Sermon Notes & Videos
2023-09-15 | Leviticus 23:23-25 | Sober and Watching | The Feast of Trumpets
“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.” It’s easy to miss. The cycles of the sun and the moon are given for seasons, and for days and years. But, what are the signs? Y’shua rebuked religious leaders for not knowing. “Hypocrites! You know how to discern the face of the sky, but you cannot discern the signs of the times.” Can you discern the signs of the times? Paul assumed you could; “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 and watching.” For what signs should you be watching?
The yearly cycle of Biblical Feasts is precisely to which Yahweh, Y’shua, and Paul are referring. The Feasts are God’s prophetic calendar for mankind’s history and future. However, if you don’t prioritize their prophetic significance, tragically, you won’t be able to tell what time it is; you won’t be capable of recognizing the signs of the times. Worse yet, you won’t even know what signs to watch for. In the coming weeks we will look at the Fall Biblical Feast cycle by starting with the Feast of Trumpets. Synchronize your calendar and you will know perfectly well what time it is!
2023-09-08 | Acts 27-28 | Stay in the Boat
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[Final musings of Paul] Too much information to integrate into a single thought. Too many inflection points and interconnections to assimilate. It all led to this one moment when all that God’s been doing congealed in an instant, into one single reason: “For the hope…” Picture in your mind how it might be portrayed in a movie. It’s the culmination of the entire narrative, the climax of the story that both reveals the final missing piece and settles every issue at once. Every question is answered when the main character rewinds every memory in ten seconds, reliving in his mind all the events you just spent two hours watching. It takes place in a single moment that amalgamates all the pieces, and the confusing twisted story of seemingly unrelated scenes suddenly all makes sense.
I wish I could make that happen for you. Maybe I can. God created man in His own image and then Adam sinned in the garden and creation went into a tailspin. It looked really bad and seemed to ruin everything. Man had departed from God and death was introduced. And somehow that horrible event must end with a better outcome than had Adam never tasted the fruit. The long twisted history of mankind ensues: murder and selfish desires; intrigue and greed and rebellion; prophets and judges and kings; the birth of a child called to save us all; rejected and crucified by more Adam-like men, as if nothing will ever change; those who believe and those who torture those who believe; and somehow the purple thread that weaves throughout the entire story, and holds it all together, never breaks. Zoom in and you can see the writing woven into its fibers. It says “Hope!”
And what is most fascinating of all is that I had this burning desire in my heart to somehow get to Rome, but I could never have imagined how God would make it happen. It’s another of those purple threads. First there was the desire; then a prophecy ensuring I would one day be here; in between I was stoned and persecuted and ridiculed and rejected; then one day I was rescued by a Roman soldier as I was being beaten by Jews in Jerusalem; he sent me to testify in the Roman courts and I witnessed before governors, a king, and many prominent people; then I was asked if I’d prefer to return to the Jewish courts for a final ruling and I appealed my case to Caesar instead, right here in Rome. But it gets better. On my way here I almost died in a shipwreck in a storm, except God spoke to me again and reminded me of His promise that I must testify in Rome, so all I had to do was trust Him and stay in the boat. It’s what Jonah would have done had he obeyed the Lord in the storm. It’s what Peter would have done had he truly understood the Lord in the storm. And it’s what you need to do. Stay in the boat in the storm and be saved!
All that has happened has brought me here, to this very moment, “For the hope!” I was born a Roman citizen; I was trained in the law by the most prestigious scholar; I became the worst persecutor of all; I had the most dramatic conversion; my journey was filled with fruit and torture; and all along I was desperate for this one thing. I would do anything to get to Rome just to tell you this… “For this reason, for the hope of Israel I am bound with this chain.” You see, it all looked lost when Adam ate from the forbidden tree and he introduced death into creation. But that Adam could die was there all along and we know this because he did. What I have to tell you now is that Adam’s sin can work to your advantage. That is why I am in chains. Better than Adam had, who always faced the risk of dying, there is a greater promise, a promise of life everlasting without any risk. You don’t have to die; you can live forever. All you need is Y’shua, the long awaited hope. All you need to do when the storm is raging is to stay in the boat!
2023-09-01 | Acts 24-26 | Influence the Influencers
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“You will be brought before governors and kings as a testimony.” Very interesting words from our Lord, predicting very interesting times. One may believe that Y’shua meant those words for other disciples, for another time in history. But, I’d argue they are prophetic for more than the twelve He addressed that day. The simple fact is that Paul was not one of them and he was actually the first to literally be “brought before governors and kings.”
I don’t believe it was the legal issue Paul faced that was the primary reason for being put on display in the presence of the governing authorities and royalty, nor his main motivation for his formal request to go before Nero, Caesar of Rome, the supreme leader of the day. I am convinced that Paul’s readiness to present before governors and kings and his boldness to go before Caesar was based on this principle: if you cause the head to turn, the body will follow. And he was ready, willing, and able to do so. Are you?
In his last communication, a letter written to Timothy from Rome, the location of his final imprisonment and death as a martyr, Paul summarized the philosophy of his entire ministry. Preach the word of God, be ready whether it is convenient or not. Reprimand and rebuke as necessary, but also use plenty of encouragement. Do it all with absolute patience and by being an excellent teacher, using clear instruction. Be willing to be vaporized into a mist for God, as if your life is a cool glass of water being tossed into a blazing fire. And fight for the faith until your last dying breath, like a sprinter straining for the tape. This is the attitude in which Paul faced the most prominent leaders of the day. He was an influencer of people of influence. What about you?
To influence people of influence. That is an idea close to my heart. Long ago, when I moved away from my professional life and into full time ministry, those were the words that God impressed upon me. Quite simply, the more you can touch the lives of those who can touch so many more lives, the more lives you can touch. It’s been a passion of mine ever since. I pray you too will desire to touch many lives with the truth of God’s word, regardless of your calling or profession. One thing is for certain, to do so you must be ready and bold whether it is convenient or not.
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?”