Is God Really In Control?

Posted on 2016/08/09 by Shawn Thomas

If your circumstances have ever been so bad that you wondered whether God was really in control, you are not alone.  Those living in the days of Jesus and John the Baptist must have had occasion to feel the same thing.  Matthew 14 describes how John had been thrown into prison merely for telling the truth about an immoral king. Then a young girl dances for the king, and he consequently promises her anything she wants. Unbelievably, her ungodly mother has her ask for John’s HEAD!  Who is in control here? Continue reading →

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“How To Build A Life Of Joy” (Philippians 1:3-5 sermon)

Posted on 2016/08/08 by Shawn Thomas

Samuel Rutherford was a pastor in Anwoth, Scotland in the 1600’s, when the English government changed, and demanded that all ministers use the government prescribed prayer book, and submit to the rites and ordinances of the Anglican church, instead of following the scriptures as many of them had been doing. Rutherford and 2000 other ministers refused to submit to the government order, and they were thrown out of their churches by the government. (By the way — we may not be far from this same kind of thing happening here in the US; we need to learn from the courage and conviction of men like Rutherford.) Samuel Rutherford was banished to prison in Aberdeen. But even in exile, separated from his home, his church, and his friends, Rutherford had joy in the Lord. He wrote of his time in prison: “My Lord Jesus has fully recompensed my sadness with His joys; my losses with His own presence.”

One of the greatest signs of the genuine Christian life, is the ability to rejoice, even in difficult circumstances. This kind of Christian joy is what the prisoners in the Philippian prison saw in Paul & Silas, when they were singing in the prison at midnight. Paul knew about joy. And this Book of Philippians is all about joy. Throughout the book the words “joy” or “rejoice” are repeatedly used. The Greek Bible word for “joy” has a basic meaning of “cheerfulness” or “gladness” — but it is MORE than just “mere surface happiness.” It is something deeper. In our Wednesday night Psalm studies, we saw that David said in Psalm 4, “You have put gladness in my heart more than when their grain and new wine abound” — in other words, there is a kind of happiness that God gives us that is more than what worldly people experience when they have a lot of food and drink. It is deeper than that. Jesus said in John that the joy He gives, no one can take away. Joy is something we all want in our lives: we all want the kind of gladness that you can have even in times of difficulty. But how can you have it? Paul, who KNEW that joy while he was AGAIN in prison as he was writing this letter to the Philippians, reveals to us in our verses for today several things that will build joy in your life:

“I thank my God in all my remembrance of you, always offering prayer with joy in my every prayer for you all, in view of your participation in the gospel from the first day until now.”

These verses teach us several things about how we can build a life of joy: Continue reading →

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Limited By Our Unbelief

Posted on 2016/08/08 by Shawn Thomas

“And He did not do many miracles there because of their unbelief.” (Matthew 13:58)

These words were written about the people in Nazareth, Jesus’ home town. Verses 53 and following tell us how the people there questioned Jesus: “Is this not the carpenter’s son?”, etc., and “took offense at Him.”  Consequently, the scripture says, Jesus did not do much there, and the reason was their own failure to believe.

This is more than a mere historical note, however. It calls for some soul-searching on our part.   Continue reading →

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No Difference In “The Wheat & The Tares”?

Posted on 2016/08/03 by Shawn Thomas

“But when the wheat sprouted and bore grain, then the tares became evident also.” (Matthew 13:26)

The parable of “The Wheat & The Tares” has become one of the most well-known parables in American Christianity, primarily through popular contemporary preaching that “you can’t tell the difference between the wheat and the tares”; that a person may be sitting in church, doing all the “right things”, but really be lost. Many American church members have been convicted by such preaching that they may have  never truly known Jesus as their Savior, and fearing that they might have been “tares”, have made new professions of faith in Christ and were baptized.  But is there really no difference to be seen between the wheat and the tares? Continue reading →

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The Deceitfulness of Wealth

Posted on 2016/08/02 by Shawn Thomas

“And the one on whom seed was sown on the good soil, this is the man who hears the word, and the worry of the world and the deceitfulness of wealth choke the word, and it becomes unfruitful.” (Matthew 13:22)

A little phrase in this verse has a big message — and it is something that we who live in the richest nation in the world would do well pay attention to: “the deceitfulness of wealth.”  We should ask ourselves: WHY did Jesus call it “the DECEITFULNESS of wealth”?  Why did He use that word to describe it?  Because wealth is deceitful in a number of ways: Continue reading →

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“What You Really Need, & Where It Comes From” (Philippians 1:2 sermon)

Posted on 2016/08/01 by Shawn Thomas

Sometimes what you think you want is not really what you need. I walked into an Asian restaurant the other day and ordered something that I thought was like eggrolls (which I love!), but when I got it, it was some kind of raw lettuce thing that ended up going straight to the trash. What I thought I wanted was not what I wanted at all!

That applies to a number of areas of our lives. What we THINK we want is not really what we need. You may see a protester with a sign that says: “Justice for so-and-so!” — but if the truth be known, if “so-and-so” really got the justice that was coming to him, it wouldn’t turn out so well for him. We say we want “justice” for ourselves and others — but is that what we really need?

This morning we are continuing our study in the Book of Philippians with the second verse:

“Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.”

Here the Apostle Paul and Timothy, whom we saw last week consider themselves as “slaves” of Jesus Christ — as should we — give their greeting to the church at Philippi. Almost these exact same words found here in :2 of Philippians are repeated in most of Paul’s letters of the New Testament. They are very important, because they reveal a lot to us about what we really want and need — and most importantly, where we can get it! Continue reading →

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Win the Spiritual Battle For Your Loved Ones’ Salvation

Posted on 2016/08/01 by Shawn Thomas

“When anyone hears the word of the kingdom and does not understand it, the evil one comes and snatches away what has been sown in his heart. This is the one on whom seed was sown beside the road.” (Matthew 13:19)

Christians sometimes approach the evangelism of their friends and neighbors as though if they could convice them intellectually, they will have won them. But an insight from Matthew 13:19 shows us otherwise. Continue reading →

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The Family of God

Posted on 2016/07/28 by Shawn Thomas

“And stretching out His hand toward His disciples, He said: ‘Behold My mother and My brothers!'” (Matthew 12:49)

This passage is just one of many in the New Testament where Jesus turns the traditional values of this world upside-down.  Verse 47 says that while Jesus was speaking to the crowds, someone informed Him that His mother and brothers were outside seeking to speak to Him. Undoubtedly they thought that His flesh & blood relatives would have a special “inside” connection with the Lord — but Jesus’ words were surprising: Continue reading →

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Why “Turning Over A New Leaf” Is Never Enough

Posted on 2016/07/27 by Shawn Thomas

“Now when the unclean spirit goes out of a man, it passes through waterless places seeking rest, and does not find it. Then it says, ‘I will return to my house from which I came’; and when it comes, it finds it unoccupied, swept and put in order. Then it goes and takes along with it seven other spirits more wicked than itself, and they go and live there; and the last state of that man becomes worse than the first.” (Matthew 12:43-45)

This sobering scripture shows us why “self reform” or what people call “turning over a new leaf” is never enough to really save and change a person.  In Jesus’ story, a person has tried to “clean up” their life and “put it in order” — but the demon returns and finds everything temporarily clean — but still empty and unocccupied!  So he brings along more demons and the person ends up worse than they were before.

This is the picture of the person who tries to “get their life in order” apart from Christ. They try to “reform” themselves: to get everything “swept and put in order” and “cast the demons out” of their life. But those demons will return if there isn’t Someone there who has taken their place, and who will keep them out!

This why genuine salvation through Christ is vital. When a person is truly saved, they do repent of their sin — somewhat similar to the one who “sweeps and puts in order” his life — but there is one more vital step: instead of merely trying to “reform” their life on their own, they ask Christ to come take up residence in their heart, through the presence of His Holy Spirit. There is now a new occupant residing inside them!  And as I John 4:4 says, “Greater is he who is in you, than he who who is in the world” so there is a new protection and power against those enemies and bad habits which would return.

“Turning over a new leaf” doesn’t work. It’s who so many people try, and try, and try again to reform their life — always failing. It is never enough to just try to stop certain bad habits in your life — you must REPLACE that spot in your heart with something — better, SomeONE! — the Lord Jesus, who comes into your life not only to forgive you, but also to give you a new power and protection against the enemy.

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The Heart of Our Evangelism Problem

Posted on 2016/07/26 by Shawn Thomas

“For the mouth speaks out of that which fills the heart.” (Matthew 12:34)

Jesus spoke these words to the Pharisees, who accused Him in :24 of casting out demons by the power of Beelzebub. He turned the focus back on them, saying that their hearts were not right with God, which is why they spoke against Jesus, and blasphemed the Holy Spirit.  They spoke out of that which filled their hearts.  And of course the same thing is true for people today. We don’t accidentally “slip” and say bad things. “The mouth speaks out of that which fills the heart.” Our words reveal what is inside us.

But this principle can also be true in a more positive way. Continue reading →

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