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 601 to 625 of 4943 results

601. Hebrews 7:23-28

Hebrews 7:11-28

Sweet

Leonard Sweet

... the traditional line of priests, and yet was offered a unique and elevated place, a priesthood of perpetuity. It is that lineage that the Hebrews’ author alludes to throughout this section of his epistle. In today’s text the Hebrews’ author continues to elaborate on the fundamental difference between what has been and what now is the new possibility in the relationship between humanity and divinity. Most fundamental is the stark reality of the human mortality of Levitical priests, and the resurrected ...

602. Leading Others to Jesus

Titus 2:1-15

Sermon

Richard Gribble

... had ordered a census of the whole world, and it was necessary for Joseph to travel with Mary, his pregnant wife, to Bethlehem to register. Upon their arrival the couple looked for a place to stay but could find no room in the local inn. As the play continued, Caitlin’s parents wondered where their daughter was. Based on what she had said, they were sure that she would have the role of Mary or one of the shepherds, but so far she had not been present on stage. Then the narrator spoke of the birth of ...

603. Leading Others to Jesus

Titus 2:11-14

Sermon

Richard Gribble

... Augustus had ordered a census of the whole world, and it was necessary for Joseph to travel with Mary, his pregnant wife, to Bethlehem to register. Upon their arrival the couple looked for a place to stay but could find no room in the local inn. As the play continued, Caitlin's parents wondered where their daughter was. Based on what she had said, they were sure that she would have the role of Mary or one of the shepherds, but so far she had not been present on stage. Then the narrator spoke of the birth of ...

604. Don’t Compromise Your Beliefs

Galatians 1:1-10

Sermon

Richard Gribble

... life, while not always easy, has the answers we seek. G. K. Chesterton had it right in 1910 when he opined of society's "less than positive attitude": "The Christian faith has not been tried and found wanting; it has been found difficult and left untried." Let us continue on the road we have chosen, the one that leads to Christ. May we never compromise who we are or what we believe. If we can stand strong, then when Christ calls us we will hear the words that, in the end, our whole lives have been lived ...

605. Prelude To A Sacrament

Exodus 12:1-4 (5-10) 11-14

Sermon

David J. Kalas

... saved his people from their slavery in Egypt. On that night, Jesus reinterpreted two of the elements of the meal. They now symbolized his body and his blood, and they spoke of how God would deliver all humankind from its bondage to sin. God's people were to continue eating that bread and drinking that cup for all generations "in remembrance." So it is that we have a table before us — indeed, it is a table from more than 3,000 years before us! Moses and the soon-to-be-free children of Israel are gathered ...

606. When There’s Nothing Left To Do But Mourn

Jeremiah 8:18—9:1

Sermon

Chrysanne Timm

... the land that I gave of old to your ancestors forever and ever. — Jeremiah 7:1-7 And now, for the first time, the prophet Jeremiah acknowledges that there is nothing left for him to do but mourn. Although his ministry with the people of Judah will continue on for several years, he knows that no matter what he says or what he does, Judah will not listen. Judah will not own up to her condition. Judah will not seek healing. No, Judah will be destroyed, or at the very least, she will be severely debilitated ...

607. Are You Part of the Scandal?

Luke 15:11-32

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

... Shame and Scandal rule the airwaves. Well, Salvation and Scandal rule the church. Or should. The message of Lent is that we have a Scandalous God. The scandal of love, the scandal of forgiveness, is beyond our tolerance and bring out our resentment. But God continues to scandalize us at every turn. Can anyone ever forget the 2006 fatal shooting of 10 Amish children aged 6-13 outside of Lancaster County? A milk truck driver with three children and a wife drove his truck up to the one-room schoolhouse, exited ...

608. So Send I You

John 20:19-23

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

... . Now Jesus declares that it is “as the Father sent me” that he now sends out his disciples. Jesus’ death and resurrection was unique. But the method of his mission is part of his identity, part of his “sentness.” It is a presence that he continues to send into the world via his disciples. John’s gospel does not record the dramatic public Pentecost moment found in Acts, Luke’s second volume. Again there is much debate and disagreement about the nature of the event John records here in verse 22 ...

609. P.S. I Love You

John 21:1-14

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

... that the net holds. There is a singularly smarmy 2007 movie, poorly produced and acted, but with a great title — “P.S. I love you.” The gist of the film is that a young widow begins to receive posthumous letters from her deceased husband, urging her to continue on with her life and that . . . “P.S. I love you.” Without the Hollywood smarm, that is what this epilogue of John 21 is. It is a “P.S. I love you” – to Peter, to John, to the Johannine community, and to all the generations of Jesus ...

610. Revelation 22:12-14; 16-17; 20-21

Revelation 22:1-6

Sweet

Leonard Sweet

... 17). This gift Jesus “earned” on the cross, and can only be received by followers. It can never be “earned” by any human works. Christ promises to return with the gift of life that he made possible through nothing less than his death. As Jesus continues his commencement address, he pronounces his enduring, ongoing presence: He is Alpha and Omega, first and last, beginning and end. While God the Father is also identified by two of these titles in Revelation — the Alpha and the Omega in 1:8 and 21:6 ...

611. Jesus’ Four Surprising Road Rules for the Missional Highway

Luke 9:57-62, Luke 9:51-56

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

... and fire that fills with the Spirit, as “tongues of fire" came on those filled with the Spirit (Acts 2:1 4). Disciples don’t call down fire. Disciples call up and call upon the name of Jesus. 2) As Jesus’ road trip continued he encountered others who thought they might come along for the journey. The first wanna-be follower claimed the desire to follow Jesus “wherever you go.” Jesus’ surprising response reveals that there is no established roadmap for disciples. Disciples don’t know where ...

612. The Lord’s Prayer and The Stones-Serpents-Scorpions Story

Luke 11:1-13

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

What you do is your history. What you set in motion is your legacy.” Are you just pouring concrete or building a skyscraper? Every one of us wants to leave a “legacy.“ Something that outlasts our biological lives and can somehow continue to declare “I was here.” For a very few this is achieved through intellect or infamy, greatness or great sacrifice. But for those of us who know we are not Augustine or Martin Luther, or Christopher Columbus or George Washington or Albert Einstein or Martin ...

613. Your Home Page

Hebrews 13:1-25

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

... ’s epistle reading skips to vss. 15-16, a reminder to Jesus’ disciples that the old order, the old covenant that required burnt offerings and seasonal sacrifices, has come to an end. Instead, disciples now live in a relationship that inspires “continual” sacrifices — not of blood-letting, but of blood-giving and praise-offering. Praising God, confessing the name of the unchanging Jesus Christ, is the new form of “sacrifice” that puts believers in a right relationship with God. No longer is any ...

614. Hebrews 13: 1-8; 15-16

Hebrews 13:1-25

Sweet

Leonard Sweet

615. Be Shrewd

Luke 16:1-15

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

... by his employer, this business manager acts in accordance with the ways of the world. He offers those who are in debt to his master a cut-rate, one-time “deal.” It’s an offer designed to get in their good graces. The dishonest manager continues with dishonesty by offering to “cook the books” in favor of those who owe substantial amounts to his master. What is shocking about this parable Jesus tells is not that it condemns the “way of the world,” but that the master actually praises his self ...

616. Hill Climbing

Psalm 121:1-8

Sermon

King Duncan

... Here they offer sacrifices, which the worshipers believe will gain God’s favor. (4) The Christian faith is unique. We believe that we do not have to go up to God. God came down to us in Jesus of Nazareth. God is a powerful presence in our lives in the continuing work of the Holy Spirit. Still, we give thanks for the beautiful imagery of this Psalm. Listen once more to the beautiful words of this Psalm in its entirety: 1 I lift up my eyes to the hills where does my help come from? 2 My help comes from the ...

617. "Gotcha" Questions from Mean-Spirited People

Sermon

R. Robert Cueni

... but also open to various interpretations and even baffling. After all, what does it really mean to give to the emperor the things that are the emperor's and to God the things that are God's? Twenty centuries later and Jesus' answer continues to generate lively discussions. The religious leaders thought they had the perfect "gotcha" question, but once again they are foiled. Jesus' answer amazes them. Luke tells us it even left them speechless. The score: Jesus — three; the mean-spirited — still zero. One ...

618. Jehoram King of Judah

2 Chronicles 21:4-20

Understanding Series

Louis C. Jonker

... —this time in a letter (see Additional Note on 21:12)—serves this function. It is as if the Chronicler lets the prophetic utterance confirm his own assessment of Jehoram’s reign. 21:16–17 The themes of the letter are taken up in the continuation of the Chronicler’s own material in 21:16–17 and 21:18–19. As a punishment against Judah and Jehoram in particular, Yahweh aroused against Jehoram the hostility of the Philistines and of the Arabs. The Hebrew word for “arouse” (Hifil of ?wr) is ...

619. The God of All Comfort

2 Corinthians 1:1-11

Understanding Series

James M. Scott

... (cf. 4:10–12) and that he could be destroyed at any time (5:1, 8). Ultimately, Paul is confident only of the deliverance that will take place in the future resurrection (cf. Rom. 8:28–39). 1:11 Paul has set his hope on God for continued deliverance from death (v. 10b). In verse 11a, Paul indirectly requests the Corinthians to pray for him in his ongoing apostolic ministry. The Corinthians’ prayers function not only as entreaty on behalf of the apostle for deliverance from death but also as a sign of ...

620. Life by the Spirit

Galatians 5:16-26

Understanding Series

L. Ann Jervis

... Christ—is uniquely Christian. 5:25 Unlike the word translated “live” in v. 16 (lit. “walk”), the Greek word zōmen translated live in this verse lit. is “live.” The nuance is somewhat different in each case: in v. 16 the word gives the sense of continual active participation in the Spirit; in v. 25 it indicates the basis of one’s life. The phrase keep in step with the Spirit contains the verbal form of the word “elements” (stoichōmen) encountered in 4:3 and 4:9. In its verbal form it ...

621. Spiritual Blessings in Christ

Ephesians 1:1-14

Understanding Series

Arthur G. Patzia

... (chapters 1–3) and then applying these truths to the Christian life (chapters 4–6). Such divisions, however, should not be taken too rigidly, for one finds ethical exhortations in the midst of doctrinal discussion (e.g., 1:4; 2:10) and doctrinal teaching continues throughout the last chapters (4:4–16; 5:21–6:9). A Hymn of Praise Many elevated words and phrases have been used to describe the beauty of this opening hymn that praises God for the spiritual blessings he has bestowed upon the believer ...

622. Paul's Labor for the Church

Colossians 1:24--2:5

Understanding Series

Arthur G. Patzia

... Paul rejoices because in all that he is suffering on behalf of the Colossians he is reducing his unpaid balance, he is making the reproduction a little more like the perfect original” (pp. 87–88). Paul’s Proclamation of the Mystery 1:25 In this verse Paul continues to affirm his personal role in the events that he is describing: first, “I” became a servant of the gospel (1:23); then “I” am happy about my suffering for you (1:24); now I have become its [the church’s] servant on your behalf (1 ...

623. Rules for Holy Living

Colossians 3:1-17

Understanding Series

Arthur G. Patzia

... self is God’s doing! To express this process the Greek uses a present passive participle (anakainoumenon) to indicate that renewal is continuous (the present) and that it has an outside source (the passive, the new self which is being renewed). In light of Paul ... a similar message for the Corinthians (1 Cor. 12:13) and the Galatians (3:26–28). 3:12 Verses 12–17 are a continuation of Paul’s discussion of those who are baptized. He already has dealt with the negative side by showing that those who have ...

624. The Son Superior to Angels

Hebrews 1:1-14

Understanding Series

Donald A. Hagner

... similar to the prologue of the Fourth Gospel (John 1:1–18) in its function as well as in its christocentric theology. The author, however, does not want to present such an exalted Christology without first indicating that God’s word spoken in his Son is continuous with, and not alien to, what has preceded. What God has done in Christ is the climax of what he had begun to do in earlier times. And having finished the work of atonement, Christ enjoys an exalted status far superior to that of the angels ...

625. Warning Against Falling Away

Hebrews 5:11-6:12

Understanding Series

Donald A. Hagner

... the epistle only in 13:24. 6:11–12 The author now expresses his exhortation in terms of his own desire: we want. In show this same diligence the present tense of the verb could also be translated “keep on showing diligence.” The readers are challenged to continue in the good path they are upon. In order to make your hope sure is a stronger result clause than the original Greek contains (cf. RSV: “in realizing the full assurance of hope until the end”). NIV substitutes we do not want you to for the ...

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