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Showing 2251 to 2275 of 4933 results

2251. The Lost and Found Job

Luke 16:1-13

Sermon

James W. Moore

Recently, I discovered a story that touched my heart. Whether it’s a true story or not, I don’t know. It probably belongs in the category of an “urban legend”… but whatever the case, it makes a good point. The story is about a man who was driving home from work one day in rush hour traffic when suddenly his car began to choke and sputter… and then the engine just died. Fortunately, the man was able to coast into a service station. He tried his engine again. It wouldn’t even turn over. As he pulled out his ...

2252. Genesis 32:22-31

Genesis 32:22-31

Sweet

Leonard Sweet

Among biblical figures there are few viewed with as much ambiguity as Jacob. On the one hand, Jacob is a patriarch, his name becomes Israel, he is the one chosen by God to inhabit the land for the promised descendants of God's covenant people. On the other hand, many of the stories we have about Jacob portray him as deceitful, wily, scheming and even dishonest. This chosen one of God truly had a checkered past. Jacob, the younger, the heel-grabber, appropriated both his brother Esau's birthright and ...

2253. What an Understatement!

Mark 1: 21-28

Illustration

Brett Blair

Now comes the understatement: The people in the congregation, having witnessed a scene to rival anything in The Exorcist, look around at each other and say, "What is this? ... A new teaching!" A new teaching? If this had happened in any congregation I know, they may have sat for hours in stupefied silence, they may have rushed to the altar in sudden repentance, or they may have jumped out of the church windows in terror, but the last thing they would have done was to comment on how this casting out of a ...

2254. Epiphany

Daniel 7:1-14, Psalm 111:1-10, Hebrews 13:1-25, Mark 13:1-31

Sermon Aid

John R. Brokhoff

COMMENTARY Old Testament: Daniel 7:9-10 The Ancient of Days takes his seat on the throne of judgment. Today's lesson is apocalyptic literature written at a time of persecution by Antiochus Epiphanes IV around 165 B.C. Chapter 7 tells of four beasts representing the Persian, Medean, Greek and Syrian empires. The most terrible beast is the last which led to the writing of Daniel and the Maccabbean revolt. Our pericope interrupts the account of the fourth beast. It consists of a vision of a heavenly court of ...

2255. Proper 8

2 Kings 2:1-18, Psalm 77:1-20, Luke 9:51-62, Galatians 5:16-26

Bulletin Aid

B. David Hostetter

READINGS Psalter—Psalm 77:1-2, 11-20 First Lesson—Elisha, the successor to Elijah, is demonstrably blessed with some of his predecessor’s spirit. 2 Kings 2:1-2, 6-14 Second Lesson—Christian freedom is not to be an opportunity for self-indulgence but for growth under the guidance of the Spirit. Galatians 5:1, 13-25 Gospel—The call to discipleship can be avoided with a variety of excuses. Luke 9:51-62 CALL TO WORSHIP Leader: The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you all. People: And also with you. ...

2256. A "Somebody Done Somebody Wrong" Song

Hosea 1:2-10

Sermon

Lee Ann Dunlap

Humpty Dumpty sat on a wall; Humpty Dumpty had a great fall. All the king's horses and all the king's men couldn't put Humpty Dumpty together again. This is a nursery rhyme we learned as children, and somewhere along the line in history class we were taught that its composer, "Mother Goose," was, in fact, a political satirist. If we look between the lines of these playful rhymes we will find some kind of hidden message poking fun at royalty. (I guess you had to be there to get the joke.) Whether Sir Dumpty ...

2257. Closing the Curtains

Luke 16:19-31

Illustration

Brett Blair

The great thing about having small children is you have a great excuse to watch cartoons again. Well, I'll own up here. I watched them even before I had children. One cartoon that I am particularly fond of is Garfield the Cat. There is a great humor in those sarcastic witticisms of his. One cold winter night Garfield looks out the window and sees Odie the Dog peering through the window. Garfield thinks to himself: This is horrible. Here I am in the comfort of a warm house, well fed, and there is Odie ...

2258. I Want You All to Get A’s

Matthew 20:1-16

Illustration

Will Willimon

The Parable of the Workers in the Vineyard that cries out against our sense of judgment. We cannot help but puzzle and protest over the actions of the landowner. We cannot avoid the conclusion that this story is just not fair. William Willimon gives the story a modern twist: First day of class the professor says, "Now class, this is a course in advanced mathematics. Your entire grade will be based upon your solution of a very difficult mathematical problem. And I want you all to do well. I want everyone ...

2259. Let God Use You

Illustration

Philip Clarke Brewer

God uses what you have to fill a need which you never could have filled. God uses where you are to take you where you never could have gone. God uses what you can do to accomplish what you never could have done. God uses who you are to let you become who you never could have been.

2260. Mark 16:1-8

Mark 16:1-20

Sweet

Leonard Sweet

Although nearly all biblical scholars agree that Mark’s original manuscript concludes at 1:8, and that the so-called “longer ending” is a later addition to this gospel, it is still difficult to deal with the abrupt and apparently incomplete nature of this text. Matthew, Luke, and John add oodles of details to the Easter morning event, with as much traffic back and forth from the tomb as some Monday morning commutes. In contrast, Mark’s presentation is stark and simple. Mark focuses his reader on a very ...

2261. Why Matter Matters

2 Peter 3:1-18

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

The 1935 comedy “A Night at the Opera,” starring Groucho Marx, Chico Marx, and Harpo Marx, has been given the honor of being selected for preservation in the National Film Registry by the Library of Congress. A smash hit at the box office, “A Night at the Opera” was the first film the Marx Brothers made after Zeppo left the act, and the first film they made for Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer after leaving Paramount Pictures. There is a moment in the film when Groucho Marx, in the character Driftwood, says, “It’s all ...

2262. Personal Instructions and Greetings

Titus 3:12-15

Understanding Series

Gordon D. Fee

In a typically Pauline fashion the letter closes with some final personal instructions (vv. 12–13; cf. Rom. 16:1–2; 1 Cor. 16:5–12; Col. 4:7–9), plus a “parting shot,” repeating the concern of the letter (v. 14; cf. Rom. 16:17–20a; 2 Cor. 13:11; Gal. 6:17), final greetings, including greetings from Paul and his companions to all believers in Crete (v. 15a; cf. most of the Pauline letters), and the final benediction (v. 15b; cf. all the letters). One should compare these instructions and greetings with the ...

2263. Signs for Moses

Exodus 4:1-17

Understanding Series

James K. Bruckner

The first half of Exodus 4 continues with Moses’ last three protests. Having responded to Moses’ first two excuses by Exodus 3:15, God pressed on with instructions for Moses’ leadership without giving him a chance to speak. As soon as another opportunity arose, Moses voiced his third objection: “What if they don’t believe me?”; his fourth, “I am slow of speech;” and, lastly, his simple plea: “Send someone else.” In the second half of Exodus 4 Moses has five short encounters: with Jethro; with the Lord for ...

2264. David Numbers the Fighting Men

1 Chronicles 21:1-22:1

Understanding Series

Louis C. Jonker

A Place for the Temple: We have seen thus far that the ark of the covenant was brought to Jerusalem (1 Chron. 13–16); that Yahweh denied David’s request to build a “house” for him but made him an eternal promise that he, Yahweh, would build a “house” for David (1 Chron. 17); and that Yahweh subjugated the neighboring nations to David’s rule through a series of wars (1 Chron. 18–20). Through all these narratives two important theological themes emerge: (1) the initiative to establish All-Israel as well as ...

2265. Bread Upon the Water

Ecclesiastes 9:13--12:8

Understanding Series

Elizabeth Huwiler

Wisdom and Folly: The section is a loosely woven collection of vignettes and sayings, punctuated by phrases characteristic of Qohelet’s own voice. It is difficult to break it into segments because the themes of randomness, social order, wisdom and folly, and language overlap and sometimes clash. The reader may find it difficult to follow a coherent line of reasoning. The overarching theme is that of living in an unpredictable world, and the section moves from random disaster (9:11–12) to random success (11 ...

2266. Jesus Teaches at the Feast

John 7:14-24

Understanding Series

J. Ramsey Michaels

The unity of 7:14–8:59 becomes apparent once it is recognized that 8:1–11 is the record of a separate incident and not an original part of John’s Gospel. Only by ignoring these verses and moving from 7:52 to 8:12 without a break can the reader sense how closely chapters 7 and 8 go together. Jesus’ temple ministry is presented in the form of one long discourse, even though it is probably assumed to have been given over a period of several days during the Feast of Tabernacles, and even though the material ...

2267. Jesus Tempted in the Wilderness

Matthew 4:1-11

Teach the Text

Jeannine K. Brown

Big Idea: Through the temptation narrative woven with Deuteronomy citations, Matthew compares Jesus’ faithful sonship to Israel’s lack of obedience in their wilderness time and highlights God’s protection of Jesus in the wilderness. Understanding the Text After narrating Jesus’ birth and baptism, Matthew concludes his introduction to Jesus’ identity (1:1–4:16) with wilderness temptations. The temptation story continues the comparison between Israel and Jesus, emphasizing how Jesus remains utterly loyal to ...

2268. Feasting and Fasting

Luke 5:33-39, Luke 5:27-32

Teach the Text

R.T. France

Big Idea: The joyful inclusiveness of Jesus’s ministry contrasts with the joyless ritual of formal religion. Understanding the Text The note of controversy that came into Luke’s story with the accusation of blasphemy by scribes and Pharisees against Jesus in 5:21 is now further developed in two scenes in which he is criticized first for mixing with people regarded as irreligious and second for not imposing a proper disciplinary regime on his disciples. The impression thus grows stronger that Jesus’s whole ...

2269. Crossing the Jordan

Joshua 3:1-4:24

One Volume

Gary M. Burge

Once the spies have returned, Joshua and the Israelites set out from Shittim toward the Jordan to cross it. A series of instructions is given in 3:2–6 especially concerning the place of the ark as the procession moves toward the Jordan. The ark, carried by the priests and signaling the Lord’s presence and guidance, is to lead the way, with the people following after it. But the people are cautioned not to follow too closely but to maintain a distance of a thousand yards, presumably in deference to the Lord ...

2270. Second Perplexity

Habakkuk 1:12--2:1

One Volume

Gary M. Burge

Habakkuk has received God’s answer to his questioning remarks. God is right. Habakkuk does not fully understand what God has said. He can understand Judah’s coming punishment for sin, but he cannot reconcile the holiness of God with God’s determination to use such a wicked people as the Babylonians to destroy the people of God. Throughout chapters 1 and 2 there is not only an indication of the prophet’s perplexities with reconciling the nature of God and the circumstances of the world but a suggestion of ...

2271. The Honor of God

Malachi 1:6-14

One Volume

Gary M. Burge

Even though the people are not certain of God’s love (1:2), he expects a minimal response of honor and respect. Malachi likens the situation to that of a son’s respect for his father or a servant’s respect for his master. The people of God, however, are so self-centered that they cannot express themselves in love and devotion toward Yahweh. He affirms that he is Father and master. God is not only the Father of the faithful (1:6) but also the king whose kingdom is not limited to Jerusalem or the land of ...

2272. Clean and Unclean

Matthew 15:1-20

One Volume

Gary M. Burge

After narrating Jesus’s interaction with the crowds and his disciples, Matthew again turns to controversy (15:1–20), this time between Jesus and Jewish teachers who have come to Galilee from Jerusalem. These Pharisees and teachers of the law confront Jesus over the lack of concern shown by his disciples in their table practices (15:1–2). The Pharisees follow the “tradition of the elders”; that is, they not only obey the torah but also observe teachings of past teachers (rabbis) on the torah (with many such ...

2273. The Resurrection

Mark 16:1-20

One Volume

Gary M. Burge

Following the Sabbath, Mary Magdalene and Mary the mother of Joses (probably Jesus’s mother) visit the tomb of Jesus early on Sunday morning. Their ointments of oil mixed with myrrh and aloes (John 19:39), which they had not had time to buy or apply when Jesus was buried, were not intended for embalming (i.e., to prevent decay of the body) but to perfume the decaying corpse as an act of devotion. The naming of the women three times in connection with Jesus’s death and resurrection (15:40, 47; 16:1) ...

2274. Appreciation of the Philippians’ Gift

Philippians 4:10-20

One Volume

Gary M. Burge

As he approaches the conclusion of the letter, Paul reveals his personal reasons for sending this letter to the Philippians. The Philippian congregation sent financial aid to Paul through Epaphroditus, and Paul wishes to thank them for their generous gift. Paul rejoices not only for the gift that he has received but also for the love and care that this gift allows the Philippians to show. Paul does not admit to having any need but only rejoices in their ability to care for him. Paul states that he is ...

2275. The Wicked Uprooted and the Righteous Flourishing in God’s House

Psalm 52:1-9

Understanding Series

Craig C. Broyles

Commentators have found this psalm difficult to analyze according to the traditional form-critical categories and difficult to locate within a setting. This commentary argues that Psalm 52 shows greatest affinity to the liturgies of temple entry. We hear a prophetic indictment of the evil person (vv. 1–4) and his sentencing (v. 5); a liturgist’s testimony to the congregation in the form of a taunt (vv. 6–7), and his testimony of the benefits of entering God’s house and praising him (vv. 8–9). The opening ...

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