Sellersburg United Methodist Church Sermon Podcast

SERMON  |  2 Timothy 3:14-4:5  |  NOT ASHAMED - 3. "Itching Ears" by Rev. Joseph Sanford at Sellersburg United Methodist Church in Sellersburg, IN

Paul encourages Timothy to remember what he has come to know and believe...and then stay true to it.

Scripture has all we need to instruct us so that we might find salvation in our faith in Jesus Christ.

But...which scripture?

Let's spend some time walking through what "inspired" actually means and how we can come to understand how to follow Timothy and Paul's footsteps in our dedication to our faith in Jesus--and then proclaim it!

SERMON  |  2 Timothy 2:8-15  |  NOT ASHAMED - 2. "Present Yourself to God" by Rev. Joseph Sanford at Sellersburg United Methodist Church in Sellersburg, Indiana

The gospel is simple, to Paul: Jesus is God's ruler over everything, raised from the dead, a descendant of David.

For a young Jewish Christian, like Timothy, this simple gospel makes all of the sense in the world. Other opinions and convictions should not take precedent over this foundational proclamation. In a time of outside pressure and swirling chaos, Paul's words bring grounding to Timothy.

We need that same grounding.

When the world wants us to get caught up in politics...

Then...we walk together in this life of faith in the gospel as a church family leading each other along the path of perfection/healing/salvation doing "the best we can" to present ourselves to God with honesty and confidence.

SERMON  |  2 Timothy 1:1-14  |  NOT ASHAMED - 1. "ReKindle the Gift" by Rev. Joseph Sanford at Sellersburg United Methodist Church in Sellersburg, Indiana

Paul addresses his protege, Timothy, during a difficult time. Paul is in prison and Timothy is facing all sorts of pressure in his culture to step away from everything Paul has taught him.

Paul urges Timothy to remember the story he is a part of: the bigger story of God's work and the smaller story of his own life and faith given to him through his grandmother and mother.

"Re-Kindle the gift, Timothy!"

We need the same message today as we face situations of pressure and distraction. Let us remember the bigger story so we can continue in our calling.

SERMON  |  Micah 4:1-4  |  "Kingdom Dreams, Violent Realities" for National Day of Remembrance for Murder Victims by Rev. Joseph Sanford at Sellersburg United Methodist Church in Sellersburg, Indiana

There is a master plan for reality.

God has given us the Kingdom Dream, the blueprint (Jesus), and it is up to us to adjust our personal/communal game-plan so that the Dream may become a Reality. Our reality today is far from that dream...

Like the prophet Micah and Judah, we have 2 choices.

Adjust...or march on toward destruction and violence.

The world needs the body of Christ to adjust and embody the Kingdom Dream.

SERMON  |  Luke 6:1-13  |   HAVING WORDS WITH JESUS - 3. "Debts Are Tossed" by Rev. Joseph Sanford at Sellersburg United Methodist Church in Sellersburg, Indiana

We are to be clever with our world and its resources.

We are to be as clever AS the world with its resources, but not clever IN THE SAME WAYS.

How are we using money and time and power and influence? For God and the Kingdom...or something/someone else? For ourselves?

We all struggle with this, but this parable from Jesus gives us a chance to renew our thinking and reclaim our calling.

SERMON  |  Luke 15:1-10  |  HAVING WORDS WITH JESUS 2. "Finding the Lost" by Rev. Joseph Sanford at Sellersburg United Methodist Church in Sellersburg, Indiana

We continue in the large scene in the middle of Luke; Jesus has some hard truths to offer those who are intent to hold tightly to their perspective on God and faith.

Jesus is transforming people's understanding of self and acceptance with God.  It's no wonder the religious leaders of the day are struggling; they are supposed to be the experts, after all!

Will they repent, let go, and follow Jesus into the way of life?

Will we?

Will we trust the fate of the 99 in our own church family to go out into the world to bring the good news to the lost around us?

SERMON  |  Luke 14:25-33  -  HAVING WORDS WITH JESUS  1. "Counting the Cost" by Rev. Joseph Sanford at Sellersburg United Methodist Church in Sellersburg, Indiana.

We begin a 4-week series looking at four passages from our third Gospel account that are, frankly, difficult to sit with.

Did Jesus really mean what he said?

We will have words with Jesus on a few of his more difficult sayings.

We begin on what it means to follow him in the first place.  Have we thought it through completely?  Have we counted the cost?

SERMON  |  Hebrews 13:1-8, 15-16  -  "Mutual Love; A Response to Crisis and Change" by Rev. Joseph Sanford at Sellersburg United Methodist Church in Sellersburg, Indiana

In an earth-shaking moment of chaos, a biblical teacher reaches out to a group in shock to help them move forward.  By interpreting Jesus Christ through the lens of the Temple, animal sacrifice, and priesthood, the people could see how their world hadn't changed in the way they had feared.

Learning all of this leads the teacher to instruct the church to respond to crisis and change with mutual love and care for one another and neighbors.  They are based upon something unchanging in an ever-changing world...and it would do them good to remember.

We can all use this message today in a world that changes as much as it ever has in history.

SERMON  |  Isaiah 5:1-7  -  PROPHET MARGINS 5. "Yielding Wild Grapes" by Rev. Joseph Sanford at Sellersburg United Methodist Church in Sellersburg, Indiana

To be pastoral or prophetic...??

That is the question.

We wrap up our Prophet Margins series considering the consequences of our choices.  Our pain becomes our lesson and our lesson becomes our hope for the future.

Are we open to what God is going to bring us through the pain of our wild choices?  We often settle for something that resembles the divine will but in actuality perverts it.

Israel struggled with it then and we struggle with it now.

This is where we must do our work as individuals and a church to consider the consequences of our choices as well as the lessons of our pain.

SERMON  |  Isaiah 1:1, 10-20  -  PROPHET MARGINS 5. "Learn to Do Good" by Rev. Joseph Sanford at Sellersburg United Methodist Church in Sellersburg, Indiana

We are to practice what we preach...

We all need to work on doing good.

While we have much to confess, we also have great hope for the days ahead.