Sermon and Worship Resources

Showing 526 to 550 of 662 results

1 Corinthians 1:1-9

Teach the Text

Preben Vang

... marred with difficulty, but such difficulties are not due to a lack of gifting from God. As believers long to see Christ and eagerly await the time when every knee shall bow and every tongue shall call him Lord (Phil. 2:10), they should continue to imitate the one who called them in love. God’s love builds up; human knowledge puffs up (1 Cor. 8:1). 4. God is faithful. Thanksgiving, like faith, begins and ends with an affirmation that God is faithful and trustworthy. He keeps his promises. The destiny of ...

527. Being Wronged versus Claiming One’s Right

1 Corinthians 6:1-11

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Preben Vang

... system and perspective on life’s purpose have been transformed by Christ’s teaching. Paul expects willing submission to the Spirit’s guidance, not sinless perfection. The behavior of these Corinthian “Christians” parades a blatant disregard for what it means to imitate Christ and be a member of his community. Thus, they have placed themselves among the adikoi and proved to be no different from them. As if to remove any doubt that adikoi (“wrongdoers”) have a different identity or set of values ...

528. Worship and Humility

1 Corinthians 11:17-34

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Preben Vang

... pouring of the wine, Christ reminds his followers how to live their lives mimicking his self-giving. Paul does not allow his audience to reduce the meal to an expression of gratitude for Christ’s sacrifice on their behalf only; he calls them to imitate Christ’s sacrificial lifestyle. When Jesus reinterpreted the Passover meal, he moved the meal’s emphasis from a celebration of what God had done to a celebration of what God was doing. The focus, then, is not on the unleavened bread but on the Christ ...

529. Resurrection and Transformation (Part 1)

1 Corinthians 15:35-58

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Preben Vang

... in their work for Christ (cf. 2 Cor. 6:4–10; 1 Thess. 1:3). Theological Insights Christian discipleship is not empowered by a new set of rules to follow or commandments to obey. Rather, the believer’s continuous motivation to imitate Christ is his or her ongoing participation in Christ’s victory over evil. Resurrection guarantees that this victory will be ultimate. Teaching the Text 1. Paul’s teaching on resurrection connects directly to his already/not-fully description of Christian experience ...

530. Last Encouragement and Final Greeting

1 Corinthians 16:19-24, 1 Corinthians 16:5-18

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Preben Vang

... looking to the troublesome communities for guidance, Paul charges that all Corinthians must give recognition to the community in Stephanas’s house. Their example is worth following. Instead of demanding honor as “patrons” of all the other Christ communities, they imitate Christ as true servants. They are worthy of recognition, not as firstfruits, but as servants. 16:19–20 The churches in the province of Asia send you greetings. Paul’s broad greeting from “churches in the province of Asia”[3 ...

531. The Coming Judgment Calls for the Saints to Leave Babylon

Revelation 18:1-24

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J. Scott Duvall

... and miss the identification: “my people.” But God calls his people to be just that—his people, set apart to him. Holiness is as much about belonging to God as it is about withdrawing from wickedness. Since the time God chose a people, he wanted them to imitate him precisely because they belong to him: “You are to be holy to me because I, the Lord, am holy, and I have set you apart from the nations to be my own” (Lev. 20:26; cf. Deut. 7:6; Exod. 19:5–6). Holiness certainly means separation ...

532. The Garden City as Paradise Transformed

Revelation 22:1-5

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J. Scott Duvall

... Heb. 12:14). The old priestly blessing/prayer for the Lord to “make his face shine on you” and “turn his face toward you” (Num. 6:25–26) finds its ultimate fulfillment here. God’s people will also bear his “name,” meaning they will belong to him, imitate his character, and live safely in his presence (cf. 2:17; 3:12; 7:3; 14:1). God’s glorious presence will shine on his people and supply the only light needed in the new creation; all darkness will disappear forever (21:23; Isa. 60:19–20 ...

533. Victory and Serpents

Num 21:1-9

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Joe M. Sprinkle

... the common verb for “look,” but “looked” in verse 9 (nabat) has more the sense of “gaze at,” implying that more than a casual glimpse is required for this to be effective: it requires an act of the will.7Bronze may have been chosen to imitate the color of the snakes (see above) and/or because in Hebrew “snake” (nahash) and “bronze” (nehoshet), though from different homophonic roots, are similar in sound. It is ironic that the image of a snake can undo the damage done by a snake, though ...

534. Job’s Reply to Eliphaz

Job 6:1–7:21

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Daniel J. Estes

... difficult to speak directly and honestly to God about their reactions to what they are experiencing. Job in this chapter provides an example of courageous candor as he brings his feelings, fears, and frustrations to God. He by no means exemplifies a perfect pattern to imitate, but he does challenge us to turn to God with our problems. As the lament psalms demonstrate, this is a necessary first step on the path from pain to praise. This chapter is agonizing to read, because Job gives words to what he feels ...

535. Job Hears the Whispers of God’s Works

Job 26:1--31:40

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Daniel J. Estes

... Justice” refers to action that must be taken in order to make a situation righteous in God’s sight. By his consistent commitment to righteousness and justice, Job has lived up to the divine standard for rulers (Ps. 72:1–2, 12–14), and he imitated the example of Yahweh’s righteousness (Ps. 85:10–14). 29:17 I broke the fangs of the wicked. Job has done more than just have a compassionate feeling toward the needy. Job has taken on the risk of confronting and countering predatory evildoers as ...

536. “Ascribe to the Lord the Glory Due His Name”

Psalm 29:1-11

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C. Hassell Bullock

... power, and his description decrescendos into God’s gift of “peace,” perhaps comparable to the “still small voice” (KJV) of Elijah’s experience. If Psalm 29 is Davidic and thus prior to the Kings story, the comparison is more parabolic than imitative, which means there is no textual dependency. Interpretive Insights 29:1 Ascribe to the Lord, you heavenly beings, ascribe to the Lord. Note this same kind of repetition in other poetry: Genesis 49:22; Judges 5:12. The exhortation appears elsewhere ...

537. “Into Your Hands I Commit My Spirit”

Psalm 31:1-24

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C. Hassell Bullock

... covenant.[8] 31:6 I hate those who cling to worthless idols; . . . I trust in the Lord. Some manuscripts have “you hate,” but either pronoun is a bit shocking, whether from the standpoint of God’s character or that of our character, which should imitate God’s. However, the idea of the psalmist hating those who hate God is found also in 139:21–22. The idea seems to be that he “rejects” the idolaters. The Hebrew syntax heightens the contrast between the idolaters and the suppliant: “But as ...

538. “Your Love, Lord, Reaches to the Heavens, Your Faithfulness to the Skies”

Psalm 36:1-12

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C. Hassell Bullock

... stage. The psalmist paints his own picture of the multiplex of divine virtues: God’s love, faithfulness, righteousness, and justice (36:5–6). And it is important to remind ourselves that these are communicable attributes—God shares them with us, and God commands that we imitate them. While this mandate is not the subject of Psalm 36, it certainly is a major theme of the Psalter. God’s love, indeed, is the way to overcome in this evil world. The final verse of the psalm gives us a snapshot of the ...

539. “Your Love Is Better Than Life”

Psalm 63:1-11

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C. Hassell Bullock

... of authenticity. Fourth, the truth of verse 3 means that the psalmist “clings” to God, and God’s “right hand upholds” him (63:8). That is another way to express the truth of verse 1. The psalmist’s relationship to God—and ours should imitate this model—is encompassing, and he has come to the recognition that God is everything, his all in all. Illustrating the Text “My whole being longs for you.” Personal Stories: Eugene Peterson tells the story of the beginnings of the church he and his ...

540. Isaac and Abimelek

Genesis 26:1-35

One Volume

Gary M. Burge

This is the one chapter in Genesis devoted exclusively to Isaac. And it does not show him at his best. He imitates his father in the wife-as-sister deception. The one difference is how Abimelek is informed about the woman’s identity. Abimelek sees Isaac caressing Rebekah. This can only be sexual fondling, and Abimelek is able to draw the right conclusion. Abimelek shares some of the moral values of the ...

541. Moses and Aaron Confront Pharaoh

Exodus 6:28–7:13

One Volume

Gary M. Burge

... ’s court included magicians and sorcerers, most likely members of the priestly caste and teachers of wisdom. There is evidence of Egyptian magical practices that involved turning rods into snakes (Westcar Papyrus). The initial signs performed by Moses and Aaron are imitated by those who dabble in the arts of magic and deception and who appeal to the darker supernatural powers that keep the people in blindness. The root of the Hebrew word translated “by their secret arts” (7:11) implies “to enwrap ...

542. Honoring God in Our Worship

Deuteronomy 12:1-32

One Volume

Gary M. Burge

... represents life (12:16, 23; Lev. 17:11). Verses 30–31 warn of certain religious traps: idle inquiry about other gods and the drive not to stand out among others as strange. The danger is that, if they are too curious or want to fit in, God’s people will imitate what they see other people doing and therefore will do things that displease God.

543. Kings of Israel

1 Kings 15:33–16:28

One Volume

Gary M. Burge

At some point during the twenty-four-year reign of the usurping Baasha (15:33–16:7), the prophet Jehu arrives with a strong denunciation. The fact that Baasha does a good imitation of Jeroboam is the initial reason for the prophetic word, as the hitherto unmentioned Jehu announces that the house of Baasha will experience an identical fate. Jehu’s confrontation certainly anticipates prophetic activity in the next major section of 1 Kings (chapters 17–22), and his phrase “from the dust” ( ...

544. Moab Revolts

2 Kings 3:1-27

One Volume

Gary M. Burge

... ’s people outlined by torah (3:20), and the kind of abominable sacrifice practiced by certain foreign rulers. The king of Moab becomes like the injured Ahaziah in chapter 1, a king who lacks a successor—a not-so-subtle critique of the house of Ahab and its policy of imitating the surrounding nations.

545. Be Joyful & Reverent

Ecclesiastes 11:7--12:8

One Volume

Gary M. Burge

... Eastern colophons. As will be noted below, many of the key words in this section occur repeatedly throughout the book, though sometimes with a different nuance. This fact could support either a common author or an editor’s intentional imitation. The more significant consideration is how one assesses this proposed editor’s attitude toward Qoheleth’s wisdom. Since the nineteenth century, there have been interpreters, including those responsible for the Scofield Bible notes, who have understood this so ...

546. Rebelliousness

Ezekiel 20:1-29, Ezekiel 20:30-49

One Volume

Gary M. Burge

... subunit is verses 27–29. The people had moved beyond Egypt (subunit 1) and the wilderness (subunits 2–3) and were now settled in the land of Canaan. Particularly they were charged with worshiping at high places (Bamah means “high place”). They imitated the Canaanites and other Gentile nations in their worship. From a survey of the past Ezekiel shifts to the present, but only for three brief verses (20:30–32). Here he addresses his immediate audience. That generation continues in the way of its ...

547. Israel Did Not Return to God When They Worshiped

Amos 4:1-13

One Volume

Gary M. Burge

Some Israelites may think they are safe from any judgment because they regularly go to the temple to worship God. To counter this false conclusion, Amos imitates a priest calling the people of Israel to come to the temple (cf. Ps. 100:4; Joel 1:13–14). He sarcastically invites them to sin (4:4–5), because that is what they do when they go to their temples for worship. Instead of encouraging them to come once ...

548. Jesus Feeds the Five Thousand

Mark 6:30-44

One Volume

Gary M. Burge

... themselves to solve the problem, whereas Jesus looks among them for the solution. “How many loaves do you have?” he asks (6:38). Despite the obvious inadequacy of this amount, Jesus orders the crowd to sit in groups of hundreds and fifties, perhaps in imitation of Moses’s similar command to the Israelites in the wilderness (Exod. 18:25; Num. 31:14). The prayer with which Jesus receives and multiplies the bread and fish is similar to his prayer over the bread and wine at the institution of the Lord ...

549. “On the Way” to Jerusalem

Mark 9:33-37, Mark 9:38-41

One Volume

Gary M. Burge

... servant” (Greek diakonos) is “waiting tables,” a posture Jesus himself assumes (Luke 22:27). Worldly greatness is reserved for the gifted few, but in the kingdom of God anyone can be great because anyone can serve. Service is the primary way for believers to imitate and fulfill the mission of Jesus (10:43–45). Jesus then embraces a child and commands the disciples, as he teaches in Matthew 25:40, to embrace “the least of these brothers and sisters of mine.” The third narrative, in verses 38–41 ...

550. The Baptist’s Ministry: Preparation for the Lord

Luke 3:1-20

One Volume

Gary M. Burge

... ” confirms these warnings, for the ax of judgment is ready to fall. What is the “good fruit” (3:9) one should produce before judgment falls? In verses 10–14 Luke gives us a sample of John’s ethical teaching. John does not call people to imitate his ascetic lifestyle, nor does he upset the existing social order, for he does not ask tax collectors or soldiers to leave their present jobs. Instead, he counsels those who are in these professions to be honest and content with their wages. The soldiers ...

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