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 4851 to 4875 of 4958 results

4851. Job’s Hope against Hope

Job 19:1-29

Teach the Text

Daniel J. Estes

... :13–22). Sensing that he could well lose this legal dispute because the deck seems to be stacked against him, Job longs for a permanent record to be made that could witness forever to his character. He does not want justice to die with him; rather, he wants his claim to keep speaking even after his death. 19:25 I know that my redeemer lives. See the sidebar. 19:26–27 yet in my flesh I will see God. Job’s hope, however, is not just for the future. Here Job may well be thinking, or at least desire ...

4852. Job Feels Both Confidence and Terror

Job 23:1--24:25

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Daniel J. Estes

... this raises profound theological questions. Why does God allow this state of affairs to go on? Why does God not bring to judgment those who oppress and exploit people who are vulnerable? Is God indeed in charge of the world, as the Bible claims? In recent years the problem of bullying in schools has been increasingly highlighted by news stories. When bullies are allowed to intimidate other children, they are only emboldened to do worse and worse things, and their victims are tormented all the more. Because ...

4853. Bildad’s Final Attempt to Answer Job

Job 25:1-6

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Daniel J. Estes

... of dreadful awe from his creatures. As a result, as Bildad sees it, there is no conflict in God’s realm, because his power establishes order in the heights of heaven, and that suggests there is necessary order on earth as well. To Bildad, Job’s claim that his situation is an exception to the rule of retribution is an impossibility. 25:3 On whom does his light not rise? By asking two rhetorical questions in verse 3, Bildad expresses the conviction that God is unlimited in his power and control over ...

4854. Job Comes to a Good End

Job 42:7-17, Job 42:1-6

Teach the Text

Daniel J. Estes

... have not spoken the truth, and he instructs them to offer a burnt offering and to ask Job to intercede for them in prayer. The term “despise” here can better be translated “recant” or “retract,” and thus it refers to Job’s withdrawal of his legal claim against God. Job repents in the sense of changing his mind, as he comes to the realization that he is just dust and ashes (cf. Gen. 18:27), a mere human before the transcendent Yahweh. Before the Sovereign Lord, Job is a finite creature who is ...

4855. “You Are Not a God Who Is Pleased with Wickedness”

Psalm 5:1-12

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C. Hassell Bullock

... terms of 5:4–6 that crescendo into the shedding of blood and character assassination (“bloodthirsty,” “deceitful”) utilize the primary colors on the literary artist’s palette and describe evil mainly in terms of harmful human relationships. When Paul sets forth his claim that all human beings, gentile and Jew alike, are under the power of sin, he quotes Psalm 5:9, among other passages, to demonstrate his point (Rom. 3:13). The five positive imperative verbs of verses 8 and 11 outline a defensive ...

4856. “Lord, Our Lord, How Majestic Is Your Name in All the Earth!”

Psalm 9:1-20

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C. Hassell Bullock

... refrain, a wonder that ought to characterize our faith. The second term is “all” (kol), which occurs four times in the psalm (8:1, 6, 7, 9). The enclosing “all” of the refrain has a universal tone, “all the earth,” and, much like Genesis 1, claims the whole earth for God’s glory—God’s glory is portrayed everywhere. Even the inclusio hints that, just as the whole psalm is contained between the duplicate verses, so God’s name is majestic in the whole universe. The rest of the psalm is to ...

4857. “You Will Fill Me with Joy in Your Presence”

Psalm 16:1-11

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C. Hassell Bullock

... was their “portion” (Num. 18:20; Deut. 10:9; 18:1). The word “cup” is metonymy for the food and drink that sustain individuals, and the word “lot” perhaps is an allusion to the practice of casting lots that determined the tribal claims (Josh. 14:2). 16:6 The boundary lines . . . in pleasant places; . . . a delightful inheritance. The “boundary lines” refer to the survey of the land to mark off tribal inheritances (Josh. 17:5; NIV: “tracts”) and is used metaphorically to describe the ...

4858. “The Heavens Declare the Glory of God”

Psalm 19:1-14

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C. Hassell Bullock

... e.g., Weiser),[6] but the more likely background of the metaphor is the wedding festival, and the nuptial tent where the bride and groom consummated their marriage, or the bridal house from which the bridegroom departs (as the rising sun) to claim his bride. 19:5 like a bridegroom coming out of his chamber . . . rejoicing. Depending on how we understand the metaphor, the “chamber” (huppah, “tent”; see the sidebar “Wedding/Marriage Ceremony in the Old Testament”) is either the nuptial tent or ...

4859. “Some Trust in Chariots . . . , but We Trust in the Name of the Lord Our God”

Psalm 20:1-9

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C. Hassell Bullock

... Chase, whose letter read, in part: “One fact touching our currency has hitherto been seriously overlooked. I mean the recognition of the Almighty God in some form on our coins. . . . This would place us openly under the Divine protection we have personally claimed.” Then, on July 30, 1956, the president approved a joint resolution of Congress declaring “In God We Trust” as the national motto of the United States.[10] But is this motto, in fact, indicative of the heart of the United States today ...

4860. “The Earth Is the Lord’s, and Everything in It”

Psalm 24:1-10

Teach the Text

C. Hassell Bullock

... as our sermon/lesson, we might take all of them seriatim and thus give the message of the psalm the broad exposure it deserves. First, we may observe that the basic principle of this psalm is that the world belongs to God (24:1). Verse 2 explains this claim: the Lord “founded it.” Then there is an interesting shift from the world to the temple in verse 3. The question has cosmic implications for who is worthy to appear in the presence of such a God.10 Second, as the psalmist turns our attention to the ...

4861. “Do Not Drag Me Away with the Wicked”

Psalm 28:1-9

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C. Hassell Bullock

... just as a prayer (28:1–4) opens it. Both “people” and “inheritance” occur in the Song of Moses (Deut. 32:9). One’s inheritance (nahalah) was property passed down through the family line and held in perpetuity by the family. No one can lay claim to Israel, God’s inheritance.[20] The NIV’s “be their shepherd” is literally “shepherd them” in Hebrew. The shepherd carried (ns’) his lambs on his shoulders or against his chest (Isa. 40:11) to protect them and cuddle them. It is also used ...

4862. “As the Deer Pants for Streams of Water, So My Soul Pants for You, My God”

Psalm 42:1-11, Psalm 43:1-5

Teach the Text

C. Hassell Bullock

... example that the sins of the fathers were not always visited on the next generation, for in David’s time the house of Korah was one of the most famous families of the Levitical house of the Kohathites, with some of them, at least, supporting David’s claim to the throne (1 Chron. 12:6). In David’s revision of the temple service, the Korahites retained their role as gatekeepers of the temple, along with the family of Merari (1 Chron. 26:1–19). According to the Chronicler, they even had a place in the ...

4863. “Zeal for Your House Consumes Me”

Psalm 69:1-36

Teach the Text

C. Hassell Bullock

... :5 You, God, know my folly.Calvin takes this as irony.4It is not a confession as such but, to use Tate’s phrase, a “protestation of innocence” (also Pss. 7:4–5; 17:3–5; 139:1–24).5The psalmist can hardly confess his wrong and claim innocence too (note “without cause,” 69:4). 69:6 Lord, the Lord Almighty, may those who hope in you not be disgraced.The use of three names for God reinforces the prayer. The lesson here is that an individual failing has consequences for the wider community ...

4864. “The Lord Is Great!”

Psalm 70:1-5

Teach the Text

C. Hassell Bullock

... This powerful word of praise runs counter to the hopelessness of the exile and of our own time of unbelief. God’s greatness countermands despair, puts new sinews on the dead bones in the charnel house of a defeated world. Acknowledging God’s greatness is to lay claim on hope and new life. When God is exalted, the world is right side up. When man is exalted, the world is upside down. “God is great!” is a mighty force toward uprighting the upside-down world of any age. All of us have personal moments ...

4865. “Endow the King with Your Justice, O God”

Psalm 72:1-20

Teach the Text

C. Hassell Bullock

... range of the universality of Christ’s reign. If we pay close attention to the terms of the psalm, such as “May all kings bow down to him” (72:11a) and “May he endure as long as the sun” (72:5a), then we can certainly not claim the fulfillment of these terms through the Israelite kings, at least, if we press these two descriptors of that age. So a fuller sense (sensus plenior) interpretation is helpful, and that comes only in the universal reign of the Messiah that the prophets proclaim (e.g ...

4866. God Subjugates Judah under Babylon

Daniel 1:1-21

Teach the Text

Ronald W. Pierce

... special routine to avoid defilement makes the youths look “good and fat of flesh” and therefore more pleasing to those overseeing them (see the comments on 1:15, above). God is able to do this for faithful servants. However, the text does not claim that God physically rewards every faithful believer at every time and in every place. Without diminishing God’s provision for the Judeans—and for many believers today—be sure to inform your audience that looking good and healthy may be a gift withheld ...

4867. Nabuchadnezzar’s Dream and Daniel's Interpretation

Daniel 2:1-23, Daniel 2:24-49

Teach the Text

Ronald W. Pierce

... accolades of such accomplishments, and reflect on how it might feel to win these honors, give acceptance speeches, and frame the fabled “yellow jerseys” to hang in your office or home. As enchanting as this thought may be, all temporal human rewards must never claim the right to define us or become so desirable that one’s life be shipwrecked in pursuit of such a fleeting goal. Excellence and recognition are not inherently sinful, yet they must always be pursued for the sake of obedience to God’s ...

4868. The Image of Gold and the Fiery Furnace

Daniel 3:1-30

Teach the Text

Ronald W. Pierce

... the narrative. Therefore, avoid the temptation to assign a specific age to the Jews, as they could have been anywhere between their late teens to midthirties. Second, this narrative is not about deifying Nebuchadnezzar, since Babylonian kings did not claim to be deities. Third, do not bore your listeners with detailed explanations about the provincial officials and musical instruments. Illustrating the Text There’s not enough room for multiple gods in your heart. Popular Culture: Associated with numerous ...

4869. The Rise of Media, Persia, and Greece

Daniel 8:15-27

Teach the Text

Ronald W. Pierce

... in their compromising covenant with Antiochus, he will turn on them, killing them and many other Jews in Jerusalem (cf. 1 Macc. 1:29–40). consider himself superior . . . take his stand against the Prince of princes. In 8:11 the little horn claims equality with the “prince” (sar) of the heavenly armies; here Antiochus opposes the “Prince of princes” (sar sarim), meaning God as commander in chief of heaven’s forces.13 The futility of such arrogance is emphasized by Antiochus’s destruction “not ...

4870. How to Deal with Demons

Matthew 12:38-50

Sermon

Maxie Dunnam

... we have to run the demons out of our life, but we have to make Him the Lord of our life. We have to allow the Holy Spirit to take residence there, to fill up our lives with meaning and direction, in order that other demons will not return and claim us. It’s a matter of the expulsive power of a new affection. How do you deal with demons? You make Jesus Lord of your life. You allow Him to be the organizing center around which your life turns. John knew this when he talked about the spirits—the demons ...

4871. What Can I Get By With?

Luke 17:5-10

Sermon

Maxie Dunnam

... our feelings of self-righteousness, and it condemns our smug attitude of thinking that we measure up to the kingdom’s demands. I ask you: Is there any way that any one of us, by any amount of effort or obedience to the will of God can establish a claim for a reward? “It is a blessed thing for a man to call himself an unprofitable servant; it is an awful thing for the Master to call him one.” [3] Do you see the difference? To call ourselves unprofitable servants is to judge ourselves as well we might ...

4872. God Has No Grandchildren

John 3:1-21

Sermon

Maxie Dunnam

... wanted to see what she had seen. He sat in her place of prayer and devotion because he wanted to feel what she had felt, to experience what had so deeply centered and empowered her. But nothing happened. It did not work. It never does! We cannot claim another person’s faith for our own. The example and contagion of commitment in other persons may inspire and nurture us, but we cannot substitute their commitment for our own. We can pattern our faith journey after someone else’s, but no one can make that ...

4873. Take Your Job and Love It

2 Thessalonians 3:6-13

Sermon

King Duncan

... . Some experts contend that this is not a healthy way of looking at life, but for many of us, work gives us our identity. During World War II industrialist Henry J. Kaiser was brought to Washington, D.C. to testify concerning his ship building activities. He had claimed to be able to build a ship a day. He was being cross-examined by a somewhat hostile young lawyer who said, “So you think you can build a ship a day,” goaded the questioner. “You know Rome wasn’t built in a day.” Henry J. Kaiser ...

4874. Adam and Eve

Genesis 2:4-25

One Volume

Gary M. Burge

... “cleaves” to him. Already Genesis 2:24 is saying that marriage is a covenant simply through the use of covenant terminology. The climax of creation is this: the man and his wife are both naked. How appropriate! Physical nudity? Yes. But there are other kinds of nakedness. The verse is claiming a total transparency between this primal couple.

4875. Isaac and Abimelek

Genesis 26:1-35

One Volume

Gary M. Burge

... on people. Isaac fares well (26:12–14), but there is a problem. The Philistines have filled in the wells Isaac’s father has dug; Isaac proceeds to open them up again. He then digs his own wells, only to have the Gerarites claim ownership of them. The quarreling here is reminiscent of that between Abraham’s servants and Lot’s. Isaac gives the wells names that reflect this dispute: Esek (“contention”), Sitnah (“enmity”); but then he does better with Rehoboth (“wide places”) and Shibah ...

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