Sermon and Worship Resources

Showing 3201 to 3225 of 3852 results

Galatians 4:21-31

One Volume

Gary M. Burge

... not included the law (which he already stated to have become necessary only because of human sin; see Gal. 3:19; Rom. 5:20). Thus, rather than being discontinuous with the promises of Abraham, the gospel of grace is fully aligned with those original promises. As if to further enhance the point, Paul recites a prophecy of Isaiah concerning Israel’s restoration from the captivity of Babylon (Isa. 54:1). While the Israelites were few in number then (as the Gentile Christians are, relative to Jewish believers ...

3202. Redemption: Clearing the Ground

Ephesians 2:1-10

One Volume

Gary M. Burge

... 2:9). Second, however, truly good works realize our God-intended potential. God has prepared a way of life for which we as his creatures are ideally adapted. We were made to function best and to be happiest as a united community, living as God originally created us, and now is re-creating us, to live. Paul describes that lifestyle with detail in Ephesians 4–6. Thus at the heart of redemption is a return to the pristine, predestined (1:4) relationship between God and humanity: total acceptance on the part ...

3203. Therefore Walk in Unity

Ephesians 4:1-16

One Volume

Gary M. Burge

... given grace to them all (4:7), endowing each one differently as Christ has liberally apportioned (no sense of stinginess here in the word “apportion”). Paul quotes Psalm 68:18 to make his point, oddly substituting the verb “gave” for the original “received” found in both the Hebrew Old Testament and the Septuagint. Such free treatment of a biblical text (and the following interpretation) may sound strange to modern readers, but Paul likely follows here an early Jewish Targum that applied it to ...

3204. Living as Children of Light

Ephesians 4:17--5:21

One Volume

Gary M. Burge

... , implements Christlike behavior in the lives of the family members (5:18). The Spirit-filled life manifests at least four representative characteristics (5:19–21; the list is not exhaustive). Various translations, including the NIV, obscure the original parallel structure that ties all four of these characteristics together. First, the Spirit-filled life fosters mutual encouragement and edification through believers speaking and singing to each other the promises of God and truths of the faith. Second ...

3205. Closing Remarks

Ephesians 6:21-24

One Volume

Gary M. Burge

Except for three minor variations, the text of verses 21–22 is identical with that at Colossians 4:7–8. Paul deputizes his fellow worker Tychicus both to deliver news of Paul’s situation and to encourage the readers. He closes with a blessing of peace, love, and faith, as well as grace, which, as he is careful to point out, originates with God and Christ and is enjoyed by those who love the Lord Jesus (6:23–24).

3206. Paul’s Ministry in Thessalonica

1 Thessalonians 2:1-16

One Volume

Gary M. Burge

... church and their continued care and concern for the Thessalonians. 2:1–12 · The apostolic entrance:At first glance, this section appears to be a defense against criticisms levied against the character of the apostles. The critique of their character may have originated with the unconverted Thessalonians (2:14) or perhaps members of the church itself who questioned why the apostles came, left, but then did not return. What kind of people were these men? But the relationship with the church was warm and ...

3207. Stand Firm

2 Thessalonians 2:13-17

One Volume

Gary M. Burge

... adherence to the teaching they received (2:2, 5; cf. 1 Thess. 4:1–2). The teachings were the sacred apostolic tradition handed down to them in the gospel (Rom. 6:17; 1 Cor. 11:23; 15:3; Jude 3). These traditions were not of human but divine origin and, therefore, authoritative (1 Thess. 2:13). 2:16–17 · The first prayer: These verses constitute the first prayer of the letter, directed equally to the Lord Jesus Christ and the Father (2 Thess. 1:2, 8, 12; 3:5): “May our Lord Jesus Christ himself and ...

3208. Thanksgiving and Appeal

2 Timothy 1:1-2:13

One Volume

Gary M. Burge

... prayer of thanks that he and other Hellenistic letter writers usually included. In that first letter, Paul seemed simply to want to get down to business. Now, sensing that Timothy’s position is more fragile and his resolve less solid than he originally thought, Paul prays. Paul thus describes Timothy’s ministry in the context of gratitude for the grand story line of covenant faithfulness that God has been working throughout the history of redemption. This includes Paul and Paul’s own family (now ...

3209. Final Greetings

2 Timothy 4:9-18, 2 Timothy 4:19-22

One Volume

Gary M. Burge

... insult to God’s dignity by Adam’s disobedience has been more than turned aside by the second man’s obedience. Christ has “destroyed death and has brought life and immortality to light” (2 Tim. 1:10), restoring God’s creation to its original design of reflecting his glory. Paul’s sufferings have done nothing but contribute to the reestablishment of God’s splendor. Second, the benediction: “The Lord be with your spirit. Grace be with you all” (4:22). Paul continues to assure Timothy of the ...

3210. Leaders and Rebels

Titus 1:1-16

One Volume

Gary M. Burge

... its source. God’s elect people should be characterized by faith in Christ rather than by empty “Jewish myths” (see 1:14). In addition, “knowledge of the truth that leads to godliness” (1:1) stands in distinct contrast to popular pagan legends about Zeus’s origins as a man born and eventually buried on Crete (Kidd 1999, 185–209). Even Paul’s note about God not lying (1:2; the only assertion of this fact in the New Testament) stands in contrast with “divine” Zeus, who in fact did lie to ...

3211. Thanksgiving and Prayer

Philemon 1:1-7

One Volume

Gary M. Burge

... to Philemon’s sharing of the same faith with other Christ followers. Paul explains that this “active” (or “effective”) shared experience of faith in Christ will lead to the knowledge of every “good” that is ours, and for Christ, who is the origin and goal of the Christian life. In verse 7, by esteeming Philemon’s love and faith for the saints and his “refreshing” of their “hearts” (cf. v. 20), Paul intimates that Philemon should continue to show his love for the saints by extending ...

3212. Paul’s Plea for Onesimus

Philemon 1:8-25

One Volume

Gary M. Burge

... ” (i.e., converted to Christ) while in prison (v. 10). In verse 11 Paul makes a play on the name “Onesimus,” which literally means “useful” and was a very common name during that era for slaves and those of servile origins. He asserts that even though Onesimus was once “useless,” he is now “useful” to both Paul and Philemon. And Paul makes another pun by using achrēstos (“useless”), which would be pronounced exactly like achristos (“Christless”), to articulate that Onesimus ...

3213. Christ’s Sacrifice Once for All

Hebrews 10:1-18

One Volume

Gary M. Burge

... contrary-to-fact conditional statements around which the central argument of this sermon is constructed. The appeal to the repetitive character of Levitical worship and its inability to cleanse the conscience (9:13–14) indicates that the author has not deviated from his original purpose. He is determined to persuade his readers that for salvation they must trust in Christ and his sacrifice and not in the rituals of Judaism. As is often supposed, he is not conceiving of the Old Testament order as a more ...

3214. Exhortations to Persevere in Christian Faith

Hebrews 10:19-39

One Volume

Gary M. Burge

... face of all manner of worldly opposition and temptation and the long waiting made necessary by the futurity of the consummation. The citation of Habakkuk 2:3–4 in Hebrews 10:37–38 derives from the Septuagint, which has interpreted the original “it” (the revelation of divine judgment) as “he” (a personal deliverer), an interpretation that is ratified by the author of Hebrews, who adds the definite article to the Septuagint’s “he will surely come,” yielding “he who is coming” or “the ...

3215. The Taming of the Tongue

James 3:1-12

One Volume

Gary M. Burge

... The tongue, James says, is a veritable “world of evil,” the very sum and essence of the world as fallen and hostile to God, within a person’s life. A power so potentially destructive of the spiritual life can only be explained as having its origin in the influence of Satan himself. James has described the power and destructive potential of the tongue; now he reminds us how difficult it is to tame and how inconsistent is its nature. God gave to humankind dominion over the animal world at creation (Gen ...

3216. The Hidden Spiritual House

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

One Volume

Gary M. Burge

... sharing the fate of Jesus himself. He was like the stone the builders rejected (2:7). Through this paragraph, Peter continues his focus on Scripture by quoting three “stone” passages that were applied to Jesus from a very early date (the tradition seems, in fact, to originate with Jesus himself; Matt. 21:42): Psalm 118:22–23; Isaiah 8:14; 28:16 (cf. Rom. 9:33). A stone can look most unimpressive—but it can perform a vital function if made the cornerstone of a large building; or it can bring a person ...

3217. Making One’s Calling and Election Sure

2 Peter 1:1-11

One Volume

Gary M. Burge

1:1–2 · Salutation: The letter opens with the identification of the author as “Simeon Peter” (RSV; NIV: “Simon Peter”)—this work uses the more original form of the name, Simeon (as in Acts 15:14), rather than the shortened version Simon. He is writing to those with “a faith as precious as ours”—so, to faithful believers. The expression “our God and Savior Jesus Christ” is unusual and unlike similar expressions later in the letter. ...

3218. The Antichrist Has Come! The Secessionists Deny Jesus’s Messiahship

1 John 2:18-27

One Volume

Gary M. Burge

Christian speculation about the identity and advent of the antichrist has been a major pastime from the second century until today. In order to stay close to the text and its original meaning, however, we should be aware of several facts. (1) The Greek word antichristos does not appear in Revelation, but only in 1 and 2 John. While “the beast,” “666,” and other biblical villains might seem likely prospects for speculating about contemporary threats, each of these subjects must be investigated ...

3219. Love One Another

1 John 3:11-24

One Volume

Gary M. Burge

3:11–17 · The party of Cain—the brother killers—includes the indifferent:Appealing again to the original teachings of Jesus, commanding his followers to love one another (John 13:34–35), the elder leverages the worst of fratricidal archetypes: Cain, the brother killer (3:12; Genesis 4). Would any in his audience relish the idea of being numbered among members of “the Cain Party”? Of course not! ...

3220. The Antichrists Are Coming! They Deny Jesus Came in the Flesh

1 John 4:1-6

One Volume

Gary M. Burge

... of the empire that they were conquered by the “divine emperor.” Amidst other reminders of Roman domination, the author here assures his audience that “greater is he that is in you, than he that is in the world” (4:4 KJV). The worldly origin of the adversaries explains why the worldly listen to them, but the elder contrasts himself and his audience with the antichrists and their cohorts. Claiming to be from God, those who heed the elder show themselves also to be knowers of God; conversely, those ...

3221. Joy at Believers’ Walking in the Truth

3 John 1:1-14

One Volume

Gary M. Burge

... Holy Spirit’s accessibility to all believers (John 14–16). It may even be in response to Diotrephes and his kin that the elder was motivated to gather the beloved disciple’s witness into a finalized Gospel and circulate it as a reminder of Jesus’s original intention for the church. If indeed the elder has added material to an earlier edition of the Gospel, adding the prologue (John 1:1–18); eyewitness and beloved-disciple references (John 13:23; 19:26, 34–35; 20:2; 21:7, 20); and chapters 6, 15 ...

3222. Denunciation of the Intruding Teachers

Judges 1:1-36

One Volume

Gary M. Burge

... and Lord” (v. 4). In other words, living in disobedience to Jesus is a form of apostasy. 5–16 · Main discussion: Denunciation of the intruding teachers: In the main section of the letter body, the author denounces the others, using groups-of-three illustrations originally from the Old Testament but now read through the lens of Second Temple Jewish literature. The first group (vv. 5–7) is the people saved in the exodus, the angels of Genesis 6:1–8, and Sodom and Gomorrah. Two of the three were ...

3223. One Like a Son of Man

Revelation 1:9-20

One Volume

Gary M. Burge

... in the earthly tabernacle (Exod. 25:31–40), Solomon’s temple (1 Chron. 28:15), and Herod’s (Josephus, Jewish Antiquities 3.199). However, these earthly versions were pale imitations of the seven glorious lampstands seen by John (Heb. 8:5). Even though the divine origin of “one like the son of man” is ambiguous in the Aramaic text of Daniel 7:9–14, it is clear in Revelation that this Son of Man is part of the Godhead, since he shares divine features ascribed to the Lord Almighty. In Daniel ...

3224. The Letter to Smyrna

Revelation 2:8-11

One Volume

Gary M. Burge

... bestower of an imperishable crown for the faithful (2:11). As the one who orchestrates history from first to last, Christ addresses a church under pressure and reassures them that their faith is not in vain. The tribulation of the church in Smyrna originated from vicious slander (2:9) by the local Jewish community, who had rejected the Nazarene sect as heretical (cf. Acts 25:5) and advised the city’s officials to suppress the Christian movement. In doing so, the Jews were unwittingly becoming instruments ...

3225. The Letter to Thyatira

Revelation 2:18-29

One Volume

Gary M. Burge

... city vulnerable to constant invasion, but its exporting business prospered because of the various roads that ran through the city and connected it to the Greek East. The first Christian convert in Macedonia—Lydia, a merchant of purple linens—was originally from Thyatira (Acts 16:14–15). Thyatira’s guild of dyers was prominent, along with its clothiers, linen workers, and coppersmiths. It is possible that the Greek word roughly rendered “burnished bronze” (the term does not translate easily into ...

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