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 612 results

576. False Teaching

2 Timothy 3:1-9

One Volume

Gary M. Burge

3:1–5 · The false teachers put in their last-days context:Paul has just given Timothy one reason why he need not take opposition personally: God is in control of all things and all hearts (see also Acts 13:48; 16:14; Rom. 8:28–30). Now he offers a second reason: opposition has a place in God’s timetable. Paul thus reintroduces the Satan-prompted opposition to Christ’s redemption he referred to at 1 Timothy 4:1–5. In 1 Timothy, legalism and asceticism were Paul’s target. In 2 Timothy, Paul aims at a range ...

577. Paul’s Teaching

2 Timothy 3:10--4:8

One Volume

Gary M. Burge

3:10–17 · Third appeal, part one: Stay with what you know: The false teaching being circulated among the Ephesians is that the resurrection is entirely “now.” In his controversy with the Corinthians over whether there was still a resurrection to come, Paul pointed to his own sufferings as proof that “we have not yet begun to reign” (1 Cor. 4:8–13). Here in 2 Timothy, Paul reminds Timothy of the normalcy of suffering by taking him back to the events of Acts 13–14, when Paul ministered in Lystra, Timothy’s ...

578. Warning against Falling Away

Hebrews 5:11-6:12

One Volume

Gary M. Burge

5:11–6:8 · The exposition of Christ’s high priesthood is interrupted in the interest of another exhortation to persevere in faith. This section begins with a rebuke and is more severe in tone. The author intends to say more of Christ’s priesthood but must first prepare the audience to listen with understanding and appreciation. Their spiritual childishness shows itself in a disposition to content themselves with their theological and spiritual status quo, apparently since by further progress they would ...

579. To Abide in Christ Is to Attain Victory over Sin

1 John 2:28--3:10

One Volume

Gary M. Burge

2:26–29 · Abide in Christ and his anointing :Here the deceivers would be appealing to the hallmarks of Jewish faith and practice at the expense of the Jesus movement. Consider the appeals of the religious leaders in the Gospel: “We are disciples of Moses!” (John 9:28). “We are Abraham’s descendants” (John 8:33). They claimed that whoever speaks of himself is a presumptuous prophet, not a true prophet. Therefore, Jesus in the Gospel is presented as addressing those claims with his authentic mission from the ...

580. Accept His Peace

John 4:1-26, Romans 5:1-11, Exodus 17:1-7

Sermon

King Duncan

It was the deciding round of play of the 1983 U.S. Open golf tournament. A player named Larry Nelson was tied for first place. But then he hit a difficult situation. His approach shot to the sixteenth green left him sixty-two feet from the hole. His fans groaned. In the world of golf, sinking a sixty-two-foot putt is about as likely as a hole-in-one. Larry Nelson paused for a long moment. Then he raised his head, sized up the terrain, and stroked his ball. It rolled downhill for a spell, then up an incline ...

581. Peace and Joy

Romans 5:1-11

Understanding Series

James R. Edwards

Romans 5:1–11 is a victorious passage. “In the whole Bible there is hardly another chapter which can equal this triumphant text,” said Luther (Epistle to the Romans, p. 72). It is like a mountain pass from which one revels in scenery after having labored through the inclines and switchbacks of argumentation in the earlier chapters. The view cannot be fully appreciated without the effort it took to get there. Commentators are divided whether the passage is the conclusion of Paul’s argument so far or the ...

582. On Divisions in the Church

1 Corinthians 3:1-23

Understanding Series

Marion L. Soards

Paul’s teaching in this part of the letter is vivid and relatively straightforward. He begins by tying together what he has been saying since 1:17. The cardinal idea in these remarks is that the Corinthians are immature. Nevertheless, Paul does at least regard the Corinthians as “infants”; he does not deny they are persons of faith. The statements are insulting, as Paul repeatedly says the Corinthians are worldly (lit. “fleshly”). The Corinthians value wisdom and declare their status as mature believers or ...

583. The Resurrection Body

1 Corinthians 15:35-58

Understanding Series

Marion L. Soards

Comparing Bodies and Seeds These ten verses assemble a wide variety of materials as Paul continues to argue in behalf of the reality of the resurrection of the dead. Here, Paul offers a collage of data as he quotes the LXX, alludes to stories from Genesis, and develops analogies related to seed, flesh, body and glory, and Adam. The lines of the discussion open in the style of a diatribe with a dialogical argument, leading to Paul’s central point in verse 38, “God gives … as he wishes.” Above all, Paul’s ...

584. Seven Angels With Seven Plagues

Revelation 15:1-8

Understanding Series

Robert W. Wall

According to the apocalyptic view of history, the spiritual and societal conditions of human existence will continue to deteriorate, and there is nothing any sociopolitical institution can do to reverse them. Salvation comes from outside of history, from God’s heavenly abode. In returning to the theme of divine judgment, already so vividly drawn in his visions of seven seals and trumpets, John is making this same point more keenly: salvation is from God and not from Babylon’s rulers. John’s is an ...

585. The Incomparable God of Condescension and Exaltation

Psalm 113:1-9

Understanding Series

Craig C. Broyles

The Incomparable God of Condescension and Exaltation This is not a psalm for elitists. The chief symbols of power—all the nations in the earth and the heavens in the cosmos—do not impress King Yahweh (vv. 4–6). He, in fact, seems to delight in raising up society’s helpless to positions of social status (vv. 7–9). This psalm is a hymn, and more specifically it is one that uses both imperatives and participles, along with a rhetorical question concerning Yahweh’s incomparability (a form usually found in ...

586. Trembling at the Appearance of the God of the Exodus

Psalm 114:1-8

Understanding Series

Craig C. Broyles

114:1–8 This is a hymn, but a unique one. It contains no imperative call for worship. The only mention of human figures are Israel, Jacob, and Judah of the distant past. The psalm’s only imperative verb is addressed to the earth or “land.” The listeners/readers are dramatically transported back to the historical moments of the exodus, wilderness wanderings, and the entry into the promised land. This reliving of Israel’s sacred past is featured in other festival psalms (e.g., Pss. 46; 48; 66; 95). The ...

587. The Thousand Years

Revelation 20:1-7

Understanding Series

Robert W. Wall

20:1–3 The next two consequences of Christ’s parousia envision the destiny of the final and most powerful member of the evil trinity, Satan. Because Christ’s first advent resulted in Satan’s banishment from heaven (cf. 12:9), the reader assumes that Christ’s second advent will have a similar effect on earth—and so it does, as we will soon find out. At first, John sees not the dragon, but rather an angel coming down out of heaven to earth where the Evil One now lives. This angel comes as Satan’s jailer. In ...

588. The End Times

Daniel 12:1-13

Understanding Series

William Nelson

The Final Revelation--The Body: We enter now into the body of the last main revelation of the book of Daniel. There has been some progression in the visions of the book from a more general scope, encompassing larger blocks of history, to a more narrow focus on shorter periods of time. So, for example, Daniel 2 spans four and a half centuries by outlining the four human empires of Babylonia, Media, Persia, and Greece, which are swept away by the fifth—the eternal kingdom of God. Aside from the fact that the ...

589. The Fall of Man

Genesis 3:1-24

Understanding Series

John E. Hartley

The Fall: The interchange among the man, the woman, and the serpent provides dramatic movement, and captures how motivation to disobey God rises from an inversion of the order of responsibility that God had established. 3:1–5 Act 2 of the drama begins with the introduction of a new actor, the serpent, one of the wild animals the LORD God had made (2:19). The serpent is described as more crafty (’arum) than the other animals. ’Arum makes a wordplay on “naked” (’arummim), which occurs in 2:25, and thus ...

590. Israel's Only Savior

Isaiah 43:1-13

Understanding Series

John Goldingay

The Restoration of a Blind and Deaf Servant, I: After the parallel sequences of prophecies in 41:1–20 and 41:21–42:17 have come to their natural end in praise, a new pair of sequences begins. First Yahweh directly confronts Jacob-Israel about its capacity to fulfill the servant role (42:18–25). Then Jacob-Israel is reassured that nevertheless Yahweh, the one who brought the community into being, is still committed to it (43:1–7). Further, its calling to be Yahweh’s servant still stands, and beyond that, ...

591. So, You Want to Get Well?

Mark 5:21-43

Sermon

Ron Lavin

There are four stories going on in this text: 1) the story of a humble leader, 2) the story of a sick woman, 3) the story of a dead little girl, and 4) your story and mine. We want to be sure to get at the truth of the Bible stories, but we also need to look at the personal connection, the application of the text to our lives. That's your story and mine. In other words, preaching Bible stories must not only be true to the text; preaching also must make a difference. This text about Jesus' healing power is ...

592. Without Conflict There Is No Story

Mark 6:1-13

Sermon

Ron Lavin

George Anderson wanted to write a book. He had the subject of his book in mind. The title would be Handling Troubles. He knew that if he could get a publisher, the book would help other people. He knew he could do it, but he didn't know how, so he joined a writers' group. A famous and successful author was addressing a group of novice writers at the writers' group meeting. The would-be writers, including George, hung on his every word. "There must always be conflict," the speaker said. "Conflict is the ...

593. Speaking from the Heart

Luke 6:43-45

Sermon

King Duncan

It’s confession time. “Uh-oh,” you’re thinking. “What am I suppose to confess?” By a show of hands, how many of you have a junk drawer at home--a place that has become a repository for things you can’t find somewhere else to keep? What’s in your junk drawer? When you open it up, are you surprised by what ends up in there? The average American home has too much stuff in it, and we don’t know what to do with all of it. We cram things in closets. Under beds. In our junk drawer. We may even rent a warehouse to ...

594. Understanding Outrageous Grace

Luke 18:9-14

Sermon

King Duncan

Let me ask you a tough question this morning: how many of you have been accused of being a poor listener? Or should I call it “selective listener”? We hear what we want to hear. Most of us have been guilty of this at one time or another. Maybe we’re easily distracted. Publisher Thom Rainer has collected stories over the years from his pastor friends of some of the strangest distractions they’ve dealt with while preaching. For example, one pastor had a bat fly into the sanctuary during his sermon. In ...

595. Less Fear; More Fruit

Matthew 3:1-12

Sermon

Dean Feldmeyer

“Be afraid. Be very afraid.” The year is 1986 and the movie is the remake of the classic horror film, “The Fly.” Jeff Goldbum plays the eccentric scientist, Seth Brundle, who is working on a machine that will teleport people and things by disassembling their molecules at one point and reassembling them at another. Geena Davis plays Veronica Quaife, a reporter who is writing Brundle’s story. Unfortunately, when Brundle tries to transport himself from one room to another, a housefly is inadvertently trapped ...

596. Aha! I See It Now!

John 1:29-42

Sermon

King Duncan

Series: Seeing God More Clearly in 2020 When was the last time you had an “Aha!” moment? A revelation? An epiphany? I don’t know what you might call it, but we’ve all had a before-and-after moment when a sudden insight, a moment of truth, changed our life. Simon Lovell was one man who had his life changed in such an Aha! moment. Simon was a professional con man. His most successful con was to convince some innocent person that he had a get-rich-quick scheme that couldn’t fail. Once his victim handed over a ...

597. The Art of Impersonation

Matthew 5:21-37

Sermon

King Duncan

Series: Seeing God More Clearly in 2020 Who would you say is your favorite celebrity? Can you imagine walking in his or her shoes for one day? It would probably be challenging. The only people who can come close to understanding what it’s like to walk in their shoes might be celebrity impersonators. Did you know there is a worldwide industry of people who pretend to be famous celebrities? These impersonators usually look like the people they are imitating. They dress like them. They take on the celebrity’s ...

598. Look At Your Fixations!

Deuteronomy 26:1-15

Sermon

Carl Jech

The Shadow: Fixation Introduction In one of his classic comedy routines Victor Borge sits down at the piano and says to the audience: "Pardon my back. Pardon my front ... But that's the way I'm built!" Every coin has two sides. Our body has a front and a back. And every body casts a shadow. These facts are neither good nor bad in themselves. They are just facts of life. To say, with psychologist Carl Jung, that every person has a shadow side, a "not-so-nice" side to their personality, is not necessarily to ...

599. What Really Matters

John 3:1-21

Sermon

King Duncan

Sir Ernest Shackleton was a celebrated explorer during the first part of the 20th century. In his writings he describes some of the tasks he and his companions faced in preparing to return from an expedition to the South Pole. They knew they would have to leave some possessions behind. He writes that he was profoundly impressed with the things his companions considered important, as contrasted with the things they threw away. For example, they took their money out their pockets and left it behind. Even ...

600. The Song of Servanthood

Luke 1:39-45 (46-54)

Sermon

Derl G. Keefer

Weddings are beautiful and exciting events with an abundance of anticipation. There is so much to do. The “who, what, where, how and why” questions all need to be answered. The bride’s dress needs to be just perfect for her. The bridemaids’ dresses are to be considered and ordered. Flowers need to be ordered from the florist. The guest list must be made and invitations sent. Registration for gifts at different stores should be processed. Oh, and don’t forget the groom and his entourage must be given their ...

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