Showing 1 to 25 of 155 results
1. Christ, Our King
John 18:33-37
Sermon
Thomas C. Willadsen
Today is the last day of the church year. The church year starts four Sundays before Christmas, so next week when I wish you all a happy new year, I hope to get a better response than blank stares. The last Sunday of the church is called both “Christ the King” Sunday, and “Reign of Christ” Sunday. This festival goes all the way back to 1925, when Pope Pius XI added it to the calendar. It was set as the last Sunday of the church year in 1970. When I learned this I was a little surprised. I love looking into ...
2. Christ, Our King
John 18:33-37
Sermon
Thomas C. Willadsen
Today is the last day of the church year. The church year starts four Sundays before Christmas, so next week when I wish you all a happy new year, I hope to get a better response than blank stares. The last Sunday of the church is called both “Christ the King” Sunday, and “Reign of Christ” Sunday. This festival goes all the way back to 1925, when Pope Pius XI added it to the calendar. It was set as the last Sunday of the church year in 1970. When I learned this I was a little surprised. I love looking into ...
Sermon
Leonard Sweet
... would you have said to her? What did she need to hear the most? Isn't it this: Christ is ALL and IN ALL. Like the author of Ecclesiastes, you can travel many paths in search of pleasure, fulfillment, and meaning only to conclude that 'all is vanity' (Ecc, 1:2). But ... later they watched as the prairie fire swept past them. Will y'all choose this morning to stand firm upon that place where Jesus became our All in All, the place of the cross? Will y'all choose this morning to stand where the fire has already ...
Understanding Series
Cheryl A. Brown
... named; rather, the tribe of Judah, named by divine speech, took precedence over the others. Judah’s primacy accords with the Deuteronomic author’s agenda, foreshadowing Judah’s primacy at the time of the united monarchy. The book of Judges begins and ends with a ... of other northern tribes’ activities, each having essentially the same message: “x tribe did not drive out y”; instead “x tribe subjected y to forced labor.” The tribes mentioned are Zebulun (v. 30), Asher (v. 31), and Naphtali (v. ...
5. Elihu
Job 32:1--37:24
Understanding Series
Gerald H. Wilson
... if you were righteous? What would he gain if your ways were blameless?” The verb normally used in Job to mean “receive profit” is yʿl, and the verb skn is never found on Job’s lips, so this is not a direct quote. The closest Job comes to these ... to attend. The parallel rumbling in the next line confirms that it is the distinctive growl of thunder (NASB; NRSV) the author has in mind. He unleashes his lightning. The storm arrives with a vengeance, with lightning flashing beneath the whole heaven and ...
6. Trials and Temptations
James 1:1-18, James 1:19-27
Understanding Series
Peter H. Davids
... particular, some identical phrases are used. The saying appears to have been widely and loosely used within the early church, which means that each author felt free to adapt it to make his own point. The basis of the structure is probably some statement of Jesus similar to that ... of desire as the tempter draws upon a major Jewish tradition concerning the evil impulse in humanity (the evil yêṣer The yêṣer is simply undifferentiated desire, striving for whatever it sees. It is not the self or ego of the ...
7. Listening and Doing
James 1:19-27, James 1:1-18
Understanding Series
Peter H. Davids
... particular, some identical phrases are used. The saying appears to have been widely and loosely used within the early church, which means that each author felt free to adapt it to make his own point. The basis of the structure is probably some statement of Jesus similar to that ... of desire as the tempter draws upon a major Jewish tradition concerning the evil impulse in humanity (the evil yêṣer The yêṣer is simply undifferentiated desire, striving for whatever it sees. It is not the self or ego of the ...
Sermon
Lori Wagner
Do you employ a “market mentality” or a “relational mentality”? What does this mean? Put simply, a market mentality sees things in terms of transactions and commodities, resources, and dispensability. A relational mentality however sees things in terms of developing partnerships, relationships, long-term collaborations that benefit both parties and share a vision. The former can easily fluctuate. The latter, however, requires time and effort to develop and cultivates trust, loyalty, and commitment over ...
9. Keeper of the Keys
Matthew 16:13-20
Sermon
Lori Wagner
“And the key of the house of David will I lay upon his shoulder, so he shall open, and none shall shut; and he shall shut, and none shall open.” Isaiah 22:22 Remember those old, beautiful “master keys” that used to unlock every door in the house? The old doors had a large, fish shaped opening filled with secret crevices, and the master key was a large, ornate device with unique edges that would somehow activate each one. I’m including an image of one here: Because it could open any door, the master key was ...
10. Boasting
2 Corinthians 11:1-15, 2 Corinthians 11:16-33, 2 Corinthians 12:1-10
Understanding Series
James M. Scott
... condemnation” that leads to “death” (3:6–7). Hence, we see again that the main purpose of the opponents is to usurp Paul’s authority in Corinth, just as the angel of light tried to make himself like God and even to usurp his throne of glory (cf. Isa. ... was caught up to the third heaven. Although Jewish and Christian apocalypses often presuppose a cosmology of seven heavens (cf. A. Y. Collins), some texts do speak of three heavens, the third of which is the highest, the dwelling place of God himself ...
11. Boasting
2 Corinthians 11:16-33, 2 Corinthians 1:1-11, 2 Corinthians 12:1-10
Understanding Series
James M. Scott
... condemnation” that leads to “death” (3:6–7). Hence, we see again that the main purpose of the opponents is to usurp Paul’s authority in Corinth, just as the angel of light tried to make himself like God and even to usurp his throne of glory (cf. Isa. ... was caught up to the third heaven. Although Jewish and Christian apocalypses often presuppose a cosmology of seven heavens (cf. A. Y. Collins), some texts do speak of three heavens, the third of which is the highest, the dwelling place of God himself ...
Understanding Series
Iain W. Provan
... Kings 22:52 and 2 Kings 3:3, it would have been easy to forget that this kind of idolatry represents for the authors only a particularly bad form of the general idolatry practiced in Israel since Jeroboam’s time (1 Kgs. 12:25ff.). Jehu has decisively ... what is right in the eyes of the LORD (Hb. yāšār, “right”; cf. the additional notes to vv. 3 and 15 for Jehu’s own claims in this regard). Apart from 2 Kings 10:30, the authors of Kings use yāšār positively only when speaking of David (1 Kgs. 15: ...
Understanding Series
Iain W. Provan
... Kings 22:52 and 2 Kings 3:3, it would have been easy to forget that this kind of idolatry represents for the authors only a particularly bad form of the general idolatry practiced in Israel since Jeroboam’s time (1 Kgs. 12:25ff.). Jehu has decisively ... what is right in the eyes of the LORD (Hb. yāšār, “right”; cf. the additional notes to vv. 3 and 15 for Jehu’s own claims in this regard). Apart from 2 Kings 10:30, the authors of Kings use yāšār positively only when speaking of David (1 Kgs. 15: ...
14. Paul's Vision and His Thorn
2 Corinthians 12:1-10
Understanding Series
James M. Scott
... ). The vision that Paul describes in 2 Corinthians 12:2–4 (and others like it) is crucial to Paul’s claim to apostolic authority, which he is defending in chapters 10–13. Paul describes himself as a man in Christ (en Christ?). Assuming the unity of the ... was caught up to the third heaven. Although Jewish and Christian apocalypses often presuppose a cosmology of seven heavens (cf. A. Y. Collins), some texts do speak of three heavens, the third of which is the highest, the dwelling place of God himself ...
Understanding Series
Iain W. Provan
... passage and Deuteronomy) and in view of what happens to Solomon in chapter 11. We are shown right at the beginning of Solomon’s reign what the authors perceive to be the very root of his later apostasy (cf. 11:1–8; cf. also the fate of Jehoram in 2 Kgs. 8:18). The same ... 1:6). Yet we should not dismiss the idea of youthfulness entirely from our minds, since the Hb. word pair yṣʾ/bwʾ (lit. “to go out—to come in”) that lies behind the NIV’s to carry out my duties probably has a military connotation ...
Understanding Series
Iain W. Provan
... was a dry run for a now imminent main event. The most recent act of “salvation,” in fact (16:7–9, cf. “save me,” yšʿ, in 16:7) was in reality an act of judgment upon Israel that brought the Assyrian king to within striking distance of Samaria (15:29 ... –36) but is not confined to a single territory. As the only God, the LORD claims exclusive worship. It is impossible that the authors who have told us all this should now be telling us that a broad pantheon of gods is acceptable—that this new use ...
Teach the Text
Robert B. Chisholm Jr.
... that the statement in verse 7 is exaggerated for effect. Sometimes Hebrew uses the idiom “not x, but y” to mean “not so much x as y” (see, e.g., Hosea 6:6). In other words, the Lord is not denying that the people have ... model society that will be a beacon of justice and truth in the world (Deut. 4:5–8). But Israel is prone to reject the Lord’s authority and conform to the viewpoints and practices of the surrounding nations (Judg. 2:10–3:5), as illustrated by their request to have a king like ...
Understanding Series
Iain W. Provan
... was a dry run for a now imminent main event. The most recent act of “salvation,” in fact (16:7–9, cf. “save me,” yšʿ, in 16:7) was in reality an act of judgment upon Israel that brought the Assyrian king to within striking distance of Samaria (15:29 ... –36) but is not confined to a single territory. As the only God, the LORD claims exclusive worship. It is impossible that the authors who have told us all this should now be telling us that a broad pantheon of gods is acceptable—that this new use ...
19. Samaria Resettled
2 Kings 17:24-41
Understanding Series
Iain W. Provan
... was a dry run for a now imminent main event. The most recent act of “salvation,” in fact (16:7–9, cf. “save me,” yšʿ, in 16:7) was in reality an act of judgment upon Israel that brought the Assyrian king to within striking distance of Samaria (15:29 ... –36) but is not confined to a single territory. As the only God, the LORD claims exclusive worship. It is impossible that the authors who have told us all this should now be telling us that a broad pantheon of gods is acceptable—that this new use ...
20. Miscellaneous Laws
Deut 23:15–25:19
Understanding Series
Christopher J. H. Wright
... any case, it seems that divorce is basically a matter of internal family law that does not require the involvement of the civil authorities (the elders) to examine the causes or grounds of the divorce. The main requirement of the law comes in its final clauses in ... further children). The word for hand here is kap (not yād), usually referring to the palm of the hand. In Gen. 32:25, 32 (Hb. 26, 33) and in the erotic imagery of Song Sol. 5:5, kap (along with yād in the latter), is possibly a euphemism for the ...
21. Taming the Tongue
James 3:1-12, James 3:13-18
Understanding Series
Peter H. Davids
... 3, pp. 868–96. That the world occupies its place among the parts of the body may be a reference to the evil impulse (Hebrew yêṣer hâ-râ’), first cited in James 1:13, which the Jews spoke of as living in one’s members. In that case James is ... 3:20; 5:29, which use the same term) is not surprising. Yet disorder is the primary mark of demonic activity. God is the author of peace and order (1 Cor. 14:33). The demonic realm is characterized by restlessness and rebellion (cf. Luke 21:9 and the comments ...
22. Two Kinds of Wisdom
James 3:13-18, James 3:1-12
Understanding Series
Peter H. Davids
... 3, pp. 868–96. That the world occupies its place among the parts of the body may be a reference to the evil impulse (Hebrew yêṣer hâ-râ’), first cited in James 1:13, which the Jews spoke of as living in one’s members. In that case James is ... 3:20; 5:29, which use the same term) is not surprising. Yet disorder is the primary mark of demonic activity. God is the author of peace and order (1 Cor. 14:33). The demonic realm is characterized by restlessness and rebellion (cf. Luke 21:9 and the comments ...
Understanding Series
Christopher J. H. Wright
... has made . . . The syntax of the Hb. text here is complicated and open to various exegetical options: šāmôṭ kol-baʿal maššēh yādô ʾ a šer yaššeh b e rēʿēhû. Probably the correct reading is, lit. “Every holder of a pledge in his power/possession ... here is that the proclamation of debtremission in Israel was not at the whim of a human king, but on the authority of Yahweh, and at regular sabbatical intervals (for which no clear ancient Near Eastern parallel has been found). 15:11 There ...
24. The Fall of Babylon
Revelation 18:1-24
Understanding Series
Robert W. Wall
... the lament to indicate the obvious: God’s power will quickly overwhelm the evil city to judge it justly for its “one hour of authority” (17:12) during which its ruling elite persecuted the Lamb (17:13–14). Fair is fair! 18:11–17a Like the kings of the ... the exhortation to come out of Babylon, my people, see Raymond E. Brown, The Community of the Beloved Disciple (N.Y.: Paulist Press, 1979). 18:11 The NIV incorrectly translates the phrase, klaiousin kai penthousin, in the future tense, will weep ...
25. Walking in the Light
1 John 1:5--2:14, 1 John 2:15-17
Understanding Series
Thomas F. Johnson
... lenient attitude toward it. (Paul faced the same concern in Romans 6:1: “Shall we go on sinning that grace may increase?”) In fact, the author says that it is one of his purposes in writing (cf. 1:3–4) that the community will not sin, that they will completely reject ... and R. E. Brown, “The Qumran” Scrolls and the Johannine Gospel and Epistles,“New Testament Essays (Garden City, N.Y.: Doubleday, 1968), pp. 138–73. The other occurrences of the contrast between truth and its opposites are in 1: ...
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