Sermon Notes & Videos
2025-03-28 | II Peter 1:5-7 | Object Lesson: Perseverance
Faith is the foundation of the Christian life and it is a gift from God that came to you by way of His grace. And you must practice your faith if you wish to gain continual access to that grace. To do so, add these things to your faith in this precise sequence. First add virtue. That means to seek the Lord’s voice for what is right in every matter and don’t even attempt to seek new information or take any action before you are confident you’re in alignment with God’s will. Once you are certain about God’s directions, to truly demonstrate wisdom, begin by gathering any missing information before you act. It is only after you have the necessary knowledge to proceed judiciously that you should take any decisive action. It requires excellent self-control to both take wise action and to refrain from acting when God tells you to be still.
It is also critical to recognize that challenges and temptations surely await; they will test you, misdirect you, and humble you. Nevertheless, one must stay the course to fulfill God’s desires, and that takes perseverance. By the way, unless you humbly come to the conclusion that you made an error that must be corrected before you continue, persist until you succeed; a display of permanent self-control is part of the process. However, if you do discover you’ve made an error, it is prudent to retrace your steps to find your mistake. Begin by reconsidering if you’ve misinterpreted God’s original instructions and proceed from there.
This entire process is meant to be pursued in every area of life. Doing so is the very essence of godliness. No doubt, your imperfections will be exposed as you progress, but godliness is not characterized by perfection. Godliness, instead, is the authentic grace-empowered pursuit of perfection, not the achievement of perfection. It’s hallmark is a never-ending desire to pursue God’s will in all things, and to make the appropriate corrections along the way. And that is how a disciple of Christ becomes an effective minister of reconciliation—one who readily imparts God’s grace. His relentless pursuit of godliness has crafted him into a man whose surrendered life is poured out in sacrifice for the priorities of others. He is a beacon of brotherly affection who exudes kindness, a true disciple of Christ recognized by the love he shares. He imitates the character of Christ, and that is the constant meditation of his heart —to look more and more like Christ by how he loves.
God is love; so, to become love is to become like Christ. Thus, to imitate God’s love is the only true measure of a perfect man—the full stature of Christ. And that is the goal of discipleship. Therefore, practice diligently if you wish to experience the fullness of God’s precious and exceedingly great promises, the greatest of which is the promise to partake in God’s Divine Nature.
2025-03-21 | II Peter 1:5-7 | Object Lesson: Self-Control
Faith is the foundation of the Christian life and it is a gift from God that came to you by way of His grace. And you must practice your faith if you wish to gain continual access to that grace. To do so, add these things to your faith in this precise sequence. First add virtue. That means to seek the Lord’s voice for what is right in every matter and don’t even attempt to seek new information or take any action before you are confident you’re in alignment with God’s will. Once you are certain about God’s directions, to truly demonstrate wisdom, begin by gathering any missing information before you act. It is only after you have the necessary knowledge to proceed judiciously that you should take any decisive action. It requires excellent self-control to both take wise action and to refrain from acting when God tells you to be still. It is also critical to recognize that challenges and temptations surely await; they will test you, misdirect you, and humble you. Nevertheless, one must stay the course to fulfill God’s desires, and that takes perseverance. By the way, unless you humbly come to the conclusion that you made an error that must be corrected before you continue, persist until you succeed; a display of permanent self-control is part of the process. However, if you do discover you’ve made an error, it is prudent to retrace your steps to find your mistake. Begin by reconsidering if you’ve misinterpreted God’s original instructions and proceed from there.
This entire process is meant to be pursued in every area of life. Doing so is the very essence of godliness. No doubt, your imperfections will be exposed as you progress, but godliness is not characterized by perfection. Godliness, instead, is the authentic grace-empowered pursuit of perfection, not the achievement of perfection. It’s hallmark is a never-ending desire to pursue God’s will in all things, and to make the appropriate corrections along the way. And that is how a disciple of Christ becomes an effective minister of reconciliation—one who readily imparts God’s grace. His relentless pursuit of godliness has crafted him into a man whose surrendered life is poured out in sacrifice for the priorities of others. He is a beacon of brotherly affection who exudes kindness, a true disciple of Christ recognized by the love he shares. He imitates the character of Christ, and that is the constant meditation of his heart—to look more and more like Christ by how he loves.
God is love; so, to become love is to become like Christ. Thus, to imitate God’s love is the only true measure of a perfect man—the full stature of Christ. And that is the goal of discipleship. Therefore, practice diligently if you wish to experience the fullness of God’s precious and exceedingly great promises, the greatest of which is the promise to partake in God’s Divine Nature.
2025-03-14 | Esther 1:10 | Purim 2025 | The Queen who was Willing to Die
The law of Moses describes how God’s mighty act of deliverance is the meaning behind holidays such as Passover and Tabernacles. The book of Esther is another story of deliverance, this time during the Persian period 1000 years later. God is never mentioned by name, but His clear hand of protection can be detected in the timing and combination of events. Esther shows how God intervenes once again to save the Jews, leading to the commemoration of this great rescue in a new festival called Purim. It’s the story of a Jewish exile named Esther, who becomes a queen willing to die for her people. It highlights her cousin and guardian Mordecai, an uncompromising officer at the king’s gate. They work together to rescue their people from a plot to destroy them, a diabolical plan hatched by Haman, the evil progeny of king Agag, whose family line survived when king Saul of Israel discarded God’s command to utterly destroy the Amalakites some 520 years earlier. The events take place during the reign of the Persian king Xerxes I, 486-465 BC, better thought of as the understanding king. The story has been told to every generation since, during what became the feast of Purim; it places you right in the middle of the action. You should not only join in celebrating God’s deliverance, but you should ask yourself, as Mordecai asked Esther, for what great purpose has God brought you to this moment in your life?
2025-03-07 | II Peter 1:5-7 | Object Lesson: Knowledge
Faith is the foundation of the Christian life and it is a gift from God that came to you by way of His grace. And you must practice your faith if you wish to gain continual access to that grace. To do so, add these things to your faith in this precise sequence. First add virtue. That means to seek the Lord’s voice for what is right in every matter and don’t even attempt to seek new information or take any action before you are confident you’re in alignment with God’s will.
Once you are certain about God’s directions, to truly demonstrate wisdom, begin by gathering any missing information before you act. It is only after you have the necessary knowledge to proceed judiciously that you should take any decisive action. It requires excellent self-control to both take wise action and to refrain from acting when God tells you to be still. It is also critical to recognize that challenges and temptations surely await; they will test you, misdirect you, and humble you. Nevertheless, one must stay the course to fulfill God’s desires, and that takes perseverance.
By the way, unless you humbly come to the conclusion that you made an error that must be corrected before you continue, persist until you succeed; a display of permanent self-control is part of the process. However, if you do discover you’ve made an error, it is prudent to retrace your steps to find your mistake. Begin by reconsidering if you’ve misinterpreted God’s original instructions and proceed from there.
This entire process is meant to be pursued in every area of life. Doing so is the very essence of godliness. No doubt, your imperfections will be exposed as you progress, but godliness is not characterized by perfection. Godliness, instead, is the authentic grace-empowered pursuit of perfection, not the achievement of perfection. It’s hallmark is a never-ending desire to pursue God’s will in all things, and to make the appropriate corrections along the way.
And that is how a disciple of Christ becomes an effective minister of reconciliation—one who readily imparts God’s grace. His relentless pursuit of godliness has crafted him into a man whose surrendered life is poured out in sacrifice for the priorities of others. He is a beacon of brotherly affection who exudes kindness, a true disciple of Christ recognized by the love he shares. He imitates the character of Christ, and that is the constant meditation of his heart —to look more and more like Christ by how he loves.
God is love; so, to become love is to become like Christ. Thus, to imitate God’s love is the only true measure of a perfect man—the full stature of Christ. And that is the goal of discipleship. Therefore, practice diligently if you wish to experience the fullness of God’s precious and exceedingly great promises, the greatest of which is the promise to partake in God’s Divine Nature.
2025-02-28 | II Peter 1:5-7 | Object Lesson: Virtue
Faith is the foundation of the Christian life and it is a gift from God that came to you by way of His grace. And you must practice your faith if you wish to gain continual access to that grace. To do so, add these things to your faith in this precise sequence. First add virtue. That means to seek the Lord’s voice for what is right in every matter and don’t even attempt to seek new information or take any action before you are confident you’re in alignment with God’s will. Once you are certain about God’s directions, to truly demonstrate wisdom, begin by gathering any missing information before you act. It is only after you have the necessary knowledge to proceed judiciously that you should take any decisive action. It requires excellent self-control to both take wise action and to refrain from acting when God tells you to be still. It is also critical to recognize that challenges and temptations surely await; they will test you, misdirect you, and humble you. Nevertheless, one must stay the course to fulfill God’s desires, and that takes perseverance. By the way, unless you humbly come to the conclusion that you made an error that must be corrected before you continue, persist until you succeed; a display of permanent self-control is part of the process. However, if you do discover you’ve made an error, it is prudent to retrace your steps to find your mistake. Begin by reconsidering if you’ve misinterpreted God’s original instructions and proceed from there.
This entire process is meant to be pursued in every area of life. Doing so is the very essence of godliness. No doubt, your imperfections will be exposed as you progress, but godliness is not characterized by perfection. Godliness, instead, is the authentic grace-empowered pursuit of perfection, not the achievement of perfection. It’s hallmark is a never-ending desire to pursue God’s will in all things, and to make the appropriate corrections along the way. And that is how a disciple of Christ becomes an effective minister of reconciliation—one who readily imparts God’s grace. His relentless pursuit of godliness has crafted him into a man whose surrendered life is poured out in sacrifice for the priorities of others. He is a beacon of brotherly affection who exudes kindness, a true disciple of Christ recognized by the love he shares. He imitates the character of Christ, and that is the constant meditation of his heart —to look more and more like Christ by how he loves.
God is love; so, to become love is to become like Christ. Thus, to imitate God’s love is the only true measure of a perfect man—the full stature of Christ. And that is the goal of discipleship. Therefore, practice diligently if you wish to experience the fullness of God’s precious and exceedingly great promises, the greatest of which is the promise to partake in God’s Divine Nature.
2025-02-14 | II Peter 1:5-15 | The Disciple Factory
If you are willing to engage in all that it takes to become a diligent disciple, intense intimacy with Christ will be your reward, regardless of how challenging it is to live that life. You can expect one victory after another, as you overcome every weakness of your past sinful nature. And each day you endeavor to live a life of purity, you will become more like Christ. Then you are called to take the things which you have learned and practiced, as witnessed by others, and commit them to those who desire to be the next generation of faithful disciples, diligent and willing to also pass on what they’ve learned from you to the next generation. And that generation should pass it to the next, and so on! Imagine it as a multilevel discipleship copy center that duplicates diligent disciples — a sort of discipleship factory.
It’s a difficult topic for certain, so let us pray in the immortal words of the Apostle Paul, “Consider what I say, and may the Lord give you understanding in all things.” And if we borrow the same imagery that Paul used to help us comprehend the various character qualities of diligent disciples, we can even better understand the stages of development and the process. Let us begin by first agreeing that the process will not be easy; difficulties certainly await! Then, to encapsulate his creative ideas, let’s unwrap Paul’s three object lessons; he taught us to recruit soldiers, train athletes, and incentivize farmers.
Good soldiers are recruited to leave their non-commissioned lives behind, to faithfully shift their thoughts away from the affairs of civilian life, and to instead focus all their attention on impressing their commanding officers with the utmost integrity. Elite athletes marshal all of their resources on training and strategies for improvement; they are determined to advance and compete with excellence and to consistently win at the highest level possible. Productive farmers study and work the soil tirelessly to increase its fertility and to make it most hospitable to the seed they plant. They are innovative, patient, and appreciate that everything has a proper timing and season. They sow seeds with utter anticipation of reaping an abundant harvest, a harvest in which they fully expect to participate. And they expect such, season after season, because sustainability too is a consistent practice of the productive farmer.
The imagery in Paul’s object lessons is brilliant: to make disciples we must recruit soldiers, train athletes, and incentivize farmers. Each has its own great attributes, but they also share many common strengths that ought to receive mention for their use on our discipleship factory assembly line: a willingness to follow leaders and lead followers; recognition of the value of mentorship and teamwork; a strong work ethic which translates into doing hard things and the ability to work effectively under pressure. All three require mental fortitude, grit, resilience, and adaptability. Each must demonstrate commitment, dedication and discipline. As things oftentimes don’t go as expected, perseverance is required to overcome challenges and to remain composed under pressure. All must possess a deep desire to be experts at their craft and a willingness to be perpetual students. And to round off these impeccable characteristics is the need for a strong proper functioning physical body.
Peter acknowledged Paul’s greater wisdom in how he elaborated on what Peter himself taught, albeit Paul on a much deeper level and with more difficulty to understand. And Paul was sensitive to the depth of his own teachings, hence again his prayer, “Consider what I say, and may the Lord give you understanding in all things.” Understand what it means to recruit, train, and incentivize Christians, if your hope is to commit these things to faithful disciples who will also be able to teach the next generation.