Sermon and Worship Resources

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Showing 1576 to 1600 of 1679 results

1576. Prophetic Actions—The Temple Condemned and the Fig Tree Cursed

Mark 11:12-19

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Grant R. Osborne

Big Idea: The withered fig tree is the only negative miracle in Mark, signifying the coming destruction of the temple due to the apostasy of the people. Both the fig tree and the temple clearing depict God’s judgment against the people of Israel who have rejected his Messiah and defiled his temple. Understanding the Text Jesus begins passion week with three symbolic actions, each of which proves that he indeed is God’s Messiah and has come with divine authority. The two themes—christological power and ...

1577. The Messianic Anointing of Jesus

Mark 14:1-11

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Grant R. Osborne

Big Idea: Three issues dominate in this opening scene of the final events: (1) the contrast between the woman’s worshipful act and Judas’s betrayal; (2) Jesus’s recognition that her anointing constituted a fourth passion prediction; (3) the first of five discipleship failures that will run through chapter 14. Understanding the Text In the first part of the passion story (chaps. 11–12) the conflict between Jesus and the Jewish authorities grows more and more severe, culminating in the diatribe of 11:28–30. ...

1578. Peter Denies Jesus

Mark 14:66-72

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Grant R. Osborne

Big Idea: This is the second terrible contrast during Jesus’s trial: the horror of Peter thinking only of himself and denying Jesus with greater intensity on each of three occasions, versus Jesus, who suffers and dies for Peter as his redeeming Lord. Understanding the Text As seen throughout the Passion Narrative, Jesus is in complete, sovereign control of the awful events taking place. The leaders of his people have not only rejected him but also have placed him on trial for his life, declared him guilty ...

1579. Testing in the Wilderness

Luke 4:1-13

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R.T. France

Big Idea: The Son of God is tested in preparation for his mission, and he defeats the devil’s attempts to drive a wedge between him and his Father. Understanding the Text The devil’s proposals echo and depend on the declaration that Jesus is God’s Son, which has just been made in 3:22. This scene, still set in the wilderness where John has been baptizing, now completes Jesus’s preparation before his public ministry begins in 4:14. That ministry will take him back up north to his home province, among the ...

1580. Priorities

Luke 12:35-48, Luke 12:22-34

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R.T. France

Big Idea: Honoring God as king, and being ready for the return of the Lord, must take priority over the ordinary concerns of life. Understanding the Text Several themes from our last section are developed here: God’s fatherly care, the absolute priority of serving God over all other concerns, and especially the tension between material concern and true discipleship—12:22–31 is a sort of commentary on 12:15 and the parable that illustrates it. This last theme of “God and mammon” will be picked up again ...

1581. Table Talk

Luke 14:1-14

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R.T. France

Big Idea: The kingdom of God reverses our conventional ideas of who really matters. Understanding the Text This is the third time Luke has depicted Jesus as an invited guest at a Pharisee’s table (see also 7:36–50; 11:37–54), and on each occasion Jesus makes things uncomfortable, challenging the social conventions and the moral values of his hosts and fellow guests. In this case, the meal setting continues into 14:15–24, in which Jesus will use the motif of a special meal as the basis for a parable about ...

1582. Jesus Takes the Initiative

Luke 21:5-38, Luke 21:1-4, Luke 20:41-47

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R.T. France

Big Idea: The pretentious religiousness of scribes and wealthy worshipers and of the magnificent temple buildings contrasts with the simple devotion of a poor widow. Understanding the Text In place of the question-and-answer scenario of the first part of Jesus’s public ministry in the temple (20:1–40), we now have a series of pronouncements by Jesus that bring that phase of the Jerusalem story to an end. They begin with a response to the leaders’ hostile questioning, in which Jesus raises the question of ...

1583. The Faithfulness of God and the Covenantal Curses on Israel

Romans 3:1-8

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C. Marvin Pate

Big Idea: God’s faithfulness is actually demonstrated through the covenantal curses on Israel. Understanding the Text In Romans 2 Paul showed that Israel’s attempt to obey the law is, ironically, the reason that they are still in exile and under divine judgment. Romans 3:1–8 therefore anticipates, in diatribe fashion, three Jewish objections to that notion: (1) there is no advantage to having the law, (2) God has broken his promise, and (3) God is unfair to punish Israel (see table 1). Historical and ...

1584. The Reversal of the Deuteronomic Curses and Blessings: Replacing Law with Faith

Romans 9:30--10:21

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C. Marvin Pate

Big Idea: The key issue in this controversial text is the role of the law in light of the work of Christ. Paul reverses the Deuteronomic curses and blessings: non-Christian Jews experience the Deuteronomic curses because they attempt to be justified by the law, while believing Gentiles are justified because their faith is in Christ, so to them belong the Deuteronomic blessings. Understanding the Text Romans 9:30–10:21 forms the second unit in Romans 9–11 (9:1–29 is the first, and 11:1–32 is the third). The ...

1585. Worthy Is the Lamb Who Was Slain

Revelation 5:1-14

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J. Scott Duvall

Big Idea: Jesus, the crucified and resurrected Lion-Lamb, is worthy to carry out God’s plan of redemption and judgment for the world. Understanding the Text Revelation 5 continues the throne-room vision that began in 4:1. Following the worship of God as sovereign Creator, the scene shifts to the Lamb as Redeemer. John sees a scroll in God’s right hand, and the heavenly worshipers fall silent as the mighty angel asks, “Who is worthy to break the seals and open the scroll?” (5:2). This brings us to a ...

1586. The Four Horsemen

Revelation 6:1-17

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J. Scott Duvall

Big Idea: As Christ opens the first four seals, God allows human sinfulness to run its course, resulting in warfare, violence, bloodshed, economic hardship, and death. Understanding the Text Just as the vision of the glorified Christ in Revelation 1 leads into the messages to the seven churches in chapters 2–3, so the throne-room vision of Revelation 4–5 prepares the way for God’s righteous judgments that commence in chapter 6. Jesus, the worthy one (5:2–5), now begins to open the scroll by breaking the ...

1587. Living by God’s Sexual Standards

Leviticus 18:1-30

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Joe M. Sprinkle

Big Idea: God’s moral and sexual standards bring life. Understanding the Text Leviticus 18 within the laws of holiness (Lev. 17–27) teaches holiness to laypersons in the areas of incest and sexuality. It exhorts the Israelites to live differently than do the Egyptians or the Canaanites (vv. 1–5) in those areas (vv. 6–23) or else be expelled from the land (vv. 24–30). The present chapter overlaps in content with Leviticus 20. In terms of sacred space, Leviticus 18–20 arguably describes things that ...

1588. Holy Days and Festivals

Le 22:17–23:22

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Joe M. Sprinkle

Big Idea: God uses religious occasions and holidays to teach his people to be holy. Understanding the Text Leviticus 23 continues the theme of holiness in the holiness code (Lev. 17–27) and the broader theme in Leviticus of maintaining an equilibrium between the human and the divine (see the introduction to Leviticus). Leviticus 21–22 deals with holy priests and holy offerings. Now the text moves on to holy days and festivals used by God to instill in Israel a sense of being a holy people in proper ...

1589. Israel Celebrates the Passover

Numbers 9:1-14

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Joe M. Sprinkle

Big Idea: We need to recall how God saved us. Understanding the Text The book of Numbers begins with the census initiated twelve and a half months after the exodus (Num. 1:1, 18). But in Numbers 9 (and probably Num. 7–8 as well; see comments as Num. 7:1), the book flashes back to the previous month (Num. 9:1)—that is, to the very month when the tabernacle had been completed (Exod. 40:17). Precisely one year after the initial Passover, the Israelites begin the first annual Passover commemoration around ...

1590. Immorality and Apostasy

Numbers 25:1-18

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Joe M. Sprinkle

Big Idea: God’s people must deal with immorality and idolatry. Understanding the Text Numbers 25 moves from the story of the Balaam cycle to Israel’s last act of rebellion in the book of Numbers: its idolatry with Baal of Peor. At first glance, this story seems unrelated to Numbers 22–24, simply picking up where Numbers 21 left off with Israel camped on the plains of Moab after defeating Sihon and Og. But that initial impression is wrong. First, this unit provides a contrast: Balaam and Balak cannot curse ...

1591. David the Conqueror

2 Sam 5:6-25

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Robert B. Chisholm Jr.

Big Idea: The Lord accomplishes his purposes through those who promote his kingdom agenda and act in accordance with his reliable promises. Understanding the Text Israel has been humiliated by the Philistines and torn by civil strife, but finally the tribes have united and made David king in accordance with God’s purposes. David immediately takes the ancient site of Jerusalem as a prelude to establishing a central sanctuary there. He also seeks the Lord’s guidance and experiences his supernatural ...

1592. Fighting Wars and Keeping a Promise: David Establishes an Ideal of Kingship

2 Sam 8:1–10:19

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Robert B. Chisholm Jr.

Big Idea: The Lord blesses his chosen servants when they rely on his protection and seek to reflect his character in their dealings with others. Understanding the Text The narrator’s positive portrayal of King David continues in these chapters. Once David became king over all Israel, he conquered the Jebusite stronghold of Jerusalem and then turned the tables on the Philistines. He brought the ark to Jerusalem and intended to build a house (temple) for it. But then the Lord surprised David by announcing ...

1593. Escaping a Tangled Web

1 Samuel 30:1-31, 1 Samuel 29:1-11

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Robert B. Chisholm Jr.

Big Idea: When his chosen servants find themselves in a precarious position, the Lord is able to deliver them by his providence and renew their faith through his guidance and protection. Understanding the Text In 1 Samuel 29 the focus shifts back to David as the story continues where chapter 27 left off. A chronological flashback comes in chapter 29. According to 28:4, the Philistine army was encamped at Shunem when Saul visited the medium in Endor. The next day the Philistines and the Israelites fight on ...

1594. Job Feels Both Confidence and Terror

Job 23:1--24:25

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Daniel J. Estes

Big Idea: God’s justice draws Job toward confidence, but God’s sovereignty intimidates him. Understanding the Text In Job 23, Job rejects what Eliphaz has just said in the previous chapter, when he counseled Job to “submit to God and be at peace with him” (22:21). This is yet another indicator that the communication between Job and his friends is breaking down. Instead of speaking directly either to his friends or to God, Job speaks in a soliloquy, as he did in chapter 3. His internal conversation reflects ...

1595. Job Comes to a Good End

Job 42:7-17, Job 42:1-6

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Daniel J. Estes

Big Idea: Job realizes that Yahweh’s ways are more wonderful than he has known before, and he comes to enjoy Yahweh’s renewed blessings on his life. Understanding the Text After Yahweh speaks to Job in chapters 38 and 39, Job replies tentatively to him in 40:3–5. Yahweh’s second round of questions, in 40:6–41:34, with his detailed descriptions of Behemoth and Leviathan, then evokes a more definitive response from Job in 42:1–6. In his second reply, Job acknowledges that he has come to a more accurate ...

1596. “I Will Praise Your Name, Lord, for It Is Good”

Psalm 54:1-7

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C. Hassell Bullock

Big Idea: Faith affirms God and worships, and in that context confronts the ongoing conflict between truth and evil. Understanding the Text Psalm 54 contains most of the characteristics of an individual lament, including an address to God, petition, lament/complaint, confession of trust, vow to praise, and assurance of being heard.1 It is another of the thirteen psalms that have historical titles (see the sidebar). Psalm 54 belongs to a minicollection (Pss. 52–55) that is joined together by the phrase “A ...

1597. “You Laugh at Them, Lord; You Scoff at All Those Nations”

Psalm 59:1-17

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C. Hassell Bullock

Big Idea: Although the enemies of our personal world—sickness, slander, uncertainty, and so on—may roam as scavengers of the night, in faithful trust we will sing God’s morning song of love. Understanding the Text In terms of traditional categories, this psalm is an individual lament, for the suppliant’s character has been maligned by his enemies, to which he attests his innocence and confesses his faith in the loving God. Judging from the titles of Psalms 56–60, we see literary threads that connect these ...

1598. The Grace Question: “Are You a Teacher…and Yet Do Not Understand These Things?”

John 3:1-21

Sermon

Maxie Dunnam

There are two actors in this scene of John’s gospel: Jesus and Nicodemus. Nicodemus is not a popular figure in the gospels. He appears only a couple of other times in John’s record. The last picture of him is in John 19. He and Joseph of Arimathea asked for the body of Jesus after He was crucified in order that He might have a decent burial. One of Rembrandt’s most famous etchings portrays that scene. The limp, dead body of Jesus was slowly taken down from the cross. Joseph of Arimathea, dressed as the ...

1599. Cain and Abel

Genesis 4:1-26

One Volume

Gary M. Burge

Cain and Abel, Adam’s sons, are born after the fall (4:1–16). Eve connects Cain’s birth with the verb “to bring forth.” In Hebrew this verb (qanah) sounds like “Cain” (qayin). Eve has been allowed to share in the creative work of God. Unlike Cain’s, Eve does not explain Abel’s name. “Abel” is the word “vanity” appearing in Ecclesiastes 1:2—“Abel of Abels, all is Abel”—unless “Abel” is to be connected with a cuneiform word meaning “son.” Traditionally understood, his name reflects the transitory nature of ...

1600. Job Replies to the Lord

Job 42:1-6

One Volume

Gary M. Burge

Job can do nothing but confess his unworthiness and lack of understanding. But Job’s last words (42:6) are anything but clear. Job may be saying any of the following, and choosing one over the other depends on how one understands God’s speeches and Job’s reaction: 1. I despise myself and repent (sitting) on dust and ashes—an act of humbleness (so NIV); 2. I take back/retract myself (my words) and repent on dust and ashes; 3. I now reject and forswear dust and ashes—Job now rejects his symbols of mourning; ...

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