Sermon and Worship Resources

Showing 901 to 925 of 5000 results

Acts 27:27-44

One Volume

Gary M. Burge

As in the preceding account, Paul’s prophecy that “only the ship will be destroyed” (27:22) is again fulfilled (27:27–44). The dire situation is dramatically illustrated by the attempt of the sailors to escape (27:30), but Paul stops them. Paul’s statement, “Not one of you will lose a single hair from his head” (27:34), points to their deliverance from this storm. Elsewhere in Luke, however, other “hair” references point to the significance of ...

902. God’s Sovereign Choice

Romans 9:1-29

One Volume

Gary M. Burge

... . From the two sons of Isaac (born of the same mother as twins), God chose Jacob, not Esau. Not all the sons of Isaac were sons of God’s promise. The fact that God chose Jacob over Esau, the second-born over the firstborn—even before they were born—illustrates the purpose of God’s election. Being loved by God is not dependent on works but on the gracious will of God, who calls individuals to be his people (9:11–12). The word of promise by which God made his choice is Genesis 25:23, confirmed by ...

903. Ingrafted Branches

Romans 11:11-24

One Volume

Gary M. Burge

... ’s people participate in the election of the patriarchs. God has not totally rejected ethnic Israel. There will be more Jews who will come to faith in Jesus Christ and become members of the people of God’s new covenant. In 11:17–21 Paul restates the illustration of the roots and the branches in terms of an allegory of the olive tree and wild shoot. The olive tree is Israel (Jer. 11:16–19; Hos. 14:6–7); the wild shoots are the Gentiles. The Gentile believers—probably the majority in the church in ...

904. Paul the Minister to the Gentiles

Romans 15:14-22, Romans 15:23-33

One Volume

Gary M. Burge

... of the eastern Mediterranean in which pioneer missionary work needs to be done (15:23). Paul’s comment in 1 Corinthians 9:5, on the missionary travels of the other apostles, who take their wives along, and on the churches mentioned in Revelation 1:11, illustrates that there was much more missionary work in progress than Luke describes in the book of Acts. Paul plans to begin pioneer missionary work in Spain (15:24, 28). He informs the Christians in Rome that he wants to visit them, as he hopes that ...

905. On Divisions in the Church

1 Corinthians 3:1-23

One Volume

Gary M. Burge

... in Christ for our present behavior, 3:2; cf. Heb. 5:12–14; 1 Pet. 2:2). Their “jealousy” and “quarreling” demonstrate that they are still under the influence of wisdom that is “worldly” (3:3–4). Paul now uses three metaphors designed to illustrate the purpose and the effects of authentic Christian wisdom. In the first metaphor (3:5–9), using a familiar Old Testament image of the community as God’s field or vineyard, Paul compares his own ministry at Corinth (in which he “planted the ...

906. One Body, Many Parts

1 Corinthians 12:12-31

One Volume

Gary M. Burge

Paul now illustrates the unity (12:12–13), diversity (12:14–20), and integrity (12:21–26) produced at the Spirit’s inspiration among those at Corinth who belong to the body of Christ. Though suggested by Jesus’s words on the road to Damascus (Acts 9:4) and by its use in ...

907. An Appeal for Full Response to the Collection

2 Corinthians 8:1-15

One Volume

Gary M. Burge

... ” (8:12). Paul drives home the principle. His “desire” is not to pressure the Corinthians but instead to urge on them a uniquely biblical notion of equality that regards the “plenty” of one as that which exists to supply the “need” of another (8:13–14). The idea is then illustrated, in a fashion characteristic of the Corinthian letters, by an appeal to Scripture (8:15, based on Exod. 16:18).

908. Paul's Vision and His Thorn

2 Corinthians 12:1-10

One Volume

Gary M. Burge

... thought of sin to gain entrance to his mind. Paul had “pleaded with the Lord” to remove it (12:8). But in response, he received instead divine power that finds its perfect completion when it enables the overcoming of such weak-ness. Paul’s experience itself then illustrates his message to the church. The true boast of an apostle, of one sent out by the Lord on a mission (for that is what the title truly means), is that in the course of such a mission, the Lord has faithfully provided power in moments ...

909. The Purpose of the Law

Galatians 3:15-25

One Volume

Gary M. Burge

... provisions of the covenant made earlier with Abraham. The NIV’s “let me take an example from everyday life” (3:15) is a rather free rendering of the Greek “I speak as a man”; yet the idea that Paul is drawing an illustration from human relationships is a valid description of these verses. Covenantal agreements were made under the most sober circumstances, calling for a life-and-death commitment from the participants. They were not easily entered into or easily altered. Simply put, Paul is arguing ...

910. Imitating Christ’s Humility

Philippians 2:1-11

One Volume

Gary M. Burge

... the character of a life worthy of the gospel. A mere list of virtues or an explanation of concepts is not enough to truly understand what it means to follow Christ as both an individual and a community. So Paul begins a series of examples in order to illustrate the life he calls them to in 1:27. The first and primary example is Christ, which he introduces through an explicit call to follow Christ’s example in 2:5. The section that follows, 2:6–11, is organized in a poetic pattern and is often referred ...

911. Paul’s Life as an Example of the Truth of the Gospel

Philippians 3:1-11

One Volume

Gary M. Burge

... in their lives. In addition, those of the true circumcision “put no confidence in the flesh”; this is the negative aspect of what it means to “boast in Christ Jesus.” They trust only in Christ, not in fleshly circumcision. 3:4–11 · Paul’s life illustrates the truth of the gospel: Paul now proceeds to offer his own life as an example of what it means to “boast in Christ Jesus” and “put no confidence in the flesh” (3:3). True participation in the gospel of Christ means that one’s life ...

912. False Teaching

2 Timothy 2:14-26

One Volume

Gary M. Burge

... like those in John 5:24 and Ephesians 2:4–7, they probably believed that our new birth or regeneration is our final resurrection. With his “nevertheless” at verse 19, Paul assures Timothy that the danger in the church is more than matched by God’s provision, as illustrated by Israel’s history (Num. 16:5; Isa. 28:16; 26:13; 52:11). Likewise now, God is invested in his “large house” (2:20; cf. the image at 1 Tim. 3:15). All those in the house—but Paul is especially thinking of those who would ...

913. Warning against Unbelief

Hebrews 3:7-19

One Volume

Gary M. Burge

The warning of Hebrews 3:6 that membership in God’s household is suspended on a living and persevering faith introduces a long exhortatory section (3:7–4:13) in which the danger of apostasy and the necessity of an enduring faith are illustrated from the history of Israel. In 3:7–11, the author cites the warning of Psalm 95:7–11 as the living and active word of God (Heb. 4:12) demanding to be heard and obeyed now as then. It is introduced as the word of the Holy Spirit, though ...

914. Warning against Falling Away

Hebrews 5:11-6:12

One Volume

Gary M. Burge

... 8, similar to others in the Bible (Isa. 5:1–7; Matt. 13:1–9, 18–30, 36–43), reminds us of the impossibility of distinguishing infallibly between the truly converted and the hypocrite and that spiritual fruit is the evidence of living faith. It also illustrates the righteousness of God’s condemnation of those who spurn his favor. 6:9–12 · In the next section, the author encourages his readers to press on. As a matter of fact, the author has good hopes that his warnings will be taken to heart and ...

915. The Blood of Christ

Hebrews 9:11-28

One Volume

Gary M. Burge

... day. Of course, a will takes effect only after the death of the testator. The new covenant (i.e., the living relationship that God has established with the called and the promise of eternal life) is made effectual by Christ’s death, a principle illustrated in the inauguration of the covenant at Sinai with blood. Several additional details not mentioned in Exodus 24:4–8 and the silence of the Pentateuch regarding any such sprinkling of the tabernacle suggest that the author was aware of sources no longer ...

916. Listening and Doing

James 1:19-27

One Volume

Gary M. Burge

... paragraph: the right response to God’s word. James commands us to receive the word (1:21). Elsewhere in the New Testament, this expression describes conversion, but this cannot be the meaning here, since James addresses people who already are Christian. What he means is well illustrated in Jesus’s parable of the sower (Mark 4:1–9): believers have to provide the right climate for the growth of God’s word in their lives—they have to be fertile soil. Thus there is need to clear out the weeds of moral ...

917. The Sin of Favoritism

James 2:1-13

One Volume

Gary M. Burge

... 2:1). James’s lofty description of Jesus as the Messiah of Israel (Christ), the Lord, and the glorious one (or, less probably, “the glory,” alluding to the Shekinah, the presence of God) shows just how exalted is his conception of Jesus. The illustration James uses in verses 2–3 need not refer to an actual situation but certainly implies that this kind of behavior was a real problem. Poor people were being discriminated against; and in doing so, James says, the believers manifest their evil thoughts ...

918. The Taming of the Tongue

James 3:1-12

One Volume

Gary M. Burge

... So difficult is the tongue to control and subordinate to godly purposes that James calls the person “perfect” who is able to subdue it (3:2). The power of the tongue may seem to be out of proportion to its size. But James reminds us with two pointed illustrations that small objects can have great power. The skillful rider uses a small piece of metal or leather to direct the motions of a powerful horse (3:3); the pilot controls the direction and speed of a huge sailing vessel with the touch of a hand on ...

919. The Dangers of Wealth

James 5:1-6

One Volume

Gary M. Burge

... people of Sodom, who lived in prosperous ease while the “poor and needy” went without (Ezek. 16:49), the rich people of James’s day are preparing themselves for the judgment. James uses the image of cattle being fattened for the slaughter to illustrate this storing up of wrath for the day of judgment. Finally, James condemns the rich for using their influential social and political positions to condemn and murder the “innocent one” (5:6). Some interpreters think this is a reference to Jesus and ...

920. Denunciation of the Intruding Teachers

Judges 1:1-36

One Volume

Gary M. Burge

... Sovereign and Lord” (v. 4). In other words, living in disobedience to Jesus is a form of apostasy. 5–16 · Main discussion: Denunciation of the intruding teachers: In the main section of the letter body, the author denounces the others, using groups-of-three illustrations originally from the Old Testament but now read through the lens of Second Temple Jewish literature. The first group (vv. 5–7) is the people saved in the exodus, the angels of Genesis 6:1–8, and Sodom and Gomorrah. Two of the three ...

921. The Seven Bowls: Why God Delays Ultimate Justice until the End

Revelation 16:1-21

One Volume

Gary M. Burge

... a loud voice from the inner sanctuary of the temple (16:1). This is God’s voice (cf. Isa. 66:6) issuing commands to the seven angels from the throne room. The key to understanding the bowls is the principle of lex talionis (the law of retribution), illustrated in Jeremiah 14:16: to those who spill or pour out blood, God says, “I will pour out their own wickedness on them” (NLT). As the unrepentant are heading to their final destiny, they begin to reap the same sins that they have sown in others. The ...

922. The Babylonian Whore

Revelation 17:1-18

One Volume

Gary M. Burge

... moral decadence was familiar among Greco-Roman moralists (Seneca, On the Good Life 7.3.1–3; Plutarch, Pericles 12.2) and Jewish readers alike (Isa. 23:15–18; Nah. 3:4–5). It is a familiar caricature (despite its patriarchal origins) and illustrates the exploitive nature of Rome’s relations with her vassal states. The empire’s success was dependent on the patron-client relationships between Rome and the major urban centers of the empire. Cities received emergency funds from Rome to rebuild in times ...

923. I am the Door

John 10:1-10

Sermon

Maxie Dunnam

... me a clean heart, O God, And put a new and right spirit within me. Cast me not away from the presence, And take not thy Holy Spirit from me. Restore to me the joy of thy salvation.” (Psalm 51:1-3, 10-12 RSV) A vivid illustration of this is the story of a young couple—dynamic, Christian, the world and the future in their hands. They played too loosely with sex. She became pregnant before their marriage. Without counseling with anyone, they decided on an abortion. They married, and life seemed to go well ...

924. Jesus and Beelzebub

Mark 3:20-30

Understanding Series

Larry W. Hurtado

... hand. That is, the parables are all closely connected with Jesus’ proclamation of the kingdom of God (e.g., 1:14–15); they are not simply stories illustrating general moral truths. Secondly, the parables of Jesus embody the very nature of Jesus’ ministry in that they are not fully obvious and transparent, unlike most sermon or lecture illustrations. The parables require the hearer or reader to use some effort to get their point, and to perceive their meaning truly involves not just mental effort but ...

925. The Parable of the Good Samaritan

Luke 10:25-37

Understanding Series

Craig A. Evans

... s neighbor (vv. 25–37), while in his visit to Martha and Mary (vv. 38–42), Martha learns that Jesus takes priority over all other matters. Talbert (p. 120) has suggested that the Parable of the Good Samaritan and the visit with Martha and Mary illustrate the twofold Great Commandment. That is, the Good Samaritan loves his neighbor, and Mary loves the Lord more than anything else. 10:25–29 This incident parallels (and possibly is derived from) Mark 12:28–34, where it is Jesus, not the expert in the ...

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