Sermon and Worship Resources

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Showing 51 to 75 of 4937 results

51. The Only Place of Worship

Deuteronomy 12:1-32

Understanding Series

Christopher J. H. Wright

... , cf. McConville, “Jerusalem.” In the wider canonical context, this valuing of a place because of Yahweh’s choice and presence, rather than because of its location, sows the seeds for the NT’s transference of the significance of the place of worship. The temple gives way to the person of Jesus Christ as the focus of worship in the messianic age (cf. John 4:19–26; Acts 7:44–50; and Davies, Land). From the time of David onward, with the transfer of the ark and the building of the temple by ...

52. Jesus Talks with a Samaritan Woman

John 4:1-26, John 4:27-38, John 4:39-42

Understanding Series

J. Ramsey Michaels

... v. 15). This sequence ends in misunderstanding, yet the woman’s remark is curiously apt, for when the Spirit comes, such holy places as the well of Jacob will in fact lose their significance. Religious or ethnic identities based on control of these sites will give way to a new identity in the Spirit (cf. vv. 21, 23). Jesus’ reply to the woman signals a turn in the narrative. Instead of correcting her misunderstanding, he tells her that she must come back to the well at least once more, with her husband ...

53. The Disciples Rejoin Jesus

John 4:27-38, John 4:1-26, John 4:39-42

Understanding Series

J. Ramsey Michaels

54. Christmas 1

Mt 2:13-23 · Heb 2:10-18 · Isa 63:7-9 · Ps 148

Sermon Aid

Marion L. Soards, Thomas B. Dozeman, Kendall McCabe

... (literally, "bring to memory") God's character, especially those qualities of God that were evident in past actions. Thus the prophet recalls how God embodies the three qualities of goodness, mercy, and loving- kindness. Second, in v. 8a prophetic speech gives way to quotation of past divine speech: "For he [God] said, 'Surely they are my people, children who will not deal falsely.' " The quotation emphasizes how God is not worshiped in the abstract, but how the divine qualities of goodness, mercy, and ...

55. Epiphany 4

Psalm 15:1-5, Micah 6:1-8, 1 Corinthians 1:18--2:5, Matthew 5:1-12

Sermon Aid

Marion L. Soards, Thomas B. Dozeman, Kendall McCabe

... imply a breakdown of the relationship of God and Israel, while the recitation of salvation history in vv. 4-5 make it clear that God has been faithful and that the problem of apostasy lies elsewhere. Verses 6-7: The language of lamentation and grief gives way to cultic language of sacrifice in Israel's response in vv. 6-7. Guilt is acknowledged, and the acknowledgment is followed by a series of cultic questions about purgation that have an almost frantic aura about them. Piety is not a problem in this text ...

56. From Deep Unto Deep

Luke 22:14--23:56

Sermon

R. Robert Cueni

... of Holy Week to the light of Easter; from sadness to joy; from defeat to victory; from death to life. As a child, you learned from experience that the darkness of midnight inevitably will give way to the light of the morning. In your spiritual life, you can be just as certain that inevitable disappointments and struggles will give way to God’s grace and love. Believe this: When you are in a pit of despair, don’t give up hope. God brings new life into the darkest moments of what otherwise may seem a ...

57. Who Is the Light of Your Life? (I am the light of the world)

John 8:12-30

Sermon

Eric Ritz

... concerned about being faithful. Never, never underestimate the value of your light and your witness--even if it only seems to be a drop in the bucket. Remember, without light, plants and other living things die. So does hope and joy. Without light, people give way to cynicism and despair. In the economy of the kingdom of God, a little light is more than a lot of darkness. Any fool can curse the darkness--people of faith radiate the light which has come into the world in Jesus Christ. Brian Reading loves ...

58. A Song of Praise

Isaiah 26:1-21

Understanding Series

John Goldingay

... link with each other so as to form two sequences on parallel tracks. The theme of devastation in 24:1–13 continues in 24:17–23, whose ending is then the starting point for 25:6–12. The equivocal response of 24:14–16 gives way to unequivocal praise in 25:1–5, whose theme is then taken up in 26:1–19. Because of their visionary portrayal of world judgment, heavenly conflict, and a radically new day, the chapters have been described as a “Little Apocalypse.” “Apocalypse” is another word ...

59. Rushing And Realizing

Isaiah 2:1-5

Sermon

King Duncan

... ; the fields run to weeds, because the farmers have gone to serve as soldiers, and the curved sickles are turned into the rigid sword." And consider these words from the poet Ovid: "In time of war, the sword is apter than the plough; the toiling ox gives way to the war-horse, while hoes and rakes are turned into javelins." (3) Some would say that is human nature--to turn from peace to war, from love to hate, from sharing to greed. What God wants is a new human creation. The old human creation is forever ...

60. Have You Seen the Light?

John 9:1-41

Sermon

James Merritt

... is saved and a man that is lost, is whether or not he has responded to the light that he has. I like the way The Living Bible translates Prov. 4:18-19, "But the good man walks along in the ever brightening light of God's favor; the dawn gives way to morning splendor, while the evil man gropes and stumbles in the dark." It's just like learning. First you learn your ABC's, then you learn to read. First you learn to read easy books, and then you can go on to read the deeper books. Well, the only thing ...

61. Moving At The Speed Of Light: In Corinth Or Cana?

1 Corinthians 1:1-9

Sermon

Frank Luchsinger

... carries us, but then if something more is not there, the wine runs out and the party's over. Oddly enough, signs that the wine will run dry begin in many relationships with the wedding and possibly with planning the wedding. Free and easy lives begin to give way to the responsibilities and roles of wife and husband. If what "I" want is paramount, then the dry wine jar begins to show up early.2 Consider this spouse's desires: I need someone who is a great bread winner. I need someone who provides a wonderful ...

62. How the Gold Has Lost Its Luster

Lamentations 4:1-22

One Volume

Tremper Longman III

... may well be right to take this word as a reference to princes, connected to nezer (“crown”). But it is also possible that it is related to the word for Nazirite. In any case, whatever group is meant, former glory (v. 7) gives way to present destitution (v. 8). Verse 7 describes the princes as healthy, strong, and good looking. The first bicolon describes them as white and compares them favorably in their whiteness to snow and milk. Nowhere else is a white complexion complimented as physically attractive ...

63. The Curriculum of God’s Kingdom

Matthew 4:12-17

Sermon

Phil Thrailkill

... the demons were always screaming at him to leave them alone, and why some of the Jewish leaders were so fed up with Jesus. You had either to side with him as a follower or brand him as public enemy number one. When God shows up, and when omni-presence gives way to real presence, to abstain is not a choice; you are either for him or against him. And if the Father has shown up in the person of the Son in the power of the Spirit, there is only one proper response, and that it to turn to the God who ...

64. Proper 15

Lk 12:49-56 · Jer 20:7-13; 23:23-29; 38:4-10

Sermon Aid

John R. Brokhoff

... Word has power to destroy evil. Lesson 1: Jeremiah 38:4-6, 8-10 When Down Is Up. Need: Not every reversal is a defeat; sometimes suffering proves the loudest witness of them all. Jeremiah's "congregation" had stopped their ears. Sometimes words must give way to actions, sometimes righteous suffering can accomplish what right words could not. 1. Nobody said discipleship would be easy. A. We wonder why we suffer for doing good. B. Jeremiah wondered as loudly as any of us do - and with good cause! C. Even the ...

65. Turning A Minus Into A Plus

Isaiah 40:1-31

Sermon

Harold Warlick

... when all we can do is trudge along and hear that help is available. When there is a power that enables us to walk and not faint, that is, indeed, good news. It ministers to our greatest difficulty: being able to endure, to be patient, and not to give way to heading in another direction. From the flight to Egypt as a baby, to his night in Gethsemane, to his trial before Herod, to his march with the cross to his crucifixion, the greatest power available to Jesus was the power to hang in there, to walk and not ...

66. Beyond Good Intentions

Matthew 21:28-32

Sermon

... her confession asked her, "Madame, as a sign of reconciliation, will you send him the bracelet you are wearing on your arm?" "No," she stated flatly, "that would be too much." How close to the kingdom! How close, but no closer, when good intentions do not give way to action. In the end, good intentions are no substitute for doing the will of God. Many of you are parents. Some of you have had the joy of hearing your children sing. The songs they learned are from Church School, a school you brought them to ...

67. On Your Mark, Get Set, Hope!

Isaiah 11:1-16

Sermon

J. Howard Olds

... in your head, Silent night was an exciting night, Away in a manger didn’t seem so far away, Remember when you couldn’t wait for Christmas? Life has a way of turning our hopes and dreams into obligations and responsibilities. The child within us gives way to the adult that is out daily earning a living, fulfilling roles, meeting the deadlines of life. Maybe here in December it’s time to visit that child again, the child that lives within. The prophet Isaiah says that after the dynasty of David is ...

68. Distress and Help

Isaiah 33:1-24

Understanding Series

John Goldingay

... ). Zion/Jerusalem is the city of David (29:1; also 32:13), the tent of David (16:5). It was the subject one verse before the reference to the king in 32:1 (31:9, also 4–5; 28:14, 16; 29:8; 30:19). Here fighting, fire and furnace give way to enable it to become a peaceful abode such as Yahweh had imperiled but then promised to restore (32:18; see also 32:9, 11, NIV “complacent”). Its festivals are no longer dismissed (1:14). The word for will not be moved occurs only here, but it looks very like the ...

69. Fulfilling the Vision

Acts 2:14-21

Sermon

J. Howard Olds

... faithful. Will those who come behind us find us committed? With the hand of God upon us, hearts are being touched. Maybe it is too early to tell but I contend that something changed in American society on September 11, 2001. Materialism is giving way to meaning. Isolation is being abandoned for community. I think we woke up that tragic day to discover that “making it" is not everything and self-sufficiency is severely limited. “Sometimes we need to go where they always know your name and sometimes you ...

70. Jesus Heals a Man Born Blind

John 9:1-12

Understanding Series

J. Ramsey Michaels

... sustained his life (4:34). Here the imagery is that of night and day. Jesus compares his ministry to light in a dark world (cf. 1:9; 3:19; 8:12), a light that like the hours of daylight has its limits and must in time give way to darkness again. Like a laborer determined to finish his job before nightfall, Jesus summons his disciples to join him in taking full advantage of the remaining daylight hours (cf. 11:9–10). It should be remembered that the references to day and night constitute a brief parable ...

71. Characteristics of the Church, Part 2

Acts 2:42-47

Sermon

Maxie Dunnam

... is a lot in life that makes us feel toad-like. There are people who put us down, who make us feel ugly and warty, and depressed. A pool of tadpoles is meant to become a knot of toads. That is not my future or ours, yet giving way to bitterness, resentment, to self-pity, makes us inwardly toad-like. How different that early church? It was like an exultation of larks. They kept praising God, and everyone liked them. What was the secret of that magnetism? I believe it was that those early Christians saw their ...

72. Worthy Is the Lamb Who Was Slain

Revelation 5:1-14

Teach the Text

J. Scott Duvall

... This brings us to a critical point in the drama. In a sense John represents humanity’s helplessness apart from a Savior. John weeps hopelessly when no one is found worthy to open the scroll (5:3–4). The scene intensifies until at last John’s despair gives way to good news of a messianic conqueror (5:5). John turns to see this warrior and sees instead a once-slaughtered but now-living Lamb, full of strength and the Spirit, standing at the center of the throne (5:6). This unit closes as the Lamb takes ...

73. The Evangelism Of Emphasis - 1946

Matthew 5:1-12

Sermon

Kent Moorehead

... to the personal influence of Jesus Christ that his life will be both revolutionized and empowered. Delivered from self-centeredness and inner conflict, he is given a new sense of adequacy. Enmity, suspicion, and fear which corrupt his social contacts give way to good will, trust, and courage. He begins to realize what it is to live - more abundantly. He becomes aware of an ability to tap spiritual resources with which evil social situations may be disinfected, political corruption abated, industrial strife ...

74. Birdbaths and Flagpoles

Matthew 13:1-23

Sermon

King Duncan

... work of the kingdom. Let me tell you a story told by James Billington, Librarian of Congress and a student of Russian history. Billington happened to be in Moscow in August of 1991. It was a tense and dangerous time, with the old Soviet regime giving way to a new social order. Boris Yeltzin and a small group of defenders occupied the Russian White House and successfully managed to face off an enormous number of tanks and troops poised to attack, and to restore the old guard in the Soviet Union. Surprisingly ...

75. Changing Times

Mark 1:1-8

Sermon

Wayne Brouwer

... changes markedly here at chapter 40. Whether seeing the judgment and its aftermath in a future trance, or experiencing it firsthand in the person of “Second Isaiah,” the prophet begins to depict the changing times when violence and destruction give way to restoration, reconciliation, and rebuilding. This passage cannot be understood apart from two major themes of the Hebrew Bible: covenant and the day of the Lord. The prophets spoke out of a covenant context. They never envisioned Israel as a nation ...

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