Tag: John the Baptist

Luke: Be the Kingdom | 4-23-2023

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Photo Cred: (1) | Updated: 10/21/2024

Sermon Prep

The sand was beginning to shift at work in April 2023. I had a boss who I liked, but he was always just a temporary leader and the goal was to build out our team to have a more traditional manager at the forefront. Sometime after the new guy became our manager did things change at this job.

It takes a bit to see how someone leads, but this was more-so a personality divide that was there from the start. It was up until this point where I think I saw that I once again needed to change jobs, but couldn’t afford to change given I had just left another job back in December of 2022. So this was the first of many months where I just buckled down and made the most of it.

During this period, I was really into writing my long-gestating book on the Christian faith. You know, the one I’ve teased for years on this blog for several years and have never finished. That same unwritten book.

But at this time I found some new research from Benjamin J. Marcus who is a Fellow of the Freedom Forum and was a Special Advisor for The Religious Literacy Foundation. His religious contributions helped me to dive right back in and keep chipping away at this book. Maybe one day I’ll actually get to self publish it, but this period was a much-needed spark in the creative process.

Beyond that, teen discipleship was becoming very rewarding as the students began to have breakthroughs in their understanding of their faith and that meant the world to me. Also, a newer couple at church began to teach our church’s core team via the Leaders In Training sessions. It was redundant for me since I did this back in high school, so it was more rewarding watching new leaders learn from it.

As far as this message prep, I didn’t expect much from this one. I was reoccupied with other things and to be honest this was prepped out of obligation rather than interest. It was just my turn to preach. On that glum note, here’s my sermon notes.

Sermon Notes

Opening Line

  • CFS acting class
    • To be an actor I had to behave, believe, and belong as an actor.

Intro

  • To be a Christian you have to behave, believe, and belong to Jesus.
    • To be is to become something new.
  • The 3B Framework by Ben J. Marcus.

Transition To Main Point

  • To become something new requires all of you.
    • To be the kingdom is the way of Jesus.

Main Point

  • Jesus invites the 12 to be the kingdom.
  • Luke 9:1-6 | The 12 Sent
    • The beginning of Jesus’ third tour.
    • First time the 12 are invited to come and be the kingdom of God.
    • Commanded to behave differently.
      • “Shake off the dust from your feet.”
        • Responsible for sharing gospel, but not for people’s reaction to it. Also, unclean land.
  • Luke 9:7-9 | Herod Antipas Perplexed
    • Divorced first wife and married his half brother’s wife in secret.
    • Intimidated by John the Baptist and his movement due to power struggle after Herod the Great’s death. Called out, so kills John.
    • Confused and needs confirmation that John’s dead.
  • Luke 9:10-17 | Feeding the 5,000
    • The 5,000 only counts men, so way more people.
    • Jesus challenges the 12’s belief in him.
    • Invites them to do the impossible, then does it.
  • Luke 9:18-20 | Peter Confesses Jesus
    • Jesus knew the rumors about him.
    • Peter knew clearly who Jesus was.
  • Luke 9:21-22 | The Crucifixion Foreshadowed
    • Jesus had to hide until time was right.
    • Continued to slowly tell the 12 what’s next.
  • Luke 9:23-27 | Carry Your Cross
    • Introduces the deepest level of belonging.
    • To be the kingdom requires humility and faith.

Why This Matters

  • Before the kingdom of God arrived, Jesus invited the 12 to be the kingdom.
    • To behave, believe, and belong to Jesus.
  • The kingdom of God isn’t a sacred space, but rather people empowered by God and his grace.
    • Now go and be the kingdom of God.

Final Thoughts

The sermon went better than I expected, but the small group at Table Talks was a little lackluster. It frustrates me when people are apathetic and disengaged, which that could be a reflection on my teaching than their interest. Either way, this one was ok but lacked application for the audience I think. With that, Godspeed and Jesus bless.

Footnotes

  1. Reunion Church

Luke: By Faith, Not Function | 3-26-2023

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Photo Cred: (1) | Updated: 10/17/2024

Sermon Prep

Before this message, we encountered new changes in life. My wife Glory had her last day at her job on the 9th, then we had a funeral just the next day for a student of that nonprofit named Daniel. Immediately after the funeral we went straight to a leader retreat for our church and heck before that weekend my Dad was in town to visit us Colorado Cribaris. Of all the weeks in March 2023, this one had the most going on right after my last message.

Given that back-to-back nature of events, I took more time on this sermon than the last one. Received the feedback from the last message and leaned more into the strengths of my style of teaching and what makes the Gospel of Luke incredible: details. So many intricate details that the other Gospels lack. With that, here’s my notes:

Sermon Notes

Opening Line

  • Shannon and First Priority. Strongman Origins.
    • Faith requires response.

Intro

  • Faith in Jesus requires your response.
    • Your inability to respond reveals your apathetic heart.

Transition To Main Point

  • An apathetic heart can’t take action and follow Jesus. It won’t respond.

Main Point

  • Luke 7:1-10 | The Centurion’s Servant
    • Sent Jewish elders and friends.
      • Never met Jesus; heard about him.
      • Powerful and respected local leader.
    • Jesus is swayed by faith, not function.
  • Luke 7:11-17 | A Widow’s Son
    • Nain = beauty; pleasantness.
      • Southwest of Capernaum; small hillside village.
    • Jesus is moved to compassion by faith, not function (i.e. 1 Kings 17).
      • The bearers and widow trusted Jesus.
  • Luke 7:18-35 | Disciples of John
    • John the Baptist and his disciples had faith that the Messiah would arrive.
      • Functionally, John was low status.
    • Prophecy fulfilled (see Luke 7:27).
      • Quoting Malachi 3:1-4.
    • Best verse (see Luke 7:32).
      • 32a = The Fisherman and his Flute.
        • Classical Greek children’s fable.
      • 32b = A dirge is a song of lament.
        • Reference to the funeral in Nain.
      • Pharisees dictated worship to God.
        • Their function was to ridicule the response of the faithful.
  • Luke 7:36-50 | A City Woman
    • Simon the Pharisee treated Jesus as an inferior teacher.
      • The city woman treated Jesus King and Savior.
    • Simon saw the function Jesus could serve to society, but the city woman saw that faith in Jesus could set her free. What he does vs who he is.
    • The functional view of Jesus is he was a great, moral teacher.
      • The faithful view of Jesus is he is Lord and Savior.

Why This Matters

  • Faith requires response.
    • To come and follow Jesus requires a response by faith and not by function.
  • You’re not the function you provide to society, but rather defined by the faith you have in Jesus as king of your heart.
    • i.e. career, family, parenting; status.
  • Your identity isn’t found in your temporary function, but by your faith in Jesus.
    • Lifelong fulfillment = relationship with Jesus.

Final Thoughts

With the slump of the last message not being on par with the first couple in Luke, I stepped things up here and it worked. I think my identification of the theme was spot-on and there was a clear through-line within this sermon. Also, I had an incredibly last-minute pivot where instead of talking about my mentor Shannon, I decided during worship to talk about how I got into Strongman.

I spotted Austin, who was a local Strongman before service, so I pivoted to specifically reach him. I think this was his first time at church too before becoming a regular member, along with his family. Sometimes if I notice someone new and the Holy Spirit tells me to, I gladly scratch out any notes that are not relevant so that I might win some more souls. With that, Godspeed and Jesus bless.

Footnotes

  1. Reunion Church

Luke: Exit Stage Left | 2-5-2023

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Photo Cred: (1) | Updated: 10/12/2024

Sermon Prep

After a month of being at this new job, I was getting the swing of things. It was a lot of work. In hindsight, I never truly felt I got it when it came to this job.

The knowledge-base required was a lot and I just never figured it out to be frank. At the time, I really liked my job but with self-reflection I’ve come to see how much my pride to provide for my family in the midst of a company acquisition had a grip on me. That fearful, fight-flight-freeze framework where I just went after the highest paying job and not what God wanted me to do in my career.

It’s one of those seasons where I don’t know if it was sin, but it was stupid to chase money to provide for my family and save for a house one day. In this season, I was preaching to myself through this series because I was center stage. My efforts and works to will life into a more controlled state versus what it was just a month ago desperately job-hunting afraid of getting fired or let go.

The godly and right thing to do is to step aside and be humble in the presence of Jesus. I don’t have any control of my life. I don’t dictate what happens to my family. And yet, God is always there for us and he will always give us a second chance when we approach him with complete surrender. He makes all things new. With that, here’s the notes for this message.

Sermon Notes

Opening Line

  • Rush at Red Rocks
    • What’s your favorite concert?
    • Who was the opener? The first act?

Intro

  • John the Baptist was the opening act.
    • Jesus was the headliner.
    • Setting the stage for the savior.
  • Exit Stage Left
    • An orderly and uneventful departure, timed so as not to detract or distract.

Transition To Main Point

  • John the Baptist exited stage left, so that Jesus could take center stage.

Main Point

  • Luke 3:1 | Shows Theophilus when this all took place in history (i.e. AD 26-29).
  • Luke 3:2 | The inciting incident
    • Like Old Testament prophets, John the Baptist wandered in the wilderness waiting for the next word of God.
      • See Exodus 3 and 1 Kings 17
  • Luke 3:3-6 | Old Testament fulfillment and symbolism
    • Jordan River = entry to Promised Land
    • Baptism = temple practice of full immersion that took someone from impurity to purity.
    • Taken together, John invites the Hebrews to renew their vows to God as the New Covenant people under grace, not law.
    • This revival set the stage for Jesus.
      • “See the salvation” -> See Jesus
        • Jesus translates to Yahweh saves.
  • Luke 3:7-14 | The Message
    • Salvation is from the shed blood of Jesus, not the sacred blood of Abraham.
      • True repentance is a public confession followed by continued trust in God.
    • Salvation is always belief before behavior.
  • Luke 3:15-17 | The Messiah
    • Mistaken for messiah like Judah the Hammer.
    • Purify the impure that repent of sin.
    • Judge all, but separating people by those who accept grace and those who reject it.
      • Political undertones here too.
  • Luke 3:18-20 | Setting the Stage
    • This was over a good span of time.
    • Herod puts John the Baptist in prison for calling out his divorce to marry his daughter-in-law and Josephus wrote “the great influence John had over the people.”

Why This Matters

  • John exited stage left story-wise, so that Jesus could take center stage next.
    • He’s rarely mentioned after this chapter.
  • Back then like now, the world’s broken.
    • The arrival of Jesus introduces us to a permanent and restorative justice.
  • The topic of baptism invites us to the idea of restarting and having a new beginning.

Final Thoughts

I loved preaching this message and the reason being is that I love John the Baptist! He’s one of the most interesting figures in all of history. Last prophet of the Old Covenant, best friends with Jesus and yet baptizes him, along with being a precursor to the Desert Fathers who would arrive later on in history. I could go on and on about John the Baptist because he just brings a unique insight to both life right before Jesus and right after when Jesus arrives on the scene.

The execution of this message benefitted from my zeal for this topic too. My enthusiasm just beamed from my sermon delivery this Sunday and I remember one of our members mentioning that after the service. Personally, I was also just in a great emotional mood with my Dad flying into town the Thursday after this teaching to spend the weekend with the Colorado family. Anyways, this was one of the good ones. With that, Godspeed and Jesus bless.

Footnotes

  1. Reunion Church

Luke: Exceeding Expectations | 1-29-2023

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Photo Cred: (1) | Updated: 10/12/2024

Sermon Prep

Now that it’s almost 2025, looking back at the beginning of 2023 is really interesting. It was the first full calendar year of marriage for my wife and I. We had our own place and finally had a flow to our daily routine as a couple, yet that wasn’t without its hiccups. Below is how this month was for us when I journaled the day of this sermon:

“I’m not good at change. Whether bad or good, change is always incredibly difficult for me. The last two weeks have been hard for Glory and I. With the new job… I’ve had to make drastic adjustments to my schedule. Now I wake up at 4:50am and drive 30min to Nik’s gym and then to work, along with the hour to commute home. It’s a long day that ends at 6pm where I’m finally home to relax for a few hours. It’s brutal some days, but in the long run the discipline is good for me.”

What I failed to mention was that I kept working once I got home combing through medical textbooks I bought to learn my new job. Glory was doing her own job hunt trying to find something new to do too. She was emotionally ready to move-on from her family’s nonprofit, but in retrospect not really since she still works there as of this writing. I think she felt more-so guilty that all of our finances were on me now and wanted to contribute more too.

Between the events of my last sermon and this one, we had lots of other changes happen in life as well. My younger brother, Corban, moved back to Colorado from Tennessee. Glory’s sister ended a years-long relationship with her then boyfriend. Our church’s truck was totaled, which made set-up and tear-down that much more difficult in the middle of winter. Lastly, a young man who was homeless and attended our church died of hypothermia sleeping outside on a cold night in December. The changing of seasons it seems had an effect on not just us, but the community we lived with at large.

It’s in light of these changes and the expectations for what 2023 would be, that I shared this message. I must say, the contrast between my confidence in teaching through Ecclesiastes versus Luke was night-and-day. This series was much more up my alley given it was a character study on Jesus and there’s always something to be found when studying our Lord’s life. With that backdrop, here’s my notes:

Sermon Notes

Opening Line

  • Becoming an uncle.
    • How it changed me and my family.

Intro

  • Luke begins his gospel account with 2 key moments: announcement and arrival.
  • These 2 themes run throughout Luke.
    • Luke 1 = Announcing the king
    • Luke 2 = Arrival of the king

Transition To Main Point

  • The king’s arrival both exceeded expectations and extinguished them.

Main Point

  • 1) Announcement
    • Modern messiahs (i.e. Herod the Great, Judah the Hammer, etc.) have had a lot of expectations put on them, but they can never meet them as just men.
      • The same was true of Jesus’ time.
      • There were many previous messiahs, but none of them saved the world.
    • John the Baptist’s role was to announce King Jesus to the world.
      • He’s like the hype man of Jesus.
      • He set the stage for the savior.
      • Final old covenant and Old Testament prophet.
        • Story-wise, his death is a turning point.
  • 2) Arrival
    • Bethlehem was brutal.
      • Roman rule set up crosses of resistance.
        • Horse thieves, murders; revolutionaries.
      • As Jesus’ family arrived to get registered, they would’ve seen these crosses.
    • As a boy, Jesus acted in command and with an awareness of who he was.
      • This put tension between his family.
      • Joseph’s absence in Luke theories:
        • 1) Died when Jesus was young.
        • 2) Emotionally absent.
        • 3) Omitted by Joseph’s request.

Why It Matters

  • Jesus exceeded and extinguished expectations.
    • Exceeded = Grace, wisdom, love, and healing.
    • Extinguished = Not rich or warrior king.
  • Not the king they wanted, but needed.
    • Back then, the Hebrews wanted a lord.
    • Today we want a savior, but not a lord.
      • Jesus will always be lord and savior.

Final Thoughts

As one of the first messages within the study on Luke, I’m quite proud of the delivery here. The same can be said of the messages I shared in this timeframe for this series. I just had an assurance in knowing this material and learning as I taught that was different then Ecclesiastes where I was speaking on things I didn’t truly know yet. With that, Godspeed and Jesus bless.

Footnotes

  1. Reunion Church