Sermon and Worship Resources

Showing 3151 to 3175 of 5000 results

Luke 22:47-53

Understanding Series

Craig A. Evans

... in matters of detail and chronology than in the account of Peter’s denials and Jesus’ trial. (For a discussion of the problems pertaining to Jesus’ trial see the commentary on 22:63–23:25 below.) Peter’s denials present the greatest difficulties, as illustrated by the following points: (1) Whereas Matthew (26:57), and presumably Mark (14:53) and Luke (22:54), has Peter deny Jesus all three times at the house of Caiaphas the high priest, John (18:13, 17, 24) has Peter first deny Jesus at ...

3152. More Than Conquerors

Romans 8:28-39

Understanding Series

James R. Edwards

... not in a Japanese tea garden, but in the hammer blows of Skull Hill. The love of God is the cross of Jesus, a verdict on human sin and a vindication of God’s righteousness. God is for us means “Christ died for us” (5:8). To illustrate God’s love Paul alludes to two OT images in verse 32. He who did not spare his own Son echoes Abraham’s sacrifice of Isaac (“you … have not withheld your son, your only son,” Gen. 22:16). The linguistic similarities between these two passages, particularly in ...

3153. Personal Requests

1 Corinthians 16:5-18

Understanding Series

Marion L. Soards

... 14:10 and 15:37, where Paul also uses forms of the Gk. verb tygchanō. In fact, this usage of the word is striking because it is the only historically real possibility that Paul observes; the other instances are rhetorical possibilities in rhetorical illustrations. Possibility was not a primary theological category for Paul. The importance of this visit for Paul may be indicated in the placement of the words with you in a striking emphatic position at the beginning of the sentence. He writes, in odd order ...

3154. Joshua to Succeed Moses

Numbers 27:12-23

Understanding Series

W.H. Bellinger, Jr.

... new way. The people will need to continue to innovate as they move toward the new experience of living in the land. This ruling demonstrates the flexibility of the tradition, as we saw with the question about Passover in chapter 9. As the next verses illustrate, legal policy is important for the Priestly tradents—but dialogue between the people and God can infuse freshness into the tradition. This case brings a new departure in the rights and privileges of women in ancient Israel. It is a small step in a ...

3155. Saul Rescues the City of Jabesh

1 Samuel 11:1-11

Understanding Series

Mary J. Evans

... response in extolling Saul and castigating those who had refused to acknowledge Saul is unsurprising, if a little exaggerated given that this was a skirmish. Saul’s refusal to respond to the invitation to get rid of those who had not recognized him illustrates his statesmanship. It was a time for graciousness, not revenge. He publicly ascribes the victory to God. Within this chapter the writers show Saul as the right man for the job, capable of acting as God’s representative. There is no indication of ...

3156. Saul Confirmed as King

1 Samuel 11:12-15

Understanding Series

Mary J. Evans

3157. David's Prayer

2 Samuel 7:18-29

Understanding Series

Mary J. Evans

... was not afraid to change his position. Jeremiah 28 offers some parallels to this story, but in that instance Hananiah’s refusal to change his position resulted in his being branded as a false prophet. 7:5–7 My servant David (also v. 8) illustrates the special relationship between God and David. Although Israel as a nation is described as God’s servant, the ascription is rarely given to individuals. “My servant,” however, becomes almost a title for David as it had been for Moses. Perhaps we are ...

3158. Absalom Kills Amnon

2 Samuel 13:23-39

Understanding Series

Mary J. Evans

... . Amnon is not to be restrained, and Tamar is raped. The text makes clear that the sexual encounter is against her will and that Amnon sins against her as well as against the law. The writers’ interest in the use and abuse of power is again illustrated. Amnon compounds his crime by his subsequent rejection of Tamar. His lust once satisfied, he wanted nothing more to do with her. Again the parallels with the way that David treated Uriah, acting as if his life was a matter of no import, are clear. Mention ...

3159. Jesus Predicts His Betrayal

John 13:18-30

Understanding Series

J. Ramsey Michaels

... is himself the beloved disciple or whether he is drawing on eyewitness material that comes from this person, he seems to assume the beloved disciple’s place at the table and to write from his standpoint. The ignorance of the rest of the disciples is illustrated by their misunderstanding of Jesus’ last words to Judas, What you are about to do, do quickly (v. 27). The statement that No one at the meal understood why Jesus said this to him (v. 28) gives evidence of being written from the beloved disciple ...

3160. The Disciples' Grief Will Turn to Joy

John 16:17-33, John 16:5-16

Understanding Series

J. Ramsey Michaels

... message of verses 8–11 amounts to a Christian redefinition of all that was of vital concern to the Jews. Yet the same message will confront the pagan world as well (cf. 18:33–38). Paul’s confrontation with the Roman governor Felix aptly illustrates these verses; when Paul spoke to this pagan official and his Jewish wife about “righteousness [i.e., “justice”], self-control and the judgment to come” (Acts 24:25), the governor was afraid and told Paul to leave. Nowhere is it made plainer than in ...

3161. Jesus Appears to Thomas

John 20:24-31

Understanding Series

J. Ramsey Michaels

... by Thomas) was overcome and their faith in Jesus found its voice in the decisive confession My Lord and my God (v. 28). This means that verses 19–29 present essentially one resurrection appearance of Jesus in two stages, a week apart. Together, they illustrate the same ambiguity about the disciples’ faith that has been present in the narrative all along (cf., e.g., 16:29–33) and dramatize the terse statement of Matthew’s Gospel that when Jesus appeared to the disciples on a mountain in Galilee ...

3162. Titus Sent to Corinth

2 Corinthians 8:16--9:5

Understanding Series

James M. Scott

... (9:2). Therefore, the Corinthians should give both because of the example of the Macedonians to them and because of their example to the Macedonians. In reality, Achaia has not been ready since the previous year, as the Corinthian church dramatically illustrates. Therefore, Paul’s boast to the Macedonians about the Achaians seems to stretch the truth. The weak link in Paul’s logic and boasting is, of course, the Corinthian church, since eagerness of that church had flagged during the recent conflict ...

3163. Praying for Endurance and Healing

James 5:1-6, James 4:13-17, James 5:7-12, James 5:13-20

Understanding Series

Peter H. Davids

... . But second, when one of the partners is outside the church and church discipline, Paul must extend the implication of Jesus’ teaching. The Christian must not end the marriage, but he or she is not bound if the other partner does. This illustrates the application of Jesus’ teaching to a new situation. James takes Jesus’ teaching in Matt. 7:1 and draws an implication in another direction. If Jesus taught that Christians should not judge, then they will be judged for the act of judging. That ...

3164. Praying for Endurance and Healing

James 5:7-12, James 4:13-17, James 5:1-6, James 5:13-20

Understanding Series

Peter H. Davids

3165. Praying for Endurance and Healing

James 5:13-20, James 4:13-17, James 5:1-6, James 5:7-12

Understanding Series

Peter H. Davids

3166. Praise to God for a Living Hope

1 Peter 1:1-12

Understanding Series

Norman Hillyer

... again only once more. In Acts 2:23 God’s foreknowledge is explicitly coupled with his determinate counsel; cf. Jer. 1:5, “Before I formed you in the womb I knew you.” The doctrine of providence expressed in Peter’s wording is well illustrated in Judith 9:5–6 LXX: “What you designed has come to pass. The things you ordained come forward and say, ‘We are here.’ All your ways are prepared beforehand: foreknowledge (prognōsis) determines your judgments.” The sanctifying work of the Spirit is ...

3167. Wives and Husbands

1 Peter 3:1-7

Understanding Series

Norman Hillyer

... people of God. Such women put their hope in God, and women believing in Christ through their new birth have similarly embraced a living hope (1:3, 21). The way in which godly OT wives showed that they were submissive to their own husbands is illustrated by the example of Sarah. The occasion on which we are told that Sarah called Abraham her master is when she reveals her incredulity that, despite their advanced years, she was to bear her husband a son (Gen. 18:12 LXX). But her “submission” to Abraham ...

3168. Suffering for Doing Good

1 Peter 3:8-22

Understanding Series

Norman Hillyer

... by rights have the support of the civil authorities (2:14). But there is certainly no guarantee that the world will view what they do in the same favorable light. In fact, their very moral goodness will provoke antagonism. The scene on Calvary illustrates the point. The world seeks to eliminate both those who fall below average behavior (criminals) and any who exhibit an uncomfortably higher standard (saviors). The fact of their “doing good,” plain for all to see, may rob opponents of any real reason ...

3169. Joseph in Charge of Egypt

Genesis 41:41-57

Understanding Series

John E. Hartley

... not that Joseph no longer remembered his family or the hard times but that the bitterness of that memory had been eased. His second son he named Ephraim, . . . because God had made him fruitful in the land of his suffering. The meanings of these names illustrate Joseph’s attitude toward the hard years he had endured and foreshadow the way he would relate to his brothers. 41:53–57 Seven years later, as God had forewarned Pharaoh, the famine began. It proved to be a terrible famine, spreading well beyond ...

3170. Moses Returns to Egypt

Exodus 4:18-31

Understanding Series

James K. Bruckner

... 5; 12:12, 29; 13:2, 12–15; 22:29; 34:19–20). Verse 23 is set apart and highlighted in the narrative by its verb change in the words, “I told you.” This introduction to the importance of the firstborn son makes several important claims. The text itself illustrate this by its structure: I told you, A “Israel is my firstborn son, B Let my son go, so he may worship me. B′ But you refused to let him go; A′ So I will kill your firstborn son.” The repetitions (in bold) form the structure of the key ...

3171. Materials for the Tabernacle

Exodus 35:4-29

Understanding Series

James K. Bruckner

... Yahweh’s Dwelling Place: Willing Hearts · Exodus 35 is remarkable for the dramatic reversal and transformation after a word of forgiveness from the Lord. The people prepared to build the tabernacle with full and willing hearts. The structure of the chapter illustrates the reversal by forming a mirror image of Exodus 31 (the last chapter before the golden-calf crisis), presenting similar material in reverse order. The last subject of Exodus 31 was the Sabbath, and the Sabbath command is now the first ...

3172. The Ten Commandments

Deuteronomy 5:1-33

Understanding Series

Christopher J. H. Wright

... immediately preceding history of Israel, namely, their liberation from slavery in Egypt. Now this is not, of course, to suggest that the moral principles set forth in the Decalogue were totally unknown to humanity before the revelation on Mt. Sinai. The book of Genesis illustrates awareness of the basic morality of the commandments as early as the story of Cain and Abel and even on the part of “pagans” such as Pharaoh (Gen. 12:10–20) and Abimelech (Gen. 20). The point is, however, that by giving them ...

3173. Tithes

Deuteronomy 14:22-29

Understanding Series

Christopher J. H. Wright

... (v. 2) and ends with a renewed promise of Yahweh’s blessing (v. 29). In between these two fundamentals of Israel’s covenant relationship with Yahweh, it picks out, on the one hand, that factor of Israel’s life which most illustrated their distinctiveness from the nations at a symbolic level (the food laws), and on the other hand, the dual covenantal response—vertical gratitude to God (the tithes) and horizontal care and support in the community (the triennial tithes). The common theme between ...

3174. Feast of Weeks

Deuteronomy 16:9-12

Understanding Series

Christopher J. H. Wright

... of dependent people frequently commended to the generosity of Israelite households. So the command of verse 10b that the worshipper’s giving should be in proportion to God’s blessing was (and remains) a vital principle. It clearly echoes 15:14b and illustrates in the most practical way possible the fundamental Deuteronomic principle that all our “doing” should be grateful and obedient response to the prior blessing of God. As in chapter 12, we find that the joy of Israel’s festivals was to be ...

3175. Feast of Tabernacles

Deuteronomy 16:13-17

Understanding Series

Christopher J. H. Wright

... from the temporary shelters built by the harvesters in the fields at that time of year. Leviticus 23:42–43, however, links the practice to the temporary dwellings that Israel had to make do with after the exodus, thus once again illustrating the characteristic Israelite habit of relating the festivals of the agricultural year to the events of their redemptive history. As with the integration of Passover and Unleavened Bread, the motivation linked with the Feasts of Weeks and Tabernacles combines the past ...

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