Sermon Notes & Videos
2021-11–19 | Genesis 32-36 | Zeal or Zeal
It can get really confusing at times. A righteous anger rises up inside of you, or is it? It feels right; it must be right. Surely Yahweh will punish this heinous act. Surely He hates unrighteousness. I can read it in the Bible.
Just look at what He told Saul to do! “I will punish Amalek for what he did to Israel…go and attack Amalek, and utterly destroy all that they have, and do not spare them.” And just read how He blessed Phinehas for ramming a spear through a Moabite harlot and her Israelite boyfriend; “Phinehas has turned back My wrath from Israel…because he was zealous with My zeal; …Behold, I give to him My covenant of peace; and it shall be to him and his descendants…because he was zealous for his God.”
And yet, when Simeon and Levi jumped into action and killed Shechem, his father Hamor, and all the males of the city because Shechem raped their sister Dinah, their father Jacob was infuriated. He later calls them “self-willed instruments of cruelty” and removes a blessing from them.
So, how do you know if you are being a Phinehas or a Simeon? Paul had the answer; “…being ready to punish all disobedience when your obedience is fulfilled.” Phinehas must have been acting in obedience, Simeon and Levi, not so much.
What motivated their behaviors? Phinehas was zealous for God, and made atonement for the children of Israel. In other words, his actions ended unrighteousness and saved lives. Jacob’s sons, on the other hand, killed many, plundered the city, took all the wealth, and enslaved wives and children. Their motivation was carnal and atoned for nothing. What is motivating your zeal these days and how do you know?
2021-11-12 | Genesis 28-32 | Behavioral Patterns
What’s your problem? You know, everyone has at least one. We’ve all witnessed or endured something significant. I would not have to press too hard for you to remember at least one serious event or circumstance that was so impactful that it is now lodged in your brain. It’s stuck in your mind as if it is actually engraved in your memory.
As you search your memories, and consider both sides of those meaningful events, whether you were the perpetrator or the victim, I am confident you will find several. And what you will notice, as much as you’d like to ignore it, and as painful as it might be to contemplate, the cycle of those traumas have repeated over and over again. I am sure this has made you wonder; “How can this keep happening?”
Well, the answer is rather simple…it boils down to our Behavioral Patterns. Whether you like it or not, we have all inherited corrupted DNA, just like Jacob. Let me be clear, this is not an excuse, especially for the Believer! Let’s just call it a reason, not an excuse. The Bible encourages us; “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.” Wouldn’t getting rid of those Behavioral Patterns be included in “all things”? The answer is a resounding YES!!
The Biblical account of Jacob’s journey, after he was asked to depart in search of a wife, points us to several Behavioral Patterns. We must, must recognize them; and even more critical, we must forbid ourselves from repeating them!
2021-11-05 | Genesis 25-28 | The Treasure of the Heart
Think about how often we make cavalier statements. We sloppily allow words to stumble from our lips. We say things flippantly, without ever considering the power of words and the wrong thinking behind them. How many times have you said things like: “My neck is killing me,” or, “I’m starving to death.”? These are exaggerated statements that declare serious things we don’t really intend. Isn’t the truth more like: “My neck hurts,” and, “I’m hungry.”?
How about the way we diminish what words mean, at times, when we say things like: “I love my new truck; I love my job; I love my football team.” Love is not reserved for things, but for people. God is love and as much as you might enjoy your new “4 X 4”, you can’t love it!
Do you think I am making more of this than I should? Well, I bet Esau wished he could take back his words. He was simply tired and hungry, but said this instead. “Look, I am about to die; so what is this birthright to me?” He didn’t know it at the time, but his entire future was wrapped up in those thirteen words. Stinking thinking and rash remarks changed the trajectory of his life and the course of history. His entire legacy was at stake and he didn’t even know it.
No one describes it better than the prophet Obadiah many years later. “”And no survivor shall remain of the house of Esau,” for the Lord has spoken.” Esau had surrendered his birthright and spoken death over his own life. The true proverb says it like this; “Death and life are in the power of the tongue, and those who love it will eat its fruit.” “I am about to die…” Yep, Esau spoke death over his own life and that is the fruit he ate.
2021-10-29 | Genesis 23-25 | Bicycles Don’t Have Reverse
Have you ever been tempted to go backwards? You know, when you’ve chosen to do what was right and it still ain’t working out. It stinks when good decisions seem to yield bad results. What then? “Must you go back to, from where you came?” It’s certainly tempting to reverse your decisions when you’re sure you did things God’s way and it turned out to be a big mess. “No good deed goes unpunished” is the comical euphemism often inserted in these situations.
Nevertheless, it’s also abundantly clear that going in reverse is NOT the answer. I’d like you to consider your faith-walk like riding a bicycle. It can be wobbly at times, and truly, steering takes a million micro-corrections to get you where you want to go. But, bicycles don’t have reverse. Sometimes you just have to keep going forward until you find the right spot to make bigger turns. But don’t be mistaken, you are always going forward. I really like how Abraham said it, as he instructed his servant on finding a wife for Isaac. I’ll paraphrase it for you. “Go find a wife for my son, but under no circumstances are you to take him back to, from where I came. That life is over and all of God’s promises are right in front of us.”
2021-10-22 | Genesis 18-22 | Preconceived Notions
Preconceived Notions: having the foreknowledge or awareness of something before having any evidence of that something being real. It’s why Y’shua spoke in parables, and it’s what you are privy to when it comes to what Yahweh is doing in the earth. And let me add, it’s not simply a privilege; it’s an obligation. “Surely God does nothing without first revealing it to His servants the prophets.” Of course, He can do anything He wishes, He just chooses to include us in His plans as His human initiative partners. He wants us involved and we ought to take that responsibility seriously. The Holy Scriptures are rife with proof that Yahweh has chosen to operate this way, right from the beginning; “Shall I hide from Abraham what I am doing?”
Y’shua continued His Father’s ways; “It has been given to you to know the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven.” I think there is no better time in history, than right now, to learn what this means and how to discern what God is doing in the earth. The ongoing problem is that God’s people have a history of killing the prophets. Back then it was with swords and stones. Today, it is the church that keeps them in stone-cold silence!
2021-10-15 | Genesis 12-17 | You Have it in You
Have your ever heard the phrase that begins with the words, “You have it in you…?” Then, you fill in the blank to make your point. In a portion of scripture spanning six chapters, containing so many important moments in Biblical history, all focused on the life of Abraham, all relevant to you as a Christian, what jumped off the pages to me this week was this one responsibility. “You have it in you to bless all the families of the earth.”
In an era that features an outright assault on the family, what better time in history could there be to take on this duty? It’s a mandate that should not be overlooked.
And may I add one further job description for serious disciples, again considering the times in which we live. “You have it in you to execute God’s judgment on anyone who wishes to destroy the family.” You have it in you!