Sermon Notes: "Who is Like Our God?"

Trinity Sunday | “Who is Like Our God?”

Rev. Benjamin Garris, Associate Pastor   

June 7th, 2020

Trinity Sunday

1)      How would you describe the Trinity? If a non-Christian asked you to explain it would you be able to describe the Trinity accurately?

2)      Deut. 6:4, “Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one.”

Exodus 20:3 NLT, “You must not have any other god but me.”

“It (or There) is not to be to you (singular) other gods in my Presence."

3)      Modalism espouses that God is not 3 distinct persons but rather God shows himself in 3 distinct forms as perceived by the believer.

4)      Arianism comes from a Christian priest born in 250 AD by the name of Arius who believed that because there was a point in time when Jesus was born, both the Son and the Spirit were creations of the Father and not one with the Father himself.

5)      John 8:58, “before Abraham was born, I am!”

God said to Moses in Exodus 3, “I am who I am. This is what you are to say to the Israelites: ‘I am has sent me to you…this is my name forever.’”

6)      Revelation 19:10, “Then I fell down at his feet to worship him, but he said, “No, don’t worship me. I am a servant of God, just like you and your brothers and sisters who testify about their faith in Jesus. Worship only God. For the essence of prophecy is to give a clear witness for Jesus.”

7)      In Philippians 2:6, “being in very nature, God, [or literally in the form of God subsisting, existing, or to be] he did not consider equality with God as something to be exploited…”

8)      “begotten of the Father from all eternity, God from God, Light from Light, Very God from Very God, begotten not made being of one substance with the Father by whom all things were made.”

9)      Genesis 1:1-2 we read, “In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. Now the earth was formless and empty, darkness was over the surface of the deep, and the Spirit of God was hovering over the waters.”

10)  Monday Morning: How does a right understanding of the Trinity influence your life?

“Good is Happening” Sermon

“Good is Happening”

sermon by 

Rev. Benjamin Garris,

Associate Pastor

Patuxent Presbyterian Church

 March 29, 2020

1.      Main Scripture: Psalm 91

2.      Supporting Scriptures:

a.      Job 30:26, “But when I hoped for good, evil came, and when I waited for light, darkness came.”

b.      Matthew 4:6, ““If you are the Son of God,” he said, “throw yourself down. For it is written: “‘He will command his angels concerning you, and they will lift you up in their hands, so that you will not strike your foot against a stone.’”

c.      1 John 5:19, “The whole world lies in the power of the evil one.”

3.      Do you find yourself doubting God?

4.      “How may we journey into these promises and see them fulfilled in our experience?

a.      Jesus said, ‘indeed, the very hairs of your head are all numbered. Don’t be afraid; you are worth more than many sparrows.’ Luke 12:7.

b.      ‘the God whom we serve is able to save us… But even if he doesn’t, we want to make it clear to you… that we will never serve your gods.’ Daniel 3:18.

c.      Luke 9:24, “For whoever wants to save their life will lose it, but whoever loses their life for me will save it. What good is it for someone to gain the whole world, and yet lose or forfeit their very self?”

5.      Good is Happening

a.      What good do you see around you? What good are you doing?

Prayer written by Chaplain Scott USCG:

When we aren't sure, God, help us be calm; 

when information comes from all sides, 

correct or not, help us to discern; 

when fear makes it hard to breathe, 

and worry seems to be the order of the day, 

slow us down God,

to trust You when disease afflicts;

help us to reach out with our hearts,

when we can't touch with our hands;

help us find sincere connections,

when we have to be socially distant;

help us to love as perfectly as we can,

knowing that "perfect love casts out all fear."

"The Third Race" Sermon Notes

“The Third Race”

Sermon by Rev. Ben Garris

1.      How do you define peace? What does peace mean or look like to you?

2.     Peace is more than just the absence of conflict and the waving of a white flag; it is the greater presence of wholeness and completeness in its place. Peace, Eirene, Shalom.

3.     “The best of the serpents crush . . . the best of the Gentiles kill.”

“No foreigner may enter within the barricade which surrounds the sanctuary and enclosure. Anyone who is caught doing so will have himself to blame for his ensuing death.”
Have you ever felt that strongly about another person, race, group, or nation?

4.     HE HIMSELF IS OUR PEACE [SHALOM]! [Ephesians 2:14]

John 10:16, “I have other sheep that are not of this sheep pen. I must bring them also. They too will listen to my voice, and there shall be one flock and one shepherd.”

5.     Eph. 2:15 | Historically, people were understood to be one of two races: Jew or Gentile. Here, Paul says that the very purpose of Jesus is to create a whole new race altogether, a third race!

6.     Any version of peace that does not begin with the shalom of Jesus is no peace at all.

7.     How is your shalom? How is your peace? How is your well-being?

Romans 5:1, “Therefore, since we have been justified through faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ.” 

A Note from Pastor Ben about Healing

“And great crowds came to him, bringing with them the lame, the blind, 

the crippled, the mute, and many others, and they put them at his feet, 

and he healed them …” 

~ Matthew 15:30

As I sit here with a sinus cold thinking about what to write for the newsletter, it occurs to me, “Why not write about sickness?” A headache, sore throat, stuffy nose, relentless coughing; all are symptoms that each of us have felt before. What do we do when we are sick? Who do we turn to? Depending on the severity of the sickness we may consider going to urgent care or even to the  hospital if we’re feeling horrible. Maybe you’re like me and you turn to modern medicine in the form of Dayquil, while drinking Pedialyte or hot tea. How do you respond to sickness?

Scripture is filled with many examples of people who are sick, afflicted, and diseased. In scripture we have heard about folks who cried out to God for    healing; we have heard how masses of people approached Jesus to be healed. And what did Jesus do? He healed them. Sometimes we can be so fixated on our spiritual sickness [sin] and the healing we find in Jesus [forgiveness/justification] that we forget that Jesus healed physical ailments, too.

When you are sick do you turn to God in prayer? Do you remember that He cares for you and that His caring for you includes your body and physical well-being too? Let us be quick to trust in our Great Physician, to turn to Him for healing, and to believe that He is happy to give us healing.

Pastor Ben