Sermon and Worship Resources

Showing 4401 to 4425 of 4999 results

1 Corinthians 10:1-13

Sweet

Leonard Sweet

... or "hold" on this untamed, unknown God of his ancestors. Once in possession of this name, Moses could use this knowledge as power to coerce the people to follow him. We wonder secondly then, at God's response to Moses' question in verse 14: What does this response mean, what kind of name is this? There are numerous interpretations of God's cryptic answer, among them "I am what I am," "I will be who I will be," "I will cause to be what is" and even "I shall be there, as who I am, I shall be there. " The key ...

4402. Romans 5:1-5

Romans 5:1-5

Sweet

Leonard Sweet

... faith. But Paul is not touting suffering as a virtue in and of itself. Suffering is only worthy of a positive, boastful interpretation when, like our hope, it participates in the glory of God. As with all the other characteristics Paul will mention, this kind of suffering points towards the redemptive act of Christ and the presence of grace in our lives. There can never be such a thing as "noble suffering" in the Christian list of virtues, only "humble suffering," experienced in the realization of Christ's ...

4403. Luke 10:25-37

Luke 10:25-37

Sweet

Leonard Sweet

... standing of the priest and Levite. Yet he is the one who shows compassion. While the others took pains to avoid coming near the wounded man, the Samaritan "went to him" (v.34) and ministered to all his needs. Like the Samaritans in 2 Chronicles 28, this kind stranger not only sees to the immediate physical wounds of the beaten man, but gives him transport back to a safe haven so that his future care is assured. The story concludes with Jesus once again getting the lawyer to give the correct answer to his ...

4404. Hebrews 13:1-8

Hebrews 13:1-8

Sweet

Leonard Sweet

... equally, then they all belong to each other. Christian phil¡a is the celebration of the equitable adoption of all into the body of Christ. We all are truly brothers and sisters and as such we must love each other. Verse 2 promotes a kind of logical outgrowth of this commitment to familial mutual love. Christian phil¡a is to be extended even to those who are not members of their own particular Christian community. By recalling angels entertained unawares, the author's language reminds the community of its ...

4405. 2 Timothy 1:1-14

2 Timothy 1:1-14

Sweet

Leonard Sweet

... 's texts Amos mentions "the gate" as a prime location for examples of the discrepancy between righteousness and injustice. This "gate" was the square courtyard established between the outer and inner gates in the city walls. It was at this natural gathering place that a kind of "people's court" was held. A legal case could be leveled against someone by bringing the accused and ten citizens to this gate area to hear the complaint and then pass a binding judgment. Thus Amos follows up his two examples (in vv ...

4406. Isaiah 11:1-10

Isaiah 11:1-10

Sweet

Leonard Sweet

... God's intentional work. Isaiah 11:1-10 goes on to depict a miraculously peaceful moment in history. Its tranquility seems especially sublime when contrasted with the raucous noise of Assyria's previously proud and haughty spirit. Part of this contrast is due to the kind of rule the restored Israel will enjoy under the leadership of this child-king (as first noted in Isaiah 9:6). Instead of relying on brute strength and force - as did Assyria - the rule imposed by this new "shoot" of Jesse will be marked by ...

4407. Matthew 13:1-9, 18-23

Matthew 13:1-9, 18-23

Sweet

Leonard Sweet

... to be the 'word of the kingdom' a word that variously may flourish or be 'snatched away' by the 'evil one.' Yet, as the allegory continues, it shifts its meaning. The seed now becomes the different kinds of people who respond in various ways to the heard Word of God. These people (seeds) are influenced by the kind of 'soil' they find themselves cast upon. Pushing the allegory at this point might result in a listener's determining that little more than sheer luck good soil or bad determines the future of a ...

4408. Romans 8:26-39

Romans 8:26-39

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

... read Paul's declaration as the groaning of the Spirit itself on our behalf. The Spirit is emotionally involved and eternally invested in our yearnings toward the Divine. Verse 27 reveals that God hears and understands the Spirit even when words or utterances of any kind fail the human praying. God goes directly to the heart, which is one with the mind of the Spirit. When our own words are incapable of articulating our greatest needs to God in prayer, the Spirit calls out to God for us. The Spirit, however ...

4409. Matthew 18:15-20

Matthew 18:15-20

Sweet

Leonard Sweet

... of multiple witnesses is necessary for an accusation to go forward. Note that in Matthew's text, these witnesses are neither for the accused nor the accuser. As such, they could protect either party during this second confrontation as well as observe the kind of responses given by each member. These witnesses could function both as "referees" and as "judges." It is important to note that there is no specification of "sins" given here. While in other New Testament writings, the authors do not hesitate to ...

4410. Matthew 21:23-32

Matthew 21:23-32

Sweet

Leonard Sweet

... are also the same men who will later stand before Jesus and condemn him to death. It is unlikely that, at this point, they would approach Jesus out of any kind of genuine interest in his ministry. The Greek here suggests that the religious authorities are not asking Jesus if he has any authority, but are really asking him what kind of authority he claims. Thus, their two questions "what" and "who" are really only one. The indefinite term "things" is never fully clarified by Matthew's text. Although it could ...

4411. Deuteronomy 34:1-12

Deuteronomy 34:1-12

Sweet

Leonard Sweet

... 11 and 12 testify to the greatness of the signs of powers and miracles Moses performed as God's servant both before Pharaoh and before Israel, these are only greater in magnitude than any other of Israel's great leaders. They are not greater in kind. Yet despite the graced face-to-face relationship Moses experienced with the Lord, today's text testifies that eventually Moses' time of leadership came to an end. Until Yahweh deemed Moses' time was over, Moses continued to be venerated by the people as one ...

4412. Luke 6:27-38

Luke 6:27-38

Sweet

Leonard Sweet

... of an individual's status _ friend or foe _ that person should receive the same treatment from your hands and heart. Luke gives three examples (Matthew 5:46-47 gives only two) of how offering love, goodness or even services (lending) to those who reciprocate in kind is easy _ something "even sinners" can do. Verse 35 encapsulates the higher vision that God is calling us all to embody. This mandate goes even beyond the Golden Rule _ a "rule," by the way, which can be found in ancient Babylonian texts and in ...

4413. John 13:31-35

John 13:31-35

Sweet

Leonard Sweet

... -38 as the concluding comments on the previous scene (13:1-30). This minority view reads these verses as a continuation of the specific table talk in which Jesus was engaged with his disciples. Others read verses 31-38 as purely transitional material a kind of self-contained unit not part of the farewell discourse, but neither part of the previous dialogue in 13:1-30. The majority of scholars, however, now contend that verses 31-38 serve as the formal introductory unit to the farewell discourse. This school ...

4414. John 14:23-29

John 14:23-29

Sweet

Leonard Sweet

... Commandment to love each other as Jesus has loved them cannot succeed in keeping any part of Jesus' "word." Jesus' teachings, his spirit, his very presence will be unavailable to those who cannot love. Verse 24 now emphasizes the enormity of disobedience by offering a kind of authoritative aside. Jesus declares that this word this New Command to love is not his own, but "is from the Father who sent me." Jesus is the messenger, indeed he is the message, the incarnation of this love, but both he and love are ...

4415. Luke 16:1-13

Luke 16:1-13

Sweet

Leonard Sweet

... " or "expertise," or in this case "prudence," became adiakias, "un-righteousness." Thus, the original subject of the master's praise was the cleverness or prudence of the steward, not his moral turpitude. Another variation suggests that verse 8a was originally posed as a kind of rhetorical question, but that a scribal omission transformed the question into a declaration. Those who choose to accept the text as it has come down to us have tried out a great number of interpretations in an effort both to remain ...

4416. Ephesians 4:25-5:2

Ephesians 4:25-5:2

Sweet

Leonard Sweet

... mimic their own parents' behavior and attitudes. God has shown us the divine attitude towards all creation with the sacrifice of Christ for its sake. Paul's directive that we imitate this behavior is then no small undertaking. Those deceptively simple qualities of kindness and a forgiving nature are in reality a call to let membership in the body of Christ change the sinful heart of humanity into a commitment to selfless, sacrificial love. Relating the Texts From the Old Testament comes a classic story of ...

4417. James 1:17-27

James 1:17-27

Sweet

Leonard Sweet

... that Christians must likewise do the word especially those words of Christ which reflected his ethical teachings. Only by doing the word does James see Christians as truly obeying the word. James' use of the mirror in verses 23 and 24 is an example of the kind of inconsequential results that are gleaned from those who hear but do not act. The demands this word/law makes are spelled out by James in verses 26 and 27. Verse 26 gives the negative example of what constitutes false religion or empty piety. Verse ...

4418. James 3:13-18

James 3:13-18

Sweet

Leonard Sweet

... verse 13 by counseling "gentleness born of wisdom." True wisdom will be demonstrable through attitudes of gentleness and meekness and by actions that work out that wisdom in deeds promoting the health of the community. In verses 1416 James clarifies exactly what kinds of attitudes he holds to be harmful to a community. Not all powerful, dynamic leaders are beneficial to the whole. With examples like that of the church at Corinth probably known to him, James is acutely aware that it is possible for "spirit ...

4419. 1 Corinthians 13:1-13

1 Corinthians 13:1-13

Sweet

Leonard Sweet

... the one which turns death into a selfless act of divinely inspired devotion. Switching to a didactic style for verses 47, Paul now gives not a definition of love but a description of the ways of love. Verses 4, 5 and 6 create a kind of negative confession, a popular ancient confessional form. Note again that while we, and the Corinthians, naturally assume that the attributes Paul lists describe the character of Christ, the list is just as applicable to God. A Jewish audience subscribing to the affirmation ...

4420. Genesis 15:1-12, 17-18

Genesis 15:1-12, 17-18

Sweet

Leonard Sweet

... , and the Lord reckoned it to him as righteousness." Whether or not this verse was a later insertion into this text, coming down from a time when Abram had been established as a tremendous symbol of faithfulness for Israel (see Isaiah 41:8 and 51:2), the kind of faith Abram represented to Israel is made clear by God's response to it. Abram's belief was not a passive, quiescent acceptance of his present state as an aging, childless man. "Believed" may best be understood here as an "active trust" or a "living ...

4421. 1 Corinthians 10:1-13

1 Corinthians 10:1-13

Sweet

Leonard Sweet

4422. Romans 5:1-5

Romans 5:1-5

Sweet

Leonard Sweet

4423. Luke 10:25-37

Luke 10:25-37

Sweet

Leonard Sweet