So do you have an unhealthy fear that is robbing your joy and paralyzing your walk with Christ? If so, accept full responsibility for your fear. Recognize your fear is self-centered and ask for God’s forgiveness. Renew your thinking in line with what Scripture teaches. Replace the unrighteous fear of man with a righteous fear of God. Commit yourself to loving God and loving others.
Sermon, Overcoming Fear, Matthew 10:16-24, August 2, 2015.
After the fall came sin. Sin leads to guilt. Guilt leads to fear. Yet if you are in Christ Jesus, all your sin and guilt has been taken away. You are forgiven, accepted and loved by the Father. With God fully on your side, you have nothing to fear. Worship God by enjoying the freedom He secured for you in Christ.
Sermon, Overcoming Fear, Matthew 10:16-24, August 2, 2015.
The solution is not to dismiss hell as an unloving concept. The solution is to accept the reality of hell and trust the love of God in Jesus Christ to save us from this awful reality.
Sermon, Hell is for Real – Part 1, Luke 12:4-5, March 15, 2015.
Each sin is an infinite violation against an infinite God that deserves infinite justice and an infinite punishment. A failure to punish sin would be a failure to allow God to be God.
Sermon, Hell is for Real – Part 1, Luke 12:4-5, March 15, 2015.
Jesus Christ did not bring us the Gospel to enhance our self-esteem, clear our sinus infections or make us prosperous. Jesus Christ brought us the Gospel to save us. To save us from hell which is the consequence of our sin. Matthew 1:21, “She will bear a Son; and you shall call His name Jesus, for He will save His people from their sins.” The moment you get rid of hell is the moment you no longer have any need for the Gospel.
Sermon, Hell is for Real – Part 1, Luke 12:4-5, March 15, 2015.
Few things should be more encouraging for the believer than the teaching on hell. We know and have embraced a Savior who has rescued us from that terrifying destination. We know this was the primary purpose for Jesus’ coming. We know God in His love and mercy provided a way for forgiveness through the work of His Son. We know Jesus, being God Himself, lived a perfect life and thus qualified to stand in our place as a sinless human. He took our sins upon Himself and faced the wrath of God on the cross that we deserved. He took our hell so we would not have to and gave us His life. Justice for sin was accomplished on Christ. Through His incredible love offering, those who receive Jesus Christ can be forgiven and thus saved, saved from hell and enjoy the promise of everlasting life with Him in heaven.
Sermon, Hell is for Real – Part 2, Luke 16:19-31, March 29, 2015.
Will hell be everlasting? All the way back in the Old Testament, Daniel 12:2, “Many of those who sleep in the dust of the ground will awake, these to everlasting life, but the others to disgrace and everlasting contempt.” Matthew 25:46 “These will go away into eternal punishment, but the righteous into eternal life.” In this verses, the word translated “eternal” is the same one used for both heaven and hell. Heaven and hell parallel each other for eternity. They both stand or fall together. Jesus in Matthew 18:8 calls hell and “eternal fire.” Three times, Mark says of those in in hell, “Their worm will not die” (Mk. 9:44, 46, 48; cf. Isa. 66:24). When Jude speaks of false teachers in hell he says “for whom the black darkness has been reserved forever” (Jude 13). 2 Thessalonians 1:9, “These will pay the penalty of eternal destruction, away from the presence of the Lord and from the glory of His power.”
Sermon, Hell is for Real – Part 2, Luke 16:19-31, March 29, 2015.
Hell is real, but God has provided salvation from Hell through Christ. God in His love warned us about hell and did so in the most serious of words. God is not cruel, He is love. If anything we are cruel when we believe this and fail to tell others about the hope they can have in Jesus. Therefore the Christian gospel maintains that today “the day of salvation” is now (2 Cor. 6:2), during this lifetime. Embrace Jesus as your Lord and Savior from hell, because once you die, the grace of God is no longer extended, only God’s justice against your unforgiven sin. And God’s justice will come with holy and righteous severity.
Sermon, Hell is for Real – Part 2, Luke 16:19-31, March 29, 2015
Yet what we as Christians see when we look to the cross is not weakness, but power on display. The power to willingly suffer for the sake of another. The power to hold back wrath when being mocked. The power to rise from the dead. And how was Jesus’ power demonstrated? In meekness, gentleness and humility. And the reason opponents don’t see it in Christ’s servants as a sign of greatness is probably because they’ve never seen it in Jesus.
Sermon, Severity in Weakness, 2 Corinthians 13:1-10, March 1, 2015.
Satan is the prince of darkness, but he often uses his “smiling light” to achieve his best purposes. His effectiveness is limited when he comes as an open enemy, but oh so very powerful when he comes as a friend, when he comes as an “angel of light” (verse 14), like a Judas among the apostles.
Sermon, Counterfeit Christians, 2 Corinthians 11:7-15, January 25, 2015.
Satan deceives people to pull them down through self-righteousness, self-confidence and self-esteem. Then the enemy deceives them to keep them down through self-regret, self-despair and self-pity.
Sermon, Counterfeit Christians, 2 Corinthians 11:7-15, January 25, 2015.
Regardless the depth of one’s pain, God promises His grace is always sufficient to meet the need to continue a Christian life of joy, peace, hope, service, contentment, faith and worship despite the circumstances being unchanged.
Sermon, The Strategy for Strength, 2 Corinthians 12:7-10, February 15, 2015.
His purpose for the lives of His children is Christlikeness. Though we often want comfort and pleasure and prosperity and healing, the Lord knows these are not always the means that will produce in us the holiness He desires. Sometimes God shows His love by removing the trial. Often He shows His love by permitting the trial to remain, knowing just the right pressure in our lives that will produce in us Christlikeness – both His greatest desire and our greatest good.
Sermon, The Strategy for Strength, 2 Corinthians 12:7-10, February 15, 2015.
The times haven’t changed. Infighting, friendly fire within the church has become a great hindrance to the Gospel work and has resulted in many discouraged, disappointed, depressed and defeated, once-motivated servants of Christ. Satan will muster all of his forces to oppose God’s work. Quite often he will use Spiritless people from within to hinder the work of Spirit-filled people. Tragically, sometimes our greatest opponents can be those within the household of faith simply because they are critical, bitter or jealous.
Sermon, I’m Thankful, 1 Samuel 17:1-58, November 30, 2014.
Christians should be the most diligent people on the planet. Sadly this is often not the case as we are outspent, outthought and outperformed oftentimes by the very opponents of the Gospel. Is there any cause greater than fighting for the eternal salvation of souls? Is there any book more accurate and relevant and thrilling than the inspired Word of God? Is there any power greater than the Holy Spirit? Is there any god who can compare with our God? Then where is the diligence, the dedication, the determination of His people?
Sermon, Overlooked, 2 Corinthians 8:16-24, November 16, 2014.
It is the forces of darkness using the human agents of this world. People have been fed and are entrapped in a stronghold of lies. Christians are called to break down these spiritual strongholds with a spiritual arsenal. Our battleground is the mind. The Bible, which is all about Christ (Lk. 24:27, 44), is our primary “divinely powerful” (2 Cor. 10:4) weapon to bring people to “captive to the obedience of Christ” (2 Cor. 10:5) to be “rescued…from the domain of darkness, and transferred…to the kingdom of [light] (Col. 1:13).
Sermon, Waging Spiritual Warfare, 2 Corinthians 10:1-6, December 7, 2014.
The Holy Spirit used four Greek words that are transliterated “baptism” or like derivatives in our English Bibles. In its context, each word gives the impression of immersion. Whether it is the baptism of trials or the baptism into the church or ceremonial washings or dipping bread into a bowl of oil, these words in the Bible and in other secular Greek writings of the time imply immersion. For instance, the verb Bapto in every usage means “to dip” or “to dye.” The word was used in common language when items were completely engulfed in a liquid to produce a change in color. Therefore, all Greek lexicons give the primary meanings of these 4 words as “dip,” “plunge” or “immerse.” As a matter of fact, the six Greek words that could be translated “pour” or “sprinkle” are never used in connection with water baptism.
Sermon, Baptism: Is Anything Preventing You? Acts 8:32-39, June 28, 2015.
Baptism should be reserved for those who have intellectually understood, personally believed and individually trusted the finished work of Jesus Christ.
Sermon, Baptism: Is Anything Preventing You? Acts 8:32-39, June 28, 2015.
Baptism can be defined as an outward manifestation of an inward transformation. In other words, baptism does not save, but it pictures or illustrates or symbolizes what has already occurred by God’s grace in a believer’s life.
Sermon, Baptism: Is Anything Preventing You? Acts 8:32-39, June 28, 2015.
Too many churches have gone from a functional wood burning stove in a Rocky Mountain Alpine chalet providing the necessity of heat with embers burning brightly for Jesus, to a recreational fireplace in a vacation home in South Florida that might flash up quickly a few times each year, but for the most part sits in the corner of the room, dark and without any meaningful purpose.
Sermon, Sardis – The Dead Church, Revelation 3:1-6, June 14, 2015.
We are wired by God to be angry and be jealous and yes, to boast – some of us more than others! From little kids to senior citizens, everybody is boasting. Some of it is vain-glory and some of it is noble. Yet legitimate boasting in God’s eyes is the boasting that exalts the grace of God and what He has accomplished in our lives. We are created to be mirrors that reflect His image. When the world sees God’s work in us, He receives great glory. And when our boasting is of this nature, the heart is right and our boasting will actually lead in us to greater humility.
Sermon, Bragging Rights, 2 Corinthians 10:12-18, January 4, 2015.
So there is a sinful anxiety that keeps God out of the equation and focuses on self, but there is a godly anxiety that demonstrates God’s heart as He grieves in a particular situation in care and concern for others.
Sermon, Suffering Without Shame, 2 Corinthians 11:16-33, February 1, 2015.
I’ve been there a few times in my life. Most don’t understand it. That’s understandable. However, it hit home to me when the Apostle Paul said, “Apart from such external things, there is the daily pressure on me of concern for all the churches” (2 Cor. 11:28). A number of years ago, the pain was so intense that the physical affliction Paul spoke about earlier in 2 Corinthians 11 would have been much preferred. I can take the long hours and the hard work. I can even take the pressures on my family. But the emotional pain is the one and only thing that forever tempts me to throw in the towel. When I feel that way, I can almost hear the Lord saying to me, “Are you in it for Me or are you in it for yourself?” That’s gut-check time. Am I really a servant of Christ (2 Cor. 11:23)?
Sermon, Suffering Without Shame, 2 Corinthians 11:16-33, February 1, 2015.
Unrighteous jealously is centered on self, rooted in pride and offensive to God. Jealousy is a warning light that you are not rejoicing in the success of others and loving those who have offended you. It’s a warning light that you are not trusting in the providence of God for your own life. It’s a warning light that there is too much self-worship and not enough Christ worship.
Sermon, Childish or Childlike? 2 Corinthians 11:1-6, January 11, 2015.
Righteous jealousy is not because we don’t love people. It’s because we love God and His glory more than people, and when our hearts are on this trajectory only then will we will demonstrate the greatest and most righteous love possible for all people.
Sermon, Childish or Childlike? 2 Corinthians 11:1-6, January 11, 2015.
God’s rules regarding marriage are not arbitrary. Everything in human marriage is to be, Ephesians 5:25, “with reference to Christ and the church.” That’s why within marriage there are male and female roles – whereby the husband shows Christ and the wife shows the church. That’s why God forbids divorce – because Jesus would never leave us nor would we desire to leave Him. That’s why sex before marriage is wrong – because the joining of us and Christ only happened after a covenant was made. That’s why marriage in God’s economy is between one man and one woman – because Jesus didn’t marry Himself nor did the church marry herself. That’s why married children leave their parents to form a new union – because the union with Christ is to be dominating over all other relationships. That’s why within marriage couples now become one flesh – because we are in Christ and He is in us. That’s why adultery is wrong – because God would never cheat on us nor should we spiritually cheat on Him by running after other gods.
Sermon, Childish or Childlike? 2 Corinthians 11:1-6, January 11, 2015.
Compromise with the culture is often the result when we lose a reverence and respect for the Lord. It’s the “Jesus won’t mind” attitude. To overcome compromise we need to remove our fear of offending the world and recapture a healthy fear of the Lord that our God expects and demands.
Sermon, Pergamum – The Compromising Church, Revelation 2:12-17, May 31, 2015.
The book of Revelation teaches us that before Jesus Christ judges the world at His return “with the sword which [comes] from [His] mouth (19:21), the Lord says He will judge His church also “with the sword of [His] mouth” (2:16). Let’s remember God expects His lampstands to burn brightly for Him in holy witness. Let’s remember that before the world is judged, that “it is time for judgment to [first] begin with the household of God” (1 Pet. 4:17).
Sermon, Pergamum – The Compromising Church, Revelation 2:12-17, May 31, 2015.
John reminded the persecuted church in Revelation about the true God “who is and who was and who is to come” (Rev. 1:4). Is there anything greater that we can contemplate than that understanding that God is eternal when facing tribulation? The agony of persecution, the cultural opinions of the day, the world leaders on the scene, all loom so large when the pressure is on us until we take a step back and realize how temporary it all is in the grand scheme of eternity. All of that comes and all of it will go. God and His truth remains – He was and He is and He always will be. The momentary frown of the world can’t replace the eternal smile from God. May we go through life keeping our eyes on Him and our minds heavenward and not on the passing trends and transient existence of this life.
Sermon, God in a Godless World – Part 2, Revelation 1:1-8, May 3, 2015.
Persecution by the devil, through evil men, allowed by God is ordained to strengthen the church whereby Christ’s lampstand will burn brightly as a holy witness. It always separates the true and false believers. It purges away the chaff from the wheat. It strengthens and refines the true children of God (see Rev. 2:10).
Sermon, Smyrna – The Persecuted Church, Revelation 2:8-11, May 24, 2015.
Humble people are weak in themselves. Humble people then because of that weakness depend on the Lord. And those who depend on the Lord are really strong because they are strong in His strength and not their own.
Sermon, He Lifts and He Lowers, 2 Corinthians 12:1-6, February 8, 2015.
An understanding of God should only be gleaned from the Bible. Everything God wants us to know about heaven is contained in the Bible. Not only do these best-selling books cast doubts on the sufficiency of the Bible and also contradict each other, but they are contrary to everything the Bible teaches us about heaven. These books seem to make it all about one’s self-focus from their self-experience. According to the Bible, heaven is about worshiping the greatness of God.
Sermon, He Lifts and He Lowers, 2 Corinthians 12:1-6, February 8, 2015.
Men are not born masculine, they need to learn it. Specifically, they learn it by examining the Scriptures, looking to the example of Jesus Christ and following the examples of other men.
Sermon, Masculinity and Misunderstanding, 1 Kings 2:1-4, June 21, 2015.
If not providing physically for our family makes us “worse than an unbeliever” and declares us as having “denied the faith” (according to 1 Timothy 5:8), what does it say when we as men fail to provide for our family spiritually?
Sermon, Masculinity and Misunderstanding, 1 Kings 2:1-4, June 21, 2015.
Male leadership in the home is seen in radical sacrificial love that mirrors that same radical selfless love that was demonstrated in our Lord’s life-giving death for the church (Eph. 5:25). According to Jesus’ example, masculinity is not domineering, it is service-orientated. Masculinity is not driving the family from behind, but leading the family by way of example, like the Great Shepherd Himself who always goes before the flock.
Sermon, Masculinity and Misunderstanding, 1 Kings 2:1-4, June 21, 2015.
Another way to determine true masculinity is to look to Jesus Christ. He is the perfect example of manhood. He showed us that real men are gentle and tender, especially with women and children. He showed us it is okay for real men to cry. He showed us that real men stay under control, but also demonstrate righteous anger. He showed us a real man is concerned with protecting the purity and innocence of others. He showed us a real man has the strength to resist the temptations of the world. He showed us how real men are men who take the initiative. And He showed us that real men are humble when the Lord Himself washed the disciples’ feet. Jesus Christ is our example of masculinity. And it is the awareness of our shortcomings in this area that drives us to Him for forgiveness and strength to rightly fulfill our responsibilities.
Sermon, Masculinity and Misunderstanding, 1 Kings 2:1-4, June 21, 2015.
In North American churches, female attendance doubles male attendance. In many African-American churches, females quadruple males. And if the men do show up, in most churches, they are often less likely to serve, sing and participate. Strong male leadership is dwindling and in some cases, strong male leadership is simply forbidden. The casual conclusion from young people is that church is a “woman-thing.” And it becomes a very slippery slope because the more the women lead, the more the men pull away and further abdicate their responsibilities in the church and in the home. The reality is this. You cannot have a feminist church and keep the men. And if you do not have the men (and studies back this up), you will not keep the children.
Sermon, Masculinity and Misunderstanding, 1 Kings 2:1-4, June 21, 2015.
There is so much confusion among men as to what it means to be a man. Radical feminism is confusing masculinity. Machoism is distorting masculinity. Chauvinism is abusing masculinity. No one is speaking out. Yet the church is commissioned by God with a responsibility to educate, nurture, encourage and model biblical masculinity.
Sermon, Masculinity and Misunderstanding, 1 Kings 2:1-4, June 21, 2015.
In addition to the role model of Jesus, men also need good role models form other men. David Murrow in his book, Why Men Hate Going to Church said, “You cannot have a thriving church without a core of men who are true followers of Christ. If men are dead, the church is dead.” He goes on to say, “Men don’t follow programs; they follow men. A woman may choose a church because of the programs it offers, but a man is looking for another man he can follow.” Men are not born with an understanding of maleness. Ultimately we should be learning it from our fathers and while that is not always the case, we should always be seeing it modeled before us by other men in the church (1 Cor. 11:1).
Sermon, Masculinity and Misunderstanding, 1 Kings 2:1-4, June 21, 2015.
Being husband, father and going to church does not make someone a man. Rather it is in these domains that a man is tested and in these domains he shows whether he is a man or not.
Sermon, Masculinity and Misunderstanding, 1 Kings 2:1-4, June 21, 2015.
Though corrupted by the fall, God has wired men and women differently. Men are built by God to be protectors and providers to be defenders and conquerors for good. And when we don’t use these tools in the home and in the church, we’ll find ourselves using them in other meaningless (from an eternal perspective) activities like the rest of the culture. We immerse ourselves in the pursuit of money and yard work and athletics and automobiles and high scores on video games. We devote our hearts to the things that are carnal, worldly and selfish.
Sermon, Masculinity and Misunderstanding, 1 Kings 2:1-4, June 21, 2015.
Yes, our deeds of mercy is a platform to help people believe the Gospel, but that is not the primary reason for mercy. Mercy is ultimately a natural expression from those who already believe the Gospel.
After all we just learned in these verses that contrast believer and unbeliever, why a believer would even consider marrying an unbeliever is beyond my wildest understanding. How can you ever expect to come to agreement on how you worship God and spend money and raise the children? How can you want to devote your life to someone who won’t share with you the Person in Jesus Christ that means the most to you? How can you want to be “one flesh” with someone who is an enemy of your Savior?
Sermon: Relationships With Unbelievers, 2 Corinthians 6:11-7:1, September 21, 2014.
I think the common belief that in order to serve someone in love means that we need to give up our concern for ourselves is totally false. Rather I believe we honor people the most when we can pursue our happiness in serving them. For example, when I visit people in the hospital they either say, “Thank you” or “You didn’t have to come, Pastor.” What’s the most loving response on my part? “It’s my duty?” “Just doing my job?” Of course not! What if I say, “I’ve been looking forward to being with you all day, and right now there is no other place I’d rather be.” Would the person respond, “There you go again, only thinking about yourself!” No, they would take my pursuing of joy in them as the highest form of love!
Sermon, A Duplicate of the Divine – Part 2, 2 Corinthians 1:15-2:4, February 16, 2014.
According to the opening chapters of 2 Corinthians we see the progression from trials to the resultant joy. Consider how Paul’s life was filled with hardship: “Affliction” (1:4), “abundant…suffering” (1:5), “burdened excessively, beyond…strength” (1:8), “sentence of death within ourselves” (1:9), “sorrowful” (2:1), “affliction and anguish of heart” (2:4), “afflicted [and] perplexed” (4:8), “persecuted [and] struck down (4:9), “constantly being delivered over to death” (4:11), “beatings…imprisonments…tumults…labors…sleeplessness…hunger” (6:5), “dishonor [and] evil report” (6:8), “dying [and] punished (6:9) and “having nothing (6:10). And that only takes us through chapter 6! And might I add that most if not all of this was related to his faithful service to Christ. So how can you go from this agony to praise to God? Answer: It was Paul knowing that Christians need to “walk by faith [and] not by sight” (5:7). And it’s this faith that recalls that every promise of God is fulfilled to us in Christ (1:20). We know we are “established…and anointed…in Christ” (1:21). We are “sealed” and given “the [Holy] Spirit in our hearts as a pledge” (1:22). We are “reconciled to God” (5:20). As a result of these truths, we “do not lose heart” (4:1) because we are [controlled by] the love of Christ” (5:14)and through our trials we are learning in those trials to “trust [more]…in God who raises the dead” (1:9). So therefore while we are “sorrowful” as a result of trials, we are because of God’s promises “always rejoicing” (6:10).
The Smell of the Savior’s Sacrifice – Part 2, 2 Corinthians 2:12-17, March 8, 2014.
It’s clearly foolish to say discipline is unloving. And it’s clearly foolish to say because a church practices church disciple as commanded that they know nothing about forgiveness.
Sermon, Severity, Sorrow and Satan, 2 Corinthians 2:5-11, February 23, 2014.
Nineteen Ways to Exasperate Your Child
1. Failure to be happy, hopeful and confident in God
2. Endless criticism/fault-finding
3. Failure to listen
4. Nagging/deriding their efforts
5. Constant yelling
6. Failure to spend time individually with children
7. Unfair, harsh, inconsistent, or nonexistent discipline
8. Conflicting messages
9. Unwillingness to admit personal sin/seek child’s forgiveness
10. Unapproachable disposition
11. Deferred aggression
12. Lack of encouragement/compliments
13. Overprotection
14. Partiality/favoritism between children
15. Setting unrealistic goals/expectations
16. Failure to show love/affection
17. Neglect (physically, emotionally, socially, spiritually)
18. Lack of standards/double standards
19. Unwillingness to model desired behavior.
Just because you come to Christ does not mean you will not experience suffering. Christians and non-Christians suffer with similar trials. The difference is not in the nature of the trial, but rather the way in which we respond to the trials. You see, the world needs things in their life to go well to stay happy. Therefore they are continually up and down based upon their circumstances. Christians however know that God is sovereign over the trials they experience. They know the trials are specifically customized to their lives sent from the wise and loving hands of God. They are not sent to rob us of our joy. They are sent to refine us and make us more like Christ. Therefore it is our responsibility to by God’s grace remain under the trials until they perform in us the work designated by God. Knowing and believing this, we can have deep joy even in the worst of times because we know God’s refining process is the best thing we can ask for for spiritual transformation, Christlikeness.
Sermon, Transformed by Grace, Genesis 28:1-29:30, September 22, 2013.
“But it is clear that those two women love each other. Why should you say that is wrong?” We must accept God’s definition of love. And according to the famous “love chapter” in 1 Corinthians 13, love “does not rejoice in unrighteousness, but rejoices with the truth” (1 Cor. 13:6). The Bible repeatedly calls homosexuality, unrighteous. God is love and we must stand by God’s definition of love and not society’s definition. Furthermore, it is in love for the homosexual that we warn him or her about their relationship. First Corinthians 6:9-10, “Or do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived; neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor effeminate, nor homosexuals, nor thieves, nor the covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor swindlers, will inherit the kingdom of God.” How can we believe this verse in Scripture and then tell a gay person everything is fine? I’d say that’s extremely unloving!
Sermon, Sodom and Ourselves, Genesis 18-19, July 7, 2013.
How many blessings do we forego because the obedient faith necessary to receive them is never demonstrated?
Sermon, A New Start, Again, Genesis 12, June 2, 2013.
To really make a difference, to really receive the abundant life promised to us, to really be used by God in the world, we need to take radical steps of faith every day. Ask yourself, where does your faith (to the point it stretches you) differ from an unbeliever? We are far too easily pleased with lesser joys! Do we have the faith to leave the kiddy pool and move out into deeper waters? Do we have the faith to expect great things from God? Often we are often not given the details and there are often hardships along the way, but the life of faith is the life that marks God’s children.
Sermon, A New Start, Again, Genesis 12, June 2, 2013.
We are hardwired to trust in ourselves. That’s not good for us or the God-glorifying purpose for which God created us. Therefore, suffering is used to break us of self whereby we might trust more deeply in God. So God’s intent in suffering is not to pull us away from Him as many people seem to believe, but rather draw us closer to Him. And the more He strips us during affliction of our human resources and excuses and justifications and easy way outs, the more we will run to Him and cling to Him as the only thing we’ve got.
Sermon, Separation From Self – Part 1, 2 Corinthians 1:8-11, January 19, 2014.
Jacob is about to enter the Promised Land. He will be one of the venerated Patriarchs of the faith. But before Jacob can become Israel, the man must be broken. Jacob needs to learn that his life is to be one of continual striving with God, but doing it with full dependence on God. He will learn that with God there is a continual heat from the refiner’s fire, but through the adversity there is an unspeakable joy in the journey. And though God probably won’t be wrestling with any of us physically like He did with Jacob, there is a continual tension of finding our greatest peace when we are most intimate in close communion with God. At times we struggle, but in the pain we learn to submit to His will, allow Him to expose our defects, yield to the wounds He creates and then trust Him that the pain is for our greatest good as the “old man” is further put to death. If we act in the flesh and run away or defend ourselves or blame others or whine and complain, we’ll never experience this. As creatures so prone to follow our selfish instincts, there is a serenity that comes when God wrestles us to the ground, breaks us further of our pride and reminds us that our sufficiency is only in Him.
Sermon, Wrestling With Reliance, Genesis 29:31-33:20, September 29, 2013.
The Bible is clear that sexual intimacy is to be reserved exclusively between husband and wife. Within marriage it’s beautiful. Outside of marriage it’s destructive. The wrong question asked by dating couples is, “How close can we go to that line without sinning?” A better question is, “How far can I flee from potential sin in fear of getting burned?”
Sermon, Biblical Principles for Finding a Spouse, Genesis 23-25, August 11, 2013.
Those in the world do not respond well to pain. They fear it, despise it and run from it. They struggle with why God would allow suffering. They see no purpose in it. They make themselves out to be a victim and with bitter hearts blame the world for their misfortunes. They fret, overreact, whine, and complain. They throw massive pity-parties. They lose peace and joy and move further away from God. On the other hand, Christians know from the Bible and experience that God sovereignly permits suffering to enter our lives. We trust His goodness and wisdom and remain under the trial until it accomplishes God’s designed work in our lives. Since His primary goal is to make us holy, God gets our attention through the trial and then is continually refining our character. We don’t minimize the pain and sorrow, but know deep inside through faith that good will come out of it. We can therefore give thanks for all things and maintain our joy and peace despite apparently unfavorable circumstances. Do you see the diametrically opposed contrast to the world?
Sermon, Providentially Secure – part 3, Genesis 41, October 20, 2013.
God’s primary concern is not to change the circumstances, but to change His children in the midst of the circumstances.
Sermon, Providentially Secure – part 2, Genesis 38-40, October 13, 2013.
The Old Covenant law was never given to earn salvation. God saved people back then just as He does today under the New Covenant – by faith! Even before the law we read that “Abraham believed God, and it was credited to him as righteousness” (Rom. 4:3). Therefore the Old Covenant law was given for God’s people to identify themselves as God’s people. The law was for those already saved so it may go well with them and they may know how to rightly honor God with their actions. In other words, the law didn’t save, but obedience to the law gave evidence of salvation. And when the law was violated, the whole sacrificial system was in place to make temporary atonement through blood for one’s transgression.
Sermon, The Ministry of Internal Transformation, 2 Corinthians 3:4-6, March 23, 2014.
Sure, people can counsel us on some strategies to overcome sin such as Bible memorization, prayer, accountability partners and providing no opportunity for the flesh, but our primary hope to be victorious is not faith in a technique but rather, 2 Corinthians 3:3, faith in a promise that we have power through “the Spirit of the living God.” Never shall a sin again, if we are truly saved, be able to dominate, enslave or defeat us. By God’s grace through the New Covenant provision of the Holy Spirit, we can rise out of the gutter of sin and stand joyously with the freedom we now have in Christ. We are as Paul said in 2 Corinthians 5:17 completely new creatures!
Sermon, The Ministry of Internal Transformation, 2 Corinthians 3:4-6, March 23, 2014.
When the law was written on tablets of stone, there was a significant weakness. The weakness of the Old Covenant was not in the law. The weakness of the Old Covenant was the people’s hearts. They couldn’t keep the law because they lacked two basic ingredients. Both of them interestingly were mentioned in the Old Testament when God used His prophets to speak while under the Old Covenant of the coming New Covenant. First, as God said through Jeremiah, “I will put My law within them and on their heart I will write it” (Jer. 31:34). The writing of the law went from tablets of stone to tablets of human hearts (2 Cor. 3:3). And second, as God said through Ezekiel, “I will put My Spirit within you and cause you to walk in My statutes, and you will be careful to observe My ordinances” (Eze. 36:27). We by far have greater power to obey the law with the fullness of the Holy Spirit dwelling within us as God says, “causing” us to obey. So there should be a radical difference between us and Israel. It’s not in the God we serve. It’s not in the desire to obey Him. It’s not in the faith of a Messiah to take away our sins. It’s not in a law that is given from God to be obeyed. It’s not even in a delight in that law. The difference is simply this. The Old Covenant is characterized by people who were stiff-necked and rebellious (Dt. 9:6; 10:16; 31:27), whereas the New Covenant is characterized by people who have soft hearts and the ability to obey.
Sermon, The Ministry of Internal Transformation, 2 Corinthians 3:4-6, March 23, 2014.
It is an indictment on our pride to think as the created, we can question the Creator’s faithfulness. God is faithful – He’s shown it in the life of Jesus Christ and He declares it cover-to-cover in the Bible. A better question to ask is whether or not we are faithful to Him in tough times with words and actions of obedience that demonstrate it. Are we joyously and productively making the most of the trials with our faith in tact, feet on the narrow path pointed toward the Celestial City, overcoming temptations, eyes firmly fixed on Jesus Christ who is the “author and perfecter of faith” (Heb. 12:2)?
Sermon, Providentially Secure – part 2, Genesis 38-40, October 13, 2013.
In Colossians 1:18 we are commanded to give Jesus Christ “first place in everything.” First place “among” everything is bad theology. In other words, Jesus Christ is above everything else that I love. Women, it’s great to love your husband more than other men, but Jesus must not be embraced from that perspective. Right theology is first place “in” everything. Jesus is above all things and is honored in the heart of everything we do. In other words, we do all things through Him and for Him (ride a bike, talk to a friend, serve at work, watch a movie, listen to music, play golf, sweep the floor, etc.). With Christ, there is absolutely no division between the sacred and the secular. If there is, we fall into the category of idolatry.
Sermon, Siblings Separated by Sin, Genesis 27:1-46, September 15, 2013.
So what does the Christ-honoring, non-materialistic family look like? They invest primarily in the things that will leave this world with them and as a team they are all on this same pursuit. They experience freedom and more time for the things most important because they have limited resources that they own in order not to be owned by them. They experience constant joy because the only source of joy they expect is from the Lord. They do not need to have stuff to impress others because the only person they seek to please is the Lord. They have no compelling love for the shadows of the world because their hearts see the true Substance, the beauty of God’s marvelous light. They have their priorities right: things are to be used and people are to be loved. They are content people following Christ and therefore have a great family because their mutual trust is not in material things which will let us down, but in the One who always delivers.
Sermon, Siblings Separated by Sin, Genesis 27:1-46, September 15, 2013.
As C.S. Lewis once said, “Whatever is not eternal is eternally out of date.” It is simple logic. Why not invest myself it that which will last forever and matter most in this life? Do I have the faith to believe that? Do I have a deep satisfaction for all that God promised me in Christ Jesus, beginning now? If so, I will value that which is really valuable. And in order for that to happen, I need the Lord to continually help me to keep my gaze in the right place because the things of this world oftentimes seem so right and attractive, don’t they? It’s so easy to worship the creation over the Creator, isn’t it? But God has designed it where ultimate fulfillment is only to be found in the eternal realm. So if we choose not to go that route we are programmed for failure.
Seeing the Unseen, 2 Corinthians 4:16-18, May 25, 2014.
Explain the Gospel as perfectly as possible and they sadly just do not see it. The problem is not necessarily the presenter. The problem is definitely not the Gospel! Paul says in 2 Corinthians 4:4 that the Gospel is “the glory of Christ, who is the image of God.” That’s impressive, as good as it gets! But because of the spiritual blindness of the individual (2 Cor. 4:3-4), unable to see the Gospel’s greatness, there is simply no desire without God’s enabling power. And add to the blindness, a spiritually dead heart (Eph. 2:1), and there is absolutely no way a person on his or her own will ever desire Jesus Christ. In other words, people are not blinded because they chose to renounce the Gospel. Rather people renounce the Gospel because they are blinded by the evil one.
Sermon: A Successful Gospel-Centered Ministry – part 3, 2 Corinthians 4:1-6, May 3, 2014.
Therefore, since salvation is a work of the Lord, I can draw these simple conclusions: First, I must share the Gospel with passion. Yet when it comes to conversion I need to leave the matter in God’s hands because that is a work that only He can accomplish. Second, my responsibility is not to save people, but rather my responsibility is to faithfully share the “good news.” Therefore, I don’t need to resort to gimmicks or manipulation, but rather prayer and trust in God’s sovereignty. It is not the skill of the proclaimer, the packaging of the message or the techniques used to proclaim it, but the unadulterated Word and trust in the Holy Spirit. We need clarity, not cleverness. Third, once I share the faith, I can be at peace regarding the eternal outcome of souls and am I thankful for that!
Sermon: A Successful Gospel-Centered Ministry – part 3, 2 Corinthians 4:1-6, May 3, 2014.
As we are already positionally before God like Christ, our lives as we live them in God’s holy presence, progressively become more like Christ as well. Our entire lives if we have the Holy Spirit (2 Cor. 3:8), if we are with unveiled eyes reading His holy Word (2 Cor. 3:18), if we have been clothed with Christ’s holiness (2 Cor. 3:9), if we are living in God’s holy presence (2 Cor. 3:18), we continually will be conformed and transformed to His holiness (2 Cor. 3:18).
Sermon, Unveiled Transformation, 2 Corinthians 3:12-18, April 6, 2014.
What is the worst the opposition can do? Kill you – though doubtless that will occur, at least for now, in this country. But even if that were case, the Scripture strips away that excuse citing that death for the Christian is the greatest event possible because only death has the ability to break the seal and usher you into inexpressible glory. Could the problem be that we simply have a too great a fascination with the things going on here and not enough desire to spend eternity with Christ? If we really “prefer” to be “home with the Lord” (2 Cor. 5:8), intimate, personal, visible communion with Christ that far exceeds our communion with Christ here (Heb. 11:10, 13), then we must be “absent from the body” (2 Cor. 5:8). In other words, we must die. Therefore death from that perspective doesn’t sound so bad. Only death can release me from “absent from the Lord” to be “home with the Lord.” So the worst the enemy can do is send me to paradise!
Sermon, Courage Encouraged, 2 Corinthians 5:6-10, June 22, 2014.
Oh, it’s more than just the fear of being persecuted. When we choose to live lives that are not pleasing to the Lord, we do so because we fear missing out on fun, or fear that our idols of dependency will be snatched away, or fear God’s way won’t effectively get the job done, or fear we will be pulled out of our comfort zone, or fear that it is going to cost us too much. The list continues, but it all comes back to fear, and fear results because we walk by sight and a lack of faith in God’s promises (cf. 2 Cor. 5:7). We don’t always live to please God because we think we know better than God as to what it takes to make us more productive and content and happy.
Sermon, Courage Encouraged, 2 Corinthians 5:6-10, June 22, 2014.
Do you want to go to heaven? I mean, do you really want to go to heaven? Let’s remember that heaven is a place of perfect holiness. That means as we delight in beholding God’s glory now, it is as if we are, 2 Corinthians 3:18, “beholding [Him] as if in a mirror.” Heaven will be direct exposure to the fullness of His glory. Why there and not here? Because we still have sin. Yet the split second Christians die, they are instantly transformed to be as righteous as Christ. Now we are declared as perfectly righteous as Christ. Then we will be made as perfectly righteous as Christ. If you are in Christ, this will be your state into all of eternity. Therefore I have to make the two following conclusions: One, we can think of our time here on earth as we are being made more holy like God only as preparation for our future existence with Him. And two, if you really want to go to heaven and be as holy as God throughout all of eternity, isn’t it safe to assume you’d desire it right now as well?
Sermon, A Successful Gospel-Centered Ministry – Part 1, 2 Corinthians 4:1-6, April 13, 2014.
Ultimately, the Bible makes the argument that the sacrifice does not come when we give our money away, but rather the sacrifice comes when we hold on to it believing it will bring us greater happiness with worldly treasures.
Sermon, Evidence of Grace, 2 Corinthians 8:1-5, November 2, 2014.
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