David Henneke's Podcast

1 John 3:11 serves as the thesis statement for this next section. John’s audience already knows that they have been commanded to “love one another”. Here, John seeks to encourage others as to how that command is to be understood and practiced in our everyday lives.  Verses 12-15 explain the contrast between love, hate and murder. Verses 16-28 provides a positive example of love (the cross) and exp...

1 John 2:28-29 helps to serve as an introduction to the concerns of 1 John 3. Christianity begins by believing and trusting in Jesus….then what? Once you repent of your sin & turn to faith in Christ, then you are to continue (or abide) in Him.

John knew that he was involved in a battle for truth. If false teachers successfully infiltrate the Church then the church would become indistinguishable from the world around her. That is precisely the tragedy we see happening in many churches today.  John has already warned us about the conflict between light and darkness (1 John 1:1–2:6) and between love and hatred (1 John 2:7–17). Now He warns...

Once again belief and behavior are linked together, here John makes it clear that one cannot simultaneously love the word and love God. Again, we are encouraged to “walk like Jesus”. How did Jesus “walk”? In relentless pursuit of the will of God! Are you fully committed to pursuing the will of God for your life or are you still trying to love this world?

The person who truly follows God has the love of God in Him. The love that we show to each other demonstrates to the world that the light of Jesus continues to shine in the darkness. Love should be the unifying force and the identifying mark of the Christian community. 

Have you ever struggled in your relationship with God? Have you ever wondered if what you have is the real thing? Has doubt ever flooded your mind, leaving you frustrated and confused as to whether or not you were a genuine child of God? If so, this message is for you because in this text we will see how John launched into an explanation of HOW we can KNOW that we truly KNOW Jesus. After all, KNOW...

CORRECTION: Please understand that sometimes my words get ahead of my mind :-) At the 51:52 mark I said "Although His sin is sufficient for all of it" when what I meant to say was "Although His DEATH is sufficient for all of it". Please forgive me! Instead of pretending or hiding your sins, we need to acknowledge them before God, confess them and seek His forgiveness, and God’s...

What do we do when good things happen to us? We immediately find a way to share that news with other people. Something about good news practically demands that we share it. How much more the wonderful and marvelous truth that God sent His Son into the world to die for our sins, to absorb the punishment that we deserve so that thru Him we might enter into a right relationship with the Father?

1 Corinthians 15:1-20 The Christian faith is not based primarily on the teachings of Jesus. It is not based on the miracles of Jesus. It is not based upon the compassion of Jesus. It is not even based on the death of Jesus. The Christian faith IS based on all of those things culminating in His resurrection. The theological issue of the resurrection of Christ is no minor issue! Either JESUS is aliv...

While God loves us with a never-dying love, He also hates sin with a never-dying hatred. When someone persists in being identified with sin, even though God has provided a way to be separated from the enslavement of sin, then that person will inevitably suffer the fate of receiving the full weight of the wrath of God.  This was true of Israel then and it is true of individuals today. Take comfort…...

God often used common objects to teach important spiritual truths, and in this text, He uses a basket of summer (ripe) fruit. Just as this fruit was ripe for eating, the nation of Israel was ripe for judgment. There comes a time when God’s long-suffering runs out & His judgment comes. Can a person become so enslaved by sin that they would never seek to repent? Can a person become so hardened t...

God’s Law is His plumb line , and He measures His people to see how true they are to the pattern in His Word. How does your conduct and character measure up to HIS WORD…not against other people , not against the crowd , not against the polls …against HIS WORD?

Israel had not taken God seriously, they IGNORED the many warnings given by the prophets. Their pride in what they considered to be their own achievements, their refusal to practice righteousness and justice and their growing apostasy ALL led to their downfall. Proverbs 14:34 declares that “ Righteousness exalts a nation, But sin is a disgrace to any people. ” This is still true today. Humble depe...

Complacency is an insidious sin, motivated by pride, and leads to trusting something or someone other than God.  Any person who feels “at ease in Zion” who feels completely satisfied with what this world has to offer is like an ostrich….with its head stuck in the sand. Ignoring the Lord, while seeking peace, security, and comfort in this world instead of in God, WILL lead to a disillusioned life. ...

Instead of celebrating this amazing display of repentance Jonah is furious. In Chapter 2 we see Jonah’s response to his own deliverance. Here in Chapter 4, we see Jonah’s response to the deliverance of the Ninevites. The deep contrast between these two chapters speaks volumes about Jonah, all this his shame. As the Lord turns FROM His anger at the end of Chapter 3, Jonah turns TO His here in Chapt...

In our study of Jonah we see how time and time again, God never gave up on Jonah nor did he give up on His desire to GIVE the Ninevite’s the opportunity for repentance. When you return to God after running from Him, your past does not limit what God can do in your present. After all, God looked at Jonah in Chapter 3 just like he did in Chapter 1! 

Amos reveals that their profession and religion were both hypocritical. Therefore, the Lord would not accept their offerings or sacrifices. God did not leave them without hope, without an opportunity to correct their hypocrisy. God told them how to make their worship acceptable to Him. They had to practice & pursue justice & righteousness. True worship results in action. No matter how much...

Religion without righteousness and justice is HYPOCRISY. No matter how many people attend our worship services, if the end result does not lead to obedience to God and for a greater concern for our neighbor then our meetings are a failure. Revival begins with Repentance. True repentance begins with naming our sins and dealing with them one by one.“HEAR God’s Word!” Are you listening? “SEEK the Lor...

Jonah’s three days and three nights in the fish’s stomach pointed to the death, burial, and resurrection of the Lord Jesus Christ  It was through Jonah’s three-day experience  that he was given a new life and a new beginning. So it is with us. Through the death, burial, and resurrection of the Lord Jesus Christ, we too can receive a new life, a new beginning, a brand new start, a second chance 

Amos Chapter 4 magnifies Chapter 3, by specifying a number of areas of failure: (1) failure to care, (2) failure to worship, (3) failure to remember and (4) failure to engage with God. Israel had sinned grievously, and despite many appeals to repent, they ignored God’s warning. They are much like of us today….walking in our sin and refusing to repent.

Last week we saw how Jonah’s hatred for the Assyrians and Nineveh was so strong that he would rather run from God than to go and preach to the great city. This week we see that not only would he rather run from God, he rather die than to have to go to Nineveh. Two major truths are revealed in this text: (1) God loves us too much to let us remain disobedient without bringing His discipline and (2)...

Amos 3:1-15 The breakdown of society is simply the outward evidence of the loss of personal holiness. This chapter is full of reminders of who God’s people are and where they have come from. External forms of worship are worthless if personal and corporate holiness is lacking. God’s judgment upon Israel was utterly devastating. So it will be when Jesus Christ returns to execute perfect judgment up...

Amos 2:4-16 The nation of Israel refused to listen to the voice of the Lord’s prophet because they did not like what they heard. They did not want to be challenged or shaken out of their comfortable lifestyle. It’s no different than today. People still ignore God’s warnings: they don’t like what they hear, so they ignore what is said…what is made known to them. Do you pursue what you want more tha...

Amos 1:3-2:3 God will one day judge the whole world. This is a certainty. All injustices, wrongdoing, wickedness, and brutality will be avenged … Justice DELAYED is NOT Justice DENIED! The book of Amos opens with the roar of God’s judgment. God’s pronouncement of judgment upon these nations is a reminder and representation of His coming judgment on all people. The Roar of the Lion helps us review...

Amos 1:1-2 The book of Amos teaches us several valuable lessons. The core message of Amos is God’s judgment for sin. YES, God IS patient and slow to anger BUT His patience does have limits. Sin, rebellion, corruption, injustice, and every form of evil behavior will be judged. Every person and EVERY Nation who breaks God’s laws AND refuses to repent will be judged. The message of Amos is needed tod...