Sermon and Worship Resources

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Showing 3626 to 3650 of 4935 results

3626. The Ark Brought to the Temple

2 Chronicles 5:2-6:11

Understanding Series

Louis C. Jonker

Solomon Dedicates the Temple: At the end of the previous episode (5:1) the scene is set for the dedication of the temple. The following episode now deals with this great event, which stands at the center of the Chronicler’s reconstruction of the monarchical past. The dedication of the temple has different elements and is accompanied by speeches, prayers, sacrifices, music, and a theophany. The whole description from 5:2 to 7:22 bears a liturgical character, as if the Chronicler wanted the reader of his ...

3627. Queen Vashti Deposed

Esther 1:1-22

Understanding Series

Timothy S. Laniak

Three Royal Banquets: The book of Esther opens with an extended description of a royal banquet in the Persian court of Xerxes I. More precisely, there are descriptions of three banquets: one for the noblemen and other male dignitaries, one for the male commoners, and one for the women. Banqueting is a central motif in Esther. There are feasts (mishtot) at the beginning and end of Esther, and the same root (sh-t-h) is used at crucial turning points throughout the story. In chapter 1, the celebrations for ...

3628. A Woman Burdened with Guilt

Luke 7:36-50

Sermon

King Duncan

Years ago a religious talk show hostess was interviewing a new believer. The new believer had come from the wrong side of the tracks--economically, socially, morally, and spiritually. As he gave his testimony, this man, who had seen it all and done it all continually thanked God for the change God had made in his life. “I can’t express,” he said, “the gratitude I feel that God has changed my life.” The talk show hostess knew where he was coming from--for she, too, had walked on life’s wild side before ...

3629. Hezekiah’s Illness

Isaiah 38:1-22, Isaiah 39:1-8

Understanding Series

John Goldingay

A More Equivocal Response to Two Further Challenges: The background of these two further events is, again, Judah’s rebellion against Assyrian sovereignty. Yahweh’s promise of healing for Hezekiah also includes deliverance from Assyria (38:6), and an alternative chronology to the one presupposed in the Introduction does have Hezekiah living on for fifteen years after the Assyrian invasion, until 687/686 B.C. But a number of considerations suggest that the events in chapters 38–39 took place before those in ...

3630. Jesus Tempted in the Wilderness

Matthew 4:1-11

Teach the Text

Jeannine K. Brown

Big Idea: Through the temptation narrative woven with Deuteronomy citations, Matthew compares Jesus’ faithful sonship to Israel’s lack of obedience in their wilderness time and highlights God’s protection of Jesus in the wilderness. Understanding the Text After narrating Jesus’ birth and baptism, Matthew concludes his introduction to Jesus’ identity (1:1–4:16) with wilderness temptations. The temptation story continues the comparison between Israel and Jesus, emphasizing how Jesus remains utterly loyal to ...

3631. The Guilt Offering

Leviticus 5:14--6:7

Teach the Text

Joe M. Sprinkle

Big Idea: The guilt offering shows how to repent. Understanding the Text Leviticus 1:1–6:7 is addressed to the laity, giving them instructions about five types of sacrifices. It is organized around those that the layperson could voluntarily choose to offer (burnt, grain, and fellowship offerings), followed by those that the layperson must offer whenever certain offenses have occurred (sin and guilt offerings). The guilt offering is meant to address offenses against holy things, whether done by directly ...

3632. A Lifestyle of Holiness and Love

Leviticus 19:1-37

Teach the Text

Joe M. Sprinkle

Big Idea: The basis of biblical ethics is God’s holiness and love. Understanding the Text Leviticus 19:2 emphasizes the theme that gives the laws of holiness (Lev. 17–27) their name: “Be holy, because I, the Lord your God, am holy” (v. 2). Leviticus 19 marks a conceptual center of Leviticus. It is surrounded by chapters with similar themes (Lev. 18; 20) to highlight the centrality of this passage.1 It is hard to see an organizing principle in the disparate laws of this chapter, save that each encourages ...

3633. The Lord Chooses a New King

1 Samuel 16:14-23, 1 Samuel 16:1-13

Teach the Text

Robert B. Chisholm Jr.

Big Idea: When choosing his servants, the Lord gives priority to inner character, not outward appearances. Understanding the Text In the previous chapters Saul lost his dynasty (13:13–14) and then his position as king (15:26–28). Chapter 16 is a turning point in the story: the process of Saul’s actual removal from kingship begins. God withdraws his Spirit and sends another spirit to torment Saul and undermine his kingship. Prior to this, the Lord announced that he would raise up “a man after his own heart ...

3634. How Much Are You Worth?

Matthew 10:29-31

Sermon

King Duncan

A large train pulled by two engines was making its way across America. While crossing the Western mountains, one of the engines broke down. “No problem, we can make it to Denver and get a replacement engine there,” the engineer thought, and carried on at half power. Farther on down the line, the other engine broke down, and the train came to a standstill in the middle of nowhere. The engineer needed to inform the passengers about why the train had stopped. He didn’t want the passengers to get too upset and ...

3635. The Joy of Christmas

Luke 2:1-14 (15-20)

Sermon

Charley Reeb

One of my favorite Christmas stories is about the young boy who was given a very important role in the church Christmas play. He was to be the angel and announce the birth of Jesus. For weeks he rehearsed the line that had been given to him, “Behold, I bring you good news of great joy!” The grandparents got in on it and any time the family was together and the boy was there they would dress him up in his costume and he would rehearse his part for them, “Behold, I bring you good news of great joy.” They ...

3636. John the Baptist Prepares the Way

Matthew 3:1-12

Understanding Series

Robert H. Mounce

John the Baptist: At the close of chapter 2, Joseph, Mary, and the child Jesus returned from Egypt and took up residence in the Galilean town of Nazareth. The time would have been shortly after the death of Herod in 4 B.C. Chapter 3 begins with the prophetic ministry of John the Baptist some twenty-five to thirty years later. What had been going on in the life of Jesus during this time? Except for one incident, the Gospels remain silent. They were never intended to be taken as biographies. The only thing ...

3637. Lawsuits Among Believers

1 Corinthians 6:1-11

Understanding Series

Marion L. Soards

Having raised the issue of the relations of Christians both to other Christians and to those outside the church, Paul’s mind seems to move to the matter of how Christians relate to one another outside the life of the church. His discussion focuses on the issue of Christians suing each other in pagan courts of law. One cannot determine how Paul knows about this problem; nevertheless, he discusses the matter in some detail. Although interpreters regularly refer to these verses as an excursus, the discussion ...

3638. Various Laws

Leviticus 19:1-37

Understanding Series

W. H. Bellinger, Jr.

This chapter contains a variety of instructions regarding worship and other relationships in life. There is unity and diversity here, and connections to the Decalogue in Exodus 20 as well as to Deuteronomy. Themes characteristic of the Holiness Code appear at the beginning and at the end of the chapter, suggesting that the Priestly editors have subsumed a variety of legislation in this context as part of the divine revelation. Most of the instructions are apodictic, or universal, in form. The parallels ...

3639. Woes and Judgments

Isaiah 5:8-30

Understanding Series

John Goldingay

Judgment Missed and Demonstrated: In length and theme chapter 5 pairs with chapter 1 and closes a bracket around 2:2–4:6. Chapter 5 comprises a mock love song; a series of woes that will be completed in 10:1–4; and a warning about Yahweh’s outstretched hand that will continue in chapter 9. In contrast to 1:1–2:1 and 2:2–4:6, no positive note is struck at the beginning or the end. Chapters 1–5 come to a close as bleak as their opening. Rebellion and darkness ultimately bracket them.In length and theme ...

3640. The Baby or the Window?

Matthew 13:44-46

Sermon

King Duncan

It was one of those terrible summertime scenarios you read about from time to time. It was early September in San Antonio, Texas. The thermometer stood at 99 degrees. A woman accidentally locked her 10-month-old niece inside a parked car. Quite frantically she and her sister, the baby’s mother, ran around the auto in near hysteria. A by-stander tried to help. He attempted to unlock the car with a clothes hanger. Soon the infant was turning purple and had foam on her mouth. It was becoming a life-or-death ...

3641. A Word to Busy Parents

Luke 2:41-52

Sermon

King Duncan

Today we’re going to be talking about the Christian family. I believe most of us will agree that raising a family can be challenging. In fact, raising a family changes with each baby. Someone has made a list of the ways having a second and third child is different from having your first. See if any of you can identify with these differences: For example, if you are a mom, your clothes change. With the first baby you begin wearing maternity clothes as soon as your gynecologist confirms your pregnancy. With ...

3642. In the Light of His Glory

Isaiah 60:1-6, Matthew 2:1-12

Sermon

King Duncan

Dr. Les Parrott in his book Shoulda Coulda Woulda tells an old legend about three men. Each man carried two sacks--one sack tied in front of his neck and the other sack resting on his back. When the first man was asked what was in his sacks, he said, “In the sack on my back are all the good things friends and family have done for me. That way they’re hidden from view. In the front sack are all the bad things that have happened to me and all the mistakes I’ve made. Every now and then I stop, open the front ...

3643. In Search of a New Life

Revelation 21:1-5a

Sermon

King Duncan

Do you like stories of buried treasure? Here’s one that you may not have heard. According to a legend from the Wild West, back in the 1870s, notorious outlaw Jesse James and his gang stole millions of dollars worth of gold bullion from a Mexican general. The men proceeded to bury their treasure somewhere in the Wichita Mountains of Oklahoma. Rumor had it that Jesse had scratched a secretly-coded map on an old bucket and left it as a marker. One source says that after Jesse’s death, his brother Frank James ...

3644. Clearing the Eyes

John 9:1-12, John 9:13-34, John 9:35-41

Sermon

David & Marian Plant

The scripture today is one of honest inquiry but turns quickly to a realization that what the disciples have known, or thought they knew, is no longer applicable. When it comes to encountering a blind person they turn to what they have been taught. If a bad illness or disability befell a person like the one that befell the blind man, it must be because he or his parents had done something wrong. Today, we understand that if a person is born blind it would be because of any number of prenatal conditions ...

3645. Emergency!

Genesis 11:1-9

Sermon

Lori Wagner

“Do not put your trust in princes, in mortal men who cannot save…” (Psalm 146:3) “Be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth.” (Genesis 9:1) Everyone knows the sound of fire trucks. It used to be the fire bell! Now it’s an ear piercing, unaesthetic, blaring horn, followed by sirens, and ear deafening noise, as the trucks emerge from the station and race to their destination. Every kid is fascinated by firetrucks. Some of us still have our first firetruck. That’s why we watch “Chicago Fire!” But it used to ...

3646. Run Away Bride

Exodus 24:1-18, Matthew 22:1-14, Hosea 1:1-2:1

Sermon

Lori Wagner

Better is a dish of vegetables where love is than a fattened ox served with hatred. Proverbs 15:17 If you are a fan of Facebook, you know that by looking at someone’s “status,” you can find out some things about a person: whether they are male or female, where they live, and most intriguingly, their “relationship status.” That is, of course, if they have filled in those blanks and answered those questions when they set up the account. Some status indicators say: “In a relationship.” Others simply say “ ...

3647. We Will Be Changed

Ezekiel 37:1-14, 1 Corinthians 15:1-11, 1 Corinthians 15:12-34, 1 Corinthians 15:35-58

Sermon

Lori Wagner

What is in a name? Nothing defines us in our lives more than what we are named. We are given a name, but through our lives, we also take on other names. We know Jesus by many names: wonderful, counselor, almighty God, everlasting Father, prince of peace, as Handel’s oratorio tells us. But we too have names that define us. In the scriptures, often the name that one is born with is not the name God bestows upon them. Jacob becomes Israel. Sarai becomes Sarah. Abram becomes Abraham. Simon becomes Peter. Adamh ...

3648. The Secret to Happiness

John 14:1-4, John 14:5-14

Sermon

King Duncan

Since this is Mother’s Day we want to honor all our Moms. We are more grateful to you than you can imagine. Our message for today is on the “Secret to Happiness.” I believe that I could say without fear of contradiction that one of the secrets to happiness is to have a good Mom. That’s not always possible, but for those of us who have been so fortunate, we can say that it is one of the great blessings of life. And so today we salute those women who have loved us and poured their lives into ours. In 1816, a ...

3649. Words Are Not Enough

Matthew 21:23-32

Sermon

Roy Howard

It may be helpful when considering this text to remind ourselves that each of the gospel writers had a purpose in mind when writing the good news. They all shared a common purpose in telling the story of Jesus’ life, death, and resurrection, but each had a particular community to which they were writing, and they shaped their gospel in ways peculiar to their listeners. That means we have to discern what the original intent of Matthew or Mark, Luke, or John, may have been and what that intent looks like ...

3650. Preachers, All!

Acts 2:1-13, Acts 2:14-41, Acts 2:42-47

Sermon

Will Willimon

Someone has said the church is somewhat like a football huddle, the huddle that players go into at a football game. ''You know that something important is being said there, but you can't understand a word of it, and all you can see is their rear-ends." But in fairness to the church, we must admit that it isn't easy to be understood by the world, after all, what we are talking about, in this huddle called church, is God. That's hard to talk about. I vividly remember as a pastor, sitting with a group of lay- ...

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