Sermon and Worship Resources

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Showing 3376 to 3400 of 3926 results

3376. Final Exhortations and Greetings

1 Peter 5:1-11, 1 Peter 5:12-14

One Volume

Gary M. Burge

5:1-9 · The final chapter begins with a resounding “therefore,” which both NIV and NRSV have failed to translate. This makes the connection clear: in times of suffering and trial, special responsibility rests on the leaders of the churches to support and be shepherds of God’s flock (5:2). Peter turns to this vital practical concern to round off his letter. But in fact his concern is not just pastoral, for there remains a theological question, raised by what he has said about submission to earthly ...

3377. The Antichrist Has Come! The Secessionists Deny Jesus’s Messiahship

1 John 2:18-27

One Volume

Gary M. Burge

... God, caused at least some defections of Jesus adherents from local synagogues. (4) Once they had departed from the synagogue, however, their Jewish family and friends likely sought to draw them back into the more established faith community, with its more supportive religious practices—the way of Moses, the truth of the torah, and the life afforded the children of Abraham. This might explain the reason for the first antichristic crisis. Jewish Christians had abandoned the Jesus movement to return to the ...

3378. Let Us Love One Another

2 John 1:1-13

One Volume

Gary M. Burge

... , and the elder not only expresses his love for her in the truth but also emphasizes that all who know the truth do so as well (v. 1). He claims the truth “abides in us and will be with us forever” (v. 2 NASB) as a means of supporting his compliment and continues with a blessing reminiscent of Paul’s letters. “Grace, mercy and peace from God the Father and from Jesus Christ, the Father’s Son” is bestowed on his audience in truth and love (v. 3). In that sense, the elder’s greeting extends ...

3379. The Babylonian Whore

Revelation 17:1-18

One Volume

Gary M. Burge

... in power who oppose the kingdom of God. Emperors rise, fall, and rise again, but it is God’s will that prevails in the end (17:14). The ten horns on the heads of the beast (cf. Dan. 7:23–24) are allies of Rome who give their support and power to the empire (17:13) within the same network of exploitive relationships as the whore and the kings of the earth. They foolishly join the war against the Lamb (17:14). Unlike them, Christians are called to resist the temptations of empire, its wealth and luxury ...

3380. Fix It, Daddy

John 11:17-45

Sermon

King Duncan

... . When the evidence had been presented and a verdict was eminent in a court trial, this person of unblemished character, this paraclete, would simply come and stand with the accused. The power of the paraclete’s character gave the accused not only comfort but also moral support in the pursuit of a favorable verdict. Is this not what the presence of the risen Christ does for us in life’s most difficult trials? We may not see a loved one raised from the dead as Mary and Martha did, but it helps when ...

3381. Wounded Healers

Isaiah 52:13--53:12

Sermon

Charley Reeb

... has offered through her wounds understanding, comfort, and healing. She reaches out in love as she provides an all-inclusive way to treat cancer for those who have tried everything else medical science offers. With her capable staff, she provides physical, emotional, and spiritual support. By God’s grace, some of the people my mother seeks to help are able to find a quality of life in the midst of their cancer they never believed possible. But the sweetest thing about this ministry is that it is through ...

3382. The Life You've Always Wanted

Acts 5:27-32

Sermon

Charley Reeb

... person. That’s not bad. Or maybe you would like to be remembered as a success — a person who excelled at a particular skill or profession. Or perhaps you want to be remembered as a wonderful father, a good mother, a great sister, or supportive brother. Our culture would certainly have no problems with these legacies. For, in proper perspective, they are noble. However, our faith calls us to be more than just nice, good, and successful persons. As worthy as these qualities are, we are called to be more ...

3383. Dealing with Difficult People

1 Peter 3:8-18

Sermon

Charley Reeb

... a note, thanking him for showing me his paintings. I also told him how much I appreciated his gift for painting. I couldn’t believe what happened next! He told everyone about the note and never gave me anymore trouble. In fact, he became my biggest supporter! That was a huge blessing to me! This is what the Bible promises us. We will inherit a blessing when we love the unlovely. The blessing may be a renewed or repaired relationship. The blessing may be the opportunity to share our faith in Christ. The ...

3384. I Wonder Why My Prayers Go Unanswered?

Luke 11:1-13

Sermon

Charley Reeb

... for an answer will leave us frustrated. Our wondering about unanswered prayer is often about a misunderstanding about the nature of prayer. For many, prayer is understood as an exercise in magic. There are a number of popular religious books out there that seem to support this. People often believe that if they say the right phrases or have the proper technique, they can persuade God to answer their prayers. There is an old story of a monk who was bothered by mice playing around him when he prayed. To stop ...

3385. I Wonder about The End of the World

Mark 13:32-37

Sermon

Charley Reeb

... are not based on any serious scholarship of Scripture. Most of them are based on a questionable approach to Bible study called dispensationalism. This approach to understanding the Bible is relatively new within the life span of the church, and it is not supported by church tradition. Nevertheless, there are many Christians who diligently seek the Bible for answers about the end of the world. Some believe Christ will come before a tribulation and take away those who are saved and then come again later to ...

3386. Elephants in the Room: Abuse – I Have a Secret

Matthew 11:28

Sermon

Charley Reeb

... Help the Victims. Like the Samaritan who helped the victim along the road, many of us can help victims of abuse by knowing the signs, being a listening ear, offering help and shelter, getting involved in domestic violence services in our community. Start a support group here at the church. Examine Your Own Life. Prayerfully examine your own life for violent or oppressive tendencies and ask God for help. If you do not like what you find, seek help from a counselor. Model a non-violent, respectful response to ...

3387. The Cost of Discipleship

Matthew 17:1-9

Sermon

James L. Killen

... is the kind of commitment that comes naturally to people for whom something has become very important. Lots of us have that kind of commitment to our families. We organize our lives around doing the things they need. We get up almost every morning and go to work to support them or we stay home and do the things needed to make a household work. More likely these days we do some of both, and we do it gladly because our families are very important to us. We ﬁnd joy in them. It seems the natural thing to do ...

3388. Less Is More

John 1:(1-9) 10-18

Sermon

Charley Reeb

... joy is not about what is “out there” or “down the road,” or on the other side of an obstacle or achievement. Contentment is about the God who lives within you. It is about the present moment with God who is always faithful in guiding you and supporting you. When you rely on God and make him the center of your life, you will always have joy no matter where you are in your life. Norman Vincent Peale remembers going to hear a famous intellectual speak at First Baptist Church of Syracuse, New York. The ...

3389. Unstoppable Love

Mark 1:40-45

Sermon

Charley Reeb

... . Some of us think that Jesus’ love stops short of them but we are wrong. A colleague of mine loves to tell the story about a woman who was active in his church who had a husband who was an atheist. He would come to worship with her occasionally to support her but he thought faith in God was just a fairy tale. Not long after she became active in the church, her husband was stricken with cancer. She loved him and cared for him as he became weaker and closer to death’s door. Before he died he received ...

3390. The Visit of the Magi

Matthew 2:1-12

Understanding Series

Robert H. Mounce

... of the incarnation. In Christ all people, not Jews only, may be brought into God’s favor. So the wise men left Jerusalem and journeyed toward Bethlehem. When they caught sight of the star, they were overwhelmed with joy. The way Matthew narrates the story supports the interpretation that an earlier conjunction started them on their way, and now a major and subsequent conjunction (see disc. on v. 2) proves that their reading of the stars was correct. The star is said to go ahead of them until it stopped ...

3391. Lord of the Sabbath

Matthew 12:1-14

Understanding Series

Robert H. Mounce

... high Christology argues for a reference to Jesus, and he explains the neuter as stressing “the quality of superior greatness rather than Jesus’ personal identity” (p. 223; for other views, see Hill, p. 211). Once again Jesus quotes the prophet Hosea (6:6) in support of actions that run counter to Jewish restrictions (cf. 9:13). He states that his opponents would not have been so quick to condemn the innocent if they had grasped the real meaning of the Scripture that said, I desire mercy, not sacrifice ...

3392. The Parable of the Sower

Matthew 13:1-23

Understanding Series

Robert H. Mounce

... as he was to discursive exposition, the Semite practised the art of persuasion by thus skillfully appealing to the imagination” (HDB rev., p. 725). For many years the church allegorized the parables, ignoring the obvious meaning and finding support for theological positions. It was Adolf Jülicher’s famous Die Gleichnisreden Jesu (1888–99) that convinced interpreters to abandon the allegorizing approach and accept parables as didactic stories that made one essential point. The parable is an ...

3393. The Greatest in the Kingdom of Heaven

Matthew 18:1-9

Understanding Series

Robert H. Mounce

... utterances like these were undoubtedly repeated by Jesus in many settings. It comes as no surprise that in the Gospels certain sayings are found in different contexts with various nuances of thought. Additional Notes 18:6 Josephus reports an uprising in Galilee in which the rebels seized the supporters of Herod and put them to death by drowning them in the sea (Ant. 14.448–450). It was a quick but crude method of execution. 18:9 Fire of hell: Gk. tēn geennan tou pyros in v. 9 is the same as to pyr to ai ...

3394. Signs of the End of the Age

Matthew 24:1-35

Understanding Series

Robert H. Mounce

... person. Some have thought that Mark may have been alluding to the abortive attempt of Caligula (Gaius Caesar, A.D. 12–41) to have his statue set up in the Holy of Holies. The cryptic “let the reader understand” (Mark 13:14) is used in support of this conjecture. Matthew changes the masculine participle to neuter (hestos) and, instead of Mark’s “where it ought not to be,” substitutes in the holy place. Luke says that the desolation is near when they see Jerusalem surrounded by armies (Luke 21:20 ...

3395. Captains or Parties

Matthew 21:33-46

Sermon

Kristin Borsgard Wee

... a year, at the time of Passover, all Jewish families brought to the temple one tenth of all they possessed. Not simply one tenth of their annual income, but one tenth of all they owned. These gifts were not used for maintaining outreach programs or supporting the priests in the temple. This vast accumulation of wealth was used for a party! Can you believe it? A party! All the people of Israel were expected to travel to Jerusalem and participate in a gigantic blow-out party. And everyone was invited: the ...

3396. Hallelujah! Come On, Get Happy

Matthew 5:1-12

Sermon

David G. Rogne

... vote for the president's removal. And if he had followed his likes and dislikes, he probably would have. But the obscure senator from Kansas searched his soul for the right thing to do. To the dismay of most of his colleagues, and the majority of his supporters in his home state, he voted against impeachment. "I looked down into my open grave..." he said, but he did what he thought was right even if it meant his political death — which it did. It doesn't sound like the decision produced happiness for Ross ...

3397. Paying What's Due

Matthew 22:15-22

Sermon

David G. Rogne

... was to be a catch-22 question: "Is it lawful to pay taxes to the emperor, or not?" If Jesus said "No," he could be accused of sedition and turned over to the Romans. If he said "Yes," he would at once lose the sympathy of many of his supporters, who naturally hated the Roman tax and expected that if Jesus were the Messiah he would break the yoke of the Roman oppressors and not urge tribute to them. Either way, the religious leaders would achieve their end. Jesus asked for a coin, a denarius, the coin used ...

3398. Talented People

Matthew 25:14-30

Sermon

David G. Rogne

... to career decisions. A member of my family spent most of his life as a house painter, but his favorite thing in the world was to read the business opportunities. He wanted desperately to do something else. But he was afraid. He had a family to support. He had been through the Depression. What if he quit painting and put his meager savings into a business that failed? He always entertained the fantasy and traveled to many places looking at possible ventures, but he never took the chance, and as he got older ...

3399. The Real Thing

Matthew 23:1-12

Sermon

David G. Rogne

... and went on to tell the congregation of all the wonderful things he had done for the Lord. "I have a large house, a fine family, a successful business, and good reputation. I have enough money to do whatever I want, and I'm able to support some Christian ministries very generously. Many of those ministries want me to be on their board of directors. I have almost unlimited opportunities. Most people would love to change places with me. What more could God give me?" As he paused for effect, a voice shouted ...

3400. Joseph: The Righteous Carpenter

Matthew 1:18-25

Sermon

Charley Reeb

... the last ninety days? The answer lies in the unseen part of the tree shown in this picture. This is the tree’s underground root system. During the first five years the strong root structure of the tree spreads deep and wide in the earth, preparing to support the tree when it grows tall. So often that is how God operates in our lives. We complain about having to wait. We get frustrated and impatient with God. But what we don’t see is that below the surface God is working his purposes out to prepare ...

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