Sermon and Worship Resources

Showing 2476 to 2500 of 3099 results

2476. “May Your Unfailing Love Be with Us, Lord”

Psalm 33:1-22

Teach the Text

C. Hassell Bullock

... miracle at the Red Sea elicited from Israel the fear of the Lord (Exod. 14:31), the response to which the psalmist calls “all the earth” (33:8). In addition to making the story of creation and redemption a single narrative, our psalmist breaks this subject out to include the particulars of history (33:10–19). In broadest outline, the Lord is sovereign over the plans and purposes of the nations, foiling their designs but making his firm and secure (33:10–11), a normal outgrowth of his authority over ...

2477. “The Span of My Years Is as Nothing before You”

Psalm 39:1-13

Teach the Text

C. Hassell Bullock

... (39:1–3), because when he emerges from his self-imposed silence, they are the concern of the first prayer he prays: “Show me, Lord, my life’s end” (39:4a). We should point out to our congregation or class that this psalm typically treats its subject in less than a systematic way, although we can discover the dimensions of the topic by a careful reading of the psalm. The central topic, in fact, is marked off by an inclusio, “Everyone is but a breath” (39:5c and 11c). Between these duplicate ...

2478. “I Waited Patiently for the Lord; He Turned to Me and Heard My Cry”

Psalm 40:1-17

Teach the Text

C. Hassell Bullock

... illusion that contains two different images combined into one, such as the old lady and the young woman or the two faces in profile that form a candlestick. What makes these images fascinating is that some people will immediately see one subject while others will quickly recognize another. This is simply a difference in perspective. In the same way, when people face life challenges, some are energetic and hopeful, while others are discouraged and defeated. What’s the difference? Perspective plays a key ...

2479. “As the Deer Pants for Streams of Water, So My Soul Pants for You, My God”

Psalm 42:1-11, Psalm 43:1-5

Teach the Text

C. Hassell Bullock

... the two poems is indicated by these factors: (1) they share a refrain (42:5, 11; 43:5); (2) Psalm 43 has no title (Ps. 71 is the only other exception in Book 2); (3) both psalms share the lament meter of 3+2; and (4) they share a similar subject.1 The psalm is an individual lament, stating the reason for the lament, which is the psalmist’s inability to visit the Jerusalem sanctuary (42:1, 4, 6; 43:3–4) and the mockery of his compatriots (42:3, 9; 43:2), evidently because of his religious devotion (43:1 ...

2480. “For Your Sake We Face Death . . . as Sheep to Be Slaughtered”

Psalm 44:1-26

Teach the Text

C. Hassell Bullock

... that final verse, one wonders if his mind recalled the final word of the Hebrew psalm alongside the Greek, which moved him to comment: “No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us” (Rom. 8:37). Outline/Structure In terms of subject matter, Psalm 44 falls into two main sections: the review of God’s gift of the land of Canaan (44:1–3), and the lament that God has failed to honor the people’s faithfulness (44:4–26). Another way to outline the psalm is to listen ...

2481. “No One Can Redeem the Life of Another or Give to God a Ransom for Them”

Psalm 49:1-20

Teach the Text

C. Hassell Bullock

... toward wealth that magnifies the material and depreciates the spiritual. Theological Insights There are few realities in life that bring the individual face-to-face with God as does the reality of death. Yet death has its detractors, two of which are the subject of this psalm: wealth and power. The psalmist feels threatened by the power that accompanies wealth. The dark clouds of an “evil day” have gathered, created by “those who trust in their wealth and boast of their great riches” (49:5–6). In ...

2482. “God Looks Down from Heaven . . . to See If There Are Any Who Understand”

Psalm 53:1-6

Teach the Text

C. Hassell Bullock

... s perspective there really is no such thing as a “respectable sin.” We must acknowledge our own sinful nature and seek the Lord with our heart, soul, and mind. Is sin exclusively a religious thing? Quote: The Seven Deadly Sins, by Solomon Schimmel. The subjects of Psalm 53 have practically or intellectually cut themselves off from God (“There is no God,” 53:1), but the psalmist knows that denying God does not remove him from the equation—God still “looks down from heaven on all mankind” (53:2 ...

2483. “They Will Proclaim the Works of God and Ponder What He Has Done”

Psalm 64:1-10

Teach the Text

C. Hassell Bullock

... While in 63:11 the king is rejoicing in God, the picture is completed in 64:10, adding all of God’s people to the king’s rejoicing. Wilson suggests that Psalms 56–68 form a group of poems that have an increasingly expansive emphasis on God’s subjection of the nations (67:3–4, 7) and their acknowledgment of his power, with the effect that the nations join in the universal chorus of praise (66:1, 4, 8; 67:3–5; 68).1 Outline/Structure Psalm 64 is composed of essentially four parts: 1. Petition (64 ...

2484. “When We Were Overwhelmed by Our Sins, You Forgave Our Transgressions”

Psalm 65:1-13

Teach the Text

C. Hassell Bullock

... as the redemption of Israel from Egypt, reduces in many biblical contexts to the personal transaction of God’s forgiveness, as it does here. Redemption is never theoretical. Then the psalm moves to the topic of creation in verse 6 and stretches that subject out to the beautiful metaphors and language of the remainder of the psalm. Creation: Who formed the mountains by your power, having armed yourself with strength, who stilled the roaring of the seas, the roaring of their waves, and the turmoil of the ...

2485. “Zeal for Your House Consumes Me”

Psalm 69:1-36

Teach the Text

C. Hassell Bullock

... and participation in his sufferings, becoming like him in his death” (Phil. 3:7, 10; see also 2 Thess. 1:5; Heb. 13:13). As the Western world becomes more secular, we discover that our religious convictions are less respected and subject to subtle, even blatant, attacks. David’s steadfastness can help us restore our equilibrium and maintain the courage of our faith convictions. This compelling interest in God’s kingdom, taken as a spiritual discipline, will make us less critical of “those ...

2486. “The Lord Is Great!”

Psalm 70:1-5

Teach the Text

C. Hassell Bullock

... good as to be “like God”—he was God. Now, this is not just a pious commonplace; it is not a commonplace at all. For what it means is this, among other things: that for whatever reason God chose to make man as he is—limited and suffering and subject to sorrows and death—he [God] had the honesty and the courage to take his own medicine. Whatever game he is playing with his creation, he has kept his own rules and played fair. He can exact nothing from man that he has not exacted from himself.2 Bloom ...

2487. “Even When I Am Old and Gray, Do Not Forsake Me, My God”

Psalm 71:1-24

Teach the Text

C. Hassell Bullock

... the census (1 Chron. 21:1). It was not until Israel had become very confident in their monotheistic faith, which happened in the Babylonian exile, that the Old Testament began to distinguish the causes of good and evil. Teaching the Text The subject of this psalm is very personal for the suppliant, evidenced by the pronouns “I,” “me,” and “my,” as it is also for many who read this commentary: the emotional expressions, as well as the physical maladies, of advancing age. Yet those circumstances ...

2488. God Subjugates Judah under Babylon

Daniel 1:1-21

Teach the Text

Ronald W. Pierce

Big Idea: The incomparable Lord is sovereign over all earthly kingdoms, holding rulers and subjects alike accountable for sin and challenging believers to spiritual fidelity. Understanding the Text Daniel 1:1–21 introduces the narratives of chapters 1–6, which reflect the writer’s perspective on the approximately seventy years of Judean exile (605–538 BC) alluded to in verses 1 and 21 and throughout ...

2489. The Image of Gold and the Fiery Furnace

Daniel 3:1-30

Teach the Text

Ronald W. Pierce

... which reflects ethnicity. This is court jealousy, as in the singling out of Daniel in chapter 6, not anti-Jewish persecution. whom you have set over the affairs of the province of Babylon. Pointing out Nebuchadnezzar’s responsibility for these disloyal subjects is an implicit attack on his abilities as king. The use of the Judeans’ Babylonian names without reference to their Hebrew names (cf. Dan. 1–2) disconnects them from their Jewish heritage, causing them to appear more vulnerable. This creates ...

2490. Daniel's Prayer

Daniel 9:1-19

Teach the Text

Ronald W. Pierce

... attributes.[5] “Mercies,” in singular form, refers to a mother’s “womb,” picturing tender compassion for a child.[6] “Forgiveness” often appears in the Old Testament parallel to “atonement” (Num. 15:25) and always occurs with God as subject (Jer. 50:20 refers to Babylonian exile). 9:10–11a the laws he gave us through . . . the prophets. Torah (usually translated “law”) is better understood as “instruction.” Moses began Israel’s prophetic tradition (Deut. 34:10–12), followed ...

2491. Beyond Judgment

Matthew 24:36-44

Sermon

James L. Killen

... prone to sensationalism, returned from a White House-sponsored conference of theologians and scientists and announced to an assembly of students at his seminary that the industrial civilization as they knew it had only a few more years to live. The subject of the conference had been the nuclear arms race. The participants were informed that the United States and the Soviet Union had both built up huge arsenals of nuclear weapons. Missiles with explosive cargos many times more destructive than those dropped ...

2492. Look Again

Matthew 1:18-25

Sermon

James L. Killen

... God. And the world looked different to him too. King Herod was still a force to be reckoned with. But now he knew that someone greater than Herod was at work in the world. God was active with the people. All of the problems of God's people were made subject to a new possibility that was breaking in upon the world, because someone was coming who would be God's salvation. Joseph must have played an important role in the life of Jesus as he was growing up. He did not live long enough to see Jesus carry on his ...

2493. Can It Be Sin to Be Shy?

2 Timothy 1:1-14

Sermon

King Duncan

... And, says Goleman, the percentages are consistent enough to suggest that shyness is, for the most part, an inherited condition. It is genetic in origin. Behavioral scientist Jonathan Cheek has made extensive studies of shyness and even wrote an entire book on the subject. He studied over eight hundred pairs of twins, some of them identical and some of them fraternal. He discovered that if one fraternal twin is shy, it doesn’t necessarily predict shyness in the other twin. But if one identical twin is shy ...

2494. The Flood

Genesis 6:1-8:22

One Volume

Gary M. Burge

... their thoughts are evil. Sin is both extensive and intensive. Verse 6 says God repents (KJV); the NIV reads that he “regretted” (NIV 1984 “was grieved,” 6:6). In the majority of cases when the Hebrew verb for “repent” is used, surprisingly the subject is God. It is important to observe that God is not on this occasion angry or vengeful, but grieved, hurt. That is, 6:6 emphasizes God’s “tender” emotions rather than his “raw” emotions. Noah stands out among his peers. He is righteous ...

2495. Personal Injuries

Exodus 21:12-36

One Volume

Gary M. Burge

... :29–32). This same situation is also treated in the ancient Near Eastern codes of Eshnunna and Hammurabi. The animal is to be destroyed because of the sanctity of life. If the owner was aware that the animal was dangerous and did nothing to address the situation, he too is subject to stoning, although a ransom payment can be an alternative.

2496. Holiness of Time

Lev 23:3–23:41

One Volume

Gary M. Burge

... in the war camp of his people (cf. Psalm 47). This concept of divine kingship fits the context of the Festival of Trumpets: a reminder of the Lord’s sovereignty prepares his people for the great Day of Atonement ten days later, when he judges between his loyal and disloyal subjects (23:26–32).

2497. The Budding of Aaron's Staff

Numbers 17:1-13

One Volume

Gary M. Burge

... than to further incur his retributive justice. But now they are terrified that they might all perish like the rebels (cf. 16:34) if any of them approaches the sanctuary (17:12–13). God’s answer is to make the priests and other Levites subject to divine wrath if somebody should violate the boundaries and rules protecting the sanctuary’s holiness. If a nonpriest, including a Levite, attempts to usurp any priestly function, only that person will be put to death. If the unauthorized individual succeeds in ...

2498. Four Issues Resulting from War or Death

Deut 21:10-21

One Volume

Gary M. Burge

Four subject areas are considered that either resulted from warfare or from the required death penalty: (1) marrying a prisoner of war (21:10–14); (2) establishing the rights of the firstborn, especially in loss of life that brought some families into a polygamous situation (21:15–17); (3) reinforcing the penalty ...

2499. The Sun Stands Still

Joshua 10:1-15

One Volume

Gary M. Burge

If the destruction of Jericho and Ai was already enough to raise consternation among the Transjordanian kings (cf. 9:1–2), then news about the Gibeonites’ voluntary subjection to Israel must have brought even greater alarm. After all, Gibeon was larger and certainly more important than Ai, and their warriors had a reputation of being good fighters (10:3). No wonder, then, that five of the southern kings, led by Adoni-Zedek, king of Jerusalem, immediately spring into ...

2500. The Covenant Renewed at Shechem

Joshua 24:1-27

One Volume

Gary M. Burge

Some time later, Joshua gathers the tribes of Israel and their leaders at Shechem and speaks to them again (24:1–28). Because of the similarity in subject matter between the two speeches, some consider them merely different reports of the same speech. However, the two speeches likely represent two different occasions. While those present for the first speech are mainly leaders representing all Israel (23:2), 24:1 seems to suggest that all the tribes are also ...

Showing results