isaiah 13–23 are more subtle. It would be surprising if the Isaiah of chapters 1–12 merely sought to make Judah feel good by promising the downfall of its enemies. In fact, the poems keep turning into implicit or explicit warnings to Judah itself. The point is implicit not least in the central warning about majesty (“pride”) and power, for this is precisely Isaiah’s critique of Judah in 2:6–22. Fifth, the poems are thus subordinate to Isaiah ...

4592. A Song of Praise

Isaiah 26:1-21

Understanding Series

John Goldingay

... deliverance. They thus contrast with Moab’s walls (25:12—where again Yahweh’s act was unmentioned though presupposed). Another contrast with 12:1–6 is that we sing the song—not just “I.” Surprisingly, the worshipers then bid their gatekeepers open its gates, not keep them shut, so that the city is open to other peoples who lack such security, just as Yahweh’s revelation (2:2–3) and Yahweh’s banquet (25:6–8) are open to all. The nation that trusts in its majesty and security (25:12 ...

4593. Israel's Only Savior

Isaiah 43:1-13

Understanding Series

John Goldingay

... to translate them as past. They refer to God’s past act of bringing Israel out of Egypt and delivering it at the Red Sea, the event that constituted its creating and forming, its original redeeming and summoning (v. 1). Having done that, then, Yahweh is quite prepared (in keeping hand to plow) to do it again (v. 4). It is illuminating to compare this pair of “fear not” oracles with the previous pair in 41:8–16. Verses 1–3a have much in common with 41:8–13, as do verses 5–7 with 41:14–16 ...

4594. Obsession

Philippians 4:4-7

Children's Sermon

King Duncan

... . They were symbols. Of course, you and I don't need a cobra or a vulture to get rid of our rotten thoughts. We can pray to God for help with rotten thoughts like anger and fear and jealousy. In fact, we ought to pray every day that God will keep out of our heads any rotten thoughts that would keep us from loving God or loving the people around us. *Robert A. Schuller, Be an Extraordinary Person in an Ordinary World, (Old Tappan, New Jersey: Fleming H. Revell Company, 1985).

4595. What Are You Tied To?

John 14:15-21

Children's Sermon

King Duncan

... energy again. If you forget to connect the phone to the recharging stand, then it will run out of energy and you won't be able to use it. It won't be any good. But if you keep the phone charged up and full of energy, then you can use it as much as you'd like. And the only way to keep the phone charged up is to connect it to the recharging stand every so often. You know, we're kind of like this cell phone. We need to get charged up with spiritual energy if we're going ...

4596. Thank God We're Free at Last

Romans 6:12-23

Sermon

King Duncan

... he increases his self-confidence and imaginative powers as well. Though he uses language more suited to his time, this is basically what St. Paul is saying. In this passage Paul is saying we can be addicted to sin, which includes everything that would pull us down and keep us from being what God created us to be . . . or we can be addicted to God who will help us, if we will let Him, increase our sense of well-being and give us something wonderful to live for. That is the ultimate addiction--being bound by ...

4597. The Baby or the Window?

Matthew 13:44-46

Sermon

King Duncan

... swung at the ball and quite miraculously hit it. Her coach yelled for her to run to first base. Then he yelled for her to keep going toward second, then toward third. By this time the fans in the stands were all on the feet cheering Tracy on toward home plate ... . But after each verse he would go into a refrain that went something like this: “Oh, but at night I stake out my strongbox That I keep under lock and key And I take it off to my closet Where nobody else can see I open that door so slowly Take a peek ...

4598. Deathbed Confessions

Matthew 20:1-16

Sermon

King Duncan

... to his hosts. But then he learned that the dog was MIKE’S DOG. Mike was the son of the hosts and the parents were keeping the dog for Mike. They admitted that the dog was somewhat of a bother, but after all, they said, “He is Mike’s dog, and we ... at this point: “Can’t you just imagine some angelic cynic looking down on the world and saying, `I can’t imagine why God keeps those mangy humans about. Why doesn’t God just wipe them off the face of the earth? Look how they disobey. Look how wretched ...

4599. Fake News? No! Fake Religion

Matthew 23:1-12

Sermon

King Duncan

... Community Church, says it best. He writes, “It is easy to give God 95 percent of our lives, but it’s the last 5 percent that is the most difficult. And 95 percent commitment to Christ is 5 percent short.” (7) That’s what’s keeping us from achieving God’s dream for our lives--that critical 5 percent. Fake news? No, we’ve been talking about fake religion today. Pride of position was more important to the Pharisees than service to people. Appearances were more important to them than authenticity ...

4600. Spiritually Prepared

Mark 1:4-11

Sermon

King Duncan

... as well? “I’m loyal to a fault,” quipped comedian Steve Allen. “I’ve got a great many faults and I’m loyal to every one of them.” He could have been speaking for many of us, but our faults, by definition, are thoughts and practices that keep us from being all God means us to be. I read about a small country church that had just concluded a revival meeting and was conducting a baptism service in the local river on a cold January day. After baptizing the first person, the pastor turned to the ...

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