Sermon and Worship Resources

Showing 926 to 950 of 5000 results

Luke 11:1-13

Understanding Series

Craig A. Evans

... the Lord’s Prayer; see Gundry, pp. 105–9; Marshall, pp. 456–57.) The original setting of the prayer was probably not known to the evangelists, although this cannot be categorically ruled out. Matthew placed it in his Sermon on the Mount in order to illustrate the correct way to pray, as opposed to the ostentatious prayers of the hypocrites (Matt. 6:5) and the meaningless repetitions of the Gentiles (Matt. 6:7). Luke did not place the Lord’s Prayer in his equivalent sermon (the “Sermon on the Plain ...

927. The Parable of the Lost Sheep

Luke 15:1-7

Understanding Series

Craig A. Evans

... cave in the Dead Sea area, containing the now-famous Dead Sea Scrolls. Although the shepherd has ninety-nine, his concern for the one lost sheep impels him to search. 15:6–7 These verses reflect the greatest variation with the Matthean version. Whereas the Lucan context has the parable illustrate God’s joy over receiving a repentant sinner into his kingdom, the Matthean version (18:12–14 ...

928. The Rich Man and Lazarus

Luke 16:19-31

Understanding Series

Craig A. Evans

... reversal of the conditions of this life in the next (vv. 19–26) and (2) the lesson that nothing can persuade the wealthy to take heed (vv. 27–31). 16:19–26 The first half of the parable is the part that is best remembered, for it illustrates the theme of reversal, a theme which appears in the Gospels in a variety of forms (e.g., “the first shall be last, and the last first”; “he who exalts himself shall be humbled, and he who humbles himself shall be exalted”). Scholars have pointed out that ...

929. The Parable of the Persistent Widow

Luke 18:1-8

Understanding Series

Craig A. Evans

... to 17:20–37, but it is surely secondary to the original form of the Parable of Widow and the Judge. With its presence at this point a new application has been assigned the parable. Not only does the parable illustrate the need for persistence in prayer in general, but now the parable is made to illustrate the need to persist until Jesus (the Son of Man) returns. The implication is that when he returns he will find little faith on the earth. How does faith relate to prayer, the point of the parable in the ...

930. Death Through Adam, Life Through Christ

Romans 5:12-21

Understanding Series

James R. Edwards

... bold typological contrast between Adam and Christ. He continues the train of thought already begun in chapter 5, however, for verse 12 begins, “on account of this,” or therefore, which links 5:12–21 to 5:1–11. Paul’s purpose is to illustrate that the work of redemption has universal significance. The focus shifts from our redemption in the first person plural in 5:1–11 to the two seminal figures of humanity, Adam and Christ, in the third person singular. Heretofore the gospel has been discussed ...

931. Slaves to Righteousness

Romans 6:15-23

Understanding Series

James R. Edwards

... by such an institution was in many respects an inappropriate comparison, and the apology in verse 19 indicates that Paul was not unaware of a possible offense. But despite its negative connotations, the master-slave relation provided the apostle with a supreme illustration of his core argument at this stage of the epistle, namely, the total indebtedness and absolute accountability of the forgiven sinner to the grace of God. 6:15 Somewhat surprisingly, 6:1 is repeated in verse 15: Shall we sin because we ...

932. Struggling with Sin

Romans 7:7-25

Understanding Series

James R. Edwards

... for a post-conversion understanding of chapter 7. Paul’s use of the first person singular flows from his own struggle of becoming righteous after having been made righteous. It is his own experience, but it is not only his experience. Chapter 7 is an apt illustration of the adage that what is truly individual is truly universal. Who can deny that the voice of the apostle echoes in the experience of all Christians and in their frustration at the persistence of sin? “The world is too much with us,” said ...

933. Food Sacrificed to Idols

1 Corinthians 8:1-13

Understanding Series

Marion L. Soards

... without serious thought about the preparation of the food. Paul’s tone and emphases do shift as he moves from 8:1 through 11:1, but as close reading reveals, Paul’s primary concern in 8:1–13—with the possible exception of one illustrative reference in verse 10—is with the consumption of food that was originally offered to idols rather than with the participation of Christians in offerings to idols per se. Read from this vantage point, although the discussion deals with ancient and foreign matters ...

934. Spiritual Gifts

1 Corinthians 12:1-11

Understanding Series

Marion L. Soards

... spirits, that is, the capacity to judge rightly that Paul calls for throughout the letter, is itself recognized to be a charismatic reality. Paul lists nine manifestations of the Spirit (Gk. hē phanerōsis tou pneumatos). These phenomena are offered in this context as illustrative examples of the gifts of the Spirit that Paul has been discussing to this point. Among the items mentioned are the following: (1) The message of wisdom, literally “a word of wisdom” (cf. 1:17–2:16, esp. 1:24; 2:4–6). From ...

935. Love

1 Corinthians 13:1-13

Understanding Series

Marion L. Soards

... things that are its own”); easily angered (Gk. parozynomai; lit. “to be hot-tempered” or “to be sharp”); keeps record of wrongs (Gk. logizomai to kakon; lit. “to reckon the evil”). 13:6 Paul shifts the perspective slightly by offering an illustrative contrast that probably can be understood to summarize all the negative activity that he mentioned overtly in the preceding verses; moreover, in case he left anything out of the account, he offers a comprehensive summary of what love does not do ...

936. The Resurrection of the Dead

1 Corinthians 15:12-34

Understanding Series

Marion L. Soards

... between ignorance that actively disregards the truth and naiveté that is as yet uninformed. Paul charges the Corinthians with active ignorance; thus he sees himself naming their shame. Additional Notes 15:29 The practical nature and logical tone of the series of illustrative arguments in vv. 29–34 are much closer to the style of vv. 12–19 than the materials in vv. 20–28. Paul seems to have come back to earth from his sighting of the end. The word “otherwise” signals this transition. The ...

937. Regulations about Infectious Skin Diseases

Leviticus 13:1-46

Understanding Series

W. H. Bellinger, Jr.

... of debate. This covering can also be a sign of mourning. The person must also proclaim the condition of impurity, crying out, “Unclean! Unclean!” and is subjected to social isolation outside the camp. Numbers 5, 12, and 2 Kings 7 illustrate this circumstance. The concern is that diseases, which are not superficial but abnormal conditions, are contagious. They threaten the wholeness of the community. Thus they need to be isolated. More important than the skin conditions themselves is the functioning of ...

938. Various Laws

Leviticus 19:1-37

Understanding Series

W. H. Bellinger, Jr.

... of the vines or picking up the ones which have fallen. These foodstuffs are for people without other means of support. The motivation again is the relationship with God: I am the LORD your God. This custom is approximated in Deuteronomy 24 and illustrated in the book of Ruth. 19:11–18 These verses continue in the tradition of the Decalogue and relate to social justice. Verses 11–12 prohibit stealing, lying, deception, and swearing falsely. The business of living as people of holy Yahweh has significant ...

939. The Passover

Numbers 9:1-14

Understanding Series

W.H. Bellinger, Jr.

... is the celebration of Passover. In verse 1 we are still in the Desert of Sinai during the month prior to the beginning of the book of Numbers. Chapter 7 demonstrated the obedience of the tribes with gifts to the tabernacle, and chapter 8 illustrated the obedience of the priests and Levites. This chapter returns to the people. The divine command is to celebrate the Passover at the appointed time, and the people are obedient. During the first Passover in Exodus 12, all the Egyptian firstborn died in the ...

940. Jonathan Eats Honey

1 Samuel 14:24-48

Understanding Series

Mary J. Evans

... this discussion. 14:24–30 The first incident is Jonathan’s unwitting breaking of an oath instituted by his father. The reference to the distress of the army indicates the writers’ low opinion about the value of this oath, but the words of Jonathan illustrate how foolish it was. Saul again attempts to ensure that God is behind their action, but his understanding of what God requires (and presumably therefore of who God is) is limited. His use of the oath suggests that he thought that God could be ...

941. Job's Reply to Bildad

Job 9:1–10:22

Understanding Series

Gerald H. Wilson

... ’s deeds are powerful and humans are unable even to figure out what God is doing in the world (which is also the major point of Eccl., see esp. Eccl. 8:16–17). 9:11 Words reminiscent of the comparison between the wind and the work of God in Ecclesiastes illustrate this lack of perception. “As you do not know the path of the wind, or how the body is formed in a mother’s womb, so you cannot understand the work of God, the Maker of all things” (Eccl. 11:5). Similarly, Job is unable to see God when he ...

942. Blessed Are Those Who Meditate on the Lord’s Instruction

Psalm 1:1-6

Understanding Series

Craig C. Broyles

... be productive only at certain times, whose determination is beyond their control. Continual blossoming is not in view here. The claim whatever he does prospers breaks the agricultural imagery and echoes Joshua 1:8. 1:4–5 By contrast, the image of chaff illustrates the absence of blessing for the wicked, who lack both life and substance. To what judgment does the wicked will not stand in the judgment refer? Christian readers tend to think of the final judgment, but that is not a prominent feature within ...

943. My God, My God, Why Have You Forsaken Me?

Psalm 22:1-31

Understanding Series

Craig C. Broyles

... reflections of v. 24, “not despised or disdained”), to hear his cries for help (implied in vv. 1–2, and again note v. 24, “has listened,” Hb. šmʿ), and to deliver him (vv. 4–5, 8, 19–21). The intimacy of this relationship is most poignantly illustrated in the speaker’s birth story (cf. 71:5–6; 139:13–16), where Yahweh is depicted as midwife: you brought me out of the womb. There is even a parallel drawn between the speaker’s mother and Yahweh: as the speaker was at (Hb. ʿal) my ...

944. Deceived Deceivers, and the Feasting Followers of the Lord

Psalm 36:1-12

Understanding Series

Craig C. Broyles

... of the wicked in Psalm 36 informs God’s people who may not feast on the abundance of God’s house (v. 8). Several verbal parallels also connect Psalm 36 with the temple entry liturgies of Psalms 15 and 24. The character profiles found in Psalms 15 and 36 illustrate with the same three bodily parts: the heart (reading “his heart,” 36:1; 15:2), the eyes (36:1, 2; 15:4, lit., “despised in his eyes is a rejected one”), and the mouth (36:3) or “tongue” (15:3). In each, attention is given to wicked ...

945. Betrayed by God in Battle?

Psalm 44:1-26

Understanding Series

Craig C. Broyles

... deserted Israel and handed them over to their enemies (you no longer go out with our armies, you gave us up, you sold your people). It is not so much that Yahweh has worked for the enemy (contrast 89:42), as it is that he has worked against Israel, as illustrated in verse 10: You made us retreat, so our adversaries were at liberty to plunder us. 44:17–22 Some psalms of the individual contain protests of innocence (7:3–5; 17:3–5; 26:1–8; 59:3–4), where the speaker avers he has not sinned against ...

946. The Penitential Psalm

Psalm 51:1-19

Understanding Series

Craig C. Broyles

... within the same worshiping communities of the exilic period. 51:1–2 The opening petitions draw attention to the immediate need, using several synonyms for sin: transgressions (rebellion against a norm that defines a relationship), iniquity (crookedness or perversion), and sin (missing a mark, illustrated in Judg. 20:16). The attitude sought from God is mercy, and the actions sought are that he should blot out (as in blotting out a name from a book, see 9:5; 69:28; 109:13–14; Exod. 32:32–33; Deut. 29 ...

947. God’s Goodness Redefined: The Nearness of God

Psalm 73:1-28

Understanding Series

Craig C. Broyles

... This is spelled out not so much in terms of their abuse of victims but in terms of the wicked themselves and of their attitudes toward God. Their tyrannical arrogance is illustrated with imagery concerning their clothing (v. 6), their hearts and minds (v. 7), and their mouths (vv. 8–9). Because the conceits of their minds know no limits (as illustrated in the spatial image of heaven and the earth in v. 9) they are cavalier about God: They say, “how can God know?” They do not deny his existence, simply ...

948. The Parable of the Weeds

Matthew 13:24-30

Understanding Series

Robert H. Mounce

... arranged by Matthew, There are in the first three Gospels about sixty separate parables. In the LXX the Greek parabolē almost always translates the Hebrew māšāl, which denotes a wide variety of picturesque forms of expression, including the proverb, metaphor, allegory, illustrative story, fable, riddle, simile, and parable proper. All forms of the Hebrew māšāl except the riddle are found in the New Testament, primarily in the Synoptic Gospels. The parable is a simple story taken from daily life that ...

949. The Parable of the Hidden Treasure and the Pearl

Matthew 13:44-46

Understanding Series

Robert H. Mounce

950. The Parable of the Net

Matthew 13:47-52

Understanding Series

Robert H. Mounce

Showing results