Sermon and Worship Resources

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1. Exclusive: The Ugliest Word

Mark 9:38-41, Acts 10:23b-48

Illustration

Bishop Kenneth Carder

... once asked Carl Sandburg, "What is the ugliest word in the English language?" After a few minutes Sandburg replied, "Exclusive." The ugliness of exclusive depends upon whether we are among the included or the excluded. We pride ourselves on being members of exclusive clubs, living in exclusive neighborhoods, dining at exclusive restaurants, vacationing at exclusive resorts, belonging to exclusive churches. Being an insider carries with it a sense of pride and security. Most of us, however, have been ...

2. Exclusion From the Assembly

Deuteronomy 23:1-8

Understanding Series

Christopher J. H. Wright

... land were vital factors in membership in the covenant community (cf. C. J. H. Wright, God’s Land). A eunuch’s inability to produce or continue a family and the foreigner’s lack of any share in the land may have been a factors in their exclusion from the assembly. Certainly, awareness of the former disability is the point of the eunuch’s despair in Isaiah 56:3b, and it is answered by the promise that God would grant blessings “better than sons and daughters” to eunuchs who would choose to bind ...

3. Our Exclusive God (The First Commandment)

Exodus 20:1-21

Sermon

Bill Bouknight

... toward the good life. Our all-wise, loving God gave them to us to protect us from harm and direct us toward the most fulfilling life-style on earth. The First Commandment is our focus today. You Shall Have No Other Gods Before Me. Our God is exclusive. He will not share his lordship with anything or anybody. Of course, whatever is in first-place in your life is your god. By definition, you can have only one god at a time. Repeatedly in the book of Exodus God is described as a jealous deity. "Jealous ...

4. An Intimate Conversation and an Exclusive Covenant

Exodus 19:1-25

Sermon

It was on the Richard Roberts television program, Expect a Miracle, that I learned about the vision which Oral Roberts had a few years ago. Richard Roberts told how his father’s vision had to do with evangelism and mission, that it involved sending missionaries to the ends of the earth - doctors, first, to treat and care for the sick, and then evangelists to preach the gospel to people in countries where Christ is not known at all. Oral Roberts also spoke of the revelation: "God told me I am on the last ...

5. The World's Most Extraordinary Club

Matthew 5:1-12

Sermon

King Duncan

... laws is what it takes to be part of the kingdom of God, Paul concluded, then nobody qualifies. It is a club with no members, said St. Paul, “for all have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God . . .” (Romans 3:23). Certainly such an exclusive club was not the kind of club that Jesus envisioned. He wanted a club to which everyone on earth could belong. But still, it would be a club where its members had certain attributes. And here is where it becomes the most extraordinary club ever conceived. In ...

6. The Only Place of Worship

Deuteronomy 12:1-32

Understanding Series

Christopher J. H. Wright

... plurality of Canaanite shrines that the Israelites were to destroy. Now if the plurality of Canaanite shrines can be collectively called “that place” in v. 3, then the place of v. 5 could admit a generic or a distributive sense and need not be limited exclusively to a sole sanctuary. In conclusion, then, I am arguing that to regard Deut. 12 as a programmatic text for a seventh-century campaign to centralize all worship of Yahweh on a sole sanctuary is to read into it far more than is there. Its concern ...

7. The Ten Commandments

Deuteronomy 5:1-33

Understanding Series

Christopher J. H. Wright

... :14; cf. Exod. 20:5; Deut. 4:24; 5:9; 6:15; cf. also Josh. 24:19 and Nah. 1:2). It is a feature of the OT’s portrayal of Yahweh that easily grates on the modern person because of the infectious pluralism that disapproves such exclusivity. But it is also, of course, fundamentally reassuring. The covenant relationship between God and God’s people really means something only if God is totally committed to it. A God who was not jealous for the reciprocal commitment of God’s people would be as contemptible ...

8. The Cross And Our Shadows

Joel 2:1-11

Sermon

Carl Jech

... church" come from the Greek word "ekklesia" which means "called out"? To a point all of these images or definitions of the church are good. But when we carry them too far, or in the wrong direction, there can be some unfortunate results. The church can slip into being an exclusive club in which the object is not to bring people in but to keep them out, not to rejoice in the variety of gifts and members in the body of Christ but to say "you can come in if you are like us! The task becomes not to shoulder our ...

9. All Is Different Now

Mark 9:38-50

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

... Jesus rightly points out that such an experience would hardly cause anyone to “speak evil” about him. Jesus then goes on to make the proverbial declaration, “Whoever is not against us is for us” (v.40). While John was anxious to establish an “us” vs. “them” exclusiveness, Jesus welcomes all who use his name, even if their understanding is limited. This is a good thing for John since at this point in the gospel it is clear that the Twelve are as much in the dark about the true nature of Jesus ...

10. Easter Turns ONLY into ALSO

Acts 10:23b-48

Sermon

Donald Macleod

... were destined to oblivion. As Christians, we owe much to the Jewish faith, but this does not mean we should be satisfied to stop with it rather than capture the best of it and claim this heritage for Christianity. As Christians, we do not draw a line of exclusion, for we are all children of God’s grace, and though other religions may say, "You must come to us," Christianity comes to every human soul to seek and save them regardless of race, color or creed. 2. So far we have seen the new inclusiveness of ...

11. Doors Are for Entering

John 10:1-21

Sermon

Donald B. Strobe

... God. They must be allowed to stand in their own individual uniqueness. Still, we must deal with what seems to be a certain exclusiveness proclaimed again and again by Jesus in John’s Gospel. “I am the gate” says Jesus, and then, to add insult to injury ... of study. There is only one door to learning, and that is the door of study. We might think of other examples of the exclusivity of life. There is only one door to marital happiness, and that is the door of fidelity. When either husband or wife begin to ...

12. Mark 9:38-50

Mark 9:38-41

Sweet

Leonard Sweet

13. Worship and Proper Attire

1 Corinthians 11:2-16

Teach the Text

Preben Vang

... in verse 9 (“the husband was not created because of his wife”; NIV: “neither was man created for woman”) allows him to qualify his statement about the necessity of a wife’s veil. As Adam was created for exclusive devotion to God, Eve similarly was created for exclusive devotion to her husband, Adam. Christian husbands and wives are not independent of each other (11:11–12). because of the angels. The word translated “angels” (angeloi) can also mean “messengers” and could perhaps refer to ...

14. Blood: Right and Wrong Uses

Leviticus 17:1-16

Teach the Text

Joe M. Sprinkle

... acceptable to worship some other gods alongside Yahweh, is it not? The answer of this text is no. God will not share with other gods the worship that he alone deserves. Some people today, including some raised in Christian homes, also question the exclusive claims of Christ and the Bible. Are there not truths in Hinduism, Islam, and Buddhism? Could we not dabble in New Age thought and still be good Christians? Masonic Lodges freely intermix images of Christian and non-Christian religious traditions. Is it ...

15. Guess Who's Coming To Dinner?

Isaiah 25:1-12

Sermon

Zan W. Holmes

... is one of the selected readings for the celebration of All Saints. It inspires us to remember and thank God for "all saints" who have given their lives that all of God's people might be invited to a banquet that will transform a world known for its exclusion. One "saint" who comes to mind is congressman Mickey Leland. He died in a plane crash on August 7, 1989, while he was on a famine-relief mission in Africa. As chairperson of the House Select Committee on Hunger he visited Ethiopia and Sudan at least six ...

16. TAILOR

1 Chronicles 4:21

Illustration

Stephen Stewart

... not! The designer comes to her. And this is true in many more cases. And for those who do visit the designer’s establishment, there is certainly no way that they can feel that they are entering a shop. These are salons in the most exclusive sense of the word. And, another similarity: tailors worked for both private clients and and for clothes dealers. I’m sure there wasn’t a Seventh Avenue in Jerusalem, strung with clothes racks, but you get the idea. Today, there are many more designers working ...

17. Walk Together

Ephesians 4:17--5:21

Sermon

King Duncan

... flames?" A simple truth but a critical one. You can't have it both ways. A marriage is the most sacred contract on this earth. There is no room in it for a third party. It is the intent of God that marriage should be an exclusive relationship. GOD ALSO INTENDS THAT MARRIAGE SHOULD BE MUTUALLY REWARDING. Now obviously there is stress in any marriage, even a good one. One woman commented to a friend, "When we were first married we got along wonderfullybut as we left the church..." Another woman sought advice ...

18. Come To The Party!

Luke 14:15-24

Sermon

Maxie Dunnam

... to tell the master that there was still room. Now listen to verse 23: Then the master said to the slave, 'Go out into the roads and lanes, and compel people to come in, so that my house may be filled.' So, you see this is not an exclusive party - - and neither is the invitation of Jesus to the Kingdom. Friends, this is a big issue in theology; whether grace is limited or universal. This is one of the primary reasons I'm a Methodist. We believe in universal grace. Our Presbyterian friends who follow a strict ...

19. Wanderings in the Desert

Deuteronomy 3:21-29

Understanding Series

Christopher J. H. Wright

... of Moses from entering the promised land figures so largely here, and was probably as much a surprise to the original readers as it is to us, that it invites some theological reflection. When one puts together all the passages that bear on Moses’ exclusion, they offer us at least two perspectives. On the one hand, our text here and the two closest to it in Deuteronomy, 1:37 and 4:21, give the impression that it was the people’s fault. Moses suffered “because of” them. On the other hand, Deuteronomy ...

20. Driving Out the Nations

Deuteronomy 7:1-26

Understanding Series

Christopher J. H. Wright

... of Exodus 19:4–6: a people holy . . . out of all the peoples . . . his treasured possession. The stress is again on Israel’s distinctiveness in the midst of many other nations. They were to be “holy to Yahweh,” i.e., set apart, different, belonging exclusively to him, but with the warm coloring of the last word, s e gullâ. This word was used for the private treasure of a king, who owned everything else as well, but valued his personal possessions particularly (cf. 1 Chron. 29:3; Eccl. 2:8). The ...

21. When You’re Out Of Tune

1 Corinthians 3:1-9

Sermon

Charley Reeb

... L’Engle said that our job is to reflect to others “a light so lovely that they will want to know with all their hearts the source of it.” If a church is in tune, it will reach out more than reach in. It will be inclusive rather than exclusive. Most of all, it will show mercy instead of judgment. Show Mercy Instead Of Judgment Jesus said, “Do not judge, and you will not be judged. Do not condemn, and you will not be condemned. Forgive, and you will be forgiven. Give, and it will be given to you. A ...

22. The Time Is Coming

Jeremiah 30:1--31:40

Sermon

Paul W. F. Harms

... . Add to that the fact that this prophecy is for everybody, "for low and high alike." Utopian dreams are commonly dreamt for an exclusive group. The dream hinges on the exclusive. Thus, the Utopian dream incorporates the problems of the old dream, its need for the exclusive. Not so here. This is for all. It eliminates the prestigious difference, the lust for the exclusive. How much do we experience that which is applicable for all? Those who breathe, those who face death, are all included. What's new ...

23. The Time Is Coming

Jeremiah 30:1--31:40

Sermon

... prophecy. Add to that the fact that this prophecy is for everybody, "for low and high alike." Utopian dreams are commonly dreamt for an exclusive group. The dream hinges on the exclusive. Thus, the Utopian dream incorporates the problems of the old dream, its need for the exclusive. Not so here. This is for all. It eliminates the prestigious difference, the lust for the exclusive. How much do we experience that which is applicable for all? Those who breathe, those who face death, are all included. What’s ...

24. God Shows No Partiality

Acts 10:23b-48

Sermon

Elizabeth Achtemeier

... eternal for all who trust Christ. There is the forgiveness of sins. And there is new life, a good way of living abundantly, right now on this earth. Peter preached that sermon to those Gentiles, because he knew that Jesus Christ is Lord, not just of an exclusive little group, not Lord of just those whom we would choose, but Lord over all the earth, with all its multitudes of peoples. Jesus Christ is risen and reigns over earth and seas and skies. Death could not hold him fast, and our sinful ways and the ...

25. The Land Where Our Fathers Had Lived

Genesis 37:1-4, 12-28

Sermon

David J. Kalas

... man in his own natural habitat. With boys as different as Jacob and Esau were, it's easy to imagine that parental preferences and prejudices formed early. Unless parents are vigilant to avoid it, reputations in the home harden quickly, as each child stakes out exclusive claim to some territory. The smart one. The athletic one. The troublemaker. The clown. Esau was out in the fields; Jacob was inside in the kitchen. Jacob was brains; Esau was brawn. And Jacob was mama's boy; while Esau, the man's man, was ...

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