LBC Sermons & Messages

Luke 6:14-16

Let’s discuss the last four of the twelve disciples. This should not take long because very little is known about these men. First up is James the less. The title “the less” comes from the Greek word micros. This might be in reference to his stature, his age, his influence, or all the above.

In Mark 2:14 we see that Levi, or Matthew was the son of Alpheus. In the Luke account we see that James the less is also son of Alpheus. This was not a very common name: therefore, it is probable that the two were brothers. Christ liked to work with brothers as he did with James and John and Peter and Andrew and Judas and James. Also, if you compare Mark 15:40 and John 19:25 we see that James the less might also be the cousin of Christ.

Simon the Zealot is next. Zealots were one of four political parties and were very fiery and temperamental in character. I think it is safe to assume the same about Simon. His name is only mentioned in the lists of the twelve and that is all we know.

Continuing on is Judas, the disciple with three names. One was
Trinimious, another is Lebbaeus which means heart child, and the last one is Thaddaeus which means nursing baby. If you put them all together we can see that Judas was a sensitive person with a compassionate heart and apparently taking things personally. In John 14:21, 22 we see he is worried that Christ will only manifest himself to the disciples and not to the world.

Lastly, we see Judas the traitor. Judas is different from the other eleven. His name means Jehovah leads, but through his life we see another story. From Judas we see the evil potential that lay inside all of mankind. We see the possibility of walking with Christ intimately and yet not truly knowing Him. We also see that no matter how evil man can be, God’s plan can never be thwarted. God made you the way He wanted too and longs to empower you if you let Him.

John 1:45-49; Matthew 9:9; John 11:16

Nathanael’s Hebrew name in Bartholomew and it means “God has given.” He was a close friend of Philip and we see him in two passages: John 1:45-49 and John 21:2. In John 1 we learn that he, like the others, loved and studied the scriptures. He was eager to follow because of the prophecy he knew.

Christ says that Nathanael was without guile. In other words, he was honest and pursued truth. We have an obligation to pursue truth. Sometimes this costs and causes us to do hard things but we must be relentless. I hope one day Christ can say the same of me.

Matthew, or Levi in Hebrew, is only mentioned three times in the scripture. He is mentioned once where he records his call, in the lists of the twelve, and in Luke 5:28-32. We know he was a publican or tax collector and that he kept to himself. Tax collectors were hated by the Jews because of the extortion and lies that they used to gain wealth. He was an outcast by his own people.

When Christ calls Matthew, he immediately follows and then throws a dinner and invites Christ and his publican buddies. Matthew eagerly follows Christ, I believe, as a way of redemption as well as the fact that He was God. So, right away he has a dinner to introduce his colleagues to Christ.

Thomas is known as “doubting Thomas” but I believe this is a hasty tag placed on him. Thomas was one of the most devoted to Christ even willing to go to death with him if necessary John 11. He loved Christ and gave up all to follow him. He saw Christ die with his own eyes and he emotionally shut down. So when Thomas shows up in the upper room and sees Christ after he rose from the dead, he is mentally drained and probably feels his mind could be playing tricks on him. He wanted to make sure that Christ was really there. From here on out his faith remained unshaken. Do you need to go to Christ for renewed faith?

Matthew 20:20-24; John 13:23

James and John come from a prominent family in the fishing industry, Mark 1:20. The term Sons of Thunder also was used by the disciples. Christ used Peter’s real name when he was slipping back into his old unregenerate self, but not so with the Sons of Thunder.
James’ life can be summed up by words like passion, intensity, selfish ambition, and zeal. Luke 9:51-56 gives us an example of the misguided zeal in James’ life. God wants us to be zealous but to be zealous for Him. We must remember that everything revolves around our relationship with Him and should be lived out to accomplish God’s plan.
James was the first recorded martyr of the twelve. Herod the king had him beheaded by a sword and then planned on killing Peter in Acts 12. James wanted a crown and Christ gave him a cup of suffering. James wanted power but God made him a servant. James wanted a place of prominence but his life ended in a martyr’s grave. James learned from the Master that His zeal must be harnessed and tempered with love.
John is a disciple that is typified with much of the same characteristics as his brother James but also love. He is usually depicted as being effeminate, soft, and weak. However, he was a fisherman and a disciple of John the Baptist so he was probably as rugged as the other.
He encourages Christians to live a life that is typified by righteousness, not sin. He also learned that truth without love is not descent, it is just brutal. Also, love without truth has no character, it is just hypocritical. His stand in Christ ended up in loneliness on the Isle of Patmos. He is the only disciple that did not see a martyr’s grave but suffered greatly for his stand in Christ.
So, this week, be zealous for Christ and remember to that love and truth go hand in hand.

John 1:35-45

Peter was the appointed leader of the whole group and the leader of the first four which was comprised of Peter, his brother Andrew, James, and his brother John. Peter we looked at as the disciple with the foot-shaped mouth, Philip was the bean counter and Andrew is the disciple of small things.
Andrew is the lesser known of the first four and his name is only mentioned 9 times outside of the lists of disciples. He is the brother of Peter. Remember, Peter is boisterous, a go getter, full of ideas, and not afraid to act. Usually this kind of brother creates sibling rivalries, but when Andrew meets Christ, the first person he goes and gets is Peter, his loved brother.
In John chapter 6, we see the feeding of the 5000 men and women and children besides. Christ asked Philip what to do already knowing what He was going to do. Philip responds with a bean counter answer but Andrew brings a little boy to Christ with 5 loaves and two fishes. Andrew saw the value of “insignificant” gifts. He realized it was not much physically but he also knew with Christ, all things are possible.
Andrew also saw the value of “inconspicuous” service. He was known for bringing individuals to Christ. Who was the last person you brought to Christ? Does the name Edward Kimball ring a bell? He was a Sunday School teacher in Boston. He had a 19 year old boy visit his class so later Edward went to visit him at work at Holton’s Shoe store. Edward walked by the store due to nerves and once he realized it, he was tempted to keep going. He finally went back and cornered the boy in the stock room witnessing to him till he accepted Christ. One young man who was witnessed to by a nervous Sunday School teacher ended up shacking two continents for Christ. The Young man’s name was D.L. Moody. Like Andrew, Edward lead one person at a time to Christ and it changed many lives. Don’t buckle under fear.

John 1:43-45

Philip is the fifth disciple mentioned in each of the four lists given in the gospels. If you look into the grouping of the disciples you will notice the first group is Peter, the over all leader, Andrew, his brother, and James and John the Sons of Thunder. The second group is lead by Philip. Today we will look at his life.
Philip’s name is Greek. He is the only one that does not have a Hebrew name. His name means “Lover of Horses.” Philip the disciple is also not to be confused with Philip and the Eunuch.
Peter, Andrew, James and John are all following John the Baptist and listen to his teachings. John the Baptist then introduces them to Christ. Then Christ goes and seeks out Philip. Philip then goes and tells Nathaniel that they found the Messiah that Moses and the prophets wrote about. Here we see a perfect picture of God’s sovereign will and seeking out mankind and mankind’s ability to choose God. God calls all mankind to him but few seek Him and find Him.
Philip also responded to Christ in a certain way. First he evangelized. He went right to Nathaniel and told him about Christ. When we meet Christ, He changes our lives and we cannot help but tell others. When was the last time God worked in your life in a way where you could not help but let it out? He also said come and see. The way we live our lives should show Christ to this world. Does your life match up with what you say?
Philip’s life with Christ was characterized by lack of faith. John 6:1-7 and 14:1-10 give us glimpses of this. However, the end of Philip’s life is much different. Through the ministry of Philip, multitudes came into a relationship with Christ. He also gave all for God and had ultimate faith as being one of the first disciple martyrs for the kingdom. His faith became sight as he opened his eyes in heaven to see our Savior’s face. When trials and hard times come our way, will we have faith like Philip or become cowards?

Luke 6:14, Matt. 10:1,2

Message by Pastor Roe

Simon Bar-Jonah is his earthly name. Luke introduces him as Peter which mean little rock. He is also called Cephas which is the Aramaic for Peter. There are two contexts in which the name Simon is used. The first is using it in a possessive way when it came to earthly goods or family. The second is when Christ had to rebuke him for being carnal.

Peter was the chief or lead disciple. He was also ambivalent, abrasive, impulsive, unsubmissive and loud. Peter is mentioned in the gospels more than any one else outside of Christ, he speaks more than anyone else, Peter is rebuked more by Christ than anyone else, and he denied Christ three times and yet Christ choose Peter to lead the disciple. Why?

Peter was inquisitive. He asked more questions than any other disciple. It was Peter who spoke up and asked Christ to clarify hard concepts Matt. 15:15. Peter also had initiative Matt. 26:47. He was the one who pulled the sword out at Christ’s arrest defense of Christ. Peter was also involved. He was not afraid to fail or get dirty. A true leader goes through life with a cloud of dust around them. It was Peter who jumped out of the boat and walked on water. Peter served during the feeding of the 5000. He was involved.

Peter also had to learn some pretty hard lessons as do we. He had to learn submission Matt 17:24-ff. He had to learn restraint, as when Christ was teaching him during His arrest. He had to learn humility. Christ modeled this when He washed their feet at the last supper. Peter needed compassion so Christ modeled this when the woman caught in adultery was brought to Him. Lastly, Peter needed Courage John 21:18, 19. Christ foretells of Peter’s death and prays for him. Later in Acts Peter is beaten and thrown in jail and has courage when they are told to not preach any more.

This week, will you be a Simon or a Peter?

Mark 3:1-15
Message by Pastor Roe

The twelve disciples were ordinary men who had problems just like us. They also knew the cost of being a disciple and still left everything to follow Christ, the Rabbi.

Christ then trained them for a specific task. The task was to preach the Word to the world, Mark 3:14. He would train 12 ordinary men in three and a half years to do what normally took 14 years of intense training.

Christ had His work cut out for him because the 12 had many flaws. First, they were thickheaded. They were not academic elites and Christ had to explain himself to them over and over again, Mark 15:16, 17. After following Christ closely for over three years it changed them and they changed the world.

Next, they lacked humility. In Matthew 20:20-28 the Sons of Thunder, John and James, were fighting over who was going to sit next to Christ in heaven. The other disciples joined right in and got all upset. Christ on the other hand, handled himself with humility in everything He did. He even washed the disciple’s feet dirty, stinking feet.

They also lacked commitment. When the soldiers came to arrest Christ, Peter alone stands up trying to defend Christ. However, when it was all said and done, verse 50 tells us that they all forsook Christ and fled. They not just forsook Christ but ran when the time got tough. Once again we see the training kick in the last years of their lives because all, except for John, died a martyr’s death. In the end they were committed to the death.

Lastly, they lacked power. However, once again they allowed God to work through them and they accomplished what the Master sent them to do. We too are limited but Acts 1:8 says that God will give us power to preach the Word.

Will we make the choice to let God change us so we can change the world?