Sermon and Worship Resources

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Showing 4701 to 4725 of 4964 results

4701. “When I Awake, I Will Be Satisfied with Seeing Your Likeness”

Psalm 17:1-15

Teach the Text

C. Hassell Bullock

... decision that awaits him, or he is speaking of waking from death. If this is a reference to life after death, then the difficulties of 17:14 are partly resolved—he is contrasting the life of the wicked in this world with that of the righteous who have hope in the world to come (Job 19:25–27). The Scriptures instruct us that Moses saw “the form [temunah] of the Lord” (Num. 12:8), the same word used for “likeness” in 17:15. David may very well have Moses’s experience in mind to describe his own ...

4702. “For Your Sake We Face Death . . . as Sheep to Be Slaughtered”

Psalm 44:1-26

Teach the Text

C. Hassell Bullock

... happened, since Israel has not forgotten God or “been false” to his covenant (44:17). Psalms 42–43 celebrate the psalmist’s hope that he, isolated and dejected in a foreign land, will someday worship in the Jerusalem sanctuary again. Psalm 44 is an expression ... the prophets and psalmists know that in God’s self-directed course of action can be found the best that Israel can ever hope for or imagine. The mystery is bundled up, not in the “secrets” of Israel’s heart (44:21), which God knows so ...

4703. “God Is Our Refuge and Strength, an Ever-Present Help in Trouble”

Psalm 46:1-11

Teach the Text

C. Hassell Bullock

... impatient; the work of progress so immense and our means of aiding it so feeble; the life of humanity is so long, that of the individual so brief, that we often see only the ebb of the advancing wave and are thus discouraged. It is history that teaches us to hope.14 There are times when we get frustrated with God because he is not moving according to our time frame. Lee reminds us that our perspective is limited, and we would be wise to be still before God and to reflect on his pace in history and his mode ...

4704. “Your Love Is Better Than Life”

Psalm 63:1-11

Teach the Text

C. Hassell Bullock

... the depths of the earth.The idea is that the human spirit descends below the subterranean waters to the deep recesses of the earth (Job 26:5; Ps. 139:8). While the nature of that world after death is not very clear, there are arguably Old Testament texts that suggest hope of a better life (Pss. 16:10; 49:15; 139:8; Job 19:26), even a bodily resurrection (Isa. 26:19; Dan. 12:2).9Here, sadly, the picture is one of doom for the psalmist’s enemies. 63:10 food for jackals.The slain would be eaten by these ...

4705. Daniel Interprets the Dream and Confronts Nebuchadnezzar

Daniel 4:19-27

Teach the Text

Ronald W. Pierce

... part) kindness to the poor and miserable. God’s people today need to develop sensitive hearts to those hurting both inside and outside the church, and to reach out to them in God’s name. We need to be messengers of grace, extending the hope of restoration with God and his people for any person who genuinely repents. What not to teach. Even as a prophet, Daniel does not guarantee the king’s prosperity, which is held as a divine prerogative. Warn your listeners—especially as nonprophets—against the ...

4706. Closing

2 Corinthians 13:11-14

Understanding Series

James M. Scott

... underscores his prior admonitions to be of one mind and to live in peace (13:11). Like the rejoicing that Paul advocates in verse 11, this kiss may have been encouraged to demonstrate and strengthen the concord already achieved. Perhaps, too, the apostle hoped that the kiss would play a role in actually effecting the restoration still needed in the congregation. Second, Paul conveys greetings from the believers (all the saints) in whose company he is writing the letter (v. 13). Just as the Corinthians are ...

4707. What To Do While Waiting for the Judgment?

Matthew 25:1-13

Sermon

Maxie Dunnam

... that is patient and kind—not jealous or boastful, not arrogant or rude. A love that does not insist on its own way—is not irritable or resentful, that does not rejoice at wrong, but rejoices in the right. A love that bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. (1 Cor. 13:4-7) We have forgotten, or we never learned, that it takes three to get married: a man and a woman and God! The church hasn’t escaped the dilemma of form rather than substance, of a lack of oil for ...

4708. Face to Face with God

Mark 9:2-9

Children's Sermon

King Duncan

... with God's will. The other lesson has to do with the church. When is a church really powerful? It's also when all its members are lined up with the will of God and are moving in the direction God wants them to move, isn't it. I sure hope we can become a magnetic church. I hope we are so in line with God's will so that we attract others to us, so that we are powerful like Jesus was powerful.

4709. Called to Participate

Luke 2:1-7, Luke 2:8-20

Sermon

James L. Killen

... hurt, lonely, and broken people who need to be loved into wholeness. Some of the people are very near to you, sitting on the same pew with you, maybe living at your house with you. Many others are within your reach. Some of them are the troublesome people you keep hoping you don't have to meet. Some of them are the people you see on the streets who seem to have trashed out their lives. Some of them may even be people you have identified as your enemies. Some are close at hand. Some live on the other side of ...

4710. Thank You, Siri...Oops!

Luke 17:11-19

Sermon

King Duncan

... she moved to the U.S. she searched diligently to locate him through the Department of Defense, but with no success. But she never gave up hope. She said she still longed to be able to see him and say face to face, “Thank you, for saving my life.” (3) John Newton ... .” It’s a statement of our character. It’s a statement of our faith. And it is a reason for our worship. I hope you will take time this day to stand before God and simply say, “Thank you . . . Thank you . . . Thank you.” Amen. 1. From a ...

4711. The Greatest Gift

Luke 2:1-20

Sermon

King Duncan

... . God took upon himself our limitations. God became as we are. Artists of the Middle Ages painted a halo, a golden circle of light, around the head of the infant Jesus and of his mother Mary. That was out of reverence for Christ and his Holy Mother. I hope you realize that light was not there around their heads in the stable of Bethlehem long ago. Jesus was a real baby born into the real world. I love the little carol, “Away in the Manger.” But that line in the song, “no crying he makes . . .” is ...

4712. David’s Struggles with Saul

1 Samuel 18:1-30

One Volume

Gary M. Burge

... of succession to the throne. David politely refuses her hand, a decision for which we are not given any reason. In any event, when Saul’s other daughter, Michal, is offered to David, he agrees to the marriage in spite of the required bride-price. Saul hopes that one of the Philistines will kill David, but instead, David and his men double the bride-price by killing two hundred Philistines. Saul is forced to make good on his offer, and Michal becomes David’s wife. Twice the text states that Michal is in ...

4713. David at Gath

1 Samuel 21:10-15

One Volume

Gary M. Burge

... place in a small country is not easy, so David seeks out an area where Saul will be unlikely to follow him (21:10–15). It is nevertheless surprising that David goes immediately to Philistine territory and to Gath, the hometown of Goliath! He must have hoped that no one would recognize him, but he is immediately identified as “the king of the land” and a warrior like Saul (21:11). (It is unlikely that the Philistines would have been privy to David’s anointed status, and so in the phrase “the king ...

4714. David Hears of Saul's Death

2 Samuel 1:1-16

One Volume

Gary M. Burge

... it is that an Amalekite is executed for Saul’s death since Saul’s downfall began with the failure to destroy the Amalekites (1 Sam. 15:18–19; 28:18). In light of David’s recent conflicts with the Amalekites (1 Samuel 30), the young man’s hope for a reward was slim to begin with. David’s harsh treatment of Saul’s alleged murderer is an important part of David’s “apology.” To avoid the charge of being a usurper, David expresses displeasure with anyone who hastens the demise of Saul and his ...

4715. Nathan Rebukes David

2 Samuel 12:1-31

One Volume

Gary M. Burge

... advances the image of prophets as dominant over kings. In the years that follow, David continues to reap the consequences of his sins with Bathsheba and Uriah, starting with the death of Bathsheba’s baby. For seven days David prays and fasts for the sick child with the hope that in his grace, God might also spare this little one. But the child dies, and David tastes the first bitter fruit of his sins. In spite of his pain, David accepts the death of the child as the Lord’s will and does not continue to ...

4716. Shimei Curses David

2 Samuel 16:5-14

One Volume

Gary M. Burge

... law, slander of this sort was akin to blaspheming God (Exod. 22:28). But David does not allow anyone to strike Shimei down, perhaps because he knows his own sin was behind his troubles and he deserves harsh words. By committing the matter to God, David hopes that the Lord will turn the curse into a blessing. Although David will later spare Shimei’s life again (2 Sam. 19:23), eventually Shimei is executed by Solomon (1 Kings 2:46). When Absalom arrives in Jerusalem he is congratulated by Hushai the Arkite ...

4717. Absalom's Death

2 Sam 18:1–19:8

One Volume

Gary M. Burge

... bad (18:19–29). For this reason, Joab hesitates to send Ahimaaz son of Zadok, who has served as a messenger before (cf. 2 Sam. 17:17, 21). If David sees him coming, he will anticipate good news, and Joab does not want the king to get his hopes up. So Joab sends a foreigner, a Cushite, to take the news, although a little later he allows Ahimaaz to run behind him. By taking a different route, Ahimaaz outruns the Cushite and reaches David first. He tells the king about the victory but is unaware of Absalom ...

4718. Judah’s Captivity

2 Kings 24:18–25:30

One Volume

Gary M. Burge

... against the king of Babylon, in all likelihood by siding once more with Egypt (25:1−12). Whatever Zedekiah was hoping to achieve through such a rebellion did not happen, and Nebuchadnezzar’s retribution is fierce: Jerusalem becomes a city under ... in exile and needing an exodus, just like in the days of old. With the last king of Judah chained in Babylon, such hope looks slim. But Jehoiachin’s parole in the concluding lines of the book becomes a reminder that God’s promise to the house of David ...

4719. Ascending the Throne

2 Chronicles 1:1-17

One Volume

Gary M. Burge

... idyllic portrait of the past lays the foundation and provides direction for realities within the Chronicler’s present community, especially in relation to the second temple and its services. Furthermore, it engenders future hope for a community struggling under enduring imperial rule, which knows well the prophetic messianic hope. 1:1–17 · The account of Solomon begins with a summary note in 1:1 stating that Solomon takes firm control of the kingdom. While Solomon has been largely passive throughout 1 ...

4720. The King Rewards Mordecai

Esther 6:1-14

One Volume

Gary M. Burge

... and commands Haman to personally grant this royal treatment to Mordecai the Jew. How devastating for egomaniac Haman to realize that the lavish reward he has devised is to be granted to his nemesis Mordecai and not to him. Once again, Haman’s hopes are shattered, and his mood quickly changes from exhilaration to devastation, a clear example of the recurring reversal motif. How could this be happening to him? How can he now petition the king to have Mordecai killed? With these questions haunting him, Haman ...

4721. Psalm 78

Psalm 78:1-72

One Volume

Gary M. Burge

... (with Israel’s forefathers transmitting God’s word from generation to generation; 78:1–7) and ends in hope (with God establishing his dwelling place among his people and choosing his servant David to shepherd his people; 78:65–72). In between, Asaph records God’s miraculous works on Israel’s behalf (78:12–16, 23–29, 42–55, 65–66), Israel’s trivializing of those miracles and rejection ...

4722. Psalm 87

Psalm 87:1-7

One Volume

Gary M. Burge

... :7) and Babylon—powerful enemies that took God’s people into exile; Philistia—perennial harasser and subjugator of God’s people; Tyre—commercial powerhouse that exploited Israel; Cush—composed of Ethiopia, Sudan, and Somalia, an empire that, at one time, together with Egypt, was the object of Israel’s misplaced hope (cf. Isa. 20:5). These five nations will one day find their hope and joy in Zion and be proud to have God’s people in their midst (87:4).

4723. Psalm 102

Psalm 102:1-28

One Volume

Gary M. Burge

... the psalmist’s anguish and lonely suffering form the foundation of this psalm (102:1–7, 9–10). The psalmist senses that his battles with life are hopeless (102:8, 11)—life is short, and God seems to be shortening it even more (102:23). Yet God is his only hope, so he pleads with him for mercy (102:12–17, 24) on the basis of his eternality and creation’s temporality (102:24–28). He hopes that future generations will be able to praise God because God showed him mercy (102:18–22).

4724. Recognize that, in the Light of Death, One Must Redeem the Time

Ecclesiastes 9:1-12

One Volume

Gary M. Burge

... is crucial, then, is how one responds to the universal fact of death (9:3–6). How sad it is when the human heart is dominated by evil and folly throughout life, and afterward one simply joins the dead (9:3). But where there is life, there is hope, whether you are a wretch (i.e., dog) or a royal (i.e., lion). The NIV’s “is among” and alternative “be chosen” reflect two ancient variant readings. The author’s claim elsewhere that death is preferable to life (cf. Eccles. 4:2; 6:3) must be tempered ...

4725. Isaiah’s Call

Isaiah 6:1-13

One Volume

Gary M. Burge

... God and his word. Isaiah is shown the desolation of the land and the exile of the population. The emphasis is on judgment, devastation, and desolation. But there is hope, for the “holy seed” will remain. Isaiah begins chapter 1 with the “brood of evildoers” (literally “seed of . . .”) and concludes chapter 6 with a ray of hope (“holy seed”). The messages of the first part of the triptych (chaps. 1–5—Judah’s sin, God’s judgment, the remnant, and the messianic kingdom; see beginning of ...

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