Sermon and Worship Resources

Synonyms: Levi, disciple, evangelist, tax collector, the 12, the twelve, apostle, sermon on the mount, jewish audience, beatitudes, lord's prayer, great commission, parables, olivet discourse, mount of olives, olivet, synoptic

Showing 4601 to 4625 of 4968 results

4601. What Can I Get By With?

Luke 17:5-10

Sermon

Maxie Dunnam

... surface seems harsh and severe and demanding, so you may be surprised that I would offer this final word: Here is a mighty call to faith in the grace of God. I believe this for two reasons. One, remember the context in which the story is set. The disciples have made the request in verse 5: “Lord, increase our faith!” It is then that Jesus uses the image of the mustard seed, showing how important it is for us to have faith, and the mighty things that result from faith. The second reason I believe it is ...

4602. If You Are Looking for a Savior...

Matthew 11:2-11

Sermon

James L. Killen

... movements that are making things better and bringing hope. Yes, there are some. God may be calling you to become a participant in some of those movements. That commitment will give new meaning to your life. Can you remember Jesus calling people to follow him and become his disciples? That too is a saving work. If you are looking for a Savior -- and we all need to be looking for a Savior -- look for the places where salvation is happening. Go there. Open yourself to it. Let it happen in you and through you.

4603. The Table of Nations

Genesis 10:1-32

One Volume

Gary M. Burge

... north as the Aegean Sea (Caphtorites), and as far west as Egypt and Libya. Theologically the list affirms God’s blessing on Noah’s progeny. Israel, or Eber-ites, have no monopoly on attributing their existence to God. It is not incidental that Jesus sends out seventy (or seventy-two) disciples (Luke 10:1). Jesus is reflecting the Genesis 10 list of the seventy nations in the then-known world, sending his ...

4604. Sin and Obedience

Isaiah 50:1-11

One Volume

Gary M. Burge

... prophetic mission, directs himself to the people of God in the hope of being heard and understood. Instead, he is reviled. If 50:4–9 is a restatement of 49:1–6, it is also possible to identify the servant with faithful Israel as a good disciple of the Lord. The servant has a mission to encourage the “weary”—the dejected Jews in exile and all who long for God’s redemption. The authenticity of the message is guaranteed by the Lord himself, who teaches and opens the ear of the servant. The servant ...

4605. The Beatitudes

Matthew 5:1-12

One Volume

Gary M. Burge

... and 7:28–29) about the kingdom that he has announced in 4:17. The single consistent theme of the sermon is the imminent kingdom of God (5:3, 10, 19–20; 6:10, 33; 7:21; see “Theological Themes” in the introduction). Focused on Jesus’s expectations for his disciples in light of the arrival of God’s reign, the sermon centers on a call to covenantal faithfulness (e.g., 5:13–16, 17–20; 7:12) and provides a vision of how discipleship ought to look as God comes to make all things right (e.g., 5:7 ...

4606. Giving, Prayer, and Fasting

Matthew 6:1-4, Matthew 6:5-15, Matthew 6:16-18

One Volume

Gary M. Burge

... in which repetitions would have been thought to compel the gods to action. In contrast, Jesus’s followers are to cling to the truth that their Father knows and anticipates their prayers (6:8). The Lord’s Prayer provides a model prayer for disciples (6:9–13) and is thoroughly kingdom focused, looking ahead with longing for God’s reign to be consummated. The address, “Our Father in heaven,” indicates that the familial relationship to God that Jesus himself enjoys (see son language in Matthew 3 and ...

4607. Judging Others

Matthew 7:7-12, Matthew 7:1-6

One Volume

Gary M. Burge

... referents for the “sacred” and “dogs/pigs.” The “sacred” for Matthew would likely be related to the “good news of the kingdom” that Jesus brings (4:23; cf. 13:45). What we can say is that Jesus indicates that some will reject the sacred, and so his disciples are to be discerning as to their audience (cf. 10:14–15). Also included at the end of the sermon is an encouragement to ongoing prayer (indicated by the Greek present tense in the imperatives to ask, seek, and knock; 7:7). The reason ...

4608. The Workers are Few

Matthew 9:35-38

One Volume

Gary M. Burge

... Israel, whom he likens to sheep without a shepherd. This response serves to indict Israel’s leaders for not shepherding the people (cf. Ezekiel 34 for similar imagery in Ezekiel’s critique of leaders in his day) and transitions between Jesus’s ministry to Israel and his instructions to his disciples regarding their part in this ministry. The disciples are to be the answer to their own prayer for workers to join Jesus in kingdom mission (9:37–38).

4609. Jesus and John the Baptist

Matthew 11:1-19

One Volume

Gary M. Burge

... Jewish leaders. Faced with these controversies, Jesus withdraws from confrontation and instead turns to compassionate ministry focused on the Jewish crowds (12:15; 14:13; 15:21, 30). Matthew shows a range of responses to Jesus’s emerging identity, from rejection by Jewish leaders and Jesus’s hometown to the disciples’ right confession of Jesus as Messiah–Son of God (cf. 14:33; 16:16; cf. chap. 13 for varied responses expressed in parable). Yet Matthew also narrates the struggle of Jesus’s ...

4610. A Prophet without Honor

Matthew 13:53-58, Matthew 14:1-12

One Volume

Gary M. Burge

... to narrate the growing conflict between the Jewish leaders and Jesus. As before (12:15), he withdraws from this conflict to engage in compassionate ministry to the crowds and interaction with his disciples (with withdrawal language at 12:15; 14:13; and 15:21). Jesus’s identity is highlighted in this section of narrative, as the disciples come to confess Jesus as the Messiah (16:13–20) while others misunderstand (14:1–12) or reject his identity as the Messiah (13:54–58; 16:1–4). 13:54–14 ...

4611. The Little Children and Jesus

Matthew 19:13-15

One Volume

Gary M. Burge

In 19:13–15, Matthew highlights status issues by reiterating Jesus’s perspective on children (cf. 18:5). The disciples attempt to keep children from Jesus, showing that they have not assimilated Jesus’s teaching at 18:1–5. Jesus corrects the disciples, inviting children to come to him and indicating the central place that children have in God’s kingdom.

4612. Judgment on Jewish Leadership

Matthew 23:1-39

One Volume

Gary M. Burge

... lead into a more extended section of judgment in Matthew 23–25, with chapter 23 focused on prophetic judgments leveled against teachers of the law and Pharisees specifically. Yet the story audience of these woes is the crowds and Jesus’s disciples (23:1) rather than the teachers and Pharisees themselves. Matthew intends this chapter to shape the discipleship and leadership of the Christian community, focusing on themes of avoiding hypocrisy and right teaching of and adherence to the law. Jesus begins by ...

4613. Betrayal and Desertion

Matthew 26:1-5, Matthew 26:6-13, Matthew 26:14-16

One Volume

Gary M. Burge

... ’s execution by Rome and resurrection/vindication by God: In 26:1–28:20, Matthew narrates Jesus’s final days and hours as he willingly suffers and goes to his execution to restore his people and usher in God’s reign. Though the disciples desert him and Rome and the Jerusalem leaders crucify him as a criminal, God vindicates Jesus as Messiah and Lord at his resurrection. 26:1–16 · Matthew signals the conclusion of the fifth discourse with the familiar formula, “When Jesus had finished [saying ...

4614. Jesus’s Crucifixion, Death, and Burial

Matthew 27:27-31, Matthew 27:32-44, Matthew 27:45-56, Matthew 27:57-61, Matthew 27:62-66

One Volume

Gary M. Burge

... women providing a faithful contrast to their male counterparts: the unnamed woman who anoints Jesus for burial (26:6–13) and Pilate’s wife, who testifies to Jesus’s innocence (27:19). Joining these faithful women is Joseph of Arimathea, who was discipled by Jesus and who buries him (27:57). Matthew indicates that the day after Jesus’s death and burial (which occurred on “Preparation Day”—the day preceding the Sabbath and/or Passover), the chief priests and Pharisees ask Pilate to post guards ...

4615. Jesus Prays

Mark 1:35-39

One Volume

Gary M. Burge

... he was a public figure in Galilee. This is the first of three times in Mark when Jesus seeks solitude in order to pray (also 6:46; 14:32–39), each of which is set within a context of either implied or expressed opposition. Here Peter and other, unnamed disciples pursue Jesus and seek to control his movements. The effect, whether intended or not, would prevent Jesus from fulfilling his wider ministry. In 8:32–33 Peter will pose a greater hindrance to Jesus’s ministry. Jesus resists the intrusion of the ...

4616. Jesus and Beelzebub

Mark 3:20-30, Mark 3:31-35

One Volume

Gary M. Burge

... (A2, 3:31–35) the narrative with Jesus in a house surrounded by family and followers, into which he inserts the B-story of Jesus and Beelzebul (3:22–30). The story begins with a house so besieged by a crowd that Jesus and the disciples are “not even able to eat.” Evidently believing that Jesus is on a collision course with the Jewish religious establishment, his friends and followers (“his own people,” 3:21 NASB, NKJV) conclude that Jesus “is out of his mind” (3:21) and attempt to “take ...

4617. The Little Children and Jesus

Mark 10:13-16

One Volume

Gary M. Burge

... “rebuked them” (10:13). “Rebuke,” normally reserved in Mark for exorcisms (1:25; 3:12; 9:25), is a strong denunciation, implying an attitude toward children that the disciples earlier (9:38) displayed toward an independent exorcist. Seeing their exclusivism, Jesus is “indignant” (10:14)—the only passage in the Gospels apart from 1:41 where the anger of Jesus is so sharply aroused. “Let the little children come to me,” he orders, “for the kingdom of God belongs ...

4618. Blessings and Woes

Luke 6:17-26

One Volume

Gary M. Burge

... ), it is primarily a future blessing: “you will be satisfied . . . you will laugh” (6:21), “your reward [is] in heaven” (6:23). Jesus does not say that God automatically blesses if one is poor, hungry, and sad. It should be noted that Jesus is speaking to disciples (6:20) who fall into these categories. Verse 22 makes it plain that being hated does not in and of itself bring a reward; the person who is rewarded is the one who is hated because of his allegiance to “the Son of Man.” Clearly, then ...

4619. Judging Others

Luke 6:37-42, Luke 6:43-45, Luke 6:46-49

One Volume

Gary M. Burge

... 38 is of a measuring jar in which the corn is pressed down so that the jar will hold more, shaken together so that every crack is filled, and poured over the top so that it overflows. Just as God has generously given to his own, so the disciple should give an overflowing amount to others. In verses 39–45 Jesus gives three exhortations. (1) The proverb on the blind man (6:39) is explained in the next verse (6:40). Students cannot surpass their teachers but will end up being just like them. This probably ...

4620. The Parable of the Sower

Luke 8:1-15

One Volume

Gary M. Burge

... the parable and inquire about its meaning (8:9). Jesus responds with a difficult saying, explaining the rationale behind parables (8:10). God reveals the secrets of the kingdom (the plans of God that were previously hidden but have now been made known) to the disciples, but the meaning of the parables is obscure to outsiders so that even though they hear the words they will not understand their true meaning (cf. Isa. 6:9). Jesus’s hard words here cannot be applied to all the parables, for some of the ...

4621. Jesus’ Teaching on Prayer

Luke 11:1-13

One Volume

Gary M. Burge

... that Jesus taught the prayer on more than one occasion. The word “Father” comes from the Aramaic Abba, which emphasizes the intimate relationship between the believer and God. Two requests follow that center on God’s purposes. “Hallowed be your name” means that disciples are to pray that God’s name (i.e., his person and character) is honored, exalted, and revered. “Your kingdom come” is a request that God bring his rule to fruition, which he will do in the days of messianic blessing and joy ...

4622. Teachings of Possessions

Luke 12:13-21, Luke 12:22-34

One Volume

Gary M. Burge

... 12:29). It is understandable that pagans are consumed with the desire for security, but believers need to remember that the Father knows what they need (12:30). If believers make the kingdom their consuming passion, then God will take care of other needs (12:31). Disciples, then, are not to fear but to trust God (12:32). They will not draw their security from possessions, and so they will be free to give their possessions to others. If their treasure (or security) is money, then that will be their consuming ...

4623. The Prologue

John 1:1-18

One Volume

Gary M. Burge

... cf. 8:3–4; Mark 9:18). The hostility of the darkness points to the cross. But as the Book of Glory (13:1–20:31) shows, the power of darkness will not prevail. John indicates, however, that the light has its followers; Jesus has his disciples (1:12–13). Even though his own people—adherents to Judaism—spurn his message, those who do receive him obtain power to become God’s children. Verses 12–13 anticipate the story of Nicodemus (3:1–21), in which this rebirth is explored. A careful reading ...

4624. The Book of Signs

John 1:19-28

One Volume

Gary M. Burge

... the Baptist; second, it provides a study in the nature of conversion and true discipleship. It is, however, a literary unit, as the sequence of days makes clear (1:29, 35, 43). In each successive day, interest shifts from John to Jesus. John’s disciples even become Jesus’s disciples. The section is closely tied to the unit on the Baptist in 3:22–36, where again John is demoted and Jesus is elevated. The entire section may be, as 1:19 indicates, “John’s testimony.” The Gospel assumes that we know ...

4625. Jesus Walks on the Water

John 6:16-24

One Volume

Gary M. Burge

... is Capernaum, and after they have worked against the wind for hours heading to the fishing village of Peter and Andrew (6:16–19), Jesus joins them—walking on the sea. The fear of the disciples indicates the miraculous and incomprehensible nature of the event. Above all, Jesus reveals himself through yet another symbolic expression, “I am” (Greek egō eimi). In the Greek Old Testament the name of God revealed to Moses on Mount Sinai is egō eimi, or “I am” (Exod. 3:13–14). John’ ...

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