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Showing 4776 to 4800 of 4943 results

4776. Proper 22

Exodus 20:1-21, Isaiah 5:1-7, Philippians 3:1-11, Philippians 3:12-4:1, Matthew 21:33-46

Sermon Aid

John R. Brokhoff

COMMENTARY Old Testament: Exodus 20:1-4, 7-9, 12-20 The Ten Commandments. While assembled at Mount Sinai, the Israelites are given the Decalogue by Yahweh through Moses. These ten absolutes are not independent. They are related to the Mosaic covenant. First came grace in terms of God's deliverance from Egypt and by his promise to take them to a Promised Land. The laws are given for the people's part or response to the covenant. Old Testament: Isaiah 5:1-7 God's judgment upon his people for their failure to ...

4777. So You Want to Be in the Lead?

Exodus 17:1-7

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

A million years ago, on October 4th, 1957, the Russians successfully launched Sputnik 1 into space. That made the USSR, not the US, the undisputed leader of space exploration, and you could almost hear the collective thud across the heartland from Long Island to Los Angeles. That thud was the sound of a nation's heart suddenly dropping, stunned and in shock that we were now in second place in our military rivalry with the Soviet Union. But the national response was immediate and intense. In May 1961 ...

4778. The Monsters We Are All Afraid Of

Luke 20:27-40

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

We've all seen those old medieval world maps that tried to accurately represent the world as it was then known. At the edges of these maps, where knowledge and exploration petered out, imagination and fear took over. In a large, cautionary hand, the cartographers would scrawl over these mysterious regions the ominous warning, "There be dragons!" Like medieval map-makers, most of us as children also instinctively feared that which was just out of our sight, just beyond our scrutiny. Has anyone seen Disney ...

4779. Proper 16

Exodus 1:1-22, Matthew 16:13-20, Romans 12:1-8, Psalm 124:1-8

Sermon Aid

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

OLD TESTAMENT TEXTS Exodus 1:8-2:10 contains three stories that explore the power of salvation, while Psalm 124 turns the insights gained from the introductory stories in Exodus into the language of praise. Exodus 1:8--2:10 - "The Salvation of the Savior" Setting. Moses is the central human character in the book of Exodus and, indeed, in the remainder of the Pentateuch. He is the one called by God to be the savior. With this knowledge as background, it is easy to conclude that the central event in the Old ...

4780. Don't Worry

Philippians 4:6

Children's Sermon

Tim Carpenter

Exegetical Aim: God's provision for those he loves. Props: A flower, a seed, a shovel, a sandwich, and lipstick. Lesson: I have something today that is very pretty. Would you like to see it? (response) What do you think it might be? (response) Well, let's see. Hold the flower up for everyone to see. Do you like it? (response) It's pretty, isn't it. (response) This kind of flower is called _______. What happened before this could be a flower? (response--a seed was planted) Hold up the seed. Yes, a seed was ...

4781. Coming Apart So We Don’t Come Apart

Mark 6:30-34, 53-56

Sermon

George Reed

The Gospel Reading from Mark is a clear picture of the Christian life. In it, Jesus calls his disciples apart so that he and they can get away from the crowds who have been coming to him. They need a break, a time apart to be alone with Jesus and to refocus themselves on the work that lies before them. After a while, sooner than planned, the needs of the crowds again press in on them and they, and Jesus, are back to work. In our lives as disciples of Jesus, we find that we need to follow this same pattern ...

4782. Coulda, Woulda, Shoulda

Luke 4:1-13

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

Jesus was unrelenting in his forward thinking. Consider how much time he spent teaching about the kingdom of God, which was both now and not-yet. What pleasures from God are being poisoned in our lives because we cannot escape a life of constant regret - the "if onlys," "wrong turns," "yes-buts," and "sour notes" of woulda/coulda/shoulda thinking? We've all done it: enraged or insulted, frightened or confused at someone or some situation, we have stood there sputtering and fuming or have fled in tears and ...

4783. John 21:1-19

John 21:1-19

Sweet

Leonard Sweet

Biblical scholars long have taken delight in subjecting John 21 to special scrutiny. The most obvious issue at hand is the awkward "added on" quality of this chapter. John 20:30-31 appears succinctly and solidly to close the book on this author's gospel story. Yet here, with only the barest attempt at some form of connectedness, comes an entirely new unit, with several new points to make and fresh information to share. Not only is chapter 21 most often considered to be a redactor's addition to the original ...

4784. Advent 4

2 Samuel 7:1-17, Romans 16:1-27, Luke 1:26-38

Sermon Aid

John R. Brokhoff

COMMENTARY Old Testament: 2 Samuel 7:1-11, 16 David tells his prophet, Nathan, that he wants to build a temple for Yahweh. But this idea is rejected. Yahweh declares instead that he will make a house out of David. He promises David that he will make his name great, give him rest from his enemies and will establish him in an everlasting kingdom. David was promised that his descendants would rule God's people forever. Each succeeding king as a son of David was considered a savior-king, a son of God. Each was ...

4785. Nobody Is Too Big to Fail. Nobody Is Too Small to Prevail.

Mark 6:1-6

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

Titanic. Say the word, and everyone, everywhere knows the story. Whether you know the name because you saw the movie, or you know the name because you spent the bulk of your life in the twentieth century, you still know the name. “Titanic” means huge, gargantuan, immense. The word “Titanic,” which rhymes with “gigantic,” brings visions of unstoppable power, immovable force, impenetrable resistance. The “Titanic” really set the tone for the next hundred years, when 100 million people would be killed in the ...

4786. The Essence of the Gospel

2 Corinthians 4:1-18

Sermon

Maxie Dunnam

I don’t know how It Is with you, but I can recall occasions when a text of scripture grabbed my imagination, gripped my mind, burrowed its way into my soul, and became a part of my being. In many instances, I can relive the setting when that happened, and it energizes my life. Our scripture for this is such a case. It was Senior Recognition Day at Candler School of Theology, Emory University, 1958. From the time I answered the call to preach as a seventeen- year-old country boy in Mississippi, I’ve always ...

4787. Heart Religion

Mark 7:1-23

Sermon

Maxie Dunnam

One day a man by the name of Kirk was having a particularly difficult time. Everything was going wrong for him and nothing was going right. And when he went to bed that night, he laid there in the dark. And he thought about all of the horrible things that had happened to him. And you know, the more he thought about it the more upset he became. He blurted out into the darkness, “Why me God? Why have you done this to me?” But there was no answer and all he heard was the silence. So he blurted out again, this ...

4788. Who's Who

John 1:29-42

Sermon

Charles L. Aaron

The first chapter of John bears some similarity to the pilot episode of a television series. In that first episode, the writers and director want to introduce all of the main characters. In a television series, what we learn about the main characters in the first episode helps us understand them for the rest of the time the show is on the air and to see how they develop over the course of the series. John's narrative begins after the prologue, a hymn or poem that sets John's theological agenda. Once the ...

4789. Will It Last?

1 Corinthians 3:10-11, 16-23

Sermon

John N. Brittain

A quarter-century ago, the little college at which I worked offered a scholarship for one year of study to a church official from Liberia who needed updating in business and accounting practices. Since this was a mature individual with a wife and children to support, leaving them for a whole year was a big deal, particularly since the scholarship covered his expenses at school but little else. Nonetheless, this was an important opportunity, and he prepared diligently so that when he set off for America it ...

4790. Will You Dance the Metanoia with Me?

Acts 2:14-41

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

Every generation has a signature dance. You might even say that every generation must live with its own “dorky dance” stigma. Anyone remember the “Twist?” The “Conga?” The “Hokey Pokey?” The “Funky Chicken?” About fifteen years ago you could not go anywhere — a party, a wedding reception, a baseball game — without being bullied to “Do the Macarena with Me.” The Macarena might have been a good ice-breaker at youth camps, or a way to get your blood moving again during the Seventh Inning Stretch. But is was ...

4791. Will You Be an April Fool for Christ?

Mark 11:1-11

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

How many of you have been “April Fooled” already today? Did you get salt out of the sugar bowl for your coffee or cereal? Did the lids to the pepper and salt shakers fall completely off with the first shake? Were all your shirt sleeves turned inside out? Good April Fool jokes and pranks are supposed to strike out at our routines, shake up our perceptions, make something ordinary odd and extraordinary. Sometimes April Fool is something contrived. Sometimes April Fool just happens. For example, Andy Warhol, ...

4792. The Jump To Judgment

Luke 6:39-49

Sermon

David E. Leininger

Mr. Jones picked up the wrong umbrella in a hotel, and the umbrella's rightful owner called his attention to it. Embarrassed, Mr. Jones offered his apologies, picked up the right one, and went on his way. But the incident served to remind Mr. Jones that he had promised to buy umbrellas for his wife and daughter, so he went across the street to a store and purchased one for each of them. As he came out from the store and began to get in his car — three umbrellas on his arm now — the man whose umbrella Mr. ...

4793. Lost Baggage: The Middle Seat

1 Corinthians 5:1-13

Sermon

James Merritt

As a pastor, there are some phone calls that you never want to receive. The worst of all, I believe, are those revealing a significant sin of a church member or a staff member. In these cases, as a leader in the church, I want our members and staff to set a high example with their character, so failure in that area is especially difficult. You can remove a person from a position of leadership, but frankly, when people sin, and this will happen in even the most spiritually mature and positive environment, ...

4794. She Had Great Faith

Matthew 15:21-28

Sermon

King Duncan

A few years ago author Bennett Cerf was addressing an audience of doctors in San Diego. Afterwards one of these doctors told him about an operation he had performed on an ill‑tempered lady of about eighty. The woman came through the surgery with flying colors despite all her dire prognostications. Nevertheless she became quite agitated when the doctor told her that in accordance with the rules of the hospital, she’d have to walk ten minutes the very first day after her surgery and would have to get out ...

4795. Right Answer - Wrong Conclusion

Mark 8:27-30

Sermon

King Duncan

One of the most important frontiers being explored by today’s scientists is that of artificial intelligence--that is, teaching computers to think like humans. In fact, there are many reputable scientists who believe that by the middle of this century computers will be able to think more efficiently and effectively than human beings. At that point the sci-fi horror movies of robots taking over the planet will have some credibility. But there are skeptics. The great computing science pioneer Alan Turing-- ...

4796. Naomi and Ruth

Ruth 1:1-22

Understanding Series

Michael S. Moore

Judah’s Famine and Elimelech’s Death: The story of Ruth has a specific historical context, the days when the judges ruled (lit. when the judges judged). The act of repeating a seminal Hebrew root twice (shepot hashopetim), however, immediately implies that Ruth’s opening line attempts to do more than just situate the book historically. Hebrew, like English, repeats words for emphasis (GKC 117p). Ruth, in other words, is very much a story about mishpat (“justice,” from shapat, “to judge, rule”). 1:1 The ...

4797. Jerusalem Under Siege

Jeremiah 6:1-30

Understanding Series

Tremper Longman III

Jerusalem Attacked! (6:1-8): The oracles in chapter six continue the difficulty of distinguishing individual oracles. Fortunately, the major effect on the reader is not dependent on proper division of the text or accurate dating of the original setting of the oracles. A further difficulty is determining who is speaking. Subtle clues indicate whether it is Jeremiah or God. This too, however, is not a major obstacle to understanding the message, since Jeremiah, after all, is Yahweh’s spokesperson. We take 6: ...

4798. Elijah Flees to Horeb

1 Kings 19:1-8

Understanding Series

Iain W. Provan

Elijah and the LORD: Elijah has been involved in a mighty battle. He seems to think it decisive and so he has left the battlefield for Jezreel. Yet there have been several hints in the narrative thus far that it is the queen, and not the king, who is the real general of the opposing forces. She will not be so easily cowed as her husband, and Elijah is now to see that to win a battle is not necessarily to win the war. That realization will send him into retreat, both physical and mental, as victory becomes ...

4799. A Rebellious Nation

Isaiah 1:1-31

Understanding Series

John Goldingay

Introduction--Jerusalem Judged and Restored: Chapter 1 introduces both the message of Isaiah ben Amoz over three decades and the book as a whole. The people have paid the penalty for abandoning their relationship with Yahweh (vv. 2–9) and need to own the fact that they have perverted their life with Yahweh by practicing religion but not justice (vv. 10–20); judgment can then be a creative purging that restores justice as well as the relationship (vv. 21–31). 1:1 The fact that the word vision always denotes ...

4800. Signs and Oracles of Judgment

Ezekiel 4:1-5:17, Ezekiel 6:1-14, Ezekiel 7:1-27

Understanding Series

Steven Tuell

The material between Ezekiel’s call (chs. 1–3) and his vision of Jerusalem’s destruction (chs. 8–11) falls into two parts. Chapters 4 and 5 present a series of four sign-acts depicting Jerusalem’s siege and fall (4:1–3, 4–8, 9–17; 5:1–17). Chapters 6 and 7 are oracles of judgment directed against the mountains of Israel (ch. 6) and the people, particularly the leaders, of Jerusalem (ch. 7). However, these two sections are neatly interwoven. In the fourth sign-act, the Lord calls down destruction upon ...

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