Sermons by “John Murray”
Surrendering to the Spirit
We live in a world of difference – and while difference isn’t bad, when we face it as a community sometimes we can get stuck in figuring out what is “right” and what is “wrong” – concerning ourselves with judgement over discernment. This week, in the firstof a two-week dive into the message of surrendering ourselves to the Spirit, we ground ourselves in the Story – the Biblical Narrative Story. It’s the Story of God, the Story of God’s People, it’s Our Story.
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Accountability in Community
Resisting the appeal of passivity, confronting disagreement among friends:
It’s important that we, in community together, hold one another accountable and confront disagreement rather than let it fester. Wrestling with difference is a difficult, but important aspect of a covenant community. When doing so, as Paul writes here, it is most important to hold the relationship and trust above all – and not just connections, but intimate relationship.
1 Corinthians 15:1-28
Why does the resurrection matter? Paul makes a clear statement in Chapter 15 that this is the primary identifier for the Christian Community in the broadest sense. Where in other places he told people their differences didn’t really matter, he emphasizes here the centrality of our common belief in Christ’s literal resurrection. For in the Resurrection, Jesus has victory over Death. The Good News is real, and it’s the main thing that ties us all together. This is “Why the Resurrection Matters”
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1 Corinthians 12: 12 – 31
“Now you are the body of Christ and individually members of it.” Fulfilling our part is our duty as a member of the body-and likewise, our (Third Way’s) body is a part of larger bodies as well. How can we see and celebrate the differences among us rather than letting them become barriers between us?
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1 Corinthians 7: 25 – 40
What do we do when the Bible doesn’t provide for us a clear command? What is the place of personal discernment, thought, and even opinion? And how distractions, even the good ones, can become barriers to a full life in Christ.
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1 Corinthians 2: 6-16
What does it mean to be empowered by the Holy Spirit? How do we really discern the will of God as humans, broken by sin? And what does it mean to discern the mind of Christ?
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Assessing our Privilege
John wrapped up our Recounting the Cost series with the story of the Wise Men. What was the significance of their presence in the story? How might we related to them in the story? How might we recognize where our privilege gives us opportunities to give opportunities to others?
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Hospitality – John Murray
John Murray shares about some recent experiences of hospitality during a missions trip to Belfast and Detroit. Instead of providing hospitality out of duty, John encourages us to show hospitality with the expectation that we will have a profound divine encounter.
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Now What? Invitation and Inclusion – John Murray
John Murray encourages us to be an invitational church that has room to include others that may not think or act like us. He draws from Peter’s experience with Cornelius to show that the Spirit can miraculously open us up to include others into our lives and communities.
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I Am Thirsty – John Murray
By taking serious Jesus’ actual thirst for water on the cross, John highlights the meaning and profound nature of Jesus’ humanity. While being 100% God, Jesus was also 100% human, and because of that, he can fully identify with us and we can fully identify with him.
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