Sermon Notes & Videos
2024-10-04 | Leviticus 23:23-25 | Eyes that See and Ears that Hear | Feast of Trumpets 2024
“Let there be lights in the firmament of the heavens to divide the day from the night; and let them be for signs and seasons, and for days and years.” It’s easy to miss. The cycles of the sun and the moon are given for seasons, and for days and years. But, what are the signs? Y’shua rebuked religious leaders for not knowing. “Hypocrites! You know how to discern the face of the sky, but you cannot discern the signs of the times.” Can you discern the signs of the times? Paul assumed you could; “But concerning the times and the seasons, brethren, you have no need that I should write to you. For you yourselves know perfectly that the day of the Lord so comes as a thief in the night… We are not of the night nor of darkness.
Therefore let us not sleep, as others do, but let us watch and be sober and watching.” For what signs should you be watching? The yearly cycle of Biblical Feasts is precisely to which Yahweh, Y’shua, and Paul are referring. The Feasts are God’s prophetic calendar for mankind’s history and future. However, if you don’t prioritize their prophetic significance, tragically, you won’t be able to tell what time it is; you won’t be capable of recognizing the signs of the times. Worse yet, you won’t even know what signs to watch for. In the coming weeks we will look at the Fall Biblical Feast cycle by starting with the Feast of Trumpets. Synchronize your calendar and you will know perfectly well what time it is!
2024-09-20 | Romans 16:1-27 | Spirit and Truth
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The banner is Spirit and Truth. The Spirit testifies; by the Spirit the grace of God changed your heart and made it pliable and receptive to the Gospel of Salvation. Then, also by the Spirit God’s grace is available to you, at your disposal, to animate your every choice from that day forward. Might we call those decisions Spirit matters or matters of the Spirit. The Spirit testifies; it moves people and people are what matter most. Relationships matter most. The Spirit testifies to the love of God. May we prefer and love one another and be grateful for one another; may we honor and acknowledge one another. And may we all be open to the truth.
The truth verifies; truth is reality and there is a prophetic reality for which God’s people are responsible. As people matter so does truth matter. They go hand-in-hand as the truth protects God’s people; it is critical for all, but especially for those who are still in the humble beginnings of their faith. They are young and simple, not mature enough to defend themselves against bad doctrine. And doctrine matters because good doctrine is truth and truth verifies the testimony. The testimony of Jesus is the spirit of prophecy. Bad teaching and bad prophecy promote dangerous deceptive doctrines, and the most susceptible among us must be protected.
May this be the banner of Spirit and Truth over your life: in reality there are two overarching gospel messages; one cost Christ everything and cost you nothing; that’s the Gospel of Salvation. The Gospel of Salvation establishes your favorable permanent position with God for eternity. The other is not free; it’s the Gospel of the Kingdom and it will cost you everything, because that is the gospel of becoming like Christ. The Gospel of the Kingdom establishes your prophetic calling and ability to uncover the mysteries of the Kingdom of Heaven and to bring that message to the world. We are commanded to do so! Truth matters because truth is reality. You should know the truth, because it’s the truth that sets you free.
2024-09-13 | Romans 15:22-33 | Rome or Bust
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Have you ever felt so compelled about a vision from the Lord that it seemed like a memory? It appeared as real to you as the past, but it really had not happened yet! What if you were so convinced about the outcome of that vision that nothing could shake you from pressing towards the destination? And even if you knew the journey would be fraught with persecution, difficulties, roadblocks, and unimaginable complications, would you stay the course—knowing the destination was a guarantee?
If we trace Paul’s journey the entire way, from when he first appeared as Saul at Stephen’s execution to his arrival in Rome, that is precisely what we will discover. We will review every trial and persecution, hear about each false accusation, and expose every false witness against him. We will explore how Paul defended himself and the outcome of each legal battle, and then he will arrive in Rome. And along the way, he had such compelling visions, and they drove him forward—powerful visions plus his unquenchable desire to please the Lord.
Prior to his first encounter with Y’shua on the Road to Damascus, Paul was the Church’s most evil nemesis. And spanning from shortly after that encounter, to his arrival in Rome, Paul understood from prophecy that he would now be the one to face tribulations and persecution. “For I will show him how many things he must suffer for My name’s sake.” Paul was not privy to the magnitude of the coming trials, nor the messy complicated details, but it did not take long for his persecution to begin. Shortly after his conversion, he finds himself on the other side of the “gavel.” The ups and downs are extreme. Maybe it’s happened to you before, the experience of both applause and retribution, celebration and suffering. Can you imagine the successive occurrence of these polar opposite encounters? One moment you are being extolled, the next you are literally being stoned to within an inch of your life. When you examine these events closely, it’s easy to understand why, in those who are willing to endure perseverance in the midst of persecution, it is such an admirable quality.
Nevertheless Paul pressed on. Even when his best friends tried to protect him, to hold him back, he was clear about his destination and nothing was going to dissuade him. “Now I go bound in the spirit to Jerusalem, not knowing the specific things that will happen to me there. What I do know is that the Holy Spirit has shown me that in every city chains and tribulations await. But, knowing these things in advance does not even tempt me to change course; I do not consider my life dear to myself. In my mind, I already died with Christ on that cross and I’ve already been resurrected as a new man, and no threat of suffering even comes close in comparison to the appreciation and gratitude I have for that experience. So, if persecution or even torture and death are the cost, I am thrilled God would count me worthy of such things. I am going to finish this race with joy, the ministry which I’ve been assigned from the Lord Y’shua, to testify to the gospel of God’s grace.”
The Lord informed Paul that the persecution he had and will face is all by grand design. The ultimate destination is for him to bring his testimony to Rome! “Be of good cheer, Paul; for as you have testified for Me in Jerusalem, so you must also bear witness at Rome.” Paul is going to Rome; it’s his destiny no matter what level of persecution it takes along the way and no matter what horrible persecution awaits. To Rome or Bust! “Or bust” means you will do or say anything to get where you are going or to achieve what you are called to achieve. Do you have the same convictions for where the Lord is leading you?
2024-08-30 | Romans 15:1-21 | Wash, Rinse, Repeat
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No one said the battle would be easy. But any good soldier is willing to endure hardship, especially if he was commissioned by and fights for Jesus Christ as his Commanding Officer. And no excellent soldier who is engaged in warfare for the Lord entangles himself with the affairs of this life. He’d much rather be pleasing to the God who enlisted him as a soldier. Think about it; how could you be a good example to others if you are entangled with the things of this world? Rather than being distracted with worldly lusts, put aside everything that weighs you down, the sins which so easily ensnare you. Commit instead to only one track, and then run on that track as long as it takes to win the race. And focus on only one prize at the finish line; remember, Jesus is the One who laid out the track before you and He is the goal at the end of the race. Consider the things that you have learned from many faithful witnesses. Take and commit them to other faithful men, who will also be able to teach others those same things. Wash, rinse, repeat.
If your one aim is Christ you can inspire others to imitate you as you imitate Him. If you are authentic, others will follow. Point people towards what the Bible says and how God commands we live. In other words, imitate God because He is the living word. Love others as Christ loves you and gave Himself as an offering and a sweet-smelling sacrifice. Walk out your life just as Jesus walked. Obey God’s commandments, the ones He gave us from the beginning. Doing so will keep you from sinning, as transgression of a command is the very definition of sin. The best way to identify true believers is to observe those who obey God’s commandments.
He who claims to be a follower of Jesus, but does not keep His commandments is a liar, and the truth is not in him. However, whoever obeys His word, truly the love of God is perfected in him. Christ taught lesson after lesson, and gave demonstration after demonstration. He was in the boat with His disciples and He calmed the storm; He asked His disciples to feed thousands and then He showed them how. He sent them out again in a boat, this time without Him, and then walked out on the sea to meet them.
Again, He calmed the storm; apparently they were not ready, nor capable, to duplicate what He did. He presented a second occasion to feed the multitudes and yet they were still not ready, “Where would we get enough food in this remote wilderness to feed such a large crowd?” And through it all, He healed the masses of every imaginable disease and promised we’d do greater things!
If you repeatedly flip the same coin and lose on both sides, I suggest you take a look at Y’shua’s playbook and begin to live on the edge. That is where, although narrow, the seas become calm, bread comes down from heaven, and the masses are healed by the simple touch of your garment or the handkerchief you once held. Maybe there will come a time when all that is needed is to pass through your shadow, which by then is a perfect replica of His. It may seem far off, but you will get there; just wash, rinse, repeat.
2024-08-23 | Romans 14:1-23 | Identity Politics
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“To serve or to self?” that is the question. With more clarity, might your position be best described as serving leadership or selfish lordship? Serving leadership is godly leadership; selfish lordship is anything but godly. It is a shaming, guilting and degrading brand of lording over another. The pagans are good at that; don’t you be! It’s one thing to be handed the keys to the kingdom and to go out as His ambassadors to the world to represent Christ as if your words are His words. It’s altogether different and downright wrong to become so enamored with your position that you begin to build your own kingdom occupied by your own words. The former glorifies the One and only Master of the universe; the latter smacks of self-glorification. If you travel down that road for even a moment, you risk developing the belief that you are judge, jury, and executioner—a position God has abdicated to no man.
“Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one!” The quintessential truth: there is one God, and there is no other but He. There is one Lord; He is Father of all; He is above all, He permeates everything and is the reason you exist. Yes, there is One God, and it’s not you! Certainly you are empowered to be the voice of Christ in the earth, and His hands and feet. Go preach; go baptize; go teach; go minister; go serve; go provide; go be an example to the flock in word and deed. Imitate Christ for sure, but don’t hold yourself out to be God. Satan did that; Pharaoh did that; and King Herod did that. And it did not turn out well for any of them.
Instead of usurping God’s authority, your role as His ambassador is to be a loving example, not a source of prideful condemnation. Remember, receiving condemnation is not an option for God’s children. Nevertheless, the identity politics here is a double-edged sword. On one razor-sharp edge sit Christians in leadership. If you identify with a leadership position, how you represent God is crucial. Who are you as a leader; what is your role, and how will you exercise your God-given authority? The other edge is equally as sharp, and Christians who sit atop its blade are following those Christian leaders, and they too must be crystal clear on their identity. In other words, it is critical in the Church that both Christian leaders and those who follow them have a solid identity doctrine. In plain language, good identity theology is this: whether you are a shepherd or a sheep, you must be fully convinced in your own mind who your are and what you believe!
Nevertheless, it’s safe to say that shepherds have a greater responsibility than sheep and will be judged more harshly by God. Again, leaders must be an example to the flock in word and deed. Shepherd the flock of God, serving as supervisors, not driven by greedy impulses because there is something to gain by lording over others whom God entrusted to you. And worse yet is when your selfish desires are fueled by inauthentic motives. Instead, be willing and eager to be a Christlike example to the flock. What does that look like exactly? If you desire to lead, you must put yourself below those you intend to serve. That’s precisely what Y’shua did; He came to serve, not to be served. Think about it… He was the Teacher of teachers; He was the Master of the universe, and yet He knelt before His disciples just hours before His horrific torture and crucifixion, an He washed their filthy odorous feet. He taught us why; “I have given you an example, that you should do as I have done to you.” That is serving leadership!
But, if you instead choose to otherwise serve yourself in your honored leadership position, to mislead God’s sheep at all, this is what the Lord has for you; “Woe to the shepherds who injure My sheep in any way or cause them to feel lost! I will punish you for your evil choices. If you cause even one of My little children to stumble by leading them into sin, it would be better for you if you had a 1,500 pound stone attached to a noose around your neck, and you were tossed into the ocean and dragged to the bottom.”
Remember, there is One God, and it’s not you! And if the one-and-a-half-ton millstone yanking you by the neck to the bottom of the ocean is not graphic enough to describe the consequences of leading God’s people astray, consider more closely the depth of the Mediterranean. Sink to the lowest point and there will be 7,500 pounds of pressure per square inch crushing your skull. Yes, shepherds have a greater responsibility than sheep and will be judged more harshly by God, so I implore you to be a serving leader, not a selfish lord. Or, as Paul so eloquently states, “Happy is he who does not condemn himself in what he approves.”
2024-08-02 | Romans 13:8-14 | Two Worlds Collide
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We are sojourners from another world, and yet we are only meant to be temporary inhabitants passing through this land. It is an interim provisional experience, and as such we are mandated to exist as if we are already heavenly citizens, even while our feet remain firmly planted in this world. These two worlds are set for a head on cosmic collision, the magnitude of which history has never known, and is so gargantuan that the coming colossal clash can occur only one time—it is the ultimate titanic battle.
Two worlds, one God so loves, the other we are not to love at all. In fact, loving the other is a direct affront to loving our Creator. We are in the world we see, but not of that world. You can identify those who possess this type of hybrid citizenship by one undeniable marker; the world hates everything they represent. You can isolate citizens of the world God so loves by their love for one another. It’s the witness that comes with only one well-defined debt. Owe no one anything except to love them and never cause them harm. This very thing completes, summarizes, and encapsulates every command of God in one overarching mandate.
Wake up people; time is running out. The inflection point in history is at hand. God demands you no longer live in lewdness nor lust, in strife nor envy; cast off the works of darkness, and put on the armor of light. Become like the Lord Jesus Christ and never again make provisions for your lustful desires. And then stand up in your perfect purity and say to the world that is about to pass away, “Who is this uncircumcised Philistine, that he should defy the armies of the living God?”