Sermon and Worship Resources

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Showing 1851 to 1875 of 4957 results

1851. Dynasty and Temple

1 Chron 17:1-27

One Volume

Gary M. Burge

... the speech into two parts, with verses 4–6 questioning the necessity of a permanent house for Yahweh and verses 7–14 affirming the leadership of David. Interestingly, verses 4b and 10b form a complete sentence, the first verse claiming that David is “not the one to build me a house to dwell in,” and the second claiming that “the Lord will build a house for you.” In this lies the irony, formed by a play on the word “house,” which here in verse 4b means a temple and then in verse 10b a dynasty ...

1852. Wisdom’s Final Appeals

Proverbs 8:1-36

One Volume

Gary M. Burge

... just on rulers. Those “who seek me find me” (8:17b) evokes passages such as Deuteronomy 4:29; Jeremiah 29:13; and Matthew 7:7 (also Matt. 6:33, which describes how “all these things will be given to you as well”). Verse 19 grounds the claim in verse 10, and wisdom’s “fruit” is not simply material wealth (8:18). “Righteous(ness)”/“just” occurs five times in chapter 8 (vv. 8, 15, 16 [see NIV note], 18 [NIV “prosperity”], 20). Since wisdom walks about on just paths (cf. Prov. 12:28 ...

1853. Time and Eternity

Ecclesiastes 3:1-22

One Volume

Gary M. Burge

... activities. 3:1–8 · He begins with a highly structured “Catalogue of Times” (Fox, 193), which affirms and illustrates that “there is a time for everything” (3:1–8), certainly the book’s best-known text. The poem begins with an initial summary claim regarding time and every human purpose (Hebrew hepets; 3:1). It is disputed whether this verse is to be taken descriptively (i.e., there is a predetermined time to acknowledge or be passively submitted to) or prescriptively (i.e., there is a proper ...

1854. Wealth is Meaningless

Ecclesiastes 5:8--6:12

One Volume

Gary M. Burge

... in 1:13; 4:8) may refer here to a “bad investment” (NASB; cf. NJPS: “unlucky venture”) or some other sudden reversal of fortune (5:14a). Having lost all, this person is left as bereft of possessions (literally “naked”; Job makes a nearly identical claim in Job 1:21) as at birth and “empty-handed,” despite strenuous labor, with nothing to pass on to an heir (5:14b–15). This leads the author to a related thought, a second “grievous evil” (5:16; cf. 5:13), namely, that all individuals ...

1855. Recognize that One Must Submit to the Government Despite Injustice

Ecclesiastes 8:2-17

One Volume

Gary M. Burge

... the who question in the book (cf. Eccles. 2:25; 3:21–22; 6:12; 7:13, 24), one expects a negative response to the questions in verse 1a: No one is truly wise or understands such things. Verse 1b, however, suggests a more modest but positive claim: the wise are remarkable, being able to interpret sayings such as the following proverb about wisdom’s transformative effect on a person (cf. Job 29:24; Prov. 21:29). 8:2–15 · The section can be divided into two parts. Verses 2–8 urge and offer a rationale ...

1856. Hermeneutical Reflections

Ecclesiastes 12:9-14

One Volume

Gary M. Burge

... to find (i.e., collect) apt sayings and to compose truthful sayings himself (cf. Prov. 22:20–21). The effect of such wisdom sayings is described in 12:11–12. In referring to the “words of the wise,” he appears to make a broader, even canonical, claim, since an identical phrase is used in the prologue to Proverbs (1:6, also 22:17; Eccles. 9:17). Such sayings are effective, even if painful (as in Eccles. 7:5; cf. Ps. 141:5), like cattle prods that get you moving in the right direction. Furthermore ...

1857. If Only You Were To Me A Brother

Song of Songs 8:1-14

One Volume

Gary M. Burge

... . Seals (8:6) were pieces of stone or metal inscribed with personalized markings and were tantamount to an individual’s signature. The seal was an important emblem of ownership and possession in the ancient world. When stamped, the impression of the seal registered the seal-bearer’s claim whether in economic or legal documents, or even on private property (cf. Hess, 238; Garrett, 529–30). The maiden requests that the seal of her lover be stamped indelibly on her heart. Then he, and he alone, will have ...

1858. God's of Babylon

Isaiah 46:1-13, Isaiah 47:1-15

One Volume

Gary M. Burge

... over the nations like a queen mother, but showed no mercy to the subject nations. She showed no accountability to God as she ruled. The fame of Babylon is a claim to autonomy, but also to deity (47:8–11). The language “I am” and “there is none besides me” (47:8) is the language usually reserved for Yahweh and his claim that he alone is God. Although the Babylonians have used all kinds of magic spells to secure their future, sudden disaster will overtake them. Though Babylon has used her wisdom ...

1859. Proclamation of Restoration

Isaiah 48:1-11, Isaiah 48:12-22

One Volume

Gary M. Burge

... judgment, it is always near. The restoration of the Jewish people from exile introduced this era in a grand way. Its future lies hidden in the revelation of God’s name, which will be manifested in the glory, righteousness, and salvation of his people. Though God’s people claim to lean on Yahweh, swear by Yahweh, and point to Jerusalem as the holy city, they do not show their covenant relationship in their daily lives (48:1–8). They are faithless, without any righteous deeds, and stubborn. Though they ...

1860. Cleansing from Sin

Zechariah 13:1-6, Zechariah 13:7-9

One Volume

Gary M. Burge

... and loyalty to Christ will be so strong that parents will even put their own children to death for the sin of telling lies in the Lord’s name. False prophets will attempt to conceal their true identity by claiming to be farmers. Accused prophets will claim innocence, attributing probably self-inflicted wounds (see 1 Kings 18:28) to mistreatment at the hands of so-called friends. The impression that Zechariah leaves is that in actual fact these prophets have been involved in idolatrous activity. Zechariah ...

1861. The Tithe

Malachi 3:6-18

One Volume

Gary M. Burge

... harshly against him (3:13–14). They say it is “futile” to serve God and that there is no “gain” in keeping God’s commandments. The prophets have argued that it is vain to serve idols, but the people turn the argument around by claiming that allegiance to the Lord brings no benefit, no reward. The Hebrew word for “gain” or “reward” used here is not the usual word for reward, but signifies a bribe or a means of covering one’s eyes toward injustice. Malachi uses the word sarcastically ...

1862. Jesus and John the Baptist

Matthew 11:1-19

One Volume

Gary M. Burge

... ’s ascetic lifestyle consonant with kingdom preparation (repentance), but they also reject Jesus’s celebratory and hospitable way of living in the inaugural days of the kingdom (11:15–19; cf. 9:9–13). In spite of rejection by this generation, Jesus claims that “wisdom is proved right by her deeds” (11:19). In context, it is Jesus who is proved right or vindicated (NASB) by his deeds, thus aligning himself with wisdom. Wisdom is personified in the Old Testament and Second Temple Jewish literature ...

1863. Jesus’s Crucifixion, Death, and Burial

Matthew 27:27-31, Matthew 27:32-44, Matthew 27:45-56, Matthew 27:57-61, Matthew 27:62-66

One Volume

Gary M. Burge

... written atop the cross reads, “This is Jesus, the King of the Jews” (27:37). He is mocked by the Jerusalem leaders, who claim that if he is “the King of Israel . . . the Son of God,” he should be able to rescue himself from death (27 ... concerned that Jesus’s followers may, in line with Jesus’s resurrection predictions, steal his body and deceive the people with such claims. This is Matthew’s last word about “the people” (Greek laos; 27:64), a word that provides hope that they might still ...

1864. Peter’s Confession at Caesarea Philippi

Mark 8:27-30

One Volume

Gary M. Burge

... nature. “On the way” the party passed beneath the distinct camelback promontory of Gamala, where the Zealot movement was founded in AD 6 and where militant messianic fervor ran high. In Caesarea Philippi, a region rife with competing religious claims, Jesus for the first time solicits a claim about his identity. “Who do people say I am?” he asks the disciples (8:27). The disciples repeat the popular opinion earlier voiced by Antipas (6:14–15) that Jesus is John the Baptist, Elijah, or one of the ...

1865. Jesus Predicts His Death

Mark 8:31--9:1

One Volume

Gary M. Burge

... symbol may account for the fact that in the second half of Mark there are fewer and smaller crowds around Jesus than in the first half. The image of the cross signifies a total claim on the disciple’s allegiance and a total relinquishment of his or her resources to Jesus. This truth is reinforced in 8:35–37, each verse of which declares the total claim of the gospel on one’s existence. To lose one’s life for the gospel is, ironically, to save it (8:35); to gain the whole world at the cost of one’s ...

1866. The Little Children and Jesus

Mark 10:17-31

One Volume

Gary M. Burge

... to have kept all the commandments. We should remember, however, that the Ten Commandments speak of acts that could—and were meant to—be kept (even if one intended otherwise). We should doubtless accept the truthfulness of the rich man’s claim, “All these [commandments] I have kept since I was a boy” (10:20), for (1) Jesus does not challenge his declaration, and (2) Jesus would scarcely look on insincerity with “love,” as he does in verse 21. It is often imagined that if the law were perfectly ...

1867. Paying Taxes to Caesar

Mark 12:13-17

One Volume

Gary M. Burge

... . Jesus then adds, “And [give] to God what is God’s” (12:17). This answer—which has not been asked of Jesus—indicates that the political question of the Pharisees and Herodians cannot be answered without answering the more fundamental theological question—namely, that government may not assert total claim over its citizens. Political and civil duties cannot be properly rendered until the ultimate claim of God is acknowledged. Humanity, which bears God’s image (Gen. 1:26), belongs to God.

1868. Before the Sanhedrin

Mark 14:53-65

One Volume

Gary M. Burge

... to be the messiah was not a crime in Judaism (on the term “messiah,” see the commentary on 8:27–9:1). The charge of “blasphemy” (14:64) was limited to equating oneself to God, which indicates the high priest fully understood Jesus’s claim to be God’s Son. The tearing of the high priest’s clothes (the Greek term indicates an inner garment) was a sign of profound consternation (2 Sam. 1:11; 2 Kings 18:37). The mockery of, spitting on, and beating of Jesus in verse 65 fulfill both the treatment ...

1869. Apocalyptic Discourse

Luke 21:5-38

One Volume

Gary M. Burge

... Matthew 24] and Mark [Mark 13] the events that will take place in Jerusalem from the events of the end.) Jesus’s answer indicates that the question in verse 7 relates to the last times. He warns his disciples not to be deceived because many will claim to be the Messiah or declare that the end has come. The arrival of the end cannot be calculated from wars, insurrections, famines, earthquakes, and disease (21:9–11). These events will occur before the end, and they may even signal the imminence of the end ...

1870. Jesus Before Pilate and Herod

Luke 22:66--23:25

One Volume

Gary M. Burge

... ? Jesus, however, refuses to answer the question, maintaining that it would be useless to give an answer to such an audience, presumably because they understand the messiah in a way different from Jesus. Nevertheless, Jesus proceeds to conflate Daniel 7:13 and Psalm 110:1, claiming that as the Son of Man he will sit (probably as judge) at God’s right hand (22:69). Jesus’s answer provokes the Sanhedrin to ask whether he considers himself to be the Son of God (22:70a). Son of God should not be equated ...

1871. The Children of Abraham of the Devil

John 8:31-41, John 8:42-47

One Volume

Gary M. Burge

... in the harshest polemic in the Gospel (8:37–59; cf. Matt. 23:1–39). Verse 35 is key. If the Jews are not sons in God’s household (as Jesus claims), two results follow: their tenure there is limited, and they have another father. Being a descendant of Abraham (8:37) and being a son (8:35, 38) are two different things. Jesus claims that lineage has no effect on spiritual status before God (so Paul, Rom. 2:25–29). But their desire to kill Jesus is telling: they have a spiritual father other than ...

1872. The Shepherd and His Flock

John 10:1-21

One Volume

Gary M. Burge

... crowds (12:12–19), and Gentiles (12:20–36). Then Jesus will “hide himself” from all but his personal disciples (12:36). Here in chapter 10 the height of Jesus’s self-revelation is completed: his identity with the Father is now explicit (10:30, 33) and centered on his claim to the title Son of God (10:34–36). Similarly, the hostilities are keen: twice attempts are made on his life, but he escapes (10:31, 39). This narrative epitomizes Jesus’s ultimate ...

1873. The Unbelief of the Jews

John 10:22-42

One Volume

Gary M. Burge

... inquiries take on new significance. The evidence has been displayed (10:25–26), and now Judaism aims its two charges that will reappear later at the formal trial: (1) Are you claiming to be the Christ (cf. Luke 22:67)? (2) Are you the Son of God (cf. John 19:7 and Luke 22:70)? The way in which Jesus defends his claims and explains Jewish disbelief affirms that God is sovereign over who accepts revelation. The leaders are simply not of Jesus’s fold and hence cannot hear his voice. This divine control ...

1874. The Believers’ Prayer

Acts 4:23-31

One Volume

Gary M. Burge

... of Hezekiah (Isa. 37:15–20), where one also finds an appeal to God under the threat of enemies. The believers first affirm God as Creator (4:24). In the conceptual world of the ancient Israelites, creation language is used to construct a power claim whereby the Creator can claim victory over the forces of evil or chaos (cf. Ps. 73:12–17; 89:9–13). In appealing to God the Creator, these believers are again placing their trust in him who has the power over all. The quotation that follows (4:25–26 ...

1875. Simon the Sorcerer

Acts 8:9-25

One Volume

Gary M. Burge

... when the “Great Power” could be a Samaritan name for the God of Israel. The eventual acceptance of the word by the Samaritans (8:12) and by Simon himself (8:13) shows that “the name of Jesus Christ” is superior to other claims to divinity. After his apparent conversion, Simon continues his attempts to gain possession of the divine power by offering money to the apostles (8:18–19). The expression “full of bitterness” (literally “gall of bitterness,” 8:23) evokes the anti-idol language ...

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