Category: Weekly Thoughts

The sermon is from Mark 13:5-13 – “The Olivet Discourse – Wars and Rumors of Wars”. “See that no one leads you astray.” – Mark 13:5

Jesus is the way, the truth, and the life (John 14:6). He will never lead us astray. Think about that reminder and then consider his warnings about false prophets and the persecutions faithful Christians face (See Mk. 13:5-13). Do we take him seriously? Do we, “See that no one leads us astray?” The Apostles took him seriously; the examples are too numerous to include, but here are a few examples (Paul – 2 Corinthians 11:12-15; Peter – 2 Peter 2:1-22; John – 1 John 4:1-6; Jude 3-23). Do you check out the credentials of the preachers to whom you listen? What about the background, training, and doctrinal commitments of the “Christian” authors whom you read? Or do you naively and uncritically believe whatever modern preachers and authors teach? May God give us all the Berean spirit (Acts 17:11).

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

The sermon is from Mark 13:1-4 – “The Olivet Discourse – When Will These Things Be?”. “Do you see these great buildings?” – Mark 13:2

In verse 2 of Mark Chapter 13, Jesus asked his disciples a question, “Do you see these great buildings?” The answer to the question, of course, was, “Yes.” This temple was built by Herod the Great. He began its construction in 20 B.C. and completed his work 46 years later in 26 A.D. So, at the time of Christ’s question the temple was almost brand new and outwardly impressive. But Christ continues, “There will not be left here one stone upon another that will not be thrown down.” He predicts the temple’s destruction (which occurred in 70 A.D.). Israel had broken the terms of the old covenant and now the promised curses were about to fall upon the nation (See Deut. 28 & 29). It is a fearful thing to face God in judgment (Heb. 10:31).

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

The sermon is from Mark 15:1-20 – “Bearing Shame and Scoffing Rude”.   “And they led him out to crucify him.” – Mark 15:20

Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John speak of the sufferings of Christ with a certain degree of restraint. How can human words even come close to describing the pain Christ bore in both his body and soul as he became “the curse for us” (Galatians 3:13)? Hymn-writers over the years have sought to aid us in “surveying the wondrous cross.” They have encouraged us to ask, “What language shall I borrow to thank thee, dearest Friend?” Christian, meditate on this one staggering truth for the rest of your days, “Christ loved me and gave himself for me.” (Gal. 2:20) And sing with Isaac Watts, “But drops of grief can ne’er repay the debt of love I owe; here, Lord, I give myself away, ‘tis all that I can do.”

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

The sermon is from Mark 14:12-25 – “The Last Passover; the First Lord’s Supper”.  “Is it I?” – Mark 14:19

Try to imagine the scene described for us in Mark 14. In verses 17-21, Jesus is reclining at the table with his disciples and eating the Passover meal. This was probably his third Passover meal with them and one of many meals he shared with them over the course of his ministry. While many of these meals were marked by joy and gladness, a dark, ominous cloud descended on this one when Jesus said, “… one of you will betray me, ….” What an unsettling prediction! And what an honest question, “Is it I?” All of us have seeds of such betrayal in our hearts. May God in grace grant to us “a pure heart, and a good conscience, and a sincere faith.” (1 Tim. 1:5)

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

The sermon is from Mark 14:1-11- “Worship in the Midst”. “… wherever the gospel is proclaimed in the whole world, what she has done will be told …” – Mark 14:9

In his Gospel (Mk. 14:3-9), Mark recalls how Mary, the sister of Lazarus (John 12:3), anointed the Lord Jesus with a costly, aromatic ointment. Some in the home rebuked her for her expression of devotion to Christ. But Christ commended her; he called her action a “beautiful thing.” He also said, “She has done what she could; she has anointed my body beforehand for burial.” And, furthermore, he says astoundingly, “And truly, I say to you, wherever the gospel is proclaimed in the whole world, what she has done will be told in memory of her.” This event occurred in 1st Century Jerusalem, yet we, on the other side of the world in 21st Century Fayette County, Tennessee are witnessing the truth of Christ’s prediction.

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

The sermon is from Revelation 1:9-20 – “Remembering the Forgotten Sabbath Day – Part 6.” “Remember the Sabbath day, ….” – Exodus 20:8

In 2 Timothy 2:8, the Apostle Paul commands Timothy to, “Remember Jesus Christ, ….” How could any Christian, especially one of Timothy’s caliber, ever forget Jesus Christ? Christ, after all, has loved him and given himself for him. The easy, and yet, troubling answer is that Christians are forgetful; our fall into sin and remaining sin within us effects our memory of the magnitude of God’s love for us. Likewise, we are prone to forget the Sabbath day. We forget that God loves and cares for humanity; he knows human beings need rest from their toil in a sin-cursed world. And, we, as Christians, forget that the Sabbath or Lord’s Day is God’s appointed means of reminding us of his love for us in Jesus Christ. So, “Remember the Sabbath day!”

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

The sermon is from Exodus 20:9-11; Deuteronomy 5:12-15 – “Remembering the Forgotten Sabbath Day – Part 5.” “For in six days the Lord made heaven and earth, … and rested on the Sabbath day.” – Exodus 20:11

God rested from his work of creation on the seventh day (Genesis 2:1-3). He did not rest because he was tired; he is omnipotent. And he did not rest because he needed any sleep; he is God – he has no need to slumber or sleep (Psalm 121:4). He rested from his work of creation. God completed creation in six 24-hour days and pronounced at the end of the sixth day that it was very good. (Genesis 1:31). Therefore, all men are required to rest on the Sabbath day and call God’s creation “good.” Those who trust and love Jesus Christ are especially called upon to rest on the Lord’s Day – to reflect upon God’s goodness in the world he has made and to worship the Triune God who in Christ loved them and gave himself for them (Galatians 2:20).

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

The sermon is from Ezekiel 22:23-31; 23:36-42 – “Remembering the Forgotten Sabbath Day – Part 4”.  “On it (i.e., the Sabbath) you shall not do any work ….” – Exodus 20:10

Presbyterian churches “confess their faith” or tell others what they believe in their confession of faith and catechisms. Question #119 of their Larger Catechism addresses the sins forbidden in the 4th Commandment; they are “… all omissions of the duties required, all careless, negligent, and unprofitable performing of them, and being weary of them; all profaning the day by idleness, and doing that which is in itself sinful; and by all needless works, words, and thoughts, about our worldly employments and recreations.” Is God strict? Yes. But he also loves his children. He wants them to rest from their labors and join Abraham in “… looking forward to the city that has foundations, whose designer and builder is God.” (Heb. 11:10).

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

The sermon is from Exodus 20:10, 23:12; Joshua 24:15; Nehemiah 13:15-18  –  “Remembering the Forgotten Sabbath Day – Part 3”.   “On it (i.e., the Sabbath) you shall not do any work, you, or your son, or your daughter, ….” – Exodus 20:10

In the book that bears his name, Joshua uttered a determined confession, “But as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord.” (Joshua 24:15). He clearly understood the teaching found in Exodus 20:10. He was the head of his household, the spiritual leader of his family. He had trusted God’s promise in Genesis 3:15 regarding the coming Messiah and he led his family to do the same. And, then, he brought forth fruit in keeping with repentance; he led his family in the worship of God on the Sabbath. May God, by his grace and power, raise up modern-day Joshuas in our churches and in our nation.

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

The sermon is from Isaiah 58:13-14; Matthew 12:1-14. “Remembering the Forgotten Sabbath Day – Part 2”.  “If you … call the Sabbath a delight … then you will take delight in the Lord, …” – Isaiah 58:13-14

Do you wake up on Sunday mornings fighting the temptation to press the snooze button? Do you awaken on Sunday mornings with plans to go to church, but you attend from a sense of strict duty? You go hoping that God will see you, look favorably on your obedience, and thereby grant you entrance into heaven based on your faithful church attendance. Or, is the Sabbath a delight? You look forward to a day set aside for you to reflect upon God’s stunning grace to you in Christ; and you are eager to worship the One who was infinitely rich, yet for your sake he became poor, so that you by his poverty might become rich (2 Corinthians 8:9). Now, that is good news, and it is news worth getting out of bed to hear!

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