Sermons About Race
Fighting a Good Fight
To fight a good fight, we must commit to strict training. We receive our training from the very words of God. Those of us who are in physical training and spiritual training must keep ourselves pure. We will not be pure until we are mastered by Christ and no longer mastered by our sin. We must take every thought captive for Christ and turn from our sin.If you trust Christ, you will finish your race.
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Pick Up That Baton
Pick Up That Baton What matters most? ‘Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith…’ Hebrews 12:2a ‘And this gospel of the kingdom will be preached in all the world as a witness to all nations, and than will the end come’ Matthew 24:4-14 I am struck with the realization that the timing of God’s purposes is at times contingent on people. God has a plan that is relying on you and me to carry out. We are members of the kingdom of God and to some degree responsible how it is administered on this earth during our lifetime. So while life may be looked at as a race that we as individuals run, as Paul described it, it is also a relay. We are an integral part of the whole. What we do or don’t do contributes to, or adversely affects the completion of God’s plan. We easily lose sight of the significance of the moment in the larger picture of what God has done, is doing, and will do. Some characteristics of the early church (first three centuries). 1. They were moved by a burning conviction Galatians 2:20 2. Persecution and the Christian’s response to it had a profound impact on those who witnessed and administered it.Hebrews 11:32-40 3. The gospel as presented filled a heartfelt need. It presented life change and grace. Ephesians 2:8, James 1:12 4. The practical expression of Christian love was one of the most powerful causes of early Christian success Matthew 25:35-40 We are on the team with them and are called to ‘Pick up the Baton’ and run our portion of the race. The video watched during the services can be found at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZXnT84Eu-oA
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Running to Win
Through the writer of Hebrews, God reminds us that running to win in terms of knowing Christ in the everyday means running with endurance.
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Pursuing Racial Reconciliation
Racism is alive and well in our culture. That alone is grievous. But even more disturbing is the fact that racism is alive and well in the American Church. This is especially disturbing as the Church claims that Jesus has eliminated racial and national divisions to create a new people. In Christ there is neither "Greek nor Jew...slave nor free" for he has destroyed "the dividing wall of hostility." This is the testimony of Scripture but the testimony of our local churches is quite different. Clearly the problem is not with the gospel but with the people who claim to believe it. Moreover, the problem is perpetuated not only by individual sin but by the church institution itself. Followers of Jesus must choose between church as usual and church as God sees it. For those who choose to see church as God sees it racial reconciliation is not optional, it is essential. Listen in as our special guest, Ernie Cathcart of Seattle, addresses the issues of race, privilege,and reconciliation.
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The Race
The Christian life is often compared to a race... make that a marathon! The starting gun has gone, and it's time to run! Others have run this race before us... but only One has won this race, and we are to keep our eyes focused on Him - Jesus! We may grow weary along the way, but the key to finishing well is discipline. Will you run with us? Key Passage: Hebrews 12:1-13
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Going Past Mile 20
Marathon runners tell us that one of the greatest obstacles to finishing a race is mile 20. Many runners refer to mile 20 as half way through the race because of the difficulty in completing the last 6.2 miles. The Christian life requires perseverance because doing the will of God involves times of hardship. However, in our North American culture it tends to be too easy to retreat and live a "safe" Christianity. Are you willing to really get into the race? Key Passage: Hebrews 10:19-39
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John 4:4-42 Let the Nations Be Glad?
Jesus intentionally crosses four major barriers. First He crosses a racial barrier. Secondly, Jesus crossed a religious barrier. Thirdly, Jesus crossed a gender barrier. Fourthly, Jesus crossed moral barriers. The reaching of the kingdom of God through God’s people is an intentional act. It’s an act that isn’t comfortable. Diversity and cross-cultural ministry is hard because we are more apt to care about custom than we are mission. In our attempt to worship God we center our worship on our desires and preferences, instead of God and His desires.
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