A WHOLE MAN

Adapted from Overflow Sermon on 11/13/2016 18 …and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it.  Matthew 16:18b  Whether you believe it or not, a church’s understanding of ecclesiology, the doctrine of the church, will directly affect their soteriology, the church’s doctrine or understanding of salvation, and vice versa. Why is that? Because a low view of salvation will cause a church to operate not as the body of Christ, but as a business seeking to employ various “tactics” to entertain as opposed to convicting them of their sins. On the other side of the same coin, a low view of God in a church will encourage its members to simply declare with their mouths that they submit to God, but it will not exercise church discipline to correct sin. It will not call the people to bring glory to God, but rather to man. One of the contributing factors to this is the fact that easy-believism is being taught in too many churches; t...

“58 Jesus said to them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, before Abraham was, I am.” 59 So they picked up stones to throw at him…”  John 8:58–59a  Well that escalated quickly! Why is it that the Pharisees react in such a strong manner, willing to kill Jesus, based on two little words? Well before we get into the reason why, I want to provide a little bit of context as to what is going on. In the eighth chapter of John’s Gospel, we find recorded possibly one of the most interesting encounters between Jesus and the religious leaders. It is unique in that it creates a strong reaction from the religious leaders, but it is also one of the clearest indications of who Jesus is. In fact, throughout this whole conversation Jesus has expressed multiple times who he is. But they reject his testimony (8:13), question his connection with the Father (8:19), and mock Jesus’ eternal home (8:21). But what makes this conversation even more intriguing is that the religious leaders cannot...

When any one of you brings an offering to the LORD, you shall bring your offering of livestock from the herd or from the flock.  Leviticus 1:2  If I were to ask you to guess what percentage of Americans have read the Bible at least one time in their life, how much would you say? 40%? 30%? Well, a 2017 survey conducted by Lifeway Research asked that very question, in addition to several other questions, and found that only 20% of Americans surveyed had read it at least one time. This number is even more startling considering that approximately 47% of Americans consider themselves to be Christian. If you include other world religions and cults who use the Bible as one of their main texts, such as Roman Catholics, Jehovah's Witnesses, and Mormons, that number jumps up to 70.6%. It is amazing that in a nation where nearly 3/4th of the people claims to revere the Word of God, barely 1 out of 5 have read the Bible a single time. I do not mention those statistics to discour...

7 Remember your leaders, those who spoke to you the word of God. Consider the outcome of their way of life, and imitate their faith.  Hebrews 13:7  Think for a moment about the three most influential people in your life. Who made the list? If you are like most people, on the list would be a parent, a grade school teacher or university professor, and a mentor that you look up to. There is nothing wrong with that at all and I do hope that you take the time to appreciate them for all the work and time they have invested in your development, growth, and maturity. But may I encourage you to consider your pastor. They are the ones who are laboring for you daily in their prayers, sacrificial in their lives in caring for your physical needs or counseling moments, and diligently speak truth to you by their lives and teaching. They do not labor because they keep watch over your soul under any compulsion, but do so eagerly and willingly (Heb 13:17; 1 Peter 5:2-3). Out of love for...

40 When they heard these words, some of the people said, “This really is the Prophet.” 41 Others said, “This is the Christ…43 So a division occurred among the crowd because of Him.  John 7:40-41a,43 (ESV)  Thus far in our reading through John's Gospel, we have seen some question come up over and over again. A couple of questions include: who is Jesus and what will you do with him? And it really is interesting because John gives the reader the answer to this question at the outset. Jesus is God! And yet, time and time again, we read that many people continue to struggle with the reality that God Incarnate is immanent. That the second person of the Trinity is near to them and is offering eternal life to all who believe in him. The person of Jesus can be very divisive. This is especially the case with the Jews as we have read in the 7th chapter. They did not know what to do with him. Is he the prophet? Or is he the Christ? The truth is that he is both. Th...

2 Six days work shall be done, but on the seventh day you shall have a Sabbath of solemn rest, holy to the LORD. Whoever does any work on it shall be put to death. Exodus 35:2 While I love my state (nation) of Texas, we have had some strange laws pass through our legislation. For example, up until 1973, it was illegal to milk another person's cow that was not your own. Some are still on the books though. For example, in Clarendon, TX, it is illegal for a person to dust any public building with a feather duster. Or how about the law which prohibits all dogs from being named after a Kardashian. Ok, the last one is made up, but I think you get the picture. Sometimes we may feel as though the laws should change with the times. In certain cases, that may well be true; however, when considering God's law it is always timely and relevant and true. When you think about the Ten Commandments, they are all pretty straight forward and we would be quick to agree that they are in f...

7 Beloved, let us love one another, for love is from God, and whoever loves has been born of God and knows God. 1 John 4:7 (ESV) At the time this will be published, Valentines Day 2019 will be tomorrow (or today for all my e-mail subscribers). And how fitting that in the “month of love” we are reading through the “book of love”, Song of Songs. Maybe, for some of you, you are putting the final touches for a very special day with your significant other. For others, this is not a very happy occasion and you are reminded of a deep yearning that you have for companionship. Still, for some, the pain of loss is simply too real in your life at the moment. No matter who you are, I want to encourage you to find comfort knowing that God has given a great gift to His people. The gift of the church. Every time we gather together on the Lord’s Day, we are reminded just how much we need fellowship with one another and how we are to commit to one another. We do not commit to our local...

6 When Jesus saw him lying there and knew that he had already been there a long time, he said to him, “Do you want to be healed?” John 5:6 (ESV) Adapted excerpt from Overflow Sermon from 2/10/2019 Have you ever wanted something desperately? And not in an idolatrous or covetous manner either. But, with careful balance of contentment and covetousness, you desire something so strong your thoughts are on it and your actions are propelling you to achieve it. For me, I have for a long time been wanting to have a child of my own. Not just because I love kids, but because I want to see the kingdom of God advance in my own family. In John 5, we read of a man who also had a very strong desire. For 38 years, this unnamed beggar had been ailing by crippling disease. This is not something that was psychosomatic or self-prescribed after checking WebMD. No, this man was truly sick. And so, when Jesus approaches this man and asks him if he wants to be made well, the most obvious answer to th...

You shall have no other gods before me Exodus 20:3 Although I grew up in the church, my first exposure to the ten commandments was actually from the 1981 film from Mel Brooks, A History of the World Part 1. And even though the scene only lasted about 10 seconds I have never forgotten it. In the short scene, Moses comes down from Mt. Sinai carrying three tablets in his hands. As he makes the announcement to the people of God he cries out “The Lord Jehovah has given unto us these 15…” then he drops one of the tablets…. “ten, ten commandments.” It is a very funny scene and not exactly what we read in Exodus 20 when God gives His people His law. Being so young, I never really understood the law, couple that with the fact that I was not saved. So, what do the laws of God mean? After several years of evangelism, I have heard a cornucopia of responses to that question. Some will say that they are restrictions to life and evidence of the evilness of God. Probably worse, othe...

9 And it is my prayer that your love may abound more and more, with knowledge and all discernment, 10 so that you may approve what is excellent, and so be pure and blameless for the day of Christ, 11 filled with the fruit of righteousness that comes through Jesus Christ, to the glory and praise of God. Philippians 1:9-11 (ESV) On August 24th, 1572 the rivers of France resembled the Nile river after the first plague of Egypt. The waters had become red from the blood that nearly 100,000 Christians shed starting on a day known as the St. Bartholomew’s Day Massacre. As the Protestant Reformation continued to spread throughout all of Europe, not everyone welcomed this “new” belief and interpretation of the Scriptures and it soon became a crime to even own your personal copy of the Bible in the French language. The Huguenots, however, were able to read the Scriptures for themselves and questioned much of the medieval Catholic Church’s teachings because of teachings which had no ...

In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.  John 1:1 (ESV) Sometimes I like to read through the events that have occurred on a single day. For example, yesterday was the Superbowl, but other significant events have occurred in the history of mankind on February the 3rd. For example, in 1789 the 1st electoral college elected George Washington and John Adams as the President and Vice President of the United States. Much later in 2004, Mark Zuckerburg chose that date to launch Facebook from his Harvard dormitory. A lot has changed in America since 2004, and a considerable amount more since 1789. And neither of those two events are without substantial impact to our lives today. The reason being that ideas have consequences. While the Gospel of John had been written nearly 2000 years ago, it still is relevant and timely for our lives. And from the beginning of the Gospel we read a statement that bears significant meaning to every person who ...

8 Now there arose a new king over Egypt, who did not know Joseph.  Exodus 1:8 (ESV)  Words matter. They really do. They can paint vivid pictures in our minds with just a few words. For example, what do you imagine when I say “she rode without hands”? I’m pretty sure most of you imagined a girl riding her bicycle without holding on to her handlebars. There was no mention of a bicycle and yet this is what we picture. Why? Because words can impact the way we feel, understand, or perceive. We may be having a great day and then hear the words, “I am sorry to have to tell you…” In the opening verses of Exodus we are reminded of the Israelite people. They are in Egypt and God has provided and protected them during the years of famine. And in verse 7 we see an indication that God has been with them and they have been prosperous as we read how they “were fruitful, increased rapidly, multiplied, and became extremely numerous so that the land was filled with them.” (HCSB). ...