The Year Ahead - James 4:13-17

 Last year at Christmas we had no idea what was going to happen in just a few short months. The COVID pandemic changed everything. Beyond sickness and death it caused economic upheaval, isolation and social strife. Many people were (are) concerned about who is to blame - whether masks help or hinder - if the government can impose restrictions on people's freedoms - and so on...

But much of the upset is due to the prevailing mindset that says everything can be managed, controlled, cured, prevented or fixed by human ingenuity. We are the masters of our own fate!

God has a different view.

The Christmas Message!

Christmas is loaded with traditions and traditional activities. There are lights and trees and gifts. There are carols and cards and cookies. But in the busy-ness of the season, be careful not to lose the most important thing about Christmas - the Christmas Message. "Unto you is born... a Savior who is Christ, the Lord."

Things have never been the same! God has become a man to rescue us from our sins.

Mary & Gabriel

 Luke is the gospel that contains the most detailed information about the virgin birth of Christ. Luke evidently was able to interview Mary and get her perspective on things. He includes not just what happened, but also her perspective on these things.

The virgin birth - foretold by the angel Gabriel - was to be the means by which God became a man. In this way he brought salvation and eternal life to all who would call upon him.

Zechariah & Gabriel

 Luke does not start his gospel about Jesus with the announcement to Mary. Luke begins with the announcement to Zechariah! He does this to make some important points about who Jesus was and what was happening when he came.

Invitation to Thanksgiving

 Thanksgiving is not just a national holiday where we eat turkey, stuffing and cranberry sauce. It is a central part of biblical worship. Today we will consider an invitation for the whole earth to participate in praising God for his wonderful works.

Christians In America

 The preamble to the Declaration of Independence has had a greater impact on modern America than the Bible has. Many people may even think that the Right to Life, Liberty and the Pursuit of Happiness is in the Bible. (Spoiler Alert: It isn't).

It doesn't take genius to see that there are deep divides in our nation. But the biblical perspective has condemnation for people on both sides who scream and shout - hate and are hated - in the name of personal freedom.

This message gives us God's perspective on how Christians should behave in the midst of a pagan culture.

Our Greatest Hope

 We just came through a presidential election in which the country was divided right down the middle... Pretty much 50/50. Nevertheless, when it is finally decided, one side will be jubilant and the other despondent. The winning side will be sure that this is the beginning of best years yet. The other side will see it as the beginning of the end.

As Christians we care about elections but we don't think they are the most important thing in the world. There is something else that is far more important. It is our greatest hope.

Discerning The Lord's Body

 In our instructions about observing communion we are strictly warned that when we partake of the Lord's supper, we must be sure to "discern the body" or we will bring God's judgment on ourselves. Well, how exactly do we "discern the body?"

Sound Doctrine For Living

 To have the word of God is not enough. We must learn sound doctrine and then put it into action in our lives. The word of God is meant to change us from the inside out.

Order In The Church #2

 The elders that are appointed in the churches must be irreproachable in their knowledge and handling of sound doctrine. Their core service is to instruct people in sound doctrine in preaching, teaching and counseling. But they also must "rebuke those who contradict" sound doctrine.

The meaning of this charge to rebuke is deeper than it might appear on the surface.

Order In The Church #1

 What would you do if it was your job to find qualified pastors for local churches? What would you look for? What questions would you ask? How would you figure out what was really going on?

Titus was pretty much given that job in Crete. He was supposed to oversee the appointment of elders in every town. But he is given good instructions in what constituted "highly qualified" candidates. If everyone followed these instructions there would be less trouble in churches.

An Encouraging Word

We all need an encouraging word no and then... Maybe now more than ever. Titus was assigned to ministry in a very difficult place - the island of Crete. Imagine how happy he was to receive a letter from his mentor - the apostle Paul. And Paul was careful to strike an encouraging tone right from the start.

We should be encouraged too.

 

Killing Jesus

 When people decide to reject Jesus' Authority, they are choosing some things they may not be aware of. They are actually choosing to kill Jesus. It is never enough for a person to "just say no" to Jesus, because his message - in fact his existence - is very disruptive to people who want to enjoy their autonomy and to keep on sinning. Consequently, they need to kill Jesus... to wipe him out so they can forget all about him.

RSVP Heaven

 When Jesus was invited to a formal dinner at the home of a leading Pharisee He had lessons to share with both the guests and the host.

Heaven is like the dinner in Jesus' parable. Some people are foolish enough to make excuses to not attend. Others realize that they have been rescued from a place of despair.

Fruitless Fig Trees

 How long would you keep planting and tending a garden if there was never any produce? No tomatoes, cucumbers, or melons. No lettuce, peppers or carrots.

How long before you gave up and plowed it all under. Maybe it would be a nice patch of grass?

In the parable of the fruitless fig tree in Luke 13:1-9, Jesus connects the parable to the problem of people suffering deadly disasters. People assumed that those who died in sudden gruesome ways must have incurred God's wrath. Jesus tells us truth - that we are all in the same kind of jeopardy. Our fate just hasn't caught up to us yet.

So what should we do?

Communion Community

Communion is a church ceremony - even a ritual. But it is a ritual with a reason. This Bible study is to remind you what Communion is all about. 

The notes sheet and scripture reading can be found here: www.PastorDenny.net/SermonResources/20200906.docx 

Ready Or Not...

 Why wouldn't Jesus tell his disciples when he was coming back? Could it be because he understands human nature and doesn't want everyone to be goofing off until the last minute before his return? Could it be that he wants all the disciples to be living in anticipation of his return and eager to please him?

We are not supposed to let down our guard - not even for a day. Jesus is coming again and we are to be ready to welcome him when he comes!

What Life Is Really About

 This is sometimes called the parable of the rich fool, but that is just the tip of the iceberg.

Jesus said, “Take care, and be on your guard against all covetousness, for one’s life does not consist in the abundance of his possessions.” (Luke 12:15) This raises the question, "What does one's life consist of?"

What is life really about?

Loving Our Neighbor

When I've had a chance to talk to people who reject Christianity about the basis of their own ethic for living, they frequently say they believe in the golden rule: "Treat others as you would want them to treat you."

The Old Testament law put it a little bit differently. "Love your neighbor as yourself."

But how do we love ourselves and who exactly is our neighbor?

The Sower & The Soil

 Jesus' parable about the sower and the soil gives us important information about our task of evangelism. But it also raises some questions that we should be careful to answer.

Waiting For Jesus

Just before the "Triumphal Entry" into Jerusalem during the Passover gathering, the disciples were excited about seeing Jesus proclaimed as the King. They were excited about what high offices they might occupy in his administration.

Jesus tells a parable to warn his disciples he will be away for awhile before the kingdom. And while he is away they will need to be busy in his service. People who choose to rebel against Jesus will face judgment, but faithful servants will be rewarded.

Grace: Boasting Excluded

I'm sure that when they heard Jesus' parable about the Pharisee and the Tax Collector praying the disciples and the Pharisees would have been flabbergasted! The prayer Jesus suggested for the Pharisee was pretty much what any pious Jew would have expected. How could he not be justified? And how could a wretch like that Tax Collector be justified just because he repented and called on God?

The Lesson of The Persistent Widow

We know that we are supposed to pray to God for his help in all kinds of trouble. But often the trouble lasts longer than our endurance in prayer. Jesus wanted to teach his disciples to pray without losing heart. He did it by telling a story about a powerless widow facing off against a powerful but corrupt judge. Her situation was the opposite of ours in bringing requests to God - but she did not lose heart.

The View From Hell

What if we could look into hell and see what it is really like there? Would it change our attitudes and our priorities in life? Jesus seemed to think that it should, because he told us about one man who found himself there.

Lessons on Stewardship

Jesus told the story of the dishonest manager to teach his disciples about their responsibility to be good stewards of God's blessings. When we face God in heaven we all want to hear, "Well done." But how do we know if we are doing well or not?

The Father's Love

The Pharisees were quick to criticize Jesus because he was friendly toward people the Pharisees called "sinners." Jesus explained the situation by telling the story about the prodigal son.

We all recognize the story from our own lives. Teens are often rebellious against their parents and it is not unusual to know someone whose son or daughter has cut all ties and communication. We know that these situations are fraught with emotion.

But Jesus tells the story because he wants to make a point about the Father in the story. The Father's attitude toward the prodigal was different than the dutiful son's attitude. In fact, they would see that while the prodigal came back through repentance, the dutiful son excluded himself by his bitterness.

God of Our Fathers

Happy Father's Day!

I sincerely hope that you have a long family heritage of devotion to Christ Jesus. I also hope that you are leaving the same kind of heritage for your own descendants.

This message looks at Joshua's challenge to the Israelites and what it means for us.

May we all say with Joshua, "As for me and my house, we will serve the LORD!"

Called To Worship

Psalm 33 presents us with a call to worship that reminds us what worship is all about and what all it should include!

Homecoming!

After months of a shutdown due to the COVID-19 pandemic we are finally able to have face to face meetings!  What could be more appropriate than Psalm 122? Here is a psalm that celebrates the blessings of worship and fellowship for those who have experienced the salvation God provides.

Elijah: Human Like Us

Elijah seems bigger than life in 1 Kings 17 and 18. He confronts kings, pray effectively for a three and one half year drought, faces off against 450 prophets of Baal and successfully calls on God to bring fire from heaven to consume his sacrifice at Mt. Carmel.

But within a day of his biggest victory he is running for his life - depressed and terrified!

The scriptures are telling us this so that we will be sure to realize Elijah is not a superman. We can learn from his collapse as well as from his victories.

Elijah: Servant of God

In 1 Kings 18 we read about Elijah's return to have a final showdown with the prophets of Baal. This chapter is divided into four sections that demonstrate Elijah's relationship with different people. Some were faithful followers of Jehovah. Some were wicked and ungodly. Others were vacillating. Some were false prophets living by deception.

Elijah was a servant of the Lord who wanted everyone to honor the Lord, as they should. We can learn good things from Elijah's experiences here.

Elijah: Man of Prayer

Elijah was faced with terrible apostasy during the reign of Ahab and Jezebel. Elijah prayed, and the answer was a three and a half year drought. This was the answer to his prayers, but it sure was inconvenient. Elijah's 401k lost value. He lost his residence. He didn't have a way to make a living...

Is it possible that the whole pandemic is an answer to our prayers? What can we learn from Elijah?

Trust In The Lord

Hezekiah became king during the height of Assyrian expansion. As a young king he watched the Assyrians conquer his nearest neighbor, the kingdom of Samaria, and relocate the survivors to distant lands. He knew that the Assyrians would turn their attention to him next.

The account of what happened next is found in 2 Kings 18 and 19 and it is worth reading. The main idea is very clear. The most important thing we should do is to trust in the Lord!

Besieged AND Blessed

Just because there is a pandemic and we have to stay at home doesn't mean that we are not blessed! God is still on His throne! We can trust in him! He is our light and our salvation! He is our fortress - our refuge. And we have the privilege of worshipping Him in all his beauty and holiness!

Our Spiritual Health

The COVID-19 pandemic is dangerous to our physical health and the shutdown that is intended to "mitigate" the health crisis is creating a financial crisis of its own. I think most people would consider these things bad rather than good.

But the truth is, God can use these "bad" things for good in the area of our spiritual health. We tend to be happy just cruising along on whatever spiritual plateau we are on. But crises like the pandemic can be used by God to push us out of our comfort zone and make us reassess our spiritual strength.

May God cause us to grow in grace and bring him the glory due to his name.

The Steadfast Love of the Lord

In the midst of the Corona Virus pandemic and the upheaval that it has caused, it is good to remember the steadfast love of the Lord. Everything in our lives might be turned upside down and inside out, but the Lord still loves us. He is still Almighty God. He has not lost his grip on us and is working out his good purposes for us.

There is no need for us to become discouraged or disheartened. We need only to stand by and we will see the glory of God in what he accomplishes. Even in a world-wide pandemic.

The First Resurrection Sunday from The Four Gospels

It has been roughly 2000 years since that first Resurrection Sunday and we tend to forget what the Scriptures really say about that day. We might think that the disciples were expecting Jesus to be raised from the dead - or that they would at least be ready to believe he was alive when they were told so.

But our assumptions would be wrong! I hope this message will be a blessing to you.

The Triumph of the Cross of Christ

The "Triumphal Entry" was fleeting and in a few days Jesus was arrested, tortured and crucified. On Palm Sunday crowds had praised him saying, "Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord." But a few days later the crowd was shouting, "Crucify him! Crucify him! We have not king but Caesar!"

Our society is obsessed with another word for triumph - winning. It is important to note that the true win was not when Jesus was being praised, but when he went to the cross. On the cross he was doing what he had come to earth to do.

Our own true win is similar. We win when we deny ourselves, take up our own cross and follow Jesus.

In The Shelter of the Most High

We have been ordered to "shelter in place" and we have no idea just how long these circumstances will last.

Psalm 91 talks about our ultimate shelter in the Most High - the Almighty. This is what we need more than anything.

The COVID-19 Pandemic: Our Duties & Our Rights

At WABC we discussed what we should do about the COVID-19 virus. Should we continue to have services, or should we cancel for the duration?

Initially, the Ohio health department directives said no groups over 100 in face to face meetings. We thought, we do not have nearly 100. We can meet and modify our behavior by not shaking hands, etc.

So we did. But then the directives went from 100, to 50 and eventually to 10. As the directives shut down all kinds of businesses and schools, it became obvious that even though they didn't mention churches, they really didn't think we should be meeting either.

So we decided to close. This message is a look at what the Bible says about our duties and our rights as Christians.

The video message that is linked to this is my first attempt at a YouTube video, so don't get your hopes up!

The Unleavened Life

In our modern society we have people on every imaginable diet - Vegetarian, Vegan, Atkins, Keto, Mediterranean and on and on...

The Israelites had many food restrictions in the Law. They also had a "Feast of Unleavened Bread." Not that yeast was a bad thing. But this feast was an annual extended memorial to train new generations about God's claim on their lives.

We need to live the Unleavened Life - constantly remembering that we are not continuing in the influences and corruptions of our old lives - but instead we are living a new life of commitment to Christ.

Buckle Up For Passover!

Why is January the first month of the year? Why not April or May? Who makes these decisions?

For the Israelites, at least, God designated the month of Abib as the first month and the 14^th day of the month as the Passover. This memorialized their deliverance from slavery in Egypt and the beginning of their new identity as Israel.

Since Jesus is the ultimate Passover Lamb who purchased our deliverance from our slavery to sin and gave us a new life to live for him, we celebrate Easter as the high point of our year too!

Sermon In A Sack: Garden Tools

      Gardening can be very rewarding - eventually. But at first there is hard work to be done… plowing the soil, fertilizing, raking, marking rows, then planting the seed. Even when the plants come up there is weeding and watering and keeping the pests away. The reward only comes when you can harvest the crop.

      Evangelism is the same way. There is hard work to be done before there will ever be a crop to harvest. 

The Righteous & The Wicked

Our lives are a series of decision points and some are more important than others. The most important decision is what you will do about Jesus Christ. Will you repent of your sins and accept his righteousness as your own?

            

With Christ there is no room for half measures. He said, “If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me. For whoever would save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake will save it.” (Luke 9:23–24)

Robbing God?

There are many ways we might identify ourselves to someone else... occupations, relationships, hobbies, political parties, and so on. These are the answer to the question, "Who am I?"

Where does your relationship with Christ fit into that answer in your own thinking? Are you a mechanic who also believes in Christ? Or are you a Christian who also works as a mechanic? It makes a difference!

As followers of Christ, he and his kingdom should be our first priority, not just an afterthought. This is one reason people forget to give God his due in tithes and offerings. They don't think of it as a priority. They don't think of it when the get their paycheck and begin to pay their bills. Giving to God is an afterthought.

But God says, "You are robbing me!"

Fuller's Soap

      Are we there yet? “…in the last days there will come times of difficulty. For people will be lovers of self, lovers of money, proud, arrogant, abusive, disobedient to their parents, ungrateful, unholy…” (2 Tim. 3:1–2)

      All of these things are abundant in our world today and getting worse and worse. While we might be tempted to despair, it is actually a cause for hope. Jesus is coming and he will renew all things!

But he will also come with judgment. Our passage today says, "Who can stand at his coming?" It goes on to warn of him going to work on us to cleanse us and purify us.

The Word of the Day is TREACHERY

      Treachery! 

It may remind you of famous betrayals. Maybe Brutus at the assassination of Julius Caesar. Or perhaps it is Benedict Arnold joining the British during the Revolutionary War.

      

From God’s perspective, any time we betray our commitment to him or to others we are committing treachery. God takes this very seriously and so should we.

Worship in Spirit & Truth

      God created human beings in his own image to have a unique relationship with him. Because of our sin that relationship is broken. But God has provided redemption through Jesus to restore us to blessed peace with God. Our hearts should sing with joy over God’s great grace!