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Showing 2551 to 2575 of 4943 results

2551. Call the Tribe of Issachar Together

Luke 12:49-56

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

... what he wanted to be. 'If I grow up, I'd like to be a bus driver,' he told me. If, not when. At the age of 10, Lafayette wasn't sure he'd make it to adulthood." In the face of this sign of the times, too many churches continue to offer these old/young children nothing more than 19th-century Sunday school pablum. We let them color pictures of men in bathrobes herding sheep when what they are seeing every day are children cruising the streets in luxury cars, firing automatic weapons at each other. When is the ...

2552. Fan the Flames

2 Timothy 1:1-14

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

... us - the Holy Spirit. Two images always seem to accompany the Holy Spirit - fire and wind. Just as all fire needs oxygen, so the flames of faithfulness that are kindled within us cannot be kept going without the breath of the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit's continued presence with us acts like a bellows to the flames we tend in our hearts. If we ignore the presence of this "spirit of power," cut ourselves off from the possibility of a living spirit within us, we shut down our own air supply. 2. Love-Perfect ...

2553. Luke 1:26-38

Luke 1:26-38

Sweet

Leonard Sweet

... perplexed,” or “utterly confused.” Since the angel’s next words to her are “Do not be afraid,” or as we would say today, “No Fear,” it would not be far off to describe Mary at this point as being “terrified.” But the angel continues with its remarkable revelation. In vss. 31-33 Gabriel describes the reason Mary is “favored:” She will conceive and give birth and the child will be the “Son of the Most High” who will receive “the throne of his ancestor David,” and will “reign ...

2554. Luke 2:22-40

Luke 2:21-40

Sweet

Leonard Sweet

... service (Exodus 13:1; 34:20). The traditional five shekel redemption payment is not specifically mentioned, suggesting perhaps that Luke intended the focus to be on Jesus’ presentation before the Lord, not his redemption from formal priestly service. Luke’s scene continues with the description of the righteous man Simeon and the text of “Simeon’s Song”, a scene that further parallels Jesus’ birth with that of John the Baptist. Zechariah’s Song (1:68-79) was also proclaimed by a righteous man ...

2555. Ephesians 2:4-25

Ephesians 2:4-25

Sweet

Leonard Sweet

... for disregarding God and ridiculing God's love is great. Second Chronicles 36:14-23 tells the terrible story of the Israelites' exile to Babylon - an exile they earned through repeatedly mocking God, God's messengers, and God's mandates. This week's Psalm (137:1-6) continues the saga of the exiled people of God. It is a mournful cry of sorrow - a lament for a lost homeland. God's love had meted out harsh disciplinary measures on the people. Yet even as they pined after their home, God was plotting a way to ...

2556. James 3:13-18

James 3:13-18

Sweet

Leonard Sweet

... the great secret of God's manifest for his life: the crucifixion and resurrection (v.31). Yet the disciples do not comprehend the significance of this declaration, and, like most of us, are afraid to admit their confusion. Instead, as the group continues on its way, the disciples begin to bicker among themselves over the egotistical notion of which one of them would become the greatest. It is in verse 35 that Jesus' upside-down thinking turns conventional wisdom and earthly evaluations inside-out: The ...

2557. Luke 21:25-36

Luke 21:25-36

Sweet

Leonard Sweet

... without being fully arrived, kingdom come and kingdom coming. The Son of Man is therefore the perfect title for Jesus, since he is the one who participates in the Kingdom as it is present now and who ushers it in fully on the day of judgment. Verse 31 continues to emphasize Jesus' dual concept of the Kingdom. The Kingdom is near even as the Son of Man is present in one form, if not yet in his full role as judge and heir. Verse 32 begins with Luke's characteristic form for a direct exhortation from Jesus ...

2558. 1 Corinthians 15:35-38, 42-50

1 Corinthians 15:35-38, 42-50

Sweet

Leonard Sweet

... the time of resurrection. There is no carry-over, no abiding aspect of the physical nature that links it together with the heavenly body. The new creation is exactly that - a completely new, now spiritual creation. The verses not read this week (39-41) merely continue Paul's attempt to clearly delineate the new body from the old body. By verse 42, however, Paul is ready to expound his main point with a series of four antitheses. Within this series, the reader would do well to keep in mind Paul's conversion ...

2559. Psalm 23

Psalm 23:1-6

Sweet

Leonard Sweet

... more than at any other time, the Hebrews could envision themselves as a wandering flock, totally reliant upon their "good shepherd" for guidance. Through their many mistakes and missteps, the wandering Hebrews learned all too well what happened when they tried to continue on independent of God's guidance. Disaster always struck. Looking back at this history, it is easy for the Psalmist to declare that it is God the Shepherd who leads all members of this headstrong, cantankerous flock into the "right paths ...

2560. Luke 10:25-37

Luke 10:25-37

Sweet

Leonard Sweet

... between Jesus and this lawyer. It is evident that a kind of verbal jousting match is going on here - with the lawyer anxious to show off what he knows, perhaps even tripping up Jesus in the process. Luke tells us in verse 29 that the lawyer continues to question Jesus in order "to justify himself." But in asking "Who is my neighbor?" the lawyer reveals that his previous recitation of the great commandment was merely that - a recitation. That is why Jesus does not directly answer the lawyer's question. It is ...

2561. Hebrews 12:1-2, 12-17

Hebrews 12:1-2, 12-17

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

... . The double portion of the first-born was a special right, but as Genesis describes it, Esau "despised" it. Once the deal was made with Jacob it was gone forever, completely unrecoverable. What is more, in Genesis 27 the story of these brothers continues, with Jacob tricking Isaac into giving him, not Esau, his first blessing. Thus Esau loses both his chances to enjoy what was rightfully his, the status of first-born. The point of the Esau illustration is to dramatically demonstrate the finality of some ...

2562. Luke 13:22-30

Luke 13:22-30

Sweet

Leonard Sweet

... Entering the Narrow Door," Matt. 7:13-14/Luke 13:22-24," Forum 5 [March 1989], 118). Striving language suggests that individual commitment had better be strong, for this "narrow door" does not have easy access. Jesus' eschatological image is clearly drawn as he continues to flesh out this proverb. Scholars are divided over whether Luke's version or Matthew's is closer to the proverb's original form. Luke's text develops the whole theme of rejected entry to a much fuller degree and incorporates the teaching ...

2563. Luke 21:5-19

Luke 21:5-19

Sweet

Leonard Sweet

... of giving them a definite time, Jesus describes a series of tell-tale events. One impending sign will be the proliferation of false leaders (v.8). Their success will indicate that "the time is near." Still in response to the disciples' question, Jesus continues to describe other events signaling the rapid approach of this judgment day (v.9). Yet Jesus counsels courage in the face of these "wars and insurrections" - for even these are only portents of even more extensively violent rampages. By verse 11, the ...

2564. Colossians 1:11-20

Colossians 1:11-20

Sweet

Leonard Sweet

... a much more cosmic Christology than usual for Paul. Much of the portion read this week reflects that almost Johannine view of the Christ. This week's epistle reading begins with verse 11, but studies of this section usually back up to verse 9 and continue through verse 14. This is a prayer and praise unit - with Paul praying the Colossian Christians will "lead lives worthy of the Lord" (v.10), gratefully inspired by the tremendous things God has done for them. Verse 11 here is fairly straightforward as it ...

2565. 1 Corinthians 1:18-31

1 Corinthians 1:18-31

Sweet

Leonard Sweet

... among the "saved." To these the Cross is revealed as "the power of God." The Greek love of logic and dependence upon human insight is pilloried by Paul as he cites the prophecy of Isaiah 29:14. Human wisdom and discernment are destroyed by God's power. Paul continues to cite Isaiah (19:12) as he declares his own ministry as one of the greatest examples of foolishness God has chosen to use. The apparent foolhardiness of the Cross as the path to God's wisdom is now compounded by God's choice of one such as ...

2566. Matthew 5:13-20

Matthew 5:13-20

Sweet

Leonard Sweet

... lamp. The ludicrous notion of lighting a lamp and then hiding it under a modios, a common wooden grain measure, is ridiculous on two counts. First, light is useless as light when it is covered up. Second, as any householder would know, the light could not even continue to burn underneath such a smothering cover. The flame would quickly use up all the oxygen and go out of its own accord. Once lit, a lamp's proper place is high on a lamp stand - where it can throw its light in the widest possible directions ...

2567. Exodus 24:12-18

Exodus 24:12-18

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

... call from God to Moses is now a fully developed and institutionalized faith. Because this resident kabod becomes a formally and fully accessible presence to all of Israel, Moses' presence or absence is of no particular theological concern as regards the people's continued welfare. Ironically, it is in today's text, when Moses alone is called to the cloud-covered heights of Mt.Sinai, that the stage is set for Israel's life without Moses. The priestly reactions weave together the end of the covenant theme ...

2568. Romans 5:12-19

Romans 5:12-19

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

... God's universal grace as a cure for sin's universal dominion over the world. It is in verses 15-16, that Paul further develops the contrast between the results of Adam's sin and the results of Christ's obedience, even to the Cross. Note that Paul continually stresses the "free" nature of God's saving act in Christ. Five times in verses 15-17 Paul refers to the "free gift" that is being offered to humanity, in contrast to the "trespasses" in which we have lived since Adam. Thus, while verses 15-17 stand deep ...

2569. Acts 17:22-31

Acts 17:22-31

Sweet

Leonard Sweet

... the most basic, universally acknowledged tenents of the divine/human relationship that both Greek philosopher and Jewish Pharisee could agree upon the presence of a Creator-God (v.24) who is beyond human control and genuinely divine in power (v.25). If we continue with this irenic understanding of Paul's speech, his reference to a common ancestor (v.26) for all peoples is a further example of his attempt to make his Athenian audience feel they are already an integral part of the truth Paul is revealing ...

2570. Matthew 9:35-10:8 (9-23)

Matthew 9:35-10:8 (9-23)

Sweet

Leonard Sweet

... scene, Matthew's text devotes over 100 lines to describe the particulars of this new mission. The basic "authority" Jesus gives the Twelve mirrors the scope of his own ministry activities the disciples will be able to cure all disease, all sickness. Before continuing with the content of the mission, however, Matthew takes time to list the names of all 12 of the officially commissioned disciples. Since Matthew's text has said virtually nothing about these disciples except for the call of the fishermen in 4 ...

2571. Matthew 13:24-30, 36-43

Matthew 13:24-30, 36-43

Sweet

Leonard Sweet

... Matthean "explanation" omits altogether. The parable of the wheat and the weeds, as told by Jesus, makes the farmer's patience and grace the focus of this text. Rather than endanger the wheat growing up with the weeds, the farmer chooses to let both weeds and wheat continue to grow side by side. The farmer refuses to do anything that might injure the wheat just to rid himself of the weeds. His concern is to tend the field patiently, despite the mixed crop growing in it. Not until the final harvest is it the ...

2572. Matthew 15:(10-20) 21-28

Matthew 15:(10-20) 21-28

Sweet

Leonard Sweet

... Jesus makes to the crowd in verse 11 are further developed and expanded by him in verses 17-20. Jesus' proclamation about "what defiles" should not be taken as a rejection of all the laws of kashrut or an outright denial of the continued power of Jewish law. While later generations of Christians found in Jesus' words support for acceptance of the church's then Gentile majority, there is nothing in this text to suggest that here Jesus completely abrogates all tradition. The disciples' response to Jesus ...

2573. Romans 12:1-8

Romans 12:1-8

Sweet

Leonard Sweet

... significant differences. Thus the possibility for "giftedness" goes far beyond these few examples Paul cites. A central point of Paul's "body" imagery in this discussion of gifts is to emphasize that a diversity of gifts is natural, normal and indeed necessary, for the continued health and well-being of the church. There are no small or insignificant gifts. In keeping with Paul's first point in this discussion, the equality of all gifts is a given. All gifts are equally important and crucial for the body's ...

2574. Matthew 18:15-20

Matthew 18:15-20

Sweet

Leonard Sweet

... confronted by the community. Yet it is also true that Jesus himself spent much of his ministry associating with those despised and rejected as unclean by Jewish law, specifically Gentiles and tax collectors. It becomes part of the church's call to continue Jesus' mission of outreach to these and all outcasts. Verse 17 could then be both a pronouncement of judgment by the church and a call to renewed missionary effort toward those it has justly ostracized. Clearly, though, this pericope calls the community ...

2575. Romans 14:1-12

Romans 14:1-12

Sweet

Leonard Sweet

... law and its dietary restrictions. In contrast, the "strong" eat anything they want because they understand and stand under the freedom Christ's message of redemption has brought them. Paul denies these "strong" ones the right to look down and judge the continued abstinence of the "weak" just as he denies the "weak" the right to pass judgment on the freedom practiced by the "strong." Though the position of these "weak" believers is no longer necessary for faithfulness, Paul refuses to give those who believe ...

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