Sermons - John 4:42

John 4:42 They said to the woman, “We no longer believe just because of what you said; now we have heard for ourselves, and we know that this man really is the Savior of the world.” (NIV)

As a preacher of the Gospel, I put a lot of time, research, and effort into creating and writing a sermon. I try to make it both a teaching instrument, as well as a challenging one. The whole purpose of a sermon, in my opinion, is to draw someone closer to Christ. In today’s cosmopolitan world, this is not a given, even among church folks. People have so many different sources of information that it is very easy to get distracted from our Christian Gospel roots and dabble in other faiths which, although they may have some good points, actually lead people away from Christ.

            The ending of the Gospel story of the woman at the well finishes with her people becoming completely convinced that Jesus is the Savior of the entire world. They no longer need to be persuaded by her testimony; they have reached that life-changing moment for themselves. This is exactly the point of conversion that every preacher hopes their sermons will attain. It occurs when the preacher’s words become real, when the power of the Gospel actually enters the hearts and minds of the hearers of God’s Word.

            So long as I live and am able, I will continue to preach and write about the Gospel in the hope that someone, somewhere, and at some time, will make that connection to Jesus. In my opinion, it’s absolutely crucial for every person to make that decision; and it’s eternally necessary for those who want to be with Christ beyond this world.

Point to ponder

Have I accepted Jesus as the Savior of the World? If so, how do I display my faith in Him alone?

Prayer: Lord Jesus, life is beautiful and wonderful, a time and space to enjoy and explore. However, life is not a game to play, but a gift to prepare ourselves to be with You forever. Help us to both understand and accept this reality today. In Your Holy Name, we pray. Amen.

Today’s image is one of John’s bulletin cover drawings called “I Am the Way.” If you would like to view a larger version, please click this link: Way.

John Stuart is the pastor of Erin Presbyterian Church in Knoxville, Tennessee. You can read the church website at www.erinpresbyterian.org. You can also send John an email to Traqair@aol.com.

Faith School - 2 Timothy 1:13

2 Timothy 1:13           What you heard from me, keep as the pattern of sound teaching, with faith and love in Christ Jesus. (NIV)

            When the apostle Paul was writing to his protégé Timothy, he was trying to ensure that the next generation of believers would hold fast to the faith that Paul personally experienced and taught. This would be have been written about thirty to forty years after the Resurrection of Christ. During those 3 or 4 decades, Christianity had flourished across the Mediterranean, especially in the southern region of what we now call Turkey. However, with this wonderful growth, there also came a plethora of different teachers and preachers who all had their own personal ideas of what constituted the Gospel Truth.

            Paul’s personal appeal to Timothy in writing reveals to us that the apostle, who was imprisoned at this time, was gravely concerned about the faith of the new churches being hijacked by false teachers and greedy preachers. Paul advised to Timothy to be on his guard against such unscrupulous people who would use their charm, influence, and power to mesmerize believers, in order to lead them down the wrong path and away from Christ. Paul also knew that Timothy, who was destined to become the Bishop of Ephesus, would be very influential among his peers. If the fledgling faith was going to survive in the region, it would require Christian leaders who had been inspired by sound teaching, and who expressed their beliefs through their faith and love in Jesus.

            With the amazing amount of information available to us from the Internet, we can sometimes experience difficulty in discerning what is true or false teaching with regard to our Christian faith. New ideas, fresh perspectives, and novel opinions can sometimes attract us, but they may also detract us from following the truth. I personally go back through the four Gospels whenever I’m faced with a new approach to my faith. If I can’t find something that would corroborate the new idea, I set it aside. That may be too simple for some folk but, after almost forty years of trying to be a Christian, I have learned that it works for me.

            May God bless you as you grow in faith and enable you to share the love of Jesus.

Questions for personal reflection

Who initially taught me about the Christian faith? How have I passed on my faith experiences to the next generation?

Prayer:            Lord Jesus, we thank You for the gift of faith which has influenced, shaped, and directed our lives. We praise You for Your true teaching about God. Grant us new opportunities to share our faith and love in You with others around us. In Your Holy Name, we pray. Amen.

John Stuart is the pastor of Erin Presbyterian Church in Knoxville, Tennessee. If you would like to comment or ask questions about today’s message, please send him an email to Traqair@aol.com. Please also feel free to share or forward this message to your own family and friends.

Today’s image is one of my Celtic Cross drawings called ‘Celtic Heart.’ If you would like to view a larger version, please click on this link: Cross.

Gospel devotion: The Real Jesus - 2 Corinthians 11:4

For today’s readings: click on these links – Judges 10:6-18 and 2 Corinthians 11:1-11

2 Corinthians 11:4     For if someone comes to you and preaches a Jesus other than the Jesus we preached, or if you receive a different spirit from the one you received, or a different gospel from the one you accepted, you put up with it easily enough.

At this time of year, I always chuckle at the special programs which some cable channels broadcast about the Bible and Jesus. They usually advertise the programs with teasing titles like ‘Secrets of the Bible’ or ‘UFOs in the Bible’ or ‘The Real Jesus.’ I must admit that I've watched some of them through the years, but what they usually present are just old obscure ideas that were rejected by the Church ages ago because their origins were unreliable.

Along with these ‘recently discovered scriptures,’ the programmers roll out some college lecturers who want to make a name for themselves by being controversial. They are just like the paid examiners in high profile trials, who trot out what their legal sponsors expect of them. In return for their fifteen minutes of fame, these religious lecturers relish creating a controversy that some people sadly buy into, and end up causing them to cast aside their simple faith.

Long before cable and television were invented, the Apostle Paul had to deal with the same sort of controversial stuff. In today’s passage (2 Corinthians 11:1-11) he deals with a similar situation where rogue preachers have come into an established Christian community, preaching a different Gospel and Jesus from what was originally expressed. Paul gently berates the community of the faithful for embracing these new and highly questionable ideas about Christ. The Corinthians community is embracing the novelty of a new Christ, instead of holding on to their faith in the real Christ that Paul had introduced them.

With so many different methods of receiving information, people can be easily persuaded to accept something as Gospel truth these days without questioning either the sources or the ideas. In every generation, the Church has had to face this problem and fight for the Truth. And in every situation, the simple answer is still the best solution: people need to get back to the basics of actually reading the Bible.

Questions for personal reflection

What is the source of my knowledge about Jesus? How often do I actually read the Bible?

Prayer:            Lord Jesus, Your words and ways have shaped this whole world for almost two thousand years. We thank You for the Gospels and for the messages which continue to captivate our hearts and minds. Keep us focused on Your teaching and protect us from those who would divert our attention, distract our devotion, and diminish our understanding of Who You really are. In Your Holy Name, we humbly pray. Amen.

John Stuart is the pastor of Erin Presbyterian Church in Knoxville, Tennessee. If you would like to make a comment or ask a question about today’s message, please send him an email to traqair@aol.com.

Today’s image is John’s latest Nativity drawing. It’s called “Mumbai Madonna” and is an Indian artistic interpretation of Jesus and Mary. If you would like to view a larger version, please click on the following link: http://farm4.staticflickr.com/3679/11039323083_c96ac02b69_b.jpg