Sermon and Worship Resources

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Showing 2676 to 2700 of 4914 results

2676. Jesus and John the Baptist

Luke 7:18-35

Teach the Text

R.T. France

Big Idea: Jesus affirms the exceptional importance of John as the prophetic herald of the kingdom of God. Understanding the Text John’s public activity had ended with his imprisonment (3:20), though we have heard since of his continuing influence (5:33). Now Luke invites us to consider how the ministries of John and Jesus relate to one another, and he ensures that his readers will not devalue John. This is important in the developing story, as Jesus will be perceived by others as John’s successor (9:7–9, ...

2677. The Revolutionary Values of the Kingdom of God

Luke 18:31-34, Luke 18:18-30, Luke 18:15-17

Teach the Text

R.T. France

Big Idea: In the kingdom of God accepted human values of status and importance are turned upside down. Understanding the Text As the journey to Jerusalem nears its end, encounters with others on the way illustrate the principle expressed in 18:14b, and in so doing they reveal how far those around Jesus still are from grasping the true nature of God’s kingdom and the necessary pattern of Jesus’s own mission. Their incomprehension focuses especially on the issue of wealth, and thus it provides an opportunity ...

2678. The Faithfulness of God and the Covenantal Curses on Israel

Romans 3:1-8

Teach the Text

C. Marvin Pate

Big Idea: God’s faithfulness is actually demonstrated through the covenantal curses on Israel. Understanding the Text In Romans 2 Paul showed that Israel’s attempt to obey the law is, ironically, the reason that they are still in exile and under divine judgment. Romans 3:1–8 therefore anticipates, in diatribe fashion, three Jewish objections to that notion: (1) there is no advantage to having the law, (2) God has broken his promise, and (3) God is unfair to punish Israel (see table 1). Historical and ...

2679. “The Lord Watches over the Way of the Righteous”

Psalm 1:1-6

Teach the Text

C. Hassell Bullock

Big Idea: We begin the spiritual story of Israel, and ours as well, with the psalmist’s search for and delight in God’s Word. Understanding the Text Psalm 1 is often viewed as a wisdom psalm because it puts forth the merits of the moral life as two “ways,” the “way of the righteous” and the “way of the wicked” (1:6), which is characteristic of wisdom thought. For the psalmist the matter was very simple: one must choose between the two ways. When the final edition of the book of Psalms was forming, Psalm 1 ...

2680. “The Earth Is the Lord’s, and Everything in It”

Psalm 24:1-10

Teach the Text

C. Hassell Bullock

Big Idea: Entering the King’s presence is an awesome privilege, and in worship we join the psalmist in preparation for that tremendous experience. Understanding the Text Psalm 24 is titled “Of David. A psalm [mizmor].” First occurring in Psalm 3, the term mizmor is generally understood to mean a poem that is sung to musical accompaniment (see comments on the title for Ps. 3). While the order of the words is reversed here (not “A psalm of David,” as it usually is), the order does not seem to have much ...

2681. “Do Not Drag Me Away with the Wicked”

Psalm 28:1-9

Teach the Text

C. Hassell Bullock

Big Idea: The menaces of leadership are myriad, sometimes posed by cordial faces with malicious intentions, and we pray that God will be the real Shepherd. Understanding the Text Gunkel lists Psalm 28 among the individual complaint songs, the genre that, in his view, forms the basic material of the Psalter.[1] Gerstenberger, based on the elements of petition, thanksgiving, and intercession, agrees and considers this psalm a model representative of the individual complaint psalm,[2] commonly referred to as ...

2682. “Ride Forth Victoriously in the Cause of Truth, Humility and Justice”

Psalm 45:1-17

Teach the Text

C. Hassell Bullock

Big Idea: Great value is put on leaders who, by their own lives, exemplify the virtues of truth, humility, and justice. Understanding the Text Psalm 45 belongs to the genre of royal psalms, which celebrate the king and his reign, not as a lone-standing king, but as a stand-in for Yahweh as king. It is better to think of these psalms as constituting two subgenres, psalms of the heavenly King, which celebrate Yahweh as king, providing the model for all kingship, and psalms of the earthly king, which shine ...

2683. “May All the Peoples Praise You”

Psalm 67:1-7

Teach the Text

C. Hassell Bullock

Big Idea: As the nations see God’s equitable judgment and guidance in the life of Israel, they will come to acknowledge his sovereignty. Understanding the Text Judging from its first-person plural pronouns (“us”), this psalm is a community psalm of thanksgiving.1 Hakham calls it a psalm of thanksgiving for an abundant harvest.2 Israel acknowledges God’s blessings and prays for their extension, even salvation to the nations of the world (67:2, 7). Psalm 66 ends with a word of blessing (“Blessed [baruk] be ...

2684. God’s Wrath against Mankind

Romans 1:18-32

One Volume

Gary M. Burge

1:18–5:21 Review · The justification of sinners on the basis of faith in Jesus Christ: In the first main section of the letter, Paul explains the gospel as the saving revelation of God’s righteousness, which justifies sinners, whether pagans or Jews (1:18–3:20), on the basis of faith in Jesus Christ (3:21–5:21). 1:18–3:20 Review · God’s wrath against Gentiles and Jews:Paul begins his exposition of the gospel with a statement concerning the revelation of God’s wrath on account of human sinfulness (1:18), ...

2685. An Appeal for Full Allegiance to Apostolic Authority

2 Corinthians 10:1-18

One Volume

Gary M. Burge

There is a perceptible change in the tone of Paul’s letter beginning at this point and continuing until its end. But the degree of difference, and the reasons for it, are much less clear. In any event, some continuity with the previous context is afforded by the repetition of a formal appeal (10:1–6); in this case, the appeal concerns apostolic authority. The appeal is sounded in the midst of apparent doubt among some at Corinth about Paul’s ability to exercise apostolic authority in a clear and compelling ...

2686. The Hidden Spiritual House

1 Peter 2:4-12, 1 Peter 2:13-25

One Volume

Gary M. Burge

2:4-10 · Peter began his letter with the themes of God’s elect and his mercy (1:1, 3). He ends this first section on the same note (2:9–10). He also returns to his central theme of hiddenness, though his treatment is different here. In 1:3–9 his thought was angled entirely toward the future, to the coming inheritance and the coming Lord, both now veiled, yet objects of love and joy. But now Peter turns to the past and the present. The hidden but coming Lord was rejected by humankind (2:4), who did not see ...

2687. The Parable of the Sower

Mark 4:1-20

Understanding Series

Larry W. Hurtado

4:1–9 This passage begins a longer section dealing with the parables that runs through 4:34. Careful reading shows, however, that the passage is not only about parables but also about the necessity for the Twelve to understand the parables and their difficulty in doing so. Note that this parable is given an explanation in 4:13–20, something not done for most of the parables in the Gospels. Though Mark says (4:34) that Jesus explained other parables to the disciples, this one is the only parable for which ...

2688. The New Moses

Matthew 1:18-25

Sermon

Dean Feldmeyer

Two Christmas Stories The Bible gives us two Christmas stories — one in Matthew and one in Luke. We tend to think of Christmas as one seamless narrative but that’s because we have all grown up in churches where, every Christmas Eve, we take the two stories and “harmonize” them into one. We take bits and pieces from each gospel and we leave out other parts and we flip back and forth between them so that they sound like one smooth, uninterrupted story. And that’s fine. It’s a nice way to read the story on ...

2689. Dealing with Grief

1 Thessalonians 4:13--5:11

Sermon

King Duncan

Speechless—the most gifted speaker. Almost as speechless, the most eloquent pastor. That’s what we all are at a funeral. No one knows what to say or do. How do you honor the dead? How do you comfort the living? Are there any words you can say that can possibly make a difference? Is there anything you can say that can possibly offer any hope? Owen Vaughan is a professional mourner in London, England. You heard me right—a professional mourner. He gets paid to attend the funerals of people he has never met. ...

2690. It’s Sunday…But Friday’s Comin’

Mark 11:1-11 · John 12:12-16

Sermon

Timothy W. Ayers

As a pastor and a preacher I’ve developed my own top ten of messages I’ve heard preached by other men and women. One of my favorites is Tony Campolo’s “Its Friday…But Sunday’s Comin.’” Dr. Campolo told the story of a little preaching competition that he had with his pastor during services at the church where he attended. Dr. Campolo told how he preached the perfect sermon, perfect in every way. He had taken the congregation to the heights of glory and the depths of despair. As he sat down beside his pastor ...

2691. To Love

Mark 12:28-34

Sermon

Lori Wagner

The Jewish “shema” is the most sacred commandment God gives to God’s people through the Torah (the Holy Scriptures). It is their confession of faith: Hear O Israel, The Lord is our God. The Lord is One. Blessed be the Name of His glorious kingdom forever and ever. You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your might. And it shall be that these words that I command you today shall be in your heart. And you shall teach them diligently to your children and you shall ...

2692. Winning the Grand Prize

Philippians 3:4b-14

Sermon

King Duncan

“You may have already won $10,000,000!” said the flyer. It was from a company called American Family Publishers. Surely you remember them. Their main spokesperson was a famous television personality named Ed McMahon, Johnny Carson’s sidekick—for those old enough to remember Johnny Carson. Notice the clever wording. “You may have already won . . .” implying that it was a done deal . . . and you were the winner. American Family Publishers folded a few years ago. A similar company, Publishers Clearing House, ...

2693. Therefore Go

Matthew 28:16-20

Sermon

King Duncan & Angela Akers

If you’ve ever worked as a team, then you know there are certain behaviors and attitudes that increase productivity, and just as many behaviors and attitudes that decrease it too. Good managers, good coaches, good leaders know how to correct unproductive behaviors and improve the performance of their whole team. But what if your aim is to make your team less productive? Some of you might be muttering to yourself, “I’ve worked with folks like that before.” During World War II, the U.S. Office of Strategic ...

2694. The Contestant

Matthew 14:22-33

Sermon

Lori Wagner

Everyone loves a good duel! At least in the movies we do. Our hero goes up against a worthy foe, and we hold our breath while the opponents or contestants raise their swords, commence, and fight to the bitter end. The “dual” usually comes about in order to defend someone’s honor –whether one’s own, a friend’s, or a maiden’s. In the end, we hope that our hero will win, and honor will be restored. When we think about contestants today, however, we rarely think about duels. We think primarily of game shows. ...

2695. Breathe

John 6:56-69

Sermon

Lori Wagner

Today, we’re going to take some time to “breathe.” Let’s everyone take a nice, deep breath. Breathe in that fresh, crisp air around you. Breathe out the stale, stagnant air within you. Let’s take a moment and take a few breaths. Feel your stress and anxiety melt away. Feel your worries recede and that Holy Spirit sense of peace fill you up. Now, we are ready for worship. Stress, as we’ve probably all experienced at one time or another, remains one ofthe greatest challenges to our mental, physical, and ...

2696. Will You Sing With Me?

Romans 15:4-13

Sermon

Heather Sugden

My congregation has a wonderful institutional history of Christmas caroling. As the story has been passed on down to me, there was a time when every Christmas Eve worship service was packed with families, and every moment in between Christmas Eve worship services was an opportunity for community caroling. We might not be certain when exactly this time was in our history, but we know it happened, we know that it was fantastic, and we profess our desire to return to such a time. In these Christmas days of ...

2697. The King On A Cross

Luke 23:26-43

Sermon

J. Will Ormond

Have you ever looked into the face of a real king? You may have seen phony kings, such as the king of the homecoming parade or the king of the Mardi Gras. Doubtless these make-believe kings were dressed in elaborate, elegant robes and wore gilded crowns on their heads. If we ever think of kings we picture them sitting on golden thrones, dressed in ermine and velvet and jewel-encrusted crowns. They are surrounded by high-ranking courtiers and cheered by an adoring people. Therefore, it can come as something ...

2698. Demon-Possessed Child

Matthew 15:1-20, Matthew 15:21-28

Sermon Aid

Dallas A. Brauninger

First Point Of Action After the miracle of walking on the water (see Cycle A, Miracle 8), Jesus leaves the land of Gennesaret and goes to the district of Tyre and Sidon. Second Point Of Action A Canaanite woman from that region comes out and shouts at Jesus for mercy because a demon torments her daughter. Third Point Of Action Jesus ignores her. Fourth Point Of Action When the disciples urge Jesus to send the persistent woman away, Jesus tells them God sent him only to save the lost sheep of the house of ...

2699. Greed - Putting Things In Their Proper Perspective

Matthew 6:25-34

Sermon

R. Curtis Fussell

Mr. Jones had a job that gave him a comfortable income. He enjoyed fishing and motorhome camping. Every year or so he would buy a new combination fish and ski boat, not some little dinghy, but a really nice, fancy boat. Every couple of years Mr. Jones would buy a new motorhome camper. It was obvious that several other men in the neighborhood envied Mr. Jones and tried to keep up with his new toys. They too would buy and sell boats and campers. It was obvious that keeping up with Mr. Jones was a priority in ...

2700. Proper 19

James 3:1-12, Proverbs 1:20-33, Mark 8:31--9:1, Mark 8:27-30

Sermon Aid

Russell F. Anderson

Theme: Seek true wisdom; follow Christ. COMMENTARY Lesson 1: Proverbs 1:20-33 (C) Wisdom personified warns the fool to heed its words of wisdom and instruction or face dire consequences. The foolish will be destroyed by their own devices; when they call for help on the day of trouble, it will not be granted to them. However, those who listen to the voice of wisdom will dwell secure. Lesson 1: Isaiah 50:5-9a (RC); Isaiah 50:4-9 (E) (See Sunday Of The Passion) Lesson 2: James 3:1-12 (C) Chapter 3 revolves ...

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