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Showing 201 to 225 of 307 results

201. Every Man Our Neighbor

Luke 10:25-37

Illustration

John Wesley

Let us go and do likewise, regarding every man as our neighbor who needs our assistance. Let us renounce that bigotry and party-zeal which would contract our hearts into an insensibility for all the human race, but a small number whose sentiments and practices are so much our own, that our love to them is but self-love reflected. With an honest openness of mind, let us always ...

202. Why We Need the Pledge of Allegiance

Matthew 13:31-35, Matthew 13:44-46, Matthew 13:47-52

Sermon

Wayne Brouwer

... ; we need to be owned by something which transcends our time. We need God to lay hold on us. This is why, in many of the earliest liturgical forms for baptism, those who were newly coming into the fellowship of believers were asked if they renounced the devil and all his works. Early on, it was recognized that entering the kingdom of God was more than just adding another spiritual talisman to the mix of superstitious hex warders; it was a fundamental commitment of identity that could not be shared. No ...

203. Are We There Yet?

James 5:7-10

Sermon

John N. Brittain

... the merciful, the peacemakers, and those who are persecuted" (Matthew 5:3-12). The poor in spirit and the meek patiently await God's help. The mourners patiently bear their afflictions as well as those of others without self-pity. The merciful patiently renounce the idea of vengeance. The peacemakers create tranquility where there has been discord. And don't forget those who patiently endure persecution for Christ's sake. Isn't it interesting that of all the examples of patience James could have selected he ...

204. Luke 14:25-33

Luke 14:25-35

Sweet

Leonard Sweet

... Jesus’ journey and the lifelong journey of discipleship the verb here literally translates as “bid farewell to” (“apotassomai”). The forward moving journey with Jesus requires leaving behind a life possessed by possessions. The earlier mandate to renounce the primacy of familial relationships (hating father, mother, wife, children, brother, sister) is part of this same requirement. When a disciple genuinely puts a relationship with Jesus before all else, the materialistic “stuff” of this world ...

205. Would You Still Be His Disciple If You Lost Your All?

Luke 14:25-33

Illustration

Jerry Ruff

... Christians who put Him first above everything else — even if that means dad, mom, siblings, kids, work, vacations, playtime, money, homes, friends. This is where the Living Bible translation fits in. Jesus is saying to us as His followers, "Sit down, count your blessings and then renounce them all for me." Would you still be His disciple if you lost your job? If you lost your savings? If you lost your health? If you lost your home? If you lost your wife and kids? Job said, "Though [God] slay me, yet will ...

206. Made Perfect In Weakness

2 Corinthians 12:2-10

Sermon

Billy D. Strayhorn

... power and resources, or the abandonment of reliance on them. All through history God has chosen and used nobodies, because their unusual dependence on him made possible the unique display of his power and grace. He chose and used somebody only when they renounced dependence on their natural abilities and resources." (4) IN THE KINGDOM OF GOD, THERE IS STRENGTH IN WEAKNESS. "Remember: We are made perfect in our weakness. For whenever we are weak then we are strong." III. Strong In His Weakness A. And that ...

207. Step into Your 'Adjacent Possibility'

Luke 17:11-19

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

... lepers they were required to stay outside the boundaries of the community, outside the gates of the village. Not only were they socially isolated, which may have been the worst thing that could happen to them; they were also required to renounce themselves to all who passed nearby as “unclean.” It was their responsibility to keep themselves physically isolated from all other human beings. Into their tiny, terrible world there suddenly walked one they all recognized-—both as a person and as a ...

208. Apocalyptic Literature

Luke 21:5-38

Illustration

Theodore F. Schneider

... have little sense of direction or of destiny. If salvation is believed at all, it is considered "universal." Apocalyptic writings looked seriously upon the powers of evil, seeing a fearful and significant cosmic struggle. The ancient baptismal question is basic: "Do you renounce all the forces of evil, the devil and all of his empty promises?"8 We are called upon every day to decide, and we need to deal seriously with the "forces of evil." Apocalyptic literature called upon its readers to decide, to ...

209. The Key to the Beatitudes

Matthew 5:1-12

Illustration

Owen Stepp

... recognizing your own need for mercy. You cannot be pure in heart if your heart is full of pride. You cannot be a peacemaker if you believe that you are always right. You cannot identify with Christ in the face of negative reactions from others without dying to yourself and renouncing your own rights." All of these beatitudes are rooted in humility, being poor in spirit.

210. Polycarp: He Never Did Me Wrong!

Matthew 4:1-11

Illustration

James S. Stewart

Polycarp (A.D. 70-155) was bishop of Smyrna and a godly man. He had known the apostle John personally. When he was urged by the Roman proconsul to renounce Christ, Polycarp said: "Eighty and six years have I served Him, and He never did me any injury. How then can I blaspheme my King and my Savior?" They took him out and put him to death. Later when the Christians recorded their history of that period they wrote, "Polycarp ...

211. A Lesson from Dr. Seuss

Romans 6:1-14

Sermon

King Duncan

... needed to repent of his lifestyle and return to his Christian faith. But the allure of show business was so strong that he felt like he had no choice but to keep going in the same direction. With tears rolling down his face, Elvis asked, “. . . what if I renounce show business and find that serving God won’t bring joy to my heart?” (8) Sounds like a sensible question, doesn’t it? Of course, we all know what show business did to this talented man. Elvis had it all but became a poster child for, and ...

212. The Width and Depth of God’s Grace

Romans 6:3-5, 1 Peter 3:18-22

Sermon

Nancy Kraft

... , we're being joined to Christ in his death and resurrection. There is even a very ancient part of the liturgy where we get in the ring beside Jesus and vow to duke it out with the devil when the person to be baptized is asked, "Do you renounce all the forces of evil, the devil, and all his empty promises?" Baptism is central to the life of a Christian, not because it is some magic ritual that changes us into different people, but because it joins us to Christ and his victory over sin, death, and the ...

213. Dual Citizenship

Matthew 22:15-22

Illustration

Bill Bouknight

... The guest speaker was himself a naturalized citizen. Today he is a vice-president of a bank. His very presence spoke volumes about the American dream. Finally, the new citizens stood to take their vows. But before they could do so, they first had to renounce their previous citizenship, whatever it was. You can be a citizen of only one nation at a time. Then altogether, with tears flowing down their cheeks, they declared, "I pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America..." I want to declare ...

214. Baptism: The Light Shatters the Darkness

Genesis 1:1-5

Sermon

Richard Gribble

... a British Lord and an American heiress. His heroics during the infamous Boer War in the last days of the nineteenth century made him a national hero and greatly aided his election to Parliament in 1900. In only four years he renounced his aristocratic background and joined the Liberal Party. During World War I and the interwar years, Churchill's political career was almost ruined due to his controversial positions on many issues, including his denunciation of Prime Minister Neville Chamberlain's appeasement ...

215. Leave a Good Impression

Illustration

Staff

... the gospel. As the author was doing his research, he was increasingly impressed by Taylor's saintly character and godly life, and he found it extremely difficult to carry out his assigned task with a clear conscience. Eventually, at the risk of losing his life, he laid aside his pen, renounced his atheism, and received Jesus as his personal Savior.

216. Red, White and Pink

Luke 24:36-49

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

... wear a “martyrs crown.” But wait a minute: we all wear a “martyr’s crown.” The problem is what are we martyring ourselves for? The dictionary defines a “martyr” as someone devoted to a cause, someone who suffers and dies for refusing to renounce or accept a belief or a cause. But that is the world’s definition. That definition is what makes us “pink martyrs” — martyrs to the “cause” of getting by, martyrs to the “cause of getting ahead,” martyrs to the “cause” of being a ...

217. Low-Carb Christians

John 21:1-19

Sermon

Frank Ramirez

... gnostics, from the Greek word gnosis for "knowledge." These gnostics believed that Jesus was all spirit and no flesh, that he only appeared to die on the cross, and that the resurrected Jesus was Spirit only. Our own best destiny, therefore, is to renounce the physical things of this world and embrace the spiritual, in part by acquiring strange and arcane knowledge. Spirit is good. Body is bad. To combat this elitism, the resurrection stories of the gospels make it clear that Jesus was resurrected with ...

218. The Fig Tree

Luke 13:1-9

Sermon

David E. Leininger

... is why the psalmist could wail, "Why, O Lord, do you stand far off? Why do you hide yourself in times of trouble? In arrogance the wicked persecute the poor ... the wicked boast of the desires of their heart, those greedy for gain curse and renounce the Lord ... their ways prosper at all times...." — Psalm 10:1-5 NRSV (plus many other similar passages too numerous to cite) Ecclesiastes complains, "I saw under the sun that in the place of justice, wickedness was there, and in the place of righteousness ...

219. Sonny Moneybags

Luke 15:1-3, 11b-32

Sermon

David E. Leininger

... Sonny said. After all, Junior was the one that got the laughs. What would have happened had Junior met Sonny on the road instead of their father? I doubt that the boy would have ever made it to the house. Sonny would have rightfully pointed out that Junior had renounced this place in favor of another. Just because things had not worked out as well as planned was no reason in the world for him to be welcomed back with open arms by these people whom, not so long ago, he had said he could care less about. It ...

220. Serving the King of Kings

John 18:28-40

Sermon

King Duncan

... in prison Tom began reading as if for the first time about Jesus and his love for all people. After several weeks of reading and soul searching, Tom surrendered his life to the King of Kings. Slowly his animosity toward black people began to dissolve. He renounced the Klan and his past life of racial hatred. After eight years Tom was released from prison and he began a remarkable new life. Instead of going back to a life of hatred, Tom worked to promote racial reconciliation. He co-authored with Dr. John ...

221. The Best Gift of All

Titus 2:1-15

Sermon

Timothy J. Smith

... early church struggled over cultural and ethnic differences; however, Paul and others believed that the good news is that Jesus came for all people. That is why people with different life experiences are always welcome in church. Further we are able to “renounce impiety and worldly passions” knowing that we are to “live lives that are self-controlled, upright, and godly.” Elsewhere Paul teaches, “Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your minds, so that you may ...

222. In the Mood for Murder

Matthew 5:21-26

Sermon

King Duncan

... this terrorist? He dealt with them like a Christian. On Christmas of 1983 the Pope met with Agca in his prison cell to extend forgiveness and reconciliation. Did it make a difference? A year later Agca made a proclamation from his prison cell that he was renouncing terrorism to become a man of peace. He promised that if he was ever freed, he would become, quote: “A preacher, going to all nations of the world preaching love and truth to all nations.” (7) You have to wonder what would happen in this world ...

223. Night of Light

Luke 2:1-7

Sermon

Timothy Cargal

... advent. Those preparations are in this passage understood primarily in terms of repentance. Even as we recognize that “the grace of God has appeared, bringing salvation to all” (v. 11), the lesson we are to draw from that grace is that we need to “renounce impiety and worldly passions, and ... to live lives that are self-con-trolled, upright and godly, while we wait for the blessed hope and manifestation of the glory of our great God and Savior, Jesus Christ” (vv. 12-13). The stance taken in this ...

224. The Transforming Power of Grace

Sermon

R. Robert Cueni

... 's life as it had been in the life of Zacchaeus. Eventually, God took it away. John Newton heard the call of Christ, "Come on down here, John Newton. I am going to your house today." He was touched by God's transforming grace. Newton renounced his slave trade past. He stopped investing in slavery and became a passionate abolitionist. The autobiographical tone of a hymn Newton wrote about the time he underwent this change is obvious. Amazing Grace! How sweet the sound that saved a wretch like me! I once ...

225. The Choosing of the Seven

Acts 6:1-7

Understanding Series

David J. Williams

... gospel as it was preached in the temple. We are told that they were obedient to the faith. This verb is found in Acts only here and may have been chosen deliberately to suggest that they were especially under pressure, perhaps from the Sadducean hierarchy, to renounce the faith (understood in an objective sense as a body of belief; see disc. on 14:22) and yet had remained true. It seems unlikely that these priests held any special position within the church. The reference of this verse may be to the work of ...

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