Family Bible Church weekly message

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You can get the sermon note sheet at: https://family-bible-church.org/2026Messages/26Aug09.pdf Last week, we saw that suffering is not optional. It is an integral part of the calling to follow after Jesus. Paul tells the church, that we will be glorified together with Christ IF we have suffered with Him. But praise be to God that the sufferings of this world are not worth to be compared with the glory that will be revealed in us! In our last week for this series, we will be considering the application of the principles we have already looked at. Now that we’ve contemplated these ideas, what do we do with them and how do we use them? * This message was presented by Justin Williams on August 9, 2026 at Family Bible Church in Martinez, Georgia.

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You can get the sermon note sheet at: https://family-bible-church.org/2026Messages/26Aug02.pdf God is Holy, that is to say He is set apart, and He desires us to be Holy as He is. This call to Holiness begins with us acknowledging that there is no one else like Him and it plays out in our actions as we sanctify (the act of setting apart) Him in our hearts. Belonging to God, living on His terms, reserving ourselves for him, delighting in Him, and finding satisfaction is so doing. Contentment is no easy thing. But, when we adopt a clear perspective of the life we now live in Christ, we realize there is no greater purpose or pleasure. Our call to be like Him compels us to walk in his footsteps, to be holiness to the Lord, and to suffer as He did.* This message was presented by Justin Williams on August 2, 2026 at Family Bible Church in Martinez, Georgia.

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You can get the sermon note sheet at: https://family-bible-church.org/2026Messages/26Jul26.pdf Last week, we focused on an application of God's Holiness through the Sinai Principal. We followed the Israelites as they entered into the covenant with God and sawa the disasterous results of an underlying heart issue. We even compared the callous and foolish responses of the people to that of Moses, and ultimately to ourselvs. This left us with a challenge: don't try to make your life's story about you, because it's not. It is all about God. Today, we move to another example from the same bible-study method and the one that started it all for me. This principal application rlightly belongs to an old friend who originally taught this method and this principal to me. His name is Mr. Rick McClain, and this is the Stephen Principle.

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You can get the sermon note sheet at: https://family-bible-church.org/2026Messages/26Jul19.pdf* The title, "The Sinai Principle" is the name given to the application drawn from Exodus chapters twenty-two through thirty-four using a bible study method that emphasizes recording what you learn in a topical way. The focus of this message will be the presentation of The Holy God, a contrast in responses to His Holiness, and drawing applications for us today. * This message was presented by Justin Williams on July 19, 2026 at Family Bible Church in Martinez, Georgia.

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You can get the sermon note sheet at: https://family-bible-church.org/2026Messages/26Jul12.pdf Today, we come to our final study of Solomon's proclamation of what he has discovered regarding meaning and purpose in life. He has struggled to see purpose in life as he considers that same types of things happen to people across various cultural boundaries. The rich and the poor, the powerful and the weak, and the wise and the foolish, all experience afflictions in life, and in the end all will die. What you have attained in this world - under the sun - will not go with you past the grave. That, to Solomon, caused everything in life to be meaningless and a vanity of vanities. His philosophy of life was limited to the Temporal Pleasures rather than a comprehension of the Eternal Rewards. As we come into the final two chapters of the book, Solomon deals with the end result of his musings. How should all of this affect my living as I consider my future - both temporal and eternal? Solomon provides two key pieces of wisdom to his readers: As you prepare for your temporal future on the earth: sow seeds ... and As you prepare for your eternal future: serve YHWH. * This message was presented by Bob Corbin on July 12, 2026 at Family Bible Church in Martinez, Georgia.

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You can get the sermon note sheet at: https://family-bible-church.org/2026Messages/26Jul05.pdf Throughout our study of the book of Ecclesiastes, we have continually dealt with Solomon's flawed fatalistic philosophy of life as he considers everything in life - under the sun - as pure vanity and a grasping for the wind. At the end of last week's message, Solomon turned to the topic of wisdom as part of his illustration of a small city that was delivered from a great siege, laid by a great king, through the wisdom of a poor wise man. He continues to share the importance of not neglecting wisdom - and the application of wisdom - in the affairs of life. Wisdom is the ability to use knowledge and experience to make good decisions and judgments. It involves discernment and the capacity to understand complex life situations. Prudence is the ability to govern and discipline oneself by use of reason. It is knowing how to avoid embarrassment or stress, and having discretion in practical affairs. Prudence is the practical application of wisdom in the affairs of life. Today, we want to examine how we should "Remember Our Creator in Our Application of Wisdom ... or in Our Prudence."* This message was presented by Bob Corbin on July 5, 2026 at Family Bible Church in Martinez, Georgia.

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You can get the sermon note sheet at: https://family-bible-church.org/2026Messages/26Jun28.pdf In the second message of this series, we discussed Remembering Your Creator in Your Philosophy of Life. In that message, we considered Solomon's erroneous view that any interconnectedness of reality under the sun is a grasping for the wind and meaningless, and core truths which should shape a Biblical framework of philosophy: the Exclusivity of God and the Eternalness of Man. Today, we consider another passage where Solomon is considering "the meaningless of life under the sun" as a result of his faulty fatalistic philosophy of life. * Life is full of countless events and choices. One of the things that bothers many people is that they cannot control all of these events and happenings. One of those major considerations is the desire to be "remembered;" to have a lasting "Legacy." Your legacy is the impact and memories that a you leave behind that continue to influence others after you are gone. Since, you cannot control everything that happens to you, you cannot ultimately predetermine your "legacy." It will be a result of the decisions you made in response to the situations and events in which you lived. Through this series, the theme has been to "Remember Your Creator" in the various phases of life. Today, we consider the need to "Remember Your Creator in Your Legacy" ... which, in my mind, is equated to declaring "Remember Your Creator in Your Responses to the Events of Life." As I traverse this adventure of life there are various influences or factors which work together to determine my path, and my ultimate end. Solomon considers these in his musings and then provides an illustration which brings an opportunity to ponder how these factors flow together to impact many people at one time. This message was presented by Bob Corbin on June 28, 2026 at Family Bible Church in Martinez, Georgia.

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You can get the sermon note sheet at: https://family-bible-church.org/2026Messages/26Jun21.pdf Over the past two weeks, we have considered that what we say and where we spend our money are indicators of the content of our heart. Jesus said out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks and that your heart will be planted next to your treasure. Today, we will see how important the Leader of a Land is on the morality of the land. But, because of the type of governance that we have in this land, we get to choose our leaders - and we then tend to choose leaders who again reflect what is in our hearts! As we consider Solomon's expression of the Impact of the Reigning King we will then consider the applicational importance of our ability to choose a leader in different realms of our lives. Each day, we make a choice as to who we want to be our "Leader" - and there are MANY options! That "Leader" will be the primary influencer, instructor, and master of our lives - whether we care to admit it or not. Therefore, like Joshua we need to make a cognitive decision regarding who we, and our household, will serve. And that decision will have to be renewed daily!* This message was presented by Bob Corbin on June 21, 2026 at Family Bible Church in Martinez, Georgia.

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You can get the sermon note sheet at: https://family-bible-church.org/2026Messages/26Jun14.pdfLast week, we began our study of Ecclesiastes 5:1-7 by remembering Jesus admonition to the Pharisees that out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks. We prove what is in our hearts by what we say and what we do. Jesus also declared earlier that another indicator of the motivations of our heart is our attitude toward wealth. In Matthew 6:19-21 we read: "Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal; but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also. In the United States, wealth has become the focal point of "the American Dream." As we in the rest of this chapter, Solomon's flawed fatalistic philosophical outlook is now focused upon the futility of "wealth" as he begins to meditate on the fact that he can't take it with him! * The Scriptures have a lot to say regarding our attitude, acquisition and administration of wealth, and finances specifically. Today, Lord willing, we will briefly consider what the Scriptures have to say regarding our Pursuit of Money and our Use of Money. This message was presented by Bob Corbin on June 14, 2026 at Family Bible Church in Martinez, Georgia.

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You can get the sermon note sheet at: https://family-bible-church.org/2026Messages/26Jun07.pdf Last week, we considered the call to Remember Your Creator in Your Consideration of Others. In that study, we saw that we need to consider the value and needs of the oppressed, our neighbors and those who are "alone" chiefly because they are created by God in His image and likeness - just as we are! In the study, we reviewed again that the greatest command is to love YHWH our God with all of our heart, soul and strength ... and that the second is like unto it: to love our neighbors as ourselves. So, it makes sense that after our consideration of our approach towards others that we would consider our approach to God Himself. It almost seems redundant to declare that we need to Remember Your Creator in Your Approach to God ...who is Your Creator! But, sadly, it is a truth of which many "Christians" need to be reminded. In Ecclesiastes 5, Solomon again speaks truth mixed with his flawed fatalistic philosophical outlook. Lord willing, we will be considering the need to Remember Our Creator in Our Approach to God in the Presence of God and in Our Promises to God. The theme throughout these verses is the important of our words. As Jesus declared, "A good man out of the good treasure of his heart brings forth good; and an evil man out of the evil treasure of his heart brings forth evil. For out of the abundance of the heart his mouth speaks. (Luke 6:45) This message was presented by Bob Corbin on June 7, 2026 at Family Bible Church in Martinez, Georgia.

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You can get the sermon note sheet at: https://family-bible-church.org/2026Messages/26May31.pdf We are entering into the second half of our study of the book of Ecclesiastes. Over the past two weeks, we have considered the importance of Remembering Our Creator in Our Labor and in Our Season of Life. In each of those studies, we saw the importance of redeeming time and the importance of our consideration of others. Today, we turn to that Consideration as our focus ... Remembering Your Creator in Your Consideration of Others. As we considered the topic of Remembering Your Creator in Your Pursuit of Wisdom, we saw that there are actually two "wisdoms" - "Worldly Wisdom" and "Heavenly Wisdom." One of the primary distinguishing factors between these two wisdoms is who is targeted beneficiary of our actions. "Worldly wisdom" is self-focused because we are truly our own god. "Heavenly wisdom" focuses upon God and others as it seeks to be aligned with the greatest commands: to Love God and to Love Your Neighbor. Paul encouraged believers to have the "mind of Christ" which would be revealed in how we treat, or consider, others. Philippians 2:1-5 states, "Therefore if there is any consolation in Christ, if any comfort of love, if any fellowship of the Spirit, if any affection and mercy, fulfill my joy by being like-minded, having the same love, being of one accord, of one mind. Let nothing be done through selfish ambition or conceit, but in lowliness of mind let each esteem others better than himself. Let each of you look out not only for his own interests, but also for the interests of others. Let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus." Today, we will examine how this mindset is the antithesis of that of those who have a worldly mindset. This message was presented by Bob Corbin on May 31, 2026 at Family Bible Church in Martinez, Georgia.

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You can get the sermon note sheet at: https://family-bible-church.org/2026Messages/26May24.pdf Last week, we considered Remembering Your Creator in Your Labor. As we ended that study looking at a proper Biblical Perspective of Labor, we considered how much Scripture adjures us to be diligent in our labor by not being lazy, but rather redeeming the time knowing that the days are evil. Today, we continue that line of thought considering the redemption of time. In "Bob's Philosophy of Life," a fulfilled Christian life is found through "The redemption of that which cannot be saved in order to invest in the redemption of that which can be saved by laying all that I am on the altar in order that YHWH may alter all that I am!" Lord willing, today we will have a study in Contrasts considering Time v. Events; Positive v. Negative Events; Cyclical v. Linear views of time ... and then a consideration of how the Sovereignty of God is intricately woven into a proper Biblical understanding of time, events, and our seasons of life.* This message was presented by Bob Corbin on May 24, 2026 at Family Bible Church in Martinez, Georgia.

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You can get the sermon note sheet at: https://family-bible-church.org/2026Messages/26May17.pdf Solomon allowed his heart to be turned away from YHWH, and he forgot (or minimized) his Creator. As a result, he began to pursue to self-pleasure and ultimately began to worship foreign gods. In his pursuit of self-pleasure, Solomon found that - apart from the Creator - all things are vanity. One of Solomon's major pursuits for fulfillment and pleasure was in his building projects ... which he refers to as his labors - his toil. Again, we want to consider Solomon's flawed perspective regarding "labor" and then what should be our philosophy and perspective regarding work and labor as we live our days "under the sun."* This message was presented by Bob Corbin on May 17, 2026 at Family Bible Church in Martinez, Georgia.

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You can get the sermon note sheet at: https://family-bible-church.org/2026Messages/26May10.pdf In our study of the book of Ecclesiastes, we have seen that though Solomon began his reign with a heart for YHWH and seeking His wisdom, he allowed his heart to be turned away from YHWH by his foreign wives to the point that he began to worship false gods. Solomon's apostasy was revealed in his secular, temporal philosophy of life and his pursuit of self-pleasure. Today, we will consider how Solomon's apostasy also affected the wisdom that God had graciously and supernaturally granted him. In our portion of Scripture we see the contrast between the wise and the fool. However, not always are those who are considered wise truly "wise" from a Biblical perspective. * Before we consider the Declarations of Solomon regarding wisdom, the wise, and the foolish, we will want to consider the definition of the Hebrew terms and the Difference between worldly wisdom and heavenly wisdom.* This message was presented by Bob Corbin on May 10, 2026 at Family Bible Church in Martinez, Georgia.

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You can get the sermon note sheet at: https://family-bible-church.org/2026Messages/26May03.pdf In our study of the book of Ecclesiastes, we have considered Solomon's background, his misguided philosophy of life, and ... last week ... his decision to purposefully consult with his own heart and trouble his own heart. In those studies, we then considered the Biblical exhortation that is in response to each of these - the need to Remember Your Creator in the Days of your Youth, the need to Remember Your Creator in Your Philosophy of Life, and the need to Remember Your Creator in Your Heart. * Last week, we specifically considered the need to set your heart on God and to love Him with ALL of your heart. Those who do so will subsequently see the need to set their heart on God's Word - memorizing it, meditating on it, and modeling it in their lives. As we establish ourselves in a Biblical philosophy and set our hearts upon God, it will inspire us to pursue avenues of pleasure that are consistent with those other choices. Sadly, we see in Solomon's life that this progression of thought is also true in those who have an unbiblical philosophy of life and choose to set their heart upon themselves. The avenues of pleasure that they choose will be toward the pursuit of self-pleasure. As Americans we should be very familiar with our topic today, for the Declaration of Independence declares that there are three unalienable rights: life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. That last term is our focus today - our happiness. What makes us happy? What pleases us, or brings us pleasure?* This message was presented by Bob Corbin on May 3, 2026 at Family Bible Church in Martinez, Georgia.

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You can get the sermon note sheet at: https://family-bible-church.org/2026Messages/26Apr26.pdf Two weeks ago we began a study of Solomon's discourse of philosophical thoughts contained in the book of Ecclesiastes. In that message, we saw that Solomon was a young man who grew up in a family containing much discord, distrust and intrigue. He became the king at a young age and at first seemed to have a desire for serving YHWH as David did. However, Solomon began a process where his heart eventually turned to serving other "gods." Last week, we considered the importance of retaining the basic truths of the Exclusiveness of YHWH and the Eternalness of Man in your philosophy of life. Today, we will consider one last foundational consideration as we consider Solomon's analysis of life "under the sun" as pure "vanity." Throughout Scripture and life in general, the "Heart" is used to define the core of your being as revealed by your desires and will, from the perspective primarily of our emotions in contrast to our intellect. Our "desires" refers to our passions; our "will" refers to our courage or enthusiasm. Jesus stated, "out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks." (Matthew 12:34) Also, He declared, "But those things which proceed out of the mouth come from the heart, and they defile a man. For out of the heart proceed evil thoughts, murders, adulteries, fornications, thefts, false witness, blasphemies." (Matthew 15:18-19) * As we will see, Solomon not only allowed his heart to be "beguiled," but he purposefully turned it! Solomon sadly knew the folly of this decision, for in Proverbs 4:23 he declared, "Keep your heart with all diligence, for out of it spring the issues of life." * This message was presented by Bob Corbin on April 26, 2026 at Family Bible Church in Martinez, Georgia.

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You can get the sermon note sheet at: https://family-bible-church.org/2026Messages/26Apr19.pdf Last week we began a study of Solomon's discourse of philosophical thoughts contained in the book of Ecclesiastes. As we began our study, we examined the life of Solomon in order to begin to understand the background of the man who God used to pen these words. Solomon was a young man who grew up in a family containing much discord, distrust and intrigue. As we continue to approach an understanding of the theme of the book - Solomon's quest for a source of contentment, or fulfillment - we need to consider the difference between western and eastern "Philosophy." We, generally speaking, are influenced by our western culture philosophical frame of mind. However, Solomon wasn't from the western culture. Rather, Solomon was more of the eastern culture philosophical mindset. In Western Philosophy, the concepts of existence and ethics are primarily discussed using logic and intellectualism, and focus primarily upon individualism - our rights and potentials. In Eastern Philosophy, the concepts of existence and ethics are more considered from the perspective of "community" and are primarily "discussed" through a meditational understanding of the interconnectedness of reality. Today, we want examine Solomon's erroneous view that any interconnectedness of reality under the sun is a grasping for the wind and meaningless. The goal today is to understand and apply the core two truths which should shape anyone's Philosophy of Life - using either a Western or Eastern framework. Those two core truths are the Exclusiveness of YHWH and the Eternalness of man.* This message was presented by Bob Corbin on April 19, 2026 at Family Bible Church in Martinez, Georgia.

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You can get the sermon note sheet at: https://family-bible-church.org/2026Messages/26Apr12.pdf This week, we are beginning a new study - in the book of Ecclesiastes. Many have had a variety of opinions regarding this book. However, as we will see today, this book reveals the viewpoint of life apart from a focus on God - a part from God, life is ultimately "meaningless." The book of Ecclesiastes was written by Solomon from the perspective of an individual who was searching for meaning and purpose in life - apart from God. Solomon found out the truth - apart from an eternal relationship with the Creator God life is empty. "Vanity of vanities" is the end result of all pursuits for in the end everyone dies. However, if we apply the lesson which Solomon learned - "remember your Creator in the days of your youth" - then we find that there is meaning and purpose, not only in this life but into eternity as well. In this study of the book of Ecclesiastes, we will consider the true purpose of each of these phases of life which Solomon found to be but vanity "under the sun" by considering them while "remembering" our Creator God! Today, we want to consider a proper understanding of the author of the book and it's theme. This message was presented by Bob Corbin on April 12, 2026 at Family Bible Church in Martinez, Georgia.

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You can get the sermon note sheet at: https://family-bible-church.org/2026Messages/26Apr05.pdfLast Sunday, we began to look at Christ's fulfillment of the three spring feasts of Israel - Passover, Unleavened Bread, and Firstfruits. * In that message, we saw that YHWH had declared a specific order of events that would occur in the celebration of these feasts beginning with the Selection of the Lamb on the 10th day of Nisan. That lamb was then supposed to sacrificed at twilight on the 14th day. The Feast of Unleavened Bread would then begin on the 15th day (which begins at sundown) with the eating of the lamb which was roasted. The first day of the feast of Unleavened Bread was also to be considered a Holy Convocation (a Special Sabbath) to YHWH. The Feast of Firstfruits fell on the 1st day of the week which followed the weekly Sabbath of the Passover celebration. That would be day when Jesus rose from the dead! The women came to the tomb while it was yet dark and found the stone rolled away with the tomb empty! As recorded in the original Greek of Matthew 28:1, there were actually more than one "Sabbaths" between the time that Jesus died and rose from the dead (those would have been the 1st day of Unleavened Bread and the weekly Sabbath). * Jesus sacrificial death on the cross fulfilled the Passover sacrifice and became the basis for the fellowship of the church, and a desire for us to live "unleavened" (sinless) lives. Today, we will see the importance of His fulfillment of the Feast of Firstfruits to the Completion of the Good News, the Confirmation of your Faith, and the Consummation of Future Events!* This message was presented by Bob Corbin on April 5, 2026 at Family Bible Church in Martinez, Georgia.

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You can get the sermon note sheet at: https://family-bible-church.org/2026Messages/26Mar29.pdf This Sunday is generally referred to as "Palm Sunday." It is the day the global church recalls and celebrates "The Triumphal Entry" of the Messiah - Jesus - into the city of Jerusalem. This coming week has traditionally been referred to as "The Passion Week." While we understand the word "passion" to refer to a strong or powerful emotion or lust; however, it actually comes from the Latin word "passio" which means "to suffer." So, literally, this is the week of "Christ's Suffering." Biblically speaking, this week is the week of the prophetic fulfillment of the three spring feasts: Passover, Unleavened Bread, and First-fruits. Each of these feasts pointed to Christ and the consummation of YHWH's Redemptive Plan in the 1st Coming of Christ. ( As an aside, the next feast: The Feast of Weeks - or Pentecost - pointed to the giving of the Law and the giving of Grace. The final three feasts - Trumpets, the Day of Atonement, and the Feast of Tabernacles - all point toward Christ's 2nd coming and millennial reign on earth. ) Today, we recall that two thousand years ago Jesus fulfilled prophetic signs which were proclaimed three thousand three hundred years ago! * Our goal for this week and next Sunday is to consider Christ's Fulfillment of the three Spring Feasts. Today, we will consider Christ as the Passover Lamb. This message was presented by Bob Corbin on March 29, 2026 at Family Bible Church in Martinez, Georgia.

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You can get the sermon note sheet at: https://family-bible-church.org/2026Messages/26Mar22.pdf In the conclusion of our study of the book of Hebrews, we saw the importance and call for the body of Christ to pray for one another. As we enter our spring week of prayer and fasting, it is good to remind ourselves that we consider these weeks to be times when we are seeking true revival, or strengthening, in our individuals walks with God, and our collective service to Him. The term "revival" refers to bringing something "back to life." There is the assumption that there was "life" previously. * Today, we will look at the importance of Contrition in your relation with God. Biblical Contrition is ... A humble and penitent attitude which comes as a result of being "broken" (pridefully) by your moral failure, or comprehension of your finiteness, in contrast to the holiness and eternality of God; knowing that He is your ultimate judge. We will begin by reading five different Biblical illustrations: 2 Kings 22:8-20 (re: Josiah), Isaiah 6:1-8 (re: Isaiah), Daniel 9:1-19 (re: Daniel), and Luke 18:9-14 (re: the Tax Collector). Lord willing, we will then consider the consistent pattern that we see through these illustrations as we see them lived out in the life and prayer of David.* This message was presented by Bob Corbin on March 22, 2026 at Family Bible Church in Martinez, Georgia.

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You can get the sermon note sheet at: https://family-bible-church.org/2026Messages/26Mar15.pdf Six months ago, we began this trip through the book of Hebrews. We have seen that Jesus is not just an angel, nor is just a prophet - rather, He is God the Son who took on flesh in order that He might be the perfect propitiatory sacrifice for our sins. While in the flesh, He was tempted and tried in every way such as we are, yet without sin! * We, therefore, are called to look to Him - the Author and Finisher of our faith - while we run this race of life. Last week, we began to consider this final section of exhortations from the author of the letter to his readers. The first half of these final exhortations were those which focused upon our relationship with God. We were warned to not be "carried about with various and strange doctrines" but to have our heart stabilized by grace. We were challenged to willingly suffer with Christ in the reproaches which the world brings against Him and those who follow Him. Finally, we were encouraged to continually offer to God the sacrifice of praise in both our words and our deeds. Today, we will be finishing our study of the book by looking at the final set of exhortations - those which our focused upon our relationships with the brethren.* This message was presented by Bob Corbin on March 15, 2026 at Family Bible Church in Martinez, Georgia.

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You can get the sermon note sheet at: https://family-bible-church.org/2026Messages/26Mar08.pdf Approximately one month ago, we began considering the Pursuit and Practice of our Lives as a result of the Perfect Propitiatory Sacrifice of Christ on our behalf. We should be committed to running the race which has been set before us and to pursue our conformance to the image of Christ - both in thought and deed. In doing so, we must keep Christ as the focus of our faith. During the last two weeks, we saw that we have been freed from a bondage to works in order to merit salvation; through Christ, the just shall live by faith. That faith is grounded in the grace of God. God, by His grace, has afforded us this privilege of knowing Him and serving Him through faith. As a result we ought to desire to reflect the holiness and love of God in our lives in our actions. However, we were reminded that though God extends His grace, He is still a "consuming fire." Jesus Christ - God incarnate - is the same yesterday, today and forever! Today, we come to the final portion of the letter to the Hebrews. In this portion, which we will take two weeks to cover, we see a listing of final exhortations. These are important "final" thoughts, providing us commands and exhortations regarding our relationship with God and with others. This message was presented by Bob Corbin on March 8, 2026 at Family Bible Church in Martinez, Georgia.

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You can get the sermon note sheet at: https://family-bible-church.org/2026Messages/26Mar01.pdf Last week we began to consider this section of the book of Hebrews by considering Paul's analogy of Hagar (Mt. Sinai) and Sarah (Mt. Zion) in Galatians 4, representing the contrast of trusting in our works of the Law for salvation and having faith in the grace of God. We then considered the description of these two mountains from the perspective of the author of Hebrews. Concerning the giving of the Law at Mt. Sinai, the author revealed how the Hebrews did not want God to speak to them. So, he challenged his present listeners to not be like them and to not refuse Him who speaks! We, as New Testament saints, ought to have grace since we are recipients of the Kingdom of Grace and ought to be, therefore, representatives of that Kingdom. Today, we continue this in this portion looking to HOW that grace portrays itself in our lives. Those who enter the Kingdom of God by faith will live as being recipients of this Kingdom recognizing the righteous judgement of the King and seek to fulfill the calls to Love and Holiness issued by the King. This message was presented by Bob Corbin on March 1, 2026 at Family Bible Church in Martinez, Georgia.

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You can get the sermon note sheet at: https://family-bible-church.org/2026Messages/26Feb22.pdf We are coming toward the final sections in our study of the book of Hebrews. After considering the superiority of Jesus Christ and the New Covenant which He established, we have been examining the results of entering into this New Covenant. Over the past couple of weeks we have consider our pursuit of Jesus Christ - the Author and Finisher of our faith! Last week, we saw the need for Team Work in this pursuit and ended with the reminder of our foundation for all of this - the establishment of the New Covenant. * The author of the book uses another analogy to contrast the Old Covenant with the New Covenant. As Paul does in his letter to the Galatians, the author of Hebrews contrasts the two covenants to Mt. Sinai and Mt. Zion (Jerusalem). We will begin by reading Paul's analogy in order to bring another layer to this contrast in Hebrews. These mountains and covenants represent, as well, two kingdoms - a kingdom of works and a kingdom of grace. As we will see today, though God delivers us by grace through faith, and not by our works, those who enter the Kingdom of God by faith will then live as being recipients of this Kingdom recognizing the righteous judgement of the King and seek to fulfill the calls to Love and Holiness issued by the King. This message was presented by Bob Corbin on February 22, 2026 at Family Bible Church in Martinez, Georgia.

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You can get the sermon note sheet at: https://family-bible-church.org/2026Messages/26Feb15.pdf We have spent the past seven weeks considering examples and applications which are the results of people living their lives by faith in the redemptive plan of YHWH which was completed in the sacrificial death of the Messiah. We have seen that in the face of the adversities of this life "the just shall live by faith." Over the past two weeks, we have been considering the pursuit of faith which is laid out for us in chapter 12 - to lay aside every weight and "good standing" sin(s) which are hindering us from running the race which has been set before us. In order to accomplish this task, we need to have a proper focus - we must be looking unto Jesus, who is One who began the work in us and will be faithful to complete it. Additionally, this pursuit will require a great deal of discipline, and training, in our lives. That discipline is a two-fold process between our own zeal and the loving intervention of our Heavenly Father. As a loving Father, He trains us to be disciplined when we will not discipline ourselves. Last week, we began to consider the fourth facet of this pursuit revealed in this chapter, The Need for Teamwork. We do not, nor cannot, live this life of faith as "Lone Rangers." The church is referred to by God as the body of Christ. There are many passages in the Word of God which talk about the importance of the body of Christ ministering to "one another." Today, we will continue that discussion. This message was presented by Bob Corbin on February 15, 2026 at Family Bible Church in Martinez, Georgia.

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You can get the sermon note sheet at: https://family-bible-church.org/2026Messages/26Feb08.pdf In chapter 10, as we transitioned from the doctrinal aspect of the book of Hebrews to the applicational aspect, the writer provided three exhortations to the church which ought to be the initial effect in our lives of the redemptive work of Jesus. We are exhorted to draw near to God with a true heart, to hold fast the confession of our hope, and to consider one another in order to stir up love and good works. We then transitioned to how these things could, and would, occur in the lives of the saints - "The just shall live by faith." We were then given many examples of normal individuals who lived this life of faith in marvelous ways. * Two weeks ago we began to consider how we too can live this life of faith. * Last week, we began to consider the race which we called to run in pursuit of this goal. As at the beginning of this applicational section, we saw that the focus of our faith - the focus of our journey - the focus of our pursuit - needs to be Jesus, YHWH incarnate! This pursuit will require us to be diligent and disciplined in our lives. Additionally, we saw that God, as our loving heavenly Father, will discipline us when we do not use self-discipline. Today, we will pick up our discussion of our pursuit in by considering our need for the Father's assistance and that of the rest of our "Family" as we press toward the mark! This message was presented by Bob Corbin on February 8, 2026 at Family Bible Church in Martinez, Georgia.

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You can get the sermon note sheet at: https://family-bible-church.org/2026Messages/26Feb01.pdf In our study of the book of Hebrews, we have transitioned from the primarily doctrinal section - looking to the perfect sacrifice - into the primarily applicational section and considering the results of that perfect sacrifice. We have spent four weeks considering the "Evidence of Faith" which is ultimately the result of the focus of one's Confidence, or Hope. * Today, we begin to look at how this Faith and Hope affect our "Mindset" regarding our journey through this life. In this chapter, various analogies are woven together to reveal the importance of our desire for, and commitment to, practical sanctification as a result of our positional sanctification. * Because of Christ's perfect sacrifice, our pursuit in life should mirror Paul's declaration in Philippians - that I may know Christ ... I press toward the mark!* This message was presented by Bob Corbin on February 1, 2026 at Family Bible Church in Martinez, Georgia.

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You can get the sermon note sheet at: https://family-bible-church.org/2026Messages/26Jan25.pdf In Isaiah 55:1-11, YHWH calls for everyone who is thirsty to come to "the waters" and to buy wine and bread without needing money. This sustenance, He declares, is His Word. He calls for people to seek Him while He may be found and to call upon Him while He is near. For He is a rewarder of those who seek Him! He will send forth His Word and His Word will not come back void; His Word will "prosper in the things for which I sent it." In Romans 10 we read that "Faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the Word of God." In Hebrews 11 we have been considering the lives of those who have lived according to that faith; of those who have received and trusted in the Word of YHWH. Today, we will be look at the evidence of that which is "not seen" through a few more "everyday people" ... like you and me ... whose lives were transformed by the power of God! This message was presented by Bob Corbin on January 25, 2026 at Family Bible Church in Martinez, Georgia.

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You can get the sermon note sheet at: https://family-bible-church.org/2026Messages/26Jan18.pdf In Hebrews 10 we are told that the "New and Living Way" that Christ established was that "The just shall live by faith." In Hebrews 11 we are told what that statement looks like. "Faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen." Faith is where what we consider abstract meets "reality." It is our faith which God uses to reprove people of heavenly practical matters (reality!) that are not visible to them. What we believe will be evidenced in what we do! After defining "Faith," the author of Hebrews then gives us many examples of those who "evidenced" their confidence in receiving a reward in the afterlife by what their works during their lives on the earth. By faith, Abel offered a better offering than Cain. By faith, Noah spent 120 years obediently building an ark which would ultimately be the tool of his family's deliverance from the judgment of the earth. By faith, Abraham and Sarah trusted that the promises of YHWH would ultimately come to fruition even if they were not fully fulfilled in their lifetimes! Today, we have the pleasure of glancing at a few more of these demonstrations of faith in "everyday people" ... like you and me!* This message was presented by Bob Corbin on January 18, 2026 at Family Bible Church in Martinez, Georgia.

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You can get the sermon note sheet at: https://family-bible-church.org/2026Messages/26Jan11.pdf What does "The just shall live by faith" look like? In Hebrews 11 we have the Biblical definition of faith: "Faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen." Faith is where what we consider abstract meets "reality." It is our faith which God uses to reprove people of heavenly practical matters (reality!) that are not visible to them. What we believe will be evidenced in what we do! Last week we saw how faith in the existence of God and His promise to reward those who seek Him was evidenced in the lives of Abel, Enoch and Noah. Also last week, in considering the testimony of Creation and the Flood, we looked at 2 Peter 3:3-6. In it further context, we see that Peter was warning of the judgment to come just as Noah was warning of the judgment to come. As Noah, we are called to live by faith as a testimony to those who are around us.* Today, we see the evidence that was portrayed in the lives of Abraham, Sarah, Isaac, Jacob and Joseph. * This message was presented by Bob Corbin on January 11, 2026 at Family Bible Church in Martinez, Georgia.

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You can get the sermon note sheet at: https://family-bible-church.org/2026Messages/26Jan04.pdf Last week we began to look at the context and concept of the definition of faith. This is important because as we see throughout the New Testament and specifically here in Hebrews 10 and going into chapter 11, "The just shall live by faith." We considered that True Faith is coming to God through the blood of Jesus and not works of the Law, and that True Faith is the Righteous Plan of God and an Act of His grace! In Hebrews 11:1 we see the Biblical definition of faith. "Faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen." Faith is where what we consider abstract meets "reality." In this Biblical definition of faith, we see that Our Faith is the underpinning, or foundation, of that which we look toward. Our Faith is that which God uses to reprove others of practical matters (reality!) that is not visible to them. Today, as we begin to consider the "evidence" for the "reality" laid out in chapter 11 we want to consider the Old Testament context of the statement "The just shall live by faith" found in Habakkuk. * This message was presented by Bob Corbin on January 4, 2026 at Family Bible Church in Martinez, Georgia.

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You can get the sermon note sheet at: https://family-bible-church.org/2025Messages/25Dec28.pdf We have seen that Jesus came to establish a "New and Living" Way into the Presence of God. Through the sacrificial death of the Messiah, we can - by faith - come openly and with confidence into YHWH's presence knowing that this is the fulfillment of His Redemptive Plan. The author of the book of Hebrews then chastened and exhorted the Messianic Jews to not be deceived into thinking that they needed to turn back to the Law. If they did so, they would be trampling the sacrifice of the Messiah and placing their confidence in their ability to "work" for their salvation. He quoted the prophet Habakkuk, declaring: "The just shall live by faith." He now transitions into a discussion of what faith is and what it looks like. He, again, reveals that this Redemptive Plan of God spans from Creation through his current day. Lord willing, we will be spending the next four weeks considering this marvelous chapter. Today, we begin by considering the Foundation and Focus of Faith. This message was presented by Bob Corbin on December 28, 2025 at Family Bible Church in Martinez, Georgia.

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You can get the sermon note sheet at: https://family-bible-church.org/2025Messages/25Dec21.pdf Over the past two weeks we have seen how all of the doctrine, which the author of Hebrews shared in the first nine chapters, comes together to present the greatness of Jesus' sacrificial death on behalf of the whole world! Truly, God loved the world and gave His only begotten Son to be the propitiation for the sins of the whole world! As the author is addressing this consummation of the redemptive plan to a Jewish audience in the 1st century, we see a distinctively Jewish emphasis (or reference to the Old Testament). * It is important to also note that there were "Judaizers" entering into the gatherings of the church to draw people back under the law! These individuals were false teachers and leading people into blaspheme. In our text today, we see the author overtly addressing this battle. Our text today is actually an extension from last week's passage in which Jewish believers were given the phenomenal understanding that they could openly enter into the Holies where God resided with confidence. This privilege was afforded by the blood sacrifice of Jesus. Today, we see the other side of this privilege - the warning - to not treat this privilege haphazardly, but to make sure that they were living by faith.* This message was presented by Bob Corbin on December 21, 2025 at Family Bible Church in Martinez, Georgia.

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You can get the sermon note sheet at: https://family-bible-church.org/2025Messages/25Dec14.pdf Today, we transition from the laying of a doctrinal foundation regarding Messianic fulfillment of the Redemptive Plan of God and sacrificial system through Jesus' offering of Himself as the Ultimate Propitiatory Sacrifice for sins ... to the results of that sacrifice for those who, by faith, trust in Him. The author presents that through the blood sacrifice of Jesus, we are afforded a "New and Living Way" in order to come to YHWH. No longer do we need to be focused upon the works of the Law, but we can experience perfect rest, and peace with God, because of the righteousness of the Messiah. Today, we begin to see what the "rest" of Christ looks like practically in the life of a believer. This message was presented by Bob Corbin on December 14, 2025 at Family Bible Church in Martinez, Georgia.

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You can get the sermon note sheet at: https://family-bible-church.org/2025Messages/25Dec07.pdf In the beginning of this series, I stated that I believed that the Theme of the Book was: "The Presentation of 'A New and Living Way' through the Perfect Propitiation of Jesus who eternally fulfilled the requirements of the Yom Kippur Sacrifices!" Last week, we began to consider the apex of the book, the declaration of this theme. The author of the book has been building to this point using various Jewish themes to reveal the deity of the Messiah, His role at bringing the ultimate "rest" which was not given through Moses or Joshua. It was the Messiah's role to come and establish the New Covenant declared by Jeremiah by offering Himself as the Ultimate Propitiatory Sacrifice for sins. To fully understand what the consummation of eternal redemption would look like to the Jewish people, we need to understand the complexity of the sacrificial system and the progressive nature of redemptive covenants. This Redemptive Plan was something that God initiated before He formed the foundations of the world! Today, Lord willing, we will consider the Progression of the Redemptive Plan (as revealed through the Sacrificial System, the Covenants, and Scripture) and the Presentation of the Ultimate Sacrifice. * This message was presented by Bob Corbin on December 7, 2025 at Family Bible Church in Martinez, Georgia.

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You can get the sermon note sheet at: https://family-bible-church.org/2025Messages/25Nov30.pdf Over the past couple of weeks we have considered the Priesthood of the Messiah. The authenticity of His Priesthood is critical for authoritativeness of His Propitiatory Sacrifice by which the New Covenant was established once for all. Today, we begin considering the apex of this book. This is to which the author has been building. Messiah - God Incarnate - came to establish a New and Living Way through the Veil by offering Himself as the Perfect Sacrifice for our sins. * Today, we see that God had many different aspects of His redemptive plan working in harmony and pointing toward the ultimate payment for our sins! Lord willing, next week we will consider the Presentation of the Ultimate Sacrifice. Then, in two weeks, consider in much greater detail the passage that we have been memorizing to consider the Pertinence of the Covenant in the Activities of the Church. This message was presented by Bob Corbin on November 30, 2025 at Family Bible Church in Martinez, Georgia.

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You can get the sermon note sheet at: https://family-bible-church.org/2025Messages/25Nov23.pdf You can get the sermon note sheet at: http://family-bible-church.org/2025Messages/25Nov23.pdf Last week we began a deeper look into the Priesthood of Christ as we considered the Melchizedekian nature of His High Priesthood. Today, the goal is to consider The Ministry and The Mediatorship of His Priesthood. In this section, we see that Jesus is "fitting" to be our High Priest since He is holy, harmless, undefiled, separate from sinners, higher than the heavens, sufficient in His sacrifice and sitting at the right hand of the throne of Majesty! This portion of the writing to the Hebrews also begins the transition into the consideration of the establishment of the New Covenant via the Perfect Propitiatory sacrifice of the Messiah. * This message was presented by Bob Corbin on November 23, 2025 at Family Bible Church in Martinez, Georgia.

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You can get the sermon note sheet at: https://family-bible-church.org/2025Messages/25Nov16.pdf Over the past three weeks, we have considered that Christ is the causation of eternal salvation and therefore it is impossible for those who are in Christ to fall away - and lose that salvation. This is all due to the Perfect Nature of His Priesthood and His Sacrifice. Today, we begin another two part message - this time considering a fuller presentation of Christ as our High Priest, as given by the author of this book, by considering The Melchizedekian Order of His Priesthood, the Ministry of His Priesthood and the Mediatorship of His Priesthood. Those final two points will lead us into His Perfect Propitiatory Sacrifice.* We begin by looking at what the author declared as being "hard to explain" since the Hebrew audience had become sluggish in learning - dull of hearing. * Melchizedek is mentioned, by name, nine times in the New Testament. All of those references occur in Hebrews 5-7. Therefore, that is where we will begin our study of Christ's greater Priesthood. * This message was presented by Bob Corbin on November 16, 2025 at Family Bible Church in Martinez, Georgia.

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You can get the sermon note sheet at: https://family-bible-church.org/2025Messages/25Nov09.pdf We have seen that through faith in the saving work of Jesus Christ we can enter into the rest which God has promised. That rest is not for after we die, but also for while we walk on this earth and represent Christ. * Last week, we saw Christ is the causation of our "eternal salvation." Eternal salvation refers to an everlasting deliverance that was caused and granted by God Himself through Jesus Christ. That statement would seem to end all discussion regarding eternal security; however many people still debate this topic. * Today we begin to consider a passage (Hebrews 6) that is many times turned to in order to demonstrate that you CAN lose your salvation - and thereby NOT have eternal security. However, this portion is more involved than can be properly handled in one session. So, today, we will begin by considering the initial context of the passage - the need for the Hebrews to grow in their doctrinal understanding. This message was presented by Bob Corbin on November 9, 2025 at Family Bible Church in Martinez, Georgia.

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You can get the sermon note sheet at: https://family-bible-church.org/2025Messages/25Nov02.pdf We have seen that through faith in the saving work of Jesus Christ we can enter into the rest which God has promised. That rest is not for after we die, but also for while we walk on this earth and represent Christ. * Last week, we saw Christ is the causation of our "eternal salvation." Eternal salvation refers to an everlasting deliverance that was caused and granted by God Himself through Jesus Christ. That statement would seem to end all discussion regarding eternal security; however many people still debate this topic. * Today we begin to consider a passage (Hebrews 6) that is many times turned to in order to demonstrate that you CAN lose your salvation - and thereby NOT have eternal security. However, this portion is more involved than can be properly handled in one session. So, today, we will begin by considering the initial context of the passage - the need for the Hebrews to grow in their doctrinal understanding. This message was presented by Bob Corbin on November 2, 2025 at Family Bible Church in Martinez, Georgia.

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You can get the sermon note sheet at: https://family-bible-church.org/2025Messages/25Oct26.pdf Over the past two weeks, we have seen that YHWH had promised a rest from work even in His creation of the world. YHWH then declared that Israel had been able to enter into that rest because of their disbelief. David declared in Psalm 95:4 that the rest still remained for those who would not harden the hearts. Therefore, the author of the book of Hebrews urged, "Let us therefore be diligent to enter that rest, lest anyone fall according to the same example of disobedience." We enter that rest through faith in the saving work of Jesus Christ. That rest is not for after we die, but also for while we walk on this earth and represent Christ. Last week, we saw that God gave us His Word and the High Priestly ministry of Christ to assist us in maintaining our rest in Him. Today, we transition into fully looking into the High Priestly ministry of Christ as the intercessor of the saints, the sacrifice for sins, the mediator of the New Covenant, and the Finisher of our Faith. Today, we begin that consideration by picking up where we left off last week - considering His intercessory ministry on behalf of the saints.* This message was presented by Bob Corbin on October 26, 2025 at Family Bible Church in Martinez, Georgia.

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You can get the sermon note sheet at: https://family-bible-church.org/2025Messages/25Oct19.pdf Last week, we saw that God had delivered Israel from bondage to Egypt in order to bring them into a land of "rest." However, this land could only be received, and entered, by trusting YHWH to give them the land (and the rest), in the same manner that He had delivered them out of Egypt. However, the children neglected so great a salvation (deliverance) at that time and did not "rest" in Him. * The Promise of this Rest was given by God even at the beginning - for YHWH work six days and the seventh day He rested (cf. Heb 4:4). David declared in Psalm 95:4 that the rest still remained for those who would not harden the hearts. The author of the book of Hebrews therefore urges those who heard/read he teaching, "Let us therefore be diligent to enter that rest, lest anyone fall according to the same example of disobedience." * We continue today considering that exhortation - to enter the rest - by considering the fact that God has not just given the promise of "A Rest" but He also provided the means of being assured of and maintaining that rest!* This message was presented by Bob Corbin on October 19, 2025 at Family Bible Church in Martinez, Georgia.

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You can get the sermon note sheet at: https://family-bible-church.org/2025Messages/25Oct12.pdf In Hebrews chapter 1, we are told that Jesus - the Messiah - was not a prophet or an angel. Rather, He is the eternally begotten Son of God. The writer quotes multiple passages from the Hebrew scriptures (Old Testament) to establish that this should have been understood. The misconception that the "mal'ak" of YHWH was an angelic being rather than a "Messenger" or "Ambassador" had caused great confusion. One of the roles of the Son is to be the Tabernacling Presence of YHWH on the earth. He is the Apostle (official representative) of the Father. * This allusion to the "mal'ak" of YHWH (as the pillar of cloud/fire) then continues into chapter 2, where the writer speaks to his Hebrew audience as the descendants of those who rejected the deliverance of YHWH through the ministry of the "mal'ak" of YHWH, and spent 40 years wandering in the wilderness. "How shall WE escape if WE neglect so great a salvation (deliverance)?" Just as the Israelite deliverance was first declared by Moses and then confirmed by signs and wonders, so this greater deliverance was declared by Jesus (God - the Son, incarnate) and confirmed by signs, wonders and gifts of the Holy Spirit! When Messiah came, He did not come then in subjection to angelic beings but rather having authority over them! In fact, His purpose in coming was to be our champion over Lucifer, the fallen archangel, who had the power of death (2:14). The Messiah Jesus came, shared in flesh and blood, died and rose from the dead to conquer death itself and Lucifer. In this manner, He revealed that He had greater authority than the angels. That now leads us into chapter 3 where the supreme Hebraic picture of the Exodus is again the center of instruction. The contrast is made to Moses who had authority as a servant in the "house", but the Messiah has full authority - as the builder and owner of the house! * When YHWH provided Israel "so great a salvation" out of the land of Egypt, He was leading them out of bondage in order to bring them into a land of "rest." However, this land could only be received, and entered, by trusting YHWH to give them the land (and the rest), just as He had revealed through bringing them out of Egypt. Today, we see that the Ultimate/Greater Rest is still available to all who believe! Jesus stated, "Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For My yoke is easy and My burden is light." ( Matthew 11:28-30)* This message was presented by Bob Corbin on October 12, 2025 at Family Bible Church in Martinez, Georgia.

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You can get the sermon note sheet at: https://family-bible-church.org/2025Messages/25Oct05.pdf Last week, in our study of the book of Hebrews, we began to consider the Author's presentation that Jesus isn't just an "angel" rather He is more than an "angel" ... He is God the Son! In that study, we considered the nature of His Sonship - in being part of the Triune Godhead of YHWH. Additionally, we saw that one of the roles of the Son is to be the Tabernacling Presence of YHWH on the earth. He is the Apostle (official representative) of the Father. This week we will consider His Salvation. * Last week and this week are critical in establishing the case for the Messianic provision of the perfect propitiation for our sins. The perfect God - YHWH - condescended to the earth in order to take on our flesh in order to overcome the ultimate consequence of our sin - death! The perfect sin sacrifice had to be both God (perfection) and Man (humanity-the bearer of sin); Jesus is that Perfect Propitiation! Coming out of the conversation that Jesus is God the Son, not an angel, the author brings a Challenge to the Hebrew listeners: How shall WE escape if WE neglect so great a salvation? In this section, we will see allusions to two great moments of Israel's history and deliverance (the Exodus and David's victory over Goliath) - but also times of GREAT SALVATION/DELIVERANCE which were treated with negligence by the people.* This message was presented by Bob Corbin on October 5, 2025 at Family Bible Church in Martinez, Georgia.

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You can get the sermon note sheet at: https://family-bible-church.org/2025Messages/25Sep28.pdf Steve Rutledge is a representative of the Midwest Messianic Center. He shared today regarding the Biblical Fall Feasts. This message was presented by Steve Rutledge on September 28, 2025 at Family Bible Church in Martinez, Georgia.

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You can get the sermon note sheet at: https://family-bible-church.org/2025Messages/25Sep21.pdf Last week, in our study of the book of Hebrews, we began to consider the Author's presentation that Jesus isn't just an "angel" rather He is more than an "angel" ... He is God the Son! In that study, we considered the nature of His Sonship - in being part of the Triune Godhead of YHWH. Additionally, we saw that one of the roles of the Son is to be the Tabernacling Presence of YHWH on the earth. He is the Apostle (official representative) of the Father. This week we will consider His Salvation. * Last week and this week are critical in establishing the case for the Messianic provision of the perfect propitiation for our sins. The perfect God - YHWH - condescended to the earth in order to take on our flesh in order to overcome the ultimate consequence of our sin - death! The perfect sin sacrifice had to be both God (perfection) and Man (humanity-the bearer of sin); Jesus is that Perfect Propitiation! Coming out of the conversation that Jesus is God the Son, not an angel, the author brings a Challenge to the Hebrew listeners: How shall WE escape if WE neglect so great a salvation? In this section, we will see allusions to two great moments of Israel's history and deliverance (the Exodus and David's victory over Goliath) - but also times of GREAT SALVATION/DELIVERANCE which were treated with negligence by the people.* This message was presented by Bob Corbin on September 21, 2025 at Family Bible Church in Martinez, Georgia.

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You can get the sermon note sheet at: https://family-bible-church.org/2025Messages/25Sep14.pdf Last week we began a study of the Book of Hebrews by considering the identity of it's Author, Audience and Theme. In this treatise, we see the presentation of "A New and Living Way" through the perfect propitiation of Jesus who eternally fulfilled the requirements of the ultimate sin sacrifice - that offered on behalf of the priest, and then the nation, on Yom Kippur (the Day of Atonement). * In the book of Hebrews, the "New and Living Way" found in the New Covenant, and established by Jesus the Messiah, is declared to a primarily Jewish audience who are struggling with the trappings of the Old Covenant and false rabbinic teachings. * Today, we will consider the first of those misunderstandings, or false teachings - that Jesus the Messiah was an "Angel." God's Word is very clear that Jesus is the Son of God not an "angel." The author of the book begins by declaring WHO JESUS IS - He is the Son of God - and what that entails. He then transitions into the Biblical proof of why He is not an "angel." As last week, we will consider the final point of our outline first in order to fully understand the Hebrew mindset before we consider the wonder of who Jesus actually is! ... SO ... WHO EXACTLY IS THE SON OF GOD?* This message was presented by Bob Corbin on September 14, 2025 at Family Bible Church in Martinez, Georgia.

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Two weeks ago, we concluded our 72 week study of the birth, life, ministry, death, burial, resurrection and ascension of Christ! * Today, we begin a new journey in which we will consider the eternal impact of what we just studied. Why did Jesus come to earth? What was, and is, the impact of His death, burial and resurrection? Today, we begin a study of the Book of Hebrews. In this treatise, the author reveals how Jesus fulfilled the ultimate sin sacrifice - that offered on behalf of the priest, and then the nation, on Yom Kippur (the Day of Atonement). In the book of Hebrews, the "New and Living Way" found in the New Covenant, and established by Jesus the Messiah, is declared to a primarily Jewish audience who are struggling with the trappings of the Old Covenant and false rabbinic teachings. * Today, we will consider an overview of this very important book. This message was presented by Bob Corbin on September 7, 2025 at Family Bible Church in Martinez, Georgia.

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You can get the sermon note sheet at: https://family-bible-church.org/2025Messages/25Aug24.pdf This is our final look at Luke's account of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. He wrote this account that those believing in Jesus might know assuredly the veracity of the testimony which they had heard regarding the birth, life, ministry, death, burial and resurrection of Jesus the Christ (the Messiah). As we close, we see once again the importance of God being the One who ultimately instructs us. It God who opens up our eyes that we may behold wondrous things from His Word. Last week we saw the importance of our testimony. Today we see that our witness and testimony of the Gospel message was part of God's redemption plan from the beginning. God desires for all men to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth, and He has chosen to use those who have been transformed by that message to be His heralds and ambassadors! As we go forth, we must desire to continually be able to answer the critics and provide a defense to those who question us. This means growing in our understanding of the Scriptures. Again, that is a work of God and one of the primary reasons that the Holy Spirit has been sent to seal those who believe - to lead us into all truth. Finally, Jesus' departure provides us with a glimpse of what is to come next on the biblical prophetic calendar - His return in the clouds! This message was presented by Bob Corbin on August 24, 2025 at Family Bible Church in Martinez, Georgia.

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You can get the sermon note sheet at: https://family-bible-church.org/2025Messages/25Aug17.pdf Your "testimony" is a declaration of your experience. This testimony can include what you experience in the physical, emotional, and spiritual realms. It is not only what you experienced physically through your sense - sight, sound, smell, taste and touch - but, also what you felt internally, what you thought, and what things you believe were being brought to you from an external source. This is your testimony. People may question it, deny it, ridicule it, ... or believe it. But regardless, it is what YOU experienced. Today, we are going to talk about the testimonies - the experiences - of two separate groups of people: the women at the tomb and the disciples on the road to Emmaus. Both groups experienced the results of Christ being risen from the dead. Both groups had different experiences which corroborated each others testimony. Jesus, who had been crucified three days prior - was Risen! This message was presented by Bob Corbin on August 17, 2025 at Family Bible Church in Martinez, Georgia.

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You can get the sermon note sheet at: https://family-bible-church.org/2025Messages/25Aug10.pdfAsk, Seek, and Knock

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You can get the sermon note sheet at: https://family-bible-church.org/2025Messages/25Aug03.pdf Over the past three weeks, we have seen Jesus openly declare to the Sanhedrin (the council) that He was YHWH and their instantaneous reaction. The Jewish leaders condemned Jesus as being blasphemous and handed Him over to the Roman authorities in order to be crucified. In the midst of this treachery and betrayal, we have seen the love and grace of God shine brightly ... culminating in Jesus' request for the Father to forgive those who were perpetuating this act against Him, because they did not know what they were doing. Today, we come to the place where Jesus breathes His last on the cross and is buried in a nearby tomb. As Jesus breathes this final breath, the payment for our sins was made and the veil of the Temple was torn in two (from top to bottom - Mark 15:38)! * God gives us details in His Word in order for us to confirm the historicity of this account. How exciting it is to KNOW the validity of Christ's death, burial and resurrection! This message was presented by Bob Corbin on August 3, 2025 at Family Bible Church in Martinez, Georgia.

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You can get the sermon note sheet at: http://family-bible-church.org/2025Messages/25Jul27.pdf Last week we considered five different Portraits of Grace as Jesus was being handed over by the authorities to be crucified. * Today, we see the grace of God and love of Christ glowing brilliantly as He is hanging on the cross in the midst of a spiritual storm of disdain and hatred. Truly, the darker the night - the brighter the light! Paul encouraged the Philippians to "Do all things without complaining and disputing, that you may become blameless and harmless, children of God without fault in the midst of a crooked and perverse generation, among whom you shine as lights in the world, holding fast the word of life ..." (Phil 2:14-16). Jesus presented the perfect model for this as He demonstrated the wonderful forgiveness that God offers each individual through His grace. Yet, as we shall see, in the end this grace is ultimately only fully efficacious to those who believe!* This message was presented by Bob Corbin on July 27, 2025 at Family Bible Church in Martinez, Georgia.

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You can get the sermon note sheet at: http://family-bible-church.org/2025Messages/25Jul20.pdf We have come to the point in the earthly life of Christ where He has been officially "turned-over" to the secular authorities. His people have disowned him and betrayed him. Yet, in the midst of all of this, YHWH is still the same God as He declared Himself to be in the days of Moses. He is faithful even when man is not. God desires ALL men to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth. No matter how vile the sinner, Jesus died for them! When He died, He became the atonement for the sins of the entire world! There is not anyone's sin that is to GREAT for God to forgive! * In today's passage, we see five different Portraits of Grace. The first three vignettes remind us that our great God and Savior died even for the sins of His enemies, the worst of sinners and those who would not take a stand for truth. They all had an opportunity to repent, but did they? In the next portrait, the grace of God is portrayed as He sovereignly uses ordinary men to perform extra-ordinary tasks which at first do not seem quite the blessing, and even potentially horrific! Finally, we see the grace of God calling out to those who are without knowledge to gain wisdom and understanding to call upon the Savior before it is too late!* This message was presented by Bob Corbin on July 20, 2025 at Family Bible Church in Martinez, Georgia.

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You can get the sermon note sheet at: http://family-bible-church.org/2025Messages/25Jul13.pdf We have spent the past five messages examining the 22nd chapter of Luke. As a reminder, Luke stated from the beginning that he was writing this account in order "that you may know the certainty of those things in which you were instructed." He declared that he had performed personal research into the affairs of Christ including interviewing those who were eye witnesses. These things which was writing about changed his life. He went from Luke the physician to Luke the evangelist! As we have examined chapter 22, you can see that the theme of the chapter has been the betrayal of Christ. Last week, we saw the culmination of the betrayal by Judas Iscariot. Today, we see the step next of this betrayal with that of the Jewish leaders. Today, we examine the "judicial process" by which Jesus was tried and condemned. But contained within these mock trials are two proclamations which are extreme importance - one by Jesus and one by Pilate. This message was presented by Bob Corbin on July 13, 2025 at Family Bible Church in Martinez, Georgia.

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You can get the sermon note sheet at: http://family-bible-church.org/2025Messages/25Jul06.pdf Four weeks ago we turned to the final day of Jesus the Messiah’s earthly life and ministry with the consideration of Judas’ decision to betray Jesus. Since then, we examined the Passover Seder that Jesus held with His disciples and Jesus’ example of having a Servant’s Heart (to lead by humbly serving). Today, we finish a two-week look at Luke’s account of Jesus warning His disciples of trouble that is coming, with specific warning to Simon Peter, followed by Jesus praying in the Garden of Gethsemane on the Mount of Olives, Judas’ betrayal of Jesus, Jesus’ arrest, and Peter’s three denials of Jesus. These events are connected; Jesus’ warning and example show us that prayer is the key to avoiding temptation, to successfully handling a troublesome situation, and that without it we are likely to succumb to temptation – Judas fails by going through with the betrayal, Peter fails by denying Christ.* Meanwhile, Jesus succeeds! He does not enter into temptation. Rather, Jesus goes forward with carrying out the will of the Father. In the process, Jesus demonstrates great love for us: “Greater love has no one than this, than to lay down one’s life for his friends.” – John 15:12

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You can get the sermon note sheet at: http://family-bible-church.org/2025Messages/25Jun29.pdf Three weeks ago we turned to the final day of Jesus the Messiah's earthly life and ministry with the consideration of Judas' decision to betray Jesus. In the last two weeks we examined the Passover Seder that Jesus held with His disciples and Jesus’ example of having a Servant’s Heart (to lead by humbly serving). Today, we look at Luke’s account of Jesus warning His disciples of trouble that is coming, with specific warning to Simon Peter, followed by Jesus praying in the Garden of Gethsemane on the Mount of Olives. This precedes what is coming next week: Judas’ betrayal of Jesus, Jesus’ arrest, and Peter’s three denials of Jesus. These events are connected; Jesus' warning and example show us that prayer is the key to avoiding temptation, to successfully handling a troublesome situation, and that without it we are likely to succumb to temptation – Judas fails by going through with the betrayal, Peter fails by denying Christ. The Greek words peirazo (verb) and periasmos (noun) mean "to try, to test, to tempt. Whether it is a test or a temptation depends on the motivation of the one bringing the troublesome situation (e.g. God, Satan, a friend, an enemy) and by the response of the one entering the troublesome situation. James 1:13b-14 says "for God cannot be tempted by evil, nor does He Himself tempt anyone. But each one is tempted when he is drawn away by his own desires and enticed." This message was presented by Bob Corbin on June 22, 2025 at Family Bible Church in Martinez, Georgia.

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You can get the sermon note sheet at: http://family-bible-church.org/2025Messages/25Jun22.pdf Two weeks ago we turned to the final day of Jesus the Messiah's earthly life and ministry with the consideration of Judas' decision to betray the Messiah. Last week, we examined the Passover Seder that He held with His disciples. This was event which He declared for which He had passionately desired. John begins his account of this event by stating, "Now before the Feast of the Passover, when Jesus knew that His hour had come that He should depart from this world to the Father, having loved His own who were in the world, He loved them to the end." (John 13:1) As we continue to consider this important event, we need to consider the "Mind of Christ" which Paul declares Jesus revealed through this moment, and His time on earth. That Jesus, being in the very nature (morphae) God emptied Himself and took on the nature of a servant in order to meet our need (Philippians 2:3-8). Today, we are challenged to follow His example to have a Servant's Heart ... and to continually ask ourselves, "Who is Greater?" This message was presented by Bob Corbin on June 22, 2025 at Family Bible Church in Martinez, Georgia.

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You can get the sermon note sheet at: http://family-bible-church.org/2025Messages/25Jun15.pdf Last week we turned to the final day of Jesus the Messiah's earthly life and ministry with the consideration of Judas' decision to betray the Messiah. Today, we get to focus probably THE most observed portrait of Christ's payment for our sins - the Last Supper. Our observances of this Passover Seder meal that Christ partook with His disciples are commonly referred to as Communion, the Lord's Supper, or the Eucharist. * We are told, in the passage that we studying today, that Jesus was intensely desirous of having this meal with His disciples and leaving it as a portrait for us to remember the cost of the covenant which He was purchasing on our behalf.* This message was presented by Bob Corbin on June 15, 2025 at Family Bible Church in Martinez, Georgia.

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You can get the sermon note sheet at: http://family-bible-church.org/2025Messages/25Jun08.pdf Over the past several weeks we have been considering the examination of Jesus by the Scribes, Pharisees and Sadducees, who were looking for a way to accuse Him. As we began this consideration, we briefly examined the timing of the Passover tradition to see how Jesus' examination paralleled that of the choosing of the Passover Lamb. We mentioned at that time that we would look at the fulfillment of the feasts later. Today, we have that opportunity. Today, we turn to the events of the final day prior to His crucifixion. Our text states that it was the time of the Feast of Unleavened Bread which was also referred to as Passover. It is important for us to understand the Old Testament timing and significance of this event. For though the primary focus of this passage is upon Judas' betrayal of Jesus, there is baked within it the Jewish leaders' betrayal of YHWH at the time of a Feast which set to remind them of their redemption by YHWH. This message was presented by Bob Corbin on June 8, 2025 at Family Bible Church in Martinez, Georgia.

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You can get the sermon note sheet at: http://family-bible-church.org/2025Messages/25Jun01.pdf Jesus has been fielding questions and "traps" from the Scribes, Pharisees and Sadducees, who were looking for a way to accuse Him. He silenced them all by asking them how the Messiah could be son of David while still being David's Adonai (Lord). Jesus then taught His disciples regarding the trap of religious pretentiousness. Today, we have a major change in topics as Jesus responds to the wonder and admiration of His disciples for the Temple. In our passage today, Jesus provides a Synopsis, Summary, and Surety regarding what would happen in the future ... from their perspective ... not necessarily ours! This message was presented by Bob Corbin on June 1, 2025 at Family Bible Church in Martinez, Georgia.

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You can get the sermon note sheet at: http://family-bible-church.org/2025Messages/25May25.pdf Jesus has entered into Jerusalem and has been teaching the people in the Temple. We are in the midst of a four day period when the Passover Lamb would be finely examined to make sure that it was a worthy Sacrifice. The religious unknowingly are fulfilling this prophetic requirement of YHWH (cf. Exodus 12:2-7). Two weeks ago, we considered the Chief Priests' and Scribes' attempted to find a blemish in Jesus by asking whether it was lawful for Jews to pay taxes to Caesar. Last week, we saw the Sadducees seek to trap Him by asking him who wife would a woman be (in the resurrection) who had been married consecutively to seven brothers. Jesus responded to them by drawing attention to the fact that they truly did not believe the Scriptures that they supposedly held in high regard. * Jesus took the moment as an opportunity to teach - both the Scribes and His Disciples - with authority. The first being a call to expositing the Word of God faithfully and the second a call to beware of pretentiousness. This message was presented by Bob Corbin on May 25, 2025 at Family Bible Church in Martinez, Georgia.

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You can get the sermon note sheet at: http://family-bible-church.org/2025Messages/25May18.pdf Jesus has entered into Jerusalem and has been teaching the people in the Temple. We are in the midst of a four day period when the Passover Lamb would be finely examined to make sure that it was a worthy Sacrifice. The religious unknowingly are fulfilling this prophetic requirement of YHWH (cf. Exodus 12:2-7). Last week, we considered the Chief Priests' and Scribes' attempt to find a blemish in Jesus by asking whether it was lawful for Jews to pay taxes to Caesar. Today, we see the Sadducees try to draw out a doctrinal flaw in the Messiah by a presenting Him a riddle regarding a woman who - by law - was married to seven different brothers and died childless * Like last week, we see Jesus respond in a manner that silences His critics! This message was presented by Bob Corbin on May 18, 2025 at Family Bible Church in Martinez, Georgia.

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You can get the sermon note sheet at: http://family-bible-church.org/2025Messages/25May11.pdf Jesus has entered into Jerusalem. He initially went into the Temple, cleared out the money-changers, and declared that the Temple was meant to be a house of prayer for all nations, but the religious establishment had made it into an emporium of thieves! For the next four days, from His entrance into the city to His death on the cross, Jesus taught the people in the Temple. Also on those the next four days, the religious leaders sought to trap Him and find public fault in Him or His teachings. This is important because as Psalm 118 declared, He would also be the Festal Sacrifice. * Jesus was the fulfillment of the Passover Lamb. In Exodus 12, YHWH gave specific instructions for processing of the Passover Lamb. It was supposed to be chosen on the 10th day of the month, examined for the next four days to assure that it was without blemish, and then slaughtered at twilight on the 14th day of the month. (Exodus 12:2-7) Unknowingly, the religious leaders were certifying Jesus' fulfillment of this prophecy! Through the rest of this chapter, we see several of these "tests" which the leaders brought to Jesus. Each of the tests, leave of us with applications to our lives as well. * Today, we see YHWH's expectations for us in relationship to earthly authority and His heavenly authority!* This message was presented by Bob Corbin on May 11, 2025 at Family Bible Church in Martinez, Georgia.

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You can get the sermon note sheet at: http://family-bible-church.org/2025Messages/25May04.pdf As Jesus came to Jerusalem, the people began to sing the Psalms of the Hallel and to call out the Messiah praise contained in them. As we considered that portion of Luke three weeks ago, we looked at the Messianic declarations from Psalm 118. chiefly: v. 22-23 22 "The stone which the builders rejected has become the chief cornerstone. 23 This was the LORD's doing; it is marvelous in our eyes." In today's passage, we see Jesus refer back to this Messianic passage and clearly infer that He was the fulfillment this "cornerstone." Additionally, He reiterates His prophetic declaration that Israel would be punished for it's rejection of Him. This message was presented by Bob Corbin on May 4, 2025 at Family Bible Church in Martinez, Georgia.

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Due to technical difficulties video is unavailable this week. Two weeks ago we considered the proclamations of the people regarding the Messianic fulfillment of Jesus as He journeyed to Jerusalem. We saw, as well, how Jesus confirmed those proclamations by declaring to the Pharisees that if the people would be quiet then the stones would immediately cry out! In the Old Testament, the book of Lamentations contains the sorrowful account of Jeremiah as he looks upon the destruction of Jerusalem after Nebuchadnezzar's conquest. Chapters 1 and 2 declare how YHWH handed over Jerusalem, and His Temple, to the atrocities of Nebuchadnezzar and Babylon as punishment for treating His Temple with disdain and for bringing idolatrous practices into the Temple - in His presence - before Him. In similar manner, Jesus - being omniscient - sees the destruction which will come upon Jerusalem within 40 years because they, as well, did not know the day of their visitation! They returned to treating YHWH's house with disdain and had rejected YHWH Himself when He had fulfilled His Word to come as a child and dwell in their midst. Today, we consider a short - but very profound - passage which contains Jesus' Messianic Lamentations for Jerusalem and His Temple.* This message was presented by Bob Corbin on April 27, 2025 at Family Bible Church in Martinez, Georgia.

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In the beginning, God made man in His own image and likeness. He then placed man in the garden and made him a helpmeet. In that garden, God placed two special trees, along with the other various trees. These two trees were the Tree of Life and the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil (otherwise known as the Tree of Death - for in the day that you eat of it, you shall surely die.) * God made man with the Privilege of Choice. Man, in the garden, had a choice to make. God told man that he could eat of any tree (including the Tree of Life), but he was forbidden from eating from the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil. Sadly, man chose to disobey God, and death entered into the world. This choice has been the primary choice which man needs to make. To choose obedience to God is to choose life. To choose disobedience to God is to choose death. Romans 6:23 states, "The wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life through Christ Jesus our Lord." The apex of that choice was displayed 4000 years later, in the very moment of Christ's payment for our sin. There on Golgotha - the place of the Skull - Jesus was crucified between two criminals. The trees upon which these criminals were hung equate to the trees in the Garden of Eden. * Mankind, another 2000 years later, is still faced with the same choice that these criminals faced. Let's look at "The Choice" each made.* This message was presented by Chuck Sabo and Bob Corbin on April 20, 2025 at Family Bible Church in Martinez, Georgia.

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Jesus has passed through Jericho and has now made it to Jerusalem. Luke records that on the journey to Jerusalem, Jesus had healed the ten lepers and Bar-Timaeus. Throughout Jesus' earthly ministry, He had performed many mighty acts which required great power. These wonderful works had not escaped the notice of the populace. The anticipation of the crowds begins to raise to a crescendo as Jesus now enters the city. Jesus adds to this Messianic feel with His preparations and His confirmation of the crowd's proclamation of praise.* This message was presented by Bob Corbin on April 13, 2025 at Family Bible Church in Martinez, Georgia.

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Jesus is on His final trip from Galilee to Jerusalem. * Last week, we saw Him invite Himself to the house of Zacchaeus as He passed through the city of Jericho. After his conversation with Jesus, Zacchaeus bore fruits of repentance and Jesus declared that salvation had come to that house! Today, we examine "The Parable of the Ten Minas" which Jesus shared while sitting at the house of Zacchaeus. Through this Parable, Jesus is once again seeking to prepare His Disciples for the days ahead.* This message was presented by Bob Corbin on March 30, 2025 at Family Bible Church in Martinez, Georgia.

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Jesus is on His final trip from Galilee to Jerusalem. He has made His way down the Jordan River in order to pass through Jericho. In Jericho, we see that He had two divine appointments with those who would have been considered outcasts of society. Last week, we saw His interaction with Bar-Timaeus, a blind beggar. * Today, we consider the well known encounter with a chief tax collector named Zacchaeus - a wee little man who climbed a sycamore tree for the Lord he wanted to see! Again today, we will consider how Jesus provides the opportunity for one who was inquisitive to find the truth - and for the truth to set them free!* This message was presented by Bob Corbin on March 23, 2025 at Family Bible Church in Martinez, Georgia.

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Jesus is on His final trip from Galilee to Jerusalem. He has made His way down the Jordan River in order to pass through Jericho. In our study of the Gospel according to Luke, we have seen that Jesus clearly will go out of His way in order to "coincidentally" have an encounter with specific individuals. In many of those occasions, those individuals would have been considered outcasts of society - lepers, demoniacs, gentiles, Roman centurions, tax collectors, prostitutes, etc. Today, we see Jesus engage another "outcast." Yet, as we have seen in many of those other encounters, Jesus sets up the opportunity for them to engage Him! * In today's passage, we also see a juxtaposition of two accounts in which God keeps blinded the "eyes" of those who can see (the Apostles) and opens the eyes of one who cannot see (Bar-Timaeus)!* This message was presented by Bob Corbin on March 16, 2025 at Family Bible Church in Martinez, Georgia.

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Jesus is on His final trip from Galilee to Jerusalem. He has been ministering to, and teaching, the multitudes as He traveled. He took a side trip through Samaria and then is making His way back down toward the Jordan River in order to pass through Jericho.Over the past two weeks, we have seen Jesus begin to address the question of the Pharisees regarding when the Kingdom of God would come. Jesus told them that the Kingdom of God ultimately does not come with observation but rather God reigns in the hearts of individuals. He then to present instruction to His disciples regarding some of the details of His return.Last week, we saw Jesus begin to address how the spiritual Kingdom would be apparent in those in which He reigned. He encouraged His disciples to not lose heart in presenting their petitions to God but to always remember that He would judge justly. In today's passage, we see Jesus teach further into this Kingdom mindset. "What does it look like to have Christ reigning in your heart?" How will that affect your life and your motivations? This message was presented by Bob Corbin on March 9, 2025 at Family Bible Church in Martinez, Georgia.

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Jesus is on His final trip from Galilee to Jerusalem. He has been ministering to, and teaching, the multitudes as He traveled. He took a side trip through Samaria and then is making His way back down toward the Jordan River in order to pass through Jericho. Last week, we saw Jesus address the question of the Pharisees regarding when the Kingdom of God would come. He told them that the Kingdom of God ultimately does not come with observation but rather God reigns in the hearts of individuals. Jesus then turned to present instruction to His disciples regarding some of the details of His return. It is good to remember that there were no chapter breaks when Luke wrote. This parable of "The Persistent Widow" is given by Jesus to His disciples directly following this instruction regarding His Spiritual Reign in the hearts of individuals and His Return to Physically Reign on the earth over the nations.* This message was presented by Bob Corbin on March 2, 2025 at Family Bible Church in Martinez, Georgia.

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Jesus has been teaching and interacting with those who are following Him - the multitude, the disciples, the apostles, and even those who are looking for reasons to accuse - the Scribes and the Pharisees. Today, we see this as well. Jesus is on His way to Jerusalem and has just past through Samaria. Yet, topically, this section ties back to 16:14-17 when Jesus responded to the derision of the Pharisees and declared that since John the Baptist "the Kingdom of God has been preached, and everyone is pressing into it." Jesus fields a question from the Pharisees regarding the Kingdom of God, addresses their unbelieving hearts, and then provides additional information to His disciples regarding God's Kingdom plan.* This message was presented by Bob Corbin on February 23, 2025 at Family Bible Church in Martinez, Georgia.

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Dan Nave is the Executive Director of Southeast Church Extension whose mission is to help struggling churches get healthy and healthy churches reproduce. There are only two paths that are open to you, either to follow God or to reject God. A stable person is the person who follows God; this is individual is blessed. Whether we are entering a new stage in our life, or are simply realizing where we are, this is THE question we need to ask - will we be blessed of God?* This message was presented by Dan Nave on February 16, 2025 at Family Bible Church in Martinez, Georgia.

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While Jesus has been teaching the multitudes, we have seen Him addressing the faithlessness of the Pharisees, scribes and lawyers. In the parable of the Prodigal Son, Jesus revealed the callousness of the Jewish religious leaders towards the revival that was going on amongst the "common people." Two weeks ago, we saw Jesus address this again with the Pharisees while presenting the Parable of the unjust, or unrighteous, steward to His disciples. The Pharisees understood that Jesus was referring to Him and responded with derision. Last week, we continued that interaction with Jesus' response to the Pharisees - showing them the contrast between their hypocrisy and the fervent desire of the "sinners" to repent and enter into the Kingdom of God. Jesus revealed their hypocrisy and failure to live according to the dictates of the Law, regarding treatment of the poor, through the Parable of the Rich Man and Lazarus. Today, we see Jesus build on this moment by providing instruction to His "disciples" that causes alarm in His "apostles." Jesus continues to teach in a manner to transform the mindset of those listening to Him - from trusting in their works, to trusting in the work of God alone. Jesus has continually revealed that according to your works you will never attain the righteousness of God. It is only through faith in the power and work of God, that we can truly walk in righteousness. We must believe that God is able to "work in us both to will and to do for His good pleasure" (Philippians 2:13) and in so doing, we "can do all things through Christ who strengthens us!" (Philippians 4:13) This message was presented by Bob Corbin on February 9, 2025 at Family Bible Church in Martinez, Georgia.

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Over the past month, we have been studying Luke 14 through 16. In this portion of Luke, we have seen Jesus teaching various people groups that were following Him. In this section, we have seen Jesus' use of parables - or word pictures - to help illustrate, or portray, the point which He was conveying. Additionally, Jesus tended to teach into a moment by addressing a question, or statement, from those following Him. Last week, at the beginning of chapter 16, Jesus specifically turned his teaching toward His disciples - sharing with them a parable regarding an unjust, or unrighteous, steward who is at first condemned and then commended by his master. At the conclusion of the parable, we saw that there were "others" (specifically, the pharisees) who were listening in, and who understood that the parable was addressing them. Today, we want to pick up with that understanding of the Pharisees and consider Jesus' instruction to them after their derision of Him. In this portion, we saw Jesus first quickly address the extent of God's Knowledge, Kingdom, and Law. He then shares a parable which, at its core, is addressing the hardness of the Pharisees' hearts ... but which also opens up an opportunity for us to discuss what post-death might look like.* This message was presented by Bob Corbin on February 2, 2025 at Family Bible Church in Martinez, Georgia.

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Last week, we saw Jesus share the value of a repentant sinner and the situation of a repentant sinner to the Pharisees and the multitudes in general. The first two parables that he spoke were about a man who had lost a sheep and a woman who had lost a coin. Then he shared the parable regarding the Prodigal Son. * Today, we see that Jesus turns his teaching specifically toward His disciples - sharing with them a parable regarding an unjust, or unrighteous, steward who is at first condemned and then commended by his master. At the conclusion of the parable, we see that there were "others" listening in. Jesus' teaching regarding the actions of this steward and His subsequent applicational principles regarding our faithfulness and allegiance are points to which we ought to give somber consideration in our walk with Christ.* This message was presented by Bob Corbin on January 26, 2025 at Family Bible Church in Martinez, Georgia.

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Last week, we saw Jesus again telling the multitude the expectations and costs of being His disciple. Jesus declared that being his disciple requires a full commitment - you must be "All In!" The Messiah expected that those who would be His disciples would be fully committed - forsaking everything including family and self! In today's passage, we see that this teaching got the attention of the multitude. In fact, those who we would think would be repelled by the teaching actually drew closer. Those who should have been open to the instruction, became more repulsed. Jesus addresses the interests of the Pharisees and the multitudes through two sections of parable - the first addressing the value of a repentant sinner and the second addressing the situation of the repentant sinner. This message was presented by Bob Corbin on January 19, 2025 at Family Bible Church in Martinez, Georgia.

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Last week, we took a one week break from Luke to examine ourselves as new creations in Christ. Paul declared, "If any one be in Christ he is a new creation." Indeed, he continued by stating that "old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new." If you are a disciple of Christ, then you cannot be the same as you were before Jesus came into your life. While you used to live for the things of this world, now you are a minister of reconciliation, an ambassador of Christ, and are becoming the righteousness of God. Today, as we return to our study in the gospel of account of Luke, we see Jesus giving the multitude a reiteration of the foundational teaching for what Paul declared. Being a TRUE disciple of Jesus Christ is not something that I can turn on and off. Being a disciple of Jesus Christ requires a full commitment - you must be "All In!" On September 13th, when we were studying Luke 9:18-36 we considered the expectation of the Messiah - He expected that those who would be His disciples would be fully committed, that they would deny themselves, take up their cross daily and follow Him. Today, as we go through this "hard to hear" teaching, we must again ask ourselves, "Am I all in? Am I truly a disciple of Christ?" If in any of these areas you, or I, fall short then we need to be humble enough to call upon the Lord and ask Him to cause us to be more committed!* This message was presented by Bob Corbin on January 12, 2025 at Family Bible Church in Martinez, Georgia.

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As we enter into a new year, it is generally a time to consider the past and the future, and the changes which we have experienced. It is a time, for many, to institute new "positive" changes, or habits. Additionally, it is also the first Sunday of the month. As an assembly we traditionally hold our commemoration of the Lord's Supper on the first Sunday of the month. The weeks preceding these commemorations are also good times to assess my relationship with Christ. We are told in 1 Corinthians 11 to examine ourselves to determine whether we are participating in this sacred event in an "unworthy manner." In fact, Paul declares that some were sick and even dieing as a result of not treating the commemoration in a sacred manner. As I pondered the convergence of these two opportunities to examine myself, I thought it would be good for us to relook at who we are - and/or should be - in Christ. It is easy to begin to take the gift that God has given us for granted and be distracted by the world. It is good to assess my level of commitment and seek His wisdom for the future.* This message was presented by Bob Corbin on January 5, 2025 at Family Bible Church in Martinez, Georgia.

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The Gospel accounts of Matthew, Mark and Luke report how Jesus performed many miracles on the Sabbath. Two weeks ago, we saw that Jesus healed a woman - in the synagogue - who was bent over and had been bound by Satan for eighteen years. These acts of grace and kindness put Him at odds with the Scribes, Lawyers and Pharisees who viewed healing as "work" which was unlawful to perform on the Sabbath Day - the day of rest. Yet, the Jewish Leaders continued to listen to His teaching. Some, as we see again today, are doing so to find ways to accuse Him. However, the Word of God does not come back void, but accomplishes what YHWH pleases (Isaiah 55:11). Today, we once again see Jesus' interactions with the Pharisees in connection to another healing on the Sabbath. This time in the home of one of the Synagogue Rulers.* This message was presented by Bob Corbin on December 29, 2024 at Family Bible Church in Martinez, Georgia.

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Jesus began His ministry by declaring that the Kingdom of God had drawn near. As a result, people were going to need to change the way they thought. We have seen that Kingdom awareness and Kingdom teaching has been an important part of Jesus' interaction with His disciples and with the crowds. As He is making His final trip to Jerusalem, Jesus begins to prepare the people for life after His presence on the earth. He begins to teach them more regarding the Kingdom of God. Jesus will be referring to, and teaching regarding, the Kingdom of God much in the next 11 chapters. He will reference the Kingdom of God 19 times in 18 verses in that span. Today, we will be considering four of those occurrences.* This message was presented by Bob Corbin on December 22, 2024 at Family Bible Church in Martinez, Georgia.

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Over the past couple of weeks, we have seen how Jesus taught while answering questions from the multitude. In the passage which we plan to consider today, we see that Jesus again is asked one question and then responds with an apparent non-corresponding answer. The Master knew where the hearts of the people were and addressed the core issues.* In today's passage, we see Jesus address the topic of sin dealing with the judgmental nature of people in assessing the sinfulness of individuals and God's desire to see people repent (change the way they think and become productive) and be released from the bondage that has held them captive! * This message was presented by Bob Corbin on December 15, 2024 at Family Bible Church in Martinez, Georgia.

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Last week, we saw Jesus address the crowd who was following Him to beware of covetousness. Today's portion is actually a continuation of that teaching. Jesus had warned the people to not be anxious about the things of this world but rather to trust God as their provider and protector. Specifically, regarding financial covetousness, Jesus stated, "For where your treasure is, there you heart will be also." Today, Jesus builds upon that warning by reminding the crowd of the judgment that is to come when the Son of Man returns. This is an exciting teaching in itself because Jesus is declaring His death, resurrection, return, and reign all in one short teaching. Additionally, Jesus let's everyone know that there would be a period of time - a gap - between His resurrection and His return, and what His followers should expect to see during that time. This message was presented by Bob Corbin on December 8, 2024 at Family Bible Church in Martinez, Georgia.

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Luke 12 begins with Luke's description of the size of the following that Jesus was beginning to have. The Greek declares that there were myriads of a multitude. In fact there were so many that they were literally stepping upon one another. (cf. Matt 5:13; 7:6; Luke 8:5; Heb 10:29). Two weeks ago, we began to see how Jesus would interact with various individuals in the crowd, who would shout a statement or question. Then, we considered how Jesus' responded to the woman who declared that Jesus' mother was blessed - by stating that those who hear and heed the Word of God are the ones who are truly blessed. Today, we see Jesus respond to another declaration coming from the crowd and uses this moment as well to teach on an important topic - covetousness. The covetous desires of man have not changed over the millennia and as we move into a season that should be focusing upon the incarnation of Christ to pay the penalty of our sins, we will need to fight a heightened challenge to not participate in the worldly gratification of their covetous desires. This message was presented by Bob Corbin on December 1, 2024 at Family Bible Church in Martinez, Georgia.

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Last week, we saw Jesus rebuke the Pharisees and Lawyers for being concerned about their outward appearance and living differently on the inside. We would call this activity "hypocrisy." Hypocrisy is actually the transliteration of a Greek Word and it is actually what Jesus summarizes their activity as and about which He warns His disciples. In today's passage, we see Jesus present four warnings to His followers and those pressing in about Him: beware of the leaven of the Pharisees, beware of fearing men, beware of denying the Messiah, and beware of blaspheming the Holy Spirit.* This message was presented by Bob Corbin on November 24, 2024 at Family Bible Church in Martinez, Georgia.

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Earlier in our study of Luke's account of the Gospel, we saw that Jesus shared an important detail of those who are truly part of the Kingdom of God ... having ears they will hear the message of God and they will heed what they hear! To "hear" and to "keep" - Shema and Shamar - is a very basic Jewish teaching. (cf. Deuteronomy 6:4-12)* Today, we will see Jesus reiterate this concept. The Jewish people wanted to see a sign from heaven. Jesus responds to that request with the foundational principle that the key to being blessed by God is to "Shema and Shamar" ... to Hear and to Heed! * This message was presented by Bob Corbin on November 17, 2024 at Family Bible Church in Martinez, Georgia.

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When we considered Jesus healing of the demoniac of the Gadarenes (8:26-39), we saw that the Greek term "daimonizomai" which is best translated by it's transliteration: demonized. Biblically, it refers to someone who is being vexed by a demon - whether through possession or oppression. That man of the Gadarenes was possessed by many demons, for when Jesus asked the demon - who was speaking through the man - his name, he declared that it was "Legion" for in the host were many demons. * In Today's passage, Jesus casts out another demon and that begins a conversation and opportunity for Jesus to present teaching regarding the power and activities of demons.* This message was presented by Bob Corbin on November 10, 2024 at Family Bible Church in Martinez, Georgia.

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During the last five messages in our study of Luke, we have seen Jesus' instructive interaction with His disciples. Last week we saw that those who are disciples of Jesus will be devoted to the Mind of Christ (loving others) and the Word of Christ (desiring to learn from Him). The disciples must have heard Jesus' rebuke of Martha and praise of Mary .... For they now come to Jesus to seek teaching and instruction regarding prayer.* This message was presented by Bob Corbin on November 3, 2024 at Family Bible Church located in Martinez, Georgia.

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The last four messages in our study of the Gospel According to Luke have focused on the expectations, costs, and motivations of being a disciple of Jesus Christ as opposed to being just a convert, or one who is called a Christian. * In the passage that we are examining today, we see that Luke shares two more vignettes of Jesus instruction regarding the passions of a disciple of Christ. A disciple of Christ will be devoted to loving others (taking on the mind of Christ) and will be devoted to learning from the Words of Christ.* This message was presented by Bob Corbin on October 27, 2024 at Family Bible Church located in Martinez, Georgia.

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Our study of Luke has gotten juggled a little bit. After Hurricane Helene, it seemed appropriate to set aside our study to refocus upon our Great and Sovereign God who is also our Faithful and Loving Shepherd. While I was in Argentina, David picked up in our study of Luke with the sending of the seventy disciples recorded at the beginning of chapter 10. Today, we will drop back into chapter 9 to finish that portion. * As context, Jesus had just been transfigured before Peter, James and John; and He had healed the demon-possessed boy in a manner that awed all who were there. While all were amazed, Jesus told His disciples to pay attention to what He was telling them, that He was about to be betrayed. However, as we see in this passage, the disciples sadly only paid attention as well as we do many times! Jesus had communicated the expectation: deny yourself, take up your cross daily, and follow Him. In today's passage we see how this expectation is met practically through six different vignettes displaying our call to humility and commitment.* This message was presented by Bob Corbin on October 20, 2024 at Family Bible Church located in Martinez, Georgia.

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John Tellis and his family joined us today for worship. John is a native of Scotland who seeking to reach his native Scots with the gospel of Jesus Christ.* John was scheduled to speak prior to Helene hitting the area. The topic of his message - chosen before Helene - was very applicable. This message was presented by John Tellis on October 13, 2024 at Family Bible Church located in Martinez, Georgia.

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Over the last two months we've worked our way through Luke 8 and 9, where Jesus' disciples have begun to realize that Jesus is truly YHWH incarnate, notjust a "human" prophet. Jesus has performed multiple miracles demonstrating His deity, including calming a storm, casting out demons, raising Jairus'daughter from the dead, and feeding the 5000. He sent the 12 disciples out in pairs for ministry, and Peter has proclaimed Jesus to be "the Christ of God." Luke 9:51 says that Jesus "steadfastly set His face to go to Jerusalem". From Luke 9:51 through Luke 19:27, Jesus is on the way to Jerusalem, culminatingwith Jesus' triumphal entry into Jerusalem recorded in Luk 19:28-44. In these chapters, while Jesus is traveling through many cities on His way to Jerusalem,Luke records for us a number of events and parables that are not in the other three gospels. Today, we look at Luke's account of Jesus sending out 70 of His followers, in groups of two, where they are going ahead of Jesus to cities and places thatJesus intends to pass through on His way to Jerusalem.* This message was presented by David Hayes on October 6, 2024 at Family Bible Church located in Martinez, Georgia.

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Today we meditate on Psalm 23 while thanking God for his protection through the recent storm. This message was presented by Bob Corbin on September 29, 2024 at Family Bible Church located in Martinez, Georgia.

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Last week, we considered how what you believe will affect your desires and your actions. Jesus had asked His disciples who the world thought He was and then who they thought that He was. He then proceeded to share with them what would shortly happen to Him and what His expectations would be of those who proclaimed to be His disciples. He would shortly be rejected by the elders, chief priests and scribes, be killed, and then be raised the third day. His disciples would then follow this example - they would deny themselves, they would take up their cross daily and they would follow Him. At the end of His teaching, Jesus declared, "There are some standing here who shall not taste death till they see the Kingdom of God." Eight days later it became apparent that Peter, James and John would be those who were privileged to see a glimpse of the Majesty and Glory of the King prior to His return to reign on the throne of David!* Today, we see the heavenly and incarnate glory of the Messiah juxtaposed together.

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Jesus had sent out His twelve Apostles to proclaim the good news of the Kingdom of God and had equipped them with power and authority over all demons and with the ability to cure diseases. He then took them aside to talk about their experiences, but they had been interrupted by the 5,000+ crowd. Jesus used the moment to teach the people, but also to teach His disciples regarding the necessity of faith by having the disciples feed the crowd with just five small loaves of bread and two small fish! Today, we begin to see the conversation of Jesus and His disciples when He finally gets them away. As a segue, at Family Camp we discussed - from the Shema - the connection between your faith and your actions. If you have a genuine faith in God, you will naturally have a genuine love for God. This genuine love for God will then lead to a genuine interaction with His Word. Jesus uses this same logical connection between what you believe and how you will act in His discussion with His disciples.

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Two weeks ago, we considered when Jesus sent His twelve apostles out to herald the good news of the Kingdom of God. Jesus had given them power and authority over all demons and to cure diseases. He had also instructed them to take nothing for the journey (to trust in God), to remain in whatever house they first entered, and to shake off the dust of their feet as a testimony against city that rejected them.* Today, we will examine another miracle which provides further attestation to Jesus' Messianic claim. However, it is two of the sub-themes which we will really focus upon today.

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Luke is writing in order that those who would read his account of the life and ministry of Christ would be assured of the truthfulness of the message. What message did the people hear? Where did that message originate? From whom did they hear the message? In Romans 10, we read: "For 'Whoever calls on the name of YHWH shall be saved." (cf. Joel 2:32) How then shall they call on Him in whom they have not believed? And how shall they believe in Him of whom they have not heard? And how shall they hear without a preacher? And how shall they preach unless they are sent? As it is written: "How beautiful are the feet of those who preach the gospel of peace, who bring glad tidings of good things!" (cf. Isaiah 52:7) ... So then faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God." As we will be reminded today - God has chosen the weak things of the world to confound those that seem mighty - through the proclamation of the Good News of the Kingdom of God: that Christ died for our sins, was resurrected, and reigns on High! "All" that is required for us is to ... trust and obey.

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In the beginning of our study of Luke's account of the life and ministry of Jesus, we saw that he was a "Physician." In different passages, we have found that Luke gives details that other writers did not give. Last week, as we considered the deliverance of the man who had a legion of demons dwelling in him, Luke revealed many details of this man's situation before Jesus, and how he was healed and in his right mind when the townspeople came out to tell Jesus to leave. Today, we will be considering two more events of Jesus' powerful deliverance of individuals. Again, Dr. Luke gives us specific details to help us understand the veracity of the events. * Though we will consider two deliverances, one is presented as an interruption along the path of the primary object. An important detail to remember in life is that God has many appointments that seem to be only "interruptions" along what we consider to be the primary path!

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In our study of Luke, we have seen that Luke has declared from the beginning that his purpose in writing this account of the life and ministry of Christ was that believers "Would know assuredly" the things with which they were instructed. Luke recorded immediately how Gabriel was sent to Mary to inform her that she would be overshadowed by the power of God and give birth to a son who "will be called the Son of the Highest," who "will reign over the house of Jacob forever," and who "will be called the Son of God." As we have recently considered the beginning of Jesus' ministry and His proclamation of the coming of the Kingdom of God, we have seen that He began to certify His ministry through healings and casting out evil spirits. Over the next two weeks, we will consider a portion of Jesus' ministry where His disciples, and those around Him, begin to realize that Jesus isn't just a "human" prophet; but rather, that Messiah was truly YHWH incarnate.* Today, we consider the display of Jesus' Authority over Nature and the Spiritual Realm ... as He calms the storm and the demoniac.

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Last week, we considered Scriptures regarding "The Kingdom of God." Jesus declared that His purpose was to share the good news of the Kingdom and then called upon His disciples to share that message as well. He also declared that this Kingdom was not just one that was, or would be, physical. Rather, the ultimate Kingdom of God is spiritual, and begins in the heart. Allegiance to God begins in the heart by expressing childlike faith and trust in the testimony which God has declared in His Word. Being part of God's Kingdom therefore means that an individual is declaring - by faith - fidelity, allegiance and obedience to YHWH as the One True King of the Universe. * When one chooses to believe - by faith - in YHWH and His redemptive plan they become citizens of His Kingdom and are "born-again." Just as they were born physically, they are now born spiritually.* Today, Jesus will share an important detail of those who are truly part of the Kingdom of God ... having ears they will hear the message of God and they will heed what they hear! To "hear" and to "keep" - Shema and Shamar - is a very basic Jewish teaching. (cf. Deuteronomy 6:4-12)

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As we have begun to study the ministry portion of Jesus' life recorded in Luke's account, we have seen a couple of times that Jesus has declared that His purpose is to declare the good news of "the Kingdom." Today, we are going to take a one-week detour from our verse-by-verse exposition of the Book to consider the topic of "The Kingdom of God." This term is used 69 times in the Bible; 32 of those occurrences are in the book of Luke! Hence, as we begin to see it's usage and references to it, it would behoove us to understand exactly to what Jesus was referring, and how it specifically applies to our lives as believers. In fact, as we move forward into chapter 8, Jesus declares to His disciples: "To you it has been given to know the mysteries of the kingdom of God ..." So, let's consider some of the facts that we see regarding the Kingdom of God in the Scriptures - and the impact this should make in our lives.

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In 1 Timothy 2:3-4 we read that God has a desire for "all men (people) to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth." In 1 John 2:2 we read that Jesus died to be the propitiation for the sins of the whole world. The question is: Do we really believe that? If so, how do we exemplify it in our lives? How do we treat others? After we have received the free gift of salvation through Christ and have had His righteousness applied to our "account," do we become judgmental of others who have not yet received that gift? Do we forget the wonder and awe of our redemption? Were we ever truly overwhelmed with the forgiveness that God extended us - freely? In today's passage, we see Jesus' interactions with Simon the Pharisee and a Sinful woman - a man who was self-righteous and a woman who was publicly despised. There is much for us to learn and to be challenged by in this account which is only recorded by Luke.

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The earthly ministry of Jesus was marked by many miraculous events. We have already seen Jesus cast out demons, heal general sicknesses and specific diseases including leprosy, healing a paralytic, and healing a man with withered hand. Last week, we saw Jesus heal the Centurion's servant from a distance and raise the widow of Nain's son from the dead!* One would think that this would be enough proof to validate His claim as Messiah. However, we know that from the response of many today, that is sadly not the case. * However, there are times when even we who believe can be confused and have shades of doubt regarding what we have read in God's Word. Today, we will see how Jesus addressed doubt in those who were around Him.

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Over the past three messages we have considered the instruction of Jesus to those who were following Him. Jesus challenged those following Him to change the way they thought - from being worldly-focused to kingdom-focused; and from being self-focused to being other-focused.* In today's passage, we see Jesus illustrate this mindset in His interaction with Roman Centurion of Capernaum and the Widow of Nain.

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Except for last week, when visiting missionary Bob Schneider delivered the teaching, we've spent the majority of June considering Luke's perspective regarding Jesus's call of His primary messengers and the communication of His primary message. A primary message that was designed to help people to change the way they approached life, by teaching them what having a Messianic mindset was all about. For to be a true follower of Jesus requires us to increasingly adjust and adapt our thinking to match His, so that we can more effectively serve as His ambassadors in this world. Pastor Bob summarized this Messianic mindset as one that is kingdom-focused and others-focused, rather than worldly-focused and self-focused. So, 2 weeks ago, in verses 21-35, Jesus gave four contrasts in the form of blessings and woes to illustrate the outcomes of those two mindsets, and then seven commands that challenge us to respond to those that mistreat us in ways that cannot help but get their attention. And my personal key take-away was thisâ€¦ "People destined for hell do not know what they are doing, or where they are heading. But we do". And one of the best ways we can help them, is for us to embrace and exhibit a Messianic mindset, especially when we are treated poorly or unfairly. So this morning, after a quick recap of the seven commands, we'll wrap up Jesus's Messianic mindset teaching by considering five reflections of it, and then three illustrations that teach us how to effectively make it more of a reality in each of our lives.

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If you would die today do know where you are going? If God would ask you, "Why should I let you into My heaven?" What would you answer? Are you trusting in your good deeds? Do you believe that you will get into heaven because you attend church? What about a robber, or a thief? Are they excluded based upon their badness? Jesus had an interesting and eternal encounter with the thief hanging on the cross next to Him. This encounter has great relevance for us today.

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Last week, we considered Jesus' call of His Primary Messengers and began to consider the communication of His Primary Message. We considered that the overall theme of Jesus' teaching was for people to change the way they thought - from being worldly-focused to kingdom-focused; and from being self-focused to being other-focused. As we will see, the Kingdom mindset is unlike the mindset of the world Lord willing, the message today and then two weeks from now will cover some of the exhortations, applications and implications of this primary message. Today, we will be considering Contrasts, Commands, and Conclusions that Jesus presents based upon the Theme of this Primary Message. That theme is revealed throughout these verses. - THE THEME OF JESUS' MESSAGE ... If you do to others just as you would have them do to you, then your reward will be great and you will be sons of the Most High. For with the same measure you use, it will be measured back to you!

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Up to this point in our study of Luke's Gospel, we have seen the proclamation of the coming of the Messiah and His forerunner. We have then seen the birth and ministry of the Messiah's forerunner - John the Immerser (the Baptist), the proclamation of Jesus inaugurating His Messianic ministry, the authority and power of Jesus displayed through a variety of healings and of demons being cast out. Last week, we saw Jesus begin to ramp up His Messianic ministry by providing corrective instruction regarding the observance of the Sabbath. During this time, Jesus began to call individuals to follow Him. Some did and some did not. We read of some of those who did. Today, we see Jesus take the next step in His Messianic ministry - choosing His primary Ambassadors and giving them their primary Message. If you were to choose twelve men to represent you, or your business, or your ministry ... how would you go about choosing them? Would they send in resumÃ©s? Would you have multiple interviews? What criteria would you use to assess the most qualified candidates?* What we begin to learn ... or begin to learn in a more intensive way ... is that the Kingdom mindset is unlike the mindset of the world.

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As Chuck reminded us last week, Luke wrote this gospel account that we are studying in order "that you may know the certainty of those things in which you were instructed." We have seen, that it was Jesus' custom to go to the Synagogue on the Sabbath. It was on the Sabbath that Jesus gave His Messianic proclamation in the Synagogue in Nazareth. It was also on the Sabbath that we saw His ministry begin in the town of Capernaum. There, in the Synagogue, the people were amazed at His teaching and He cast the unclean Spirit out of a man. Afterwards, Jesus went to Simon's house and healed Simon's mother-in-law. Today, we are going to see Jesus - the Lord of the Sabbath - begin to deal with the misunderstandings that the people have regarding the Law of the Sabbath. These interactions are going to bring Him into direct confrontation with the Pharisees and teachers of the Law. Similarly, this topic can be quite controversial amongst believers, and theologians, in the church today. Is the discussion of the Sabbath only for Israel in an Old Covenant setting? Do the principles of the Sabbath "laws" apply to believers, and if so, how? * Also, questions are then raised regarding the application of the teachings of Jesus for New Testament. Many dispensationalists, of which I am one, would declare that Jesus' teaching was "Kingdom" teaching and is not applicable to the saints if they are not reiterated elsewhere in the New Testament. However, Jesus specfically declared as part of the process of His Great Commission - to Make Disciples - that it included teaching the new believer (disciple) to observe all of the things which He commanded. So, today's passage ... though, only 11 verses ... has so much for us to consider. Indeed, as Chuck mentioned last week, we will only scratch the surface!* First ... what is the Meaning of the "Second Sabbath." Again, there is great debate: is it the second Sabbath of Jesus in Capernaum (since Luke 4:31), or is this an allusion to it being the week of Passover and this is a reference to 1st Fruits, or one of the Holy Convocations? It is a detail that Luke chose to include by the inspiration of the Holy Spirit. Though it is not germaine to our discussion today, it would be a good study for you to perform!

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Though we have taken a few detours along the way, we have spent the bulk of the past 5 months examining Luke's gospel account, with our plan this morning being to finish up chapter 5. This means that at our current pace, we will be in Luke, not only for the remainder of 2024, but most likely a good portion of 2025 as well. And while for some, this might be considered a "slow" pace, for me it is a reminder of the depth and beauty of God's Word, and also the fact that the Bible is so full of truth that it merits and deserves our careful attention to its every detail. But then, as many of you have no doubt experienced over the years, we will have but "scratched the surface" even after we eventually come to the end of Luke 24. Now, as Pastor Bob has reminded us frequently over the past 5 months, Luke's desire was to present an orderly account of the ministry of Jesus the Christ, so that those that heard about it could be assured of its veracity, in order that they could have confidence to share its testimony with others.* Before we get into the final 13 verses of Luke 5, where Jesus reveals more about the nature of His new work, let's consider a few additional characteristics of Luke's gospel account. The intent being to further prepare us for all that we have to cover, and discover, in the months ahead.

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Last week, we saw Jesus' interaction with, and call of, Simon Peter. Even though Simon had seen Jesus perform many healings, it was the manifestation of a major catch of fish to get his attention. As a result, Simon confessed his sinfulness, willingly left his business, and followed Jesus. From this point, Jesus begins to travel throughout the regions of Galilee and Judea, and uses Simon's house as his "house of operations" while back in Capernaum - His adopted city. Today, we begin to follow Jesus on these journeys. Immediately, we are introduced to one of Luke's favorite words when it comes to describing Jesus' travels: egeneto - translated in the NKJV as "Now it happened ... " or "Now it came to pass ..." Egeneto is used 208 times in the New Testament; 129 of those times are by Luke! (Luke - 75; Acts - 54) The next closest of usages is Mark, John and Revelation with 18 each! Egeneto is the aorist indicative of ginomai, which means "cause to be" or "to become." When Jesus came to the earth, He had a plan and a purpose. There would be appointments that He would "happen" to keep and people that He would "happen" to meet. Over the next weeks and months, as we see many of these appointments, we need to recall that God is still is control of "Now it came to pass ..."!* Today, through Jesus' interaction with a Leper and a Paralytic, we will begin to see in detail Jesus compassion and power to heal. In His interaction with the paralytic, Jesus will deal with an individual who would be classified - according to current APA DSM criteria - with conversion disorder (or functional neurological symptom disorder).

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Jesus had just announced in Nazareth, his hometown, that He was the Messiah. But, the people there rejected Him. Hence, Jesus transitions His base of operations to another location - Capernaum. * As we saw in His time in Nazareth, it was His custom to go to the Synagogue on Sabbath, and to teach. That is where we find Him, as we consider the beginning of His ministry in Capernaum. In Luke's presentation of Jesus' Messianic ministry, he is going to reveal one of it's most important aspects immediately ... His authority. In this short passage that we are going to consider today, we see the reaction of those in Capernaum as they witness the authority of Jesus in a variety of manners.

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Jesus had just announced in Nazareth, his hometown, that He was the Messiah. But, the people there rejected Him. Hence, Jesus transitions His base of operations to another location - Capernaum. * As we saw in His time in Nazareth, it was His custom to go to the Synagogue on Sabbath, and to teach. That is where we find Him, as we consider the beginning of His ministry in Capernaum. In Luke's presentation of Jesus' Messianic ministry, he is going to reveal one of it's most important aspects immediately ... His authority. In this short passage that we are going to consider today, we see the reaction of those in Capernaum as they witness the authority of Jesus in a variety of manners.

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Our teaching time this morning was split into two parts, with our foundation being the symbolism behind one aspect of the Passover Seder meal that Jesus celebrated with His disciples on the eve of His crucifixion, namely the 3rd and 4th cups of wine. Jesus drank that 3rd cup with His disciples then, but refrained from drinking the 4th cup, promising to do it in the future with all who have followed Him through the ages as Savior and Redeemer. The drinking of that 4th cup to also be done during a very special meal, namely the Marriage Supper of the Lamb.* So, two cups and two suppers, both hosted by King Jesus, the lamb of God that has taken away the sins of the world.

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Up unto this point in our study of the Gospel according to Luke, we have been considering the Preparation of Christ's Ministry. We have considered birth and ministry of the Forerunner of the Messiah, and we have considered the birth, immersion, genealogy, and temptation of the Messiah.* Today, we come to the point where Jesus publicly declares His Messianic Role to those with whom He had grown up.

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In our study of the Gospel account of Luke, we have considered Luke's description of the miraculous nature of both John's and Jesus' conception and birth, and the significance of John's ministry to the authentication of the Messianic claim of Jesus.* Today, in our study of the Gospel account of Luke, we will be considering the final section of Luke's foundation of Jesus' Messianic ministry - His Baptism, Genealogy, and Temptation.

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We have been studying the Gospel of Jesus Christ according to Luke. In the first message, we discussed Luke's purpose in writing this Gospel account - "That you may know the certainty of those things in which you were instructed." We then considered "Where" Luke chose to begin this account ... at the angelic proclamation to Zacharias regarding the birth of John. Luke believed that it was critical for the believer to understand the miraculous nature of John's birth and ministry. Indeed, later when Jesus was questioned by the Scribes regarding His authority, He would point them back to the ministry and testimony of John.* Today, we consider the Preparatory Ministry of John as the Forerunner of the Messiah.

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Four weeks ago, in our last message from the book of Luke, we saw the prophetic announcements of Simeon and Anna regarding he redemptive work of Christ. These announcements occurred 40 days after the birth of Jesus while Joseph and Mary were going to the Temple to present an offering for her purification according Levitical Law. Today's passage carries us up to when Jesus was twelve years old. * As we consider the passage today, the major question that I am forced to ask myself is: "Where would I be found if others were looking for me?" Today, we consider the importance, and priority, of the Word of God in our lives.* This message was presented on March 31, 2024 by Bob Corbin.

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As we approach our spring week of Prayer and Fasting, I felt compelled of the Lord to spend two weeks focusing on the importance of prayer in the life of the saints. Though prayer is one of the most critical aspects of the life of the believer and the church, it seems to take the least priority in the lives of many believers and churches. Last week, we focused upon The Posture of Prayer. Though we are adopted by God and afforded the privilege of calling Him: "Abba," yet, He is still the Holy God who is the Creator, Sustainer, and Judge of the Universe - and of all mankind. Hence, though I may boldly enter into His presence because of the blood of Jesus, I must always remember: He is the Potter and I am the clay. There must be an attitude (or posture) of humbleness, and not arrogance or pride as I come before His throne. In the Scriptures, this attitude is conjoined with a physical posture of kneeling before Him. In fact, this posture is embedded into the Hebrew word (shakhah) and Greek word (proskuneo) for "worship." Today, we want to consider the powerful impact of prayer in the realm of the Spiritual War that we fight.* This message was presented on March 24, 2024 by Bob Corbin.

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Our spring week of Prayer and Fasting is Monday-Friday, March 25-29. Prayer is one of the most critical aspects of the life of the believer and, hence, the life of the church. Yet, it seems to take the least priority in the lives of many believers and churches. This week, I was burdened by the Lord to teach two messages regarding the important impact of prayer. Hence, Lord willing, over the next two weeks we will be considering The Posture of Prayer and The Warfare of Prayer. By definition, "Prayer" is "A reverent petition made to God, a god, or another object of worship. ... An act of communion with God, a god, or another object of worship." Communion is defined as: "The act or an instance of sharing, as of thoughts or feelings. Religious or spiritual fellowship." The Bible is filled with many "balances" for our Christian walk (e.g. predestination v. free will; the perseverance of the saints v. the preservation of the saints). My definition of prayer reflects another of those balances; prayer is: "Communication with God in worship." When you believe on Jesus as your Savior, you are adopted as a child of God. Your loving heavenly Father has a desire for you to communicate with Him; He calls upon us to cast all of cares upon Him, because He cares for us. However, we need to remember ... He is still God. As we consider the "Posture" of prayer today, we are focusing upon the latter part of that definition - the aspect of prayer being conducted in the demeanor of worship. Our "posture" refers both to our position and our disposition as we approach the throne of God above! This message was presented on March 17, 2024 by Bob Corbin.

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Dan Nave is the Executive Director of Southeast Church Extension whose mission is to help struggling churches get healthy and healthy churches reproduce. Dan provided an expositor message from a prayer of the Apostle Paul for the church of Ephesus. Paul shared an emphatic prayer on behalf of the church of Ephesus. He prayed that Christ would be able to be at home in their lives and that they would be able to comprehend the incomprehensible: the love of Christ! He closes his prayer with a doxology of praise to the God who is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all we could ask or think! This message was presented on March 10, 2024 by Dan Nave.

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Last week, we considered the third Angelic Announcement, recorded in the book of Luke, regarding the Messianic nature of He who was born: Jesus of Nazareth! God was doing a work, through ordinary people, that marveled all of those who witnessed the rippling effects of these proclamations. The message was magnified through those who were at birth and naming of John, and those who heard the testimony of the shepherds. Today, we transition to the next phase of God's proclamation of Jesus' Messianic claim - the prophetic announcements of Simeon and Anna. These occur during the process of Joseph and Mary fulfilling the Law regarding Jesus' birth. Leviticus 12:2-6 gives us the details of the Law regarding a woman giving birth to a son. The child was to be circumcised on the eighth day and then the woman was to present an offering for her purification on the 40th day. Hence, our passage today is 40 days after the birth of Jesus. This message was presented on March 3, 2024 by Bob Corbin.

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This is the seventh message in our series on the book of Luke. Up until this point, we have been considering what many would consider preliminary information, but that which Luke determined to be integral to the redemptive purpose of Christ. The ministry of John - preparing the way of YHWH - was one of the chief validations of the Messianic claim of Jesus of the Nazareth (cf. Matthew 21:23-27) Last week, we considered the numerous prophecies declaring how Christ would come - born of a virgin; born of the lineage of Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Judah, and David; born in Bethlehem; taken to Egypt; and raised in Nazareth. We considered how He would be preceded by a forerunner and that He would proclaim liberty to captives and heal the blind. We considered as well how it was prophesied that He would be crucified - that His hands and feet would be pierced, that His side would be pierced and that His bones would not be broken. We saw that it was prophesied that He would be betrayed by a friend and that it would be for 30 pieces of silver! Today, we consider the primary event of His birth ... the angelic announcement of His birth to a group of shepherds who were watching their sheep in the fields on the outskirts of Bethlehem. In this great moment, God reveals again His desire to use ordinary people to do extraordinary things on behalf of His kingdom.* This message was presented on February 25, 2024 by Bob Corbin.

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We have spent the first five weeks of our study of Luke's account of the life and ministry of Jesus the Christ, examining the preliminary events leading up to His life and ministry! We have seen how God sent Gabriel to both Zacharias and Mary declaring that God was going to bless them and use them in fulfilling His redemptive plan. Last week, we considered the birth and naming of John. In that message, we considered the importance of John's miraculous birth as a sign, and testimony, to validate Jesus' as the coming Messiah. However, apart from John's miraculous birth, there were many prophecies which would be fulfilled in the birth, life, death, and resurrection of Jesus which substantially validate His claim as the Messiah. Today, as we begin to consider chapter 2 of Luke's account, it begins with the phrase, "And it came to pass in those days ..." From the world's perspective things just seem to happen. However, from a theocentric understanding, we understand that God is, and has been, orchestrating His redemptive plan throughout course of human history. "History" truly can be seen as: "His Story." Hence, I would like to pause today to take a "small glimpse" into the many prophecies which Jesus fulfilled. As we will see shortly, the mathematical probability that any one individual fulfilling these prophecies is astronomical, and practically unfeasible.* This message was presented on February 18, 2024 by Bob Corbin.

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In Luke chapter 1 we have seen that Zacharias and Mary each were visited by the angel Gabriel with the message that God was going to bless them and use them in fulfilling His redemptive plan. Zacharias responded with doubt and wanted a sign to validate the message. Gabriel told him that he because he doubted, he would be mute until John was born. Mary, on the hand, received the message with fear and submitted willingly to God's desire in her life. * Two weeks ago we began to consider the events surrounding the birth of John by considering The Visit of Mary to her cousin Elizabeth. Another miracle occurred when the two women with miraculous pregnancies met! The approximately sixth month old "fetus" in Elizabeth's womb leapt for joy at presence of the less-than-a-month old fetus in Mary's womb! Elizabeth additionally recognized Mary as "The mother of my Lord!" As a result, Mary praised the mighty, holy and merciful God for scattering the proud, filling the hungry, and remembering His mercy (khesed) to the nation of Israel. Today, we conclude this section by seeing the fulfillment of Gabriel's promise to Zacharias at the birth and naming of John. This message was presented on February 11, 2024 by Bob Corbin.

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As you know, we began an in-depth study of "The Gospel According to Luke" on December 31, and spent 3 of the 4 Sundays in January in chapter 1, taking a 1 week break for the visit by one of the missionaries we support. And while we originally planned to finish up chapter 1 this week, some unforeseen circumstances have created a need for us to take a 1-week detour into the fourth gospel, "The Gospel According to John". Perhaps like no other time in history, this world increasingly encourages people to promote and serve themselves, especially here in the United States. But Jesus calls His followers to die to themselves by living lives of selfless servanthood. And when we do that effectively, we can have a major impact on the world because it builds unity in the body of Christ and helps draw non-believers to Jesus. So this morning, we will be considering some secrets of selfless servanthood by looking at an event in John 13 that launched the final 18 hours or so of Jesus's earthly ministry immediately prior to His crucifixion. This event, Jesus's foot washing of His disciples, was only recorded in John's account. And we should be grateful that the Holy Spirit led John to do so, because there is much we can learn from it, and also apply to our walks as followers of Christ today.* This message was presented on February 4, 2024 by Chuck Sabo.

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As we have begun our study of Luke's orderly account of the life and ministry of Christ, we have seen the contrasting reception of Zacharias and Mary to wonderful prophetic messages of Gabriel. Today, we see those prophetic messages begin to converge with the events surrounding the birth of John. This message was presented on January 28, 2024 by Bob Corbin.

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Three weeks ago we began studying "The Gospel According to Luke." Luke's desire was to present an orderly account of the ministry of Jesus the Christ in order that those who heard could be assured of the verity of the testimony they had heard. Two weeks ago, we saw that Luke began his orderly account with the Angelic Announcement to Zacharias regarding the birth of John. John needed a "sign" to truly believe the message that Gabriel was proclaiming to him. Therefore, Gabriel declared that John would be mute for the next nine months, until the birth of his son. Today, we transition to another Angelic Announcement by Gabriel, this time to Mary.* This message was presented on January 21, 2024 by Bob Corbin.

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Last week we began studying "The Gospel According to Luke." Luke's desire was to present an orderly account of the ministry of Jesus the Christ in order that those who heard could be assured of the verity of the testimony they had heard. Today, the goal is to examine the beginning of that orderly account. Luke, by the guidance of the Holy Spirit, determined that the Good News of Jesus Christ coming into the world actually begins with the Angelic Announcement to Zacharias regarding the birth of John. First, we consider the human vessels who God chose to use for this special privilege. Then, we consider Zacharias' interaction with Gabriel.* This message was presented on January 7, 2024 by Bob Corbin.

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Today, we begin a new series - a study of the Gospel According to Luke. It has been well stated each of the Gospels seem to present Christ from a different "angle." Traditionally, most commentators declare that Matthew presents Jesus as "The Promised Messiah," Mark presents Him as "The Suffering Servant," Luke presents Him as "The Son of Man," and John presents Him as "The Son of God." There were reasons why each of the writers wrote their gospel accounts. As we have considered each of these gospel accounts we have seen that indeed Matthew was a Jewish man writing to a Jewish audience about a Jewish Messiah. His focus was upon proving that Jesus was the long-awaited Messiah by declaring the authenticity of His Messianic claim - through His genealogy, His miracles and signs, His teaching, and His resurrection. Mark, I believe, was writing Peter's account of the life of Christ after he was brought to Rome at the request of Paul. John declares that he was writing in order that those reading would "believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that believing you may have life in His name." As we begin our study today, we want to look at who it is that wrote this gospel (since the author does not declare himself), to whom the author was writing, and the purpose for which he was writing. This message was presented on December 31, 2023 by Bob Corbin.

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We have been considering the prophetic declaration of YHWH through Isaiah, regarding the coming of a man child - who would be called: Wonderful Counselor; Mighty God; Everlasting Father; Prince of Peace. Each of these names are direct references back to YHWH Himself. As He revealed elsewhere, YHWH was declaring that He would manifest Himself on the earth by becoming incarnate - taking on human flesh - and being born. * This prophecy in Isaiah 9 is part of a larger section which begins in chapter 7. YHWH declares His faithfulness to the tribe of Judah ... He would not allow Syria and Israel to gain victory over Judah. To reveal His faithfulness to King Ahaz, He told Ahaz to ask for a sign ... to which Ahaz self-righteously declares, "I will not ask, nor test YHWH." * YHWH declares that He, Himself, would then give a sign To The House of David - not to Ahaz! â€œTherefore the Lord Himself will give you a sign: Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a Son, and shall call His name Emmanuel.â€ (Isaiah 7: 14) Immanuel means: "God with us." * What an incredible prophecy! â€œThe virginâ€ will conceive. Many have debated this term and some translations have interpreted the word as â€œyoung girl.â€ However, the Hebrew language has a specific word for a young girl from infancy to adolescence - na'arah. The word used by Isaiah in this prophecy, though, is almah - a veiled girl. The word is only used 7 times in the O.T. Including this passage. Consider its use in context: Song Of Solomon 6:8 â€œThere are sixty queens and eighty concubines, and virgins without number.â€ * As we heard in the reading from Matthew 1 ... this prophesy would be fulfilled at the birth of Jesus.* This message was presented on the evening of December 24, 2023 by Bob Corbin.

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Happy Christmas Eve! If you've been with us either in person or via Zoom (or keeping up by listening to the messages on the various platforms where they are posted online), you know that we've been taking a deep dive into Isaiah 9:6 this month, with a focus on the four titles for Yahweh given in that verse ... Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. And because Jesus is Yahweh (God in the flesh), these titles also find fulfilment in His two advents - the one we celebrate at Christmas (Feast of the Incarnation) and the one we are confidently waiting for. As a quick review, Steve started us out 3 weeks ago by sharing the many ways that Yahweh is our WONDERFUL COUNSELOR. Among many other things, this title speaks to God's omnipotence and that His counsel is good and perfect and therefore worthy of our continual pursuit. Then David focused our attention on the title MIGHTY GOD two weeks ago. He shared 3 key examples of God's might being displayed for His people, the greatest of which is our salvation ... that He gives us Eternal Life through Christ! Last week Bob took us through the third title, EVERLASTING FATHER, or more accurately father (or progenitor) of eternity. As a result, Yahweh alone is able to give us eternal life (consider the link between Isaiah 9:6a and John 3:16). And this morning, we will examine the many ways that Messiah Jesus is our PRINCE OF PEACE, both in this life and in the life to come. But before we explore that title for God/Jesus, let's consider some additional context regarding Isaiah 9:6-7 ...* This message was presented on December 24, 2023 by Chuck Sabo.

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Advent is a time for focused reflection upon the incarnation of Jesus the Christ (YHWH in the flesh) who came to the earth in order to be the payment of our sins. This incarnation of YHWH was not something that was kept secret. Rather, YHWH gave many indicators of this in His Word. Over the past two weeks, we have been considering the powerful prophetic declaration which YHWH spoke through Isaiah - declaring that one day a man-child would be born - who would be called: Wonderful Counselor ... Mighty God ... Eternal Father ... Prince of Peace. In Jewish thought, an individual's name - what they were called - was of vast importance and was a reflection of the individual's position, personality, or potentiality. Consider YHWH's name ... "The One who Exists." The Creator God "named" Himself and He named Himself, "I am who I am." * In the same manner, each of these four names point toward this man-child being none other than YHWH Himself - incarnate. Last week, David considered that this child would be called "Mighty God" ... today, it becomes even more evident as we consider the implications and inferences of "Eternal Father."* This message was presented on December 17, 2023 by Bob Corbin.

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The season of Advent is a time to reflect upon the incarnation of Jesus the Christ (YHWH in the flesh) who came in order to be the payment of our sins. He did this in order that we might be reconciled to God and have peace with God. This was important in order that we might be able to live with God for all of eternity - eternal life does not begin after you die, but when you are reconciled to God! Today is the second message in our Advent series on the names of Jesus Christ recorded in Isaiah's prophecy in Isaiah 9:6-7. Isaiah gives four names for the child that will be born. Each name is a doublet - two consecutive Hebrew words. From the use of those words in Hebrew in the Old Testament, it is compelling and overwhelming that these four names are titles for YHWH, the LORD Himself. Thus, YHWH Himself is promising in Isaiah 9:6 that YHWH will come as a child and become One called by these names. Last week's message was on â€œWonderful Counselorâ€. Today we consider the second doublet -- â€œMighty Godâ€.* This message was presented on December 10, 2023 by David Hayes.

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We begin a brief Advent series on the names of God recorded in Isaiah's prophesy * YHWH is the one described in this Messianic passage The names are Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace Today we will examine Wonderful Counselor.* This message was presented on December 3, 2023 by Steve Moore.

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This is the final segment of our study of James' letter ... * Over the past two weeks we have considered how the Wisdom of God (Heavenly Wisdom) applies to our lives - examining what James declares regarding the Will of the Lord and the Treatment of Others. Today, we look at what James declares regarding The Prayer of Faith. This section brings us full-circle to where James began his letter exhorting the brethren to call upon the Father of Lights - the giver of every morally good gift and every perfect bestowment - for wisdom in the midst of troublesome situations. James concludes his letter with the same exhortation.* This message was presented on November 26, 2023 by Bob Corbin.

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Having considered the Contrast and Conflict between Worldly Wisdom and Heavenly Wisdom. We began last week considering the application based upon Wisdom of God (Heavenly Wisdom). In that message, we considered The Finiteness of Man and the Sovereignty of God. As created beings, we are both Limited in Our Knowledge and Limited in Our Days upon the earth. We saw that the Word of God declares that when we learn to number our days, we will gain a heart of wisdom. Today, we will be looking at the second of these applications - the Treatment of Others. As Jesus declared, the greatest commandment given is to love YHWH with all of our heart, soul, and mind. Doing so, the second is like unto it: loving others as ourselves. As is James pattern, he will begin with a negative declaration and then give instruction as to how we ought to live. This message was presented on November 19, 2023 by Bob Corbin.

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Over the past two weeks, we considered James' proclamation of the Contrast of, and Conflict between, the Wisdom of God (Heavenly Wisdom) and the Wisdom of the World (Earthly Wisdom). We are entering the final section of James' letter which contains applications to our lives based upon choosing the Wisdom of God over the wisdom of the world. Last week, as we considered the Prescription for Heavenly Wisdom it began with the command to Submit to God - voluntarily placing yourself under the authority of God. Additionally, we were told to humble ourselves in the sight of YHWH and He would lift us up. Today, we begin looking at three of the applications of Heavenly Wisdom by considering our humble submission to the will of YHWH. This message was presented on November 12, 2023 by Bob Corbin.

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Last week, we transitioned in James' letter to discussion of the Perfect Way of Wisdom. * James initially reveals the Contrast between Worldly Wisdom and Heavenly Wisdom. He declares that World Wisdom is of a earthly, sensual, and demonic nature, and is evidenced by envy, self-seeking, and confusion. Heavenly Wisdom, on the other hand, was Wisdom that comes from God and is evidenced in purity, peace, gentleness, submission, mercy, and good fruits. * Clearly, these two forms of wisdom ARE NOT compatible. James next addresses the Conflict that exists with believers following worldly wisdom. He first presents arguments AGAINST the wisdom of the world and then instructions FOR Walking in the Wisdom of God.* This message was presented on November 5, 2023 by Bob Corbin.

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Four weeks ago we began to consider the Perfect Law of Liberty - summed up in our call to love our neighbors as ourselves - and then, subsequently, the application of that Law of Liberty in our lives. As we transition into the next section of James' letter, we will see him transition from the Application of the Perfect Law of Liberty to the Perfect Way of Wisdom. Yet, as we transition, we will note that James' assertion that TRUE FAITH is evidenced by TRUE WORKS is also true regarding when it comes to a consideration of WHICH WAY of Wisdom you are following. Last week, as part of our study of the Importance of Words, saw that those who set themselves up as teacher would receive the stricter judgment (assessment). As we considered the wording of that warning, we turned to Romans 8:1 where we are told, "There is therefore now no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus ..." But, the verse continues as does the flow of thought. Consider Paul's statement in Romans 8:1-9 Those who "are in Christ Jesus" will not -as a practice- walk according to the flesh, but according to the Spirit. This statement is evidenced as well in James' declaration regarding The Contrast of the Wisdoms from which we choose. This message was presented on October 29, 2023 by Bob Corbin.

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Three weeks ago we began to consider that ultimate expression of truly comprehending that God is the giver of every good gift and every perfect bestowment will be: that we will want to BE doers of His Word and not hearers-only; we will want to Receive, Apply, Study and Continue in - the Perfect Law of Liberty. That Perfect Law of Liberty is our call to love our neighbors as ourselves. * Two weeks ago we began to consider how James applied this truth within the realm of our practical theology ... how we live out what we believe. First we considered James exhortation regarding Loving without Partiality. Last week, we considered how True Faith will be revealed in True Works - such that faith without works is dead. Today, we want to consider James' teaching regarding the importance of words revealed in three different aspects.* This message was presented on October 22, 2023 by Bob Corbin.

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This is now the sixth week that we have been studying the letter of James to the twelve tribes which were scattered as a result of the persecution of the church. James opened his letter to them by exhorting them to consider their troublesome situations as joyous events which have been allowed in their lives to strengthen their endurance and prove the genuineness of their faith. He instructed them that our troublesome times are not caused by God - who is the giver of every good gift and perfect bestowment - but ultimately arise as a result of our misguided burning passions. James challenged them to be doers of the word - the Perfect Law of Liberty - and not to deceive themselves by being hearers only. James then begins to apply this exhortation to our practical theology ... how we live out what we believe. Today, we will consider the second of these applications: Faith vs. Works. This portion almost prevented the letter of James from being included in what was accepted as the inspired Word of God. This message was presented on October 15, 2023 by Bob Corbin.

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Last week, toward the end of the message ... we began to consider ultimate expression of truly comprehending that God - the Father of Lights - is the giver of every good gift and every perfect bestowment. If we truly believe this, we will want to be DOERS OF THE WORD and not hearers-only. We will want to Receive, Apply, Study and Continue in - the Perfect Law of Liberty. That Perfect Law of Liberty is our call to love our neighbors as ourselves. It is the Freedom that we have to serve others without the fear of making ourselves unclean in the process. * As troublesome situations come into our lives, causing us to either to grow in our faith or exposing our need to repent of sin, we are provided opportunities to deny ourselves, take up our cross daily and follow Christ! (Luke 9:23ff) James now begins to build upon this theme by applying this Pearl of Wisdom to three different areas. We will consider the first of those today - Loving without Partiality. This message was presented on October 8, 2023 by Bob Corbin.

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Over the first three weeks of our study of this book of James, we have seen that God is the giver of every good gift and perfect bestowment. As such, He does not trouble (try/tempt) any person but rather only allows the troublesome situations that He knows that you can handle and will help conform you into the image of Christ by perfecting your endurance against the troublesome situations that the world will present you. We saw last week, that our intense desires are generally what draw us away from God. These desires and passions lead to sin, and then sin leads to death. When we humbly recognize that we cannot handle the troublesome situation, we are exhorted to ask God (the giver of good gifts) for wisdom who will give all liberally. What then is the natural result of this information. What should I do as a result? I should turn to Him for wisdom and ... DO what God is calling me to do, and BE what God is calling on me to be! * James immediately applies this to our relationship with the Perfect Law of God. This message was presented on October 1, 2023 by Bob Corbin.

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Last week, in our study of the book of James, we considered what it meant to "Count it all joy WHEN you fall into various trials." We saw that the word for "joy" actually DOES mean to be gleeful and happy. We saw that the term for "testing" means to be tested and proven as genuine, real, or legitimate. We also discussed that the Greek word for "patience" used here is the word "hupomonae" which literally means "to remain under." Hence, the assaying of our faith, through trials which determine it's genuineness, actually help to cause our faith to be matured and complete in order that it is not lacking in any manner. If, as we are engaging the trial, we recognize that we lack the wisdom to deal with it, we are instructed to ask God for wisdom in how to handle it because He has promised to liberally give wisdom to all who seek it! Last week, we purposefully skipped over a critical word in our study in order to deal with it more fully in this message. It is the word translated as "trial" in verse 2. The Greek Word is peirasmos. It is literally, "a troublesome situation." These situations, as we see in this passage, can either strengthen your faith or reveal your need for confession, cleansing and sanctification. Most translators choose to translate the word two different ways in this passage - trials and temptations; but, it is the SAME word! God has much to say, through James, in a short space, regarding His and our relationship to the peirasmoi with which we meet. This message was presented on September 24, 2023 by Bob Corbin.

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Last week we began a study of the book of James by considering James' declaration that God (the Father of lights) is the giver of good, moral gifts and every perfect bestowment. This statement was made at the end of James' opening words, and immediately after the exhortation for the Jews of the Dispersion not to be led astray. * What was it then that James had declared? What was subject which we should be careful of not being led astray about ... and should be regarding as a good, moral gift and perfect bestowment? We find the answer to that question immediately after his introduction. "Count it all joy WHEN you fall into various trials." The early believers were facing extreme trials of their faith, how should they respond? Why were seemingly bad things happening to good people? We will be considering this portion over the space of two weeks. For today, we want to consider our response and reaction to trials - WHEN YOU FALL INTO TRIALS. * This message was presented on September 17, 2023 by Bob Corbin.

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Today, we begin a study of the book of James. This is thought to be the earliest written New Testament book (44-49 AD) ... written only 15-20 years after the death of Jesus. The next is considered to be Paul's letter to the Galatians in 49 AD; then Matthew and Mark in the 50-60 AD range. Today, we want to consider the author of the letter, his intended audience, and the general theme of the book.* This message was presented on September 10, 2023 by Bob Corbin.

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This message is a continuation of last week's message on Sanctification.
Sanctification is being "set-apart." In the Hebrew it is derived from the word 'qodesh' and in the Greek 'hagios.' The words are primarily translated as "holy" in the Bible. In fact the "Holy Bible" literally is the "hagios biblios" - "the set apart book." Because it is God's Word, it is set apart from all other books. Those who are set-apart unto God are "holy." The Greek word which in most New Testament translation is translated as saints is "hagioi" - holy ones.
God calls those who receive Christ as their Savior to be holy as He is holy - to be set apart as He is set apart.
In the Bible, we see three "phases" in the sanctification of believers - Positional Sanctification, Practical Sanctification, and Perfected Sanctification. Each of these phases are built upon the understanding of the Holiness of God.
This message was presented on August 27, 2023 by Bob Corbin.

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Sanctification is integrally and intricately entwined with our salvation ... Hence, it is paramount that we first understand what the Bible declares about "Salvation." The Condition of Man: Due to the fall of Adam (Genesis 3) ... All have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God (Romans 3:23) ... such that there is none who are seeking after God on their own (Romans 3:10) but that all are seeking their own desires. The Love of God: But God loves His creation mankind (John 3:16) - whom He made in His image and likeness (Genesis 1:26-27) - and He desires for all of them to be delivered from the penalty of their sins and to come to the knowledge of that truth (1 Timothy 2:3-6). That is why He sent His Son to pay for the penalty of the sins of ALL mankind (1 John 2:1-2; 1 John 4:10,14; John 3:16). The Plan of God: Jesus (God the Son) came to earth, grew and was tempted in every way such as we are - yet without sin (Hebrews 4:14-16). As the perfect man, He willingly offered Himself as a sacrifice on our behalf to not only pay the penalty of our sin (Hebrews 9:11-12; Acts 20:28; Titus 2:14), but to also destroy that very sin, on the altar of the cross (2 Corinthians 5:21; 1 Peter 2:22-24; 1 John 3:5). But man, in his self-centered sin, is still unable on his own to grasp that great love and the sacrifice that was freely made on their behalf. So, the second part of God's plan was to draw men to Himself. In fact, God's word declares that no one can come to Him unless the Father draws Him (John 6:44). But, God desires all men to be saved, so Jesus also declared, "And if I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all peoples to Myself." (John 12:32) That drawing is accomplished through the work of the Holy Spirit - by convicting the world of sin, righteousness, and judgment. (John 16:7-15) The Decision of Man: Man then has a decision to make when, or as, the Holy Spirit convicts them of their sin, God's righteousness, and the pending judgment. Will they humble themselves and trust in God? Paul was asked plainly, "What must I do to be saved?" and he answered plainly, "Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and you shall be saved." (Acts 16:30-31) We are told in Romans 10:9-10 "that if you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved. For with the heart one believes unto righteousness, and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation." The Sealing of God: When a man chooses, by faith, to trust in the work of God (John 6:28-29) he is sealed and set-apart by God (Ephesians 1:11-14; 1 Corinthians 1:2) unto His predestined purpose for those who would believe - to be conformed into the likeness of His Son (Romans 8:28-30), beginning the process of restoration - restoring us back to the image and likeness in which He originally created us. The Inheritance of God: When an individual is sealed by God, he is sealed with the Holy Spirit, who is the guarantee of our inheritance (Ephesians 1:13-14). Jesus declared that once an individual was in His, or His Father's hand, there was nothing that could take them out of it (John 10:27-30). Those who truly believe and trust in God for the salvation and are not trusting in their own righteousness, will become fruitful (Matthew 13:23; John 15:1-5) and hold the confession of their faith until the end (Hebrews 3:14). After the individual departs from this life, they are then given an inheritance in heaven which has been reserved for them from the time that they believed in God's plan and trusted in Him for their deliverance (1 Peter 1:3-5). That inheritance includes the completion of our transformation into the image and likeness of Christ (1 John 3:2-3) - this corruptible shall put on incorruption, this mortal shall put on immortality (1 Corinthians 15:50-57)!
God's plan of salvation is a means by which "fallen man" can be reconciled and restored into the fellowship that he had with God in the garden before Adam rebelled and sin entered the world. Both Isaiah and John had a glimpse into the throne-room of God. Both saw the same thing - mighty angels declaring that YHWH is "Holy, Holy, Holy!" "Holiness" is commonly interpreted as "moral purity." However, the Hebrew and Greek terms for "holiness," and being "holy," mean more than that - it refers to that which is set-apart, or separated, for a special, uncommon, or morally pure function. Truly, our understanding of "holiness" is based upon our view of God who is THE MOST HOLY.
In the Bible, we see three "phases" in the sanctification of believers. Each of these phases though, are built upon the understanding of the Holiness of God.
This message was presented on August 20, 2023 by Bob Corbin.

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This is the final message in this series on the book of Acts. As we have considered "The Acts of the Apostles," we have seen that it is more aptly titled "The Acts of the Holy Spirit." From the beginning, we have seen how the Holy Spirit empowered and filled the servants of God to distribute the message of redemption through the death, burial and resurrection of Christ.
It is appropriate then, that the book should close with a testimony of Paul's evangelistic ministry in Rome.
Over the past couple of weeks, we have seen how God sovereignly oversaw Paul's travel to the city of Rome.
Today, that journey is finalized. This is Luke's final statement regarding the pattern of Paul's ministry and the faithfulness of God to truly send the gospel message to the "ends of the earth."
This message was presented on August 13, 2023 by Bob Corbin.

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This the 41st message in this series on the book of Acts. It is, as well, the penultimate of the series.
Over the past couple of weeks, we have seen the sovereignty of God guiding Paul to the city of Rome in order that he might have an audience with Caesar.
This has been accomplished, first of all, through Paul being imprisoned by Rome on account of false charges brought against him by the Jews, and the unwillingness of several Roman officials to perform the justice on his behalf that they clearly saw.
Within the judicial process at Caesarea, YHWH afforded Paul several opportunities to share Jesus with "important" Roman officials, and King Agrippa.
Last week we saw how God revealed His sovereignty as well on the journey to Rome by re-directing the ship twice in order to bring them to an unplanned stop on the journey - the island of Malta!
Today, we will examine some of the details of this stop at Malta - specifically, how YHWH delivered Paul twice during this episode and the impacts of these deliverances.
This message was presented on August 6, 2023 by Bob Corbin.

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Over the past couple of weeks, we have been considering the transition of Paul's ministry from proclaiming the gospel in a traveling ministry to the ultimate fulfillment of God's prophetic proclamation to him that Paul would bear His name before kings (cf. Acts 9:15-16) We have seen how God used Paul's wrongful imprisonment to begin the process of moving him along to Rome, just as Jesus had promised him (cf. Acts 23:11).
In the spring of 2020, we studied Paul's second letter to the church of Corinth. The title of the series was "Embracing Affliction" because that is the theme of Paul's letter. In 2 Corinthians 11, Paul provides a list of the afflictions and trials which he had endured up to the point of writing that letter. In the list, he states that he had been shipwrecked three times, and that he had spent a day and a night in the deep! What is truly amazing about that statement is that he wrote that letter to them prior to this voyage we will be considering today!
As we began that series, we considered from 2 Corinthians 1 the purpose of afflictions - the reason that we should "embrace" them. It is through these situations that "press us" we experience the encouragement of the Father of all encouragements ... in order that WE might be able to put courage into (encouragement) others who are going through pressing situations, and that we might reveal the presence and power of God to those who do not know Him!
Today, we will see how God - in His Sovereignty - orchestrated events in order to provide Paul an ideal opportunity to share His power and presence with a large group of prisoners, soldiers and sailors!
This message was presented on July 30, 2023 by Bob Corbin.

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Over the past couple of weeks, we have been considering the transition of Paul's ministry from proclaiming the gospel in a traveling ministry to the ultimate fulfillment of God's prophetic proclamation to him that Paul would bear His name before kings (cf. Acts 9:15-16) We have seen how God used Paul's wrongful imprisonment to begin the process of moving him along to Rome.
Last week, Paul appealed his case to Caesar.
Today, we see that while waiting at Caesarea to be transported to Rome, Paul has the opportunity to begin the final fulfillment of this prophecy - as he is afforded the opportunity to present the Gospel to King Agrippa.
Sadly, we also see today the two primary responses to the presentation of the Good News of Christ's death, burial and resurrection.
This message was presented on July 23, 2023 by Bob Corbin.

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Over the past couple of weeks, we have been considering the transition of Paul's ministry from proclaiming the gospel in a traveling ministry to the ultimate fulfillment of God's prophetic proclamation to him that Paul would bear His name before kings (cf. Acts 9:15-16) We have seen how God used Paul's innocent attendance at the Temple to fulfill a vow to begin the process of moving him along to Rome.
Last week, we began the final six week segment of our study of the book of Acts by beginning to look specifically at the Sovereignty of God being reveal in the transition of Paul to Rome. Specifically, we saw how God unveiled a plot by the Jews to kill Paul and moved the Roman commander to protect Paul with a force of 470 Roman soldiers in order to convey him to Caesarea.
Today, we continue this account with Paul being able to present his case before the secular authority.
This message was presented on July 16, 2023 by Bob Corbin.

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History can be aptly broken into "His Story." It is the account of what God has done in the world and amongst the nations. As we have been studying the book which is titled "The Acts of the Apostles" we can as well state that it could be more aptly called, "The Acts of God." Throughout the account written by Luke regarding the beginning of the church, we have seen the power and personal engagement of God - Father, Son, and Holy Spirit - displayed in wonderful ways both in the lives of individuals, and multitudes, as He has overseen and interceded in affairs at the personal, local, and national levels.
We have seen how Jesus specifically called Saul of Tarsus to stop persecuting His church and to begin promoting His church, and then how He orchestrated Ananias to come and heal Saul - preparing each of them for the moment. Jesus told Ananias, "Go, for he [Saul] is a chosen vessel of Mine to bear My name before Gentiles, kings, and the children of Israel. For I will show him how many things he must suffer for My name's sake." (Acts 9:15-16)
Over the past two weeks, we have considered the preliminary phase of the final stage of the fulfillment of this proclamation by Jesus. Through Paul's compelling desire to be at Jerusalem for this feast, God was allowing tribulation to come into the life of Paul for a greater purpose. It was through this disturbance - this troublesome situation - that God was going to fulfill His plan through the life of Paul.
However, even this final phase wouldn't be without it's obstacles and trials. We are in the midst of a Spiritual War. Those who are serving the King will experience the attack of the enemy. Satan desires to foil the plan of God; he doesn't want the Gospel message to be proclaimed and will do whatever he can to dissuade and deter the servants of the King from making it known.
Lord willing, we will spend the final six weeks of this series considering the "Fulfilling of God's Plan" for, and through, the life of Paul.
This message was presented on July 9, 2023 by Bob Corbin.

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Paul had been pressing back to Jerusalem. As he had told the elders of Ephesus along the way, "And see, now I go bound in the spirit to Jerusalem, not knowing the things that will happen to me there, except that the Holy Spirit testifies in every city, saying that chains and tribulations await me." (Acts 20:22-23)
Last week, we saw the beginning stages of this prophetic declaration.
Paul was fulfilling a vow to YHWH and submitting to the leadership of the elders of the church at Jerusalem, when he was falsely accused of bringing a Gentile into the temple. He was beaten and would have been killed if the Roman soldiers hadn't come to rescue him.
On the way to the barracks, the commander of the soldiers was told many different stories regarding who Paul was. He was shocked when Paul spoke to him in Greek to request the privilege to speak to the people. When Paul spoke to the people, he spoke to them in Hebrew. The people listened until he explained how Jesus the Messiah had sent him to the Gentiles. At the mention of this, the crowd again went crazy.
Today, we continue examining the account of the tumult and disturbance caused by the man of God simply declaring the word of God. As we study the passage, we need to remember that Paul was an ordinary man being used by God in an extra-ordinary way. However, Paul was an ordinary man who was sold-out for the service of the King.
This message was presented on July 2, 2023 by Bob Corbin.

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We have titled this exegetical study of the Book of Acts - "Unveiling the Mystery." That "Mystery" is the church. In our study of Paul's letter to the Ephesians, we saw the proclamation of how God had extended His grace in Christ Jesus to both the Jews and the Gentiles. In Christ, both Jews and Gentiles come to the Father, through the Spirit, as "one new man." Through the sacrificial death of Christ, and His ensuing victory over death, the middle wall of partition - the works of the law - had been removed. This new work was the result of the new covenant - and would be referred to as "the church."
God began "the church" through the original apostles of Christ. We saw how they gathered in prayer waiting for the power of the Holy Spirit to come upon them as Jesus had declared. Then 3,000 Jews were saved and added to their number on the day of Pentecost.
When persecution arose, the church scattered from Jerusalem and began to take the good news of redemption in Christ to other regions. God used Philip to take the Gospel to the Samaritans and He used Peter to open up the gospel to the Gentiles proper - at the house of Cornelius.
Saul of Tarsus had risen up to destroy that work and went as far as Damascus to arrest followers of "The Way." But, God had other plans for Saul and took him from being a persecutor of the church to being a promoter of the church! It would be Paul (as his name would become) who God would use to greatly expand the church into the regions of the Gentiles.
Today, we witness the full-circle of Paul's ministry in this mystery of the church. From favorite "son" to hated "enemy" ... all for the name of Jesus!
This message was presented on June 25, 2023 by Bob Corbin.

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Paul has been hurrying to get to Jerusalem in time for Pentecost. We are not told why.
Over the past two weeks, we have consider part of Paul's ministry along the journey - with the church in Troas and then his exhortations to the elders of Ephesus.
In today's passage, we get to ponder the situation when two individuals, or groups, believe that they have a “word from the Lord” ... or that the Spirit is “leading them” ... and those beliefs are leading in different directions! What happens when a group within the church feels “led” in a way that different than those who are in authority?
Today, we must ask ourselves - "How do we respond when what we believe is the best solution - which 'clearly is the will of God' - is not that which is followed?"
This message was presented on June 18, 2023 by Bob Corbin.

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Two weeks ago, we considered the extent and effect of God's work in Ephesus through Paul. Paul spent more than two years in Ephesus at that time. Last week, we tracked Paul's travels from Ephesus to Macedonia to Greece and then back to Troas, where he spoke to a gathering of the church.
In Acts 20, Paul is at the end of his third missionary journey, and he is hurrying to get to Jerusalem by Pentecost. He sailed from Philippi after the days of Unleavened Bread, took five days to get to Troas, spent seven days in Troas, and thus had at most 31 days left to get to Jerusalem (perhaps less). He chose to avoid going to Ephesus and sailed past it down to Miletus. But Paul sent for the elders in the church at Ephesus in order to speak to them one last time.
Today we look at the rest of what happened in Acts 20, where Paul speaks to the elders from Ephesus. His message to them includes both a testimony of his time in Ephesus - how he lived and ministered to the Ephesians - and a charge to the Ephesian elders.
This message was presented on June 11, 2023 by David Hayes.

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All Scripture is inspired by God (2 Timothy 3:16). Holy men of God spoke as they were moved by the Holy Spirit (2 Peter 1:21).
Why does Luke spend much time on certain portions of Paul's trips and moves quickly through other areas? The final answer ... God wanted us to know those parts and determined that the other parts were not needed for our edification!
Last week, we considered the extent and effect of God's work in Ephesus through Paul. Paul spent at least two years in Ephesus at that time.
Today, we come to another transitional time in Paul's missionary journey ... and yet God chooses to give us a couple of vignettes along Paul's journey back to Jerusalem. We will consider those vignettes and their significance over the next couple of weeks.
Specifically, today we will consider his stop at Troas and the gathering of the church during that occasion.
This message was presented on June 4, 2023 by Bob Corbin.

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Last week, we transitioned from Paul's 2nd missionary journey to his third journey. On that trip, he promised those in Ephesus that he would return. On his first stop in Ephesus, Paul was received well and people begged him to stay. However, wherever the gospel is proclaimed continuously, there will eventually be opposition. That is what discuss today ... the opposition to the Gospel in Ephesus. The City of Ephesus was the largest city and, commercially, the most prosperous city in the province of Asia. It was easily accessed from sea by Athens, Corinth and Rome, and was the gateway to inland trade routes, making travel easy to any point. Due to silting, the main harbor is now about 10 kms to the west! Pilgrims came from around the world to Ephesus – home of the temple of Artemis (Diana - Roman), one of the seven wonders of the world.* This message was presented on May 28, 2023 by Bob Corbin.

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In 2 Timothy 2:1-2 Paul revealed the process of functional discipleship to Timothy: 1 "You therefore, my son, be strong in the grace that is in Christ Jesus. 2 And the things that you have heard from me among many witnesses, commit these to faithful men who will be able to teach others also." In today's passage, we see that philosophy, or process, of discipleship being demonstrated by, and through, Paul himself. This portion is a transitional passage taking us from Paul's second "missionary journey" into his next cycle of visits to the churches. Through this passage, we see various individuals - who being part of the discipleship process - grasp the concept of ministry not as a profession but as a lifestyle. This message was presented on May 21, 2023 by Bob Corbin.

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Last week we considered Paul's engagements in the metropolis of Athens - the center of the Grecian philosophical world. While there, Paul could not help but continue to tell people about Jesus. This led to his confrontation with the Stoics and Epicureans at the Areopagus. As a result, we are told, some believed. Paul continued his travel southward to the city of Corinth - one of the major cities of Greece. * Some of the passages that we have considered during this series have spanned days or weeks. Today we will be considering the highlights which Luke records of the 18 month stay of Paul in this important city which sat at the crossroads of culture. This message was presented on May 14, 2023 by Bob Corbin.

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As we have studied the book of Acts, we have seen how God Sovereignly oversaw the expansion of the church from Jerusalem into Asia Minor (which we refer to today as Eurasia) and then specifically toward the European continent by guiding Paul into Macedonia and then down into the Ionian peninsula - to Thessalonica and Berea - toward the epicenter of the world culture of the day - Athens. In each place that they have gone, they have met both reception of the message and rejection of the message - some believed, some did not. Today, as we consider Paul's engagements in the metropolis of Athens we will see how he varied his evangelistic approach - in the presentation of God's redemptive plan - to each of his specific audiences.* This message was presented on May 7, 2023 by Bob Corbin.

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In Acts 9, we saw the call and conversion of Saul of Tarsus. In that account, Jesus speaks to the prophet Ananias telling him to go and heal Saul. Ananias balks and Jesus states, "Go, for he is a chosen vessel of Mine to bear My name before Gentiles, kings, and the children of Israel. For I will show him how many things he must suffer for My name's sake." As Paul began his ministry with Barnabas and they traveled proclaiming the gospel to the Jews and then to the Gentiles, Paul began to experience what Christ had proclaimed regarding him. Now, as he is traveling with Silas, Timothy and Luke, his suffering for the name of Jesus has continued. The primary cause of that suffering is people's response to the gospel message. The good news of God's free gift of salvation from eternal condemnation is not always met with gladness! Rather, as Paul and his companions find out, it is many times with resistance, rejection, and persecution. Today, we continue to see that pattern in the cities of Thessalonica and Berea. As we consider how "others" receive or reject the message of the gospel, I must ask myself: how do I respond to God's message in His word? Do I receive or reject His Word of truth in my life?* This message was presented on April 30, 2023 by Bob Corbin.

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Brendon was born into a first-generation Christian home in Hilo, Hawaii. His mother was a Buddhist, and his father came from a deistic family before they both accepted Christ as their Savior in their adult years. He accepted the Lord at the age of 11. After going to Bible college, Brendon helped to start a church in North Africa among the Muslims. After getting married, he and his wife went back to North Africa. While they were starting a church, the government kicked them out of the country. * While back on furlough, the Lord began to burden Brendon's heart that less than 1% of American Christians are reaching about 96% of the world! There are enough Christians in the United States alone to evangelize the world in our generation... Where then are the men and women who will take the good news of Jesus Christ to ends of the earth where untold millions have never heard the Gospel once?! This message was presented on April 23, 2023 by Brendon Wung.

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Throughout the book of Acts - we have seen how God has Unveiled His Mystery of the Church. God has sovereignly overseen the expansion of the Church through various means of guidance. Two weeks ago, we saw how a sharp disagreement between Paul and Barnabas led to the multiplication of this expansion. Today, we will again see God's direct intervention in the continuance and expansion of His kingdom - via the ministry of Paul. Many of us are looking for “God's Will” ... His guidance and leading ... today we want to examine the manner in which God guides us and the purpose of that guidance. This message was presented on April 16, 2023 by Bob Corbin.

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Today we celebrate Resurrection Day - an event which occured almost two thousand years ago but which is just as important today as it was then. Yet, it has become - for many - a yearly religious commemoration to be recognized and used as a time of family gatherings.* But the significance of this day should have a lasting affect upon our lives. Christ died for our sins. That is critical and important ... however, without the resurrection it is still a temporal victory. THE RESURRECTION REVEALS THAT WE HAVE AN ETERNAL VICTORY! And through that Victory there is power that can be, and should be, unleashed in our daily lives! * This message was presented on April 9, 2023 by Bob Corbin.

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Last week we saw how the church had worked through their first major doctrinal conflict. The church of Antioch had sent Barnabas and Paul to Jerusalem, along with others, to obtain the input of the Apostles and Elders there regarding what requirements should be placed upon Gentiles who were coming to the faith. The decision of the Jerusalem Council was that the Gentiles were not obligated to fulfill the Law as a means of salvation or an additive to salvation; that specifically included circumcision. The Council declared additionally that it would be good for the Gentiles to "Abstain from things offered to idols, from blood and from things strangled .... and from sexual immorality." This decision required submission by those of conflicting opinions. As Paul began to take greater "ownership" of the ministry Barnabas and Paul returned to Antioch, along with Judas and Silas, and communicated the message to the church and it was received with joy. After some days Paul decided that he and Barnabas ought to return to encourage the churches which they planted on their first trip. This good desire led to additional conflict between Paul and his mentor, Barnabas. In our passage today we see two separate accounts of discipleship situations which involved potential conflict and how they were handled.* This message was presented on April 2, 2023 by Bob Corbin.

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Barnabas and Paul had traveled from Syrian Antioch to Cyprus, Pisidian Antioch, Iconium, Derbe, Lystra, Perga and Attalia. On their travels they witnessed God pour out His power through their lives and pour out His grace on the Gentiles through the Gospel. They had also had a foretaste of the hardships that would come along with the spread of the Gospel. They traveled back to their sending church - Syrian Antioch - to give a report of all that God had done. They stayed in Antioch, providing additional instruction to the church. But then the dissension which they saw in Pisidia and Pamphylia found them in Antioch. But, this conflict would prove to be used by God to solidify His plan of redemption being extended freely to all nations! * This message was presented on March 26, 2023 by Bob Corbin.

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The Holy Spirit called Barnabas and Paul to begin their first Evangelistic Journey while they teaching the believers of Syrian Antioch. The Spirit led them to Cyprus where they would meet the Roman Proconsul, Sergius Paulus. After Sergius Paulus believes on Christ, Barnabas and Paul head to Pisidian Antioch in the midst of the Roman Province of Asia - which we refer to as Asia Minor. * Last week, we saw how Paul proclaimed the Gospel message in the Synagogue at Pisidian Antioch and how it was received well by both Jews and Gentiles, until the Jews saw the response of the Gentiles! In prideful jealousy, the Jews began to fight against Barnabas and Saul, and the proclamation of the Gospel. Finally, the messengers were expelled from the region. Today, we join Barnabas and Paul as they travel to Iconium, Derbe and Lystra in the region of Lycaonia ... and hear their exhortations to the churches which they have visited to continue in the faith and endure hardship.* This message was presented on March 19, 2023 by Bob Corbin.

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Over the past two weeks, we have considered the beginning of Barnabas and Saul's first "Mission Trip." Two weeks ago, we saw how the Holy Spirit had called for them to be set apart for the work to which He had called them, and then had them sent out by the elders of the church of Antioch. Last week, we saw how God sovereignly oversaw their path - leading them to Paphos, Cyprus to lead Sergius Paulus to a saving knowledge of Christ. Today, we see how God continues to guide Barnabas and Paul, in fulfilling His plan and revealing of the mystery of the church - the age of the Gentiles, when the Gentiles would become joint-heirs with those of Israel!* This message was presented on March 12, 2023 by Bob Corbin.

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Last week, we considered the movement of the Holy Spirit sending forth Barnabas and Saul from the church of Antioch, while the leaders were serving the Lord and fasting. Today, we get to look at the beginning of Barnabas and Saul's first "Mission Trip." Between today and next Sunday's message, we will see how God can direct His work. We may plan - but, we always need to remember the admonition of James, "Come now, you who say, 'Today or tomorrow we will go to such and such a city, spend a year there, buy and sell, and make a profit'; whereas you do not know what will happen tomorrow. For what is your life? It is even a vapor that appears for a little time and then vanishes away. Instead you ought to say, 'If the Lord wills, we shall live and do this or that.' " (James 4:13-15)* This message was presented on March 5, 2023 by Bob Corbin.

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Jesus told the disciples to wait in Jerusalem until they were empowered by the Holy Spirit. As they waited, they prayed. The Holy Spirit then empowered them and they willingly proclaimed the message of Christ to the crowd that gathered. Three thousand people turned to Christ that day! Prayer then became an integral part of the life of the church: - "And they continued steadfastly in the Apostles' doctrine and fellowship, in the breaking of bread, and in prayers." (2:42) - Peter and John were going to the Temple at the hour of prayer when they healed the lame man and when they were released they went to where the church would be gathered ... and the church prayed and received power (Acts 3 & 4) - The Elders of the church realized that there were struggles in the church because they had been taken away from two of the primary functions: prayer and the study of God's Word. (Acts 6) - Stephen prayed while being stoned to death (Acts 7) - Peter and John prayed for the new believers in Samaria, and challenged Simon to pray for forgiveness. He then asked them to pray for him. (Acts 8) - The Lord spoke to Ananias through prayer that he was to go to heal Saul ... who was praying! (Acts 9) - While praying and fasting, Cornelius was sent an angel who told him to send for Peter. When the representatives come, Peter is praying! (Acts 10) - While Peter was in prison "constant prayer was offered to God for him by the church" (Acts 12) The early church recognized it's dependence upon YHWH and spent much time in prayer to Him. As a result, the Word and Church of God multiplied! Today, we return to the church of Antioch with Barnabas and Saul, and see that prayer was at core of what we refer to as: "Missions." This message was presented on February 26, 2023 by Bob Corbin.

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As the Gospel spread, the Spiritual War continued. In our study of the book of Acts, we have seen that the Apostles were threatened and persecuted for proclaiming the name of Jesus ... and informed the Sanhedrin that they were to obey God rather than men - to be witnesses of the death, burial and resurrection of the Messiah. Next, Stephen was stoned to death for proclaiming Christ and Saul of Tarsus spread the persecution even unto Damascus. However, in each of these situations God reveals His Sovereignty and His faithfulness to those who believe in Him. The Sovereignty of God does not mean that we will not be persecuted but rather that through the persecution or the deliverance God is working His plan. In our passage today, God reveals that He is the Sovereign King and that He can, and does, over-rule earthly kings at His choosing. From last week ... Barnabas and Saul had been sent by the church of Antioch with a gift to the church of Jerusalem. These events that we cover today occur while they are in Jerusalem (cf. 12:25). This message was presented on February 19, 2023 by Bob Corbin.

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April through June of 2022 we considered "The Marks of a Healthy Church." Stemming from that series, we studied the book of Ephesians and then began this current study of the book of Acts. In that series, we consider what I refer to as: The Armada of the Church - the four "ships" of the church: Worship, Discipleship, Fellowship, and Stewardship. As the church was established and the message of the gospel began to spread, these four areas have been continually seen in the interactions of the church. Over the past couple of weeks, we have seen the conversion of Saul of Tarsus - who was formerly the persecutor of the church - and the conversion of Cornelius the Centurion. God was beginning His work of sending the Gospel to the end of the earth. Today, we see that message spread to Antioch - where this fledgling church highlights the marks of a vibrant church. This message was presented on February 12, 2023 by Bob Corbin.

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Before He ascended, Jesus commanded His disciples to remain in Jerusalem until the Holy Spirit came upon them with power. Jesus also promised them that when the Holy Spirit came upon them that they would become His witnesses in Jerusalem and all Judea, in Samaria, and to the end of the earth. Over the past month, we have seen how the Good News (gospel) of the death, burial and resurrection of Jesus for the payment of sins ... had spread into Samaria. We saw then, and revisited last week, how it was Peter who was chosen to "confirm" that the message was truly believed by the Samaritans. The message was then believed on by Saul of Tarsus who was told that he would be the Apostle to the Gentiles - taking the message to the ends of the earth! However, again, as we saw last week, it is Peter - the Apostle to the Jews - whom God would use to begin that process. Today, we continue to see how Christ is going to expand His ministry through Peter - from Judea to Samaria to the Gentiles! Thus, laying the foundation for the work that Saul, who becomes Paul, will continue.* This message was presented on February 5, 2023 by Bob Corbin.

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1 Corinthians 12:12 states, "For as the body is one and has many members, but all the members of that one body, being many, are one body, so also is Christ." In the beginning of our series, the focus of the book of Acts was upon the church as an entity - as a body. Over the past four weeks we have focused upon how God works through individual members - as we considered the martyrdom of Stephen, the ministry of Philip and the conversion of Saul. Over the next couple of weeks, we will be looking at God's continued working through Peter. Jesus had already declared that Peter would be a pillar that He would use to establish the church. Matthew 16:15-19 15 He said to them, "But who do you say that I am?" 16 Simon Peter answered and said, "You are the Christ, the Son of the living God." 17 Jesus answered and said to him, "Blessed are you, Simon Bar-Jonah, for flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but My Father who is in heaven. 18 And I also say to you that you are Peter, and on this rock I will build My church, and the gates of Hades shall not prevail against it. 19 And I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven, and whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven." We have seen that God used Peter at Pentecost to proclaim His message to the Jews who were gathered in Jerusalem. As well, it was Peter - along with John - who continued to the proclaim the message to the crowds and the Sanhedrin when presented the opportunities. It was Peter - along with John again - who went to Samaria to confirm that the Samaritans had received the gospel. And, it was Peter, to whom God gave special knowledge regarding the giving of Ananias and Sapphira ... and the authority and power to take away their lives by his word. Now we see how Christ is going to expand His ministry through Peter - from Judea to Samaria to the Gentiles!* This message was presented on January 29, 2023 by Bob Corbin.

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Today is the Sanctity of Human Life Sunday. We rejoice in God for His gift of physical life. However, the greater gift is eternal life. God desires for us to have fellowship with Him for all of eternity. That is why Jesus came to the earth to pay the penalty for our sin! Today, we see that great gift of life - eternal life - being extended to Saul of Tarsus - the persecutor of the church! This NEW LIFE comes with a transformation ... we become "a new man." We are told in Scripture that our "old man" (evidenced by the works of the flesh) is put off and we are given a new nature (evidenced by the fruit of the Spirit). cf. Romans 6:5-6,20-23; 2 Corinthians 5:17; Galatians 5:16-25; Ephesians 4:17-24. * This transformational work of God is evidenced in the conversion of Saul of Tarsus* This message was presented on January 22, 2023 by Bob Corbin.

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Throughout the Book of Acts we have seen the birth and growth of the church. Jesus commissioned the Apostles to be His witnesses and the Holy Spirit empowered them to proclaim the Gospel. The Holy Spirit then convicted men of sin, righteousness and judgment ... and thousands of men and women responded! Over the past couple of weeks, we have seen how God then used persecution to spread the Gospel message. Last week, specifically, we saw how Saul of Tarsus began to intensify this persecution, causing the church of Jerusalem to scatter. We are then told how Philip went to Samaria - which is north of Jerusalem - and began to share the gospel with the Samaritans. They received his message and were baptized. Peter and John were sent from Jerusalem to validate what they had heard, and discovered that indeed the Samaritans were following Christ. On their way back to Jerusalem, Peter and John evangelized in the Samaritan villages which they passed through. But, God wasn't done using Philip just yet! In Philip, we have the testimony of a man who was committed to the work of the Lord and who had a passion to share the good news of redemption in Christ with those whom he met. Today, we see that commitment and passion carried into other regions. This message was presented on January 15, 2023 by Bob Corbin.

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The Series Title for this Study is "Unveiling the Mystery;" that "Mystery" is the church. * Throughout the book which is titled "The Acts of the Apostle" we saw God unveiling His plan which He had Sovereignly determined prior to the creation of the world! After His resurrection, Jesus commissioned and empowered His disciples to be His witnesses. In that commissioning, Jesus told His disciples that they would be His witnesses in Jerusalem and all Judea, in Samaria, and into the uttermost parts of the world. In the first seven chapters of the book of Acts, we have seen how the first part of that promise came true. God worked through those Apostles to proclaim the gospel and perform great miracles, such that many believed the message. The church became a movement and it grew. Those who believed began proclaiming the message as well and the church multiplied. As the message was proclaimed and people believed, those who did not believe became actively resistant to the church, and began to persecute the believers. Last week, we surveyed Acts 6:8-7:60 considering the martyrdom of Stephen. Today, we see how God used that persecution to propel the gospel message ... and "The Mystery" beyond Jerusalem. This message was presented on January 8, 2023 by Bob Corbin.

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Jesus commissioned the Apostles and then empowered the Apostles to bear witness to His death, burial and resurrection. As they began to perform this calling, thousands of people believed that Jesus was the Messiah and the payment for their sins. The strength of the message and the growth of the church did not excite the religious leaders. As the message spread and the church grew, persecution of the Apostles began to sprout up and grow. As we saw two weeks ago, a transition happened in the early church when the new disciples began to take ownership of the gospel message as well, and began to boldly proclaim it. The church began to multiply! The growth required the Apostles to institute new leadership and servant roles in order to meet the needs of the assembly. This facilitated even more growth. As we will see today, that growth in the assembly met with growth in persecution. Today, we will consider the testimony of the first recorded "Martyr" of the church - Stephen. A "martyr" is one who chooses to suffer death, or great suffering, rather than renounce his/her religion, or cause. The word "martyr" is a transliteration of the Greek word martus (a witness) and martureo (to witness).* This message was presented on January 1, 2023 by Bob Corbin.

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Over the past four weeks of the Advent Season, we have considered The Prophecy of His Coming, The Place of His Coming, The Proclamation of His, The Paradox of His Coming, and last night - The Purpose of His Coming. As a whole throughout those reflections, we have seen that the Incarnation of the Messiah was a Planned Event! In fact, as we saw at the beginning of our study of Paul's Epistle to the Ephesians the plan existed before the creation of the world! For many, Christmas has been associated - since childhood - with getting presents. Yet, when you become an adult (or generally, old enough to begin giving the presents) you begin to realize that there is another association that is to be made at this time ... the cost of giving the presents! This whole tradition of gift-giving was meant to remind us of the special gift that we were given two-thousand years ago. Yet, our materialistic, greedy minds have overshadowed the true meaning of this special day - a day when God presented us with an unequaled, eternal gift. Yet, this special gift did not come without a cost. Rather, it is when you consider the price that was paid in order for you to have this gift that you begin to truly place the value upon it that it rightly deserves!* This message was presented on December 25, 2022 by Bob Corbin.

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In our exegetical study of the Acts of the Apostles we have seen that God has been adding to the church - sometimes dramatically and sometimes daily. At the conclusion of Peter's teaching to the crowd which gathered, as a result of the healing of the lame man, we are told that the church to 5,000 men (not counting the women and children)! Remember, in Acts 1 we saw that after the Ascension of Jesus there were 120 believers meeting in the upper room. Now, after this event with the lame man and the subsequent interactions with the Sanhedrin, the church was growing even more! * With growth ... comes growth pains. The early church did not get a "pass." As James would later write, "My brethren, count it all joy when you fall into various trials, knowing that the testing of your faith produces patience. But let patience have its perfect work, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking nothing." (James 1:2-4) In Acts 6, we are introduced to the first major "internal" test for the church. The great unity that they had was starting to be tested. How would they respond? What would they do? What would be the results? This message was presented on December 18, 2022 by Bob Corbin.

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Over the past three weeks, we considered the miraculous healing of the lame man through Peter and John, and their ensuing confrontation with the Sanhedrin. The Sanhedrin warned them to not proclaim the name of Jesus publicly anymore. When they were released, they went directly back to where the believers were meeting to give a report and the church prayed for even more boldness! In the face of political/religious persecution they didn't pray for the demise of their oppressors, they prayed for boldness to proclaim God's truth! Last week, we saw how God answered that prayer! The greatness of our God was on full display through what He was accomplishing through those who were committed to Him. At the end of the passage which we considered last week we saw that the Apostles, and chiefly Peter, were able to perform mighty wonders and many were bringing those who were physically or demonically oppressed to Peter for healing. Today, we see that this did not escape the notice of the Sanhedrin.* This message was presented on December 11, 2022 by Bob Corbin.

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The book of Acts begins with Jesus' command to the apostles to wait in Jerusalem until the Holy Spirit comes upon them with power in order that they might be witnesses of His in Jerusalem and Judaea, in Samaria, and into the uttermost parts of the world. The apostles obeyed and were empowered on Pentecost. They witnessed of the death, burial and resurrection of Jesus and testified that He was the Messiah (the Christ). Those who believed were immersed in the name of Jesus and began to join together continuing steadfastly in the teaching and camaraderie of the apostles, in a remembrance of the Lord's Supper and in meeting together to pray. They were also voluntarily giving of their resources in order to meet the needs of those within the church who had them. As a result of this unity of the church, we are told that "many signs and wonders were done through the apostles" and that "the Lord added to the church daily those who were being saved." Luke then begins to build upon this introduction to the church by expanding upon the themes of their unity. Over the past two weeks, we considered the presentation of one of the many "wonders" which were performed by the apostles - the healing of the lame man. Last week, we saw Peter and John's boldness before the Sanhedrin in proclaiming the exclusivity of the name of Jesus Christ for salvation. After they were released, they went directly back to where the believers were meeting to give a report. This resulted in a praise and prayer meeting! The believers prayed for even more boldness! In the face of political/religious persecution they didn't pray for the demise of their oppressors, they prayed for boldness to proclaim God's truth! Today, we will look at what a true "Mega" church looks like. ("mega" is a Greek word that means "great.") It occurs multiple times in our passage as a superlative adjective, and is demonstrated by some incredible examples. This passage illustrates how the "Greatness of the Church" should truly look. This message was presented on December 4, 2022 by Bob Corbin.

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The church had grown via the pouring out of the Holy Spirit upon the Apostles at Pentecost. The new believers were continuing steadfastly in the teaching and camaraderie of the apostles, in remembrance of the Lord's Supper and in meeting together to prayer. They were also voluntarily giving of their resources in order to meet the needs of those within the church who had them. As a result of this unity of the church, we are told that "many signs and wonders were done through the apostles" and that "the Lord added to the church daily those who were being saved."
Last week we looked at the account of one of those wonders performed through Peter and John in Acts 3, where we saw the Holy Spirit work with power through ordinary men in an extraordinary way – the healing of a man who had been lame from his mother’s womb. This miracle drew a crowd and gave Peter the opportunity to boldly preach Christ to them … and led to the religious leaders arresting Peter and John.
Today we look at the rest of what happened in Acts 4: the next day’s trial of Peter and John, giving Peter yet another opportunity to boldly preach Christ, followed by the prayer of the saints resulting in the Holy Spirit giving them further boldness. Taken together, Acts 3 and 4 demonstrate the power of Jesus to Heal the Infirmed, Save the Lost, and Embolden the Saints. Peter’s example shows us what it means to “always be ready to give a defense” (1 Peter 3:15).
This message was presented on November 27, 2022 by David Hayes.

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The church had grown via the pouring out of the Holy Spirit upon the Apostles at Pentecost. The new believers were continuing steadfastly in the teaching and camaraderie of the apostles, in a remembrance of the Lord's Supper and in meeting together to prayer. They were also voluntarily giving of their resources in order to meet the needs of those within the church who had them. As a result of this unity of the church, we are told that "many signs and wonders were done through the apostles" and that "the Lord added to the church daily those who were being saved."
Today, we begin to consider an account which is provided regarding one of those wonders performed through Peter and John. We get to behold the wonder of the Holy Spirit working with power through ordinary men in an extra-ordinary way!
Throughout chapters 3 and 4, we witness Peter utilizing a series of events to proclaim the name of Jesus, pointing people to the Messiah. Through this account, we see the Power of Jesus to Heal the Infirmed, Save the Lost, and Embolden the Saints.
The key verse for our Kids Club is 1 Peter 3:15 "But sanctify the Lord God in your hearts, and always be ready to give a defense to everyone who asks you a reason for the hope that is in you, with meekness and fear." Peter will be demonstrating what that looks like.
This message was presented on November 20, 2022 by Bob Corbin.

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The Day of Pentecost ... The Holy Spirit was poured out with power. The Apostles spoke with other languages giving testimony to the Jews and proselytes the validity of the message of Christ's resurrection.
As a result, three thousand souls were saved.
What characterized those early believers? How did the fist converts react? How did the church commune with one another? What affect did the church have upon it's community?
Today, we will examine those things.
This message was presented on November 13, 2022 by Bob Corbin.

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Submitting to the commandment of Christ, the disciples had WAITED in Jerusalem and the Holy Spirit had come upon them with power as Jesus had promised. Now was their opportunity to fulfill the rest of the promise ... that they WOULD BE witnesses!
Over the past two weeks we considered the Scriptural Testimony regarding the indwelling and empowering of the Holy Spirit, and the use of signs as a means to authenticate the Gospel Message ... and especially, the Sign Gift of Languages to confirm it to unbelieving Jews.
Today, we have the opportunity to consider the witness of Peter as he presented truth to the Jews (and proselytes to Judaism) who had gathered in Jerusalem to celebrate the Feast of In-Gathering (Pentecost). The crowd was brought together by the miraculous sign of the coming of the Holy Spirit with power upon them.
This message was presented on November 6, 2022 by Bob Corbin.

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Jesus commanded His disciples to wait in Jerusalem for the promise of the empowerment of the Holy Spirit in order that they would be witnesses on His behalf in Jerusalem, Samaria and the uttermost parts of the world.
Last week, as we considered the Scriptural Testimony of the coming and ministry of the Holy Spirit, we saw that there is both the Internal Presence of the Holy Spirit and the External Empowerment of the Holy Spirit in the life of a believer. When you accept Christ as your Savior, the Holy Spirit comes to indwell you. You become the temple of the Holy Spirit and He seals your salvation by becoming the guarantee of your redemption until the day of Christ's return. After salvation, we are told that the Holy Spirit then "comes upon" believers, immersing (baptizing) and clothing them with power in order for them to fulfill the task which God has called upon them to supernaturally perform. This, we saw, is the "Filling" of the Holy Spirit record in Acts 2. Biblically, those who were "filled with the Holy Spirit" would then speak the message of God boldly.
Today, we continue our examination of this special out-pouring of the Holy Spirit upon the Apostles on the day of Pentecost by considering the "Speaking in Tongues" phenomenon. Again, we will derive our opinion from the testimony of Scripture and not personal experience.
This message was presented on October 30, 2022 by Bob Corbin.

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As we have considered the beginning of the book of Acts, we saw Christ's command for the apostles to wait in Jerusalem for the promise of the empowerment of the Holy Spirit in order that they would be witnesses on His behalf in Jerusalem, Samaria and the uttermost parts of the world.
The apostles obeyed and gathered together in an upper room (1:13) in Jerusalem and spent time in prayer. This is probably the same "upper room" where Jesus had celebrated the "Last Supper" with them (Luke 22:12). Now, they were waiting ... and ten days later it was the Feast of Weeks, which we refer to as Pentecost (literally, the Greek - "fifty") because it was 50 days from the Feast of First Fruits.
There is a debate where the apostles are when the miracle of the coming of the Holy Spirit occurs. Some believe it is the house of the upper room; some believe that it is the Temple. My thought is that it probably begins at the house of the upper room and transitions to Solomon's porch (which is the southern entrance to the Temple - the House of God) where the mikvehs (Temple Baptistries) were located.
But, throughout history many teachings of the ministry of the Holy Spirit have been focused upon what occurred at this moment. Lord willing, we will be spending the next four weeks on this chapter. This week we want to consider the concept of "The Filling of the Holy Spirit" and next week we will consider the Biblical understanding of "Speaking in Tongues." After that we will consider the relationship between salvation and baptism, and then finally the practice of the early church.
This message was presented on October 23, 2022 by Bob Corbin.

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Two weeks ago, as we began our study of the book of Acts, we saw how Jesus told His disciples to wait in Jerusalem until power came upon them from the Holy Spirit. What would they do "in the mean time?"
Last week, Luke shared with us the foundational truth of the church - the Resurrection of Jesus Christ. He continues by revealing the priority of prayer in the early church. As the church waits, they pray and seek the will of God for their assembly.
As we consider this passage, ask yourself ... how would others describe the priorities and principal activities of Family Bible Church? Are we following a Biblical practice?
This message was presented on October 16, 2022 by Bob Corbin.

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Our guest speaker was John Metzer of Ariel Ministries. Ariel Ministries specializes in presenting "Bible Teaching from a Messianic Jewish Perspective."
In this message, John gave a quick overview of the seven feasts of Israel.
These feasts point toward the "Messianic Career" of Jesus. There are four spring feasts and three fall feasts; each them have a prophetical application. The gap between the spring feasts and the fall feasts comprises our current dispensation. The spring feasts end with the initiation of the church and the fall feasts begin with the taking away of the church.
This message was presented during the morning Worship Service on October 9, 2022 by John Metzger.

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Our guest speaker was John Metzer of Ariel Ministries. Ariel Ministries specializes in presenting "Bible Teaching from a Messianic Jewish Perspective."
In this message, John some of the overwhelming evidence of the tri-unity of God in the Old Testament and that Jesus the Messiah was the incarnate presence of YHWH.
The presentation culminates with the direct statements of YHWH through Isaiah and Zechariah. Through Isaiah YHWH declares that Adonai YHWH and His Spirit were sending Him, and that Adonai YHWH would be giving Him the tongue of the learned and opening His ear. Then through Isaiah and Zechariah, YHWH declares that He would be given as sacrifice for their sins, and that they would one day recognize it.
This message was presented during our Sunday School time on October 9, 2022 by John Metzger.

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As we studied Paul's letter to the Ephesians, we saw how he declared that God had given him special revelation to fully unveil the mystery which was hidden in God "from the beginning of the ages." (Eph 3:9) That mystery was the church - the uniting together of Jewish and Gentile worshipers of the one true Creator God through the death, burial and resurrection of Jesus Christ!
Today we begin a year-long study of this important record of the unveiling of that mystery!
God penned this book via Luke. We know that based off two primary pieces of evidence: first, this account is written to "Theophilus" as was the gospel accredited to Luke; secondly, there is a transition within the account when the author of the account joins Paul entourage (cf. Acts 16:10 [4-12]).
We begin today with the transition from the Mystery of Christ to the Mystery of the Church.
This message was presented on October 2, 2022 by Bob Corbin.

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We come to the conclusion of our study of Paul's letter to the church of Ephesus. Paul reminds them that as they seek to "Walk Worthy" of the calling with which they were called, they will be faced with a spiritual war. As Paul told the church in Corinth, "For though we walk in the flesh, we do not war according to the flesh. For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal but mighty in God for pulling down strongholds, casting down arguments and every high thing that exalts itself against the knowledge of God, bringing every thought into captivity to the obedience of Christ, and being ready to punish all disobedience when your obedience is fulfilled." (2 Corinthians 10:3-6)
Today, we will discuss the four commands which we are given in relation to Walking Worthy in this spiritual war and the accoutrement which God has provided us to wear during the course of the warfare!
This message was presented on September 25, 2022 by Bob Corbin.

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Based upon the greatness of their calling, believers are challenged to "Walk worthy of the calling with which [they] were called."
We have seen Paul's challenge for them to "Walk worthy" in the body of Christ - seeking unity and synergy in the body of Christ; and in the world - living transformed and sanctified lives. We are no longer to think like the Gentiles think; we are no longer to act like the Gentiles act. Rather, we are to have the mind of Christ and put on the new man which is created by God in true righteousness and holiness.
Last week, we began to consider how we are to "Walk Worthy" within three specific relationships that we have in this world: marital, parental, and occupational relationships. We saw that in our marital relationships, we are to model the relationship that Christ has with the Church.
Today, we will consider how can "Walk Worthy" in our parental and occupational relationships.
This message was presented on September 18, 2022 by Bob Corbin.

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Paul shared with the Ephesian believers the greatness of their calling and then challenged them to "Walk worthy of the calling with which [they] were called."
We have seen Paul's challenge for them to "Walk worthy" in the body of Christ - seeking unity and synergy in the body of Christ. We are united having one hope which is founded in us having one Lord, one faith, one baptism ... knowing there is only one God!
Over the past two weeks, we have considered how we are to "Walk Worthy" in the world. We are to live transformed and sanctified lives. We are no longer to think like the Gentiles think; we are no longer to act like the Gentiles act. Rather, we are to have the mind of Christ and put on the new man which is created by God in true righteousness and holiness. We are, as children of God, to walk in love, light, and wisdom. We are to redeem the time, understand the will of God, and submit to one another in the fear of God.
Today, we begin to consider how we are to "Walk Worthy" within three specific relationships that we have in this world: marital, parental, and occupational relationships.
Today, we will consider how can "Walk Worthy" in our marriage relationships.
This message was presented on September 11, 2022 by Bob Corbin.

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Paul shared with the Ephesian believers the greatness of their calling and then challenged them to "Walk worthy of the calling with which [they] were called."
Two weeks ago, we saw Paul's challenge for them to "Walk worthy" in the body. Understanding our calling, leads for a desire to see unity and synergy in the body of Christ. We will recognize that we have one hope which is founded in us having one Lord, one faith, one baptism ... knowing there is only one God!
Last week, we began looking at we live out this calling individually ... while we are walking in the world. We used to "walk" according to course of the world, but now we are changed. No longer are we to think like the rest of Gentiles in the futility of their mind. Rather, we are to have the mind of Christ and put on the new man which is created by God in true righteousness and holiness.
Paul called upon the believers to live a transformed life.
Today, we continue in the midst of that challenge with commands ... not requests ... for us to WALK differently. Having the mind of Christ and being taught by Him ... we ought to Walk in Love, Walk in Light, and Walk in Wisdom!
This message was presented on August 28, 2022 by Bob Corbin.

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In our study of Paul's letter to the church of Ephesus, we have transitioned into the second half of the letter which is more "practical" in nature. In this section, Paul challenges the believers to Walk Worthy of the Calling with which they were Called. What effect should the bestowal of the grace of God have in our lives practically?
Last week, we saw the effect that the grace of God should have in the body of Christ. That we should desire Unity within the Body - that Unity would be accomplished by the Synergy of the Body - working together for the Body to be conformed to the image of Christ.
Today, we begin looking at the application of God's grace to us individually ... yet, still in the context of our relationships to one another.
Paul, initially challenges the believers that they should be changed. In chapter 2 we saw that we "used to" walk according to the course of the world and according to the prince of the power of the air ... but that God made us alive ... unto good works which He had before ordained. He now continues to expound upon that theme.
This message was presented on August 21, 2022 by Bob Corbin.

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In our study of Paul's letter to the church of Ephesus, we have finished first half in which Paul has encouraged the believers regarding their relationship with the one true God.
Today, we begin considering the second half of the letter which is more "practical" in nature. We took two weeks to study the passage that we arrive at today, as part of our study regarding The Marks of a Healthy Church (on May 22 and May 29). Hence, today we will be covering it as more of an overview and from the perspective of the result of Paul's instruction regarding the greatness of our calling.
Up to this point, we have seen in our study that as believers in Christ - We are blessed with every spiritual blessing, We are Chosen, We are Adopted as Sons of God, We are Accepted (favored by God), We are Redeemed and Pardoned, We are Informed regarding the Will of God, We are Promised an Inheritance, and We are Sealed with the Holy Spirit! We - who once were spiritually dead, and following after the course of the world and Satan - were made alive with Christ, were raised with Christ, and were made to sit together with Christ in heaven. We (Gentiles) - who once were afar off from the promises of God - have been made joint-heirs with those of Israel through Christ!
Today, we begin considering: HOW THOSE FACTS SHOULD AFFECT OUR LIVES TODAY! First, as a natural progression, Paul discusses how it applies to the church as a whole.
This message was presented on August 14, 2022 by Bob Corbin.

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In our study of Paul's letter to the church of Ephesus, we come to his second recorded prayer for the believers in Ephesus.
In his first prayer, Paul had prayed for God to grant the believers the Spirit of Wisdom and Revelation in the Knowledge of Him. Today, we will see a similar spiritual desire of Paul for the saints.
As we enter this next portion, we want to consider two parallelisms.
First, THE REASON. Paul states, "For this reason ..." This is the second time in this chapter that he uses this expression. In fact, this expression (using the accusative of the word for "Grace" as a preposition) is very rare. Of the fourteen instances two are in the of this passage. Verse 1 and Verse 14 are being expressed in parallel coming from the discussion of chapter 2 - that the Jews and Gentiles are now made one in Christ. Hence, "Because of the nullification of the enmity of the law and the establishment of the unity of Jews and Gentiles approaching the God of the heavens and earth in the same fashion ... I was given this mystery (to reveal it to everyone) ... I am bowing my knees to that God and interceding on your behalf!
Second, this prayer of Paul's somewhat parallels Jesus' model prayer (Matthew 6) ... Jesus shared that we should proclaim our allegiance to the Father, then pray for spiritual needs, and finally praise God.
This message was presented on August 7, 2022 by Bob Corbin.

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In his letter to the church of Ephesus, Paul exhorted the believers to "walk worthy of the calling with which they were called."
For the past two weeks we have begun considering Paul's explanation regarding God's sovereign plan for the redemption of man and the spiritual blessings we have received as a result. Paul then reveals his prayer for the believers ... that God would give them the spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of Him! That they would be able to truly understand the hope of His calling, the riches of His inheritance, and the greatness of His power!
Today, we have another opportunity to relish in, and rejoice in, the wonderful grace of God poured out upon us in Christ Jesus!
This message was presented on July 31, 2022 by Bob Corbin.

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In his letter to the church of Ephesus, Paul exhorted the believers to "walk worthy of the calling with which they were called."
For the past two weeks we have begun considering Paul's explanation regarding God's sovereign plan for the redemption of man and the spiritual blessings we have received as a result. Paul then reveals his prayer for the believers ... that God would give them the spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of Him! That they would be able to truly understand the hope of His calling, the riches of His inheritance, and the greatness of His power!
Today, we have another opportunity to relish in, and rejoice in, the wonderful grace of God poured out upon us in Christ Jesus!
This message was presented on July 24, 2022 by Bob Corbin.

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Last week, we began a new series - a study of Paul's letter to the church of Ephesus.
Paul called upon his fellow believers to "walk worthy of the calling with which they were called." The letter can be broken up into two primary sections - doctrinal and practical. In the doctrinal section (comprising chapters 1-3), Paul is explaining to the saints the profound depth of their calling in Christ Jesus. In the practical section (comprising chapters 4-6), Paul reveals how we are to walk worthy of that calling in this world.
Last week, we saw how Paul began by revealing God's Sovereign redemptive plan and purpose, and the extent of the spiritual blessings which He has freely bestowed upon those who believe! As believers in Christ - We are blessed with every spiritual blessing, We are Chosen, We are Adopted as Sons of God, We are Accepted (favored by God), We are Redeemed and Pardoned, We are Informed regarding the Will of God, We are Promised an Inheritance, and We are Sealed with the Holy Spirit!
Based upon these truths and knowing that these Ephesians saints had placed their trust in Christ, Paul proclaims his thankfulness and intercessions to God on their behalf.
This message was presented on July 17, 2022 by Bob Corbin.

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Today, we begin a new series - a study of the Paul's letter to the church of Ephesus. * In this letter, Paul called upon his fellow believers to "walk worthy of the calling with which they were called." The letter can be broken up into two primary sections - doctrinal and practical. In the doctrinal section (comprising chapters 1-3), Paul is explaining the profound depth of their calling in Christ Jesus. In the practical section (comprising chapters 4-6), Paul reveals how we are to walk worthy of that calling in this world. * As Paul does in all of his letters, he jumps immediately into proclaiming the glory of God and who we are in relationship to God. * In the first part of chapter one, we see the repeated statement: "In Christ" or "In Him." All that we have is due to the Sovereign Grace of the Creator God of the Universe who established the plan of redemption prior to laying the foundations of the world and then entered into the world to bring His plan to completion - to the praise of the glory of His grace!!! * Today, we have the pleasure of testifying to the Spiritual Blessings which we have freely received by this marvelous grace - in Christ Jesus! * This message was presented on July 10, 2022 by Bob Corbin.

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[* For the past ten weeks, we have been considering "The Marks of a Healthy Church." As we have considered various passages of Scripture, we have seen that there are four primary areas of interaction in the body: Worship, Fellowship, Discipleship, and Stewardship. In all of these areas though there ought to be a desire for unity and for the involvement of all of the body. The church is not social club, it is a spiritual fellowship (or even stronger - unit). * The first two messages came from Acts 2 and 4. In those messages, David pointed out that the foundation of the church is Christ, and then building blocks of the church. Discipleship is one of those core building blocks. Discipleship is literally "teaching someone the teachings of a teacher" or "disciplining someone in the disciplines of a discipler". The first step of "discipleship" is conversion. This is the exhortation and command of Christ ... that we MAKE DISCIPLES ... by GOING, BAPTIZING, and TEACHING. * Evangelism isn't just the "job" of the pastor ... or the "evangelist." We are all called upon to go. Are you willing to trust God ... and obey? People need the Lord! * This message was presented on July 3, 2022 by Bob Corbin.

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[* We are near the end of our message series - "The Marks of a Healthy Church". We are adding a message on Evangelism next week, which will conclude the series after 11 weeks. In this series we are looking at various passages in the Bible to draw out and apply things that characterize a healthy church, including who and what we are as a healthy church and what a healthy church does. In the last three weeks we have looked at these: Diversity of the church in 1 Corinthians 12, where the "Body" analogy illustrated how God places each person in the "Body" of Christ as God sees fit and for the overall good of the body; the Excellency of the church from 1 Corinthians 13-14, seeing that God gives those within the church a desire to glorify God through the unity of the church, revealing the love and mind of Christ in elevating each person's love of others above love of self; and from 2 Corinthians 8-9 the Stewardship of time, abilities, and wealth in service of Christ, where our use of what we have combined with the exceeding grace of God furthers His kingdom and leads to the outpouring of thankfulness by God's people, bringing glory to God. * Today we take a look at what the writer of Hebrews said about healthy believers. Prior to chapter 10 of Hebrews, the writer has made many key points about Jesus, including these: Jesus is greater than the angels; Jesus is greater than Moses; Jesus is greater than the Jewish High Priest; Jesus' priesthood is greater than the Levitical priesthood; Jesus has a more excellent ministry; and Jesus is the mediator of a better covenant, the New Covenant. Today we look at the first set of exhortations the writer gives to believers after he has introduced and covered the New Covenant. * Healthy believers lead to healthy churches, and healthy churches help individuals to be healthy believers. * This message was presented on June 26, 2022 by David Hayes.

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[* We are nearing the end of a series on "The Marks of a Healthy Church." * We have considered the characteristics of the early church from Acts. They "continued steadfastly in the apostle's doctrine and fellowship, in the breaking of bread, and in prayers...and... continuing daily with one accord in the temple, and breaking bread from house to house" * Jesus' desire for unity among the believers in the church was critical for His message to be heard and "that the world may believe that You sent Me." * There are four major areas in which the church functions - Worship, Discipleship, Fellowship and Stewardship. * We have examined Ephesians 4:1-16 and 1 Corinthians 12-14 considering the Unity of the Church, the Synergy of the Church, the Diversity of the Church and the Excellency of the Church. * Today we will look at the fourth "ship" in the functioning of the church. * This message was presented on June 19, 2022 by Steve Moore.

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[* As we have been considering "The Marks of a Healthy Church," we have seen that unity is a significant “Mark” for which to look. Jesus had prayed for His followers to be one as He, the Father and the Spirit were one; as a testimony to the world. * The goal of this Oneness is for each believer individually, and the assembly combined, to be conformed to the image of Christ. * The church is referred to as the "Body" of Christ. Last week we examined 1 Corinthians 12 where Paul breaks out this word picture further by revealing that the body of Christ is made up of many members, yet it is one body. Each individual in the assembly was brought by God into the assembly as He has seen fit. Each member has been gifted with a special gift from God, to be used for the "profit" of the whole assembly. * Today, we want to continue this examination of Paul's description of the body of Christ in 1 Corinthians 12-14, by considering The Excellency of the Church ... that which truly gives those within the assembly a desire to glorify God through the unity of His church. The Excellency of the Church is the expression of "agapao" love in its other-focusedness, or more specifically ... revealing the love, and mind, of Christ in elevating my love of others above my love for myself. * This message was presented on June 12, 2022 by Bob Corbin.

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[* We are considering "The Marks of a Healthy Church." Over the past two weeks, we began focusing upon the Unity of the Church. * First we saw that Paul's teaching on unity was based upon the exhortation that he gave in verse1: that believers should "walk worthy of the calling with which we were called." This "calling" was to be conformed to the image of Christ. Christ's desire for His followers were for them to be one in order that the world might know that He and the Father were one. Hence, as we are conformed to the image of Christ, we will demonstrate His desires for the assembly. That desire for unity will be revealed in our conduct and reflected in our doctrine. * Last week we saw how our call to be conformed to the image of Christ should be the common goal of the body of Christ. Jesus prayed for His followers to be made perfect in oneness. Hence, the desire - collectively - to be conformed to the image of Christ is THE mark of perfection to which we should strive toward and be participating in. That is best accomplished when the body is functioning synergistically. * As we saw last week, God worked out the process by which the church can/should accomplish this goal - 1) The Lord Endows the Body; 2) The Leaders Equip the Body; and 3) The Members Edify the Body. Today, we want to continue to examine this process through a consideration of Paul's teaching to the church of Corinth. * This message was presented on June 5, 2022 by Bob Corbin.

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[* As we are considering "The Marks of a Healthy Church" ... last week we began a four-part consideration of the unity of the church, looking specifically at Ephesians 4:1-16 and 1 Corinthians 12-14. * The teaching of Paul in Ephesians 4 was based upon the exhortation that he gave in verse1: that believers should "walk worthy of the calling with which we were called." This "calling" was to be conformed to the image of Christ. That is why Paul exhorted the Roman believers to offer their bodies as living sacrifices - not being conformed to the world but rather be transformed in the renewing of their minds ... that they might have the mind of Christ ... proving what is the good, acceptable, perfect will of God! * This calling, and desire, to be conformed into the image of Christ will have a unifying impact in our individual lives and as we interact with other believers within the church. This call to be conformed to the image of Christ will be revealed in our desire for unity in our conduct with others (through humility, patience, and commitment) and reflected in our desire for unity within our doctrine. * As we continue in this teaching, we see that it is actually the joint conformance of the church (as the body of Christ) to His image that is our collective calling! We have koinonia - a common bond - with one another because of our koinonia with Christ. This common bond * Today, we see how our call to be conformed to the image of Christ should be the common goal of the body of Christ. It is THE mark of perfection to which we collectively should strive toward and be participating in. One of the chief marks of a truly healthy church is the level of synergism displayed within the assembly. * Synergy - "the interaction or cooperation of two or more agents to produce a combined effect greater than the sum of their separate effects." (Oxford Dictionary) * This message was presented on May 29, 2022 by Bob Corbin.

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[* We are in the midst of a series considering "The Marks of a Healthy Church." * Over the past two weeks, we have considered the two passages where Jesus specifically refers to "the church" as He was preparing His followers to continue the work after His death, burial, resurrection and ascension. * There is another passage in which Jesus specifically refers to the church without using the term. In His prayer to the Father - recorded in John 17 - Jesus specifically makes a request to the Father on behalf of those who would believe based upon the testimony of His disciples. Specifically, He asked the Father that we might be one as He and the Father were One. This desire for the Unity of His followers was critical for their message to be heard ... "that the world may believe that You sent Me." In fact, He states that it is this unity that would mark the "perfection" - full maturation - of the church. * With this desire of Christ in mind, we want to spend four weeks examining this critical element of a Healthy Church. * During the first two weeks of this series, we saw from Acts 2 and Acts 4 that the early church "continued steadfastly in the apostles' doctrine and fellowship, in the breaking of bread, and in prayers" ... and ... "Continuing daily with one accord in the temple, and breaking bread from house to house, they ate their food with gladness and simplicity of heart ..." * Two weeks ago, I mentioned four major areas in which the church functions - Worship, Discipleship, Fellowship, and Stewardship. Worship is our adoration and praise to God for who He is and what He has done. Discipleship is the process of training, and equipping, others in teachings of our Messiah (this includes 'evangelism' which is many times separated into its own category). Fellowship, as David discussed last week, is our association with one another in a common venture - and that venture is serving the Lord Jesus Christ. Stewardship is the conducting, supervising, or managing of something entrusted to one's care. These four areas are blended together in the many ministries of the church. We will see that this is specifically true when considering the overarching subject of Unity. * Lord willing, over the next four weeks we will examine Ephesians 4:1-16 and 1 Corinthians 12-14 ... considering The Unity of the Church, The Synergy of the Church, The Diversity of the Church, and The Excellency of the Church. Though we will consider them as in parallel, in reality the final three would be subpoints under a title of "The Expression of Unity." * This message was presented on May 22, 2022 by Bob Corbin.

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[* This is week #4 in our sermon series entitled 'Marks of a Healthy Church' in which we are using selected passages from God's Word to explore the "four ships" or "armada" of the church: Worship, Discipleship, Fellowship and Stewardship. Those four pillars support everything that characterizes a healthy, impactful and God-honoring church. * David Hayes got us started with a 2-week examination of the building blocks of the church by using key passages in Acts 2 and Acts 4 about the early church. This provided a great reminder that the church does not need to reinvent itself to align with the culture. Rather, we need to rely on God's Word to provide all that we need to function effectively in this increasingly chaotic, God-rejecting and Biblically-illiterate world in which we live. * Then last week, Pastor Bob took us back a step to consider the foundation of those 4 pillars, and of the church itself, as we looked at Jesus' vitally important question in Matthew 16, "Who do you say that I am?". For without a proper understanding of WHO Jesus is, and what He accomplished through the cross and His resurrection, the church has no basis for having any value or impact on the world today (see 1 Cor. 15:1-19) * And now, this morning, we want to take some time to focus on just one of those “ships” or "pillars", namely Discipleship. We'll start by looking at the nature of true discipleship, and then take a look at what I believe is one of the too often neglected disciplines of discipleship, namely how we deal with sin in the church. In other words, the discipline of church discipline. I'll then share a few thoughts about the power behind effective discipleship and church discipline, before wrapping things up by talking about how we can apply what we learn this morning in the context of Jesus' Great Commission of Matthew 28. * This message was presented on May 15, 2022 by Chuck Sabo.

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[* Two weeks ago we began considering "The Marks of a Healthy Church." * We began the series where most people would consider the "Beginning of the Church" - Acts 2, on the day of Pentecost. We continued on into chapter 4 because of the similar building blocks which were evidenced in the early church. * In my own mind, I have seen four major areas in which the church functions - which I have referred to as "The Armada of the Church." The Four 'Ships' of the Church are: Worship, Discipleship, Fellowship, and Stewardship. Worship is our adoration and praise to God for who He is and what He has done. Discipleship is the process of training, and equipping, others in teachings of our Messiah (this includes 'evangelism' which is many times separated into its own category). Fellowship, as David discussed last week, is our association with one another in a common venture - and that venture is serving the Lord Jesus Christ. Stewardship is the conducting, supervising, or managing of something entrusted to one's care. * In the first message, David presented that the foundation of the church is the Messiah, Jesus. As Paul stated to the Corinthians: "For no other foundation can anyone lay than that which is laid, which is Jesus Christ." (1 Cor 3:11) He then went on to share some of the building blocks that were placed upon that foundation. * Today, we want to drop back - in a sense - to the teachings of Jesus Himself in order to see what He declared regarding this new work, or dispensation, which was about to begin after His death, burial and resurrection. * This message was presented on May 8, 2022 by Bob Corbin.

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Last week we started a new message series - “The Marks of a Healthy Church”. In this 10 week series we are looking at eight passages in the Bible to draw out and apply things that characterize a healthy church, including who and what we are as a healthy church and what a healthy church does. These passages include examining the example of the first church, what Jesus said about the church, what Paul said about the church, and what the writer of Hebrews said about healthy believers.
In the book of Acts we have great detail about how the first church (in Jerusalem) exploded from 120 followers of Christ to over 3000 and then to many thousands. Last week, in Acts 2, we covered a list of building blocks that contribute to the foundation of a healthy church. These included genuine conversion (characterized by conviction of sin, repentance, and receiving God's word); baptism by immersion as a public step of obedience and identifying with Jesus Christ (coming after faith in Christ, not before, and symbolizing what has happened spiritually to you as a new follower of Jesus); continuing steadfastly in God's word, fellowship, the breaking of bread, and prayer; praising God; and growing, which can be either and both numerical and spiritual - the former an increase in number of followers of Christ, the latter in each person growing in spiritual maturity.
Today we take a deep dive into prayer and fellowship from the example of the church in Acts 4.
Healthy believers lead to healthy churches, and healthy churches help individuals to be healthy believers.
This message was presented on May 1, 2022 by David Hayes.

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Today we start a new message series - “The Marks of a Healthy Church”. Over the next 10 weeks we are going to look at eight passages in the Bible to draw out and apply things that characterize a healthy church, including who and what we are as a healthy church and what a healthy church does. These passages will include examining the example of the first church, what Jesus said about the church, what Paul said about the church, and what the writer of Hebrews said about healthy believers.
In the book of Acts we have great detail about how the first church (in Jerusalem) exploded from 120 followers of Christ to over 3000 and then to many thousands. Today, in Acts 2, we will see a list of building blocks that contribute to the foundation of a healthy church. These will be drawn from the example of that first church, as it grew from 120 people to approximately 3120 people – in a single day! Next week we will further develop a few of these building blocks from Acts 4.
The purpose of this series is to help us, as individuals and as a church, to pursue being and remaining a healthy church, in order that Christ as head of the church will be honored and in order that God will be glorified in and by and through us. If we don't know what a healthy church is, or if we forget, then we are aimless and unlikely to be or remain a healthy church.
Healthy believers lead to healthy churches, and healthy churches help individuals to be healthy believers.
This message was presented on April 24, 2022 by David Hayes.

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Last week we concluded our study of the book of Daniel by considering the prophetic words regarding the end-times. In that message, we saw how YHWH revealed to Daniel that there would be a time when the dead would "awake, some to everlasting life, some to shame and everlasting contempt."
The doctrine, or teaching, of the resurrection - RAISING FROM THE DEAD IN A TRANSFORMED MANNER - is not just a New Testament teaching. Rather, even Job declared: "For I know that my Redeemer lives, and He shall stand at last on the earth; and after my skin is destroyed, this I know, that in my flesh I shall see God, whom I shall see for myself, and my eyes shall behold, and not another. How my heart yearns within me!" (Job 19:25-27)
Note that both Daniel and Job looked forward to this moment ... they looked toward the future. They didn't state that it would be instantaneous for them. It wasn't "to be absent from the body is to be present with the Lord." Why? Because, Christ had not yet conquered death. That is what he accomplished through His resurrection.
NOW ... because of His victory ... we have the assurance of our resurrection. What awaits us on the other side? There are many things that we do not know. However, one thing that we are told clearly is something that YHWH encouraged Daniel with at the very end of his book: "You shall rest, and will arise to your inheritance at the end of the days." THERE IS A REWARD WAITING THOSE WHO HAVE BELIEVED IN, AND HAVE SERVED, YHWH.
This message was presented on April 17, 2022 by Bob Corbin.

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We are nearing the end of our study of the book of Daniel. We have seen the Impact of His God, His Life and His Writings.
Recently, we have been considering the Impact of His Writings in the prophetical revelation which YHWH had given to him.
Last week, we began studying the final portion of his writings, chapters 10 through 12, which comprise one large prophecy regarding "the latter days." However these "latter days" are broken into two major segments: The Time of the Persians and Greeks ... and The Time of the End. Last week, we considered the Prologue to this prophecy by considering the Prophet of God and the Messenger of God.
Today we want to cover the first section of this prophecy - that dealing with the Persians and Greeks (predominantly the Greeks). This prophecy covers approximately 372 years of history! We have already considered the end portion of this time as we studied the prophecy recorded in Daniel 8.
Though most of this will be academic, DO NOT MISS the implications as we sore through the fulfillment of this phenomenal prophecy!
This message was presented on April 3, 2022 by Bob Corbin.

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We have been studying the book of Daniel for the past three months. We have been considering the incredible impact of his God through his life and writings. In chapter 1, we learned that Daniel began serving Nebuchadnezzar at the beginning of Nebuchadnezzar's reign, and that he continued serving the rulers of Babylon and then Persia until the first year of Cyrus. We have seen that there was a great probability that it was Daniel who probably informed Cyrus that YHWH had prophesied regarding him, by name, through the prophet Isaiah, and that YHWH had also declared that they would be under Babylonian rule for seventy years. Hence, that is probably why Cyrus, in the first year of his reign, decreed that the Jewish people would be allowed to return to their land and rebuild the Temple of YHWH!
Over the past five weeks we have been considering the prophetic portion of Daniel's writing. It is amazing to see the great detail which YHWH declared the future happenings of Israel, specifically as it dealt with the nation of Greece. That detail will become even more profound over these next three weeks as we consider the final portion of Daniel's book. Chapters 10 through 12 deal with one longer prophetic revelation which actually covers two different portions of Israel's future history: The Time of the Persians and Greeks and the Time of the End.
A detail that is very interesting is that this revelation comes to Daniel AFTER the decree of Cyrus for the Jews to rebuild the Temple! Daniel ministered unto the 1st year of Cyrus. This prophecy comes during the third year of Cyrus! Daniel, in a sense, is retired ... but not as a prophet!
Today, we will look at the Prologue to these prophecies, where we are introduced to the two primary characters - the Prophet of God and the Messenger of God, and their interactions. Next week, Lord willing we will look at the prophecy regarding The Time of the Persians and Greeks, and then conclude this series with a consideration of the prophecy regarding The Time of the End.
This message was presented on March 27, 2022 by Bob Corbin.

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We are in the midst of considering the prophetical portion of the book of Daniel.
Last week, we began looking at chapter 9 and saw the impact of reading God's Word upon Daniel himself. As Daniel read from the Law of Moses and the prophetic writings of Jeremiah, he began to confess his, and his people's, sins. Daniel then interceded upon behalf of his country, beseeching God to stay His anger and extend His mercy. Today, we see the Divine Response to Daniel's prayer - additional prophecy!
We want to consider two preliminary thoughts, prior to a technical consideration of the prophecy of the Seventy Sevens given to Daniel.
First, regarding the beloved nature of Daniel. God took great pleasure in His faithful servant!
Second, regarding the telescopic nature of Prophecy. Prophecy is future oriented and, many times, we are only given highlights of several future events which may appear to blend together in our view. Hence, many times, prophecy has multiple projected fulfillments. We will see an application of that telescopic nature of prophecy in the fulfillment of this prophecy of the Seventy Sevens as we are specifically told that there are two major fulfillments.
This message was presented on March 20, 2022 by Bob Corbin.

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Three weeks ago, we began considering the prophetical portion of the book of Daniel.
Last week, we saw how the prophecy contained within chapter 8 has already been fulfilled during the days of Antiochus IV - Epiphanes, and historically recorded in the writings of the Hasmoneans, in First and Second Maccabees.
Today, we will consider the first half of chapter 9. In this chapter, we see the affect that studying prophecy has upon the very prophet whose writings we are studying! Daniel was a student of God's word and even the writings of other contemporary prophets, such as Jeremiah! As Daniel reads the word of God, he realizes that he is actually living in the days of the fulfillment of other prophecy! May we learn from the life and prayer of this godly man!
This message was presented on March 13, 2022 by Bob Corbin.

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We are in the prophetical portion of the book of Daniel.
Today, we are considering a vision of Daniel that has already been fulfilled, and historically recorded, in the writings of the Hasmoneans in First and Second Maccabees. Though we do not recognize these writings as Scripture, we do understand the importance of them as historical records.
As we consider this vision, and its fulfillment, we must ask ourselves two questions: "How would I respond if I were alive then?" and, "Am I ready to respond if I am to live through some, or all, of the events of the end times?"
This message was presented on March 6, 2022 by Bob Corbin.

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The first half of the book of Daniel was primarily historical. Today, we begin considering the final six chapters which are primarily prophetical. Yet, the prophecies of Daniel contain such great detail that liberal scholars have sought for years to prove that they were written after the fact! However, in 1952 Cave 4 at Qumran revealed fragments of a manuscript containing segments of the prophetical portion of the book of Daniel! These are manuscripts are commonly referred to as the Dead Sea Scrolls. At least eight manuscripts of Daniel have been found among the 11 caves; only the Psalms (13) and Exodus (9) outnumber that number of manuscripts!
This is where we begin to see The Impact of His Writing!
Last week, as we began to consider this text, we saw that this prophecy builds up the vision that Nebuchadnezzar had in his dream which is recorded in chapter 2.
Today, Lord willing, we will conclude our consideration of the first of Daniel's prophetic visions.
This message was presented on February 27, 2022 by Bob Corbin.

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The first half of the book of Daniel was primarily historical. Today, we begin considering the final six chapters which are primarily prophetical. Yet, the prophecies of Daniel contain such great detail that liberal scholars have sought for years to prove that they were written after the fact! However, in 1952 Cave 4 at Qumran revealed fragments of a manuscript containing segments of the prophetical portion of the book of Daniel! These are manuscripts are commonly referred to as the Dead Sea Scrolls. At least eight manuscripts of Daniel have been found among the 11 caves; only the Psalms (13) and Exodus (9) outnumber that number of manuscripts!
This is where we begin to see The Impact of His Writing! Remember 2 Timothy 3:16 (all scripture is God-breathed) and 2 Peter 1:19-21 (no prophecy of scripture is of any private interpretation, but holy men spoke as they were moved by the Holy Spirit).
As we enter into this portion it is important to remember two concepts: 1) Prophecy is best understood "after the fact." 2) Progressive Revelation refers to the fact that God continued to unveil more details regarding prophecy (specifically, end-time prophecy) throughout Scripture. That which is given later agrees with, and expands upon, that which has already been given.
THE MAJOR LESSON that we need to remember as we begin to consider this portion is that God is Sovereign over ALL Kingdoms and events. HISTORY is truly HISSTORY! Nothing has ... or will ... take God by surprise. I do not need to fear or be anxious about my current, or future, situation because God has it under control!
At the beginning of the reign of Nebuchadnezzar, he had his dream of the statue which represented five kingdoms and then that of the Messiah's. YHWH allowed Daniel the privilege of receiving the identical dream and it's interpretation. I often wonder whether Daniel, in his studies and prayers, continued to ponder and pray about further understanding regarding that dream/vision ... because the prophetic portion of the book of Daniel expand upon this prophetic dream of Nebuchadnezzar.
This message was presented on February 20, 2022 by Bob Corbin.

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Over the first 5 chapters of the Book of Daniel, we've seen numerous examples of how one individual can impact everyone around him, including the powerful kings over him, when that individual is fully submitted to honoring and glorifying God with his life. And throughout the Book we will continue to see not only the impact of Daniel's life and writing, but more importantly the impact of Daniel's God on everyone that dealt with Daniel.
In those first five chapters, we've moved through some 65 plus years of Daniel's life, from his mid to late teens when he was among those exiled from Jerusalem to Babylon, to this week in chapter 6 where Daniel in likely now in his early eighties.
During those years, Daniel has witnessed the rise of the Babylonian empire under the powerful King Nebuchadnezzar and its fall under Belshazzar, which we looked at last week.
There's now a new "boss" in town by the name of Darius, as the Medes and Persians have taken over as the new world power in place of the Babylonians. But one thing has not changed, and that is Daniel's commitment to and faith in his God. This commitment that will get Daniel in a big pickle, only to see his bigger God come to his aid once more. As we look at the events of chapter 6, we will see several things that relate to us: relying on God's word; deciding not to compromise in living for God; trusting God in life's decisions and in regard to the results.
This message was presented on February 13, 2022 by David Hayes.

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The Book of Daniel ... Revealing the Impact of his God, his life, and his writing.
Over the past month, we have considered this Impact as it intersected with the life of King Nebuchadnezzar. YHWH was revealing Himself to this man in a mighty way and Nebuchadnezzar began to understand that YHWH was the One True God. However, as we see in the life of David and Solomon, the sinful choices of the father pass down to their sons ... and eventually, bring the fall of the nation.
Yet, this fall does not take God by surprise. The rise and fall of nations is within the confines of His sovereignty. He establishes Kings and He removes them!
Today we see the final act of the Kingdom of Babylon ... and its King, who so epitomized the mindset of a self-absorbed people.
This message was presented on February 6, 2022 by Bob Corbin.

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The Book of Daniel ... Revealing the Impact of his God, his life, and his writing.
Last week, we considered how God was seeking make Himself known to King Nebuchadnezzar first through the knowledge of, and interpretation of, his dream by Daniel, and then through the deliverance of Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah from the fiery furnace after they refused to bow down to the image of gold that he had made.
Today, we want to consider PHASE THREE of Operation Nebuchadnezzar. In this phase, the Most High God reveals that Nebuchadnezzar is but a pawn in His hand and that He, the Creator God and the Ultimate Ruler of the Kingdoms of men, can at His own choosing bring judgment and chastisement upon and remove Nebuchadnezzar's kingdom. What a beautiful display of the grace of God as He reveals Himself to this powerful man in a manner that he needs to see. May we learn from Nebuchadnezzar's experience and not force God to deal with us in similar fashion!
However, before we begin we need to take care of a distraction from the primary impact of this passage - the Watchers. First, we need to understand this is a dream of a polytheistic pagan king, who then describes it from that spiritual viewpoint.

Their Identification (cf. Gen 6:1-4; Job 1:6; 2:1; Psalm 82:1; Daniel 3:25; 10:12-13,20; Eph 1:20-21; 3:10; 6:12; Col 1:15-16; 2:15; 1 Peter 3:22) The Correction by Daniel (v. 17,24) ... it is NOT the decree of the watchers ... but it is the DECREE of the MOST HIGH!
This message was presented on January 30, 2022 by Bob Corbin.

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Over the past three weeks we have been seeing the impact that one individual can make when they are fully submitted to the Sovereign Will of God in their lives. Specifically, we have been witnessing the Impact of Daniel's God through Daniel's Life in the lives of pagan servants and their earthly king - Nebuchadnezzar.
Last week, as we considered Nebuchadnezzar's dream, we saw that God was revealing Himself to Nebuchadnezzar through this dream and the use of Daniel.
This was PHASE ONE in God's Operation Nebuchadnezzar! Nebuchadnezzar realized that the God of Daniel was greater than His gods. But, Nebuchadnezzar still had a long way to go. He still was dealing with the greatest of the rivals to YHWH - self. In Isaiah 14:3-23 we see a prophetic portion of Scripture regarding the King of Babylon being equated to Lucifer. In this passage, we see how self-pride is at the very core of our sinful desire to usurp the reign and authority of God.
Today, we witness PHASE TWO of Operation Nebuchadnezzar. It is critical to note the importance of the servants of God properly traversing the trials and tribulations of life, as a living witness of our faith in this One, True God.
This message was presented on January 23, 2022 by Bob Corbin.

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Two weeks ago, we began studying the book of Daniel. I mentioned that throughout the book we will be repeatedly seeing three key elements reflected: The Impact of Daniel's God, The Impact of Daniel's Life, and The Impact of Daniel's Writing.
In chapter 1, we immediately saw the impact of Daniel's life upon his friends and his overseers. But the fullness of that impact was accomplished as a result of God's faithfulness in blessing Daniel and his friends as they chose to be consecrated unto Him.
Last week, we saw the impact of Daniel's life as he, by faith, believed that YHWH was able to share with him the exact dream that Nebuchadnezzar had and its interpretation. This impact of YHWH, working through the life of Daniel, was seen clearly by Nebuchadnezzar.
Today, we want to examine both the content of Nebuchadnezzar's dream, considering the Prophetical Interpretation of it, and Nebuchadnezzar response to it's declaration.
This message was presented on January 16, 2022 by Bob Corbin.

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Last week, we began studying the book of Daniel and briefly considered three key elements that will be reflected throughout this book: The Impact of Daniel's God, The Impact of Daniel's Life, and The Impact of Daniel's Writing.
In chapter 1, we immediately saw the impact of Daniel's life ... as he was taken by the Chaldeans, from his home in Jerusalem, to Babylon in order to serve Nebuchadnezzar (along with three other Jewish young men). In the midst of the international turmoil and personal afflictions, Daniel purposed in his heart not to defile himself - before his God. His decision had an effect upon the other three Jewish young men as well. Daniel's life began to make an impact in the lives of those around because of his commitment to YHWH.
Today, we learn a bit more of this committed life and the impact that God will make, using Daniel, in the life and government of the most powerful man on earth - Nebuchadnezzar. We will take two weeks to consider this event, today looking at the Practical Application of Daniel's Faith, and, Lord willing, next week considering the Prophetical Interpretation of Nebuchadnezzar's Dream.
This message was presented on January 9, 2022 by Bob Corbin.

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We are beginning a consideration of the book of Daniel.
As I have read through this book during my Quiet Times of the past and various studies, I am continually impressed by the Impact that God can make upon the world through one man who is submitted and consecrated to the sovereignty of God.
As we study this book, there will be three key elements that appear: The Impact of Daniel's God, The Impact of Daniel's Life, and The Impact of Daniel's Writing.
Today, we begin this study by considering the faithfulness of Daniel and his companions in the midst of unprecedented international and personal tribulation ... and how God revealed His faithfulness to Daniel and his companions.
This message was presented on January 2, 2022 by Bob Corbin.

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THE FEAST OF THE INCARNATION ... a wonderful time to remember how God fulfilled His great grace to us by sending forth His only begotten Son - part of the godhead - to be incarnate, in order that He might be the perfect sacrifice to pay the penalty of our sins and purchase us back to the Father who loves us!
The fullness of this celebration is summed up by the Proclamation of the Angelic Messenger in Luke 2:11, "For there is born to you this day in the city of David a Savior, who is the Christ the Lord."
Today, as a transition between the celebration of the Incarnation of Christ and our study of the book of Daniel, I would like to simply consider the Scripture passages displaying the prophetic anticipation of this wonderful event!
This message was presented on December 26, 2021 by Bob Corbin.

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During the past nine months we have been considering John's presentation of Jesus - the Son of God who became flesh in order that He might become the payment for our sins, as the Lamb of God. Jesus became that payment - the sacrifice to take away our sins - when He was crucified. Jesus' final statement on the cross was: "It is Finished!" Three days later, He rose bodily from the dead, appearing first to Mary Magdalene and then to two disciples traveling to Emmaus (cf. Luke 24:13-35). Last week we covered the third and fourth appearances of Jesus, which were the first two appearances to His disciples after His resurrection - first to 10 of the 11 (Thomas was missing) and then to all 11. Today we cover the last chapter in the Gospel of John.
Speaking of Jesus' disciples, Luke writes in Acts 1:3 - "... to whom He also presented Himself alive after His suffering by many infallible proofs, being seen by them during forty days and speaking of the things pertaining to the kingdom of God." The New Testament records at least 10 appearances by Jesus to various people and groups during this forty day period. John ends his account with one of these, where Jesus appears to seven of His disciples in Galilee along the shore of the Sea of Tiberias (also known as the Sea of Galilee). This appearance shows us three different ways that this is the same risen Jesus as the Jesus the disciples had known prior to the crucifixion. Jesus challenges Peter to "Follow Me" and to "Feed My sheep".
This message was presented on December 19, 2021 by David Hayes.

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During the past nine months we have been considering John's presentation of Jesus - the Son of God, who became flesh, in order that He might become the payment for our sins, as the Lamb of God. Over the past couple of weeks we have been considering that very payment. Jesus' final statement on the cross was: "It is Finished!" Three days later, He rose from the dead. This was the attestation that God had truly accept His sacrifice for our sins was accepted.
After Jesus rose from the dead, He appeared to Mary Magdalene and then to two disciples traveling to Emmaus (cf. Luke 24:13-35).
Today, we examine Jesus' next two appearances, these are with His disciples in the upper room.
This message was presented on December 12, 2021 by Bob Corbin.

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Over the past couple of weeks, we have been considering the final hours of Christ's earthly ministry - from His example of humility in washing the disciples' feet to His sacrificial gift of Himself upon the cross for the sins of the world.
The final message of Jesus upon the cross was "It is Finished!" In the Greek, that was the word "tetelestai." It is in the perfect tense, indicating a past action with a continuing result. Jesus stated that in His sacrifice, He was completing all that needed to be accomplished in order for the penalty of our sins to be paid.
Today, we examine the confirmation of that sacrificial offering; the attestation that God had truly accepted that offering: His Resurrection!
We will examine first of the initial impact of this event upon the lives of some principal participants and then the importance of the Resurrection itself upon mankind.
This message was presented on December 5, 2021 by Bob Corbin.

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We have been considering John's declaration of the Gospel of Jesus Christ for the past nine months. We have seen that the purpose of John's gospel is to reveal Jesus as the Son of God who became the Lamb of God in order to take away the sins of the world.
Today, we come to the fulfillment - the consummation - of this purpose, when Jesus offers Himself for the sins of the world!
Last week we saw the perplexity of Pilate as he interacted with Jesus, and then his ultimate capitulation of the Truth because of the fear of men.
Today, we see again how God takes what is meant for evil and uses it for good. Satan, seeking to destroy the plan of God actually fulfilled the plan of God!
This message was presented on November 28, 2021 by Bob Corbin.

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Last week we considered Jesus' arrest in the garden by the soldiers and religious leaders. He was led by them to Annas and then Caiaphas to be interrogated by them. We focused last week upon Jesus' rebuke of Peter (considering the discussion of the sword and the cup) and Peter's denial of Jesus.
Today, we want to look at the trials themselves. Specifically, I would like to present it from the perspective of Pilate - as one who is being confronted with the truth.
This message was presented on November 21, 2021 by Bob Corbin.

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We have taken the past two months to consider Jesus' final moments with His disciples. All that we have been studying has happened in just a few hours. We considered His institution of the Lord's Supper, His example of loving servanthood, His promises (of a home in heaven and of His presence on earth), His warning of coming persecution, and His prayer for their (and our) unity.
Today, we consider the actions of Jesus and His disciples in the Garden of Gethsemane ... seeing once again the proclamation of Jesus' deity, and the conclusion of Jesus' prophetic proclamation of Peter's denial of Him.
This message was presented on November 14, 2021 by Bob Corbin.

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Last week, we began to consider Jesus' prayer at the end of His time of instruction with His disciples. He asked the Father to glorify Him with the glory that He shared with the Father before the world came into existence! In the midst of this request, He also provided a definition of eternal life. Eternal life is relationally knowing God the Father and Jesus the Messiah, who had been sent out of, and by, the Father.
Today, we will consider Jesus' requests on behalf of those who follow Him - His disciples.
This message was presented on November 7, 2021 by Bob Corbin.

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We have spent the last eight months studying John's account of the ministry of Jesus Christ - the Son of God who became the Lamb of God in order to take away the sin of the world.
Over the past two months, we have been studying chapters 13-16 which record Jesus' actions and instructions to His disciples during the final hours of His life. They traveling to the Garden of Gethsemane where He will pray and then, subsequently, be arrested. However, before they arrive there, Jesus takes a moment to pray for His disciples. We have the blessing of having that High Priestly prayer of Jesus recorded for our learning.
Today, we will consider the first eight verses of chapter 17, which records an important request of Jesus'.
This message was presented on October 31, 2021 by Bob Corbin.

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Jesus - the Son of God who became the Lamb of God to take away the sin of the world - is in His final hours. As we have been studying the past couple of weeks, He is sharing with His disciples concerning what to expect after He leaves them.
Today, we come to the end of this time instruction with Jesus' final summary and exhortation. Jesus once again reveals to His disciples who is He, where He came from, and what is about to transpire in their lives.
As we consider this portion, it is good for us to meditate upon what our thought process would be like if we were in the "sandals" of the apostles ... and, then to consider how we still react, and respond, even knowing now much than they did!
This message was presented on October 24, 2021 by Bob Corbin.

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We are in the midst of John's account of the ministry of Jesus Christ where Jesus, in His final hours, is intimately sharing with His disciples regarding what to expect after He leaves them.
Jesus promised His disciples that He would prepare a monae for each of those who follow Him in His Father's house, that He would intercede on their behalf with the Father, that He would send the Holy Spirit to dwell in those who loved Him and kept His commandments, that He and the Father would set up their monae in that individual as well, and that He would give them His peace. Then, Jesus exhorted His disciples to abide (meno) in Him - in His Word and in His love. If they did this, they would be fruitful in their lives and the Father would be glorified.
Last week, we began to consider Jesus' instruction to the disciples regarding their interaction with the world ... that they were in the world but not truly of the world. As a result of being His disciples, the world would hate them as it hates Him. In fact, Jesus shared that the world hated Him without a cause. Yet, as we experience this persecution from the world, we need to constantly remember that Jesus promised to be with us through it, and that the Holy Spirit would be at work - in our lives and, through our lives, in the world.
Today, we consider the remainder of the portion of Scripture that began last week.
This message was presented on October 17, 2021 by Bob Corbin.

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We are in the midst of John's account of the ministry of Jesus Christ where Jesus, in His final hours, is intimately sharing with His disciples regarding what to expect after He leaves them.
Jesus has promised them that He will be going to His Father's house to prepare a monae for each of those who follow Him. He promised that, being at the Father's right side, He would be interceding on their behalf. He promised that He would send the Holy Spirit to dwell in those who loved Him and kept His commandments, and that He and the Father would set up their monae in that individual as well! Finally, He promised them His peace.
Last week we saw that Jesus exhorted His disciples to abide (meno) in Him - in His Word and in His love. If they did this, they would be fruitful in their lives and the Father would be glorified. He also shared that those who truly abided in Him would indeed be fruitful. Those who were not bearing fruit were not actually connected to the vine (and He was/is the vine).
Today, we see Jesus' instruction to the disciples regarding their interaction with the world ... that they were in the world but not truly of the world. He reveals to them what would the results of their following Him. This is important information for us to understand, embrace, and heed as we also begin to experience persecution.
This message was presented on October 10, 2021 by Bob Corbin.

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Over the past four weeks, we have been considering Jesus' loving, servant leadership to His followers - expressed by His example of humility in serving them while they bickered regarding their greatness, and expressed through the promises that He gave them in the midst of their dismay.
Over the past two weeks, we have considered Jesus' promises to those who believe in Him. First, that He would prepare a dwelling place (monae) in His Father's house. Next, Jesus stated that He would intercede on their behalf with the Father; if they asked anything in His name (according to His will) He would accomplish it for us. He then promised those who love Him and keep His commandments, that He would send the Holy Spirit to dwell within them; and that the Father and Son would set up their monae in the believer! Finally, He promised them His peace.
As we transition into chapter 15, Jesus begins to teach His disciples while they are traveling from the upper room to Gethsemane. In this final time of teaching, Jesus seeks to encourage them in face of what they will experience in life.
Jesus shares that the key to living a fruitful life will be abiding in Him. Abiding (meno) is the verbal root of monae. We must choose to dwell in Christ, in His Word and in His Love. If we do so, we will bear fruit and the Father will be glorified.
This message was presented on October 3, 2021 by Bob Corbin.

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At the beginning of chapter 13, we saw Jesus celebrate the Passover meal with His disciples. In the context of this meal, Jesus began to reveal to His disciples the fullness of His love for them. He took off His outer garment, took the towel of the door servant, and began to wash their feet, tangibly revealing to them His servant leadership.
Jesus then began to share with them that it would beneficial to them for Him to complete the task which He had come to perform. Through the perfection of this redemptive ministry on their behalf, He would also be establishing the basis for other means of Him serving them.
Last week, we saw the declaration of Jesus that if He left - and He was - it would be to prepare a place in His Father's house for each of His disciples, and then come back to get them as their rooms were prepared! Jesus stated that He Himself would escort them, and that the place prepared would be a permanent place of remaining, no more roaming. As part of the validation of this promise, Jesus again referred to His Oneness with the Father - He was in the Father and the Father was in Him.
In our passage today, we see Jesus provide His disciples with at least three more promises regarding the benefits to His departing them.
This message was presented on September 26, 2021 by Bob Corbin.

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Over the past two weeks, we have seen Jesus reveal His love for His disciples through His servant leadership.
Today, we see Him begin to share some very important promises of how He will continue to serve them. Indeed, the first of the promises is truly that to which the hope of our salvation is anchored: Our Reservation in Heaven!
This message was presented on September 19, 2021 by Bob Corbin.

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The primary purpose of John's gospel is reveal Jesus as the Son of God who became the Lamb of God to take away the sins of the world. The first 12 chapters of John's gospel account cover the public ministry of Jesus, revealing His Deity through both His declarations and the performance of miracles that only YHWH could do.
Last week, we began to look at Jesus' final evening with His disciples. In chapters 13-18, we see Jesus' final teaching and instruction to His disciples. As we discussed last week, when you know that you are about to pass away, you want to make sure that you impart those things that you believe those you are leaving behind need to know. This is what we will be considering over the next two months or so.
This section is initiated with the statement that Jesus "having loved His own who were in the world, He loved them to the end."
Last week, we saw that Jesus demonstrated His love through servant leadership. He saw their need and then became involved in meeting their need. His washing their feet was just a small illustration of the sacrifice and cleansing that He would shortly perform on their behalf.
Today, we continue looking at the "extent" of this great love, by looking deeper into the context and relationships which were involved during that event. For, in this moment, we see the juxtaposition of the failure of man with the faithfulness of God.
This message was presented on September 12, 2021 by Bob Corbin.

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This message was presented on a Monday morning, at the end our annual Family Camp.
Over the past six months we have examined the public ministry of Christ. John spent the first 12 chapters of His gospel account revealing the Deity of Christ - that Jesus was truly the Son of God. We saw that Jesus not only declared that He was YHWH, but that He also performed miracles that only YHWH could do.
Today, we come to chapter 13, where we find a major transition that will last for the next five chapters. John takes the space in his gospel account to reveal Jesus' final teaching and instruction to His disciples. When you know that you are about to pass away, you want to make sure that you impart those things that you believe those you are leaving behind need to know. This is what we will be considering over the next two months or so.
Today, we consider the importance of Jesus' demonstration of servant leadership.
This message was presented on September 6, 2021 by Bob Corbin.

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"Who is Jesus?" That is what the religious leaders, and people in general, during Jesus' day was trying to figure out. Jesus had declared Himself to be YHWH - I am I AM - and had backed it up with works that only the Creator God could accomplish.
Last week, we began considering Jesus' final week of Jesus' earthly life. Jesus entered into Jerusalem knowing that He would be offering Himself as the propitiation for the sins of the whole world. His entrance was received with a variety of responses.
But it is Jesus' response in the midst of this revelry which truly draws our attention. Jesus again began revealing to His disciples that He would be soon voluntarily offering His life. And this offering was according to the plan and purpose of God.
This message was presented on August 29, 2021 by Bob Corbin.

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