Sermon Notes & Videos
2025-02-21 | Categorically Developed | Manny Fernandez
Sermon Video
KEM Topical Sermon Series: 1 John 2:12-14
“I am writing to you, little children, because your sins are forgiven for his name’s sake. I am writing to you, fathers, because you know him who is from the beginning. I am writing to you, young men, because you have overcome the evil one. I write to you, children, because you know the Father. I write to you, fathers, because you know him who is from the beginning. I write to you, young men, because you are strong, and the word of God abides in you, and you have overcome the evil one.” 1 John 2:12-14 ESV
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.
2025-02-07 | II Peter 1:2-4 | To Partner with God
In an awe-inspiring grace-empowered moment of massive revelation, a feeling of serenity envelops you as you discover God’s perfect will. The magnitude and excellence of His plan for you is sobering; He wants you to be His partner and to know Him on the most intimate level possible. In human terms, it can be compared only to the experience of consummating a marriage. It is in that moment the feeling of oneness is so real that you cannot discern where you end and your partner begins. When that occurs between you and God, you will know what it is like to have His power at your disposal, in addition to everything good you could ever imagine for your life, and more. Your life will become a never-ending joyous pursuit of sustaining that intimacy with God, while apprehending His every precious and exceedingly great promise.
Having then experienced this intimacy, every lustful desire to please your carnal nature and every temptation to reattach your source of satisfaction to the pleasures of this world will have faded into oblivion. It is only then that you will truly understand what it means to be God’s partner, as if His essence has become your essence. We have a word for this in our language; it’s called love. And all of a sudden this immortal idea finally makes perfect sense. You can come to know and believe the love God has for you by first recognizing that God is love. He who lives in love lives in God, and God lives in Him. God is love and God is perfect. The relationship between love and perfection is that love is the unifying force in the universe that glues together all of the component parts of perfection, what eventually becomes the mature finished product, —a Christlike human! In other words, love is the connective tissue that binds together all the parts that unite man with God as one—what makes a disciple look like Y’shua!
And because God is love, without it you won’t ever know true intimacy with God. Furthermore, how can you claim to love God if you don’t love others—it’s just a lie. As such, you owe one another just one thing—love. God’s will can literally be summed up in that single idea because he who truly loves others simultaneously fulfills all of God’s law. This is possible because each of God’s commands is ultimately represented by that single idea—to love your neighbor as yourself, while never willingly bringing harm to another person. In other words, love in action completes, or binds together, every one of God’s legal requirements, and is indeed the only way you can recognize a true disciple of Christ.
And that is why love is the ultimate goal of a mature disciple; you must be diligent to practice your faith by adding to it these things: virtue, knowledge, self-control, perseverance, godliness, brotherly kindness, and finally you arrive at—love. And that is why to know that level of intimacy with God was Y’shua’s ultimate prayer for you before He went to the cross. He prayed that, “We would all be one; even as He and His Father are one, the Father in Him and He in the Father.” Y’shua also revealed how it is through the impartation of God’s glory that you can develop this intimate relationship, “The glory which You have given Me, I have given to them, that they may be one, even as We are one, I in them, and You in Me, that they may be perfected into one.” Peter acknowledged that same path to intimacy in his final letter; “through the intimate knowledge of Him who called us by His own glory and virtue.” It is paramount, as such, that you believe these prayers and begin to think like Christ. If anything short of that is acceptable to you, break that stronghold and destroy every image in your mind that exalts itself above knowing God with this level of intimacy. Bring every thought into captivity that disagrees with this calling and bring it into submission to the truth of Christ. Then call others to do the same. That is what it means to be a disciple and to become a true ambassador of Christ, as if God actually speaks through you to the world! That is what it looks like to become a partner with God—to partake in His Divine Nature.
2025-01-31 | II Peter 1-3 | Sending Out an S.O.S.
As we explore His precious and exceedingly great promises, maybe there is none more important on which to elaborate than from which all others originate. We see that it is His divine power that has granted to us all things that pertain to life and godliness. And this comes through the knowledge of Him, Jesus Christ, who called us by His own glory and virtue.
The source is His divine or resurrection power. That is the origin from which comes God’s desired outcome for your life and ministry. One must imagine, understand, and then accept the magnitude and the purpose for which God has granted you access to such power. It’s your destiny to receive everything God has promised to you and for what you were made in all areas of your life. But, to achieve such you must actively participate in His definitive system. There is one process or path to your true destiny and that is available only through Christ. You can come to experience His splendor, majesty, and excellence, as if your own. And you can come to know, like you know your name, what is right to God in every choice you make—in every arena of life. Along the path, as you progress through this process, you are capable of participating in such deep intimacy with God that you actually feel as if you are one with Him.
To me, making you aware of these things is beyond critical, so I am sending out an S.O.S.. Many have come to believe that the original interpretation of that distress signal was “save our souls” or “save our ship,” but it actually doesn’t translate to any specific meaning. S.O.S. is simply a Morse Code call for help. And this is my distress signal, my S.O.S., my desperate call for help today: come to know the divine Source; recognize His desired Outcome for your life; and His definitive System to achieve intimacy with God beyond your imagination. The alternative… God’s exceedingly great and precious promises will elude you all the days of your life.
2025-01-24 | II Peter 1:2-5 | Appreciating Knowledge
It’s a progression of knowledge or might we say progressive knowledge. It comes in stages, oftentimes developing gradually over time in a step-by-step process. And it’s not at all simple; it’s a complex pattern of many various and interconnected parts. We might even call it an appreciating asset, but only if you receive it as a valuable commodity that was invested in you—an asset in which you should invest wisely, and one that you should then, in turn, invest wisely.
Yes, knowledge should be one of your most appreciated assets. And in order for that to be true, you must appreciate all the various applications of knowledge. Recognize its full worth and be grateful for your access to such a treasure. Acknowledge the full implications of what is available to you and cherish what God has offered to you by taking hold of and purposely work at increasing its value.
But knowledge cannot stand alone. As a single-legged platform it is very unstable, guaranteed to topple, as those who won’t recognize the need for mutual support often fall victim to always learning and never able to come to the knowledge of the truth. When knowledge stands alone, it breeds pride; if anyone thinks that he knows anything apart from the other necessary legs of support, he doesn’t yet know as he ought to know.
Knowledge is the acquisition of God’s intent on any matter, and the gathering of facts and information. Yet, it subsequently requires a second leg, a proper understanding, the correct perception or interpretation of God’s intention. In other words, one must discern and comprehend what the facts truly represent. Really, the only way to gain a truly reliable interpretation is to add a third leg—to receive instruction. It is imperative to be instructed by God’s word and to be sensitive to the Holy Spirit, so you might know His heart on any matter as governed by His laws. And then it is time to add the fourth and final leg—wisdom.
Wisdom is the deliberate application of godly knowledge, understanding, and instruction. If all you know, understand, and have been instructed to do is left dormant, that is not the work of a wise man, but a fool. Every prudent man acts from knowledge, but a fool exposes his folly. This is not merely a man who lacks intelligence, but rather a man who rejects knowledge, understanding, instruction, and wisdom altogether. He is the antithesis of the wise man who fears the Lord and follows His ways. Yes, knowledge involves a complex progressive process that begins with faith that God exists and continues with a steadfast belief that He rewards all those who diligently seek Him.
2025-01-17 | II Peter | Perfect Peace
Peace is a many-faceted concept. In light of God’s promises, His perfect peace was made available to you when you became a child of God. God’s word ensures that you came to a place of peace with God at the moment of your redemption, and there remains nothing more to reconcile between you and God. God continues to offer you His peace, and that comes from your continued dependence on and trust in Him, no matter what difficulties and challenges you might endure.
Then, you are able to experience the peace of God that projects beyond any human understanding, if you are willing. This supernatural peace is there, waiting for you to encounter, but it is not guaranteed; you must pray, petition, and thank God, while you you make your specific requests known. If you will worship and commune with God; convey a sense of urgency that reflects your deepest personal desires; and express your profound gratefulness for God’s grace, provision, and blessings; and do so while making your appeal with utter humility, then, “The peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your heart and thoughts.” There is no magic here; you are simply standing on God’s promise because, “The insistent prayer of a righteous man is powerfully effective.” Then, take the peace you have with, from, and of God and steward it faithfully by aspiring to live at peace with all men!