The Word Is Not Imprisoned

August 30, 2021

Sermon Manuscript for Lord’s Day 8/29/2021

By Jason and Kimberly

Here is the link to download the manuscript if you are interested:

john-16.4b-15-the-holy-spirit-is-better-than-jesus-blog Download

Order of Worship—John 16.4b-15

Prelude

Announcements and Welcome

Call to Worship

(Isa. 40:9-14) ⁹ Go on up to a high mountain, O Zion, herald of good news; lift up your voice with strength, O Jerusalem, herald of good news; lift it up, fear not; say to the cities of Judah, “Behold your God!” ¹⁰ Behold, the Lord GOD comes with might, and his arm rules for him; behold, his reward is with him, and his recompense before him. ¹¹ He will tend his flock like a shepherd; he will gather the lambs in his arms; he will carry them in his bosom, and gently lead those that are with young. ¹² Who has measured the waters in the hollow of his hand and marked off the heavens with a span, enclosed the dust of the earth in a measure and weighed the mountains in scales and the hills in a balance? ¹³ Who has measured the Spirit of the LORD, or what man shows him his counsel? ¹⁴ Whom did he consult, and who made him understand? Who taught him the path of justice, and taught him knowledge, and showed him the way of understanding?

Hymn No. 314 “All Hail the Power of Jesus’ Name”

Pastoral Prayer

Hymn No. 88 “Abide with Me”

(Rom. 5:8) ⁸ but God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.

Hymn No. 250 “And Can it Be”

Sermon—John 16:4b-15 “The Holy Spirit is Better than Jesus”

Hymn No. 474 “All the Way My Savior Leads Me”

Benediction

(Heb. 10:12-17) ¹² But when Christ had offered for all time a single sacrifice for sins, he sat down at the right hand of God, ¹³ waiting from that time until his enemies should be made a footstool for his feet. ¹⁴ For by a single offering he has perfected for all time those who are being sanctified. ¹⁵ And the Holy Spirit also bears witness to us; for after saying, ¹⁶ “This is the covenant that I will make with them after those days, declares the Lord: I will put my laws on their hearts, and write them on their minds,” ¹⁷ then he adds, “I will remember their sins and their lawless deeds no more.”

Leave a comment | tags: Convict the World, Holy Spirit, sermon manuscript, The Gospel of John | posted in Sermon Manuscripts

August 23, 2021

Sermon Manuscript for Lord’s Day 8/22/2021

By Jason and Kimberly

Here is the link to download the manuscript if you are interested:

john-15.18-16.4ae28094sheep-sent-to-the-wolves-blog Download

Order of Worship—John 15.18 – 16.4a

Prelude

Announcements and Welcome

Call to Worship

(Ps. 150:1-6) Praise the LORD! Praise God in his sanctuary; praise him in his mighty heavens! ² Praise him for his mighty deeds; praise him according to his excellent greatness! ³ Praise him with trumpet sound; praise him with lute and harp! ⁴ Praise him with tambourine and dance; praise him with strings and pipe! ⁵ Praise him with sounding cymbals; praise him with loud clashing cymbals! ⁶ Let everything that has breath praise the LORD! Praise the LORD!

Hymn No. 22 “We Will Glorify”

Pastoral Prayer

O, Father, the storms and winds have blown this week and they are still raging! May our feet remain firmly planted on the Rock and not sand. We need you! The pain of loss…the pain of not knowing what’s next…the pain of things being different…the pain waiting for bad news…O Lord please hold us fast. Be near us! Comfort our hearts. Help us bear one another’s burdens. May we weep with those who weep.

But we do not grieve as those without hope! (1 Cor. 15:55-58) ⁵⁵ “O death, where is your victory? O death, where is your sting?” ⁵⁶ The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law. ⁵⁷ But thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ. ⁵⁸ Therefore, my beloved brothers, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that in the Lord your labor is not in vain.

Hymn No. 56 “Immortal, Invisible, God Only Wise”

(2 Tim. 3:10-17) ¹⁰ You, however, have followed my teaching, my conduct, my aim in life, my faith, my patience, my love, my steadfastness, ¹¹ my persecutions and sufferings that happened to me at Antioch, at Iconium, and at Lystra– which persecutions I endured; yet from them all the Lord rescued me. ¹² Indeed, all who desire to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will be persecuted, ¹³ while evil people and impostors will go on from bad to worse, deceiving and being deceived. ¹⁴ But as for you, continue in what you have learned and have firmly believed, knowing from whom you learned it ¹⁵ and how from childhood you have been acquainted with the sacred writings, which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus. ¹⁶ All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, ¹⁷ that the man of God may be complete, equipped for every good work.

Hymn No. 344 “Ancient Words”

Sermon John 15:8 – 16:4a

Hymn No. 663 “O Church Arise”

Benediction

(Jas. 1:2-4) ² Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds, ³ for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness. ⁴ And let steadfastness have its full effect, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing.

(2 Cor. 13:14) ¹⁴ The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ and the love of God and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with you all.

Leave a comment | tags: Opposition, Perpetua, persecution, purpose, sermon manuscript, suffering, The Gospel of John | posted in Sermon Manuscripts

August 19, 2021

Catalyst Missions

By Jason and Kimberly

I have noticed a lot of traffic on this blog is from many other countries throughout the world. So, if you are looking for help to grow in your understanding of the Scriptures and would be committed to some intense training for the purpose of bearing fruit and making disciples in your own context, take a look at Catalyst Missions. You can click the hyperlink or you can find the link on the sidebar under Ministries.

You can also check out the Catalyst Missions YouTube channel for updates, past work, ongoing work, and many of the training modules that are in Spanish. There are sermons available there as well.

I have personally been to central America to help train pastors and leaders there. I only say that for the purpose of giving you some assurance that you can trust this organization. I’ve been a part of other attempts to make disciples of all nations and this, by far, is the best group I have been a part of. Check them out.

Here are some pictures of the training in Nicaragua.

Leave a comment | tags: Catalyst Missions, Discipleship, Missions, Training, Truth | posted in Discipleship, Ministries, Missions, Pastoral Ministry, Resources

August 16, 2021

Sermon Manuscript for Lord’s Day 8/15/2021

By Jason and Kimberly

Here is the link to download the manuscript if you are interested:

john-15.12-17e28094love-other-leaky-clay-pots-blog Download

Order of Worship—John 15.12-17

Prelude

Announcements and Welcome

Call to Worship

(Ps. 116:12-19) ¹² What shall I render to the LORD for all his benefits to me? ¹³ I will lift up the cup of salvation and call on the name of the LORD, ¹⁴ I will pay my vows to the LORD in the presence of all his people. ¹⁵ Precious in the sight of the LORD is the death of his saints. ¹⁶ O LORD, I am your servant; I am your servant, the son of your maidservant. You have loosed my bonds. ¹⁷ I will offer to you the sacrifice of thanksgiving and call on the name of the LORD. ¹⁸ I will pay my vows to the LORD in the presence of all his people, ¹⁹ in the courts of the house of the LORD, in your midst, O Jerusalem. Praise the LORD!

Hymn No. 6 “How Great Thou Art”

Pastoral Prayer

Hymn No. 156 “Jesus, What a Friend for Sinners”

(1 Cor. 3:4-11) ⁴ For when one says, “I follow Paul,” and another, “I follow Apollos,” are you not being merely human? ⁵ What then is Apollos? What is Paul? Servants through whom you believed, as the Lord assigned to each. ⁶ I planted, Apollos watered, but God gave the growth. ⁷ So neither he who plants nor he who waters is anything, but only God who gives the growth. ⁸ He who plants and he who waters are one, and each will receive his wages according to his labor. ⁹ For we are God’s fellow workers. You are God’s field, God’s building. ¹⁰ According to the grace of God given to me, like a skilled master builder I laid a foundation, and someone else is building upon it. Let each one take care how he builds upon it. ¹¹ For no one can lay a foundation other than that which is laid, which is Jesus Christ.

Hymn No. 346 “The Church’s One Foundation

Sermon—John 15:12-17 “Loving Other Leaky Pots”

Hymn No. 234 “When I survey the Wondrous Cross”

Benediction

(2 Pet. 1:3-8) ³ His divine power has granted to us all things that pertain to life and godliness, through the knowledge of him who called us to his own glory and excellence, ⁴ by which he has granted to us his precious and very great promises, so that through them you may become partakers of the divine nature, having escaped from the corruption that is in the world because of sinful desire. ⁵ For this very reason, make every effort to supplement your faith with virtue, and virtue with knowledge, ⁶ and knowledge with self-control, and self-control with steadfastness, and steadfastness with godliness, ⁷ and godliness with brotherly affection, and brotherly affection with love. ⁸ For if these qualities are yours and are increasing, they keep you from being ineffective or unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ.

Let’s love one another and bear much fruit for God’s glory! Make every effort!

Leave a comment | tags: Love One Another, sermon manuscript, The Gospel of John | posted in Uncategorized

August 8, 2021

Sermon Manuscript for Lord’s Day 8/8/2021

By Jason and Kimberly

Here is the link to download the manuscript if you are interested:

john-15.1-11e28094abide-in-christ-bear-fruit-glorify-the-father-and-be-joyful-blog Download

Order of Worship—John 15.1-11

Prelude

Announcements and Welcome

Call to Worship

(Jer. 17:5-8) ⁵ Thus says the LORD: “Cursed is the man who trusts in man and makes flesh his strength, whose heart turns away from the LORD. ⁶ He is like a shrub in the desert, and shall not see any good come. He shall dwell in the parched places of the wilderness, in an uninhabited salt land. ⁷ “Blessed is the man who trusts in the LORD, whose trust is the LORD. ⁸ He is like a tree planted by water, that sends out its roots by the stream, and does not fear when heat comes, for its leaves remain green, and is not anxious in the year of drought, for it does not cease to bear fruit.”

Hymn No. 571 “This is the Day”

Pastoral Prayer

Hymn No. 456 “How Firm a Foundation”

(Ps. 42:1-2) As a deer pants for flowing streams, so pants my soul for you, O God. ² My soul thirsts for God, for the living God.

Hymn No. 554 “As the Deer”

Sermon—John 15:1-11

Hymn No. 559 “More Love to Thee, O Christ”

Benediction

(Col. 1:9-12) ⁹ And so, from the day we heard, we have not ceased to pray for you, asking that you may be filled with the knowledge of his will in all spiritual wisdom and understanding, ¹⁰ so as to walk in a manner worthy of the Lord, fully pleasing to him: bearing fruit in every good work and increasing in the knowledge of God; ¹¹ being strengthened with all power, according to his glorious might, for all endurance and patience with joy; ¹² giving thanks to the Father, who has qualified you to share in the inheritance of the saints in light.

Leave a comment | tags: Abiding, Evidence, Fruit, Perseverance, sermon manuscript, The Gospel of John | posted in Uncategorized

August 2, 2021

Sermon Manuscript for Lord’s Day 8/1/2021

By Jason and Kimberly

Here is the link to download the manuscript if anyone is interested:

john-14.18-31e28094promises-made-part-2-blog Download

Order of Worship—John 14.18-31 Part 2

Prelude

Announcement and Greeting

Call to Worship

Revelation 5

Hymn No. 47 “Fairest Lord Jesus”

Pastoral Prayer (as we prepare to come to the table)

Hymn No. 656 “A Mighty Fortress is our God”

(Lam. 3:24) ²⁴ “The LORD is my portion,” says my soul, “therefore I will hope in him.”

Hymn No. 506 “In Christ Alone”

Sermon John 14:18-31 Part 2

Lord’s Supper

Benediction Hymn No. 668 “Doxology”

Leave a comment | tags: Peace, Promises, sermon manuscript, The Gospel of John | posted in Uncategorized

July 27, 2021

A Consistent Theme

By Jason and Kimberly

I’ve been reading the Navigators Bible reading plan for several years. It’s one of those that has you reading in four different places throughout the year. I often notice consistent themes and connections between the four readings. This morning was one of those obvious ones.

It began in:

2 Chronicles 26:15-16

[15] In Jerusalem he made machines, invented by skillful men, to be on the towers and the corners, to shoot arrows and great stones. And his fame spread far, for he was marvelously helped, *till he was strong.

[16] *But when he was strong, he grew proud, to his destruction. *For he was unfaithful to the LORD his God and entered the temple of the LORD to burn incense on the altar of incense.

The next reading in the Psalms came from that creciendo at the end where the psalmist is giving us reasons why God is worthy of praise and describing how our disposition should be towards him:

Psalm 147:10-11[10] His delight is not in the strength of the horse, nor his pleasure in the legs of a man, [11] but the LORD takes pleasure in those who fear him, in those who hope in his steadfast love.

If that were not enough, Luke records an exchange Jesus had with a crowd about greed:

Luke 12:16-21

[16] And he told them a parable, saying, “The land of a rich man produced plentifully, [17] and he thought to himself, ‘What shall I do, for I have nowhere to store my crops?’ [18] And he said, ‘I will do this: I will tear down my barns and build larger ones, and there I will store all my grain and my goods. [19] And I will say to my soul, “Soul, you have ample goods laid up for many years; relax, eat, drink, be merry.”’ [20] But God said to him, ‘Fool! This night your soul is required of you, and the things you have prepared, whose will they be?’ [21] So is the one who lays up treasure for himself and is not rich toward God.”

None of the above is possible apart from the work of Christ, the gospel and the power of the Holy Spirit which is exactly how the readings ended:

2 Thessalonians 2:14-17

[14] To this he called you through our gospel, *so that you may obtain the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ. [15] So then, brothers, stand firm and hold to the traditions that you were taught by us, either by our spoken word or by our letter.

[16] Now may our Lord Jesus Christ himself, and God our Father, who loved us and gave us eternal comfort and good hope through grace, [17] comfort your hearts and establish them in every good work and word.

Though this wasn’t in my reading, this is what came to mind:

2 Corinthians 12:10

[10] For the sake of Christ, then, I am content with weaknesses, insults, hardships, persecutions, and calamities. For when I am weak, then I am strong.

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July 26, 2021

Sermon Manuscript for Lord’s Day 7/25/2021

By Jason and Kimberly

Here is the link to download the manuscript if you are interested:

john-14.18-31e28094promises-made-blog Download

Order of Worship—John 14.18-31 Part 1

Prelude

Announcements and Welcome

Call to Worship—Psalm 77

(Ps. 77:1-20) I cry aloud to God, aloud to God, and he will hear me. ² In the day of my trouble I seek the Lord; in the night my hand is stretched out without wearying; my soul refuses to be comforted. ³ When I remember God, I moan; when I meditate, my spirit faints. Selah ⁴ You hold my eyelids open; I am so troubled that I cannot speak. ⁵ I consider the days of old, the years long ago. ⁶ I said, “Let me remember my song in the night; let me meditate in my heart.” Then my spirit made a diligent search: ⁷ “Will the Lord spurn forever, and never again be favorable? ⁸ Has his steadfast love forever ceased? Are his promises at an end for all time? ⁹ Has God forgotten to be gracious? Has he in anger shut up his compassion?” Selah ¹⁰ Then I said, “I will appeal to this, to the years of the right hand of the Most High.” ¹¹ I will remember the deeds of the LORD; yes, I will remember your wonders of old. ¹² I will ponder all your work, and meditate on your mighty deeds. ¹³ Your way, O God, is holy. What god is great like our God? ¹⁴ You are the God who works wonders; you have made known your might among the peoples. ¹⁵ You with your arm redeemed your people, the children of Jacob and Joseph. Selah ¹⁶ When the waters saw you, O God, when the waters saw you, they were afraid; indeed, the deep trembled. ¹⁷ The clouds poured out water; the skies gave forth thunder; your arrows flashed on every side. ¹⁸ The crash of your thunder was in the whirlwind; your lightnings lighted up the world; the earth trembled and shook. ¹⁹ Your way was through the sea, your path through the great waters; yet your footprints were unseen. ²⁰ You led your people like a flock by the hand of Moses and Aaron.

Your way, O God, is holy. What god is great like our God?

Hymn No. 68 “Holy, Holy, Holy”

Prayer for Students, teachers, staff and schools

Hymn No. 28 “To God be the Glory”

(Heb. 10:19-23) ¹⁹ Therefore, brothers, since we have confidence to enter the holy places by the blood of Jesus, ²⁰ by the new and living way that he opened for us through the curtain, that is, through his flesh, ²¹ and since we have a great priest over the house of God, ²² let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith, with our hearts sprinkled clean from an evil conscience and our bodies washed with pure water. ²³ Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for he who promised is faithful.

Hymn No. 339 “Standing on the Promises”

Sermon—John 14:18-31 Part 1—Promises Made

Hymn No. 338 “Wonderful Words of Life”

Benediction

(Rom. 8:33-39) ³³ Who shall bring any charge against God’s elect? It is God who justifies. ³⁴ Who is to condemn? Christ Jesus is the one who died– more than that, who was raised– who is at the right hand of God, who indeed is interceding for us. ³⁵ Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or danger, or sword? ³⁶ As it is written, “For your sake we are being killed all the day long; we are regarded as sheep to be slaughtered.” ³⁷ No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. ³⁸ For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, ³⁹ nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.

Leave a comment | tags: Promises, sermon manuscript, The Gospel of John | posted in Uncategorized

July 22, 2021

Retreat

By Jason and Kimberly

This post has reminded me that I need to consider a time of solitude myself with the Lord. Those days were hard but the Lord was faithful to see us through! Don’t lose heart, dear pilgrim. May the joy of the Lord be your strength!

The Word Is Not Imprisoned

This past weekend I (Kimberly) spent a night, by myself, at the campus conference center and hotel (known to Southwesterners as the LDC). As Jason and I tried to explain to others what I was doing, we tried to come up with a name to call my time alone. The whole purpose was for me to be refreshed in the Lord. I had become so tired physically and spiritually, I really needed uninterrupted time with God. As I sat in the room and began journaling, I simply called it a retreat. At first I thought how odd that a word could have such different meanings. I was reminded of when Yosemite Sam screamed, “Retreat!” in the old Bugs Bunny cartoons, he meant to turn around and go the other way quickly! That was definitely not what I was doing! However, the more I thought about it, that’s exactly what I needed to be doing. It wasn’t long…

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July 21, 2021