Guerrilla Christianity

August 18, 2024 Old Testament: 1 Kings 2:10-12; 3:3-14 Psalter: Psalm 111 Epistle Lesson: Ephesians 5:15-20 Gospel Lesson: John 6:51-58 Scripture quotations from the New Revised Standard Version Bible, copyright © 1989 National Council of the Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide. S.D.G.

Sermon #7 Well this week we have a bonus sermon, one that I gave a couple years ago when I was a layperson. From the Gospel of John, this message centers on Peter's declaration to Jesus, "You have the words of eternal life." We sometimes forget that we can only be satisfied in Christ. We try to fill our lives with things that the world tells us to value. In this message, from the Summer of 2012, we look at what the world has to offer, and how it pales in comparison to God's abundant grace. So grab your Bible, turn it to John chapter 6, and join us as we look at Christ's words of eternal life. John 6:53-69 Recorded at Pitman Grove Tabernacle on August 26, 2012 (originally published November 14, 2014) S.D.G.

Sermon #294 What we find in the words "I Believe in... the holy catholic church, the communion of saints..." can be troublesome to some. How can we profess belief in one church when there are so many denominations? Often it is used against us as Christians to say that we can't even agree with each other. And yet, there is undeniably something universal about the body of Christ, and what we affirm in this section of the Creed is not antidenominational, but rather that it is the Holy Spirit acting in all believers, no matter what church or denomination they may belong to, that makes us one. Text: Matthew 16:13-20 Recorded at Ebenezer UMC on August 12, 2018 (Originally published October 3, 2018) S.D.G.

Sermon #616 A priest is one who intercedes on behalf of the people to God, to make sacrifices to atone for sin. The high priest is one who makes atonement for the sins of all the people, in this case, the people of Israel. But the high priest is himself a sinful person and so he must first make atonement for his own sins before making atonement for the people. This is not the case for Jesus Christ, who was tempted in every way that we are, yet without sin. Having no sin to atone for in himself, he was able to be our sacrifice and atone for the sins of the world. And like the scapegoat described in Leviticus, he was able to take our sin far away from us. Hebrews 4:14-5:10 Recorded at Ebenezer UMC on July 21, 2024 Watch on YouTube S.D.G.

Sermon #457 The episode of David's sin does not simply end with his repentance. As is often the case, the wreckage of this single momentary lapse in judgment follows not only David but also his immediate and extended family for many years, and even affects the nation of Israel as it descends into civil war, led by David's third son Absalom. We often do not think about the consequences of our sin. Forgiveness may be available through Jesus Christ and the grace of God, but ultimately our sin still has real world consequences that can follow us for years, and may even be generational, as we see in this incident. Though the sin may look appealing in that moment of temptation, and though we may think if anything we are only hurting ourselves, it is rarely the case that the consequences of our sin ends with us. 2 Samuel 18:5-9, 15, 31-33 Recorded at Hudson UMC on August 8, 2021 (Previously unpublished) Watch on YouTube S.D.G.

August 11, 2024 Old Testament: 2 Samuel 18:5-9, 15, 31-33 Psalter: Psalm 130 Epistle Lesson: Ephesians 4:25-5:2 Gospel Lesson: John 6:35, 41-51 Scripture quotations from the New Revised Standard Version Bible, copyright © 1989 National Council of the Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide. S.D.G.

Sermon #293 We turn our attention in the Apostles' Creed to the third person of the Trinity, the Holy Spirit. There is much misinformation regarding the Holy Spirit given in the last hundred years or so, and so we take a look at some of the myths about the Holy Spirit and debunk them, then examine how the Holy Spirit works in the life of the baptized christian to bring about the purposes of God here on earth. Text: John 15:26-27; 16:4b-15 Recorded at Ebenezer UMC on August 5, 2018 (Originally published October 1, 2018) S.D.G.

Sermon #615 God promises a rest for those who follow him in faith. To the Israelites, he promised they would enter into his rest in the land that he promised to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. Yet they refused and instead feared the people of the land, and God made them wander in the wilderness for forty years. The rest that he promises to believers today is an eternal Sabbath rest, purchased by the blood of his own son, Jesus Christ. So what is keeping us from entering into that rest? What doubts and disbeliefs do we cling to as we resist the calling of the Holy Spirit to enter into his rest? Hebrews 4:1-13 Recorded at Ebenezer UMC on July 14, 2024 Watch on YouTube S.D.G.

Sermon #456 This dark chapter in David's life brings in a new person to the story, Nathan the prophet. Although David had hidden his sin from others, he had not hidden the sin from himself, and he certainly did not hide it from God. When Nathan confronts David with the made-up story of a rich man who stole a poor man's lamb, David was enraged. Yet when Nathan confronted David with his own sin, David repented of his sin and confessed all. The statement, "I have sinned against the Lord," seems small compared to the mountain of sin David had mounted up. But we see the fullness of his confession and repentance in Psalm 51. Our sin separates us from God, but God in his mercy forgives our sin and allows us to reconcile to him. Even so, the wreckage that is created by our sin still exists. We still have very real consequences. Though we often see the sin in ourselves as so much more insignificant than the sin of others, God sees our sin for what it is: a rebellion against his promises and sustaining providence. 2 Samuel 11:26-12:13a Recorded at Ebenezer UMC on August 1, 2021 (Previously unpublished) Watch on YouTube S.D.G.

August 4, 2024 Old Testament: 2 Samuel 11:26-12:13a Psalter: Psalm 51:1-12 Epistle Lesson: Ephesians 4:1-16 Gospel Lesson: John 6:24-35 Scripture quotations from the New Revised Standard Version Bible, copyright © 1989 National Council of the Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide. S.D.G.

Sermon #292 Our exposition of the Apostles' Creed brings us to the end of the Christological statement of faith. We who have embraced Christ by faith for forgiveness of sins can rest assured in the final judgment. But what about those who have not? Jesus said he will come again, and he talks about his return as a time of judgment - what the Old Testament calls the "great and terrible day of the Lord." Jesus came once as a savior. He will return as a judge. Though our society may want to clip the wings of Jesus and portray him only as loving and merciful, make no mistake: God is a God of justice, and He poured out His justice on Jesus at Calvary. He did that for you and for me. The question is, what will you do with the life God has given you in Jesus Christ? Text: Matthew 25:31-46 Recorded at Hudson UMC on July 29, 2018 (Originally published September 21, 2018) S.D.G.

Sermon #614 After having asserted that Jesus, as Son of God, is greater than Moses (considered by the Jews to be the greatest prophet), the writer of Hebrews now looks at a particular event in the history of Israel, saying that even though God brought all of Israel out of Egypt, not all of them entered the promised land, but most perished in the wilderness due to their unbelief. And so the writer of Hebrews is exhorting his readers not to harden our hearts against the voice of God, but to believe. Remember that this letter was written to Jewish Christians in Rome under intense persecution by Nero. It would have been easy enough for them to forsake their belief in Jesus Christ and return to Judaism, where they would no longer be persecuted. But the writer is telling them, if they disbelieve the promise now, they are no better than those who perished in the wilderness, and they will likewise not enter the rest of God. Hebrews 3:7-19 Recorded at Hudson UMC on July 7, 2024 Watch on YouTube S.D.G.

Sermon #455 [This sermon was recorded in 2021 but was never released. In an effort to complete the Prophets & Kings series from that Summer, we are going back and releasing these sermons in 2024.] In our series so far, we've only seen the good in David. He is faithful to God, he is faithful to Saul even when Saul wants to kill him, and he is faithful to the people of Israel. But something changes here in chapter 11 of 2 Samuel. He changes his routine, and suddenly temptation hits him and he gives into it in a disastrous way. He even tries to cover up his sin and becomes even more entangled. What we can learn from David is that we can resist temptation, but when we are weak there comes a certain point where we are powerless and sin is inevitable. Therefore we must be diligent in our relationship with God and intentional in our study of His word and our worship of Him. David's sin was avoidable. The consequences of that sin were not. 2 Samuel 11:1-15 Recorded at Hudson UMC on July 25, 2021 (Previously unpublished) Watch on YouTube S.D.G.

July 28, 2024 Old Testament: 2 Samuel 11:1-15 Psalter: Psalm 14 Epistle Lesson: Ephesians 3:14-21 Gospel Lesson: John 6:1-21 Scripture quotations from the New Revised Standard Version Bible, copyright © 1989 National Council of the Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide. S.D.G.

Sermon #352 I can think of no better message to kick off the eighth season of Guerrilla Christianity than this message which was preached at the Pitman Grove Camp Meeting in 2019. Very few Christians today share their faith in Jesus Christ, and perhaps it is because we have no idea who Jesus is. The writer of the book of Hebrews offers us the foundational testimony toward building a solid Christology (the study of Christ and His nature) which is important because by knowing Christ, we can know what He has done for us, what He offers us, and how He rescued us from sin and death. Then we can truly appreciate the vast greatness of the gospel, which ought to inspire us to tell everyone the best good news in the history of the world. {For the last two weeks in June, 2020, we will be posting messages that were given at the Pitman Grove Camp Meeting auditorium. This year the Camp Meeting is on hold until at least August, so please enjoy these messages from years gone by.} Hebrews 1:1-4 Recorded at Pitman Grove Camp Meeting on August 25, 2019 (Originally Published July 3, 2020) S.D.G.

Sermon #613 Without a doubt, the greatest figure in the history of Israel was Moses. He was the one who led the people out of slavery. He was the one to whom God gave the law. He was the leader of the Hebrews in the wilderness for 40 years. And yet, the writer of Hebrews insists that we ought to consider Jesus as greater than Moses. After all, Moses delivered the law to Israel, but Jesus brought grace and truth to all the world. And so the writer is challenging contemporary Jewish thought that exalts Moses and says, consider Jesus, who was sent by God to be our high priest, to offer one sacrifice for sin for all time. Hebrews 3:1-6 Recorded at Ebenezer UMC on June 30, 2024 Watch on YouTube S.D.G.

Sermon #454 Often in scripture, David is referred to as a man after God's own heart. We see that in today's reading as David expresses a desire to build a temple for God in Jerusalem. His desire is to put down roots for the nation of Israel, to establish the spiritual center of the family of Abraham. Yet God, in a play on words, says through the prophet Nathan that David will not build a house (temple) for God, but God will make David a house (dynasty). Here once more we see our covenant God initiating the blessings by giving His promise to a mere human agent, flaws and all. And it's because of His eternal promises that he never breaks that we can rely upon His promises for us today. 2 Samuel 7:1-14a Recorded at Ebenezer UMC on July 18, 2021 (Originally published October 25, 2021) View on YouTube S.D.G.

July 21, 2024 Old Testament: 2 Samuel 7:1-14a Psalter: Psalm 89:20-37 Epistle Lesson: Ephesians 2:11-22 Gospel Lesson: Mark 6:30-34, 53-56 Scripture quotations from the New Revised Standard Version Bible, copyright © 1989 National Council of the Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide. S.D.G.

Sermon #291 It is easy for us to slip quietly past this affirmation, but that would be a mistake. We are told so much in the Gospels about the earthly ministry of Christ and very little about the forty days after the resurrection, and less about the actual ascension (only Luke records his account in his Gospel and in the book of Acts). Yet the Ascension of Christ means three major things in the life of the Christian. It means that Easter is not over; it means that the incarnation is not over; and it means that we have a brother sitting at the right hand of God and interceding for us sinners. Indeed, affirming faith in the Ascension should be great joy for Christians everywhere. Text: Luke 24:44-53 Recorded at Ebenezer UMC on July 22, 2018 (Originally published September 17, 2018) S.D.G.