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Sermon Starters
Support and Resources For Pastors and
Christian Ministry Professionals
Thomas F. Fischer, M.Div., M.S.A., Editor
Eighteenth Sunday After Pentecost
Series C
Option #1:
A
Call To Prayer
1 Timothy 2:1-8
A. Because it's of primary importance: "first of
all..."
B. Because people need it: all types, including ungodly and
remote leaders
C. Because it's purposeful: for peace and quiet, salvation
and sanctification
Notes
1. eusebeia (verse 2): godliness, holiness; reverence,
respect; piety towards God
2. semnotes (verse 2): gravity, honesty; the
characteristic of a thing or person which entitles to reverence and respect,
dignity, majesty, sanctity; honour, purity
3. aletheia (verse 4): the truth as taught in
the Christian religion, respecting God and the execution of his purposes through
Christ, and respecting the duties of man, opposing alike to the superstitions of
the Gentiles and the inventions of the Jews and the corrupt opinions and
precepts of false teachers, even among Christians
4. kerux (verse 7): preacher; a herald
or messenger vested with public authority who conveyed the official messages of
kings, magistrates, princes, military commanders, or who gave a public summons
or demand and performed various other duties; in the NT, God's ambassador and
the herald or proclaimer of the divine word
5. apostolos (verse 7): apostle, messenger; a
delegate, messenger, one sent forth with orders; specifically applied to the
twelve apostles of Christ; in a broader sense applied to other eminent
Christian teachers, of Barnabas, of Timothy and Silvanus
6. dialogismos (verse 8): the thinking of a person
deliberating with her/himself; a thought, inward reasoning; purpose,
design; a deliberating, questioning about what is true; hesitation,
doubting; disputing, arguing
7. If you want your prayers to do the most good for the
greatest number of people, be sure to include in your prayers those persons
whose decisions create the conditions in which the purposes of the gospel
prosper. (John Piper)
--Rev. Kelly
Bedard
Option #2:
The Lord's Wisdom About
Worldly Wealth
Luke 16:1-13
I. You can't take it with you
A. As the Scripture says in 1 Tim. 6:7
B. As in Job 1:20-21
II. The way you handle a little shows how you would handle a lot (text, v. 10)
A. See Matt. 25:21
B. See Eph. 6:8
III. Use it to make eternal friends while you serve the Lord
A. The Dishonest Manager made friends to
rely on when he was "sacked"
B. Jesus said we should imitate his
shrewdness
1. While you
can't take money with you, you can "send it ahead" (text, v.9)
2. Jesus says we
have a "safe deposit box" in heaven (see Matt. 6:20)
3. This
"safe deposit box" is in a building that will never be destroyed (see
2 Cor. 5:1)
IV. The decisions you make about worldly wealth determine who your master is
(text, v. 13)
A. T. Robertson writes: "That they may receive you into the eternal
tabernacles." This is the purpose of Christ in giving the advice about
their making friends by the use of money. The purpose is that those who have
been blessed and helped by the money may give a welcome to their benefactors
when they reach heaven. There is no thought here of purchasing an entrance into
heaven by the use of money. That idea is wholly foreign to the context. These
friends will give a hearty welcome when one gives him mammon here. The wise way
to lay up treasure in heaven is to use one's money for God here on earth. That
will give a cash account there of joyful welcome, not of purchased entrance.
John MacArthur writes: Paul urges the rich to consider the end result of
properly handling treasure. By sharing their earthly treasures with others, they
are storing up for themselves the treasure of a good foundation for the future.
Apotheôsaurizoô (storing up) could be translated "amassing a
treasure," while themelios (foundation) can refer to a fund. The rich are
not to be concerned with getting a return on their investment in this life.
Those who lay up treasure in heaven will be content to wait to receive their
dividends in the future when they reach heaven. Those who invest in eternity
show that they have taken hold of that which is life indeed. Real life, life
indeed, is eternal life. Believers must live their lives in light of eternity.
That is why the Lord Jesus Christ said in Luke 16:9, "Make friends for
yourselves by means of the mammon of unrighteousness; that when it fails, they
may receive you into the eternal dwellings." Christians should invest their
money in the souls of men and women, who will be there to greet them and thank
them when they arrive in heaven.
--Rev. Wayne
Dobratz
Ministry Health Sermon
Starters
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