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Showing 476 to 500 of 4963 results

476. Personal Rights and Christian Testimony

1 Corinthians 9:1-27

Teach the Text

Preben Vang

... a person is read his or her Miranda rights; that is, he or she is “mirandized.” If we were mirandizing a newly convicted and converted sinner in the ways of grace in God’s kingdom, the script would be a little different: “Child, you have the right to remain silent from now on about your rights. You gave them all up when Christ bought you with his blood, and you forfeited any claim you thought you had on your person, your possessions, and your life. You are not your own, but belong body and soul, in ...

477. Spiritual Gifts and Spiritual Growth

1 Corinthians 14:1-25

Teach the Text

Preben Vang

... blessing in the Lord’s Supper (10:16). Moreover, the phraseology alludes directly to pagan practices of cursing and blessing (see comments on 12:3). How can someone who is ignorant of Christ (idi?t?s; NIV: “inquirer”) join the thanksgiving if he or she remains unsure whether blessings or curses are spoken? The blessing, in other words, does not benefit the outsider (14:17). “Amen” is the affirmative conclusion to doxologies (Neh. 8:5–6; Rom. 1:25; 11:36; Gal. 1:5; Rev. 1:6). 14:18–19 rather ...

478. The Focus of Christian Worship

1 Corinthians 14:26-40, 1 Corinthians 14:1-25

Teach the Text

Preben Vang

... :29). Paul’s description of prophecy is not one of ecstasy; prophets can control whether or not to speak. Therefore, they can submit to order and yield the floor at will when God gives a new revelation to another person. 14:33b–35 Women should remain silent in the churches. Rounding up his discussion on worship, Paul reaches back to his earlier discussion in chapter 11 on the behavior of women and wives in the Christian assembly. How does this issue relate to the question of “order”? If verse 34 ...

479. Message to Ephesus

Revelation 2:1-7

Teach the Text

J. Scott Duvall

... they are his loyal followers. The noun “endurance” (hypomon?), referring to steadfastness in the face of evil, occurs seven times in Revelation (1:9; 2:2, 3, 19; 3:10; 13:10; 14:12). In spite of the exhausting work of confronting the false teachers and remaining true to the faith, these believers have not given up. 2:4 Yet I hold this against you: You have forsaken the love you had at first. Years of battling for a pure faith have caused their hearts to grow cold. Since the primary indictment is ...

480. Message to Sardis

Revelation 3:1-6

Teach the Text

J. Scott Duvall

... with the medical metaphor, a patient cannot do just anything and expect to get better. The five commands in verses 2–3 summarize what is most important from Christ’s point of view: wake up (or realize your situation), strengthen what remains, remember the historic Christian faith, and embrace it, which will necessitate a change of course or repentance. A dying church will surely become healthy and whole once again if it does what the Great Physician recommends. Illustrating the Text Reputation is ...

481. The Temporary Imprisonment of Satan

Revelation 20:1-7

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J. Scott Duvall

... (1 Pet. 5:9; James 4:7), exercising spiritual authority (2 Cor. 10:3–4), responding with God’s Word (Matt. 4:1–11), forgiving and dealing quickly with anger (2 Cor. 2:10–11; Eph. 4:26–27), and relying on God’s faithfulness even as we remain faithful (1 Cor. 10:13; Rev. 12:11; 16:15). 3. Trust in God’s sovereignty. Throughout Revelation, God stands sovereign over Satan and all other evil powers. In 12:7–9 it is Michael the archangel rather than God himself who wages war and casts down the ...

482. The Horrific End of Nadab and Abihu

Leviticus 10:1-20

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Joe M. Sprinkle

... about the laws (Mal. 2:7), especially the rules of ritual purity (Ezek. 44:23; Hag. 2:11–13), though at times they fail to teach this properly (Ezek. 22:26). 10:12–15 eat it . . . Eat them. Despite what has just happened, Aaron and his remaining sons need to fulfill their duty of eating of the holy offerings: the grain offering that male family members are permitted to eat (Lev. 6:16–18), and the breast of the fellowship offering that has been waved (Lev. 7:28–34), which their daughters may also ...

483. Sexual Discharges

Leviticus 15:1-33

Teach the Text

Joe M. Sprinkle

... emission or masturbation) has minor uncleanness; he must bathe and launder affected clothes, and both he and his clothes are unclean until evening. Ordinary marital sexual intercourse also makes both the husband and the wife unclean; they must bathe ritually and remain unclean until evening. “Emission of semen” in verse 18 is again literally “a lying down of seed.” 15:19–23 When a woman has her regular flow of blood. The “impurity” of her monthly period renders the Hebrew word niddah, which ...

484. Living by God’s Sexual Standards

Leviticus 18:1-30

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Joe M. Sprinkle

... the world, they will be treated like the world. Just as God is about to drive out the Canaanites for their abominations, so too if the Israelites live like Canaanites, God will drive them out (Lev. 18:24–28). It is essential that Israel remain morally distinct from the world. The danger of believers conforming to the world is as strong as ever. The values of the secular media, of intellectual elites, and of Hollywood that bombard us daily are decidedly different from Christian values. There is a constant ...

485. The Ark Finds a Resting Place

2 Samuel 6:1-23

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Robert B. Chisholm Jr.

... :2, 6, 11; 26:2). Shiloh became the first such center (Josh. 18:1) but was destroyed when the Philistines captured the ark in the days of Eli (1 Sam. 4; cf. Ps. 78:60–61 and Jer. 7:12). After its return to Israel, the ark has remained in exile until David brings it to Jerusalem. Several psalms, especially the songs of Zion (Pss. 46; 48; 76; 84; 87; 122), exalt Jerusalem as the Lord’s dwelling place. Because God lives and rules from the city, it enjoys his protection and blessing. These psalms express an ...

486. The Lord Decides to Build David a House

2 Samuel 7:18-29, 2 Samuel 7:1-17

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Robert B. Chisholm Jr.

... covenant people (see vv. 10, 23–24). Certainly the line of David failed in history, Israel went into exile, and David’s dynasty appeared to come to an end. But the promise, which is rooted in the Lord’s faithful character and sovereign choice of David, remained intact as the prophets looked forward to its fulfillment through an ideal Davidic king. In the course of time Jesus emerges as this king (Luke 1:32, 69; Rev. 22:16), and the promise to David finds its complete realization in and through him. 2 ...

487. Triumph of God’s People and Kingdom

Daniel 7:15-28

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Ronald W. Pierce

... everlasting kingdom forever. Second, the earthly struggles and sufferings of the saints are part of a larger cosmic struggle in which God gains the victory for his people. Third, God clearly reveals the essential message of redemptive history, even though secondary details remain obscure. Teaching the Text 1. God’s holy people share God’s kingdom. The writer passes over three of the four kingdoms to say that God’s kingdom and people will prevail in the end. Assure believers today that as “people of ...

488. Spiritual Warfare and Jewish Suffering

Daniel 8:1-14

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Ronald W. Pierce

... are synonymous with the Aramaic qeren and z e ‘er (NIV: “another horn, a little one”) in 7:8. This suggests that the last kingdoms in both chapters are the same: Greece (see “Additional Insights” following the unit on 2:31–49). The arrogant king remains Antiochus IV (175–164 BC). His three-directional growth reflects Antiochus’s military campaigns targeting Egypt in the “south” (1 Macc. 1:16–19), Persia in the “east” (1 Macc. 3:31; 6:1, 5, 56; 2 Macc. 9:1–2), and the province of ...

489. The Trial of Jesus

Mark 15:1-15

One Volume

Gary M. Burge

... rule (see Luke 23:2) pose a potential threat for Pilate. Jesus’s answer to Pilate’s question in verse 2, neither an affirmation nor denial, could be rendered, “You would do well to consider the question.” Jesus’s remaining silence in the face of lies, hatred, and cruelty dominates Mark’s subsequent passion narrative. Evidently harboring doubts about the necessity of Jesus’s execution, Pilate proposes releasing an insurrectionist, whose name “Barabbas” (in Aramaic) means “son of the ...

490. Jesus Talks With a Samaritan Woman

John 4:1-26

One Volume

Gary M. Burge

... (3:19–20). Before the gifts of God can be obtained, the soul must be cleansed of sin. Jesus probes the moral life of the woman (4:16–18), but she does not flee—she admits to Jesus’s prophetic powers (4:19). She chooses to remain in the light; yet now she hopes that the religious institutions of her acquaintance will free her from Jesus’s scrutiny. Mount Gerizim (a mountain towering over the well) was the Samaritan holy place; Jesus is obviously a Jew who venerates Jerusalem. But Jesus dismisses ...

491. Encouragements, Appreciations, and Greetings

Philippians 4:2-9

One Volume

Gary M. Burge

... all of what he has told the Philippians into a single restatement of his message: the Philippians, whom Paul loves, are to remain faithful to the Lord. Paul emphatically states that he not only loves the Philippians but also longs to be with them. Paul ... both the hearts and minds of the Philippians from the attacks they face and the effects of their long trial because they remain “in Christ Jesus” (4:6–7). Paul concludes this section with a list of ethical terms that connect with the “peace of God ...

492. A Happy Ending

Joshua 5:9-12

Sermon

Charley Reeb

... ’ll be six now forever and ever.[1] This is a cute poem, but beneath its adorable rhyme lies a very sensitive issue for all of us: resistance to change. The truth is that most of us are creatures of habit, and once we get comfortable we like things to remain the same. If you don’t believe me, look at where you are sitting now. Then look at those sitting around you. Next Sunday in worship, see if you experience a little déjà vu. See if you find yourself and most of those around you in the exact same ...

493. Abraham Justified by Faith

Romans 4:1-25

Understanding Series

James R. Edwards

... from the gratuitous favour of God; but that when the reason is asked, why God loves us and owns us as just, it is necessary that Christ should come forth as the one who clothes us with his own righteousness (Calvin, Romans, p. 157). 4:4–8 It remains for Paul to demonstrate that his understanding of faith is the proper one. He does this in verses 4–5 by a lesson in logic: When one works, argues Paul, compensation is calculated in terms of wages or earnings; but if one is justified without working, then ...

494. Peace and Joy

Romans 5:1-11

Understanding Series

James R. Edwards

... the idea that their goodness is somehow responsible for God’s love. The radical news of the gospel is that Christ died for the godless, which means that God loves the godless. And to say that God loves the godless is to say that God justifies the godless. The offense remains: to say that a person is a sinner is to say that that person is the object of God’s love! God demonstrated his love at just the right time. Paul was of the conviction (Gal. 4:4; Eph. 1:10; Phil. 2:6f.), as were other NT writers ...

495. Struggling with Sin

Romans 7:7-25

Understanding Series

James R. Edwards

... is augmented and clarified by two additional ideas. The first is, If I do what I do not want to do, I agree that the law is good (v. 16). The tragic irony of our contrary behavior does not negate the law, but actually confirms it. If the good remains good despite our doing the opposite, then it is all the truer. When a nihilist, for example, decries that the world is meaningless, this betrays that the nihilist has at least some concept of what a meaningful world would be like. Likewise, when I do what I do ...

496. The Weak and the Strong

Romans 14:1--15:13

Understanding Series

James R. Edwards

... for several years, and which, even under the best of circumstances, found understanding and tolerance of Jewish cultic laws in short supply. These circumstances (or something similar) appear to lie beneath the surface of 14:1–15:13. Some doubt, of course, necessarily remains about the exact conditions which Paul is addressing, but there is no doubt about his advice. To be sure, Paul counts himself among the strong (15:1), but he does not commend the strong as the ideal or demean the weakness of believers ...

497. The Throne in Heaven

Revelation 4:1-11

Understanding Series

Robert W. Wall

... 22:29–30; cf. Rev. 21:14). If we suppose that John recognizes the vision of the twenty-four elders by the Jesus tradition, then for him the heavenly chorus of elders exemplifies the community of the “true” Israel that has remained faithful to the apostolic witness of Christ. In our view, then, the elders are not specifically the risen apostles, long since martyred; rather, they represent the community they founded and continue to nourish through their memories and teachings. This interpretation looks ...

498. The Beast out of the Sea

Revelation 13:1b-10

Understanding Series

Robert W. Wall

... 41:1–34); and in Daniel’s dream, echoed in John’s description of his own vision of beasts, four terrifying beasts come up out of the sea to boast of their greatness (Dan. 7:1–14). The “real” identity of the first beast for John remains a matter of speculation (cf. Caird, Revelation, pp. 162–63). In my view, it is best to recognize it as a universal symbol for secular power and cultural idols, with historical counterparts in every age. Because 13:2 alludes to Daniel’s vision of four beasts ...

499. The New Jerusalem

Revelation 21:1-27

Understanding Series

Robert W. Wall

... (21:18–20) and their gates of pearl (21:21a; cf. Isa. 54:12; for the significance of pearl gates see Ford, Revelation, pp. 343–44); the main street, like the rest of the city, was paved with pure gold, like transparent glass (21:21b). W. Reader remains unconvinced by both ancient and modern attempts to explain these rare and valuable materials by any other known list of stones in biblical (e.g., Exod. 28:17–20; cf. Isa. 54:11–12) or pagan (e.g., zodiac signs) traditions. He rather relates John’s ...

500. Clean and Unclean Animals

Leviticus 11:1-47

Understanding Series

W. H. Bellinger, Jr.

... to the fore the nature-culture distinction. 11:39–40 These verses make the point that the carcasses of otherwise clean animals are also unclean, and that contact with them or eating them makes a person unclean and requires washing of the clothes and remaining unclean until the evening. Death and impurity are closely connected in the Priestly order of things. 11:41–45 Every creature that moves about on the ground signifies creatures that swarm on the land. Here they are all said to be detestable, and ...

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