Sermon By: Dr. Todd Morris
Title: God’s Last Invitation
Text: Rev.22:17
Date: May 7, 2006
Introduction: I was at the hospital a lot this week. As I was walking down the hall one day I noticed a sign that read, “Keep Out…No Visitors.” Then I went to the Nursing Home to make a visit and on my way to the room I was to visit I passed a door with a sign that read, "KEEP OUT." I thought to myself, now this is man's way, but God's way is different. God opens up every door and says to the sinner, "Come In, come in and be saved, come in and enjoy all I have for you in two worlds."
God's great purpose in redemption is clear. Man is lost in sin. God gave His son to redeem them and now He invites everyone to come to Him through Jesus Christ and be saved. This is the theme that runs all the way through the Bible.
God used 40 men to write the Bible, John the beloved was the last. He was in exile on the isle of Patmos, where God used him to pen Revelation. John was just about to close the writing when God seemed to say, "wait a minute John, don't close it yet, don't write the final "AMEN" until I give one more invitation to sinners." Our text this morning is that invitation.
Often on the final night of Revival when the invitation is finished, I'll say, "let's sing one more stanza and give someone just one more chance to be saved." So God says here let's give sinners one more chance. Maybe there is someone within the sound of my voice this morning who would accept God's last invitation.
I WHO INVITES SINNERS TO COME?
A. The Holy Spirit Invites
B. The Church Invites
C. The Heavenly City Invites
D. Those who have previously Answered Invite
II WHO IS INVITED?
A. He Who Is Thirsty
B. Whosoever Will
C. Those Who Desire
III WHAT IS THE INVITATION?
A. To Take The Water Of Life
B. This Water Is Free
C. This Water Is Satisfying
Conclusion: I have spoken with you this morning about the last invitation in the Bible. This invitation might be your last. Will you accept it?
Three Days and Three Nights?
By: Dr. Todd Morris
When I was just a child I began to wonder about the truthfulness of the Bible. The reason was not because I doubted the creation story or the resurrection of Christ. I have never doubted those things. However, as a simple minded child I could not understand why Jesus would say that He must be in the heart of the earth for “three days and threes nights,” and then not stay there that long (Matthew 12:40). My blessed grandmother, the first person to tell me about Jesus, always told me that God cannot lie; however, if Jesus was crucified on Friday and rose on Sunday, then Matthew 12:40 must be inaccurate. There is no possible way to get three days and three nights from Friday until Sunday, no matter how one figures it. Most would say that it is not important, and I agree that the precise day is of no importance at all, but the accuracy of the Bible, and the truthfulness of Jesus are vitally important.
As a ministerial student at Campbell University over twenty years ago I began asking my professors how this could be. Most of them were not inerrantists, and made differing explanations including that “the time was not precise.” “The three day and night statement is only in the Bible once, perhaps it is not accurate.” I could not accept such explanations, for I believe the Bible to be totally true, and yet it was very obvious to me that the scripture was inconsistent with a Friday crucifixion of Jesus, although that is what the church had believed and taught for nearly two thousand years.
I continued to search and to question, knowing that somewhere there was an answer to my question. Most scholars that I asked tried to sidestep the question and say, “well, it’s really not important what day it happened on.” I agree that the day of the week doesn’t matter, but the accuracy of scripture most certainly does matter.
As a young pastor I came to know an older preacher who was “as fundamental as one could possibly be.” I asked him the question, and for the first time got an answer. He said, “Its simple Todd, the crucifixion didn’t happen on Friday. It happened on Wednesday, and I can prove it by the scriptures.” He began an explanation that made sense and made me wonder why all of Christendom didn’t see clearly the truth of what this preacher was explaining to me. He referred me to the writings of R.A. Torrey, and I came to see that Torrey had written in favor of a Wednesday crucifixion years ago. In later years John R. Rice also taught from the same perspective. In the following paragraphs I will attempt to explain from a scriptural perspective how and why Wednesday is the probable day of the crucifixion.
We know that Jesus died in the late afternoon of whatever day He died because the gospel accounts are consistent on the matter. Most have accepted a Friday crucifixion because of John’s statement that, “The Jews therefore, because it was the preparation, that the bodies should not remain upon the cross on the Sabbath day, (for that Sabbath day was an high day,) besought Pilate that their legs might be broken and that they might be taken away.” Notice that John makes it clear that it was not the regular weekly Sabbath. He makes note that it was, “An high day.” Some have even translated this, “a special Sabbath.” No doubt, it was during the preparation period for Passover, for John makes that very clear. I would submit to you, that we are not dealing here with the regular weekly Sabbath, Saturday, but with a High Sabbath or Special Sabbath. Leviticus 23:5-8 details how the first and last days of the Feast of Unleavened Bread are to be observed as days of rest in addition to the weekly Sabbath.
“In the fourteenth day of the first month at even is the Lord’s Passover. And on the fifteenth day of the same month is the feast of unleavened bread unto the Lord: seven days ye must eat unleavened bread. In the first day ye shall have an holy convocation: ye shall do no service work therein. But ye shall offer an offerings made by fire unto the Lord seven days; in the seventh day is an holy convocation; ye shall do no service work therein.”
Remember that these Passover events foretold the coming of Jesus. Yes, they were a celebration of God’s deliverance of the Jews from Egyptian slavery, but they were also a foretelling of the coming final delivery brought about by the messiah. The Jews believed that the messiah would deliver them exactly on the 14th of Abib/Nisan and that the following day was an annual Sabbath.
What follows is an examination of the Biblical record that proves that Jesus was killed on the 14th of Nisan in the afternoon, and the next day was this annual Sabbath, the first day of the feast of unleavened bread, and that this annual Sabbath did not fall on the regular Sabbath in the year that Jesus died.
“Then certain of the scribes and of the Pharisees answered, saying, Master, we would see a sign from thee. But he answered and said unto them, An evil and adulterous generation seeketh after a sign; and there shall no sign be given to it, but the sign of the prophet Jonas. For as Jonas was three days and three nights in the whale’s belly; so shall the Son of man be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth. (Matt. 12:38-40)
“And said, This fellow said, I am able to destroy the temple of God and build it in three days.” (Matt. 26:61)
“Now the next day, that followed the day of the preparation, the chief priests and Pharisees came together unto Pilate, Saying, Sir, we remember that that deceiver said, while he was yet alive, After three days I will rise again. Command therefore that the sepulcher be made sure until the third day, lest his disciples come by night, and steal him away, and say unto the people, He is risen from the dead: so the last error shall be worse than the first. Pilate said unto them, Ye have a watch: go your way, make it as sure as ye can. So they went, and made the sepulcher sure, sealing the stone and setting a watch.” (Matt. 27:62-66)
The above verses show that Jesus had openly taught that the only major sign that He was the Messiah would be that He would die and three days later rise again. Even more clearly, He said that He would be in the “heart of the earth” for three days and three nights. This promise means that 72 hours would pass from His death until His resurrection. It is important to note that Jesus teaching was that after three days and three nights He would rise. Many have said that His resurrection was to take place within three days and three nights, but that is not what Jesus said. Jews had a very definite way of dividing time. A day was a twelve hour period and a night was a twelve hour period. They separated things that way. One could only count a day if it was a whole day. In other words, if Jesus died at 3:00 in the afternoon, the day that He died could not be counted as one of the days He was in the earth because he was not there a majority of that day.
It is obvious by reading Matthew 27:62-66 that the Pharisees came to Pilate the day after the crucifixion to get permission to seal the tomb. They came the day after the day of preparation. The day of preparation was the 14th of Abib/Nisan. So Jesus was actually sealed in the tomb on the Annual Sabbath, the 15th of Abib/Nisan. John’s gospel makes it plain that Jesus died on the day of preparation. Luke also, in his account records that it was the day of preparation (see Luke 23:54-56). By reading the accounts in all four gospels we get a good idea of the events that took place and how they took place and who witnessed them. Matthew 28:1-2 gives a little different time frame for the women’s visit that would lend itself in the direction of a Wednesday crucifixion. “In the end of the Sabbath, as it began to dawn toward the first day of the week, came Mary Magdalene and the other Mary to see the sepulcher. And behold, there was a great earthquake: for the angel of the Lord descended from Heaven and came and rolled back the stone from the door, and sat upon it.”
As you can easily see, according to Matthew, at the dawn of the day following the regular Sabbath Jesus had already resurrected, meaning that the resurrection took place during what would have been considered Saturday night. Looking at Mark 16:9, we read, “Now after He had risen early on the first day of the week, He appeared to Mary from whom He had cast seven devils.” Dr. Roy Reinhold says that the sentence structure here indicates that Jesus appeared to Mary early in the morning on the first day of the week, meaning that he had resurrected prior to that point.
In truth, it seems to me that all historical and scriptural evidence points to a Wednesday crucifixion, a Saturday night resurrection, and Jesus revealing Himself on Sunday. This is the conclusion to which I have come. Many, a vast majority, will disagree with me, and that is fine. The real point is that Jesus died and was raised, but perhaps this simple summary of an explanation will help those who like myself, have trouble reconciling what Jesus said in Matthew 12:40 with the traditional Friday crucifixion day. It was not the tradition of the early church, but has come to be accepted from a later Catholic tradition. As I stated, the exact day is not important, but the accuracy of scripture is.
Sermon No 11.
Text: II Corinthians 12:11-13:14 (Read 13:11-14)
Title: The Growing of the Church
Introduction: As we approach this last section of Second Corinthians we find that the key word is,”edification.” We find the word in 12:19 and 13:10. It is a translation of the Greek word, “oikodome,” which means, “to build up.” Paul states in 13:10 that he has been accused of destroying the church because of his direct and stinging rebuke. Paul’s purpose was not to tear down, but to build up. However, before building can take place ground must be cleared and the foundation dug. A part of that process requires the removal of that which would hinder the growth.
In a former church I had a dear deacon teach me a valuable lesson. We were growing and God was blessing in wonderful ways. Yet there were some that did not like the growth, and my critics were nipping at my heels. Some had left the church, while dozens more were joining. I was discouraged because I was concentrating on those who were leaving. I was doing everything I could to get them to come back. One day this old deacon showed me a pecan tree. It had lost some of its branches, but it had much new growth. He said to me, “Pastor, don’t ever try to put back on what the wind of the Spirit has blown off.” He went on to tell me that these trees only produced fruit on new growth, and he said, “a church that will not change some things in order to grow will surely die.” The growing of a church takes both the tender appeal and the stern rebuke according to Paul.
In these closing verses of the book Paul sets forth for us the elements of growth, the enemies of growth, the essentials of growth, and the evidences of growth.
I THE ELEMENTS OF GROWTH (12:11-19)
A. Marked by the supernatural (11-13a)
1. Any growing church will have upon it the mark of God’s power.
2. A church that can explain everything it does in terms of human organization, talent, and energy may have people, but its growth is not real.
B. Marked by the Sacrificial (12:13a-19)
1. The growing church will be marked by sacrificial service by its leadership.
II THE ENEMIES OF GROWTH (12:20-21)
A. Uncontrolled Emotions
1. Contention
2. Jealousy
3. Angry speech
4. Selfish ambitions
5. Backbiting
6. Murmuring
7. Conceit
8. Disorderly conduct
B. Unconfessed Sin
III THE ESSENTIALS OF GROWTH (13:1-8)
Christ must be in charge. See 4 essentials of His ministry to the church.
A. Christ speaking to the church (1-3)
B. Christ suffering for the church (4)
1. Focus must be upon the cross
C. Christ strengthening the church (3-5)
1. Through the indwelling of the believer.
D. Christ securing the church (5-8)
1. Eternal security of the believer
IV THE EVIDENCE OF GROWTH (13:9-14)
A. Members moving toward maturity (9-11a)
B. Members living in unity (11b-13)
C. Member’s lives displaying the trinity (14)
1. As the church ministers the world see the grace of God.
2. As the church loves sacrificially the world see the heart of God.
3. As the church fellowships in unity the world sees the power of the Holy Ghost.
D. Only the grace of God saves sinners, only the love of God can get saved sinners to work together in unity, and only the power of His Spirit can keep us together.
Conclusion: II Corinthians ends where all life begins- with our great God. He is the hope of all mankind. Only he can transform lives and transform churches. “The grace of the Lords Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the communion of the Holy Spirit be with you all. Amen” (14)
Sermon No. 7
Text: II CORINTHIANS 11:16-12:10 (Read 11:30, 12:5, and 12:9)
Title: MIRACLES AND THORNES
Introduction: There are those today that boast of a miracle a day as if that were the norm in the Christian life. These are false apostles just like the false apostles of Paul’s day that attempted to discredit his credentials because he had endured difficulties. They said that if Paul were truly called of God that he would not have difficulties. They said that Paul was weak, and they were strong, attractive, and powerful in appearance and speech. They boasted of miracles, visions, and tongue speaking. Paul had no desire to discredit the supernatural. He believed in miracles, but knew that they were not the foundation of the gospel, Christ was. Paul tells the Corinthians, “if I must boast, I will boast in my weakness.” Paul was teaching a basic Biblical concept, our weaknesses bring out the strength of God. Paul teaches them that:
I YOUR PROBLEMS HAVE A DIVINE PURPOSE (11:16-33)
God uses our weakness to show us his provisions. (30-33)
II OUR POSITION GIVES US DIVINE PERSPECTIVE (12:1-6)
III OUR PAIN BRINGS MAKES REAL HIS POWER (7-13)
Verse 7 makes it clear that God has allowed something to
Come into Paul’s life that caused him great pain. Whether
Physical or emotional pain we know not, but true pain.
The word “thorn is a poor translation of the Greek word,
“scolops,” which means, “a stake used for torturing someone.”
Verse 9- the word; “sufficient” is the Greek word, “arkei,”
Which means, “enough.” Quiet literally God is saying, “I am enough.” My power is enough. You must have this weakness in order to rest or abide in my power instead of your own.
Conclusion: Don’t despise your problems, and don’t belly ache about them. God may be using them to keep you in a usable condition.
Sermon No.5
Text: II Corinthians 10:1-11:15 (Read 10:1-6)
Title: THE WAR YOU CAN WIN
Introduction:
“Now I appeal to you in person, by the gentleness and fairness of Christ, I, Paul, who am so condescending when face to face with you, but so courageous toward you when far away!(1) I beg you not to make me too courageous in that confidence in which I think to take a daring stand against some people who try to think that I am acting from the lowest human motives.(2) For while I do still live the life of a physical human creature, I am not waging this war in accordance with human physical standards, (3) for the weapons used in my warfare are not mere human weapons, but through my God are mighty for demolishing fortresses. (4) For I am demolishing arguments and every barrier that is raised against the genuine knowledge of God, taking captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ, (5) and am prepared to punish any disobedience, when your obedience is made complete. (6) Williams Translation
Chapter 10 begins the third and final section of II Corinthians. In the next three messages we will deal with the struggle with Satan, the struggle with self, and the struggle with sin.
Tonight we will deal with our struggle with Satan. Believers are in a constant warfare with Satan, but he can be defeated if we understand how he operates. In our text tonight we see that Satan’s warfare must be viewed on three levels:
I THE STRONGHOLDS OF SATAN
In verses 1 and 2 Paul asserts that his strength in not mere human strength. It is impossible to fight a spiritual warfare in the strength of one’s own flesh. If we are to war against Satan we must fight with spiritual weapons. These weapons are described for us in Ephesians 6:10- 18. They include: belt of truth (integrity), breastplate of purity, helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Word of God. When and only when this armor is in place the believer is ready to deal with satanic strongholds.
A. Definition of Stronghold (10:4)
A stronghold is a fortress erected in a place from which the enemy may launch an attack from behind a defense.
In the area of our souls it would be a mental attack. Satan attacks through an attitude or an act, turning them into habits. By this he makes a person his servant
B. Description of Stronghold (10:4)
Let’s look at some verses that show us this truth. In Ephesians 4:17-31, Paul describes the walk of life of the believer. He takes sinful acts and traces them to their psychological origin. If you look at verses 23 and 27, it becomes plain that all of Satan’s strongholds begin in an undisciplined thought life. Ephesians 4 mentions 7 sins that give Satan a stronghold in our lives:
1. Intellectual Foolishness (17-18)
2. Greed for impurity (19-22)
3. Dishonesty (25)
4. Uncontrolled anger (26)
5. Unforgiving spirit (26)
6. Theft (28)
7. Laziness (28)
These verses are proof of the old adage, “the idle mind is the devil’s workshop.” If a man feeds his mind with the immoral, in no time at all he is enslaved to it.
Sin is habit forming. Give Satan a little time and he will build a fortress, a fortress that only the blood of Jesus can break down.
C. Danger of Strongholds
Strongholds will eventually destroy the Christian. There is no such thing as a peace treaty with the devil. He is not satisfied until he controls your every thought. I Peter 5:8 warns us, “Be alert, your adversary the devil is prowling around as a roaring lion, seeking to destroy you.”
Any evil attitude may well become an act that will become a habit. These habits are his destructive strongholds.
D. DESTRUCTION OF STRONGHOLDS
E. These strongholds are not of man’s making. They are not of the flesh, and cannot be conquered with any weapon of the flesh.
The only weapons effective in this warfare are the Word of God and prayer. As you study, apply and pray there are three vital essentials:
1. The atoning blood of Jesus (I Peter 5:9)
2. The armed believer (Ephesians 6:11)
3. The abandoned life (James 4:7)
Satan trembles before the believer with God’s weapons. With these weapons a Godly person cannot only fight the devil, but be assured of the victory.
Danny Daniels gives some steps for the removal of strongholds:
a. Be sure of your salvation
b. Realize that only God can remove a stronghold
c. Identify the stronghold
d. Confess all sin related to the stronghold
e. Thank God for forgiveness
f. Visualize the destruction of the stronghold.
g. Ask God to free you from the negative force associated with the stronghold.
h. Make restitution for wrongs done with controlled by the stronghold.
II THE STRATEGY OF SATAN (10:7-11:15)
This lengthy passage can be reduced to some simple truths that will expose the work of our enemy. When we understand his objective and his methods we are better equipped to defeat him. He wants to:
A. Challenge the Truth (7-18)
1. Challenge the authority of the Word
2. Challenge the authority of the Minister
B. Corrupt the Truth (11:1-3a)
The word “deceive” here means, “completely confuse.”
C. Complicate The Truth (11:3-15)
The message of Christ is not complicated! It is simple! Man is born a sinner. Because of this fact, he is in need of a savior. God provided that savior in the person of His only Son, Jesus Christ. In order to be saved, man MUST confess Christ and repent (turn away from) his sins. THIS IS THE SIMPLE TRUTH OF CHRIST!
There is a Jesus that the liberal church of today preaches. He never condemns sin. He came to teach you how wonderful you are. Your only problem is your low self-esteem, not sin! This Jesus being taught today is a different Jesus than the one presented in the Bible. The message of this crowd is not the Good News of salvation, but a complicated mystical message that perverts the truth. Anything that is not simple and saving is not of God!
Conclusion: Jesus Christ has already conquered both the strongholds and strategies of Satan. It is our job to enforce the victory in our personal lives. Jesus can clear the mind and set the spirit free. He can give victory over the strategies of the enemy. We need to determine not to live under satanic domination. God is the answer to release from the strongholds of bondage Satan has placed us under.
Sermon By: Dr. Todd Morris
Title: One More Night With The Frogs
Text: Exodus 8:1-15
Date: November 13, 2005
Introduction: I recently read an interesting story about procrastination.
“At exactly 8:02 on the morning of May 8, 1902 almost 30,000 people died instantly in one of history’s most horrible natural disasters. The direct cause of the deaths was the volcanic eruption of Mount Pelee on the French Colonial island of Martinique. It hurled millions of tons of rock, boiling lava and a terrible blast of super heated air at the town of St. Pierre. That was the direct cause of the deaths, but the indirect cause was pure human stupidity, greed and political opportunism.
The volcano had begun acting up a full week before the disaster struck. At various intervals for a full week there had been rock and mudslides, one had even killed several hundred people at a factory outside of town. Yet no one in authority made any effort to evacuate the town.
Beloved, some things can wait and others cannot! Our text this morning speaks of the danger of delay. The 10 plagues that God sent upon Egypt represent a great duel between the one living and true God and the various false gods of Egypt.
The text that I read in your hearing this morning concerns the second of the three plagues, the plague of the frogs. It was a direct attack from God upon Heqet, the frog-headed goddess who was believed to breath life from her nostrils into human created by her husband, Khnum. This plague was clearly designed to show Egypt that there was but one true God. In the midst of this scene sits Pharaoh, and it is his actions that interest me this morning. Here is a man who could have been spared this plague, but chose to spend one more night with the frogs. That is the subject of my preaching this morning. Allow me to share with you some aspects about this story that teach us the danger of delay, especially in spiritual matters.
I IT WAS A TRAGIC DISASTER (1-7)
A. A Disgusting Mess – Frogs everywhere
B. A Disturbing Mess – Frogs were sacred and couldn’t be killed
C. A Devastating Mess – No one was spared
D. A Defiling Mess – All the temple to all the gods were filed with frogs defiling them and preventing worship
E. A Descriptive Mess – A picture of how sin affects all men
1. Sin is Universal – It affects all men
2. Sin is Uncontrollable – Religion can’t handle it
3. Sin is Ungodly – It separates the sinner from God
II A TRAGIC DECISION (8-10A)
A. An Understandable Desire – To be rid of the frogs
B. An Unwanted Dilemma - Calling on God admitted his own helplessness
C. An Unwise Decision – He put off what could have been done immediately
D. An Unerring Depiction – A picture of the sinner who knows he needs to do something about his sin, but keeps putting it off.
1. Some love their sin too much to leave it
2. Some say, “but I am a good person”
3. Some believe they are too evil to be saved
4. Some say they have too much to give up
5. Some say, “I’m as good as anybody in church”
6. Some are waiting for a feeling
7. Some say, “I can’t live it”
8. Some say, “I will wait until I can live it”
9. Some believe they have plenty of time
III A TRAGIC DEVELOPMENT (10-15)
A. The Reason For The Punishment (10) – Pharaoh’s own words
B. The Reach of the Punishment (9,11) – More than just Pharaoh was affected, an entire nation suffered
C. The Relevance of the Punishment – The consequences teach us some things about delaying spiritual decisions
1. The dividends on sin are always paid
2. The damage from sin is always pronounced
3. The dangers of sin are always profound
Conclusion: Tomorrow! Will you choose to spend one more night with the frogs? Will you live one more day in your sins, or will you come to Jesus Christ and receive His forgiveness?
What will you decide today? Will you choose sin or the savior? Will you choose Heaven or Hell? Will you choose forgiveness or frogs? What will you do with the message you heard this morning?
Once a mighty eagle landed on a carcass that was floating down the river in the bitterness of a northern winter. As the carcass floated further and further down the river the eagle continued to devour its flesh not worrying about the great falls that lay ahead. The eagle knew that with one great swoop of his wings he could lift off and fly to safety. Yet when they approached the falls the eagle discovered that his talons had frozen to the carcass and he couldn’t free himself. So the carcass and the mighty screaming eagle plunged to their deaths, simply because the eagle waited too long to lift off.
Don’t choose to spend one more night with the frogs! It would be a terrible way to spend your last night.
