Bible Text: John 9:1-12 | Pastor: Pastor Mike | Series: John | This is from the bulletin insert. The full sermon notes are below.

05-06-2018

Jesus Gives Sight to the Blind

John 9:1-12

Read John 9:1… The poor and disabled would often
receive alms from those coming to worship. See Luke 4:18-19 (cf. Isaiah 61:1-2)…
Jesus healed many blind (Matthew 9:27-28; 11:5; 12:22; 15:30-31; 20:30-24; 21:14; Mark 8:22-25).
Read John 9:2-5… The disciples assume this man’s sin, or his parent’s, made him blind.
Exodus 20:5; 34:7 says, “[God] punishes the children and their children for the sin of the fathers to the third and fourth generation.”
Deuteronomy 24:16, “Fathers shall not be put to death for their children, nor children put to death for their fathers; each is to die for his own sin.”
Ezekiel 18:20, “The soul who sins is the one who will die. The son will not share the guilt of the father, nor will the father share the guilt of the son.”
Paul exhorts believers to take the Lord’s Supper in a worthy manner (1Corinthians 11:26-29), warning them (verse 30), “That is why many among you are weak and sick, and a number of you have fallen asleep” (John 11:11-12; 1Corinthians 12:2; 15:51; 1Thessalonians 4:14; 5:10).
Jesus uses “we” (verse 4) because true disciples do the work of God (cf. John 14:12-14; Ephesians 2:10). Matthew 5:14-16, “You are the light of the world.” “…let your light shine before men, that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in heaven.”
Read John 9:6-7… Jesus uses saliva on other occasions (deaf/mute, Mark 7:33; blind man, Mark 8:23), but only here does He use saliva and dirt to make mud [clay].
The pool of Siloam was at the SE corner of the wall surrounding the city. The blind man obeying Jesus, went to the pool, he washed, and then he could see. Genuine saving faith includes believing in and obeying Jesus Christ.
Read John 9:8-12… Jesus’ healing the blind man stirs up the man’s neighbors into confusion: “Isn’t this him?” “Yes it is he.” “No, he just looks like the man.”
The man declares, “it is me, I was blind!”
The crowd wants to meet the miracle worker. The man who was healed never saw Jesus.
This story illustrates the problem with unbelieving people, they are blinded (2Corinthians 4:4), “The god of this age has blinded the minds of unbelievers, so that they cannot see the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God.”
The god of this age is the devil (Ephesians 2:2), “the ruler of the kingdom of the air, the spirit who is now at work in those who are disobedient.”
1John 3:8, “He who does what is sinful is of the devil, because the devil has been sinning from the beginning The reason the Son of God appeared was to destroy the devil’s work.”
The blind man did not know who Jesus was.
Lost sinners are like a blind man, they can’t look for or find Jesus on their own (Romans 3:10-12), “There is no one righteous, not even one; there is no one who understands, no one who seeks God. All have turned away, they have together become worthless; there is no one who does good, not even one,” 23, “all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God,” (Romans 6:23), “the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord,” (Romans 8:1-2), “Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus, because through Christ Jesus the law of the Spirit of life set me free from the law of sin and death.”
Salvation heals our spiritual blindness.
Acts 2:21, Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.”
Acts 4:12, “Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to men by which we must be saved” [only Jesus Christ the Lord].

Bible Text: John 8:47-59 | Pastor: Pastor Mike | Series: John | BULLETIN INSERT–this is different from the downloadable sermon notes.

04-29-2018

Jesus Responds to His Accusers

John 8:47-59

Satan was thrown from heaven to earth (cf. Ezekiel 28:13-17), where he deceived Eve and Adam (cf. Genesis 3:1-22), bringing the curse of sin upon us.
1John 3:8, “He who does what is sinful is of the devil, because the devil has been sinning from the beginning. The reason the Son of God appeared was to destroy the devil’s work.”
Read John 8:47-51… Jews hated Samaritans and considered them to be half-breeds, unclean. And yet, Jesus first reveals Himself as Messiah to a Samaritan woman (cf. John 4:25-26).
The Jews said Jesus was possessed by a demon, in
Mark 3:22 they said, “He is possessed by Beelzebub! By the prince of demons He is driving out demons.” They also said about John the Baptist (Matthew 11:18), “He has a demon.”
Jesus responded, “I do not have a demon.”
John 5:22-23, “If God were your Father, you would love Me, for I came from God and now am here. I have not come on My own; but He sent Me,” (John 8:42), “If God were your Father, you would love Me, for I came from God and now am here. I have not come on My own; but He sent Me.”
Jesus came to (Matthew 1:21), “save His people from their sins,” (Luke 19:10), “For the Son of Man came to seek and to save what was lost,” (Hebrews 9:28), “Christ was sacrificed once to take away the sins of many people; …to bring salvation to those who are waiting for Him.”
God the Father places everything under the control and authority of His Son (Philippians 2:9-11), “God exalted Him to the highest place and gave Him the name that is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.”
Isaiah 52:13, “My Servant will act wisely; He will be raised and lifted up and highly exalted.”
Christians won’t die (cf. John 8:51), this is repeated in the Scriptures (cf. John 3:16; 5:24; 6:50; 11:25-26). Read John 8:52-59… These Jews are thinking, “He is saying He has seen Abraham? He is demon possessed!”
Abraham is alive (see Matthew 22:30-33).
John 8:58, “I tell you the truth, before Abraham was born, I am!” This is a direct claim to equality with God.
Exodus 3:14, “God said to Moses, ‘I AM WHO I AM. This is what you are to say to the Israelites: I AM has sent me to you.’” This is expressed in Revelation 1:8, “I am the Alpha and the Omega,” says the Lord God, “who is, and who was, and who is to come, the Almighty,” i.e., “I AM, I always have been and I always will be, because, I AM.” John 8:59, “At this, they picked up stones to stone Him, but Jesus hid Himself, slipping away from the temple grounds.”
Jesus is saying He is equal with God, the Jews pick up stones to kill Him (Leviticus 24:16), “anyone who blasphemes the name of the LORD must be put to death. The entire assembly must stone him. Whether an alien or native-born, when he blasphemes the Name, he must be put to death.”
“No one laid a hand on Him, because His time had not yet come” (John 7:30; 8:20; 10:39; 13:1). No one could take Him by force (John 10:17-18), “I lay down My life – only to take it up again. No one takes it from Me, but I lay it down of My own accord. I have authority to lay it down and authority to take it up again. This command I received from my Father.”
Jesus’ warning is stern (John 8:24), “I told you that you would die in your sins; if you do not believe that I am [the one I claim to be], you will indeed die in your sins.”
John 20:31, “But these are written that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name.”

Bible Text: John 8:21-30 | Pastor: Pastor Mike Hale | Series: John |

04-22-2018

Children of God vs Children of Satan?

John 8:21-30

Last week we read Jesus saying (John 8:32), “you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.” His declaration here brought clarity to John 8:24, “unless you believe that I am (the one I claim to be), you will indeed die in your sins.” To die in your sins means to die apart from the salvation that has come through Jesus Christ.

Sermon Notes:

Last week we read Jesus saying (John 8:32), “you will know the truth, and the truth will
set you free.” His declaration here brought clarity to John 8:24, “unless you believe that
I am (the one I claim to be), you will indeed die in your sins.” To die in your sins means
to die apart from the salvation that has come through Jesus Christ.
Most likely we will all die one day, the most important thing we can do in this life is to
believe in Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior, for in doing so, we receive forgiveness for
sins and eternal life, meaning, we won’t “die in [our] sins.” Jesus would later proclaim
(John 11:25-26), “I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in Me will live,
even though he dies; and whoever lives and believes in Me will never die.”
Read John 8:33-34… What an odd response to Jesus’ proclamation that those who
believe in and follow Him will know the truth [of God] and will therefore be free. As I
mentioned, in my opening refresher on last week’s lesson, Jesus is talking about being
set free from sin’s penalty, by believing that He is the Messiah and receiving Him as
God’s Son, Savior.
The Jews answer Him by saying that as Abraham’s descendants they are free and
have never been enslaved, so why would they need to be free.
But their protest is simply not true, for they have been enslaved by Egypt, Assyria,
Babylon, Medo-Persia, Greece, Syria and now Rome, so they must not be referring to
political slavery [i.e., occupation by a Gentile nation] but it would seem they are talking
about spiritual slavery [serving pagan gods], because as Abraham’s descendants they
claim to serve the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob.
Jews believed their religious rituals and relationship to Abraham made them
acceptable, even united with God; but they are sinners in need of the Savior’s
forgiveness just like the Gentiles who aren’t descendants of Abraham.
Jesus’ response (verse 34) is classic: Everyone who sin’s is a slave to sin, and as
the Scriptures repeatedly state, everyone is guilty of sin, no one is acceptable to God on
their own merit (cf. Romans 3:10-12; 3:23; 6:23).
The only way for sinners to be released from their slavery to sin and it’s curse, is to
be united with God through Christ’s death and resurrection (see Romans 6:1-7, 11-14);
only through Christ can a person become spiritually and eternally free from the
condemnation of sin. The reality is, every conscious person is either serving sin, and is
controlled by the flesh; or they are serving God, and are controlled by God’s Spirit.
Read John 8:35-36… The Israelites would no doubt consider themselves to be sons in
the house of God, not slaves. Sons have permanent rights in the house of their father,
where as slaves do not, unless of course they are adopted into the family and granted
the rights of sonship.
Do you see? It is through the Son of God that one moves from slavery to sin, which
brings condemnation, to sonship, adoption into God’s household, which brings reward
and inheritance (see Romans 8:1-2, 6-9, 15-16).
The truth is, it is only those who believe in, confess and follow Jesus Christ as the
Son of God who are genuine sons of God; it doesn’t matter, quite frankly, whether or not
one descended from Abraham.
See Matthew 12:46-50… Only those who do the Father’s will are truly children of
God, believers, followers and servants of the Lord Jesus Christ (see John 6:28-29;
20:29-31; 1John 5:1-5).
Read John 8:37-38… Jesus continues to unveil the truth concerning the Jews
relationship with God, clearly Jesus says they cannot assume that as biological
descendants of Abraham they are guaranteed sonship in God’s kingdom; after all, they
not only reject, but are seeking to kill God’s Son.
Ancestral descent from Abraham and physical circumcision through the covenant
God made with Abraham does not make one right with God (see Romans 2:17-18,
23-29; 9:6, 27; Galatians 3:6-14).
The Jews speaking to Christ in John 8 clearly reject the teaching Jesus is giving
them; instead of receiving Him and obeying Him as Abraham did, they reject Him and
His message. These Jews are not children of God, they don’t really know God, neither
are they willing to believe in and receive God’s Only Son.
John 8:19, “They asked Jesus, ‘Where is your father?’ ‘You do not know Me or My
Father,’ Jesus replied. ‘If you knew Me, you would know My Father also.’”
Read John 8:39-41a… Abraham was a man of faith (Genesis 15:6), “Abram believed
the LORD, and He credited it to him as righteousness,” (Genesis 26:5), “Abraham
obeyed Me and kept My requirements, My commands, My decrees and My laws.”
Being made acceptable to a Holy God, cannot be ascertained through religious
rituals, moral goodness or ancestral inheritance; but only through Christ (cf. Acts 2:21;
4:12; John 14:6; see Galatians 3:26-29).
Instead of believing in and obeying God, as Abraham had, these Jews show, by their
words and deeds, that they are not sons of either Abraham or God, for they not only
reject God’s Son, they want to kill Him (cf. John 5:18; 7:19; 8:37).
Read John 8:41b-47… These Jews respond harshly to Jesus’ statement that they are
not sons of Abraham, they vehemently remark that they were not conceived through
some sinful act of fornication, but their father is God!
Note: It would seem that their indignation at Jesus remark brings a retaliatory implying
that Jesus’ birth, unlike their own, was illegitimate [i.e., no earthy father,
born to a virgin] (cf. 8:48).
Jesus now (verse 42) removes all doubt from what He earlier implied in John 8:38,
41. Jesus came from the Father in heaven to show and to speak what the Father has
given Him to speak. They do not understand what He is saying, because their Father
the devil, was a murderer and liar from the beginning (see John 8:43-44).
Jesus is speaking here about the Garden of Eden, in the very beginning, when
Satan tempted Adam and Eve through lies and deception (cf. Genesis 3:1-7), saying
that God had lied to them, that they would not die when they disobeyed and they ate the
fruit, but instead, they would be like God, knowing good and evil. And so the curse of
sin entered our world.
Satan is the father of lies, the Jews show themselves to be his children; the devil’s
native language is lying; no wonder the Jews can’t understand nor accept what Jesus is
telling them, for He speaks the truth (see John 8:45).
The Son of God only speaks the truth, He is the truth; there is nothing false or
deceitful in Him, He is sinless. In John 8:46, Jesus’ challenges them to prove Him
guilty of any sin, which of course they cannot do.
2Corinthians 5:21 says Jesus “had no sin,” Hebrews 4:15 says He was “without
sin,” Hebrews 7:26 says Jesus was “holy, blameless, pure, set apart from sinners,” and
1Peter 2:22 says He “committed no sin.”
The Jews couldn’t prove Jesus guilty of anything, yet they still wouldn’t believe Him
[Gk. Jesus, Heb. Yeshua = God’s Salvation]; therefore, as Jesus earlier told them, they
would indeed die in their sins because of unbelief.
Back in John 5:25, Jesus declared to them, “I tell you the truth, a time is coming and
has now come when the dead will hear the voice of the Son of God and those who hear
will live.” Spiritual deafness among the Jews was rampant and the ultimate
consequence is (John 8:47), “He who belongs to God hears what God says. The
reason you do not hear is that you do not belong to God.”
Children of God spend eternity with God in heaven. Children of Satan spend
eternity with Satan in hell. Where you spend eternity, is determined by how you
respond to Jesus Christ, God’s Son, Lord and Savior.
1John 5:11-13, “And this is the testimony: God has given us eternal life, and this life is in
his Son. He who has the Son has life; he who does not have the Son of God does not
have life. I write these things to you who believe in the name of the Son of God so that
you may know that you have eternal life.”

Pastor Mike
<‘(((><

Bible Text: John 8:24-32 | Pastor: Pastor Mike | Series: John |

04-15-2018

The Truth Will Set you Free!

John 8:24-32

In John 8:24, Jesus says to the crowd, “unless you believe that I am, you will indeed die in your sins.”

The Hebrew theonym [name for God] is written with four letters [tetragrammaton], expressed in Latin as YHWH which is transliterated [spoken] as Yahweh. But most orthodox Jews would never pronounce this name, instead, they would substitute one of several Hebrew terms that are expressed in English as The Holy One, Blessed Be He, The Lord, The Name.

Sermon Notes:

In John 8:24, Jesus says to the crowd, “unless you believe that I am, you will
indeed die in your sins.”
The Hebrew theonym [name for God] is written with four letters
[tetragrammaton], expressed in Latin as YHWH which is transliterated [spoken] as
Yahweh. But most orthodox Jews would never pronounce this name, instead, they
would substitute one of several Hebrew terms that are expressed in English as The
Holy One, Blessed Be He, The Lord, The Name.
Everyone who rejects God’s Son will go to hell when they physically die;
everyone who believes in and receives Christ as Lord, will go to heaven when they
physically die (2Corinthians 5:8), “We are confident, I say, and would prefer to be
away from the body and at home with the Lord.”
Read John 8:25-30… These Jews had received more than enough proof that Jesus
came from God the Father to do His will; in fact, Jesus repeatedly made it clear that
He was the Messiah (See Luke 4:16-21).
These religious leaders (John 8:27) “don’t understand that [Jesus] is telling
them about His Father,” even though Jesus already told them that the Father is the
One who sent Him (see John 8:16-18).
Scripture is clear, the Father’s plan was to send His Son to release us from sin’s
penalty/condemnation.
John 3:16, “For God [the Father] so loved the world that He gave His one and only
Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life.”
John 3:18, “Whoever believes in Him is not condemned, but whoever does not
believe stands condemned already because he has not believed in the name of
God’s one and only Son.”
Jesus made full payment, for our sins, so that we would not have to be punished
in hell for eternity; but instead, we would be granted life eternal through His death
and resurrection (Romans 3:23; 6:23, 5:8).
2Corinthians 5:21, “God made Him [Jesus] who had no sin to be sin for us, so
that in Him we might become the righteousness of God.”
Again (John 8:28), “When you have lifted up the Son of Man, then you will
know that I am,” i.e., you will know that I am [who I have been claiming to be],
the One who came from the Father, to die for the sins of all people (Hebrews
9:26), “Christ has appeared once for all at the end of the ages to do away with sin
by the sacrifice of Himself.” (see Hebrews 10:1-10).
All those who repent, believing and following Christ, are granted eternal life, and
even though they will most likely die physically, they can never die spiritually, in
other words, Christians don’t remain dead.
John 11:25-26, “I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in Me will live,
even though he dies; and whoever lives and believes in Me will never die.”
God provides temporary physical life [Gr. bios] to everyone on earth; but He
provides eternal spiritual life [zoe] to all who believe in His Son, for we are (John
1:13), “born of God,” (John 3:8), “born of the Spirit.”
The Son of God [The Word of God, John 1:1-2] is One with [equal to] the
Father, yet He was submissive to the Father while in human flesh (John 8:29),
Jesus says, “I always do what pleases Him [The Father].”
John 8:30 says, “Even as He [Jesus] spoke, many [of those in the crowd] put
their faith [belief] in Him.”
We are all going to die physically, some day; but if you die rejecting Jesus Christ
as Lord and Savior, you “die in your sins” to awaken condemned by God in Hell!
But, there is a way to reconcile our sinful nature with the Holy, Righteous and
Just God of Creation; for Jesus turns no one away, He forgives anyone and
everyone who repents of their sin and believes in Him for salvation.
Jesus loves you and has a marvelous plan for your life here on earth, and your
life in heaven.
Jeremiah 29:11-14, “‘For I know the plans I have for you,’ declares the LORD,
‘plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.
Then you will call upon Me and come and pray to Me, and I will listen to you. You
will seek Me and find Me when you seek Me with all your heart.”
Romans 10:9-10, “If you confess with your mouth, ‘Jesus is Lord,’ and believe in
your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved. For it is with your
heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you confess
and are saved.”
Read John 8:31-32… To believe in is to have faith in Him; belief and faith in
Jesus Christ sets us free; but not all belief is equal to saving faith.
These Jews (verse 31) who are said to have “believed in Him,” are later, in this
chapter (cf. 8:37-47) said to be children of the devil, not of God.
Believing certain facts does not equate to saving faith. James 2:17 says, “faith
by itself, if it is not accompanied by action, is dead.” In fact, in verse 18 James
writes, “But someone will say, ‘You have faith; I have deeds.’ Show me your faith
without deeds, and I will show you my faith by what I do.”
In the parable of the sower (Luke 8:13), the rocky soil is said to be those who
“receive the word with joy when they hear it, but they have no root. They believe
for a while, but in the time of testing they fall away.”
Genuine faith will produce a changed life; not like the Jews in John 8:31a,
whose “belief” was shallow and so they fell away, like those John speaks of in
1John 2:19, “They went out from us, but they did not really belong to us. For if
they had belonged to us, they would have remained with us; but their going
showed that none of them belonged to us.”
A born-again relationship with Jesus Christ sets us free from sin’s curse, while
removing any threat of eternal judgement because of sin (Romans 8:1),
“Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus,
because through Christ Jesus the law of the Spirit of life set me free from the law of
sin and death.”
Grace and truth comes through Jesus Christ to everyone who repents of sin and
submits to the Lordship of Christ (honoring and obeying God’s Word).
Romans 6:18-22, “You have been set free from sin and have become slaves to
righteousness. I put this in human terms because you are weak in your natural
selves. Just as you used to offer the parts of your body in slavery to impurity and to
ever-increasing wickedness, so now offer them in slavery to righteousness leading
to holiness. When you were slaves to sin, you were free from the control of
righteousness. What benefit did you reap at that time from the things you are now
ashamed of? Those things result in death! But now that you have been set free
from sin and have become slaves to God, the benefit you reap leads to holiness,
and the result is eternal life.”
To die in your sins (John 8:24) is to die apart from the free gift of forgiveness
and eternal life that has come through Jesus Christ, for He is (John 14:6) “the way
and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through [Him].”
Jesus is the Word of God, the living, revealed, and eternal Word of God. When
you believe in and confess Him as Lord and Savior, you (John 8:32) “will know the
truth, and the truth will set you free.”

Pastor Mike
<‘(((><

Bible Text: Acts 1:1-5 | Pastor: Pastor Mike |

04-08-2018

Being Witnesses like John

Acts 1:1-5

You and I will not (this side of heaven) hear, see, or touch Jesus, as did John; but we are just as responsible to bear witness and testify about Christ as John did.

You and I must allow the truth of God’s Word to change us internally, if we expect for the changes to have an effect externally, where people see us.

It is my prayer that, in the weeks and months to come, we will all increase in our desire to know, to grow in, to stand upon, and to declare, the Message of God through Christ to all who will listen; only God can give peace that surpasses all understanding, only God can forgive sins, only God can grant eternal life, and only God can enable and empower us to be His witnesses.

Sermon Notes:

4.08.18 ~ “Being Witnesses like John”
See Acts 1:1-5… Former book? Theophilus? [loved by God] (cf. Luke 1:1-4) Most
excellent? Title for a Roman Official, influential Gentile, lawyer defending Paul.
Luke provides a legal brief and testimony of Christ’s life, death, resurrection (Paul –
Felix Acts 23:26; 24:3; Festus 26:25).
There were 10 appearances of Christ recorded during the 40-days between His
resurrection and His ascension:
1. Mary Magdalene at the tomb (Mark 16:9; John 20:11-18)
2. The women leaving the tomb (Matthew 28:9-10)
3. Two disciples on the road to Emmaus (Luke 24:13-32), one named Cleopas
4. Peter (1Corinthians 15:5; Luke 24:33-34)
5. Ten disciples, Thomas absent (Luke 24:36-43; Mark 16:14; John 20:19-25)
6. Eleven disciples, Thomas present (John 20:26-29)
7. Seven disciples by the Sea of Galilee (John 21:1-14)
8. 500 disciples on a mountain in Galilee (1Corinthians 15:6; Matthew 28:16)
9. James (1Corinthians 15:7)
10. The apostles at Christ’s ascension back into heaven (Acts 1:10-11).
See Mark 1:1-5… John called people to confess and repent of sin, as they were
immersed in water, so as to identify their need for forgiveness, basically saying,
“God help me, I’m a sinner!” 8, John’s baptism of repentance, is contrasted with
Jesus’ baptism of the Holy Spirit.
Romans 6:3-4, “Or don’t you know that all of us who were baptized into Christ
Jesus were baptized into his death? We were therefore buried with Him through
baptism into death in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead through
the glory of the Father, we too may live a new life.”
Spiritual baptism immerses [places] us into the Body of Christ by the Holy
Spirit, setting us apart as God’s children, when we confess our sins and believe in
Jesus Christ as Savior and Lord (John 1:12-13; Romans 10:9-10; Ephesians
1:13-14; 1Corinthians 12:13).
At salvation we are spiritually placed into the Body of Christ, of which
(Colossians 1:18), “He [Jesus] is the head of the body, the church.”
See Acts 1:6-8… Jesus’ followers wanted Him to rule over Israel now; Jesus tells
them the kingdom will come, but before it does, the gospel message of forgiveness
and salvation will be preached to all the world.
The followers of Christ are the ones who are to testify to the Truth of God’s
forgiveness and eternal life through His One and Only Son, Jesus Christ.
See Acts 1:9-11… Jesus returns to heaven, His followers must wait for the power
and presence of God to come to them at Pentecost (Acts 2:1-4), when they would
receive God’s Spirit, equipping and enabling them to serve as eye witnesses of
God’s divine plan and provision through Christ.
See Matthew 28:19-20… The Greek word used in verse 19 is matheteuo [make
disciples], with the meaning of believing, learning, and following; saving faith
brings obedience; if you believe, you will seek to behave!
Genuine belief in Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior brings immediate salvation
(death to life), immediate spiritual baptism (relationship with the Father, the Son,
and the Holy Spirit), and immediate discipleship (believing, following, and learning
God’s Word); for the purpose of going and proclaiming it to unbelievers, because
they won’t be coming to us.
We are to immerse those who confess Christ into everything the Bible says
about Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, teaching them God’s Word: equipping,
encouraging and exhorting them to serve God with their lives (Romans 12:1-2;
2Timothy 3:16-17).
True salvation obeys God’s Word, honors the Father, exemplifies the Son, and
walks in the power of the Holy Spirit, reaching out with the Love of God – the
Message of Christ – to all who will hear and believe.
See 1John 1:1-3… John was an eyewitness to what Jesus said and did, including
His death and resurrection. John was not only an Apostle, but he was one of
Christ’s most intimate followers and friends, along with Peter & James.
Notice how John states that he personally (and the other Apostles) has heard,
has seen, and has touched Christ during His earthly ministry – both before and after
His resurrection.
John says God came in flesh, providing forgiveness and eternal life. John
declares that we have genuine fellowship with the Father through Christ, therefore,
we believe, obey and teach what is recorded here.
1John was written 50-60 years after Christ’s death, resurrection and ascension;
and yet, John has a vivid recollection of what Jesus did and said. How is that
possible? (see John 14:15-17, 25-26).
John’s first-person testimony about God’s Son in human flesh, is very
important, especially in light of all the false teachers of that day who arrogantly
and erroneously proclaimed about a Christ they did not know or believe in, let
alone had they seen, heard, or touched him; much like false teachers today who
teach heresy.
John 20:29-31, “‘Because you have seen Me, you have believed; blessed are
those who have not seen and yet have believed.’ Jesus did many other miraculous
signs in the presence of his disciples, which are not recorded in this book. But
these are written that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God,
and that by believing you may have life in His name.”
You and I, as God’s people, are His ambassadors, our purpose is to testify to
others about Jesus Christ, as we prayerfully communicate with God, reading,
studying and applying His Word to our life, learning to trust Him for what we need
and thanking Him for all that He provides for us.
Everyone who genuinely seeks forgiveness for their sins has eternal life and
fellowship with God the Father through Christ the Son (see 2Corinthians
5:18-21).
God’s people are to be witnesses, as was John; we must be ready to share the
message of Christ with anyone and everyone who will listen.
God’s people are messengers; Christ is the Message. God’s people are “table
waiters” or servers, Christ is the Bread of Life and the Living Water, freely given.
God has provided all the necessary resources, so that anyone can know Him
personally and intimately:
The Bible records and reveals the truth of God’s plan, purpose, and provision
through Jesus Christ, for He is the only means of salvation.
John 14:6, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father
except through Me.”
The Holy Spirit convicts us that we are all sinners, in need of the Savior.
John 16:8-9, “When He comes, He will convict the world of guilt in regard to sin
and righteousness and judgment: because men do not believe in Me.”
The Believer testifies to God’s truth [the Bible] by the power of the Holy Spirit,
proclaiming that everyone who genuinely repents and trusts in Christ belongs to
God and is saved by God (see Romans 10:13-15).
Jesus said (John 10:27-28), “My sheep listen to My voice; I know them, and
they follow Me. I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish.”
How does your personal witness [your life] reflect God’s presence, power, and
pleasure? Are you following and witnessing for Christ? Are you eager to do so?
1Peter 2:12, “Live such good lives among the pagans that, though they accuse
you of doing wrong, they may see your good deeds and glorify God on the day He
visits us.” 15, “For it is God’s will that by doing good you should silence the
ignorant talk of foolish men.”
You and I will not (this side of heaven) hear, see, or touch Jesus, as did John;
but we are just as responsible to bear witness and testify about Christ as John did.
You and I must allow the truth of God’s Word to change us internally, if we
expect for the changes to have an effect externally, where people see us.
It is my prayer that, in the weeks and months to come, we will all increase in
our desire to know, to grow in, to stand upon, and to declare, the Message of God
through Christ to all who will listen; only God can give peace that surpasses all
understanding, only God can forgive sins, only God can grant eternal life, and only
God can enable and empower us to be His witnesses
1Peter 3:15, “in your hearts set apart Christ as Lord. Always be prepared to give
an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you
have. But do this with gentleness and respect.”
And all God’s people said? Amen!

Pastor Mike ~ <‘(((><

Bible Text: Selected verses | Pastor: Pastor Mike |

04-01-2018

God the Son Demonstrates Eternal Life

Today is a Day of Good News, the Best News! Jesus Christ was crucified on a
Friday (paying the penalty for our sins, taking our punishment); and the following
Sunday, He rose from the grave (demonstrating His authority to provide eternal
life).
There have been more paintings, songs, and books produced about Jesus Christ
than any other person who has ever lived. Why all this attention given to a Jewish
carpenter from Nazareth?
The OT records hundreds of prophecies about Jesus [Christ, Messiah, Servant
Savior], most of these were written 500-1500 B.C., telling how He would be born
in a manger in Bethlehem, to a young Jewish virgin named Mary; yet His Father
was Almighty God; one prophecy was made in 4000 B.C., foretelling the birth of
Christ, His church [body] that He would be Head of, and His victory over Satan’s
dominion and authority (Genesis 3:15; Romans 16:20; Revelation 12:17; 1John
3:8).
The OT records that Jesus will die as payment for man’s sins, yet live again; His
people (the Jews) would reject Him; but Gentiles (non-Jews) would receive Him.
The NT records the fulfillment of these prophecies; the greatest of which, was
Jesus’ death and resurrection, which declared Him to be both God in the flesh and
sovereign Lord and Savior (see Romans 1:1-4).
Christianity stands or falls on the truth of Christ’s resurrection! If Jesus didn’t
rise from the grave, we have no hope of eternal life.
Let’s look at some of the evidence surrounding His resurrection and consider
whether or not it confirms that Jesus rose from the grave like He said that He
would. See John 19:31-37… [no bones broken, Exodus 12:46; the one they
pierced, Zechariah 12:10; Revelation 1:7).
Dr. C. Truman Davis wrote an article in the Arizona Medicine Journal in March 1965,
vol. 22, pp. 183-87), Dr.”Apparently to make doubly sure of death, a soldier drove
his lance through the fifth interspace between the ribs, upward through the
pericardium and into the heart. That is, there was an escape of watery fluid from
the sac surrounding the heart (John 19:34, “bringing a sudden flow of blood and
water”), giving postmortem evidence that our Lord died, not the usual crucifixion
death by suffocation, but of heart failure due to shock and constriction of the heart
by fluid in the pericardium.”
Jesus died on a Friday afternoon and was placed in a tomb, by Sunday morning
His body was missing. If He did not rise from the grave, someone took His body.
See Matthew 28:1-15…
1. The Jewish Leaders didn’t want Christ’s body removed from the tomb; a
missing body would be perceived as a resurrected body, and that would look bad
for the Religious Leaders; so, they pressured Pilate to put a seal on the tomb and
place a Roman guard unit there (cf. Matthew 27:62-65), to keep the body in the
grave, for Jesus had said, “after three days I will rise again.”
2. The Roman Guards would have no reason to steal the body, they were
stationed there to make sure it stayed put; moving it or allowing it to be taken,
was punishable by death; therefore, they made sure Christ’s body remained in the
tomb, at all costs, against all foes, except for the mighty angels who rolled away
the stone.
3. Jesus’ Disciples wouldn’t dare move the body and falsify the resurrection of
their Lord; for if they knew Jesus did not rise from the grave, they had no hope of
eternal life, it would have been better for them to quickly and quietly get out of
town, change their names, and deny any prior relationship with this Jesus of
Nazareth.
Why would the Disciples continue to proclaim the risen Lord, if it indeed were
not true? And why did the Jewish authorities have to bribe the Roman Guard to
spread the “stolen body” story if it indeed were true?
The only reasonable explanation is the one that is repeatedly recorded in
Scripture: Jesus Christ rose from the grave, just like He said that He would.
Jesus told His disciples on several occasions, that He would be arrested, put to
death, and on the third day He would rise from the grave. He told them He would
go to the Father; but at a future time, He would come back to gather all Christians
to be with Him in heaven, forever; and all this would happen according to God’s
own sovereign plan and purpose.
Matthew 17:22-23; Mark 8:31; Luke 24:44-48 He said to them, “This is
what I told you while I was still with you: Everything must be fulfilled that is written
about Me in the Law of Moses, the Prophets and the Psalms.” Then He opened their
minds so they could understand the Scriptures. He told them, “This is what is
written: The Christ will suffer and rise from the dead on the third day, and
repentance and forgiveness of sins will be preached in His name to all nations,
beginning at Jerusalem. You are witnesses of these things.”
After His resurrection, before ascending back into
heaven, Jesus made appearances to His followers:
1. Mary and other women near the tomb (Mt 28:9-10)
2. 2 Disciples walking to Emmaus (Luke 24:13-32)
3. Peter (Luke 24:33-34)
4. 10 Disciples, Thomas absent (John 20:19-25)
5. 11 Disciples Thomas present (John 20:26-31)
6. 7 disciples by the Sea of Galilee (John 21:1-14, 25)
7. The Disciples just before Christ’s ascension back into heaven, Jesus gives His
last instructions to them (Acts 1:3-11).
8. 500 disciples (1Corinthians 15:6)
9. James (1Corinthians 15:7)
10. Paul (1Corinthians 15:8)
The Bible declares everyone guilty of sin (Romans 3:23), the penalty of which,
is death (Romans 6:23a); but God, in His mercy has provided forgiveness for sin
and eternal life through Jesus Christ (Romans 3:24; 6:23b, 5:8; 8:1).
G R A C E is expressed in and through the sacrificial death and sovereign
resurrection of God’s One and Only Son (John 3:16-18; Ephesians 2:1-10).
If you repent of your sins and trust in Jesus’ death on the cross to provide
forgiveness for your sins, you will be saved. Paul writes (2Corinthians 6:2), “I
tell you, now is the time of God’s favor, now is the day of salvation,” (Romans
10:13), for “Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.”
Christ’s resurrection demonstrates God’s sovereign power and authority over
sin, death, and judgment; for He sovereignly crushed Satan’s head (cf. Genesis
3:15).
1John 5:11-13, “And this is the testimony: God has given us eternal life, and this
life is in His Son. He who has the Son has life; he who does not have the Son of
God does not have life. I write these things to you who believe in the name of the
Son of God so that you may know that you have eternal life.”
So, he who has the Son has eternal life. Do you “have” the Son of God? If you
are not sure, let me tell you how to “get” or “receive” the Son of God?
ASK God to forgive you, repent of sin (Acts 2:21), “everyone who calls on the
name of the Lord will be saved,” (Acts 2:38), “Repent… in the name of Jesus
Christ for the forgiveness of your sins.”
BELIEVE Jesus died for your sins (Hebrews 9:26) “He [Jesus] appeared once
for all… to do away with sin by the sacrifice of Himself,” (Hebrews 10:10), “we
have been made holy through the sacrifice of the body of Jesus Christ once for all.”
CONFESS Jesus as Lord (Romans 10:9) “That if you confess with your mouth,
“Jesus is Lord,” and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you
will be saved,” (Philippians 2:9-10), “God exalted Him to the highest place and
gave him the name that is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every
knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue
confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.”
DEMONSTRATE your new life in Christ, by your obedience to God
(2Corinthians 5:17), “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the
old has gone, the new has come,” (Galatians 2:20), “I have been crucified with
Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I live in the body, I live
by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me,” (John 14:23),
Jesus said, ”If anyone loves Me, he will obey My teaching. My Father will love him,
and We will come to him and make Our home with him.”
In John 13 Jesus celebrates Passover/Lord’s Supper with His disciples for the
last time, telling them that one of them will betray Him and He will soon be taken
away from them; this brings great distress and despair to the 11, for Judas had
already gone to carry out his treachery, at which time Jesus said to them (John
14:1-3), “Do not let your hearts be troubled. Trust in God; trust also in Me. In my
Father’s house are many rooms; if it were not so, I would have told you. I am
going there to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I
will come back and take you to be with Me that you also may be where I am.”
These same disciples were with Jesus when He visited Mary and Martha, after
the death of their brother Lazarus, when Jesus said (John 11:25-26), “I am the
resurrection and the life. He who believes in Me will live, even though he dies; and
whoever lives and believes in Me will never die.” Jesus then went to the tomb
where Lazarus was buried (John 11:39) and said, “Take away the stone,” (John
11:43-44), Jesus called in a loud voice, “Lazarus, come out!” The dead man came
out, his hands and feet wrapped with strips of linen, and a cloth around his face.
Jesus said to them, “Take off the grave clothes and let him go.”
This was a preview of what Jesus would do for Himself on the Sunday morning
after His death on “Good” Friday.
In Paul’s instruction to us, about the Lord’s Supper, which was given to him by
Jesus Christ Himself, he writes (1Corinthians 11:26), “whenever you eat this
bread and drink this cup, you proclaim the Lord’s death until He comes” [as in,
until he comes back for us].
Jesus grants eternal life to everyone who believes in and follows Him, meaning,
all Christians, whether we die and go to be with Christ, or we are alive at His
return and are taken up by Him into Heaven, we will be alive with Him forever.
That is good news, good news, for you and for me: Jesus arose and He lives
don’t you see! Good news, good news, let’s tell it to others; that they too may
know of this wonderful Savior Who loves us all so.

Pastor Mike ~ <‘(((><

Bible Text: John 19:30 | Pastor: Pastor Mike |

03-30-2018 – (Good Friday 3pm)

What Makes Good Friday Good?

John 19:30

Good Friday, March 30, 2018, 3 p.m.
What Makes Good Friday Good?
The Bible records seven sayings of Jesus on the cross:
1. Luke 23:34, “Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing.”
2. Luke 23:43, “Truly, I say to you, today you will be with me in Paradise.”
3. John 19:26–27, “Woman, behold your son!” [John] “Behold your mother!”
4. Matthew 27:46; Mark 15:34, “My God, My God, why have you forsaken me?”
5. John 19:28, “I am thirsty.”
6. John 19:30, “It is finished!”
7. Luke 23:46, “Father, into Your hands I commit My spirit.
A series of sermons could be done on each one of those sayings of Christ, but
today I want to focus on “It is finished!”
Jesus knew that all had been done, and so He said, “I am thirsty,” it was about
three o’clock. A soldier fixed a sponge on the tip of a spear and held it up to Jesus’
lips, after which Jesus cried out, “It is finished,” He then said, “Father, into Your
hands I commit My spirit,” and with that He gave up His own life.
Jesus’ cry, “It is finished!” is just one word in Greek, the word tetelestai,
pronounced [teh-tel-es-sty]. This expression or phrase was part of the everyday
language during the time of Jesus, in a variety of situations.
When a servant completed a difficult job that his master had given him to do, he
would say to his master tetelestai, implying that all difficulties and obstacles had
been overcome in order to complete the job, to the best of his ability, and it is
finished!
When a merchant at the market place made a sale and payment was handed to
him, he would say tetelestai, confirming that the correct amount had been given,
i.e., “You have made full payment, the transaction is complete.”
When an artist finished a painting he might stand back and look at it, then say,
tetelestai it is finished, i.e., “there is nothing more I can do or add to make this
painting any better, it is completed.”
When children concluded their chores around the house or out in the field, they
would say to their parents, tetelestai “I have finished all my chores.”
When Jesus spoke from the cross “It is finished,” He was declaring that
everything required of Him by Father was completed, for He had satisfied the full
payment for our sins.
Jesus took our punishment for sin; He cancelled our total sin debt by paying it
with His own life. No doubt, some of those who heard Jesus say tetelestai, knew
that something supernatural and earth shaking had just happened.
Matthew 27:50-53, “And when Jesus had cried out again in a loud voice, he gave
up his spirit. 51 At that moment the curtain of the temple was torn in two from top
to bottom. The earth shook and the rocks split. 52 The tombs broke open and the
bodies of many holy people who had died were raised to life. 53 They came out of
the tombs, and after Jesus’ resurrection they went into the holy city and appeared
to many people.
Sin separates us from God, if you want to go to heaven to be with God, the
curse and condemnation of sin must me removed. For that reason God sent His
Son into the world, Jesus died on the cross to remove sin’s power to condemn us.
The reconciliation of the relationship between God and humanity that existed in
the very beginning, before sin entered creation, was restored at the cross.
Salvation is complete, forgiveness has been rendered, “It is finished!”
That’s why we call today “Good Friday.” It certainly wasn’t a good day for Jesus,
who was rejected by His own people, dragged before Annan, Caiaphas, Pilate,
Herod, returned to Pilate, mocked by the soldiers, flogged almost to death, made to
carry His own cross to the site of execution, after which He was nailed to the cross
through His hands and feet, and he suffered in agony for six hours before He died.
It is “Good Friday” because the cross is proof of God’s merciful, gracious, and
sovereign love for us, love so powerful that it conquered sin and death in order to
redeem us, and to make us God’s own children.
When Jesus cried out, “My God, My God, why have you forsaken Me?” we sense
something of the terror of bearing the weight of the sins of all humanity. God did
this because of His great and merciful love for us.
Isaiah 53:3-6, “He was despised and rejected by mankind, a man of suffering,
and familiar with pain. Like one from whom people hide their faces he was
despised, and we held him in low esteem. Surely he took up our pain and bore our
suffering, yet we considered him punished by God, stricken by him, and
afflicted. But he was pierced for our transgressions, he was crushed for our
iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was on him, and by his wounds
we are healed. We all, like sheep, have gone astray, each of us has turned to our
own way; and the Lord has laid on him the iniquity of us all.”
Jesus was sentenced to death, although He was innocent of any crime. His blood
was shed as final payment to God for our sins; He was then buried, and on the
third day He rose from the grave, demonstrating eternal life.
Hebrews 9:22, “the law requires that nearly everything be cleansed with blood,
and without the shedding of blood there is no forgiveness. 26, “He [Jesus Christ]
has appeared once for all at the end of the ages to do away with sin by the
sacrifice of Himself.” 28, “Christ was sacrificed once to take away the sins of many
people; and He will appear a second time, not to bear sin, but to bring salvation to
those who are waiting for Him.”
Hebrews 10:4-5, “it is impossible for the blood of bulls and goats to take away
sins. Therefore, when Christ came into the world, He said: “Sacrifice and offering
You did not desire, but a body you prepared for Me.”
The Bible declares that everyone is a sinner deserving death, yet God in His
great mercy grants forgiveness and eternal life, through His One and Only Son,
Jesus Christ; through His own sacrificial death He made payment for our sins; He
took our punishment so that we could be set free from sin’s penalty.
Romans 3:23-24, “All have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and are
justified freely by His grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus.”
Romans 5:8, “God demonstrates His own love for us in this, that while we were
still sinners, Christ died for us.” 10, “We were God’s enemies, but we were
reconciled to Him through the death of His Son.”
Romans 6:23, “The wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in
Christ Jesus our Lord.”
Acts 4:12, “There is no other name under heaven given to men by which we must
be saved.”
Romans 10:9-10, “That if you confess with your mouth, ‘Jesus is Lord,’ and
believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved. For it is
with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that
you confess and are saved.” 13 “Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will
be saved.”
”It is finished,” is God’s sovereign declaration that full payment for sin was made
by the Son and received by God the Father, through the power of God the Holy
Spirit, as Jesus’ last words declare, “Father, into Your hands I commit My spirit.”
1John 5:10-13, “Anyone who believes in the Son of God has this testimony in his
heart. Anyone who does not believe God has made him out to be a liar, because he
has not believed the testimony God has given about his Son. And this is the
testimony: God has given us eternal life, and this life is in his Son. He who has the
Son has life; he who does not have the Son of God does not have life. I write these
things to you who believe in the name of the Son of God so that you may know that
you have eternal life.”
Jesus willingly endured the most horrific and lonely death, in order to provide
forgiveness and eternal life, this is God’s greatest demonstration of His love for us.
Jesus is the Son of God, the Suffering Servant of God. The reason God came
to earth in the flesh of a baby [Immanuel], was fully revealed and realized at the
cross, on that Passover Friday when Jesus [God’s Salvation] was crucified: God’s
Lamb was the only acceptable sacrifice for sin’s curse; His blood was shed for you
and for me, in order that we might ultimately live forever, in heaven, with Him.
When Jesus cried out, “It is finished!” He was proclaiming that sin’s curse and
condemnation had been eternally removed from everyone who would, by faith,
trust in Him as Savior; and that is what makes Good Friday Good! But what if the
crucifixion was all we had, what if Jesus did not rise from the grave? What if we
only received forgiveness for sins, but not eternal life?
Matthew 9:1-7, “Jesus stepped into a boat, crossed over and came to his own
town. Some men brought to him a paralytic, lying on a mat. When Jesus saw their
faith, he said to the paralytic, “Take heart, son; your sins are forgiven.” At this,
some of the teachers of the law said to themselves, “This fellow is blaspheming!”
Knowing their thoughts, Jesus said, “Why do you entertain evil thoughts in your
hearts? Which is easier: to say, ‘Your sins are forgiven,’ or to say, ‘Get up and
walk’? But so that you may know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to
forgive sins….” Then he said to the paralytic, “Get up, take your mat and go
home.” And the man got up and went home.
God the father validated Jesus’ authority to forgive sin, and we have no reason
to doubt Him who said (John 11:25-26), “I am the resurrection and the life. He
who believes in me will live, even though he dies; and whoever lives and believes in
Me will never die. Do you believe this?” I can say unabashedly, I do believe I have
received forgiveness and eternal life through Jesus Christ the Lord, how about you?
In order to demonstrate and to prove that all those who believe in Jesus are
saved through Him, Jesus came out of the grave alive, just like He said that He
would, on the third day.
May the LORD bless you and keep you, and be gracious to you. May The LORD
turn His face toward you, shine upon you, and give you peace” (Deuteronomy
6:22-24).

Pastor Mike <‘(((><

Bible Text: Matthew 21:1-17 | Pastor: Pastor Mike | 03-25-2018

Passion Week Begins!

Matthew 21:1-17

Matthew 21:1-3… Jesus and the 12 approach Jerusalem, coming near Bethphage
[“house of unripe figs”], on the SE side of Olivet [Mt. of Olives], which is just east
of Jerusalem, a short distance from Bethany (home to Mary, Martha, and Lazarus).
Jesus sends two of His disciples into Bethphage to acquire a young donkey that
is there with its mother.
Matthew 21:4-7… The disciples find the donkey, untie it and bring it to Jesus.
The disciples, when asked why they were untying the colt, responded as Jesus had
told them to and received permission (v. 3) from the owner of the donkey to go
ahead and take it. The people in that area knew Jesus’ and His disciples and also
that He was referred to as Lord.
Matthew 21:5, “Say to the Daughter of Zion, ‘See, your king comes to you, gentle
and riding on a donkey, on a colt, the foal of a donkey.'”
Matthew 21:8-11… This display on the part of the people was reserved for
royalty, an ancient practice of showing homage to a new king (cf 2Kings 9:12-13);
it would seem the people are recognizing Christ to be the Messiah, King of the Jews
(cf Matthew 2:1-2; 27:11).
The people are excited, throwing down their outer garments and fresh cut palm
branches (cf John 12:13), all this is symbolic of the people’s hope and desire for
the Messiah-King to come and liberate them.
The people are shouting (v. 9) “Hosanna to the Son of David!” Hosanna is a
contraction of the Hebrew words for “save” and “please,” the intent here is to
express exalted adoration, praise, and joy, for the Messiah has come!
Hosanna is a transliteration from Psalm 118:25-26, which says, “O LORD, save
us; O LORD, grant us success. Blessed is He who comes in the name of the LORD.
From the house of the LORD we bless you.”
Jesus’ name means “God’s salvation.” The people call for God’s Son, the
Messiah, to save them.
The Jews were waiting for the Messiah to come and liberate them from Gentile
oppression, to prosper them, and to sit on the throne of David; they didn’t
understand that He was coming to free them from the penalty of sin!
No wonder (Matthew 21:10) the people ask, “Who is this?” And yet, they
seem to be aware (Matthew 21:11) that, “This is Jesus, the prophet from
Nazareth in Galilee.”
The OT gives many prophecies to be fulfilled during Passion Week, concerning
the suffering, death and resurrection of God’s Son, providing forgiveness for sins.
Zechariah 9:9 (500 BC)… Israel’s King will enter Jerusalem on a donkey’s colt.
Zechariah 11:12… He will be betrayed for 30 pieces of silver (Exodus 21:32, the
price of a slave).
Psalm 22:16 (1000 BC)… His hands and feet will be pierced. 18… Lots will be
cast for His garments.
Psalm 69:21… He will be given vinegar to drink.
Exodus 12:46 (Passover lamb, 1400 BC)… None of His bones will be broken.
Isaiah 53:1-12 (700 BC)… He will be despised, forsaken, led like a lamb to the
slaughter; He will be pierced, put to death for our sins, yet He will live.
Zechariah 13:7… His friends will desert Him.
Psalm 16:8-11… He will rise from the dead.
Next Friday at 3 pm, we’ll study what the Bible says about the day of Christ’s
death; and on Sunday, what the Bible says about His resurrection from the grave.
But today, let us turn our attention to the Lamb of God, as He enters Jerusalem
for His last time before ascending back into heaven.
Matthew 21:12-13… Jesus enters the Temple and begins to clear out those
desecrating the House of God.
The outer court had become a market place and stockyard; worshippers who
came to offer sacrifices and pay their temple tax were forced to pay high exchange
rates, as Greek and Roman coins had to be exchanged for Jewish currency ; and
also high prices were being charged for sacrificial animals and birds (and no doubt,
the Priests were getting kickbacks from the vendors).
The Outer Court, where all this was taking place, was for the Gentiles; they were
not allowed to enter any other part of the Temple, and so, this area was set apart
for Gentile converts to Judaism to pray and worship.
It is here that these vendors, under the supervision of the Jewish religious
leaders, had turned a place of prayer and worship into a robber’s den, where
criminals were being protected by the Chief Priest and Teachers of the Law, who
should instead be arresting them and bringing them to judgment (Jeremiah 7:11),
“Has this house, which bears My Name, become a den of robbers to you? But I
have been watching! declares the LORD.”
These Religious leaders belonged to the Sanhedrin (Supreme Court of Israel);
presided over by the High-Priest, it met in the Temple daily to pronounce judgments
in all matters of civil, religious, cultural and ancestral Law.
Jesus offended the religious leaders (Mark 11:18), “The chief priests and the
teachers of the law… began looking for a way to kill Him, for they feared Him,
because the whole crowd was amazed at His teaching,”
(Mark 1:22), “The people were amazed at His teaching, because He taught them
as one who had authority, not as the teachers of the law.” True authority is from
God, Jesus came from the Father with full authority.
Matthew 21:14-16… The blind and lame came to the Temple to beg for money
and seek healing; most of the Jews considered their infirmities to be payment for
sins either they or their parents committed.
The religious leaders showed little, if any, mercy toward the poor and the
afflicted; and yet Jesus healed all who came to Him, even receiving praise from
children. This infuriated the religious elite and so, Jesus condemns these selfrighteous
hypocrites as enemies of God, using the OT against them in verse 16
(from Psalm 8:2), “From the lips of children and infants You have ordained praise,”
but the Psalmist goes on to say this is “because of the Messiah’s enemies,” in order
to silence them.
God knew full-well that a majority of unbelieving Jews (along with the majority
of mankind) would reject His Son, and that the Jews would show contempt toward
Him, displaying the evil in their hearts by seeking to kill Him; but according to
God’s sovereign plan, Jesus would give His own life as payment for our sins, after
which He would rise from the grave to prove He is both Lord and Savior
(cf Isaiah 53:3-6; John 10:17-18; Acts 2:22-24).
The majority of the Nation of Israel did not receive Jesus as their Messiah, you
see, they expected Him to come riding on a white horse, as a Warrior-King who
would run the Romans out of Israel and free the Jews of all Gentile rule; but
instead, Jesus came humbly riding on a donkey, as God’s Servant, He who gave up
Himself to be captured, condemned and crucified, like a criminal.
The nation of Israel is still waiting for the Messiah to come – riding on a white
stallion, a conquering Warrior-King, and He will (cf. Revelation 19:11-16).
Matthew 21:17… Jesus came to offer freedom from the penalty of sin and
eternal life in heaven with God; but the Jews adamantly rejected Him.
At the end of the day, Jesus left the crowds and went out of the city, to Bethany,
where He would spend the night with some of His dearest friends, Mary, Martha and
Lazarus, for they genuinely loved and believed in Him.
Over the next few days of Passion Week, the Biblical record tells us that Jesus
poured His heart out to the nation of Israel, expressing deep compassion for them;
and yet, just five days from the day He entered into Jerusalem, with the people
shouting “Hosanna to the Son of David!” these same people would cry out for Him
to be crucified, and Jesus would voluntarily give up His own life, as the full and final
payment for all our sins.
God loves us so much that He gave His Son to take the punishment we deserve;
in order that we might be saved (cf. Romans 3:23; 6:23; 5:8; 8:1).
Passion week is all about the love of God expressed toward us through Jesus
Christ the Lord. The real question today is, have you received the love of God
through Jesus Christ the Lord, and are you earnestly seeking to bring honor and
glory and praise to Him, with your life? If so, you can genuinely and joyously
proclaim, “Hosanna to the Son of David, to Him who comes in the Name of the
LORD!” Amen!

Bible Text: Matthew 3:1-2 | Pastor: Pastor Mike Hale | Due to technical difficulties there is a small part missing in the middle.

03-18-2018

Water Baptism: Why It Is Important?

Matthew 3:1-2

When a person is baptized, they confess Jesus as Lord and declare, by faith,
their trust in Christ for the forgiveness of their sins (past, present, future) and for
the salvation of their soul (for all of eternity).
Baptism is an external physical washing by men, symbolizing an internal
spiritual cleansing by God.
Matthew 3:1-2 John the Baptist came, preaching and saying, “Repent, for the
kingdom of heaven is near.” 6, “Confessing their sins, they were baptized [Gk.
baptizo = fully immersed] by him in the Jordan River.”
John called people to repent [Gk. metanoeo – this means a deliberate change in
direction of one’s mind and will; from wrong to right, sin to salvation, self to God]!
John called people to confess their sins, preparing them to accept God’s cure
for the penalty of sin. He isn’t asking them to just feel bad about their sinful
condition, but to be changed [converted] into a totally different life, a new life,
because God was coming in the body of Jesus!
There had been 400 years of silence with no new or direct communication from
God. The Word to be given is a message of warning and rebuke to Israel.
Matthew 3:11, “I baptize you with water for repentance. But after me will come
one who is more powerful than I, whose sandals I am not fit to carry. He will
baptize you with the Holy Spirit and with fire.”
John made it clear that there was One coming after him who would baptize not
with water, but with the Holy Spirit and with fire. John didn’t consider himself even
worthy to untie this Coming One’s sandals, i.e., not even worthy to be his slave.
John contrasts his own water baptism, a baptism of repentance [confessing
their sins, they were baptized by John], with that of the Coming One [He will
baptize with the Holy Spirit and with fire].
Water symbolizes a cleansed conscience, as we repent of sin and express our
desire to do that which pleases God.
The Holy Spirit symbolizes rebirth by the Spirit of God, Who places us into the
eternal family of God.
Fire symbolizes the eternal judgment that will come to those who do not have the
Holy Spirit of God..
Water baptism is immersion into physical water, confessing your own sinfulness
and desire to change your behavior to align with what is acceptable to God.
New Testament water baptisms: Acts 8:26-40 (Ethiopian Eunuch); 10:1-48
(Cornelius’ Household); 16:11-15 (Lydia); 16:22-40 (Jailer’s Household).
Spiritual baptism is the purging and purifying presence of God Himself in the a
person, by which that person goes from death to life spiritually, being born again.
Death came through Adam, life comes through Jesus Christ, enabling us to be
born from above by God’s Spirit, Who indwells every true child of God.
John 1:12-13, “Yet to all who received Him, to those who believed in His Name,
He gave the right to become children of God– children born not of natural descent,
nor of human decision or a husband’s will, but born of God.”
John 3:3, “I tell you the truth, no one can see the kingdom of God unless he is
born again.” 6-7, “Flesh gives birth to flesh, but the Spirit gives birth to spirit. You
should not be surprised at my saying, ‘You must be born again.’”
Acts 2:21, “Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.”
38, “Repent and be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the
forgiveness of your sins. And you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.”
Romans 6:3-5, “Or don’t you know that all of us who were baptized into Christ
Jesus were baptized into His death? We were therefore buried with Him through
baptism into death in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead through
the glory of the Father, we too may live a new life. If we have been united with Him
like this in His death, we will certainly also be united with Him in his resurrection.”
Christ died for our sins, and when He died, He not only put to death the power
and influence of the old life we received from Adam, but He demonstrated the new
life we receive from God.
The baptism mentioned in Romans 6:3-4 is not water baptism, it is the
baptism of the Spirit, by which you are made a child of God; at the moment you
repent and believe, you are filled with the Holy Spirit, at the same time you are
placed in the Body of Christ, the Church, the Family of God
1Corinthians 12:13, “For we were all baptized by one Spirit into one body –
whether Jews or Greeks, slave or free – and we were all given the one Spirit to
drink.”
1Peter 3:18-22, “For Christ died for sins once for all, the righteous for the
unrighteous, to bring you to God. He was put to death in the body but made alive
by the Spirit, through whom also He went and preached to the spirits in prison who
disobeyed long ago when God waited patiently in the days of Noah while the ark
was being built. In it only a few people, eight in all, were saved through water, and
this water symbolizes baptism that now saves you also—not the removal of dirt
from the body but the pledge of a good conscience toward God. It saves you by the
resurrection of Jesus Christ, who has gone into heaven and is at God’s right hand—
with angels, authorities and powers in submission to Him.”
Noah and his family were saved from drowning because they were in the ark;
they were saved from the curse of sin because they obeyed God and got into the
ark. Jesus is the ark of salvation for all who trust in Him; He alone can forgive sins
and bring us into heaven.
It was revealed to Paul, and therefor to us, that God’s desire was to live in us,
through God’s Spirit, made effectual by the death and resurrection of God’s Son.
Galatians 2:20, “I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live but Christ
lives in me. The life I live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved
me and gave Himself for me.”
Dead people can’t sin! Physical death separates a person from physical life,
baptism symbolizes putting to death the old life of sin, to live the new life in Christ.
2Corinthians 5:17, “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old
has gone, the new has come!” 21, “God made Him who had no sin to be sin for us,
so that in Him we might become the righteousness of God.”
Water baptism is not essential for salvation, it is essential because of
salvation.
Water baptism declares that the change which has occurred inside the Believer,
through God’s Spirit, will now be clearly revealed in the life of the Believer, as he/
she continues to Love Christ by obeying God’s Word.
John 14:15-17, “If you love Me, you will obey what I command. And I will ask the
Father, and He will give you another Counselor to be with you forever – the Spirit of
truth. The world cannot accept Him, because it neither sees Him nor knows Him.
But you know Him, for He lives with you and will be in you. 21, “Whoever has My
commands and obeys them, he is the one who loves Me. He who loves Me will be
loved by My Father, and I too will love him and show Myself to him.” 23, “If anyone
loves Me, he will obey My teaching. My Father will love him, and we will come to
him and make Our home with him.”

Pastor Mike
°°°>‘(((><

Bible Text: various | Pastor: Pastor Mike |

03-11-2018

So, We Are The Church of God

The Greek word [ekklesia] translated church in our Bibles, means “the called out ones,” this is speaking of the community, congregation, body or family of genuine believers and followers of Jesus Christ.

The word “church” might be used of a local group of God’s people, but it is clearly not talking about a physical building; instead it has a more supernatural and universal meaning, speaking of all those who are indwelled by the Holy Spirit of God, which is given to each one who, upon their personal confession of sin and belief in God’s Son as Lord and Savior, becomes a child of God, now and forever. Ephesians 1:13-14, “And you also were included in Christ when you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation. Having believed, you were marked in Him with a seal, the promised Holy Spirit, who is a deposit guaranteeing our inheritance until the redemption of those who are God’s possession – to the praise of His glory.”
Acts 2:38, “Repent… …in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins. And you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.”
1Corinthians 12:12-14, “The body is a unit, though it is made up of many parts; and though all its parts are many, they form one body. So it is with Christ. For we were all baptized by one Spirit into one body – whether Jews or Greeks, slave or free – and we were all given the one Spirit to drink. Now the body is not made up of one part but of many.” 18-20, “But in fact God has arranged the parts in the body, every one of them, just as He wanted them to be. If they were all one part, where would the body be? As it is, there are many parts, but one body.” 27, “Now you are the body of Christ, and each one of you is a part of it.”
Colossians 1:18 He [Christ] is the head of the body, the church.
Revelation 5:9 says, Jesus “purchased men for God from every tribe, language, people and nation, by His own shed blood.

Christians are chosen by God; in fact they are bought at the cost of the shed blood of God’s own Son, that they might be born of God, to live forever with Him. John 1:13-14, “Yet to all who received Him [Jesus], to those who believed in His name, He gave the right to become children of God – children born not of natural descent, nor of human decision or a husband’s will, but born of God.”
John 3:3 Jesus said, “I tell you the truth, no one can see the kingdom of God unless he is born again” [from above]. 8 “So it is with everyone born of the Spirit.”

Christians, as members of the body of Christ, the church, of which He is the head, are indeed peculiar people; Peter says (1Peter 1:1) we are alien residents on earth, pilgrims, strangers in the world – for our true citizenship is in heaven.

1Peter 1:3-5, “Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! In His great mercy He has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, and into an inheritance that can never perish, spoil or fade – kept in heaven for you, who through faith are shielded by God’s power until the coming of the salvation that is ready to be revealed in the last time. 1Peter 2:9-10, “You are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people belonging to God, that you may declare the praises of Him who called you out of darkness into His wonderful Light. Once you were not a people, but now you are the people of God; once you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy.”

Paul clearly lays out the problem between sinful humans and the Holy God of Creation (we are all sinners); but God also provides the sovereign prescription and cure, by which we can be healed of an otherwise terminal eternal illness, the remedy is found in Romans 3:10-12, 23; 6:23; 5:8; 8:1;10:9-10, 13. Ephesians 1:3-10, “Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in the heavenly realms with every spiritual blessing in Christ. For He chose us in Him before the creation of the world to be holy and blameless in His sight. In love He predestined us to be adopted as His sons through Jesus Christ, in accordance with His pleasure and will – to the praise of His glorious grace, which He has freely given us in the One He loves. In Him we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins, in accordance with the riches of God’s grace that He lavished on us with all wisdom and understanding. And He made known to us the mystery of His will according to His good pleasure, which He purposed in Christ, to be put into effect when the times will have reached their fulfillment – to bring all things in heaven and on earth together under one head, even Christ.”
Ephesians 3:10-11, “His [God’s] intent was that now, through the church, the manifold wisdom of God should be made known to the rulers and authorities in the heavenly realms, according to his eternal purpose which He accomplished in Christ Jesus our Lord.”

At the moment of heart repentance for sin and genuine belief in Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior, God’s Spirit comes to indwell and seal you as the eternal possession of God. As a child of God, a member of God’s church, and as one whose sins have been forgiven through the shed blood of Jesus Christ, you should live differently from those who continue to reject God’s Son.

1Corinthians 6:19-20, “Do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own; you were bought at a price. Therefore honor God with your body.”

Colossians 3:17, “And whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through Him.”
23-24, “Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for men… …It is the Lord Christ you are serving.”

2Corinthians 13:5, “Examine yourselves to see whether you are in the faith; test yourselves. Do you not realize that Christ Jesus is in you – unless, of course, you fail the
test?”

We are commanded (Colossians 3:16), ”let the word of Christ dwell in you richly,” (Galatians 5:25), ”live and walk in the Spirit,” (Ephesians 5:15-17), “Be very careful, then, how you live – not as unwise but as wise, making the most of every opportunity, because the days are evil. Therefore do not be foolish, but understand what the Lord’s will is,” (Romans 12:2), “Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is – His good, pleasing and perfect will.”

God’s Word tells us to live under the control of God’s Spirit, in obedience to God’s Word, exemplifying the character of God’s Son, bringing glory to God the Father.

The purpose of the church [all true believers and followers of Jesus] is to love Christ by obeying the Word of God (John 14:15), “If you love Me, you will obey what I command,” (verse 21), “Whoever has My commands and obeys them, he is the one who loves Me,” (verse 23), “If anyone loves Me, he will obey My teaching.”

Love and obedience are synonymous: As you feed on God’s Word, applying it to your life, you are changed, being conformed to Christ through the Word of God, by the Spirit of God.
Romans 12:1, “I urge you, brothers, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God – this is your spiritual act of worship.”

Every Christian is a member of God’s church, of which Christ is the Head (Ephesians 1:22-23), “God placed all things under His [Christ’s] feet and appointed Him to be head over everything for the church, which is His body, the fullness of Him who fills everything in every way.”

Jesus loves His church so much He laid down His life for us (Ephesians 5:25), “Christ loved the church and gave Himself up for her.”

Jesus commands us to love our brothers and sisters in Christ the same way; for this distinguishes God’s people from the world’s people (John 13:34-35) “As I have loved you, so you must love one another. By this all men will know that you are my disciples, if you love [agape – sacrificial, willful, unconditional] one another.”

Hebrews 10:24-25, “And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds. Let us not give up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but let us encourage one another – and all the more as you see the Day approaching.”

As individual believers we should seek to know God more intimately and honor Him more consistently, with our life, as we endeavor to encourage one another [in the church], where God’s Word is to be taught, obeyed and honored, as we proclaim the message of Jesus Christ, to all who will listen, so that people might be saved.

Paul’s love for Christ and His church is clearly and repeatedly expressed in the books of the New Testament.

Paul’s sincere and earnest desire for each member of God’s family to know the unconditional love and the incomprehensible presence, pleasure and power of God in their life, is exemplified in the following prayer:
Ephesians 3:14-21, “For this reason I kneel before the Father, from whom His whole family in heaven and on earth derives its name. I pray that out of His glorious riches He may strengthen you with power through His Spirit in your inner being, so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith. And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, may have power, together with all the saints, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, and to know this love that surpasses knowledge – that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God. Now to Him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to His power that is at work within us, to Him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, for ever and ever! Amen.”

Pastor Mike >’(((><