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Showing 26 to 50 of 538 results

26. The Offense of Grace

Matthew 5:43-48, Matthew 5:38-42

Sermon

Susan R. Andrews

... thing that is in the best interests of the one who is doing the hurting, may be to blow the whistle, to press charges, to get help for a sickness that is out of control. You see, to do good, to love and forgive those who offend us, is to refrain from hurting them in the same way they have hurt us. It is to initiate a new form of confrontation and healing that will lead to the well-being of all the parties involved. An ethic of grace - far from being an offense - is an invitation to take the offensive, to ...

27. God, The Good Ally

Exodus 20:1-17

Sermon

Ken Lentz

... received his wallet in the mail several weeks later, credit cards intact but cash missing. A note from the Italian police said that the wallet had been simply tossed into a rubbish container. The children of Israel were to thank God for his favor by refraining from stealing. In fact, even possessions that accidentally fell into the hands of others were to be returned to their owners, even if the owners were an enemy. The children of the new covenant must apply the law to identity theft or the theft of one ...

28. The Ten Commandments

Exodus 20:1-21

Sermon

Brett Blair

... would have them do unto you, the golden rule. In other words, love requires us to take action. It is not enough simply to refrain from coveting what our neighbor has. If we want to be please God we must act well; if we want others to be kind and respectful to us, then ... we must act so to them. In other words, much of the Ten Commandments call upon us to refrain from doing bad. But the call of the Christian life is to do good. So let's just get it out on the table at the outset ...

29. True Fasting

Isaiah 58:1-14

Understanding Series

John Goldingay

... keep the sabbath, Yahweh told them to observe it, because failure to do so was a sign of not taking Yahweh seriously. When the OT elsewhere talks about humbling oneself or denying oneself (v. 3a), it refers more often to the self-denial of refraining from work than to the self-denial of refraining from food (e.g., Lev. 16:29, 31; 23:29; 27:32). As happens in a workaholic culture, in working on the sabbath people did what they pleased (the word occurs twice in v. 13) on Yahweh’s holy day, as they did what ...

30. The Evangelism Of Emphasis - 1946

Matthew 5:1-12

Sermon

Kent Moorehead

... he was tempted in all points, as we are, he never yielded. He was without sin. So, when it came to writing his biography, there were so many positive deeds to record that his biographers never once thought of putting down the things he refrained from doing. Negative Christianity is no Christianity at all. It is a contradiction of terms. To be Christian we must be positive. A second significant emphasis of the Master’s was upon appreciation rather than upon criticism. Not that he ever indulged in any ...

31. On Claiming One’s Inheritance

Mark 10:17-31

Sermon

Donald B. Strobe

... are the basic rules of human behavior. They tell us how the game of life is to be played. And Jesus pushed them into even deeper levels of understanding. He told us that it was not sufficient just to refrain from committing murder; one must not even hate. One must not merely refrain from committing adultery; one must root out the evil desire itself. Luther was quite right: properly understood, the Commandments can lead us only to despair. We know what is right, but we can’t quite do it. We see the ...

32. Baby Blues

1 Samuel 1:4-20

Sermon

Mary S. Lautensleger

... saying. Be willing to listen. Many people just need someone to share their confusion, anger, and pain with. They may not be looking for answers or concrete help but rather for understanding, support, and love. Refrain from asking when a couple is planning to start a family. Infertility is intensely personal and many people are not comfortable discussing it with others. Don't expect childless couples to rejoice when others have babies. Don't be surprised if they aren't in church on Mothers' Day and Fathers ...

33. Salvation for Others

Isaiah 56:1-8

Understanding Series

John Goldingay

... . Schramm, The Opponents of Third Isaiah [JSOTSup 193; Sheffield: Sheffield Academic Press, 1995], pp. 115–25; more generally G. I. Emmerson, Isaiah 56–66 [Old Testament Guides; Sheffield: Sheffield Academic Press, 1992], pp. 81–97 and her references). 56:2, 6 Keeping the sabbath and refraining from evil might sound like two requirements. The same is true of keeping the sabbath and holding fast to the covenant. But parallelism suggests that it is more likely that v. 2 refers to keeping the sabbath and ...

34. The Road To The Cross

Matthew 27:11-26

Sermon

Mark Ellingsen

... life shaped by the American cultural agenda - the "American dream" (No matter if that dream has been exploiting the poor in our nation and throughout the world)? We really are like that Jewish crowd wich followed Jesus. How often, like that crowd, have we refrained from standing up for what we know was right, and instead gone along with the flow, along with everyone else - gone along with everbody else because we did not want to rock the boat. It happens in this congregation sometimes, does it not? I refer ...

35. The Ten Commandments - Part 2

Exodus 20:1-21

Sermon

Brett Blair

36. Love

1 Corinthians 13:1-13

Eulogy

George Reed

... today that life of love but we need to do more than that for we need to continue it. For when we are patient and kind we will not only be honoring the memory of [NAME] but we will be sharing her/his love and spirit with others. When we refrain from being envious or boastful, arrogant or rude then [NAME] will live on in and through us. When we allow others to have their say rather than insisting on our being in charge, then the life of Name goes forth again in our actions. When we strive to be pleasant in ...

37. Job's Third Reply to Bildad

Job 26:1--31:40

Understanding Series

Gerald H. Wilson

... as well. Everyone respects Job and responds deferentially to his presence. 29:9–11 The word for chief men here can also refer to “princes” or those of noble birth. These are certainly members of the highest levels of society. These men refrained from speaking and even covered their mouths with their hands, another sign of respect. When confronted by the awesome presence of God, Job will respond in a similar manner (40:4). In the voices of the nobles were hushed, the word for “nobles” (negidim ...

38. Daniel in the Den of Lions

Daniel 6:1-28

Understanding Series

William Nelson

... the Christian era, so it is hard to know what would have obtained in the time when the book of Daniel was written. The book certainly presents a Daniel doing what he feels is right, even if it means that he will die; he also may believe that to refrain from prayer would be a serious sin of omission. Once again, though, it is important to remember that the author of this book is more concerned to use Daniel’s story to preach to the people of his day than he is to record history. Consequently, in a sense ...

39. Daniel’s Training in Babylon

Daniel 1:1-21

Understanding Series

William Nelson

... love the world, which is characterized by “the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life” (1 John 2:16 KJV). Sometimes the church has made rules about hairstyles and clothing fashion. There are Christian communities that refrain from wearing jewelry and forbid their women from wearing makeup or from cutting or braiding their hair (1 Tim. 2:9–10). Other Christians leave it open to the individual conscience to determine what it means to be pure and holy, separate from the world ...

40. Nebuchadnezzer’s Dream of a Tree

Daniel 4:1-18

Understanding Series

William Nelson

... alarmed (4:19; see also Dan. 7:15; 8:17; 10:8–10; Rev. 1:17). As in chapter 2, the king summons his wise men so that they can interpret the dream (4:6). Unlike chapter 2, the king tells them the dream (4:7) and refrains from threatening them if they fail. Of course, the reader is not surprised to find (also like chapter 2) that they cannot interpret it (4:7). Finally, Daniel comes into the king’s presence (4:8). The narrator explains that Daniel is called Belteshazzar, after the name of Nebuchadnezzar ...

41. Accusations

2 Corinthians 1:12--2:4, 2 Corinthians 2:5-11

Understanding Series

James M. Scott

... Matthew 5:33–37 in 2 Corinthians 1:17, Jesus’ teaching against taking oaths seems to be unknown to Paul. By making this strong oath, Paul wants to assure the Corinthians in no uncertain terms that the real reason he changed his travel plans and refrained from returning to them as promised was not his alleged double-mindedness, but in order to spare you. The changes in Paul’s travel plans were an act of mercy on his part, as was his tearful letter (2:4). Paul was attempting to restore the Corinthians ...

42. Daniel’s Vision of a Man

Daniel 10:1--11:1

Understanding Series

William Nelson

... 31 NRSV), after which he receives more revelation (see also 2 Esd. 6:35–59; 7:1–44; 2 Apocalypse Baruch 5:7; 9:1–2; 12:5; 20:5–6; 21:1; 47:2; Ascension of Isaiah 2:10–11; Testament of Reuben 1:9–10). Finally, Daniel refrains from using lotions (Dan. 10:3). Oils and lotions helped to keep the skin moist in the Near East, where the weather is often dry. Because it was also frequently hot, they would add perfume to these ointments as a kind of deodorant. When mourning, people customarily did not to ...

43. Personal Accountability

Ezekiel 18:1-32, Ezekiel 19:1-14

Understanding Series

Steven Tuell

... as well as spiritual—may have. Now we approach the end, and climax, of Ezekiel’s description of the righteous person. He withholds his hand from doing wrong and judges fairly between man and man (v. 8). The combination of these two expressions—refraining from wrong and judging rightly—appears only here in verse 8 and in Leviticus 19:15, 35. Once more, it seems probable that Ezekiel is drawing his definition of righteousness in large part from the Holiness Code. The term the NIV translates “doing ...

44. Ruth Meets Boaz

Ruth 2:1-23

Understanding Series

Michael S. Moore

... 18. Here a hungry foreigner waits patiently for permission; there a gaggle of well-fed Israelites jockeys for power. The Danites roam the countryside looking for an inheritance upon which “to settle” (lashebet, Judg. 18:1). Ruth, however, refrains from “settling” (shibtah) until she is given permission. In Judges, the Danites desperately seize an entire town as their “rightful” inheritance. Ruth, by contrast, patiently trusts that things will work out in their own good time. Boaz’s Character ...

45. On Divisions in the Church

1 Corinthians 3:1-23

Understanding Series

Marion L. Soards

... this negative directive to the positive formulation in 1:31, “Therefore, as it is written: ‘Let him who boasts boast in the Lord.’ “Conzelmann (1 Corinthians, p. 80) states Paul’s point positively, “The act, seemingly negative of refraining from ‘human’ boasting is, positively speaking, freedom.” 3:21b–22 Interpreters (e.g., Barrett, Epistle, p. 96; Conzelmann, 1 Corinthians, p. 80 nn. 16–17; Fee, Epistle, pp. 154–55) often observe parallels between Stoic and to a lesser degree ...

46. The Rights of an Apostle

1 Corinthians 9:1-27

Understanding Series

Marion L. Soards

... warfare produced victory and booty; vineyards yielded fruit; flocks brought milk—the ones responsibly engaged in the activities educed an advantage without harm to the enterprise. In other words, Paul sees nothing wrong with taking support from the Corinthians, yet he refrains from enjoying the natural benefits of his labors. 9:8 As Paul continues, he demonstrates that he recognized and agreed that God ordained that the apostles be able to derive their living from the work they did as ministers. He moves ...

47. The Ten Commandments

Deuteronomy 5:1-33

Understanding Series

Christopher J. H. Wright

... in his “supplements” laws concerning rights of gleaning, sabbatical release of slaves and debt pledges, jubilee and redemption laws, and levirate marriage! In this he has the support of Ezekiel, who defined his typical righteous person as one who not only refrained from theft but exercised positive generosity (Ezek. 18:7), a combination claimed by Job (Job 31:16–22, 31f., 38–40), commended in the Psalms (Ps. 112:4–9), and applied practically in the NT (Eph. 4:28). Like the sixth commandment ...

48. Daniel’s Prayer

Daniel 9:1-19

Understanding Series

William Nelson

... pray and fast in sackcloth and ashes, hoping that God will relent from his decision to destroy their city (Jon. 3:6–9). In addition to these gestures (praying, fasting, and wearing sackcloth and ashes), God also expects us to care for the needy and to refrain from strife and quarreling (Isa. 58:4–10). While it is true that fasting is sometimes a means of preparing to receive revelation (Exod. 34:28; Deut. 9:9), there is no indication that Daniel is fasting for that reason. In the next chapter it is ...

49. The Fall of Jerusalem

2 Chronicles 36:15-23

Understanding Series

Louis C. Jonker

... and not to others. The basic religious inclination advocated by the Chronicler is something manifested in the realities of the kings’ lives. This is particularly illustrated in the Chronicler keeping to the Deuteronomist’s evaluation of the kings but not refraining from altering those depictions. Good kings can go wrong and deviate from being wholeheartedly dedicated to Yahweh (e.g., Asa, Joash, and Uzziah). And bad kings can repent and gain access to Yahweh’s gracious presence (e.g., Manasseh). f ...

50. Death Through Adam, Life Through Christ

Romans 5:12-21

Understanding Series

James R. Edwards

... last enemy to be destroyed” (1 Cor. 15:26). 5:13–14 The protasis “just as” (v. 12) leads the reader to expect a completion of the Adam-analogy in Christ. But in order to discuss the effects of the law and Moses on sin, Paul refrains from introducing Christ until verse 15. Verses 13–14 are therefore something of a footnote to verse 12, clarifying what Paul said before, that “through the law we become conscious of sin” (3:20), and that “where there is no law there is no transgression” (4:15 ...

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