Sermon and Worship Resources

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Showing 926 to 950 of 1185 results

926. Church Divisions and Confusion of Allegiance

1 Corinthians 1:10-17

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Preben Vang

... a danger for a church to downgrade itself to a mere religious expression of the culture that surrounds it. Although the purpose may be noble (to win more people to Christ) and biblical arguments may be found (e.g., 1 Cor. 9:20–22), the church ceases to be church in the true sense of that word when the larger culture around it sets its agenda and determines its methods. As a Christ community, the church must testify to a reformation of values and a reconstruction of priorities in order to accomplish its ...

927. The Focus of Christian Worship

1 Corinthians 14:26-40, 1 Corinthians 14:1-25

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Preben Vang

... a word of prophecy is the fruit it produces in its hearers. If it leads to faith, obedience, holiness, love, and hope, then it is very likely to have been from God. “Worship wars” is an oxymoron; if it comes to war, we have ceased to worship. Christian Worship: This would be a great time to explain your congregation’s chosen worship style and the way it fits with your stated mission and theology. Teach people the differences between having personal preferences in worship and appointing themselves the ...

928. Resurrection and Christian Living

1 Corinthians 15:12-34

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Preben Vang

... : “that’s the time of the end.” The flow of Paul’s thought is logical. The powers and authorities that have opposed God since the fall of Adam, of which death is the most significant, will “be destroyed” (katargeitai [15:26]); they will cease to have any power.[5] Since resurrection overcomes the principal hostile power, death, it follows that all hostile powers will suffer the same fate. When death has lost its power, life will have full meaning, and God will fill “all in all” (15:28 ...

929. The Protective Sealing of God’s People on Earth

Revelation 7:1-8

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J. Scott Duvall

... in a spiritual battle. The figure 144,000 represents God’s people arrayed in battle formation. Whether we like it or not, we are in a spiritual war, engaged in combat with unseen forces of wickedness (cf. Eph. 6:10–20). There may be occasional cease-fires and periods of recuperation, but we will always be in a spiritual struggle this side of heaven. Just when you think life is rolling along nicely, the enemy launches another attack. For this reason, we must first recognize our war-zone situation and ...

930. Faithful Witnesses Who Proclaim God’s Word

Revelation 11:1-14

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J. Scott Duvall

... speak prophetically to a rebellious world. The trend in North American churches at present is to be as accommodating as possible in hopes of reaching more people. The inherent danger is that the church will lose its ability to speak prophetically. Love without truth ceases to be love, and speaking prophetically means the church is called to speak God’s light into darkness. This text not only challenges us to be courageous in our prophetic witness but also affords an opportunity to learn how to do so (e.g ...

931. The Woman, the Son, and the Dragon

Revelation 12:1--13:1a

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J. Scott Duvall

... ’t set our hopes on retreating from our surroundings in order to experience God. He protects and nourishes us in the midst of our struggles and trials in this world. God’s people desperately need to learn how to abide in Christ, how to pray without ceasing, how to practice the presence of God on Monday through Saturday. God’s provision and protection are not just available in the worship center or community group. We live in the wilderness, and that is where God walks with us. Jesus said, “I am with ...

932. The Final Judgment

Revelation 20:11-15

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J. Scott Duvall

... for his people, this text provides a sobering reminder of the punishment awaiting those who rebel against God. While some would like to find support for the doctrine of annihilation in Revelation (i.e., the belief that the wicked will be destroyed and cease to exist once thrown into the fiery lake), the book seems to teach the eternal conscious punishment of the wicked. In Revelation 14:9–11 and 20:10, we find the phrases “torment,” “night and day,” and “forever and ever,” phrases that suggest ...

933. The New Heaven and New Earth

Revelation 21:1-27

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J. Scott Duvall

... Concept: Heaven, by Randy Alcorn. In this book, Alcorn pushes back against some of the terrible misconceptions people have about our eternal state. For instance: A pastor once confessed to me, “Whenever I think about Heaven, it makes me depressed. I’d rather just cease to exist when I die.” “Why?” I asked. “I can’t stand the thought of all that endless tedium. To float around in the clouds with nothing to do but strum a harp . . . it’s all so terribly boring. Heaven doesn’t sound much ...

934. Sexual Discharges

Leviticus 15:1-33

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Joe M. Sprinkle

... impurity can be removed by washing. 15:13 When a man is cleansed from his discharge. The man with an unusual genital flow, like the leper, remains unclean until cured. seven days . . . wash his clothes . . . bathe himself. Once the flow ceases, the man undergoes ritual purification. That purification involves time (seven days) and washings of body and garments to dissipate impurity. Lepers also undergo ritual purification over the course of a week (Lev. 14:8–9), though their ritual is more rigorous ...

935. Blood: Right and Wrong Uses

Leviticus 17:1-16

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Joe M. Sprinkle

... say nothing about profane slaughter. Alternatively, Rabbi Ishmael argues that shahat means “to slaughter, kill,” not “to sacrifice.” Thus, verses 3–4 preclude profane slaughter outside the sanctuary temporarily while Israel was in the wilderness, though the rule ceased upon Israel’s entrance into the land. For more details, see “Additional Insights” following this unit. 17:4 guilty of bloodshed. In the Hebrew text “bloodshed” is simply “blood.” This can refer to murder (Exod. 22:2 ...

936. Living by God’s Sexual Standards

Leviticus 18:1-30

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Joe M. Sprinkle

... in order to have full life (v. 5). 1. God’s people live differently than the world does. Israel is to be different from Egypt, from which it has come, and from Canaan, to which it is going (Lev. 18:3). There is always a danger that believers will cease to live distinctively as the people of God and will come more and more to resemble the world and its values. That is why the Israelites need to hear the words “I am Yahweh.” The law comes from God. And given their special relationship with God, they are ...

937. A Lifestyle of Holiness and Love

Leviticus 19:1-37

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Joe M. Sprinkle

... . Such laws no longer apply today, though we should seek in our own ways to cultivate a sense of being a holy people. Fellowship offerings (vv. 5–6), atoning animal sacrifices (vv. 21–22), and purity with meat and blood (v. 26a) ceased to function when Jesus established the new covenant, but the principles of seeking to deepen one’s relationship with God and imploring God’s forgiveness through blood atonement (through Christ) remain valid. Laws telling the Israelites to avoid things associated with ...

938. The Choice: Obedience or Punishment

Lev 26:1-46

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Joe M. Sprinkle

... up for Israel’s neglect for at least 490 years. The unhappy fulfillment of the predictions of Leviticus 26 is a warning for us. Do not presume the mercy of God. Do not underestimate the severity of God’s sanctions against those who disobey. If we cease to be faithful to God and instead disobey his word, if we fall into our own form of idolatry, unbelief, and disobedience, we can expect to forfeit some of God’s blessings and possibly even bring disaster upon ourselves. We must learn from Israel’s ...

939. Gratitude, Forgiveness, and Obedience

Num 15:1-41

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Joe M. Sprinkle

... do the right thing, high-handed sinners are in unrepentant rebellion. They cannot be forgiven because their heart attitude is one of blasphemy against God and contempt for his word (Num. 15:30–31). Conversely, if a sinner repents of sin, that sin ceases to be a defiant sin and becomes an inadvertent one, and hence forgivable. This is true in both Testaments: God does not forgive impenitent rebels, but on the basis of sacrifice, ultimately Christ’s sacrifice, gladly forgives sinners who repent (Luke 13:3 ...

940. The Second Census

Numbers 26:1-65

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Joe M. Sprinkle

... , see Genesis 46:14; they are not listed in 1 Chronicles 1–9. The 60,500 represents an increase of 3,100 from the first census. 26:28–34 Joseph . . . Manasseh . . . 52,700. Joseph becomes two separate tribes after Levi, the clergy tribe, ceases to be counted among the twelve. Manasseh is the firstborn, though Ephraim receives the firstborn’s blessing (Gen. 48:12–20) and becomes the more prominent tribe. Makir is placed on his grandfather Joseph’s knees before Joseph dies (Gen. 50:23). Makir as ...

941. The Daughters of Zelophehad (Part 2)

Numbers 36:1-13

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Joe M. Sprinkle

... probably a onetime solution; the text does not generalize this case into a principle. Some elements are clearly bound by context: Israel is about to take and divide up the land, so tribal rights are especially important at that moment. Once that element ceases to exist, there will be no reason to limit inheritance within tribes. Note, however, that in the Apocrypha, Tobit 6:12–13 makes the practice of such a girl marrying her nearest relative into a “decree of the book of Moses” in which noncompliance ...

942. Fighting Wars and Keeping a Promise: David Establishes an Ideal of Kingship

2 Sam 8:1–10:19

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Robert B. Chisholm Jr.

... if God might be calling them to explore this idea by fasting in the upcoming week. Regardless of the provision from which they temporarily abstain (food, technology, affections, entertainment, spending, etc.), the effect of fasting is the same: it is a chance to cease relying on self-provision and worldly supplies and focus on finding satisfaction in God’s strength shown in weakness. You may even suggest that those wishing to go deeper consult resources like John Piper’s A Hunger for God, or Richard J ...

943. Job’s Reply to Eliphaz

Job 6:1–7:21

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Daniel J. Estes

... has come as a surprise and a deep disappointment to him, for he supposed that in his despair he could count on their support. Even the best of friends can let down those who trust them, but as Lamentations 3:22 teaches, the Lord’s loyalty never ceases. One of the primary lessons of the book of Job is that Yahweh can be trusted, even when his ways cannot be understood. By contrast, humans too often prove to be untrustworthy despite their best intentions. Even though Job feels rejected by God and by his ...

944. Job Hears the Whispers of God’s Works

Job 26:1--31:40

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Daniel J. Estes

... in chapters 29–31. Despite all his adversity and all the accusations by the friends, Job is still convinced that he is innocent. Unwilling to follow the counsel of the friends and utter a contrived and insincere confession of sin just to get his suffering to cease, Job holds firmly to his integrity. In Job 31, Job rests his case after stating his final oath of innocence. To do this, Job pronounces a series of strong oaths by which he swears that both his actions and his attitudes are right before God. Job ...

945. “The Lord . . . Rules the World in Righteousness”

Psalm 10:1-18, Psalm 9:1-20

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C. Hassell Bullock

... and ever,” composed of two Hebrew words (‘olam and ‘ad), carries the nuance of a distant future of unthinkable limits.[8] 9:6 memory of them. In Israel’s world the “blotting out” (9:5) of a person in one’s memory meant that he or she virtually ceased to exist. 9:9 times of trouble. This Hebrew phrase occurs also in 10:1, but nowhere else. 9:11 Sing the praises of the Lord, enthroned in Zion. The injunction to sing praise occurs a number of times in the Psalter (e.g., 30:4; 47:7; 147 ...

946. “May the Net They Hid Entangle Them”

Psalm 35:1-28

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C. Hassell Bullock

... But something transformed the suppliant’s good thoughts about his enemies somewhere along this journey, for now he is wishing them woe (v. 8). Perhaps it was their reaction to his misfortune, “But when I stumbled, they gathered in glee. . . . They slandered me without ceasing” (vv. 15–16). When our assailants reject our kindness, and even our compassion for them in trouble, that is one thing, but when they then turn on us and mock us when we stumble, that is quite another matter. But that is not to ...

947. “They Will Proclaim the Works of God and Ponder What He Has Done”

Psalm 64:1-10

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C. Hassell Bullock

... thy work and defend thee; Surely His goodness and mercy here daily attend thee. Ponder anew what the Almighty can do, If with His love He befriend thee. Praise to the Lord, who, when tempests their warfare are waging, Who, when the elements madly around thee are raging, Biddeth them cease, turneth their fury to peace, Whirlwinds and waters assuaging.11

948. A Lesson Learned from a Snake

Luke 19:1-10

Sermon

King Duncan

... who was said to have a great insight into matters of the body. The Persian king sent for the slave who was brought to him weighted down with chains and dressed in rags. However, the slave was indeed able to give him great assistance with his problem. The pain ceased and the ankle soon healed. The king was elated and justly grateful for the slave’s help. He was so grateful that he sent the slave a gift--a new set of golden chains. The slave was greatly enriched, but he was still a slave. Some people shy ...

949. Noah after the Flood

Gen 9:1-29

One Volume

Gary M. Burge

... God establishes a sign both with Noah and with unborn generations. He will put his rainbow in the clouds. The Hebrew language does not distinguish between a rainbow and a bow (weapon). One word covers both. In what is a radical reinterpretation of divine power, the bow ceases to function as a sign of God’s militancy and begins to function as a sign of God’s grace. A rainbow is a bow without an arrow. We are perhaps surprised to read that the bow is in the sky for God’s benefit—“Whenever . . . the ...

950. Threat of Starvation

Exodus 16:1-36

One Volume

Gary M. Burge

... of manna before the Lord as a memorial of God’s faithful provision during the entire wilderness experience. It will be parallel to the bread of the Presence instituted in the tabernacle structure. After celebrating the Passover in the land, the Israelites cease to receive manna (Josh. 5:10–12). Prior to giving the torah at Sinai, the Lord institutes the Sabbath observance in conjunction with providing manna. It is miraculously preserved from the sixth day until the seventh in contrast to its spoilage ...

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