Hoonah Presbyterian Church

06/03/2026

Please joins us for any or all of it! Looking forward to seeing you!

05/31/2026

Come one, come all for fellowship and a devotional!

05/03/2026

Come and Worship with us, Sunday School at 10:00am and Regular Service at 11:00am today. See you soon!

03/17/2026

01/27/2026

Please joins us Friday after school!

08/09/2025

8-24-25
Hoonah-Hadley
Hebrews 12:18-29
Call to Worship Psalm 103:1-8
Daily Verse Hebrews 12:28

We Are Receiving a Kingdom Which Cannot Be Shaken

“Therefore, since we are receiving a kingdom which cannot be shaken, let us have grace, by which we may serve God acceptably with reverence and godly fear.” We want to remind you this morning that “the word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart.” (Heb. 4:12) Yes, there is a context in which this epistle was written, as is the rest of the bible, it was addressed to a certain people, in a certain place, at a certain time, but it is as applicable to us, today, right here as ever before. Isaiah 40:8 “The grass withers, the flower fades, but the word of our God stands forever.” Matt. 24:35 “Heaven and earth will pass away, but My words will by no means pass away.” God’s word is for us, it is ever before us, but even more so, it will accomplish what He, God, intents for it to accomplish. Isaiah 55:10-11 “For as the rain comes down, and the snow from heaven, and do not return there, but water the earth, and make it bring forth and bud, that it may give seed to the sower and bread to the eater, so shall My word be that goes forth from My mouth; it shall not return to Me void, but it shall accomplish what I please… it shall prosper in the thing for which I sent it.” Notice the language in all these verses, “we are…the word is…the word of God stands…will by no means pass away…it shall not…but it shall accomplish…it shall prosper…”, present tense. We Are Receiving a Kingdom Which Cannot Be Shaken. We are, today, in the presence of a Kingdom which cannot be shaken, period.
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Hebrews 12:18-24 speaks of a glorious company. It compares the “old” with the “new”, what was, and what is, what we have and what we have not. “For you have not come to the mountain that may be touched and that burned with fire, and to blackness and darkness and tempest…But you have come to Mount Zion and to the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem, to an innumerable company of angels…to God the Judge of all, to the spirits of just men made perfect, to Jesus the Mediator of the new covenant, and to the blood of sprinkling that speaks of better things than that of Abel.” This is Mount Sinai and Mount Zion. Fear was the dominant theme of Mount Zion, touchable, earthly and temporary upon which the “law” was given. On the other hand, joy and confidence characterizes the heavenly, eternal mount, Mount Zion, because the Savior is there with the blood of forgiveness. Can we take a praise break? Out with the old, in with the new, it’s what we have, “better things”, “an innumerable company of angels”, “to Jesus”, hello? Anybody? Somebody? Can we get a “hallelujah”? The penman of Hebrews brings us full circle comparing the “old” with the “new”. The epistle begins in chapter 1:1-4 with this, “God, who at various times and in various ways spoke in times past to the fathers by the prophets, has in these last days spoken to us by His Son, whom He has appointed heir of all things…upholding all things by the word of His power…having become so much better…He has by inheritance obtained a more excellent name…” Praise God we can clothe ourselves with Jesus Christ, set the old filthy rags out at the curb on garbage night and in our solemn rest at 3:30 in the morning when we hear the brakes form the garbage truck stop out front, we know our Savior has come to take away our sins. 2:3 “How shall we escape if we neglect so great a salvation?” We have come to Mount Zion, the city of the living God!
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Vs. 25 “See that you do not refuse Him who speaks…” This is massive! When we’re on vacation, going somewhere, perhaps for work there is today of course what is called GPS which is questionable and actually is of little if any use to those who don’t have “smart” phones or a vehicle equipped with that technology. Roads, highways, landmarks are however, generally well marked. There are different color signs, road maps etc. to mark the way, to point us in the direction of our destination, God’s word does that and verse 25 here is one of those road signs that is huge, has flashing lights on it and goes over top of all the lanes of the Kings Highway. If we refuse Him who speaks, deny His word, doubt, worry, fear, disobedience, it comes in many forms, any and all of which are “signs” we do not believe He is able to save us from our predicament, we don’t trust that what He is telling us will accomplish what He says it will and we continue in our lost, dark, wandering wilderness without the Guide, Advocate, Helper, Friend and Savior whose sole intention is to lead us through the valley of the shadow of death and into the kingdom of light where there is no more sorrow, death or crying. There are plenty of exit ramps along our journey with signs saying, “Weeping and gnashing of the teeth”, “Heavenly Angels”, “A Great Cloud of Witnesses”, “Son’s of Perdition”, “Eternal Glory”, etc., but if we miss the sign, we’ll likely miss the exit. There is a sign that says, “If you don’t know where your going, you may not like where you end up.” Vs. 25 continues, “For if they did not escape who refused Him who spoke on the earth, much more shall we not escape if we turn away from Him who speaks from heaven.” Refusing God is denying His word, ignoring the very things for which He sent it, among other things, eternal rest. We’ll not likely fumble our way to heaven. There’s an exit without rest, and one called “Peace”.
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Vs. 26 “whose voice then shook the earth; but now He has promised, saying, ‘Yet once more I shake not only the earth, but also heaven.” We want to observe the obvious here, God’s voice shakes the earth and heaven. Isaiah 13:13 “Therefore I will make the heavens tremble, and the earth will be shaken from its place at the wrath of the Lord of Hosts on the day of His burning anger.” Joel 3:16 “The Lord will roar from Zion and raise His voice…heaven and earth will tremble.” Matt. 24:29 “…The sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give its light; the stars will fall from the sky, and the powers of the heavens will be shaken.” Herein the authority of the voice of our Lord, “but now He has promised”, our God is a promise maker and a promise keeper. These promises have been fulfilled, are being fulfilled and will be fulfilled, He will “make the heavens tremble, and the earth will be shaken.” God literally and physically did shake the earth in the Old Testament at Mount Sinai and He will as described in Revelation bring a “great earthquake”, but it also describes a time when everything will be upset, times of confusion, upheaval and peril. A time where hope and confidence in government, science, medicine and humanity will be shaken. We don’t need to tell you this time is upon us. Vs. 27 “Now this, ‘Yet once more,’ indicates the removal of those things that are being shaken, as of things that are made, that the things which cannot be shaken may remain.” Herein the wheat and the chaff, see Ps. 1. Good news for those who put their trust in God, bad news for those that deny Him. Vs. 28 “Therefore, since we are receiving a kingdom which cannot be shaken…” The “Therefore” is the application, God’s intention for the verse. “We are receiving”, know it, trust it, believe it. “Let us have grace, by which we may serve God acceptably with reverence and godly fear.” Serve God acceptably. Amen!

08/04/2025

8-3-25
Hoonah-Hadley
Colossians 3:1-11
Call to Worship Psalm 49:1-11
Daily Verse Colossians 3:2

Set Your Mind On Things Above

“Set your mind on things above, not on things on the earth.” Every verse of the bible is tied to the scarlet chord that leads to Calvary. Every verse is at the heart of the matter. Every verse is a reminder of what we are to “put to death”, what we are to “put off”, and what we are to “put on.” Set your mind, set your affections, set your heart, study industriously things above, “if”. Have you ever noticed when you are searching for a thing you start to see it everywhere. Say for some reason you’re looking for an old backhoe, before you were looking, before you thought about it you don’t really recall seeing one if any. Now that your looking for one, thinking about it, in your daily travels, you see one here, there, and suddenly they seem to be everywhere. Once you set your mind to something, it starts popping up on your radar. The definitions of “set” are many, taking up about 2/3rds of a page in the dictionary. Among others, to fix, to consider, to begin a serious attempt, to undertake, to begin a journey, established deliberately, intentional, to enter, to be determined to do something, to have as a goal, to consider valuable or worthwhile. In essence, when the apostle says, “set your mind on things above” what he is saying is, consider things that are valuable or worthwhile, intentionally, deliberately begin a journey, seriously attempt to undertake, be determined, make it a goal to think about things that are above, not beneath, higher, not lower, better, not worse, eternal, not temporal. Matt. 6:33 “But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things will be added unto you.”
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Vs.1 “If then you were raised with Christ, seek those things which are above, where Christ is, sitting at the right hand of God.” There is that “if” again, it’s following us around. Before we “seek” those things which are above, we need to answer the question, are we raised with Christ? Here’s what God’s word says about that in Colossians 2:11-13 “In Him you also…buried with Him in baptism, in which you also were raised with Him through faith…He has made alive together with Him, having forgiving you all trespasses.” Ephesians 2:4-6 “But God, who is rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us, even when we were dead in trespasses, made us alive together with Christ…and raised us up together, and made us sit together in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus…” This is some very high cotton, it is in fact, the highest honor ever bestowed upon humanity. “Made us sit together in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus”, are you kidding me? Let’s just take this one step further in Ephesians 2:10 “For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them.” Is your cup running over? “For we are His workmanship…” Each of us can ask ourselves “if” we are raised with Christ, and well we should, “But God”, according to His word here in Ephesians, has answered the question for us, “For we are His…” He breathed life into us. He created us in His image. He sent His Son to earth to save us. He suffered for us. He bled for us. He died for us. He descended to hell for us. He was raised from the dead for us. Because of Him, death no longer has dominion over us. In verses 5-10 there are things we are to “put to death”, things we are to “put off”, and things we are to “put on”. Romans 13:11-14 “And do this…cast off the works of darkness, and let us put on the armor of light…But put on the Lord Jesus Christ…”
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Many of Paul’s letters repeat this theme, Galatians, Ephesians, Colossians, Romans, say the same thing, “put on the Lord Jesus Christ”, “clothe yourself with Christ”. In other words, we are to “dress” differently, “walk” differently, “talk” differently, “think” differently than the world. Listen to Spurgeon on the matter, “That which is proper enough for a dead man is quite unsuitable for a risen one.” Objects of desire that fit our sinful nature are not worthy our new wardrobe in Christ. Psalm 37:4 “Delight yourself in the Lord and He will give you the desires of your heart.” Get addicted to higher things, fall in love with things above. What are these things I am to “set” my mind on? We can start with God. What is the first and greatest commandment? Matt. 22:37 “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind.” Set your mind. Psalm 62:5 “My soul wait silently for God alone, for my expectation is from Him.” Expect nothing less. Psalm 73:25 “Whom have I in heaven but you? There is none upon earth that I desire besides You.” Let nothing come between you and Him. Make God the desire of your heart, the object of your thoughts, your love. What else do we see with our minds eye when we “set” it, “fix” it on things above? We see Jesus. Meditate, gather in His finished, perfect work. Hunger and thirst for His word, His righteousness, His justice. Eagerly anticipate His second coming. Ponder how great His love for you is. Consider His prayer for you, His friendship, mercy, grace, comfort, strength, forgiveness, security, victory, your union with Him. Set your affection on the One that set His affection on you. He died for us, He lives for us, set your mind on Christ who is seated at the right hand of His Father, our Father. The greatest thing you can do for yourself, your children, your family, your community, the world in which you live, is to set your mind on Christ, period.
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What else is there above we are to “set” our minds on? The church triumphant, Rev. 7:9-17, and the church militant, Ephesians 6:10-20, 2 Cor. 10:1-6, 2 Timothy 2:1-4, and so on. These two churches in general are one in the same, there is much to do about both, but our point in this is to “set” our minds on those that have gone before us. Those that ran the race, fought the good fight, that are seated with Christ in heavenly places. Think of all the dear souls, brothers and sisters in Christ, godly parents, grandparents’, mentors that raised us up in the way we should go. Set your mind on these warriors, soldiers, saints, servants, angels, those who answered God’s call on their life, ones that reached down and took you by the hand leading you to the promised land. Those that sat with you, walked with you, stood with you, fed you, comforted you in your time of need, prayed over you, loved you when you weren’t loveable. Set your mind on these blessed souls whose names are written in the Lambs Book of Life. Set your mind on those with whom you will spend eternity. Set your mind on heaven itself, the place of rest. Hebrews 4:9-11 “Therefore, a time of eternal rest exists for God’s people, for those who enter this rest, cease from their works as God did from His.” “Set” your mind on a time and place of rest. The second half of Col. 3:2 says “…not on things on the earth.” This verse is not saying, don’t “think” about what you are doing, what it is saying is don’t put all your hope in the world, re-prioritize your life, make up your mind to think differently. The mind is a battlefield. Romans 12:2 “Do not conform any longer to the patterns of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind.” There is a place of rest, there are those that have gone before you, there is a Savior there, a Father that loves you, set your mind on these and keep it set. “Set your mind on things above, not on things on the earth.” Amen

08/02/2025

Please join us at the Park Pavillion this Sunday at 10am for a One Lord Sunday Service

07/28/2025

7-27-25
Hoonah-Hadley
Luke 11:1-13
Call to Worship Psalm 138
Daily Verse Luke 11:8

Because Of His Persistence

“I say to you, though he will not rise and give to him because he is his friend, yet because of his persistence he will rise and give him as many as he needs.” Straight-away our verse begs the question, are we persistent? This one my friends is well worth defining. Persistent: Refusing to give up or let go, tenacious. Insistently repetitive or continuous. Enduring. Lasting past maturity without falling off. Retained permanently, rather than disappearing in an early stage of development. If you are in the hearing or reading of this, as is any message, it gives us pause for thought. We might consider if “persistence”, “tenacity”, “repetitive” or “continuous” describes our character, in anything. Do we stick with a thing? Relationships, jobs, hobbies, recreation, habits, what, if anything are we tenacious about? This isn’t about being gifted, this is about diligence, repetition, dog nasty determination, despite, regardless of conditions or circumstances. Actually, tenacity is a gift and it may be for those of us who can’t play the guitar or balance a check book. It is a matter of perspective, it could be said that if we’ve never been consistent about anything that we’ve been persistently inconsistent. Humanity in general is good at starting things, not particularly good at finishing. Of course, there are things that are persistently healthy and things that are consistently unhealthy. All of this can include but are not limited to physical activity, psychological things and or spiritual matters. Question: what are we persistent at, and, is it helpful or hurtful, productive or a complete waste of time?
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1 Timothy 4:16 “Take heed to yourself and to the doctrine. Continue in them, for in doing this you will save both yourself and those who hear you.” In a conversation between a preacher and a young fellow going through a Christ centered rehab program, the young fellow having a noticeable change of heart, mind and spirit said, “You know what saved me? God’s word, spending time in God’s word. I get up at 5 am everyday and start by reading His word.” Amen brother! Psalm 51:10 “Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a steadfast spirit within me.” Steadfast: fixed or unchanging, steady, firmly loyal or constant. Psalm 119:5 “My ways were steadfast in obeying Your decrees!” Isaiah 26:3 “You shall keep them in perfect peace whose mind is steadfast (stayed) on Thee.” It is interesting to note where our daily verse anchors itself in chapter 11 of Lukes Gospel, between “The Lord’s Prayer” and “Asking, searching and knocking.” What does God’s word teach us about prayer? 1 Thess. 5:16-18 “Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, give thanks in all circumstances, for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.” Looking for a verse to write on the tablet of your heart, over your doorframe, here it is. Phil. 4:6 “Be anxious for nothing, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your request to God, and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.” Keep in mind our lesson begins with Jesus praying, then the disciples ask Him, “Lord, teach us how to pray…” Listen to Spurgeon on Leviticus 6:13 “Fire shall be kept burning…continually…” Spurgeon says, “Keep the altar of private prayer burning…many foes will attempt to extinguish it…Let us use texts of scripture as fuel for our hearts fire; they are live coals…let us be much alone with Jesus.” Fan the flame, there is no substitute for being constantly in prayer with Jesus.
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Our Old Testament lesson is the epitome of persistence, actually we could consider it borderline obnoxious. It is the story of S***m and Gomorrah, Abraham and God. There was an “outcry” against these cities, the sin there was “very grave.” The men went toward S***m, “but Abraham still stood before the Lord.” Abraham is having a conversation with God. Vs. 23 he asks God “Would You also destroy the righteous with the wicked?” He is in essence, interceding for S***m. Vs. 24 “Suppose there were fifty righteous within the city; would You also destroy the place and not spare it for the fifty righteous that were in it?” Vs. 26 “So the Lord said, ‘If I find in S***m fifty righteous within the city, then I will spare all the place for their sake.” We could ask this question of God about any place around the globe today, it is as applicable today as any day in history. But Abraham is persistent in his questioning “the Lord”. He ask the question over and over again, would you spare it for 45 righteous, 40, 30,20, and finally 10. He actually ask the Lord not to be angry with him for his persistence. You’re welcome to read on there for the “rest of the story”, but our point here is the example of persistence. Maybe our best New Testament example is the parable of the “Persistent Widow” found in Luke 18:1-8. “Then He spoke a parable to them, that men always ought to pray and not lose heart.” Here a widow repeatedly seeks justice from an unjust judge, who eventually grants her request due to her persistence. Jesus uses this story to illustrate that if an unjust judge can be moved by persistence, how much more will God respond to His chosen who cry out to Him day and night. This parable teaches the importance of persistence in prayer that we might not lose heart, tenaciously trusting God’s ultimate justice. Hebrews 2:1-2 “Therefore we must give the more earnest heed to the things we have heard, lest we drift away.” Always=Persistent.
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Drifting away could be likened to erosion. Erosion is something that happens over time. The world, the flesh, the devil, idleness, indifference, apathy, anger, disappointment, loss, tragedy, injustice, the list is a long one that wears away, persistence ill gotten, little by little, erodes our faith in Christ. While the preacher was counseling the young couple soon to be married on the importance of starting their day in prayer and meditation with and in God’s word, the one responded, “I don’t have time…” and gave a laundry list of excuses. To which the preacher replied, “But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you.” (Matt. 6:33) When we say we don’t have time, we are really saying, it's not a priority and at the end of another wasted day we give a half-hearted prayer asking God to clean up the mess we’ve made. Here’s what these particular verses in Luke 18 and Hebrews 2 sound like together: “Therefore we must give the more earnest heed to the things we have heard.” What have we heard? “That men always ought to pray and not loose heart less they drift away.” Earnest in short is seriousness, important. To say God’s word is important is a gross understatement to how serious it is in our lives. To heed is to pay attention to, to mind. In other words, we “must” seriously mind what we’ve heard from God and what we’ve heard from God is that we “ought always to pray and not lose heart.” Always is at every instance, for all time, consistently. Consider Luke 11 a sandwich. In the NKJV vs. 2 “So He said to them, ‘When you pray, say…” He then gives us “The Lord’s Prayer” and straightaway goes into this story about a friend that comes at midnight for some bread. He concludes this story by saying “ask…seek…knock…for everyone who asks receives…” The top of the sandwich is “pray”, the bottom “receives”, the meat: “Because of His Persistence.” Amen!

07/25/2025

Hi Hoonah,

We have some more Church Events with To Every Tribe mission group next week!

Aug 3, One Lord Sunday with Salvation Army, Abudant Life, and Hoonah Presbyterian, please join us at the park and note there will be a potluck to follow.

Teen Hang Out Aug, 4,5,6

Women’s Fellowship Aug 4,5,6

Evening Seminar Aug 4,5,6

Please join us!