The Holy Spirit and Cosmic Fruitfulness - John 14-15

Calvary Baltimore Weekly Sermons

#Religion #Life Of Jesus #Pastor Rick and Josh Plantholt #Josh Plantholt #Pastor Rick

6:47

Was she the victim of foul play, an accident, or did she choose to disappear? In this episode of The Vanished, we retrace Diana’s last known movements, strange witness accounts, and the lingering mystery that has never been solved or.. was never meant to be solved.

год назад 42:25

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We cultivate the garden by raising our families in God, by living according to his principles, by using his gifts to bear fruit!

When God created the earth, he was marrying it to heaven, and marrying man to God. All creation speaks of heaven's wedding to earth. He is the vine, we are the branches.

In these last days, God has spoken to us through his son. We learn his language by spending time in relationship with him.

Jesus is the voice of God made visible. All creation echoes this voice. The same voice that said "Let there be light" and created the universe, became silent for 3 days at the death of Christ. Creation was then remade at his resurrection! The grave is no longer silent; God's voice thunders out to all creation, and we follow it!

200 эпизодов

Calvary Baltimore Weekly Sermons

The Holy Spirit and Cosmic Fruitfulness - John 14-15

Calvary Baltimore Weekly Sermons

published год назад

MP3•Главная эпизода

We cultivate the garden by raising our families in God, by living according to his principles, by using his gifts to bear fruit!

When God created the earth, he was marrying it to heaven, and marrying man to God. All creation speaks of heaven's wedding to earth. He is the vine, we are the branches.

In these last days, God has spoken to us through his son. We learn his language by spending time in relationship with him.

200 эпизодов

#Religion #Life Of Jesus #Pastor Rick and Josh Plantholt #Josh Plantholt #Pastor Rick

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Calvary Baltimore Weekly Sermons

1
B-Side - Mark 3:20-35 25:05

7 дней назад25:05

25:05

Why did Jesus' family think he was crazy here? They never saw him perform miracles, so they struggled to believe. Mark places the blasphemy of the Holy Spirit as the center of the story. Jesus has power over the demonic, and the scribes attack Jesus, attributing his power to evil. They're trying to undercut the claims that he's Messiah. He responds with a parable, as an indictment against them! Parables are given in such a way that believers will understand (even if not immediately), but nonbelievers like these scribes will miss the point. "A house divided against itself will not stand" is referring not only to Satan and the demons, but also to the temple, which is about to fall. Jerusalem will eventually turn against the righteous of Jerusalem (Christians)... and the house will fall. "Binding the strong man before you can plunder his house" refers to more than binding Satan. If Jerusalem's leaders continue as they have, the house of God will soon be plundered. Whoever blasphemes against the Holy Spirit is guilty of an eternal sin. The scribes are standing before pure light, and they attribute his work to pure evil. Isaiah 5:20: woe to those who call evil good and good evil. We're all baptized into one family, under Christ. Jesus adds "sisters" to "mother and brothers"... saying his close circle of family is open not only to men and his mother, but to women as well.…

Calvary Baltimore Weekly Sermons

1
The Family of God - Mark 3:20-35 44:45

8 дней назад44:45

44:45

Scribes accuse Jesus of being possessed by demons simply because he commands them. But he's binding Satan before plundering his house. Everything you've ever done can be forgiven. Christians today have the Holy Spirit. Blasphemy of the Holy Spirit, the only unpardonable sin, is the repeated and final rejection of Jesus. Biblically, if you're given over to blasphemy of the Holy Spirit, you don't care. If you care whether you've committed this unpardonable sin, you haven't committed it. Your grieving over your sin is evidence that your heart is not permanently hardened! Whoever does the will of God is the family of Jesus. To believe what the Holy Spirit says about Jesus is to be his family! Your biggest sin is forgivable if you repent. Share this with people joyfully; they need to hear of his glory and grace!…

Calvary Baltimore Weekly Sermons

1
The Seed of Joy - John 15 44:14

15 дней назад44:14

44:14

Pastor Rick explores the concepts of joy, peace, and fruitfulness in the Christian life, rooted in Jesus' teachings from John 14 and 15. It's essential that we as Christians abide in Christ, understand God's sovereignty, and experience the transformative power of God's love. True peace and joy come from trusting in God's plan, even amidst life's challenges, and this joy is a testament to the world of God's work in our lives!…

Calvary Baltimore Weekly Sermons

1
B-Side - Mark 3:7-19 34:16

21 день назад34:16

34:16

So many people from all walks of life are coming to Jesus, including Gentiles, that he retreats to the water to escape the dangerous crowd. The Pharisees don't know who Jesus is, but the demons do. Jesus calls the twelve apostles ("sent ones" or "messengers"), a select group of leaders chosen by Jesus, who met with him personally, and had authority over the local churches of the early church. They could write scripture! The early church hierarchy: Father - Son - Spirit - Apostles - Pastors - Church. Although in the broad sense we are all messengers sent by God, apostles by the Biblical definition no longer exist. The church handed down the teachings of the ORIGINAL apostles. Jesus chooses 12 people with diverse backgrounds, yet they lived together for years. They found something greater than themselves that united them: the Lord Jesus Christ. He is what unites us in our present-day church as well! Our unity in Christ must overcome any division we have in the world. As we prioritize him, minor issues cannot divide us!…

Calvary Baltimore Weekly Sermons

1
Apostolic Calling - Mark 3:7-19 1:59:01

22 дня назад1:59:01

1:59:01

The apostles didn't choose Jesus; he chose them! Not for their skill, righteousness, wisdom or faith. We love him because he first loved us, because he is good! Jesus is calling us so we can be with him, have authority to preach, and cast out demons (resist Satan). The Christian life, to sum up: Draw near to the Lord, stay in him, be sent out, and oppose what comes against him!…

Calvary Baltimore Weekly Sermons

1
B-Side - Mark 2:23 - 3:6 45:58

28 дней назад45:58

45:58

Jesus doesn't excuse sin, but emphasizes there are weightier issues in the law. Lying is bad, but murder is worse, and choosing to lie to protect someone from being killed is the better choice. The Pharisees missed the spirit of the law on favor of the letter of the law. Exodus 4:5ff... one of God's signs of his presence to the people is his healing of Moses' hand. The people believed, but Pharaoh didn't... here in Mark, the man with the withered hand believed, but the Pharisees didn't; they were acting like Pharaoh, angering Jesus. They then plotted to kill him. Jesus asks the Pharisees if they've never read what David did, removing the holy bread from the temple to feed hungry soldiers, found in the passage in 1 Samuel 21 and 22. Jesus references not the priest in charge during the story (Ahimelech), but his son (Abiathar). In doing this, he may be saying the Pharisees are like Saul or Doeg when they persecute David; indeed they intend to use a foreigner like Pharaoh (Herod and the Herodians) to kill Jesus. Spurgeon: "Don't tell me what you know, tell me what you've done about what you know." We must not just learn of Jesus, but follow him! The Pharisees know a lot, but don't live it. It's easy for pastors to fall into this trap, always reading the word to prepare a sermon, but never for themselves; pastors need their own devotional time! Augustine: "Your true religion is what you do when no one is looking." We must be diligent in our walk with the Lord, and really live it! Throughout history, there's an intimate connection between big government and Satan's and the antichrist's agenda. The mark of the beast (no buying or selling without governmental approval), Babylon, the beast's armies at Armageddon. Satan also uses false religion for his agenda; worship the beast or die, the false prophet leads people into worship, the Old Testament worship of Baal, and here, the religious Pharisees rooting against the healing of this man for their agenda. James 1:26-27: True Christianity is to invest in the least of society. Jesus in this passage shows his compassion for the crippled man, unlike the Pharisees who see him as a pawn to further their false religious agenda. Even today, we must be vigilant to keep these influences from creeping into our own churches!…

Calvary Baltimore Weekly Sermons

1
Because He Said So - Mark 2:23 - 3:6 46:24

29 дней назад46:24

46:24

The Pharisees were turning the law into a heavy yoke; they fell into the trap of letting tradition replace God's Word. Jesus expressed the spirit of the law. He heals a man on the Sabbath, and they plot to kill him. On judgment day, don't weep for the prostitute, weep for the self-righteous, weep for the unfaithful pastor. Jesus was willing to heal the man with the withered hand, but asked him to stretch out his hand, an act of choice, of faith. If you don't know how God's going to provide, take a step of faith! The Pharisees were originally reacting to the influence of Greek thought on their young people; they were protecting their kids. They started with great intentions, but it went too far. How to avoid this downward spiral ourselves? Consistently come before the Lord! Stay in his word daily, and pray! The Word corrects us when we are wrong. Jesus is the authority! We decide DAILY who is on the throne, and it must be the Lord. When Jesus said "It is finished," that is authoritative. You ARE forgiven. He died for 100% of your sins! Although Satan will accuse you on the day of your judgement, if your name is in the book of life, you are in Heaven, end of story. Jesus has the final say, the final authority! The Sabbath was made for man, not vice-versa. It is made for us to rest. Jesus said come to him and he will give us rest. Our Sabbath rest is when we come to him, so our Sabbath is all the time, not just on Sundays! The peace he gives us is deep and otherworldly. There's a restoration and soul rest... sabbath is but a glimpse of what's God has for us in eternity!…

Calvary Baltimore Weekly Sermons

1
B-Side - Mark 2:13-22 33:40

5 weeks назад33:40

33:40

Jesus eats with such deplorable people; shocking at the time. Like Moses in Exodus 10, he wants to save as many people as he can, and eating with them fostered intimacy and implied forgiveness of their sins. That said, we are still called to live holy lives; Jesus accepts us as we are but teaches us to not stay as we are! Ephesians 2:4-10 - We're saved by grace alone through faith alone; salvation is purely a gift, not attainable by works. But we are a new creation in Christ Jesus FOR good works! When he enters into our lives, we change and grow. Why do the Pharisees and John the Baptist and his followers fast, and Jesus and his followers don't? 3 thoughts... 1. Jesus is always bucking against tradition that's strayed from its roots, and bringing it back around to his word, scripture. 2. One day, he says, he won't be with them; that's the time to fast. When he's present, it's time to feast together! 3. Fasting in the Bible was a sign of humility and dependence on God. In the early church, they fasted to prepare for church service, when making big decisions, when mourning over their sins... it was necessary in the life of the early church, and should be for us as well!…

Calvary Baltimore Weekly Sermons

1
Fasters and Feasters - Mark 2:13-22 49:24

5 weeks назад49:24

49:24

The scribes and Pharisees were self-righteous. They didn't see themselves as needing a savior. But the sinners sitting at the table with Jesus knew they needed help. And he wants sinners! We've all fallen short of the glory of God, and don't deserve to eat a meal with Jesus. But if God grants us entry into heaven, we'll feel the warmth of Jesus' glory for all eternity. Not because we're good, but because we recognized our condition and took a seat at his table, and our sins were forgiven! Jesus adheres to the old testament, but not in the way the Pharisees had come to adhere to it. They'd turned it into legalism. He expanded beyond the synagogue, to tax collectors and prostitutes, and "new wine" bursts old wine skins. He came not to bring more rules or law, but to fulfill the law! Christians are fasters... Fasting is putting your spiritual needs above your physical needs. A great tool we should use from time to time. Christians are also to be feasters, when we are with the Lord! At church, we are with him, so we feast! The first message Moses tells Pharaoh is to free the slaves so they can eat with him. We are to celebrate being saved from slavery, sin and death! We are to be fasters AND feasters. We are to feast when the bridegroom is with us, and get together to celebrate with each other! Frequent Thanksgiving meals!!! Jesus eventually says he's going to be taken away, and a time to fast is coming. Though we too are called to be fasters, there will come a time when we'll never again leave his presence! In heaven will be the river of life, the tree of life, the healing of nations, no more curse, his servants will worship him, and God himself will be our light. In heaven we'll never need another reason to fast; we'll be with him! The celebrations we have now are just a glimpse of what's to come!…

Calvary Baltimore Weekly Sermons

1
B-Side - Mark 2:1-12 33:09

6 weeks назад33:09

33:09

Mark was at Peter's house, a large, nice home, for today's passage. He's among family when the paralytic is brought through the roof. In 2 Kings 13:20-21, there's a very similar story of healing in the Old Testament, where a dead man is revived after his body touches the dead body of Elisha. Even this early in Mark, the story of the paralytic establishes Jesus' authority over spiritual and physical death. Jesus isn't upset over the damage to the house, and is pleased with the faith of the men and the paralytic. His priority is on the life of the paralytic, on the spiritual, not on the physical structure of the house. When he forgives the man's sins, the scribes believe he's violating God's word, committing blasphemy, punishable by death. They miss that he IS God! The forgiveness and healing are related: the healing is proof to the unbelievers that Jesus' forgiveness is real and valid. "The Son of Man" (Jesus' favorite term for himself) comes with authority. This reference is understood by the scribes, and is a bold claim. He is the second Adam, the perfect version of man, undefiled, with victory and authority over the garden from which Adam was banished!…

Calvary Baltimore Weekly Sermons

1
The Son of Man - Mark 2:1-12 43:35

6 weeks назад43:35

43:35

The Pharisees liked some of what Jesus said, but in rejecting some of it, they denied his authority. The paralytic and his friends had great faith. His friends carried him through the crowd for who knows how long, lifted him up to the roof, somehow got him through the roof to the inside... So much faith! And Jesus forgave him and healed him. Often the right road is unpaved, the narrow, rocky path. Just because something is hard doesn't mean it's against God's will. If he's calling you, you must press on. Faith will remove any obstacle to Jesus! Being around Jesus isn't the same as being WITH Jesus. In this passage, the crowd was an obstacle. Jesus shows that the paralytic's greatest need was not simply his physical healing, but the forgiveness of his sin. With physical healing only, he'd just be more comfortable on his way to hell. The word is folly for the unsaved, but for Christians it's the power of God! 2 billion Muslims believe in Jesus, but just as a prophet. They believe the gospels are corrupted. They prefer Mark, claiming it's the least corrupt. However, in Mark 14:61: Are you the Christ? "I am." Jesus says that his authority as king is eternal. That he's the one that the Pharisees are called to serve. He reminds us who he is! We must exhibit a degree of seriousness in our serving him. Jesus's tells the healed man to "Arise, take up your bed, and go home!"... Not "follow me" this time. He's telling him to go home and share his message there. It's easier to share Jesus with strangers, not so easy to share with those who know us. Having your sins forgiven is easy... Walking the Christian walk, sharing your faith, doing the work of the gospel, is difficult. Church is where we gather together so we can be equipped to do the work of the gospel! Our marching orders: pick up your beds and go home!…

Calvary Baltimore Weekly Sermons

1
1 Samuel 8 42:12

7 weeks назад42:12

42:12

We must never lose hope in the work of the perfect leader, Jesus Christ. People are fallible, but church is about God. The body of Christ points to him. Despite human failings, we must assemble together! Israel wanted a king. But God created Israel to have him as king! The Bible doesn't record the failures of the Hebrew people so we can judge them, but to show us his faithfulness and our need for him. In Revelation 2, the early church was repeating these old testament sins! We must be fiercely on guard against them. This could us! People have fallen into the religion of politics. Don't put your hope in an earthly king. Our hope lies only in Jesus Christ, our King of Kings and Lord of Lords! One day with him is better than a thousand elsewhere. Believers can rejoice that despite all the horribleness in life, we belong to God, and he is faithful. He will never leave or forsake you, he is for you, now and for eternity! God is holy, holy, holy!…

Calvary Baltimore Weekly Sermons

1
The Holy Spirit and Cosmic Fruitfulness - John 14-15 42:25

8 weeks назад42:25

42:25

Almighty God dwells within us; we inherit the perfection of his works. As he produces fruit in us, we are his example to the world. Our hearts are above all desperately wicked. We need Jesus; we can't live the Christian life without him. He lives in us, and is for us! He's the second Adam, perfect, without sin. We cultivate the garden by raising our families in God, by living according to his principles, by using his gifts to bear fruit! When God created the earth, he was marrying it to heaven, and marrying man to God. All creation speaks of heaven's wedding to earth. He is the vine, we are the branches. In these last days, God has spoken to us through his son. We learn his language by spending time in relationship with him. Jesus is the voice of God made visible. All creation echoes this voice. The same voice that said "Let there be light" and created the universe, became silent for 3 days at the death of Christ. Creation was then remade at his resurrection! The grave is no longer silent; God's voice thunders out to all creation, and we follow it!…

Calvary Baltimore Weekly Sermons

1
B-Side - Psalm 5 21:46

9 weeks назад21:46

21:46

Psalm 4 closes with David asking God to protect us through the night, and Psalm 5 opens with David meeting the Lord in the morning, giving thanks and worshipping him. He recognizes that it's only because of the goodness of God that he will enter God's house. There's evil inside each of us, and David asks God to keep him from it and make him righteous. The innermost self of evildoers is unfettered evil. David prays for God to judge evildoers, that they'd fall by their own foolishness. An evil man will reap what he sows, but as Christians who abide in Christ, we are under God's protection.…

Calvary Baltimore Weekly Sermons

1
Lingering Trials - Psalm 5 40:27

9 weeks назад40:27