Sermon and Worship Resources

Synonyms: gospel, falsehoods, sinfulness, justification by faith, righteousness of God, righteousness, dead to sin, no condemnation, all things work together, living sacrifice, renew your mind

Showing 1 to 25 of 194 results

1. When Is Justification By Faith A Heresy?

John 8:31-41

Sermon

George Johnson

... to avoid the word of judgment. We don't talk about the weeping and gnashing of teeth like Jesus did. Is not the cross about God's judgment, as well as God's grace? Frankly, the passage in Matthew 25 is awkward for us because of our strong emphasis on justification by faith. "Depart from me - for I was hungry and you did not feed me." Where is grace in that text? Did you notice last week how I skipped over verses 5 and 6 in Isaiah 5 where God removes the hedge and it does not rain any more on the vines ...

2. Living with Integrity

Galatians 2:15-21

Sermon

April Yamasaki

... ? Do we get defensive and try to find excuses for our own bad behavior? Do we recognize our own failings and seek to turn ourselves around? Do we make amends with anyone that we have misled? These are very real and relevant questions for our own time. "Justification by faith" is not just a bit of dusty theology or Christian jargon. It makes a real difference in the way we live — with faith in Jesus who has set us free from sin, with trust in God who justifies us by the free gift of grace, with integrity ...

3. Good Hearts

Romans 5:1-11

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

... gospels tell us what Jesus did and who Jesus is. Paul tells us what Jesus means. In the first four chapters of Romans, Paul describes and defines the miraculous mission Christ had accomplished. It is a transformation the apostle calls “justification by faith through grace.” Having so succinctly expressed this theological truth, Paul now begins to unpack that revelation. What are the consequences of this new reality, this “justification,” and what do they mean in the lives of all those who have faith ...

4. It’s Complicated

Galatians 2:11-21

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

... the room and go down the stairs. Victorian English translated this French phrase as “afterwit.” In this week’s epistle reading we get Paul’s first full expression of the great truth that would be repeated throughout his life and writings — justification by faith through grace. Yet Paul did not artfully arrange some theological treatise to present this foundation of faith. Rather it flowed as a part of his passionate rebuke of the actions taken by Peter and other Jewish Christians. It was a perfect ...

5. The Compleat Christian

Romans 5:1-5

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

... for the whole person to become engaged. One completes the circle of faith by becoming a compleat Christian. Accomplishing this breakthrough, Masson suggests, requires a theology of head, heart, hands and feet. Our conversion, the realization of our justification by faith through grace, must involve our head, hands, heart and feet. Paul called for this same totality of involvement, this integrated compleatness when he spoke of the need to develop hope, suffering, endurance and character. Consider how each of ...

6. The Dynamic Word

Isaiah 55:1-13

Sermon

T. A. Kantonen

... to meet the need. To man’s agonized question, "What must I do to be saved?" answer, "Believe in the Lord Jesus Christ." But men are not agonized. The Helsinki Assembly of the Lutheran World Federation, which sought to make the gospel of justification by faith relevant to the contemporary situation, sent a message to the churches, containing this description of modern man: "The man of today no longer asks, ‘How can I find a gracious God?’ He asks ... ‘Where is God?’ He suffers not from God’s ...

7. How Do You Get To Heaven?

Jeremiah 30:1--31:40

Sermon

King Duncan

... of dealing with sin. It was also an unnecessary one. St. Paul wanted the early Christians to understand that Jesus was God's Sacrifice upon the altar of the cross. He atoned for the sins of all. There is nothing else we need to do. Christ has paid it all. Justification by faith is really a radical doctrine if you think about it. And many of us in our heart of hearts have a difficult time accepting it. FOR ONE THING, WE LIKE TO SEE PEOPLE PAY FOR THEIR SINS. Isn't this at the heart of the debate over capital ...

8. We Who Are Many Are One Body

Mark 5:1-20

Sermon

Maxie Dunnam

... , Paul makes clear the source of our unity. He sounds the signal evangelical Protestant core doctrine of justification by grace through faith which, parenthetically, praise God, Roman Catholics and Lutherans recently jointly affirmed. But Paul added to that affirmation of justification by faith the wonderful Wesleyan accent of “social holiness.” Listen to him in Ephesians 2:8-10: For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, not of works, lest anyone ...

9. A Lesson From Prayers Overheard

Luke 18:9-14

Sermon

Theodore F. Schneider

... and despised others." The "others," such as those to whom Jesus addressed the gospel, were outside of the accepted definitions of righteousness. Already critics of the gospel, and not at all schooled as we are in the Pauline teachings of justification by faith, they must surely pave been shocked. "Scandalous!" "Outrageous!" "Shocking!" "Unheard of!" All of these were the reactions of Jesus' hearers as they wondered at the pattern of his parables. This was not the first such story. There was the parable ...

10. Curiosity Or Consecration

Romans 12:1-8

Sermon

Maxie Dunnam

... reading this morning is the first eight verses of the 12th chapter of Romans. This is that marvelous beginning section of Romans, when Paul, having made his theological statement, having spelled out in a very clear and beautiful way his whole understanding of justification by faith, comes now to offer those practical instructions that we are to receive if we’re going to live the Christian life. This is the word of the Lord. “I appeal to you therefore brothers and sisters by the mercies of God, that you ...

11. Jesus Meets Buddha and Confucius

Luke 24:36-49

Sermon

Carl Jech

... of Jesus, of Buddha, of Confucius. Buddhist-Christian dialogue can be extremely helpful in clarifying issues within the Christian community. In 1980 a major theological journal devoted an entire issue to the topic of "Lutherans in Crisis over Justification by Faith." One of the points made was that the emphasis of the charismatic and pentecostal movements upon the subjective experience of "feeling the spirit" is in danger of transforming Christian faith into a Buddhist-style emphasis on spiritual knowledge ...

12. Why Jesus Likes Sinners

Luke 18:9-14

Sermon

King Duncan

... , because they do not look down on others. JESUS LIKES SINNERS, IN THE THIRD PLACE, BECAUSE THEY KNOW THEY MUST DEPEND ON GOD. Notice in verse 9: "Some who trusted in themselves that they were righteous..." What a great text for a sermon on justification by faith. These self-righteous folks didn't trust God for their salvation. They trusted in themselves and their good works. We still do that. In the very first of his Ninety-five Theses, Martin Luther reminded all Christians that we are to rely on God, not ...

13. It’s God’s Will?

Ephesians 1:3-14

Sermon

Scott Suskovic

... at stake. Do we have free will or is everything predestined? You come to terms with this, and you will understand the central teaching of the Bible, the reason for the Reformation, and the foundation by which this church stands or falls — justification by faith through grace. You miss this, and you will forever be stuck in a quagmire of unanswerable questions and dead ends. Let's begin with a definition. Predestination. You hear two parts. "Pre" which means "beforehand" — as in a pregame warm up before ...

14. Faith A New Potential for Life

Romans 4:1-25

Sermon

Robert G. Tuttle

... be completed in this life. The question John Wesley was wont to ask his converts, "Are you groaning after perfection, are you going on to perfection?" is a pertinent question for Christian growth and maturity. The best biblical reference to this immediate justification by faith is the incident of the thief on the cross. With no background of righteousness, with no backlog of good deeds, he recognized the love of God in Christ. His heart rose overwhelmingly to what he saw. He risked everything on it, and ...

15. The Heart of the Reformation

Romans 3:21-31

Sermon

T. A. Kantonen

... have sinned and are far away from God’s saving presence. But by the free gift of God’s grace they are all put right with him through Christ Jesus." "Being put right with God" is a simple way of stating the key doctrine of the Reformation, justification by faith. How does God put men right with himself? Is it by giving us his law so that by obeying his commandments we have a right relation to God? "No," says the apostle, getting right with God "has nothing to do with law." God’s law demands perfection ...

16. A Faith that Works with a Victorious Attitude

Philippians 2:12-18

Sermon

Eric Ritz

... the all sufficient, sacrificial, substitutionary, meritorious atoning death of Jesus Christ on the cross for our sins and for the sins of all humankind. We all should know that it is from the pen of the Apostle Paul that the great doctrine of justification by faith is shared with us. So the Apostle Paul is not contradicting himself. Dr. Nelson Price, the distinguished pastor from Marietta, Georgia, reminds us in his landmark work on "The Epistle of Paul, The Apostle to the Romans:" "Anyone who seeks to earn ...

17. First, Last And Always--god!

John 13:1-17

Sermon

King Duncan

... them, and I will write it on their hearts?" Or why not turn to the Gospel text from John in which Jesus says, "You will know the truth, and the truth will make you free"? Or that wonderful text from Romans 3 in which Paul talks about justification by faith? All three texts are Reformation Day texts. Why turn to Psalm 46? "God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble. Therefore we will not fear, though the earth should change, though the mountains shake in the heart of the sea; though its ...

18. God’s Chain Reaction

Romans 5:1-5

Sermon

April Yamasaki

... 's grace our whole lifelong, and even beyond this life, we can have hope of sharing the glory of God. Again, God's chain reaction is made complete by hope. For both of these chain reactions, the end result is hope. In verses 1 and 2, it's justification by faith that leads to peace with God and standing in grace and results in hope. In verses 3 and 4, it's suffering that produces endurance that produces character that leads to hope. Today we use the word "hope" very loosely in a number of different ways. I ...

19. Faith vs. Good Works

1 Corinthians 6:12-20

Sermon

Scott Suskovic

... climb to the top." Luther turned the ladder upside down. That's not what the Bible says. "For we hold that a person is justified by faith apart from works of law" (Romans 3:28). And then he drew a line in the sand and said, "Justification by faith through grace is the doctrine upon which the church stands or falls." Erode this and reduce Christianity to a set of morals and the whole thing begins to crumble. Christianity is not about morality. It's not about climbing a ladder. It's not a partnership between ...

20. Tackling Troubles Triumphantly

James 1:1-18

Sermon

Eric Ritz

... speaks to us today with penetrating power and purpose. It offers wonderful words of wisdom for the Christian’s walk and witness. This letter of James was written for the second stage of a Christian’s journey--the journey INWARD. The doctrine of justification by faith had already been established as the standard in the Christian community, and so James wants to take us a step further. He writes words of instructions on how our lives as Christians are to make a positive difference in the world. We are ...

21. Philippians 3:4b-14

Philippians 3:1-11

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

... lineage, his pharisaic piety, his zealous defense of the Law — a valueless “loss.” They are all garbage (“skybala” — literally “excrement”) now that he has “gained” Christ. In v.9 Paul offers a consolidated version of his “justification by faith” argument, as expanded and expounded in both Romans and Galatians. By “knowing” Christ Paul now finds he is “in him.” It is that relationship which gives the apostle a new claim to “righteousness.” This “righteousness” is not ...

22. A Faith That Matters Between Sundays

Romans 3:19-28

Sermon

David E. Leininger

... Paul's statement in the epistle to the Romans: "We maintain that a man is justified by faith apart from observing the law" (Romans 3:28). Brother Martin had come to the doctrine that has been called the cornerstone of the Reformation: Justification by faith alone. No "indulgences" necessary, thank you. But Luther's new understanding clashed sharply with the church's position that people are saved by faith and good works — God is willing and able to forgive sins, but God requires some religious ritual or ...

23. Alive In Christ

Colossians 2:6-23

Sermon

Maxie Dunnam

... bringing himself to bring God. Not only does he justify us by providing full pardon for our sin, he indwells us to give us the power to be and do all those things God requires us to be and do. The message of justification by faith is our evangelistic proclamation which must never be diminished. It is crucial. However, it is not complete. And that’s why we Wesleyans have a great contribution to make to theology and Christian understanding. We talk about becoming Christian in ways like “accepting Christ ...

24. Lost in Wonder, Love, and Praise

Romans 11:33-36

Sermon

Raymond Gibson

... re not going to compare yourself to Christ!" The first character replies, "All my life I’ve compared myself to him." This is not blasphemy. We Christians know that we are sinners saved by God’s grace alone. But we also know that following our justification by faith is the sanctification of our lives to service after Jesus’ example. "Let your light shine," Jesus said. "Let your holiness he seen, that men may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven." That is why we worship God ...

25. The Turnstile at the Pearly Gate

Luke 13:22-30

Sermon

Carveth Mitchell

... is a hymn whose first verse reads: Living for Jesus a life that is true Striving to please him in all that I do; Yielding allegiance, glad hearted and free This is the pathway of blessing for me. Striving! Here, of course, the New Testament teaching of Justification by Faith comes in. We are made acceptable to God by our personal faith in Jesus as our Savior; by our own public profession of Jesus as our Savior. Martin Luther, in his great hymn "Em’ Feste Burg," wrote Were not the right man on our side Our ...

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