Sermon and Worship Resources

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Showing 1426 to 1450 of 4977 results

1426. Brushing Your Teeth with Oreos

Luke 2:41-52

Sermon

King Duncan

... Does it run in your family? What’s the real message you are giving your children about your priorities? Does God come first or perhaps soccer? Are you the kind of parent who would never allow your child to miss a day of school, but is quite casual about allowing that child to miss Sunday school? What is that saying to your children? I appreciate something that Rose Kennedy, the matriarch of the family that gave us President John Kennedy and his famous siblings once said: “Whenever I held my newborn babe ...

1427. When the New Comes, the Old Passes

Sermon

R. Robert Cueni

... all of us away. Ward died. The congregation grieved his passing. Many reported the fellowship of that faith community was never quite the same again. Sherwin Nuland, in his best-selling book, How We Die, writes from his perspective as a physician when ... it is one thing for scientists and poets to wax eloquently in the abstract about the inevitability of death but quite another when Chronos stands outside my door waiting to swallow me." Unfortunately, railing against the inevitability of death is neither ...

1428. An Extraordinary Wedding Gift

John 2:1-11

Sermon

King Duncan

... . If you doubt that is so, see what happens to celebrities when they live only for their own gratification. Either they grow up, or eventually they die at a young age, or they become bitter, dissolute individuals. The secret of a successful life is really quite simple. In the words of Mary to the servants, “Do whatever Christ tells you.” Take care of your relationships and your responsibilities. And look what happens when we do whatever he tells us. I love the way the story of the wedding at Cana ends ...

1429. Christ, Divinity of

Illustration

C. S. Lewis

He went about saying to people, ‘I forgive your sins.’ Now it is quite natural for a man to forgive something you do to him. Thus if somebody cheats me out of five pounds it is quite possible and reasonable for me to say, ‘Well, I forgive him, we will say no more about it.’ What on earth would you say if somebody had done you out of five pounds and I said, ‘That is all right, I forgive him’?

1430. Hezekiah Purifies the Temple

2 Chronicles 29:1-36

Understanding Series

Louis C. Jonker

... was right in the eyes of the LORD, just as his father David had done. The comparison of Hezekiah with David (the only king thus far to get this qualification) is already present in the source text. 29:3–11 Second Chronicles 29:3 opens quite a long section (the Chronicler’s own material) with the very elaborate temporal indication in the first month of the first year of his reign. The Chronicler wanted to portray this king as immediately starting to reform the cult after the devastating events of his ...

1431. Matthias Chosen to Replace Judas

Acts 1:12-26

Understanding Series

David J. Williams

... had been listed in verse 13, and so the silence of Acts is hardly grounds to condemn the man. As for the method, the coming of the Spirit soon gave the church a more certain guide to God’s will, though at the time their use of the lot was quite legitimate. Their desire was to discover the man of God’s choice. Additional Notes 1:12 The Mount of Olives, a Sabbath day’s walk from the city, mg.: “That is, about ¾ mile (about 1,100 meters)”: This was the extent to which a pious Jew was allowed to ...

1432. Ananias and Sapphira

Acts 5:1-11

Understanding Series

David J. Williams

... ; second, most New Testament references to Satan’s activities relate to Christians rather than to unbelievers (e.g., Matt. 16:21–23; Luke 22:3; John 13:2, 27; 1 Cor. 7:5; Eph. 4:27; 1 Pet. 5:8f.; also 1 Chron. 21:1); and third, Christians are quite capable of lying (Col. 3:9), of “grieving the Holy Spirit of God” and of “putting out the Spirit’s fire” in their lives (Eph. 4:30; 1 Thess. 5:19; see note on 2:4). If Ananias and Sapphira were numbered among the believers, what happened to them ...

1433. The Apostles Persecuted

Acts 5:17-42

Understanding Series

David J. Williams

... again taken into custody and brought at last to the council, but without harassment, for the guards were afraid of the crowd. For their part, the apostles offered no resistance. The lesson of Matthew 5:38ff. had been learned (cf. Luke 22:50f.). That the people were quite capable of becoming violent and hurling stones at anyone who met with their displeasure is well attested, and the guards were wise to tread cautiously (cf. 21:27ff.; John 8:59; 10:31; see also disc. on Acts 7:58). 5:27–28 The setting in ...

1434. Stephen’s Speech to the Sanhedrin

Acts 7:1-53

Understanding Series

David J. Williams

... features that the most plausible view is that Luke is here drawing on a source which has preserved quite accurately the views of the Hellenists or of Stephen in particular … Certainly the whole narrative explains the subsequent persecution ... necessary conclusion. He could have been influenced by a number of other sects (see note on v. 46) or have arrived quite independently at this position. 7:51–53 These verses have sometimes been explained as Stephen’s response to the increasing impatience ...

1435. Aeneas and Dorcas

Acts 9:32-43

Understanding Series

David J. Williams

... . 36), but from the nature of Peter’s visit and since he apparently knew Jesus’ name, it seems that he was one. That Aeneas bore a Greek name does not rule against his being a Jewish Christian (see note on 12:12). In responding to his need, Peter made it quite clear that he was only the intermediary. The healer was Jesus (cf. 3:6; 10:38). Jesus Christ heals you, Peter told him, adding, Get up and take care of your mat (v. 34; cf. Luke 5:17–26; Acts 14:8–12). These last words are an interpretation of ...

1436. The Armor of God

Ephesians 6:10-20

Understanding Series

Arthur G. Patzia

... to stand against the devil’s schemes. Methodeia, from which we derive the English words methodical, planning, inquiry, and so on, also means “cunning, subtlety, and scheming cleverness”—hence devil’s schemes or “wiles” of the devil (RSV). The language is quite similar to another exhortation in Scripture: “Be self-controlled and alert. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour” (1 Pet. 5:8). 6:12 In addition to the devil, believers face a host ...

1437. Thanksgiving and Prayer

Colossians 1:1-14

Understanding Series

Arthur G. Patzia

... the way in which Paul has addressed other churches to whom he has written (1 Cor. 1:1–3; 2 Cor. 1:1–2; Phil. 1:1–2; 1 Thess. 1:1–2; 2 Thess. 1:1–2; cf. Eph. 1:1–2). Although the form of these salutations is quite similar to contemporary Greek models, the content is distinctly Christian and, in the case of Colossians, sets forth statements that are important to the body of the letter. 1:1 Paul links Timothy with the writing of this letter (and Timothy our brother). This beloved co-worker had won ...

1438. Paul's Labor for the Church

Colossians 1:24--2:5

Understanding Series

Arthur G. Patzia

... suggest that Paul sees himself as a martyr whose sufferings contribute to completing this period that awaits the return of the Messiah. Paul, therefore, suffers as a servant of the gospel and on behalf of Christ’s body, the church. It is quite possible that Jewish apocalyptic thought serves as a background for Paul’s ideas on suffering. But whereas the Jews continued to wait for the messianic kingdom, the early Christians believed that the eschatological kingdom was inaugurated in the life and ministry ...

1439. Rules for Holy Living

Colossians 3:1-17

Understanding Series

Arthur G. Patzia

... section” of the epistle. This follows a general trend in Paul’s epistles in which he first deals with the theological issues and then builds his ethics upon that foundation (cf. Rom. 12:1ff.; Gal. 5:1ff.; Eph. 4:1ff.; Phil. 4:1ff.). It is quite common to discuss this characteristic as the indicative and the imperative of Paul’s theology. Basically, it is the “you are” and the “you ought” of the Christian life. In some ways this concept comes across as a paradox in Paul’s thought. On the ...

1440. The Coming of the Lord

1 Thessalonians 4:13--5:11

Understanding Series

David J. Williams

... 2, which may also have suggested the figure of darkness and light, night and day, that is developed in what follows. 5:5 “You don’t know when, but you do know what,” is the line that Paul is taking in these verses. “And what you know is quite enough!” You (the believers) are all sons of light. The expression “son of” is a semitism characterizing the person by the thing referred to. In this case believers are characterized by light and day (cf. Luke 16:8; John 12:36; Eph. 5:8), where light has ...

1441. Warnings Against Idleness

2 Thessalonians 3:6-15

Understanding Series

David J. Williams

... with him (synanamignymi, lit. “to mix up [ana] together [syn]”). In 1 Corinthians 5:9, 11, the only other place in the NT where this verb is used, Paul lays it down that the church should not eat with the offender concerned. Here he may not have intended quite such a rigorous discipline. His purpose was to shame the offender into settling down and becoming a more useful member of the Christian community (v. 12). To that end, he is careful to add: Do not regard him as an enemy (see disc. on 1 Thess. 5:13 ...

1442. Love of Money

1 Timothy 6:3-10

Understanding Series

Gordon D. Fee

... verse 9 about the evil effects of the desire for wealth. Second, he brings all of this into focus on the false teachers, who vividly illustrate the truth of what was said in verse 9. For, Paul says, now as supporting evidence, in this case the common proverb is quite right: The love of money is a [better, “the”] root of all kinds of evil. This text neither says, as it is often misquoted, that money is the root of all evil nor intends to say that every known evil has avarice as its root. A proverb very ...

1443. A Workman Approved by God

2 Timothy 2:14-26

Understanding Series

Gordon D. Fee

... :4–5; cf. Titus 3:9). Thus the people are warned not to engage in the empty, purposeless, speculative (cf. v. 16) disputes about words carried on by the false teachers, because it does no good of any kind (cf. Titus 3:8); indeed, quite the opposite, it only ruins those who listen. This first imperative, therefore, charges Timothy to fulfill his responsibilities toward the people. They are to be reminded of their need to persevere and thus solemnly warned not to get into the “word battles” of the false ...

1444. Paul’s Request for Onesimus

Philemon 1:8-25

Understanding Series

Arthur G. Patzia

... of a large debt by the king but who, in return, would not forgive a fellow servant a small debt (Matt. 18:21–35). 20 The intimacy between Paul and Philemon is reinforced by the term brother (cf. v. 7). This enables Paul to state quite bluntly that Philemon should honor his request in the Lord—literally, “may I have joy, profit, or help from you in the Lord.” The Greek word for benefit is oninēmi, which closely resembles Onesimus, the name of the slave. This similarity has led some interpreters ...

1445. What Must Be Taught to Various Groups

Titus 2:1-15

Understanding Series

Gordon D. Fee

... the three cardinal virtues of faith, love, and endurance (hope?). These three words occur together in the exhortation to Timothy in 1 Timothy 6:11 (cf. 2 Tim. 3:10) and are found together in Paul as early as 1 Thessalonians 1:3 (though not quite in this way). The triad faith, love, and hope appears to be a very early piece of Christian ethical instruction (see note). That “hope” has been replaced by endurance probably reflects an emphasis on perseverance that the word hope itself does not always connote ...

1446. Warning Against Falling Away

Hebrews 5:11-6:12

Understanding Series

Donald A. Hagner

... simply refers to the ordinary sense in which all Christians should be teachers. Elementary truths translates the Greek word stoicheia, a word whose meaning in Paul’s epistles is disputed (Gal. 4:3, 9; Col. 2:8, 20) but which in the present context is quite clear and further supported by the statement of 6:1, where, however, NIV’s “elementary teachings” is the translation of other Greek words than stoicheia. See H.-H. Esser in NIDNTT, vol. 2, pp. 451–53. God’s word (lit., “the oracles of God ...

1447. Christ's Sacrifice Once for All

Hebrews 10:1-18

Understanding Series

Donald A. Hagner

... fundamental point in his argument and the ground for his assertions in the preceding two verses. The words because it is impossible … are quite emphatic: cleansing of a kind can be accomplished by the blood of animals (9:13, 22), but cleansing that results in the taking ... the Hebrew text. (The LXX otherwise follows the Hebrew text closely.) Our author’s quotation of the LXX is also quite accurate. He does replace “you have not asked” (aiteō) with you were not pleased (eudokeō; cf. Ps. 51:16), thus ...

1448. Taming the Tongue

James 3:1-12, James 3:13-18

Understanding Series

Peter H. Davids

... 18). 3:10 The obvious problem here is the fickleness of speech: Out of the same mouth come praise and cursing. My brothers, this should not be. The problem is not so much that of blessing and cursing per se—one might, for example, curse sin quite properly: “May every angry thought that would invade my mind be buried in the depths of hell!” The problem is that both cursing and blessing are directed at the same object: God and a person-in-the-image-of-God. That shows double-thought and thus sinfulness ...

1449. The Christian and the World

James 4:1-12

Understanding Series

Peter H. Davids

... Chron. 26:16–20, King Uzziah). In Hebrews (4:16; 7:19) the term is used metaphorically for the boldness the Christian has in prayer and for seeking forgiveness on the basis of Christ’s already having done the work of purification. Cultic washing was quite common in the Old Testament (cf. R. Meyer and F. Hauck, “Katharos,” TDNT, vol. 3, pp. 421–25), but even there the cultic became a metaphorical symbol for moral purity: “Wash and make yourselves clean. Take your evil deeds out of my sight! Stop ...

1450. Suffering for Being a Christian

1 Peter 4:12-19

Understanding Series

Norman Hillyer

... imply that it is difficult for God to save, or that there is any uncertainty about the destiny of believers. The words mean that the believer must not expect the road to ultimate full salvation to be uneventfully smooth and easy. Spiritual adversaries will see to that, quite apart from the common ills to which anyone living in this world may be subject. But if it is far from roses all the way for the godly, the quotation goes on with the rhetorical question “what will become of the ungodly and the sinner ...

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