Sermon and Worship Resources

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Showing 1351 to 1375 of 5000 results

1351. Proverbs of Solomon

Proberbs 10:1--22:16

One Volume

Gary M. Burge

10:1–29:27 Review · Proverbial Collections: Advanced Instruction in Wisdom: If one views Proverbs 1–9 as a basic introduction to proverbial wisdom, then chapters 10–29 serve as the advanced course. Or, to express it differently, the prologue presents and commends wisdom, while the collections that follow illustrate the scope and variety of situations in which wisdom is advantageous (without absolutely guaranteeing success) if employed properly and in a timely manner. Proverbs 1–9 also gives the reader a ...

1352. Submit to Babylon’s Yoke!

Jeremiah 27:1-22, Jeremiah 28:1-17

One Volume

Gary M. Burge

The northerner Babylon has come. Jeremiah has preached repentance (25:5). Now he “meddles” in foreign policy and urges submission to Babylon rather than resistance or revolt. This unusual counsel, given not as a politician but as a prophet, is pressed on the visiting envoys, on Zedekiah himself, and on the priests and people. Each group is instructed to submit to Babylon; each is warned not to heed false prophets. The sign act of carrying a wooden yoke makes the message memorable: surrender to ...

1353. Two Eagles and a Vine

Ezekiel 17:1-24

One Volume

Gary M. Burge

The Lord then instructs Ezekiel to tell the people an allegory and a parable. It is narrated in verses 1–10; verses 11–21 are the interpretation; and verses 22–24 are a prophecy of restoration. In the story a great eagle comes to Lebanon, removes the top part of a cedar, and carries it away. He then plants the seed in fertile soil, where it turns into a vine. Then another great eagle comes, to which the vine is attracted. The second eagle does nothing. He is simply there. As a result of the vine’s ...

1354. Eighth Vision - Resolution—Gentiles Judged, God at Rest

Zechariah 6:1-8

One Volume

Gary M. Burge

This vision brings to a fitting conclusion the series of night visions outlining God’s program of rebuilding Jerusalem and revitalizing his people. It is clearly eschatological in scope, completing what was anticipated in the first vision. There are obvious similarities to the first vision in the presence of various colored horses being sent throughout the earth. There are some differences in the colors of the horses and in the fact that there are chariots in this last vision. But the most distinctive ...

1355. The Lord's Supper

Mark 14:12-26

One Volume

Gary M. Burge

The preparation of the Passover in 14:12–16 is reminiscent of the preparation of the entry into Jerusalem in 11:1–6; both show Jesus’s foreknowledge and governance of events as his “hour” (14:35) approaches. “The first day of the Festival of Unleavened Bread” technically began at sundown on the fifteenth of Nisan (Thursday evening), but Mark appears to place the beginning of Passover on Thursday afternoon, the fourteenth of Nisan, when Passover lambs were slaughtered in the temple. The mood of expectancy ...

1356. The Hymn to Christ

Colossians 1:15-23

One Volume

Gary M. Burge

1:13–14 · The Father rescues his people: Verse 12 prepares the reader for a further discussion of God’s kingdom with its insistence on the church’s rightful inheritance of it. (On the kingdom of God in Paul, see also Rom. 14:17; 1 Cor. 4:20; 6:9; 15:24–28.) Verses 13–14 explain how this inheritance has been accomplished. Paul makes clear that the Colossians had lived in darkness, that is, in sinfulness. God rescued them through his beloved Son, and now they are in the light (see Luke 16:8; John 12:36; 1 ...

1357. The Example of Paul’s Suffering

Colossians 1:24--2:5

One Volume

Gary M. Burge

1:24-27 · Paul declared himself a servant of Christ in 1:23 and in the next few verses fleshes out what that means in terms of Christ’s sacrifice and the growth of the church. He uses terms such as “flesh” and “body” (1:24) that carry a range of meaning and impact. In 1:22, Paul declared that Christ conquered sin with his death (on the cross) in his fleshly body, and in verse 24, Paul expands the connotations of Christ’s body to include the church. He has both meanings in mind when he declares that he ...

1358. The Seven Seals: Where is God When His People Suffer?

Revelation 6:1-17

One Volume

Gary M. Burge

6:1–8 · The Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse: In this next set of visions, the slain Lamb breaks the seals on the scroll (6:1) one by one to unveil the contents of God’s redemptive plan. The breaking of the first four seals follows a set pattern: the Lamb opens a seal, the cherubim issue the command, “Come,” and a demonic rider on a colored horse proceeds to carry out the scroll’s contents. Revelation’s portrayal of riders on white, red, black, and pale green horses is taken from Zechariah 1:8–15 and 6:1–8 ...

1359. Accept His Peace

John 4:1-26, Romans 5:1-11, Exodus 17:1-7

Sermon

King Duncan

It was the deciding round of play of the 1983 U.S. Open golf tournament. A player named Larry Nelson was tied for first place. But then he hit a difficult situation. His approach shot to the sixteenth green left him sixty-two feet from the hole. His fans groaned. In the world of golf, sinking a sixty-two-foot putt is about as likely as a hole-in-one. Larry Nelson paused for a long moment. Then he raised his head, sized up the terrain, and stroked his ball. It rolled downhill for a spell, then up an incline ...

1360. While You Wait

Mark 1:1-8

Sermon

Charley Reeb

I don’t know anyone who likes to wait. Whether it is waiting in line, waiting on a package to be delivered, or waiting for a prayer to be answered, waiting is not something we usually enjoy. What we sometimes forget is that there is a great deal of wisdom in waiting. This is why Advent is so important. Advent is a good time to learn about waiting because this season is all about waiting well. For the next few weeks we sit on the edge of our seats waiting for God to come to us in Christ and transform our ...

1361. A Light In the Darkness

John 1:1-6, 19-28

Sermon

Charley Reeb

(after the Newtown, Connecticut, school shooting) I was finishing up my sermon on a Friday when my phone buzzed with the horrific news of the tragedy at Sandy Hook Elementary. As I watched the news unfold, I knew the message I had prepared would not be adequate. I knew a different message would need to be preached. I believe you will understand why I will be going in a different direction today. We were shocked, we were angry, we were afraid, we were heartbroken, and I must speak to that today. I have ...

1362. The Cost of Discipleship

Mark 9:2-9

Sermon

Charley Reeb

I get a kick out of bumper stickers. Whenever I see an interesting one I always take a glance at the person who is driving the car. I want to get a glimpse of the person who would drive around with a crazy bumper sticker. I’m sure I am not the only one who has ever done that! Here are a few bumper stickers that I have seen or heard about over the years that always make me laugh: What If The Hokey Pokey Is What It’s All About? Driver Carries No Cash — He’s Married! I’m Retired — Go Around Me! Normal People ...

1363. John the Baptist Beheaded

Matthew 14:1-12

Understanding Series

Robert H. Mounce

Feeding of the Five Thousand: Jesus was not the only prophet who was rejected by his own (cf. 13:53–58). John the Baptist had been treated the same way by Herod, ruler of Galilee and Perea. Matthew tells of Herod’s concern that Jesus might be John the Baptist returned from the dead (v. 2). This in turn caused Jesus to withdraw from a public to a secluded area (v. 13). Verses 3–12 record the death of John the Baptist, which had taken place earlier but is brought into the narrative at this point by Matthew. ...

1364. Mary: The Handmaiden of the Lord

Luke 1:38-45

Sermon

Charley Reeb

This morning I want to tell you how to get blessed by God. We all want God to bless us. This morning I am going to tell how to get that done. How many of you want to be blessed by God? Me too! Now when I say blessed I am not talking about the prosperity, name and claim it gospel that’s popular. I am not talking about saying a prayer and having a million dollars in cash show up in a briefcase at your doorstep. When I say bless I am talking about God showing up in your life in a way that transforms you. I am ...

1365. Jesus Sends Out the Twelve

Mark 6:7-13

Understanding Series

Larry W. Hurtado

6:6b–13 Just as the first rejection in the synagogue (3:1–6) is followed by ministry to a wide assortment of people (3:7–12) and by the empowering of the Twelve (3:13–19), so here, after the second rejection, Mark gives us an account of the empowering of the Twelve, who conduct an itinerant ministry in extension of Jesus’ own work. Here again (6:7) as before (3:15), the disciples are given authority over evil spirits; and by this term, so important in Mark’s description of Jesus (1:22, 27; 2:10; 11:27–33 ...

1366. The Lord's Supper

Mark 14:12-26

Understanding Series

Larry W. Hurtado

14:12–21 These verses tell of Jesus’ entrance into Jerusalem to celebrate Passover with his disciples and of Jesus’ foreknowledge of Judas’ treachery. The overall purpose of the narrative is to dramatize that the one who betrayed Jesus was actually a disciple who shared Jesus’ company and ate with him. Mark probably saw in this account an allusion to Psalm 41:9–10 (which is cited specifically in John 13:18). The fact that the disciples were not given a name or an address in order to comply with Jesus’ ...

1367. Paul's Longing to Visit Rome

Romans 1:1-17

Understanding Series

James R. Edwards

The Salutation The first seventeen verses of Romans serve as an introduction to the epistle and fall into three parts. The first part, verses 1–7, is Paul’s salutation. In the second part, verses 8–15, Paul introduces himself and speaks of his desire to visit Rome. The third and final part is verses 16–17, in which Paul broaches the seminal theme of his gospel, justification by faith for both Jew and Gentile. First, the salutation. Letters in Hellenistic times followed a standard literary pattern. Unlike ...

1368. God's Wrath Against Mankind

Romans 1:18-32

Understanding Series

James R. Edwards

Paul now launches into the body of the epistle with an indictment against humanity. He will maintain the charge until 3:21, at which point he will return to righteousness by faith which he introduced in 1:16–17. Romans 1:18–3:20 is a sobering exposé of the dark side of human nature. Throughout the attack Paul labors to demonstrate that there is no distinction between Gentile and Jew in the matter of sin and guilt, a point reasserted in 3:10–12, 3:23, and 11:32. Gentile and Jew are equally guilty before God ...

1369. Peace and Joy

Romans 5:1-11

Understanding Series

James R. Edwards

Romans 5:1–11 is a victorious passage. “In the whole Bible there is hardly another chapter which can equal this triumphant text,” said Luther (Epistle to the Romans, p. 72). It is like a mountain pass from which one revels in scenery after having labored through the inclines and switchbacks of argumentation in the earlier chapters. The view cannot be fully appreciated without the effort it took to get there. Commentators are divided whether the passage is the conclusion of Paul’s argument so far or the ...

1370. Love

Romans 12:9-21

Understanding Series

James R. Edwards

In his famous hymn to love in 1 Corinthians 13 Paul says, “if … I have not love, I am nothing” (v. 2). In Romans 13 he says that “love is the fulfillment of the law” (v. 10), and he enjoins Christians to owe no one anything except the debt of love (v. 8). In the latter half of Romans 12 Paul provides insight and guidance concerning the nature of love. Love is defined at the outset (v. 9), middle (v. 17), and end (v. 21) as a commitment to good, and especially the victory of good over evil. This section is ...

1371. The Weak and the Strong

Romans 14:1--15:13

Understanding Series

James R. Edwards

The general exhortation on agapē in chapters 12–13 proceeds now to a specific discussion of the “strong” and “weak” in 14:1–15:13. Paul divides the entire unit into three subsections. In the present section he argues that self-righteous judgments are divisive in the body of Christ; in 14:13–23 he teaches that responsibility for the other takes priority over individual rights; and he concludes in 15:1–13 with the servant role of Christ as the example for behavior within the Christian fellowship. Although ...

1372. Marriage

1 Corinthians 7:1-40

Understanding Series

Marion L. Soards

The seventh chapter of Paul’s letter to Corinth is a complex and challenging series of related observations and directions that have often lost or puzzled later readers of the epistle. Paul’s statements in these verses are more often misunderstood than grasped and appreciated for what they say. The commentary that follows will focus on smaller segments of the writing in an effort to elucidate and explicate Paul’s thinking and teachings. Verse 1 states the Corinthians’ position. Verse 2 states Paul’s ...

1373. The Death of Nadab and Abihu

Leviticus 10:1-20

Understanding Series

W. H. Bellinger, Jr.

The Unfortunate Incident of Nadab and Abihu: The historical narrative continues through chapter 10, a narrative of joy interrupted by trouble. Such a pattern is not unusual in the Hebrew Scriptures and in this case raises important issues about obedience in the life of the people. In a sense this incident mars the climax to the inauguration of tabernacle worship in Leviticus 9:22–24, but it also punctuates the story with a startling reassertion of Yahweh’s holiness. The unfortunate incident of Nadab and ...

1374. The Day of Atonement

Leviticus 16:1-34

Understanding Series

W. H. Bellinger, Jr.

Chapter 16 brings the reader to the Day of Atonement. We include this chapter in the Manual of Purity, since the Day of Atonement provides a way of removing the effects of uncleanness. However, this chapter was probably not originally composed along with chapters 11–15. Verse 1 indicates that chapter 16 has strong connections with Leviticus 10. This chapter was perhaps part of the Priestly narrative continuing from chapters 8–10. The ritual described here may be quite old and no doubt has a complex history ...

1375. Eli’s Wicked Sons

1 Samuel 2:12-26

Understanding Series

Mary J. Evans

Eli’s Successor: Eli’s sons come back into the picture in verses 12 and 17, another inclusio emphasizing that they misused their position and, in contrast to Hannah, had no regard for either the power or the judgment of God. The sons showed contempt for God, his offerings, the people who brought those offerings, and their own calling. As priests, they had power and misused it. 2:12–17 Priests had a right to a portion of certain offerings. Leviticus 7:28–36, for example, speaks about the share of the ...

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