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 1426 to 1450 of 4943 results

1426. Stand Firm

2 Thessalonians 2:13-17

One Volume

Gary M. Burge

... ). The verse reflects a common exhortation given to new converts (see Rom. 14:4; 1 Cor. 16:13; Gal. 5:1; Phil. 1:27; 4:1) to stay stable and faithful to the Lord in the face of opposition (see 1 Thess. 3:8). The particular concern here is their continued adherence to the teaching they received (2:2, 5; cf. 1 Thess. 4:1–2). The teachings were the sacred apostolic tradition handed down to them in the gospel (Rom. 6:17; 1 Cor. 11:23; 15:3; Jude 3). These traditions were not of human but divine origin and ...

1427. Final Greetings

2 Timothy 4:9-18, 2 Timothy 4:19-22

One Volume

Gary M. Burge

... 46; Ps. 22:1), so Paul has been abandoned by Demas. As the psalmist looked to God for “rescue” from lions (Ps. 22:20–21), Paul has experienced “rescue” at his preliminary hearing and expects, even at death, “rescue” into God’s heavenly kingdom. Paul continues to see his life as a union with Christ in his sufferings and glory (Phil. 3:10–11). Further, Paul still focuses on the work to which God has called him; he is grateful his duress has meant that “the message might be fully proclaimed ...

1428. Love without Limits

Acts 11:1-18

Sermon

Charley Reeb

... in the room across the hall?” I said, “Yes.” She said, “His name is Walter and he has been in the hospital for two weeks. He is dying of cancer, and no one ever comes to see him.” I responded, “No one?” She said, “No one.” She continued, “I don’t normally do this, but would you mind going in to see him?” I said, “Sure.” As I approached Walter’s room, the nurse said, “And, Chaplain, Walter is a very bitter man.” When I entered his room, I said, “Hello, Walter, my name is ...

1429. Good to Great

Ezekiel 45:3-5

Sermon

Charley Reeb

... it, and invest in it. Folks, it is the same way with our church. God has given us this wonderful church. It is filled with wonderful people and resources. It sits on prime real estate in this area, shining as a beacon of light for Christ. For our church to continue to thrive we must invest in it, cultivate it, fertilize it, give it time and money. Now there is that word again. Now let me say a word to those who are guests and visitors with us today. I know you didn’t come here today dreaming and hoping ...

1430. The Wind

Mark 1:4-11

Sermon

Charley Reeb

... were baptized. Pentecost should be the third great holiday of the church, next to Christmas and Easter, but most churches treat it as just another Sunday. This says a lot about the attitude of the modern church regarding the Holy Spirit. Yet, the words of John continue to echo today, “He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit.” They remind us that the church was born on the day of Pentecost when the Holy Spirit infused it with the power to change to world. I remember being invited to a birthday party. It ...

1431. Pop Verses: Jeremiah 29:11

Jeremiah 29:11

Sermon

Charley Reeb

... He knew if he waited confidently in the Lord, help would be on the way. The humble get the help. Today we hear Jeremiah continuing his message of hope. He is speaking on behalf of God as a prophet to the people of God who has been taken ... of hope, then what are they? I would like to know! God’s will is one of the biggest issues I deal with as a pastor. People continually come to me, desperately wanting to know God’s will. They often say, “I have a big decision, and I need to know what God wants me ...

1432. Talented People

Matthew 25:14-30

Sermon

David G. Rogne

... the servants was found wanting. There is no way to skip judgment. One way or another, we must turn in a report. We may think this accounting for how we have used our endowments is something that comes at the end of life, but the accounting process is going on continuously during life. We do not have to wait until the end of life to know how we are doing. We pay our bills monthly. We pay the IRS as we go. We pay the utilities regularly. It's easy to know how we are doing in our responsibilities to those ...

1433. The Jews and the Law

Romans 2:17-29

Understanding Series

James R. Edwards

... confidence after 2:1ff., all illusion is now dispelled as Paul calls them from their seats in the courtroom, nay, from the jury itself, and summons them to the defendant’s chair. The diatribe style is again resumed (vv. 17–20), but even in verses 21ff. the style continues to be accusatory. The argument of verses 17–29 is essentially the same as that of 2:1–3, but what Paul argued on the grounds of moral logic in 2:1–3 he measures by the straightedge of the law in 2:17–29. We will understand ...

1434. Righteousness Through Faith

Romans 3:21-31

Understanding Series

James R. Edwards

... ) and sprinkled blood on the east side of the ark as a remission for sins. The ark perished after the fall of Jerusalem under Nebuchadnezzar in the sixth century B.C. The second temple thus had no ark, although on the Day of Atonement the high priest continued to sprinkle the place where it had stood. See Str-B, vol. 3, pp. 165–85; and G. Davies, “Ark of the Covenant,” IDB, vol. 1, pp. 222–26. A full discussion of the theories of the atonement is presented by G. Aulen, Christus Victor, trans. G ...

1435. Death Through Adam, Life Through Christ

Romans 5:12-21

Understanding Series

James R. Edwards

... nature so that it is not free from sin, which they referred to as “total depravity.” This oft-misunderstood term does not mean that humanity is incapable of good; it simply means that humanity is incapable of saving itself. But Adam has not, continued the Reformers, conferred his guilt on the race. Human nature is hereditary, but guilt is a matter of personal responsibility. From a human perspective the problem of original sin is an unsolvable mystery. The boat will capsize whether one jumps to the one ...

1436. Dead to Sin, Alive in Christ

Romans 6:1-14

Understanding Series

James R. Edwards

... (i.e., something which occurs apart from human involvement), nor magical (i.e., the manipulation of supernatural power), baptism is an act of faith wherein God communicates the effects of Christ’s death and resurrection to the receptive heart. The train of thought continues in verse 4: we were buried with him. The metaphor proceeds from the act of dying to the fact of death. Baptism denotes the state of death in which the power and effects of sin are annulled. In addressing converts baptized as adults ...

1437. Israel's Unbelief

Romans 9:30--10:21

Understanding Series

James R. Edwards

... phrase is emphatically reinforced in Greek: my is emphatic, the reference to heart denotes Paul’s innermost sincerity, and the word for desire, which is practically unknown outside the Bible, means in this instance God’s will or good pleasure. The solemn tone continues in verse 2 with I can testify (Gk. martyrein), which bonds Paul to his Jewish kinsfolk. But there is also a measured distance between Paul and his fellow Jews. He is no longer testifying to “my brothers” and “my own race” (9:3 ...

1438. Ingrafted Branches

Romans 11:11-24

Understanding Series

James R. Edwards

... do, consider this: You do not support the root, but the root supports you (v. 18). The power of life is in the root, not in the branches. There is no salvation apart from Jesus the Jew, there is no church which is not an engrafting into and a continuance of God’s work in Israel. There is but one tree, one people of God. Another offshoot of the illustration pertains to the theme of judgment. Consider … the kindness and sternness of God, says Paul (v. 22). Do not be arrogant, but be afraid. For if God did ...

1439. Marriage

1 Corinthians 7:1-40

Understanding Series

Marion L. Soards

... with utter seriousness and offered it in its briefest, unqualified form: a wife must not separate from her husband. 7:11 The series of phrases in this verse is remarkable. Because of its printed form, the NIV can be misread as if this line were continuing the command of the Lord from the previous verse. Nothing could be more wrong. A better presentation is that of the NRSV, which correctly places verse 11 in parentheses. In this verse, Paul states a real possibility—that despite the command of the Lord a ...

1440. Idol Feasts and the Lord's Supper

1 Corinthians 10:14-22

Understanding Series

Marion L. Soards

... Eph. 6:5; Col. 3:22). In essence Paul is pointing here to the theologically correct practices of Israel in the context of the world (the present evil age) independent of the Christ event. His comments assume some kind of theological, though not practical, continuity between the altar services to God and the celebration of the Lord’s Supper. The OT materials underlying Paul’s discussion are found in Lev. 7 and Deut. 12–18, esp. 18. The reference to participation in the altar is a typical, pious ancient ...

1441. The Lord's Supper

1 Corinthians 11:17-34

Understanding Series

Marion L. Soards

... channels of communication guaranteed the veracity of the tradition that was passed along from one person to another. Thus, in saying, I received from the Lord what I also passed on to you, Paul establishes both the authority and reliability of the teaching. As he continues, Paul alludes to the Lord Jesus, a frequent manner of reference that here has the concrete, historic effect of recalling the historical Jesus and a specific time in his life. Paul does not belabor this point, however, although the way he ...

1442. One Body, Many Parts

1 Corinthians 12:12-31

Understanding Series

Marion L. Soards

... principal theme of unity. As important as the recognition of diversity is for the life of the church, Paul still wants to emphasize the overall or transcending purposeful unity of God’s activity: there are many parts, but one body. Therefore, as he continues, Paul again develops his thinking about this subject as he declares that unity reflects divine design. Paul develops the assertion that unity is necessary by relating his thought to the motif of mutual care in the church. One part of the body cannot ...

1443. Love

1 Corinthians 13:1-13

Understanding Series

Marion L. Soards

... in 13:2, but it is not clear that the same sense is intended here (see esp. Paul’s “faith-talk” in Romans and Galatians). Nevertheless, faith becomes the foundation for Christian life. In turn, hope emanates from faith (13:7), but as the lines continue one sees that Paul’s purpose in developing his argument in this manner is to establish the superiority of love, as he already stated in 12:31b. Interpreters debate whether 13:13 means that faith, hope, and love are valid and remain valid eternally or ...

1444. Gifts of Prophecy and Tongues

1 Corinthians 14:1-25

Understanding Series

Marion L. Soards

... will do both! He will pray and sing with his spirit, but also he will pray and sing with his mind. The believer is not confronted in Paul’s deliberation with a strict either-or decision. The matter is more complex, and so Paul continues to explain. 14:16 In a second argument, Paul pictures an imaginary situation to make the point that the concern for others, both Christians and non-Christians, orients the practicing Christian enthusiast and grounds enthusiasm in sensible reality. Paul refers to the other ...

1445. The Resurrection of the Dead

1 Corinthians 15:12-34

Understanding Series

Marion L. Soards

... One man introduced death, and another man introduced the resurrection of the dead. Fortunately, Paul elaborates and interprets his statement in the next verses. 15:22 Paul signals that he intends to explain by beginning this verse with the words For as (Gk. hōsper) and continuing in mid-sentence, so (Gk. houtos). Paul specifically names Adam and Christ and refers to them so that one sees clearly that they are the two of whom he wrote in verse 21—in Adam all die … in Christ all will be made alive. Paul ...

1446. The Scroll and the Lamb

Revelation 5:1-14

Understanding Series

Robert W. Wall

... , Luke’s Jesus announced from the beginning to the end of his messianic mission that God’s promised salvation had begun “today” (Luke 4:21; 19:9; 23:43). And John’s Jesus told his followers that in his physical absence, his Spirit would continue to impart truth and grace to them. Currently, then, it is in the spiritual realm of the community’s righted relationship with God that the Spirit of the Risen Christ works to transform and empower God’s people in the historical realm. However, the ...

1447. The Seventh Trumpet

Revelation 11:15-19

Understanding Series

Robert W. Wall

... , made by Christ (5:10), to end the rule of those pretenders to God’s throne. It is John’s expectation that a life and faith that is an alternative to the world order will yield trials and tribulation. Evil is a defeated foe even though it continues to kick and struggle in the grasp of a victorious God. The first (i.e., present) stage of this new age of God’s salvation is dynamic and full of conflict simply because the realities of God’s salvation are breaking into the life of faithful disciples ...

1448. The Rider on the White Horse

Revelation 19:11-21

Understanding Series

Robert W. Wall

... composition; indeed, the new covenant has already been established for God by the slain Lamb, and the “kingdom of the world” has already been defeated and replaced by the reign of God and God’s Christ. The reader will find, therefore, thematic continuity between this and previous sections of John’s vision (esp. Rev. 2–3; 7; 12–13). The essential difference, besides a temporal one, is spatial. This final section of Revelation tells the story of the future apocalyptic eruption of God’s salvation ...

1449. The Burnt Offering (II)

Leviticus 6:8-13

Understanding Series

W. H. Bellinger, Jr.

... (torah) to the priests. The section centers on the altar fire and the ashes. The priests are instructed to keep the offering on top of the altar overnight and to ensure that the fire does not go out. The continuity of the fire may symbolize divine presence continuing with the community. The remainder of the section deals with the removal of the ashes from the altar. The priest is to be attired appropriately and place the ashes beside the altar. His linen clothes are religious garments and provide ...

1450. Various Laws

Leviticus 19:1-37

Understanding Series

W. H. Bellinger, Jr.

... to overcome it in their relationships. The concern is that the holy people of God are to live in justice, and the ethical demands flowing from that concern include care for the weak, such as the resident alien. 19:35–37 The concern continues in the last verses of this chapter. The motivation is again a theological one. God delivered the people from slavery and created a community for them. In turn, the people now carry responsibility for following divine instruction for the good of the community. These ...

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