Fall 2021 Sermon Series
Big Words: The Language of Our Faith
A lot of folks are reluctant to read their Bibles and dig deeply into what it means to be a Christian because of the “big words” associated with the faith that are hard to say and even harder to understand.
We're not talking about names and places like Nebuchadnezzar or Mesopotamia. Rather we are referring to “big words” that aren’t commonly used in the English language that involve complex theological concepts.
When was the last time you used propitiation, justification, or sanctification in an everyday, casual conversation? Yet, those words are a part of the language of our faith.
This series takes a look at some “big words” associated with Christianity. A proper understanding of these words enables us to believe what is true and live out our faith.
Introduction
Depravity
One thing we can all agree on is that we don’t have to look far to see lots of trouble in our world. All around us there is crime and violence, greed and immorality, wars and factions, hunger and disease. So we have to ask ourselves, “What is wrong with our planet?”
The answer, in a word, is sin. But since that’s not a very big word, let’s call it depravity instead. To understand this big word, we have to see it in the context of our Christian faith...
Prevenient Grace
Since we are plagued by total depravity and cannot do anything good ourselves, how is it possible for us to choose to follow Jesus?
That brings us to the big word, or concept, of prevenient grace, the unmerited favor of God that comes before we are saved. It operates in us and around us prior to our conversion...
Conversion
John Wesley, the founder of the Methodist movement had an example of what salvation looked like that he called the order of salvation, or the way of salvation. That order contained three parts: 1) Conversion, 2) Salvation, 3) Sanctification.
He used the metaphor of a house to describe this. Conversion = the front porch, where people would seek and explore God. Salvation = the door, where you had to simply open it up and enter. Sanctification = the rooms of the house, ie. our Christian journey...
Salvation
What is salvation? Simply put, it’s the deliverance from sin and its consequences.
There are several different terms for salvation that you might have heard before, including “justification,” “saving grace,” and “being saved.” These terms are hard to explain to someone who hasn’t experienced it.
While salvation is one experience, several things happen when a person is saved...
Assurance
According to many scholars, assurance is “the fundamental contribution of Methodism to the thought and life of the church.” Our founder, John Wesley, called it “the main doctrine of the Methodists.”
What is assurance? It is being sure of your salvation, knowing you are saved.
The Apostle John tells us that, as believers, we can know beyond a shadow of a doubt we have eternal life ...
Sanctification
Whether we’re Methodists by upbringing or by choice, we hold tightly to the big word, sanctification. We also refer to it as holiness, or Christian perfection (the term our founder, John Wesley preferred).
According to John Wesley, “This doctrine (Christian Perfection) is the grand depositum which God has lodged with the people called Methodists; for the sake of propagating this [doctrine] He appeared to have raised us up.”
Nearly 300 years later, it is still an important part of our Methodist tradition ...
Ecclesiology
Today’s “Big Word” is Ecclesiology, which means…
- Theology as applied to the nature and structure of the Christian Church
- The Doctrine of the Church
- Greek – ekklesia “assembly or call together”
So what is "the church"? Or more specifically, What are the characteristics of the Church? ...
Perseverance
Like all of salvation, perseverance is a cooperative effort between ourselves and God. Yes, God is the primary actor, but we have a role to play.
The same decision that brought us to Christ can take us away from Him as well. So daily, you and I have to choose whom we will serve – God, ourselves or the world.
When we continue to choose Christ, we can be certain that we will persevere ...
Glorification
Like all of salvation, perseverance is a cooperative effort between ourselves and God. Yes, God is the primary actor, but we have a role to play.
The same decision that brought us to Christ can take us away from Him as well. So daily, you and I have to choose whom we will serve – God, ourselves or the world.
When we continue to choose Christ, we can be certain that we will persevere ...