Sermon and Worship Resources

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Genesis 4:1-26

One Volume

Gary M. Burge

... 15:11; 2 Sam. 6:8; Jon. 4:1; Luke 15:28.) He should be able, however, to overcome these feelings before they overcome him (“if you do what is right,” 4:7). Cain still retains the power of decision. Sin is now crouching, demonlike, at Cain’s door. A serpent in a garden and now sin at the door. What is Cain to do? The last portion of verse 8 may be read as a command (“you must master it”), an invitation (“you may master it”), or a promise (“you will master it”). Cain kills Abel in the field ...

2. Cain and Abel

Genesis 4:1-26

Understanding Series

John E. Hartley

... destructive power in society and brought death into the world. This chapter has four parts: the births of Cain and Abel (vv. 1–2a), Cain’s murder of Abel (vv. 2b–16), Cain’s genealogy (vv. 17–24), and the birth of Seth (vv. 25–26). Eve glories in ... but Tubal-Cain is credited with being the head of that profession (v. 22). While qayin means “lance” (NIV has “spearhead”) in 2 Sam. 21:16, it is not the primary Hb. term for “smith.” In Judg. 4:11 this term is a gentilic (an adjective formed ...

3. God Disciplines His Sons

Hebrews 12:1-13, Hebrews 12:14-29

Understanding Series

Donald A. Hagner

... of even greater significance than the mountain alluded to in the preceding verses. Mount Zion is synonymous with Jerusalem in the OT (e.g., 2 Sam. 5:6f.; 2 Kings 19:21; Ps. 2:6; 9:11). Here it is further described as the heavenly Jerusalem, that eschatological expectation referred ... The word righteous (dikaios) was used earlier in 10:38 (in the quotation of Hab. 2:4) and in 11:4, where Abel is described as “a righteous man.” The word is thus ideal to describe the exemplars of faith mentioned in chap. 11. ...

4. Warning Against Refusing God

Hebrews 12:14-29, Hebrews 12:1-13

Understanding Series

Donald A. Hagner

5. By Faith

Hebrews 11:1-40

Understanding Series

Donald A. Hagner

... :28). The God of creation is the God of the new creation and in the gospel he works a new miracle. The Faith of Abel, Enoch, and Noah Our author’s catalogue of heroes and heroines of faith begins with three examples drawn from the early chapters of Genesis ... concerning the future. The reference to stopping the mouths of lions could refer to Samson (Judg. 14:6), David (1 Sam. 17:34f.), or most conspicuously, Daniel (Dan. 6:22). Quenched the fury of the flames suggests Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego ( ...

6. “Cast Your Cares on the Lord and He Will Sustain You”

Psalm 55:1-23

Teach the Text

C. Hassell Bullock

... the betrayed. The other side remains untold, unless, of course, the friend is Ahithophel, and his story ends in suicide also (2 Sam. 17:23). On the one side of the story, betrayal causes indescribable mental anguish because it breaks a covenant of friendship ( ... of God. In it he metaphorically traces two cities of human history back to Cain and Abel. Cain’s city represents the secular city of humankind, characterized by evil, while Abel’s city is the eternal city of God, known by truth and peace. The two ...

7. Sheba Rebels against David

2 Samuel 20:1-26

One Volume

Gary M. Burge

... for David’s army by retreating to Abel Beth Maakah, a city north of the Sea of Galilee (20:14–22). After gathering additional troops, he takes refuge inside the walls of the city. When Joab reaches Abel Beth Maakah, he surrounds the city and ... 930 BC. Each of the major divisions of 1 and 2 Samuel ends with a list of the officials of Saul or David (1 Sam. 14:49–52; 2 Sam. 8:15–18) and each list is slightly longer than the previous list, indicating the gradual development in the size of the royal cabinet ...

8. Six Woes

Luke 11:37-54

Understanding Series

Craig A. Evans

... neglect justice and the love of God, the most basic things that God expects. (For similar expression in the prophetic tradition see 1 Sam. 15:22; Hos. 6:6.) Verses 43–44 offer a pair of contrasting sayings. In v. 43 the Pharisees are criticized for their ... , vv. 50–51 would fit v. 49 better; that is, obstinate Jews have always murdered God’s messengers, from the time of Abel down to the time of the Christian message about Jesus. It is probably better to understand the reference to Zechariah as the priest ...

9. Ruth and Boaz on the Threshing Floor

Ruth 3:1-18

Understanding Series

Michael S. Moore

... . 14:4–11) before leading him to make a decision in the real world (praxis, 14:12–24). The wise woman of Abel engages Joab with proverbial and metaphorical speech (parable, 2 Sam. 20:18–19) before taking action to resolve a military conflict (praxis, 20:22). Abigail deftly parallels words of wisdom (1 Sam. 25:24–31) with swift action (25:18–23) to stop a range war between David and her husband. Parallelistic patterns of parable + praxis also shape the counseling strategies of Esther, Judith, and ...

10. Repentance and Victory

1 Samuel 7:2-17

Teach the Text

Robert B. Chisholm Jr.

... expression “intercede for” is used only of Abraham (Gen. 20:7 AT; “pray for,” NIV) and Moses (Num. 21:7; Deut. 9:20). Here (1 Sam. 7:6) and in Numbers 21:7 the people confess their sins with the simple statement “We have sinned,” and the leader prays on behalf ... them in the most loathsome ways; he even killed his brother in a duel over a woman, similar to the Cain-and-Abel story. Arrested for the murder of his brother, Mendoza becomes filled with self-loathing and molders in a prison cell until ...

11. “In the Lord I Take Refuge”

Psalm 11:1-7

Teach the Text

C. Hassell Bullock

... Saul (see above), we are otherwise informed that David on occasion fled to the mountains as he sought refuge from his crazed rival (1 Sam. 23:25–28; 26:20). Two cultural pictures depict aspects of the world of the psalm. First is the virtual video of stringing and ... a subtle defiance against the Lord, who rises to protect his people “from those who malign them” (12:5). From the time of Abel, slain by his brother Cain (Gen. 4), the Lord has taken up the cause of the victim. He hears the groans and cries ...

12. Family Tree

Genesis 3:1-7

Sermon

Bill Mosley

... crack in history? Nicolas Chamfort wrote in the late 1700s: "Had anyone told Adam, on the day following the death of Abel, that some centuries later there would be places where, in an enclosure of twelve square miles, seven or eight hundred thousand ... and not only is he nefarious, he's insidious. Here's an example of choosing what looks good without taking responsibility for the choice: Sam liked to eat his lunch in a park near his church. He'd eat his sandwich and watch the birds and people. Over time, he ...

13. Sheba Rebels Against David

2 Samuel 20:1-26

Understanding Series

Mary J. Evans

... the tribes of Israel, only the Berites could be persuaded to follow him. He and this group were cornered in the town of Abel Beth Maacah, which was put under full siege with the intention not of starving Sheba out but of destroying the town. The ... Bicri, who is unknown outside of this chapter. Beker was a son of Benjamin (Gen. 46:21) and Becorath an ancestor of Saul (1 Sam. 9:1). There is no reference to Saul, but it it has been suggested that links with Saul are being deliberately if subtly emphasized. ...

14. Humans, Inc.

Luke 19:1-10

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

... abuse, gang violence, and vicious murders have been a part of human history since history has been recorded. Remember Cain and Abel? And yet we continue to describe those kinds of actions as "in-human." The truth is they're completely human, essentially ... body, and said, 'Brother, He has mighty nigh ruint me.' Mr. President, that's about what Senator McCarthy has done to the Senate." (Sam J. Ervin, Jr., Humor of a Country Lawyer (Chapel Hill: UNC Press, 1983]). One of the things that separates a human from a ...

15. “Create in Me a Pure Heart, O God, and Renew a Steadfast Spirit within Me”

Psalm 51:1-19

Teach the Text

C. Hassell Bullock

... Nathan’s rebuke of David after his adulterous relationship with Bathsheba as the event that has elicited this moving confession (2 Sam. 11–12). Adultery, prohibited by the seventh commandment (Exod. 20:14/Deut. 5:18; also 50:18b), was a moral ... not delight in sacrifice” (51:16) is an allusion to God’s rejection of Cain’s sacrifice, and “bloodshed” to Cain’s murder of Abel, his brother (Gen. 4);11so serious is his sin that the psalmist may be casting himself in the role of Cain. 51:15 Open ...

16. Job's Second Reply to Eliphaz

Job 16:1-17:16

Understanding Series

Gerald H. Wilson

... 29); a soldier breaking through defenses (Mic. 2:13); God’s wrath breaking out (e.g., against Uzzah when he touched the ark of the covenant, 2 Sam. 6:8); holes being created in city walls to destroy them (2 Kgs. 14:13; Isa. 5:5; 30:13; Pss. 89:40; 144:14; Prov. 25 ... out to God to avenge a violent death and to cleanse the earth. See, for example, the response of the earth to the spilling of Abel’s blood by his brother Cain in Genesis 4:10, as well as the reason behind the great flood in Genesis 6:10–13. ...

17. The Ten Commandments

Deuteronomy 5:1-33

Understanding Series

Christopher J. H. Wright

... . The book of Genesis illustrates awareness of the basic morality of the commandments as early as the story of Cain and Abel and even on the part of “pagans” such as Pharaoh (Gen. 12:10–20) and Abimelech (Gen. 20). The point is ... Anyone who curses his father or mother must be put to death” (Exod. 21:17; cf. Deut. 27:15). Both verbs can be used about God, 1 Sam. 2:30 being a good example of the contrast: “Those who honor me I will honor, but those who despise me will be disdained. “Likewise, in Lev ...

18. The Lord Commands Joshua

Joshua 1:1-18

Understanding Series

J. Gordon Harris

... as servants of the king (the word “servant” often refers to an official; see Gen. 14:14; Exod. 32:13; Lev. 25:55; 1 Sam. 3:9; Ezra 9:11). The most significant leaders would be called “servant of the LORD.” Joshua is called “servant of the Lord” only ... defeated the Midianites from the camp at Shittim. Shittim is probably the same as Abel-Shittim (Num. 33:49), even though there remains some confusion over the location of Abel-Shittim because the biblical name no longer remains in the area. What can ...

19. Under the Rainbow

Genesis 9:1-17

Sermon

David E. Leininger

... of the Abyssinian Baptist Church in Harlem, jumped in with an alternative: GOD GIVES HUMANS SECOND CHANCE! Right on, Sam. Speaking of Sam, he said that he learned the Noah story from his father, a Sunday School teacher. He said, "Sometimes we ... and Eve were expelled from the Garden - God gave them clothes, sent them on their way, and began again. • Then Cain killed his brother, Abel, and God, not killing Cain in fair retribution for what he had done, sent him on his way, and began again. • Then the world ...

20. Victory at Sea

Exodus 13:17--14:31

Sermon

Mark Trotter

... your life over again. You have washed away the past, and you are now a new person. I imagine that any of us, like Sam Houston, at age sixty would like to do that. At least to relive some parts of our lives, to be forgiven of those things ... that. It goes back to the story of Jacob and Esau. And it goes back farther than that. It goes back to the story of Cain and Abel, the children of the first parents, back to the beginning of time. But there is probably-one other story that is older even than the story ...

21. Bart and Homer, Father and Sons

1 Samuel 20:24-42

Sermon

John E. Harnish

... of loyalty and devotion mixed with hatred and family violence. It's a story of the all-too-frequent struggle between Adam and Abel, Saul and David, Homer and Bart, father and son. 1. FIRST, KING SAUL, THE FATHER Let's be honest. If Homer is the ... .'" (I Samuel 20:41-42) Several years ago, my brother wrote a book on male spirituality called Passion, Power and Praise. In it he quotes Sam Keen's classic book on men, Fire in the Belly, where Keen says one of our most basic problems is not "..our lust for power, ...

22. Mordecai Honored

Esther 6:1-14

Understanding Series

Timothy S. Laniak

... 14 Mordecai returned to his place at the gate when the parade was over, but Haman rushed home, with his head covered in grief (literally, “hurried to his house grieving and his head was covered,” v. 12; see also 2 Sam. 15:30; Jer 14:3). The last mention of “grief” (?abel) was in 4:3, describing the Jewish grief over Haman’s edict. Jews also were “covered”—with sackcloth and dust. Mordecai led them in this act of ritual humiliation, and Esther followed. The first hint of the story’s great ...

23. The Grain Offering

Leviticus 2:1-16

One Volume

Gary M. Burge

... in Genesis 4 the same term refers to the vegetable and animal “offering” or “tribute” of Cain and of Abel (cf. Judg. 3:15, 17–18). Numbers 15 specifies that burnt offerings and “sacrifices” (i.e., sacrifices from which ... as God’s agents. So the priests eat from the Lord’s food, just as special servants and friends of a monarch or governor eat at his table (1 Sam. 20:29; 2 Sam. 9:7, 13; 1 Kings 2:7; 18:19; Neh. 5:17; cf. 2 Kings 25:29–30; Dan. 1:5). Verses 11–13 give the following rules ...

24. The Glory of the New Covenant

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

Understanding Series

James M. Scott

... In Philo, for example, Moses is said to have spoken “with boldness, candor” before God about his rhetorical inability (On the Sacrifices of Cain and Abel 12; cf. 2 Cor. 2:16b; 10:10). Paul has already spoken of the “confidence” he has before God (v. 4), as he speaks face ... ). The Spirit of the Lord (pneuma kyriou) occurs frequently in the LXX (cf. Judg. 3:10; 6:34; 11:29; 13:25; 14:6, 19; 15:14; 1 Sam. 10:6; 16:13, 14; 1 Kgs. 18:12; 22:24; 2 Kgs. 2:16; 2 Chron. 18:23; 20:14; Isa. 11:2; 61:1; Ezek. 11: ...

25. The Ten Commandments - Part 4

Exodus 20:1-21

Sermon

Brett Blair

... . But during the whole sermon he is whispering to the people all about him about certain people in the church. “Look at that. There’s Sam Jones. He may be on the Board now, but I knew him when he was running around on his wife. Then he says: Oh, look. There ... did they do it? Because they coveted the knowledge of God and wanted to obtain his wisdom. Cain murdered his brother Abel. But why? Because he coveted God’s blessings upon him. And rather than deal with his own shortcomings and improving his ...

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