Sermon Notes & Videos
2021-09-24 | Deuteronomy 33-34 | Second Chances – Again
You can review the video on Second Chances from Last year’s Torah Cycle as this year it is skipped because the Feast Portion for The Feast of Tabernacles is in its place.
Everyone wants a second chance. The question is, what will you do with yours. The first time Israel arrived at the shore of the Jordan, one year after they left Egypt, they made horrible choices. The second time, 39 years later, they were given a second chance. As they prepared to enter, Moses reminded them that they have the words and laws of their Heavenly Father as a heritage. Many years later we see King Hezekiah, who also gets a second chance in life.
He knows the reason is so he can make the truth of His Heavenly Father known to the children. And you are the child of God with the heritage of Yahweh’s words, His laws, and His truths, and you were given a second chance. What will you do with it?
2021-09-17 | Deuteronomy 32 | Hula-Hoops & Yo-Yo’s
*We apologize for the popping noise in this video. We did not realize that the mic became defective during the sermon. We tried to fix it afterward but have not been successful. We believe that you still will be able to appreciate the content of the message, but you must endure some static to do so! Sorry!
Everybody’s into it! Have you read…Did you know…You should see…We should go…You gotta hear…My entire church is doing it! If there is anything more cringeworthy than Christians getting carried away with the newest arrival to the Christian scene, I don’t know what it is.
Have you noticed it? Walk into any popular, seeker-friendly church these days and you will see the same set-up: a dark theatre, flashing lights, smoke machines, popular sounds, and a lot of motivational talk in lieu of teaching the Bible. Leaving inspired by persuasive words takes precedent over God’s wisdom. I call this “Grated Entertainment.” And no doubt, the louder the preacher and the more emotional his shouting, the more hypnotized his audience!
Outside the sanctuary there’s an entire marketplace catering to the evangelical nature of “Christians”. Why wouldn’t you go after that segment of consumer? They love to spread information. In the Church it’s called evangelism, but in the marketplace they call it word-of-mouth advertising. You see it all the time. It’s the latest Christian book, program, diet, prayer technique, bible study, seminar, or itinerant preacher, maybe better called a traveling salesman. The newest arrival spreads like wildfire and predictably fades—those benefiting the most being the progenitors of the latest fad.
Don’t buy in! These fads are always short lived and produce nothing of any lasting value, neither here on earth nor in eternity. If everyone is “doing it,” that in itself should be a red flag. I am not saying there is nothing of value for Christians in the marketplace, only that your truth-meter needs to be dialed in to spot the gimmicks. Unfortunately, conforming to the ways of the world, cloaked behind a thin Christian veneer, is the sad direction modern seeker-friendly Christianity has chosen. Don’t conform; there’s a more excellent way!
2021-09-10 | Deuteronomy 31 | Inexcusable!
A good friend once taught me that once you become good at making excuses, you will never become good at anything else—ever again! The Holy Scriptures are replete with warnings against straying from Yahweh’s ways. But, He is a gracious God who provides every resource for us to be successful. He doesn’t just mention His expectations and then leave us to figure it out. And He could never be accused of being vague. I mean, He literally repeats Himself over and over again, reiterating His requirements and expectations in so many different ways, as to speak to the hearts of every type of personality. I believe He does this so we are left with no viable excuse for why we disobey Him. “I didn’t know!” is not an option. “Ignorance of the law is no excuse,” was as true then as it is today. For sure, ignorance is NOT by any means bliss! And to be sure the people could have no excuse, Moses wrote down the law and it was read to every person every seven years. He even composed a song for the people to sing—so they would remember. Even the kings of Israel were required, each individually, to write a copy of the law for himself, in its entirety, and to read it all the days of his life. This was to insure he would neither become prideful nor stray from God’s commands. Neither the people nor the king have any excuse to disobey! What excuses are you making?
2021-09-03 | Deuteronomy 29-30 | Critical Roots Theory
There are a few perspectives that can explain ignorance of any matter. The first, and most obvious, is that you know what you don’t know. The other, which is more insidious, is that you don’t know what you don’t know. So, as we launch into this teaching, pay attention, not only to what you are certain you don’t know, but be on the lookout for things you didn’t even know that you didn’t know.
I called this teaching “Critical Roots Theory”, obviously to play off the controversial Critical Race Theory. I would venture to say that regarding the latter there is so much that you don’t know that you don’t know about it. It’s much like that beacon of light movement call “Something” Lives Matter. I am purposely leaving out the proper name as to not be censored. But, you all know that to which I am referring. That organization cares about anything other than that for which it is named. Nevertheless, most people don’t even know that, nor do they know that they don’t know that.
And that leads us to our current topic at hand. You may not actually know the Hebrew roots of your faith, and you may have not even realized you don’t know them. Moses looked forward and said it like this. “This covenant that was made between you and Yahweh, it’s not just for you. It is also for everyone who will come after you.” That’s a powerful idea. Y’shua made a similar promise at His last meal before He was crucified. “My prayers today are for all these men sitting before Me, as well as all those who will come to faith because of what they are about to bring into the world.”
There is an unbroken link between Christians today, and those who came before us, all the way back to Abraham. Paul even told the Corinthians that all of their forefathers passed through the sea, even though they were clearly of Greek origin and not Hebrews. What connected them? And why is it appropriate to say we are all from the same root? Did you even know we were; or better yet, did you even know that you didn’t know how critical it was that you should know? And more so, what controversies have arisen over the centuries because of this ignorance? Hence, “Critical Roots Theory.”
2021-08-27 | Deuteronomy 26-29 | Self-Inflicted Wounds
“Do you honestly think you will get away with that?” You could ask this of anyone who is openly, or even unknowingly, mocking Yahweh’s truth and justice. If you further inquired about their beliefs and practices, I bet you would sense one or more of these sentiments in a majority of them:
• They don’t consider God because they don’t even believe He exists.
• They openly deny Yahweh in favor of some false god.
• They don’t consider God because what is perceived as beneficial today far outweighs the unknown consequences of tomorrow.
• They do consider a god, but they are completely deceived; they worship a false god, while believing they serve Yahweh.
• They do consider a god, but for expedience, they have changed who He is to fit their own beliefs.
What we are seeing today, in many instances, are those who proclaim to follow Jesus, while simultaneously violating so many of His teachings. And worse yet, they actually believe they will escape His judgment.
As the psalmist warns, “Yahweh laughs at the wicked, for He sees that his day is coming; their own sword shall enter their heart.” Oftentimes, that “sword” is comprised of the very people and institutions who once supported the mocker.
I like to say it like this; “Satan has no allegiance to those who worship him. He will chew them up and spit them out once they are no longer effective for him.” Well, look no further than the current events of today and you will witness the destruction coming upon those who mock God. Their usefulness for Satan has run its course and Yahweh is laughing.
2021-08-20 | Deuteronomy 21-25 | Prophetic Implications
What does it mean to be “duty bound?” And what does Yahweh do when one is not willing or aware of the need to fulfill that duty? I pray you realize there are no idle words in the Bible and every historical event has implications, well beyond the narrative itself. In other words, the history of what actually took place is important, but what it means prophetically is far more significant. The best way to investigate what is the deeper message hidden in biblical narratives is to consider the Scriptures as a type of divine web of interconnections and revelations. For instance, in one area of Scripture Yahweh gives a command; in another we read a seemingly unrelated historical account. Then, in yet a third area, He reveals the prophetic nature in which that command was fulfilled in that story. To appreciate it, you must become a student of the Scriptures.
And what is most fascinating is that when man is not willing to fulfill his commanded duty, or not even aware of it, Yahweh steps in and makes it happen. He simply will not be denied. Good thing for us, as you will certainly see shortly!
And could we agree on one final point? If we can weave together a few fibers of this divine tapestry, might we then become more useful in bringing the Kingdom to earth? We can do so by recognizing the prophetic significance of God’s Laws. Let me defer to the words of Y’shua to describe what I’m saying; “Every scribe instructed concerning the kingdom of heaven is like a householder who brings out of his treasure things new and old.”