Sermon and Worship Resources

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Showing 2626 to 2650 of 4972 results

2626. The Lord Rejects Saul as King

1 Samuel 15:1-35

One Volume

Gary M. Burge

... area. Unlike the Amalekites, the Kenites have been friendly to Israel, and Moses in fact married a Kenite woman. Once the Kenites leave, Saul battles the Amalekites, chasing them to the eastern border of Egypt and wiping out all of the people. But he ... the severity of Samuel’s pronouncement, Saul finally admits his sin and begs forgiveness, but Samuel condemns him again and turns to leave. As he does so, Saul, who has taken hold of his robe, accidentally tears it. The action proves symbolic of the fact ...

2627. David Again Spares Saul's Life

1 Samuel 26:1-25

One Volume

Gary M. Burge

... as in the cave at En Gedi (24:6), David refuses the easy way out. Besides, the death of Nabal proved how rapidly God can strike down the enemy—without any help on David’s part. So David and his nephew take Saul’s water jug and spear and leave the camp. When they reach a hill a safe distance away, David calls out loudly to Saul’s cousin Abner, the army commander (26:13–25). He scolds Abner for failing to guard the king and points out the security breach that has occurred. Awakened by the commotion ...

2628. David Flees

2 Samuel 15:13-37

One Volume

Gary M. Burge

... to David. In the showdown against Absalom, Ittai will play a key role (2 Sam. 18:2). Since David has been a protector of the priests and since he has brought the ark to Jerusalem, it is fitting that the priests and the ark accompany him in leaving the capital. Both Zadok and Abiathar are with him, and their presence seems to ensure God’s blessing on David. Yet once they are safely out David sends the ark back to Jerusalem. It is particularly interesting that while David makes a declaration of trust in how ...

2629. Epilogue

Job 42:7-17

One Volume

Gary M. Burge

... (Job 24). Yet the friends are rebuked, and Job is exonerated. Why this is so is not crystal clear. The bookends alone give us a story arguably more simple. The bookends with the poetic core throw complexity our way. It is understandable to feel frustrated. We leave the book uncertain why a heavenly dare had to be so cruel to Job and why the book, in its epilogue, reaffirms the principle of retribution, for which the friends have argued, against which Job has fought, and which God has declared an atrophied ...

2630. A Pot Marred, a Pot Smashed

Jeremiah 18:1--19:15

One Volume

Gary M. Burge

... their own stubborn heart is confirmed by their explicit statement. God assesses their decision as “horrible” (18:13)—unlike the decision of other nations (Jer. 2:10–11). The argument in verse 14 is that it is contrary to nature for snow to leave Lebanon. The seriousness of coming disaster is described by responses of others to it: scorn (18:16) is hissing or whistling in unbelief. God’s “face” (18:17) is language for blessing and favor. The decision to follow personal plans puts into effect ...

2631. Vision of Destruction of King and Temple

Amos 7:10-17

One Volume

Gary M. Burge

... in this vision as political treason, so he reports Amos’s prophecy to king Jeroboam II. The text does not include any response from Jeroboam II, so no one knows if Amos actually had to leave Israel immediately. Because of this vision Amaziah confronts Amos and tells him to flee back to Judah, to leave the foreign affairs of Israel to the Israelite prophets, and to go make his money as a professional prophet in Jerusalem. Showing no fear of Amaziah, Amos denies being a professional prophet who works for ...

2632. The Zeal and Power of God

Nahum 1:1-15

One Volume

Gary M. Burge

... foes into darkness. There is no possible escape. There is no place of refuge, no possibility of being overlooked. In the case of Nineveh, a few managed to escape when the city fell. They fled to Harran, but they were pursued there and were defeated in 609 BC, leaving no trace of the once mighty empire. The downfall of Nineveh is a pointer to the future, serving as an example of the destruction that awaits the enemies of God and his people. This is indicated by the statement in 2:2 that Judah and Israel will ...

2633. The Cause and Certainty of Nineveh’s Downfall

Nahum 3:1-19

One Volume

Gary M. Burge

... impact of a plague of grasshoppers (or locusts) on a field. Assyria had a long history of the establishment of trading stations. But they are represented here as being not only as numerous as locusts but as harmful to the land, plundering then leaving without making any truly helpful contribution. The guards and officials of Nineveh are also compared to locusts: numerous for a short time, but then suddenly gone. Nineveh fell in 612 BC. Though Ashur-uballit II and his followers established a new capital at ...

2634. Love for Enemies not Eye for and Eye

Matthew 5:38-42, Matthew 5:43-48

One Volume

Gary M. Burge

... of a civilian to carry loads (5:41), and more general requests to borrow money or possessions (5:42). While in each of these illustrations commentators have recognized elements of hyperbole (e.g., removal of both tunic and cloak would leave a person naked), the exaggeration emphasizes nonresistance as a nonnegotiable for Jesus’s disciples. In a context in which active political or social resistance has severe consequences, Jesus’s radical ethic of nonretaliation moves beyond capitulation to one’s ...

2635. The Healing of a Boy With an Evil Spirit

Mark 9:14-32

One Volume

Gary M. Burge

... ; help me overcome my unbelief!” (9:24). Seeing the crowd converge and not wanting to make a display of his power, Jesus “rebukes” the spirit and commands it to leave the boy (9:25). If the boy’s condition was epilepsy, Mark understands it in this instance to be demonically instigated. An encounter with Jesus can leave things initially worse than before, as indicated by the deathlike condition of the boy after the expulsion of the demon. Here too the father must trust Jesus rather than immediate ...

2636. Jesus’ Sorrow for Jerusalem

Luke 13:31-35

One Volume

Gary M. Burge

... whether these Pharisees were friends or foes of Jesus. Jesus, however, is not impressed with Herod’s threats. He compares Herod to a cunning fox, saying that in the days ahead he will continue to carry out his ministry (13:32). Nevertheless, Jesus will be leaving Herod’s realm and will arrive in Jerusalem, not because he is afraid of Herod, but because as a prophet he must “reach [his] goal” and die in Jerusalem (13:32–33). The temporal references in verses 32–33 should not be taken literally ...

2637. In Corinth

Acts 18:1-17

One Volume

Gary M. Burge

... following narrative (18:18–19, 26) as well as in the letters of Paul (Rom. 16:3; 1 Cor. 16:19; 2 Tim. 4:19). Second, while explaining Aquila and Priscilla’s presence in Corinth, Luke points to the edict of Claudius that forced “all Jews to leave Rome” (18:2). This edict is mentioned by Suetonius (Life of Claudius 25.4), who notes that Jews were expelled from Rome because of Chrestus, a reference that probably points to the unrest caused by the preaching of the gospel of Jesus Christ. The fact that ...

2638. Sons of God

Galatians 3:26--4:7

One Volume

Gary M. Burge

... Christ, these words would make a far greater impact than we may be capable of imagining. Paul specifies the accompanying full rights of this new intimate relationship, showing that Gentiles in Christ are also “heirs according to the promise” (3:29). Such statements leave no doubt that the opponents’ position not only fails to add anything to the Galatians but in fact will negate that which they already have received. While much has been made of the fact that Paul uses baptismal imagery here (see Betz ...

2639. Paul’s Longing to See the Thessalonians

1 Thessalonians 2:17--3:5

One Volume

Gary M. Burge

... the future when the Lord returns (2:19): “For what is our hope, our joy, or the crown in which we will glory in the presence of our Lord Jesus when he comes? Is it not you?” A crown or wreath of laurel, pine, or, in Macedonia, oak leaves was given to those who received great civic honors. Paul anticipates this joy and honor at Christ’s coming (Greek parousia). The term parousia was used to describe the coming of a deity (as the god Asclepius to a sick person) or the advent of a dignitary, especially ...

2640. Final Greetings

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

One Volume

Gary M. Burge

... to which God has called him; he is grateful his duress has meant that “the message might be fully proclaimed and all the Gentiles might hear it” (4:17). His request for manuscripts has prompted much guesswork: he may mean copies of Scriptures he had to leave behind at his arrest; he may mean his own collected writings; he may mean writings he is still preparing. In any event, his request means he is still working. He continues to warn about those who oppose him and will no doubt oppose Timothy as well ...

2641. Today Can Be the First Day of Your New Life!

Matthew 2:13-23

Sermon

King Duncan

... shepherds and the wise men have gone, an angel appears to Joseph in a dream and says to him, “Herod will be looking for the child in order to kill him. So get up, take the child and escape to Egypt, and stay there until I tell you to leave.” It is a scene of darkness and dread, of fear and flight. The humble couple gathers their few belongings and their precious newborn babe, and in the darkness of night they silently make their way toward Egypt. Life is often like that. Even in the most beautiful story ...

2642. Here's Mud In Your Eye

John 9:1-41

Sermon

Robert Leslie Holmes

... and had a reputation as the town drunk, who drank his business out of existence and could not hold a job. The couple already had two children and had not planned on having a third. Not long after Charles was born his father committed suicide, leaving his wife to raise all three children. Gloria Riley had not worked in some years but was able to keep things together through the years of her husband's drunkenness because of a modest inheritance and whatever occasional income her husband was able to earn ...

2643. A Happy Ending

Joshua 5:9-12

Sermon

Charley Reeb

... the person God calls you to be, embrace the changes and growth God desires for you! Did you know that lobsters must leave their shells in order to grow? Apparently, this is frightening for lobsters because the shell protects them from their predators who desire to ... tear them apart. Yet as they grow, the old shell must be abandoned. If they do not leave the old shell behind, it will soon become their prison and, finally, their tomb.[6] Don’t remain in your comfortable shell ...

2644. Love without Limits

Acts 11:1-18

Sermon

Charley Reeb

... you see I’m dying?” I replied, “Well, you don’t need God, and you don’t need a chaplain. Do you need a friend? Because I can be a friend.” He retorted, “Charley, I don’t need anyone. Just leave me alone!” So I proceeded to the door with my tail tucked between my legs. Yet before I could leave the room, Walter said, “I have not always been this way, you know. There was a time when I grabbed hold of life with both hands and could do anything. I was good at my job. I was good at my ...

2645. In the Event of Power Failure

Acts 1:1-11

Sermon

Charley Reeb

... with it? Do you feel the power of Christ moving you to change something in your world but fear the risk of being involved? Do you feel the power of Christ compelling you to become the person you know deep inside you were created to be but fear leaving your comfort zone? Remember what scripture says, “Perfect love casts out fear” (1 John 4:18). And I will add, “Perfect power casts out fear.” You need not be afraid. If the power of Christ is inspiring you to move, to act, you can be sure that the ...

2646. Less Is More

John 1:(1-9) 10-18

Sermon

Charley Reeb

... I had with a friend of mine a few years ago. He came to visit me. He had lost a lot of weight, and he looked much different. It all started several months back when he became very depressed. He was struggling with his job. His wife was threatening to leave him. He had mounting debt. They were about to foreclose on his house. To make matters worse, he developed a rare disease that left him al-most paralyzed and he was forced into the hospital for sever-al days. While he was in the hospital, he did a lot of ...

2647. Mission Possible!

John 1:43-51

Sermon

Charley Reeb

... Mark, and Luke. We give a lot of credence to his last words. We believe what people say is important before they leave the earth. Have you ever paid attention to Jesus’ last words to his disciples before he left the earth? In Matthew 28: ... worship and Bible study. It is even easy to serve the church in some way. But sharing our faith? That is another matter. Many want to leave that job to someone else. A while back my wife and I were having dinner with some friends at a new restaurant. The food and service ...

2648. Signs of the End of the Age

Matthew 24:1-35

Understanding Series

Robert H. Mounce

... return of Christ at the end of history as we know it. 24:32–35 The fig tree has a lesson to teach. When its tender shoots appear and begin to open into leaves, then you know that summer is near. In the same way, when you see all the things just described, know that the end is near, right at the door. The fig tree shed its leaves in winter and budded late in spring. Since harvest in Palestine took place in the summer, the budding of the fig tree would indicate that the end (symbolized by harvest) was at ...

2649. Death, Risk, and Confidence

Matthew 10:24-39

Sermon

Tom Garrison

... encounters that I have ever known. His wife was in and out of the room several times as we talked, and as I made my way to leave she walked with me out in the garden and said very emotionally: "Young man, don't you ever do again what you did this afternoon. We ... , who was a long-time professor of philosophy at Haverford College, describes it. Only the animating spirit of a person leaves — that willing, thinking, reflecting inner self. This seems to be the only vessel left in which to embark on whatever ...

2650. Face-to-Face with the Kingdom

Matthew 13:31-33, 44-52

Sermon

Tom Garrison

... that — a finite creature — and for the ultimate Creator to be the Creator. You can arrive at the decision from one of two directions — by realizing somehow that God is God and God is good and gladly deciding "to take the trip of life by bus and leave the driving to him," or by suffering... by "having a go" at attempting to build the world according to our desires, and like the prodigal, seeing what comes of it. Either way, the conclusion is the same — we finite creatures with our desires for snow or ...

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