Sermon and Worship Resources

Showing 1026 to 1050 of 1230 results

Acts 3:1-10

One Volume

Gary M. Burge

... remains unclear, although it undoubtedly leads into the Court of Women and the Court of Gentiles. In light of the fact that the temple treasure was located in the Court of Women, those passing by this gate would have their offering ready. This is, therefore, an ideal place for the crippled man to ask for alms. The significance of sight in this account is introduced when Luke tells us the crippled man “saw” Peter and John (3:3). Peter’s command, “Look at us” (3:4), provided hope for this person as ...

1027. Unity and Division in the Early Church: Ananias and Sapphira

Acts 4:32-37, Acts 5:1-11

One Volume

Gary M. Burge

... . Lev. 10:1–5; Deut. 17:12–16). Second, it is probably by no accident that in Acts the word “church” first appears in this context. Through God’s act of purification, this people becomes the community that will testify to the gospel throughout the world. Moreover, instead of an ideal community, this “church” is one that will struggle but will become victorious through the power of God.

1028. Paul Before Agrippa

Acts 25:23--26:32

One Volume

Gary M. Burge

... :26). In this context, to “speak freely” demonstrates the courage of the one who proclaims the truth, and “not done in a corner” points to the public nature of the content of his preaching. It is possible that Paul is evoking the model of an ideal philosopher in expressing how Christianity is not a sect that is “stirring up riots among the Jews all over the world” (24:5).In response to Agrippa, who rightly realizes that Paul’s defense is a proclamation of the gospel (26:28), Paul also concedes ...

1029. Lawsuits among Believers

1 Corinthians 6:1-11

One Volume

Gary M. Burge

... those outside, then surely there must be someone wise enough among the Corinthians—who value their wisdom so highly—“to judge a dispute between believers” (6:4–5). To fail to do so prolongs disputes and provokes lawsuits that completely defeat both the ideal of Christian community and the Christian witness. The fact that these disputes have been prolonged, however, also points to the self-centered behavior of some who refuse to be wronged in any way without rushing to their own defense and to the ...

1030. Redemption: Clearing the Ground

Ephesians 2:1-10

One Volume

Gary M. Burge

... . Either way, our works cannot place God in our control; we would in fact destroy ourselves in our boasting (2:9). Second, however, truly good works realize our God-intended potential. God has prepared a way of life for which we as his creatures are ideally adapted. We were made to function best and to be happiest as a united community, living as God originally created us, and now is re-creating us, to live. Paul describes that lifestyle with detail in Ephesians 4–6. Thus at the heart of redemption ...

1031. The Vindication of God and his People

Revelation 20:1-7, Revelation 20:8-10

One Volume

Gary M. Burge

... in the abyss (20:1–3), resurrect believers (20:4–5), and begin a literal one-thousand-year reign of peace on earth (20:6). Postmillennialism insists that Christ’s return will happen only after the church establishes the millennium, defined as an ideal political state that the church achieves over time. The triumphal procession of Christ on a white horse (19:11–21), therefore, is a symbol of his victorious presence within the church. Proclaiming the gospel binds Satan (20:1–3). When the gospel has ...

1032. You Are a Child of God…Uh-Oh

Matthew 3:13-17

Sermon

King Duncan

... may be someone in our fellowship who has never taken this essential step of being baptized. If you have not, I hope you will consider taking this step of faith and love today. Christ wants you as part of his family. The beginning of a New Year is an ideal time to make this decision. “Uh-oh,” said the young boy when his pastor stated the meaning of his baptism. That young man was correct in his assessment of his situation. Baptism is a big deal. And I hope that everyone in this room understands what an ...

1033. No Greater Love

John 13:1-17, 31b-35

Sermon

Robert Leslie Holmes

... to walk all that way, pushing through the thick summer heat, not to mention the snakes. I felt sorry -- until I hit upon the perfect plan. I arranged with some men to help build a simple plank bridge across the stream near Miss Ellie's house. I scouted out the ideal place -- not too wide, but too deep to cross. I bought and helped carry the planks there myself. Our bridge was built in a day. I was so excited that I could hardly wait to see Miss Ellie's reaction. I went to her house, where she wanted to sit ...

1034. Giving and Receiving

Matthew 14:22-33

Sermon

Tom Garrison

... highly developed in the art of giving help to others, but under-developed in those other two survival skills — knowing how to receive help and recognizing what time it actually was at that given moment. Folk like this may even be the victims of excessive Christian idealism. This principle applies to that saying of Jesus that we have had ground in us from our youth on: "It is more blessed to give than to receive." There is an obvious and powerful element of truth in these words, but they can be pushed too ...

1035. Abraham Justified by Faith

Romans 4:1-25

Understanding Series

James R. Edwards

... final word for him was the promise of God. Abraham chose to believe the promise rather than become immobilized by the arguments against it—and his choice strengthened … his faith. True faith is strengthening faith, which exists in tension with doubt and disbelief. The ideal, of course, is that the human will might become one with the divine—and someday it will be. But the initial lessons in the classroom of life are not so easily learned. “ ‘Abba, Father.… Take this cup from me. Yet not what I ...

1036. Peace and Joy

Romans 5:1-11

Understanding Series

James R. Edwards

... and interpretation. Christ died is a historical statement; for us is a theological interpretation. Both are essential to the gospel. Without theological interpretation Christ’s death becomes a meaningless datum of history; but without history theology evaporates into speculation and idealism. Each word in this confession is a vital tenet of salvation. Not just anyone, not even a very good person, but Christ, who appeared at the right time, died for our salvation. The Greek text of verses 6–8 contains ...

1037. Dead to Sin, Alive in Christ

Romans 6:1-14

Understanding Series

James R. Edwards

... and for all to God.” The reference to parts (of your body) in verse 13 need not be limited to the physical body, for it surely includes in a figurative sense all human talents and abilities. The Christian life pictured in verse 13 is not an idealized watercolor but a bold (albeit simple) sketch of the rigors facing the faithful. The essence of the new life is not a concept or feeling detached from reality, but a trumpet call to active combat in the cause of righteousness against evil (Gal. 5:16ff.). For ...

1038. An Illustration from Marriage

Romans 7:1-6

Understanding Series

James R. Edwards

... Christ’s redeeming work on the cross and our identification with it; in the sense of 6:2, “We died to sin” (cf. Col. 1:22; 2:14). The body of Christ is vividly and rightly anti-docetic. It reminds us that Christianity is not a noble ideal wherein Jesus simply appeared in the guise of a human being, although in reality he was spared both temptation and suffering. The body of Christ recalls a historical fact upon which redemption hangs, that through his body and the wounds inflicted on it by his enemies ...

1039. Warnings from Israel's History

1 Corinthians 10:1-13

Understanding Series

Marion L. Soards

... tone. He tells the Corinthians to “look out!” (Gk. blepetō), making the force of his warning even more intense by reducing the focus to a single rhetorical figure. In other words, the word “you” in this verse should be understood to address a single, ideal person. Paul is not speaking to all the Corinthians at once; rather, he singles out an imaginary Corinthian and warns that person (of course, in behalf of all) to “Watch out!” 10:13 The mention of temptation (Gk. peirasmos) is telling in this ...

1040. The Resurrection Body

1 Corinthians 15:35-58

Understanding Series

Marion L. Soards

... from Christ—through faith and the resurrection of the dead. Moreover, Adam was a living being, as are all humans, but Christ is a life-giving spirit, something that neither Adam nor any other human can be. In this verse Paul uses the idealized figures of Adam and Christ to represent humanity in this (“natural”) life and in the (“spiritual”) life to come through resurrection of the body. But the readers should note that humans are indeed like Adam, living beings; unlike Christ, they are not life ...

1041. The Woman and the Dragon

Revelation 12:1--13:1a

Understanding Series

Robert W. Wall

... in danger of losing their share in the New Jerusalem” (Revelation, p. 108). In our opinion, her point is keenly felt in this central section of John’s Revelation. 12:1 Because the woman appears as a heavenly sign, Ladd understands the woman as the “ideal church in heaven” (Revelation, p. 167). This, however, makes no sense of the woman’s man-child, who surely belongs to earth, as Ladd himself admits. A more interesting problem is John’s use of feminine images for the church. In what sense can we ...

1042. The Kohathites

Numbers 4:1-20

Understanding Series

W.H. Bellinger, Jr.

... affirming priestly prerogatives. When the community returns from exile in Babylon, there will be an important, holy task for the Levites, but one subordinated to the priests of the line of Aaron, Eleazar, and Ithamar. Such negotiations demonstrate that while the ordering of God’s people here may be an ideal one, an element of realism is still part of the portrait.

1043. The Passover

Numbers 9:1-14

Understanding Series

W.H. Bellinger, Jr.

... be providing a contrast for the rebellions that are soon to follow in the next major section of the book? The tone of Numbers 1–10 is overwhelmingly positive. The people, ordered as God’s community, are meticulously obedient, but 9:15–23 may idealize in preparation for what we know is to come. Additional Notes 9:1 Some commentators think this chronological note indicates that this section is a secondary insertion in Numbers because the note does not fit with the chronological note in Num. 1:1. A ...

1044. Stages in Israel's Journey

Numbers 33:1-56

Understanding Series

W.H. Bellinger, Jr.

... and thorns in your sides. They will lead the people to idolatry with the same dire consequences as the Canaanites are about to experience. The blunt warning of verse 56 is intended to make the new generation take notice of the snares before them. The ideal is an absence of idolatry and idolaters in Canaan, but it never comes to pass. The Israelites allow inhabitants of the land to remain, as the account in Joshua notes, and Israel has difficulty possessing all the land. Judges 3:5–6 illustrates precisely ...

1045. Boundaries of Canaan

Numbers 34:1-29

Understanding Series

W.H. Bellinger, Jr.

... , or Salt Sea. The Priestly tradents have preserved an ancient tradition of the extent of the promised land. This description is similar to that in Joshua 15:1–12 and Ezekiel 47:15–20; 48:1, as well as that in Numbers 13–14. Because it is a rather idealized picture of the land, it is similar to descriptions in Genesis 15:18; 1 Kings 8:65; and 2 Chronicles 7:8. A more realistic appraisal of the actual extent of the kingdom is found in the common phrase “from Dan to Beersheba” (see, e.g., Judg. 20:1 ...

1046. Hannah’s Prayer

1 Samuel 2:1-11

Understanding Series

Mary J. Evans

... that Hannah eventually had a total of six children (1 Sam. 2:21), but seven represents the perfect situation, and that is how Hannah felt after the birth of just one child! Compare this with Ruth 4:15, where Ruth is being seen as more help to Naomi than the ideal “seven sons.” 2:6 Even life is under God’s control. The picture of the Lord causing people to enter and leave Sheol, the place of the dead, is a powerful one. Sheol was not a place of life after death but a place of death from which in ...

1047. David at Nob

1 Samuel 21:1-9

Understanding Series

Mary J. Evans

... the Lord in all circumstances, it refers to someone who had been at a particularly low ebb. 22:1–5 Adullam was a Canaanite city captured by Joshua (Josh. 12:15). It was situated halfway between Gath and Bethlehem, and its nearby caves were ideal for David’s purposes. Whether or not the decision of his parents to stay in Moab indicates that contacts remained with Ruth’s family there, Ruth being Jesse’s grandmother, is speculation. The site of David’s next stronghold cannot be identified. It is ...

1048. David, Nabal, Abigail

1 Samuel 25:1-44

Understanding Series

Mary J. Evans

... ,” is almost certainly a nickname applied to suit his character. He had all the stamina and determination of his ancestor Caleb but had inherited none of his sterling qualities. Nabal was a selfish, unlikable brute. His wife, Abigail, is portrayed as an ideal partner, both intelligent and beautiful. This chapter lets us know that in the dispute between David and Saul the people were beginning to take sides. Saul’s paranoiac fear of conspiracy was beginning to have a basis in reality. Here we have even ...

1049. David Becomes King Over Israel

2 Samuel 5:1-5

Understanding Series

Mary J. Evans

... with surrounding powers. He was able to have a palace worthy of the name, and he could pay for it and defend it. However, the link between these narratives and the Deuteronomic kingship code that was so positively seen in verse 2 continues more negatively. The ideal king was forbidden to take many wives (Deut. 17:17), but David did exactly that, for national political reasons or as a boost to his own status. We are told that he had many children. 5:17–25 This is the last battle against the Philistines ...

1050. Divorce

Matthew 5:31-32

Understanding Series

Robert H. Mounce

... in Jewish society only a man could divorce his spouse; a woman had no such right. The written certificate was intended to protect the wife from arbitrary and overhasty action on the part of her husband. The Jews recognized that God’s ideal plan was a permanent monogamous relationship. God, speaking through his prophet Malachi, put it bluntly, “I hate divorce” (Mal. 2:16). Jesus goes beyond the Mosaic legislation, saying that anyone who divorces his wife, except for marital unfaithfulness, is guilty of ...

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