Sermon and Worship Resources

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Showing 176 to 200 of 4958 results

176. In Life Nothing Works but the Impossible

Matthew 1:18-25

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

... dream. Two weeks ago busy Christmas shoppers in the SoHo district of New York were suddenly hearing voices. The woman’s voice they heard seemed to whisper directly in their ear, asking, “Who’s there? Who’s there?” Spooked shoppers then heard the voice claim, “It’s not in your imagination.” The voice, in fact, WAS real, but there wasn’t any disembodied being lurking on Prince Street. Instead those who heard the voice were simply “receiving” an ad for a new A&E television program called ...

177. How To Be An Easter Person

Luke 24:1-12

Sermon

Bill Bouknight

... body with spices, as was the custom, and discovered that Jesus had risen. Incidentally, the fact that women were the first Easter people is another evidence for the authenticity of the Bible. Think about it. If the Da Vinci Code were correct in its claim that the four New Testament gospels were propaganda documents cooked up by Emperor Constantine and the early church, they would not have had women as the first witnesses to the Resurrection. In Jewish law of that time, women were second-class citizens. A ...

178. A Circle for Dorothy

Ephesians 2:11-22, Ephesians 2:1-10

Sermon

John E. Harnish

... my life. And in the church, I came to know that I was known to God by name, a unique person, one of a kind, loved by God. One of the primary tasks of the church is to be a place where people know they are loved, accepted, welcomed, received, claimed and named by God. One of the powerful moments in the sacrament of baptism comes when we ask, "What name has been given this child?", and here, in the presence of God and the circle of God's people, we name them as part of the family: Ethan, Katherine, Peter ...

179. Salvation in Jesus’ Name

Acts 4:5-12

Sermon

Ron Lavin

... . All of the "I am" sayings of Jesus in the New Testament have the same implication as these verses.1 Jesus uses God's name for himself. He is God incarnate, not just one religious teacher among many, not even the best of the lot. He is unique. He alone claims divinity for himself. When Moses asked God for his name so he could tell the Hebrew people in Egypt who had sent him, God said, "Thus you shall say to the Israelites, 'I AM has sent me to you' " (Exodus 3:13-15). Jesus used that name for himself. Does ...

180. Proper 4

Lk 7:1-10 · Gal 1:1-10 · 1 Ki 8:22-23, 41-43 · Ps 96

Sermon Aid

John R. Brokhoff

... no favorites. Need: For us this text may be "old hat." We are accustomed to think of the universality of God. Not many would claim they have a monopoly on God. How different it must have been to the Jews who were brought up on the idea that Israel was God ... to fit us rather than our fitting into the gospel. In Paul's day, Judaizers were putting the gospel in legalistic clothes, claiming that one had to become a Jew before he could become a Christian. This is a distortion and a perversion of the gospel ...

181. Is There More Than One Way to Heaven?

John 4:19-26

Sermon

J. Howard Olds

... right place to worship." Jesus replies, “Yet a time is coming and has now come when true worshipers will worship God in spirit and truth." What was Jesus trying to say? I want to answer that question by addressing three questions. Are all religions alike? What did Jesus claim? Who holds the final answer? I. ARE ALL RELIGIONS ALIKE? The answer to that is yes and no. In the name of tolerance, we would love to say yes. After all, in our day it is the politically correct thing to do. The mantra for our day is ...

182. Signed, Sealed, and Delivered

Ephesians 1:1-14

Sermon

Timothy J. Smith

... we are “in Christ” we have the opportunity for a new beginning, a fresh start. Even when we make bad choices in our lives God loves us so much that we are given another chance. At the beginning of the New Year we can set out with new resolve to claim the life that is possible because of Christ. Peggy Dimino was driving home on New Year’s Day when she was cut off by another driver. Her car slammed into a barrier on the right side of the highway, spun, crossed three lanes, hit the median, and burst into ...

183. The Light Has Come

Ephesians 3:1-13

Sermon

Timothy J. Smith

... his only crime was his love and devotion to the Lord Jesus. Nothing would stop Paul from sharing the gospel. We are servants of Jesus Christ, knowing that we belong to him can give each one of us boldness and confidence as we live out our faith. Paul claims that “we have access to God in boldness and confidence through faith in him.” Because of our status as God’s own children that can never be taken away from us, we can live triumphant lives in Jesus Christ. As the church we are members of the body ...

184. Discerning In Love

1 Corinthians 1:18--2:5

Sermon

Timothy J. Smith

... the voice of God and the guiding of the Holy Spirit. “I have to remove myself from the voices that barrage me in order to find my true compass,” Susan explained. “Discerning God’s voice is not so hard when I make time to listen closely,” she claimed. Sometimes it was a sudden insight, while at other times it was a sense of reordering her priorities or conviction about what she should say or do. Her walks allowed her to slow down enough to listen for God’s direction. She said that faith is about ...

185. One-Way Street

John 14:5-14

Sermon

James Merritt

... the most unpopular one-way street in the world. It is unpopular for two reasons: where it leads and who it is named after. It is claimed that this street is the only one that leads to Go. The name of the street is Jesus. In the Gospel of John, Jesus makes seven ... street. It also means that not everybody is going to wind up in the same place. Let me tell you why if Jesus was who He claimed to be and did what He said He did that has to be true. Between the human race and God stands a barrier called “sin.” If ...

186. Accusations

2 Corinthians 10:1-18

Understanding Series

James M. Scott

... opponents use the lack of glory and power in his physical appearance to discredit Paul’s apostleship (see on 4:7–5:15). The opponents claim that Paul tries to compensate for this lack of real glory and power by being bold while away, that is, in the letters he writes. ... is on equal footing, even though he later unmasks their true identity. 10:8 Paul states the reason (For, gar) for his claim to be an apostle of Christ. Paul has authority from the Lord. He is not self-appointed. He is not confident “in ...

187. Praying for Endurance and Healing

James 4:13-17, James 5:1-6, James 5:7-12, James 5:13-20

Understanding Series

Peter H. Davids

... related to boasting in all New Testament contexts, as pride and conceit normally are related. John makes it a characteristic of the world (1 John 2:16). In secular Greek the emptiness of the boast becomes clear, for it designates primarily the person who claims an ability or virtue he or she does not have. See further G. Delling, “Alazon,” TDNT, vol. 1, pp. 226–27; and E. Gutting and C. Brown, “Pride” NIDNTT, vol. 3, pp. 28–32. Boasting is rarely virtuous. One may boast legitimately in God ...

188. The Living Stone and a Chosen People

1 Peter 2:4-12

Understanding Series

Norman Hillyer

... John 1:6). Isaiah’s prophecy about “Galilee of the Gentiles” declares that “the people walking in darkness have seen a great light, on those … a light has dawned” (Isa. 9:1–2). The prophecy is taken up in the Gospels (Matt. 4:15–16; Luke 2:32). Jesus himself claimed to be the light of the world, i.e., of both Jews and Gentiles (John 1:8–9; 3:19; 8:12; 9:5; 12:46). The description is also ascribed to believers in Christ (Matt. 5:14; Acts 13:47; 26:18) and is interpreted in terms of the ...

189. Riches Are Meaningless

Ecclesiastes 5:8--6:12

Understanding Series

Elizabeth Huwiler

... off than he.” The image of the stillborn child links with the one who has not yet been of 4:3. 6:6 Do not all go to the same place? See 3:20. The place implied is the grave; Qohelet again argues against those who would claim an afterlife. 6:7 Appetite: Here and in 6:9, the Hb. uses the multivalent nepeš, which can also mean “life, being.” Although the constant desire for “more” is at issue and the reference to mouth suggests physical appetite, the reader may here understand a general reference ...

190. If Only You Were To Me A Bother

Song of Songs 8:1-14

Understanding Series

Elizabeth Huwiler

... does, however, speak in verse 10. She uses the imagery of the preceding verses to protest their assumptions. She resists both the claim that she is still a child and the suggestion that she is in need of male protection. The contrast between this verse and 1 ... :6 is strong. There the woman acknowledged that she did not keep her vineyard; here she claims that she does keep herself. 8:11–12 It is not clear who is speaking here. Most likely, this is a continuation of ...

191. Firstfruits and Tithes

Deuteronomy 26:1-15

Understanding Series

Christopher J. H. Wright

... ) among the needy. Thus, giving to the needy is not only a sacred duty to God, but it also is the defining point for any claim to have kept the law. The law is kept only if the poor are cared for. Only when Israel responds to the needy by enabling ... you commanded me. This shows once again the essential thrust of OT ethics—that love for the neighbor is the practical proof of any claimed love for God. It also shows how the enacted love for the poor and needy is the practical proof of genuine, God-honoring love ...

192. Signs, Sayings, and Oracles of Judgment

Ezekiel 12:1-28, Ezekiel 13:1-23, Ezekiel 14:1-11, Ezekiel 14:12-23

Understanding Series

Steven Tuell

... authentic prophet and seek from him a word from the Lord concerning their fate. The Lord’s reply, however, calls into question the right of these leaders even to seek God’s direction. Like their counterparts back in Jerusalem, they are idolaters. Ezekiel does not claim that the elders have actually erected altars in Tel Abib. But whether there are actual idols in the community or not, the Lord declares that these men have set up idols in their hearts (v. 3; for a discussion of idolatry in Ezekiel, see ...

193. Jesus’ Authority to Perform Miracles

Matthew 8:18-22, Matthew 8:23-27, Matthew 8:28-34, Matthew 9:1-8

Teach the Text

Jeannine K. Brown

... chapter 8 Jesus has healed the sick, demonstrated power over a storm, and cast out demons. Now Matthew indicates that Jesus has power even to forgive sins. This scene of Jesus forgiving sins is unusual in Matthew: Jesus frequently heals, but only here does he claim to forgive sin. The scene foreshadows the Passover celebration that Jesus shares with his disciples, when he connects the Passover cup to his death (i.e., blood) as a means of “the forgiveness of sins” (26:28). 9:5 Which is easier: to say ...

194. Eschatological Discourse: Prediction of the Temple’s Destruction

Matthew 24:1-35

Teach the Text

Jeannine K. Brown

... is Jesus’ predictions about the temple’s destruction (introduced in 23:37–39). In 24:3 the disciples respond to Jesus’ initial claim of the temple’s fall with a two-pronged question—the first about the time of the temple’s destruction, and the ... :3–35, while the latter question is addressed in 24:36–51. Allusions to Daniel 7:13–14, which function here as Jesus’ claim of vindication for his temple predictions (24:30–31), have already been introduced in 10:23 and 16:27–28 and will be ...

195. The Trial of Jesus before the Sanhedrin

Mark 14:53-65

Teach the Text

Grant R. Osborne

... 2:19, where he is referring to his body as a temple rather than the temple itself (John 2:21). Yet here too they give false witness because they twist Jesus’s imperative to the leaders in John 2:19 (“you destroy”) into a personal claim (“I will destroy”). They want to implicate Jesus in a plot to destroy the temple, a capital crime in the ancient world. The construction of “another . . . not made with hands” in three days certainly is a prediction of Jesus’s resurrection, but the leaders may ...

196. Lord of the Sabbath and Appointing the Twelve

Luke 6:12-16, Luke 6:1-11

Teach the Text

R.T. France

... is told in the form of a very short story. It was published in 1916, several years after Twain (1835–1910) died. Twain attacks more than people’s mere attitudes about war; he asks them to examine their prayers. In the piece, an older stranger, claiming to be a “messenger” from God, comes into a church service where the people have been sincerely, but probably smugly, asking God to preserve their boys in war, to grant them victory and bring them back safely. The old stranger asks the minister to step ...

197. Jesus Takes the Initiative

Luke 21:5-38, Luke 21:1-4, Luke 20:41-47

Teach the Text

R.T. France

... . Luke has made a point of Jesus’s descent from David (1:27, 32, 69; 2:4; 3:31), and Jesus has not objected to being addressed as “Son of David” in 18:38–39 and subsequently as “king” (19:38). The issue is raised without a specific claim by Jesus to be either the Messiah or the Son of David, but in the light of his arrival in Jerusalem, it could hardly be understood as simply an objective theological question. 20:44 David calls him “Lord.” How then can he be his son? Jesus’s argument ...

198. The Trials of Peter and of Jesus

Luke 22:66--23:25, Luke 22:63-65, Luke 22:54-62

Teach the Text

R.T. France

... . 22:70 Are you then the Son of God? In Matthew and Mark this title appears together with “Messiah,” almost as if it were a synonym. Luke’s separation of the question gives it a special weight of its own, drawing out the implications (“then”) of his claim to heavenly authority in 22:69. Jesus has not called himself “Son of God” publicly, though the title is at least implied in his parable in 20:9–18, but Judas may have briefed them on such private declarations as 10:22. You say that I am ...

199. Balak to Hire Balaam

Numbers 22:1-20

Teach the Text

Joe M. Sprinkle

... but rendered “I beg you” by the NASB, makes the request more emphatic or urgent. 22:18 I could not . . . go beyond the command of the Lord my God. Balaam demurs on the grounds that he cannot go against God’s command. The personal pronoun “my” claims a personal relationship with Israel’s God. While Balaam does encounter God after the first envoy comes (v. 12), if he had known him intimately, he would not have thought that God could change his mind like a pagan god (cf. Num. 23:19) or that he ...

200. God's Righteous Judgment

Romans 2:1-16

Understanding Series

James R. Edwards

... ; 12:10, 19; 15:1; 2 Apoc. Bar. 59:6; 4 Ezra 7:74. In addition, see the material gathered in Str-B, vol. 3, pp. 77–78. On presuming on God’s grace, note Franz Leenhardt’s words: “To know the good does not furnish us with a claim to divine indulgence. The fact that the hour of divine judgment has not yet struck does not by any means show that God judges us favourably.… History is the school of repentance, but we must learn the lesson and not squander our time” (Romans, p. 75). Of repentance Karl ...

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