The Plowman

He is Lord [ 39:18 ] Play Now | Play in Popup | Download (44)

He is Lord: 2016 Gospel of Luke #30

This is an exposition of Luke 8:26-39. This message by Pastor Rod Harris was delivered at Trinity Baptist Church on Sunday morning, September 25, 2016.

Intro:

Jesus Christ.  Today these words are most frequently used as swear words.  They are uttered in order to vent anger or frustration.  Just a few years ago that would have been considered blasphemy – today it is commonplace.  Michael Green observed, “It is remarkable that the name of the Man who founded the world’s largest religion should be most familiar as a term of abuse.  That doesn’t happen to Muhammad or Buddha.”

But who is this Jesus?  To some He is a good moral teacher.  A bit misguided, somewhat delusional but on balance a good moral teacher.  Others say He was a revolutionary seeking to liberate his homeland from the oppression of Rome.  Some are willing to grant him the status of a prophet.  But the clear, unmistakable testimony of scripture is that He is Lord.

He is the unquestioned Sovereign.
He is King of kings and Lord of lords.
But what evidence is sited to support that claim?
That is the focus of our text this morning.

Text: Luke 8:26-39

Luke is writing to Theophilus.
Purpose = evangelistic.  Aimed at the heart as well as the head.
Luke pulls together stories, events, miracles, and teachings from the life of the Lord Jesus and offers them as proof that he is indeed the Messiah of the Jews and the Savior of the world.

A couple of weeks ago we witnessed the power of Jesus over nature.  He, along with the 12, took a boat ride across the Sea of Galilee.  As they crossed the Sea a violent storm erupted.  The disciples, in a panic, woke Jesus up and said, “Master, Master, we are perishing!”  With a word, He calmed the Sea.  The disciples wondered, “Who is this man that even the wind and the waves must obey him?”  This morning we witness again the power of the Lord Jesus.  Let’s look beginning with the 12:26 of the 8.

[Read Text]
Luke gives us some insight in our text this morning that can profoundly alter your life if you grasp the truth of it.  We sing, “He is Lord, He is Lord – He is risen from the dead and He is Lord” but what does that mean?  What is the significance of that?

Thesis: Jesus’ encounter with the demon-possessed man unquestionably demonstrates his lordship over evil and his power to deliver.

This is “gospel” truth.  This is good news.  We live in a fallen world.  This is not the world as God created it.  This is a world dominated by sin and thus infected with evil.  I know there is a reluctance to use moral language today.  We see the affects of sin all around us.  Daily we witness the fruit of moral corruption but we hesitate to refer to the existence of evil.  We are quick to label it something else but evil exists.  There are evil people and they do evil, wicked things.  The gospel declares there is One who has overcome.  There is One who came to destroy the work of the evil one.  He has conquered sin and death and the devil.  One day all will be made right and paradise will be restored.  Until then witness what His power can do.

Our text unfolds in a four-act drama.

1. The presence of a tortured soul – (8:26-29)
2. The arrival of a Sovereign Savior – (8:30-34)
3. The response of stubborn resistance – (8:35-37)
4. The command to evangelize – (8:38-39)

A God Worthy of Our Trust [ 33:50 ] Play Now | Play in Popup | Download (41)

A God Worthy of Our Trust: 2016 Gospel of Luke #29

This is an exposition of Luke 8:22-25. This message by Pastor Rod Harris was delivered at Trinity Baptist Church on Sunday morning, September 11, 2016.

Intro:

How big is your God?  What is He capable of?  Is He bigger than your problems, burdens and concerns?  Oh yes, He is Lord, but what does that mean?  What power, what authority goes with the title?  Isaiah says, “He holds the waters of the earth in the hollows of His hand.”  The water area of the earth is 139,950,284 miles or 320,000,000 cubic miles of water volume.  The prophet says He cups it in the hollow of His hand.  He further declares that God “Marks off the Heavens with the breadth of His hand.”  The nearest star is 3.5 light years from earth.  That means traveling at the speed of light (186,000 miles per second) it would take you 3.5 years to get to the closest one.  Yes, He is a big God.  He spoke and this glorious, gigantic, complicated and fantastic universe came into being just by the power of His word.  He is a powerful God but all of that is “out there”.  It is distant and unrelated.  Sure He created all of this but how does that relate to me where I am right now?  How is he lord in my world?

That is a fair question.  This morning we are going to consider an event from the lives of the apostles.  An event that brought them face to face with the Lordship of Jesus in dramatic fashion.  We will consider that encounter and draw some conclusions for our own lives.  Our text is found in the 8th chapter of Luke’s gospel.

Text: Luke 8:22-25

The person of the Lord Jesus is at the very heart of our faith.  I know it is amazing what a seminary education can do for a person.  Four years of college and three years of seminary and I’ve discovered that Christ is the heart of Christianity.  The truth is, I didn’t learn that in college or seminary.  I think I’ve really just begun to understand that.  The trappings of Christianity have so clouded the picture that Christ is often the last thing we notice.  You know that I’m a firm believer in the necessity of doctrine.  What we believe matters.  But doctrine is not the heart of our faith – the Lord Jesus is.  The apostle Paul said to the Corinthians – “I determined to know nothing among you except Jesus Christ and him crucified.”  The early church preached Christ.  Christ as the source of life.  Christ as the meaning and purpose of life.  Our faith is in Jesus Christ.  His person, his life, his work.  So the question before us this morning is, “Who is Jesus?”

After a long and wearisome day of ministry our Lord turned to the 12 and said, “Let’s take a boat ride to the other side of the lake.”  They climb into a boat and set out across the Sea of Galilee.  It was a beautiful day for a boat ride.  The quiet of the lake and the gentle rocking of the boat was the perfect respite for the weary band.  But things were about to change.  We begin at the 12:22…

As we look at this encounter we discover that…

Thesis: As Creator, Sustainer, and the Goal of all things our Lord can be trusted whatever may come.

I say this is what we discover because of the question the 12 raise in the 12:25, “Who then is this that he commands even winds and water, and they obey him?”

There are 3 principles I think we can draw from this encounter.

1. Storms are inevitable in this fallen, sin-cursed world.  (8:22-23)
2. When storms arise our hope rests in a Sovereign Savior.  (8:24)
3. His deliverance creates unrest but ultimately leads to the deepening of our faith.  (8:25)

   Conclusion:

   Life in this sin-cursed world is filled with heartache and struggle.  Storms, emotional, physical and spiritual are inevitable.  Being God’s child does not excuse you from such storms.  There is no opt out.  By the way, they were following Jesus when they got in that boat and set sail.  They were in the “will of God.”  In fact, they were being taken to school to learn that their hope rested in a Sovereign Savior with power sufficient to deliver.  For the child of God, storms are God’s way of reminding us that the one in the boat with us is worthy of our trust.

Live It! [ 39:53 ] Play Now | Play in Popup | Download (47)

Live It!: 2016 Gospel of Luke #28

This is an exposition of Luke 8:16-21. This message by Pastor Rod Harris was delivered at Trinity Baptist Church on Sunday morning, September 4, 2016.

Intro:

What does it mean to truly believe?  What kind of life is required of those who genuinely possess life in Christ?  Is it merely a matter of what one accepts and confesses as the truth?  Is it as simple as confirming ones convictions concerning the claims of the Christian faith?  I believe Jesus is the Son of God.  I believe that He died on the cross and rose from the dead.  I believe I’m a sinner.  If I check enough boxes or the right boxes, am I in?  Or is it a matter of living the right way?  I don’t cuss, smoke or chew and I don’t hang out with girls who do?  Right doctrine or orthodoxy is no guarantee of spiritual life.  You can be straight as an arrow doctrinally and as lifeless as a corpse.  As for moral behavior, you may appear as pure as the driven snow and be filled with death.  Salvation is not the result of your spiritual knowledge or the product of your moral character it is the gift of God’s grace.  Salvation is by grace alone through faith alone.  But as Luther said, “It is by faith alone but not a faith that is alone.”  We are not saved by our works but saving faith always has accompanying works.  Genuine life always expresses itself.  That’s the focus of our text this morning found in Luke 8 beginning with Luke 8:16.

Text: Luke 8:16-21

In Luke 7 Jesus attended a dinner party at the home of a Pharisee named Simon.  There He confronted Simon for his lack of hospitality and his lack of understanding of grace.  You remember Simon refused Jesus even the basic signs of respect.  Yet a notorious woman from the street bathed His feet with her tears, kissed His feet and anointed Him with costly perfume.  When our Lord explained the reason for this difference in attitude He told a story about 2 people being forgiven a debt.  “Simon, which would love him more?”  Simon said, “I suppose the one who was forgiven the larger debt.”  Our Lord then said, “You’re right Simon.  This woman loves much for she has been forgiven much.”  She was forgiven not because she loved much – rather she loved much because she was forgiven.  Her actions were the evidence of what had already happened to her.

In the opening verses of Luke 8 our Lord tells a parable about a sower, some seed and some soils.  His point being that when a heart is open and receptive to the Word of God/the gospel it springs to life and produces fruit.  While the hardened, shallow and crowded hearts show no sign of life.  Our text this morning continues this same line of thought.  Admittedly these verses are puzzling.  Why would anyone light a lamp and then cover it with a jar or slide it under the bed?  And what are we to make of Jesus response to the arrival of his family?  Seems a bit out of place but I’m convinced this is further application of the parable of the soils.

[Read Text]

As we work our way through these proverbs or mini parables we see that…

Thesis: Our Lord, lovingly yet firmly, admonishes believers to live out their faith warning of the implications of failing to do so.

Note the end of Luke 7:15 – “…They are those who, hearing the word, hold it fast in an honest and good heart, and bear fruit with patience.”

Those who genuinely believe cling to the word and live it.
Those who are converted live out the truth of the Word, the gospel.
That is the focus of our text.

I want to point out three principles as we work our way through this text.

1. Genuine life, of necessity, must express itself.  (8:16)
2. Our Lord graciously warns of the judgment that awaits false professions.  (8:17-18)
3. Faithfully living the truth of the Gospel demonstrates the genuineness of your profession.  (8:19-21)

Conclusion:
What does it mean to truly believe?  It means to embrace and live the truth of God.  It means to order your life according to the teaching of Scripture.  It means to let the light of God’s truth shine through you for the world to see.  No one lights a lamp and then shoves it under the bed.  Live the truth to the glory of God.

The Sower, the Seed and the Soil [ 36:02 ] Play Now | Play in Popup | Download (36)

The Sower, the Seed and the Soil: 2016 Gospel of Luke #27

This is an exposition of Luke 8:1-15. This message by Pastor Rod Harris was delivered at Trinity Baptist Church on Sunday morning, August 28, 2016.
Intro:

I am a product of the television age.  And I can testify that television expands your horizons and broadens your understanding of this vast, complicated world we live in.  Television taught me so much.  It took me from my Leave It To Beaver world and provided me with insight into cultures vastly different from my own.  I learned of the mysteries of the deep and of the strange creatures under the ocean through Sea Hunt – starring Lloyd Bridges.  Captain Kangaroo and Mr. Green Jeans taught me valuable lessons like the need for honesty and fair play.  Of course I also learned how to deal with a depressed Moose but that’s another matter.  Perhaps one of the most valuable shows for me, as it turns out, was a show that provided great insight in to rural American culture – Green Acres!  Valuable to me because it prepared me for my first pastorate.  For after graduating from Seminary Rheadon, Zac and I moved to the country.  Now I’m not suggesting that Pawnee is Hootervil but I know if you take the back road from Masham to Ponca City you go right past the Pixley Cemetery!

Culture shock hardly seems adequate to describe what we went through in our first days in the country.  For the first month we got up to watch every time a car came down the road.  We watched it until it was out of sight.  Of course that only happened a couple of times a day.  We soon adjusted to the silence, the howl of the coyotes and the smell of Bill Webb’s pig farm a few miles to the west!  It didn’t take long until we fell in love with the people God had given us to serve.

After a few months surrounded by wheat fields and various farming operations we decided we ought to have a garden.  Actually, Rheadon decided we ought to have a garden.  The idea was mentioned at church the next morning a neighbor appeared with his tractor and began playing up our yard!  “That ought to make a nice little garden,” he said as he hopped off his tractor.  It was huge!  Word was out.  The parsonage was there at the church – we couldn’t back out.  The long and the short of it is – folks would walk out and look at our garden on Sunday morning and bring us vegetables Sunday night!

Though our efforts at farming proved disastrous I did learn some things about sowing and reaping.  Soil preparation is essential to reaping a bountiful harvest.  Good seed doesn’t do anything in lifeless soil.  The soil must be prepared, cared for and constantly worked if you are to enjoy the desired effect.  The same can be said in the spiritual realm.  The condition of the heart has direct bearing on the productiveness of the “seed.”  That is the focus of the teaching of Jesus in the opening verses of Luke Luke 8.

Text: Luke 8:1-15

Luke is writing to his friend Theophilus with an evangelistic purpose.
He desires to accurately tell the story of Jesus and then call for commitment to Him.
Luke’s method involves pulling together various events, teachings, and miracles of Jesus and weaving them into a compelling drama.
.
In the opening verses of Luke 8 we learn that Jesus was traveling from town to town “proclaiming the good news of the kingdom of God.”  We have here, Luke’s description of the ministry of the Lord Jesus.  He went from place to place preaching the Gospel.  The word “proclaiming” is used to describe a herald sounding forth a message.  And that message was “good news” – the Gospel.  The coming, the arrival of the kingdom of God.  The kingdom of God and the kingdom of Heaven are used interchangeably in the Gospels.  It has to do with the rule or reign of God over His people.

This is at the heart of why Jesus came.  You cannot understand the mission and ministry of Jesus if you do not get this.  The Messiah, God’s anointed the great king has come.  This is the beginning of His kingdom.  This has to be foremost in our thinking.  This is what we are to be about in the church.  Our mission in the world is to preach the Gospel.  Represent the King and declare His glory.  Luke tells us that is what Jesus was consistently doing.

We are also told about those who were traveling with him.  I don’t know that I could prove it but it sounds as if He had just spoken at the WMU meeting at the First Baptist Church!  Luke gives reference to some of the women who were following Him and lets us know that some prominent women were among them and they were financing, to some degree, His ministry.

Luke then records another of Jesus’ parables.  A parable is an earthly story with heavenly significance.  It is the use of the everyday and the ordinary to explain the extraordinary.  Jesus used word pictures to describe great truths regarding the kingdom.  Let’s make sure we set this parable in its historical context.  Luke just told us that Jesus went from town to town, village to village preaching the Gospel.  What is happening as a result of this ministry?  A growing number are “believing” and a good many are rejecting the message.  Some are embracing the message others are attacking the message.  Some hearts are being opened, others hardened.  It’s the same message – very different responses.  What’s going on?  Why is this happening?  That is the focus of this parable.

Parables were meant to be heard.  They were meant to leave an impact.  Rather than be carefully studied and scrutinized they were told orally and left the hearer with a basic truth.  As we explore this parable we discover:

Thesis:  The seed of the Gospel produces abundant fruit in the receptive heart.

And we also are reminded of its parallel truth:

The seed of the Gospel is of little value in the unresponsive heart.

In this passage we find the Sower = the preacher, in this case the Lord Jesus.
The Seed = the Gospel, the good news of the kingdom of God.
The Soils = the hearts of those who hear.

In each case the sower and the seed are the same.
They are both “good”.  They are not the problem.
The variable is the soil.
In the parable we find 4 different soils.
4 different hearts with various results.

1. The hardened heart rejects the word of God and is totally unaffected.  (8:5,12)
2. The shallow heart gives ear to the word of God but soon fades because of a lack of depth.  (8:6,13)
3. The crowded heart hears the word of God but it is soon rendered ineffective due to neglect.  (8:7,14)
4. The responsive heart gladly receives the Word of God and produces abundant fruit.  (8:8,15)