Category Archives: Sermons

The Lord’s Prayer: A Battle Cry (Part 7 of 7)

We are almost done – let us push on through and see what the last few phrase have to tell us.

And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one.

We know that God does not tempt us. This is a petition to the Lord to keep us safe through out the great battle of this world. We are in a war!!! We have an enemy who is going about like a “lion looking for someone to devour.” (1 Peter 5:8)

We pray for our protection:

Lead us not into the final hour of testing / Deliver us from Satan.

In Revelation 3:10 Jesus tells the church:

Since you have kept my command to endure patiently, I will also keep you from the hour of trial that is going to come upon the whole world to test those who live on the earth.

Jesus Himself prayed for us in John 17:15  Continue reading The Lord’s Prayer: A Battle Cry (Part 7 of 7)

The Lord’s Prayer: A Battle Cry (Part 6 of 7)

Forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors

Luke 11:4 reads:

Forgive us our sins, for we also forgive everyone who sins against us

Who can tell me what happens tonight? Yom Kippur starts at sunset (This talk was originally given as a sermon on Sept 27, 2009). It is the Day of Atonement – the time when the High Priest enters into the Holy of Hollies and offers a sacrifice for the sins of the people. Leviticus 16

18 “Then he shall come out to the altar that is before the LORD and make atonement for it. He shall take some of the bull’s blood and some of the goat’s blood and put it on all the horns of the altar. 19 He shall sprinkle some of the blood on it with his finger seven times to cleanse it and to consecrate it from the uncleanness of the Israelites.

34 “This is to be a lasting ordinance for you: Atonement is to be made once a year for all the sins of the Israelites.”

Every year the High Priest had to do this. year in and year out… The Israelites look forward to the Day when the Lord would live among them and all sin would be destroyed. This is what happened with the birth, death, and resurrection of Christ Jesus: Romans 3:21-25 Continue reading The Lord’s Prayer: A Battle Cry (Part 6 of 7)

The Lord’s Prayer: A Battle Cry (Part 5 of 7)

Give us today our daily bread….

While this is how most Bibles read, I think a better translation of the Greek text would be, “Give us tomorrow’s bread today.”

You see, Jesus was not just telling us to pray for our daily needs – granted, there’s nothing wrong with praying for our daily food.

It’s just that it is not everything.

Jesus was telling his followers to pray for the Messianic Bread. The bread that will be served during the Wedding Feast of the End. This is a reference to the manna which God used to support the Israelites in the desert during the Exodus. Jesus called himself the “Bread of Life” in John 6:35-40 Continue reading The Lord’s Prayer: A Battle Cry (Part 5 of 7)

The Lord’s Prayer: A Battle Cry (Part 4 of 7)

LordsPrayerJesusCrying5Our journey through the Lord’s Prayer continues:

Your Kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven….

The Greek word “basileia” can be used to describe the geographical realm over which a king rules. Or it can be used to refer to the authority or rule of a king over his people. There are instances of both usages within the Bible – however, the primary context in which it is used leads us to define it as the rule or reign of a king.

In a non-Biblical sense, basileia was used to describe the rule and reign of Caesar over all within his influence. The term meant more then just a physical land as the rule of Caesar extended into one’s home and business. Nothing was outside of the rule of Caesar.

In the same way, the Hebrew writers of old talked about the coming rule of God who would control all areas of His follower’s lives. 1 Kings Chapter 4 is a great example of this rule and reign as shown through the monarch Solomon. The text shares about Solomon’s daily banquet table and how God blessed Solomon with wisdom about humans, birds, plants, mammals, fish, and reptiles. Nothing was left out – all was under the “kingdom” of Solomon. Continue reading The Lord’s Prayer: A Battle Cry (Part 4 of 7)

The Lord’s Prayer: A Battle Cry (Part 3 of 7)

moses-parting-the-red-sea-rosencruz-sumeraHallowed be your name…

What is in a name…for God, it is everything.  It is who He IS.

In Exodus 3 we find Moses standing before the Lord at the burning bush. God just told him that He is going to send him back to Egypt to deliver the people of Israel. Moses asks:

Moses said to God, “Suppose I go to the Israelites and say to them, ‘The God of your fathers has sent me to you,’ and they ask me, ‘What is his name?’ Then what shall I tell them?”   God said to Moses, “I am who I am . This is what you are to say to the Israelites: ‘I AM has sent me to you.’ “

God was to be known by His Name.

After the people cross the Red Sea, Moses sings (Exodus 15) Continue reading The Lord’s Prayer: A Battle Cry (Part 3 of 7)

The Lord’s Prayer: A Battle Cry (Part 2 of 7)

Yesterday we talked about the nature of the Lord’s Prayer; how it is a battle cry, not a ‘cute’ prayer to say lightly. Today we start the process of diving deeper into the each of the phrases.

To begin with, let us read the prayer as listed in Matthew 6:9-13 (note that it is also listed in Luke 11:2-4).

Our Father in heaven
hallowed be Your Name,
Your kingdom come
Your will be done
on earth as it is in heaven.
Give us today our daily bread
Forgive us our debts,
as we also have forgiven our debtors
And lead us not into temptation,
But deliver us from the evil one

Our Father in heaven….

We speak not to our earthly father – but to the One who made all things. Continue reading The Lord’s Prayer: A Battle Cry (Part 2 of 7)

The Lord’s Prayer: A Battle Cry (Part 1 of 7)

Battle-for-Helms-Deep-lord-of-the-rings-4338897-395-267Walk into any Christian bookstore and you will find tons of nicknacks graced with the words of the Lord Prayer: prayer clothes, posters, ships, pens, table clothes, pictures, etc.

It is said before football games; in prayer meetings around the world…yet for the most part we don’t realize what we are saying.  We think it is simply a ‘cute’ prayer – or at the most, a prayer given to us by our Savior.

Yet, it is not a ‘cute’ prayer or simply a prayer model to be followed. It is a battle cry!

An anthem raised up in the middle of darkness for all to see. The picture I see when I think of the Lord’s prayer is the men of Braveheart yelling before the huge army of Britain. Or better yet, it is the cry of Argon and the men of Rodan as the ride from Helm’s Deep into the massive army of Orcs. Continue reading The Lord’s Prayer: A Battle Cry (Part 1 of 7)

Warning, Will Robinson, The Site Is Down and Ardell Preached

Some of you may have noticed that bluecastle.us was down for a few days – if you didn’t notices, well… the site was down for a few days.

It is now back up and running as you are currently reading this note on website. Brilliant, I say, simply brilliant.  


I had the pleasure and honor of preaching Sunday morning as our pastor and his wife went camping for the Memorial Day weekend. It’s pretty cool that our pastor has the freedom to do that – shoot, ALL pastors should have that freedom as one’s marriage is very, very, very important!!!

The sermon – ah, to have my notes in front of me… or the ability to upload a huge mp3 file (and when I mean huge – I mean 56mb HUGE!)

“The Holy Spirit Is Our Helper”

Jesus tells his followers that he is sending a Helper to be with them after he is gone four times between the Last Supper and the Garden (John 14-16). My question is what does the Helper or Spirit help us with?

The short answer is: everything.[@more@]

However, since that would make a very short sermon, I flushed things out a bit more. =)  Here are some bullet items that I talked about:

  • The Spirit will guide us into all truth and tells us the things of God. I.e. The Spirit talks to us directly about things going on right now as well as helps us understand the Bible. (John 14-16)
  • Going to Exodus, we sell the Spirit coming upon carpenters, weavers, jewelers, and other craftsmen to help them build the Tabernacle. In the same way I believe the Spirit helps us in our jobs today – as long was we make the deliberate choice to focus on God and what He is doing at your job. It’s not about getting rich or being promoted – it is about the Lord On High.
  • In 1 Samuel 10, Samuel tells Saul that the Spirit of God will come upon him and that he “will be changed into a different person”. His “nature” would change – so it is with us. Everything MUST change. The way we look at this world, the things that we do – everything must change.
  • God is not an American. He is here in America – but he is also in Iraq, Russia, Chile, Africa and everywhere else. We need to be thankful for the freedoms that our love ones have fought for on behalf of this country. However, we need not waste them by building bigger houses and gathering more things – we need to change the way we use our freedoms. If we have bowed our knees to Christ, we need to be focused on Him and what He is doing in the world.
  • What is God doing in the world? Isaiah 61 and Matthew 10

Isaiah

  • God is here to heal the broken heart (emotionally, spiritually, physically)
  • Free the captives – captives are not law breakers, they are prisoners of war. We, the church, need to go out and find them and release them from the bonds of the evil one.

Matthew

  • Jesus told the disciples to go and “preach this message, 'The kingdom of heaven is near.' 8 Heal those who are sick. Bring those who are dead back to life. Make those who have skin diseases 'clean' again. Drive out demons. You have received freely, so give freely.”
  • That is the same commission we have been given. Let us do it.

Hmm…this reads a little rough…oh well… it was better in person. Undecided

Tarshish or Caesarea?

Last night I gave my second sermon at the Sweet Vineyard church. This time we had quite the crowd – around 40 or so people. (and none of them walked out during the sermon!!!!)

The Pastor had asked me to talk a bit about world missions while giving the church an update on our upcoming trip to South America. As I prayed about the message, God gave me an interesting Biblical world mission’s connection that I normally don’t talk about… (normally when I talk about world missions, I do the whole “top line, bottom line” deal from Genesis to Revelation) Undecided

This time, I went straight for Jonah.

Note: the last “real” sermon before this one was about Acts 10 where Peter visits Cornelius’ home. It is interesting that both Peter and Jonah went to Joppa before going to the Gentiles…

Yelp – that little bitty book between Obadiah and Micah. I posted most of my sermon’s outline below just because. It’s missing some pieces as it is only there to “jog” my memory (and keep me on track).

West or North? When God comes calling we have two choices:

  1. Head West towards Tarshish and away from God
  2. Go North to Caesarea following the direction He gave you.

The choice is your. But know that if you go to Tarshish, there may be a storm or two in your path to force you back on track.

As far as the sermon it self, it went really good. I did get off track a time or two – the really interesting thing was that the sermon turned into quite the ‘turn or burn’ message as that’s what Jonah told the Ninevites. Undecided[@more@]

If you’re not a believer, you too have two choices:

  1. Repent and follow Him
  2. Keep doing what your doing

Neither one is easy. But if you follow Him, He will be there with you to ends of the world. He delights in setting free the captive, comforting those who morn, healing those who are hurt, and loving the unlovable – and you get to hand with Him for a long time!

Ok – maybe not a “real” ‘turn or burn’ message as I didn’t thump my Bible or jump up and down yelling. But I did give a clear gospel presentation and told the folks they had a choice. It fit – even though it wasn’t in my notes – it fix perfectly. Go God!! Laughing


Tarshish or Caesarea?

  1. Peter and Cornelius: revisited

1. Acts 10

1. Cornelius receives a vision from God and sends some servants to find Peter at Joppa

2. At the same time, God gives Petter a vision

3. When Cornelius’ servants showed up, Peter had a choice

1. Reject God’s word and go back home to Jerusalem

2. Accept God’s word and go to Caesarea

4. We know that Peter went to Caesarea and God moved

2. Acts 11

1. Peter had to explain his actions to the believers in Jerusalem

2. He told them that the Holy Spirit came and there was nothing he could do

  1. World Missions

1. These two passages are recognized as the beginning of Christianities movement from a mostly Jewish sect to a faith full of all types and kinds of people

1. ie. the Gentiles

2. Another familiar “missions” passage is Matthew 28:18-20

Then Jesus came to them and said, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in[a] the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.”

3. For lot of folks, these are the only two ‘world missions’ passages in the Bible

1. or at least main ones…

  1. Jonah

1. Let me tell you a story about another man of God who went to Joppa

2. We don’t know a lot about Jonah except that he lived around 800 BC

3. What we do know is told in the book of Jonah

1. it’s a small book between Obadiah and Micah

2. Only 4 chapters long

4. Let me give you a quick overview of the book

1. Jonah hears God

2. Runs to Joppa and catches a ship to Tarshish

1. Tarshish was the furthest know city in the Mediterranean Sea at that time

3. Along the way, a storm comes up

1. They are almost drowned

2. The sailors throw Jonah overboard

4. God sends a big fish to shallow him

5. Jonah repents

6. The fish spits him up on the beach

7. Jonah goes to Nineveh

1. A several day journey inland

2. He had plenty of time to think about what he was doing…

8. Jonah tells the people of Nineveh to repent

9. They do and God forgives them

5. Ok – now that we have an overview, lets look a little closer

  1. Why going to Nineveh was dumb:

1. Nineveh was the most feared country at the time (the city walls were covered with human skin)

1. You will be killed!

2. There where no temples or synagogues in Nineveh

1. In fact, there were no Jews in the city

3. According to the Mosaic convent, you had to

1. be Jewish or a convert thereof

2. be circumcised

3. bring a sacrifice to The Temple

1. There was only one, and it was in Jerusalem

  1. According to all the rules and thoughts of the time, no one in Nineveh could be saved

1. Jonah even thought God would destroy the city

2. Jonah 4

  1. Why going to Caesarea was dumb?

1. Cornelius was a gentile

2. According to the Mosaic convent, you had to

1. be Jewish or a convert thereof

2. be circumcised

3. bring a sacrifice to The Temple

1. There was only one, and it was in Jerusalem

  1. Sound familiar?

1. God likes to break our pre-connived notions about what Him can or cannot do

2. He forgave the people of Nineveh because they turned to Him and repented

1. It was a heart change

2. Just like Abraham

3. Both Jonah and Peter went to Joppa

1. the difference is that one of them ran west towards Tarshish

2. The other obeyed God and went North towards Caesarea

3. Both heard words from God that sounded dumb and stupid

1. The question is not if we will hear similar words

2. The questions is what we will do when we hear them?

  1. Modern Missions

1. Why going to Paraguay is dumb?

1. Cost too much

1. $10K to send four people for 3 weeks?

2. You could support a local pastor for years on that amount!!!

2. Can’t do anything in three weeks

3. language barrier

4. Your sucking the Paraguaian church dry!

1. They have to spend all their time on you instead of ministry

5. No long term change

2. Why we should go?

1. God said too

1. This is not a ‘cop-out’

2. Both Jonah and Peter knew they heard from God – they had no doubts..

2. Jonah

1. He changed a nation in three days!

2. The change lasted for years

3. Brother Andrew

1. He smuggled Bibles behind the Iron Curtain

2. Said: the biggest gift I gave the people was not the Bibles I carried, but the simply fact that I, a brother in Christ, carried enough to come and visit them.

3. Just showing up

  1. Vineyard Missions

1. Local Church Based Missions (LCBM)

2. Partnerships as a Key Strategy

3. Establishment of Church Planting Movements

4. Development and Release of National Leadership

5. Contextualization of Vineyard Values in Each Culture

  1. The Sweet Vineyard

1. Part of the Paraguay Partnership

2. We are joining with

1. the Vineyard Boise

2. Chilean churches

3. to support and encourage the pastor in Paraguay