Truth Over Traditions

Christ’s admonition to Nicodemus in John 3 – “You must be born again” – is traditionally assumed to be a salvation text. But was Jesus telling this ruler of Israel how to be regenerated or how to prepare for kingdom inheritance? Pastor Hollandsworth defines the terms “born again” and “eternal life” and describes what Nicodemus would have been thinking as a first century Israelite.

Watching Jesus cast the money changers out of the temple must have been an astonishing sight, and it surely infuriated the religious leaders. Pastor Hollandsworth explains why Jesus takes this bold action immediately following His miracle of turning water to wine, describes the right response to anger, and makes application to disciples in the twenty-first century.

Why would Jesus turn water to wine, and what kind of wine did He make? Besides affirming His deity, what message did this unusual phenomenon send to Israel? Pastor Hollandsworth elaborates on the deeper meaning of this sign miracle with respect to Israel’s future restoration and kingdom inheritance, making connections to Noah, Melchizedek, the OT prophets, and the Last Supper.

John the Baptist directed his disciples to become followers of Jesus, thereby bringing John’s ministry to a close. Pastor Hollandsworth discusses the priority of discipleship in the Great Commission and also explains why Jesus promised Nathanael kingdom inheritance.

John the Baptist proclaimed, “Behold! The Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world!” Pastor Hollandsworth details what the Jews of Jesus’ day were thinking when they heard this metaphor, and he explains why John is the quintessential example of confessing Christ and how we can learn from His humble testimony.

The Holy Spirit led Jesus into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil. What was the purpose of this? Pastor Hollandsworth shares six truths demonstrated by Christ’s temptation, explains the nature of each temptation, and emphasizes the believer’s escape from temptation by following Christ’s example.

Why did Jesus submit to John’s baptism of repentance for the remission of sins, seeing that Jesus was the Son of God and never sinned? Pastor Hollandsworth gives two answers to this question, which have application to the Christian life, and he also explains the three aspects of Holy Spirit power in our lives. 

John the Baptist introduced the ministry of Jesus with a call for the nation to repent. Most evangelicals assume this is one of the requirements for salvation. However, Pastor Hollandsworth demonstrates clearly from the text that repentance is NOT a requirement for salvation, for John was preaching to believers, not unbelievers. 

In this final message in the Hebrews Series, Pastor Hollandsworth shares seven more behaviors from the text that God expects of His children who are living well-pleasing to Him. Topics include: living by grace, not legalism; bearing the reproach of Christ; seeking the heavenly Jerusalem; and what it means to submit to spiritual leaders. 

In the final chapter of Hebrews, the writer gives a list of behaviors that God expects of His children who are living well-pleasing to Him. Pastor Hollandsworth focuses on six of the behaviors in this first of two messages, and he also reviews the five warnings to believers found in the book of Hebrews. 

Will you be included in the Church of the Firstborn in the heavenlies in the Millennium? Inclusion is not guaranteed for all children of God, but only granted to those believers whom Jesus rewards for living “good and faithful.” Pastor Hollandsworth describes the qualifications for inheriting a place in this glorious assembly in New Jerusalem. 

God’s chastening is not mere punishment, but the entire process of child-rearing. Pastor Hollandsworth points out that God does not chasten all of His children, but only who cooperate with Him in the sanctification process. His purpose is to bring us to maturity by applying customized trials and sufferings, so we can become “sons to glory” in the coming kingdom. 

The Christian life is like a race – a long, grueling marathon. God wants us to lay aside the weights and sins that trip us up or cause us to stumble. We are to run the race with endurance, looking to Jesus. Pastor Hollandsworth discusses the things that cause defeat and the way to find ultimate victory. 

The Old Testament heroes of faith endured all sorts of persecution in order to “obtain a better resurrection.” Pastor Hollandsworth explains the meaning of this and makes spiritual applications to church age believers, emphasizing the importance of living by faith and sharing in the sufferings of Christ, which results in reward and inheritance. 

God “let none of Samuel’s words fall to the ground.” Nothing he said was trite or trivial. His words were weighty and impactful. Pastor Hollandsworth shares eight things Samuel said that have direct application to the Christian life, and he emphasizes the importance of believers having faith-filled speech. 

King David was a man after God’s heart, who fulfilled all His will. He is in the faith hall of fame because he obeyed God, by faith. Pastor Hollandsworth focuses on one key aspect of David’s life—how he pleased the Lord by responding in faith to others. Numerous applications are made to the Christian life. 

Gideon was a humble man who did not view himself as a fighter. Nevertheless, he believed God and was enabled to win a miraculous victory over the enemy with only 300 soldiers. Pastor Hollandsworth emphasizes the growth of Gideon’s faith that led to obedience and great courage from the Lord to do His will. “Little is much when God is in it” is the theme of this message. 

God gave Joshua unconventional battle plans for conquering Jericho, but he obeyed, by faith, and won the victory! Rahab hid the spies by faith, fully believing Jehovah to be the God of gods. In the end, she was rewarded with a glorious place in the lineage of Messiah. Using these OT illustrations, Pastor Hollandsworth outlines how NT believers can become victorious over Satanic strongholds. 

Being raised in Egypt in the house of Pharaoh, Moses had everything the world could offer. Yet he rejected it all to identify with Jehovah and His people. Pastor Hollandsworth points out the obvious applications to NT Christians. We must make deliberate decisions to separate from the world and live by faith!