Sermon Resources on Public Faith

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“Respecting” Religion by Making it Private

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Keywords

Scripture

Exodus 5:1–2, 1 Kings 18:21–39, Daniel 3:16–18, Matthew 5:14–16, Acts 4:19–20, Psalm 2:1–2, 10–12

Most secularists are too politically savvy to attack religion directly or to debunk it as false. So what do they do? They consign religion to the value sphere—which takes it out of the realm of true a...

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Author

Martin Luther

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Scripture

Acts 5:29

I cannot submit my faith either to the pope or to the council, because it is as clear as noonday that they have fallen into error and even into glaring inconsistency with themselves. If, then, I am no...

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A Pastor Speaks Healing

Author

Rob Reimer

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Scripture

James 5:14-15, Mark 16:17-18, Acts 4:29-30, John 14:12, 2 Corinthians 5:7

I grew up in a church where healing never happened. We had theology that Jesus healed, but I never saw anyone healed growing up in the church. One day, I’m a pastor, and I decide we have to move beyon...

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The Redemptive Landlord

Author

Easton Garcia

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Not everyone living in a distressed neighborhood is associated with gang members, parole officers, employers, social workers, or pastors. But nearly all of them have a landlord. —Matthew Desmond, E...

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Consider the Culture

Author

The Pastor's Workshop

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One of the areas often missed in a lot of Christian apologetics is the social setting in which a person encounters the gospel. For example, it is far easier to espouse "rational arguments" f...

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MKL’s Letter from a Birmingham Jail-a Short History

Author

Esau McCaulley

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On April 12, 1963, eight clergy—two Methodist bishops, two Episcopal bishops, one Roman Catholic Bishop, a Rabbi, a Presbyterian, and a Baptist—wrote a letter addressed to the citizens of Alabama. Thi...

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Apologetics as Defense of God's Honor

Author

Os Guinness

Keywords

Scripture

Romans 3:4, Isaiah 5:16, 1 Peter 3:15, Isaiah 42:8

Apologetics (from apologia in Greek) is a “word back,” a reasoned defense mounted on behalf of the one we love who is innocent but has been falsely and unfairly accused. Faith desires to let God be Go...

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Indian Removal Act's Tragic Consequences

Author

Justin Giboney

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Scripture

Exodus 3:7-10, Micah 6:8, Matthew 25:40, Galatians 6:2, Psalm 82:3-4

In 1830, the Indian Removal Act led to what’s known as the Trail of Tears, in which almost fifty thousand indigenous people were removed from the southeastern United States and relocated west of the M...

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Where Were the Humanists?

Author

Timothy Keller

Keywords

Scripture

1 Thessalonians 4:13-14, Isaiah 41:10, Revelation 21:4, John 14:1-3, Romans 8:38-39, Psalm 34:18, 2 Corinthians 5:1

Not long after the December 2012 Newtown shootings, and all the speeches by civic leaders, memorial services, and funerals were over, Samuel G. Freedman wrote a column in The New York Times titled “In...

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Author

Philip Melanchthon

Keywords

Scripture

Romans 5:1-2, Titus 3:5, Romans 3:27-31, 1 Peter 1:6-9, Hebrews 11:6

Faith cannot but pour forth from all creatures in most eager service to God as a dutiful son serves a godly father. The efficacy of faith is such that from its fruits it is very evident in whose heart...

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Luther's Stand at Worms

Author

Casey Clark

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Scripture

Acts 5:29

Luther's stand at the Diet of Worms is legendary. Having written blistering indictments of the abuses of the Catholic church and theological treatises which challenged its teachings, Luther was su...

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Author

N. T. Wright

Keywords

Scripture

Matthew 28:5-7, John 20:19-20, Acts 2:24, Romans 6:4, Revelation 1:18, Psalm 16:10

There is no form of early Christianity known to us- though there are some that have been invented by ingenious scholars- that does not affirm at its heart that after Jesus’ shameful death God raised h...

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Ash Wednesday & A Public Faith

Author

Stuart R. Strachan, Jr.

Keywords

Scripture

Joel 2:12-13, Romans 3:20-26, Job 42:5-6, Ezekiel 9:4, Genesis 2:7, Ecclesiastes 3:20

I don’t know about you, but I’ve always enjoyed the public nature of Ash Wednesday. That is to say, what happens when we leave an Ash Wednesday service and there is the sign of the cross, for all who ...

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Ash Wednesday & A Public Faith: Sermon Illustration Tuesday

Author

Stuart R. Strachan, Jr.

I don’t know about you, but I’ve always enjoyed the public nature of Ash Wednesday. That is to say, what happens when we leave an Ash Wednesday service and there is the sign of the cross, for all who ...

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Author

Philip Melanchthon

Keywords

Scripture

Romans 5:1-2, Titus 3:5, Romans 3:27-31, 1 Peter 1:6-9, Hebrews 11:6, Romans 4:3-5

A living faith is that which pours itself out in works.

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Elon Musk Book Review

Author

Stuart R. Strachan, Jr.

Keywords

Scripture

Ephesians 4:null

The reasonable man adapts himself to the world; the unreasonable one persists to adapt the world to himself. Therefore all progress depends on the unreasonable man. –George Bernard Shaw Problems w...

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Scripture Guide, 2 Corinthians 5:20-6:10

Author

Allen Thompson

Keywords

Scripture

2 Corinthians 5:20-6:10, 2 Corinthians 5:20-21, 2 Corinthians 6:1-10, Matthew 6:1-6, 16-21, Isaiah 58:1-12, Ezekiel 9:1-4, Revelation 7:1-4, 9-10, Revelation 13:16-17

Regarding Ash Wednesday Note: This passage appeared as part of the lectionary for Ash Wednesday. It starts with the gospel passage for that day, but attends to the other passages and themes, so it...

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Ash Wednesday

Author

Allen Thompson

Keywords

Scripture

2 Corinthians 5:20b-6:10, Isaiah 58:1-12, Ezekiel 9:1-4, Revelation 7:1-4, 9-10, Revelation 13:null

Excursus on Ash Wednesday The Meaning of Ashes Ashes represent many things. The heaped up ashes in a hearth may indicate the benefit of warmth on a cold winter’s night. The charred remains of a per...

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Fourth Sunday of Advent

Author

Stuart R. Strachan, Jr.

Keywords

Scripture

Hebrews 10:5-10

Ancient Lens What can we learn from the historical context? Context to the Letter While we don’t have a robust understanding of the context of Hebrews compared to, for example, many of Paul’s let...

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Author

Philip Melanchthon

Keywords

Scripture

Romans 5:1-2, Titus 3:5, Romans 3:27-31, 1 Peter 1:6-9, Hebrews 11:6, Romans 4:3-5, James 2:14-26

Faith is nothing else than trust in the divine mercy promised in Christ…. This trust in the goodwill or mercy of God first calms our hearts and then inflames us to give thanks to God for his mercy so ...

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Defining the Parish System

Author

Don Everts

Keywords

Scripture

Jeremiah 29:4-7, Micah 4:3-4, Matthew 5:9 , Romans 12:18-21 , Psalm 34:14

This concept [the parish system] has helped Christians understand how interconnected all the pieces within a community are and the importance of pursuing the common good there. Jesus’ call to be peace...

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Stu's Top Five Books for 2022

Author

Stuart R. Strachan, Jr.

Keywords

Book Reviews

A Short Introduction For some time, I've thought it would be fun to share the books that have had the biggest impact on me each year. I chose the title "Top Five Books for 2022" becaus...

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Reflecting on Shusaku Endo’s Novel and Film, Silence

Author

Nikki Toyama-Szeto

Keywords

Scripture

1 Peter 2:12, Galatians 3:26-28, 1 Corinthians 12:12-13, John 13:34-35, Acts 2:42-47, Matthew 28:19-20, James 2:17-18

In Silence, Shusaku Endo writes of the journey of Portuguese Jesuits journeying to Japan. It is a conversation about those who intend to take the path of Jesus, only to find they are on the path of Ju...

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When Faith Grew but Evangelism Failed

Author

Don Everts and Doug Schaupp

Keywords

Scripture

Romans 1:16, Colossians 4:5-6, Matthew 5:14-16, 1 Corinthians 4:10

I can remember that afternoon as if it were yesterday. I (Doug) was standing out in the middle of the green grass of the quad on campus, singing as loudly as I could. Twenty of my Christian friends an...

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Christian Faith Proved by it’s Fruit

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Keywords

The current context of cultural and religious pluralism magnifies this development. After the disintegration of Christendom-a historical topical apparatus that gave cultural pride of place to Christia...

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Scripture Guide, Luke 19:28-40

Author

Scott B. Bullock

Keywords

Scripture

Luke 19:28-40

Ancient Lens What can we learn from the historical context? OT Foreshadowing While Luke’s account of the procurement of the donkey on which Jesus rides into Jerusalem has no precedent in the Hebr...

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Struggling to Stay Standing: A Story of Weakness & God’s Sufficiency

Author

John Ortberg

Keywords

Scripture

Exodus 4:10-12, 1 Kings 19:4-5, Isaiah 40:29-31, 2 Corinthians 12:9-10, Matthew 11:28-30, Psalm 46:1

In grad school, although I was studying to become a clinical psychologist, I started working at a Baptist church. I discovered then that I loved to preach . . . until one weekend when the sermon wasn’...

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Chalking the Door

Author

The Pastor's Workshop

Keywords

Scripture

Isaiah 60:1-6, Matthew 2:1-12

In many parts of the world, on Epiphany, you will see a strange formula chalked above the doors of local homes. In 2024, it would read: 20 ✝ C ✝ M ✝  B ✝ 24 The “chalking of the doors” is an ...

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Author

Philip Melanchthon

Keywords

Scripture

John 14:26, Galatians 2:15-16, Ephesians 2:8-9, Titus 3:5, Romans 5:1-2, Romans 3:23-31, 1 Peter 1:6-9

But we must add at once that the pious will not cease from good works simply because it is impossible to gain any merit by them. Rather, the greater our faith, the more and greater our works…. For sin...

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Scripture Guide, 1 Peter 4:12-14, 5:6-11

Author

Scott B. Bullock

Keywords

Scripture

1 Peter 4:12-14, 5:6-11

IDENTITY AND SUFFERING The key to understanding today’s readings lies in the first half of 1 Peter. Two themes dominate Peter’s encouragement to these early Christians: identity and suffering. Knowi...

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