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 576 to 600 of 3314 results

576. An Annual Reminder

John 20:1-9

Sermon

David J. Kalas

... of all.” Our idiomatic phrase says “last, but not least.” Paul, however, reckons himself both last and least of the apostles. He knows that he is “unfit.” But, of course, that is always the testimony in the wake of God’s grace ... different times in his letters, including five times in this chapter alone. The people’s believing (15:2), their faith (15:14), and the apostles’ proclamation (15:14) could all possibly be in vain. But at the same time, he assures the people that God’s grace (15:10) ...

577. When You Reach the Rejection Hotline

Acts 4:1-22

Sermon

King Duncan

... dead. Christ’s resurrection, if true, presented them with a real dilemma. It struck down one of their core beliefs. And so they seized Peter and John and had them put in jail. The following morning those who were disturbed by the Apostles’ teaching interrogated Peter. “By what power or what name did you do this?” they asked. Instead of answering their question, Peter took the opportunity to do a little teaching. Peter explained that whatever they saw the disciples doing was not being accomplished ...

578. Peter Speaks to the Onlookers

Acts 3:11-26

Understanding Series

David J. Williams

... being raised from the dead (see disc. on 4:2; cf. 1 Cor. 15:20). It was certainly of the resurrection that Peter went on to speak. For over against the sorry story of the nation’s rejection of Jesus, God had raised him from the dead. The apostles were witnesses of this. The Greek runs, “[Jesus] whom God raised, of whom we are witnesses” (see notes on 4:10), making it clear that their brief included more than the resurrection—they were his witnesses in the broadest sense of the term (cf. 1:8, 22; 10 ...

579. Peter’s Miraculous Escape from Prison

Acts 12:1-19a

Understanding Series

David J. Williams

... , the likely year of Herod’s death, whereas the episode in Antioch is best dated after about A.D. 49–50 (see disc. on 15:1–21). Others suppose that he went to Rome, but Paul’s letter to the Romans, written about A.D. 56, implies that no other apostle had visited the city, and this appears to have remained the case until he arrived there himself in about A.D. 60 (cf. 28:22). There remains a slender possibility that Peter worked for a while in Asia Minor (see disc. on 16:7). At all events, he was back ...

580. The Council’s Letter to Gentile Believers

Acts 15:22-35

Understanding Series

David J. Williams

... he was the brother of Joseph Barsabbas (1:23), in which case, like his brother, he may have been a follower of Jesus “beginning from John’s baptism” (1:21f.). So the letter was sent, not as from the council, but from the church in Jerusalem (the apostles and the elders, v. 23), which still regarded itself as having the authoritative voice in the affairs of the whole people of God. There is some uncertainty as to how the word brothers relates to the rest of the phrase in verse 23, but NIV is probably ...

581. The Trial Before Felix

Acts 24:1-27

Understanding Series

David J. Williams

... .” K. Lake and H. J. Cadbury make it even stronger: “He had complete knowledge of the facts about the Way” (BC, vol. 4, p. 304). At all events it shows that this Roman, with a good grasp of the facts, found himself unable to condemn the apostle. This was the real reason for the adjournment; the reason alleged was that he needed the evidence of the prefect in person. But we never hear of Lysias’ coming, and we can only suppose that he was never summoned. How Felix had acquired his knowledge of the ...

582. Ashore on Malta

Acts 28:1-10

Understanding Series

David J. Williams

... his own medical skill had been brought into play, so that he too was honored in return for his services. But Paul is the center of attention throughout, and Luke may only have included himself as the indirect beneficiary of the gifts given to the apostle. The expression in the Greek, many “honors” (NIV in many ways) is sometimes used in the sense of fees charged for services, but we cannot believe that Paul or Luke would have charged for any services they rendered (cf. Matt. 10:8). Rather, we should ...

583. The Law and the Promise

Galatians 3:15-25, Galatians 3:1-14

Understanding Series

L. Ann Jervis

... and put to death by human cruelty” (ibid., p. 180). N. Elliott argues that Paul’s conversion to the crucified Messiah was at the same time a “conversion to the cause of the crucified” (Liberating Paul: The Justice of God and the Politics of the Apostle [Maryknoll, N. Y.: Orbis, 1994], p. 227). That is, Paul became at once committed to Christ and to society’s poor and disenfranchised. Elliott regards the centrality of the cross to Paul’s gospel as a symbol of his political commitment, or to put ...

584. Rules for Christian Households

Colossians 3:18-4:1

Understanding Series

Arthur G. Patzia

... to be done in an orderly manner, and the welfare of the entire body must be considered. With the delay of the Lord’s return, the need for order in the church became more obvious. The teaching ministry that initially belonged to the twelve apostles and to charismatic leaders such as prophets and teachers (cf. Acts) was enlarged to include appropriately appointed leaders like Paul, as well as bishops (episkopos, 1 Tim. 3:1–7; Titus 1:7), deacons (diakonos, 1 Tim. 3:8–13), and elders (presbyteros, Titus ...

585. Warning Against False Teachers of the Law

1 Timothy 1:1-11

Understanding Series

Gordon D. Fee

... the letter in hand. This seems to be true of our letter. 1:1 Paul regularly calls himself an apostle of Christ Jesus (1 Corinthians, 2 Corinthians, Galatians, Ephesians, Colossians; cf. Romans), especially in those letters in which his ... its legal functions (Gal. 5:22–23). The mention of lawbreakers launches Paul into a whole list of such sinners. Vice lists like this are typical of the apostle (see e.g., Rom. 1:29–31; 1 Cor. 5:11; 6:9–10; Gal. 5:19–21; and 2 Tim. 3:2–4). What amazes one is ...

586. The Living Stone and a Chosen People

1 Peter 2:4-12

Understanding Series

Norman Hillyer

... various themes were formed in the early days of the church for the benefit of preachers. That Peter is using such a document here is supported by the fact that in Rom. 9:33 Paul also has Peter’s two Isaiah quotations (Isa. 28:16; 8:14), yet both apostles cite an identical Greek text which is not that of the LXX. The possibility that one writer quoted from the other is ruled out because Paul wrote Romans many years before 1 Peter was written (so he could not have borrowed from Peter), and for Peter to have ...

587. Final Greetings

1 Peter 5:12-14

Understanding Series

Norman Hillyer

... Christ and thus into the Christian family. The relationship clearly continued to be a close one. It is widely accepted that the second of the four Gospels in the NT was compiled by John Mark in Rome, and that it is largely based on Peter’s preaching and on the apostle’s memories of what Jesus said and did. 5:14 When in conclusion Peter bids his readers to greet one another with a kiss of love, he is using an expression that frequently closes NT letters (Rom. 16:16; 1 Cor. 16:20; 2 Cor. 13:12; 1 Thess. 5 ...

588. Jesus Washes His Disciples’ Feet

John 13:1-17, John 13:18-30

Understanding Series

J. Ramsey Michaels

... 23/Matt. 24:25) will maintain, in the face of every disappointment, their faith in Jesus as all that he claimed to be (i.e., that I am he, v. 19), and in so doing find their faith vindicated. They are the ones who prove themselves truly “apostles” or “sent ones,” and to them the promise of verse 20 is given. The brief mission oracle ends appropriately with a prophetic guarantee of the authority of the messengers (cf. the placement of Matt. 10:40–42 and Luke 10:16 at the end of substantially longer ...

589. The Authority of Jesus over Nature and the Cosmic Powers

Mark 5:1-20, Mark 4:35-41

Teach the Text

Grant R. Osborne

... see the introduction). The disciples are faithless because they are focused entirely on the earthly dilemma and lack faith in God/Jesus. Fear is the sign of a lack of faith (cf. 5:15, 36; 6:50; 10:32; 16:8). 4:41 Who is this? The apostles respond with an appropriate “great fear” that demonstrates awe and reverence rather than terror. There is a very high Christology in their affirmation, for in the Old Testament Yahweh alone commands the storms (Pss. 65:7; 89:9; 93:3–4; 107:28–29). “Who is this ...

590. Christian Success and Christlikeness

1 Corinthians 4:1-21

Teach the Text

Preben Vang

... a degree of independence and autonomy that threatened the unity of the Christian church and message. Paul seems unconcerned with uniformity and gives no outline of what it specifically means to imitate him. He includes no encouragement to reject other apostles and co-workers in order to boost his own image. Rather, his concern is that Christ’s cross and resurrection remain central to all Christian thinking and endeavor. The cross is the measuring stick used to scrutinize all Christian ministry ...

591. Message to Philadelphia

Revelation 3:7-13

Teach the Text

J. Scott Duvall

... s kingdom is deeply reassuring. Interestingly, in Matthew 16:18–19 Jesus passes this privilege of keeping the keys to Peter and the other apostles. 3:8 I have placed before you an open door that no one can shut. While some believe the “open door” refers to ... obedience. And Jesus, not the world or even its religious leaders, determines who gets into the kingdom. Jesus’s words to the apostle Paul come to mind: “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness” (2 Cor. 12: ...

592. God’s Judgment of Babylon Calls for Celebration

Revelation 19:1-10, Revelation 18:1-24

Teach the Text

J. Scott Duvall

... Third, Babylon has murdered God’s people (cf. 6:9–11; 7:14; 11:7; 13:7, 15; 14:13; 16:6; 17:6; 19:2). God’s servants are listed in a variety of ways throughout this section: “my people” (18:4), “people of God,” “apostles and prophets” (18:20), “prophets” (18:24), “God’s holy people” (18:24; 19:8), “his servants” (19:2, 5), and “brothers and sisters who hold to the testimony of Jesus” (19:10). What’s more, Babylon’s passion for death extends beyond God’s people. She ...

593. The New Heaven and New Earth

Revelation 21:1-27

Teach the Text

J. Scott Duvall

... It had a great, high wall with twelve gates, and with twelve angels at the gates. On the gates were written the names of the twelve tribes of Israel. . . . The wall of the city had twelve foundations, and on them were the names of the twelve apostles of the Lamb. Any noteworthy city in the ancient world had walls and gates to guard the citizens, so the heavenly Jerusalem as the perfect city has “a great, high wall with twelve gates.”7Because there will be no enemies and because the wall is composed ...

594. Jesus and the Miraculous Catch of Fish

John 21:1-14

One Volume

Gary M. Burge

... truly/amen” in 21:18 (see, e.g., 5:19; 6:26; 8:34). This evidence suggests that chapter 21 is authentically Johannine but secondary to the original format of the Gospel (but see Smalley 1974). John 21:20–23 implies that John the apostle has died and that the community he founded is wrestling with his absence. Disciples who have survived their master identify themselves in 21:24 (“we know that his testimony is true”). No doubt they collected together John’s teachings—including chapter 21—and ...

595. Fulfillment of the Twelve

Acts 1:12-26

One Volume

Gary M. Burge

... from the Old Testament: Psalms 69:25 and 109:8. In their original contexts, both verses point to the failure of those who oppose God to succeed in their evil plans. Here not only does Peter cite these verses to justify the election of an apostle to replace Judas, but he is also affirming a wider theological principle. This becomes a significant theological introduction to Acts: the enemies of this word will not deter its progression. The fate of Judas then becomes an exemplary event that points to the fate ...

596. Peter Heals the Crippled Beggar

Acts 3:1-10

One Volume

Gary M. Burge

... a “paralyzed man” (Luke 5:17–26) at the beginning of his Galilean ministry. This points to the exemplary nature of the period of the church as it demonstrates the continuity between the ministries of Jesus and that of the apostles. Nevertheless, Luke makes it clear that Jesus is superior to the apostles because they are performing this miracle “in the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth” (3:6). On the one hand, the fact that “Peter and John were going up to the temple at the time of prayer” (3:1 ...

597. Peter and John Before the Sanhedrin

Acts 4:1-22

One Volume

Gary M. Burge

... make it clear that one can no longer rely on the sacrificial system in seeking approval in the eyes of God. Moreover, as the “Lord of all” (10:36), he is able to save all those who believe in him. Noting the impact of the miracle performed by these apostles, these Jewish leaders can only urge them not to preach this gospel (4:18). Peter and John’s reply (“Which is right in God’s eyes: to listen to you, or to him? You be the judges!” 4:19) turns their defense into a stern indictment, as they now ...

598. Persecution in Jerusalem

Acts 12:1-19a

One Volume

Gary M. Burge

... standing among the Jews (12:3). In listing the evil deeds of Herod, Luke mentions Herod’s execution of James the brother of John (12:2). Since James was one of the Twelve (Luke 5:10; 6:14), his death signifies the martyrdom of the first apostle, one of the leaders of the Jerusalem church. The miraculous deliverance of Peter from prison recalls a similar event in 5:17–24, but the details included here point back to the death and resurrection of Jesus. These include the appearance of a Herodian ruler (12 ...

599. In Thessalonica

Acts 17:1-9

One Volume

Gary M. Burge

... challenges the Roman Empire, it is true that Jesus is indeed “the king,” as Jesus himself admitted (Luke 23:3). This charge of subverting the claims of the Roman imperial system moves beyond the early accusations of the Jews at Philippi that these apostles advocate “customs unlawful for . . . Romans to accept or practice” (16:21). The Jews realize that while they have not been able to deter the growth of the early Christian movement, they can use the power and fears of the Roman provincial officials ...

600. Paul's Vision and His Thorn

2 Corinthians 12:1-10

One Volume

Gary M. Burge

... for “a man like that” to boast about the privilege of receiving such a vision (12:5). But Paul is unwilling to take this view, or to allow the Corinthians to think that this experience constitutes the real basis for his claim to be an apostle. And so he continues to present a claim that offers a clearer indication of apostolic vocation, a boast in the weakness of what he has done and said in Christ’s service. Furthermore, the Corinthians should know that following the experience of exaltation there ...

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