Sermon and Worship Resources

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Showing 876 to 900 of 5000 results

876. 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 ...

877. The Woman in a Basket

Zechariah 5:5-11

Understanding Series

Pamela J. Scalise

Vision Report: Evil Exported in a Measuring Basket: 5:5–6 The interpreting angel/messenger calls Zechariah’s attention to the next visionary object and tells him to “Look up and see what this is that is appearing.” It is “coming out” (ytsʾ, NIV “appearing”), like the flying scroll (v. 3, NIV “going out”) and the four chariots (6:1), but we do not know its origin. The temple is the most likely point of origin for all of these objects. Zechariah does not report what he sees; he simply asks, “What is it?” The ...

878. Faith for the Long Term

John 6:55-59

Children's Sermon

King Duncan

Object: A baton such as runners carry Good morning, boys and girls. Have any of you have been to a track meet? Have any of you ever run in a relay race? I couldn't find the kind of baton runners in a real relay race carry, so you will have to use your imagination and pretend this stick is a baton. In a relay a runner begins running, carrying a baton, and he runs to a point in the race where one of his teammates is waiting and he hands the baton to his teammate and his teammate carries it to another ...

879. Jesus Prays for His Disciples

John 17:1-5, John 17:6-19, John 17:20-26

Understanding Series

J. Ramsey Michaels

If chapters 15–17 are viewed as an expansion in reverse order of the three pronouncements found in 13:31–35, then chapter 17 is built on Jesus’ solemn reference to glorification in 13:31–32. Glorification is at any rate the theme of verses 1–5. In verse 1, Jesus prays, Father, … Glorify your Son, that your Son may glorify you. In verse 5, he prays again, And now, Father, glorify me in your presence with the glory I had with you before the world began. Superficially, it appears that these two petitions ...

880. Jacob Gets Isaac's Blessing

Genesis 27:1-40

Understanding Series

John E. Hartley

Jacob Steals Esau’s Blessing: This suspense-filled narrative portrays a family torn between the conflicting wills of a father and a mother. An indulgent father favors a rugged, athletic, unpretentious older son while a brilliant, domineering mother manipulates matters to the advantage of her younger son, who loves to take care of the animals and do chores around the tent. “Son” is a controlling word in this narrative, being employed by each parent to emphasize his or her respective love for and favoritism ...

881. Jesus’s Authority to Forgive and Heal Sinners

Mark 2:1-12

Teach the Text

Grant R. Osborne

Big Idea: In contrast to the crowds, the leaders begin to oppose Jesus’s ministry because he ignores the requirements of their oral tradition. Jesus, however, conducts his ministry not to satisfy rules but to bring sinners to forgiveness. His authority to forgive sins is proof of his divine sonship. Understanding the Text Jesus’s authority continues from Mark 1, but now with a polar opposite reaction: rejection rather than wonder. This begins five episodes (2:1–12, 13–17, 18–22, 23–28; 3:1–6) that center ...

882. Many Parts, One Body

1 Corinthians 12:12-31

Teach the Text

Preben Vang

Big Idea: In a fashion parallel to the physical body, which God created with a plurality of parts with different functions, God grants a multiplicity of spiritual gifts in order for the Christ community to function as the incarnate body of Christ. Understanding the Text After giving a theological basis for unity in diversity, Paul now turns to a most memorable explication that stands out in a special way in the Corinthian situation. The multiplicity of spiritual gifts is designed to enable Christ’s members ...

883. The Vision of the Great Prostitute

Revelation 17:1-18

Teach the Text

J. Scott Duvall

Big Idea: John is astonished when he receives the vision of Babylon the Great, the mother of the prostitutes, in all her power, opulence, and adulterous depravity. Understanding the Text At the conclusion of the bowl judgments, Babylon the Great is split into three parts and is made to drink the full cup of God’s wrath (16:19). Now one of the seven angels from chapter 16 invites John to witness in greater detail the judgment God will bring on the harlot. As a result, the judgment of Babylon the Great in 17 ...

884. Daniel in the Den of Lions

Daniel 6:1-28

Teach the Text

Ronald W. Pierce

Daniel’s Success and Darius’s Decree (6:1-9): Big Idea: God may allow those who remain faithful to him and his word to experience jealous opposition from unbelievers in a hostile environment. Understanding the Text Daniel 6:1–28 is woven into the book’s overall literary structure in two ways. First, it advances the narrative of chapters 1–6, in which the first four focus on Nebuchadnezzar (chaps. 1–2 with historical markers and 3–4 without) and the last two show the transition from Belshazzar of Babylon to ...

885. The Crucifixion

Mark 15:21-32

Understanding Series

Larry W. Hurtado

15:21–32 It is striking that the central event in the story of Jesus’ obedience to the will of God is narrated with such stark simplicity and economy of words (compare the Lucan version, 23:26–43). The mention of Simon, the Cyrenian Jew (v. 21), a person included in all the Synoptic accounts of the crucifixion (cf. Matt. 27:32; Luke 23:26), looks like an echo of early tradition. In Mark, there is the distinctive reference to two sons of the man (Alexander and Rufus, v. 21), perhaps indicating that the men ...

886. Vengeance on the Midianites

Numbers 31:1-24

Understanding Series

W.H. Bellinger, Jr.

War with the Midianites: 31:1–2 Chapter 31 alludes to the end of chapter 25 and some unfinished business for the people of Israel. There the Midianites were declared enemies for their part in leading Israel into idolatry and immorality at Peor. The current chapter begins with the divine command to Moses, Take vengeance on the Midianites for the Israelites. This act is the last military exercise for Moses, who will soon die. So the new generation’s first military action is Moses’ last. The new generation ...

887. The Crucifixion

Matthew 27:32-44

Understanding Series

Robert H. Mounce

27:32–34 After the prisoner had been condemned and scourged, it was common practice to make him carry the cross beam (patibulum) to the place of execution. The upright post remained in place like a mediaeval gallows. As the procession moved through the city (taking the longest route in order to serve as a warning to as many as possible), the prisoner carried around his neck a placard indicating his crime. When the cross beam with its victim had been hoisted in place and joined to the upright, the titulus ...

888. Dividing the Spoils

Numbers 31:25-54

Understanding Series

W.H. Bellinger, Jr.

889. Praise to God for a Living Hope

1 Peter 1:1-12

Understanding Series

Norman Hillyer

Greetings to Readers 1:1 The writer introduces himself in a brief and modest manner. The Gospels all agree on the prominence of Peter, a born leader, impulsive, yet burning with love and enthusiasm. It was to him that Jesus said both the toughest and the choicest things. Whatever Peter’s faults, a cold heart was not one of them. His warm pastoral concern for others glows in his letters. Peter succinctly states his credentials by describing himself simply as an apostle, an accredited messenger, of Jesus ...

890. Ready for the Big Date?

Matthew 25:1-13

Sermon

King Duncan

A young woman busied herself getting ready for a blind date. She was to have dinner at an exclusive restaurant with live music and dancing. She was excited. She went out to have her hair done, spent time getting her makeup just right, put on her best dress and was ready for her date’s arrival. However, his expected arrival time came and went. After waiting an hour, she decided she had been stood up. Disheartened, she took off her dress, let down her hair, put on her pajamas, gathered a box of chocolates ...

891. Of Mice and Men

Hebrews 10:11-18

Sermon

King Duncan

Dr. William P. Barker tells about a story that appeared in the newspapers back in 1972. The story was datelined Salonika, Greece. The city of Salonika had a real problem on its hands. It seems that many pending court trials could not be held as planned because mice had devoured files in the civil court archives. The evidence against the alleged criminals had totally disappeared. Imagine how those scheduled for trial felt knowing that all records of their crimes had been permanently destroyed. They could ...

892. Telling the Truth

Luke 3:7-18

Sermon

Susan R. Andrews

Of the four gospel accounts in the New Testament, Luke is my favorite. Luke is warm and simple, full of love and joy, healing and grace. And Luke treats women better than any other book in the Bible. It is in Luke that we find the beloved Christmas story — with baby sighs and soft skin and angel wings. Then we get to Luke’s third chapter and the tone shifts. Warm, fuzzy Jesus is abruptly replaced by loud, livid John. And we learn that even Luke’s good news is often proclaimed in a bad news world. Even Luke ...

893. In Which City Do You Live?

Revelation 21:10-14, 22-23

Sermon

King Duncan

I came across a report the other day from the United Nations about how more and more people are moving from rural areas and subdivisions into urban areas and big cities. That’s surprising to me because there are so many jokes about the drawbacks of living in a city. Comedian Anita Weiss says, “I moved to New York City for my health. I’m paranoid, and it was the only place where my fears were justified.” In a standup routine about traffic in Boston, Massachusetts comedian Lewis Black said, “The last person ...

894. Identity Crisis

Genesis 32:1-21, Genesis 32:22-32, Genesis 33:1-20

Sermon

Lori Wagner

We all walk with a limp. Our walk with God is a broken gait. Or at least an uneven one. God is always in the lead. Always sure. Always strong. We (on the other hand) walk with God weakly and imperfectly. Sometimes even disastrously. But as long as we continue to walk, we remain in relationship. And that’s what’s most important. In life, our limps and our scars tell our stories. Stories of the struggles we’ve survived. Stories of the wounds we’ve suffered. They leave a visible trace upon our person, a ...

895. How Much Should We Pack?

Matthew 9:35-10:8, (9-23)

Sermon

William G. Carter

As much as I like to travel, I am never sure how much to pack. When my wife and I take off for a week long vacation, we do our best to keep a week’s worth of possessions down to one suitcase. That is the goal. There is never a guarantee it will happen. Packing is determined by two contradictory principles: how do we move quickly? How can we be prepared for every contingency? How many pairs of pants can I take, or in my wife’s case, how many pairs of shoes? Should we pack a sweatshirt? Does it rain in New ...

896. (Don’t) Follow Me

Matthew 23:1-12

Sermon

Steve Molin

It’s been a hard season for leaders; leaders of every stripe, strata, and profession. In 2017, a wave of allegations of sexual impropriety swept across our nation. The epicenter of what came to be known as #metoo movement, was Hollywood, but nearly every corner of our culture has been indicted. Women (but men, too!) would no longer be silent about the conduct of abusers, attackers, bullies and serial creeps. And the movement resulted in a tsunami of cultural change about how our nation relates to power. ...

897. The Kings of the South and the North

Daniel 11:2-35

Teach the Text

Ronald W. Pierce

From Persia to Greece (11:2-20): Big Idea: Often working behind the scenes, God foresees and oversees the struggles of his people with hostile world forces. Understanding the Text See the unit on 10:1–11:1 for a discussion of the larger context, structure, and comparisons of chapters 10–12. Against this backdrop, 11:2–20 (the extended unit’s second section) divides into two parts: a summary of the transition from Persia to Greece (11:2–4) and a description of key events in the Ptolemaic and Seleucid wars ( ...

898. Maybe Today....

Luke 21:25-36

Sermon

John B. Jamison

“Maybe today.” He stood at the window and watched the morning sun climb over the mountain. He lowered his eyes to shield them from the glare of the sunlight shining against the streets and buildings. It was a bright and beautiful morning, but all he felt was darkness. It was the same darkness he had felt last night as he tried to sleep. It was the same darkness he felt every day now, the same one that they all felt every day now. He raised his eyes to the window again. “Maybe today,” he said. He stepped ...

899. How Good News Spreads!

1 Kings 8:22-61

Sermon

Stephen M. Crotts

In 1971 I made a trip to Russia. I was studying literature in England and hitched on to a discount side trip in November. Of special interest to me was the Russian author Leo Tolstoy. I had read his War and Peace, Anna Karenina, and Resurrection. Knowing of his Christian faith as well as his literary ability, I was drawn to all things Tolstoy. You can imagine my joy in visiting Bright Glenn, Tolstoy's country estate. Some of his original manuscripts were stacked in a corner. One, then, could leaf the pages ...

900. Miracle Ten: Healing A Blind Beggar

Mark 10:46-52

Sermon Aid

Harold H. Lentz

Background Material This is the last miracle which Mark records. It concludes Mark's thrilling reports of the wondrous blessing which Christ bestowed upon the blind, the sick, the deaf, and even the dead. This particular miracle was reported by other Evangelists, who do not name the beggar. It is Mark alone who furnishes the name of Bartimaeus, which means son of Timaeus. It is somewhat curious how Mark had this information. Did he ask the man's name at the time of the miracle? Was the man a familiar ...

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