Sunday Sermons

AM - The Gospel and Servant Ministries - Acts 6:1-7

PM - Receive or Reject - Luke 10:10-16

This is Your Cup

C.J. Mahaney writes:

As we watch Jesus pray in agony in Gethsemane, He has every right to turn His tearful eyes toward you and me and shout, "This is your cup. You're responsible for this. It's your sin! You drink it." This cup should rightfully be thrust into my hand and yours. 

Instead, Jesus freely takes it Himself...so that from the cross He can look down at you and me, whisper our names, and say, "I drain this cup for you--for you who have lived in defiance of Me, who have hated Me, who have opposed Me. I drink it all...for you."

Suffer Well

I have greatly enjoyed reading Joe Thorn's book Note to Self: The Discipline of Preaching to Yourself over the past couple weeks. It's a great book and easy to read. The content, however, is encouraging and challenging in many ways. As I was finishing up the book today I read his chapter entitled "Suffer Well." The first paragraph was great:

Dear Self, 

God does not promise to rid your life of affliction and difficulty. He does, however, offer to give you the grace needed to suffer well, and through grace to discover the riches and beauty of the gospel. It isn't wrong to ask God to relieve you of your pain, but it is more important that in the midst of the pain you rely on the promise of God to work such experiences for his glory and your good--to use these times as a means of perfecting your faith, strengthening your spirit, and transforming your life in such a way that you are becoming more like Jesus. 

He goes on to write:

To suffer well doesn't mean you put on a stoic face and muscle through the situation without a word. It means that through your suffering you trust God, bless him, look to him, and point others to him.

He then ends the chapter by writing:

Do you want to become more like Christ? Then you must suffer, and suffer well. 

The chapter is based on Romans 5:3-5:

We rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance, and endurance produces character, and character produces hope, and hope does not put us to shame, because God's love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us.

The Gospel and Our Substitute

This morning I preached the fourth sermon in our series on the gospel, "The Gospel and Our Substitute." After being away for the last week on vacation it felt great to be back with Cypress Lake Baptist. I am truly a blessed man to be called their pastor!

In the Spring of 2003 I took a Christian Doctrine II at The College at Southeastern with Dr. Pete Schemm. My Christian Doctrine classes (and Systematic Theology in Seminary) were truly some of my favorite classes. I loved learning about the doctrines in Scripture and how they are understood and applied. When we studied the doctrine of Christ I remember Dr. Schemm talking about four Christological passages. In these passages he talked about the importance of seeing Jesus with these four categories: He came, He lived, He died, He rose. That has stayed with me for the past 8 years. Those were my points from the message this morning. Not only those points, but the fact that they all were done in place of sinners, as our substitute. What an amazing Savior we have in Jesus Christ!

I also had the chance to quote Joe Thorn this morning from his book Note to Self (which I highly recommend). The following quote was helpful in stating the core of the gospel:

At its core, the gospel is Jesus as the substitute for sinners. We could summarize the whole by saying that in his life Jesus lives in perfect submission to the will of God and he fulfills his righteous standard (the law). In his death on the cross he quenches God's wrath against sin, satisfying the sovereign demand for justice. In his resurrection he is victorious over sin and death. All of this is done on behalf of sinners in need of redemption and is offered to all who believe. This is therefore very "good news."

Sunday Sermon

Yesterday morning I preached my third sermon in the gospel series. This sermon was focused on the fact that everyone born of man is a sinner by nature and by practice. No one wants to hear they are a sinner, but we all need to hear this truth. You can listen that sermon here:

The Gospel and Our Sin

During our PM service a friend of mine preached for us. We didn't record his sermon, but the message was about worship. It was a great message. It really challenged me to think about my response to my Savior in worship.

Sunday Sermon

This morning I preached the second message in the series: The Gospel: The Power of God. The sermon can be listened to or downloaded here:

Isaiah 6:1-7 - The Gospel and God's Holiness

Sunday Sermons

Yesterday’s sermons are now available. In the morning I began a new sermon series titled “The Gospel: The Power of God” by preaching the first sermon The Gospel of Jesus, which you can find here (or from the sermon player on this blog).

In the evening I continued through our study in Luke’s Gospel by preaching from Luke 9:1-9. You can listen to The Ministries of Mercy and the Word here (or from the sermon player on this blog).

Praying to the Lord of the Harvest

This past Wednesday evening I finished up a three message series on caring for others. The first week was focused on the challenge from Jesus that His people will love one another. The second message was focused on the need to care for those in our community. The final message was about caring for those all over the face of the earth. In fact, this past Wednesday evening I taught from Matthew 9:35-38. Below are the main points that I made, followed by a question.

First Point - Jesus was concerned about the ministry of the Word AND ministry of mercy. I take this from verse 35, "And Jesus went throughout all the cities and villages, teaching in their synagogues and proclaiming the gospel of the kingdom and healing every disease and every affliction." In this one verse we see His care for the gospel message. He always proclaimed the good news! However, we also see how Jesus cared for the physical needs of those who were sick and afflicted. I warned our people about exalting mercy ministries to a place where they took precedence over the gospel (since no one is saved without hearing the gospel proclaimed!), but that doesn't mean that we shouldn't engage in mercy ministries.

Second Point - Taking the gospel to the ends of the earth, and meeting needs where we are able, must be rooted in our compassion for them and for the glory of God. This was the motivation for Jesus according to verse 36, "When he saw the crowds, he had compassion on them, because they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd." I asked our church that night about whether or not we had compassion for those around the world who were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd. Jesus is the only Shepherd they need, but the people of God must let the crowds know this!

Third Point - The harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few. This is pretty clear. Jesus says in verses 37-38, "The harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few; therefore pray earnestly to the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into his harvest." There is much to be said here, but I wanted to drive home the fact that we are providentially located in Fort Myers, FL, and this verse fits our present circumstances in unbelievable ways. However, we also know that we want to get the gospel to those who have no access to the gospel. In other words, we want to reach Fort Myers (and SWFL) with the gospel, but we also want to reach to the ends of the earth where the gospel is not yet proclaimed.

In our present condition as a church, we are able to see this truth plainly. Right now our church is in great transition. We are seeking ways to minister to those around us. We are seeking ways to get the gospel into our community. From the statistics that I've heard, over 93% of Lee County do not attend any sort of worship service. When I see this area I realize the harvest is plentiful. However, as a faith family, we also realize our laborers are few. Seeing how we are in a transition time we know many of our people are unable to do things they once could. Their bodies have aged, and they are now limited. Do not misunderstand me, my people are ready to do what they can in their limitations! I am a blessed pastor. But the reality is here. We not only see the harvest, but we see the lack of laborers.

I told our people last Wednesday that we do not have the right to look out at our opportunities, with a heart of compassion, realize our laborers are few, and decide to do nothing about it. No, we are to pray to the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers. That is what we're doing now. We're praying to God that He would do two things with our faith family. The first thing is that He would raise up laborers for us. We want to see new laborers coming into our faith family. The second thing we are asking is that God would enable us to be those laborers as well. In other words, I do not want to simply pray that God gives usother laborers, but that we too will labor for those who need to hear the gospel.

Now to my question. With the need so great in SWFL for the gospel, would you pray about coming and being a part of this? We are praying that God would send out laborers. Would you pray and ask God if you're one to be sent here? Or to be sent here in order to be sent from here?

The Gospel Sermon Series

I am in the process of planning a long sermon series on the gospel. As of today I have 32 topics planned. I am not sure they will all make it this go around, and I'm sure more will come to mind as I continue to pray, think, and work through this. Below is what I have so far. I would gladly welcome any thoughts and/or additions to this list. My goal is to first get the gospel out there, with a Biblical understanding of the gospel. After all, Paul said deserting the gospel is deserting Him who calls in the grace of Christ (Gal. 1:6). However, I've also thought much lately about the application of the gospel. If the good news is that we can be saved by grace through faith in Christ Jesus, then it ought to affect how we live everyday and in every circumstance. That's my hope. Help me out, please!


1. The Gospel Defined
2. The Gospel and God's Holiness
3. The Gospel and Our Sin
4. The Gospel and Our Substitute
5. The Gospel and Our Response
6. The Gospel and Justification
7. The Gospel and Sanctification
8. The Gospel and Glorification
9. The Gospel and Application
10. The Gospel and Biblical Manhood
11. The Gospel and Biblical Womanhood
12. The Gospel and Marriage
13. The Gospel and Children
14. The Gospel and Parenting
15. The Gospel and Singleness
16. The Gospel and Evangelism
17. The Gospel and Mercy Ministries
18. The Gospel and the Nations
19. The Gospel and Urgency
20. The Gospel and Suffering
21. The Gospel and Dying
22. The Gospel and Eternity
23. The Gospel and the Church
24. The Gospel and Elders
25. The Gospel and Deacons
26. The Gospel and Baptism
27. The Gospel and the Lord's Supper
28. The Gospel and Church Membership
29. The Gospel and Worship
30. The Gospel and Church Member Restoration (Discipline)
31. The Gospel and the Holy Spirit
32. The Gospel and the Glory of God

The Marvelous Truth of Salvation

J.C. Ryle, commenting on the healing of the Gerasene demonic in Luke 8:26-39:

One thing, however, must not be forgotten. Striking and miraculous as this cure was, it is not really more wonderful than every instance of a definite conversion to God. Marvelous as the change was which appeared in the demoniac's condition when healed, it is not any more marvelous than the change which passes over every individual who is born again and turned from the power of Satan to God. Never is a person in his right mind until he is converted, or in his right place until he sits by faith at the feet of Jesus, or correctly dressed until he has put on the Lord Jesus Christ. Have you ever considered what real conversion to God is? It is nothing but the miraculous release of a captive, the miraculous restoration of a man to his right mind, the miraculous deliverance of a soul from the Devil.

Sunday Sermon

This past Sunday morning's sermon is available. I didn't record the evening sermon because it was more of a heart to heart with my church family. Hope you'll be drawn to Christ through this:

Hearing, Responding, and Bearing Fruit - Part 3

Sunday Sermons

This past Sunday I preached the first two parts (of three) from Luke 8:1-21. You can listen/download the messages here:

AM - Hearing, Responding, and Bearing Fruit - Part 1

PM - Hearing, Responding, and Bearing Fruit - Part 2

Christ will Build His Church...Go Make Disciples

I am preparing for some upcoming teaching and have really started reflecting on a couple of truths. The first one is found in the statement by Christ in Matthew 16:18, "And I tell you, you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it." Let it be known upfront that I do not affirm that Jesus meant He would build His church on Peter. Rather, I think He's referring to the truth that Peter had just professed in verse 16, "Simon Peter replied, 'You are the Christ, the Son of the living God'." Anyway, what I want to mention is the promise that Jesus says He will build His church. This is a great promise. In a time and age when we are constantly bombarded with all kinds of ideas and gimmicks to 'build the church' or 'grow the church', I find it refreshing that Jesus didn't ask us to build the church. Jesus promised that He would build His church. There is no way to stress enough that we must rest assured that Jesus is sovereign and able to do all that He has proclaimed.

The second truth, however, helps us to see the means by which He will build His church. When you look at Matthew 28:18-20 you will read what has become known as The Great Commission. In this passage the emphasis is on making disciples of all nations. That is the command from Christ. We are called to make disciples. But doesn't that put the emphasis on us doing the work? How is it that Jesus can say He will build the church AND tell us to be the ones who go and make disciples? This question misses a very important connection. First of all, making disciples (verse 19) is rooted in the fact that Jesus has all authority (verse 18). So, Jesus has the authority to send us out to make disciples. Now, if we think that it's our going out that will enable us to grow the church, we have once again mistaken. I say that because Jesus has already stated that He would build His church, and then at the end of the Great Commission He promises that as we go and make disciples that He will be with us! We are not the ones building the church with our creative ways of reaching the culture. We are the instruments used by Christ, but He is the One building His church! Beloved, may we not ever think we can build His church. May we trust that He will build His church trough us and that we are simply called to be faithful in the proclamation of the gospel (which is how we make disciples!).

Now, more could be (and needs to be) said for what it means to 'make disciples of all nations.' For this post, however, I will mention just a couple of things. First of all, it does not mean that we need to get someone to pray a prayer. That is nowhere to be found in Scripture. Secondly, we do not need to get people to 'do' something for their salvation (in terms of any kind of work for their salvation). Finally, we do need to proclaim the gospel and call people to repent of their sins and thrust themselves completely on the mercy of God in Christ Jesus. We need people to know that Christ has all authority over them. We need them to see that they've offended the Holy God of the universe. We need them to see that apart from Christ they have nothing to offer God. And we need them to see that becoming a disciple is about becoming a follower, or pupil, of Christ. That is why we teach them to observe all that Christ has commanded. He is Lord! He builds His church by His power and authority. We are simply instruments or tools in the hands of the redeemer.

We Need the Gospel

As I'm finishing up my sermon prep this morning, I've been reading through Daniel Doriani's book on the Sermon on the Mount. My text for this coming Sunday is Matthew 5:33-37, which deals with oaths and telling the truth. It's a great call for the disciples of Christ to be truth tellers who are trustworthy in all their dealings. However, Doriani suggests that Jesus continues to call us to more difficult tasks as the Sermon goes forth. Indeed, this is true, as we see a great command in Matthew 5:48, "You therefore must be perfect, as your heavenly Father is perfect." It appears that Jesus is setting us up for an impossible task. That is why we need the gospel. The following paragraph is how Doriani addresses the issue:

We need the gospel. It teaches us to ask the one who gives the standard to forgive us for breaking it. We ask the one who kept the standard in perfect righteousness to give us his righteousness and clothe us with it. And the Lord does it. He accepts us as his children and grants us the family resemblance that he requires. For the hardest command is also stated in a way that gives hope. Translated literally, Matthew 5:48 states, "You shall be perfect as your Father in heaven is perfect." We rightly read the words "You shall be perfect" as a command, yet, reading it again, we notice that it hides a promise: you shall be perfect.

Applying the Gospel

I woke up this morning with a glorious thought. The thought came with mixed feelings as I thought more about it, but nevertheless the overwhelming feeling is gratefulness and joy. The thought was that every sin I will commit today was paid for on the cross by Christ! When the Scripture says, "For our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God", it means all the sins I have ever or will ever commit. Jesus truly did pay it all!

However, I said there were mixed feelings this morning. While the truth of the gospel needs to be believed and applied in my life today, the fact remans that Jesus DID die for those sins. In other words, I am also broken hearted because the sins I commit today Jesus paid for on the cross. Every time I sin today, tomorrow, and everyday for the rest of my life, is a reminder of the suffering that my Savior, Christ Jesus, went through to purchase me and reconcile me to the Father. That is a sobering thought. That is a heart breaking reality. That makes me want to fight against the inclinations to sin in my own life and seek to obey Him who is worthy.

So that glorious thought this morning comes with joy, and with great sorrow. Thank you Jesus for purchasing such an unworthy sinner!

I'm a Good Person...

Actually, I'm far from a good person. However, that is the thought that runs through our minds often, isn't it? I would never say that of course, but deep down I have the same tendencies as many people. The fact is, I am a sinner and I need the gospel to be applied in my life constantly.

Externally I do seem like a good person to many people. I justify myself by comparing myself to others. After all, if I look hard enough I can find something in anyone and everyone that I'm better at than they are. For instance, I have never actually murdered anyone. I have never actually cheated on my wife. I have never actually done many things that others have done. Of course, anyone familiar with the teachings of Jesus will know I have done those things. The Sermon on the Mount (Matthew 5-7) is very clear that I'm guilty, but externally I still appear better than those who've been caught in such actions. Those are clear examples, but most often that's not where I fall into sin. I usually fall into sin when I start comparing myself to other 'Christians' and see how much better I am. This, of course, is pride and is a great sin. Maybe since I've been educated in the Bible I know more and therefore am better. Maybe since I'm the pastor I'm better and they should all know that. Maybe...I could throw out thousands of examples to make me appear better than others.

The fact is, I'm a very competitive person. Whatever I'm playing, I play to win. Back in the day it was sports. Now it's sports AND church. My pride (competitiveness) wants the bigger church. To be fair (to try to justify), I want the church to be healthy and making disciples of all nations, but I still want the bigger church! I want to be known. I have to fight this temptation daily because it is so clear in my own heart. In fact, it is so strong that I can create this image of myself that externally looks really good. Right there lies the problem. I am a Pharisee at heart. I want the praise of man. I want people to acknowledge me. I want...I want...I want...

What's the answer? The gospel is the answer! Knowledge of a few things is important. Knowledge of God's expectations is important. Knowledge of my own depravity is important. Knowledge of the gospel is important.

First of all, God expects me to reflect His glory in all of life. I am to be holy and perfect as God the Father is holy and perfect. I am to submit my every thought and action to His Sovereign control. But I haven't done this! I have rebelled. When I compare myself to others I may seem like a good person, but when I compare myself before God I realize how utterly depraved I am.

That is the second point. Just because I haven't actually cheated on my wife or murdered anyone, doesn't mean I'm innocent. Jesus is very clear that I have murdered when I've been angry with a brother (which I have been!). He is clear that I have committed adultery when I look lustfully at another woman other than my wife (which I have!). I need to go further still. When I know the expectation of God, and I know how miserably I've failed at glorifying Him in all things, then, and only then, do I start to sense the depth of my depravity. At that point I also begin to realize that though I have not externally fallen into murder, my depravity is such that I am actually capable of murder and many other things.

The third thing I need to know, and this is key, is that Christ died for my sins. The gospel that Christ came and became sin on my behalf is the only answer for fighting against my own flesh that wants to says, "Randy, you are a good person." No! I am not a good person! I am a wretched sinner. I have rebelled against the holy God! I have sinned repetitively and am capable of far more than I may have actually done. If it were not for His grace and His sacrifice, I would have no leg to stand on before the Creator. Jesus became my sin, and through faith in Him, I have been declared righteous. His righteousness has been credited to me!

Knowledge of God's expectations and my failures, joined with the depth of my depravity, leaves me without hope unless the gospel is true. When I begin to realize this in my own life, then, and only then, I may start realizing I am no better than anyone else. I am no better than the one who seems worse than I. I am a sinner, saved by grace, and kept only by the Sovereign King! I need the gospel.

The Answer is Jesus

Last week I was in Louisville, KY for the Together for the Gospel conference. It was a great conference. The messages were fantastic and the music was too. One of the things I loved was the opportunity to see many old friends, and meet many new ones. My first night there I had a chance to meet Jared Wilson and a few other guys. Jared's post from yesterday (well worth the read!) reminded me of one of my points from my sermon this past Sunday at First Baptist.

I preached Matthew 5:6, "Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be satisfied." In this verse, some have argued for a very general application of righteousness. In other words, some have said this is a longing for all kinds of righteousness (including the desire to see righteousness/justice done in our world today). My answer in that sermon was that we are not after changing the way the culture behaves, but rather we are after getting the gospel to those around us, praying the Holy Spirit blows like the wind and opens hearts to believe, and then we will see the culture change. We are not after seeing people 'act' differently, but rather we want to see people changed by the marvelous truth that Christ died for sinners.

Video from Haiti

Frank Dees, owner of Youth On Mission, posted this video on Facebook from our week in Haiti. The need is still great!

I Need the Gospel...Today!

It seems in many churches the need of the gospel is ONLY for unbelievers. I'm thankful that this is not true in all churches, but unfortunately it is in many. The gospel is, of course, for unbelievers, but I'm reminded this weekend why I still need the gospel more than a decade after I came to trust in Christ.

Last week I had the opportunity to preach Matthew 5:3, "Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven." The way to be poor in spirit is to place oneself before the Almighty God and see how you measure up to His expectations. During the Sermon on the Mount Jesus tells us exactly what His expectations are. In Matthew 5:48 Jesus says, "You therefore must be perfect, as your heavenly Father is perfect." Wow! Those are high expectations. It would have been easy to try to explain that God doesn't really expect us to be perfect, but that would not be true. God does expect perfection. And when we place ourselves open before Him we will see how miserably we have failed to keep His requirement of perfection.

This leads to Matthew 5:4, "Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted." Many Christians today, I think, jump to the second half of verse 4 before dealing with the first half. For me, I often times rest in Christ without realizing I still continually fall short of the requirements of God. But this verse says we are blessed when we mourn over our sin. I think it is very important that we see ourselves before God Almighty and realize that we still need His grace. We still need His mercy. We still need His hand to keep us because without we will fall away!

However, as Christians, we cannot stop there. The gospel is still applicable for us today. When I stand before God on my own I mourn the sin and devastation that I have brought upon myself. But I also rejoice and worship when I see that Christ took that judgment for me on the cross. Beloved, the gospel is still true. The gospel is still needed. I love the fact that I can still see the application of the gospel in my own life!

It IS Goodnews!

When I was preparing my sermon for this past Sunday it dawned on me that we often treat the gospel as if it were bad news. Let me explain. It may just be me (though I doubt that), but often times when I have a chance to share the gospel with someone I have fear start to rise up within me. I wonder if it's because I'm not convinced that it's GOOD news. Maybe I'm convinced that it's good news, but I feel they may not agree. To put it another way, it really doesn't seem like good news when people do not realize the depth of their own depravity and the fact that Hell is a real place. If people really knew they were lost, without Christ, and facing the just judgment of God, then maybe they would see it as good news. But many people do not believe that and, I'm convinced, many of us who belong to Christ haven't really thought it through either. After all, if we are really not all that bad, and we have nothing to worry about for eternity, and we can enjoy our lives while on this earth indulging in the things of this world, then how can we say it's good news? Christian, we must realize it is good news. We must be bold in its proclamation because without this news no one will ever be saved. Christ dying in place of sinners and purchasing a people for Himself is very, very good news. I pray that we (definitely including myself) will not treat the gospel of grace found in Christ alone as bad news that we're afraid to share with others, but rather we'll see it as the greatest news one will ever hear. May we proclaim it boldly and humbly that Christ may be exalted as He draws people unto Himself.