ARCC Sermons

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October 5th

The bible reading today is in Matthew 4 and Luke 4-5 and John 1:15.

Let’s hear from the apostle John...“John the Baptist bore witness about Jesus, and cried out, “This was he of whom I said, ‘He who comes after me ranks before me, because he was before me."

‭‭John‬ ‭1:15‬

John’s office and business was to bear witness, not of himself but of Jesus in all of His remarkable person and His powerful work from heaven to earth.

“A voice cries: “In the wilderness prepare the way of the Lord; make straight in the desert a highway for our God.”

‭‭Isaiah‬ ‭40:3‬

Isaiah prophesied about the work of the Baptist. He would “cry out” as a witness to Christ. He wouldn't whisper, he wouldn't speak softly, he wouldn't speak timidly, he would speak clearly, openly, and publicly of Jesus the Messiah.

John would speak with vigor, conviction, and confidence. His was a cry of fervency that exalted the Savior God, the Messiah Jesus Christ.

Back to the text...“For from Christ’s fullness we have all received, grace upon grace.”

‭‭John‬ ‭1:16‬

Earlier in John chapter 1, we read that Jesus was full of grace and truth. The Holy Spirit lets us know that Jesus was in and of Himself sufficient in grace and truth for his office and ministry as Messiah.

He had enough power and He had enough freedom to fulfill His redemptive purposes on earth. Therefore, if there should be any wonder in our minds about the measure of His ability to accomplish heaven’s plans for the salvation of the elect, being full (not half full but full) of the glorious grace and truth of the Godhead. That should erase any doubt.

And from Christ’s fulness, all disciples of Jesus receive grace upon grace. In other words, friends, on top of the grace given to us for repentance and faith for our eternal justification, Jesus gives us “more grace” every day for all of our struggles and challenges of living the “disciple / Christ life” before heaven. That’s awesome.

That grace today keeps me from giving up after sinning. It is also grace that helps me to say no to sinning. I'm saved by grace. And you and I are a work in progress by the gift of His grace. Another awesome!

To the text...“For the law was given through Moses; grace and truth came through Jesus Christ.”

‭‭John‬ ‭1:17‬

God appointed each of His laws. He appointed Moses to be the “giver” of those Laws. The Law pointed out the pollution of human nature and the guilt and punishment of sin. The law was a type and shadow of deliverance by the Christ. But the Law could not give the grace it shadowed.

It was a great honor bestowed upon Moses by God to be the Lawgiver.

But Jesus was and is still greater...because He gave Grace for eternal life and Truth that sets believers free...free from sin and death...free with power to live the life that they have been saved to. That’s Jesus!

No wonder the Baptizer said what he said next...“The next day John the Baptizer saw Jesus coming toward him, and said, "Behold, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world! I myself did not know him, but for this purpose, I came baptizing with water, that he might be revealed to Israel.”

‭‭John‬ ‭1:29, 31‬

Jesus the Savior and John His witness...that was then...now “we” are the witnesses of the Lamb who takes away the sin of the world.

Have a great day.

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October 4th

The bible reading today is in Mark 1 and Matthew 3 and Luke 3.

“In the fifteenth year of the reign of Tiberius Caesar, Pontius Pilate being governor of Judea, and Herod being tetrarch of Galilee, and his brother Philip tetrarch of the region of Ituraea and Trachonitis, and Lysanias tetrarch of Abilene, during the high priesthood of Annas and Caiaphas, the word of God came to John the son of Zechariah in the wilderness. And he went into all the region around the Jordan, proclaiming a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins.”

‭‭Luke‬ ‭3:1-3‬ ‭

Luke listed the political leaders of the region that Jesus lived in and served in. Like any good historian, Luke gave a real, historical framework for the beginning of Jesus’ ministry.

For instance, Tiberius was the Roman emperor during the three-year ministry of Christ on the earth. Tiberius was known for his cruelty against anyone who challenged his authority on earth.

Pontius Pilate, the Roman Governor of Judea, was renowned for his brutal massacres of the Jewish people and his insensitivity toward the Jews.

Herod and his two brothers were tetrarchs in the region of Galilee and Iturea and Trachonitus and Abilene. They were all known for their corruption and cruelty.

Caiphas and Annus were the religious leaders in Judea at this time in history. Caiphas was actually the high priest, but his father in law, Annas, was the real influence in the priestly class. The mention of these two corrupt high priests reminds us that the Jewish leaders were more interested in power politics than in serving God.

And then there was John the Baptist. The word of God came to him in the wilderness. There, John began to fulfill his ultimate calling: to be the forerunner of the Messiah. He preached a message of repentance toward God to the Jews. Repentance was an action word calling for a change of mind and change of direction.

And he baptized the repentant Jews. Their baptism identified them with their need to get right with God. Our baptism, our immersion in water, identified us with the death and resurrection of Christ who saved us from our sins.

John was calling Jews to genuinely confess their unfaithfulness to God and come back to Him. Jews were familiar with baptismal ceremonies. However, it was sinful Gentiles who converted to Judaism that were baptized...not Jews.

So when Jews were baptized by John that was unusual. Their baptism was saying to all who watched, “I’m just as sinful as Gentiles.” Now that would be a baptism of repentance.

John’s ministry would be a fulfillment of prophecy. “As it is written in the book of the words of Isaiah the prophet, “The voice of one crying in the wilderness: ‘Prepare the way of the Lord, make his paths straight. Every valley shall be filled, and every mountain and hill shall be made low, and the crooked shall become straight, and the rough places shall become level ways, and all flesh shall see the salvation of God.’”

‭‭Luke‬ ‭3:4-6‬ ‭

John would be aware of the prophecy of Isaiah and would connect it to himself.

How would he know that? Answer: The angel of the Lord told his dad before his conception. Awesome!

John’s message was that things could be set and made right. The Messiah is here to do things that are too big for man...like filling valleys, leveling mountains, setting crooked roads straight, and making rough roads smooth.

The Jews at that time thought that the problem was the Romans who politically oppressed them. John the Baptist told those same Jews that they were the problem...they had to get right with God, and the “way” to do that?

Jesus...He was the way!

Have a great day

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October 3rd

Today’s bible reading is in Matthew 2 and Luke 2.

Bethlehem was the birthplace of Jesus. This ancestral home of King David would become the first earthly home of the King of Kings...Jesus. Bethlehem was a small town, about 6 miles south of Jerusalem. In olden days, the town was called Ephratah. It meant “fruitfulness”. And the most beautiful fruit of Ephratah was the Christ child.

Now Bethlehem, in Hebrew, meant the “House of Bread”. Remember this? Jesus speaking to a great crowd in Capernaum?...“For the bread of God is he who comes down from heaven and gives life to the world.” They said to him, “Sir, give us this bread always.”

Jesus said to them, “I am the bread of life; whoever comes to me shall not hunger..."

‭‭John‬ ‭6:33-35‬ ‭

Wow, the House of Bread was the birth place of the Bread of Life...Jesus Christ...How Awesome!

The night Jesus was born in Bethlehem. What a night, a king was born in a stable...that’s odd. Don't future kings usually get born in palaces? Yes, but the stable or sheepfold in Bethlehem was the palace for the Good Shepherd born there.

Do you see it? The child would know and love his sheep intimately. Love them so much that he would lay down his life for them, for the sheep of his pasture.

The night Jesus was born, God chose shepherds to be the Messiah’s first witnesses. Shepherds in the MiddleEast, even to this day, translated into an old man teaching and training children and young people to lead and feed and protect the flock of sheep that under their watch.

I have thought it interesting that God would choose the young and the old, the children, and the elderly to receive the angelic announcement about the important baby in a manger.

The children would have had the capacity to accept the wonder of it all. And the old had the experience and the history and the faith to explain the events in light of the word of God.

The young would have had the energy level necessary to take the wonderful story of the newborn king to the “whole town”. The old would have had the credibility to support the eager witness of the young.

A stir begins as soon as Christ is born. He hasn't spoken a word and he has not performed a miracle. He has not proclaimed a single doctrine. But when Jesus was born, at the very first, while as yet you hear nothing but infant cries, and you can only see infant weakness, still his influence upon the world is made known. When Jesus was born, it was wise men from the east that came and so on...such infinite power in the infant Savior.

Reminds me of two passages that speak of the finger of God. One from the magicians in Egypt and one from Moses at Sinai...

“Then the Lord said to Moses, “Say to Aaron, ‘Stretch out your staff and strike the dust of the earth, so that it may become gnats in all the land of Egypt.’” And they did so. Aaron stretched out his hand with his staff and struck the dust of the earth, and there were gnats on man and beast. All the dust of the earth became gnats in all the land of Egypt. The magicians tried by their secret arts to produce gnats, but they could not. So there were gnats on man and beast. Then the magicians said to Pharaoh, “This is the finger of God.”

‭‭Exodus‬ ‭8:16-19‬

“And the Lord gave me the two tablets of stone written with the finger of God, and on them were all the words that the Lord had spoken with you on the mountain out of the midst of the fire on the day of the assembly.”

‭‭Deuteronomy‬ ‭9:10‬

Today, Jewish Rabbis will often include the raising of the little finger before the congregation recites the Shmeh Israel. It’s a reminder that their God has more power in His little finger than all the false gods put together.

Every Christmas I remember that Jewish tradition. But I don't think of the God of the Exodus from Egypt...I raise my little finger and think of the saving power in the tiny hand and fingers of the newborn Christ lying in the manger for me and you.

Have a great day

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October 2nd

The bible reading today is in Matthew 1 and Luke 2:1-38.

I believe the purpose of Matthew’s gospel was to reveal Jesus as the prophesied Messiah, King of Kings of Israel, and the rest of the world.

I believe Matthew’s purpose for writing also included a forever reminder from Jesus to His disciples... “And Jesus came and said to them, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.”

‭‭Matthew‬ ‭28:18-20‬ ‭

Truly, this is Jesus’ “great commission” to us who follow Him. Let us never forget the grand assignment that he gave to his first followers, and that they have passed down to us from Him...” make disciples” ...of all nations...and teach them to walk with Jesus according to His words.

In Matthew chapter 1, we read a very long list of names. Some we remember quite a bit from our reading. Some we remember primarily by the difficulty we still have in pronouncing their name, and then

we get to the end...Jesus. And there it dawns on us that this is Jesus’ family tree. Proving His legitimate claim to the throne in Israel. The son of David...just as prophesied in 2 Samuel 7: 12. His Kingdom would be forever!

...” and Jacob was the father of Joseph the husband of Mary, of whom Jesus was born, who is called Christ."

Matthew made it clear that Joseph was the husband of Mary, but that he was not the biological father of Mary’s boy, Jesus...just as Isaiah prophesied...“And he said, “Hear then, O house of David! Is it too little for you to weary men, that you weary my God also? Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign. Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel.”

‭‭Isaiah‬ ‭7:13-14

Joseph would not be the father of the Messiah Jesus...God would be!

“Now the birth of Jesus Christ took place in this way. When his mother Mary had been betrothed to Joseph, “before” they came together she was found to be with child from the Holy Spirit.”

‭‭Matthew‬ ‭1:18‬ ‭ESV‬‬

The miracle birth...Jesus/born of a virgin...Emmanuel...God on earth with men. Jesus the Christ...the prophesied Messiah of Israel and the world!

The virgin birth. Mary was found to be with child by the Holy Spirit before she and Joseph came together. That was a hard concept back then and it still is today. Think of Mary and her betrothed, Joseph. Both Godly, both put in a difficult situation. Yes, glorious in the main way of God choosing them to birth and raise the promised Messiah. But oh so hard as they lived the nine months of Mary’s pregnancy.

O the questions, O the stares, O the whispering, O the judgmental gossiping that was going on in their hometown of Nazareth. That would have been hard to live through for that young couple. Mary’s honor, her reputation, her marriage, and her life was at stake.

But God gave the young couple grace and truth and faith to endure those months and those subsequent years of raising their firstborn under so much suspicion and false judgments. The truth of the supernatural conception of Jesus was disbelieved by many. The truth was questioned...like the Pharisees to Jesus in the Temple...“They said to him, therefore, “Where is your Father?” Jesus answered, “You know neither me nor my Father. If you knew me, you would know my Father also.”

‭‭John‬ ‭8:19‬ ‭ESV‬‬

Charles Haddon Spurgeon taught his church in London, England...”There was no other way for the Messiah Jesus to be born. For how could he have been born of a sinful father, and He wind up with a sinless nature?

Jesus was born of a woman that he might be human, but not by man that he might not be sinful.”

Praise God for the miraculous supernatural virgin birth of Jesus. That way He qualified as the perfect sacrificial lamb for our eternal salvation from sin and death and hell. Thank You one more time Jesus...we will tell the whole story as You give us strength.

Have a great day.

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October 1st

The bible reading today is in Luke 1 and John 1:1-14.

These two gospel records begin with accounts about the births of John the Baptist and the Messiah, Jesus. What a tandem, the announcer of the King’s coming and the King Himself.

Luke was a physician who followed Jesus. He was probably a Gentile. He accompanied Paul on some of his missionary journeys. He wrote, inspired by the Holy Spirit, the Gospel of Luke and the book of Acts. Being a doctor, he was full of academia and was a scholar no doubt. But when he wrote, he wrote for the “man on the street”...the common man...so that “everyone” could have the best opportunity to understand the gospel of Christ and believe.

Now the gospel of John was written by the Apostle John. He and his brother James were two of the first that Jesus invited to follow Him. John was identified as the “disciple whom Jesus loved.” God would use him to write the Gospel of John, 1,2,3 John, and the book of Revelation. No one had a closer relationship with Jesus than John. And remember at the cross? The dying Jesus placed his mother in John’s arms, saying.. ”Mother, here is your son”...speaking of John. Let’s remember that when we read John’s love letter/book about Jesus!

Several things in our reading today move my heart. First, Priest Zacharias, the baptizer’s father, was given a second chance to respond to God ”in faith” rather than unbelief.

When the angel told Zacharias that he and his wife would have a son that would prepare the way of the Messiah, Zacharias asked for proof...displaying his unbelief. Today’s reading shows Zacharias, publicly supporting his wife’s answer that “John” would be their son’s name. How gracious of God to bless this man with another chance to testify “in belief” of God’s word.

Oh, friends, that’s our Savior God. The same gracious One. May we repent of our unbelief and believe Him once again.

A second thing in our reading touches my heart. John the Baptist had a simple and yet very important assignment from God.

“There was a man sent from God, whose name was John. He came as a witness, to bear witness about the light, that all might believe through him.”

‭‭John‬ ‭1:6-7‬

“He was sent by God to the Israelites to bear witness to Jesus.”

For John to be sent from God, he would have had to be in the presence of God. There have been many times when I have heard the testimony of others that God had given them an assignment particular to them. And upon hearing their testimony, I have wondered why God has not spoken such a God-sized assignment for me...for my life.

Now I see the answer again, one must practice the presence of God daily in order to hear and be “sent from Him” on missions particular...like John the Baptist.

Help us Lord Jesus. Give us hearts to desire You supremely. So much so that we would not miss the awareness of Your presence every hour...with faith anticipation of being used by You one more time.

And one more thing reaches my heart today from the reading...“In the beginning, was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things were made through him, and without him was not anything made that was made. In him was life, and the life was the light of men. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.”

‭‭John‬ ‭1:1-5‬

“And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth.”

‭‭John‬ ‭1:14‬

The Word became flesh. God did that, God the Son did that, God the Son the creator became flesh and blood. God the Son, Jesus, in whom was and is eternal life and light for those who believe Him. He, God very God became flesh. And He dwelt among mankind...yes.

Why? That man might see his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father...full of grace...enough of grace to save us from our sins...and truth...enough truth in the gospel to set us free to serve and worship him with all of our hearts.

Awesome. Thank You, Jesus.

Have a great day

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September 30th

The bible reading today is in Malachi chapters 1-4.

Ezra, Nehemiah, and Malachi were the three post-exilic prophets to Judah in and around the time of rebuilding the Temple and the wall of Jerusalem.

We don't know much more about Malachi besides the fact that he was the last messenger from God to the people of God’s promise...1000 years after Moses and 400 years before the coming of the Messiah, the Christ child. After Malachi, there would be the 400 years of silence...where God chose not to speak to His people until the ministry of John the Baptist...preparing the way of and to Jesus.

So who did God target for the message from Malachi? The priests first, and then the people of Israel.

The people in Israel did have personal responsibility to follow the Lord. But so did the priests, only with a higher accountability to God.

Oh, friends, God blessed Israel with the Levitical priesthood for a purpose...to lead the nation in their reasonable service of worship to the one and only God, Elohim Yahweh...the Great I Am...and they would come to know Him as Jesus, one day. God blesses his church with “God called” Pastors on purpose. To shepherd the disciples of Christ under their charge toward their reasonable service of worship of their Savior God...the Great I Am, Jesus Christ.

Satan took aim and attacked the priests in Israel. Many fell to the temptations of the old serpent. And Israel lost spiritual leadership along the way. Satan is doing the same thing in our day, taking aim at our pastors with the intent of taking them down too.

None of the priests were perfect and none of our pastors are. Israelites of faith were responsible to pray for their spiritual leaders. And so are we. Friends, let us not forget to pray for our pastors.

So what did God require of His Temple priests and the nation? Let’s listen to God through His messenger...“From the days of your fathers you have turned aside from “my” statutes and have “not” kept them.

You have turned aside from My word, so you have turned aside from Me...“friends, remember the words of Jesus?... “

“If you love me, you will keep my commandments. And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Helper, to be with you forever,”

‭‭John‬ ‭14:15-16‬ ‭

God was saying to the priests and subsequently, the nation, “Your love for Me has grown cold. You can say all you want too, but your unbelief and disobedience speaks far louder. You don't want my help, you think that you are OK on your own but, how wrong you are.

“So return to me, and I will return to you, says the Lord of hosts. Remember...I have loved you...”

I wonder if this last message prepared Israel for the next 400years?

It’s the rest of the story.

Have a great day

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September 29th

Our bible reading today is in Psalm 126 and Nehemiah 11-13.

The Babylonian captives from Judah, after 70+ years, have come home. Jeremiah prophesied it and it came true.

They are a small number compared to the millions exiled by King Nebechadnezer, but they followed Zerubabbel, Ezra, and Nehemiah back to their ruined cities to rebuild their promised land way of life. They worked on the Temple in Jerusalem. But they were soon intimidated by Tobiah and other godless neighbors so they slowed the Temple work down to a crawl.

Ezra came to set a spiritual tone and set a fire of desire in their hearts to get back to work. To finish (to a measure) the House of God’s Presence. But the wall around Jerusalem was another matter. It was still torn down beyond recognition.

So God raised up a man for the job. His name was Nehemiah. Was he in the construction business? No. But the Bible says God’s hand was upon him...that would be more than enough. Nehemiah inspired 50,000 people to work with him and God on the wall. And the job was finished in record time...52 days.

It is thought by some that Psalm 126 was written by Ezra for the workers on the Temple and the wall. Let’s read the 6 verses...“When the Lord restored the fortunes of Zion, we were like those who dream.” (We could hardly believe it. We were home and it was beginning to look like home. It was like we were “in” a dream.)

“Then our mouth was filled with laughter” (the kind of laughter that’s good like a medicine...we became like Isaac, children of laughter. Spurgeon said to his congregation: “sometimes the loftiest, holiest expression of all is laughter”...” and our mouths were full of it...” said Nehemiah.

"and our tongues were enlivened with shouts of joy"...singing. When our tongues were set free, speaking was not enough to declare our gratitude to God. Our hearts were filled with the joy that is our strength.

Then they said among the nations, “The Lord has done great things....The Lord has done great things for us; we are glad. Restore our fortunes, O Lord, like streams in the Negeb!

And to end the song Ezra wrote to the workers...“Those who sow in tears “shall reap” with shouts of joy! He who goes out weeping, bearing the seed for sowing, shall come home with shouts of joy, bringing his sheaves with him.”

You have sown seeds of faith in our Savior God...not just when your circumstances were happy ones. You have sown seeds of trust in God even when suffering brought tears. ”You sowed in tears” when you were exiled in Babylon and now on the wall, and what God promised He has done. He brought you home for rejoicing and He will do much more for your joy in the days ahead.

Wow, what a promise keeper our Savior God Jesus is.

Have a great day

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September 28th

The bible reading today is in Nehemiah 8-10.

The building of the wall around Jerusalem was completed. Now Nehemiah led the people in a dedication and a celebration pointing to what great things the Lord had done. He opened all the gates in the wall just after noon and the people poured into the city.

“And all the people gathered as one man into the square before the Water Gate. And Nehemiah told Ezra the scribe to bring the Book of the Law of Moses that the Lord had commanded Israel.”

‭‭Nehemiah‬ ‭8:1‬ ‭ESV‬‬

“And Ezra opened the book in the sight of all the people....and as he opened it all the people stood.”

‭‭Nehemiah‬ ‭8:5‬ ‭ESV‬‬

All the people gathered as one man to hear and receive the word of God from the scribe Ezra. What that tells me is that the Holy Spirit was working...moving God’s people to hunger for the Lord and His word.

They started listening to Ezra read the Pentateuch as the sun came up, at 6:am, and they listened for 6 straight hours.

That, my friends, was the work of the Spirit. It was the beginning of a genuine spiritual revival in Judah.

“Oh...Lord, do that again...do it among Your people today, Your churches in our nation. May the Holy Spirit move in our midst giving us a desire for God’s presence and for God’s word to us again.”

How did the people of Judah receive the words of God spoken by Ezra in Nehemiah’s day? "All the people stood...”

Out of respect for God’s man Ezra, and most importantly out of respect for the words of God...the people stood.

40 years ago, I had the privilege of preaching in a revival meeting in a village just outside Belize City, Belize, Central America.

People had walked 10-20 miles from their homes along the coast to get to where their church worshipped. After several songs, it was my turn to preach the Word.

I walked to the pulpit with excitement. And I turned and saw something that I had never seen. The people stood and applauded me, and then they remained standing for the duration of my 45-minute sermon. I was humbled beyond measure.

And the missionary walked to my side and asked if I would preach some more...they wanted to hear God’s words again.

By the way, it wasn’t their standing that inspired me. It was their hearts of love for everything Jesus.

Let’s listen to more of the people’s response to the reading of God’s words during those days of celebration.

“And Ezra blessed the Lord, the great God...And the people bowed their heads and worshiped the Lord with their faces to the ground.”

‭‭Nehemiah‬ ‭8:6‬ ‭ESV‬‬

And the people even wept, but Nehemiah exhorted them not to be sorrowful that day. That day was a “holy day” unto the Lord. So on that day they were to rejoice in the goodness of the Lord...for the joy of the Lord was their strength.

How awesome, there would be some solemn assemblies for the people of faith. But not today...they would throw a party and toast God their Savior.

Have a great day.