Worth's Sermons

Worth Green, Th.M., D. Min.

This morning I am going to tell you “The Absolute Truth about Predestination—-No Kidding.” What I am about to tell you is beyond debate. It will please the true Calvinist who believes that God so controls this world that God elects some to heaven and elects or leaves others to death, hell, and destruction. And it will please the true Arminian/Wesleyan who believes in the God given, unhindered human freedom of all people to choose our paths in life, including whether or not we trust and obey God.

The absolute truth about predestination—no kidding, is found in Romans 8:29f. Therein St. Paul writes:

For those whom God foreknew, he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, in order that he (the Son) might be the first-born of many brethren/children/brothers and sisters.

The truth about predestination is that those, whom God foreknew—and that certainly includes all “true followers of Jesus Christ who persevere to the end” are “predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son.”

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Worth Green, Th.M., D. Min.
Matthew 13:1-9, 18-23

A parable is “an earthly story with a heavenly meaning.” Jesus, like many of his contemporaries, frequently taught in parables. The Parable of the Sower occurs in all three of the Synoptic Gospels, Matthew (Matt. 13), Mark (Mark 4) and Luke (Luke 8), and some scholars think that the author of the 4th Gospel knew it, and made an oblique reference to it. (John 4:36) Likewise, in all three synoptic gospels, Jesus explains the meaning of the parable to his disciples in private.

Now as important as this parable is, I have not preached on it since 1977. One may ask, “Why not?”

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Worth Green, Th.M., D. Min.

I want to start this sermon with a story. James A. Michener told it in his book, “The Source.” “The Source” is a work of historical fiction, and this particular story belongs to historical part of that formula. It begins with a cynical Arab named Rhase who made a list of every evil thing in the world: war, famine, lust, betrayal, etc. He listed them all, and then concluded that the evil in the world outweighed the good, and that it would have been better had the world would never have been created.

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Worth Green, Th.M., D.Min.

Genesis 12:1-9
Psalm 92:12-14
Proverbs 16:31
Psalm 1

Thus far we have talked about childhood, adolescence, early adulthood, and middle adulthood. That brings us to the fifth stage of life that I have optimistically called “the youth of old age.” For many this stage of life is an extension of the middle years. Our attitude determines our altitude. We previously noted the example of Ronald Reagan who became president of the United States c. two weeks short of his 70th Birthday. Reagan was able to extend his life of service—and thus his middle adulthood, due to good health.

It is in this fifth stage of life that we reap what we have sowed, spiritually, mentally, and physically.

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3rd in a Series
Worth Green, Th.M., D. Min.

A sermon that was written for Graduation Sunday.

We are talking about the stages of life. Israel made progress from Egypt, the land of bondage and slavery, to the Promised Land, the land of freedom and fulfillment by stages. She marked them geographically.

We mark the stages of our lives not geographically, but chronologically. Regardless of where or when we live, each of us must pass through the stages.

The first stage of life is childhood. In this stage the person begins helpless and totally dependent upon his parents, and over the next decade or a little more, she learns to care for herself, and develops a measure of independence.

The second stage of life is adolescence. A person enters adolescence as she passes the age of accountability (twelve or thirteen in our society), and she grows in freedom as she accepts more and more responsibility for herself. Parents can be sure that adolescents who accept responsibility for themselves and their own actions are ready for additional freedoms: Those that do not, are not. What Jesus said applies, “We must be faithful in the small things before we are ready for the big things.” (Matthew 25)

Today we are going to talk about the third stage of human life that we call Early Adulthood. We enter Early Adulthood from Adolescence. It may begin at a very different time for each of us, depending upon our situation in the world. Let me give you a few examples.

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