12/6/15 Zechariah's Song

Luke 1:67-80

Intro: Try to image it is the time when B.C. turns to A.D. God has been silent for hundreds of years. There has been a promise of the coming of Elijah who will usher in the age of the Messiah (Mal. 3:1-4,4:5-6). The nation of Israel (God's chosen people) is under Roman rule (as well as the whole world). How long will God wait before sending hope?

Then the events of Luke 1:57-67 happen...

God's Promise to David – Luke 1:68-71

 

- visit from God –Finally, the wait for God's action is over! He has come to His people!

- redemption - see Romans 3:24-25 for further explanation of God's redemption

- horn of salvation (a horn is a symbol for power)

     Salvation from enemies – this statement is made as Israel remains under Roman rule

God's Covenant with Abraham – Luke 1:72-75

 

- what God did – rescued us from our enemies

- Our reaction → He has enabled us to serve Him!

     without fear – only because God has enabled us to do so

     in holiness & righteousness – Abraham was credited as being righteous -Gen. 15:6

     how long? – all our days

     Didn't Abraham serve as a wonderful example of this entire process?

God's Plan for John (the Baptist) – Luke 1:76-80

- knowledge of salvation – deliverance from oppression comes through remission of sins (Acts 2 sermon “repent & be baptized for the forgiveness of sins...”

- tender mercy – justice does not require God to save us, it is His mercy that allows it!

- The sun/Son

the dawning of a new day – is like Christ coming & bringing a new way (of peace v.79)

Conclusion: see Luke 1:76 -John was given the task to prepare the way of the Lord. We have been entrusted with the task of preparing the way for Christ's return. Will you step up and become a servant of the Most High?

11/29/15 God (Christ) as King - who is, who was, & who is to come!

Daniel7:9-10, 13-18 & Revelation 1:4-8

Intro: This sermon has one simple task – to praise God as our King!

God as King has been misunderstood by many: the Israelites, king Saul, king David (got a little closer), Jesus' disciples, Pilate, etc... This is an important truth to hold on to!

THE KING in the Old Testament – Daniel 7:9-10, 13-18

- Context – understand the time Daniel prophesied

     Daniel 7:1 – 1^st year of King Belshazzar's reign

     understand who this king was (prideful) – Daniel 5:18-23a

- “Ancient of Days” - God appears here as an old man (He has always existed!)

- “Son of Man” - here is seen as the coming Messiah (for all the nations)

- “came with the clouds of the sky” - was planned by God & sent by Him!

THE KING in the New Testament – Revelation 1:4-8

- Halley's Bible Handbook

“In a world where empires rise and fall, where all things die and pass away, we are reminded that God is Changeless, Timeless, and Eternal, and promised by Him that His Nature may be imparted to us, and that we, like Him, and by His Grace, unhurt by Death, may Live On and On. Alive Forevermore! Immortal Youth! What meaning it gives to Life! And what a comfort to saints then facing Martyrdom!”

- “faithful witness” - we are His witness but Jesus was the witness of the Father

- “firstborn of the dead” - first raised never to die again

- “the ruler” - the King of Kings

- “loves us & washed us from our sins” - continually loves & has already freed us

- “made us to be a Kingdom & priests” - was always God's original intention for us

- “who is and who was and who is to come” - The I Am is!

     “who was” - God was the King of Israel

     “who is to come” - God will sit on His throne in Heaven

     “is” is listed first – if we are not careful, then we might overlook He reigns today!

Conclusion: Christ is THE King of Kings – we must never forget this fact!

The kingdom of heaven/God has come & we can be part of it today... will you?

11/22/15 Thanksgiving - thankful for God's grace & the church

Joel 2

Intro: Joel 2:1-11

The day of the Lord's judgment has come upon the people (Joel 2:1). This is supposed to be a time for God's children to see Him disciplining those who are against God and His will. What happens when those against God turn out to be His own chosen people? Welcome to the book of Joel...

Repentance: Joel 2:12-17

God's judgment reveals itself through the imagery of a locust plague (Joel 1:4-10) and an army (Joel 2:2). God offers a time to repent even after His judgment has been pronounced (Joel 2:12-13). This only further illustrates God's grace and compassion. Even if the destruction is coming, there always remains a need to repent. God has shown us from examples in the Old Testament that He will restore things (on His time & not our time).

Restoration: Joel 2:18-27

If the Lord's people will repent, then all the negative will be reversed (you can be positive of this fact). The most spectacular thanksgiving feast will pale in comparison of what the Lord can do if they only returned to Him. If this was true for them, then why should we assume it would be any different for us?

Resting of the Spirit: Joel 2:28-32 (Acts 2:16-21), Acts 2:33-41

The pouring out of the Spirit of the Lord was extremely significant during this time. The Spirit had come upon many individuals, but He rarely ever fell on a group (most certainly not an outpouring like Joel speaks of). Many years later, the Apostle Paul quoted Joel to explain what was happening on the day of Pentecost immediately following Christ's ascension into heaven. The outpouring of the Holy Spirit sparked the birth of the church.

Conclusion:

Peter preached the gospel message to those present at Pentecost. He taught them that their response should be very similar to the message Joel preached. They needed to repent and be baptized.

11/15/15 Watch! - Mark 13

Mark 13

Intro: God will keep us humble

sometimes subtle: last Sunday I spoke of the widow's mite & giving of our offerings

Yet I forgot to set aside money in my wallet for our weekly offering!

sometimes severe: destruction of the Temple (& Jerusalem) in 70 AD

1. Why is this happening? Mark 12:38-40, 13:1-2

God's chosen people (the Jewish nation) had been going through the motions for some time by now but their hearts were far from the Lord. Their leaders were mistreating those truly in need. God will not simply look the other way. His wrath came upon the city of Jerusalem when He allowed it to be destroyed by the Romans.

2. What do you trust in? Mark 13:1-8

The Lord taught that all who desire to live by the sword will also die by the sword (Matthew 26:49-54). Where do you put your trust? The only true foundation to place our hopes upon is on the only true and living God!

3. When will it end? Mark 13:14-16, 20-23

Here we see the mercy of God even among His wrath. Yes, He is allowing the city to be destroyed but He shortened the days of distress for the sake of His elect!

Conclusion: Mark 13:32-37

Let us allow Jerusalem to be an example to us today. They were God's chosen people yet they chose to forsake Him. A temple to a false god stands today on the site of what once was the Lord's temple! God's judgment was carried out on Jerusalem when it was destroyed. There will be a day in the future when God's judgment will come upon the entire world. Our job is to watch and be ready for that day!

11/8/15 The Widow's Mite - Mark 12:35-44

Widow's mite - image from Wikipedia

Mark 12:35-44

The usual interpretation: focus on the widow & her selfless giving (v.41-44)

     The usual understanding of the widow's mite is focused on how much we should give to God. The widow serves as an example to us because even though she only had a few cents, she was completely determined to give everything over to God. 

 

     All too often we find ourselves only giving out of the surplus of “blessings” that God has given to us. I often pray that God will help us to use our blessings as He intends them to be used. If we are not careful enough, then we might find God's wonderful blessings as a “curse”. The difference is how we use what God has given us.

     Yes, the widow does serve as an example to us in how we should give. But there is more to the story than just the widow...

The less usual interpretation: focus on the context of passage & why she gave up all

     Reading the story of the widow's mite within its context will allow us to gain a better understanding of righteous giving according to God. Mark 12:35-37 tells us plainly that the crowd enjoyed listening to Jesus because He had worthy lessons to share. This established Jesus as a well respected teacher among this group of people.

     When Jesus is given this captive audience, He responds by giving them a strong warning against the “teachers of the law”(Mark 12:38-40 NIV). He specifically mentions their attitude toward widows when He states, “They devour widow's houses...” Mark 12:40 (NIV). They will not get away with treating the helpless unfair. They will receive a severe punishment.

     Only after these previous verses have been factored into the conversation will the story of the widow's mite be a more complete teaching on what it means to give. It is not simply that the widow gave all she had... it is the fact that the widow should not have been put in that place from the beginning if they treated her as God demands widows to be treated! The teachers of the law should have given to the widow so that her needs were already met... not that she had to give up what little she already had to live on.

Conclusion:

     The widow serves as an example of a faithful giver. We are also called to contrast her example with that of the teachers of the law. Perhaps when it comes to our giving, we need to look a the big picture to see what God would have us to do. Some passages that will help teach us on this matter include Psalm 146, Acts 6, & 1 Timothy 5.

11/1/15 All Saints Day - Isaiah 25-26

Isaiah 25 & Isaiah 26

Intro:

     Halloween received its name because it was on the eve of “All Saints Day”. This day has been celebrated in many different ways. At its heart, it is a day set aside to remember all the saints (living & dead) who have paved the Christian road before us. It is a very fitting thing to be mindful that we are not alone and that all of God's saints will one day be reunited as one family of God.

     Isaiah was a prophet with the task of proclaiming utter destruction of the land of the children of God (see Isaiah 6:8-13). Among all the woes & prophecies against the nations, there remains prophecies of hope of a time of future restoration. We will be looking at some of these today. Notice that there is a blurring of the line between what should be interpreted physically and spiritually. There really isn't much a true line when we are looking at things from God's perspective.

The Mountain of the Lord: Isaiah 25:6-12

Many important events of the Old Testament take place around a mountain. Noah's ark landed on the mountains of Ararat (Gen. 8), Abraham was tested to see if he would sacrifice Isaac on a mountain (Gen. 22), Moses first spoke with God on Mount Horeb (Ex. 3), Moses received the Law on Mount Sinai (Ex. 19 & following), etc...

- God's people:

     1.) feast – marriage supper of the Lamb (Revelation 19:6-10)

     2.) shroud/sheet v.7

- life/death: hope of life after death v.8

- punishment: the wicked (Moab) v.9-12

     though they try to swim → they will ultimately drown

     ex: Peter's attempt to walk on water (Matt. 14) → we must put our trust in Christ!

The “Other Lords”: Isaiah 26:1, 12-15

- God's people: God always worked in their favor v.12 & only His name is honoured v.13

- life/death: now dead & live no more v.14a

- punishment: brought to ruin v.14b

the other lords – sometimes they are not even named (Exodus Pharaoh)

The True Lord: Isaiah 26:19-21

- God's people & life/death: dead now but will live later! v.19

- punishment: the Lord's people told to enter rooms until His wrath passes v.20-21

Conclusion: God has always had a plan to take care of His own people. We should take time to remember those that have gone on before us (both Jews of the Old Testament & Christians of more modern history). God has made it clear that there is hope for anyone to have life after death. At the same time, there always remains a warning to the wicked.

10/25/15 Sons of Thunder Speak

Sons of Thunder Speak – Mark 10:32-45

Intro: Mark 10:32-34

Let us place ourselves among the disciples for a moment to take in the Lord's statements. The disciples have spent around three years following their Lord everywhere and now He is talking about His life being taken from Him. How is this good news? Let us see what lessons we can learn together...

Seeking Honor v.35-37

The right and left hand positions of a king were the most honorable seats in the kingdom. Only the king's closest friends or family members occupied these places.

- the good: James & John (the sons of thunder) have full faith that Jesus will establish His kingdom. They want to make sure they get front row seats to His coming to power.

- the bad: They picked a horrible time to ask such a selfish question. The irony of their request is that these “seats” were occupied by two thieves as Jesus died on the cross.

- the lesson: We must learn to have patience and accept things as they come to us during God's timing instead of forcing the issues too quickly.

Serious Situation v.38-41

Both images of the cup & baptism were symbols of enduring suffering and is certainly how Jesus uses them here. The cup of God's wrath appears in Isaiah 51:17 among other places.

- the good: James & John are willing to do whatever it takes to follow Jesus and help Him establish His kingdom! Jesus never denied them their seats of honor... He just said that those seats “...belong to those for whom they have been prepared.” (v.40 NIV)

- the bad: Jesus clearly tells them they must endure suffering (cup & baptism). Their request for honor undoubtedly caused tension among the 12 apostles (see v.41). The other 10 find themselves in no better of a condition since they become angry at James & John's request.

- the lesson: Sometimes our future is laid out for us already... we just have to keep the faith and follow God's plan for our lives.

Service of the Saints v.42-45

We are now at the section where Jesus drives home the lesson of the day. Jesus has a wonderful quality about Himself that even when placed in a bad situation He finds a way to preach the good news.

- the good: Christ's kingdom does not work like the kingdom of the Gentiles. They often abuse their position of power when ruling over people. Jesus assures us this is not how He will rule His kingdom. His kingdom will be ruled by those willing to serve. The greatest news in this passage is that the Son of Man Himself came to serve & to give His life as a ransom!

- the bad: The only “bad” from these verses is the fact of this difficult task Jesus leaves His disciples with.

- the lesson: Jesus clearly states how things work in His kingdom... so that means that we should be living that way right now!

Conclusion:

Who can you best relate with from this passage of Scripture... the sons of thunder... the other 10... the gentile kingdoms... or Jesus' way? All too often we find our natural desires get in the way of following Christ (on His time). Let us live a life that will strive to serve others instead of demanding others to serve us. In order to be great in Christ's kingdom this type of lifestyle is not a polite suggestion but is the only way.