Sermon and Worship Resources

Showing 201 to 225 of 2157 results

Ezra 7:11-28

Understanding Series

Leslie C. Allen

... themselves king of kings. On the God of heaven, see the additional note on 6:9. 1 Esdras 8:9 and the Syriac version rendered Greetings, which suits the context. The meaning of the Aramaic gemir is uncertain. The best suggestion is that it is used in the ... vv. 6, 10, and 11 the editor had the completed Pentateuch in view, and there is little reason to suppose that the version Ezra used was substantially less. See the discussion of Williamson, Ezra, Nehemiah, pp. xxxvii–ix. 7:17 This verse seems to envision ...

202. Those Guilty of Intermarriage

Ezra 10:18-44

Understanding Series

Leslie C. Allen

... The Judean community will not meet until v. 9. 10:6 While he was there seems to be a paraphrase of “where he spent the night” (NRSV). It represents a correction of the MT “and he went,” in agreement with 1 Esd. 9:2 and the Syriac version. Accidental assimilation to the previous verb occurred in the MT. 10:8 The word forfeit refers to the fact that the items would be dedicated to temple use. Movable property seems to be in view. Compare the paraphrase in 1 Esd. 9:4, “their livestock would be seized ...

203. The Completion of the Wall

Nehemiah 6:15-7:3

Understanding Series

Leslie C. Allen

... elsewhere in Nehemiah’s prayers is less compelling than the fact that nowhere else in the OT is it used with a divine subject. The alternative is to construe the verb as an inf. absolute, here equivalent to a first-person sg. perf., as the ancient versions took it (see BHS). Then the sense is, “But my morale rose even higher” (NJB). It is difficult to make a clear-cut decision. It is interesting that the revisers of the NEB switched from the second interpretation (“So I applied myself to it with ...

204. Everlasting Salvation for Zion

Isaiah 51:1-16

Understanding Series

John Goldingay

... for something beyond God’s capacity. It says to the congregation, “God could do it” and to God, “You could do it.” Here there is a similar recollection. It begins with the slaughter of Rahab, taking up motifs from Middle Eastern creation stories. The Babylonian version of that story, called “When On High” (Enuma Elish; see ANET, pp. 60–72, 501–4) involves Marduk, the same person as Bel in 46:1, killing a rebel goddess called Tiamat and cutting up her body in order to use it as raw material ...

205. Grounds for Blessing

Matthew 13:1-23, Luke 8:1-15, Mark 4:1-20

Sermon

Lori Wagner

... 4) Jesus’ Parables of Seed and Harvest As Told By His Disciples (Mark 4, Luke 8, Matthew 13) Paul Warns That You Reap What You Sow (Galatians 5 and 6) The Restoration of Eden and the Tree of Life Bearing 12 Crops of Fruit for Healing (Revelation 22) Mark’s Version of Jesus’ Parables of Seed and Harvest Again Jesus began to teach by the lake. The crowd that gathered around him was so large that he got into a boat and sat in it out on the lake, while all the people were along the shore at the water’s ...

206. Little Ones

Luke 18:15-17, Matthew 19:13-15

Sermon

Lori Wagner

... so that we’ve made fairytales the “stuff” of children’s literature. (And we’ve done some of that to our scripture stories too!) But it wasn’t always that way. You know fairytales weren’t always that “pretty”! The original versions were pretty gruesome, even horrifying. That’s because fairytales weren’t written for children but about children. They were stories written by adults for adults, who needed to deal with threats to their greatest assets –their children. They were originally ...

207. Secret Savior

Matthew 6:5-15, Matthew 6:16-18

Sermon

Lori Wagner

... Matthew’s. This is attested to also by Jerome, Irenaeus, and Papias in documents they left for us. The gospel was said to have been kept in the Library at Caesarea but subsequently burnt by Athanasius I in 367 CE, leaving only the later Greek versions. The Hebrew version follows: At that time Yeshuwa said to his disciples: “When you pray do not raise your voice and do not be like the profane idol worshippers who love to pray in the synagogues and in the corners of the courts and pray with haughty speech ...

208. House of Prayer

Matthew 6:5-15, Matthew 6:16-18

Sermon

Lori Wagner

... ’s probably the best prescription of what’s going on in our culture today. That, and we have lost trust in the idea of universal truth. Let me put it this way. We have lost faith in the authority of any one truth. We all have our own versions of truth. Couple that with selective memory, and you have the inalienable right to your own selective memory. And the right to be your own authority. But for Christians, that’s a problem. When for Christians this means, we stop hearing the voice of Jesus as our ...

209. Promises to Keep

Mark 6:14-29

Sermon

Dean Feldmeyer

... for artists and writers in Europe. It was in1891 while visiting France and experimenting with the styles of the symbolist and decadent movements that Oscar Wilde wrote his play, Salome which was loosely based on the biblical account. It was also Wilde’s version of the events which dubbed Salome’s dance the “Dance of the Seven Veils,” a kind of seductive striptease. In the play, however, it was Salome herself (not her mother) who called for John’s execution because she was angry with him for ...

210. Call It Like You See It

Mark 7:24-37

Sermon

Frank Ramirez

... a cure for his father’s blindness. But he sets out on the journey with a young man — who he does not recognize as an angel — and a faithful dog. Well, sort of. There are several versions of this apocryphal book. In the version that was current among Greek-speaking Jews, there is a dog. In the versions that circulated among Jews closer to Jerusalem, there is no dog. That’s because in many of the nations in ancient times, as well as Jews who had become acculturated to the Greek speaking world, dogs ...

211. It Helps If You Laugh

John 15:9-17

Sermon

Billy D. Strayhorn

... of God's Word the world has ever seen. Four preachers were discussing the merits of various translations of the Bible. One liked the King James Version because of it's rich heritage and beautiful poetic language. Another liked the Revised Standard Version because of its Greek and Hebrew literalness. The third preacher liked the New International Version because of it's modern language. The fourth preacher was silent. The other three finally pushed him into answering and he said, "I like my mother ...

212. If It Helps You Laugh

John 15:1-17

Sermon

Billy D. Strayhorn

213. Big Boys Do Cry

Joel 2:1-2,12-17

Sermon

King Duncan

... , could cry from the depths of a broken heart. Yes,” he now says, “I guess big boys do cry.” (2) Did you know that the Bible teaches us that it’s all right for big boys to cry . . . and big girls as well? In the King James Version of the Bible, (Romans 12:15) the Apostle Paul wrote, “Rejoice with those who rejoice, and weep with those who weep.” References to weeping are found throughout the Bible. And it is not simply women who weep. In our lesson from Joel for this evening we read: “Even ...

214. How About Some Applause for the Creator?

Luke 2:1-14, (15-20)

Sermon

King Duncan & Angela Akers

... or read it any time we please. And this evening we get to hear it in the company of our family and friends in this Christmas Eve service. And for those of you who fondly remember the King James version as the version from which you first heard the Christmas story, I’ll be reading from that version. [Would you stand please for the reading of the Gospel]: “And it came to pass in those days, that there went out a decree from Caesar Augustus that all the world should be taxed. (And this taxing was first ...

215. The Seventy “Sevens”

Daniel 9:20-27

Understanding Series

William Nelson

... from the wordplay. The NIV uses brackets in the phrase on a wing [of the temple] to show that it is emending the text. A more literal translation of the Hebrew is “on the wing of abominations.” The word “temple” comes from the Greek versions, but they do not have the word “wing.” A simpler emendation is to change ʿal kanap, “on a wing,” to ʿal kannam, “on their place” (Hartman and Di Lella, Daniel, p. 240). In other words, abominations will displace the sacrifices and offerings. To put ...

216. Words

John 1:(1-9), 10-18

Sermon

John B. Jamison

... and that’s why he was so careful to use the words he used with his Greek readers. Sometimes we recognize that power too, especially when it comes to words we use about our religion. Have you ever heard someone having that argument about which version of the Bible to use? For many, the only choice is the King James Bible. Why? The words. Much of the writing is really difficult to understand, because almost no one uses “thees”, “thous”, and “begats”, anymore, but those old words just sound more ...

217. What’s In a Word?

Luke 2:1-14, (15-20)

Sermon

Frank Ramirez

... 1526 translation set the standard when he chose these words: “ther was no roume for them within in the ynne.” Most translations, including the King James Version, followed Tyndale’s example. In our time, the very influential New Revised Standard and New International Versions both use the word “inn.” But Today’s New International Version in 2005 says “…there was no guest room available for them.” The 2010 Common English Bible says “…there was no place for them in the guest ...

218. Proper 20

Psalm 79:1-13, 1 Timothy 2:1-15, Jeremiah 8:4--9:26, Luke 16:1-15

Sermon Aid

William E. Keeney

... demonstrate their faithfulness, they will find themselves entrusted with larger responsibilities. Points to Ponder 1. Tainted Money. The passage translates the Greek as dishonest wealth. Other versions translate the terms as "this world's wealth," "worldly wealth," or "unrighteous mammon." Is all wealth tainted or only, as one version translates it, "ill-gotten wealth"? The question often arises as to whether the church or church-related institutions should accept wealth acquired from such enterprises as ...

219. Make Scriptural Hope Your Own

Romans 14:1--15:13

Sermon

Richard Hasler

... part with the other. In addition, today we have so many helpful resources to comprehend the Bible -- Bible dictionaries, concordances, atlases, and, of course, a multiplicity of translations and versions in contemporary English. Even if you only read literature with a "southern accent" Clarence Jordan's delightful Cotton Patch version of the New Testament might be just right for you. As I observe children and youth use their amazing knowledge of electronics, computer skills and fascination with video games ...

220. Let Our Kids Pray

Matthew 6:5-15

Sermon

Carl B. Rife

... -down prayer cannot hurt anyone. I say that takes away the entire meaning of prayer when it is viewed that way. What we want our kids to do is to learn how to pray the kind of prayer that Jesus prayed in Gethsemane. Not give them some official version of a prayer that gets official approval through many committees. That leads to the third thing: The whole area of the doctrine of the separation of church and state. I said this before but I think it's important to be clear about it. There are legitimate ...

221. Demon-Possessed Child

Matthew 15:1-20, Matthew 15:21-28

Sermon Aid

Dallas A. Brauninger

... a Canaanite woman from that region came out and started shouting, 'Have mercy on me, Lord, Son of David; my daughter is tormented by a demon' " (Matthew 15:22). Jesus' Response According to Matthew, Jesus "did not answer her at all" (Matthew 15:23). In Mark's version, he told her to "[l]et the children be fed first" (Mark 7:27). Response Of Disciples: The disciples have no role in Mark's telling. In Matthew, they "urge" Jesus to "[s]end her away, for she keeps shouting after us" (Matthew 15:23). The Woman ...

222. The Season Of The Resurrection

John 10:1-21

Bulletin Aid

Wayne H. Keller

... . (One minute of silence.) THE TEACHING Message with the Children of All Ages Bring a large picture of a shepherd tending his/her flock. See if the children know anything about shepherds. Explain the scripture to them. Then, ask if they could name modern versions of shepherds and sheep. One author has suggested Jesus as my "parole officer." Reading of the Scripture Ask one of your best readers either to memorize or to read Jesus' words, and to do so standing in the midst of the people. Proclamation of ...

223. Advent 1

1 Corinthians 1:1-9, Isaiah 63:7--64:12, Mark 13:32-37, Mark 13:1-31

Sermon Aid

E. Carver McGriff

... , but one thing was sure -- that boy knew his dad was serious (actually, they had a great relationship and both were smiling). But sometimes we resort to such imagery to emphasize a point. So what was Jesus really saying by these words (or at least by Mark's version of what Peter must have reported to him)? We don't know how long the universe will last, but logic tells us it won't last forever. Jesus may have been predicting the destruction of the Jewish Temple and of Jerusalem itself. Also, each of us as ...

224. Deadly Sins - A Matter Of Sutton's Law

Romans 7:14-25

Sermon

R. Curtis Fussell

... playing the piano and replies, "Love is a strong attachment to someone, loyalty to someone or something, devotion to a person or persons." Then Schroeder goes back to playing the piano, and Lucy responds, "My, doesn't he look great on paper?"8 Indeed, the highly edited version of our lives that we present to others looks great on paper, but things aren't what they seem. I know how that happens with me. There have been times when my wife has reviewed one of my sermons, and then she makes the comment, "Great ...

225. Passion Sunday

Mt 26:14–27:66 · Phil 2:5-11 · Is 45:21-25; 50:4-9 · Ps 31

Sermon Aid

Russell F. Anderson

... Jerusalem be observed right at the beginning of the service, with the Palm Sunday Gospel read from the back of the church, just prior to the procession. Some congregations have confirmation, reception of new members, and other events. On top of that, even the shortened version of the gospel is quite lengthy. Very little time is left for the sermon. The preacher is confronted with the choice of giving an overview of the Lord's passion or focusing in on a single segment of that story. Matthew 27:11-14 The ...

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