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 726 to 750 of 975 results

726. The Only Place of Worship

Deuteronomy 12:1-32

Understanding Series

Christopher J. H. Wright

... s people. There is the call for total renunciation of all other names than the saving, covenant name of Yahweh. The careful identification and rejection of idolatry is as pressing a need in the modern church as in ancient Israel, just as the temptation to yield to the seduction of the gods of our day is as real now as then. There is the rich and liberating call for wholehearted rejoicing before God, which, by consecrating all of life to God, liberates the ordinary and the “secular” to be enjoyed under ...

727. Stubborn Israel

Isaiah 48:1-11

Understanding Series

John Goldingay

... (see 43:1–7; 44:1–5). This is not the result of mere softness. Yahweh will muzzle wrath for my own name’s sake, for the sake of my praise (v. 9), for my own sake (v. 11, repeated): How can I let myself be defamed? I will not yield my glory to another. It would be superficially more comforting for the community to be told that Yahweh will stay with it because of love, but it is at least as sure an argument when Yahweh remembers the logic that Moses had pressed at Sinai (see Exod. 32:11–13 ...

728. The Glory Departs

Ezekiel 8:1-18, Ezekiel 9:1-11, Ezekiel 10:1-22, Ezekiel 11:1-15, Ezekiel 11:16-25

Understanding Series

Steven Tuell

... eastern gate complex of his visionary temple in Ezek. 40:5–16; see also the description of the chambers associated with the inner gates in 40:44–46. 8:8 Now dig into the wall. Still today, many scholars emend the text in an effort to yield a rational reading (e.g., Blenkinsopp, Ezekiel, p. 54, who suggests that the language of Ezek. 12:5 influences the passage). The point is that Ezekiel is going deeper and deeper into horror as secret, hidden abominations are being revealed to him (Hals, Ezekiel, p. 52 ...

729. Riddles and Metaphors

Ezekiel 15:1-8, Ezekiel 16:1-63, Ezekiel 17:1-24

Understanding Series

Steven Tuell

... amulah derives from maleʾ, meaning “be full,” while libbatek relates to Aram. labbah and Akkadian libbatu, meaning “anger” (P. V. Mankowski, Akkadian Loanwords in Biblical Hebrew [HSS 47; Winona Lake, Ind.: Eisenbrauns, 2000], pp. 77–80). Both Aramaic and Babylonian texts yield a phrase very like this one, meaning “be filled with anger.” Hence, many scholars have proposed that the best reading for this phrase in Ezek. 16:30 is “How furious I am with you!” (e.g., BDB, p. 525; NJPS footnote ...

730. Two Adulterous Sisters

Ezekiel 23:1-49

Understanding Series

Steven Tuell

... weapons” in the NIV (MT hotsen) is a puzzle, as the word appears only here. The LXX reading “from the north,” which NRSV follows, is unlikely. NJPS suggests “fleets [of chariots].” Galambush (Jerusalem, pp. 73, 76) proposes amending the h to kh, yielding a hypothetical Heb. term related to the Arabic word for “stallion.” The NIV, with Block (Ezekiel 1–24, p. 751) and Greenberg (Ezekiel 21–37, p. 481) follows Tg., which understands this word as a generic introduction to the list of weaponry ...

731. The Law of the Temple

Ezekiel 43:13-27, Ezekiel 44:1-31, Ezekiel 45:1-12, Ezekiel 45:13--46:24

Understanding Series

Steven Tuell

... Cooke, Ezekiel, pp. 498–99; Wevers, Ezekiel, p. 225; Eichrodt, Ezekiel, p. 567; Zimmerli, Ezekiel 2, p. 474; Hals, Ezekiel, p. 324). However, Ezekiel’s style, and the style of his editors, is often difficult. The reading found in the MT is meaningful, yielding a measure of sixty shekels to the mina. The Elephantine Papyri (specifically AP 15, which deals with the bride price in this Egyptian Jewish colony) assume a system of ten shekels to the karash. From a Babylonian cuneiform inscription on a Persian ...

732. Parables Discourse: Importance of Response to the Kingdom Message

Matthew 13:1-23

Teach the Text

Jeannine K. Brown

... the gospel by the “good soil.” This soil represents the person who hears and understands the message of the kingdom and therefore produces a bumper crop. A harvest of thirty, sixty, or one hundred times the original seed sown indicates an amazing yield. What begins as small and seemingly insignificant will surpass expectations, a motif woven throughout the Parables Discourse. Teaching the Text Jesus teaches that the kingdom has an element of hiddenness in the present time that takes eyes of faith to see ...

733. The Exorcism of a Child Develops a Humble Model for Faith

Mark 9:14-32

Teach the Text

Grant R. Osborne

... little people” (see “Theological Themes” in the introduction) who exemplify the kind of discipleship Jesus requires of his followers. Everything is possible for one who believes. This does not mean that faith imparts an omniscience to the believer and God is required to yield anything demanded by one with faith (see further on 11:22–24). It does mean that the limitless power of God is available to anyone who will trust entirely in Jesus (cf. Phil. 4:13, 19). This is one of Jesus’s key statements ...

734. The Resurrection of Jesus and the Promise of Victory

Mark 16:1-20

Teach the Text

Grant R. Osborne

... awe that they felt. They said nothing to anyone. The first half of this verse is in agreement with Matthew 28:8, where the women “hurried away . . . afraid,” but Matthew adds “yet filled with joy, [they] ran to tell the disciples.” Mark yields quite the opposite impression. In all three of the other Gospels the women faithfully fulfill their mission. Yet here their terror forces a complete silence on them, and they say nothing to anyone. The ending of Mark’s masterwork (see “Additional Insights ...

735. Use It or Lose It

Luke 19:11-27

Teach the Text

R.T. France

... has earned five more. The two successful slaves have achieved different levels of success starting from the same endowment (by contrast, in Matthew the amounts entrusted vary, but the rate of success is the same). Is this feature intended, like the different levels of yield from the seed in Mark’s and Matthew’s versions of the parable of the sower (Mark 4:8, 20), to recognize that disciples may vary in their capacity for success? God expects and rewards faithful service, even though not all will be able ...

736. Christian Success and Christlikeness

1 Corinthians 4:1-21

Teach the Text

Preben Vang

... to equate human success with divine approval. Who, after all, can argue against “success,” even Christian success? Paul’s approach runs contrary, however. Refusing to rely on his own creative abilities and ingenuity, he trusts his imitation of Christ to yield stronger long-term results for God’s kingdom than approaches that draw immediate applause. What looks like “anti-success” to the culture, and to many in the church, is Paul’s example of what it means to follow Christ. Self-dependence ...

737. Marriage, Sexual Intimacy, and Spiritual Devotion

1 Corinthians 7:1-40

Teach the Text

Preben Vang

... ’s use of “obligation” (NIV: “marital duty”) should in this context be understood as relational rather than legal. He is not referencing “rightful claims” but speaking pastorally about the significance of spousal intimacy and the protective quality this yields in a society where sexual temptations run rampant. Along with the marriage vow come spousal responsibilities. Intimacy ranks high on such a list. 7:4 The wife does not have authority . . . the husband does not have authority. Again ...

738. Worship and Humility

1 Corinthians 11:17-34

Teach the Text

Preben Vang

... this word of liberation and pastoral guidance (see, for example, 1 Cor. 7). Gospel informed, Paul’s directives run contrary to the ordinary customs in Roman Corinth, where a phrase like “a husband does not have authority over his own body but yields it to his wife” (7:4) would sound odd—if not completely off. Teaching the Text 1. Erasing socioeconomic distinctions in the church community has not become easier since Paul wrote these verses. The form may have changed, and the outrageous expressions ...

739. Many Parts, One Body

1 Corinthians 12:12-31

Teach the Text

Preben Vang

... to the role of the patron as the benefactor of the weak.[12] guidance. The Greek word kybern?seis, sometimes translated as “administration” or “leadership,” points to those who are given directive roles.[13] The English word “administration” tends to yield a different sense from what Paul expresses here. tongues. Tongues were a particular problem in Corinth as they divided rather than unified, not only because some tried to parade their spiritual superiority by using this gift in high-profile ...

740. The Focus of Christian Worship

1 Corinthians 14:26-40, 1 Corinthians 14:1-25

Teach the Text

Preben Vang

... of whom must recognize that God has given other members power to evaluate the truth of their speech (14:29). Paul’s description of prophecy is not one of ecstasy; prophets can control whether or not to speak. Therefore, they can submit to order and yield the floor at will when God gives a new revelation to another person. 14:33b–35 Women should remain silent in the churches. Rounding up his discussion on worship, Paul reaches back to his earlier discussion in chapter 11 on the behavior of women and ...

741. The Garden City as Paradise Transformed

Revelation 22:1-5

Teach the Text

J. Scott Duvall

... into the very presence of God’s Spirit (7:16; 21:6; 22:17). They cannot possibly live any closer to the Triune God than they will in the transformed paradise. 22:2b On each side of the river stood the tree of life, bearing twelve crops of fruit, yielding its fruit every month. And the leaves of the tree are for the healing of the nations. The river of living water that flows through the heart of the garden city (cf. 21:21) is surrounded by the tree(s) of life. Although the term “tree” is singular ...

742. Lamps, Cakes, and the Blasphemer

Lev 24:1-23

Teach the Text

Joe M. Sprinkle

... the offender through stoning. Interpretive Insights 24:2 clear oil of pressed olives. The clear (or “pure” [ESV]) olive oil was “pressed,” better rendered as “beaten” (ESV, KJV, NASB, NRSV). Olive oil extracted by hand pounding with a mortar and pestle yields oil that is purer and burns more cleanly than that obtained by ordinary pressing.2 the lamps . . . kept burning continually. Compare Exodus 27:21–22. The seven lamps of the golden lampstand, the menorah (Exod. 25:31–40), are kept in ...

743. Saul’s Finest Hour

1 Sam 11:1-15

Teach the Text

Robert B. Chisholm Jr.

... Hebrew Bible where the verbs “cut” (natah) and “sent” (shalah) are used together (Judg. 19:29; 20:6). The author may very well intend that we compare the two stories, especially since Jabesh Gilead plays a significant role in both. Such a comparison yields thematic correlations. In contrast to the Levite, Saul cuts up and sends to the tribes the body parts of a team of oxen, not a murdered woman. He is rallying Israelites to rescue fellow Israelites, rather than to kill their brothers. Furthermore ...

744. God’s Protection Takes the Form of a Faithful Friend

1 Samuel 20:1-42

Teach the Text

Robert B. Chisholm Jr.

... and to his chosen servant necessitates self-denial and sometimes places one in harm’s way. Jonathan is a paradigm of obedience and submission. Even though he is the heir apparent to Saul’s throne, he refuses to follow the path of personal ambition or yield to his father’s sinful wishes (20:31). Indeed, he sincerely pledges his loyalty to the chosen king and prays for his success (20:13–17), even though his decision makes him the object of his father’s wrath and jeopardizes his life (20:30–33 ...

745. Séance in Endor: Bad News from Beyond the Grave

1 Samuel 28:1-25

Teach the Text

Robert B. Chisholm Jr.

... , and prophets are legitimate means of divine revelation in ancient Israel, in contrast to mediums/spiritists. The Urim and Thummim may have been marked lots or objects that would provide a simple “yes” or “no” answer. One thinks that this device would easily yield an answer, so it is puzzling why Saul receives none. But based on a parallel from ancient Assyria, it may be that one needs to receive the same answer multiple times in succession for an answer to be legitimate. This would more readily ...

746. Job Presents Evidence against the Retribution Principle

Job 12:1--14:22

Teach the Text

Daniel J. Estes

... ’s insult in 11:12, Job insists that he is not inferior to them in his understanding, despite what they think. He describes what they have said as mere platitudes rather than genuine insight. Because Job is confident of his own grasp of wisdom, he does not yield to their arguments. Instead, he maintains his stand and does not back down under their verbal barrage. Nevertheless, Job will at last come to realize that he also does not understand as much as he has supposed (42:1–6). 12:4 I have become a ...

747. Eliphaz Turns Up His Criticism of Job

Job 15:1-35

Teach the Text

Daniel J. Estes

... for a more precise and nuanced statement of how God deals with humans. Because Eliphaz is convinced that he understands how God works in his world, he takes an objective, analytical approach to life. To him, life is a calculation that yields definitive results. Job, however, senses that his past understanding of how the world functions has been turned upside down by his experience of adversity. His agitated passion reflects the turmoil in his heart and mind. Eliphaz faults Job for this intense emotion ...

748. Job Feels under Attack by God

Job 16:1-17:16

Teach the Text

Daniel J. Estes

... that death is in reality corruption, and that it is not a source of genuine hope. Job is therefore left with no hopeful prospect in life for the present, or in death in the future. If he has no hope either in life or in death, then he must either yield to despair or find hope in some other source. By asking “Where then is my hope?” Job frames the right question, but he does not as yet know the right answer. That answer will come to Job only when Yahweh finally speaks to him in chapters 38–41. 17:16 ...

749. Job Hears the Whispers of God’s Works

Job 26:1--31:40

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Daniel J. Estes

... was just using Yahweh to get the blessings he could gain from him, Job insists that he will never abandon his conviction that he is innocent, no matter what it might cost him. Job is certain that he has not sinned against God, so he adamantly refuses to yield his claim of innocence. He will not sin against his conscience, regardless of the pressure that his friends bring to bear on him or how grievously his adversity weighs upon him. 27:7 May my enemy be like the wicked! Just as Job is convinced of his ...

750. “The Lord Watches over the Way of the Righteous”

Psalm 1:1-6

Teach the Text

C. Hassell Bullock

... arrangement. On the other hand, the one whose “delight is in the law of the Lord” (1:2) is characterized by permanence also (“like a tree planted by streams of water,” 1:3), but a permanence that, like a deeply rooted and well-nourished tree, yields its fruit in the proper season (1:3). This is in stark contrast to the wicked, whom “the wind blows away” (1:4). In this world of rapid change one’s spiritual constancy can be a remedy that results in emotional wholeness. Illustrating the Text ...

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