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Showing 76 to 100 of 4937 results

76. Role Reversal: Baby and Priest

Hebrews 10:1-18

Sermon

Harold Warlick

... college bowl games and ultimately climaxes down the road in our church super bowl parties or “souper” bowl emphases where we serve bowls of soup, for a hefty fee, to pump up the amount we give to benevolences. Our austere posture gives way to every special mission offering known to humankind. The sanctuary of the Christ, even in the most typically plain of churches becomes, for a time, the home to poinsettias, wreaths, colored candles, and Christmas trees. Role reversal! The baby has become the priest ...

77. Jesus Heals a Paralytic

Mark 2:1-12

Understanding Series

Larry W. Hurtado

... right in front of Jesus! Our interest and perhaps even our amusement grows as we read how these (anonymous) friends literally overcome the crowd to get to Jesus on behalf of the paralytic. The story is full of color. Imagine a crowd of villagers refusing to give way to the friends and their burden. Picture the four climbing up to the roof, hoisting up the paralyzed man on his cot and boldly attacking the roof to make a hole in it (see the notes) big enough for their friend! The four friends are the center ...

78. The Song of an Awe-Filled Life

Psalm 138:1-8

Sermon

John E. Harnish

... 's steadfast love; It's the song of the awe-filled life. Bishop Dwight Loder, one of the great leaders of Methodism in the Midwest, was my first bishop when I came to Michigan. I remember hearing him speak in his later years, and though his body was beginning to give way to old age, his wit and voice were as strong and clear as ever. He said: I am constantly amazed by life around me, especially on the golf course. If I hit the ball, I'm amazed. If it stays on the fairway, I'm amazed. If I hit the green ...

79. Thou Sayest I Am King

John 18:28-40

Sermon

Maxie Dunnam

... of religion. The deadly poison of hatred and the distorted perception of religion – let’s look at that. There’s nothing, absolutely nothing that distorts reality more than hatred does. It’s a terrible thing. It’s a kind of madness. And once we give way to hatred, we can’t think clearly. We lose control, we can’t see with perspective, and we act irresponsibly. And that’s what happened to the Jews. First, they knew that Jesus was a threat to their established religion, they knew that he was ...

80. Everlasting Salvation for Zion

Isaiah 51:1-16

Understanding Series

John Goldingay

... world and not just to Yahweh’s people. The arm that will bring down Babylon for Judah’s sake will also thereby bring to the rest of Babylon’s empire the beneficent results of Yahweh’s ruling in world affairs. For them, too, the darkness of oppression will give way to the light of freedom. For them, too, hopes that have long seemed vain will be fulfilled. In other words, the vision of 42:1–4 (and behind that, the vision of 2:2–4) will be fulfilled. Many of the words are the same as the ones that ...

81. A Time for Us

Ephesians 1:3-14

Sermon

Maurice A. Fetty

... middle-ager looks longer now at days past and days to come, lingers over questions of meaning and destiny, and wonders if his time will ever come. It is difficult to define middle-age, but we can say it is a time when boundless optimism gives way to careful reflection. It is a time where carefree exuberance bows to cautious planning. Middle-age knows the truth of the old saying, "Life is uncertain, eat dessert first!" Middle-age is the realization that we are not immortal, that our presumed security is not ...

82. Jesus Brings Hope

Revelation 1:4-8

Sermon

Richard Gribble

... an ofttimes hopeless world. The hopefulness present in Revelation and Myles Connelly's powerful story is present in nature as spring dawns in the northern hemisphere. The deadness of winter and the grip it holds on the land, through cold and darkness, begins to give way to warmth, sun, and the light of spring. The hopelessness of the dark winter is now in retreat; the light of spring has stepped to the front. We see these signs in the landscape — the flowers, blossoming trees, the singing of birds in the ...

83. All Israel Will Be Saved

Romans 11:25-32

Understanding Series

James R. Edwards

... , “and so all Israel will be saved” (v. 26). That final triumph of Israel’s salvation is celebrated in 11:25–36. In reaching the crest of his argument Paul himself is borne by its wondrous force. The previously guarded development of his argument gives way to a summary of the themes in chapters 9–11. The place of Israel in the plan of salvation is anchored to two points—mystery and mercy. This is revealed by reviewing Paul’s original sequence of salvation, “first for the Jew, then for the ...

84. Luke 19:1-10

Luke 19:1-10

Sweet

Leonard Sweet

... low esteem who has beneficently parted company with half of his wealth, bestowing it upon the poor, and who is in the habit of restoring by 400 percent any miscalculation he has made on a citizen's tax return. An appreciative crowd would surely give way to such an honorable man, his short stature notwithstanding, when he tries to push his way through the throng to see Jesus. Those who see the reading as a conversion or salvation story also suggest that the present tense is not iterative, but futuristic as ...

85. January 1

Matthew 25:31-46, Revelation 21:1-27, Deuteronomy 8:1-20

Bulletin Aid

First Lesson: Deuteronomy 8:1-10 Theme: God's promise of providence Call to Worship Pastor: The future is exciting because it comes to us from God! People: That's true. Fear of the unknown must give way to faith in God. Pastor: God has promised to provide for our needs. Let us enter this new year with the assurance that God will take care of us. People: We believe that for sure. We thank God for the new adventure we are ready to begin. Collect Benevolent God, you ...

86. No Need For Weeping Anymore

John 20:10-18

Sermon

Erskine White

... can surely face tomorrow no matter what may come our way today. "All fear is gone," and yes, "life is worth the living just because He lives" (Gloria and William Gaither). Like Mary so long ago, we discover on this Easter morning how inexpressable sorrow gives way to unutterable joy and suddenly, there is no need for weeping anymore. Thanks be to God! Amen Pastoral Prayer O Good and Loving God, who first heard Mary's weeping and then her shouts of joy on that blessed Easter morning, help us to receive that ...

87. Wives and Husbands

1 Peter 3:1-7

Understanding Series

Norman Hillyer

... . By their trust in God they do what is right and so exhibit a spiritual family likeness to one who is included among the outstanding examples of faith (Heb. 11:11; cf. Isa. 51:2; Rom. 4:19; 9:9). Believing women have no reason to give way to fear, when they are threatened, from whatever unbelieving quarter, for in truth they belong to a kingdom not of this world. Additional Notes 3:1 The NT writers regularly include instruction on Christian family life; on wives specifically, see also Eph. 5:22; Col. 3:18 ...

88. The Fifth Trumpet (First Woe)

Revelation 8:6--9:21

Teach the Text

J. Scott Duvall

... invasion and anticipates the sixth bowl judgment of 16:12–16. 9:15 And the four angels who had been kept ready for this very hour and day and month and year were released to kill a third of mankind. The torment of the previous trumpet now gives way to death. Whereas the fourth seal brought death to a fourth of the earth (6:8), the demonic army now kills a third of humanity. Again the context suggests that only people hostile to God are vulnerable to attack (6:10; 8:13), while believers are protected by ...

89. Big Men in Little Planes

Mark 9:33-37

Sermon

King Duncan

... by a blanket of thick fog or other dangerous weather condition. The cause . . . was human stubbornness. Each captain was completely aware of the other ship’s presence. Either one could have steered clear, but according to news reports, neither captain wanted to give way to the other. Each captain was too proud to yield first. By the time they finally came to their senses, it was too late and the ships collided! (2) Jesus and the disciples were passing through Galilee. They made a stop at Capernaum. It ...

90. Lord of the Sabbath

Mark 2:23-3:6

Understanding Series

Larry W. Hurtado

... have carried no supplies with them and would have been constantly dependent on the hospitality of others and provision from God (cf. Matt. 10:5–15). On the other hand, the Pharisaic understanding of the Sabbath was that almost everything else was to give way to observe this command (see note). So, in the Jewish Maccabean revolt against the Syrians (168 B.C.), and in subsequent wars, many Jews refused to fight on the Sabbath, even to save their lives. From the viewpoint of the Pharisees, Jesus and his ...

91. Christ's Sacrifice Once for All

Hebrews 10:1-18

Understanding Series

Donald A. Hagner

... sets aside the first to establish the second: the reference to abolishing the first to establish the second is very reminiscent of 7:12, 18–19, and 8:7, 13, where it is said that the former commandments and covenant must give way to the new. Here it is the sacrifices of animals that must give way to the sacrifice of Christ in obedience to God’s will. The will of God referred to in the original quotation (and in its recurrence in v. 9) is identified at the beginning of verse 10 as that by which we have ...

92. Proclamations of Judgment and Reward

Revelation 14:6-13

Teach the Text

J. Scott Duvall

... and obey). 14:13 Then I heard a voice from heaven say, “Write this: Blessed are the dead who die in the Lord from now on.” “Yes,” says the Spirit, “they will rest from their labor, for their deeds will follow them.” The exhortation to endure earthly suffering gives way to a promise of a future heavenly reward. The second of seven beatitudes in Revelation spells out what God has in store for his faithful people (1:3; 14:13; 16:15; 19:9; 20:6; 22:7, 14; see the sidebar in 1:1–3). To “die in ...

93. The Revolutionary Values of the Kingdom of God

Luke 18:31-34, Luke 18:18-30, Luke 18:15-17

Teach the Text

R.T. France

... in Jerusalem. Theological Insights The fact that the phrase “the kingdom of God” occurs five times in this passage alerts us again to the theology of the Magnificat (1:51–53), whereby those who have power and influence in this world’s structures must give way to the insignificant and powerless, so that in the kingdom of God the first become last, and the last first. To be a disciple of Jesus is to be committed to a value revolution that not only demands our own total commitment to God’s cause ...

94. Epiphany 8

Mark 2:18-22, 2 Corinthians 2:12--3:6, Psalm 103:1-22, Hosea 2:2-23

Sermon Aid

John R. Brokhoff

... justifies the lack of fasting by his disciples by his presence as the bridegroom-Messiah. When he is no longer present, fasting will be resumed. Early Christians fasted on Fridays in commemoration of Good Friday while the Jews fasted on Monday and Thursdays. The old must give way to the new. Jesus brings a new covenant, a new era, a new way of life based not on the law, but on the Spirit. Old Judaistic customs must yield to the new era. The new patch of Christ cannot be sewed on the old garment of Judaism ...

95. Facing the Wild Beasts Within

Mark 1:9-13

Sermon

Mike Ripski

... changed. Such a change requires our looking at the faith we have inherited and making it our own. The way to do that is by examining it. This style of an expanding faith is called, “Seeking, Searching faith.” Here feeling and emotion give way to questioning, analysis, and doubt. Persons may have to leave the group that earlier they belonged to. Instead of being dependent upon an authority, they test the various authorities against each other. They learn how to judge and evaluate. They know that the ...

96. More

Isaiah 61:1-4, 8-11

Sermon

Will Willimon

... it to two or three factors, the six causes of the Civil War, the main reason for the Great Depression, thirty true/false statements explaining the Eighteenth Century. In our better moments, when delivered from our own devices, when the modem analytic gives way to the eternal poetic, we know there is more. When life is reduced to technique, six easy steps toward sure success, flattened to a series of problems to be solved, we become numbed, anesthetized against either real pain or true pleasure. The body ...

97. Sleeping through the Alarm

Joel 2:1-2, 12-17

Sermon

Schuyler Rhodes

... I need the sound of the trumpet blowing. I need the alarm telling me that it's time to get up and get going. It's time to make the coffee and the family breakfast. It's time to begin the day. Sleep, as wonderful as it is, needs to give way to the rest of life's demands. I don't much like it, but I have to wake up or all kinds of bad things could happen. If I don't wake up, my children won't get a nourishing breakfast before school. If I don't wake up, the dog ...

98. Good Soldiers, Bad Wars

Joshua 11:1-23, Matthew 8:5-13

Sermon

Erskine White

... has taught him something important about faith. Picture him as he makes his way towards Jesus and imagine how the crowd murmurs its disapproval. They don't want this soldier of Caesar anywhere near their Jesus! But the crowd's disapproval gives way to confusion and then astonishment, because this centurion seems different. He isn't cursing them and pushing them around as the other soldiers do. He speaks respectfully, even reverently, to Jesus. Most incredibly of all: a Roman centurion is calling Jesus ...

99. Praying for a Whole New World

Luke 21:5-38

Sermon

William G. Carter

... because your redemption is drawing near” (Luke 21:28). He is speaking, I think, about the final arrival of God’s kingdom. The day is coming when this old world will pass away and a new creation will be given to us. Fear, fainting, and foreboding will give way to the power and glory of the Son of Man. Confusion and distress among the people of God will turn to trust and security. Every tear will be dried. Every heart will be mended. And no fourth grader will ever again have a terrible, awful, no-good day ...

100. Praise to the Lord

Isaiah 25:1-12

Understanding Series

John Goldingay

... link with each other so as to form two sequences on parallel tracks. The theme of devastation in 24:1–13 continues in 24:17–23, whose ending is then the starting point for 25:6–12. The equivocal response of 24:14–16 gives way to unequivocal praise in 25:1–5, whose theme is then taken up in 26:1–19. Because of their visionary portrayal of world judgment, heavenly conflict, and a radically new day, the chapters have been described as a “Little Apocalypse.” “Apocalypse” is another word ...

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