The Ubiquitous Nature Of Religion
Preaching
Lions And Cows Dining Together
And 111 Other Sermon Ideas
Object:
Purpose Statement: Christians need to be reminded that religion or theology undergirds and encompasses all of life.
Without disturbing or distorting the typical definition of religion as relating to our beliefs concerning God and our worship of God, we could make the claim that religion involves everything, all of life. One of the best expressions of our topic is Psalm 139. It reminds us that God is always with us: there is nowhere we may flee from God. This is a reality whether or not we are aware of it or admit it. Everything belongs to the Creator and must relate to the Creator.
a. We cannot escape God. One can claim to be an atheist and claim all religion as foolishness. This would be tantamount to saying I am not a person and there is no world. Bishop Berkeley said there is no real material world; it is all in our finite minds and in the form of God's infinite mind. He may say whatever he philosophically pleases; you and I know the universe is more than smoke and mirrors. Similarly, the atheist's position is like the ventriloquist's dummy giving no credence to its creator or the ventriloquist. God created us, sustains all life, and is an inescapably part of us as Psalm 139 clearly states.
b. Religion is our posture toward life. One cannot say there isn't any religion or philosophy, for that position itself is only one form of religion or philosophy. It is not for us to say we will have none of religion for religion is our stance, our philosophy, our belief about our self and our world. We must necessarily deal with our existence and our environment, as we must breathe the air whether we believe in air or not. It is not a matter of accepting or rejecting. It is only a matter of what we will believe as our religion regardless of its approximation to the truth. Our beliefs may be close to the truth or very misguided; but we have a religion.
c. Religion dominates the universe. It will determine our moral choices, our lifestyles, and our interactions with our environment, as the inescapable umbrella to our total existence. This explains why we hear it said we should avoid religion and politics as topics of conservation so as to eliminate controversy. These subjects are fraught with complexities and emotions as they touch the very heart of being. This also explains why so many people with emotional and mental problems focus on the religious. Again, it is because it is at the heart of life and speaks to everything. It determines how we view the world and act in it.
d. So what? Can you yet ask what is the point of all this? It means religion is concerned with all of life. This means sermons can address every concern. When the subject of our preaching is acceptable to some listeners, for them it is a great sermon. When the same subject is objectionable to other listeners, for them the minister had no business preaching on that topic. We can no longer afford to place religion and theology to one side as just another discipline as if it were one of the classes in school we may choose or choose not to take. The point is, since it is unavoidable, we must stop running away from our faith and its application to every part of our lives. What are you going to do with it?
Without disturbing or distorting the typical definition of religion as relating to our beliefs concerning God and our worship of God, we could make the claim that religion involves everything, all of life. One of the best expressions of our topic is Psalm 139. It reminds us that God is always with us: there is nowhere we may flee from God. This is a reality whether or not we are aware of it or admit it. Everything belongs to the Creator and must relate to the Creator.
a. We cannot escape God. One can claim to be an atheist and claim all religion as foolishness. This would be tantamount to saying I am not a person and there is no world. Bishop Berkeley said there is no real material world; it is all in our finite minds and in the form of God's infinite mind. He may say whatever he philosophically pleases; you and I know the universe is more than smoke and mirrors. Similarly, the atheist's position is like the ventriloquist's dummy giving no credence to its creator or the ventriloquist. God created us, sustains all life, and is an inescapably part of us as Psalm 139 clearly states.
b. Religion is our posture toward life. One cannot say there isn't any religion or philosophy, for that position itself is only one form of religion or philosophy. It is not for us to say we will have none of religion for religion is our stance, our philosophy, our belief about our self and our world. We must necessarily deal with our existence and our environment, as we must breathe the air whether we believe in air or not. It is not a matter of accepting or rejecting. It is only a matter of what we will believe as our religion regardless of its approximation to the truth. Our beliefs may be close to the truth or very misguided; but we have a religion.
c. Religion dominates the universe. It will determine our moral choices, our lifestyles, and our interactions with our environment, as the inescapable umbrella to our total existence. This explains why we hear it said we should avoid religion and politics as topics of conservation so as to eliminate controversy. These subjects are fraught with complexities and emotions as they touch the very heart of being. This also explains why so many people with emotional and mental problems focus on the religious. Again, it is because it is at the heart of life and speaks to everything. It determines how we view the world and act in it.
d. So what? Can you yet ask what is the point of all this? It means religion is concerned with all of life. This means sermons can address every concern. When the subject of our preaching is acceptable to some listeners, for them it is a great sermon. When the same subject is objectionable to other listeners, for them the minister had no business preaching on that topic. We can no longer afford to place religion and theology to one side as just another discipline as if it were one of the classes in school we may choose or choose not to take. The point is, since it is unavoidable, we must stop running away from our faith and its application to every part of our lives. What are you going to do with it?
