Here’s the link to download the manuscript if you are interested:
Tag Archives: Holy Spirit
Healthy Pastors Conference
Pastors, assistant pastors, elders, and even aspiring to be pastors are invited to our first Healthy Pastors Conference. There’s a story that we will share at the conference that gets at what we are trying to do with this gathering. I will share that story later but I hope our story will be that story too.
If we want healthy churches then one of the pieces needed to accomplish that or maintain that is having healthy pastors.We want to fan the flame within them through preaching and singing and fellowship with other pastors.
Consider buying a ticket for your pastor and providing for his travel and stay here in Nashville. Here’s the link to sign up.
https://hbatn.org/new-products/healthy-pastor-conference-ticket
The Lord’s Day Sermon Manuscript for January 12, 2025
Here’s the link to download the manuscript if you are interested:
The Lord’s Day Sermon Manuscript for November 17, 2024
Here’s the link to download the manuscript if you are interested:
Daily Encouragement
It seems I notice more and more our faith in Christ becoming visible through gladly obeying Christ’s commands each time I read the Scriptures. Today, John chapter 13 ends in that way.
John 13:34-35
[34] A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another: just as I have loved you, you also are to love one another. [35] By this all people will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another.”
As you might know, Jesus is beginning his farewell to his disciples. Obviously everything Jesus says is important but this is the first thing he says which gives it an added emphasis.
To circle back to what he said might bring up a question—what’s new about the commandment? If we compare this commandment with loving your neighbor as yourself then we can easily spot the difference. Jesus has raised the standard of love to say—love each other the way I have loved you. These disciples have seen how he loved them and others for nearly 3 years.
His ultimate display of love is wrapped up in the farewell. He knows that he is about to lay down his life for them. He asks his disciples to do the same for each other. Why? Well, the way we know Jesus loved us was clearly displayed on the cross. So too if we lay down our lives for each other then ALL MEN will know that we are Christ’s disciples.
Of course laying down your life for each other will not likely mean physical death though it’s possible. But it most certainly means that we are dying to self. It means we are gladly serving others and their needs not just ourselves.
This extraordinary love has massive implications in the world. To make Jesus known comes not only through word but also deed. When we focus on and believe in how Christ has loved us—his enemies who are tax collectors and sinners—then we should not find it so difficult to love each other.
Go make Jesus known! Know him and make him known!
Daily Encouragement
The difficulty in reaching people in the nation and community in which I live with the gospel is that most people seem very comfortable and really think they don’t need anything. We find ways to block out the bad news and brokenness within our own hearts.
For those who have been redeemed, we see our neediness and the evil of this world. We may wonder why the wicked prosper. We may see the foolish and arrogant rule us. We may become weary under their reign and cry out to God, “How long, O Lord?”
The reply is always this—“Not forever. Wait patiently, dear child. Trust me.”
Daily Encouragement
Well, each morning I usually decide between one of the four places in my reading plan to use for the daily encouragement. This morning I was torn between two. Instead of picking which one I will try to tie the two together.
The first is the amazing story of Daniel 3. It is so clear that anyone can understand it. It’s so dependent on faith that it’s easy to see how hard it is to trust the Lord. But after seeing Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego trust the Lord in the fiery furnace we are left with exposed hearts likely wondering what we would have done.
While it may seem hard to trust the Lord whom you cannot see verses your enemies whom you can see and you can feel the ropes binding you and you can feel the heat from the furnace before you, the hidden reality and the deliverance available comes only by faith which cannot be seen. You might point out that there is no mention of faith in that story. You are correct.
However their faith is more obvious than if it had been said that they had faith. Their actions say it loud and clear. They resist Nebuchadnezzar’s command but gladly obey God’s command at the risk of their lives.
Daniel 3:16-18
[16] Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego answered and said to the king, “O Nebuchadnezzar, we have no need to answer you in this matter. [17] If this be so, our God whom we serve is able to deliver us from the burning fiery furnace, and he will deliver us out of your hand, O king. [18] But if not, be it known to you, O king, that we will not serve your gods or worship the golden image that you have set up.”
Not only were they delivered but those who bound them were consumed by the furnace. Furthermore, the Most High God was made known through their glad obedience. And they were promoted as rulers of the land of Babylon. That pattern should be kept in mind. This is how it ends for all who trust the Lord. Maybe not in this land but later we will rule with our King.
But what would cause a man to give up on God in these moments? It’s simply this: John 12:43 for they loved the approval of men rather than the approval of God. The approval of men will deliver you in the present temporarily but even that is no guarantee. The approval of God will deliver you later in the future eternally and that is guaranteed forever.
How do you know that you have faith? What does the test scores say? What does the fruit say? What did the life of the three Hebrew boys say? Whose approval do you seek? Do you want self preservation now or later? Temporary or eternal?
Trust the Lord like these guys and know your approval rests in the finished word of Christ who trusted the Father all the way to the cross and he was raised to life eternal. And so will we if we trust him and gladly follow him.
Thanksgiving Day
What is giving thanks?
—it’s a response to someone who gave things to you. And the things given were not earned. (For example, our paycheck is something you shouldn’t give thanks for because you worked for it).
—the response is vocalized which should be accompanied by a particular disposition toward the person who gave to you.
—the response of thanksgiving does not require that the person who gave to you be superior to you. Most certainly God is worthy of our thanksgivings everyday but other people who have given to you ought to receive a thankful response too.
—thankfulness requires that you notice these things. You must be aware of what you have been given was undeserved.
—because to be generous here, we can possibly forget. An opposite response to someone who gave is to forget the response of thanksgiving. This could be due to not stopping to think about what has occurred or there’s just too much going on in life therefore you did not remember the kind deeds done to you.
—while forgetfulness is a possibility for not being thankful, more often than not it is out of pride. We think we deserve everything and the world ought to take notice. They ought to be thankful for the opportunity to give to me kind of attitude. On a more subtle note of pride, we might abhor the gift and in doing so we abhor the giver. Now, we will likely respond with the words of thanksgiving but they are just words. The gift isn’t what I wanted or needed and we think there’s no benefit from it.
—though we could breakdown piece by piece the steps from pride to unbelief I don’t think that’s necessary. The major problem with not having a heart of thankfulness is unbelief in God. This is the root of unthankfulness. Because if we trust in the Lord, we of all people know and understand that God has been gracious and merciful to us in every respect throughout our entire life. When we turn our attention on the fact that we deserve the consequences of our sin—the miseries of this life and eternal death itself. But Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners like us. He took the death that we deserved and we get forgiveness and counted righteous by faith in him. To all who have turned from their sins and trusted in Jesus, we will be saved. From that understanding, we of all people ought to be thankful!
Daily Encouragement
As I was reading along in my normal plan this morning, I read (hopefully) a summary of the sermon from this past Sunday. As I read it, I thought to myself, that’s what I was saying, I think. It was encouraging to hear this so clearly and succinctly stated by our Lord Jesus.
Here it is—John 12:23-26
[23] And Jesus answered them, “The hour has come for the Son of Man to be glorified. [24] Truly, truly, I say to you, unless a grain of wheat falls into the earth and dies, it remains alone; but if it dies, it bears much fruit. [25] Whoever loves his life loses it, and whoever hates his life in this world will keep it for eternal life. [26] If anyone serves me, he must follow me; and where I am, there will my servant be also. If anyone serves me, the Father will honor him.
Faith in Christ is the dying. The fruit of the seed dying is good deeds. Hating one’s life is dying. Dying is faith in Christ. Hating one’s life is hating the things God hates. It’s also hating the guilt and shame that comes from our sin.
To die is to repent and believe in Jesus. There you lose your life but gain eternal life. But in the meantime, we serve our Savior and King. To serve Christ is to follow Christ. And to follow Christ is eventually to be with Christ. Where he is we will also be.
The result of a seed falling into the dust and dying is fruit! No fruit, no dying. No dying, no eternal life. You can have your life now and be god of your own life but just know that it’s temporary and you will eventually lose it, not save it.
The Word Is Not Imprisoned 