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 451 to 475 of 4943 results

451. The Passover

Ezra 6:19-22

Understanding Series

Leslie C. Allen

The Green Light: This chapter draws to a triumphant close the accomplishment of the first mission given by God through the Persian king Cyrus in 1:1–4. Stage one was realized by chapter 3. Now stage two is brought to a satisfying finale in the completion of the temple-building project. The temple represented the heart of Israel’s spiritual life as the sign of God’s presence with the people, the focus of their worship and the source of divine blessing. Now, in principle, the postexilic community stood on a ...

452. Proper 19

Luke 15:1-7, Luke 15:8-10, Jeremiah 4:5-31, 1 Timothy 1:12-20

Sermon Aid

John R. Brokhoff

COMMENTARY Lesson 1: Jeremiah 4:11-12, 22-28 For Judah, Jeremiah sees nothing but doom. For Judah there is no future except destruction and death. Everywhere Jeremiah looks he sees desolation of his country. Why is this? The judgment comes from Yahweh because Judah is woefully corrupt. Their sins have brought utter disaster. There is no hope except "I will not make a full end." (v. 27) Lesson 2: 1 Timothy 1:12-17 Christ came to save sinners, even the foremost, Paul. Many scholars think that the pastoral ...

453. Easter 7

Jn 17:1-11 · Acts 1:1-14 · 1 Pet 4:12-19, 5:6-11 · Ps 68 · Ps 27 · Ps 47

Sermon Aid

Russell F. Anderson

THIS WEEK'S TEXT Revised Common: Acts 1:6-14 · 1 Peter 4:12-14; 5:6-11 · John 17:1-11 Roman Catholic: Acts 1:12-14 · 1 Peter 4:13-16 · John 17:1-11 Episcopal: Acts 1:(1-7) 8-14 or 1 Peter 4:12-19 or John 17:1-11 · Ezekiel 39:21-29 · Acts 1:(1-7) 8-14 Lutheran: Acts 1:(1-7) 8-14 · 1 Peter 4:12-17; 5:6-11 · John 17:1-11 Theme For The Day: Prayer is the golden thread that ties together the three lections. Acts 1:12-14 states that after the Ascension the disciples went back to the place where they were staying ...

454. Proper 15

Hebrews 12:1-13, Luke 12:54-59, Luke 12:49-53, Psalm 82:1-8, Jeremiah 20:7-18, Jeremiah 23:9-32, Jeremiah 38:1-13

Sermon Aid

George Bass

THEOLOGICAL CLUE There are more clues - and more of them are non-theological than they are theological - coming from the calendar to date than there are from the church year this Sunday. This much gradually becomes clearer; the church is in the last quarter of its year, moving closer and closer to the conclusion and climax of that year, Christ the King Sunday. Aware of this, the framework of the church year begins to exert more influence than it has for some time. It reminds us that we are always about the ...

455. Proper 24

Exodus 33:12-23, Matthew 22:15-22, 1 Thessalonians 1:1-10, Psalm 99:1-9

Sermon Aid

Marion L. Soards, Thomas B. Dozeman, Kendall McCabe

OLD TESTAMENT TEXTS Exodus 33:12-23 is an extended petition of Moses for God to accompany Israel on their wilderness travels. Psalm 99 is a song of praise that celebrates the power of God. Exodus 33:12-23 - "The Power of Petition: Part 2" Setting. See the commentary from last week for an overview of the three-part structure of Exodus 19-34, which is (1) revelation and covenant Exodus 19-31), (2) the breaking of covenant and threat of destruction Exodus 32 -33), and (3) covenant renewal (Exodus 34). The ...

456. Everything Must Go: If I Were a Rich Man

Luke 12:13-21

Sermon

James Merritt

If I had announced ahead of time that today I wanted to give a message only to people who were rich you realize that this room would be mostly, if not totally, empty. Most of you, if not all of you, wouldn’t show up for two reasons. First of all, most of you do not think of yourselves as being rich. If you heard that announcement, your first response would be, “We aren’t rich so we will sleep in.” You are actually the second reason why nobody would come, because what you would do is say, “We don’t need to ...

457. Peter Addresses the Crowd

Acts 2:14-41

Understanding Series

David J. Williams

Though not the first speech in Acts (cf. 1:16–22), this is the first to proclaim the Christ event, that is, it is the first instance of the kerygma. It touches on the ministry and death of Jesus, but its chief concern is to show that Jesus is the Messiah, and to this end it lays greatest emphasis on his resurrection and ascension. As we shall see, this speech sets the pattern for much of the other preaching in Acts. From a survey of all the instances of kerygma in Acts, C. H. Dodd has identified six basic ...

458. Saul’s Conversion

Acts 9:1-19a

Understanding Series

David J. Williams

As far as Luke was concerned, the conversion of Paul was the single most important result of the “Stephen affair.” Its importance is borne out by his threefold repetition of the story here, in 22:5–16, and in 26:12–18. Luke’s authority must have been Paul himself. The three accounts differ in detail, and it is not easy to say to what extent this was due to Paul—or to Luke—though we may be reasonably certain that some, at least, of the variations were Paul’s as he adapted the later accounts to his different ...

459. The Council at Jerusalem

Acts 15:1-21

Understanding Series

David J. Williams

The acceptance of the Gentiles into the church without the necessity of circumcision (with the implication of submission to the whole law) might seem to have been assured after the conversion of Cornelius and his friends. At that time, even in Jerusalem, the bastion of Jewish tradition, those Christians who had met to consider the matter had agreed that God had “granted even the Gentiles repentance unto life” (11:18), though they probably never dreamed that this would be anything more than an exceptional ...

460. Thanksgiving and Prayer

Ephesians 1:15-23

Understanding Series

Arthur G. Patzia

Prayer for Divine Enlightenment From the context of 1:15–2:10 it appears that these verses form the next major section of Ephesians. The apostle has just finished recalling the spiritual blessings that God, through Christ, has bestowed upon all believers. From this universal truth, he turns to something more specific: His thoughts move from doxology to prayer; he reminds his readers that he thanks God for them (vv. 15, 16) and that he prays specifically that they will have the necessary wisdom to ...

461. The Armor of God

Ephesians 6:10-20

Understanding Series

Arthur G. Patzia

Since the imagery of war and armor is quite prominent throughout the NT, this section in Ephesians does not specifically represent any new teaching. Paul, for example, speaks of his own Christian life as a spiritual fight (1 Cor. 9:24–27), and the author of the Pastorals encourages Timothy to “fight the good fight” (1 Tim. 1:18; 6:12) in an age of apostasy. On several occasions Paul even identifies the weapons that the Christian is to use. Because the battle is a spiritual one, he says, “the weapons we ...

462. Personal Remarks

2 Timothy 4:9-18

Understanding Series

Gordon D. Fee

This section exhibits all the earmarks of a piece of private correspondence from antiquity. The author urges its recipient to come posthaste (v. 9); indicates why he wants him to come (he is alone, vv. 10–11a), who and what to bring (vv. 11b–13), and whom to watch out for along the way (vv. 14–15); and concludes with information as to how things have been going with him (vv. 16–18). On its own all of this is so ordinary as to elicit no surprise from anyone. It would be one more among thousands of letters ...

463. Christ's Sacrifice Once for All

Hebrews 10:1-18

Understanding Series

Donald A. Hagner

The Ineffectiveness of the Law The argument of the preceding two chapters is restated in this section (10:1–18), bringing the central argument of the epistle, namely, the imperfection of the old order and the perfection of the new, to a conclusion. The only new material in this section is found in verses 5–10, where the author’s thesis finds further support in his exegesis of Psalm 40:6–8. All the other material is a restatement of earlier points. The entire central section is then effectively rounded out ...

464. Ezra Reads the Law

Neh 7:73b–8:18

Understanding Series

Leslie C. Allen

Back to Basics: Nehemiah’s work of repopulating Jerusalem is put on hold until chapter 11. The editor has put chapters 8–10 together and placed them here in pursuit of a different but related agenda. This chapter presents the first two of a series of readings from the Torah. At first sight, the topic of the Torah seems irrelevant to Nehemiah’s practical measures. In fact this material develops chapter 1, where Nehemiah’s prayer traced Judah’s plight and Jerusalem’s sorry state back to breaking the Torah, ...

465. The Agreement of the People

Neh 9:38–10:39

Understanding Series

Leslie C. Allen

A Communal Pledge of Obedience: Before Jerusalem could be repopulated in line with Nehemiah’s plan in 7:4–5, the last part of the program laid down in chapter 1 had to be implemented. The community had started to take the Torah into account in the readings and responses of chapter 8, but they had to go further. Their prayer of repentance in chapter 9 must logically lead to wholehearted obedience to God’s commands. The divine condition for a return to Jerusalem, “if you return to me and obey my commands” (1 ...

466. Bread Upon the Water

Ecclesiastes 9:13--12:8

Understanding Series

Elizabeth Huwiler

Wisdom and Folly: The section is a loosely woven collection of vignettes and sayings, punctuated by phrases characteristic of Qohelet’s own voice. It is difficult to break it into segments because the themes of randomness, social order, wisdom and folly, and language overlap and sometimes clash. The reader may find it difficult to follow a coherent line of reasoning. The overarching theme is that of living in an unpredictable world, and the section moves from random disaster (9:11–12) to random success (11 ...

467. A Lament and Call to Repentance

Amos 5:1-17

Understanding Series

Elizabeth Achtemeier

The Sentence of Death: This section is only arbitrarily broken into subunits for the purpose of convenience. Actually it constitutes a whole in the form of a funerary lament, and it begins (v. 2) and ends (vv. 16–17) with wailing over the dead. In addition, the proclamation of the divine name begins (v. 3, Adonai Yahweh), divides (v. 8, Yahweh), and ends (v. 16, Yahweh Elohim Sebaoth Adonai) the lament. But the theme is the same throughout: Israel’s death, brought on by its failure to honor Yahweh by true ...

468. The Lord’s Anger Against Nineveh

Nahum 1:1-15

Understanding Series

John Goldingay

Yahweh’s Commitment to Exact Redress: After the introduction in verse 1, Nahum begins by expounding the theological truths that undergird his message. Verses 2–8 are rather like a psalm of praise, though in form and content there is a significant difference between verses 2–3a and 3b–8. The significant principle asserted in verses 2–8 is that Yahweh is active in the world punishing nations that behave as his foes . . . his enemies (v. 2). After the opening description of Yahweh, Nahum goes on to describe ...

469. Habakkuk’s Second Complaint

Habakkuk 2:2-20, Habakkuk 1:12--2:1

Understanding Series

John Goldingay

A Protest and an Answer (ii): In a sense there was nothing surprising in Yahweh’s response to Habakkuk; it is entirely in keeping with Isaiah’s understanding of the role of Assyria and with Jeremiah’s understanding of Babylon. But Yahweh has given hostages to fortune in noting that the Babylonians are inclined to violence, that they seize homes that do not belong to them, that they make up their own rules for the conduct of relationships, that they worship themselves, their power, and their glory. How can ...

470. The Death of Lazarus

John 11:1-16, John 11:17-37

Understanding Series

J. Ramsey Michaels

Jesus’ mysterious escape (v. 39) ends the confrontation at Solomon’s Colonnade in the temple at the Feast of Dedication (cf. v. 22), just as his earlier escape had ended the confrontation in the temple at the Feast of Tabernacles (cf. 8:59). This time he leaves Jerusalem itself, the scene of his activities since 7:14, and returns to Bethany on the other side of the Jordan, where he has spent time with John the Baptist and begun to gather a group of disciples (vv. 40–42; cf. 1:19–51; 3:26). The earlier ...

471. Jesus’ Love and the World’s Hatred

John 15:1-17

Understanding Series

J. Ramsey Michaels

Jesus’ Love and the World’s Hatred: Just as it is possible to imagine a stage of the tradition when the only farewell discourse was 13:31–35, so it is possible to imagine a stage when the discourse extended to 14:31 but no further. There is a smooth transition from that verse’s summons to “leave” to the statement in 18:1 that Jesus “left with his disciples and crossed the Kidron Valley.” At the end of chapter 14, the reader expects the group to leave and the discourse to end. Instead, the discourse ...

472. Pilate and the Condemnation of Jesus

John 18:28-40, John 19:1-16

Understanding Series

J. Ramsey Michaels

The sentencing of Jesus to death takes place within the framework of a series of exchanges between the Roman governor Pilate and the Jewish religious authorities. The time is from early morning (18:28) to noon (19:14) of the day after Jesus’ arrest. The structure of the narrative is determined by the fact that the Jewish authorities, for reasons of ritual purity, would not go inside the palace that served as Pilate’s headquarters (v. 28). Contact with the dwelling of a Gentile—even a temporary dwelling, ...

473. Riddles and Metaphors

Ezekiel 15:1-8, Ezekiel 16:1-63, Ezekiel 17:1-24

Understanding Series

Steven Tuell

As a priest, Ezekiel was literate and well educated. His learned background is apparent in his imaginative use of a variety of literary forms and styles. The effect of this creativity on his original audience was evidently mixed; some contemporaries dismissed him as a teller of riddles (20:49; the NIV renders the Heb. meshalim “parables”) or “one who sings love songs” (33:32). Certainly, though, this variety makes Ezekiel one of the most interesting, as well as the most baffling, of the prophetic books. In ...

474. The Temporary Imprisonment of Satan

Revelation 20:1-7

Teach the Text

J. Scott Duvall

Big Idea: In his sovereignty, God temporarily imprisons Satan for a time to keep him from deceiving the nations. Understanding the Text Following the return of Christ in 19:11–21, we read of the imprisonment of Satan in 20:1–3 in preparation for the millennial reign in 20:4–6. Throughout Revelation, Satan appears not as a “figure of power . . . but a figure of deception, and his only triumph is to deceive the ungodly masses into opposing God and worshiping the beast and himself.”1 The judgment of Satan ...

475. Reviewing the Past

Numbers 33:1-56

Teach the Text

Joe M. Sprinkle

Big Idea: Reviewing God’s dealings in the past helps people to keep following God in the present. Understanding the Text All the major events in the book of Numbers are now complete. So this seems an appropriate occasion for the book to review what has gone before by listing campsites from Egypt to Canaan, starting with Rameses in Egypt, where Israel had lived, and ending at the plains of Moab with some forty campsites in between. Verses 1–15 take us to Mount Sinai. Verses 16–36 list camps in the desert. ...

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