Sermon Analysis 1
The Rev. Dr. Alexander Evans is pastor at Second Presbyterian Church in Richmond Virginia. On September 14, 2014 he preached a sermon entitled “Forgiving from Your Heart.” He has served as a Presbyterian Pastor for more than 25 years in three different churches. Second Presbyterian Church defines itself as a “dynamic, downtown, historic church with a huge heart for mission to the city and into the world.” Evans says that his pastoral identity can be summed up in three things: preaching, teaching, and pastoral care. He spent many years as a Chaplain for the Blacksburg Police Department, including the time of the Virginia Tech shootings. That has shaped his ministry in tangible ways. The experiences from his role as a police chaplain provided the illustrations that he used in this sermon.
Evans used the lectionary text from the gospels: Matthew 18:21-35 as his sermon text. He lists a few brief examples of other instances of forgiveness in the gospels to emphasize that it is a key theme of Jesus’ teachings. He then retells the story of this scripture passage pointing out how exaggerated the details of the parable are in an attempt to make the point that the forgiveness we have been given is extreme so we are called to
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Long’s method of preaching. Two of the most critical steps of this method are identifying a focus and function. The focus is “what the sermon aims to say.” The focus statement of this sermon could be: Jesus forgave in immeasurable ways through his death on the cross; therefore the forgiveness we should give to others should also be innumerable. The function statement of a sermon “names the hoped for change” in the attitudes or actions of the hearers. The function of Evans’ sermon could be: to encourage hearers to remember God’s love and grace and change the way they think and feel toward those who have wronged them, so that they will be more equipped to
Andy Stanley shows how to become deep and wide by staying simple in a church. First, he accomplishes this by keeping programming simple. By making the programs simple he can get more involvement from those who attend North Point. Secondly, Stanley demonstrates easy simplistic ways to move people through the discipleship process. By making this process simple those who attend North Point can more easily reach the community around them. Even though these are a few of the many applications used by Stanley he effectively helps pastors by giving them simple steps to bring people closer to Christ without a church background.
Forgiveness and justice are very similar than we believe them to be. We believe that justice is
...ls to Matthew 18:23-35 [178]. Leslie reflects on the parallel, and states “Nineveh’s sin is confronted by the great love of God; Nineveh's repentance is met by the forgiveness of God, while misunderstanding of God’s forgiveness is challenged by a reasoned reprimand” (178).
Forgiveness is the intentional and voluntary process by which a victim undergoes a change in feeling and attitude regarding an offense; let’s go of negative emotions such as vengefulness, with an increased ability to wish the offender. Walter (1984) stated that forgiveness is a voluntary process that usually requires courage and multiple acts of the will to complete. In Walters' view, the person who has been hurt has two alternatives: to be destroyed by resentment which leads to death, or to forgive which leads to healing and life. Sonja Lyubomirsky calls forgiveness is a natural resolution of the grief process, which is the necessary acknowledgment of pain and loss. It is a powerful choice that can lead to greater well being and better relationships.
Bryant and Brunson point to the pastor’s prayer life as the means of grace that best prepare him for this awesome responsibility. R...
Consubstantiality is the completion of naming an object, then associating or disassociating with an opposing factor. The speaker now shares a commonality with the audience which he called “shared substance.” In the subconscious of the audience, there is a desire to identify and relate to people, and through the process of naming and associating, that desire has been met (Quigley 1998). The audience has now identified with the speaker through a shared substance as their interests are joined or, the audience perceives as similar because they have been persuaded to believe they are similar (Hitt 2013).
She didn’t want him but that didn’t mean she wanted you to have him! Are you married to a man with an ex-wife or ex-girlfriend with whom he has had a child(ren) with? Is the situation, a hex, vex or just too darn complex?
parable of the 'Lost Son'. It is a story of a son who spends his
Today, we take this parable very lightly, as we have been brought up in a culture that forgives people’s faults easily. Most people think, “Yeah, I forgive everyone who harms me.” However, if you think about it, this just isn’t true, as everyone has a couple of people they hold a grudge against, and this parable is telling us to stop holding that grudge. Forgiving is a huge part of Christian teaching and should not be taken lightly.
A strong Christian lesson on the true nature of forgiveness can be found in Christ’s Sermon on the Mount:
When I opened my yearbook, I began to reminisce about my half year of high school in China. As I flipped through the pages of the yearbook, a picture of an old man with a benevolent smile caught my eyes. Daydreaming about the incident, my eyesight became hazy, and I felt my hands becoming swollen, which always refreshes my memory of his profound words.
Forgiveness is a practice I have repeated Forgiveness is freedom. There is a key that opens the door to healing, happiness and peace, that key is forgiveness. Forgiveness starts with you and it is the greatest gift you can give yourself. Forgiveness of both self and others is the most powerful tool we have, and it is readily attainable to all of us. Take a step towards creating a kinder humanity by forgiving someone in your life.
Forgiveness is the act of releasing an offender of any wrong or hurt they may have caused you whether they deserve it or not. It is a decision to let go of resentment or vengeance toward a person or group of people. When we choose to forgive, we’re wiping the slate clean, cancelling a debt, or as I love to say, “Letting it go.” In the Bible, the Greek word for forgiveness literally means to “let it go.” This concept, “forgiveness,” is easier said than done. Majority of people find it very difficult to let go of offenses and hurts caused by others. I really do believe that most people desire to let it go, but we lack the knowledge of how to do it. As believers, we are instructed by God maintain an attitude of forgiveness.
It is important for me to remember when preparing a sermon, that it is not about the preacher, but through preaching, God the Holy Spirit does the work of giving God’s
Has someone that is a close relative or friend ever been taken away and never to return? The only way you can see or speak with them is by looking at a tomb stone. This is one of the most painful experiences any human being will go through. Most people do not even realize the forgiving and not coping with the pain is a key step in healing and letting go. But if one fails to do so they will be bitter, angry and cold heart for the rest of their life.