Sermon and Worship Resources

Showing 651 to 675 of 4884 results

651. Jesus Demonstrates Status Inversion in the Kingdom

Matthew 19:1-12, Matthew 19:13-15, Matthew 19:16-30

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Jeannine K. Brown

... will of my Father” [7:21; 12:50]) fits within the broader context of God’s initiating and ongoing covenant faithfulness and acknowledges the human need for God’s power and grace (19:26). 19:21 If you want to be perfect. Matthew’s use of teleios (rendered “perfect” [also 5:48]) is helpfully clarified in context by its antonym, “lack” (hystereo), in the preceding verse. This points to the sense of teleios as complete, whole or fully mature, not lacking anything. In 5:48 the word is used to ...

652. The Authority of Jesus over Sickness and Death

Mark 5:21-43

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Grant R. Osborne

... . Some wrongly believe that God must respond to our prayers and can never say no. This is not the God of the Bible but rather a human construct that is non-Christian at the core. Our faith does not tell God what to do. He is sovereign and has the perfect right to say no to our requests and give us what we need rather than what we want. Nor does the degree of our faith influence God’s healing power. If we are not healed, the reason is not that our faith was insufficient but that God has sovereignly decided ...

653. The Gentiles Are Included in God’s Provision

Mark 8:1-13

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Grant R. Osborne

... the overall emphasis is on what happened. From an insignificant amount of bread and fish Jesus creates a sumptuous feast. Still, there may be some numerological significance in the twelve and seven baskets of fragments (see on 6:43; 8:19–20), pointing to the perfect or complete work of God in the miracle. Joel Marcus calls this a “connotation of eschatological fullness, which derives from the root images of the twelve tribes of Israel and the seven days of creation.”3 8:6 sit down on the ground. In ...

654. Paul Reinterprets the Story of Israel

Romans 2:17-29

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C. Marvin Pate

... story of Israel. On the one hand, non-Christian Gentiles, who follow parts of the Torah in that they obey parts of the natural law / Noahic law but nevertheless are lost, mirror Israel’s sin and exile before God due to their failure to follow the Torah perfectly (2:12–16). But, on the other hand, Christian Gentiles, who by faith in Jesus the Messiah and in the power of the resident Spirit end up obeying all that the law envisioned in the first place (even though it is finished since the coming of Christ ...

655. Witnesses of the New Covenant

Romans 12:1-8

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C. Marvin Pate

... his covenant with them. I suggest, then, that in 12:1–2 Paul exhorts Christians to accept the terms of the new covenant: obey God with a renewed mind. This is what he means by challenging them to be living sacrifices. The blood of Christ, the perfect sacrifice, has cleansed them and incorporated them into the new covenant (recall 3:21–31). Now they must give witness to that covenant by being obedient to God. 3. I suggest that Adam theology is at work in 12:1–2. Paul challenges Christians to worship ...

656. The Priority of Love

1 Corinthians 13:1-13

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Preben Vang

... NIV: “fails”). Gifts are means (or vehicles) God uses to show his presence and love until his people shall see him face-to-face (13:12; cf. Rev. 22:4); love is the very essence and expression of God’s presence and therefore will never end.[13] When the perfect comes, in other words, the imperfections sin brings to love will vanish, and the purity of the relationship God intended from the beginning will be fully restored (John 17:23; Col. 3:14–15; 1 John 4:17–19; Rev. 21:3–4; cf. Isa. 65:19–25 ...

657. The Ordination of Aaron and His Sons

Leviticus 8:1-36

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Joe M. Sprinkle

... 28–29. 8:8 Urim and Thummim. These items in the high priest’s breastpiece (Exod. 28:30) are used as a means of revelation from God. Thus in a sense revelation is on the high priest’s heart. The words may mean “light(s) and perfection(s)” or alternatively “curses and innocence.” A common view based on the Greek rendering of 1 Samuel 14:41 (LXX) is that they are sacred lots; the drawing of one indicates a negative answer (“curses”), the drawing of the other a positive answer (“innocence ...

658. The Day of Atonement: Preparation

Leviticus 16:1-34

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Joe M. Sprinkle

... unfortunate. God is still a holy God. The preparation ritual of Aaron before performing the Day of Atonement sacrifice is a reminder of that which we ought not forget. Illustrating the Text The Aaronic priesthood pointed to Jesus Christ, the only perfect priest. Scenario: There are a few basic elements of a groundbreaking ceremony: shiny shovels, hard hats, and soft ground. Those closest to the project, often including honored guests, the architect, and the contractor, push shovels down into the ground and ...

659. David Brings a Plague upon Israel

2 Samuel 24:1-25

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Robert B. Chisholm Jr.

... extreme and does not tend to attract the reader to him. But if we assume, as we should, that God is justified in his response to Israel’s sin, the divine perspective replaces our own as certain truths become clear: (1) God hates sin and is perfectly justified in punishing sinners in whatever way he deems appropriate. (2) It is a testimony to God’s patience and mercy that we do not read of such severe judgment more often in the pages of Scripture. (3) Realizing how sin activates divine anger and judgment ...

660. Adversity of a Righteous Man

Job 1:1-22

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Daniel J. Estes

... how God is the protector of his people (cf. Pss. 91; 121). Here, the adversary asks a question about the motivation for Job’s piety, and then he boldly charges that if Yahweh were to remove this hedge from Job and allow Job’s perfect life to be touched by calamity, then Job’s worship would morph into cursing. Interestingly, the Hebrew term that the adversary uses for “curse” typically has the opposite meaning, “bless”; the same term also has the meaning “curse” in 1:5, when Job offers ...

661. Job Hears the Whispers of God’s Works

Job 26:1--31:40

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Daniel J. Estes

... and what he has not done. More than that, God knows what is in Job’s heart, when others can only speculate about Job’s motives and desires. To Job, the omniscience of God is a comfort because Job knows that he has been blameless before God. God’s perfect knowledge will also enable God to reach a verdict that truly fits the facts of the case. Because God knows us thoroughly, we can be confident that he will always do what is right for us. Job longs for justice from God. He is well aware of the many ...

662. Yahweh Speaks as the Master Teacher

Job 38:1--41:34

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Daniel J. Estes

... a place in his plan for creation. His wisdom and providence manage seasons and harvests for them, too, and he hears their groans along with all creation for the redemption he will bring in Christ (Rom. 8:9). The good news is that if God perfectly and brilliantly cares for such small creatures, we are certainly assured that he will do abundantly more for us. The very humbling news, however, is that his response to our needs isn’t merely about us; it also takes due consideration of sparrows, ibex, nations ...

663. “Ascribe to the Lord the Glory Due His Name”

Psalm 29:1-11

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C. Hassell Bullock

... of democracy never influenced the Scriptures. But God’s kingdom implies his kingship. A King who does “not judge by what he sees with his eyes, or decide by what he hears with his ears,” but judges the world in righteousness (Isa. 11:3–5) is the perfect King. Moreover, a King who is love and who can dispense his love because he is all-powerful is King of kings. The kingdom of God is thus a theocracy, and we have nothing to fear as subjects in that realm. So the psalmist declares: “The Lord is ...

664. “If I Were Hungry I Would Not Tell You, for the World Is Mine, and All That Is in It”

Psalm 50:1-23

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C. Hassell Bullock

... divine names, see the sidebar. The summons is to the whole earth, from east to west. The fact that God can summon the earth, just as he can summon his own people (50:5), implies his lordship over it. 50:2 From Zion, perfect in beauty, God shines forth. “Perfect in beauty” is reminiscent of Psalm 48:2 in its description of Zion as “beautiful in its loftiness” (cf. Lam. 2:15). The Blessing of Moses describes the theophany on Sinai with this same verb, “shines forth” (Deut. 33:2). 50:3 Our ...

665. Jesus Christ Superior to Aaron

Hebrews 4:14-5:10

One Volume

Gary M. Burge

... exempt from the principle that it is through suffering that a person discovers the true nature and cost of obedience (5:8–10; cf. 2:10). He was “a man of suffering, and familiar with pain” (Isa. 53:3), and it is precisely that suffering and perfect obedience in suffering that make him fit for his roles as Savior and High Priest. The necessity of obedience to Christ is not in contrast to the necessity of faith, for true faith and obedience are always found together, the latter the product and the sign ...

666. Eternity: The New Jerusalem

Revelation 21:1-27

One Volume

Gary M. Burge

... . 1:22). In the new heaven and new earth, the sea is not subdued; rather, it is no longer there (21:1). The very existence of sin has been completely extinguished by God. Without the chaos of the sea, the new heaven and new earth become the perfect environment to receive the resurrected saints (21:7). The New Jerusalem descending from heaven is the community of faith (21:2; see commentary on 21:9–22:5). The promises that God gave to Israel in Isaiah 25:8 to wipe away her tears, protect her from suffering ...

667. How Much Are You Worth?

Matthew 10:29-31

Sermon

King Duncan

... glowed with pride and were effusive in their praise. His father, however, said nothing--until one of his sisters made a tiny criticism of Henry’s performance. “Shut up,” said the elder Fonda, “he was perfect!” Now of course Fonda was not perfect. No one is. But his father saw him that way. You and I are not perfect either, but that is the way God sees us. That is what it means to live under grace. God’s love does not protect us from problems. Neither are our problems God’s punishment for our ...

668. The Power of Patience

Luke 2:22-40

Sermon

Charley Reeb

... is kind of the stepchild in the Christmas story. He always takes a backseat to Mary, the an-gels, and the wise men. When I was a child I played Joseph in our church’s Christmas program. I was all excited. I got my perfect bathrobe ready. I was ready to repeat my lines with perfection. I went to my first rehearsal and was disappointed to find that Joseph only had one line! That was it! One line! My line was a question to the innkeeper, “Do you have a room available?” The rest of the time I was just ...

669. Joseph: The Righteous Carpenter

Matthew 1:18-25

Sermon

Charley Reeb

... back seat to Mary, the angels, and the wise men. That’s why I decided to devote a sermon to Joseph. He deserves it. When I was a kid I played Joseph in our church’s Christmas program. I was all excited. I got my perfect bath robe ready. I was ready to repeat my lines with perfection. So I went to my first rehearsal and I was disappointed to find that Joseph only had one line! That was it! One line! My line was a question to the innkeeper, “Do you have a room available?” The rest of the time I ...

670. Life Through the Spirit

Romans 8:1-17

Understanding Series

James R. Edwards

... his fallenness … and remaking him beyond death as a progenitor and enabler of life according to the Spirit” (Romans 1–8, p. 421). The critical difference between Christ’s humanity and ours is that whereas we yielded to sin’s dominion, he rendered perfect obedience (Phil. 2:8; Heb. 5:8). In the likeness of sinful man almost certainly recalls the Adam typology of chapter 5. This offers an explanation why Christ obeyed, whereas all other humanity disobeyed. The answer is that the Son entered humanity ...

671. The Seventh Trumpet

Revelation 11:15-19

Understanding Series

Robert W. Wall

... the author of Hebrews (cf. Heb. 8:1–10:18) to interpret his vision of a “third” temple. The foundational philosophical assumption of rabbinical teaching in this regard is that the heavenly realm asserts what is ultimately true and real (i.e., perfect and permanent). In this sense, the theology of the cross is about the renewal of Israel’s eternal relationship with God, which Christ’s exaltation proves. John’s use of the heavenly temple symbolism establishes the basis for Christian hope that God ...

672. Introducing Job

Job 1:1-5

Understanding Series

Gerald H. Wilson

... well. He has seven sons and three daughters. Seven, made up of four (the points of the compass and thus the earth) and three (indicating divinity or the heavens), is the number of completeness, of all heaven and earth. Job, then, is blessed with a perfect complement of sons and daughters. His wealth is no less complete, consisting of massive herds including seven thousand sheep and three thousand camels. Together Job’s herds add up to ten thousand, as do his yokes of oxen (500) and donkeys (500). Job also ...

673. Epilogue

Job 42:7-17

Understanding Series

Gerald H. Wilson

... Job and the friends will experience restoration. Additional Notes 42:8 Seven bulls and seven rams. The daily sacrifices required in Ezek. 45:22–25 are the same as here, while Lev. 4 requires fewer beasts. The passage in Ezekiel is probably indicating a perfection of sacrifice and its efficacy in the restored and purified temple. The Restoration of Job 42:10–11 After Job had prayed for his friends. “After” here (as in v. 7) does not establish a causal link between Job’s prayer and the restoration ...

674. The Fulfillment of the Law

Matthew 5:17-20

Understanding Series

Robert H. Mounce

... The ethical requirements of the sermon are intended not to drive people to despair so they will then cast themselves upon the mercy of God, but to guide and direct those who desire to please him. It is true that the demands are stated in absolute terms (“Be perfect, therefore, as your heavenly Father is perfect,” 5:48), but that is the nature of all great ethical teaching. Although we may not reach the stars, they still serve us well as reliable navigational aids. 5:17–20 To the pious Jew the law was ...

675. A Victory Procession and Instruction for Temple Entry

Psalm 24:1-10

Understanding Series

Craig C. Broyles

... of imputed righteousness was not invented by Paul!) Thus, if one is in need of Yahweh’s “saving righteousness,” then it follows that the standards of verse 4 are not absolute and ultimate. In other words, one must not claim moral perfection before one can consider entering. On the contrary, to receive this righteousness from “God his Savior” one must enter into worship. Upon entry worshipers were granted righteousness and became one of “the righteous.” After the inquiry (v. 3), the description ...

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