On the last day of my first trip to Israel in 1998, the group had gathered in the ruins of the Church on the Road to Emmaus. Only as God could have designed it, I was asked to read Luke 24:13-35, where Jesus finally revealed Himself to the two men with whom he had been talking for hours. These men, two of Jesus’ disciples, were depressed and discouraged at what they had seen happen to Jesus, the man they had hoped would lead a revolution against the Romans and return Israel to its former glory. However, they had seen Him beaten, crucified, and buried in a tomb, and they were on their journey back home, sad, dejected, and without hope.
But then, in Luke 24:25-27, Jesus said to them, “O foolish ones, and slow of heart to believe in all that the prophets have spoken! Ought not the Christ to have suffered these things and to enter into His glory?” And beginning at Moses and all the Prophets, He expounded to them in all the Scriptures the things concerning Himself.”
For some reason, that last verse seemed to jump off the page, and when I returned home, I began to trace the steps of Jesus – the Lamb of God – from Genesis to Revelation, and for the next few years, I preached over 150 sermons entitled, “Follow the Lamb!” We will introduce this updated sermon series on Sunday night, August 20, at 6:00 PM. This first sermon title is “God Reveals Himself to Man.”

Salvation is by grace alone through our faith alone and in Christ alone. But when God saves us, He imparts to us a measure of His grace, as well as the power of the Holy Spirit, and He begins to change us from the inside out. In the third chapter of John’s gospel, the Apostle said the change was so transformative, so-life changing, it is as though we were “born again.” And, while it may take a lifetime for His work in us is accomplished, there will be some immediate changes in the way we live.
We will explain this further in our sermon as we look at “The Essential Evidences of Saving Faith.”

The Bible is primarily a history book of the Jewish people from Abraham to the Millennial Kingdom.
• The scriptures that document the events of the past are called “history,” and the scriptures that describe the events of the future are called “prophecy.”

There is a very dangerous teaching in the evangelical church today that says a person can be “born again,” and still continue to practice sin and still have the hope of heaven. They are saying a sinner may accept Jesus Christ as their Savior but never acknowledge Jesus as their lord.
This is false doctrine! First, it is impossible to be reborn by the Holy Spirit and not see immediate and lasting change in a person’s life, and to truly receive Jesus as our Savior IS to submit unto Him as our Lord. While God’s grace does allow us time to come to that conclusion, eventually every believer must confess Jesus as LORD!
We will explain this further in our sermon on Sunday, August 13 as we look at part two of: “Certain and Sure: The Essential Elements of a Confession of Faith.”

Is God Through with the Jews? Absolutely not!

In spite of what even some misguided evangelicals would have us believe, and even though the seed of Abraham is certainly not living in obedience to God’s desires, according to the Word of God, (Romans 9-11) He has not revoked His promise, and He never will. In fact, as goes the nation of Israel, so goes the world. Israel is God’s time clock for the future, and what happens to Israel affects God’s prophecy for all other nations.

Tonight at 6:00 PM, I will start a new series of sermons on Israel and God’s Purposes. In tonight’s study, we will lay the foundation of what it means, and what it doesn’t mean that the Jews are God’s chosen people.

Generally speaking, the term “Lord” is used to identify those with authority, control, or power over others. A servant recognizes their position of submission by referring to those they serve as “my Lord!” In Jesus’ day, when the leper called Jesus, “Lord” he was showing Him respect as a healer and a teacher.
However, after Jesus’ resurrection, the title “Lord” became much more than a title of honor or respect. Saying, “Jesus is Lord,” became a way of declaring Jesus’ deity, i.e., the “Lordship of Christ.” It began with Thomas’ exclamation when Jesus appeared to the disciples after His resurrection: “Thomas said to him, ‘My Lord and my God!’” (John 20:28).
From then on, the apostles’ message was that Jesus is Lord, meaning “Jesus is God.” Peter’s sermon on the Day of Pentecost contained that theme: “Let all Israel be assured of this: God has made this Jesus, whom you crucified, both Lord and Messiah” (Acts 2:36). In Romans 10:9-10, the Apostle Paul linked one’s eternal salvation with their public confession of faith in Jesus Christ as Lord!
We will explain this further in our Sunday, July 30th sermon, “Certain and Sure: The Essential Elements of a Confession of Faith.”

While the question is not original to me, it really sets the stage for our next sermon on the Assurance of our Eternal salvation. The question is: If you were arrested for being a Christian, would there be enough evidence to convict you?
· Would your family members, friends and co-workers testify to your claim to be a Christian?
· Would your bank statements reflect your financial support of the Church?
· Would your calendar of activities show your devotion to the Lord and your desire to get the whole gospel to the whole world?
· Would your choice of television programs, movies, magazines, and music reflect your commitment to love the Lord with all of your heart, soul, mind, and might?
We will explain this further in our Sunday, July 30th sermon, “Certain and Sure: The Outward Evidence of Our Eternal Assurance,” based on 1st John 5:1-21

Many Christians could add the prefix “doubting” to their names, like “Doubting Thomas,” for they are plagued with doubts about their eternal salvation. Instead of being shouting Christians, they are doubting Christians, and Satan has silenced their witness for Christ.

Someone said, if you could have salvation and not know it, you could lose your salvation and not miss it. Beloved, I assure you of this: If you have salvation, you know it, and if you have salvation and know it, you can never lose it. So, if you are saved and you know it, say “Amen!”

We will explain this further in our Sunday, July 23 sermon, “Certain and Sure: The Theological Basis for Our Eternal Assurance.”

Recent polls suggest that nearly 80% of all Americans believe there is a place called heaven, and most people expect to go there when they die. However, when asked, “Do you think you will go to heaven when you die?” the majority of people said, “I hope so,” or “I think so,” or perhaps “I think I’ve got a good chance.”
There is a 100% chance that we all have loved ones who have died and their souls have gone to heaven, and there is a 100% chance we all have wondered about what their life is like in heaven. While poets, songwriters, and pastors have tried to comfort us with their descriptions of heaven in earthly terms, the only thing we can know for certain about heaven are the things revealed in the Bible. Everything else is just speculation and hearsay.
We will explain this further in our sermon, Our Immediate State After Death – “What Life is like in Heaven.”

The religion of “Wokeism” is an evil ideology incompatible with a Biblical or Christian worldview and, therefore, Western Values. The goal of this movement is the complete dismantling and rebuilding of western culture from the ground up. Or, to put it in the words of the former President who inaugurated it, “The Fundamental Transformation of America.”

The cultural war we are in today is Satan’s final effort to destroy the last hindrance to the establishing the New World Order, which is the biblical family. The contest is between the truth of God’s Word and the lies of Wokeism. While the main issue is the redefinition of the family, the immediate goal is to require everyone to embrace the sin of every form of homosexuality.

We will explain this further in our Sunday, July 9 sermon, The Battle for the Soul of America: “The Truth of God’s Word Vs. the Lies of Wokeism.”