Sermon and Worship Resources

Showing 3176 to 3200 of 3852 results

John 15:1-17

One Volume

Gary M. Burge

... a prerequisite Christian experience. Initially, Christ dwells in us (15:4–5), but this is no tribute to our merit; for our acceptability as vessels—our cleanliness—is his accomplishment (15:3). Conversely, we abide in Christ (15:4–5), and this is the origin of fruitful living. Just as branches are barren when they are not attached to the vine (15:4), the possibility of separation from the Vine is a dreadful prospect (15:2, 6). Second, there should be outer evidence of Christ’s indwelling. Note how ...

3177. The World Hates the Disciples

John 15:18--16:4

One Volume

Gary M. Burge

... of Signs (John 1–12) we saw how Jesus’s ministry was described in forensic terms: he was on trial before a world that was weighing the evidence (signs). Now this lifelong trial is promised for the disciples. This judicial-literary metaphor explains the origin of the Spirit’s new title. A paraclete is a legal assistant or advocate who aids and counsels. He substantiates our witness (another legal term) as we too are placed on trial before the world. Jesus is quite specific about the extent of these ...

3178. The Work of the Holy Spirit

John 16:5-16

One Volume

Gary M. Burge

... the Johannine churches used this gift as well. But note a very important limit on this “charismatic” activity: the Spirit will not diverge from the historical revelation of Jesus Christ (John 16:13–14). The Johannine church understood this necessary reflex back to its original moorings. Note the number of times that John points his readers back to what we knew “from the beginning” (1 John 1:1–3). The picture so far has developed thus: Jesus must go away, but he will return; yet this return will ...

3179. Jesus Prays for Himself

John 17:1-5

One Volume

Gary M. Burge

... glory—a glory shared with the Father—and this will be reappropriated upon Christ’s return (17:5). This thought is important and draws us into the incarnational theology of John. Coming from the Father, he takes up our humanity at some expense, only to return once more to his original glory with the Father. This resembles Paul’s thought in Philippians 2:5–11.

3180. Jesus and Peter

John 21:15-25

One Volume

Gary M. Burge

... about Christ’s future will. For John’s church the message is clear: John’s survival may not have been Christ’s will at all. Appendix · These final notes assert the authority of the beloved disciple as a reliable eyewitness and as the originator of a trustworthy historical tradition. This same sort of confirmation is given in 19:35. From 1 John 1:1–4 we can see how John’s connection with the historical events of Jesus’s life was valued. Moreover, the Gospel bears eloquent testimony ...

3181. Fulfillment of the Twelve

Acts 1:12-26

One Volume

Gary M. Burge

... new era, the criterion for entering God’s people is no longer one’s ethnic identity but one’s relationship to the “Lord Jesus” (1:21). Embedded within 1:20 are two quotations from the Old Testament: Psalms 69:25 and 109:8. In their original contexts, both verses point to the failure of those who oppose God to succeed in their evil plans. Here not only does Peter cite these verses to justify the election of an apostle to replace Judas, but he is also affirming a wider theological principle. This ...

3182. Peter’s Vision

Acts 10:9-23a, Acts 10:23b-48

One Volume

Gary M. Burge

... of divine approval, Peter also has them baptized “in the name of Jesus Christ” (10:48). Although this is undoubtedly a new era in God’s salvific plan, Luke also emphasizes its continuity with the past. First, this salvation to the Gentiles originated with the gospel that “God sent to the people of Israel” (10:36). The priority of Israel even in this eschatological era is repeatedly affirmed in this narrative (cf. 13:5, 46; 14:1; 18:4). Second, Peter emphasizes that “all the prophets ...

3183. Church at Antioch

Acts 11:19-30

One Volume

Gary M. Burge

... to the distinct presence of this community in this significant city. The passive verb “called” probably indicates that outsiders applied this label to the believers. Other appearances of this term in the New Testament further point to the likelihood that this was originally a derogatory term applied by those opposed to this movement (26:28; 1 Pet. 4:16). In any case, this term points to the identity of believers as those who follow “Christ.” The mentioning of the “severe famine” that “happened ...

3184. In Lystra and Derbe

Acts 14:8-20

One Volume

Gary M. Burge

... ” (14:8; cf. 3:2), and in both accounts the apostle looks directly at the man (14:9; 3:4). After being commanded to stand, both men “jumped” up and “began to walk” (14:10; 3:8). Through this account, the connection between Paul and the original Twelve is reaffirmed. It is perhaps not by accident that it is in their first missionary journey that Luke first calls Paul and Barnabas “apostles” (14:4, 14). When the crowd sees what has happened, they shout, “The gods have come down to us in human ...

3185. Paul the Roman Citizen

Acts 22:22-29

One Volume

Gary M. Burge

As the commander flogs and questions Paul (22:23–29), Paul again invokes his status as a Roman citizen (22:26; cf. 16:37). Luke does not explain the origin of his citizenship, but the fact that he was “born a citizen” (22:28b) may point to the contribution of his family to Rome or to the Roman army stationed near Tarsus. What Luke does emphasize is how Paul is in some way more honorable than the commander, who paid “ ...

3186. Struggling With Sin

Romans 7:7-25

One Volume

Gary M. Burge

... 11 for humankind. Paul begins in 7:14–16 by describing the “I” as occupied by sin, as the place of conflict between sin and the law, between “what I want” and “what I do.” The statement “the law is spiritual” (7:14) emphasizes the divine origin of the law in God’s Spirit. However, God’s holy law with its just and good commandments does not have the intended effect in human beings. Since “I” belong to the sphere of the flesh, which opposes God, I am a slave living under the control ...

3187. Ingrafted Branches

Romans 11:11-24

One Volume

Gary M. Burge

... will come to faith in Jesus Messiah and will be grafted back into the olive tree, “if they do not persist in unbelief,” because nothing is impossible in view of God’s power (11:23). If God could graft wild shoots into the olive tree, then he can graft the original branches back into the olive tree (11:24). Gentile Christians who think that the unbelief of the Jewish people excludes them forever from God’s saving grace, which is granted through Jesus Christ, are mistaken.

3188. Christ the Wisdom and Power of God

1 Corinthians 1:18--2:5

One Volume

Gary M. Burge

... the Greek translation of the Old Testament, which Paul often quotes), the citation promises to “hide” (see RSV) and in that sense destroy or do away with the wisdom of the wise and understanding. These words in context appear to look to a time beyond their original historical setting when the wisdom of the Old Testament law will be superseded by God’s new action among his people. That this time has come is precisely Paul’s point. The wisdom of this age/world, whether it be the wisdom of the scribal ...

3189. On Divisions in the Church

1 Corinthians 3:1-23

One Volume

Gary M. Burge

... ”) and the subsequent teaching of others (who seek now to build on Paul’s initial preaching; 3:10). There can be no attempt to lay a new foundation. Instead, the superstructure must always be evaluated to see if its materials conform in kind to the original foundation. For on the “day” (a reference to the Old Testament day of the Lord), the quality of every builder’s work will be revealed with fire, and the builder either rewarded or singed with the flames that consume his or her work. The final ...

3190. Questions about Marriage, Divorce, and Celibacy

1 Corinthians 7:1-40

One Volume

Gary M. Burge

... Paul’s Response to Questions from the Corinthians: In the first verse of chapter 7, Paul moves from oral reports about the church and begins to address questions posed by the Corinthians themselves in a letter. The letter is now lost but originally was perhaps carried to Paul by the three Corinthians mentioned in 16:17. The recurring expression “now for” or “now about” introduces Corinthian questions throughout this section. 7:1–40 · The questions to which Paul responds in 7:1–16 probably had ...

3191. Questions about Worship, Gifts, and Order

1 Corinthians 11:2-16

One Volume

Gary M. Burge

... 11:4–5) to speak of a physical head. But from this literal meaning come two metaphorical ones, which allow the same word to denote rule and authority (the head of the church being in authority over the body [Eph. 1:22]) or source and origin (the head of the church being the source of its existence [Col. 1:18]). Of course, the precise meaning intended here will greatly influence the interpretation of the principle being expressed, not to mention any attempt to apply it to different, broader questions about ...

3192. The Lord’s Supper

1 Corinthians 11:17-34

One Volume

Gary M. Burge

... taught them about the Lord’s Supper, he now reminds them of the words he received and “passed on” to them. (The two verbs are technical terms in Judaism for the deliberate preservation and careful transmission of a tradition as it was originally “received” from its source. Paul therefore provides what is probably the earliest account in the New Testament of this part of the tradition about Jesus’s words and actions; cf. Luke 1:1–3.) Paul’s testimony accords quite closely, though not exactly ...

3193. Questions about the Resurrection and Life in the Age to Come

1 Corinthians 15:1-11

One Volume

Gary M. Burge

... (which was characteristic of Greeks and, on occasion, of Jews living in a Greek environment) to the notion of a bodily resurrection and the preference for an idea of immortality of the soul. Added to this was likely a remembrance that when Paul had originally spoken about the resurrection, he had done so with words about believers already being “raised with Christ” (Eph. 2:6; Col. 2:12; 3:1; in contrast, 2 Tim. 2:17–18). In response, Paul seeks to demonstrate the validity of the idea of bodily ...

3194. Final Greetings and Formal Closing

1 Corinthians 16:19-24

One Volume

Gary M. Burge

... serves a double purpose: authenticating this letter as his own (Gal. 6:11; Col. 4:18; 2 Thess. 3:17) and indicating that it was probably composed, as was customary, by dictation (Rom. 16:22). Next, again as was usual, one finds a final short message. Originating perhaps as part of an early Christian worship service (in which the response to the words found here may have been, “If anyone loves the Lord, let him be blessed”), these words seem meant to remind the readers that in the end “love for the ...

3195. Paul’s Explanation of His Conduct in Recent Matters

2 Corinthians 1:12--2:4

One Volume

Gary M. Burge

... should come to pass. Not out of a faithless, fickle sense of self-importance, but out of a merciful desire not to grieve the church (2:2), Paul has changed his plans; his desire is to work with the Corinthians rather than to act based purely on his own original agenda (1:24). This goal has led Paul to set aside his previous plans and to work out a different schedule for their eventual fulfillment. As a part of his altered agenda, Paul wrote a third letter to the church (for reference to the first, see 1 Cor ...

3196. An Appeal for Full Response to the Collection

2 Corinthians 8:1-15

One Volume

Gary M. Burge

... their involvement in this endeavor. The Macedonians’ generous giving (8:1–5), however, has not sprung from human nature. It is a tangible expression of the grace of God at work in the lives of those who have given themselves to the Lord. It has originated without effort by Paul, continued despite the “most severe trial” and extreme poverty (8:2), and produced joy among all those who have contributed “as much as they were able” (8:3; cf. Mark 12:41–44). It is such giving, inspired by grace ...

3197. Support for the Appeal

2 Corinthians 11:1-15

One Volume

Gary M. Burge

... of the Corinthians’ faith and their consequent childlike acceptance of those who claim authority in the name of the Lord but whose views about Jesus, the nature of the gospel, and the experience of the Spirit are significantly different from those that were originally proclaimed at Corinth. Consequently, since the comprehension of the gospel is at issue, Paul will not permit the church to entertain even for a moment the idea that his credentials as an apostle are at all inferior to those of anyone his ...

3198. The Conclusion of the Appeal

2 Corinthians 12:11-21

One Volume

Gary M. Burge

... , for his part, Paul suspects that as a result of the work of his rivals, there may already be sufficient “quarreling, jealousy, outbursts of anger, factions, slander, gossip, arrogance and disorder” at Corinth to humble the apostolic pride that he previously took in the origins and growth of the church. As a result, he is afraid that he will grieve over many who have “indulged” in the kinds of sin about which he previously warned them and who have, as a sign of disbelief in Paul’s authority, made ...

3199. Paul Called by God

Galatians 1:11-24

One Volume

Gary M. Burge

... his apostolic calling (1:1), Paul makes it clear that no one was involved in his own understanding of the gospel (1:11–12). This denial involves three specific areas that may have been alleged sources for the gospel Paul represented: (1) it was not “of human origin” (from him or anyone else); (2) it was not handed down by tradition; (3) he was not instructed in it. What Paul appears to be saying is that the ultimate triumph of Jesus as Redeemer through an act of free grace (the core of the gospel as ...

3200. Sons of God

Galatians 3:26--4:7

One Volume

Gary M. Burge

... Pauline corpus reveal more readily than these the radical newness of human experience Paul believed to be a direct result of a personal encounter with Jesus Christ. In the cultural and religious context of first-century Galatia, where distinctions of national origin, gender, and economic status were the defining tools for human interaction, Paul’s words here declare the inauguration of a new paradigm of human value. Paul switches back to the second-person plural from the first-person singular (3:15–25 ...

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