Sermon and Worship Resources

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

Understanding Series

James M. Scott

... 12:8), referred to himself in the third person as the “Son of Man” (cf. Mark 2:10, 28; 8:31, 38, etc.). In any case, Paul’s evasiveness in 12:2–4 is not to be explained as shyness or humility; the apostle is being modestly decorous with his ... allude to Ps. 68:18. Cf. Douglas M. Parrott, “The Apocalypse of Paul (V, 2),” in The Nag Hammadi Library in English (3d ed.; San Francisco: Harper & Row, 1988), pp. 256–59 (here p. 259). This clear allusion to Ps. 68:18 provides evidence that Paul’s ...

2. Boasting

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

Understanding Series

James M. Scott

3. Troubled By A Talking Whirlwind

Job 38:1-7 · Matthew 21:1-11

Sermon

Wallace H. Kirby

... didn't buy their answers. He wanted to argue his own case before God. Job wanted God to open up his court and guarantee an honest trial. He wanted a showdown with God, for he believed that if his case ever reached the floor of the court room, he would be ... over to Bart's bed, looked down at his son, reached and tousled his hair. "Good night, Son," he whispered. "Good night, Dad," Bart responded. Ed turned, walked to the door, and started to shut it. Then he had to say it, he had to seize the glory, he had ...

4. Paul's Vision and His Thorn

2 Corinthians 12:1-10

Understanding Series

James M. Scott

5. Body / Ambassador

2 Corinthians 5:11--6:2

Understanding Series

James M. Scott

... , it is Paul’s responsibility to “win” both Jews and Gentiles with the message of the gospel (1 Cor. 9:19–22). In that case, Paul would be saying that his knowledge of the fear of the Lord causes him to preach the gospel and to try to persuade ... revelation in person of the covenant faithfulness of God (“On Becoming the Righteousness of God: 2 Corinthians 5:21,” in Hay, ed., Pauline Theology, pp. 200–208). 6:1 On receive grace in vain, see Judith M. Gundry Volf, Paul and Perseverance: Staying In ...

6. How Well Do You Listen?

Matthew 13:1-9, 18-23

Sermon

King Duncan

... monitor again, not paying him the slightest bit of attention. So he decided to have a little fun at her expense. He said, “In my case, it’s the fact that I’m an agent for the CIA. They get me good guests and I [broadcast on my show signal words ... service there in the Lone Star state. One day a man called the repair service and asked to speak to the manager, Ahmed. “Hello, Ed speaking. How can I help you?” said the guy who answered the phone. “Sorry,” said the said the man on the other end. “ ...

7. Ezekiel's Call

Ezekiel 1:1-28, Ezekiel 2:1-3:15, Ezekiel 3:16-27

Understanding Series

Steven Tuell

... R. R. Wilson, “Prophecy in Crisis: The Call of Ezekiel,” in Interpreting the Prophets [ed. J. L. Mays and P. J. Achtemeier; Philadelphia: Fortress, 1987], p. 163). For depictions ... case involved (Greenberg, Ezekiel 1–20, pp. 94–95). Once more, Ezekiel’s priestly background, and particularly his knowledge of priestly Torah, is evident. The effect of this form of presentation, as K. Darr observes, is “to address personally every member of the larger group” (“The Book of Ezekiel,” in NIB 6 [ed ...

8. Accusations

2 Corinthians 1:12--2:4, 2 Corinthians 2:5-11

Understanding Series

James M. Scott

... the Spirit for his messianic mission (cf. Luke 4:18, citing Isa. 61:1–2; cf. 4Q521 1.2.1–14; 1 Sam. 16:13). In that case, just as God “anointed” Christ with the Spirit at baptism as the messianic son of God (cf. Luke 4:18 with 3:22), so also he “anoints ... 147). On “the destroyer” in Jewish tradition, see S. A. Meier, “Destroyer,” Dictionary of Deities and Demons in the Bible (ed. Karel van der Toorn, et al.; Leiden: Brill, 1995), pp. 456–64. 2:7 On the verb overwhelmed (katapinein), see L ...

9. The Glory of the New Covenant

2 Corinthians 3:7-17; 4:1-6

Understanding Series

James M. Scott

... disobedience” (Eph. 2:2). Hence, the ruler of this age (apparently Satan) could also be called “the god of this age.” In that case, it is Satan who causes people to harden their hearts to the truth. We may compare the many statements about Belial (cf. 2 Cor ... 60 with n. 94; Halperin, The Faces of the Chariot, p. 212 with n. 22; Seyoon Kim, The Origin of Paul’s Gospel (2d ed.; WUNT 2/4; Tübingen: Mohr Siebeck, 1984), pp. 231–33. Cf. a passage from the Visions of Ezekiel referring to what Ezekiel saw ...

10. Proper 14

Genesis 37:12-36, 1 Kings 19:9-18, Jonah 2:1-10, Matthew 14:22-36, Romans 9:1-5; 10:5-15

Sermon Aid

Russell F. Anderson

... failure robbed him of freedom. When you're in the slammer, it's very difficult to break out by yourself. You need some outside help. In Elijah's case, that help came from the Lord who spoke to him in a voice of calm. God's presence made him realize that he was not alone: God was ... and the air supply was ample. His fear was fatal. This is the true story of some dear friends of ours. Ed, a childhood friend of my dad's, is married to a woman by the name of Marie. Marie is a sweet gal but a little on the nervous ...

11. Ruth and Boaz on the Threshing Floor

Ruth 3:1-18

Understanding Series

Michael S. Moore

... listen to him. So the man took his concubine and sent her outside to them. (Judg. 19:23–25) This is a classic case of good intentions substituting for leadership. First, the Gibeahite tries to address a lust-driven mob as “my friends” (lit. my brothers, akhay), ... merely appear to be like a man who ‘does hesed’” (“Yahweh, the Kind and Sensitive God,” in O’Brien and Peterson, eds., p. 82). Unlike the Levite’s father-in-law, Boaz convinces a council of his peers to let him take a foreign ...

12. Naomi and Ruth

Ruth 1:1-22

Understanding Series

Michael S. Moore

... of il? (“gods”) for “the deceased” in a number of ancient Near Eastern texts, then proposes that such is the case in 2 Sam. 14:16; see “The Ancestral Estate (nakhalat ‘elohim) in 2 Samuel 14:16,” JBL 110 (1991), pp ... Judg. 19 and Gen. 19 in “Staying the Night: Intertextuality in Genesis and Judges,” in Reading Between Texts: Intertextuality and the Hebrew Bible (ed. D. N. Fewell; Louisville, Ky.: Westminster John Knox, 1992), pp. 77–88. Your God my God: Mesha, king of Moab, refers to the ...

13. Signs and Oracles of Judgment

Ezekiel 4:1-5:17, Ezekiel 6:1-14, Ezekiel 7:1-27

Understanding Series

Steven Tuell

... listing a past or present monarch together with other court officials—in which case the use of the title “prince” would be confusing or impossible (as is the case here in v. 27; see also 17:12). Otherwise, “king” occurs in ... ashamed of them” (J. Lapsley, “Shame and Self-Knowledge: The Positive Role of Shame in Ezekiel’s View of the Moral Self,” in Odell and Strong, eds., Book of Ezekiel, p. 155). 7:1–27 The text of Ezek. 7 is difficult. In the LXX, vv. 6–9 come between vv. 2 and 3 ...

14. The Glory Departs

Ezekiel 8:1-18, Ezekiel 9:1-11, Ezekiel 10:1-22, Ezekiel 11:1-15, Ezekiel 11:16-25

Understanding Series

Steven Tuell

... prophetic adversary who died soon after Jeremiah rebuked him publicly (Jer. 28:1–17), influenced Ezekiel here. In any case, the vision of Pelatiah’s death profoundly affects Ezekiel. For the third time in this book—and indeed, for the ... D. synagogue of Dura Europas captures this vivid image. See the illustration in W. Lemke, “Ezekiel, The Book of,” in HBD (rev. ed.; ed. P. J. Achtemeier; San Francisco: HarperCollins, 1996), p. 321. The idol that provokes to jealousy. 2 Chronicles 33:7, 15 says that ...

15. Love

Romans 12:9-21

Understanding Series

James R. Edwards

... an assertion denies then there is nothing which it asserts either.” See John Hick, ed., Classical and Contemporary Readings in the Philosophy of Religion, 2d ed. (Englewood Cliffs, N.J.: Prentice-Hall, Inc., 1970), p. 466. 12:10–13 For the ... , or not. If he obtains grace he will in so doing repent of the wrong he did to you, and you will not desire to press your case to deny him the grace God wills to give him. If he does not obtain grace, the supreme Judge will justly punish him for the wrong. Either ...

16. Paul's Chains Advance the Gospel

Philippians 1:12-30

Understanding Series

F. F. Bruce

... that follow that his “ultimate destiny is intimately connected with his present dilemma” (R. W. Funk, in Farmer et al., eds., p. 262). He is sure that their spiritual welfare requires his survival in mortal body; he knows that he will ... de) may introduce the protasis* of a conditional sentence, and so it is taken by NIV, RSV, and probably the majority of versions. In that case the apodosis* may be “then I am not sure which I should choose” (so GNB) or this will mean fruitful labor for me (so NIV ...

17. Playing The Comparison Game

Matthew 20:1-16

Sermon

King Duncan

... the government by kidnapping prominent citizens and holding them for ransom. There were 1,800 reported kidnapping cases in Colombia in 1997. Ed Leonard was one of those 1,800. Ed's company, Terramundo Drilling of Ontario, Canada, had been drilling sites in Colombia when Ed was taken hostage by a group of armed rebels. For 105 days, Ed was held in various camps in the Andes Mountains. Then, on October 6, 1998, Ed Leonard came home. How did he gain his release? Someone had offered to take his place. That ...

18. Body

2 Corinthians 4:1-18

Understanding Series

James M. Scott

... and “the outer man” as Hellenistic substitutes for the Jewish expressions “the good inclination” and “the evil inclination,” respectively. In that case, the renewal of the inner man Paul refers to in 2 Cor. 4:16 is none other than the work of ... to W. D. Davies, Paul seems to connect the evil impulse to the flesh, whereas the rabbis do not (Jewish and Pauline Studies [4th ed.; Philadelphia: Fortress, 1984], p. 196). In light of 2 Cor. 4:7, where Paul refers to his body as a “jar of clay,” we ...

19. Signs, Sayings, and Oracles of Judgment

Ezekiel 12:1-28, Ezekiel 13:1-23, Ezekiel 14:1-11, Ezekiel 14:12-23

Understanding Series

Steven Tuell

... with the death of his wife, which he will be forbidden to mourn (24:24, 27; see the discussion of that passage in context in §10). In each case, the prophet not only performs a sign but also becomes a sign; in his own person, he embodies the tragedy of Jerusalem’s fall and the exile of ... times named Dan’el is Aqhat’s pious, wise father, who “judged the cases of widows, presided over orphans’ hearings” (M. Coogan, ed., Stories from Ancient Canaan (Philadelphia: Westminster John Knox, 1978), p. 35.

20. Proper 23

Job 23:1-9, 16-17, Mark 10:17-31, Hebrews 4:12-16

Sermon Aid

Russell F. Anderson

... -9, 16-17 Finding God (v. 3). Job felt that he had lost contact with God. If he could find God, he would lay his case before him to establish his innocence. In every generation, there are those who have lost sight of God; he is no longer real to them ... concept of audacious asking, the main component in his philosophy of social change. This was also a mainstay of Jesus' approach to ministry. Ed made a statement that I think underlaid the spiritual sickness evidenced by the rich man in today's Gospel: "A lot of ...

21. Let Me Tell You about the Birds and the Bees

Proverbs 5:15-23

Sermon

James Merritt

... it and note Lander's response: Dear Ann Landers: I am heartbroken. My sixteen-year old daughter has just been diagnosed with a very severe case of herpes. I am beside myself. "Melissa" has had plenty of sex education, and we have had many talks about safe sex and condoms. ... sexual revolution, school Sex Education, and the contraceptive pill-pushing of the ‘60s and ‘70s. I had my first sex-ed class in 1965, and my first class of oral contraceptives in 1970 (at age 16 from Planned Parenthood, and without ...

22. Body

2 Corinthians 5:1-10

Understanding Series

James M. Scott

... will speak to him mouth to mouth, by sight, and not in riddles; and he has seen the glory of the Lord.” In both cases it denotes a visible form of the phenomenon (cf. 2 Cor. 2:17; 3:18; 4:6). Elsewhere, Paul equates speaking this “mouth to mouth ... . On the textual problem in v. 3, see Bruce M. Metzger, A Textual Commentary on the Greek New Testament (2d ed.; Stuttgart: United Bible Societies, 1994), p. 511. 5:5 Paul maintains an imminent expectation of the consummation throughout his correspondence ( ...

23. Christ the Wisdom and Power of God

1 Corinthians 1:18--2:5

Understanding Series

Marion L. Soards

... case, the difference between Paul and Jeremiah is simply that Paul has used a plural rather than a singular. In the second case, the difference is the slight one between influence as social strength and might as raw physical power. In the third case ... , including his first stay in Corinth and his writing of 1 Corinthians, see M. L. Soards, “Paul,” in Mercer Dictionary of the Bible (ed. W. E. Mills; Macon, Ga.: Mercer University Press, 1990), pp. 657–62. 2:3 L. Hartman (“Some remarks on 1 Cor. 2:1– ...

24. Gift

2 Corinthians 8:16--9:5, 2 Corinthians 8:1-15, 2 Corinthians 9:6-15

Understanding Series

James M. Scott

... Corinthians to refer to his own physical and mental tribulations (cf. 1:8; 2:4; 4:17; 6:4; 7:4; 8:13). In the case of the Macedonians, the trials may have included financial reversal, for Paul says that they gave out of their extreme poverty. Indeed, elsewhere Paul ... ,” in The Book of Acts in Its First Century Setting, Vol. 2: The Book of Acts in Its Graeco-Roman Setting (ed. David W. J. Gill and Conrad Gempf; Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1994), pp. 397–417; Rainer Riesner, Die Frühzeit des Apostels Paulus ...

25. The Weak and the Strong

Romans 14:1--15:13

Understanding Series

James R. Edwards

... :4; Deut. 12:15–16); if it were unclean (Lev. 11:8; Deut. 14:8) or sacrificed to idols (1 Cor. 8:13), or, in the case of wine, if it were offered in libation to gods. See Dunn, Romans 9–16, pp. 826–27. Christ: The Point of Convergence The first 13 ... the only thing that matters! See Everyone Needs a Philosophy of Life. Albert Schweitzer’s Philosophy of Reverence for Life, ed. and arr. by M. O’Hara (Great Barrington, Mass.: Albert Schweitzer Friendship House, 1978). Ernst Käsemann offers a clear ...

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