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 551 to 575 of 4681 results

551. Paul the Preacher to the Gentiles

Ephesians 3:1-13

Understanding Series

Arthur G. Patzia

... of Christ). Though Paul has commented on his mission to the Gentiles, he appears to be amazed—and thankful—that God’s grace was rich enough to include them and that he was God’s instrument in bringing the message of reconciliation to them. F. Beare draws attention to the article before Christ, thus indicating that “the Christ,” or “the Messiah” who was promised to the Jews, is now proclaimed to the Gentiles as well (p. 669). This could be a conscious thought in the author’s mind, given the ...

552. A Prayer for the Ephesians

Ephesians 3:14-21

Understanding Series

Arthur G. Patzia

... his readers to understand Christ’s love, he realizes that any effort to do so falls short of its intended goal. No matter how much power of comprehension one has, Christ’s love surpasses knowledge; it exceeds one’s “capacity of comprehension” (Beare, p. 679). What an indictment of those people who claimed such knowledge for themselves! Though it is legitimate and necessary to seek such comprehension, it is folly to claim full attainment of it. (For another discussion of love and its superiority to ...

553. The Son Superior to Angels

Hebrews 1:1-14

Understanding Series

Donald A. Hagner

... … your years go on through all generations.” 1:13 For the centrality of Ps. 110 for our author and the early church, see comment and note on 1:3. 1:14 The expression ministering spirits (leitourgika pneumata) is not found in the OT, but bears considerable resemblance to the description of the angels as “servants” (leitourgoi) in Ps. 104:4 (LXX: Ps. 103:4), which is quoted by the author in v. 7. Underlying NIV’s to serve (lit., “for service”) is the common NT noun diakonia, which occurs only ...

554. The Living Stone and a Chosen People

1 Peter 2:4-12

Understanding Series

Norman Hillyer

... Israel” (1QS 8.5). The related verb oikodomein (1 Pet. 2:5, 7) is frequent as a term meaning “to edify, build up” the people of God (Amos 9:11 LXX; Acts 9:31; Rom. 15:2; 1 Cor. 8:1). The spiritualizing of the concept of building has no bearing on the date of 1 Peter, whether it was written before or after the Jerusalem temple was destroyed in A.D. 70. Paul makes no explicit reference to that temple either, but he still employs the imagery (1 Cor. 3:16; 2 Cor. 6:16). A holy priesthood echoes Exod ...

555. The King's Edict in Behalf of the Jews

Esther 8:1-17

Understanding Series

Timothy S. Laniak

... her and Mordecai while leaving the Jewish community at risk. Perhaps the only reason he would care about them is his love for her. Esther continues to absolve the king of any culpability by speaking passively of their impending fate (literally, “how can I bear to have evil be found to my people?”). The king takes responsibility not for the original decree but for ridding the kingdom of its wicked author. Xerxes identifies himself as the protector of the Jews, announcing the gift of the estate and the ...

556. Proverbs of Solomon

Proverbs 17:1-28

Understanding Series

Roland E. Murphy

... placed brings success; it’s magic! Is this a pure (sarcastic) observation, a condemnation, or a recommendation? The Hebrew shows a strong alliterative pattern (cf. McCreesh, Sound, p. 54). 17:9 Antithetic and juxtapositional. The effects of charitable silence or of tale-bearing are described: harmony or discord. With verse 9a see 10:12b and 19:11b; with verse 9b see 16:28b. 17:10 Antithetic comparison. Docility and readiness to hear correction are a wisdom topos. In contrast to a docile person, even a ...

557. Israel's Guilt and Punishment

Micah 6:9-16

Understanding Series

Elizabeth Achtemeier

... ; 9:11–12, 16; Amos 5:11; Zeph. 1:13; Hag. 1:6). 6:16 The NIV has somewhat obscured the meaning of verse 16d–e. The Hebrew reads, “Therefore I will make you a horror / and your inhabitants a hissing / and the shame of my people you shall bear.” The full sense of the line is clear if we remember that God promised Abraham that Abraham’s descendants would be a source of blessing for all the families of the earth (Gen. 12:3). Micah is redacted with that promise very much in mind (cf. the introduction ...

558. No More Tears

Sermon

King Duncan

... about here today is more than salvation. It is about following Jesus. It is about being all that Jesus called you to be. I’m trying to be faithful to our text. It is to those who have come through the great tribulation, those who have persevered in bearing witness to Christ at a terrible price about whom we read these wonderful words, “God will wipe away every tear from their eyes.” This is to say that every act of service that you perform in Christ’s name will one day be rewarded. There are many ...

559. I Will Not Leave You Comfortless

John 14:15-21

Children's Sermon

King Duncan

... cartoons is famous for his security blanket. (If you have had a personal experience with such a blanket or other object, it would be nice to share it.) Some of you may have a Teddy Bear or doll that you fall asleep holding at night just like a security blanket. I have heard of adults who still have a favorite Teddy Bear. All of us need something to hold on to. It is interesting that some blankets are called comforters. When Jesus left his disciples to ascend to Heaven, he told them he would not leave them ...

560. The Pharisees Investigate the Healing

John 9:13-34

Understanding Series

J. Ramsey Michaels

... that Jesus was the Christ would be put out of the synagogue (v. 22). If, as the narrator implies, the parents acted as they did because of this decree, they must have known that their son’s healing was the work of Jesus and had a bearing on the issue of his messiahship. Their claim not to know who cured their son (v. 21) was therefore untrue. To make sense of the parents’ action and the accompanying comment, the decree mentioned in verse 22 must be understood against the background of earlier events ...

561. God’s Love and Ours

1 John 4:7-21, 1 John 5:1-12

Understanding Series

Thomas F. Johnson

... no reason to interpret the significance of the three neuter nouns any differently than in v. 6. The water and the blood denote Jesus’ baptism and his death, the beginning and the end of his public ministry. To these saving, historical events the Spirit bore and bears witness. See the exegesis of v. 6. A minor motif here may be the requirement of the Jewish law for “two or three witnesses” to attest the truth (cf. Matt. 18:16; cf. Deut. 19:15). All three witnesses, in agreement (lit., “the three are ...

562. The Birth of Isaac

Genesis 21:1-7

Understanding Series

John E. Hartley

... She was glad that those who heard of her triumph in having a child at such an old age would laugh with her. Full of excitement, Sarah composed poetic lines celebrating her triumph in nursing children and bearing Abraham a son when he was old. She who had laughed in disbelief at the angel’s announcement that she would bear a son (18:12–15) now laughs in joyful glee for her son named “laughter.” 21:8 Delighted at finally having a son by Sarah and desirous of cherishing the stages of his son’s growth ...

563. Miscellaneous Laws

Deut 23:15–25:19

Understanding Series

Christopher J. H. Wright

... the economic integrity and future of family units, will vary from culture to culture. The strength of feeling expressed here about the levirate practice shows that the moral responsibility it embodies is meant to be taken seriously. The NT brings the same intense feelings to bear on Christian duties by describing those who will not care for their own families in need as having denied the faith and as being worse than unbelievers (1 Tim. 5:3–8). 25:11–12 Like the previous law, this law is concerned with ...

564. Tyre, Sidon—and Israel

Ezekiel 26:1-21, Ezekiel 27:1-36, Ezekiel 28:1-19, Ezekiel 28:20-26

Understanding Series

Steven Tuell

... LORD have spoken, declares the Sovereign LORD” (v. 14). Eventually, this does come to pass. In 332 B.C., Alexander the Great built a causeway out to the city, turning the island into a peninsula so that he could bring his siege engines to bear. Alexander did breach the city walls and lay Tyre waste. But despite a thirteen-year siege, Nebuchadnezzar never succeeded in conquering Tyre, let alone in destroying it (see the discussion of 29:17–21, below). Though the Phoenicians did succumb to the Babylonians ...

565. Sermon on the Mount: Final Warnings and Call to Obey Jesus’ Words

Matthew 7:13-14, Matthew 7:15-23, Matthew 7:24-29

Teach the Text

Jeannine K. Brown

... ’s clothing”; their outward similarity to true prophets is emphasized. Yet Jesus’ followers will be able to recognize false prophets by their evil actions. The repeated phrase “By their fruit you will recognize them” surrounds the picture of good trees naturally bearing good fruit and bad trees naturally producing bad fruit (7:16, 20). 7:21 Lord, Lord. Jesus provides another warning at the close of the sermon. This saying is surprising in a few ways. First, although Jesus has just indicated the ...

566. The Good Life

Luke 6:17-26

Teach the Text

R.T. France

... who was killed by the Auca people, said, “He is no fool who gives up what he cannot keep to gain what he cannot lose.” Certainly, the experience of Elliot, whose story is well recorded in books and articles, as well as in film, would bear out the truth of what appears on the surface as unrewarding discipleship. Biography: Erle Frederick Rounds. The highest goal of Rounds (1901–43) was to take the love of Christ to unreached areas of the world. Multitalented and able to fill a variety of roles, Rounds ...

567. True and False Discipleship

Luke 6:46-49, Luke 6:43-45, Luke 6:37-42

Teach the Text

R.T. France

... be true disciples but who do not come up to the mark. They call Jesus “Lord, Lord” but do not follow his teaching; they listen to his words but do not obey them. A key word of this section is “do,” which occurs five times in 6:43–49 (“bears [fruit]” twice in 6:43 is the same word in Greek). There is scope here not only for examining others but also for disciples to test their own performance. Those who discern a speck of dust in someone else’s eye may be quite unaware that they have a plank ...

568. The Roman Verdict

Luke 22:66--23:25

Teach the Text

R.T. France

... . Midstream, the scorpion stings the frog. As they both begin to drown, the frog gasps out, “Why?” The scorpion simply replies, “It is my nature.” Fallen humanity has a sin nature that so distorts our minds that we can kill the author of life, even as he willingly bears our burdens in love. Our twisted desire to receive a murderer and condemn the sinless Son of God reveals just how far we have fallen—it is in our nature. The good news is that Christ is able to bring a new nature to life in us.

569. God and Government

Romans 13:1-7

Teach the Text

C. Marvin Pate

... have been confined to the power of Roman provincial governors to condemn to death Roman citizens serving in the military.[3] Therefore, “bear the sword” would not be relevant to most Roman Christians, who were not Roman citizens serving in the military. Paul, then, probably ... to punish crime in general. And it may well be that Paul’s Old Testament background led him to include in “bear the sword” the right to inflict capital punishment (cf. Gen. 9:6), though this could be debated. In meting out ...

570. Resurrection and Transformation (Part 1)

1 Corinthians 15:35-58

Teach the Text

Preben Vang

... death has lost its power and God’s power and presence fill all in all. Illustrating the Text Resurrection does not destroy the body but rather transforms and quickens it. Nature: A seed is an image often used in the Bible to illustrate salvation. Seeds bear the DNA code for new life, but they fall to the ground, shrivel, and are buried. Then, in secrecy and mystery, water and nutrients under the ground combine with energy from the sun to bring about a reaction. The latent, life-giving DNA code hidden ...

571. The Horrific End of Nadab and Abihu

Leviticus 10:1-20

Teach the Text

Joe M. Sprinkle

... the sin offering (Lev. 6:24–30), though sin offerings on behalf of the priest or the nation are not eaten (Lev. 4:5–7, 16–18). The priest himself plays a role in atonement: his eating a sin offering helps to “take away [or “bear”] the guilt of the community by making atonement for them” (v. 17) (see “Theological Insights” below). Given what had happened earlier, Moses is furious that the rite has not been followed exactly. Aaron, however, engages in his teaching role as priest (v. 11) on ...

572. Job Feels under Attack by God

Job 16:1-17:16

Teach the Text

Daniel J. Estes

... evidence of divine condemnation. 16:9–12 God assails me and tears me in his anger. Instead of coming to Job’s defense, God seems to be fighting as a warrior against him. The vivid language Job uses describes God as assailing him, that is, hating or bearing a grudge against him (cf. Gen. 27:41). Also, God seems to stalk him as a fierce animal preparing to maul him with a lethal blow. With these descriptions Job echoes the intense language of the imprecatory psalms as the psalmists cry out to God to ...

573. Job Hears the Whispers of God’s Works

Job 26:1--31:40

Teach the Text

Daniel J. Estes

... by Moment,” by Daniel W. Whittle. This old hymn (1893) expresses the core of the principle that one is kept by God’s love no matter what the circumstance. Following are stanzas 2 and 3: Never a trial that He is not there, Never a burden that He doth not bear, Never a sorrow that He doth not share, Moment by moment I’m under his care. Never a heartache and never a groan, Never a tear-drop and never a moan; Never a danger, but there on the throne, Moment by moment, He thinks of His own. But Where Can ...

574. “The King Rejoices in Your Strength, Lord”

Psalm 21:1-13

Teach the Text

C. Hassell Bullock

... the poor (v. 29) h. Third declaration of worship: future generations (vv. 30–31) Historical and Cultural Background David’s familiarity with the ferocious animals of his world—bulls, lions, and dogs—is not a surprising insight. He had a reputation for killing a lion and a bear (1 Sam. 17:34–37), and to add bulls and dogs to the list is only to enlarge it. While dogs, mainly scavengers (Ps. 59:6, 14; Jer. 15:3), were not domesticated in ancient Israel until a much later date,[7] it does appear that ...

575. Can It Be Sin to Be Shy?

2 Timothy 1:1-14

Sermon

King Duncan

... off running ahead of him and finally lost him. I never ran so fast in my life!” “But that was a week ago,” said his wife. “Where have you been since?” “I’ve been walking back,” he said. He obviously ran a long way. If you happen on a bear when you leave church this morning, you might be justifiably afraid. However, if you’re afraid of the person seated next to you today, if you’re hesitant to reach out a warm hand in greeting and say, “It’s good to see you this morning. How have you ...

Showing results