Sermon and Worship Resources

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Showing 1 to 25 of 307 results

1. Do You Renounce All the Forces of Evil?

Luke 4:1-13

Illustration

Frank G. Honeycutt

... a question used at countless baptisms all over the world. A question that is almost as old as the church itself. Just before water is splashed in the threefold name, I look at parents and sponsors and sometimes adult candidates across the pool and ask: Do you renounce all the forces of evil, the devil, and all his empty promises? To tell you the truth, I've been waiting for somebody to laugh at the question. Who really believes in the devil anymore? We've left him behind with the Easter Bunny and the Tooth ...

2. Renouncing Disgraceful Ways

2 Corinthians 1:12--2:4

Illustration

John R. Steward

We have renounced disgraceful, underhanded ways; we refuse to practice cunning or to tamper with God's Word, but by the open statement of the truth we would commend ourselves to every man's conscience in the sight of God." (v. 2) A young man was visiting with his pastor one afternoon. He ...

3. Renouncing Everything

Illustration

Steven P. Loy

... . For me those I love have died, and for them I have died. From today on, my body is useless and alien to me. Only my spirit and my conscience remain precious and important to me." Confronted by such a prisoner, the interrogator will tremble. Only the man who has renounced everything can win that victory.

4. Renounce Worldly Pleasures for Heavenly Home

Luke 16:1-15

Bulletin Aid

Carl Hoefler

Call to Worship Pastor: The pleasures of this world are so attractive that we invest quite heavily in them. People: The pleasures of this world make life enjoyable. That is why they mean so much to us. Pastor: But some of the pleasures we value so highly prevent us from receiving real life that God wants to give us, not only in this world, but in the next. People: We do not want so much from this world, that it prevents us from receiving the life God wants to give us. May he help us learn how to live. ...

5. On Defeating the Devil

Luke 4:1-13

Sermon

Frank G. Honeycutt

... us to find meaning, purpose, and the inner resources to resist evil. We need a story that was being told long before we were born and a story that will be told long after we return to ash and worm castings. So, let me pose the question again. Do you renounce all the forces of evil, the devil, and all his empty promises? Maybe it's a question you're still laughing at, intellectually, deep down. Maybe it's a question you didn't give a whole lot of thought to when you said, "I do," at the font back there ...

6. Good News for the Multitudes

Luke 14:25-35

Sermon

Thomas C. Short

... if not, while the other is yet a great way off, he sends an embassy and asks terms of peace. So therefore, whoever of you does not renounce all that he has cannot be my disciple." When I was in college I was one of several young men who decided to go to work ... I am like them. When I hear these difficult words of Jesus I know that I am not ready to be a disciple. I am not ready to renounce all that I have to follow Christ. At times, I wish my heart was in that place, but it is not. I have a wife and children, ...

7. Proper 18

Philemon 1:8-25, Philemon 1:1-7, Jeremiah 18:1--19:15, Luke 14:25-35

Sermon Aid

John R. Brokhoff

... even his own family and himself in the sense of loving Christ more than these. b. Carrying a cross v. 27. To carry a cross means to bear the hardships and persecution that come to Christians. c. Placing of material possessions in second place v. 33. To renounce the world does not necessarily mean "sell all and give to the poor." It means that material concerns are considered of less worth than Christ. If needed, he would give up all his goods for Christ. 2. Look before you leap (14:28-32). Need: There is ...

8. Proper 18

Lk 14:25-33 · Eze 33:1-11 · Phm 1-20 · Prov 9:8-12

Sermon Aid

John R. Brokhoff

... even his own family and himself in the sense of loving Christ more than these. B. Carrying a cross - v. 27. To carry a cross means to bear the hardships and persecution that come to Christians. C. Placing of material possessions in second place - v. 33. To renounce the world does not necessarily mean "sell all and give to the poor." It means that material concerns are considered of less worth than Christ. If need be, he would give up all his goods for Christ. 2. Look Before You Leap. 14:28-32. Need: There ...

9. Have This Mind

Philippians 2:1-11

Sermon

Craig Erickson

... , envy, strife, dissension, lust, self-pity. These are the forces of evil that threaten to undo us from within. Baptism is the church’s prayer that those who enter it will have the mind of Christ, will turn from sin, and will continue to renounce it throughout their lives. That’s why renunciations are used even in the Baptism of infants, who are too little to know what evil is. Baptism marks the beginning of the Christian pilgrimage, which consists of spiritual warfare against the powers of evil. It ...

10. Grace Has Appeared

Titus 2:11-14

Sermon

James L. Killen

... for your country, love for your family, love for life. Christ hopes to stir up in you just that kind of commitment to the salvation of the world. That will indeed reshape our lives. "The grace of God has appeared, bringing salvation to all, training us to renounce impiety and worldly passions and to live lives that are self-controlled, upright, and godly...." Yes. God works in our lives to make us into the very best people we can be. That is part of the process of the salvation that Jesus came to bring into ...

11. Driving Out the Nations

Deuteronomy 7:1-26

Understanding Series

Christopher J. H. Wright

... very different from ordinary wars, and more recent scholarship advocates the disuse of the term as a way of describing OT wars. It seems that ḥērem denoted a specific kind of war in which all “proceeds” (booty, animals, captives) were to be renounced by Israel through being devoted to Yahweh alone. But the rules for this were not uniform. (Cf. Jones, “Holy/Yahweh War?”; Craigie, The Problem of War.) It appears that the number of wars that were explicitly characterized by ḥērem were in fact ...

12. Jesus Is the Example of Service for His Followers

Matthew 20:17-19, Matthew 20:20-28

Teach the Text

Jeannine K. Brown

... following the pattern of self-denial set by Jesus himself (20:28). In this passage they argue about the highest positions of status in the coming kingdom (20:2–24; see 18:1; 19:27). So Jesus continues to teach the Twelve about the importance of renouncing status concerns and of emulating those who have little or no status in their world: slaves (20:25–27) and children (18:3–4). Interpretive Insights 20:18 the Son of Man will be delivered over. This is Jesus’ third passion prediction in 16:21–20 ...

13. The Guilt Offering

Leviticus 5:14--6:7

Teach the Text

Joe M. Sprinkle

... 11:29). Christians too need to be careful about how they treat God’s holy things. Confession of sin can lead to true transformation. Human Experience: The ritual of the guilt offering constituted symbolically a confession and renouncement of sin. Confession and renouncement are essential features of Alcoholics Anonymous (AA) meetings. Psychologically, confession of sin to others and to God helps give the sinner the courage and the resolve actually to change. Among the “Twelve Steps” of the AA program ...

14. Ashamed To Beg

Luke 16:1-15

Illustration

John G. Lynn

... we really are. He will bring us to a crossroad in life where we will be forced to say, "To dig I am not able, to beg I am ashamed." There God will reveal to us who we are. As we reach to him for help we will find ourselves renouncing our commissions -- whatever we think we need to survive but we really don't. God knows that. Luther found himself in this position many times in his life. Once, as he began his study of law, he was struck down in a thunderstorm. Terrified, he cried out, "Dear Saint Ann ...

15. The Strength of Poverty

1 Corinthians 1:18--2:5

Sermon

Hubert Beck

... we are accustomed. It is, in fact, different from what seems perfectly obvious on the surface, for whether we want to own anything or not, there are some "givens" to our life that cannot be denied. Our very life itself, for example, is something that we must claim. To renounce it would be to commit suicide. We have it to have and to hold - as a possession, if you will. To sustain it we must eat and drink, which means we must lay hold on food and water as possession, even if only momentarily. We need to keep ...

16. God Works From the Inside Out

Acts 2:1-13

Sermon

James W. Moore

... of the punishment you force me to sentence you to. Are you really so brave that you can die for your God? Is not life dear to you? “Yes,” answered Sahak, “it is.” Roman Governor: “But if you do not forswear this God of yours, if you do not renounce your God, nothing can save you. You will lose your life. “Yes,” answered Sahak, “But I cannot lose my God!” Do you know what Sahak was saying? He was saying “I have fire power of Pentecost! Do you? Do you have that? Do you have that kind of ...

17. Choices

Mark 1:9-13

Sermon

King Duncan

... were under constant persecution from the Roman government and surrounding society. The Romans invented the barbaric practice of sending unarmed Christians into the arena with hungry lions as a form of entertainment. Keep the faith and face persecution and death. Renounce your faith and melt back into the anonymous crowd of Roman citizens. What a choice to make! McKenna pictures the believers gathered in a secret meeting, hungrily reading over Mark's letter to them, searching for some words of encouragement ...

18. It’s All about Jesus

Isaiah 52:13--53:12

Sermon

Ron Lavin

... as troublemakers because they refused to acknowledge Caesar as Lord. Many Christians were arrested. Some were fed to the lions; some burned at the stake. According to the story, Lazarus was arrested and threatened with death. He was brought before the Roman Emperor Caligula who ordered him to renounce his faith in Christ. “I cannot and will not renounce my faith in Jesus as Lord,” Lazarus replied. “You don’t understand,” Caligula said. “I have power of life and death over you. If you don’t ...

19. Lord of All!

Acts 10:34-43

Sermon

Ron Lavin

... at the stake. According to the story, Lazarus was arrested and threatened with death. He was brought before the Roman Emperor Caligula who ordered him to renounce his faith in Christ. "I cannot and will not renounce my faith in Jesus as Lord," Lazarus replied. "You don't understand," Caligula said. "I have power of life and death over you. If you don't renounce Jesus as Lord and proclaim me as Lord, I will have you killed." According to the story, Lazarus laughed. He laughed uncontrollably. He laughed right ...

20. The Spirit of Cross Pointe

1 Corinthians 9:19-23

Sermon

James Merritt

... build up bridges to a world that was in need of Jesus Christ. What Paul had done in effect was this. He lived in a world that even then cried out on every street corner, "I want my rights." Paul said, "I don't want my rights and I voluntarily renounce my rights, my liberty and my freedom to be a slave to others who do not know Jesus Christ." Stewart Briscoe is a very successful Christian writer and was the pastor of an extremely large church. He told the story of how one day he was in the supermarket and ...

21. The Power to Begin Again

Acts 3:12-19

Sermon

J. Howard Olds

... There's nothing you can do about this. In fact, Dan Brown's sources date back to Narcissism in the first century which was proved to be a heresy and a lot he had to do in copying a book in 1982. The spiritual forces of wickedness - Peter says, “Renounce them." II. REPENT AND TURN TO GOD SO THAT YOUR SINS CAN BE WIPED OUT. We are not likely to reach our desired destination by traveling faster in the wrong direction. Sometimes the best thing we can do is stop and turn around. Several years ago I was coming ...

22. A Little Theology at Christmas

Titus 2:11-14

Sermon

John N. Brittain

... 10, 14; 3:1-3, 8, 14]). For a book of three short chapters, this is a lot! So the grace of God is made known in Jesus Christ so that we can live godly and productive lives. And how are we to go about this? "... training us to renounce impiety and worldly passions, and in the present age to live lives that are self-controlled, upright, and godly...." The aspect of training is one of Paul's themes, which tends to get overlooked in many Christian circles because it clearly carries with it overtones of work and ...

23. The Jewish Leaders as Negative Foil for Jesus’ Followers

Matthew 23:1-39

Teach the Text

Jeannine K. Brown

... e.g., 4:23; 5:2; 9:35). 23:11 The greatest among you will be your servant. This teaching parallels Jesus’ teaching about discipleship at 20:26: “Whoever wants to be great among you must be your servant.” Jesus calls his followers to renounce status concerns and to live a life focused on the benefit of others in the believing community and not on self-aggrandizement. 23:12 those who exalt themselves will be humbled, and those who humble themselves will be exalted. This concluding statement about ...

24. The Day of Atonement: Preparation

Leviticus 16:1-34

Teach the Text

Joe M. Sprinkle

... purchaser that the property really belongs to him or her—free from outstanding claims or unpaid debt. In the end, it is important for the person who purchases the property to know that all other parties have renounced any claim on the property. Part of preparing our hearts for worship involves renouncing. We must renounce our interest in the things of the world. We must settle our debts with the Lord, ensuring that we are not still tied to things of this world. The Day of Atonement: The Two Goats Big Idea ...

25. Daniel Interprets the Dream and Confronts Nebuchadnezzar

Daniel 4:19-27

Teach the Text

Ronald W. Pierce

... allows prophets to call sinners to repentance. The Bible calls God’s people to be prophetic. That is, we should speak the truth of Scripture to the world around us, which includes calling sinners to repentance. Sin and wickedness need to be acknowledged and renounced. Exhort your listeners to be honest, acknowledging the sin in their own lives, as well as exposing it in the world around them. Doing what is right includes (in part) kindness to the poor and miserable. God’s people today need to develop ...

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