First Fruits of the Spirit - Believe
How did Israel remember that God had saved them from slavery? They would give of their firstfruits and make sure the poor had food. What does this have to do with Pentecost?
Sermon Slides and resources.
Deuteronomy 16
9 “You shall count seven weeks. Begin to count the seven weeks from the time the sickle is first put to the standing grain. 10 Then you shall keep the Feast of Weeks to the Lord your God with the tribute of a freewill offering from your hand, which you shall give as the Lord your God blesses you. 11 And you shall rejoice before the Lord your God, you and your son and your daughter, your male servant and your female servant, the Levite who is within your towns, the sojourner, the fatherless, and the widow who are among you, at the place that the Lord your God will choose, to make his name dwell there. 12 You shall remember that you were a slave in Egypt; and you shall be careful to observe these statutes.
Leviticus 23
15 “You shall count seven full weeks from the day after the Sabbath, from the day that you brought the sheaf of the wave offering. 16 You shall count fifty days to the day after the seventh Sabbath. Then you shall present a grain offering of new grain to the Lord. 17 You shall bring from your dwelling places two loaves of bread to be waved, made of two tenths of an ephah. They shall be of fine flour, and they shall be baked with leaven, as firstfruits to the Lord. 18 And you shall present with the bread seven lambs a year old without blemish, and one bull from the herd and two rams. They shall be a burnt offering to the Lord, with their grain offering and their drink offerings, a food offering with a pleasing aroma to the Lord. 19 And you shall offer one male goat for a sin offering, and two male lambs a year old as a sacrifice of peace offerings.20 And the priest shall wave them with the bread of the firstfruits as a wave offering before the Lord, with the two lambs. They shall be holy to the Lord for the priest. 21 And you shall make a proclamation on the same day. You shall hold a holy convocation. You shall not do any ordinary work. It is a statute forever in all your dwelling places throughout your generations.
22 “And when you reap the harvest of your land, you shall not reap your field right up to its edge, nor shall you gather the gleanings after your harvest. You shall leave them for the poor and for the sojourner: I am the Lord your God.”
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Strengthened Faith, Fervent Love
“Christians live outside themselves: they live in Christ by faith and in their neighbor by love.”
Rev. Bart Day Letter: Strengthened Faith, Fervent Love …
Strengthened Faith, Fervent Love …
“Christians live outside themselves: they live in Christ by faith and in their neighbor by love.”
That was one of Martin Luther’s most brilliant “ahas”! It runs right along with his observation that the nature of sin is “to be curved in on yourself.”
Consequently, the effect of Christ’s Gospel in His appointed Means of Grace seizing hold of you is that it begins unbending you. It begins lifting up your eyes to behold with joy the certain promises of God in Christ. To know them as true for you. To begin to be filled with the hope that flows from them. And at the same time, it opens your eyes to see and meet the needs of your neighbor with a fiery love, a divine compassion.
How Pentecost Sunday Changed Everything
Pentecost weekend marks one of the most important events in human history.
Every generation has its watershed moments, events that divide time and make the “after” somehow different than the “before.”
For millennials, 9/11 stands out as the prime example. For Gen Xers, perhaps it is the fall of the Berlin Wall or the O.J. Simpson trial, and for baby boomers, maybe the assassination of JFK. But did you know that many churches this weekend will recognize a more impactful era-defining watershed moment than all of the aforementioned events combined?
REDISCOVERING PENTECOST
According to the Church’s storied liturgical calendar (or Christian year), this Sunday is Pentecost Sunday, a day where Christians for nearly two millennia have celebrated the outpouring of the Holy Spirit on God’s people. However, when people hear the word “Pentecost” these days, they may be more likely to think about a particular denomination, sprightly choir robes, tambourines and ecstatic glossolalia (i.e., speaking in tongues).
Pentecost - Believe
It seems like we are always trying to ascend to God. We built a tower to God, we want to ascend in our prayer life, and we talk about rising in spirituality. However, throughout the Scriptures we see that God comes down
Slides from Sermon
Sin Spanx
In Luke chapter 18, Jesus tells a story of a spiritual girdle that we Christians wear far more often than we’d like to admit. This spiritual girdle, just like with Spanx, is one that we’d rather no one knew about.
Have you ever heard of Spanx? Although they’ve only been around since 2010, their predecessors have been around for centuries. Basically, Spanx are a 21st century girdle. Like other girdles, Spanx streamlines your love-handles and lumps making you appear much thinner and fitter than you really are.
In Luke chapter 18, Jesus tells a story of a spiritual girdle that we Christians wear far more often than we’d like to admit. This spiritual girdle, just like with Spanx, is one that we’d rather no one knew about.
Here’s Jesus’ story from Luke 18:9-14
"He also told this parable to some who trusted in themselves that they were righteous, and treated others with contempt: “Two men went up into the temple to pray, one a Pharisee and the other a tax collector. The Pharisee, standing by himself, prayed thus: ‘God, I thank you that I am not like other men, extortioners, unjust, adulterers, or even like this tax collector. I fast twice a week; I give tithes of all that I get.’ But the tax collector, standing far off, would not even lift up his eyes to heaven, but beat his breast, saying, ‘God, be merciful to me, a sinner!’ I tell you, this man went down to his house justified, rather than the other. For everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, but the one who humbles himself will be exalted.”
The King - Believe
It’s popular to say today that Jesus is Lord (King) of your heart. But is that the story in the Bible? Today we are seeing how God became King over all the creation.
Slides from the Sermon
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The Wicked Way We Become More Like Jesus
“I’ve never had a better look at Jesus than when I’m lying flat on my back with the walls of my life burning down all around me.”
I'm always surprised to hear people say, “If I could do it all again, I wouldn’t change a thing.” But we’re all sinners and we all sin every day. Some of us screwed up a lifetime ago and others fell short just last night. But everyone has THAT thing they would give anything to change. Pay any price to take back. And if you don’t have that… just wait. You may not have lived long enough yet.
I remember believing my own lies. Tell yourself a grenade is a flower enough times and you may just believe it enough to pull the pin. I have. And I blew myself to pieces.
But it’s never just about you. The shrapnel from your own explosion penetrates the souls of everyone around you. As hard reality starts to set in, you can’t bear it. You’re bleeding out as you spit venom, sin, and excuses. Even more shrapnel from your tongue lodges itself in those closest to you. Sin upon sin. It’s like struggling in quicksand. But sadly you didn’t just fall in. You dove in head first thinking it was a hot spring. You mistook the roaming lion of the Devil outside your door for a house cat. Then he ripped you wide open like a Christmas present.
Are you Listening - Believe
White Clouds, mountains, prophets, and priests: all are signs that God is near and speaking. But are you listening?
Adopt a mile meet up
Once a Year Port St Luice has a huge clean up day. We were part of it.
It’s Time to Stop Confusing Blessings With Stuff
Here’s the thing: While Asaph in psalm 73 is busy keeping his hands clean and his heart pure (without much to show for it), the wicked are prospering and scoffing at guys like him. Their cups are full, his is empty. Naturally the guy is angry.
Let’s talk about Asaph and Psalm 73. I feel like if I were to meet Asaph over coffee at Starbucks, we would have so much to rant about together. Here’s the thing: While Asaph is busy keeping his hands clean and his heart pure (without much to show for it), the wicked are prospering and scoffing at guys like him. Their cups are full, his is empty. Naturally the guy is angry.
When I look around, I see a whole lot of Christians (including leaders) who are cheapening and perverting the Gospel and getting away with it. They’re building their names, gaining a faithful following and making a whole lot of money. Why doesn’t God shut them down? He’s certainly powerful enough to do it. Instead, He lets them prosper while His true disciples are in the trenches, often living from paycheck to paycheck, suffering for the Gospel. I scratch my head and sigh.
Consider Creator - Believe
When we say God created the heavens and the earth, does it mean anything specific to us? Do we consider the Creator?
Consider Creator
When we say God created the heavens and the earth, does it mean anything specific to us? Do we consider the Creator?
What Jesus Actually Means When He Says to 'Remove the Log in Your Own Eye'
Could it imply our own self-righteousness?
Words are pretty interesting. They can be used as weapons. They can be used as healing balms. They can also be used wrongly. I always tend to wonder whether this is the case when we throw around the word “self-righteous.” I do not think it means what we think it means, to borrow the words from Inigo Montoya.
Maybe you have heard someone say, “They are just so self-righteous.” Maybe you have said that of someone else. Perhaps it has been said of you. Often, when the term self-righteous is thrown around it is implied to mean someone who acts, thinks or believes they are better than you. Or that they are “holier-than-thou.”
HE IS - Believe
When Moses saw God through the burning bush, Moses ask who should he tell his people had sent him. He went back to his people and said, “HE IS sent me.”
Check out the Sermon Slides bellow.
Much like Scrooge, the shepherds sat in darkness until the heavenly angels came, bringing the light of a well celebrated Christmas.