Sermon and Worship Resources

Showing 201 to 225 of 797 results

Job 42:1-6

Understanding Series

Gerald H. Wilson

... of God. Of course, we already know the purpose that lies behind Job’s innocent suffering. It has been a test in response to the Satan’s question regarding the willingness of any human to fear God without profit. We are about to learn—as Job himself must already have learned—that it is indeed possible to do just that. Job (and other humans) can continue to fear God for no profit, even when the profit is no more than public recognition of the righteous character of the one who suffers. 42:3 You ...

202. The Escape to Egypt

Matthew 2:13-18

Understanding Series

Robert H. Mounce

... to Egypt. It has often been noted that Egypt was a natural refuge for the Jews. Every city in Egypt of any size had a colony of Jews (in Alexandria, over 2 million). Certain later traditions attempt to convey the idea that it was in Egypt that Jesus learned magical tricks that he used later in connection with his miracles (cf. Abodah Zarah 16b–17a). Joseph is to remain with his family in Egypt until the angel of the Lord returns and tells him to leave. In verse 8 Herod claimed he wanted to know where ...

203. The Cost of Following Jesus

Matthew 8:18-22

Understanding Series

Robert H. Mounce

... 23; repeated in 9:35). In chapters 5–7 we were introduced to the teaching ministry of Jesus. In chapters 8–9 we will learn of his ministry in deeds. This second main section of the Gospel comprises three series of acts of miraculous power. Each series has three ... notes that to follow Jesus is “to step forth into insecurity” (p. 219). Miracles create enthusiasts who need to learn the difficulties connected with discipleship before they start on the journey. This is the first place in Matthew where ...

204. The Healing of Two Demon-possessed Men

Matthew 8:28-34

Understanding Series

Robert H. Mounce

... demoniacs and to all observers that Jesus possessed authority over the realm of evil spirits. Sympathy for the pigs and their owners overlooks the priority Jesus puts on the value of the individual made in God’s image. When the people of the nearby town learn what happened they flock out to meet Jesus, but upon seeing him they urge him to leave their region. They were unnerved not by the financial loss but by an awareness of Jesus’ supernatural authority. They had come out for the purpose of seeing a ...

205. Praise to the God of Zion as Creator and God of Agricultural Fertility

Psalm 65:1-13

Understanding Series

Craig C. Broyles

... between Yahweh’s temple and atonement, his control over mountains and seas, and his care for the land with its crops and flocks? Here we moderns, who tend to compartmentalize life, can learn from the integrated world view of this psalm. Each strophe makes a distinct emphasis in connection with the psalm as a whole. In the first, we learn that the people’s status before God at the temple can influence the fertility of the land. In the second, we see that creation order is not to be taken for granted ...

206. Rest for the Weary

Matthew 11:25-30

Understanding Series

Robert H. Mounce

... rest, but following after the one who is as gentle as if humbled—not after a conqueror but after one who appears conquered (p. 273). Although the hoti in verse 29 is usually translated “because,” it is also possible to take it in the sense of “that”—Learn from me that I am gentle and humble in heart (v. 29). This is the lesson that leads to rest of spirit and soul. Although the requirements of the kingdom are great (5:17–20), they appear in a different light when seen as expressions of loving ...

207. The Image of Gold and the Fiery Furnace

Daniel 3:1-30

Understanding Series

William Nelson

... persecution. They trusted in him and defied the king’s command and were willing to give up their lives rather than serve or worship any god except their own God (3:28). God does not always rescue from death, as the martyrs of the second century B.C. learned (1 Macc. 1:57, 60–63; 2 Macc. 6:8–11, 18–31; 7:1–42). The book of Daniel encourages its Jewish audience to trust in the Lord, defy the Seleucid authorities, refrain from worshiping pagan gods, and be willing to sacrifice their lives. The same ...

208. The Great Commission

Matthew 28:16-20

Understanding Series

Robert H. Mounce

... risen Christ. It is on that basis that the disciples are to go and make disciples of all nations. The Greek verb mathēteuō means “to make a learner” (coming, as it does, from manthanō, “to learn”). A disciple is not simply one who has been taught but one who continues to learn. The full scope of making disciples involves baptizing them (v. 19b) and teaching them (v. 20a). Both baptizontes and didaskontes are participles governed by the imperative mathēteusate. The gist of the sentence is “make ...

209. Whose Son is the Christ?

Mark 12:35-40

Understanding Series

Larry W. Hurtado

... David, not just another like David. 12:38 Flowing robes … greeted in the marketplaces. The white linen robe was a sign of a religious leader in ancient Judaism, worn by priests and scribes. They often had long fringes at the corners as a symbol of great learning and devotion to the law of God (see “Fringe,” IDB, vol. 2, pp. 325–26). In rabbinic teaching, all the Jews were to rise at the approach of a scribe, the only exception being the worker on the job (for background references, see, e.g., Lane ...

210. David at Gath

1 Samuel 21:10-15

Understanding Series

Mary J. Evans

... of Moab by presenting himself as an opponent of the Israelite king, was able to leave his parents in safe custody. He remained for a while at a fortified base until a prophetic instruction sent him into Judean territory. 22:6–10 Saul reacted predictably when he learned that David had surfaced and that a group had gathered around him. He took for granted that David’s main aim was to win the hearts of even more people and draw them away from Saul by bribery. He smelled conspiracy even among the members of ...

211. David at Adullam and Mizpah

1 Samuel 22:1-5

Understanding Series

Mary J. Evans

212. Saul Kills the Priest of Nob

1 Samuel 22:6-23

Understanding Series

Mary J. Evans

... Benjamin may indicate that his paranoia had become such that he was afraid to have members of other tribes around. He was convinced that Jonathan’s friendship with and defense of David meant betrayal. Verse 8 implies that Saul had only recently learned, perhaps from a courtier with a grudge, that the friendship between Jonathan and David had been reinforced by a covenant agreement. It says much for Jonathan that he stayed with his father throughout this period. Saul’s ranting against him was just that ...

213. Nathan Rebukes David

2 Samuel 12:1-31

Understanding Series

Mary J. Evans

... Ammonite population used as slave labor. Hanun’s cruel joke (10:4) had had disastrous consequences for Ammon. Additional Notes 12:1 For comment on Nathan, see additional notes on 7:2. 12:1–7 Pss. 51 and 32 are indications of how well David learned the lessons about the horrific nature of sin, responsibility, and the need for and the possibility of repentance and forgiveness. The heading of Ps. 51 states that it was written after Nathan’s visit and, although the headings of the psalms are not part of ...

214. The Next Two Days: The Call of the Disciples

John 1:43-51, John 1:35-42

Understanding Series

J. Ramsey Michaels

... only this introductory narrative we would conclude that Simon Peter was a minor figure in John’s Gospel and Nathanael a major one, but as it turns out, the reverse is true. Simon Peter’s confession is not omitted, only deferred (6:68–69), and the reader will learn more about him than about any other disciple (e.g., 13:36–38; 18:15–18, 25–27; 21:15–19). But little is made of Simon’s new name. There is no equivalent to the Matthean promise to Peter that “on this rock I will build my church ...

215. Jesus Sentenced to be Crucified

John 19:1-16, John 18:28-40

Understanding Series

J. Ramsey Michaels

... in the arrest probably stemmed from what he saw as an opportunity to bring a potential troublemaker under questioning and learn whether he was dangerous to the political order or not. If the Jewish authorities could be assisted in curbing subversives among ... of Caesar. Anyone who claims to be a king opposes Caesar (v. 12). The bottom line was that if the emperor were to learn that Pilate was protecting a claimant to kingship, Pilate’s status as friend of Caesar (a title of privilege bestowed by the emperor ...

216. The Death of Jesus

John 19:28-37, John 19:17-27, John 19:38-42

Understanding Series

J. Ramsey Michaels

... two fulfillments of scripture in verses 31–37? The spear thrust? Or the consequent flow of blood and water from the wound in Jesus’ side? The accent is clearly on the latter two (v. 34). It is likely that the rest of Jesus’ disciples first learned of the spear wound—a key to their identification of the risen Jesus in 20:20a, 25, 27—through the testimony of the eyewitness mentioned here. His “seeing” not only fulfills scripture (v. 37) but lays the basis for their testimony, “We have seen the ...

217. The Burial of Jesus

John 19:38-42, John 19:17-27, John 19:28-37

Understanding Series

J. Ramsey Michaels

218. Suffering for Doing Good

1 Peter 3:8-22

Understanding Series

Norman Hillyer

... After the death of the great spiritual teacher Rabbi Johanan ben Zakkai (late 1st cent. A.D.), he left the company of his fellow students and went to live in Emmaus because it was a pleasant resort. In a short time he realized he was forgetting much of his learning. A sure and certain hope (1:3) is what distinguishes Christians, for unbelievers have none (Eph. 2:12). Gentleness is a fundamental Christian virtue, frequently mentioned in the NT (1 Cor. 4:21; 2 Cor. 10:1; Gal. 5:23; 6:1; Eph. 4:2; Col. 3:12; 2 ...

219. The Fall of Man

Genesis 3:1-24

Understanding Series

John E. Hartley

... ” often have a moral connotation, the issue at stake was moral knowledge. “Know” may be interpreted as “to have mastery over.” Thus humans were seeking to gain for themselves the prerogative of determining what was good and what was evil. As humans have learned, gaining the freedom to determine what is good and evil has proven to be a heavy burden, because they must decide continually how they will use everything they have for good and not for evil. This burden is even heavier because the line of ...

220. Jacob Flees to Laban

Genesis 27:41--28:9

Understanding Series

John E. Hartley

... Jacob’s obedience to his mother and father. Isaac formally sent Jacob on his way . . . to Paddan Aram. There he was to dwell with Laban son of Bethuel, whose lineage is given because of its importance in identifying Israel’s ancestry. 28:6–9 Esau learned that Isaac had blessed Jacob and had sent him to Paddan Aram to take a wife. He also heard that his father had told him not to marry a Canaanite woman. Coming to realize how displeasing the Canaanite women were to his father, he married Mahalath ...

221. Laban Pursues Jacob

Genesis 31:22-55

Understanding Series

John E. Hartley

... gods? 31:33–35 Laban searched methodically, going from Jacob’s tent to Leah’s and then to the tent of the two maidservants, but he found nothing. The moment of potential discovery arrived as he entered Rachel’s tent. Only now does the reader learn that Rachel had hidden the household gods in her camel’s saddle and was sitting on them. After Laban had gone through everything in her tent without finding anything, Rachel politely informed him that she was not able to stand up in his presence since ...

222. The Song of Moses

Deuteronomy 31:30--32:47

Understanding Series

Christopher J. H. Wright

... (v. 2) and its teaching nature has already been made clear in the prose introduction in chapter 30. History itself may be a poor teacher, but history interpreted by the word of God is a fertile source of real learning. Sadly, even with the prophets as additional teachers, Israel did not learn the lessons of this song. Furthermore, although the central content of the song is the indictment of Israel, the ultimate purpose of the singer is doxological (v. 3). The song is bracketed (vv. 3f. and 43) with praise ...

223. Five Amorite Kings Killed

Joshua 10:16-28

Understanding Series

J. Gordon Harris

... the Lord and receives assurance: Do not be afraid of them; I have given them into your hand. Not one of them will be able to withstand you (10:8). Joshua will learn later how important it was to consult the Lord and to receive this promise. Joshua’s counterattack on the five kings demonstrates he had learned two lessons from previous battles. He fights a wise, well-planned operation, and yet victory depends largely on support from God, the divine warrior. Joshua launches a forced march, a 32-kilometer ...

224. Ahab Killed at Ramoth Gilead

1 Kings 22:29-40

Understanding Series

Iain W. Provan

... disguised himself: Ahab’s surprising—in view of his passivity hitherto—display of initiative in ch. 22 (cf. vv. 3–4) takes on the appearance at this point of dependence on the ideas of others. As he learned about repentance from Ben-Hadad’s servants (cf. 20:32; 21:27), so he has learned about disguise from the wounded prophet (cf. Hb. ḥpś here and in 20:38). Such thematic and verbal links serve an important function in binding the various chapters of the Ahab story together into a unified whole ...

225. Elijah Taken Up to Heaven

2 Kings 2:1-18

Understanding Series

Iain W. Provan

... people (Rom. 11:1ff.; the remnant theme will remain an important one throughout Kings); or about faith (Heb. 11:32–39); or about prayer (Jas. 5:13–18). On the basis of my own reading of the Elijah story, I may also suggest that there are things to be learned from him regarding having a sense of perspective about one’s life of service; regarding the need for humility; regarding willingness to be part of God’s plan, rather than to be the plan itself (cf. Matt. 3:11–15; 11:11; 20:20–27; John 3:27 ...

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