Sermons on Civilla Martin:

Why Hope? Series

Contributed by Scott Maze on Jun 4, 2021

Peter calls on the Christians in his day to have hope much like Martin Luther King Jr. did in his day. Peter says, “I command you to be hopeful though you are suffering greatly.”

Sometimes our hope is invisible. The last words of dying people have always fascinated me. They are so revealing of a person's heart and soul. John Wilkes Booth who assassinated President Lincoln said only two words at his death: “Useless. Useless.” These are words of hopelessness. Fox News ...read more

Scripture: 1 Peter 1:13

Denomination: Baptist

Armour For An Ambassador In Chains

Contributed by Fr Mund Cargill Thompson on Aug 22, 2015

A new take on The "whole armour of God" with reference to Eddie Izzard's "Cake or death", Francis of Assisi preaching to the Sultan, Jeremy Corbyn and Liz kendell, Martin Luther King and Our Lady's bible learning habits.

“I am an ambassador in chains” [Eph6:20] writes St Paul “pray for me so that when I speak a message may be given to make known with BOLDNESS the mystery of the Gospel for which I am an ambassador in chains” Probably many of us- possibly most of us know this glorious ...read more

Scripture: Ephesians 6:10-20

Denomination: Anglican

The Songs Of Ascent – Part 11 – Psalm 129 – Israel Is The Most Persecuted Nation In History Yet The Lord Is Righteous – Part One Of Three Series

Contributed by Ron Ferguson on Sep 4, 2023

This Psalm of Ascent has its focus on Israel and the constant persecution it endured. We look at the role churches played in this persecution (and Martin Luther). History must NOT be eradicated but we need to learn from it.

THE SONGS OF ASCENT – PART 11 – PSALM 129 – ISRAEL IS THE MOST PERSECUTED NATION IN HISTORY YET THE LORD IS RIGHTEOUS – PART ONE OF THREE [A]. THE INTRODUCTION The next Psalm in the Songs of Ascent is not an easy one on which to deliver a message as it is more of a bible study Psalm. Also it ...read more

Scripture: Deuteronomy 16:16-17, Psalm 129:1-8, Deuteronomy 4:25-28, 1 Thessalonians 1:10, Psalm 129:2, Genesis 12:3  (view more)  (view less)

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

This Thorny Thicket Series

Contributed by Joseph Smith on Jan 20, 2008

For Martin Luther King Day. The words we offer fall into the thorny thicket of anxiety, despair, and distraction. Like King with his dream, we the church can give hands and feet to help those so captured.

Our back yard is a thorny thicket. Other people have manicured lawns, with friendly plants laid out in neat rows. But our back yard is a tangled thorny thicket. Along one fence there are blackberries, growing in long canes that have to be tied up lest they wander into the next county. They ...read more

Scripture: Mark 4:13-20

Denomination: Baptist

Reformaiton: One Man's Pen Changed The World

Contributed by Clarence Eisberg on Oct 30, 2007

This is a Reformation sermon, reflecting on Martin Luther’s contribution to history & renewal of the gospel. The message also reflects the similarity that Jesus had with the Pharisees who believed you could earn God’s love by keeping the commandments.

In Jesus Holy Name October 28, 2007 Text: Romans 1:17, 3:20-22 Redeemer “One Man’s Pen Changed The World” A Jesuit priest in the 16th century complained, “Luther has damned more souls with his hymns than with all his sermons.” Few people have read his pulpit sermons, but his sermons ...read more

Scripture: Romans 3:20-22

Denomination: Lutheran

The Sword Of Speech

Contributed by Joseph Smith on Dec 2, 2010

If we have God's truth in our hearts, we must speak our witness. It is not good enough to remain silent. That word must be a word of love and it must be a word of justice. Martin Luther King exemplified this discipline.

Takoma Park Baptist Church, Washington, DC January 19, 1986 It was the spring of 1964, and I had to make a choice. I had to decide whether I would, in my very first year of ministry, do something which would create a bit of tension in the church, but which the students with whom I worked were ...read more

Scripture: Proverbs 12:17-18

Denomination: Baptist

Who Will Speak For Them?

Contributed by The Rev Deniray Mueller on Jun 22, 2018

Family separation is an anathema to what Jesus taught

Who Will Speak for Them? Mark 4:35-41 Today’s Gospel reading is a story of Jesus calming the winds and waves also appears in Matthew and Luke in some form as well, and was surely meant to show the ways in which Jesus’ disciples were brought to faith in Him early in His ministry. Control of nature ...read more

Scripture: Mark 4:35-41, Luke 10:25-37

Denomination: Episcopal

Getting Great Through God’s Great Love Series

Contributed by Jeff Strite on Nov 22, 2024

Why is John 3:16 such a powerful verse in Scripture - and what it say about who we are and what God thinks about us?

I once read that the printing press was one of the greatest inventions ever. Up until that time, all books were painstakingly printed by hand - which made books very rare and very hard to find. But the Printing press changed all of that. Information was suddenly made available to 1000s of people. ...read more

Scripture: John 3:13-18, John 3:16, Ephesians 2:1-5

Denomination: Christian/Church Of Christ

A Painful Visit

Contributed by Joseph Smith on Apr 10, 2009

For Martin Luther King Sunday. Misunderstanding comes about because we do not hear one another, we do not have the context to understand, or someone deliberately creates distance. Racial understanding needs to take all this into account.

Misunderstanding is an inevitable part of life. Just because we are human, just because we have limitations and are imperfect, we are going to misunderstand one another. And the sooner we accept that as a part of life and learn to deal with it, the better off we’ll be. There are several reasons ...read more

Scripture: 2 Corinthians 2:1-11

Denomination: Baptist

Burning The Bulls Series

Contributed by Jeff Strite on Nov 5, 2017

When Martin Luther posted his challenge to the church's selling of indulgences on the church door in Wittenberg, Pope Leo X was not pleased. The Pope issue a Papal Bull condemning Luther as a heretic. Luther responded by burning copies of the Bull.

OPEN: October 31st was Halloween… but it was also the date of something even more significant. Many churches celebrate the last day of October as “Reformation Day” – the day (500 years ago) when Martin Luther nailed a document to the door of a Church building in Wittenberg, Germany that challenged ...read more

Scripture: Romans 3:19-28

Denomination: Christian/Church Of Christ

Are You Righteous Or Religious

Contributed by Melvin Maughmer, Jr. on Feb 28, 2021

Dr. Martin Luther King "If I can help somebody as I pass along, then my living will not be in vain". Righteousness is the quality or state of being morally correct and justifiable “behavior that is morally justifiable or right.”

Are You Righteous or Religious? By Bishop Melvin L. Maughmer, Jr. OPENING: - A couple of weeks ago I did a message titled “What Kind of Spirit do you Have”? I love how God sends and uses confirmation. My brother Mark also has been dealing with something very similar and dealing with the ...read more

Scripture: Luke 10:25-37, Micah 6:8

Denomination: Apostolic

Go! And Remember: The Reformation Changed Everything Series

Contributed by Dean Courtier on Sep 30, 2025

When Martin Luther nailed ninety-five theses to the church door in Wittenberg, he never imagined that his bold act would shake the foundations of Europe, transform the church, and ignite what we now call the Reformation.

Go! And Remember: The Reformation Changed Everything Introduction On 31st October 1517, a German monk named Martin Luther nailed ninety-five theses to the church door in Wittenberg. He never imagined that his bold act would shake the foundations of Europe, transform the church, and ignite what we ...read more

Scripture: Romans 1:16-17, Ephesians 2:8-9, Galatians 2:16, 2 Timothy 3:16-17, Acts 4:12, Isaiah 42:8, Romans 10:9  (view more)  (view less)

Denomination: Pentecostal

Where Is The God Of Justice?

Contributed by Joseph Smith on Mar 25, 2010

For Martin Luther King Day 1988: It is irresponsible to continue to whine about God's absence in the face of injustice. He is refining His church to address justice, and will bless us when we give ourselves without reserve to His purposes.

Some twenty-four centuries ago, when the prophet Malachi's ears were assaulted by an impertinent question, he heard it as a confession of irresponsibility. When the men and women of Judah shouted at this prophet, who had accused them of wearying God, who had charged that their blabbering talk was ...read more

Denomination: Baptist

"For The Glory Of God" Series

Contributed by David Henderson on Oct 30, 2017

When Martin Luther hung his writings on the door of the church in Wittenberg, 500 years ago, everything in the church changed. This gave man a renewed purpose. Now all that we do is for the glory of God. It is all for God and God alone.

“For the glory of God” It has been said that history repeats itself. Now I believe that to a point but I think that it is more accurate to say that people repeat the same mistakes in the same choices and the same decisions others have made before them and that’s why history repeats itself. Because ...read more

Scripture: Romans 11:33-36

Denomination: Baptist

On Your Marks, Get Set, Go! A Sermon On Philippians 3 Series

Contributed by Nickolas Kooi on Oct 4, 2017

In Philippians 3, Paul describes our Christian life twice by using a race analogy. It is an effective analogy. For like in a race, we have a reason to run (or cause). We keep our eyes on the prize, and we are encouraged along the way.

One night in college, I needed a study break, and I decided to read some online articles. As I was scrolling through, one caught my interest. It was titled: “Top Ten Greatest Canadians.” As I saw the title, I wondered how many people on that list would be hockey related, since it is Canada, ...read more

Scripture: Philippians 3:4-14

Denomination: Lutheran