February 2022

To Be a Treasured Possession

By / February 17, 2022

Title:  To Be a Treasured Possession

Text:  Exodus 19:5

  • Our relationship becomes exclusive
  • Not what the world wants to hear…. John 3:16ff; John 15:1-17
    • Doesn’t understand the purpose of His care – Naaman did; to follow Him – II Kings 5
    • Wants the benefits without the work – Mark 10:17ff
  • He fights for us – Numbers 21; Joshua 6; II Kings 6:8; Colossians 2:13-15
  • He takes care of us – John 10:14-18; Psalm 34:4-10

Come Lord Jesus

By / February 17, 2022

Title:  Come, Lord Jesus!

Title text:  Revelation 22:20

Why is He Coming Again?

  • Because He promised!
    • John 14:1-4
    • 24:30-31
  • Because He loves us!
    • John 17:20-26
  • Because He has a job to do!
    • He came first to save…
    • John 12:47*
    • He comes again to judge…
      • Acts 17:31, Rom. 2:16, Rev. 20:13
      • Mt. 25:31ff
      • II Tim. 4:1-8*
      • John 5:21-27

What’s Taking So Long?

  • No one knows the hour or the day…
    • Mark 13:34
    • 24:36
  • He wants all to come to repentance!
    • I Peter 3:9

What is Our Response?

  • Be pure and blameless…
    • 1:9-10, I Thess. 5:23-24*
  • Be prepared!
    • 25:1-13
  • Prepare others!
    • II Tim. 4:1-8

The Word Became Flesh

By / February 17, 2022

Title:  The Word Became Flesh

Text:  John 1:1-14

  • The Word is what the Word does….
  • No hypocrisy….
  • Ezekiel 12:25, II Corinthians 1:20, II Peter 3:3-9
  • The Word creates….
  • Genesis 1
  • The Word reveals….v. 18
  • The Word saves! v. 12, 13, 17

How will we respond?

  • To recognize!
    • Matthew 7:20
    • Matthew 14:35
    • Matthew 17:12
    • Jeremiah 44
  • To receive!
    • Mark 4:20
    • John 6:60ff

For to Us a Child Is Born

By / February 17, 2022

Title:  For to Us a Child is Born! (cf. The People Living in Darkness Have Seen a Great Light)

Text:  Isaiah 9:1-6

Every age has its oppression….

  • Midian – Judges 6
  • Zebulun and Naphtali – I Kings 15:20, II Kings 15:29
  • Matthew 9:36
  • Revelation 6:9-11

Jesus answers this oppression!

  • Isaiah 9:1-5
  • John 16:33

The People Living in Darkness Have Seen a Great Light

By / February 17, 2022

Title:  The People Living in Darkness Have Seen a Great Light (cf. For to Us a Child is Born!)

Text:  Isaiah 9:1-7

Sometimes our world is dark:

  • Lamentations 3:1-7
  • Job 3:(4)
  • Psalm 88
  • Isaiah 8:11-22

Jesus brought light!

  • Who would receive it? Precisely those who had suffered the most – v. 1, 4-5 (consider Zebulun and esp. Naphtali)
  • There is growth – v. 3, 7
  • The occasion – the birth of the King v. 7
  • The result – Justice and righteousness – v. 7

Immanuel – God With Us

By / February 17, 2022

Title:  Immanuel – God with us

Texts:  Matthew 1, 2; Luke 1, 2

The incarnation is a matter of faith in and of itself…

  • Mary – Luke 1:26-38
  • Joseph – Matthew 1:18-25
  • Magi – Matthew 2:1,2,12
  • Herod – Matthew 2:3-8, 16-18

The incarnation is a matter of faith in what it means for us…

  • Immanuel – Matthew 1:27
  • Jesus – Luke 1:31
  • Savior – Luke 2:11
  • Christ – Luke 2:11

We take Jesus as He is…

  • Compare with Joash – II Chronicles 22:10, 24:1-2
  • Jesus at the temple – Luke 2:41-52

We give Jesus His due…

  • Our gifts – Matthew 2:11
  • Our worship – Mark 5:22,33; Rev. 1:17; Phil. 2:10-11
  • Our obedience – John 14:23, Heb. 5:9, II Thess. 1:8

The Church

By / February 17, 2022

Title:  The Church

Title text:  Ephesians 3:20-21

The church is where God’s favor rests….

  • I Corinthians 1:2
  • I Corinthians 12:28
  • Ephesians 1:22; 3:10,21; 5:29

The church is where people learn to live together….

  • Philippians 4:2-3
  • Philemon 8-12
  • Matthew 18:15-20
  • Ephesians 3:2-6

The church must pass itself down to all….

  • Our own…
    • Psalm 119:9-16

II Timothy 1:13-14; 2:1-2

Know the Truth Like Jesus – John 18

By / February 17, 2022

Title: Know the Truth like Jesus….

Text:  John 18

Jesus is grounded in the truth!

Life is primarily the Spiritual!

  • Not financial
    • Joshua 7
    • John 12:4-6
  • Not physical
    • Matthew 4:4
    • Matthew 6:25-34
  • Not political
  • Not institutional

Our call is to know the truth!

  • The Truth is Jesus!
    • Pilate ignores at his peril – John 18:38
    • John 14:6

Be Patient Like Jesus

By / February 17, 2022

Title:  Be Patient Like Jesus

Text:  John 11:1-44

Being patient will sometimes cause misunderstanding….

  • We are up against an instant gratification culture… Ps. 27:14, 37:7, Is. 41:31
  • There is a conflict between being and seeming… John 11:25-27
  • Some will never get it… John 11:47-48

Jesus looked for the  greater impact…

  • Teachable moments John 11:25, 41-42
  • Jesus wanted to instill belief v. 15, 45

Jesus looked to glorify God!  v. 40

Redefine Like Jesus

By / February 17, 2022

Title:  Redefine Like Jesus

Text:  Luke 24:13-35

Reality is clear….

  • Jesus reprimands them for their foolishness… This should be obvious!
  • Shifts all they know into the person of Himself! (The resurrection proves the worldly perspective wrong.)

A shift from sight to faith

  • Jesus was invisible to them!
  • What else is invisible to us?
    • Are we blind to the change Jesus is making in people?
    • Are we blind to the change Jesus wants to make in us?

A shift from the temporal to the eternal

  • Jesus defeats death….
  • Jesus instills hope!
    • In Himself….
    • For us!