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Showing 326 to 350 of 538 results

326. Tomorrow Doesn't Always Come

James 4:1-12

Sermon

Edward Inabinet

A very popular song from the musical Annie called "Tomorrow," was sung by the little red-haired orphan girl, and the words go something like this: The sun will come out tomorrow Bet your bottom dollar That tomorrow there will be sun And the refrain goes: Tomorrow, tomorrow It''s almost tomorrow It''s only a day away. Our hearts are really attracted to that, lifted up by those words. And the song does express the popular and comforting idea that there is always going to be more time, a second chance and ...

327. The New Stone Tablets

Exodus 34:1-28

Understanding Series

James K. Bruckner

Crisis Resolved: The Name of the Lord · Exodus 34 is the theological center of the book of Exodus. The stone tablets with the Ten Commandments, which Moses broke in anger in Exodus 32:19, are remade (vv. 1–4, 27–29). The Lord proclaims the divine name with a full description of who God is in the world. God responds to the golden calf crisis by promising to be a forgiving God in their midst. The Lord then describes how this forgiveness would function (vv. 5–9). The text reiterates representative laws from ...

328. Mission and Rejection in Galilee

Mark 6:14-29, Mark 6:7-13

Teach the Text

Grant R. Osborne

Big Idea: All followers of Jesus are called to mission. Yet when the kingdom news of the gospel is presented, there is both authority from God and inevitable opposition to it when people reject the good news, sometimes even costing the lives of those sent to speak for God. Understanding the Text This begins the fourth section of the Galilean ministry in Mark (after 1:16–3:6; 3:7–35; 4:1–6:30) and constitutes the third sandwiching episode thus far (after 3:20–35; 5:21–43). The sending of the Twelve (6:7–13 ...

329. Proper 8

2 Corinthians 8:1-15, 2 Samuel 1:17-27, Mark 5:21-43

Sermon Aid

Russell F. Anderson

Theme: The power of God in Christ to deliver us from sickness and death. COMMENTARY Old Testament: 2 Samuel 1:1, 17-27 David's love for both Saul and Jonathan comes clearly through this elegy over the two men. David's unselfishness can be seen in the fact that David does not rejoice that those who stood in the way of his becoming king are slain. The love he had for Jonathan was greater that his love for any woman (v. 26). Old Testament: Deuteronomy 15:7-11 Epistle: 2 Corinthians 8:1-9, 13-15 The rift ...

330. Homesick For a Future: New Life for the New Millenium

Genesis 12:1-8

Sermon

Maxie Dunnam

I don’t know how it is with you, but occasionally I have flashbacks. Sometimes these are connected with a task at hand, or a decision with which I am struggling, or when I am wrestling with what I perceive as a call of God upon my life. Occasionally these flashbacks are connected with my preaching. It happened a couple of months ago. I was struggling with personal direction issues, but had also begun to think of the assignment of preaching on this occasion. The words of a young man named Nicholas in The ...

331. New Creations in Christ

Revelation 21:1-6

Sermon

Richard Gribble

There once was a very unhappy old man. For him, things were never right and, thus, he grumbled quite a bit. He complained that he had to get up in the morning, and when nightfall came it was too soon. He complained when he had to work, but found it boring when he did not work. He talked about how people paid insufficient attention to him, yet when others spoke to him he seemed annoyed or irritated. He hated it when it rained and found the sun too hot when it shined. In winter, he longed for the summer and ...

332. Moses and the Burning Bush

Exodus 3:1-22

Understanding Series

James K. Bruckner

The third chapter of Exodus is filled with revelation and interaction. It includes a theophany (the appearing of God) and the story of Moses’ call. Moses meets God for the first time in the burning bush, where God calls him to go back to Egypt. We are reminded of the oppression there and hear the first two of Moses’ five objections to God’s call. Exodus 3 gives the name of the Lord, repeats the promise of land to Abraham’s family, and predicts Pharaoh’s resistance. Finally, God promises to do “wonders” ...

333. The Word Became Flesh

John 1:1-18

Understanding Series

J. Ramsey Michaels

The prologue is set apart from the rest of John’s Gospel by its designation of Jesus Christ as the Word (Gr.: logos, vv. 1, 14) rather than “the Son.” The term One and Only (implying sonship) is introduced, however, in verses 14 and 18 and sets the stage for the Gospel’s characteristic emphasis on the Father-Son relationship between God and Jesus. The prologue also stands somewhat apart from the rest of the Gospel stylistically. The repetition and linking of certain key words lend a special dignity and ...

334. The Spirit and the Glory of the Age to Come and the New Covenant

Romans 8:28-39, Romans 8:18-27

Teach the Text

C. Marvin Pate

Big Idea: Paul showcases another blessing from the Spirit of the new covenant: glory. More particularly, the Spirit is a sign of the glory of the age to come and the new covenant. And yet, that glory occurs in the midst of this age and suffering. Understanding the Text 1. Suffering/glory (8:18) 2. Three groanings (8:19–27) a. Creation groans (hope for the revelation of the children of God) (8:19–22) b. Believers groan (firstfruits of the Spirit / by hope we were saved) (8:23–25) c. The Spirit groans (the ...

335. The Power to Rise Again

Mark 16:1-8

Sermon

J. Howard Olds

A church organist made a horrible blunder on Easter Sunday. He failed to set his alarm and managed to sleep right through the first service. The congregation forgave him. His colleagues teased him. The senior pastor pondered it all in his heart and one year later phoned the organist at 4:00 a.m. When the organist answered the phone, the pastor said, “It's Easter! Christ is risen! You should do the same!" It's Easter. Christ is risen and best of all, we can do the same. As the early Church scrambled to ...

336. At Mount Sinai

Exodus 19:1-25

Understanding Series

James K. Bruckner

Meeting God at Sinai: Exodus 19 is the theological and literary pivot of Exodus. Nowhere do we find a fuller revelation of God in relation to the people. In the preceding chapters Israel had been “let go” from serving the pharaoh so that they might serve/worship the Lord. Here they serve/worship at the place of Moses’ original calling and receive their own call to be God’s “kingdom of priests” to the world (chs. 25–31; 35–40). The larger literary structure of Exodus 19–24 comprises a chiasm (see below) and ...

337. Nehemiah Helps the Poor

Nehemiah 5:1-19

Understanding Series

Leslie C. Allen

Trouble on the Farm: We seem to move into a different world in this chapter. Gone is the battle zone of chapter 4. In its place is a seemingly unrelated area of social tension, where one would scarcely think that rebuilding the wall was a top priority. The recurring pattern, from chapter 2 onward, of progress on the wall, the response of enemy opposition, and Nehemiah’s counterresponse, is put on hold. The enemy response of 6:1 appears to target the progress of chapter 4, as if chapter 5 did not exist. The ...

338. The Pharisees Investigate the Healing

John 9:13-34

Understanding Series

J. Ramsey Michaels

When their informal interview with the man who had been blind proved inconclusive, his neighbors brought him to the Pharisees (v. 13). The narrator takes the opportunity to add the significant footnote that the miracle happened on a Sabbath. In connection with this, he refers again to the actual procedure Jesus had used (v. 14), for it was this procedure, not the healing itself, that violated the Sabbath law (i.e., the Mishnah, Shabbath 7.2). Just as in the case of the Bethesda healing in chapter 5, the ...

339. Jesus Is God’s Faithful Son in Gethsemane and at His Arrest and Trial

Matthew 26:31-35, Matthew 26:36-46, Matthew 26:47-56, Matthew 26:57-68, Matthew 26:69-75

Teach the Text

Jeannine K. Brown

Big Idea: Although Jesus predicts and witnesses the disciples’ desertion and prays for God to change his fate, he as the Messiah, the Son of God, proves himself faithful to God’s will even to the point of suffering and death. Understanding the Text Matthew’s passion story continues with Jesus’ prediction of the disciples’ desertion and Peter’s denial (26:31–35), Jesus’ time of prayer in Gethsemane and arrest there (26:36–56), and Jesus’ trial before the Sanhedrin (26:57–68) followed by Peter’s denial (26: ...

340. Proper 5

Lk 7:11-17 · Gal 1:11-24 · 1 Ki 17:17-24

Sermon Aid

John R. Brokhoff

THE LESSONS 1 Kings 17:17-24 Through prayer Elijah restores a child to life. For the next five Sundays, Lesson 1 focuses upon the great prophet, Elijah, whose name means, "Yahweh is my God." He is the champion of Yahweh, and as the representative of the prophets, appeared at the Transfiguration. To understand today's pericope, one needs to know the context. Because Ahab, King of Israel, turned to pagan gods, a severe drought came upon the land. After the brooks dried up, Yahweh sends Elijah to a pagan ...

341. Ash Wednesday

Mt 6:1-6, 16-21 · 2 Cor 5:20b--6:10 · Ps 51:1-17 · Jl 2:1-2, 12-17

Sermon Aid

Marion L. Soards, Thomas B. Dozeman, Kendall McCabe

OLD TESTAMENT TEXTS The Old Testament texts explore the themes of sin and death that are central to Ash Wednesday. Joel 2:1-2, 12-17 proclaims the judgment of God on sin through the terrible Day of the Lord, while Psalm 51:1-12 is a penitentiary prayer in which the guilt of the psalmist is confessed as a basis for petitioning God for deliverance. Joel 2:1-2, 12-17 - "The Terrible Day of God's Judgment" Setting. The reference to the Day of the Lord in Joel 2:1 provides important background for interpreting ...

342. Time for the Offering

2 Corinthians 8:7-15

Sermon

Gibson “Nibs” Stroupe

We have been blessed at our church to have had student interns in ministry for many years from Columbia Theological Seminary, Johnson C. Smith Seminary, and Candler School of Theology. They have been all varieties of cultures, genders, ages, outlooks, and approaches. As a multicultural church, we like to think that we have broadened their view of themselves and of ministry. I know that they have greatly enriched our lives. We ask our interns to lead all parts of worship over the course of their time with ...

343. Drought, Famine, Sword

Jeremiah 14:1--15:21

Understanding Series

Tremper Longman III

The Drought (14:1-10): Boda (“From Complaint to Contrition: Peering through the Liturgical Window of Jer 14, 1–15, 4,” ZAW 113 [2001], pp. 186–97) has persuasively argued that the unit 14:1–15:4 reflects a transformation from lament to penitential prayer. He believes that the chapter reflects a public liturgy led by Jeremiah to unsuccessfully avert God’s coming judgment anticipated by a drought. While there are debates whether 14:1–16 and 14:17–15:4 are connected, he rightly points to the allusion to ...

344. Sexual Immorality

1 Corinthians 6:12-20

Understanding Series

Marion L. Soards

These nine verses form a complex segment of the letter. One finds here quotations from the Corinthians and a citation of the LXX. The verses are largely cast in the diatribe style of popular Hellenistic philosophy. One also encounters traditional elements of early Christian doctrine. All of this material is woven together in service to Paul’s deliberate line of argumentation. Paul builds and argues a case in verses 12–17 in response to the thinking and declarations of the Corinthians. As the NIV and other ...

345. The Thorn of Discontent

2 Corinthians 12:1-10

Sermon

Lori Wagner

DISCONTENT Like a thorn in the flesh, like a fly in the mesh, Like a boat that is chained to shore, The wild unrest of the heart in my breast Tortures me more and more. I wot not why, it should wail and cry Like a child that is lost at night, For it knew no grief, but has found relief, And it is not touched with blight. It has had of pleasure full many a measure; It has thrilled with love's red wine; It has hope and health, and youth's rare wealth-- Oh rich is this heart of mine. Yet it is not glad--it is ...

346. Midnight Turned Into High Noon

Isaiah 42:10-17, Isaiah 42:18-25

Sermon

Barbara Brokhoff

"... I will turn the darkness before them into light ..." David Hume, the philospher, once wrote an essay on the sufficiency of the light of nature for man’s spiritual matters. About the same time, F. W. Robertson, a noted minister, published a sermon upholding the opposite thesis, pointing out that the light of nature needs to be supplemented by the light of a revelation from God. Mutual friends of the philosopher and preacher decided to bring the two together to debate the matter. When the evening ended ...

347. The Light that Shines Within

John 1:1-18

Sermon

Leonard Mann

The story of the birth of Jesus has been variously told. Luke has told it in relation to the appearance of angels and the visit of shepherds. Matthew has told it in the context of a brightly shining star and the coming of wise men from the East. Others may very well have associated the story with other signal happenings mentioned by neither of these; for any event of importance is attended by a variety of incidental circumstances, and in telling of it, one witness will choose to relate one of the ...

348. How Can We Live Wisely?

Job 26:1--31:40

Sermon

Edward Chinn

When you think of Christ, do you see him as an idealist or as a realist? There are those who see him as primarily an idealist because he talked about love in an unlovely world. He talked about forgiveness in an unforgiving world. He talked about goodness in an evil world. He talked about a loving heavenly Father in a world of earthquakes, fire, flood, and other natural disasters. How then do you see Christ? Was he an idealist or was he a realist? I believe there is a neglected side to Christ’s personality ...

349. A Long Line Of Love

Ruth 1:1-22

Sermon

King Duncan

Some of the most popular music today comes out of places like Nashville, Tennessee and Austin, Texas. I am referring, of course, to Country and Western music. Country music is known for its colorful lyrics. We're told that Supreme Court Justice William O. Douglas was a country music fan. He delighted in recounting the titles of his favorite songs. Among them were, "When the Phone Don't Ring, You'll Know It's Me," "Walk Out Backwards, So I'll Think You're Coming In," and "My Wife Ran Off with My Best Friend ...

350. Eyewitness News

John 20:1-9

Sermon

King Duncan

Country music star Kenny Chesney sings a song that contains this refrain, Everybody wanna go to heaven; Hallelujah, let me hear you shout; Everybody wanna go to heaven; But nobody wanna go now. (1) Deep in our hearts we know it’s true. We talk about heaven, but regardless of how wonderful we have heard it described, most of us are not eager to make the journey. We’re like the man who was sentenced to death. He was asked if he had any last requests. He said that he loved to sing and wanted to sing his ...

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