Sermon and Worship Resources

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Showing 1376 to 1400 of 4963 results

1376. Denunciation of the Intruding Teachers

Judges 1:1-36

One Volume

Gary M. Burge

... more comprehensively in the literature listed in the For Further Reading section. Most debate clusters around questions of chronology and history, one of which we have already touched upon in discussion about the composition of Judges. But broader issues remain. For example, how does the book of Judges fit into an overall chronology of the premonarchical period? How do we understand the biblical sources as history and yet theologically interpreted history? These questions lead us directly into the hornet ...

1377. The Babylonian Whore

Revelation 17:1-18

One Volume

Gary M. Burge

... taxes and worshiped the emperor. Rome plays the harlot: she is given tribute from her client kings only because she services them (17:2). But as soon as the whore has nothing more to offer, the multitudes will unite to dismember her and consume any remaining resources for themselves (17:15–16). The entire set of relations between Rome and her clients is idolatrous. The empire seduces people with its power and wealth, and the people give their loyalty and worship to Caesar (cf. Isa. 23:15–18; Ezek. 16:1 ...

1378. Son of a Daddy

John 18:1-19:42

Sermon

Robert Leslie Holmes

... the morning. The top of the temple is beginning to pick up the first light of a new day and it shines out of the night as a new day was dawning. The valley below the Dead Sea still remains dead in darkness because night passes away more slowly in the valley. The narrow city streets remain dark too. However, if you listen closely you can hear footsteps. People are beginning to move. On one dark street, there is a knock on a door. Someone answers and receives a whispered message, "They have taken the Nazarene ...

1379. Afraid of Hope

John 20:19-31

Sermon

Robert Leslie Holmes

... from the light, With the cross of Jesus often out of sight Christ our rightful Master stands against the foe Yet, forward to the future we're afraid to go! Crowns and thrones may perish, Kingdoms rise and wane, But our cross of Jesus, hidden will remain. Gates of hell should never, 'gainst the church prevail, We have Christ's own promise, but we're scared we'll fail. Sit still then, ye people; Join our useless throng. Blend with ours your voices In our feeble song. Blessings, ease, and comfort Ask from ...

1380. When Heartbreak Turns to Heartburn

Luke 24:13-35

Sermon

Robert Leslie Holmes

... too easy for us to get stuck in our ruts and we reason that if the resurrection of Jesus really is true, then we must change our way of thinking and living. Indeed, that is exactly true, because no one can honestly examine the resurrection and remain the same. For example, after we believe in the resurrection we can no longer be satisfied to live with our old half-measure commitment to Jesus and his church. In Isaac Newton's first law of motion, Newton asserts that everything continues in a state of rest ...

1381. Giving to the Needy

Matthew 6:1-4

Understanding Series

Robert H. Mounce

... commercial term that was often used in the sense of payment in full, complete with a receipt. Schweizer mentions that only in acts of charity (within Judaism) was there sometimes hope of receiving both honor in this life and a heavenly reward later—the capital remaining invested in heaven while the interest is enjoyed on earth (p. 144). Rather than calling attention to one’s acts of charity, one should not even let the left hand know what the right hand is up to. It is unnecessary to conjure up some ...

1382. Jesus Sends Out the Twelve

Matthew 10:1-42

Understanding Series

Robert H. Mounce

... ” he would be the only non-Galilean among the disciples. But “Kerioth” is of uncertain derivation. It is noteworthy that only Peter, James, and John play any role in the Book of Acts. The disciples were all Jewish by ancestry and probably remained with that branch of Christianity after the church became increasingly Gentile in the second half of the first century. For that reason, our knowledge of their later lives comes primarily from tradition. 10:5–10 The twelve apostles (apostoloi) are now sent ...

1383. Captains or Parties

Matthew 21:33-46

Sermon

Kristin Borsgard Wee

... . We've got the party routine backward. Jesus came to make it possible for us to celebrate 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 become God's party-people living upside-down lives of joy and generosity. All of life will not be a party, of course, but when the rough patches come, at least we ...

1384. Jesus Heals a Paralytic

Mark 2:1-12

Understanding Series

Larry W. Hurtado

... the use of the term as we meet it in the Gospel of Mark. As shown in the notes below, the term son of Man is used in the OT characteristically to mean “a human being,” and in this passage before us it seems that something of this basic meaning remains prominent. The teachers of the law say that only God can forgive sins (v. 7), but Jesus wishes to show that the Son of Man has such authority on earth (v. 10), and the contrast between God and the Son of Man is evident and intentional. At the same time ...

1385. The Resurrection

Mark 16:1-20

Understanding Series

Larry W. Hurtado

... the ancient manuscripts to provide an ending for Mark could also have been prompted if Mark’s original ending were lost early after the writing of the book. The question of whether Mark ended his Gospel at 16:8 or whether his original ending was lost remains a matter of scholarly disagreement and research. In the absence of conclusive evidence or argument, the reader is advised to be aware of the question and to recognize that at 16:8 we leave the certain text of Mark and enter into uncertainty about what ...

1386. The Birth of John the Baptist Foretold

Luke 1:5-25

Understanding Series

Craig A. Evans

... (such as Abraham, Gen. 15:8), Zechariah wants a sign as proof for this startling announcement (see also Judges 6:37–40 where Gideon requests a sign), as if the appearance of the angel were insufficient. Because Zechariah did not believe the words of the angel he remains mute until the promise is fulfilled (v. 20). Zechariah had asked for a sign, and for his sign he became mute and, in light of v. 62, apparently deaf as well. Because of his delay in coming out of the temple (v. 21) and because of his ...

1387. Paul's Longing to Visit Rome

Romans 1:1-17

Understanding Series

James R. Edwards

... Greek particle te implies a fundamental equality between Jews and Greeks. Paul will shortly remind his readers that all have sinned (3:23; 10:12), that there is no distinction between Jews and Greeks with regard to the need for salvation, and hence faith remains the only access to it. The lifeline between God the rescuer and humanity the foundering victim is faith. Faith is often the object of misunderstanding. Some regard faith as a formula or creed, as a set of words (indeed, very true words) sufficient ...

1388. The Jews and the Law

Romans 2:17-29

Understanding Series

James R. Edwards

... alone the law had been given. Of all the nations Israel received Torah because it alone was worthy to receive it, and the possession and study of Torah were tantamount to ensuring Israel a place in the world to come. Israel might lose everything else, but the Torah remained Israel’s identity and hope. The rabbis waxed prolific on Torah: In you we have put our trust, because, behold, your Law is with us, and we know that we do not fall as long as we keep your statutes. We shall always be blessed; at least ...

1389. Righteousness Through Faith

Romans 3:21-31

Understanding Series

James R. Edwards

... sacrifice on the cross. In this Bengel noted a great paradox: in the law God was seen as just and condemning, but in the gospel he is seen as just and yet the justifier of sinners (Gnomon, vol. 3, p. 51). In both forbearance and faith God remains just. The cross of Christ adequately expressed both God’s justice and love, and compromised neither. The cross is not a hope of the subconscious or a gestalt of the archetypical memory; it is a historical fact, a demonstration of God’s justice. But in addition ...

1390. Slaves to Righteousness

Romans 6:15-23

Understanding Series

James R. Edwards

... . Would it not be more correct to speak of handing over doctrines to hearers than hearers to doctrines? In defense of the wording Barrett notes that “Christians are not (like the rabbis) masters of a tradition; but are themselves created by the word of God, and remain in subjection to it” (Romans, p. 132; see also 2 Cor. 2:9; Gal. 1:6). Käsemann is more specific, seeing the form of teaching not as the gospel in general, but as an early baptismal creed to which believers were entrusted at their baptism ...

1391. An Illustration from Marriage

Romans 7:1-6

Understanding Series

James R. Edwards

... their allegiance to another. Believers are widowed from the law and free to marry Christ. The marriage analogy must be understood in light of what Paul said in chapter 6. Freedom from the law does not leave one in a neutral, noncommitted state. One cannot remain “unmarried.” Either one transfers allegiance to Christ or one falls back under the authority of the old Adam. “Anyone who has died has been freed from sin” (6:7). The law maintains its hold on humanity through sin. When sin is abolished (6:6 ...

1392. Life Through the Spirit

Romans 8:1-17

Understanding Series

James R. Edwards

... ). The accent throughout falls on Christ’s victory, not on human merits. When Paul says, there is now no condemnation, he means that the sentence of death and judgment on the Last Day has been commuted. Verse 11 will repeat the idea of 7:24: believers remain in “mortal bodies” (see also 2 Cor. 4:7–11). But the consequences of sin are annulled through Christ’s death, and even now the Spirit begins in believers a work of regeneration that will be completed in the world to come. Grace is knowing that ...

1393. Future Glory

Romans 8:18-27

Understanding Series

James R. Edwards

... passive indicative, we were saved, would make salvation the premise upon which hope rests. As in verse 20, then, hope is the condition in which those who are saved live. What has been done for us on the cross permits us to say, we were saved, but what remains to be done in us requires that we wait for it patiently. Hope does not belong to the empirical world. It is unseen and its goal is as yet unpossessed, and hence hope is inseparable from patience (v. 25; Heb. 6:15). The Greek word for patience, hypomon ...

1394. All Israel Will Be Saved

Romans 11:25-32

Understanding Series

James R. Edwards

... in this way. Rather, it should be understood quantitatively as that part of Israel (albeit the larger) which remains outside salvation until the full number of Gentiles has come in. Not the least remarkable aspect of Romans 9–11 is Paul’s refusal ... to write off unbelieving Israel. He remains confident that God has not rejected unbelieving Israel (11:1), and therefore he continues to consider it as a unified whole. ...

1395. Living Sacrifices

Romans 12:1-8

Understanding Series

James R. Edwards

... the health of the fellowship. Self-understanding must be based on the measure of faith God has given you (also Eph. 4:7). The outward proclamation of the gospel in preaching and Scripture and the inward testimony of the Holy Spirit (8:16) remain the two standards, or the measure of faith, by which believers must judge themselves and their gifts. Measurement by our own standards tends to result in a superiority complex, while measurement by the standards of others leads to an inferiority complex. Faith, on ...

1396. Personal Greetings

Romans 16:1-27

Understanding Series

James R. Edwards

... Regarding 4, the witness of P46 is far from persuasive, since its text of Romans is both fragmentary and idiosyncratic (see B. Metzger, The Text of the New Testament: Its Transmission, Corruption and Restoration [New York: Oxford, 1974], pp. 37–38; 252). Furthermore, P46 remains the only papyrus which places the doxology after ch. 15 (but, as A. Wedderburn notes [The Reasons for Romans, (Edinburgh: T. & T. Clark, 1988), p. 17], it also follows the doxology at the end of ch. 15 with 16:1–23). Two further ...

1397. The Three Angels

Revelation 14:6-13

Understanding Series

Robert W. Wall

... angels and offers a twofold commentary on its implications for Christian discipleship, especially in light of his vision of the 144,000. The first part of his commentary is for those who still live in Babylon and who obey God’s commandments and remain faithful to Jesus: their call is for patient endurance. According to Revelation, the singular identity of the saints on earth is to walk “wherever the Lamb goes” (14:4)—since the historical Jesus was utterly faithful to God’s commandments (cf. 1 John ...

1398. Cleansing from Infectious Skin Diseases

Leviticus 14:1-32

Understanding Series

W. H. Bellinger, Jr.

... . Then the person is pronounced clean. With the use of blood and sprinkling, this procedure is reminiscent of the sin offering (Lev. 4:6, 17). Next the person washes his or her clothing, shaves, and bathes. Then comes entry into the camp. Still, the person remains outside his or her tent for another week and then again shaves off all hair, washes clothes, and bathes. Then the person is clean. The hair is symbolic of life; its removal signifies rebirth and beginning new life. 14:10–20 These verses bring us ...

1399. Eating Blood Forbidden

Leviticus 17:1-16

Understanding Series

W. H. Bellinger, Jr.

... of the divine glory because of the corruption of idolatry; Ezekiel 14:1–8 also shows the problem with idolatry. Leviticus 17 signals the interest of the Holiness Code in idolatry. The purpose is to urge the community to avoid the death-giving idols and remain faithful to the living God, the only one who can bring wholeness to life. 17:8–9 These verses emphasize the seriousness of the prohibition in the last section. The person who violates the prohibition will face being cut off from his people. The ...

1400. Balaam’s First Oracle

Numbers 23:1-12

Understanding Series

W.H. Bellinger, Jr.

... 23). The word for “sorcery” indicates the seeking of omens. Now he looks upon Israel, the Spirit of God came upon him, and he speaks a third oracle. He is empowered to speak a divine utterance, generally a temporary endowment in the OT. “Seeing” remains important in this section of the Balaam narrative. The prophet again introduces himself formally by name to begin the oracle and characterizes himself as one whose eye sees clearly, the oracle of one who hears the words of God, who sees a vision from ...

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