PREACHING TO SKELETONS

Posted on December 11, 2022 by pmayfield

PREACHING TO SKELETONS

Ezekiel 37: 1-14

by Rev. Richard Jones

 

 

THE DRY BONES
Ezekiel 37:1-3 (ESV)
1  The hand of the LORD was upon me, and he brought me out in the Spirit of the LORD and set me down in the middle of the valley; it was full of bones.
2  And he led me around among them, and behold, there were very many on the surface of the valley, and behold, they were very dry.
3  And he said to me, “Son of man, can these bones live?” And I answered, “O Lord GOD, you know.”

Deuteronomy 28:25-26 (ESV)
25  “The LORD will cause you to be defeated before your enemies. You shall go out one way against them and flee seven ways before them. And you shall be a horror to all the kingdoms of the earth.
26  And your dead body shall be food for all birds of the air and for the beasts of the earth, and there shall be no one to frighten them away.

 

THE DEAD SOLDIERS
Ezekiel 37:4-8 (ESV)
4  Then he said to me, “Prophesy over these bones, and say to them, O dry bones, hear the word of the LORD. 5  Thus says the Lord GOD to these bones: Behold, I will cause breath to enter you, and you shall live. 6  And I will lay sinews upon you, and will cause flesh to come upon you, and cover you with skin, and put breath in you, and you shall live, and you shall know that I am the LORD.” 7  So I prophesied as I was commanded. And as I prophesied, there was a sound, and behold, a rattling, and the bones came together, bone to its bone. 8  And I looked, and behold, there were sinews on them, and flesh had come upon them, and skin had covered them. But there was no breath in them.

 

THE DELIVERED ARMY
Ezekiel 37:9-10 (ESV)
9  Then he said to me, “Prophesy to the breath; prophesy, son of man, and say to the breath, Thus says the Lord GOD: Come from the four winds, O breath, and breathe on these slain, that they may live.” 10  So I prophesied as he commanded me, and the breath came into them, and they lived and stood on their feet, an exceedingly great army.

 

THE DYNAMIC MESSAGE
Ezekiel 37:11-14 (ESV)
11  Then he said to me, “Son of man, these bones are the whole house of Israel. Behold, they say, ‘Our bones are dried up, and our hope is lost; we are indeed cut off.’
12  Therefore prophesy, and say to them, Thus says the Lord GOD: Behold, I will open your graves and raise you from your graves, O my people. And I will bring you into the land of Israel. 13  And you shall know that I am the LORD, when I open your graves, and raise you from your graves, O my people. 14  And I will put my Spirit within you, and you shall live, and I will place you in your own land. Then you shall know that I am the LORD; I have spoken, and I will do it, declares the LORD.”

Jeremiah 31:31-34 (ESV)
31  “Behold, the days are coming, declares the LORD, when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and the house of Judah,
32  not like the covenant that I made with their fathers on the day when I took them by the hand to bring them out of the land of Egypt, my covenant that they broke, though I was their husband, declares the LORD.
33  For this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, declares the LORD: I will put my law within them, and I will write it on their hearts. And I will be their God, and they shall be my people.
34  And no longer shall each one teach his neighbor and each his brother, saying, ‘Know the LORD,’ for they shall all know me, from the least of them to the greatest, declares the LORD. For I will forgive their iniquity, and I will remember their sin no more.”

 

THE DEPENDABLE TRUTH
Luke 1:26-38 (ESV)
26  In the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent from God to a city of Galilee named Nazareth, 27  to a virgin betrothed to a man whose name was Joseph, of the house of David. And the virgin’s name was Mary. 28  And he came to her and said, “Greetings, O favored one, the Lord is with you!” 29  But she was greatly troubled at the saying, and tried to discern what sort of greeting this might be. 30  And the angel said to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God. 31  And behold, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus.32  He will be great and will be  called the Son of the Most High. And the Lord God will give to him the throne of his father David, 33  and he will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and of his kingdom there will be no end.” 34  And Mary said to the angel, “How will this be, since I am a virgin?”           35  And the angel answered her, “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you; therefore the child to be born will be called holy—the Son of God.       36  And behold, your relative Elizabeth in her old age has also conceived a son, and this is the sixth month with her who was called barren. 37  For nothing will be impossible with God.” 38  And Mary said, “Behold, I am the servant of the Lord; let it be to me according to your word.” And the angel departed from her.

2 Corinthians 1:8-11 (ESV)
8  For we do not want you to be unaware, brothers, of the affliction we experienced in Asia. For we were so utterly burdened beyond our strength that we despaired of life itself. 9  Indeed, we felt that we had received the sentence of death. But that was to make us rely not on ourselves but on God who raises the dead. 10  He delivered us from such a deadly peril, and he will deliver us. On him we have set our hope that he will deliver us again. 11  You also must help us by prayer, so that many will give thanks on our behalf for the blessing granted us through the prayers of many.

 

 

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THE DAY GOD LEFT THE BUILDING

Posted on December 4, 2022 by pmayfield

THE DAY GOD LEFT THE BUILDING

Ezekiel 

by Rev. Richard Jones

 

 

 

The Call                                                                                                                       Ezekiel 2:1-5 (ESV)
1  And he said to me, “Son of man, stand on your feet, and I will speak with you.”
2  And as he spoke to me, the Spirit entered into me and set me on my feet, and I heard him speaking to me.
3  And he said to me, “Son of man, I send you to the people of Israel, to nations of rebels, who have rebelled against me. They and their fathers have transgressed against me to this very day.
4  The descendants also are impudent and stubborn: I send you to them, and you shall say to them, ‘Thus says the Lord GOD.’
5  And whether they hear or refuse to hear (for they are a rebellious house) they will know that a prophet has been among them.

 

THE DAY GOD LEFT THE TEMPLE

Captured by a Vision                                                                                                   Ezekiel 8:1-4 (ESV)
1  In the sixth year, in the sixth month, on the fifth day of the month, as I sat in my house, with the elders of Judah sitting before me, the hand of the Lord GOD fell upon me there.
2  Then I looked, and behold, a form that had the appearance of a man. Below what appeared to be his waist was fire, and above his waist was something like the appearance of brightness, like gleaming metal.
3  He put out the form of a hand and took me by a lock of my head, and the Spirit lifted me up between earth and heaven and brought me in visions of God to Jerusalem, to the entrance of the gateway of the inner court that faces north, where was the seat of the image of jealousy, which provokes to jealousy.
4  And behold, the glory of the God of Israel was there, like the vision that I saw in the valley.

 

Idol in the Courtyard                                                                                                  Ezekiel 8:5-6 (ESV)
5  Then he said to me, “Son of man, lift up your eyes now toward the north.” So I lifted up my eyes toward the north, and behold, north of the altar gate, in the entrance, was this image of jealousy.
6  And he said to me, “Son of man, do you see what they are doing, the great abominations that the house of Israel are committing here, to drive me far from my sanctuary? But you will see still greater abominations.”

 

Paintings on the Wall                                                                                            Ezekiel 8:7-13 (ESV)
7  And he brought me to the entrance of the court, and when I looked, behold, there was a hole in the wall. 8  Then he said to me, “Son of man, dig in the wall.” So I dug in the wall, and behold, there was an entrance. 9  And he said to me, “Go in, and see the vile abominations that they are committing here.”   10  So I went in and saw. And there, engraved on the wall all around, was every form of creeping things and loathsome beasts, and all the idols of the house of Israel. 11  And before them stood seventy men of the elders of the house of Israel, with Jaazaniah the son of Shaphan standing among them. Each had his censer in his hand, and the smoke of the cloud of incense went up. 12  Then he said to me, “Son of man, have you seen what the elders of the house of Israel are doing in the dark, each in his room of pictures? For they say, ‘The LORD does not see us, the LORD has forsaken the land.’” 13  He said also to me, “You will see still greater abominations that they commit.”

 

Tears for a Fake
Ezekiel 8:14-15 (ESV)
14  Then he brought me to the entrance of the north gate of the house of the LORD, and behold, there sat women weeping for Tammuz.
15  Then he said to me, “Have you seen this, O son of man? You will see still greater abominations than these.”

 

Worshiping the Sun
Ezekiel 8:16-17 (ESV)
16  And he brought me into the inner court of the house of the LORD. And behold, at the entrance of the temple of the LORD, between the porch and the altar, were about twenty-five men, with their backs to the temple of the LORD, and their faces toward the east, worshiping the sun toward the east. 17  Then he said to me, “Have you seen this, O son of man? Is it too light a thing for the house of Judah to commit the abominations that they commit here, that they should fill the land with violence and provoke me still further to anger? Behold, they put the branch to their nose.

 

The Presence Begins to Move
Ezekiel 10:18-19 (ESV)
18  Then the glory of the LORD went out from the threshold of the house, and stood over the cherubim.
19  And the cherubim lifted up their wings and mounted up from the earth before my eyes as they went out, with the wheels beside them. And they stood at the entrance of the east gate of the house of the LORD, and the glory of the God of Israel was over them.

 

The Presence Completely Leaves
Ezekiel 11:22-25 (ESV)
22  Then the cherubim lifted up their wings, with the wheels beside them, and the glory of the God of Israel was over them. 23  And the glory of the LORD went up from the midst of the city and stood on the mountain that is on the east side of the city. 24  And the Spirit lifted me up and brought me in the vision by the Spirit of God into Chaldea, to the exiles. Then the vision that I had seen went up from me. 25  And I told the exiles all the things that the LORD had shown me.

 

 

THE DAY GOD VISITED THE TEMPLE

Malachi 3:1 (ESV)
1  “Behold, I send my messenger, and he will prepare the way before me. And the Lord whom you seek will suddenly come to his temple; and the messenger of the covenant in whom you delight, behold, he is coming, says the LORD of hosts.

John 2:13-17 (ESV)
13  The Passover of the Jews was at hand, and Jesus went up to Jerusalem. 14  In the temple he found those who were selling oxen and sheep and pigeons, and the money-changers sitting there. 15  And making a whip of cords, he drove them all out of the temple, with the sheep and oxen. And he poured out the coins of the money-changers and overturned their tables. 16  And he told those who sold the pigeons, “Take these things away; do not make my Father’s house a house of trade.” 17  His disciples remembered that it was written, “Zeal for your house will consume me.”

 

THE DAY GOD CHANGED TEMPLES

John 14:15-17 (ESV)
15  “If you love me, you will keep my commandments.
16  And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Helper, to be with you forever,
17  even the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees him nor knows him. You know him, for he dwells with you and will be in you.

Acts 2:1-4 (ESV)
1  When the day of Pentecost arrived, they were all together in one place. 2  And suddenly there came from heaven a sound like a mighty rushing wind, and it filled the entire house where they were sitting. 3  And divided tongues as of fire appeared to them and rested on each one of them. 4  And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues as the Spirit gave them utterance.

1 Corinthians 3:16-17 (ESV)
16  Do you not know that you are God’s temple and that God’s Spirit dwells in you?
17  If anyone destroys God’s temple, God will destroy him. For God’s temple is holy, and you are that temple.

1 Corinthians 6:19-20 (ESV)
19  Or do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit within you, whom you have from God? You are not your own,
20  for you were bought with a price. So glorify God in your body.

Ephesians 2:19-22 (ESV)
19  So then you are no longer strangers and aliens, but you are fellow citizens with the saints and members of the household of God, 20  built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Christ Jesus himself being the cornerstone, 21  in whom the whole structure, being joined together, grows into a holy temple in the Lord. 22  In him you also are being built together into a dwelling place for God by the Spirit.

 

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LETTERS FROM JOHN: THE GOOD, THE BAD, AND THE UGLY

Posted on November 27, 2022 by pmayfield

Letters From John

(Sermon series)

 by Rev. Richard Jones

 

THE GOOD, THE BAD,

AND THE UGLY

2 John & 3 John

 

 

TRUTH AND LIFE
2 John 1:1-3 (ESV)
1  The elder to the elect lady and her children, whom I love in truth, and not only I, but also all who know the truth,
2  because of the truth that abides in us and will be with us forever:
3  Grace, mercy, and peace will be with us, from God the Father and from Jesus Christ the Father’s Son, in truth and love.

Jude 1:3 (ESV)
3  Beloved, although I was very eager to write to you about our common salvation, I found it necessary to write appealing to you to contend for the faith that was once for all delivered to the saints.

1 John 5:20 (ESV)
20  And we know that the Son of God has come and has given us understanding, so that we may know him who is true; and we are in him who is true, in his Son Jesus Christ. He is the true God and eternal life.

 

TRUTH AND LOVE
2 John 1:4-6 (ESV)
4  I rejoiced greatly to find some of your children walking in the truth, just as we were commanded by the Father. 5  And now I ask you, dear lady—not as though I were writing you a new commandment, but the one we have had from the beginning—that we love one another. 6  And this is love, that we walk according to his commandments; this is the commandment, just as you have heard from the beginning, so that you should walk in it.

1 John 4:11-12 (ESV)
11  Beloved, if God so loved us, we also ought to love one another.
12  No one has ever seen God; if we love one another, God abides in us and his love is perfected in us.

 

TRUTH  AND LIES
 2 John 1:7-13 (ESV)
7  For many deceivers have gone out into the world, those who do not confess the coming of Jesus Christ in the flesh. Such a one is the deceiver and the antichrist. 8  Watch yourselves, so that you may not lose what we have worked for, but may win a full reward. 9  Everyone who goes on ahead and does not abide in the teaching of Christ, does not have God. Whoever abides in the teaching has both the Father and the Son. 10  If anyone comes to you and does not bring this teaching, do not receive him into your house or give him any greeting, 11  for whoever greets him takes part in his wicked works. 12  Though I have much to write to you, I would rather not use paper and ink. Instead I hope to come to you and talk face to face, so that our joy may be complete. 13  The children of your elect sister greet you.

Matthew 23:33 (ESV)
33  You serpents, you brood of vipers, how are you to escape being sentenced to hell?

 

THE ENCOURAGER
3 John 1:1-8 (ESV)
1  The elder to the beloved Gaius, whom I love in truth. 2  Beloved, I pray that all may go well with you and that you may be in good health, as it goes well with your soul. 3  For I rejoiced greatly when the brothers came and testified to your truth, as indeed you are walking in the truth. 4  I have no greater joy than to hear that my children are walking in the truth. 5  Beloved, it is a faithful thing you do in all your efforts for these brothers, strangers as they are, 6  who testified to your love before the church. You will do well to send them on their journey in a manner worthy of God. 7  For they have gone out for the sake of the name, accepting nothing from the Gentiles. 8  Therefore we ought to support people like these, that we may be fellow workers for the truth.

Matthew 10:40-41 (ESV)
40  “Whoever receives you receives me, and whoever receives me receives him who sent me.
41  The one who receives a prophet because he is a prophet will receive a prophet’s reward, and the one who receives a righteous person because he is a righteous person will receive a righteous person’s reward.

 

THE EGOTIST
3 John 1:9-11 (ESV)
9  I have written something to the church, but Diotrephes, who likes to put himself first, does not acknowledge our authority. 10  So if I come, I will bring up what he is doing, talking wicked nonsense against us. And not content with that, he refuses to welcome the brothers, and also stops those who want to and puts them out of the church. 11  Beloved, do not imitate evil but imitate good. Whoever does good is from God; whoever does evil has not seen God.

 

THE EXEMPLAR
3 John 1:12-15 (ESV)
12  Demetrius has received a good testimony from everyone, and from the truth itself. We also add our testimony, and you know that our testimony is true. 13  I had much to write to you, but I would rather not write with pen and ink.
14  I hope to see you soon, and we will talk face to face. 15  Peace be to you. The friends greet you. Greet the friends, each by name.

 

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LETTERS FROM JOHN: FIVE CHRISTIAN CERTAINTIES

Posted on November 20, 2022 by pmayfield

Letters From John

(Sermon series)

 by Rev. Richard Jones

 

FIVE CHRISTIAN CERTAINTIES

1 John 5: 13-21

 

 

1 John 5:13-21 (ESV)
13  I write these things to you who believe in the name of the Son of God that you may know that you have eternal life. 14  And this is the confidence that we have toward him, that if we ask anything according to his will he hears us. 15  And if we know that he hears us in whatever we ask, we know that we have the requests that we have asked of him. 16  If anyone sees his brother committing a sin not leading to death, he shall ask, and God will give him life—to those who commit sins that do not lead to death. There is sin that leads to death; I do not say that one should pray for that. 17  All wrongdoing is sin, but there is sin that does not lead to death. 18  We know that everyone who has been born of God does not keep on sinning, but he who was born of God protects him, and the evil one does not touch him. 19  We know that we are from God, and the whole world lies in the power of the evil one. 20  And we know that the Son of God has come and has given us understanding, so that we may know him who is true; and we are in him who is true, in his Son Jesus Christ. He is the true God and eternal life. 21  Little children, keep yourselves from idols.

 

THE CERTAINTY OF SALVATION                                                                                        1 John 5:13 (ESV)
13  I write these things to you who believe in the name of the Son of God that you may know that you have eternal life.

John 20:30-31 (ESV)
30  Now Jesus did many other signs in the presence of the disciples, which are not written in this book;
31  but these are written so that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name.

Romans 10:9-13 (ESV)
9  because, if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. 10  For with the heart one believes and is justified, and with the mouth one confesses and is saved. 11  For the Scripture says, “Everyone who believes in him will not be put to shame.” 12  For there is no distinction between Jew and Greek; for the same Lord is Lord of all, bestowing his riches on all who call on him. 13  For “everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.”

John 17:1-3 (ESV)
1  When Jesus had spoken these words, he lifted up his eyes to heaven, and said, “Father, the hour has come; glorify your Son that the Son may glorify you, 2  since you have given him authority over all flesh, to give eternal life to all whom you have given him. 3  And this is eternal life, that they know you the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom you have sent.

 

THE CERTAINTY OF ANSWERED PRAYER
1 John 5:14-17 (ESV)
14  And this is the confidence that we have toward him, that if we ask anything according to his will he hears us.
15  And if we know that he hears us in whatever we ask, we know that we have the requests that we have asked of him. 16  If anyone sees his brother committing a sin not leading to death, he shall ask, and God will give him life—to those who commit sins that do not lead to death. There is sin that leads to death; I do not say that one should pray for that. 17  All wrongdoing is sin, but there is sin that does not lead to death.

John 15:7 (ESV)
7  If you abide in me, and my words abide in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you.

Psalm 66:18 (ESV)
18  If I had cherished iniquity in my heart, the Lord would not have listened.

1 John 3:21-22 (ESV)
21  Beloved, if our heart does not condemn us, we have confidence before God;
22  and whatever we ask we receive from him, because we keep his commandments and do what pleases him.

1 Corinthians 11:27-30 (ESV)
27  Whoever, therefore, eats the bread or drinks the cup of the Lord in an unworthy manner will be guilty concerning the body and blood of the Lord. 28  Let a person examine himself, then, and so eat of the bread and drink of the cup.
29  For anyone who eats and drinks without discerning the body eats and drinks judgment on himself. 30  That is why many of you are weak and ill, and some have died.

Hebrews 6:4-9 (ESV)
4  For it is impossible, in the case of those who have once been enlightened, who have tasted the heavenly gift, and have shared in the Holy Spirit, 5  and have tasted the goodness of the word of God and the powers of the age to come, 6  and then have fallen away, to restore them again to repentance, since they are crucifying once again the Son of God to their own harm and holding him up to contempt. 7  For land that has drunk the rain that often falls on it, and produces a crop useful to those for whose sake it is cultivated, receives a blessing from God. 8  But if it bears thorns and thistles, it is worthless and near to being cursed, and its end is to be burned. 9  Though we speak in this way, yet in your case, beloved, we feel sure of better things—things that belong to salvation.

 

THE CERTAINTY OF VICTORY OVER SIN AND SATAN
 1 John 5:18 (ESV)
18  We know that everyone who has been born of God does not keep on sinning, but he who was born of God protects him, and the evil one does not touch him.

Romans 6:17-18 (ESV)
17  But thanks be to God, that you who were once slaves of sin have become obedient from the heart to the standard of teaching to which you were committed,
18  and, having been set free from sin, have become slaves of righteousness.

 

THE CERTAINTY OF BELONGING TO GOD
 1 John 5:19 (ESV)
19  We know that we are from God, and the whole world lies in the power of the evil one.

Revelation 3:20 (ESV)
20  Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and eat with him, and he with me.

 

THE CERTAINTY OF CHRIST BEING THE TRUE GOD
 1 John 5:20-21 (ESV)
20  And we know that the Son of God has come and has given us understanding, so that we may know him who is true; and we are in him who is true, in his Son Jesus Christ. He is the true God and eternal life.
21  Little children, keep yourselves from idols.

 

 

 

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LETTERS FROM JOHN: BORN and BELIEVING

Posted on November 13, 2022 by pmayfield

Letters From John

(Sermon series)

 by Rev. Richard Jones

 

BORN and BELIEVING

1 John 5: 1-12

 

 

THE DEMAND OF GOD’S LOVE
1 John 5:1-3 (ESV)
1  Everyone who believes that Jesus is the Christ has been born of God, and everyone who loves the Father loves whoever has been born of him.
2  By this we know that we love the children of God, when we love God and obey his commandments. 3  For this is the love of God, that we keep his commandments. And his commandments are not burdensome.

2 Corinthians 5:17 (ESV)
17  Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come.

Mark 12:28-31 (ESV)
28  And one of the scribes came up and heard them disputing with one another, and seeing that he answered them well, asked him, “Which commandment is the most important of all?” 29  Jesus answered, “The most important is, ‘Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one. 30  And you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.’ 31  The second is this: ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ There is no other commandment greater than these.”

John 14:15 (ESV)
15  “If you love me, you will keep my commandments.

Matthew 11:28-30 (ESV)
28  Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.
29  Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.
30  For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.”

 

THE DEMONSTRATION OF GOD’S LOVE
1 John 5:4-5 (ESV)
4  For everyone who has been born of God overcomes the world. And this is the victory that has overcome the world—our faith.
5  Who is it that overcomes the world except the one who believes that Jesus is the Son of God?

John 16:33 (ESV)
33  I have said these things to you, that in me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation. But take heart; I have overcome the world.”

Revelation 12:10-11 (ESV)
10  And I heard a loud voice in heaven, saying, “Now the salvation and the power and the kingdom of our God and the authority of his Christ have come, for the accuser of our brothers has been thrown down, who accuses them day and night before our God.
11  And they have conquered him by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony, for they loved not their lives even unto death.

 

THE DISPLAY OF GOD’S LOVE
1 John 5:6-9 (ESV)
6  This is he who came by water and blood—Jesus Christ; not by the water only but by the water and the blood. And the Spirit is the one who testifies, because the Spirit is the truth. 7  For there are three that testify:
8  the Spirit and the water and the blood; and these three agree. 9  If we receive the testimony of men, the testimony of God is greater, for this is the testimony of God that he has borne concerning his Son.

Matthew 3:16-17 (ESV)
16  And when Jesus was baptized, immediately he went up from the water, and behold, the heavens were opened to him, and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and coming to rest on him;
17  and behold, a voice from heaven said, “This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased.”

John 19:33-35 (ESV)
33  But when they came to Jesus and saw that he was already dead, they did not break his legs.
34  But one of the soldiers pierced his side with a spear, and at once there came out blood and water.
35  He who saw it has borne witness—his testimony is true, and he knows that he is telling the truth—that you also may believe.

Matthew 27:45-53 (ESV)
45  Now from the sixth hour there was darkness over all the land until the ninth hour. 46  And about the ninth hour Jesus cried out with a loud voice, saying, “Eli, Eli, lema sabachthani?” that is, “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?” 47  And some of the bystanders, hearing it, said, “This man is calling Elijah.” 48  And one of them at once ran and took a sponge, filled it with sour wine, and put it on a reed and gave it to him to drink. 49  But the others said, “Wait, let us see whether Elijah will come to save him.” 50  And Jesus cried out again with a loud voice and yielded up his spirit. 51  And behold, the curtain of the temple was torn in two, from top to bottom. And the earth shook, and the rocks were split. 52  The tombs also were opened. And many bodies of the saints who had fallen asleep were raised, 53  and coming out of the tombs after his resurrection they went into the holy city and appeared to many.

 

THE DENIAL OF GOD’S LOVE
1 John 5:10-12 (ESV)
10  Whoever believes in the Son of God has the testimony in himself. Whoever does not believe God has made him a liar, because he has not believed in the testimony that God has borne concerning his Son. 11  And this is the testimony, that God gave us eternal life, and this life is in his Son. 12  Whoever has the Son has life; whoever does not have the Son of God does not have life.

Romans 8:15-16 (ESV)
15  For you did not receive the spirit of slavery to fall back into fear, but you have received the Spirit of adoption as sons, by whom we cry, “Abba! Father!”
16  The Spirit himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God,

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LETTERS FROM JOHN: TRIANGLE OF LOVE

Posted on November 6, 2022 by pmayfield

Letters From John

(Sermon series)

 by Rev. Richard Jones

 

TRIANGLE OF LOVE

1 John 4: 11-21

 

 

SHOWCASING GOD
1 John 4:11-12 (ESV)
11  Beloved, if God so loved us, we also ought to love one another.
12  No one has ever seen God; if we love one another, God abides in us and his love is perfected in us.

John 13:34-35 (ESV)
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.”

Exodus 33:18-20 (ESV)
18  Moses said, “Please show me your glory.”
19  And he said, “I will make all my goodness pass before you and will proclaim before you my name ‘The LORD.’ And I will be gracious to whom I will be gracious, and will show mercy on whom I will show mercy.
20  But,” he said, “you cannot see my face, for man shall not see me and live.”

John 1:14 (ESV)
14  And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth.

 

CONFESSING GOD
1 John 4:13-15 (ESV)
13  By this we know that we abide in him and he in us, because he has given us of his Spirit.
14  And we have seen and testify that the Father has sent his Son to be the Savior of the world.
15  Whoever confesses that Jesus is the Son of God, God abides in him, and he in God.

Romans 8:9 (ESV)
9  You, however, are not in the flesh but in the Spirit, if in fact the Spirit of God dwells in you. Anyone who does not have the Spirit of Christ does not belong to him.

Romans 8:16 (ESV)
16  The Spirit himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God,

 

ABIDING IN GOD
1 John 4:16 (ESV)
16  So we have come to know and to believe the love that God has for us. God is love, and whoever abides in love abides in God, and God abides in him.

Romans 8:38-39 (ESV)
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.

 

CONFIDENCE BEFORE GOD
1 John 4:17-18 (ESV)
17  By this is love perfected with us, so that we may have confidence for the day of judgment, because as he is so also are we in this world.
18  There is no fear in love, but perfect love casts out fear. For fear has to do with punishment, and whoever fears has not been perfected in love.

Proverbs 1:7 (ESV)
7  The fear of the LORD is the beginning of knowledge; fools despise wisdom and instruction.

John 5:24 (ESV)
24  Truly, truly, I say to you, whoever hears my word and believes him who sent me has eternal life. He does not come into judgment, but has passed from death to life.

Romans 8:1 (ESV)
1  There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.

 

LOVING BY GOD
1 John 4:19-21 (ESV)
19  We love because he first loved us.
20  If anyone says, “I love God,” and hates his brother, he is a liar; for he who does not love his brother whom he has seen cannot love God whom he has not seen.
21  And this commandment we have from him: whoever loves God must also love his brother.

Colossians 3:14 (ESV)
14  And above all these put on love, which binds everything together in perfect harmony.

 

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LETTERS FROM JOHN: DIFFERENT, DUE TO LOVE

Posted on October 30, 2022 by pmayfield

Letters From John

(Sermon series)

 by Rev. Richard Jones

 

DIFFERENT, DUE TO LOVE

1 John 3: 18 – 4: 11

 

 

 WHAT WE DO
1 John 3:18-24 (ESV)
18  Little children, let us not love in word or talk but in deed and in truth.
19  By this we shall know that we are of the truth and reassure our heart before him;
20  for whenever our heart condemns us, God is greater than our heart, and he knows everything. 21  Beloved, if our heart does not condemn us, we have confidence before God; 22  and whatever we ask we receive from him, because we keep his commandments and do what pleases him. 23  And this is his commandment, that we believe in the name of his Son Jesus Christ and love one another, just as he has commanded us. 24  Whoever keeps his commandments abides in God, and God in him. And by this we know that he abides in us, by the Spirit whom he has given us.

1 John 5:14-15 (ESV)
14  And this is the confidence that we have toward him, that if we ask anything according to his will he hears us.
15  And if we know that he hears us in whatever we ask, we know that we have the requests that we have asked of him.

John 15:7 (ESV)
7  If you abide in me, and my words abide in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you.

 

WHAT SATAN DOES
1 John 4:1-6 (ESV)
1  Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God, for many false prophets have gone out into the world. 2  By this you know the Spirit of God: every spirit that confesses that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is from God, 3  and every spirit that does not confess Jesus is not from God. This is the spirit of the antichrist, which you heard was coming and now is in the world already.  4  Little children, you are from God and have overcome them, for he who is in you is greater than he who is in the world. 5  They are from the world; therefore they speak from the world, and the world listens to them. 6  We are from God. Whoever knows God listens to us; whoever is not from God does not listen to us. By this we know the Spirit of truth and the spirit of error.

1 Corinthians 14:29-33 (ESV)
29  Let two or three prophets speak, and let the others weigh what is said. 30  If a revelation is made to another sitting there, let the first be silent. 31  For you can all prophesy one by one, so that all may learn and all be encouraged,
32  and the spirits of prophets are subject to prophets. 33  For God is not a God of confusion but of peace. As in all the churches of the saints,

 

WHAT GOD DID
1 John 4:7-11 (ESV)
7  Beloved, let us love one another, for love is from God, and whoever loves has been born of God and knows God. 8  Anyone who does not love does not know God, because God is love.   9  In this the love of God was made manifest among us, that God sent his only Son into the world, so that we might live through him. 10  In this is love, not that we have loved God but that he loved us and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins. 11  Beloved, if God so loved us, we also ought to love one another.

Hebrews 12:28-29 (ESV)
28  Therefore let us be grateful for receiving a kingdom that cannot be shaken, and thus let us offer to God acceptable worship, with reverence and awe, 29  for our God is a consuming fire.

1 Peter 1:17-19 (ESV)
17  And if you call on him as Father who judges impartially according to each one’s deeds, conduct yourselves with fear throughout the time of your exile,
18  knowing that you were ransomed from the futile ways inherited from your forefathers, not with perishable things such as silver or gold,
19  but with the precious blood of Christ, like that of a lamb without blemish or spot.

 

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LETTERS FROM JOHN: REBIRTH & RELATIONSHIP

Posted on October 23, 2022 by pmayfield

Letters From John

(Sermon series)

 by Rev. Richard Jones

 

REBIRTH & RELATIONSHIP

1 John 3: 1-18

 

 THE PROMISE OF RELATIONSHIP
1 John 3:1-3 (ESV)
1  See what kind of love the Father has given to us, that we should be called children of God; and so we are. The reason why the world does not know us is that it did not know him. 2  Beloved, we are God’s children now, and what we will be has not yet appeared; but we know that when he appears we shall be like him, because we shall see him as he is.  3  And everyone who thus hopes in him purifies himself as he is pure.

2 Corinthians 6:18 (ESV)
18  and I will be a father to you, and you shall be sons and daughters to me, says the Lord Almighty.”

Romans 8:29 (ESV)
29  For those whom he foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, in order that he might be the firstborn among many brothers.

1 Peter 2:11 (ESV)
11  Beloved, I urge you as sojourners and exiles to abstain from the passions of the flesh, which wage war against your soul.

1 Peter 4:3-4 (ESV)
3  For the time that is past suffices for doing what the Gentiles want to do, living in sensuality, passions, drunkenness, orgies, drinking parties, and lawless idolatry.
4  With respect to this they are surprised when you do not join them in the same flood of debauchery, and they malign you;

1 Corinthians 2:14 (ESV)
14  The natural person does not accept the things of the Spirit of God, for they are folly to him, and he is not able to understand them because they are spiritually discerned.

Philippians 3:20-21 (ESV)
20  But our citizenship is in heaven, and from it we await a Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ,
21  who will transform our lowly body to be like his glorious body, by the power that enables him even to subject all things to himself.

 

THE ATTACK ON RELATIONSHIP
1 John 3:4-10 (ESV)
4  Everyone who makes a practice of sinning also practices lawlessness; sin is lawlessness.
5  You know that he appeared in order to take away sins, and in him there is no sin. 6  No one who abides in him keeps on sinning; no one who keeps on sinning has either seen him or known him. 7  Little children, let no one deceive you. Whoever practices righteousness is righteous, as he is righteous. 8  Whoever makes a practice of sinning is of the devil, for the devil has been sinning from the beginning. The reason the Son of God appeared was to destroy the works of the devil. 9  No one born of God makes a practice of sinning, for God’s seed abides in him, and he cannot keep on sinning because he has been born of God. 10  By this it is evident who are the children of God, and who are the children of the devil: whoever does not practice righteousness is not of God, nor is the one who does not love his brother.

1 John 1:8 (ESV)
8  If we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us.

1 John 1:9 (ESV)
9  If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.

 

 THE HEART OF RELATIONSHIP
1 John 3:11-18 (ESV)
11  For this is the message that you have heard from the beginning, that we should love one another. 12  We should not be like Cain, who was of the evil one and murdered his brother. And why did he murder him? Because his own deeds were evil and his brother’s righteous. 13  Do not be surprised, brothers, that the world hates you. 14  We know that we have passed out of death into life, because we love the brothers. Whoever does not love abides in death. 15  Everyone who hates his brother is a murderer, and you know that no murderer has eternal life abiding in him. 16  By this we know love, that he laid down his life for us, and we ought to lay down our lives for the brothers.  17  But if anyone has the world’s goods and sees his brother in need, yet closes his heart against him, how does God’s love abide in him?  18  Little children, let us not love in word or talk but in deed and in truth.

James 2:15-16 (ESV)
15  If a brother or sister is poorly clothed and lacking in daily food,
16  and one of you says to them, “Go in peace, be warmed and filled,” without giving them the things needed for the body, what good is that?

Galatians 6:10 (ESV)
10  So then, as we have opportunity, let us do good to everyone, and especially to those who are of the household of faith.

 

 

 

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LETTERS FROM JOHN: TRUTH OR CONSEQUENCES

Posted on October 16, 2022 by pmayfield

Letters From John

(Sermon series)

 by Rev. Richard Jones

 

TRUTH OR CONSEQUENCES

1 John 2: 18-29

 

 

DEPARTS FROM THE FELLOWSHIP
1 John 2:18-19 (ESV)
18  Children, it is the last hour, and as you have heard that antichrist is coming, so now many antichrists have come. Therefore we know that it is the last hour.
19  They went out from us, but they were not of us; for if they had been of us, they would have continued with us. But they went out, that it might become plain that they all are not of us.

 

DENIES THE FAITH
1 John 2:20-25 (ESV)
20  But you have been anointed by the Holy One, and you all have knowledge.
21  I write to you, not because you do not know the truth, but because you know it, and because no lie is of the truth.  22  Who is the liar but he who denies that Jesus is the Christ? This is the antichrist, he who denies the Father and the Son. 23  No one who denies the Son has the Father. Whoever confesses the Son has the Father also. 24  Let what you heard from the beginning abide in you. If what you heard from the beginning abides in you, then you too will abide in the Son and in the Father. 25  And this is the promise that he made to us—eternal life.

1 Corinthians 15:3-4 (ESV)
3  For I delivered to you as of first importance what I also received: that Christ died for our sins in accordance with the Scriptures,
4  that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day in accordance with the Scriptures,

John 14:25-26 (ESV)
25  “These things I have spoken to you while I am still with you. 26  But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, he will teach you all things and bring to your remembrance all that I have said to you.

Jude 1:3 (ESV)
3  Beloved, although I was very eager to write to you about our common salvation, I found it necessary to write appealing to you to contend for the faith that was once for all delivered to the saints.

2 Timothy 3:14-17 (ESV)
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.

 

DECEIVES THE FAITHFUL
 1 John 2:26-29 (ESV)
26  I write these things to you about those who are trying to deceive you.
27  But the anointing that you received from him abides in you, and you have no need that anyone should teach you. But as his anointing teaches you about everything, and is true, and is no lie—just as it has taught you, abide in him.                                                                  28  And now, little children, abide in him, so that when he appears we may have confidence and not shrink from him in shame at his coming.
29  If you know that he is righteous, you may be sure that everyone who practices righteousness has been born of him.

Galatians 1:6-9 (ESV)
6  I am astonished that you are so quickly deserting him who called you in the grace of Christ and are turning to a different gospel— 7  not that there is another one, but there are some who trouble you and want to distort the gospel of Christ. 8  But even if we or an angel from heaven should preach to you a gospel contrary to the one we preached to you, let him be accursed. 9  As we have said before, so now I say again: If anyone is preaching to you a gospel contrary to the one you received, let him be accursed.

1 Peter 1:13-16 (ESV)
13  Therefore, preparing your minds for action, and being sober-minded, set your hope fully on the grace that will be brought to you at the revelation of Jesus Christ. 14  As obedient children, do not be conformed to the passions of your former ignorance, 15  but as he who called you is holy, you also be holy in all your conduct,
16  since it is written, “You shall be holy, for I am holy.”

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LETTERS FROM JOHN: THE RIGHT KIND OF LOVE

Posted on October 9, 2022 by pmayfield

Letters From John

(Sermon series)

 by Rev. Richard Jones

 

THE RIGHT KIND OF LOVE

1 John 2: 1-17

 

HIS LOVE
1 John 2:1-2 (ESV)
1  My little children, I am writing these things to you so that you may not sin. But if anyone does sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous.
2  He is the propitiation for our sins, and not for ours only but also for the sins of the whole world.

Romans 6:12-13 (ESV)
12  Let not sin therefore reign in your mortal body, to make you obey its passions.
13  Do not present your members to sin as instruments for unrighteousness, but present yourselves to God as those who have been brought from death to life, and your members to God as instruments for righteousness.

2 Corinthians 5:21 (ESV)
21  For our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.

Psalm 103:10-14 (ESV)
10  He does not deal with us according to our sins, nor repay us according to our iniquities.
11  For as high as the heavens are above the earth, so great is his steadfast love toward those who fear him;
12  as far as the east is from the west, so far does he remove our transgressions from us.
13  As a father shows compassion to his children, so the LORD shows compassion to those who fear him.
14  For he knows our frame; he remembers that we are dust.

 

 OUR LOVE
1 John 2:3-6 (ESV)
3  And by this we know that we have come to know him, if we keep his commandments.
4  Whoever says “I know him” but does not keep his commandments is a liar, and the truth is not in him, 5  but whoever keeps his word, in him truly the love of God is perfected. By this we may know that we are in him: 6  whoever says he abides in him ought to walk in the same way in which he walked.

 

DO LOVE
1 John 2:7-11 (ESV)
7  Beloved, I am writing you no new commandment, but an old commandment that you had from the beginning. The old commandment is the word that you have heard. 8  At the same time, it is a new commandment that I am writing to you, which is true in him and in you, because the darkness is passing away and the true light is already shining. 9  Whoever says he is in the light and hates his brother is still in darkness.
10  Whoever loves his brother abides in the light, and in him there is no cause for stumbling.
11  But whoever hates his brother is in the darkness and walks in the darkness, and does not know where he is going, because the darkness has blinded his eyes.

Leviticus 19:18 (ESV)
18  You shall not take vengeance or bear a grudge against the sons of your own people, but you shall love your neighbor as yourself: I am the LORD.

John 13:34 (ESV)
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.

Romans 12:9-10 (ESV)
9  Let love be genuine. Abhor what is evil; hold fast to what is good.
10  Love one another with brotherly affection. Outdo one another in showing honor.

 

GROW LOVE
 1 John 2:12-14 (ESV)
12  I am writing to you, little children, because your sins are forgiven for his name’s sake. 13  I am writing to you, fathers, because you know him who is from the beginning. I am writing to you, young men, because you have overcome the evil one. I write to you, children, because you know the Father. 14  I write to you, fathers, because you know him who is from the beginning. I write to you, young men, because you are strong, and the word of God abides in you, and you have overcome the evil one.

 

DON’T LOVE
 1 John 2:15-17 (ESV)
15  Do not love the world or the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. 16  For all that is in the world—the desires of the flesh and the desires of the eyes and pride of life—is not from the Father but is from the world. 17  And the world is passing away along with its desires, but whoever does the will of God abides forever.

James 4:4 (ESV)
4  You adulterous people! Do you not know that friendship with the world is enmity with God? Therefore whoever wishes to be a friend of the world makes himself an enemy of God.

Romans 12:1-2 (ESV)
1  I appeal to you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship.
2  Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.

John 17:14-17 (ESV)
14  I have given them your word, and the world has hated them because they are not of the world, just as I am not of the world.
15  I do not ask that you take them out of the world, but that you keep them from the evil one.
16  They are not of the world, just as I am not of the world.
17  Sanctify them in the truth; your word is truth.

 

 

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