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Showing 801 to 825 of 4943 results

801. Sayings of the Wise: Admonitions for Societal Relationships

Proverbs 22:17--24:22

One Volume

Gary M. Burge

... the section by warning against the illegal acquisition of property (cf. 22:28), especially at the expense of the weak and needy (i.e., orphans). In wording identical to the initial warning in 22:22–23, it is expressed that God will take up their legal cause as their “family protector” (Waltke 2005, 245; Hebrew goel). 23:12–24:22 · The second half of the instruction focuses on the wise, responsive child, paralleling Proverbs 1–9 more fully than does the first half of the instruction. (The ...

802. Babylon

Isaiah 13:1--14:23

One Volume

Gary M. Burge

... effect of Israel’s restoration in that the nations, too, will join in Israel’s future either as converts (14:1) or as servants (14:2). The era of restoration marks the freedom of God’s people. As an expression of joy, God’s people take up a dirge (a traditional funerary song) mocking the end of the oppressors. It is a taunt (14:4)—not to be taken literally, but as a hyperbolic statement of the end of the aggressor. This explains the mythological allusions, as Isaiah portrays the end of Babylon ...

803. Widows, Elders, and Slaves

1 Timothy 5:1-6:2

One Volume

Gary M. Burge

... s death by the widows who benefited from her kindness (Acts 9:39) is testimony to how important this role was in the early church. Paul wants to make sure that only suitably mature women are enrolled to this office. Younger widows are encouraged, instead, to take up new families rather than to risk reneging on their commitment to Christ and to those who would be dependent on them. 5:17–25 · Elders:Having clarified which women are eligible for relief for widows (5:3–8) and which are to be supported as ...

804. Thanksgiving

1 Corinthians 1:1-9

Understanding Series

Marion L. Soards

... ] Lord Jesus Christ. The language here is part of a legal metaphor that depicts being without guilt in relation to the law. The implication of this image is that the Day of the Lord would bring judgment at the end. The reference to the Day of the Lord Jesus Christ takes up language and thinking from the OT (Ezek. 30:3; Joel 2:31; Amos 5:18, 20; Zeph. 1:14–16), although in the OT texts the one who executes judgment on the Day of the Lord is the Lord God, whereas here Paul plainly understands that one to be ...

805. The Redemptive Side of Suffering

Hebrews 5:5-10

Sermon

Richard Gribble

... obey him. His willingness to continue on the road that his Father set out for him, to write the final chapter of salvation history, became the great example for all who would seek to follow in his footsteps. We, the contemporary disciples of Jesus, must take up the mantle and realize that through the various manifestations of suffering in our life we too will find a greater ability to be obedient to the will of God — and to do our share to build Christ’s kingdom in our world. Through Jesus’ obedience ...

806. David's Mighty Men

2 Samuel 23:8-39

Teach the Text

... Israel for Saul’s crimes (v. 1) and restores divine favor only when justice has been served and Saul’s actions have been avenged to the satisfaction of the Gibeonites (vv. 6, 14). This episode is a reminder that God is just. He takes up the cause of the victims of injustice and will eventually punish those who perpetrate crimes against others. In the case of the Gibeonites, divine justice is executed shortly after the crime is committed. We know from Scripture and experience that this is not always ...

807. The Limits Of Love

Luke 4:14-30

Sermon

Charles H. Bayer

... . Jesus addressed the question early in his ministry. It was at his first public appearance in his hometown synagogue he first made the point. He had read the passage from Isaiah, which laid out the compassionate nature of divine love. He, as God's servant, was to take up Isaiah's messianic mission. He had come to preach to the poor, the captives, the blind and the oppressed. Up to then he had a good hearing. It is seldom dangerous to read Bible verses. The trouble came when he set out to define just who ...

808. Jesus Transfigured

Mark 9:2-13

Sermon

Harry N. Huxhold

... but that after three days he would rise again. It was then that Peter said that they would not permit this to happen, and Jesus said, "Get behind me, Satan." Jesus also said that this was God's will and that if any would follow him they would have to take up the cross and be willing to lose one's life in order to find it. While we have a feeling that the transfiguration followed six days after the incident, we are sure that Mark wants to impress us with the fact that the glorious moment on the mount was the ...

809. Show Us The Father, and We Shall Be Satisfied

John 14:5-14

Sermon

Larry Powell

... if the answer I've been giving people is worth anything, it ought to be worth something to me. I know God is grieved. I know too, with Paul, that I am able to do all things through Christ who strengthens me. So, the best thing I can do is take up here where God wants me to be, where my wife would want me to be, and where I need to be." "Show us the Father," my friend could have cried out in remorse. But he already knew the whereabouts of the Father. "Show us the Father, and we shall be ...

810. Easter 7

Acts 1:1-11, Psalm 47:1-9, 1 Peter 4:12-19, John 17:1-5, John 17:6-19

Sermon Aid

... to read both prayers in the day's worship. Homiletically, they remind the preacher that both themes are theologically important and need to be preached for the spiritual welfare and growth of the people. The Psalm of the Day (LBW) - Psalm 47 - This psalm takes up the refrain of Easter and, in a manner not intended or even imagined by the writer, makes it apply to the Ascension of Our Lord: it actually puts the people who worship on this Sunday in places beside the disciples after the ascension; they went ...

811. Victim or Visionary

John 19:28-37

Sermon

Robert Bachelder

... no meaning beyond that; they pass away as they came; they point in no direction; they change nothing (quoted in The Portable Greek Reader.) But Christ’s suffering has changed something. It has changed us. His amazing love strikes us in our pride and emboldens us to take up our own cross. No longer are we victims. Now we are agents of God’s redemptive mission. As Auden reminds us in "Memorial": Our grief is not Greek: As we bury our dead We know without knowing there is reason for what we bear, That our ...

812. The Names of the Christ-Child

Matthew 1:18-25

Sermon

Bill Bouknight

... sacrifice for sin on Calvary's cross, he bore the penalty for our sin. When he arose from the dead three days later, God announced that if any person appropriates that sacrifice by faith, then the barrier between that person and God is broken down. God takes up residence in that believer and makes a new person out of him or her. That person becomes a reconciler in society, a distributor of God's grace. And when that person dies, he goes immediately to his eternal residence in heaven, sponsored by Jesus. Dr ...

813. How to Fix the Past

1 John 1:5--2:14

Sermon

Bill Bouknight

... our sins, God casts them into the ocean, gone forever. Corrie claimed that God then places a sign out there that says, “No Fishing Allowed!” Not only does God forgive, the scripture tells us that he will purify and cleanse us. His Holy Spirit takes up residence in our hearts and minds and begins to reshape our values and desires. He changes our “want-to’s!” Gradually, I become uncomfortable around moral filth and gossip and greed. My heart almost sings when I hear or see something noble and loving ...

814. Time For Action

Matthew 21:28-32

Sermon

King Duncan

... , if you believe in me and my cause, then you join the army. You put on a uniform. You get yourself a rifle and you fight." That is Christ's summons to us. If we believe in him and the cause for which he died, then we are called to take up his cross and walk in his footsteps doing those good things that he would do if he were with us in the flesh today. SUCH A SUMMONS SUGGESTS THREE WORDS THAT OUGHT TO CHARACTERIZE OUR DISCIPLESHIP. THE FIRST WORD IS "AVAILABILITY." I heard recently about a man who applied ...

815. The Lonesome Valley

Matthew 21:1-11; 26:36-46, 69-27:1,15-26

Sermon

Mark Trotter

... you, maybe, under certain conditions." But he can't do that. If Jesus goes to Jerusalem, then he must follow him there, and so must we. Jesus rebukes Peter. Then immediately he begins using the language of "The Hero's Quest." "If anyone would come after me, he must take up a cross and follow me." Then this: "For whoever would save his life will lose it, and whoever loses his life for my sake will find it." That is the path of the hero, to lose your life in order to find it. The old spiritual put it: Jesus ...

816. Advent 2

Isaiah 11:1-16, Matthew 3:1-12, Romans 14:1--15:13

Bulletin Aid

John R. Brokhoff

... mouth." He slays the wicked with the breath of his lips. In Revelation Jesus is called the Word of God. "Let the Word do it" was Luther's slogan. The church's only sword is the Word through teaching and preaching. Jesus taught that those who would take up the sword of steel will perish with the sword. The world has the inherent power to convert and transform the world from evil to good. 3. Knowledge (v. 9). It is like a dream: the promise that when Messiah comes, there will be no more antagonism or strife ...

817. Advent 3

Romans 14:1--15:13, Matthew 11:1-19, James 5:7-12, Isaiah 11:1-16

Sermon Aid

John R. Brokhoff

818. Generations

John 4:1-26

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

... someone heavy on your heart," etc.), busters at Greenville College chapel services also ask for prayer requests – but the students refuse to move on to the next concern or celebration until someone specifically agrees with an uplifted hand to take up and undergird that particular need. Busters are not afraid of complexity ("four spiritual laws" or "five short-cuts to" no longer cut it), and indeed embrace it. Their family lives are complex – stepsiblings, stepmothers, eight grandparents, networks of ...

819. A Star-Cross Christmas

James 5:7-12

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

Christmas is not a cheap thrill for our lives, nor a cheap fix for our problems. We are called to take up crosses and follow in the footsteps of Christ. While there is nothing wrong with Christmas as a star-studded celebration, for Christians, stars without crosses are as flimsy and fake as the ones perched on top of our Christmas trees. As kids we probably started the ritual sometime in early ...

820. Matthew 16:21-28

Matthew 16:21-28

Sweet

Leonard Sweet

... maintained the world the individual existed within. Jesus' demand was radical: "Give up your world." Give up the human family that defines you, and instead make Jesus your only family, your only reference point for authority and guidance. Jesus' other command to "take up their cross" pulls the individual even farther away from the safety of the family unit. The cross was an extremely Roman image, instantly recognized by any kinship group that had felt the weight of the heavy thumb of Roman rule. Jesus' next ...

821. There Is a Price for Everything

Matthew 13:44-46

Sermon

Maxie Dunnam

... Now these are the two big lessons from the three mini-parables in Matthew’s gospel. Add to it our second lesson from Mark - the tough word of Jesus with which we are all familiar. Hear it again: “If any want to become my followers, let them deny themselves and take up their crosses and follow me. For those who want to save their life will lose it, and those who lose their life for my sake, and for the sake of the Gospel, will save it.” That’s pretty clear, isn’t it? But the word that ties the two ...

822. Spiritual Gifts: God’s Gift of Fulfillment

1 Corinthians 1:3-9

Sermon

Scott Suskovic

... ended up in an insane asylum forever comparing himself to Amadeus. When Paul writes about spiritual gifts, it is a celebration of how God has made you unique. If you are a rabbit, run. Don't spend time trying to climb trees. If you are an eagle, soar. Don't take up swimming lessons. If you are a duck, swim. Forget the 100-yard dash. And be satisfied with these gifts because God has created you to be but one member of the larger body of Christ. Amen.

823. Job’s Hope against Hope

Job 19:1-29

Teach the Text

Daniel J. Estes

... by his friends (19:1–6), by God (19:7–12), and by the full range of people in his community (19:13–19). In the final verses of the chapter, Job pleads with his friends for compassion (19:20–22), he articulates his hope for a redeemer to take up his cause (19:23–27), and he warns his friends that they will have to face God’s judgment (19:28–29). Job does express some faint hope in God, even though his predominant emotion at this time is hopelessness. Only after Yahweh speaks to him in chapters ...

824. Jesus Heals a Paralytic

Luke 5:17-26

Understanding Series

Craig A. Evans

... as follows: “Which is easier, to say, ‘Your sins are forgiven,’ or to say, ‘Arise and walk’?” But in order that you [i.e., the readers] may know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins, he said to the paralyzed, “I say to you, ‘Arise, take up your bed and go home.’ ”

825. Did I Say That Out Loud?

Mark 8:31-38; 9:2-9

Sermon

Timothy W. Ayers

... in his Father’s glory with the holy angels. Those thoughts most likely ran through Peter, James, and John’s minds for the six days. They wondered what his coming in his Father’s glory would look like. They most likely questioned if they would be able to take up their crosses and follow him? They may have wondered if they could give up their lives to save the world? Could it be them he was talking about when he said that anyone who gains the world would lose their soul? There were lots of questions in ...

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