Sermon and Worship Resources

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Showing 1526 to 1550 of 4490 results

1526. “The Lord Looks Down . . . to See If There Are Any Who Understand”

Psalm 14:1-7

Teach the Text

C. Hassell Bullock

Big Idea: The world’s God-deniers will find, maybe to their surprise, that the God they deny is found “in the company of the righteous.” Understanding the Text The form of Psalm 14 is sometimes considered to be an individual lament, and in tone, it is, because the psalmist grieves over the vacuum of faith that he perceives in his world. But it does not follow the form of the lament. Others have suggested it is a wisdom psalm, in view of its use of wisdom language. In wisdom terms, the word “fool” stands ...

1527. “May All the Peoples Praise You”

Psalm 67:1-7

Teach the Text

C. Hassell Bullock

Big Idea: As the nations see God’s equitable judgment and guidance in the life of Israel, they will come to acknowledge his sovereignty. Understanding the Text Judging from its first-person plural pronouns (“us”), this psalm is a community psalm of thanksgiving.1 Hakham calls it a psalm of thanksgiving for an abundant harvest.2 Israel acknowledges God’s blessings and prays for their extension, even salvation to the nations of the world (67:2, 7). Psalm 66 ends with a word of blessing (“Blessed [baruk] be ...

1528. You're a Good Kid!

Mark 1:7-11

Children's Sermon

King Duncan

Object: A chain or a rope with a stake tied to one end Good morning, boys and girls. A little boy once noticed an enormous elephant tied to a tiny stake in the ground. He asked the elephant's trainer if the elephant could pull the stake up and get away. The trainer replied, "Yes he could." But then the trainer added, "But he never will. "You see, when he was just a baby elephant, we had to tie him up with a heavy chain. The chain was fastened to a six-foot pillar of steel and concrete buried in the ground ...

1529. How Beautiful are You

Song of Songs 4:1-16

One Volume

Gary M. Burge

4:1–15 · The king’s rehearsal of the maiden’s beauty and his invitations to love constitute this longest single unit in the poem. The first half of the passage is a descriptive song with highly figurative language and is bounded by the inclusio, “How beautiful you are, my darling” (4:1, 7). The descriptive song mixes pastoral, domestic, and urban images common in ancient love poetry (e.g., myrrh, lilies, pomegranates, etc.). The language of the love poem now becomes increasingly erotic and explicit. The ...

1530. Not One is Upright

Jeremiah 5:1-31, Jeremiah 6:1-30

One Volume

Gary M. Burge

So far, statements about Judah’s evil have been only sketches. Now the people (not only Jeremiah) are commanded to investigate the moral situation by means of a citywide poll (5:1–13) to show statistically, so to speak, that the place, like Sodom and Gomorrah (Gen. 18:23–33), totally lacks persons of integrity. And worse—people are outrightly defying the Lord. The poll gives warrant for God’s severe judgment. Were there even only one who would seek after truth, God would pardon the city! “Doing justice” ( ...

1531. The Shepherds

Zechariah 11:4-17

One Volume

Gary M. Burge

Chapter 10 introduced the shepherd that God will raise up to care for his people. He will destroy the power of the enemy and deliver and restore Israel at his second coming. This anticipates a time when Israel will have accepted the shepherd to follow his leadership. In chapter 11 an earlier time is in view, the first advent of the Messiah, in which his own people tragically reject him, resulting in terrible consequences. The major portion of this chapter depicts this rejection by Israel of God’s provision ...

1532. Elephants in the Room: Abuse – I Have a Secret

Matthew 11:28

Sermon

Charley Reeb

True Stories #1: He was one of my best friends in elementary school. We did just about everything together – rode bikes, played cops and robbers, had slumber parties, went to the movies. You name it, we did it. He had a younger brother and an older sister. They were all adopted and came from different biological families. They seemed to be happy with their adoptive parents. They lived in a nice home and attended a very good school in suburban Atlanta. They were provided for in every way. One day one of the ...

1533. A Warning Against Hypocrisy

Matthew 23:1-39

Understanding Series

Robert H. Mounce

Hypocrisy Denounced: The last of Matthew’s five major discourses begins with chapter 23 and runs through chapter 25 (see the standard closing formula at 26:1). It differs from the others somewhat in that there is a break and change of scene between chapters 23 and 24. The first section (chap. 23) is directed to a wider audience (cf. vv. 1, 13, 37); in the second (chaps. 24–25) Jesus speaks to his disciples in private. The material in chapter 23 has been compiled by Matthew on the basis of topical relevance ...

1534. The Seventh Trumpet

Revelation 11:15-19

Understanding Series

Robert W. Wall

The seventh trumpet blows a note of rejoicing in heaven. The heavenly chorus resumes its praise of God’s reign and God’s Christ, continuing the doxology sung at the Lamb’s coronation (cf. Rev. 5:13). Together with the great hymns of chapter 5, John brackets his vision of divine wrath and global devastation (6:1–11:14) with dissonant images of praise (5:13; 11:15–18) for rhetorical effect—to make it even more clear that God’s judgment of a sinful world is grounded in the triumph of the Lamb. The twenty-four ...

1535. Jonathan Eats Honey

1 Samuel 14:24-48

Understanding Series

Mary J. Evans

A Foolish Curse: Although there is nothing contradictory between this section and the preceding verses, it does not follow smoothly. It may be that the writers gathered a range of stories concerning Saul and Jonathan to illustrate their contrasting characters and behavior, and then verses 47–52 may correct any imbalance in the earlier stories. The rest of chapter 14 to verse 46 describes two only partially interrelated accounts, a reflection on the sort of demands God makes and how God’s actions should be ...

1536. The Rich Young Man

Matthew 19:16-30

Understanding Series

Robert H. Mounce

19:16–22 The young man who comes to Jesus in this narrative is sometimes called the rich young ruler. That he is rich is clearly seen in all three Gospels. In Mark there is no indication of his age or rank. In Luke he is called a “ruler” (Luke 18:18), but his age is not mentioned. In Matthew he is twice designated young man (vv. 20, 22), but his rank is not indicated. It is instructive to compare the young man’s question to Jesus as recorded both in Matthew and in Mark. In Mark he addresses Jesus with the ...

1537. Saul's Family

1 Samuel 14:49-52

Understanding Series

Mary J. Evans

1538. Judgment and Hope

Isaiah 66:1-24

Understanding Series

John Goldingay

Yahweh’s Closing Critique and Vision: In these last two chapters of the book, once more we cannot discern an order or structure. The succession of phrases that look like introductions to prophecies (65:8, 13, 25; 66:1, 5, 12, 22) and the movement between verse and prose suggest that here it is not because a prophet let a stream of consciousness have its way. It is, rather, because a number of separate prophecies have been accumulated at the end of the book. These different prophecies have overlapping ...

1539. Sending It on Ahead

Matthew 6:19-20

Illustration

Editor James S. Hewett

Sigmund Freud's favorite story was about the sailor shipwrecked on one of the South Sea islands. He was seized by the natives, hoisted to their shoulders, carried to the village, and set on a rude throne. Little by little, he learned that it was their custom once each year to make some man a king, king for a year. He liked it until he began to wonder what happened to all the former kings. Soon he discovered that every year when his kingship was ended, the king was banished to an island, where he starved to ...

1540. Sealed and Sanctified

Matthew 2:1-12, Genesis 14:1-24

Sermon

Lori Wagner

“And grieve not the Holy Spirit of God, by whom you were sealed for the day of redemption.” (Ephesians 4:30) “When you believed in Christ, you were marked in Him with a seal, the promised Holy Spirit.” (Ephesians 1:13) You’ve heard it said: “the eyes are the windows to the soul.” You’ve also probably heard it said “the ears are the portals to the soul.” Or maybe “if the eyes are the windows to the soul, your feet are the doorway to your body.” Or is that toes? Today we’re going to go with the eyes. If your ...

1541. How Often Do You Change The Rope?

Illustration

Brett Blair

All of us sometimes reach the breaking point emotionally. There is a monastery in Thessaly Greece called The Meteora. It's perched high up a 3,000 foot cliff and at one time was accessible only by a terrifying ride in a rope basket. The basket is pulled with a single rope by several strong men, perspiring under the strain of the fully loaded basket. A tourist who visited the site got nervous halfway up the cliff when he noticed that the rope was old and frayed. With a trembling voice he asked the monk who ...

1542. Beyond Fairness

Matthew 20:1-16

Sermon

Roy Howard

I’ve run enough long-distance races to take joy in this passage — including the 200 mile Ragnar Relay; not the first shall be last; that has never been my burden, but the last shall be first. Now that gives me hope! As well it should even though I’m confident this parable has absolutely nothing to do with running or any other athletic endeavor, unless one considers gardening to be such. It should be noted too, for the sake of honesty, that I may well be misreading the parable by taking hope instead of ...

1543. Doorkeepers for Disruption

Mark 13:24-37

Sermon

Lori Wagner

On April 7, 1789, the US Senate created a position called “doorkeeper.” They appointed James T. Mathers to the position. Mathers’ job was to ensure that all senators showed up and stayed in the Senate Chamber ready to do the business of the government at hand. Because the United States Constitution required “a Quorum to do business,” all members needed to be present and ready when needed. At first, the Senate had difficulty establishing its first quorum. Their goal was reached the day before they elected ...

1544. Don't Fall

Luke 22:39-46

Sermon

Timothy W. Ayers

After New Year’s Day an office worker decided to go on a diet. She did fairly well for about a week then she started to think about her one guilty pleasure. It was a cream filled donut from a certain bakery she passed on the way to work. For years she had stopped there regularly to get coffee and a cream filled donut. Not every day but a few times a week. On this one particular morning as she was getting dressed she had a craving for one of the donuts but at the same time she wanted to be strong. And since ...

1545. God So Loved

John 3:16-17

Sermon

Will Willimon

Driving through the mountains of North Carolina, winding my way carefully along a narrow, circuitous mountain road, I looked up and saw painted on a rock, large white letters: PREPARE TO MEET THY GOD – READ JOHN 3:16. Fortunately, I already knew John 3:16; but I shuddered at the thought of some other motorist madly thumbing through his Bible trying to find John 3:16 when he should have been watching the road! Right after I saw the painted religious rock, the next hairpin curve took me to the very edge of a ...

1546. Day of Pentecost

John 20:19-23

Sermon

William G. Carter

One Sunday after Easter, some children were playing in a Sunday school room. The class was about to start. The teacher was pulling together a few things for the lesson, and he heard them playing over in the corner. They had built a small wall out of cardboard bricks, and one of them was hiding down behind it. Apparently the little guy was playing the role of Jesus after Easter, which he must have heard about in a worship service. He called out, “Hey Pontius Pilate, I’m back.” The kid who was playing Pilate ...

1547. Leaving Home

Luke 15:11-32

Drama

Arley K. Fadness

Setting: Mom and Dad discuss their feelings when each of their three children left home – a career son, a runaway daughter, and a soldier. Scene: Center stage at a table Players: Mom – Gladys, Dad - Homer, Son - Jim, Daughter - Lola, Son - Lance GLADYS: Next week is our wedding anniversary Homer. Can you believe it? HOMER: Seems like yesterday. Time sure flies. GLADYS: When we’re having fun?? HOMER: (laughs) Yeah – some of the time. Really Gladys it’s been quite a ride! Our marriage that is. We’ve had our ...

1548. Christmas Is a God-Thing

Luke 1:26-38

Sermon

King Duncan

There was a story years ago in the Canadian version of the Reader’s Digest of a large moose that wandered into a residential area in Calgary, Canada. The moose ended up on the lawn of a lady named Lorna Cade. A Fish and Wildlife officer was dispatched to try to coax the magnificent animal back into the wild. After two hours of absolutely no progress, the officer finally shot the moose with a tranquilizer dart. The moose bolted down a lane and eventually collapsed on another nearby lawn. The reporters who ...

1549. No Cleansing, No Refreshment

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

Do you realize how much you pay to get “roughed up?” You heard me right. You even pay big bucks to get roughed up on a daily basis. To be sure, you don’t think about this activity as getting “roughed up.” You probably think of it as your morning shower or your evening bath. But consider what you do as you go about your daily cleansing rituals. Whether you use a washcloth, a loofah, or one of those “buff-puff” thingies, as you rub and scrub in the bathtub or shower you are roughing up and sloughing off dead ...

1550. Elihu

Job 32:1--37:24

Understanding Series

Gerald H. Wilson

The Friends Conclude and Elihu Begins Excurses: Had the third cycle of dialogue between Job and his three friends been complete, we would expect to find Zophar’s concluding speech in response to Job at this point. However, at least in the canonical form of the book, Bildad’s truncated final speech (25:1–6), Job’s expanded concluding speech (chs. 26–31), the complete absence of any final speech by Zophar, and the opening comments in the following Elihu section, press the reader to understand this collapse ...

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