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 1409 results

1201. Job’s Reply to Eliphaz

Job 6:1–7:21

Teach the Text

Daniel J. Estes

Job’s Frustration with His Friends Big Idea: Job’s adversity shapes how he views God, his friends, and himself. Understanding the Text After Eliphaz’s first speech in Job 4–5, Job responds in chapters 6 and 7. In chapter 6, Job indirectly refers in a few places to what Eliphaz has said, but he does not actually refute him point by point. Job’s speech, rather, is an emotional outburst in which he defends himself and attacks his friends. Job is clearly frustrated with his painful situation (6:1–13) and with ...

1202. A Lesson Learned from a Snake

Luke 19:1-10

Sermon

King Duncan

Mrs. Billie Cannon--a Knoxville, Tennessee homemaker--was preparing to paint her back porch. In order to protect the floor, she very carefully placed around the edges of the floor a strip of Scotch tape--the kind with adhesive on both sides. It was her plan to place a drop cloth over the floor and secure it with the tape. Having succeeded in placing the tape around the entire surface, she went back inside the house to get a drop cloth. Returning to the porch sometime later, she found that all of her ...

1203. Threat of Starvation

Exodus 16:1-36

One Volume

Gary M. Burge

A month later in the Desert of Sin the Israelites’ circumstances are so bleak that they voice their desire to return to Egypt, representing their previous estate in rosy colors complete with pots of meat and all the food they want. Their grumbling against Moses and Aaron prompts a response from the Lord; the Israelites will see manifested in the wilderness the glory and power of God in his benevolent provision. They will have meat in the evening and bread in the morning to meet their daily needs. In this ...

1204. Solomon's Officials and Governors

1 Kings 4:1-28

One Volume

Gary M. Burge

4:1–10:29 Review · Constructive Criticism:We assume this text is written for an audience that has experienced the crisis of Jerusalem’s collapse, as an unflinching narrative designed to rebuild the faith of Israel in exile and beyond. Up to this point in 1 Kings, Solomon has established his kingdom and been given tremendous gifts, though small seeds of doubt have also been planted. 4:1–28 · The next major section of the narrative recounts the highlights of the reign. Amid great construction projects, a ...

1205. The Widow of Zarephath

1 Kings 17:7-24

One Volume

Gary M. Burge

When the water supply of Cutoff Creek is cut off, it creates an opportunity for a shift in spatial setting, and Elijah’s sojourn to the Sidonian widow dovetails with a number of broader themes in the story (17:7–16). The widow, vulnerable in the present, acquainted with grief and loss in the past, is gathering sticks for a last supper amid arid sterility. But she submits to the (counterintuitive) prophetic word and experiences life, as a substitute for death. Elijah’s journey deep into Sidonian territory ...

1206. Elijah on Mt Carmel

1 Kings 18:16-46

One Volume

Gary M. Burge

The confrontation between Elijah and the prophets of Baal on Mount Carmel (18:16–40) is a dramatic and well-known episode, and three aspects of Elijah’s words should be highlighted. First, the prophet’s accusation (literally, he asks the people, “how long will you hobble on two sticks?”) encapsulates the vacillating tendencies of the general population. Ahab and the prophets of Baal are not Elijah’s only opponents in this contest: also on trial is the spiritual paralysis that stems from a lack of real ...

1207. Proverbs of Solomon

Proberbs 10:1--22:16

One Volume

Gary M. Burge

10:1–29:27 Review · Proverbial Collections: Advanced Instruction in Wisdom: If one views Proverbs 1–9 as a basic introduction to proverbial wisdom, then chapters 10–29 serve as the advanced course. Or, to express it differently, the prologue presents and commends wisdom, while the collections that follow illustrate the scope and variety of situations in which wisdom is advantageous (without absolutely guaranteeing success) if employed properly and in a timely manner. Proverbs 1–9 also gives the reader a ...

1208. The King and the Maiden Banter

Song of Songs 1:1-17

One Volume

Gary M. Burge

1:1–3:5 Review · The Shulammite Maiden: The title of the book, both English and Hebrew, is taken from the first verse. Literally translated, the verse reads, “the song of songs, which is of Solomon.” The expression “song of songs” is an idiom for the superlative in Hebrew—“the best song.” The word “song” is a generic term for any happy, festival song (cf. Isa. 24:9; 30:29). The possessive pronoun attributing the work to Solomon, if original, is ambiguous at best. The opening sections of the poem find the ...

1209. Not One is Upright

Jeremiah 5:1-31, Jeremiah 6:1-30

One Volume

Gary M. Burge

So far, statements about Judah’s evil have been only sketches. Now the people (not only Jeremiah) are commanded to investigate the moral situation by means of a citywide poll (5:1–13) to show statistically, so to speak, that the place, like Sodom and Gomorrah (Gen. 18:23–33), totally lacks persons of integrity. And worse—people are outrightly defying the Lord. The poll gives warrant for God’s severe judgment. Were there even only one who would seek after truth, God would pardon the city! “Doing justice” ( ...

1210. Exhorter, Sentry, and Arbiter

Ezekiel 3:16-27

One Volume

Gary M. Burge

Because God twice tells Ezekiel to eat the scroll (3:1, 3), it may be that there was some reluctance on Ezekiel’s part. If so, he stands in the train of others such as Moses, Gideon, Jonah, and Jeremiah who were not initially euphoric about God’s call. Only Isaiah is eager and receptive from the start (Isaiah 6). It is not enough for Ezekiel to take the scroll into his mouth (3:1); he must ingest it as well (3:3). To his surprise the scroll tastes as sweet as honey. This simile reminds us of Psalms 19:10 ...

1211. A Prophecy Against Egypt

Ezekiel 29:1-21

One Volume

Gary M. Burge

29:1–32:32 Review · Egypt presented the greatest threat and challenge to Babylonian expansion in the Mediterranean world. For Ezekiel and Jeremiah, however, the Babylonians were God’s instrument of judgment, and accordingly they advanced a policy of nonresistance. The Egyptian attempt to throttle the Babylonian advance is the antithesis of all they preached. 29:1-21 · Verses 1–6a compare the Pharaoh (Hophra?) to the crocodile of the Nile. The king of Tyre deduced his divinity on the basis of the geography ...

1212. Fourth Vision - Joshua Cleansed

Zechariah 3:1-10

One Volume

Gary M. Burge

The first three visions had to do with God’s program regarding the establishment of Jerusalem as the center of God’s glory on earth. It will be filled to overflowing with a people living in the peace and security of God’s presence. Gentile dominion and oppression will have been removed. This is God’s work on behalf of his people. In the next two visions (the c units) the focus is on God’s ministry within the people themselves. In this vision he cleanses them, making them fit to enter his presence; in the ...

1213. I Wonder about God’s Will for My Life

Romans 12:1-2

Sermon

Charley Reeb

We have all seen them. As we drive down the road, there as plain as day. I am not sure who the source is, but they are certainly there—those signs from God on the highway. You know, the pitch black background with a white message from God. I saw one just the other day that read: “We need to talk” -God I got to thinking about those signs and asked myself: Wouldn’t it be nice if God really spoke to us this way? Wouldn’t it be nice if we were ever confused about something, all we would have to do is look at a ...

1214. The Power of Patience

Luke 2:22-40

Sermon

Charley Reeb

Let’s be honest. Many folks have a strong faith in God and are seeking his will in everything they do, but they are still waiting on God to answer their prayers. They could be praying for a new job, a relationship, an illness, a problem at work, or a personal struggle. They have prayed repeatedly and have sought God’s will and still there is no answer, no sign, no movement. Maybe you know someone like that? Perhaps that someone is you. If you are honest, you are growing really impatient with God. You don’t ...

1215. Pop Verses: Lamentations 3:22-23

Lamentations 3:22-23

Sermon

Charley Reeb

Today I continue our series “Pop Verses.” We are taking a closer look at some of the most popular Bible verses. We are finding out why they are so popular and how they apply to our lives. Quite often our favorite verses are just that – they’re verses. They’re not read in context. This can lead to a misunderstanding about the meaning of the verse. I believe this series is going to give us a lot of food for thought about these popular verses. Today we are going to focus on a couple of verses of scripture ...

1216. The Parable of the Ten Virgins

Matthew 25:1-13

Understanding Series

Robert H. Mounce

Parables of Judgment: Chapter 24 closed with a parable warning what will happen to servants who are unfaithful while the master is away. The same general theme continues throughout chapter 25. Like the foolish young women of verses 1–13, they will be excluded from the marriage feast; like the worthless servant who buries his talent, they will be thrown outside into the darkness (vv. 14–30); and like the “goats” who do not respond to the needy, they will suffer the fate of the devil and his angels (vv. 31– ...

1217. Divine Tenants

Matthew 21:33-46

Sermon

Kristin Borsgard Wee

My husband's first call as a pastor was to a small parish in North Carolina. The parsonage was on a large corner lot. The hill in the backyard was badly eroded with wide grooves running down to a little creek. Shortly after we moved in I learned that the US Forestry Service would give away 100 pine seedlings to anyone who would use them for soil conservation. I ordered the seedlings and went out one fine spring day to start planting pine trees. I was on my hands and knees planting seedlings when a neighbor ...

1218. To Drown Hell and Burn Heaven

Matthew 20:1-16

Sermon

Kristin Borsgard Wee

My dad was a good storyteller. He grew up on a farm in southern Minnesota in the days when there were no movie theaters or other kinds of entertainment, so my dad and his friends made their own fun. Judging by his stories, their entertainment involved a lot of pranks. Their imaginations really went wild at Halloween. Some of his stories I can't tell in public, but here's one I can tell. One Halloween night, my father and his friends snuck over to Uncle Ludwig's farm. They proceeded to systematically take ...

1219. Joseph: The Righteous Carpenter

Matthew 1:18-25

Sermon

Charley Reeb

I have learned that there is one thing you should never ask God for unless you have really thought through it. And that is patience. I asked God for patience several years ago and God has never forgotten it. I am getting really impatient about it! I am reminded of this whenever I am in traffic. Did you hear about the woman's car that stalled in traffic? She looked in vain under the hood to identify the cause, while the driver behind her leaned relentlessly on his horn. Finally she had enough. She walked ...

1220. Zophar

Job 11:1-20

Understanding Series

Gerald H. Wilson

11:1 The last of Job’s three friends makes his debut with rather breathtaking harshness. Zophar rejects Job’s claim to righteousness and even undermines his integrity by classifying Job’s claims as idle mockery which cannot go uncontested. The key to Zophar’s viewpoint is found in 11:6, where he clearly states that Job’s suffering is the result of his sin and is even less severe than deserved. While Zophar does hold out hope for Job, it has little to do with a confrontation with God. Such a collision would ...

1221. Elihu

Job 32:1--37:24

Understanding Series

Gerald H. Wilson

The Friends Conclude and Elihu Begins Excurses: Had the third cycle of dialogue between Job and his three friends been complete, we would expect to find Zophar’s concluding speech in response to Job at this point. However, at least in the canonical form of the book, Bildad’s truncated final speech (25:1–6), Job’s expanded concluding speech (chs. 26–31), the complete absence of any final speech by Zophar, and the opening comments in the following Elihu section, press the reader to understand this collapse ...

1222. The Lord Speaks

Job 38:1--41:34

Understanding Series

Gerald H. Wilson

God’s Appearance and Examination of Job Excursus: It should be clear from the outset that the fact God that appears in response to Job’s plea for a meeting immediately puts the lie to any claims to the contrary that Elihu and the other friends have made. God does appear in response to Job. His very appearance, therefore, proves Elihu’s earlier claim false—that God will not respond to Job because he has already spoken his final word of judgment in Job’s suffering. Deciding how to characterize this divine ...

1223. The King’s Thanksgiving for Military Victories

Psalm 18:1-50

Understanding Series

Craig C. Broyles

Psalm 18, which is also recorded with some variations in 2 Samuel 22, is a royal psalm, but relatively little of its language is the distinct prerogative of the king (only vv. 43–44 and 50). Many of its phrases are shared by Psalm 144, another royal psalm, and both psalms reveal a composite structure. Psalm 18 is an unusually long psalm, even among the royal psalms (see the comments on Ps. 89), probably because of its composite nature. Verses 1–6 and 16–19 read like a thanksgiving (Hb. tôdâ) of an ...

1224. Adultery

Matthew 5:27-30

Understanding Series

Robert H. Mounce

Sermon on the Mount: Kingdom Ethics and the Law: Matthew’s Gospel has a didactic purpose. Special emphasis is given to the message of Jesus. One of the distinct features of Matthew’s Gospel is that the teaching of Jesus is collected into five sections. The Sermon on the Mount (chaps. 5–7) is the first of these blocks. The others are Instructions to the Twelve (chap. 10), Parables of the Kingdom (chap. 13), Life in the Christian Community (chap. 18), and Eschatological Judgment (chaps. 23–25). Each block ...

1225. The Death of Jesus

Matthew 27:45-56

Understanding Series

Robert H. Mounce

27:45–53 Mark (15:25, 34–37) indicates that Jesus was placed on the cross about the third hour (nine a.m.) and died shortly after the ninth hour (three p.m.). His period of physical suffering was shorter than most: some hung for days before death claimed them. From the sixth hour until the ninth hour a supernatural darkness covered the entire land. It could not have been an eclipse of the sun, because Passover took place during the full moon. The prophet Amos spoke of a day in which God would “make the sun ...

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