My Favorite Sermon

Ownership is the act and state of having something in control or possession. Aristotle claims that owning tangible objects help to build moral character, while Jean-Paul Sartre proposes that ownership extends beyond to include intangible things such as skill or knowledge. Different objects can have varying effects on the development of self identity, leading us to who we grow as a person. A sense of self can be a reflection to what we own, whether it is a tangible or not. Ownership of intangible and tangible objects play a vital role for the growth of self identity, as it teaches crucial morals in life to develop personal character.

Anywhere in the world, someone acquires something, whether it be money, a car, or even an idea. We can “own” many intangible and tangible items in life, but how does ownership relate to a sense and development of self? This question has been constantly answered for centuries through intelligent people like Plato, Aristotle, and Jean-Paul Sartre. However, the question has received no agreeable answer. In the end, people will agree that there is a strong and positive relationship between ownership and a sense of self because the things you own will define and develop who you are positively by exhibiting what you like, what you can and cannot do, and in the end, characterizes you, as long as you use the things you own properly.

Dr. Adam L. Hughes is the Dean of Chapel and Assistant Professor of Expository Preaching at New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary. With over sixteen years of pastoral experience, Hughes’s practical experience and academic prowess not only make him the perfect professor, but also the perfect Director for the Adrian Rogers Center for Expository Preaching.

The tithing (or giving) issue is one that comes up often and that tends to bring up larger issues of law, Christian freedom, grace, generosity, faithfulness and priorities. With this issue, as is true of so many areas of the Christian life and, more specifically, church life, there is broad freedom with respect to many particular decisions or courses of action we might take, provided we take them for biblical reasons and with biblical principles in mind.

In Distributive Justice, Robert Nozick aims to clarify the processes of distribution that can be reasonably upheld in a free society. To do so, he examines the origins of how people legitimately come to own things and applies the least intrusive set of guidelines that can be doled out in order to guarantee the most justice possible, while also respecting individual liberty. Nozick provides the Entitlement Theory, which specifies that so long as there is justice in the acquisition and transfer of holdings (things one owns), there is no injustice or infringement upon liberties of others and the parties involved are entitled their holdings. In the event there is an injustice committed, he provides the third topic of “ the rectification of injustice in holdings.” Establishing how individuals may legitimately acquire holdings is crucial to a discussion on the liberty and rights of individuals in a free, yet cooperative society. In order to further clarify how individuals originally come to own things in society, Distributive Justice later analyzes John Locke’s Theory of Acquisition. A diminishing number of unowned resources as well as the inherent problems in a free market convolute the issue.

“Parents are entitled, in a way children are owned by their parents because they are your creators. Your freedom, everything in your life exists because you exist and you exist because your

The ability to have ownership over something, tangible or not, can give a person a sense of value or superiority when comparing themselves to others. Furthermore, as humans, it is easy to desire things as one’s own and claim it, but the way something is treated differs from person to person. As a result, the material items and skills a person has ownership over provides a glimpse of his or her’s true nature.

Anywhere in the world, someone acquires something, whether it be money, a car, or even an idea. We can “own” many intangible and tangible items in life, but how does ownership relate to a sense of self? This question has been constantly answered for centuries through intelligent people like Plato, Aristotle, and Jean-Paul Sartre. However, the question has received no agreeable answer. In the end, people will agree that there is a strong and positive relationship between ownership and a sense of self because the things you own will define and develop who you are positively by exhibiting what you like, what you can and cannot do, and in the end, characterizes you, as long as you use the items you own properly.

Thomas Paine wrote “The Crisis” in 1776 to persuade America to fight for independence, yet aphorisms in his text still apply to present day life, years after America separated from Britain. He states, “What we obtain too cheap, we esteem too lightly; ‘tis dearness only that gives everything its value.” For the audience in 1776, this meant that the value of independence only comes from the effort put into fighting for it because only then do citizens understand the true privilege of independence. This quote applies to present day life because the consumer culture has led to the decrease in the value of objects. People continuously search for the next new item to purchase and dispose their few-months old products, leaving no time to treasure

The attitudes towards religion is often determined by how well the religion can give themselves off, especially when it comes to answering the question on how to deal with suffering. With Christianity, Jesus taught his followers that suffering is eliminated through salvation, which is by repentance and dependence on God. While with Buddhism, Buddha taught suffering is universal and that the only way to deal with it is by forsaking oneself and following the Middle Path, thus achieving a worked out salvation. Though these teachings do resemble each other in meaning, they differ in their purpose.

What does it mean to own something? An individual may own something that has more significance to the item than meets the eye. This subject has encouraged prominent thinkers to learn more about the idea. This has entered a very fascinating way of thinking that has even perplexed the astounding minds of Plato, Aristotle, and Jean-Paul Sartre. This is why owning something has more significance than may be thought, tangible goods are detrimental to a person's character, ownership of tangible goods helps to develop moral character, and ownership extends beyond objects to include intangible things as well.

Tim Reed, a Michigan native, grew up in a Christian home. As the son of a pastor, he gained a great amount of Bible knowledge throughout his adolescent years. Despite the knowledge he acquired, Reed’s faith was not personal until he was thirteen years old. He received his BA from Cornerstone University, then earned his Master’s in Church Ministries. He and his wife, Dixie, have a son and a daughter, Tara and Timothy. Pastor Reed’s greatest accomplishments in life are being a good father to his two children and being a

One text that has been incredibly formative in helping me understand my calling is “The Summons”, by Dennis McCallum. This is the story of a young girl being called by God to accept Christ and to share his teachings with others. McCallum uses a narrative format to share several wonderful sermons with the readers. There is one section in particular that touched my heart. The bible study instructor is asking the group to open their hearts to God. “This is what God wants for you tonight. He doesn’t want you to commit to keeping a religious discipline. He wants you to come to Him with empty hands and an honest heart, and forge a relationship with Him” (McCallum, 1993, p. 79). Reading these words forced me to reexamine how I was living my life. I attend church regularly. I even work for my church, but was I really developing my relationship with God? I found that I was going through the motions. I needed to truly commit my whole life to the Lord, not just part-time. My relationship with God needs to be nurtured and cared for, just as any other relationship in my life. That is why I want to attend seminary. I want to learn everything I can about my Lord. I want to be able to share His word with others.

Dr. Celophus LaRue gives a few words of advice on how one may go about becoming a better preacher. First, one must listen to good preaching. One must listen to the pace, emphasis, intonation and inflection that the preacher gives during the sermonic hour. It is the art of preaching that is strengthened orally and aurally. In watching and listening to great preachers, one begins to refine one’s own preaching voice. “Listening to the preaching of others is a great way to learn how to develop your own preaching skills” One does not listen to preaching in order to plagiarize or copy the sermon, but to use the opportunity to discover what insightful information makes that preacher stand out from the rest.

The sermon on the mount shows us Jesus 's ethical teachings on how a person should live his or life, the distinction from the law, and this has a reaction from the society. Jesus ' Sermon on the mount has had a huge impact on the Christian religion and somewhat shaped the religion in a sense. It has been a reference point for Christian ideals on the right way to live your life. It was a well constructed, alluring sermon that must have captivated the minds of the people.