Sermon Text: John 13:1-38

John 13:1 Now before the Feast of the Passover, Jesus knowing that His hour had come that He would depart out of this world to the Father, having loved His own who were in the world, He loved them to the end.
John 13:2 During supper, the devil having already put into the heart of Judas Iscariot, the son of Simon, to betray Him,
John 13:3 Jesus, knowing that the Father had given all things into His hands, and that He had come forth from God and was going back to God,
John 13:4 *got up from supper, and *laid aside His garments; and taking a towel, He girded Himself.
John 13:5 Then He *poured water into the basin, and began to wash the disciples’ feet and to wipe them with the towel with which He was girded.
John 13:6 So He *came to Simon Peter. He *said to Him, “Lord, do You wash my feet?”
John 13:7 Jesus answered and said to him, “What I do you do not realize now, but you will understand hereafter.”
John 13:8 Peter *said to Him, “Never shall You wash my feet!” Jesus answered him, “If I do not wash you, you have no part with Me.”
John 13:9 Simon Peter *said to Him, “Lord, then wash not only my feet, but also my hands and my head.”
John 13:10 Jesus *said to him, “He who has bathed needs only to wash his feet, but is completely clean; and you are clean, but not all of you.”
John 13:11 For He knew the one who was betraying Him; for this reason He said, “Not all of you are clean.”
John 13:12 So when He had washed their feet, and taken His garments and reclined at the table again, He said to them, “Do you know what I have done to you?
John 13:13 “You call Me Teacher and Lord; and you are right, for so I am.
John 13:14 “If I then, the Lord and the Teacher, washed your feet, you also ought to wash one another’s feet.
John 13:15 “For I gave you an example that you also should do as I did to you.
John 13:16 “Truly, truly, I say to you, a slave is not greater than his master, nor is one who is sent greater than the one who sent him.
John 13:17 “If you know these things, you are blessed if you do them.
John 13:18 “I do not speak of all of you. I know the ones I have chosen; but it is that the Scripture may be fulfilled, ‘HE WHO EATS MY BREAD HAS LIFTED UP HIS HEEL AGAINST ME.’
John 13:19 “From now on I am telling you before it comes to pass, so that when it does occur, you may believe that I am He.
John 13:20 “Truly, truly, I say to you, he who receives whomever I send receives Me; and he who receives Me receives Him who sent Me.”
John 13:21 When Jesus had said this, He became troubled in spirit, and testified and said, “Truly, truly, I say to you, that one of you will betray Me.”
John 13:22 The disciples began looking at one another, at a loss to know of which one He was speaking.
John 13:23 There was reclining on Jesus’ bosom one of His disciples, whom Jesus loved.
John 13:24 So Simon Peter *gestured to him, and *said to him, “Tell us who it is of whom He is speaking.”
John 13:25 He, leaning back thus on Jesus’ bosom, *said to Him, “Lord, who is it?”
John 13:26 Jesus then *answered, “That is the one for whom I shall dip the morsel and give it to him.” So when He had dipped the morsel, He *took and *gave it to Judas, the son of Simon Iscariot.
John 13:27 After the morsel, Satan then entered into him. Therefore Jesus *said to him, “What you do, do quickly.”
John 13:28 Now no one of those reclining at the table knew for what purpose He had said this to him.
John 13:29 For some were supposing, because Judas had the money box, that Jesus was saying to him, “Buy the things we have need of for the feast”; or else, that he should give something to the poor.
John 13:30 So after receiving the morsel he went out immediately; and it was night.
John 13:31 Therefore when he had gone out, Jesus *said, “Now is the Son of Man glorified, and God is glorified in Him;
John 13:32 if God is glorified in Him, God will also glorify Him in Himself, and will glorify Him immediately.
John 13:33 “Little children, I am with you a little while longer. You will seek Me; and as I said to the Jews, now I also say to you, ‘Where I am going, you cannot come.’
John 13:34 “A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another, even as I have loved you, that you also love one another.
John 13:35 “By this all men will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another.”
John 13:36 Simon Peter *said to Him, “Lord, where are You going?” Jesus answered, “Where I go, you cannot follow Me now; but you will follow later.”
John 13:37 Peter *said to Him, “Lord, why can I not follow You right now? I will lay down my life for You.”
John 13:38 Jesus *answered, “Will you lay down your life for Me? Truly, truly, I say to you, a rooster will not crow until you deny Me three times.

What I am watching

Not that anyone is that interested, but I thought I would make the list for my own amusement....

Ice Road Truckers

Wrecked

Speed Channel => F1 Racing, Le Mans, NASCAR, Rolex, etc.... I am into Auto Racing

Retro TV

All Time Favorite Show, the Default when nothing is on..

5 years and counting

This is my annual address to the congregation about the state of the church. This sermon will reference Acts 5:12-42, which has something significant for us to remember. Please join us, but kow it is going to be a little different than typical Sunday Mornings.

Retro TV

I recently discovered this on our TV programing.

RTV - Retro Television Network

I find it comforting to watch shows from the past. My son is enjoying some of those old shows as well, like the A-Team & Magnum PI.

Still love that Ferrari 308!

Have you heard of this?

This really surprised me, a minister has a bible study and needs a permit. Wow! Here is the article

Sermon Text: John 15:18-27

John 15:18 “If the world hates you, you know that it has hated Me before it hated you.
John 15:19 “If you were of the world, the world would love its own; but because you are not of the world, but I chose you out of the world, because of this the world hates you.
John 15:20 “Remember the word that I said to you, ‘A slave is not greater than his master.’ If they persecuted Me, they will also persecute you; if they kept My word, they will keep yours also.
John 15:21 “But all these things they will do to you for My name’s sake, because they do not know the One who sent Me.
John 15:22 “If I had not come and spoken to them, they would not have sin, but now they have no excuse for their sin.
John 15:23 “He who hates Me hates My Father also.
John 15:24 “If I had not done among them the works which no one else did, they would not have sin; but now they have both seen and hated Me and My Father as well.
John 15:25 “But they have done this to fulfill the word that is written in their Law, ‘THEY HATED ME WITHOUT A CAUSE.’
John 15:26 “When the Helper comes, whom I will send to you from the Father, that is the Spirit of truth who proceeds from the Father, He will testify about Me,
John 15:27 and you will testify also, because you have been with Me from the beginning.

Dr. Ralph D. Winter

When I was in College, I took a course on Global Missions. My prof, not an expert in the field by any means used a course from the U.S. Center for Global Missions. It was written by it's leader, Dr. Ralph D. Winter, and it was very formative in my Christian Walk.

After graduating, I studied for several weeks in Pasadena, CA at the HQ for the U.S. Center for Global Missions. I was there to prepare for teaching English in China. Ralph Winter was of course there and I had a chance to meet him. It was a honor for me, and I was thankful to meet the person who influenced me in my thoughts on Global Ministry.

Ralph Winter went to go home with the Lord on Wednesday. I think we lost a very valuable resource when it comes to global missions. A very influential man, I am sad to hear of his passing.

Honesty is Dead

Not sure how many folks heard about this story. It is from New Zealand, some folks got some $$$ deposited into their account that was an error, a multimillion dollar error.

Instead of pointing it out and returning it. They fled the country. Nice.

Sermon Text: John 15:1-17

John 15:1 “I am the true vine, and My Father is the vinedresser.
John 15:2 “Every branch in Me that does not bear fruit, He takes away; and every branch that bears fruit, He prunes it so that it may bear more fruit.
John 15:3 “You are already clean because of the word which I have spoken to you.
John 15:4 “Abide in Me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself unless it abides in the vine, so neither can you unless you abide in Me.
John 15:5 “I am the vine, you are the branches; he who abides in Me and I in him, he bears much fruit, for apart from Me you can do nothing.
John 15:6 “If anyone does not abide in Me, he is thrown away as a branch and dries up; and they gather them, and cast them into the fire and they are burned.
John 15:7 “If you abide in Me, and My words abide in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you.
John 15:8 “My Father is glorified by this, that you bear much fruit, and so prove to be My disciples.
John 15:9 “Just as the Father has loved Me, I have also loved you; abide in My love.
John 15:10 “If you keep My commandments, you will abide in My love; just as I have kept My Father’s commandments and abide in His love.
John 15:11 “These things I have spoken to you so that My joy may be in you, and that your joy may be made full.
John 15:12 “This is My commandment, that you love one another, just as I have loved you.
John 15:13 “Greater love has no one than this, that one lay down his life for his friends.
John 15:14 “You are My friends if you do what I command you.
John 15:15 “No longer do I call you slaves, for the slave does not know what his master is doing; but I have called you friends, for all things that I have heard from My Father I have made known to you.
John 15:16 “You did not choose Me but I chose you, and appointed you that you would go and bear fruit, and that your fruit would remain, so that whatever you ask of the Father in My name He may give to you.
John 15:17 “This I command you, that you love one another.

Sermon Text: John 14:1-31

John 14:1 “Do not let your heart be troubled; believe in God, believe also in Me.
John 14:2 “In My Father’s house are many dwelling places; if it were not so, I would have told you; for I go to prepare a place for you.
John 14:3 “If I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive you to Myself, that where I am, there you may be also.
John 14:4 “And you know the way where I am going.”
John 14:5 Thomas *said to Him, “Lord, we do not know where You are going, how do we know the way?”
John 14:6 Jesus *said to him, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life; no one comes to the Father but through Me.
John 14:7 “If you had known Me, you would have known My Father also; from now on you know Him, and have seen Him.”
John 14:8 Philip *said to Him, “Lord, show us the Father, and it is enough for us.”
John 14:9 Jesus *said to him, “Have I been so long with you, and yet you have not come to know Me, Philip? He who has seen Me has seen the Father; how can you say, ‘Show us the Father’?
John 14:10 “Do you not believe that I am in the Father, and the Father is in Me? The words that I say to you I do not speak on My own initiative, but the Father abiding in Me does His works.
John 14:11 “Believe Me that I am in the Father and the Father is in Me; otherwise believe because of the works themselves.
John 14:12 “Truly, truly, I say to you, he who believes in Me, the works that I do, he will do also; and greater works than these he will do; because I go to the Father.
John 14:13 “Whatever you ask in My name, that will I do, so that the Father may be glorified in the Son.
John 14:14 “If you ask Me anything in My name, I will do it.
John 14:15 “If you love Me, you will keep My commandments.
John 14:16 “I will ask the Father, and He will give you another Helper, that He may be with you forever;
John 14:17 that is the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it does not see Him or know Him, but you know Him because He abides with you and will be in you.
John 14:18 “I will not leave you as orphans; I will come to you.
John 14:19 “After a little while the world will no longer see Me, but you will see Me; because I live, you will live also.
John 14:20 “In that day you will know that I am in My Father, and you in Me, and I in you.
John 14:21 “He who has My commandments and keeps them is the one who loves Me; and he who loves Me will be loved by My Father, and I will love him and will disclose Myself to him.”
John 14:22 Judas (not Iscariot) *said to Him, “Lord, what then has happened that You are going to disclose Yourself to us and not to the world?”
John 14:23 Jesus answered and said to him, “If anyone loves Me, he will keep My word; and My Father will love him, and We will come to him and make Our abode with him.
John 14:24 “He who does not love Me does not keep My words; and the word which you hear is not Mine, but the Father’s who sent Me.
John 14:25 “These things I have spoken to you while abiding with you.
John 14:26 “But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in My name, He will teach you all things, and bring to your remembrance all that I said to you.
John 14:27 “Peace I leave with you; My peace I give to you; not as the world gives do I give to you. Do not let your heart be troubled, nor let it be fearful.
John 14:28 “You heard that I said to you, ‘I go away, and I will come to you.’ If you loved Me, you would have rejoiced because I go to the Father, for the Father is greater than I.
John 14:29 “Now I have told you before it happens, so that when it happens, you may believe.
John 14:30 “I will not speak much more with you, for the ruler of the world is coming, and he has nothing in Me;
John 14:31 but so that the world may know that I love the Father, I do exactly as the Father commanded Me. Get up, let us go from here.

Sermon text: John 11:1-44

John 11:1 Now a certain man was sick, Lazarus of Bethany, the village of Mary and her sister Martha.
John 11:2 It was the Mary who anointed the Lord with ointment, and wiped His feet with her hair, whose brother Lazarus was sick.
John 11:3 So the sisters sent word to Him, saying, “Lord, behold, he whom You love is sick.”
John 11:4 But when Jesus heard this, He said, “This sickness is not to end in death, but for the glory of God, so that the Son of God may be glorified by it.”
John 11:5 Now Jesus loved Martha and her sister and Lazarus.
John 11:6 So when He heard that he was sick, He then stayed two days longer in the place where He was.
John 11:7 Then after this He *said to the disciples, “Let us go to Judea again.”
John 11:8 The disciples *said to Him, “Rabbi, the Jews were just now seeking to stone You, and are You going there again?”
John 11:9 Jesus answered, “Are there not twelve hours in the day? If anyone walks in the day, he does not stumble, because he sees the light of this world.
John 11:10 “But if anyone walks in the night, he stumbles, because the light is not in him.”
John 11:11 This He said, and after that He *said to them, “Our friend Lazarus has fallen asleep; but I go, so that I may awaken him out of sleep.”
John 11:12 The disciples then said to Him, “Lord, if he has fallen asleep, he will recover.”
John 11:13 Now Jesus had spoken of his death, but they thought that He was speaking of literal sleep.
John 11:14 So Jesus then said to them plainly, “Lazarus is dead,
John 11:15 and I am glad for your sakes that I was not there, so that you may believe; but let us go to him.”
John 11:16 Therefore Thomas, who is called Didymus, said to his fellow disciples, “Let us also go, so that we may die with Him.”
John 11:17 So when Jesus came, He found that he had already been in the tomb four days.
John 11:18 Now Bethany was near Jerusalem, about two miles off;
John 11:19 and many of the Jews had come to Martha and Mary, to console them concerning their brother.
John 11:20 Martha therefore, when she heard that Jesus was coming, went to meet Him, but Mary stayed at the house.
John 11:21 Martha then said to Jesus, “Lord, if You had been here, my brother would not have died.
John 11:22 “Even now I know that whatever You ask of God, God will give You.”
John 11:23 Jesus *said to her, “Your brother will rise again.”
John 11:24 Martha *said to Him, “I know that he will rise again in the resurrection on the last day.”
John 11:25 Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life; he who believes in Me will live even if he dies,
John 11:26 and everyone who lives and believes in Me will never die. Do you believe this?”
John 11:27 She *said to Him, “Yes, Lord; I have believed that You are the Christ, the Son of God, even He who comes into the world.”
John 11:28 When she had said this, she went away and called Mary her sister, saying secretly, “The Teacher is here and is calling for you.”
John 11:29 And when she heard it, she *got up quickly and was coming to Him.
John 11:30 Now Jesus had not yet come into the village, but was still in the place where Martha met Him.
John 11:31 Then the Jews who were with her in the house, and consoling her, when they saw that Mary got up quickly and went out, they followed her, supposing that she was going to the tomb to weep there.
John 11:32 Therefore, when Mary came where Jesus was, she saw Him, and fell at His feet, saying to Him, “Lord, if You had been here, my brother would not have died.”
John 11:33 When Jesus therefore saw her weeping, and the Jews who came with her also weeping, He was deeply moved in spirit and was troubled,
John 11:34 and said, “Where have you laid him?” They *said to Him, “Lord, come and see.”
John 11:35 Jesus wept.
John 11:36 So the Jews were saying, “See how He loved him!”
John 11:37 But some of them said, “Could not this man, who opened the eyes of the blind man, have kept this man also from dying?”
John 11:38 So Jesus, again being deeply moved within, *came to the tomb. Now it was a cave, and a stone was lying against it.
John 11:39 Jesus *said, “Remove the stone.” Martha, the sister of the deceased, *said to Him, “Lord, by this time there will be a stench, for he has been dead four days.”
John 11:40 Jesus *said to her, “Did I not say to you that if you believe, you will see the glory of God?”
John 11:41 So they removed the stone. Then Jesus raised His eyes, and said, “Father, I thank You that You have heard Me.
John 11:42 “I knew that You always hear Me; but because of the people standing around I said it, so that they may believe that You sent Me.”
John 11:43 When He had said these things, He cried out with a loud voice, “Lazarus, come forth.”
John 11:44 The man who had died came forth, bound hand and foot with wrappings, and his face was wrapped around with a cloth. Jesus *said to them, “Unbind him, and let him go.”

Means of Grace helpful....who would have thought!

On an inspirational note, I read this article on the CBC website.

Don't know the hymn, but glad it was helpful.

I often encourage Christians to pray and come to worship, because it is spiritually nurturing. I think that is what we are seeing in this man's testimony. Glad he is okay.

A new addition to the PCA?

Came across this article today on Christianity today. I have never heard of Tullian Tchividjian until this article, but I found him interesting and may pick up his latest book.



What do you think?

Getting caught up

Not everyone would know this, but since the Conference in Chicago, it has been a torrential down pour of business that is coming to and end, I think.

After getting back from the Windy City, which was only 2 weeks ago, we travel to the West Coast for Spring Break, only to return a few days later as a church member became ill and later died.

The death was not unexpected, but was very sad for the church, and the uncertainty of the situation was difficult. Her funeral was yesterday.

There are seasons that are challenging, and they can be gospel opportunities. I think this has been one of them.

Spent the week in Chicago

This past week I was in Chicago for a Conference. I have not been to one in years, and I indeed waited for the right one. It was incredible. So glad I went, it reignited my passion for biblical teaching and expository preaching.

If you missed it, some of the talks are on line. Check out the website for more information.

Guest Speaker: Per Almquist

This Sunday we have the privilege to hear Per Almquist preach the Word of God. Per is working in Maine and is church planting in Lewiston, ME.

Please plan to join us this Sunday as we worship together and hear about their ministry.

Sunday, April 19

Since we did not have a typical service on Sunday. So we will try again this coming Sunday. The sermon text and sermon are what was planned for Resurrection Sunday. Hope you join us.

Locked out on Easter Sunday

Today was an interesting day. As the title suggests. And to be clear, it was NOT the intent of our hosts, the SDA Church to lock us out. It was a honest mistake.

We arrived Easter Morning to discover our keys did not work. After several phone calls, it was evident we were not getting access to the building. The parking lot was full of church attenders, ready for worship. It was windy and cold, so doing an open air service was not an option. What to do?

After some discussion, we moved to our house (which was not prepared for this many visitors, note to self, make sure the house is clean before going to church!) It was cramped, as you can see from the picts, but it worked. We had a shorten service, and people stayed after to linger and chat. Lots of smiles, and no one seemed to mind.

What started off as bad circumstance, turned into a delightful adventure. This will be a Resurrection Sunday I will not soon forget.

Sermon Text: John 20:1-29

John 20:1 Now on the first day of the week Mary Magdalene *came early to the tomb, while it *was still dark, and *saw the stone already taken away from the tomb.
John 20:2 So she *ran and *came to Simon Peter and to the other disciple whom Jesus loved, and *said to them, “They have taken away the Lord out of the tomb, and we do not know where they have laid Him.”
John 20:3 So Peter and the other disciple went forth, and they were going to the tomb.
John 20:4 The two were running together; and the other disciple ran ahead faster than Peter and came to the tomb first;
John 20:5 and stooping and looking in, he *saw the linen wrappings lying there; but he did not go in.
John 20:6 And so Simon Peter also *came, following him, and entered the tomb; and he *saw the linen wrappings lying there,
John 20:7 and the face-cloth which had been on His head, not lying with the linen wrappings, but rolled up in a place by itself.
John 20:8 So the other disciple who had first come to the tomb then also entered, and he saw and believed.
John 20:9 For as yet they did not understand the Scripture, that He must rise again from the dead.
John 20:10 So the disciples went away again to their own homes.
John 20:11 But Mary was standing outside the tomb weeping; and so, as she wept, she stooped and looked into the tomb;
John 20:12 and she *saw two angels in white sitting, one at the head and one at the feet, where the body of Jesus had been lying.
John 20:13 And they *said to her, “Woman, why are you weeping?” She *said to them, “Because they have taken away my Lord, and I do not know where they have laid Him.”
John 20:14 When she had said this, she turned around and *saw Jesus standing there, and did not know that it was Jesus.
John 20:15 Jesus *said to her, “Woman, why are you weeping? Whom are you seeking?” Supposing Him to be the gardener, she *said to Him, “Sir, if you have carried Him away, tell me where you have laid Him, and I will take Him away.”
John 20:16 Jesus *said to her, “Mary!” She turned and *said to Him in Hebrew, “Rabboni!” (which means, Teacher).
John 20:17 Jesus *said to her, “Stop clinging to Me, for I have not yet ascended to the Father; but go to My brethren and say to them, ‘I ascend to My Father and your Father, and My God and your God.’”
John 20:18 Mary Magdalene *came, announcing to the disciples, “I have seen the Lord,” and that He had said these things to her.
John 20:19 So when it was evening on that day, the first day of the week, and when the doors were shut where the disciples were, for fear of the Jews, Jesus came and stood in their midst and *said to them, “Peace be with you.”
John 20:20 And when He had said this, He showed them both His hands and His side. The disciples then rejoiced when they saw the Lord.
John 20:21 So Jesus said to them again, “Peace be with you; as the Father has sent Me, I also send you.”
John 20:22 And when He had said this, He breathed on them and *said to them, “Receive the Holy Spirit.
John 20:23 “If you forgive the sins of any, their sins have been forgiven them; if you retain the sins of any, they have been retained.”
John 20:24 But Thomas, one of the twelve, called Didymus, was not with them when Jesus came.
John 20:25 So the other disciples were saying to him, “We have seen the Lord!” But he said to them, “Unless I see in His hands the imprint of the nails, and put my finger into the place of the nails, and put my hand into His side, I will not believe.”
John 20:26 After eight days His disciples were again inside, and Thomas with them. Jesus *came, the doors having been shut, and stood in their midst and said, “Peace be with you.”
John 20:27 Then He *said to Thomas, “Reach here with your finger, and see My hands; and reach here your hand and put it into My side; and do not be unbelieving, but believing.”
John 20:28 Thomas answered and said to Him, “My Lord and my God!”
John 20:29 Jesus *said to him, “Because you have seen Me, have you believed? Blessed are they who did not see, and yet believed.”

Good Friday Service

This year we will be doing a joint service at First Congregational Church of Merrimack. The Service is at 7:00 pm with the Celebration of the Lord's Supper. The Sermon Text is John 19:28-30.

Hope to see you there.

Sermon Text: John 12:12-50

John 12:12 On the next day the large crowd who had come to the feast, when they heard that Jesus was coming to Jerusalem,
John 12:13 took the branches of the palm trees and went out to meet Him, and began to shout, “Hosanna! BLESSED IS HE WHO COMES IN THE NAME OF THE LORD, even the King of Israel.”
John 12:14 Jesus, finding a young donkey, sat on it; as it is written,
John 12:15 “FEAR NOT, DAUGHTER OF ZION; BEHOLD, YOUR KING IS COMING, SEATED ON A DONKEY’S COLT.”
John 12:16 These things His disciples did not understand at the first; but when Jesus was glorified, then they remembered that these things were written of Him, and that they had done these things to Him.
John 12:17 So the people, who were with Him when He called Lazarus out of the tomb and raised him from the dead, continued to testify about Him.
John 12:18 For this reason also the people went and met Him, because they heard that He had performed this sign.
John 12:19 So the Pharisees said to one another, “You see that you are not doing any good; look, the world has gone after Him.”
John 12:20 Now there were some Greeks among those who were going up to worship at the feast;
John 12:21 these then came to Philip, who was from Bethsaida of Galilee, and began to ask him, saying, “Sir, we wish to see Jesus.”
John 12:22 Philip *came and *told Andrew; Andrew and Philip *came and *told Jesus.
John 12:23 And Jesus *answered them, saying, “The hour has come for the Son of Man to be glorified.
John 12:24 “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless a grain of wheat falls into the earth and dies, it remains alone; but if it dies, it bears much fruit.
John 12:25 “He who loves his life loses it, and he who hates his life in this world will keep it to life eternal.
John 12:26 “If anyone serves Me, he must follow Me; and where I am, there My servant will be also; if anyone serves Me, the Father will honor him.
John 12:27 “Now My soul has become troubled; and what shall I say, ‘Father, save Me from this hour’? But for this purpose I came to this hour.
John 12:28 “Father, glorify Your name.” Then a voice came out of heaven: “I have both glorified it, and will glorify it again.”
John 12:29 So the crowd of people who stood by and heard it were saying that it had thundered; others were saying, “An angel has spoken to Him.”
John 12:30 Jesus answered and said, “This voice has not come for My sake, but for your sakes.
John 12:31 “Now judgment is upon this world; now the ruler of this world will be cast out.
John 12:32 “And I, if I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all men to Myself.”
John 12:33 But He was saying this to indicate the kind of death by which He was to die.
John 12:34 The crowd then answered Him, “We have heard out of the Law that the Christ is to remain forever; and how can You say, ‘The Son of Man must be lifted up’? Who is this Son of Man?”
John 12:35 So Jesus said to them, “For a little while longer the Light is among you. Walk while you have the Light, so that darkness will not overtake you; he who walks in the darkness does not know where he goes.
John 12:36 “While you have the Light, believe in the Light, so that you may become sons of Light.”
These things Jesus spoke, and He went away and hid Himself from them.
John 12:37 But though He had performed so many signs before them, yet they were not believing in Him.
John 12:38 This was to fulfill the word of Isaiah the prophet which he spoke: “LORD, WHO HAS BELIEVED OUR REPORT? AND TO WHOM HAS THE ARM OF THE LORD BEEN REVEALED?”
John 12:39 For this reason they could not believe, for Isaiah said again,
John 12:40 “HE HAS BLINDED THEIR EYES AND HE HARDENED THEIR HEART, SO THAT THEY WOULD NOT SEE WITH THEIR EYES AND PERCEIVE WITH THEIR HEART, AND BE CONVERTED AND I HEAL THEM.”
John 12:41 These things Isaiah said because he saw His glory, and he spoke of Him.
John 12:42 Nevertheless many even of the rulers believed in Him, but because of the Pharisees they were not confessing Him, for fear that they would be put out of the synagogue;
John 12:43 for they loved the approval of men rather than the approval of God.
John 12:44 And Jesus cried out and said, “He who believes in Me, does not believe in Me but in Him who sent Me.
John 12:45 “He who sees Me sees the One who sent Me.
John 12:46 “I have come as Light into the world, so that everyone who believes in Me will not remain in darkness.
John 12:47 “If anyone hears My sayings and does not keep them, I do not judge him; for I did not come to judge the world, but to save the world.
John 12:48 “He who rejects Me and does not receive My sayings, has one who judges him; the word I spoke is what will judge him at the last day.
John 12:49 “For I did not speak on My own initiative, but the Father Himself who sent Me has given Me a commandment as to what to say and what to speak.
John 12:50 “I know that His commandment is eternal life; therefore the things I speak, I speak just as the Father has told Me.”

de-baptism...is there such a thing?

I read this today on the web. Click here.

So someone has found a money maker opportunity. For 3 pounds you can renounce your baptism and get a certificate. What a racket.

Sermon Text: John 18:28-19:16

John 18:28 Then they *led Jesus from Caiaphas into the Praetorium, and it was early; and they themselves did not enter into the Praetorium so that they would not be defiled, but might eat the Passover.
John 18:29 Therefore Pilate went out to them and *said, “What accusation do you bring against this Man?”
John 18:30 They answered and said to him, “If this Man were not an evildoer, we would not have delivered Him to you.”
John 18:31 So Pilate said to them, “Take Him yourselves, and judge Him according to your law.” The Jews said to him, “We are not permitted to put anyone to death,”
John 18:32 to fulfill the word of Jesus which He spoke, signifying by what kind of death He was about to die.
John 18:33 Therefore Pilate entered again into the Praetorium, and summoned Jesus and said to Him, “Are You the King of the Jews?”
John 18:34 Jesus answered, “Are you saying this on your own initiative, or did others tell you about Me?”
John 18:35 Pilate answered, “I am not a Jew, am I? Your own nation and the chief priests delivered You to me; what have You done?”
John 18:36 Jesus answered, “My kingdom is not of this world. If My kingdom were of this world, then My servants would be fighting so that I would not be handed over to the Jews; but as it is, My kingdom is not of this realm.”
John 18:37 Therefore Pilate said to Him, “So You are a king?” Jesus answered, “You say correctly that I am a king. For this I have been born, and for this I have come into the world, to testify to the truth. Everyone who is of the truth hears My voice.”
John 18:38 Pilate *said to Him, “What is truth?”
And when he had said this, he went out again to the Jews and *said to them, “I find no guilt in Him.
John 18:39 “But you have a custom that I release someone for you at the Passover; do you wish then that I release for you the King of the Jews?”
John 18:40 So they cried out again, saying, “Not this Man, but Barabbas.” Now Barabbas was a robber.
John 19:1 Pilate then took Jesus and scourged Him.
John 19:2 And the soldiers twisted together a crown of thorns and put it on His head, and put a purple robe on Him;
John 19:3 and they began to come up to Him and say, “Hail, King of the Jews!” and to give Him slaps in the face.
John 19:4 Pilate came out again and *said to them, “Behold, I am bringing Him out to you so that you may know that I find no guilt in Him.”
John 19:5 Jesus then came out, wearing the crown of thorns and the purple robe. Pilate *said to them, “Behold, the Man!”
John 19:6 So when the chief priests and the officers saw Him, they cried out saying, “Crucify, crucify!” Pilate *said to them, “Take Him yourselves and crucify Him, for I find no guilt in Him.”
John 19:7 The Jews answered him, “We have a law, and by that law He ought to die because He made Himself out to be the Son of God.”
John 19:8 Therefore when Pilate heard this statement, he was even more afraid;
John 19:9 and he entered into the Praetorium again and *said to Jesus, “Where are You from?” But Jesus gave him no answer.
John 19:10 So Pilate *said to Him, “You do not speak to me? Do You not know that I have authority to release You, and I have authority to crucify You?”
John 19:11 Jesus answered, “You would have no authority over Me, unless it had been given you from above; for this reason he who delivered Me to you has the greater sin.”
John 19:12 As a result of this Pilate made efforts to release Him, but the Jews cried out saying, “If you release this Man, you are no friend of Caesar; everyone who makes himself out to be a king opposes Caesar.”
John 19:13 Therefore when Pilate heard these words, he brought Jesus out, and sat down on the judgment seat at a place called The Pavement, but in Hebrew, Gabbatha.
John 19:14 Now it was the day of preparation for the Passover; it was about the sixth hour. And he *said to the Jews, “Behold, your King!”
John 19:15 So they cried out, “Away with Him, away with Him, crucify Him!” Pilate *said to them, “Shall I crucify your King?” The chief priests answered, “We have no king but Caesar.”
John 19:16 So he then handed Him over to them to be crucified.

Sermon Text: John 16

This Sunday the Guest Preacher is George Whitefield. The sermon is based on John 16. I think it is an excellent sermon.

This is our third historic sermon. The focus is the Holy Spirit. I think it will be very very encouraging. Please plan to join us!

John 16:1 “These things I have spoken to you so that you may be kept from stumbling.
John 16:2 “They will make you outcasts from the synagogue, but an hour is coming for everyone who kills you to think that he is offering service to God.
John 16:3 “These things they will do because they have not known the Father or Me.
John 16:4 “But these things I have spoken to you, so that when their hour comes, you may remember that I told you of them. These things I did not say to you at the beginning, because I was with you.
John 16:5 “But now I am going to Him who sent Me; and none of you asks Me, ‘Where are You going?’
John 16:6 “But because I have said these things to you, sorrow has filled your heart.
John 16:7 “But I tell you the truth, it is to your advantage that I go away; for if I do not go away, the Helper will not come to you; but if I go, I will send Him to you.
John 16:8 “And He, when He comes, will convict the world concerning sin and righteousness and judgment;
John 16:9 concerning sin, because they do not believe in Me;
John 16:10 and concerning righteousness, because I go to the Father and you no longer see Me;
John 16:11 and concerning judgment, because the ruler of this world has been judged.
John 16:12 “I have many more things to say to you, but you cannot bear them now.
John 16:13 “But when He, the Spirit of truth, comes, He will guide you into all the truth; for He will not speak on His own initiative, but whatever He hears, He will speak; and He will disclose to you what is to come.
John 16:14 “He will glorify Me, for He will take of Mine and will disclose it to you.
John 16:15 “All things that the Father has are Mine; therefore I said that He takes of Mine and will disclose it to you.
John 16:16 “A little while, and you will no longer see Me; and again a little while, and you will see Me.”
John 16:17 Some of His disciples then said to one another, “What is this thing He is telling us, ‘A little while, and you will not see Me; and again a little while, and you will see Me’; and, ‘because I go to the Father’?”
John 16:18 So they were saying, “What is this that He says, ‘A little while’? We do not know what He is talking about.”
John 16:19 Jesus knew that they wished to question Him, and He said to them, “Are you deliberating together about this, that I said, ‘A little while, and you will not see Me, and again a little while, and you will see Me’?
John 16:20 “Truly, truly, I say to you, that you will weep and lament, but the world will rejoice; you will grieve, but your grief will be turned into joy.
John 16:21 “Whenever a woman is in labor she has pain, because her hour has come; but when she gives birth to the child, she no longer remembers the anguish because of the joy that a child has been born into the world.
John 16:22 “Therefore you too have grief now; but I will see you again, and your heart will rejoice, and no one will take your joy away from you.
John 16:23 “In that day you will not question Me about anything. Truly, truly, I say to you, if you ask the Father for anything in My name, He will give it to you.
John 16:24 “Until now you have asked for nothing in My name; ask and you will receive, so that your joy may be made full.
John 16:25 “These things I have spoken to you in figurative language; an hour is coming when I will no longer speak to you in figurative language, but will tell you plainly of the Father.
John 16:26 “In that day you will ask in My name, and I do not say to you that I will request of the Father on your behalf;
John 16:27 for the Father Himself loves you, because you have loved Me and have believed that I came forth from the Father.
John 16:28 “I came forth from the Father and have come into the world; I am leaving the world again and going to the Father.”
John 16:29 His disciples *said, “Lo, now You are speaking plainly and are not using a figure of speech.
John 16:30 “Now we know that You know all things, and have no need for anyone to question You; by this we believe that You came from God.”
John 16:31 Jesus answered them, “Do you now believe?
John 16:32 “Behold, an hour is coming, and has already come, for you to be scattered, each to his own home, and to leave Me alone; and yet I am not alone, because the Father is with Me.
John 16:33 “These things I have spoken to you, so that in Me you may have peace. In the world you have tribulation, but take courage; I have overcome the world.”

Union Leader on Religion in NH

The news about the church the last few days has been brutal.

Take this article from the Manchester Union Leader. The Church in NH is in a free fall. Very very sobering news indeed.

Pray for the church in NH, it seems we could use it a lot.

Washington Post Article on Religion

Actually it was conducted by Trinity College in CT. Very interesting, the quote that got me was....

"Northern New England has surpassed the Pacific Northwest as the least religious section of the country"

Click to read the Article

Sermon Text: John 18:12-27

John 18:12 So the Roman cohort and the commander and the officers of the Jews, arrested Jesus and bound Him,
John 18:13 and led Him to Annas first; for he was father-in-law of Caiaphas, who was high priest that year.
John 18:14 Now Caiaphas was the one who had advised the Jews that it was expedient for one man to die on behalf of the people.
John 18:15 Simon Peter was following Jesus, and so was another disciple. Now that disciple was known to the high priest, and entered with Jesus into the court of the high priest,
John 18:16 but Peter was standing at the door outside. So the other disciple, who was known to the high priest, went out and spoke to the doorkeeper, and brought Peter in.
John 18:17 Then the slave-girl who kept the door *said to Peter, “You are not also one of this man’s disciples, are you?” He *said, “I am not.”
John 18:18 Now the slaves and the officers were standing there, having made a charcoal fire, for it was cold and they were warming themselves; and Peter was also with them, standing and warming himself.
John 18:19 The high priest then questioned Jesus about His disciples, and about His teaching.
John 18:20 Jesus answered him, “I have spoken openly to the world; I always taught in synagogues and in the temple, where all the Jews come together; and I spoke nothing in secret.
John 18:21 “Why do you question Me? Question those who have heard what I spoke to them; they know what I said.”
John 18:22 When He had said this, one of the officers standing nearby struck Jesus, saying, “Is that the way You answer the high priest?”
John 18:23 Jesus answered him, “If I have spoken wrongly, testify of the wrong; but if rightly, why do you strike Me?”
John 18:24 So Annas sent Him bound to Caiaphas the high priest.
John 18:25 Now Simon Peter was standing and warming himself. So they said to him, “You are not also one of His disciples, are you?” He denied it, and said, “I am not.”
John 18:26 One of the slaves of the high priest, being a relative of the one whose ear Peter cut off, *said, “Did I not see you in the garden with Him?”
John 18:27 Peter then denied it again, and immediately a rooster crowed.

Spring Forward

This is your friendly reminder that this weekend we are moving the clocks forward one hour. So don't be late for church!

How some things do not change

When I first entered ministry, I worked at First Presbyterian Church in Michigan. The building they are located at was built in 1929, completed right before the Great Depression.

To pay for the building, the church offered chicken pot pie suppers on Saturday Night in the fellowship hall, and then invited folks to come up to the Sanctuary to watch Movietone News.

After seeing the news, the minister would give a short synopsis of the sermon and invited folks to join them the next morning.

The church thrived during the Great Depression.

And now I am seeing a repeat.

Just read this in the news this morning. How some things do not change. Maybe there is a lesson for the church.

Sermon Text: John 18:1-11

John 18:1 When Jesus had spoken these words, He went forth with His disciples over the ravine of the Kidron, where there was a garden, in which He entered with His disciples.
John 18:2 Now Judas also, who was betraying Him, knew the place, for Jesus had often met there with His disciples.
John 18:3 Judas then, having received the Roman cohort and officers from the chief priests and the Pharisees, *came there with lanterns and torches and weapons.
John 18:4 So Jesus, knowing all the things that were coming upon Him, went forth and *said to them, “Whom do you seek?”
John 18:5 They answered Him, “Jesus the Nazarene.” He *said to them, “I am He.” And Judas also, who was betraying Him, was standing with them.
John 18:6 So when He said to them, “I am He,” they drew back and fell to the ground.
John 18:7 Therefore He again asked them, “Whom do you seek?” And they said, “Jesus the Nazarene.”
John 18:8 Jesus answered, “I told you that I am He; so if you seek Me, let these go their way,”
John 18:9 to fulfill the word which He spoke, “Of those whom You have given Me I lost not one.”
John 18:10 Simon Peter then, having a sword, drew it and struck the high priest’s slave, and cut off his right ear; and the slave’s name was Malchus.
John 18:11 So Jesus said to Peter, “Put the sword into the sheath; the cup which the Father has given Me, shall I not drink it?”

Sermon Text: John 11:45-57

John 11:45 Therefore many of the Jews who came to Mary, and saw what He had done, believed in Him.
John 11:46 But some of them went to the Pharisees and told them the things which Jesus had done.
John 11:47 Therefore the chief priests and the Pharisees convened a council, and were saying, “What are we doing? For this man is performing many signs.
John 11:48 “If we let Him go on like this, all men will believe in Him, and the Romans will come and take away both our place and our nation.”
John 11:49 But one of them, Caiaphas, who was high priest that year, said to them, “You know nothing at all,
John 11:50 nor do you take into account that it is expedient for you that one man die for the people, and that the whole nation not perish.”
John 11:51 Now he did not say this on his own initiative, but being high priest that year, he prophesied that Jesus was going to die for the nation,
John 11:52 and not for the nation only, but in order that He might also gather together into one the children of God who are scattered abroad.
John 11:53 So from that day on they planned together to kill Him.
John 11:54 Therefore Jesus no longer continued to walk publicly among the Jews, but went away from there to the country near the wilderness, into a city called Ephraim; and there He stayed with the disciples.
John 11:55 Now the Passover of the Jews was near, and many went up to Jerusalem out of the country before the Passover to purify themselves.
John 11:56 So they were seeking for Jesus, and were saying to one another as they stood in the temple, “What do you think; that He will not come to the feast at all?”
John 11:57 Now the chief priests and the Pharisees had given orders that if anyone knew where He was, he was to report it, so that they might seize Him.

Sermon Text: John 9

John 9:1 As He passed by, He saw a man blind from birth.
John 9:2 And His disciples asked Him, “Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he would be born blind?”
John 9:3 Jesus answered, “It was neither that this man sinned, nor his parents; but it was so that the works of God might be displayed in him.
John 9:4 “We must work the works of Him who sent Me as long as it is day; night is coming when no one can work.
John 9:5 “While I am in the world, I am the Light of the world.”
John 9:6 When He had said this, He spat on the ground, and made clay of the spittle, and applied the clay to his eyes,
John 9:7 and said to him, “Go, wash in the pool of Siloam” (which is translated, Sent). So he went away and washed, and came back seeing.
John 9:8 Therefore the neighbors, and those who previously saw him as a beggar, were saying, “Is not this the one who used to sit and beg?”
John 9:9 Others were saying, “This is he,” still others were saying, “No, but he is like him.” He kept saying, “I am the one.”
John 9:10 So they were saying to him, “How then were your eyes opened?”
John 9:11 He answered, “The man who is called Jesus made clay, and anointed my eyes, and said to me, ‘Go to Siloam and wash’; so I went away and washed, and I received sight.”
John 9:12 They said to him, “Where is He?” He *said, “I do not know.”
John 9:13 They *brought to the Pharisees the man who was formerly blind.
John 9:14 Now it was a Sabbath on the day when Jesus made the clay and opened his eyes.
John 9:15 Then the Pharisees also were asking him again how he received his sight. And he said to them, “He applied clay to my eyes, and I washed, and I see.”
John 9:16 Therefore some of the Pharisees were saying, “This man is not from God, because He does not keep the Sabbath.” But others were saying, “How can a man who is a sinner perform such signs?” And there was a division among them.
John 9:17 So they *said to the blind man again, “What do you say about Him, since He opened your eyes?” And he said, “He is a prophet.”
John 9:18 The Jews then did not believe it of him, that he had been blind and had received sight, until they called the parents of the very one who had received his sight,
John 9:19 and questioned them, saying, “Is this your son, who you say was born blind? Then how does he now see?”
John 9:20 His parents answered them and said, “We know that this is our son, and that he was born blind;
John 9:21 but how he now sees, we do not know; or who opened his eyes, we do not know. Ask him; he is of age, he will speak for himself.”
John 9:22 His parents said this because they were afraid of the Jews; for the Jews had already agreed that if anyone confessed Him to be Christ, he was to be put out of the synagogue.
John 9:23 For this reason his parents said, “He is of age; ask him.”
John 9:24 So a second time they called the man who had been blind, and said to him, “Give glory to God; we know that this man is a sinner.”
John 9:25 He then answered, “Whether He is a sinner, I do not know; one thing I do know, that though I was blind, now I see.”
John 9:26 So they said to him, “What did He do to you? How did He open your eyes?”
John 9:27 He answered them, “I told you already and you did not listen; why do you want to hear it again? You do not want to become His disciples too, do you?”
John 9:28 They reviled him and said, “You are His disciple, but we are disciples of Moses.
John 9:29 “We know that God has spoken to Moses, but as for this man, we do not know where He is from.”
John 9:30 The man answered and said to them, “Well, here is an amazing thing, that you do not know where He is from, and yet He opened my eyes.
John 9:31 “We know that God does not hear sinners; but if anyone is God-fearing and does His will, He hears him.
John 9:32 “Since the beginning of time it has never been heard that anyone opened the eyes of a person born blind.
John 9:33 “If this man were not from God, He could do nothing.”
John 9:34 They answered him, “You were born entirely in sins, and are you teaching us?” So they put him out.
John 9:35 Jesus heard that they had put him out, and finding him, He said, “Do you believe in the Son of Man?”
John 9:36 He answered, “Who is He, Lord, that I may believe in Him?”
John 9:37 Jesus said to him, “You have both seen Him, and He is the one who is talking with you.”
John 9:38 And he said, “Lord, I believe.” And he worshiped Him.
John 9:39 And Jesus said, “For judgment I came into this world, so that those who do not see may see, and that those who see may become blind.”
John 9:40 Those of the Pharisees who were with Him heard these things and said to Him, “We are not blind too, are we?”
John 9:41 Jesus said to them, “If you were blind, you would have no sin; but since you say, ‘We see,’ your sin remains.

Gallup Poll on Religion & U.S. States

I am not surprised in the least on this, but it is good to get confirmation. When I talk about the need in New England, this underlines what I am saying.

Here is the link.

The question is, How important is religion? New England thinks it is not important, an the South feels that it is.

Let me know what you think.

Sermon Text: John 10:22-42

John 10:22 At that time the Feast of the Dedication took place at Jerusalem;
John 10:23 it was winter, and Jesus was walking in the temple in the portico of Solomon.
John 10:24 The Jews then gathered around Him, and were saying to Him, “How long will You keep us in suspense? If You are the Christ, tell us plainly.”
John 10:25 Jesus answered them, “I told you, and you do not believe; the works that I do in My Father’s name, these testify of Me.
John 10:26 “But you do not believe because you are not of My sheep.
John 10:27 “My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me;
John 10:28 and I give eternal life to them, and they will never perish; and no one will snatch them out of My hand.
John 10:29 “My Father, who has given them to Me, is greater than all; and no one is able to snatch them out of the Father’s hand.
John 10:30 “I and the Father are one.”
John 10:31 The Jews picked up stones again to stone Him.
John 10:32 Jesus answered them, “I showed you many good works from the Father; for which of them are you stoning Me?”
John 10:33 The Jews answered Him, “For a good work we do not stone You, but for blasphemy; and because You, being a man, make Yourself out to be God.”
John 10:34 Jesus answered them, “Has it not been written in your Law, ‘I SAID, YOU ARE GODS’?
John 10:35 “If he called them gods, to whom the word of God came (and the Scripture cannot be broken),
John 10:36 do you say of Him, whom the Father sanctified and sent into the world, ‘You are blaspheming,’ because I said, ‘I am the Son of God’?
John 10:37 “If I do not do the works of My Father, do not believe Me;
John 10:38 but if I do them, though you do not believe Me, believe the works, so that you may know and understand that the Father is in Me, and I in the Father.”
John 10:39 Therefore they were seeking again to seize Him, and He eluded their grasp.
John 10:40 And He went away again beyond the Jordan to the place where John was first baptizing, and He was staying there.
John 10:41 Many came to Him and were saying, “While John performed no sign, yet everything John said about this man was true.”
John 10:42 Many believed in Him there.

Favorite Super Bowl Commercial

Here is the link.....

My sister-in-law says this is male humor, and she is probably right. I find it very funy.

Here we Go Steelers, Here we Go!

Anyone who knows me knows which team I will be rooting for in the Super Bowl. Growing up in Western PA during the 1970s and 1980s was a wonderful experience. The Steel Curtain, Mean Joe Greene. I loved the Defense.

This Steeler's Defense of 2009 reminds me a lot of the past. And if history is any indicator, we will see a 6th Super Bowl Victory.

Go Steelers!

Chronicles of Narnia Update

I mentioned a few weeks ago about Disney pulling out of the Chronicles of Narnia. The BBC has just broke the news that 20th Century Fox is stepping in to fill the void Disney left.

Here is the link to the BBC Story.

Personally, I am thrilled. I hope 20th Century Fox makes a killing and Disney regrets their move. Who Ho, Here comes the Voyage of the Dawn Treader!

Sermon Text: John 8:12-59

John 8:12 Then Jesus again spoke to them, saying, “I am the Light of the world; he who follows Me will not walk in the darkness, but will have the Light of life.”
John 8:13 So the Pharisees said to Him, “You are testifying about Yourself; Your testimony is not true.”
John 8:14 Jesus answered and said to them, “Even if I testify about Myself, My testimony is true, for I know where I came from and where I am going; but you do not know where I come from or where I am going.
John 8:15 “You judge according to the flesh; I am not judging anyone.
John 8:16 “But even if I do judge, My judgment is true; for I am not alone in it, but I and the Father who sent Me.
John 8:17 “Even in your law it has been written that the testimony of two men is true.
John 8:18 “I am He who testifies about Myself, and the Father who sent Me testifies about Me.”
John 8:19 So they were saying to Him, “Where is Your Father?” Jesus answered, “You know neither Me nor My Father; if you knew Me, you would know My Father also.”
John 8:20 These words He spoke in the treasury, as He taught in the temple; and no one seized Him, because His hour had not yet come.
John 8:21 Then He said again to them, “I go away, and you will seek Me, and will die in your sin; where I am going, you cannot come.”
John 8:22 So the Jews were saying, “Surely He will not kill Himself, will He, since He says, ‘Where I am going, you cannot come’?”
John 8:23 And He was saying to them, “You are from below, I am from above; you are of this world, I am not of this world.
John 8:24 “Therefore I said to you that you will die in your sins; for unless you believe that I am He, you will die in your sins.”
John 8:25 So they were saying to Him, “Who are You?” Jesus said to them, “What have I been saying to you from the beginning?
John 8:26 “I have many things to speak and to judge concerning you, but He who sent Me is true; and the things which I heard from Him, these I speak to the world.”
John 8:27 They did not realize that He had been speaking to them about the Father.
John 8:28 So Jesus said, “When you lift up the Son of Man, then you will know that I am He, and I do nothing on My own initiative, but I speak these things as the Father taught Me.
John 8:29 “And He who sent Me is with Me; He has not left Me alone, for I always do the things that are pleasing to Him.”
John 8:30 As He spoke these things, many came to believe in Him.
John 8:31 So Jesus was saying to those Jews who had believed Him, “If you continue in My word, then you are truly disciples of Mine;
John 8:32 and you will know the truth, and the truth will make you free.”
John 8:33 They answered Him, “We are Abraham’s descendants and have never yet been enslaved to anyone; how is it that You say, ‘You will become free’?”
John 8:34 Jesus answered them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, everyone who commits sin is the slave of sin.
John 8:35 “The slave does not remain in the house forever; the son does remain forever.
John 8:36 “So if the Son makes you free, you will be free indeed.
John 8:37 “I know that you are Abraham’s descendants; yet you seek to kill Me, because My word has no place in you.
John 8:38 “I speak the things which I have seen with My Father; therefore you also do the things which you heard from your father.”
John 8:39 They answered and said to Him, “Abraham is our father.” Jesus *said to them, “If you are Abraham’s children, do the deeds of Abraham.
John 8:40 “But as it is, you are seeking to kill Me, a man who has told you the truth, which I heard from God; this Abraham did not do.
John 8:41 “You are doing the deeds of your father.” They said to Him, “We were not born of fornication; we have one Father: God.”
John 8:42 Jesus said to them, “If God were your Father, you would love Me, for I proceeded forth and have come from God, for I have not even come on My own initiative, but He sent Me.
John 8:43 “Why do you not understand what I am saying? It is because you cannot hear My word.
John 8:44 “You are of your father the devil, and you want to do the desires of your father. He was a murderer from the beginning, and does not stand in the truth because there is no truth in him. Whenever he speaks a lie, he speaks from his own nature, for he is a liar and the father of lies.
John 8:45 “But because I speak the truth, you do not believe Me.
John 8:46 “Which one of you convicts Me of sin? If I speak truth, why do you not believe Me?
John 8:47 “He who is of God hears the words of God; for this reason you do not hear them, because you are not of God.”
John 8:48 The Jews answered and said to Him, “Do we not say rightly that You are a Samaritan and have a demon?”
John 8:49 Jesus answered, “I do not have a demon; but I honor My Father, and you dishonor Me.
John 8:50 “But I do not seek My glory; there is One who seeks and judges.
John 8:51 “Truly, truly, I say to you, if anyone keeps My word he will never see death.”
John 8:52 The Jews said to Him, “Now we know that You have a demon. Abraham died, and the prophets also; and You say, ‘If anyone keeps My word, he will never taste of death.’
John 8:53 “Surely You are not greater than our father Abraham, who died? The prophets died too; whom do You make Yourself out to be?”
John 8:54 Jesus answered, “If I glorify Myself, My glory is nothing; it is My Father who glorifies Me, of whom you say, ‘He is our God’;
John 8:55 and you have not come to know Him, but I know Him; and if I say that I do not know Him, I will be a liar like you, but I do know Him and keep His word.
John 8:56 “Your father Abraham rejoiced to see My day, and he saw it and was glad.”
John 8:57 So the Jews said to Him, “You are not yet fifty years old, and have You seen Abraham?”
John 8:58 Jesus said to them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, before Abraham was born, I am.”
John 8:59 Therefore they picked up stones to throw at Him, but Jesus hid Himself and went out of the temple.

Sunday Morning Services Cancelled

Sigh.....It seems like "Sunday" is the one day of the week we get significant snowfall. I can count 4 Sundays now where it was snowing heavily.

Sadly, we are going to cancel Sunday Morning Services and all Sunday Activities. Sorry.

Sermon Text: John 7

John 7:1 After these things Jesus was walking in Galilee, for He was unwilling to walk in Judea because the Jews were seeking to kill Him.
John 7:2 Now the feast of the Jews, the Feast of Booths, was near.
John 7:3 Therefore His brothers said to Him, “Leave here and go into Judea, so that Your disciples also may see Your works which You are doing.
John 7:4 “For no one does anything in secret when he himself seeks to be known publicly. If You do these things, show Yourself to the world.”
John 7:5 For not even His brothers were believing in Him.
John 7:6 So Jesus *said to them, “My time is not yet here, but your time is always opportune.
John 7:7 “The world cannot hate you, but it hates Me because I testify of it, that its deeds are evil.
John 7:8 “Go up to the feast yourselves; I do not go up to this feast because My time has not yet fully come.”
John 7:9 Having said these things to them, He stayed in Galilee.
John 7:10 But when His brothers had gone up to the feast, then He Himself also went up, not publicly, but as if, in secret.
John 7:11 So the Jews were seeking Him at the feast and were saying, “Where is He?”
John 7:12 There was much grumbling among the crowds concerning Him; some were saying, “He is a good man”; others were saying, “No, on the contrary, He leads the people astray.”
John 7:13 Yet no one was speaking openly of Him for fear of the Jews.
John 7:14 But when it was now the midst of the feast Jesus went up into the temple, and began to teach.
John 7:15 The Jews then were astonished, saying, “How has this man become learned, having never been educated?”
John 7:16 So Jesus answered them and said, “My teaching is not Mine, but His who sent Me.
John 7:17 “If anyone is willing to do His will, he will know of the teaching, whether it is of God or whether I speak from Myself.
John 7:18 “He who speaks from himself seeks his own glory; but He who is seeking the glory of the One who sent Him, He is true, and there is no unrighteousness in Him.
John 7:19 “Did not Moses give you the Law, and yet none of you carries out the Law? Why do you seek to kill Me?”
John 7:20 The crowd answered, “You have a demon! Who seeks to kill You?”
John 7:21 Jesus answered them, “I did one deed, and you all marvel.
John 7:22 “For this reason Moses has given you circumcision (not because it is from Moses, but from the fathers), and on the Sabbath you circumcise a man.
John 7:23 “If a man receives circumcision on the Sabbath so that the Law of Moses will not be broken, are you angry with Me because I made an entire man well on the Sabbath?
John 7:24 “Do not judge according to appearance, but judge with righteous judgment.”
John 7:25 So some of the people of Jerusalem were saying, “Is this not the man whom they are seeking to kill?
John 7:26 “Look, He is speaking publicly, and they are saying nothing to Him. The rulers do not really know that this is the Christ, do they?
John 7:27 “However, we know where this man is from; but whenever the Christ may come, no one knows where He is from.”
John 7:28 Then Jesus cried out in the temple, teaching and saying, “You both know Me and know where I am from; and I have not come of Myself, but He who sent Me is true, whom you do not know.
John 7:29 “I know Him, because I am from Him, and He sent Me.”
John 7:30 So they were seeking to seize Him; and no man laid his hand on Him, because His hour had not yet come.
John 7:31 But many of the crowd believed in Him; and they were saying, “When the Christ comes, He will not perform more signs than those which this man has, will He?”
John 7:32 The Pharisees heard the crowd muttering these things about Him, and the chief priests and the Pharisees sent officers to seize Him.
John 7:33 Therefore Jesus said, “For a little while longer I am with you, then I go to Him who sent Me.
John 7:34 “You will seek Me, and will not find Me; and where I am, you cannot come.”
John 7:35 The Jews then said to one another, “Where does this man intend to go that we will not find Him? He is not intending to go to the Dispersion among the Greeks, and teach the Greeks, is He?
John 7:36 “What is this statement that He said, ‘You will seek Me, and will not find Me; and where I am, you cannot come’?”
John 7:37 Now on the last day, the great day of the feast, Jesus stood and cried out, saying, “If anyone is thirsty, let him come to Me and drink.
John 7:38 “He who believes in Me, as the Scripture said, ‘From his innermost being will flow rivers of living water.’”
John 7:39 But this He spoke of the Spirit, whom those who believed in Him were to receive; for the Spirit was not yet given, because Jesus was not yet glorified.
John 7:40 Some of the people therefore, when they heard these words, were saying, “This certainly is the Prophet.”
John 7:41 Others were saying, “This is the Christ.” Still others were saying, “Surely the Christ is not going to come from Galilee, is He?
John 7:42 “Has not the Scripture said that the Christ comes from the descendants of David, and from Bethlehem, the village where David was?”
John 7:43 So a division occurred in the crowd because of Him.
John 7:44 Some of them wanted to seize Him, but no one laid hands on Him.
John 7:45 The officers then came to the chief priests and Pharisees, and they said to them, “Why did you not bring Him?”
John 7:46 The officers answered, “Never has a man spoken the way this man speaks.”
John 7:47 The Pharisees then answered them, “You have not also been led astray, have you?
John 7:48 “No one of the rulers or Pharisees has believed in Him, has he?
John 7:49 “But this crowd which does not know the Law is accursed.”
John 7:50 Nicodemus (he who came to Him before, being one of them) *said to them,
John 7:51 “Our Law does not judge a man unless it first hears from him and knows what he is doing, does it?”
John 7:52 They answered him, “You are not also from Galilee, are you? Search, and see that no prophet arises out of Galilee.”
John 7:53 [Everyone went to his home.

This is a Car!

It is tradition that the new president gets a new limo, that is a good tradition.

The new limo for Obama is nicknamed "the Beast" Apparently, it is quite a step up from the previous limo.

I am not a big fan of Cadillac, but this is a car I would like to see, ride, maybe even drive. Nice looking limo.

No SS Classes Today

For todays date, there will be no "Life Together" given the Winter Conditions. No Sunday School classes at 9:15 am.

Sermon Text: John 6:22-71

John 6:22 The next day the crowd that stood on the other side of the sea saw that there was no other small boat there, except one, and that Jesus had not entered with His disciples into the boat, but that His disciples had gone away alone.
John 6:23 There came other small boats from Tiberias near to the place where they ate the bread after the Lord had given thanks.
John 6:24 So when the crowd saw that Jesus was not there, nor His disciples, they themselves got into the small boats, and came to Capernaum seeking Jesus.
John 6:25 When they found Him on the other side of the sea, they said to Him, “Rabbi, when did You get here?”
John 6:26 Jesus answered them and said, “Truly, truly, I say to you, you seek Me, not because you saw signs, but because you ate of the loaves and were filled.
John 6:27 “Do not work for the food which perishes, but for the food which endures to eternal life, which the Son of Man will give to you, for on Him the Father, God, has set His seal.”
John 6:28 Therefore they said to Him, “What shall we do, so that we may work the works of God?”
John 6:29 Jesus answered and said to them, “This is the work of God, that you believe in Him whom He has sent.”
John 6:30 So they said to Him, “What then do You do for a sign, so that we may see, and believe You? What work do You perform?
John 6:31 “Our fathers ate the manna in the wilderness; as it is written, ‘HE GAVE THEM BREAD OUT OF HEAVEN TO EAT.’”
John 6:32 Jesus then said to them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, it is not Moses who has given you the bread out of heaven, but it is My Father who gives you the true bread out of heaven.
John 6:33 “For the bread of God is that which comes down out of heaven, and gives life to the world.”
John 6:34 Then they said to Him, “Lord, always give us this bread.”
John 6:35 Jesus said to them, “I am the bread of life; he who comes to Me will not hunger, and he who believes in Me will never thirst.
John 6:36 “But I said to you that you have seen Me, and yet do not believe.
John 6:37 “All that the Father gives Me will come to Me, and the one who comes to Me I will certainly not cast out.
John 6:38 “For I have come down from heaven, not to do My own will, but the will of Him who sent Me.
John 6:39 “This is the will of Him who sent Me, that of all that He has given Me I lose nothing, but raise it up on the last day.
John 6:40 “For this is the will of My Father, that everyone who beholds the Son and believes in Him will have eternal life, and I Myself will raise him up on the last day.”
John 6:41 Therefore the Jews were grumbling about Him, because He said, “I am the bread that came down out of heaven.”
John 6:42 They were saying, “Is not this Jesus, the son of Joseph, whose father and mother we know? How does He now say, ‘I have come down out of heaven’?”
John 6:43 Jesus answered and said to them, “Do not grumble among yourselves.
John 6:44 “No one can come to Me unless the Father who sent Me draws him; and I will raise him up on the last day.
John 6:45 “It is written in the prophets, ‘AND THEY SHALL ALL BE TAUGHT OF GOD.’ Everyone who has heard and learned from the Father, comes to Me.
John 6:46 “Not that anyone has seen the Father, except the One who is from God; He has seen the Father.
John 6:47 “Truly, truly, I say to you, he who believes has eternal life.
John 6:48 “I am the bread of life.
John 6:49 “Your fathers ate the manna in the wilderness, and they died.
John 6:50 “This is the bread which comes down out of heaven, so that one may eat of it and not die.
John 6:51 “I am the living bread that came down out of heaven; if anyone eats of this bread, he will live forever; and the bread also which I will give for the life of the world is My flesh.”
John 6:52 Then the Jews began to argue with one another, saying, “How can this man give us His flesh to eat?”
John 6:53 So Jesus said to them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink His blood, you have no life in yourselves.
John 6:54 “He who eats My flesh and drinks My blood has eternal life, and I will raise him up on the last day.
John 6:55 “For My flesh is true food, and My blood is true drink.
John 6:56 “He who eats My flesh and drinks My blood abides in Me, and I in him.
John 6:57 “As the living Father sent Me, and I live because of the Father, so he who eats Me, he also will live because of Me.
John 6:58 “This is the bread which came down out of heaven; not as the fathers ate and died; he who eats this bread will live forever.”
John 6:59 These things He said in the synagogue as He taught in Capernaum.
John 6:60 Therefore many of His disciples, when they heard this said, “This is a difficult statement; who can listen to it?”
John 6:61 But Jesus, conscious that His disciples grumbled at this, said to them, “Does this cause you to stumble?
John 6:62 “What then if you see the Son of Man ascending to where He was before?
John 6:63 “It is the Spirit who gives life; the flesh profits nothing; the words that I have spoken to you are spirit and are life.
John 6:64 “But there are some of you who do not believe.” For Jesus knew from the beginning who they were who did not believe, and who it was that would betray Him.
John 6:65 And He was saying, “For this reason I have said to you, that no one can come to Me unless it has been granted him from the Father.”
John 6:66 As a result of this many of His disciples withdrew and were not walking with Him anymore.
John 6:67 So Jesus said to the twelve, “You do not want to go away also, do you?”
John 6:68 Simon Peter answered Him, “Lord, to whom shall we go? You have words of eternal life.
John 6:69 “We have believed and have come to know that You are the Holy One of God.”
John 6:70 Jesus answered them, “Did I Myself not choose you, the twelve, and yet one of you is a devil?”
John 6:71 Now He meant Judas the son of Simon Iscariot, for he, one of the twelve, was going to betray Him.

The Gospel Coalition 2009 National Conference

I have not been to a conference for a couple years. Financies have been the real problem but there have been other factors.

Anyhow, when I saw this I could not pass it up for one reason => the speakers....

DA Carson
Tim Keller
John Piper
Mark Driscoll

and many many more.

I am really looking forward to it and if your interested, click on this link. Should be a great conference.

And you get an ESV Bible, a nice bonus.

Voyage of the Dawn Treader

My favorite book from the Chronicles of Narnia is hands down, "The Voyage of the Dawn Treader". It is the most Christian of the series. That is great, but I like it because it is a quest, a noble adventure with great characters.

Anyhow, there is news on the movie version that has many worried. MARY McNAMARA of the LA Times has an interesting article I would encourage you to read. She scolds Disney and gives them a tongue lashing.

I myself am fine with Disney dropping the Chronicles of Narnia. I am not a big fan of Disney, just ask my family.

Anyhow, I hope it is a success in spite of this recent event.

Sermon Text: John 1:14-18

John 1:14 And the Word became flesh, and dwelt among us, and we saw His glory, glory as of the only begotten from the Father, full of grace and truth.
John 1:15 John *testified about Him and cried out, saying, “This was He of whom I said, ‘He who comes after me has a higher rank than I, for He existed before me.’”
John 1:16 For of His fullness we have all received, and grace upon grace.
John 1:17 For the Law was given through Moses; grace and truth were realized through Jesus Christ.
John 1:18 No one has seen God at any time; the only begotten God who is in the bosom of the Father, He has explained Him.

Combined Service this Sunday

We will be joining our sister church in Manchester this coming Lord's Day.

For information, click here.

Sermon Text: John 1:9-13

John 1:9 There was the true Light which, coming into the world, enlightens every man.
John 1:10 He was in the world, and the world was made through Him, and the world did not know Him.
John 1:11 He came to His own, and those who were His own did not receive Him.
John 1:12 But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, even to those who believe in His name,
John 1:13 who were born, not of blood nor of the will of the flesh nor of the will of man, but of God.

I can't stand the BCS, perfect illustration

This was sent to me by my brother in TX. If you have been following College Football, this will totally make sense. If not, it is very difficult to explain, but in short, a computer determines the ranking of teams, and it is a broken system.

BCS DECLARES GERMANY WINNER OF WORLD WAR II
US Ranked 4th

After determining the Big-12 championship game participants the
BCS computers were put to work on other major contests and today the BCS
declared Germany to be the winner of World War II.

"Germany put together an incredible number of victories
beginning with the annexation of Austria and the Sudetenland and
continuing on into conference play with defeats of Poland,France,
Norway, Sweden,Denmark, Belgium and the Netherlands. Their only losses
came against the US and Russia; however considering their entire body of
work--including an incredibly tough Strength of Schedule--our computers
deemed them worthy of the #1 ranking."

Questioned about the #4 ranking of the United States the BCS
commissioner stated "The US only had two major victories--Japan and
Germany. The computer models, unlike humans, aren't influenced by
head-to-head contests--they consider each contest to be only a single,
equally-weighted event."

German Chancellor Adolph Hiter said "Yes, we lost to the US; but
we defeated #2 ranked France in only 6 weeks." Herr Hitler has been
criticized for seeking dramatic victories to earn 'style points' to
enhance Germany's rankings. Hitler protested "Our contest with Poland
was in doubt until the final day and the conditions in Norway were
incredibly challenging and demanded the application of additional
forces."

The French ranking has also come under scrutiny. The BCS
commented " France had a single loss against Germany and following a
preseason #1 ranking they only fell to #2."

Japan was ranked #3 with victories including Manchuria, Borneo
and the Philippines.

Sermon Text: John 1:3-5

John 1:3 All things came into being through Him, and apart from Him nothing came into being that has come into being.
John 1:4 In Him was life, and the life was the Light of men.
John 1:5 The Light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not comprehend it.