Month: June 2023

The sermon is from Acts 17:16-21– “How Can Christians Love Our Nation in 2023?”.  “So he reasoned in the synagogue … and in the marketplace every day …” – Acts 17:17

As we approach July 4th of 2023, how can we, as Christians, love our nation – the United States of America? 21st Century America rivals 1st Century Athens in her attraction to idols (Acts 17:16). There is really no need to mention specifics. Many in the United States have exchanged the glory of the immortal God for the idols of this world (Romans 1:21-23). What is the answer for the chaos and turmoil around us? The answer is Jesus Christ. He is “the way, the truth, and the life.” (John 14:6) May God help us to love our nation by reasoning with our family and friends about Jesus Christ. If they come to Christ by faith, he will not cast them out (John 6:37).

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

The sermon is from Luke 12:13-21 – “The Deceitfulness of Riches”.  “But God said to him, ‘Fool!’ ….” – Luke 12:20

Christ exercises his prophetic office from his throne of glory at the right hand of God. He did it in the 1st Century; he does it now in the 21st Century. Those who say that Christ’s message is irrelevant in a “post-modern” culture have not read Luke 12:13-21. People squabbled over inheritances in the 1st Century; people still do today. People in the 1st Century needed a severe warning about the danger of covetousness; we need the same warning today. He warns us in these verses, but he also points us to a richness “… toward God.” We discover this in union with Christ alone, by faith alone; in him, says Paul, “… are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge.” (Colossians 2:3)

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

The sermon is from Luke 10:38-42 – “The Woman who Served; The Woman who Sat”. “But the Lord said to her, ‘Martha, Martha …’” – Luke 10:41

Martha has gotten a bad rap over the years from Christian authors and commentators. She was slow, it seems, to recognize the untold wonders of this moment in human history. Thousands of generations had lived before this time who would never witness the Incarnate Son of God on earth. Thousands of generations would live after this time who would never be granted the privilege to sit at the feet of the Incarnate Son and receive instruction from his very lips. And this unique privilege took place in only three of his 33-years on earth. So, Martha, in a way, missed out on the significance of the moment. And, she persisted in her focus on serving rather than sitting to learn (John 12:2). But Martha was loved by Christ (John 11:5). And really in the end, that is all that matters. Jesus loves his people despite all their faults and foibles.

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

The sermon is from Luke 10: 25-37 – “Is the Good Samaritan Your Role Model?”.  “… do this, and you will live.” – Luke 10:28

How would you answer the question, “What is the gospel?” I once heard of a man who answered this question using Luke 10:27 – “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind, and your neighbor as yourself.” Is that really the gospel? Is that really “good news?” Are we not all miserable failures when it comes to loving God with all our souls, strength, and minds? Do we love our neighbor as ourselves 100% of the time? Of course not! The man’s answer consisted in a focus on obedience to God’s moral law; the gospel fixes our attention on Christ alone and what he has done for us in his perfect life, sacrificial death, and his victorious resurrection over sin and the grave. That is the gospel! (See 1 Corinthians 15:1-9)

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