Jason Hovde: Recent Episodes
Jason Hovde
Message 2: Set your hope Fully Peter, an apostle of Jesus Christ, To those who are elect exiles of the Dispersion in Pontus, Galatia, Cappadocia, Asia, and Bithynia, according to the foreknowledge of God the Father, in the sanctification of the Spirit, for obedience to Jesus Christ and for sprinkling…
The oracle that Habakkuk the prophet saw. O Lord , how long shall I cry for help, and you will not hear? Or cry to you “Violence!” and you will not save? Why do you make me see iniquity, and why do you idly look at wrong? Destruction and violence are before me; strife and contention arise. So the law…
He who dwells in the shelter of the Most High will abide in the shadow of the Almighty. I will say to the Lord , “My refuge and my fortress, my God, in whom I trust.” For he will deliver you from the snare of the fowler and from the deadly pestilence. He will cover you with his pinions, and under his…
Holiness, Sanctification, and Mission Behold, a day is coming for the Lord , when the spoil taken from you will be divided in your midst. For I will gather all the nations against Jerusalem to battle, and the city shall be taken and the houses plundered and the women raped. Half of the city shall go…
Refined by Fire The Good News of a Murdered Man The news of a murder is almost always bad news, but: Big Idea: We have salvation because an innocent man died. The Good Shepherd takes the punishment for the bad The ones God loves He refines by fire The ones refined call His name Charlie Kirk: A faithful…
“See, I have set before you today life and good, death and evil. If you obey the commandments of the Lord your God that I command you today, by loving the Lord your God, by walking in his ways, and by keeping his commandments and his statutes and his rules, then you shall live and multiply, and the Lord…
Biblical Leadership and Biblical Following Big Idea: Leaders must value their followers; Followers must value their leaders I want to talk for a moment about slavery. Do you know that slavery still exists today? Slavery and Human Trafficking is an industry in our world that is alive and well. Of course,…
Prophetic Perfect Big Idea: What God says He will do is as good as done. Questions to ask ourselves: Do we put idols over God? Do People say “God is with them” about us? Are we strong in the Lord and walk in His name? In my study for our passage, I was reminded of a somewhat uncommon grammatical term…
It’s Still All About Jesus Big Idea: The greatest enemies of God have access to the greatest gift of God. God has grace towards His enemies Our window of opportunity is open - for now The promise is for all who receive Christ What if America’s greatest enemies were given citizenship? Suppose our nations…
Who Do You Say I Am? God proves His love for us in the gifts He gives He Gives Us His Image He Gives Us His Salvation He Gives Us Provision He Gives Us Proven Weapons He Gives Us Hope Westminster Catechism: Man’s Chief end is to glorify God, and to enjoy Him forever. Glorify God, enjoy Him forever. Glorify…
Better than Restored I’ve spoken before about our tendency to think nostalgically. A remembrance of the ‘good old days’. Some of us are nostalgic about good old days from before we were ever born. Maybe we see a movie or a TV show like Bonanza or The Waltons or Little House on the Prairie. We think that…
Basket Case Big Idea: A Holy People Must Be Rid of Wickedness (We can either get carried away with our wickedness, or let the Lord carry away our wickedness) Wickedness was our nature Wickedness can be contained Wickedness will be expelled Wicked! Wicked is a word that in some parts of the country means…
Undoing the Curse Big Idea: Our sin brings a curse from God, but there is One who breaks the curse. If you've ever read fairy tales or other fantasy literature or watched princess movies, then you are familiar with what we consider to be a curse and also with the striving to find a way to thwart the…
“Rejoice with Jerusalem, and be glad for her, all you who love her; rejoice with her in joy, all you who mourn over her; that you may nurse and be satisfied from her consoling breast; that you may drink deeply with delight from her glorious abundance.” For thus says the Lord : “Behold, I will extend…
What Who Grace Is Do you know who said the following? “When our Lord and Master, Jesus Christ, said "Repent", He called for the entire life of believers to be one of repentance.” Martin Luther’s 95 theses, that shook the world, began with this. All the other theses were dependent on it. All of his points…
The Apple of God’s Eye Two Big Ideas: Don’t measure to see what God is limited to, He is not limited by our small visions We are to respond to our redemption by breaking free from our bondage And I lifted my eyes and saw, and behold, a man with a measuring line in his hand! Then I said, “Where are you…
Does not wisdom call? Does not understanding raise her voice? On the heights beside the way, at the crossroads she takes her stand; beside the gates in front of the town, at the entrance of the portals she cries aloud: “To you, O men, I call, and my cry is to the children of man. “The Lord possessed…
Merciful Man in the Myrtles Zechariah 1:7-17 I begin my preaching this morning with 3 verses from the New Testament. Yes, our study is from the Old Testament Prophet Zechariah, but as always, I desire that you see that all of scripture works together to teach us. And none of it ever contradicts each…
And a vision appeared to Paul in the night: a man of Macedonia was standing there, urging him and saying, “Come over to Macedonia and help us.” And when Paul had seen the vision, immediately we sought to go on into Macedonia, concluding that God had called us to preach the gospel to them. So, setting…
Big Idea: Christians focus their energy on eternal things. Life does not consist in the abundance of possessions People tend to focus more on their earthly security than on eternal blessings We do not know how long we have in this life, so we are better off preparing for eternal life. Last week: We must…
Big Idea: We must take seriously our need to honor God Acknowledging Christ is to be acknowledged by Him. Many sins can be forgiven, but one cannot The Holy Spirit empowers believers to speak boldly Last week: The leaven of the Pharisees: Hypocrisy. Big Idea: If we properly understand God, we will not…
Now there was in Joppa a disciple named Tabitha, which, translated, means Dorcas. She was full of good works and acts of charity. In those days she became ill and died, and when they had washed her, they laid her in an upper room. Since Lydda was near Joppa, the disciples, hearing that Peter was there,…
Helping Hannah Kings don’t just show up. Neither do heroes. When a leader comes into power, it didn’t just happen. When a hero comes to save the day just in the nick of time, it didn’t just happen. It may seem coincidence to us, but everything that happens has happened because God has ordained that it…
Recap: dead works External washing vs. Internal generosity Careful tithing vs. justice and love of God Recognition vs. facade Big Idea: Works bring only judgment to those who are spiritually dead Now Jesus turns from the Pharisees and the woes on them to the lawyers (those who claimed to know the law…
Lies that kill and Truths that save What is so important about the Easter story? Why is the resurrection of Jesus so important? Why does it matter anyway? There are many people who don’t feel they need religion, or faith, or even contemplation about life & death. But I tell you this morning that it is…
Undercover Unbeliever Suppose for a moment that a prophet came into our building. This is just a thought exercise, and the point is not whether there are still prophets today as in the Old Testament sense, but just to get you thinking about a response you would have. So let’s pretend for a moment that…
“If you give God the gifts He’s given you, He’ll give you Himself!” Genesis 22:1-19 Have you ever been around a baby or a toddler as they learn to communicate? Early on, before they can really speak through ideas, they make attempts to be part of the world around them. They want to be involved with their…
Big Idea: Works bring only judgment to those who are spiritually dead Three things Jesus addresses: External washing vs. Internal generosity Careful tithing vs. justice and love of God Recognition vs. facade Introduction: The danger of pride in our works, status or otherwise outward persona, such as:…
A little girl was sitting in her first Good Friday service, and the epic story of the Crucifixion was beautifully read. She heard about Judas’ betrayal of Jesus. She heard about Peter’s denial. She listened to Pilate’s cross-examination of Jesus. She pictured the crown of thorns and felt the beating…
Context: 11:14. Jesus is accused of casting out demons by some and others, in verse 16, demand signs. Jesus knows these are insincere requests. He gives the parable of a strong man, and the unclean spirit that returns (representing mans attempts at morality) Then he says that the truly blessed will be…
Readings:Lent is a 40-day period of penance, reflection, and fasting observed by many Christians, beginning on Ash Wednesday and ending before Easter Sunday. It commemorates the 40 days Jesus spent fasting in the desert, and believers often use this time to prepare spiritually through prayer, self-denial,…
What is More Attractive than sitting at the feet of Jesus? We often hear phrases thrown around the church. Particularly in the modern church, many have adopted the philosophy of Christian life that says Jesus is Savior, and that Christianity is not about rules, its about relationship. Or we hear, it…
Big Idea: Unbelief leads to blasphemy. Healing was a staple of Jesus’ ministry Those who hated him could not explain away the miracles So they say vile things about him. Reading 14-28, but will not get through all of it this morning. Now he was casting out a demon that was mute. When the demon had gone…
Recap: The Lord’s Prayer (Or Disciple’s Prayer) Priorities in our prayers: The Holiness of God A desire that he be exalted A prayer for his Kingdom to come For our daily bread For forgiveness: to be granted to us that we would forgive others (sin is a debt) That we be protected from temptations that…
Big Idea: We should pray that we be protected from temptation. Recap: Jesus’ disciples ask him to teach them to pray. As John’s taught his disciples. He teaches them a simple prayer. Luke’s version is even shorter than Matthew’s. He was not commanding the prayer to be recited, but rather offered a template…
What is more attractive than serving together? An argument against outsourcing in the church Our world over many decades now has become a world of outsourcing. When we hear that word, outsourcing, we may think of a company outsourcing their manufacturing to a country like China. Or a company may outsource…
Big Idea: Our forgiveness of others is evidence of our being forgiven The Lord’s Prayer (Or, the disciples prayer) Hallowed be your name: He is Holy, holy, holy. We must treat him with all reverence Your kingdom come: May there be continually increasing evidence of God’s kingdom impacting this world.…
This morning we continue our look at the Lord’s Prayer, and we now are going to focus on the third verse of Luke 11 , “Give us each day our daily bread”. As we take a look at this, it may be a good reminder that we often complicate life. In our lack of contentment, we often are unhappy because we do…
When I was a brand new pastor, I was excited to attend the first prayer meeting with some of the people of the church. The prayer meeting was held at noon at a home, and some of those attending were on their lunch break, and others were retired. I came to the prayer meeting ready with some scripture…
What is more attractive than corporate worship? Religion defined The very word religion bothers some Christians. People like to say “Christianity is not a religion, it is a relationship”. Or even more directly, some Christians have made videos and written articles saying “I hate religion” Or “God hates…
Enough is as Good as a Feast Greed vs. Thanks One of the movies that has been seen many times in our home is Mary Poppins. The “practically perfect” nanny has a lot of great lines in the movie, and on of my favorite lines is “Enough is as good as a feast”. In this simple statement, Mary Poppins is explaining…
Most of us love stories, and this is the most important story you will ever hear, but this story, if you want the happy ending, must be believed. This is the story of God and us. It is a story like many others, in that there are things to marvel at, things to be frightened of, and things to look forward…
A Call to Praise Those who know me well know how much I love Christmas Stories. I have books of these stories, and have read many of them for the masses. There are many of these stories I love, but there is one that must be my favorite. I think my first encounter with this story was an animated Mickey…
The Call of Christmas: Joseph: A Call to Protect For Joseph, he was given a call to protect and a call of prompt obedience. As every husband and father is given charge to protect his family, Joseph had already made a commitment to protect Mary. I mentioned last week that for Mary and Joseph, their betrothal…
The Call of Christmas Zechariah: A Call to Prepare If you were to read your Bible straight through, when you got to the end of the Old Testament, you may only have to turn a page or two to get to the New Testament. Some Bibles have a Page that simply says “New Testament”, some Bibles go straight from…
Big Idea: Don’t let your service to the Lord keep you from His Word Now as they went on their way, Jesus entered a village. And a woman named Martha welcomed him into her house. And she had a sister called Mary, who sat at the Lord’s feet and listened to his teaching. But Martha was distracted with much…
What are we to do with parables? What are we supposed to notice? What are we supposed to learn? Are the details important? Is the trivial important? Parables generally have one main point. While it is good to understand the historical and cultural context of the parables, we should avoid getting caught…
Big Idea: The Kingdom is hidden from the proud and shown to the humble. Jesus is thankful for the hidden and the revealed He chooses who will receive the revelation We ought to be thankful for his revelation There are some things that are clear when you think about them simply, and more confusing when…
What is more attractive than God’s family? Those who are saved by grace through faith in Jesus are given a new family. Series: What is more attractive? Than God’s family Than corporate worship Than serving together Than learning at the feet of Jesus Than the gospel Therefore remember that at one time…
What is More Attractive Sermon Series (First Sundays) What is more attractive than God’s Family? Therefore remember that at one time you Gentiles in the flesh, called “the uncircumcision” by what is called the circumcision, which is made in the flesh by hands— remember that you were at that time separated…
Big Idea: The Real Reason for Celebration is our Salvation We should celebrate: Spiritual Wins Satan’s Loss Our Greatest Gain There is much to be excited about when we do Christian Ministry: Changed lives, growing families, spiritual growth and maturity. But these may not always be a constant thing.…
Those who rejected were never elected. The Westminster Confession of Faith: Edinburgh Edition (The Shorter Catechism) Q. 20. Did God leave all mankind to perish in the estate of sin and misery? A. God having, out of his mere good pleasure, from all eternity, elected some to everlasting life, did enter…
Sinners in the hands of a Gracious God Jonathan Edwards: Sinners in the Hands of an angry God - totally appropriate, those who do not receive Christ will come under the judgment of an angry God Christians are sinners in the hands of a gracious God, who removed our guilt and condemnation but Jesus went…
Pyramid scheme: usually good for the one at the top, not so much for the ones on the bottom. In the kingdom of God, all who are of Christ are to be recruiting other workers. In this case, the workers at all levels receive the manifest blessings of the cross Big Idea: Gospel work is a partnership between…
The Good News of Therefore We dive in today to a great chapter of scripture. Some of the great theologians throughout history, including Augustine and Luther, viewed Romans as the single most important book a Christian should learn. In it is contained the gospel, the bad news that we need a Savior and…
Still Struggling Rom 7:14-25 Last Week: The Christian Life is a constant battle against sin: What not to do with this passage: Marginalize sin Accept defeat Lose Hope Go into Battle Alone May have been left thinking it is a burdensome struggle. There is tension here, Already/not yet, but for a true believer,…
The Struggle Romans 7:7-25 Big Idea: The Christian life is a constant battle against sin. What not to do with this passage: Marginalize Sin Accept defeat Lose Hope Go into Battle alone In the beginning of Romans Chapter 7, Paul talks of how Christians are free from the law. We have died to Christ, and…
Depression is something that many people deal with at different times of life. There are many factors in depression. Physical health is related. Studies show that diet can impact depression and other mental or emotional health concerns. Sometimes depression comes with an explanation. The person may be…
Big Idea: Doing our mission for Jesus well requires an understanding of his heart for service 2 Parts of this sermon: How to deal with those who reject the gospel (51-56) How to understand the urgency of the mission (57-62) Intro: How we need to balance truths Truth: People who reject God are subject…
Big Idea: Those priveleged to be given faith must remain humble Subtitle: Our need for humility in Christ. Recap: Last week: Jesus tells them that suffering is coming. “Let these words sink into your ears: The Son of Man is about to be delivered into the hands of men.” But they did not understand this…
Jesus’ disciples seemed bewildered at his arrest and death. but he had clearly told them what was going to happen. They did not understand it at the time, because it was concealed from them. Big Idea: Believers who partake in the humiliation of Christ will also partake in the triumphant victory of Christ…
The Pursuit of Holiness Introduction: At Bible College, freshmen were required to take a class called Christianity and Culture. In this fascinating class, one is forced to think about how the Christian should interact within their culture. Through study, discussion and debate, we had to wrestle with…
Jesus commands us to have faith, and he gives faith to those he loves. The mountaintop experience is followed by service The physical and the spiritual are often connected The faith of the congregation impacts the kingdom impact Luke 9:37–43 (ESV) On the next day, when they had come down from the mountain,…
The Transfiguration People who have seen the glory of God, or glimpses of it: Moses, Isaiah, Elijah, Abraham, the shepherds In today’s passage, Peter, John and James get to see Jesus in a different way than anyone else saw him at that time. But we can look forward to seeing him in his glory if we are…
What would you be willing to die for? Hyperbole and literally People have said: Hyperbole: 1. Food and Drink : • “That chocolate cake is to die for.” • “This coffee is to die for.” • “Her homemade lasagna is to die for.” 2. Fashion and Style : • “Those shoes are to die for.” • “That designer dress is…
For Marriage Then God said, “Let us make man in our image, after our likeness. And let them have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the heavens and over the livestock and over all the earth and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth.” So God created man in his own image,…
Big Idea: God’s great gift to the elect is the faith he gives to believe in the Christ. When it comes to Jesus, what you believe matters Recap: Chapter 9 thus far: Jesus sent out the twelve, and they preached and healed everywhere Herod is perplexed by Jesus. Some said he was John raised from the dead,…
Big idea: Jesus Christ has the power to create He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation. For by him all things were created, in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities—all things were created through him and for him.…
Big Idea: We are not saved by fear of God or interest in Jesus but in saving faith. people can show a certain fear of God but not bow to him Lightning: Luther had a close call and feared God, this led him to join a seminary Yet others have had near missed with death and still mock God If not with their…
Big Idea: Urgent missions require action A time to consider what is needed, what is essential, for our mission as believers. What is the Main Mission? To proclaim the Kingdom of God is here. To make disciples of Jesus. What is needed for that? Stage lighting sound system live stream big name speakers…
Kip: A story twelve years in the making. In this story, we go from our last lesson, in which the Garasene people want Jesus to leave after he cast the demons out and they went into the pigs We see humility in two people seeking help from Jesus One had a twelve year old daughter One had a twelve year…
Finally, be strong in the Lord and in the strength of his might. Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the schemes of the devil. For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness,…
Living up to Our Family Name What’s in a name? Green Boots - Sleeping Beauty, The German woman, etc. Is the name “Christian” a good name? What does “Christian” mean? How do we live up to His name? Who will draw conclusions about Christians because they know you? Alexander the Great once learned that…
Big idea: Jesus has been proven, so we must trust in him Jesus’ power was shown: In his very words In creation obeying his word His Strength is made perfect in our weakness should encourage us to trust in him Appeal to Authority fallacy: A fallacy is an error in reasoning that renders an argument invalid,…
We live in a time when many things are being redefined. ideas of gender, relationships, etc Jesus did not redefine family. He is the same yesterday, today, and forever He and the Father are one Family is designed by God and to be honored Christ affirms family values He addressed divorce several times…
Big Idea: Elevating God as Holy and Worthy is an essential act of faith. God is Holy God is eternal God is creator God is worthy God will be eternally praised God is Holy throughout scripture: In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth. Here God’s holiness is displayed in that He was the…
God Himself There are many words of comfort found in scripture. This morning, I am going to focus on two words found together often in scripture, “but God”. Now these two words at times indicate God was ruling against humanity, and in other cases they show his great mercy towards humanity. The Bible…
Big Idea: We must not hide the light we have been given Lamps are lit to be seen Nothing will remain hidden Use it or lose it! “No one after lighting a lamp covers it with a jar or puts it under a bed, but puts it on a stand, so that those who enter may see the light. For nothing is hidden that will…
Big Idea: God’s Word only produces fruit when it is received by good soil And when a great crowd was gathering and people from town after town came to him, he said in a parable, “A sower went out to sow his seed. And as he sowed, some fell along the path and was trampled underfoot, and the birds of the…
Big Idea: God’s Kingdom demonstrates unity in diversity Chosen Changed Charitable Soon afterward he went on through cities and villages, proclaiming and bringing the good news of the kingdom of God. And the twelve were with him, and also some women who had been healed of evil spirits and infirmities:…
Do you not know that all of us who have been baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death? We were buried therefore with him by baptism into death, in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, we too might walk in newness of life. What is Baptism? Calvin…
Big Idea: Proper understanding of sin should bring shame, and realization of forgiveness should bring gratitude and LOVE. Jesus came to save sinners Pride keeps many from believing on Jesus All believers have been forgiven much How long have you been a Christian? In almost every church are: Older Christians…
Big Idea: John was among the greatest of prophets, but the believer today is greater than John The people’s response to John the Baptist and Jesus shows us that we must be careful to: Accept God’s Word When it is hard to receive When it is graciously given Realize that God uses many teachers who have…
Big Idea: Jesus increases our faith. Doubts come to all believers Doubts are caused by circumstances and weakness Doubts must be brought to Jesus himself The disciples of John reported all these things to him. And John, calling two of his disciples to him, sent them to the Lord, saying, “Are you the…
Spurgeon: “I am afraid we are too much like the world for the world to hate us.” Why this sermon: Alistair Begg: 40 years of faithful preaching Told grandmother to attend her grandchild’s transgender wedding and bring a gift Rationale: This would surprise the grandchild who would expect the grandmother…
The Mystery Big Idea: The Church was a mystery, and now the Church reveals God’s mystery to the world. Two Questions: What is the Mystery? Why was it Hidden? Today, we continue to look at the book of Ephesians, and it has been a favorite book of mine and I want to share with you about the beauty of God’s…
Soon afterward he went to a town called Nain, and his disciples and a great crowd went with him. As he drew near to the gate of the town, behold, a man who had died was being carried out, the only son of his mother, and she was a widow, and a considerable crowd from the town was with her. And when the…
The Character of Faith After he had finished all his sayings in the hearing of the people, he entered Capernaum. Now a centurion had a servant who was sick and at the point of death, who was highly valued by him. When the centurion heard about Jesus, he sent to him elders of the Jews, asking him to come…
Or the Preacher might have talked about the tyranny of time—the way it seems to control our lives down to the millisecond. Plautus wrote about this. Bemoaning the stress caused by the latest device for keeping time, the Roman playwright said, “The gods confound the man who first found out how to distinguish…
In the Master’s Hand It is amazing to see how an artisan can take rough block of wood and make it something beautiful. I really appreciate the work, talent, and practice that goes into woodworking, whether cabinetry or furniture or just art. People have learned to take a rough piece of wood, or pieces…
HE WILL SAVE Jesus, Our Savior “and it was always said of him, that he knew how to keep Christmas well, if any man alive possessed the knowledge. May that be truly said of us, and all of us!” What does it mean to “keep Christmas?” These are the words near the end of the story, “A Christmas Carol”. The…
Did you know that at least a few songs, or hymns, that are considered to be Christmas songs, really not particularly Christmas songs? I want to mention two of them this morning. One is the song we sang first this morning. “Joy to the World” was not written as a Christmas Song. It was written by Isaac…
On Christmas Day, 1863, a beautiful poem was written by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow; A poem that would be set to music 9 years later and become a very beloved Christmas Song. It was entitled “I heard the bells on Christmas Day”, and like many of our most loved songs, it has a story behind it. The poem…
Today, and for the rest of the Advent season, we will be examining some of the mysteries of Christmas. Our theme is “unwrapping the mysteries of Christmas”. And really, these mysteries are not hard to read about, for scripture clearly teaches about them. The mysteries we are examining are comprehended…
Gospel Power Things we are sometimes ashamed of: Minor (towels in the guest bathroom) Major (A serial killer in the family, working for a company that is found out to be full of fraud) This morning we look to the gospel of Jesus Christ, the gospel Paul proclaimed, the same gospel I proclaim today, and…
Big Idea: Jesus has other sheep to bring into his fold. The Proclaimer of the Gospel: Must not be fearful Must go on speaking Must trust the result to Christ This morning I am continuing on the topic of evangelism. I am thankful so many of you have committed to pray for the lost that are in your lives,…
Like every generation of believers before us, we may be tempted at times to see the rampant evil in our world and wonder if God is ever going to close the chapter on this time and if the Day of the Lord will ever come. The early church sometimes wondered, too. In the second letter of Peter, he encourages…
This morning I am very excited to bring a challenge to you. It has been on my heart for some time, and it has to do with evangelism. I want to challenge all of us to move forward in our hearts and actions to become people who truly love and commit to our part in the great commission. So we are going…
This morning we are going to talk about figs. More than just figs though. We are going to look at how Jesus illustrated the idea that what is in our hearts will manifest in what we do, how we act, how we speak, and how we live. In our passage today, Jesus speaks of good fruit and bad fruit, and goes…
Big Idea: If our teacher is Christ, we will be like Him. We will receive like we give (vs 37-38) We must see if we would lead We must have health if we would heal. In our passage of study this morning, we find, in particular, two phrases that many people use and quote. Some people know they are the words…
I titled the message “Tough Love”, but in the case of our text this morning, tough love does not mean what people usually mean by it. I’ve had a love/hate relationship with the terminology Tough Love. This is because often times what people mean by tough love is not really love at all. What many people…
In Luke 6 , we see a very significant event in the ministry of Jesus, the calling of the twelve disciples. It is significant not only for the ministry of Jesus, but the significance the apostles played stretches all the way to the new heavens and then new earth. We can see this significance in the Revelation,…
This morning we continue to learn about some of the interactions Jesus had with the Pharisees, and once again how he offended them with his pushback on the Sabbath traditions they had established. Last week we saw how, when Jesus’ disciples were plucking grain and rolling it in their hands as they walked…
Subtitle: Fasting, mending, and filling Three things to avoid: Fasting for the wrong reasons Mending with the wrong material Filling the wrong vessel Last week we looked at the calling of Levi. Jesus loves saving sinners, and often the very worst sinners are the ones Jesus is delighted to save. We saw…
Big Idea: Jesus has called sinners, and only sinners, to follow Him. Even the worst of the worst can be saved Salvation calls for Celebration Righteous people don’t need saving The beauty of the gospel of Jesus Christ should be evident this morning in our text as we see the event of Jesus calling Levi,…
On one of those days, as he was teaching, Pharisees and teachers of the law were sitting there, who had come from every village of Galilee and Judea and from Jerusalem. And the power of the Lord was with him to heal. And behold, some men were bringing on a bed a man who was paralyzed, and they were seeking…
After taking a slight diversion in June as we looked at the book of Jonah, we now return to where we left off in the Gospel of Luke. In this morning’s text, we see the amazing story of the healing of a leper. Since it was 5 weeks ago we were last in Luke, let us be reminded that the previous passage…
O Lord , you have deceived me, and I was deceived; you are stronger than I, and you have prevailed. I have become a laughingstock all the day; everyone mocks me. For whenever I speak, I cry out, I shout, “Violence and destruction!” For the word of the Lord has become for me a reproach and derision all…
Jonah and The Great Commission Part Three: The God of Second Chances Many (but not endless) Chances Rebooting the Program The Error Message Uninstalling….Reinstalling I thank God that He loves us enough to give us many chances to correct our ways and turn to Him. As we look at the stories of the Bible,…
Jonah and the Great Commission, Part 2: Salvation Belongs to the Lord God responds to repentance Repentance Restores Restored = Revival As we saw last week, Jonah, after being called to preach to the people of Nineveh, tried to avoid the job and instead went in the other direction. Jonah didn't want…
We have several national holidays throughout the year when we celebrate our freedom. One of the particularly freedoms we celebrate is the freedom to worship together in the manner that we believe is fitting. We have the free exercise of our religion, meaning we can live out our faith, or should be able…
Simon had worked all night fishing with no results. But at Jesus’ command, he cast them out one more time. How can we learn from Simon Peter and trust our Lord’s commands?
This morning we look at a short passage that contains some of Luke’s first accounts of Jesus healing people. We looked a few weeks ago at Jesus rebuking a demon and casting him out of a man in the synagogue. Our passage today is a continuance of the narrative of events that happened the same day. So…
Subtitle: Perfect Preaching Provokes Punishment Big Idea: Jesus, the Perfect Preacher, Provoked some of his listeners to want to kill him Last week, we began to look at this passage, where Jesus is in the synagogue and reads from Isaiah and tells the people that He is the Servant Isaiah prophesied. This…
Like many of you, I am moved by great songs of the faith, and especially those that articulate the greatness of God, and his Majesty, His provision for us to have a way of salvation, and those songs that contemplate the great mysteries of God’s plan as we marvel at His great love. One such song for me,…
Scripture weaves together: Prophecy - Isaiah, Psalms Narrative - John Didactic (teaching/application) - Hebrews Behold, my servant shall act wisely; he shall be high and lifted up, and shall be exalted. As many were astonished at you— his appearance was so marred, beyond human semblance, and his form…
Last week: We need the Spirit and the Word to fight temptations Deprivation can increase temptation Memorization can help application God’s commission requires submission. This week vs 5-13. Ministries are still tempted as Jesus was: Materialism: Pragmatism: Sensationalism: And Jesus, full of the Holy…
For to set the mind on the flesh is death, but to set the mind on the Spirit is life and peace. For the mind that is set on the flesh is hostile to God, for it does not submit to God’s law; indeed, it cannot. Those who are in the flesh cannot please God. You, however, are not in the flesh but in the…
Isaiah prophesied many times about Jesus, and one of those prophecies was this: There shall come forth a shoot from the stump of Jesse, and a branch from his roots shall bear fruit. And the Spirit of the Lord shall rest upon him, the Spirit of wisdom and understanding, the Spirit of counsel and might,…
Therefore, since we have been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ. Through him we have also obtained access by faith into this grace in which we stand, and we rejoice in hope of the glory of God. Not only that, but we rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that suffering…
What then shall we say was gained by Abraham, our forefather according to the flesh? For if Abraham was justified by works, he has something to boast about, but not before God. For what does the Scripture say? “Abraham believed God, and it was counted to him as righteousness.” Now to the one who works,…
12 Therefore, just as tsin came into the world through one man, and udeath through sin, and vso death spread to all men5 because wall sinned— 13 for sin indeed was in the world before the law was given, but xsin is not counted where there is no law. 14 Yet death reigned from Adam to Moses, even over…
Recap of Last Week Subtitle: The Reality of Repentance Big Idea: Sincere repenters seek ways to live anew When repentance is preached, There are spontaneous responses Egotistic people become benevolent Malcontents find fulfillment This Morning we focus on 15-17 Big Idea: Preachers of the Gospel must…
“See, I have set before you today life and good, death and evil. If you obey the commandments of the Lord your God that I command you today, by loving the Lord your God, by walking in his ways, and by keeping his commandments and his statutes and his rules, then you shall live and multiply, and the Lord…
Big Idea: True salvation must include repentance. True Repentance always bears fruit. Vipers flee the fire God’s Children bear His fruit Dead trees are fuel for the fire “This life was not intended to be the place of our perfection, but the preparation for it.” -Richard Baxter Introduction: Last week:…
Some of you have heard me tell a story before of my first year preaching, when a lady decided she needed to have a sit-down with me and tell me my sermons were accusatory. She went on to tell me that in a recent sermon, I had used the word repentance 39 times! Now, in that sermon, I was preaching from…
This morning we are going to look at the only passage of scripture that says anything about the childhood of Jesus. The other gospels do not say anything about the life of Jesus between his birth and the beginning of his public ministry. But Luke records an interesting incident. Over the last two weeks,…
Recap: Simeon And when the time came for their purification according to the Law of Moses, they brought him up to Jerusalem to present him to the Lord (as it is written in the Law of the Lord, “Every male who first opens the womb shall be called holy to the Lord”) and to offer a sacrifice according to…
Illustration: “Glory Days” football game. Neighborhood Alliance There can be a tendency for the young to consider the older folks to be behind in thinking (technology, information, education all constantly improve. Youth know things their parents didn’t know. Younger people need to value and respect…
We begin with Luke 2 verses 15-34, but our main verses will be 21-24. When the angels went away from them into heaven, the shepherds said to one another, “Let us go over to Bethlehem and see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has made known to us.” And they went with haste and found Mary and…
Shepherds and Sheep In those days a decree went out from Caesar Augustus that all the world should be registered. This was the first registration when Quirinius was governor of Syria. And all went to be registered, each to his own town. And Joseph also went up from Galilee, from the town of Nazareth,…
Tonight I am going to focus more on Joseph than the other participants in the Christmas Story. Joseph was given a call to protect and a call of prompt obedience. As every husband is given charge to protect his family, Joseph had already made a commitment to protect Mary. For Mary and Joseph, their betrothal…
dignity | ˈdiɡnədē | noun (plural dignities ) the state or quality of being worthy of honor or respect: disgrace | disˈɡrās | noun loss of reputation or respect as the result of a dishonorable action: he left the army in disgrace But when the fullness of time had come, God sent forth his Son, born of…
This morning I am doing something that will be different for you as well as for me. Our annual meeting is today following the service, and as part of my duties as pastor, I am to provide a report. I have found that when the report is done in written form, very few people outside the governing board read…
If someone were unable to speak for 9 months, and could finally speak, what would they say? You and I could try to imagine this. 9 months of inability to speak would be, for many people, almost like pure torture. If we suddenly became unable to speak, at first we may think of the inability to speak about…
Great Mercy This morning we have already lit the first advent candle, the candle of hope, and as this was being done, you heard some scriptures that tied into that theme. Something to keep in mind each advent season is that the candles are not simply to get us excited about Christmas. They are not only…
Mary’s Hope (and ours as well) What is it about Christmas that warms our hearts so much, that give us hope? There are many things people hope for. Some of the things people hope for seem less than interesting to others. Some people hope for simple things, others hope for greater things. We all have hope,…
We will look this morning at what has quickly risen for me among my ever growing list of favorite passages. I say that because in the study of this passage, I have found that this short narrative, that describes the meeting of Mary and Elizabeth as well as the sons they each carried and the resulting…
On missions: For Moses writes about the righteousness that is based on the law, that the person who does the commandments shall live by them. But the righteousness based on faith says, “Do not say in your heart, ‘Who will ascend into heaven?’ ” (that is, to bring Christ down) “or ‘Who will descend into…
Luke, the Inspired Historian Since the beginning of this year, we have been steeped in the first chapters of Deuteronomy. By now you have learned that I believe in the value of preaching methodically through chapter and verse of scripture, and indeed many of us have seen great reward in being challenged…
Part 4: The Sovereign Savior Over the past several weeks, we have been taking a careful look at Deuteronomy 7:1-11 , with a particular focus on coming to terms with, or trying to answer, the objection that many people have to this and other passages of scripture in which God commands that certain people…
Before I preach, I want to take a moment to talk about our opportunity to help some of our family in the body of Christ, particularly to the west of us in Fort Myers, Naples, and other places that were impacted by Hurrican Ian. There are about 11 C&MA churches in the areas that had the most devastation.…
Why Did God Command the Destruction of Nations? Part 2 So here are the four doctrines, or topics, that we are looking into to help us understand this passage: The holiness of God Sin (and the dangers it brings) God’s Wrath God’s Sovereignty (In everything, including salvation) We return this morning…
Why did God Command the Destruction of Nations? Part 1 This morning we are going to begin studying what for many people is a troubling passage of scripture. It is a passage that skeptics, atheists, and even some professed Christians would say indicates that God is not nice, or God is not fair, or the…
The Dangers of Comfort Big Idea: Human nature is to think less of God in times of comfort. Winning the lottery or inheriting what you did not earn. The tendency is that the one who has received comfort, income, or other blessings that were not earned may either forget what the cost was or be unaware…
Doing, Seeing, Communicating Why do we do what we do? This morning I want to talk about the things that influence us. Why do we do the things we do? Why do we eat certain things? Why do we buy certain merchandise? What makes us desire to visit certain places, or to make a career choice? It is interesting…
Teaching These Words Part 1: Teach Many parents are practically obsessed with making sure their children are successful. People will move to another area to be near a school they think will give their child a better edge in life. Some set aside money to be sure the child will be able to college or have…
Learning the Family Business It’s become less and less common that a child learns their life trade from their parents. In past history, the majority of people in the world would learn what would become their career, or life’s work, at home and from their parents. A child raised on the farm would learn…
How We are to Love God Whenever we study the Word of God, we ought to be considering all of those things we talk about from time to time. What did the passage mean to the original audience? How does it fit in with the chapter and book it is in, and how does it fit in with the Bible? What does it mean…
One God Throughout scripture, God at times shows himself superior than the gods of the pagans. He shows himself superior to powerful kings and Pharaohs. You are familiar with many of them. Certainly Exodus records how God showed himself powerful. In many of the battles of nations against Israel, God…
Meeting God: Our desperate need for a mediator. Big Idea: When we begin to understand the holiness of God, we become acutely aware of our need for a mediator. 3 Observances: The Commandments (Words) were audibly heard The people wanted a mediator Their response earns God’s approval Over the last several…
It Begins in the Mind Last week, we looked at the 6th and Seventh Commandments, You shall not murder, and you shall not commit adultery. This week we will look at the last three commandments. In my sermon last week, I mentioned a passage we would get back to today, and it is James 4:1-2 What causes quarrels…
Commands Against Violence Last week we entered into the commandments that have to do with human relationships. We looked at the fact that while all of the ten Commandments have to do with our relationship with God, We honor God, we show our love for God, in the keeping of all His commands. And how we…
Honoring God by Honoring Parents Since moving down here to Palm Beach County, I have noticed a certain impatience some folks have in traffic. I have especially noticed that some people, within a millisecond of a traffic light going green, expect the car in front of them to speed off like a rocket, and…
What to do about the Sabbath As promised last week, this week we will be looking at the fourth commandment, and this one, perhaps more than any of the others, is a source of misunderstanding or contention, because the Church generally does not practice the keeping of the commandment the same way a Jew…
What to do about the Sabbath As promised last week, this week we will be looking at the fourth commandment, and this one, perhaps more than any of the others, is a source of misunderstanding or contention, because the Church generally does not practice the keeping of the commandment the same way a Jew…
Great Commandments In the next several weeks, you will find the parts of Deuteronomy we have already looked at and those to come interweaving with each other, with a continuous theme throughout. The theme is that through Moses, God is reminding the Israelites that He is their God, and has already shown…
Living as God’s People As I have continued to study this book of Deuteronomy, it has struck me more and more the nature of repetitiveness found there. And when you zoom out from just Deuteronomy, you find that the Pentateuch, the first five books of the Bible, contain as well certain themes or statements…
Cities of Refuge As we dive back in to the book of Deuteronomy, we come to a short passage this morning that I had to decide what to do with. The text this morning is a brief description of Moses setting apart three cities of refuge. The topic will come up again in Deuteronomy 19 , should we make it…
God’s Church is Pro-Life! It’s mother’s day, and today I am going to talk about the life that Mothers are privileged to bring into this world. This week, the news has been full of the issue of what can be done with babies in the womb. This Morning, We are going to talk about the Sanctity of Life. When…
Incentive to Obey Sometimes in life we are expected to do something, obey someone, or follow some orders, without knowing the reason, or perhaps not even respecting the person giving the orders. You could ask anyone who has served in the military, and most likely they will tell you that at some point…
The Eternal Timeline But when the fullness of time had come, God sent forth his Son, born of woman, born under the law, This morning we focus on the greatest happening in human history, at least until now. The resurrection of Jesus Christ is the most compelling story I know. It is amazing to me that…
Forbidden Worship Our worship must not reverse God’s order Last week, we began Deut 4 , where Moses is continuing his speech to the younger generation of Israelites, the ones who were young at the beginning of the wandering in the desert, as well as some who were born during that time. Moses had commanded…
The Saga of Sihon and Og Deuteronomy 2: 26-3:11 Background: Moses has been recalling to the people of Israel the time they have spent in the wilderness. He recalled how they had come right up to the promised land, and how the people had refused to go in because they had been afraid of the people there.…
The God of the Wilderness Recap of last week: Moses is retelling the history of the beginnings of Israel’s time in the wilderness. Israel refused to enter the land; after witnessing many miracles, they still did not trust God to deliver them. The consequence: 40 years (or 38 of wandering) Until the entire…
The Cost of Disobedience I’m going to begin with reading our passage for this morning, which is a little bigger chunk of scripture than I normally preach on, but it is a long narrative so I will read the whole thing and then we will get into finding some lessons in it. In case you missed the last week…
Organizing God’s People Last week, we looked at the very beginning of the book of Deuteronomy. We talked about the need and value of studying these books of the Old Testament. While people often want something new and innovative, God has laid down in scripture guidance for life that continues to be applicable…
When Jenelle and I were dating, at that time I worked for my dad, and part of my job was to visit local car dealerships and hadn out business cards and desk calendars and that sort of thing in way of marketing so that the car dealers maybe would send some business our way. Jenelle was with me one day…
Better than Coins We look for daily provision, but God wants to give so much more. Looking for Coins Looking for Comfort Looking for Christ Now Peter and John were going up to the temple at the hour of prayer, the ninth hour. And a man lame from birth was being carried, whom they laid daily at the gate…
As we continue to consider our prayers, I thought that it would be good for us to consider how we deal with times when we are grieving, or sad, or even depressed. How should we pray then? I’m going to read some quotes about depression. And after I read them, I will tell you who said them, and that may…
Psalm-Worthy Faith Psalm-Worthy Faith is faith that trusts so deeply in God’s sovereignty that it can honestly communicate every thought to Him. A person with Psalm-worthy faith: Has a relationship with God Has Confidence in God’s Word Faith in God’s Plan David didn’t wait for others to write Psalms…
The believers in Acts 4 prayed that God would observe the threats of those opposed to the gospel and that he would give boldness to the believers to continue to speak the word and that he would do miracles of healing and sings and wonders in the name of Jesus. Believers today should pray for boldness…
The Great Prayer Part 2: Unified for the sake of the gospel Cities: We’ve all seen a play or movie, or read a book, about the small town kid who dreams of going to the big city. One of the reasons that someone desires the city so much is certainly that there is diversity there, and for a young person…
The great prayer: Focuses: The glorification of Christ The spiritual safety of the Apostles The witness of the Apostles The sanctification of the apostles The Unity of the church Todays focus: The first four Big idea: In the moments approaching his greatest trial, Jesus concerns himself with his followers.…
Music is part of all of our lives. We are blessed this evening to have some talented musicians to lead us in song. Some of you, I’m sure, have learned an instrument at some point, or sang in a choir. If we were to survey our whole group this evening, we would find that there are some very musically talented…
“When our Lord and Master, Jesus Christ, said "Repent", He called for the entire life of believers to be one of repentance.” Martin Luther’s 95 theses, that shook the world, began with this. All the other theses were dependent on it. All of his points about the abuses of the church, the selling of indulgences,…
This past few weeks we have been at Isaiah 42 , one of 4 “Servant Songs” in the writings of the prophet Isaiah. Each of these servant songs points to Jesus, and in Isaiah 42 , as we have studied it so far, we have seen that the Lord’s servant is somewhat described, not physically, but as to His authority…
Pilgrim’s Progress: The Interpreter’s House How to Read the Bible for All Its Worth (The Reader as an Interpreter) The first reason one needs to learn how to interpret is that, whether one likes it or not, every reader is at the same time an interpreter. That is, most of us assume as we read that we…
Last week, we began to look into Isaiah 42 , one of 4 “Servant Songs” found in Isaiah. It speaks of the servant of the Lord, and further scripture in the New Testament tells us that the servant of the Lord is Jesus. And appropriately, we can look at this passage as a reminder to us of the Christmas story…
To translate is to restate the meaning of words in one language with words of another. Translation of Scripture is part of the work of interpreting and communicating it. Regarding Don Quixote Don Quixote, “The first modern novel”, was written in 1605; Original language was Spanish. First Translated into…
God’s Servant Messiah (Isa. 42). Isaiah 42:1–7 is the first of four “Servant Songs” in Isaiah, referring to God’s Servant, the Messiah. The others are 49:1–6; 50:1–11; and 52:13–53:12. Contrast “Behold, they [the idols] are all vanity” (41:29) with “Behold My Servant” (42:1). Matthew 12:14–21 applies…
Trusting God Puts our Anxiety to Rest A Quick Recap: Habakkuk complains to God “How Long?” God’s Answer: I am going to punish the evil of my chosen people. I am sending the Chaldeans to wreak havoc in order to deal with Israel’s sin Habakkuk’s second complaint: The Chaldeans are so evil, how can they…
Why do we need the Bible? The necessity of Scripture means that the Bible is necessary for knowing the gospel, for maintaining spiritual life, and for knowing God’s will, but is not necessary for knowing that God exists or for knowing something about God’s character and moral laws. For “everyone who…
Is The Bible Enough? The Westminster Confession of Faith: Edinburgh Edition (Chapter I. Of the Holy Scripture) VI. The whole counsel of God, concerning all things necessary for his own glory, man’s salvation, faith, and life, is either expressly set down in scripture, or by good and necessary consequence…
Woe to the Chaldeans Recap of Habbakkuk thus far: Pronunciation of Habakkuk: Hahv a kook Habakkuk’s conversation with God is recorded. First, a complaint, “How Long?” He is tired of seeing iniquity, destruction, violence, strife and contention. He feels God is letting things slide, that he is allowing…
Habakkuk’s Complaint Lsat week, we looked at the first part of Habakkuk, where he stated his complain to God, and his complaint was that all around him, he saw people doing evil. People were doing offensive things against God. And he was not simply looking outside his own community, he was looking at…
IV. The authority of the holy scripture, for which it ought to be believed and obeyed, dependeth not upon the testimony of any man or church, but wholly upon God, (who is truth itself,) the author thereof: and therefore it is to be received, because it is the word of God.i IX. The infallible rule of…
Questioning God Justice is a popular topic these days. A lot of people are crying out for justice. However, not everyone means the same thing when they are talking about justice. Someone may say justice will come when we all have equality of wealth. Some may say justice will come when we get rid of the…
Onesimus: From slave to... The rest of the story… Paul Harvey There is a rest of the story regarding Philemon and Onesismus Letter delivered at the same time as the letter to the Colossian church (and probably Ephesians as well). The Colossian church, or at least part of it, met at Philemon’s house.…
Authoritative words are words that impose obligations on the lives of their readers and hearers. To say that the Bible is authoritative is to say that it governs all areas of human life. What do we mean by authority? The discussion of authority involves the source, the content, and the implications:…
Inspiration recap of last week: General Revelation 2 Timothy 3:10–17 (ESV) You, however, have followed my teaching, my conduct, my aim in life, my faith, my patience, my love, my steadfastness, my persecutions and sufferings that happened to me at Antioch, at Iconium, and at Lystra—which persecutions…
Paul’s Friends In his time serving the Lord, Paul developed many meaningful relationships, and often in his letters he made sure to greet some of those who he knew, either as the evangelist and apostle to those who found Christ through his ministry, or those who he was a mentor to, or those he consider…
Revelation Types of Revelation General Revelation & Special Revelation General Revelation In Creation and In Conscience General Revelation - Creation Psalm 19:1–6 (ESV) The heavens declare the glory of God, and the sky above proclaims his handiwork. Day to day pours out speech, and night to night reveals…
Continue in Prayer and Walk in Wisdom We are called to prayer and wisdom. In chapter 3, Paul spoke of being raised with Christ, seeking the things that are above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God, setting your minds on things above, not things on earth, putting to death what is earthly…
Husbands & Wives Children & Parents Servants & Masters Put on then, as God’s chosen ones, holy and beloved, compassionate hearts, kindness, humility, meekness, and patience, bearing with one another and, if one has a complaint against another, forgiving each other; as the Lord has forgiven you, so you…