Category: Weekly Sermon

[Unless we tend our relationship with God, our spiritual houses
can become places of desolation.]

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Nobleton Community Church
29084 Sentinel Street PO Box 224
Nobleton, Florida 34661

Rev. Paul V. Lehmann, Pastor
813-389-8683
Nobletoncommunitychurch.org
info@nobletoncommunitychurch.org

OUR VISION IS:
To experience SPIRIT-FILLED WORSHIP AND PRAYER
To be involved in EVANGELISM, DISCIPLINING AND TRAINING PEOPLE
To use our SPIRITUAL GIFTS
To SERVE AND REACH PEOPLE FOR CHRIST, BOTH
“ACROSS THE STREET AND ACROSS THE WORLD”

Nobleton Community Church
Date July 27, 2025
Text Luke 13:31-35
Pastor Paul Lehmann

Listen to live audio here

During our home foreclosure crisis, we got too acquainted with literal desolate houses. Foreclosure signs were a familiar sight in many communities across America. Some of these properties fell into disrepair. Neighborhoods in cities and towns across America were decimated because of houses abandoned after their owners were either forced out by mortgage holders or gave up and walked away from them ahead of inevitable foreclosures. And we know how things often go from there: With no one tending them, the buildings start to crumble, eaves begin to sag, windows get smashed, mold becomes a problem, yards become overgrown, and vandals or squatters or even drug dealers add to the deterioration. The houses begin to die, and so do the neighborhoods in which they sit.

In this passage, Jesus refers to a house that has been left “desolate.” The RSV has it “forsaken.” It’s an opportunity to examine how our “houses” (our inner beings) become desolate, and how they might be restored once again.

If there’s one biblical metaphor that translates easily to our culture today, it’s likely the one Jesus uses in Luke 13:35, where he laments over Jerusalem and says, “Look, your house is left to you desolate …” (NIV).

What sort of houses did Jesus consider desolate? In both New Testament Greek and modern English, the word “house” can stand not only for a building but also for a family. The text begins with the Pharisees passing along a threat from Herod, whom Jesus would refer to as a fox. This passage shows us Jesus talking to Herod Antipas, King of Galilee, who was out to stop him. To the Jew, the fox was a symbol of three things.

First, it was regarded as the sliest of animals.

Second, it was regarded as the most destructive of animals.

Third, it was the symbol of a worthless and insignificant man

. So, it was a courageous remark by Jesus, and probably reflected a little bit of his humanity, to call the reigning king a fox.

One of the well-known preachers in England, named Latimer, was once preaching in Westminster Abbey when Henry the king was in the congregation. In the pulpit, he remarked: “Latimer! Latimer! Latimer! Be careful what you say. The king of England is here!” Then he went on to say, “Latimer!, Latimer!, Latimer! Be careful what you say. The King of Kings is here.” Yes it is far more important what we say about Jesus The King of Kings than any earthly king. And Jesus took his orders from God, and he would not shorten his work by one day to please or to escape any earthly king.

Luke 13:31-35 strongly connects Jesus’ journey to Jerusalem (Luke 9:51–19:28). The passage is a continuation of 13:22-30, which records Jesus’ traveling “through one town and village after another, teaching as he made his way to Jerusalem” (v. 22). Here, Jesus specifically discusses the likelihood that expectations will be defied with respect to those who will be welcomed in and those who will be left out come judgment day. Heavenly standards will confound the earthly status quo. In the midst of this lesson — “At that very hour” (v. 31) —This is where the Pharisees enter the scene to warn Jesus that Herod is seeking to kill him.

This warning is the source of speculation regarding the intent of the Pharisees. Because their own authority is thrown into question by much of what Jesus teaches, 13:22-30 included, the Pharisees are typically portrayed as being in tension with him. Thus, it is surprising that Luke depicts them — “some” (v.31), at least — as cautioning Jesus about Herod. Perhaps the Pharisees are merely taunting Jesus. But they may very well be concerned for his safety, suggesting that not all Pharisees are unbendingly at odds with Jesus (witness Nicodemus in the gospel of John and examples of hospitality extended to Jesus by Pharisees in Luke 7:6, 11:37 and 14:1).

Less open to speculation is Herod’s dire threat. Herod, of course, stands to be one of the biggest losers when the earthly status quo is disrupted. He has already met the prophetic challenge of John the Baptist with lethal force (9:7-9). Because of his own prophetic presence, Jesus has also made his way onto Herod’s enemies list. Having withstood temptation posed by the devil in the wilderness (4:1-13), Jesus now faces the temptation of avoiding the wrath of a despot.

Jesus responds by not succumbing to fear. He is defiant, dismissively referring to Herod as “that fox” (v. 32), one who is sly and not to be trusted. Jesus is doing holy work, “casting out demons and healing people” (v. 32), and he instructs the Pharisees to tell Herod that this work will go on until it is accomplished. Moreover, Jesus makes it clear that this work is integral to the overall task of making his way to Jerusalem, a task he “must” pursue (v. 33a). The word here connotes a necessity corresponding to carrying out orders, in this case a divine mission (see Luke 2:49; 9:22; 22:7).

The house of Herod was tangled. The family line did not resemble so much a tree as a tangled ball of yarn. This Herod, named Antipas, had other relatives called Herod as well, and their marriages, divorces and remarriages were not only often ill-considered, but were sometimes incestuous.

The Herods were greatly admired in the Roman Empire. Herod the Great, for instance, had saved the Olympics around the year 12 B.C. by funding them perfectly. He left behind many great architectural works, including substantial improvements to the Jewish temple — so impressive that it caused one of Jesus’ disciples to marvel: “Look, Teacher, what large stones and what large buildings!” Jesus, however, knew about the coming desolation and replied, “Do you see these great buildings? Not one stone will be left here upon another; all will be thrown down” (Mark 13:1-2). Jesus was right, and eventually, that desolation would become all too tangible. In A.D. 66, the Jewish population rebelled against Rome. The empire could not allow that revolt to succeed, and so in A.D. 70, Roman legions under future emperor Titus retook the city and destroyed much of it, including the temple, which has not been rebuilt to this day.

Despite his major improvements to the temple and his popularity in the empire, Herod was hated by his own people because of his murderous ways, which were emulated by his descendants.

The failed relationships in the family of Herod may represent the sort of house Jesus lamented over. But he likely was thinking about the brokenness among the common people as well, and about the failure by many to love God with their whole hearts and love their neighbors as themselves.

It’s not much of a stretch to apply “the house desolate” to our lives. An unattended life — one littered with missed opportunities, broken relationships, repeated procrastinations, a lack of empathy, unkept promises, false starts, yielded-to temptations, selfish priorities, and the like — can quickly become a forsaken or desolate “house.”

It’s pretty easy to find desolate-house-type lives in the news. Think of any one of the celebrities or politicians or yes, even big-name religious figures, who destroyed their families, lost their positions, ruined their reputations and betrayed those who trusted them because of some act of infidelity or gross selfishness. But don’t limit your thinking to just them, because it’s often much smaller acts of inattention that we are guilty of in our families, but nevertheless, just as destructive.

For example, a song by Roger Miller, high on both the country and pop charts several years ago, told of a marriage breaking down, and began, “Two broken hearts — lonely, lookin’ like houses where nobody lives.”

The popular TV cop show The Closer, which ended quite a few years ago, after seven seasons, contains another example. The main character, Deputy Chief Brenda Leigh Johnson (played by Kyra Sedgwick), was an effective police officer with an innate ability to discern who the bad guys were and wrangle admissions of guilt out of them. But she had one habit that drove her family and co-workers nuts: When she was hot on a case, she became so focused that she usually deflected their requests for her attention, even if they only wanted a brief moment, putting them off until “later.” As the series went along, it became obvious that she was always behind in tending the most important relationships in her life, and in an episode near the end of the series, it caught up with her.

In that episode, Brenda’s parents, whom she loved deeply but too often shortchanged with her time, are visiting in her home. Just after Brenda gets a fresh lead on her current case, her mother asks for a moment to tell her something important. Reluctant to look away from her case, Brenda promises to give her some time over breakfast the next morning. Her mother agrees, but looks disappointed. The next morning, intending to keep her date with her mother, Brenda goes to the guest bedroom to awaken her, only to find that Mama has died unexpectedly during the night. That episode ends with Brenda screaming for her husband who comes and rushes her from the room.

The next episode, set a week or so later and after the funeral, has Brenda, still grieving and badly shaken, back at work, where in a reflective moment, she tells a co-worker that she’s sorry for not listening to him better. Then she adds, “Funny, I feel like I pay more attention to what murderers have to say while ignoring the people I really care about.” In the concluding scene of that episode, her husband finds her sitting on the bed where her mother died. She says to him, “The last time I saw Mama, she asked me if I had a minute, and I didn’t have the time just then. Now, I’m the one who could really use a minute, and Mama has no time at all.” The episode ends with her weeping — inconsolably — in her husband’s arms.

Improper or deferred maintenance is always bad for relationships, and that includes our spiritual ones as well. An unattended spiritual house can yield a life where God is supposedly welcome, but where he refuses to abide because the place is a spiritual dump where he is ignored by the occupant — so ignored, that the occupant doesn’t even notice when the Lord is no longer there.

We can become so accustomed to starving our relationships, breaking our promises, failing to carry through, ignoring our spiritual health and so on that we don’t realize how bad things are until the whole thing comes crashing down. (There was a certain irony in Jesus’ lament over Jerusalem in that there was no widespread awareness among its residents of how far many in the city had drifted from God.)

Jesus said to Jerusalem, “Look, your house is left to you desolate ….” He wept over Jerusalem because of their rejection of the love he tried to show them. He probably came to Jerusalem a lot more times than what is recorded in scripture. It is always heart wrenching when someone rejects our love. We could substitute the name Nobleton or Bushnell, or Brooksville, in the place of Jerusalem, because wherever we have people who have not responded to our witness of Christ, or our testimony of what Jesus has done for us, we too, will feel the rejection He felt. What might it mean for our lives to be left to ourselves? For one thing, it means that life is only what we can make of it on a temporal time scale, devoid of any hope that extends beyond our lifetime, devoid of any confidence that God will multiply our efforts in this life. For another, it means that we have no ultimate authority to which we answer. Yes, we still have societal standards, but no rock on which to stand when society is bending with ill winds. For yet another, we have no access to the sheltering wings that give comfort, no eternal healing balm for our wounds, no assurance that nothing can separate us from the love of God.

An atheist might hear that and say, “So be it. I’m on my own in this world and that’s just fine.” In fact, the unbeliever might even declare that such a state is not one of desolation but of contentment. It’s hard to say whether any of that is bravado or whether it’s a sincere conviction, but most people don’t want to be left on their own in this life, and if they were, they’d recognize that condition as one of desolation. We want to know that when terrible things happen to us and losses pile up, ultimately it’s going to be all right.

We keep our spiritual houses from becoming desolate by tending our relationship with the Lord. We can’t keep telling the Lord “later” or “someday” and expect that to keep the relationship strong.

In The Closer episode following the death of Brenda’s mother, her husband stops by the police station and asks Brenda if she has a minute. She’s begun work on a new case, and almost reflexively, she responds, stalling him, and she begins to walk away. But then, with the memory of what she missed by doing that to her mother apparently hitting her afresh, she turns back and says, “Sorry. Yes, I do.” After they are alone in her office, she tells him, “Don’t ask me. If you need to talk to me, just say, ‘Listen,’ okay?”

It’s good for us to be in that kind of :

Relationship with God as well, where he can just say, “Listen,” and we give him our attention.

Rick Long, the pastor of Jones Memorial UMC, Lake City, Georgia, says:

“God rarely shouts ‘LISTEN’ to me (as Brenda asks Fritz to do for her). More often I just get a gentle nudge. Someone will come to mind, and I’ll wonder why. I’ve learned to pay attention to these moments; to make a contact, a call, a visit. One might miss the nudge, thinking it’s just a coincidence; a little nothing passing through our day, but it probably is so much more. When we focus our attention upon the person who comes to mind, we are actually praying for them. When we make contact with them, the conduit for grace to move between us is made. A fresh wind of the Spirit moves among us.”

When it comes to our actual houses, it’s not always our fault when maintenance is deferred. Sometimes we just don’t have the budget for every repair the house could use, and we have to prioritize. But our spiritual house has this odd stipulation that not all maintenance is up to the occupant alone. God is ready to help us keep the place up.

It’s only our fault if we don’t seek his help and then keep the lines of communication open.

••••

The lyrics of the song “Separate Me From What Separates Us” by Steve Ivey are a great prayer for those who wish to keep their spiritual house in good repair:

Separate me from what separates us.

Fill me with your love.

Separate me from what separates us.

My affections are set on above.

My heart cries out to you, O Lord.

You are my rock and fortress.

Protector, director, deliver me now

To the unseen things above.

Elisabeth Elliot, the widow of martyred missionary Jim Elliot, one of the 5 MAF pilots who lost their lives when the Waorani Indians (back then known as the Auca), which means “savage,” killed them, says;

“If you believe in a God who controls the big things, you have to believe in a God who controls the little things. It is we, of course, to whom things look ‘little’ or ‘big.’ “

Scroll down past Sermon for more info

Nobleton Community Church
29084 Sentinel Street PO Box 224
Nobleton, Florida 34661

Rev. Paul V. Lehmann, Pastor
813-389-8683
Nobletoncommunitychurch.org
info@nobletoncommunitychurch.org

OUR VISION IS:
To experience SPIRIT-FILLED WORSHIP AND PRAYER
To be involved in EVANGELISM, DISCIPLINING AND TRAINING PEOPLE
To use our SPIRITUAL GIFTS
To SERVE AND REACH PEOPLE FOR CHRIST, BOTH
“ACROSS THE STREET AND ACROSS THE WORLD”

Nobleton Community Church
Date July 20, 2025
Text Acts 2:24-47 (message based on verses 37-38)
Pastor Paul Lehmann

Listen to live audio here

None of us likes pain. Yet pain is very important because it is a signal designed to alert us when something is wrong in our bodies. Our response to pain may be to determine the root of the problem or to simply numb the discomfort with painkillers. The painkillers may work for a while, but when the numbing effect wears off, the pain often reemerges because the source was never identified and corrected.

Generally speaking, the only way to permanently get rid of pain is to go to the root of the problem. Once the source is identified and the correct treatment is applied, the pain can usually be eliminated.

This principle is also true spiritually, especially for people who are unsaved or are out of fellowship with God. For example, a sermon about the coming of Jesus that simply thrills the heart of a born-again believer and fills us with joy can create great pain in the heart of an unsaved person or a Christian who isn’t walking with God. When they hear that Jesus will soon return, it scares them and causes them inner pain and discomfort because they know they’re not right with God. That unsettled feeling in the pit of their stomachs—-that pain—is a signal to let them know things are not well in their souls. Otherwise, they’d be rejoicing!

We live in an age when people want to be comforted and told everything is going to be all right. The truth is, some things are not going to be all right unless a change is made. We must love people enough to be graciously honest with them, regardless of how painful it is for them to hear the truth. Especially regarding people’s salvation, we must speak the truth and not be fearful of their response. If we are not forthright with unbelievers regarding their spiritual condition, they could spend an eternity separated from God in eternal punishment.

It’s good to preach positive, uplifting messages. In fact, this is something we need to do in a world where there is so much hurt, depression, difficulty, and disappointment. Certainly, we need to be a source of encouragement to fellow church members and other people who feel put down by life. But when unbelievers are in our midst, we are obligated to make sure they understand that sin separates them from God. As much as we may like them and enjoy their company, the unsaved are not all right with God. It may be painful for them to hear the reality of their situation, but we must not merely toss “painkillers” at them to numb them and keep them ignorant of the truth. We must open their eyes to the root of the problem in their lives—their spiritually lost condition.

Especially when we are talking about reaching unbelievers or the subject of sin, we must address the root. All the motivational and “how-to” sermons in the world cannot cure a sinner’s heart. The sin nature cannot be changed by a pat on the back or a hug. We must come to grips with our responsibility to allow the Holy Spirit to help us be lovingly candid with unsaved people about their spiritual status. If they are lost, there is only one remedy: repentance and faith in Jesus Christ. It may be difficult at first for them to hear the truth, but it’s good for them to experience that kind of pain. It will make them inwardly aware that things are not right between them and God.

In Acts 2:37, we see how God used the apostle Peter to address unbelievers on the Day of Pentecost. With a no-nonsense, unapologetic, and direct approach. Peter preached the Gospel with power. He didn’t attack his listeners, and neither should we attack those we are trying to reach. There is never a reason to attack or to speak disparagingly to our audience. Even if people are dead in sin, they were made in the image of God, and they deserve to be spoken to with dignity and respect. Peter was respectful, yet he was honest as he went straight to the root of his listeners’ problem, preaching a message that made them so extremely uncomfortable and inwardly pained that they cried out to learn how to be saved!

Let’s look at the effect Peter’s message had on his listeners and see what we can learn from this New Testament example. In verse 36, Peter says, “ …Let all Israel be assured of this: God has made this Jesus, whom you crucified, both Lord and Messiah.” Acts 2:37 tells us, “Now when they (that is the unsaved crowd) heard this, they were pricked in their hearts—or “cut to the heart” (in the NIV)—and they said to Peter and the other apostles; “Brothers, what shall we do?” They felt convicted because they were guilty. They were pierced in their hearts because they realized they were objects of God’s wrath. They longed to be free from condemnation. Notice that they don’t wait for Peter to offer an invitation. They ask him how they should respond to his message.

Jesus’ words about the work of the Holy Spirit are on display. In John 16:8-11 Jesus said; “When he comes, (the Holy Spirit), he will convict the world about sin, righteousness, and judgment. About sin, because they do not believe in me; about righteousness, because I am going to the Father and you will no longer see me; and about judgment, because the ruler of this world has been judged.”

Peter’s sermon shows us how the Spirit of God takes the gospel and works in people’s hearts. As you exalt Jesus through your witness, pray for the Spirit to bring conviction and repentance to your `hearers.

This is a good or “right kind of pain.” The Holy Spirit “pricked their hearts” The Greek word that is translated here is katanusso, a compound of the words kata and nusso.

The word kata means down. However, used in the word pricked, or cut– it gives the idea of something that is deep or something that is deep down. The second part of the word is nusso, which means to prick, to puncture, to stub, to sting, to stun, to stab, or to pierce or cut.

The only other time the word katanusso is found in the New Testament is in John 19:34 where John writes about Jesus: But one of the soldiers pierced Jesus’ side with a spear, bringing a sudden flow of blood and water.” The word “pierced or cut” in this verse is from this same root word nusso. It tells how the soldiers with a spear pierced, punctured, stabbed, and sliced open Jesus ‘ side. It was a deep puncture of His side that pierced even His lungs.

This same root word, nusso, that describes such a deep puncturing is used in Acts 2:37, our verse here, where it is translated as pricked or cut. This alone tells us that the unsaved people in the crowd that day were deeply affected by Peter’s words. In fact, it means that his words had the spiritual effect of puncturing their hearts and that they felt sliced wide open by his message. Thus one translation has it; “they were moved to the depths of their hearts.”

However, when the words kata and nusso are compounded to become katanusso, the new word is even more profound, for it describes not just a piercing but an extremely deep piercing that would produce pain and discomfort.

This word emphatically means that Peter’s listeners were deeply disturbed when they heard his message. That message gave them such an intense stab to their hearts that it penetrated their conscience, sliced open their souls, punctured their hearts, and cut them so deeply on the inside that they cried out for help. The message stung their hearts and minds as they became aware of their sin. Suddenly, their souls felt an ache, and their hearts were filled with anguish. Only the Holy Spirit can bring that kind of deep conviction.

When Peter stood before that crowd on the Day of Pentecost, he was standing before sinners in dire need of repentance. They needed the truth that would change them, not a painkiller that would make them feel good while failing to remedy their problem. The root of the problem had to be identified so it could be dealt with and eliminated. For those unbelievers to have a supernatural change of nature, it would require REPENTANCE, so Peter presented the truth boldly, plainly, and with no apologies. S

WHAT DO PEOPLE THINK ABOUT

WHEN THEY ARE ASKED TO REPENT

In a recent survey, people who regularly attend church were asked to articulate what the word repentance meant to them. The survey resulted in an intriguing and interesting assortment of answers. The majority of those who participated in the survey stated that they believed the word repentance meant one or more of the following:

To feel sorry about something one did or failed to do.

To feel remorseful about some act and to ask for forgiveness for it.

To walk forward in a church service to formally ask Jesus into one’s heart.

Although these answers are interesting, none of them is correct! It’s somewhat surprising that this survey was given to people who regularly attend church yet who could not accurately articulate what it means to repent. Many of you may know what the correct answer would be because I have talked about it a lot over the years,

But others may have responded like those in the survey, because they are rather traditional answers when we think of repenting of our sins.

The word “repent” is a very important New Testament word. It is used in Matthew 3:2; Mark 1:4; and Luke 3:3, where we are told that John the Baptist preached, “…Repent for the kingdom of heaven is at hand” Matt. 3:2. John’s ministry was literally launched with that one word “repent,” because according to his preaching, it is the only way to enter into the Kingdom of Heaven. Jesus, too, in his public ministry, told people to repent. In Matt. 4:17.He knew that this was the only way to enter into the Kingdom of God.

Now in Acts 2:38, we read that Peter launched his preaching ministry by also telling the people that they needed to repent. He knew, too, that real repentance was very different from remorse. Yet feelings of remorse for a past action were one of the most frequent definitions given by people who participated in the survey. It is true that when a person is convicted of sin, they often do break down and weep because of past sin. But just being sorry for sin is not repentance.

The Greek word for “remorse in the New Testament is metamelomai, which is very different from the Greek word for “repent,” the word metanoeo. Metamelomi expresses sorrow, mourning, or grief. It seldom refers to someone moved to change; rather, it gives a picture of a person consumed with remorse, guilt, or regret.

For example, the word metamelomai is used in the gospels to describe the remorse, guilt, and regret that seized the heart and mind of Judas Iscariot after he betrayed Jesus. What Judas experienced was not true repentance, which brings personal change and transformation. Because the Greek word metamelomai is used to describe the emotions that captured him, it tells us that Judas was inundated with distressed, regretful emotions. Such sorrow should not be confused with repentance, for there are many who undergo a flood of regret and sorrow for something they have done, yet they don’t truly repent.

Personal change and transformation that leads to action —-NOT remorse, regret, and sorrow—-are the true proof of repentance.

When Michigan played Wisconsin in basketball early in the season in 1989, Michigan’s Rumeal Robinson stepped to the foul line for two shots late in the fourth quarter. His team trailed by one point, so Rumeal could regain the lead for Michigan. He missed both shots, allowing Wisconsin to upset favored Michigan. Rameal felt awful about costing his team the game, but his sorrow didn’t stop at the emotional level. After each practice for the rest of the season. Rumeal shot 100 extra foul shots. Thus, Rumeal was ready when he stepped to the foul line to shoot two shots with three seconds left in overtime in the national championship game. He made both shots, which won Michigan the national championship. Rumeal’s repentance had been genuine, and sorrow motivated him to work so that he would never make that mistake again. As Paul wrote in 2 Cor. 7:10, “Godly sorrow leads to repentance.”

This word repent used in the New Testament when Jesus, John the Baptist and Peter used the word, means a change of mind, —a turning around—repentance or conversion. Metanoeo is the call to turn or to change one’s attitudes and ways, and leads to action. In the New Testament, it demands a complete, radical, and total change. A change or turn around in the way one is thinking, believing, or living. The word repent in the New Testament gives the image of a person changing from top to bottom—a total transformation wholly affecting every part of a person’s life.

Once again, this is a compound word. Meta, in this context, refers to a turn or a change. The word nous is the word for the mind, intellect, will, frame of thinking, opinion, or general view of life. When the words meta and nous are compounded, as in the word “repent,” it portrays a decision to completely change the way one thinks, lives, or behaves. It is a change of direction, a new course, and a completely altered view of life and behavior. Real repentance, then, is a mental choice to leave a life of sin, flesh, and selfishness, and to turn toward God with all of one’s heart and mind in order to follow Jesus. A prime example is when Paul mentions in I Thess. 1:9, that they turned to God from idols to serve the living and true God.”

Repentance is not the mere acceptance of a new philosophy or new idea. It is a conversion to truth so deep that it results in a total life change. It leads to action. It is the Holy Spirit that brings about this new, born-again experience, but it begins with a willingness to change completely. Without that transformation, one is not truly saved. Then the Holy Spirit continues to point out things that need to change in your life, as you grow in your walk with the Lord. When He opens your eyes to those things that are displeasing to Him, you must be willing to repent—and make an intelligent, intellectual decision to adjust your thinking and behavior to conform to God’s ways. It’s a conscious choice. What is the Holy Spirit saying to you, and how should you respond today?

Can you say to Him—“It is well with my soul ?”

Scroll down past Sermon for more info

Nobleton Community Church
29084 Sentinel Street PO Box 224
Nobleton, Florida 34661

Rev. Paul V. Lehmann, Pastor
813-389-8683
Nobletoncommunitychurch.org
info@nobletoncommunitychurch.org

OUR VISION IS:
To experience SPIRIT-FILLED WORSHIP AND PRAYER
To be involved in EVANGELISM, DISCIPLINING AND TRAINING PEOPLE
To use our SPIRITUAL GIFTS
To SERVE AND REACH PEOPLE FOR CHRIST, BOTH
“ACROSS THE STREET AND ACROSS THE WORLD”

Nobleton Community Church
Date July 13, 2025
Text Romans 15:1-13 (especially verses 1-7)
Pastor Paul Lehmann

Listen to live audio here

This sermon title is taken from a book by John Wecks: “Free to Disagree.”

We often have heard it said when it a discussion, that we must agree to disagree. However many times the disagreement creates animosity. In the church, this shouldn’t be, but too often we disagree over trivial things, and then hold grudges, or at least hard feelings.

Back in 1917, the Russian Orthodox Church gathered together for its annual denominational meeting. During the course of these meetings the bishops were involved in a heated dispute full of fussing and feuding. A few doors down the street another meeting was going on the Bulshavics had assembled together to plot the overthrow of the Czar This marked the beginning of what we now know as Communism. So what was the church arguing about while the empire was crumbling around them? Candles!—- Were they to be 18” or 22” long?

Fortunately, this happened in Russia over one hundred years ago. I’m relieved to say that similar occurrences have not happened since. I’m also proud to say that this would never happen in America today. —–Okay, I’m being sarcastic. I wish that statement was true but it is not. We still see petty discussions today. The sad truth in that the church has been filed with division and disunity since its inception. (I might add that the same fault is true in politics. We dislike things that are unimportant as to the future of our Republic, and ignore other thins that are very important as to the future of these United States of America.)

As to the church, these disagreements, have led to church splits, pastoral resignations, and great disgrace brought upon the name of Christ the popular pastor and radio preacher Chuck Swindoll, says that he has looked at many churches and he has yet to find a church that split over what he would call and essential issue. How tragic! What do churches disagree over? We disagree over whether we should have pews or chairs, whether flags should be present or absent. Whether we should sing hymns or praise choruses. Whether we should use the organ or keyboard, and guitars, and whether we should have drums or not. Other issues of disunity surround the timing of Christ’s return, the mode of baptism, the charismatic gifts, women in ministry, and church government. Yet, to all of these, I can only exclaim, How trivial!: —-Even though by making this point, I have stepped on some toes. But let’s look at our text this morning. In Romans 15:1-13, Paul testifies that true unity demands sensitivity. He then unfolded the aims that are necessary to ensure and preserve biblical unity. We are to first:

AIM TO PLEASE ONE ANOTHER – (VERSES 1-6)

Paul calls us to imitate Christ in pleasing other people rather than ourselves. In verse 1, he writes, “Now we who are strong ought to bear the weaknesses (or bear with the failings) of those without strength and not just please ourselves.” It is important to understand the distinction between the “strong” and the ‘weak.” They aren’t strong or weak physically, mentally, or emotionally; or even necessarily spiritually, their strength or weakness is specifically related to their attitude toward “non-essentials.” God has said clearly that some things are always right for everyone. He has also said that some things are always wrong for everyone. But regarding many things, God hasn’t said: “The strong Christian is one who has lots of freedom of conscience respecting these matters not nailed down in the Bible. The “weak” Christian has very little freedom of conscience about these matters. This person tends to have quite a long list of don’ts.” Here, Paul includes himself with the “strong” and states that those who are strong ought to bear the weaknesses of the weak.The word translated “ought” (opheilo) doesn’t mean “should.” It means “to be a debtor under obligation”

Paul is not making a recommendation, or a suggestion, he is imposing a rule. He is saying that the strong need to limit their Christian liberty so they can reduce the problems of their brethren. He expects those with greater freedom to make sacrifices “To bear” (bastazo) is not just enduring or tolerating someone. It means to personally shoulder a burden as it it was your own. It means to do something hard and costly for the sake of another. The verb is used in the Gospels of Jesus, bearing His cross. (Luke 14:27 and John 19:17). So, how do we “bear the weaknesses” of the weak and not please ourselves? Paul tells us in verse 2, “Each of us is to please his neighbor for his good, to his edification.” Paul’s use of “each of us.” Leaves no room for any exceptions. We are to please our “neighbor” (What is this-“Mr. Rodgers; neighborhood?” No! The unexpected use of the word “neighbor” (plesion) reveals that Paul has the “love command” of Lev. 19:18 in mind, “Love your neighbor as yourself.” He expects us to be sensitive to our Christian brother or sister who is close by. In other words, we are to seek to please those with whom we have frequent contact within our church or community.

TRUE UNITY DEMANDS SENSITIVITY.

Perhaps you’ve heard it said that: “Your freedom ends where my nose begins.” In a sense, that is what Paul is saying, only it’s not noses he’s interested in—it’s spiritual growth. Paul indicates in verse 2 that our goal is to please other believers for the purpose of their “edification” (oikodome). This is a term that means “to build others up spiritually.” So, we must follow the preferences of other believers with respect to our liberties. If a brother’s conscience in your church is bothered by gambling, don’t ask him to participate in a fantasy football league (like Fan Duel). That requires a buy-in. Or take him to the Hard Rock Café in Tampa, where he would be tempted to gamble. If your friends’ conscience is bothered by drinking alcohol, don’t drink (especially if he is a recovering alcoholic). Maybe you are uncomfortable with the command to please people. Paul says that we are to please others, yet elsewhere he warns us of pleasing people. How do we resolve this tension Paul is not saying that we should be “people pleasers” and do whatever anyone wants us to do simply because it will please them. We must differentiate between pleasing god and pleasing people. boiled down in its simplest form, we should not please others rather than God, but we should please others rather than ourselves. After all, pleasing ourselves is what causes people to fracture on every scale From the marriage or family arguing about what TV program to watch or what to do on a vacation, right up to nations fighting to preserve their own interests. Pleasing ourselves destroys peace and harmony. One pastor says about verse 3; “Paul uses a doctrinal sledgehammer to crack a behavioral nut.” He quotes Psalm 69:9 to support this claim that we must please others beliefs above ourselves. He writes, “For even Christ did not please Himself but as it is written: ‘THE REPROACHES OF THOSE WHO REPROACHED YOU FELL ON ME.” In this Psalm, King David is pictured as taking the abuse of the people because he stood up for God. Paul applies that to Christ in an apt analogy; our insults to God, our sins, were placed on Christ on the cross. The “Me” in the quotation is Christ, the “You” is God. Paul’s point is: Christ didn’t think of His rights when He went to the cross. Christ thought only of our needs when He died for us. He endured every manner of taunting and suffering. Now, if the Son of God didn’t please Himself when He went to the cross for us, how much more so ought we to seek to please our brothers and sisters in Christ? If Jesus could endure the insults of others, we should certainly be willing to put up with the minor irritations from Christians with different viewpoints. If you are a believer, you are likely a stronger brother or sister in some area. Take a moment and run through the various roles and relationships in your life( for example, spouse, parent, sibling, relative, friend, neighbor, employer, church member). As you consider these relationships, stop and ask yourself this question: With whom and in what area am I willing to forgo my personal preferences for the sake of someone else?

True unity demands sensitivity.

Verse 4 is seen by many as a parenthesis or a digression by Paul, but if we are careful as we look at it we can see that what Paul is doing is explaining why the Psalm he just quoted should speak to us . Paul puts it like this: “For whatever was written in earlier times was written for our instruction, so that through perseverance and the encouragement of the Scripture we might have hope.” In this important verse, Paul shares four valuable Bible benefits.

1.) The Bible provides instruction. Although these benefits are applicable to both the Old and New Testaments, Paul is specifically referring here to the Old Testament. It’s been well said that the greatest commentary for understanding the New Testament is a thorough grasp of the Old Testament. This means that if we want to really understand God’s Word, we must not neglect the Old Testament. It will feed us and give us wisdom for life.

2.) The Bible provides perseverance. Reading the stories of godly men and women who have persevered through various trials and tests motivates us to seek to do the same. Perseverance is a “holy hanging in there.” We all need this attribute when we are seeking to please other believers.

3.) The Bible provides encouragement. The great Old Testament characters were sinful beings just like us, and yet in spite of themselves, god used them powerfully. This encourages us to seek to accomplish great feats for God.

4.) The Bible provides hope. In the Old Testament, we are reminded of God’s faithfulness to His people and His program. His character reminds us that we have an unshakable future. “Hope” (elpis) is especially needed by Christians when facing suffering in the midst of Christian relationships.

The book of Job can be especially difficult reading. But it can help us understand the topic of suffering better and it reminds us that everything god has given us could be taken away in a moment’s time. If you don’t normally read the Old Testament, I urge you to consider the above benefits and to start reading it today.

The “hope” of 15:4 causes Paul to break into prayer and praise in verses 5 and 6. “May the God who gives endurance and encouragement give you the same attitude of mind toward each other that Christ Jesus ahd, so that with one mind and one voice you may glorify the god and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ.” These veses declare that unity is all about Charist. In verse 5 Paul informs us that “perseverance or endurance and encouragement” not only come through the Scriptures, but they are ultimately gifts from God.

Perseverance and encouragement are necessary to keep giving up what we enjoy and are free to partake of. Paul wishes that all his readers, both the strong and the weak, would appropriate these gifts and apply them in their interpersonal relationships. The result would be unity in the church—we would be “of the same mind.” Bear in mind that:

This does not mean we have to be of the same opinion.

I don’t agree with any one person on every single point of theology or practice. Neither do you.

Phil. 2:2-4 “Make my joy complete” (in other words, “make my day.” By being like-minded, having the same love, being in the same spirit, and purpose. Do nothing out of selfish ambition or conceit, but in humility consider others better than yourselves. Each of you should look not only to your own interests, but also to the interests of others.

YOUR ATTITUDE SHOULD BE THE SAME AS THAT OF CHRIST JESUS

The command is not for uniformity but for UNITY.

To be “of the same mind” means that our attitudes and actions exude harmony and

unity means that we share a common perspective and purpose.

We don’t let the minor issues overtake the major issues. The last phrase of verse 5 says that we are to do this according to Christ Jesus.” This phrase refers us back to Christ’s example in verse 3 and reminds us that unity is only possible through Christ. A simple question to ask yourself is this: On a particular non-essential issue, is it better to get my way and please myself, or is it better to give in and please a brother or sister? True unity demands sensitivity.

There is a purpose clause (“so that”) in verse 6 that ties the concept of pleasing God and people together. Paul states that the purpose of unity is to unite, vocal praise to God. When this occurs in the church, it is evidence of unity among the strong and the weak. With “one accord” and with “one voice,” we are to glorify Christ! This is why we were created. If you’re sold out to Christ and His Christ and His church, you are going to be chomping at the bit to sing praise to God. Sadly, division in the church over non-essential issues diverts precious time and energy from its basic mission, the proclamation of the gospel and the glorifying of God. This is a shame! God wants us to come together, to unify as one body, and to lift up praise to God. We should be able to do that, shouldn’t we? The church at Rome was challenged to do this while it was made up of Jews and Gentiles—people with racial, cultural, and religious differences as well as a history of hatred for one another. Our church here may be a diverse body, but you probably aren’t too terribly different from one another. We’re certainly not diverse like the Roman church was. God wants us to forsake our preferences and to worship Him. You may not like our worship style. That’s okay, just don’t let it affect your worship to god or your fellowship with people God isn’t going to ask you someday: “Did you attend a church where your musical preferences were met? He’s going to ask you, “ere you able to support the direction of the church and her leadership in spike of not having your preferences met? God has called us to unity, even in diversity. He’s called us to please one another, and therefore to please God. Imagine with me a church that thrives on maintaining unity. Imagine saints who are willing to sacrifice some of their preferences to reach out to a new generation of young people. Imagine young people building relationships and actively caring for those saints who willingly yielded their preferences. What could God do with such a church? It would be a multi-generational church that would really please the Lord.

In order to preserve biblical unity, Paul has said we are to aim to please one another. Now he will state that we are to secondly:

AIM TO ACCEPT ONE ANOTHER (VERSES 7-13)

We must accept one another because Christ has accepted us along with every other believer. In 15:7, Paul writes, “Therefore, accept one another, just as Christ also accepted us to the glory of God.” The word “Therefore” (dio) looks back to the discussion Paul began in 14:1. The verb “accept” also repeats Paul’s opening exhortation in verse 1 of chapter 14 (NIV), the word translated “accept” (prosiambano) is more accurately translated in our pew Bibles (RSV), “welcome” or some translations have it “receive.” This word means that we are to receive into full fellowship our brothers and sisters in Christ. It means to value an individual so much that he or she experiences warmth and belonging; it means to open your heart and your home to another person. Remember—-we said before:

TRUE UNITY DEMANDS SENSITIVITY

People desire acceptance at every level of life,—-in the family, in marriage, in the classroom, in the workplace. God wired us to seek acceptance, but he wants us to find acceptance in himself. When we place our faith in Christ, God accepts us. However, Paul is also stating that it is inconsistent for a Christian to reject someone whom God has accepted. WE ARE TO RECEIVE ONE ANOTHER AS JESUS CHRIST HAS RECEIVED US. In Romans 5:8, we read: “While we were still sinners Christ died for us.”

We don’t have to somehow clean up our lives first—–He is the One who does that.

We are fellow members of “the family of God.” This results in glory for God. To put It simply, God‘s goal (doxa) means to be well spoken of. When we are unified, the God whom we represent receives the glory. He is well spoken of. On the other hand, when we are divisive, rejecting and lacking in unity, our actions reflect badly upon our heavenly Father. Let not this be the case with us. Rather, let us discover life’s ultimate pursuit—-THE GLORY OF GOD.

How do we glorify God and discover our ultimate pursuit?

which is the glory of God——WE TRUST AND OBEY

BENEDICTION (Verse 13) “May the God of hope fill you with joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope, by the power of the Holy Spirit.

Scroll down past Sermon for more info

Nobleton Community Church
29084 Sentinel Street PO Box 224
Nobleton, Florida 34661

Rev. Paul V. Lehmann, Pastor
813-389-8683
Nobletoncommunitychurch.org
info@nobletoncommunitychurch.org

OUR VISION IS:
To experience SPIRIT-FILLED WORSHIP AND PRAYER
To be involved in EVANGELISM, DISCIPLINING AND TRAINING PEOPLE
To use our SPIRITUAL GIFTS
To SERVE AND REACH PEOPLE FOR CHRIST, BOTH
“ACROSS THE STREET AND ACROSS THE WORLD”

Nobleton Community Church
Date July 6, 2025
Text: Acts 2:1-24
Pastor Paul Lehmann

Listen to live audio here

Wind power is supposed to be an alternative source of power, and some would like to see the day when that or something else totally replaces the internal combustion engine. Flying wind farms began in 2007-2008 to be developed to capture the power of the jet stream. Some think wind power is one of the most promising forms of renewable energy, but it can be notoriously difficult to catch. One of the problems is that the best winds don’t tend to move at ground level. Instead, they do their blowing six miles up in the air, at the height of the jet stream. This is 31,680 feet, where jets fly. At that level, the winds are stronger and blow more consistently, carrying up to a hundred times more energy.

But how can humans harness this power? Conventional turbines on towers won’t get us close enough —the tallest to date is just over 200 meters or about 650 feet in height.

According to The Economist magazine back in June 9, 2007, a company called Sky Wind Power developed a flying generator, one that looks like a cross between a kite and a helicopter. Picture an H-shaped frame with rotors at the ends of the four points, tethered to the ground by a long cable. The rotors provide lift, like the surface of a kite, and as they lift the frame they also turn dynamos that generate electricity. This electricity is then transmitted to the ground through aluminum cables. There are many problems with this whole idea of “wind power” and the turbines necessary to use it. Complaints are all over the place. Destruction of the fragile ecosystem and animal habitats and the turbines kill birds like eagles, raptors, hawks and migrating birds. They also cause many health problems for humans which we don’t have time to get into.

It is ironic to me that the same environmentalists that complain about other forms of energy affecting all of the above, seem to defend this idea of wind power. My point is not to get into any of this, but to point out that the only way wind power can be effective is –you have to “catch the wind”, and to catch the wind you have to be where the wind is blowing.” It’s true for these flying generators and it is true for God’s people.

Can the church “catch the wind” so to speak? The rush of a violent wind from God like we read about in the book of Acts?

Let’s say that again. If you want to catch the wind, you have to put yourself where the wind is blowing. Call it the Pentecost paradigm, because the same principle applies to the church.

If the Christian community is going to tap the limitless energy of Holy Spirit wind power, then it’s going to have to position itself correctly. Fortunately, the book of Acts provides us with a blueprint for building a church that can catch this wind. It suggests that there are four points to put in place: Community, Communication, Courage and Clarity. With these four points in the right place, we can feel “the rush of a violent wind” as we read about in Acts 2:2, and capture the energy of the Holy Spirit.

In verse one we read about the COMMUNITY POINT. It tells us that they were all together in one place. Were they All there? Yes. Were they all together? Yes. Were they all in one place? Yes. They were gathered in community. They weren’t in different place, but were in the same spot, on the same page so to speak. This is critically important, because when the Holy Spirit came with a sound like the rush of a violent wind, it came to one group of disciples (about 120 of them) in one house. They saw what seemed like tongues of fire that separated and came to rest on each of them.

Why tongues of fire? Tongues symbolize speech, and the communication of the Good News. Fire symbolizes God’s purifying presence which burns away the undesirable elements of our life and sets our hearts aflame in order to ignite the lives of others. The fire landed on each one individually, but also on all of them as a group. The fact that they were all together in one place was important.

If Peter had been in Capernaum, John in Nazareth, James on the Sea of Galilee, Andrew in Cana and the other eight scattered across the country, there would not have been a catching of the Holy Spirit wind for them. It was only because they obeyed the Lord, and stayed in Jerusalem and were together that they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other languages, as the Spirit gave them this ability. This idea of the community of believers being together in one place is important. Sadly today, we can’t seem to get everyone here every Sunday. We do have various gatherings of believers on other days. The women’s groups on Tuesdays and Wednesdays. The Prayer meeting group on Thursday. The Choir group on Friday, and the Adult Bible study group on Sunday morning. But here we read that they were all there at the same time for a corporate prayer meeting. They were all together.

Next is THE COMMUNICATION POINT The apostles in Jerusalem “began to speak in other languages, as the Spirit gave them ability” (vs. 4). This amazed the devout Jews from every nation who were living in the city, because they knew that the apostles were Galileans—men not famous for their foreign language abilities.

Now the fact that they spoke in 15 different languages, was a miracle. So unusual and impossible in the natural.

You may have heard before the riddle: What do you call a person who speaks three languages? Trilingual. What do you call a person who speaks two languages? Bilingual. What do you call a person who speaks one language? American.

Well, in the first century, the punch line would have been: Galilean. But on Pentecost, the apostles were chattering away in the mother tongues of all these people who were visiting Jerusalem. There is at least one commentator who believes that they didn’t really speak in these languages; that they didn’t need to, because everyone spoke Aramaic and Greek throughout that part of the world at that time. Now it is hard for me to understand such a statement. Of course they didn’t need to—but that’s the point,—not only that as I said, they couldn’t unless God gave them the ability. When people hear testimonies and preaching in their mother tongue it is always more powerful. That’s why the distribution of the Jesus film is so powerful, because it has been translated into over 1100 languages. When a village person, who probably knows a trade language, but he hears those in the film speak his heart language –his mother tongue –that’s powerful.

We need to position ourselves to put this gift to work today by supporting ministries other than just in English—in our Jerusalem.

You might wonder, do we have to speak in tongues to be filled with the Holy Spirit? No we don’t have to; we get to. But no, particularly in a known language like they did at Pentecost. There are 2 other occasions mentioned in the book of Acts where they spoke in tongues and one where probably they did, but it doesn’t say they did. Acts 8:14-19 they received the Holy Spirit but it doesn’t mention tongues. However Simon saw that the Spirit was given at the laying on of the apostles’ hands, so he offered them money so he could have this power. Now what did he see. Did they speak in an ecstatic or unknown tongue? Probably. Then in Acts 10:45-47 at the house of Cornelius, while Peter was speaking we read that; “the Holy Spirit came on all who heard the message.” In verse 46-“…they heard them speaking in tongues and praising God. Then finally in chapter 19 at Ephesus, the people were asked by Paul in verse 2; “Did you receive the Holy Spirit when you believed? “ “ They answered, “ No, we have not even heard that there is a Holy Spirit. In verse 6 it says; “when Paul placed his hands on them, the Holy Spirit came on them, and they spoke in tongues and prophesied. “ On none of these occasions did they speak in a known language. Even though I know of occasions when people have spoken in a known language, that they didn’t know, and that they had never studied, and someone heard them speak in that language and it was their mother tongue, and they were so astonished that they ended up giving their life to Christ. Most often it would be in an “unknown tongue.” This is what Paul is talking about in I Cor. 14:4 when he says: …” he who speaks in a tongue edifies himself, but he who prophesies edifies the church.” So Paul is saying that tongues shouldn’t be used publically unless there is an interpretation. Prophesies are more important than tongues, unless there is an interpretation, and then they are on the same level. Paul emphasizes though in I Cor. 13: 1 that great love chapter, that even if you speak in the tongues of angels, but you don’t have love, it is like a gong and clanging symbols. It means nothing. So should we speak in tongues. Well it is a spiritual gift. I believe some do and some don’t. The ones that do should not think of themselves as more spiritual than those that don’t. It does help us in our prayer times with the Lord. There is more to say about this, but that is for another message on spiritual gifts.

THE COURAGE POINT in this account is in verse 13. We read that some of the residents of Jerusalem sneered at the apostles and said, “They are filled with new wine.” They didn’t want to hear the message of the Galileans, so they tried to write it off as drunken babbling. But Peter raised his voice and addressed them.

“ …These men are not drunk, as you suppose. It’s only nine in the morning” —These words are very enlightening. There were students at a Lutheran college who had T-shirts printed up for their 9:00am class. The shirts simply said “Acts 2:15.” Not many people knew that verse from memory, but when they looked it up they found the words, “Indeed, these are not drunk, as you suppose, for it is only nine o’clock in the morning.”

Peter went on to say:

“No this is what was spoken by the prophet Joel: ‘In the last days, God says, I will pour out my Spirit on all people. Your sons and daughters will prophecy, your young men will see visions, your old men will dream dreams. Even on my servants both men and women, I will pour out my Spirit in those days, and they will prophecy. I will show wonders in the heaven above and sign on the earth below, blood and fire and billow of smoke. The sun will be turned to darkness and the moon to blood before the coming of the great and glorious day of the Lord. And everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.”(verses 14-24)

It took courage for Peter to stand up to the sneering crowd. It took Spirit-powered courage. Remember that this was the very same Peter who, less than two months before, had slinked away from conflict by denying Jesus three times. This time he didn’t shy away from conflict, because now he was empowered by the Holy Spirit. Instead, he stood up to his detractors and said that the speech of the apostles was a fulfillment of ancient prophecy. The prophecy of Joel was being fulfilled. The Spirit is being poured out on all of God’s servants, men and women alike. Peter made a strong stand for what God was doing in the world at that particular moment.

We are challenged to do the same, especially when people dismiss our faith. Our job is to show a little courage as we describe what we see God doing in the world. We too today, do not have to slink away like Peter did before Pentecost. We too, can be filled with the Holy Spirit if we wait on the Lord like they did, and ask Him to fill us. We don’t have to engage in philosophical arguments with agnostics, or refute the best-selling books of today’s neo-atheists (that is “new” atheists) —instead, our challenge is to point out what God is doing in our churches, communities, nation and world.

When estranged family members come together, that’s a God –moment.

When an unexpected healing occurs, that’s a God-moment.

When warring factions make peace, that’s a God-moment.

Peter courageously pointed out a God-moment that he saw in his world, and so can we. This brings us, finally, to…

THE CLARITY POINT. When Peter spoke to the crowd, he didn’t invent a whole new set of Holy Scriptures. Instead, he clarified a passage from Joel that had been confusing before, but now made perfect sense. He provided a commentary on this Scripture lesson that awakened people to the power of the Holy Spirit and the significance of God’s Son, Jesus.

Making the message of the Bible clear is one of the most important ways in which we position the church to catch the power of God. Peter did this well in his sermon to the people of Jerusalem, by showing that God’s promise to pour out his Sprit was coming true all around them, and the day was dawning in which “everyone who calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved.” (v 21). This was the greatest clarification of all, because it made clear that the name of the Lord is Jesus, and everyone who calls on him shall be saved. The prophets longed for this day. Ezekiel 36;26 tells us that one day, God was going to replace their heart of stone, their hard hearts with His Spirit, who would be in them.

Salvation is no longer limited to the Jews. Gentiles can be saved as well. It’s a surprising twist in the biblical story and Peter suddenly makes clear what God is doing. Everyone shall be forgiven, and made right with God. All they have to do is call Jesus their Lord. For years, people didn’t know what the prophet Joel was talking about. But Peter made it clear.

Have you been able to make the gospel clear to people within your sphere of influence? If you have been filled with the Holy Spirit you will be able to do it. You are witnesses to what God has done for you, and at the very least you can tell people about that. When you are anointed by the Holy Spirit that testimony will draw people to Christ. How do we receive the fullness of the Holy Spirit into our lives, you might ask? You might also think, that the Holy Spirit is already living within you, so, what am I talking about? As I have said many times, yes if you have asked Christ to come into your life, His Spirit does come into your life. In fact the Bible tells us that without the Spirit you do not belong to Him. But what we are talking about is the anointing that comes in filling you up, and immersing you in the Holy Spirit. But God can’t do that for you if you are not willing to give yourself wholly over to Him. The Holy Spirit wants full control of your life. You see when Jesus told the disciples to WAIT in Jerusalem, he was telling them to WAIT for Him. Go to the upper room. Worship and Pray, and then you will soon know what it means to be filled. We too often are not willing to spend the time in prayer –asking Him to do a new work in us. We are perfectly content to be saved. We are perfectly content to have our fire escape from hell, but don’t expect me to give myself totally over to the Holy Spirit. Well that’s what we are talking about. I urge you to consider receiving all the power that is available to you.

So these are the four points of a Holy –Spirit harnessing church. A Community that Communicates with Courage and Clarity is going to be in a position to catch the power of God—catch the wind of the Holy Spirit yield to His control and allow Him to work through you to reach someone across the street, and through your missions giving, also across the world.

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Nobleton Community Church
29084 Sentinel Street PO Box 224
Nobleton, Florida 34661

Rev. Paul V. Lehmann, Pastor
813-389-8683
Nobletoncommunitychurch.org
info@nobletoncommunitychurch.org

OUR VISION IS:
To experience SPIRIT-FILLED WORSHIP AND PRAYER
To be involved in EVANGELISM, DISCIPLINING AND TRAINING PEOPLE
To use our SPIRITUAL GIFTS
To SERVE AND REACH PEOPLE FOR CHRIST, BOTH
“ACROSS THE STREET AND ACROSS THE WORLD”

Nobleton Community Church
Date June 29, 2025
Pastor Paul Lehmann

Listen to live audio here

Mat 4:17 From that time Jesus began to preach and to say, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.”

Mat 10:7 And as you go, preach, saying, ‘The kingdom of heaven is at hand.’

Luke 10:8-9 Whatever city you enter, and they receive you, eat such things as are set before you. And heal the sick there, and say to them, ‘The kingdom of God has come near to you.’

Luke 9:59-60 Then He said to another, “Follow Me.”
But he said, “Lord, let me first go and bury my father.” Jesus said to him, “Let the dead bury their own dead, but you go and preach the kingdom of God.”

Acts 28:30-31 Then Paul dwelt two whole years in his own rented house, and received all who came to him, preaching the kingdom of God and teaching the things which concern the Lord Jesus Christ with all confidence, no one forbidding him.

1 cor 4:20 For the kingdom of God is not in word but in power.

Rom 14:17 for the kingdom of God is not eating and drinking, but righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit.

col 1:13 He has delivered us from the power of darkness and conveyed us into the kingdom of the Son of His love,

John 3:3-6 Jesus answered and said to him, “Most assuredly, I say to you, unless one is born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.” Nicodemus said to Him, “How can a man be born when he is old? Can he enter a second time into his mother’s womb and be born?” Jesus answered, “Most assuredly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God. That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit.

Acts 2:37-39 Now when they heard this, they were cut to the heart, and said to Peter and the rest of the apostles, “Men and brethren, what shall we do?” Then Peter said to them, “Repent, and let every one of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins; and you shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. For the promise is to you and to your children, and to all who are afar off, as many as the Lord our God will call.”

Luke 17:20-21 Now when He was asked by the Pharisees when the kingdom of God would come, He answered them and said, “The kingdom of God does not come with observation; nor will they say, ‘See here!’ or ‘See there!’ For indeed, the kingdom of God is within you.”

Eph 4:23-24 and be renewed in the spirit of your mind, and that you put on the new man which was created according to God, in true righteousness and holiness.

(THE GREATEST HINDERANCE TO SPIRITUALGROWTH)

Scroll down past Sermon for more info

Nobleton Community Church
29084 Sentinel Street PO Box 224
Nobleton, Florida 34661

Rev. Paul V. Lehmann, Pastor
813-389-8683
Nobletoncommunitychurch.org
info@nobletoncommunitychurch.org

OUR VISION IS:
To experience SPIRIT-FILLED WORSHIP AND PRAYER
To be involved in EVANGELISM, DISCIPLINING AND TRAINING PEOPLE
To use our SPIRITUAL GIFTS
To SERVE AND REACH PEOPLE FOR CHRIST, BOTH
“ACROSS THE STREET AND ACROSS THE WORLD”

Nobleton Community Church
Date June 22, 2025
Text Colossians 3:12-14; Romans 12: 17-21; Matt. 22:37-39
Pastor Paul Lehmann

Listen to live audio here

There are many things which hinder spiritual growth We have talked about many different things that keep us from growing spiritually. It is difficult to narrow it down and say that there is one single factor which is greater than all the others. The most obvious thing which comes to mind of course is sin, but we are talking this morning about the dedicated Christian, born of the Spirit of God and trying to walk in the light of His Word. This is the person who really wants to get close to the Lord, obey Him and walk in the Spirit. This kind of Christian doesn’t have any problem with his relationship with the Lord because of open sin in his life. There is nothing between him or her and their Lord. But there may be plenty between this person and other people. This person’s problem is relational with people, not with God.

Do not take revenge, but leave room for God’s wrath.”

You see, God is to take revenge, not you. “I will repay, says the Lord.” On the contrary, Paul says in Romans 12:17-21: “If your enemy is hungry, feed him; if he is thirsty, give him something to drink. In doing this, you will heap burning coals on his head.” Now sometimes we may wonder just what that verse is all about. Bishop K.C. Pillai from India, writes about this in his book: “Light Through an Eastern Window.” He says; “ I believe that Westerners think that this is some form of revenge. The saying originated, however, from the way in which the coals of fire are carried from one household to another in the Eastern villages. One woman who has the flint, rises first and builds the fire, and a boy then takes the burning coals on a piece of pottery, balanced on top of his head, to the other households. This is really a pleasant task for the boy because when the morning is cold, he becomes warmed by the coals as he goes about his rounds. The verse is an extension of the admonition, “Bless them who curse you; pray for them that despitefully use you,” since if you heap coals of fire on his head you may warm him up and change his mind and heart, and persuade him to put away his evil ways.

Now WHAT IS THE NATURE OF RESENTMENT?

There are four things.

1. The first thing about it is that it is usually only subjective and nobody knows it but you and God. You let that build up inside of you and eat away at you. What you should have done before this resentment built up in you, was to ask for forgiveness for anything that you have done to cause a problem in this relationship.

There are wrong ways to ask for forgiveness however.

You might say in an angry tone;

“I’m sorry” and this forces the other person to snap back—“well I’m sorry too”

Or it could be reversed and they say it first, and you are the one who responds in an unkind way.

Then too, you might say: “ I apologize! What you might be thinking and even might add; “I’m sorry about that, but it wasn’t all my fault. In other words, you aren’t accepting much responsibility for what happened.

Especially if you say; “I was wrong, but you were too!”

PRIDE enters into the situation if you say:

If I’ve been wrong, please forgive me.

What you are saying is; “If my personality (for which I’m not responsible for), has offended you, there must be something wrong with your ability to get along with others. But I’ll be big-hearted about this and assume that maybe it’s my fault, (which I’m not fully convinced that it is,) and ask you to forgive me. –that is—if you still think I’m wrong.

Don’t say this either; “ I’m sorry about the way I talked to you, or worse about the way I lied to you. –Please forgive me. Here is pride again. It is hard to say—I was wrong.

WHAT WE SHOULD SAY IS VERY SIMPLE—

I was wrong. Will you forgive me?

Sometimes even unknowingly, you maybe don’t realize the resentment you have inside of you.

When you do realize it,

it turns into the second thing in the nature of this resentment—

2. A personal “pity-party.” You begin to pity yourself –
3. Then it lodges in you as a grudge.
4. Now you have a “debtor” or a “trespasser”—Words used in the Lord’s prayer in Matthew 6:12. —And you don’t want to forgive your debtor. Sin is pictured in the prayer as a debt. Sin incurs a debt which must be discharged. If then someone owes us such a debt , and we fail to release him by forgiving him, our own debts before our Heavenly Father will not be forgiven by Him, and we will not be released.

You may wonder why you have so much bondage in your spiritual life. You have no freedom, and can’t really go on with the Lord, to another level. You experience no blessing in your life. The fact that you refuse to forgive someone who has offended you may be the cause.

Our problem remember is relational—with other people. The acts of our sinful nature are obvious Paul says in Galatians 5:20. Look at this list. In the middle there are 8 things.

1. Hatred—the opposite of love. It speaks of hostility in whatever form manifested.
2. Discord—Contention, strife, and even fighting. (Paul says; “you bite and devour one another)
3. Jealousy—unfriendly feeling excited by another’s possession of goods—You aren’t happy about the honors or blessings you see others receiving.
4. Fits of rage (anger) bad temper and hostile feelings.
5. Selfish ambition—self-seeking
6. Dissention and division
7. Factions—joining “clicks” and self-willed opinions that separate you from others.
8. Envy—you are pained at what someone else has. (this is like jealousy) This is defined as; “ the eager desire for possession created by the spectacle of another’s possessions. —Someone’s new car, or house, or anything that you wish you had.

Our relationship with God was warm and wonderful and we want to go on with Him. We want to walk in the Spirit. —-It’s like you are walking around saying; “ Don’t bother me, I am walking in the Spirit!—but your nose is in the air and inside your heart is resentment. It might be against the pastor, or former pastor, your father, or your mother, your EX, your kids, your brothers or sisters, or others in you family, your doctor, or neighbors etc. Maybe even people in this church

How do we get this all straightened out?

Who wants to bother? Who needs it? YOU NEED IT, AND YOU KNOW IT. You know there is a problem. It is relational –that’s the problem. You have blamed everyone else for the problem.

God wants to show you that the problem is YOU, and your relationship with other people. OK—There is nothing wrong with your relationship with God—but with people—-and unfortunately with other Christians. The problem is that our relationship with God is also affected.

Now—HOW DO WE GET RELEASED FROM RESENTMENT?

There are four things again—

1. You have to understand what God means by a testing. Don’t you wish God would put up a sign that says; “ This is a test”

Like someone puts a dent in your car door on your car that you just bought—obviously they opened their door in a parking lot and did it. Or maybe you get cut off on the road—“this is a test” Or your spouse or someone in your family, says something to you that is hard to take—“this is a test” –You get the idea. The problem is He doesn’t always make it clear, until after we have blown in by our reaction. Then we must ask Him for forgiveness, and probably someone else that we have yelled at, or worse.

2. We need to understand the sovereignty of God.

We must learn to say—God I don’t understand it, but I accept it. Nothing can come into your life unless it passes by Him first. Even things that Satan causes, Satan has to pass it by God first. (Remember Job)

3. Then acceptance with joy. When we do this, good things will happen. (Naaman’s going to get healed) eg. You remember that story in II Kings 5:1-27? He was the commander of the King of Aram’s army. He had leprosy. Elisha heard about it and called for him to come and be healed. He told him to go and dip himself in the Jordan river seven times, and he will be healed. Naaman’s pride got in the way, and he didn’t want to do it. His servants said to him, if the prophet had asked you to do some great thing, you would have done it wouldn’t you. So they convinced him to do what he said, and he was healed of his leprosy.
4. You need to know about the spiritual prison God puts us in. When we store up hidden resentments in our innermost being, God shuts us up in a prison so to speak, and withholds his blessing from us. We must ask God to release us and then cleansing must begin. You will experience freedom of the Spirit and you can go on with God.

You can pray: “ Dear Lord, I release my resentment, forgive me for the hidden resentments that I have held against him, (or her). This has to be your prayer, and then go to the person if they are still living, and if it is possible. It might be that you also have to ask forgiveness for resentment that you have held against God, for something that happened, that you didn’t understand. —You can pray—“ I release my resentment just now—forgive my feeling towards you, and/or —and you name the person. I forgive them in Jesus’ name. Then don’t beat yourself up over it—you must forgive yourself—and allow the healing balm of the Holy Spirit to flow over you and bring the forgiveness and release that you long for.

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Nobleton Community Church
29084 Sentinel Street PO Box 224
Nobleton, Florida 34661

Rev. Paul V. Lehmann, Pastor
813-389-8683
Nobletoncommunitychurch.org
info@nobletoncommunitychurch.org

OUR VISION IS:
To experience SPIRIT-FILLED WORSHIP AND PRAYER
To be involved in EVANGELISM, DISCIPLINING AND TRAINING PEOPLE
To use our SPIRITUAL GIFTS
To SERVE AND REACH PEOPLE FOR CHRIST, BOTH
“ACROSS THE STREET AND ACROSS THE WORLD”

Nobleton Community Church
Date June 8, 2025
Text Colossians 1:1-14
Pastor Paul Lehmann

Listen to live audio here

When we use Xs and Os there are three things they are used for. The first and probably the oldest is: for the game tick tack toe, where you have to put Xs or Os in a line. If both of you pay attention, it will usually end in a tie depending on who goes first. The second way that I use them and still do when I am coaching, is to diagram a play. It is used in both football and basketball. The more recent use is using the old way of closing a letter to show love, in text messages and e-mails. One of our granddaughters puts these at the end of her thank you notes to us.

Although hugs and kisses have become a standard part of e-mail and text messages,

WE HAVE DELETED THE CENTRALITY OF LOVE

IN THE LIFE OF THE CHURCH

In Paul and Timothy’s letter to the Christians in Colossae, they show “love” to them even though they don’t actually use Xs and Os. This church in the first century, was in a town in Asia Minor. Paul says in verse 4: “ We thank God for you, for we have heard of your faith in Christ Jesus and of the love you have for all the saints.” They rejoiced that their mutual friend Epaphras “has made know to us your love in the Spirit” (verses 7-8). Love for all the saints. Love in the Spirit. A letter of love.

If Paul and Timothy were writing today, you might see a farewell using Xs and Os. Although we used to add below our signatures a few Xs and Os, it was usually for someone very close to us. But today, one never knows for sure. In recent years it is used so much, even in professional communication that it seems it has taken on a life of its own.

Paul, Timothy and the Colossians were probably better equipped to handle these public displays of affection than we are. According to his letters:

Paul is not afraid of the words “love” and “beloved,” using them over 130 times. He speaks of God’s love, the love of Christ, the love of the Spirit, beloved fellow servants. God’s beloved Son, and the need both to love one another and be united in love. Paul emphasizes love a lot except in one specific case. He warns his colleague Timothy that “the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil” (I Timothy 6:10). Xs and Os, like it or not, is here to stay.

So in a world of hugs and kisses, what does it mean for us to have love “for all the saints” In what ways can we express “love in the Spirit.” And live as disciples of God’s “beloved Son?” Love is an essential quality of life in the church, and we need to understand it and practice it. Christian love is more than a hug and a kiss at the end of an e-mail, or text message, or even when we say hello and good-bye and hug each other.

We can begin with a redefinition. The use of X as a symbol for affection goes back at least the year 1763, when the Oxford English dictionary first defined X as “kiss.” But let’s go back even farther, to the Greek alphabet that was used in the New Testament. There, we find the letter chi, which looks like an X and is the first letter of the Greek word Chrstos.

We are who God says we are.

In the letter to the Colossians, love is never allowed to drift very far from faith in Jesus Christ. Paul and Timothy say, “we always thank God…for we have heard of your faith in Christ Jesus and of the love that you have for all the saints.” (verses 3-4)

The Colossians are showing faith in Jesus, the one who lived a life of love and then lovingly offered himself as a perfect sacrifice to bring forgiveness and new life. They have seen a perfectly clear picture of love in the life, death and resurrection of Jesus, and are now trusting him to lead them as they attempt to love one another.

X does not point to a romantic kind of love. It is a mark of sacrificial love—one that feeds the hungry, clothes the naked, heals the sick, welcomes strangers, and even lays down one’s life for a friend. When the Colossians put their faith in Jesus Christ, they begin to love one another with this Christlike love—Jesus asked Peter three times; “Do you love me?” (John 21: 15-17) The first two times–he said feed my lambs, then take care of my sheep, and he used a different word for LOVE—Agape love—which is a self-sacrificing true love. Then the last one he used the word -Philio which is a brotherly love, close friendship or affectionate attachment, and said feed my sheep. This word is kind of like he is asking Peter; “ are you even my friend.”

That is why Paul and Timothy say that they are thankful for “the love that you have for all the saints” (verse 4). The saints in Colossae are not perfect people—they are as flawed as any of us—but they have been made holy by the powerful love of God in Christ. They don’t have to be declared a saint by the church. They are recognized as saints, because they knew and loved the Lord Jesus Christ. They are able to love one another because Jesus first loved them. The same for us. We are saints because we have been forgiven, loved and freed by our gracious Lord.

A group of Christian leaders was asked by The Christian Century magazine (September 5, 2012) to define the good news of Jesus in seven words or fewer. That’s right: Condense the Christian gospel into a handful of words. One of them, a Lutheran pastor Nadia Bolz-Weber, answered this question by saying. “We are who God says we are.” My seven words would be: “We are forgiven sinners saved by grace.”

That’s good news. “In the incarnation, life, death, and resurrection of Christ we see that God is so for us and with us that we can no longer be defined according to death,” Weber explains. “We are who God says we are: the forgiven, broken and blessed children of God, the ones to whom God draws near.

X marks the spot where we are who God says we are. The problem is that:

The transformation from a sinner that needs forgiveness, to a person who is reconciled to God is not automatic with no response on our part.

A few years ago Jeannene and I attended a Lutheran Church with her brother and sister-in-law before she died. It is a Missouri Synod church which is known as the evangelical branch of the Lutheran Church. It was so, in the preaching of the Word. The gospel was clear and only the Word of God was used. And yet in that church and in many other denominations where God’s word is believed and preached, not everyone “gets it.” I have thought about that a lot and I have shared with you many times some things about that. Too often people think like our sister-in-law did , when her daughter Linda came home one day from attending another evangelical church, and told her that she had received Christ into her heart and life, her mother responded with; “but you have always been a Christian Linda.” Seriously? We are born a Christian, or at least after our infant baptism? No—You see what was missing for Linda, was the realization of a time in her life when she confessed her sins, asked for forgiveness, and for Jesus Christ to come into her life.

There needs to be a time when we personally receive Him. Not just say things in church about Him.

The Colossians are also becoming known for their “love in the Spirit” (vs.8) Here, love is singled out as an important fruit of the Holy spirit, and we know from First Corinthians that Paul considers it to be the foundation of the spiritual gifts—-“now these three remain, faith, hope, and love, but the greatest of these is “love” (13:13)

We should never underestimate the power of Christ-shaped love. “Love your neighbor as yourself” Jesus tells us quoting what we read in Leviticus 19:18.

The importance of loving our neighbors is; “Loving mainly ourselves—which is the definition of the high consumer society we inhabit. But when we are just looking out for ourselves it means creating a world that stinks, where selfishness is our way of life, while so much of the world lives in poverty, both physically and spiritually. Jesus tells us;” it only works when we’re in it together.” When we realize that we are our brother’s keeper. When we realize that we have a calling to take the Good News of the Gospel to the whole world. A wholistic approach that doesn’t ignore the physical needs of people too.

The world only works when you love your neighbor as yourself. When you, as is said to the Colossians, “lead lives worthy of the Lord, fully pleasing to him, as you bear fruit in every good work” (vs. 10). That means fruitful productive living that benefits ourselves and our neighbors, as well as the planet entrusted to our care.

Paul and Timothy go on to remind the Colossians that God “has rescued us from the power of darkness and transferred us into the kingdom of his beloved Son, in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins” (vs 13-14). If there was any doubt about the raw power of God’s love, this line should eliminate it.

Far from being a set of Os and Xs, hugs and kisses, God’s love creates an entirely new reality for those who become disciples of his Son. Through our faith in Christ, we are now rescued from the power of darkness, transferred into the kingdom of God’s beloved Son, redeemed from death and offered forgiveness of our sins. That’s the power of X—That’s the power of CHRIST, the world-changing power of the love of God.

So don’t forget that:

X means that you are who God says you are; A forgiven, broken and blessed child of God, saved by grace

. X means that you want to love your neighbor as yourself, knowing that our world works best when we are in it together with him.

X means that you are moving a little closer to the kingdom of God’s beloved Son, and that you want your loved ones to join you there. X and O is a nice message of hugs and kisses. But a single X (CHRIST) is what love is all about.

The first mention in literature of XXX for kisses at the bottom of a letter was in 1901, according to the Oxford English Dictionary. The X itself is very old. The custom goes back to the early Christian era, when a cross mark or X was the same as a sworn oath. Even as little as a hundred and fifty years ago, not many people could read or write. The X at the bottom of a document took the place of a signature. They would kiss the X as a crucifix or Bible was kissed to emphasize the importance of the mark, it was this practice that led to the X representing a kiss. O is an American thing and represents the arms wrapping around someone with a hug.

The late Tony Campolo ( a pastor, professor and speaker from PA) tells about growing up in his neighborhood. One friend was Jewish. He comments on how wonderful Jewish mothers are. They believe their children are geniuses. If their child gets a bad grade they conclude that the teacher just can’t relate to a genius. Campolo says in his good Italian family when he left home for school mom always asked, “Tony, do you have your lunch?” In his friend’s family as he was leaving home his mom always asked, “Sydney, do you have your books?” It was a difference in perspective. The one was looking at a lifetime of learning the other was looking at lunchtime.

We need to be more like Jewish mothers in our relationship to each other. We need to see the genius, the beauty, the potential in those around us. We need to remember that each person is created in the image of God. Each one has been made for a particular purpose. Learning to love means learning to spotlight potential and strengths rather than problems. Love demands we learn to build up, rather than tear down. As we relate to people we must see them as God sees them. As God loves them, and communicate that love, and what the Lord wants to do in their life if they will just let Him.

The Bible doesn’t spend too much time explaining how to love or how to be kind. We are asked to love God, to love our neighbors, to be kind one to another. There’s something hard-wired in us that is able to translate intuitively just what that means, when we have Christ in our lives, and have been filled by the Holy spirit. It is His Spirit that will let us know, and guide us.

Paul says that God has transferred the Christian into His Kingdom from the place in which they used to live.

A transference from darkness to light—

From slavery to freedom —-

From condemnation to forgiveness——-

From the power of Satin to the power of God

Scroll down past Sermon for more info

Nobleton Community Church
29084 Sentinel Street PO Box 224
Nobleton, Florida 34661

Rev. Paul V. Lehmann, Pastor
813-389-8683
Nobletoncommunitychurch.org
info@nobletoncommunitychurch.org

OUR VISION IS:
To experience SPIRIT-FILLED WORSHIP AND PRAYER
To be involved in EVANGELISM, DISCIPLINING AND TRAINING PEOPLE
To use our SPIRITUAL GIFTS
To SERVE AND REACH PEOPLE FOR CHRIST, BOTH
“ACROSS THE STREET AND ACROSS THE WORLD”

Nobleton Community Church
Date June 1, 2025
Text Hebrews 9:10-28
Pastor Paul Lehmann

Listen to live audio here

In our text this morning in chapter 9 verse 12 of Hebrews we see clearly that: It is not by the blood of goats and calves, but by his own blood, that he entered once and for all into the Holy Place, because he had secured for“ us an eternal redemption. Then in verses 20 and 22, we see that “this is the blood of the covenant which God has commanded you to keep…

in fact, the law requires that nearly everything be cleansed with blood, and without the shedding of blood there is no forgiveness of sin.” You might ask; ‘why is that?” In Leviticus 17:14 we read that;

“THE LIFE OF ANY CREATURE IS ITS BLOOD.

To drink blood, was a pagan practice, to gain the characteristics of the slain animal’s strength or speed, etc. Israel was to be separated to discourage pagan practices. God’s people were to rely on him, not on ingested blood for strength.

Jesus’ power enters into us, not by the drinking of blood (the cup –the wine). He enters into us by his Holy Spirit. That’s why we believe that Communion is symbolic, not the actual blood and body of Christ.

In the Old Testament, to preserve that symbolism of the sacrifice, it symbolized the life of the animal, as well as life itself.

To protect: many deadly diseases are transmitted by the blood.

He asks us to identify with him completely. He wants us to take his life into us, and he wants to participate in our lives.

This imagery comes from the Day of Atonement rituals described in Leviticus 16. Redemption refers to the process of paying the price or ransom to free a slave.

THROUGH HIS OWN DEATH, CHRIST FREED US FROM THE SLAVERY OF SIN FOREVER, Even though you know Christ, you may believe that you have to work hard to make yourself good enough for God. This is what all false religions teach. It is a doctrine of works. But rules and rituals have never cleansed people’s hearts. By Jesus’ blood alone we have our consciences cleansed. We are freed from death’s sting and can live to serve God. We are freed from sin’s power. We sing about these truths, usually just before Easter when we celebrate the resurrection of Christ or sometimes before or during communion services. But if you are carrying a load of guilt because you are finding that you can’t be good enough to take away your sin, you need Jesus to take it away.

The sin of the world, as John said)– and take our place and die for us. This is the basic meaning of the New Covenant, that Jesus brought, that we should have access to God.. To put it another way, we should have fellowship with God. The writer of Hebrews is talking about even those who were under the Old Covenant, now can come “boldly” before the throne of God., (that is, with confidence, we can come directly to God.) The veil (the curtain) that was a barrier to the Holy of Holies, where only the priests could go and offer sacrifices, has been torn in two. (Matthew 27:37).

In John 19:30 we read; “Jesus said, “IT IS FINISHED” and with that, he bowed his head and gave up his Spirit.” Until this time, a complicated system of sacrifices had atoned for sins. Sin separated the people from God, and only through the sacrifice of an animal, a substitute, could they be forgiven and become clean before God. But people continually sin, so frequent sacrifices were required. Jesus however, became the final and ultimate sacrifice for sin. The word finished used in John 19:30 in Greek is a commercial term. Tetelios, meaning “paid in full.” Jesus came to finish God’s work of salvation, to pay the full penalty for our sins. With his death, the complex sacrificial system ended because Jesus took all sin upon himself. Now we can freely have the forgiveness provided by God through the sacrifice of Jesus. We can say, as the Gather song goes; “It is finished, the battle is over. It is finished and Jesus is Lord.”

The writer of Hebrews states that the first covenant was primarily about rules and regulations for worship, but wasn’t effective in cleansing one’s conscience from sin. He says in verse…10 For that, the old system dealt only with food and drink and various cleansing ceremonies — physical regulations that were in effect only until a better system could be established. The old system was about ceremonial purity. When one broke a dietary law or ceremonial law, the old system could offer ceremonial cleansing. The new system, he explains, is about spiritual purity. It deals with the real problem of the human race: the sin that separates us from God and from one another. The ancient tabernacle, he explains, is designed to illustrate that free access is impossible under the old system. But under the new covenant, he explains, free access is possible, and it belongs to every believer in Jesus Christ. He goes on to state that we have access to God through the sacrifice of Jesus Christ. His death pays the price for our sins and opens the door to our relationship with God.

THE QUESTION OF SACRIFICE

Let’s address an obstacle that many find in this text: the talk of sacrifice.

The Old Testament system of animal sacrifices wasn’t the perfect system, because it was based on a limited and incomplete concept of the nature of God. But it did point the way to the perfect system; it gave the ancient people of God an understanding of what was to come.

If you were to say that the idea that killing an animal could somehow cleanse you of your sins is completely wrong, the writer of Hebrews would agree with you. He says…It is not possible for the blood of bulls and goats to take away sins. (Hebrews 10:4)He says something similar to this in chapter nine verse 9

“For the gifts and sacrifices that the priests offer are not able to cleanse the consciences of the people who bring them. For that old system deals only with food and drink and various cleansing ceremonies — physical regulations that were in effect only until a better system could be established.”

When we first came to Florida 18 years ago, Wesley Chapel hardly had any subdivisions. Route 54 had lots of road construction and cones along the roads. These temporary roads were, at best, ineffective. They consisted of one lane with barriers on both sides, (much like the Brooksville-Spring Hill section of Route 50 (Cortez Blvd.) that goes past Wall-Mart.used to be. . They were constantly congested, and took a long to travel. We’ve all had to deal with this kind of road construction, but it was temporary. It was just in place until a more perfect system could be established. Today, however, if you were to come to Wesley Chapel Route 54 east of 75 is a divided highway, The difference with this illustration though is that Wesley Chapel, and now San Antonio is constantly changing, and there are housing developments and commercial buildings everywhere. This illustrates, to a limited extent, what we see in the first covenant. It acknowledges the fact that there exists a chasm between humankind and God, that our actions — sinful and self-serving as they are — separate us from him. And it hints at the idea that God will provide a way for this chasm to be crossed, for this debt to be paid. God’s New Covenant does not change. Man’s old way, is constantly changing, hopefully for better traffic patterns, but they are constantly trying to make it better. Much like man trying to do good works to save themselves and make life better.

THE PROBLEM OF MORAL DEBT

The writer of Hebrews says…

Verse 13 Under the old system, the blood of goats and bulls and the ashes of a young cow could cleanse people’s bodies from ceremonial impurity. Just think how much more the blood of Christ will purify our consciences from sinful deeds so that we can worship the living God. For by the power of the eternal Spirit, Christ offered himself to God as a perfect sacrifice for our sins. Let’s stop right there for a moment.

Why should God require a sacrifice for sins? Why can’t he just wave them off and forgive us of his own volition? Why does he need the blood of his Son to forgive me?” Many people ask this question. So, why did God require the death of his Son to forgive our sins? He did it because we needed it, not because he needed it. He did it because it was the only way for us to understand the significance of sin and the extent of his mercy.

WE HAVE A DEBT TO PAY

Let’s say you get a credit card offer in the mail with a ten-thousand-dollar limit. You’re already approved and good to go. Being the good American that you are, you are willing to do your share in stimulating the economy by immediately going out and purchasing $10,000 worth of goods and services. This is what a lot of people, (especially students) have done. When the bill comes in, you have three ways of dealing with it. The first and most obvious is to write a check and put yourself at zero balance. It’s a happy ending for all involved. But let’s say you don’t have the money to pay the bill, not even the minimum payment. Then what can you do? You can completely ignore the bill and refuse to pay it. If that happens, eventually the credit card company will write it off as a bad debt and they’ll put a negative mark on your credit report so that (theoretically) you can’t obtain further credit. This way, you’re not really paying the debt, the books don’t really balance, and even though you’re punished for it (with a bad credit score) the debt remains outstanding.

The third option is to have someone pay it for you. There are phone calls where if you have $10,000 or more debt, they will negotiate it down for you “You’ve incurred a debt you cannot pay, so they will pay it for you. And you don’t have to pay it back, because you can’t. In this scenario, the debt is paid and you’re free to continue your life.

The one option that doesn’t exist, especially in our world in which credits must always equal debits, is for the credit card company to say, “You can’t pay? No problem. Let’s pretend like it never happened. We’ll give a zero balance and reactivate your card and you can go out and do it again.”

I would venture to say that even if this were to happen — if your bad spending habits were just waved off and ignored — you wouldn’t become better at managing money, you’d become worse. You wouldn’t be able to grasp that your bad spending habits create hardship on others, or that your bad habits would ultimately lead to economic destruction.

Somehow, someway, a debt must be accounted for. As I said, this is only an illustration, but maybe it can give you insight into the human condition and our relationship with God. Sin is not just breaking an arbitrary rule that God established — such as: it’s wrong to wear white after Labor Day. (except maybe in Florida it’s okay)- or women shouldn’t wear pantsuits or slacks— to think that our sins are just our business, and they don’t hurt anyone else. That’s not true. The things that God defines as sin are actions and attitudes that only serve to widen the gap that exists between him and you.

Sin also widens the gap between you and the people you love. Sin is selfish, destructive behavior. It is ugly and it causes pain. The reality is that you and me and the rest of the world are sinners. We’ve hurt the people we love. We’ve stood in defiance of God. We’ve said on more than one occasion, “I don’t care what’s best for anyone else, I don’t care what is the right thing to do, I will do exactly what I want to do.”

Some may say that more often than others, but all of us have certainly said it, at least by our actions. When we know we should be generous, we’re sometimes selfish. When we know we should be patient, we’re sometimes irritable. When we know we should speak words of love and encouragement, we sometimes speak words of anger and resentment. When we know the right thing to do, we sometimes do the wrong thing.

We do this with one another and we do it with God. And the gap between us grows wider and wider.

We cannot fool ourselves into thinking that this gap doesn’t exist. And God cannot, or will not, pretend it doesn’t exist either.

If he were to dismiss our sins with a wave of his hand, he would be saying, in effect, “The damage that you have caused with your selfish and sinful behavior isn’t really that bad. The people you hurt with your selfish and sinful behavior really weren’t that hurt. Let’s just pretend that when you take advantage of someone financially, you’re not robbing them of what is rightfully theirs. Let’s pretend that when you treat someone like a sexual object you’re not destroying their dignity. Let’s pretend that when you explode in anger at your wife or children you’re not sabotaging their self-esteem. Let’s pretend when you engage in gossip to ruin someone’s reputation, that you’re not crippling their future. Let’s pretend that none of this stuff really matters.”

No, a thousand times NO! that’s not what God says, because he knows the damage that sin can cause. We need to understand it, too. It can’t be dismissed and ignored.

When we confront our sin and become honest with ourselves about what we have done and why we have done it, we realize that we’ve done damage that can’t be undone, that we owe a debt we cannot pay.

If, at this point, you’re inclined to say, “But I’m not really such a bad person,” I would say that you’re not yet being fully honest with yourself about your actions and your attitudes and the consequences they yield.

But when we do become aware of our sins, we realize, “I can never make this right on my own.” We need a sacrifice. We need to know that the debt has been paid, and that it won’t always be hanging over us.

Isaiah says…All of us, like sheep, have strayed away. We have left God’s paths to follow our own. Yet the Lord laid on him the sins of us all. (Isaiah 53:6) Hebrews 13 says…For by the power of the eternal Spirit, Christ offered himself to God as a perfect sacrifice for our sins.

It’s as if God is saying: “The damage caused by your sins is something you can never undo, but it’s something I will undo. The debt won’t go unpaid. Instead, it will be paid in full by someone who loves you very much. Any pain or punishment that you rightfully deserve, he will bear. He will be pierced for your transgressions and crushed for your iniquities, and by his wounds, you will be healed. This is because I love you, and I don’t want there to be anything — not even your worst sins — to stand between us.”

1. Once and for all, Jesus Christ paid the price for your sins
2. He did this so that you could be free to experience the fullness of God.

3.. You never have to fear God’s judgment.

RETURN—REFLECT– RENEW

ARE THE ROAD TO REVIVAL

Scroll down past Sermon for more info

Nobleton Community Church
29084 Sentinel Street PO Box 224
Nobleton, Florida 34661

Rev. Paul V. Lehmann, Pastor
813-389-8683
Nobletoncommunitychurch.org
info@nobletoncommunitychurch.org

OUR VISION IS:
To experience SPIRIT-FILLED WORSHIP AND PRAYER
To be involved in EVANGELISM, DISCIPLINING AND TRAINING PEOPLE
To use our SPIRITUAL GIFTS
To SERVE AND REACH PEOPLE FOR CHRIST, BOTH
“ACROSS THE STREET AND ACROSS THE WORLD”

Nobleton Community Church
Date May 25, 2025
Text Nehemiah 9:1-3; 30-31
Pastor Paul Lehmann

Listen to live audio here

This is Memorial Day weekend. What is Memorial Day for? What exactly are we supposed to be remembering? What are we “memorializing?” Originally the day was called Decoration Day, and people were to remember the soldiers that died in war. They decorated the graves of family members who lost their lives in war, dying for their country. Statistics for the Revolutionary War and the Civil War are hard to come by for various reasons, vut the first major war that most Americans remember is the First World War where 4,734,000 men served and 116,516 died—in World War II 16 million served and 407, 000 died—the Korean War 5,720,000 served and 36,568 died—the Vietnam War 8,744,000 served and 58,000 died—int eh Gulf War there were 378 deaths and in the War in Iraq approximately 4,419 died from 2003-2011. In Afghanistan, there were 2,420, and about 159 soldiers from Britain and other countries that participated in the coalition. This doesn’t count the thousands of Iraquis soldiers which have been estimated at about 40-50,000 and the thousands of civilians.

Memorial Day is to honor American soldiers who have been killed in combat. Since 9/11 and perhaps before, we have included those who have lost their lives in service to their fellowman, like our police officers, and firemen (First Responders) since Congress made the holiday officially the last Monday of May (instead of the traditional 30th ) in order to ensure a 3 day weekend, much of the importance of this day has fallen away. There are very few communities that still have Memorial Day Parades honoring our fallen veterans of war. It is just a holiday to go boating or swimming if the weather is nice, to have picnics and family gatherings, all of which are good things to do, but the meaning too often is forgotten.

In our text, the Israelites have more or less finished celebrating, and it has been called to their attention, that they are to remember some things. They are not told specifically to remember those who died in their struggle to rebuild the wall, in fact, we don’t have any mention of anybody being killed, despite the threats from their enemies. They are more specifically to remember the things that God has done in the past for them. After their seven-day celebration, they are again assembled together (verse 18 of chapter 8).

THEY ARE REPENTING AND RETURNING TO GOD

As we begin to look at chapter 9, we see that they are fasting, and putting sackcloth and dust or ashes on their heads which was a sign of repentance. They stood in their places and confessed their sins and the wickedness of their fathers. This kind of confession is necessary in order to see revival. There are some principles of revival seen here that are applicable to the church today.

We need to distinguish revival from evangelism. In the past, some of you perhaps remember the church in general has referred to “Revival Meetings” and they were “evangelistic meetings.” The idea was to have an evangelist come in for a week (or sometimes two) and we were to bring unsaved people to the meetings. This rarely happened, but there were always some young people who had never given their lives to the Lord who got saved. Some of you trace your salvation experience to this kind of meeting. It is true that when Christians, are revived by the Spirit of God, they should witness with power, evangelism takes place, and people are brought into the Kingdom of God. But just to make sure we see the difference between revival and evangelism, let’s say that Evangelism is winning the unsaved, Revival has to do with the Christian. Evangelism is the permanent duty of the church; revival is a gracious outpouring of the Spirit of God.

It is possible to have some success in evangelism without ever having revival, but if revival breaks out in the church, this will lead to a mighty blessing in evangelism inevitably. The problem is that the church prays for revival, and pleads with God to send revival, but we are not willing to do anything for it to happen.

There are three principles of revival that I want to mention this morning, and we need to ask ourselves if we are willing to have them applied to our own lives and to our hurch.

THE FIRST IS : A RETURN TO BROKENHEARTEDNESS

Look at verse 2, which we have already mentioned. The people are confronted with their sin. They are so saddened by what is read to them, of how their ancestors continually turned their back on god, that they are ready to repent, to turn their lives around, and make sure that they don’t fall into the same pattern of crying out to God for forgiveness, and then falling right back into sin, or flat out refusing like in verse 17, “they refused to listen and failed to REMEMBER the miracles you performed among them.”

God will never plant the seed of His life upon the soil of a hard, unbroken spirit. He will only plant that see where the conviction of His Spirit has brought brokenness, where the soil has been watered with the tears of repentance as well as the tears of joy.

When His Holy Spirit brings brokenness, there is:

A RECOGNITION OF OUR SINFULNESS.

THERE IS A CONFESSION OF SIN, THAT IS;

AGREEING WITH GOD ABOUT OUR SIN.

Days of great joy in the Lord are always accompanied by days of great humiliation in ourselves. How often the discovery of something new in the loveliness of the Lord Jesus has brought with it the discovery of some new corruption in our own hearts.

Christian people have too often relegated experience like that to the early days of conversion. Oh, for that tenderness of heart that was ours when first we knew the Lord! How easily possible it is, in the pressure of life and business and Christian activity, for the grace of repentance to be just a memory! Oh, that god would give to us a renewal of brokenness to His will, and brokenness in our fellowship with others, in which there is a yieldedness to Him and to other Christians so that God can truly bless us!

We need to ask ourselves, some self-examination questions. This is not comfortable, and it is not easy, this recognition of sin. Alan Redpath, (the former pastor of Moody Church in Chicago, preached a sermon about this, and here is his list of questions to ask ourselves. I have changed the wording on some of them, to make them more relevant for us today.

WHAT ABOUT MY RELATIONSHIP WITH PEOPLE?

· Am I consciously or unconsciously crating the impression that I am a better person than I really am?

· Is there the least suspicion of hypocrisy in my life?

· Am I honest in all my words and acts?

· Do I exaggerate?

· Am I reliable?

Now I know as I go through this list, that the first thing that will go through your mind is: How it applies to someone else you know! Let’s not do that! Think about yourself. Can any of these apply to YOU at any time.?—Let’s continue—-

· Can I be trusted? (do others feel I can’t be trusted—why? )

· Do I confidentially pass on what was told to me in confidence? (I’m just giving this to you as a prayer request.)

· Do I grumble and complain in the church, about what others do or don’t do?

· Am I jealous, impure, irritable, touchy, distrustful?

· Am I self-conscious, (afraid to talk to people). self-pitying, (I have it worse than most people) self-justifying? (making excuses for things I do, or don’t do.)

· Am I proud? Do I thank God I am not like other people? (Just like the Pharisee)

· Is there anyone I fear, or dislike, or criticize, or resent? If so, what am I doing about it?

WHAT ABOUT MY DEVOTION TO GOD?

· Does the Bible live in me? Or do I just have a lot of knowledge stored up in my brain, about the Bible?

· Do I give it time to speak to me?

· Do I go to bed in time and do I get up in time?

· Am I enjoying my prayer life today? Or is it just something I do out of duty, if at all.

· When there is a problem in my life so I pray about it, or do I use my tongue and talk about it?

· Am I disobeying do in anything, or not doing something about which my conscience is very uneasy?

· When did I last speak to someone else with the object of tying to win them to Christ/

· Am I a slave to books, cards, movies, TV, video games, music, food, dress, friends, work, or even family? (Not that any of these things are wrong, but the key is BALANCE. )

· How do I spend my spare time?

Without a doubt, there is something in this list that will convict every one of us here this morning. These are very heart-searching questions. Have you thought about recognizing sinfulness lately? Or is that something that you think is only for the unsaved to do? That they are the ones that have to get themselves straightened out with the Lord? This is the price of revival. Every one of us must want to get ourselves “straightened out” with the Lord.

If you want revival, let me remind you, that God only plants the seed of His life in a soil which has been broken up by repentance, and a willingness to turn from sin. The Israelites recognized (in verse 33) that their ancestors had sinned. We read in their prayer, that “in all that has happened to us, you (that is God) have been just, you have acted faithfully, WHILE WE DID WRONG. (— we have done “wickedly” the K.J.V. says)

Agreeing with God is saying: “Lord you are right—I have done wrong.:” This is hard enough to say to another person, whether it is our spouse, or someone in the church, or in our family, let alone to God. But that is what has to happen if we want forgiveness, if we are really willing to repent, to not continue doing what we are doing, or going in the same direction spiritually that we are going.

The second principle of revival In this chapter is:

REFLECTION UPON GOD’S GOODNESS

Practically the whole chapter is devoted to the prayer that the people offered. Some of you have been like the Israelites. You have cried out to God, prayed, and have been forgiven, but then have fallen right back into sin. Prayed again and fell back, and the cycle has been unbroken for many years. You have experienced an up-and-down Christian life, ever since you first prayed to receive Christ into your life.

What an utterance of praise there is here, and what a confession of sin and failure! There is praise for what God is, for His covenant with them through Abraham for His deliverance from Egyptian bondage, for His tender guidance all during their history, In spite of all that—– there had been repeated sin and failure. And again and again, that failure was matched by a new outpouring of the grace of God.

In spite of all His goodness, note in verse 16: But they, our forefathers, became arrogant and stiff-necked, (that means stubborn, obstinate, and Webster’s book of synonyms even says; pig-headed or bull-headed) and they did not obey your commands. Again I want to mention: THEY REFUSED TO LISTEN AND FAILED TO REMEMBER THE MIRACLES you performed among them: But you are a forgiving God, gracious and compassionate, slow to anger! And abounding in love. Therefore you did not desert them…you did not abandon them…you gave your …Spirit to instruct them.

Have you remembered to REFLECT ON GOD’S GOODNESS.

THE FINALLY THE THIRD PRINCIPLE IS:

THE RENEWAL OF OUR OBEDIENCE

The Israelites in verse 38 made a binding agreement —a covenant—in writing. The obedience of God’s people touched every part of their lives;

Their home life, Their social life, and Their church life.

      The Israelites always misunderstood this separation between friendship with the pagan world and with God. They were to develop relationships with their pagan neighbors to reveal to them the One True God, but they were not to marry those who didn’t acknowledge Yahweh. In New Testament terms, they were not to be “unequally yoked together” this means in marriage, but also in business partnerships. How many businesses have gone bankrupt because this principle was violated.

It affects church life. At the end of chapter 10 verse 39 we read: “We will not How can we have revival? Charles Finney, (that great revivalist preacher) said: “revival comes by the right use of clearly defined means.”

God’s clearly defined means are just these things:

Our BROKENESS neglect the house of our God.”

Nehemiah has emphasized faithfulness in corporate worship. They were all to be present when the word was read and they stood in prayer to God.

(a tenderness of heart) which leads to

REPENTANCE. , A RECOGNITION OF SIN , in which God’s Holy Spirit

can plant a seed that will grow.

A REFLECTION ON GOD’S GOODNESS (a taking of time for meditation A and RENEWAL OF OUR OBEDIENCE (that puts revival into action.)

Scroll down past Sermon for more info

Nobleton Community Church
29084 Sentinel Street PO Box 224
Nobleton, Florida 34661

Rev. Paul V. Lehmann, Pastor
813-389-8683
Nobletoncommunitychurch.org
info@nobletoncommunitychurch.org

OUR VISION IS:
To experience SPIRIT-FILLED WORSHIP AND PRAYER
To be involved in EVANGELISM, DISCIPLINING AND TRAINING PEOPLE
To use our SPIRITUAL GIFTS
To SERVE AND REACH PEOPLE FOR CHRIST, BOTH
“ACROSS THE STREET AND ACROSS THE WORLD”

Nobleton Community Church
Date May 18, 2025
Pastor Paul Lehmann

Listen to live audio here