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Showing 51 to 75 of 975 results

51. Proverbs of Solomon

Proverbs 12:1-28

Understanding Series

Roland E. Murphy

... The root ršʿ, “condemn,” is a key word uniting vv. 2–3. 12:9 The suggested change in vocalization is ʿōbēd. The “better” saying is an expression typical of the wisdom literary style. See also Sir. 10:27. In v. 9a a change in vocalization yields better sense: “and be self-supporting” (Hb. weʿōbēd lô). 12:12 The LXX reads, “Desires of the wicked are evil, but the roots of the just are in strongholds (i.e., endure?).” The ancient versions and modern conjectures are not much help. The ...

52. Cain and Abel

Genesis 4:1-26

Understanding Series

John E. Hartley

... needed to master this sin that impelled him to express his bitter feelings by attacking another. In this warning Yahweh offered Cain the hope that he could control this impulse to commit sin, even though it was strong. Should Cain act wrongfully, it would be because he yielded to the desire of sin, not because God had rejected his offering. 4:8 Some time later Cain made an appointment with Abel to meet him in a field, a remote place that offered the sense of privacy. In the field Cain spoke with Abel, but ...

53. A Prophecy Against Babylon

Isaiah 13:1--14:23

Understanding Series

John Goldingay

... administering it (52:13–53:12). Although the OT describes Yahweh as being all-knowing in the sense of being able to know all about us, it also describes Yahweh as learning from experience. It is through such a process that Yahweh concludes that creating humanity and yielding to Israelite pressure to appoint a king for the people were bad ideas after all (Gen. 6:6–7; 1 Sam. 15:11, 35). Perhaps the same is true of fighting. Or perhaps it is simply true of the idea of involving humanity in fighting, which ...

54. Parables of the Kingdom

Mark 4:1-20

Teach the Text

Grant R. Osborne

... 20:3). Still, he wants to destroy us (1 Pet. 5:8, cf. Luke 22:31), and he controls the powers of darkness to this end (Eph. 6:12), “blinding the minds of unbelievers” (2 Cor. 4:4). Yet when we truly trust the Lord, we will not yield, for God will provide help (1 Cor. 10:13). Parables: Building on the Hebrew mashal, a “parable” is an extended metaphor in narrative form intended to challenge the hearer to understand the mysteries (see on 4:11) of the kingdom of God. As such, parables are not intended ...

55. God Subjugates Judah under Babylon

Daniel 1:1-21

Teach the Text

Ronald W. Pierce

... is over. Again, God is sovereign and retains the prerogative to choose, but he will give just and gracious rewards in the end. What not to teach. First, this text does not teach that “Daniel diets” or “Daniel fasts” (cf. 10:2–3) yield healthier bodies and more spiritual lives. Although healthy eating is important and fasting is sometimes appropriate (cf. Matt. 6:16; 9:14–15), Daniel’s temporary practices are not presented as a model for either. Second, Daniel’s request to be “tested” is ...

56. The Parable of the Sower

Matthew 13:1-23

Understanding Series

Robert H. Mounce

... root system, withered when the sun rose. Other seed fell among the brambles (akantha is a thorn plant; cf. Jesus’ “crown of akanthōn” at 27:29), which sprang up and choked the young plants. Some of the seed, however, fell onto rich soil and yielded a harvest up to a hundred times as great as the seed that was sown. Although seven- to tenfold was considered average, a hundredfold was not impossible (Isaac’s crops reached that level “because the Lord blessed him,” Gen. 26:12; cf. Sib. Oracles 3 ...

57. The Parable of the Sower

Mark 4:1-20

Understanding Series

Larry W. Hurtado

... dramatizing the spiritual deafness that must be cured to perceive Jesus’ message properly. 4:11 The secret of the kingdom of God has been given to you: A comparison of this passage with the parallels in Matt. 13:11 and Luke 8:10 yields some interesting observations. First, the Matt. 13:11 parallel has “the kingdom of heaven,” the synonymous term used often in Matthew. More significantly, both Matthew and Luke describe the disciples as given “the knowledge of the secrets of the kingdom.” That is ...

58. The God Who Blesses Israel’s Harvests and His International Praise

Psalm 67:1-7

Understanding Series

Craig C. Broyles

... or request. In the Psalms, this motif is usually expressed as a command or wish, rather than as a prophetic declaration. Reading Psalm 67 as a psalm of petition is confirmed by the LXX. In addition, verses 6–7 should also be translated as petitions: “The land yields its harvest; may God, our God, bless us. May God bless us, so all the ends of the earth may fear him.” What is perhaps most unique about this psalm is how it blends together the priestly blessing on the nation’s harvests (vv. 1, 6–7 ...

59.

Psalm 77:1-20

Understanding Series

Craig C. Broyles

... reports on past prayers that have had no effect (vv. 1–2) and on memories and reflections (vv. 3–6) that have yielded despairing questions about God (vv. 7–9). Verse 10 is problematic and is discussed below. Many commentators have supposed the transition ... reach God in prayer and that their attempts to find consolation in the past and to fathom the ways of the Most High yield only despair. The psalm reshapes the worshipers’ appeal from a quest for their own deliverance to a quest for God’s renewed ...

60. The End Times

Daniel 12:1-13

Understanding Series

William Nelson

... for the “wise,” as evidence that the two passages may come from different authors (Collins, Daniel, p. 400). 12:11–12 Different calendars yield different totals of days within three and a half years. A lunar calendar of 28 days times three and a half years is 1,176 days ... , which is close to the first figure of 1,150 (8:14). Using a 30-day lunar calendar yields 1,260, which is close to the second figure of 1,290 days (12:11). A solar calendar of 365 days produces 1,278 ...

61. What Kind of Sheep Are You?

Luke 2:1-7, Luke 2:8-20, Ezekiel 34:1-31

Sermon

Lori Wagner

... know more, you can find out what this means about my personality by taking the test yourself, If you have your iPhones and androids with you today, go ahead and take the test after the service. It’s an actual website. Suffice it to say that the Friesen sheep yields a lot of milk. But for now….let’s talk about kinds of sheep. Although the test is just for fun –a kind of personality test that links you to a cute breed of adorable, cuddly lambs-- it’s a question that’s important as we look at the ...

62. Grounds for Blessing

Matthew 13:1-23, Luke 8:1-15, Mark 4:1-20

Sermon

Lori Wagner

... the birds ate it up. Some fell on rocky ground, and when it came up, the plants withered because they had no moisture. Other seed fell among thorns, which grew up with it and choked the plants. Still other seed fell on good soil. It came up and yielded a crop, a hundred times more than was sown. ”When he said this, he called out, “Whoever has ears to hear, let them hear.” His disciples asked him what this parable meant. He said, “The knowledge of the secrets of the kingdom of God has been given to ...

63. Tempted By Good

Matthew 4:1-11

Sermon

Don M. Aycock

... . He found himself being pulled in a number of directions. He was tempted to use his powers to satisfy his need. He was tempted to take shortcuts to gratify his ambition. He was tempted to use his unique status with God to exploit that relationship. Had he yielded to any of those temptations he would have been pulled off course. He would have been like the deer hound that started out chasing a buck. A fox crossed the path and the hound began trailing the fox. After a while, a rabbit crossed the path and ...

64. God Is Down To Earth

John 1:1-18

Sermon

John A. Stroman

... , and he brings out the best in it. That's what is so great about Jesus! He can heal our broken lives. He can bring harmony out of disharmony. He can repair the damaged human instrument. He restores its strength, its resilience, and its capacity to yield noble and joyous music. God Became Domesticated in Jesus By means of the incarnation, God becoming flesh, God has come into the midst of life. Jesus knew life as we know it. He was raised in a family as the elder son was eventually responsible for caring ...

65. The Downside Of The Practice -- Performance Equation

Romans 8:28-39

Sermon

Robert R. Kopp

... off or fired or remain under-compensated. Sometimes the practice-performance equation doesn't work. Sometimes the best practice yields the worst performance. Or as Bruce Lansky lamented: "My golf pro said, 'Practice makes perfect.' He lied." While the ... their faith. Though the fig tree does not blossom, and no fruit is on the vines; though the produce of the olive fails and the fields yield no food; though the flock is cut off from the fold and there is no herd in the stalls, yet I will rejoice in the Lord ...

66. Facing Up To Temptation

Matthew 4:1-11

Sermon

Thomas Long

... hope where there is despair, faith where there is doubt. Because we are called, we are also tempted, tempted to change the script, tempted to live out another story, tempted to be someone other than who we are called to be. To yield to temptation is far more serious than to commit some transgression; to yield to temptation is to say, "I am not a child of God, and I will not take my part in God's drama of redemption." In the midst of South Africa's struggle against apartheid, one of the most respected voices ...

67. Ascension

Acts 1:1-11, Ephesians 1:15-23, Luke 24:36-49, Luke 24:50-53, Matthew 28:16-20

Sermon Aid

Russell F. Anderson

... Verse 19 speaks of the "immeasurable greatness of his (God's) power in us" (Revised Standard Version) but is translated for us (NRSV). Both prepositions reveal a different aspect of God's truth. God chooses to display his transforming power "in" us, when we yield him obedience. The proposition "for" us speaks to the qualitative dimension of God's power. God exercises and channels his power for our good. Gospel: Luke 24:44-53 The Word interprets the word. The risen Christ opened the minds of his disciples to ...

68. Epiphany 7

Mt 5:38-48 · 1 Cor 3:10-11, 16-23 · Lev 19:1-2, 9-18 · Ps 119:33-40 · Ps 71 · Ps 62

Sermon Aid

Russell F. Anderson

... the love of God freely with friend and foe alike Illustration: Among the collected wisdom of the Jewish Rabbis is a tale of love between brothers who shared a farm. One brother was married with children and the other brother was single. They worked hard and the land yielded its fruit abundantly. The brothers shared both their toils and the rewards of their labors equally, thanking and praising God for his blessings. One night the single brother thought to himself. It isn't right that I should share the ...

69. Lent 5

John 11:1-16, Ezekiel 37:1-14, Romans 8:1-17, John 11:17-37, John 11:38-44

Sermon Aid

Russell F. Anderson

... , while the latter leads to life eternal. If Christ is in control of our lives, our sinful natures, what Paul calls the flesh, are dead. The Spirit of the risen Christ raises us to eternal life. Epistle: Romans 6:16-23 We are slaves to whomever we yield up our obedience, either to sin, which leads to death, or righteousness, which leads to life. Gospel: John 11:1-45 According to John, the raising of Lazarus sets the stage for the culmination of our Lord's ministry. By word and deed, Jesus proclaims that he ...

70. Proper 28

Judges 4:1-24, Proverbs 31:10-31, Zephaniah 1:7, 12-18, Malachi 2:1-9, Matthew 25:14-30, 1 Thessalonians 5:1-11

Sermon Aid

Russell F. Anderson

... alert to the presence of Christ (v. 4). Sermon Title: The Omega Point. Sermon Angle: In the Revelation of Saint John, Christ refers to himself as the Alpha and the Omega, the beginning and the end. The passage deals with the Omega point, that occasion when time yields to eternity, and worldly existence, as we know it, comes to an end. In hope, we see reality from the Omega point, the second coming of Christ. Everything comes together at this point. Outline: 1. To try to understand who we are, we go back to ...

71. Proper 9

Genesis 24:1-67, Romans 8:1-17, Romans 7:7-25, Zechariah 9:9-13, Matthew 11:25-30, Matthew 11:1-19

Sermon Aid

Russell F. Anderson

... is indeed a war within. God has placed in our hearts a knowledge of that which is good, even a desire to do what is good, yet, there is an alien force, the power of sin, which thwarts our good intentions. Christ has won that battle and, when we yield our lives in obedience, that victory is ours. Gospel: Matthew 11:16-19, 25-30 The simple truth. Jesus thanks the Father that he has revealed his truth not to those who seek to know God through their own efforts or intellect but to those who simply trust in ...

72. God Is Down To Earth

John 1:1-18

Sermon

John A. Stroman

73. Advent 4

Luke 1:26-38

Sermon Aid

Russell F. Anderson

... the Christ, the Son of God. She quite naturally questioned how this might be, since she had no husband and was told it was through the power of the Spirit. While we honor Mary, is it not true that every Christian is a Christ bearer? When we yield our lives to God, as did Mary, the power of the Spirit comes upon us. The difference is that Mary conceived in her womb and we conceive Christ in our hearts and minds through faith. Sermon Title: Possibilities Unlimited. Sermon Angle: Nothing is too great for God ...

74. Christmas 2

Jn 1:1-18 · Lk 2:41-51 · Eph 1:3-18 · Jer 31:7-14 · Ps 147

Sermon Aid

Russell F. Anderson

... They will return with tears of joy welling in their eyes. The earth will participate in the restoration by bountifully yielding her produce; it will be a well-watered garden (v. 12). All inhabitants will rejoice. Epistle: Ephesians 1:3-14, ... freely bestowed upon us his grace through Christ (v. 6) or, as verse 8 expresses it, "lavished upon us" (RSV). God gave himself to us, even yielding up the life of his Son at the hands of sinful humans. The only proper response on our part is to give ourselves to the Lord ...

75. Prayers for Advent 2

Isaiah 40:1-31, Psalm 85:1-13, 2 Peter 3:1-18, Mark 1:1-8

Bulletin Aid

B. David Hostetter

... who has gathered his flock into the Church. For past deliverance, for present comfort, for future promise we give you thanks, faithful God. Amen. Prayer of Dedication We worship you, loving and faithful Lord, by the presentation of these tokens of our prosperity and the yield of our work. Use us and our offerings to spread the gospel of Jesus Christ. Amen. Psalm 85: 1-2, 8-13: LORD, you were favorable to your land; you restored the fortunes of Jacob. You forgave the iniquity of your people; you pardoned all ...

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