Sermon and Worship Resources

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Isaiah 62:1-12, Isaiah 61:1-11

Sermon

William L. Self

... people. This was a responsibility for the High Priest and a blessing for the people. These people were on his heart. None were excluded from Dan to Beersheba, from the Jordan to the Mediterranean. So it is with us. Our circle of acquaintances should be carried in our heart -- always before ... (New York: Associated Press, 1915), p. 190. 2. Richard J. Foster, Prayer: Finding the Heart's True Home (San Francisco: Harper, 1992), p. 197. 3. Foster, p. 197. 4. Foster, p. 197. 5. Fosdick, p. 190. 6. Fosdick, p. 191.

2. Imitating Christ's Humility

Philippians 2:1-11

Understanding Series

F. F. Bruce

... the more readily show the same qualities to one another. All the conditions, in short, exist within the believing community to foster a sense of oneness and a common purpose, not only with one another, but between them and Paul. He and ... day, the one who received from God such power and honor that “his authority would last forever, and his kingdom would never end” (Dan. 7:13, 14). These words in Daniel may have been regarded as an anticipation of Jesus’ exaltation, which is here presented as an ...

3. Jesus’ Compassion and Authority to Do the Miraculous

Matthew 14:13-21, Matthew 14:22-36

Teach the Text

Jeannine K. Brown

... . For example, when Daniel experiences a vision of a supernatural being, he trembles in fear but is comforted with the words “Do not be afraid” (Dan. 10:4–12 [see also Gen. 15:1; 26:24; Judg. 6:23; Luke 1:13, 30]). Jesus’ words to his disciples in 14:27 ... by Jewish men on the corners of their robes (see comments on 9:20). Teaching the Text 1. By fostering connections with the Exodus narratives, Matthew emphasizes Jesus’ authority and compassion toward Israel in line with a similar portrait ...

4. Proclamations of Judgment and Reward

Revelation 14:6-13

Teach the Text

J. Scott Duvall

... God’s people. “Babylon the Great” is mentioned six times in Revelation (14:8; 16:19; 17:5; 18:2, 10, 21; cf. Dan. 4:30) and represents any great center of pagan power. The early Christians referred to Rome as Babylon (1 Pet. 5:13). The imagery ... -by-little” nature of growth. A heavenly perspective. A community that provides examples, support, and forgiveness. Personal habits that foster long-term character transformation. The Christian life is more like a marathon than a sprint. To endure is to ...

5. The Revelation Code I: DaVinci, A to Z

Revelation 1:1-20

Sermon

John E. Harnish

... and he discovers who he really is. Then he is able to make sense of his life. When ClarkKent becomes a young man, his foster parents reveal his true identity and his mission in life becomes clear. And when we find our way back to Jesus Christ and ... live in hope in the One who is our beginning and our end. This is the key to the great Revelation Code. This is the word that Dan Brown missed. This is the word which comforts the dying saints and calls the church to its task. This is the word for every age and ...

6. The Christian and the World

James 4:1-12

Understanding Series

Peter H. Davids

... . 66–70; G. Clark, I Will Lift Up Mine Eyes (New York: Harper & Row, 1935), esp. the first half; R. Foster, Celebration of Discipline, rev. ed. (San Francisco: Harper & Row, 1978, 1988), pp. 15–61. 4:4 You adulterous people is literally ... devil is in 1 Pet. 5:8–9 and Eph. 6:13. It is common in the Testaments of the Twelve Patriarchs (e.g., Simeon 3:3; Dan 5:1; Asher 3:3). The Christian writer Hermas adds, “ ‘[The devil] cannot,’ he said, ‘dominate the servants of God who hope in him with all ...

7. Esther Made Queen

Esther 2:1-18

Understanding Series

Timothy S. Laniak

... Gen. 39:21), and khen in the eyes of Pharaoh himself (Gen. 50:4). God gave Daniel khesed among the eunuchs in Nebuchadnezzar’s court (Dan. 1:9) and Nehemiah khen before the Persian king (Neh. 2:8, 18). In all of these accounts, finding favor is equated with material ... the comment, And Esther won the favor of everyone who saw her. This young Jewish girl is obedient to her foster father and submissive to her Persian caretaker. She wins favor not by threatening the structures of leadership (as Vashti had), ...

8. The Conclusion

Revelation 22:7-21

Teach the Text

J. Scott Duvall

... be holy. Unlike Daniel, who is commanded at the end of his prophecy to “seal the words of the scroll until the time of the end” (Dan. 12:4), John’s readers are living in “the last days,” a time period that began with the first coming of Christ and extends to ... This world is broken and can be fixed only by Christ’s final intervention. While crying out “Come, Lord Jesus” could foster an escapist mind-set, it doesn’t have to. Living in anticipation of his return should motivate us to become ...

9. Sisters

Luke 10:38-42

Sermon

King Duncan

... Regular worship produces healthier families. People who worship regularly live longer. If you have to choose between work and worship, choose worship. Dr. Foster McCurley, a noted Lutheran New Testament scholar raises an interesting point in his commentary, Wrestling With the Word. McCurley says: “The story, of ... , MI: Baker Book House, 2000), p. 79. 5. http://lifeisajoke.com/simpsonspeak_html.htm. 6. Pastor Dan Mangler’s Sunday Sermon, http://www.smlc‑elca.org/Sunday_sermons/july_18_2004_sermon.html.

10. Solomon Asks for Wisdom

2 Chronicles 1:1-17

Understanding Series

Louis C. Jonker

... Abi assisted Solomon with the temple building. In fact, the Chronicler indicates that Huram-Abi’s mother came from the tribe of Dan (2 Chron. 2:14), the same tribal ancestry as Oholiab’s (Exod. 31:6; 35:34; 38:23). In short, whatever the ... ), refers to a very prominent concept in Chronicles. It expresses the basic cultic and religious inclination that the Chronicler wanted to foster among the postexilic community. 1:6 In this verse the Chronicler again resorts to the Deuteronomistic version in 1 Kings 3: ...

11. Favoritism Forbidden

James 2:1-13, James 2:14-26

Understanding Series

Peter H. Davids

... and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God” (Micah 6:8, cf. Hos. 4:1; 6:6; 12:6; Prov. 14:21; Dan. 4:27). Or again, “This is what the Lord Almighty says: ‘Administer true justice; show mercy and compassion to one another.’ ” (Zech. 7:9). ... 895–98; R. Sider, Rich Christians in an Age of Hunger (Downers Grove, Ill: Inter-Varsity Press, 1977), pp. 59–86; R. Foster, The Freedom of Simplicity (San Francisco: Harper & Row, 1981), pp. 15–51. The promise of the kingdom of God to the poor ...

12. Making One's Calling and Election Sure

2 Peter 1:1-11

Understanding Series

Norman Hillyer

... the believer’s active cooperation, all the qualities listed will stagnate and come to nothing. On the other hand, their fostering and development will prevent the Christian from being ineffective by being out of action, and unproductive, bearing no spiritual fruit ... :18; 4:1, 4; Phil. 3:14; 2 Thess. 1:11; 2 Tim. 1:9; Heb. 3:1). See Turner, pp. 61–63. 1:11 Welcome: cf. Dan. 7:27 LXX: “And the kingdom and the power and the greatness of the kings that are under the whole heaven were given to the saints of ...

13. Four Horns and Four Craftsmen

Zechariah 1:18-21

Understanding Series

Pamela J. Scalise

... . The horns are metaphorical, symbols of power and pride. (Compare Daniel’s vision, in which a single horn represents each kingdom [Dan. 8].) In OT poetry, metaphorical horns are removed by defeat in battle by Yahweh and/or his armies (Ps. 75:10 ... figurative horns in pride. The term “scatter” includes the initial exile after conquest as well as the conditions that fostered movement and settlements by subsequent generations. Descendants of the original prisoners of war had spread throughout the ancient ...

14. Thanksgiving and Prayer

Philippians 1:1-11

Understanding Series

F. F. Bruce

... been influenced in some degree by Daniel’s description of the elect remnant of the end time as “the saints of the Most High” (Dan. 7:18, 22, 27). It is Daniel’s description that Paul probably has in mind when he says that “the saints will judge the ... was equally concerned that he and his converts should love in spirit and mind alike. It is love that fosters the growth of true knowledge and discernment or spiritual perception. “Knowledge,” divorced from love, “puffs up,” whereas “love ...

15. Eschatological Discourse: Prediction of the Temple’s Destruction

Matthew 24:1-35

Teach the Text

Jeannine K. Brown

... that causes desolation. The allusion here is to Daniel’s vision of the temple being desecrated by a foreign power (Dan. 9:27; 11:31; 12:11). Daniel 11:31 reads, “His armed forces will desecrate the temple fortress and will abolish ... zealots promising the defeat of Rome. For example, Josephus mentions “deceivers and imposters” who “under the pretense of divine inspiration foster[ed] revolutionary changes. . . . They persuaded the multitude to act like madmen, and led them out into the desert under ...

16. Message to Smyrna

Revelation 2:8-11

Teach the Text

J. Scott Duvall

... “tribulation”—thlipsis) that would come from the devil. They will suffer for “ten days,” probably symbolizing a limited time (see Dan. 1:12–15).7Although their imprisonment will be limited, the possibility that it could end in martyrdom is a very real ... , we should be careful that our explanation of the Jewish betrayal of Christians in the background of the passage does not foster an anti-Jewish attitude. Jesus and many of the early Christians were ethnic Jews, and hatred of Jews has caused great ...

17. Job's Third Reply to Bildad

Job 26:1--31:40

Understanding Series

Gerald H. Wilson

... of the Babylonian king, Nebuchadnezzar, who was driven out to live as an animal until he acknowledged the sovereignty of Yahweh (Dan. 4). Abandoned by God and Beset by Terrors 30:9–10 And now their sons mock me in song. The second appearance ... reared him” (NIV; NRSV), others read “he grew up (with) me” (NASB). The NJB goes even farther afield with “I, whom God has fostered.” (See Clines, Job 21–37, p. 1022, for a clear description of all the possibilities.) If we understand this line to be ...

18. Faith and Deeds

James 2:14-26, James 2:1-13

Understanding Series

Peter H. Davids

19. Who Owns the Cloud: Google or God?

Luke 21:25-36

Sermon

King Duncan

... now in the light of Christ’s final victory, even though that victory is yet to be won. Let me give you an example. Dan Bauman in his book, Dare to Believe, illustrates how we are to experience tomorrow’s joy today. He explains that at Christmas time as ... H. Willimon says he once read in the newspaper of a woman--he thinks she lived in Louisiana--who had raised about a dozen foster children despite her meager income as a domestic worker. Why did she do it? She replied, “I saw a new world a-comin.” (6 ...

20. The Healer

Matthew 4:23-25, Luke 4:14-30

Sermon

Lori Wagner

... ’t quite understand why. But they listened to what he had to say when he came home for a visit. After all, he had fostered a great reputation. Did it matter why? Now maybe those Jews from Jerusalem wouldn’t look down on them so much anymore. Maybe they ... of the north included the House of Joseph, Ephraim, and Samaria. The tribes were those of Zebulun, Issachar, Asher, Naphtali, Dan, Manasseh, Ephraim, Reuben, and Gad. The former capital of Samaria (Shechem/Tirzah) lay in “Galilee of the Gentiles.” The ...

21. When Everything That Matters Has Been Torn Away

Genesis 37:1-4, 12-28

Sermon

King Duncan & Angela Akers

... his PE teacher, Alan Watkinson, and told him about being kidnapped. Watkinson called social services, and they got Farah removed and placed with a Somali foster family. He says, “I still missed my real family, but from that moment everything got better . . . I felt like a lot of stuff was ... %20of%202.5%20people%20in%202022. 2. “The decline of the large U.S. family in charts” by Ephrat Livni, Dan Kopf Quartz.com October 11, 2017. https://qz.com/1099800/average-size-of-a-us-family-from-1850-to-the-present ...

22. The Gentle Art of Swedish Death Cleaning

Deuteronomy 34:1-12

Sermon

King Duncan & Angela Akers

... He could never doubt that God had been with him, guiding him with grace and mercy from the cradle to the grave. Psychologist Dan McAdams led a study at Northwestern University that analyzed how people over the age of 70 tell their life stories. McAdams found that ... what you can become.” Christy’s faith in God also motivates her to help others in need. She has served as a foster mother to numerous children. She works with fellow amputees, helping them to deal with the challenges of their new life. And she ...

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