You are here: Home / Archives for Sermons / The Most Important Thing

Sermon – November 22, 2015

November 22, 2015 By Leave a Comment

BPUMC_Podcast_Logo“The Most Important Thing: Three Truths“, by Rev. Mike Holly

The Word

Philippians 2:1-13

If then there is any encouragement in Christ, any consolation from love, any sharing in the Spirit, any compassion and sympathy, make my joy complete: be of the same mind, having the same love, being in full accord and of one mind. Do nothing from selfish ambition or conceit, but in humility regard others as better than yourselves. Let each of you look not to your own interests, but to the interests of others. Let the same mind be in you that was in Christ Jesus,

who, though he was in the form of God,
did not regard equality with God
as something to be exploited,
but emptied himself,
taking the form of a slave,
being born in human likeness.
And being found in human form,
he humbled himself
and became obedient to the point of death—
even death on a cross.

Therefore God also highly exalted him
and gave him the name
that is above every name,
so that at the name of Jesus
every knee should bend,
in heaven and on earth and under the earth,
and every tongue should confess
that Jesus Christ is Lord,
to the glory of God the Father.

Therefore, my beloved, just as you have always obeyed me, not only in my presence, but much more now in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling; for it is God who is at work in you, enabling you both to will and to work for his good pleasure.

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

Subscribe to the Podcast Android | Email | RSS

Filed Under: The Most Important Thing Tagged With: , , , , , ,

Sermon – November 15, 2015

November 15, 2015 By Leave a Comment

BPUMC_Podcast_Logo“The Most Important Thing: Wonderfully Made“, by Rev. Julie Holly

The Word

Romans 12:1-8

I appeal to you therefore, brothers and sisters, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship. Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your minds, so that you may discern what is the will of God—what is good and acceptable and perfect.

For by the grace given to me I say to everyone among you not to think of yourself more highly than you ought to think, but to think with sober judgment, each according to the measure of faith that God has assigned. For as in one body we have many members, and not all the members have the same function, so we, who are many, are one body in Christ, and individually we are members one of another. We have gifts that differ according to the grace given to us: prophecy, in proportion to faith; ministry, in ministering; the teacher, in teaching; the exhorter, in exhortation; the giver, in generosity; the leader, in diligence; the compassionate, in cheerfulness.

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

Subscribe to the Podcast Android | Email | RSS

Filed Under: The Most Important Thing Tagged With: , , , ,

Sermon – November 8, 2015

November 8, 2015 By Leave a Comment

BPUMC_Podcast_Logo“Rescued by the Great Commandment“, by Rev. Tom Duley

Pastor’s Message

How do we determine that which is most important thing? It’s an important and interesting question. For most Christians the answer to that question will in some way relate to our faith in God and our desire to follow Jesus. God is the ultimate reality for Christians. Our relationship with God animates and directs our lives. As the Apostle Paul says, “For in him we live and move and have our being.” (Acts 17:28)

But even with faith in God and our desire to follow Jesus as a starting place we will all identify that which is most important thing differently. This morning I will answer that question as well as I can. My answer is based on my faith in God, my desire to follow Jesus and the way I have experienced God in Christ working in my life. I suggest that you might want to spend some time formulating your own answer to this important question. What is the most important thing for you?

~Tom Duley

The Word

Matthew 22:34-40

When the Pharisees heard that he had silenced the Sadducees, they gathered together, and one of them, a lawyer, asked him a question to test him. “Teacher, which commandment in the law is the greatest?” He said to him, “‘You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind.’ This is the greatest and first commandment. And a second is like it: ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets.”

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

Subscribe to the Podcast Android | Email | RSS

Filed Under: The Most Important Thing Tagged With: , , ,

Sermon – November 1, 2015

November 1, 2015 By Leave a Comment

BPUMC_Podcast_Logo“The Most Important Thing: Grace“, by Rev Angela Martin

Pastor’s Message

For we Methodists, grace is the core of our Wesleyan theology. For John Wesley, his beliefs about grace colored everything else he believed. He understood God’s grace as abundant love (demonstrated through Christ) and an active presence in our lives (through the movement of the Holy Spirit); a gift given free of charge, not because of anything we have or haven’t done. In other words, we can’t earn God’s grace, it is given freely.

Wesley even defined grace as having some distinct characteristics that interact with us at various times in our lives. Prevenient grace is the grace that comes before we know or acknowledge God to be in our lives; it is the grace that draws us to God. Who are the saints who drew you to God through their words and actions? Justifying grace is gifted to us in the moment of our belief in God when we are reconciled to him and sanctifying grace accompanies us throughout our lives of faith, maturing our faith and growing our understanding of God and who we are called to be. Who are the saints that continue to help you mature in your faith?

We experience God’s grace through the means of grace – sacred moments where Christ is re-presented or becomes present to us anew. Our sacraments, Baptism and Holy Communion, are means of grace; also, prayer, reading scripture, and worship just to name a few. Sometimes God’s grace surprises us; showing up in places and people where we didn’t expect it. Where have you experienced God’s grace lately?

~Angela Martin

The Word

Romans 5:18-21 (The Message: The Bible in Contemporary Language)

Here it is in a nutshell: Just as one person did it wrong and got us in all this trouble with sin and death, another person did it right and got us out of it. But more than just getting us out of trouble, he got us into life! One man said no to God and put many people in the wrong; one man said yes to God and put many in the right.

All that passing laws against sin did was produce more lawbreakers. But sin didn’t, and doesn’t, have a chance in competition with the aggressive forgiveness we call grace. When it’s sin versus grace, grace wins hands down. All sin can do is threaten us with death, and that’s the end of it. Grace, because God is putting everything together again through the Messiah, invites us into life—a life that goes on and on and on, world without end.

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

Subscribe to the Podcast Android | Email | RSS

Filed Under: The Most Important Thing Tagged With: , , ,