Dove Creek Bible Church's Podcast: Recent Episodes
Jeff Harrington
John 18:28–19:15 covers the trial of Jesus before the Roman governor Pontius Pilate. The Jewish leaders hand Jesus over to Rome to secure a death sentence. Pilate questions Jesus about His kingship, declares Him innocent multiple times, but ultimately caves to the crowd and yields to crucify Him.
In John 18:12-26, Jesus is arrested, bound, and led away to a preliminary interrogation before the former high priest Annas. Concurrently, Simon Peter follows Jesus into the courtyard, where he faces pressure and begins his first denials of being a disciple of Jesus.
John 18:1-11 marks the dramatic turning point where Jesus' public ministry ends and his passion week begins. In this passage, Jesus crosses the Kidron Valley to a garden with his disciples, where Judas arrives with Roman soldiers and temple guards to arrest him. Instead of a helpless victim, Jesus is portrayed as a calm, sovereign leader who is completely in control of his own destiny.
John 17 is the longest recorded prayer of Jesus, focusing on glory, eternal life, and unity. Known as the High Priestly Prayer, it occurs on the night of His betrayal just before His crucifixion.
In John 16:17-33, Jesus addresses His disciples' confusion over His impending departure. To comfort them, He promises peace amidst worldly trouble because He has overcome the world.
In John 16:7-15, Jesus prepares His disciples for His impending departure by offering one of the most comforting and profound teachings in the New Testament about the Holy Spirit. He assures them that His physical absence is actually for their benefit, as it clears the way for the "Helper" or Advocate to guide, comfort, and empower believers.
In John 10:22-42, during Hanukkah in Jerusalem, religious leaders press Jesus to plainly state if He is the Messiah. Jesus declares He is one with the Father, prompting them to attempt to stone Him for blasphemy. He then retreats across the Jordan, where many believe in Him.
John 15:9–25 is part of Jesus’ farewell teaching to His disciples on the night before His crucifixion. In this passage, Jesus calls His followers to remain in His love, obey His commandments, and love one another as He has loved them—even to the point of sacrificial service and devotion. He also warns that, because they belong to Him, they will face opposition from the world. The passage highlights the close relationship between love, obedience, friendship with Christ, and faithful perseverance in the face of persecution.
John 15:1–8 introduces one of Jesus’ most powerful teachings, using the image of a vine and branches to describe the relationship between Himself and His followers. In this passage, Jesus declares that He is the “true vine,” God is the gardener, and believers are the branches, emphasizing that spiritual life and growth come only from remaining connected to Him. The imagery highlights both the nourishment and pruning that come from God, showing that fruitful living depends on abiding in Christ.
John 14:15–31 continues Jesus’ farewell teaching with a focus on love, obedience, and divine presence, as he promises to send the Holy Spirit as a helper who will remain with and guide his followers. He assures them that they will not be left alone, but will experience a deep, ongoing relationship with the Father and the Son through the Spirit. Alongside this promise, Jesus offers his unique peace—not like the world’s—and encourages them to trust and not be afraid, even as he prepares for his departure and the events leading to the cross.
John 14:1–14 begins with Jesus comforting his anxious disciples as he prepares them for his departure, urging them not to be troubled but to trust in him and in the Father. He promises that he is going to prepare a place for them and assures them of a future reunion, then declares that he himself is “the way, the truth, and the life,” the only path to the Father. As he reveals that knowing him is the same as knowing God, Jesus also promises that his followers will continue his work and invites them to pray in his name, highlighting both his unity with the Father and the ongoing mission of his disciples.
John 13:18–37 continues the Upper Room scene with growing intensity as Jesus reveals that one of his own disciples will betray him, a moment that shocks the group and leads to Judas leaving into the night. In the midst of this betrayal and looming suffering, Jesus speaks of his coming glory and gives a “new commandment” to love one another as he has loved them, marking love as the defining sign of true discipleship. The passage closes with Peter’s bold promise of loyalty contrasted by Jesus’ prediction of his denial, highlighting both human weakness and the need for grace as the story moves toward the cross.
John 13:1–17 opens the farewell section of John’s Gospel with a powerful scene at the Last Supper, where Jesus, fully aware that his death is near, demonstrates his love by taking the role of a servant and washing his disciples’ feet. This shocking act of humility—normally done by the lowest servant—serves as both a picture of spiritual cleansing and a model of sacrificial love and leadership. In teaching that his followers must do likewise, Jesus redefines greatness as humble service and calls his disciples to embody his love in practical, self-giving ways.
John 12:37–50 brings a sobering close to Jesus’ public ministry, highlighting the tension between belief and unbelief as many reject him despite witnessing his signs, fulfilling prophetic warnings from Isaiah. While some quietly believe but fear public confession, Jesus delivers a final appeal, declaring himself the light of the world and urging faith in him as the one sent by the Father. The passage underscores both the urgency of responding to Jesus and the reality that his words carry eternal significance, offering salvation to those who believe and accountability to those who reject him.
John 12:20–36 marks a pivotal moment as outsiders—Greeks seeking Jesus—signal that his mission is expanding beyond Israel, prompting him to declare that “the hour has come” for his glory through the cross. Using the image of a grain of wheat that must die to bear fruit, Jesus explains that his sacrificial death is the pathway to life for many and calls his followers to a life of surrender and discipleship. As he speaks of being “lifted up” to draw all people to himself and urges them to walk in the light while they still can, the passage highlights the paradox of glory through suffering and invites a response of faith.
John 12:1–19 marks a turning point as Jesus approaches the final week of his life, beginning in Bethany with a deeply personal act of devotion—Mary anointing him with costly perfume, foreshadowing his impending death and revealing true worship in contrast to Judas’s self-interest. This culminates in the triumphal entry into Jerusalem, where Jesus is publicly hailed as king with shouts of “Hosanna,” yet he enters humbly on a donkey in fulfillment of prophecy, signaling a kingdom unlike what many expected.
In John 11:47–57, the chief priests and Pharisees convene the Sanhedrin in response to Jesus raising Lazarus, fearing that His growing influence will lead many to believe in Him and provoke Roman intervention against the nation. Caiaphas, the high priest, argues that it is better for one man to die for the people than for the whole nation to perish. From that day forward, they plot to kill Him, prompting Jesus to withdraw to Ephraim with His disciples. As Passover approaches, many wonder whether He will appear.
John 11:1–46 recounts the illness, death, and raising of Lazarus, revealing both Jesus’ deep compassion and His divine authority. After intentionally delaying His visit, Jesus arrives in Bethany to find Lazarus already buried, leading to grief from Martha and Mary, who each express faith mixed with confusion about His timing. Jesus responds by declaring Himself “the resurrection and the life,” calling for belief in Him beyond present circumstances. This miraculous sign leads many to believe in Him while also intensifying opposition from others, highlighting both the life-giving power of Christ and the division His identity provokes.
John 10:22–42 takes place during the Feast of Dedication (Hanukkah) in Jerusalem, where religious leaders confront Jesus and demand that He state plainly whether He is the Messiah. Jesus responds that His words and works have already made His identity clear, but they do not believe because they are not His sheep; His sheep hear His voice, follow Him, and are eternally secure in His and the Father’s hands. When Jesus declares, “the Father and I are one,” the leaders try to stone Him for blasphemy, accusing Him of making Himself God. They attempt to arrest Him, but He escapes and withdraws beyond the Jordan, where many people believe in Him, affirming that John the Baptist’s testimony about Jesus was true.
In John 10:1–21, Jesus proclaims Himself as the Good Shepherd who knows His sheep, calls them by name, and lays down His life for them. He contrasts Himself with thieves, robbers, and hired hands—leaders who use or abandon the flock when danger comes. Jesus declares that He is both the Gate, through whom His sheep find safety and abundant life, and the Shepherd, who willingly gives His life, not because it is taken from Him, but by His own authority. On Easter, this passage rings with resurrection hope: the Shepherd who lays down His life also takes it up again, proving that death does not have the final word. Some who hear Jesus are confused or hostile, but others recognize His voice and believe. Easter reminds us that the risen Christ still calls His sheep today—not to fear, but to life, belonging, and resurrection freedom under the care of the living Shepherd
John 9 tells the story of Jesus healing a man who was blind from birth, and uses that miracle to expose the difference between physical sight and spiritual insight. The chapter ends with Jesus declaring that He came so that the blind may see and those who claim to see may be exposed as blind, highlighting the tragedy of religious certainty without true faith.
Jesus confronts the claim that Abraham is the Jews’ true father, insisting that genuine children of Abraham would act as Abraham did by believing God’s word. He exposes that their desire to kill Him shows they are instead aligned with the devil, the father of lies.
Jesus tells the Jewish leaders that He is going away to a place they cannot follow, warning that they will die in their sins because they do not believe He is who He claims to be. He explains that He comes from above and speaks what the Father has taught Him, and that His true identity will be revealed when He is “lifted up.”
In John 8:12–20, Jesus declares, “I am the light of the world,” teaching that those who follow him will not live in spiritual darkness but will receive the light that brings life.
John 7:53–8:11 recounts the episode of the woman caught in adultery, brought before Jesus by scribes and Pharisees who seek to trap him by appealing to the law of Moses. As they press him to authorize her execution, Jesus responds by challenging any sinless accuser to cast the first stone, leading them to leave one by one, convicted by their own consciences.
John 7:19–52 portrays escalating conflict over Jesus’ identity during the Feast of Tabernacles. Jesus confronts the crowd and the religious leaders for their inconsistency in keeping the law, defending his healing on the Sabbath, and urging them to judge rightly rather than by appearances.
John 7:1–18 recounts how Jesus remains in Galilee because of growing hostility in Judea, even as the Feast of Tabernacles approaches. His brothers urge him to go publicly to Jerusalem and display his works, but they do not believe in him, and Jesus insists on following God’s timing rather than human expectations.
John 6:59–71 describes the reaction to Jesus’ teaching in the synagogue at Capernaum: many of his disciples find his words difficult and offensive and stop following him. When Jesus asks the Twelve if they will also leave, Peter confesses that Jesus alone has the words of eternal life and is the Holy One of God. Jesus affirms his choice of the Twelve but soberly notes that one of them—Judas Iscariot—will turn against him.
John 6:22–58 follows the miraculous feeding of the five thousand and Jesus’ walk on the water—two signs that reveal both His compassion and His divine identity. As the crowds track Jesus down across the lake, they come seeking more bread, but Jesus redirects their hunger toward something far deeper. What begins as a conversation about physical needs becomes a profound invitation to believe in Him, to receive the life He offers, and to enter into an eternal relationship.
John 6:1–24 presents a series of signs that reveal Jesus as both provider and protector. Beginning with the feeding of the five thousand, Jesus demonstrates His compassion and divine power to meet human need, surpassing what seems possible with what is willingly offered. The passage then turns to the disciples’ struggle on the sea, where Jesus appears to them walking on the water and declares, “It is I; do not be afraid.” Together, these events invite us to trust Jesus not only for daily provision but also for peace and security amid fear and uncertainty.
John 5:19–47 records Jesus’ direct response to accusations that He was making Himself equal with God. Rather than retreating, Jesus boldly explains His unique relationship with the Father, emphasizing perfect unity, obedience, and shared authority.
John 5:1–18 marks a turning point in Jesus’ public ministry as a miraculous healing leads to open conflict with the religious leaders. After healing a man who had been disabled for thirty-eight years, Jesus confronts rigid Sabbath traditions and reveals the deeper purpose of God’s work.
John 4:43–54 concludes Jesus’ ministry in Galilee with a powerful sign that reveals the nature of true faith. In this passage, Jesus heals the son of a royal official—not through touch or presence, but through His spoken word.
John 4:1–42 records one of the most personal and revealing encounters in the Gospels—Jesus’ conversation with a Samaritan woman at a well. Crossing cultural, ethnic, moral, and religious boundaries, Jesus meets a woman burdened by broken relationships and spiritual confusion.
On this holy night, we gather to remember a moment that changed the world forever. In the quiet of Bethlehem, God stepped into human history—not with fanfare or force, but as a child laid in a manger. Christmas Eve invites us to slow down, to listen again to the familiar story, and to let its wonder speak to our hearts. On this night, we remember that the light shines in the darkness, that hope has come, and that God is with us. As we worship, may we rediscover the awe, peace, and joy of this night, and may our hearts be drawn once more to the Savior who came for us.
Love is a word we use often, yet it is rarely understood in its deepest sense. Advent invites us to see love not as a feeling we generate, but as a gift God gives. At Christmas, love takes on flesh and enters the world in the person of Jesus Christ—quietly, humbly, and intentionally. In a world shaped by fear, division, and self-interest, the Advent of love reminds us that God did not love us from a distance; He came near.
Peace is something we long for deeply, yet rarely experience fully. We look for it in quiet moments, stable circumstances, or the absence of conflict, but Advent peace comes to us in a different way. When the angels announced “peace on earth,” they proclaimed not a temporary calm, but the arrival of the One who would reconcile what sin had fractured—our relationship with God, with one another, and within our own hearts. In the midst of a restless and divided world, Advent reminds us that true peace is not the absence of trouble, but the presence of Christ.
Joy is often confused with happiness, something fragile and fleeting that rises and falls with our circumstances. But Advent joy is different. It is born not out of ease or abundance, but out of promise fulfilled and grace received. When the angel announced “good news of great joy,” it was spoken into a world weary from waiting, burdened by oppression, and familiar with sorrow. The joy of Advent does not ignore the darkness; it shines within it.
Christmas begins not with celebration, but with waiting. Long before angels sang and shepherds ran to Bethlehem, God’s people lived in the tension of promise and delay, longing for light in a world marked by darkness, loss, and unmet expectations. Advent reminds us that hope is not wishful thinking or seasonal optimism—it is the confident expectation that God will keep His word. In the birth of Jesus, hope takes on flesh and enters human history, not in power or spectacle, but in humility and vulnerability.
In John 4:1–24, Jesus deliberately steps into unfamiliar territory—geographically, culturally, and spiritually—to engage a Samaritan woman whose life has been marked by brokenness, longing, and unmet thirst. What begins as an ordinary request for water at a well unfolds into one of the most profound conversations in the Gospels, revealing Jesus as the giver of “living water” and the one who knows us fully yet offers grace freely.
In his final sermon as pastor of Dove Creek, Pastor Jeff preaches on the importance of following John the Baptist's example in being willing to decrease so Jesus can increase.
John 3:16–21 unfolds the heart of the gospel. Jesus explains that God’s love for the world is so vast that He gave His only Son, so that anyone who believes in Him will not perish but have eternal life. Jesus then uses the imagery of light and darkness to reveal a deeper truth about the human heart. The Light—Christ Himself—has come into a dark world, but people often choose the shadows because they don’t want their deeds exposed. This passage highlights both the generosity of God’s love and the responsibility of responding to the Light He has given.
In John 3:1–15, we meet Nicodemus—a respected Pharisee and member of the Jewish ruling council. Jesus tells Nicodemus to see God’s kingdom, a person must be “born again”—born not just physically, but spiritually, by the work of the Holy Spirit. Nicodemus struggles to understand how such a transformation is possible. John 3:1–15 invites us into the mystery, necessity, and promise of new birth through Christ.
Have you ever walked into a place that was supposed to be sacred or peaceful, only to find it cluttered, noisy, and chaotic? That’s the kind of scene Jesus walks into in John 2. He enters the temple—the very center of Jewish worship—and finds not reverence, but racket. The temple courts are filled with merchants, money changers, and the smell of animals.Then Jesus does something shocking. The gentle carpenter from Nazareth makes a whip, drives out the sellers, overturns tables, and commands everyone to stop turning His Father’s house into a place of profit. It’s not the image of “meek and mild” Jesus we’re used to—it’s a righteous, passionate Jesus, consumed with zeal for God’s glory.
Weddings are meant to be joyful celebrations — moments when everything should go just right. However, as anyone who has ever planned one knows, something always goes wrong. In John 2, we find one such wedding disaster — they’ve run out of wine. To us, that might sound like a minor inconvenience, but in that culture it was a social catastrophe, a deep embarrassment for the family.Into that moment of quiet panic steps Jesus. It’s His first recorded miracle, but He doesn’t raise the dead, heal the sick, or calm a storm. He simply turns water into wine — an act of quiet compassion that reveals something profound about who He is and what He came to do.
John 1:35–51 introduces us to the very first followers of Jesus. Here we see ordinary people—encountering Jesus in ways that would change their lives forever.From John the Baptist pointing his disciples to Christ, to Jesus calling Philip and Nathanael with a simple, yet powerful, invitation: “Follow me”—this passage shows us how discipleship begins: with curiosity, recognition, and trust. We’ll explore how Jesus meets people where they are, reveals Himself as the Messiah, and calls us into a relationship that transforms everything.
In John 1:19–34—we have one of the most powerful introductions in all of Scripture. Here we meet John the Baptist, a man who knew exactly who he was—and who he wasn’t. When the crowds pressed him with questions about his identity, John’s response was simple and humble: “I’m not the Messiah.” His mission was to prepare the way and point people to Jesus.
This powerful section of John’s prologue declares the mystery and majesty of the Incarnation—that the eternal Word became flesh and lived among us. Verse 14 is one of the most profound statements in Scripture, revealing that Jesus, fully divine, took on human nature to dwell with humanity. Through Him, we behold the glory of God, full of grace and truth.
This passage introduces John the Baptist as a divinely sent witness to the true Light, which is Christ. The verses emphasize the contrast between light and darkness, belief and unbelief. These verses highlight key themes of revelation, rejection, and spiritual rebirth, setting the stage for the rest of the Gospel’s message about Jesus as the incarnate Word and Savior.
The opening verses of the Gospel of John stand as one of the most profound and majestic introductions in all of Scripture. Unlike the Synoptic Gospels, which begin with earthly events, John begins in eternity. John introduces us to the Word (Logos)—a title rich with meaning in both Jewish and Greek thought. To the Jewish reader, “the Word” evoked God’s creative and revelatory power, as seen in the Old Testament. To the Greek mind, it suggested the rational principle that governed the universe. John boldly declares that this Word was not only with God, but was God Himself.
As we look ahead to the future of our church, it’s vital that we carry a clear vision—one rooted not just in plans and goals, but in a deeper understanding of what it means to truly worship. Worship is far more than singing songs on a Sunday morning; it’s a lifestyle of surrender, obedience, and devotion to God in every area of our lives.
In a world that often feels disconnected and divided, the church is called to be a place of genuine connection, belonging, and love. God designed us not to walk alone, but to grow together in faith, support one another in trials, and celebrate in joy as one body.
Proverbs 3:5–6 encourages complete trust in God rather than relying on one's own understanding. It teaches that by acknowledging God in all aspects of life, He will guide and direct one's path.
Proverbs 8 presents wisdom as a divine and eternal gift that brings countless blessings to those who embrace it. Wisdom is portrayed as calling out to all people, offering guidance, truth, and understanding. Those who seek and follow wisdom gain prudence, knowledge, and sound judgment.
In 1961, Sammy Davis Jr. performed a song from a popular musical to some acclaim. The song was "What Kind of Fool Am I?" We have all been fools at one time or another. What leads us down the path of a fool? How do we course correct?
The Bible, particularly the book of Proverbs, emphasizes the importance of guarding one's heart, as it is the source of life and influences all actions. Protecting your heart means being mindful of what influences your thoughts, feelings, and desires.
Proverbs 6:1–15 offers a series of warnings and practical wisdom about personal responsibility, laziness, and deceitful behavior. It begins by cautioning against unwise financial entanglements, such as guaranteeing another person’s debt, urging swift action to free oneself from such obligations. The passage then praises the industriousness of the ant, encouraging diligence and planning over laziness, which leads to poverty. Finally, it describes the destructive nature of wicked people who sow discord through lies, deceit, and malicious intent, warning that sudden ruin will come upon them without remedy. The overall message emphasizes integrity, hard work, and prudence in daily life.
They say we live in an Age of Rage. What are the dangers of losing self-control? One Bible character in particular never learned to control his temper. Many proverbs warn of succumbing to our angry impulses, but this person ultimately had to reap what he had sown.
Proverbs 1:8-19 is a heartfelt warning from a father to his son, urging him to resist the enticement of sinners who seek easy gain through violence and greed. The father vividly describes how sinners may try to lure others into joining them in ambushes and theft, promising quick rewards, but he exposes the folly of such a life. Ultimately, these verses reveal that those who pursue ill-gotten gain set a trap for themselves—their greed leads to their own destruction.
Proverbs 1:1–7 serves as the foundational introduction to the entire Book of Proverbs, setting the tone and purpose for the wisdom literature that follows. These verses outline the book’s intent: to impart wisdom, discipline, and understanding, especially to the young and inexperienced. It emphasizes the value of prudence, knowledge, and discretion, while also warning that true wisdom begins with the fear of the Lord—a reverent awe and respect for God.
Joshua 24:14-33 captures a pivotal moment in Israel’s history where Joshua gathers all the tribes of Israel at Shechem to renew their covenant with God. The people respond with a solemn vow to remain loyal to God, and Joshua formalizes this commitment by setting up a stone as a witness to their pledge.
Pastor David reflects not only on the role of earthly fathers but also on the example of our Heavenly Father—steadfast, loving, and full of grace. He challenges men to live out the calling of fatherhood with faith, strength, and compassion."
In Joshua 23, Joshua addresses the leaders of Israel as he nears the end of his life. He recounts God's faithfulness in leading them to victory and granting them the land. Joshua emphasizes the importance of obedience to God's covenant, warning of the severe consequences of disobedience and urging them to remain faithful to God alone, resisting the temptations of foreign cultures and faiths.
Joshua 22:9-34 recounts a moment of potential conflict and reconciliation among the tribes of Israel after they had settled in the Promised Land.
Joshua 22:1-8 describes Joshua’s farewell to the eastern tribes—Reuben, Gad, and the half-tribe of Manasseh—after they faithfully fulfilled their military duty to help the other tribes conquer the Promised Land.
Joshua 13–21 details the division of the Promised Land among the twelve tribes of Israel after their conquest of Canaan. Instead of receiving a territory, the Levites are given cities scattered throughout Israel since their inheritance is the Lord. The passage also highlights the establishment of cities of refuge and concludes with a declaration that God fulfilled His promise, giving Israel rest and victory over their enemies.
Joshua 12 summarizes the Israelites' defeat of kings during their conquest of the Promised Land. It lists 31 kings defeated, showcasing God's faithfulness in fulfilling His promises to the Israelites. The chapter serves as a historical record of God's sovereignty over nations and rulers, emphasizing the fulfillment of His covenant with the descendants of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. Additionally, it recounts the victories under the leadership of Moses and Joshua, highlighting the significance of these conquests in the broader narrative of Israel's history.
Joshua 11:16-23 summarizes the Israelites' complete conquest of the land of Canaan. Over a long time, Joshua captured all the land and all the kings. Except for the Hivites of Gibeon, no city made peace with Israel, and the Lord hardened the hearts of the Canaanite kings to ensure their destruction, and the land had rest from war. Are the Canaanite kings to blame because they refused to make a treaty like the Hivites of Gibeon, or is God to blame because He hardened their hearts?
In this Easter Sermon, Pastor Josh addresses the resurrection of Jesus, his appearance to the women, and how His resurrection transformed the disciples of Christ into brothers and sisters in Christ.
Palm Sunday is mentioned in each of the four Gospels. On this day, Jesus rode into the city on a donkey, symbolizing peace, fulfilling an ancient prophecy, and acknowledging his kingship. The event serves as a reminder for Christians to welcome Jesus into their hearts and be ready to follow Him.
In Joshua 10:16-11:15, the Israelites, under Joshua's leadership, continue their conquest of Canaan. They defeated the five kings who had fled to a cave and then launched a campaign against a coalition of northern kings, ultimately destroying their cities and possessions.
In Joshua 10:1-27, Gibeon, a city that had made a treaty with Israel, is attacked by five Canaanite kings, leading the Israelites, under Joshua's leadership, to intervene and win a decisive victory, including a miraculous sun and moon standing still to prolong the day.
In Joshua 9, the Gibeonites, a Canaanite city, deceive the Israelites into a peace treaty by pretending to be from a distant land, leading the Israelites to make a covenant with them without first seeking God's guidance.
In Joshua 8:30-35, after the victory at Ai, Joshua leads the Israelites to Mount Ebal, where he builds an altar to the Lord as instructed by Moses. All the people of Israel, including elders, officers, and judges, gather around the altar. Joshua reads all the words of the law, including blessings and curses, to the assembly, reaffirming their commitment to God's covenant.
In Joshua 8:1-29, God instructs Joshua to attack the city of Ai. This time, Joshua follows God's detailed plan, setting an ambush behind the city. This victory results from their obedience to God's commands, contrasting their earlier failure due to disobedience. The chapter highlights the importance of following God's guidance for success
Joshua 7 is a solemn reminder of the devastating effect of sin on a community. The Israelites encounter a setback due to the disobedience of one man. The chapter reveals the transgression of Achan, who, against God's command, keeps spoils from the victory at Jericho, leading to disastrous consequences for the whole nation at the city of Ai.
Joshua 6 recounts the story of the miraculous fall of Jericho, one of the most well-known stories in the Old Testament. Led by Joshua, the Israelites demonstrate their faith and obedience in spite of God's unconventional methods. In life we will encounter our own 'walls of Jericho, that will challenge us to trust in God's plan, obey His commands, and hold fast to our faith.
In Joshua 5, the Israelites renew their covenant with God through circumcision and celebrate their first Passover in Canaan. This signifies their renewed commitment to God and readiness to enter the land as a fully consecrated people.
In Joshua 4, the Israelites cross the Jordan River into the Promised Land. Led by Joshua, the Israelites erected memorial stones as a reminder of God's providence and provision for the nation for future generations. Sharing our faith stories are important because what one generation is slow to remember, the next generation is quick to forget.
Joshua 3 tells the story of the crossing of the Jordan River, a significant phase in Israel's journey to the Promised Land. The chapter teaches us that, like the Israelites, our faith in God and obedience to His commandments can enable us to experience miracles.
Joshua 2 focuses on the story of Rahab, a woman from Jericho who bravely aids the spies sent by Joshua. As the Israelites prepare to conquer the city, Rahab's faith in the God of Israel and her courage significantly influence the unfolding events, demonstrating that divine providence often works through unexpected channels.
In this text, Joshua commanded the Israelites to prepare to cross the Jordan River and enter the Promised Land. Joshua cast a vision to prepare the people in God’s proper timing. The passage emphasizes the importance of spiritual partnership with God, his people, and godly leadership.
Change causes everyone a certain amount of anxiety. Change can be unsettling and stressful. Whenever there is a change in leadership, people start wondering, “What will happen now?” Courageous faith moves forward to face the future confidently because God is faithful. Joshua is being assured that although a great man of God has died, nothing of God has died with him, and God will be with Joshua as He was with Moses.
In 2 Peter 3:14-18, Peter urges believers to live in eager anticipation of Christ's return by pursuing a blameless life, growing in grace and knowledge of Jesus, and avoiding being misled by false teachings,. Instead, they should focus on the coming new heavens and earth where righteousness dwells rather than being swayed by those who distort the truth about Christ's second coming.
In 2 Peter 2, Peter strongly warns of false teachers infiltrating the church and introducing destructive teachings and immoral lifestyles. Peter assures his readers the false teachers will reap what they sow, just like the angels who sinned, the ancient world, and the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah. Peter ends this chapter by stating that one's true nature usually reveals itself for better or worse.
In 2 Peter 1:12-21, Peter emphasizes applying the truths of the Gospel by reminding believers of scripture's reliability and divine origin, mainly through his eyewitness account of Jesus' transfiguration.
In his second epistle, Peter emphasizes the importance of knowing God and Jesus Christ through an intimate relationship. He also addresses the need to combat false teachers and to be spiritually sound in both doctrine and practice.
Peter ends his letter with a simple yet stirring exhortation: Stand firm in the true grace of God. To do this, we need clarity on what this true grace is and an understanding that it is powerful enough to sustain us even in the midst of persecution.
During a time of persecution, people's natural inclination is to panic and scatter. Peter reminds church elders to be gentle shepherds of God's flock. Peter advises the church to submit to their elders and humble themselves under God's mighty hand. In the meantime, while waiting for deliverance, they should cast all their anxiety on God because God cares for them. Finally, Peter offers hope by stating that after believers have suffered for a little while, God Himself, the source of all grace, will restore, confirm, strengthen, and establish them.
This passage reminds Christians not to be surprised even by fiery suffering but instead to see it as evidence that God's Spirit rests on us. Peter provides a pastoral word of hope and reassurance for those who are facing abuse, social rejection, and public humiliation because they follow Jesus.
In this section, Peter urges his readers to be cool-headed and warm-hearted during difficult times. He emphasizes the paramount importance of love, which covers a multitude of sins. Showing hospitality and utilizing our spiritual gifts are practical ways to show love. Peter is clear that we should expect to suffer mistreatment and the only way to be ready to suffer is to make oneself willing to suffer.
Peter tells Christian wives to be subject to their husbands, even unbelieving husbands. In part, this is to win husbands to Christ by the example of their Christ-changed wives. Is the submission unqualified? Pastor Josh addresses these and other issues.
In 1st Peter 2:18-25, Peter addresses a sad reality of fallen human society - slavery. Slavery was too established as a fact of life for Peter to suggest its overthrow. As Peter writes his letter to the saints in Asia Minor, many of those the Lord has saved and brought into his church are slaves. At the time Peter wrote, upwards of one in five, or about 12,000,000 people in Rome lived in slavery.We are likely to find Peter’s instruction to Christian slaves to be somewhat shocking. We wonder why the New Testament never cries out for the abolition of slavery, and we are even more dumbfounded when Peter instructs slaves to humble submission to their masters—even to unjust masters! Is the Bible pro-slavery? We’ll find it’s not that simple.
Part of Christian duty is civic responsibility. This begins with a sense of obligation to honor “governing authorities.” This sense, in turn, has a theological basis: God’s sovereignty as expressed in his establishment of the institution of human governments. However, should Christians always submit to the government?
1 Peter 2:1-10 reminds us of our divine calling and responsibility as living stones. We form a spiritual house, a community of a chosen race, a royal priesthood, and God's special possession. We are called out of darkness into His marvelous light and are to proclaim His excellencies.
Are American Christians unprepared for persecution? Would we know how to respond if it were to happen? Would we bother to seek the Lord's counsel on how He wants us to respond or would we just react? In this passage, Peter offers counsel for how to prepare ourselves for persecution.
Our Men's Retreat Theme was Heart of a Warrior. Pastor Jeff talks about the importance of integrity and authenticity in developing the heart of a warrior.
Peter’s first epistle focuses on suffering persecution as a Christian. The purpose of the epistle is to encourage those experiencing suffering and to inspire hope despite their circumstances. Peter begins by pointing to what God has done for them in Christ and explains why they have a living hope.
1st Peter states our trials, though painful, are purposeful, refining our faith and bringing glory to Christ. Amidst all the fleeting allure of the world, the Word of God stands firm forever and provides us with a living hope.
Psalm 119:9-16 emphasizes the importance of living according to God's Word. It highlights the need to seek God with all one's heart and treasure His Word to avoid impurity. The Word of God protects us and serves as a guardrail to keep us on the straight and narrow path.
Psalm 143 poignantly reminds us that God's light shines brightest during our darkest moments. Psalm 143 expresses a deep cry to God during distress and spiritual desolation. Despite feeling overwhelmed by despair, David turns to God in prayer, reflecting on His past deeds and fervently yearning for His loving presence. David's deep-seated faith and trust in God’s guidance and deliverance offer us a model for our own spiritual journey.
Are there things in your life that encourage you to grumble and dispute that you should remove from your life? If someone were to look at your social media, would they conclude you were a peacemaker? Pastor Josh addresses these and other issues in this sermon.
Pastor Davids speaks to the humility and exaltation of Jesus who was fully God and fully man.
The church at Philippi was no different than many churches today. There were nationality differences (Asian, Greek, and Roman). There were socio-economic differences (some were rich like Lydia, others were middle class like the jailor and most were poor) and there were generational differences. These differences could easily lead to misunderstandings and a lack of trust. How were they supposed to maintain unity? There was only one way and that was if Paul could convince them that whatever united them was greater than all that divided them. To move beyond their differences they had to have a common bond and a common purpose.
To have teamwork there must be a cooperative spirit rather than a competitive spirit. People have to be willing to lay aside their personal agendas to pursue a common goal. The Prophet Amos once asked the question, “Can two walk together unless they are agreed?” That is the same concept Paul has in mind here. We must stand firm in our agreement with the essential elements of the content of our faith. Without this basic agreement, we cannot move forward together to contend for the faith.
In this text, Paul considers the pros and cons of being released from prison to continue to serve the church versus being executed and gaining more of Christ. Ultimately he sees that continuing to serve here on earth benefits the church more than if he is executed. Paul decides it is what is better for the church that matters most so he is ready to stay here for "to live is Christ".
In today's message, Pastor Josh shares that Jesus advances His kingdom and one of the primary ways He advances His kingdom is through the trials and tribulations of the church that serve as a witness to the power of the gospel. A gospel so powerful it cannot even be thwarted by those who preach it from selfish ambition.
When Paul prays for a church he often prays that the virtue of love would increase in the church for when love abounds the church is more discerning about what is really important. In this sermon, Pastor Josh explores the importance of congregational prayer in the church.
Pastor Josh sets the who, what, when, and where of the book of Philippians. The letter to the Philippians has a theme of joy. We also know that this church was incredibly diverse. It was made u of the rich, the middle class, and the poor. Multiple cultures were working in businesses, government, and the marketplace. Its unity through diversity is a picture of what the local church should and can be. The first eight verses focus on the primacy of the gospel.
Hosea 13 & 14 ends our series in Hosea. The LORD must discipline Israel, but because of His relentless love, they will not destroyed…but they will not be restored for a long time…for there cannot be full restoration until there is genuine repentance.
Hosea 11 & 12 reveal the conflicted heart of God as He knows He must chasten and discipline the nation of Israel but He takes no delight in doing so. He would rather they repent so He could extend mercy but like a wayward child they are determined to go their own way.
Hosea 9 & 10 are a sermon that Hosea delivered to the people of Israel at harvest time. This sermon summarizes several issues that Hosea has dealt with over and over again in the first eight chapters of the book. Once again he talks about the nation's tragic history of ingratitude and idolatry. He speaks of their loss of any sense of who they have been called to be and the certainty of God's chastening judgment.
In Deuteronomy 28, God said if the nation obeyed Him it would lead to certain kinds of blessings and God warned that if the nation did not obey Him it would lead to certain kinds of curses.Hosea 8 begins with a trumpet blast warning that Assyria is about to swoop down like an eagle as an instrument of the Lord’s judgment. as predicted in Deuteronomy 28.
Is faith driving our politics or politics driving our faith? How can we know the difference? Has the corrupting influence of current political attitudes seeped over into our faith practice? Pastor Jeff discusses why mixing our faith and our politics is a bad idea.
In Psalm 1 the psalmist contrasts the wise man with the wicked man. The wise man engages in practices that lead to blessing, and the wicked man in practices that lead to destruction. Pastor Josh discusses what makes the difference between the wise and the wicked.
The final Sunday of Advent focuses on Love. Love was born at Christmas in a small manger in Bethlehem.
If we are to love our neighbor as ourselves what does that mean exactly? What characteristics of love would that entail?
In Matthew, Mark, and Luke, Jesus says the greatest commandment is to love the Lord your God with all your heart, soul, mind, and strength...but what does that mean? How do I love the Lord with my heart? My soul? My mind? And my strength?
In Chapter 5, the Lord said he would return like a lion to his lair until the nation of Israel repented. In Chapter 6, Israel is still unrepentant and we explore what genuine repentance would look like.
In Chapter 4, God began to lay out His case against the Northern Kingdom of Israel. In verses 1-7 of Chapter 5 God renders His verdict against the three guilty parties responsible for the decline of the Northern Kingdom. Who is most to blame for the present state of affairs in America? How did we get to where we are now? Are our political leaders to blame? Or are our religious leaders to blame? Or are we to blame for selecting and supporting our current political and religious leaders? Or are we all three of us to blame and who is at most blame?
Psalm 23 is one of the best-known and most loved passages In the Bible. David wrote it 3,000 years ago, but it's just as applicable today as it was then. The psalm uses the metaphor of a shepherd's care for his sheep to describe the wisdom, strength, and kindness of our God.
The first three chapters of Hosea describe the prophet's marriage to an unfaithful wife named Gomer and the three rebellious children born during their marriage. Hosea’s marriage and children serve as a living illustration of the Lord's relationship with Israel in its spiritual adultery and rebellion against Him. The remaining chapters (4-14) occur over a fifty-year period and contain discourses denouncing Israel's unfaithfulness, selfish ingratitude, and callous immorality. This morning we begin with the first discourse.In today's text, God makes His case against the Northern Kingdom.
Chapter 3 finds Hosea and Gomer separated because she has abandoned him. In abandoning Hosea, Gomer is no longer under Hosea’s protection and care. She is taken advantage of and one of her so-called lovers becomes her master and she becomes enslaved to him. When her usefulness to him has passed he decides to sell her in the slave market. Now if I were Hosea I would be thinking all of this serves Gomer right, but the Lord instructs Hosea to go find her and buy her out of the slave market. Consider this, if other folks thought Hosea a fool for just marrying such a woman, what do you suppose they would think about him buying her out of the slave market to restore her as his wife?
God wanted Hosea to warn the people of pending judgment but in an unusual way. God commands this young prophet to love and marry an unfaithful woman. Why? Hosea's relationships with his wife and the three children that follow become visual aids of the Lord's relationship with the nation of Israel which has been spiritually unfaithful.
In today's text, Jesus says there are only two gates, there are only two paths, there are only two trees, and there are only two fruits. When you choose your gate you have chosen your path, as well as your guide (the good tree or the bad tree), and thereby sealed your destiny but each of us must choose one or the other and there are consequences to the choice we make. Why is it always two choices? Why not three?
God calls Jonah a rebellious prophet to be a prophet to the wicked city of Nineveh, but Jonah rebels and flees across the sea in the opposite direction. When God sends a storm to stop Jonah, the prophet is thrown overboard where he is swallowed up whole by a large fish.
Are we people of our word? Do we really feel we must fulfill the vows and oaths that we make? It’s easy to swear oaths that you don’t really expect you will have to fulfill or truly intend to keep in the first place. And this is what Jesus addresses, this tendency to make vows that when push comes to shove we really don’t think of as binding.
If you divorce your spouse are you forcing them to commit adultery? If you marry someone who is divorced have you committed adultery? Jesus seems to say so in this text. Divorce has always been a controversial subject in the Christian community. How do we navigate through what Jesus says here and what He says elsewhere about divorce? Is adultery the only biblical reason for divorce? These questions and others are addressed in this sermon.
We like the temptation of lust…there is a sense in which we say to this temptation, “Go ahead, torture me all you like.” Because we like this particular kind of torture. Most of us like to think we keep and have kept at the very least two of the Ten Commandments. We may reluctantly admit that we have lied, stolen in some form or fashion, or coveted someone else’s possessions, but we have never murdered or committed adultery…at least we have been able to keep those two. And now here comes Jesus saying. “Au contraire…turns out you haven’t even kept these two really.”
So what makes a person truly meek? What does Jesus mean here by “meek”? Now, “meek” is one of those words that needs a better press agent. People more typically associate negative connotations with the word. If you use a thesaurus to figure out another way to refer to someone as meek suggestions include “docile”, “timid” and “spineless”. As examples of meekness, the thesaurus suggests the following phrases as illustrative: “to eat dirt,” “to lick the dust,” “to cringe like a dog,” “to take it on the chin.” Now seriously, who wants to be that guy? Since Jesus referred to Himself as meek it quite obviously cannot mean any such thing.
Every superhero has an origin story. Judges 13 is Samson's and he was born with a purpose and a destiny.
The word “beatitude” is derived from the Latin term “beatus” which means “blessed”. The Sermon on the Mount context is to be blessed is to experience what follows. As children of God, we are meant to experience and express all that is said here. Each beatitude is meant to characterize every follower of Jesus. Jesus is not dividing us up into eight different kinds of disciples as though some of us are poor while others are meek and so on and so forth. The follower of Jesus is all eight of these things (i.e. the follower of Jesus is meek and poor and pure of heart, etc.). The first set of four Beatitudes focuses on our vertical relationship to God; the second set of four on our horizontal relationship to people. Each of the eight builds upon the other so that there is this wonderful natural progression. Today we focus on the one that is the most foundational to all the others…blessed are the poor in spirit.
One of Bob Dylan’s most often-covered songs is “Knockin’ On Heaven’s Door”. Over 150 artists have covered the song. The song was initially written in 1973 to be used in Sam Peckinpah’s western Pat Garrett and Billy the Kid. In that movie, there is a shootout that results in the Sheriff being shot multiple times. As he stands in shock and disbelief…knowing he is about to die he looks over at his wife who has tears in her eyes and this is when “Knockin’ On Heaven’s Door” starts playing in the background with the opening lyric: “Mama take this badge off of me, I can’t use it anymore,” “It’s getting dark, too dark to see. Feels like I’m knockin’ on heaven’s door.“Well, Elisha didn’t have a prophet’s badge but he did have a prophet’s cloak given to him by Elijah. Like the badge in the song, this cloak was about to be of no further use to Elisha for after 60 years of ministry Elisha is knocking on heaven’s door.
Frederick Nietzsche studied theology and he was the son of a Lutheran minister…nonetheless, he abandoned any belief in God, and yet he found himself somewhat worried about what would happen if mankind ever truly accepted the premise that God is dead for he knew, at least at some level, that a belief in God kept the evil in man reined in, but what if that evil were unleashed? What hell would that be? Our text today reminds us of what happens when the evil in man is unleashed.
In today's text, Elisha opens the eyes of the spiritually blind and blinds the eyes of the physically sighted. In the process he teaches Israel how to get rid of her enemies.
At first glance, this passage appears to be somewhat pointless. All that happens is the prophets are building an extension to their prophetic guild facilities when one of the prophets drops an axe head into the muddy waters of the Jordan and then Elisha miraculously makes the iron axe head float so the guy can have the axe head back and get back to work. If all Scripture is God-breathed and profitable...then what are we supposed to get out of this story?
It is not easy to accept a new leader. Especially when the leadership style of the new leader is very different from the old leader. Elisha is now the new head prophet. His ministry style focuses more on healing and restoration. Elijah is gone. His ministry style focused on condemnation and repentance. In this text, we see how people are adjusting to the new prophet and the consequences of acceptance and rejection.
Elijah passes the baton of leadership over to Elisha. What things are important for a ministry handoff to go well?
Studies show that fathers are more influential with their children than mothers when it comes to their decisions later in life as to whether they will remain in the faith or not. Many children, for better or worse, are destined to follow in the faith of their fathers. King Ahab's faith in Baal has been passed on to his son, King Ahaziah and Ahaziah follows the faith of his father to the same bitter end.
One of the hardest things to accept about grace...especially when it comes to others...is that grace is only for the undeserving. In our carnality, we imagine there must be some limit to grace...a place it stops and goes no further. The question is...do we think God has more grace than the vilest sinner has sin or do we think some sinners have sin that cannot be reached by God's grace?
The original post was incorrect. This is the corrected version. From 1934 to 1937 what became known as the Dust Bowl devastated a 150,000-square-mile area, encompassing the Oklahoma and Texas panhandles and neighboring sections of Kansas, Colorado, and New Mexico.
Well, the people of the Northern Kingdom of Israel had been without rain for 3 ½ years. Today life would return to the land through the heavy rains that God would bring through the voice of His prophet; however, Ahab and Elijah have much different responses to the rains returning.
In today's text, we discuss why Ahab remains unaffected and unrepentant as well as how Ahab's attitude is like our own narcissistic culture of "it's-really-al-about-me".
We have always been fascinated with epic battles and showdowns. We usually mark such places with historical markers. For example, the Battle of Little Big Horn, Gettysburg, etc. In that same vein on the southeastern peak of Mount Carmel, there is a dramatic stone statue of the prophet Elijah with his sword raised to heaven as he slaughters a priest of Baal. The site is now known as Muhraka which means “the place of burning”. In this sermon, we take a close look at this epic showdown.
In this text, we examine our attitude toward work and the workplace whether we are employers or employees. Just as our relationship with Christ transforms our families so too should our workplace be impacted.
In this text, Paul turns his attention to husbands and cautions them not to be harsh with their wives. The ancient world emphasized a husband's rights but the Bible emphasizes a husband's responsibility. For all the criticism leveled against Christianity's view of husband/wife relationships today in the first century, it was on the cutting edge.
Paul tells the wives to submit to their husbands in Colossians 3:18. What does he have in mind exactly? Is the husband supposed to make all the family decisions? What if a husband tells his wife to do something she considers unwise or unhealthy? What if a husband demeans his wife. Is a wife required to submit to a husband like that? In today's sermon, we discuss what Paul does and does not mean.
The church in Colossae had people around them suggesting that their place in God’s family was not secure. Paul counters this teaching by assuring this church that their identity and connection to God through Christ is rock solid…not only are they really children of God, but they are also planned for children. Furthermore, because of who they are they can act in certain ways...all they have to do is believe it.
Are people like Frosted Mini-Wheats? You know the cereal where one side of the mini-wheat is frosted with sugar and the other side is plain. Are you composed of two natures? Do you have a sweet side that wants to honor God and an unsweet side that wants to rebel against God? When I became a Christian did God add a new nature alongside my old nature thereby giving me two natures or did He get rid of the old nature when He gave me the new nature?
In what sense is our life now hidden in Christ? What does it mean that I died and Jesus is my life? These are the questions Paul answers in this text.
As Americans, we will fight for liberty over tyranny in almost every area of life save one - our Christian Liberty. In some misguided notion of “going along to get along,” we often allow legalists to infiltrate our churches and take them over. Whenever that happens the freedom we have in Christ is soon crushed. Someone has said, "Misery loves company" and that is the legalists' official motto.
All legalists share two traits in common:
They like to be in control. They like to make comparisons.
And the way the legalist gets to be in control is by getting others involved in their game of making comparisons. Now typically when I preach on this topic of legalism I recite all of the absurdities by legalistic types that have been suggested as signs of true spirituality over the ages but there’s really no need for me to go into all that for we all know the sorts of things that have been long debated amongst Christians, particularly in more modern times…things like should Christians be teetotalers or is the moderate consumption of adult beverages okay, should Christians go to movies or watch certain television programs, should Christians wear short skirts and fishnet stockings (although in our present culture this is now sadly debated as to the men) and so on.
Paul says when we start to compare ourselves and judge one another by the comparison made we have headed off entirely in the wrong direction.
The heretics in Colosse spoke of hidden spiritual treasures which could only be revealed by deciphering cryptic codes, learning secret phrases, and undergoing elaborate rituals. This intrigued and appealed to some just like the serpent’s suggestion that God was hiding something from them intrigued and appealed to Adam and Eve. We have a certain curiosity about secrets and our pride is often seduced by the thought of becoming members of a secret society. We tend to like the feeling of knowing more than others and so the suggestion that there was more to know…that there were secrets hidden from the average person not only intrigued but tempted many to go off course. This is what Paul addresses today.
Some Christians have a dyslexic interpretation of one of Jesus’ final statements on the cross because they behave as if He didn’t say, “It is finished!”, but rather as though He had asked, “Is it finished?” Now the distinction could not be greater. You will live your life one way if you still wonder if it’s finished and you will live your life quite differently if you know beyond any doubt it is finished.
Some in Colossae were being taken captive by philosophies that claimed nothing was finished in Christ and He was only part of a greater process. Jesus in their view was not the main thing that mattered in your spiritual development and life He was only one thing in a series of things that mattered. In this epistle, Paul will demonstrate that theological errors such as misunderstanding the sufficiency of Christ inevitably result in practical errors such as your trying to do more because Christ was somehow insufficient.
Any kind of deception has real consequences but spiritual consequences that can last for all of eternity. Paul’s concern today is that the church at Colossae avoids being taken captive by false human tradition-based philosophies.
The word "reconcile" is one of five keywords used in the New Testament to describe what happens at the time of salvation. The others are "justification, redemption, forgiveness, and adoption."
Reconciliation is a relationship term. It brings to mind enemies who set aside their differences and become friends instead.
The passage we study today, from verse 21 on through the end of the chapter, is a tremendous description of the process of the transformation that reconciles us to God and then motivates us to become reconcilers ourselves.
Imagine being the only disciple who did not get to see the risen Lord Jesus on Easter. While the other disciples are overjoyed and waxing eloquent about having spent time with Jesus you have no such point of reference. To him, Jesus is still crucified and buried. That disciple who missed out refuses to believe it unless he sees Jesus for himself. It's easy to believe what we see; however, Jesus pronounced a blessing on those who would believe without seeing.
So we see these pre-Gnostic sects believed in a supreme being, the need for salvation, and spirit beings, but they also believed that the brand of Christianity preached by Paul was a crude and primitive interpretation of spiritual reality. To counteract and neutralize such teaching Paul mentions seven unique characteristics of Christ, which fittingly qualify Him to have the preeminence. Paul says Jesus is: (1) the image of God (the most supreme being), (2) the Firstborn over Creation (he was preeminent over all created things rather than a part of the created order), (3) Creator of the universe, (4) Head of the church, (5) Firstborn from the dead, (6) the fullness of God, and (7) the Reconciler of all things…making this one of the most theologically rich passages concerning the deity of Christ found in the Bible.
We live at a time when much pressure is brought to bear upon churches to modify and modernize their traditional Christian beliefs and practices. Some churches bend to the pressure by way of cultural accommodation and appeasement so that their beliefs and practices blend rather than offend the dominant culture. They do this to stay relevant. This is known as syncretism (i.e. syncretism is the union or attempted blending of different systems of thought or belief). The major issue in the letter is the false teaching in the church, owing to a tangled mixture of religious errors coming from both Jewish and Greek religious influences.
The Rest of the Story was a Monday-through-Friday radio program originally hosted by Paul Harvey. Beginning as a part of his newscasts during the Second World War. The Rest of the Story consisted of stories presented as little-known or forgotten facts with some key elements of the story held back until the very end. The broadcasts always concluded with the tag line, "And now you know...the rest of the story."
Today we get the rest of the story on Jacob’s family. This is sort of like what you often see at the end of some movies when they have these postscripts telling you what became of the characters. Well, that’s sort of what we’re going to do today as we take a jet tour through chapters 48-50.
Jacob and Esau are on a collision course as we have already observed. The question is…who is having a more difficult journey at this point as they approach one another? Esau, who must forgive the scheming conniving brother of his, or Jacob, the scheming conniver, who must be forgiven? Which is more difficult…to forgive or to be forgiven?
In today’s text, Jacob is suddenly met by a man he only later realizes is God who both cripples and blesses him. This event would be an important turning point in Jacob's life. The emphasis of the narrative is certainly on the wrestling, but its purpose was the changing of Jacob into Israel.
Everyone experiencing pain and heartache must eventually answer the same questions. Will I trust God with my pain and heartache…my doubts…my fears or will I turn away in bitter confusion? Today we find fear gripping Jacob’s heart…how will his faith respond? Will his faith finally unite with hope and become trust? Let’s see…
In the 1970’s it was popular for a while for Christian guys to give their Christian girlfriend’s Mizpah Coin necklaces. The Mizpah Coin was split in two with the idea being your girlfriend would wear one-half of the coin on her necklace and then you wore the other half of the coin on your necklace to remind you both that you were one half of a whole whenever you spent any time away from one another. The Mizpah Coin concept was based upon the passage we cover today. In the 1970’s the idea was “the Lord watch over you and me while we are away from one another” in a romantic sense. However, as originally designed the Mizpah was a way that Jacob and Laban came up with to say the Lord watch between us, not because they care about one another (as in Lord please watch out for my good friend Laban while we are away from each other) but because they don’t trust one another (as in Lord keep an eye on that thieving liar Laban while he is away from me).
In the movie, Dirty Rotten Scoundrels, Lawrence Jamieson, played by Michael Caine, is a cultivated, suave master con artist who operates in the deluxe hotels along the French Riviera. Steve Martin plays small-time American hustler, Freddy Benson, who invades Jamieson’s territory and the two con men begin sort of a “con-test” for dominance as the master con artist of the area all the while ruthlessly sabotaging each other. This is the kind of relationship that Jacob and Laban have with one another. The events of which we’re about to read depict two cons, each trying to out-con the other. In the grace and providence of God it will be Jacob who comes out the winner, but for reasons completely different from those which he expected.
Is sibling rivalry more pronounced among brothers or sisters? Studies show that sibling rivalry is caused by a great many different things, but having said that, gender does seem to play a role in the severity and nature of sibling rivalry. Still, these studies are not conclusive, and they recognize that there are a great many other causes of sibling rivalry. Family conflict is not a recent phenomenon. It has been with the human race since the fall of man. If you have ever seriously studied the Bible for any length of time you may have noticed in your studies that many of the men and women of the Bible grew up in a setting of unhealthy family traditions. Jacob’s family is one such family for he has married two sisters and their sibling rivalry greatly affects Jacob's circumstances.
We tend to like poetic justice: We like to see liars lied to, we like to see con men get conned, we like to see bullies bullied, and so on and so forth. We like to think that the scales of cosmic justice somehow hang in balance…that there is a reaction to every action…or as the Bible puts it…we reap what we sow. This is why when we get to Genesis 29…no one really feels sorry for Jacob when the deceiver, finally gets a taste of his own medicine.
Jacob is a manipulative schemer who has had to flee his family home because of the mistrust, secrecy, and manipulative deception going on. His understandably angry brother, Esau, wants to kill him and yet in His grace, God has a plan to work in Jacob’s life. However just like when God works in our lives there is not always an immediately visible change…it seems we find transformation is a process and in today’s text we find Jacob on the cusp of this process of transformation for with any transformation, there is always that first step of change and that is what we see today…God for the first time makes Himself known in a very personal way to Jacob.
In this story we discover four extremely self-willed people…each is determined to do things their own way and each learns a lesson that there is a price to pay when we do things our way. The story begins with the conspiracy between Isaac and Esau to avert God’s revealed will. This story illustrates the fact that we cannot frustrate the purposes of God. What do you have when you stand back and take this story as a whole? What you have is a dysfunctional family that is barely holding together. In the end, the family collapses under the weight of deception and dishonesty.
Jacob is devious and deceptive; he is crafty and conniving. He lies and he manipulates. He becomes a man who has the audacity to wrestle with God. Jacob lacked many fine qualities, but lack of ambition was not one of them. Jacob continually claws his way to the top by hook or crook…not appearing to care about whomever he has to step over to get there. The hero of our story is a heel…in fact, a heel grabber…and that makes him fascinating.
Lyn Fasulo discusses the spiritual origins of the Christmas Song "White Christmas" and its applications to us.
Paul's final remarks to Timothy and to the world. It has been said that when a person is about to die their life flashes before their eyes. What do you think will flash before your eyes? I think you will find when you get to the end of your life there are only three things which will matter: your faith, your family and your friends. The Apostle Paul is at the end of his life…he reflects on the present, the past, and the future of his faith journey as well as the friends who have encouraged him and the ones who have disappointed him.
The Bible has come under renewed attack. The critic presently receiving the most media attention is Dr. Bart Ehrman who has taken his questioning of the Scripture straight to the New York Times bestseller list. It seems both advocate and adversary are biased and have hidden agendas so how can the truth ever be known? In today’s text, Paul basically presents what he considers to be the best evidence that the Bible is credible.
"Mark this, there will be terrible times in the last days" (2nd Timothy 3:1). What is the reason for these terrible times? It all comes down to distorted affections beginning first and foremost with people being "lovers of themselves">
One of the reasons a Christian should strive to be a workman approved when it comes to the word of God is so that they can be better used according to the purposes of God. An informed, well-grounded but humble believer will be of more use than an ignorant, belligerent, and opinionated false believer or carnal believer, but the mystery and surprising thing is the false or carnal believer may still be of some use which is what the text discusses today.
In essence, Paul makes two main points today: There is a way to use the Bible as a club that is unproductive, divisive, and leads one away from true godliness. And there is a way to use the Bible as a tool that is deserving of recognition and approval because it builds unity and leads to spiritual maturity.
Most scholars believe this text contains an ancient creedal statement a baptismal candidate recited before baptism. Today's sermon explores what they said, what it meant, and why they said it.
Many Christians view grace primarily as a gap filler meaning they believe they are supposed to work as hard as they can and then grace will fill in the gaps of their insufficiencies. Yet God wants grace to be our sole source of strength not a gap filler, so Paul encourages Timothy to be strong in the grace that is in Christ Jesus,
Paul writes what is essentially the last will and testament of his gospel message. If you should know one day when the end of your life is near…time for you will become a most precious thing…you will want to use it wisely. You will want to remind those you love one last time of what’s really important in life. Whatever life lessons you have learned you will want to pass on. Paul had spent a good many years building his life into a young man named Timothy…the closest thing he would ever have to a son.
In this text, Paul exhorts Timothy to flee, follow and fight. What is he to flee from? What is he to follow after? Whom and how does he fight?
In this text, Paul explains to Timothy why our work attitude matters to God, but cautions that being consumed with attaining wealth through our work will never satisfy...only godliness provides lasting contentment.
Paul wrote to Timothy that elders who were teaching pastors were worthy of double honor (respect and financial compensation.) However, any elder or teaching pastor who had dishonored the Lord through disqualifying sin will need to be confronted and rebuked if there are two or three witnesses. Due to the nature of their high profile, Timothy and the congregation of Ephesus would be well-served to be cautious in taking their time in elder selection.
The question of who is responsible for caregiving to the elderly, and in particular widows, is not a new one. It had to be dealt with in the 1st Century as well as the 21st Century. Today we see Paul advising Timothy how to relate effectively to individuals who make up various age groups in the church. We begin with Paul’s more general advice and then move to his more specific instructions involving widows.
Many pastors call this section of 1st Timothy the “Ten Commandments of Ministry” because in the space of six verses Paul commands young Timothy to do ten things. It’s interesting that Paul would select as a protégé someone wired so differently from him in temperament. Paul is an older man with a notoriously bold and assertive personality. Timothy had a low-key unassuming more laid-back temperament. Someone working with a Paul-type might have to occasionally exhort them to relax, but Paul, with reference to Timothy, had to exhort him to stand up and be more assertive.
We live in a society that suggests there is a quick fix to every problem. We’re suckers for anyone claiming to offer a proven way to lose weight or tone muscle effortlessly because we like quick easy answers to tough long-term problems. What doesn’t work in the physical realm also doesn’t work in the spiritual realm either. Just like there are exercise and diet fads there are occasional spiritual fads. Our problem is we’re shopping for an easy way to get what the Bible clearly states comes only through discipline. The key to being a disciplined Christian is to be a motivated Christian. But how do we stay motivated to discipline ourselves for godliness?
In my over thirty years of being a pastor, I have experienced people leaving this church and Christianity on occasion. Some were people who had been in church all or most of their lives who just decided one day they no longer believed in God...that they had been duped by their parents...by their churches...by me...that their heads had been filled with lies and nonsense. They become Ex-Christians or at the very least Exvangelicals. They start posting on social media or in their blogs anything that in their minds debunks and ridicules Christianity or at least Evangelical Christian values and this type of thing very much appears on the rise...how do we explain what is happening? Today's text addresses why this happens.
When we think of the Protestant Reformation we typically only concern ourselves with two of the three main tenets that caused Martin Luther to post his 95 theses (complaints) against the medieval Roman Catholic Church. However, we are less aware of the Protestant Reformation's third tenet, which was to encourage congregational singing. You see Luther believed that music was second only to God’s Word in terms of its ability to cheer and influence. Today we will look at one of these early hymns sung by the church as Paul references it in his letter to Timothy
In this sermon we transition from the qualifications of elders who lead and teach to the qualifications for deacons/deaconesses who carry out, under the elders' oversight, some of the more basic but essential tasks of the church so that the elders could give their attention to their primary tasks of prayer and teaching. The specific tasks of a deacon/deaconess are not well-defined and perhaps that is because they served in so many different kinds of ways it was hard to define exactly what they did. Their primary ministry seems to be to meet the practical needs of the local congregation…whatever those needs may be. Men who became elders, no doubt, were first deacons who proved themselves trustworthy.
In this sermon we get to the third and final area that Paul says an elder candidate must be above reproach in…his parish life. A man can be a good husband and father, he can have a good reputation with outsiders, but the place where the rubber really meets the road is how do his fellow parishioners feel about him? Is he the type of man who will help facilitate and demonstrate genuine love and acceptance or will he be a polarizing figure that sows discord and causes division?
In this sermon we get to the second area that Paul says an elder candidate must be above reproach in…his public life. A church with a leader who has a bad reputation in the community will find its testimony to that community hindered. Paul has said that it is a noble ambition to set your desire on becoming an elder. But should we be wary of those who exhibit a lot of personal ambition in their public lives? The dictionary defines “ambition” as an ardent desire for rank, fame, or power or as a desire to achieve a particular end. The question is…is it Christian to be ambitious? The answer is “yes” and “no”.
Guest Speaker, David Welch, from Rocky Point Church in Exeter, California discusses how to become an unforgettable Christian from James 1:21-25.
Paul writes that an elder candidate needs to be evaluated in three primary areas: His private life, his public life and his parish life. Today we will concentrate on the first of these: His private life.
In Chapter 3 of 1st Timothy, Paul gives the criteria for elders, who seem to have the main responsibility for teaching and leading the church. Yet we find that many churches all reading the same Bible have come to very different conclusions about how the church is to be governed and who is supposed to be doing the governing. Where does the buck stop? This sermon gives a basic overview of different approaches to church government before we get into the actual text of 1st Timothy 3:1-7.
We continue our study of one of the most controversial passages in the Bible. With reference to this text Egalitarians...those who believe there are no limits on women for any ministry or church office...ironically need to limit what Paul says here to a particular situation at a particular time here in the city of Ephesus. Complementarians...those who believe there are limits placed upon women for certain ministries or church offices...ironically need to apply what Paul says here in an unlimited way in both place and time. Today, Pastor Jeff reveals his own view of what he thinks the text is actually saying.
In this text we get into one of those areas where angels fear to tread…one of the most, without a doubt, controversial passages in the entire Bible. Emotions on this subject not only run strong they run deep…and more often than not, they run hot. Why does Paul say a woman must learn in full submission and he does not permit a woman to teach or have authority over a man? The two main view on the text will be presented.
In this text Paul reminds Timothy of the importance of praying for the unbelieving and then for some inexplicable reason he specifically mentions those involved in the politics of civil government as needing much prayer.
Ministry is a battle field. No one engaged in a battle should ever be surprised when they get wounded…it is a reasonable expectation you might get wounded. It is a reasonable expectation there might be some casualties. In today's text, Paul exhorts Timothy to fight the good fight.
In today's text Paul shares his dramatic testimony. Paul was grateful for the grace bestowed upon him which not only saved him but appointed him to service while at the same time enabling him to faithfully render the service to which he had been appointed. The aim of the gospel is not just to turn sinners into saints; its ultimate aim is to transform sinners into saints who are servants of Jesus.
Last time we observed that false teaching does not, for it cannot, produce orthodoxy or orthopraxy. False doctrines, myths, and meaningless talk...no matter how confidently asserted, nevertheless remain unorthodox. This week Paul explains to Timothy the false teachers also misunderstand the nature and purpose of the law.
At one time or another we have all probably given some thought about what we would say if we knew we were going to die soon. If we knew we were going to see our loved ones only a few more times at best...what things would we want them to remember…what wisdom would we want to impart? When Paul wrote this epistle he is nearing the end of his life and although he had no children of his own he did have spiritual children…two sons of the faith known as Timothy and Titus. It was with these two young men he would share his final thoughts.
The Bible records David's triumphs and David's transgressions. He was both a man of faith and a man of failure. It has been suggested that there were four cycles in David's life and in each cycle we find a moment of great failure which followed a moment of great faith. This sermon examines these four cycles and offers a summation of David's life.
The next chapters describe conflicts David has to deal with after Absalom’s rebellion, David’s Song of Praise which is an overview of the Lord’s faithfulness to him, and his last words meaning his last divinely inspired words not the last words he ever spoke. The author of 2nd Samuel has, as he nears the end, put together a number of other incidents from David’s reign.
If you have significant dysfunction in your family...have you ever tried to trace it all back to where it originally began? David's relationship with his sons is dysfunctional. What went wrong between David and his sons and who or what is to blame?
The ministry and resurrection of Jesus offered people something new. If they accepted His offer they became something new. Becoming something new meant a whole new way of life. Some people were attracted to this newness of life and others wanted to quash it. This Easter we will discuss what’s new because of the resurrection of Jesus Christ.
Elizabeth O’Connor once wrote, “Despite a hundred sermons on forgiveness, we do not forgive easily, nor find ourselves easily forgiven. Forgiveness, we discover, is always harder than the sermons make it out to be.” In this text, David struggles with forgiveness. David received forgiveness from God, but would he grant forgiveness to someone else?
The bitter fruit of David’s sin, begins to blossom in Chapters 13-15 beginning with troubles in David’s family. David tore Uriah’s family apart and now his own family will be torn apart. David sowed sexual sin and murder in Uriah’s family, now he reaps sexual sin and murder in his own.
When is it appropriate to confront? Our struggle as to "when" is two-sided. How do we determine "when to confront" in the sense of is this something we should be confronting someone about at all...is confrontation even necessary in this situation? Second of all, "when" in the sense of timing...Is now the best time to confront the person or should we wait for a better, more opportune moment? In today's passage the prophet, Nathan, must confront King David over his sin with Bathsheba, but the Lord has him wait for a year before he confronts David...why?
In 1st Peter 5:8, Peter wrote "Be alert and of sober mind. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour." In today’s text that devil lion finds David unprepared and unguarded so he devours him. In truth, the devil actually presented David with the bait of lust at the age of 30, but he doesn't set his hook until David is 50.
Some people have a "No-Face". Some people have a "Yes-Face". If you have ever stood at the side of the road or in a parking lot with some jumper cables in your hands you have looked in desperation for a "Yes-Face" amongst a sea of "No-Faces". Are you a "Yes-Face" or a "No-Face?" Today we see King David showing a “Yes-Face” of grace and kindness to Jonathan's disabled son, Mephibosheth.
William Carey said, "Expect great things from God, attempt great things for God." Today we see that David wants to attempt a great thing for God, but God says "No, instead I want to do a great thing for you”.
Today we see how David learns a terrible lesson concerning how God is good, but He isn’t safe.
Have you ever had a time in your life when you finally achieved some lifelong goal and then the thought occurs to you...now what? In these chapters David finally becomes king...now what? What kind of king will he be?
When someone dies...how do we evaluate their life...how do we encapsulate it? Do we consider it as a whole? Or should we focus on the last few years? Or if their life ended badly do we only remember the early years? I think of this whenever I read an obituary...where a person’s entire life is summed up in a few paragraphs. Do these few paragraphs really give us the essence of the person who has passed? David is faced in today’s text with the dilemma of how to remember Saul? Where should his focus be? On Saul’s unjustifiable and unnecessary pursuit and persecution...or on Saul being the father of his best friend?
Today we finish 1st Samuel with the death of Saul, but before we examine the final product of Saul's life, the fruit; we will look at the seed that gave life to that fruit. Saul proudly planted seeds of defiance and he consequently reaped the thorns of destruction...he should have known what fruit would spring from the seeds he planted.
David’s life appears to be running smoothly since he made the decision to defect to the Philistine camp. He doesn’t have to wander all over the desert anymore hiding in caves, in fact, a whole town has been given to him. Saul had even given up his pursuit of him. The Philistines give him so much personal freedom that he can even go out behind their backs and raid the enemies of Israel...and after all isn't all of this God's will? However, the other shoe is about to drop in two significant ways. David’s deception of the Philistines has painted him into a corner where he may be tempted to keep up the ruse to save his own hide! He will be rescued from this temptation by the mercy of God only to walk from the frying pan into the fire.
Guest Speaker Dave Champness takes us through the thread that connects the entire bible.
One of mankind’s greatest wishes is to communicate with the dead and there are popular "psychics" today that skeptics refer to as “grief vampires”. They find people who are trapped in a place of non-acceptance concerning the death of a loved one and then they provide reconnection and reassurance...and all for a modest fee. In today’s text King Saul seeks reassurance from a person who claimed to be able to speak with the dead.
In today's text David is discouraged. He is tiring of this renegade in the wilderness routine...tired of being the pea in God's Shell Game with Saul. He is weary of fixing the same old problems, resisting the same old temptations, and constantly having the same old needs. How does he become discouraged? By thinking to himself David takes his focus off the Lord and onto himself. Soon his doubt creates problems his fears attempt to fix.
We all have a button that can be pushed...a switch that can be flipped that will send our composure into a tailspin and very often it’s the little things that send us over the edge. We steel ourselves against losing our composure over a big thing only to lose our composure over a little thing. Many times we gain victory over the major complications in life to come totally undone by minor irritations. In 1st Samuel 24, David partially overcame his desire to avenge himself against Saul. David did not exactly pass that test with flying colors, but he passed it. Today he faces a similar test of a lesser magnitude, which he fails, yet he is prevented from carrying out his evil desire by the brains and beauty of a woman named Abigail.
Few things in life are as tempting as the opportunity for revenge. In today’s text, David faces this temptation. His opportunity for revenge comes slickly packaged in the wrappings of providence. It is as though God has delivered Saul to David for this very reason...to take his revenge...but is this an opportunity he must take or a temptation he must resist? This is what David has to decide thus he must struggle with determining God's will. Has God delivered Saul to him in order for David to kill him? Or is his own desire for revenge coloring his judgment so that he misreads the hand of providence?
Last time we observed that Saul’s relentless persecution and pursuit wore David down and caused him to flee in fear. He became a fugitive. Sometimes this period of David’s life is called David’s outlaw years. David had to evade Saul not for 36 days or for 360 days, but for 3600 days.
Ten years of facing the same daily challenge. It’s easy to see why David grew weary and felt like giving up. Yet God would always renew his strength and he would hold on and move forward....to the next challenge.
Forty or fifty years ago, the nation's heroes were usually portrayed only in the best light for there was a desire to keep their public reputations pristine. Rarely, if ever, was the country made aware of their personal shortcomings...their alcoholism, their promiscuity, their racism, their gambling, etc. Why? Because their private image was considered a separate issue from their public image.
The Bible, to the surprise of some, never does this with its heroes...it reveals its heroes, "warts and all." This is one of the reasons some have argued the Bible is not a man-made document...men are not inclined to report their own failings. You think Moses wanted to write about his temper issues? You think Peter wanted people to know about his denials? Yet, within the pages of the sacred text we are made painfully aware of their shortcomings as well as their victories. David is one such hero. Like others, before and after him, David both succeeds and fails greatly.
James said, "We all stumble in many ways..." Today we see more evidence of David's move from faith to fear, and the results for him and those around him.
Someone has said, "If you must make enemies, make lazy ones." Say what you will about Saul…but one thing is sure…he certainly was not lazy. He attempts to get rid of David in a variety of ways. He will try stealth operations and he will try open aggression; nevertheless, none of his tactics worked because the Lord was with David. Watch closely as we continue our study and see how Saul's jealousy which we talked about last week not only continues to blind him, but bind him.
Thus far, in our study of David we have concentrated on his tender side...the gentle shepherd...the sensitive musician songwriter, but today we meet the other side of David. Shepherd, Psalmist...Warrior. We have to reconcile this gentle shepherd boy who wrote poetry and played stringed instruments with the young warrior who chops off the head of a giant and carries it around with him as a trophy.
1st Samuel, chapter 17, the story of David and Goliath, is one of the most, if not the most, familiar passages in the entire Bible. We love the story because the underdog, a shepherd boy, defies all odds and somehow defeats the warrior, the giant Goliath. This text explores the obstacles and challenges did he face before he battled Goliath.
David didn’t know it, but his training as a shepherd and development of skill as a musician songwriter were preparing him to become the next king. In this text we see how his musicianship opened the door for him to the king’s palace.
David is an interesting Bible character. He’s very complex and often a walking contradiction. He’s tender and sensitive; he’s cruel and vicious. He protects in battle; he murders in private. He is singularly devoted to His God, but his lust drives him to have many wives. He is a good king; he appears to be a poor father. In today's text we are introduced to David for the very first time.
Thus far, this little book of Jude packs a powerful punch. Jude has been highly critical of these false teachers and has painted them in a very unflattering manner. What we must realize is Jude’s warning is not driven by contempt, but rather by concern...which he makes clear today as we finish up the Book of Jude. Jude makes it clear that God is able to save us...God is able to keep us...God is able to present us blameless.
The biggest threat right now to Christianity is not secular atheism...it’s not the prosperity gospel...it's Progressive Christianity. Progressive Christians want the horizontal implications of the gospel for society—without the vertical reconciliation of sinners to God. This version of Christianity is probably the most detrimental because some of what they say on the surface has an appearance of wisdom...especially to the young people of the world...and therein lies the problem. When examined closely though it has the same problem that Jude points out today in verses 12-16. This theology and ideology is ultimately selfish, useless, shameless and directionless.
“There is the God you want and there is the God who is...and they are not the same God.” People who confuse the God they want with the God who is go the way of Cain, commit the error of Balaam and engage in the rebellion of Korah.
In verse 5-7 we learned God judges sin and although His wheels of justice may grind slowly when it comes to these false teachers they will grind exceedingly fine. In verse 4, Jude gave a threefold description of these false teachers: they are ungodly, they pervert grace into a license for immorality, and they deny the Lord. In today's text Jude gives a threefold description of the activities of the false teachers which confirm his description of them.
In today’s text, Jude warns us of the impartiality of God in dealing with sin...He deals with it in His people in the earthly realm, He deals with it in heaven in the celestial realm and He deals with it in unbelievers in the spiritual realm. God's ultimate place of dealing with sin is the place we call hell. You can choose not to love and serve God, but you cannot choose the consequence for that decision. God will choose the consequence and when He does your choice and the consequence of that choice will be irrevocable. Choose wisely! As Jonathan Edwards warned, “Almost every natural man that hears of hell, flatters himself that he shall escape it.” The author of Hebrews says, "It is a dreadful thing to fall into the hands of the living God".
Jude’s short letter is of great assistance to us in our personal walk as we battle against professed but false Christianity that sadly we find so prevalent in our culture. This once delivered faith we contend for is the anchor that secures us in the ever changing winds of culture. We cannot have orthopraxy (i.e. right practice) without orthodoxy (i.e. right doctrine). If we truly appreciate and believe in the power of the gospel and the blessings we attained through it then how can we keep ourselves from being passionate in defending it?
As we conclude this message, we also conclude our study of the Book of Ruth. The story of Ruth should enhance our trust in the providence of God. Truly He is working all things toward the good as we are promised in the book of Romans. Now Paul doesn't say in Romans 8 that all things are good. He doesn’t even say everything works to your good, he just says they work to the good. The promise is that our trials and hardships can be redeemed and work toward the good. How do all things work to the good? As we have seen in the Book of Ruth God in His providence can combine our bad circumstances with other circumstances to redeem those bad circumstances into a good result.
In Ruth 3, did Naomi apply godly wisdom or earthly wisdom in attempting to play matchmaker with Boaz and Ruth? Was she trusting God or attempting to manipulate circumstances? Does the end justify the means?
Often the providential hand of God is difficult to detect while it is happening, but later with the benefit of hindsight we discover His fingerprints. We also experience times when events appear to be moving in a negative direction only to discover that God hid a smiling face behind a frowning providence.
Part Three in this series considers sound and consistent hermeneutical principles of interpretation as the only way to really understand the biblical text . There is some discussion of how some hermeneutical systems differ from one another and where everyone is generally agreed on principles.
Often in life we do not know the value of what we already possessed. We will find this to be true in the Book of Ruth of a woman named Naomi. Many of us learn this same lesson in one way or another. Often in hindsight we realize we did not fully appreciate the value of some blessing in our life at the time we received the blessing...we only understood it later.
Continuing with our series on why we believe the Bible is the Word of God. We are using the acrostic MAPS and we have already covered Manuscripts and Archaeology. Part Two concentrates on Prophetic Fulfillment and Scientific Accuracy.
Why believe the Bible is the Word of God? Since all of our beliefs are derived from the Bible this is a great question. After all what makes the Bible unique among all the other religious books ever written which claim to be some form of absolute truth? So why is the Bible any different? How do we even know the Bible we have is anything like the Bible that was written?
Using the acrostic MAPS as a guide we can defend the Bible:
Manuscripts Archaeology Prophecy Science
Part One of this series concentrates on the first two categories: Manuscripts and Archaeology.
The introduction of the Book of Ruth warns of the danger of placing pragmatism over principle. We are, just like the people in this story, often tempted to resort to a pragmatic solution, rather than one that is founded upon faith and rooted in principle. Our natural tendency is just to utilize the most pragmatic solution because it is so obvious.
Challenging authority is suddenly very popular and in vogue and it often seems easy to justify this attitude because of well-publicized scandals involving the abuse of authority or stupid decisions involving a misuse of authority by leaders both sacred and secular. If everyone is constantly challenging authority soon there is no authority left to challenge and anarchy reigns. Letting everyone do what is right in their own eyes soon leads to confusion and chaos. What is true in society can also be true in the church; therefore, the author of Hebrews wants to end his letter with an exhortation to leaders and those they lead, because it’s easy to take our leaders for granted.
Here in the last chapter the author of Hebrews decides to wrap things up, but before he does he quickly gives us specific, concise, and practical exhortations in a bullet point fashion regarding our actions toward others and attitudes within ourselves.
The discipline of children is a delicate thing. Too much discipline is a problem and too little discipline is a problem. Yet all children need the training of discipline, even God’s children. learning to receive and respond to proper discipline is a key factor in how we run the race of faith.
The author of Hebrews says we are in an amazing race. However we do not all run this race in the same way. This text gives us the rules of the race.
There are two sides to faith. There is a side that risks. This is the side that steps out in bold confidence in the power of God daring to do the seemingly impossible and such faith receives great victory. The other side of faith is the faith that rests. This is the side that patiently endures great hardship calmly trusting in God and such faith reckons that God’s grace will be sufficient to sustain them in the trial. In this text we see that the men and women listed needed one side of faith or the other depending on whether they were called to triumphs or tragedies.
Our lives are made up of decisions. Decisions often produce their own domino effect and the quality of our lives are often more related to our decisions about our circumstances rather than about the circumstances themselves. These verse contemplate the faith of Moses’ parents and Moses’ own faith and how the decisions they made impacted their lives.
The stories of Isaac, of Jacob and Joseph, who all died without receiving their earthly inheritance are discussed. In blessing their children it may not seem that these men of faith did all that much but in truth they understood their main responsibility was to create a legacy of faith for the next generation.
The faith of Noah is discussed. He had a faith willing to operate in terms of deferred satisfaction and that responded to God's Word.
In concluding the previous warning section, the author mentioned the theme of living by faith. Now he sets forth some fundamental considerations about faith: its basic composition, the commendation of distinction associated with it, and the way faith responds to God.
Chapters 7, 8, and 9 of Hebrews contain the most complete and exhaustive pictures of the finished work of Christ in the entire Bible. Yet ironically these great truths are wedged in-between two of the most severe warning sections found in the entire Bible...Chapters 6 & 10 which warn about despising the sacrifice of Christ. What is the purpose of these assurances and these warnings?
Shadows can show me the outline of some reality, but they lack the substance of the thing that is real. The author of Hebrews is saying choosing to live under the shadow of the Old Covenant when the reality of the New Covenant is available is like choosing the shadows over realities...and why in heaven’s name would anyone want to do that?
The grace of the New Covenant was paid for with the blood of Christ. Christ’s death has instituted a better covenant which is superior, but the need for such a sacrifice has yet to be explored. The next section deals with why this was “necessary”.
When Hebrews was written, the Temple was still standing although the author hinted at the end of chapter 8 that it might not be much longer. In chapter 9 the author compares and contrasts the sanctuaries, the services and the significance of the Old and New Covenants.
In chapter 7, the writer had considered the superiority of the new priest. It follows that such a priest must have a superior priestly ministry. The superior ministry is covered in chapters 8 and 9. In the process, the author reveals that the New Covenant underlies this newer priestly service.
In the Old Testament the Levitical priesthood was determined by lineage. In order to become a priest one had to descend from Levi and Aaron. If you descended from Levi but not from Aaron you performed other duties related to the Tabernacle or Temple, but you could not offer sacrifices. Today the author of Hebrews points out there was another priesthood not determined by bloodlines in the Old Testament and that priesthood was actually superior to the priesthood determined by bloodline.
The author of Hebrews realizing he may have shaken everybody up by what he just said in verse 1-8 of Chapter 6 decides to add a bit of encouragement. This pattern of issuing a strict warning followed by tender encouragement is a pattern we find in the warning sections of Hebrews.
Hebrews 6:1-8 is one of the most hotly debated and difficult passages of the entire New Testament. Most of the fuss is about whether the Bible teaches you can lose your salvation or not and if so under what conditions? All views basically fall within four categories. (1) Yes, you can lose your salvation. (2) No, you can’t lose your salvation. (3) You can’t lose your salvation but you can reject it and return it. (4) Is salvation even the context here?
In this chapter the author of Hebrews informs us of Jesus' qualification to be a priest and the characteristics of His priesthood. He also issues his third warning of the five warnings in the Book of Hebrews.
Since Scripture is God-breathed it is alive and it is a double-edged weapon. So God’s Word has an offensive edge and a defensive edge. The offensive edge of God’s word is for teaching and training and the defensive edge is for rebuking and correcting. And here is what happens. A failure to respond to the positive side (instruction and training) usually results in getting the message from the other side (rebuking and correction).
Most of the people who were delivered from Egypt were not delivered to the Promised Land. So they only went halfway with God. Today the author of Hebrews warns we can do the very same thing...we can be permanently delivered from the penalty of sin without ever entering the power of our salvation.
The author of Hebrews says as great as Moses was, Jesus is far greater. For Moses only delivered people from the slavery of Egypt, but Jesus delivers people from the slavery of sin.
The Son's humanity did not make Him inferior and, in fact, His humanity was necessary in order to fulfill His destiny.
There are five warnings in the book of Hebrews. This first warning is related to drifting or slipping past the safe harbor of God’s Word. The author now paused in his exposition to address the readers with his first warning.
Drawing heavily on the witness of Old Testament revelation, the author of Hebrews demonstrated the uniqueness of the Son. He insists the Son is greater in title and worshiped because of His greater title and nature. The Son also has a superior existence and destiny.
The superiority of Jesus is made clear by a quick presentation of five great truths about Him.
The author of Hebrews begins with his central thesis of that was then (Old Covenant), this is now (New Covenant). In introducing the New Covenant, the author of Hebrews wishes to make it clear that the New Covenant is not a renewed Old Covenant.
Here at the end of this great epistle Paul sums up what he has been saying with reference to the errors of legalism and the enlightenment of grace. What counts now is the new creation responding to grace by the empowerment of the Holy Spirit.
Gal 6:6-10 concerns the principle of sowing and reaping. What does where I sow reveal about my priorities? Why must I reap what I sow? These and other questions are addressed in this text.
In this text Paul gives us some counsel with reference to those caught up in sin. and the proper role of church discipline.
When the flesh is in charge it is obvious. The production of the flesh includes the sins listed here but this list is by no means exhaustive.It is also obvious when the Spirit is in charge for when the Spirit is in charge we will bear the fruit of the Spirit. Is each grace mentioned a separate fruit or are all nine graces part of the one fruit of the Spirit?
If I am a new creation in Christ then why do I still sin? Is my old sin nature fighting with my new creation nature? Do my old self and new self co-exist? Or is something else going on? Is there some other explanation? Today's text explains why you still struggle with sin.
In Galatians 5:13-15, Paul addresses those who might misunderstand and misuse their freedom in Christ under grace as an excuse to indulge the self. He asserts that the freedom we have been granted is not a freedom to serve self, but to serve others. From there we learn love is at the heart of Christian ethics not law, but when we do not love we will bite and devour one another.
The introduction to chapter 5 is a summary of chapter 4. Paul declared that Christ was the great emancipator who set believers free from bondage to the slave market. Note that Christ did not just set us free…He set us free for freedom! Therefore, the stated purpose of Christ’s redemptive work was to free us from the futile slavery of religious self-improvement.
This text seems like an allegorical interpretation…or is it? And if it is, then is Paul saying that allegory a good way to approach biblical interpretation? Or is he merely arguing with the Judaizers on their terms since they preferred allegorical interpretation? Is Paul using their weapon against them so to speak so he can defeat them on their own terms and if so, what is his point?
Have you ever noticed that often the people who are most passionately against something are people who used to be participants in that very thing? For example, an ex-smoker who is vehemently against smoking or person who used to be a member of some organization who is now as passionately against that organization as they were at one time for it? Paul as an ex-legalist finds it perplexing that anyone exposed to grace would have any interest in returning to being enslaved by the law. Today he switches his appeal to them from a rational one to an emotional one. If he can’t connect with their minds maybe he can connect to their hearts.
Thus far in our study of Galatians Paul has said that returning to the law was like a free man deciding he would return to prison and like a man insisting he be treated as a boy. Today Paul seeks to illustrate and apply this truth in yet another way by turning to a well-known practice in the ancient world, that of an heir coming of age, so as to enjoy all that he has legally possessed, but which has been beyond his personal control.
In the preceding verses, Paul has focused the reader’s attention on some crucial distinctions: law is different from grace, faith is different from works, and the Mosaic Covenant is different from the Abrahamic Covenant. In our text today Paul says being under the law is like being locked up in prison and having a correctional officer running your daily life. The sermon also focuses on what some have called "The Law of Linearity" which is the belief that if you follow the rules you get the result you desire; however, should getting the right results be our main motivation for doing the right thing or is there some better motivator?
In Galatians 3:15-22, Paul explains the superiority of the promise and the inferiority of the law. The Judaizers’ view was whatever God was doing before the law He was only doing until the law was given. Once the law was given it replaced the covenant before it. Paul illustrates in these verses why that, in fact, isn’t true.
In Galatians 3:6-14, Paul uses the Old Testament case of Abraham to drive home his point that salvation has always been by grace through faith. Afterwards he argues that those who rely on legalistic obedience to the law are under a curse and seeking commendation from something that only brings condemnation. In contrast to this he says Christ redeems us from the curse of the law by becoming a curse for us which bought us the cure to the curse. :: Some sound issues towards the front but we fixed as best we could. Thanks for understanding!! ::
Join us as guest speaker Paul Schliep continues in his series in Psalms. This week we tackle Psalm 3
In today's text, Pastor Paul breaks down the enthronement psalm...Psalm 2 and explores its New Testament applications.
In Galatians 3:1-5, Paul ask the Galatians specific questions about how God has worked in their midst. He is trying to get them to rethink so they will react differently
In Galatians 2:15-21, Paul explains we are dead to the law through the law, when this occurred, and why we are free from the law
In Galatians 2:11-16, Paul explains why he had to publicly confront Peter. There are several applications in this passage about the gentle art of confrontation.
In Acts 15, men come down from Judea to Antioch and state "Unless you are circumcised, according to the custom taught by Moses, you cannot be saved." If the men from Judea had prevailed circumcision would have become a precondition to salvation and trying to live the Christian life out of legalistic obedience of duty and obligation would have the standard rule of life among Christians. You see, what all legalists are ultimately trying to accomplish is to do the new covenant in the old covenant way. Fights are never fun, but they are sometimes important. Without question there are many times when a fight is simply not worth it. This is not one of those times so Paul does not agree to be agreeably disagreeing on the subject. Paul begins this epistle in a no-nonsense fashion getting quickly to the point!
Romans 16 contains the closing words of Paul in what has been called the greatest piece of writing in existence and the greatest book of the New Testament. In the last chapter, Paul extends greetings to 26 individuals (24 by name) and gives special recognition to women who served in the church. From this last chapter we learn everyone is significant, every ministry is important and people deserve praise and recognition for their service.
Guest Speaker, Paul Schliep, EFCA West Director of Pastoral Care, Transition Support, Theology and Credentialing, breaks down Psalm 22, the psalm on Jesus' heart and lips as He endured the cross.
In Romans 15, Paul continues to talk about building each other up. He goes over three things to consider about acceptance, three principles to consider before admonishing someone else, and his threefold priorities in serving others.
The first half of chapter 14 addresses the importance of acceptance which on the flipside means to refrain from judging others. The second half of the chapter concerns itself with how to avoid offending each other and the flipside to not offending is to actively seek to build up or encourage. What are the responsibilities of a strong Christian toward a weak Christian? Also how do we avoid giving offense to weaker Christians without letting them call all the shots about what we can and cannot do?
Christians have differed over what is and what is not appropriate for Christians to participate in since the founding of the church. Consider the problems faced by new Christians in the Roman Empire. What if you were a stone mason who worked for a business involved in the building of the walls of a heathen temple or a seamstress who worked for tailor who made robes for heathen priests? Should you look for another job? What if you worked for an incense maker or a silversmith or goldsmith who primarily made his money through idolatry? What if you were a sailor who worked on a ship dedicated to some sea god? What if you were a doctor? Should you work with the sick found in hospitals dedicated to the god, Aesculapius? New Christians were trying to determine where and when to draw the lines. Christians then, as now, drew their lines differently. So how should I respond to you if your list of do's & don't's is different from mine? Paul gives us the answer in Romans 14.
Here in Romans Paul discusses the ongoing debt of love that fulfills the law. He explains there how love seeks to make itself manifest.
What is a Christian's civic responsibility to governing authorities? Is the counsel to submit to governing authorities in Romans 13 and 1st Peter 2 qualified of unqualified? In other words, does Paul's counsel here mean something different in a democratic republic than it would in a communist regime? What are some different ways Christians have approached this issue of what was their justification
In these verses Paul instructs us on how to relate to people who are causing your grief in some way. He cautions we should avoid our natural instincts and leave any vengeance to God. Furthermore, somewhat counter-intuitively Paul exhorts us to not just resist our natural desire to fight back, but to show kindness to our enemies.
In chapter 12 of Romans, Paul looks at the different relationships of the Christian. First, he deals with our relationship to God in verses 1 and 2 which is to be one of sacrificial devotion, next he addresses our relationship to ourselves in verse 3 which involves evaluating ourselves with sober judgment, and then he spoke of our relationship with others in the church which involved the sharing of our gifts beginning in verses 4 through 8.
Verses 9 through 16, which are the verses we will cover today, Paul shows us how we're to love our brothers and sisters in the Lord.
Paul, thus far has described the problem of righteousness which is condemnation because of sin (Romans 1-3:20), the provision of righteousness which is justification in Christ (Romans 3:21-5:21), the power of righteousness which is sanctification enabled by the Spirit (Romans 6-8), and the program of righteousness in the case of the nation of Israel (Romans 9-11). From chapter 12 to the end of the book we learn of the practice of righteousness or the outworking of righteousness through our service to Christ.
Verses 1-2 deals with our relationship to God which is to be one of sacrificial devotion, next he addresses our relationship to ourselves in verse 3 which involves evaluating ourselves with sober judgment, and then we consider our relationship with others in the church through the sharing of our gifts in verses 4 through 8.
Romans 11 is about Israel's future, but not everyone is agreed on who or what constitutes True Israel. Paul seems to suggest Israel has been temporarily set aside for now as God concentrates on the Gentile nations...or does he? What are we to learn from God's dealings with Israel? This sermon addresses these and other questions.
In chapter 9 of Romans we learned about about Israel’s past; chapter 10 is about Israel’s present and what we find is that Israel has been set aside as God’s primary vehicle in revealing Himself to the world. Paul gives four reasons why they were set aside in today's sermon.
What is the real context of Romans 9? Is Paul making a defense of election or something else? Is it possible we don't see the forest for the trees when it comes to Romans 9? Romans 9 is actually a continued defense of grace over works. We tend to make it about election as we argue over what it means that God hated Esau, what it means that God hardened Pharaoh's heart and what it means that God made some pottery for noble use and some for common use. In Romans 9:14-33, Paul addresses the objections of those who basically argue God's choices should be based upon merit.
We're at the midpoint of our study of the book of Romans. Romans has been described as a book that has eight chapters of gospel in the beginning, four chapters of application at the end and three chapters of puzzlement in the middle. The absolute worst of the three chapters of puzzlement is the one we start today - chapter 9. What about the chapter is hard to accept? The first 13 verses deal with God making a distinction between certain people. God chose to work through Isaac, not Ishmael. God chose to work through Jacob, not Esau. Being chosen by God led to blessings and benefits. Not being chosen led to separation and ruin. Is this fair? Why and how did God make the choices He made?
Merry Christmas to everyone and let's celebrate the gift of Jesus in our lives each day, not just on Christmas.
In Romans 8:31-39, Paul asks six questions about adversaries and adversities which may threaten to try and separate from the love of God in Jesus Christ. Assurances are given that on one and nothing will be able to do that for in Christ there is no condemnation and no separation from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus, our Lord.
One of the main controversies in the evangelical world is the interplay of God’s sovereignty and man’s responsibility. Is everything in our lives predestined so that freewill is an illusion or are we truly free to choose our destiny? Perhaps, in the course of arguing over the details of “how” predestination and election work, we lose sight of “why” the doctrine is presented to us in the first place. In other words, we are so busy arguing about the "how" that we fail to really consider the "why"? This sermon tries to figure out the “why” even if we are still confused about the “how”.
Earlier in Romans 8, Paul said despite the fact that Christians presently suffer because of sin in the world, we are nevertheless assured of a glorious inheritance in a future world. Paul said suffering and glory are inseparable, but now he adds they’re also incomparable. Why do we suffer? How do we maintain hope in suffering? These issues are addressed in this sermon.
In Romans 7 the key word was "I" -- 53 times in those verses Paul said "I ... me ... my ... myself". But the secret of Christian living is not living the Christian life on our own, but letting the Holy Spirit live through us and the key word of Romans 8 is the word "spirit". The word "spirit" is not used once in Romans 7 and it’s used 19 times in Romans 8. The secret to success in overcoming the power of sin is the power of the Holy Spirit.
If my old nature in Adam was crucified with Christ, according to Paul in both Romans 6 and Galatians 2, and I was given a new heart and a new spirit as a new creation in Christ, why do I still sin? The answer may surprise you.
Romans 6:1-14 begins the sanctification section of Romans. In order for sanctification to work we have to know what God says, believe what God says and then act like we believe what we know. If our knowledge is unclear, our belief will be hazy, and our follow-through will at the very least be inconsistent, if not altogether non-existent. In these verse Paul explains what we have to know, what we have to believe, and how we are to act on this knowledge and belief.
When you’re a kid one of the first lessons in life you learn is that one person can ruin it for everyone else whether it is in the classroom or on the fields and courts of recreational sports. One kid can annoy the teacher so badly that the whole classroom suffers. One kid can drop the ball that causes the whole team to lose. The passage we look at today is based on the principle of the effect of the actions of one person upon many other persons. Paul contrasts and compares Adam and Jesus and how a singular act by each man affected others.
In Romans 4:1-16, Paul illustrated the priority and pattern of Abraham’s faith. The author of Hebrews states by faith we are inwardly assured and outwardly certain that God will bring to reality the fulfillment of the promises that we hope for given in His Word that we cannot presently see. Abraham was commended for exactly this kind of faith . In Romans 4:17-25, Paul wants to address whether Abraham’s faith was reasonable in the first place and why.
In Romans 3, Paul says the only way we can be declared righteous by God is by grace through faith in Christ. Romans 3 gave us the principle. Romans 4:1-16 now gives us the pattern of Abraham who was justified by faith apart from observing the law.
In Romans 1-3:20, Paul explains the problem of righteousness and the problem is we do not have any righteousness. What we do have, however, is condemnation because of sin. In the next section of Romans, Romans 3:21-5:21. Paul explains the provision of righteousness; justification which results in salvation. Paul didn’t start with the provision because no one seeks the provision until they’ve come to understand the problem. The provision is appreciated only when the problem is acknowledged. Romans 3:21-31 gives us six righteous facts about justification.
Paul makes the closing arguments of his case against mankind’s righteousness. His objective is to show that neither Jew nor Gentile merits God’s acceptance or approval; therefore, everyone needs the merit of the righteousness of Jesus Christ.
According to Paul there is a three-fold division of mankind when it comes to spiritual matters. In chapter 1, Paul addressed the defiant rebellious person who openly rejects and resists God. In the beginning of chapter 2, Paul addresses the decent respectable person who would readily admit that the defiant rebels of Chapter 1 may need grace and forgiveness, but they certainly are not in their company. The decent moral person is typically quick to judge others whose shortcomings are more obvious and gross. In today's text Paul says there is one more group of people who go even one step further. This person thinks "I'm not a defiant rebel and I’m more than simply a decent respectable person -- I'm a devoutly religious person." The devoutly religious often have a false sense of security about their eternal destiny. He uses the Jews as the example of the religious person because that was his own experience. However, the principles apply to any person who trust their religion to keep them safe and secure from God’s condemnation.
In his letter, Paul now anticipates that some people reading his description of the defiant rebels in Chapter 1 might be prone to think, "I am definitely not a defiant rebel like those described in Chapter 1. I'm more of a decent respectable morally responsible type person…so certainly, God would have no beef with me." I think most Americans would consider themselves to be in this category…even if they’re not particularly religious they think if there is a God they’re not particularly worried about being condemned because they are not like the depraved sinners described in Chapter 1. Paul will now point out that decent respectable morally responsible people are just as guilty, maybe even more so, than the obviously immoral person.
In Romans 1: 24-32, Paul describes three manifestations of God’s present wrath to various types of sinners. All three manifestations share three things in common. First, each group has received some revelation about God which is undeniable. Second, each group has rejected that revelation, replacing it with some perversion of that revelation which is inexcusable. Finally, each group is given over to some form of sin, which the sinner desires and deserves as a manifestation of God’s wrath, thereby becoming incorrigible and by which they are ultimately destroyed.
This week we discuss how God has revealed Himself to mankind and it is undeniable, yet mankind rejects this revelation and it is inexcusable. How has God plainly revealed Himself? We explore the undeniable proof of God's existence as we continue in the Book of Romans. Romans 1:18-23 Undeniable & Inexcusable.
The first seventeen verses in the book of Romans are Paul’s introduction of himself to the church at Rome. In that introduction he reveals a lot about himself. It reveals his primary sense of his identity, from whence he derives his fundamental understanding of his primary purpose. He also assesses how he is to carry out this primary purpose and what his source of personal motivation is in carrying it out. In light of what Paul says about his obligations and purpose, how should we view our own obligations and purpose?
How do we overcome apathy? Is there any benefit in exposing ourselves to situations that create righteous discomfort? Let's get to the heart of the matter.
Perhaps the greatest sermon ever preached on Gog & Magog.
In today's sermon we explore the Battle of Gog & Magog and consider where our security is really found.
3rd John tells us of three men who serve as examples of three kinds of Christians who exist in all ages: the Cooperative Christian - Gaius, the Competitive Christian - Diotrephes, and the Consummate Christian - Demetrius.
2nd John 1:7-13 highlights the importance of getting Jesus Christ right. Is is possible to get the Savior wrong and salvation right? Not according to John and John was concerned about those who were not getting the Savior right. John says "Anyone who runs ahead and does not continue in the teaching of Christ does not have God; whoever continues in the teaching has both the Father and the Son."
2nd John is one of the most neglected books of the Bible and yet it packs a powerful punch. What is the link between truth, love and obedience? In these first six verses of 2nd John the great apostle completely destroys two common fallacies about Christian Living.
It is has been said that people who say it's easy to trust the Lord have never really had to do it. Ironically, trust is always the most necessary when it is the most difficult to muster. Pastor Ryan and Chrissy D'Amato share how they had to learn to trust God in the birth of their second child, Aubrie, with Hillside Community Church in Porterville.
Perhaps the greatest sermon ever preached.
Why have the Jewish people been persecuted so much over the course of history? What is behind all of this persecution? How have the Jewish people miraculously survived all these attempts to extinguish them as a people group? Daniel 12 assures the Jewish people they will make it all the way to the end, but not without hardship and difficulty. Nevertheless in the end "All Israel will be saved".
Daniel 11 contains over 130 specific prophecy references to the next 300+ years of Daniel's people and holy city. The constant political turmoil and intrigue reminds us of the instability of earthly governments and the impossibility of ever moving beyond war. Daniel also warns of a coming king in the end-times who will be the very antithesis of Jesus.
Are angels and demons involved in our personal and worldly affairs? If so, how so? Do our prayers help and hinder powers in the heavenly realms? These and other questions are addressed in this week's sermon.
Long ago there were three days that changed the world. We are most familiar with the Friday of the Crucifixion and the Sunday of the Resurrection. But what was the feeling on Saturday - the Day in the Tomb? How often, if ever, do we think about the pain and confusion of that day...when it seemed all the hope place in Jesus lay buried with Him in that tomb. Those who experienced these events firsthand thought that everything was now hopeless...little did they realize their hope was merely on hold.
Join the teen challenge choir sharing the joy of the Lord in song and testimonies. Keep these folks in prayer as they continue their journey in the Lord and really all the folks at teen challenge.
- There were technical difficulties early in the sermon, which we corrected as best we could, but you will note a few seconds of blank space at about the 8 minute mark * This sermon covers one of the most complicated and controversial sections of the Bible - Daniel 9:24-27. This sermon presents the three major views on the text concerning the Seventy Sevens of Daniel.
In Daniel 8, Daniel is given a preview of coming attractions for the Jewish people in the the next 300 years. Imagine if the Lord gave you a vision for the next 300 years of the nation you hold most dear and what if the vision revealed heartache and suffering for that nation and your family? How would you feel? You would probably feel like Daniel feels at the end of this chapter: Daniel 8:27 I, Daniel, was worn out. I lay exhausted for several days. Then I got up and went about the king’s business. I was appalled by the vision; it was beyond understanding.
Daniel's enemies attempt to entrap him by making his integrity work against him rather than for him. Instead God uses their lack of integrity to entrap them. What can we learn from Daniel's integrity and how can we grow in integrity?
People think they can build walls to keep out the judgments of God, but everyone eventually faces a day when they must deal with the writing on the wall. There are no walls think enough to keep out the judgment of God.
In Daniel 3, Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego by refusing to bow down to the image Nebuchadnezzar set up. Did they have great faith because they had great courage or did they have great courage because they had great faith? It has been said there are two kinds of faith...which one did Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego have?
In Daniel 2, King Nebuchadnezzar has a dream which greatly disturbs him. In verses 1-30, we see how human insecurity gives birth to human hostility. Somehow in the midst of all this Daniel remains calm and composed. What gave Daniel this sense of assurance?
Acts 28 is not, as Winston Churchill once said, the beginning of the end it is merely the end of the beginning. The book of Acts has taken us on a journey from a small huddled mass of 120 people to turning the world upside down in a mere 29 years. In today's lesson we learn how God can and will redeem the expereiences we have to further the cause of the good.
Why do we go through storms? Especially when we are trying to be obedient and follow the will of God in our lives...why do the storms still come? In Acts 27, Paul is in a storm that causes a shipwreck. Jesus said Paul was to go to Rome to testify about Him there...why this diversion? Why not just get Paul to Rome? Does God have a purpose for storms?
In Acts 24-26, Paul is examined by Felix, Festus, and Agrippa II. As Paul talked about righteousness, self-control and the judgment to come there were two very different reactions from his examiners. We still find these same reactions today. It is still true today that unwillingness never runs out of excuses and unbelief never has enough proof.
In today's text Paul begins making his defense before the Sanhedrin; however there is a problem...his flesh has been activated so he is now self-directed and self-protective. See what the Lord does to get him back on track.
What should we do when we seem to be getting conflicting signals from the Holy Spirit about direction? How do we decipher our internal leaning and the well-intentioned advice we receive from others about direction? In today's sermon, Paul receives some well-intentioned but ultimately bad advice and the whole thing backfires...or does it?
Why don't Christians keep a Saturday Sabbath? Did the Sabbath change to Sunday? What is to be the main focus of ministry? These and other questions are answered in Acts 20.
Description: Is everything that is described in the Bible prescribed? Is it appropriate to merchandise prayer cloths and things of the like for fundraising purposes? How should we engage in spiritual warfare? Does magical thinking often masquerade as faith? These and other questions are addressed in this sermon on Acts 19.
In Acts 18, Paul arrives in Corinth a beaten and fatigued man. However, God took steps to encourage Paul in order to give him the strength to keep going forward. It is easy for us to believe when we are experiencing mountaintop experiences that God is the God of the mountains...its a little more difficult to accept that God is also the God of the valleys. What will God do in Acts 18 to show Paul the God of the mountain is still God in the valley?
Should we get our teaching from more than one well? How do we decide which teachers deserve our listening to them and which ones we should ignore? Are worldly philosophies ever truly satisfying? Today's text tells us how and why we should handle and examine the Scriptures as well as why worldly philosophies are hollow and empty.
How can we be strategic in our missionary and ministry efforts? Why is is important to establish a beachhead? How do we keep from merely reacting to our circumstances? In today's text we see how God established a beachhead in Europe and how Paul and Silas chose to be thermostats instead of thermometers.
How come Calvinist theologians have such strong disagreements with non-Calvinist theologians? How could charismatic and non-charismatic Christians reach such different conclusions? Why are there so many different opinions about baptism and the Lord’s Supper? Sometimes sharp disagreements arise among sincere Christians...so is that good or bad or does it just depend? Also how should we determine God's direction and guidance? Is the best way through outward signs and inward impressions...or is there another way?
In Acts 15, certain people suggest that for one to truly be saved they must be circumcised and for one to truly be sanctified they must obey the Law of Moses. The church forms a council in Jerusalem to discuss this matter. Ultimately they decide a supplemented Christ is a supplanted Christ.
In Acts 14, Paul is warned about the possibility of being stoned in Iconium so he escapes and then he is not warned about the possibility in Lystra whereupon he is stoned and presumed dead. Why the warning in Iconium, but not in Lystra? Should we also expect the same shade of grace? Paul was told he would suffer hardship in bringing the gospel to the Gentiles and here in Acts 14 he preaches "Through many hardships we enter the kingdom of God". That's a message that's not getting a lot of play these days now is it? What gives?
Did I choose to believe in Jesus because I became persuaded He was my only hope and source of salvation or did God make me choose to believe in Jesus by divine appointment? Some verses seem to indicate the choice is mine to make; others seem to indicate the choice has already been made for me…before I was even born. Sometimes the two concepts are presented in such close proximity that it is confusing and hard to reconcile. In Acts 13, both salvation by persuasion and salvation by appointment are presented. How can both things be true? Also in Chapter 13 we are told the leaders fasted and prayed. Is fasting a religious or spiritual discipline we should encourage? What's the difference, if any, between fasting and praying and merely praying?
Some people pray for a spouse...a child...a healing...and then they have a dramatic providential story of how that prayer was answered. However, we all know people who prayed just as earnestly and they never found that spouse...never had that child...never received that healing. Answered prayer seems so arbitrary sometimes it's difficult to pray with expectancy...so why should I pray? In Acts 12, the church prays earnestly for the Apostle James and the Apostle Peter, but they receive two different answers. The Apostle James is martyred and the Apostle Peter is released. No doubt they prayed just as earnestly for James to be released as Peter, but James was beheaded. Why did the church receive different answers to their prayers? This sermon discusses the power of unbelieving prayer.
We live in sexually confusing times and the Bible's stance on sex seems very outdated. Why should we live a life of sexual purity? How do we navigate through the treacherous waters of current opinion on sexual matters? This text addresses these issues.
Do you think you have any prejudices? Most of us like to think we have moved beyond prejudice and pride...but have we really moved on? Sometimes the Lord reveals to us, like He reveals to Peter in Chapter 10 of the Book of Acts, that we are not quite as far down the road of tolerance as we like to imagine ourselves to be. Leslie Allen said "A Jonah lurks in the heart of every Christian". Is there a Jonah lurking in your hear and do you have the courage to ask God to reveal to you your prejudices?
Christianity's greatest adversary has now become its greatest ally in the conversion of Saul. Surprisingly, Saul is colossally ineffective when he first sets out to preach the gospel...why?
Meanwhile, Peter mistakenly believes he has for the most part overcome his pride and prejudice. Shortly he will discover that is in fact not the case.
The conversion of Saul on the Road to Damascus is a pivotal moment in western history. Why did God choose the legalistic self-righteous Pharisees to become His great Apostle of Faith? What can we learn from God's choosing of the unexpected to do the inexplicable?
Acts 8:26-40 tells of of the encounter between Philip and the Ethiopian eunuch. What do we learn about personal evangelism from this encounter and what does this encounter tell us about those with diminished opportunities of hearing the gospel?
When are people most likely to change? Sociologists say people are most receptive to change during a period of crisis. Crisis forces us out of our comfort zones like nothing else. God allowed persecution of the church because they had grown comfortable in Jerusalem. However, God had commanded them to scatter and spread the gospel. The thing that got them to moving to fulfill the Lord's command was persecution. The church adapted and changed outreach strategies, because it was essentially forced to do it. Why did God scatter the gospel through persecution? Acts 8:1-25 explores why this was necessary.
Acts 6:8-7:60 concerns the martyrdom of Stephen. Stephen's sermon, the longest sermon in the Bible by a person other than Jesus, is not a sermon which calls people to repentance. Instead, his sermon warns of judgment and explains why such judgment is coming. The most remarkable thing about the sermon is the prayer at the end. While in the act of being murdered Stephen prays that this sin against him will not be taken into account by the Lord. Did the Lord answer his prayer? And what flood of grace was released upon the world by this prayer?
Navigating through church conflict is a necessary but wearisome journey. What cause church conflict and how should the leaders of a church approach resolving it? This sermon explains why we have church conflict and why conflict is a natural part of the growing process. Ultimately whether the conflict will be constructive or destructive depends on the attitudes and actions of those involved.
How far are we willing to go to rescue the perishing? Are we willing to endure hardship and risk danger? Why do we often find ourselves with a lack of compassion toward the lost world? The early church built bridges; today's church builds walls. What are we afraid of? Acts 5:12-42 shows just how far the disciples were willing to go to penetrate and impact their culture.
Ananias and Sapphira were the church's first hypocrites. They wanted to appear to be as generous as Barnabas, but unfortunately they didn't want to actually be as generous as Barnabas. Why are we so driven sometimes to appear to be what we are not? To be a hypocrite is to hide behind a mask...what masks do Christians hide behind today and why do we wear them?
When Adam sinned he set into motion three types of death or separations. This caused the fall of all. When Jesus came to earth His mission was to undo all that Adam had done. Therefore, he gives three types of life to counteract the three types of death set in motion by Adam's sin. In the other words the rise of one overcame the fall of all.
What's a Christian to do when God says "do" but some human authority says "don't"? In his epistle Peter said we are to submit to every human authority, but in Acts 4 he does not submit to human authority. Obviously there is an exception to the general rule, but what is it? How do we determine when we should and when we should not submit to human authority?
The people react to Peter's sermon at Pentecost by asking, "What shall we do?" Peter tells them they need to repent and be baptized. What did he mean? The people who accepted his message then devote themselves to four things that became another form of witnessing to the unsaved. The people were in awe that such unity could exist in the midst of such diversity. How is it possible to have unity with such division in our culture?
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Peter's sermon in Acts 2:14-36 tells how God authenticated Jesus as both Lord and Christ. Peter stands up and proclaims that what the crowd was observing was a fulfillment of Joel's prophecy concerning the last days. Now that Peter and the others had been baptized and filled with the Spirit they discovered that being Spirit-empowered could overcome their natural limitations and frailties...they were no longer timid and afraid, but filled with the Spirit they were bold and confident.
The Book of Acts is a book of transitions. Change occurs in almost every chapter. The Old Covenant Way of living life is fading and the New Covenant Way of living is being established. Chapter 2 brings the biggest change of all...the promised gift of the Holy Spirit arrives and what a difference He would make upon arrival. Of course, not everyone is in agreement about the way the Holy Spirit would empower believers and this sermon discusses the various interpretations of several theologies prevalent today.
Jesus told His disciples to wait in the city until they were clothed with power. While they were waiting Peter decides they should pick a replacement for Judas. Did they do the right thing in picking Matthias to replace Judas as one of the Twelve? And how could Judas have spent three years or more with Jesus and be so completely unaffected by Him? Has anyone ever had greater opportunity than Judas? What happens to those who have had greater opportunity than others to know Jesus? How should we handle it when people like Judas deceive us? Should we be extra careful before trusting someone else again? In this sermon we explore all of these things.
Jesus knew His disciples needed more than the responsibility to witness, they needed the ability to witness. This was going to be provided in the gift of the Holy Spirit. The disciples are going to discover two things are needed to be an effective witness: the enlightened mind and the burning heart. Jesus had enlightened their minds; now the Holy Spirit would provide the passion of the burning heart.
In Ecclesiastes 12, the Teacher comes to the conclusion that your present choices are shaping your tomorrow just like your past choices shaped your today. God's Word helps shape your present choices by acting as a goad on some occasions to get you moving in the right direction and as a nail on other occasions to secure you from drifting away from the truth. In the final analysis the Teacher concludes it is best to "fear God and keep His commandments".
Are you a risk-taker? How often do you try to sanctify your lack of trust by garbing it in the dress of wisdom (i.e. try to convince yourself, you're not afraid it's just you're wise to be cautious)? In Ecclesiastes 11, we explore what's wrong with playing it safe all the time and how taking a risk is a sign of trust.
The Teacher says "Think Before You Act, Think Before You React, Think Before You Speak, and Think Before You Lead." Why? Because wise people anticipate; fools react.
We all have a common destiny but we do not all have a common eternity. One day death is coming, what do we do in the meantime?
If I do the right things am I guaranteed the right results? Is there a "Law of Linearity" which confirms if you do "A" you will automatically get "B"? Or is this a false hope? Are there actually no guarantees in this life? This is what the Teacher explores in the second half of Ecclesiastes 7.
In Chapter 7, the Teacher gives several comparative couplets about how and why some things are better than other things. Ironically some things that seem like bad things can often end up being the better things in the long run. The Teacher also instructs us that we will never move forward by looking backwards.
The Teacher continues to warn about the meaninglessness of wealth without satisfaction and work without gratification. What are the essential things we need to enjoy life?
The Teacher ponders the mystery of oppression in the world. He notices there is a lot of oppression going on, there are a lot of tears being shed over oppression and that little seems to be done about it. He also notices that many people choose achievement over contentment, competitive rewards over beneficial relationships and popularity over influence. This the teacher finds is another way of chasing after the wind.
The Teacher of Ecclesiastes says there is a time for everything and that God will make everything beautiful in its time. This is sometimes difficult to accept, but we must learn to look at our life as a tapestry that God is weaving over the course of our life. On our side of the loom it often seems a confusing mess, but on God's side of the loom He sees how he has woven these changing seasons of our life into a beautiful tapestry.
Does life under the sun offer any lasting satisfaction? Which path will lead us to contentment? Pleasure? Knowledge? Wealth? Or none of the above? How can I find purpose if life is absurd and nothing I do will be remembered? What is the Paradox of Pleasure?
Our world is on the path to self-destruction…it is getting nowhere fast. It is filled up with people who are fed up and feel their existence is filled with meaninglessness, insignificance, alienation and uncertainty.
The Book of Ecclesiastes assures us this is nothing new…that eventually everyone discovers there is no satisfaction under the sun, there is nothing new under the sun, and no one is remembered under the sun. If this is true then my satisfaction must lie elsewhere...somewhere beyond the sun.
In this sermon Pastor Jeff shares his personal testimony with reference to his call into the ministry and his planting of Dove Creek Bible Church.
Jacob, Leah and Rachel modeled unhealthy family traditions in front of their children due to Leah and Rachel's sibling rivalry. Even so God's grace is present in the midst of all this dysfunction. Leah seems to have grasped when she finally decided to accept the grace offered and stop pursuing the grace denied.
Elijah went from the mountain of victory to the valley of despair in the blink of an eye. The reason was he was physically and emotionally spent. In this lesson we explore what leads some of us into depression and how we can deal with depression.
What do you do when you seem to be receiving conflicting signals from the Holy Spirit? Well sometimes what you do is follow well-intentioned bad advice as Paul does here in Acts 21.
David faced many giants as a young man, both literally and figuratively. As a young man he depended on the Lord to defeat such giants saying "The Battle is the LORD'S." As an older man David became less dependent upon the LORD and found himself being slain by figurative giants instead of slayer. How often those who stop going to their knees in dependence are soon brought to their knees by consequence.
Moses struggled with the same sin for his entire life. In the end his failure to deal with his sin lead to his life's greatest failure. Moses reminds us we're never too old to fail, disobedience always springs from some form of distrust, and that man's anger cannot bring about the righteous life God desires.
In this new series we will explore some of the greatest failures of men like Abram, Moses, and David. We will see if we can discover what led to their failure and how we can avoid making the same mistake. "The Lord helps them who helps themselves" is probably the most quoted phrase erroneously believed to be found in the Bible. It's easy to see why some people think that quote is actually from the Bible, because so many of us seem to live by its sentiment. Abram certainly did and he helped himself to Hagar.
Whenever we sin we always wonder if we can come back from failure? Peter denied the Lord Jesus three times and now Jesus recommissions him. However, in doing so He asks Peter if he truly loves Him. How should Peter answer that question seeing how he had just experienced a colossal failure in that department? How will he or how can he prove he loves Jesus?
John 20 reveals the answer to questions like: What is the historical evidence for the resurrection? Why did Jesus appear to women first? Why did Jesus say "Blessed, who believes without seeing"?
Three men died upon crosses that day long ago. On one of those crosses a man died in sin. On one of those crosses a man died for sin. And on one of those crosses a man died to sin. Jesus is the man on the middle cross. With reference to the other crosses...on which cross are you?
How tempting the path of least resistance is to us. Pilate kept trying to find such a path…he hesitated, he passed the buck, and he looked for compromise…he turned this way and that…but at every turn…RESISTANCE.
Why did Pilate try so hard to avoid making the decision about Jesus his own? Like people today he doesn’t want to take responsibility for the decision so he tries to avoid making the decision. This strategy does not work because indecision is a decision.
What can we do when we meet this test called "failure"? How do we develop the gumption and humility to get back on track after we have blown it? How do we evaluate the reasons for our failing? Learn the lesson from Peter as Peter learns his lesson.
As Jesus nears His date with destiny He prays in the Garden of Gethsemane. Shortly thereafter He is arrested, but Peter protests by withdrawing his sword. In this sermon we discuss the cup the Father gave to His Son and the differences between accepting our cups and not accepting our cups.
In this text as His disciples face fast changing circumstances Jesus clarifies the temporariness of sorrow and pain, reassures them of His Father's love, and tells them where real peace and rest is located.
Jesus said He would send us the Spirit after He ascended to convict the world of three things: sin, righteousness and judgment. Our job is not to convict only to present the truth and then the Spirit's job is to convict men of these things. One of the ways the Spirit does this, nonetheless, is through the believer. The Spirit must minister to the believer first and then through the believer.
How can we know if we're abiding in His love? How do we love others as He loves us? What is the by-product of abiding, loving and obedience? Why does the world hate Christians who abide? Jesus answers all of these questions in this text.
What does it mean to abide in Jesus? What is the main idea, the main focus and the main point Jesus is making in John 15 when He says, "I am the vine, you are the branches"? In this sermon we explore why it is so important that we "do nothing".
At the end of John 14, we encounter the answers to the questions: What is our motivation to obey? From whence comes the power to obey? After giving us the answers to these questions Jesus says He will give us His peace which is not like the peace that the world gives. How is His peace different?
Jesus predicts many troubling events ahead for His disciples and then He exhorts them to not let their hearts be troubled. It's almost as if He is upsetting them on purpose and then telling them not to be upset. What does He mean? Where will they find the comfort they need when they need it?
About to be betrayed by one disciple and denied by another Jesus prepares His disciples for His imminent departure by stressing the need to love one another.
It takes a certain amount of humility to receive sacrificial service as well as to render it. Jesus' washing of the feet of His disciples shows them the full extent of His love. Peter will learn the importance of why it's better to be humble than to have to be humbled.
In some pulpits one finds the quote from John 12:21 inscribed so that only the speaker can see it "Sir, we would see Jesus." Why is is so important that people see Jesus not only in the pulpit, but also in the people of God? What happens when Christians speak of grace but not with grace? What happens to the person who loves his or her life in this world? This sermon addresses these issues.
In Luke 10, Martha stresses out while serving one guest. In John 12, Martha serves 13 guests and yet she is somehow unstressed. In Luke 10, she concerns herself with what her sister Mary is doing and in John 12 she seems less conscious of what Mary is dong. What made the difference? How can I serve like Martha in John 12 and avoid serving like Martha in Luke 10?
Lori Panici, Director of Children's Ministry for The Oaks Church, explains the new children's ministry model their church is using which is more of a relational model than an educational model.
The plot to kill Jesus made for strange alliances. Caiaphas predicts that Jesus will die as a substitute for the nation and He was right...just not in the way he thought. Then as now there are three reactions to Jesus: Ignore Him, oppose Him or worship Him.
Jesus learns His friend Lazarus is sick and near death, but He does not go to heal him. In fact, He delays two more days. Why? Was this purposeful delay a denial or was it for some greater purpose and plan?
This is Jesus' last public discourse with the crowds. From this point forward He concentrates on smaller groups and in particular His disciples. What would Jesus final words to the crowds be and how would they respond?
The Good Shepherd Discourse is on of the most famous passages of the Bible. In this discourse Jesus uses three different analogies of the sheep/shepherd motif to describe how He is like a shepherd to His people. The Good Shepherd Discourse dovetails nicely with another famous passage of the Bible - Psalm 23.
Jesus addresses the differences between being necessarily blind and being willfully blind. In the story of the healing of the blind man a man goes from sight to insight; while others maintain stubborn eyes.
This is the second of Jesus' "I Am" sayings. He states "I am the Light of the World". The religious leaders are offended by this bold proclamation because it is a truth they will not allow themselves to accept. As the will not believe Jesus is the Light of the World they cannot believe it and thus this truth is unable to set them free. The only truth that frees is accepted truth.
This sermon deals with one of the most disputed texts of the New Testament and the tendency to use Jesus' statement here as justification for all kinds of nonsense. Yet it is also a great example of how to handle someone caught in sin. Should we confront sin and if so, how should we confront sin? Jesus sets the example for the proper balance in John 8:1-11.
In John 7:19-52, Jesus says, “Let anyone who is thirsty come to me and drink. Whoever believes in me, as Scripture has said, rivers of living water will flow from within them.” How do we drink? How do we allow those rivers of living water to flow? After we drink is there a way we can hinder the flow of the living water? This sermon tries to answer these questions.
If Jesus told His brothers He wasn't going to the feast and then He went secretly...did Jesus lie? Of course not...but how do we explain it? This sermon discusses how Jesus divides before he unites, how the world in the church hurts discipleship, the difficulty in being considered credible without credentials and how God has a time for everything and everything has a time.
Did I decide to follow Jesus or did God decide I would follow Jesus? Is anyone able to come to to Jesus or only those chosen to come? This sermon takes a look at how reformed theologians and non-reformed theologians understand what Jesus is saying in John 6. Ultimately all agree Jesus has said we have greater needs than we know and there is a greater resource available than we could possibly imagine.
In His "Bread of Life" discourse is Jesus teaching His disciples in advance what happens at the Lord's Supper or is he merely teaching why we partake of the Lord's Supper? Various churches and theological systems have different explanations of what Jesus means by what He says in this passage.
Jesus wants to feed the 5000 men and their families, but Philip thinks the enormity of the problem precludes it and Andrew thinks the meagerness of the resources preclude it. How can Jesus get His disciples to start thinking "outside the box"?