Revealing Christ

Sermon On The Mount Series Matthew 5:13 "You Are The Salt Of The Earth". Christians are called to be "salt of the earth" - Just because you're salt doesn't mean you can't become quite useless.  Salt can lose its effectiveness if you don't engage with the world outside your "Christian compound". The people who need Christ are the ones on the outside. Salt does not change anything until it comes in contact with it. Christians have a significant spiritual influence, even when they might not feel like it. The Spirit within believers is "greater than the spirit of the world," and God often does His work through people who approach the world with meekness and humility.

Sermon On The Mount Series  Matthew 5:11-12 "Blessed Are Those Who Are Persecuted For His Name's Sake" This usually occurs in personal settings like workplace or family, sometimes from those who also name Christ.  Surprisingly, it often happens for believing in Christ's teachings of non-violence and loving enemies. Forgiveness is crucial, but it doesn't mean continuing to enable abuse, but we must return reviling for reviling. You have permission from God to leave abusive situations in order to protect yourself and family while maintaining a Christ-like attitude. Remain faithful to Christ's teachings, even when facing personal persecution, and trust God's process of redemption and justice.

Sermon On The Mount Series Matthew 5:10 "Blessed are those who are persecuted" Persecution means you're being 'persued' and Satans best trick is to persue you with spiritual confusion about what God's kingdom is. Satan persues believers with carnal means of spiritual growth through materialistic, carnal substitutes. True persecution is about maintaining spiritual integrity, denying self, and following God's will, not about politics or material prosperity. God's sanctifying work is mainly this: breaking your will and replacing it with His will.

Sermon On The Mount Series  Matthew 5:9: "Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called children of God" Where are the peacemakers? They're out there but their efforts just don't make the news.  James 3:18 says "The fruit of righteousness is sown in peace by those who make peace" We know Christ laid down His life in order to make peace, but many Christians would rather kill... even each other. Nothing has cost this country more than brother killing brother. Vengeance belongs to God, not us.

Does the cross change God, or does it change us? Where was the Holy Spirit during the cross?  Did Jesus drink the cup of Gods wrath or was it something else?  Is it reasonable to infer our own interpretation as 'gospel truth'.  Why did it take 1,000 years for the doctrine of PSA to become accepted as mainstream theology? What did theologians believe before that?  How does the wrath view of the cross compare with the Christus Victor view?

Have you ever wrestled with any of these questions? Was the wrath of God put on Christ? Does God need an object to put His punishment on? Did God forsake His Beloved Son so He wouldn't need to forsake you?  Did Jesus become 'sin'?  Was the Trinity broken during the cross? Was the cross punishment or a demonstration of grace?  Was the cross retribution or redemption? It takes a good study and some honesty with the Hebrew and Greek to bring clarity to our understanding. The   

The moment when Jesus cried out in Matthew 27:46 "My God, My God, why have You forsaken Me?" He couldn't feel the presence of God for the first time in all eternity past, or future. This cry is often interpreted as confusion, but I believe it is a deliberate quotation of Psalm 22.  Jesus knew exactly why. What do you think? Did God "turn His back" on His Only Son? Or was the Father broken also? Psalm 22:24 states when Jesus cried, the Father heard Him. God heard it, and it broke his heart also…   

Shaming Eve for humanity's fall from grace is an lame excuse for yourself. Adam and Eve were responsible for their own actions not yours.  Using scripture to shame or blame others, especially women, highlights your own hypocrisy. 1 Timothy 2:14 shows us: Adam was not deceived- he knew exactly what he was doing was wrong- Eve was decieved- but he still blames her!  Don't fall into that trap!

Luke 24:13-35 God meets us in our deepest moments of doubt and despair. Christ draws near to the broken-hearted, even when we fail to recognize Him. Jesus doesn't force Himself on those who aren't seeking Him and He would have passed by if the disciples hadn't constrained Him to stay - a sobering reminder that encountering Christ requires a genuine desire to know Him.

The Ark (coffin) of the Covenant reveals the attributes of Jesus Christ.  The acacia wood, beaten gold, the manna, the angels, the mercy seat, Aaron's rod, it all points to Christ. The Ark also symbolizes our need for mercy, transformation, and the danger of religious performance without genuine relationship.

God didn't dismantle the Most Holy Place to be replaced with religious trinkets, but with something far more profound: Christ in you, a living, breathing sanctuary in human hearts. The torn temple veil reveals God's ultimate plan, how through faith in Jesus, every believer becomes the new holy place, in dwelt by the living God. Hebrews 10:19-20 declares, we now have boldness to enter His Presence through Jesus Christ! No additives needed!

Christ's ministry began with turning water into the finest wine at Cana, surrounded by joy and love, yet ended with unbearable bitterness, receiving sour wine from those who hated Him, all to fulfill Scripture and accomplish our redemption with a triumphant "It is finished!"

When Christ died, the earth itself trembled. Discover how one moment of ultimate sacrifice shook the world—literally and spiritually—and how sometimes it takes an earthquake to transform a soul.

In a world full of men, Jesus the Christ chose Mary Magdalene to be the first to witness and proclaim to them that Christ had risen from the dead, and they didn't believe her.  They needed to have their own eyes behold it.  Do you believe in the resurrection of the dead?  How will God do that?  What will our new bodies be like?

There is great significance to the Triumphal Entry of Christ to Jerusalem.  Jesus usually walked everywhere, but today He's riding a donkey?  Have you ever seen a Jerusalem Donkey?  They bear a cross on their backs.

Did you know that after Christ revealed Himself to Peter and Andrew, they still went back to work and didn't follow Him right away? Many people claim to know God but have no desire to follow Him full time. Even demons believe and tremble before Him, yet many people have no fear that someday their opportunity to truly follow Him will be over!

Jesus goes back to His hometown of Nazareth.  They know Him there as the 'Carpenter'.  He gives His first sermon that's recorded in the Bible, less than a minute long and  He was rejected immediately by His own people!

Why would Jesus help this guy out?  Why would one of Herod's elite seek Jesus?  Because he has bigger problems than politics, his child is dying.

She's a lesser race and a lesser gender!  Why's Jesus talking to her?  She's about to win the prize of salvation though, and the apostles are about to get schooled.

The religious world considered her worthless because she was a foreigner and she'd been married 5 times.  

Luke 2:35 "…a sword will pierce through your own soul also), that the thoughts of many hearts may be revealed."

The second time John exclaimed "Behold the Lamb Of God"! The First Disciples Were Andrew and ???  Jesus asked them "why are you following Me?"  Why did I come to Christ?  Why do you follow Him?  

Most people don't know that John the Baptist said this two days in a row.  John states "I did not know Him".  Even later on John struggled with who Jesus was.  How many of us struggle to 'know' Him?

Greedy church leaders turning church into money!  That's a good way to make God mad.  This is the first time Jesus Cleanses the temple, at the beginning of His ministry.  This was prophesied in the book of Malachi, ironically a book that money-loving preachers twist to collect money to this day.

What's the difference between the Kingdom of God and the Kingdom of Heaven? Why are people so confused about what the 'Kingdom' is?  Is there such a thing as 'Kingdom money'?  Are we called to take dominion over the kingdoms of this world?

Luke 4:16-30, today's episode is about why Jesus went to church—even when it was full of hypocrites, doubters, and those who'd rather throw Him off a cliff than hear His truth. He showed up to preach to the poor, heal the brokenhearted, and set captives free, because that's where the hungry and the hurting are. If Jesus didn't walk away from a flawed church, why should we? Join us as we explore what it means to stay faithful, stand up, and share the Gospel, even when the world pushes back.

Is your church better than others? Jesus is just getting started in His 3-year ministry, and there are already problems among believers who see each other as 'competition'.   John The Baptist has the cure "He must increase, but I must decrease".

If anyone didn't need to partake in the baptism of repentance, it's Jesus.  John tried to stop Him.

The cross Jesus was crucified on... it belonged to Barabbas.  That cross should have been ours.  It should have been written over it "Murderer".   What would be written over your cross as your crime?   Instead, that sin was erased and replaced with this inscription: Jesus Christ, The King of the Jews.  Pilate took credit for it, "What I have written, I have written".  For once he was correct.  Written in Hebrew, Greek, and Latin. 

Two sisters married to the same guy?  What a mess.  Rachel was hot. Leah was not... is that true?  Did Leah have the face of a horse?  No.  Study it with me and you may be surprised to see how God worked this out for Leah to be greatly loved by Jacob.

As Jesus stumbled through the streets carrying His cross, He said something very terrifying!  Luke 23:27-29 And a great multitude of the people followed Him, and women who also mourned and lamented Him. 28 But Jesus, turning to them, said, "Daughters of Jerusalem, do not weep for Me, but weep for yourselves and for your children. 29 For indeed the days are coming in which they will say, 'Blessed are the barren, wombs that never bore, and breasts which never nursed!'

My favorite text in all four gospels.  The greatest worship service the earth had ever seen, and not a word was spoken!  No longwinded prayers, no music, no flag-wavers, no drums, no fog machines.  Just Jesus and one woman who knew Him and knew who He really was!  In a room full of men and not one of them joined in, all they did was judge.  

The slavery of kidnapping someone and forcing them into chains is an abomination and condemned by God.  Becoming a bond servant -as the bible mentions- has nothing to do with the crime of slavery this country was guilty of almost 200 years ago.  Give this short teaching a chance to show you some of what the bible actually says about this sensitive subject.  You'll be glad you did!

Genesis 24:67 ...and he took Rebekah and she became his wife, and he loved her.  This is the first mention of a woman being loved in the bible.  This marriage is a beautiful picture of Christ's love for His Bride, the church.  The imagery in this text reveals multiple infallible typologies that testify of Jesus' perfect love and what it requires to have a relationship with Him.

This world is made a mess by people claiming to follow God's plan.  My own family included.  None of this mess with Abraham was Hagar's idea.  She was abused, used, and rejected... Yet she was dearly loved by God and blessed by Him.  It makes me sick when some preachers disparage her and also her son because of the symbolism applied to them thousands of years later.  How many times did God appear to her?  How many times did God appear to you?  Don't be a jack wagon.  Get over yourself.

The first to be with Christ at His birth... a woman.  The last to be with Christ at His death... a woman.  The first to be with Him at His ressurection... a woman.  The first to declare a risen Christ... A woman!

Deep Dark depression.  Darkness that hurts so much you'd just assume die.  I can't feel God anymore!  Ever feel like you're getting the silent treatment from God?  Jesus can relate.  Psalms 88:14 My soul cast off, Your face is hidden from Me.  Why does God allow it?  For what purpose?

Do you ever feel like God is far from you?  Christ experienced the same thing… but did the Father really forsake Him?  Did Jesus need to be 'perfected'?  Did Jesus have a lesson He needed to learn?  Here we take an honest look at some of the most disturbing texts in the bible.

Jacob and Esau.  Family troubles... wanting a child, wanting godly spouses for your children.  Was Jacob a pansy?  Did God really hate Esau like we define hatred today?  

"Then Jesus was led by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil".  Do you ever feel in life like you are just along for the ride?  If God is driving, what's up with all the bumpy roads?  How can we pray 'lead us not into temptation' when we lead ourselves there on purpose? 

John said you must 'receive Christ'.  There is a BIG difference between 'believing' and 'receiving'.  Accepting a truth does not mean you 'receive' it.  I believe Joe Biden is President, I don't necessarily 'receive' it!  The Greek word 'receive' lambanō means "to have and to hold, from this day forward, for better, for worse, for richer, for poorer, in sickness and in health, to love and cherish, to be amazed by, to attain, catch, to take by the hand, to take up a thing to be carried!"  IF that is your commitment to Christ, THEN you're are a child of God.

If I force you to give money or coats or food, it's not called 'giving' anymore.  It's called THEFT!  But what should I do?  Jesus and John both shared similar requests... give.  How does Jesus say He is going to know who are His?

John the Baptist refused to baptize some people.  Not until he saw some fruit of repentance.  No wonder Baptist Preachers aren't very popular!  Just because your daddy is a preacher, or your momma is the best Christian woman since Mother Mary herself, is no guarantee that you are a Christian yourself.

The gift of God… the natural overflow of His personality, is to bestow love upon us… and His desire is for us to love Him back by extending that gift to others.

Why doesn't the book of Luke mention the ugly side of Christmas?  Why is Rachel weeping in Ramah?  Who are the meek that inherit the earth?  Let's put all this together!

The Magi traveled for two years to see the Christ child. The locals couldn't make it 6 miles down the road, even though the Bible makes it clear His birth was widely known . Why was no one interested? It's because Jesus was poor. Herod 'the Great' wasn't concerned until he saw men of 'stature' and cash gifts involved.

Being a Parent isn't easy. Mary had her hands full. This short sermon hardly touches the magnitude of a mother's heartbreak, but it explains that a mothers love is to be respected and admired. Luke 2:35 "yes, a sword will pierce through your own soul also, that the thoughts of many hearts may be revealed."I believe all mothers, and good fathers, can relate to this truth.

Matthew 16:4, where did Jesus immediately go after He died? To Paradise? Or to the belly of the earth? The answer is clear in the Bible and it may surprise you! One of my favorite studies! Hell, Sheol, Gehenna, Hades, and Paradise.

Christmas Sermon #2, Peace On Earth? If Jesus is the Prince of Peace, where is my peace then? Christ's birth reveals what that peace is and who it's for. The poor, the broken-hearted, those who know they need a Savior.

Matthew begins the New Testament by introducing us to the lineage of Christ. If you ponder these names a bit, you'll see that God demonstrates His love and provision among some really messed up people. So if you think your family is a mess, you will find encouragement knowing you're not alone.