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Showing 3376 to 3400 of 4935 results

3376. Jehoram King of Judah

2 Chronicles 21:4-20

Understanding Series

Louis C. Jonker

Jehoram: The previous three kings, Abijah, Asa, and Jehoshaphat, were (mainly) positive role models of the Davidic kingship in both Chronicles and Kings. (For darker episodes, see the turn of events in Asa’s and Jehoshaphat’s reigns in 16:1–14 and 20:35–37, respectively.) However, the Chronicler even enhanced their exemplary profiles with some of his own material. The same does not apply to Jehoram’s history. His portrayal is very negative, with the ominous note already sounding early in the narrative: “he ...

3377. 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 ran from Jerusalem. There were, in fact, two roads—the more northerly, which went first to Ashkelon and then by ...

3378. Overseers and Deacons

1 Timothy 3:1-16

Understanding Series

Gordon D. Fee

Qualifications for Overseers To this point, Paul has addressed some concerns related to the community at worship and corrected some abuses generated by the activities of the erring elders. Now he turns to the elders themselves and sets forth some qualifications for “office.” He begins, in verses 1–7, with a group called episkopoi (“overseers”); then moves in verses 8–13 to a group called diakonoi (“servants,” “deacons”), with a note also about some “women” in verse 11. It is altogether likely that both “ ...

3379. Wives for the Benjamites

Judges 21:1-25

Understanding Series

Cheryl A. Brown

Israel Preserved Intact: Just when it looked like one crisis was averted, another came to light. It is, however, not surprising, for that is how it is when chaos prevails, when “what is right in a person’s eyes, he/she does” (21:25). At the end of the book of Judges, the Israelites do not seem to be able to extricate themselves from the miry bog that they have gotten themselves into. Though they appear to call out to God for help, they still rely on their own absurd solutions that only make matters worse. ...

3380. Solomon's Adversaries

1 Kings 11:14-25

Understanding Series

Iain W. Provan

Opposition and Death: A divided heart will lead to a divided kingdom: that was effectively God’s promise to Solomon in 11:9–13. This last section on the great king pursues this theme of division. It tells us of still further seeds of destruction that were planted in the earlier part of his reign and have now grown into plants whose shadow looms darkly over the kingdom. It tells of opposition on the edges of the empire, and it introduces for the first time the man who will be the focal point of that same ...

3381. Isaiah’s Commission

Isaiah 6:1-13

Understanding Series

John Goldingay

Isaiah’s Commission--To Stop People Hearing: The fact that this testimony comes here rather than as chapter 1 further reflects the fact that the book called Isaiah is arranged logically rather than chronologically. Chapter 6 takes up many of the motifs in chapters 1–5. It also opens a section of the book in which narrative is more dominant (6:1–9:7) and that stands at the center of chapters 1–12 as a whole. Yahweh’s holiness and the implications of that holiness are of key importance to the chapter. 6:1–4 ...

3382. Jesus, Messiah and Lord, Is True Interpreter of the Torah

Matthew 22:15-22, Matthew 22:23-33, Matthew 22:34-40, Matthew 22:41-46

Teach the Text

Jeannine K. Brown

Big Idea: When his authority is tested, Jesus is shown to be the true interpreter of the Torah, amazing people with his answers, calling people to absolute loyalty to God and love of neighbor, and showing himself to be Messiah and Lord. Understanding the Text In response to Jesus’ three provocative parables, various groups of Jewish leaders initiate confrontations with Jesus (see 22:15, 23, 34). These revolve around Torah adherence and how to live out faithful allegiance to Yahweh, similar to earlier ...

3383. Eschatological Discourse: Being Faithful and Merciful

Matthew 25:14-30, Matthew 25:31-46

Teach the Text

Jeannine K. Brown

Big Idea: Jesus tells two more parables that demonstrate how his followers should be ready for his return: they should pursue covenant faithfulness and show mercy to the most vulnerable, who are hungry, poor, sick, and imprisoned. Understanding the Text Chapter 24 concludes and chapter 25 begins with a call to be prepared, since there will be no precursor signs for Jesus’ reappearing (24:36–51). Matthew 25:14–46 continues with this theme of readiness by narrating two more parables of Jesus, one focusing on ...

3384. Use It or Lose It

Luke 19:11-27

Teach the Text

R.T. France

Big Idea: We have opportunities to serve God while we wait for his kingdom to be fulfilled, and he expects us to use them well. Understanding the Text As Jesus approaches Jerusalem, expectations are high. He has recently been hailed as “Son of David” (18:38–39), and soon he will be acclaimed “king” (19:38). He has declared that salvation has come “today” (19:9). Is this then the moment for the “kingdom of God” that he has preached to be brought in, with Jesus as its king in his capital, Jerusalem? This ...

3385. The Image of Gold and the Fiery Furnace

Daniel 3:1-30

Teach the Text

Ronald W. Pierce

Nebuchadnezzar Builds the Statue (3:1-12): Big Idea: God sometimes allows believers to face dark times of crisis in which their faith and faithfulness are challenged, even with the penalty of death. Understanding the Text Daniel 3:1–30 is woven into the book’s overall literary structure in two ways. First, it advances the narrative of chapters 1–6, in which the first four focus on Nebuchadnezzar (chaps. 1–2 with historical markers and 3–4 without) and the last two show the transition from Belshazzar of ...

3386. Spiritual Gifts

1 Corinthians 12:1-11

Understanding Series

Marion L. Soards

The Nature of Enthusiasm This section addresses a new topic, namely, spiritual gifts (or the spiritual gifts of the spiritual ones). The modern reader of this passage may miss simple elements of Paul’s discussion because of the distance between the worldviews of the first century and the present day. No matter what one thinks about such matters at the turn of the twenty-first century, from what Paul wrote, it is clear that he assumed the reality of extraordinary spiritual experiences and understood that ...

3387. Jeroboam Rebels Against Solomon

1 Kings 11:26-40

Understanding Series

Iain W. Provan

3388. Solomon's Death

1 Kings 11:41-43

Understanding Series

Iain W. Provan

3389. A Prophecy Against Egypt

Isaiah 19:1-25

Understanding Series

John Goldingay

Poems about the Southern Powers: For three chapters we turn to the far south. Cush covers an area corresponding to the very south of modern Egypt and the northern part of Sudan. A Cushite dynasty ruled Egypt itself at the end of the eighth century, so this poem about Cush is as much a poem about Egypt (cf. 20:1–6). 19:1–15 It is not surprising that Egypt should feature in these prophecies. It was Israel’s old oppressor and would in due course be Judah’s biggest temptation. It seemed a resource for ...

3390. The Ultimate Mountaintop Experience

Mark 9:2-9

Sermon

King Duncan

It was a rough year for the small coal mining community. Coal mining is difficult, dirty work under the best of conditions, but with the country moving to cleaner and cheaper sources of energy like natural gas and solar energy, the coal miners were beginning to see the handwriting on the wall. One miner expressed his frustration like this: “My life is filled with mountaintop experiences. One day, I’m on top of the mountain. The next day the mountain is on top of me.” We understand his pain. The Bible ...

3391. The Bethsaida Boys

Mark 8:31-38

Sermon

John Jamison

After Jesus was baptized by John, he went to spend time in the desert lands east of the Jordan River, to begin preparing for the work he was going to do. While he was there in the wilderness, he got word that John had been arrested and killed. It was then that he decided it was time to come back to Galilee and get to work. He traveled around Galilee, which is not a big place, and began preaching and teaching, picking up where John the Baptist had stopped. We could spend a lot of time talking about John’s ...

3392. Rebirth

John 3:14-21

Sermon

John Jamison

The city of Jerusalem was packed with strangers during the Passover feast, so you could walk a long distance and never see anyone you recognized. He was counting on that, as he quickly moved along the streets with his head held low and his face covered. He moved from alleyway to alleyway, looking carefully in all directions before stepping into the openness of a street, making sure there was not someone who might recognize him. But while he tried to remain hidden, he had to be careful to not appear too ...

3393. Do You Believe in Miracles?

Mark 7:31-37

Sermon

King Duncan

Joe Sardler had been blind for six years. His blindness was caused by atrophy of the optical nerve. One night Joe tripped over his dog’s dish which had been left on a step. Subsequently he fell down the basement stairs. As he fell, his head slammed against a wall--and suddenly, miracle of miracles--his vision was restored. All of a sudden Joe could see things he hadn’t seen in years, such as the face of his five-year-old daughter. Can you imagine such an incident? Can you imagine how this event made him ...

3394. Pay Attention!

Luke 10:38-42

Sermon

Robert C. Cochran

Many people are troubled by today’s gospel. Good Christian folk are disturbed that hard-working Martha got criticized for trying to serve Jesus and wanting Mary to do her fair share. What a blow this passage is to the “Protestant” work ethic! Those who favor gender-specific roles for men and women are disturbed because the one who didn’t seem to know that her place was in the kitchen was commended while the “good housewife” was condemned. Oddly enough, some feminists are also disturbed: Martha seemed to be ...

3395. The Samaritan

Luke 10:25-37

Sermon

Lori Wagner

This morning, I want you to imagine with me for a moment. Close your eyes if you will. Sit back. I’m going to take you to another place. But first a warning: during a big chunk of this sermon, you will have your eyes closed. You can tell your friends that you went to church this Sunday and the preacher told you to shut your eyes and keep them shut for a long time. Where else can you go to church and be encouraged to shut your eyes? Are you ready? Let’s take a trip in time. [pause] You’re driving home from ...

3396. Peter the Petulant

Mark 14:1-11, Mark 14:12-26, Mark 14:27-31

Sermon

Lori Wagner

“The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately sick; who can understand it?” (Jeremiah 17:9) Prop: a white linen cloth… or apron For centuries, pastors have been called a “man” or “woman” of the cloth. I always wondered about that phrase. When I looked it up, I saw that in fact, many people used to be called people of the cloth –bakers, kitchen workers, tradesmen, all who worked primarily in service or handworking positions to others. Later, the term remained only for the clergy, who also wore ...

3397. Metathesiophobia

Ecclesiastes 11:1-6, 1 Corinthians 3:1-23

Sermon

Lori Wagner

We all have fears. No one is immune to fear. It’s only when fear overwhelms us and dictates our life that it becomes what we call a “phobia.” Some have arachnophobia, fear of spiders. Others have agoraphobia, fear of public places. Still others may have claustrophobia, fear of small spaces. Many people have some form of aerophobia, fear of flying. One of the biggest phobias in the world? Glossophobia. Have you heard of it? It’s the fear of public speaking. We keep coming up with new phobias all the time. ...

3398. Jesus’ Recipe for a Kingdom Style Feast

Matthew 13:31-33, 44-52

Sermon

Lori Wagner

Every musician or literary master knows that the secret of an award-winning composition is in its ability to resonate. Once you write a piece, you must then let it go, so that others can discover it, bond with it, make it their own. Cooking works in much the same way. A good recipe is adaptable by the beholder. The idea and primary ingredients remain much the same. But the meal can be changed, dampened down, or spiced up, depending upon the context, audience, and the effect desired. This is not just good ...

3399. Family Reunion

Genesis 29:15-28

Sermon

Will Willimon

"I wish I had no history to report. I've pretended for so long, that my childhood did not happen. I had to keep it tight, up near the chest. I could not let it out. I followed the redoubtable example or my mother. It's an act or will to have a memory or not, I chose not to have one. Because I needed to love my mother and father in all their flawed, outrageous humanity, I could not afford to address them directly about the felonies committed against all of us. I could not hold them accountable or indict ...

3400. Why the Cross?

Hebrews 2:17-18

Sermon

Charley Reeb

Why did Jesus have to die a brutal death in order for God to forgive us? If you struggle with that question or you know someone who does, this message is for you. Most Christians believe that the cross represents God’s redemptive act in Christ forgiving us of sin and reconciling us to him. Take a look at these words from Hebrews: For this reason he had to be made like them, fully human in every way, in order that he might become a merciful and faithful high priest in service to God, and that he might make ...

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