<!DOCTYPE HTML PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD HTML 4.0 Transitional//EN">
<HTML><HEAD><TITLE></TITLE>
<META content=text/html;charset=UTF-8 http-equiv=Content-Type>
<STYLE type=text/css>BODY {
FONT-FAMILY: Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; FONT-SIZE: 11px
}
A {
FONT-STYLE: normal; FONT-FAMILY: verdana, sans-serif; COLOR: #ff6600; FONT-SIZE: 11px; TEXT-DECORATION: none
}
A:visited {
COLOR: #666666
}
A:hover {
TEXT-DECORATION: underline
}
P {
FONT-STYLE: normal; FONT-FAMILY: verdana, sans-serif; COLOR: #666666; FONT-SIZE: 11px; FONT-WEIGHT: normal; TEXT-DECORATION: none
}
H1 {
FONT-STYLE: normal; FONT-FAMILY: verdana, sans-serif; COLOR: #666666; FONT-SIZE: 14px; FONT-WEIGHT: bold; TEXT-DECORATION: none
}
H2 {
FONT-STYLE: normal; FONT-FAMILY: verdana, sans-serif; COLOR: #666666; FONT-SIZE: 13px; FONT-WEIGHT: bold; TEXT-DECORATION: none
}
H3 {
PADDING-BOTTOM: 0px; FONT-STYLE: normal; MARGIN: 0px; PADDING-LEFT: 0px; PADDING-RIGHT: 0px; FONT-FAMILY: verdana, sans-serif; COLOR: #666666; FONT-SIZE: 12px; FONT-WEIGHT: bold; TEXT-DECORATION: none; PADDING-TOP: 0px
}
H4 {
PADDING-BOTTOM: 0px; FONT-STYLE: normal; MARGIN: 0px; PADDING-LEFT: 0px; PADDING-RIGHT: 0px; FONT-FAMILY: verdana, sans-serif; COLOR: #666666; FONT-SIZE: 11px; FONT-WEIGHT: bold; TEXT-DECORATION: none; PADDING-TOP: 0px
}
HR {
WIDTH: 100%; HEIGHT: 1px; COLOR: #ff9900; size: 1px
}
.forwardform {
PADDING-BOTTOM: 0px; MARGIN: 0px; PADDING-LEFT: 0px; PADDING-RIGHT: 0px; PADDING-TOP: 0px
}
.forwardinput {
PADDING-BOTTOM: 0px; MARGIN: 0px; PADDING-LEFT: 0px; PADDING-RIGHT: 0px; PADDING-TOP: 0px
}
.forwardsubmit {
PADDING-BOTTOM: 0px; MARGIN: 0px; PADDING-LEFT: 0px; PADDING-RIGHT: 0px; PADDING-TOP: 0px
}
DIV.emailfooter {
FONT-FAMILY: Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; FONT-SIZE: 11px
}
DIV.emailfooter A {
FONT-STYLE: normal; FONT-FAMILY: verdana, sans-serif; COLOR: #ff6600; FONT-SIZE: 11px; TEXT-DECORATION: none
}
</STYLE>
<META name=GENERATOR content="MSHTML 8.00.6001.18975"></HEAD>
<BODY bgColor=#ffffff>
<P>Sermons for Proper 25: </P>
<DIV style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"> 2 Timothy 4:6-8, 16-18 – <STRONG>“Three
Secrets of a Life Well Lived”</STRONG></DIV>
<DIV style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"> Luke 18:9-14 –<STRONG> “License to
Steal”</STRONG> by Leonard Sweet</DIV>
<DIV style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"> </DIV>
<DIV style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt">2 Timothy 4, the sermon titled "Three Secrets
of a Life Well Lived" </DIV>
<DIV style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"> </DIV>
<DIV style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt">"I understand your church is looking for a
pastor. I should like to submit my application. I am generally considered to be
a good preacher. I have been a leader in most of the places I have served. I
have also found time to do some writing on the side. I am over fifty years of
age, and while my health is not the best, I still manage to get enough work done
to please my congregation. As for a reference, I am somewhat handicapped. I have
never served in any place more than three years, and the churches where I have
preached have generally been pretty small, even though they were located in
rather large cities. Some places I had to leave because my ministry caused riots
and disturbances. When I stayed, I did not get along too well with other
religious leaders in town which may influence the kind of references these
places will send you. I have also been threatened several times and been
physically attacked. Three or four times I have gone to jail for expressing my
thoughts. You will need to know that there are some men who follow me around
undermining my work. Still, I feel sure I can bring vitality to your church. If
you can use me, I should be pleased to be considered."</DIV>
<DIV style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"> </DIV>
<DIV style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt">The committee was dismayed that anyone would
think that their church could use such a man. A trouble-making, absent-minded,
ex-jailbird could not possible be an effective pastor let alone be accepted by
the community. "What was his name?" they asked. The chairman of the committee
said, I do not know. The letter is simply signed, 'Paul'.</DIV>
<DIV style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"> </DIV>
<DIV style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt">Most leadership of the early church wouldn’t
make it through the church interview process today. Theirs was a rough and
dangerous world. Turmoil on every side, both in the Jewish nation and the Roman.
Think of the pictures we have seen from Afghanistan these past few weeks and you
get an idea of hardships the Apostle Paul faced as he traveled for 20 years and
thousands of miles all over the Roman world.</DIV>
<DIV style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"> </DIV>
<DIV style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt">And now the end was near for Paul. This was not
just a guess; it was certainty. He was under house arrest in Rome. He was under
no illusion about his fate. So it was that he took pen in hand and wrote a
parting letter to his friend and close associate Timothy of Ephesus. He writes:
“I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the
faith.”</DIV>
<DIV style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"> </DIV>
<DIV style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt">It might be well for us this morning to review
the secret of a life well lived. Here are the three secrets:</DIV>
<DIV style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"> </DIV>
<DIV style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt">1. A good fight is worth fighting for.</DIV>
<DIV style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt">2. Desertion does not mean defeat.</DIV>
<DIV style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt">3. Faith must not be lost.</DIV>
<DIV style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><BR>The rest of this sermon following the
outline above can be obtained by joining www.eSermons.com.</DIV>
<DIV style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"> </DIV>
<DIV style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt">_______________________</DIV>
<DIV style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"> </DIV>
<DIV style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt">Luke 18, the sermon titled “License to Steal”
by Leonard Sweet </DIV>
<DIV style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"> </DIV>
<DIV style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt">So what do you think? Should we manufacture
money that doesn’t really exist in order to buy up debts, stimulate banks to
lend, and jumpstart our economy? Or do we tighten our belts and hold our
breath?</DIV>
<DIV style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"> </DIV>
<DIV style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt">For most of us, trying to figure out the
monetary wizardry of our economic gurus is about as easy as figuring out how
magician David Copperfield made the Statue of Liberty “disappear.” Maybe in the
end it all comes down to smoke and mirrors — whether it’s magic or the
market.</DIV>
<DIV style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"> </DIV>
<DIV style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt">But there is one bankable economic disclosure.
US currency is still stamped with the assertion “In God We Trust.” The question
is, do we?</DIV>
<DIV style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"> </DIV>
<DIV style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt">Well, do we?</DIV>
<DIV style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"> </DIV>
<DIV style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt">“In God We Trust” doesn’t mean you don’t wear
your seat belt, or stop paying your life insurance premium, or stop recycling,
or ignore getting your flu shot. What “In God We Trust” does mean is that our
faith points us towards something higher, a top drawer beyond the bottom line.
“In God We Trust” challenges us with a broader and higher perspective beyond
that of human calculations.</DIV>
<DIV style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"> </DIV>
<DIV style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt">The greatest security this world offers is
concretized in human capabilities.</DIV>
<DIV style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"> </DIV>
<DIV style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt">The best security system you can
purchase.</DIV>
<DIV style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt">The most impenetrable “firewall” you can
download in your computer.</DIV>
<DIV style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt">“Gated communities” that keep careful tabs on
who comes in and who goes out.</DIV>
<DIV style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt">Government insured securities, pensions, and
investments. Extended warranties.</DIV>
<DIV style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt">Pre-nuptial agreements.</DIV>
<DIV style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt">No-fault divorces.</DIV>
<DIV style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"> </DIV>
<DIV style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt">Everything in our calculated lives is designed
to keep us maximally secure and minimally exposed.</DIV>
<DIV style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"> </DIV>
<DIV style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt">But are all these safeguards, all these
assurances of a safety-first, risk-free life, nothing more than our 21st century
version of the 1st century Pharisee’s prayer in this week’s gospel text? We
might not boast about how often we fast, or how much we tithe. But in our hearts
we carry the same pride about our ability to shape our world and protect our
investments.</DIV>
<DIV style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"> </DIV>
<DIV style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt">We don’t trust anyone except ourselves to be in
charge of our lives. Our actions, our attitudes, our works and worries — those
are what bring us to a place of safety, security, and spiritual peace.
Self-sufficiency is our greatest god. Self-sufficiency is the reason we buy both
life insurance and lottery tickets. Everyone wants to believe that if we don’t
need anyone for anything, life will be better and blessed.</DIV>
<DIV style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"> </DIV>
<DIV style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt">Everyone except Jesus. Jesus did not condone
off-the-grid independence. Jesus knew there was a humanity-wide neediness that
could never be covered over or wished away by the works of human hands. That
“neediness,” that dependence, was defined by the most basic, essential condition
of the human spirit--“sinfulness.” Sinfulness is the huge gaping hole we all
keep falling into as we try to stride into an imagined Shangri-la of solitary
self-reliance. The cross is the only footbridge that can get us across that
chasm into the true Promised Land.</DIV>
<DIV style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"> </DIV>
<DIV style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt">Golgotha was a place of infamy. And this was
when “infamy” was not equated with celebrity. Golgotha was the termination zone
for the wickedest and the worst, as judged by Roman law and society. When Jesus
was crucified at Golgotha he was one of three criminals. On either side of him
were two thieves put to death for their crimes that day. But the Romans had it
right. Jesus was as much as a thief as those robbers on his left and his
right….</DIV>
<DIV style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"> </DIV>
<DIV style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt">The rest of Leonard Sweet's sermon can be
obtained by joining www.Sermons.com</DIV>
<DIV style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt">________________________</DIV>
<DIV style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"> </DIV>
<DIV style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt">How Is John Quincy Adams?</DIV>
<DIV style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"> </DIV>
<DIV style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt">On his eightieth birthday, John Quincy Adams
was walking slowly along a Boston street. A friend asked him "How is John Quincy
Adams today?" The former president replied graciously, "Thank you, John Quincy
Adams is well, sir, quite well, I thank you. But the house in which he lives at
present is becoming dilapidated. It is tottering upon the foundations. Time and
the seasons have nearly destroyed it. Its roof is pretty well worn out, its
walls are shattered, and it trembles with every wind. The old tenement is
becoming almost uninhabitable, and I think John Quincy Adams will have to move
out of it soon; but he himself is quite well, sir, quite well." That is the
attitude we need to cultivate so that when the call home comes we may say with
Paul: "I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the
faith."</DIV>
<DIV style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"> </DIV>
<DIV style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt">Unknown</DIV>
<DIV style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt">____________________</DIV>
<DIV style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"> </DIV></BODY></HTML>