My message today is titled, “Fight or Flight.” And I hope that the reason for that being so named would be evident from the content of the verses we just read. On the one hand we know from this text and the other gospels that all the disciples fled as a result of this incident, and on the other hand we see Simon Peter trying to put up a fight by taking out his sword and cutting of the ear of the high priest’s servant. Hence I have called it, Fight or Flight. Psychologists tell us that fight or flight

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For the last few weeks we have been studying the prayer of Jesus on the night before His crucifixion. And as we have noted, there are three levels to His prayer; He prays first for Himself, then for His disciples, and then for those who will be saved in the future (that is the church at large). But in addition to that purpose, there is an underlying application to His prayer, which is not only for our edification, but for our education. We can learn from Christ how to pray effectively in a way that will please God, and we

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Last week we began to look at what is the longest prayer of Christ that is recorded, and perhaps the most instructive of His prayers. It is instructive from many different perspectives. The prayer can be broken down into three main sections; vs1-5 Jesus prays concerning Himself, vs 6-19 Jesus prays concerning the disciples, and vs20 -26 Jesus prays concerning the church. And as we saw last time, one of those perspectives is that Christ’s prayer teaches us to pray. His prayer as recorded in the first five verses is an example of effective prayer, prayer that is pleasing to

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For a myriad of reasons, New Year’s Day compels people to think of making resolutions for the new year. I’m not alone, I think, in usually deciding to begin a new exercise program. Actually, mine started the day after Christmas. December 26th is my birthday, and that is usually reason enough to try to turn back the clock. So New Year’s Day is just further incentive to make good on my resolution for better health, or lose weight, or whatever. And I think that such calendar prompts are helpful. It helps to measure time, to take note of your situation,

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As those of you who are regulars here have come to realize by now, I do not go out of my way to preach topical messages on holidays. So, as such, I do not have a “Christmas message” per se for you this morning. That being said however, I feel that today’s message does speak to the real meaning of Christmas that unfortunately is often obscured by the focus on just the birth of Christ. The real message of Christmas I feel is that Jesus came to be the Savior of the world. Not just some sentimental nostalgia about a

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The Christmas season is supposed to be a season of joy. It’s supposed to be the most wonderful time of the year. That’s what we are told, at least, in tradition and song. And yet I would suggest that for a lot of people, Christmas time is anything but joyful. For many people that are financially strapped, it is a stressful time. And for many who have lost loved ones, it is a sorrowful time. I think our expectations during this holiday are part of the problem. Perhaps because of the media’s portrayal of what we should be the Christmas

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Today’s message is entitled “Authentic Christianity.” This is a subject that I feel very strongly about, and I believe the Lord feels very strongly about it as well. The meaning of “authentic” is of undisputed origin, genuine, true, the real deal. And as we study John’s gospel I believe this theme is emphasized over and over again. I believe authentic Christianity is very important to God. And so it should be very important to us. God doesn’t want superficial Christianity. He is not interested in lip service. He is not interested in rituals and ceremonies and observing holy days which

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Jesus said in John 14:6, “I am the way, the truth and the life, no one comes to the Father except by Me.” So Jesus is the way to God, He is he truth of God, and He provides life from God to those who believe in Him. This is the gospel in a nutshell. You either believe the truth as presented in Christ, or you don’t believe the truth, and what you are believing is a lie. That’s the choice that we have; believe the truth, or believe the lie of the devil. Now to those who have believed

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Christians have been the object of persecution by many nations and many regimes for centuries. In the years following Christ’s death, Nero the Roman Emperor declared Christians to be the enemy of Rome and began an empire wide persecution that if not for the grace of God would have eradicated Christianity. In the nineteenth century the Ottomans massacred about two-and-a-half million Christians. In the twentieth century, it’s estimated that the Soviets killed half a million Christians; and the Germans under Hitler, another quarter of a million. In the last 66 years in China, it is possible that those numbers have

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The most desired ambition of the popular culture is that of love. Love is the theme of more songs, more books, more poetry, more art and more movies than any other theme. And I believe this is so because it is the most essential need of the human condition. It is as fundamental to life as food and water, if not more so. God declared at creation that it was not good for man to be alone. It is an essential component of the human psyche. Everyone wants to know love. However, human nature is not satisfied with unrequited love.

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