Sermon and Worship Resources

Synonyms: Levi, disciple, evangelist, tax collector, the 12, the twelve, apostle, sermon on the mount, jewish audience, beatitudes, lord's prayer, great commission, parables, olivet discourse, mount of olives, olivet, synoptic

Showing 551 to 575 of 5000 results

551. The Lord Appears to Solomon

1 Kings 9:1-9

One Volume

Gary M. Burge

After a chapter fraught with spectacle and discourse of great acclaim, a more forceful speech (9:1–9) occurs, as God again appears to Solomon, just as at Gibeon in chapter 3, where Solomon asked for a “listening heart” (see commentary on 3:1–28). God’s word here begins with a stunning acknowledgment that he has heard the king’s prayer, he has sanctified the temple, and his eyes will always be on it. But immediately the word continues with an intense admonition about the king’s personal conduct, with a ...

552. The Lord Speaks

Job 38:1--41:34

One Volume

Gary M. Burge

38:1–41:34; 40:3–5; 42:1–6 Review · God’s Speeches with Job’s Responses:The polyphony in the words and ideas that have cut across the respective characters’ monologic points of view grinds nearly to a halt with God’s thunderous voice. Job finally gets to stand before God. The wish is granted. But, teasingly, this will be no dialogic interchange. This is monologue. God has a different set of values, other premises than those held by Job. God’s barrage of questions, though in the form of an invitation to ...

553. Job Replies to the Lord

Job 42:1-6

One Volume

Gary M. Burge

Job can do nothing but confess his unworthiness and lack of understanding. But Job’s last words (42:6) are anything but clear. Job may be saying any of the following, and choosing one over the other depends on how one understands God’s speeches and Job’s reaction: 1. I despise myself and repent (sitting) on dust and ashes—an act of humbleness (so NIV); 2. I take back/retract myself (my words) and repent on dust and ashes; 3. I now reject and forswear dust and ashes—Job now rejects his symbols of mourning; ...

554. The Lord's Supper

Matthew 26:17-30, Matthew 26:31-35

One Volume

Gary M. Burge

Matthew marks the beginning of the Passover celebration at 26:17 (with “the first day of the Festival of Unleavened Bread” signaling its inception or the day anticipating it, as in Mark 14:12; for the combining of the two festivals cf. Deut. 16:1–8; Philo, On the Special Laws 2.150). He tells his disciples to prepare their Passover meal by going into Jerusalem and meeting a man with whom Jesus has presumably made room arrangements. In the later evening, Jesus celebrates the Passover meal with his disciples ...

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

Luke 3:1-20

One Volume

Gary M. Burge

The historical introduction in 3:1 signifies the real beginning of the gospel story (cf. Acts 10:37). Luke is the only Gospel writer who clearly sets the events into the context of world history. Tiberius’s reign extended from AD 14 to 37. The reference to Tiberius’s fifteenth year (3:1) is not definitive because there were different ways of calculating chronology in the ancient world. One possible date is AD 28/29, though AD 26/27 could be correct as well. Pontius Pilate ruled as the governor of Judea ( ...

556. The Hidden Inheritance, the Hidden Lord

1 Peter 1:1-12

One Volume

Gary M. Burge

Peter begins his letter like any other in the world of his day, with a greeting, a prayer, and an expression of thanks. But his delight at the wonderful message he has to impart is so great that, like Paul, he fills out these bare, formal “bones” with the glories of the Christian gospel. He is not simply Peter, but an apostle who writes with the authority of Jesus Christ. His recipients are not just the Christians of northern Asia Minor, but God’s elect, whose earthly address is only temporary. His prayer ...

557. Oil and Bread Set Before the Lord

Leviticus 24:1-9

Understanding Series

W. H. Bellinger, Jr.

Daily Worship: Chapter 24 continues with matters associated with worship, but the focus shifts from the special feasts to the regular or daily worship carried on at the tabernacle. The concern here is with two matters related to the sanctuary: lights and bread. 24:1–4 God commands Moses to instruct the people. These verses then specify the oil to be used in the lamps in the sanctuary and the care to be taken with them. Apparently some kind of lighting in sanctuaries was a quite ancient practice. While ...

558. Holding to the Lord’s Paths Amidst Threatening Stalkers

Psalm 17:1-15

Understanding Series

Craig C. Broyles

This prayer psalm of the individual concerns Yahweh’s judgment and enemies like a pride of lions who threaten the speaker. It opens with a prayer to have a hearing with God and for him to pass his final judgment or verdict (vv. 1–2). It then declares the speaker’s innocence by confessing that Yahweh has already “examined” him (contra NIV; vv. 3–5). The next section prays for refuge (vv. 6–8), and the following lament makes the reason plain: the wicked hunt him down (vv. 9–12). The final section prays for ...

559. Nations to Praise the Lord for His Faithfulness

Psalm 117:1-2

Understanding Series

Craig C. Broyles

This is the shortest and simplest of the psalms. Its structure is typical of hymns, in that it consists of a call for praise, which is repeated at the conclusion, and the grounds for that praise, which is expressed in a “for” statement. Its liturgical use is plain from the repeated call to worship. Its brevity may lead us to suppose we have but a fragment of a larger psalm or that it forms either the conclusion of Psalm 116 (as some Hb. manuscripts have it) or the introduction of Psalm 118 (as other Hb. ...

560. The Lord is God

Deuteronomy 4:32-40

Understanding Series

Christopher J. H. Wright

Obedience and Loyalty to Israel’s Unique God: These verses are the climax, not just of chapter 4, but of the whole first discourse of Moses in the book. They are fittingly exalted, in content and style. As mentioned earlier, this whole section mirrors the opening eight verses but elevates the theme tremendously. The stylistic device of rhetorical questions that expressed the incomparability of Israel in verses 6–8 is employed again to affirm the incomparability of Yahweh, and for a similarly combined ...

561. Assyria, the Lord’s Instrument

Isaiah 8:1-10

Understanding Series

John Goldingay

Coping with the Pressure from Syria and Ephraim: The heart of 6:1–9:7 is story and prophecy focusing on a crisis in Jerusalem about 733 B.C., soon after Isaiah’s commission. Ahaz is now king. Jotham may have died before his father and only ever been co-regent. Northern Israel (see Additional Notes on 1:3) and Aram (Syria) had been forced to become part of the Assyrian empire, and they had now combined forces to try to compel Judah to join them in their efforts to gain independence from Assyria. They failed ...

562. Praise to the Lord

Isaiah 25:1-12

Understanding Series

John Goldingay

Devastation and Renewal for the Whole Land: The word massa’ no longer introduces the prophecies, but not until chapter 28 do we return to the direct, confrontational challenges to the people of God that dominate chapters 1–12. Chapters 24–27 thus stand out from the material on either side. The canvas broadens yet further than it had in chapters 13–23, but the tone of these chapters continues. The prophecy depicts further disaster and devastation, but makes fewer references to specific peoples. The effect ...

563. The Servant of the Lord

Isaiah 42:1-9

Understanding Series

John Goldingay

Servant and Covenant: Again Yahweh challenges opponents to come to court to argue out who is God (41:21–29). Again a passage about Yahweh’s servant (42:1–9) follows this court case. Again this leads into praise and a vision of Yahweh transforming nature (42:10–17). While the three sections parallel the preceding set of three, they take matters much further. 42:1a Following the description of the commitments Yahweh makes to servant Israel (41:3–16) is a description of the commitment that Yahweh’s servant ...

564. Song of Praise to the Lord

Isaiah 42:10-17

Understanding Series

John Goldingay

Servant and Covenant: Again Yahweh challenges opponents to come to court to argue out who is God (41:21–29). Again a passage about Yahweh’s servant (42:1–9) follows this court case. Again this leads into praise and a vision of Yahweh transforming nature (42:10–17). While the three sections parallel the preceding set of three, they take matters much further. 42:10–17 The invitation to praise announces that we are coming to the end of a section of the book, and/or draws attention to the significance of what ...

565. The Lord, Not Idols

Isaiah 44:6-23

Understanding Series

John Goldingay

The Restoration of a Blind and Deaf Servant, II: After Job and his “friends” have spent chapter after chapter arguing with God and with each other as to the meaning of the calamities that have come to Job, God appears and puts Job in his place at some length (Job 38:1–40:2). Job submits, and might have expected this was the end of the story. Instead, as one imagines Job’s groan, God starts again (Job 40:6). There is a parallel dynamic in the new beginning here at Isaiah 43:22. It seems that 42:18–43:21 ...

566. Lord of the Sabbath

Mark 2:23-3:6

Sermon

George Reed

The Gospel Reading shows Jesus in a position of conflict with the religious leaders of his day, a position we find him in repeatedly. This time it is over the observance of the sabbath. This is a story we need to hear, not only to understand the life of Jesus, but to apply it to ourselves as religious folks. In Jesus' critical encounters with the Pharisees or scribes or the Jews, we must avoid the temptation to look down on them by placing ourselves above them. The faults of the religious people of Jesus' ...

567. A Work Horse For The Lord

Illustration

Staff

John Wesley traveled 250,000 miles on horseback, averaging twenty miles a day for forty years; preached 4,000 sermons; produced 400 books; knew ten languages. At eighty-three he was annoyed that he could not write more than fifteen hours a day without hurting his eyes, and at eighty-six he was ashamed he could not preach more than twice a day. He complained in his diary that there was an increasing tendency to lie in bed until 5:30 in the morning.

568. The Lord's Answer

Habakkuk 1:5-11

Understanding Series

John Goldingay

A Protest and an Answer (i): After the introduction (v. 1), Habakkuk challenges Yahweh about faithlessness and violence in Judah and Yahweh’s failure to act in deliverance (vv. 2–4), and Yahweh announces the intention to take action by means of the Babylonians (vv. 5–11). 1:5–11 Yahweh is stung into responding and implies that Habakkuk’s protest was quite proper. It is necessary to do something about the way people are treating each other in Jerusalem, and Yahweh is committed to acting. Typically Yahweh ...

569. Zerubbabel the Lord’s Signet Ring

Haggai 2:20-23

Understanding Series

John Goldingay

December: More than two more months have passed; the day of the final prophecies by Haggai that are recorded, the 24th day of the ninth month (December) is exactly three months from the day when people began the work on the temple, on the 24th day of the sixth month (September, Hag. 1:15). The festival of Hanukkah, commemorating the rededication of the temple after its desecration by Antiochus Epiphanes, was subsequently set to begin on the day after this, on the 25th day of the ninth month (December), ...

570. Prayers for Year A

Bulletin Aid

William S. Carter

... . FOURTH SUNDAY IN LENT · Matthew 20:17-28 Father, help us to be men and women for others. We are so often pushing ahead to be first and best and most important. Renew for us the symbol of the servant; the man of God; through Jesus Christ your Son our Lord, who lives and rules with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, within our world today. Amen. FIFTH SUNDAY IN LENT · John 11:1-53 [or John 11:47-53] Almighty God, there are so many signposts pointing to you. But we miss so many and misread others. Help us ...

571. The Golden Calf

Exodus 32:1-33:6

Understanding Series

James K. Bruckner

... the “idol cast in the shape of a calf, fashioning it with a tool” (v. 4). He had also built the altar in front of the calf and announced the festival (v. 5). To Moses, he claimed that the calf had somehow magically self-generated. Moses later recounted that the Lord was angry enough to destroy Aaron too, but did not (Deut. 9:20). The text does not exonerate Aaron of guilt. He made the calf and acted as its priest (vv. 2–6, 21–25, 35). He tried to be relevant to the people’s expressed need in Moses ...

572. The Glory Departs

Ezekiel 8:1-18, Ezekiel 9:1-11, Ezekiel 10:1-22, Ezekiel 11:1-15, Ezekiel 11:16-25

Understanding Series

Steven Tuell

... 1 (Block, Ezekiel 1–24, pp. 314–17). Ezekiel once more sees the likeness of a throne of sapphire above the expanse (v. 1; compare 1:22, 26; Exod. 24:10). Again, he hears the divine voice from the throne (v. 2; compare 1:28), though this time the Lord addresses the man clothed in linen (v. 2; compare 9:2–4) rather than the prophet. The priestly role of that figure again becomes apparent: he is permitted to handle fire in the sacred precincts of the temple, and the term used for his action with the fire ...

573. Crossing the Sea

Exodus 13:17--14:31

Understanding Series

James K. Bruckner

... offing. The imagery here, and even more powerfully in Exodus 15, is from the creation of the world in Genesis 1. It is a re-creation of part of the creation event, creating now a whole people who, for the first time in history, would trust and fear the Lord together (v. 31). Three phrases allude to the creation: as God’s spirit hovered over the waters (Gen. 1:2) so Moses was told to raise his staff over the sea; as God separated the water (Gen. 1:7) Moses’ action divided the water; and as God made dry ...

574. Will the Real Christian Please Stand Up?

Acts 11:26

Sermon

James Merritt

... , we are the servants; He is the King, we are the subjects. Let me make something very plain. Jesus does not want a place in your life, He does not want prominence in your life, He wants preeminence in your life. When you crown Him King, you crown Him as Lord. Let me tell you why this is so important. A great preacher once said: "Let a man get right on the lordship of Christ and he is right all down the line on every issue. It means that the flagship of the fleet is the lordship of Christ, and if ...

575. Oracles of Restoration

Ezekiel 34:1-31, Ezekiel 35:1-15, Ezekiel 36:1-38, Ezekiel 37:1-14, Ezekiel 37:15-28

Understanding Series

Steven Tuell

... the affirmation that Israel is “the sheep of my pasture . . . and I am your God” (v. 31). This unit is used in the Common Lectionary; 34: 11–16, 20–24 are to be read on the feast of Christ the King in Year A. Unlike the false shepherds, the Lord says, “I myself will search for my sheep and look after them” (v. 11). Some have seen the phrase a day of clouds and darkness (v. 12) as an explanation of how the flock came to be scattered: they are unable to find one another in the dark. However, this ...

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Showing 551 to 575 of 5000 results

551. The Lord Appears to Solomon

1 Kings 9:1-9

One Volume

Gary M. Burge

552. The Lord Speaks

Job 38:1--41:34

One Volume

Gary M. Burge

553. Job Replies to the Lord

Job 42:1-6

One Volume

Gary M. Burge

554. The Lord's Supper

Matthew 26:17-30, Matthew 26:31-35

One Volume

Gary M. Burge

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

Luke 3:1-20

One Volume

Gary M. Burge

556. The Hidden Inheritance, the Hidden Lord

1 Peter 1:1-12

One Volume

Gary M. Burge

557. Oil and Bread Set Before the Lord

Leviticus 24:1-9

Understanding Series

W. H. Bellinger, Jr.

558. Holding to the Lord’s Paths Amidst Threatening Stalkers

Psalm 17:1-15

Understanding Series

Craig C. Broyles

559. Nations to Praise the Lord for His Faithfulness

Psalm 117:1-2

Understanding Series

Craig C. Broyles

560. The Lord is God

Deuteronomy 4:32-40

Understanding Series

Christopher J. H. Wright

561. Assyria, the Lord’s Instrument

Isaiah 8:1-10

Understanding Series

John Goldingay

562. Praise to the Lord

Isaiah 25:1-12

Understanding Series

John Goldingay

563. The Servant of the Lord

Isaiah 42:1-9

Understanding Series

John Goldingay

564. Song of Praise to the Lord

Isaiah 42:10-17

Understanding Series

John Goldingay

Servant and Covenant: Again Yahweh challenges opponents to come to court to argue out who is God (41:21–29). Again a passage about Yahweh’s servant (42:1–9) follows this court case. Again this leads into praise and a vision of Yahweh transforming nature (42:10–17). While the three sections parallel the preceding set of three, they take matters much further. 42:10–17 The invitation to praise announces that we are coming to the end of a section of the book, and/or draws attention to the significance of what ...

565. The Lord, Not Idols

Isaiah 44:6-23

Understanding Series

John Goldingay

566. Lord of the Sabbath

Mark 2:23-3:6

Sermon

George Reed

567. A Work Horse For The Lord

Illustration

Staff

568. The Lord's Answer