Sermon and Worship Resources

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Showing 3826 to 3850 of 4936 results

3826. Making One's Calling and Election Sure

2 Peter 1:1-11

Understanding Series

Norman Hillyer

Greeting 1:1 The opening of 2 Peter is along the conventional lines of a NT letter, giving sender, addressees, greeting (see commentary on Jude 1 and Additional Notes on Jude 1–2). The sender identifies himself as Simon Peter. Most Greek MSS of 2 Peter transliterate the sender’s first name as Symeōn, the Hebrew form applied to Simon Peter elsewhere in the NT only in Acts 15:14, in the appropriate Jewish-Christian setting of the Council of Jerusalem. The author further calls himself a servant and apostle of ...

3827. At the Potter's House

Jeremiah 18:1--19:15, Jeremiah 20:1-6

Understanding Series

Tremper Longman III

Jeremiah’s First Trip to the Potter (18:1-23): Though observed by Jeremiah rather than performed by Jeremiah, we now hear of another prophetic action that illustrates the prophet’s verbal message. Jeremiah 18:1–4 narrates the action while 18:5–10 interprets the general significance of the action. Verses 11–12 apply the teaching of the general principle specifically to Judah and Judah’s negative response to God’s call for repentance. A poetic oracle registering surprise at the people’s unwillingness to ...

3828. Robbing God

Malachi 3:6-18

Understanding Series

Pamela J. Scalise

Return to Me (3:6-12): The fifth speech returns to the present with an appeal for repentance demonstrated in a concrete act of obedience, tithing. This obligation contributes to proper worship at the temple and to feeding even the poorest of the people. The Lord, who loves Israel, offers them reconciliation and promises blessing. 3:6–7a The opening statement of this address is a stunning non sequitur, “I the LORD do not change. So you, O descendants of Jacob, are not destroyed.” The Lord has remained the ...

3829. The Second Journey to Egypt

Genesis 43:1-34

Understanding Series

John E. Hartley

Jacob’s Sons Return to Egypt: With the supplies of grain almost gone, Jacob finally accepts the reality that his sons must return to Egypt to buy more grain. After they arrive in Egypt, Joseph orchestrates a sequence of incidents that moves to the climactic moment when he makes himself known to his brothers. This, one of the most powerful accounts in history, has seven scenes. Jacob’s family discusses the need to return to Egypt (43:1–14). When they arrive in Egypt, the brothers attempt to return the money ...

3830. A Prophecy Against Gog

Ezekiel 38:1-39:29

Understanding Series

Steven Tuell

Gog of Magog: Both Gog and his kingdom, Magog, are a mystery. Apart from Ezekiel 38–39, the name “Gog” appears in the Old Testament only in 1 Chronicles 5:4, where Gog is a descendant of Reuben—clearly not the foreign ruler Ezekiel describes. Magog appears in Genesis 10:2//1 Chronicles 1:5 as second in the list of nations descended from Japheth, youngest son of Noah, whose descendants populate the lands north of Israel. These texts group Magog with other nations in Asia Minor (present-day Turkey), ...

3831. Jesus’ Compassion and Authority to Do the Miraculous

Matthew 14:13-21, Matthew 14:22-36

Teach the Text

Jeannine K. Brown

Big Idea: Matthew shows Jesus to be worthy of trust as the Son of God, as he acts in compassion and authority to heal the sick, feed hungry crowds, and even walk on the sea. Understanding the Text Matthew narrates Jesus healing the sick, feeding the five thousand, and walking on the water to demonstrate Jesus’ authority over sickness and even the natural elements. Through these miracles Matthew reaffirms Jesus’ identity as the Messiah (“Son of God” [14:33]). The evangelist has already emphasized Jesus’ ...

3832. More Parables of the Kingdom

Mark 4:30-34, Mark 4:26-29, Mark 4:21-25

Teach the Text

Grant R. Osborne

Big Idea: The kingdom is guaranteed by God to grow exponentially, and its concealed realities are soon to be brought to light; so now is the time to open our hearts and minds to its truths. Understanding the Text The basic theme for the parables in this chapter has already been established in 4:1–20: hearing and obeying the word of God by making certain that we are receptive to the kingdom truths. In the four parables that follow in 4:21–34 this is explored further in two ways. First, the lamp and the ...

3833. Jesus’s Entry as the Messiah Who Triumphs through Suffering

Mark 11:1-11

Teach the Text

Grant R. Osborne

Big Idea: Jesus begins passion week with a deliberate prophetic symbolic action, riding into Jerusalem on a donkey in fulfillment of Zechariah 9:9. In so doing, he reverses the messianic secret, yet at the same time shows himself as the humble Messiah. Understanding the Text The journey to Jerusalem has been the focus for some time (8:27–10:52), and Jesus now enters the final week of his life on earth. Passion week begins to unfold, and every event progressively uncovers his true messianic nature and the ...

3834. The Seventh Trumpet (Third Woe)

Revelation 11:15-19

Teach the Text

J. Scott Duvall

Big Idea: God will one day establish his eternal kingdom and receive praise for condemning his enemies and rewarding his servants. Understanding the Text Following the interlude of 10:1–11:13, we encounter the “third woe” in 11:14–19 (cf. 8:13; 9:12), a continuation of the seven trumpets (8:7–9:21). Surprisingly, instead of focusing on another series of plagues, this “woe” features a heavenly celebration that includes God “rewarding,” “judging,” and “destroying” (11:18). We have already been told in 10:7 ...

3835. The Daughters of Zelophehad (Part 2)

Numbers 36:1-13

Teach the Text

Joe M. Sprinkle

Big Idea: God’s inheritance is assured. Understanding the Text The book of Numbers concludes by returning to the story of the daughters of Zelophehad, which begins in Numbers 27. Why does the narrator divide this story into two episodes, one in Numbers 27 and another in Numbers 36? As noted earlier, Alan Kam-Yau Chan argues persuasively that the reason is structural: the first part of Numbers is bracketed by the two censuses (Num. 1–4; 26), whereas the second half (Num. 27–36) is bracketed by the two ...

3836. “They Will Proclaim the Works of God and Ponder What He Has Done”

Psalm 64:1-10

Teach the Text

C. Hassell Bullock

Big Idea: God outstrategizes evil and its perpetrators and exhausts their arsenal of weapons. Understanding the Text Psalm 64 is an individual lament, identifying the problem that stimulated the psalmist as the “threat of the enemy,” the “conspiracy of the wicked,” and the “plots of evildoers” (64:1–2). It sums up with the aphoristic commentary of verse 6c: “Surely the human mind and heart are cunning” (lit., “the inward person and heart are deep”). In addition to this detailed description of the problem ( ...

3837. Daniel Interprets the Dream and Confronts Nebuchadnezzar

Daniel 4:19-27

Teach the Text

Ronald W. Pierce

Big Idea: The Most High God blesses and judges even the most powerful rulers of this world regarding their belief in him and their treatment of those they govern. Understanding the Text See the unit on 4:1–18 for a discussion of the larger context, structure, and comparisons of this literary unit. Against this backdrop, 4:19–27 forms the center of this narrative, shifting the story line from the telling of the dream to its interpretation and at the same time changing from first person to third when ...

3838. True Religion

Isaiah 58:1-14

One Volume

Gary M. Burge

The prophet again calls on the people to look on themselves in terms of their commitment. The people did indeed practice fasts and the Sabbath, which were derived from the law. However, just as syncretism and paganism are abominable to God, so is religious formalism. It is not enough for people to conform to the law of God if in one or more ways they continue to sin against it. The prophet emphasizes true religion and the rewards of true godliness. The prophet shows what true religion is not (58:1–9a). ...

3839. The Request of James and John

Mark 10:35-45

One Volume

Gary M. Burge

The failure of the disciples to understand the way of Jesus is exposed with acid clarity in 10:35–45, where, immediately following Jesus’s announcement of his impending humiliation, James and John ask for fame. James and John think of God’s kingdom in terms of benefits. Jesus, however, speaks of the costs of participating in it in terms of a “cup” and “baptism” (10:38), both metaphors of suffering. The brothers assure Jesus of their willingness to bear the costs of discipleship. Despite their assurance, ...

3840. The Power of Appreciation

Matthew 2:1-12

Sermon

Charley Reeb

I heard a story about twin boys who were polar opposites. One was the eternal pessimist. He saw the negative in everything. The glass was always half empty. The other one was the eternal optimist. He always saw the sunny side to things. He always saw the glass half full. The twins’ parents were curious about this so they took their twin boys to a therapist. The therapist was also curious about how different they were so he put the pessimist in a room full of toys and observed him. The boy picked up a plane ...

3841. Paying What's Due

Matthew 22:15-22

Sermon

David G. Rogne

In Joseph Heller's book Catch-22, an Air Force bombardier is desperately seeking relief from going out on the deadly missions he must fly each day. As he gets close to the number of missions that will allow him to be rotated, the number of missions needed for rotation keeps changing. He concludes that only a crazy person would keep flying those dangerous missions. He thinks he must be crazy, and therefore he should be sent home. His superiors agree with him that a crazy person should be sent home but only ...

3842. David Destroys the Amalekites

1 Samuel 30:1-31

Understanding Series

Mary J. Evans

Victory and Defeat: 30:1–5 Although a small group could have traveled more quickly, it took David’s army of about six hundred men three days to travel the fifty or so miles back to Ziklag. They almost certainly would have been away for at least a week, leaving plenty of time for the Amalekites to take advantage of their absence. David’s previous activities against groups including the Amalekites (27:8) must have been noted, but his policy of destruction meant that there was no evidence against him. This ...

3843. Eliphaz's Second Speech to Job

Job 15:1-35

Understanding Series

Gerald H. Wilson

Sin Prompts Your Mouth The “second dialogue cycle” begins here as we return to the argument of Eliphaz, from whom we last heard in chapters 4 and 5. There Eliphaz operated from the assumption that humans are “born to trouble” (5:7) and therefore “reap” what they “sow” (4:8). It is impossible for “a mortal to be righteous before God.” Since even God’s servants, the angels, are untrustworthy, “how much more” are humans subject to “error” (4:18–19). As a result, Job must deserve his suffering. His only hope ...

3844. Paul's Vision and His Thorn

2 Corinthians 12:1-10

Understanding Series

James M. Scott

12:1–10 Up to this point in the “Fool’s Speech” Paul boasts that, as a servant of Christ, he is superior to his opponents (the so-called super-apostles) mostly in terms of his far greater sufferings (11:21b–33). In 12:1–10 the apostle goes on to boast of his surpassing revelatory experience. In contrast to the disgraceful descent from the wall in Damascus (11:33), Paul here recounts a glorious ascent into heaven (cf. T. Jos. 1:4 for a similar contrast between descent as humiliation and ascent as exaltation ...

3845. Thank God We're Free at Last

Romans 6:12-23

Sermon

King Duncan

In January 1985, a large suitcase was discovered at the customs office of the Los Angeles International Airport. Inside the suitcase was the dead body of an unidentified young woman. U.S. Customs agents who discovered the body immediately launched an investigation. What they uncovered was a tale of a horrible tragedy that resulted from the desperate desire of two young people for freedom. The dead woman was the wife of a young Iranian living in the U.S. Her desire was to join her husband. However she was ...

3846. Ready for the Big Date?

Matthew 25:1-13

Sermon

King Duncan

A young woman busied herself getting ready for a blind date. She was to have dinner at an exclusive restaurant with live music and dancing. She was excited. She went out to have her hair done, spent time getting her makeup just right, put on her best dress and was ready for her date’s arrival. However, his expected arrival time came and went. After waiting an hour, she decided she had been stood up. Disheartened, she took off her dress, let down her hair, put on her pajamas, gathered a box of chocolates ...

3847. A Justice Jesus

Luke 4:14-21

Sermon

Susan R. Andrews

When I did my doctoral studies in organizational revitalization, we were taught a simple way to bring about transformation in the way ministry is done. Simply change the name of the committees or create a brand new structure to do new things in new ways. In one of the parishes I served, we re-envisioned our ministry every five years. One year, more to humor me than anything else, the Vision Task Force agreed to propose a new name for our mission outreach committee changing it from Church and Society ...

3848. In the Wilderness with the Devil

Luke 4:1-13

Sermon

King Duncan

Paul Grobman in his book Vital Statistics tells about incident that occurred on January 21, 1996. This incident--which might be every child’s fantasy and every parent’s nightmare--involved two brothers, Antony and Jerome who live in Quebec, Canada. It seems that the two boys wandered off from their backyard and went to a nearby Toys R Us, the now defunct toy store chain. While amusing themselves in the gigantic toy store Antony and Jerome slipped into a playhouse where they promptly fell asleep. When they ...

3849. You Are My Beloved

Mark 1:10-11

Sermon

Arley K. Fadness

"And just as He was coming up out of the water, He saw the heavens torn apart and the spirit descending like a dove on Him. And a voice came from heaven, 'You are my Son, the Beloved: with you I am well pleased.' " Brothers and Sisters in Christ, I tell you a tale of a little village in an isolated land where the people shared a boundless sense of happiness. The people in this village showed only one unusual feature about their life together. They had a custom -- a delightful custom -- of giving fuzzies to ...

3850. The Phrase We Never Want to Hear

John 20:19-23, John 20:24-31

Sermon

King Duncan

I have a brain-teaser for you this morning. What is the one phrase that nobody likes to hear, but everybody likes to say? The phrase is, “I told you so.” When someone doesn’t listen to us, they ignore our advice and get themselves in trouble, we are quick to say, “I told you so.” But we absolutely hate it when others are right, and they throw those words at us. I read of two amazing “I told you so” moments recently. In the 1970s, the mayor of Fudai, Japan, pushed through a plan to build a ridiculously ...

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