Sermon and Worship Resources

Showing 2226 to 2250 of 3852 results

Luke 3:1-6

Sweet

Leonard Sweet

... of Annas and Caiphas as a kind of co-high priests). Into this secular and religious world of highly recognizable authorities, Luke introduces the unlikely figure of "John, son of Zechariah." Only Luke's gospel has previously given us details of John's origin (in ch. 1). Although Luke does not now give up as many details about John's lifestyle and appearance as do some of the other gospel writers, Luke does make enough observations about John to suggest that the Baptist had ties with the ascetical ...

2227. Luke 5:1-11

Luke 5:1-11

Sweet

Leonard Sweet

... before Jesus' knees and pleading, "Go away from me, Lord, for I am a sinful man" is consistent with the "act-now-think-later" Peter that the gospels present. His admission of sin need not be seen as further evidence that this account was originally taken from a post-Resurrection confession by Peter. The terminology Luke employs expresses a general, moral sense of unworthiness and fear which would naturally be felt by all who find themselves in the presence of divinity. Note, also, that in Peter's outburst ...

2228. Luke 6:17-26

Luke 6:17-26

Sweet

Leonard Sweet

2229. Luke 4:1-13

Luke 4:1-13

Sweet

Leonard Sweet

... Jesus cites the first of the three Scripture texts he will use to foil the Devil's temptation schemes. Indeed this pericope is unusual in that all of Jesus' script is provided for him by Scripture. Nowhere in today's text does Jesus offer an original word of his own. Seen against the time frame of this temptation sequence, the obedient, Torah-based, law-abiding "Son of God" places Jesus in a strongly traditional role with an untarnished reputation when he returns from the wilderness to begin his ministry in ...

2230. Genesis 15:1-12, 17-18

Genesis 15:1-12, 17-18

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

2231. Revelation 7:9-17

Revelation 7:9-17

Sweet

Leonard Sweet

... scarier stuff in John's vision. The whole of chapter 7 offers a kind of textual time-out from the angst-inducing opening of the seven seals. Whereas the first of these intercessory visions restricts the saved by number (144,000) and by heritage (those from the original 12 tribes), verse 9 begins a second, far more inclusive representation of the faithful. Verse 9 begins with the formulaic "After this I looked," a phrase that signals the writer is now moving on to a new separate vision (see 4:1; 7:1; 15:5 ...

2232. Luke 7:36-8:3

Luke 7:36-8:3

Sweet

Leonard Sweet

... on its own as a uniquely Lukan tale. Scholars argue over the relatedness of all these stories. Some see two genuinely different episodes lying behind the accounts known as "The Anointing at Bethany" and "The Woman Who Was a Sinner." Others posit that originally there was only one tradition which took on various forms when it made the transition from oral to written form. Luke's story differs in a significant number of ways from all the other "anointing" texts. Luke's narrative takes place at the beginning ...

2233. Colossians 1:1-14

Colossians 1:1-14

Sweet

Leonard Sweet

... the close ties that yet remained between the synagogue and the church. The thanks that Paul offers ties together three highly recognizable attributes that inform Pauline discussion of the gospel faith, love and hope. In one long phrase (in the original, vv. 3-8 constitute one sentence), Paul tightly binds together these three crucial elements whose bundled presence at Colossae form the basis of Paul's thankfulness. Yet, as Paul praises the Colossians for exhibiting these traits, he makes a heuristic ...

2234. Colossians 1:15-28

Colossians 1:15-28

Sweet

Leonard Sweet

... deity is found at the head of the church itself. Paul's familiar image of the church as the "body of Christ" shifts its focus here to accent Christ as the head of this body, continuing the emphasis on Christ's supremacy and on Christ as the originator of the church. Just as Christ was the "firstborn of all creation" and thus Lord over all the created universe, so Christ the "head of the body, the church" is the "firstborn from the dead" that is, the new, unprecedented creation that now exists since the ...

2235. Hosea 1:2-10

Hosea 1:2-10

Sweet

Leonard Sweet

... to the God of Israel. What obedience to such a heart-wrenching, heartbreaking divine command must have cost him! Scholars have noted that through this divine dictum Yahweh transformed Hosea from a proscriptive prophet into a "homeopathic" prophet. (See Gary Hall, "Origin of the Marriage Metaphor," Hebrew Studies, July 26, 1992, 169-171.) We will come back to what that means exactly in a minute. Israel was suffering from a plague of infidelity. Israelites were continually attracted to the local, licentious ...

2236. Luke 16:1-13

Luke 16:1-13

Sweet

Leonard Sweet

... manage "dishonest wealth," who would be willing to entrust legitimate riches to his stewardship? And if you cannot be faithful with what does not belong to you, who "will give you what is your own?" (v.12). These proverb-like sayings were probably not originally spoken in the context of the parable above, but inserted by the Lukan editor to provide moral instruction on the parable itself. The sayings cast Jesus in the role of the management trainer, and indeed, more than a few of the "children of this ...

2237. Jeremiah 31:27-34

Jeremiah 31:27-34

Sweet

Leonard Sweet

... It is the people. Jeremiah's proclamation of the new covenant did not abrogate the Torah as it was given at Mt.Sinai. Rather, the transformed men and women brought into a new covenant relationship with God can at last keep the law as God originally intended. For this reason, verse 34 can say "No longer shall they teach one another, or say to each other, Know the LORD ...'" The new covenant, by changing the heart (the organ of intellectual understanding), made it possible for the people to know God directly ...

2238. Matthew 1:18-25

Matthew 1:18-25

Sweet

Leonard Sweet

... 's only Son has arrived on planet Earth. That such a lean narrative can be riddled with such heavy theology is only one of many marvels at Matthew's genius as a theologian. The proclamation of Jesus' birth and naming is divided into two parts: Jesus' origin and Jesus' objectives. As Messiah, Jesus' two roles come together. As "Son of Abraham," Jesus is the capstone of Israel's heritage and history. As "Son of David," Jesus is the culmination of Israel's hope in a Messiah. When "Son of Abraham" and "Son of ...

2239. Acts 19:1-7

Acts 19:1-22

Sweet

Leonard Sweet

... laying on of hands and the power, presence and passion it brings is similar in authority to that displayed by Peter (and John) as they laid hands on the Samaritan converts. Luke’s text testifies to the apostolic authority of Paul as being on equal footing with that of Jesus’ original disciples.

2240. John 1:(1-9) 10-18

John 1:(1-9) 10-18

Sweet

Leonard Sweet

... , Ernst Kasemann, J. A. T. Robinson and Raymond Brown have all grappled with this relationship and have yet to come to any consensus. What is generally accepted is that John's Gospel bears the marks of two redactors in addition to its original author. These redactors skillfully created a text that spoke the truth of Christ's message for all the earth while addressing the distinctive needs and concerns facing the Johannine community. Scholars also remind us that John is a very early Christian document ...

2241. John 1:29-42

John 1:29-42

Sweet

Leonard Sweet

... activity defined (v.26). Now a second day (v.29) of John the Baptist's witness takes place, as he encounters Jesus personally. His first words name Jesus with a distinctive title: "Lamb of God." This title is surprising. It is uncommon, and its origins and intended meaning unclear. Scholars have wrestled with a number of possible candidates for the parentage of this image: 1) a possible association with the Paschal lamb, a sign of deliverance for the Jewish people; 2) a connection with the lamb from the ...

2242. John 20:19-31

John 20:19-31

Sweet

Leonard Sweet

John 20:19-31 is the original ending to the fourth Gospel. Hence its meaning and message has a particularly weighty heft. The unspeakable horror of the crucifixion is still burned into the skin of the cowering disciples. The rumor of resurrection is yet only a whispered possibility from one frail woman. As evening falls on that " ...

2243. Matthew 10:40-42

Matthew 10:40-42

Sweet

Leonard Sweet

... one who sent the disciple - Jesus, and the one who sent Jesus himself - none other than God. Anyone who receives one of these disciples is thus receiving Jesus, which in turn is like receiving God. These interconnected relationships make God the original actor, the source for all missionary activity. God sent Jesus first; Jesus, in turn, seeds the disciples. The disciples, then, carry God's as well as Jesus' authority. Understanding this connectedness makes the extended logic of verses 41-42 more obvious ...

2244. Genesis 32:22-31

Genesis 32:22-31

Sweet

Leonard Sweet

... history. This single story provides readers with an explanation for Jacob's name change (v.28) and for the pronounced limp he suffered in his later life (v.31). The tale also gives a rationale for one of the Israelite food taboos (v.32) and explains the origin of Penuel/Peniel as a holy place (vv.30-31). But the story of this wrestling match has always been noted more for the questions it raises than for the answers it purports to give. Is this a demonstration of Jacob's new honest and obedient relationship ...

2245. Acts 19:1-7

Acts 19:1-7

Sweet

Leonard Sweet

... . Genuine Christian baptism meant that the Holy Spirit was received by the one being baptized. There is no evidence that all who confessed Christ received baptism in Jesus' name. Apollos is a specific example, but it was also highly likely that many of Jesus' original disciples received only John's baptism. Nowhere do we read of any other followers of John or Jesus receiving re- baptism. What then is so unique about this slow-witted bunch in Ephesus? Paul's first question to them in v.3 indicates their ...

2246. Mark 16:1-8

Mark 16:1-8

Sweet

Leonard Sweet

... there is no conclusive evidence for or against a number of different explanations. While good conservative scholars still would argue for the authenticity of the "longer ending," perhaps the single most agreed upon point is that verse 8 probably is the final original words from the pen of Mark the gospel writer. Whether this was his intended ending or was the result of some fatal scribal faux pas that consigned Mark's final words to a permanently lost record continues to offer debating fodder among those ...

2247. John 15:9-17

John 15:9-17

Sweet

Leonard Sweet

... relationship with the Father, could warrant a dominant position, he nevertheless declares their official relationship to be one of friendship. Once in this relationship, Jesus expects certain actions from the disciples love. But there was no action originating from the disciples that made the friendship possible. Jesus alone initiates and establishes the friendship. He chose the disciples. Verse 16, with language that recalls the "true vine" imagery earlier in this chapter, does define positive behavior ...

2248. Acts 2:1-21

Acts 2:1-21

Sweet

Leonard Sweet

... the time reference "in the last days" (Acts 2:17) emphasizing his own belief that the Holy Spirit was the last gift of God before the Parousia of Christ. Luke also emphasizes the work of the Spirit that God pours out at this time by adding to the original Joel text, in verse 18, "and they shall prophesy." In Acts 2:19-20, Joel's text and Luke's focus shift more specifically to the Parousia, the end times, jumping ahead of both the story of Jesus and this current event of Pentecost. Luke includes Joel's ...

2249. Ephesians 2:11-22

Ephesians 2:11-22

Sweet

Leonard Sweet

... explained that this "one body" has come to life again as the church (see 1:22-23), where the "far" and the "near" are now brought together. Note that in verse 16 the Greek is more graphic than what the NRSV translates as "put to death." The original text insists that through the cross, Christ actively killed hostility. The conclusion of this theme sounds an early trinitarian note i.e., "in one Spirit to the Father." The one who controls this "access" to the Father is Christ, and Christ and the Father are of ...

2250. Ephesians 3:14-21

Ephesians 3:14-21

Sweet

Leonard Sweet

... text breaking up what the author intended to be one headlong rush of praise into as many as nine or even 12 separate verses (see 1:3-14 and 1:15-23). In today's text the entire body of this prayer (vv.14-19) was written originally as one long compound sentence. The concluding doxology after this prayer (vv.20-21) is also unique in style and content to the Ephesians writer. Doxologies were usually added at the end of written prayers and they had certain formulas to which they closely adhered. Most doxologies ...

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