Showing posts with label Jealousy. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Jealousy. Show all posts

Wednesday, July 5, 2023

Sermon Video: Why God made Israel jealous - Romans 11:7-15

When the majority of the Israelite people in Paul's generation rejected Jesus as Messiah, did God give up on them?  Absolutely not.  God continued to work with the faithful remnant (see previous sermon in this series) and remained faithful to his promise to Abraham by reserving a future time of restoration.

But what did God do in the meantime?  The era in which we now live is known as the Church Age, is was proceeded by the era of the Mosaic Covenant, and will last until the establishment of the Messianic Kingdom.  During this era God's work with the Gentiles, aside from its straightforward purpose of leading countless people to salvation, is also a method of using the jealously of God's covenant people (i.e. the descendants of Abraham, that is, Jews) to draw them toward faith in Jesus.  Why?  Because God's love for them, as a people called to his purpose, remains.

Sunday, November 22, 2020

Sermon Video: A prophet without honor - Mark 6:1-6

 "Local boy returns to a hero's welcome", that's what the headline should have read for the Nazareth newspaper (had there been one) when Jesus returned home. Instead, they recognized his wisdom and miracles, BUT scorned him anyway. Why? A toxic combination of pride and jealousy. This is not a rare phenomenon where 'familiarity breeds contempt', but it poisons our relationships and hinders both our churches and our communities. How much talent, passion, and energy have we lost because our pride/jealousy wouldn't recognize it and cultivate it in others?

To watch the video, click on the link below:


Tuesday, September 10, 2019

Sermon Video: Real Love - 1 Corinthians 13:4-7

Christians are supposed to be known for their love, love for each other, and love for even their enemies.  This, of itself, is beyond our capacity, but when viewed through the Apostle Paul's explanation in 1 Corinthians as to what constitutes real, genuine love, it would seem to make a difficult situation hopeless.  Thankfully, God has given his Spirit to his people, has empowered them to live like Jesus here in this world, because he has called us to embrace all 14 of the aspects of love that Paul highlighted (and perhaps others as well, it is not an exhaustive list, although it certainly is comprehensive).  What must our love be?  Patient and kind.  What must it be free of? Envy, boasting, pride, any willingness to dishonor others, selfishness, anger, and record keeping of the wrongs of others.  Give up yet?  In addition, love must rejoice in truth while rejecting the lure of utilizing evil (even thinking, 'that good may result', a false lie).  Love must always protect, trust, hope, and persevere. 
This is not a question of focus, willpower, or determination.  We cannot accomplish this on our own, not even close.  Once again, we must depend upon the transforming power of the Spirit of God, must embrace our role in the community of believers (for help, guidance, and support; mutually so), and must move forward, toward Christ-likeness, in faith because we all need real love.

To watch the video, click on the link below:

Wednesday, July 13, 2016

Sermon Video: A Jealous God? - James 4:4-6

James, like John and Paul, warns of the danger of "friendship with the world".  The question, of course, is what does this mean?  Instead of reading into the text our own beliefs about the subject (which would be the error of interpretation called eisegesis), we need to allow the text to speak for itself, seeking out the original meaning of the author and the original understanding of the audience/reader (the correct mode of interpretation, exegesis).  Therefore, any definition of "the world" which relies  upon modern concepts like an anti-technology explanation or one concerning democracy or capitalism, is certainly an anachronism that would have been unintelligible to both James and his readers.  This same concept is important in all areas of Biblical interpretation.  In order to honor God's word and show it respect, we need to seek the plain meaning of the text first.  Once we have ascertained what the text meant then, we can seek to understand how we ought to apply the text now.
So, what is "the world"?  In the context of James, the world is everything which is opposed to God, all that carry someone away from God.  James gives plenty of example of the types of behavior that we need to avoid, beginning in chapter two, and when we combine that contextual understanding with an overall sense of what Scripture as a whole requires of us, it becomes clear that "loving the world" equals disobedience to the commands of God.
We, as followers of Jesus Christ, cannot afford to be dual-minded, we cannot serve to masters, the choice before us is simple: Love God or love the world.

To watch the video, click on the link below:


Tuesday, May 7, 2013

Sermon Video: "Christ is preached...And because of this I rejoice" Philippians 1:12-18

The apostle Paul offers the church of Philippi encouragement by telling them that his imprisonment has counter-intuitively helped the spread of the Gospel rather than harming it.  It seems that those who know of Paul's arrest have not been intimidated into silence, rather they have begun to preach with boldness and courage because of the example of Paul.  On top of that, Paul's conduct while "in chains for Christ" has been an example to the soldiers and government officials connected to his case.  How would we respond to such persecution, would the threat of prison or worse silence our witness to the Gospel?  That isn't a question we can answer ahead of time, but certainly something for us to remember when things far less serious than that stop us from witnessing.
Paul also tells the church that he isn't worried about those who are preaching the Gospel because of their jealousy of Paul.  They may be spreading the message of redemption through false motives, but the message they are sharing is still the hope that the Lost need so desperately.  How do we respond when others share the Gospel through ways and means that we don't appreciated?  Do we rejoice when others Christians have success in their ministry even if we don't?  Paul knew that only the important things, such as the preaching of the Gospel, are worth fighting for.  To get sidetracked by our ego is to lose track of the servant's heart that Christ demonstrated; the Gospel must come first.
Paul's demonstration of grace in the face of trails, from without (his arrest) and within (those jealous of him), is an example to us all.  Are we focusing on the Gospel, have we kept are eyes on the primary duty of the Church?

To watch the video, click on the link below:
Sermon Video

Sunday, February 12, 2012

Sermon Video: "Joseph: From favorite son to slave" - Genesis 37

Have you ever wondered how Joseph turned out to be such a man of faith?  His family and childhood were full of exploits that seem more at home in the tabloids than the Bible.  At seventeen he was set upon by his own brothers and sold into slavery.  This sermon explores the sin that crept over his brothers, their chances to put a stop to it, and leaves us wondering how Joseph overcame such as dysfunctional family.  The second part of the sermon will follow next week.

To watch the video, click on the link below:
Sermon Video