Sermon and Worship Resources

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76. The King's Reception (What Are You Wearing to the Wedding?)

Matthew 22:1-14

Sermon

Brett Blair

... you let me point out the beginning of the story. In the beginning everyone is invited to the king’s reception. Let’s look at this. This is a parable about a king who sends out invitations to his son’s wedding. At first it is an exclusive party. Only the king’s friends and associates are invited. The bluebloods of society and they turn down the invitation. They snubbed the king. Oddly enough, not only do they snub the king but they kill the king’s servants who were sent to deliver the invitation ...

77. Someone Greater Than a Prophet

Luke 1:26-38

Sermon

Maurice A. Fetty

As our world gets smaller and smaller we become more and more aware of other cultures and religions, and we increasingly wonder about our own religion. If once we thought of them in rather exclusive terms, can we do so in a world which seems to have relative exclusive truth claims? If once we thought of Christianity as the final word in religion, can we do so in face of a vital and resurgent Islam in the world? In his recent, brilliant discussion of Islam, Dr. Charles Ryerson of Princeton reminded us that ...

78. Jesus and Divorce

Mark 10:1-12

Sermon

David E. Leininger

... , who came together in marriage, can never again go back to being strangers. Marriage changes people, and divorce cannot change THAT. Every so often we hear of two people and their "friendly divorce." I do not believe it; those are mutually exclusive terms. All divorce can do is cause pain...excruciating pain...and there is nothing friendly about that. Jesus and Divorce. As the Bible makes plain, divorce is allowable, and from a practical standpoint, we know it is sometimes unavoidable - some marriages ...

79. The God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob

Luke 13:22-30

Sermon

David E. Leininger

... Jesus' word is NO...and the door will be closed. But there is something else about this passage that strikes me. There is more to it than simply an affirmation that there will be some who do not make it. You see, just before Luke reports this exchange about how EXCLUSIVE the kingdom will be, he has the Lord giving two brief but comforting parables about how INCLUSIVE it will be: the one about the mustard seed that grew to such a size in a garden that ALL SORTS of birds were able to nest in it, and the one ...

80. Last Words

Luke 24:36-49

Sermon

King Duncan

... surrounding themselves with things, at the expense of living a life of service and we want to say, "Turn around. You are serving things rather than allowing things to serve you. For your own spiritual welfare, turn around." You see, the message of repentance is not the exclusive domain of murderers and prostitutes. All of us need to examine our lives from time to time and ask the question, "Where am I headed in life? If I continue in the direction I'm headed, will it take me where God means for me to be ...

81. Looking For Happiness In All The Wrong Places

John 4:1-26

Sermon

King Duncan

... school." "Why are you trying to come in here? This is a private club. No Jews allowed." "What's that old clunker doing in this parking lot? Can't you see all the BMWs and Volvos?" There are some people for whom happiness is belonging to an exclusive group that separates them from others. Of course, we all want to belong. We all want to be accepted. There is an amusing story about business superstar, Lee Iacocca. Iacocca's real name is not "Lee" but "Lido." Can you imagine the disadvantage a name like Lido ...

82. Why Did He Do It?

Mark 14:1-11

Sermon

King Duncan

... learned how to play the right sports and developed just the right haughty expression on his face. Finally he was in. He was a member! Now he sat in the club parlor. As he looked around he suddenly realized he had paid a terrible price to belong to this exclusive club and there was really nothing about it that appealed to him. None of its activities were things he enjoyed doing. All he had wanted was to know he could get in. For some people this is a problem that will haunt them all their lives. Actually it ...

83. To Hell and Back

Luke 15:1-7

Sermon

Donald B. Strobe

... you now! Does that mean that everyone will make it to heaven? Who knows? I don’t. I surely hope they do. The question is: would I be offended if they did? I get the impression that some Christians think of heaven as an exclusive club, and their enjoyment of it depends upon how exclusive it remains. They are sort of like Groucho Marx who said that he would never want to belong to a club which allowed people like him to be a member. Some, it seems, wouldn’t want to go to heaven if certain people might ...

84. So Who Needs A Shepherd?

John 10:1-21

Sermon

Donald B. Strobe

... country, then it becomes very difficult for God to get it into our heads that God cares for those folks “over there” just as much as God cares for us folks “over here.” But the Gospel of Jesus Christ is precisely the opposite of exclusivity. Jesus taught us to pray “OUR Father,” not “MY Father.” And that “our” includes not just one race or nation, one religion or denomination, but all, everywhere. The Good Shepherd cares for His sheep, and for all of His sheep, equally. The Good Shepherd ...

85. Jesus Out of Character

Mark 7:24-30

Sermon

Donald B. Strobe

... to protect our Lord’s divinity, we Christians have sometimes neglected His definite humanity. The Gospels clearly say that Jesus, as He grew, “increased in wisdom and stature, and in favor with God and man.” (Luke 2:52) He was trained in the exclusiveness of His day. There is a saying to the effect that the office makes the person. Many a mediocre senator has become a great President; a mediocre minister has become a great bishop. There was a definite greatening of Abraham Lincoln under the stress ...

86. Only Sex? (New)

1 Corinthians 6:12-20

Sermon

King Duncan

... that, if you place these words in their proper context, Paul was writing these words for adults. Many married people need to be reminded that while sex is for intimacy and playfulness and joy within the marriage relationship, it was designed to be entirely exclusive. There is no room for more than two people in a sexual relationship. In her book Common Sense Christian Living, Edith Schaeffer tells of her husband’s intervention in saving a friend’s marriage. A man in their church had fallen in love with ...

87. The Highest Bidder

Ephesians 3:14-21

Sermon

Harold Warlick

... geography of the temple area was essentially designed to be a show-and-tell of theological, racial, and gender exclusion. At the perimeter was a sign that said, "No Gentiles beyond this point." Beyond the court of the women was a sign that said, "Males ... only." Entry to the holy place was reserved exclusively for priests. In the temple's interior was the most holy place, which was shrouded from view and from visitation (except once ...

88. Participants In The Gospel

Philippians 1:1-11

Sermon

Maxie Dunnam

... John Wesley had, as his cardinal proclamation of the gospel, the universality of grace and universal salvation. The gospel is universal. The gift of God of himself in Jesus Christ is offered to all. Yet, mark this down, the privilege is an exclusive one. The privilege is an exclusive one. Belonging to those who by faith belong to Jesus Christ. Now I want you to get that clear. This is the universal aspect of the gospel – over against the claim of some, that the gospel is predestined for a few. Never ...

89. Even Marriages Made In Heaven Require Earthly Care

Mark 10:1-12

Sermon

Maxie Dunnam

... I choose this person. And there’s nothing inherently unique about it. It is the essence of all marriage. The unique thing is that the church dares to ask, will you choose this man and this woman, and will you allow this decision to be an exclusive one, an exclusive one, which cancels out all other alternatives. Will you take this man or this woman as along as life shall last? Will you decide and keep on deciding to love him or her? You remember what Jesus said in our first scripture lesson today, for this ...

90. The Road Less Traveled

Luke 13:22-30

Sermon

Maxie Dunnam

... lesson: Someone said to Jesus, “Lord, will those who are saved be few?” And Jesus answered with these words. “Strive to enter by the narrow door; for many, I tell you, will seek to enter and will not be able.” That sounds like a parable of exclusion, doesn’t it? A narrow door so narrow that only those who are righteous can pass through. That’s what it means, isn’t it. The narrow door refers to righteousness. That’s the way many interpret it. If you have to pass through a narrow door ...

91. A Church Shaped By The Great Commission

Matthew 28:16-20

Sermon

Maxie Dunnam

... I am grateful to Howard Snyder who has called us to begin using inclusive language when we speak of ministry. “The unbiblical use of the terms ‘ministry’ and ‘laity’ is the most extensive and oppressive form of exclusive language in the Church,” he says. “When we use gender-exclusive language, we exclude about 50% of all Christians. But when we use the minister/layman distinction, we exclude 90-95% of all Christians. It is time to be truly inclusive by referring to all Christians as ministers ...

92. Panic Room

John 20:19-23

Sermon

King Duncan

... first encounter in college. Among his many books is one titled, My Quest for Beauty. The book tells of Rollo May’s lifelong search for beauty, and among the experiences he recounts is a visit to Mt. Athos, a peninsula of Greece inhabited exclusively by monks. Rollo May was beginning to recover from a nervous breakdown when he visited Mt.Athos. He happened to arrive just as the monks were celebrating Greek Orthodox Easter, a ceremony thick with symbolism, thick with beauty. Icons were everywhere. Incense ...

93. Love without Limits

John 13:31-38

Sermon

John K. Bergland

... for the Gentiles, as well as God's chosen people. I imagine Jesus had wished it to have been as easy to convince people of God's boundless love. Unfortunately, Jesus was unable to avoid the wrath of those who felt that they and they alone were the exclusive recipients of God's love. It all began when Jesus returned to his hometown of Nazareth. It appeared to be a regular Sabbath service. Jesus opened up the scriptures and read these liberating words from the prophet Isaiah: The Spirit of the Lord is upon me ...

94. Preaching to a Stone

Joshua 24:1-3a, 14-25

Sermon

Charles L. Aaron

... just fizzle away. He doesn't want the community of Israel to break up or forget its mission. So, in one sermon he wants to bring the tribes together as a unit, to impress upon them their role in God's plan for creation, and to motivate them to exclusive worship of the Lord and an understanding of their identity. Now that the long journey is over and the battles have been won, the passion might fade out. Joshua knows he won't be around to provide leadership, so he has to preach the sermon of his life to ...

95. Bragging Rights

Philippians 3:4b-14

Sermon

Jeff Wedge

... , and in fact regards everything of this world as rubbish. The only thing that really matters to Paul is his relationship with Christ. It is this relationship that is the complete opposite of bragging. Bragging shuts people out, diminishes others, and draws exclusive circles in our world. It diminishes others when we try to brag about ourselves and our accomplishments. The opposite happens in this relationship with Christ that Paul has, and that we share with him, a relationship that opens us up to other ...

96. A Place for You

Ruth 1:16-18

Sermon

Mark Trotter

... in-law. Of course, I never point that out. What is equally remarkable is that the Book of Ruth is in the Bible at all. In fact, it is a refutation of a stereotype that the Jews were always narrowly exclusive. The fact of the matter is, it's the human tendency to be exclusive and slip into tribalism. Christians are no exception to that. Christians even separate themselves from other Christians. But both Christians and Jews have to live with the Bible. In the Bible is the revelation that God is bigger than we ...

97. Scandalous News

Luke 4:16-30

Sermon

Mark Trotter

... to free everybody. He came to free the poor and the rich. He came to free the slave and the free. He came to free the weak and the strong. That is the offense. He said, we all need to be redeemed. We still live with the remnants of an exclusive kinship society. I think that is true. But the real bondage of our time is not to kin, not to family, but to self. That has been created by what is called the "triumph of the therapeutic," the assumption that what is happening to me is the most important thing ...

98. Thanksgiving Day, North America

Luke 17:11-19, Deuteronomy 8:1-20, Psalm 65:1-13, 1 Corinthians 9:1-27

Sermon Aid

Marion L. Soards, Thomas B. Dozeman, Kendall McCabe

... land by other occupants (6:10-7:26) to a very different kind of problem—namely, the threat of security, when their own power to produce food and to guard the land seems to be sufficient (8:1-20). The first section (6:10-7:26) is focused exclusively on the promise of land in its call for Israel to risk everything in following God. Once the land is secured, the second section (8:1-20) goes back in time and focuses on the wilderness in order to remind Israel that their real source of security lies someplace ...

99. What Are Your Chances of Going to Heaven

John 14:6

Sermon

James Merritt

... a death knell to that demonic doctrine called universalism that says all roads lead to heaven, and that one way is just as good as another. Now that statement sounds narrow because it is narrow. It sounds dogmatic because it is dogmatic. It sounds exclusive because it is exclusive. But that doctrine is the watershed of the Christian faith. I want to make myself plainly heard and plainly spoken. If you believe that there is any other way to God, other than Jesus Christ, you have called Him a liar, a fake ...

100. Strength through Diversity

James 2:1-17

Sermon

Richard Gribble

... ). Jesus' message of love and peace was announced to a wide spectrum of people and it was delivered to create a unified society of mutual trust and love. In treating all with respect and rejecting none, Jesus demonstrated that unity and inclusivity were to be sought and division and exclusivity were to be avoided. The Lord put it this way, analogizing the unity of peoples to that of God: "I ask ... that all may be one. As you, Father, are in me, and I am in you, may they also be in us, so that the world may ...

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