Sermons by “Pastor Jesse Brubaker”

His Ascension is Our Ascension

…they asked him, “Lord, will you at this time restore the kingdom to Israel?” He said to them, “It is not for you to know times or seasons that the Father has fixed by his own authority. But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.” And when he had said these things, as they were looking on, he was lifted up, and a cloud took him out of their sight.
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His life is our life. His death is our death. His resurrection is our resurrection. His ascension is our ascension.

Power to Heal, Power to Save

That Jesus had instantly healed someone who had been an invalid for thirty-eight years, should have given the Pharisees serious pause. But they were too busy taking offense at broken rules to stop and think. Rather than meditate on the implications of the miracle this man had just performed, they rushed to persecute him for healing on the Sabbath. After Jesus responded “my Father is working until now, and I am working” there was still no room for reflection – just the desire to kill him for blasphemy! But the Son continued to speak, patiently explaining who he was in relation to the Father, and for what purpose he had come, saying: “Truly truly I say to you, whoever hears my word, and believes him who sent me, has eternal life. He does not come into judgment, but has passed from death to life.”

Something to Share

The Life we have been given; The Love we have been shown; the great and perfect Gift of Christ himself. These magnificent things are ours to freely share. In so doing we follow the Lord’s command to love one another.

The Lord is Our Shepherd

We, like sheep, hear his voice, and he knows us, and we follow him. He gives us eternal life, and we will never perish, and no one will snatch us out of his hand. But also like sheep, we go astray, and so must pay careful attention to ourselves and to all the flock, in which the Holy Spirit has made us overseers, to care for the church of God, which he obtained with his own blood.

Forgiven, Restored & Used by God

Today’s scriptures demonstrate similarities in God’s dealing with two great figures of the Bible, Peter and Paul (Saul). Each one did great wrong in God’s sight, yet both were restored and used by God, thanks to his surpassing love in Christ Jesus. As Peter denied the Lord three times, so he was also restored three times, the number three signifying emphasis and completeness. Saul was blinded for three days, showing how completely and seriously wrong he had been in persecuting the Lord. Each man was then blessed with the assurance that he would henceforth remain steadfast in faith and mighty in service to the Lord, even through great suffering.

These Things Are Written

The risen Lord thrills Thomas with his appearing, saying “Put your finger here, and see my hands; and put out your hand, and place it in my side. Do not disbelieve, but believe.” And so he does, exclaiming “My Lord and my God!”
Then come the words: “Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed.” It is because these words are written that we all may read and believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and so have Life in his name. Alleluia!

He is Risen Indeed, Alleluia!

He Humbled Himself

Christ Jesus, who, being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be used to his own advantage; rather, he made himself nothing by taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness. And being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to death— even death on a cross! Therefore God exalted him to the highest place and gave him the name that is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue acknowledge that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father. (Phil. 2: 5b-11)

The Church’s One Foundation

The son of the vinyard owner, rejected and killed by the wicked tenants, is also the stone rejected by the builders of Psalm 118. But through His perfect sacrifice He becomes the chief cornerstone. And we who believe are become living stones that rest on that foundation – the church’s one foundation – Jesus Christ the Lord.

Be Reconciled to God

The Pharisees and the scribes complained “this man receives sinners and eats with them.” Yes indeed! The Son, like the Father, earnestly desires that none should perish, even the most prodigal, but that ALL should be reconciled to God. So much so that as the Son He actually *became* salvation to all who believe. “Sing praises to the Lord, for he has done gloriously. Let this be made known in all the earth. Shout and sing for joy O inhabitant of Zion, for great in your midst is the Holy One of Israel.”