Sermon Notes & Videos
2023-08-25 | Acts 23 | Great Purpose
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“Be of good cheer.” Has anyone ever said that to you? Well, maybe not using that specific wording, which is more biblical in nature. But, perhaps something more like, “Look up; look on the bright side; think positive; put your chin up; it will all work out; this too shall pass; cheer up, it’s not that bad, etc.” You all know what that feels like, as there is not one of you who has not been at rock bottom when some chipper person, with all the best intentions, comes along and looses one or more of those affirmations in your presence. And you all thought the same thing. “It’s easy for you to say; you’re not the one with the problem.” Or, possibly you pondered something not quite as nice as that, a thought that would be completely inappropriate to record here! Either way, you know the feeling.
But, what if it was the Lord speaking and you were altogether confident it was true; you could, should, “Be of good cheer!” He does tell us precisely that you know. “You will have tribulation; but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world.” He makes this promise so we can experience supernatural peace in the midst of dreadful circumstances. And sometimes we receive this word even before we are in such circumstances, as preparation for the inevitable.
You are called to a great purpose in the Lord and undoubtedly that calling will be fraught with dangers and difficulties. But along with that calling He says, “Be of good cheer!” Sure, the Holy Spirit may say to you one day, “In every city chains and tribulations await.” But His calling always comes with a promise, “All things work together for good to those who love God and are the called according to His purpose,” and a guarantee, “If God is for us, who can be against us?” Now, if God promises that when you love Him and follow His purpose for you as one of “the called” it will always work out in your favor, and He guarantees to be on your side every time, then certainly you can “Be of good cheer!” even when chains and tribulations await
2023-08-18 | Acts 21-22 | Forgiven Yet Liable
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If you are born-again, you will not be held accountable for your sins on judgment day; Y’shua has all of them covered. However, that does not blot out the consequences of your sinful behavior here on earth. Simply put, “You can escape eternal condemnation for your sin, but you cannot escape sin’s earthly ramifications.” Said another way, “You may not be punished for your sins, but you will be punished by your sins!” words that represent both a sigh of relief and sober warning. And let’s be clear; there can be no relief without Christ. Absent a contrite heart and genuine repentance, your sins destine you to eternal condemnation and earthly suffering.
So, what is the subtle nuance here? When one comes to Christ, the born-again encounter is a result of a heart-change inspired by the gift of grace through faith and evidenced by repentance and confession. A contrite heart is proof of true repentance and God’s promise to all those in Christ—you are forgiven! He covers all the eternal consequences of your transgressions and you are permitted to live with God forever! In other words, “You will no longer be punished for your sins.”
However, you are not relieved of the potential devastating consequences that sin causes in this life, even when you are forgiven by God. Think of it this way; in God’s economy there are no small sins and no big sins. Any sin not covered by the blood of Y’shua will land you in eternal damnation. However, here on earth, the more serious the sin, the more serious the consequences. And here’s the rub. This is true even if those sins have been erased into eternity because you’ve repented and been forgiven.
On earth your sins have a cost. Steal bubble gum and you are condemned to hell without Christ, but here on earth, nothing will happen. Commit adultery, repent through Christ, experience His forgiveness, and your marriage is still devastated. Plus, you just might bring a child into a very damaged situation. The sin itself is the consequence. In other words, “You are punished by your sins.”
Why such a dire warning? Because although God wants you to experience the significant relief, and confidence, and certainty that in Christ your sins are forgiven, He also wants you to be horrified by the prospect of continuing to sin. And if you are a Christian, don’t see the consequences of sin on earth as God’s condemnation, nor is it necessary to carry the burden of those sins for which you have been forgiven. That is not the point! It’s best to rest in God’s forgiveness, even when sin has caused difficulties and struggles and turmoil on this side of eternity, and rather see this as a sobering warning of sin’s consequences! As a Christian, you will not be punished by God for your sins, but here on earth, your sin itself is the punishment!
2023-08-04 | Acts 19-20 | Lessons on Salvation
Ten weeks ago, during our introduction, I used 2 Corinthians 5:17 as part of my opening lines. “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come.” Every week thereafter, I have opened up our time together by briefly expanding on each individual attribute of the fruit of the Spirit. Given the opening lines of our scripture reading today, I believe God desires we dig deeper into the subject. In today’s study, Acts chapter 19 begins with the Apostle Paul asking certain disciples, “Did you receive the Holy Spirit when you believed?” And they said, “No, we have not even heard that there is a Holy Spirit.” Do you find this question odd? Does it make you wonder why it is that the apostle Paul asked the question in the first place. The more I thought about the reason why he would ask the question, the more I kept coming back to the thought that he would probably be equally aghast if he was to visit most congregations today!
In today’s study, let’s make sure we know who the Holy Spirit is, lest we be found guilty of the same indictment! As basic as this part of our doctrine is, I would not want to be held accountable for assuming everyone within the sound of my voice can answer the question properly, “Did you receive the Holy Spirit when you believed?”
2023-07-28 | Acts 16-18 | A Man on a Mission
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He’s a man on a mission. It was not easy the first time; in fact, it almost killed him. But he’s willing to do it again, and this time it will be longer and further than before. It’s inspired and will be directed by visions from God. “I want to examine the fruit of my work. Was it all worth it? I want to strengthen those who’ve been touched by God and I want to touch many more people with the truth. I want to go whenever and wherever God directs!”
But, it almost killed him the first time. Actually, those that wanted him dead thought they had killed him. But he got right up when they were not looking, bloodied and broken, smashed and dented by stones, bruised and beaten, and he kept on going. What would be different this time? This predictably is how man reacts when you challenge his long-held beliefs. But he’s a man on a mission and nothing is going to stop him. What about you?
The times have changed; a few thousand years have passed, but man, not so much. Challenge a belief system, expose lies to the truth, and man will oftentimes become violent. It’s still happening today; it’s all around us. Speak truth to the establishment and you will be censured and censored; lied about and attacked; charged and charged at; apprehended and incarcerated; and removed from the public square or removed from life itself.
It’s a different time, but have times really changed? Has man really changed? Paul was a man on a mission and the call for each of you, in your own special, way is to be a people on a mission, even if those within the sound of your voice become violent—even if you are censured and censored; lied about and attacked; charged and charged at; apprehended and incarcerated. Yes, even if there is an attempt to remove you from the public square or remove you from life itself, will you accept the mission?
2023-07-21 | Acts 15 | A Schism in the Making
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Try this on for size! Your whole life you’ve been told that in order to have any chance of eternal life, you have to obey very specific rules and regulations, and not just obey, but to do so with bulls-eye exactitude. And, doing your very best will only prove that you will never be good enough to accomplish this daunting task.
Now… introducing the Gospel of Jesus Christ! In the presentation of Y’shua to the masses, one could come to the saving grace of Yahweh by simply believing in this Rabbi, Y’shua. Believe He willingly died on a cross after being beaten, mocked, spat upon, and having a crown of thorns placed on His head. Believe that after all that, He was buried in a cave with a massive two-ton stone placed to seal the entrance. Why? There is no way for an ordinary person to pass in or out without some plan to move a huge rock, unless of course you have access to an angel whom can roll away the stone. And, to add a few additional incredible details to the story, this dead Rabbi resurrected from the dead, walked out of the grave and mingled with His disciples and many others for forty days, and then He floated away into the clouds, while His disciples simply stared in amazement!
In Acts 15, certain men were not buying into this simplistic message of Christ crucified! They perverted the message of salvation by adding some dependency on a system of religious acts necessary to perform in conjunction with the work of Christ, in order to be born-again. It’s likely they felt as if they got ripped off and had to previously work for something that now anyone could freely receive. They were not having it! And, they were making it known in no uncertain terms.
These, not so small dissensions, became a schism in the making. They marked the beginning of doctrinal differences that morphed themselves into all sorts of views throughout human history. These mutations have caused schisms, time and time again. Instead, why not just work harder at learning, believing, and trusting the simplistic message of the Gospel of Salvation, rather than, add to it or adjust it to our man-contorted ways, just because it sounds too good-to-be true?
2023-07-14 | Acts 13-14 | Christian Idolatry
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Maybe it’s happened to you before, both applause and persecution, celebration and suffering. Can you imagine the successive occurrence of these polar opposites? One moment you are being extolled, the next you are being stoned. And quite frankly, it is easy to understand that perseverance in the midst of persecution is an admirable quality. But, what may be even more difficult, and therefore more commendable, is when you don’t become a victim of your own fame. When the whole world wants to applaud you, how do you respond? When praise, acclamation, admiration, adulation, compliments, and tribute are forthcoming, do you accept the worship, draw attention to yourself, soak it up, or deflect it away?
Maybe you are the one offering worship. Do you turn leaders into idols? Do you bow in the wrong direction, worshiping the worship? Are you applauding the worship, the one who worships, or the One being worshiped? Are you involved in Christian idolatry or the Christian faith. Is Y’shua the Lord of your life or one of the many objects of your idolatry, your religion? That’s a scary thought. Are you addicted to the truth or are you addicted to the experience.
The journey never turns out the way you’ve planned. You can certainly be confident that you are called and you can certainly be sure of your destination, but the road you will travel has many questions strewn along the path, many roadblocks, a myriad of twists and turns. There will be victories and some losses along the way; there will be persecution and there will be many things to tempt you, maybe none worse than the temptation to become full of yourself, imagining, “I’m all that!” Or possibly you tempt another by fostering that idea about him, “He’s all that!” Don’t do either, but rather, bow your knees only to the Father of your Lord Y’shua the Messiah, from whom the whole family of mankind receives breath. And, if you are ever tempted to boast or to feed someone’s boasting, do this instead; boast in the Lord. For it is not someone who commends himself that is approved by God, but the one whom the Lord commends. That says it all!