Sermon and Worship Resources

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Showing 1476 to 1500 of 4942 results

1476. Last Encouragement and Final Greeting

1 Corinthians 16:19-24, 1 Corinthians 16:5-18

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Preben Vang

Big Idea: When strong, Christ-devoted Christians visit or join a fellowship, churches must receive these with love and submit to their ministry. As the strong believers come to encourage others’ faith, they themselves should receive encouragement and be strengthened. Understanding the Text Albeit concise, Paul’s concluding chapter functions as weighty pastoral guidance on practical community matters. He ends his letter by speaking to the relationship between individual communities, between a community and ...

1477. Message to Sardis

Revelation 3:1-6

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J. Scott Duvall

Big Idea: Jesus rebukes his church for its compromise that is leading to spiritual death and reassures the faithful few with promises of heavenly citizenship. Understanding the Text The message to the church in Sardis is the fifth (and most negative) in the series of messages to the seven churches in Revelation 2–3. Jesus confronts a church relying on its past reputation to make up for its present spiritual slumber. Only a few people are commended by the Lord as he attempts to rescue this church from ...

1478. Grain Offerings

Leviticus 2:1-16

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Joe M. Sprinkle

Big Idea: All people, rich and poor, can please God through giving their best. Understanding the Text Leviticus 1–7 gives Israel instruction concerning sacrifices at the tabernacle that Israel had just completed (Exod. 40). The instruction about the grain (or cereal) offering follows the burnt offering probably because it could serve as the poor person’s burnt offering. The sequence in the burnt offering is from more expensive to less expensive (bull, sheep/goat, bird). The cereal offering, in line with ...

1479. The Horrific End of Nadab and Abihu

Leviticus 10:1-20

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Joe M. Sprinkle

Big Idea: We must respect the holiness of God. Understanding the Text In Leviticus 8–9 the priests have been ordained and sacrificial worship has been initiated with “Aaron and his sons [doing] everything the Lord commanded through Moses” (Lev. 8:36; see also 8:9, 13, 17, 21, 36; 9:10, 21). God shows his pleasure by sending fire to consume the offering on the altar while the people shout for joy (Lev. 9:24). Everything has gone beautifully. But in Leviticus 10 the opposite takes place. Nadab and Abihu ...

1480. Sabbath Year and Year of Jubilee

Leviticus 25:8-55, Leviticus 25:1-7

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Joe M. Sprinkle

Big Idea: God wants people to be free to serve him and not be trapped in permanent poverty. Understanding the Text Leviticus 23 describes special religious days during Israel’s calendar year. Leviticus 25 describes special religious years: the Sabbath Year and the Year of Jubilee. These “consecrated” and “holy” years (25:10, 12) contribute to making Israel a holy people, the theme of Leviticus 17–27. This chapter’s introduction (25:1) also serves to introduce the next chapter (see further comments there). ...

1481. Priesthood Confirmed and Its Mediation Duties Specified

Num 17:1–8:7

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Joe M. Sprinkle

Big Idea: God confirms his ministers and directs them to protect that which is sacred. Understanding the Text In Numbers 16 Korah challenges the exclusive privilege of priesthood by Aaron and his sons. But in the contest between Aaron and the followers of Korah, God shows Korah to be wrong by sending fire to consume the 250 non-Aaronites who have come to offer incense to God. A challenge also comes from Reubenites, who in sympathy with Korah claim that “the whole community is holy” (Num. 16:3b), not just ...

1482. The Road to the Throne Is Covered with Blood

2 Sam 1:1–5:5

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Robert B. Chisholm Jr.

Big Idea: The Lord fulfills his promises to his chosen servants as his people depend on his providence and align their desires with his purposes. Understanding the Text With Saul’s death, David’s path was open to the throne of Israel. This next part of the unfolding story (2:1–5:5) tells how David fulfills his destiny and ascends the throne. This is a distinct literary unit, marked out by an inclusio. It begins with David’s being anointed in Hebron by the men of Judah (2:1–4) and ends with all Israel ...

1483. A Prodigal Son Comes Home in Body, but Not in Spirit

2 Sam 14:1–15:12

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Robert B. Chisholm Jr.

Big Idea: One’s failure to do what is just can have serious personal repercussions. Understanding the Text After the murder of Amnon, Absalom found asylum with his maternal grandfather, the king of Geshur (13:37–38; cf. 3:3). After three years, David calmed down and no longer desired to take hostile action against Absalom (13:39). Sensing an opening, Joab now works hard to persuade David to let Absalom come home. David agrees, but he does not reinstate Absalom to the royal court right away. Eventually, ...

1484. David Brings a Plague upon Israel

2 Samuel 24:1-25

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Robert B. Chisholm Jr.

Big Idea: When angered by sin, God may severely punish the sinners, but he is willing to relent from his judgment when sinners repent. Understanding the Text As noted above, this final episode in the book corresponds to 2 Samuel 21:1–14 in the concentric structure of the epilogue. In both episodes David successfully appeases God’s anger. In the first instance Saul’s sin against the Gibeonites prompts God’s judgment; in the second instance God’s anger at Israel, presumably due to some unidentified sin, is ...

1485. Repentance and Victory

1 Samuel 7:2-17

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Robert B. Chisholm Jr.

Big Idea: Repentance and renewed allegiance to the Lord are foundational to a restored relationship with him. Understanding the Text This chapter depicts Samuel as a spiritual and military leader. He revives Israel spiritually and politically and delivers them from Philistine bondage. This positive portrait of Samuel continues the contrast with Eli’s house so evident in chapters 2–4. Israel’s defeat was closely linked with the death of Eli and his sons. The text even seems to indicate that it was their sin ...

1486. The Lord Is with David

1 Samuel 18:1-30

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Robert B. Chisholm Jr.

Big Idea: The Lord protects and grants success to his chosen servants. Understanding the Text The tension between Saul and David has been building in the story line. At first, Saul’s successor was described as one who is in touch with God and superior to Saul (13:14; 15:28), but he was not named. In chapters 16 and 17 he appears and quickly demonstrates his qualifications by bringing the king relief from his distress and then leading Israel to a great victory. All seems to be well. Impressed by David’s ...

1487. Saul on the Rampage

1 Samuel 22:6-23

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Robert B. Chisholm Jr.

Big Idea: God regards as enemies those who oppose his chosen servants. Understanding the Text In this next episode the focus briefly shifts from David to Saul, and we see the tragic aftermath of David’s visit to Ahimelek (21:1–9). Saul accuses the priests of being traitors and murders them and their families. Only one, Abiathar, escapes. He goes to David, who welcomes him and promises him protection. The contrast between Saul and David cannot be sharper. While Saul is murdering the Lord’s priests, David is ...

1488. Adversity of a Righteous Man

Job 1:1-22

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Daniel J. Estes

Big Idea: In the face of severe adversity, Job lives up to the Lord’s confidence in his character. Understanding the Text Job 1 and 2 serve as a prologue for the book. The initial chapter introduces the protagonist, Job, as a man of exemplary character. Both the narrator (1:1) and Yahweh (1:8) describe Job as blameless, righteous, and God-fearing. The rest of the book is intended to be read with this introduction in mind. Under the intense pressure that he faces, Job will make some statements that sound ...

1489. “I Confess My Iniquity; I Am Troubled by My Sin”

Psalm 38:1-22

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C. Hassell Bullock

Big Idea: When our sins and their consequences are misconstrued by our adversaries, God will dispense his discipline without malice. Understanding the Text Psalm 38 is an individual lament (esp. 38:2–14) about the psalmist’s sickness that, in his view, has been caused by his sin, which he confesses (38:3–4, 18). Generally this genre includes, according to Westermann, complaints against God, against an enemy, and against the psalmist himself.[1] While a lament need not contain all three, Psalm 38 does: ...

1490. “Human Help Is Worthless”

Psalm 60:1-12

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C. Hassell Bullock

Big Idea: When life’s defeats have no explanation, we must affirm victory by God’s help, for all human help, without God, is worthless. Understanding the Text Psalm 60, judging from the first-person plural pronouns (“us,” “our,” “we”), is a community lament, prayed by the congregation after Israel’s daunting defeat in battle, perhaps by the Edomites (60:8b). In the psalms of lament, the complaint can take one of three directions, or any combination: against God, against oneself, and against one’s enemies. ...

1491. Nebuchadnezzar’s Testimony and Tree Dream

Daniel 4:1-18

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Ronald W. Pierce

Big Idea: In contrast to this world’s belief systems, God communicates his sovereignty to powerful leaders through his Spirit in faithful servants. Understanding the Text Daniel 4:1–37 is woven into the book’s overall literary structure in two ways. First, it advances the narrative of chapters 1–6, in which the first four focus on Nebuchadnezzar (chaps. 1–2 with historical markers and 3–4 without) and the last two show the transition from Belshazzar of Babylon to Darius the Mede (chaps. 5–6). Second, it ...

1492. Daniel Interprets the Dream and Confronts Nebuchadnezzar

Daniel 4:19-27

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Ronald W. Pierce

Big Idea: The Most High God blesses and judges even the most powerful rulers of this world regarding their belief in him and their treatment of those they govern. Understanding the Text See the unit on 4:1–18 for a discussion of the larger context, structure, and comparisons of this literary unit. Against this backdrop, 4:19–27 forms the center of this narrative, shifting the story line from the telling of the dream to its interpretation and at the same time changing from first person to third when ...

1493. The Flood

Genesis 6:1-8:22

One Volume

Gary M. Burge

6:1–22 · Few episodes in Scripture defy dogmatic interpretation as does Genesis 6:1–4. The sons of God marry the daughters of men; and Nephilim are said to be on the earth. Until this point Genesis has dealt only with the sins of individuals—Cain, Lamech, Eve, Adam. Now the emphasis is on the sin of a group, the sons of God. Who are these sons of God? The term “sons of God” elsewhere in the Old Testament designates angels (see Job 1:6; 38:7; Ps. 29:1; 89:7). The New Testament, however, teaches that angels ...

1494. Voluntary Sacrifices

Leviticus 1:1-17

One Volume

Gary M. Burge

Sacrificial Worship (1:1–7:38): According to Genesis, sacrificial worship and priesthood originated long before the Israelites departed Egypt (Gen. 4:3–5; 8:20; 12:7–8; 13:4, 18; 14:18; 22:13; 31:54; 46:1). In Leviticus some earlier categories of sacrifice (burnt offerings and “sacrifices”) continue. Also continuing are a number of aspects of sacrifice, such as the need for invoking divine acceptance by a pleasing aroma, restriction of victims to animals and birds that were fit to eat, offering of fat ...

1495. The Sin Offering

Lev 4:1–5:13

One Volume

Gary M. Burge

4:1–6:7 Review · Mandatory Sacrifices as Moral Remedies: Two new kinds of mandatory sacrifices protect the holy sphere centered at God’s earthly residence. These are the purification (so-called sin) and reparation (“guilt”) offerings. The purification offering removes defilements caused by sins (4:1–5:13) and by physical conditions (chaps. 12–15) that can affect the state of the sanctuary (15:31; 16:16). The reparation offering remedies various kinds of sacrilege (5:14–6:7). The Hebrew word for “ ...

1496. Various Laws

Leviticus 19:1-37

One Volume

Gary M. Burge

Instructions in Worship and Ethics: Leviticus 19 contains a remarkably diverse group of laws, mixing moral or ethical injunctions with religious or ritual instructions. Such a combination of categories is not found elsewhere in the ancient Near East, where religious and ethical laws are separated in different collections. This combination of ethics and religion in the Bible emphasizes that for God’s people, every aspect of life is holy and under his control. Thus, the heading in 19:2 calls for the ...

1497. Three Feasts

Deut 16:1-17

One Volume

Gary M. Burge

Passover · The first of the feasts is Passover (16:1–8), which is to take place in the month of Aviv (our late March–early April). The name Passover probably comes from the verb “to pass over,” as when God had the death angel “leap/pass over” the houses of the Israelites in Egypt just before the tenth plague of the death of the firstborn in Egypt (Exod. 12:29–31). It is also the time of the barley harvest and the seven additional days of eating unleavened bread (16:3), since they needed to leave Egypt in “ ...

1498. List of Defeated Kings

Joshua 12:1-24

One Volume

Gary M. Burge

To supplement the above summary, a list of defeated kings is also provided, including both those defeated under Moses’s leadership east of the Jordan (12:1–6) and those defeated under Joshua’s leadership in the west (12:7–24). The two major kings defeated east of the Jordan were Sihon, king of Heshbon, and Og, king of Bashan. The area over which they ruled extended from the Arnon Gorge in the south at around the midpoint of the Dead Sea (also known as the Sea of Arabah or the Salt Sea) to Mount Hermon in ...

1499. Joash Repairs the Temple

2 Kings 12:1-21

One Volume

Gary M. Burge

During Joash’s reign (12:1–3) there is a reversal of Athaliah’s policies, as Joash “did what was right in the eyes of the Lord,” under the vigilant tutelage of Jehoiada. Part of his achievement might be credited to his mother from Beersheba, a city in the far south of Judah, as far as possible from northern corruption. The high places remain, however, and in this context the mention of incense burning and deviant sacrifices might serve as a bit of an ominous foreshadowing. A major undertaking during Joash’ ...

1500. Nehemiah Helps the Poor

Nehemiah 5:1-19

One Volume

Gary M. Burge

Nehemiah not only must face opposition from without; now he has to face opposition from within the Jewish community (5:1–19). Christian leaders today find the same to be true, and it tests a leader’s character even more than opposition from without. In this case the nobles and officials, the powerful and the well-off in the community, are treating unjustly the underprivileged, the needy, and the poor. This exploitation or oppression by one’s fellow human beings is one of the most detrimental evils in any ...

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