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We at Colona Community Church are blessed to have Pastor Jed Kovach teaching us this winter. He began this season with a series called “Follow Me.” We are still working out some kinks, but we do have some audio and the outlines he’s put together for his first few lessons. I’ve also included the usual links to BibleGateway for verses referenced. May these bless you as they have blessed us!

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Follow Me, pt. 1

John 1:35-39 – “Follow Me”     Philip in v. 43: “Come and see.” 

Matthew 4:18-20. The calling of Peter, Andrew, James and John  

Matthew 9:9 – The calling of Matthew   

Definition of the word to “follow.” 

• Come after (a person or thing proceeding ahead); move or travel behind: “They followed in another car.”  
• Go in the same direction as or parallel to another (a route or path): “They followed the guide up the trail.” or “They followed the trail.” 
• Act according to the lead or example of (someone): He followed her lead.   
• Act according to a word, instruction, or precept: “He has difficulty in following written instructions.”    
• Attend closely to or keep abreast of: “I followed his career with interest.” 
• Watch steadily: “Roger followed the flight of the ball.” 
• Keep the mind on: “He followed the speech.” 
• Accept as authority and obey: “Jake followed his conscience.” 

How do these definitions relate to following Jesus?  

Other scriptures on “Following:” Matthew 10:37-39; John 12:24-26; Matthew 16:24-26; Luke 9:23-25; Luke 9:57-62; and Matthew 8:18–23.

Home reading: John chapters 1 and 2.  Email: jedkovach@gmail.com. Email me with ideas of what teaching topics that you might like to hear. 

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Follow Me, pt. 2

Following Jesus as your Rabbi (Teacher, Master) 

1. Spend time with Him to know Him   

John 1: 35-39 – v. 39 The two disciples were drawn to that light and spent that day with Him in order to get to know Him, Who He is.   

John 1:1-5, 9-14, 16-18 – The Lord gives us “light” to follow Him and He is that light. He is not “a” light but “the” light. That light is in Him and is Him!  

Jesus came to reveal the Father to us by the power of the Holy Spirit. Life, light, love, truth, glory – these are all in HIM and all are HIM! 

John 17:3 (See also Ephesians 1:17 and 2 Peter 1:2)  

Philippians 3:7-10 

Our greatest aim in the Christian life is to KNOW the Father and the Son through the presence and power of the Holy Spirit. Then our Christian lives will flow out of that relationship of knowing Him. Ephesians 1:17 

How do we get to know Him? 

• The Word of God 
• Prayer 
• Waiting upon the Lord 
• Sharing the Gospel 
• Following His commands by loving others 

Home reading: John chapter 3.

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Follow Me, pt. 3

Review of last Sunday’s sermon: 

• John 1:35-39 – The two disciples were drawn to Him and spent that day with Him to get to know Him, the first step in following Jesus. 
• John 1:14, 16-18 – Jesus came to make the Father known; He wants to be known and wants to know us!   
• Philippians 3:7-10 – the cry of Paul’s heart is to know Him.  
• John 17:3 –Eternal Life (“Zoe”) is God’s life, is God Himself, the essence of Who He is. Eternal Life is knowing the Father and Jesus and allowing Him to know us.

The next step is to LEARN FROM HIM – Following Jesus as your “Rabbi” (Teacher, Master) – John 1:38 

Matthew 11:28-30   Take my yoke upon you and “learn from Me.” 

John 3:1-10; 14-18 – Nicodemus. “You are Israel’s teacher.” V. 10. In John 3:1-21, the entire plan of God for man’s redemption is revealed.  

To learn: gain or acquire knowledge of or skill in (something) by study, experience, or being taught: become aware of (something) by information or from observation. Learning often teaches us who, what. when, where. why, and especially how.  

Ways to know and learn from Jesus and our Father: (a) The Word of God, (b) Prayer, (c) Waiting upon the Lord, (d) Sharing the Gospel, (e) Following His commands by loving others, and (f) Serving others. 

Home Reading: John 4 – Consider what the Samaritan woman at the well learned from Jesus versus Nicodemus in John 3.

The last of Pastor Alan’s messages before he left for the winter wrapped up our study of 1 Thessalonians, followed by a message about what it means to be a Christian. I have to apologize that some of the audio is not available and blame it on technology gremlins. I have managed to include all of Alan’s outlines, along with links to BibleGateway for verse references. Enjoy!

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Living in Light of Christ’s Return 

1 Thessalonians 4:13-5:11 

1 Thessalonians 4:13-18 

1. We need to be informed about His return, specifically as it related to those that have already died. vs 13-15 
2. Christ’s return (as mentioned here) is a calling out of the dead in Christ to be with Him.  
   • A reuniting of spirit with glorified body. 1 Corinthians 15:35-58 
   • Note: This is not a calling out of those who are not in Christ. v 16 
3. Christ’s return (as mentioned here) is not on the earth but in the clouds and in the air. 
   • This event has become known as the rapture, from the word translated “caught up.” v 17 
4. Christ’s return to bring His own with Him are the words of encouragement to speak into the face of death. v 18 

1 Thessalonians 5:1-11

The main idea here is that Christ’s return (as mentioned here) ushers in a time of false security followed by destruction in the form of God pouring out His wrath. Joel 3:12-16, Amos 5:18-20

1. We can’t put a date and time on Christ’s return in the clouds. It will come unannounced and it’s unavoidable. vs 1-3 
2. How to Be Prepared vs 4-8 
   • Become a child of God. vs 4-5 (John 1:9-13, 1 Peter 2:9) 
   • Be on the alert and sober/self-controlled by being in the Spirit. vs 6-7 (Ephesians 5:18; Matthew 25) 
   • Be well-armed for spiritual warfare. v 8 (Ephesians 6:10-17) 
3. A Believer’s True Security vs 9-11 
   • Believers are protected from God’s wrath because they are saved in Christ. v 9 
     • Luke 18:19; 1 Timothy 1:15
   • Believers are one with Christ. Those who are alive in Him live with Him. v 10 
   • Believers are to encourage and build each other up by proclaiming these truths. v 11 

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Knowing and Doing God’s Will

1 Thessalonians 5:12-22

Big Idea: Sometimes, in fact most of the time, God’s will is not some big mystery. It’s spelled out in Scripture as to what God wants us to do. It only becomes a “mystery” when we either don’t know Scripture, or we claim something is God’s will that is not found in Scripture. 

Paul is clear in his closing words as to what God’s will is.  Romans 12:1-2

God’s will is for His followers to:

1. Respect church leadership in love and to keep peace in the fellowship. (vs 12-14a) 
   • Three Qualities of respectable leaders:
     • labor among/alongside those in the Church
     • be accountable for words/actions
     • admonish (warn/kindly reprove/speak the truth in love) those in the body who are doing destructive things
2. Build up others while being patient. (v 14) 
   • Admonish the idle (Proverbs 30:15)
   • Encourage the fainthearted
   • Help the weak of faith
   • Tribulation brings patience
     • the opposite of patience is retaliation
3. Not to be vengeful but to do good. (v 15) 
   • Romans 12:14-21
4. To be characterized by consistent joy, prayer, and enduring gratitude. (vs 16-18) 
   • This is the product of abiding
   • Abiding comes through prayer and gratitude
   • Philippians 4:4-9 – the cure to anxiety
5. To be sensitive, and obedient, to the work of the Spirit. (v 19) 
   • What quenches the fire of the Spirit?
     • living in disobedience
     • always doing the opposite of what Paul just taught
6. Test what you hear. Upon testing, throw out the false and hold on to the good. (vs 20-21) 
   • Test it against Scripture so you can tell if someone is pulling the wool over your eyes.
     • The more you know the Word, the easier it is to test what you hear.
     • Reject what is false but be sure to hold on to truth. Romans 12:2
7. To abstain from what we know to be evil. If you feel a sense of conviction about something, stop doing it. We probably all have something we should quit. That’s between you and God. (v 22) 
   • Keep the struggle alive: the Christian struggles with sin; the unbeliever enjoys it.
   • “Chains of habit are too light to be felt until they are too heavy to be broken.” -Warren Buffet
8. Conclusion: When Scripture is as clear as this, we don’t need to wonder what God’s will is, we just need to do it.

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Paul’s Final Instructions

1 Thessalonians 5:23-28

1. The Process of Sanctification (vs 23-24)
   • Positional sanctification means to be set apart to God for His purpose.
     • God does this.
   • Practical sanctification means to abstain from evil (such as sexual immorality).
     • It involves recognizing one’s body as the temple of God and giving the totality of our being to God.
     • This involves God and us.
   • Perfected sanctification is the promise of God that He will be faithful to complete the work He has begun in us.  Philippians 1:6
2. Paul’s last three requests. (vs 25-27)
   • Pray for us.
     • Paul constantly talked about how he prayed for the church at Thessalonica. Now he asks the church to pray for him, Silas, and Timothy. Prayer is fundamental.
     • Pray for people on the mission front. 1 Thessalonians 2:18; 2 Thessalonians 3:1
   • Greet all believers with sincere genuine affection and inclusion.
   • Read the letter publicly. Romans 10:14-17
3. Paul’s Benediction (vs 28)
   • Paul closes as he always does. He begins with grace and ends with it. It’s the life blood of everything. Ephesians 2:8-9; Romans 5:1-4; 2 Corinthians 12:9
4. General recap of the letter:
   • The primary marks of a believer are faith, hope and love.  1:3
   • Christians can persevere under persecution. 2:14-16, 3:3-8
   • Christians are called to holiness and moral purity. 4:1-8
   • Christians are to live in daily awareness of Christ’s return and the resurrection of the dead.  4:13-18, 5:1-11
   • Christians are meant to live in common unity with one another. 5:13-15

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Central Dynamics to Being a Christian

1. Christ in you is your one indispensability.  2 Corinthians 11:3, 2 Corinthians 1:9-10
2.  Eternal life is knowing God the Father and the Son he sent.  Eternal life is not something outside of Christ.  John 17:2-3
3.  Repentance is turning from self and sin and turning to Christ.  Psalm 7:1
4. Christ’s righteousness, not our righteousness, is the only one that counts.  Ephesians 4:23-24 
5. Christ alone can take us from an abnormal state of fallenness to the normal state of God’s purpose for us.  Psalm 8:4-6, Genesis 1:27, 31, 1 Corinthians 2:14
6. Yielding of our will to God makes life an adventure in Him.  Hebrews 12:1-2
7. Christ died to reconcile us but there is “much more”; He lives to save us.  Romans 5:20

Conclusion:  The only person who ever lived life fully as God purposed was Christ.  The only life we can live, to the extent we yield as God purposes us to live is Christ’s life.

Books by Major W. Ian Thomas

The Indwelling Life of Christ – 2006

The Saving Life of Christ – 1961

The Mystery of Godliness – 1964

If I Perish, I Perish – 1968

It’s been a few weeks since I was last able to update, but Pastor Alan continued his teachings on the book of 1 Thessalonians by taking us through the last few verses of chapter 2 and then through chapter 3 and an overview of chapter 4. To listen to these messages, simply click play on the audio player for the message you’d like to hear. Alan’s outlines are included, as well as links to Bible Gateway if you’d like to read the Scriptures mentioned in the outline. I hope to get caught up soon, but in the meantime, I pray you enjoy!

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Helpers or Hinderers?

1 Thessalonians 2:17-3:5

1. Marks of Helpers:
   • Have a sense of family closeness and don’t want to be dividers. 2:17
   • Are seen by others as a joy, hope, reward, and glory. 2:19-20
   • Will sacrifice even if it means their own loneliness. 3:1
   • Will serve in the spreading of the gospel. 3:2a
   • Will strengthen and encourage others in the faith. 3:2b
   • Are a calming/settling force in the inevitable stormy trials of life. 3:3-4
   • Will help people when they are tempted to give up on their faith. 3:5
2. Marks of Hinderers. 2:18
   • Don’t want the gospel of grace spread.
   • They are locked into narrow, dogmatic stances.
   • They are used by Satan as tools of hinderance to grace.
     • Paul certainly acknowledges the reality of Satan!    
3. Conclusion:  The hymn, “There’s a Wideness in God’s Mercy,” really speaks to whether we will be helpers and hinderers.  One line of the hymn says, “But we make this love too narrow by false limits of our own, and we magnify His strictness with a zeal He will not own.”

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Qualities to Strive For

1 Thessalonians 3:6-13

1. Introduction:  Paul continues his encouragement to the church at Thessalonica.  He speaks now of the encouraging report from Timothy.  He speaks of qualities of the believers there in Thessalonica that are encouraging and then he talks about what he is praying for them.  We can strive for the same qualities the people had, and we can pray for each other for the same things Paul prayed for the believers in Thessalonica.  
2. Strive for these Qualities:
   • To be a source of good news.  The good news Paul received from Timothy was about the people’s faith and love. vs 6a
   • To be a source of good remembrance.  Part of being a good remembrance is the feeling of being wanted. vs 6b
   • To be a source of comfort when others are hurting, by a living Faith. vs 7
   • To be a source of life to others by standing firm in our own faith. vs 8
   • To be a source of thanksgiving and joy. vs 9
   • To be a source of supplying what is lacking among one another as believers. vs 10
3. Pray for these things:
   • For cleared paths and direction in the carrying out of ministry. vs 11
   • For love to overflow to both believers and non-believers. vs 12
   • To live a holy and blameless (above reproach) life in light of Christ’s coming. vs 13
4. Conclusion:  Paul has talked about what he has been to the church in Thessalonica and what they have meant to him.  It’s a beautiful picture of what to strive for among one another.

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Other Matters That Matter

1 Thessalonians 4:1-18

1. Paul’s instruction on sexual matters, work, and a proper view of death. 1st Thessalonians 4:1-18 
   • Paul instructs us to live to please God. vs 1-2
     • To please God is to live an ongoing and growing, life of faith.  Hebrews 11:6 
     • To please God is to be subject to the authority of Christ.
   • Paul instructs us to live our lives set apart to God & from pagan practices. vs 3-8
     • The practices to be set apart from are these:
       • sexual immorality
       • impurity
       • rejection of God as the Holy Spirit. 
   • Paul again instructs us to live a life of growing love towards other believers.  vs 9-10
   • Paul instructs us to live a life of contentment: minding our own business, productivity, and non-dependency.  vs. 11-12
   • Paul instructs us to live in hope even in the face of death. This hope is a sure hope based on the resurrection and return of Christ.  vs. 13-18 
2. Conclusion:  Paul has given us practical and ethical instruction on sexual purity, being productive, and how to face death.

Pastor Alan returned in June, and while we don’t have all of his messages recorded, we have his outlines for each message. So, below you’ll find his outlines and a few recordings from when he remembered to start the recorder, or it wasn’t having technical difficulties!

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The Wise Use of Opportunities

Ephesians 5:14-20

The theme of Ephesians 5 is how to be followers/imitators of God.  Paul gives several ways to do this.  One of those ways is to “redeem the time” (KJV).  So, this morning we will look at how to make wise use of opportunities which is redeeming time.

1.  The concept of redemption as it relates to one’s salvation and use of time.
2.  Two kinds of time.  The idea is Ephesians 5:15 is not time as chronological but rather specific God-given moments of opportunity. That’s why “redeem the time” in KJV is translated “making the most of every opportunity” in more modern translations.
3. Ways to “redeem the time”:
   • Wake up out of spiritual deadness and darkness (Romans 13:11-14) vs 14a
   • Live in light of the resurrection of the dead. And a time when Christ who is the only light will shine on us.  vs 14b 
   • Live carefully (circumspect) and wisely.  One way to live wisely is to know time and opportunities are passing away. vs 15.  Ecclesiastes 3:1-8, 12:1-8.
   • Make the most of life’s opportunities.  Live with God’s plan and purpose for you.  vs 16
   • Don’t waste life pursuing evil.  That which contradicts God’s will for your life is evil.  Yes, it is just that simple.  The word “evil” carries with it idea of slothful life.  vs 16b 
   • Understand God’s will for you and do it.  To not do so is foolish. vs 17. 
   • Don’t let your life be wasted by always being wasted.   Too many lives ruined by being under the influence.  vs 18a
   • Live life under the sober-minded control of the Spirit.  A Spirit led life sees certain things as sacred. vs 18b 
   • Spend time with others in praise and worship.  This is always a good place to hang out. vs. 19  
   • Live in a state of thanksgiving rather than complaining. Complaining is a waste of your time and others. vs 20 
   • Don’t waste time fighting over things, instead, submit to the Lord and one another to keep the unity of the faith.  vs 21
   • Conclusion:  Time is precious.  Don’t waste it on nothing but self-indulgence.  Discover God’s plan and will and pursue it. 

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What a Father Should Give

Matthew 7:7-9

1. An understanding of what it means to be saved.  Romans 5:9-10, 10:9, 10:13
   • I’ve been saved (from sin’s penalty)
   • I’m being saved (from sin’s power)
   • I’ll be saved (from sin’s presence)

2.  An understanding that men have responsibilities to be met.
   • Leadership (Ephesians 6:4)
   • Accountability (Romans 14:12)
   • Service to others (1 Peter 4:9) 

3. A charge to speak truth no matter how hard the consequence of doing so might be. (2 John 1:4-7)

4. To instill grit in a culture that has no idea what finishing the call means. (2 Timothy 4:7)

5. To teach the truth that God the Father gives gifts beyond what a human father could ever give, but human fathers are to give good gifts.  (Matthew 7:7-9)
   • An ode to my father:  Readings from stuff pasted in his Bible.  God’s Choir:  E.W. Brock, 1986 

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The Plan of God: Grace Living

*This recording started part-way through the message.

• The propositions of the plan:
  • God exists.  Romans 1:18-20, Psalm 14:1   
  • God reveals. 
  • God reveals Himself and God makes sense.  John 1:18, John 14:9-10
  • God has a plan and is organized. Romans 8:28
  • I owe God a hearing.

  Maxim:  God’s plan is totally opposed to manmade religion. 

God’s plan = grace.  What He does for you and in you.

Religion = what you mistakenly think you can do for God by your works and moral living.  

• Phases of God’s plan:
  • God through sending his son to die on the cross and then rise from the tomb, has made it possible for us to be compatible with God. 
    • (Cross)
  • God’s plan for you now on earth is to live in unity with Him and in living in unity to experience His joy.
    • (Blessed are the…)
    • (Resurrection and Holy Spirit)
  • God’s plan for you in eternity is to be able to fully experience His destiny for you that we can only experience in a limited way now.
    • (Christ’s coming again) 

Maxim:  The more our lives become disorganized and complicated is evidence we either don’t know God’s plan or we know it but often don’t follow it.

• Positioned in God’s plan: 
  • Our sin nature opposes God’s plan for us.  The sin nature fights against being under God and in fellowship with Him.
  • Dealing with the sin nature by confessing, trusting and abiding.

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A Biblical Perspective on Peace, Freedom, Sacrifice, and Courage

Big Perspective: With the 4th of July on Friday, we will be hearing words such as peace, freedom, sacrifice, and courage. I want to say a few words about each of these words from a biblical persepctive.

• Peace:  What is the peace scripture speaks of?  How does it go beyond what the world offers?  John 14:27, John 16:33
  • Peace is in Christ.  Luke 1:19, Acts 10:36
  • We are called to be peacemakers. Matthew 5:9
  • We are called to be ambassadors of reconciliation. 2 Corinthians 5:20
  • Peace does not imply a lack of strength. In fact, where there is fear there is no peace!

• Freedom: In Christ there is offered freedom from enslavement to sin and fear, especially the fear of death.  There is a longing in all of us to be truly free.  Do you feel trapped by something?  Do you feel oppressed by something?  Christ came to “set the captives free.”
  • Freedom to be free.  John 8:31-36
  • Freedom to live responsibly. 2 Thessalonians 3:1
  • Free to not slip back into bondage of sin. Galatians 5:1
  • Freedom is based in truth.  Lies enslave us.

• Sacrifice: Many have laid down their lives to gain and protect freedoms. Liberty is always costly. Our souls’ liberty cost Jesus voluntarily sacrificing Himself for us.
  • Christ’s sacrifice calls us to live sacrificially. John 15:9-14, Romans 12:1
  • Christ is the one-time sacrifice for sin. Hebrews 10:12

• Courage: We are not to live in fear but to act and live with courage. Courage is necessary to do the right thing not only in dangerous situations but in easy circumstances as well.
  • Courage is produced by waiting on God. Psalm 27:14; 1 Chronicles 28:20; Joshua 1:9
  • Waiting on God is relying on God’s plans and provisions. 2 Timothy 1:7

• In Conclusion:
  • Don’t live in fear and anxiety. Instead live in Christ’s peace.
  • Don’t stay in bondage to anything but be set free in Christ.
  • Don’t live a self-centered, it’s-all-about-me life. Instead sacrifice for the good of others.
  • Don’t live cowardly, never getting in the arena; take your place in courage instead.

In May, Terry took us through a series about the Day of the Lord. To listen to these messages, click on the play button of the audio player below. I don’t have notes for all of them, so I’m just including the major Scripture he is teaching from for each message. Praying they are a blessing!

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The Day of the Lord, pt. 1

1 Thessalonians 5:1-11 (The Day of the Lord)

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The Day of the Lord, pt. 2

Ezekiel 38-39 (The War of God & Magog)

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The Day of the Lord, pt. 3

Revelation 6, 8, 9, 13, 16 (The Tribulation) *Note: Terry flips back and forth in these chapters of Revelation, so I linked each chapter separately. Hope that makes it a bit easier to find what you’re looking for, if you use the online Scripture references.

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The Day of the Lord, pt. 4

Revelation 19-22 (Christ’s Return)

I apologize for not getting these messages posted sooner, but I’m trying to get caught up again. So, I will attempt to get all messages we have recorded from Easter to the end of June posted in the next day or two. To begin, Terry spoke on Easter (Alan was ill) and the following Sunday. Here are the recordings of those messages.

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Easter Sunday

Luke 24:1-9; 1 Corinthians 15:42-58

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Pruned to Bear More Fruit

John 15:1-5