Sermon Notes & Videos
2024-07-26 | Romans 13:1-7 | If You Ass-u-me
Weekly Scriptures | Sermon Notes
Who are the governing authorities to whom you should obey?
Unfortunately, traditional Church teachings on the topic totally ignore key stipulations when identifying the rulers to whom you owe allegiance. “He is God’s minister to execute His goodness and His judgment.” This discriminates and differentiates to whom you ought to subject yourself; it is certainly not just to anyone simply because he holds a position of authority. God is not revealing that every governing authority is of Him and demanding we submit to all of them, without some qualifying factors. However, if you have been following the vast majority of church teachings on the subject, that is exactly what you are being taught to do. Before we blindly agree with the majority, let’s take a look at a few key qualifiers.
He is God’s minister: He is a servant of God inspired by the Lord to carry out His plan for His people.
He is God’s arbiter of what is good: He knows inherently or intrinsically what is right. Anything good originates from God and is empowered by God through faith; nothing and no one can be good otherwise.
He is God’s avenger: He is a special representative of God, an advocate, agent or champion of God and defender of His ways. He is a superintendent, administrator, or ambassador carrying God’s authority into the earth and exercising judgment on what and who is evil.
He attends continually to God’s business: He devotes himself entirely, continuously, and steadfastly to his direct assignment from God.
It should be obvious that Paul is teaching that true authorities are appointed by Yahweh for the good of His people and to champion His cause. And when they are acting in that position, a minister for good, their authority and therefore their rulings are to be considered as if they are from Yahweh. If you don’t submit to them, you will bring judgement on yourself as if you are rejecting God. If necessary, Yahweh uses these anointed officials to discipline His people. The choice is simple; do what is good and you will have favor with God and among His leaders; do what is evil, and you should instead be very afraid of them.
Nowhere does God command His people to submit to ungodly rulers when what is being required of them is in violation to God’s will. In other words, God is not recommending ungodly obedience as a path to good citizenship. Consider Daniel’s response when a decree was signed by the king forbidding prayers to Yahweh. On schedule, Daniel knelt before the Lord three times that day, as was his custom. And what about the disciples when they were ordered to stop speaking and teaching in the name of Jesus?
Their response was the exact opposite of subjecting themselves to the governing authorities; “If you believe it is right to listen to you above God, you are dead wrong. We will not cease speaking of the things which we have seen and heard about Christ, because that is what God wants us to do, even if you command otherwise.”
When the governing authorities are ruling in an ungodly fashion, they should be ignored, and instead, God’s people should submit to His higher authority. God’s ministers are attending to the work of God and they are commissioned to hold His people accountable. Give them the honor and respect they are due. And provide for their needs in every way necessary. And finally, do what is right because it is the right thing to do, not because you fear the consequences.
2024-07-19 | Romans 12:9-21 | Empirical Evidence
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If you were on trial for being a Christian, would there be enough evidence to convict you? If Christianity was a science, the observable truth would be called empirical evidence. We call it your witness. Do you know what evidence is? It is proof, confirmation, verification, substantiation, corroboration, affirmation, authentication, attestation, documentation, support for, backing for, reinforcement for, or grounds for… Are there grounds to charge you with being a Christian? Could you be indicted and found guilty? All the evidence needed would be empirical in nature; it would be based on, concerned with, or verifiable by observation or experience, rather than theory or pure logic. In other words, is there clear observable evidence, undeniable poof, that you are indeed a Christian? Again, if you were on trial for being a Christian, would there be enough evidence to convict you?
To state the obvious, the Bible, including all of the Old Testament, plus the teachings of Christ, and all the writings of the New Testament, have been compiled as one massive constitution governing our life in the faith. “All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, thoroughly equipped for every good work.” And yet, there is this small section spanning just thirteen verses that might be the most perfect encapsulation of the Christian life. Live like it instructs and you will have so much empirical evidence of your faith that you would be found instantly guilty of all charges.
The entirety of the Bible could be considered a training manual, an instruction book, or user’s guide. Ironically, even those of the secular persuasion often reference their authoritative manual as their “bible.” For example, “The Electrician’s Bible.” User’s guides, also commonly known as user’s manuals, are intended to assist users in using a particular product, service or application. It’s usually written by a technician, product developer, or a company’s customer service staff. It is the key external user experience document to assist users in using a given product, service or application. It is supplied by providers of a product or service to help users understand how to make the best use of the product or service. Yahweh is your manufacturer and He has provided the perfect User’s Manual.
We might instead call this small segment of scripture a handbook, companion guide, reference book, guidebook, or pocket guide. Here is a list of potential names for this small section of our instruction book, titles that best describe these invaluable verses of Scripture: The Christian Guide to Life; Handbook for Christian Living; The User’s Guide to Christian Living; The User’s Guide to the Christian Life; User Guide to Christianity; The User’s Guide to the Treatment of Others; Christian Guide to Treating Others; Christian Handbook to Treating Others; Pocket Guide to Treating Others; Pocket Guide to Practicing Your Faith; Pocket Guide to Practicing Christianity; Brotherly Love Pocket Guide; and The Christian Life Handbook. Learn it, and then understand it, and most importantly —practice it!
2024-07-12 | Romans 12:1-8 | Beyond Salvation
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Picture the scene. You have just encountered Y’shua. He has become your Lord and Savior and you feel truly free for the first time in your life. The moment you became a Christian is one you should savor, one to look back upon in utter appreciation and amazement every day for the rest of your life. Your old life is dead and buried and your new life is stretched out before you. There is quite literally nothing more exciting. But what now?
To be clear, the cost for you to have apprehended such a gift was absolutely zero. It cost you nothing, but what it cost Y’shua was much more than your human mind can fathom. Not only did He willingly surrender His life as a man, but it is critical you acknowledge what He had to first surrender to become a man. He left His position with the Father and His form which was Spirit. Then, He made a permanent decision that would prevent Him from ever returning to that position and form. That portion of His sacrifice dwarfs the mere surrender of His human life.
Now that you have some idea of the magnitude of what it cost Him, maybe you can better appreciate that surrendering your whole life for Him in return is just a speck compared to what He surrendered for you. You’re born-again, so what now? God’s expectation is that you give over your life to Him to such a degree that you could be compared to a sacrificial animal whose neck was slit, blood drained, inner parts disemboweled, and body disassembled into pieces, before being burned in the flames until nothing but ash remained. Give your life to God like that and your reward is a little pat on the back, indicating what you’ve done is simply reasonable. It’s nothing extraordinary; it is, nevertheless, the only way to walk in the perfect will of God!
There is only one possible way to live this way. And that makes it certain that your eyes are open, your heart is receptive, and your ears are very attentive right now. God’s grace! Your first encounter with God’s grace, whether you recognize it or not, was when it softened your heart to receive salvation. By grace through faith you were saved, it was a gift from God. Then you arrived at this point; you’re born-again, what now? This is when you take that free faith and put it into practice. Your practice of faith then gains you ongoing access to the very grace that softened your heart in the first place. You must use that grace to animate, motivate, and empower every choice you make from this point forward!
Up to now this all seems so personal, so individualistic. But it’s all for one larger cause. Each one of us who has arrived in this place must unify in such a way that we are performing like one being; this unified body is what the scripture calls the Body of Christ. Each one of you must embark on a journey beginning at salvation and learn to continually access God’s grace. This is how to discover your individual gifts and calling—in other words, what part you play. Finally, you must add your small, but indispensable part, to the whole Body of Christ. That is a life of living sacrifice. Live as such and it is merely your reasonable service to God, a small price to pay for what He paid for you!
2024-07-05 | Romans 11:25-36 | Irrevocable Destiny
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Are we talking numbers or substance? Is it a question of quantity or quality? Blindness in part has overtaken those of the natural bloodline of Israel, until the fullness of the Gentile converts materializes. The idea of fullness is what holds all the weight here, so to what is Paul referring? Is it the pastoral perspective on fullness, as in all those who will ever come into the faith have been evangelized—the complete number? Or, is it the prophetic perspective on fullness, as in the state of being complete and whole —the mature transformation?
The pastoral point of view has dominated the Christian landscape for centuries and has been the driving force for worldwide outreach and evangelism. That is a very good thing save one potential glitch, and Paul does his best to make sure you recognize it; that you not be ignorant of the mystery. And yet, despite Paul’s warning, the pastoral overemphasis has sparked a nearly universal ignorance of the prophetic perspective. Sure, the Gospel of Salvation, the Gospel that invites the world into the family of God, has rightfully been primary for two thousand years, but primary was not intended to mean exclusive! And that mistake has been the hidden cost of a myopic evangelical approach. Y’shua was clear throughout His earthly ministry, as is dominant in His parables, that it is the Kingdom of Heaven that must be primary, especially in the end. In fact, before the end can come, the message of the Gospel of the Kingdom must reach the whole world—and that message is very different than the one spread while evangelizing.
The distinction between the two Gospels is what best explains two very different priorities: the pastoral emphasizes evangelism, the number of conversions and the well-being of those converts. The prophetic requires intense discipleship and is about maturing converts into serious disciples. Return to the New Testament and read it with prophetic eyes and you will notice that both sides of this story are critical. With an exclusively evangelical approach, the church is built a mile wide and an inch deep. On the other hand, if the prophetic destiny of God’s people is also magnified, the church will additionally grow a mile deep. That will require moving beyond evangelism to highlight the necessary transformation of Christians into the fullness, stature and image of Christ.
For God’s people to grow into mature adult Christians is not optional; it’s required and is precisely the mystery to which Paul refers when he says, “until the fullness of the Gentiles has come in.” It speaks of a time at which Christ will be fully manifest in His people; it is our irrevocable prophetic destiny. Paul warned of the consequences of being ignorant about this. He preached about it and taught about it throughout his ministry Why? So he could “present every man perfect in Christ Jesus!” And he would not relent until he could, perfectly expressed with is sentiment; “I will labor in birth again until Christ is formed in you.”
2024-06-07 | Pentecost 2024 | A Power Worthy Church
Are you perfectly content with commemorating Hallmark holidays that are dedicated to man-made traditions, while completely ignoring the Feasts of the Lord—Yahweh’s Biblical Holidays? When you explore the prophetic relevance and magnificent imagery of Pentecost, you will no longer be satisfied with celebrating pagan holidays. Certainly Pentecost is a holy day that Christians would be interested in remembering, seeing that it was then that the Holy Spirit became available to possess all who believe that Y’shua is the long-awaited Messiah of Israel.
Unfortunately, it would seem that while the world remains inundated with lies and wrapped in chaos, the Church often bows to a lower authority. Instead of being the dominant power in and influence over the world, in many cases the world has overpowered the Church and become the dominant influence, ruling God’s people as if they have no authority in the earth. Have Church leaders and thus church-goers been deceived? Have God’s people become devoid of power because they are prophetically ignorant and untrained in the times and seasons? It’s time to wake up and reclaim access to Divine power! Let’s begin with a deep dive into Pentecost, the Festival of Truth and Spirit.
2024-05-24 | Romans 11:16-24 | The Consummate Gardner
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One word, two pronunciations, different but related meanings, both are applicable here. One is a verb used to describe an action or occurrence. One is an adjective used to modify a noun by describing its attributes, hinting at some of its values and characteristics. Of course, context will help determine which is appropriate. Our word today is consummate: a long mark over the ‘ā’ in the verb instructs us to pronounce ‘ate,’ as in consummāte. The short mark over the ‘ă’ in the adjective instructs us to pronounce ‘met,’ as in consummăte. You can (verb) consummāte a marriage, or you can have the (adjective) consummăte marriage. Consummāte (verb): make a marriage complete by having sexual intercourse; complete a transaction; make perfect, conclude, finish, accomplish, achieve, execute, put into effect; put the finishing touch to, to perfect, crown, set the seal on. Consummăte (adjective): perfect, exemplary, supreme, ultimate, faultless, superior, expert, skillful, master, complete, total, utter, absolute, pure.
When you were born-again, you were bound to God as one is to a spouse in marriage; the two become one and there can be no separation. It is a finished work, a completed a transaction; God sets a crown upon your head and you become a member of His Royal Family. His seal is set upon your life from that moment and into eternity. You’ve consummāted your consummăte relationship with God—your perfect, faultless, pure union.
In the scriptures we often see the use of agricultural allusions, metaphors, and allegories to bring understanding. These help paint pictures on the canvas of your mind. God grafts you into His holy root perfectly, or He cuts you out; God prunes trees so they produce more abundant and exemplary fruit; Christ is the vine and you are the pure branch. It is difficult to grow good fruit in rocky soil or dust. Weeds and thistles will invariably choke the life out of any plant. Good soil is critical; pure seed is vital; cultivation, pruning and water are required to produce the ultimate yield. Barren trees will be cut down and burned; and counterfeit tares grow in the midst of authentic wheat. Do not grow weary in doing good; the fields are white and a double portion harvest is coming, if you persevere. Cultivate the soil of your heart; soften its stoney hard-packed earth; become a soil nutritionist; and do not sow among thorns. The fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and selfcontrol.
God is the Master Horticulturalist, the quintessential artist in the practice of garden cultivation and garden management. You too must become a wise and faithful manager of God’s garden. It is actually required that one be a good steward. You can consummāte your branch with God’s root, and you can have the consummăte grafted-in life with God. Both are highly recommended!