New Era Christian Sermons 2018

2nd Timothy Chapter 1-Part 2 Last week we spent quite a bit of time talking about Inner and Outer Realities; today we explore the Faith vs Good Works controversy. This 2nd Timothy presentation begins with a long meditation on my  favorite hymn lyrics: “I know whom I have believed, and am persuaded that he is able to keep that which I have committed unto him against that day”. There is much to be pondered here, but, to get straight to the point, this text suggests a doctrinal paradox that ought to be addressed, to whit: 1. The law of Karma is clearly referenced here; Paul is saying that everything he has done for Jesus will pay him dividends in the afterlife—fair is fair, what goes around comes around. However, Karma and the law were done away with through the sacrifice of Jesus-- thus Paul’s belief in his ultimate reward because of his works contradicts a basic premise of Jesus’ teaching. 2. Therefore, since Paul expects to be rewarded in Heaven for h...

Sermon 16A -- 2 Timothy Chapter 1-1 Last week we presented a review of the career of the Apostle Paul. We heard reports of his many travels and of his ultimate martyrdom at the hands of Nero. Today we offer the first of a two-part examination of the first chapter of 2 nd Timothy. 2nd Timothy is the last of the letters we have from Paul, written shortly before he was beheaded. The theme of the letter is commitment. Today we will begin with establishing context for the letter, then we will get into a discussion of the Faith Vs Good Works controversy: From Wikipedia we read: “The date of 2nd Timothy is shortly before Paul’s death. In many respects, this epistle is his last will and testament. In our view, Paul died in the summer of 64 CE. He had already gone through a preliminary trial, and the outcome was not promising. This letter should be dated within weeks of Paul’s actual death, for Paul’s request that Timothy try to come before winter would hardly have been uttered in...

Sermon 15 -- 2 Timothy: Introduction My last two sermon series, the book of Hebrews and the Gospel of Philip , were deeply indebted to the Apostle Paul; Hebrews , was almost certainly NOT written by Paul, but was based on his teachings, and the Gospel of Philip was written around the same time as the letters of Paul, (maybe a little later), and develops Gnostic concepts that were widely circulated among the early Christians if not that often written down (or at least preserved). Thus am I drawn irresistibly toward the writings of Paul himself. The suggestion to explore 2nd Timothy came to me in meditation, and I did not know why--but the minute I started working on it, I discovered an important reason I would have been led to this book: 2 nd Timothy is understood to be Paul’s last letter, and is considered by some to be his last will and testament. Thus, as I approach death, I am instructed to learn from Paul the things that he thought were ultimately the most important.  ...