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 4726 to 4750 of 4964 results

4726. Fear God

Isaiah 8:11-22

One Volume

Gary M. Burge

... (8:18). As for the rest of the people, God’s judgment will find them out if they continue to reject the prophetic call to repentance. The judgment is described as desolation, devastation, famine, and despair from which there is no escape. It is a time without hope for the future, because God appears to be at a great distance from his people. In their abandonment they will even consult the dead. Isaiah calls on them to seek the light of the Lord’s testimony and law as revealed in his own message (8:20 ...

4727. Songs of Praise

Isaiah 12:1-6

One Volume

Gary M. Burge

... by redemption, proclamation, rejoicing, and the renewal of God’s presence among his people. Isaiah calls on the nations to exalt Yahweh’s name because of what he does on behalf of his own. This expression of hope by God’s own will result in responses of faith and praise by the nations. The expression of hope takes the form of thanks and songs of praise. Therefore, Isaiah calls on the remnant to drown out their sorrows in songs of joy in and expectation of their deliverance by the Holy One of Israel ...

4728. The New Covenant

Isaiah 54:1-17

One Volume

Gary M. Burge

... repopulated. The description of the new condition serves to encourage the people of God not to be afraid or ashamed. In the past they have been ashamed because of the disgrace they carried. However, the Lord assures them that their shame will be removed. The hope for the future lies in the Lord himself. He will again take his people to himself, because he is their maker and husband. He is their great king (“the Lord of Hosts”; NIV “Lord Almighty), their Redeemer, the Holy One of Israel, who desires to ...

4729. A Pastoral Letter

Jeremiah 29:1-23, Jeremiah 29:24-32

One Volume

Gary M. Burge

... (Isa. 46:10). “Prosper” (29:11) translates the Hebrew word shalom, a term denoting well-being, wholeness, harmony, and peace. Seeking God will be characteristic of the new “heart” (29:13; cf. 24:7). “Hope and a future” (29:11) is a Hebrew form that could be rendered “a future full of hope.” Along with physical restoration to the land, there will be spiritual restoration to God. Prophets in Babylon, of whom Ahab and Zedekiah are examples, are optimistic about the rapid return to normalcy in ...

4730. The Fall of Jerusalem

Jeremiah 52:1-30, Jeremiah 52:31-34

One Volume

Gary M. Burge

... number of people were deported in 597 BC. Since 2 Kings 24:14–16 reports a total of eighteen thousand, presumably the list here (52:27b–34) is of men only. King Jehoiachin was in the first deportation. The sadness of the closing chapter is brightened by the glimmer of hope in Jehoiachin’s improved condition. In 538 BC the exiles would return. It is because of Jeremiah’s message that we know both the reason for sadness and the reason for ...

4731. A City of Blood

Ezekiel 22:1-31

One Volume

Gary M. Burge

... is like chaff—both are good for nothing. As silver is put into the fire, so Israel will go into the fire. There is no indication from Ezekiel that Jerusalem will emerge from this smelting process as refined silver. Again we observe a “no-hope” perspective. The third unit is verses 23–31. Here the prophet rebukes successively the land (22:24), princes (22:25), priests (22:26), officials (22:27), prophets (22:28), and the people of the land (22:29). These are the “heavyweights” of the community ...

4732. Punishment of Destruction

Hosea 13:1-16

One Volume

Gary M. Burge

... military conquest in which people are killed by the sword, children are mercilessly massacred, and helpless pregnant women have their wombs ripped open (13:16). This hopeless scene of total annihilation is interrupted by one short promise, which gives some hope for the future (13:14). This sliver of hope in the midst of judgment reminds one of similar statements in Hosea 6:4 and 11:8–9. In all three of these passages God is overcome by the thought of the total annihilation of his people, and consequently ...

4733. Deliverance and Destruction

Micah 5:5-15

One Volume

Gary M. Burge

... a positive direction; Israel will be like dew bringing refreshment to the nations. However, this interpretation does not fit well with the parallel lion image. It is better to understand dew as a curse. In any case, verse 9 makes it clear that the hope in this oracle focuses on future military victory over present enemies. The last oracle of the second section (5:10–15) begins with the formula “in that day,” which again indicates that the prophet is looking into the future. God pronounces a series of ...

4734. The Prophet Laments Israel’s Condition

Micah 7:1-7

One Volume

Gary M. Burge

... , he is bitterly disappointed and frustrated. Even the most promising of his contemporaries are quite bad. The sins of the people have caught up with them. Society has turned against itself; the situation has degenerated into chaos. Even the closest human relationships (wife, child, parents) are unreliable. Micah realizes that hope is not to be found in human relationships. Hope may be found only in God, and Micah is confident in his God.

4735. Birth and Infancy

Matthew 1:1-17

One Volume

Gary M. Burge

... rather than by her name provides evidence that he is highlighting precisely her Gentile connection (Uriah the Hittite; 2 Sam. 11:3). Through his carefully crafted genealogy, Matthew emphasizes Jesus as the Messiah, the long-awaited Davidic king who will restore the hopes of exiled Israel and will usher Gentiles into Israel’s blessing (cf. Gen. 12:1–3). Yet, just as the author reaches the zenith of Jesus’s genealogy, he introduces a crucial problem for understanding Jesus as belonging to this lineage ...

4736. The Return to Nazareth

Matthew 2:19-23

One Volume

Gary M. Burge

... Nazōraios plays on the Hebrew word netser, translated “branch.” This Hebrew word occurs in Isaiah 11:1, where netser refers to a son of Jesse (David’s father; cf. 1 Samuel 16): “from [Jesse’s] roots a Branch will bear fruit.” The term netser was used to evokemessianic hopes in other Jewish writings of Matthew’s day (e.g., Dead Sea Scrolls, Thanksgiving Hymns 7.19). Thus Matthew concludes the story of Jesus’s birth just as he began it (1:1), by emphasizing Jesus as Messiah, son of David, the ...

4737. A Dead Girl and A Sick Woman

Mark 5:21-43

One Volume

Gary M. Burge

... for health were no better than the little girl’s prospects for life. As was the case with leprosy, a protracted menstruation problem left a woman unclean throughout its duration. Like the leper (1:40), the woman risks defiling Jesus with her uncleanness, in the desperate hope of being healed. She acts on what she hears and knows of Jesus. Although it was a serious violation of Jewish law for her to approach Jesus in her state, Mark portrays her act as a sign of faith. Immediately she is healed from her ...

4738. Jesus Comforts His Disciples

John 14:1-4

One Volume

Gary M. Burge

... (14:3). The discourse then introduces three questioners (Thomas, 14:5; Philip, 14:8; Judas, 14:22) who ask leading questions so that Jesus’s answer may be sharpened. In the end this futurist eschatology is refashioned into what is called realized eschatology. That is, hope and comfort are not in the future but can be realized now. Thus the coming of Jesus (14:3) shifts to the coming of the Spirit (14:23, 28). The “rooms” (Greek monē, 14:2) of heavenly dwelling become rooms (monē, 14:23; NIV “home ...

4739. The Trial Before Felix

Acts 24:1-27

One Volume

Gary M. Burge

... 24:14–16). What he admits is that he worships the God of Israel, he is faithful to Israel’s tradition, and he hopes for “a resurrection of both the righteous and the wicked” (24:15). In this way, Paul turns this defense speech into a testimony ... ) when he realizes that he may one day be the one who is being judged. Luke concludes his depiction of Felix by noting that he is hoping for a bribe from Paul. In light of Luke’s discussion of possessions elsewhere (cf. Luke 5:11; 11:39; 12:13–21; 16:1–31 ...

4740. Ingrafted Branches

Romans 11:11-24

One Volume

Gary M. Burge

... and Savior. Second, Paul’s ministry also aims at the salvation of Israel (cf. 1:16). The salvation of the Gentiles is meant to provoke a yearning for salvation among the Jewish people so that some of them might be saved (11:13–14). Paul hopes that unbelieving Jews will become jealous when they see what happens when Jews (the remnant) and Gentiles come to faith in Jesus Christ, forming communities in which the new covenant people of God live together, with their lives transformed by the power of the Holy ...

4741. Love

1 Corinthians 13:1-13

One Volume

Gary M. Burge

... identified with the enjoyment that is achieved for ourselves by such means. Its enjoyment consists in acknowledging the truth, of which our perception and interest are only a part. Such love always protects the interests of others, always trusts in their intentions, always hopes for their good, and always perseveres in its attempt to do these things. Such love also “never fails” to express itself—whether in the past, the present, or the future—among those who belong to God. It will continue to do so ...

4742. Paul’s Explanation of His Conduct in Recent Matters

2 Corinthians 1:12--2:4

One Volume

Gary M. Burge

... ). In speech and writing he has similarly shunned the attempt to present a wisdom that invites comparisons between his message and those of others, in favor of a simplicity of thought and advice rooted in “God’s grace” (1:12b–13). It is Paul’s hope, therefore, that the Corinthians will come to understand that the only boast to be made among Christians is a boast that unites them with their leaders, a mutual boast in God’s holiness, sincerity, and grace at work in their lives. 1:15–2:4 · The ...

4743. Prayer for Enlightenment

Ephesians 1:15-23

One Volume

Gary M. Burge

... These truths, then, are no less secure and reliable than the fact that Christ is no longer dead; indeed, they could not be true apart from that event. Moreover, the exercise of this power that raised Christ from the dead and secured for us our hope and inheritance has also seated Christ at the place of supreme honor in the universe, the right hand of God (1:20); this is what the gospel is about. Consequently, whether viewed from below or above, Christ supersedes all competitors, potential or real, for power ...

4744. Paul’s Ambition and Joy Is the Gospel of Christ

Philippians 1:12-30

One Volume

Gary M. Burge

... good news of the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ and its proclamation was the central fixture upon which Paul hung all his hopes and to which he had devoted his life. It might appear that, as a prisoner in Rome, Paul was not in a situation ... and sets the great example of Christ before them. Only by modeling their lives on Christ’s life can a Christian community hope to achieve true unity and proclaim the gospel in humility and righteousness. The great Christ hymn of Philippians 2:6–11 is ...

4745. A Call to Christlike Obedience

Philippians 2:12-18

One Volume

Gary M. Burge

... ’ faith would be a part of that sacrifice. They have offered their love and support to Paul and have genuinely shared in his pain and suffering (see Phil. 1:7; 4:14). Even in talking about his possible death, Paul is full of joy because of their faith and the hope he has for God’s work in that community. Thus, he rejoices. And if Paul can rejoice in the face of death and remain ...

4746. Encouragements, Appreciations, and Greetings

Philippians 4:2-9

One Volume

Gary M. Burge

... live as citizens of heaven. Knowing their current adversity, Paul calls the Philippians to prayer as a response to their condition. They do not need to be anxious, because God is with them even now. They have a present promise as well as a future hope. They are to trust in God and his provision instead of worrying about how they will provide for themselves. They are called to entrust God with all their concerns through prayer by presenting specific requests before God. These requests are not to be made with ...

4747. The Hymn to Christ

Colossians 1:15-23

One Volume

Gary M. Burge

... every once in a while the cross is ineffectual in atoning for sin or declaring that God might decide at some point to reject the cross as sufficient remedy for all sin. Paul is not insinuating that the Colossians are to muddle along as best they can and hope that their faith manages in the end to carry them to heaven. The point Paul makes is that the Colossians must stay the course, both in mind and in behavior. They must remain connected to the head, Christ, for the body cannot live without its head. Paul ...

4748. Paul’s Ministry in Thessalonica

1 Thessalonians 2:1-16

One Volume

Gary M. Burge

... foreign to the rest of the letter and appears to contradict Paul’s positive attitude regarding his own people in Romans 9–11. But Paul’s critique stands within the Jewish prophetic tradition. God has not rejected his people (Rom. 11:1–5), and there is hope of a national salvation (Rom. 11:23–26). Far from being anti-Semitic, Paul loved his people (Rom. 9:1–5; 10:1; 11:13–16). The strong polemic in these verses stems from the repeated encounters Paul had with those of his people who opposed ...

4749. Final Instructions

1 Thessalonians 5:12-28

One Volume

Gary M. Burge

... for everyone else.” Everyone recognized vengeance as the common way to respond to evil. In fact, one could never hope to maintain their social status if vengeance did not follow some offense that dishonored the person. In this environment, ... is constant (5:16; Phil. 4:4; 3:1). In the midst of agonizing situations, the presence of God by the Spirit fills the soul with hope and the heart with joy. Paul also calls them to “pray continually” (5:17), not an exhortation to pray at every moment (see the word ...

4750. The Man of Lawlessness

2 Thessalonians 2:1-12

One Volume

Gary M. Burge

... s royal parousia. The gathering of the believers, both the resurrected dead and the living, will occur at this time (1 Thess. 4:13–18). The gathering of the dispersed people of God was an eschatological hope (Ps. 106:47; 147:2; Isa. 52:12; Matt. 24:31; Mark 13:27). At Christ’s coming, the hope will be realized. The Thessalonians had become shaken and terrified due to the false teaching that entered by some means unknown to Paul. It could have been by “prophecy” (literally “spirit”; 1 Cor. 12:10 ...

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