Sermon and Worship Resources

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Acts 13:13-52

Understanding Series

David J. Williams

... Pisidian highlands are mentioned by Strabo, who wrote of the Cestrus and Eurymedon rivers tumbling down the heights and precipices to the Pamphylian Sea, and the Romans ... familiar with the Aramaic version, though the sermon itself was probably delivered in Greek. Not only was David a type of the Messiah, he was the Messiah’s progenitor, as God had said he would ... not only invaded central and western Europe in the fourth and third centuries B.C., but also moved into and dominated Asia Minor. In the latter part ...

2. Stephen’s Speech to the Sanhedrin

Acts 7:1-53

Understanding Series

David J. Williams

... river Orontes, covering the upper and middle Euphrates and the lands watered by the rivers Habur and Tigris, that is, modern eastern Syria and northern Iraq. It included Haran. But Greek and Roman writers from the fourth century B.C ... this language echoes Psalm 132:4f. This was not to be, but the prophet who brought him this message brought him also another: God would establish David’s “house,” that is, he would give him descendants, and his son would build God a house (2 Sam. 7:11–13, RSV). It would ...

3. A Clock or a Compass?

Mark 1:9-15

Sermon

David T. Ball

... Sunday of Lent, as we begin our Lenten journey together. It’s the familiar story of Jesus’ baptism, by John the Baptist in the Jordan River, with the Spirit descending like a dove upon him, and God’s voice, saying, “You are my Son, the Beloved; with you I am well ... in our watches for compasses, and tune in to the new direction in which Jesus calls us to move. 1.David B. Batstone, “Jesus, Apocalyptic, and World Transformation,” Theology Today 49 (1992), p. 390. 2.Ibid., 395. 3.Ibid., 395. 4.Ibid ...

4. The Church: The Health of a Godly Family

Hebrews 10:22-25

Sermon

James Merritt

... average family income was $37,021 in 1993;among the churchless the average income was just $24,361.8 Dr. David B. Larson, the Director of the National Institute for Health Care Research, in Bethesda, Maryland, has also pointed out the social ... has to live in the dark!" The church is not a box that holds religious blessings; it is a reservoir out of which flows rivers of religious blessings. Did you know that on average local congregations spend nearly half their funds and time on services to human need? For ...

5. “Endow the King with Your Justice, O God”

Psalm 72:1-20

Teach the Text

C. Hassell Bullock

Big Idea: Prayer for the blessing of the nations is also a prayer for the poor and needy of the world. Understanding the Text Psalm 72 is generally classified as a royal psalm. This means its focus is on the king and his kingdom. Some commentators view it as a coronation psalm, which is a little difficult to see because it does not have the same references to the establishment of the kingship as does Psalm 2:7. However, it could have been used in some capacity when Israelite kings were crowned. It is one ...

6. Prologue to the Law of the Temple: The Lord Comes Home

Ezekiel 40:1--43:12

Understanding Series

Steven Tuell

... the Zadokites. To understand these designations, we need to look back to the founding of the Jerusalem shrine by David (ca. 970 B.C.). When David united the northern and southern tribes and clans into a single kingdom with its political and religious center ... I saw was like the vision I had seen when he came to destroy the city and like the visions I had seen by the Kebar River (v. 3). Just as in 10:19 the Glory departed from the Jerusalem temple by the eastern gate, so now The glory of the LORD entered ...

7. Fighting Wars and Keeping a Promise: David Establishes an Ideal of Kingship

2 Sam 8:1–10:19

Teach the Text

Robert B. Chisholm Jr.

Big Idea: The Lord blesses his chosen servants when they rely on his protection and seek to reflect his character in their dealings with others. Understanding the Text The narrator’s positive portrayal of King David continues in these chapters. Once David became king over all Israel, he conquered the Jebusite stronghold of Jerusalem and then turned the tables on the Philistines. He brought the ark to Jerusalem and intended to build a house (temple) for it. But then the Lord surprised David by announcing ...

8. Sons of God

Galatians 3:26--4:7

Sermon

King Duncan

On Mother’s day we listed nine things a mother will never say. Today on this Father’s Day we list “Ten Things Dad Will Never Say.” See how your Dad would do: 10. Well, how about that! I’m lost. Looks like we’ll have to stop and ask for directions. 9. You know, pumpkin. Now that you’re thirteen, you’ll be ready for unchaperoned car dates. Won’t that be fun? 8. I noticed that all your friends have a certain negative attitude. I like that! 7. Here’s a credit card and the keys to my new car. Go crazy! 6. What ...

9. “God Is Our Refuge and Strength, an Ever-Present Help in Trouble”

Psalm 46:1-11

Teach the Text

C. Hassell Bullock

Big Idea: Human effort is necessary to build God’s kingdom, but the final word is that we should “be still” and recognize that God is the real Builder. Understanding the Text Psalm 46 is a type of poem that challenges form criticism’s assumptions. Gunkel has identified it as a subtype of the hymn, which he labels “Zion Songs.”1 Goldingay helpfully lays out the features of this psalm that overlap with other types and concludes that the psalm of trust is the best choice of categories.2 Indeed, the spirit of ...

10. “Your Love, Lord, Reaches to the Heavens, Your Faithfulness to the Skies”

Psalm 36:1-12

Teach the Text

C. Hassell Bullock

... treated as an introduction to a prophetic message, as it is in the last words of David (“oracle of David, son of Jesse,” 2 Sam. 23:1) and the oracle of Balaam (“the oracle of Balaam ... forming an inclusio:[4] A The behavior of the wicked (36:1–4) B The Lord’s love (36:5–9) B? Prayer for love (36:10) A? Prayer for protection from the wicked (36 ... 63:5). Perhaps the idea of drinking from God’s river is an allusion to Genesis 2:10: “A river watering the garden flowed from Eden.” The word translated ...

11. Egypt

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

Understanding Series

Steven Tuell

... vv. 9b–12, for a further interpretation of the fish stuck to the scales of the river monster). This unit seems to conclude with the recognition formula: Then all who live in Egypt ... “make a horn grow” occurs, the horn refers to a king in David’s line: “Here I will make a horn grow for David and set up a lamp for my anointed one” (Ps. 132:17 ... a humiliating three year co-regency. This awkward period of two Pharaohs ended in 570 B.C., when Amasis handed Hophra over to the mob to be strangled. 31:1– ...

12. “Human Help Is Worthless”

Psalm 60:1-12

Teach the Text

C. Hassell Bullock

... a. Oracle of salvation, echoing God’s promise of Canaan (60:6–8) b. Closing complaint (60:9–10) 3. Final prayer for God’s help ( ... is on the east).11The “Valley of Sukkoth” was located in Transjordan, north of the Jabbok River (Josh. 13:27). 60:7 Gilead is mine, and Manasseh is mine . . . Judah is my scepter ... was Europe’s recent rejection of the slave trade.21The people of Israel at the time of David felt much like the Confederates, in that a lack of support led to their military defeat. But ...

13. “May Your Unfailing Love Be with Us, Lord”

Psalm 33:1-22

Teach the Text

C. Hassell Bullock

Big Idea: The story of humanity, from creation to redemption, is tied together with the golden thread of God’s unfailing love. Understanding the Text Psalm 33 is atypical of the psalms in Book 1 in that it has no title, sharing this feature only with Psalm 10 (assuming, of course, that Psalms 1 and 2 are introductory). It is a good example of the hymn, which represents the “purest form” of praise to God, expressing who he is and what he does.[1] The absence of a title has led to the speculation that this ...

14. Tyre, Sidon—and Israel

Ezekiel 26:1-21, Ezekiel 27:1-36, Ezekiel 28:1-19, Ezekiel 28:20-26

Understanding Series

Steven Tuell

... date from the time of David, and Tyre founded the great north African city of Carthage in 814 B.C. However, in the Persian period, Carthage and Sidon eclipsed Tyre as a seaport. Well before its fall to Alexander in 332 B.C., Tyre had already ... v. 13), “till wickedness was found in you” (v. 15). The list of precious stones in verse 13 brings to mind the wealth associated with the rivers of Eden in Genesis 2:10–14. There is also a parallel here with the account of the fall in Genesis 3, where God expels ...

15. Easter: Seeing Is Believing

John 20:1-18

Sermon

Billy D. Strayhorn

I read a great story about a six-year-old boy named David who was taking a walk one day with his grandmother. They decided to detour through the local graveyard. They stopped to read some of the tombstones and Grandma explained that the first date on the tombstones was the day the person was born and the second date was the day the person died. "Why do some tombstones only have one date?" little David asked. "Because those people haven't died yet," his grandmother explained. David was obviously stunned by ...

16. David Flees to Gath—Again

1 Samuel 27:1-12

Teach the Text

Robert B. Chisholm Jr.

... may be viewed as follows: A B C D E F // D?E?F? A?B?C?. The thematic cluster A B C / A?B?C?forms bookends for the section. Interpretive Insights 27:1 I will be destroyed by the hand of Saul. Just before this, David has assured Abishai that the ... raided the Geshurites, the Girzites and the Amalekites. Three people groups are listed as David’s victims. The Geshurites (not to be confused with a people by the same name who live east of the Jordan River; 2 Sam. 3:3; 13:37–38) are included in a list of ...

17. David the Conqueror

2 Sam 5:6-25

Teach the Text

Robert B. Chisholm Jr.

Big Idea: The Lord accomplishes his purposes through those who promote his kingdom agenda and act in accordance with his reliable promises. Understanding the Text Israel has been humiliated by the Philistines and torn by civil strife, but finally the tribes have united and made David king in accordance with God’s purposes. David immediately takes the ancient site of Jerusalem as a prelude to establishing a central sanctuary there. He also seeks the Lord’s guidance and experiences his supernatural ...

18. Defeat in Battle with Edom

Psalm 60:1-12

Understanding Series

Craig C. Broyles

... i.e., “Arameans . . . from beyond the River” in Mesopotamia; cf. the psalm heading and 2 Sam. 10:16–19) and Aram Zobah (cf. the heading and 2 Sam. 8:3–6, 12; 10:6–15). But 2 Samuel records only David’s victories over these peoples, and Psalm ... struck down all the men in Edom.” This superscription thus informs us of battles not recorded in 2 Samuel. (See further B. S. Childs, “Psalm Titles and Midrashic Exegesis,” JSS 16 [1971], pp. 146–47; Broyles, Conflict of Faith and Experience, pp. 144 ...

19. The Prophet’s Prayer and God’s Exaltation

Habakkuk 3:1-19

One Volume

Gary M. Burge

3:1–2 · The prophet’s prayer:Habakkuk’s prayer in this chapter is actually a prayer psalm. The Hebrew word for prayer used here designates five psalms (Psalms 17; 86; 90; 102; 142) and is also used of the collected psalms of David (Ps. 72:20). Habakkuk’s prayer psalm is genuinely personal and yet designed for the sacred liturgy, as further indicated by the final footnote at the end of the chapter and the recurring use of the musical term selah, probably designating a musical interlude. The phrase “On ...

20. “You Will Fill Me with Joy in Your Presence”

Psalm 16:1-11

Teach the Text

C. Hassell Bullock

Big Idea: The unity of our life in God involves both the journey and the destination. Understanding the Text In literary form, Psalm 16 is an individual psalm of trust.1 Nowhere in the psalm does God speak, nor do we hear other voices in the psalm—no enemies, no oppressed cries, no accusers. The psalmist is alone with God, and the intimacy of his relationship permeates the poem. Psalm 16 represents a plateau in progression from the dismissive fool of Psalm 14, who says there is no God, to the searching ...

21. Jehoahaz King of Judah

2 Kings 23:31-35

Understanding Series

Iain W. Provan

... :20; Dan. 1:1–2). He subdues Egypt and comes into possession of the whole Solomonic empire, from the Wadi of Egypt to the Euphrates River (cf. 1 Kgs. 4:21, 24; 8:65). Jehoiakim first becomes his vassal (24:1), but inevitably—for the story must end with disaster—he rebels ... and Offspring of David (Rev. 22:16), was bound to be influenced—as the thinking of the Jewish rabbis about the Messiah in the early centuries A.D. was clearly influenced (cf., for example, b. Sanh. 94; 98b; 99a; b. Ber. 28b)—by ...

22. Jehoiakim King of Judah

2 Kings 23:36--24:7

Understanding Series

Iain W. Provan

23. Jehoiachin King of Judah

2 Kings 24:8-17

Understanding Series

Iain W. Provan

24. Zedekiah King of Judah

2 Kings 24:18-20a

Understanding Series

Iain W. Provan