Sermon and Worship Resources

Showing 251 to 275 of 340 results

Revelation 5:1-14

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J. Scott Duvall

... vantage point, he has already acted in Jesus Christ. People who have grown up under the heavy influence of a futurist eschatology may need to be reminded of all that has already been accomplished through the cross and resurrection of Jesus. Yes, he will consummate his victory over evil at his second coming, and yes, there are real battles remaining to be fought. But the war has been won! Grant Osborne says it well, The great victory over Satan has already occurred: the cross is the central point of history ...

252. The Four Horsemen

Revelation 6:1-17

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J. Scott Duvall

... the four living creatures say in a voice like thunder, “Come!” John’s heavenly vision continues as he observes the Lamb breaking the first seal. The Lamb alone is worthy to break each seal and unfold the scroll, indicating Jesus’s leading role in the consummation of human history. While John sees the Lamb, he hears the thunderous voice of the first living creature command the first horse to come forth (cf. the “voice like thunder” in Rev. 14:2; 19:6). 6:2 I looked, and there before me was a ...

253. John Called to Prophesy Again

Revelation 10:1-11

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J. Scott Duvall

... and we wait and we sometimes ask, “How long, Sovereign Lord?” (cf. Rev. 6:10). The suffering is real, and things are often not the way they are supposed to be. But a day is coming when there will be “no more delay,” when God will consummate his kingdom (11:15). This text provides an opportunity to help people understand the “already/not yet” situation in which we live. We hold on and wait and endure difficulties now as we look forward to the blessed hope of Jesus’s second coming (Titus 2:11 ...

254. The Woman, the Son, and the Dragon

Revelation 12:1--13:1a

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J. Scott Duvall

... down to you! He is filled with fury, because he knows that his time is short. The call for the heavens to rejoice and the cry of woe on earth are the twin realities of life in the already/not yet of God’s yet-to-be-consummated kingdom. Victory has already been achieved by Christ, but the full and final realization of that victory awaits God’s future action. The devil has “great wrath” (thymon megan) because he knows the time between his defeat and his final judgment is limited, even “short” by ...

255. The Lamb and the 144,000

Revelation 14:1-5

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J. Scott Duvall

... Mount Zion (see the sidebar). The earthly Mount Zion refers to the Temple Mount in Jerusalem, or even to the entire city or its inhabitants (Pss. 2:6; 9:11; Isa. 40:9; 52:1–2). Zion eventually comes to represent God’s dwelling place and the center of his consummated kingdom, and this is the meaning here (21:1–2; Heb. 12:22–23). The 144,000 have both the Lamb and the Father’s name written on their foreheads, in direct contrast to those whose foreheads bear the mark of the beast (13:16; 14:9; 20:4 ...

256. God’s Judgment of Babylon Calls for Celebration

Revelation 19:1-10, Revelation 18:1-24

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J. Scott Duvall

... seven times in Revelation to emphasize how God is working out his sovereign plan: 8:6; 9:7, 15; 12:6; 16:12; 19:7; 21:2.) The bridegroom and his entourage would then process to the bride’s home and escort her back to his home for the consummation of the marriage and the wedding feast (John 14:1–3). The “bride” of Christ is identified as “God’s holy people” or the saints (14:4; 21:2, 9; 22:17; Ezek. 16:8–14). They have prepared themselves by holding to the testimony of Jesus and faithfully ...

257. The Final Judgment

Revelation 20:11-15

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J. Scott Duvall

... of life (e.g., beauty, trust, compassion, giving, worship, and so on). Theological Insights The great story of Scripture includes four broad movements: creation (Gen. 1–2), sin crisis (Gen. 3–11), covenant resolution with Christ as the climax of the resolution (Gen. 12–Rev. 20), and consummation (Rev. 21–22).4God is the God of life (Rev. 4:9–10; 7:2; 10:6; 15:7), but from early on in the story, sin and death have intruded like a cancer into God’s good creation. But the God of life would never ...

258. The Conclusion

Revelation 22:7-21

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J. Scott Duvall

... , the return of Christ is always imminent, and the time of fulfillment has already begun with Christ. As Beale says, “the prophecies sealed up by Daniel have begun to be fulfilled, continue to be fulfilled in the present, and will do so until their consummation in the future.”3The angel concludes with two commands for the unrighteous and two for the righteous (cf. a similar command in Dan. 12:10). These commands are bracketed by references to the return of Christ (22:10b, 12a). They serve as a warning ...

259. A Lifestyle of Holiness and Love

Leviticus 19:1-37

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Joe M. Sprinkle

... Milgrom’s view, there is no evidence that priests used mixed-seed planting. 19:20–22 If a man sleeps with a female slave who is promised to another man. This is the case of an inchoately married (betrothed) slave girl whose marriage is not yet consummated and who has sex with a different man. With a freeborn woman, this would be considered adultery (Deut. 22:23–27), but here the girl is not executed because the betrothal has not been fully established by money and/or contract. At that point she ...

260. Keeping Promises

Numbers 30:1-16

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Joe M. Sprinkle

... the case of a father, the husband’s veto must be overt and timely to negate his wife’s previous vow or binding pledge. The husband will likely hear about his fiancée’s vows in the inchoate marriage or the betrothal stage before the marriage is actually consummated, at which point he must either negate his bride-to-be’s vows or pledges or assume the obligation of keeping them. 30:9 Any vow or obligation taken by a widow or divorced woman. A widow or a divorced woman is not under male authority, so ...

261. David the Conqueror

2 Sam 5:6-25

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Robert B. Chisholm Jr.

... of establishing his kingdom on earth. Surely today God’s chosen servants do not promote God’s kingdom by fighting wars and killing Philistines! But God promises his enabling presence to those who carry out his commission as a prelude to the consummation of his kingdom (Matt. 28:18–20; Acts 28:31). 2. The Lord accomplishes his purposes through those who act in accordance with his reliable promises and trust in his power. In carrying out God’s purposes, David confronts opposition from the Philistines ...

262. “The Heavens Declare the Glory of God”

Psalm 19:1-14

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C. Hassell Bullock

... which fits the context better. Some commentators see an underlying hymn to the sun in this poem (e.g., Weiser),[6] but the more likely background of the metaphor is the wedding festival, and the nuptial tent where the bride and groom consummated their marriage, or the bridal house from which the bridegroom departs (as the rising sun) to claim his bride. 19:5 like a bridegroom coming out of his chamber . . . rejoicing. Depending on how we understand the metaphor, the “chamber” (huppah, “tent”; see ...

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

Psalm 45:1-17

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C. Hassell Bullock

... who come seeking help from the generous in Proverbs 19:6. 45:14 In embroidered garments she is led to the king.Now the scene turns from description to action as the bride is led away, accompanied by her maidens, to the king’s bedroom for the consummation of the marriage. Kidner suggests that this description is behind Paul’s picture in 2 Corinthians 11:2, “to present you as a pure bride to her one husband” (RSV).11 45:16 Your sons.The address has now changed from the bride to the groom (the ...

264. “You Laugh at Them, Lord; You Scoff at All Those Nations”

Psalm 59:1-17

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C. Hassell Bullock

... speaking. 59:12 For the sins of their mouths . . . For the curses and lies.The “sins of their mouths,” “words of their lips,” and the “curses and lies” constitute the enemies’ transgressions against Israel, and “pride” is their consummate sin. The description of “curses and lies” specifically defines their speech. The powerful human attribute of “pride” is used both negatively and positively in the Old Testament. In a good sense, Israel is called the “pride of Jacob,” whom ...

265. Various Laws

Leviticus 19:1-37

One Volume

Gary M. Burge

... ambiguous, the man also escapes capital punishment. However, he must offer a reparation offering because he has broken God’s moral law by committing sacrilege in the sense of violating the sanctity of the woman’s marriage, even before it is consummated. Following the prescribed treatment for new fruit trees (19:23–25) shows grateful acknowledgment of the Lord’s sovereignty over the land that he has provided. The horticultural practice of removing the buds of an immature tree rather than letting it ...

266. Samson's Marriage

Judges 14:1-20

One Volume

Gary M. Burge

... naturally win the bet. Samson, realizing that he has been betrayed by his wife-to-be (thus the comment about “plowing with my heifer”) and not having the means to pay the wager, then goes down to Ashkelon, kills thirty Philistines, and takes their clothes to pay up. Then without consummating his marriage, he angrily returns to his father’s house. With the groom gone, the bride is given to one of the groomsmen instead.

267. Samson's Vengeance of the Philistines

Judges 15:1-20

One Volume

Gary M. Burge

... response of the father-in-law, first refusing to let him in, then explaining that the woman has already been given to another, and finally offering the supposedly more beautiful younger daughter as replacement, suggests an understanding that Samson wants to consummate the marriage. Having been rebuffed, Samson angrily promises revenge on the Philistines, and then sets on fire their entire harvest. This is particularly devastating as it is the time of the harvest (cf. 15:1), which means that the Philistines ...

268. If Only You Were To Me A Brother

Song of Songs 8:1-14

One Volume

Gary M. Burge

In escorting the shepherd to her mother’s home the maiden accomplishes two goals: she gains approval from her mother and the brothers of the shepherd, and she fulfills her dream of consummating their vows in the place where she was “schooled” by her mother in the art of romance and lovemaking. “Spiced wine” and mandrake apples were renowned aphrodisiacs in Egypt and Mesopotamia. The phrase “nectar of my pomegranates” (8:2) has distinctly erotic connotations, the woman’s breasts being ...

269. The Locust Invasion as the Lord’s Judgment of Judah

Joel 1:1-12

One Volume

Gary M. Burge

... breached and her defenses destroyed by the enemy (whether a reference to the Assyrian crisis or a foreshadowing of the Babylonian invasion and exile, 2:7–9). The prophet then uses the analogy of a grieving bride, whose groom is unable to consummate the marriage because he lacks the bride-price normally paid to the bride’s family in exchange for betrothal. She wears sackcloth as a sign of her mourning. The infestation also affects religious life, interfering with regular temple offerings by the priests ...

270. Edom’s Judgment Pronounced and Reaffirmed

Obadiah 1:1-21

One Volume

Gary M. Burge

... that the fall of Edom should be viewed as the trigger event setting in motion the fulfillment of all God’s promises to Israel. The culmination of Israel’s restoration as predicted by Obadiah parallels the final outcome of human history, in that both consummate with the Lord’s kingdom or sovereign rule in the created order (v. 21). This theme of Yahweh’s ultimate dominion over the world through Israel as his signet occurs frequently in the Old Testament as part of the messianic expectation of the day ...

271. Giving, Prayer, and Fasting

Matthew 6:1-4, Matthew 6:5-15, Matthew 6:16-18

One Volume

Gary M. Burge

... s followers are to cling to the truth that their Father knows and anticipates their prayers (6:8). The Lord’s Prayer provides a model prayer for disciples (6:9–13) and is thoroughly kingdom focused, looking ahead with longing for God’s reign to be consummated. The address, “Our Father in heaven,” indicates that the familial relationship to God that Jesus himself enjoys (see son language in Matthew 3 and 4) is shared in some way with Jesus’s followers, who are God’s children (cf. 5:16, 45, 48 ...

272. Jesus’s Fifth Discourse—The Eschatological Discourse

Matthew 24:1-35, Matthew 24:36-51

One Volume

Gary M. Burge

... 51 (along with Matthew 25) turning to the question of Jesus’s parousia and the end of the age (following France, 889–94). Matthew uses the Greek term parousia in a technical sense (as do other New Testament writers) to indicate Jesus’s “reappearing” at the final consummation, or the “end of the age” in Matthew’s language, at 24:3 (parousia at 24:3, 27, 37, 39; see also 1 Cor. 15:23; 1 Thess. 3:13; 4:15). The term parousia can be translated “coming”; but given the use of another word for ...

273. The Lord's Supper

Matthew 26:17-30, Matthew 26:31-35

One Volume

Gary M. Burge

... of sins” (1:21) as the means of covenant renewal (“my blood of the covenant”; 26:28; cf. likely allusions to Exod. 24:8; Isa. 53:12—for “many”; Jer. 31:31–34). Jesus connects his enactment of the renewed covenant with the still future consummation of God’s kingdom (26:29; cf. the kingship theme at 27:33–56). After moving east from the city to the Mount of Olives (across the Kidron Valley from Jerusalem; 26:30), Jesus predicts that not only Judas but also all his disciples will fall away ...

274. The Parable of the Tenants

Mark 12:1-12

One Volume

Gary M. Burge

... the father’s representative, with the father’s authority, to the father’s property, to collect the father’s due. The beloved son (a phrasing that elsewhere in Mark refers only to Jesus; see 1:11; 9:7 NASB, RSV), unmistakably highlights Jesus’s consummate role in the history of Israel. Despite the schemes of the tenants, the vineyard is not destroyed; it is God’s possession, and it will be given to “others” (12:9), which may refer to Gentiles. The concluding quotation from Psalm 118:22–23 ...

275. The Birth of Jesus Foretold

Luke 1:26-38

One Volume

Gary M. Burge

... advances the narrative to the great announcement; however, this solution impugns Luke’s historical reliability. It is most likely that Mary understood the angel to be saying that the conception would be imminent, and Mary’s marriage was still not consummated. Naturally, the historicity of the virgin birth has been questioned. Some scholars have said that the story was borrowed from the pagan world, where heroes were born from the union of gods and human women. These accounts, however, are different ...

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