Sermon and Worship Resources

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1 Corinthians 7:1-40

Understanding Series

Marion L. Soards

... lives of men and women in the church. For Paul mission is more important than marriage, and marrying or refraining from marriage should facilitate God’s purposes, not hinder the doing of God’s will. 7:39 With this verse Paul seems to shift back to the subject he originally addressed in 7:1–24, the situation of the married women and the nature of the marital bond for those who are already married. The position that Paul stakes out at the outset of the discussion, A woman is bound to her husband as long ...

2. By Faith

Hebrews 11:1-40

Understanding Series

Donald A. Hagner

... ) occurs elsewhere in Hebrews in two places. In the first of these (1:3) the word has an objective sense and is translated “being” by NIV: “the exact representation of his being.” In its second occurrence (3:14) the word may have a subjective sense and is translated “confidence” by NIV: “the confidence we had at first.” Even in this passage, however, an objective sense is possible (as Koester argues). The objective sense is probably to be favored in the present passage because it is more in ...

3. I am the Man Who Has Seen Affliction

Lamentations 3:1-66

One Volume

Tremper Longman III

... that God respond to him. Verses 58–60 are a development of verse 57. He asks that God take up his case. This legal language is found in the prophets to describe God as a prosecuting attorney, charging his people with breaking the covenantal law and thus making them subject to the curses of the covenant (i.e., Jer. 2:9; Mic. 6:1–2). But here the poet wants God to take the side of his people who are represented by “the man of affliction.” The enemy has treated him as if he is guilty, but God should ...

4. Future Glory

Romans 8:18-27

Understanding Series

James R. Edwards

... the stars. All these would be restored by the advent of the Messiah. See Str-B, vol. 3, pp. 247–55. Paul’s statements on the matter are more measured. He says only that the present languishing of creation is by the will of the one who subjected it, namely, God. Without lessening the consequences of Adam’s sin (5:12), Paul seems to allow that the mystery of suffering is greater than a simple causal relationship between human sin and the futility in creation. 8:23 Dante picks up the theme of suffering ...

5. Punishment for Israel

Hosea 9:1--10:15

Understanding Series

Elizabeth Achtemeier

... thought that gives us a great deal of difficulty, of course. But the OT is the most realistic of books. When God gives the people over to their own way (cf. Rom. 1:26, 28) and their fate is left to the forces of secular history, they become subject to all the cruelties and destructiveness of sinful human beings. Israel has chosen its own way and will reap the consequences. Its king will fall at the dawn of the battle-day, and its country will be no more. In the midst of such a devastating picture, we would ...

6. The Parable of the Ten Minas

Luke 19:11-27

Understanding Series

Craig A. Evans

... be preferred. The distinctive features found in the Lucan version fit the evangelist’s theology. The part about the man of noble birth who is to have himself appointed king but has to go to a distant country (v. 12), and while he is absent is hated by his subjects who do not want him to be their king (v. 14), is intended to explain the delay of Jesus’ expected return and the inauguration of the kingdom of God (v. 11). The kingdom has not yet appeared, for the king (i.e., Jesus) is yet in a distant place ...

7. Job's Third Reply to Bildad

Job 26:1--31:40

Understanding Series

Gerald H. Wilson

... the “hands” as much as any wound or bruise. Verse 8 outlines the consequence should Job’s denials be proven false. If he has taken from others by means of deception or even theft, he will suffer similar loss. Although the image is clearly agricultural, it is subject to a variety of understandings. Will others eat Job’s produce because they steal it? Will they receive his goods as a judgment against Job in court? Or is it because he will die and leave his crops to those who come after him (Eccl. 2:18 ...

8. The Law and the Promise

Galatians 3:15-25, Galatians 3:1-14

Understanding Series

L. Ann Jervis

... the law was used by God for a particular period of time for certain limited purposes, a point he will reiterate in the following verse. Paul is referring to Scripture as that which testifies to the ways of God. God, not the law or Scripture, is the implicit subject of verse 22. When we look at the whole sentence, it is God who made the promise to those who believe. The second clause of the verse is a purpose clause describing the reason for which God imprisoned all things under sin. It was so that what was ...

9. Jesus Takes the Initiative

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

Teach the Text

R.T. France

... a very satisfactory solution. 21:33 my words will never pass away. Jesus’s prediction is as indestructible as God’s word (cf. Isa. 40:8). 21:34–36 Be always on the watch. The parallel discourses in Matthew and Mark mark a clear change of subject at this point, turning to “that day or hour” which, in contrast to Jesus’s explicit prediction of the destruction of the temple within “this generation,” cannot be known (Matt. 24:36; Mark 13:32), and Matthew then goes on to speak at length about ...

10. Thanksgiving

1 Corinthians 1:1-9

Understanding Series

Marion L. Soards

... asserts that they refer to divisions in the church between those advocating logos and those involved with gnōsis. Rather, in Paul’s discussion of the situation in Corinth (12:8; 14:6–25) the concerns with speaking and knowledge seem intimately connected. 1:7 The subject of “spiritual gifts” that Paul raises already in the thanksgiving is a major topic of discussion in ch. 12 of the letter; and Paul mentions this matter in the course of his comments at both Rom. 12:6 and 1 Cor. 7:7. These gifts are ...

11. Faith or Observance of the Law

Galatians 3:1-14, Galatians 3:15-25

Understanding Series

L. Ann Jervis

12. The Supremacy of Christ

Colossians 1:15-23

Understanding Series

Arthur G. Patzia

... Cor. 15:24; Eph. 1:21; 6:12; 1 Pet. 3:22). The fact that the reference to these powers is a probable interpolation by Paul into the hymn suggests that these powers were given undue prominence by the false teachers. Paul’s point is that these powers are subject to Christ’s superiority since they were created by and for him. He is Lord over all these powers (2:10, 15). 1:17 The phrase he is before all things reaffirms some of the things that Paul has already said about Christ. But the new thought is that ...

13. Freedom From Human Regulations Through Life With Christ

Colossians 2:6-23

Understanding Series

Arthur G. Patzia

... , is not with a circumcision done by the hands of men, literally, “not from human hands.” As Gentiles, they have no need to undergo a cultic rite that was practiced by the Jewish people as a sign of membership in the covenant. Nor should they subject themselves to any initiation rites of the false teachers that degrade the body and the flesh. Believers are circumcised with the circumcision done by Christ. This had nothing to do with the circumcision of Jesus as a Jewish boy (Luke 2:21). Rather, Paul is ...

14. What Must Be Taught to Various Groups

Titus 2:1-15

Understanding Series

Gordon D. Fee

... will not be maligned [v. 5] but instead will be attractive [v. 10]): because the grace of God that brings salvation to all people has appeared. In the Greek text all of verses 11–14 form a single sentence, of which the grace of God stands as the grammatical subject. But contrary to the NIV (and KJV), Paul does not say that this grace appeared to all men; rather, as almost all other translations have it, and as both Paul’s word order and the usage in 1 Timothy 2:3–6 demand it, what has appeared (see ...

15. Jesus Made Like His Brothers

Hebrews 2:5-18

Understanding Series

Donald A. Hagner

... Son in the incarnation (cf. the same problem in v. 9). Thus temporarily the Son was humbled to a status lower than the angels, but now he has been exalted (to the right hand of the Father), crowned … with glory and honor, thus having everything put in subjection under his feet. What humanity once had, but lost, has now been gained by the one who became a human being for that very purpose. In him humanity has begun to realize its true inheritance. 2:8b–9 In these verses we encounter the first instance of ...

16. “When Will These Things Happen?”

Luke 21:5-38

Teach the Text

R.T. France

... very satisfactory solution. 21:33 my words will never pass away. Jesus’s prediction is as indestructible as God’s word (cf. Isa. 40:8). 21:34–36 Be always on the watch. The parallel discourses in Matthew and Mark mark a clear change of subject at this point, turning to “that day or hour” which, in contrast to Jesus’s explicit prediction of the destruction of the temple within “this generation,” cannot be known (Matt. 24:36; Mark 13:32), and Matthew then goes on to speak at length about ...

17. “Truly My Soul Finds Rest in God”

Psalm 62:1-12

Teach the Text

C. Hassell Bullock

... his or her deeds is an expression of his fairness, included in God’s “unfailing love.” This is the baseline of divine justice. Mercy exceeds the baseline. Theological Insights The structure of a psalm generally arises out of the sentiments of the psalmist. That is, subject matter demands the service of structure and literary style. Often the main idea of a psalm is found in the first verse or two, as it is here: “Truly my soul finds rest in God” (62:1). This sets the tone for the entire poem and ...

18. Elihu

Job 32:1--37:24

Understanding Series

Gerald H. Wilson

... emotional feeling of guilt, but means, rather, that a judge pronouncing mishpat in his case would have to declare Job, “Not guilty!” 33:10 Yet God has found fault with me. The Hebrew does not name God, but God seems to be the logical subject of the phrase. Elihu does appear to capture Job’s essential complaint at this point. Although legally innocent, Job still experiences God pursuing him like a criminal. The Hebrew actually says, “he has found opposition to me”—the point being not that God has ...

19. The Coming of the Lord

1 Thessalonians 4:13--5:11

Understanding Series

David J. Williams

... , would they be disqualified from sharing in the glory of that day? Paul answers that question in verse 17. But one thing leads to another, and from this discussion of the events of the Day, Paul goes on to speak of its “times and dates.” This is the subject of 5:1–11. Paul makes two points: (1) the time of the Parousia is unpredictable (vv. 1–3). The Lord will indeed come, it is only a question of when. (2) Therefore, it is essential to always be prepared (vv. 4–10). The subsection ends, as does ...

20. Submission to Rulers and Masters

1 Peter 2:13-25

Understanding Series

Norman Hillyer

... terms from the Suffering Servant passage of Isaiah 53 (LXX). Yet Peter sends his readers no signal that he is about to quote from the OT. That Peter weaves Isaiah’s words so naturally into what he writes suggests that the passage must have been the subject of much meditation on Peter’s part as he pondered the meaning of the death of Christ. He has so absorbed the prophet’s message that it has molded his own thinking. Furthermore, since he can use Isaiah’s language without seeing any need to offer ...

21. Let Us Love One Another

2 John 1:1-13

Understanding Series

Thomas F. Johnson

... pp. 889–94. F. F. Segovia examines love in the Gospel of John and 1 John in Love Relationships in the Johannine Tradition. 2 In the Gospel and letters of John the love command is restricted to those who are within the community, i.e., to disciples. The subjects of love for neighbor (Luke 10:27) and love for enemy (Matt. 5:44) do not occur. On the limitation of love in the Johannine writings, see Brown, Epistles, pp. 269–72 and, to the contrary, J. A. T. Robinson, The Priority of John (London: SCM, 1985 ...

22. Punishments for Sin

Leviticus 20:1-27

Teach the Text

Joe M. Sprinkle

... 27) Interpretive Insights 20:2–3 sacrifices . . . to Molek. On sacrifice to Molek, see comments at Leviticus 18:21. stone him . . . cut him off. Child sacrifice (see “Historical and Cultural Background” at Lev. 18:1–30 and comments at Lev. 18:21) is subject to a double penalty: stoning to death by the human community (v. 2) and being cut off from one’s people by God (v. 3). Cutting off (see “Additional Insights” following the unit on Lev. 6:8–7:38) involves something beyond stoning, such ...

23. Samuel Confronts the People

1 Samuel 12:1-25

Teach the Text

Robert B. Chisholm Jr.

... (8:19–20). When the time came to choose this king, the Lord made it clear he was not going to give them what they wanted. He would give them a leader to deliver them from their enemies (9:16–17), but the king would be subject to the “regulations of kingship” provided in the law (10:25 AT; cf. Deut. 17:14–20). Saul, the Lord’s chosen king, appeared qualified by superficial, human standards, but his failure to take military action against the Philistine garrison (10:1–13) and his hesitancy ...

24. The Lord Chooses a New King

1 Samuel 16:14-23, 1 Samuel 16:1-13

Teach the Text

Robert B. Chisholm Jr.

... 3), while it also becomes apparent that the divine presence has departed from Saul (18:12; 20:13). 16:21 Saul liked him very much. The Hebrew text does not specifically identify the subject or object of the verb “liked” (or “loved”). The usual assumption, reflected in the NIV, is that Saul is the subject and David the object. This interpretation is supported by some ancient Greek textual witnesses, by the following verse (in which Saul declares that he is pleased with David), and by the fact that ...

25. Job's Third Reply to Eliphaz

Job 23:1--24:25

Understanding Series

Gerald H. Wilson

... will ultimately bring them to justice—at least, Job hopes so! 24:24 Since God is the one who lifts up (they are exalted) and brings low (they are brought low; see also Ps. 75:7), the rise of the wicked to power is no independent achievement but remains subject to the permissive will of God. When God decides to act, those who are at the peak of their human power will be gone. God is the true actor behind the seeming vagaries of human existence. The phrase and gathered up may also be taken as a jussive form ...

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