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 1076 to 1100 of 3314 results

1076. Barnabas and Saul Sent Off

Acts 13:1-3

Understanding Series

David J. Williams

... of the early church. Thus, in the case of Barnabas and Paul, those who were prophets and teachers might function also as elders and, with the change of circumstance, as apostles. (See 14:4. Cf. 15:22 where Judas and Silas are called “leaders” with 15:32, where they are “prophets.” Later, Silas is effectively an apostle, though he is never called by that name.) 13:2–3 While they were … fasting … they fasted and prayed: In early Christian practice fasting was not uncommonly linked with prayer ...

1077. In Iconium

Acts 14:1-7

Understanding Series

David J. Williams

... critical point was reached in an already tense situation when it was learned that the Jews and their leaders were planning, in concert with the Gentiles, to resort to physical violence (v. 5). So far, it seems, nothing more than abuse had been thrown at the apostles, and only the Jews had been involved (but see notes on vv. 2f.). Some commentators take the phrase with their leaders to mean that the magistrates had been drawn into the affair; but their is more likely to refer to their own Jewish leaders, and ...

1078. Disagreement Between Paul and Barnabas

Acts 15:36-41

Understanding Series

David J. Williams

... s blessing (cf. v. 40 with 14:26), they set out by land for the cities of southern Galatia. Silas now assumed the role of “supporting cast” that Barnabas had played, though he would never attain the stature of Barnabas. He is never called an apostle (cf. 14:14). He may have commended himself to Paul for two reasons: his readiness to deal sympathetically with the Gentile believers and his possession (implied in 16:37) of Roman citizenship. That no mention is made of Barnabas and Mark being similarly sent ...

1079. On to Jerusalem

Acts 21:1-16

Understanding Series

David J. Williams

... heard of in 8:40 as having come to Caesarea some twenty years earlier. He had apparently made the city his home ever since (see Didache 13 for the “settling” of an itinerant minister). His title, the evangelist, may have been given to distinguish him from the apostle (though they still tended to be confused; see Eusebius, Ecclesiastical History 3.31.3 and 5.17.3). But it was no empty title. Philip could just as well have been known as “one of the Seven” (see disc. on 6:3ff.), but he had earned the ...

1080. Paul Speaks to the Crowd

Acts 21:37--22:21

Understanding Series

David J. Williams

... 9:1) is in the perfect tense, expressing the abiding result of having seen Jesus. The image would remain in the mind’s eye. The verb “to hear” is in the aorist with reference to the initial event. To have seen the risen Lord was an essential qualification of an apostle (cf. 1:22; 2:32; 3:15; 4:33; etc.). 22:16 According to 9:17, Ananias had already announced the gift of the Holy Spirit to Paul. So the question of this verse runs parallel with that of Peter in 10:47, following the gift of the Spirit to ...

1081. Sons of God

Galatians 3:26--4:7

Understanding Series

L. Ann Jervis

... (Eph. 1:10). It is a phrase that occurs in other parts of the NT in the context of speaking of the initiation of Christ’s salvific work (e.g., Mark 1:15; John 7:8). The word exapostellō, sent, indicates being sent on a commission. The cognate noun is “apostle.” 4:5 The law must refer to the Torah, since Christ was born under it (4:4). 4:6–7 The ancient world thought of human hearts as that part of the human being that determined action, feeling, and thought. As J. Behm puts it, in the NT “the ...

1082. Paul's Concern for the Galatians

Galatians 4:8-20

Understanding Series

L. Ann Jervis

... formed in them. Paul’s expression conveys confidence that this purpose will be accomplished. Although this is the only place Paul uses the phrase “Christ is formed in you,” it encapsulates the basic vision of Paul’s gospel. In 2 Corinthians 3:18 the apostle puts it this way: “being transformed into his likeness with ever-increasing glory.” Romans 8:29 also contains the idea of being conformed to Christ (cf. Phil. 3:10, which speaks of being conformed to Christ’s death). 4:20 Paul closes this ...

1083. Wives and Husbands

Ephesians 5:22-33

Understanding Series

Arthur G. Patzia

... . Barth, Eph. 4–6, pp. 744–49). The precise meaning of the author’s thoughts is by no means easy to determine—as is obvious from the variety of translations and interpretations (for a list, see Mitton, pp. 207, 8). Some commentators, in spite of the apostle’s application of Genesis 2:24 to Christ and the church, believe that it refers primarily to human marriage as the great mystery. Others concede that though that may be true in itself, the phrase but I am talking about (egō de legō) or, “it ...

1084. Rules for Holy Living

Colossians 3:1-17

Understanding Series

Arthur G. Patzia

... . Since the NT has many warnings against this sin (cf. Mark 7:22; Rom. 1:29; 1 Cor. 6:10; Eph. 5:3), it is not clear whether its occurrence here is linked with sexual immorality or with all areas of life. Both ideas could be in the apostle’s mind. The parenthetical which is idolatry, paralleled in Ephesians 5:5, underscores the idea that greed, along with the other vices, is an illicit evil desire (1 Cor. 5:10, 11; 6:9; Gal. 5:20). Greed is idolatry because it leads one to focus attention and affection ...

1085. Final Instructions

1 Thessalonians 5:12-28

Understanding Series

David J. Williams

... 11; 1 Cor. 12:10f., 28; 14:1, 39; Eph. 4:11; see also Eph. 2:20; 3:5 for the ranking of prophets next to apostles) and in that connection especially, though the same would apply to any aspect of the Spirit’s work, Paul warned, Do not put out the Spirit ... 2 Thess. 2:16). 5:28 The letter ends much as it began (1:1) and in a manner that would soon become the trademark of the apostle. He commends his readers to the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ (for an expanded form of this grace, see 2 Cor. 13:14, and for a ...

1086. The Man of Lawlessness

2 Thessalonians 2:1-12

Understanding Series

David J. Williams

... the passage with caution. Augustine’s comment in The City of God is apposite: Since Paul said that they knew, he was unwilling to say this openly. And thus we, who do not know what they knew, desire and yet are unable even with effort to get at what the apostle meant, especially as the things which he adds makes his meaning obscure … I frankly confess I do not know what he means (20.19). As in 1:5–10, we see that the author owes a debt to the language and style of the OT, especially in verses 3–4 ...

1087. Warnings Against Idleness

2 Thessalonians 3:6-15

Understanding Series

David J. Williams

... there he was defending their motives and his own in particular against the slanders of their antagonists (see also disc. on 1 Thess. 2:9 for night and day, and on that passage again and on 1 Thess. 1:3 for laboring and toiling, kopos and mochthos). The missionaries as apostles of Christ had every right to be a burden to their hosts (cf. 1 Thess. 2:6), but they had foregone that right in order to make ourselves a model (typos, “example,” cf. Phil. 3:17) for you to follow (“to mimic,” see disc. on 3:7 ...

1088. A Workman Approved by God

2 Timothy 2:14-26

Understanding Series

Gordon D. Fee

... , God’s solid foundation stands firm. It is not altogether certain what, if anything, Paul intended by this metaphor. In other places (see disc. on 1 Tim. 3:15) Paul uses the building metaphor for the church and makes Christ (1 Cor. 3:10–12) or the apostles and prophets (Eph. 3:20) the foundation. In light of the further metaphor in verses 20–21, that may be what he has in mind. But it is altogether likely that he does not “intend” some specific point of reference. The emphasis, as the rest of the ...

1089. Titus' Task on Crete

Titus 1:1-16

Understanding Series

Gordon D. Fee

... in God the Father, it is effected by Christ Jesus our Savior. The interchanging of this title between God and Christ Jesus (cf. 3:4, 6) reflects the high Christology found in Paul from the beginning. Additional Notes 1:1a The doublet servant of God and apostle of Jesus Christ is typical of these letters—and occurs earlier in Paul as well. Cf. “God our Savior/Christ Jesus our hope” (1 Tim. 1:1) esp. and 1 Tim. 6:13: “God, who gives life to everything, and … Christ Jesus, who while testifying before ...

1090. Warning to Pay Attention

Hebrews 2:1-4

Understanding Series

Donald A. Hagner

... ) our author regards the Holy Spirit as the ultimate indicator of the fulfillment of God’s promises and the dawning of the new era. All of this taken together points inescapably to the incomparable superiority and finality of the message proclaimed by the apostles and the church. It can only be foolish and dangerous for the readers to let themselves drift away from the truth. Additional Notes The exhortation and admonitions in this epistle are not incidental; they are integral to the argument of the book ...

1091. Favoritism Forbidden

James 2:1-13, James 2:14-26

Understanding Series

Peter H. Davids

... point. But James’ praise is partly tongue-in-cheek: Even the demons believe that—and shudder. The orthodoxy of the demons was well known not only in Judaism but also in the New Testament, where the demons frequently give fuller confessions of Christ than the apostles (Mark 1:24; 5:7; Acts 16:17; 19:15). Their problem is that their response to the name of God (the reminder of their orthodox knowledge) is to shudder, because they are in rebellion against that God. All their orthodox knowledge simply makes ...

1092. To Elders and Young Men

1 Peter 5:1-11

Understanding Series

Norman Hillyer

... has been established, according to the letters of Ignatius (martyred ca. A.D. 107), but the present letter does not suggest a rigid ecclesiastical system. Peter makes his appeal to the church leaders as a fellow elder, one of them in some respects, although as an apostle (1:1) he is able to speak with special authority. Referring to himself as a fellow elder expresses a certain humility, although he does go on to refer to the privilege he has of being a firsthand witness of Christ’s sufferings (Acts 10:39 ...

1093. False Teachers and Their Destruction

2 Peter 2:1-22

Understanding Series

Norman Hillyer

... (cf. 1 Cor. 10:1–12; Heb. 3:12–18; 6:6; 10:26–39; Jude 4–6). The sacred command is an omnibus term for the whole Christian gospel. Passed on: delivered, handed on to (cf. Jude 3). The gospel of Christ was authoritatively entrusted by the apostles to new converts, who were in turn to hand it on unadulterated to others. 2:22 The NIV plural proverbs is in fact a singular in the Greek (paroimia), and only one actual proverb is quoted. Peter cites Prov. 26:11 from the Hebrew (not LXX): in full this ...

1094. Israel’s Ill-Placed Confidence

Amos 5:18-27

Understanding Series

Elizabeth Achtemeier

... :12; Lam. 3:2). John, who offers perhaps the most profound meditations on light, claims that God is light (1 John 1:5). The predicate appropriates the intrinsic beauty of light, a quality that draws people’s hearts back to the author of beauty. For the apostle, light represents truth and signifies God’s will in opposition to the deception of the world (John 1:9; 12:46). Light stands for purity and signifies God’s holiness as opposed to the unrighteousness of the world (John 3:19–21). Light is where ...

1095. A Grayhound and a Kite

Acts 2:1-21

Sermon

King Duncan

... annual feasts of Israel (Passover, Pentecost, and the Feast of Booths). The fact that Pentecost was a major festival is indicated by the fact that Jews from all over the Mediterranean region had poured into Jerusalem for the celebration. On the Day of Pentecost the apostles were also in Jerusalem where they were gathered in a house. We would need Hollywood special effects to do justice to what happened next. Suddenly a sound like the blowing of a violent wind came from heaven and filled the house, and the ...

1096. The Second Appearance and Its Sequel

John 20:19-23, John 20:24-31

Understanding Series

J. Ramsey Michaels

... that after Mary had seen Jesus she “went and told those who had been with him” and found them “mourning and weeping. When they heard her say that Jesus was alive and that she had seen him, they did not believe it” (Mark 16:10; cf. the apostles’ reaction to the report of the women who had seen the angels at the tomb according to Luke 24:11). In John, the unbelief of the disciples as a group is not mentioned explicitly, only their fear of the Jewish authorities. The unbelief is attributed instead to ...

1097. The Third Appearance

John 21:1-14

Understanding Series

J. Ramsey Michaels

... ,” told in the form of one more symbolic narrative or sign rather than a continuous account of the establishment and expansion of the church in history. After the sign, it remains only to compare briefly the acts of two apostles in particular as models of what it means to follow Jesus. Additional Notes 21:2 From Cana in Galilee: The notice is given as if the readers already knew that Nathanael came from Cana, but (despite the conjunction of 1:43–51 with 2:1–11) there has been no ...

1098. Timothy and Epaphroditus

Philippians 2:19-30

Understanding Series

F. F. Bruce

... genuine (gnēsiōs) reminds one of Paul’s use of the corresponding adjective in 1 Tim. 1:2 where Timothy is addressed as his “true [gnēsios, ‘true born’] son in the faith.” “Timothy is a legitimate son, the sole authorized representative of the apostle” (J.-F. Collange, ad loc.) 2:21 Everyone looks out for his own interests: (Gk. hoi pantes … ta heautōn zētousin). It is not quite clear who “everyone” refers to; see R. Jewett’s view mentioned in additional note on 1:17. But it would ...

1099. Miscellaneous Laws

Deut 23:15–25:19

Understanding Series

Christopher J. H. Wright

... (Driver, Deuteronomy, pp. 277f.; cf. C. J. H. Wright, God’s Land, pp. 224–30, 235–37). 25:3 Not . . . more than forty: Later Jewish tradition, in order to avoid the risk of transgressing this limit, set the maximum penalty at thirty-nine strokes. The Apostle Paul tells us he received it five times (2 Cor. 11:24). 25:4 For a discussion of the exegetical and hermeneutical significance of Paul’s use of this verse as regards the ethical authority of the OT, cf. Kaiser, “Current Crisis.” 25:5 If ...

1100. Ezekiel's Call

Ezekiel 1:1-28, Ezekiel 2:1-3:15, Ezekiel 3:16-27

Understanding Series

Steven Tuell

... the kingdom of heaven and assures us that “whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven” (see also Matt. 18:18). Those who know the word of the Lord must share what they know. As the Apostle Paul wrote, “How, then, can they call on the one they have not believed in? And how can they believe in the one of whom they have not heard? And how can they hear without someone preaching to them?” (Rom. 10:14). No less than the prophet Ezekiel, we ...

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