Sermon and Worship Resources

Synonyms: Levi, disciple, evangelist, tax collector, the 12, the twelve, apostle, sermon on the mount, jewish audience, beatitudes, lord's prayer, great commission, parables, olivet discourse, mount of olives, olivet, synoptic

Showing 2876 to 2900 of 3314 results

2876. Jesus Was Baptized By Moses

Illustration

Michael P. Green

... an apple,” and that Jesus was “baptized by Moses.” The answer that took the misinformation prize was given by a fellow who was academically in the top 5 percent of the graduating class. The question: “What was Golgotha?” The answer: “Golgotha was the name of the giant who slew the apostle David.”

2877. The Empty Bag

Col 2:8, 23

Illustration

Michael P. Green

... to be mainly full of air and contains only a few chips. If we had examined the bag closely before making the purchase, we would have seen it as an empty deception. The Colossians are an example of believers who were in danger of buying into an empty deception. The apostle Paul warned that they were being presented with religious philosophies and humanly imposed ideas that looked good on the surface. But, when examined on the inside, they were found to be hollow and empty of truth.

2878. Who Was Paul?

Illustration

Michael P. Green

... attended an early-morning prayer meeting in behalf of Israel in an East London Jewish mission. Coming out on the street, he met another clergyman, who had attended a special service at St. Paul’s Cathedral on the anniversary of the conversion of the apostle Paul. After greeting each other, the second minister asked the other where he had been. He told him he had attended a Jewish mission meeting, upon which the second minister showed some surprise that his friend should believe in the possibility of Jews ...

2879. Doomed To Repeat

1 Cor 10:6-11

Illustration

Michael P. Green

At the site of Dachau concentration camp near Munich, Germany, is a museum containing relics from the camp, as well as grim photos depicting conditions there during the war years. There is a sign next to the exit that reads: “Those who do not learn from history are condemned to repeat its mistakes.” The same idea was in Paul’s mind in this passage. The mistakes the Israelites made were cited by the apostle to serve as a reminder and warning, much as the sign at Dachau was.

2880. Faith Does Good Works

James 2:17

Illustration

Michael P. Green

Martin Luther, who had made himself the apostle and champion of faith alone, wrote the following: “Faith is a living, busy, active, powerful thing; it is impossible for it not to do us good continually. It never asks whether good works are to be done, but has done them before there is time to ask the question, and it is always doing them.”

2881. The Believers’ Prayer

Acts 4:23-31

Understanding Series

David J. Williams

... 24; Heb. 13:12f.). As for their enemies, they simply prayed: Lord, consider their threats (v. 29). Interpreted according to strict grammar, this would have to be referred to those who had threatened Jesus, but according to sense, it must be related to the apostles’ recent experience (v. 18). Psalm 2 had spoken of the destruction of God’s enemies, but there was no petition for destruction in this prayer. These things could (and should) be left with God (cf. Rom. 12:19). Instead, they asked that God would ...

2882. The Church Persecuted and Scattered

Acts 8:1b-3

Understanding Series

David J. Williams

... sense of “many” (see disc. on 9:35). But even of those who left, many may soon have returned; and of those who remained or returned, the greatest number were Hebrews (see discussion on 15:1). Meanwhile, whoever else fled the city, the apostles did not (on the tradition of Christ’s command that they stay, see Eusebius, Ecclesiastical History 5.18.14; Clement of Alexandria, Stromateis 6.5). Their known association with the temple would have spared them the charges that were leveled against Stephen. They ...

2883. Philip in Samaria

Acts 8:4-8

Understanding Series

David J. Williams

... At all events, the situation must have been similar to that described in John 4:25ff., with Philip giving a name to the one whom they were expecting. Second, his ministry was marked by exorcisms and healings. In this it followed the pattern of the apostles (cf. 3:1ff; 5:16; also 6:8) and indeed of Jesus himself. Luke more often than the other Evangelists maintains a clear distinction between ordinary illness and demon possession (see note on 5:16), as instanced in this passage. Of the various healings that ...

2884. Philip and the Ethiopian

Acts 8:26-40

Understanding Series

David J. Williams

8:26 If these stories of Philip belong in the sequence and close connection in which we now have them, then either he returned with the apostles to Jerusalem and from there set out for Gaza, or Peter and John returned without him and he traveled directly from Samaria. The Greek favors the first, in that Philip’s instruction was to go “on” the road, not to the road as in NIV; and the road to Gaza ...

2885. Saul’s Conversion

Acts 9:1-19a

Understanding Series

David J. Williams

... in Gal. 1:1, 11f. that he received his apostolic commission, not from human hands, but directly from Christ, it is worth noting with Bruce that, first, Paul in Galatians is defending himself against the charge that he received his commission from the original apostles. The part played by Ananias would not have affected his argument, even if he was the Christian leader in Damascus. Second, in any case, Ananias played the part of a prophet, so that his words were the words of the risen Christ (Book, pp ...

2886. In Pisidian Antioch

Acts 13:13-52

Understanding Series

David J. Williams

... of the matter, boldly (v. 46), in view of the evident hostility of their audience (see disc. on 4:13). This was a decisive step in the new direction in which God was taking his church, and for Paul it was perhaps his “coming of age” as an apostle to the Gentiles. He had been told at the beginning that he would make God known to the Gentiles (9:15), and events at Antioch had finally established him in that role. However, his commission had also included preaching to the people of Israel, and it remained ...

2887. Timothy Joins Paul and Silas

Acts 16:1-5

Understanding Series

David J. Williams

... what has gone just before, but no principle was at stake as it had been in 15:1 and Galatians 2:3. It was a matter of expediency, nothing more (cf. 1 Cor. 7:19; Gal. 5:6; 6:15). 16:4 Though the decision reached by the apostles and elders had been intended only for the Gentile Christians of Syria-Cilicia, the missionaries passed them on to the churches of southern Galatia. The proximity of these churches to Syria and that they had been established from Syrian Antioch were sufficient reasons for doing so (on ...

2888. Paul’s Vision of the Man of Macedonia

Acts 16:6-10

Understanding Series

David J. Williams

... , to Dorylaeum, where the roads parted, Paul and his companions may at first have intended to continue northward into the province of Bithynia, where many cities must have beckoned. But again they felt constrained by the Spirit not to take that direction. (Was there another apostle at work in this area? cf. 1 Pet. 1:1.) So they turned westward to Troas instead. The unique description of the Spirit in this verse should be noticed. The change from “the Holy Spirit” (v. 6) to the Spirit of Jesus has no ...

2889. Paul Before Agrippa

Acts 25:23--26:32

Understanding Series

David J. Williams

... it was not unheard of that a crowd in Jerusalem should add their voice to the demands of their leaders (cf. Mark 15:11), whereas in Caesarea, the great bitterness between Jews and Gentiles may well have found expression in a Jewish demonstration against the “apostle to Gentiles.” Festus himself had found no crime in Paul deserving death (v. 25). It was unreasonable, however, that he should send him to Rome without an explanation of the charges against him (v. 27), and he hoped that as a result of this ...

2890. The Storm

Acts 27:13-26

Understanding Series

David J. Williams

... remark that they should have taken [his] advice and not have sailed from Crete (v. 1). “This trait of human nature, always so quick to prove itself in the right, is a sign of Luke’s faithfulness: he does not forget the man in the apostle” (Rackham, p. 497). There is a certain irony in Paul’s expression. The Greek speaks of them as “gaining” this “loss.” Nevertheless, he assured them that they would not lose their lives (contrary to his earlier prediction, v. 10); only the ship would be lost ...

2891. The Shipwreck

Acts 27:27-44

Understanding Series

David J. Williams

... could not function during the storm. People may have had some food by them on which to subsist, or they may simply have had to do without. In any case, Paul now urged them to eat. They would need all their strength if they were to make it ashore. The apostle was a man of practical faith (see disc. on vv. 31f.). Once more he assured them that they would be safe, using now what seems to have been a proverbial saying. Not one of you will lose a single hair from his head (v. 34; cf. 1 Sam. 14:45 ...

2892. Paul Preaches at Rome Under Guard

Acts 28:17-31

Understanding Series

David J. Williams

The final scene depicts what was of greatest interest to Luke, namely, Paul’s proclamation of the gospel in Rome. The pattern of Paul’s ministry, which Luke has faithfully traced elsewhere, is repeated for the last time. As soon as the apostle was settled, he was in touch with the Jewish leaders, both to explain his own position and to tell them of Christ. As usual, a few were interested; some may even have believed, but the majority remained unconvinced. Paul declared, therefore, that the message ...

2893. Freedom In Christ

Galatians 5:1-15, Galatians 5:16-26

Understanding Series

L. Ann Jervis

... except for one is not accepted; R. Yose son of Rabbi Yehuda says: even (if it concerns) a detail of the niceties of the Scribes.” (t. Demai 2.5; quoted from P. J. Tomson, Paul and the Jewish Law: Halakha in the Letters of the Apostle to the Gentiles [Minneapolis: Fortress, 1990], pp. 88–89). Justin Martyr continues Paul’s understanding that circumcision entails obeying the whole law (Dial. 8 [ANF 1.198–99]). 5:4 The words alienated (katērgēthēte) and have fallen away (exepesate) appear in the ...

2894. Slaves and Masters

Ephesians 6:5-9

Understanding Series

Arthur G. Patzia

... ēmpsia). Slave owners who became Christians had to make a radical change in their attitudes and behavior toward their slaves. One common way of controlling their labor force was by threats—threats of death, punishment, or sale. This practice, states the apostle, must be terminated (do not threaten them). Service must be earned; it should not come through the fear of reprisal. Although the author does not abolish the institution of slavery, this new relationship between slave and master ultimately led to ...

2895. Final Greetings

Ephesians 6:21-24

Understanding Series

Arthur G. Patzia

... that one can say is that Tychicus, who is the bearer of Colossians and Philemon, may be taking Ephesians to the congregations in Asia Minor as well. Here Tychicus is considered a dear brother and faithful servant, who will give news of the apostle’s situation in prison. Second, there is the problem of verbal correspondence with Colossians. Mitton has noted that “thirty-two consecutive words in Ephesians are identical with a similar number of words from Col. 4:7–8” (p. 230). Although there are many ...

2896. The Supremacy of Christ

Colossians 1:15-23

Understanding Series

Arthur G. Patzia

... manifesting and perfectly revealing God in human form (in 2 Cor. 4:4 Paul talks about “the glory of Christ, who is the image of God”). The result of the Incarnation is that the invisible God has become visible in the God-man, Jesus Christ. The Apostle John, in a different context, records statements that Christ made: “I and the Father are one” (10:30), and “Anyone who has seen me has seen the Father” (14:9). Such a claim could not be made for any angel or spiritual power. Christ’s sovereignty ...

2897. Freedom From Human Regulations Through Life With Christ

Colossians 2:6-23

Understanding Series

Arthur G. Patzia

A Summons to Steadfastness 2:6 The Greek text begins with “therefore,” indicating that what the apostle is about to say is linked with his preceding discussion on the content of the mystery which is Christ himself. As someone has said, “Whenever you see a therefore in Scripture, go back to see what it is there for!” To stand firm does not mean to stand still. Paul ...

2898. Further Instructions

Colossians 4:2-6

Understanding Series

Arthur G. Patzia

... relationships with unbelievers (cf. 1 Thess. 4:12). He would not sanction any movement of Christianity into private cliques or withdrawal from society. Rather, believers are to give visible (conduct) and verbal (speech) witness to their faith. The apostle seeks to encourage his readers to behave in a way that will authenticate their faith before outsiders (tous exō). The idea behind opportunity is the picturesque word exagorazō, which means to “buy” or to “redeem” (agora, “marketplace”). It ...

2899. Final Greetings

Colossians 4:7-18

Understanding Series

Arthur G. Patzia

... of intimacy (cf. 1 Cor. 16:21; Gal. 6:11; 2 Thess. 3:17). The concluding request is that the Colossians remember my chains. Earlier, he made a similar request for their prayers (4:3). One wonders whether the request comes from a lonely and discouraged apostle, or whether it is to be understood as an indirect affirmation of his entire ministry as a servant and prisoner for Jesus Christ. Since the normal word for prayer (proseuchomai) is not used, it seems likely that the phrase is an appeal to remember and ...

2900. Thanksgiving for the Thessalonians' Faith

1 Thessalonians 1:1-10

Understanding Series

David J. Williams

... ) with the gospel is a familiar Pauline theme (see Rom. 1:16; 1 Cor. 1:18, 24). This reference may be to “signs, wonders, and various miracles” that accompanied the preaching (Heb. 2:4)—what Paul refers to elsewhere as “the things that mark an apostle” (2 Cor. 12:12); or Paul may be referring to the changed lives of the Thessalonians. Either way, “the power of the Spirit” was at work (Rom. 15:19). Hence Paul’s reference to the Holy Spirit (written in the Gk. without the definite article ...

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