Tag: Stephen Kuntzman

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Bible Teaching

Dynamic Duo

Stephen Kuntzman | July 27, 2025 | 10:00 AM

Text: James 2:14

What doth it profit, my brethren, though a man say he hath faith, and have not works? can faith save him?

The Dynamic Duo[1]

Ancillary Text: Genesis 22:1–14

(1) And it came to pass after these things, that God did tempt Abraham, and said unto him, Abraham: and he said, Behold, here I am. [availability]  (2)  And he said, Take now thy son, thine only son Isaac, whom thou lovest, and get thee into the land of Moriah; and offer him there for a burnt offering upon one of the mountains which I will tell thee of.  (3)  And Abraham rose up early in the morning, and saddled his ass, and took two of his young men with him, and Isaac his son, and clave the wood for the burnt offering, and rose up, and went unto the place of which God had told him. [faith in preparation]  (4)  Then on the third day Abraham lifted up his eyes, and saw the place afar off.  [faith tested with time] (5)  And Abraham said unto his young men, Abide ye here with the ass; and I and the lad will go yonder and worship, and come again to you.  [hope] (6)  And Abraham took the wood of the burnt offering, and laid it upon Isaac his son; and he took the fire in his hand, and a knife; and they went both of them together.  [faith in action] (7)  And Isaac spake unto Abraham his father, and said, My father: and he said, Here am I, my son. And he said, Behold the fire and the wood: but where is the lamb for a burnt offering? [Isaac is no mere boy, but a man of 37]  (8)  And Abraham said, My son, God will provide himself a lamb for a burnt offering: so they went both of them together. [a messianic prophecy, but also a rhema word for that moment] (9)  And they came to the place which God had told him of; and Abraham built an altar there, and laid the wood in order, and bound Isaac his son, and laid him on the altar upon the wood.  [faith and works] (10)  And Abraham stretched forth his hand, and took the knife to slay his son. [dynamic duo of Abraham and Isaac – trust in God and trust in the man of God]  (11)  And the angel of the LORD called unto him out of heaven, and said, Abraham, Abraham: and he said, Here am I.  (12)  And he said, Lay not thine hand upon the lad, neither do thou any thing unto him: for now I know that thou fearest God, seeing thou hast not withheld thy son, thine only son from me.  [God saw his faith and rewarded it] (13)  And Abraham lifted up his eyes, and looked, and behold behind him a ram caught in a thicket by his horns: and Abraham went and took the ram, and offered him up for a burnt offering in the stead of his son.  (14)  And Abraham called the name of that place Jehovahjireh: as it is said to this day, In the mount of the LORD it shall be seen. [God will see – or – God sees and provides]

Lesson Text: James 2:14–26

(14) What doth it profit, my brethren, though a man say he hath faith, and have not works? can faith save him?  (15)  If a brother or sister be naked, and destitute of daily food,  (16)  And one of you say unto them, Depart in peace, be ye warmed and filled; notwithstanding ye give them not those things which are needful to the body; what doth it profit?  (17)  Even so faith, if it hath not works, is dead, being alone.  (18)  Yea, a man may say, Thou hast faith, and I have works: shew me thy faith without thy works, and I will shew thee my faith by my works.  (19)  Thou believest that there is one God; thou doest well: the devils also believe, and tremble.  (20)  But wilt thou know, O vain man, that faith without works is dead?  (21)  Was not Abraham our father justified by works, when he had offered Isaac his son upon the altar?  (22)  Seest thou how faith wrought with his works, and by works was faith made perfect?  (23)  And the scripture was fulfilled which saith, Abraham believed God, and it was imputed unto him for righteousness: and he was called the Friend of God.  (24)  Ye see then how that by works a man is justified, and not by faith only.  (25)  Likewise also was not Rahab the harlot justified by works, when she had received the messengers, and had sent them out another way?  (26)  For as the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without works is dead also.

God calls us to put our faith into action, and so we demonstrate our faith through our works.

INTRODUCTION

Topeka, Kansas, is well known in American history for multiple reasons. In Topeka the events that led to the famous Brown v. Board of Education case occurred, which resulted in the desegregation of American schools.

Topeka was also the location of the Bible school where Charles Fox Parham and his students believed and taught that speaking in tongues was the initial sign of Holy Ghost baptism, helping to spark the modern Pentecostal movement.

Also, the city where Pastor Charles Sheldon, in 1896, decided to try something different during the Sunday night services.

Instead of a traditional sermon, he began reading a novel he was writing by presenting one chapter each week to the congregation. The story became so popular that soon the church was full of people wanting to find out about what would happen next.

Eventually the book would be published with the title In His Steps, and it remains a popular book to this day.

The story is set in fictional Raymond, a railroad town in the Eastern United States. It opens with the main character, Reverend Henry Maxwell, pastor of First Church of Raymond, sitting in his home on Friday afternoon preparing his Sunday sermon. When his efforts to concentrate are interrupted by a panhandler, the pastor brushes him aside and gets back to what he considers a more important activity.

On Sunday morning the same man shows up to service and addresses the congregation. He then immediately collapses and dies a few days later.

Reverend Maxwell is affected deeply by these events and begins to question his selfish behavior.

He challenges his congregation with a question that causes a revival in the lives of virtually everyone in the town: what would Jesus do?

Inspired by this simple, yet profound question, the members of Central Congregational Church begin to look for ways to use their position in the community to bring about changes that will form Raymond into a place God desires it to be.

What would Jesus do?

We would still do well to consider that provoking question because one of the essential components of true biblical theology should focus on what we believe and what we do.

Living for God is much more than simply listening to the preached Word of God on Sunday mornings; we must respond and follow what the Word of God calls us to do.

When God’s Word calls us to repent, we must repent.

When God’s Word calls us to love our neighbor and forgive those who hurt us, we must hear and heed.

We would do well to enter every service asking ourselves two questions:

  1. What does God want me to know?
  2. What does God want me to do?

THE DYNAMIC DUO OF FAITH AND WORKS

The Danger of Faith without Works

Peanut butter and jelly. Coffee and donuts. Rest and relaxation. Batman and Robin. Some things seem destined to always go together.

The same should be true of faith and works.

Bernard of Clairvaux wrote, “Hell is full of good wishes or desires.” Today, we say, “The road to Hell is paved with good intentions.”

Neither of these quotes are from the Word of God because they are not exactly accurate.

Being cast into outer darkness and eternally separated from God is not simply the end result of good intentions – it is the direct result of sin.

Likewise, we understand that good works alone cannot earn us entrance into heaven.

You will never be good enough to purchase your own salvation because, even on your best day, the Bible declares all your righteousness as nothing more than “filthy rags” (Isaiah 64:6).

It is impossible to do enough good deeds to erase the stain of one single sin.

You must apply the gospel to your life through the new-birth experience because neither good works nor good intentions are enough to save you.

This simple fact is demonstrated throughout the Word of God:

If Noah had the faith to believe it was going to rain but refused to build the ark, he would have drowned.

If Peter had answered the question, “Men and brethren, what shall we do?” by explaining that simply changing their mind about Jesus was enough for salvation, the people may have gone home with a repentance experience, but they would not have been born again. (See Acts 2:36–39.)

The Power of Faith with Works

When faith is combined with works the power of God is released.

Faith and works are both involved in all elements of obeying the gospel of Jesus Christ:

  • 2 Thessalonians 1:8, “In flaming fire taking vengeance on them that know not God, and that obey not the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ”
  • 1 Peter 4:17, “For the time is come that judgment must begin at the house of God: and if it first begin at us, what shall the end be of them that obey not the gospel of God?” 

You must do more than have a change of mind about your sinful state; you must repent of your sins by turning from your old life. It is not enough to feel sorry for past mistakes; you must quit sinning.

For those who gathered to be baptized by John the Baptist, he demanded they “bring forth therefore fruits worthy of repentance” (Luke 3:8).

Jesus taught the same doctrine when He instructed the woman caught in adultery to “go, and sin no more” (John 8:11).

Repentance is how you obey the death of Jesus. You must have faith to believe that His death on the cross of Calvary was sufficient to pay your debt to sin, and then you must do the work of turning from sin.

After you repent of your sin, you respond to Jesus’ burial by being baptized in the name of Jesus Christ:

“Therefore we are buried with him by baptism into death: that like as Christ was raised up from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life.”[2]

When the first Gentiles were brought into the New Testament church in Acts 10, Peter did not just suggest they be baptized; rather, he “commanded them to be baptized in the name of the Lord” (Acts 10:48).

Your new birth is not complete without Spirit baptism. In His supreme wisdom, God provided you an undeniable sign that you have been filled with His Spirit.

Multiple experiences in life can make the hair stand up on your neck or give you moments of joy or a sense of peace.

However, only the baptism of the Holy Ghost allows you to worship God in a language you have never learned as you declare “the wonderful works of God” (Acts 2:11).

That experience involves a level of faith in the Word of God combined with surrendering your whole self to Him.

Faith without works is dead, but the combination of faith and works produces the new birth.

I Will Demonstrate My Faith through My Works

Just as faith apart from obedience will not result in salvation, your walk with God after the new birth is equally dependent upon the marriage of faith and works.

If Jesus had only declared His identity with words, the statements He made would have been true, but the opportunity to prove their accuracy may have been lost. The Bible declares: “Jesus . . . went about doing good” (Acts 10:38).

When John the Baptist sent messengers asking whether Jesus really was the Messiah, Jesus offered the works He had done as evidence:

“Go your way, and tell John what things ye have seen and heard; how that the blind see, the lame walk, the lepers are cleansed, the deaf hear, the dead are raised, to the poor the gospel is preached” (Luke 7:22).

Why do you think the majority of Jewish society rejected Jesus even after witnessing so many marvelous miracles?

The Book of James contains the most notable commentary on this subject. James asked these rhetorical questions: “What doth it profit, my brethren, though a man say he hath faith, and have not works? can faith save him?” (James 2:14).

James then gave a very practical example to illustrate his point. If we encounter a brother or sister needing clothing and food and say, “Depart in peace, be ye warmed and filled” without offering practical help, it is of no use (James 2:16).

“Even so faith, if it hath not works, is dead, being alone” (James 2:17).

THE FAITHFULNESS OF ABRAHAM

God Challenged Abraham’s Faith

To see faith in real life, let us look at the “father of the faithful” based on Paul’s description of Abraham as “the father of all them that believe” (Romans 4:11).

The first eleven chapters of the Book of Genesis chronicle approximately two thousand years. In those chapters we read about Adam and Eve, the story of Noah and the Flood, and how God confused the languages because of humanity’s disobedience in building the Tower of Babel.

We see some detail, but the Bible paints in rather broad brushstrokes until we reach chapter twelve where we are introduced to a man named Abram and his wife Sarai. The next fourteen chapters are devoted exclusively to that one man and his family. If we add in the portion of the Bible dedicated to Abraham’s son, grandson, and great-grandson, we see a total of thirty-nine chapters devoted to this one extended family.

Abraham is celebrated in God’s Hall of Faith in Hebrews 11: “By faith Abraham, when he was called to go out into a place which he should after receive for an inheritance, obeyed; and he went out, not knowing whither he went” (Hebrews 11:8).

Abraham was called, and then he obeyed.

Abraham combined faith with works.

If he had sat around his entire life bragging about God speaking to him and explaining how much he believed God’s promise without ever leaving his hometown, his spoken faith would have been dead words.

But to be proven faithful required more than one action. Abraham left his hometown, separated from his entire family (including his nephew Lot), and received the promised son named Isaac. Then the Lord challenged Abraham’s faith yet again with a call that must have been incredibly difficult to hear:

“Take now thy son, thine only son Isaac, whom thou lovest, and get thee into the land of Moriah; and offer him there for a burnt offering upon one of the mountains which I will tell thee of” (Genesis 22:2).

Abraham Proved to Be Faithful

No one can truly understand the anguish he felt to offer up his own son to God as a sacrifice. Abraham must have thought, God, this did not make sense. Is this really Your plan? Your nature? Yet Abraham’s response may be one of the most impressive examples of faith in God we read in the entire Bible.

Consider the test of Abraham’s faith. He had waited approximately twenty-five years for his promised son to be miraculously born. He had received the promise from God that through Isaac all nations of the earth shall be blessed. Then God said to sacrifice his promised son, Isaac.

Do not underestimate what this means: Abraham would have to lay his 37-year-old son on an altar and kill him as a sacrifice to God.

Can you think of any reason it would make sense for God to call Abraham to offer Isaac?

How could Abraham do something so barbaric? Offering Isaac directly conflicted with the promises God had given him. But there are two reasons for those concerns:

  • First, Abraham loved Isaac, but he loved God more. One of the main issues for Abraham was whether he loved the promise (Isaac) more than the promise keeper (God). Abraham passed the test by his willingness to sacrifice his son unto the one who gave him his son.
  • Secondly, Abraham had enough faith and trust that if he followed what God told him to do, the Lord was able to prove Himself faithful. Again we discover insight in the Book of Hebrews that helps explain Abraham’s thought process. The Bible explains Abraham reasoned that if God had promised all the nations of the earth would be blessed through Isaac, then when he followed God’s instructions and sacrificed his son, “God was able to raise him up, even from the dead” (Hebrews 11:19).

That is certainly faith with works.

But that resurrection miracle was unnecessary because as Abraham lifted the knife to sacrifice Isaac, the Lord stopped him and provided a ram as a sacrifice in place of Isaac, a beautiful Old Testament foreshadowing of our Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ.

I Will Seek to Be Found Faithful When Tested

Today we are faced with the same choice as every saint of God who has come before us. Unlike Noah, we will probably not be asked to build a large boat out of gopher wood, and we certainly should not expect God to call us to sacrifice our children. However, we must be mindful that living for God always has and always will require some level of sacrifice.

Only by a combination of faith with works is it possible to please God. The Book of James is often called the New Testament companion to the Old Testament Book of Proverbs. We are encouraged to be “doers of the word, and not hearers only.” If we only hear the word without taking proper action, we are guilty of deceiving our own selves (James 1:22).

This same principle can be applied to believing without taking action—faith without works.

You must daily decide to allow the Word of God to be the mirror through which you evaluate your actions and motives to ensure you are not guilty of Jesus’ warning in Luke 9:62, “No man, having put his hand to the plough, and looking back, is fit for the kingdom of God.”

A proper combination of faith and works will ensure we endure to the end and obtain salvation.

CONCLUSION

The year 1955 was significant. America had endured the Great Depression, experienced the thrill of victory in World War II, and found itself one decade into the Cold War with what was then known as the Soviet Union. President Eisenhower sent the first military advisors to Vietnam, and in that same year, a woman named Rosa Parks refused to give up her seat on a bus in Montgomery, Alabama, an event that sparked the Civil Rights Movement and inspired Martin Luther King, Jr.

Also in 1955 a recently retired man sat on his front porch and watched as his Social Security check was delivered to his mailbox. His life had been difficult. When Harland was only six years old, his father had died, causing young Harland to take the lead in caring for his younger brothers and sisters when their mother entered the workforce. He had dropped out of school in the sixth grade and held a wide variety of jobs since then: a railroad worker, a tire salesman, an unsuccessful politician, and others.

At the age of sixty-five, all he seemed to have to show for his efforts was the promise of another Social Security check being delivered. He went to the mailbox, retrieved his check, and thought to himself, Is this all my life is going to be, just sitting on the front porch waiting for my next check to arrive?

The thought was discouraging. Harland decided to pause and write down all the blessings in his life, listing everything, even the small things. You could say he was counting his blessings, naming them one by one. He wrote that he was the only person in the world who knew his mother’s recipe for fried chicken, which included eleven different herbs and spices. That day he decided to become a doer. He visited a local restaurant and asked if he could get a job cooking chicken. Soon his chicken became the most popular item on the menu.

Later Harland opened his own restaurant, which soon became a string of restaurants we now know as Kentucky Fried Chicken. He sold to a national organization for millions of dollars and served as their public representative until his death in 1980 at the age of ninety. All this became possible when “Colonel Sanders” refused to simply sit on the porch waiting to receive; he decided to do something with what he already had.

If Colonel Sanders realized his recipe and his fried chicken were gifts, and if his decision to do something with that knowledge allowed him to achieve fame in our society, what can the church of the living God do if we will become doers of the Word instead of hearers only?

Let’s Pray:

  • For God to help us become doers of the Word and not hearers only.
  • For God to give us the confidence to stand when life challenges our faith.
  • What types of sacrifice has God required from you in your walk with Him?

[1] SOURCE: God’s Word for Life Adult Lesson Guide Summer 2025. Pentecostal Publishing House. Lesson 2.4 – A Dynamic Duo.

[2] Romans 6:4

Categories
Bible Teaching

Take Dead Aim!

A throwback sermon preached on September 30, 2014.

TEXT

John 4:19-24

(19) The woman saith unto him, Sir, I perceive that thou art a prophet.  (20)  Our fathers worshipped in this mountain; and ye say, that in Jerusalem is the place where men ought to worship.  (21)  Jesus saith unto her, Woman, believe me, the hour cometh, when ye shall neither in this mountain, nor yet at Jerusalem, worship the Father.  (22)  Ye worship ye know not what: we know what we worship: for salvation is of the Jews.  (23)  But the hour cometh, and now is, when the true worshippers shall worship the Father in spirit and in truth: for the Father seeketh such to worship him.  (24)  God is a Spirit: and they that worship him must worship him in spirit and in truth.

INTRODUCTION

Unless you follow closely the world of professional golf you might never hear the name “Harvey Penick.”

Harvey Penick was a well-respected golf instructor who invested his life in teaching men and women how to play their best game of golf. He taught children, amateurs, collegians, professionals, and even duffers.

He also wrote a book entitled: Harvey Penick’s Little Red Book: Lessons and Teachings from a Lifetime in Golf. It is from those pages that I want direct your attention:

When my student Betsy Rawls was in a playoff for the U.S. Women’s Open championship, I sent her a one-sentence telegram.

It said:

“Take Dead Aim!”

Betsy won the playoff.

For golfers who might not understand Texas talk, let me put the advice in the telegram a different way: Once you address the golf ball, hitting it has got to be the most important thing in your life at that moment. Shut out all thoughts other than picking out a target and taking dead aim it.

This is a good way to calm a case of nerves.

Everybody gets nervous on the first tee, whether it’s Betsy Rawls in a playoff for the Open or a high handicapper teeing off at the club in a $2 Nassau with friends.

Instead of worrying about making a fool of yourself in front of a crowd of 4 or 40,000, forget about how your swing may look and concentrate instead on where you want the ball to go. Pretty is as pretty does.

I would approach my college players before a match and tell them the same thing: Take dead aim.

This is a wonderful thought to keep in mind all the way around the course, not just on the first tee. Take dead aim at a spot on the fairway or the green, refuse to allow any negative thought to enter your head, and swing away.[1]

The Lord is searching for true worshippers to live their lives in worship to Him.

And tonight I want to address this topic, take aim, and swing away.

KEYPOINTS

  1. Cares of Life.

It’s easy to get sidetracked from a life of worship.

Luke 8:14, “And that which fell among thorns are they, which, when they have heard, go forth, and are choked with cares and riches and pleasures of this life, and bring no fruit to perfection.”

Mark 4:19, “And the cares of this world, and the deceitfulness of riches, and the lusts of other things entering in, choke the word, and it becometh unfruitful.”

The word rendered “cares” denotes in the original “distracting anxieties,” which, as it were, “cut a man in sunder.”[2]

Life has a way of getting away from us sometimes, grabbing the bit, and running in its own direction.

We are people of purpose who need to grab the reins and live, and worship, on purpose.

The worship of the Lord Jesus Christ should be so much a part of your life that no decision is made without that in mind.

Ask yourself the question:

How does this magnify God?

Is the Lord pleased by my choice?

I know bills are high, work is a struggle, and the devil wants to fill your mind so full of fear and second-guessing that you might find it difficult to even focus on God long enough for a season of prayer, but I would admonish you to

“Take Dead Aim!”

Find that prayer closet, sing that song of praise, let all your focus turn to Jesus and worship Him.

  • True worship begins in the spirit.

The “mind,” the “soul,” the “heart.” They shall worship God with a sincere “mind;” with the simple offering of gratitude and prayer; with a desire to glorify him, and without external pomp and splendor.[3]

The mind has to be sincere in its approach to God, void of showmanship, or entertainment.

God’s pleasure in you is not increased by the litany of complex verbiage exiting your mouth, but by the simple thanksgiving and prayer.

And, also, it is the presence of the sincere life that is governed by God’s Holy Spirit impacting and influencing your rational soul.

We focus our mind on the Lord and then

“Take Dead Aim!”

  • True worship is truthful.

To be true in your worship is to stand before God as you really are, and not in some fashion of fakery.

It is the life of authenticity and vulnerability.

It is you being the real you.

It is you opening up the most true part of yourself to God, focusing on Him, and then

“Take Dead Aim!”

CLOSE

David and Michal.

Woman at the well.

[1] Penick, Harvey. (1992). Harvey Penick’s Little Red Book: Lessons and Teachings from a Lifetime in Golf. Simon & Schuster. Page 45.

[2] The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges. Mark 4:19.

[3] Albert Barnes

Categories
Bible Preaching church history

A Threshold Decision at Pergamos

Ruins of the temple of Trajan at Pergamos. Roman citizens had to offer incense to the emperor once each year, for which they were given a certificate showing they had complied with their civic duty. This temple was one place where this could be accomplished (photo by Joel Meeker). Source: https://lifehopeandtruth.com/prophecy/revelation/seven-churches-of-revelation/pergamos/

Here’s a throwback sermon from January 3, 2016 I preached to the congregation of Bible Apostolic Church.

Text: “For I am jealous over you with godly jealousy: for I have espoused you to one husband, that I may present you as a chaste virgin to Christ” (2 Corinthians 11:2).

The book of Revelation is probably one of the most misunderstood and discussed books in the Bible.

Many, including myself, often read its pages attempting to figure out answers to questions we describe as the end times, or eschatology (the study of the end times).

In those pages, written by the apostle John – John the beloved – students of the Word of God try to figure out future events coming to this world.

My interest today is not about when, where or how the catching away of the Church will take place.

Nor am I going to discuss seals, vials, elders, or the four beasts sitting around the throne.

I’m not even interested in who the beast, false prophet, or antichrist are, and if they are alive right now.

I know that rockets are dropping all over Jerusalem and Israel even while I am in this podium, and that many are discussing the coming of the Lord for that very reason, but that is not why I have lifted this text to our attention today.

You see the Book of Revelation is primarily written to reveal Jesus to us. It is a disclosure of the everlasting Truth of who Jesus Christ is yesterday, today, and forever. And along with that is the unveiling of the Church in its relationship with our Lord Jesus Christ.

“The revelation of Jesus Christ, which God gave unto him, to show unto his servants things which must shortly come to pass; and he sent and signified it by his angel unto his servant John:” (Rev. 1:1).

It is a “Jesus” book, and in its pages we see Jesus Christ as:

  • The Alpha and Omega – the Almighty.
  • The One in the midst of the candlesticks.
  • The One holding the seven stars of the churches.
  • The One sitting on the throne.
  • The Lion of the tribe of Judah.
  • The Lamb slain.
  • The reigning King on a white horse.
  • The Judge of the living and dead.

It is also a book written to the church about the past, present, and future.

It is specifically addressed to seven churches: “What thou seest, write in a book, and send it unto the seven churches which are in Asia; unto Ephesus, and unto Smyrna, and unto Pergamos, and unto Thyatira, and unto Sardis, and unto Philadelphia, and unto Laodicea.”

Seven Churches of Asia:

  1. Ephesus              
  2. Smyrna               
  3. Pergamos 
  4. Thyatira               
  5. Sardis                           
  6. Philadelphia
  7. Laodicea

Some believe that these seven churches are symbolic of various ages that the Church will have gone through from Acts until today:

Church~Name Defined~Time Period

Ephesus ~ Desirable ~ 100-200 A.D.

Smyrna ~ Myrrh ~ 200-300 A.D.

Pergamos ~ Marriage/Elevation ~ 300-500 A.D.

Thyatira ~ Continual Sacrifice ~ 500-1500 A.D.

Sardis ~ Remnant ~ 1500-1900 A.D.

Philadelphia ~ Brotherly Love ~ 1900-Rapture

Laodicea ~ People Rule ~ Present-Rapture[1]

I think it is referring to conditions evident in churches right now, spiritual conditions that exist in local assemblies and even in the lives of its individual members.

Today, as we enter a new year and a fresh start, you are at a threshold moment.

This moment can be your last step in a life of mediocrity, defeat, condemnation, insecurity, enslavement, abuse, addiction, hypocrisy, and self-hate as you step over the threshold of Divine mercy and grace into the life of righteousness, peace and joy Jesus has always had prepared for you.

TAKE THAT STEP.

There is conflict at the threshold. Your flesh has been in control and doesn’t want to take that step. 

Satan does not want you to be victorious. He’ll appeal to you in anyway he can to keep you from crossing the threshold.

Three Tactics of the Devil at the Threshold (Bishop Norman L. Wagner):

1. Compromise

2. Change

3. Quit

With that in mind, it is this third church mentioned in the Book of the Revelation of Jesus Christ that I am bringing to your attention today: Pergamos.

PERGAMOS[2]

Revelation 2:12-17

(12)  And to the angel of the church in Pergamos write; These things saith he which hath the sharp sword with two edges;  

  • Pergamos literally means “married with the world.”
  • It refers to a condition and time when satan changed tactics to attack the Church.
  • We all want to be accepted.
  • So, satan stopped persecuting the church and began popularizing it.
  • The church became the “in thing” to join.  And so it became fashionable.
  • But while fashionable it was impure. Those joining didn’t leave their sinful practices and those already in it became influenced by the world.
  • This led to a condition where the Church would become unfaithful to Christ and married to the world.
  • Jesus is stating here that He is coming with a two-edged sword  to divide the true Church from the false church that is full of compromise and polluted works.

(13)  I know thy works, and where thou dwellest, even where Satan’s seat is: and thou holdest fast my name, and hast not denied my faith, even in those days wherein Antipas was my faithful martyr, who was slain among you, where Satan dwelleth. 

  • Even as popular culture tried to pervert, popularize, and convolute the name of Jesus, the Church held on to the truth of the mighty God in Christ.
  • They still understood:
    • Neither is there salvation in any other…
    • In Him dwelleth all the fullness of the godhead bodily…
    • Whatsoever ye do in word or deed, do all in the name…
  • God has always had a True Church that has held onto His name.
  • Somewhere and somehow Truth has always been preserved.
  • Even when satan changes tactics, God is always steps ahead preserving and protecting the Church.
  • You see, Truth doesn’t need protecting. Truth is true whether all believe it, or none do.
  • It was Adrian Rodgers who said:
    • It is better to be divided by truth than to be united in error. It is better to speak the truth that hurts and then heals, than falsehood that comforts and then kills. Let me tell you something, friend, it is not love and it is not friendship if we fail to declare the whole counsel of God. It is better to be hated for telling the truth, than to be loved for telling a lie. It is impossible to find anyone in the Bible who was a power for God who did not have enemies and was not hated. It’s better to stand alone with the truth, than to be wrong with a multitude. It is better to ultimately succeed with the truth than to temporarily succeed with a lie. There is only one Gospel and Paul said, “If any man preach any other gospel unto you than that which we have preached unto you, let him be accursed.” -Adrian Rodgers, National Religious Broadcasters Convention in 1996
  • Pergamos had martyrs who died for Truth by holding fast to the name of Jesus – Antipas (thought to be the pastor).
  • Unfortunately, there are some who have not taken hold of that lovely name and cherished it like they should. Instead, they’ve taken the name of the Lord in vain by living compromised lives in partnership, relationship, union, agreement, fellowship, and marriage with the world.
  • I plead with you today, as John did in his epistle:
    • “Love not the world, neither the things that are in the world. If any man love the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, is not of the Father, but is of the world. And the world passeth away, and the lust thereof: but he that doeth the will of God abideth for ever” (1 John 2:15-17).
  • All of these fleshly appetites gone out of control married to the world are temporal. They won’t last. Only what you do for Christ will last. They won’t satisfy. Only Jesus can satisfy your soul.
  • You would never consider cheating on your spouse. Why then do you so easily and nonchalantly cheat on your Maker who is your husband?

(14)  But I have a few things against thee, because thou hast there them that hold the doctrine of Balaam, who taught Balac to cast a stumblingblock before the children of Israel, to eat things sacrificed unto idols, and to commit fornication. 

  • It was Balaam who couldn’t curse the Hebrews. So, he encouraged Balac to have his pagan people intermarry with the Hebrews.
  • Thus, the Hebrews brought a curse on themselves when their gentile wives brought false gods, heathen practices, and compromise into their homes.
  • The devil wants you to bring a curse on yourself by allowing a marriage of the holy with the profane in your life.

(15)  So hast thou also them that hold the doctrine of the Nicolaitans, which thing I hate.  

  • The doctrine (deeds) of the Nicolaitans: Corrupted Paul’s teaching concerning grace, and made it a license to sin.
  • They were sensual and unrepentant.
  • They turned the grace of God into lasciviousness.
  • Paul wrote in reponsse to them: “What shall we say then? Shall we continue in sin, that grace may abound?  God forbid. How shall we, that are dead to sin, live any longer therein?” (Romans 6:1-2).
  • 2 Corinthians 6:17, “Wherefore come out from among them, and be ye separate, saith the Lord, and touch not the unclean thing; and I will receive you.”

(16)  Repent; or else I will come unto thee quickly, and will fight against them with the sword of my mouth. 

  • REPENT – Jesus here gives to John the very first word of the Gospel that He shared in the beginning – REPENT.
  • It is the only solution for your sin.
  • It is better to fall in humble repentance now than to be broken by God’s judgment.
  • Psalms 103:8-11, “The LORD is merciful and gracious, slow to anger, and plenteous in mercy.  He will not always chide: neither will he keep his anger for ever.  He hath not dealt with us after our sins; nor rewarded us according to our iniquities.  For as the heaven is high above the earth, so great is his mercy toward them that fear him.”

(17)  He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches; To him that overcometh will I give to eat of the hidden manna, and will give him a white stone, and in the stone a new name written, which no man knoweth saving he that receiveth it.

  • Hidden manna = Divine provision both natural and spiritual.
    • The Bread of Life, the Lord Jesus Christ, is our sustenance.
  • White stone = a sign of purity and innocence.
    • Even in this wicked age of compromise God can keep you pure and declare you innocent.
  • Name recorded in stone = worthy of eternal life.
    • God would not condemn the True Church to Hell because of the failures of their generation.

“Dearly beloved, I beseech you as strangers and pilgrims, abstain from fleshly lusts, which war against the soul; Having your conversation honest among the Gentiles: that, whereas they speak against you as evildoers, they may by your good works, which they shall behold, glorify God in the day of visitation” (1 Peter 2:11-12).

I ask you today:

Are you ready to be an overcomer, or are you content to live a compromised life married to this world and bound by your lust and pride?

Will you step through the threshold?

Your last step of defeat, pain, sorrow, heartache, and compromise can be today as your next step over the threshold becomes an entrance to a life of victory, righteousness, peace, joy, Divine Provision, Divine Favor, purity, innocence, and the Lord’s promise of eternal life.

Come on, leave that worldly compromise. Settle it once and for all.

Take advantage of this threshold moment offered by Jesus Christ to  you today.

This Threshold Decision at Pergamos is a decision to once and for all divorce yourself from this wicked and perverse world and be truly espoused (married) to Christ.

[1] Purpose Institute. #5206 – The Book of Revelation. Lesson 1: The Church. 2014.

[2] Dustin L. Abbott. 2007. Revelation Unveiled. Pages 44-48.

Categories
Bible Preaching

When God Remembers

Stephen Kuntzman | June 29, 2025 | 6:30 pm

Text: 1 Samuel 1:1-20

(1) Now there was a certain man of Ramathaimzophim, of mount Ephraim, and his name was Elkanah, the son of Jeroham, the son of Elihu, the son of Tohu, the son of Zuph, an Ephrathite:  (2)  And he had two wives; the name of the one was Hannah, and the name of the other Peninnah: and Peninnah had children, but Hannah had no children.  (3)  And this man went up out of his city yearly to worship and to sacrifice unto the LORD of hosts in Shiloh. And the two sons of Eli, Hophni and Phinehas, the priests of the LORD, were there.  (4)  And when the time was that Elkanah offered, he gave to Peninnah his wife, and to all her sons and her daughters, portions:  (5)  But unto Hannah he gave a worthy portion; for he loved Hannah: but the LORD had shut up her womb.  (6)  And her adversary also provoked her sore, for to make her fret, because the LORD had shut up her womb.  (7)  And as he did so year by year, when she went up to the house of the LORD, so she provoked her; therefore she wept, and did not eat.  (8)  Then said Elkanah her husband to her, Hannah, why weepest thou? and why eatest thou not? and why is thy heart grieved? am not I better to thee than ten sons?  (9)  So Hannah rose up after they had eaten in Shiloh, and after they had drunk. Now Eli the priest sat upon a seat by a post of the temple of the LORD.  (10)  And she was in bitterness of soul, and prayed unto the LORD, and wept sore.  (11)  And she vowed a vow, and said, O LORD of hosts, if thou wilt indeed look on the affliction of thine handmaid, and remember me, and not forget thine handmaid, but wilt give unto thine handmaid a man child, then I will give him unto the LORD all the days of his life, and there shall no razor come upon his head.  (12)  And it came to pass, as she continued praying before the LORD, that Eli marked her mouth.  (13)  Now Hannah, she spake in her heart; only her lips moved, but her voice was not heard: therefore Eli thought she had been drunken.  (14)  And Eli said unto her, How long wilt thou be drunken? put away thy wine from thee.  (15)  And Hannah answered and said, No, my lord, I am a woman of a sorrowful spirit: I have drunk neither wine nor strong drink, but have poured out my soul before the LORD.  (16)  Count not thine handmaid for a daughter of Belial: for out of the abundance of my complaint and grief have I spoken hitherto.  (17)  Then Eli answered and said, Go in peace: and the God of Israel grant thee thy petition that thou hast asked of him.  (18)  And she said, Let thine handmaid find grace in thy sight. So the woman went her way, and did eat, and her countenance was no more sad.  (19)  And they rose up in the morning early, and worshipped before the LORD, and returned, and came to their house to Ramah: and Elkanah knew Hannah his wife; and the LORD remembered her.  (20)  Wherefore it came to pass, when the time was come about after Hannah had conceived, that she bare a son, and called his name Samuel, saying, Because I have asked him of the LORD.

Shiloh = Tranquil.[1] A description for the Messiah, but also a description of the Church.

A safe place. A habitation of peace.

She came to the Tabernacle, to safety, to pray and to pour out her sorrow.

Samuel = heard of God.[2]

God heard her prayer and he remembered her.

She left Shiloh to go home with a promise from the man of God.

Make sure that when you say, “the Lord said,” that the LORD truly said it.

So many of our people are already broken-hearted and don’t deserve the added burden of a false word.

The reason they leave isn’t that they are disappointed in God, but they are hurt from the false word of propheliars (those who speak a false prophetic word).

Elkanah was a Levite, as was his son Samuel and Samuel’s grandson Heman:

(33) And these are they that waited with their children. Of the sons of the Kohathites: Heman a singer, the son of Joel, the son of Shemuel [Samuel],  (34)  The son of Elkanah, the son of Jeroham, the son of Eliel, the son of Toah,  (35)  The son of Zuph, the son of Elkanah, the son of Mahath, the son of Amasai,  (36)  The son of Elkanah, the son of Joel, the son of Azariah, the son of Zephaniah,  (37)  The son of Tahath, the son of Assir, the son of Ebiasaph, the son of Korah,  (38)  The son of Izhar, the son of Kohath, the son of Levi, the son of Israel.[3]

Heman = Faithful[4]

He was “the chief of the singers…composed psalms and hymns, which are in the book of Psalms.”[5]

Heman wrote Psalm 88. The most sorrowful and despairing psalm of the 150, it ends without any resolution.

Still, Heman keeps his focus on God, despite questioning God. “Why” is ok.

Like his great-grandmother Hannah, even though he feels forgotten he continues faithfully praying, seeking and worshipping God.

The psalm ends with no answer, but Heman never gives up His belief that God is the only source of deliverance and salvation.

Psalms 88:1-18  (A song and a psalm by the people of Korah for the music leader. To the tune “Mahalath Leannoth.” A special psalm by Heman the Ezrahite.)

(1) You keep me safe, LORD God. So when I pray at night,  (2)  please listen carefully to each of my concerns.  (3)  I am deeply troubled and close to death;  (4)  I am as good as dead and completely helpless.  (5)  I am no better off than those in the grave, those you have forgotten and no longer help.  (6)  You have put me in the deepest and darkest grave;  (7)  your anger rolls over me like ocean waves.  (8)  You have made my friends turn in horror from me. I am a prisoner who cannot escape,  (9)  and I am almost blind because of my sorrow. Each day I lift my hands in prayer to you, LORD.  (10)  Do you work miracles for the dead? Do they stand up and praise you?  (11)  Are your love and loyalty announced in the world of the dead?  (12)  Do they know of your miracles or your saving power in the dark world below where all is forgotten?  (13)  Each morning I pray to you, LORD.  (14)  Why do you reject me? Why do you turn from me?  (15)  Ever since I was a child, I have been sick and close to death. You have terrified me and made me helpless.  (16)  Your anger is like a flood! And I am shattered by your furious attacks  (17)  that strike each day and from every side.  (18)  My friends and neighbors have turned against me because of you, and now darkness is my only companion.

God hears your prayer, even when you don’t think He does.

God hears Your whispers.

Samuel then heard God: Samuel! Samuel! — Speak for thy servant heareth.

[1] Strong’s. H7886.

[2] Strong’s. H8050.

[3] 1 Chronicles 6:33-38 

[4] Strong’s. H1968.

[5] John Gill’s Exposition of the Bible. 1 Chr. 6:33-38.

Categories
Bible Teaching

Equipped & Empowered

Apostolic Life Cathedral | June 1, 2025 | 10:00 AM

Equipped and Empowered[1]

Jesus ministers through each of us by equipping and empowering us, just as He did the Twelve.

Text: Mark 6:1-13 

(1) And he went out from thence, and came into his own country; and his disciples follow him.  (2)  And when the sabbath day was come, he began to teach in the synagogue: and many hearing him were astonished, saying, From whence hath this man these things? and what wisdom is this which is given unto him, that even such mighty works are wrought by his hands?  (3)  Is not this the carpenter, the son of Mary, the brother of James, and Joses, and of Juda, and Simon? and are not his sisters here with us? And they were offended at him.  (4)  But Jesus said unto them, A prophet is not without honour, but in his own country, and among his own kin, and in his own house.  (5)  And he could there do no mighty work, save that he laid his hands upon a few sick folk, and healed them.  (6)  And he marvelled because of their unbelief. And he went round about the villages, teaching.  (7)  And he called unto him the twelve, and began to send them forth by two and two; and gave them power over unclean spirits;  (8)  And commanded them that they should take nothing for their journey, save a staff only; no scrip, no bread, no money in their purse:  (9)  But be shod with sandals; and not put on two coats.  (10)  And he said unto them, In what place soever ye enter into an house, there abide till ye depart from that place.  (11)  And whosoever shall not receive you, nor hear you, when ye depart thence, shake off the dust under your feet for a testimony against them. Verily I say unto you, It shall be more tolerable for Sodom and Gomorrha in the day of judgment, than for that city.  (12)  And they went out, and preached that men should repent.  (13)  And they cast out many devils, and anointed with oil many that were sick, and healed them.

And they were offended in him – That is, they took offence at his humble birth, and at the indigent circumstances of his family. They were too proud to be taught by one who, in family connections, they took to be their equal or inferior. People always look with envy on those of their own rank who advance pretensions to uncommon wisdom or superior power.[2]

It is somewhat telling that just as His familiars were offended in Jesus, you will also find those who are offended in you when you begin to flow in the Equipping and Empowerment Jesus has given you.

But just as the LORD told Jeremiah of old: “Be not afraid of their faces: for I am with thee to deliver thee, saith the LORD. Then the LORD put forth his hand, and touched my mouth. And the LORD said unto me, Behold, I have put my words in thy mouth. See, I have this day set thee over the nations and over the kingdoms, to root out, and to pull down, and to destroy, and to throw down, to build, and to plant.”[3]

John 14:12-14, “(12) Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that believeth on me, the works that I do shall he do also; and greater works than these shall he do; because I go unto my Father.  (13)  And whatsoever ye shall ask in my name, that will I do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son.  (14)  If ye shall ask any thing in my name, I will do it.”

  • “…because I go unto my Father…”
    • Hebrews 7:25, “Wherefore he is able also to save them to the uttermost that come unto God by him, seeing he ever liveth to make intercession for them.”
  • “…that the Father may be glorified in the Son.”
    • The Father has chosen to reveal Himself to this world by the name of Jesus, which literally means “Jehovah Savior” or “Jehovah Is Salvation.” The Father glorified the man Jesus by investing His name (character, power, authority, presence) in Him, by leading Him to the cross to die for the sins of the world, and by raising Him from the dead. Far from manifesting to us a second person of the Godhead unknown to Old Testament saints, the Son manifested [revealed] to us the one, indivisible God for the purpose of our salvation.”[4]

COMING HOME

Nebuchadnezzar destroyed the Temple in Jerusalem in 586 BC, and the majority of survivors in Jerusalem had been marched to Babylon to live out their lives in captivity.

Israel could no longer celebrate feast days at the Temple. Sabbath observances were not the same. Possessions were few and the Jews relied on memory to recite Scripture and pass on their traditions to their families.

We do not have an exact date of when synagogues began to be part of the Jewish identity, but the centrality of the synagogue as a community-meeting place where prayers were prayed and the Torah read aloud developed sometime around the third century BC.

After years of captivity in Babylon, the exiles returned to Israel with a longing to rebuild their community and their disrupted traditions. Seventy years after the first deportation, the exiles began returning under Persian King Cyrus. Without a Temple for their traditional feasts and sacrificial worship, the people started meeting in their communities for Sabbath where the practice of reading from the scrolls started.

The word “synagogues” simply means “meeting or gathering together,” and they became an important part of the religious, social, communal and educational life of the Jewish community as they gathered for prayer, Scripture reading, and instruction in the Law.

When I was on an educational trip to Krakow, Poland (sponsored by Christians United for Israel – CUFI.org), we visited the beautifully restored Tempel Synagogue there in the Jewish Quarter. Our guide, Eli Tur-paz, told us that because of the decimation of the Jewish population in Krakow by the Nazis during World War II, There were not enough people to hold a quorum for meeting, and he said something that I do not think will ever leave my mind: “There are no prayers prayed here anymore.”

Jesus Taught in the Synagogue in Nazareth

In the synagogues, Jesus interacted with the people and began His teaching ministry and performing numerous miracles, often on the Sabbath Day.

Not only did Jesus demonstrate He was Lord of the Sabbath, but in a practical sense, this would be the day most people gathered together in the community, giving Jesus the greatest opportunity to teach them and heal those who needed healing.

The stories circulated about the miracles and teaching of Jesus, so when He returned home after spending time in surrounding communities, He attended the synagogue in Nazareth as somewhat of a local hero—or at least a curiosity.

During that homecoming Sabbath, Jesus volunteered to read, and the scroll of Isaiah was brought to Him and began reading from the already scheduled Scripture reading for that week from Isaiah:

“And there was delivered unto him the book of the prophet Esaias. And when he had opened the book, he found the place where it was written, The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he hath anointed me to preach the gospel to the poor; he hath sent me to heal the brokenhearted, to preach deliverance to the captives, and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty them that are bruised, to preach the acceptable year of the Lord” (Luke 4:17–19).

He then stopped reading, closed the scroll, and boldly announced: “This day is this scripture fulfilled in your ears” (Luke 4:21). He had everyone’s attention. The room grew quiet. What was Jesus saying? He was identifying Himself to them as the Messiah.

Jesus’ Family and Hometown Friends Rejected Him as Messiah

The crowd in the synagogue in Nazareth was in awe of Jesus’ words, but they were stuck on His lineage: “Is not this Joseph’s son?” (Luke 4:22). They could not regard Him as a prophet or anything more because they had seen Him grow up as the carpenter’s son. When they said that Jesus was “Joseph’s son,” they were reminding one another that Mary had been pregnant before they were married. How many believed Mary’s story that Jesus was born of a virgin? Would you believe your teenage daughter if she came to you with such a story?

Other questions were asked: “Is not this the carpenter, the son of Mary, the brother of James, and Joses, and of Juda, and Simon? and are not his sisters here with us?” (Mark 6:3).

The connection to family was made to humanize Jesus. They were making the point: He was just one of them. They knew His family. They knew His siblings from their birth, and they knew Jesus was conceived before marriage.

It was all there boiling beneath the surface of their questions. Mark’s last statement sums up their questioning: “And they were offended at him” (Mark 6:3).

Jesus’ own family members may have been embarrassed by His bold claim to be the fulfillment of the prophecy of Isaiah, because if it were not true then He had just committed blasphemy.

Have you ever had people close to you who underestimated you, or who did not see you for who you are? How did that make you feel?

Most of the members of Jesus’ own family did not believe He was the Christ until after His death, burial and resurrection.

What did Jesus do on that day in Nazareth? He modestly responded: “A prophet is not without honour, but in his own country, among his own kin, and in his own house” (Mark 6:4). He may have looked at some of His brothers when He said that last line. Then He referenced two examples from the Scripture where the outsiders (Gentiles), not the people of Israel, received miracles and the favor of God. Those gathered in the synagogue understood Jesus’ implication that they would be passed over and replaced by the Gentiles. This instantly turned their astonishment into anger.

They all rose up, forced Him out of the city and to the edge of the hill, intending to throw Him over the cliff. They had to put the blasphemer to death because they understood Jesus was claiming to be their Messiah. Luke recorded how Jesus escaped the angry crowd: “Passing through the midst of them went his way” (Luke 4:30).

What? How? Did He freeze time? Did He make Himself invisible? Did He just blend in with the crowd? How did He just “pass through their midst?” Luke did not record it so we do not know, but it must have been a miracle. Like the Hebrews of old inexplicably crossing the Red Sea on dry ground, Jesus slipped through the angry crowd, intent on killing Him, and got away.

Nazareth Missed Out on Miracles because of Their Unbelief

Unbelief always stops the miraculous. Mark wrote that in Nazareth Jesus could “do no mighty work, save that he laid his hands upon a few sick folk, and healed them. And he marvelled because of their unbelief” (Mark 6:5–6). His lack of miracles was laid at the feet of their lack of faith.

Everywhere else He had been He taught the people and then He healed the sick.

You know there were people in Nazareth who had the same afflictions and maladies as their neighboring communities. If only they could have embraced the Gospel of the Savior and believed that the same wonders could happen for them as well, but Unbelief left them with just a few miracles occurred there. What would happen today if you responded by accepting and believing that Jesus will heal you right now?

Believe Jesus Is Who He Said He Is

Do you believe that Jesus is and that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him?[5] There are many skeptics in the world today who have trouble believing the miraculous healings and deliverance from addictions that come by prayer and faith in the name of Jesus. Many people only have enough faith to believe that Jesus was just a man who lived a long time ago, but is no longer relevant to their lives.

BUT – there are some here today who believe in Jesus and have confidence that He lives and He is ever present in our lives. Jesus is more than an ancient teacher, a wise prophet, or a spiritual leader; He is the Lord of Glory, the one holy God who came in flesh and lived among us.

JESUS SENT HIS TWELVE DISCIPLES

Nazareth’s rejection did not stop Jesus. He just continued on His purpose, went to another town and continued His ministry.

The angry mob’s intent to push Jesus over the cliff to the rocks below was just the first attempt on His life. There would be other attempts, but Jesus understood His mission and His purpose would not be thwarted.

Without missing a beat, Mark 6:6 transitions from “he marvelled because of their unbelief” to “he went round about the villages, teaching.”

Although Rejected in Nazareth, Jesus Sent His Disciples to Minister

Many believe that Jesus can heal, but they are not convinced that He can heal through them. In just a few short verses, Jesus calls His closest disciples, the Twelve, and empowers them to spread the message of the Kingdom. He sent six teams of two into the surrounding communites, villages and hamlets and increased the spread of His influence

Because He equipped and empowered the Twelve, many more learned of Jesus and became His followers as His fame spread through the disciples’ travels and the powerful results of their ministry. They preached that people must repent and through them, Jesus healed the sick and cast out demons. (See Mark 6:12–13.)

Jesus Ministered THROUGH the Twelve

Jesus taught the disciples to go out in faith. He instructed them to travel light, to leave behind extra clothing, money, and food provisions. They would learn to depend on God to provide for them, relying on the kind hospitality of those to whom they ministered. The teams of disciples went out in obedience to Jesus and began to see miraculous results of their obedience and faith. They anointed the sick and saw miracles of healing. When demons manifested themselves, the disciples spoke with authority and God delivered the oppressed. They learned Jesus could also work through them to accomplish great signs and miracles they saw Jesus work.

If You Will Surrender to Jesus, He Will Minister through You

Learn what the disciples learned: Jesus can work through any obedient follower and He is still calling and commissioning disciples (you and I) to go in the power of His Spirit. He has empowered and equipped you to fulfill the commission and continue the purpose for which He came.

While Jesus was still with His disciples, He declared: “He that believeth on me, the works that I do shall he do also; and greater works than these shall he do; because I go unto my Father” (John 14:12).

After giving the commission, “Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature,”[6] Jesus assured His followers, “these signs shall follow them that believe; In my name shall they cast out devils; they shall speak with new tongues; they shall take up serpents; and if they drink any deadly thing, it shall not hurt them; they shall lay hands on the sick, and they shall recover.”[7] Jesus said, “Ye shall receive power, after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you: and ye shall be witnesses unto me . . . unto the uttermost part of the earth.”[8] As much as the promise of the gift of the Spirit is to “you, and to your children,” so also is the calling of God to fulfill the mission of Jesus Christ.[9]

Jesus is working in you to fulfill His purpose by equipping and empowering you.

[1] SOURCE: God’s Word for Life Adult Lesson Guide Summer 2025. Pentecostal Publishing House. Lesson 1.1 – Equipped and Empowered.

[2] Albert Barnes’ Notes on the Bible. Matthew 13:57.

[3] Jeremiah 1:8-10 

[4] David K. Bernard. The Oneness View of Jesus Christ. p. 118.

[5] Hebrews 11:6

[6] Mark 16:15

[7] Mark 16:17–18

[8] Acts 1:8

[9] Acts 2:39

Categories
Bible Preaching

The Great Mountain

Categories
Bible Preaching

More Vile

Stephen Kuntzman | March 9, 2025 | 6:30 PM

Text: 2 Samuel 6:16-23, “(16)  And as the ark of the LORD came into the city of David, Michal Saul’s daughter looked through a window, and saw king David leaping and dancing before the LORD; and she despised him in her heart. (17)  And they brought in the ark of the LORD, and set it in his place, in the midst of the tabernacle that David had pitched for it: and David offered burnt offerings and peace offerings before the LORD. (18)  And as soon as David had made an end of offering burnt offerings and peace offerings, he blessed the people in the name of the LORD of hosts. (19)  And he dealt among all the people, even among the whole multitude of Israel, as well to the women as men, to every one a cake of bread, and a good piece of flesh, and a flagon of wine. So all the people departed every one to his house. (20)  Then David returned to bless his household. And Michal the daughter of Saul came out to meet David, and said, How glorious was the king of Israel to day, who uncovered himself to day in the eyes of the handmaids of his servants, as one of the vain fellows shamelessly uncovereth himself! (21)  And David said unto Michal, It was before the LORD, which chose me before thy father, and before all his house, to appoint me ruler over the people of the LORD, over Israel: therefore will I play before the LORD. (22)  And I will yet be more vile than thus, and will be base in mine own sight: and of the maidservants which thou hast spoken of, of them shall I be had in honour. (23)  Therefore Michal the daughter of Saul had no child unto the day of her death.

Picture the moment:

  • The ark of the covenant is being returned to Jerusalem to the city of David (on a hill south of Mt. Moriah, the Temple Mount, where Solomon’s Temple will one day stand to permanently house it).
  • It was been away from Israel for 20 year.
    • 7 months with the Philistines
    • Then the Ark was taken to Abinadab’s house in Kiriath-Jearim, where his son Eleazar, watched over it for 20 years.
    • Then the house of Obededom cared for it for 3 months.
    • “And it was told king David, saying, The LORD hath blessed the house of Obededom, and all that pertaineth unto him, because of the ark of God. So David went and brought up the ark of God from the house of Obededom into the city of David with gladness. And it was so, that when they that bare the ark of the LORD had gone six paces, he sacrificed oxen and fatlings. And David danced before the LORD with all his might; and David was girded with a linen ephod. So David and all the house of Israel brought up the ark of the LORD with shouting, and with the sound of the trumpet” (2 Samuel 6:12-15).
      • “With gladness” = with joyful music, jubilant dancing and passionate singing.

Peering from their home, Michal watched David and despised him for his worship to God.

She so reviled him that the moment he came into the courtyard shemet him and with words dripping with sarcasm, irony, disrespect and even hate, she mocked him for his act of worship –

for making himself small in humble worship to His Lord.

True worshippers forget their surroundings.

They forget what their positions, titles, and roles

They got lost in adoration of the One who fills all space and time.

True worshippers don’t take into account others may think or say, they simply want to offer their praise and worship to their God.

Michal was bitter and like her father, Saul, she was more concerned about the people’s opinion than she was that her husband worshipped his God.

So, in a move of manipulation, she tried to shame David with words that she thought would reduce his joy and gladness, but David had already faced this attack before.

Years before, Saul dangled his daughter as a prize. It was witchcraft anf manipulation.

One day Saul said to David, “I am ready to give you my older daughter, Merab [Michal], as your wife. But first you must prove yourself to be a real warrior by fighting the LORD’s battles.” For Saul thought, “I’ll send him out against the Philistines and let them kill him rather than doing it myself.”[1]

Not an offer out of friendship or good will, but a trap.

Saul’s main struggle was his overwhelming concern with what the people would think of him, which is why he said, “Let not mine hand be upon him, but let the hand of the Philistines be upon him.”

In other words, let them do my dirt work for me so that the people won’t think badly of me.

Manipulation and control – witchcraft.

The struggle every leader faces is “their faces” (Jer. 1:4-10), and Saul failed miserably in this area.

You will remember what the LORD said to Jeremiah:

Then the word of the LORD came unto me, saying, Before I formed thee in the belly I knew thee; and before thou camest forth out of the womb I sanctified thee, and I ordained thee a prophet unto the nations. Then said I, Ah, Lord GOD! behold, I cannot speak: for I am a child. But the LORD said unto me, Say not, I am a child: for thou shalt go to all that I shall send thee, and whatsoever I command thee thou shalt speak. Be not afraid of their faces: for I am with thee to deliver thee, saith the LORD. Then the LORD put forth his hand, and touched my mouth. And the LORD said unto me, Behold, I have put my words in thy mouth. See, I have this day set thee over the nations and over the kingdoms, to root out, and to pull down, and to destroy, and to throw down, to build, and to plant.[2]

Saul’s attempt in trying to persuade David to wear his armor in his fight with Goliath was for the same reason he wanted Samuel to worship with him after God rejected him.

He was more interested in what the people thought. He was terrified of public opinion.

Saul thought that David wearing his armor would be good for Saul.

Saul was two years into his kingship when he showed his fear of public opinion and it was here that he lost the dynasty:

“And Samuel said, What hast thou done? And Saul said, Because I saw that the people were scattered from me, and that thou camest not within the days appointed, and that the Philistines gathered themselves together at Michmash; therefore said I, The Philistines will come down now upon me to Gilgal, and I have not made supplication unto the LORD: I forced myself therefore, and offered a burnt offering. And Samuel said to Saul, Thou hast done foolishly: thou hast not kept the commandment of the LORD thy God, which he commanded thee: for now would the LORD have established thy kingdom upon Israel for ever. But now thy kingdom shall not continue: the LORD hath sought him a man after his own heart, and the LORD hath commanded him to be captain over his people, because thou hast not kept that which the LORD commanded thee.”[3]

In 1 Samuel 15 it looks as if God was willing to give Saul a second chance of sorts, but his disobedience led to his ruin and it was partly due to fear of public opinion:

“And Saul said unto Samuel, I have sinned: for I have transgressed the commandment of the LORD, and thy words: because I feared the people, and obeyed their voice.”[4]

Later Saul lies to Samuel, but still asked for special favor before the people:

“Now therefore, I pray thee, pardon my sin, and turn again with me, that I may worship the LORD. And Samuel said unto Saul, I will not return with thee: for thou hast rejected the word of the LORD, and the LORD hath rejected thee from being king over Israel. And as Samuel turned about to go away, he laid hold upon the skirt of his mantle, and it rent. And Samuel said unto him, The LORD hath rent the kingdom of Israel from thee this day, and hath given it to a neighbour of thine, that is better than thou. And also the Strength of Israel will not lie nor repent: for he is not a man, that he should repent. Then he said, I have sinned: yet honour me now, I pray thee, before the elders of my people, and before Israel, and turn again with me, that I may worship the LORD thy God.”

Saul’s worship wasn’t from his heart to God, but from his mind to manipulate the peoples’ perception.

This was what Saul taught Michal.

If David had never laid down his kingly robes, but instead marched stoically before the Ark, Michal would have been thrilled with this display of Royal pomp and circumstance.

The key difference between Saul and David is here:

“And Samuel said, When thou [Saul] wast little in thine own sight, wast thou not made the head of the tribes of Israel, and the LORD anointed thee king over Israel?” (1 Samuel 15:17)

Humility – the willingness to make himself “MORE VILE” – is what separated David from Saul and distinguished him in God’s eyes as “a man after his own heart.”

David laid down his kingly robes and returned to his humble origins where he first met God as a shepherd boy.

In the Ancient Hebrew, vile also means “gathering to the staff.”

When the shepherd called the sheep they swiftly came to him.

The staff of the shepherd was his tool of authority. With it he would direct, discipline and protect the flock.[5]

David heard the voice of the Shepherd and gathered himself to His Staff in an offering both of animal sacrifices or worship and in a spirited display of  a Living Sacrifice.

David learned worship shepherding in the fields long before he became a king, it was east to lay aside his kingly robe to worship his King.

“I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service. And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God” (Romans 12:1-2).

You must make yourself More Vile.

It’s easy in our multigenerational Pentecostal culture to think that worship is in the dance, the shout, the jump, the tongues,

BUT real worship is when you become vile and base to yourself.

You submit your self in an act or personal requirement to lay down your pride, personal rights, what you consider “justice” — lay down your gift and be reconciled.

Why? Because someone has ought against you, not you against them.

We wear robes of dignity, pride, position (that’s beneath me), entitlement, religion, but Jesus is looking for His robe on you: garments of praise, robes of righteousness.

More Vile:

  • But it doesn’t make any sense
  • What will people think
  • Costs you something – a sacrifice
  • Requires a demonstration of true leadership – a true shepherd (Jesus at Calvary became “more vile”)

Michal, if she ever had it, lost it that day when she reviled and mocked a true worshipper because of her fear of what others might say,

But David, that shepherd-king gave it all in worship.

Jesus is here and He knows what it is like to humble Himself and be seen as vile:

Philippians 2:5-11, “(5) Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus:  (6)  Who, being in the form of God, thought it not robbery to be equal with God:  (7)  But made himself of no reputation, and took upon him the form of a servant, and was made in the likeness of men:  (8)  And being found in fashion as a man, he humbled himself, and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross.  (9)  Wherefore God also hath highly exalted him, and given him a name which is above every name:  (10)  That at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of things in heaven, and things in earth, and things under the earth;  (11)  And that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.”

[1] 1 Samuel 18:17, NLT.

[2] Jeremiah 1:4-10

[3] 1 Samuel 13:11-14

[4] 1 Samuel 15:24

[5] H7043. Ancient Hebrew Lexicon of the Bible.

Categories
Bible Teaching

Just a Little Stone

Stephen Kuntzman | Feb. 23, 2025 | 10:00 AM

Text: Acts 4:8-12

(8)  Then Peter, filled with the Holy Ghost, said unto them, Ye rulers of the people, and elders of Israel,

(9)  If we this day be examined of the good deed done to the impotent man, by what means he is made whole;

(10)  Be it known unto you all, and to all the people of Israel, that by the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, whom ye crucified, whom God raised from the dead, even by him doth this man stand here before you whole.

(11)  This is the stone which was set at nought of you builders, which is become the head of the corner.

(12)  Neither is there salvation in any other: for there is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved.

Just a Little Stone

verse 11, “This is the stone which was set at nought of you builders, which is become the head of the corner.”

Have you ever set something aside thinking that it was not useful for your purpose, only to comeback to it later in the project because it was exactly what you needed all along?

OR – have you rejected a person, thing or opportunity only to regret that decision later on.

In life, there are moments you can retrace in your mind that take you to a decision made that changed your life.

Something you “set a nought,” or what the psalmist wrote as being “refused,” and the apostle Matthew said it was “rejected.”

Whether despised, refused, or rejected, you relegated it in you mind to being Just a Little Stone.

This passage from our text quotes Psalms 118:22-23, “The stone which the builders refused is become the head stone of the corner.  (23)  This is the LORD’S doing; it is marvellous in our eyes.”

A small stone from the Valley of Elah.

It is considered a messianic prophecy, but it is also addressing David’s years of obscurity before he was anointed, accepted and crowned:

  • His own father discounted him, but the Lord of Heaven and Earth saw in him something of great value.
  • David’s time in the hills and valley caring for sheep prepared him for leadership
  • His time of solitude brought him close to God as he poured his heart to Him in prayer, praise, song and music.
  • The time spent looking for stray sheep offered discoveries that would later serve to hide him in safety from a king who wanted to destroy him.
  • He learned, in his obscurity, how to defend and protect the flock.
  • Nobody thought much of David before Samuel anointed him, but in those years of solitude, he was being prepared for his purpose.
  • While rejected, despised and even snubbed, these years with the sheep were the exact thing he needed to shape him into the kind of person that the Lord said was “a man after mine own heart, which shall fulfil all my will.”[1]

Our text also points to our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. He was also set at nought, He was refused, rebuffed, despised and rejected of men.

For the most part, the religious leaders of His day did not want, recognize and desire what He was offering.

It did not fit within their understanding, framework, and teaching of how the messiah was to appear to them.

So, they rejected Him.

Instead of a headstone he was set aside and became a stone of stumbling.

Isaiah 28:16, “Therefore thus saith the Lord GOD, Behold, I lay in Zion for a foundation a stone, a tried stone, a precious corner stone, a sure foundation: he that believeth shall not make haste.”

Romans 9:30-33, “(30) What shall we say then? That the Gentiles, which followed not after righteousness, have attained to righteousness, even the righteousness which is of faith.  (31)  But Israel, which followed after the law of righteousness, hath not attained to the law of righteousness.  (32)  Wherefore? Because they sought it not by faith, but as it were by the works of the law. For they stumbled at that stumblingstone;  (33)  As it is written, Behold, I lay in Sion a stumblingstone and rock of offence: and whosoever believeth on him shall not be ashamed.”

In the 1800s, Edward Irving, a Scottish preacher came on the scene in London, England, and his preaching turned London upside down.

He preached to politicians, lords, ladies, the wealthy, the elite, and to the common man.

His effect was so widespread that people would come and sit for hours just to hear him preach God’s Holy Word,

But nobody in England knew about the years he spent in obscurity in Scotland preaching with little success and minor results.

In his biography it was told that he changed nothing about his preaching, style, delivery, and ministry to the people.

It was just that God had finally pulled him out of the corner he was set in and he became a cornerstone for a supernatural move of the work of the Holy Ghost.

Ephesians 2:19-22, “(19) Now therefore ye are no more strangers and foreigners, but fellowcitizens with the saints, and of the household of God;  (20)  And are built upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ himself being the chief corner stone;  (21)  In whom all the building fitly framed together groweth unto an holy temple in the Lord:  (22)  In whom ye also are builded together for an habitation of God through the Spirit.”

God has come to pull you out of obscurity…out of the shadows…where He has been:

  • Refining you
  • Training you
  • Preparing you
  • Arranging the place He wants to put you.

1 Peter 2:5-12, “(5)  Ye also, as lively stones, are built up a spiritual house, an holy priesthood, to offer up spiritual sacrifices, acceptable to God by Jesus Christ.  (6)  Wherefore also it is contained in the scripture, Behold, I lay in Sion a chief corner stone, elect, precious: and he that believeth on him shall not be confounded.  (7)  Unto you therefore which believe he is precious: but unto them which be disobedient, the stone which the builders disallowed, the same is made the head of the corner,  (8)  And a stone of stumbling, and a rock of offence, even to them which stumble at the word, being disobedient: whereunto also they were appointed.  (9)  But ye are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, an holy nation, a peculiar people; that ye should shew forth the praises of him who hath called you out of darkness into his marvellous light:  (10)  Which in time past were not a people, but are now the people of God: which had not obtained mercy, but now have obtained mercy.  (11)  Dearly beloved, I beseech you as strangers and pilgrims, abstain from fleshly lusts, which war against the soul;  (12)  Having your conversation honest among the Gentiles: that, whereas they speak against you as evildoers, they may by your good works, which they shall behold, glorify God in the day of visitation.”

Romans 11:11, “I say then, Have they stumbled that they should fall? God forbid: but rather through their fall salvation is come unto the Gentiles, for to provoke them to jealousy.”

Just a Little Stone

[1] Acts 13:22

Categories
Bible Preaching

The Ever Present Ark

Stephen Kuntzman | April 20, 2025 | 6:30 PM

Jeremiah 3:15-16, “(15) And I will give you pastors according to mine heart, which shall feed you with knowledge and understanding.  (16)  And it shall come to pass, when ye be multiplied and increased in the land, in those days, saith the LORD, they shall say no more, The ark of the covenant of the LORD: neither shall it come to mind: neither shall they remember it; neither shall they visit it; neither shall that be done any more.”

2 Timothy 3:1-5, “(1) This know also, that in the last days perilous times shall come.  (2)  For men shall be lovers of their own selves, covetous, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy,  (3)  Without natural affection, trucebreakers, false accusers, incontinent, fierce, despisers of those that are good,  (4)  Traitors, heady, highminded, lovers of pleasures more than lovers of God;  (5)  Having a form of godliness, but denying the power thereof: from such turn away.”

Zechariah 8:3-8, “(3) Thus saith the LORD; I am returned unto Zion, and will dwell in the midst of Jerusalem: and Jerusalem shall be called a city of truth; and the mountain of the LORD of hosts the holy mountain.  (4)  Thus saith the LORD of hosts; There shall yet old men and old women dwell in the streets of Jerusalem, and every man with his staff in his hand for very age.  (5)  And the streets of the city shall be full of boys and girls playing in the streets thereof.  (6)  Thus saith the LORD of hosts; If it be marvellous in the eyes of the remnant of this people in these days, should it also be marvellous in mine eyes? saith the LORD of hosts.  (7)  Thus saith the LORD of hosts; Behold, I will save my people from the east country, and from the west country;  (8)  And I will bring them, and they shall dwell in the midst of Jerusalem: and they shall be my people, and I will be their God, in truth and in righteousness.”

Exo 25:10-22, “And they shall make an ark of shittim wood: two cubits and a half shall be the length thereof, and a cubit and a half the breadth thereof, and a cubit and a half the height thereof. And thou shalt overlay it with pure gold, within and without shalt thou overlay it, and shalt make upon it a crown of gold round about. And thou shalt cast four rings of gold for it, and put them in the four corners thereof; and two rings shall be in the one side of it, and two rings in the other side of it. And thou shalt make staves of shittim wood, and overlay them with gold. And thou shalt put the staves into the rings by the sides of the ark, that the ark may be borne with them. The staves shall be in the rings of the ark: they shall not be taken from it. And thou shalt put into the ark the testimony which I shall give thee. And thou shalt make a mercy seat of pure gold: two cubits and a half shall be the length thereof, and a cubit and a half the breadth thereof. And thou shalt make two cherubims of gold, of beaten work shalt thou make them, in the two ends of the mercy seat. And make one cherub on the one end, and the other cherub on the other end: even of the mercy seat shall ye make the cherubims on the two ends thereof. And the cherubims shall stretch forth their wings on high, covering the mercy seat with their wings, and their faces shall look one to another; toward the mercy seat shall the faces of the cherubims be. And thou shalt put the mercy seat above upon the ark; and in the ark thou shalt put the testimony that I shall give thee. And there I will meet with thee, and I will commune with thee from above the mercy seat, from between the two cherubims which are upon the ark of the testimony, of all things which I will give thee in commandment unto the children of Israel.”

Categories
Bible Teaching

Grace that Saves

Stephen Kuntzman | March 2, 2025 | 10:00 AM

Text: Ephesians 2:4-9

(4)  But God, who is rich in mercy, for his great love wherewith he loved us, (5)  Even when we were dead in sins, hath quickened us together with Christ, (by grace ye are saved;) (6)  And hath raised us up together, and made us sit together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus: (7)  That in the ages to come he might shew the exceeding riches of his grace in his kindness toward us through Christ Jesus. (8)  For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: (9)  Not of works, lest any man should boast.

Luke 19:5-6, “(5)  And when Jesus came to the place, he looked up, and saw him, and said unto him, Zacchaeus, make haste, and come down; for to day I must abide at thy house. (6)  And he made haste, and came down, and received him joyfully.”

Grace that Saves[1]

Series Overview – Letters from Prison:

Paul penned Ephesians and Philippians from prison to minister to the church. These two short books contain principles that give you power to live godly, in an ungodly world. 

Grace, Simple Grace[2]

James Wilhoit shared the story of the birth of his second daughter and her battle with jaundice during her early days. For treatment, the doctor prescribed sunlight.

Thinking there was most likely a complex and difficult treatment to cure his newborn, he asked the doctor what could be done.

The doctor patiently explained that jaundice is caused by too much bilirubin [billy-rubin] in a newborn’s red blood cells, and light helps break down the excess bilirubin into waste products the kidneys can eliminate.

The cure really was as simple as sunlight, and all that the parents had to do was just sit their newborn in the sun.

And that’s exactly what they did: they placed her their daughter on a pallet of blankets in her diaper in front of the living room windows that welcomed large amounts of sunlight.

As the day would progress, her attentive and loving parents adjusted her position to keep her in full view of the sun.

As James Wihoit later wrote, “The cure did not depend on her but on her being kept in the light.”

Simple Grace – Grace that Saves

A year and a half earlier, James and his wife were walking through their neighborhood and crossed paths with another couple strolling with their firstborn baby girl.

On the sunny but cool March day, their neighbor’s child lay in a stroller covered by a canopy while snugly wrapped head to toe with only a small portion of her face showing. The other couple explained she had jaundice and according to her doctors should be out in the sun. Yet here she was outdoors, but not in the sunlight.

James now watching his newborn lay on their living room floor in full view of the sun realized:

“So often I come to God only revealing the tiniest patch of skin for his healing light. For me, the clothing that blocks the healing light of Jesus most often is my pride, seen in the form of denial—I deny that I need cleansing.”[3]

The cure does not depend on you, but on you keeping yourself in the light of God’s grace.

Rather than deny and refuse—or worse, try to manufacture—our healing, we can simply receive it.

God’s Grace is Offered to You

God has made His grace available to you even though you “had your conversation [conduct] in times past in the lusts of your flesh, fulfilling the desires of the flesh and of the mind.”[4]

Paul was clear, “all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God,” but all who come to Jesus in faith and obedience are “justified freely by his grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus.”[5]

“For the grace of God that bringeth salvation hath appeared to all men, teaching us that, denying ungodliness and worldly lusts, we should live soberly, righteously, and godly, in this present world; looking for that blessed hope, and the glorious appearing of the great God and our Saviour Jesus Christ; who gave himself for us, that he might redeem us from all iniquity, and purify unto himself a peculiar people, zealous of good works.”[6]

Free – Undeserved – Unmerited Grace will save you from living a life governed by sin and a servant to satan.

God Grace is Extended to You Because of His Love

Paul told the Ephesians that Jesus has authority over “all principality, and power, and might, and dominion,”[7]

There is power in this world that exerts itself over you and draws you into an corrupt state, and while you have no natural power to defeat the devil and sin,

God does.

Because of “his great love wherewith he loved you,” He gives you the undeserved, unearned blessing (simple definition of grace) of His authority and power over the dominion of sin and the devil.

Grace that Saves is Free – Undeserved – Unmerited

God’s Grace Saves You

Because He loves you, He offers to rescue you and redeem you:

“But God, who is rich in mercy, for his great love wherewith he loved us, even when we were dead in sins, hath quickened us together with Christ, (by grace ye are saved;).”[8]

You may be hopeless and bound, but He offers you hope and freedom.

By yourself you are outmatched and incapable of conquering sin, the kingdom of darkness, and death.

Your religious activities can’t save you, and you don’t earn salvation by your good deeds.

Salvation is not extended to you because of how many hours you have prayed, meals you have fasted, money you have contributed.

Salvation is not achieved because of how many times you’ve read the Bible through, or how often you attend the church services.

These spiritual disciplines are indicators of a transforming disciple, but only God’s grace saves you.

Perhaps you have the mistaken notion that “I must do this particular spiritual activity to get God to love me.”

This type of mentality can turn God’s grace into something to be earned, yet this is entirely opposite of what grace means.

Grace is undeserved, unmerited and unearned.

Grace that Saves is a gift you receive.

It is simple grace, like setting a jaundiced baby in the sunlight so that she can receive the light.

Receive God’s Grace

The way to receive by faith the Grace that Saves is through the principle of humility.

1 Peter 5:5-7, “(5) Likewise, ye younger, submit yourselves unto the elder. Yea, all of you be subject one to another, and be clothed with humility: for God resisteth the proud, and giveth grace to the humble.  (6)  Humble yourselves therefore under the mighty hand of God, that he may exalt you in due time:  (7)  Casting all your care upon him; for he careth for you.”

There is a link between grace and humility:

  • Humility acknowledges, “I am not perfect.”
  • Humility understands your need for growth and improvement.
  • Humility allows you to accept grace because humility allows you to truly repent.

Zacchaeus Received God’s Grace (Luke 19:1-10)

Luke alone of the Gospel writers records God’s grace extended to “a man named Zacchaeus, which was the chief among the publicans, and he was rich . . . and . . . little of stature” (Luke 19:2–3).

We quickly see how others around him knew him:

  • Zacchaeus most likely “presided over other tax-gatherers, received their collections and transmitted them to the Roman government.”[9]
  • Zacchaeus, a Jew, was not liked by other Jews because he chose to for the Romans.
  • As a publican he was treated as a traitor to his people.
  • Not only that, but it seems he had charged his fellow Jewish citizens extra on their taxes to profit from the surplus. He was getting rich off them.
  • Zacchaeus was not well liked in Jericho.
  • When the people saw that Jesus was going into Zacchaeus’s home, “they all murmured, saying, That he was gone to be guest with a man that is a sinner” (Luke 19:7).
  • Zacchaeus fit the description of an individual walking “according to the course of this world…fulfilling the desires of the flesh and of the mind.”[10]
  • Zacchaeus had risen to the top of the ranks of swindling tax collectors, and he abused his authority by getting rich off the hard-earned money of others.
  • They labeled him, scorned him and rejected him.[11]

Jesus Spent Time with Zacchaeus

The crowd was not wrong in their assessment of Zacchaeus; the earthly labels were certainly true of him, but they were not the truest thing about him.

From a purely physical and tangible perspective, he was indeed a sinner.

Thankfully, God’s view of you is not from an earthly perspective; He sees your truest identity—God created you in His image, for His purpose, by His design.[12]

God’s actions toward you are not motivated by label you or others apply, but by His love.

The crowd responded to Zacchaeus through the lens of earthly labels, leading them to hatred and rejection.

Their view of Zacchaeus kept them from associating with him, accepting him, loving him, and acting in grace toward him.

Jesus chose a different way. He chose to view Zacchaeus from a heavenly perspective.

Jesus graciously invited Zacchaeus into a loving relationship.

Jesus chose to accept him, not reject him.

He chose Grace that Saves motivated by His great love.

When you receive God’s Grace you will cherish your time with Him:

  • Zacchaeus received Jesus joyfully into his home.
  • Here was someone who looked beyond his faults and earthly labels to truly see him and he certainly cherished this life altering moment.
  • Put yourself in Zacchaeus’s shoes for a moment:
    • You know what your life is like.
    • Your selfish ambition has produced misguided efforts.
    • You have made decisions you wish you could remake.
    • You long for a change, for healing, for reconciliation, for a chance to make things right.
    • You feel ashamed because you are guilty.
    • And now, walking into your living room, Jesus willingly chooses to look beyond all of that.
    • He accepts you, treats you with kindness, respect, and dignity, and offers you an invitation to repent so He can forgive you.
    • His grace is undeserved, you don’t deserve this, but here He is spending time with you anyway.[13]

Jesus offers you that same grace-filled invitation he offered to Zacchaeus.

He is inviting each of you into a deeper relationship with Him.

Daily He presents you with an invitation to spend time with Him.

He sees you through the lens of love and grace.

He sees your wholeness, despite your brokenness.

Such actions from Him are undeserved and unearned, but here He is inviting us anyway.

That’s Grace that Saves!

How do you respond to Grace? REPENT.

Zacchaeus climbed a tree in order to see Jesus, which was an outward demonstration of his willingness to do whatever it took to see Jesus.

Although he was living a life he may not have been proud of, he was willing to lay aside his pride, and humble himself, in a beautiful step toward repentance.[14]

“And Zacchaeus stood, and said unto the Lord; Behold, Lord, the half of my goods I give to the poor; and if I have taken any thing from any man by false accusation, I restore him fourfold” (Luke 19:8).

Zacchaeus’s statement was evidence of deep sorrow and a desire for change in his life and he was choosing to live life with a different attitude and mindset.

This deep inner change led to generosity instead of selfishness and restitution to the people he had wronged. For Zacchaeus, and often for us, true repentance requires restitution. The actions and behaviors that follow our repentance indicate we are now living differently.[15]

After Zach repented Jesus said, “This day is salvation come to this house, forsomuch as he also is a son of Abraham”[16]

Jesus knew he was the chief among the publicans and his exploitation of the poor had made him rich, but he repented and then Jesus identified Zacchaeus as a son of Abraham.

Zacchaeus, and the people watching, were reminded that God sees past your earthly defining labels. They do not define you.

Only God defines you, and He sees you through the lens of His grace.

Grace that Saves

[1]Source: God’s Word for Life. (Lesson 1.1) Series 1: Letters from Prison – By Grace Ye Are Saved.  PPH. 3/2/2025.

[2] Ibid. (James Wilhoit. Spiritual Formation as if the Church Mattered).

[3] Ibid.

[4] Eph. 2:3. Personalized.

[5] Rom. 3:22-23.

[6] Titus 2:11-14.

[7] Ephesians 1:21.

[8] Ephesians 2:4–5.

[9] Albert Barnes Notes on the Bible. Luke 19:2.

[10] Eph. 2:2-3.

[11] Source: God’s Word for Life. (Lesson 1.1) Series 1: Letters from Prison – By Grace Ye Are Saved.  PPH. 3/2/2025.

[12] Ibid.

[13] Ibid.

[14] Ibid.

[15] Ibid.

[16] Luke 19:9.