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Showing 2101 to 2125 of 4914 results

2101. 1 Corinthians 8:1-13

1 Corinthians 8:1-13

Sweet

Leonard Sweet

How superstitious are you? Even if you claim to be beyond the pull and pale of alluring sirens and ominous omens, it is hard to escape their influence altogether. Be honest: everybody takes note, whether or not they take seriously, Friday the 13th. Be honest: we notice black cats when they saunter in front of us — not so much the tabbies or calicos. Be honest: after two pieces of bad news, we brace ourselves for a third. Of course, it is just plain sensible not to walk underneath a ladder. As little or as ...

2102. God’s Two Hands

John 16:5-16

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

There is a reason the disciples are best known as the “duh!-ciples.” Jesus hand-picked his own team, these twelve companions in ministry and mission. How could his chosen dozen have been so duh! and dumb? Come on, now. Don’t deny that this very thought has not crossed your mind at some point or another when reading any of the four gospels! From the safe distance of twenty centuries it is easy to look back self-importantly at Galilee and assert that, “If I’d been there I’d have ‘gotten it!’” Really? You ...

2103. When Others Serve Your Head on a Platter

Mark 6:14-29

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

This summer saw the “resurrection” of an old tale of family rivalry and betrayal. The show that started an industry of prime time “soap operas” is back on the air. Do you know show I’m talking about? . . . . Dallas. The ever-evil “J.R.” Ewing and all his battling, back-biting, embittered family have returned, with new generations, all of whom are admirably carrying on the family tradition of unabated greed and hatred. Added to yet another season of “Kardashians” and the History channel’s presentation of “ ...

2104. Anything to Declare?

Luke 10:1-24

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

When your kids are driving you crazy, there are two default responses. One is to declare a universal “NO” No, you cannot jump off the roof. No, you cannot drive two hundred miles to a rock concert with someone you just met online. No, you cannot see what happens when you put a whole cantaloupe in the microwave and hit “5 minutes.” Sometimes “no” IS the right answer. But the other automatic parental default is, surprisingly, the polar opposite. Need to get restless and rustling kids out from underfoot? “Go ...

2105. Let Them Eat Cake

2 Timothy 1:1-2:13

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

During the government shutdown this October, there was only one major point both Democrats and Republicans could completely agree on. Both parties proudly and loudly declared “It was not our fault.” Not so much “taking a stand” as taking a “stand off.” There are always two front lines going on during any conflict. There is the horrible physical conflict, the confrontation between persons and countries that results in blood and doom. The losses logged on that physical front line are devastating and deadly. ...

2106. Leaders and Prophets Rebuked

Micah 3:1-12

Understanding Series

Elizabeth Achtemeier

Judgment on the Legal Butchers (3:1-4): It would seem as if 2:12–13 has interrupted the series of judgment oracles that we find in chapters 2 and 3 and that this oracle of judgment in 3:1–4 simply continues the announcements of sins and their punishments that we have seen in 2:1–3, 4–5, and 2:8–11. As a result, many commentators have considered 2:12–13 to be a later editorial insertion unrelated to its context. But in the sweep of Yahweh’s plan in Israel’s history, the book of Micah envisions that part of ...

2107. The Rejection of Jesus in His Own Hometown

Mark 6:1-6

Teach the Text

Grant R. Osborne

Big Idea: In mission one must expect serious opposition. When disciples participate in the life and work of Jesus, this will engender both mission to the lost and persecution from the lost. Understanding the Text Mark 6:1–6 is another conflict narrative (like 2:1–3:6; 3:20–35), and like many transition passages, it functions two ways: (1) it parallels 3:1–6 and ends the second cycle (1:16–3:6; 3:7–6:6) with a conflict story; (2) there is also an A-B-A pattern in 6:1–29 in which the mission of the Twelve (6 ...

2108. Jesus’s Manifesto

Luke 4:14-30

Teach the Text

R.T. France

Big Idea: Back in Nazareth, Jesus sets out on his mission of deliverance, but his own townspeople in Nazareth reject him because of his vision for the salvation of all people everywhere, which includes the Gentiles. Understanding the Text Jesus’s return from the wilderness area marks the beginning of his public ministry, which will be focused in his home province of Galilee until he sets off for Jerusalem in 9:51. Mark and Matthew record a single visit to Nazareth, which they place later in their ...

2109. The Whole World Is under the Curses of the Covenant

Romans 3:9-20

Teach the Text

C. Marvin Pate

Big Idea: Israel fares no better than the Gentiles in being enslaved to sin, because sin stirs up disobedience through the law. In other words, both Jew and Gentile are under the curses of the covenant. Understanding the Text Romans 3:9–20 is the climax of Paul’s argument in 1:18–3:8, concluding that both Jew and Gentile are under sin (implied) because they try to keep the old-covenant stipulation of the law (Jews by way of the Torah, Gentiles by way of the overlapping of natural law / Noahic law with the ...

2110. God and Government

Romans 13:1-7

Teach the Text

C. Marvin Pate

Big Idea: Paul declares that government is a divine institution, and so Christians should submit to its authority. He provides two reasons why believers should do so: fear of punishment for wrongdoing, and obedience for conscience’s sake. The specific form that this submission should take is paying taxes. Thus, obeying the authorities is another expression of being a living sacrifice to God. Understanding the Text Even though Romans 13:1–7 is a part of general Christian exhortation (cf. 1 Tim. 2:1–3; 1 Pet ...

2111. God’s Judgment of Babylon Calls for Celebration

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

Teach the Text

J. Scott Duvall

Big Idea: God’s people are called to rejoice over his judgment of the evil city and his vindication of the saints. Understanding the Text We now enter the final stage of Babylon’s destruction (17:1–19:5). The laments of Babylon’s codependents in 18:9–19 are contrasted with the rejoicing of the righteous in 18:20–19:5. God’s people are urged to celebrate God’s judgment of the “great city” (18:20). This command is followed by the announcement of Babylon’s certain destruction (18:21), which focuses upon what ...

2112. Be Careful What You Ask For

1 Samuel 10:9-27

Teach the Text

Robert B. Chisholm Jr.

Big Idea: The Lord decides the form of leadership for his covenant community, yet he sometimes gives his people a taste of what they want as a form of discipline. Understanding the Text In response to the people’s request, the Lord decided to give them a king, but he reserved the right to set the pattern for kingship. Recognizing the people’s need for security, he chose and commissioned a ruler to deliver them from their enemies. The plot tension of chapter 8 appears to be resolved, but new plot tensions ...

2113. The Lord Is with David

1 Samuel 18:1-30

Teach the Text

Robert B. Chisholm Jr.

Big Idea: The Lord protects and grants success to his chosen servants. Understanding the Text The tension between Saul and David has been building in the story line. At first, Saul’s successor was described as one who is in touch with God and superior to Saul (13:14; 15:28), but he was not named. In chapters 16 and 17 he appears and quickly demonstrates his qualifications by bringing the king relief from his distress and then leading Israel to a great victory. All seems to be well. Impressed by David’s ...

2114. Jesus or Niccolo?

Matthew 4:1-11

Sermon

Robert Leslie Holmes

This world's kingdoms have never been presented in a more Machiavellian fashion or more compellingly. And never before and never again have they been nor will they be targeted to one with more reason to succumb. Surely one of the great strengthening comforts of taking Jesus Christ as our Lord is that he, more than anyone else, understands our temptations. Scripture tells us, "He himself was tested by what he suffered, he is able to help those who are being tested" (Hebrews 2:18). So we can say with ...

2115. The Resurrection

Mark 16:1-20

Understanding Series

Larry W. Hurtado

16:1–8 The resurrection of Jesus was the single most important event in the formation of faith in Jesus in the early church. The resurrection not only overturned the effects of the crucifixion, giving life where there was death, but more importantly, signified that Jesus had been vindicated by God and made the prince and pioneer of salvation for anyone believing in him. In 1 Corinthians 15:12–28, Paul gives a concise description of the meaning of Jesus’ resurrection, portraying the risen Jesus as the basis ...

2116. The Lord's Supper

1 Corinthians 11:17-34

Understanding Series

Marion L. Soards

Problems in the Assembling These few lines are vitally related to the verses that follow, verses 23–26 and verses 27–34, although the weighty traditional nature of the ensuing verses distinguishes verses 23–34 from verses 17–22 and suggests the separation of the discussion of the Lord’s Supper into smaller, more manageable parts. Paul’s words and his concerns are straightforward, nearly self-evident, although the energy of his argument causes the discussion to shift about in a way that might be difficult ...

2117. Greetings and Doxology

Revelation 1:4-8

Understanding Series

Robert W. Wall

An author’s salutation is more than formal greetings; it usually contains a self-introduction and a description of the audience, which together define the relationship between the two. The author thereby deliberately creates the proper context for reading his composition as the word of God. In this light, then, John’s greeting, which actually extends through chapter 3, is of considerable theological and rhetorical significance for how one interprets the rest of the book. The epistolary relationship between ...

2118. Eliphaz

Job 4:1-5:27

Understanding Series

Gerald H. Wilson

Trust in Your Piety: Here what is commonly known as the “first dialogue cycle” begins, taking the reader through Job 14:22. Having been unable to find words to respond to the extremity of Job’s physical suffering earlier, the friends are much less reticent in replying to Job’s angry monologue. Job’s words, and not his situation, spark the dialogue and debate. The first to speak is Eliphaz, who appears to be the eldest and is given pride of place as well as space (regarding Eliphaz’s seniority see Pope, Job ...

2119. A Loving Parent

Revelation 7:9-17

Sermon

King Duncan

I want to begin today by saying, “Happy Mother’s Day” to all the Moms here today as well as to those who serve as Mom substitutes. You deserve to be celebrated on this special day because of the incredible impact you have on so many lives. A good mother is such a powerful example of God’s love. Many mothers are willing to do almost anything to communicate their love to their children. Some even try desperately to keep up with the changing styles popular with young people nowadays. Good luck with that. ...

2120. Masks Off!

John 7:25-45 and 8:11-59

Sermon

Lori Wagner

Soul, soul, an apple or two, If you haven't an apple, a pear will do, One for Peter, two for Paul, Three for the Man Who made us all. (Ancient English Begging Song for All Hallow Tide) In the early church holidays like Pentecost and Christmas and the Triduum of Maunday Thursday through Easter Sunday were not one-day events but three-day festivals. So was All Hallow Tide, three days of honoring those whose lives were lost in time of trial. All Hallow Eve was the start of this time of worship and prayer for ...

2121. The Stone is My Witness

Matthew 28:1-10, Mark 16:1-20

Sermon

Lori Wagner

Props: fossil / replica of a sculpture or an actual sculpture if you can I have here a fossil. Anyone ever see a fossil? Anyone ever feel like a fossil? When things around us are changing so fast, sometimes you can feel like a fossil and not be over 30. But here is a real, true fossil. Take a look at this. Pass it around. For those of you who maybe haven’t seen one of these before –a fossil is a record in stone. When the earth or the resin or tar around it is soft and pliable, usually watery or muddy or ...

2122. Hiding in Plain Sight

Matthew 2:13-18, Matthew 2:19-23, Exodus 2:1-10, Exodus 2:11-25

Sermon

Lori Wagner

“Things are not as they appear. We will not know ourselves or our beauty until we see God.” C.S. Lewis (“Till We Have Faces”) C.S. Lewis loved secrets, symbols, layers of meaning, and mystery. In 2008, Michael Ward, currently Senior Research Fellow at Blackfriars Hall, University of Oxford, announced his discovery of a possible new connection between Lewis’s 7 fiction books, The Chronicles of Narnia. Based on Lewis’s love of the stars, cosmology, and time spent in the Oxford observatory, Ward believes that ...

2123. The Wild Within

Luke 4:1-13, Mark 1:9-13, Matthew 4:1-11

Sermon

Lori Wagner

“Then as the Lord our God commanded us, we set out…through all that vast and dreadful desert that you have seen…” (Deuteronomy 1:19) When writing and thinking, your imagination is your “wild place.” It’s that disorderly place of imaginative dreaming in which we let our mind roam the wilderness of images, a wide open range teeming with randomness of thoughts, synthesis of uncommon ideas, mines of raw intuition, then swirling it all up into a mind tornado that can forge any number of new directions, creative ...

2124. The Wind Came

Acts 2:1-13

Sermon

King Duncan

A woman named Alice tells about her nephew’s 10-year-old son who came for a visit one hot, July weekend. “Look, Alice,” he said as he ran over to where she was sitting. “I found a kite. Could we go outside and fly it?” Glancing out a nearby window, Alice noticed there was not a breeze stirring. “I’m sorry, Tripper,” she said, “The wind is not blowing today. The kite won’t fly.” The determined 10-year-old replied. “I think it’s windy enough. I can get it to fly,” he answered, as he hurried out the back door ...

2125. How Do We Forgive?

Matthew 18:21-35

Sermon

King Duncan

An elderly man wandering on a lonely beach found a magic lamp. Naturally he rubbed the lamp and a genie appeared. The genie told the old man he would grant him any wish. The man thought for a while and said, “My brother and I had a fight 20 years ago and we haven’t spoken since. My wish is that he would finally forgive me.” The genie clapped his hands, a bright light shot across the sky, and then he said, “Your wish has been granted.” Then the genie said, “You know, most men would have asked for wealth and ...

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