Pastor Dale Critchley Sermons

After this, the Lord appointed 70 other disciples to go ahead of him to every city and place that he intended to go. They were to travel in pairs. He told them, "The harvest is large, but the workers are few. So ask the Lord who gives this harvest to send workers to harvest his crops. Go! I'm sending you out like lambs among wolves. Don't carry a wallet, a traveling bag, or sandals, and don't stop to greet anyone on the way. Whenever you go into a house, greet the family right away with the words, 'May there be peace in this house.' If a peaceful person lives there, your greeting will be accepted. But if that's not the case, your greeting will be rejected. Stay with the family that accepts you. Eat and drink whatever they offer you. After all, the worker deserves his pay. Do not move around from one house to another. Whenever you go into a city and the people welcome you, eat whatever they serve you. Heal the sick that are there, and tell the people, 'The kingdom of God is near you!' "But whenever you go into a city and people don't welcome you, leave. Announce in its streets, 'We are wiping your city's dust from our feet in protest against you! But realize that the kingdom of God is near you!' I can guarantee that judgment day will be easier for Sodom than for that city. "How horrible it will be for you, Chorazin! How horrible it will be for you, Bethsaida! If the miracles worked in your cities had been worked in Tyre and Sidon, they would have changed the way they thought and acted. Long ago they would have worn sackcloth and sat in ashes. Judgment day will be better for Tyre and Sidon than for you. And you, Capernaum, will you be lifted to heaven? No, you will go to hell! "The person who hears you hears me, and the person who rejects you rejects me. The person who rejects me rejects the one who sent me." The 70 disciples came back very happy. They said, "Lord, even demons obey us when we use the power and authority of your name!" Jesus said to them, "I watched Satan fall from heaven like lightning. I have given you the authority to trample snakes and scorpions and to destroy the enemy's power. Nothing will hurt you. However, don't be happy that evil spirits obey you. Be happy that your names are written in heaven." (Luke 10:1-20, GWV)

The time was coming closer for Jesus to be taken to heaven. So he was determined to go to Jerusalem. He sent messengers ahead of him. They went into a Samaritan village to arrange a place for him to stay. But the people didn't welcome him, because he was on his way to Jerusalem. James and John, his disciples, saw this. They asked, "Lord, do you want us to call down fire from heaven to burn them up?" But he turned and corrected them. So they went to another village. As they were walking along the road, a man said to Jesus, "I'll follow you wherever you go." Jesus told him, "Foxes have holes, and birds have nests, but the Son of Man has nowhere to sleep." He told another man, "Follow me!" But the man said, "Sir, first let me go to bury my father." But Jesus told him, "Let the dead bury their own dead. You must go everywhere and tell about the kingdom of God." Another said, "I'll follow you, sir, but first let me tell my family goodbye." Jesus said to him, "Whoever starts to plow and looks back is not fit for the kingdom of God." (Luke 9:51-62, GWV)

When the time came for Elizabeth to have her child, she gave birth to a son. Her neighbors and relatives heard that the Lord had been very kind to her, and they shared her joy. When the child was eight days old, they went to the temple to circumcise him. They were going to name him Zechariah after his father. But his mother spoke up, "Absolutely not! His name will be John." Their friends said to her, "But you don't have any relatives with that name." So they motioned to the baby's father to see what he wanted to name the child. Zechariah asked for a writing tablet and wrote, "His name is John." Everyone was amazed. Suddenly, Zechariah was able to speak, and he began to praise God. All their neighbors were filled with awe. Throughout the mountain region of Judea, people talked about everything that had happened. Everyone who heard about it seriously thought it over and asked, "What does the future hold for this child?" It was clear that the Lord was with him. His father Zechariah was filled with the Holy Spirit and prophesied, "Praise the Lord God of Israel! He has come to take care of his people and to set them free. He has raised up a mighty Savior for us in the family of his servant David. He made this promise through his holy prophets long ago. He promised to save us from our enemies and from the power of all who hate us. He has shown his mercy to our ancestors and remembered his holy promise, the oath that he swore to our ancestor Abraham. He promised to rescue us from our enemies' power so that we could serve him without fear by being holy and honorable as long as we live. "You, child, will be called a prophet of the Most High. You will go ahead of the Lord to prepare his way. You will make his people know that they can be saved through the forgiveness of their sins. A new day will dawn on us from above because our God is loving and merciful. He will give light to those who live in the dark and in death's shadow. He will guide us into the way of peace." The child John grew and became spiritually strong. He lived in the desert until the day he appeared to the people of Israel. (Luke 1:57-80, GWV)

Soon afterward, Jesus went to a city called Nain. His disciples and a large crowd went with him. As he came near the entrance to the city, he met a funeral procession. The dead man was a widow's only child. A large crowd from the city was with her. When the Lord saw her, he felt sorry for her. He said to her, "Don't cry." He went up to the open coffin, took hold of it, and the men who were carrying it stopped. He said, "Young man, I'm telling you to come back to life!" The dead man sat up and began to talk, and Jesus gave him back to his mother. Everyone was struck with fear and praised God. They said, "A great prophet has appeared among us," and "God has taken care of his people." This news about Jesus spread throughout Judea and the surrounding region. (Luke 7:11-17, GWV)

When Jesus had finished everything he wanted to say to the people, he went to Capernaum. There a Roman army officer's valuable slave was sick and near death. The officer had heard about Jesus and sent some Jewish leaders to him. They were to ask Jesus to come and save the servant's life. They came to Jesus and begged, "He deserves your help. He loves our people and built our synagogue at his own expense." Jesus went with them. He was not far from the house when the officer sent friends to tell Jesus, "Sir, don't bother. I don't deserve to have you come into my house. That's why I didn't come to you. But just give a command, and let my servant be cured. As you know, I'm in a chain of command and have soldiers at my command. I tell one of them, 'Go!' and he goes, and another, 'Come!' and he comes. I tell my servant, 'Do this!' and he does it." Jesus was amazed at the officer when he heard these words. He turned to the crowd following him and said, "I can guarantee that I haven't found faith as great as this in Israel." When the men who had been sent returned to the house, they found the servant healthy again. (Luke 7:1-10, GWV)

Does not wisdom call out? Does not understanding raise its voice? Wisdom takes its stand on high ground, by the wayside where the roads meet, near the gates to the city. At the entrance wisdom sings its song, "I am calling to all of you, and my appeal is to all people. "The LORD already possessed me long ago, when his way began, before any of his works. I was appointed from everlasting from the first, before the earth began. I was born before there were oceans, before there were springs filled with water. I was born before the mountains were settled in their places and before the hills, when he had not yet made land or fields or the first dust of the world. "When he set up the heavens, I was there. When he traced the horizon on the surface of the ocean, when he established the skies above, when he determined the currents in the ocean, when he set a limit for the sea so the waters would not overstep his command, when he traced the foundations of the earth, I was beside him as a master craftsman. I made him happy day after day, I rejoiced in front of him all the time, found joy in his inhabited world, and delighted in the human race. (Proverbs 8:1-4, 22-31, GWV)

Jesus answered him, "Those who love me will do what I say. My Father will love them, and we will go to them and make our home with them. A person who doesn't love me doesn't do what I say. I don't make up what you hear me say. What I say comes from the Father who sent me. "I have told you this while I'm still with you. However, the helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you everything. He will remind you of everything that I have ever told you. "I'm leaving you peace. I'm giving you my peace. I don't give you the kind of peace that the world gives. So don't be troubled or cowardly. You heard me tell you, 'I'm going away, but I'm coming back to you.' If you loved me, you would be glad that I'm going to the Father, because the Father is greater than I am. "I'm telling you this now before it happens. When it does happen, you will believe. (John 14:23-29, GWV)

Then they returned to Jerusalem from the mountain called the Mount of Olives. It is near Jerusalem, about half a mile away. When they came into the city, Peter, John, James, Andrew, Philip, Thomas, Bartholomew, Matthew, James (son of Alphaeus), Simon the Zealot, and Judas (son of James) went to the second-story room where they were staying. The apostles had a single purpose as they devoted themselves to prayer. They were joined by some women, including Mary (the mother of Jesus), and they were joined by his brothers. At a time when about 120 disciples had gathered together, Peter got up and spoke to them. He said, "Brothers, what the Holy Spirit predicted through David in Scripture about Judas had to come true. Judas led the men to arrest Jesus. He had been one of us and had been given an active role in this ministry. With the money he received from the wrong he had done, he bought a piece of land where he fell headfirst to his death. His body split open, and all his internal organs came out. Everyone living in Jerusalem knows about this. They even call that piece of land Akeldama, which means 'Field of Blood' in their dialect. You've read in Psalms, 'Let his home be deserted, and let no one live there,' and 'Let someone else take his position.'" "Therefore, someone must be added to our number to serve with us as a witness that Jesus came back to life. He must be one of the men who accompanied Jesus with us the entire time that the Lord Jesus was among us. This person must have been with us from the time that John was baptizing people to the day that Jesus was taken from us." The disciples determined that two men were qualified. These men were Joseph (who was called Barsabbas and was also known as Justus) and Matthias. Then they prayed, "Lord, you know everyone's thoughts. Show us which of these two you have chosen. Show us who is to take the place of Judas as an apostle, since Judas abandoned his position to go to the place where he belongs." They drew names to choose an apostle. Matthias was chosen and joined the eleven apostles. (Acts 1:12-26, GWV)

During the night Paul had a vision of a man from Macedonia. The man urged Paul, "Come to Macedonia to help us." As soon as Paul had seen the vision, we immediately looked for a way to go to Macedonia. We concluded that God had called us to tell the people of Macedonia about the Good News. So we took a ship from Troas and sailed straight to the island of Samothrace. The next day we sailed to the city of Neapolis, and from there we went to the city of Philippi. Philippi is a leading city in that part of Macedonia, and it is a Roman colony. We were in this city for a number of days. On the day of worship we went out of the city to a place along the river where we thought Jewish people gathered for prayer. We sat down and began talking to the women who had gathered there. A woman named Lydia was present. She was a convert to Judaism from the city of Thyatira and sold purple dye for a living. She was listening because the Lord made her willing to pay attention to what Paul said. When Lydia and her family were baptized, she invited us to stay at her home. She said, "If you're convinced that I believe in the Lord, then stay at my home." She insisted. So we did. (Acts 16:9-15, GWV)

The apostles and the believers throughout Judea heard that people who were not Jewish had accepted God's word. However, when Peter went to Jerusalem, the believers who insisted on circumcision began to argue with him. They said, "You went to visit men who were uncircumcised, and you even ate with them." Then Peter began to explain to them point by point what had happened. He said, "I was praying in the city of Joppa when I fell into a trance. I saw something like a large linen sheet being lowered by its four corners from the sky. The sheet came near me. I looked into the sheet very closely and saw tame animals, wild animals, reptiles, and birds. I also heard a voice telling me, 'Get up, Peter! Kill these animals, and eat them.' "But I answered, 'I can't do that, Lord! I've never put anything impure or unclean into my mouth.' "A voice spoke from heaven a second time, 'Don't say that the things which God has made clean are impure.' This happened three times. Then everything was pulled back into the sky again. "At that moment three men arrived at the house where we were staying. They had been sent from Caesarea to find me. The Spirit told me to go with them without any hesitation. Six believers from Joppa went with me, and we visited Cornelius' home. "He told us that he had seen an angel standing in his home. The angel told him, 'Send messengers to Joppa, and summon a man whose name is Simon Peter. He will give you a message that will save you and everyone in your home.' "When I began to speak, the Holy Spirit came to these people. This was the same thing that happened to us in the beginning. I remembered that the Lord had said, 'John baptized with water, but you will be baptized by the Holy Spirit.' When they believed, God gave them the same gift that he gave us when we believed in the Lord Jesus Christ. So who was I to interfere with God?" When the others heard this, they had no further objections. They praised God by saying, "Then God has also led people who are not Jewish to turn to him so that they can change the way they think and act and have eternal life." (Acts 11:1-18, GWV)

From Miletus Paul sent messengers to the city of Ephesus and called the spiritual leaders of the church to meet with him in Miletus. When they were with him, he said to them, "You know how I spent all my time with you from the first day I arrived in the province of Asia. I humbly served the Lord, often with tears in my eyes. I served the Lord during the difficult times I went through when the Jews plotted against me. I didn't avoid telling you anything that would help you, and I didn't avoid teaching you publicly and from house to house. I warned Jews and Greeks to change the way they think and act and to believe in our Lord Jesus. "I am determined to go to Jerusalem now. I don't know what will happen to me there. However, the Holy Spirit warns me in every city that imprisonment and suffering are waiting for me. But I don't place any value on my own life. I want to finish the race I'm running. I want to carry out the mission I received from the Lord Jesus--the mission of testifying to the Good News of God's kindness. "Now I know that none of you whom I told about the kingdom of Godwill see me again. Therefore, I declare to you today that I am not responsible for the spiritual death of any of you. I didn't avoid telling you the whole plan of God. Pay attention to yourselves and to the entire flock in which the Holy Spirit has placed you as bishops to be shepherds for God's church which he acquired with his own blood. I know that fierce wolves will come to you after I leave, and they won't spare the flock. Some of your own men will come forward and say things that distort the truth. They will do this to lure disciples into following them. So be alert! Remember that I instructed each of you for three years, day and night, at times with tears in my eyes. "I am now entrusting you to God and to his message that tells how kind he is. That message can help you grow and can give you the inheritance that is shared by all of God's holy people. "I never wanted anyone's silver, gold, or clothes. You know that I worked to support myself and those who were with me. I have given you an example that by working hard like this we should help the weak. We should remember the words that the Lord Jesus said, 'Giving gifts is more satisfying than receiving them.'" (Acts 20:17-35, GWV)

Why does God waste time on us? (Acting on Easter)

I will create a new heaven and a new earth. Past things will not be remembered. They will not come to mind. Be glad, and rejoice forever in what I'm going to create, because I'm going to create Jerusalem to be a delight and its people to be a joy. I will rejoice about Jerusalem and be glad about my people. Screaming and crying will no longer be heard in the city. There will no longer be an infant who lives for only a few days or an old man who doesn't live a long life. Whoever lives to be a hundred years old will be thought of as young. Whoever dies before he is a hundred years old will be cursed as a sinner. They will build houses and live there. They will plant vineyards and eat fruit from them. They will not build homes and have others live there. They will not plant and have others eat from it. My people will live as long as trees, and my chosen ones will enjoy what they've done. They will never again work for nothing. They will never again give birth to children who die young, because they will be offspring blessed by the LORD. The LORD will bless their descendants as well. Before they call, I will answer. While they're still speaking, I will hear. Wolves and lambs will feed together, lions will eat straw like oxen, and dust will be food for snakes. "They will not hurt or destroy anyone anywhere on my holy mountain," says the LORD. (Isaiah 65:17-25, GWV)

I'm telling you a mystery. Not all of us will die, but we will all be changed. It will happen in an instant, in a split second at the sound of the last trumpet. Indeed, that trumpet will sound, and then the dead will come back to life. They will be changed so that they can live forever. This body that decays must be changed into a body that cannot decay. This mortal body must be changed into a body that will live forever. When this body that decays is changed into a body that cannot decay, and this mortal body is changed into a body that will live forever, then the teaching of Scripture will come true: "Death is turned into victory! Death, where is your victory? Death, where is your sting?" Sin gives death its sting, and God's standards give sin its power. Thank God that he gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ. (1 Corinthians 15:51-57, GWV)

Then Jesus appeared. He came from Galilee to the Jordan River to be baptized by John. But John tried to stop him and said, "I need to be baptized by you. Why are you coming to me?" Jesus answered him, "This is the way it has to be now. This is the proper way to do everything that God requires of us." Then John gave in to him. After Jesus was baptized, he immediately came up from the water. Suddenly, the heavens were opened, and he saw the Spirit of God coming down as a dove to him. Then a voice from heaven said, "This is my Son, whom I love--my Son with whom I am pleased." (Matthew 3:13-17, GWV)