Sermons from November 2023

For you yourselves are fully aware that the day of the Lord will come like a thief in the night. Many here have heard of, read, or seen the Left Behind and Thief in the Night series of books and movies. There are several editions. The movie was recently updated with Nicolas Cage as its big-name actor. I remember seeing the earlier series in the later 1970’s. The concept of the rapture being the fulfilment of Jesus’ return being like…

Therefore encourage one another with these words. The good news of forgiveness, new life, and the resurrection to eternal life changes everything in the life, mind, goals, and activities of God’s faithful people in Christ. The Apostle Paul wrote two surviving letters to the Christians in Thessalonica. In them he commends their firm faith lived amid suffering and persecution. He encourages then to learn and embrace sound biblical doctrine as it will help them find hope and endurance in their…

Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God. The blessings pronounced by Jesus in today’s gospel reading are commonly called the “Beatitudes”, from the Latin word for blessed, fortunate, or happy. The English words “happy” and “fortunate” are probably not the best way to translate either the Greek word makairioV or to properly capture the full nature of the divine blessing in these verses. “Blessed” seems  best as it being blessed by God in the ways described in…