LBC Sermons & Messages

Text: Ephesians 1:15-f.f.

We have been given a precious gift that no man deserves and that is the eternal gift of salvation. It was given by a God full of grace, mercy and love. His plan of redemption through Christ’s blood alone was chosen even before the foundations of the world. Once we act favorably to His plan we are then predestined to eternal life with Him and nothing can take that away. We are secure and then have a job to do. God has entrusted us with a great treasure and we are foolish if we do not invest it in others and we may not even be one of His children, Matt. 7:23.

Then Paul prays for the church in Ephesus. Notice that the prayer is based in faith. What is faith? Most will say it is a belief or even more than that it is a conviction. However, if one looks at Hebrews 11 one will find that true biblical faith is much more than a conviction. Faith is substance of things hoped for. It is something that this world can see in a tangible way. A Christian’s life and obedience to the Truth is this substance based on our eternal home in heaven. Then it is evidence of what is unseen. God cannot be seen in flesh but is seen once again through our adherence and obedience to the Truth. It is not enough to just pray. If you pray and God has given you the means to meet the need then do not stop at prayer. Let faith led you to glorify our Father. Prayer is not about letting God in on what is going on down here, it is about a relationship with Him and the God convicting us to act in faith.

Also, Paul’s prayer was based in love. I Corinthians 13 is the love chapter and it would do us all good to read this chapter often. Paul starts off by encouraging the church. It really does not matter what great accomplishments we achieve or what talents we have if all is not done through love. It is a heart issue. In vs. 4 God reminds us that love suffers long. I do not know about you but I do not like this. My flesh kicks in and I want to see justice in other peoples’ lives but not my own. I want everyone to be patient with me but I should not have to be patient with everyone else. True love is longsuffering. It loves no matter what. So, this week are you going to be filled with faith and love? Is there someone God has placed in your life that needs you to be Him?

Text: Ephesians 1:12-14

We that know the Lord have been given so much. Even if we gain nothing in this world we have salvation throughout eternity and a home in heaven with our Lord and Savior. Things of this world are just that. They are temporal and will pass away but our relationship with the Lord will last even when time is no more. The question is, “what will you do with what you have been given?”

God has entrusted us with the most precious of gifts and that is a relationship with Him. He takes it very seriously and the does not like it when we squander this gift. Let us now take a deeper look at Matt. 25.

Once again, these parables are about the gift that we have been given and that is salvation not talents or abilities for true believer understands that our abilities are purely God in us anyways. Salvation is a gift given to us personally. The first parable teaches us that we are to be prepared for His coming. One day, Christ will come back in the clouds and call His bride home with a trumpet sound and we all shall be raptured, I Thess. 4:7-f.f. We are to be prepared for He will come back.

Look at Goliath. He faced David unprepared with His weapons in the hands of his armor barer and it did not turn out well for him. I Pet. 5:8 tells us to be sober or once again prepared. Satan is real therefore we must be on guard like the Children of Israel in Neh. 4. We must also be prepared because Christ is coming back.

The second parable teaches us that God has entrusted us with a great gift and we that are truly His children will be investing it. The gift of salvation is given to all men and many will claim to be His, Matt. 7. True believers are known by their fruit. True believers are known by their investing of the great gift of salvation. The Bible is clear and those who are not investing and spreading the gospel are not true Children and then will one day be cast into Hell to spend eternity apart from God in eternal punishment. So, are you investing and spreading the gospel? Are you a true child of the living God? See what great gift you have and then glorify your King!

Text: Ephesians 1:12-14

It would not make sense and would be down right irresponsible to call our soldiers together, given them nothing but cake and junk food and then send them to fight in a war. They would be out of shape, unprepared and unarmed. They would not win unless the enemy did the same thing. Why do we think that the spiritual war we are in everyday is any different? Do we think that our enemy is out of shape, unprepared and unarmed?

God gives us everything we need and pleads with us to work and train to fight the good fight in His power and might. He gives us the Word and the Spirit. He gives us ability, grace, mercy, an eternity in heaven and so much more. He also gives us Himself in the form of Christ. We are given much and according to Luke 12:42-44 much is expected.

Ephesians teaches us that God is trustworthy. The Greek in verse 13 gives the idea that we are connected with Christ. Galatians 2:20, 21 says that we are crucified with Christ. This life that I live is not mine at all but God’s and should be lived to Him.

Also, we see that we were connected after we heard the Word of truth. The word heard means to be noised or heralded. We have an obligation to physically speak the Word of God, Romans 10:14. It also means to understand. We are connected with Christ after we understand the truth about our sinful selves and about His great love.

Then we are told that we are sealed or stamped which is also repeated in 4:30. We are sealed by and with the Holy Spirit. We are also given the Holy Spirit as an earnest payment, II Cor. 1:20-22. We are granted and guaranteed a home in heaven and then we are given the Holy Spirit to seal the deal. Our redemption will happen.

In closing, we read in Matthew 25 that we are to be prepared for the Master’s return. We are to be working and performing the task that He called us to do, herald. Also, in 14-30, we are told that we are to invest what God has given us as wise stewards. It has nothing to do with money and everything to do with service. So, how are you investing what God has given you? God has given you eternal life, now invest it and yield a return.

Text: Ephesians 1:1-6

Last time, we looked at the City of Ephesus and what these people that Paul wrote to were living in. Once again, they were gentiles won to Christ living in a pagan land with a past lifestyle of false worship. However, the Holy Spirit worked on them and they cried out to Christ for salvation. Paul then reminds them of their responsibility to spread the truth and bring others with them.

Now Paul moves into the blessing of Christ. There are two different words used here. Blessed be the Christ gives the idea that Christ is adorable. Not cute but worthy to be adored. Then this adorable Christ turns around and blesses us or speaks well of. Praise be to Christ, the one who maketh intersession for us, Rom. 8:34, I John 2:1. Then, Christ blesses us in heavenly places. We must remember our focus and that is on eternity not in carnal things, Matt. 6:33, Col. 3:2.

Then Paul moves into a topic that has divided many a church, a topic that man has tried to overcomplicate and yet is very simple. The topic is election and predestination. First, let me say that I am not a Greek, Bible scholar but a simple preacher. Secondly, these are two different doctrines. Let us deal with election first.

Election is God’s choosing of the plan not the man. God has chosen to form man in His own image, Gen 1:26. He has made us like Him in that we have a body, and spirit or life, and a soul that is eternal. He has also chosen the plan of redeeming man to Himself through Christ even before the foundation of the world, John 3:16, Rom.
1, II Pet. 3:9. God chooses individuals to do His work but the call for salvation goes out to all. God has placed the Law and a conscience in every person which pushes us to Him. He has given us creation which teaches us about God and his grace. God also is willing that none should perish. Hell was created for Satan and the forces of evil but God has no choice to allow people who reject Him and His plan to spend eternity there. God elects the plan of redemption and then allows man to make God or self his choice. Those who make God their choice are then the elect.

II Thess. 2:13 is a verse that is used to show that God chooses people to go to heaven. However, in context it teaches once again that God chose the plan not the man. He chooses the plan of salvation through faith and sanctification only found in Christ. There are people who choose not to believe the truth and would rather work unrighteousness. Then there are those who believe and cry out to God becoming the elect or favorite of God because of the work of Christ in them. Election is the plan that shows God’s marvelous Grace.

Text: Philippians 2:5-8

Laboring is a part of life, like it or not. There is no way to get around it and try hard as man may, labor will continue to be a part of man’s life. God tells us in Genesis 3:17-19 that the ground is cursed and man will survive by the sweat of his brow. Because Adam fell, man is now enslaved to labor.

So, the question is, what are you laboring for? Psalms 128 and Galatians 6:7, 8 remind us that we can get what we labor for. If you and I want to sow or labor for fleshly things, we can and we can be good at it. If we labor for the flesh, we shall gain fleshly things; however, these things lead to destruction and emptiness. We can also labor for the Spirit. We can lay up crowns in heaven that will never fade away and this labor will lead to life and life more abundant. The choice is ours and one thing that is certain is that we will reap what we sow.

Therefore, we should labor for eternal possessions, Matthew 6:24-f.f. Seek those things which are in heaven where rust and moth does not destroy and where thieves cannot break in and steal. When we labor for eternal things God promises to then supply all our needs. It is amazing how we like to labor for the flesh, gratify the desires of the flesh and still claim God’s promises to supply our needs. We cannot serve God and the devil. We cannot have two masters, Matthew 6.

Hebrews 4:9-11 reminds us that we will one day enter into the rest of God. God gives us the Sabbath, one day a week to rest and get our bearings and strength back physically and spiritually. However, one day when this old life has ceased I will enter into the rest of God. My faith will be sight and my race will be over. If you know Christ as your Savior, this is true for you as well. Until then, we are to labor for the Master.

God has called us all to do a specific work on this earth. He gives each of us different talents to complete that work and when the church comes together as a body, He is glorified. Each of us is called to do certain tasks though. One is having a devotional life with God. Church is a gift from God but it is for God. Personal devotions are where growth takes place in the life of a Christian. We are all called to pray. We are all called to love one another. God said that if we can only get one thing right, it is to love each other. By this, the world shall know that we are His disciples. Once again, what are you laboring for?

Lastly, we need to remember the promises concerning our labors, Heb. 6:10, I Tim. 4:10, Is. 40:31, Gal. 6:9. We can do it.

Text: Ephesians 1:1-6

Today we will begin to look at the wonderful book of Ephesians. First, to get the full picture of what is going on we need to look at the setting or the town. Ephesus was a thriving ancient Greek town and then later a Major Roman town. It was the second largest town in the Roman Empire, only second to Rome itself and also the second largest city in the world at that time. Ephesus was known for its extravagant bath houses, intricate aqueducts, the library of Celsus, and one of the ancient seven wonders of the world the temple to Artemis or Diane. This information will shed light upon the passages as we read and discuss them. Remember what these Christians came from and lived in day after day.

Now let us look at the letter itself. This is one of four prison epistles that Paul wrote. They are called prison epistles because he wrote them from prison. This letter was also written to the sanctified gentiles in the city of Ephesus. Paul had won many of them to the Lord and birthed that church on one of his missionary journeys. Paul wrote this letter to settle and establish these Christians. In the first three chapters Paul reminds them of where they came from and in the remaining chapters where they are going after their great transformation in Christ. God wants you and I to grow in Christ and not stay where we are today, Eph. 4:15, II Pet. 3:18. So what are you doing to grow?

Lastly, let us look at the author, Paul. Paul was an apostle of Christ. An apostle is one who is called and taught by Christ Himself. You and I are called to be disciples or followers of Christ, Rom. 1:1-7, I Cor. 1:24-29. Noticed he was called by the will of God. What do you know about the will of God? It will endure, Ps. 145:13, II Pet. 3:8-10. His will, His grace, His mercy, His judgments, His Word, His very being will endure forever so why follow anything else? So the question is what will you follow? Your own plans or God’s will, I Pet. 4:2? Then we see Paul was called with a purpose. You and I are called by God Himself with a purpose. That purpose is to reach this lost world with the blessed gospel of Christ, Acts 1:8. What will we do?

Text: Galatians 6:1-10

Paul has spent this whole letter exhorting the churches in Galatia. False teachers had crept in and were leading Christians astray. Paul exhorts them to know the truth. They had the truth and followed it for a time. He exhorted them to use their Christian liberty to serve God the Father.

Now Paul encourages them to walk the walk. He once again shows them his love for them through the Lord. He reminds them of what a false teacher looks like and then Paul identifies a true teacher of the Word. True teachers are all about lifting up the Lord Jesus, they are dead to this world and do not worry about what the world will do to them, and they are founded in Christian liberty or sound Christian doctrine.

Then Paul tells them that as many that walk according to this rule, peace be upon them. When we follow the scriptures and allow Christ to rule in our hearts and to direct our paths, we have the peace of God the Father through our Lord Jesus Christ. When we do contrary to the scripture, we begin to live our lives according to our rule, we fall prey to Satan’s temping to the pride of life, I John 2:16. When this happens we have the opposite of peace to look forward to. It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God, Heb. 10:31. When we sin willfully, there is now just the wrath of God to look forward to, Heb 10:26. We must walk according to the rule of God.

Also, when we walk according to the rule of God, mercy and grace rest upon us. Is your life summed up by the grace and mercy of God? Are you continually living in the midst of God’s mercy and grace? If not, it is your choice. The opposite of a life of mercy and grace is a life of turmoil, fights, and bitterness. Christ came that we may have life and have it more abundantly, John 10:10. This world will chew us up and spit us out but we can have the peace of God ruling in our hearts and we can live in the mercy and Grace of our Savior. We can live in the presence of God and stand unashamedly if we have on the Armor of God and depend on His strength, Eph 6. Will you do it? Will you stand in the Gap?

Text: Galatians 6:1-10

One of my favorite John Wayne movies is True Grit. He plays a lawman that helps an incorrigible girl track down her father’s killer and brings him to justice. A Texas Ranger also shows up and tags along making even more of a mess. The young lady is a pain and John Wayne has to dig deep and find his true grit to see this man brought to justice.

What are you made of? How much will you take before you throw in the towel? What sort of man are you? Paul now encourages us to have true grit. In this day and age that we live in, God is looking for men and women that have true grit and are not afraid to stand up no matter what is going on around them or what happens to them.

Paul shows us what the false teachers are doing in verses 12, 13. False teachers are weak and fickle so they are zealous for external appearances. What matters to them is how they look. They want to be socially acceptable. Let me just say that truth is usually contrary to societal beliefs so standing on it will ruffle some feathers.

False teachers also are fearful of persecution. This is the main reason someone will change their beliefs. Mankind does not want to be persecuted for what we believe and Satan lies to us telling us it is easier to just relax a little bit. It will not hurt.

Third, false teachers are party people. Again, it is all about the external and what makes their lives easier. If it feels good, it must be right. God wants us to be happy, right? God wants us to be filled with joy and that comes from service to God.

Then in verses 14-16 Paul shifts to a true teacher of God. A true teacher will glory in the cross, II Cor. 12:9; Eph. 1; I Cor. 10:31; Col. 3:17-23; I Peter 4:11. It is not about us at all. Secondly, they are dead to the world. The world cannot reward or hurt a true teacher, only the Lord, Gal. 2:20, 21; Luke 22:42; Rom 6:11; Matt. 10:22-28. Lastly, a true teacher rejoices in sound Christianity or Christian Liberty, James 1:27; Gal. 5:6; I Cor. 7:19; I Sam. 16:7; Eph. 6:6. So, are you a true teacher with true grit or will you be swayed by the times. Lets stand on the Word.

Text: Galatians 6:1-10

Paul spends most of the chapter describing and defining what exactly Christian Liberty is. Once again it is the ability to please God Almighty. Also, we cannot please the Father unless we are His children only through the shed blood of Jesus Christ and His complete forgiveness. Once we are heirs of Christ, we then have the liberty to serve the Father.

Here, we get to the last chapter of Galatians and Paul is now wrapping up the message and giving it flesh. One way to serve others is to be the spiritual one and lift up those around you. Notice again that the one who is restoring is not required to be perfect but spiritual or trying to live a pleasing life to the Father. They are to do it with the Word of God and to consider themselves lest they be tempted as well.

Therefore, the one who is spiritual is the lifter. The spiritual one lifts up others and not self, Exodus 17. I admit, this is hard and is probably the area that I and others struggle with the most. In this life, we usually aim to please ourselves. We usually try to justify it in some weak way and go on living in our own little worlds.

All praise to God for He allowed Kathy and I to give over a third of our income to the church, camp, and other Christian ministries, but it is so easy to say, “I did my part. I gave money.” There is much more to service than giving money. I know that is not the usual message you hear from a pastor but I think God would rather have a church that is rich in truly loving on each other than one that is rich financially. God always supplies and it is all His money anyway. However, being rich in love is a fruit of choosing to allow God to work through us and He receives the glory.

In closing, Galatians 6:4, 5 show us that in order to be a lifter of others you must make sure you are lifting yourself. This is only accomplished through the renewing, daily walk with the Savior, a.k.a. Christian Liberty. We cannot do it on our own and we must be lifted daily by His Word. So, are you going to be the spiritual one to someone this week?

Text: Galatians 6:1-10

One must keep in mind Galatians as a whole when reading this last chapter of the book. The theme of Galatians is true Christian Liberty which is the ability to serve and please a perfect and holy God not a free pass to do what one would like. He also says along the journey, we will fall. All of us are subject to falling and will at some time, therefore, Paul now gives us some insight on restoration.

First, we must be restorable. None of us are perfect and we have to face the reality that one day and maybe many days, we will need the grace of God to restore us. We all make choices that make us disobedient to the Father and when we do, we are in need of restoration. We must be honest with ourselves, we must see where we really are, and we must see our depravity. We need God!

Secondly, we must be a restorer at times. We need to keep in mind that restoration is always the ends. We do not proclaim God’s truths just to make people uncomfortable. We proclaim God’s truths to exhort each other to be more Christ-like.

Notice Paul says, “ye which are spiritual…” Perfection is not a prerequisite but spirituality is. We must be living the repenter’s life to restore such an one. We also must restore with the Word of God, John 17:17, 8:32; Heb. 4:12. For it is the Word of God that is quick and powerful.

Notice also that you and I have the ability to be restorers. No matter what is going on around us and what others choose to do or not do, God can strengthen us to be restorers. The prophets of old all felt alone and many times were as God called them to stand in the midst of a people that hated them and God. But they stood and God blessed. Joshua put it this way and said, “as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord.” Daniel also purposed in his heart no matter what everyone else was doing.

So, let us be the restorers that God wants us to be. Let us do it in the spirit of meekness, considering ourselves lest we fall into the snares of the Devil. Let us do it all to be the spotless bride that Christ is proud of and desires to use to reach this world.