Sermon and Worship Resources

Showing 976 to 1000 of 1230 results

Luke 17:11-19

Sermon

King Duncan

... source of all you have and all you are. Saying thank you is a statement, first of all, of our character. Is there anything that makes us think less of a person than to bestow upon them a gift and never receive a simple, “Thank you”? I know, ideally, we ought to give and not expect anything in return. And yes, I know--particularly in the case of new brides and grooms--it takes much time and energy to acknowledge all of those gifts. But saying “Thank you” is one of those things in life that separate ...

977. Are You a Pillar or a Pillow?

2 Thessalonians 2:13-17

Sermon

King Duncan

... think things like that really happen, you haven’t been around the church very long. It is easy to criticize the church. If you’re looking for a flaw, sooner or later you will find one. Church people don’t always live up to the high ideals we profess. In one of his books, Bruce Larson compares us to the “Keystone Kops” in Gilbert and Sullivan’s delightful operetta, The Pirates of Penzance. The hero, Frederick, enlists the aid of the police in capturing some nasty pirates. The police gather in the ...

978. Joseph’s Death

Genesis 50:22-26

One Volume

Gary M. Burge

Joseph dies at the age of a hundred and ten years (50:22), which in Egyptian literature is the ideal length of human life. Moreover Joseph lives long enough to see his great-grandchildren (50:23), a privilege shared by no other patriarchal figure. There is no question that one day Joseph’s family will leave Egypt. “Take my bones with you when you leave,” he says (50:25, author’ ...

979. The Golden Calf

Ex 32:1–33:6

One Volume

Gary M. Burge

... thousand people who are continuing in flagrant disobedience is a horrifying task and a severe punishment for not standing up for righteousness in the first place. The weight of responsibility Aaron must have felt would undoubtedly have been crushing. Yet, in the sovereign workings of God, he will be the ideal human high priest, fully aware of his own weakness, knowing God’s mercy and forgiveness, and able to deal gently with those who stray (Heb. 5:2).

980. Separating Physical Impurities from Persons

Leviticus 11:1-47

One Volume

Gary M. Burge

... for eating; all are unclean. Scholars have proposed possible reasons why a given creature should be permitted or prohibited for eating, such as dietary impact on human health, the need to teach respect for animal life, and reflection of the creation ideal of life, which excludes animals linked to death. However, the Bible never states such a rationale. God’s people are to obey his instructions simply because they trust him. Some kinds of animal carcasses convey temporary impurity to persons who merely ...

981. Purification after Childbirth

Leviticus 12:1-8

One Volume

Gary M. Burge

... –16; 8:1–2) rather than in an earthly temple. However, we can learn from them about human nature in relation to God. He is the Lord of life and does not want himself to be misrepresented as comfortable with death, which was never part of his ideal plan. He saves people from (not in) their mortality to give them eternal life (John 3:16). 12:1–8 · Most ritual impurities originating in humans pertain to the birth-death cycle, so this section of Leviticus logically begins with the impurity of a woman who ...

982. Unacceptable Sacrifices

Leviticus 22:17--23:2

One Volume

Gary M. Burge

Leviticus 22:17–25 lists permanent defects that disqualify animals from being given to God. The Hebrew word for “defect” is the same as that used for physical blemishes of priests (21:17–23). Again, the holy realm is ideal, and it would be an insult to the Lord to offer him a poor gift (Mal. 1:6–14). Additional criteria for acceptable sacrifices, apparently based on respect for life, exclude an animal that is too young and slaughter of an animal and its young on the same day (22: ...

983. Holiness of God’s Name, and Human and Animal Life

Leviticus 24:10-23

One Volume

Gary M. Burge

... ) and by mandating equal-opportunity punishment among various social and economic classes. Christians know about retaliation from the words of Jesus (Matt. 5:38–39). Jesus did not repeal the penalties of the law in their judicial contexts; rather, he spoke against personal application of retaliation and advocated a higher ideal: waging peace in the face of adversity.

984. Holiness of the Promised Land

Lev 25:1-55

One Volume

Gary M. Burge

... a higher standard of living like that of a hired worker (25:39–43). The servant is released in the Jubilee year, when he regains his land, on which he can support himself and his family. Such servitude would be far from ideal, but it would sustain life until a farmer had the opportunity to begin again. Some Mesopotamian kings occasionally corrected social inequities by proclaiming remissions of commercial debts and release of private slaves. Israel’s divine monarch instituted a superior system (whether ...

985. Allotment of Land in the Transjordan

Numbers 32:1-42

One Volume

Gary M. Burge

... , west of the Jordan River. Apparently the Israelites are planning to abandon the territories east of the Jordan that they have taken from Sihon and Og (Numbers 21). But the Reubenite and Gadite cattlemen see that these lands are an ideal pastureland and ask for them instead of possessions in Canaan (32:1–5). This creates a misunderstanding with Moses, who delivers a blistering oration expressing his assumption that they are rebellious, faithless cowards like the previous generation, seeking to avoid ...

986. Cancelling Debts, Servants and Animals

Deut 15:1-23

One Volume

Gary M. Burge

... , but here the debts also are to be remitted. This year of release is part of the symbolism of the Jubilee year, wherein personal freedom is restored and alienated property is recovered. The only exception is the foreigner’s debt: it remains (15:3). Despite the ideal that “there need be no poor people among you” (15:4), the existence of the poor (15:7, 11) shows there is an incomplete obedience to God’s rule or remission of debts. Jesus’s words at his anointing in Bethany (Matt. 26:11; Mark 14 ...

987. The Gibeonite Deception

Joshua 9:1-27

One Volume

Gary M. Burge

... over to the Gibeonites to be executed that the Lord heals the land (2 Sam. 21:1–14). This signals the Lord’s full acceptance of Joshua’s treaty with the Gibeonites despite the way the treaty came about. Thus, the sparing of the Gibeonites in Joshua 10, while not ideal, does not seem to be regarded by the Lord as a covenant violation.

988. Othniel

Judges 3:7-11

One Volume

Gary M. Burge

... Judahite judge Othniel is very brief and consists primarily of stereotypical phrases already found in 2:11–19. Othniel is the only major judge presented without any discernible character flaw. It is likely that the author has intentionally set him as an ideal paradigmatic model against which subsequent judges are to be compared. Following the expected pattern, the cycle begins with Israel doing evil in the eyes of the Lord by worshiping idols. This results in the Lord giving the nation into the hands of ...

989. Danites Settle in Laish

Judges 18:1-31

One Volume

Gary M. Burge

... 9; 2 Chron. 14:1, 4–5; 20:30). The isolation of this peaceful community is also highlighted by the fact that they live at a distance from their neighbor, the Sidonians, and they apparently have no dealings with anyone else. Having found this ideal community, the spies return to their tribe, and emphasizing the goodness of the land and the unsuspecting nature of the community (18:9–10), they urge their kinsmen to go and attack them. Here, although the author has not directly evaluated this recommendation ...

990. The Genealogy of David

Ruth 4:13-22

One Volume

Gary M. Burge

... her fullness and the Lord’s goodness toward her in the birth of a grandson. In Boaz she has an honorable relative, one who has met her practical needs. Through Ruth, Naomi has experienced deep love and commitment, such as might have been supplied by the ideal of seven sons. And by gaining a grandson Naomi is assured of full restoration to the family name. They ask, as they did for Boaz, that the child be renowned in Israel. Following this the neighborhood women, not the parents, name the child. They name ...

991. David Conquers Jerusalem

2 Samuel 5:6-16

One Volume

Gary M. Burge

... 14:18) and by the name Zion, mentioned for the first time here in 5:7 (the etymology of “Zion” is also unknown). In David’s time, Jerusalem was a hill covering about eleven acres, located on the border between Judah and Benjamin, making it an ideal neutral site for one who wanted to unite the north and the south. Deep valleys on every side except the north surrounded Jerusalem, so it could be easily defended, which explains the Jebusites’ confidence that David will not be able to capture the city (5 ...

992. The Temple's Furnishings

1 Kings 7:13-51

One Volume

Gary M. Burge

... talents, attested by the substantial catalog of his works: the central columns (emblematically named Jakin [“established”] and Boaz [“strength”]), the Sea (a water tank, perhaps symbolizing how chaos is subdued in the sanctuary), along with movable stands and equipment (ideally a celebration of the Lord’s kingship). During this guided tour of the temple furnishings it seems as if the reader is given the king’s perspective of these magnificent works. We trust that all is done with genuine piety ...

993. The Ark Brought to the Temple

1 Kings 8:1-21

One Volume

Gary M. Burge

... the narrative, a stretch of text that describes the first activities and ceremonies in the newly built house. The king summons the elders (8:1–11) during the month of “Ethanim” (seventh month). Coinciding with the Feast of Tabernacles, this is an ideal time to bring the ark into the temple due to the number of people in the city and the sense of occasion that the feast carries. Among the assembled dignitaries are representatives of the “tribes” of Israel—rather than the reorganized tax districts ...

994. Supporting David’s Rule

1 Chron 12:1-40

One Volume

Gary M. Burge

... celebrating his ascension to the throne (12:38b–40). The accent on joy will become typical throughout the Chronicler’s account. The Chronicler’s depiction of Israelite support for David stands in stark contrast to the struggle depicted through 1–2 Samuel. Through this the Chronicler continues to offer an idealized portrait of David, one that legitimizes the second temple of his present day and creates expectations for the return of royal rule.

995. The Account of Ahaz

2 Chronicles 28:1-27

One Volume

Gary M. Burge

... is right in Yahweh’s sight, in the introductory summary note in 28:1–2a. Ahaz represents a pregnant moment in the post-schism history of Israel, since during his reign the illicit northern kingdom comes to an end. Unfortunately, far from the ideal conditions established by his ancestor David (28:1), Ahaz’s kingdom continues the illicit ways of the northern kingdom. From the Chronicler’s perspective Ahaz takes the nation to its darkest level prior to the exile. The specific description of Ahaz’s ...

996. Hezekiah Purifies the Temple

2 Chron 29:1–31:1

One Volume

Gary M. Burge

... exile, Hezekiah represents the highest point. In the introductory summary note of 29:1–2 the Chronicler offers his theological evaluation of this great king, describing him unreservedly as doing right in the sight of Yahweh and comparing him to the ideal monarch, David. The account proper begins with Hezekiah’s foundational achievement, the cleansing and rededication of the temple in 29:3–36. While his father Ahaz closed the temple and abandoned its services (2 Chron. 28:24), Hezekiah’s first move ...

997. Builders of the Wall

Nehemiah 3:1-32

One Volume

Gary M. Burge

... . The chapter also contains teaching for Christians today. The people’s willingness and enthusiasm to work together is a challenge for any church. Even those who live far from Jerusalem join in the work. It is an example of the Old Testament ideal of a community of brotherly love. The result is also a powerful testimony to their neighbors. Why does the work progress? Both the faith and decision of the whole community and the wise, godly leadership of Nehemiah are crucial. (See box, “Nehemiah, Example ...

998. Ezra Reads the Law

Neh 7:73b–8:18

One Volume

Gary M. Burge

... keeps its priorities in order. The people recognize the influence that times of spiritual renewal have had in their own past history under Asa (2 Chronicles 14–15), Hezekiah (2 Chronicles 29–31), and Josiah (2 Chronicles 34–35). The seventh month was an ideal time to seek another renewal, for the first day was the Feast of Trumpets, which later was also celebrated as the New Year. The Day of Atonement was celebrated on the tenth day, and the Feast of Tabernacles began on the fifteenth of this ...

999. Prologue

Job 1:1-5

One Volume

Gary M. Burge

... of the blameless and the upright, using the very same words. Proverbs 3:7 admonishes the reader, again with the same vocabulary, to “fear the Lord and shun evil” (see also Prov. 14:16; 16:6). Job is an exemplary model of the proverbial ideal. Job’s status is a foundation to the problem explored by the book: the suffering of one who has fulfilled wisdom’s expectations of proper behavior. Job’s “regular custom” (1:5) of ritual purification and sacrificing burnt offerings serves as an explicit ex ...

1000. Epilogue

Job 42:7-17

One Volume

Gary M. Burge

... such forces. Think about Job and ourselves as readers. Consider where we were in our respective understandings at the beginning of the story. We have journeyed far. And though the book has decided on a “happy ending,” that is not the sum total. The journey through competing polyphonic ideas and ideals that remain in tension has Job and us leave as different people.

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