Sermon Date: September 24, 2023

After 40 years in ministry, including Seminary training, and listening to and speaking with innumerable persons struggling with life’s tragedies and in life celebrations, I have compiled an imaginary conversation with God.

Sermon Date: September 10, 2023

Matthew 18:21-35:

“²¹ Then came Peter to him, and said, Lord, how oft shall my brother sin against me, and I forgive him? till seven times? ²² Jesus saith unto him, I say not unto thee, Until seven times: But, Until seventy times seven.

²³ Therefore is the kingdom of heaven likened unto a certain king, which would take account of his servants. ²⁴ And when he had begun to reckon, one was brought unto him, which owed him ten thousand talents. ²⁵ But forasmuch as he had not to pay, his lord commanded him to be sold, and his wife, and children, and all that he had, and payment to be made. ²⁶ The servant therefore fell down, and worshipped him, saying, Lord, have patience with me, and I will pay thee all. ²⁷ Then the lord of that servant was moved with compassion, and loosed him, and forgave him the debt. ²⁸ But the same servant went out, and found one of his fellowservants, which owed him an hundred pence: and he laid hands on him, and took him by the throat, saying, Pay me that thou owest. ²⁹ And his fellowservant fell down at his feet, and besought him, saying, Have patience with me, and I will pay thee all. ³⁰ And he would not: but went and cast him into prison, till he should pay the debt. ³¹ So when his fellow servants saw what was done, they were very sorry, and came and told unto their lord all that was done. ³² Then his lord, after that he had called him, said unto him, O thou wicked servant, I forgave thee all that debt, because thou desiredst me: ³³ shouldest not thou also have had compassion on thy fellow servant, even as I had pity on thee? ³⁴ And his lord was wroth, and delivered him to the tormentors, till he should pay all that was due unto him. ³⁵ So likewise shall my heavenly Father do also unto you, if ye from your hearts forgive not every one his brother their trespasses.”

Sermon Date: September 3, 2023

Matthew 16:24-26:
“²⁴ Then Jesus told his disciples, “If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me. ²⁵ For whoever would save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake will find it. ²⁶ For what will it profit a man if he gains the whole world and forfeits his soul? Or what shall a man give in return for his soul?”

Romans 12:1-2, 9-16:
“¹ I appeal to you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship. ² Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.”

“⁹ Let love be genuine. Abhor what is evil; hold fast to what is good. ¹⁰ Love one another with brotherly affection. Outdo one another in showing honor. ¹¹ Do not be slothful in zeal, be fervent in spirit, serve the Lord. ¹² Rejoice in hope, be patient in tribulation, be constant in prayer. ¹³ Contribute to the needs of the saints and seek to show hospitality. ¹⁴ Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse them. ¹⁵ Rejoice with those who rejoice, weep with those who weep. ¹⁶ Live in harmony with one another. Do not be haughty, but associate with the lowly. Never be wise in your own sight.”

Sermon Date: August 27, 2023

Matthew 16:13-18 ( Expanded Bible):

“¹³ When Jesus came to the area of Caesarea Philippi [C 25 miles north of Lake Galilee near Mount Hermon], he asked his followers [disciples], ‘Who do people say the Son of Man is?’
¹⁴ They answered, ‘Some say you are John the Baptist. Others say you are Elijah [C some Jews expected Elijah to return in the end times; Malachi. 4:5], and still others say you are Jeremiah or one of the prophets [Deuteronomy 18:15].’
¹⁵ Then Jesus asked them, ‘And [But] who do you say I am?’
¹⁶ Simon Peter answered, ‘You are the Christ [Messiah], the Son of the living God.’
¹⁷ Jesus answered, ‘You are blessed, Simon son of Jonah, because no person taught you that [ flesh and blood did not reveal this to you] [ But; Rather] My Father in heaven showed you who I am [revealed it].
¹⁸ So I tell you, you are Peter [ the Greek petros, like the Aramaic Cephas, means “rock” or “stone”]. On this rock I will build my church, and the power of death [gates of Hades/the underworld] will not be able to defeat [overpower; conquer; prevail against] it.”

A Rocky Metaphor of Life (Pastor Mike)

“We see the top of rocks but not the bottom; settled and embedded.
We see where the winds of life have weathered those tops over the years.
We see where the rivers of life have washed over them, somewhat battered and pitted.
We see them tumbled and scuffed by life experiences, hardened by storms and gales.
We see where the Rock of Life Jesus, comes into human contact among us and rolls alongside in the journey; leading and guiding through mountain tops and deep valleys crossing the shadowlands into the light.
Maybe you’re old enough to understand how this works, but maybe you’re just starting out.
Maybe you can have compassion for those whose lives aren’t smooth but are jagged, coarse, sharp, and rough.
Maybe you see those who aren’t gems but just scraggly rocks, who need the compassionate yet firm hand of a stone-cutter to shape and perfect those rocks into something new, not yet seen or imagined.
Maybe you are those stones, those rocks, fragile, crumbly, loose, and sliding, encrusted and hiding within a beauty yet to be revealed by the Master Stone-Cutter’s Word, the chisel in His hand.”

Sermon Date: August 20, 2023

Matthew 15:21-28:
“²¹ And Jesus went away from there and withdrew to the district of Tyre and Sidon. ²² And behold, a Canaanite woman from that region came out and was crying, ‘Have mercy on me, O Lord, Son of David; my daughter is severely oppressed by a demon.’ ²³ But he did not answer her a word. And his disciples came and begged him, saying, ‘Send her away, for she is crying out after us.’ ²⁴ He answered, ‘I was sent only to the lost sheep of the house of Israel.’ ²⁵ But she came and knelt before him, saying, ‘Lord, help me.’ ²⁶ And he answered, ‘It is not right to take the children’s bread and throw it to the dogs.’ ²⁷ She said, ‘Yes, Lord, yet even the dogs eat the crumbs that fall from their masters’ table.’ ²⁸ Then Jesus answered her, ‘O woman, great is your faith! Be it done for you as you desire.’ And her daughter was healed instantly.”

Galatians 5:19-23:
“¹⁹ What human nature does is quite plain. It shows itself in immoral, filthy, and indecent actions; ²⁰ in worship of idols and witchcraft. People become enemies and they fight; they become jealous, angry, and ambitious. They separate into parties and groups; ²¹ they are envious, get drunk, have orgies, and do other things like these. I warn you now as I have before: those who do these things will not possess the Kingdom of God. ²² But the Spirit produces love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, ²³ humility, and self-control. There is no law against such things as these.”

Sermon Date: August 6, 2023

Matthew 13:13-21:
“¹³ Jesus … withdrew from there in a boat to a desolate place by himself. But when the crowds heard it, they followed him on foot from the towns. ¹⁴ When he went ashore he saw a great crowd, and he had compassion on them and healed their sick. ¹⁵ Now when it was evening, the disciples came to him and said, “This is a desolate place, and the day is now over; send the crowds away to go into the villages and buy food for themselves.” ¹⁶ But Jesus said, “They need not go away; you give them something to eat.” ¹⁷ They said to him, “We have only five loaves here and two fish.” ¹⁸ And he said, “Bring them here to me.” ¹⁹ Then he ordered the crowds to sit down on the grass, and taking the five loaves and the two fish, he looked up to heaven and said a blessing. Then he broke the loaves and gave them to the disciples, and the disciples gave them to the crowds. ²⁰ And they all ate and were satisfied. And they took up twelve baskets full of the broken pieces left over. ²¹ And those who ate were about five thousand men, besides women and children.”

Sermon Date: July 30, 2023

Matthew 13:51-52 ( Expanded Bible):
“⁵¹ Jesus asked his ·followers [disciples], “Do you understand all these things?” They answered, “Yes.” ⁵² Then Jesus said to them, “So every ·teacher of the law [scribe] who has been taught about [become a disciple of] the kingdom of heaven is like the owner [head] of a house. He brings out both new things and old things ·he has saved [from his treasure/storeroom; knowledge of the Old Testament provides insight into Jesus’ “new” message of the kingdom of God].”

This question is meant for us too. Have we understood all that Jesus has spoken about the kingdom of heaven?

Psalm 119:73:
“Your hands have made and fashioned me; give me understanding that I may learn your commandments.”

Psalm 119:104:
“Through your precepts I get understanding; therefore I hate every false way.”

Psalm 119:130:
“The unfolding of your words gives light; it imparts understanding to the simple.”

Psalm 119:144:
“Your testimonies are righteous for ever; give me understanding that I may live.”

Proverbs 14:29:
“Whoever is slow to anger has great understanding, but he who has a hasty temper exalts folly.”

1 John 5:20:
“And we know that the Son of God has come and has given us understanding, so that we may know him who is true; and we are in him who is true, in his Son Jesus Christ. He is the true God and eternal life.”

Colossians 1:9:
“And so, from the day we heard, we have not ceased to pray for you, asking that you may be filled with the knowledge of his will in all spiritual wisdom and understanding,”

Ephesians 4:18:
“They are darkened in their understanding, alienated from the life of God because of the ignorance that is in them, due to their hardness of heart.”

1 Thessalonians 2:13:
“And we also thank God constantly for this, that when you received the word of God which you heard from us, you accepted it not as the word of men but as what it really is, the word of God, which is at work in you believers.”

2 Thessalonians 3:2:
“… and that we may be delivered from wicked and evil men; for not all have faith.”

2 Peter 1:20-21:
“First of all you must understand this, that no prophecy of scripture is a matter of one’s own interpretation, because no prophecy ever came by the impulse of man, but men moved by the Holy Spirit spoke from God.”

Sermon Date: July 23, 2023

Romans 8:18-27:

“¹⁸ I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worth comparing with the glory that is to be revealed to us. ¹⁹ For the creation waits with eager longing for the revealing of the sons of God; ²⁰ for the creation was subjected to futility, not of its own will but by the will of him who subjected it in hope; ²¹ because the creation itself will be set free from its bondage to decay and obtain the glorious liberty of the children of God. ²² We know that the whole creation has been groaning in travail together until now; ²³ and not only the creation, but we ourselves, who have the first fruits of the Spirit, groan inwardly as we wait for adoption as sons, the redemption of our bodies. ²⁴ For in this hope we were saved. Now hope that is seen is not hope. For who hopes for what he sees? ²⁵ But if we hope for what we do not see, we wait for it with patience. ²⁶ Likewise the Spirit helps us in our weakness; for we do not know how to pray as we ought, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with sighs too deep for words. ²⁷ And he who searches the hearts of men knows what is the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for the saints according to the will of God.”

2 Corinthians 5:17-20:

“¹⁷ Therefore, if any one is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has passed away, behold, the new has come. ¹⁸ All this is from God, who through Christ reconciled us to himself and gave us the ministry of reconciliation; ¹⁹ that is, in Christ God was reconciling the world to himself, not counting their trespasses against them, and entrusting to us the message of reconciliation. ²⁰ So we are ambassadors for Christ, God making his appeal through us. We beseech you on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God.”

Sermon Date: July 16, 2023

Matthew 13:1-9, 18-30, 36-43:

“¹ That same day Jesus went out of the house and sat beside the sea. ² And great crowds gathered about him, so that he got into a boat and sat down. And the whole crowd stood on the beach. ³ And he told them many things in parables, saying: ‘A sower went out to sow. ⁴ And as he sowed, some seeds fell along the path, and the birds came and devoured them. ⁵ Other seeds fell on rocky ground, where they did not have much soil, and immediately they sprang up, since they had no depth of soil, ⁶ but when the sun rose they were scorched. And since they had no root, they withered away. ⁷ Other seeds fell among thorns, and the thorns grew up and choked them. ⁸ Other seeds fell on good soil and produced grain, some a hundredfold, some sixty, some thirty. ⁹ He who has ears, let him hear.'”

“¹⁸ Hear then the parable of the sower: ¹⁹ When anyone hears the word of the kingdom and does not understand it, the evil one comes and snatches away what has been sown in his heart. This is what was sown along the path. ²⁰ As for what was sown on rocky ground, this is the one who hears the word and immediately receives it with joy, ²¹ yet he has no root in himself, but endures for a while, and when tribulation or persecution arises on account of the word, immediately he falls away. ²² As for what was sown among thorns, this is the one who hears the word, but the cares of the world and the deceitfulness of riches choke the word, and it proves unfruitful. ²³ As for what was sown on good soil, this is the one who hears the word and understands it. He indeed bears fruit and yields, in one case a hundredfold, in another sixty, and in another thirty. ²⁴ He put another parable before them, saying, ‘The kingdom of heaven may be compared to a man who sowed good seed in his field, ²⁵ but while his men were sleeping, his enemy came and sowed weeds among the wheat and went away. ²⁶ So when the plants came up and bore grain, then the weeds appeared also. ²⁷ And the servants of the master of the house came and said to him, ‘Master, did you not sow good seed in your field? How then does it have weeds?’ ²⁸ He said to them, ‘An enemy has done this.’ So the servants said to him, ‘Then do you want us to go and gather them?’ ²⁹ But he said, ‘No, lest in gathering the weeds you root up the wheat along with them. ³⁰ Let both grow together until the harvest, and at harvest time I will tell the reapers, Gather the weeds first and bind them in bundles to be burned, but gather the wheat into my barn.'”

“³⁶ Then he left the crowds and went into the house. And his disciples came to him, saying, ‘Explain to us the parable of the weeds of the field.’ ³⁷ He answered, ‘The one who sows the good seed is the Son of Man. ³⁸ The field is the world, and the good seed is the sons of the kingdom. The weeds are the sons of the evil one, ³⁹ and the enemy who sowed them is the devil. The harvest is the close of the age, and the reapers are angels. ⁴⁰ Just as the weeds are gathered and burned with fire, so will it be at the close of the age. ⁴¹ The Son of Man will send his angels, and they will gather out of his kingdom all causes of sin and all law-breakers, ⁴² and throw them into the fiery furnace. In that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth. ⁴³ Then the righteous will shine like the sun in the kingdom of their Father. He who has ears, let him hear.'”