Sermon Notes & Videos
2020-10-16 | Genesis 1-6 | The Master’s Piece & The Crux of the Matter
While doing life in general in today’s society, it is eminently obvious that the Human race, by and large, does not view itself quite the same as it once did. We are now living in a casual, convenient, and global society, in which absolutes regarding intimacy between people, either of opposite or same gender, do not matter. Instead of deep, meaningful, and committed relationships, casual and convenient partnerships are encouraged. If a relationship results in pregnancy, society regularly encourages the option of killing the unborn child, framed around “a woman’s choice” and addressed as “getting rid of it.”
The notion abounds that there is no objective morality. That is challenged only when WE articulate the thought that moral absolutes do exist and from where they come! The wickedness of society is on full display for all to see. And, it centers on attacking the truth that we have a Creator and what is the most important image and mandate of that Creator. “The two shall become one flesh” and “Be fruitful and multiply.”
How did we get here? A wise man once said, “Begin at the beginning.” Let’s remind ourselves of the intrinsic value of humanity by doing just that! Let’s go back to the beginning!
Portion: Bereisheet
2020-10-09 | Deuteronomy 33-34 | Second Chances
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 give a second chance. What will you do with it?
2020-10-02 | Y’shua in the Feasts of the Yahweh
“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.” (Genesis 1:14) It’s easy to miss. The cycles of the sun and the moon are given for seasons, for days and for years.
But what signs are we looking for? Y’shua rebuked the religious leaders of the day “…Hypocrites! You know how to discern the face of the sky, but you cannot discern the signs of the times.” (Matthew 16:3) What signs should we be discerning? “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.” (I Thessalonians 5:1-2, 4-6)
What signs should we be watching for? I believe that the cycle of Biblical Feast Days is exactly what Yahweh, Y’shua, and Paul is referring to. They are God’s prophetic calendar for mankind’s history. However, if you are not familiar with their prophetic significance, you won’t be able to tell what time it is. So, this week we will take a journey through the Feasts of the Lord so you may all synchronize your watches!
2020-10 | The Feast of Trumpets (Rosh Hashanah)
“Then the LORD spoke to Moses, saying, “Speak to the children of Israel, saying: ‘In the seventh month, on the first day of the month, you shall have a sabbath-rest, a memorial of blowing of trumpets, a holy convocation. You shall do no customary work on it; and you shall offer an offering made by fire to the LORD.’” (Leviticus 23:23-25)
“Be glad then, you children of Zion, And rejoice in the LORD your God; For He has given you the former rain faithfully, And He will cause the rain to come down for you— The former rain, And the latter rain in the first month.” Joel 2:23 NKJV
2020-09-25 | Leviticus 16 | Yom Kippur – Shadow of Things to Come
“Once and for all means once and for all,” doesn’t it? If there is one Feast of Yahweh, more than any other, that Christians believe no longer has any relevance for them, it has to be Yom Kippur. “The blood of Christ has paid for our sins past, present, and future, so why do I need to pay attention to a holiday that foreshadowed the sacrifice needed to cover the sins of the world?”
It’s a worthy question and one worth exploring, especially in light of these difficult to explain scriptures written decades AFTER the death, burial and resurrection of Christ. “The Feasts of the Lord are shadows of things to come.” (Colossians 2:17); “Christ came as High Priest of the good things to come.” (Hebrews 9:11); and, “The Law, having a shadow of the good things to come.” (Hebrews 10:1). The Feasts, the High Priest, and the Law, all shadows of things yet to come, even decades after Christ. These are mysteries worth unlocking; secrets with discoveries relevant to every Christian serious about the future of their faith.
2020-09-18 | Deuteronomy 32 | Narcissistic Christianity
When you came into the faith as a Christian, something extraordinary happened. The veil that once separated you from God was torn and you gained access to the throne of grace. I’m not sure I’ve yet learned to appreciate the sheer magnitude of that privilege, but I press into it daily; how about you? Yet, this question remains…why? Why do we have open access to heaven? To quote a friend who recently relayed the vision of his local church: “We exist to take you from corporate encounters to daily personal encounters.”
And that struck at the core of my being. I mused instantly, “Isn’t that the exact opposite of the call of the church?” Aren’t, rather, your deep personal encounters meant to uplift and unify the entire body of Christ? Isn’t that the bigger reason we have open access to God’s throne? This hyper-emphasis on our personal lives in the faith, rather than what Yahweh is doing in the Body of Christ, has bred a narcissistic brand of Christianity. We have moved our focus from ‘Others’ Lives Matter” to ‘My Life Matters.’ “For all seek their own, not the things which are of Christ Jesus.” (Phil. 2:21) The course correction is this; “Let nothing be done through selfish ambition or conceit, but in lowliness of mind let each esteem others better than himself. Let each of you look out not only for his own interests, but also for the interests of others.” (Phil. 2:3-4)