Sermon and Worship Resources

Showing 2651 to 2675 of 4997 results

2651. Separating Physical Impurities from Persons

Leviticus 11:1-47

One Volume

Gary M. Burge

... chapter 11 this means abstaining from eating meat of creatures regarded by God as “unclean” in the sense of unfit to eat. Some impurities are temporary and it is permitted to incur them, provided that proper purification is carried out, but an impure kind of creature is permanently prohibited as food. This impurity is not physical dirt, nor does the Bible indicate that an impure creature is not good for other things; indeed, all creatures were created “good” (Gen. 1:20–25). Noah already knew the ...

2652. Various Laws

Leviticus 19:1-37

One Volume

Gary M. Burge

... by another’s death. Notice that whereas Exodus 20:16 is against harming someone by giving testimony (in court), the biblical law against lying in general is in Leviticus 19:11. A number of laws in chapter 19 have to do with basic ethics of kindness and decency (especially to vulnerable people) arising from unselfish love, which is the basic principle of all divine law and revelation (Matt. 22:37–40). The fact that love can be commanded (19:18) shows that it is a principle, not only an emotion. Unlike ...

2653. The Nazarite and Priestly Blessing

Num 6:1-27

One Volume

Gary M. Burge

... possession, “a kingdom of priests and a holy nation” (Exod. 19:5–6). To give assurance that the blessing will be effective, the Lord himself gives the words to the priests (6:24–26). Because this is a request for divine blessing, it is a kind of prayer (paralleling the requests of the Lord’s Prayer, Matt. 6:11–13). The blessing is formulated as poetry, with three pairs of expressions. The first member of each pair wishes for God to be favorably disposed toward his people (bless, make his face ...

2654. Widows and Their Worries: Back to Bethlehem

Ruth 1:1-22

One Volume

Gary M. Burge

... desires, and the oath using the Lord’s name seem to reflect that necessary break with her past (not syncretism), a break that has religious, social, and political ramifications. Indeed, the journey to her future home is such that it will require the kind of break and assimilation Ruth is pledging to Naomi. In Bethlehem ( 1:18–22 ) · After such a statement of loyalty and fidelity, Naomi’s pleas stop, and they set out for Judah as originally intended (1:18). When Naomi arrives in Bethlehem without ...

2655. Ingrafted Branches

Romans 11:11-24

One Volume

Gary M. Burge

... is to stand in awe before God. Arrogance, which is unbelief, provokes God’s judgment. Paul summarizes his exhortation for Gentile believers in 11:22–24. God’s kindness and severity are not possessions that can be taken for granted. God’s kindness rests on the Gentile believers only if and when they acknowledge him. If they reject God’s kindness, they will experience God’s severity (11:22). There is always the possibility that Jews will come to faith in Jesus Messiah and will be grafted back into ...

2656. On Divisions in the Church

1 Corinthians 3:1-23

One Volume

Gary M. Burge

... vivid image. The building on which Paul and others are at work, the church at Corinth, is God’s temple (see 1 Pet. 2:5), for God’s Spirit is alive in its midst. In a solemn statement of lex talionis (the law of punishment in kind), destruction is promised to anyone who brings about the destruction of God’s temple by breaking it away from its foundation. Paul’s criticism of the inadequacies of the “wisdom of this world” and his definition and commendation of the “wisdom of God” are now drawn ...

2657. Paul’s Explanation of His Conduct in Recent Matters

2 Corinthians 1:12--2:4

One Volume

Gary M. Burge

1:12–14 · The basis for Paul’s behavior and an appeal for understanding: Having asked for their prayers, Paul next appeals to the Corinthians in conciliation to reassess their estimation of him and his ministry. Boasting and the kind of criticism that belittles one in order to exalt another had consistently troubled the church and severely complicated its relationship with Paul (1 Cor. 3:21; 4:7; 5:6). Such boasting and criticism were also no doubt responsible in large measure for the pain that Paul ...

2658. Widows, Elders, and Slaves

1 Timothy 5:1-6:2

One Volume

Gary M. Burge

... who are to be tested (3:10), these widows are to be installed after it has been established that their lives consist in “good deeds”—notably, “showing hospitality, washing the feet of the Lord’s people, helping those in trouble” (5:10). This is the kind of faithful woman who, even in her own widowhood, “has widows in her care.” Dorcas (known as Tabitha), the patroness of widows in Joppa, is an example of the care-providing woman that Paul envisions in this passage (see Acts 9:36); she is one ...

2659. A Lifestyle Appropriate to Sound Doctrine

Titus 3:1-11

One Volume

Gary M. Burge

... s work to the Holy Spirit’s; they also go one more step by including reference to the Father, making the discussion fully about the Trinity. For while it is altogether true that Christ is called Savior here (because he is the embodiment of God’s “kindness and love” and because it is through him that the Holy Spirit is outpoured), nonetheless it is the (implied) Father who is the subject of the main verb of the whole sentence: “he saved” (3:5). Moreover, it is the (implied) Father who pours out ...

2660. I Once Was Blind…and Maybe I Still Am

John 9:1-41

Sermon

King Duncan

... same if these were his own children. (2) Of course, the answer would not be the same. Satan often masquerades as an angel of light and sometimes Christians can act very holy and yet still be agents of Satan. Christian faith can be prostituted to excuse all kinds of indifference to human need. It is impossible to exaggerate the distance between this man’s views and the mind and heart of Jesus. But it is true that it is possible to be fanatically devoted to the Christian religion and be totally blind to the ...

2661. No Greater Love

John 13:1-17, 31b-35

Sermon

Robert Leslie Holmes

... 's own love for us and signify to the world that we are his disciples. Knowing this, of course, immediately raises a series of questions. Question number one is do we truly know what kind of love this love is? Question number two is how do we develop this kind of love? Question three is how do we demonstrate this kind of love? The Definition of this Love Love to both God and man is fundamental to true Christianity, and we find that idea expressed in the Old Testament and the New Testament. Jesus himself ...

2662. One Heaven of a Party

Deuteronomy 26:1-11

Sermon

Charley Reeb

... a party? Is he going to tell us to gather all the food and wine and eat and drink until our heart’s content? Don’t we deserve a little celebration, considering all we have been through?” God wanted them to have a celebration but probably not the kind for which they were hoping. Moses instructs the Israelites that the first thing they are to do when they come into the Promised Land is to take their first fruits and present them to the Lord. That sounds fair enough. God was going to give them this land ...

2663. The Life You've Always Wanted

Acts 5:27-32

Sermon

Charley Reeb

... truth that we all must face. This truth is that all of us will leave a legacy. When we die, we will leave some kind of lasting mark which will reflect what we did with our precious time on earth. This comes as a sobering truth to many (perhaps ... the altar of God, and pray, “Lord, do with it what you will. For your love, ministry, plan, and purpose for my life come first!” This kind of sacrifice is very difficult for us. For some carry the attitude of, “Yes, Lord, I want you to save me from my sins, but I ...

2664. A Vexing Vision

Acts 9:1-6 (7-20)

Sermon

Charley Reeb

... what was reasonable to follow the irrational love of Jesus Christ. So as this vision and action of Ananias stare us in the face, the penetrating question arises: Are we willing to do the same? Are we willing to follow Jesus with the same kind of trust and commitment? Do we dare follow Jesus in ways considered illogical, un- reasonable, and irrational? Is there enough courage within us to follow Jesus into the face of our enemy and discover what change really looks like? Ananias’ vision is vexing because ...

2665. Love without Limits

Acts 11:1-18

Sermon

Charley Reeb

... the conversation. We talked about sports and favorite restaurants. Then the conversation turned sour. I’m unsure how it began, but all kinds of racial slurs spewed out of the barber’s mouth. He said, “Don’t you know, they are all animals.” I ... for you? Lord, you must be crazy or kidding! Tell me you’re kidding. Obviously, you have mistaken me for someone who cares about those kind of people. This is where I came in, and this is where I get off!” So Jonah thought that if he left Israel he would ...

2666. Elephants in the Room: Abuse – I Have a Secret

Matthew 11:28

Sermon

Charley Reeb

... a Ted Talk. She travels everywhere speaking to victims and giving voice to the voiceless. She has heard hundreds of stories from men and women who also got out of their abusive relationships and rebuilt their lives. They have found hope, joy and love again. Leslie remarried a kind and gentle man, and they have three kids. They have a black lab, and a minivan. What she will never have again, she says “is a loaded gun held to my head by someone who says that he loves me.” Some of you may be thinking why I ...

2667. Pop Verses: Lamentations 3:22-23

Lamentations 3:22-23

Sermon

Charley Reeb

... sounds simple doesn’t it? But let me tell you one of the biggest things we forget. God loves us and cares for us and wants what is best for us. God wants to help us but God is not going to barge into our lives. That’s not the kind of God we have. Have you ever experienced someone who tried to push their opinions on you? Ever had some insufferable person try to force their agenda on you? It is not very fun is it? I have to confess to you that one of my pet peeves, one of ...

2668. The Visit of the Magi

Matthew 2:1-12

Understanding Series

Robert H. Mounce

... (cf. TDNT, vol. 4, pp. 356–59). The same word (magos, sg.) occurs in Acts 13:6, 8, of the magician Elymas (Bar-Jesus), but in the negative sense of one who practices magical arts (Paul calls him a “child of the devil … full of all kinds of deceit and trickery,” Acts 13:10). The wise men who came to worship the Christ were not crafty magicians but highly respected members of the community (note, however, that Ignatius of Antioch took them in the bad sense, Ign. Eph. 19). Tradition has expanded on ...

2669. The Beatitudes

Matthew 5:1-12

Understanding Series

Robert H. Mounce

... When this happens, rejoice and be glad. The second verb is compounded from two Greek words that mean (literally) “to leap exceedingly.” The response to persecution is unbridled joy. The reward in heaven (i.e., in God’s sight) is great. The prophets received that kind of treatment, and you are their true successors (cf. 23:29–36). Stendahl thinks that Jesus may be referring to his disciples as prophets in much the same way as did the Essenes (p. 776). Additional Notes 5:4 Metzger notes that if vv. 3 ...

2670. As You Go, Remember…

Matthew 28:16-20

Sermon

Tom Garrison

... who you are. Jesus is the name of your species, and none other than God almighty himself is your source and parent. I also have some sense of how much richer life could be if it were done "two by two" and every moment of it a sharing with that kind of wisdom and love and strength. This has been my foremost agenda: "To stay close to God, to stay close to each person, and to do what I could to bring the two closer together." And this explains, I suppose, why I have ended most services on Sunday morning with ...

2671. Talented People

Matthew 25:14-30

Sermon

David G. Rogne

... not adequately meet the needs of Africa. But the fact that he could not do everything never stopped him from doing something. No one person could be the total answer, but one person could be part of the answer. Our gifts differ not only in number, but in kind. One person may be endowed with wealth. Someone told me that anyone can become a millionaire if he keeps clean, rises early, works hard, and has a rich uncle who dies and leaves him a million dollars. The last part is the hardest part. Yet there are ...

2672. The Parable of the Sower

Mark 4:1-20

Understanding Series

Larry W. Hurtado

... 4:10–20. First, we note that 4:1 puts Jesus in a scene similar to 3:7–12, where Jesus teaches at the shore of the Lake of Galilee from a fishing boat. As we noted before, a boat is featured often in Mark’s narrative, being a kind of symbol for the fellowship of Jesus and the Twelve in the Galilean ministry. Second, the sowing action here is that of ancient Palestinian agriculture, the sower walking through a field and throwing seed by hand over the ground, which was then plowed to bury the seed. This ...

2673. Before the Sanhedrin

Mark 14:53-65

Understanding Series

Larry W. Hurtado

... 11) and connotes the idea of validity and approval by God for whatever is described by the term. The Matt. 26:60–61 parallel does not use these terms in describing the charge against Jesus, showing that Mark has carefully worded the charge to bring out the kind of point described in the discussion above. Luke does not refer to the charge in his account. John 2:18–22 attributes to Jesus a similar saying but explicitly makes it refer to Jesus’ resurrection. There may also be an allusion to Isa. 66:1–2 ...

2674. Jesus at a Pharisee's House

Luke 14:1-14

Understanding Series

Craig A. Evans

... also respected by God. Others, such as the poor, the crippled, the lame, and the blind, are valued and respected by God and will be among those invited to the great feast of the last days. If one is to be like God, one should extend one’s kindness and mercy to those people as well. But Jesus’ immediate point is in v. 14. If one invites those who by religious standards of the day are viewed as outcasts from the kingdom, one will be blessed (truly happy) and accordingly will receive a reward from God at ...

2675. Abraham Justified by Faith

Romans 4:1-25

Understanding Series

James R. Edwards

... was right when he said, All things around us are in opposition to the promises of God: He promises immortality; we are surrounded with mortality and corruption; He declares that he counts us just; we are covered with sins: He testifies that he is propitious and kind to us; outward judgments threaten his wrath. What then is to be done? (Romans, p. 180). Yes, what is to be done? In the tempest of struggle Abraham did not allow himself to be swept into the vortex of disbelief. His questions did not cancel his ...

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