Sermon and Worship Resources

Showing 1 to 25 of 189 results

Exodus 20:1-21

Sermon

David E. Leininger

... 'll dance. You want me to cut myself with a knife? OK. Martha, bring me a knife. You want me to slash the throat of my first-born son? Well, OK, if that is what it takes to make things right." What had begun in one generation as a represention of something holy, in the minds of succeeding generations would BECOME holy - the means would become the end. The idol would become almost a sanctified rabbit's foot - as long as you have that idol in the house (or town) and you went through the proper rituals, things ...

2. Christ Signs The Letter Of The Church

Colossians 1:15-23

Sermon

Maxie Dunnam

... we see the very nature of God; and a mirror, revealing our human possibility, by picturing our fallenness and the fallen state of all life against the image of our divine destiny. Christ is the eikon, the image of God: a representation perfect enough to be a manifestation of God among us. Also, representation and manifestation of what we are meant to be -- and which, through Him, we can be." (Ibid. p. 349) II. And that brings us to the second image to explore, and the second theme we said was in this text ...

3. Thank You for Coming

Hebrews 1:1-14

Sermon

King Duncan

... the prophets at many times and in various ways, but in these last days he has spoken to us by his Son, whom he appointed heir of all things, and through whom also he made the universe. The Son is the radiance of God’s glory and the exact representation of his being, sustaining all things by his powerful word. After he had provided purification for sins, he sat down at the right hand of the Majesty in heaven. So he became as much superior to the angels as the name he has inherited is superior to theirs ...

4. The Son Superior to Angels

Hebrews 1:1-14

Understanding Series

Donald A. Hagner

... of “reflection” in its occurrences in Philo, who uses the word to describe what God breathed into man at his creation. The active is probably the nuance here. (See R. P Martin in NIDNTT, vol. 2, pp. 289f.) The latter word, also found in Philo, means accurate representation in the manner of an “impress” or “stamp,” as of a coin to a die. (See U. Wilckens in TDNT, vol. 9, pp. 418–23.) The Greek word katharismos is a technical term for cultic cleansing and is so used in the LXX and even within ...

5. Hebrews 11:1-3, 8-16

Hebrews 11:1-3, 8-16

Sweet

Leonard Sweet

... Hebrews, immersed in ancient apocalypticism and Jewish cultus, it is the invisible heavenly world that is real. The visible earthly world is temporal. Or as Kittel puts it, "Faith is the reality of what is hoped for in exactly the sense in which Jesus is called the [representation] of the reality of the transcendent God in 1:3. The one formulation is as paradoxical as the other to the degree that the presence of the divine reality is found in the one case in the obedience of a suffering and dying man and in ...

6. Transfiguration of Our Lord

Matthew 17:1-13, 2 Peter 1:12-21, Exodus 24:1-18, Psalm 2:1-12

Sermon Aid

... to his vestments, but which one? Is he the pope who planned the rebuilding of St. Paul's? Has the 13th century (mosaic) simply been altered by a later playful father? Could this be a representation of St. Paul, put there to remind the popes and all Christians of the full glory of Christ. Or could this be a representation of all the popes and people (caught up in this one little figure) to show the brightness of his glory in the world which must fall down and worship him....?" (from The Renewal of Liturgical ...

7. Success: Ultimate and Unlimited

Revelation 7:9-17

Sermon

... await the honor - some having already received it - given expression by "God will wipe away every tear from their eyes." We know what ultimate and unlimited success is. It is spending eternity with our Savior and Lord. Heaven is for real; there will be representation from every sector. The saints have arrived in the only sense that it counts. There is much cause for jubilation and great thanksgiving. Indeed, "the Lord be with you." Have we told others about all of this? Mission and evangelism are not to be ...

8. Name Above Every Name

Luke 2:21-40

Sermon

Leonard Mann

... equivalent. This is so very true that I can say, "I am Leonard Mann." Who am I? What am I? This I am: Leonard Mann. The word assigned to denote an individual person is always the only total representation of him. When you say that a certain fellow is six feet tall - or three feet wide - you have made a representation in regard to his size. But it is only by using the denoting word that you represent him. It is only by using the denoting word that he totally represents himself. If he is obligating himself to ...

9. Deformed, Disfigured, and Despised: A Marred but Magnificent Messiah

Isaiah 52:13--53:12

Sermon

Carlyle Fielding Stewart

... human and spiritual spectrum. One is the power to repel others away defensively. The other is the power to attract others to him offensively. This is the cross. The new Messiah would become a perfect physical representation of our lowest and basest condition as humanity. He would also become the epitome of a perfect spiritual representation of our highest humanity. He is at once the man we never want to be seen with, never want to be around, never want in our company, but also the man we long for, the man ...

10. God Cares About Justice!

Exodus 20:1-21

Sermon

David E. Leininger

... The second command: no idols. What has that to do with justice? Simply that people can be misled into thinking the representation of god is the REAL god. Now, please understand that the people of the ancient world were not stupid - as they would sit down to ... carve the wood or stone, they knew that what they were creating was a REPRESENTATION of deity, one that helped them get in touch with something beyond "touch." If the crops would begin to dry up for lack ...

11. Jesus, Our Hope

Luke 2:1-7

Sermon

Darrick Acre

... unaware. Injuries and inconveniences change schedules, alter lives. So this is Christmas. A Roman decree sends families scurrying back to their ancestral cities to register. Enrollment means “taxes,” and as we all know taxation without representation is galling. Taxation without representation is oppression and tyranny. The families who go back to their ancestral homes to register so they can pay taxes are an oppressed people, who live with cruel taskmasters and know the bitterness of Roman rule ...

12. O Holy Night

Philippians 2:5-11

Sermon

James Merritt

... stamp. In Bible times an official government document was sealed with wax while the wax was hot. You would press the ring bearing the emperor's insignia into the document, and the impression in the wax would be the exact representation of the insignia on the ring. What Paul is telling us is that Jesus is the exact representation of God. That is exactly what Jesus Himself said again when He was on earth. He said in John 10:30, "I and My Father are one." He said again in John 14:9, "He who has seen Me has ...

13. Jesus, The One And Only

Philippians 2:5-11

Sermon

James Merritt

... stamp. In Bible times an official government document was sealed with wax while the wax was hot. You would press the ring bearing the emperor's insignia into the document, and the impression in the wax would be the exact representation of the insignia on the ring. What Paul is saying is, Jesus was and is the exact representation of God. We go on to read in verse 7, "When the time came he set aside the privileges of deity and took on the status of a slave and became human!" (v.7, MSG) Now we come to the ...

14. Consecration of the Priests

Exodus 29:1-46

Understanding Series

James K. Bruckner

... therefore offered the best animal from their flock in the presence of the Lord, who was the source of well-being from the beginning. Only God could supply the forgiveness and reconciliation that they sought through these physical entities that God provided as representations. Only God could remove the anxiety and restore the well-being of those who offered their animals as prayers to the Lord. In Christ, God became the perfect sacrifice in as much as God became the sin, alienated on our behalf; Jesus became ...

15. A Message About Egypt

Jeremiah 46:1-28

Understanding Series

Tremper Longman III

... described. They are like fattened calves not fit for the battle; they will turn tail and run. Yet another metaphor is presented in verse 22 where Egypt is likened to a hissing serpent. The serpent was an important symbol in Egypt. Indeed, the pharaoh had a representation of the coiled serpent (the uraeus) on his headdress. But though the serpent hisses, it stands no chance against the enemy that comes like a locust plague, or like men who cut down trees. The Daughter of Egypt (see v.11) will be shamed as ...

16. Signs and Oracles of Judgment

Ezekiel 4:1-5:17, Ezekiel 6:1-14, Ezekiel 7:1-27

Understanding Series

Steven Tuell

... days are an expansion of the original text by Ezekiel’s priestly editors. Those first interpreters of Ezekiel understood the house of Israel in the second sign to refer to the northern kingdom; therefore, the representation of Israel’s offense had to be counterbalanced by the representation of Judah’s. The forty days assigned to Judah are readily understandable in symbolic terms. Customarily, forty years is the length of a generation. The people of Israel spent forty years in the wilderness so that ...

17. Egypt

Ezekiel 29:1-21, Ezekiel 30:1-26, Ezekiel 31:1-18, Ezekiel 32:1-32

Understanding Series

Steven Tuell

... these images in contrast: “You consider yourself a lion among the nations, but you are like a dragon in the seas” (v. 2, NRSV). The lion was an ancient symbol of royalty and nobility (see the discussion of 19:1–9), while the sea monster was a representation of chaos and an adversary of God (see the discussion of 29:1–16). Though Pharaoh regards himself as a noble king over the nations, he is in fact a monster—a threat to the whole world. As in the earlier dragon allegory, the monster is in the ...

18. Oracles of Restoration

Ezekiel 34:1-31, Ezekiel 35:1-15, Ezekiel 36:1-38, Ezekiel 37:1-14, Ezekiel 37:15-28

Understanding Series

Steven Tuell

... 16 is in keeping with Ezekiel’s style elsewhere. The NIV is right to stay with the Heb. here. 34:31 “You my sheep, the sheep of my pasture, are people, and I am your God.” The awkward Eng. of the NIV translation is a faithful representation of the awkward Heb. in the MT. The initial “you” is feminine, not the masculine form that Ezekiel has used throughout this chapter, and is missing in the LXX; likely it is an addition, meant to correct the grammar (tsoʾn, the word for “sheep,” is feminine ...

19. One Like a Son of Man

Revelation 1:9-20

Understanding Series

Robert W. Wall

... not be afraid! Yet, the reasons for comfort and assurance are found in Christ’s self-introduction as the First and the Last. Christ addresses John as exalted Lord; he asserts divine authority, equal to “the Alpha and Omega” (cf. 1:8), thus legitimizing his representation of God’s people on God’s behalf. Further, he claims his authority over death; as the Living One, Christ has custody of the keys of death and Hades and is therefore able to unlock God’s people from their captivity to sin and its ...

20. Who Is This Man?

Matthew 16:13-20

Sermon

King Duncan

... for us in Jesus Christ. Out of His great love for us, God empties Himself and becomes as we are. Who is this man Jesus? He is the ultimate role model for humanity. He is humanity at its finest. Yes, but much more than that--he is also the best representation of what God is like. As the little boy said, “Jesus is the best picture God ever had taken.” “Who do you say that the Son of Man is?” asked Jesus. And, for once, Simon Peter got it right, “You are the Messiah, the Son of the living God.” Who ...

21. We've Got a Friend in High Places

1 Corinthians 15:20-26, 28, Ephesians 1:15-23

Sermon

King Duncan

... the Old Testament, felt called upon to offer some explanation in defense of God. She said: “That happened before God became a Christian.” (4) I like that. If we could discern in the Old Testament a perfect representation of God’s character, there would have been no need for Christ. But the representation of God’s character in the Old Testament is a mixed bag. In some places, He is a tender shepherd, but, in other places, He calls for innocent people to be slaughtered. Christ’s life and teachings ...

22. A Restless Spirit

1 Samuel 28:1-25

Sermon

Lori Wagner

... , they tremble when confronted with the truth. And to “know” God is to re-member God in Jesus. This is the essence of holy communion –the incarnation affirmed and the memory relived even as Life is offered. Where in the story of Saul, representation tells the story of his conflict, in the resurrection, with the “garment” of the Temple rent in two, again God’s will is fully done. *Note: two years ago, in Lectionary Year One, the sermon accompanying these scriptures focused on the Story Circulated ...

23. What, Then, Would You Be?

2 Corinthians 5:20b—6:10

Sermon

Dr. Ronald Love

... upon us. These are: purity, knowledge, patience, kindness, holiness of spirit, genuine love, truthful speech, and the power of God. What a contrast to the quarreling and bickering and disobedience presently abounding in the church in Corinth. Is it a contrast or a representation of your life this day? If we don’t want to find ourselves wearing sackcloth this Lenten season but instead be active and contributing members of the Body of Christ, the church, then we must focus on these gifts of the Holy Spirit ...

24. Heroines of the Faith

Mark 1:29.39

Sermon

David E. Leininger

... , women fill at least 25% of seats in the Parliament because the Iraqi Constitution has a quota requiring it. Overall, fifty countries have quotas for female representation in their legislatures. In many countries, like Sweden, political parties have adopted rules that force them to field a set number of women candidates. However, the lowest female representation by region is in the Arab world, with women making up only 8% of legislatures.[2] Does all this gender shift make any real difference? Many voters ...

25. Creation Reborn

John 20:1-18

Sermon

Wayne Brouwer

... catacombs where Christians laid their dead. There were inscribed verses of scripture, to be sure, but also symbols and pictures. The one, however, that mystified most showed the upper body of a man holding a harp. It seemed to represent Jesus, but standard mythological representations usually tied that one to Orpheus. The Song Of Orpheus Orpheus was the darling of Greek love, music, and tragedy. Orpheus was the master musician of his time, and well could have had 39 out of the top forty tunes on the charts ...

Showing results

Antonyms: deficient, imperfect

Showing 1 to 25 of 189 results

1. The Ten Commandments #2: No Idols!

Exodus 20:1-21

Sermon

David E. Leininger

2. Christ Signs The Letter Of The Church

Colossians 1:15-23

Sermon

Maxie Dunnam

3. Thank You for Coming

Hebrews 1:1-14

Sermon

King Duncan

4. The Son Superior to Angels

Hebrews 1:1-14

Understanding Series

Donald A. Hagner

5. Hebrews 11:1-3, 8-16

Hebrews 11:1-3, 8-16

Sweet

Leonard Sweet

6. Transfiguration of Our Lord

Matthew 17:1-13, 2 Peter 1:12-21, Exodus 24:1-18, Psalm 2:1-12

Sermon Aid

7. Success: Ultimate and Unlimited

Revelation 7:9-17

Sermon

8. Name Above Every Name

Luke 2:21-40

Sermon

Leonard Mann

9. Deformed, Disfigured, and Despised: A Marred but Magnificent Messiah

Isaiah 52:13--53:12

Sermon

Carlyle Fielding Stewart

10. God Cares About Justice!

Exodus 20:1-21

Sermon

David E. Leininger

11. Jesus, Our Hope

Luke 2:1-7

Sermon

Darrick Acre

12. O Holy Night

Philippians 2:5-11

Sermon

James Merritt

13. Jesus, The One And Only

Philippians 2:5-11

Sermon

James Merritt

... stamp. In Bible times an official government document was sealed with wax while the wax was hot. You would press the ring bearing the emperor's insignia into the document, and the impression in the wax would be the exact representation of the insignia on the ring. What Paul is saying is, Jesus was and is the exact representation of God. We go on to read in verse 7, "When the time came he set aside the privileges of deity and took on the status of a slave and became human!" (v.7, MSG) Now we come to the ...

14. Consecration of the Priests

Exodus 29:1-46

Understanding Series

James K. Bruckner

15. A Message About Egypt

Jeremiah 46:1-28

Understanding Series

Tremper Longman III

16. Signs and Oracles of Judgment

Ezekiel 4:1-5:17, Ezekiel 6:1-14, Ezekiel 7:1-27

Understanding Series

Steven Tuell