The Betrayal
Rev. Bruce Brown
John 13:18-30
September 8, 2019
I. A Prophecy About the Betrayal (verses 18-20)
II. The Grief in the Betrayal (verses 21-25)
III. Jesus, Satan, and Judas (verses 26-30)
“Mine own Apostle, who the bag did bear,
Though he had all I had did not forbear
To sell me also and to put me there:
Was ever grief like mine?” ~ George Herbert
“Passages like these should make us see the amazing love of Christ to sinners. How many cups of sorrow He drained to the dregs in working out our salvation, beside the mighty cup of bearing our sins…” ~ J.C. Ryle
Lowly Love
Rev. Bruce Brown
John 13:1-17
September 1, 2019
I. The Compassion of the Servant (verses 1-13)
II. The Cleansing of the Servant (verses 4-11)
III. The Challenge of the Servant (verses 12-17)
“The fact that you are truly Christ’s is the fountain of innumerable pleasures and blessings to your heart. Jesus calls us “His own” – His own sheep, His own disciples, His own friends, His own brethren, the members of His own body. What a title for us to wear, “His own!”… This is how he distinguishes us from the rest of mankind and sets us apart for Himself. “My name shall be named on them,” says He… surely, this is the highest honor that can be put upon us even in the last great day.” Charles Haddon Spurgeon
Confessing Glory
Rev. Bruce Brown
August 25, 2019
John 12:37-50
I. The Causes of Silence (verses 36b-43)
II. The Consequences of Rejecting Christ (verses 44-50)
III. Confessing Glory (verses 41, 43, 44-50)
“A believing view of an unseen God, an unseen Christ, an unseen heaven, and an unseen judgment-day--this is the grand secret of overcoming the fear of man. The expulsive power of a new principle is required to heal the disease. "This is the victory that overcomes the world, even our faith." (1 John 5:4.) Let us pray for faith, if we would conquer that deadly enemy of souls, the fear of man and the love of man's praise. And if we have any faith, let us pray for more. Let our daily cry be, "Lord, increase our faith." We may easily have too much money, or too much worldly prosperity; but we can never have too much faith.” ~ J.C. Ryle
The Power of the Cross
August 18, 2019
Rev. Bruce Brown
John 12:27-36
I. The Glory of the Cross (verses 27-30)
II. The Conquest of the Cross (verses 31-32)
III. The Offence of the Cross (verses 34-36)
“A day shall come when every knee shall bow before the Lamb that was slain, and every tongue confess that He is Lord to the glory of God the Father. He who was "lifted up" on the cross shall yet sit on the throne of glory, and before Him shall be gathered all nations. Friends and foes, each in their own order, shall be "drawn" from their graves, and appear before the judgment-seat of Christ. Let us take heed in that day that we are found on His right hand!” ~ J.C. Ryle
We Would See Jesus!
Rev. Bruce Brown
August 11, 2019
John 12:12-28
A Christ for One and All (verses 12-24)
A Christ of Great Cost (verses 25-26)
A Troubled Christ (verses 27-28
“Forever let us rest our hearts on this most comfortable thought. We have a most willing and loving Savior. It was His delight to do His Father's will, and to make a way for lost and guilty man to draw near to God in peace. He loved the work He had taken in hand, and the poor sinful world which He came to save… He who was a most willing Sacrifice on the cross is also a most willing Savior at the right hand of God.” ~ J.C. Ryle
Fragrant Devotion to Christ
August 4th, 2019
Rev. Bruce Brown
John 12:1-11
Devotion on Display (verses 1-3, 7-8)
Devotion Defied (verses 4-7, 9-10)
Devotion Defended (verses 7-8
“She did it under the influence of a heart full of love and gratitude. She thought nothing to great an good to bestow on such a Savior... Greatly loved, she thought she could not show too much love in return. Having freely received, she freely gave.”
What Are We to Do With Jesus?"
July 28, 2019
Rev. Bruce Brown
John 11:45-48
A Council that Plotted (verses 45-48)
A Chief Priest Who Prophesied (verses 49-53)
The Sovereign Christ (verse 54)
“God can make the designs of His enemies work together for the good of His people, and cause the wrath of man to praise Him. In days of trouble, and rebuke, and blasphemy, believers may rest patiently in the Lord. The very things that at one time seem likely to hurt them, shall prove in the end to be for their gain.” ~ J. C. Ryle
Jesus in the Graveyard
John 11:28-44
July 21, 2019
Rev. Bruce Brown
Jesus Sheds Tears of Love (verses 28-37)
Jesus Quakes in anger (verses 33, 38)
Jesus Speaks with Words of Power (38-44)
“There is nothing unworthy of a child of God in tears. Even the Son of God could weep. It shows us, above all, that the Savior in whom believers trust is a most tender and feeling Savior… He knows what we go through and can pity. And He is One who never changes. Though He now sits at God's right hand in heaven, His heart is still the same that it was upon earth. We have an Advocate with the Father, who, when He was upon earth, could weep.” ~ J.C. Ryle
I Am the Resurrection and the Life
John 11:17-27
July 14, 2019
Rev. Bruce Brown
I. The Cry of Faith (verses 20-22,24)
II. The Claim of Jesus (verses 23, 25-26)
III. The Clarifying Question (verses 26-27)
“Many Christians do not feel the inward peace which they desire… yet true Christians strive, as Paul says, to "comprehend what is the breadth, and length, and depth, and height, and to know the love of Christ, which passes knowledge." As they do, they are amazed at the discoveries they make. They soon find, like Hagar, that there are wells of water near them of which they had no knowledge. They soon discover that there is more heaven to be enjoyed on earth than they had ever thought possible. The root of a happy religion is clear, distinct, well-defined knowledge of Jesus Christ.” ~ adapted from J.C. Ryle
When Jesus Pulls the Brake
Rev. Bruce Brown
John 11:1-16
July 7, 2019
I. The Desire of a Patient Savior (verses 1- 5)
II. The Delay of a Loving Lord (verses 5-7)
III. The Death that Leads to Life (verses 7-16)
“John 11 elevates our perspective. It explains to Christ’s praying, devoted children that no matter how it may appear, these inexplicable delays are delays of love. That is what our text says! When we are being ravaged by the events of life, it is very difficult to believe that God really loves us. But John 11 and many other Scriptures clearly claim that these delays are delays of love. God is all-powerful. He can do anything. He knows all. He even knows when a sparrow falls to the ground. He knows our trouble, and he cares!” ~ R. Kent Hughes
Praying as People of the Age to Come
June 30, 3019
Rev Shaun Hurrie
Ephesians 1:15-23
Praying to Know God Better (verse 17)
Praying to Know God’s riches (verse 18)
Praying to Know God’s Power (verse 19)
“Hope is one of the theological virtues. This means that a continual looking forward to the eternal world is not (as some modern people think) a form of escapism or wishful thinking, but one of the things a Christian is meant to do. It does not mean that we are to leave the present world as it is. If you read history you will find that the Christians who did most for the present world were just those who thought most of the next.” (C.S. Lewis)
Who Will Live With God?
Rev. Bruce Brown
June 23, 2019
Psalm 15
I. The Question that Matters Most (verse 1)
II. The Answer that Searches Hearts (verses 2-5)
III. The Promise of God (verse 5)
“Not worthy, Lord! To gather up the crumbs
With trembling hand that from Thy table fall,
A weary, heavy-laden sinner comes
to plead Thy promise and obey Thy call.
I am not worthy to be thought Thy child,
nor sit the last and lowest at Thy board;
too long a wand’rer and too oft beguiled,
I only ask one reconciling word.
~ Edward H. Bickersteth
Leaving a Biblical Legacy
Rev. Bruce Brown
June 16, 2019
Psalm 78:1-8
I. Proclaiming God’s Works (verses 1 -4)
II. Passing on God’s Commands (verses 5-6)
III. Purposing God’s Plan (verses 6-8)
“All Christian parenting… begins with God. There is One ultimate, unchanging Reality, namely, God. All else in parenting comes from Him. All else is for Him. He is the first and the last and the center of parenting and education. He is the main thing in how you rear children and teach children and discipline children. It all begins with God and it all is built on God and it all is to be shaped by God. If there is one memory that our children should have of our families and our church it is this; they should remember God. God was first. God was central. There was a passion for the supremacy of God in all things.”
~ John Piper
Treading on the Heights
June 9, 2019
Rev. Bruce Brown
Habakkuk 3:3-19
I. The Path Faith May Face (verses 16-17)
II. The Power Praise Brings to the Faithful (verses 3-15)
III. The Promised Perseverance of Faith (verses 18-19)
“Though vine nor fig tree neither their wonted fruits should bear,
Though all the fields should wither, nor flocks nor herds be there;
Yet, God the same abiding His praise shall tune my voice;
For, while in him confiding, I cannot but rejoice” (William Cowper)
Seeking God for Revival
Rev. Bruce Brown
Habakkuk 3:1-3
I. Approaching God in Humble Fear (verses 1-2a)
II. Approaching God for Renewed Work (verse 2b)
III. Approaching God to Plead for Mercy (verse 2c)
“The last of Habakkuk’s requests is a simple one, but it goes to the heart of all we have been saying: ‘In wrath remember mercy.’ What a great request to leave with God! What an effective request! What an appropriate way to win and be assured of God’s favor! God is the God of mercy, so to pray for mercy (even in the day of His wrath) is to plead for that which is central to His character.” ~James M. Boice
Waiting for God's Just Judgment
Rev. Bruce Brown
Habakkuk 2:6-20
1. God’s Judgment Is Just (6-8)
2. God’s Judgment Brings Futility (9-14)
3. God’s Judgment Proves Overwhelming (verses 15-17)
4. God’s Judgment Is Our Protection (verses 18-20)
“The way of the righteous is the way of faith in God. The way of the wicked is the way of drawing back from faith in God. The first submits to God and trusts God. The second submits to no one. The person who chooses the second way is arrogant. He says, “I don’t need religion. I can take care of myself. I can do without God.” The bulk of Habakkuk chapter two shows the course and dismal end of the ungodly.”
~ James M. Boice
A Glorious Home On the Horizon
May 19, 2019
Rev. Bruce Brown
Revelation 21:1-8
What Is Glorious About It? (verses 3-4)
Whose Home Is It Anyway? (verses 5-6)
How Do We Take Our Place? (verses 6-8)
“How do we take our place in the new world of glory and bliss?... It is free to us sinners, but it was very costly to Jesus, and it is the most valuable of all gifts. Who is thirsty for eternal life? For total pardon of sin, fellowship with God now, and everlasting joy beyond the grave? All you need to get on board is this thirst. Indeed, this very thirst is a gift from God, to orient our souls homewards. What a generous God He is! He causes us to want the gift, and then provides the gift at His own expense.” Douglas Kelly
The Faith Our Mothers Live By
May 12, 2019
Rev. Bruce Brown
Habakkuk 2:1-4
I. The Foundation of Faith (verses 2-3b)
2. The Humility of Faith (verse 4)
3. The Perseverance of Faith (verses 1, 3b-4)
“To lie by faith means to believe God’s Word and obey it no matter how we feel, what we see, or what the consequences may be…. The men and women mentioned in Hebrews 11 were ordinary people, but they accomplished extraordinary things because they trusted God and did what He told them to do. It has well been said that faith is not believing in spite of evidence; its obeying in spite of consequence, resting on God’s faithfulness.” Warren W. Wiersbe
God Moves in a Mysterious Way
Rev. Bruce Brown
Habakkuk 1:1-12
May 5, 2019
I. Question: Why Such Silence in the Face of Wickedness? (verses 1-4)
II. Answer: God Is Sovereign Over Human Pride (verses 5-11)
III. The Worship of God Brings Hope (verse 12)
God moves in a mysterious way
His wonders to perform;
He plants His footsteps in the sea
And rides upon the storm.
Ye fearful saints, fresh courage take;
The clouds ye so much dread
Are big with mercy and shall break
In blessings on your head.
His purposes will ripen fast,
Unfolding every hour;
The bud may have a bitter taste,
But sweet will be the flow’r.
William Cowper
Our Lord and Our God
John 20:24-29
Mr. Jay Krestar
Jesus and Thomas
24 Now Thomas, one of the twelve, called the Twin, was not with them when Jesus came. 25 So the other disciples told him, “We have seen the Lord.” But he said to them, “Unless I see in his hands the mark of the nails, and place my finger into the mark of the nails, and place my hand into his side, I will never believe.”
26 Eight days later, his disciples were inside again, and Thomas was with them. Although the doors were locked, Jesus came and stood among them and said, “Peace be with you.” 27 Then he said to Thomas, “Put your finger here, and see my hands; and put out your hand, and place it in my side. Do not disbelieve, but believe.” 28 Thomas answered him, “My Lord and my God!” 29 Jesus said to him, “Have you believed because you have seen me? Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed.” (ESV)