This Judges 2 is a bonus sermon today...the Fifth Sunday service at First Presbyterian of Pikeville, Kentucky. The sermon is a farewell message for Scott and a challenge to the congregation to be faithful to Jesus and to continue to teach the next generation all that Jesus has commanded us to observe and all that Jesus has done for us and them. The challenge is to keep attending to the means of grace (in particular, the word, sacraments and corporate prayer in Sunday worship). The message focuses on the difference between the situation of Judges and the present because of the coming of Christ the Shepherd and the coming of the Spirit on Pentecost. I should explain as background the motorcycle comment -- Scott drives a motorcycle and likes to say that Jesus will return on a Harley because shepherds in New Zealand drive motorcycles to keep their sheep.

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Labels: christ, David, judges, Saul, shepherd, spirit, Sunday worship

Ezekiel 34 shows us that we are like sheep in need of Jesus as our shepherd. Answering the most common objection to being compared to sheep -- that sheep are weak and dumb -- I began by offending the congregation by telling them that they are weak and dumb. Then we looked at the themes of accountability and abundance in the passage. Both of these are ways that the gospel is indeed good news for the weak and stupid sheep who depend on God. Let us not muddy the waters or trample the good pasture of others, but let us be accountable to the Chief Shepherd who pours out upon us showers of blessing. It was a blessing to baptize George afterwards.

Click here or the title to listen.

Labels: abundance, accountability, christ, ezekiel, sheep, shepherd, stupid, weak

Ezekiel 34 shows us that we are like sheep in need of Jesus as our shepherd. Answering the most common objection to being compared to sheep -- that sheep are weak and dumb -- I began by offending the congregation by telling them that they are weak and dumb. Then we looked at the themes of accountability and abundance in the passage. Both of these are ways that the gospel is indeed good news for the weak and stupid sheep who depend on God. Let us not muddy the waters or trample the good pasture of others, but let us be accountable to the Chief Shepherd who pours out upon us showers of blessing.

Click here or the title to listen.

Labels: abundance, accountability, christ, ezekiel, sheep, shepherd, stupid, weak

This is an advent sermon on Matthew 25:31-46 called "The Live Nativity Resumes" since we find sheep and goats and shepherds at the nativity of Christ and we find Christ is the shepherd separating the sheep and goats when He returns. He can tell the sheep and goats apart easily because the sheep are active in ministry to fellow Christians and the goats fail to serve other Christians. In a sense you "earn" eternal life because it is a reward for doing what God prepared beforehand for you to walk in.

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Labels: christ, deacon, eternal life, goats, Matthew, minister, ministry, reward, servant, sheep, shepherd

This is an advent sermon on Matthew 25:31-46 called "The Live Nativity Resumes" since we find sheep and goats and shepherds at the nativity of Christ and we find Christ is the shepherd separating the sheep and goats when He returns. He can tell the sheep and goats apart easily because the sheep are active in ministry to fellow Christians and the goats fail to serve other Christians.

Click here or post title to listen to the MP3

Labels: christ, deacon, eternal life, goats, Matthew, minister, ministry, servant, sheep, shepherd