Sermon Notes & Videos
2022-01-21 | Exodus 18-20 | Cancellation Policy
If more people could recognize how many things in our everyday lives were copied from the Holy Scriptures, less people would resist the truth about the one and only God. For instance, think about the seven-day week. The whole world agrees to it, organizes everything around it, and is willing to run their personal lives and businesses by it, and yet they fail to recognize it comes directly from the Bible. Even the most staunch evolutionists, who abhor the idea of creation, blindly and comically submit to a seven-day week. It’s really hysterical when you think about it.
This is true in other areas as well. Take the legal world, for instance. It copies concepts straight from the Bible. For example, in contract law, you must have a valid offer and acceptance. All parties involved must have the capacity, legal standing, and soundness of mind to enter the agreement. And what will be exchanged between parties must be deemed fair and equitable in advance. In addition, many types of contracts include a three-day cooling-off period, so those entering the agreement have a way to back out of their commitment without recourse after they’ve had adequate time to consider all the obligations and ramifications that would be included in their commitment. Can you believe it? You have three days to make sure you have entered an agreement you are willing to keep? Why three days? Where have we seen that before? Oh, right here at Mount Sinai.
First, God reminds the people what He has done for them to bring them to this place and that they are His chosen, so it’s well established that they have the mental capacity and legal standing to enter an agreement with Him. They had a legal offer on the table; had already agreed it was beneficial and had already accepted. That should have been enough to seal the deal! But instead, God says, “Go tell the people to get ready, because on the third day I am coming down to ratify our agreement!” And, after you’ve had three days to consider all the ramifications, if you still say yes, then there is no backing out!
To simplify, there are two sides to every agreement. God’s side is locked-in and guaranteed from the start, but you have three days to really think about what you are committing to, and if you want to opt-out during that period—fine. But, if you don’t, then the contract is set in stone, and you will be held accountable for your side of the bargain.
2022-01-14 | Exodus 13-17 | A Heart OF & FOR Worship
“Wonderful, Merciful, Savior, Precious Redeemer and Friend, who would have thought that Lamb could rescue the souls of Man?” I remember those lyrics as if yesterday was the first time I heard them. I recall having a conversation with an older gentleman the day before I went to Church for the first time, the day those words would inject life into my dry bones.
I did not know what to expect, but one thing was clear in my mind; I was not leaving Church without having an encounter with God. When the worship began, I was confused. Having come from a Catholic background, this was completely different. I had no experience with a style of worship that invited this level of participation. Singing along with the music did something to me that day. I was awestruck by the lyrics; they pierced my heart! The words brought tears to my eyes. “Wonderful, Merciful, Savior, Precious Redeemer and Friend, who would have thought that Lamb could rescue the souls of Man?” Teardrops ran down my face as the weight lifted, as if a ton of bricks were removed from my chest.
My journey as a Believer began that day, and that song still resonates with me. Worship is not what you might think, and many people reduce it to singing in a Church Sanctuary. To limit worship to an event performed once or twice a week at Church, is to short change yourself of a much more vibrant walk with Yahweh.
Having a proper understanding of what constitutes true Worship is paramount to every Believer. The best description of Worship I’ve ever found is from William Temple. “ Worship is the submission of all of our nature to God. It is the quickening of the conscience by his holiness; the nourishment of mind with his truth; the purifying of imagination by his beauty; the opening of the heart to his love; the surrender of will to his purpose—all this gathered up in adoration, the most selfless emotion of which our nature is capable.”
“Wonderful, Merciful, Savior, Precious Redeemer and Friend, who would have thought that Lamb could rescue the souls of Man?” That is what happened to me that day and that is what has continued ever since!
2022–01-07 | Exodus 10-13 | Tea Bags or Trash Bags
In everyday life we have items we use for both pleasure and out of necessity. One such item I find pleasure in is tea. I wasn’t always a tea drinker and neither do I consider myself a tea connoisseur if there is such a thing. Various teas have differing and interesting spices; they taste and smell great and can be consumed hot or cold for many reasons beyond taste and aroma, many of which are holistic and medicinal. A common way to prepare tea is to use Tea Bags submerged in hot water. Have you heard it said that Christians are like teabags?
Some things we all use out of necessity are Trash bags. We need not explain much regarding trash bags. Their purpose is pretty obvious and cannot be overlooked. Try running your household without using them and let me know how that works for you.
I’d like to say that Christians can either be like “TeaBags” or “Trashbags”. I’m almost sure saying this in an introduction will not be popular, but it has its purpose. It should help spark something inside of you to pay close attention. Which do you think Yahweh would rather use? Which would you choose to be if you had a choice? Oh, and by the way—you have a choice!
2021-12-31 | Exodus 6-9 | Doomed to Repeat It
How is it even remotely possible that the covenant God made with Abraham, and thereafter promised to Isaac and Jacob, was done so without “revealing” His name? In a strange but certain revelation, shortly after Moses’ burning bush encounter, at which Yahweh revealed His name, He informs Moses that He appeared to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, as “God Almighty.” Curiously, He tells Moses that “by His name Yahweh He was NOT known to them!” How can this be? Throughout the Genesis narrative, from the birth of E’nosh in Genesis 4, ”When men began to call on the name of Yahweh,” to God’s interaction with Noah before and after the flood, and even after the incident at Babel 100 years later, when He confused the languages of the earth, we see His name Yahweh appear.
It’s understandable why Moses, at the burning bush, would ask His name. Moses lived in pagan Egypt for the first forty years of his life, and pagan Midian for the next forty years. He only had exposure to paganism. So, his concern about what he should say, if the children of Israel ask the name of who sent him, makes sense. And the reality that Moses did not know God’s name already, makes sense.
What does not make sense is that Abraham, Isaac and Jacob only knew Him as God Almighty, not as Yahweh. And quite frankly, if that is the case, how then would the children of Israel who just spent the past 215 years in Egypt, 430 years removed from Abraham’s calling, even know if Moses was right?
What also does not make sense is that the name Yahweh appears 6828 times in the Old Testament, and that even when indicated in critical verses in the New Testament, such as, “Whoever calls on the name of the LORD shall be saved,” many Christians remain ignorant that the word “LORD” has replaced Yahweh thousands of times in their Bibles. As such, the famous quote is verified; “Those who cannot learn from history are doomed to repeat it.“ In other words, “by His name Yahweh He is NOT known to them!” In the end, what does make sense is that when God Almighty tells you that His Name is Yahweh forever, and that it is His memorial to all generations, you’d better pay attention!
2021-12-24 | Exodus 1-5 | Inquiring Minds Want to Know
Ignorance is bliss, isn’t it? I guess it’s all a matter of perspective. If you want to live your life with your head buried in the sand, then I guess you might be able to pull it off. You just might get by as clueless and happy. However, there are always two sides of every story, and life itself exists on both sides of a coin. If true, then what are you missing if you choose to stay ignorant? Even if you could manage to stay safe, and comfortable, and blissfully unaware, what are you sacrificing by doing so?
Back in the early 1980’s, The National Enquirer, a supermarket tabloid, coined the phrase “Enquiring minds want to know.” Now, of course, their actual content offered nothing substantive that could even remotely remedy ignorance, but their slogan was spot on! To enquire means to ask and asking is a good thing. But again, the answers you’d get by reading that rag could never truly cure ignorance. Nevertheless, promoting the desire to ask was an excellent concept. And better than an enquiring mind is an inquiring mind. To inquire goes a step further than asking; it means to investigate. “Inquiring minds want to know!”
Investigation is very satisfying because revelation leads to truth, and truth naturally solves the ignorance dilemma. In the end, you will undoubtedly determine that inquiring is bliss, not ignorance! And, if you apply this tactic to your spiritual life, you will find that it is precisely those who are inquiring that God uses to do great things. Now, if that is not bliss, then I don’t know what is!
2021-12-17 | Genesis 47-50 | Card Carrying Member Since 1745 BC
Sometimes it’s hard to appreciate what really took place when all it is to you is words on a page. Think about history for a moment. Pick any historical narrative, and then consider how you view that memory. You likely see it in your mind as a still picture. Maybe you see it as a short video clip; that would be minimally closer to reality. But, have you ever tried to place yourself inside those scenes? Have you ever tried to live out “a day in the life” of the real person who actually endured what you experience as a photograph or a movie?
I’ve actually done that. I’ve tried to imagine myself as a soldier during the American Civil War. I’ve pictured myself frozen in my tent at night, with soaking wet boots, no way to keep warm, hardly a fragment of food, and desperately missing my loved ones. I’ve contemplated the real possibility of dying the next day, or worse yet, becoming mutilated and having to die in slow motion, while laying twisted and broken on a mucky and icy battlefield, as my life slowly slipped away, afraid, in agony, and maybe with some regrets. And what I just described is a single day in what could have lasted four years for many real soldiers. Just one dark night, of 1,488 dark nights, is all I’ve imagined. Has this gruesome painting become visceral enough for you, real enough?
Now, try reading the Bible the same way, imagining being there in real time. For a moment, stop painting pictures of characters on a page and, instead, see yourself as the one who had to endure Joseph’s 13 years of pain and sorrows, or his father’s agony of loss for 22 years. Have you ever tried to imagine yourself being there and what it would really take to persevere for so many years? Or, do you rather stay hyper-focused on your own little world of immediate needs?
Let’s practice. The Bible describes these years in just one sentence. You can dismiss it as quickly as it takes to read, or you can contemplate all the years this sentence represents. “Joseph saw Ephraim’s children to the third generation.” One verse…three generations. You can assume it was all sunshine and rainbows and move on, or you can further investigate Ephraim’s life and witness what it took for Joseph to see those three generations. Reality check! Ephraim’s first three sons, Shuthelah, Ezer and Elead were all murdered. Yes, “Joseph saw Ephraim’s children to the third generation,” but first he witnessed the horror of his grandsons being murdered. It’s so much more than one verse.
My admonition to you today is to stop focusing on yourself for a day, and try imagining what that was like for Joseph and Ephraim. And then go one step further and feel all their pain while still proclaiming “all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose.”