New Hope Fellowship, Decatur, TX - sermon on 1.9.24
In an effort to get more connected to the local community, we are in the process of finding our ‘church home’. This last Sunday morning we visited New Hope Fellowship in Decatur, TX. With “wailing and gnashing of teeth” my husband has spoken some common sense into the situation and directed our family away from driving almost 1 ½ hours to the church that I love dearly up Northeast of us, near Collinsville, TX. I’ve been trying to keep an open mind and embrace the Decatur, TX community. We’ll see how that goes…
Here are my notes with my mental commentary for the service on 1.7.24:
Heb 12:1-2: Doors – The Year of the Open Door
John 10:9 - ??
Revelation 3:20 - ??
John 15
Abiding in Christ – a two way relational covenant.
Thoughts: Well, yes. BUT He is the life-giving vine, we are the branches. Completely, totally dependent on the vine of Life. Is it truly a two-way covenant? Or, are we just weak creations limping through life on the crutch of the literal Grace of God? Or, are you referring to obedience here which John 15 doesn’t directly cover? Here is where topical preaching can get you into the weeds. John 15 doesn’t directly talk about obedience coming out of a relationship with Christ. It’s unfortunate because there are other scriptures so rich on the topic. Too bad you picked your sermon before you picked the scripture.
Luke 11:9-10 – Are you at the right door? Make sure it’s the door God has for you. The Pillar has not moved from this sermon series, so we carry on. Sickness – God tells us through illness that there is a trial on the inside affecting the outside.
Thoughts: The ways in which this doesn’t relate to the given passage are too many to name here, but here are some thoughts on it anyway. First of all, if we believe God created the world in which we are so unfortunate to live in at this present time, we believe in science. I won’t pretend to know what this pastor’s lifestyle is like, but if it’s at all comparable to the typical American diet, activity level, air quality, etc., then I can tell you without much more information, you’re going to contract whatever new virus has been released from whatever lab Fauci would have you believe is totally safe and above board and that Rand Paul swears up and down he’s continuing to investigate (just vote for me!) at some point. I’m sorry that you contracted a cold that has bled over into 10+ days, have you tried taking the vitamins that help build your immune system? Or, have you continued to pray over your McDonald’s cheeseburgers and bless them in the Name of Jesus before shamelessly consuming the mostly fake meat surrounded by fake fat and processed sugar?
Ecclesiastes 3
Focus at the threshold of the open door of Christ.
Thoughts: This is not a fill in the blank situation. Sure, we can apply the points the Bible makes to our lives within reason. But, do not, ever, from the pulpit, take the Bible and fill in the blanks of Ecclesiastes 3. I don’t know what else to say about that, other than it does not say ‘a time to focus at the threshold’. I’m sorry that you couldn’t find the verse to support this bullet point in your sermon but stop taking the Lord’s Name in vain.
Continued renewal process of the Soul – 1Peter 1:3-25
Thoughts: This is where I come to my absolute favorite part of this disaster of a sermon. The old lecture about ‘young men needa stop that cussin’ came up. You used the fact that obedience to Christ comes out of a love for Christ. Again, it made my blood BOIL that you would take my Lord’s words and use them to further your own cause or point. We literally have SMALL CHILDREN looking at porn in schools (signed off on by their teachers and administrators), we have parents embracing 5 year olds’ ‘gender identities’, we have men with porn-induced erectile dysfunction, men destroying their marriages with porn addiction, women destroying their marriages due to buying into feminist ideology, I could go ON AND ON. And you want to talk about young men needing to give up CUSSING???!!! Statistically 94% of the children sitting in your church RIGHT NOW will have viewed porn by the age of 14 and an average age of 11 years old (https://www.roadtograce.net/current-porn-statistics/) and almost 70% of your men watch porn on a regular basis (https://bedbible.com/porn-statistics/). Oh, but that may be too offensive and upsetting, we'd better not bring that up. So, instead of talking about porn, sexual abuse, mental abuse, substance abuse, child abuse, the toxicity of modern – day feminism, etc., we will just make everyone feel superior by criticizing cussing because that particular sin is safe with most of the people that pay their tithes on a regular basis and warm your pews every Sunday.
Restoration of your soul – sitting at Jesus’ feet. Ask him which door to knock at.
Purification of my soul – 1Peter 1:22. Letting Obedience move me to purification. His mercy is new today. Faith without works is dead.
Thoughts: Congratulations. You’ve now made me literally curse in church. You successfully made it through an ENTIRE sermon ABOUT sanctification without ever having to mutter such an inconvenient word. We’ve successfully taken the utterly painful process of sanctification and wrapped it in a silky, disgustingly deceitful blanket of feel good words and made everyone feel better about sitting in church and then talking about how good the sermon was on the drive home.
Thanks for the invite for the Wednesday women's class, I have enough stomach upset as it is with my food allergies, I'd better not add to that problem.
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