Sermon and Worship Resources

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Daniel 1:1-21

Understanding Series

William Nelson

... So far, things have progressed rather smoothly. Nebuchadnezzar brought the youths to pagan Babylon and enrolled them in school to study Babylonian forms of divination. There was no protest. Then the chief officer even changed their names to Babylonian ones, eliminating ... God’s favor and Daniel’s determination, the Jewish lads maintain their diet, resulting in a healthier appearance. Many youths study for the king’s service, but Daniel and his friends outshine them all. This is not accidental. Rather, it ...

2. The Beginning

Genesis 1:1-2:3

Understanding Series

John E. Hartley

... Press, 1998), pp. 447–97; G. Jónsson, The Image of God: Genesis 1:26–28 in a Century of Old Testament Research (ConBOT 26; Stockholm: Almqvist & Wiksell, 1988); J. F. Kutsko, Between Heaven and Earth: Divine Presence and Absence in the Book of Ezekiel (Biblical and Judaic Studies 7; Winona Lake, Ind.: Eisenbrauns, 2000). 1:28 Radah means to rule supremely (1 Kgs. 4:24; 9:23; Isa. 14:2; Ezek. 34:4). Often such rule is implemented by great force (Lev. 26:7; Isa. 14:6), but that does not have to be the ...

3. Boasting

2 Corinthians 11:1-15, 2 Corinthians 11:16-33, 2 Corinthians 12:1-10

Understanding Series

James M. Scott

... the land and seven years in dividing it among the twelve tribes (Seder ʿolam Rabbah 11; b.Qidd. 37a, b; b. Zebaḥ. 118b; Gen. Rab. 35:3; 98:15; cf. Josephus, Ant. 5.68). Furthermore, Jacob spent fourteen years secluded in the land and studying under Eber (b. Meg. 16b, 17a; Gen. Rab. 68:5, 11; Exod. Rab. 2:6). Cf. Gershom Scholem, “The Four Who Entered Paradise and Paul’s Ascension to Paradise,” in Jewish Gnosticism, Merkabah Mysticism, and Talmudic Tradition (2d ed.; New York: Jewish Theological ...

4. Naomi and Ruth

Ruth 1:1-22

Understanding Series

Michael S. Moore

... , how can David be allowed to enter Yahweh’s assembly when he descends from a Moabitess (b. Yeb. 76–77)? Additional Notes 1:1 The days when the judges ruled: B. Porten (“Historiosophic Background of the Scroll of Ruth,” Gratz College Annual of Jewish Studies 6 [1977], pp. 69–78) suggests that the book of Ruth is a microcosm of Genesis: both books emphasize famine; both employ the divine epithet Shadday; and both speak of marriages where the survival of posterity is in doubt. Famine in the land: On ...

5. Testimonies About Jesus

John 5:31-47

Understanding Series

J. Ramsey Michaels

... to discuss more generally the Father’s testimony on his behalf in the Scriptures (vv. 39–47). At the heart of the issue was a tragic irony. If there was one testimony that should have counted with the Jewish authorities it was that of the Scriptures. They studied the Scriptures earnestly in the hope of gaining eternal life, yet when the Scriptures pointed them to Jesus as the way to life (as in Deut. 18:15–18), they were unwilling to come (vv. 39–40). Jesus returns to this point in verses 45–47 ...

6. Eschatological Discourse: Being Prepared for Jesus’ Return

Matthew 24:36-51, Matthew 25:1-13

Teach the Text

Jeannine K. Brown

... . “Phoebe,” I blurted out. “Don’t you care? Is our Lord coming back before or after the tribulation? When he comes back, where do you want to be found—in this state of indecision or at the Second Coming study?” “This is where I want to be found,” she said, pointing to a circle of low, thatched huts. A little boy came running up to us from the compound. His face was badly blighted and part of his hand was gone. “When do you think the Lord is coming back, ...

7. New Dominion as a Blessing of the New Covenant: Dead to Sin

Romans 6:1-14

Teach the Text

C. Marvin Pate

... experience early in my life has taught me (Marvin) the importance of discipline in the Christian life. When at age sixteen I sensed that the Lord was calling me into the ministry, I reasoned that if I was going to preach the Bible then I needed to start studying the Bible for myself and not depend solely on the preacher’s sermons or on devotional booklets. So I began getting up an hour earlier each day in order to read and meditate on the Bible and then pray. I did this for about a year, but without ...

8. Paul, Phoebe, Patronage, and Spain

Romans 16:1-27

Teach the Text

C. Marvin Pate

... a hierarchical structure of secretaries that reached all the way down to the local village secretary. Secretaries were critical to the functioning of the Roman government. They were the record keepers for the massive bureaucracy.1 E. Randolph Richards’s study of ancient letter writing shows that there was a continuum of how much input amanuenses had in the composition of a letter, moving from little control (dictation), to some control (shorthand), to complete control (composer).2 Given the importance of ...

9. The Rights of an Apostle

1 Corinthians 9:1-27

Understanding Series

Marion L. Soards

... this verse of the LXX in 1 Tim. 5:18, where the words of the letter, though not the order, match the LXX wording. The reference and use of the LXX at this point in the epistle has generated remarkable discussion in scholarly literature: e.g., G. M. Lee, “Studies in Texts: 1 Corinthians 9:9–10,” Theology 71 (1968), pp. 122–23; and W. C. Kaiser Jr., “The Current Crisis in Exegesis and the Apostolic Use of Deuteronomy 25:4 in 1 Corinthians 9:8–10,” JETS 21 (1978), pp. 3–18. 9:11 Paul’s image ...

10. Boasting

2 Corinthians 11:16-33, 2 Corinthians 1:1-11, 2 Corinthians 12:1-10

Understanding Series

James M. Scott

11. The Temple Musicians

1 Chronicles 6:31-81

Understanding Series

Louis C. Jonker

... , of how the Chronicler wanted society to regard the musicians. 6:49–53 In this brief section the reader is returned to the list of priests already presented in the first part of the Levitical genealogy (6:3b–8 in particular). Recent studies normally reckon the present subsection to be an excerpt from the longer list provided earlier in this chapter. Some small differences have to be noted, however. First, this subsection is introduced with a short narrative description of the functions of Aaron and ...

12. Body / Ambassador

2 Corinthians 5:11--6:2

Understanding Series

James M. Scott

... [sc. Moses and Aaron] the words of his signs”), then Paul is making another comparison between himself and Moses in context (cf. 2 Cor. 5:18). 5:20 Cf. Hugh J. Mason, Greek Terms for Roman Institutions: A Lexicon and Analysis (American Studies in Papyrology 13; Toronto: Hakkert, 1974). Ambassadors were typically “worthy and excellent men” (cf. Josephus, Ant. 13.260; 14.251). An ambassador was not to be treated in a lawless manner, whether by persecuting him or killing him, for that would violate the ...

13. Thanksgiving and Prayer

Ephesians 1:15-23

Understanding Series

Arthur G. Patzia

... Ephesians, pp. 187–89. On “knowledge” and wisdom, cf. disc. on Col. 1:9, 10, and the extended note on epignōsis in Robinson, pp. 249–54. 1:18 The baptismal nature of 1 Peter is surveyed in R. P. Martin’s “The Composition of I Peter in Recent Study,” Vox Evangelica, 1 (1962), pp. 29–42. See also J. Coutts, “Ephesians 1:3–14 and 1 Peter 1:3–12,” NTS 3 (1956–57), pp. 115–27; F. L. Cross, 1 Peter: A Pascal Liturgy (London: Mowbray, 1954); F. W. Beare, The First Epistle of Peter, 3d ...

14. The Son Superior to Angels

Hebrews 1:1-14

Understanding Series

Donald A. Hagner

... 104:4. 1:8–9 Your kingdom in some manuscripts reads his kingdom. The weight of manuscript evidence slightly favors your, as does the sense of the passage, which, if his is accepted, demands acceptance of the more difficult “God is your kingdom.” For an excellent study of these verses, see M. J. Harris, “The Translation and Significance of ho theos in Hebrews 1:8–9,” TB 36 (1985), pp. 129–62. 1:10–12 The LXX (Ps. 101:26 [NIV, 102:26]) has inserted “Lord” (kyrios) in the first line of this ...

15. Walking in the Light

1 John 1:5--2:14, 1 John 2:15-17

Understanding Series

Thomas F. Johnson

... the letters of John, where it occurs thirty-one times as a verb and twenty-one times as a noun. The term of fond address, agapētos, also occurs ten times. It is a high frequency word in these letters (one-fifth of the entire NT usage). For a detailed study of the use of agapē in the letters of John, see Brown, Epistles, pp. 254–57 and in the Gospel of John (Brown, Gospel, I–XII, pp. 497–99). Love is the free decision of one person to give himself or herself up for the highest good and well-being ...

16. Sennacherib Threatens Jerusalem

Isaiah 36:1-22

Understanding Series

John Goldingay

... version is more original, and the significance of the chapters in this context, see, e.g., the study in B. S. Childs, Isaiah and the Assyrian Crisis (Studies in Biblical Theology Second Series, 3; Naperville, Ill.: Allenson, 1967); R. E. Clements, Isaiah and the Deliverance of Jerusalem: A Study of the Interpretation of Prophecy in the Old Testament (JSOTSup 13; Sheffield: JSOT, 1980), pp. 72–89; Ackroyd, Studies in the Religious Tradition of the Old Testament, pp. 105–92; C. R. Seitz, Zion’s Final ...

17. Applying God’s Wisdom to Life’s Issues

1 Corinthians 2:6-16, 1 Corinthians 1:18--2:5

Teach the Text

Preben Vang

... is what we ought to like; and it is our business as honest Christians not to assume that we do like what we ought to like.9 Study Scripture for the sake of your life, not just for the sake of doing biblical study. Quote: A Little Exercise for Young Theologians, by Helmut Thielicke. The man who studies theology, and especially he who studies dogmatics, might watch carefully whether he increasingly does not think in the third rather than the second person. You know what I mean by that. This transition from ...

18. Jesus Heals a Paralytic

Mark 2:1-12

Understanding Series

Larry W. Hurtado

... the final opposition and the issue that would lead to Jesus’ execution (see note on v. 7). These teachers were devoted to the study and application of the law of Moses to all of life, and function here and elsewhere in Mark as representatives of the Jewish ... among the general readers of the Bible (see the notes on v. 10). In what follows I shall offer a view built upon a study of the wider evidence and arguments referred to above, but in the present discussion we shall give our attention to the use of the ...

19. God's Righteous Judgment

Romans 2:1-16

Understanding Series

James R. Edwards

... the intervening verses describe the character and consequences of evil works. If there is any dislocation it may be due to the problem of oral dictation (see 16:22), with Paul’s mind returning in verse 10 to clarify the content of verse 7. But closer study indicates the probability of a literary pattern, a chiastic structure (A-B-B′-A′). Thus, A—works which lead to eternal life (v. 7) B—works which lead to God’s wrath (v. 8) B′—God’s judgment against bad works, of both Jew and Gentile ...

20. Christ the Wisdom and Power of God

1 Corinthians 1:18--2:5

Understanding Series

Marion L. Soards

... over against the new creation of God that is presently struggling toward full realization through the cross of Jesus Christ. The incisive work of J. Louis Martyn (“Epistemology at the Turn of the Ages: 2 Corinthians 5:16,” in Christian History and Interpretation: Studies Presented to John Knox [ed. W. R. Farmer, C. F. D. Moule, and R. R. Niebuhr; Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1967], pp. 269–87) on this phrase, esp. its occurrence in 2 Cor. 5:16, demonstrates that for Paul there are two ways ...

21. Walking in the Light and the Problem of Sin

1 John 2:15-17, 1 John 1:5--2:14

Understanding Series

Thomas F. Johnson

22. Acts 8:26 40

Acts 8:26-40

Sweet

Leonard Sweet

... To facilitate that end he invites Philip to join him. The text Luke cites is Isaiah 53:7‑8, although it seems likely that as they journeyed the entire so‑called “Servant Song” (Isaiah 52:13‑53:12) was the focus of the eunuch’s studying. Looking across centuries of Christian history, it is easy for us to identify this “servant” with Jesus and his identity as a suffering Messiah. But this messianic connection was far from clear in the first century. In first century Judaism there was no single ...

23. Paul Opposes Peter

Galatians 2:11-21

Understanding Series

L. Ann Jervis

... . Jub. 22:16 is the one exception, and this anomaly may be the result of its provenance in a sectarian environment. E. P. Sanders notes that there are Jewish texts, such as the Letter of Aristeas, that display comfort with Gentiles and Jews eating together (in Studies in Paul and John: In Honor of J. L. Martyn [ed. R. T. Forna and B. R. Gaventa; Nashville: Abingdon, 1990], pp. 170–88, esp. p. 178). Sanders and others point out that in the Diaspora there is evidence for Jewish involvement in civic life and ...

24. Spiritual Blessings in Christ

Ephesians 1:1-14

Understanding Series

Arthur G. Patzia

... to heaven as a distinct part of the created universe but one which retains its concealing relation to the spiritual world and to God himself, and thus also its aspect of incomprehensibility” (p. 480). See also Lincoln’s Paradise Now and Not Yet: Studies in the Role of the Heavenly Dimension in Paul’s Thought with Special Reference to His Eschatology, SNTSMS 43 (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1981), esp. pp. 135–68. 1:7 For the association between baptism and the forgiveness of sins in the NT ...

25. One in Christ

Ephesians 2:11-22

Understanding Series

Arthur G. Patzia

... : Harper Torchbooks, 1970), esp. chap. 3, pp. 61–107. 2:17 A thorough discussion of the expressions near and far is given by D. C. Smith, “The Ephesian Heresy and the Origin of the Epistle to the Ephesians,” Ohio Journal of Religious Studies 5 (1977), pp. 78–103. Smith’s investigation leads him to conclude that it is not that Gentile Christianity was threatening to lose its connection with Jewish Christianity, but “rather the issue is that certain Gentile-‘Jewish’-Christians, on the basis of ...

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