Sermon and Worship Resources

Showing 951 to 975 of 1182 results

Proverbs 22:17--24:22

Understanding Series

Roland E. Murphy

... ) should be noted. The text of verse 19b, translated literally in the NIV, seems to be corrupt, but there is no satisfactory solution. 22:20 The NIV wisely adopts the MT reading, thirty, and relegates the Qere and Kethib to the margins. This is a classic case of the Hebrew being understood out of the Egyptian work; see Additional Notes. 22:21 The reliability of courtiers as messengers is a theme that appears also in the Instruction of Ptah-hotep (lines 140–60; ANET, p. 413) as well as in the introduction ...

952. Jeremiah’s Complaint

Jeremiah 20:7-18

Understanding Series

Tremper Longman III

... he contemplated not delivering the divine message. However, though tormented, he admits that he could not help himself. God’s word is like a fire in his innermost person (my heart and my bones). It is harder for him not to speak than to speak, a classic case of being “between a rock and a hard place.” But everyone is against him, passersby as well as his friends (20:10). The former are saying “Terror on every side! Report him! Report him!” The first phrase is the same as the name Jeremiah gave ...

953. I am the Man Who Has Seen Affliction

Lamentations 3:1-66

One Volume

Tremper Longman III

... the Lord to look on their piteous state (1:9, 11, 20; 2:20; see Provan, Lamentations, p. 103). But he is not forcing the tears by any means. All he has to do is look around (what I see) to elicit sadness (see Additional Notes). In a classic “A, what’s more B” parallelism, the second colon of v. 50 speaks specifically of what in particular evokes sadness, the fate of the female population of the city. Women are particularly vulnerable at times like this. Men make the decision to go to battle and women ...

954. The Gift of the Spirit

Joel 2:28-32

Understanding Series

Elizabeth Achtemeier

... of the early nonwriting prophets of Israel that their revelations were given to them by the Spirit (cf. 1 Sam. 10:6, 10; 19:20; 2 Sam. 23:2; 2 Kgs. 2:9, etc.). However, such a means of revelation was almost entirely replaced among the classical, writing prophets by revelation through the word, and it is not until the time of this passage in Joel that revelation by means of the Spirit is once again emphasized. Thus, when revelation by the Spirit once again occurs, according to Joel, it is a sign ...

955. Judgment of Israel's Neighbors

Amos 1:1-2:5

Understanding Series

Elizabeth Achtemeier

... Amos from the canon, not to mention Isaiah of Jerusalem, with his entrance to kings’ courts. God chooses those to whom he will reveal himself. The superscription says that Amos saw the words of the Lord, a conventional term for the revelation given to the classical prophets (cf. Isa. 1:1; Mic. 1:1), and an indication that we present-day interpreters can never fully understand how God spoke to the prophets. Certainly Amos had prophetic visions (cf. 7:1–9; 8:1–3; 9:1–4), but “saw” refers to ...

956. Habakkuk’s Complaint

Habakkuk 1:1-4

Understanding Series

John Goldingay

... to two aspects of the meaning of the Hebrew word. It covers only sinful violence, violence that violates relationships and community standards. And it can apply to violations of relationships and community standards that do not involve physical violence. Why? (v. 3) is then a further classic question in the prayers of the Psalms (e.g., 10:1; 22:1; 42:9) and in the protests of Jeremiah (e.g., Jer. 15:18; 20:18). Once again, it is not a request for information but a rhetorical question that implies a protest ...

957. No More Tears

Sermon

King Duncan

... on the ground. Face stained with dirt and tears. Fists pounding the hard earth. Eyes wide with a stupor of fear. Hair matted with salty sweat. Is that blood on his forehead? That’s Jesus. Jesus in the Garden of Gethsemane. “Maybe you’ve seen the classic portrait of Christ in the garden. Kneeling beside a big rock. Snow-white robe. Hands peacefully folded in prayer. A look of serenity on his face. Halo over his head. A spotlight from heaven illuminating his golden-brown hair.” Lucado goes on to say ...

958. Jesus' First Disciples

John 1:35-42, John 1:43-51

Understanding Series

J. Ramsey Michaels

... else to Jesus (1:43–51). The two disciples in verses 35–39 thus anticipate verses 40–42 and 43–51 respectively: Jesus calls Andrew and Philip; Andrew brings his brother Simon to Jesus, while Philip brings Nathanael. The story of the call is classically simple. The two disciples hear John’s proclamation and follow Jesus. The fact that they followed, however, which connotes discipleship, is not the end of the story but its beginning. Jesus asks them what they are looking for, and their request is to ...

959. Thanksgiving and Prayer

Philippians 1:1-11

Understanding Series

F. F. Bruce

... expedient” as against “empty subtleties and speculations” (Calvin, ad loc.) or (as the NIV rendering suggests) to discern “the best among the good” (Bengel, ad loc.). Both kinds of discrimination are necessary. Such discernment comes with mature experience. A classic NT text on this is Hebrews 5:14, with its reference to spiritually mature people “who through practice are able to distinguish between good and evil.” Without this faculty of discrimination one could not develop “a sense of what ...

960. Love the Lord Your God

Deuteronomy 6:1-25

Understanding Series

Christopher J. H. Wright

... should be enough to elicit obedience. But will it be? If this is all that is given by explanation, the son might very well give Pharaoh’s response, “Who is Yahweh that I should obey him?” (Exod. 5:2) The full answer, therefore, takes the same classic form as the Decalogue itself by stating the facts of redemption on which Yahweh’s identity and Yahweh’s claim on Israel were simultaneously founded. The LORD who commanded us (v. 24) is the LORD who delivered us (vv. 21–23). These are the additional ...

961. The Helper of Israel

Isaiah 41:1-29

Understanding Series

John Goldingay

... Redeemer (v. 14). “Redeemer” (go’el; see on 35:8–10) is a family word. It denotes someone who is close to you in the structure of your family who therefore has a moral obligation to support or defend you when you are in need. The classic need is poverty and debt, which might mean selling yourself into “slavery” (indentured labor): you commit yourself to work for your creditor until you have paid your debt. This next-of-kin is then under family obligation to make his own assets available to free ...

962. The Year of the Lord’s Favor

Isaiah 61:1-11

Understanding Series

John Goldingay

... in its own right but also introduces recapitulations of the promises. Accounts of a prophet’s own experience or actions appear in the OT because the testimony is in some way significant for the audience, though the way in which it is relevant varies. In the classic accounts of Yahweh’s commission of prophets such as Isaiah ben Amoz, Amos, or Jeremiah, the logic is, “This is why you ought to take me seriously and turn back to Yahweh” (or why you ought to have done so). In 59:21 the testimony related ...

963. Judgment and Salvation

Isaiah 65:1-16

Understanding Series

John Goldingay

... .g., Matt. 25:31–46), but he implies that the former is a this-worldly reality, the latter a feature of the End. The opening therefore in verse 13 indicates that the phrase that follows does not begin a different prophecy. It is, rather, the classic transition from indictment to declaration of the sentence that underlines the nature of Yahweh’s threat. It is a chilling description of the fate of people who turn their backs on Yahweh. But Yahweh’s threats are always designed to be self-frustrating, and ...

964. Tyre, Sidon—and Israel

Ezekiel 26:1-21, Ezekiel 27:1-36, Ezekiel 28:1-19, Ezekiel 28:20-26

Understanding Series

Steven Tuell

... lament is described in glowing terms: Tyre is situated at the gateway to the sea, merchant of peoples on many coasts (v. 3). But that preeminence is about to end. Through the remainder of this chapter, Ezekiel crafts a poetic lament over Tyre in the classic style of Hebrew laments. Generally, Hebrew poetry is based on two lines of roughly equal length (each usually having three beats, or accented words). However, the lament (Heb. qinah) is built on two unequal lines, a three-beat line followed by a two-beat ...

965. The Law of the Temple

Ezekiel 43:13-27, Ezekiel 44:1-31, Ezekiel 45:1-12, Ezekiel 45:13--46:24

Understanding Series

Steven Tuell

... . Its base reaches into the underworld and its top to the heavens” (The Cosmic Mountain in Canaan and the Old Testament [HSM 4; Cambridge, Mass.: Harvard University Press, 1972], p. 20). 44:1–14 In their final form, these verses take the classic form of the judgment speech (C. Westermann, Basic Forms of Prophetic Speech [trans. H. C. White; Philadelphia: Westminster, 1967], p. 128). 44:3 The prince himself. In chs. 1–39, the title “prince” (Heb. nasiʾ) is Ezekiel’s typical term for Israel ...

966. Transition to Jesus’ Public Ministry

Matthew 4:12-17

Teach the Text

Jeannine K. Brown

... to become followers of Jesus. Illustrating the Text Jesus is the bringer of salvation to Israel. Literature: Tom Sawyer, by Mark Twain. In Matthew 4:12–16 the salvation that Jesus brings is portrayed in terms of light shining in darkness. In his classic tale Tom Sawyer, Twain captures the fear and despair of being lost in the dark. Tom and Becky join a group of adventurers in scouting caves. Soon, they become separated from the group. Unease turns to apprehension. Apprehension morphs into fear. Fear ...

967. Sermonon the Mount: The Beatitudes

Matthew 5:1-12, Matthew 5:13-16

Teach the Text

Jeannine K. Brown

... guidance for how to live in light of the kingdom’s arrival yet before its final consummation. Adults as well as children might enjoy seeing images of Tigger and Eeyore in a visual presentation or from a Winnie the Pooh book, with the classic illustrations by E. H. Shepard.6 Jesus’ followers find their identity and mission in covenantal relationship with God. Nature: Jesus’ own words about salt and light are illustrations of covenantal identity and mission. Thus, it could be helpful to use some salt ...

968. Sermon on the Mount: Jesus Teaches on the Torah

Matthew 5:17-48

Teach the Text

Jeannine K. Brown

... the Text Jesus fulfills the Torah by interpreting it rightly and living it completely, and he calls his followers to live out covenant loyalty in line with the values expressed in the Torah. Literature: Les Misérables, by Victor Hugo. In Hugo’s classic, Jean Valjean steals silver plates from the bishop, Monseigneur Bienvenu (chap. 12). Valjean is stopped by the police, and when they find him in possession of the silver, they bring him to the bishop’s residence. Instead of pressing charges, the bishop ...

969. Sermon on the Mount: Final Warnings and Call to Obey Jesus’ Words

Matthew 7:13-14, Matthew 7:15-23, Matthew 7:24-29

Teach the Text

Jeannine K. Brown

... with words. Illustrating the Text Doing the will of God—that is, obeying the words of Jesus—is the proper and wise response to Jesus’ teaching in the Sermon on the Mount. Hymn: “Trust and Obey,” by John H. Sammis. This classic hymn nicely brings together what often is kept apart in churches today. All too often we dichotomize “faith” and “works.” For Matthew, trusting Jesus as the authoritative speaker of God’s truth means putting Jesus’ teachings into action—it means to obey ...

970. Jesus Eats with Sinners and Heals the Sick

Matthew 9:9-13, Matthew 9:14-17, Matthew 9:18-26, Matthew 9:27-34

Teach the Text

Jeannine K. Brown

... God and is worthy of our trust. Literature: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe, by C. S. Lewis. Jesus’ ministry of healing, power, and compassion already enacts the redemptive purposes of the kingdom, even before his representative and salvific death. Lewis’s classic tale depicts Aslan the lion healing citizens of Narnia who have been trapped by the power of the White Witch. Aslan, Susan, and Lucy visit the witch’s castle, where her victims wait, trapped as statues of stone. Aslan breathes on the ...

971. Jesus’ Compassion and Authority to Do the Miraculous

Matthew 14:13-21, Matthew 14:22-36

Teach the Text

Jeannine K. Brown

... worthy of our faith and worship. Illustrating the Text By fostering connections with the Exodus narratives, Matthew emphasizes Jesus’ authority and compassion toward Israel in line with a similar portrait of Yahweh from Exodus. Film: The Ten Commandments. Cecil B. DeMille’s 1956 classic movie offers a famous scene in which Moses stands at the water’s edge just as God parts the sea, making a way of escape for the Israelites from Egypt’s army. This scene captures the imagination and emphasizes God’s ...

972. Failing the Test and Spiritual Failure—Hardness of Heart

Mark 6:45-56

Teach the Text

Grant R. Osborne

... (16:7–8). Victory over our self-centered tendencies can come only when we meet the risen Lord (14:28 = 16:7). Illustrating the Text Where do you turn in the storms of life? Quote: The Road Less Traveled, by M. Scott Peck. Peck begins his classic book with these words: “Life is difficult. . . . Once we truly know that life is difficult—once we truly understand and accept it—then life is no longer difficult. Because once it is accepted, the fact that life is difficult no longer matters.”7All of us ...

973. Realizing the True Nature of Jesus the Christ

Mark 8:27-30

Teach the Text

Grant R. Osborne

... no understanding of the path of suffering that God had set out for both the Messiah and the messianic community. Jesus’s purpose was to expose both weaknesses, the first in 8:31–33, the second in 8:34–9:1. To paraphrase J. B. Phillips’s classic work, “Their Jesus was too small.” To know Jesus and to follow him demands that we embrace both aspects. Jesus’s atoning sacrifice for us provides the only means of salvation (Rom. 3:24–26), and to know Jesus means to choose “participation in his ...

974. The Exorcism of a Child Develops a Humble Model for Faith

Mark 9:14-32

Teach the Text

Grant R. Osborne

Big Idea: This event is another fulcrum in the book, as three primary Markan themes coalesce: (1) the power and compassion of Christ, (2) demonic conflict, and (3) discipleship failure. Understanding the Text This is a classic example of the mountaintop/valley experience. The innermost circle of disciples experienced the glory of God in Jesus, as great a spiritual “high” as anyone in history has known. Now they are about to join the rest of the Twelve as they descend into the valley and face one of ...

975. Government and Marriage

Mark 12:18-27, Mark 12:13-17

Teach the Text

Grant R. Osborne

... , we are to drive a spoke into the wheel itself.” There are times when Christians must stand against government when it is promoting injustice or demanding disobedience to God. How do we stand against government? Bonhoeffer wrote, in his classic book Ethics, “Political action means taking on responsibility.”4 In a democracy this means that Christians should vote their conscience. American Christians, who are protected by the First Amendment of the Constitution, must learn to boldly speak the truth in ...

Showing results