Sermon and Worship Resources

Showing 126 to 150 of 797 results

John 1:35-42, John 1:43-51

Understanding Series

J. Ramsey Michaels

... only this introductory narrative we would conclude that Simon Peter was a minor figure in John’s Gospel and Nathanael a major one, but as it turns out, the reverse is true. Simon Peter’s confession is not omitted, only deferred (6:68–69), and the reader will learn more about him than about any other disciple (e.g., 13:36–38; 18:15–18, 25–27; 21:15–19). But little is made of Simon’s new name. There is no equivalent to the Matthean promise to Peter that “on this rock I will build my church ...

127. Jesus Teaches at the Feast

John 7:14-24

Understanding Series

J. Ramsey Michaels

... is lit. “know letters.” Though the phrase can refer to literacy, the reference here is to Jesus’ knowledge and understanding of the Scriptures. This terminology is used because in Judaism a child customarily learned to read by reading the Scriptures. The word “letters” or “writing” is also used to refer to the Hebrew Scriptures in 5:46. 7:16 Jesus answered. Here, as in 15:17, 19, Jesus is not answering a specific question directed at him but initiating a discourse. The middle form ...

128. Pilate and the Condemnation of Jesus

John 18:28-40, John 19:1-16

Understanding Series

J. Ramsey Michaels

... in the arrest probably stemmed from what he saw as an opportunity to bring a potential troublemaker under questioning and learn whether he was dangerous to the political order or not. If the Jewish authorities could be assisted in curbing subversives among ... of Caesar. Anyone who claims to be a king opposes Caesar (v. 12). The bottom line was that if the emperor were to learn that Pilate was protecting a claimant to kingship, Pilate’s status as friend of Caesar (a title of privilege bestowed by the emperor ...

129. Crucified, Dead, and Buried

John 19:17-27, John 19:28-37, John 19:38-42

Understanding Series

J. Ramsey Michaels

... two fulfillments of scripture in verses 31–37? The spear thrust? Or the consequent flow of blood and water from the wound in Jesus’ side? The accent is clearly on the latter two (v. 34). It is likely that the rest of Jesus’ disciples first learned of the spear wound—a key to their identification of the risen Jesus in 20:20a, 25, 27—through the testimony of the eyewitness mentioned here. His “seeing” not only fulfills scripture (v. 37) but lays the basis for their testimony, “We have seen the ...

130. No Confidence in the Flesh

Philippians 3:1-11

Understanding Series

F. F. Bruce

... now be harmful if it carried with it the temptation to put some confidence in them again. Christ alone must be the object of Paul’s confidence, and for the sake of Christ all these former objects of confidence have lost the value they once had. Paul had learned that, in spite of them all, his only ground of acceptance before God was ground that he shared with the rawest convert from paganism: faith in Christ. He does not deny that it was a great privilege to have been born a Jew and have access to the ...

131. Isaac and Rebekah

Genesis 24:1-67

Understanding Series

John E. Hartley

... looked up and saw Isaac. Quickly she got down from her camel and asked the servant the identity of the man walking toward them. He replied that it was his master Isaac. Rebekah’s haste in dismounting indicates that she suspected that the man was Isaac. On learning of his identity she put on her veil, symbolizing that she was his bride (Sarna, Genesis, p. 170). 24:66–67 The servant told Isaac all that had happened. Isaac then took Rebekah into the tent of his mother. Thereby he made her his wife and the ...

132. Jacob’s Flocks Increase

Genesis 30:25-43

Understanding Series

John E. Hartley

... concession that he had prospered because God was blessing Jacob bears witness to God’s fulfilling his promise to Abraham that those who blessed him would be blessed (12:3). Laban had been good to Jacob by providing him wives. Divination is employed to learn about the future, not the past. Therefore, many propose that there is a second root nikhesh in Hb., cognate to Akk. nakhashu (“prosper, thrive”), with the meaning that Laban had become rich because of God’s blessing on Jacob. 30:40 This verse may ...

133. Manasseh and Ephraim

Genesis 48:1-22

Understanding Series

John E. Hartley

... the history of the blessing he received (vv. 3–7); Joseph formally introduces his two sons (vv. 8–12); Israel blesses Joseph, Ephraim, and Manasseh (vv. 13–20); and Israel gives Joseph a special inheritance in Canaan (vv. 21–22). 48:1–2 On learning that his father was seriously ill, Joseph went to him, taking along his two sons Manasseh and Ephraim. When Joseph’s arrival was announced, Jacob rallied his strength and sat up on the bed. 48:3–4 Jacob recounted how God Almighty had appeared ...

134. Solomon Asks for Wisdom

1 Kings 3:1-15

Understanding Series

Iain W. Provan

... subjects (3:9, 11). An important theme of the OT is brought to mind by such a reading: it is the fear of the LORD that is truly the beginning of wisdom (Job 28:28; Ps. 111:10; Prov. 15:33). Solomon has apparently only just learned this. Because he has learned it, however, and has now placed himself in a humble and submissive position in relation to God, seeking the common good rather than simply his own, the blessings of God are now to follow. Much of the succeeding narrative about Solomon will, in fact, be ...

135. Micaiah Prophesies Against Ahab

1 Kings 22:1-28

Understanding Series

Iain W. Provan

... disguised himself: Ahab’s surprising—in view of his passivity hitherto—display of initiative in ch. 22 (cf. vv. 3–4) takes on the appearance at this point of dependence on the ideas of others. As he learned about repentance from Ben-Hadad’s servants (cf. 20:32; 21:27), so he has learned about disguise from the wounded prophet (cf. Hb. ḥpś here and in 20:38). Such thematic and verbal links serve an important function in binding the various chapters of the Ahab story together into a unified whole ...

136. Naaman Healed of Leprosy

2 Kings 5:1-27

Understanding Series

Iain W. Provan

... 2 Kgs. 2:12—though the two emotions need not be far apart), for the LORD is indeed active in Israel. But it also calls to mind that it is the LORD, and not the servant-prophet, who is in control of human destiny. The king has already learned this second lesson—somewhat painfully (2 Kgs. 3). It is precisely this fact, perhaps, that causes his despair. Or does he really not know what appears to be such common knowledge (v. 3): that Elisha is well able to deal with this crisis? Perhaps not. Second Kings 8 ...

137. A Prophecy Against Babylon

Isaiah 13:1--14:23

Understanding Series

John Goldingay

... ) and the achievements to which the book testifies are won by absorbing violence rather than administering it (52:13–53:12). Although the OT describes Yahweh as being all-knowing in the sense of being able to know all about us, it also describes Yahweh as learning from experience. It is through such a process that Yahweh concludes that creating humanity and yielding to Israelite pressure to appoint a king for the people were bad ideas after all (Gen. 6:6–7; 1 Sam. 15:11, 35). Perhaps the same is true of ...

138. Woe to Ephraim

Isaiah 28:1-29

Understanding Series

John Goldingay

... pressure of playing off Assyria against their neighbors and vice versa, never being able to be sure that they have backed the right horse (v. 12). If they will not listen to his stupid-sounding message, they will have to learn from even more stupid-sounding foreigners (v. 11), and learn the hard way (v. 13). First Corinthians 14:20–23 neatly applies Isaiah’s words to the function of tongues. Because unbelievers are likely to scoff at this way God allegedly speaks, speaking in tongues becomes a sign that ...

139. Woe to David’s City

Isaiah 29:1-24

Understanding Series

John Goldingay

... of God, which is our besetting temptation. They sing the right choruses but their minds are much too small to encompass God. As usual, the “heart” stands for the capacity to think and make decisions (see 6:10; 7:2, 4; 9:9; 10:12). They learn these choruses from good human teachers, but they remain only choruses on their lips, even if they re-used Bible verses (v. 13). So God will blow their little theologies wide open (v. 14). This takes us again to God’s “wonders” that demonstrate real wisdom ...

140. Ezekiel's Call

Ezekiel 1:1-28, Ezekiel 2:1-3:15, Ezekiel 3:16-27

Understanding Series

Steven Tuell

... . Since God is enthroned in a chariot, God can manifest God’s most holy presence wherever God chooses. Now, Ezekiel learns, God chooses to be with God’s people in exile. What could this unexpected, unprecedented manifestation of God’s Glory ... 1–7 At the end of Ezekiel’s vision of the Lord’s Glory the prophet says, I heard the voice of one speaking (1:28). We learn here in 2:1 that the speaker is the Lord, who is calling Ezekiel to be a prophet. Ezekiel’s commission is itself divided into three ...

141. Personal Accountability

Ezekiel 18:1-32, Ezekiel 19:1-14

Understanding Series

Steven Tuell

... Necho II (610–595 B.C.), Jehoahaz reigned for only three months before the Egyptians deposed him in favor of his older brother Jehoiakim. Jehoahaz was deported to Egypt, where he died. Ezekiel sees exile as a just penalty for the violence and bloodshed Jehoahaz committed: He learned to tear the prey and he devoured men (v. 3; compare 11:6–7). 2 Kings 23:32 likewise says that Jehoahaz “did evil in the eyes of the LORD, just as his fathers had done,” and if we understand the oracle in Jeremiah 22:1 ...

142. Miscellaneous Oracles of Judgment

Ezekiel 21:1-32, Ezekiel 22:1-31

Understanding Series

Steven Tuell

... too fond of war. We are far too ready to turn to war and violence as a tempting, speedy solution to seemingly intractable problems. Beautiful as the sword may be, Ezekiel never loses sight of its awful nature—a lesson we, sadly, never seem to learn. As in the prose oracle, likewise in this song the sword’s slaughter is indiscriminate: it cuts down princes and people alike (v. 12). Once more, God commands the prophet to respond with grief and anguish: “Cry out and wail, son of man. . . . Therefore beat ...

143. Jesus, Messiah and Lord, Is True Interpreter of the Torah

Matthew 22:15-22, Matthew 22:23-33, Matthew 22:34-40, Matthew 22:41-46

Teach the Text

Jeannine K. Brown

... wisdom (cf. Luke 2:52), and so grew to be a wise person who could deal with the tests from his opponents with prudence and discernment. Yet how encouraging it might be to teach Jesus in this way: both as Wisdom personified and as a human being who learned wisdom through a life of discernment lived in reverence of and obedience to his God. All of the Torah hangs on the two commands to love God and love neighbor. Applying the Text: This command to love calls us to cross boundaries. To do that, we must realize ...

144. The Jewish Leaders as Negative Foil for Jesus’ Followers

Matthew 23:1-39

Teach the Text

Jeannine K. Brown

... as a warning to his own community, since hypocrisy is by no means the exclusive domain of Jesus’ opponents in the narrative. So as we preach and teach this text, our own focus should be on what we as believers in Jesus can learn for Christian living from these “woes.”6The first and foremost warning of this passage is against hypocrisy, and hypocrisy is something to which all people, including Christians, are susceptible. We live in a cultural context where honesty is less important than not getting ...

145. The Authority of Jesus over Sickness and Death

Mark 5:21-43

Teach the Text

Grant R. Osborne

... (see also 10:46). “Jairus” may mean either “he awakens” or “he sees”; either would fit.2Naming him shows his great status (as well as provides a contrast with the woman who is not named in 5:25). 5:23 My little daughter is dying. In 5:42 we learn that she is twelve years old. We are never told what the disease is, but obviously it is quite serious, for she “is dying.” Jairus is at the end of his rope and clearly is praying that Jesus can heal so terrible a disease. In 1:41 Jesus touched ...

146. Spiritual Blindness and the Way to Overcome It

Mark 8:22-26, Mark 8:14-21

Teach the Text

Grant R. Osborne

... and to apply those lessons to the present difficulties. 4. Jesus is the sovereign healer. God still heals, but it is critical to realize that we cannot control him and demand healing whenever we wish. Paul, in struggling over his “thorn in the flesh,” learned that when God said no to his repeated request for healing, that “no” became a sign of God’s grace, showing that God’s “power is made perfect in weakness” (2 Cor. 12:7–9). The promise that “all things work together for good” (Rom ...

147. The Model of Jesus for Discipleship Service, Not Self-Seeking

Mark 9:33-37, Mark 9:38-41, Mark 9:42-50

Teach the Text

Grant R. Osborne

... agreement on predestination or eternal security), the return of Christ (but without agreement on millennial issues). However, traditions and denominations err when they elevate their distinctives to absolute truth. We must learn to “agree to disagree” on these lesser areas and follow Paul’s advice from Romans 14:1–15:13: learn to respect and accept our differences and realize that God is using both sides of these debated areas. We will never agree on all issues, and we must find a deeper unity ...

148. Jesus Is Tested in Gethsemane

Mark 14:32-42

Teach the Text

Grant R. Osborne

... to pray in the midst of troubles like Jesus did, with the desire that God remove the affliction and yet with a deeper desire for God’s will to be done. 2. Discipleship requires spiritual vigilance. Every disciple must learn to stay alert at all times lest we “fall into temptation” (14:38). If Jesus himself needed his friends to stand by him in prayer, much more so we need the vigilance of our fellow believers. None of us can overcome either our trials or our temptations by ourselves. The ...

149. The Arrest of Jesus

Mark 14:43-52

Teach the Text

Grant R. Osborne

... a blessing (10:16); a different verb is used for “laid hands” here to show that it is a hostile act. Jesus’s compassionate acts are now reversed. 14:47 struck the servant of the high priest, cutting off his ear. In John 18:10 we learn that the person who does this is Simon Peter. Mark dramatically pictures the unnamed disciple taking out his sword and striking the man. Raymond Brown notes that carrying a sword for protection during a festival was common, and in Luke 22:36 Jesus encouraged his ...

150. The Boy Jesus in the Temple

Luke 2:41-52

Teach the Text

R.T. France

... based on status or relationship, and the other employees have a hard time respecting or receiving that person’s leadership. In other cases, the relative starts at the bottom of the ladder like everyone else, and fully submits to the process of learning, slow promotion, and development that everyone else does. In these cases, everyone in the organization is more likely to admit the person is “one of us” who “knows the organization from the ground up.” In the same way, Jesus’s normal childhood ...

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