Sermon and Worship Resources

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Showing 1901 to 1925 of 2404 results

1901. Learning to Love

Matthew 5:43-48

Sermon

James L. Killen

... we put it in the context of the larger reading, it will become plain what it means. It means that we are to learn to love like God loves. It is surprising how easy that is for us to miss. In fact, that is the goal that God hopes to achieve in all of the saving work God does in our lives. It should be the goal of all of the spiritual and moral disciplines we practice to receive the benefit of God's saving work. Learn to love as God loves. Then what is love? Perhaps you have heard us ...

1902. Jesus and John the Baptist

Matthew 11:1-19

Understanding Series

Robert H. Mounce

... the passage to himself as Messiah. I tell you the truth, continues Jesus, that there has not risen among mortals anyone greater than John the Baptist. Yet the humblest member of the kingdom of heaven is greater than he. John was not greater in personal achievement or professional stature, but his role as the messianic herald placed him in a position of prophetic honor. Because he would die a martyr before the new age would be secured, he would not be privileged to enjoy the blessings of even the lowliest of ...

1903. Divorce

Matthew 19:1-12

Understanding Series

Robert H. Mounce

... the man who divorces his wife for any cause other than her unfaithfulness is still married to her. If that’s the case between a man and his wife, respond the disciples, then it would be better not to marry at all. The difficulty of achieving a perfect marriage becomes an argument against marriage itself. Tasker writes that “this is the voice of the perfectionist, and the ascetic, who because the best is unlikely to be attained would avoid the second-best” (p. 183). 19:11–12 Jesus’ response to his ...

1904. A Warning Against Hypocrisy

Matthew 23:1-39

Understanding Series

Robert H. Mounce

... . The scribes and Pharisees turned a convert into a “child of hell” (AV) who was twice as worthy of suffering the punishment of gehenna as they. The reference is to the typical zeal of the convert. Verses 16–22 treat the practice of manipulating oaths so as to achieve personal and selfish ends. Apparently it was held that when a person swore by the temple (v. 16), by the altar (v. 18), or by heaven (v. 22), the oath was not binding. On the other hand, vows made by the gold in the temple (v. 16) or ...

1905. As You Go, Remember…

Matthew 28:16-20

Sermon

Tom Garrison

... moment. He really did not want to undergo a thorough resolution. This spirit is the greatest enemy of God's good goal; we humans are willing to settle for so little, so tempted "to keep one foot on the bottom," to cling to the tiny securities and achievements that we have in hand, rather than casting ourselves into the great sweep of his mercies, assured that no matter how much pain and uncertainty we may endure, the goal of making us full-grown and complete is assured. This is a process that has already ...

1906. What You Don’t Know Can Hurt You

Matthew 13:36-43, Matthew 13:24-30

Sermon

Tom Garrison

... described in many ways. For one thing, it is a proud time, for it represents the completion of a long and arduous process. No matter how one may have finished high school grade-wise, the fact that the person finished at all is no small achievement. Many have not done as much. Graduation is also a sad time, because for most people it signals the dissolving of certain clusters of relationships with family and friends who have been significant in the past. Graduation is also an exciting time, however, for it ...

1907. The Gift of Failure

Matthew 21:28-32

Sermon

Kristin Borsgard Wee

... skipped school from time to time and made some other poor choices. The second son felt like a failure. It happened that the father of these sons had been collecting books to take to the nursing home down the street. So the father went to his first son, the super achiever, and asked him to take a box of books to the nursing home. The son said sure, but he never intended to do it. He went off to practice with his debate partner instead. The father asked the second son to do the job, and he said no. He was ...

1908. Paying What's Due

Matthew 22:15-22

Sermon

David G. Rogne

... ," he would at once lose the sympathy of many of his supporters, who naturally hated the Roman tax and expected that if Jesus were the Messiah he would break the yoke of the Roman oppressors and not urge tribute to them. Either way, the religious leaders would achieve their end. Jesus asked for a coin, a denarius, the coin used to pay the head tax to Rome. He asked the agents to verify whose image was on it. "The emperor's," they said. "Very well," said Jesus, "give therefore to the emperor the things that ...

1909. Sin, Faith, Duty

Luke 17:1-10

Understanding Series

Craig A. Evans

... apostles). In another context the parable may have been applied to others, such as the Pharisees. we have only done our duty: This is apparently a common theme in Jewish piety. Lachs (p. 318) and Tiede (pp. 294–95) cite a saying attributed to Yohanan ben Zakkai: “If you have achieved much in the Law, claim not merit for yourself; for this purpose you were created” (m. Pirqe Aboth 2.8).

1910. Paul's Longing to Visit Rome

Romans 1:1-17

Understanding Series

James R. Edwards

... of Claudius when Jewish Christians returned to the capital, they likely discovered a Christianity which had become increasingly Gentile in their absence (see Introduction). Without presuming to know more than he does about the situation, and without presuming to be able to achieve more than he can, Paul may have chosen these two expressions to signal the reconciliation which he hopes his exposition of the gospel will effect in Rome. The difficult grammar of verse 12 is indicated in the NIV by a dash. The ...

1911. God’s Faithfulness

Romans 3:1-8

Understanding Series

James R. Edwards

... s righteousness (v. 5) that does not change the fact that the unrighteousness is ours and the righteousness is God’s! “Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth” (1 Cor. 13:6). Paul will not whitewash human achievements or compromise God’s. Of humanity Paul speaks of unrighteousness, falsehood, sinner, evil, condemnation. His incriminations are relentless—and they are not limited to “bad” people. They are true of all people—including Paul! He speaks of our unrighteousness (v ...

1912. Death Through Adam, Life Through Christ

Romans 5:12-21

Understanding Series

James R. Edwards

... . A dog cannot be either as good or as bad as a child, nor a child as good or as bad as a genius. Christ’s temptations exceeded ours to the degree that his divine nature exceeds ours. Hence, his obedience effects a righteousness that we cannot achieve for ourselves. The verb in verse 19 is also instructive. Paul says that the many were made to share the condition of their prototype: in Adam they were made sinners, in Christ they will be made righteous. The future tense here (and in v. 21) indicates that ...

1913. Dead to Sin, Alive in Christ

Romans 6:1-14

Understanding Series

James R. Edwards

... 1, especially to someone who does not appreciate the wonder of grace: if grace is given in proportion to sin, why not sin extravagantly? The greater the sin, the greater the grace! Put more respectably: if God has done everything for us, and if our efforts achieve nothing for salvation, why make the effort to live a good life? The issue at stake here lies at the root of Jesus’ breach with a common Pharisaic attitude which he exposed in the parable of the Pharisee and the tax collector (Luke 18:9–14 ...

1914. Struggling with Sin

Romans 7:7-25

Understanding Series

James R. Edwards

... :7). Although not all these words carry military connotations in English, their Greek originals do. Even in the best person there is an ugly residue of sin, and even in the worst person the ineffaceable image of God. Thus, not even the best person can achieve justification by works, and not even the worst person is beyond the reach of redemption and justification by faith. 7:24–25 In this emotionally laden panegyric Paul gives utterance to the agony and ecstasy of the Christian life. What a wretched man I ...

1915. Future Glory

Romans 8:18-27

Understanding Series

James R. Edwards

... when compared to the glory that will be revealed. Sufferings are not illusory or mere surface scratches, however. Some religions, like Hinduism, maintain that matter, including evil and suffering, is only an illusion, and that relief from the illusion can be achieved by proper mental control. The Bible’s testimony is vastly different. No one reading the story of Gethsemane (Mark 14:32ff.) or Golgotha (Mark 15) can doubt the reality of suffering. We may wish our present sufferings were bad dreams, but ...

1916. God's Sovereign Choice

Romans 9:1-29

Understanding Series

James R. Edwards

... . The error of the first option is apparent from verse 6: “It is not as though God’s word had failed.” The creator is not determined by the creation any more than a potter is determined by a pot (9:20–21). God’s will achieves its purpose despite sin, adversity, and rebelliousness, even from elect Israel. The second position is equally erroneous. If it were true that Israel could not believe because God blinded it, why would Paul struggle so vehemently with Israel’s unbelief (9:1–5; 10:1–3 ...

1917. The Remnant of Israel

Romans 11:1-10

Understanding Series

James R. Edwards

... it is a cognate. It is not a remnant of virtue or good works or merit, but a remnant chosen by grace. Israel and the church rightly understand their election only when they understand it as an action of God’s free grace, not as an achievement of their works. Had the Jewish Christians become a remnant because of their works, they would have had no significance for greater Israel, for Israel itself “pursued a law of righteousness” (9:31). But since the remnant had been preserved by grace, it became a ...

1918. Thanksgiving

1 Corinthians 1:1-9

Understanding Series

Marion L. Soards

... is given by God; there is no foundation for boasting (a major concern of the rest of the letter) in the Corinthians’ experience of grace. The grace the Corinthians have, the gifts that are manifested among them, are God’s and not their capacities and achievements (cf. 4:7–8). Moreover, Paul locates the experience of God’s grace specifically in relation to Christ Jesus. In the context of Christian faith and life the Corinthians are the recipients of God’s gift of grace, so that the grace is never ...

1919. Divisions In the Church

1 Corinthians 1:10-17

Understanding Series

Marion L. Soards

... “of Christ” would normally have Paul’s approval, but the way he refers to the Corinthian situation indicates that perhaps in this case the claim to belong to Christ is not necessarily laudable. Exactly what the Corinthians think they are achieving by declaring such identities is not clear from Paul’s discussion at this point, but they apparently think such identities give them some kind of status. Yet what they are attempting to accomplish is uncertain. Their actions raise questions that cannot ...

1920. Wisdom from the Spirit

1 Corinthians 2:6-16

Understanding Series

Marion L. Soards

... VS. Psychikos: Distinctions of Spiritual Status among the Corinthians,” HTR 69 [1976], pp. 269–88) identifies the anthropological distinction between immortal spirit (pneuma) and mortal soul (psychē) as labels for different levels of spiritual status achieved through different relations between the human and “wisdom,” so that the Corinthians are comparing themselves in terms of their relationship to “Sophia/ Wisdom.” (4) In turn, W. Willis (“The ‘Mind of Christ’ in 1 Corinthians ...

1921. On Divisions in the Church

1 Corinthians 3:1-23

Understanding Series

Marion L. Soards

... their personal status, the Corinthians have missed the glorious truth of the gospel that Paul makes plain in these verses. The Corinthians had reduced the reality of God’s saving work in Christ to a new personal status, whereas the cosmic salvation God achieved in the cross of Christ carved out a new reality that set the Corinthians into a new pattern of relations wherein they were not isolated, competitive, status-seeking individuals or cliques. Included in the list of all things that Paul names are Paul ...

1922. Apostles of Christ

1 Corinthians 4:1-21

Understanding Series

Marion L. Soards

... ,” or “to put in a right relationship [with God]” (Gk. dikaioō). Paul at least means to say that having a clean conscience does not guarantee that he is right with God. Human opinion can never guarantee such a relationship. Only divine action achieves and ensures that humanity and God are in a right relationship. This theological conviction has stimulated Paul’s engagement with the Corinthians from the beginning of this letter, as he denied the value of their quest for human wisdom over against an ...

1923. The Believer's Freedom

1 Corinthians 10:23--11:1

Understanding Series

Marion L. Soards

... his concern is both uniform and universal: do it all for the glory of God. From what Paul advises, one sees that putting God above all else means putting others before the self; and with the self set in service to others, the Christian life aims to achieve the glory of God. Second, Paul states his position in the form of a negative admonition: Do not cause anyone to stumble; and he elaborates: Jews, Greeks or the church of God. Here one sees the missional concern of the apostle and the way that his interest ...

1924. Spiritual Gifts

1 Corinthians 12:1-11

Understanding Series

Marion L. Soards

... of transcendence so that only by interrupting events or violating the laws of nature could God do miracles. Such a world and such a God were unknown to Paul. As in the case of gifts of healing, God works through specially gifted persons to achieve God’s will in sometimes marvelous ways. (6) Prophecy (see ch. 14). Theories about the nature and practice of prophecy in the early church abound, as does the scholarly literature on this subject. In antiquity, and especially in the history of Judaism, a prophet ...

1925. Love

1 Corinthians 13:1-13

Understanding Series

Marion L. Soards

... images, Paul makes his understanding of the “most excellent way” quite clear. Paul’s twin verdicts in these verses are that without love I am nothing and I gain nothing. According to Paul’s teaching about Christian belief and practice, human lives and achievements are ultimately judged by the presence or absence of love. 13:4–7 A change of style occurs in verses 4–7. The content and style are those of Jewish parenesis, or concrete directions, and the form is didactic (instruction) rather than ...

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