Sermon and Worship Resources

Synonyms: Levi, disciple, evangelist, tax collector, the 12, the twelve, apostle, sermon on the mount, jewish audience, beatitudes, lord's prayer, great commission, parables, olivet discourse, mount of olives, olivet, synoptic

Showing 1051 to 1075 of 4942 results

1051. The Parable of the Tenants

Mark 12:1-12

One Volume

Gary M. Burge

The parable of the vineyard (12:1–12) retells the history of Israel in the well-known imagery of a vineyard (e.g., Isa. 5:1–7), though it is adapted to the widespread system of absentee landownership in first-century Palestine. The parable depicts the central purpose of Israel’s history as leading to the landowner’s beloved son (12:6), and Israel’s failure to receive the son as grounds for its judgment. The placement of this parable as the final and only parable outside chapter 4 indicates its supreme ...

1052. The Shepherd and His Flock

John 10:1-21

One Volume

Gary M. Burge

The Festival of Dedication now introduces us to the fourth festival of Judaism that Jesus attends and that, like the others, becomes a place of discourse and revelation. Unlike the other feasts, the Feast of Dedication was a minor, more recent celebration. It recalled the desecration of the temple in 168 BC by the Greek monarch Antiochus IV Epiphanes, the corrupt priests installed by him, and the Maccabean wars, which finally regained and purified the temple in 164 BC. A moving account of this is given in ...

1053. God’s Sovereign Choice

Romans 9:1-29

One Volume

Gary M. Burge

9:1–11:36 Review · The reality of justification by faith in salvation history: In the third main section of his letter, Paul explains the reality of justification by faith in salvation history, raising the question of Israel’s rejection of the gospel. As the Jews have rejected the gospel, has God then rejected Israel (cf. Rom. 11:1)? After he emphasizes his intense concern for the salvation of the Jews (9:1–5), Paul first shows that the suggestion that the Jews’ unbelief proves that God has failed to keep ...

1054. Paul’s Longing to See the Thessalonians

1 Thessalonians 2:17--3:5

One Volume

Gary M. Burge

2:17–20 · Exit of the founders: The founders of the church were torn away from the new converts in Thessalonica, an experience Luke describes in Acts 17:5–10 and Paul recalls here (2:17). The Greek text indicates that the apostles were “made orphans,” an expression that in Paul’s day could indicate a child’s loss of parents or the tragedy of losing one’s children. The separation, however, was only physical—not mental. The longing for the Thessalonians prompted great, even extreme, efforts to return. The ...

1055. Jesus Sends Out the Twelve

Matthew 10:1-42

Understanding Series

Robert H. Mounce

10:1–4 Jesus called together his twelve disciples and gave them authority to drive out evil spirits and to heal every disease and sickness. The distinction between exorcism and healing suggests that they are two different functions. This is the first mention of the twelve disciples in Matthew. He assumes they are known to the reader. That there are twelve disciples follows from the fact that they represent the new Israel: the twelve tribes of Israel find their counterpart in the twelve disciples. ...

1056. Clean and Unclean

Mark 7:1-23

Understanding Series

Larry W. Hurtado

7:1–13 Although the NIV presents 7:1–13 as a separate unit, it is important to note that the discussion about Jewish traditional ideas of “clean” and “unclean,” begun in 7:1–13, continues in 7:14–23. Moreover, this topic sets the stage for the episode in 7:24–30, where Jesus deals with a gentile woman’s request for his ministry. The preceding summary passage (6:53–56) is thus a transitional point, and in chapter 7 we should recognize the beginning of a new section in Mark’s narrative. The Pharisees (last ...

1057. Before the Sanhedrin

Mark 14:53-65

Understanding Series

Larry W. Hurtado

14:53–65 Each of the four Gospels gives an account of the trials of Jesus before Jewish and Roman authorities, but the variations in their accounts make it difficult to construct a complete and detailed picture of the events. In addition to the variations among the four Gospels, there are also questions about the nature of the sources of information available to early Christians in constructing their accounts of the trials, since obviously no Christians were present. We cannot tackle fully these questions ...

1058. Ingrafted Branches

Romans 11:11-24

Understanding Series

James R. Edwards

A skeletal outline of the history of salvation can be found in the call to Abraham in Genesis 12:1–3. It ends with the promise that “all peoples on earth will be blessed through you.” The fulfillment of that promise lay conspicuously fallow throughout the OT. Only in Jonah and Second Isaiah is the blessing to the Gentiles again taken up. In Isaiah 49:1–6 the servant is told, “it is too small a thing for you to … restore the tribes of Jacob.… I will make you a light for the Gentiles, that you may bring my ...

1059. Submission to the Authorities

Romans 13:1-7

Understanding Series

James R. Edwards

In Galatians 6:2 Paul speaks of fulfilling “the law of Christ,” by which he means the spirit and manner of “loving your neighbor as yourself” (13:9). It is this which is the subject of Romans 12 and 13. If grace is the gospel reduced to one word, then agapē is the law reduced to a word (13:9). In chapter 12 Paul spoke of “the law of Christ” as sincere and practical expressions of agapē both inside and outside the church. Another expression of agapē is an affirmation of and submission to governments (13:1–7 ...

1060. Personal Greetings

Romans 16:1-27

Understanding Series

James R. Edwards

At first glance the final chapter of Romans offers little more than a list of names, of interest to Paul and his readers perhaps, but of doubtful consequence for modern readers. Of what significance after all, is a list of unidentified names? Is not a name about which we know nothing really no name at all? Is not our commentary reduced to an exercise in historical trivia at this point? Does not the strangeness of the names remind us how foreign and remote Paul’s world really is from ours, lessening the ...

1061. Sexual Immorality

1 Corinthians 6:12-20

Understanding Series

Marion L. Soards

These nine verses form a complex segment of the letter. One finds here quotations from the Corinthians and a citation of the LXX. The verses are largely cast in the diatribe style of popular Hellenistic philosophy. One also encounters traditional elements of early Christian doctrine. All of this material is woven together in service to Paul’s deliberate line of argumentation. Paul builds and argues a case in verses 12–17 in response to the thinking and declarations of the Corinthians. As the NIV and other ...

1062. Warnings from Israel's History

1 Corinthians 10:1-13

Understanding Series

Marion L. Soards

Having raised the serious, frightening prospect of disqualification at the end of chapter 9, Paul moves immediately to deliver a midrash on the exodus that is laced with scriptural allusions. The introduction of the story of the exodus wanderings of the Israelites in the wilderness may seem peculiar, but the development is logical; for as Paul used himself and the apostles as a personal lesson on Christian rights and responsibilities in chapter 9, and as he drew images from the athletic games to illustrate ...

1063. Propriety in Worship

1 Corinthians 11:2-16

Understanding Series

Marion L. Soards

This section of the letter takes up a disruptive situation in the life of the congregation at worship. Paul addresses the men and the women in the congregation concerning their manner of dress, although he comes to that point via a complicated route. While the issues are practical—dress and behavior at worship—Paul frames the matters in genuinely theological terms, not only mentioning God and Christ but also bringing into consideration the meaning and implications of creation and nature. In brief, Paul ...

1064. The Trumpets

Revelation 8:6--9:21

Understanding Series

Robert W. Wall

8:6 The significance of the seven trumpets has been variously appraised (Beasley-Murray, Revelation, pp. 152–56). According to John’s Bible (OT), Israel’s liturgical trumpets were sounded for a variety of reasons. They were used to convene the worshiping community (Num. 10:3), to begin pilgrimages (Num. 10:5), to call warriors for war (Num. 10:9), to celebrate the sacred feasts (Num. 10:10), to install new kings (1 Kings 1:34), and to summon Israel to repentance and renewal (Jer. 4:5). Seven trumpets were ...

1065. The Lord’s Refined Words and Humans with Double Tongues

Psalm 12:1-8

Understanding Series

Craig C. Broyles

Believers today often feel the pressures of taking a minority and unpopular position in society. Psalm 12 assures us this is no new problem and that God’s people have survived nonetheless. The variations in references to Yahweh—who is addressed directly (“you”), referred to (“the LORD”), and speaks himself (“I”)—make best sense in a liturgical setting. The opening petitions address Yahweh directly with the psalm’s chief concern (vv. 1–2). This is expanded in the form of a wish that refers to him in the ...

1066. Cultivating Faithfulness Until the Flourishing Wicked Wither

Psalm 37:1-40

Understanding Series

Craig C. Broyles

To make sense of this wisdom psalm we must first pay heed to hints of its social setting. The wicked have wealth, the righteous little (v. 16). A chief concern is that of “possessing (Hb. yrš, NIV ‘inherit’) the land” (vv. 9, 11, 22, 29, 34). Verse 3b literally reads, “Tent the land and shepherd faithfulness.” This may suggest that the righteous live as pastoralists or semi-nomads, not as settlers. They live in the land but the wicked are its owners. The notions of righteousness and justice (esp. vv. 6, 28 ...

1067. The Penitential Psalm

Psalm 51:1-19

Understanding Series

Craig C. Broyles

Every psalm is special, but with this one we feel that we enter upon holy ground. While it is a confession of sin, it reflects an intimacy with God few psalms can rival. In most psalms, blame for a lamentable condition is attached to enemies or to sickness, but this psalm is uniquely introspective before God. In the traditions of the early church, there are the seven penitential psalms (Pss. 6, 32, 38, 51, 102, 130, and 143). Upon closer inspection, however, we discover that only Psalms 32, 51, and 130 ...

1068. From the Miry Depths

Psalm 69:1-36

Understanding Series

Craig C. Broyles

If we attempt to reconstruct the situation for which the individual prayer (vv. 1–30) was appropriate, there emerges a complex web of circumstances. First, in verse 4 there are “my enemies without cause,” by whom “I am forced to restore what I did not steal.” (Are these false accusations of robbery for which he is forced to make restitution?) Second, in verses 7–12 he is alienated and endures scorn (v. 10) from family and neighbors “for your sake,” which is defined further as “zeal for your house” and ...

1069. No One Is Righteous before God

Psalm 143:1-12

Understanding Series

Craig C. Broyles

This individual prayer psalm is highly formulaic, that is, it consists of stock phrases repeated elsewhere in the Psalms (v. 3 // 7:5; Lam. 3:6; v. 4 // 77:3; 142:3; vv. 5–6 // 77:2, 5, 12; v. 6 // 63:1; v. 7 // 69:17; 88:4, 14; 102:2; v. 8 // 90:14; in general cf. Pss. 25; 86; further parallels listed in Culley, Oral Formulaic Language, p. 107). Yet it reflects an intimacy with God that is strikingly singular among the psalms. 143:1–2 The opening and closing verses draw attention to your righteousness (vv ...

1070. The Yeast of the Pharisees and Herod

Mark 8:14-21

Understanding Series

Larry W. Hurtado

8:14–21 This is one of the more difficult passages in Mark, and yet it is also plainly an important one, given its relationship to other passages (the feeding miracles) and given the solemn statements of Jesus about understanding in verses 17–21. The parallels in Matthew 16:5–12 and Luke 12:1 show that the saying of Jesus was remembered in varying ways, which means that it must have been important and somewhat ambiguous in meaning (on the parallels, see the notes). Indeed, in order to see what Mark ...

1071. The Widow's Offering

Mark 12:41-44

Understanding Series

Larry W. Hurtado

12:41–44 This episode concludes the section in which Jesus teaches and debates in the temple area (11:15–12:44). It is connected with the preceding paragraph (12:38–40) by the mention of widows. In addition, the simple piety of the widow is a powerful contrast to the self-seeking ambition for which scribes are condemned in the former passage. As previously the disciples are given the example of the child (9:35–36; 10:13–16) as a figure of humble circumstances, so here we have another type of person who has ...

1072. Blessings and Woes

Luke 6:17-26

Understanding Series

Craig A. Evans

Instruction for the Disciples: Luke’s account of the choosing of the Twelve (6:12–16) is based on Mark 3:13–19, while his summarizing account of Jesus’ healings on the “level place” (6:17–19) is based loosely on Mark 3:7–12. Luke reversed the order of these Marcan units to accommodate the sermon that follows (6:20–49). As it now stands in Luke, Jesus goes up on a mountain (v. 12) to appoint the Twelve, then he descends to a plateau to teach and heal crowds (vv. 17–18), which leads quite naturally into the ...

1073. The Two Witnesses

Revelation 11:1-14

Understanding Series

Robert W. Wall

11:1–2 Many stylistic and thematic elements of this second part of the interlude differ from its first part. For this reason, most commentators think this difficult passage, which centers on the ministry and fate of the “two witnesses,” is derived from some discredited Jewish apocalyptic midrash on Daniel and adapted here by John for his Christian audience (Beasley-Murray, Revelation, pp. 176–81). However, unless John thought it contained an authentic prediction of a temple siege and the ultimate ...

1074. The Claims of Jesus About Himself

John 8:48-59, John 8:31-41, John 8:42-47

Understanding Series

J. Ramsey Michaels

The reaction of many of the Jewish authorities with whom Jesus has been speaking is to believe in him (v. 30), and the remainder of the discourse is focused on this group of “believers.” The prediction that they will realize later who Jesus is (v. 28) appears to be coming true even before they lift him up on the cross. It sounds, and it is, too good to be true. Their faith is not genuine (cf. 2:23–25). Jesus has directed their attention toward the future, but they will have none of it. The present is good ...

1075. Hagar and Ishmael Sent Away

Genesis 21:8-21

Understanding Series

John E. Hartley

The Birth of Isaac and the Expulsion of Ishmael: Sarah bears the child of promise. In light of this couple’s waiting twenty-five years for God’s promise to be fulfilled, it is amazing how matter-of-fact is the report of Isaac’s birth. Directly following this happy, triumphal account comes the report of an ugly incident in which Sarah demands that Hagar and Ishmael be expelled from the household. The latter incident receives more coverage because it relates the drastic rearrangement the birth of the son of ...

Showing results