Sermon and Worship Resources

Synonyms: Levi, disciple, evangelist, tax collector, the 12, the twelve, apostle, sermon on the mount, jewish audience, beatitudes, lord's prayer, great commission, parables, olivet discourse, mount of olives, olivet, synoptic

Showing 1601 to 1625 of 5000 results

1601. A Crown for Joshua

Zechariah 6:9-15

Understanding Series

Pamela J. Scalise

... of a play on words describing the vital growth of the Branch’s authority, he will branch out (yitsmakh) from his place where he will be clothed with majesty and will sit and rule on his throne. The Branch to come will also build the temple (hekal) of the LORD. This is not the temple that Zerubbabel was still in the midst of building in the second year of Darius. (Zech. 1:7 gives the date for Part Two of the book.) The Branch’s temple will be built in the future. The book of Zechariah gives full credit ...

1602. Exhortations

Philippians 4:2-9

Understanding Series

F. F. Bruce

... is something Paul might very well have said (cf. 3:20), in the spirit of Jesus’ direction to his disciples to be like servants who are waiting for their master (Luke 12:42–48). But the words may imply nearness in place as well as nearness in time. “The LORD is close” is a recurring assurance to his people in the OT (cf. Ps. 34:18; also Pss. 119:151; 145:18). If time alone were in view, then it might be thought that the assurance is more valid for those living only a short time before the unknown ...

1603. Golden Calves at Bethel and Dan

1 Kings 12:25-33

Understanding Series

Iain W. Provan

... that his newfound subjects have really given him their total commitment and would not kill him if circumstances demanded it (v. 27). He is not even convinced—in spite of these same events—of the legitimacy of his own kingship; he refers to Rehoboam as their lord (i.e., Israel’s lord) despite the fact that he is self-evidently (and not merely de facto) the only king of Judah. Most of all, he does not trust God. In spite of the clear prophetic word of Ahijah in 11:31–39, he is not prepared to leave it ...

1604. Lessons on Devotion and Prayer

Luke 11:1-13, Luke 10:38-42

Teach the Text

R.T. France

... lost if we did not go on asking, seeking, and knocking? Illustrating the Text Let Jesus work on your heart before you work your heart out for Jesus. Personal Testimony: Invite a “Martha” or two to share their testimonies of how their service to the Lord became more than just keeping busy or working hard. Have them tell about how they came to a “Mary moment” in which Jesus transformed their heart and freed them from keeping score, comparing to others, and feeling used when serving in church. The key ...

1605. The Nazirite Vow

Numbers 6:1-21

Teach the Text

Joe M. Sprinkle

... and gratitude for God’s help in keeping the vow.5 As with other fellowship offerings, only a portion of this sacrifice is burned or given to the priest. Most of the meat is given to the worshiper, who in turn eats it in joyful celebration “before the Lord” (Deut. 12:7–8; 27:7) at the sanctuary. The ritual cutting and burning on the altar of the Nazirite’s hair (v. 18) along with the completion of the sacrifices by the priest (vv. 19–20) symbolize that the person is no longer a holy Nazirite and ...

1606. Israel Celebrates the Passover

Numbers 9:1-14

Teach the Text

Joe M. Sprinkle

... Haggadah emphasizes the reason why celebrating this day is important. The youngest child at the gathering who is capable of doing so is to ask, “Why is this night different from all other nights?” The answer is then given: We were slaves to Pharaoh in Egypt. But the Lord our God took us out of there with a strong hand and a stretched out arm. And if God had not taken our fathers out of Egypt, then even we, and our children, and our children’s children, might still be slaves to Pharaoh in Egypt.1 This ...

1607. “In Peace I Will Lie Down and Sleep”

Psalm 4:1-8

Teach the Text

C. Hassell Bullock

... in our discussion of Psalm 3, the present collection is a Davidic assemblage of psalms. Beginning with Psalm 2, the editor of the collection brings together psalms that set the tone for Book 1, which is David’s conflict with his enemies and his trust in the Lord to deliver him. Psalm 4, a psalm of trust (see sidebar “Psalms of Trust” in the unit on Ps. 16), follows on the heels of a psalm that deals with Absalom’s rebellion, and the tone of this poem shifts from the crisis mode to reconciliation ...

1608. “May the Net They Hid Entangle Them”

Psalm 35:1-28

Teach the Text

C. Hassell Bullock

... Psalm 35 is a prayer that God will deal out justice to those who, without cause (35:7), have dealt injustice to the psalmist. In the immediate neighborhood, Psalm 35 appears to be a companion to Psalm 34, the two sharing the only references to the “angel of the Lord” in the Psalter (34:7; 35:5, 6). The gentle admonition of Psalm 34 is that the saints “turn from evil and do good; seek peace and pursue it” (34:14). In contrast, the king’s enemies in Psalm 35 “do not speak peaceably” (v. 20; lit ...

1609. “For Your Sake We Face Death . . . as Sheep to Be Slaughtered”

Psalm 44:1-26

Teach the Text

C. Hassell Bullock

... Psalm 44, even if it does not provide a historical one. It even includes the picture of a prophetic oracle to instruct King Jehoshaphat, a picture of the praise of God led by the Kohathites and Korahites, and the king’s assignment of “men to sing to the Lord and to praise him for the splendor of his holiness as they went out at the head of the army” (2 Chron. 20:21). The latter feature is missing from our psalm, but the activity of the Levitical singers is attested, and the dynamics of the threatening ...

1610. “If I Were Hungry I Would Not Tell You, for the World Is Mine, and All That Is in It”

Psalm 50:1-23

Teach the Text

C. Hassell Bullock

... on the contrary, had no need of sacrifice—if indeed he were ever hungry—and if he did get hungry, he still had no need of Israel’s sacrifices, because he owned “the cattle on a thousand hills” (50:10). Interpretive Insights 50:1 The Mighty One, God, the Lord . . . from the rising of the sun to where it sets.For the use of the three divine names, see the sidebar. The summons is to the whole earth, from east to west. The fact that God can summon the earth, just as he can summon his own people (50 ...

1611. Achan's Sin

Joshua 7:1-26

One Volume

Gary M. Burge

... 15) seems to hint at a slight impatience with Joshua’s melodrama, as he tells him to get up and stop lying prostrate before him. He then tells Joshua that the real problem has to do with sin. Disclosing the nature of the sin, the Lord further threatens to withdraw his presence unless the devoted things among them are destroyed. This is followed by a series of instructions designed to rectify the problem. Joshua is to tell the people to consecrate themselves and inform them of the real reason behind their ...

1612. God's Promise to David

2 Samuel 7:1-17

One Volume

Gary M. Burge

... who will be allowed to build the temple (1 Chron. 22:8–9). The implicit reason in Samuel seems to concern the direction of authority: who is whose benefactor? Note David’s reasoning: he sees the disparity between his dwelling and that for the ark of the Lord and proposes to rectify this. God’s response is interesting. After God notes his previous practice, that he has never dwelt in a house before, he addresses David’s concern that God not be angry over the disparity by pointing out that none of the ...

1613. Jonah’s Unjustified Anger and God’s Response

Jonah 4:1-11

One Volume

Gary M. Burge

... s response to Jonah’s unjustified anger: Jonah travels east of Nineveh and settles down to wait for Nineveh’s demise, as if it is inconceivable that the city will be spared by God (4:5). In an expression of his divine mercy and compassion, the Lord “appoints” or “provides” (4:6–8; cf. 1:17) a plant, probably a castor oil plant, to shade and cool Jonah as he sits in the desert. Jonah rejoices in God’s merciful provision, an accommodation that Jonah does not deserve in light of his opposition ...

1614. Oracles of Judgment against Jerusalem and the Nations

Zephaniah 3:1-20

One Volume

Gary M. Burge

... by day his justice and righteousness are evident. Yahweh the great king is here pictured dispensing justice without fail. In contrast to this righteous and just judge are the wicked, who have no sense of shame. They will not even come to be tried by the Lord until it is too late. In the end his judgment overtakes them. These foolish people have not seen how Yahweh has shown his righteous judgment in the past by cutting off entire nations, reducing them to wastelands. The story of the Old Testament is the ...

1615. The Birth of John the Baptist Foretold

Luke 1:5-25

Understanding Series

Craig A. Evans

... ; see also Lachs, pp. 16–17). It was during one of his weeks of priestly service that Zechariah was visited by the angel. 1:10 Lachs (p. 17) notes that people praying outside the temple was not normal practice. 1:11 an angel of the Lord appeared: An “angel of the LORD” appeared to Samson’s mother in Judges 13:3. In Luke 1:19 the angel identifies himself as Gabriel (see Dan. 9:21, where Gabriel appears at the ninth hour [i.e., 3 p.m.], the hour of prayer and evening sacrifice). Elsewhere the “angel ...

1616. Food Sacrificed to Idols

1 Corinthians 8:1-13

Understanding Series

Marion L. Soards

... and redemptive power in such a way that God’s will and way are made real in the lives of believers. The dynamics of such creative, redemptive, life-giving relations are the heart of Christian faith and living. In relation to the one God and one Lord the believer is both informed and formed; that is, the believer finds a new identity and a new way of life. Additional Notes 8:1 Paul begins this section with a phrase, now concerning … (Gk. Peri), that indicates he is focusing on a particular topic brought ...

1617. Propriety in Worship

1 Corinthians 11:2-16

Understanding Series

Marion L. Soards

... his turning to other issues that are impossible for him to laud. In what follows, both positively and negatively, the point of continuity is with 10:33–11:1, imitation of Paul and following his teachings. Moreover, D. K. Lowery (“The Head Covering and the Lord’s Supper in 1 Corinthians 11:2–34,” BibSac 143 [1986], pp. 155–63) finds connections between the two major portions of 1 Cor. 11 at the level of Paul’s general discussion of Christian freedom, which he contends to be a dominant theme ...

1618. The Ark Brought to Jerusalem

1 Chronicles 15:1-16:6

Understanding Series

Louis C. Jonker

... ark was brought and set inside the tent that David had pitched for it. The ark would remain there until it was taken to the temple during Solomon’s reign (2 Chron. 5). Sacrifices were again brought at this point, David blessed the people in the name of the LORD, and he gave them food to eat in celebration of the coming of the ark to the City of David. The remark in 2 Samuel 6:19b about the people going “to their homes” is not included at this point in the Chronicler’s narrative. It is rather kept ...

1619. David's Prayer

1 Chronicles 29:10-20

Understanding Series

Louis C. Jonker

... from the writer of Kings, is clear that the actual king is Yahweh and that the earthly king is a custodian of Yahweh’s kingship. The new king received support from various leaders, and all Israel obeyed him. The section closes with the declaration that the LORD highly exalted Solomon in the sight of all Israel and that the royal splendor he received was such as no king of Israel ever had before. Additional Notes 29:1 and 29:19 The NIV translates the noun for the temple building as palatial structure. The ...

1620. Jehoshaphat Defeats Moab and Ammon

2 Chronicles 20:1-30

Understanding Series

Louis C. Jonker

... , for his love endures forever (20:21). This description resembles that of the battle of Abijah against Jeroboam of Israel (2 Chron. 13). The praise song is also reminiscent of the bringing of the ark to Jerusalem. In the style of a holy war the LORD set ambushes against the men of Ammon and Moab and Mount Seir (20:22) and caused them to destroy themselves. Jehoshaphat and his men could therefore conquer them without actually taking part in the battle in any way. Their role was to collect the booty and to ...

1621. Four Magic Words

Psalm 126:1-6, Psalm 145:2-11

Sermon

King Duncan

... 2) Some of us can relate to that. We look over our lives and realize that we too have received many undeserved blessings. We find it impossible to rule out the hand of God. At such a time we, too, utter those four magic words, “I thank thee Lord.” How can we not? Those words are magic, by the way. They are the key to a satisfied life. Psychologist Juliana Breines wrote an interesting article on gratitude which was published in The Washington Post about three years ago. In the article she notes that over ...

1622. A Man Under Authority / A Centurion's Faith, An Elder's Love

Matthew 8:5-13, Luke 7:1-10

Sermon

Lori Wagner

... to know the healing presence of Jesus. Today, I ask you to have the faith of a Centurion, to know the power of the living Lord, who can heal and change the world. Ask Jesus to come amidst you and the people you love. Some people act as if their ... our synagogue for us.” And Jesus went with them, but when he was not far from the house, the centurion sent friends to say to him, “Lord, do not trouble yourself, for I am not worthy to have you come under my roof; therefore I did not presume to come to you. But ...

1623. Here I Am

Luke 1:26-38, Luke 1:39-45, Luke 1:46-56

Sermon

Lori Wagner

... the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent by God to a town in Galilee called Nazareth, to a virgin engaged to a man whose name was Joseph, of the house of David. The virgin’s name was Mary. And he came to her and said, “Greetings, favored one! The Lord is with you.” But she was much perplexed by his words and pondered what sort of greeting this might be. The angel said to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God. And now, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and ...

1624. Trust in Me

Matthew 1:18-25, Luke 2:1-7

Sermon

Lori Wagner

... Joseph, but before they lived together, she was found to be with child from the Holy Spirit. Her husband Joseph, being a righteous man and unwilling to expose her to public disgrace, planned to dismiss her quietly. But just when he had resolved to do this, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream and said, “Joseph, son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary as your wife, for the child conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit. She will bear a son, and you are to name him Jesus, for he will save his ...

1625. The Sign of the Servant

Matthew 11:25-30

Sermon

Lori Wagner

... me. You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies. You anoint my head with oil; My cup overflows with your abundant love. Surely Your goodness and mercy will follow me all the days of my life, And I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever. THIS is what being in service to God looks like. THIS is what being yoked in followship with Jesus feels like. THIS is what Jesus is trying to tell every one of His followers and those who invites into followship with Him. Being in covenant with God is ...

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