Thousand Hills Cowboy Church

Thousand Hills
  • 5.0 (2)
  • Christianity
  • Updated Weekly

We hope to create an atmosphere of worship that you can feel and sermons that you can understand. A place where anyone, “cowboy” or not can hear God’s word.

  1. 3d ago

    Scripture Alone: The Foundation of Faith and the Reformers' Stand

    This sermon opens a five-week series on the five solas of the Reformation, focusing specifically on Sola Scriptura, or Scripture alone. The speaker traces the historical context of the Protestant Reformation, beginning with Martin Luther's nailing of his 95 theses to the Wittenberg church door in 1517 and his bold stand at the Diet of Worms in 1521. The sermon establishes that the core dispute with the Roman Catholic Church was not over whether Scripture was inspired or inerrant, but over whether tradition and papal authority could hold equal or greater authority than Scripture. The speaker argues that Scripture alone is the believer's ultimate authority because it is inspired by God, authoritative for all of life and faith, inerrant and without contradiction, and fully sufficient to equip every believer for salvation and godly living. The sermon closes with a call to recognize that salvation is a free gift of God through Jesus Christ, found clearly and completely within the pages of Scripture, with no need for additional human tradition or authority to supplement it. Key Points: - The five solas are a summary of the teachings and convictions of the Protestant Reformers, arising as a corrective to errors within the Roman Catholic Church - The central dispute was not whether Scripture was inspired or without error, but whether papal authority and church tradition could hold equal or greater authority than Scripture - Martin Luther's 95 theses were initially intended to spark a scholarly debate, not to launch the Reformation, and his stand at the Diet of Worms demonstrated extraordinary courage given the personal danger he faced - Scripture alone does not mean there are no other forms of authority, but that all secondary authorities must submit to the ultimate authority of Scripture - Scripture is inspired by God, written by approximately 40 human authors over roughly 1,500 years under the direction of the Holy Spirit, with God as its sole author - The biblical canon is complete, and adding to or subtracting from Scripture is sinful and contrary to what the early church recognized as authoritative - Scripture is authoritative and profitable for teaching, reproof, correction, and training in righteousness, as described in 2 Timothy 3:16-17 - Scripture is inerrant, meaning it is without error or contradiction, though human misinterpretation and translation challenges exist - False teachers and false prophets twist, manipulate, or add to Scripture to match their own agendas, a danger Jesus and Paul both warned against - Scripture is fully sufficient to provide the gospel message of salvation, knowledge of sin and conviction through the law, instruction for the church and the family, and guidance for the personal walk with Christ - Every believer has direct access to Scripture and the responsibility to read, study, and apply it personally, without needing a pope or priest as an intermediary - Salvation is a free gift of God through Jesus Christ, not earned by good works or purchased by any means, and this truth is found completely and clearly in Scripture alone Scripture Reference: - 2 Peter 1:19-21, which describes the prophetic word of Scripture as a lamp in a dark place and affirms that Scripture did not originate by human will but by men carried along by the Holy Spirit - 2 Timothy 3:16-17, which declares that all Scripture is God-breathed and profitable for teaching, reproof, correction, and training in righteousness, thoroughly equipping the believer for every good work - Colossians 3:16-17, which calls believers to let the word of Christ dwell in them richly as they teach and admonish one another - Psalm 18:30, which affirms that God's way is blameless and His word is flawless - Psalm 12:6, which describes the words of God as pure, like silver refined seven times - Proverbs 30:5, which states that every word of God is tested and pure - Romans 3:23, which states that all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God - Romans 6:23, which declares that the wages of sin is death but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus - Matthew 23, in which Jesus pronounces a series of woes against the scribes and Pharisees for elevating their traditions above what God commands Stories: - Martin Luther nailing his 95 theses to the Wittenberg church door on October 31, 1517, intending to spark a scholarly debate, only to have his statements translated into German and distributed widely, igniting the Protestant Reformation - The Diet of Worms in April 1521, where Luther was called to recant his 95 theses before Catholic religious leaders, requested a 24-hour delay to consider his response, and then delivered his famous declaration affirming that his conscience was captive to the Word of God, after which he was declared a political outlaw and heretic - The recurring Old Testament narrative of the Israelites falling into disobedience in the wilderness, facing consequences, and being corrected and restored by God, illustrating Scripture's pattern of reproof and restoration - The historical reality that before the printing press and Bible translation into common languages, ordinary people had no access to Scripture and were entirely dependent on priests and church leaders for any knowledge of God's word, which was a central injustice the Reformers sought to correct

  2. Sep 27

    Who Is Your Father? Spiritual Lineage, Human Depravity, and the Glory of Christ

    Preaching through John chapter 8, verses 39 through 59, this sermon confronts the dangerous illusion of inherited religion and false spiritual security. Jesus dismantles the religious leaders' confidence in their physical descent from Abraham, exposing that true spiritual identity is not determined by bloodline, heritage, or outward religious affiliation, but by one's relationship to Christ. The sermon unfolds the doctrine of total depravity and total inability, demonstrating that the unregenerate heart is not neutral but is actively hostile to God and bound to sin. Without the sovereign intervening grace of God, no person will turn to Christ. The climax of the passage arrives when Jesus declares "Before Abraham was, I am," asserting his eternal divine nature and identity as the great I AM of the Old Testament. The sermon calls listeners to examine their spiritual pedigree honestly, bow to the absolute deity of Christ, and marvel at the grace of a gospel that saves even those who once opposed it. Key Points: - Physical descent from Abraham or religious heritage does not guarantee salvation or right standing before God - True faith always produces fruit, evidenced by submission to and abiding in the word of Christ - The unregenerate heart is not neutral but is actively hostile to God and bound by sin, incapable of choosing Christ without divine intervention - Total depravity and total inability mean that salvation is entirely the sovereign work of God, not human decision or moral effort - Jesus identifies the spiritual father of the unbelieving religious leaders as the devil, describing a moral and spiritual likeness rather than a physical lineage - When confronted with truth they cannot refute, the natural man attacks the messenger rather than engaging the argument - Jesus claims the divine name "I AM" in verse 58, directly asserting his eternal deity and unity with the God of the Old Testament - The Old and New Testaments are unified, pointing to one people of God, one way of salvation by grace through faith, and one Savior - Salvation calls for a genuine bowing to the Lordship of Christ, not a customized or comfortable version of Jesus Scripture Reference: - John 8:39-59 (primary text) - Supporting references include Psalm 23, Hebrews (on Abraham and resurrection faith), Genesis 3 (the fall and the nature of sin), Joshua 24 (Abraham's pagan origins), John 3 (the new birth), Acts 2 (Pentecost and the 3,000 saved), Leviticus 24 (the law concerning blasphemy), and Ephesians 2 (dead in trespasses and sins) Stories: - The account of Abraham's radical obedience by faith, including leaving his homeland, trusting God's promise of a son in old age, and climbing Mount Moriah prepared to sacrifice Isaac, believing God could raise the dead - The fall of Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden, particularly the serpent's temptation to know good and evil independently of God, used to illustrate the inherited sin nature of all humanity - The account of Pentecost in Acts 2, where Peter preaches and 3,000 are saved, with the observation that some of those converted may have been among those who had called for Jesus's death, illustrating the depth and reach of God's saving grace

  3. Sep 20

    Free Indeed: The Bondage of Sin and the Sovereign Freedom Found in Christ

    Drawing from John 8:31-38, this sermon examines the nature of true salvation, the absolute bondage of the fallen human will, and the sovereign power of God in granting genuine freedom. The pastor challenges the congregation to look beyond mere profession of faith to the evidence of genuine regeneration, warning that standing close to salvation without truly possessing it is the most dangerous spiritual condition a person can occupy. Using the exchange between Jesus and the Jewish crowd who claimed to have never been enslaved, the sermon exposes the self-deception inherent in religious heritage and moral self-confidence. True freedom, the sermon argues, is not the ability to do whatever one wants, but the ability to do what one ought to do, and this freedom can only be granted by the Son of God through the sovereign work of the Holy Spirit. The sermon emphasizes the doctrines of total depravity, the bondage of the will, perseverance of the saints, and monergistic salvation, calling both the unconverted and the nominally religious to honest self-examination. Key Points: - There is no more dangerous spiritual position than standing close to salvation without truly possessing it - True discipleship is evidenced by lifelong abiding in the Word of Christ, not by a momentary emotional response or a one-time profession of faith - Abiding in Christ is not a condition for becoming a disciple but rather the evidence that one already is a genuine disciple, produced by the indwelling Holy Spirit - The crowd's belief in John 8:30 was shallow and superficial, and Jesus responded not with celebration but with tests of genuine faith - A profession of faith and a possession of saving faith are fundamentally different realities - All unregenerate humanity is enslaved to sin, though the chains are spiritual and invisible to those who wear them - The world defines freedom as the ability to do whatever one wants, but Christ defines true freedom as the ability to do what one ought to do - A slave cannot free himself; only the Son can grant genuine, permanent liberation - Salvation is a monergistic, sovereign rescue by God alone, not a cooperative effort between God and man - Physical or religious lineage, such as being a descendant of Abraham or growing up in the church, provides no spiritual standing before God - The evidence that the crowd was not truly Abraham's spiritual descendants was that the Word of God found no place in them - The unregenerate man cannot hear, understand, or submit to spiritual truth unless the Holy Spirit sovereignly regenerates his heart - Christians still battle the flesh and will stumble, but a genuinely regenerate person will be miserable in sin and will ultimately return to submission under God's Word - A person who permanently abandons Christ demonstrates they were never truly born of God - Evangelism requires sharing the holiness of God, the sinfulness of man, the atoning work of Christ, and the call to repent and believe - Believers should examine their own lives for acceptable sins that may have leverage over them and bring those sins into the light Scripture Reference: - John 8:31-38 serves as the primary text, in which Jesus addresses those who had believed him, establishing the conditions of true discipleship, diagnosing the bondage of sin, and declaring that the Son alone can set a person truly free - John 6:65-66, where Jesus teaches that no one can come to him unless the Father draws him, and many disciples turn back - John 3:3-8, the discourse with Nicodemus on the nature of being born again - Ezekiel 36 and 37, referenced in connection with the new heart God grants in regeneration - 1 Corinthians 2:14, describing spiritual truth as foolishness to the natural man Stories: - The pastor references the historical reality of Israel's repeated enslavement to Egypt, Assyria, the Philistines, and Rome to highlight the absurdity of the crowd's claim to have never been enslaved to anyone - The analogy of teenagers craving freedom from their parents' home, only to discover that doing whatever one wants carries real consequences, is used to illustrate the world's false definition of freedom - The illustration of a wolf that cannot choose to eat grass because its nature demands meat is used to explain how fallen humanity cannot choose to love God apart from divine intervention - The first century household distinction between a slave, who has no permanent standing in the home, and a son, who belongs permanently by right of birth, is drawn upon to explain the difference between religious performance and divine adoption - The pastor references Martin Luther's work The Bondage of the Will in connection with the doctrine of human inability - A personal account is shared about turning off the news during the 2016 election cycle, prompted by a similar testimony from a man named Brian Clark at a men's gathering, used to illustrate the importance of filling one's mind with what pertains to knowing Christ - The pastor describes a pastoral practice of asking those near death whether they are ready for the judgment of God as an entry point for sharing the gospel

  4. Sep 13

    The Line in the Sand: Dying in Your Sins or Born from Above

    Preaching from John 8:21-30 during what appears to be the final day of the Feast of Tabernacles, the pastor presents Jesus drawing an absolute spiritual dividing line between those who are from below and those who are from above. The sermon confronts the natural man's inability to comprehend spiritual truth, the gravity of dying in one's sins, and the exclusive sufficiency of Christ as the great I AM. The pastor emphasizes the total depravity of mankind, the sovereign work of God in regeneration, and the glory of the cross as the supreme demonstration of both divine justice and divine mercy. The sermon closes with a direct call to repentance and faith, warning against false assurance rooted in religious activity or moral comparison, and offering comfort to true believers in the unbreakable grip of Christ. Key Points: - Jesus draws an absolute line dividing all humanity into two categories: those from below and those from above, with no middle ground - The natural man cannot comprehend spiritual truth because he is spiritually dead in his trespasses and sins, not merely sick or weakened - Religion, morality, church attendance, and good deeds cannot elevate a person from below to above or earn favor before a holy God - Dying in one's sins means crossing into eternity still bearing guilt and rebellion, facing the full righteous wrath of God - Sin must be understood as cosmic treason against an infinitely holy God, not merely a mistake, flaw, or bad habit - Jesus's declaration of I AM is a deliberate echo of Exodus 3, claiming to be Yahweh himself, the self-existent, eternal, uncreated God - The person and work of Christ cannot be separated; a Jesus who is merely a good teacher or moral example cannot bear the infinite wrath of God - The cross, though a symbol of Roman shame and torture, was the supreme revelation of God's glory, the meeting point of absolute justice and absolute mercy - The resurrection confirmed Christ's deity and the completion of redemption, as declared in John 19:30 when Jesus said it is finished - Salvation is entirely the sovereign work of God; faith itself is a gift, and regeneration must precede belief because a dead man cannot exercise faith - True repentance is not sorrow over consequences but an actual turning away from and hatred of sin because it offends a holy God - The believer's security rests not in their grip on Christ but in Christ's sovereign, unbreakable grip on them Scripture Reference: - John 8:21-30 (primary text) - 1 Corinthians 2:14, where Paul describes the natural man's inability to receive the things of the Spirit of God - Ephesians 2:1, where Paul describes humanity as dead in trespasses and sins - Ephesians 2:4-5, where Paul describes God making spiritually dead people alive together with Christ by grace - John 3:36, where Jesus contrasts eternal life for the believer with the abiding wrath of God on the one who does not obey the Son - John 6:44 and 6:65, where Jesus declares that no one can come to him unless the Father draws and grants it - Isaiah 53:5, describing the suffering servant pierced for transgressions and crushed for iniquities - Romans 8:32, where Paul declares the Father did not spare his own Son but delivered him over for us all - Romans 1:4, declaring Christ was shown to be the Son of God with power by the resurrection from the dead - John 10:28, where Jesus promises that his sheep will never perish and no one can snatch them from his hand Stories: - The pastor references the account of Nicodemus from earlier in John's gospel as an example of a man who could only understand heavenly realities in physical terms - The encounter of Jesus with the woman at the well is referenced as another instance of Jesus speaking in spiritual terms that were misunderstood in physical ones - The account of Moses at the burning bush in Exodus 3 is referenced to explain the significance of the I AM declaration Jesus makes in verse 24 - The pastor references John 8:58, where Jesus will later declare "before Abraham was born, I am," and the crowd's response of picking up stones to kill him for blasphemy - The Roman practice of crucifixion is described in its historical context as a method deliberately designed to maximize suffering and public shame, reserved for the lowest criminals and enemies of Rome, in order to contrast it with Jesus calling the cross his lifting up - The pastor briefly references a personal struggle early in his Christian life with the doctrine of the security of the believer, and how John 10:28 brought him comfort and resolution

  5. Sep 6

    I Am the Light of the World: The Claim, the Conflict, and the Call to Follow Christ

    Drawing from John 8:12-19, this sermon centers on Jesus's bold declaration that he is the light of the world, one of his great "I Am" statements rooted in the divine name revealed to Moses in Exodus. The pastor connects this claim to its Old Testament backdrop, particularly the Feast of Tabernacles, where massive oil lamps illuminated the temple courts as a remembrance of the pillar of fire that guided Israel through the wilderness. Jesus stands in that very setting and declares himself to be the fulfillment of every shadow and foreshadowing the Old Testament pointed toward. The sermon examines the immediate conflict with the Pharisees, who challenged Jesus on the grounds that self-testimony was legally insufficient, and explains why their objection failed to account for the divine authority of the one speaking. The pastor also emphasizes the inseparable relationship between knowing the Son and knowing the Father, warning that a self-constructed idea of God apart from Jesus is not the God of the Bible. The sermon closes with a call to admit personal darkness, follow Christ in genuine obedience, and bear witness to a world stumbling in spiritual blindness. Key Points: - Jesus's "I Am" declaration in John 8:12 echoes the divine name revealed to Moses in Exodus, identifying him as the eternal God in human flesh - The Feast of Tabernacles provides the immediate backdrop for Jesus's claim, as the temple was lit with large oil lamps commemorating the pillar of fire that led Israel through the wilderness, making his declaration that he is the true light all the more striking - Light in this context means that Jesus reveals reality, exposes what is hidden in darkness, guides the way forward, and gives eternal life to those who follow him - The promise that those who follow Jesus will never walk in darkness is not a vague hope but a guarantee, describing a daily direction of life rather than a one-time decision - The Pharisees judged Jesus according to outward, fleshly appearances, missing the divine authority standing before them, a mistake that continues today when people evaluate Jesus through the lens of culture, politics, or personal preference - The two witnesses Jesus appeals to are himself and God the Father, whose testimony was given at Jesus's baptism, through miracles, through fulfilled prophecy, and through the holy life of Christ - Knowing the Father is impossible apart from knowing the Son, meaning a self-constructed idea of God that bypasses Jesus is an idol, not the living God of Scripture - God's sovereignty is on display in the closing note of the passage, as no one could seize Jesus because his appointed hour had not yet come - Since Jesus is the light, believers must admit their own darkness and sin, follow Christ in faith that produces obedience, and bear witness to others as the Father bore witness to the Son - The resurrection is presented as the greatest proof of Jesus's identity, and the empty tomb forms the foundation of the witness Christians are called to carry into the world Scripture Reference: - John 8:12-19, the primary passage, in which Jesus declares himself the light of the world and defends his testimony before the Pharisees - Exodus 3, where God reveals himself to Moses as "I Am" - Exodus 13, referencing the pillar of fire that guided Israel through the wilderness - Genesis 1, where God speaks light into existence at creation - Psalm 27, where the psalmist describes the Lord as his light and salvation - Isaiah 9, where a great light is promised to people walking in darkness - John 5:36, where Jesus points to his works as the Father's authenticating witness Stories: - The pastor uses the humorous illustration of waking in the middle of the night, seeing a shadowy shape in a dark room, and fearing the worst, only to discover when the light is turned on that it is merely a coat left in an unusual place, as a relatable way of showing how light reveals reality and dispels false perceptions - The account of Moses encountering God at the burning bush in Exodus 3 is referenced to ground the "I Am" language Jesus uses in its Old Testament context - The Feast of Tabernacles setting is described, including the lighting of large oil lamps to commemorate the pillar of fire from the Exodus, establishing the visual and theological backdrop for Jesus's declaration - The baptism of Jesus is briefly referenced as the moment the Father audibly bore witness to the Son, satisfying the legal requirement of two witnesses that the Pharisees cited - The early church's witness in the Roman Empire is mentioned as a historical example of ordinary people carrying the light of the gospel into a hostile world and transforming it

  6. Aug 30

    Grace Without Excuse: The Woman, the Accusers, and the Christ Who Condemns Neither

    Drawing from the passage in John 7:53 through 8:11, this sermon explores the account of the woman caught in adultery, beginning with an honest and thorough examination of why this passage appears in brackets in modern Bible translations. The pastor explains the basics of textual criticism, the canon of Scripture, and how the church recognized rather than created the inspired Word of God. He argues that while this passage is likely not original to John's Gospel, it contains no theological contradiction and likely reflects authentic oral tradition about Jesus. The sermon then moves into the theological weight of the narrative itself, exposing the hypocrisy of the scribes and Pharisees, the grace and authority of Christ, and the inseparable relationship between justification and sanctification. The pastor warns against cheap grace, calling the congregation to genuine repentance and a life transformed by the Holy Spirit. Key Points: - Modern Bible translations bracket John 7:53 through 8:11 not because of tampering but because the earliest and most reliable Greek manuscripts do not contain this passage - The church did not create the canon of Scripture but recognized it, much like a thermometer does not create temperature but measures it - The criteria used by early church councils to recognize canonical books included apostolic authorship or association, theological orthodoxy, and widespread acceptance across the church - The scribes and Pharisees were not motivated by devotion to the law of Moses but by a desire to destroy Jesus, using the woman as bait in a carefully constructed trap - The absence of the man in the adultery accusation reveals the Pharisees' hypocrisy, since the law of Moses demanded both parties be held accountable - Jesus does not minimize the woman's sin but elevates the standard of the law to its full spiritual application, turning the mirror back on her accusers - Christ's declaration that he does not condemn the woman is a portrait of justification, grounded in the doctrine of imputation, where his righteousness is credited to the sinner - The command to go and sin no more is inseparable from the pardon, demonstrating that genuine grace produces genuine transformation - Cheap grace, which seeks pardon without submitting to the Lordship of Christ, is no grace at all - Justification and sanctification are inseparable; a person who claims to be saved but shows no evidence of being changed by the Holy Spirit should examine whether they have truly been born again Scripture Reference: - John 7:53 through 8:11, the account of the woman caught in adultery, serves as the primary text - Supporting references include Leviticus 20:10 and Deuteronomy 22:22 on the Mosaic penalty for adultery, Ephesians 2:20 on the foundation of apostles and prophets, Luke 24:44 on Jesus affirming the Old Testament canon, Jude 3 on contending for the faith once for all delivered, Romans 3:10 on the universal sinfulness of man, and John 10:27 on the sheep hearing the shepherd's voice Stories: - The account of Adam and Eve hiding from God after eating from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil is referenced to illustrate humanity's instinct to conceal sin rather than face exposure - The pastor uses the illustration of reconstructing the Declaration of Independence from thousands of handwritten copies to explain how the volume of manuscript evidence protects the reliability of the biblical text and how textual variants are identified and handled - The narrative of the woman caught in adultery is treated as a historically credible oral tradition, even if not originally part of John's Gospel, and is preached as a portrait of Christ's grace confronting both self-righteous accusation and genuine guilt

  7. Aug 23

    Never Has a Man Spoken Like This: The Living Water and the Blindness of Religious Pride

    Sermon Summary: Drawing from John 7:44-52, this sermon examines the closing scene of the Feast of Tabernacles, where the crowd is divided over Jesus, the temple officers return empty-handed in astonishment, and the Pharisees respond with contempt and arrogance. The pastor revisits the previous week's themes of spiritual thirst, the invitation to come and drink, and the promised rivers of living water flowing from the Holy Spirit, before turning to the sobering reality that religious knowledge and moral performance can coexist with a complete rejection of Christ. The sermon calls listeners to examine their own thirst, their own religion, and whether the rivers of the Spirit are truly flowing in and through their lives. Key Points: -Divine restraint holds back human depravity, as the enemies of Jesus could not seize him before God's appointed time, demonstrating that God sovereignly works out his purposes in all things -The temple officers, hardened and experienced men, were undone by the authority of Jesus's words, yet returned to their superiors unchanged, illustrating the danger of near-conversion, where one can be impressed by Christ without being transformed by him -The Pharisees responded to the officers' report not with theological engagement but with contempt for the common people, revealing that religion without regeneration produces pride, hardness of heart, and contempt rather than compassion -Nicodemus offered a weak, procedural defense of Jesus, appealing to due process rather than confessing Christ, showing the posture of a man not yet fully convinced -The Pharisees' claim that no prophet comes from Galilee was factually and scripturally wrong, as Jonah was from Galilee and Isaiah prophesied that the Messiah's ministry would begin in that very region, exposing how pride blinds people to their own scriptures -It is possible to be deeply religious, to know scripture thoroughly, and to be morally upright while completely missing Jesus Christ -The invitation to come and drink is open to all, not after getting one's life in order, but broken, empty, and desperate -Every believer who has received the Holy Spirit should have rivers flowing outward into their marriage, workplace, community, and witness to the lost -Humanity's sinful nature is inherited from Adam and is displayed even in small children without being taught, confirming the biblical truth that all have sinned and fallen short of God's glory -Salvation is not a human achievement or a ladder climbed toward God but is God reaching down, drawing people to himself through Christ alone Scripture Reference: John 7:44-52, the primary passage, covering the failed arrest of Jesus, the officers' astonished response, the Pharisees' contemptuous reaction, and Nicodemus's cautious defense John 7:37-39, revisited from the previous week, containing Jesus's invitation to the thirsty and the promise of rivers of living water, interpreted by John as pointing to the gift of the Holy Spirit John 6:44, where Jesus teaches that no one can come to him unless the Father draws him John 3:16, the declaration that God gave his only Son so that whoever believes in him will not perish but have everlasting life Isaiah 9:1-2, prophesying that the region of Galilee, despised by the Pharisees, would see a great light 2 Kings 14:25, establishing that Jonah was from Gath Hefer in Galilee Deuteronomy 18, referenced in connection with the crowd's identification of Jesus as the prophet like Moses Romans 6:23, summarized as teaching that the wages of sin is death but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ Stories: The Feast of Tabernacles ceremony is described, in which a priest carried a golden pitcher to the Pool of Siloam, filled it with water, and returned to the temple amid trumpet blasts and the singing of the Hallel Psalms, serving as the backdrop for Jesus's declaration about living water The arrest of Jesus in the Garden of Gethsemane is referenced, noting that Peter drew his sword and struck the ear of a servant of the high priest, missing his head because he was a fisherman untrained in swordsmanship, and that Jesus healed the man The pastor recounts observing his young granddaughter, approximately one year old, instinctively resisting other children who showed interest in her toys without ever being taught to do so, using this as an illustration of humanity's inherited sin nature and total depravity.

  8. Aug 23

    Never Has a Man Spoken Like This: Thirst, Pride, and the Living Water

    Preached from John 7, this sermon concludes a study of the Feast of Tabernacles and the confrontation between Jesus and the religious establishment of his day. The pastor examines the divided responses to Jesus among the crowds, temple officers, and Pharisees, drawing out the dangerous reality that religious knowledge and moral effort can coexist with a complete rejection of Christ. The sermon emphasizes that Jesus alone offers living water that satisfies the deepest thirst of the human soul, that this water flows only because Christ was struck on the cross and the Spirit was poured out, and that genuine salvation produces an outward flow of grace into every area of life. The Pharisees serve as a sobering warning against spiritual pride, prejudice, and the assumption that God can only work through certain people or places. Nicodemus represents the danger of near-conversion, being drawn toward Christ but not yet fully committed. The sermon closes with a direct gospel appeal, calling the lost to come to Christ broken and empty, and calling believers to share that gospel with a thirsty world. Key Points: - Divine restraint is at work throughout the passage, as no one is able to seize Jesus because his appointed hour had not yet come, demonstrating that God sovereignly governs even the intentions of wicked men - The temple officers, hardened and experienced men, returned to the chief priests empty-handed and confessed that no man had ever spoken the way Jesus spoke, illustrating that it is possible to recognize the majesty and authority of Christ and still walk away unchanged - The Pharisees responded to the officers' report not with theological argument but with contempt for the common people, revealing that religion without regeneration produces pride, hardness of heart, and a dismissal of those considered spiritually inferior - Nicodemus attempted a weak defense of Jesus on the grounds of due process, representing a state of near-conversion in which a person is drawn toward Christ but has not yet fully believed - The Pharisees' claim that no prophet arises from Galilee was both factually wrong and a contradiction of their own scriptures, since the prophet Jonah was from Galilee and Isaiah had prophesied that the Messiah's ministry would begin in that very region - Spiritual pride causes people to become incapable of recognizing God at work when he does not conform to their expectations, just as the Pharisees wanted a Messiah who would overthrow Rome and missed the one who came to save their souls - Knowing about Christ is not the same as receiving him, just as knowing about water and being able to describe it fully does not quench thirst - The Holy Spirit could not be poured out into the church until the work of redemption was finished, meaning the river of living water could not flow until the rock was struck on the cross - Salvation is not a human achievement but a drawing by God, as Jesus stated in John 6:44 that no one comes to him unless the Father draws him - The living water Jesus promises flows not as a trickle but as a river from the innermost being of every believer, and that river should be visibly flowing into marriages, workplaces, communities, and the lives of those who are still thirsty Scripture Reference: - John 7:44-52, the primary passage covering the failed arrest of Jesus, the officers' astonished response, the Pharisees' contemptuous reaction, and Nicodemus's defense of Jesus - John 7:37-39, the preceding context in which Jesus offers living water at the Feast of Tabernacles and John explains that this referred to the coming of the Holy Spirit - John 6:44, cited to establish that salvation is a sovereign drawing by the Father rather than a human achievement - John 3:16, referenced in the gospel appeal as the foundational promise of eternal life through belief in Christ - Isaiah 9:1-2, cited to demonstrate that the Pharisees' dismissal of Galilee contradicted their own prophetic scriptures - 2 Kings 14:25, referenced to show that the prophet Jonah was from Gath-hepher in Galilee, further undermining the Pharisees' claim - Deuteronomy 18, mentioned in the context of the crowd's discussion of whether Jesus was the prophet like Moses Stories: - The Feast of Tabernacles ceremony is described, in which a priest would carry a golden pitcher to the Pool of Siloam, fill it with water, and carry it back to the temple with trumpets blowing and the Hallel Psalms being sung, serving as the backdrop for Jesus's declaration about living water - The arrest of Jesus in the Garden of Gethsemane is briefly referenced, with Peter drawing his sword and cutting off the ear of a temple servant, which Jesus then healed, used to illustrate the kind of hardened men the temple officers were - The pastor recounts observing his one-year-old granddaughter at a gathering, instinctively refusing to share her toys with other children without being taught to do so, used as an illustration of the doctrine of original sin and the inherited sin nature of all humanity

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We hope to create an atmosphere of worship that you can feel and sermons that you can understand. A place where anyone, “cowboy” or not can hear God’s word.

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