Calvary Church of Port Orchard

Exodus 1:14-22, But the Midwives Feared God July 9, 2023, S-1548-KL Our study continues in Exodus Chapter 1, focusing on the midwives who disobeyed the new pharaoh’s command to murder all newborn Hebrew males then lied to him about their failure to do so. Even though lying is a sin, Scripture tells us, “Therefore God dealt well with the midwives … because the midwives feared God…” (Exodus 1:20-21). Drawing from other examples in Scripture, Pastor Kevin explains that lying is acceptable to God when it is required to preserve human life. Similarly, the Bible tells us that Christians are to obey the governmental authorities. However, we see that this command does not apply when commands of the government conflict with God’s. Considering current events and the increasing threat of tyranny in our world today, Pastor Kevin exhorts us to remember that the believer’s ultimate obeisance is to Jesus not the government. Life is short; eternity is long. Associated notes and links are at calvarypo.org under Sermon Archives, Exodus, https://calvarypo.org/sermons/but-the-midwives-feared-god-exodus-114-22/ Maranatha!

Exodus 1:1-13, Background to the Book of Exodus July 2, 2023, S-1547-KL Pastor Kevin begins a new series in the Book of Exodus with an overview of the historical background from the Book of Genesis. In Genesis, we see how God dealt with humankind differently as time progressed, from Creation, to the Fall, to the Flood, and to the call of Abraham whose descendants, Isaac, Jacob, and those coming after them, would possess the Promised Land (Israel) and eventually lead to the birth of Messiah, the Savior of the World. Pastor Kevin shows out these accounts yield lessons that still apply to us including the effects of sin and rebellion against God on individuals, societies, and countries today. Associated notes and links are at calvarypo.org under Sermon Archives, Exodus, https://calvarypo.org/sermons/background-to-the-book-of-exodus-exodus-11-13/ Maranatha!

Topical, The Ten I AM Statements of Jesus (The Gospel of John) June 25, 2023, S-1546-DC In this topical study, Pastor Dustin draws from the Gospel of John to prove the deity of Jesus using Jesus’ “I AM” statements in which He attributes to Himself characteristics that apply only to God. Jesus claimed to be God! Jesus is God! Associated notes and links are at calvarypo.org under Sermon Archives, Topical, https://calvarypo.org/sermons/the-ten-i-am-statements-of-jesus-the-gospel-of-john-various/ Maranatha!

Hebrews 12:18-13:25, Here We Have No Continuing City, but We Seek the One to Come June 11, 2023, S-1544-KL In our final study of the Book of Hebrews this morning, the writer concludes Chapter 12 by contrasting the religious system of the past, which necessitated a separation of the sinner and the holy God, to the new covenant, which provides direct access to this same holy God through the blood of our Mediator Jesus and makes a way to have a personal relationship with our Creator. We must not refuse Jesus. God will one day judge those who do refuse Him. Chapter 13 concludes the book with practical exhortations for Christian living and the reminder that this world is temporary – we seek the continuing, eternal city to come. Now may the God of peace who brought up our Lord Jesus from the dead, that great Shepherd of the sheep, through the blood of the everlasting covenant, make you complete in every good work to do His will, working in you what is well pleasing in His sight, through Jesus Christ, to whom be glory forever and ever. Amen (Hebrews 13:20-21). Associated notes and links are at calvarypo.org under Sermon Archives, Hebrews, https://calvarypo.org/sermons/here-we-have-no-continuing-city-but-we-seek-the-one-to-come-hebrews-1218-1325 Maranatha!

Today, we conclude our study in Hebrews 11, God’s “Faith Hall of Fame,” examining in some detail the lives of Gideon, Barak, and Jephthah. God records their acts of faith – and their moral failings – in the Book of Judges. They, like all the men and women listed in Hebrews 11, faltered at times, but Pastor Kevin reminds us that God saw and rewarded their faith. Chapter 11 concludes by noting that these heroic men and women are just a few of God’s faithful who have persevered through the ages, many of whom suffered greatly and even perished because they refused to disobey God. God calls them people “of whom the world was not worthy” (Hebrews 11:38). Pastor Kevin exhorts believers today to remember these examples, knowing that we too will someday obtain a “better resurrection, (Hebrews 11:35), eternal life with Jesus, “the author and finisher of our faith, Who for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross” (Hebrews 12:2). Associated notes and links are at calvarypo.org under Sermon Archives, Hebrews, https://calvarypo.org/sermons/of-whom-the-world-was-not-worthy-hebrews-1132-122 Maranatha!

Returning to our study of Hebrews this week, Pastor Kevin reminds us that the overarching message of this book for its original audience, Jews living after the Resurrection but before the destruction of the Temple in A.D. 70, is: Abandon the Old Testament system of human priests and animal sacrifices because Jesus was our once-and-for-all sacrifice for sin and is now our eternal High Priest! In the same way today, trusting in religious traditions, works, or anything instead of Jesus alone for our salvation is like continuing to make mortgage payments on a fully-paid-for home. In today’s passage, the writer reminds us that we have direct access to God through Jesus and are able to live with a full assurance of faith and a clear conscience because God has said, “Their sins and their lawless deeds I will remember no more” (Hebrews 10:17). The empty tomb testifies that what we believe is true! As the writer exhorted his readers, Pastor Kevin exhorts us to endure to the end, holding “fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for He who promised is faithful….not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as is the manner of some, but exhorting one another, and so much the more as you see the Day approaching” (Hebrews 10:23,25). Associated notes and links are at calvarypo.org under Sermon Archives, Hebrews, https://calvarypo.org/sermons/hebrews-1015-39-you-have-need-of-endurance/ Maranatha!

Hebrews 11:8-10 - Abram Did Not Ignore the True and Living God May 7, 2023. S-1539-DC We continue our study in Hebrews 11, God’s “Hall of Fame,” this week looking in detail at the life of Abram (Abraham) before he obeyed God’s command to leave pagan Ur and travel to a land “that I will show you.” Pastor Dustin shared Josephus’ account of Abram’s life in ancient Ur and how he became to believe in and proclaim the one true and living God as revealed in creation. Like the pagan Chaldeans of antiquity, our “modern” world is increasingly “suppress(ing) the truth in unrighteousness, because what may be known of God is manifest in them, for God has shown it to them. For since the creation of the world His invisible attributes are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even His eternal power and Godhead, so that they are without excuse” (Romans 1:18-20), which always leads to sexual perversion and worship of the creation instead of the Creator (Romans 1:24-25), and the eventual collapse of that civilization. Associated notes and links are at calvarypo.org under Sermon Archives, Hebrews, https://calvarypo.org/sermons/hebrews-118-10-abram-did-not-ignore-the-true-and-living-god/ Maranatha!

We continue our study in Hebrews 11, God’s “Hall of Fame,” looking at the lives of Enoch, whom God translated because he please God; Noah, who obeyed God’s command to build an ark to escape the impending judgment of the flood; and Abraham, who obeyed God’s command to leave pagan Ur and travel to a land “that I will show you.” All three humbly heard God, responded in faith by calling upon the name of the Lord for salvation, and demonstrated their faith through their lives and actions, even though it meant believing God’s promises despite opposition. As we reflect on the lives of these heroes of faith in light of the growing opposition of the gospel today, Pastor Kevin exhorts us to persevere in faith in these last days, remembering that “…the world is passing away, and the lust of it; but he who does the will of God abides forever” (1 John 2:17). Associated notes and links are at calvarypo.org under Sermon Archives, Hebrews, https://calvarypo.org/sermons/enoch-walked-with-god-and-god-took-him-hebrews-116-8/ Maranatha!

Hebrews 11:1-6 - Without Faith it is Impossible to Please God April 23, 2023, S-1537-KL Today, we begin our study in Hebrews 11, often called God’s “Faith Hall of Fame.” Building upon the previous (Chapter 10) exhortations to endure in our faith, Chapter 11 goes on to describe the faith that endures. It is faith in Jesus’ sacrifice for sin, personally appropriated, which comes by hearing and humbly responding to God’s gospel of peace. Our faith is Jesus is not a blind faith however – it is a faith based on substance and evidence of the reality and power of God, including the evidence of creation and the empty tomb. Thus, the writer of Hebrews declares, “But without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him" (Hebrews 11:6). Associated notes and links are at calvarypo.org under Sermon Archives, Hebrews, https://calvarypo.org/sermons/hebrews-111-7-without-faith-it-is-impossible-to-please-god/ Maranatha!

John 11 - Personalizing the Resurrection April 9, Resurrection Sunday, 2023, S-1535-KL This Sunday, when most in America are preoccupied with chocolate bunnies and Easter eggs, Pastor Kevin directs our attention to the real reason for today’s celebration – Jesus’ resurrection from the dead nearly 2,000 years ago, and he challenges us to personalize this historical fact for ourselves. His own resurrection was the fourth that Jesus performed. Each of the prior three should have erased all doubt that He was God and caused all those who were living at the time to receive Him as their Savior and Messiah. However, only 120 persons obeyed Jesus’ command to wait in Jerusalem for the promised Holy Spirit. Most people did not believe Him, despite the irrefutable proofs of His miracles and own resurrection. The same is true today. The enemy of our souls deceives us into thinking that only the things in this life matter. What really matters is where we will spend eternity. Have you personalized Jesus’ resurrection by humbling yourself and receiving Him as your Savior? If you are a believer, are you personalizing Jesus’ resurrection by submitting to Him daily in obedience and faith in order to allow Jesus to live out His resurrected life in and through you? What will you say when God asks you, “What have you done with my Son, Jesus?” Associated notes and links are at calvarypo.org under Sermon Archives, Hebrews, https://calvarypo.org/sermons/john-11-personalizing-the-resurrection Maranatha!

Hebrews 10:1-14 and related Scriptures emphasize that animal sacrifices were insufficient to remove sin and its guilt. In fact, they served as a reminder of sin. Pastor Kevin emphasized that the same is true of any religious system that relies on human effort. As prophesied in Psalm 40, only Jesus’ bodily sacrifice is sufficient to atone for sin completely and forever for those who believe. “But when this priest [Jesus] had offered for all time one sacrifice for sins, He sat down at the right hand of God, and since that time He waits for his enemies to be made his footstool. For by one sacrifice He has made perfect forever those who are being made holy” (Hebrews 10:12-14). Associated notes and links are at calvarypo.org under Sermon Archives, Hebrews, https://calvarypo.org/sermons/he-has-perfected-forever-those-who-are-being-sanctified-hebrews-101-14/ Maranatha!

Hebrews 8:7-9:28, Their Sin I will Remember No More March 26, 2023, S-1533-KL In today’s study, we see how the Old Covenant foreshadowed a new and better covenant, one under which God promised to put His laws, not on tablets of stone, but “in their mind and … on their hearts” (Jeremiah 31:33, quoted in Hebrews 8:10). By shedding His own blood on the cross, Jesus instituted and became the High Priest and mediator of this New Covenant, obtaining eternal redemption for those who believe. Pastor Kevin emphasized that although the Jews did not keep the Old Covenant, and the Jewish and Roman leaders who were alive at the time crucified Him, God has not cast off the Jews as His chosen people! Jesus’ death was a necessary requirement of the New Covenant, just as animal sacrifices instituted the Old (Hebrews 9:16-22, Matthew 16:23), and Jeremiah 31:35-37 are clear that God will one day completely fulfill the New Covenant in the Jewish people. Associated notes and links are at calvarypo.org under Sermon Archives, Hebrews, https://calvarypo.org/sermons/hebrews-87-928-their-sin-i-will-remember-no-more Maranatha!

Part 2 - The origin of comets and asteroids, including Trans-Neptunian Objects (TNOs), is a puzzle to secular and creation scientists alike. Scientists who maintain that comets originate from the far-distant Oort Cloud are baffled by discoveries of comet composition and morphology that belie the theory. Most young-earth creationists maintain that these bodies were part of the original creation, along with the sun, moon, planets, and stars. In this video, you will see that these bodies could not have been part of the original creation, a creation that God proclaimed “good” or “very good” at least seven times in Genesis 1 since these bodies can cause severe damage when they fall to earth. In fact, NASA’s successful data-gathering DART mission was conceived, launched, and executed to deflect a perceived major incoming threat in the near future. How could objects that can cause death and destruction be “good?” Further, the Bible suggests that one or more meteor impacts will be part of God’s future judgment of the earth. If these cosmic bodies were not part of the original, good creation, then when and how were they formed? This video presents the Hydroplate Theory explanation for the origin of comets, asteroids, and TNOs - that they formed in space from water, rocks, and other debris ejected from the earth during the initiation of the global flood event. The Bible describes this as the day when “all the fountains [water] of the great deep were broken up” (Genesis 7:11). We also show how recent scientific discoveries about comets and asteroids show that their origin was recent, their lifetime is short, and how their composition and morphology can be understood in light of the HPT explanation. Included in this presentation are animated explanations, which are also at: https://www.youtube.com/@BryanNickel_Hydroplate (Bryan Nickel's Hydroplate Channel on YouTube) and missionimperative.org/store ("Horror of the Flood" DVD from Mission Imperative, the creation ministry of Mike Snavely).

The origin of comets and asteroids, including Trans-Neptunian Objects (TNOs), is a puzzle to secular and creation scientists alike. Scientists who maintain that comets originate from the far-distant Oort Cloud are baffled by discoveries of comet composition and morphology that belie the Oort Cloud theory. Most young-earth creationists maintain that these bodies were part of the original creation, along with the sun, moon, planets, and stars. In this video, you will see that these bodies could not have been part of the original creation, a creation that God proclaimed “good” or “very good” at least seven times in Genesis 1 since these bodies can cause severe damage when they fall to earth. In fact, NASA’s successful data-gathering DART mission was conceived, launched, and executed to deflect a perceived major incoming threat in the near future. How could objects that can cause death and destruction be “good?” Further, the Bible suggests that one or more meteor impacts will be part of God’s future judgment of the earth. If these cosmic bodies were not part of the original, good creation, then when and how were they formed? This video presents the Hydroplate Theory explanation for the origin of comets, asteroids, and TNOs - that they formed in space from water, rocks, and other debris ejected from the earth during the initiation of the global flood event. The Bible describes this as the day when “all the fountains [water] of the great deep were broken up” (Genesis 7:11). We also show how recent scientific discoveries about comets and asteroids show that their origin was recent, their lifetime is short, and how their composition and morphology can be understood in light of the HPT explanation. Included in this presentation are animated explanations, which are also at: https://www.youtube.com/@BryanNickel_Hydroplate (Bryan Nickel's Hydroplate Channel on YouTube) and missionimperative.org/store ("Horror of the Flood" DVD from Mission Imperative, the creation ministry of Mike Snavely).

Jesus Became Author of Eternal Salvation - Hebrews 5:1-14 March 5, 2023, S-1530-KL Today, we begin the next division of Hebrews, Chapters 5 through 7, which demonstrate that Jesus is our supreme and eternal High Priest even though he came not from the tribe of Levi/Aaron, but from the tribe of Judah. Beginning with a review of the Abrahamic and Davidic Covenants in the Old Testament, Pastor Kevin then shows how the Old Testament foretold a change in the priesthood from the Aaronic / Levitical priesthood to something entirely new, “after the order of Melchizedek,” the priest of God Most High in Genesis 14, who blessed Abram (Abraham) and received his tithe of battle spoils. Hebrews 5, Psalm 110, and other passages show how Jesus fulfilled this as well as other Messianic prophecies. We examine the accounts of prideful people in the Old Testament who attempted to usurp the high priestly role and were judged for it, demonstrating that it is God alone Who designates High Priests. In contrast, we see David and King Hezekiah also taking actions reserved for the High Priest alone without judgment. David serves as a type of his descendent Who would be the promised Messiah/High Priest. King Hezekiah serves as an example of believers today who humbly come to God through, and only through, our High Priest, Jesus. Associated notes and links are at calvarypo.org under Sermon Archives, Hebrews, https://calvarypo.org/sermons/jesus-became-author-of-eternal-salvation-hebrews-51-14 Maranatha!

This week the writer of Hebrews is emphasizing the need for persevering faith, which is saving faith. He compares the readers current plight of persecution with the Jews of Moses’ day who were on their way to the promised land. Under the leadership of Moses, the Jewish people were set free from the slavery of Egypt, but they did not mix that freedom with faith in the God who worked the miracles to set them free. They were always complaining about facing hardship and death, demanding to go back to Egypt. In doing so they proved that they were not really God’s children by faith. Thus the writer of Hebrews exhorts the Jews who were professing faith in Jesus of his day that they only truly belong to Jesus IF they hold fast the confidence and the rejoicing of the hope firm to the end. The only way to enter God’s rest (heaven), is to having saving faith until death. Pastor Kevin compares the persecution at the time Hebrews was written with the persecutions that are coming to the American Christians. He also reads some examples from Fox’s Book of Martyrs, as an encouragement of what the Saints of old endured for confessing faith in Jesus as their savior. Associated notes and links are at calvarypo.org under Sermon Archives, Hebrews, https://calvarypo.org/sermons/if-we-hold-fast-the-confidence-to-the-end-hebrews-31-411/ Maranatha!

We Must Give the More Earnest Heed – Hebrews 1:10 – 2:4 Jan 29, 2023, S-1525-KL Pastor Kevin continues our study in Hebrews, showing how Old Testament Scriptures foretold that the prophesied Messiah and the divine Son of God were the same, and that Jesus fulfilled this prophecy. Using several of these Scriptures, Chapter 1 demonstrates that Jesus is superior to the angels. Chapter 2 begins with a warning. If the written law given through Moses brought about conviction of and judgment for sin, how much more does Jesus' spoken Word bring about conviction and judgment for disobedience to Jesus’ call to salvation? Pastor Kevin warns us to resist the influences of the world and the devil, which cause us to take our focus off of things of God. Instead, “we must give the more earnest heed to the things we have heard [from Jesus], lest we drift away” (Hebrews 2:1). Associated notes and links are at calvarypo.org under Sermon Archives, Hebrews, https://calvarypo.org/sermons/we-must-give-the-more-earnest-heed-hebrews-11-9-24 Maranatha!

Jesus is so Much Better than the Angels – Hebrews 1:1-9 Jan 22, 2023, S-1524-KL This week, we begin a new study in the New Testament book of Hebrews, which was written by an unknown author shortly before the destruction of the temple in Jerusalem in A.D. 70. Hebrews’ message is that Jesus is superior to any religious system, and a relationship with Him, not religious tradition, was all-important – a message that is just as important today as then. Pastor Kevin begins by providing the historical background and explaining that the audience were Jewish Christians who were being persecuted by the Jewish religious establishment because of their faith in Jesus as Messiah and Savior. Chapter 1 begins the first part of the book’s argument for the superiority of Jesus by using Old Testament Scriptures to show how Jesus is superior to the angels. Today’s message concludes with the truth that Jesus is returning soon to literally fulfill Psalm 45:6, quoted in Hebrews 1:8: Your throne, O God, is forever and ever; a scepter of righteousness is the scepter of Your kingdom. Associated notes and links are at calvarypo.org under Sermon Archives, Hebrews, https://calvarypo.org/sermons/jesus-is-so-much-better-than-the-angels-hebrews-11-9/ Maranatha!

There is No One Like the God of Jeshurun, Deuteronomy 32:48-34:12 Jan 15, 2023, S-1523-KL This week, we conclude our yearlong study in Deuteronomy, the fifth and final book of the Mosaic Law, which the Jews call The Torah. As we review the final verses of Deuteronomy 32 and Moses’ blessings upon the tribes of Israel in Chapter 33, Pastor Kevin explains how these verses, all prophetic when written, have either been fulfilled or will be fulfilled at Jesus’ Second Coming. Although most of the Christian church today rejects Dispensational Theology, which teaches that the Jewish nation will once again be used by God in the future, just as prophesied, in favor of Replacement Theology, which teaches that God has permanently set aside the Jewish people due to their disobedience, we can trust that God means what He says in His Word. Just as all Old Testament prophecies regarding Messiah’s First Coming were literally fulfilled in Jesus 2,000 years ago, we know that the remaining prophecies will be literally fulfilled at His Second Coming. We anticipate the day of which Moses spoke in Deuteronomy 32:43, “Rejoice, O Gentiles, with His people; for He will avenge the blood of His servants and render vengeance to His adversaries; He will provide atonement for His land and His people.” Pastor Kevin concluded the series by explaining how the New Testament clearly teaches that Jesus was “The Prophet” of Deuteronomy 18:15. As we approach the end of the Church Age, Pastor Kevin urges those who do not yet believe to receive The Prophet, and believers to trust Him more and more as the Day draws near. Associated notes and links are at calvarypo.org under Sermon Archives, Deuteronomy, https://calvarypo.org/sermons/there-is-no-one-like-the-god-of-jeshurun-deuteronomy-3248-3412/ Maranatha!

This week, we resume our study of The Song of Moses, Deuteronomy 32. Moses instructed the leaders to teach his song to all generations as a reminder of God’s past works on behalf of the nation as well as warnings that their future rebellion would bring God’s just judgments. As Moses declares in Deuteronomy 32:5, anyone who rebels against the God of the Bible and Jesus, His Son, does not belong to Him, despite the contemporary mantra in our culture that “we are all children of God.” Pastor Kevin shows how God, throughout the Old and New Testament, God reminds us of His past goodness and pleads with humankind to return and embrace the God Who loves them so much. Yet it has never been more obvious than today, man continues to defy God and His Law, choosing instead to serve themselves and the god of this world, Satan. However, Moses prophesies that a time will come for God’s people, both Jews and Gentiles, to rejoice, “…for He will avenge the blood of His servants and render vengeance to His adversaries; He will provide atonement for His land and His people” (Deuteronomy 32:43). The Apostle Paul teaches this same truth: “Truly, these times of ignorance God overlooked, but now commands all men everywhere to repent, because He has appointed a day on which He will judge the world in righteousness by the Man whom He has ordained. He has given assurance of this to all by raising Him from the dead" (Acts 17:30-31). Do you belong to God? If you are unsure, please see “Normal” Isn’t Coming Back – Jesus is. Are you Ready? Pastor Kevin warns us that there may not be much time left. Associated notes and links are at calvarypo.org under Sermon Archives, Deuteronomy, https://calvarypo.org/sermons/o-foolish-and-unwise-people-deut-325-47/ Note: To view the New Year’s Prophecy Update from 1 January, 2023: https://calvarypo.org/sermons/new-years-day-2023-prophecy-update-but-you-brethren-are-not-in-darkness1-thessalonians-51-11/ Maranatha!

On this New Year’s Day 2023, Pastor Kevin takes a break from our study in Deuteronomy to deliver his annual prophecy update, which focuses this year on how rapidly technological developments and geo-political initiatives are converging to “build” a centralized, universal, surveillance and economic tracking and control system that must be in place to fulfill the Revelation 13 “Mark of the Beast” prophecy. Only a few decades ago, such a global, universal system was unthinkable. Today, it is unfolding before our eyes, which, along with other “signs of the times,” signals the imminent rise of the final, ten-kingdom global government and the antichrist. Pastor Kevin exhorts believers to live soberly, comfort and edify one another with the certain hope of his soon-appearing to take believers to be with him, and to share the gospel while there is still time to do so. Associated notes, charts, articles, and links are at calvarypo.org under Sermon Archives, Topical, https://calvarypo.org/sermons/new-years-day-2023-prophecy-update-but-you-brethren-are-not-in-darkness1-thessalonians-51-11 Maranatha!

On this Christmas Day of 2022, Pastor Kevin reviews the chronology of the miraculous virgin birth of Messiah Jesus as recorded in the Gospel of Luke Chapters 1 and 2. These events include the angelic visits to Mary, Joseph, and Zacharias, and the prophesies of Simeon and Anna when Mary and Joseph brought Jesus to the temple to present Him to the Lord as the Law required. All these events would have become widely known throughout the land and, with the prophecies in Daniel about the timing of Messiah’s arrival, should have prepared the people to receive Jesus as their Messiah thirty years later. Instead, the majority rejected Him. Jesus as God knew He would be rejected and suffer a humiliating and cruel execution on a Roman cross in order to atone for the sins of the world. We know from other prophecies in both the Old and New Testament that Jesus will come again. At His Second Coming, Jesus will come not as a suffering Savior but as Savior King to defeat His enemies and avenge His people. Pastor Kevin exhorts us to remember that just as prophecies regarding Jesus’ First Coming were literally fulfilled, so will those about his Second Coming. Do you recognize the signs of the times? Are you ready for Him to return? Associated notes and links are at calvarypo.org under Sermon Archives, Deuteronomy, https://calvarypo.org/sermons/for-he-will-save-his-people-from-their-sins-luke-1-2/ Maranatha!

December 18, 2022 S-1519-KL For all His Ways are Justice – Deuteronomy 31:17-32:5 Continuing his final address to the Israelites as they prepare to cross the Jordan River and enter the Promise Land, Moses prophesies that once the people become prosperous, they would turn away from God. In response, He would turn away from them “because of all the evil which they have done, in that they have turned to other gods.” History records the ultimate fulfillment of this prophecy, which led to the temporary setting aside of the Jewish people as God’s light to world and the ushering in of a new dispensation, the Church Age, two thousand years ago. However, the Apostle Paul prophesied that the time would come when the church too would turn away from sound doctrine to embrace fables. As we approach the end of the Church Age, Pastor Kevin exhorts us to “be ready in season and out of season” to share the gospel while we still have time. Associated notes and links are at calvarypo.org under Sermon Archives, Deuteronomy, https://calvarypo.org/sermons/for-all-his-ways-are-justice-deuteronomy-3117-3221/ Maranatha!

Be Strong and of Good Courage – Deuteronomy 31:1-16 S-1518-KL Having completed the second giving of the Law and nearing the end of his life, Moses concludes Chapter 30 by again exhorting the Israelites to choose life and good instead of death and evil. We have the same choice today in deciding whether to choose or reject Jesus, Who said, “The thief does not come except to steal, and to kill, and to destroy. I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly” (John 10:10). In Chapter 31, Moses emphasizes the importance of obeying the law and encourages them to be strong and of good courage, despite the “giants” they will encounter: “…do not fear nor be afraid of them; for the Lord your God, He is the One who goes with you. He will not leave you nor forsake you." God does not change. It is the same God Who promises that He will never leave or forsake us (Hebrews 13:5b). Pastor Kevin exhorts us to do right and let God deal with the giants in our lives as well. Associated notes and links are at calvarypo.org under Sermon Archives, Deuteronomy, https://calvarypo.org/sermons/be-strong-and-of-good-courage-deut-311-16/ Maranatha!