Sermon and Worship Resources

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Showing 2301 to 2325 of 4914 results

2301. The Warrior Messiah Conquers the Two Beasts and Their Followers

Revelation 19:1-21

Teach the Text

J. Scott Duvall

Big Idea: Jesus, the Warrior Messiah, will return in power and glory to conquer his enemies. Understanding the Text In this passage, God’s final victory over evil continues to unfold (19:6–20:15). After the announcement of the Lamb’s wedding in 19:6–10, we read of Christ’s second coming in 19:11–21. He is portrayed throughout this passage as Warrior, Judge, and King, who returns in glory and power to defeat his enemies and establish his universal reign. The first part of this unit (19:11–16) emphasizes ...

2302. Saul on the Rampage

1 Samuel 22:6-23

Teach the Text

Robert B. Chisholm Jr.

Big Idea: God regards as enemies those who oppose his chosen servants. Understanding the Text In this next episode the focus briefly shifts from David to Saul, and we see the tragic aftermath of David’s visit to Ahimelek (21:1–9). Saul accuses the priests of being traitors and murders them and their families. Only one, Abiathar, escapes. He goes to David, who welcomes him and promises him protection. The contrast between Saul and David cannot be sharper. While Saul is murdering the Lord’s priests, David is ...

2303. Jesus and Beelzebub

Luke 11:14-28

Understanding Series

Craig A. Evans

This section consists of two parts: (1) the accusation that Jesus is empowered by Beelzebub and Jesus’ reply (vv. 14–23), and (2) Jesus’ teaching on the return of an evil spirit to the person from whom it had gone out (vv. 24–26). The first part is derived from Mark 3:20–27, which is also adopted by Matthew (12:22–30). The second part is found elsewhere only in Matthew (12:43–45) and so probably is derived from the sayings source. Evans (p. 44) finds a few interesting parallels with Deut. 9:1–10:11 (“ ...

2304. The Trumpets

Revelation 8:6--9:21

Understanding Series

Robert W. Wall

8:6 The significance of the seven trumpets has been variously appraised (Beasley-Murray, Revelation, pp. 152–56). According to John’s Bible (OT), Israel’s liturgical trumpets were sounded for a variety of reasons. They were used to convene the worshiping community (Num. 10:3), to begin pilgrimages (Num. 10:5), to call warriors for war (Num. 10:9), to celebrate the sacred feasts (Num. 10:10), to install new kings (1 Kings 1:34), and to summon Israel to repentance and renewal (Jer. 4:5). Seven trumpets were ...

2305. Leadership in Israel: Judges and Kings

Deuteronomy 16:21--17:7

Understanding Series

Christopher J. H. Wright

... of alliance with the Canaanites, namely, the threat of apostasy and idolatry (cf. 7:2–4). The three restrictions (vv. 16f.) are remarkable because they quite explicitly cut across the accepted pattern of kingship throughout the ancient Near East. Military power, through the building up of a large chariot force (the point of having great numbers of horses), the prestige of a large harem of many wives (frequently related to international marriage alliances), and the enjoyment of great wealth (large amounts ...

2306. Law Courts

Deuteronomy 16:18-20

Understanding Series

Christopher J. H. Wright

2307. The Sound of Joy

Genesis 17:1-27, Genesis 18:1-15, Genesis 18:16-33, Matthew 28:16-20

Sermon

Lori Wagner

“Rejoice in the Lord always….again I say rejoice!” (Phil 4:4) “I grieve if my brother dies because I no longer have personal communion with him. But I can have a deep, abiding joy, for I know that death does not have the final word. It has been conquered in Christ’s death and resurrection.” (2 Tim. 1:10) We are a people born of laughter! Literally, we are all as Christians part of God’s holy people, in a covenant begun with Abraham and Sarah many years ago, when this elderly couple was granted an ...

2308. Recruiting Volunteers

Luke 10:1-11, 16-20

Sermon

King Duncan

Raise your hand if you have ever volunteered for an organization. I’d bet most of you at one time or another have volunteered for a cause you believed in. Maybe you helped collect canned goods for a community kitchen, or tutored a student, or sold Girl Scout cookies, or ran a 5K race for a good cause. We all have different causes we believe in and motivations for volunteering. But I have trouble grasping the motivation for some people’s volunteer choices. A few years ago, NASA advertised for volunteers for ...

2309. A Violent Week

Mark 14:1-2 · Luke 22:14-23:56

Sermon

Will Willimon

“And the chief priests and the scribes were seeking how to arrest him by stealth, and kill him...” Only a few minutes from where we worship, nuclear warheads are pointed in our direction. All this could be obliterated in a nuclear moment. We don't think about that much. We can't think about it much. Robert J. Lifton named it "nuclear numbness." If you're exposed to violence or the threat of it for very long, eventually a kind of numbness sets in. I suppose it can be explained as a kind of psychic defense ...

2310. You're In the Army Now

Ephesians 6:10-20

Sermon

Will Willimon

“Therefore take the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand.” What did you do this summer? I don't know if they still ask school children to write essays on that subject at this time of the year. I'm sure that George Williams never asked for an essay on, “My Most Memorable Summer” in his English classes here. However, if they did, I would be happy to tell you about my worst summer. It was after my Junior Year of college when I spent an ...

2311. Epiphany 7

Mt 5:38-48 · 1 Cor 3:10-11, 16-23 · Lev 19:1-2, 9-18 · Ps 119:33-40 · Ps 71 · Ps 62

Sermon Aid

Russell F. Anderson

COMMENTARY Old Testament: Leviticus 19:1-2, 9-18 A preeminent characteristic of God, according to the Pentateuch, is holiness. The Lord is in a class by himself; God is righteous, just, loving, and forgiving. God's people are likewise holy the Lord's. Their behavior must reflect this reality. They must love their neighbor as themselves because all belong to the Lord. Unfortunately, this love was constricted by a narrow definition of the neighbor a fellow Hebrew. Epistle: 1 Corinthians 3:10-11, 16-23 Paul ...

2312. Star Miracle

Matthew 2:1-12, Isaiah 60:1-22, Ephesians 3:1-13

Sermon Aid

John R. Brokhoff

Today's society is a star-saturated society, or should we say star-crazy society? Since we seem to know all about our Earth and face no more earthly frontiers, we have turned our attention to extra-terrestrial bodies. We are interested in the stars: their size, temperature, and whether life exists on them. In 1989 Time magazine had a feature article on the sun, an "ordinary" star 96 million miles from Earth, 865,000 miles in diameter, with a temperature of 27 million degrees Fahrenheit. For 3-and-a-half ...

2313. Clouds and Son-Shine

Ephesians 3:1-13

Sermon

Hubert Beck

Motivation is the key to life. It is not only the key to getting work done, but it is the key to living itself! Once a person loses the will to live, health suffers and death is never more than a step or two away. Motivation is hard to sustain at times, though. The cloudy moments of life cause us to say, "What’s the use of it all?" We want to chuck everything and let come what may without care or concern. That’s when we need to see again the glory of the Lord revealed, for in God’s presence among us we ...

2314. Branching Out

John 15:1-17

Sermon

Michael Milton

"As the Father has loved me, so have I loved you. Abide in my love. If you keep my commandments, you will abide in my love, just as I have kept my Father’s commandments and abide in his love. These things I have spoken to you, that my joy may be in you, and that your joy may be full.” (John 15.9-11) Healthy, growing, and branching out. That is what roses are supposed to be doing, but mine, the ones that Mr. Ted Jones [1] planted for me as a gift, were not doing that. Ted asked me a series of diagnostic ...

2315. Easter 2

Acts 2:14-41, 1 Peter 1:1-12, John 20:19-23, John 20:24-31

Sermon Aid

John R. Brokhoff

COMMENTARY Epistle: Acts 2:14a, 22-32 According to God's plan and David's prophecy, Jesus was raised from the dead. This pericope is a part of Peter's Pentecost sermon. It is a sample of the early church's preaching, as Luke understood it, summarized in the crucifixion, resurrection, and fulfillment of prophecy. Peter emphasizes that what happened to Jesus was according to God's plan. He quotes Psalm 16 as a prophecy by David of the resurrection which was fulfilled. The disciples are witnesses to the ...

2316. Easter 3

John 20:19-23, Acts 2:14-41, 1 Peter 1:1-12, John 20:24-31

Sermon Aid

John R. Brokhoff

2317. Advent 1

Matthew 24:36-51, Romans 13:8-14, Isaiah 2:1-5, Psalm 122:1-9

Sermon Aid

Marion L. Soards, Thomas B. Dozeman, Kendall McCabe

OLD TESTAMENT TEXTS The Old Testament lesson and the psalm inaugurate the Advent season with a powerful symbol of salvation: Zion. Isaiah 2:1-5 provides a utopian vision of Zion as an end-time reality, while the pilgrimage hymn in Psalm 122 encourages us to claim this salvation in our present lives through worship. Taken together these Old Testament texts provide a strong commentary on Advent. They underscore how Advent points us to a future reality that reaches backwards and embraces us in worship, even ...

2318. Signed, Sealed, and Delivered

Ephesians 1:1-14

Sermon

Timothy J. Smith

Praise God for all the wonderful things God has done in our lives and in our world! We continue to be filled with awe and wonder. Our fitting response is to sing praises to our God. Our favorite praise hymns and songs can transport us beyond our present situation into the very presence of God. The early Christians experienced the presence of God through their worship and singing. It is commonly believed that the first chapter of Ephesians contains words and phrases from hymns and liturgy that would have ...

2319. Breaking News: The Middle East

Genesis 12:1-8

Sermon

James Merritt

We are in a series called “Breaking News.” Pick up your newspaper, go on-line, turn on the TV or the radio, hit a website on the internet and you are likely to hear one of these items talked about frequently if not regularly. There is one region of the world that is guaranteed to be in the news practically every single day. This region is very important to you, and to your family, and to our nation, and to our world primarily for one reason. This region is the number one reason why there will never be a ...

2320. Sons of God

Galatians 3:26--4:7

Understanding Series

L. Ann Jervis

3:26 The basis upon which Paul makes the previous statement in verse 25 is his conviction that the Galatians are all sons of God by virtue of their being in Christ Jesus. Paul continues to work with the metaphor of inheritance to underscore that all of his readers are inheritors of God’s promise. Paul emphasizes that the Galatians already are “sons” or inheritors of God’s promise. (Paul’s use of “sons” is meant not to exclude the female members of the Galatian churches, but to work with the inheritance ...

2321. Living as Children of Light

Ephesians 4:17--5:21

Understanding Series

Arthur G. Patzia

The Old and the New Life Up to this point in the epistle there have been only occasional references to the ethical life of the Christian (2:10; 4:1–3, 15). In 4:1 it appeared that the apostle was preparing a lengthy description of the new life in Christ, but this led, instead, into a further exposition of the unifying elements of the church (4:4–16). At 4:17, however there is a clear break from the theological aspects of unity to an emphasis upon the ethics of unity and how that unity can be maintained ...

2322. Correcting Cephas

Galatians 2:11-21

One Volume

Gary M. Burge

The incident related in this section (2:11–14) indicates that in spite of the basic agreement reached at the Jerusalem council, certain ambiguities continued to exist. The incident at Antioch is significant, for it moves us on to the next logical step in Paul’s argument regarding his authority on the matters troubling the Galatians. We need to take careful note of the situation as Paul has developed it. The authorities in Jerusalem had recognized Paul’s equal status relative to them, but in Paul’s view ...

2323. The Advocate and the Street Where You Live

John 15:26-27, 16:4-15

Sermon

Ron Lavin

According to the dictionary, an advocate is "a powerful and influential person who defends or maintains a cause or proposal on our behalf." Someone working for us and on our behalf can be very beneficial when we are in some kind of difficulty or trouble. Someone working for us and on our behalf in life with integrity has value beyond description. In other words, a strong human advocate can save us from dire situations in which we might find ourselves. Let's take the case of a man, let's call him John, who ...

2324. Wicked Tenants

Matthew 21:33-46

Sermon Aid

William E. Keeney

The parable is found in Mark 12:1-12 and Luke 20:9-19 as well as in Matthew. Question is raised as to whether the parable is given in its original form as told by Jesus or whether it is embellished with additional details from the experience of the church after the death and resurrection of Jesus. The issue is in part concerned with one's belief about predictive prophecy. Did Jesus have prescience about what would happen to the church after his death, or did the writers of the parable adapt it to conform ...

2325. Baptism of the Lord

Luke 3:1-20, Isaiah 61:1-11, Luke 3:21-38, Acts 8:9-25

Sermon Aid

John R. Brokhoff

It was an extraordinary event on an ordinary Sunday amidst very ordinary surroundings. At the annual Bible conference on a Sunday afternoon in July, 1989, at Lake Findley, New York, a group met on the shore of the lake for a baptismal service. The people stood on the shore overlooking the lake. Now and then a boat pulling a skier roared by. Several jet skis made thundering noise and waves. In the distance one could see a small sailboat or two. A brief service of Scripture and prayer preceded the baptism. A ...

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