Sermon and Worship Resources

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Showing 1901 to 1925 of 4957 results

1901. Judas Hangs Himself

Matthew 27:1-10

Understanding Series

Robert H. Mounce

... would carry little weight with Roman authorities, it was necessary to develop a charge that would appear revolutionary from a political standpoint. Luke cites a threefold charge of seditious teaching, opposition to taxation, and claim of kingship (23:2). Having formulated their plans, they marched him off in chains to Pilate, the governor. Pilate was the fifth procurator of Judea (which also included Samaria and Idumea), serving the emperor in that capacity from A.D. 26 until 36. He was a cruel and corrupt ...

1902. A Love Triangle

Matthew 22:34-46

Sermon

David G. Rogne

... great mathematician." God is mind. Mind as well as heart beckons us to love God. "And love God with all your soul," says Jesus. The soul is our most basic expression of who we are, and who we are is revealed by what we do. The proper response to the claims of God is not "true" or "false," but "yes" or "no." Instead of asking ourselves whether we believe or not, let us ask ourselves whether we have this day done one thing because God said "do it," or abstained from one thing because God said "do not do it ...

1903. Paying What's Due

Matthew 22:15-22

Sermon

David G. Rogne

... before being executed, he wrote that he stood before Hitler's court not as a Protestant, not as a landowner, not as a noble, not as a Prussian, not even as a German. He stood before the court simply as a Christian and nothing else. The claims of God and the claims of Caesar are sometimes in conflict, and then we have to decide to whom we will be obedient. One more thing that a Christian appropriately owes to God is loyalty. It would be nice if we always kept our loyalties separate and equal, like writing a ...

1904. John the Baptist Prepares the Way

Mark 1:1-8

Understanding Series

Larry W. Hurtado

... was not applied to books until the second century, when we have references to the “four Gospels,” meaning the canonical writings attributed to Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John. The Son of God. These words are missing in some important early witnesses to the NT text. The claim that Jesus is Son of God appears at several points in Mark, indicating that Jesus’ divine sonship is an important part of Mark’s portrait (cf. 1:11; 3:11; 5:7; 9:7; 14:61–62; 15:39), and this causes most scholars to believe ...

1905. The Greatest Commandment

Mark 12:28-34

Understanding Series

Larry W. Hurtado

... a follower, but he and Jesus recognize that they are not totally at odds. Thus, Mark gives the impression that the rejection of Jesus by the Jewish leaders was based more on ill will and spiritual blindness on their part than on a justifiable claim of heresy against Jesus. It is perhaps also significant that in the scribe’s comment on Jesus’ answer (vv. 32–33), love of God and neighbor is placed above and contrasted somewhat with temple ritual. This comment, peculiar to the Markan version, may be ...

1906. John the Baptist Prepares the Way

Luke 3:1-20

Understanding Series

Craig A. Evans

... Lachs, p. 44). 3:16 the thongs of whose sandals I am not worthy to untie: Among Jews the sandal was often a symbol of contempt (see Luke 9:5; Acts 13:51) and the unfastening of sandals was the task of a slave. Thus, in strongest language John is claiming to be utterly unworthy of the one who is to follow him. 3:17 unquenchable fire: This expression probably echoes Isa. 66:24, a verse that appears in Mark 9:48, and may allude to the fires of “Gehenna,” the word used for hell (from the Valley of Hinnom ...

1907. The Baptism and Genealogy of Jesus

Luke 3:21-38

Understanding Series

Craig A. Evans

... not until Exod. 6:14–20 that we are provided his genealogy); and some appear at the end of the narrative (e.g., Ruth 4:18–22). Because of his own humble ancestry, Herod the Great confiscated and destroyed most of the records of Davidic descent, fearing a claim to the throne more worthy than his own. This jealousy and fear for his throne is dramatically illustrated in Matt. 2:1–18. 3:23b of Joseph: We are told that Joseph was of Davidic descent (1:27; 2:4; cf. Matt. 1:20). After the infancy narrative ...

1908. Jesus Rejected at Nazareth

Luke 4:14-30

Understanding Series

Craig A. Evans

... (Antiquities 20.97–98). Here is likely an allusion either to Moses parting the Red Sea (Exod. 14:21–22) or to Joshua’s crossing of the Jordan River (Josh. 3:14–17). Later we are told of a man from Egypt (ca. A.D. 54) who claimed to be a prophet at whose command the walls of Jerusalem would fall down (Antiquities 20.169–170). This sign was probably inspired by the story of Israel’s conquest of Jericho (Josh. 6:20; cf. Acts 21:38). Finally, Josephus tells us of another “imposter” who promised ...

1909. Paul's Longing to Visit Rome

Romans 1:1-17

Understanding Series

James R. Edwards

... 24:29), David (Ps. 89:3), the prophets, and Israel are called “servants of the Lord.” Israel had been chosen by God and was his peculiar people and “treasured possession” (Exod. 19:5), uniquely set apart by God and hence singularly committed to God. Similarly, God’s claim on Paul is total; Paul’s loyalty to God is final. James Dunn (Romans 1–8, p. 8) suggests that Paul employs doulos with specific reference to the Servant of the Lord hymns in Isaiah (42:1–4; 49:1–6; 50:4–11a; 52:13–53 ...

1910. No One Is Righteous

Romans 3:9-20

Understanding Series

James R. Edwards

... of the Old Testament (so also John 10:34). The commandments (i.e., vv. 10–18) naturally govern those who are under the law (i.e., Jews). As we argued earlier, if the boast of Jews is silenced, then all mouths are silenced, for no one can claim greater righteousness than they. Thus, the whole world (= Jew and Gentile, v. 9) is held accountable to God and stands under God’s wrath (1:18). This is the final speech for the prosecution. Those who were initially satisfied with their moral code and behavior now ...

1911. Peace and Joy

Romans 5:1-11

Understanding Series

James R. Edwards

... of this common OT word reveals that it seldom refers to a purely inner peace, whether psychological or emotional. Especially in the prophetic literature peace is a condition established by God which characterizes the age to come. The triumphant assertion in 5:1 claims that the long-awaited peace of the future has dawned in Jesus Christ. There is a certainty in Paul’s expression uncharacteristic of rabbinic authors. As the sinner in 1:18ff. stood in a condition of hostility to God, and thereby under wrath ...

1912. Slaves to Righteousness

Romans 6:15-23

Understanding Series

James R. Edwards

... servitude of sin to the freedom of sons and daughters. Grace is not honored by mere lipservice, by admitting the existence of God, or even by assenting to Christian morality. Grace is not something we grant; it is the ineffable love of God which lays claim to us as the one treasure which is worthy of our heart and will—or worthy of nothing. Paul speaks of obeying this grace wholeheartedly (Gk. ek kardias, “from the heart,” which means from the center and source of the inner life). Obedience cannot be ...

1913. An Illustration from Marriage

Romans 7:1-6

Understanding Series

James R. Edwards

... and it is not necessary to do so, for it is simply an analogy, not an allegory. It is, however, eminently clear in the one respect in which Paul intended it—that death ends obligations. Christians are like the wife in the story: the law has lost its claim over them, and they are free to transfer their allegiance to another. Believers are widowed from the law and free to marry Christ. The marriage analogy must be understood in light of what Paul said in chapter 6. Freedom from the law does not leave one in ...

1914. Future Glory

Romans 8:18-27

Understanding Series

James R. Edwards

... present may be, they are not in vain. Paul confirms this with a judgment similar to verse 18, We know. That the groanings of creation will one day open up to the glory of sonship is a certainty based not on rational observation but on claiming the promise of God in faith. Apart from faith, suffering and evil are infernal and meaningless. But through faith in Christ’s resurrection, “whom God raised after wiping out the birth pains of death” (Acts 2:24), our present sufferings are not the final cries ...

1915. Personal Greetings

Romans 16:1-27

Understanding Series

James R. Edwards

... church developer and mentor to missionaries (Acts 18:24–28). No other persons listed receive credits equal to those of Phoebe and Prisc(ill)a. Nor is this the sum of the matter. Four of the first seven names in the list belong to women, one of whom lays good claim to being an apostle. Of the 29 names in the total list, fully one-third are women’s. Suffice it to say that Paul is not the despiser of women, nor the advocate of a male-dominated ministry, that he is often portrayed as being. 16:5–16 There ...

1916. Propriety in Worship

1 Corinthians 11:2-16

Understanding Series

Marion L. Soards

... sees this situation only dimly in and between all the lines that make up this section of the letter. 11:2 The section opens with a word of praise from Paul. He offers a commendation that may or may not be in response to a claim the Corinthians have made about their own preservation of tradition as Paul delivered it. Since Paul does not refer to this matter with the words “Now concerning,” the reader of the letter is uncertain whether Paul bases his affirmation on something the Corinthians had written ...

1917. The Lord's Supper

1 Corinthians 11:17-34

Understanding Series

Marion L. Soards

... of his coming are to shape and direct their living as a community. Thus, the Lord’s Supper embodies or actualizes in a celebratory way the reality, as well as the theological and subsequent social implications, of the truth of Jesus’ saving death. 11:23 Verse 23 claims the Lord as the ultimate source of this tradition, since the words Paul is about to recite concerning the elements of the Supper go back to the Lord whom Paul understands to be raised and who is alive in the Spirit. Whether Paul means to ...

1918. The Resurrection Body

1 Corinthians 15:35-58

Understanding Series

Marion L. Soards

... 2) God gives the spiritual body; and (3) those who are raised from the dead will have or be or get their bodies in the future as they are transformed by God from being like Adam to being like the risen Christ. Paul is both countering the claims of some of the Corinthians and clarifying the understanding of the resurrection of the dead as it relates to the lives of the Christians in Corinth. Verse 46 is a crucial statement that both puts the Corinthians on notice about the resurrection of the dead and gives ...

1919. To the Church in Ephesus

Revelation 2:1-7

Understanding Series

Robert W. Wall

... as a hard fought intolerance of wicked men and false apostles, may reflect a Jewish tradition that such diligent devotion satisfies a criterion of Israel’s covenant with God. Especially in light of Christ’s opening exhortation, the congregation’s testing of those who claim to be apostles but are not expresses the submission of true disciples to their Lord. The exact identity and teaching of these false and wicked apostles is unclear and remains contested. In 2:6 and 2:14–15, mention is made of the ...

1920. The Trumpets

Revelation 8:6--9:21

Understanding Series

Robert W. Wall

... p. 136), which for John is the entire created order. The eschatological battle is both on and for that land. The assurance of victory for God’s ordained troops over the armies of pretenders to God’s throne envisions the final stanza of the “new song,” which claims that the blood of the slain Lamb ensures the reign of God’s people “on the earth” (cf. 5:10b). 9:16–19 John does not tell us anything about the recruitment of the troops that the four angels lead into battle; he mentions only their ...

1921. The Seventh Trumpet

Revelation 11:15-19

Understanding Series

Robert W. Wall

... over the kingdom of the world (11:15) at the death and exaltation of Christ, and not at his second coming, which discloses and consummates God’s rule on earth. A consistent claim made throughout Revelation is that the Evil One does not reign on earth or in heaven (although many are deceived into thinking he does). The most problematic aspect of positing the seventh trumpet in the future rather than in the past is that it forces the interpreter to locate the “ ...

1922. The Lamb and the 144,000

Revelation 14:1-5

Understanding Series

Robert W. Wall

... gospel.” It will soon be announced by the first of three angels (14:6–7) in contrast to the oppressive and idolatrous Babylon whose destruction is announced by a second angel (14:8). The true Israel, which is established by faith in the claims of the eternal gospel, represents an alternative to Babylon and will ultimately endure. Babylon and those who worship the beast will be destroyed by God (14:8–11). In the light of this contrast, then, the tacit (and logical) imperative is made clear: follow ...

1923. Korah, Dathan and Abiram

Numbers 16:1-50

Understanding Series

W.H. Bellinger, Jr.

... The challenge is for the next morning at the tabernacle. All parties to the controversy are to bring their censers with fire and incense in them before the LORD. God will then choose the one who is holy. Moses concludes his response with a reply to the claim that he and Aaron have gone too far (v. 3) by saying, You Levites have gone too far! Moses’ reply continues in verse 8 with an address to Korah, although the message is clearly to all the Levites. Moses reminds the Levites that they have already been ...

1924. Zelophehad's Daughters

Numbers 27:1-11

Understanding Series

W.H. Bellinger, Jr.

... Eleazar, and the other leaders that their father did not participate in Korah’s rebellion, which sin would have forfeited the right of land. He rather died for his own sin—that is, he died in the wilderness as did the rest of that generation. The daughters claim that they should inherit their father’s land and thus preserve his name there. They see no obvious reason why they should not inherit. Moses then takes the case to God, as he did the question about Passover (9:1–14), the wood gatherer on the ...

1925. The Transjordan Tribes

Numbers 32:1-42

Understanding Series

W.H. Bellinger, Jr.

... Shophan, of unknown location; Jazer, twelve miles south of the Jabbock; Jogbehah, five miles northwest of modern Amman; and Beth Haran, on the Jordan. Beth Nimrah is the Nimrah of v. 3. Among the Reubenite cities are: Kiriathaim, just northwest of Dibon, which Mesha claims to have rebuilt; and Sibmah, which may be the Sebam in v. 3. 32:38 The parenthetical note here indicates that Nebo and Baal Meon should not be pronounced in this form because they include names of the idols Nebo of the Babylonians and ...

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