Sermon Date: July 9, 2023

Matthew 11:28-30:
“Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me; for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.”

Sermon Date: July 2, 2023

Matthew 10:34-42:

“Do not think that I have come to bring peace on earth; I have not come to bring peace, but a sword. For I have come to set a man against his father, and a daughter against her mother, and a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law; and a man’s foes will be those of his own household. He who loves father or mother more than me is not worthy of me; and he who loves son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me; and he who does not take his cross and follow me is not worthy of me. He who finds his life will lose it, and he who loses his life for my sake will find it. He who receives you receives me, and he who receives me receives him who sent me. He who receives a prophet because he is a prophet shall receive a prophet’s reward, and he who receives a righteous man because he is a righteous man shall receive a righteous man’s reward. And whoever gives to one of these little ones even a cup of cold water because he is a disciple, truly, I say to you, he shall not lose his reward.”

Sermon Date: June 25, 2023

Matthew 10:32-33:
“So every one who acknowledges me before men, I also will acknowledge before my Father who is in heaven; but whoever denies me before men, I also will deny before my Father who is in heaven.”

Sermon Date: June 18, 2023

Matthew 9:35-38; 10:1:
“³⁵ And Jesus went about all the cities and villages, teaching in their synagogues and preaching the gospel of the kingdom, and healing every disease and every infirmity. ³⁶ When he saw the crowds, he had compassion for them, because they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd. ³⁷ Then he said to his disciples, “The harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few; ³⁸ pray therefore the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into his harvest.”

“¹⁰ And he called to him his twelve disciples and gave them authority …”

2 Corinthians 1:3-4, 7:
“³ Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and God of all comfort, ⁴ who comforts us in all our affliction, so that we may be able to comfort those who are in any affliction, with the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by God.”

“⁷ Our hope for you is unshaken; for we know that as you share in our sufferings, you will also share in our comfort.”

Romans 5:1-5:
“¹ Therefore, since we are justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ. ² Through him we have obtained access to this grace in which we stand, and we rejoice in our hope of sharing the glory of God. ³ More than that, we rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance, ⁴ and endurance produces character, and character produces hope, ⁵ and hope does not disappoint us, because God’s love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit which has been given to us.”

Sermon Date: June 11, 2023

Matthew 9:9-13:
⁹ As Jesus passed on from there, he saw a man called Matthew sitting at the tax booth, and he said to him, “Follow me.” And he rose and followed him. ¹⁰ And as Jesus reclined at table in the house, behold, many tax collectors and sinners came and were reclining with Jesus and his disciples. ¹¹ And when the Pharisees saw this, they said to his disciples, “Why does your teacher eat with tax collectors and sinners?” ¹² But when he heard it, he said, “Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick. ¹³ Go and learn what this means, ‘I desire mercy, and not sacrifice.’ For I came not to call the righteous, but sinners.”

Luke 18:10-14:
¹⁰ “Two men went up into the temple to pray, one a Pharisee and the other a tax collector. ¹¹ The Pharisee, standing by himself, prayed thus: ‘God, I thank you that I am not like other men, extortioners, unjust, adulterers, or even like this tax collector. ¹² I fast twice a week; I give tithes of all that I get.’ ¹³ But the tax collector, standing far off, would not even lift up his eyes to heaven, but beat his breast, saying, ‘God, be merciful to me, a sinner!’ ¹⁴ I tell you; this man went down to his house justified, rather than the other. For everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, but the one who humbles himself will be exalted.”

Luke 19:1-10:
¹ He entered Jericho and was passing through. ² And there was a man named Zacchaeus. He was a chief tax collector and was rich. ³ And he was seeking to see who Jesus was, but on account of the crowd he could not, because he was small of stature. ⁴ So he ran on ahead and climbed up into a sycamore tree to see him, for he was about to pass that way. ⁵ And when Jesus came to the place, he looked up and said to him, “Zacchaeus, hurry and come down, for I must stay at your house today.” ⁶ So he hurried and came down and received him joyfully. ⁷ And when they saw it, they all grumbled, “He has gone in to be the guest of a man who is a sinner.” ⁸ And Zacchaeus stood and said to the Lord, “Behold, Lord, half of my goods I give to the poor. And if I have defrauded anyone of anything, I restore it fourfold.” ⁹ And Jesus said to him, “Today salvation has come to this house, since he also is a son of Abraham. ¹⁰ For the Son of Man came to seek and to save the lost.”

Sermon Date: June 4, 2023

The paradox of the Triunity of God: 3 in 1; and 1 x 1 x1 = 1; and, 3 persons, not 3 people.

The Action of the Triune God in our lives:

1. Matthew 28:19: “Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit.”
2. Luke 3:22: “And the Holy Spirit descended upon Him [Jesus] in bodily form like a dove, and a voice came out of heaven, “You are My [the Father’s] beloved Son, in You I am well-pleased.”
3. John 14:26: “But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in My [Jesus’] name, He will teach you all things, and bring to your remembrance all that I said to you.”
4. John 15:26: “When the Helper comes, whom I [Jesus] will send to you from the Father, that is the Spirit of truth who proceeds from the Father, He will testify about Me . . .”
5. Acts 10:38: “You know of Jesus of Nazareth, how God anointed Him with the Holy Spirit and with power, and how He went about doing good and healing all who were oppressed by the devil, for God was with Him.”
6. Romans 1:4: “Who was declared the Son of God with power by the resurrection from the dead, according to the Spirit of holiness, Jesus Christ our Lord . . .”
7. 1 Corinthians 6:11: “Such were some of you; but you were washed, but you were sanctified, but you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and in the Spirit of our God.”
8. 2 Corinthians 13:14: “The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit, be with you all.”
9. Galatians 4:6: “Because you are sons, God has sent forth the Spirit of His Son into our hearts, crying, “Abba! Father!”
10. Ephesians 1:17: “That the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give to you a spirit of wisdom and of revelation in the knowledge of Him.”
11. Ephesians 2:18: “For through Him we both have our access in one Spirit to the Father.”
12. Ephesians 2:22: “In whom [Jesus] you also are being built together into a dwelling of God in the Spirit.”
13. Hebrews 9:14: “How much more will the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered Himself without blemish to God, cleanse your conscience from dead works to serve the living God?”
14. 1 Peter 1:2: “According to the foreknowledge of God the Father, by the sanctifying work of the Spirit, to obey Jesus Christ and be sprinkled with His blood: may grace and peace be yours in the fullest measure.”

So now, try the attitude of gratitude. “Give thanks in all circumstances” (1 Thessalonians 5:18). This kind of gratitude comes first from what God the Son has done for us in His story; first of promise of the Redeemer; life of the God the Son in the flesh of humanity; Then, that kind of gratitude spills out of your life in the service of the God the Son. Joy is like a muscle; the more you develop it, the stronger it becomes.

Here are two exercises to help you develop inner joy, peace, purpose and focus in this world; worship regularly, study in depth of the word of God, daily pray, praise, and give thanks!

Let’s bring the focus of the Triune God to the world to change its focus, rather than the other way around.

Sermon Date: May 28, 2023

Acts 2:1-11:

¹ When the day of Pentecost had come, they were all together in one place. ² And suddenly a sound came from heaven like the rush of a mighty wind, and it filled all the house where they were sitting. ³ And there appeared to them tongues as of fire, distributed and resting on each one of them. ⁴ And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance.

⁵ Now there were dwelling in Jerusalem Jews, devout men from every nation under heaven. ⁶ And at this sound the multitude came together, and they were bewildered, because each one heard them speaking in his own language. ⁷ And they were amazed and wondered, saying, “Are not all these who are speaking Galileans? ⁸ And how is it that we hear, each of us in his own native language? ⁹ Par′thians and Medes and E′lamites and residents of Mesopota′mia, Judea and Cappado′cia, Pontus and Asia, ¹⁰ Phryg′ia and Pamphyl′ia, Egypt and the parts of Libya belonging to Cyre′ne, and visitors from Rome, both Jews and proselytes, ¹¹ Cretans and Arabians, we hear them telling in our own tongues the mighty works of God.”

Sermon Date: May 21, 2023

Exodus 17:10-13:
“So Joshua did as Moses told him, and fought with Amalek, while Moses, Aaron, and Hur went up to the top of the hill. Whenever Moses held up his hand, Israel prevailed; and whenever he lowered his hand, Amalek prevailed. But Moses’ hands grew weary; so they took a stone and put it under him, and he sat on it. Aaron and Hur held up his hands, one on one side, and the other on the other side; so his hands were steady until the sun set. And Joshua defeated Amalek and his people with the sword.”

1 Peter 5:6-11:
“Humble yourselves therefore under the mighty hand of God, so that he may exalt you in due time. Cast all your anxiety on him, because he cares for you. Discipline yourselves; keep alert. Like a roaring lion your adversary the devil prowls around, looking for someone to devour. Resist him, steadfast in your faith, for you know that your brothers and sisters throughout the world are undergoing the same kinds of suffering. And after you have suffered for a little while, the God of all grace, who has called you to his eternal glory in Christ, will himself restore, support, strengthen, and establish you. To him be the power for ever and ever. Amen.”

Sermon Date: May 14, 2023

Prayer of the Day:
O God, the giver of all that is good, by Your holy inspiration grant that we may think
those things that are right and by Your merciful guiding accomplish them; through
Jesus Christ, your Son, our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit,
one God, now and forever. Amen.

Acts 17:16-34
“¹⁶ Now while Paul was waiting for them at Athens, his spirit was provoked within him as he
saw that the city was full of idols. ¹⁷ So he reasoned in the synagogue with the Jews and the
devout persons, and in the marketplace every day with those who happened to be there.
¹⁸ Some of the Epicurean and Stoic philosophers also conversed with him. And some said,
“What does this babbler wish to say?” Others said, “He seems to be a preacher of foreign
divinities” — because he was preaching Jesus and the resurrection. ¹⁹ And they took him and
brought him to the Areopagus, saying, “May we know what this new teaching is that you are
presenting? ²⁰ For you bring some strange things to our ears. We wish to know therefore what
these things mean.” ²¹ Now all the Athenians and the foreigners who lived there would spend
their time in nothing except telling or hearing something new.

²² So Paul, standing in the midst of the Areopagus, said: “Men of Athens, I perceive that in
every way you are very religious. ²³ For as I passed along and observed the objects of your
worship, I found also an altar with this inscription, ‘To the unknown god.’ What therefore you
worship as unknown, this I proclaim to you. ²⁴ The God who made the world and everything in
it, being Lord of heaven and earth, does not live in temples made by man, ²⁵ nor is he served
by human hands, as though he needed anything, since he himself gives to all mankind life and
breath and everything. ²⁶ And he made from one man every nation of mankind to live on all the
face of the earth, having determined allotted periods and the boundaries of their dwelling place,
²⁷ that they should seek God, and perhaps feel their way toward him and find him. Yet he is
actually not far from each one of us, ²⁸ for “‘In him we live and move and have our being’; as
even some of your own poets have said, “‘For we are indeed his offspring.’ ²⁹ Being then God’s
offspring, we ought not to think that the divine being is like gold or silver or stone, an image
formed by the art and imagination of man. ³⁰ The times of ignorance God overlooked, but now
he commands all people everywhere to repent, ³¹ because he has fixed a day on which he will
judge the world in righteousness by a man whom he has appointed; and of this he has given
assurance to all by raising him from the dead.” ³² Now when they heard of the resurrection of
the dead, some mocked. But others said, “We will hear you again about this.” ³³ So Paul went
out from their midst. ³⁴ But some men joined him and believed, among whom also were
Dionysius the Areopagite and a woman named Damaris and others with them.”