Sermon and Worship Resources

Synonyms: responsibility, obligation, commitment, obedience, allegiance, loyalty, faithfulness, fidelity, respect, deference, reverence, homage, job, task, chore, assignment, commission, mission, function, charge, part, place, role, concern, requirement, tax, levy, tariff, excise, toll, fee, imposition, impost, exaction, tithe, payment, rate

Showing 1 to 25 of 218 results

1. Sermon on the Mount: Allegiance and Trust

Matthew 6:19-24, Matthew 6:25-34

Teach the Text

Jeannine K. Brown

... to live in service to both God and money (6:24). 6:21 For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also. The reference to a person’s treasure and heart being in the same location reflects the understanding of the heart as the seat of allegiance and affection. It is “a term for what is of central importance in a person, what constitutes their true character” (e.g., 15:18–19).1 6:22–23 The eye is the lamp of the body. This saying is difficult to decipher unless we address ancient views ...

2. An Appeal for Full Allegiance to Apostolic Authority

2 Corinthians 10:1-18

One Volume

Gary M. Burge

... neglect the punishment due “every act of disobedience” once order and respect have been restored (10:5–6). Paul’s appeal has been made necessary because of the appearance of some at Corinth who have tried to dissuade the church from continuing allegiance to Paul as a primary apostolic authority (10:7–18). Their attempt to undermine Paul’s rightful claim to authority has had two thrusts. On the one hand, they seek to belittle Paul by drawing a distinction between the frightening authority with ...

3. Church Divisions and Confusion of Allegiance

1 Corinthians 1:10-17

Teach the Text

Preben Vang

... crucified for you? Or that you were baptized into Paul’s name?” 1:17 Christ did not send me to baptize. Given the competitive atmosphere in Corinth, it is quite possible that various patrons, in whose homes the church met, felt special allegiance to the one who led them to faith in Christ and baptized them. “Their preacher” was better and more significant than other patrons’ preachers. To claim special relationship to Paul (or Apollos or Cephas) had become a matter of competition and pride—a ...

4. Jesus Sends Out the Twelve

Matthew 9:35-38, Matthew 10:1-42

Teach the Text

Jeannine K. Brown

... , she whispered to Corrie, “[We] must tell people what we have learned here. We must tell them that there is no pit so deep that He is not deeper still. They will listen to us, Corrie, because we have been here.”4 Mission Discourse: Call to Allegiance to Jesus (10:24--11:1) Big Idea: Jesus calls his disciples to be loyal to God above all, to the God who protects and cares. Understanding the Text In the second half of the Mission Discourse, Jesus instructs the disciples how to respond to the persecution ...

5. Jesus Tempted in the Wilderness

Matthew 4:1-11

Teach the Text

Jeannine K. Brown

... the one true human being in covenant loyalty to God empowered by the Spirit. He invites us to follow him. The challenge is still great, but the way has been charted by the Messiah, who not only walked that path but also walks with us. Allegiance to the one true God is the basis for all covenant loyalty. Quote: The Screwtape Letters, by C. S. Lewis. In this book Lewis imagines a correspondence between two demons, one a master tempter (Screwtape), the other a novice (Wormwood). In one letter Screwtape teaches ...

6. Samuel Confronts the People

1 Samuel 12:1-25

Teach the Text

Robert B. Chisholm Jr.

... land of Canaan with the intention of ruling over them forever (Exod. 15:18). As their king, the Lord has proved his ability to deliver them from their enemies (1 Sam. 12:11). And as their history demonstrates, their national security depends solely on their allegiance to the Lord (v. 10). 12:13 here is the king you have chosen. When Samuel earlier presented Saul to the people, he described him as the one whom the Lord had chosen (10:24), echoing the language of Deuteronomy 17:15. But here the language ...

7. Daniel in the Den of Lions

Daniel 6:1-28

Teach the Text

Ronald W. Pierce

... whom he lives (1:8). Moreover, God reveals to him that God’s kingdom replaces all earthly kingdoms (2:44). Encourage your listeners to keep in sharp focus God’s purpose and kingdom purposes. In doing so, exhort them to hold loosely their allegiances to political agendas of this transient world and to think first of their citizenship in God’s kingdom. What not to teach. Four mistakes should be avoided when teaching this familiar story. First, do not make the lions metaphors of problems that believers ...

8. Jesus’ Authority to Perform Miracles

Matthew 8:18-22, Matthew 8:23-27, Matthew 8:28-34, Matthew 9:1-8

Teach the Text

Jeannine K. Brown

... has the eternal appetite of infancy; for we have sinned and grown old, and our Father is younger than we.2 Putting trust in Jesus and following him are right responses to experiencing his authority. Poetry: “A Tent for a Home,” by Jeannine Brown. This lyric about allegiance and security is drawn from Matthew 8:18–22: The fox has its hole and the bird its nest, But the Son has no place to lay his head, So they followed the Lord and they gave up their homes, And they journeyed as strangers. My roots go ...

9. Repentance and Victory

1 Samuel 7:2-17

Teach the Text

Robert B. Chisholm Jr.

... have participated together in the same sins. c. Repentance begins with sincere motives, but it also involves actions, not just emotion. The substance of repentance is changed behavior, often involving a radical repudiation of one’s former behavior and allegiances. Symbolic rituals and confession of sin may accompany repentance, but these formal expressions have significance only if supported by changed behavior. This focus on actions as the genuine fruit of repentance is also apparent in the New Testament ...

10. Luke 14:25-33

Luke 14:25-35

Sweet

Leonard Sweet

... would “come to” him, must put faith before family. The dramatic “hate” Jesus calls for is not literal “hatred.” As in Genesis 29:30-31 and Deuteronomy 21:15-17, the word means to “love less.” A disciple’s first love, greatest allegiance, absolute priority, must be Jesus. Even the disciple’s own life must be “loved less” than the love for Christ and the loyalty to his kingdom. For Jesus’ audience these words were astonishing. But for Luke’s readers that directive would have had ...

11. The Christian and the World

James 4:1-12

Understanding Series

Peter H. Davids

... not a part of the body (which can serve God as easily as evil) but are in the body and fight to control it. In theory, given the Spirit or “the wisdom from above,” people should be able to conquer these impulses, but given the fact that their allegiance is divided between God and the world (James 4:4, 8), there is no victory for these people but only a constant struggle between the part of them God has and the part controlled by the world. The language is graphic; the struggle is a deep experience. 4:2 ...

12. Jesus Demonstrates Status Inversion in the Kingdom

Matthew 19:1-12, Matthew 19:13-15, Matthew 19:16-30

Teach the Text

Jeannine K. Brown

... covenant loyalty that should characterize Jesus’ followers. sell your possessions and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Jesus’ specific command and promise of “treasure in heaven” evokes his teaching at 6:19–24, where he calls his followers to full allegiance to God and not to one’s money or possessions (also 13:22). 19:24 it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle. Although some have fabricated a referent for Jesus’ language (e.g., a purported gate in ...

13. The Boy Jesus in the Temple

Luke 2:41-52

Teach the Text

R.T. France

... . Invite your audience to consider this application for their own lives, as well as the lives of their children and grandchildren. Although we owe it to our families and neighbors to love and care for them (the second greatest commandment), our ultimate allegiance is to love God (the greatest commandment) and advance his kingdom purposes. The temptation for parents is to see our children as fulfilling our goals and our ambitions. Yet, ultimately, these precious ones are merely on loan to us and our role ...

14. Introduction and “Hello”

1 Corinthians 1:1-9

Teach the Text

Preben Vang

... letter. Interpretive Insights 1:1 Paul . . . an apostle. Paul begins by identifying himself as “an apostle.” Unlike in his letter to the Galatians, where the reference to his apostleship is an argument for authority (Gal. 1:1), Paul seems here more interested in announcing his allegiance to Christ.2 He cares for the Corinthians because God has called him to do so. He is not driven by his own desire to have influence in Corinth but is directed by the call and will of God to have influence for God’s ...

15. Christian Maturity

1 Corinthians 3:1-23

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Preben Vang

... 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 one community, one house belonging to God.8 3:10 I laid a foundation ...

16. Separation of Faith and Life

1 Corinthians 5:1-13

Teach the Text

Preben Vang

... church, Paul says, the only dignity that matters is dignity before God. By allowing the person a seat around Christ’s table, the Corinthian Christians were announcing that they were more concerned with their acceptance and honor in Corinth than with allegiance to their true patron, Christ. The issue cut to the core of their identity as Christ’s community. Teaching the Text 1. On the surface, the scene in Corinth seems despicable to any decent human being and certainly to normal Christian sensitivities ...

17. The Vision of the Great Prostitute

Revelation 17:1-18

Teach the Text

J. Scott Duvall

... and immoral ways, especially her materialistic self-indulgence and lust for economic power. The name written on her forehead was a mystery: babylon the great the mother of prostitutes and of the abominations of the earth. The name on the forehead reveals one’s true character and allegiance, both for those allied with the beast (13:16; 14:9; 17:5; 20:4) and for those faithful to God (7:3; 9:4; 14:1; 22:4). Babylon’s name is a “mystery,” meaning not only that end-time events once hidden are now being ...

18. The Road to the Throne Is Covered with Blood

2 Sam 1:1–5:5

Teach the Text

Robert B. Chisholm Jr.

... David’s actions in any way. David, the loyal follower of Saul, is Saul’s rightful successor, and he welcomes the allegiance of Saul’s loyal subjects. 3:9 what the Lord promised him on oath. Abner’s confession is another piece of ... he referred to Saul as Abner’s lord and king (1 Sam. 26:15). But now that Saul has passed from the scene, Abner has switched his allegiance, and David accepts his loyalty. Before this, David has been referred to as “(a) king” (1 Sam. 16:1; 2 Sam. 2:4, 7, 11; 3: ...

19. Disrespect Can Be Deadly

1 Sam 2:12-36

Teach the Text

Robert B. Chisholm Jr.

... of forms (see, e.g., Acts 5:1–11; 1 Cor. 11:27–32; Heb. 11:15–17, 25), but one thing is certain: it can be unpleasant and even severe. A corollary of this first principle may be stated as follows: the Lord expects total allegiance from his chosen servants. Eli warns his sons, albeit belatedly, about the consequences of their actions. Yet from God’s perspective, this is not an adequate response. After all, apparently Eli is content to benefit from their misbehavior. Though he is old and weak, he has ...

20. The Lord Is with David

1 Samuel 18:1-30

Teach the Text

Robert B. Chisholm Jr.

... his Spirit. In 28:16 Samuel likewise refers to the Lord’s departing from Saul and adds an additional idea: the Lord has actually become Saul’s enemy. 18:16 all Israel and Judah loved David. This need not mean that they have transferred their official allegiance from Saul to David, but it does suggest that they are drawn to David as a military leader and willingly follow him into battle (cf. vv. 13–14). 18:17 I will give her to you in marriage. Saul has already promised his daughter to Goliath ...

21. Jesus Sends Out the Twelve

Matthew 10:1-42

One Volume

Gary M. Burge

... boldness to speak “from the roofs,” because God will make known the truth in the end (10:26–27) and cares for them deeply (10:29–31). Jesus exhorts his followers to single-minded allegiance to him—an allegiance that freely acknowledges and aligns itself with Jesus (10:32–33), an allegiance that is greater than loyalties to one’s family (10:34–37). This notion was quite countercultural in the first-century Jewish context, where family loyalties and obligations were paramount (cf. also 8:21 ...

22. A Report of Factions within the Community

1 Corinthians 1:10-17

One Volume

Gary M. Burge

... as being the only way a group associated with Peter’s Jewish Christian views may have come into existence at Corinth). The final slogan, “I follow Christ,” has always proved difficult to interpret. Although it seems to designate a fourth group (whose apparent claim was allegiance to Christ’s teaching alone), it could denote the common claim of each of the three groups (“I am of Christ,” “No, I am,” etc.), or Paul’s own retort to all (“You follow so and so, but I follow Christ”). With a ...

23. 1 Corinthians 10:1-13

1 Corinthians 10:1-13

Sweet

Leonard Sweet

... s suggests that at this "pre-Letter to the Roman's" time in Paul's faith, he had not yet established baptism as an event of death and rebirth in Christ by the believer. Moses is not a "type" of Christ but he does require the allegiance of all those who would be freed from Pharaoh. Deliverance from the bondage of slavery depends upon the Hebrews trusting and following Moses. Deliverance from the bondage of sin depends upon the new believer trusting and following Christ. For the Hebrews, that trust was tested ...

24. 1 Corinthians 10:1-13

1 Corinthians 10:1-13

Sweet

Leonard Sweet

25. John 1:29-42

John 1:29-42

Sweet

Leonard Sweet

... emphasizes the less lofty meaning of this term here, as well as throughout the first half of his Gospel, to demonstrate how inadequately Jesus' disciples first understood their leader. By verse 40 John the Baptist's former disciples have clearly shifted their allegiance over to Jesus. The Baptist has succeeded. So convinced are these new followers that Jesus is "the chosen one" that they already begin to act like apostles, excitedly bringing others to Jesus as John had brought them. Andrew runs to find his ...

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