Sermon and Worship Resources

Showing 2301 to 2325 of 2962 results

Luke 7:36--8:3

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R.T. France

... his picture hanging on her wall.”4 Women, some with complex and sinful backgrounds, were part of the group who traveled with Jesus, helping to support him. Christian Ministry: She Is Safe. This is only one of many ministries around the world designed to come alongside women who have been abused and exploited. They recognize that these are women whom Christ wants to be brought into the kingdom and restored for ministry in the body of Christ. Based in Atlanta, this particular ministry seeks to “mobilize ...

2302. Hearing and Responding

Luke 8:19-21, Luke 8:16-18, Luke 8:1-15

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R.T. France

... be blamed for their failure to grasp it? Does Jesus’s teaching in parables then merely confirm some in their unbelief, since they do not have the capacity to understand the parables and respond to them? The parable of the sower, however, is not designed to answer these questions. It sets out the fact of unbelief and of inadequate response, but it neither explains its origin (except perhaps briefly in the reference to the devil in 8:12) nor prescribes its cure. It is clear that enlightenment is possible ...

2303. “Who Is This?”

Luke 9:10-17, Luke 9:1-9

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R.T. France

... in Exodus 16:23. “Twelve” probably simply reflects the number of disciples assisting Jesus rather than being a symbolic number. Theological Insights When Jesus called his first disciples, he commissioned them to “fish for people” (5:10). When the Twelve were designated, we were told nothing of their “job description,” except insofar as it was encapsulated in the term “apostle,” referring to someone sent out (6:13–16; repeated here in 9:10). Now the nature of that “sending out” (9:2 ...

2304. The Messiah and His Glory

Luke 9:28-36, Luke 9:18-27

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R.T. France

... . He is the Messiah, but not that sort of messiah. 9:22 The Son of Man must. On this term, see the sidebar “The Son of Man” at 5:12–26. Its use here, as a deliberate substitute for Peter’s term “Messiah,” is designed to avoid the potentially misleading connotations of that title and to allow Jesus to set his own, unexpected agenda. the elders, the chief priests and the teachers of the law. These three groups together made up the Sanhedrin in Jerusalem, the official representatives of the ...

2305. Jesus’s Fallible Followers

Luke 9:51-56, Luke 9:46-50, Luke 9:37-45

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R.T. France

... prevented the disciples from understanding Jesus’s message and messianic mission. Human Experience: Photography and the Art of Seeing, by Freeman Patterson. In this book (1965) Patterson (b. 1937), a top-notch Canadian photographer, instructs on photography and visual design. He describes what it takes to have vision, the vision that has power and understanding. Patterson writes, “Letting go of self is an essential precondition to real seeing. When you let go of yourself, you abandon any preconceptions ...

2306. Ready for the Kingdom of God?

Luke 13:31-35, Luke 13:22-30, Luke 13:18-21

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R.T. France

... ideas of who are God’s true people need to be rethought. 13:32 Go tell that fox. The warning by Pharisees may have been kindly intended (for Pharisaic interest in Jesus, see “Historical and Cultural Background” on 11:37–54) or simply designed to scare him away, but Jesus does not regard Antipas as a serious threat and plans to ignore him and carry on regardless. “Fox” is a contemptuous term for someone without honor, perhaps also with the implication of being devious. 13:33 today ...

2307. The Cost of Discipleship

Luke 14:25-35, Luke 14:15-24

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R.T. France

... in the Roman world, and especially in Palestine, where it was regarded as a barbarous foreign punishment, to make the metaphor unmistakable. 14:28 Suppose one of you wants to build a tower. This is the first of two hypothetical scenarios designed to illustrate the danger of embarking rashly on discipleship without first recognizing the demands that it will make. The public humiliation of the failed tower builder illustrates the dishonor, as well as the personal tragedy, of a shallow commitment that, like ...

2308. God and Mammon

Luke 16:16-18, Luke 16:1-15

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R.T. France

... many stories of people who, while wealthy, were also tremendously generous, giving away great quantities of money. R. G. LeTourneau (1888–1969), a renowned business magnate and inventor, known as the “man who moved mountains” for his expertise in designing and manufacturing earth-moving equipment, was also a Christian philanthropist who is said to have given away huge portions of his income without fanfare. Numerous other examples can be found, such as Christian doctors who have gone to impoverished ...

2309. Affluence and the Afterlife

Luke 16:19-31

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R.T. France

... man tormented and the poor man placed close to Osiris.1 Interpretive Insights 16:19 There was a rich man. With no introduction to identify this as a parable, Jesus launches straight into a story of two individuals. As a (presumably) imaginary story designed to provoke reflection and response, it is rightly described as a parable, but the graphic description of the situation of the two men after death makes it also a lesson (in a vividly pictorial form) about the afterlife, and the debate with Abraham ...

2310. The Revolutionary Values of the Kingdom of God

Luke 18:31-34, Luke 18:18-30, Luke 18:15-17

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R.T. France

... prophets about the Son of Man will be fulfilled. Jesus’s title “the Son of Man” derives from a passage (Dan. 7:13–14) that speaks of glory rather than suffering, but Jesus has already used the title more widely for his total mission, including the suffering designated for God’s servant in Isaiah 53 (to be cited in 22:37). His rejection and death will not be a political accident but the working out of a pattern declared long ago; see 24:25–27, 44–47. 18:32 He will be delivered over to the ...

2311. Jesus Takes the Initiative

Luke 21:5-38, Luke 21:1-4, Luke 20:41-47

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R.T. France

... . Historical and Cultural Background In the court of the women, the first of the exclusively Jewish courtyards in the temple area, beyond which women were not allowed to go, stood thirteen large chests to receive monetary contributions, six of which were designated for “freewill offerings.” Giving was thus a public activity, and it may have been something of a tourist attraction. The massive rebuilding and expansion of the whole temple complex begun by Herod in 19 BC was not completed until AD 64 ...

2312. The Trials of Peter and of Jesus

Luke 22:66--23:25, Luke 22:63-65, Luke 22:54-62

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R.T. France

... authority of the Son of Man, Jesus decisively repudiates any notion of the Messiah as a merely nationalistic, political figure. The “king” who rode on the donkey to Jerusalem will reign not in Jerusalem but at God’s right hand. Even before his birth Jesus was designated “Son of God” (1:35), and he has been confirmed as such both by God himself (3:22; 9:35) and by demons whose supernatural insight could see what was as yet hidden from humans (4:3, 9, 41; 8:28). Now the secret is out. Paradoxically ...

2313. The Roman Verdict

Luke 22:66--23:25

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R.T. France

... innocent man sounds cynical, but it was perhaps Pilate’s way of trying to satisfy the Jewish leaders, short of actually having Jesus executed.1Luke does not explain that it was expected that one prisoner would be released under a festival amnesty designed to placate popular feeling (so Matt. 27:15; Mark 15:6; John 18:39), but that expectation will be presupposed in 23:18, 25. 23:18 Away with this man! Release Barabbas to us! On Barabbas, see “Historical and Cultural Background” above. For ...

2314. The Story of Israel and the Story of Gentiles

Romans 1:18-32

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C. Marvin Pate

Big Idea: There is plenty of condemnation to go around for Jews as well as Gentiles. In this passage the story of Israel is reflected in the story of Gentiles—sin and judgment for both. But this bad news is designed to drive both to the gospel, the ultimate restoration of the Jews and conversion of the Gentiles. Understanding the Text Romans 1:18–4:25 is the unit of Romans that corresponds to the stipulation component of the Old Testament covenant formula. According to Paul, the stipulation for ...

2315. The Story of Israel Now and Later

Romans 2:1-16

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C. Marvin Pate

... . In light of 2:12–16a, one wonders how in 2:16b Paul could call such news “gospel.” The answer will unfold in the course of his argument in 2:17–3:31: the bad news of judgment upon sin that rests on the whole human race is designed by God to drive people to the good news of justification by faith in Christ alone. Theological Insights A number of theological truths emerge in Romans 2:12–16. First, all people have a witness from God: Jews in the Torah, and Gentiles in natural law (creation says ...

2316. The Whole World Is under the Curses of the Covenant

Romans 3:9-20

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C. Marvin Pate

... such as Romans 7:5 (“the sinful passions [are] aroused by the law”), the law of God actually motivates people to defy God’s commands. All of this is, of course, very bad news. But this bad news, as Romans 3:21–31 will go on to say, is designed to drive the sinner to the gospel of the grace of God in Christ. In other words, the stipulation of the new covenant is not the law of Moses, but rather faith in Jesus Christ. This is wonderful news for both Jew and Gentile, and Paul will develop this in ...

2317. God’s Saving Righteousness and the Restoration of Israel

Romans 3:21-31

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C. Marvin Pate

... 18:10; 4QMMT 95–96; Matt. 11:13 // Luke 16:16; Matt. 5:17; 7:12; 22:40; Luke 24:44; John 1:45; Acts 13:15; 24:14; 28:23). Only here does Paul refer to the Old Testament in this way. Elsewhere he has other designations (e.g., “law,” “prophets,” “Scripture”). Interpretive Insights 3:21 But now apart from the law the righteousness of God has been made known. “But now” marks the eschatological shift between this age and the age to come; between the old covenant and the new covenant; between ...

2318. The New-Covenant Blessings: Peace and Hope

Romans 5:1-11

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C. Marvin Pate

... O love of God, how rich and pure! / How measureless and strong! / It shall forevermore endure / The saints’ and angels’ song.” Art: The Trinity, by Lucas Cranach the Elder. A German Renaissance painter and printmaker, Cranach (1472–1553) is famous for his woodcut designs of the first edition of the German New Testament and for portraits of Martin Luther, who was a close friend. In The Trinity, a powerful painting in oil on wood, God the Father, crowned and robed as king, stands upright holding the ...

2319. The Kindness and Sternness of God

Romans 11:11-24

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C. Marvin Pate

... Paul means by greater “riches” for the world (11:12) is not stated until 11:15: life from the dead or the resurrection of humanity at the end of the world.2 Verses 13–14 contain a parenthetical remark by Paul. His ministry to the Gentiles is designed to make Jews jealous that Gentiles are accepting Christ and therefore motivate Jews to “take back” their rightful Messiah. We see two things from this statement. First, Paul longs for his compatriots to come to Christ (cf. 9:1–3; 10:1). In no way is ...

2320. Church Divisions and Confusion of Allegiance

1 Corinthians 1:10-17

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Preben Vang

... to rumors and hearsay but to a direct report from trustworthy church members. Interpretive Insights 1:10 I appeal to you, brothers and sisters. Although there is much to be said for the use of parakal? (“I appeal”) as a formal rhetorical device designed to place the orator in a position of authority, Paul’s purpose here is not to claim authority but to speak urgently to “brothers and sisters”5concerning how the lordship of Christ should create unity among his followers. in the name of our Lord ...

2321. Christian Maturity

1 Corinthians 3:1-23

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Preben Vang

... their relationship to God as his servants. They are employed not by any Corinthian patron but by God. They are working “God’s field” in Corinth, and the Corinthian church is “God’s building.” The string of possessive genitives is designed to underscore, once again, that none other than God can demand their allegiance and loyalty. The Corinthian believers are not many buildings but one. Although they meet in the homes of different patrons and have listened to different teachers, they are ...

2322. Unity of Life and Faith

1 Corinthians 6:12-20

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Preben Vang

... corporately) functions as the shrine for their patron, God, Paul’s command is clear: “honor God with your bodies.” The body is not morally irrelevant; rather, it is the locale for worship. Theological Insights God created humans in his image as whole beings designed to worship him. No separation can be made between body and soul that suggests that one part is less relevant for worship. Anything a human does, with any part of his or her being, is an expression of worship (or the lack thereof). Teaching ...

2323. Resurrection and History

1 Corinthians 15:1-11

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Preben Vang

... Christian’s evidence of this promise. Teaching the Text 1. The veracity of the gospel hinges on the historical bodily resurrection of Jesus. Paul’s use of Jesus’s postresurrection appearances as the launching pad for his theological argument is designed as a reminder of what his audience should know. Paul’s introductory formula, “What I received I passed on to you as of first importance” (15:3), suggests he is quoting or summarizing a confessional statement they will recognize as determinative ...

2324. Resurrection and Christian Living

1 Corinthians 15:12-34

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Preben Vang

... of Christ’s community. As Christ’s body, believers have been filled with God’s Spirit in order to live in a new community that evidences God’s presence (chaps. 12–14). That this experience goes beyond a mere temporal enablement, designed to benefit believers through life’s struggles, is proven by Christ’s resurrection. Because Christ rose as the firstfruits of his community, his community will be raised as well. The powerful transformation of relationships called for and empowered by Christ in ...

2325. John’s Introductory Vision The Risen and Glorified Christ

Revelation 1:9-20

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J. Scott Duvall

... of his faithfulness to Jesus and the gospel. Most likely the Roman authorities viewed him as a political threat and exiled him in hopes of hindering the church’s influence in Asia Minor. 1:10–11 On the Lord’s Day I was in the Spirit. The early Christians designated Sunday, the first day of the week, as “the Lord’s Day,” a day of worship chosen because Jesus was raised on this day (cf. Did. 14:1; Pliny, Epistles 10.96; Ignatius, Magn. 9.1). John is said to be “in the Spirit” four times in ...

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