Sermon Resources on Humble Leadership

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What is Luther?

Author

Keywords

Scripture

Mark 10:42-45, Matthew 20:25-28, 1 Corinthians 1:12-13, 1 Timothy 4:12, John 7:16, Galatians 1:10, 2 Timothy 4:3-4, 2 Corinthians 4:5, John 3:30, 1 Corinthians 2:1-2

When Martin Luther discovered that some had begun calling the first Protestants “Lutherans,” he strongly objected. It is funny to think that some 500 years later, many are still known by his name: ...

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John Calvin: A Reformer's Humility

Author

The Pastor's Workshop

Keywords

Scripture

2 Corinthians 11:2, Acts 13:50, James 4:13-15, Philippians 2:3-4, Romans 12:17-19, 1 Peter 2:23, 2 Timothy 4:2, 1 Peter 5:2-3, John 21:15-17, 2 Corinthians 4:5, 1 Corinthians 2:1-5

The Protestant Reformer John Calvin (1509-1564) arrived in Geneva to lead the city’s church in 1536, but not, as we might imagine, to universal acceptance. Rather, there was significant resistance and...

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Lowering the Lord Nelson Statue

Author

David McCullough

Keywords

Scripture

Colossians 1:15, John 14:6, John 8:12, 2 Corinthians 4:6, John 14:9, Hebrews 1:3, John 1:14

At Trafalgar Square in the city of London stands a statue of Lord Nelson. Resting atop a tall pillar, it towers too high for passersby to distinguish his features. For this reason, about forty years a...

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Prayer for All Needs (Excerpted)

Author

Clement of Rome

Keywords

Scripture

Genesis 1:, Isaiah 45:7, 1 Samuel 2:6-7, 1 Peter 2:9, 2 Corinthians 4:6, Psalm 146:7-9, Isaiah 61:1, John 3:16, Colossians 1:13, Revelation 4:11, Ephesians 5:8, Acts 26:18, 2 Timothy 1:9, 2 Corinthians 3:18, Luke 1:51-52, Luke 4:18-19

*This is the earliest known prayer of the Christian Church outside of scripture May he who created everything keep the number of his chosen people, throughout the world, up to the strength he...

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Author

Thomas à Kempis

Keywords

Humility

Scripture

2 Corinthians 4:5, Micah 6:8, 1 Thessalonians 4:11-12, Philippians 2:5-7, Proverbs 27:2, John 3:30

Love to be unknown.

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Certainty vs. Vulnerability

Author

Austin Fischer

Keywords

Scripture

Galatians 5:6, John 20:27, Mark 9:24, 2 Corinthians 4:18, Romans 8:24-25, James 1:5-6

In this excerpt from his book Faith in the Shadows, pastor and author Austin Fischer shares a surprising truth about the need to be vulnerable with our own faith if we are likely to have a positive im...

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The Everyday Virtue of Courage

Author

Stanley Hauerwas

Keywords

Scripture

Joshua 1:6-9, Isaiah 41:10, Ephesians 6:10-18, Matthew 10:28-31, Psalm 56:3-4, 2 Corinthians 4:8-12

In this short excerpt written by the Christian Ethicist Stanley Hauerwas to his godson, he pontificates on the topic of courage: Usually courage is identified with dramatic and heroic acts. Though I...

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Excellence, the Jeremiah Way

Author

Eugene H. Peterson

Keywords

Scripture

Matthew 23:12, 2 Corinthians 4:7, Romans 12:2, Galatians 5:16-17, Colossians 3:12-14, Micah 6:8, Philippians 3:7-8

In Jeremiah it is clear that the excellence comes from a life of faith, from being more interested in God than in self, and has almost nothing to do with comfort or esteem or achievement. Here is a pe...

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Wholeheartedly Committing to God's Will

Author

Frank Laubach

Keywords

Scripture

John 4:14, John 4:1-26, Isaiah 58:11, 2 Corinthians 4:16-18, Psalm 1:3, 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18, Matthew 6:10, Proverbs 16:9, Hebrews 13:20-21, James 1:5, John 6:38-40

Frank Laubach recounts the profound shift in his life that came when he wholeheartedly committed to following God’s will: Before that moment, I was barely alive—like a tree rotting from within. Bu...

liturgy

Give us, O Lord, steadfast hearts,

Author

Thomas Aquinas

Keywords

Scripture

Psalm 112:7, Daniel 6:, 2 Corinthians 4:8-9, Genesis 39:, Matthew 2:1-12

Give us, O Lord, steadfast hearts, which no unworthy thought can drag downward, unconquered hearts, which no tribulation can wear out, upright hearts, which no unworthy purpose may tempt aside. Bestow...

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Author

Jodi Picoult

Keywords

Scripture

Exodus 1:8-22, Job 1:13-22 , Isaiah 40:28-31, 2 Corinthians 4:7-10, Matthew 11:28-30 , Psalm 55:22

The human capacity for burden is like bamboo – far more flexible than you’d ever believe at first glance.

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Heavenly Father, we confess that we are not always

Author

Allen Thompson

Keywords

Scripture

Isaiah 64:8, 2 Corinthians 4:7, John 15:5, Matthew 13:1-23, Luke 10:25-37, John 6:1-14, Luke 1:26-38, Acts 10:

Heavenly Father, we confess that we are not always able, willing, and ready to be vessels of your work. Thank you for the times that you cultivate our receptive hearts and fruitful hands. In your abun...

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All: Gracious God, you promise that

Author

Laura B. Murray

Keywords

Scripture

John 8:12, John 1:, Psalm 27:, Isaiah 9:2, Psalm 119:105, 2 Corinthians 4:6, Proverbs 3:5-6, Isaiah 60:1, Matthew 5:14-16

All: Gracious God, you promise that your light drowns out darkness, yet the darkness is so persistent. We cannot see in front of us, so we look to our own knowledge and ways. Forgive us for turning to...

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He Guides Our Steps, Through All The Tangled Maze

Author

Count Nicolaus Ludwig von Zinzendorf

Keywords

Scripture

Isaiah 42:16, Psalm 23:, Exodus 13:21-22, 2 Corinthians 4:6, Romans 8:28, Romans 11:33, Philippians 1:6

The following poem is attributed to Nicholaus Ludwig Zinzendorf, the 18th century Moravian church leader and reformer. It captures well the ups and downs of life, the existential questions that emerge...

Quote

Author

Helen Keller

Keywords

Hope

Scripture

Matthew 17:20, Luke 1:37, Ephesians 3:20, Philippians 4:13, Mark 11:24, 2 Corinthians 4:18

Hope sees the invisible, feels the intangible, and achieves the impossible.

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The Stockdale Paradox

Author

Tod E. Bolsinger

Keywords

Scripture

John 16:33, Psalm 34:18-19, Hebrews 12:1-2, Philippians 4:12-13, Isaiah 40:31, 2 Corinthians 4:8-9, Romans 5:3-5

James Stockdale and what is now known as the Stockdale Paradox comes from his experience as a prisoner of war for seven years during the Vietnam War. The Stockdale Paradox, made famous in Jim Collins’...

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A Trinitarian Deficit Disorder

Author

James Bryan Smith

Keywords

Scripture

John 14:9, Colossians 1:15, Hebrews 1:3, 2 Corinthians 4:4-6, Luke 19:10

A student of mine, Josiah Brown, oversees the student outreach team. He and some of our students go to youth groups to teach the youth about Christian spiritual formation. They talk about what formati...

scripture guide

Scripture Guide, 2 Corinthians 4:3-6

Author

Allen Thompson

Keywords

Scripture

2 Corinthians 4:3-6, 2 Corinthians 3:, 2 Corinthians 4:1-2, Mark 9:5-6, Jeremiah 1:33-34, Exodus 34:29-35

Ancient Lens What’s the historical context? Mixed Loyalties Diving straight into 2 Corinthians 4:3-6 without giving a nod to 2 Corinthians 3:1-4:2 gives a strange impression, because Paul’s point...

liturgy

God of mercy, we come before you with open hearts

Author

Keith D. Schroeder

Keywords

Scripture

Galatians 6:9, 2 Corinthians 4:1, Isaiah 40:31, Psalm 80:3, Matthew 16:18, Isaiah 43:19

Leader: God of mercy, we come before you with honest hearts. We bring not only our praise, but also our pain. We confess that at times we have lost heart. Hear now our lament, and kindle in us your ho...

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Don’t Professionalize Pastoral Ministry

Author

Frederick Buechner

Keywords

Scripture

1 Kings 19:4, Jeremiah 12:1-3, Matthew 11:28-30, 2 Corinthians 4:7-10, Psalm 42:1-5

Ministers run the awful risk . . . of ceasing to be witnesses to the presence in their own lives — let alone in the lives of the people they are trying to minister to — of a living God who transcends ...

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Foolishness to the Greeks

Author

John Stott

Keywords

Scripture

2 Timothy 2:12, James 1:2-4, Matthew 5:11-12, Philippians 1:29, Romans 8:18, 2 Corinthians 4:17, John 15:20

Nevertheless, what was shameful, even odious, to the critics of Christ, was in the eyes of his followers most glorious. They had learnt that the servant was not greater than the master, and that for t...

lectionary

Transfiguration Sunday

Author

Allen Thompson

Keywords

Scripture

2 Corinthians 4:3-6, 2 Corinthians 3:, 2 Corinthians 4:1-2, Mark 9:5-6, Jeremiah 31:33-34, Exodus 34:29-35

AIM Commentary Ancient Lens What’s the historical context? Mixed Loyalties Diving straight into 2 Corinthians 4:3-6 without giving a nod to 2 Corinthians 3:1-4:2 gives a strange impression, bec...

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One Dark Night: A Deeper Work of God

Author

Alan Fadling

Keywords

Scripture

Psalm 27:1, Isaiah 50:10, 2 Corinthians 4:16-18, Romans 8:18, James 1:2-4, Isaiah 50:10

[These thoughts come from a journal entry of about 10 years ago when I was experiencing a deep and dark night of faith] I have found insight and wisdom for my journey with Christ in the writings of J...

scripture guide

Scripture Guide, 2 Corinthians 4:13-5:1

Author

Bud Thoreen

Keywords

Scripture

2 Corinthians 4:13-5:1, 2 Corinthians 4:13-18, 2 Corinthians 5:1, Acts 9:1-18, Hebrews 12:2, Psalm 116:null, Romans 12:2, Colossians 3:9-10

Notes on the Passage Besieged from All Angles: The context of this passage is best summed up with the words recorded throughout the letter: Trouble, Distress, Suffering, Hardship, Death at work, Ja...

lectionary

Second Sunday after Pentecost

Author

Bud Thoreen

Keywords

Scripture

2 Corinthians 4:13-5:1, 2 Corinthians 4:13-18, 2 Corinthians 5:1, 2 Corinthians 4:7-12, Acts 9:1-18, Hebrews 12:2, Colossians 3:9-10

Preaching Commentary Besieged from All Angles The context of this passage is best summed up with the words recorded throughout the letter: Trouble, Distress, Suffering, Hardship, Death at work, Jar...

Quote

Author

G. K. Chesterton

Keywords

Scripture

Romans 8:24-25, 2 Corinthians 4:8-9, Habakkuk 3:17-18, Hebrews 6:19, 1 Peter 1:3

Hope is the power of being cheerful in the presence of circumstances we know to be desperate.

Quote

Author

Jonathan Sacks

Keywords

Scripture

Philippians 4:13, 1 Peter 1:3, Hebrews 10:23, Isaiah 40:31, 2 Corinthians 4:8-9, Psalm 27:14, Romans 5:3-5

It takes no courage to be an optimist, but it takes a great deal of courage to have hope.

Quote

Author

Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi

Keywords

Scripture

John 16:33, Proverbs 24:10, 1 Peter 5:10, Isaiah 40:31, Philippians 4:13, 2 Corinthians 4:8-9, Romans 5:3-5

Of all the virtues we can learn, no trait is more useful, more essential for survival, and more likely to improve the quality of life than the ability to transform adversity into an enjoyable challeng...

Quote

Author

John Stott

Keywords

Scripture

1 Peter 4:14, 2 Corinthians 4:16-17, Romans 8:17-18, Luke 23:33-46, Acts 7:54-60

Nevertheless, what was shameful, even odious, to the critics of Christ, was in the eyes of his followers most glorious. They had learnt that the servant was not greater than the master, and that for t...

liturgy

Leader: Lord, how many are my foes!

Keywords

Scripture

1 Samuel 17:45–47, Isaiah 41:10, Matthew 8:23–26, Acts 16:25–26, 2 Corinthians 4:8–9, Psalm 3:1-7a, 8

Leader: Lord, how many are my foes! How many rise up against me! Many are saying of me,“ God will not deliver him.” People: But you, Lord, are a shield around me, my glory, the One who lifts my he...

Sermon Resources on humble leadership

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