Sermons

Irreligious: Forsaking Religion and Finding Jesus’ Lord (Mk. 12:35-37)

by chrisaltrock
August 16, 2010

Chris Altrock – August 15, 2010

Robin Meyers grew up in Churches of Christ.[i] Along his journey, however, he became disenchanted not only with Churches of Christ, but with all theologically conservative groups. In his book Saving Jesus From the Church Meyers describes this disenchantment as him rejecting Christ but embracing Jesus. In fact, the subtitle to his book is “How to Stop Worshiping Christ and Start Following Jesus.” Meyers began to make a distinction between the “Christ” whom conservative mainline churches have historically emphasized and the “Jesus” whom Meyers had rediscovered recently in the pages of the Bible. Meyers ultimately became repulsed by people who mistreated others yet said they believed in the orthodox doctrines about Christ (e.g.,. the virgin birth, the miracles of Christ, and his resurrection from the dead). Meyers came to believe that all of these doctrinal matters about Christ were of little significance. What mattered most was living out the example left behind by Jesus—treating people the way Jesus would.

Irreligious: Forsaking Religion and Finding Jesus’ Law (Mk. 12:28-34) Chris Altrock – August 8, 2010

by chrisaltrock
August 10, 2010

And one of the scribes came up and heard them disputing with one another, and seeing that he answered them well, asked him, “Which commandment is the most important of all?” (Mk. 12:28 ESV) A scribe approaches Jesus in the temple. This scribe joins a long list of people at the temple who have been verbally sparing Jesus. The chief priests, scribes and elders have interrogated Jesus about his authority. The Pharisees and Herodians have double-teamed Jesus regarding taxes. The Sadducees have grilled Jesus about resurrection. And now this scribe takes up the fight. Matthew specifically tells us that this scribe has come to “test” Jesus. Mark notes that the scribe has seen how Jesus handled the Sadducees. Perhaps the scribe believes he can do a much better job than the Sadducees.[i]

Refresh: Connecting with Christ Through Detachment

by chrisaltrock
August 2, 2010

The Three Most Important Relationships

Imagine that you are sitting in a chapel and a memorial service has just started.[i] There are faces in the crowd you recognize. Coworkers. Former classmates. Friends. Family members. Neighbors. A minister strides to the podium and reads the eulogy. Suddenly you realize this isn’t just any funeral—it’s your funeral. The minister indicates that several will be sharing thoughts about you this morning: a family member, a close friend, a coworker, and someone you worshipped with. What would you want them to say about you? What would you have hoped to accomplish in life? It’s likely that your hopes, regrets, or thoughts will revolve around these three areas: the quality of your relationship with others, the depth and authenticity of your relationship with God, and a perspective on material things which enabled you to be generous toward others.

Irreligious: Forsaking Religion and Finding Jesus’ Money (Mk. 12:13-17) Chris Altrock – July 25, 2010

by chrisaltrock
August 2, 2010

Politics and religion. Church and state. They are often the two topics which many people refuse to talk about. And people are especially wary of attempts to combine the two. A 2008 study by the Pew Forum found a significant increase in the number of people who say that churches should not get involved in political issues.[i] In 2004, 37% of conservatives felt the church should stay out of politics. In 2008, that number rose to 51%. The same study found that a growing number of people are uncomfortable with political candidates speaking about religion. In 2004, 40% said they did not want political candidates talking about religious issues. By 2008, that number rose to 46%.

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