25 Resurrection Sermon Ideas for Easter Sunday

| Fri, March 11, 2016 | Articles, Products, Training

sermons on resurrection

More people go to church on Easter than any other day of the year, and churches around the world are preparing for more visitors. There are lots of ways to make sure your Easter service is great, but what about the sermon itself? With all the time and energy you’re investing in the service—extra parking, extra seating, extra childcare, extra ushers—what can you do to be sure your Easter sermon is as strong as possible?

For this post, we’ve pulled together 25 Resurrection sermon ideas for Easter Sunday. But we don’t want to just give you ideas for the sermon, we want to help you make your Easter sermon truly connect with your listeners.

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6 Reasons I’m Glad Jesus Left

| Thu, March 28, 2013 | Misc.

john 13

Jesus lived. Jesus died. Jesus rose. Jesus left for heaven.

I grew up hearing all about the first three acts of this story and what they mean for Christ, the redeemed, and the lost.

But his ascension is important, too!

And although it didn’t take place until 40 days after the resurrection, verses like John 13:1 make it clear that Jesus’ return to the Father is just as much a part of this story:

“Now before the Feast of the Passover, when Jesus knew that his hour had come to depart out of this world to the Father, having loved his own who were in the world, he loved them to the end.”

Here are six reasons I’m glad Jesus returned to the Father:

  1. We can go home, too. Jesus tells his disciples a little later that he’s going to prepare a place for them in his Father’s house. Because Jesus returned to the Father, I can say with Paul that “to live is Christ, and to die is gain”—when I depart, I will be with Jesus.
  2. Jesus mediates for us to God. It’s phenomenal: Jesus, the God-man, advocates for me before the holy and righteous God. He knows what it’s like to be human (Hebrews 4:14–16), but he’s not just asking God to give me a break. Jesus was broken, and because of his perfect sacrifice, he sustains our right relationship with God (Hebrews 9:15).
  3. Jesus says we should rejoice. Jesus is pretty straightforward about this one: “If you loved Me, you would have rejoiced because I go to the Father.” This alone is reason to be glad.
  4. We get the Holy Spirit. Jesus plainly states that he must leave in order to send the Holy Spirit (John 16:7). The Spirit teaches and convicts and comforts us—I’m glad he’s here.
  5. We have the inspired Gospels. Jesus promises his disciples that the Holy Spirit will teach them and remind them of all that he said (John 14:25–26). And that’s good for us, because the disciples were able to give accurate accounts of events they didn’t understand while they were happening (Matthew 15:15–17; 16:9; Mark 6:52; 9:32; John 12:16).
  6. My king is where he belongs. Jesus, the King of Kings and Lord of Lords, has taken his seat in glory at the Father’s right hand (Hebrews 1:3). He obeyed, and at his name every knee will bow, and every tongue will confess that he is Lord (Philippians 2:9–11).

Jesus lived. Jesus died. Jesus rose. Jesus reigns forevermore. Amen.

Looking for resources for study or meditation this Easter season? Check out our specials for Holy Week.

You Cannot. You Can.

| Tue, March 26, 2013 | Misc.

1 Corinthians 5

Sometimes I wonder if God is setting me up to fail. Do you? When you read a passage like 1 Corinthians 5:7–8, do you wonder if God’s asking you to do something you cannot?

“Clean out the old leaven so that you may be a new lump, just as you are in fact unleavened. For Christ, our Passover, also has been sacrificed. Therefore let us celebrate the feast, not with old leaven, nor with the leaven of malice and wickedness, but with the unleavened bread of sincerity and truth.”

This verse makes it sound like we’re supposed to be perfect—how does that work? And in the middle of all this talk of leaven (yeast), why is it important to remember that Christ our Passover lamb has been sacrificed?

How is Jesus our Passover lamb?

In Exodus 12, God tells the Israelites how to observe the first Passover feast. God is about to send the tenth and final plague upon Egypt: the death of the firstborn. The firstborn of every house will die—unless something else dies first.

That something else is a lamb. A perfect lamb.

Every household is to smear the lamb’s blood on their home’s doorposts and lintel. God himself promises, “when I see the blood I will pass over you, and no plague will befall you.”

The Israelites couldn’t keep the plague out on their own. Just as neither you nor I can stay God’s judgment against us. It’s one reason Jesus came to die—to bear the wrath of God in our place (Romans 5:9).

Jesus does what we cannot

Christ, our Passover has been sacrificed. But how do we clean out the leaven of malice and wickedness? Are we really supposed to be perfect?

In his book Fifty Reasons Why Jesus Came to Die, John Piper addresses this question:

“We have been made unleavened in Christ. So we should now become unleavened in practice. In other words, we should become what we are. The basis of all this? ‘For Christ, our Passover lamb, has been sacrificed.’ The suffering of Christ secures our perfection so firmly that it is already now a reality.”

(In case you’d like to see more reasons Jesus came to die, this book is on sale this week.)

Now we do what we can: obey

We’re bought with precious blood, “as of a lamb unblemished and spotless, the blood of Christ” (1 Peter 1:19). Our transformation is secured in Christ; now we obey and clean house. When I ponder Jesus’ sacrifice, I face an abundance of reasons to obey:

  • Christ loved me so much that he died for me; why wouldn’t I follow this person?
  • The Bible states that the perfecting work of Christ is done; if I believe this, I’ll behave accordingly.
  • God has given me an opportunity to participate in the process of becoming more like Jesus; it should be a joy to do so.

This transformation is tough. At times, it feels impossible. But God is faithful, and he isn’t telling us to do anything we cannot.

Looking for resources for study or meditation this Easter season? Check out our specials for Holy Week.

Need a Bigger Book Budget? Prove It.

| Thu, March 7, 2013 | Misc.

Pastor's LibraryYou need more books.

Whether you’re a pastor, missionary, chaplain, or church leader, you know you need more books. Most churches and organizations know you need more books, too; that’s why they give you a book budget.

But what if you need more books than your budget allows? What if your book budget just isn’t up-to-date? What if you don’t have a book budget at all?

How do you prove that you need a bigger book budget?

It’s a difficult thing to prove objectively . . . unless you have some stats to back it up.

The Pastor’s Library survey is back!

It’s time to get you some current statistics. We’re getting thousands of pastors and church leaders to weigh in on important book budget matters, like:

  • Does your church provide you with a book budget?
  • How has the cost of books changed?
  • How big should your book budget be?
  • How do congregation sizes relate to book budgets?

Take this 10-minute survey now. Once we get enough responses, we’ll share the results. We’ll also help you gauge how big your book budget should be, so when you ask for a bigger book budget, you’ll have the numbers to back it up.

This survey helps everyone

When you take this survey, you’re not only helping yourself. You’re also helping all these people:

  • Your congregation. You’ll understand how much money you need for books—books to help you preach the Word to your church.
  • Your family. With a bigger book budget from the church, you’ll spend less of your family’s cash out-of-pocket on books, so you can spend it on other necessities.
  • Other pastors everywhere. Your response makes this survey more reliable, helping other pastors get the book budgets they need, too.
  • Logos (and therefore, you again). Our mission is to serve the church, and the better we know you, the better we can serve you.

So, you need a bigger book budget? Let’s prove it—take the Pastor’s Library survey right now.

How to Endorse Logos, Even if You’re Not Famous

| Mon, March 4, 2013 | Misc.

Base Packages IIWe love helping people get into the Word. Every time someone gives us a shout-out, it tells us that we’re on the right track. That goes for prominent Christians and everyday users alike. Like Jayson said a few weeks ago, every single endorsement matters, including yours.

In fact, anytime you want to comment on a product, you can write a public review on our website.

3 reasons your review is important:

  • You help others make an informed decision. You get to list all your favorite features, titles, articles, and the like, along with areas in which a product could improve. Your honest review might be just what someone else needs to start using Logos 5 to study the Word.
  • You keep us accountable to excellence. You can rate any product up to 5 stars, call out the ways in which a product helps you with Bible study, and help guide Logos Bible Software as we pursue our company mission to serve the church.
  • You get to share new ways to use our software. We have a pretty big group of people working here (and we’re hiring more!), but there’s no way we can cover every single way that Logos 5 can improve Bible study in every walk of life. But you know how it helps you, and you can share your story with others like you.

So, what do you think of Logos 5?

If you own a Logos 5 base package, write up a review and rate it on the product page! Here are quick links to each one—join the conversations at the bottom of each page (make sure you’re signed in).

Want to weigh in on products outside of base packages? You can review those, too—start now!

What Are the 12 Tribes of Israel? Find Out Now!

| Fri, March 1, 2013 | Misc.

Mosaic_Tribes

Whether you’re studying the Old Testament, researching Middle Eastern history, or taking a trip to the Holy Land, you’re sure to come across talk of the 12 tribes of Israel.

But what are the 12 tribes of Israel, and how do we find out?

It’s a good thing we have some awesome reference books to help us with this question.

Logos 5 doesn’t just come with a set of shiny new features—it also includes different books that weren’t included in Logos 4 base packages. Logos 5 base packages were dissembled and rebuilt to give you the best library to use with high-tech software. And we’ve added 13 new Bible reference books to Logos 5 base packages, so looking up the 12 tribes of Israel is no problem at all.

What should we know about the 12 tribes of Israel?

The 12 tribes of Israel are (for the most part) named after the 12 sons of Jacob. Each son became the patriarch of an individual tribe as the nation grew. If I want to know about the specific tribes, I can right click any reference to them and look them up. Let’s start in Deuteronomy 33, where Moses blesses each tribe of Israel. When we come across a tribe’s name, we’ll right-click it and look it up in the Baker Encyclopedia of the Bible—which is now available in base packages Bronze and up!

12 tribes

Quick profiles on the 12 tribes of Israel:

  1. Judah. The tribe of kings, and the most preeminent of the 12 tribes in the biblical narrative. Judah “prevailed over his brothers,” (1 Chronicles 5:2), and the tribe’s territory included the city of Jerusalem and the holy temple. King David was part of this tribe, and his royal line ruled in Jerusalem from around 1,000 BC until the city fell to Babylonian forces in 586 BC. Jerusalem was the capital of Israel and the capital of the Southern Kingdom after the nation divided. Jesus is of the tribe of Judah (Matthew 1:1–2). Notable tribesmen: Jesus, David, Mary, Solomon, Caleb
  2. Reuben. Descended from Jacob’s firstborn, whom Jacob said was as “uncontrolled as water” (Genesis 49:4). The tribe chose not to settle in the Promised Land, and instead asked Moses for some of the territory that they conquered east of the Jordan River. Moses agreed to this, on the condition that they assist the western tribes in conquering Canaan (Numbers 32:28–32). They did so, but they did not assist the other tribes in battle during the period of judges (Judges 5:16), and the tribe falls into scriptural obscurity.
  3. Simeon. The man Simeon (with his brother Levi) slaughtered the men of an entire city to avenge his sister (Genesis 34:25–31). The tribe’s portion of land was within the midst of Judah’s territory (Joshua 19:1); however, Simeon did not grow as rapidly as Judah and seems to have dispersed across multiple territories (1 Chronicles 4:38–43; 2 Chronicles 15:8–9). This is consistent with Jacob’s prophecy concerning Simeon and his brother Levi: “I will disperse them in Jacob, and scatter them in Israel.”
  4. Levi. The tribe of the priesthood. The tribe of Levi stood by Moses (a Levite) during the golden calf incident at Mount Sinai (Exodus 32:25–29), and later took their place as ministers to the tabernacle, and later the Temple. Levi had no tribal territory—the Lord was the tribe’s inheritance (Numbers 18:19–20)—though they did receive pasture lands for their cattle (Joshua 21). Levitical duties were extensive (read Leviticus!), but Moses gives a brief summary of their significance in his blessing for the tribe (Deuteronomy 33:8–11).
    Notable tribesmen: Moses, Aaron, John the Baptist, Barnabas
  5. Zebulun. Zebulun doesn’t get very much attention in the Bible. The tribe does boast a strong, loyal fighting force during the days of the judges and King David. In fact, Zebulun had the largest presence in the army that made David king of Israel at Hebron, and they served him with “an undivided heart” (1 Chronicles 12:33).
  6. Issachar. Issachar has even less biblical presence than Zebulun, but the tribe was loyal to Deborah and Barak (Judges 5:15). They’re also remembered as “men who understood the times, with knowledge of what Israel should do” (1 Chronicles 12:32).
  7. Dan. We don’t read much about the man Dan, but we do see his tribe up to no good in the book of Judges. The tribe did not secure their original portion of land (Judges 1:34; 18:1), and instead migrated northward. In the process, they took for themselves other gods (Judges 18:14–17) and set up a new priesthood (Judges 18–20). The tribe later joins Jeroboam in idolatry when the kingdom of Israel divides (1 Kings 12:28–29). Notable tribesman: Samson
  8. Gad. Little is said of Gad, the man or the tribe. They, like Reuben, settled east of the Jordan.
  9. Asher. Jacob prophesied that Asher’s tribe would enjoy rich foods (Genesis 49:20), and the tribe went on to possess a region of eastern Galilee which is still known for its olive groves.
  10. Naphtali. Naphtali, with Zebulun, is mentioned by the prophet Isaiah in a passage we read often during Christmastime: “For a child will be born to us . . . .” This promise was given concerning the land of Galilee, specifically, the “land of Zebulun and the land of Naphtali.” You can read the whole prophecy in Isaiah 9.
  11. Ephraim. This tribe is named after Joseph’s son. Joseph received the birthright from Jacob, and instead of just one tribe, he is the ancestor of two (Manasseh is the other). After the kingdom divides, the Northern Kingdom’s capital is in Ephraim’s territory, and the prophets sometimes refer to the entire nation as “Ephraim” (Jeremiah 31:9, Hosea 5:3). Notable tribesmen: Joshua, Samuel
  12. Benjamin. This small tribe has played several important roles in Israel’s history. Benjamin stood against the rest of Israel in a national civil war (Judges 20:14–21:24). Saul, the first anointed king of Israel, was from Benjamin. The tribe was also loyal to David’s descendants when the northern tribes seceded (1 Kings 12:16–24). Notable tribesmen: King Saul, Mordecai, Paul
  13. Manasseh. This tribe descended from Joseph’s firstborn son, and uniquely settled on both sides of the Jordan River (Joshua 17:5–6). The eastern settlement is often referred to as the “half-tribe of Manasseh.”

Wait—13 tribes of Israel?

Kind of. Remember, Levi didn’t receive tribal territory like the other tribes. Also, Joseph’s sons were considered heads of their own tribes—both of which received an inheritance of land. In some lists, Joseph is counted as one of the 12 (Genesis 49; Deuteronomy 33). In others, Levi isn’t counted, and Ephraim and Manasseh are considered distinct tribes.

Here’s the math:

12 tribes – 1 (Levi) – 1 (Joseph) + 1 (Ephraim) + 1 (Manasseh) = 12 tribes

Learn more with the Faithlife Study Bible!

More insights like this are waiting for you in the Faithlife Study Bible—the world’s largest study Bible. And it’s totally free—get it now!

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This Tool Will Change Your Word Studies Forever

| Fri, February 22, 2013 | Misc., Products

Tools like the Bible Word Study, the Exegetical Guide, and Morph Search make it easy to explore the biblical text, but there’s one new tool in Logos 5 that gets you even closer to word meanings—instantly.

It’s the Bible Sense Lexicon, and it’s going to change the way you think about word studies forever.

What’s a “sense lexicon”?

The Bible Sense Lexicon ties biblical words to their senses. By “sense,” we mean the idea that a word is supposed to communicate. For example, the English word for “run” has many possible senses:

  • To move swiftly by foot
  • To conduct (e.g., to “run a search”)
  • An act of running (e.g., to “go on a run”)

The same principle applies to words in the Bible.

The Bible Sense Lexicon has tied words in the biblical text to their senses, giving you a precise idea of what the biblical authors were trying to get across.

Example: what does “head” mean?

In Isaiah 7:9, we read that “the head of Ephraim is Samaria and the head of Samaria is the son of Remaliah.” It’s obvious that “head” is a metaphor—the nation of Ephraim cannot have a literal physical head the way a human body does. But what does this metaphor mean?

We can activate the Reverse Interlinear ribbon, but without the Bible Sense Lexicon data, we’ll just see a bunch of Hebrew words (along with anything else we choose to display here).

BibleSenseLexicon

That’s great—if we know Hebrew. I don’t, so we’ll right-click it and run a Bible Word Study report on the lemma. (What’s a lemma? Find out here.) We’ll get a comprehensive report on the Hebrew word, how it’s used in the Bible, and lots of possible definitions!

BibleSenseLexiconII

That’s awesome: we see loads of ways this word is used in Scripture. This tool has just accomplished hours of research in seconds. But we still don’t know precisely what sense the word for “head” is used in. Does it mean “top”? “Beginning”? “Chief”? We could open up our regular lexicons and see if any one lists a specific sense for our verse in Isaiah.

Or we could see the sense in the Reverse Interlinear!

Bible Sense Lexicon IV

We can immediately see that the same Hebrew word is used to mean both “capital” and “leader”! So the capital city of Ephraim is Samaria, and the leader of Samaria is the son of Remaliah.

The Bible Sense Lexicon data makes the Reverse Interlinear ribbon one of my favorite tools in Logos 5. It’s a revolutionary way to cut right to a word’s sense—saving us even more time on word studies.

If you’re not using the Bible Sense Lexicon in Logos 5, you’re missing out. Get Logos 5 today—the Bible Sense Lexicon is included in Gold and higher.

Already have Logos 5? Learn to use it for richer Bible study and ministry with our educational resources.

What’s Baptism, and What Does the Bible Say?

| Fri, February 8, 2013 | Products

base packagesNo matter your denomination, you’ve probably asked (or have been asked) what baptism is. It’s been a point of controversy for centuries. Why do we baptize? When do we baptize? How should we baptize? What is baptism anyway?

One really awesome thing about Logos 5 is its ability to connect you to every Bible verse on baptism (and thousands of other things). This way, you can dig into the Word and see what it says about important issues.

What the Bible says about baptism

Let’s say you’re listening to (or crafting) a message on Ephesians 4 and you come to verse 5: “one Lord, one faith, one baptism.”

You might wonder, “What is baptism—really?” It’s easy to start exploring what the Bible says.

Start with a Bible Word Study

This is a smart way to get the definition of the word before diving into everything the Bible says about the practice. Just right-click “baptism” and run a Bible Word Study on the lemma. (What is a lemma? Find out here.)

Baptism

This will bring you definitions from all your Greek dictionaries and show you every place where your Bible mentions this Greek word. You’ll see that the word literally means “to dip” or “immerse,” but obviously there’s more to baptism than being underwater.

Next step: the Topic Guide

Now it’s time to get a better feel for the subject. You can open the Topic Guide, enter “baptism,” and immediately see key passages on baptism and a host of related topics, verses, media, events, and more!

The Topic Guide is one of the big time-saving features of Logos 5. It connects you to plenty of information on a single topic in seconds! You could stop here, but some folks may want to do even more Bible study on baptism.

If that’s you, you’ll love running a Morph Search.

Now let’s get the big picture

You have an idea of what the word “baptism” means. Now we get at the real question: what is baptism? One way you can know is by using Scripture to interpret Scripture: find every time the Bible mentions the word “baptize,” “baptism,” “Baptist,” etc. Sound extensive and complicated? Good news: it’s really easy to do: just run a Morph Search for the root!

Baptism II

This brings you every single mention of the Greek root in your Bible! Plus you can grab its uses in multiple translations. If you prefer the ESV and you want to share what you find with a NASB fan, it’s really easy to do.

Baptism III

Just by using these simple Logos 5 tools, you’ve found every time the Bible uses this word for baptism. You’re ready to study what baptism means for yourself!

Get established in the Word with Logos 5

Baptism is just one topic you can study for yourself with Logos. If you don’t already have Logos 5, get it now.

If you want to learn more about how to get established in the Word using Logos, sign up to hear about our educational resources!





One Hour Left

| Mon, February 4, 2013 | Misc.

NOTICE: The launch period for Logos 5 has ended. But don’t worry—we have lots of exciting sales planned this year! Recently upgrade to Logos 5? Join us in the forums, and tell us about your favorite features.

You have one hour.

After that, Logos 5 introductory discounts end—forever.

If you stay on the fence any longer, you’ll lose your only chance to claim your introductory discount on Logos 5. And really, why would you want to miss out on that?

Logos 5 is awesome, and if you have Logos 4, you’ll probably upgrade eventually. But here’s the problem with waiting: if you put off getting Logos 5 any longer, it’s only going to get more expensive.

Will you miss this deal forever? I hope not.

Call our upgrade hotline at 1-800-875-6467, or email the sales team and talk with someone about your upgrade options.

The Logos team is available until midnight (PST)!

Upgrade now!

P.S. Phone lines busy? Email sales before midnight to lock in your chance to get these savings tomorrow!

6 Reasons Logos 5 Is Awesome for Small Group Leaders

| Fri, February 1, 2013 | Misc.

Small group“How am I going to handle this one?”

If you lead any sort of church small group or Bible study, you ask yourself this question all the time:

  • My pastor preached on gender roles—how am I going to handle this in group discussion?
  • We’re supposed to discuss some tough passages Thursday—how am I going to handle them?
  • A visitor just asked a really tough question—how am I going to handle this?

I often wonder how I’m going to handle a passage or question in my small group, but I don’t have to wonder for very long. I use Logos 5, and it really comes in handy for both preparation and small-group discussion.

Here’s 6 Things Small-Group Leaders Love about Logos 5

1. The Topic Guide is awesome.

When my pastor talks about the relationship between the Jews, the Gentiles, and salvation, I can easily look these topics up to get a more rounded understanding. I just type in “Gentiles,” and get a list of pertinent passages, topics, and more.

2. It’s easy to plan and save discussion material right from the Bible.

I can create a note in Logos 5 called “Jesus and the Gentiles,” and then save relevant passages to it, along with any notes I choose to make:small group 1
I can access this note in the Logos mobile app, too, so that I have all my prep notes ready by the time discussion starts. I can even share notes with my group on Faithlife.

3. Bible Facts gives plenty of background information.

If my group is discussing the dynamic between Jesus and the Syrophoenician woman in Mark 7, there’s a good chance we’ll want to look up what it means to be a Syrophoenician. With Logos 5, I can right-click that word and look it up in Bible Facts:

small group 2

Mystery solved.

4. Referent data clarify things quickly.

Ever read a passage and ask, “Wait—to whom does ‘he’ refer this time?” With Logos, just right-click any pronoun and see the person to whom it refers.

5. RI senses shed more light on the given passage.

In Mark 7:27–28, Jesus and the Syrophoenician woman have a short exchange:

And He was saying to her, “Let the children be satisfied first, for it is not good to take the children’s bread and throw it to the dogs.” But she answered and said to Him, “Yes, Lord, but even the dogs under the table feed on the children’s crumbs.”

When I turn on the Reverse Interlinear feature, I can see the biblical words’ senses (courtesy of the new Bible Sense Lexicon). Jesus refers to children in the sense of descendants, but the woman refers to them in a more endearing sense.

small group 3

6. It’s on sale (but not for long)!

Now through February 4, you get 15% off any Logos 5 base package you upgrade to—and that’s on top of the special discounts you get on books you already own.

So if you haven’t already invested in the world’s leading Bible-study software, now’s the time to get Logos 5.

Learn about our educational resources.

Already have Logos 5? Sign up to learn about educational resources that will help you use Logos for ministry!