Sermon and Worship Resources

Showing 76 to 100 of 106 results

1 Corinthians 10:1-13

Sermon

Steven E. Albertin

... ; for it is to such as these that the kingdom of God belongs" (Mark 10:14). It is the simple trusting faith of a child that God wants and not the sophisticated, measured, calculated, and qualified faith of a reasoned commitment. God wants our heart and not a flawless recitation of the Ten Commandments or the 66 books of the Bible. So how do we motivate youth or even adults for that matter to learn and study without the "carrot and stick" of a test or the threat of a grade? Paul faced a similar problem in ...

77. Filling the Hole in Our Hearts

Acts 2:1-21

Sermon

King Duncan

... like some outsiders reacted on that first Pentecost, “Hey, the pastor’s drunk. Listen to him carry on.” And you might go home telling jokes at my expense. But imagine that you heard a mighty wind and the room shook and then I started speaking in flawless German or Italian or Arabic, some known language I had never studied. Wouldn’t that impress you even more? Wouldn’t you go home saying that you had experienced a miracle? I know I would. That’s what happened on the Day of Pentecost. God arranged ...

78. Glug, glug, good, huh?

Humor Illustration

Michael P. Green

... of coffee, the deacon leaned over and commented, “Glug, glug, good, huh?” The man, a little uncertain, replied, “Mmmmm good!” To the deacon’s dismay, when the speaker for the evening was announced, it happened to be the African gentleman next to him. The gentleman got up and delivered a flawless message in Oxford-accented English. Upon concluding, he headed toward the deacon, whose face was aglow with red. The speaker simply said, “Blab, blab, good, huh?”

79. The Day of the Lord

2 Peter 3:1-18

Understanding Series

Norman Hillyer

... up): as in 1:13 (“refresh your memory”). Here in 3:1 the wording lit. runs: “I rouse your pure mind by a reminder” (cf. Jude 5). To wholesome thinking (tēn eilikrinē dianoian): The adjective eilikrinēs (pure, unalloyed, unadulterated) means that which is flawless even when held up to the sunlight (heilē, heat of the sun; krinein, to examine); see Turner, pp. 416–17; TDNT, vol. 2, pp. 397–98. Paul employs eilikrinēs in Phil. 1:10 to describe the purity required of believers on the day of ...

80. Israel’s Ill-Placed Confidence

Amos 5:18-27

Understanding Series

Elizabeth Achtemeier

... standard of what is right and equitable. Focusing exclusively on the latter hinders the correct understanding of justice in the biblical sense. The source of justice is God himself. It flows from his essential character as one who is both just and righteous, whose actions are flawless, perfect, upright, and just (Deut. 32:4; 1 Sam. 12:7; 2 Sam. 22:31; Job 37:23; Ps. 89:14). God is the righteous lawgiver, hence the one who establishes the norm for right conduct (Deut. 4:4 8; Ps. 19:7–9). He requires ...

81. A Woman Burdened with Guilt

Luke 7:36-50

Sermon

King Duncan

... about a noted conductor who was taking his choir and orchestra through their final rehearsal of Handel’s beautiful and inspiring “Messiah.” When the soprano soloist came in with the refrain, “I know that my Redeemer liveth,” she sang it with flawless technique, perfect breathing, and clear enunciation. After she completed her part, everyone looked at the conductor expecting to see his response of approval. With a motion from his baton for silence, he walked over to the soloist and said, almost ...

82. Prologue to the Law of the Temple: The Lord Comes Home

Ezekiel 40:1--43:12

Understanding Series

Steven Tuell

... God commands him to describe. Its presence on the mountain is unexplained, but its builder, surely, is God (with Eichrodt, Ezekiel, p. 542). Although the earthly Zion is in ruins, the heavenly Zion—God’s true home—remains pristine. It is flawless, beautiful, and holy. Through Ezekiel’s description of this vision, his audience can share in this experience of God’s presence just as, through the accounts of other heavenly journeys, the hearers could share in the benefits the visionary experienced ...

83. David the Conqueror

2 Sam 5:6-25

Teach the Text

Robert B. Chisholm Jr.

... ; 30:7–8; 2 Sam. 2:1) or with a word of warning that enabled David to escape danger (1 Sam. 23:9–12). In his song of thanks, written after the Lord delivers him from all his enemies, David affirms that the Lord’s word is “flawless” (or “purified,” like metal that is refined and free of impurities) and that “he shields all who take refuge in him” (2 Sam. 22:31). This affirmation appears in a context where David celebrates that the Lord trained and energized him for battle. The “word” of ...

84. The Lord Is My Rock

2 Samuel 22:1-51

Teach the Text

Robert B. Chisholm Jr.

... ; the Hebrew verb (dalag) means “leap, spring” (cf. Song 2:8–9; Isa. 35:6). To emphasize the military superiority that God has provided, David describes himself as leaping over the wall of the enemy’s city.6 22:31 The Lord’s word is flawless. In this context the Lord’s “word” is his oracular promise of protection and victory (vv. 33–46; cf. Ps. 12:5–7). Here David alludes to the numerous occasions when he inquired of the Lord and received a reliable oracle of victory or protection ...

85. “I Love You, Lord, My Strength”

Psalm 18:1-50

Teach the Text

C. Hassell Bullock

... and God does not owe us anything for doing our duty. The image behind verses 25–27 is that of servant and master, but it does not define the totality of divine grace. In fact, the “faithful,” “blameless,” and “pure” are equipped by God’s flawless word (vv. 30–36). While the language of this psalm is not strictly the New Testament notion of unmerited favor (which is not foreign to OT theology), the underlying grace of God meets individuals in their strength (vv. 25–29) as well as in their ...

86. How to Deal with Demons

Matthew 12:38-50

Sermon

Maxie Dunnam

... get there, I’ll put on your cap and uniform and you will introduce me as your chauffeur, and yourself as me. Then you can give the lecture.” For awhile that evening, everything went according to plan. The chauffeur delivered the lecture flawlessly. But as the lecture concluded, a professor in the audience rose and asked a complex question involving mathematical equations and formulas. The quick-thinking chauffeur replied, “Sir, the solution to that problem is so simple, I’m really surprised you’ve ...

87. Unnoticed at Your Own Party

Isaiah 35:1-10, Matthew 11:2-11, James 5:7-10

Sermon

King Duncan

... the Baptist, that glorious forerunner of Christ surely wished for a back door as he languished in Herod’s jail. His worse days, however, were yet to come. Remember, he was beheaded by Herod. Was it for a crime that he had committed? Hardly. John was a man of flawless character. Indeed, Jesus said that no better man had ever lived than John the Baptist (Matthew 11:11). But that did not keep him from needing a back door. All true prophets yearn for a back door at some time in their lives, as we all do. The ...

88. Other Pursuits

2 Chron 8:1–9:31

One Volume

Gary M. Burge

... Chronicles. Reference to prophetic sources here and in David’s summary note in 1 Chronicles 29:29–30 bolsters the authority of this account. Absent from the end of the account of Solomon, however, is any reference to Solomon’s failure, which leads to the division of the nation. This flawless Solomon is being presented not merely as a past figure but as one who legitimates the present temple in the Chronicler’s day and foreshadows a future renewal of the dynasty.

89. Zophar

Job 11:1-20

One Volume

Gary M. Burge

... in his third speech (27:13–23). 11:1–20: First cycle Review · Zophar has a scathing rebuke for Job (11:2–3). He, unlike Eliphaz, after all, has heard more things said by the time he takes his turn. He indicts Job’s self-assessment as a “flawless” person. Job is myopic, Zophar contends, for if God were to respond, Job would hear of the vast depths of wisdom that he obviously has not yet seen. Job would recognize that he is so flawed that God himself has forgotten some of Job’s sin (11:4 ...

90. Job's Third Reply to Bildad

Job 26:1--31:40

One Volume

Gary M. Burge

... , Bildad, and Zophar’s contributions to the story, Job longingly recalls the good days of old (29) as contrast to his present social and physical maladies (30), strongly insisting on his innocence (31). 29:1–25 · Job recalls grand days of his past. He recounts his flawless conduct and God’s constant favor. We journey with Job, this honored and revered figure, as he moves from his family circle (29:2–6), outward to his seat among the nobles at the city gate (29:7–11), to his fatherly care for the ...

91. Agur’s Message: Relying on God’s Word, Learning from His Work

Proverbs 30:1-33

One Volume

Gary M. Burge

... confession shifts the focus from God’s work to God’s word (30:5–6). These verses quote both Psalm 18:30 (= 2 Sam. 22:31; cf. Ps. 119:140) and Deuteronomy 4:2; 12:32 (cf. Rev. 22:18–19), by implication claiming the same “flawless” status for Agur’s wisdom as that invoked by the use of the word “oracle” in verse 1a. The section concludes with a simple but earnest prayer (and the only one expressed in the book), invoking divine aid in avoiding empty and deceitful speech and in procuring ...

92. The King and the Maiden Banter

Song of Songs 1:1-17

One Volume

Gary M. Burge

... (1:8) marks a different speaker, probably the women of the royal harem. The phrase “most beautiful of women” is repeated three times in refrains by the harem women (1:8; 5:9; 6:1), and it echoes a constant theme in the poem—the flawless beauty of the maiden. Verse 8 has puzzled interpreters in that the women’s instructions to follow the sheep tracks and then graze her young goats nearby in hopes of finding the shepherd seem nonsensical because they encourage the very behavior the maiden wishes to ...

93. How Beautiful are You

Song of Songs 4:1-16

One Volume

Gary M. Burge

... descriptive song mixes pastoral, domestic, and urban images common in ancient love poetry (e.g., myrrh, lilies, pomegranates, etc.). The language of the love poem now becomes increasingly erotic and explicit. The import of the descriptive song is the maiden’s flawless beauty from head to toe (literally, from eyes [4:1] to breasts [4:5]); she mirrors the beauty, freshness, and innocence of the natural world and the strength and elegance of the manmade world. The phrases “mountain of myrrh” and “hill ...

94. The Victory That Overcomes the World

1 John 5:1-12

One Volume

Gary M. Burge

... one’s sin, one here makes God a liar by not receiving God’s testimony about Jesus’s fleshly humanity (5:10). Might there be a connection here? If claiming to be without sin is less a matter of asserting flawless perfection and more a matter of arguing that cultural and religious assimilation (participating in pagan festivals, worshiping Caesar, maintaining guild memberships with their votive inductions, etc.) are not sinful, these liberties were likely challenged by the docetic teaching that Jesus ...

95. The Lord’s Refined Words and Humans with Double Tongues

Psalm 12:1-8

Understanding Series

Craig C. Broyles

... and the commentary on 50:2; 80:1). 12:6–8 These verses respond to the vouchsafed oracle with praise. We might expect Yahweh’s words to be described as saving, gracious, or powerful, but they are described as “clean” or “pure” (Hb. ṭhr, NIV flawless) and refined. (This may reflect a priestly background to the oracle.) In the context of the psalm, we can see the implicit contrast between Yahweh’s speech, which is pure, and the speech of the wicked, which is “vain” or “empty” (Hb. šāw ...

96. The Lord Compassionate and Slow to Anger

Psalm 103:1-22

Understanding Series

Craig C. Broyles

... praise, in order to be musically metrical and liturgically forceful, will not be laden with qualifications covering every possible ramification. Thus, when we consider both sides of each claim in the balance, we can see that the obedience described in verse 18 is not flawless, though it is intended. And the point of verse 3 is not to claim that Yahweh will heal each disease in every case but to attribute all such healings to Yahweh. Additional Note 103:6 Righteousness: The Hb. term is in the plural, meaning ...

97. Absent Creed

Humor Illustration

Editor James S. Hewett

... would line up and recite their one section of the creed in the order that it was written. That teaching method worked well and went on about four months, until one Sunday. They began the class the same way. The first girl as usual recited her line flawlessly: "I believe in God the Father Almighty, maker of heaven and earth." The second, a boy, stood up and said his sentence: "I believe in Jesus Christ, His only Son, our Lord." But then silence descended over the class. Finally, one girl, who felt she had ...

98. In Need of a "Rally Monkey"

Luke 17:5-10

Sermon

King Duncan

... They knew they were going to fail him. They knew they couldn’t live the kind of grace-filled life he was prescribing under their own power. “You want us to be like you,” they were saying, “forgiving those who sin against us and setting an example of flawless love and holiness? We can’t do it! It’s beyond our power!” And so they asked for an extra dose of faith. But were they asking for real faith, or were they simply asking for more warm-and-fuzzy feelings about being one of his followers? So ...

He speaks English with the flawless imperfection of a New Yorker.

Gilbert Millstein

Success doesn't necessarily come from breakthrough innovation but from flawless execution. A great strategy alone won't win a game or a battle; the win comes from basic blocking and tackling.

Naveen Jain

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Antonyms: deficient, imperfect

Showing 76 to 100 of 106 results

76. Passing the Test

1 Corinthians 10:1-13

Sermon

Steven E. Albertin

77. Filling the Hole in Our Hearts

Acts 2:1-21

Sermon

King Duncan

78. Glug, glug, good, huh?

Humor Illustration

Michael P. Green

79. The Day of the Lord

2 Peter 3:1-18

Understanding Series

Norman Hillyer

80. Israel’s Ill-Placed Confidence

Amos 5:18-27

Understanding Series

Elizabeth Achtemeier

81. A Woman Burdened with Guilt

Luke 7:36-50

Sermon

King Duncan

82. Prologue to the Law of the Temple: The Lord Comes Home

Ezekiel 40:1--43:12

Understanding Series

Steven Tuell

83. David the Conqueror

2 Sam 5:6-25

Teach the Text

Robert B. Chisholm Jr.

84. The Lord Is My Rock

2 Samuel 22:1-51

Teach the Text

Robert B. Chisholm Jr.

85. “I Love You, Lord, My Strength”

Psalm 18:1-50

Teach the Text

C. Hassell Bullock

86. How to Deal with Demons

Matthew 12:38-50

Sermon

Maxie Dunnam

87. Unnoticed at Your Own Party

Isaiah 35:1-10, Matthew 11:2-11, James 5:7-10

Sermon

King Duncan

88. Other Pursuits

2 Chron 8:1–9:31

One Volume

Gary M. Burge

89. Zophar

Job 11:1-20

One Volume

Gary M. Burge

90. Job's Third Reply to Bildad

Job 26:1--31:40

One Volume

Gary M. Burge

91. Agur’s Message: Relying on God’s Word, Learning from His Work

Proverbs 30:1-33

One Volume

Gary M. Burge

92. The King and the Maiden Banter

Song of Songs 1:1-17

One Volume

Gary M. Burge

93. How Beautiful are You

Song of Songs 4:1-16

One Volume

Gary M. Burge

94. The Victory That Overcomes the World

1 John 5:1-12

One Volume

Gary M. Burge

95. The Lord’s Refined Words and Humans with Double Tongues

Psalm 12:1-8

Understanding Series

Craig C. Broyles

96. The Lord Compassionate and Slow to Anger

Psalm 103:1-22

Understanding Series

Craig C. Broyles

97. Absent Creed

Humor Illustration

Editor James S. Hewett

98. In Need of a "Rally Monkey"

Luke 17:5-10

Sermon

King Duncan

He speaks English with the flawless imperfection of a New Yorker.

Gilbert Millstein

Success doesn't necessarily come from breakthrough innovation but from flawless execution. A great strategy alone won't win a game or a battle; the win comes from basic blocking and tackling.

Naveen Jain

Showing results