Gospel Dynamite with J. Allen Mashburn

When Shepherds Meet | Luke 2:8-20 | Pastor J. Allen Mashburn

The Christmas season can be a dangerous time! No, I am not referring to shopping at Wal-Mart, although you are taking your life into your hands when you go there during this time of year. I am talking about the Christmas story. There is a danger that we can hear it so often that it become too familiar. There is a danger that we will lose the significance of the message because we are too familiar with it.
Every year we tell the same stories told in the same ways. We talk about shepherds, angels, wise men, Mary and Joseph and the baby Jesus. If we are not careful this annual handling of this precious truth might just cause us to take it for granted. 
We know all the details and if we are not careful, our familiarity with the Christmas story can cause us to overlook just how amazing the story really is.
So today, I want to challenge you to see it again for the first time. Let’s begin with the announcement of the birth of Jesus Christ. To whom does God announce the birth of His Son? To whom would you expect the announcement to go?
We could see how God might choose to announce the birth of Christ to Herod the king. We could see how he would want to announce the birth in a splendid ceremony in the Temple led by the High Priest. But we have trouble understanding why he would choose a ragtag band of shepherds.
The announcement of the birth of the Son of God is not made to a king in a palace. It is not made to a priest in as temple. It is not made to the wealthy, to the movers and the shakers, or to the most important people in the land. The announcement of the birth of the Messiah; of the One Who would grow up to die on a cross for the sins of the lost, was made to a group of shepherds.
At best the shepherds were common, ordinary men. They were not the social elite. At worst, they were vile, dirty men, who were, for the most part, social and religious outcasts.
Most likely these shepherds were tending their sheep just outside of Bethlehem. By all accounts, they were tending sheep being that were being raised for use in the sacrifices down at the Temple in Jerusalem. They were the last group of people that you would expect God to make this kind of an announcement to. They were the very group of men that was chosen to hear the glorious news of the Savior’s birth.    

The Lamb Provided | Luke 2:8-14 | J. Allen Mashburn

We have been watching as God’s plan to send His Lamb into the world has unfolded.  When man fell into sin in the Garden of Eden, God made a promise that a Redeemer would one day come.  This Redeemer would come as the Savior of sinners.  All through the Old Testament, God worked to bring this event to pass.  Every sacrifice, every ritual of Jewish worship, every thing God did was moving steadily toward the moment when the Lamb of God would enter this world and pay the price to save men from their sins.  
I think of one occasion when a broken hearted father named Abraham walked up a mountain side with his only son Isaac.  He was taking that son to the top of that mountain to offer him to the Lord as a burnt offering.  On the way up that mountain, Isaac asked his father Abraham about what they were doing.  
Here is what was said that day: “And Abraham took the wood of the burnt offering, and laid it upon Isaac his son; and he took the fire in his hand, and a knife; and they went both of them together.  And Isaac spake unto Abraham his father, and said, My father: and he said, Here am I, my son. And he said, Behold the fire and the wood: but where is the lamb for a burnt offering?  And Abraham said, My son, God will provide himself a lamb for a burnt offering: so they went both of them together,” Genesis 22:6-8
 Our text tells us about the night that father’s promise was fulfilled.  It was also the moment when God’s promise to send His Redeemer into the world was fulfilled. As we look in on the events of that special night 2,000 years ago, we can learn something about how God provided His Lamb.

The Promised Lamb: Why Did Jesus Come? | Genesis 3:15 | J. Allen Mashburn

This may seem like a strange place from which to preach a Christmas sermon.  Yet, here in the midst of man’s greatest tragedy, is the revelation of man’s greatest hope.  
For it is in this tale of sin, judgment and death that we meet the message of the saving Gospel and the Person of the Lamb of God for the first time.
The Context.  God has made man in His image.  He created man in perfect innocence and placed him in a perfect environment.  Adam has been given dominion over the Lord’s entire creation and he has been presented with a perfect companion, a woman called Eve.  They live an idyllic existence, free from pain, disease, death and sorrow.  Every need they have is met and they enjoy unbroken, unhindered fellowship with God Himself, Gen. 2:8-9.  The only restriction they have regards one tree which is located in the Garden of Eden.  This tree is called “the tree of the knowledge of good and evil.”  
Adam is warned to stay away from this tree, for to eat its fruit will bring death into the world, Gen. 2:15-17.
Well, for an undefined period of time things go well in the Garden, until one day when Eve finds herself confronted by a serpent controlled by Satan.  This serpent tells her that God is holding out on her and Adam.  He tells Eve that God does not want them eating of the fruit because God knows that when they eat the fruit of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, they will be like him.  Eve succumbs to the temptation of the devil and eats of the fruit.  
Adam also falls for the lie and eats as well.
In an instant, everything changes!  They are no longer innocent and pure, but they have become sinners; they have become fallen beings.  
Immediately, they are aware that everything has changed.  They become ashamed because of their naked condition and seek to cover themselves with fig leaves, v. 7.  In the midst of this tragedy, God comes into the Garden to fellowship with Adam and Eve.  He calls out to them because they have hidden themselves from them, v. 8.  God knows what they have done and extracts a confession from Adam, v. 10-12.  Then the blame game begins.  Adam blames Eve and God, while Eve blames the serpent, v. 12-13.  God immediately pronounces judgment upon Adam, Eve and the serpent, and God casts them out of the Garden of Eden.

The Baptism of the Servant | Mark 1:9-11 | J. Allen Mashburn

This passage records the first appearance of the Lord Jesus in the Word of God since He was seen in the Temple at the age of twelve. All we know of the next eighteen years of His life are summed up by Luke like this: “And Jesus increased in wisdom and stature, and in favour with God and man,” Luke 2:52. Those silent years of the life of Jesus were years of mental, physical and spiritual preparation for His work as Messiah and Savior.
We are told in verse 8 that Jesus came “in those days”. Why did Jesus choose this time to make His identity and mission known to men? He came now because the time was right. John the Baptist had blazed the trail as the forerunner of the Lord. 
 
John the Baptist’s crowds were large and his ministry was at its very apex. Jesus came at this time because John had completed his work and the time for him to decrease had come. Jesus came because it was God’s appointed time for Him to be revealed.
The next phrase says, “Jesus came”. When Jesus Christ made His public appearance there on the banks of the Jordan River, it was a moment that changed the world forever. Ever since Adam sinned in Eden, mankind had been looking for a Redeemer Who would come and reconcile men to God. Since the dawn of time, fallen humanity had waited for the appearance of a perfect man who would challenge sin and Satan to deliver the human soul from the bondage of evil. Every man who had ever lived up to that day was just another fallen soul. 
 
Humanity had never been able to produce one who could deliver it from its lost condition. Many thousands of suns had risen and set on a world held fast in the grip of crushing iniquity. But, the day Jesus came, everything changed! When Jesus shows up, nothing remains as it was. (Ill. Just take a few minutes to ask Zacchaeus; the Gaderene Demoniac; the woman with the issue of blood; the three Hebrew boys; Daniel; Saul of Tarsus; Simon Peter; and any of the lives He impacted in the Word of God.)
Today we want to look at these verses and consider the events surrounding the baptism of the Lord Jesus Christ. There are some great blessings in these verses if we will just take the time to glean them. There are some questions that will be answered for us as well. 

The Beginning of the Gospel | Mark 1:1-8 | J. Allen Mashburn

Matthew begins his Gospel by sharing the genealogy of Jesus. He feels the need to prove that Jesus is a Son of Abraham and a Son of David. Luke begins by talking about the events which lead up to the birth of the Lord Jesus. John’s Gospel starts out in eternity past reminding us that Jesus is God in the flesh. Mark does not start out by talking about the Lord’s heritage or His birth. Mark’s desire is to present Jesus as a servant and a servant does not need a genealogy. Mark begins by jumping right into the action.
Mark’s first sentence serves as a title to the book and it serves to plunge us immediately into the earthly ministry of Jesus. Mark is going to share with his readers the good news concerning who Jesus is and what He did while He was here. Mark calls the Lord “Jesus Christ, the Son of God”.
The name “Jesus” is the Greek transliteration of the Hebrew name “Joshua”. It means “Jehovah is Salvation”. Jesus is a human name and it reveals the reason Jesus came into this world. Jesus came into this world to save lost sinners, Matt. 1:21; Luke 19:10. The name “Jesus” declares His Person.
He is called “Christ”. This identifies Jesus as the “Jewish Messiah”, or “the Anointed One”. The name “Christ” declares His Position. Jesus is pictured as the One Who will deliver His people from their enemies.
Then Mark raises the stakes. He calls Jesus “the Son of God”. Mark lets us know in very clear terms that he is writing about a man, Who is no ordinary man. He is writing about a man Who is God in the flesh, John 1:1, 14. The name “Son of God” declares His Power.
So, this title declares four important truths regarding Jesus.
1.  He is truly human – He has a human name – Jesus.
2.  He is truly divine – He is the promised Messiah. He is the Son of God.
3.  He is truly unique – He is both humanity and deity in one Person.
4.  He is the true source of Good News – Jesus alone is the source of salvation!
We have Mark’s introduction of the book that bears his name. Let’s begin the process of moving through these verses. We will consider the beginning of the ministry of Jesus as Mark writes about the man who was sent to prepare the way for the coming of the Lord Jesus Christ. Today we are going to take a few moments to look at the ministry of John the Baptist.

Unknown Men that Made a Difference | Judges 10:1-5 | J. Allen Mashburn

When you come through the Book of Judges,  the ministries of Othniel, Ehud, Shamgar, Deborah and Gideon stand out… All of these, with the exception of Shamgar led the people of Israel to outstanding military victories.
In the list I just mentioned, one man stands out as being different. I am referring to Shamgar. He is considered to be one of the Minor Judges. There are six Minor Judges in all. They are Shamgar, Jud. 3:31; the two men mentioned in our text today, Tola, Jud. 10:1, and Jair, Jud. 10:3-5; Ibzan, Jud. 12:8-10; Elon, Jud. 12:11-12; and Abdon, Jud. 12:13-15.
The reason these men are called Minor Judges is because they were no great military leaders like Deborah and Gideon; they were men who helped maintain the peace in the nation of Israel. While they might not have been mighty in military exploits, they were as important to the nation of Israel as those Judges that led the nation to great military victory.
Today, as we continue our study of the Judges of Israel, we are going to consider the lives and ministries of two of the Minor Judges. Today, we will examine the lives of Tola and Jair. While the Bible has very little to say about these two men, their lives and deeds have mush to teach us.
I want us to learn the truth that you do not have to be well known to make a difference for the glory of God. I want you to see that God delights in using the unknown servant to help His people, glorify His name and build His kingdom. I want you to see that God can and will use you if you will make yourself available to Him.

Hope in a Hopeless Hour | John 14:1-3 | J. Allen Mashburn

Join Pastor Mashburn as he examines the Scripture for hope in what seems like a hopeless hour.

The Cultivation of Gideon | Judges 6:25-32 | J. Allen Mashburn

In our last study, we met a man named Gideon. He was the man God chose to deliver Israel from the bondage of their enemies.
Gideon does not appear to be a likely candidate to be the deliverer of the nation. When Gideon appears, he is hiding from the Midianites to prevent them from taking the small amount of grain he possesses.
When the Lord comes to Gideon, He tells him that he is to be the deliver of Israel. Gideon, like most people, immediately tells God why He is wrong. After losing the argument with Deity, Gideon finds himself worshiping the Lord and waiting for his orders.
As we continue to look at the story of Gideon, we will watch as the Lord prepares him for the mission that lies ahead. God brings Gideon along in a series of small, specific steps that will lead to Gideon achieving big things for the glory of God.
In this passage we will watch Gideon take his first step of faith. We will watch him take a stand against false the false religion that held his village and his family in spiritual bondage.
As we consider how God develops Gideon, we need to take a moment to consider our own lives. The Lord is in the business of developing us as well. In fact, the Lord’s intention in our lives is to transform us from lost sinners into the image of His Son, the Lord Jesus Christ.