Sermon and Worship Resources

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Showing 1226 to 1250 of 4977 results

1226. Impurity, Repentance, and Jealousy

Num 5:1-31

Teach the Text

Joe M. Sprinkle

... 14–6:7 in that here the wronged person has died before the offender has repented, leaving “no close relative” (lit., “kinsman redeemer” [go’el]) to whom restitution can be made. In that case, the restitution goes to God by his proxy, the priest. The priest also keeps the meat offered to God as a guilt offering, as is the case with the sin offering (vv. 9–10; cf. Lev. 7:7). This is in contrast with the fellowship offering, in which most of the meat goes back to the worshiper (a thigh and breast ...

1227. The Nazirite Vow

Numbers 6:1-21

Teach the Text

Joe M. Sprinkle

... to worship God if he answers prayer (Gen. 28:20–22; 2 Sam. 15:7–8; Jon. 2:9; cf. Judg. 11:30–31). The fellowship offering, along with the other food items, constitutes a sacred meal (vv. 15, 17, 19) expressing joy and gratitude for God’s help in keeping the vow.5 As with other fellowship offerings, only a portion of this sacrifice is burned or given to the priest. Most of the meat is given to the worshiper, who in turn eats it in joyful celebration “before the Lord” (Deut. 12:7–8; 27:7) at the ...

1228. Israel Celebrates the Passover

Numbers 9:1-14

Teach the Text

Joe M. Sprinkle

... past before we are ready to march forth on the journey of life that God has in store for us. 3. Remembering God’s salvation was indispensable. There are circumstances beyond a person’s control that can result in him or her not being able to keep Passover at the regular time, as when that person contracts uncleanness or is away on a journey. Allowance is made for such people to celebrate a month late. God thus makes accommodations for people so that as many as possible can eventually join in the Passover ...

1229. Job’s Hope against Hope

Job 19:1-29

Teach the Text

Daniel J. Estes

... 19:3) and by God (19:6). Rejecting Bildad’s earlier implication that God does not pervert justice (8:3), Job perceives God as breaking his own righteous rules in how he treats Job. Despite Job’s scream of outrage (19:7), God seems to dodge acquitting Job, and he keeps Job hanging for a resolution to his case. In short, in Job’s eyes God has failed to give him a fair trial. 19:8–12 He has blocked my way so I cannot pass. In picturesque and vivid language, Job complains that God has treated him as ...

1230. “I Will Not Fear Though Tens of Thousands Assail Me”

Psalm 3:1-8

Teach the Text

C. Hassell Bullock

... ; 51; 52; 54; 56; 57; 59; 60; 63; 142). While the connection is easier to identify in some cases than others, Psalm 3 sustains the connection very well (2 Sam. 15:1–19:43). The “many” enemies of Psalm 3:1–2 (cf. 3:6) are thus in keeping with the historical information. The king even sought verification of the notion, shared by the masses, that the Lord had abandoned him (2 Sam. 15:26; see Ps. 3:2). Moreover, Zion, called the Lord’s “holy mountain,” is the source of God’s thunderous answer to ...

1231. “In the Lord I Take Refuge”

Psalm 11:1-7

Teach the Text

C. Hassell Bullock

... deceive (12:3–4). Then comes the Lord’s answer in 12:5, which is the theological center of the psalm, followed by a momentary reflection on the Lord’s “flawless” words (12:6). Another prayer in 12:7 pleads divine protection for David and his community (“keep” and “protect us”) and is followed by what seems to be another moment of reflection on the problem (12:8). So the pattern is: 1. Prayer (12:1–2) 2. Reflection (12:3–4) 3. The Lord’s answer (12:5) 4. Reflection (12:6) 5. Prayer ...

1232. “Lord, Who May Dwell in Your Sacred Tent?”

Psalm 15:1-5

Teach the Text

C. Hassell Bullock

... utters no slander” and “casts no slur on others”) and doing (“does no wrong to a neighbor”). The third set of qualities (15:4), expressed positively, includes doing (“despises a vile person,” and perhaps also “honors those who fear the Lord” and “keeps an oath”). The first quality in this set may trouble us, especially since Jesus commanded us to love our enemies (Matt. 5:44). Yet there is a strain of theological thought in the Old Testament that expresses obligation to hate Yahweh’s ...

1233. Nabuchadnezzar’s Dream and Daniel's Interpretation

Daniel 2:1-23, Daniel 2:24-49

Teach the Text

Ronald W. Pierce

... the war Oskar Schindler laments, “I could have got more out. . . . If I’d made more money . . . Why did I keep the car?” Even though he has been responsible for rescuing eleven hundred Jewish people, despair remains. Ask selected congregants to share ... Media and Persia play only a transitional role here, as in chapters 7, 8, and 10–11. They are passed over quickly to keep the focus on the first and fourth kingdoms. The brief description of the fourth kingdom here is more fully developed in chapters 8 ...

1234. The Image of Gold and the Fiery Furnace

Daniel 3:1-30

Teach the Text

Ronald W. Pierce

... is about God, as is their answer to him. Their commitment flows out of their belief about the person of their God. Keep this truth at the forefront of your preaching and teaching. The call to action should not be “Dare to be like Shadrach ... is able to rescue. To this end, Nebuchadnezzar praises the one true God, who is sovereign over the personal crisis of his faithful servants. Keep this bigger picture before your audience so that they do not miss the story’s point. Remind them to stay focused on God’s ...

1235. What To Do While Waiting for the Judgment?

Matthew 25:1-13

Sermon

Maxie Dunnam

... state the dynamics of it: “Work out your salvation with fear and trembling.” What is Paul talking about—aren’t we saved? Can’t we trust the fact that Jesus has saved us? Of course we can. But remember friends, salvation is a process. We have to keep that process alive, and nobody else can do it for us. When the five foolish virgins discovered they were out of oil, the first thing they did was ask to borrow oil from their friends. Some might regard the wise virgins as selfish for not sharing their ...

1236. Are You a Pillar or a Pillow?

2 Thessalonians 2:13-17

Sermon

King Duncan

... been standing firm, you have also grown in your likeness to Christ. There is no virtue in simply standing in one place unless you are like that tree planted beside a stream of living water that the Psalmist talks about. A tree stands firm, but it keeps us growing. It keeps maturing into the tree God created it to be. Many of the pillars of this church are really trees in disguise. Let me give you an example of what I mean. Chuck Swindoll tells about an incident that occurred in his church many years ago--at ...

1237. Various Laws

Leviticus 19:1-37

One Volume

Gary M. Burge

... 27: No cutting side-growth of hair and beard (see Exod. 20:3) Verse 28: No gashing oneself for the dead (see Exod. 20:3) Verse 28: No tattooing (see Exod. 20:3) Verse 29: No profaning daughter by making her a prostitute (see Exod. 20:14) Verse 30: Keep the Lord’s Sabbath (see Exod. 20:8-11) Verse 30: Revere the Lord’s sanctuary Verse 31: No turning to occult (see Exod. 20:3) The Elderly and the Alien Verse 32: Respect the elderly; fear God Verses 33-34: Love rather than oppress the alien In Commerce ...

1238. Widows and Their Worries: Back to Bethlehem

Ruth 1:1-22

One Volume

Gary M. Burge

... and concerns with them. Her sentiments are not communicated through narration but by three speeches (1:8–9, 11–13, 15). In each we witness a display of her sentiment to care for Ruth and Orpah, which translates into a relentless resolve to persuade them to keep their homes in Moab. The heart of her concern is that the women have homes, places of refuge, security, provision, and above all identity (1:9; 3:1; 4:11, 12, 18). Naomi wants Yahweh to give them patrimonial roots typical to the current tribal ...

1239. Nehemiah's Final Reforms

Nehemiah 13:1-31

One Volume

Gary M. Burge

... changes. The practices condemned in this section all involve disobedience to God’s commands. The first is a failure to maintain the sanctity of the temple and to fulfill other religious responsibilities (13:4–14). The second is disobedience to God in regard to keeping the Sabbath holy (13:15–22), and the third is disobedience in regard to marriage with non-Jews (13:23–29). The phrase “before this” (13:4) refers to a period prior to Nehemiah’s return to Jerusalem after he has been absent for ...

1240. I Once Was Blind…and Maybe I Still Am

John 9:1-41

Sermon

King Duncan

... Jesus’ miraculous act. At first they dispute that the man was ever blind in the first place. When the man’s parents testify that he had indeed been born blind and could now see, the Pharisees had a dilemma. In their eyes Jesus was a sinner because he did not keep the Sabbath. God certainly would not honor the prayers of a sinner. And yet, here this man stood in front of them who had been given his sight. The man who had been healed says to the Pharisees, “Whether he is a sinner or not, I don’t know ...

1241. Humanity Reaching Out

Matthew 2:1-12

Sermon

James L. Killen

... If we will let it, it will show us a whole new way of looking at reality. Let's think about some of the differences it can make. First, ask yourself this: Is there something in your life or something in your world that is oppressing you and keeping you from living up to the highest humanity that is possible? Think hard and try to identify it. Are there some social pressures pushing you to conform, some relationship that is either putting you down or pushing you around, or some power that is ruling your life ...

1242. Good to Great

Ezekiel 45:3-5

Sermon

Charley Reeb

... memorials of loved ones in this church are there. It is a place of prayer and meditation. It is beautiful. But guess what? It doesn’t get that way by accident. We have people in our church who are committed to keeping it vibrant and beautiful. They spend time, effort and resources to keep the fountain bubbling and the roses blooming. I love seeing our rose garden ministry taking care of that garden. They know that in order for it to thrive they must tend to it, cultivate, it, fertilize it, and invest in ...

1243. True North

Matthew 22:34-40

Sermon

Charley Reeb

... can go to worship every week and still get lost. We can follow the rules and be-have and still get lost. We can look religious, keep our noses clean, and follow all ten of the commandments and still miss who God is and what his desire is for us. In the second ... revolutionary. He quoted from Deuteronomy 6:5 and Leviticus 19:18. He said if someone follows these two commands he or she will keep the essence of the law. Jesus was saying, “You want the CliffsNotes™ version of the law? You want me to sum it up ...

1244. Playing One Hand

Matthew 13:1-9, 18-23

Sermon

Tom Garrison

... , with the kind of creature he was and the kind of world in which we all live. Three out of four of his seeds did not make it, but some did. This is how he came to see life, and what kept him from blowing up or going down but keeping on. Listen, we only play one hand in the game of life, but the hand we do play matters! Wherever you are in some important endeavor this morning, be it marriage or parenting or a business venture, take this vision to heart. Let it become the frame of perspective you ...

1245. Captains or Parties

Matthew 21:33-46

Sermon

Kristin Borsgard Wee

... it's dark out and deliver papers when it's raining or snowing or 20 degrees below zero. Plus you have to do the bookkeeping to keep track of what people pay and owe." My son argued with me about every point I made. Then it hit me. I was making the same ... and live for others. He knows us. He sees that we reject him and that we prefer our own selfish goals. Yet he keeps coming, keeps offering his alternative way. Either we remain the captains of our souls and reject the son, or we let God be the captain and ...

1246. Stopping the Spread of Hell

Matthew 18:15-20

Sermon

Kristin Borsgard Wee

... Some families fight and do not make up. Silence is a rule in some families. If you have a problem, for heaven's sake, keep it to yourself because harmony is more important than truth or feelings. Jesus says that the Christian family does not work well with ... who is wrong than he is in getting the family back together again. It's important that we listen to each other and keep trying to mend the relationship. We shouldn't pretend that nothing has happened. When we are fighting with someone there are several ...

1247. Paying What's Due

Matthew 22:15-22

Sermon

David G. Rogne

... in catch-22. On the day after people poured out of Jerusalem to greet Jesus and accompany him with palm branches and shouts of acclaim into the city, agents of two groups that had little use for each other, but even less use for Jesus, joined forces to keep Jesus from capitalizing on his warm welcome into the city. They intended to trap Jesus into taking a stand that would get him into trouble. Their means of entrapment was to be a catch-22 question: "Is it lawful to pay taxes to the emperor, or not?" If ...

1248. Various Laws

Leviticus 19:1-37

Understanding Series

W. H. Bellinger, Jr.

... , is protected by law. Deception or deceit of any kind is prohibited. To swear falsely relates to taking oaths with intent to deceive. Not keeping pledges and taking false oaths appear to be in view. When such words are said in the name of Yahweh, divine honor is at ... . 19:19–25 These verses relate in one way or another to agricultural life. They begin with the call to keep divine decrees, judgments handed down. The first verse contains a series of prohibitions that develop from the Priestly notion of ...

1249. David's Lament for Saul and Jonathan

2 Samuel 1:17-27

Understanding Series

Mary J. Evans

... used to record the phenomenon described in Josh. 10:12–13 when the sun stood still in the sky, giving the Israelite army extra time to defeat the Amorites. The writers of Samuel and Kings made use of many different sources, some of which are named. Keeping proper records was a significant element in building up Israel’s traditions. Prophets like Samuel, Nathan, and Gad kept records (1 Chron. 29:29; cf. 2 Chron. 9:29; 12:15), and there are around thirty references to the annals of the kings in the books ...

1250. Job's Reply to Eliphaz

Job 6:1–7:21

Understanding Series

Gerald H. Wilson

... the sea serpent, Leviathan (see, e.g., Isa. 27:1). In other passages Leviathan appears to be a sea creature (the whale?) that humans might be expected to encounter on the sea (41:1–2; Ps. 104:26). 7:13–15 God is not satisfied with keeping watch over Job. He goes so far as to plague his sleep with frightening dreams and terrifying visions, so that even sleep offers Job no respite from his suffering. This incessant attack, restriction that prevents escape, and the invasion even of the solace of sleep, all ...

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