Sermon and Worship Resources

Synonyms: Levi, disciple, evangelist, tax collector, the 12, the twelve, apostle, sermon on the mount, jewish audience, beatitudes, lord's prayer, great commission, parables, olivet discourse, mount of olives, olivet, synoptic

Showing 851 to 875 of 4942 results

851. Jesus Taken Up into Heaven

Acts 1:1-11

Understanding Series

David J. Williams

Acts and the Third Gospel clearly come from the same hand. Not only their common dedication, but their common interests and their unity of language and style leave this beyond doubt. Moreover, the way in which they are introduced—the Gospel with its relatively detailed preface, Acts with its shorter introduction echoing the other’s language—points us to the fact that these are not simply two books by the same author, but two volumes of one book. This arrangement of a work into a number of “books” having a ...

852. The Holy Spirit Comes at Pentecost

Acts 2:1-13

Understanding Series

David J. Williams

The history of the early church was far more complex than Luke would have us believe. But we may still accept that it began with “a determinative Jerusalem Pentecost” that gave the church its impetus and character. The essential historicity of this event has been firmly established (see Dunn, Jesus, pp. 135–56). To an outside observer, it might have appeared as an outburst of enthusiasm within the sect of the Nazarenes. To the believers, it was an episode of critical importance in the history of salvation ...

853. Stephen Seized

Acts 6:8-15

Understanding Series

David J. Williams

6:8 Although the Seven were appointed to an administrative role within the church as a whole, they may already have had a wider ministry within their own Hellenistic circles (still assuming that they were Hellenists), so that the picture we now have of Stephen as a preacher need come as no surprise (see Hengel, Acts, p. 74; Dunn, Unity, p. 270). He is described as a man full of God’s grace—a phrase capable of bearing the double sense of enjoying God’s favor (cf. 18:27) and of being gracious himself toward ...

854. On Cyprus

Acts 13:4-12

Understanding Series

David J. Williams

The end result of the “first missionary journey” was a giant step forward for the church, though in terms of the actual distance covered it was a more modest achievement. It took Barnabas and Paul to Cyprus and then through parts of Asia Minor. Luke has sometimes been accused of inventing the itinerary set out in this narrative, but this seems highly unlikely. First, it is hard to believe that he would have included the story of Mark’s defection if he had been giving free rein to his fancy. Second, most of ...

855. In Pisidian Antioch

Acts 13:13-52

Understanding Series

David J. Williams

The missionaries cross to Asia Minor, where Paul’s first recorded sermon is preached in Antioch. The speech is given at length, so that on other occasions Luke needed only to say that Paul “proclaimed the word of God in the Jewish synagogues” (13:5; 14:1; etc.) without feeling obliged to give the content of the preaching each time. And like the speech, the response was also a paradigm, with some Jews believing but many rejecting the gospel. It is possible to see in the pattern of ministry outlined in this ...

856. The Trial Before Felix

Acts 24:1-27

Understanding Series

David J. Williams

Paul’s removal to Caesarea began a two-year imprisonment in that city. During these years he stated his case (and therefore the case for the gospel) before two governors and a king, thus further fulfilling the ministry to which he had been called (9:15). These were days of high drama as well as of tedious confinement, but through it all Paul maintained his unswerving purpose to serve Christ and the gospel. 24:1 The first of the two governors to hear Paul’s case was Antonius Felix, the brother of Pallas, ...

857. Freedom In Christ

Galatians 5:1-15, Galatians 5:16-26

Understanding Series

L. Ann Jervis

Paul’s Direct Warning: To Become Circumcised Is to Be Divorced from Christ 5:2 Now Paul turns up the heat with a direct address—Mark my words! I, Paul, tell you. No longer using Scripture, Paul states forthrightly: if you let yourselves be circumcised, Christ will be of no value to you at all. The options are clearly laid out: either circumcision without Christ or Christ without circumcision. While Paul has referred to the “circumcision group” (2:12) as those who are opposed to the “truth of the gospel” ...

858. Final Greetings

Colossians 4:7-18

Understanding Series

Arthur G. Patzia

4:7–8 Two of the individuals mentioned in this list are personal emissaries of Paul to the Colossian church. Tychicus is singled out and commended as a dear brother, a faithful minister and fellow servant. Paul’s association with him goes back to Ephesus (Acts 20:4), where it appears Tychicus may have spent some time as a church leader (2 Tim. 4:12; Titus 3:12). Paul dispatches Tychicus to Colossae as a personal messenger and probably as the bearer of this letter and anticipates that his coming will ...

859. Personal Instructions and Greetings

Titus 3:12-15

Understanding Series

Gordon D. Fee

In a typically Pauline fashion the letter closes with some final personal instructions (vv. 12–13; cf. Rom. 16:1–2; 1 Cor. 16:5–12; Col. 4:7–9), plus a “parting shot,” repeating the concern of the letter (v. 14; cf. Rom. 16:17–20a; 2 Cor. 13:11; Gal. 6:17), final greetings, including greetings from Paul and his companions to all believers in Crete (v. 15a; cf. most of the Pauline letters), and the final benediction (v. 15b; cf. all the letters). One should compare these instructions and greetings with the ...

860. The High Priesthood of Jesus

Hebrews 4:14-5:10

Understanding Series

Donald A. Hagner

In the last verses of chapter 4 the author again exhorts his readers to faithfulness, but this time on the basis of his argument concerning the high priesthood of Jesus. The connection has already been made between Jesus’ high priesthood and his ability to help his people (see 2:17–18), but now it is elaborated and leads the author into the beginning of a discourse on why Jesus is qualified to be high priest. First the author reviews the role and calling of high priests (5:1–4), and then he turns to the ...

861. Bricks Without Straw

Exodus 5:1-21

Understanding Series

James K. Bruckner

The major theme of Exodus 5 focuses on the question, “Who will serve whom?” The players and their commitments are center stage: Aaron and Moses, the pharaoh and his servants, and the Israelite foremen caught in between. The conflict that begins here will not be resolved until Exodus 12:31–33. This chapter echoes some of the material in Exodus 1, reminding readers of the situation in Egypt: heavy work, servitude, making bricks, and numerous Hebrews. The difference here is that Moses and Aaron, as called by ...

862. The Plague on the Firstborn

Exodus 11:1-10

Understanding Series

James K. Bruckner

Exodus 11 is a transitional chapter in several ways. Moses’ final conversation with Pharaoh continues from Exodus 10. Having been warned by Pharaoh never to appear before him again, Moses delivers the warning of the tenth plague, the death of the firstborn (vv. 4–8). Verses 1–3, however, contain God’s instructions for asking for silver and gold articles from the Egyptians. The chapter as a whole marks the ending of the first nine plagues (chs. 7–10), provides the announcement of the final plague to Pharaoh ...

863. Manna and Quail

Exodus 16:1-36

Understanding Series

James K. Bruckner

Leadership, Learning, Manna, Meat, and the First Sabbath Rest: In Exodus 16, Israel begins learning to walk in the Lord’s way (vv. 4b, 28b). The survival of the people depended on the transformation of their culture. The text presents a jumble of themes around this purpose, some for the first time in Exodus: the grumbling and lessons of the newly redeemed slaves; the status of Moses and Aaron’s leadership; the Lord’s visible presence with the people; and the Lord’s provision of bread, quail, and rest. The ...

864. At Mount Sinai

Exodus 19:1-25

Understanding Series

James K. Bruckner

Meeting God at Sinai: Exodus 19 is the theological and literary pivot of Exodus. Nowhere do we find a fuller revelation of God in relation to the people. In the preceding chapters Israel had been “let go” from serving the pharaoh so that they might serve/worship the Lord. Here they serve/worship at the place of Moses’ original calling and receive their own call to be God’s “kingdom of priests” to the world (chs. 25–31; 35–40). The larger literary structure of Exodus 19–24 comprises a chiasm (see below) and ...

865. The Tent of Meeting

Exodus 33:7-11

Understanding Series

James K. Bruckner

Crisis: Will Yahweh Go with Them?: Following Moses’ discovery of the golden calf, Moses and the Lord engaged in conversation as God decided what to do (v. 5). The primary question was whether the Lord would continue to go with them personally (vv. 3, 5, 12, 14–16; see also 34:9). Exodus 32 had ended with the Lord’s immediate negative reaction to their betrayal (32:33–34). God initially decides not to go with them, but two realities, described in the first half of Exodus 33, turn the conversation: the ...

866. Ruth and Boaz on the Threshing Floor

Ruth 3:1-18

Understanding Series

Michael S. Moore

Naomi’s Strategy: Naomi is Ruth’s mother-in-law (khamot, 2:23). This feminine form of kham (“father-in-law”) is widely perceived by lexicographers to be a nominal derivative of the unattested verb *khamah. Cognates of this word appear in extrabiblical literature (Arabic khamay, “to protect, defend”; OSA ?mh, “sacred precinct, protective association”), and the root idea seems to be protection, shelter, or refuge. An Arabic attorney, for example, is a mu?amin (“protector”), while an Egyptian “protector” is a ...

867. Invitation of Wisdom and of Folly

Proverbs 9:1-18

Understanding Series

Roland E. Murphy

The NIV entitles this chapter “Invitations of Wisdom and of Folly.” This certainly captures the main points, but it neglects verses 7–12. The personification of the two women, Wisdom (vv. 1–6) and Folly (vv. 13–18) is the proper way to end these chapters (1–9) which have been so dualistic: wisdom/folly, life/death, and good/bad. 9:1–6 The rendering of Woman Wisdom in verses 1–6 contains several new items (in contrast to the businesslike description of Folly in vv. 13–15). Thus, she has her house of seven ...

868. Proverbs of Solomon

Proverbs 16:1-33

Understanding Series

Roland E. Murphy

There is a noticeable change here. The antithetic style of previous sayings starts to give way to synonymous and synthetic or progressive parallelism. More important, there are indications of a deliberate arrangement. The Lord is the subject of verses 1–7, 9, 11, 20, 33, and the king is the topic in verses 10, 12–15. Moreover, the Lord and the king seem to be meshed together (cf. 24:21): verse 11 interrupts 10–15. In addition, the decision (mišpāṭ; NIV “justice”) of the king and of the Lord are spoken of ...

869. Wisdom

Ecclesiastes 7:1--8:1

Understanding Series

Elizabeth Huwiler

What Is Better? (7:1-14): In this section Qohelet qualifies the negative conclusion of 6:12, which was that knowledge about what is good in life is unavailable to humans. Here Qohelet makes claims about what is good. The section begins with a segment organized around “better” sayings. Although Qohelet has been unable to claim absolute good, there is relative good: some things are better than others. In the central segment, wisdom is judged to be good—at least when accompanied by an inheritance. The final ...

870. Judgment Against Samaria and Jerusalem

Micah 1:1-7

Understanding Series

Elizabeth Achtemeier

The Superscription (1:1): 1:1 The superscription has been affixed to the prophecies of Micah by an unknown editor and is, in its initial phrase (The word of the LORD that came to Micah) the same form as that found in Hosea 1:1; Joel 1:1; and Zephaniah 1:1. The claim that what follows is “the word of the LORD” is intended to apply to the entire book. Not just selected portions of the book, and not just portions that scholars judge to stem from the prophet himself are to be understood as words from God. No. ...

871. Israel Will Rise

Micah 7:8-13

Understanding Series

Elizabeth Achtemeier

Jerusalem’s Song of Trust (7:8-10): Ever since Hermann Gunkel of Germany in 1924 characterized Micah 7:8–20 as a prophetic liturgy, this oracle has been treated as the opening piece of that unit. But this brief passage, which in its tone so much resembles songs of trust found in the Psalter (cf. Ps. 4; 11; 16; 23; 27:1–6; 52; 131), should not be interpreted apart from what has gone before in 6:1–7:7. The setting of the court case (6:1–8) continues. Israel has been indicted (6:1–8); its sins, specified by ...

872. A Call to Build the House of the Lord

Haggai 1:1-15

Understanding Series

John Goldingay

August: The overlaps between Haggai’s various sayings in verses 2–11, with their repeated resumptive beginnings describing them as Yahweh’s words, suggest that these are sayings Haggai delivered on different occasions and that the narrator has brought them together into a coherent longer account of Haggai’ s challenge concerning the need to take up the task of building the temple. The account thus brings together the fact that the people are living in restored homes when Yahweh is not and the fact that ...

873. Jesus' First Disciples

John 1:35-42, John 1:43-51

Understanding Series

J. Ramsey Michaels

John the Baptist repeats his testimony to Jesus as Lamb of God in the presence of two of his disciples (v. 36). This is how he makes Jesus known to “Israel.” In effect, he delivers his own disciples over to Jesus. One of the two is said to be Andrew (v. 40), but the other is not identified. It is widely assumed that the second disciple is the Gospel writer himself, the “beloved disciple” mentioned five times in the latter half of the Gospel. But not all anonymous disciples have to be the same. More likely ...

874. Jesus Teaches Nicodemus

John 3:1-21

Understanding Series

J. Ramsey Michaels

Nicodemus is introduced as a particular example of the “believers” mentioned in 2:23–25. As a “member of the Jewish ruling council” and “Israel’s teacher” (vv. 1, 10), he is perhaps not wholly typical of the group, though later indications are that leaders of the people were indeed conspicuous among these so-called believers (12:42). It is probably out of fear that Nicodemus comes to Jesus at night. Speaking perhaps for the larger group, he makes a confession that puts the narrator’s summary (2:23) into ...

875. The Raising of Lazarus

John 11:17-37, John 11:38-44

Understanding Series

J. Ramsey Michaels

After a brief introduction setting the stage for the action (vv. 17–19), the drama of the raising of Lazarus unfolds in three scenes: one between Jesus and Martha providing a theological interpretation for the whole (vv. 20–27), one in which Jesus reacts to the sorrow of Mary and some Jews who came to mourn with her (vv. 28–37), and one at the tomb recounting the actual procedure by which Jesus raised Lazarus to life (vv. 38–44). It is not certain how long the journey took from Bethany to Bethany. The ...

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