Sermon and Worship Resources

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Ezekiel 15:1-8, Ezekiel 16:1-63, Ezekiel 17:1-24

Understanding Series

Steven Tuell

... : “Your ancestry and birth were in the land of the Canaanites; your father was an Amorite and your mother a Hittite” (v. 2). What the prophet says, while intentionally insulting to the race-proud priesthood and nobility of the city, is of course true: Jerusalem was originally not an Israelite city but a Jebusite stronghold (2 Sam. 5:1–10//1 Chr. 11:1–9). Indeed, it may well be that David chose Jerusalem as his capital, at least in part, for this very reason. It was a site located roughly in the ...

102. A Prophecy Against Gog

Ezekiel 38:1-39:29

Understanding Series

Steven Tuell

... is held (or rather, a grim parody of a feast; see 39:17–20). A procession celebrating the Lord’s victory (39:25–29) leads to the liturgy’s climax: the building of the temple (chs. 40–48; though I argue that Ezekiel’s final vision was not originally concerned with temple-building). Even if an editor added the Gog material later, it was well integrated into the book by the first century, as the Ezek. fragment from Masada and the use of chs. 38–39 in Rev. 20:7–10 demonstrate. In any case, the ...

103. Vows, Redemption, and Tithes

Leviticus 27:1-34

Teach the Text

Joe M. Sprinkle

... back earlier than Jubilee requires that one pay 20 percent above its appraisal (v. 19). If someone consecrates to God a field bought from someone else, the valuation for redemption again takes into consideration Jubilee’s return of the land to the original owner (vv. 22–24). Money to redeem consecrated property is by weight of silver determined by a balance against a standard weight. The commercially used “shekel” (Gen. 23:16) varies from the official sanctuary weight, so it is necessary to specify ...

104. Divorce

Mark 10:1-12

Understanding Series

Larry W. Hurtado

... as the description of the spiritual dullness of the disciples in 8:17, but may be synonymous. 10:7–8 And be united to his wife is absent in some important ancient manuscripts (see NIV marginal note), and scholars are unsure whether they were in the original text of Mark or were inserted by some copyists to harmonize this passage with the Matt. 19:5 parallel and the Gen. 2:24 passage quoted. These words, together with the terms one flesh, refer to the union of sexual intercourse, which makes of the two ...

105. The Temptation of Jesus

Luke 4:1-13

Understanding Series

Craig A. Evans

... mountain) and in the descending order of Jesus’ quotations from Deuteronomy (i.e., Deut. 8:3 in Matt. 4:4; Deut. 6:16 in Matt. 4:7; Deut. 6:13 in Matt. 4:10). (For further reasons see Gundry, p. 56.) If the Matthean order is original, then we must inquire why Luke transposed the second and third temptation scenes. The most plausible answer is that Luke wanted the temptation to climax in Jerusalem. Whereas in the Matthean version of the pinnacle temptation (see Matt. 4:5) Jerusalem is referred to as the ...

106. Righteousness Through Faith

Romans 3:21-31

Understanding Series

James R. Edwards

... on the Mount Jesus repeatedly reinterpreted the law in terms of its motive or intent (e.g., Matt. 5:21–22, 27–28). The purpose of the commandment, in other words, had been to engender a proper attitude and behavior toward God’s will. It is this original intent or motive which faith perceives, for “the law is holy, and the commandment is holy, righteous and good” (7:12). The law drives one to Christ, and where one lives by faith in Christ, there one fulfills the intent of the law. “The righteous ...

107. On Divisions in the Church

1 Corinthians 3:1-23

Understanding Series

Marion L. Soards

... of his argument, Job 5:13 and then Psalm 94:11 (93:11 LXX). The citation from Job seems very loosely related to the original text, for the LXX refers to God literally as “the one who takes the wise ones in [their] prudence,” whereas Paul names God ... boulas panourgōn)—so that Paul may be conflating lines as he cites them from memory of the LXX. Whatever the origin(s) of these citations, they represent the simplest ways in which Paul uses Scripture in his letters, as forthright explanation or ...

108. Apostles of Christ

1 Corinthians 4:1-21

Understanding Series

Marion L. Soards

... that after writing this letter Paul did pay a visit to the Corinthians, which proved to be unpleasant and difficult. Still later, he faced severe criticism and became embroiled in a controversy because he apparently altered further travel plans that he had communicated to the Corinthians. For the original travel plans see 1 Cor. 16:5–9 and for the report of the visit see 2 Cor. 1:15–2:4; 12:19–21; for a final word on Paul’s visits to the Corinthians see 2 Cor. 13:1–4. 4:21 Concerning the “rod of ...

109. Spiritual Gifts

1 Corinthians 12:1-11

Understanding Series

Marion L. Soards

... not an anomaly. Unity and Diversity of Gifts Paul makes a crucial point at this juncture in his argument: There is a unified purpose in the truly varied expression of the Spirit in the life of the church because of the common divine origin of each believer’s gift. Moreover, although he is not in this first-century correspondence doing full-blown fourth-century Trinitarian reflection—such as was done later in great church councils and christological discussions (e.g., Nicea and later still at Chalcedon ...

110. Love

1 Corinthians 13:1-13

Understanding Series

Marion L. Soards

... pieces) of developed tradition that Paul inserted into this context and applied to the Corinthian situation. Paul is likely to have worked minor adaptations on this material in order to fit it into this letter, and it is not impossible that the piece was originally composed as an independent one by Paul himself. 12:31b Paul calls for and attempts to turn the thinking of his audience in a new, positive direction with the rhetorical declaration, And now I will show you the most excellent way. The words imply ...

111. The Lord Speaks

Job 38:1--41:34

Understanding Series

Gerald H. Wilson

... of these two beasts even more closely together as parts of the same final examination. 40:6–8 Then the LORD spoke to Job out of the storm. This is exactly the same phrase found at the beginning of chapter 38, signifying that this is a continuation of the original storm of words after a brief pause. Brace yourself. Again, as in 38:3, God challenges Job to face head-on into the torrent of divine words. The difficult task for which Job is to prepare himself by girding his loins is not over yet. The use of ...

112. Acquittal for the Falsely Accused (Ps. 7)

Psalm 7:1-17

Understanding Series

Craig C. Broyles

... 18), as in 7:7 (only here in the Pss.). In fact, the Hb. consonants of 68:18, “you ascended to the height; you took captivity captive” (Hb. ʿlyt lmmrwm šbyt šby), are very similar to 7:7 (Hb. ʿlyh lmmrwm šwbh). Thus, it is possible 7:7 originally read, “you ascended to the height; you took (them) captive.” (Cf. also Judg. 5:12.) 7:11 A God who expresses his wrath every day: Instead of the MT’s ʾēl zōʿēm (“a God being indignant”), the LXX appears to have the Hb. reading ʾal zōʿēm ...

113. The Kings of the South and the North

Daniel 11:2-35

Understanding Series

William Nelson

... a gloss, it shows that from very early times it was clear that “the king of the South” was a reference to Egypt. The LXX substitutes “the king of Egypt” for “the king of the South” in several places (e.g., 11:5, 6, 9). It may be original, as Egypt is mentioned later, in 11:42, 43. 11:13 The Hebrew expression uleqets haʿittim shanim, “and at the end of the times, years,” is usually translated as the NIV has it: and after several years. Like the expression uleqets shanim, “and at the end of ...

114. “I Am from Him and He Sent Me”

John 7:25-44

Understanding Series

J. Ramsey Michaels

... a hand on him, because his time had not yet come (v. 30) is illustrated by the failure of the Pharisees and chief priests in verses 32–36. When the guards are sent to arrest him, Jesus turns them back with his mysterious words (vv. 33–34). If Jesus’ origin is unknown to the crowds and the religious authorities, so too is his destination. If he comes from God, it follows that he will go to God again, but the mention of his going is as much an enigma as the reference to his coming. Though he says he ...

115. Boasting

2 Corinthians 11:16-33, 2 Corinthians 1:1-11, 2 Corinthians 12:1-10

Understanding Series

James M. Scott

... ministry. Elsewhere in the Corinthian correspondence Paul adamantly claims that his apostleship is based on his vision(s) of Christ: “Am I not an apostle? Have I not seen Jesus our Lord?” (1 Cor. 9:1; cf. 15:1–8; Gal. 1:12, 16). Although his original christophany on the way to Damascus remains the pivotal encounter with the resurrected Christ, other revelations and visions should not be discounted (cf. Acts 16:9; 18:9; 22:17–18; 23:11; 27:23). The vision that Paul describes in 2 Corinthians 12:2–4 ...

116. The New Moses

Matthew 1:18-25

Sermon

Dean Feldmeyer

... afraid — Pharaoh was afraid of the growing power of the children of Israel and Herod was afraid of the true and rightful heir to the throne of David. Next, we are told that, after an undetermined length of time, Herod died and the angel returned with his original message to Joseph: “Be not afraid.” It is safe, he told Joseph, to take your wife and child and return to Bethlehem. So Joseph arose, packed everything up, and headed back to Judea, but on the way he heard that the new king is Herod’s son ...

117. Revised and Revisioned

John 8:48-59, John 9:1-12, John 9:13-34, John 9:35-41, John 10:1-21

Sermon

Lori Wagner

... God’s creation and bring us all home and back into relationship with God? The scriptures give us clues. What does God use to make Adam? [Allow them to answer.] Dirt…..and water. We are made from the clay of the earth. Formed by God’s hands. The original potter. Breathed by God’s breath. Given sight by God’s light. Ears by God’s voice. We are clay come to consciousness by God’s spirit. In our scripture today, we see Jesus taking on the creative power of God, as he heals a man born blind ...

118. The Foreigner

Luke 17:11-19

Sermon

Lori Wagner

... and special. Not one of us the same. Our differences span from the scar on our arm to the wound in our soul, our beliefs, our thoughts, our friends, and our affiliations. Our races, our genders, our hearts. A restorer must have some distance from the original painting on which he means to work in order to see it better. Someone learning a foreign language can often speak it more accurately with better grammar than a native speaker. An editor can find mistakes in writing better than the writer him or herself ...

119. The Art of Restoration

John 3:1-17

Sermon

Lori Wagner

... power in the Holy Spirit to send his wind upon us and whisk away years of dust and debris from our lives, the sins that have weighed us down and caused us to doubt our authenticity. God has the power to break us down and remold us back into our original image of beauty with all of the freshness and potential gifted to us at the moment of our birth. God has the power to reveal the best of us and rework the parts that need restoring. God has the power to uncover and recover the “us” we thought we had ...

120. Judgment on Israel

Amos 2:6-16

Understanding Series

Elizabeth Achtemeier

... true God. Their actions have nothing to do with loyalty to the one Lord of heaven and earth. In verses 9–11, Amos will therefore tell who God really is. God is all-powerful, as is shown by the Israelites’ complete victory over the Amorites, the original inhabitants of Canaan. Amorites is a general term, used loosely of the peoples who were in the land given by God to the Israelites in the thirteenth century BC. Though they were a tall and strong people, like proverbial cedars and oaks (cf. Num. 13:28 ...

121. The View from Cloud Nine

Luke 9:28-36

Sermon

Lori Wagner

... Suzanne Arnold notes also that the Oxford English Dictionary additionally merges this definition with meanings, such as “obscure, mystical, fanciful, and unreal, [along with] notions of obscurity and elevation.”[3] While our euphoric, transcendent feeling of divine revelation originally began with the phrase “cloud seven,” it later advanced to “cloud nine.” But no matter which “elevation” of cloud you prefer, the phrase describes an experience of God that we find hard to explain in terms of ...

122. Easter 3

John 21:1-14, Acts 5:17-42, Acts 9:1-19a, Jeremiah 32:1-44, Revelation 5:1-14, Psalm 33:1-22, Psalm 30:1-12

Sermon Aid

George Bass

... it would fail. Acts 9:1-19a (E); 9:1-20 (L, C) For some unexplained reason, the story of Saul's persecution of the Christians and his conversion on the road to Damascus was omitted from the ORDO. Lutherans, who had followed the ORDO in their trial lectionary, originally read Acts 5:27-42 on the Third Sunday of Easter, but they and other Protestant churches believed that Saul's vision ought to be included, hence the substitution of Acts 9 for the latter part of Acts 5. Once more the risen Christ makes a post ...

123. That All-Pervasive Snake

Genesis 2:4-25, Genesis 3:1-24

Sermon

Joann Hary

... many stories, such as the one about the church billboard that said, "If you desire to be done with sin, come on in." As the people read more closely, they discovered that someone had written in lipstick, "But if you are not quite sure, call 555-5271." What is original sin? Who is the tempter? Or temptress? Is it really a snake? Does the devil still prowl around in this world? Where does it all start? How does it get into our minds, even when we are a very young age? You know, you tell your children not to ...

124. Proper 22 & Pentecost 20

Matthew 21:33-46, Philippians 4:2-9, Philippians 3:12-4:1, Numbers 27:12-23, Psalm 81:1-16, Isaiah 5:1-7

Sermon Aid

... spirit of joy and thanksgiving that should characterize all true worship of God. No one can be certain about the exact origin of the psalm; some scholars contend it was connected to Passover, others insist that it was related to the Feast of ... he looked for justice, but behold, bloodshed; for righteousness, but behold, a cry! Has the "new Israel," the church done any better than the original Israel? We have to keep that question in mind when we read and preach the Gospel for the Day. The song of Isaiah takes ...

125. The Technicolor Sign

Genesis 9:1-17

Sermon

Larry Powell

... the reign of Charlemange, about 800 A.D., that this most solemn and demanding season of the Christian year was rounded off at forty days. We are reminded now that the cardinal word is not "Lent," but "penance." The emphasis is not upon a practice originated by the Anglo-Saxons but in the soul-groanings of biblical generations prostrating themselves before almighty God, praying "Lord, be merciful to me a sinner." When have we last prayed the sinner’s prayer? Was it in the privacy of some quiet moment that ...

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