The Road: To Jerusalem

March 29, 2020

Along  with the rest of the world, we continue to do a few things doing differently. The service for March 29 is done in the form of a YouTube Playlist. Audio only podcasts are still available as per usual.

Link To YouTube Sunday Service Play List

Link to YouTube Sermon Only

Link To Sermon Audio

Scriptures

Matthew 16:21-26

            From that time on Jesus began to explain to his disciples that he must go to Jerusalem and suffer many things at the hands of the elders, chief priests and teachers of the law, and that he must be killed and on the third day be raised to life.

            Peter took him aside and began to rebuke him. “Never, Lord!” he said. “This shall never happen to you!”

            Jesus turned and said to Peter, “Get behind me, Satan! You are a stumbling block to me; you do not have in mind the things of God, but the things of men.”

Then Jesus said to his disciples, “If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross and follow me. For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for me will find it. What good will it be for a man if he gains the whole world, yet forfeits his soul? Or what can a man give in exchange for his soul?

Matthew 6:25-27
            Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more important than food, and the body more important than clothes? Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they?  Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to his life?”

Romans 8:28–30

And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose. For those God foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the likeness of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brothers.  And those he predestined, he also called; those he called, he also justified; those he justified, he also glorified.

2 Corinthians 4:16–18

Therefore we do not lose heart. Though outwardly we are wasting away, yet inwardly we are being renewed day by day. For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all. So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen. For what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal.

The Road: To Home

March 22, 2020

For a while, we will be doing things differently. I'll be recording the sermon at home, and posting it and other elements on YouTube.  Audio podcasts will also be available as per usual.

Link To YouTube Sunday Service

Link to YouTube Sermon Only

Link To Sermon Audio
 
Scripture:

Luke 15:11–32

            Jesus continued: “There was a man who had two sons. The younger one said to his father, ‘Father, give me my share of the estate.’ So he divided his property between them.

“Not long after that, the younger son got together all he had, set off for a distant country and there squandered his wealth in wild living. After he had spent everything, there was a severe famine in that whole country, and he began to be in need. So he went and hired himself out to a citizen of that country, who sent him to his fields to feed pigs. He longed to fill his stomach with the pods that the pigs were eating, but no one gave him anything.

“When he came to his senses, he said, ‘How many of my father’s hired men have food to spare, and here I am starving to death! I will set out and go back to my father and say to him: Father, I have sinned against heaven and against you. I am no longer worthy to be called your son; make me like one of your hired men.’ So he got up and went to his father.

“But while he was still a long way off, his father saw him and was filled with compassion for him; he ran to his son, threw his arms around him and kissed him.

“The son said to him, ‘Father, I have sinned against heaven and against you. I am no longer worthy to be called your son.’

“But the father said to his servants, ‘Quick! Bring the best robe and put it on him. Put a ring on his finger and sandals on his feet. Bring the fattened calf and kill it. Let’s have a feast and celebrate. For this son of mine was dead and is alive again; he was lost and is found.’ So they began to celebrate.

“Meanwhile, the older son was in the field. When he came near the house, he heard music and dancing. So he called one of the servants and asked him what was going on. ‘Your brother has come,’ he replied, ‘and your father has killed the fattened calf because he has him back safe and sound.’

“The older brother became angry and refused to go in. So his father went out and pleaded with him. But he answered his father, ‘Look! All these years I’ve been slaving for you and never disobeyed your orders. Yet you never gave me even a young goat so I could celebrate with my friends. But when this son of yours who has squandered your property with prostitutes comes home, you kill the fattened calf for him!’

“ ‘My son,’ the father said, ‘you are always with me, and everything I have is yours. But we had to celebrate and be glad, because this brother of yours was dead and is alive again; he was lost and is found.’ ”

Philippians 2:8

And being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to death-- even death on a cross!

Matthew 26:39

“My Father, if it is possible, may this cup be taken from me. Yet not as I will, but as you will.”

Luke 15:10

I tell you, there is rejoicing in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner who repents.”

The Road: To The Wilderness

March 15, 2020

Link To Sermon Audio
 
Scripture:
 

Psalm 91

            He who dwells in the shelter of the Most High

will rest in the shadow of the Almighty.

            I will say of the Lord, “He is my refuge and my fortress,

my God, in whom I trust.”

            Surely he will save you from the fowler’s snare

and from the deadly pestilence.

            He will cover you with his feathers,

and under his wings you will find refuge;

his faithfulness will be your shield and rampart.

            You will not fear the terror of night,

nor the arrow that flies by day,

            nor the pestilence that stalks in the darkness,

nor the plague that destroys at midday.

            A thousand may fall at your side,

ten thousand at your right hand,

but it will not come near you.

            You will only observe with your eyes

and see the punishment of the wicked.

            If you make the Most High your dwelling—

even the Lord, who is my refuge—

            then no harm will befall you,

no disaster will come near your tent.

            For he will command his angels concerning you

to guard you in all your ways;

            they will lift you up in their hands,

so that you will not strike your foot against a stone.

            You will tread upon the lion and the cobra;

you will trample the great lion and the serpent.

            “Because he loves me,” says the Lord, “I will rescue him;

I will protect him, for he acknowledges my name.

            He will call upon me, and I will answer him;

I will be with him in trouble,

I will deliver him and honor him.

            With long life will I satisfy him

and show him my salvation.”

Matthew 4:1-11

Then Jesus was led by the Spirit into the desert to be tempted by the devil. 2 After fasting forty days and forty nights, he was hungry. 3 The tempter came to him and said, “If you are the Son of God, tell these stones to become bread.”

Jesus answered, “It is written: ‘Man does not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God.’”

Then the devil took him to the holy city and had him stand on the highest point of the temple. “If you are the Son of God,” he said, “throw yourself down. For it is written:

“ ‘He will command his angels concerning you,

and they will lift you up in their hands,

so that you will not strike your foot against a stone.’”

“Jesus answered him, “It is also written: ‘Do not put the Lord your God to the test.’”

Again, the devil took him to a very high mountain and showed him all the kingdoms of the world and their splendor. “All this I will give you,” he said, “if you will bow down and worship me.”

            Jesus said to him, “Away from me, Satan! For it is written: ‘Worship the Lord your God, and serve him only.’”

Then the devil left him, and angels came and attended him.

The Road: To Jericho

March 8, 2020

Link To Sermon Audio
 
Scripture:

Luke 10:25-37

            On one occasion an expert in the law stood up to test Jesus. “Teacher,” he asked, “what must I do to inherit eternal life?”

            “What is written in the Law?” he replied. “How do you read it?”

            He answered: “‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind’; and, ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’”

             “You have answered correctly,” Jesus replied. “Do this and you will live.”

            But he wanted to justify himself, so he asked Jesus, “And who is my neighbor?”

            In reply Jesus said: “A man was going down from Jerusalem to Jericho, when he fell into the hands of robbers. They stripped him of his clothes, beat him and went away, leaving him half dead. A priest happened to be going down the same road, and when he saw the man, he passed by on the other side. So too, a Levite, when he came to the place and saw him, passed by on the other side. But a Samaritan, as he traveled, came where the man was; and when he saw him, he took pity on him. He went to him and bandaged his wounds, pouring on oil and wine. Then he put the man on his own donkey, took him to an inn and took care of him. The next day he took out two silver coins and gave them to the innkeeper. ‘Look after him,’ he said, ‘and when I return, I will reimburse you for any extra expense you may have.’

            “Which of these three do you think was a neighbor to the man who fell into the hands of robbers?”

            The expert in the law replied, “The one who had mercy on him.”

            Jesus told him, “Go and do likewise.”

Deuteronomy 6:4,5

Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one. Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength.

Leviticus 19:18

Do not seek revenge or bear a grudge against one of your people, but love your neighbor as yourself. I am the Lord.

Matthew 25:40-45

            “The King will reply, ‘I tell you the truth, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did for me.’

 “Then he will say to those on his left, ‘Depart from me, you who are cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels.  For I was hungry and you gave me nothing to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me nothing to drink, I was a stranger and you did not invite me in, I needed clothes and you did not clothe me, I was sick and in prison and you did not look after me.’

            “They also will answer, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or needing clothes or sick or in prison, and did not help you?’

“He will reply, ‘I tell you the truth, whatever you did not do for one of the least of these, you did not do for me.’

Ephesians 2:1,2

As for you, you were dead in your transgressions and sins, in which you used to live when you followed the ways of this world and of the ruler of the kingdom of the air, the spirit who is now at work in those who are disobedient.