Calvary Christian Fellowship of Tucson

Our First Love

Jesus is speaking to the church of Ephesus exactly like He spoke to the nations in the Old Testament. Addressing their hearts and lives, He calls them to greater fellowship with Himself the way God's word always does. He commends them for what they're doing right, corrects them concerning what they're doing wrong, and telling them exactly how to keep growing in their love for Him and each other. 1. God speaks in the New Testament book of prophecy the same way He did through the Old Testamen...

The Faith Factor

Leprosy was a death sentence physically just like sin spiritually. No one got healed from leprosy before the time of Jesus, yet it seemed to almost be a regular occurrence during His ministry. This was intentional. The lengthy investment of the Old Testament to set people up for how they'd know Jesus when He arrived are not only significant in how He healed, but why. Jesus didn't heal for healing's sake, but to ultimately make us realize that He is the source of those good things. While only ...

The Glory of Our Lord

John is given a revelation of Jesus Christ. Each and every trait is a direct reference to the Old Testament that intentionally all had God in mind. From the way He spoke to the way He looked, all were demonstrations of power and holiness that left John in a state of complete and utter terror. The only thing that brought peace to this proper reaction was a clarification of who He was and what He had done to prove it. God is bigger than us and beyond our control. Those are the key elements that...

The Second Most Important Prayer You’ll Ever Pray

Jesus is addressing His disciples about the Christian life. Now that the account of the Rich Man and Lazarus has debunked the idea of material wealth as the mark of what makes someone right with God, He fills that void with reality. Without mercy, we're toast. Without the ability to show mercy, no one will see Jesus in us. Without faith, receiving or relating the mercy of God is impossible for us. By receiving even the smallest portion of faith from its source, that trust will equip us for ev...

History and Prophecy

The Book of Revelation, just like all of the Old Testament books of prophecy before it, follows the same historical standard of why we trust and how we verify what is being said about what God said. 1. The Apostle John was a reliable and historically verified individual who we can confirm wrote Revelation. 2. The Book of Revelation was written at a very well attested time in history. 3. The Book of Revelation is about Jesus Christ.

How To Fight the Good Fight – And Win

Mercy is where we started in our relationship with God. Offering and demonstrating that mercy towards others is how it continues. In a world ruled by sin and full of people willing to go along with the system in rebellion against God, we go against the flow by treating people the way God treated us. 1. No one enters Heaven apart from receiving forgiveness from God. 2. No one wants God's forgiveness until God reveals to our hearts our need for His mercy. 3. No one follows Jesus more than livi...

I Understood Those References

The Apostle John goes on from his introduction of Revelation to cite multiple Old Testament passages and applies them directly to Jesus Christ. The first identifies Him doing something God does. The second clarifies Him as the one predicted in Zechariah and Daniel. And the third calls Him the Greek equivalent of God's title, The First and the Last. In a book titled The Revelation of Jesus Christ, he isn't leaving that task up to guesswork. 1. John refers to Jesus as coming with the clouds b...

The 411 On God’s 911

There are times we need to share with people the bad news in order to help them understand the good news. In Luke 16:24-31 Jesus describes the destination of the lost. This is a dose of strong medicine for what lies ahead for those that do not trust Christ for salvation. Second, we will see there is no do over's in this life, and third, the idea of eternal separation from God is what Hell is! If you don't want God, you can have the opposite. But lastly we are going to see the radical length...

Titles of Jesus

The Revelation of Jesus is a revealing of who He is! The titles for Jesus is this short section point us to the eternal nature of Christ and work of salvation. 1. Jesus is the eternal one 2. Jesus is the preeminent 3. Jesus is the faithful servant

One Minute After You Die

Jesus is the ultimate source on the subject of death! In Luke 16:19-31 Jesus pulls back the curtain on death, by seeing who makes it on the other side with a soft landing, Also we will see the instructions needed to prepare ourselves to our own, personal, jump to come into eternity. 1. This is not a parable, but a historical event. One was very rich, the other was very poor. 2. Death has a way of scrambling conventional worldly wisdom on what is important. 3. What makes heaven, heaven, is th...

A New World Coming

The book of Revelation was written, as the name literally means, to reveal and make clear the character of our Lord. Within 404 verses, almost 300 references are made to the Old Testament and the promises contained therein. This gives us the most practical instructions and perspective every Christian should have. We are given today to live in light of tomorrow. We don't live as if tomorrow has no consequences, but find hope in the reality that Jesus reserves the right to come for us at any ti...

A Covenant Complete

In the closing passages of Hebrews, the focus is brought towards how we view submission. Beginning with God and continuing with government and church leadership, the focus is entirely brought to the heart of Christ. Without the assumption that we're always right, we can be a blessing to those placed in those roles over us as we demonstrate the same towards God Himself. Thankfulness and Praise are where we begin. 1. The sacrifices of the New Covenant are made from the heart with thankfulness ...

Rise Above the Rat Race

The Parable of the Unjust Steward is a very confusion and controversial story for some. It's difficult to take Jesus' words plainly because it's obvious His point wasn't to encourage scamming people as a means of getting into Heaven. It is equally difficult to assume Jesus is only making an emphasis on a forward looking perspective because His audience and the punch line focus on a matter entirely separate from that take away. The only remaining option and challenge is that Jesus was being sa...

Content vs Covetous

The opposite of covetousness is contentment and likewise is its solution. We understand our contentment on the basis of what the Bible defines as our basic needs. Culture and media can make us think we need more than we have, but scripture states that we have God. The more you understand how capable He is of meeting your needs, the less you'll fall into the mindset warned against all the way back in the Ten Commandments. 1. Covetousness is a “have more” or greedy attitude that is never satis...

The Greatest Short Story Ever Told Part 2

The Parable of the Prodigal Son concludes a series of three stories all illustrating the same point. God's heart is to redeem the lost. People who consider themselves needing no redemption are not only the most in need of it, but often reveal this through the bitterness and resentment shown towards those who receive the mercy they themselves need. 1. The Audience of The Parable were people who were like the Prodigal Son's brother, which was the point of the whole story. 2. The Point of the P...

Love in Action

There are two equal and opposite mistakes people make with sex. Some dishonor it through its abuse. Others dishonor it through its neglect. Both are not God's purpose for marriage. Marriage was created as the place where our sexuality could be enjoyed on the foundation that every relationship is built on. Trust. 1. God invented and defined the purpose of our sexuality. 2. To dishonor marriage and our sexuality is something God will judge because it is a serious aspect of our lives. 3. Honori...

Abide These Three Part 3: Love

Love is the unique characteristic of God demonstrated to us in a moment of human history. The character of Jesus Christ and the act of redeeming us on the sole basis of His goodness is the model by which our relationship with God will continue to be defined by into eternity. Apart from the Holy Spirit, it will not be demonstrated in our Christian lives. Yet it is the only thing that should separate the Christian from anyone else. 1. Perfect love isn't natural for mankind. 2. Love is defined...

Abide These Three Part 2: Hope

Hope is the joyful expectation of a promise not yet fulfilled. The cynic has abandoned hope due to disappointment in what they are hoping for or a lack of reason to rejoice in the object of their hope. Without joy in God, hope in His promises will not happen. 1. The enemy of hope is cynicism. The response to cynicism is faith. 2. The hope of Christians is directly tied into the example of Jesus' own death and resurrection.

Abide These Three Part 1: Faith

Faith has been redefined from its original and intended meaning. Faith, or trust with reason, has been understood rather to mean assumption. We need to be careful not to exchange faith for cynicism because it is a foundational aspect of our relationship with God and men. 1. Faith isn't assumption. 2. Faith isn't devoid of reason. 3. The virtue of faith is based on how trustworthy its object is.

As If

Intrinsic value is an assumption in Christianity. It should not be taken for granted without understanding where that sense of value comes from. Fellow Christians share a Father and should treat each other like family. Fellow humans share a Creator and should be respected as such. And Christians who are suffering are experiencing this for the very same thing we ourselves ought to be doing. Act like Jesus to whoever and wherever you can. 1. Treat everyone in the church on the basis of their r...

The Greatest Short Story Ever Told

The parables of the Lost Sheep and Lost Coin were both spoken to the same audience in order to emphasize the same point. God is in the rescue business when it comes to His relationship with mankind. 1. The audience of Jesus' parables in this passage were the kind of people who needed saving and knew it. 2. The focus of the parables of the Lost Sheep and Coin were to emphasize God's focus concerning mankind is our salvation.

Zion or Sanai

God is not someone to be underestimated or treated lightly. The reality of some of the most pitiful things in this Creation being out of our control or against us can terrify us to our core, yet the being above and beyond the universe itself is treated like a house pet. In order to properly understand and appreciate the mercy God has shown us by coming to redeem us as a man, we first need to recognize just how serious it is to be in the presence of a Holy God. God is good, but we are bad. If ...

Are You All In?

As the end of Jesus' earthly ministry approaches, He draws another line of controversy between those who are following Him for the sake of a relationship with Him and anything less. By making a point and parable about priorities and counting the cost, Jesus claims that our love for Him should exceed that of our love for our parents, be thought of like a long term construction investment, and take into consideration the fact that we're following the example of a man about to be put on a cross ...

Sooner or Later

The Life of the Party

The reason most people don't hear from God is because they aren't listening. Jesus gives a series of parables to illustrate this in what most would consider very secular settings. These are the very ways God can and does speak to us. The only thing keeping us from recognizing and being blessed by God in everything we do is a heart and attitude that wants to hear from Him in the first place. 1. If you live from a place of acceptance with God, you won't have to seek it out from men. 2. If you...

Eyes of Grace

The author of Hebrews reviews the remaining examples in the Old and New Testaments. Some were spared the opposition that came their way while others did not. What they all had in common is what defines us as the church. The shared hope that God will see us like the Holy Spirit saw them. Through the eyes of Grace. 1. The Old Testament saints were far from perfect, but the Holy Spirit only mentions what was done right. 2. The Old Testament faith was in the same thing we are trusting in today...

Ultimate Questions, Ultimate Answers

One of the most difficult questions or challenges raised to the Christian faith is” Why do bad things happen to good people?” The problem of evil, as some would call it, is as ancient as the oldest book of the bible, Job. How can all powerful and all loving God exist alongside the existence of evil? If God is good, He would want to stop or prevent evil. If God is all powerful, He is also able to prevent evil. Yet, we experience evil today, even among the youngest and the most innocent among ...

Decisions and Consequences

Faith Over Disfunction

Isaac, Jacob, Joseph, and Moses are all examples of faith because of a forward perspective. They all understood that God's purposes for their lives were greater than their own. They acknowledged the role God would play in the lives of their families even after they were gone. And they even acknowledged God as a greater source of pleasure than the things this world offered in His place. 1. Faith acknowledges the sovereignty of God as a comfort as much as a command. 2. Faith looks forward to ...

The Hour of Decision

God does not leave eternity with a question mark for us. We have either come to a decision about Him or not. 1. Jesus had emotions 2. Jesus invested Himself in the Father 3. Jesus invested Himself in us 4. Jesus was hated for choosing the Father over the World

Laying It All Down

Through the trial of having to trust God even as far as a resurrection, Abraham experienced a deeper fellowship with the Father than any other human being ever has or could. 1. God is either your exceedingly great reward, or something less. 2. God values faith because it is the foundation of a relationship. 3. We trust Him because we personally know He's trustworthy. 4. God doesn't test our faith like a written exam to prove what we know. He tests us like metal to work out the impurities a...

Are You Talking To Me

The greatest incentive towards holy living is treating today like it could be the day the Lord returns. We neglect prophecy to our own discouragement. 1. Prophecy shouldn't be ignored 2. Prophets should be tested 3. Follow Jesus rather than your pastor

Faith of a Father

Abraham and Sarah are given as examples of people who trusted God's promises in history and weren't disappointed. 1. Faith means trust 2. Fathers invest in their children's future 3. Jesus is our hope

Fellowship of Suffering: Part 3

Culture responds to trauma through shame or glorification. Neither are productive because they both prevent us from challenging ourselves to properly process and move on from pain rather than establish it as our identity. 1. A victim that is shamed for their trauma hides it rather than copes with it 2. A victim that is celebrated for their trauma embraces it rather than moves on from it

Fellowship of Suffering: Part 2

Trauma can isolate us due to the uniqueness of our experience, or it can create intimacy based on the shared experience. God created us for community, and even has intimacy with us through His suffering. 1. Trauma isolates us 2. Trauma creates intimacy 3. Relationships through shared experience are how we process Trauma

Fellowship of Suffering: Part 1

Trauma is something we can try to forget in a way that makes us numb. Or Trauma can be something we forget because we're so blessed by what God is doing in our lives today. Joseph models the latter as the proper response. 1. Trauma isn't forgotten 2. Memories aren't forgotten 3. Trauma and Memories are replaced by greater blessings

Faith of our Fathers

The earliest names in Genesis are given as examples of Faith the same way the Holy Spirit convicts us of our need for a Savior. 1. God reveals the sin in others while He deals with the sin in us. 2. God honors those who walk with Him even if they are the minority. 3. God gives mercy to anyone who will receive it.

Are You Rapture Ready?

Following Jesus' parable addressing covetousness and encouraging a God-centered perspective of contentment towards the things we have in life, He doubles down on the point that we don't know when we will stand before God. On top of physical death, there is a promise made repeatedly in scripture that He could come for His people at a time they do not expect. The only appropriate response to this teaching isn't to challenge or contradict it, but to live in light of it. Be ready to see the Lord ...

The Three Legs of Faith

The Hebrew understanding of faith is understood in three ways. Simply defined, it is trust. This trust is based on the following reasons; Perception, Acceptance, and Response. In perceiving the character of God, I trust it. In accepting the promises of God, I trust Him. And in responding to a relationship with God, I belong to Him. Main Points: 1. Faith is trust with reason. It is only as reasonable as the object with which your trust is based on. 2. The reasons God has given us to trust Him...

How To Win Over Worry

Following through on a parable warning against a lack of thankfulness, Jesus told us not to worry. He then gave us three examples of how to practically follow through on that command. In drawing attention to Ravens, He used a bird often overlooked by man as something not overlooked or unprovided for by God. In drawing attention to the fact that worrying doesn't affect our bodies in any productive sense, He concludes it doesn't accomplish anything at all. And in drawing attention to the fact t...

The Just Shall Live By Faith

One Old Testament verse that took three New Testament Books to explain 

True Contentment

The Parable of the Rich Fool

Are You the Real Deal?

Beware of Hypocrisy; Jesus Teaches the Fear of God; Confess Christ Before Men

Once For All

When Jesus Lays Down the Law

"Jesus Criticizes the Religious Leaders"

The Tabernacle

Rescued From Religion

Woe to the Pharisees and Lawyers

A New Covenant

Hit the Lights!

The Main Point of Hebrews