Sermon Notes
Character produces obvious results just like fruit trees bear obvious fruit. Christians that are excited about Christ and His Church are easily seen and Christians that are less than excited are just as easily seen. Part of our Christian character is that others easily see Jesus Christ in us. IF the only place where people observe your salvation in Christ is in your Church, then what is the point? Jesus told Nicodemus in John 3 that those who love The Light do their works in the light. Just before Jesus ascended back unto the Father in Matthew 28, He told us to take the Gospel to the world (cosmos). In Acts 26 Paul told King Agrippa that “this thing was not done in a corner.” The Holy Spirit produces a character of Jesus Christ within us that the world longs to see! Let them see HIM in YOU! You can download the 4 pages of notes for this August 23rd message here: Sermon Notes_Galatians 5.22-26.pdf
The connection between our thoughts and our heart cannot be denied because it is one of the most memorable illustrations/parables that Jesus put before His disciples and the Jews that listened as He spoke. When questioned by the Pharisees about why His disciples didn’t wash their hands before they ate, Jesus said this, “11 Not that which goeth into the mouth defileth a man; but that which cometh out of the mouth, this defileth a man…15 Then answered Peter and said unto him, Declare unto us this parable. 16 And Jesus said, Are ye also yet without understanding? 17 Do not ye yet understand, that whatsoever entereth in at the mouth goeth into the belly, and is cast out into the draught? 18 But those things which proceed out of the mouth come forth from the heart; and they defile the man. 19 For out of the heart proceed evil thoughts, murders, adulteries, fornications, thefts, false witness, blasphemies: 20 These are the things which defile a man: but to eat with unwashen hands defileth not a man.”
In our understanding of “Character of Thought”, we must understand how important the thought process of a Christian is. We know, that according to the Bible, we are all sinners. Sin is the inherent nature of every human being since Adam and Eve sinned in Eden. We were conceived in sin. We are born sinners. The nature of sin passed to all of us through our earthly fathers. That is why the doctrine of the virgin birth is so important, or else Jesus would have been a sinner too. But all 7 billion inhabitants of this planet that are spread across 7 continents are sinners. Now, let’s think about sin. Sin begins with a thought, or, temptation. When that thought, no matter what the subject may be, gets out of control, then wrongdoing (sin) will be the imminent result. Eve’s sin began with a thought. Adam’s sin began with a thought. My sins begin with thoughts. That is why we, as believers, must control our thought process through purposed character. Character does not happen by accident. Character comes from the determination and commitment of each person that decides they will do what is right, no matter what.
You can download Pastor Tom's 4 pages of sermon notes for this August 2nd message by going here: Sermon Notes_Phil. 4.8-Rom. 12.1-2.pdf
Everything that Jesus had to say to the people of Galilee and Capernaum is over. I want you to get kind of a picture here. He didn’t hold an altar call like we do to end a service. He didn’t have a musician play, or someone sing a “Benediction”. There were no announcements or “The Irish Blessing” quoted as Jesus lifted His hands, “May the road rise to meet you, may the wind be always at your back, may the sun shine warm upon your face, and may the rains fall softly on your fields. Until we meet again, may God hold you in the palm of His hand.” Jesus didn’t move quietly to the ‘back of the room’ while someone closed in prayer so He could exchange pleasantries with the Galileans as they left. He didn’t shake the first hand or hear someone say, “Oh Brother Jesus. I really enjoyed your message this morning.” Nope, none of that happened. Today, this is what some would call a “mic drop”.
To download the July 19th's sermon notes, go here: Sermon Notes_Matthew 7.28-29.pdf
I have said many times over the years that I am not a carpenter. There are some projects that I would/could take on without much apprehension as far as my talents go. I’ve built doors for barns and dog lots and I’ve hung drywall and fixed decking and replaced lap siding and simple things like that. But building a house is a far cry from the minor projects that I have done on my own. As Jesus concludes His Sermon on the Mount just outside of Capernaum, He is telling everyone there that all of us are ‘builders’ when it comes to our own house of faith. The house that he/she builds is their own soul and the salvation of it and within that building comes the foundation on which that house will be constructed. For the 4 pages of sermon notes for this July 12th sermon, click here: Sermon Notes_Matthew 7.24-27.pdf
One of the most solemn places that any American can ever visit is the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier at Arlington National Cemetery. This unknown soldier of WWI is a recipient of the Congressional Medal of Honor and the Victoria Cross, which is Great Britain’s version of the CMH. On the west panel of that honored gravesite is this inscription, “HERE RESTS IN HONORED GLORY AN AMERICAN SOLDIER KNOWN BUT TO GOD”. The soldiers of the US Army who guard the Tomb wear no rank on their uniforms, thus to not ‘out rank’ those who are buried there.
You can download the 4 pages of notes from this July 5th sermon by going here: Sermon Notes_Matthew 7.21-23.pdf
With everything going on in America today, MUCH is driven by the media. Those of more conservative views quickly call out CNN, MSNBC, NPR and others and label them as ‘fake news’ outlets. Those on the more liberal spectrum do the same thing. They call “FOX NEWS” ‘faux news’ and slam Glen Beck on “Blaze TV” and vilify Rush Limbaugh as sycophants of the far-right news media and their talking points. The left calls the right fake, and the right calls the left fake. “Fake News” is one of the more popular catch phrases of today.
Fakeness is not new just as we have seen in our Scripture passage this morning. Fakeness is, and has been, rampant in society for thousands of years.
You can download Pastor Tom's sermon notes for this June 28th message by going here: Sermon notes_Matthew 7.15-20.pdf
In this modern age of ease and electronics, the term “Hey” generally precedes an invite to a ‘non-entity’ device or program. It’s “Hey Siri” or “Hey Google” or “Hey Alexa” and from those devices we can directions sent to our phones or computers or tablets and our vehicles to get us to a right destination. I own an iPhone, and the first time I was heading home and my phone already knew what direction I was heading and how long it would take to get you there, it was a little disconcerting. But I’ve learned something about Siri…she can lie. You can tell her where you want to go, and she will lie about how to get there. To make it worse, when you want her to get you going back in a right direction and you start going back to where you started, she tells you to make a U-turn! That heifer wants you to keep going in HER direction and that isn’t always the RIGHT direction. Siri is of the Devil! Most of the time, the old girl will get you to where you’re wanting to go. It may be the long way or a different way, but she controls the options.
In these two short verses this morning, Jesus is removing the options when it concerns eternal life. This is where religion will get you into trouble.
Download Pastor Tom's sermon notes for June 14, here Sermon Notes_Matthew 7.13-14.pdf
The passage from which we will draw from the well of the Waters of Life is meant to be a passage speaking primarily of prayer and the power of prayer. The giving hand that I speak of in the title is the giving Hand of the Father in Heaven that bestows His goodness on all men, but especially upon those who diligently seek Him by faith. James wrote, “Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and cometh down from the Father of lights, with whom is no variableness, neither shadow of turning.” (James 1:17) But for those of us who have prayed for many years, we know that asking and receiving, to be honest, isn’t that simple.
For a copy of Pastor Tom's Sermon Notes for Sunday, June 7, 2020, click here:Sermon Notes. Matthew 7.7-12.pdf
I know that while I was reading these 6 verses that most of you were thinking about how many times you have heard someone use the words found in the very first verse of this 7th chapter. It is, without a doubt, the most misinterpreted, misquoted, misunderstood, and mishandled verse in the Bible. Unbelievers quote it and ‘claim’ its words as viable reason for them to not be rebuked for wrongdoing and the same goes with believers.
Notes for Sunday, May 31, 2020: Sermon Notes. Matthew 7.1-6.pdf
I know that this is Memorial Day weekend and we normally focus on those men and women who have paid the ultimate price for our freedom with their lives. There will be a Memorial Day tint to this message. While Jesus has given us examples of issues of life with their problems and solutions, He would be remiss if He didn’t warn us about a ‘silent killer’ of both life and spirit, worry. Anxiety has been one of the most prevalent symptoms brought about by the unknowns of this COVID crisis that has gripped our nation. Even before COVID-19 ever existed, studies showed that anxiety and stress increased the chances of heart disease and stroke by 29%. 32% of adolescents suffer from anxiety.
Sermon Notes for Sunday, May 24, 2020 Matt 6.25-34.pdf
If you were to get online right now and type in the title of this morning’s message, “Money Matters”, you would quickly find out that ‘money matters’ in America. There are podcasts, financial seminars, movies, songs and all kinds of topics that speak specifically about money and how much it ‘matters’. The Scriptures themselves contain all kinds of warnings about the love of money and then turns around to give us examples of how that riches (like Boaz) were used to bless the community and family. I’ve heard people that are single say that one of the topics they talk about before they agree to marry is…guess what…money.
Outline and notes for Sunday, May 17, 2020: Money Matters_Matthew 6.19-24.pdf
We have been looking the last several weeks at Jesus’ Sermon on the Mount and that His teachings there in Capernaum have been a basic “How to Live a Godly Life” technical manual for the Jews. This morning, we will look at the Apostle Paul doing basically the same thing for the Gentile (1 Corinthians 7:1-14) . I read all 14 verses to form the proper context (why) of the message, but we are going to look primarily at verses 12-14 for content (what) in our message this morning on Mother’s Day.
You can download the outline and sermon notes for this Mother's Day message for May 10, 2020 here:Godly Mothers_Where Are They.pdf
