Draw Me Close: Podcast - A Ministry of Whitestone Christian Fellowship, with Pastor Bob Lawrenz

Matthew sounds the note from the very beginning. God has visited this planet in order to redeem people from their sins. It all began with the extraordinary birth through a virgin, Mary, which had been foretold centuries earlier. Everything about this incarnation was to be supernatural, or it would not work. And so from the outset we are confronted with the divine nature of Jesus the Messiah, and w...

Matthew begins by showing that Jesus is both a son of Abraham—a true Hebrew—and the legal and legitimate heir to the throne of Israel's great King David. That mattered because all faithful Jewish people would have been aware of God's promise to David that his descendants would sit on Israel's throne forever (2 Samuel 7:12–13). Matthew's genealogy does not include every "link&q...

The book of I Peter is filled with admonitions for Christians of all times and all places on how to live READY for the coming of the Lord. The Apostle Peter under divine inspiration did not see a difference between normal Christian living and last days Christian living. He believed that all Christians at all times should live READY for the coming of the Lord. The Book of I Peter is literally fille...

The sacrifice of Jesus on the cross wasn't improvised. God didn't make it up in response to the unfolding events of history. Peter writes that Christ was known before the world was founded. As God, Jesus existed in eternity past as the one whose blood would cover the sins of all who receive salvation. Jesus' birth, life, death, resurrection, and return to the Father were always God&#39...

Our study is in 1 Peter chapter 3 this week.  Peter is dealing with submission.  Most of us have a difficult time with that word, especially in marriages.   But to be in submission is to cooperate with another out of love. It’s to honor God  in our relationships and to learn to respect one another.  Paul wrote in  Ephesians 5:21  we are to “Submit to one another out of reverence for Christ.” Our g...

To the One who sits on the throne of our hearts we commit ourselves, and we continue to do what is right even if we suffer because of our faith in Him. Credit to Ashamaluev Music - Song: Flowering

Where Adam sinned, Jesus did not. The first temptation plunged the human race into sin, but the second is clearly part of God’s plan of redemption for mankind. It is here that Satan realized that he could not ruin Jesus as he had the parents of the human race, and therefore that he could not stop God’s plan of redemption. We learn from Jesus' response to the temptations exactly how we are to r...

Matthew records that our Lord’s public ministry is about to begin as John the Baptist, had been arrested. Jesus makes his way to the territory of Zebulun and Naphtali, west of the Sea of Galilee. It’s not where you would expect Jesus to start His ministry, and many speculate that this area was safe in light of John’s arrest and turmoil in Jerusalem. The significance however is more straightforward...

Follow Me, and I will make you fishers of men. When Jesus invites us to follow Him, what He has in mind is that we become His disciples. It means you leave behind the life you might have had planned, that was centered around you. When you follow Jesus, your life is about HIM; it is centered around Him. Now the question of your life is no longer not what you want to do; it’s what HE tells you to do...

We begin The Sermon on the Mount taught by Jesus in Matthew chapter 5. The first part of this sermon is commonly called the 'Beatitudes' which are the eight declarations of 'blessedness' spoken by our Lord. These wonderful verses describe the ideal disciple and his/her rewards, both present and future. The person whom Jesus is describing in this passage has a different quality of c...

Starting in verse 13, we begin to understand the influence that every believer has in the lives of others. Every Christian is called by God to be an influence on the world around them. As salt, we are like a preserving force slowing down the advancement of moral and spiritual decay. We are to preserve truth and goodness in a fallen world, and as a “flavor enhancer” our lives make God’s work stand...

As we finish chapter 5 in the Gospel of Matthew, Jesus continues to expound on certain examples of the Law and uses them to illustrate and explain exactly how we are to relate to the Old Testament law. Here Jesus made a fundamental change without altering God’s standards: He dealt with the attitudes and intents of the heart, not simply with external action. The Pharisees said that righteousness co...

Most believers want to serve God, but many of them do so for the wrong reasons. As we begin chapter 6 of Matthew’s Gospel, Jesus addresses these particular issues directly. He warns his disciples about the pitfalls of the flesh. There is a way that seems right (to us), but it is the wrong way. We must be on guard against the temptation to show off our spiritual abilities or accomplishments, or des...

Worry is a by-product of putting your faith in the wrong thing, or the wrong person. It is a big deal because there is nothing in this corrupt world that can provide you with a sure foundation upon where you can stand. In an instant, we can lose everything we own. We can lose our health. We can lose our friends, or our loved ones. We can lose our freedom, or our ability of self-sufficiency. In fac...

As Jesus continues teaching the disciples in what is known as the Sermon on the Mount, He is still dealing with the heart and attitude of a believer. If our righteousness is to exceed that of the Scribes and the Pharisees, we must stop acting like them. A prideful heart, with an outward appearance of righteousness, yet living by a double standard is the exact definition of being a hypocrite. As a...

Today’s message contrasts Jesus’ instruction in verse 1 not to judge others, with a warning against false prophets and the call to discernment. Jesus gives a severe warning in regards to false prophets, or literally “lying prophets”. We can find lying prophets throughout the Bible who have always plagued God’s people. They come into churches masquerading as bearers of God’s truth, yet serve up dec...

At the closing of chapter 7 in the teaching of the Sermon on the Mount, the scriptures end with people being astonished at Jesus' doctrines because "He taught them as one having authority, and not as the scribes." Today as we begin chapter 8, we see this same emphasis on Jesus' authority illustrated in both word and deed. God never asks us to believe without proving to us that Hi...

As we finish up chapter 8 of Matthew's gospel, we continue to see Jesus' power over all things. Throughout this chapter, snapshot after snapshot we see Jesus meeting people who are going through various storms in their lives. They are desperate. They are weary. They can find no peace or comfort or help - until they hear of this man who is like no other, and they seek Him out. “And ye shall...

In chapter 9, Matthew pens snapshot after snapshot of stories of broken people and their troubled lives. They are desperate. They are hurting. They are sick and weary. They have no hope until they hear of this miracle worker whose name is Jesus. No one speaks like He speaks. No one acts as He does. No one can do the things He can do. News gets around. This Jesus of Nazareth is full of compassion a...

The focal point where the old and new covenants meet is found in Jesus Christ. The old covenant, as a guardian, prepares the way for Him and prepares His people for Him. Jesus is the mediator of the New Covenant, and His death on the cross fulfills the promise that God will forgive sin and restore fellowship with those whose hearts are turned toward Him. Jesus went about all the cities and village...

We are continuing our series in the Gospel of Matthew and we are right smack dab in the middle of the section where Jesus is giving very specific instructions to His disciples. Jesus has called these twelve ordinary men together for the specific purpose of anointing them, and empowering them to preach the Gospel of salvation, the Kingdom of Heaven and to continue His work here on earth. Jesus is e...

If there is a message that desperately needs to be heard by the church today, it is Jesus’ words regarding persecution. In this morning’s text, Jesus prepares His disciples for the certainty of persecution on their current mission to the nation of Israel. In so doing, He also expands His teaching to include the mission to the Gentiles which encompasses the entire history of the church down to the...

In John 1:29, John the Baptist declared of Jesus, “Behold, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world.” John the Baptist also said of Jesus, “The strap of whose sandal I am not worthy to untie” (John 1:27), and, “I need to be baptized by you, and do you come to me?” (Matthew 3:14). It is clear that John the Baptist recognized Jesus to be the Messiah and had faith in Him. However, later,...

Today’s passage focuses on the people’s estimate of John and Jesus, and Jesus’ estimate of this generation. Jesus had been preaching to and teaching the multitudes expecting them to apprehend who He was and to believe on Him. How incredible that these people who had every benefit and every opportunity to witness the fulfillment of prophecy before their eyes, would be so dull of heart to not respon...

Jesus is the Lord of the Sabbath. The Sabbath law was never intended to restrict deeds of necessity. Secondly, it was never meant to restrict service to God. And thirdly, it was never meant to restrict acts of mercy. The Sabbath was to bring rest, not hardship. The Sabbath was to reflect what the other nine commandments reflected: Love toward God and love toward your fellow man. And that’s what th...