Jim Jester Sermons

by Rev. James Jester

August 4, 2024

SCRIPTURE READING: John 3:25-30

INTRODUCTION

In my last sermon, “Baptism in Context,” I briefly mentioned about the baptizing that was done by John; so, in this sermon I wanted to examine that topic a little further. From that sermon I had said:

“What immersionists seem to forget, is that John’s baptism was still under the Old Testament system, which of course, Jesus Christ had to fulfill as role of priest for His people. At this time, the law required this ‘washing’ (baptism) of Jesus.”

It is obvious that John the baptizer knew something about the ritual “washings” under the Old Covenant, for he lived during this time when the Judeans used water to purify themselves ceremonially; as we see by the words “ritual purification” in our text (v. 25).

Of course, John urged the Judeans to repent, for he knew that unclean people could not ultimately clean themselves, except only in a limited sense. He also rebuked the Pharisees (Edomite jews)

Rev. Jim Jester

July 7, 2024

SCRIPTURE READING: Ezekiel 36:22-25

INTRODUCTION

I have spoken on this topic about two years ago. But recently, someone asked me about Baptism, so this sermon is the result of that. Keep in mind that I am not trying to make enemies here, so I am not picking on my Baptist friends. I simply want to give the topic some balance, since in my lifetime I have seen lots of imbalance on the subject. And, I want you to see how different a subject can actually be when considered in the light of its full Scriptural context (not just part of the Word).

by Rev. Jim Jester

June 9, 2024

SCRIPTURE READING: Colossians 2:13-15

INTRODUCTION

For the most part we will be in the Book of Colossians. Paul’s letter to the Colossians was primarily written to deal with certain doctrinal heresies that were doing much damage at Colosse. It was a mixture of Judaism and an early form of Gnosticism, which taught that Jesus was superhuman but not truly God. Thus those who believe in Christ must also go through angels (ref. Col. 2:18) to obtain deeper levels of spirituality. This reminds me of Roman Catholicism, which believes in the veneration of Saints, and praying to them; thus making them mediators in place of Jesus Christ. Another error insisted upon ritualism and asceticism (strict rules to merit favor; ref. Col. 2:21) as the foundation of moral teaching. Thus their theological ideas and ethical code alike were at fault. Both errors flowed from a common source—the false conception that evil resides in matter (flesh) — a source of many heresies (no marriage for priests; ref. Col. 2:23).

Rev. Jim Jester

May 19, 2024

SCRIPTURE READING: Genesis 17:1-7

The first mention of God’s covenant with Abram is found in chapter 15 of Genesis. Chapter 17 continues that thought and is crucial to our understanding of the Bible.

We have just read how Abram had his name changed to Abraham, because he was elected to be “a father of many nations.” The name change signified a change in his status under God. Most seminaries teach our clergy that Abraham was only the father of the “Jews.” This makes God a liar, for the modern jews (until 1948) have never founded any nation, much less many nations. And just imagine, if you lived prior to 1948 and are reading the Bible and see the words “a father of many nations have I made thee” and you were told, as today, that the jews are the country of Israel, when there was no such country, you would respond with something like, “You’re nuts!” The people of Israel are not holed up in a particular country, but are scattered throughout the west. Israel is a people, not a geo-political state.

by Pastor Jim Jester

May 5, 2024

SCRIPTURE READING: Philippians 2:9-11

In my recent sermon on Genesis 4:1, “A Mistranslation,” I provided some history on how our Bible came into being; noting how the Scriptures became somewhat corrupted. The process of preserving the Scriptures began about 3 BC by 70 translators; thus called LXX, or the Septuagint. This was the Bible of Jesus and the Apostles. But since New Testament times the Scriptures became quite convoluted since the preservation process was taken over by the Masoretes, covering the period of 450 - 1000 AD.

by Pastor Jim Jester

March 31, 2024

SCRIPTURE READING: Isaiah 53:1-6

We'll start today with the Apostle's Creed.  The Creed outlines the basic doctrines of the Christian faith: Jesus Christ came as incarnate Deity; was tortured, crucified and died for our atonement; resurrected from the grave for our redemption and sanctification; then ascended to the Father; from whence He shall come in judgment, bringing to earth the restitution of all things. The Creed exemplifies basic Christian doctrine.

By Jim Jester

March 10, 2024

SCRIPTURE READING: Genesis 4:1-2

And Adam knew Eve his wife; and she conceived, and bare Cain, and said, I have gotten a man from the LORD.” (Gen. 4:1)

Most people reading this will conclude, Well, that's perfectly clear, Adam was the father of Cain.” But this assumption conflicts with New Testament references to Cain. We would expect this from judeo-Christianity, but this also seems to be the same response by some in Christian Identity. Unless one can grasp the true significance of Genesis 4:1, much of the balance of Scripture will remain a mystery. To show that the Hebrew of Genesis 4:1 is indeed corrupted, I will use the following two witnesses:

by Pastor Jim Jester

February 25, 2024

SCRIPTURE READING: Joshua 4:1-3

It is a new year, January and February have special significance, so I thought of Memorials. I need not mention what February is about; besides the Dresden holocaust against Germany on 13-14 February, 1945.

January is often referred to as “Generals Month” since no less than four famous Confederate Generals claimed January as their birth month: James Longstreet, Jan. 8, 1821, Robert E. Lee, Jan. 19, 1807, Thomas Jonathan “Stonewall” Jackson, Jan. 21, 1824, and George Pickett, Jan. 28, 1825. It is ironic that MLK day sits between two of these birthdays, Lee and Jackson.

Lee-Jackson Day was a state holiday in Virginia begun in 1889. Its observation was eliminated in 2020, replaced by Election Day as a state holiday. Confederate History month, begun in 1994, happens to be in April because the Confederate Memorial Day falls during this month. It has been observed by seven southern states.

Of course we realize that all Confederate memorials have been under attack and nearly all of them removed. The Robert E. Lee Monument in Richmond, Virginia, was the first installation on Monument Avenue in 1890, and would ultimately be the last monument removed from that site. The statue was taken down on September 8, 2021, then sent to storage.

by Pastor Jim Jester

February 4, 2024

SCRIPTURE READING: Colossians 1:15-18

The epistle of Paul to the Colossians was written primarily to deal with the doctrinal heresy reported by Epaphras. The strange doctrine is not described directly, but we can infer its nature from what Paul says. It was a mixture of Judaism and some early form of Gnosticism which taught that Jesus was superhuman, but not truly God. He was greater than mankind, but not great enough to be the Savior. Thus those who believe in Christ must also go through angels to get to deeper levels of spirituality.

by Pastor Jim Jester

January 14, 2024

Scripture Reading: Hebrews 12:1-2

The subject of the doctrine on Original Sin, also known as the Sin Nature and other terms (as we shall see), always brings up questions. What is it; how many are there; is it defined in Genesis? But this is not the purpose of this sermon, so I won’t be listing the sins that occurred in the Garden of Eden or sins that similarly plague us today.

The Sin Nature, or “sin” (singular), is a part of our fallen mortal nature and personality that we inherited from Adam. It is not any particular “thing,” for many things can be sinful if they hinder our fellowship with God. It is those times when we fall short of what we, or what God expects of us. It is inward sins that we feel inside, such as: impatience, anger, or jealousy; even though we do not act upon them.