Sermon and Worship Resources

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Ephesians 3:1-13

Understanding Series

Arthur G. Patzia

... many-sided” or “varied forms” (NEB). God’s manifold wisdom is like looking through a kaleidoscope that reveals an amazing array of shapes and colors as one turns it gently; it is like beholding a marvelous tapestry that a designer has woven from a variety of different strands (Stott, p. 123). In this verse, the author has a magnificent vision of a triumphant and unified church that demonstrates the entire creative and redemptive purposes of God to all humanity (3:9) as well as to all cosmic powers ...

827. Unity in the Body of Christ

Ephesians 4:1-16

Understanding Series

Arthur G. Patzia

... theory that the “charismatic” leadership of the early church was gradually replaced by regulated offices (e.g., elders, bishops, deacons). The Pastoral Epistles (1 and 2 Timothy, Titus), for example, stress the offices of the church rather than the variety of gifts mentioned in 1 Corinthians 12. Third, there also is the question of authority in the early church. Initially, spiritual and ecclesiastical authority belonged to the early leaders—the apostles, prophets, elders, and so on. Gradually, however ...

828. Living as Children of Light

Ephesians 4:17--5:21

Understanding Series

Arthur G. Patzia

... (as in Gnostic libertinism), then it is not uncommon to discuss and to make light of one’s personal sins or the sins of others. This is to be avoided in their fellowship. Sexual immorality (porneia) covers a wide variety of unlawful sexual activity, such as prostitution, adultery, fornication, and promiscuity. Impurity (akatharsia) is tied to immorality and probably means sexual perversions of various kinds. Greed, or covetousness (pleonexia), in the context of immoral behavior would be the desire ...

829. Wives and Husbands

Ephesians 5:22-33

Understanding Series

Arthur G. Patzia

... 231). The Latin rendering of sacramentum for mystery does not legitimize viewing marriage as a sacrament (cf. Barth, Eph. 4–6, pp. 744–49). The precise meaning of the author’s thoughts is by no means easy to determine—as is obvious from the variety of translations and interpretations (for a list, see Mitton, pp. 207, 8). Some commentators, in spite of the apostle’s application of Genesis 2:24 to Christ and the church, believe that it refers primarily to human marriage as the great mystery. Others ...

830. Thanksgiving and Prayer

Colossians 1:1-14

Understanding Series

Arthur G. Patzia

... to these believers. God has prepared them for their inheritance; they already are saints in the kingdom of light. Saints is a translation of hagioi (lit., “the separated ones”). The unusual phrase kingdom of light is somewhat ambiguous and has received a variety of interpretations. Some commentators take light as the means by which a Christian qualifies for the inheritance. Others base their understanding on such NT passages as 2 Corinthians 4:6, Ephesians 5:8, and 1 Peter 2:9, where light is used as ...

831. Thanksgiving for the Thessalonians' Faith

1 Thessalonians 1:1-10

Understanding Series

David J. Williams

... Lord Jesus Christ (cf. 1:3; 2:15, 19; 3:11, 13; 4:1, 2; 5:9, 23, 28; 2 Thess. 1:1, 2, 7, 8, 12; 2:1, 8, 14, 16; 3:6, 12, 18). Lord (kyrios) is not a name but a title. It is used in a variety of ways but, with reference to ordinary people, most commonly as a polite form of address, much like our “sir” (e.g., John 12:21). More importantly, however, it forms part of the religious vocabulary of the day. Pagan gods receive the title “lord,” and sometimes, in that connection, it ...

832. Paul’s Longing to See the Thessalonians

1 Thessalonians 2:17--3:5

Understanding Series

David J. Williams

... were with you (for pros with the accusative in the sense of “with,” cf. Mark 6:3; John 1:1) we kept telling you (impf.), he reminds them (prolegō means “to tell beforehand,” “to tell plainly”), that we would be persecuted. For the sake of variety NIV employs this word, but the Greek word is the same as before, only now in the verbal form, “to suffer trials” (thlibō, cf. 2 Thess. 1:6f.). In this context it means persecution. Instead of using the verb in the simple future, Paul strengthens ...

833. Warning Against False Teachers of the Law

1 Timothy 1:1-11

Understanding Series

Gordon D. Fee

... . Usually these were terse: “Paul, to Timothy, greetings.” Such a terse greeting may be found in Paul’s earliest existing letter (1 Thessalonians), but as time went on, each part of the salutation tended to become elaborated (“Christianized”) in a variety of ways. These elaborations, especially the longer ones, often reflect the urgencies of the letter in hand. This seems to be true of our letter. 1:1 Paul regularly calls himself an apostle of Christ Jesus (1 Corinthians, 2 Corinthians, Galatians ...

834. Overseers and Deacons

1 Timothy 3:1-16

Understanding Series

Gordon D. Fee

... of a couple of the lines, and the meaning of the whole, there has been considerable debate, with nothing like a consensus. It has been viewed as a single stanza of six consecutive lines (see the JB), as two stanzas with three lines each (but in a variety of patterns [cf., e.g., the GNB with the RSV]), as three stanzas with two lines each (cf. NIV), or in other, not easily classified combinations. Moreover, three of the lines (2, 3, and 6) are not perfectly clear as to their meaning, a difficulty raised in ...

835. Titus' Task on Crete

Titus 1:1-16

Understanding Series

Gordon D. Fee

... . NAB on 1 Tim. 5:10). Is a man blameless? This is not the same word as in 1 Timothy 3:2, but the synonym used of the deacons in 3:10. Nonetheless, it functions in exactly the same way—to head the list as a covering term for a variety of behavioral concerns. One should note the shift to the singular, an elder must be, occasioned by the form of the indirect question (“if anyone …”; see the note on 1 Tim. 3:2). The first two items wherein the elder must be blameless have to do with the quality of ...

836. Doing What is Good

Titus 3:1-11

Understanding Series

Gordon D. Fee

... of Christian existence (e.g., 1 Cor. 2:6–16; Rom. 6–8), and it seems confirmed by the emphases in the sentence itself (see disc. on v. 6). Of the middle terms, rebirth is found frequently in Hellenism and Hellenistic Judaism for a whole variety of “rebirths”—of deities in the mystery cults (e.g., Plutarch, Isis and Osiris 35), of the Jewish homeland (Jos., Antiquities 11.66), of the reincarnation of souls (e.g., Plutarch, On the Eating of Flesh 1, 2), and of initiates into the mystery cults ...

837. The High Priesthood of Jesus

Hebrews 4:14-5:10

Understanding Series

Donald A. Hagner

... only here in the NT, it is commonly linked with the former in contemporary literature. The major difficulty of this verse, i.e., how the author can write that he was heard, despite the fact that Jesus died on the cross, has been handled in a variety of ways. Perhaps the simplest way is to argue that Jesus prayed not that he would avoid death, but that he would be resurrected after his death, taking the “out of death” (ek thanatou, not apo thanatou, “from death”) quite literally as a rescue from the ...

838. The High Priest of a New Covenant

Hebrews 8:1-13

Understanding Series

Donald A. Hagner

... ’s background is more Jewish than Hellenistic. 8:3–4 The expression gifts and sacrifices (cf. Lev. 21:6), which occurs also in 5:1 and 9:9, is unique to this epistle in the NT. The phrase is a general reference to a variety of sacrifices offered by the priests. In describing this work of the priests, the author uses the present tense prospherō, the regular word for “offer”), implying the necessary repetition (and also possibly the existence of the sacrificial ritual at the time the author writes ...

839. Praying for Endurance and Healing

James 4:13-17, James 5:1-6, James 5:7-12, James 5:13-20

Understanding Series

Peter H. Davids

... more likely that heavenly resistance is in mind. 5:7 Although a different word for patient is used here than in 1:2, 12 (makrothymē vs. hypomenō), the two terms are used in parallel in Col. 1:11. Thus, as in 4:1–3 vs. 1:13–15 there is variety in vocabulary as sources change but similarity in content. Patience is a frequent demand in scripture, e.g., Rom. 12:1–21; Heb. 6:12, 15; 10:32–39; 12:1–24; 1 Pet. 4:12–19; Rev. 13:10; 14:12. The Christian is not called to destroy the ...

840. Living for God

1 Peter 4:1-11

Understanding Series

Norman Hillyer

... charis) can be a synonym for gift (charisma); the latter term occurs only here in 1 Peter, and otherwise in the NT only in Pauline writings (17 times). In its various forms translates poikiloi, lit. multicolored. Christian gifts of service come in many varieties, but exercised together they form a harmonious pattern. The Greek term is used only in one other place in this letter, in referring to “all kinds of trials.” See commentary on 1:6. 4:11 Words is logia, sayings, divine oracles. Serves translates ...

841. Moses Flees to Midian

Exodus 2:11-25

Understanding Series

James K. Bruckner

... God was using him to rescue them” (Acts 7:25). The Exodus text, however, does not tell us what Moses was thinking. The death of the Egyptian (whether Moses intended it or not) was certainly illegal in Egypt. The laws that follow in Exodus allow a variety of verdicts for the crime of “striking” (nakah; see the comments on Exod. 21:12–27). Exodus 21:12–13 best fits Moses’ action and describes the outcome. Anyone who strikes (nakah) a man and kills (mut) him shall surely be put to death. However ...

842. Crossing the Sea

Exodus 13:17--14:31

Understanding Series

James K. Bruckner

... , and the cover of night. The text mentions the angel (lit., “messenger”) of God who had been traveling in front of Israel’s army for the first time. “Messengers” were not pictured in the OT as winged creatures (an attribute of seraphim in Isa. 6:2) but in a variety of seen and unseen ways. In Exodus they were present with God in the burning bush (3:2), in the cloud (v. 19), and as an unseen protector, guard, and warrior (23:20, 23; 32:34; 33:2). In Genesis they appeared as men with God (Gen. 18:2 ...

843. The Tabernacle

Exodus 26:1-37

Understanding Series

James K. Bruckner

... fabric” of finely twisted linen, specifically, blue, purple and scarlet thread (NIV has “yarn”). This phrase, with slight variations, appears twenty-four times in Exodus 25–40. Translators and rabbinic scholars have interpreted the somewhat ambiguous Hebrew in a variety of imaginative ways, trying to make sense of the fiber arts involved. (See the additional note below and comment on 25:4 for specifics on the translation of this phrase.) Most likely the twisting describes the process of spinning ...

844. Division of the Land West of the Jordan

Joshua 14:1-5

Understanding Series

J. Gordon Harris

... a priest emphasizing that the land was a gift from the Lord. Insight: Boundary Lists Boling points out that Joshua 13–21:42 shows evidence of having a form and history separate from that of Joshua 1–12, 21:43–22:34, and 23. The variety of form and content in the boundary lists also indicates a complicated history behind its final form. Joshua 24:1–33 represents a different tradition, the history of which cannot be recovered (Boling and Wright, Joshua, pp. 66–72). Although a time when the various ...

845. Samson and Delilah

Judges 16:1-22

Understanding Series

Cheryl A. Brown

... the story of Samson and Delilah. It is a gripping, poignant drama brought to life by a gifted artist who has skillfully combined plot and characterization to present a classic story whose elements, if not the whole, have been told and retold in many cultures through all varieties of media, whether story, song, art, or film. But as we turn to this famous story, we must remember that it is part of a whole and thus be careful to place it in its literary context. It stands as the climactic point of both the ...

846. David’s Victories

1 Chronicles 18:1-13

Understanding Series

Louis C. Jonker

... section can be divided into three subsections. It is structured by the repetition of the temporal indication “in the course of time,” which occurs in 18:1; 19:1; and 20:4. First Chronicles 18 (|| 2 Sam. 8) contains narratives of battles against a whole variety of neighboring nations, as well as indications of booty taken from them. First Chronicles 19:1–20:3 (|| 2 Sam. 10; 11:1; 12:29–31) focuses on the Ammonite war, while 1 Chronicles 20:4–8 (|| 2 Sam. 21:18–22) narrates some battles against ...

847. Mordecai Honored

Esther 6:1-14

Understanding Series

Timothy S. Laniak

... to his exoneration (Dan. 6:22). 6:3 Nothing has been done for him: The king had certainly been lax in neglecting a reward for Mordecai. Persian rulers regularly singled out “benefactors” (orosaggai) to the king, as Mordecai had become, for a variety of privileges, including royal estates (or minor kingdoms), tax exemption, and money. One could say that being denied a reward constituted an injustice. (For more on the rewards for benefactors, see Herodotus, Hist. 3.138ff.; 5.11; 9.107; Xenophon, Hell. 3 ...

848. Let Him Kiss Me

Song of Songs 1:1-17

Understanding Series

Elizabeth Huwiler

... between the two lovers, as the NIV does, is plausible as a resumption of the playful banter between them. It is also possible that all three lines belong to the same speaker, who could be either of the lovers. This section combines a variety of sensory imagery. Sight predominates, particularly in the lovers’ references to each other’s attractiveness. The presence of cedars and firs suggests the sense of smell. Additional Notes 1:7 You whom I love: This is the same expression translated “the one my ...

849. How Beautiful You Are

Song of Songs 4:1-16

Understanding Series

Elizabeth Huwiler

... that they, like flowers, are at their peak for only a short time. 4:13 An orchard: With the following list of fruits and spices, there is a sense that the woman is overwhelmingly fruitful, fragrant, and luxuriant. The sense of bounty is emphasized by the variety of plants listed in vv. 13–14. With a realization that the list is inadequate, a kind of “etc.” is placed at the end (all the finest spices). 5:1 I have come . . . I have gathered . . . I have eaten . . . I have drunk: These lines provide the ...

850. Israel Forsakes God

Jeremiah 2:1-3:5

Understanding Series

Tremper Longman III

... edge of Egypt, either one of the eastern arms of the Nile or a lake like Lake Menzaleh.” The River is a common way of referring to the Euphrates. Like a Whore (2:20-28): This section could be divided into subunits, especially since there is quite a variety of imagery used in it. However, most of the verses present a picture of God’s people as a whore, and thus we will treat these verses as a single section. 2:20–21 God’s people are rebellious against their true master, Yahweh. Jeremiah uses a common ...

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