Sermon and Worship Resources

Synonyms: Levi, disciple, evangelist, tax collector, the 12, the twelve, apostle, sermon on the mount, jewish audience, beatitudes, lord's prayer, great commission, parables, olivet discourse, mount of olives, olivet, synoptic

Showing 2276 to 2300 of 4942 results

2276. Barnabas and Saul Sent Off

Acts 13:1-3

Understanding Series

David J. Williams

Chapter 13 marks a most significant point in the history. Hitherto, Jerusalem and Judea have been the scene of the believers’ activities and Peter the most prominent figure. But now the base of operation moves (at least for Luke’s purposes, ignoring, perhaps, other spheres of activity) to Antioch in Syria, and Paul becomes the center of attention. The very phrase by which Luke refers to the church in Antioch—a quasitechnical term in the Greek—seems to indicate its new status. The Christians are no longer ...

2277. Paul and Silas In Prison

Acts 16:16-40

Understanding Series

David J. Williams

See introduction to the previous section. 16:16–17 The missionaries appear to have gone week by week to the place of prayer for a number of weeks, and as they did so, they were followed on several occasions by a demented slave girl whose shouting made them the center of public attention. The force of the Greek of verse 17 is that she “kept on following” and “kept on shouting” about them. Luke describes her in a curious way (not apparent in NIV): She had “a spirit,” he says, “a python” (v. 16). The word “ ...

2278. In Thessalonica (Acts 17:1–9)

Acts 17:1-9

Understanding Series

David J. Williams

From Philippi, Paul and his companions traveled to Thessalonica. Here they followed their usual pattern of ministry wherever a synagogue could be found. They would preach there, and from the synagogue would come their first converts. But from the synagogue also came their fiercest opponents, and in Thessalonica the Jews again succeeded in having the missionaries effectively banished (cf. 13:50). The story is told briefly, the lack of detail making us feel the loss of Luke’s company. By telling us only the ...

2279. Paul’s Arrival at Jerusalem

Acts 21:17-26

Understanding Series

David J. Williams

The remaining chapters of Acts describe the “bonds and hardships” that Paul had to endure. That so much of the book is given to this may be due to a desire on Luke’s part to simulate the passion narrative of the Gospel, in which the events of a few days are told at a length that seems disproportionate to the whole (see disc. on 19:21–41). But it must also be remembered that Luke himself was probably involved in these events, so that they would have loomed large in his mind and he would have had a wealth of ...

2280. Festus Consults King Agrippa

Acts 25:13-22

Understanding Series

David J. Williams

A state visit to Caesarea by Herod Agrippa II enabled Festus to canvass his opinion of Paul’s case. Agrippa expressed an interest in hearing Paul, and so it was that Paul made yet another defense. That the story has a historical basis we need not doubt—“The picture of the puzzled Roman official, bewildered by a doctrine of the Resurrection, and seeking advice from a Palestinian princelet, is so naive that it must be true” (Williams, p. 261). Moreover, from the detailed description of the day’s proceedings ...

2281. Paul Sails for Rome

Acts 27:1-12

Understanding Series

David J. Williams

As a piece of descriptive writing, this story of Paul’s voyage and shipwreck shows Luke at his best and is a classic of its kind in ancient literature. Luke has been accused of inventing the story or at least of adapting an existing tale to his own purpose. But James Smith has long since demonstrated that the accuracy of the narrative in terms of geography, weather conditions, and navigational practice is such that it cannot be other than the record of a real voyage (p. xxxii), whereas the use of the first ...

2282. Paul Preaches at Rome Under Guard

Acts 28:17-31

Understanding Series

David J. Williams

The final scene depicts what was of greatest interest to Luke, namely, Paul’s proclamation of the gospel in Rome. The pattern of Paul’s ministry, which Luke has faithfully traced elsewhere, is repeated for the last time. As soon as the apostle was settled, he was in touch with the Jewish leaders, both to explain his own position and to tell them of Christ. As usual, a few were interested; some may even have believed, but the majority remained unconvinced. Paul declared, therefore, that the message would ...

2283. Paul's Concern for the Galatians

Galatians 4:8-20

Understanding Series

L. Ann Jervis

4:8 After proclaiming what the Galatians are, Paul reminds them of what they were. In contrast to their present state, in which they know God, the Galatians’ former life was one of slavery to those who by nature are not gods. This may recall Paul’s evangelistic preaching, in which he brought them to a recognition of the one God. Implicit in this description is the contrast between slavery and freedom, which will become an increasingly prominent theme of the letter. 4:9 Paul again describes and contrasts ...

2284. A Prayer for the Ephesians

Ephesians 3:14-21

Understanding Series

Arthur G. Patzia

Praying for Enlightenment This section follows the same structural pattern that the author established earlier in the epistle. He began with a great hymn of thanksgiving for all of the spiritual blessings that God provided in Christ (1:3–14) and followed this by a prayer for his readers to understand their hope and inheritance in the Lord (1:15–20). In 2:1–3:13, the author provides a lengthy exposition on the believer’s position in Christ (2:1–10), the incorporation of Jews and Gentiles into one body, the ...

2285. Children and Parents

Ephesians 6:1-4

Understanding Series

Arthur G. Patzia

A continuation of these rules of conduct as they apply to children and parents (6:1–4) and slaves and masters (6:5–9) appears in 6:1–9. As in the section on the husband-wife relationship, there is the specific emphasis that the ethical life of the Christian is both grounded in and directed toward the Lord. The superscription of submission “out of reverence for Christ” in 5:21 serves the entire code. Wives are to submit to their husbands as to the Lord (5:22); children are to obey their parents “in the Lord ...

2286. Rules for Christian Households

Colossians 3:18-4:1

Understanding Series

Arthur G. Patzia

The Household Rules The NIV entitles this section “Rules for Christian Households.” Here Paul sets forth a series of reciprocal admonitions that are to govern the relationships between wives and husbands, children and parents, and slaves and masters. This list forms what has come to be known in academic circles as the Haustafeln, a German term meaning a list of rules or duties for members of a household. Similar lists to the one in Colossians are found in Ephesians 5:21–6:9 and 1 Peter 2:18–25, 3:1–7. The ...

2287. Godlessness in the Last Days

2 Timothy 3:1-9

Understanding Series

Gordon D. Fee

With this paragraph Paul shifts his focus from Timothy to the false teachers themselves and sets them against the backdrop of the eschatological urgency that runs throughout the letter. The only personal word to Timothy is the reiterated imperative in verse 5—that he should have nothing to do with such people—which functions to tie the two parts of the paragraph (vv. 1–5, 6–9) together. Timothy is again reminded (cf. 1 Tim. 4:1) that the presence of the false teachers should come as no surprise; they ...

2288. The Plague on Livestock

Exodus 9:1-7

Understanding Series

James K. Bruckner

Exodus 9 presents the fifth, sixth, and seventh plagues. The livestock pestilence (fifth) and the plague of boils (sixth) conclude the second cycle of three (flies-livestock-boils) and the text presents them in abbreviated form. Pharaoh responds very briefly to the fifth plague and not at all to the sixth. The Lord simply informs Moses of the pestilence on the livestock (vv. 1–5) and the pestilence of boils (vv. 8–9); they broke out (vv. 6, 10–11); and the text reports Pharaoh’s hard heart (vv. 7, 12). The ...

2289. Offerings for the Tabernacle

Exodus 25:1-9

Understanding Series

James K. Bruckner

Introduction to the Tabernacle: The thirteen chapters that describe the tabernacle have posed a challenge for interpreters since the time of Philo (d. 50 A.D.). In The Life of Moses Philo gave a symbolic reading that has influenced interpretation to the present day. For him, the tent of meeting represented the spiritual world and the courtyard signified the material world. The colors (blue, purple, crimson and white) represented the basic elements; the seven lights of the lampstand were the seven planets; ...

2290. Consecration of the Priests

Exodus 29:1-46

Understanding Series

James K. Bruckner

Instructions: Aaron’s Consecration, the Altar Consecration, and Daily Sacrifices: “After you put these clothes on your brother Aaron and his sons, anoint and ordain them. Consecrate them so they may serve me as priests” (28:41). Exodus 29 contains specific instructions for the priestly consecration and ordination ceremony, including three sacrifices and the consecration of the bronze altar. It also includes instructions for the ongoing daily sacrifice of two lambs. Verses 1–9 describe methods for the ...

2291. The Sun Stands Still

Joshua 10:1-15

Understanding Series

J. Gordon Harris

Five Kings Attack Gibeon and Joshua Counterattacks: 10:1–5 Adoni-Zedek, king of Jebusite Jerusalem, gathers other kings to make war on Joshua and Israel (9:1–2). The king of Jerusalem is upset over Joshua’s treaty with Gibeon and the treatment of kings in Ai and Jericho. He perceives Gibeon to be more of a threat than Ai because it is a more significant town (lit. great), a city with a king (lit. royal), and has a skilled army (lit. all her men are warriors; 10:2).The king forms a coalition with Hoham king ...

2292. Allotment for Judah

Joshua 15:1-63

Understanding Series

J. Gordon Harris

Inheritance of Judah: 15:1–12 Allotment of the land of Judah includes a detailed description of its boundaries. The boundary list begins in the south and then moves to the east, north, and west. On the east the boundary is the Salt, or Dead Sea to the mouth of the Jordan, and on the west it is the coastline of the Great Sea, or Mediterranean. Descriptions of the southern and northern boundaries indicate a thorough knowledge of ancient geography. The area is small in comparison with ancient empires, but it ...

2293. The Angel of the Lord at Bokim

Judges 2:1-5

Understanding Series

Cheryl A. Brown

Reproof and Response: As we move into Judges 2, we do not move into a new section. Originally there were no chapter and verse divisions in the Bible; these were added in the sixteenth century to facilitate referencing. Most of the time, interpreters divided chapters and verses correctly, but in some cases they did not. Judges 2:1–5 is an instance when they did not. Judges 2 follows closely upon Judges 1, describing God’s response to Israel’s disobedience. It again highlights the most important theme of the ...

2294. Disobedience and Defeat

Judges 2:6-3:6

Understanding Series

Cheryl A. Brown

Survey of Israel’s Early History: Joshua to Judges · Here begins a new section, but not immediately a new subject. In fact, rather than carrying the story forward, the text looks back to the period immediately after the Israelites renewed their covenant with the Lord at Shechem (Josh. 24). The text picks up nearly where the book of Joshua left off. Joshua 24:28 almost word for word corresponds to Judges 2:6. The section that follows (vv. 10–19) points to the author’s special concern with Israel’s spiritual ...

2295. Tola

Judges 10:1-2

Understanding Series

Cheryl A. Brown

Minor Judges: Framing the Jephthah story are accounts of several minor judges, beginning with Tola and Jair and ending with Ibzan, Elon, and Abdon (Judg. 12:8–15). These, along with Shamgar (Judg. 3:31), are commonly designated as minor judges, because their stories are condensed into a few brief lines. In most cases, all we know about the judge is his tribal affiliation, his geographical location, and how many years he led Israel; sometimes we learn about his economic situation. But, strikingly, the ...

2296. A Levite and His Concubine

Judges 19:1-30

Understanding Series

Cheryl A. Brown

Atrocities in Gibeah: Judges 19–21 constitute the final episode of the story of the judges. Even though we must divide them for the sake of analysis, they are intended to be read as one unit. These chapters have not found their way into many Sunday school books or sermons or onto the “top ten Christian books” list. They are difficult to read and more difficult to interpret. They portray human nature at its worst, and even worse than worst, because the main players were God’s covenant people. They did the ...

2297. Historical Records from Adam to Abraham

1 Chronicles 1:1-35

Understanding Series

Louis C. Jonker

Let’s Start at the Beginning: When the Chronicler started writing his version of the history of God’s people, he started at the very beginning: Adam! It is surprising that this history, unlike the Deuteronomistic version, situates the history of God’s people within the history of humankind. On the one hand, this is already an indication of the Chronicler’s universalist or inclusivist approach (which is also echoed in the closing of the book in 2 Chron. 36:22–23, where Cyrus, the Persian emperor, is ...

2298. Simeon

1 Chronicles 4:24-43

Understanding Series

Louis C. Jonker

Simeon’s Descendants: In the previous section (2:3–4:23) we dealt with Judah, the first son of Israel. We now come to a second son of Israel, Simeon. This genealogy not only gives a list of descendants but also elaborates on the areas in which they settled as well as on the confrontations they had in the process of settlement. Although the focus of the Chronicler’s genealogies is very much on Judah, Benjamin, and Levi, Simeon’s genealogy is still fairly comprehensive. The reason might be that the tribe of ...

2299. The Genealogy of Saul the Benjamite

1 Chronicles 8:1-40

Understanding Series

Louis C. Jonker

Focus on Benjamin: We now come to the discussion of the final son of Israel (see 2:1–2), namely, Benjamin. The Chronicler’s genealogical construction emphasizes the lineages of Judah, Levi, and Benjamin. Whereas Judah occupied the initial position and Levi the middle position, Benjamin now closes the genealogical discussion of the sons of Israel. The significance of Judah lies in this being the tribe of King David. Levi is emphasized in order to focus on that tribe’s connection with the cult and the temple ...

2300. David's Plans for the Temple

1 Chronicles 28:1-21

Understanding Series

Louis C. Jonker

Final Arrangements for Building the Temple and Transfer of the Kingdom to Solomon: After the major insertion into the Chronicler’s narrative dealing with David’s preparations for handing over power to his son and for building the temple, the writer now returns to the narrative line interrupted at the end of 1 Chronicles 22. There we read David’s speeches to Solomon and some officials. A theme that was already subtly present in the previous David narratives, namely, the issue of being granted “rest and ...

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