Sermon Notes & Videos
2022-06-17 | Numbers 8-12 | Predictable Tides
The sun rises and the sun sets; the tide comes in and the tide goes out. You don’t even think about it. It’s like your heartbeat: steady, predictable, dependable, and without any forethought. Well, that is if you are healthy of course. But there would be no questions, no doubts or concerns, if we are measuring the beating of God’s heart.
David was a man after God’s own heart. What does that even mean? It means David was synchronized with God’s desires; he was in-tune with what Yahweh wanted and specifically what Yahweh wanted of him. It means to trust in God’s provision and protection no matter what threats surround you. It’s comforting to connect with the heartbeat of God, but how comforting could it be if the beat of His heart was erratic, unstable, unpredictable, or undependable? The sun rises and sets and you don’t give it a second thought; you literally can “set your watch by it.” The tides also come in and go out like clockwork, unless there is a storm approaching and the heavy rain and potential storm-surge cause rivers and oceans to spill over onto what is otherwise dry ground.
Many heavy rains act as enemies against the riverbanks of our lives. All sorts of storms threaten to overflow our personal coastlines. But God’s heartbeat is steady and predictable; His tides never get so low that you bottom out or so high that you drown in the flood. David writes, “Surely in a flood of great waters they shall not come near me. You are my hiding place; You shall preserve me from trouble; You shall surround me with songs of deliverance.” Isaiah reveals the heartbeat of God with His words of comfort; “When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and through the rivers, they shall not overflow you.”
There is one final piece I must confirm. You are not meant to go it alone. God has placed others around His people and His institution to remind them that His heart never stops beating for them. God’s heart never skips a beat, never flutters, has no leaks or clogs, and is immune to arrhythmias and infarction. Stay connected to God’s beating heart; it is your hiding place. In other words, there is no storm so powerful that He can’t “tide you over.”
2022-06-10 | Numbers 4-7 | Racial Profiling
It’s about to get controversial. But, that should not come as a surprise, because God is not bound by what feckless political hacks call inclusion. If you demand that the Creator of the universe operate in equity, then I have some disturbing news for you; we all deserve to burn! Let me be clear about what is meant by equity: the quality of being fair and impartial. I’m not sorry if this makes you uncomfortable. Yahweh’s version of fair and impartial must include justice. You see, a just God who operates in equity must exact punishment on everyone equally. This, of course, is true unless He allows a third party to be inserted into the equation to cover the cost for some!
Some! How is that equitable? This is where the examination of inclusivity enters and is likely what will disturb you most. If Yahweh was all-inclusive, He’d not favor any particular person or group. Yet, it is clear that He does: some get His name… some are special… some get double… some are chosen… some are above… some get blessed… He identifies, isolates, and then closely examines some. He treats them differently by offering them a unique opportunity. Should they accept, they are given special privileges. Some and not others? Yikes! God is guilty of racial profiling. His version of equity has an exclusivity clause—some and not others. Report that in today’s “woke media” and you will witness the colossal character assassination of Yahweh. Let the indictment of the Judeo-Christian God begin!
Can you imagine the arrogance, the gaul, the utter absurdity? Mankind with his modern institutions and mores decides, using his own set of standards and beliefs, if the Creator of the universe is right or wrong. Let that sink in! I pray you are not fooled by the relative morality of the day. A culture of virtue is not defined by people. Virtue is simply, and in its purest form, defined by God. Yahweh decides what is good and right! That is reality.
If you don’t like it; if you disagree with God, that He chooses some and not others, His use of racial profiling, take it up with Him. Be warned however; every example of every pious, self-righteous boob, who ever challenged God’s right to make His own rules and standards, regretted his decision. What makes you think it will be different with you?
2022-06-03 | Numbers 1-4 | Re-Fund the Police
The imagery is striking. Your job is to uphold the law; you establish yourself in a well-defined precinct and you serve and protect those around you, as they all maintain their own property. You are like the glue that holds the community together and you are provided every resource to perform your duties.
Service is your name and protection is your game. Things are constantly in motion and you are right in the midst to ensure all goes according to plan. You look up and serve the leaders of your community and you look out to serve every member.
You are completely dedicated to preserving property rights and the rights of the people. In some regards you are members of the most practical side to governance. The more compliant each member of your community, the easier your job. It gets substantially more difficult when the people would rather violate the laws than uphold them. They are not your laws, but those created by your leader and universally adopted by your society. You serve the people and maintain order, so that life for everyone who obeys the laws is not disrupted by those who would rather break them.
And that leads to your final role—protection. You protect the people and their property from those who violate the laws. And equally as vital, because you serve everyone, you even desire to protect violators from themselves. You do so by setting an example and by emphasizing the benefits of living within your supreme leader’s legal parameters and accepted standards. You consistently point to the one from whom the law originates. Your mission is to serve and protect. Who are you?
I am sure you recognize this imagery. You see it within modern day law enforcement—the police! Biblical law enforcement officers are called priests. Today’s spiritual police force or priests are often called pastors! Calling all pastors…are you serving and protecting your flock? The Chief of Police is coming soon to check on His police force. Are you pointing your flock toward your own laws, or toward the One from whom the supreme law originates?
2022-05-27 | Leviticus 26-27 | Valuations
From where do you derive your value? Pay close attention here; I’m not asking you from where you derive your values, as in principles and standards of behavior. I’m asking about your self worth. It’s easy to fall into the trap that defines you as your profession or vocation; your possessions, position and accomplishments; your situation and circumstances; relationships and associations; your true outer appearance or how you appear to others, including their opinions, judgments, gossip, posts and compliments. Even your divine calling and purpose is not who you are, is not how your real worth is measured.
Many people today are victims of selfie-worth, an inner belief that you are what you can convince others to believe about you. I am not sure that’s any better than those who feel they have no worth at all. Any combination of these valuation formulas is a lie, and we know who fathers lies! Yet, if you are not any of these, what are you? Who are you? How much are you worth and who decides? These are all excellent questions, and if you are not asking them, maybe you should be!
I’d like to introduce you to a concept. Those who are not born again, justified by faith in the precious work of the cross of Christ, have at their disposal a sole self-valuation formula that demands they load their balance-sheet with self-worth assets derived from the above. Christians, however, have a different form of accounting at their disposal, should they choose. Yes, it’s available, but not guaranteed. You must exercise the option.
Sure, at your born-again encounter, you confessed who God is and what Y’shua had done for you. In other words you openly acknowledged with your mouth that God is who He says He is. But, there is another side to the faith coin, and that is the belief in your heart that you are who God says you are. And that is the optional side. You can believe who God is and yet your opinion of yourself can still be wrapped up in all of the above lies. The cross-over happens when you abandon those lies and begin to see your self worth through God’s eyes. Yes! He is from where your real valuation comes. The High Priest of our confession sets the true value of people, places and things, and I highly suggest you adopt His accounting method!
2022-05-20 | Leviticus 25 | The Acceptable Year
Here’s the challenge.
And this will only work if you are willing to become a consistent student of Yahweh’s Word. First, commit to daily reading. Then, get yourself into the correct posture as you approach the Holy Scriptures. Remember, it is the Living Word of God. It’s unlike any other book in existence. It is literally the voice of the infinite Creator. Now, if that does not give you pause and cause you to approach with deference and reverence, then I suggest you not take this challenge.
Once in position, humbly, and with the curiosity of a child, ask God to speak through His Living Word, this double-edged sword. Ask Him to reveal something new. Seek for deeper revelation, to discover what you’ve never known before. Search for magnificent intersections and allusions that will fascinate and excite you. He will show you, you know. If you are genuine and authentic in your quest, He will expose marvelous things, wondrous things. Knock on the door of prophetic inspiration and you will not be disappointed when He answers.
And that’s the thing. His Word will come alive and jump off the pages. It was there all along and yet you will see it for the first time. You wonder if anyone else ever noticed. You’re sure someone has and yet no one told you. You wonder why. Then, you follow it where it leads you. You chase it down every tortuous trail and leave no stone unturned. Many unseated rocks reveal nothing. But some, some of them have hidden diamonds just below the pressed earth.
You pick one up, wipe it off and examine it closely. You may even shed a tear or two. It’s so beautiful, so valuable. You feel privileged just to have engaged in the process. And the reward you now hold in your hand is priceless. You smile—only the Spirit of the Lord could have brought you here. Now, only one thing remains; you must steward what you’ve discovered. Deploy it to release the captives; use it to set the prisoners free.
2022-05-13 | Leviticus 21-24 | Make Your Light OR Let Your Light SO Shine
What is it about light that everyone loves, especially light that emanates from fire? In today’s reading, we witness how Yahweh instructed Moses to fashion a lampstand, and a light that is meant to burn continually.
When we leap forward to the days of Y’Shua, and His words in the Sermon on the Mount, He reveals that we are that “light of the world” meant to burn continually. This, undoubtedly, is our call to ministry. It’s a call for His disciples birthed directly from an intimate, deep and powerful relationship with Him, not a choice made from the intellect. Unfortunately, this authentic call is not always what we see today, as those “in ministry” are oftentimes self-assigned and self-empowered!
We are called to “let our lights SO shine” not “make our lights SO shine.” We are not called to be the source of light, but instead the conduit of His light. Over the centuries, the more diverse and specialized Christian denominations have become, the more reflective they’ve become of their own light, and subsequently less representative of His light and thus less impactful.
A lighthouse exists on a coastline for a specific purpose, to guide those who are seeking entrance inland, and in some instances in times of an emergency. Look around; presently the world is in a “State of Emergency!” People are frantic and in need of a beacon of light to guide them, as they near an ever-increasing tumultuous coastline. They are desperate to find their way inland. And now I leave you with this critical decision; will you “Make” or “Let” your light SO shine? One will save them; the other will end in shipwreck.