Sermon and Worship Resources

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Daniel 10:1--11:1

Understanding Series

William Nelson

... of the saints” (Rev. 19:8). The word “linen” in Ezekiel 9:2, 3, and 11 is translated in the LXX by the word podērēs, which is “a robe extending to the feet.” The same word is used for the garment that Jesus wore when he appeared to John (Rev. 1:13). The angel in Daniel’s vision also wears a belt of the finest gold around his waist (10:5; see the Additional Note on 10:5). Similarly, in Revelation, Jesus has “a golden sash around his chest” (Rev. 1:13). There are several parallels between ...

2. Sermons

Sermon

John R. Bodo

... finality of death. "Lord," Thomas burst forth at the Last Supper, "we do not know where you are going: how can we know the way?" (John 14:5). But what Thomas really meant to say was: "Lord, I know where you are going. You are going to your death, and I ... gods nor worship the golden image which you have set up!" "But if not...." These three little words more than justify keeping the story of Daniel and his friends in the Bible! We do not know what God is or is not able to do. You may consider him all-powerful, ...

3. In The Lion's Den

Daniel 6:1-28

Sermon

Bill Bouknight

... King Darius planed to promote him to the COO position for the whole kingdom. As you might expect, that aroused some jealousy from the native-born Medes and Persians. By this time Daniel was in his 80’s but was still at the top of his game. The actor John Barrymore said, "A man is not old until regrets take the place of dreams." By that definition, Daniel was not old. Recently someone e-mailed me a list of hymns for people over 65: --"Precious Lord, take my hand (and help me get up)." --"It is Well with My ...

4. Praise God! Selah!

Luke 1:67-80, Luke 1:57-66, Luke 1:46-56, Luke 1:39-45, Luke 1:26-38, Luke 1:5-25, Luke 1:1-4

Sermon

Lori Wagner

... , we KNOW that anything unusual, out of sorts, or even bad may just be something God can and will bring glory to! “Daniel Tiger” is a PBS spin-off from the prior Mr. Roger’s Neighborhood. On the show, the characters say this phrase over and ... to him, “Do not be afraid, Zechariah, for your prayer has been heard. Your wife Elizabeth will bear you a son, and you will name him John. You will have joy and gladness, and many will rejoice at his birth, for he will be great in the sight of the Lord. He must ...

5. The End Times

Daniel 12:1-13

Understanding Series

William Nelson

... day would not even see the scroll, for it would be hidden away. It speaks to those living in the time just before the coming of the kingdom of God, which the biblical writer thought would be in his century. In contrast to Daniel, in the NT apocalypse John is told: “Do not seal up the words of the prophecy of this book, because the time is near” (Rev. 22:10; see also Rev. 5:1, 4–5; 10:4). The fact that the book circulated in the time before Jesus supports the argument that its author was not ...

6. Walking Into The Heart Of God

1 John 2:28--3:10

Sermon

King Duncan

... not an attribute of humanity, but of God. Our nature is to strive for survival. God's nature is self-giving love. The closer we are to God, the better able we are to love others. John writes, "And by this we know that he abides in us, by the Spirit that he has given us." That Spirit is love. It's like a man named Daniel ” a big man. He used to be a weight-lifter. His scrapbook is full of colorful ribbons and photos of him in his prime, showing him in the muscle man pose and flexing his bulging ...

7. The King Who Exalts Himself

Daniel 11:36-45

Understanding Series

William Nelson

... here so that the biblical writer is no longer describing the life of the oppressor of the second century B.C. but is depicting the Antichrist at the end of time. However, the notion of the Antichrist is anachronistic, since its source is the NT in the Roman era (1 John 2:18, 22; 4:3; 2 John 7). While the author of Daniel would not have thought in those terms, Christian commentators sometimes do. This interpretation goes back at least as far as the third century A.D. to Hippolytus, who saw the Antichrist in ...

8. One Like a Son of Man

Revelation 1:9-20

Understanding Series

Robert W. Wall

... prophecy to see and hear the revelation from God. 1:10b–11 The commission itself is repeated here and again in 1:19, thus bracketing off and explaining the importance of John’s vision of the Danielic “son of man,” sandwiched in between (1:12–18). Scholars disagree over the identity of the one who first commissions John. While John recognizes the “son of man” who commissions him to write Revelation in 1:19 as the exalted Christ, he first hears a loud voice like a trumpet which, according to 4 ...

9. Daniel’s Training in Babylon

Daniel 1:1-21

Understanding Series

William Nelson

... wisdom but God’s secret, hidden wisdom, so that we have the very mind of Christ (1 Cor. 2:7–16). Finally, we should ask ourselves what it means to avoid the defilements of this world. For Daniel and his companions that means abstaining from certain foods. The NT, however, discourages being overly concerned about diet (Acts 11:5–9; Rom. 14:17; Col. 2:20–23). John warns us not to love the world, which is characterized by “the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life” (1 ...

10. The Revelation of Jesus Christ

Revelation 1:1-3

Teach the Text

J. Scott Duvall

... it. 2. The prophetic vision has begun to be fulfilled but awaits final fulfillment. Therefore, we live in the last days with a sense of eschatological expectation. The perspective of this commentary is that the last days foreseen by Daniel began to be fulfilled with the coming of Jesus Christ. Like John and the Christians in Asia Minor, we too live in the last days (cf. Rev. 12:6, 10–17). We are fighting the same battles and receiving the same comfort as the first-century believers in Asia Minor. Paul ...

11. Daniel Interprets the Dream

Daniel 2:24-49

Understanding Series

William Nelson

... :8–12) and want to sacrifice to them (Acts 14:13). However, Paul corrects them and refuses the sacrifice (Acts 14:18). The NT is also opposed to the adoration of angels. When John tries to bow down before God’s messenger, he is rebuked and instructed to worship God instead (Rev. 22:8–9). It is interesting to note, however, that Daniel is not prevented from bowing before heavenly beings (Dan. 8:17; 10:9). In the OT it is appropriate to prostrate oneself before divine emissaries (Josh. 5:14; Judg. 13:20 ...

12. Nebuchadnezzer’s Dream of a Tree

Daniel 4:1-18

Understanding Series

William Nelson

... him to the highest place and gave him the name that is above every name” (Phil. 2:8–9). When Jesus returns, he will fulfill the vision of Daniel 7 by coming in the clouds as the Son of Man and conquering king (Matt. 24:30; Rev. 1:7). Additional Notes 4:1–3 These verses (or ... times in the Bible: e.g., Exod. 7:3; Deut. 4:34; 6:22; Neh. 9:10; Ps. 135:9; Jer. 32:20; Dan. 6:27; Mark 13:22; John 4:48; Acts 4:30; 5:12; Rom. 15:19; 2 Cor. 12:12; Heb. 2:4. In most cases in the OT they refer to the exodus. ...

13. The Seventy “Sevens”

Daniel 9:20-27

Understanding Series

William Nelson

... , I have now come to give you insight and understanding” (9:22). The pattern in chapters 7–12 is for a heavenly mediator to explain Daniel’s visions to him (7:15–16, 23; 8:15–19; 10:4–20). In the NT, Gabriel appears to Zechariah to announce the birth of John the Baptist (Luke 1:11–20) and to Mary to announce the birth of Jesus (Luke 1:26–38). Although God mainly speaks to the church through Scripture (see the commentary on 9:2), he occasionally communicates through subjective means such ...

14. Jesus Is Coming

Revelation 22:7-21

Understanding Series

Robert W. Wall

... words as promoting the kind of religious determinism that makes conversion or repentance impossible for some people (Beasley-Murray, Revelation, p. 337). In our view, this phrase refers to the inviolate nature of John’s prophecy such that any response to it, whether obdurate or obedient, does not change its message. In light of Daniel’s concluding exhortation (12:9–13), the wise thing to do is to continue on one’s way, assured that all prophecy will be fulfilled because God is both the giver and the ...

15. Daniel’s Prayer

Daniel 9:1-19

Understanding Series

William Nelson

... his love for us by saving us through the death of Christ (Rom. 5:8–9); then he calls us to respond in love and obedience: “If you love me, you will obey what I command” (John 14:15; see also 13:34–35; 14:21, 23; 15:10, 12–14, 17). Unfortunately, God’s covenant people did not obey his commands, so Daniel’s prayer then moves into a confession of sin whose pattern is comparable to one followed by Nehemiah (Neh. 1:6–7). The stacking up of five verbs for sin accentuates the transgression of the ...

16. The Image of Gold and the Fiery Furnace

Daniel 3:1-30

Understanding Series

William Nelson

... of the world attract us and draw us away from the Father. When we follow them we are engaging in a type of idolatry. First John tells us, “Do not love the world or anything in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in ... a parallel line, although the term also occurs with “God” (Pss. 57:2; 78:56) and with “Yahweh” (Pss. 7:17; 47:2). Elsewhere in Daniel, the Aramaic cognate is found with “God” (Dan. 4:2 [3:32 MT]; 5:18) and without “God” (Dan. 4:17, 24, 25, 32, 34 [ ...

17. Better To Be a Loner than a Loser

Daniel 1:1-21

Sermon

James Merritt

... able to see is this: There is a connection between the values that we teach, and the people that we produce. John Fedr is one of my favorite columnists who, although is Jewish, is often an outspoken critic of anti-Christian bigotry. He ... king's wine represented the pleasures of this world. He wanted these young men to adopt a "eat, drink, and be merry" playboy kind of lifestyle. Daniel was being tempted to do three things: to learn the world's wisdom, to live the world's way, and to love the world's wealth ...

18. Turn Out the Lights! The Party's Over!

Daniel 5:1-31

Sermon

Bill Bouknight

... chases my blues away." It chases the blues just for a few hours; then they return with double fury. Do you remember John Belushi of Saturday Night Live? He was the original party animal. But the alcohol and drugs became progressively less effective at chasing ... trailers. That brings us to Act IV which I call "A Sudden Condemnation." In verse 29 we read, "Then at Belshazzar’s command, Daniel was clothed in purple, a gold chain was placed around his neck, and he was proclaimed the third highest ruler in the ...

19. God’s Great Final Day

Daniel 7:1-14

Sermon

John R. Brokhoff

... throne, you who have followed me will also sit on twelve thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel.” It also agrees with John’s vision of heaven in Revelation 20:4: “Then I saw thrones, and seated on them were those to whom judgment was committed ... total trust in the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world, even though they had ample opportunity to do so, because Daniel saw books that were opened. We shall not be judged in God’s great final day by our deeds, but by our faith in Christ ...

20. The Image of Gold and the Fiery Furnace

Daniel 3:1-30

Teach the Text

Ronald W. Pierce

... exile in view by setting Babylon’s first king opposite its last, recalling the parameters of the prologue (1:1, 21). Taken alone, Daniel 3 reflects a concentric structure with three pairs and a center section.1 A Nebuchadnezzar’s first decree to worship the image (3: ... as a window to reveal more clearly the power and majesty of God and his kingdom in our present lives. In John 9, the healing of the man born blind emphatically depicts miracles as pointing beyond themselves to our faith in God. The ...

21. The Angel and the Little Scroll

Revelation 10:1-11

Understanding Series

Robert W. Wall

... now prepared to take an oath and so raises his right hand to heaven, swearing by God’s name that “There will be no more delay!” Many have noted that behind this oath lies the OT text, Daniel 12:5–7, according to which John interprets this particular vision. In that Danielic text, written to address a similar situation (so Caird, Revelation, p. 127), two men first exchange a question, “How long will it be before these astonishing things are fulfilled?” (Dan. 12:6), and then its oath-like answer ...

22. John’s Introductory Vision The Risen and Glorified Christ

Revelation 1:9-20

Teach the Text

J. Scott Duvall

... the two witnesses are referred to as “the two lampstands”). This identification confirms the church’s role in reflecting God’s presence (i.e., God’s Spirit; cf. Zech. 4:6) in a hostile world. John also sees Jesus and portrays him as “someone like a son of man” (v. 13), using imagery from Daniel 7 and 10 to link him to the “Ancient of Days” (God).3Several of the descriptions of Jesus also appear in the letters to the seven churches (see “Additional Insights” at the end of this section ...

23. One Like a Son of Man

Revelation 1:9-20

One Volume

Gary M. Burge

... furnishings in the earthly tabernacle (Exod. 25:31–40), Solomon’s temple (1 Chron. 28:15), and Herod’s (Josephus, Jewish Antiquities 3.199). However, these earthly versions were pale imitations of the seven glorious lampstands seen by John (Heb. 8:5). Even though the divine origin of “one like the son of man” is ambiguous in the Aramaic text of Daniel 7:9–14, it is clear in Revelation that this Son of Man is part of the Godhead, since he shares divine features ascribed to the Lord Almighty. In ...

24. The Dream is Fulfilled

Daniel 4:28-37

Understanding Series

William Nelson

... after the triumphal entry when Jesus prays that the Father will glorify his name. God responds, “I have glorified it, and will glorify it again” (John 12:28). A voice also instructs Peter to eat things formerly considered unclean: “Do not call anything impure that God has made clean” (Acts 11:9). There are a number of examples in Revelation as well (e.g., Rev. 10:4, 8; 11:12; 14:13). For extrabiblical occurrences, see Collins, Daniel, pp. 230–31; O. Betz, “phōnē,” TDNT 9:288–90, 298–99.

25. John Called to Prophesy Again

Revelation 10:1-11

Teach the Text

J. Scott Duvall

... hears and understands the message of the seven thunders, but a heavenly voice tells him to seal what they say (i.e., keep it secret) and not write it down (cf. a similar command to Daniel in Dan. 8:26; 12:4, 9, and the contrasting commands to John in Rev. 1:19; 22:10). We can only speculate about why John was told to seal up the thunderous message. The most convincing explanation seems related to the sealing of the angel’s message in 10:6: “There will be no more delay!” As a result, another series ...

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