What are you Teaching / Preaching this week?

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Post by jruegg »

Work in progress for this Sunday, a continuation of last:

Matthew 8:23-34
TITLE: Avast There, Lubbers! There Be Rough Waters Ahead.
(That's from the Pirates of the Caribbean Ride at Disney World)

MAIN THEME: Following Jesus has some pretty spectacular benefits; least of which is knowing him!

SERMON POINTS:

WHEN FACING THE ROUGH WATERS OF LIFE, REMEMBER:

1. I FOLLOW Jesus.
Jesus doesn’t FOLLOW me.
“And when he got into the boat, his disciples followed him.” — Matthew 8:23 (NRSV)


2. Jesus is in the BOAT with me because it’s HIS BOAT!
“Suddenly, a fierce storm struck the lake, with waves breaking into the boat. But Jesus was sleeping.  The disciples went and woke him up, shouting, ‘Lord, save us! We’re going to drown!’” — Matthew 8:24-25 (NLT)


3. The rough seas of life are an OPPORTUNITY to become better ACQUAINTED with Jesus.
“The disciples were amazed. ‘Who is this man?’ they asked. ‘Even the winds and waves obey him!’” — Matthew 8:27 (NLT)

***This will seque into a teaching on Jesus' self-identification. I'll most likely touch on the weird phenomena that in today's modern culture, self-identity equals reality and yet Jesus identity is rejected outright.**


WHAT MATTHEW 8 TEACHES ME ABOUT JESUS’ IDENTITY

1. Everyone has an OPINION of who Jesus is.
“Lord” — Man with leprosy (8:2), Roman officer (8:5), A Disciple (8:21), Disciples in the boat (8:25)
Healer — Crowds in Capernaum (8:16)
“Teacher” — Scribe (8:19)



2. Even DEMONS claim to know Jesus’ identity.
“They began screaming at him, “Why are you interfering with us, Son of God? Have you come here to torture us before God’s appointed time?” — Matthew 8:29 (NLT)

3. How does Jesus SELF-IDENTIFY?

**Most likely I'll just start quoting all the Scripture references where Jesus proclaims who he is. Obviously this will include the "I Am" statements in John. But also references like "Son of Man" as in Matthew 8.
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Post by coco »

Mark 3:31-35
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Post by jruegg »

Matthew 17:1-13

TITLE: I Stand Befuddled in the Presence?

MAIN SERMON POINTS & BIBLICAL REFERENCES:

WHAT THE TRANSFIGURATION TEACHES ME ABOUT JESUS AND ME:

1. Jesus is my GLORIOUS Lord…
“Six days later Jesus took Peter and the two brothers, James and John, and led them up a high mountain to be alone.  As the men watched, Jesus’ appearance was transformed so that his face shone like the sun, and his clothes became as white as light.  Suddenly, Moses and Elijah appeared and began talking with Jesus.” — Matthew 17:1-3 (NLT)

…to whom EVERY knee will bow!
“Therefore, God elevated him to the place of highest honor and gave him the name above all other names, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue declare that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.” — Philippians 2:9-11 (NLT)

There is none GREATER.
“I baptize with water those who repent of their sins and turn to God. But someone is coming soon who is greater than I am—so much greater that I’m not worthy even to be his slave and carry his sandals. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and with fire.” —Matthew 3:11 (NLT)


Question: Is Jesus the G.O.A.T. of my life?
What’s the evidence?


2. Jesus is God the SON,
“But even as he spoke, a bright cloud overshadowed them, and a voice from the cloud said, “This is my dearly loved Son, who brings me great joy. Listen to him.” — Matthew 17:5 (NLT)

the WORD of God made flesh.
“The Word became flesh and took up residence among us. We observed His glory, the glory as the One and Only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth.” — John 1:14 (HCSB)

God commands me to LISTEN to him.


Question: Do I LISTEN to Jesus?
What’s the evidence?
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Post by sweetandsour »

John 20:30-31; John 21:1-14
The Indians will not bother you now, on account of ... you are touched.
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Post by coco »

The Parable of the Soils
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Post by jruegg »

coco wrote: 19 Feb 2023, 09:51 The Parable of the Soils
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Post by coco »

Isaiah 52:13-53:12
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Post by coco »

Acts 11:1-21 "The Dividing Wall of Hostility Broken Down"
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Post by jruegg »

Last Sunday was Matthew 5:21-26. How can we tell if our anger is righteous? Three questions to ask:
1. Am I Jesus? ...shall I go on? :D
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Post by Del »

jruegg wrote: 05 Jul 2023, 14:58 Last Sunday was Matthew 5:21-26. How can we tell if our anger is righteous? Three questions to ask:
1. Am I Jesus? ...shall I go on? :D
I love this! :lol:

Christians are often called to "righteous action." But the enjoyment of "righteous anger" demands an extremely high bar, as anger itself is one of the seven deadly sins.

A few folks to consider....

Jesus: As He is God Incarnate and the Just Judge, it is His duty by Divine Nature to respond with Righteous Anger to our sins. How else should Jesus respond to 64 million murdered children and masses of naked people jiggling their bits at public parades of L-gibbitty Pride? We deserve to see Hell unleashed, with fiery riots and thermonuclear holocausts. But Christ, in His mercy, allows the slow simmer of nation-wide droughts and global warming. (Yes -- I said that. The major cause of climate change is abortion, LGBT Pride, and groomers in our schools urging children into sin.)

Mary: Apostolic Christians know that Mary, by a most special grace, is uniquely tuned to the will of Her Son. He does whatever He asks of Her, because She won't ask Him to do anything that would violate His divine will of justice and mercy. (This takes more than a sermon to unpack; I spent a whole semester learning Marian theology.)

If anyone has proper space to share in Jesus' righteous anger, it would be Mary. But nowhere in the Gospels or the centuries of Marian Apparitions and messages do we find that Mary is angry. Not even at the foot of the Cross. She is often sad, even crying for her children.

At Fatima, Portugal (1917), Mary told the children that she cannot hold back the arm of her Son's just punishment much longer. The present war would end soon, but we must repent or else.... there will be a much worse war to come (although Portugal would be spared). The errors of Russian Marxism would spread throughout the world. The Holy Father (Pope) would suffer much (as Pius XII during WWII and John Paul II during the Cold War). These all came to pass. But she also warned that "souls are falling into Hell like snowflakes" due to "sins of sexual impurity."

That's a harsh message. But never any "righteous anger" from Mary.

The Early Christian Martyrs: Unjustly condemned to violent deaths such as crucifixion and other tortures, or being torn apart by beasts for the spectacle of crowds. Righteous anger seems appropriate, right? But they converted the culture by dying with a peace that was downright joyful. Remember this as the current Establishment gears up for a new persecution.

Pro-Life Prayer Warriors and Sidewalk Counsellors: There's something about the murder of millions of innocent children that calls for righteous anger. But blazing guns and firebombs, or even spray paint and graffiti, are not the righteous action. We are present. We pray. We offer charity and help. Like the Christian martyrs, this is the response that changes hearts.

St. Jerome: The patron saint of angry people, Jerome was the great master of Trumpian insults. (Thanks be to God that Twitter was not available in the late 4th century.) Yet as the great scholar and commentator who translated all of Scripture into the vernacular Latin, he was intimate with every verse warning against the excesses of anger. Anger is the Devil's Cocaine.

Jerome spent the final years of his life atoning for his excessive anger, living alone in the desert and beating his chest with a rock. And this is why he is regarded as a Saint by the Apostolic Church.

"St. Jerome in Penance" is a popular subject of ancient and modern art. Consider this as an appropriate response after an episode of "righteous anger."

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