Sermon and Worship Resources

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Ezekiel 18:1-32, Ezekiel 19:1-14

Understanding Series

Steven Tuell

... 1–9 and the second in verses 10–14. Verse 1 identifies the first as a lament and develops the image of the royal house of Judah as a lioness . . . among the lions (v. 2). While the second poem is also a lament, the designation comes in the last verse (v. 14), so that these designations bracket the chapter. In this second lament, Ezekiel returns to an image from earlier in the book: the royal house as a vine (compare 15:1–8 and 17:1–24). In the ancient Near East, people often associated the lion with ...

202. Lord of the Sabbath and Appointing the Twelve

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

Teach the Text

R.T. France

... , the Lord’s anointed. Jesus is the Son of David, indeed David’s Lord (20:41–44). 6:5 The Son of Man is Lord of the Sabbath. If David could set aside a legal ruling, how much more can the Son of Man (for this as Jesus’s self-designation, see the sidebar “The Son of Man” at 5:12–26). Here, as in 5:24, the reference is to his authority during his earthly ministry, but underlying it is Daniel’s vision of the universal sovereignty of the “one like a son of man” (Dan. 7:13–14). Jesus ...

203. On the Mount of Olives

Luke 22:47-53, Luke 22:39-46, Luke 22:7-38

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R.T. France

... is described by John as a “garden” on the other side of the Kidron Valley. The traditional site of Gethsemane in olive groves on the western slope of the Mount of Olives fits the description of all four Gospels, and it was within the area designated for temporary residents during Passover week. Luke has made it clear in 21:37 that this was where Jesus and the disciples regularly spent the night (note “as usual” [22:39] and “the place” [22:40]). That was what Judas was relying on. Interpretive ...

204. Leadership and Servanthood

1 Corinthians 4:1-21, 1 Corinthians 3:1-23

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Preben Vang

... ’s rubric for evaluation is christological and soteriological in character (Hom. 1 Cor. 10.2). Fidelity to the wisdom of the cross must be the measuring stick for any and all Christian activity. Paul’s emphasis in 3:18 on becoming a “fool” is designed not to encourage ignorance or a lack of refinement but to remind the Christians that the agenda for the church is imitation of Christ. When the church’s agenda, and its measurement for success, is set by the world, churches and Christians have gone ...

205. Being Wronged versus Claiming One’s Right

1 Corinthians 6:1-11

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Preben Vang

... from them. As if to remove any doubt that adikoi (“wrongdoers”) have a different identity or set of values from the Christians, Paul lists a series of vices that characterizes their lifestyle patterns (see the sidebar). The list is neither exhaustive nor designed to list only the “Corinthian sins” (cf. Gal. 5:19–21; Rom. 1:29–31; 1 Tim. 1:9–11). Vice lists were common and used also by Diaspora synagogues to distinguish Hellenistic Judaism from its Gentile society surroundings. According to the ...

206. Personal Rights and Christian Testimony

1 Corinthians 9:1-27

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Preben Vang

... who traveled with Paul. As Collins points out, “In the Mediterranean world a woman who traveled with a man would enjoy his protection but if she were not his wife she would have been considered a prostitute.”3 Although Paul’s rhetoric here is designed to highlight his rights, it also gives very early evidence of a pattern of Christian couples traveling together to spread the gospel. as do the other apostles and the Lord’s brothers and Cephas. “Other apostles” can refer to “the Twelve” (15:5 ...

207. Spiritual Gifts and Spiritual Growth

1 Corinthians 14:1-25

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Preben Vang

... desires of the individual. The pursuit of love generates a desire to look away from self and to serve others. 3. Paul seems to go out of his way to make sure the Corinthians do not misunderstand his teaching and conclude that gifts (tongues) designed to encourage the heart are unimportant to the individual. Repeated affirmations of tongues as speech directed toward God, as speech flowing directly from a person’s own spirit, and as a practice in which he himself is highly active accentuate the care Paul ...

208. The Ark Heads Home

1 Samuel 6:1-7:1

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Robert B. Chisholm Jr.

... patterns.3 Magic also played an important role in ancient Near Eastern religion. Walton explains its relationship to divination: “While divination is concerned with gaining knowledge, magic involves exercising power.” Magic involves the use of incantations and rituals designed “to manipulate cosmic forces in pursuit of self-interest” and to ward off the danger associated with bad omens.4 The priests and diviners described in chapter 6 advise the Philistines with regard to both divination and magic ...

209. “The Earth Is the Lord’s, and Everything in It”

Psalm 24:1-10

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C. Hassell Bullock

... phrase “to seek the Lord” (NIV: “inquiring of the Lord”) to describe those who go to worship in the tabernacle. To “see” God’s face (Pss. 11:7; 17:15) and to “seek” his face are synonymous, except in degree (Ps. 27:8). “Jacob” is a poetic designation for Israel (Ps. 14:7). It is probable that the Hebrew clause “who seek your face, O Jacob” (see KJV) should be read, “who seek your face, O God of Jacob” (Ps. 20:1; Isa. 2:3, and so LXX). This verse ends with selah, a liturgical ...

210. “The Lord Most High Is Awesome, the Great King over All the Earth”

Psalm 47:1-9

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C. Hassell Bullock

... praises to God . . . sing to him a psalm of praise.Five times in these two verses the command to “sing praises” occurs (Piel of zmr, “make music,” either with an instrument or the voice). The word maskil (“a psalm of praise”) appears in some psalm titles to designate a type of psalm.9 46:8 God reigns over the nations; God is seated on his holy throne.The verb “reigns” (mlk) is the same verb used to describe the earthly king’s reign (e.g., 2 Sam. 15:10; 1 Kings 1:11). “His holy throne ...

211. “When We Were Overwhelmed by Our Sins, You Forgave Our Transgressions”

Psalm 65:1-13

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C. Hassell Bullock

... redemption in mind is already evident in Genesis 3:15, when the Lord promises that the woman’s offspring will crush the serpent’s head. This has long been seen as a messianic prophecy that Christ fulfilled. Truly this world is incredibly beautiful and marvelously designed, but the wonder of wonders is grace. Creation is something we all have in common, and if we understand that grace is built into the order of creation, then we are confronted anew with the God of the universe, who is not only Creator ...

212. “Come and See What God Has Done”

Psalm 66:1-20

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C. Hassell Bullock

... them to be. As you observe nature, look carefully to see how everything he made praises him. In the same way, God created each individual person different and unique. And we praise him by being what God created us to be as we live in obedience to his design and purpose. God’s care of the world and of each person at the same time Quote: Augustine. It is difficult for us to understand how God can care for the world he made and care as passionately for each individual who makes up that world. While Augustine ...

213. The Benefits of Wisdom

Proverbs 2:1-22

One Volume

Gary M. Burge

... verbal forms to emphasize their habitual modes of speaking and the good that they leave behind (2:13, 17). In verse 16, the dangerous woman is introduced for the first time in Proverbs; a fuller portrait of this woman is given in Proverbs 5–7. This person’s designation as a “strange” (Hebrew zarah; 2:16; 5:3, 20; 7:5; cf. 22:14; see also commentary on 5:1–23) woman or a “foreigner” (2:16; 5:20; 6:24; 7:5; cf. 20:16; 23:27; 27:13) in some translations has spawned extensive discussion ...

214. Further Benefits of Wisdom

Proverbs 3:1-35

One Volume

Gary M. Burge

... all, such people are detestable to the Lord (3:32). This is the first of twenty-one occurrences of the word toebah in Proverbs (here, what the Lord “detests”; translated as “abomination” in the KJV), which designates morally or cultically abhorrent practices (e.g., aberrant sexual relationships, idol worship, occult activities, child sacrifice, eating unclean food, sacrificing defective animals, business fraud). The godly, however, are offered friendship with God, literally his “secret counsel ...

215. Jesus' Sorrow for Jerusalem

Luke 13:31-35

Understanding Series

Craig A. Evans

... ’s condemnation of the former’s immorality. In Jesus’ case, however, Herod may have feared a messianic uprising in Galilee and so sought to put an end to Jesus. (Although it is possible that Herod’s threats were no more than threats designed to frighten Jesus out of Galilee.) Traditionally commentators have interpreted the warning of the Pharisees as devious and hypocritical, either to incite Jesus into acting rashly or to scare him out of Galilee and toward Jerusalem where he might meet his end ...

216. The Jews and the Law

Romans 2:17-29

Understanding Series

James R. Edwards

... mouths of Gentiles) for the individual who confessed the one true God in an alien, polytheistic environment. For the rabbis Mordecai became the exemplary Jew who refused to forsake the God of Israel for the idolatry of Haman (Esther 3:5). Paul’s kinsfolk accepted the designation of Jew with pride as a name that fused a national faith and a strong loyalty to Torah. A second strength is the law. Well might Jews rely on the law. “Torah” was a sacred word in Judaism, for to Israel alone the law had been ...

217. Thanksgiving

1 Corinthians 1:1-9

Understanding Series

Marion L. Soards

... to play equally active roles in the composition of the letters. The inclusion of Sosthenes here is especially striking since this reference is the only mention of Sosthenes in this or any other Pauline letter. Nevertheless, Paul calls him “Sosthenes the brother.” In other letters of Paul the designation “brother” identifies one of his fellow workers, and that may be the case here (see Rom. 16:23; 1 Cor. 16:20; 2 Cor. 1:1; 2:13; 8:18, 22; 12:18; Phil. 2:25; 1 Thess. 3:2; Phlm. 1, 7, 20; and Eph. 6:21 ...

218. Christ the Wisdom and Power of God

1 Corinthians 1:18--2:5

Understanding Series

Marion L. Soards

... as a Universalist,” Christian Scholar’s Review 21 [1992], pp. 395–407) to read 1:18 as Paul’s declaration of the reality of eternal destruction that indicates a denial of universalism reads more into the text than out of it. Paul’s rhetorical contrast is designed to register that it is what God does, not what humans know, that achieves salvation. Paul is concerned neither to advocate nor to deny universalism in this verse; more relevant to this topic are Rom. 9–11, 1 Cor. 15, and Phil. 2:5–11 ...

219. Food Sacrificed to Idols

1 Corinthians 8:1-13

Understanding Series

Marion L. Soards

... for their use, consumption, or resale. Yet another portion could be made available to the person offering the sacrifice for a ritual meal in the banquet facilities that were part of many temples. Meat that was left over or that was initially designated for resale was sometimes transported to the marketplace for purchase and private consumption. In order to understand Paul’s comments in this section of the letter it is important to attempt to discern exactly which action or setting he is thinking about ...

220. The Collection for God's People

1 Corinthians 16:1-4

Understanding Series

Marion L. Soards

... of a collection among the members of the churches he had founded in Asia Minor and Europe. The same collection is mentioned in 2 Corinthians 8–9; Galatians 2:10; and Romans 15:24–33. The NIV translates in a paraphrasing fashion at this point. The designation of those for whom the collection was intended as God’s people more literally in Greek names these people as “the saints” (toi hagioi). This collection is best explained by Paul in Galatians 2:1–10 as something he wanted to do as a result of ...

221. There Is No One Who Does Good: Version 1

Psalm 14:1-7

Understanding Series

Craig C. Broyles

... , the psalm’s second half refers to a class of people who receive Yahweh’s special care (my people, i.e. the speaker’s, v. 4; the company of the righteous, v. 5; the poor, v. 6; Israel . . . his people, i.e. Yahweh’s, v. 7). The designation of “the righteous” seems irreconcilable with the judgment, “there is no one who does good.” (Ps. 53:5 deviates from its parallel in 14:5–6 by omitting “the righteous” and any mention of God’s protection in the meantime, and by expanding on God’s ...

222. Daniel’s Vision of a Man

Daniel 10:1--11:1

Understanding Series

William Nelson

... identified as “the Euphrates” (Gen. 15:18; Deut. 1:7; Josh. 1:4; see also Rev. 9:14; 16:12). Even more often the Euphrates is simply designated “the River” (Gen. 31:21; Exod. 23:31; Num. 22:5; Josh. 24:2–3, 14–15; 2 Sam. 10:16; 1 Kgs. 4:21, 24; ... a son of man”) in Daniel 7:13. An angel, “who looked like a man,” appeared in Daniel 8:15; then Gabriel is designated a “man” (9:21). Earlier in chapter 10 there is the vision of “a man dressed in linen” (10:5), and later the expression “ ...

223. The Kings of the South and the North

Daniel 11:2-35

Understanding Series

William Nelson

... rich food,” “delicacies,” or “royal food.” It also occurs in 1:5, 8, 13, 15, 16 (see the Additional Note on 1:5). 11:30 Whereas most translations transliterate the Hebrew word kittim as Kittim, the NIV renders it as the western coastlands. Initially it designated Kition, a place on the island of Cyprus. Apart from Daniel, in the Bible it refers to Cyprus and perhaps to other islands or coastlands in the Mediterranean (Isa. 23:1; Jer. 2:10; Ezek. 27:6). By late OT times, it clearly could refer to ...

224. The Burial of Jesus

Mark 15:42-47

Understanding Series

Larry W. Hurtado

... for the burial of a family and so could accommodate several bodies. This tomb had as yet not been occupied, according to Matt. 27:60 and John 19:41 (On the design of ancient Palestinian tombs, see “Tomb,” IDBSup, pp. 905–8.) The stone placed across the entrance was designed to keep out animals and intruders and may have been a flat, rounded stone that sat in a channel dug in the base of the entrance. Such channels were cut on a slope so that the stone could be rolled into place easily but would ...

225. Personal Requests

1 Corinthians 16:5-18

Understanding Series

Marion L. Soards

... or steadfastness. Above all, they are to “do everything in love” (Gk. en agapē … ginomai; NIV: do … in love)—the chief criterion for all Christian living (see ch. 13). 16:17 Remarkably the word for arrived, or as other translations render the designation, “coming,” in Gk. is parousia, which is the term often employed in reference to the future coming (or the second coming) of the Lord Jesus Christ. The word does signify a “coming,” but it indicates presence as well as arrival. Paul’s ...

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