Month: April 2023

The sermon is from Luke 8:22-25 – “Power for the Perishing”.  “And they went and woke him, saying, ‘Master, Master, we are perishing!’” – Luke 8:24

“They went and woke who?!,” you may ask. The One they awoke was God Incarnate. “For in him,” according to Paul, “all the fulness of God was pleased to dwell.” Paul goes on to state, “God was manifest in the flesh …” (1 Timothy 3:16 KJV). How could God take a nap? Afterall, Psalm 121:4 announces, “Behold, he who keeps Israel will neither slumber nor sleep.” To understand this, one must remember that Christ is one person with two natures. He possesses a divine nature, but He also possesses a human nature. Therefore, He slept in the back of the disciple’s boat. In Mark (4:38), we discover that He even had a cushion! So, He is able to sympathize with our weaknesses. In every respect, He has been tempted as we are, yet without sin (Hebrews 4:14-16).

Sunday Service Streamed Live at 11:00 AM – YouTube.com – Hickory Withe PCA

The sermon is from Luke 7:36-50 – “Do You See this Woman?”.  “… he said to Simon, ‘Do you see this woman?’ …” – Luke 7:44

Simon the Pharisee certainly “saw” the woman kneeling behind Christ. In fact, she would be hard to miss. She was weeping at the feet of Jesus; She was wiping the tears away from His feet with her hair; She was kissing His feet and anointing them with costly perfume. But Simon kept his distance from her. He knew all about her “history.” Likely, she was one of the town prostitutes and Simon was not about to let her forget it. Thus, it took courage for her to enter Simon’s home. No one needed to remind her of her past. She knew it all too well. She had been used and abused. Her sins like Gibraltar towered over her. But somehow, she had learned of the claims of Christ and her sense of need forced her through Simon’s door. Here, she found forgiveness but she also found One who is “the friend of sinners.” (Luke 7:34; 15:1-2)

Sunday Service Streamed Live at 11:00 AM – YouTube.com – Hickory Withe PCA

The sermon is from Luke 7:18-25 – “Dungeons and Doubts”.  “Go and tell John what you have seen and heard …” – Luke 7:22

John the Baptist was languishing in prison. Death by beheading awaited him (See Mark 6:14-29). Satan possibly introduced doubts into his mind with these questions – “Was my ministry a waste? What if my message to the people was untrue? What if my declaration, ‘Behold, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world,’ was a false hope?” So, he sent messengers to inquire of Christ, “Are you the one who is to come, or shall we look for another?” In a tender and yet powerful way, Christ demonstrated His deep affection for John. Instead of sending the messengers back to John with a cold, verbal message, “Yes, I am the Messiah,” Christ heals the sick and infirm, and He preaches good news to the poor. Then, He sends them back as eye-witnesses to His fulfillment of the Messianic promises (Isaiah 35:1-10). John died experiencing the peace of God that passes all understanding guarding his heart and mind.

Sunday Service Streamed Live at 11:00 AM – YouTube.com – Hickory Withe PCA

The sermon is from Luke 6:25-27 – “A Rebuke from the Resurrected Christ”.  “O foolish ones, and slow of heart to believe all that the prophets have spoken!” – Luke 24:25

Are you slow of heart on this Easter Sunday to believe all that the prophets have spoken? This question begs another question, “Have you read all that the prophets have spoken? That is, have you read the Old Testament?” It is hard to believe the Old Testament predictions and promises concerning Christ’s crucifixion and resurrection if you’ve never read them. Now, suppose you have read the Old Testament or you have heard a preacher proclaim the message concerning Christ’s humiliation and exaltation, have you enthusiastically embraced this Christ by faith? Can you say in a similar fashion with these disciples, “Did not my heart burn within me as Christ opened to me the Scriptures?” Christ, by His Spirit, still performs this work today as the Bible is read, preached, and believed.

Sunday Service Streamed Live at 11:00 AM – YouTube.com – Hickory Withe PCA