Sermon and Worship Resources

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Showing 676 to 700 of 4943 results

676. The Day of Atonement: Preparation

Leviticus 16:1-34

Teach the Text

Joe M. Sprinkle

... of the atonement cover and dash blood seven times in front of it (v. 14) without dying. All this in turn expresses proper recognition of God’s holiness so that God will find Aaron’s sacrifices for the people of Israel acceptable and be pleased to continue to dwell among them. It is easy for us today to forget the severe holiness of God. Modern worship is often too casual, viewing God as little more than the worshiper’s “buddy.” Rarely does one come away with a sense of the fearsome holiness of ...

677. Disrespect Can Be Deadly

1 Sam 2:12-36

Teach the Text

Robert B. Chisholm Jr.

... his place (1 Kings 2:26–27, 35).4Zadok is descended from Aaron through Eleazar (1 Chron. 6:3–8, 50–53), whereas Abiathar’s father Ahimelek (1 Sam. 22:20) is a descendant of Aaron through Ithamar and Eli (1 Chron. 24:3). The descendants of Ithamar/Eli continue to serve, but in a subordinate role (24:4). 2:36 bow down before him for a piece of silver and a loaf of bread and plead. The punishment fits the crime. Eli’s sons are gorging themselves on food that belongs to the Lord and is being taken ...

678. Be Careful What You Ask For

1 Samuel 10:9-27

Teach the Text

Robert B. Chisholm Jr.

... you so” document to be brought out when the people complain about the king they once wanted so badly. However, in light of the allusion to Deuteronomy 17:15 in the previous verse, as well as the emphasis in chapters 9–10 on the Lord’s continuing authority over Israel and the king, it is more likely that the “regulations” mentioned here are the rules governing kingship as outlined in Deuteronomy 17:14–20. In this case the regulations are placed before the Lord as a reminder that he will hold the ...

679. Job Presents Evidence against the Retribution Principle

Job 12:1--14:22

Teach the Text

Daniel J. Estes

... . Similarly, in the New Testament the writer of Hebrews warns that it is terrifying to fall into the hands of the living God, who punishes sin severely (Heb. 10:31). In a positive sense, in Psalm 139:5 the hand of God is regarded as the psalmist’s continual protection. Teaching the Text Although friends can often help us to understand issues in our lives when we are blind to our own faults, all human insight has its limits. Just as Proverbs 3:5 warns us not to lean on our own understanding, so we need to ...

680. Bildad Again Beats the Retribution Drum

Job 18:1-21

Teach the Text

Daniel J. Estes

... it proceeds by the retribution principle, almost like a machine without divine intervention. 18:6 The light in his tent becomes dark. Bildad uses the image of life as a tent in 8:22, and he will refer to it again in 18:14, 15. Because Bildad continues to use the same metaphor, the reader wonders if he has indeed heard anything that Job has said in the interval, or if Bildad has instead just waited impatiently and inattentively until it was his turn to speak again. In the book of Job, light often refers ...

681. Job Feels Both Confidence and Terror

Job 23:1--24:25

Teach the Text

Daniel J. Estes

... is made clear that Aslan is great, but he also is good. He will not abuse his power to do what is evil, but his goodness means that he can be trusted to use his power for blessing, just as the Lord does. Job Asks Why God Allows Sin to Continue Unpunished Big Idea: Rampant injustice in the world prompts Job to long for God to bring justice. Understanding the Text Job’s final point in chapter 23 was that the Sovereign God is free to act in ways that may not fit into a tidy formula of retribution. In chapter ...

682. “In the Lord I Take Refuge”

Psalm 11:1-7

Teach the Text

C. Hassell Bullock

... no longer necessary for you to pray for me. Today I would like you to pray with me.”[17] A mistake that many people make when they feel disappointed with God is that they turn their backs on him completely. What we see in Psalm 13 is encouragement to continue to look to God, and permission to speak honestly with the Lord. It was this process that brought David to a point of joy and praise even in the midst of sorrow. Our own story of faith Testimony: Ask a person from your church who has had a challenging ...

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

Psalm 21:1-13

Teach the Text

C. Hassell Bullock

... things are mine since I am his! How can I keep from singing?[16] “My God, My God, Why Have You Forsaken Me?” Big Idea: Even when God seems to have forsaken us, he is still present in the praises of his people, so our worship should continue. Understanding the Text Psalm 22 is an individual lament that covers the spectrum of complaint: against God (22:1–2, 15c), against the psalmist himself (22:6–8), and against his enemies (22:7–8, 12–13).[1] The title of this poem contains what is most likely ...

684. “May Your Unfailing Love Be with Us, Lord”

Psalm 33:1-22

Teach the Text

C. Hassell Bullock

... that Psalms 1 and 2 are introductory). It is a good example of the hymn, which represents the “purest form” of praise to God, expressing who he is and what he does.[1] The absence of a title has led to the speculation that this psalm was a continuation of Psalm 32, much like Psalms 9 and 10. In fact, Wilson cites at least ten Hebrew manuscripts that treat these two psalms as a single unit.[2] However, both the Masoretic Text and the Septuagint treat Psalm 33 as a separate psalm, and the Septuagint gives ...

685. Rebuilding the Temple

Ezra 3:7-13

One Volume

Gary M. Burge

... though they have only built the altar and laid the foundation for the temple, the people rejoice and praise God. They give God the glory and look forward to what he will do in the future. Certainly this shows their faith in God, that he will continue to protect them and guide them. However, there are some who are not so happy (cf. Hag. 2:3). Apparently older people remember the splendor of Solomon’s temple in comparison with the simplicity of this temple. Haggai goes on to prophesy, “The latter glory of ...

686. Later Opposition Under Xerxes and Artaxerxes

Ezra 4:6-24

One Volume

Gary M. Burge

... eighty years, from the events of Ezra 5 (520 BC) until the early part of Artaxerxes’ reign, before Nehemiah is sent to Jerusalem (445 BC). Why does the author skip ahead chronologically? He apparently thought it important to emphasize the continuing opposition, possibly to justify the decision to reject the neighbors’ help and to emphasize the significance of the achievements recorded in chapters 5 and 6. The opposition described here is opposition to the building of the wall. But apart from verse ...

687. Paul’s Apostolic Salutation and Prayer

Philippians 1:1-11

One Volume

Gary M. Burge

... situation. He does not puff himself up as important and irreplaceable in the mission of the gospel. He is first and foremost confident in God’s plan and in God’s power, not in his own importance in God’s plan. God’s work in the Philippian church will continue until it is completed on the day Christ returns (1:6); because God is in control, he has a plan, and he is always faithful. Paul goes on to open his heart to the Philippians, telling them how much he cares and how he holds them deeply within ...

688. Paul’s Ambition and Joy Is the Gospel of Christ

Philippians 1:12-30

One Volume

Gary M. Burge

... reasons that people preach the gospel both lead to its advance. It is in this context that 1:21 can be understood. While Paul is alive, all that he strives for and the strength by which he lives and moves is found in Christ. While he lives he will continue to serve God and preach the gospel. Yet there is also something to be gained if Paul dies. Paul will then be with Christ, which, as Paul poignantly states, “is better by far” (1:23). There is also gain for the faithful witness to the gospel and the ...

689. Paul’s Ministry in Thessalonica

1 Thessalonians 2:1-16

One Volume

Gary M. Burge

... power (1 Thess. 1:5). God spoke to them and called them through this proclamation (2 Thess. 2:14; 2 Cor. 5:20), and their reception of that message was the moment of their conversion (Acts 8:14; 1 Thess. 1:5). Paul highlights the continued divine activity through this word—it “is indeed at work in you who believe” (2:13). The message of the gospel has the power to transform people’s lives. Paul introduces one of the evidences that demonstrated their true reception of the gospel: their suffering ...

690. I Wonder Why My Prayers Go Unanswered?

Luke 11:1-13

Sermon

Charley Reeb

... surprised both of us. There was a little wooden stool in the corner with an open Bible on it. In front of the stool were two worn out places on the ground, indentations which had taken a long time to depress. We just stood there in reverent silence.” He continued and said, “Then we said to each other, ‘So that’s where he was and what he was doing.’ And then we both wondered how many of his prayers he said for us. He was always talking to us about God, you know. Then, without thinking, we both ...

691. Future Glory

Romans 8:18-27

Understanding Series

James R. Edwards

... in pledge of a full gift to come, similar to the guarantee of the Spirit in 2 Corinthians 1:22 and 5:5. The Spirit is God’s firstfruits or pledge, the ground of hope for living in the tension between suffering and glory. The theme of hope continues in the memorable phraseology of verses 24–25. The opening phrase, For in this hope we were saved, is vexingly ambiguous. In Greek, hope is thrust to the beginning of the sentence and is therefore emphatic. It is unlikely that Paul means we were saved by hope ...

692. The Weak and the Strong

Romans 14:1--15:13

Understanding Series

James R. Edwards

... 11:8; Deut. 14:8) or sacrificed to idols (1 Cor. 8:13), or, in the case of wine, if it were offered in libation to gods. See Dunn, Romans 9–16, pp. 826–27. Christ: The Point of Convergence The first 13 verses of chapter 15 continue and conclude Paul’s discussion of the “strong” and “weak.” The discussion which began in 14:1 with the “weak in faith” broadens to the strong and weak in the most general sense. Verses 8–9 reveal that the conflict between the strong and weak basically reflects ...

693. On Divisions in the Church

1 Corinthians 3:1-23

Understanding Series

Marion L. Soards

... with wisdom and the spiritual status that came from possessing special wisdom. Paul offers an ironic, conditional piece of advice: If someone in Corinth thinks he or she is wise, then that person should become a “fool” so that he [or she] may become wise. Paul continues the strong tone of his advice, using the imperative form of the verb to say (lit.), “let him (or her) become foolish, in order that he (or she) may become wise.” The statement stands on its head the value system that Paul opposed in ...

694. Apostles of Christ

1 Corinthians 4:1-21

Understanding Series

Marion L. Soards

... the message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God”) to the situation in Corinth to make even clearer the error of the path that some of the Corinthians had taken. 4:21 Paul continues the father-child metaphor with a rhetorical form that functions as a multiple-choice question. The use of the imagery ties together 4:14–21 as a unit and brings the argument to a conclusion, rounding off all of Paul’s reflection from 1:10 to 4:21. The ...

695. The Rights of an Apostle

1 Corinthians 9:1-27

Understanding Series

Marion L. Soards

... implication he calls for those who were not weak to do the same. Paul declares that he sought to become all things to all people in all ways so that he might serve as God’s agent in all possible circumstances in order to save some. 9:23 As Paul continues, in a concise statement he shows that the power of the gospel presides over him as he does God’s work. Paul says he served the gospel (I do all this for the sake of the gospel) and sought to participate or to share in its effective working (its ...

696. Greetings and Doxology

Revelation 1:4-8

Understanding Series

Robert W. Wall

... God, who is, and who was, and who is to come. John’s formulation of God’s name, based upon the name told to Moses in his theophany of the burning bush (“I AM WHO I AM”; Exod. 3:14/LXX), is important for two reasons. In continuity with the God of Moses’ Israel, the God of eschatological Israel is eternal; God’s sovereignty over the histories of salvation and creation is predicated by this claim (cf. Rev. 4). In addition to this tacit claim for God’s sovereign rule over history, John’s title ...

697. The New Jerusalem

Revelation 21:1-27

Understanding Series

Robert W. Wall

... 8 where the bride’s wedding dress consists of “righteous acts” and reflects the relational (or covenantal) nature of John’s idea of the church: eternal life belongs to those in right relationship with God and God’s Lamb, attested by righteous deeds and in continuity with both the apostolic witness to the testimony of Jesus (cf. 21:14) and the history of Israel (cf. 21:12). The second chiasmus (21:5b—22:6a) shapes the vision’s main body, which follows from and expands upon the prologue to the ...

698. The Ordination of Aaron and His Sons

Leviticus 8:1-36

Understanding Series

W. H. Bellinger, Jr.

... entry into the holy tabernacle, must also be protected. Significantly, the sin offering is sacrificed first. Any unknown or inadvertent error must be dealt with at the beginning. Only when the holy places, things, and people have been purified can the rites involving them continue. 8:18–21 As Moses turns to the whole burnt offering of a ram, he meticulously follows divine directives. In this rite he is the chief mediator and acts, in a sense, like the high priest to prepare Aaron for that role. The burnt ...

699. The Death of Nadab and Abihu

Leviticus 10:1-20

Understanding Series

W. H. Bellinger, Jr.

... is thus to be avoided as anathema. In these verses God addresses Aaron directly and alludes to instruction given to the Israelites through Moses. Aaron is moving toward full approval as the high priest and mediator. 10:12–15 The rest of this chapter continues with loosely related injunctions for the priests. The material recalls the content of chapters 6–7 and 9, in particular regarding grain and fellowship offerings. This section is tied to the category of the holy referred to in verse 10, and that may ...

700. Discharges Causing Uncleanness

Leviticus 15:1-33

Understanding Series

W. H. Bellinger, Jr.

... 15:2–3 The term discharge indicates a “flowing” or “gushing forth.” The term can be associated with disgusting conditions. Gonorrhea has been suggested, or urinary infections. It does seem to relate to infections of bodily organs of some kind. The discharge may continue or be sealed, but the impurity is still present. In v. 3, the flow would be like a running slime. Perhaps the discharge inhibits the flow of semen. The discharge may well relate to the penis, but that term is never used. 15:18 ...

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