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Showing 176 to 200 of 1185 results

176. Sermon on the Mount: Jesus Teaches on the Torah

Matthew 5:17-48

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Jeannine K. Brown

... . It is your soul that I am buying for you. I am taking it away from dark thoughts and from the spirit of perdition, and I am giving it to God.”8The rest of the story beautifully demonstrates how Valjean embodies the grace shown to him by pursuing a life obedient to God in love toward others. Love of all, even one’s enemy, is the ultimate expression of Torah obedience and loyalty. Testimony: It can be difficult to envision how Jesus’ teaching on love of enemies might be lived out in its often messy ...

177. Sermon on the Mount: Allegiance and Trust

Matthew 6:19-24, Matthew 6:25-34

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Jeannine K. Brown

... from wealth that it offers. Those with much are offered a way out of slavery to wealth by the call to a generous way of life that demonstrates a deep trust in God and the reality of light from within (6:22–23; see also 5:14–16). 2. Pursuing God’s kingdom rather than being consumed by worry about daily needs requires a deep trust in God’s goodness and ability to care for those needs. Matthew highlights the priority of the kingdom in this passage. God has come to make all things right in Jesus, and ...

178. Table Talk

Luke 14:1-14

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R.T. France

... Hugo. Written in 1862, this novel by the French author Hugo (1802–85) is considered one of the greatest of that century. Few characters in great literature stand out so memorably as the dark, almost maniacal police inspector Javert, who relentlessly, legalistically pursues Jean Valjean through the years. All that Valjean has done is steal a loaf of bread to feed his family. He spends years in jail for this, growing embittered, and then manages to escape. His conversion experience is familiar and often ...

179. Being Wronged versus Claiming One’s Right

1 Corinthians 6:1-11

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Preben Vang

... rearranging deck furniture on the Titanic.” It is usually used to describe a futile or pointless course of action in the face of certain destruction. However, it can also be adapted as an illustration of what happens when believers attempt to pursue holiness within the surrounding culture without first being transformed by the Spirit. The Corinthians were attempting to be holy and set apart from the surrounding culture morally, but they were still seeking to be justified and win approval from the pagan ...

180. Spiritual Gifts and Spiritual Growth

1 Corinthians 14:1-25

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Preben Vang

... , they reveal Christ’s character. The eager desire for gifts, then, is not a side issue for the especially devoted but the Spirit’s empowerment of Christ’s body, without which they cannot reveal Christ’s love. Put differently, believers who are pursuing love seek the Spirit’s gifts to be able to evidence Christ’s transforming presence. Gifts enable believers to do for others what they otherwise could (or would) not have done. 2. Paul’s issue with tongue speaking in the church runs parallel ...

181. Message to Smyrna

Revelation 2:8-11

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J. Scott Duvall

... either one. Rather, our focus should be on Jesus and on staying loyal to him no matter what. It’s certainly true that our faithfulness may result in suffering (the emphasis above), but it’s important to be clear about what people should seek and pursue. Another caution is in order, one with two extremes. On the one hand, we should be careful that our explanation of the Jewish betrayal of Christians in the background of the passage does not foster an anti-Jewish attitude. Jesus and many of the early ...

182. God’s Judgment of Babylon Calls for Celebration

Revelation 19:1-10, Revelation 18:1-24

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J. Scott Duvall

... of those who confess Jesus as Lord should be enough warning, but God’s people still need to be commanded, “Come out of her, my people” (18:4). This passage presents a clear opportunity to help people come to grips with what they are really pursuing in life. Where do our loyalties and priorities lie? Joining in Babylon’s sins leads to certain judgment, a judgment that also includes the loss of good and wholesome things such as music, work, food, light, and marriage. 2. The righteous must continue to ...

183. Blood Vengeance in Gibeah

2 Samuel 21:1-14

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Robert B. Chisholm Jr.

... is committed. We know from Scripture and experience that this is not always the case, yet we can be confident that justice, sooner or later, will be served (Pss. 11:4–6; 58:10–11; 73:17–20). 2. The consequences of sin can pursue an individual beyond death and bring horrific suffering to those who are innocent. One of the great tragedies that attended Saul’s failure and demise was the death of his son Jonathan, who exhibited so many admirable qualities and swore his allegiance to David. Jonathan ...

184. “Taste and See That the Lord Is Good”

Psalm 34:1-22

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C. Hassell Bullock

... s “Whoever of you” (translating “who” [mi] as a relative pronoun) obscures the question and, therefore, the connection to the liturgical inquiry. 34:14 Turn from evil and do good; seek peace and pursue it. “Peace” and “good” are parallel terms, as in Psalm 122:8–9 (see ESV). Note the positive use of “pursue” (rdp) in Psalm 23:6 (“follow”) and Proverbs 21:21. 34:15 The eyes of the Lord . . . his ears. The Lord’s “eyes” and “ears” are terms that suggest the Lord’s ...

185. “May the Net They Hid Entangle Them”

Psalm 35:1-28

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C. Hassell Bullock

... 35 appears to be a companion to Psalm 34, the two sharing the only references to the “angel of the Lord” in the Psalter (34:7; 35:5, 6). The gentle admonition of Psalm 34 is that the saints “turn from evil and do good; seek peace and pursue it” (34:14). In contrast, the king’s enemies in Psalm 35 “do not speak peaceably” (v. 20; lit., “they do not speak peace”). The psalm is an enlargement of the portrait of those who reject the admonition of 34:13–14 and a theological treatment of how ...

186. “Be Exalted, O God, above the Heavens; Let Your Glory Be over All the Earth”

Psalm 57:1-11

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C. Hassell Bullock

... “Do Not Destroy,” all attributed to David, and, along with Psalms 56 and 60, are all called a miktam.4Third, Psalms 56 and 57 have a duplicate beginning: “Be merciful to me, my God” (hanneni ’elohim). Fourth, Psalm 57 shares two terms with the preceding psalm: “pursue” (sh’p, also means “pant,” 57:3b; 56:1, 2) and “on high” (the same verbal root, rum, but translated by the NIV as “be exalted” in 57:5a and “in their pride” in 56:2).5Fifth, both Psalms 56 and 57 have a refrain ...

187. God Subjugates Judah under Babylon

Daniel 1:1-21

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Ronald W. Pierce

... Ps. 34:1–3) and then recounts how the Lord is lovingly responsive to, and protective of, those who seek him in times of fear (34:4–7). David invites his audience to learn of God’s goodness from his experience, to turn from their sins and pursue goodness (34:8–14). He assures them that God is attentive to the cries of the righteous, hears them when hearts are broken, and is able to protect and rescue his faithful servants (34:15–22). God lovingly demonstrates his care for faithful servants. God’s ...

188. Nabuchadnezzar’s Dream and Daniel's Interpretation

Daniel 2:1-23, Daniel 2:24-49

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Ronald W. Pierce

... as Dale Carnegie’s How to Win Friends and Influence People (1936) and Norman Vincent Peale’s Power of Positive Thinking (1952) and then became a postmodern cultural phenomenon by the end of the twentieth century. Consider friends or family who have pursued these avenues and found them wanting. Such sources are unreliable and often harmful in contrast with God’s revealed wisdom in Scripture. God remains in sovereign control, even amid times of chaos. History: In December 2010 the Arab Spring erupted in ...

189. How to Escape Being Possessed By Our Possessions

Luke 12:13-21

Sermon

Maxie Dunnam

... word: “It’s easier for a camel to get through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the Kingdom.” Though it may take you back, it’s a legitimate question, “Can we be successful and rich and also Christian?” If I had pursued that question, I would have eased the minds of most of you by answering the question right off. “Yes,” yes, it is possible to be successful and rich and also Christian. Otherwise most of us here today would be condemned already, because though not all are rich ...

190. Deliverance at the Sea

Ex 13:17–14:31

One Volume

Gary M. Burge

... Echoing the creation narrative, the dry ground emerges and the chaos of water is subdued. Because it takes all night for the waters to dry up, the angel of God and the pillar of cloud come between the army of Egypt and the Israelites. As the Egyptians pursue the Israelites into the sea, they see God’s intervention and express their conviction that the Lord is fighting for Israel. In contrast it is not until the Israelites see Egyptians lying dead that they fear the Lord and put their trust in him and in ...

191. David Again Spares Saul's Life

1 Samuel 26:1-25

One Volume

Gary M. Burge

... :16: “Is that your voice, David my son?” David responds with another assertion of innocence and wonders aloud why Saul continues to chase him. He feels like a partridge relentlessly pursued by a hunter. If God has incited Saul against him, David is willing to make things right with the Lord and bring him an offering. If other men have urged Saul to pursue David, he calls on God to judge them. As in 24:16–22, Saul seems convinced by David’s arguments and especially by the spear in David’s hand. The ...

192. A Marriage about to Break Up

Jeremiah 2:1-3:5

One Volume

Gary M. Burge

... Israel’s evil. The young camel, wobbly on its feet, illustrates how directionless Israel is as she crisscrosses her ways. The donkey at mating time illustrates the passion with which Israel pursues the Baals even in the valley, which, if the Hinnom Valley, would be the place for child sacrifice. In sarcasm, God warns Israel in all this pursuing of other gods not to stub her toe (to use a modern idiom) or to overexert and so become thirsty. Israel, self-consciously determined to do evil, responds in fiery ...

193. The Zeal and Power of God

Nahum 1:1-15

One Volume

Gary M. Burge

... huge wall of water wipes away all that lies before it. As if that sweeping defeat were not enough, God is said to pursue his foes into darkness. There is no possible escape. There is no place of refuge, no possibility of being overlooked. In the case of ... Nineveh, a few managed to escape when the city fell. They fled to Harran, but they were pursued there and were defeated in 609 BC, leaving no trace of the once mighty empire. The downfall of Nineveh is a pointer to the ...

194. The Celestial Woman and the Dragon

Revelation 12:1--13:1a

One Volume

Gary M. Burge

... , and the dragon knows it! (12:12). The account of the dragon, the woman, and her son bears a literary resemblance to other combat myths in the ancient world. (For further reading, see Collins, 53–85.) The Egyptian saga tells of the mother goddess Isis, who, pursued by the red dragon Set, escapes to an island and bears the sun god Horus. In the Babylonian epic Enuma Elish (literally “When On High,” which are the first words of the text), Marduk, god of light, kills the seven-headed dragon Tiamat in a ...

195. The Remnant of Israel

Romans 11:1-10

Understanding Series

James R. Edwards

... . The remnant of grace, in other words, affirms that Israel was called into existence by grace (9:8–11) and awaits a future consummation of grace (11:28–32). 11:7–10 Paul now repeats and amplifies the thought of 9:31 (“Israel, who pursued a law of righteousness, has not attained it”). A portion of Israel, the elect or “remnant” of Jewish Christians, has attained righteousness (see 9:6). But the larger part of unbelieving Israel, holding fast to its righteousness by the law, was hardened (v. 7 ...

196. Marriage

1 Corinthians 7:1-40

Understanding Series

Marion L. Soards

... , he instructs the other group not to look for a wife. The advice is male-dominant, as was the cultural setting of that day. Since the men were normally the initiators of the marital relationship, Paul naturally speaks to them at this point, advising against pursuing marriage or divorce. 7:28 Nevertheless, having advised the Corinthians to remain as they were in terms of marriage, Paul adds that if someone marries—be that a single man (you) or a single woman (a virgin)—that person does not sin. The move ...

197. One Body, Many Parts

1 Corinthians 12:12-31

Understanding Series

Marion L. Soards

... �Two Puzzles: 1 Corinthians 12.31 and 13.3: A Rhetorical Solution,” NTS 39 [1993], pp. 246–64) has argued that even 1 Cor. 12:31 is ironic, so that in this admonition Paul is ridiculing the Corinthians because they are obsessed with pursuing spectacular forms of charismatic gifts. This conclusion seems to exaggerate Paul’s tone, although it is a reminder that Paul is not swept away with the Corinthians in the pursuit of self-aggrandizing spiritual activity. Rather, Paul’s concern to this point has ...

198. The Resurrection of the Dead

1 Corinthians 15:12-34

Understanding Series

Marion L. Soards

... Eerdmans, 1982). More particularly, on this use of the OT in this passage, see J. Lambrecht, “Paul’s Christological Use of Scripture in 1 Cor. 15.20–28,” NTS 28 (1982), pp. 502–27. 15:23 The focus shifts again at this point and continues to pursue a new line through v. 28. The essence of the section that begins here is a presentation of traditional apocalyptic ordering of the end as yet another argument for the reality of the resurrection of the dead. Paul’s language is vivid. When he writes of ...

199. The Lord Speaks

Job 38:1--41:34

Understanding Series

Gerald H. Wilson

... within the overwhelming onslaught of the theophany for Job to answer him. As we saw in 38:1, the formulae introducing the divine speeches in this section downplay the divine authority and place Job on a more equal footing with God. These indicate that God pursues real interaction with Job (and humans in general). Here is the opportunity Job has been seeking all along: a chance to state his case before God. Then Job answered the LORD. Job has the opportunity to respond, and he does. But in reality his reply ...

200. Images of War, the Hunt, False Accusation, and Wild Beasts

Psalm 35:1-28

Understanding Series

Craig C. Broyles

... Hb. jussives: may . . . ). While the imperatives emphasize actions that Yahweh is to perform, the wishes emphasize the consequences the opponents should face: those who plot my ruin are to be put to shame (v. 4), those who pursue me (v. 3) are to have their path be dark and slippery, with the angel of the LORD pursuing them (v. 6), and the hunters are to become their own prey (vv. 7–8). In another image, the fate of the foe will be to become like chaff before the wind, scattered and without substance and ...

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