Sermon and Worship Resources

Showing 626 to 650 of 3099 results

626. Jesus as Isaianic Messiah and Wisdom Embodied

Matthew 11:1-19

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Jeannine K. Brown

... kingdom of heaven is greater than [John].” He is the last of the prophets pointing forward to the time of restoration (11:13–14). 11:12 the kingdom . . . has been subjected to violence, and violent people have been raiding it. Although biazetai can be either a middle (“forcefully advancing”) or passive (“subjected to violence”) verb, most take it here in the passive. A related interpretive issue is whether biazetai should be rendered positively or negatively. If the former, then the two parts ...

627. Government and Marriage

Mark 12:18-27, Mark 12:13-17

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Grant R. Osborne

... the emperor, was made in the image of God. God is creator and has dominion over all, so the emperor’s authority is under God and comes from God. Caesar is to be “given” what is due him, including taxes, and all subjects are obligated. Yet the secular sphere itself is subject to the sacred sphere, and God is sovereign over Caesar, whose realm is part of God’s realm. People submit to government as part of their submission to God (see also Matt. 17:24–27). 12:18 Sadducees. Matthew 22:23 tells ...

628. The First Disciples

Luke 5:1-11

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R.T. France

... in Capernaum, cautions against too absolute an understanding of the phrase “left everything.” Theological Insights Following the account of Jesus’s exorcisms and healing, this is the first of three so-called nature miracles (those that do not have a human being as the subject) that are recorded by Luke; for the others, see 8:22–25; 9:10–17. This miracle has the same motif (an incredible catch of fish following Jesus’s directions) as the postresurrection story in John 21:1–14. As with all the ...

629. Jesus’s Fallible Followers

Luke 9:51-56, Luke 9:46-50, Luke 9:37-45

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R.T. France

... verb indicates that the initiative is with God rather than with Jesus’s human opponents. This explains the paradox that the Son of Man, whose role it is to rule over all nations (see the sidebar “The Son of Man” at 5:12–26), is to be subject to human power. This prediction summarizes what is more fully spelled out in 9:22 and especially 18:31–32. 9:45 They did not understand. Luke emphasizes the point by repeating it in different words three times in this one verse, in striking contrast to ...

630. God and Mammon

Luke 16:16-18, Luke 16:1-15

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R.T. France

... Pharisees’ self-justification and the admiration that they seek from others) rather than valuation in a neutral sense. Compare Isaiah 2:12–18. The saying possibly echoes Proverbs 16:5. 16:16 everyone is forcing their way into it. This is a new subject. Jesus’s proclamation of the good news of the kingdom of God has brought to fulfillment what until the coming of John the Baptist had been merely a hope for the future. “Forcing their way into it” suggests enthusiastic response, but the wording ...

631. Use It or Lose It

Luke 19:11-27

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R.T. France

... highlight both. The first is to show that the kingdom will not be fully revealed at Jesus’s entrance into Jerusalem (see 19:11). Jesus will instead depart (at his ascension) to receive his royal authority (19:12, 15), later returning to judge and reward his subjects (19:15). The second (and primary) point is the need for good stewardship during his absence (19:13–27). I have noted above the need to interpret each of the two Synoptic versions of this parable on its own terms. But in your teaching it may ...

632. The Story of Israel Now and Later

Romans 2:1-16

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C. Marvin Pate

... 2:1–3:20 at three places: 2:1–11; 2:17–24; 3:1–8. Those occasions can be summarized in chart form, as shown in table 1. It is interesting, by way of contrast, that Paul does not use the diatribe style when dealing with the subject of the sinful status of Gentiles in 1:19–32, here in 2:12–16, and in 2:25–29, presumably because his arguments therein would not precipitate any protest from Gentiles. That is, what Paul says about the lost condition of Gentiles in the above three passages apparently ...

633. The New-Covenant Blessings: Peace and Hope

Romans 5:1-11

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C. Marvin Pate

... of love is the death of Christ (vv. 6–11). Regarding the source of love, Paul’s Greek phrase is h? agap? tou theou (“the love of God”). Based on the flow of Paul’s thought in 5:5–11, it is undeniable that here the genitive (“of God”) is subjective (= God’s love for us) rather than objective (= our love for God). God the Father is the initiator of our salvation, even as he was for ancient Israel (Deut. 4:37; 10:15; see also Deut. 7:8; 23:5). It was the sheer love of God that called Israel ...

634. The Spirit and the Glory of the Age to Come and the New Covenant

Romans 8:28-39, Romans 8:18-27

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C. Marvin Pate

... positive because it longs for the new creation. And Christians understand that the dawning of the age to come at the first coming of Christ ensures for them a future body like Jesus’ glorified body. So believers’ groaning is negative in that they are subject to Adam’s sin, but positive in that they know their destiny is celestial. Furthermore, the Spirit’s groaning is testimony to the overlapping of the two ages. The Spirit groans within believers because they struggle over what to pray for in this ...

635. Witnesses of the New Covenant

Romans 12:1-8

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C. Marvin Pate

... ; Eph. 4:7–16; Col. 1:18). Seven theories can be delineated (see the “Additional Insights” section after this unit). 3. As a third piece of historical-cultural data, I offer some introductory comments about Paul on the subject of spiritual gifts. There are three key texts on the subject in his writings: Romans 12:3–8; 1 Corinthians 12–14; Ephesians 4:7–16. Several general observations can be made concerning the gifts. (a) The word for “gift” (charisma) refers to an endowment to believers by ...

636. The New-Covenant Ethic of Love

Romans 12:9-21

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C. Marvin Pate

... 12:16 Live in harmony . . . Do not be conceited. Verse 16a returns to participles to express commands: living in harmony and not being proud.7Humility and harmony go hand in hand, while pride and conceit breed division. With these thoughts, Paul may be broaching the subject of unity among Jews and Gentiles in the Roman congregations (see Rom. 14–15). One way to diffuse pride is to associate with less fortunate people (12:16b).8This is what Jesus was noted for, and so too should his followers be. 12:17 ...

637. God and Government

Romans 13:1-7

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C. Marvin Pate

... tried to keep Christians out of the debate by instructing them to pay their taxes. Interpretive Insights 13:1–2 Let everyone be subject to the governing authorities . . . what God has instituted. Verses 1–5 make it clear that government is ordained by God and therefore is ... means both Christian and non-Christian, for without some structure of government, anarchy and violence will ensue. “Be subject” (hypotass?) conveys the idea of getting in one’s place in a hierarchal role, in this case placing ...

638. Unity and Community (Part 1)

1 Corinthians 12:1-11

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Preben Vang

... of cursing their opponents. The “Christian” change from their pagan days was that they now cursed in the name of Jesus, who had more power than any of their former gods (cf. 1 Pet. 3:19). Jesus, then, may be not the object of the curse but the subject, the power they call on to cause the curse (“Jesus grant a curse!”). If this pagan practice indeed is the reference of Paul’s phrase, which seems likely, it connects directly to the corrective tone of chapter 11. Paul’s aim, then, is to say: “You ...

639. The Revelation of Jesus Christ

Revelation 1:1-3

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J. Scott Duvall

... visions and the last days. The expression “of/from Jesus Christ” could be understood in several ways: (1) objective genitive, revelation about Jesus, the central figure in the book; (2) subjective genitive, revelation coming from Jesus; or (3) plenary (full) genitive, revelation both from and about Jesus. Most scholars favor the subjective genitive because of the immediate context where God gives the revelation to Jesus, who then sends his angel to proclaim the message to John and others (also Rev. 22 ...

640. The Warrior Messiah Conquers the Two Beasts and Their Followers

Revelation 19:1-21

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J. Scott Duvall

... read.) We can be sure that God will have victory over his enemies. Bible: In Colossians 2:11–15, Paul revels in the triumph of Jesus over his enemies. Paul speaks of Jesus like a conquering general. In the ancient world, a conquered force would be subjected to open shaming, forced to march behind the chariot of the victorious general in parade. For Paul, Jesus’s resurrection was a clear signal that the victory has been won. We’re just waiting for the victory processional to pass our way. (For a visual ...

641. Holiness of Priests

Lev 21:1–23:2

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Joe M. Sprinkle

... 7:38. Priests are threatened with sudden death from God (cf. v. 9 below) if they treat the sacred offerings with disrespect or handle them in a state of uncleanness. “Must be cut off” should instead be “shall be cut off” (ESV, KJV, NASB, NRSV) or “is subject to being cut off.” This is an act of God with no human agency in view. On “I am the Lord,” see “Additional Insights” following the unit on Leviticus 19:1–37. 22:4–8 If a descendant of Aaron has . . . become unclean. If a priest ...

642. The Lord Decides to Build David a House

2 Samuel 7:18-29, 2 Samuel 7:1-17

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Robert B. Chisholm Jr.

... is assured, even if a son is disobedient and must be severely disciplined.4 Likewise, in Tudhaliya’s treaty with Kurunta (COS, 2:103–4), he assures Kurunta that “he will not throw out his son,” even if the son “commits treason” and is subjected to severe discipline. (In the case of the Ulmi-Teshup treaty, provision is even made for the disobedient son to be executed.) The disobedient son will not lose his “house” (dynasty) or land; it must be given to his direct descendant. This is similar ...

643. Elihu Makes His Appearance

Job 32:1--37:24

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Daniel J. Estes

... the situation. Elihu’s theological system does not allow for the possibility of a righteous man experiencing adversity despite his innocence. Like the friends, Elihu demonstrates that reducing theology to a simple formula may not adequately represent all of God’s truth about the subject. Elihu begins and ends this speech by claiming to be the voice of wisdom. He calls on those who are wise to join with him in discerning what is right. He claims that wise men who truly understand agree with him that Job ...

644. “The King Rejoices in Your Strength, Lord”

Psalm 21:1-13

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C. Hassell Bullock

... of anguish”) and sets the tone for both complaints of the first and second sections (22:1–11: “Do not be far from me” [v. 11]; 22:12–21: “do not be far from me” [v. 19]).[6] Another literary feature is the distribution of the subject pronouns in the psalm. There are three pericopes that are dominated by the first-person singular pronouns (I/me: 22:1–2, 6–8, 12–18), and three dominated by the second-person singular (you: 22:3–5, 9–11, 19–21), which produces an alternating pattern ...

645. “Blessed Is the One Whose Transgressions Are Forgiven”

Psalm 32:1-11

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C. Hassell Bullock

... let all the faithful pray to you while you may be found. “Therefore” is the expression “for this,” referring to what he said in the last part of 32:5. The subject “all the faithful” (hasid) references those who are within the covenant, since hasid is a derivative of the covenant noun hesed (“love”). The subject “you” (i.e., Yahweh) is assumed by most of the English translations, even though it is missing from the Hebrew. It is literally “at a time of finding.” Immediately after the ...

646. “Taste and See That the Lord Is Good”

Psalm 34:1-22

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C. Hassell Bullock

... verse 18 and “broken” of this verse. The brokenhearted have no broken bones, the latter a metaphor of divine protection. 34:21 Evil will slay the wicked. The verb “slay” (Polel of mut, “to die”) means “bring death nearer.”[7] With “evil” as the subject of this verb, the violent picture is that of evil finishing off the wicked, who were already wounded and dying (see 1 Sam. 14:13). 34:22 The Lord will rescue his servants.For comments on the concluding verse of the acrostic, see the ...

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

Psalm 36:1-12

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C. Hassell Bullock

... only a hair’s breadth between “there is no God” (14:1) and “there is no fear of God before their eyes” (36:1). Indeed, the disposition of the wicked as expressed in 36:1b is a good summary of the kind of evil represented by the subjects of Psalm 35, who have no regard for the innocent, the social equivalent of their flagrant spiritual mood. Psalm 36 presents a picture of a totally different world where the love (hesed) of God reaches the heavens and exceeds the height of the mountains. This is the ...

648. “The Lord Most High Is Awesome, the Great King over All the Earth”

Psalm 47:1-9

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C. Hassell Bullock

... nations is made under the aegis of his covenant with Israel. This psalm stands on tiptoe and looks directly across history to the salvation of the gentiles and God’s universal reign over the world. Yet it is not the salvation of the gentiles that is the subject of the poem—this is implied—but it is the sovereignty of Yahweh that forms the heart of the psalm. He is “Lord Most High” (47:2a), the “great King over all the earth” (47:2b), “ascended amid shouts of joy” (47:5), “our King” (47 ...

649. “Why Do You Boast of Evil, You Mighty Hero?”

Psalm 52:1-9

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C. Hassell Bullock

... see “Teaching the Text”), translated into its cognate, the “faithful people” (hasidim, 52:9), producing a fourfold outline, as is reflected in the subjects of the poem. 1. You, the mighty hero (52:1–4) 2. He, the God of judgment (52:5) 3. They, the righteous ... and falsely assumed that their wealth and power will bring them security. When laughter is the response, God is generally the subject (Pss. 2:4; 37:13; 59:8),3for laughter at the pretentious actions of the wicked is God’s prerogative alone. ...

650. “When You Ascended on High, You Took Many Captives”

Psalm 68:1-35

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C. Hassell Bullock

... comes to its climax in Psalm 68 as we see Yahweh striding majestically from exodus out of Egypt to Jerusalem, sending his foes in flight, and finally taking up residence on Mount Zion.2 Paul quotes verse 18 in Ephesians 4:8, changing (1) the subject from God to Christ; (2) the collective “man” to “men”; and (3) the verb “received” to “gave”:3“When he [Christ] ascended on high, he took many captives and gave gifts to his people” (Eph. 4:8). Whereas the psalm says God took/received gifts ...

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