Wednesday, February 28, 2018

Pastor Kevin Weston preaches from II Timothy 1:1

Don't forget to check out the start of my sermons from 2 Timothy.



Friday, February 23, 2018

II Timothy 1:2-6


II Timothy 1:2-6
How to Encourage Others in the Hard Times

2Ti 1:2  To Timothy, my dearly beloved son: Grace, mercy, and peace, from God the Father and Christ Jesus our Lord. 
2Ti 1:3  I thank God, whom I serve from my forefathers with pure conscience, that without ceasing I have remembrance of thee in my prayers night and day; 
2Ti 1:4  Greatly desiring to see thee, being mindful of thy tears, that I may be filled with joy; 
2Ti 1:5  When I call to remembrance the unfeigned faith that is in thee, which dwelt first in thy grandmother Lois, and thy mother Eunice; and I am persuaded that in thee also. 
2Ti 1:6  Wherefore I put thee in remembrance that thou stir up the gift of God, which is in thee by the putting on of my hands. 

  1. Remind Them of the Truth of the Gospel. – vs. 2*
    1. Our true hope and source of strength is in Jesus
                                                               i.      Psalm 27:14 
  1. Pray for Them Continually with a Clear Conscience. – vs. 3*
    1. Romans 1:9 
  2. Do All You Can to Encourage Them Face to Face. – vs. 4*
    1. Romans 1:10-12 
  3. Remind Them of Their Spiritual Heritage. – vs. 5*
    1. Psalm 77:2-12 
  4. Empower Them with Prayers of Commission. – vs. 6*
    1. Acts 13:1-5 

Friday, February 16, 2018

II Timothy 1:1


II Timothy 1:1
Paul:
 A Faithful Messenger of Hope in a Dark Time

2Ti 1:1  Paul, an apostle of Jesus Christ by the will of God, according to the promise of life which is in Christ Jesus, 
  1. Paul
    1. The author of the of II Timothy
    2. Written shortly after the burning of Rome by Nero maybe 65 AD
    3. This was written during a fierce persecution of all Christians across the Roman Empire. Peter, the Apostle was probably also killed in Rome around the same time as Paul.
    4. He was imprisoned for the second time. This time in a more harsher environment
    5. This is was his last letter
    6. He was probably executed a short time after the writing of this letter.
    7. Considered by some to be his last will and testament
    8. This is a final letter written to probably one of the most important people Paul’s life, communicating the most important advice, in one of the most important moments in the history of the then fledgling Church.
  2. Paul’s Passion
    1. Paul was called by Christ to be an Apostle to the Gentiles and the author of much of scripture (including this book - this is a clear statement to the reality that the Holy Spirit was speaking through Paul to write not only this book but all the books that he wrote and are preserved in the New Testament)
                                                               i.      Galatians 1:1; Acts 9:15-18 
  1. Paul’s Purpose
    1. To preach the resurrection in Christ and our hope of life eternal. This is not in contradiction to what Jesus taught. Paul was faithful to pass on the message he was given to us. Are you going to be faithful to that message by passing it on to some one else?
                                                               i.      John 5:24-25; John 5:39-40; John 6:38-40; John 10:27-30; John 17:1-3 



Saturday, February 10, 2018

Change in Sermon Topic

I know many of you have been enjoying the sermon notes from Psalms, but I plan to make a change next week and switch to 2 Timothy. This book has been a real blessing in my life and I have preached from it many times. I have also memorized the entire book and at one time could quote it through in it's entirety. This will be the first time that I will have the opportunity to preach through the entire book. I am really excited after taking a first look at the book. Please stay tuned as we travel through one of the last epistles from the Apostle Paul.

Be not thou therefore ashamed of the testimony of our Lord, nor of me his prisoner: but be thou partaker of the afflictions of the gospel according to the power of God; 
Who hath saved us, and called us with an holy calling, not according to our works, but according to his own purpose and grace, which was given us in Christ Jesus before the world began, 
But is now made manifest by the appearing of our Saviour Jesus Christ, who hath abolished death, and hath brought life and immortality to light through the gospel: 
Whereunto I am appointed a preacher, and an apostle, and a teacher of the Gentiles. 

II Timothy 1:8-11

Thursday, February 8, 2018

Dr Joel Beeke on Bible Versions: Practical Reasons for Retaining the KJV

Here is a great article by Dr. Joel Beeke on the KJV. I think there is sufficient reason here to not abandon a faithful text that has aided many believers throughout the history of the English Speaking world.

Dr Joel Beeke on Bible Versions: Practical Reasons for Retaining the KJV

DECEMBER 11, 2008
Dr Beeke
Here is a short, sound, theological and Reformed view of why we should continue to use the historic Received Text (TR) of the NT and the Masoretic Text of the OT, which is most faithfully translated for the English speaker in the Authorized (King James) Version.  Various attacks are made upon those who hold to this view, saying that we are ignorant, KJV Only, Arminian, dispensational, etc. etc. But as it can be seen, that assertion is not true.  Thank you Dr Beeke for your clear explanation of this issue of our day.
PRACTICAL REASONS FOR RETAINING THE KJV
Thirteen practical reasons for retaining the King James Version (KJV) of the Bible.
1. The Standard Text of the English Bible
It is wiser to choose the known over against the unknown. The weaknesses and disadvantages of a particular version of the Bible cannot really be assessed apart from a thorough trial of daily usage over many years. Many who welcomed the New International Version (NIV) with great enthusiasm when it first appeared are now prepared to admit its serious weaknesses as a translation.
The KJV is well established in the market-place and in the literature of Christian scholarship. It will continue in production in many editions for years to come. Helps and reference works are commonly available. It is not likely that the KJV will fade from view and disappear as have many versions produced to supplant it.
Likewise the KJV is widely studied and commented on in the literature of biblical scholarship. It will always be a standard of reference and comparison of Bible commentators. All other versions are compared to it, contrasted with it, tested by it. Campaigns to sell other versions must attack it. The same cannot be said of any other Bible version.
2. Based on the Full Text of the Hebrew and Greek Originals
Based on the Textus Receptus (the Greek NT), and the Masoretic Text (Hebrew OT), the KJV gives the most authentic and fullest available text of the Scriptures, with none of the many omissions and textual rewrites of the modern translations such as the Revised Standard Versions (RSV) and the NIV.
(a) Oldest Does Not Mean Best – The Westcott and Hort arguments that ‘the oldest manuscripts are the most reliable’ and that ‘age carries more weight than volume’ are not necessarily true. It could well be that the two oldest, complete manuscripts were found to be in such unusually excellent condition because they were already recognized as faulty manuscripts in their time and therefore were placed aside and not recopied until worn out as were the reliable manuscripts. This is further supported by numerous existing differences between the Vatican and Sinaitic manuscripts.
(b) Volume – The King James Version is based upon the Traditional Text. The vast majority of the more than 5,000 known partial and complete Greek manuscripts follow this textual reading.
(c) Church History – The ‘Received’ or ‘Ecclesiastical’ Text has been used by the church historically. The English, French, Dutch, and German Reformation churches all used Bibles based on the Traditional Text. (The Dutch ‘Statenvertaling’ is also based upon the ‘Ecclesiastic’ Text.)
3. A More Faithful Method of Translation
The KJV translators employed a method of verbal equivalence (‘word for word’) rather than the method of paraphrase of dynamic equivalence (‘meaning for meaning’) used in the NIV. The result is that the KJV gives you what biblical authors wrote, not what a committee thinks they meant to write.
4. A More Honest Translation
The text of the KJV used italics to identify every word or phrase interpolated (supplied by the translator) and not given in the original. Such a practice was not followed in the NIV, lest the loose method of its translators be unmercifully exposed to view.
5. A More Precise Idiom
Often attacked at this very point, the KJV actually is a more accurate and helpful translation precisely because of the archaic pronouns (‘thou, thy, thee,’ etc.). Both Hebrew and Greek distinguish clearly between the 2nd person singular (‘thou’) and the 2nd person plural (‘ye,you’). In many statements this makes an important difference (e.g. John 3:7). In a sense it is correct to say that in praying the Lord Jesus used ‘Thou’ – God is one, not many! – for he definitely used the Hebrew or Greek equivalent.
6. The Best Liturgical Text
The KJV excels as a version to be used in public worship. That is why it has been used so widely in the churches. The requirements of the sanctuary are not those of the classroom. Other versions may be helpful on occasions to the student, but none is more edifying to the worshipper.
7. The Best Format For Preaching
The KJV traditionally has been laid out verse by verse on the page, rather than in paragraphs; though for most of the text, paragraphs are indicated by a sign. The Hebrew and Greek texts, of course, have no paragraphing at all. The verse-by-verse format best serves the purpose of verse-by-verse consecutive expository sermonizing.
8. The Most Beautiful Translation
The KJV gives classic expression to many important passages in the Bible (e.g. Ps 23, Isa 53, Luke 2, and the Parable of the Prodigal Son). Our seniors need to hear these passages as a comfort and help as they draw near to the end of life’s journey and our children need to hear them in the KJV as part of their nurture and education. They need to understand that the KJV is an important part of the spiritual and cultural heritage of all English-speaking Christians, and a key to our greatest literature. Children well instructed in the KJV will be greatly advantaged over other children, spiritually, linguistically, educationally, and culturally.
9. An Ecumenical Text For Reformed Christians
No other version has been used so widely among evangelical Christians. More significantly for Reformed Christians, this version is used by preference in many conservative Reformed congregations. The KJV is also used in the Christian schools these churches sponsor. Using the KJV is one way to underscore our unity and identity with other conservative evangelical and Reformed Christians.
10. A Practical Choice
The KJV is available in many editions; with a full range of helps and reference materials, not to mention computer software; in large-type, clear-print editions; and often priced well below modern translations.
11. ‘Sounds’ Like the Bible
More than any other version, the KJV sounds like the Word of God, even to unbelievers. The KJV translators aimed at this very thing. Even in 1611 the KJV sounded old-fashioned, ancient, a voice from the past. This was to command a reverent hearing, and to suggest the timeless and eternal character of God’s Word.
The modern unbeliever, if he has any spiritual concern at all, is well aware that the contemporary scene really offers him no hope. He expects the church to speak in a way that is timeless and other-worldly.
Many church-goers and occasional visitors to a church go much more by ‘feel’ and ‘mood’ than by intellectual content or apprehension. They are more likely to take seriously what is said to them if they sense that this is something more important than a casual conversation.
12. The Character of the Translators
The fifty men appointed to translate the King James Version were not only well-known scholars, but were also men of sound religious faith. They were strong believers in every word of the Bible being inspired by God and in all the central doctrinal truths of Scripture. They were God-fearing men whose lives testified of a saving knowledge of these truths. This same testimony cannot be made of all translators serving on modern translation teams.
13. Upholds ‘Old Paths’
Using the KJV is a clear statement of where we stand and want to be as a church walking in the ‘old paths’ of God’s Word. ‘Thus saith the LORD, Stand ye in the ways, and see, and ask for the old paths, where is the good way, and walk therein, and ye shall find rest for your souls’ (Jer 6:16). In choosing this version we choose to stand with all that is best in the great tradition of historic Christianity.
The penchant for new translations was part of the program of change which has done such harm to many denominations over the past century. This change to new translations was often part of an effort to strip worship services of dignity, reverence, and beauty, in favour of the casual, the contemporary, and the convenient. It also causes a congregation to lose touch with keeping the Word in memory. Memorization of the Scriptures suffers when each generation uses a different translation.
Dr. Joel R. Beeke is the president and professor of Systematic Theology and Homiletics at Puritan Reformed Theological Seminary, and pastor of the Heritage Netherlands Reformed Congregation of Grand Rapids, Michigan.

Wednesday, February 7, 2018

Psalm 23

Psalm 23
The Lord is My Shepherd

Psa 23:1  A Psalm of David. The LORD is my shepherd; I shall not want. 
Psa 23:2  He maketh me to lie down in green pastures: he leadeth me beside the still waters. 
Psa 23:3  He restoreth my soul: he leadeth me in the paths of righteousness for his name’s sake. 
Psa 23:4  Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil: for thou art with me; thy rod and thy staff they comfort me. 
Psa 23:5  Thou preparest a table before me in the presence of mine enemies: thou anointest my head with oil; my cup runneth over. 
Psa 23:6  Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life: and I will dwell in the house of the LORD for ever. 


  1. David Makes a Declaration of Faith that God is His Shepherd. The Rest of This Psalm is About the Benefits of the Choice that David Has Made. – vs. 1a*
                                                               i.      John 10:7-11 
    1. The Shepherd fills our deepest need. – vs. 1b*
                                                               i.      James 1:2-8 
    1. The Shepherd gives us rest in peaceful places. – vs. 2*
                                                               i.      Revelation 22:16-17 
    1. The Shepherd regenerates our broken soul and gives us new desires. – vs. 3*
                                                               i.      Ephesians 2:1-10 
    1. The Shepherd’s presence gives us comfort in hard times. – vs. 4*
                                                               i.      Isaiah 41:9-10
    1. The Shepherd invites us to a banquet of grace. – vs. 5*
                                                               i.      James 4:6 
    1. The Shepherd provides for me a home and an identity. – vs. 6*
                                                               i.      2 Timothy 4:18 
                                                             ii.      Psalm 16:11 


Thursday, February 1, 2018

Psalm 22:25-31

Psalm 22:25-31
Christ’s Plan for His Church!

Psa 22:25  My praise shall be of thee in the great congregation: I will pay my vows before them that fear him. 
Psa 22:26  The meek shall eat and be satisfied: they shall praise the LORD that seek him: your heart shall live for ever. 
Psa 22:27  All the ends of the world shall remember and turn unto the LORD: and all the kindreds of the nations shall worship before thee. 
Psa 22:28  For the kingdom is the LORD’S: and he is the governor among the nations. 
Psa 22:29  All they that be fat upon earth shall eat and worship: all they that go down to the dust shall bow before him: and none can keep alive his own soul. 
Psa 22:30  A seed shall serve him; it shall be accounted to the Lord for a generation. 
Psa 22:31  They shall come, and shall declare his righteousness unto a people that shall be born, that he hath done this. 

  1. Jesus is in the Church – Jesus Will Always Be With His People, and Praising God With the People Who Love God. – vs. 25a*
    1. Many people say today that they love Jesus and hate religion. Those people will never find the true Jesus.
                                                               i.      Psalm 40:7-10 
  1. Those that Fear God Will See the Promises of Jesus Fulfilled. The Following Are the Promises that Jesus has fulfilled. – vs. 25b*
                                                               i.      Joshua 23:14 
    1. The humbled and oppressed will be filled! – vs. 26*
1.      Matthew 5:3-11 
                                                             ii.      Those that seek God will find him
                                                            iii.      Those that are humble and seek God will gain eternal life
    1. The gospel will be preached in the ends of the earth! – vs. 27-28*
                                                               i.      Revelation 7:9-12   
    1. Those that worship Christ will have eternal life! – vs. 29*
                                                               i.      John 11:25-26 
    1. The children of God will be like a new generation or a revolution of hope and promise. This is the Church or all people who believe in Jesus as the Savior of the World. – vs. 30*
                                                               i.      Ephesians 1:3-7 

  1. We are to Proclaim the Completed Victory of Christ. – vs. 31*
    1. 1 Corinthians 15:52-57