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Showing 51 to 75 of 307 results

51. Message to Pergamum

Revelation 2:12-17

Teach the Text

J. Scott Duvall

... and cult of Asclepius; and (4) the Roman imperial cult. The last option seems most likely because Rome is portrayed throughout Revelation as the primary human enemy of God’s people and Pergamum was the center for the imperial cult in Asia Minor. You did not renounce your faith in me, not even in the days of Antipas, my faithful witness, who was put to death in your city. Antipas experienced the power of Rome to execute (see v. 12), perhaps because of his refusal to worship the Roman emperor. Because he ...

52. Jesus Predicts His Death

Mark 8:31--9:1

Understanding Series

Larry W. Hurtado

... ) are warned to be prepared for the same sort of trouble. This is made all the clearer by Jesus’ warning about trying to save one’s life by denying him. The situation envisioned in 8:35 is that of a trial in which one is commanded to renounce Jesus to live. Mark alone has the phrase and for the gospel, which shows that the saying is to be applied to the situation of the early church and its mission of preaching the gospel in spite of hostility and persecution (see note on gospel). In Jesus’ prediction ...

53. Use Your Head as Well as Your Heart

Luke 14:25-33

Sermon

King Duncan

... everything is not a call to everyone to become a full-time church worker. Rather, it is a call to make our entire life—our work, our play, our family relationships, everything—pleasing in God’s sight. The ironic thing is that when we renounce everything else for Christ’s sake, we gain more than we lose. We find that in pleasing God, we ultimately please ourselves. That is because God’s way leads to life. In the spring of 2015, a 39-year-old college professor from Venezuela ran the famous Boston ...

54. Reveille

Mark 6:7-13, Matthew 10:1-42, Luke 9:1-9, Luke 10:1-24

Sermon

Lori Wagner

... turns to ash and dust, just as all within it. When Jesus tells his disciples to shake off the dust from their feet at a city that will not repent, he is saying, I’m done with you. You are worse off than the dust of the ground. I renounce you, which means you will “eat the dust of the grave” and not the resurrection life. It was not something you would want to hear. Jesus’ command to “go out” to prophecy the good news and warn to repent not only follows somewhat in John the Baptist’s footsteps ...

55. No Time To Make Enemies

Humor

A man had lived a wild and unrepentant life, so his priest was rather concerned when he gave him the Last Rites. "Do you renounce the devil? Do you renounce him and all his works?" the priest asked. The man opened one eye and said, "Father, this is no time for making enemies."

56. Nobody’s Too Good To Repent

1 Corinthians 10:1-13

Sermon

Mark Ellingsen

... his love, and since he has “loved us first,” love can also blossom as a response within us.[6] And Clement of Alexandria, whom we met earlier, also insisted that repentance is just an effect of faith.[7] What happens to you when sin is renounced in this way? It does not make you perfect.[8] It does not mean that there will not still be temptations, that all the selfishness and materialism will vanish (v.13). Famed modern theologian (a martyr in the persecutions by Hitler of his opponents) Dietrich ...

57. Count the Cost

Luke 14:25-33

Sermon

Will Willimon

''Whoever of you does not renounce all that he or she has cannot be my disciple." How many of you were here last Sunday? Don't raise your hands ... a tower until you figure out if you can afford it. Don't go to battle until you calculate how many troops you're willing to lose. Finally, he says plainly, "Whoever of you does not renounce all that he or she has cannot be my disciple." Here is the definitely hard sell. We're talking big money. "How much? Well, as J.P. Morgan said, 'If you have to ask, you can' ...

58. The Spice of Death

Sermon

Harry N. Huxhold

... for their dead loved one out of guilt, they can or do go on living their selfish ways as before the funeral. For Joseph and Nicodemus life would never be the same now that they had boldly taken things into their hands. Not only were they renouncing their stations in life, but also they were taking new positions. At the moment they undoubtedly had no idea where this act would take them. Like the disciples and all other followers of Jesus, they did not anticipate the resurrection of our Lord at this time ...

59. The Sending Plan (Alternate title: Our Human Predicament)

Mark 6:7-13

Sermon

Ron Lavin

... of the human being or the exterior dimensions of what Saint Paul calls "the powers of the air" (Ephesians 2:2) or "the Principalities and Powers" (Ephesians 1:21; 6:12; Romans 8:38; Colossians 1:16; 2:10; 2:15). In the baptismal service parents are asked to renounce "the Devil and all his ways," because we recognize that there is a power of evil within us and around us which is stronger than we are. There is a lot which we don't know about the powers of evil. One thing we do know: demons divide. Division ...

60. The Crux Of Being A Christian

Luke 14:25-35

Sermon

Richard Patt

... if your brother offends you, go to him and work it out." To carry out these words means pain for most of us. So it is that Jesus warns in the Gospel reading, "... sit down and count the cost...." Yes, this kind of discipleship may indeed involve renouncing everything: your very self. Jesus, of course, is himself the perfect example of the very thing he calls us to do. Look at his crux, that is, the climactic moment when he hung upon the cross. He was suffering in physical pain there, yes. But the greater ...

61. God's Passionate Concern

Luke 14:25-35

Sermon

Richard Patt

62. The Silence Broken, The Bride Restored

Isaiah 62:1-12

Sermon

Robert A. Hausman

... not feel so self-sufficient, when we are helpless in our suffering. Shusaku Endo speaks of that absent God in his novel Silence, set in a time of great persecution for Christians in Japan. Christians were hung upside down in a pit until they renounced Christ. A priest, conducting Mass for Christian prisoners facing this torture, told them they would never meet with greater suffering than this. Nevertheless, "The Lord will not abandon you for ever. He it is who washes our wounds; his is the hand that wipes ...

63. Why Did Pastor Hypnotize Jenny?

Jeremiah 33:1-26

Sermon

Tony Everett

... a fifty-year captivity. However, soon their joy turned into discouragement. The Temple in Jerusalem was still in ruins. Progress on rebuilding city walls was minimal. Some doubted that their return actually was the Lord's doing. Some were ready to renounce their religious heritage and give allegiance to a variety of differing pagan practices. Sound familiar? The Lord spoke to the discouraged inhabitants of Jerusalem in the sixth century B.C., and to the Jewish exiles in Babylonia fifty years before. The ...

64. Our Defense In A Stone-littered World

Acts 7:54--8:1a

Sermon

Gerald Whetstone

... your hearts be troubled, neither let them be afraid." Haven't we all wondered how we would fare should we be called upon to lay down our lives for our faith? Haven't you tried to imagine what you would have said given a choice between renouncing your faith and facing lions in the coliseum? Or whether you'd have proclaimed your faith before the sword of the invading Turks? Or if you were threatened with being burned at the stake by the inquisitors? Or awaking to a contingent of secret police bursting into ...

65. Epiphany 8

Luke 6:37-42, Isaiah 55:1-13, Jeremiah 7:1-29, 1 Corinthians 15:35-58, Luke 6:46-49

Sermon Aid

John R. Brokhoff

... injustices that occur come from a heart that is not right with God. In this text Jesus goes to the fountain of all human behavior. Good and evil acts come from the condition of the heart. Outline: To have a good heart -- a. Know the love of God. b. Repent -- renounce evil desires. c. Accept the Holy Spirit -- be filled with God's Spirit. Lesson 1: Isaiah 55:10-13 1. Let the Word do it! 55:10-11. Need: The Word has the power of God. What on the surface is as weak as a spoken or written word? The ...

66. Christmas Eve

Lk 2:1-20 · Tit 2:11-14 · Isa 9:2-7 · Ps 96

Sermon Aid

John R. Brokhoff

... after Christmas? How was it possible for an official of a Nazi concentration camp where thousands were killed to go home to be with his family on Christmas Eve and sing "Silent Night"? Outline: Consider the moral equivalent of Christmas. a. Negative: renounce irreligion, worldly passions -- v. 12. b. Positive: live sober, upright, and godly lives -- v. 12. WORSHIP RESOURCES Psalm Of The Day: Psalm 96 -- "Let the heavens rejoice, and let the earth be glad." (v. 11) Prayer Of The Day: "Almighty God, you ...

67. Followership

Matthew 4:18-22, Matthew 4:12-17

Sermon

Mark Radecke

... our every fiber even as dye permeates a piece of unbleached fabric. The primacy and priority of that peace of God which lays claim on us and lays hold of us: that is what we need to apprehend as we reflect on our own daily need and struggle to repent, renounce, obey and follow. In today's Gospel text, Jesus says, "Repent" -- and he means it! He goes on to say "for the kingdom of heaven has come near." The rest of Matthew's Gospel can be read as the unfolding of that promise of the nearness of God's ...

68. The Temptation Of His Life

Matthew 4:1-11

Sermon

Thomas A. Pilgrim

... to do that. It is instead a call to be faithful followers who, like Jesus, seek to serve God and establish His kingdom. One of the leaders of the early church was Polycarp, Bishop of Smyrna. He was brought to trial by the authorities and told he must renounce his Christian faith. He replied, "Fourscore and six years have I served Him, and He never did me wrong: how then can I revile my King, my Savior?" They took him out and put him to death. Later when the Christians wrote their history of that period they ...

69. The Nativity Of Our Lord

Luke 2:1-20 · Titus 2:11-14 · Isaiah 9:2-7 · Ps 96

Sermon Aid

Russell F. Anderson

... in glory as "God and Savior." This is the only scripture where Jesus is given the title of "God." Ethics flow from theology. Since Christ died to purify us from our sins (his priestly role) and may return at any time, the believer needs to renounce sinful passions and zealously pursue that which is good. Gospel: Luke 2:1-20 Luke's wonderful nativity account raises a number of historical and exegetical questions which would be best kept to ourselves. Christmas is not a time for questions but affirmation and ...

70. Proper 24

Exodus 33:12-23, Isaiah 45:1-7, Matthew 22:15-22, 1 Thessalonians 1:1-10

Sermon Aid

Russell F. Anderson

... and for failing to pay property taxes. Currently, he owes the state some $10,000. Revere maintains that the kingdom of Heaven is not of this world. He claims that it is impossible to serve both God and the state. Revere's 200 followers have renounced their worldly identities and function only as citizens of Heaven, insisting that Jesus did not pay taxes. He further contends that the state is the Antichrist and the courts, dens of Satan. He further teaches that the black robes of the judges indicate that ...

71. Evergreen Wreath And Faded Leaf

Isaiah 63:7--64:12

Sermon

Harold Warlick

... Savior. He felt the bitter disappointment of his family as they saw the young scholar espouse a controversial cause. He experienced the disillusionment of his fellow Jews when he turned his back on a brilliant rabbinical career. He knew the high cost of renouncing his family, childhood faith, and secure position. Certainly Paul, as appraised by those who were on the other side, appeared to be a personal, societal, and religious faded leaf, ready to be blown from the tree of life. All Paul could do was ...

72. First Sunday After Christmas

Luke 2:21-40

Bulletin Aid

RobertT D. Ingram

... in the Christian faith, that, living in the covenant of their Baptism and in communion with the Church, they may lead godly lives until the day of Jesus Christ. Do you promise to fulfill these obligations? United Church of Christ 4: Will you encourage these children to renounce the powers of evil and to receive the freedom of new life in Christ? We will, with the help of God. Will you teach these children that they may be led to profess Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior? We will, with the help of God. Do ...

73. Mission Ready!

Mark 6:7-13

Sermon

Charles R. Leary

... ministries. The pastors are employed in the secular world and they serve the church as volunteers or with minimum expenses paid. Tolstoy left some powerful words, I think, to help us get down to the bare essentials. He once was a man of abundance until he renounced material assets. His bottom line was, you don’t have to accumulate a lot of wealth and a lot of things to know happiness. You can know happiness simply by being alive, simply by knowing the joy of eating when you are hungry, sleeping when you ...

74. Lent 1

1 Peter 3:8-22, Genesis 9:1-17, Mark 1:9-13

Sermon Aid

Russell F. Anderson

... he shot his arrows (lightning bolts). God is putting his weapon on the table so all can see and be at ease. It's true that the covenant only mentions that God will never destroy creation with a flood, but I wonder if more isn't suggested here. Is God renouncing violence as the means of solving problems? Epistle: 1 Peter 3:18-22 Final sacrifice. In the Noah story we have most of the world dying for the sins of mankind. In the story of Christ's sacrifice we have one sacrifice by God for the sins of the world ...

75. Trinity Sunday

Jn 3:1-17 · Mt 28:16-21 · Rom 8:12-17 · Isa 6:1-8 · Ps 29

Sermon Aid

Russell F. Anderson

... To Heaven. Sermon Angle: Jesus informs Nicodemus: "No one has ascended into heaven but the Son of Man who has descended from heaven" (v. 13). People have tried ascending into heaven for centuries. They have attempted it through leading ascetic lives and renouncing the world, as Martin Luther did. Many have attempted to ascend through the ladder of ritual. Still more have sought to rise up through attaining special knowledge. None of these ladders are effective. Only those who trust the One raised up on ...

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