Sermon and Worship Resources

Showing 526 to 550 of 4999 results

Lev 4:1–5:13

One Volume

Gary M. Burge

... on the sides of the altar in the court, but purification-offering blood is applied higher and more prominently on the horns of the outer altar or of the golden incense altar in the outer sanctum (4:7, 18, 25, 30, 34). In Leviticus 4, there are two main kinds of purification offerings. If the offerer is a chieftain or ordinary person, the priest is to daub the blood on the horns of the outer altar (4:25, 30, 34), burn the suet on the altar, and eat the remaining meat (6:26, 29). Purification-offering suet is ...

527. Miscellaneous Laws

Deut 23:15–25:19

One Volume

Gary M. Burge

... include anything from a skin disease all the way to Hansen’s disease; 24:8–9) as a result of her libel against Moses (Num. 12:10–15). That was no way for Miriam to act or think! Similarly, though loans to fellow Israelites are forbidden, use of some kind of security is permitted (24:10–13). However, the rights of the debtor are to be respected by not entering a person’s house to select what could be put up as security and by not taking a person’s cloak beyond sunset since it is needed to keep ...

528. Proverbs of Solomon

Proberbs 10:1--22:16

One Volume

Gary M. Burge

... occurs four times: 15:1, 23; 16:1, 4), while a painful word further stirs it up. Waltke comments regarding verse 2a: “Instead of brutalizing people with their knowledge of the cause-effect relationship in God’s ordained moral order, the wise state it kindly, sensitively, and gently with an aim to save their audience, not to condemn and destroy it” (Waltke 2004, 614). Verse 3 reminds us that this cause-effect nexus is not mechanistic but rather is upheld by an ever-observant God. Verse 4 corresponds to ...

529. Learning to Love

Matthew 5:43-48

Sermon

James L. Killen

... situations. Sometimes it is hard to see what love is doing in some of those situations. But the first chapters of Genesis are a kind of prologue to the whole Bible. They give us a summary of the story that the rest of the book is trying to tell. ... matter of the tree they were not to touch. Some limitations had to be part of the picture. All of that was necessary. The kind of loving personhood God wants for the creatures cannot just be imposed on anyone. It must emerge from an interaction in which both ...

530. Despair, Hope, Easter, and Pentecost

John 20:10-18

Sermon

Tom Garrison

... presented a challenge far beyond their resources. But when they got there — what did they find? It had been rolled away! Why? Because there is also God in the drama of history! He too plays a part in what is possible and impossible out there ahead of us, and what kind of God is he? The Easter-event speaks directly to this. Saint Paul sums it up by describing him as "the one who can make the things that are out of the things that are not, and the one who can make dead things come to life again" (Romans 4 ...

531. Playing One Hand

Matthew 13:1-9, 18-23

Sermon

Tom Garrison

... as well as the other. This brings me back to where we started. Jesus began his ministry in exuberance, and halfway through he told the parable of the soils. It represented his coming of age, I believe, coming to terms with both failure and potency, with the kind of creature he was and the kind of world in which we all live. Three out of four of his seeds did not make it, but some did. This is how he came to see life, and what kept him from blowing up or going down but keeping on. Listen, we only play one ...

532. What Do You Bring to the Table?

Matthew 11:25-30

Sermon

Tom Garrison

... overwhelming burden that people bring with them into a sanctuary? Then again, I am confident that a spiritual detector would have picked up all kinds of guilt coming into a sanctuary. Paul writes in Romans that we have all sinned, not just some of us, but all of us ... things that feel to us like heavy obstacles and show us how to use them as the means of moving forward. This is the kind of rest and "refreshment" that is promised here. Jesus does not say that all our burdens will be taken away, but that he will ...

533. What You Don’t Know Can Hurt You

Matthew 13:36-43, Matthew 13:24-30

Sermon

Tom Garrison

... or a flower. God is going to come to us in God's own way because God is the holy one — different, unique, and separate from every other created object. And the only way to begin to relate to God is to accept this fact and open ourselves to the kinds of onsets of mystery that are God's to give; it all depends if we are open enough to receive them. Thus, what some people do not know about God — namely, that God is different than anything else — hurts them in ever getting started on "the upward journey ...

534. Job’s Reply to Zophar

Job 12:1--14:22

Understanding Series

Gerald H. Wilson

... , with its hope of ultimate revitalization, when man dies and is laid low there is no hope of restoration. This is, of course, a very clear indication that Job (and the author of the book) has no clear belief in a future resurrection or even some kind of spiritual afterlife. The whole point of the contrast here is that once humans die, there is no hope of a future return. The verb translated “laid low” (Heb. khlsh) more likely means “be/become weak”—a reference to the loss of vitality when humans ...

535. Job's Third Reply to Bildad

Job 26:1--31:40

Understanding Series

Gerald H. Wilson

... the other side of the street to avoid contact. To spit in someone’s face is the ultimate insult of rejection and degradation. In 17:6, Job describes himself in similar terms and attributes his fall to such depths to the action of God. Jesus experiences the same kind of final rejection as he approaches the end of his earthly life (Matt. 26:67; also Num. 12:14; Deut. 25:9). 30:11 The Hebrew in this verse is somewhat obscure. The individual words are clear enough for the most part, but the meaning is vague ...

536. Be Holy

1 Peter 1:13-2:3

Understanding Series

Norman Hillyer

... its best sensed the necessity for such sincere love: “The giving of alms is not enough. The gift to the poor must be made privately with nobody present. It must further be attended by a warmth of feeling and understanding sympathy; and it is in proportion to the kindness and love that flow from an act of charity that it draws its ethical and moral force” (b. Sukkah 49b). “I adjure you by the God of heaven to do truth each one to his neighbor, and to entertain love each for his brother” (T. Reuben 6 ...

537. The Ten Commandments

Deuteronomy 5:1-33

Understanding Series

Christopher J. H. Wright

... not mean that God gave no more laws, but that God gave nothing else comparable to the Ten Commandments), and their fixed and permanent nature (he wrote them on two stone tablets). The distinct status of the Ten Commandments is thus assured. They function as a kind of constitution, or charter, the norm and policy that inform all the rest of the detailed legislation to follow. 5:23–27 These verses recall and expand on the simple account given in Exodus 20:18–21. On the one hand, the people are amazed at ...

538. Jehoash King of Israel

2 Kings 13:10-25

Understanding Series

Iain W. Provan

... that the real chariots and horsemen of Israel are not of flesh and blood (cf. 2 Kgs. 2:11–12; 6:8–17). He is therefore able to promise Jehoahaz—whose repetition of Elisha’s words from 2 Kgs. 2:12 only reveals his lack of perception—victories of the kind won by Ahab (1 Kgs. 20:13–34). Ahab had also been reduced to a remnant (20:15) and had also faced Aramean forces vastly superior in horses and chariotry (20:13, 21, 23–25, 28–30). Given that Elisha has in mind a series of victories in 2 Kgs ...

539. The Bethsaida Boys

Mark 8:31-38

Sermon

John Jamison

... Simon Peter and be prepared for whatever he might do next. Let’s not single out Simon Peter and make it sound like he was some kind of a problem disciple. As the story is told, every one of the disciples turned out to be what you might call a challenge. Mark’s ... for Peter, and he pulled Jesus aside from the group to rebuke him, to get him to understand once and for all that this kind of negative talk was not the way to become successful. I would love to have seen the look on Peter’s face as Jesus turned ...

540. Hope for People Who Are Angry

Ephesians 4:30-5:2

Sermon

King Duncan

... graceful in defusing a situation in which we have lashed out at a family member as he is. And we continually hurt those closest to us. The question is, is there any hope for us--those of us who have difficulty with our anger? St. Paul writes, “Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you. Follow God’s example, therefore, as dearly loved children and walk in the way of love, just as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us as a fragrant offering and ...

541. Are You in the Right Place?

Matthew 6:1-6

Sermon

King Duncan

... online sermon Father Michael K. Marsh, an Episcopal priest, tells about the first picture that he saw from that horrendous scene. It was a woman with her arms around another woman, two moms crying and waiting for news about their children. We’ve seen those kinds of pictures before, notes Father Marsh, too many times. This one, however, was different. The thing that caught Father Marsh’s attention was a cross. One of the women in the photo had ashes on her forehead in the shape of a cross. Evidently she ...

542. Where's the Magic?

Hebrews 11:1-3, 8-12

Sermon

King Duncan

... happen–as if you expected this day that you would come into the presence of God. I believe the eleventh chapter of Hebrews has that kind of magic. In it the writer seeks to define the meaning of faith and it’s clear that he believes there is magic in faith ... dead” in the words of the writer of Hebrews. If that is not magic I would like to know what is! But it is not the kind of magic that a magician can perform. It is magic only God can perform. And it is magic that can be seen only through the eyes of ...

543. The Gift of the Kingdom

Luke 12:32-40

Sermon

George Reed

... gift, as well. Sometimes gifts surprise us because we didn’t expect a gift at all but we get one, anyway. Other gifts surprise us because we were not expecting this particular gift. But there is another kind of surprise present where we keep discovering new things about the gift as time goes by. This is the kind of gift that Jesus tells us God is offering us. That first surprise comes immediately after the announcement that we are receiving a gift. Jesus tells us to sell all that we have and help those ...

544. How Would You Introduce Jesus?

John 1:(1-9), 10-18

Sermon

King Duncan

... out with her friends when she saw a young guy nearby reading a book. It was a book that she liked. And he looked like the kind of person she would like to meet. So she decided to introduce herself. In her head, she planned to say, “Hey, my friends and I wanted ... a group of 3rd and 4th graders, and God only knows how many lives will be changed because Rose wanted to reflect the loving kindness of God. So grace is the character of God toward us. And truth is the reality that God is the sure foundation for our ...

545. The World's Most Extraordinary Club

Matthew 5:1-12

Sermon

King Duncan

... they will see God. Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called the children of God. Blessed are those who are persecuted because of righteousness, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. “Blessed are you when people insult you, persecute you and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of me. Rejoice and be glad, because great is your reward in heaven, for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you.” I know what some of you are thinking: who would want to belong to a ...

546. Cloak of Power

Psalm 5:1-12

Sermon

Lori Wagner

... of oxen, and he himself is driving the twelfth. As with many of the Hebrew kings and prophets before him, Elisha comes from an attitude of service. Elisha is not a poor man, but his family is wealthy. Yet he takes to the fields, driving oxen with his staff. This kind of character will serve him well as a prophet of the Lord. For it was far from easy to be a prophet. You had to tell Kings far beyond your station that they were wrong. And that could get you flayed or killed or worse. When Elijah meets Elisha ...

547. Reveille

Mark 6:7-13, Matthew 10:1-42, Luke 9:1-9, Luke 10:1-24

Sermon

Lori Wagner

... the town of Bethsaida to the curb.” And he “leaves them in the dust.” What does this mean? Jesus tells us. He says to those cities that “even the dust of your town we wipe from our feet as a warning to you!” In our language of today, it’s kind of like saying, “There’s a hurricane coming. It’s time to evacuate. It’s time to come inside with me. Please don’t stay out in the storm. There’s a place of rest, of feasting, of warmth, of safety. Trust me. Come with me. If some won’t ...

548. Joey and Nicky at Skull Mountain

Mark 15:42-47

Sermon

Lori Wagner

... , and in questioning, and in befuddlement and confusion. And it’s okay to do that. Let’s hear that. It’s okay to take the time to do that. They all did! No one really believed Jesus would be resurrected. Sure, he told them that. Sure, they listened. Sure, they kind of believed that they’d see the kingdom in their death…or in the last days. But would this man, whom they just saw killed, just come back from the grave, all good as new? It was hard to swallow. Wouldn’t it be for you? This week…..I ...

549. Beautiful

John 20:19-23, Song of Songs 4:1-16

Sermon

Lori Wagner

... own or led astray by the ways of the world –Jesus will find you! For those who have lost all hope, who have lost loved ones, or suffer with illness or death –Jesus will find you! For those who hunger in doubt and dejection –Jesus will find you! As Kind David said, “I foresaw that the Lord was always with me; because he is at my right hand I won’t be shaken. Therefore, my heart was glad and my tongue rejoiced. Moreover, my body will live in hope, because you won’t abandon me to the grave, nor ...

550. All the Pretty Horses

Luke 12:13-21, Luke 12:1-12, 1 Kings 3:16-28

Sermon

Lori Wagner

... relationships they felt had been broken. Not one of them mourned the loss of their career, or their home, or their success, or even their health at that point. Only their relationships. Most of us are not farmers, storing up grain. But in our lives, we store up all kinds of things! We can store up resentments. We can store up anger. We can store up hatred. We can store up hurts, whether real or imagined. We can store up emotional pain. We can store up our ghosts from the past. We can store up guilt. We can ...

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