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 451 to 475 of 579 results

451. Trials and Temptation

James 1:1-18

One Volume

Gary M. Burge

... Christians who are “mature and complete” (1:4). Trials, which test us as fire refines ore (see also 1 Pet. 1:7), lead to a more settled, stable Christian character; and as we continue taking a Christian viewpoint on trials, this perseverance will be able to finish its work of producing strong, mature, unshakable believers. Right at the beginning of his letter, James sounds a note that he will repeat throughout the letter in different ways: Christians must take a distinctively Christian perspective ...

452. Waiting on the Lord

James 5:7-12

One Volume

Gary M. Burge

... , Christians are to imitate the prophets and Job (5:10–11). At first glance, Job would seem to be a curious choice to hold up for imitation, for he frequently expressed his exasperation with the Lord. But what James wants us to emulate in Job is his perseverance: despite the disasters he faced, and the relentless attack of his “friends,” Job kept his faith and did not abandon his trust in God. As a result, the Lord “finally brought about” the restoration of Job’s fortune (Job 42:10–17).

453. The Letter to Ephesus.

Revelation 2:1-7

One Volume

Gary M. Burge

... and symbolized abundant life. It also served as a bank that could receive huge monetary deposits. On the surface, the Ephesian church appeared as zealous and productive as the city. In 2:2–3, Christ commends the Ephesian believers for their works, intensive labor, and perseverance. Under fire from several fronts (2:2, 6), they did not stumble or grow weary in their ministry. Yet Christ has one thing against them: they have abandoned “the love [they] had at first” (2:4; cf. Jer. 2:2; Ezek. 16:8). There ...

454. The Letter to Thyatira

Revelation 2:18-29

One Volume

Gary M. Burge

... repented (2:21–22). It is the church’s duty not to forgive until they take sin seriously (cf. Matt. 18:15–18). The one who searches the heart cannot be fooled by shallow repentance but will instead judge all according to their works (2:23). But to those who persevere, the son of David will share the right to rule the nations with him (2:27–28; cf. Ps. 2:9; Isa. 14:12).

455. The Letter to Philadelphia

Revelation 3:7-13

One Volume

Gary M. Burge

... is where God can display his glory (cf. 1 Cor. 1:26–29; 2 Cor. 12:8–10). As in Smyrna (Rev. 2:8–11), the church at Philadelphia was experiencing hostilities from the Jewish synagogue (3:9) but did not deny Jesus’s name (3:8b). Because of their perseverance (3:10) and works (3:8a), the holy and true one gives three promises. First, Christ tells the Philadelphians that the door to the church’s mission and ministry (cf. 1 Cor. 16:9; 2 Cor. 2:12; Col. 4:3) will stay open. No one can shut it. Second ...

456. The Throne in Heaven

Revelation 4:1-11

One Volume

Gary M. Burge

... saints or “holy ones” are given the right to cojudge with the Ancient of Days (Dan. 7:9–10, 18, 27; cf. 1 Cor. 6:3). The elders are dressed in white, a testimony to their pure faith, and are also wearing golden athlete wreaths, a symbol of their perseverance (4:4b). In the second concentric circle (moving toward the center) are the four living creatures with six wings that resemble the cherubim of Ezekiel 1:4–25, with the faces of a lion, an ox, a man, and an eagle (4:6–7). The four angelic beings ...

457. Worship Interlude and the Seventh Seal

Revelation 7:1-8

One Volume

Gary M. Burge

... ’s twelve tribes (Num. 1:5–15; 1 Chron. 2:1–2), conspicuously missing from Revelation’s roster is Dan. The absence of Dan, who had a history and reputation for apostasy (1 Kings 12:28–30; Testament of Dan 5:6), serves as a warning that only those who persevere to the end will be saved (Rev. 2:7; 2:10–11). Sadly not all who start off in the Christian life finish it.

458. The Parable of the Sower

Mark 4:1-20

Understanding Series

Larry W. Hurtado

... as an attack upon Satan’s domain (3:23–27), and this reference to Satan reinforces the idea that the battle is not just against earthly forces but spiritual powers as well. The two major groups of earthly causes for failure among those who do not persevere (4:16–19) are, first, persecution and such troubles and, second, concern for riches and possessions. Warnings to be ready for persecution reappear in Mark at several points (e.g., 8:34–38; 10:35–40; 13:9–13), as do strong words about the ...

459. Struggling with Sin

Romans 7:7-25

Understanding Series

James R. Edwards

... v. 23). The Christian, as Luther said, simul justus est et peccat—is both justified and yet a sinner (Epistle to the Romans, pp. 98–99). To be righteous with God is not to be fully free from the effects of sin. Believers must run the race with perseverance, and though there is progress, sin and sorrow and death do not in this life fade away. These remain enemies, death the greatest of them. Through all this the Christian learns to walk “by faith, and not by sight” (2 Cor. 5:7). Our one anchor is the ...

460. Future Glory

Romans 8:18-27

Understanding Series

James R. Edwards

... requires that we wait for it patiently. Hope does not belong to the empirical world. It is unseen and its goal is as yet unpossessed, and hence hope is inseparable from patience (v. 25; Heb. 6:15). The Greek word for patience, hypomonē, suggests perseverance and endurance, especially in the face of toil and suffering (cf. 5:3–5). Patience renounces the ego and its claims and submits to God’s will, way, and timing. Like patience, hope is purified through submission. Only where one has forsaken personal ...

461. Love

Romans 12:9-21

Understanding Series

James R. Edwards

... 5:5). Christian joy consists in the hope of “our adoption as sons [and] the redemption of our bodies” (8:23–25). Not coincidentally, Paul follows being joyful in hope with being patient in affliction (v. 12). Earlier he said that suffering produces perseverance, character, and hope (5:3–4). Afflictions are not illusions as some religions maintain, nor are they necessarily the result of human or even religious failure. If the world hates Christ (Matt. 10:22; John 15:18), then affliction is one of the ...

462. To the Church in Ephesus

Revelation 2:1-7

Understanding Series

Robert W. Wall

... as the substance of the church’s witness to its fidelity to Christ. In Christian preaching, faith and faithfulness always belong together, even though their exact relationship is understood differently by NT writers. The deeds of hard work and your perseverance, especially when understood as a hard fought intolerance of wicked men and false apostles, may reflect a Jewish tradition that such diligent devotion satisfies a criterion of Israel’s covenant with God. Especially in light of Christ’s opening ...

463. Job’s Reply to Zophar

Job 12:1--14:22

Understanding Series

Gerald H. Wilson

... if anything, to lose. 13:16 Indeed, this will turn out for my deliverance. Despite his resignation, Job’s determination does admit one tiny seed of hope that might result in deliverance. Of course, if there were absolutely no hope, it is doubtful that even Job would persevere in his quest. The possibility is found in the fact that it is unlikely a godless man would dare to come before God. This is bleak hope in light of the terrifying nature of divine power Job explored in chapter 12, and even more so in ...

464. The Lord Speaks

Job 38:1--41:34

Understanding Series

Gerald H. Wilson

... . The literal translation (“gird your loins”) describes preparation for a difficult task by drawing up one’s flowing robes into a girdle to free the legs for action. The task of knowing God is not easy labor and requires preparation and perseverance. The Hebrew here for man (geber) is an alternate word that can mean “fighter, warrior” (NJB), but it is usually translated with the more general term “man.” God calls Job to prepare himself for the difficult task of answering the divine cross ...

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

Psalm 94:1-23

Understanding Series

Craig C. Broyles

... in the meantime. Within this overarching theme are the opening seven verses that form a corporate prayer to God for judgment. Here, the actual prayer concludes. The rest of the psalm functions as an exhortation and testimony to the congregation so 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 ...

466. Oppressed But Not Crushed

Psalm 129:1-8

Understanding Series

Craig C. Broyles

... that we have been “struck down, but not destroyed” (cf. 2 Cor. 4:9) is one that has applied to them since their youth as a people: from their beginnings in Egypt and the exodus, through the exile and restoration, to their troubles and perseverance in the postexilic period. Their history is one of resilience. The integrity of the psalm is established by its agricultural metaphors. In verse 3, the wicked oppressors are likened to plowmen and the speaker’s back to plowed land. But in the next verse ...

467. Daniel’s Vision of a Man

Daniel 10:1--11:1

Understanding Series

William Nelson

... is only one God). Answers to our prayers are sometimes delayed too, which prompts Christians occasionally to invoke the vision of Daniel 10 as the reason. Jesus does not present the same rationale, but in the story of the unjust judge, he teaches us to persevere in prayer (Luke 18:1–8). Like Daniel, we should continue to pray, even if we do not see immediate results. When the author speaks of “the prince of the Persian kingdom,” he is speaking about not an earthly potentate but a heavenly being. This ...

468. To the Church in Thyatira

Revelation 2:18-29

Understanding Series

Robert W. Wall

... over the faithful assures for them their final vindication over those whose values are shaped by economic rather than by biblical notions of power. 2:19 Christ commends good works that deepen the congregation’s love and faith, your service and perseverance. These deeds form relationships within a spiritual congregation that provide its foundation for “the long obedience in the right direction” (cf. 2:23c; Rom. 2:5–10). The first doublet envisions the church’s devotion to God, the second, its ...

469. The Two Witnesses

Revelation 11:1-14

Understanding Series

Robert W. Wall

... triumph. The essential point, envisioned by John’s commission to measure only the inner sanctuary, frames the second half of this interlude: the church, the restored Israel of God, will be protected by God from the corrupting influences of evil and so will persevere through these ‘last days’ and into God’s promised shalom. 11:3–6 The (actually, my) two witnesses make an abrupt appearance into the vision, and the reader is not forewarned about the apparent change in speaker from John to God. Since ...

470. The Glory of the New Covenant

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

Understanding Series

James M. Scott

... period, is characterized by the hard-heartedness and sinfulness of the nation. The continual efforts of the prophets to call the people to repentance did not succeed. Hence, according to Jeremiah 31:31–34, the people irreparably “broke” (LXX: “they did not persevere in”) the Sinaitic covenant (v. 32). Either the Sinaitic covenant had to be done away with or else the curse of the law would have remained on the people. In contrast to the Sinaitic covenant, which was being rendered inoperative from ...

471. Visit

2 Corinthians 13:1-10, 2 Corinthians 13:11-14

Understanding Series

James M. Scott

... ’s rebellion against Moses and the Corinthians’ opposition to Paul, see Philip E. Hughes, Paul’s Second Epistle to the Corinthians (NICNT; Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1962), pp. 477–78; Martin, 2 Corinthians, p. 474. 13:5 Cf. Judith M. Gundry Volf, Paul and Perseverance: Staying In and Falling Away (WUNT 2/37; Tübingen: Mohr Siebeck, 1990), pp. 217–25. Second Timothy 3:8 uses the same word translated here fail the test (adokimoi) to compare those who are adokimoi concerning the faith with Jannes and ...

472. Wives and Husbands

1 Peter 3:1-7

Understanding Series

Norman Hillyer

... do not believe the word of the gospel message, and Peter seeks to offer such women wise advice. He does not tell them to leave their husbands, any more than Paul does when dealing with the same difficulty (1 Cor. 7:13–16). Peter encourages them to persevere in seeking to win their husbands to Christ. Wives are not to try to achieve this end by preaching at them or by nagging. The situation requires not pressing words but testifying conduct. 3:2 Lives lived in purity and reverence will prove to be an ...

473. Later Opposition Under Xerxes and Artaxerxes

Ezra 4:6-24

Understanding Series

Leslie C. Allen

... a persecuted minority suffering for its spiritual convictions. One of the narrator’s aims was to teach the Israelite people a lesson from their early history, as the writer to the Hebrews did in Hebrews 10:32–12:12. They should not be discouraged by setbacks but persevere in commitment to their God. 4:1–5 We are still in the year 537, according to the story, although the names of Zerubbabel and Jeshua are linked with the present incident, as in chapter 3. Mention of Cyrus in verse 5 and of Darius as a ...

474. A Tribute to a Woman's Love

Matthew 22:34-46

Sermon

King Duncan

... two commandments.” That says it all. Love is at the center of our faith. Love is essential to our physical and emotional well-being. Love is our primary calling as followers of Jesus. 1. Adapted from Michal Stawicki and Jeannie Ingraham, 99 Perseverance Success Stories: Encouragement for Success in Every Walk of Life (Kindle Edition). 2. Everybody's Normal Till You Get to Know Them (Harper Collins). 3. Joel D. Kline, http://www.hacob.org/sermons/2003/09‑ 07‑ 03_jdk.html. 4. Contributed. Source: Joel ...

475. Faces of Failure: Judas Iscariot

Matthew 26-27 (selections)

Sermon

Don Tuttle

... of the man he delivered into the hands of the authorities.”[ii] If only he’d have hung on, he could have discovered that Jesus was the one for which he and all of Israel hoped. There are times in life when all of us need to be reminded to persevere. We need to be reminded of what God has done for us in Jesus Christ. But that is especially true of those of you who might be losing--or maybe have lost--hope. When you’re wondering where God is when your children suffer or why evil so often seems ...

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