Discipling Life

  Fruits of Repentance Preacher: Alan Swartz Date: November 2, 2025 Place: Ebenezer UMC Scripture: Isaiah 1:11-17; Luke 19:1-10; Ephesians 2:8-10; Matthew 3:8-10; James 5:1-6; Ezekiel 16:49 Introduction One of the most astounding experiences of my ministry occurred when my wife Jo Anne and I lived in Oxford, North Carolina, during the 1990s. After preaching one Sunday morning, I was walking to my car when a parishioner came running up, eager to tell me how much my sermon had touched his life. As he explained what he had heard, I realized with shock that he had “heard” the exact opposite of what I had said. Someone once observed that a sermon is not simply the words that come out of the preacher’s mouth—it is the words that go into the hearer’s ear, the words we live by. As we gather around Scripture this morning, I pray that the Holy Spirit will speak to both preacher and congregation, that we may truly hear what God is saying to us. I. Grace and Works: The Fu...