Sermon and Worship Resources

Showing 1801 to 1825 of 2157 results

Luke 23:44-49, Luke 23:26-43

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R.T. France

... and is probably the site where the Church of the Holy Sepulchre now stands. 23:34 Jesus said, “Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing.” The absence of these words from most of the earliest Greek manuscripts and some early versions leads most scholars to conclude that they were an early addition to the text (perhaps influenced by Isa. 53:12), since there seems no good reason for them to have been omitted if they were original.1But they eminently suit the demeanor of Jesus, and ...

1802. The Commissioning of the Disciples

Luke 24:50-53, Luke 24:36-49

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R.T. France

... iron or mild steel, and the other made from stainless steel. These could be two boat anchors, two tools, and so on. You could also use two pictures, one of an old, corroded item, and the other of a stainless replacement. Explain that the mild-steel version is prone to decay and rot from oxidation. No matter how effectively it performs its assigned task, it will eventually be ruined and discarded. One can’t replace it with a plastic copy, a photograph, or a hologram—those things might not rust, but they ...

1803. The Gospel of God in Christ through Paul

Romans 1:1-17

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C. Marvin Pate

... by faith reveals the power of that Scripture passage. It is a careful and faithful portrayal of Luther’s story; the research was done by, among others, Theodore Tappert, a scholar of the Reformation, and Jaroslav Pelikan, a scholar of church history and the history of theology. A more recent version, Luther (2003), has useful scenes but is, finally, less faithful, more of a biopic.

1804. Paul Reinterprets the Story of Israel

Romans 2:17-29

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C. Marvin Pate

... 9 with Christian Gentiles in Rom. 2:25–29). Real religion that comes from God is manifest in inward and outward obedience. Literature: To Kill a Mockingbird, by Harper Lee. This book (1960), widely known by the general public and further popularized by the film version (1962), is set in the fictional town of Maycomb, Alabama, in the 1950s and is based on the author’s experiences. It is, some critics believe, the most widely read book on race in America. The central narrative is pertinent to Romans 2:25 ...

1805. Freedom from the Law through Christ, Enslavement to the Law through Adam

Romans 7:7-25, Romans 7:1-6

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C. Marvin Pate

... advice inside along with the gold. The gold will be given to the person who knows the right answer. The temptation that comes upon this town proves irresistible, and what ensues is proof, in the author’s thinking, that everyone can be bought. A short version of a PBS film based on the story was released on DVD in 2004. Hymn Text: “Come Thou Fount of Every Blessing,” by Robert Robinson. Robinson (1735–90) writes, with what could be read as muted desperation, “Prone to wander, Lord I feel it; Prone ...

1806. God and Government

Romans 13:1-7

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C. Marvin Pate

... novel (1996), John Coffey, an inmate on death row who possesses extraordinary powers of healing, always shows respect to the officials in jail even though he endures great hardship and suffering and goes to his death falsely charged. A film version was made in 1999. If a regime demands disobedience to God, we must refuse nonviolently and accept the consequences. History: “Letter from Birmingham Jail,” by Martin Luther King Jr. Few documents illustrate as powerfully the loving refusal to cooperate with ...

1807. “Weak and Strong” Should Get Along

Romans 14:1--15:13

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C. Marvin Pate

... try to steal from him and even hit him on the head. Nevertheless, Great-Grace, from the city of Good-Confidence, helps him up. Clearly, Little-Faith will always feel his troubles deeply; nevertheless, he is not turned away from heaven. In his annotated version of this classic book, Warren Wiersbe comments, “This is one of our Lord’s favorite names for his disciples. . . . See Matthew 8:26; 14:31; 16:8. . . . God honors even a little faith. Not all Christians are great victors.”14 Quote: Life Together ...

1808. Wisdom and Foolishness

1 Corinthians 1:18--2:5

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Preben Vang

... Christian” in their speech or lacked the ability to reinterpret their desires and find “spiritual” application. Rather, the problem was that in spite of eloquence and spiritual emphasis their behavior proved that their thinking was no more than a Christianized version of secular wisdom. The ground rules for their thinking had not changed. 2. Wisdom and foolishness. No one likes to be embarrassed or considered a fool. It is exceedingly difficult to call wise what others call foolish, and foolish what ...

1809. The Focus of Christian Worship

1 Corinthians 14:26-40, 1 Corinthians 14:1-25

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Preben Vang

... unexpectedly and you could build your illustration from there.) Prophecy is evaluated by the fruit it produces in the lives of its hearers. Popular Sayings: Perhaps you have heard the old saying “The proof is in the pudding.” That is actually a shortened and corrupted version of an older and longer phrase: “The proof of the pudding is in the eating.” It simply means that you can say what you want about a pudding recipe, but the real test for a dessert is what happens when it hits your tongue and ...

1810. John’s Introductory Vision The Risen and Glorified Christ

Revelation 1:9-20

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J. Scott Duvall

... they would suffer for him. Consider what the founding members of our faith underwent (rejection, stoning, beating, crucifixion, death by sword). Consider what many Christians are facing right now in the persecuted church around the world. The “all your dreams will come true” version of the gospel does not have room for these experiences. But the Savior revealed in Revelation is one who has gone before us on the road of suffering and walks with us in the midst of it. Jesus is an active presence among ...

1811. The Final Judgment

Revelation 20:11-15

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J. Scott Duvall

... 20:10, the drama seems to be complete with all God’s enemies vanquished. As a result, 20:11–15 can be seen to provide further details of the judgment already mentioned in 20:9. In other words, 20:4–10 and 20:11–15 are really two versions of the same event: the final judgment of the wicked.1This doublet (a common literary technique in Revelation—7:1–17; 14:14–20) reinforces what has already been reported and adds detail about the judgment of the wicked, especially as it relates to the images of ...

1812. The New Heaven and New Earth

Revelation 21:1-27

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J. Scott Duvall

... –16), and the outcome of the final conflict with evil (17–19). The present unit (21:1–8) serves as a transition between God’s final victory (19:6–20:15) and the new creation (21:1–22:5). Just as 20:4–10 and 20:11–15 provide two versions of the final judgment of the wicked, so 21:1–8 and 21:9–22:5 offer a double vision of the eternal state. More specifically, 21:1–8 encapsulates what will be explained in more glorious detail in 21:9–22:5: the new creation as the holy city ...

1813. Unclean Animals

Leviticus 11:1-47

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Joe M. Sprinkle

... moral aspects of Judaism but downplays the importance of ceremonial laws. Wise was trying to unite Jews of various theological stripes around his theological seminary, Hebrew Union College, founded in 1875 in Cincinnati. Although some Jews were leery of Wise’s version of Judaism, he succeeded in getting many of them to cooperate together—until he invited them to a dinner. In 1883 Hebrew Union College put on elaborate ceremonies for its first graduating class. Wise’s Plum Street Temple was filled to ...

1814. The Day of Atonement: Preparation

Leviticus 16:1-34

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Joe M. Sprinkle

... or some other demon unrelated to goats. This view is supported by the parallel formulation “one lot for the Lord [Yahweh] and the other lot for Azazel” (v. 8 ESV). That parallel formulation suggests that both Yahweh and ‘aza’zel are proper names. A version of this interpretation is found in the intertestamental pseudepigraphical work 1 Enoch (e.g., 8:1; 9:16; 10:10), which dates from roughly the second century BC, in which Azazel (spelled “Azael”) appears as the leader of the fallen angels. The ...

1815. The Aaronic Blessing

Numbers 6:22-27

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Joe M. Sprinkle

... be blessed by Yahweh, the Warrior [or Helper] and the rebuker of [E]vil. May Yahweh bless you, may he keep you; May Yahweh make his face shine upon you and grant you p[ea]ce.1 Barkay had discovered on both scrolls a slightly abbreviated version of the Aaronic blessing in Numbers 6:24–26. This is the oldest citation of a biblical text ever discovered, centuries older than the Dead Sea Scrolls. Some scholars hypothesize that all ritual texts in Leviticus and Numbers are from a so-called priestly (P) source ...

1816. Victory and Serpents

Num 21:1-9

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Joe M. Sprinkle

... a pole. This bowl may have belonged to a Hebrew and might portray the Nehushtan scene, though alternatively it may portray Eshmun, the Phoenician god of healing.3 Interpretive Insights 21:1 Negev. The Negev, inappropriately rendered “the South” in some versions (KJV, NKJV), is an arid region south of Beersheba. 21:3 completely destroyed. The word haram means more precisely “to dedicate [to God] for destruction.” Israel’s vow is the first introduction of a concept ultimately commanded for all ...

1817. The Ark Heads Home

1 Samuel 6:1-7:1

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Robert B. Chisholm Jr.

... all is not well. The people sacrifice the cows as a burnt offering, but the law says to use a male animal (bull, ram, goat) for such an offering (Lev. 1:3, 5; 22:18–19). 6:19 seventy of them. The Hebrew text and the ancient versions read “50,070 men,” a number that is impossible to accept as original. The site of ancient Beth Shemesh could not have accommodated this many people.12 A few medieval Hebrew manuscripts and Josephus support the smaller number seventy, as read by the NIV. they looked into ...

1818. Saul Forfeits a Dynasty

1 Samuel 13:1-15

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Robert B. Chisholm Jr.

... he became king, and he reigned for two years over Israel.” Some ancient Greek textual witnesses omit the entire verse. How old was Saul when he became king? According to 1 Samuel 9:2, he was a “young man” when he met Samuel. The Syriac version indicates he was twenty-one years old when he became king, while some Greek witnesses read “thirty years old,” perhaps on analogy with David (see 2 Sam. 5:4). How long did Saul reign? The NIV has “reigned . . . forty-two years,” appealing for support ...

1819. David Spares Saul’s Life—Again

1 Samuel 26:1-25

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Robert B. Chisholm Jr.

... the most powerful Christian poems written. It is a declaration of faith in which Patrick asks to be protected in the hour of need, and it was written in the first year of his missionary life. It echoes David’s dependence on God as he refuses to take vengeance. One version of the prayer is as follows: I bind myself today, To the power of God to guide me, The might of God to uphold me, The wisdom of God to teach me, The eyes of God to watch over me, The ear of God to hear me, The Word of ...

1820. Tell It Not in Gath!

2 Samuel 1:1-16, 1 Samuel 31:1-13

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Robert B. Chisholm Jr.

... , whom Saul has refused to annihilate, thus bringing about his eventual demise (28:18–19). 1:10 I stood beside him and killed him. Some are troubled by the contradictions between the account of Saul’s death in 1 Samuel 31:3–4 and the Amalekite’s version of what happened in 2 Samuel 1:6–10. But the narrator’s account must be given preference.7 It is likely that the Amalekite fabricates his story in an effort to please David and gain his favor.8 1:12 They mourned and wept and fasted ...

1821. Job’s Reply to Eliphaz

Job 6:1–7:21

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Daniel J. Estes

... in him. Literature: The Lord of the Rings, by J. R. R. Tolkien. Sauron is the titular character and the primary antagonist of this epic fantasy novel by Tolkien (1892–1973). The evil eye of Sauron (which is vividly depicted in Peter Jackson’s film version of Tolkien’s novel) casts its gaze in all directions. To be under the scrutiny of Sauron was terrifying, and it parallels the feeling Job expresses in 7:20. Literature: The Great Gatsby, by F. Scott Fitzgerald. The novel The Great Gatsby (1925), by ...

1822. Bildad Has the Answer (He Thinks!)

Job 8:1-22

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Daniel J. Estes

... (e.g., Prov. 6:6–11). Because individual humans are limited in what they themselves can observe directly, they need to make use of the accumulated observations passed down by those who came before them (Deut. 32:7; Prov. 4:1–9). Although many Bible versions have translated “former generations” as a plural in 8:8, the Hebrew expression is the singular, “former generation.” It could well refer to the original wisdom possessed by God from the beginning (Deut. 4:32; Isa. 40:21). 8:9 our days on ...

1823. Job Feels under Attack by God

Job 16:1-17:16

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Daniel J. Estes

... his friends’ verbal attacks. Film: My Fair Lady. The musical My Fair Lady, as well as the film of the same name starring Rex Harrison and Audrey Hepburn (1964), is based on George Bernard Shaw’s play Pygmalion. In the musical and the film version, in a song called “Show Me,” Eliza Doolittle complains about how Professor Higgins is all talk and no action, a parallel to Job’s description of the long-winded speeches of his friends. Job perceives that God is a warrior attacking him relentlessly. Film ...

1824. Bildad Again Beats the Retribution Drum

Job 18:1-21

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Daniel J. Estes

... suffering adversity. God is a personal God involved in our lives, unlike Bildad’s portrait of God. Literature: Tess of the D’Urbervilles, by Thomas Hardy. Hardy presents an unrelenting deistic and naturalistic view in all his novels, a fully developed version of what Bildad pictures. In this literary work, Tess is doomed by an impersonal notion of justice that fails to consider any mitigating factors in her experience (her youth, her rape). Fate seems to move her relentlessly and cruelly toward her ...

1825. Elihu Makes His Appearance

Job 32:1--37:24

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Daniel J. Estes

... to the issues of the day. Elihu is angry at all the previous speakers who have addressed Job; impatient with their arguments, he claims to offer better ones. He is, however, also short on wisdom. Literature: J.B., by Archibald MacLeish. In this existential version of the book of Job published in 1952, J.B. (the Job character) answers one of his accusers with the following words, which are appropriate in the face of wrong counsel: Yours is the cruelest comfort of them all, Making the Creator of the ...

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