Sermons By Ed

Guest Speaker Pastor David Anderson Notes Coming Soon

Guest Speaker, Pastor Dave Anderson   Notes coming soon.

Notes coming soon

Study Notes Ed Underwood Hebrews Jesus Is Better Than Aaron: A More Compassionate High PriestHebrews 5:1-10   “Although he was a son, he learned obedience through the things he suffered.”  (Hebrews 5:8).   Every Jewish Christian was familiar with the role of the high priest in Judaism. The high priest represented the people before God. What they had not thought through was the role of Jesus Christ as the ultimate high priest to represent his people before God. Since many were forsaking Christianity for Judaism, the writer of Hebrews wants them to know that they are forsaking their far superior high priest—the Son of God, for a far inferior high priest—the Aaronic high priest. More than that, the current high priests in Jerusalem weren’t even of the tribe of Levi, as God had prescribed. Instead, the office had become a political position gained by ambition and positioning. The high priests of the 1st Century were more about power and prestige than about serving God’s people. They lived outside of the requireme

Study Notes David Anderson Hebrews Jesus’ Rest is Better (Hebrews 4:1-11) “For the one who enters God's rest has also rested from his works, just as God did from his own works.” (Heb 4:10) We are first introduced to this concept of “rest” in Genesis 2:2, By the seventh day God finished the work that he had been doing, and he ceased on the seventh day all the work that he had been doing. Right after the golden calf judgment, Yahweh tells Moses, “My presence will go with you, and I will give you rest." Moses’ emphatic response, "If your presence does not go with us, do not take us up from here.” (Exodus 33:14-15). In Deuteronomy 5:14-15 describes what this Sabbath rest will look like on the seventh day and how it is an important time to remember God’s strength, power, and deliverance from Egypt.  In Deuteronomy 5, Yahweh explains the Sabbath principle and explains that as His people celebrate the Sabbath they need to recall the redemption from slavery from Egypt by Yahweh’s strength and power. Later in Deuteron

Study Notes Ed Underwood Hebrews Second Warning: The Danger of Disbelief(3:7-19)   “Do not harden your hearts as in the rebellion.”  (Hebrews 3:8)   Every Jewish Christian was familiar with the warning of Psalm 95 against losing the rest God offers to His people. The backdrop of Numbers 13-14 was equally known. The generation encamped at Kadesh refused to believe God, and God refused them entrance into the rest of Canaan. What they weren’t aware of is that the same warning applies to Christians. When the tests of life come, we must trust God instead of the messages of the dissidents. If we fail to believe God’s promises, we too will lose our “rest”—that deepest experience of eternal life reserved for faithful followers of Christ.  There are serious consequences when believers decide that God isn’t good enough or powerful enough to take care of them. Dissidents are all around us, and they will turn our doubts into unbelief and rebellion. God’s response will be the same—we will forfeit our rest: Invitation to R

Study Notes Ed Underwood Hebrews 3:7-19 Second Warning: The Danger of Disbelief “Do not harden your hearts as in the rebellion.”  (Hebrews 3:8) Every Jewish Christian was familiar with the warning of Psalm 95 against losing the rest God offers to His people. The backdrop of Numbers 13-14 was equally known. The generation encamped at Kadesh refused to believe God, and God refused them entrance into the rest of Canaan. What they weren’t aware of is that the same warning applies to Christians. When the tests of life come, we must trust God instead of the messages of the dissidents. If we fail to believe God’s promises, we too will lose our “rest”—that deepest experience of eternal life reserved for faithful followers of Christ.  There are serious consequences when believers decide that God isn’t good enough or powerful enough to take care of them. Dissidents are all around us, and they will turn our doubts into unbelief and rebellion. God’s response will be the same—we will forfeit our rest: Invitation to Rest:

“But Christ is faithful as a son over God’s house.”  (Hebrews 3:6) First Century Jews held Moses up as the greatest of men. When intense persecution tempted those who had trusted in Christ to abandon following Him, they undoubtedly viewed past times when they were devoted to Moses and His covenant with nostalgic euphoria. Countering any decision to return to Judaism, the writer of Hebrews proves that Jesus is superior to Moses.  The author has already demonstrated that Christ has become a merciful and faithful high priest (2:17-18). Appealing to their esteem for Moses, the writer affirms that Moses, like Christ, was faithful to God. However, Christ is responsible for so much more. Jesus is not merely God’s servant; He is God’s Son. And as Son, He is the possessor of all things.  As Hebrew Christians, these readers were familiar with the story of the faithfulness of the Levites when the rest of Israel lost its priestly privileges by trying to return to their old life in Egypt (Exodus 19:6; 32:26-29; Numbers 3:

Please join Special Guest Pastor Dave Anderson from Church of the Open Door as he shares this message with us this week. 

Coming Soon...

This epistle was written to every believer who is thinking, “My life would have been better if I had never met Jesus. It’s just too hard to follow Him!” The writer of Hebrews exposes the lie of that conclusion by reminding us of the greatness of Jesus and what’s at stake if we turn from Him. He is better than any alternative, and turning away from Him always brings loss to Christians. Not loss of salvation, but the forfeiture of all that your redeemed heart longs for.

Study Notes Ed Underwood Revelation: Jesus Wins! Therefore write what you saw, what is, and what will be after these things (Revelation 1:19). The nine General Epistles point to the person and work of the resurrected Christ. They encourage Christians to cling to Him and exhort them to serve Him faithfully because He is the only source of life. Written primarily to persecuted Jewish Christians, the truths apply to every believer from every culture and in every age of church history. The canon of Scripture closes with a majestic epistle written by the Apostle John in exile on the island of Patmos during the great persecution under the Roman Emperor Domitian (AD 95-96). John received the Revelation from the Lord Jesus through an angel. The letter was sent to the churches he shepherded in the Roman province of Asia. The book is a “Revelation of Jesus Christ,” an unveiling of His character and program of the ages. Just as Genesis is the book of beginnings, Revelation is the book of completion. In it the div

Study Notes Ed Underwood Jude: Contend for the Faith I now feel compelled instead to write to encourage you to contend earnestly for the faith. (Jude 3) The nine General Epistles point to the person and work of the resurrected Christ. They encourage Christians to cling to Him and exhort them to serve Him faithfully because He is the only source of life. Written primarily to persecuted Jewish Christians, the truths apply to every believer from every culture and in every age of church history. Judas, or Jude, was the half-brother of Jesus Christ (Matthew 13:55; Mark 6:3), and the full-brother of James (Jude 1; Acts 15:13). Jesus’ brothers rejected His claims to be the Messiah during His life on earth (John 7:5), but they believed in Him after His resurrection (1 Corinthians 15:7). They were among the believers who gathered in the Upper Room awaiting the coming of the Holy Spirit (Acts 1:14), and they were traveling ministers of the Gospel in the early church (1 Corinthians 9:5). Due to the similarities

Study Notes Ed Underwood 3 John: Love and Power I have no greater joy than this: to hear that my children are living according to the truth. (3 John 4) The nine General Epistles point to the person and work of the resurrected Christ. They encourage Christians to cling to Him and exhort them to serve Him faithfully because He is the only source of life. Written primarily to persecuted Jewish Christians, the truths apply to every believer from every culture and in every age of church history. John was with the apostles who were in Jerusalem (Acts 8:14), and Paul calls him one of the pillars of the church (Galatians 2:9). And then, for decades he’s not mentioned. Early Christian tradition tells us he left Jerusalem just before its destruction in A.D. 70 and headquartered in and around Ephesus. In his later years he wrote the Gospel of John and three epistles, probably as he was serving in Ephesus. I believe Demetrius, a missionary John was commending to the churches under his influence, carried all three

Study Notes Ed Underwood 2 John True Love The message of 2 John—love is based on truth—is a timeless reminder to every Christian and every church. Truth and love cannot be separated: Now this is love: that we walk according to His commandments.... just as you heard from the beginning (2 John 6). The nine General Epistles point to the person and work of the resurrected Christ. They encourage Christians to cling to Him and exhort them to serve Him faithfully because He is the only source of life. Written primarily to persecuted Jewish Christians, the truths apply to every believer from every culture and in every age of church history. John was with the apostles who were in Jerusalem (Acts 8:14), and Paul calls him one of the pillars of the church (Galatians 2:9). And then, for decades he’s not mentioned. Early Christian tradition tells us he left Jerusalem just before its destruction in A.D. 70 and headquartered in and around Ephesus. In his later years he wrote the Gospel of John and three epistles,

Study Notes Ed Underwood 1 John: Fellowship with God And these things we write to you that your joy may be full (1 John 1:4). The nine General Epistles point to the person and work of the resurrected Christ. They encourage Christians to cling to Him and exhort them to serve Him faithfully because He is the only source of life. Written primarily to persecuted Jewish Christians, the truths apply to every believer from every culture and in every age of church history. John was with the apostles who were in Jerusalem (Acts 8:14), and Paul calls him one of the pillars of the church (Galatians 2:9). And then, for decades he’s not mentioned. Early Christian tradition tells us he left Jerusalem just before its destruction in A.D. 70 and headquartered in and around Ephesus. In his later years he wrote the Gospel of John and three epistles, probably as he was serving in Ephesus. False teachers were confusing the churches John oversaw by saying that Christ only seemed to have a human body. Not only were they den

Study Notes Ed Underwood 2 Peter: Grow in Grace and Knowledge! But grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ (2 Peter 3:18). The nine General Epistles point to the person and work of the resurrected Christ. They encourage Christians to cling to Him and exhort them to serve Him faithfully because He is the only source of life. Written primarily to persecuted Jewish Christians, the truths apply to every believer from every culture and in every age of church history. Though Peter’s letters are grouped with the General Epistles, they are primarily to the mostly Gentile churches of Asia Minor (1 Peter 1:1). His first letter encourages these fledgling churches to stand firm in grace in the face of suffering (1 Peter 5:12). The second letter admonishes them to grow in grace in the face of false teaching (2 Peter 3:18). Here is a rough comparison of the two: 1 Peter “suffering” 16X External Opposition Suffering from Persecution Need for Submission to Christ Comfort to the Hurting

Study Notes Ed Underwood 1 Peter—Stand fast in grace! Experiencing Grace in the Midst of Suffering “I have written to you briefly, in order to encourage you, and testify that this is the true grace of God. Stand fast in it.” (1 Peter 5:12, NET Bible) It’s 64 AD. Paul’s death under the cruel persecution of the wicked Emperor Nero staggers Christianity. The infant church questions God’s goodness and power, especially on the frontiers of faith—the fledgling assemblies scattered throughout the five provinces of Asia Minor. Today that area is northern Turkey. The news of Paul’s death and the raw threat of persecution and suffering forces the young church and its even younger shepherds and flocks to ask the questions every follower of Christ will ask: If God is good, then how could He allow this to happen to us? I thought He loved us! If Christ is building His church, then why is this so hard? I thought we were the world’ s only hope! Someone needed to step in with the answers to those faith-shattering q