A&D Biker Ministries - "Growing the Kingdom of God . . . one Biker at a time"

10/31/2026

Galatians 3:1-9- Are you Saved by Grace through Faith or by Works?

I. Did you receive the Spirit by works or by faith (1-5)
II.The example of Abraham (6-9)

I. Did you receive the Spirit by works or by faith (1-5)

A. Paul addresses these Galatians Christians who have turned away from the truth of Salvation by grace through faith, as Foolish.

Cross-References

Proverbs 12:15 – The way of a fool is right in his own eyes, but he that harkeneth unto counsel is wise.

Proverbs 26:11 – As a dog returneth to its vomit, so a fool returneth to his folly.

Hebrews 7:25 – Wherefore he is able to save them to the uttermost that come unto God by him, seeing he ever liveth to make intercession for them.

Romans 10:17 – So then, faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.

Romans 8:9 – But you are not in the flesh, but in the Spirit, if so be that the Spirit of God dwells in you. Now if any man has not the Spirit of Christ, he is none of his.

Verse by Verse Commentary

1. – Paul uses very strong language here. It shows the depth of his emotion on this issue. Although it was powerful language, it was true. Should we speak like this? Generally, we should not use such intense language. Gentleness is an important Christian character quality.

2 Timothy 2:25- "In meekness instructing those that oppose themselves, if God peradventure will give them repentance to the acknowledging of the truth."

While gentle instruction is the first choice, sometimes it might be necessary to use strong language occasionally to shock people awake from spiritual lethargy or disobedience.

1 Timothy 5:20 – "Them that sin, rebuke before all, that others also may fear."

You can see from this verse that rebuking is for those who “persist in sin.” It is not something you should turn to the first time someone sins. But if they keep sinning and don’t listen to gentler advice, then a rebuke is necessary.

It is similar to doctors’ use of defibrillators. They first use them on a low setting but then slowly raise the electricity level. For a person who is completely unresponsive, the doctor may set it on the highest setting.

Here, Paul hits the Galatians with the highest setting! They were beginning to abandon the true gospel of salvation by grace through faith in favor of a works-oriented approach.

This was foolish. The Galatians’ foolishness was not a lack of intelligence or IQ. Rather it was a willful turning away from what they knew to be the truth.

2. Who has bewitched you? – Their turning away from the true gospel was such a shock that it seemed to Paul as if they had been bewitched. That means it seemed as if someone had used magic to lead them astray. It’s as if they had been hypnotized and lost all ability to use their minds.

Application: How can you avoid being led astray? The protection against this is to keep our eyes wide open and alert, to know the truth so that we can discern the lie. This stresses the importance of knowing scripture and embracing sound doctrine.

3. Before your very eyes Jesus was portrayed as crucified – This doesn’t mean that they literally saw Jesus crucified. Instead, Paul and other preachers painted a visible picture for them of Jesus’ crucifixion when they shared the gospel with the Galatians. Therefore, the Galatians did not have the excuse of ignorance since they clearly saw and heard the truth.

4. Are you so foolish? – Paul re-emphasizes his claim that only a foolish person would take the path they were on.

5. After beginning by the Spirit, are you now trying to finish by means of the flesh? – Paul comes back to his central theme in this book again. The Gentiles were saved by the Spirit through faith apart from any works. The gospel message that Paul preached to them was unambiguous. Believe in the Lord Jesus Christ, and you will be saved. Nothing more. Nothing less. The “formula” is not believing in Christ to get saved and then doing good works on your own to stay saved.

We can’t get in by our works. And we can’t stay in by our works.

Application: How is this principle helpful for our life today? What application can we make from this? The key lesson is that we must be humble and continually depend on Christ rather than ourselves.

6. Have you experienced (or suffered) so much in vain? – The Galatians originally believed in the true gospel. They believed that they were saved by grace, that Christ alone was enough. But if they subsequently changed their mind and embraced a works-oriented approach, then their salvation experience would be considered worthless. Everything would have been in vain. All of their spiritual progress would be thrown out the window as they slide back to self-reliance.

7. Verse 5 – Paul reinforces his point. God’s work on our behalf is a gift. It is not something we can earn or deserve. It is based on hearing with faith and not by works.

Knowing this, how should we react? What should we do, knowing we cannot earn salvation either before or after believing?

II. The example of Abraham (6-9)

Cross-References

James 2:20-24 – "But wilt thou know, O vain man, that faith without workd is dead? Was not Abraham our father justified by works when he offered Isaac his son upon the altar? Seest thou how faith wrought with his works, and by works was faith made perfect? And the scripture was fulfilled which saith, “Abraham believed God, and it was imputed to him for righteousness,” and he was called the friend of God. You see then how by works a man is justified, and not by faith only."

Romans 4:1-18 – Abraham was justified by faith.

Verse by Verse Commentary

1. Abraham believed in the LORD and it was counted to him for righteousness (Genesis 15:6) –

Paul uses the example of Abraham to prove his point of salvation through faith. Abraham is the patriarch of the Jews. God extended to him the Abrahamic Covenant. Abraham faithfully obeyed God, leaving his home and journeying into the unknown. He faithfully obeyed God by willingly offering up his heir, Isaac, as a sacrifice. And yet it is not these things which made him righteous. It is his faith.

Notice that the righteousness, even then, is not his own. It was credited to him. What does that mean? It means that God counted Abraham as righteous. He wasn’t righteous. Every person is a sinner. But God chose to view him as righteous.

The principle in this verse is extremely significant. Paul quotes it also in Romans 4:3, and James quotes it in James 2:23.

From the very beginning, God established this “salvation by faith” principle. If their forefather, Abraham, who was far more obedient than they, could be saved only by faith, then how could the Galatians be saved through the works of the law?

2. Those of faith are the sons of Abraham –

Galatians 3:29 – And if ye be Christ’s, then you are Abraham’s seed, and heirs according to promise.

Hebrews 11:8 – By faith Abraham, when he was called to go out into a place which he should after receive as an inheritance, obeyed; and he went out, not knowing whither he went.

Jews took great pride in their ancestry. They believed they were special because they were children of Abraham. And they thought that they deserved God’s favor, blessings, and even salvation because of their lineage.

John the Baptist shot this idea out of the water.

Matthew 3:9- "And think not to say within yourselves, We have Abraham to our father: for I say unto you, that God is able of these stones to raise up children unto Abraham."

John recognized that just because a person was a Hebrew, didn’t mean they had a relationship with God. One’s race didn’t guarantee salvation. In acknowledging and preaching against this mistake, John went against the grain of the prideful Jews who looked down on all others and considered that they would be saved because of their heritage.

Paul teaches here that the real sons of Abraham are those who have faith as he did. The Galatians were not Jews. But they could be saved and counted as righteous before God the same way Abraham was.

Application – Know that being in a Christian family doesn’t save you. As I have mentioned before, God doesn’t have any grandchildren. We will all be held personally responsible for our own actions and choices in God’s sight. This is especially relevant to all who come from Christian families.

And it also applies to your children. You need to teach them to understand that they must decide for themselves. Train and teach your kids so they know all they need to know to make the right choice to serve God with their lives.

3. In you shall all the nations be blessed – Paul says that the Scriptures foreknew the Gentiles would be justified by faith. In other words, salvation by faith is not plan B. The law was given as a mirror to show people their sin. It demonstrated to people that they could not follow God’s standards by relying on themselves.

Salvation has been and will always be by faith alone.

4. Those who have faith are blessed along with Abraham- Basically, we have a choice. We can be like Abraham. Or we can be like the Pharisees. Abraham genuinely believed in God; it was that faith that saved him. God imputed His righteousness to Abraham because of his faith.

The Pharisees attempted to earn God’s favor through works, but these works became external rituals devoid of sincerity or love. They tried to please God with their own righteousness but failed since they weren’t righteous. Because the Pharisees didn’t humble themselves before the Lord, He didn’t impute His righteousness to them.

Abraham had strong faith, and this faith moved him to action. So, Paul is not teaching an empty faith.

Again, Romans 4:1-18 tells us – Abraham was justified by faith.

Ephesians 2:8-9- "For by grace are ye saved through faith, and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: not of works, lest any man should boast."

10/24/2026

The Commission that Christ gave his followers.

with Jeff MacDougall

I was browsing your website this past week, and I want to read you a small section from your statement of faith. It says, “We believe that God’s justifying grace must not be separated from His sanctifying power and purpose. God commands us to love Him supremely and others sacrificially, and to live out our faith with care for one another, compassion toward the poor, and justice for the oppressed. With God’s Word, the Spirit’s power, and fervent prayer in Christ’s name, we are to combat the spiritual forces of evil. In obedience to Christ’s commission, we are to make disciples among all people, always bearing witness to the gospel in word and deed.” This is the focus of our time together tonight: the commission that Christ gave his followers to go out and make disciples, to baptize, and to teach. The last time I was here, we looked at the life and the martyrdom of Stephen, and I explained that to be a disciple of someone is to have your life fully transformed so we reflect the master’s teachings into the world we live in. Today we are going to read that commissioning passage in Matthew 28 and look at some examples of early disciples and how they lived their lives. How their lives are shaped by genuine transformation, taking them from different corners of society that never would have mingled and creating a unified body of believers: the church. And here’s the main point I want you to take away tonight: every one of you is called and empowered to be a disciple-maker. Not just pastors and elders but every follower of Jesus. Let’s read Matthew 28:16-20: 16 Now the eleven disciples went to Galilee, to the mountain to which Jesus had directed them. 17 And when they saw him they worshiped him, but some doubted. 18 And Jesus came and said to them, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. 19 Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20 teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.” Jesus did not command his followers to make spiritual converts. He didn’t command them to seize political power and pass laws that forced his teachings on the population. He didn’t command them to put on emotional performances or to get people to say a prayer of repentance. He told them to make disciples. And when we read the New Testament, we see a young church practicing disciple making. It’s a messy process where we see people making the wrong choices and needing correction, like in 1 Corinthians; or people doing well but needing some encouragement because they are going through persecution. The new believers are being taught, corrected, rebuked, challenged, encouraged in order to shape them to look more like Jesus. In Acts we see many converts made, the church grows, but then we see how they are growing in a Jesus-centered community that radically reshapes their lives and doesn’t let them stop at simple conversion. Their whole life is demanded of them. Much of the apostles’ writing is focused on the discipling of the church. To be a disciple is a lifelong process by which, as we grow in our knowledge and maturity in the Lord, we look and think and act more and more like Jesus. Of course, this process never ends. None of us can ever be equal to Jesus. But to be a disciple means to strive to imitate our master more and more as our understanding of his teachings deepens in us over the course of our lives. We often forget that this is our calling. Whether you’re a pastor or a brand-new Christian who just believed today, we all possess the Spirit of God, which empowers us to fulfill that calling. The last time I was here I showed you this in the life of Stephen, the first martyr of the new church. He was a man whose life was completely transformed by Jesus, and so we saw how much he reflected Jesus in his life. Caring for the widows in their community, teaching in the temple courts and rebuking the legalists, proclaiming the gospel message as the fulfillment of the Hebrew scriptures, and forgiving his enemies as they executed him. When Jesus tells us to make disciples, this is what he is expecting from a disciple. People who are so radically committed to him, that we uncomfortably change our lives to follow his teachings. I like pointing out the sacrificial nature of discipleship, of how uncomfortable it is. I think it isn’t preached enough in our culture because we’re so afraid we’ll push people away from the church. No one wants to join a club to be uncomfortable. No one joins a community to give up their wealth, their leisure, their social status or job or even their freedom, just so they can serve others. And yet, this is exactly what we see the early church doing. They sell from their excess in order to give to the members who don’t have enough. They share and provide for one another’s needs. They feed widows, AND they proclaim the gospel. Just like Jesus, whose entire ministry was to take care of the physical needs of the community, healing, feeding, driving out unclean spirits, WHILE teaching the wisdom they were missing from their own scriptures. He preached AND served. And before he was arrested he told his disciples “34 A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another: just as I have loved you, you also are to love one another. 35 By this all people will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another.” How does Jesus claim that the world will know us to be Christians? Not by logical arguments and rational discourse. Not great preaching that PROVES we are right. Not by taking hard moral stances and demanding that the culture around us all pretend they are Christian. No, he tells the church to love one another. And he demonstrates it by serving his disciples: washing their feet. I challenge you to read the letter of 1 John tonight. It’s super short, only takes 15 minutes or so. But read this letter focused on how John is explaining Jesus’s command that we love one another. It’s not a typical letter that flows from one point to the next, rather, John loops around and around with everything returning to our love for one another. This is how we see discipleship is happening. This is how the world can look in and see, “wow, those people are different. I want that.” When they see people in community together who normally don’t belong together, like the Jews and Gentiles or the slaves and freemen of the early church. Or today of different races, ethnicities, languages all worshipping together. Or, imagine this: different political opinions coming together and saying, “we are unified in Christ. Let’s not allow the world to divide us.” This is hard. It takes practice. Paul uses the metaphor of faith being like exercise. We have to work the muscles in order to build them up. Sharing faith is hard, but we can practice it within this body. We can tell our stories and how Christ has impacted us, how we have seen the Spirit work in our lives. If a brother or sister can’t see it, the other members of the body can often see what we can’t, and can encourage us and shine light on it for us. But this can only happen when we are in fellowship. When we meet regularly and talk to one another, share meals together and share our lives together. We exercise our prayer muscle when we open up and say, “I need prayer for this thing” and allow others to pray for us, and we pray for them as well. When someone tells you something is going on don’t tell them you’ll pray for them. Pray for them now. With them. And keep praying for them and keep checking in and reminding them you’re praying for them. Exercise that muscle. We exercise the learning and patience muscles when we read. When we open scripture and ask God to teach us through his word. When we set that routine of being in the word regularly. It’s not easy to do this. It is a discipline. There are a million distractions out there and we’ve all sabotaged our attention spans with smart phones. To be in the word is a discipline we must exercise as disciples. We exercise the generosity muscle when we give sacrificially. Not just money but our time, our service as well. Giving of ourselves is so joyous when we do it sacrificially, because we see the Spirit use our giving and the joy and life change it can bring to others. We exercise the forgiveness muscle when we genuinely practice forgiveness. Anyone ever been offended or hurt by someone in the church? The world’s practice is to cut them off, to end the relationship, to walk away. Jesus forgave the soldiers who were brutally torturing and executing him. This is hard. We don’t have time to get into a whole theology of forgiveness right now. Paul clearly taught there are appropriate times for separation but also that the best thing was forgiveness and unity. Because exercising unity is the ultimate display to the world that there is something different about this Jesus. There is something about this man and his teachings that causes very different people to share their lives together, to forgive one another, to help one another, to give to one another. To be a convert is to believe; to be a disciple is to transform your life. Examples of Disciples in the NT It can be easy when we read the New Testament, to look at Paul and Peter and just think, “well, I’ll never be like them, so I don’t really need to transform my WHOLE life…”. Instead, let’s take a few minutes to look at a few lesser-known disciples in the New Testament. Let’s take Priscilla and Aquilla. This couple met Paul in Corinth and shared a common occupation with him, so they worked together for a time as tent-makers and participated in Synagogue and church life together. They accompanied Paul on his journeys for a bit. While in Ephesus, they met another disciple, Apollos, who was a missionary like Paul, and was faithfully teaching the good news of Jesus. But he didn’t have a full grasp of all the theology, so Priscilla and Aquilla invite him to their home and teach him more fully about their shared faith. They build him up and he receives it. This is mature discipleship. Not arguing over political positions or dividing over theological differences; just an invitation into their home and building up a weakness. In the end of Paul’s letters we see many brief examples of disciples living out Jesus’s teachings. People like Gaius who is said to be very hospitable, welcoming people into his home. People who minister to Paul in prison and care for his physical needs. People like Epaphras who wrestles in prayer for the church or like Nympha who hosts the Colossian church at her home. Stephanas who serves the church, and many others. These are people who are serving one another, helping meet physical needs. They open their homes to one another. They teach and correct one another. Phoebe travelled across the Roman empire to deliver Paul’s letter and teach the house churches in Rome. These are disciples living out Jesus’s command to love and serve one another. His command to build one another up and teach one another. People from very different backgrounds, Jew and Gentile, men and women, slaves and free, united under their common master. They are out in the culture preaching the Gospel and drawing people to Christ, but they are effective at that BECAUSE they are focused first on being disciples of their teacher. Baptism In our text, the great commission, Jesus followed his command that we make disciples by telling us to baptize and to teach, and these are critical parts of our discipleship: 19 Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20 teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. To baptize a believer is to welcome them into community. It is an exercise of our unity muscle. We accept all believers, not just ones that share our affiliations. Revelation tells us that people from every tribe, every nation, every people, every language will stand before the throne of God and worship him. This was radical in the 1st century. The idea that Jews and Gentiles would worship alongside each other was unheard of. Or that slave and free would share a table. Baptism, and the response of the Christian community welcoming the new believer, is an expression of our discipleship because it shows how we practice Jesus’s teachings on unity. Baptism is a statement that this person has shared in the death and burial and resurrection of Christ, and as a new creation they are now a member of this community of Jesus’s disciples. It entitles them to participate in the weekly teaching and prayer and worship; in the meal, the communion in which the bread and wine are shared in remembrance of what their teacher had done for them. Paul speaks of baptism as an event in which our old self, the part of us that is a slave to sin, is actually dying. When we go under the water, this represents our death and burial, which we share with Jesus; our ascension out of the water then represents our resurrection with Christ as a new creation. A new creation that is no longer slave to sin but is now the bride of Jesus. Paul uses this metaphor of marriage just like Jesus did, and explains that while once we were united (married) with sin and death, we are now united with Christ. The baptism, of course, is not the thing that unites us with Christ. It is by grace alone that we are saved, through faith. But a wedding ceremony is not the thing that makes us man and wife, the wedding is the outward expression, the event or statement before our friends and family and community that says these two have been joined by God, let no one separate them. God does the joining; the community celebrates it and accepts the new couple. Likewise baptism is that ceremony that shows the community and the world that God has joined himself with this human, and we welcome that brother or sister into our family. And because we are joined with Christ as a new creation, we now can choose to live according to Jesus’s teachings. We now have the ability to reject sin. We now have the ability to be a disciple, one who follows the teachings of our sinless master. Teaching Make disciples, baptize, and teach… The teaching builds up the disciple with knowledge so they can behave like Jesus and demonstrate to outsiders the good news of Jesus’s teachings. If we aren’t taught, how can we imitate Jesus? When Jesus was doing his earthly ministry, he said that he did not come to do away with the old teachings (the law and the prophets), rather he came to fulfill them. He showed the wisdom behind the law, how it was meant to be a beacon to the outside world that drew them in away from the worship of false idols to the worship of Yahweh. Now think about that for a second. If Jesus’s teachings, his life, his ministry, was meant to draw people to God: what do you think his disciples are meant to do? Jesus taught his followers, “You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden. Nor do people light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a stand, and it gives light to all in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven.” In this same teaching, Jesus explained the wisdom behind the teachings of the Old Testament. He said some truly radical things, like: • You’ve never murdered anyone? Great. Have you ever been angry with someone? It’s as if you had murdered them. • You’ve never cheated on your spouse? Great. Have you ever looked at someone lustfully? It’s as if you have cheated. • Do not resist the person who is evil. • Love your enemy. Pray for the people who persecute you. These teachings are crazy in our world! Our world wants to divide us, to make us think that other people are our enemies and we need to demonize them. But John tells us that God loves the WHOLE world, even your enemy, and sent his son to die for them. If we are going to be a light to the world, if we are going to represent God to the culture and draw people to him, we need to be disciples. We need to imitate our master. We need to follow his teachings and show the world that we have truly died to our old, selfish, sinful self, and we are now a new creation that loves the people who the world says should be our enemy. Paul says we do not wage war against flesh and blood but against powers and principalities. In other words, our enemy is never a human. The person who wronged you bears the image of God, and God loves that person and desires relationship with them. And what better person to show them the radical, unrelenting love of God than the most unlikely person: you. Our real enemies are the spiritual powers that seek to divide us. If we are divided we will not be effective at reaching this world. If we are divided we are not practicing the teachings of Jesus. Conclusion There’s a lot that can stand in our way of being disciples. Hurt divides us. Our own needs make it hard to be generous. Prayer and fasting and reading scripture can feel like a real challenge. But to be a disciple is to be disciplined: to practice the hard disciplines of following a teacher. And when we share our faith and pray for others and draw people to God, we can be so focused on spiritual conversion, on getting souls into heaven, that we forget that the commission is to make disciples. We want our friends and loved ones to put their faith in Jesus, to be born again, but we need to remember that conversion is not the end goal of our efforts. Like somehow the Christian life is just about privately praying for the people we love and going to church, but nothing else really changes. Conversion, justification (as your statement puts it) is only step 1 in the Christian life. We cannot stop at a sinner’s prayer, we have to do the hard work of discipling. We need to commit ourselves to the hard work of being disciples, and to the hard work of making disciples. This is the work every one of us has been called to do. In whomever comes across your path. The people God has placed in your life. That is your mission field. For the unbelievers to hear the Gospel; and the believers to build one another up as disciples of our teacher.

09/26/2026

How does John 20:22- where Jesus breathes on his disciples and tells them to Receive the Holy Spirit relate to Pentecost?

“Then the same day at evening, being the first day of the week, when the doors were shut where the disciples were assembled for fear of the Jews, came Jesus and stood in the midst, and saith unto them, Peace be unto you. And when he had so said, he shewed unto them his hands and his side. Then were the disciples glad, when they saw the Lord. Then said Jesus to them again, Peace be unto you: as my Father hath sent me, even so send I you.”
‭‭John‬ ‭20‬:‭19‬-‭21‬ ‭

“And when he had said this, he breathed on them, and saith unto them, Receive ye the Holy Ghost:” John‬ ‭20‬:‭22‬ ‭

God is the Giver of physical life and Spiritual life.
God breathes life into man- Genesis 2:7

“And the LORD God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living soul.” Genesis‬ ‭2‬:‭7‬

We read that God breathed into Adam’s nostrils the “breath of life” and man became a living soul.” As God created all things in Heaven and earth, he formed man from the dust of the ground, but it took God’s breath to make him fully alive. He transformed the first human into a living being- a living soul. He then formed the woman from Adam’s rib. As spiritual beings we are able to enjoy fellowship with him through our faith in Jesus Christ.

Jesus “breathed on” his disciples and said “receive the Holy Spirit” John 20:27. One commentator wrote “this inbreathing” of the Holy Spirit is essential in order for people to enjoy fellowship with God.

Each breath that we take comes as God’s gift of physical life. As believers in Jesus, it’s also a reflection of our eternal life and being indwelt by the life-giving Spirit- Romans 8:11

John 20:22 describes a significant moment when Jesus after His resurrection, breathes on his disciples and instructs them to “Receive the Holy Spirit.” This act symbolizes the importation of the Holy Spirit to empower the disciples for their mission.

The theological relationship between John 20:22 and the events of Pentecost is often understood as a gradual unfolding of promise, where the breath of Jesus in the Gospel of John serves as a foretaste of the full outpouring later described in Acts. While Pentecost marks the public, permanent indwelling of the Holy Spirit that launched the church’s mission, John 20:22 is frequently interpreted as a symbolic or temporary empowerment that anticipates the greater gift to come.

Did the disciples receive the Holy Spirit before or after Pentecost?
Perspective Interpretive Focus Key Distinction
Symbolic promise Anticipation of Pentecost The breath acts as a sign of the Spirit coming fifty days later.
Temporary filling Preparatory empowerment This reception provided strength until the permanent indwelling at Acts 2.
Gradual unfolding Progressive fulfillment The Helper could not fully come until Jesus ascended to the Father.
Theological Perspectives
Understanding these two moments requires looking at how scholars and theologians reconcile the timing of the Spirit's arrival. Rather than viewing them as rival accounts, many traditions see them as complementary stages in the life of the early church.
• John Calvin describes the disciples as being "sprinkled" with the grace of the Spirit in John 20:22, though they did not reach the "full enduement of power" until the events of Pentecost.
• Jesus’ promise in the Gospels often emphasized that the Comforter would not come until he had departed, supporting the view that John 20:22 represents an earnest or pledge of the fullness to be inherited later.
• Exalted Christ portrays the risen Jesus as the source of the Spirit, ensuring that Pentecost is not an independent act but rather the moment the Savior pours out his promised gift upon his people.
Historical and Symbolic Context
The act of breathing on the disciples carries deep symbolic weight, echoing the original creation of life while signaling the beginning of a new creation under the authority of the risen Lord. This connection highlights the transition from Jesus’ corporeal presence to his spiritual presence among the believers.
• New Creation themes are central to the Gospel of John, which presents the resurrected Jesus as the Lord who restores peace and gives life to his fearful, hidden disciples.
• Genesis 2:7 provides the linguistic background for the Greek term used in John 20:22, linking the breath of the second Adam to the imparting of a new, divine life for his ministry.
• Divine love is conferred on the disciples to empower them as they are sent into the world, grounding their missionary work directly in the authority and life-giving energy of the risen Son.
The manifold unfolding of God’s promise across these scriptures ensures that the breath in the upper room and the rushing wind at Pentecost remain unified parts of the same redemptive mission.
This verse holds deep theological implications regarding the Holy Spirit.
I. Jesus Shows Himself to His Disciples
• Post-Resurrection Appearance — This event occurs during Jesus' first appearance to the disciples after his resurrection, emphasizing his authority and presence as he commissions them for ministry.
II. Jesus Symbolically Gives the Holy Spirit
• Impartation of the Holy Spirit — Jesus breathes on the disciples, symbolizing the giving of the Holy Spirit, which is crucial for their future ministry.
III. Jesus Sends His Disciples-
• Commissioning of Disciples — The verse follows Jesus' statement about sending the disciples as he was sent by the Father, linking their mission to the empowerment of the Holy Spirit.
IV. Jesus Sanctions His Disciples-
• Forgiveness of Sins — The subsequent verses discuss the authority to forgive sins, highlighting the role of the Holy Spirit in the life of the church.

The command, "receive the Holy Spirit", serves to equip the disciples for their missionary work, which is dependent on the mission of the Son, as stated in verse 21. Readings differ as to whether the words refer to "the present actual reception of the Holy Spirit, or a promise of its future reception. Heinrich Meyer (1880) identified several theologians representative of both points of view. Andreas Köstenberger suggests that this represents a symbolic promise anticipating the gift of the Spirit fifty days later at Pentecost (Acts 2).
John Calvin notes that here the disciples were sprinkled with the grace of the Spirit, but not yet saturated with the full enduement of power until Acts 2. Similarly, theologian Henry Alford warns that
To understand this verse as the outpouring of the Spirit [and] the fulfilment of the promise of the Comforter, is against all consistency, and most against John himself: see John 16:7 and John 7:39.
To understand it rightly, we have merely to recur to that great key to the meaning of so many dark passages of Scripture, the manifold and gradual unfolding of promise and prophecy in their fulfilment. The presence of the Lord among them now was a slight and temporary fulfilment of His promise of returning to them; and so the imparting of the Spirit now was a symbol and foretaste of that which they should receive at Pentecost: is but the first-fruits and pledge (Romans 8:23; 2 Corinthians 1:22) of the fulness which we shall hereafter inherit.
The giving of the Spirit at this time was linked with the forgiving on sins (verse 23).

09/19/2026

We Are the Sheep of His Pasture Psalm 100:3 Psalm 95:7-8 John 10:1-18

The Good Shepherd “Know ye that the LORD He is God: It is He that hath made us, and not we ourselves; We are His people, and the Sheep of His pasture.” Psalm 100:3 “For He is our God; and we are the people of His pasture, and the sheep of His hand.” “Today, if you will hear his voice, Harden not your heart, as in the day of provocation, and as in the day of temptation in the wilderness.” Psalm 95:7-8 John 10:1-18- Jesus declares that He is the Good Shepherd who gives his life for the sheep. Ezekiel 34:31- “Ye are my flock, the flock of my pasture, are men. and I am your god, saith the Lord GOD. I. The Identity of the Sheep- identified as “we are His people; The Sheep of His pasture.” Psalm 100:3 This verse emphasizes that we belong to God who made us and we are under His care like sheep in the shepherd’s pasture. A. We are His if we have trusted Jesus Christ as Savior. We belong to Him by redemption (salvation). These terms reflect God’s ownership, care, provision. B. The sheep imagery conveys dependence, vulnerability and need for a shepherd. C. Jesus, the Good Shepherd knows his sheep by name, calls each by name and leads them. We are known, we are loved, we are cared for. D. This is a Special relationship between the sheep and the Shepherd- cherished. E. “Sheep of His Pasture” denotes care, provision and protection. II. The Privileges of the Sheep who belong to the Shepherd- ”sheep of his pasture” A. A shepherd who is God Himself- As such, HE IS the God who made them ; This shepherd is Certified- as the True shepherd who is Compassionate. He is the Good Shepherd. God is GOOD All the Time! B. Fellowship with Other Sheep in the fellowship of the fold (the community in the Church). C. Protection- God’s watchful care. D. Power in prayer and the Holy Spirit- Spiritual communication and connection. III. The Place of the Sheep A. “The pasture is a place of safety and nourishment, B. Believers are to dwell in God’s presence and feed on his Word. C. They’re protected by the Shepherd’s watchful eye and guarding presence. We Are the Sheep of His Pasture Psalm 100:3 Psalm 95:7-8 John 10:1-18 The Good Shepherd IV. The Response of the Sheep- Psalm 100 calls for joy, service and thanksgiving. We are to: A. Recognize God as our Maker and Shepherd B. Follow His Voice- John 10:4-5 C. Trust in His Guidance even when unseen and unheard. Remember Jesus’ words, in response to Thomas, “blessed are they who have not seen and yet believe.” V. The Warning and Call A. We are to stay close to our shepherd realizing there are lions and wolves that can and will devour the sheep. B. The call is to let Christ be the Shepherd of our life, not any His protection. Conclusion: We should seek to cultivate a closer relationship with God as our Shepherd relying on Him and trusting his guidance. These verses should inspire joy, comfort, and confidence, reinforcing the spiritual principle that we are never alone and are always under His watchful care. We are to be reminded of God’s sovereignty, our dependency on Him, and the loving relationship He maintains with His creation. Application: • Daily Reflection: Whose voice are you listening to? Who is leading my life? • Church life: Embrace the fellowship of the flock, trusting the visible shepherd (pastor) and the invisible Shepherd (Christ). • Personal walk: Follow the Shepherd’s voice, resist wandering, and rest in His protection.

09/12/2026

Daily Duties of a Disciple: Three Things we need to Do Daily- Luke 9:23

“And he said to them all, If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow me.”
‭‭Luke‬ ‭9‬:‭23‬ ‭
Do you have a daily “to do list” that you use to remind you of some things you need to do
Here we have three things that should be at the top of the list and top of mind for every Christian.

I. Deny yourself- Daily
A. Remind yourself daily who you are in Christ:
1. I am a child of God; a Son, an heir.
2. I am a disciple- a follower of Christ.
3. I am saved, born-again; not the same
4. I am bought with a price- Jesus’ blood
Therefore, not my own - I Cor. 6:19,20
5. I am part of the Church- Bride of Christ
6. I am a soldier for Christ & His kingdom
B. Reject who the world says you are. Also reject what the Devil says about you.
Satan is the accuser of the brethren: He is a liar and a deceiver. The devil seeks to ridicule, revile and resist you .

“And I heard a loud voice saying in heaven, Now is come salvation, and strength, and the kingdom of our God, and the power of his Christ: for the accuser of our brethren is cast down, which accused them before our God day and night.” Revelation‬ ‭12‬:‭10‬
C. Resolve to consecrate & dedicate yourself to the Lord and His service daily.

“I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that you present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service.”
‭‭Romans‬ ‭12‬:‭1‬ ‭

“And they that are Christ's have crucified the flesh with the affections and lusts.”
‭‭Galatians‬ ‭5‬:‭24‬ ‭

II. Take Up your Cross Daily-
A. Your cross may be suffering for Christ.
“For unto you it is given in the behalf of Christ, not only to believe on him, but also to suffer for his sake;”
‭‭Philippians‬ ‭1‬:‭29‬ ‭
“For I reckon that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us.”
‭‭Romans‬ ‭8‬:‭18‬ ‭

B. All that live godly will suffer persecution
II Timothy 3:12
C. Bare reproach for Jesus’ Name
“Whoever therefore shall be ashamed of me and of my words in this adulterous and sinful generation; of him also shall the Son of man be ashamed, when he cometh in the glory of his Father with the holy angels.” Mark‬ ‭8‬:‭38‬ ‭
“For whoever shall be ashamed of me and of my words, of him shall the Son of man be ashamed, when he shall come in his own glory, and in his Father's, and of the holy angels.” Luke‬ ‭9‬:‭26‬ ‭

III. Follow Jesus
A. Focus on Jesus
B. Forsake all others
1. Our own interests- selfish, sinful
2. Being led astray by others
a. Some have erred from the faith
b. Some have failed to follow Jesus
C. Forget the past-
“Brethren, I count not myself to have apprehended: but this one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind, and reaching forth unto those things which are before,” Philippians‬ ‭3‬:‭13‬ ‭
1. Forget past failures.
2. Forget past friends who have turned aside from the faith or from following Jesus.
“for Demas hath forsaken me, having loved this present world, and is departed unto Thessalonica; Crescens to Galatia, Titus unto Dalmatia.” 2 Timothy‬ ‭4‬:‭10‬ ‭
3. Paul spoke of some that were false brothers- they were pseudo-saints or pretenders.
“in journeyings often, in perils of waters, in perils of robbers, in perils by mine own countrymen, in perils by the heathen, in perils in the city, in perils in the wilderness, in perils in the sea, in perils among false brethren;”. 2 Corinthians‬ ‭11‬:‭26‬ ‭

“and that because of false brethren unawares brought in, who came in privily to spy out our liberty which we have in Christ Jesus, that they might bring us into bondage:” ‭‭Galatians‬ ‭2‬:‭4‬ ‭

09/05/2026

Living Godly- 2 Timothy 3:12

“Yea, and all that will live godly in Christ Jesus shall suffer persecution.”

2 Timothy 3:12 KJV

Introduction: Notice the words “all that will” these words mean all who desire, all who are so minded, Paul said, in fact that anyone and everyone that wants to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will be persecuted.

The Biblical principle of this verse is seen throughout the New Testament.

“And you will be hated by all for My name’s sake. But he who endures to the end will be saved. When they persecute you in this city, flee to another. For assuredly, I say to you, you will not have gone through the cities of Israel before the Son of Man comes. “A disciple is not above his teacher, nor a servant above his master.”

Matthew 10:22-24 NKJV

“Beloved, do not think it strange concerning the fiery trial which is to try you, as though some strange thing happened to you; but rejoice to the extent that you partake of Christ’s sufferings, that when His glory is revealed, you may also be glad with exceeding joy.”

I Peter 4:12-13 NKJV

Someone has said that a Christian life that is easy is probably not godly. I am not saying that if you are not going through what Paul went through that you are not living right, but I am saying there ought to be some sort of opposition in your life. A godly life will always attract the devil’s attention, the world’s attention, and displease the flesh. These are always against the Spirit.

I have read that if a frog is placed in pot of hot water it will jump out. But if it is placed into a pot of cold water and then slowly heated, gradually it will remain and be boiled to death. I’m concerned that a lot of Christians are relaxed in lukewarm water. Not cold, not hot, but lukewarm. Lukewarm water will relax you and put you to sleep.

Jesus said this of the Church at Laodicea, “I know your works, that you are neither cold nor hot. I could wish you were cold or hot. So then, because you are lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot, I will vomit you out of My mouth.”

Revelation 3:15-16 NKJV

We that are believers are to witness to the grace of God in Jesus and are to be the salt of the earth, making the presence and power of God known to the world.

Our text verse in 2 Timothy 3:12 should cause we that are saved to:

To Examine Ourselves-“all that will”

Our Desires

Do we have the desire to live differently from the world?
Do we have a desire to see sinners saved.
Do we have a desire to serve the Lord?
Do we have a desire to faithfully worship the Lord in fellowship with other believers?

Our Determination

“And let us not grow weary while doing good, for in due season we shall reap if we do not lose heart.”

Galatians 6:9 NKJV

Stop getting discouraged and tired of doing good.
Don’t retreat in battle. Don’t give up the fight. Don’t Quit!
We will reap, if we faint not. If we do not get relaxed, let down, become exhausted and faint.

Our Development

Where would you be right now if God had not saved you?
The Christian life is a life of growth and maturity. We should be stronger and more firm in our faith then when we were first saved.
“I have been crucified with Christ; it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me.” Galatians 2:20 NKJV
A Christian is one in whom Christ lives. Christ is our life.
Some will say one day if only… if only I had not retreated in battle; if only I had persevered in the fight. If only I had been more faithful. If only I had let Christ live through me like He wanted me to

Expose Ourselves

“You are the salt of the earth; but if the salt loses its flavor, how shall it be seasoned? It is then good for nothing but to be thrown out and trampled underfoot by men. “You are the light of the world. A city that is set on a hill cannot be hidden. Nor do they light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a lampstand, and it gives light to all who are in the house. Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven.” Matthew 5:13-16 NKJV

Salt Penetrates. Light exposes. Salt Preserves- hinders the spread of corruption. Salt creates thirst. Salt brings out flavor.
If salt loses its flavor there is no way to restore its true natural taste
Jesus is the source of Light. Christians are the reflection of His light. As the moon reflects the glory of the sun.
We Christians are to reflect the glory of the Son on a lost and dying world. We are elevated above our surroundings…a city set on a hill cannot be hid.
“But when it pleased God, who separated me from my mother’s womb and called me through His grace, to reveal His Son in me, that I might preach Him among the Gentiles, I did not immediately confer with flesh and blood,”

Galatians 1:15-16 NKJV

The Samaritan woman who met Jesus at the well, when she came to know who Jesus was, went throughout the city, and said, “come see a man which told me all things that ever I did: is not this the Christ? (Messiah)- John 4:29

Thirdly, our text verse ought to cause us:

To Express Ourselves.

Our Conversation

“Let all those who seek You rejoice and be glad in You; Let such as love Your salvation say continually, “The LORD be magnified!”

Psalms 40:16 NKJV

*Notice the words, “all those that seek…”

“The poor shall eat and be satisfied; Those who seek Him will praise the LORD. Let your heart live forever!”

Psalms 22:26 NKJV

“As the deer pants for the water brooks, So pants my soul for You, O God.”

Psalms 42:1 NKJV

“Let the redeemed of the LORD say so, Whom He has redeemed from the hand of the enemy,”

Psalms 107:2 NKJV

We need to express ourselves through:

Our Conversion

“He also brought me up out of a horrible pit, Out of the miry clay, And set my feet upon a rock, And established my steps. He has put a new song in my mouth— Praise to our God; Many will see it and fear, And will trust in the LORD.”

Psalms 40:2-3 NKJV

Our Calling- Do all to the glory of God

“Therefore, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God.”

I Corinthians 10:31 NKJV

Our Church

“I was glad when they said to me, “Let us go into the house of the LORD.””

Psalms 122:1 NKJV

Conclusion: What is our testimony? Are we bold to stand up for Jesus Christ? Are we willing to suffer loss for Him! Is our faith strong and unashamed? Or, Do we shrink back, and are we ashamed of Jesus Christ?

Jesus said, “For whoever is ashamed of Me and My words in this adulterous and sinful generation, of him the Son of Man also will be ashamed when He comes in the glory of His Father with the holy angels.” Mark 8:38 NKJV

“For whoever is ashamed of Me and My words, of him the Son of Man will be ashamed when He comes in His own glory, and in His Father’s, and of the holy angels.” Luke 9:26 NKJV

08/29/2026

JESUS IS COMING!

Text: Acts 1:11- “…This same Jesus shall so come again in like manner as ye have seen Him go into heaven.”

INTRODUCTION: Jesus is coming! It is a prophetic promise and a profound fact. It will be the same Jesus who came the first time who will come again. Jesus himself promised in John 14:3- “And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again…” This promise was given after Jesus had spoken to his apostles and gave them the promise of the coming of the Holy Spirit and the resultant power that they would receive from the Holy Spirit to be witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea, and Samaria and to the uttermost part of the earth (Acts 1:8). Acts 1:9 continues, “And when he had spoken these things, while they beheld, he was taken up; and a cloud received him out of their sight. V. 10- “And while they looked stedfastly toward heaven, as he went up, behold, two men stood by them, in white apparel: which also said, you men of Galilee, why stand you gazing up into heaven? This same Jesus which is taken up into heaven, shall so come in like manner as you have seen him go into heaven.”

HIS COMING IS SURE

Nothing can stop it. “This same Jesus Shall so come…”
His second coming will surely take place, for Jesus promised it, the angels proclaimed it and the scriptures have predicted it and it is certain.
The prophetic scriptures must be fulfilled. “The scripture cannot be broken” (John 10:35).

HIS SECOND COMING WILL BE SUPERNATURAL

“Shall so come in like manner as ye have seen Him go into heaven.” Acts 1:11
As Jesus was taken up and rose from the earth in a supernatural way, he will “come in like manner;” in a supernatural descent.
God will once again break into the affairs of this world by supernatural means and that is why nothing can stop His second coming from taking place.
Just as the force of Gravity did not prevent him from ascending when he rose into heaven. And just as doors and walls did not prevent Jesus from entering the upper room after his resurrection; nothing will prevent him from descending when he comes again.

HIS SECOND COMING WILL BE SELECTIVE

Jesus speaking of His coming back said, “One shall be taken and the other left.” Matthew 22:40
Christ is coming for His own purchased possession. He is coming as the Bridegroom to receive His Bride (The Church).

HIS SECOND COMING IS GOING TO BE SURPRISING

He is not only coming “in such an hour as you think not,” but He is coming “as a thief in the night.” Matthew 24:44; Luke 12:40; I Thessalonians 5:2.
Many will get the shock of their lives and will be suddenly surprised.

HIS SECOND COMING WILL BE SUDDEN

A.Our Lord reminds us that it will be “like the Lightening”—the speed of light, the fastest thing we know.

B.Paul informs us it will be “in the twinkling of an eye” I Corinthians 15:52.

VI. THE SECOND COMING WILL BE SOON

“Behold, I come quickly; and My reward is with Me.” Revelation 22:12
“The coming of the Lord draweth nigh.” James 5:8; Revelation 22:20
“It is near, even at the doors.” Matthew 24:33
He is coming soon and we are told to “Watch therefore, for ye know neither the day nor the hour wherein the Son of Man Cometh.”

CONCLUSION: The Second Coming of Our Lord is Sure, it will be Sudden and it will be Soon. We are to be ready as Bride adorned for her groom (i.e. seeking to live a pure and holy life). We are to be Watching and Waiting and Warning Others by Witnessing to them about the Lord Jesus Christ and Sharing the Gospel.

08/22/2026

A Biblical Categorization: Three Kinds of people

The Natural Man (Person) I Corinthians 2:14

(One who has not received Christ as Savior, i.e. has not been saved)

“But the natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God: for they are foolishness unto him: neither can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned.

The natural person is in his “natural” condition, i.e. lost state.

Without Christ, he is in a lost condition due to the sin nature which we all inherited through Adam. (Romans 5:12; Eph.2:1-3; 2:12)

In this lost condition, he or she does not have the Holy Spirit, to be a guide and teacher, and help give understanding to God’s Word. Therefore, much of God’s Word will not make sense to them.
Without Christ and the indwelling Holy Spirit, the natural man is left to an attitude of self-reliance; self is therefore on the throne of his life.

The Spiritual Man (Person) I Corinthians 2:15,16

(One who has received the Lord as Savior and is led and empowered by the Holy Spirit) “But he that is spiritual judgeth all things…We have the mind of Christ.”

II Corinthians 5:17- “Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new.”
He, or she is being conformed to the image of Christ and guided by the Holy Spirit as a result of yielding control of their life to Him.
Christ is on the throne of his or her life, and self is yielding control.

Interests are directed by Christ and the Holy spirit, and the result is

harmony with God’s plan for his or her life.

The Carnal (Worldly) Man (person) I Cor. 3:1-3

(One who has received Christ, but lives in defeat because he or she istrying to live in their own strength) “And I, brethren, could not speak unto you as unto spiritual, but as unto carnal, even as unto babes in Christ I have fed you with milk, and not with meat: for hitherto ye were not able to bear it, neither yet now are ye able.For ye are yet carnal: for whereas there are among you envying, and strife, and divisions, are ye not carnal, and walk as men.”Self is on the throne.Christ not allowed to control .

Going back to the Spiritual man, receiving the things of God, embracing the Word of God and the Spirit’s leading.

The apostle Paul said in Romans 7:22- “For I delight in the Law of God after the inward man.” He makes this statement during his classic discussion about the fleshly “old man” and the spiritual “new man” and how there is a struggle between his desire to do good and what is holy and right and the pull of his flesh- i.e. old man that wants to follow his sin nature. In a cry of desperation He exclaims, “O Wretched man that I am! Who shall deliver me from the body of this death? He then gives the answer; the only true and right answer: This deliverance is only