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 901 to 925 of 4942 results

901. Job Considers a Legal Dispute with God

Job 9:1–10:22

Teach the Text

Daniel J. Estes

Big Idea: Job wants God to declare him righteous, but he cannot envision how to bring this about. Understanding the Text In chapters 9 and 10, Job takes up the challenge made by Bildad in 8:5 to plead with the Almighty. As he contemplates this possibility, Job focuses on his legal status before God. In this speech he begins to work out in his mind how he might approach God with his situation, and how God might respond to him. In his soliloquy in chapter 9, Job turns over in his mind whether he should enter ...

902. Job Feels Both Confidence and Terror

Job 23:1--24:25

Teach the Text

Daniel J. Estes

Big Idea: God’s justice draws Job toward confidence, but God’s sovereignty intimidates him. Understanding the Text In Job 23, Job rejects what Eliphaz has just said in the previous chapter, when he counseled Job to “submit to God and be at peace with him” (22:21). This is yet another indicator that the communication between Job and his friends is breaking down. Instead of speaking directly either to his friends or to God, Job speaks in a soliloquy, as he did in chapter 3. His internal conversation reflects ...

903. “Trust in the Lord and Do Good”

Psalm 37:1-40

Teach the Text

C. Hassell Bullock

Big Idea: Whatever disconsolation the prosperity of the wicked may create for the righteous, they can find consolation in trusting the Lord and doing good. Understanding the Text Psalm 37 is a wisdom psalm replete with wisdom terms (see the sidebar “Wisdom Psalms”).[1] The subject of the prosperity of the wicked is a typical topic of wisdom, here expressed particularly in proverbial truths (37:16, 17, 21–22, 37). The literary form is the alphabetic acrostic, using all twenty-two letters of the Hebrew ...

904. “Blessed Are Those Who Have Regard for the Weak; the Lord Delivers Them”

Psalm 41:1-13

Teach the Text

C. Hassell Bullock

Big Idea: Irrespective of the cause of our illnesses, the Lord cares for us in our vulnerability. Understanding the Text The literary type of Psalm 41 has been the topic of much discussion, since the poem does not seem to fall easily into any single type. Perhaps Kraus’s “prayer song of the sick”1 is appropriate for this psalm, although we might simply designate it as an individual lament. The psalm, in fact, begins with a benediction on those who “have regard for” the sick (see the comments on 41:1). ...

905. “Cast Your Cares on the Lord and He Will Sustain You”

Psalm 55:1-23

Teach the Text

C. Hassell Bullock

Big Idea: When our trusted friends have betrayed us and the moral substructure has eroded, we can cast our cares on the Lord. Understanding the Text Psalm 55 is generally considered an individual lament. The suppliant has suffered slander and threats from his enemies and, worst of all, betrayal by his trusted friend. We have observed previously that often the Psalms do not propose ultimate solutions to human problems but prescribe ways of coping with them, and this psalm is an excellent example of that ...

906. Spiritual Warfare and Jewish Suffering

Daniel 8:1-14

Teach the Text

Ronald W. Pierce

Big Idea: Even though powerful, evil rulers oppose God and his angels, persecute his people, and defile his sanctuary, God emerges victorious in the end. Understanding the Text Daniel 8:1–27 is woven into the book’s overall literary structure in several ways. First, it is the second of Daniel’s four apocalyptic visions, as well as the second of two paired, symbolic visions (chaps. 7 and 8). Second, it advances the already reset chronology of chapter 7. Third, it begins the concentric Hebrew section of ...

907. Gabriel Brings an Answer to Daniel’s Prayer

Daniel 9:20-27

Teach the Text

Ronald W. Pierce

Big Idea: Despite the prayers of a faithful servant, the persistent sin of God’s people can bring serious consequences before their punishment is completed. Understanding the Text See the unit on 9:1–6 for a discussion of the larger context, structure, and comparisons of this chapter. Against this backdrop, 9:20–27 is the appearance vision proper. It can be divided into three parts: Gabriel’s arrival to answer Daniel’s prayer (9:20–23), the announcement of “seventy ‘sevens’” (9:24), and an explanation of ...

908. Purification after Childbirth

Leviticus 12:1-8

One Volume

Gary M. Burge

12:1–15:33 Review · Leviticus 12–15 moves to physical ritual impurities that originate in human beings. These include healthy or unhealthy flows of blood from reproductive organs (Leviticus 12, 15), emissions of semen or unhealthy genital flows of other kinds (chap. 15; cf. Deut. 23:10–11), and skin disease (Leviticus 13–14). Numbers 19 includes the impurity of corpse contamination. These impurities are not mere physical dirtiness but conceptual categories excluded from contact with the sacred. Their ...

909. Further Benefits of Wisdom

Proverbs 3:1-35

One Volume

Gary M. Burge

Chapter 3 continues the positive recommendation of wisdom. Based on thematic development, the chapter can be subdivided into four subsections: 3:1–4, 5–12, 13–26, 27–35. Verses 1–4 set forth additional advantages of preserving wisdom instruction. The words “teaching” and “commands” (Hebrew torah and mitsvah, 3:1, also in 6:20, 23; 7:2) are commonly paired with reference to Mosaic law (cf. Exod. 24:12; Josh. 22:5). Parental instructions are authoritative, not simply good advice. To “forget” involves not ...

910. Sayings of the Wise: Admonitions for Societal Relationships

Proverbs 22:17--24:22

One Volume

Gary M. Burge

Since the discovery and translation of the Egyptian Instruction of Amenemope in the 1920s, scholars have noted its striking parallels with this section of Proverbs and debated the nature of that relationship. In a 1996 essay, Paul Overland lists seventeen verbal or thematic parallels between the texts, claiming that the author of Proverbs 22–24 excerpted and summarized the Instruction of Amenemope. Most Old Testament scholars are so convinced of this alleged literary dependence that they emend the Hebrew ...

911. Human Achievements and Wisdom

Ecclesiastes 1:12-18

One Volume

Gary M. Burge

1:12–2:26 Review · Everything under the Sun Is Examined: In the first major section of the book, Qoheleth examines various aspects of life “under the sun” (1:12–6:9), intermittently evaluating what he has experienced or observed. In an extended autobiographical section (1:12–2:26), Qoheleth relates his personal experiences. He first examines by means of wisdom (1:13; cf. 7:23) the gain that comes through a life marked by achievements and pleasures and then examines wisdom itself. He relates his findings in ...

912. John Prepares the Way

Matthew 3:1-12

One Volume

Gary M. Burge

3:1–4:16 Review · Matthew moves from narrating the infancy stories to two preparatory events for the ministry of Jesus—his baptism and temptation. Both narratives are set in the wilderness (“desert”), tying Jesus’s preparation for his ministry to the identity of the people of Israel as they prepared to enter the land promised to them. Both stories are also marked by the Spirit, signaling that the time of eschatological promise has begun. John the Baptist is introduced in Matthew 3 as the forerunner who ...

913. The Greatest Commandment

Mark 12:28-34

One Volume

Gary M. Burge

The final test of Jesus from the constituents of the Sanhedrin comes from a scribe (12:28–37). Scribes (NIV “teachers of the law”) were torah experts of great erudition who both advised the Sanhedrin and enjoyed legendary reputations and privileges. Famous rabbis were often asked, as Jesus is asked here, to summarize the essence of all 613 commandments in the torah in a nutshell. According to the NIV (12:28), the scribe asks which is the greatest of the “commandments.” The Greek, however, does not read “ ...

914. The Widows Offering

Mark 12:41-44

One Volume

Gary M. Burge

In the final episode of Jesus’s public teaching, Mark contrasts scribes, in their “flowing robes” and seats of honor (12:38–39), and a “poor widow” of no honor (12:42). The ostentation of scribes and their temptation to use their prestige for self-advancement (“they devour widows’ houses” [12:40]) fall under Jesus’s judgment, just as false prophets have fallen under the prophets’ judgment (Isa. 10:2; Amos 2:1–16; Mic. 3:1–12). A widow, by contrast, deposits a mere pittance—“a few cents” (12:42)—into the ...

915. Watchfulness

Luke 12:35-48

One Volume

Gary M. Burge

From the proper attitude toward money Luke now turns to the way disciples should view the interval between Jesus’s ascension and return (12:35–48). The parable of a master returning from a wedding party (12:35–38) shows that while the master is absent his servants should be ready and watching for his return, even if he comes at a time that is later than they expect. (The Jews split the night into three watches, so the second or third watch would be very late.) Girding up the loins (12:35) was necessary in ...

916. Herod’s Death

Acts 12:19b-25

One Volume

Gary M. Burge

Luke’s portrayal of Herod’s death (12:19b–25) provides a strong contrast to the depiction of Peter’s deliverance. Luke explicitly identifies the cause of Herod’s death as his refusal to give glory to God (12:23), when the people declared, “This is the voice of a god, not of a man.” The act of honoring Herod is therefore interpreted as an act of idolatry that cannot be tolerated. Herod’s arrogance is contrasted with the humility of Peter, who, after escaping from prison, honors God as the one who has saved ...

917. God’s Righteous Judgment

Romans 2:1-16

One Volume

Gary M. Burge

Jewish readers agree with Paul’s indictment of humankind in the previous paragraph. However, Jews believed that they had a privileged position before God. In 2:1 Paul shifts his style to employ diatribe, interacting with a dialogue partner. This interlocutor is not imaginary, since Paul had conversations with pious Jews who would have emphasized their exemption from God’s judgment on account of their status as members of God’s covenant people (cf. Wisdom of Solomon 15:2–3: “Even if we sin we are yours, ...

918. The Coming of the Lord

1 Thessalonians 4:13--5:11

One Volume

Gary M. Burge

4:13–18 · In this section the apostles respond to the second inquiry of the Thessalonian believers. They were ignorant about the destiny of believers who had died before the Lord’s advent. Verse 13 implies that between the time Paul left and Timothy’s visit some members of the church had passed away. The believers’ grief prompts Paul to orient them theologically and encourage them to comfort one another (4:18). This section picks up many of the themes found in ancient letters of consolation, such as the ...

919. Exhortations to Persevere in Christian Faith

Hebrews 10:19-39

One Volume

Gary M. Burge

10:19–31 · The danger of apostasy:The author has completed his demonstration that salvation is to be found in Christ and is based on his sacrifice and not the Levitical rituals. Now he explicitly states and applies the purpose of that lengthy argument to the present crisis of faith in the particular community to which Hebrews is addressed. The exhortation that follows recapitulates the earlier exhortatory sections (2:1–2; 3:7–13; 4:1–11; 6:1–12) and confirms that the author has had a single purpose ...

920. Warning Not To Turn Away from God

Hebrews 12:14-29

One Volume

Gary M. Burge

Each person must study holiness, as the gospel requires, and help others to do the same, taking special care to nip sin in the bud when it arises within the community (12:14–17; cf. Deut. 29:18; 1 Cor. 5:6). Esau exemplifies the person who exchanges the unseen and future inheritance for the sensible and immediate pleasures of this world and, consequently, “falls short of the grace of God,” that is, squanders irrevocably the blessing that was in one’s grasp (Heb. 6:4–6; 10:26–31). Esau’s tears showed ...

921. Concluding Exhortations

Hebrews 13:1-25

One Volume

Gary M. Burge

In what amounts to a postscript to his sermon, the author takes care to specify particular ways in which this true and living faith expresses and evidences itself. As elsewhere in the Bible, the believer is not left to work out the ethical implications of faith in Christ; the particular obedience required is carefully defined. Pride of place goes to brotherly love (13:1–3), a costly virtue by which these believers have already distinguished themselves, especially in regard to prisoners (Heb. 6:10; 10:33–34 ...

922. Jesus Anointed at Bethany

Mark 14:1-11

Understanding Series

Larry W. Hurtado

14:1–2 These verses introduce the events of the arrest, trial, and execution of Jesus and resemble previous indications of hostile intentions against Jesus (cf. 3:6; 12:12). Although previously the Pharisees are frequently mentioned as criticizing and opposing Jesus (e.g., 2:16–3:6; 7:1–5; 8:11; 10:1–2; 12:13), they are not linked by name with the actual arrest and execution in Mark (cf. Matt. 27:62; John 18:3). Instead, it is the priests and scribes who are mentioned here. The material in 14:1–15:47 is ...

923. The Birth of John the Baptist Foretold

Luke 1:5-25

Understanding Series

Craig A. Evans

The Births of John the Baptist and Jesus Foretold: One of the problems in comparing the Synoptic Gospels is accounting for the distinctive features of the birth narratives in Matthew and Luke. On the one hand, Matthew mentions an angelic announcement to Joseph (1:20), the Magi (2:1), a star (2:2), the flight to Egypt (2:13–14), and the slaughter of the infants (2:16). Luke’s account contains none of these items. Moreover, only Matthew cites Isa. 7:14 (see 1:23), Mic. 5:2 (see 2:6), Hos. 11:1 (see 2:15), ...

924. Righteousness Through Faith

Romans 3:21-31

Understanding Series

James R. Edwards

We return now to the opening theme of the epistle which Paul announced in 1:16–17, righteousness by faith. There it was like a first glimpse of the Himalayas seen from the plains of Nepal, shimmering on the horizon. Then the trek began in earnest as the reader was led up the rugged terrain of argumentation and proof from 1:18–3:20, in which Gentiles and Jews were confronted with a landslide of evidence against them. The inspiring first vision was long since obscured, and more than once the trekker was ...

925. Peace and Joy

Romans 5:1-11

Understanding Series

James R. Edwards

Romans 5:1–11 is a victorious passage. “In the whole Bible there is hardly another chapter which can equal this triumphant text,” said Luther (Epistle to the Romans, p. 72). It is like a mountain pass from which one revels in scenery after having labored through the inclines and switchbacks of argumentation in the earlier chapters. The view cannot be fully appreciated without the effort it took to get there. Commentators are divided whether the passage is the conclusion of Paul’s argument so far or the ...

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