Sermon Central
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The Inheritance Of The Church
Contributed by Alison Bucklin on Jul 6, 2011 (message contributor)
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1. Reading God’s Will
Contributed on Jul 6, 2011
God’s last will and testament gives us countless unimaginable blessings - but only in Christ, who is their embodiment.
How many of you have a will? Did you put a lot of thought into it? Did you go over the people you love, and the How many of you have a will? Did you put a lot of thought into it? Did you go over the people you love, and the things that matter to you, and try to make the two match? How many ...read more
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2. Living On Purpose
Contributed on Jul 6, 2011
We are on earth to demonstrate God’s glory and goodness to the world by our lives and actions.
Why on earth are we here? What is the purpose of life? Rick Warren, the author of The Purpose-Driven Life, said to TV news personality Bill O’Reilly that this is the key question that he hears over and over again as he goes around the country talking to people about their lives. And my preaching ...read more
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3. One For All
Contributed on Jul 8, 2011
The only walls appropriate for the household of God are load-bearing walls, to strengthen us for the work of the church.
Almost everywhere I looked while preparing this sermon I found a reference to Robert Frost’s wonderful poem, “Mending Wall.” He begins it with the famous line, “Something there is that doesn’t love a wall.” The poem then goes on to tell of two neighbors who meet at the wall between their two ...read more
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4. Blood Relations
Contributed on Jul 9, 2011
Blood is thicker than water. But the blood that matters is not ours - not our common ancestors, not our genetic heritage, not even a shared cultural or legal identity. The blood that makes the church a family is Jesus’ blood.
One of the things I have always like about being here in Clayton is the small town, family atmosphere. I moved around so much when I was young that I don’t know anyone I went to kindergarten with; I hardly even know most of my relatives. But here... We have multiple generations sitting right here ...read more
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5. The Spiral Stair
Contributed on Jul 9, 2011
The journey of faith is like a spiral stair, the whole held up by the love of God, but the sequence of steps always the same. Commit yourself to the grace of God. Surrender more of yourself to Christ. And love the people he puts in your path as if he h
I wish I could play the piano. Not just picking out a tune with my right hand, but really playing - composers like Bach and Beethoven and Mozart. As most of you know, my mother plays. She’ll be back here in May, and Martie’s already agreed to let her play for the service. Even ...read more
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6. Family Ties
Contributed on Jul 9, 2011
Everyone who calls on God the Father in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ is connected, willy-nilly, to every other Christian. We haven’t any choice about it. We are one, like it or not.
Do you know what the Zen Buddhist said to the hot dog vendor? “Make me one with everything.” English is a remarkably flexible language. You can play wonderful games with it. “Make for me one hot dog with everything on it” is a far cry from the Buddhist ideal, which is in fact to become One with ...read more
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7. The King’s New Clothes
Contributed on Jul 11, 2011
If we clothe ourselves only in the name of Jesus, the world will see right through it - and through us. We have to put on his life, death and resurrection as well.
If you change the word “Gentiles” in the first verse of today’s passage to “Americans” the whole lesson moves right into our own situation. They are practically a mirror of contemporary society. Listen to this: “[Americans] are darkened in their understanding, alienated from the life of God ...read more
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8. Imitation Of God
Contributed on Jul 11, 2011
It grieves the Holy Spirit when our broken, crazy, noisy world has more effect on our actions than does our experience and knowledge of the love of God.
A couple of weeks ago I flew out to Minneapolis for just 36 hours to see my godson Ted in The Music Man. If he hadn’t skipped the cast party and come home early Thursday night I wouldn’t have gotten to see him off stage at all. But there we were, at 10:30 at night, both exhausted and happy, ...read more
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9. From Dark To Light
Contributed on Jul 11, 2011
There are three people from whom we cannot hide if we are to mature as Christians: God, ourselves, and our brothers and sisters in Christ.
When I was in high school we got a little orange cat from the pound. We named him Kumquat because he was such a very small orange; he fit in the palm of your hand. He didn’t stay that way, though. He grew. But he never figured it out. He had formed the habit of sleeping on the round needlepoint ...read more
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10. Just Say Yes
Contributed on Jul 25, 2011
We do not receive the Spirit just by saying "No" to a list of prohibited actions. We receive him by saying yes to the call of God, and yes to the commands of God
Life sometimes really does seem a lot like a shell game. It moves faster than you can keep track of and what you reach for is often disappointingly empty. For many people life feels just plain random, a big gamble but at least it's not rigged against you. But sometimes life may feel like a ...read more
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11. Triune Marriage
Contributed on Jul 25, 2011
Just as the church is made one with God through Jesus Christ, man and women are made one through Christ. Christian marriage consists of three people: husband, wife, and Jesus.
Many preachers would probably prefer to avoid today's passage if at all possible. The idea of submission isn't particularly popular in today's world. In fact, when the Southern Baptist Convention issued a newly revised declaration in June of 1998 that included a special section on marriage and ...read more
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12. Lawful Authority
Contributed on Jul 25, 2011
Some authority is built into the fabric of God's very creation, and our response to earthly authority - whether we wield it or submit to it - reflects our acceptance of God's authority.
Many scholars and preachers treat today's passage as an extension of last week's exhortation for husbands and wives to submit to one another. They call the section between chapter 5 verse 21 and chapter 6 verse 9 "house codes." Paul almost certainly drew from well-known early Christian teachings ...read more
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13. Protective Clothing
Contributed on Jul 28, 2011
Only the armor of God can prevail against the great lie that there is no truth outside our own experience.
I've spent a good part of this week since coming back on vacation catching up on the mail - sorting things, answering letters and reading. I subscribe to a lot of publications; probably about half are directly related to religious issues; the rest are mostly news or public policy oriented. I ...read more
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14. Re-Birthday Presents
Contributed on Aug 7, 2011
Each one of us needs the gifts of the others in the body for our own wholeness, as well as for the health and optimal functioning of the whole church. And all of these gifts are to be used in love.
How many of you can remember building things when you were little? At my house we had Lincoln logs and tinker toys and cedar blocks, and I could spend all day building houses. I always envied the kids who had Meccano sets, you know, the metal strips with holes in them that you could put together ...read more
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15. Power Hungry
Contributed on Nov 24, 2022
Bad things happen. Bad things happen to good people, and bad things happen to bad people. Why?
POWER HUNGRY Bad things happen. Bad things happen to good people, and bad things happen to bad people. Bad things happen. Sometimes the cause is obvious: greed and hatred, poverty and ignorance, all cause suffering in greater or lesser degrees, and we can point to sin as the reason. But ...read more