Sermon and Worship Resources

Showing 326 to 350 of 5000 results

Mark 8:31--9:1

Sermon

Donald B. Strobe

... for the Gospel, that man is safe. What does a man gain by winning the whole world at the cost of his true self?” (MARK 8:34-37 NEB) Forgetting the sexist language for a minute, that makes it clearer, doesn’t it? Jesus is saying that the highest good ... it!! “For whoever would save his life will lose it; and whoever loses his life for my sake and the gospelUs will save it.” (Mark 8:35 RSV) Let’s look at the setting of our Scripture: Jesus and His disciples are in the district of Caesarea Philippi. This ...

327. He Is Not Here He Is Risen

Mark 16:1-20

Sermon

Maxie Dunnam

... at those women’s response to this shout of Easter, verse 8: “And they went out and fled from the tomb; for trembling and astonishment had come upon them; and they said nothing to anyone, for they were afraid.” That’s the way the Gospel of Mark originally ended. “They said nothing, for they were afraid.” He is not here; He is risen. The women couldn’t believe it — couldn’t take in the meaning of that. At best, it was wishful thinking. So with the resurrection of Jesus. “He is not here ...

328. Can You Smell the Perfume?

John 12:1-11

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

... John. Not, when you tell the gospel story, remember James. Not, when you tell the gospel story, remember Andrew. But, when you tell the gospel story, remember me and her. But go ahead and read the story for yourself. We've already read John's version. Let's now read Mark's version of the story. While he was at Bethany in the house of Simon the leper, as he sat at the table, a woman came with an alabaster jar of very costly ointment of nard, and she broke open the jar and poured the ointment on his head. But ...

329. When God Gets Excited

Mark 2:1-12

Sermon

James Merritt

... crowd, so they dug through the clay roof above his head. Then they lowered the sick man on his mat, right down in front of Jesus." (Mark 2:4, NLT) You've got to admire these guys. Even though they couldn't go in, they didn't give up. The reason why they ... has power on earth to forgive sins - He said to the paralytic, ‘I say to you, arise, take up your bed, and go to your house.'" (Mark 2: 9-11, NKJV) Notice what Jesus does, He uses the physical to get to the spiritual. Jesus healed the man's legs to prove He ...

330. What Happens When You Are Not Number One?

Mark 10:35-45

Sermon

Maxie Dunnam

... you face being submerged in hatred and pain and death, as I have to be?” Jesus was telling these two disciples that without a cross there can never be a crown. The standard of greatness in the Kingdom is the standard of the Cross.” (William Barclay, The Gospel of Mark, The Daily Study Bible, p. 261—265). And what is that standard? Jesus answers us in the last verse of our scripture lesson, vs.45: “For the Son of man also came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many ...

331. Sandbox First, Soapbox Second

Mark 1:29-34, Mark 1:35-39

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

... was a densely populated, fishing and agricultural center, not known for its resources for solitary refuge. If Jesus wanted to “get out of town” he would be compelled to have risen early and wandered far. This is only one of three instances where Mark describes Jesus being in prayer (see also 6;46 and 14:32-42). Jesus’ solitary sojourn for this time of prayer reflects his wilderness time and recalls Israel’s own wilderness wanderings, where fellowship with the divine was solidified and savored. But ...

332. Peter at Cornelius’ House

Acts 10:23b-48

Understanding Series

David J. Williams

... whole. Peter was able to preach to them much as he had to the Jews; it is not until we come to Paul’s speeches in Lystra and Athens that we find a distinctive approach to the Gentiles. Nevertheless, these people were Gentiles, and that fact marks a new and important departure for the church. In other respects also this speech holds a peculiar interest. It has often been remarked that verses 37 to 40, with their attention to the earthly life of Jesus and being unique among the speeches of this book, could ...

333. The Man of Lawlessness

2 Thessalonians 2:1-12

Understanding Series

David J. Williams

... of lawlessness is already at work. In the NT, “mystery” most often refers to the revealed purpose of God—what we could not find out for ourselves, a “mystery” in that sense, but what God has chosen to make known—and to the fulfilment of that purpose in Christ (cf. Mark 4:11; Rom. 11:25; 16:25; 1 Cor. 15:51; Eph. 1:9; 3:3f.; Col. 1:26; 2:2 and such phrases as “the mystery of the faith,” 1 Tim. 3:9, and “the mystery of godliness,” 1 Tim. 3:16). Thus “the mystery of lawlessness” may be ...

334. Trials and Temptations

James 1:1-18, James 1:19-27

Understanding Series

Peter H. Davids

... Mount (e.g., Matt. 5:17). Paul and James both agree that the teaching of Jesus is binding on the Christian and that no other way marks out the path of blessing and salvation. Freedom is not license but the ability to live and to fulfill “the law of Christ” (Gal. 6: ... (e.g., Ps. 1). Its opposite is “woe.” The idea of persevering (hypomenō) is very important in the New Testament (Matt. 10:22; 24:13; Mark 13:13; Rom. 12:12; 1 Cor. 13:7; 2 Tim. 2:12, etc., use the verb; Luke 21:19; Rom. 2:7; 8:25; 2 ...

335. Submission to Rulers and Masters

1 Peter 2:13-25

Understanding Series

Norman Hillyer

... 24; Mic. 5:2–9; Nah. 3:18; Zech. 11:4–9, 15–17; 13:7) and is used similarly by most NT writers (e.g., Matt. 10:6; Mark 6:34; Heb. 13:20; Rev. 7:17). It can also be an image of the Christian ministry: Acts 20:28; 1 Cor. 9:7; Eph. 4:11; ... so in 1 Clement 44.3; Ignatius, To the Philadelphians 2.1; To the Romans 9.1. Christians are pictured as sheep in Matt. 10:16; Mark 14:27; Luke 12:32; Acts 20:28; 1 Cor. 9:7; Heb. 13:20. See C. K. Barrett, The Gospel According to John (London: SPCK, 1955), p. ...

336. The Last Passover

John 12:1-11

Understanding Series

J. Ramsey Michaels

... is recognizably the same anointing as the one said to have taken place in Bethany at the home of a leper named Simon, according to Mark 14:3–9 and Matthew 26:6–13. The differences in John’s Gospel are that Simon is not named and that the dinner (in ... , 11, 21–30). Here Judas is given the lines that in the other Gospels are assigned generally to “some of those present” (Mark 14:4) or to “the disciples” (Matthew 26:8), protesting the wastefulness of Mary’s action (v. 5). Though not missing the ...

337. The Actions of the Triune Godhead Prove Jesus’s Divine Office

Mark 1:9-15

Teach the Text

Grant R. Osborne

... depict worship but more likely indicates serving food to Jesus; in Matthew 4:2 he fasted for the forty days. 1:14 After John was put in prison, Jesus went into Galilee. Jesus does not begin his ministry until John has ended his. It is likely that Mark considers this to be the change of eons, with the Baptist ending the time of the old covenant and Jesus introducing the new covenant age.3With Jesus the kingdom has arrived, and the new age of the “gospel” of salvation has begun. John has come as the ...

338. Jesus Proclaims Judgment on the Temple and the Nation

Mark 13:1-31

Teach the Text

Grant R. Osborne

... of the parousia, Jesus’s “revelation” to destroy his enemies in Revelation 19:11–21, rather than to the rapture (see 1 Thess. 4:13–18; Rev. 3:10). For this position, there are two returns. The second view argues that the tribulation period (“cut short” in Mark 13:20) is the “three and a half days” in Revelation 11:10–11a, with the rapture being the catching up of the two witnesses in 11:11b–12. The third view sees only one return, as Jesus comes both to rapture the saints (1 Thess. 4 ...

339. The Trial of Jesus before the Sanhedrin

Mark 14:53-65

Teach the Text

Grant R. Osborne

... 26 he is the eschatological Judge returning at the end of history. In the Danielic passage he has universal dominion over the nations, and this will be reflected in the final judgment of the nations. Coming on the “clouds” is a frequent image for the parousia (Matt. 24:30; Mark 13:26; Acts 1:9, 11; 1 Thess. 4:17; Rev. 1:7). In 13:26 he comes for the saints; here he comes to judge his enemies. 14:64 You have heard the blasphemy. This is what Caiaphas has been waiting for. He tears his garments (a sign ...

340. Jesus Takes the Initiative

Luke 21:5-38, Luke 21:1-4, Luke 20:41-47

Teach the Text

R.T. France

... be ready for the destruction of Jerusalem; the continuing direct second-person address suggests this. But the idea here of a sudden event that catches people unprepared also recalls 12:39–40; 17:26–35, and it may be that the thought in Luke, as in Mark and Matthew, here moves on to the eschatological “day of the Son of Man.” The universal scope of “all those who live on the face of the whole earth” suggests as much, and “to stand before the Son of Man” would be appropriate language for the ...

341. Israel Celebrates the Passover

Numbers 9:1-14

Teach the Text

Joe M. Sprinkle

... identified himself as the new Passover lamb. Paul sees typology between Christ and the Passover. He refers to Christ as our Passover sacrifice offered for us (1 Cor. 5:7). Christ, like the Passover lamb, allows us to escape the judgment of God, if we are “marked by the blood.” Just as the Israelites had to throw out the old leaven before they could celebrate Passover (Num. 9:11), so Christians, says Paul, must throw out the “old leaven” of sin. John too sees typology. Just as no bone of the Passover ...

342. A Dead Girl and A Sick Woman

Mark 5:21-43

Understanding Series

Larry W. Hurtado

... of Jesus’ power indicate that Jesus is not just a teacher or a prophet. His presentation of Jesus’ wondrous power is tied to his emphasis on the person of Jesus and does not promote an interest in magical powers and practices. As a matter of fact, Mark’s description of the raising of the dead girl seems designed to reject any hint of magical technique. He creates a note of mystery by saying that only the parents and three of the disciples were allowed into the room where the miracle was performed. He ...

343. The Faith of a Syrophoenician Woman

Mark 7:24-30

Understanding Series

Larry W. Hurtado

... is a Markan distinction not found in the Matt. 15:21–28 parallel, there is the statement in 7:27, First let the children eat all they want. This statement seems to anticipate the possibility of a later “feeding” of others like the woman and was used by Mark to mean that the restriction of Jesus’ own ministry to Israel both was proper and did not preclude a later mission to the Gentiles. In this phrase, we may see a reflection of the Apostle Paul’s emphasis that it was God’s will for salvation to ...

344. The Healing of a Blind Man at Bethsaida

Mark 8:22-26

Understanding Series

Larry W. Hurtado

... Isaiah 35:5–6. In both accounts people bring the needy person to Jesus, asking him to touch the person (7:32; 8:22). In both stories Jesus takes the person away from the people who brought him (7:33; 8:23). These two stories are the only ones in Mark that mention Jesus using spittle in the healings (7:33; 8:23). Of course, the healing of the deaf and blind are exactly two of the things mentioned in Isaiah 35:5–6 as the sort of miracles that will accompany God’s final salvation. When we further note ...

345. Divorce

Mark 10:1-12

Understanding Series

Larry W. Hurtado

... could be sent away simply if the husband grew tired of her. The latter view was dominant, no doubt because it was more convenient for a husband. The parallel account in Matthew 19:1–12 reflects in more detail the Jewish setting (see notes), and the version in Mark seems to be adapted to a gentile setting in which both men and women had legal right to divorce (cf. 10:11–12; Matt. 19:9). One detail common to both the Markan and the Matthean versions of the incident that deserves mention is that people are ...

346. The Calling of Levi

Mark 2:13-17

Understanding Series

Larry W. Hurtado

... employed in securing the tax receipts (Luke 19:8). Among the zealous Jews who sought to throw off the Roman yoke, these tax collectors were hated as traitors. We see something of the explosive nature of the religious objections to paying taxes to gentile conquerors in Mark 12:13–17. Levi son of Alphaeus: In the Luke 5:27 parallel the man is called simply Levi, but the Matt. 9:9 parallel calls him Matthew. This “Matthew the tax collector” reappears in the list of the twelve apostles in Matt. 10:3, but ...

347. The Rich Young Man

Mark 10:17-31

Understanding Series

Larry W. Hurtado

... likely to enter the kingdom illustrates what is meant by the reversal described in verse 31. Additional Notes 10:17 A man: Mark tells us no more about the man than that he was wealthy and had a good record of religious observance. Only Matt. ... the addition of and the gospel means that the sacrifice is made for the sake of participation in the mission of Jesus and (in Mark’s setting) the church. 10:31 Many who are first will be last, …: This saying in slightly varying forms appears at several points in ...

348. The Request of James and John

Mark 10:35-45

Understanding Series

Larry W. Hurtado

... rule of the Messiah. On the other hand, we can see a dream that is seriously out of keeping with what the reader knows now to be Jesus’ immediate fate and his teaching about the proper role of his followers. This is then another instance of Mark’s portrayal of the Twelve as fumbling, failing disciples, who serve as a warning to the readers to be sure of their own understanding of and obedience to Jesus’ teaching. In a sense, the reader is prepared for this request for special places with Jesus from ...

349. A Lamp On a Stand

Luke 8:16-18

Understanding Series

Craig A. Evans

... . 36–43). Luke, however, has gathered together no collection, electing to retain the Sower and Lamp parables only (8:4–17), to which he appends Jesus’ warning to heed his words (v. 18) and his pronouncement concerning his true family (vv. 19–21, taken from Mark 3:31–35). The Lucan theme has nothing to do with the kingdom. Instead, its focus is upon Jesus’ word and the urgent need to obey it. 8:16–18 Verses 16–18 contain three sayings which probably were originally independent but were pulled ...

350. Jesus' Mother and Brothers

Luke 8:19-21

Understanding Series

Craig A. Evans

... 3:31–35 and have been placed here because Luke discerned a useful example of the point of the preceding verses. (Probably because of his lofty assessment of Mary [see Luke 1:30; Acts 1:14], Luke omits Jesus’ negative rhetorical question found in Mark 3:33.) Those who are part of Jesus’ true family are those who hear God’s word and put it into practice (v. 21); they are not part of his family simply because of physical descent from Abraham (Luke 3:7–9; Tiede, p. 171). Additional Notes 8:19–21 ...

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