Sermon Notes & Videos
2023-07-07 | Acts 10-12 | Prepared Beforehand
Weekly Scriptures | Sermon Notes | Sermon Video
No, Peter and Paul are not the only ones, but in Peter we have the perfect example, the quintessential case study. Even as a man who enjoyed walking in the inner circle of Christ, one who witnessed His persecution, torture, and then crucifixion at the hands of the religious elite with all their hypocrisy, and had himself faced persecution as their captive—Peter still had erroneous religious beliefs baked into his psyche. He was sure that he would have nothing to do with Gentiles because Yahweh wanted nothing to do with Gentiles. He definitely did not inherit that mindset from his Jewish Scriptures; they teach quite the opposite. Peter, however, is about to become the pioneer of the proper perspective; you will not avoid the Gentiles, rather you will go to the Gentiles with this message; “Yahweh is not prejudice; Y’shua is for everyone!”
Peter was holding on to his engrained thoughts, persistent religious tendencies and incessant behaviors. And he would have never ministered to the Gentiles if Yahweh did not intervene. God initiated Peter’s transformation by first exposing his enmeshed beliefs. That helped him break old habits and make better choices. And God used prophecy to soften his sclerotic mentality… ”Old men shall dream dreams; young men shall see visions.” Yahweh gave Peter a vision and this was its ultimate fruit. “I’m God’s work of art. I’ve been created by God and empowered in Christ to obey His Word and the specific calling on my life. This calling was prepared for me beforehand with the expressed purpose that I walk in it.” And so he did; he went to the gentiles and told them, “Yahweh is not prejudice; Y’shua is for everyone!” God has prepared dreams and visions for you as well—it is time for you to walk in them!
2023-06-30 | Acts 8-9 | Instant
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When is instant a good thing? “That’s the $64,000 question.” And ironically, the use of that colloquialism is the perfect object lesson to explain the nuances of “instant.” I’m sure you’ve heard the phrase…“That’s the $64,000 question.” It’s not formal or meant to be literal, but certainly typical and used often, recognizable by just about everyone in the conversation. But where did it come from? The expression originated in 1941 on the CBS quiz show, “Take It or Leave It.” A contestant could choose to take a small prize or bet everything on a bigger prize, the largest being $64,000. If he opts for the immediate smaller payout, he’d satisfy his desire for instant gratification. But hold out, and he can win the ultimate prize. Maybe 64K does not seem so ultimate in 2023, however, that amount in 1941 equates to a much larger pile of cash today. Hold out, get the answer right, and in 2023 you’d take home nearly $1.5 million!
I took one of my sons to dinner about twelve years ago when he was eleven years old. I slid a twenty dollar bill across the table and told him he could have it right away. His eyes were wide with excitement. Twenty bucks is a big deal for an eleven year old. But, before he could slip it out from under my fingers, which pressed it firmly against the table, I offered him this: you can take the twenty dollars now, or you can wait one year and I will give you one hundred dollars instead. For everyone listening, you know that any investment that can yield five-fold returns in twelve months is breathtaking. But, for an eleven year old, those calculations were not dominating his thoughts. What was alluring was the instant benefit of the twenty dollars. That evening, my son somehow figured it out and chose wisely; he held off for the hundred. But, more important was the lesson, especially in this instant-gratification-instant-satisfaction world in which we live. Instant or immediate gratification is simply the urge to satisfy a craving right now, without considering its long term effects or the bigger picture. Fast food; point of purchase sales; substances to change your mood; ordering out instead of cooking at home; procrastination instead of immediately doing what’s necessary; and hijacking the benefits of marriage without the commitment of marriage, like premarital sex and cohabitation, are all driven by desires for instant gratification.
The entirety of our culture has gone the way of…in an instant! Just add water; no assembly required. I want it, I want it now, and I want it easy. Do it to me or for me! It’s the microwave lifestyle. It’s instant coffee, oatmeal, yeast, rice, soup, mashed potatoes, and pudding. Remove from the freezer; remove from the package, and bake at 400 degrees for 40 minutes. Don’t let it thaw out first—place it directly from the freezer into the oven. And, get over it; it’s not the end of the world if you must preheat the oven first! Moreover, instant gratification and instant satisfaction do not end with food-stuffs. That’s just surface tension. Below “just add water” is: instant access, instant results, instant answers, and instant messenger. It’s an Instagram world. And when there’s a problem to solve, it’s instant cures, instant relief, and instant repair.
But, when is instant a good thing? “That’s the $64,000 question.” If we turn it around and see it from God’s perspective, God wants instant obedience; instant action; instant transformation; and an instant change in direction, worship, attitude, mindset, beliefs, and choices… Yes, you have instant access to God, so when you look for results, answers, cures, relief, and satisfaction, the only way to be truly gratified is by instant obedience to Him, as demonstrated by your actions. God speaks and you say, “Here am I! Send me. What do you want me to do?”
2023-06-23 | Acts 8-9 | Instant (Special Feature)
We had a special worship night this evening which was extended longer than expected, so we moved this week’s teaching until next week and shifted the rest of this year’s teaching schedule by one week. We had an open week planned in September, before the Fall Feasts begin that would have been used for whatever the Holy Spirit directed at that time. Well, we now know it was supposed be used for this reason. Please see the updated teaching schedule here: Reading Schedule 2022-2023 (Updated)
Andrew and Mary Kat Ehrenzeller. You can check out their gift from God here: https://andrewehrenzeller.com/.
Hear their worship on SoundCloud: https://soundcloud.com/big-house-church/sets/2020-08-02-worship
2023-06-16 | Acts 6-7 | All Used Up for God
Weekly Scriptures | Sermon Notes | Sermon Video
One moment you’re being selected as one of the few men, hand-picked to serve. It’s a complete honor and you humbly accept. Your reputation is without blemish and your commitment to God is obvious. The next moment God is working great miracles through you. A tick later, they are lying about you and you’re being publicly accused of things that could never be true, but you are indicted anyway. Blink your eyes and you’re standing at trial, the charges levied are beyond the pale, outside the limits of acceptable behavior or the judgment of any civilized person. These accusations are only possible because they are being corroborated by false testimony, lying witnesses who have no conscience, and obviously no fear of the Lord. How did you go from being picked for a grand purpose to standing accused before this council so quickly?
Maybe this nightmare will end. The man in charge inquires, “Are these things true?” Ah, finally! Someone wants to know the truth. Does he? At this point, you don’t even need to speak on your own. God promised that when you get arrested and brought to trial because of Him, you need not worry beforehand about what to say; the Spirit will assemble your words. And it happens. For ten solid minutes you give the most lucid defense imaginable. You’re testimony is exculpatory; it’s clear that nothing they’ve said about you is true—you’re acquittal is imminent. You’ve presented everything the man in charge needs to hear to exonerate you. You could rest your defense in that instant, but you don’t. Rather, you seize the opportunity; you look at your accusers, and all the members of the should-be-honorable court; and you tell them without hesitation, “You are the guilty ones. You have committed the crimes I’ve been accused of here, and worse. You murdered the Just One who the prophets said would come. You missed the Messiah because you resist the very Spirit that has inspired my defense today. You are all guilty.”
That does not go over well. What started as a good day is about to end in tragedy. What began as a moment of honor is about to be terminated with an execution. You are dragged out of the court and you are executed in a brutal onslaught. You are smashed with stones until your skull is crushed, your bones are broken, and your blood has spattered over the surrounding dust. And even then, with your last dying words, you ask your dear Lord, the very Messiah these murderers rejected, to let it pass. “Don’t hold this against them; they are just ignorant religious people.” And then you breathe your last breath.
There are moments in life when you must come face-to-face with the purpose for which you were placed here on earth. You have an assignment and you can’t go back to what you were doing before. It’s true, even if in one moment you feel honored to have been selected for such a purpose, and in the next you are being stoned to death. You can’t control everything that happens between the bookends of your life, the dash on your gravestone, be it a few days or many years. But you can control this… Will you say yes!
2023-06-09 | Acts 5 | Disruptive Technology
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It’s completely disruptive; but, not rude or inappropriate. It’s innovation that simply attracts an under-serviced market. And, unfortunately for those who are used to dominating the field, it quickly supplants its incumbent competitors. It operates in such a way that significantly alters how consumers view the product they have come to expect and opens their eyes to something far better. Suddenly, it sweeps away the current entrenched systems and replaces them, because its attributes are recognizably superior.
Yes, “suddenly” also seems to be a character trait of disruption. It suddenly comes on like a five-hundred-mile-per-hour tsunami! And it seems to be energized by the same types of forces: earthquakes, landslides, volcanic eruptions, or other massive catastrophic disturbances. And just like a tsunami, it arrives with an overwhelming force that both crashes into objects and then consumes their broken debris as it is sucked back into the ocean.
And both the existing system and the new system share a set of characteristics which guarantee that an immutable force will impact an immovable object. But, in practice, the seemingly immovable object will turn out to be quite vulnerable in the end—it’s just that the collision is so astronomical, so mammoth, so colossal that it takes some time to let the smoke, dust and debris settle. Then you can evaluate the devastation. Inevitably, the once entrenched, long-established, deep-rooted system will have given way to the new superior force.
The only variable that remains are the people caught in the waves. There are really only two sides here. One is the side of profound wisdom, erudite judicious perception. The other side is foolish obstinance—self-serving, power-hungry pride. The sage advice is this: If the immutable force is authentic, you can’t stop it anyway, and if you try you will find yourself in a fight against God, and unless you think fighting God is a good idea—you should reconsider your position. However, if this whole disruption is a manmade farce, it will soon dissipate and fade into oblivion on its own, like a ripple in a lake caused by a small stone. So, take a step back and take a deep breath. Trust me, you don’t want to be on the wrong side of history here.
2023-06-02 | Acts 3-4 | A Profound Challenge
Weekly Scriptures | Sermon Notes | Sermon Video
Do you recognize an opportunity when it presents itself? Are you the first to volunteer? Are you the type who accepts a challenge easily? Do you jump in enthusiastically? Don’t think impetuous when you hear “jump in”; think instead eager, fervent and passionate. Here am I, send me! You want me to represent you? I’m in awe; I’m humbled; I’m stunned, but I’ll do it! It seems that the more obvious it becomes that we are called to something magnificent and undeniable, the more some will dig in their heals and deny. Others respond instantly, not with denial but acceptance, wonderment, appreciation and utter amazement. Which type are you? Do you run towards or away from challenges?
Here is a grand recommendation for when you encounter a profound truth. Don’t dip your toe—rather, immerse your whole body, soul and spirit! Suck the marrow from the moment. Extraordinary things happen when you do; your eyes open to possibilities not previously noticed—some of which match the magnitude of the profound truth staring you in the face with profound challenges that stand between you and the expression of that truth! Challenges have a way of pressing us through a cheese cloth, until there is hardly a bead of moisture left, like being squeezed from all sides until even taking a sip of oxygen seems elusive. But once you see it, you can’t unsee it!
That is what it is like, at times, when your eyes open to the mysteries of God and the herald screaming in your brain becomes so loud, so clear, and so pervasive that it is impossible to imagine the plain message was a hidden secret just moments ago, but it was. You just might be a special agent assigned to the earth for such a time as this, to understand these kingdom mysteries. And, that is one of those things that fits the sentiment of this message; don’t dip your toe—immerse your whole body, soul and spirit! Seize the opportunity! Suck the marrow out of it!
Do you want to know a secret? It’s about your role in the earth at this moment in history. “In your seed all the families of the earth shall be blessed.” You were most certainly taught that was the unique role of Abraham. And when you suddenly discover it is not unique, that you too are called as such, it represents one of those profound truths that comes with many profound challenges. But that’s okay, because great challenges are met head on with great grace, the divine power necessary to turn a challenge into a reality!