Sermon and Worship Resources

Showing 1076 to 1100 of 1285 results

Isaiah 40:1-31

One Volume

Gary M. Burge

... to idols. The exile was a time in which God’s people could reflect on what they had done; this period of reflection was a way of paying the damages in order to be restored to fellowship with Yahweh. The statement “she has received from the Lord’s hand double for all her sins” (40:2) is an allusion to the Old Testament laws of restitution (Exod. 22:4, 7, 9). At God’s appointed time a proclamation of “comfort” comes to his people (40:1–5). Yahweh will come to help his own. In the Hebrew text ...

1077. A Marriage about to Break Up

Jeremiah 2:1-3:5

One Volume

Gary M. Burge

... husband from returning to his former, now-married wife (Deut. 24:1–4). Israel is now “married” to Baal. Israel has not simply been overtaken by temptation. As an Arab is ready to ambush, so Israel has deliberately planned to be promiscuous. Language of harlotry has a double meaning: physical unfaithfulness in marriage and spiritual disloyalty to God (sacred prostitution was part of Baal worship). Israel’s immature appeals to a supposedly indulgent father only add to the ugly picture of her evil.

1078. Coping with Conspiracies

Jeremiah 11:1-17

One Volume

Gary M. Burge

... 17 · Two scenes of conspiracy dominate chapters 11 and 12. The first is a conspiracy of a covenant people against its covenant God (11:9–13). In the second conspiracy, in the private arena, plotters conspire to do away with Jeremiah (11:18–19). The double conspiracy leads to two personal encounters with God in which the prophet pours out his complaint (11:20; 12:1–4). In each case God answers, but not necessarily as Jeremiah expected (11:21–23; 12:5–17). Covenant has been a presupposition in the ...

1079. Pride Ruins Everything

Jeremiah 13:1-11, Jeremiah 13:12-14, Jeremiah 13:15-27

One Volume

Gary M. Burge

... acts consist of a divine command, the report of compliance, and an explanation. The girdle, or loincloth (Hebrew ezor), is more than a belt; it is like a short skirt that reaches down to the knees but hugs the waist. Jeremiah’s symbolic act has a double message, the first of which is the evil of pride. God detests pride (2 Chron. 32:24–26; Prov. 8:13). Arrogance, an exaggerated estimate of oneself, brings the disdain of others and accounts for the evils of verse 10. Second, the sign act pictures the ...

1080. Much Bad News, Some Good

Jeremiah 16:1--17:18

One Volume

Gary M. Burge

... —a question likely asked prior to the first Babylonian invasion of Judah in 605. Jeremiah protests his innocence. Nor has he wished for the catastrophic event. The harshness of his prayer for disaster to come on his opponents can be appreciated if his opponents are understood as those opposing God. “Double destruction” (17:18), it has been argued, is proportionate destruction (cf. 16:18).

1081. Trouble in Egypt

Jeremiah 41:16--43:13

One Volume

Gary M. Burge

... calculate the consequences: death from a variety of causes—sword, famine, and plague (42:16–17). Verses 19–22 add Jeremiah’s personal plea to the remnant not to proceed with their plans. The fatal mistake is not the request for guidance but their double-talk (literally “deceive yourselves”), whereby they promise to do what in their hearts they do not intend to do. Jeremiah has accused others of lying (9:3–6); now the same charge is thrown into his face. Johanan and company go back on their ...

1082. The Siege and Destruction of Nineveh

Nahum 2:1-13

One Volume

Gary M. Burge

... were opened so that the onrushing waters undermined part of the wall and even the palace, making it easier for the attackers to rout the defenders. Ancient tradition is in general accord with this. In light of this verse, 1:8 might well be a double entendre. The city is emptied both of its inhabitants, by capture and by flight, and of its material wealth (2:7–10). God decrees that Nineveh will be plundered and destroyed. Verse 7 describes the captivity and grief of the inhabitants, verse 8 the precipitous ...

1083. The Prophet’s Prayer and God’s Exaltation

Habakkuk 3:1-19

One Volume

Gary M. Burge

... . Hence, a reference to Moses or to the Messiah seems to be the most likely possibility. Habakkuk brings this psalm to a stinging close with a reminder that Pharaoh’s ambitions sank in the waters of the Red Sea (cf. Exod. 15:1–12). The point of the double psalm is clear. Just as God led his people victoriously out of mighty Egypt, through the Red Sea, and on to Sinai, up from Sinai and through the wilderness, through the Jordan River and into the promised land, so he can and will yet lead his people in ...

1084. Judah’s Idolatry

Zephaniah 1:4-13

One Volume

Gary M. Burge

... ’s anger is the lack of responsiveness by his own people. Idolatry is a flagrant breach of the covenant. For Zephaniah, idolatry is any expression that involves other deities, priests of non-Aaronic descent, illegitimate public and private forms of worship, double-mindedness, or apathy toward Yahweh. In Zephaniah’s day idolatry was practiced even in the temple (“this place,” 1:4). God’s judgment is on the foreign cults that had flourished during the days of Manasseh. Baalism remained even after ...

1085. Fourth Vision - Joshua Cleansed

Zechariah 3:1-10

One Volume

Gary M. Burge

... cf. 1 Pet. 5:8; Rev. 12:10). But God himself intervenes on behalf of Joshua and his people. This speaks powerfully to the infinite grace of God and also to his unfailing adherence to his purpose with regard to Israel. God silences Satan with a double rebuke, as he also gives a twofold affirmation of support for Israel: (1) Satan is reminded that God has chosen Jerusalem and will not be deterred from carrying through with his sovereign electing love. (2) The burning stick taken out of a fire refers to Israel ...

1086. Birth and Infancy

Matthew 1:1-17

One Volume

Gary M. Burge

... rehearses Israel’s history to emphasize that Davidic kingship is restored in Jesus the Messiah. Scholars have understood Matthew’s emphasis on the number fourteen in various ways. Its significance might rest in the notion of seven as indicating completion, either fourteen as a doubled seven or three sets of fourteen indicating that six cycles of seven lead into the time of the Messiah—a seventh seven (e.g., Dan. 9:24). More likely, given David’s prominence in the genealogy (1:1, 6, 17; cf. 1:20 ...

1087. Whose Son is the Christ

Matthew 22:41-46

One Volume

Gary M. Burge

... (1:1–17) and as “Lord”—a title used for Jesus throughout Matthew’s Gospel (e.g., 7:22; 8:2, 25; 17:4; 20:30–31; 25:44), which signals Jesus’s authority over all things (cf. 28:18). The riddle requires a double affirmative: Jesus as the Messiah is both David’s son and his Lord. Matthew concludes this section in which Jesus’s authority is questioned by affirming that Jesus derives his authority from his identity as Messiah and Lord (see “Theological Themes” in the introduction).

1088. Jesus and the Miraculous Catch of Fish

John 21:1-14

One Volume

Gary M. Burge

... (cf. 18:18), the word for “fish” in 21:9–10, 13 (Greek opsarion, 6:9, 11), the reference to Thomas and Nathanael in 21:2 (cf. 1:45–46; 11:16; 14:5; 20:24), the name of Simon’s father in 21:15 (see 1:42), and the double use of “truly/amen” in 21:18 (see, e.g., 5:19; 6:26; 8:34). This evidence suggests that chapter 21 is authentically Johannine but secondary to the original format of the Gospel (but see Smalley 1974). John 21:20–23 implies that John the apostle has died and ...

1089. Final Greetings and Formal Closing

1 Corinthians 16:19-24

One Volume

Gary M. Burge

... -specific term). The warmth of their greeting to the Corinthians is to be conveyed symbolically with the Corinthians embracing one another in the way that these others would embrace them if they were present. Paul’s final greeting in his own hand serves a double purpose: authenticating this letter as his own (Gal. 6:11; Col. 4:18; 2 Thess. 3:17) and indicating that it was probably composed, as was customary, by dictation (Rom. 16:22). Next, again as was usual, one finds a final short message. Originating ...

1090. Freedom in Christ

Galatians 5:1-15

One Volume

Gary M. Burge

... for those who are unsure of which position is correct, actually serves to negate the power of Christ in their lives (5:2). The fact that Paul seems to restate this very same proposition in a slightly altered manner in verses 3–4 reminds us of his double curse against this teaching in Galatians 1:8–9. The call from Paul is for them to declare their allegiance. To attempt to be justified through law is to forsake the grace offered in Christ and to forsake Christ himself (5:4). If they are under the ...

1091. Follow the Example of Paul As He Follows the Example of Christ

Philippians 3:12-4:1

One Volume

Gary M. Burge

... which his whole life is oriented. One of the most striking aspects of this account of Paul’s life is that Paul sees “knowing Christ Jesus” (3:8) not only as something in which he already participates but also as a goal he continues to pursue. This double sense of purpose, Christ as both motivation and goal, is explained in these verses: Christ has grasped Paul, so Paul presses on to grasp Christ, the goal of his life. Paul is fully aware that he has not yet reached this goal, nor is he “perfect ...

1092. Leadership

1 Timothy 3:1-16

One Volume

Gary M. Burge

... by supervising the church’s finances and relief for the poor. Character is required of deacons as well as for overseers. If deacons are to be trusted go-betweens, it is especially important that they be “sincere” (the Greek term is “not double-worded” or “not duplicitous”). If widows (see 1 Timothy 5) are under their care, it is particularly important that deacons are “not pursuing dishonest gain” (3:8). Sandwiched between verses 10 and 12 is a discussion of women. The Greek text says ...

1093. Widows, Elders, and Slaves

1 Timothy 5:1-6:2

One Volume

Gary M. Burge

... life of God’s household, and Paul’s placing this section next to the widows’ passage suggests that some of the difficulties in Ephesus were a result of a breakdown in administration. However, even more necessary is the ability to teach. Thus, special priority (“double honor”) is put on “those whose work is preaching and teaching” (5:17). Paul quotes both the Old Testament (Deut. 25:4) and Jesus himself (Luke 10:7) to underline the importance of the church’s support of a leadership that is ...

1094. False Teaching and Love of Money

1 Timothy 6:3-10

One Volume

Gary M. Burge

... ). It is confusion over how families’ and the church’s resources should be managed in relief to widows that Paul addresses in chapter 5. The denunciation of greed among aspiring teachers (6:8–10) follows directly on the heels of instruction to provide “double honor”—that is, “twice the pay”—for elders who are especially apt at teaching and governing. The section will close with the only paragraph Paul ever addresses, at least in the writings that have come to us, to the rich about how they ...

1095. Trials and Temptation

James 1:1-18

One Volume

Gary M. Burge

... God. We must ask in faith, without doubting. In an expressive image, James compares the doubter to the constantly varied surface of the sea—forever in motion, never stable, up one day, down the next (1:6). Such a person is literally, James says, “double-souled”—divided at the very root of their being, a spiritual schizophrenic. That kind of person must not expect that God will respond to their prayers (1:7–8). What James criticizes in these verses is not the person who has occasional doubts about ...

1096. The Taming of the Tongue

James 3:1-12

One Volume

Gary M. Burge

... has been able to tame the tongue, James may imply that “when it is tamed we confess that this is brought about by the pity, the help, the grace of God” (Augustine, Of Nature and Grace 15). With a further allusion to Genesis, James highlights the “doubleness” of the tongue: we bless God with it, but we also curse people “made in God’s likeness” (3:9). This inconsistency in the tongue should not be (3:10)—any more than a single spring should pour forth good, sweet, drinkable water one day and ...

1097. The Epiphany of the Glorious Son

Revelation 1:4-8

One Volume

Gary M. Burge

... readers of what will happen when Christ returns. We too will weep at the sight of Jesus because we will realize then, more deeply than we do now, that it was our sin that crucified the Lord of glory (cf. Acts 2:36–37). To the double “Yes!” and “Amen!” (1:7 NLT), God adds his own affirming guarantee: his title. “The Alpha and Omega” are the first and last letters of the Greek alphabet, meaning from beginning to end; he will providentially guide all history according to his sovereign plan (1:8 ...

1098. One Like a Son of Man

Revelation 1:9-20

One Volume

Gary M. Burge

... reference to the sun, moon, and the five planets that a person could see with the naked eye (Saturn, Jupiter, Mars, Venus, and Mercury). Ancient astrologers thought the future was written in the stars, but here it is the Son of Man who holds the destiny of his people. The double-edged sword protruding from Christ’s mouth is the Roman longsword used for penetrating armor. Here it is a metaphor for the power of God’s Word to pierce our souls (1:16; cf. 2:12, 16; 19:15, 21; Ps. 52:2; 57:4; Heb. 4:12). In 1 ...

1099. The Letter to Pergamum

Revelation 2:12-17

One Volume

Gary M. Burge

... 6). It is possible they justified their participation in the imperial festivals on the theological basis that an idol is nothing (cf. 1 Cor. 8:4) and thus cultic feasting was harmless (cf. 1 Cor. 10:19–22). Christ’s appearance as one “who has the sharp, double-edged sword” (2:12; cf. 1:16) is a direct challenge to “the right of sword” exercised by Pergamum. No one has the authority to judge God’s people except Christ (2:16). As judge, Christ warns the Balaam group that he will wage war against ...

1100. The Fall of Babylon Rome

Revelation 18:1-24

One Volume

Gary M. Burge

... power of luxury (18:3), God has mixed a doubly potent cup filled with the wine of his wrath, poured it out against the city, stripped her of all wealth, sent a cycle of plagues, and judged her with fire (18:6–8; cf. 16:1–21). The double payment for her sins is neither vindictive nor unjust but rather a statement that the painful consequences of sin always outweigh its fleeting pleasures. In 18:9–19, we hear the terrified lament of kings, merchants, and sailors for Rome (18:10, 15). They are stunned by ...

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