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 1201 to 1225 of 4681 results

1201. Hagar and Ishmael

Genesis 16:1-16

Understanding Series

John E. Hartley

... her descendants (seed) beyond number. Hagar is the only woman in Genesis who received such a promise directly from God. Next the messenger blessed her with the promise that she would bear a son. Given the large number of pregnancies that did not come to full term and the number of deaths at childbirth in ancient times, this promise of bearing a healthy boy was an assuring word to Hagar. The messenger then spoke about the character of the child. Hagar was to name the child Ishmael, meaning “God has heard ...

1202. Abraham and Abimelech

Genesis 20:1-18

Understanding Series

John E. Hartley

... to be one who was willing to listen to God. So Abraham had misjudged the character of this ruler. Next, Abraham claimed on technical grounds that he had not lied, because Sarah was his sister through a common father. Since the intent of a statement bears greater moral weight than its factual accuracy, Abraham’s self-defense was very weak. Finally, Abraham made an amazing confession, saying that on leaving Haran the two of them had made a pact that wherever they went Sarah could show her love for him by ...

1203. Jacob’s Flocks Increase

Genesis 30:25-43

Understanding Series

John E. Hartley

... had been deceived was now besting the person who had deceived him by strictly adhering to the terms of their contract; the irony of Jacob’s success is rich. Additional Notes 30:27 Laban’s concession that he had prospered because God was blessing Jacob bears witness to God’s fulfilling his promise to Abraham that those who blessed him would be blessed (12:3). Laban had been good to Jacob by providing him wives. Divination is employed to learn about the future, not the past. Therefore, many propose that ...

1204. Jacob Apprehension in Meeting Esau

Genesis 32:1-32

Understanding Series

John E. Hartley

... responded that his name would no longer be Jacob, but Israel, because he had struggled with God and with men and had overcome. Israel means “God fights”; it may be emblematic for “you have fought with God.” This account is vital for the people who bear the name Israel; it records that their identity was defined in a special encounter with God. The changing of Jacob’s name reveals the power this opponent had over Jacob as well as his heavenly role, for in giving him a new name he altered either ...

1205. Judah and Tamar

Genesis 38:1-30

Understanding Series

John E. Hartley

... marriages. A major distinction between levirate marriage as described in this narrative and that prescribed in the laws of Deuteronomy is that here the father-in-law takes the initiative to have his sons accept their obligation, while in Deuteronomy the brother-in-law bears the responsibility. The law also contains an escape for a brother who does not want to accept his burden, but in this narrative there appear to be no grounds for escaping the obligation. 38:14 There is no known town in Cisjordan with the ...

1206. The Cupbearer and the Baker

Genesis 40:1-23

Understanding Series

John E. Hartley

... and that he had done nothing in Egypt to deserve being put in a dungeon, literally “pit” (bor). He lamented that he had been taken from one “pit” in Canaan and put in another “pit” in Egypt. The use of this loaded term bears witness to the depth of Joseph’s anguish at having to bear such ill fate. He was trying to impress the cupbearer so that he would show him kindness by speaking to Pharaoh in a way that would get him out of this prison. 40:16–19 Taking heart at the interpretation of the ...

1207. Jacob Blesses His Sons

Genesis 49:1-28

Understanding Series

John E. Hartley

... produce to foreign kings. His tribal allotment, which reached from the Jezreel Valley north along the coast, was among the most fertile areas in Canaan. 49:21 Naphtali was to be a freed doe, symbolic of grace, agility, speed, and shyness. Being fertile, she would bear numerous beautiful fawns. Naphtali left its roving to settle in the rich Huleh Valley, between the Lebanon mountains to the west and Bashan to the east. In Judges (4:6, 10; 5:18b) this tribe was praised for its efforts to help the other tribes ...

1208. The Only Place of Worship

Deuteronomy 12:1-32

Understanding Series

Christopher J. H. Wright

... to a specific central sanctuary, it is not necessarily implying a sole sanctuary for all Israel. There is an emphasis on the unity of Israel’s faith and worship, but that unity is to be founded on the legitimacy of being chosen by Yahweh and bearing Yahweh’s name, not necessarily on the numerical singularity of the place of worship. If Deut. had indeed intended the centralization of all worship on a single site, and that site is assumed to be Jerusalem, then the instructions for building an altar on Mt ...

1209. The Altar on Mount Ebal

Deuteronomy 27:1-8

Understanding Series

Christopher J. H. Wright

... milk and honey (cf. 11:9), just as the LORD, the God of your fathers, promised you (v. 3). The land itself will be an even greater monument to God’s grace than the stones erected upon it. The stones will bear witness to God’s covenant law. The land they stand on will bear witness to God’s covenant faithfulness. Even in physical symbolism, the law is grounded in grace. Fourthly, the whole event is to be bathed in worship (vv. 5–7). The instructions to build an altar follow closely the altar law of ...

1210. Renewal of the Covenant

Deuteronomy 29:1-29

Understanding Series

Christopher J. H. Wright

... smoldering wreckage after the judgment has indeed fallen. But in that perception Ezekiel sees the seeds of hope, for Yahweh will always finally act for the vindication of his own name (Ezek. 36:16–36). Only in that fact can there be a future for the people who bear that name and a future for the nations who will witness the restoration of God’s people. Additional Notes 29:19 Disaster on the watered land as well as the dry: The NIV inserts “land” as a way of making some sense of what was probably an ...

1211. 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

... holy place though they believed Lord to be enthroned invisibly above the cherubim, with the divine feet resting on the ark. But Ezekiel disassociates the Lord and his cherubim from the ark, and indeed from the temple itself. In fact, they are preparing to depart, bearing the chariot throne of God with them. Verses 3–4 stress another image of divine presence—the cloud. This recalls the storm imagery of 1:4, 28, as well as the revelation of the Lord on Sinai (e.g., Exod. 19:9, 16). In particular, however ...

1212. Oracles of Restoration

Ezekiel 34:1-31, Ezekiel 35:1-15, Ezekiel 36:1-38, Ezekiel 37:1-14, Ezekiel 37:15-28

Understanding Series

Steven Tuell

... , a board, a branch, or even a tree. The LXX of verses 16–17 renders ʿets as hrabdos, which often means “staff.” In Hebrew, the words for “staff” (shebet and matteh) can also mean “tribe” or “clan,” since the head of a tribe or clan bears a staff as a symbol of authority (see Num. 17:1–11). Often, then, interpreters have found in verses 16–17 a reference to two staves, symbolizing rulership over the two kingdoms of Judah and Israel. As Odell observes, the Black Obelisk of Shalmaneser ...

1213. A Prophecy Against Gog

Ezekiel 38:1-39:29

Understanding Series

Steven Tuell

... ,” p. 518). Similarly Codex Wirceburgensis, one of the oldest and best Latin witnesses, has ch. 37 immediately followed by ch. 40. A single page, or folio, of the Codex bearing 38:8–20 survives, but its proper placement is uncertain. The standard edition of the Codex places this page (and therefore these chapters) after the folio bearing 42:5–18, and before ch. 45 (as Zimmerli reports; Ezekiel 2, p. 24). However, Pierre-Maurice Bogaert argues that, as no clear reason is given for that particular order ...

1214. Epilogue to the Law of the Temple: River, Land, City

Ezekiel 47:1-12, Ezekiel 47:13-23, Ezekiel 48:1-29, Ezekiel 48:30-35

Understanding Series

Steven Tuell

... (v. 11). The trees growing along the river’s banks also prove to be miraculous—they are always in leaf, and bear fruit in all seasons, because the water from the sanctuary flows to them (v. 12). The trees not only provide food for ... to a side. The twelve gates of the city, three on each side, are named after the twelve tribes. The order of the tribes here bears no direct relation to the twelve tribes in the land allotment, though a similar principle may be at work: the Rachel tribes Joseph and Benjamin ...

1215. Jesus, Isaiah’s Servant of the Lord, Heals Many

Matthew 8:14-17, Matthew 8:5-13, Matthew 8:1-4

Teach the Text

Jeannine K. Brown

Big Idea: Matthew encourages his readers to trust in Jesus, as he brings the power of God’s kingdom to bear upon human sickness and suffering, both to Israel and as a foreshadowing of Gentile inclusion. Understanding the Text As Matthew’s earlier summary of Jesus’ teaching (4:23–25) indicates, Jesus’ messianic ... that I am breaking vows and a way of life that defined who I was, letting it all go to become who I am in Christ my Messiah. I can hardly bear it. Can you help me? Your loving daughter

1216. Jesus Announces His Impending Suffering and Death

Matthew 16:21-28

Teach the Text

Jeannine K. Brown

... Jesus does (20:25–28). It also means participating in and shaping a Christian community that is known for the way it restores relationship, forgives, and seeks out those who have strayed or are most vulnerable in the believing community (18:1–35). Bearing one’s cross, or self-denial, is not about holding a certain attitude; it is about doing actions (16:24–27), and, specifically, doing actions on behalf of others. It is not about self-loathing or eliminating the self from view; instead, it follows ...

1217. Jesus Demonstrates Messianic Authority over the Temple

Matthew 21:12-17, Matthew 21:18-22

Teach the Text

Jeannine K. Brown

... fruit again! Jesus’ cursing of this tree is another symbolic action, corresponding to his action of judgment upon the temple (21:12). The fruitlessness of this tree is an analogy to the temple that should be bearing fruit (prayer and worship [21:13–16]) but whose purpose is being obscured by commerce. 21:21 if you have faith and do not doubt. Matthew has highlighted the importance of faith for Jesus’ followers already at 17:20 and through the portrayal of various supplicants who trust Jesus for ...

1218. Parables of the Kingdom

Mark 4:1-20

Teach the Text

Grant R. Osborne

... one into an enemy of God (James 4:4) and will bring his wrath. As in Mark 4:18, desire for possessions deceives and leads to a life of worry, choking out the life of the Spirit (see also Rom. 8:1–13). 4. Receptivity is paramount to bearing kingdom fruit. According to the parable of the sower, receptivity is everything. As the seed addresses every person, the question is whether that seed is taking root and growing in a person’s life. I would apply this lesson/sermon to four groups in the church today ...

1219. The Path of Discipleship

Mark 8:31--9:1

Teach the Text

Grant R. Osborne

... in 2:14. There are three aspects. (1) “Denying self” is not just an ascetic self-denial of certain material or earthly things; rather, it is the rejection of the ascendancy of self, a refusal to allow self-interest to guide one’s life. (2) “Bearing a cross” was not a Jewish idiom (nowhere in Jewish literature) and so has special force, picturing the condemned prisoner as he carried the beam to the place of execution. No other metaphor could carry such horrifying force, since it was also a “curse ...

1220. Family in the New Kingdom Community

Mark 10:13-16, Mark 10:1-12

Teach the Text

Grant R. Osborne

... between God and humankind; God is an essential part of the “contract.” As such, there is no God-given basis for it to be dissolved, and God allows that only because of the sinfulness of the human heart. A key purpose of marriage is the bearing of children, so they too are a critical part of God’s community. Thus they are key components of the church and actually provide models of true disciples in their humility and openness to kingdom truths. Teaching the Text 1. Marriage is a lifelong covenant ...

1221. Government and Marriage

Mark 12:18-27, Mark 12:13-17

Teach the Text

Grant R. Osborne

... is such that the afterlife will lift God’s people above earthly things, even marriage and family. like the angels in heaven. The risen dead will be “like the angels” in the sense that they will be eternal beings who will not need to marry or bear children to continue the race. In another sense, we will not need to marry because we will know our current spouses (and everyone else) infinitely better than we know them now. It is often said that Jesus was also correcting the Sadducean denial of angels ...

1222. Jesus Is Tested in Gethsemane

Mark 14:32-42

Teach the Text

Grant R. Osborne

... directly in verse 36. In verse 35 Jesus makes his request conditionally. “If possible” means that God can do so if it is his will. The “hour” of verse 35 and the “cup” of verse 36 are synonymous, echoing 10:38–39, the cup of suffering and death. Jesus dreads bearing our sins (1 Pet. 2:24) and becoming sin for us (see on v. 33). Yet not what I will, but what you will. Jesus’s greater desire is for God’s will to be done, no matter the cost to himself. Here we see a true philosophy of prayer ...

1223. The Baptism of Jesus

Luke 3:21-38

Teach the Text

R.T. France

... . Popular Saying: There is an old saying that “the apple doesn’t fall too far from the tree.” When the Father spoke words of blessing and acceptance over his only Son at his baptism in the Jordan, he gave onlookers the expectation that Jesus would bear an accurate family resemblance in his ministry. Jesus was endorsed as a chip off the old rock of ages. Human Metaphor: Talk about the importance to a young person of being initiated into adulthood by parents. Ask your listeners to reflect on a time when ...

1224. “Unless You Repent . . .”

Luke 13:10-17, Luke 13:1-9

Teach the Text

R.T. France

... not yet faced judgment. 13:6–9 Then he told this parable. The word “repent” is not used in this parable, but the image of the fruitless fig tree that fails to change for the better is a clear symbol of failure to repent and to accept God’s rule. Bearing fruit occurs frequently in the Gospels as a metaphor for the lifestyle that God requires (see 3:8–9; 6:43–45; 8:8). The prophets sometimes used the fig tree as a symbol for Israel’s responsibility to God (Jer. 8:13; 24:1–10; Hosea 9:10, 16 ...

1225. The Priority of Love

1 Corinthians 13:1-13

Teach the Text

Preben Vang

... for the present time given to enable the continuation of Christ’s ministry, their significance is found only as they bear witness to Christ. Paul illustrates this by highlighting an exceedingly selfless act—giving everything one owns to the poor. ... what will become the norm. Just as the childish ways of the young are put aside when they are recognized as immature, gifts also bear witness to a greater time to come. Likewise, the promise of a dim mirror is the clarity of twenty-twenty vision. What the dim ...

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