Outfitting the Saints: Recent Episodes
Rev. Dennis Hartman
Whether people believe that heaven and hell are real or not, does not change the truth. God has told us in His word that heaven and hell are real places, final destinies for saved and the unsaved. We will examine this briefly again this morning.
We have been preaching through a series on "Essential Truth". This is the last of the essential, foundational, non-negotiable truths that we believe. They find their root in the Word of God, as an anchor for our faith!
From these truths we continue to build our faith upon! 1. Essential Truth About the Lord our God 2. Essential Truth About the Word of God 3. Essential Truth About Man 4. Essential Truth About the Devil 5. Essential Truth About Heaven and Hell
In the world today, very few people believe that the devil exists, however there are more people that believe the devil exists than believe that God exists! According to a survey done in 2009, there are about 40 percent of church goers that believe there is a devil!
I might be able to understand why those who do not attend church would not believe the devil exists, but for church goers, it is baffling. All that a person must do is to read the Bible to see that the devil is real.
Some people today believe that we are advancing to a better form of society that will eventually lead to a utopian or heaven like existence. They make note of the advancements or progress in societies, technology, global communications, and so on. Their concept of man is that we were neandrathals, not able to form a cognitive thought and now we are the product of an evolutionary process. Boy, are they blinded by the world around them. It is interesting that man would rather believe the creation, than the Creator!
This morning let’s look at what the Word of God tells us about man and his purpose, condition and destiny.
Last week we examined the Word of God. The absolute, unchangeable word of God. Before that we said that believing in God is of primary importance. It makes a difference between Almighty God and an imposter. Believing what His word tells us about Himself is deep and wide. We should be plummeting the depths of God and beholding the vast greatness of Who He is.
The Bible is the Book, or more correctly the Books, the Sacred Writings of God to man. In it, God has revealed Himself to us; He has told us what is truth and how to practice it in our lives. This great God we have, gave us an instruction manual, the Bible. It has 66 books which make up a single revelation of God (39 in the OT; 27 in the NT). It was penned by about 40 writers over a period of several centuries in three different languages; Hebrew, Aramaic, and Greek. The Bibles we have today are translations from these original texts. Listen to be reminded about the Bible.
As the years pass by, we see that referring to God in our society has become muddied. There are those who have made their gods from that which comes from man's creation, or they have made the word god, a by word or swear word. Sadly, it is because people do not know God and maybe even His people do not know Him as they should. So, it is good for us to stop and listen to reminders or refreshers about our God.
In preaching I am called to speak the truth of His Word, sometimes reminding His people over again about the simple, profound truths that we hold dear. This morning, we are going to do just that.
How will you react when the nation’s monetary system collapses? Remember 1929.
How will you respond when another nation takes over our country? Who will you go to if your house and possessions are confiscated? Remember Germany 1933.
Who will be your strength when loved ones are plucked from you? September 11, 2001.
We find ourselves today in the midst of calamity. Calamity comes and it strikes at the heart of a people who least expect it. If our faith has been exercised and been oiled by the Word of God, then we will be ready for whatever comes.
If you were presented with a life and death situation because of your faith in God, how would you respond. If a law came down from the government that you could not worship God, would you quote to me Romans 13, and say that it is ok, because we are to obey the government. Would you obey out of fear for your life? We haven’t come to that point yet, or have we? We have already been primed for this by accepting something as OK from the government or society that the Bible says is wrong; abortion, homosexuality, divorce, affairs or living together, greed, lying, and so much more.
There were three men who were presented with this situation, and yet did not bow to the pressure that was placed on them. Was it because they were extraordinary believers, or were they just stupid, or did they have a death wish?
As we look at this situation, I believe we will see three young men who found out the way to stand fast in their faith. It provides us with an example to follow.
In a world that is void of the meaning of Christmas and openly defies the word of God, we need to rise up, lifted by Our God to bring joy and peace to a distraught world.
So, it is fitting today to consider a wonderful Psalm, that was part of the Hallel which Jesus and His disciples would have sung together as they left the Passover meal. As we ponder His birth and His sacrifice for us, we should lift our hearts in song. Songs are a great way to remember some truths that the Lord gives us. It is a song; even though we do not know the melody. These are wonderful words that we can tuck away in our hearts!
Giving thanks for our food and God’s provisions for us each day should not be a tradition that is passed down from generation to generation, but a wonderful time to truly thank the Lord for His blessings.
Last time we looked at the future to learn to give thanks for our life as it unfolds before us and eternal life with Jesus. Previously we looked at giving thanks for the past when Jesus came to die for the sin of the world, providing a way of salvation to all who believe.
This time we are going to look at the present. Giving thanks for our food. After all we are going to celebrate thanksgiving this week. A time of God’s provision for us.
We have a common fear of the unknown. We worry about tomorrow and what may happen in the future. When things do happen that we do not understand, we wonder where God is in all of this. As we look forward to what lies ahead, we need to press on in Christ. Philippians 3:12b-14; but I press on so that I may lay hold of that for which also I was laid hold of by Christ Jesus. Brethren, I do not regard myself as having laid hold of it yet; but one thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and reaching forward to what lies ahead, I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus. Give thanks to God for what our life is and will be as we believe in Him who loved us and gave His life for us!
Thanks. A common phrase used in our day.
Giving thanks. There are three ways that it is used in the scriptures. The present, the past, and the future. The present is when we say, “thanks” for something that we are currently given. The past is when we are thankful for something that happened in the past. The future is when we give thanks for what is to come.
The Greek text is εὐχαριστέω which means giving thanks In an orthodox church setting they will use the term the Eucharist. The common term among the church is the Lord’s Supper, or Communion. It is the remembering the sacrifice of the Passover Lamb, specifically the Lord Jesus Christ’s death, burial, and resurrection.
There is a lesson of giving thanks for us to learn from this wonderful time of remembrance. This is what happened in the past.
We began two weeks ago to lay out three messages that pertain to His people, Israel, and certainly to His people, the church. In this passage in Isaiah, He Exposes the coverup of His people, He Reproves His people, and then He declares His decision which He made before the foundation of the world for those who believe and those who do not! Now, The Lord God of hosts, the Mighty One of Israel declares!
Last week we examined how God exposed what His people were doing, and it was not a pretty sight. Did you gain victory this past week with blessings from the One who blesses, and did you strive to be like Him.
Last week I encouraged you to go home, as God's people, and seek His forgiveness, confessing the things to Him that we spoke about from Isaiah 1:2-9. Not only for us, but for His people across this nation! And then look to the LORD to revive us again!
This morning we pick up where we left off in Isaiah 1. This time it is a message of instruction by way of reproof!
We live in a society where coverups or hiding things are commonplace. Things are not what they appear to be. The only way to know the truth is when these things are exposed!
In the book of Isaiah, there is a message to the church in America today! As His people, we need to pay attention. We need to listen to what He has said. And if we need to correct things in our life, then we need to do it now! If we want to see the coverups exposed in the nation, then God’s people need to start first.
Throughout our life there are times when we mark events as significant or milestones. There are things such as getting a drivers license, or graduation, or getting married, or a new baby, a new job. As these are important, there are many other milestones you have in your walk with the Lord; the day you were saved, or the time the Lord directed your path differently than you thought, or the day you shared the gift of salvation with a friend; or maybe when you were baptized; or any number of significant events as you walk with the Lord in the light of His word.
It is good to mark these events and remember them. It is showing us how God has been at work in our life for His good pleasure and our blessing.
The time has come. If we want to see God’s hand at work in the world around us, then the time has come for us to consider our ways, show Him reverence, and then we will see His glory!
We looked at the time has come to consider our ways. A Self-examination to make sure we are pursuing God and our own desires. A need for us to rebuild our lives around Him, allowing the Spirit to lead us, and we need to follow Him in every part of our life. And recognizing that God has allowed or even brought these things about so that we will admit it is us and repent. There is no one to blame but ourselves.
We looked at the time has come to show reverence. This comes by obeying His voice, listening with understanding what He tells us, and working on our relationship with Him! It is knowing that He is with us. The presence of our Mighty God is with us, leading us in the way of victory. And we need to take Courage. Grow strong in your walk with the Lord.
The last message in the book of Haggai is what He has declared to those who follow the lesson given in His word. The time has come to see His glory!
We spoke last time about an upheaval in this life and all the things that are going on to keep us from succeeding in our journey through life. We made the assumption that God would bless are pursuits, but He hasn’t blessed them.
We found out the reason for this dilemma. There is a famous quote that says, “we have met the enemy and it is us!” As God spoke to the people in Jerusalem through the prophet Haggai, they found out that their deliberate pursuits on their own was the problem. We need to rebuild our lives around Him, allowing the Spirit to lead us, and we need to follow Him in every part of our life.
We must recognize that God has allowed or even brought these things about so that we will admit it is us and repent. There is no one to blame but ourselves.
We find ourselves in the middle of a chaotic life. Things we do, don’t seem to produce what they think they should. We pursue different things only to find out there is no lasting benefit. We have spent most of our life trying to gain something or get ahead only to be disappointed. God’s people have looked for the blessing of the Lord on their endeavors but have not seen His hand in what they do.
There is a reason for this! We have seen fit to pursue our desires instead of God’s. God dealt with Israel concerning this issue in Haggai. And even though He spoke to Israel, the principle still rings true for us today as His children.
As Paul continues to give his closing exhortation to Timothy we see some truths that we can apply to us today.
The same conclusions that we came to last time are repeated here with more emphasis. Let’s listen to Paul strongly urge Timothy regarding the faith, that is the work of faith, persevering in faith, wealth and faith, and guarding the faith.
Again Paul speaks to Timothy concerning the men teaching strange doctrines, myths and genealogies. This is the primary reason for the instructions that he gave to Timothy concerning the gathering of believers. The congregation at Ephesus was being enticed away from the truth and pursuing things that were not bringing about a godly character among the community but one that divides.We want to look at the possible problems that they were teaching and their motives along with the results of both godliness and false teaching.
This is first part of Paul’s plea to Timothy as he wraps up this all important letter to him.
The process of being a gathering of believers is not something that just happens by osmosis, but it is clearly defined in God’s word for His people. He set certain things in order, to bring blessing upon His people. I am reminded of the people in Nehemiah’s day when they wandered from what had been set up by Nehemiah according to the Word of God. Nehemiah scolded them and warned them about what they were doing and what God would do if they did not repent and do what was right. As we continue a little longer in this letter to Timothy, let’s not forget what God has given us for our good.
Another important concern that Paul wanted Timothy to convey to the gathering of believers was the care and ministry of the Elders. He gave instruction about the qualifications of an elder and we even spoke concerning their work. Paul wants Timothy and the people to know what some specifics are concerning elders and he wants the elders to know the specifics about their office.
This morning we want to look at honoring elders, reproving elders, leading of elders, and the laying on of hands by the elders.
The gathering of believers needs to give heed to the instructions that Paul gave to Timothy. We have already seen how believers should conduct themselves in the church, the gathering of God’s people, and although this speaks to a practice within the church it can be added to the conduct of the church as well. The remaining instructions to Timothy in this letter relate to the practice of the church. We are dealing with the practice of honoring widows in the church. This morning we want to look at the widows in the church, the widows’ work in the church, and the widows who can be on the list.
Paul spells out to Timothy how he should deal with the people within the gathering of believers. These two verses imply that there would be times of dealing with each group of people on a group or one-on-one basis. As a leader of the gathering of believers, Timothy needed to approach them in the proper manner with respect to his own age. Because Timothy was younger, maybe around 30 years of age, he would need to use wisdom beyond his years. Paul balances the approach to the believers with three references; no sharp rebuke, exhort them, and do so as fathers, brothers, mothers or sisters. We want to look at these this morning and draw from them what we, as a gathering of believers, should expect from our leaders and how we should relate to one another within the gathering.
After summarizing the charge that he has given to Timothy concerning the gathering of believers at Ephesus, Paul points out 7 things that Timothy, a servant (deacon) of the Lord Jesus Christ, should be doing.
Even though they speak to Timothy’s task as a leader in the church at Ephesus we can glean truth and practice for us today. Since Paul emphasizes the conduct of the believers, -whether individually or corporately, -and being grounded in the Truth to steer clear of being enticed with false teaching, -then it must be important for us today!
In writing this charge to Timothy concerning the gathering of believers, Paul reaches a point where he summarizes what he has said and puts it into perspective. Paul would have loved to get there with the letter to instruct Timothy and the gathering of believers at Ephesus in the behavior of the church, but instead sends this letter on ahead. He then goes on to say that a godly life comes from a profession of faith or a common confession, ending with the reason that there are so many problems arising to detract from the truth.
Because we are now of the same household, we become representatives of that household. Since we are the keepers of the truth and show others what truth is, then we had better follow the truth of Scripture. Today we want to look at the Deacon. What it is that they do, what characteristics should they have, and who can be a deacon. Sometimes we assign names to an office in the church because of tradition instead of examining the scriptures to see what the Lord says.
We have been examining the conduct of those who have received Salvation by faith in Christ; those that belong to the gathering of believers. There are things recorded for us in the Scripture that we should follow if we belong to Christ. Here in 1 Timothy we are looking at how believers are to conduct themselves in the household of God, which is the church of the living God, the pillar and support of the truth. Last time we saw that the work of the overseer/elder/pastor(s) consists of diligence in the word; stewardship of the word; teaching the word; preaching the word; equipping with the word; exhorting, reproving, correcting with the word; and instructing in the word. This is the job or task that has been given to them by God in His order of things. The second part of this is who are these leaders. Who can become a leader, and what should they be like. Hopefully we will paint a picture for you to see what an overseer/elder/pastor should be.
We are examining the scripture to see what the Lord says concerning believers, and now more specifically about when they gather together. Paul writes to Timothy in 3:15 that he is telling Timothy how individual believers should conduct themselves in the household of God or the gathering of believers. This morning we want to examine the first of two parts concerning leaders within the body of believers. What are they and who are they. You might ask the question this morning, why do I need to know this information. Well, since leaders are part of the gathering of believers, the whole group needs to know how to recognize what these leaders should be doing and who they should be.
In this setting, we again are looking at what Timothy needed to know and what he needed to share with the church at Ephesus. As we said last time, Paul gave a charge to Timothy that was of great importance to the workings of the church. Paul used his own life as an example of what God can do and will do in the life of those who believe. He wanted them and us to remember that they were, indeed, sinners saved by God’s grace; that they could count on the fact that God was at work in them for His good pleasure; and that they had a charge to keep in the exercising of the gifts He has given to them and us in Christ according to God’s order and purpose for the church.
As we look into the first three of several points of the charge to Timothy concerning the church, we have to believe that they were having problems at the church in Ephesus in these particular areas. The church had existed in Ephesus for several years now and needed a little more direction since they were wandering from the truth. They had forgotten some things and were neglecting others. It would seem that the world was creeping into the church, and Timothy was there to admonish them in the way they should be going.
The Lord can take the vilest sinner and, by His grace and mercy, use them in His service. The continuation of God’s things is seen in Paul’s admonition to Timothy in his second letter, entrust these things to faithful men. The importance of what Paul shared with Timothy is of a high degree. If men reject the teachings of the apostles who laid the foundation of the church at the direction of the Lord Himself, then how will they follow and believe all that Jesus taught or did. Everything in the gathering of believers must point back to our relationship with Christ. This is the impact of this passage.
Paul had given Timothy instruction on how to handle those in the gathering of believers who were teaching false doctrines, pointing out that the goal of our instruction is love from a pure heart, good conscience, and a sincere faith. This is what sets apart those who minister as God’s servants. This is how we can know today who God has appointed to minister for Him, not just in the ranks of those who have been appointed to equip the saints for the work of service, but also for those who have been equipped for service.
The church today, which is supposed to be the gathering of believers as the body of Christ, has been found in a mess, rotten and smelly, and falling apart at the seams! Even the word “Church” brings disgusting feeling to our society. So, we are going to begin a journey that reminds us about this thing we call church! We want to look at the gathering of believers as the scripture has declared to us. This will encompass the letter to Timothy, the letter to the Ephesians, portions of Acts and Revelation. The first chapter sets the stage for what is going on in the church that needs to be addressed, what has already been addressed and encouragement for the minister to teach these things.
If you have ever been caught in a storm, you understand what you have to do. If you are in the snow, you prepare by carrying chains. If it is a downpour, you seek shelter. If it is on the ocean, you have a life vest and a life boat. There are all kinds of storms that we encounter and are caught in in our daily lives. We need to be prepared for them.
If you want to be prepared for the storms of life, the physical, mental, and spiritual storms of life, then listen to the words of the LORD!
If someone does us wrong and then says, ‘I am sorry’, the expected response is, ‘I forgive you’. We have become adept at this procedure, so that it is lost in semantics and loses its wonder. There is a saying that is circulating in society that says, ‘it is easier to ask for forgiveness than to get permission’ to do something that is wrong. These are such shallow responses that cheapen the meaning of forgiveness!
There are two words that are used for forgiveness in scripture. The first one means to remit sin, to pardon sin, to remove sin and the second one is to extend grace. There is great depth in these words for us, so we want to examine them briefly and with pause this morning.
Almighty, Infinite God of all creation has restricted Himself so that there are things that He cannot do. He tells us in His word at least 6 things that He cannot do.
Wait, isn’t He the creator? The giver of life? The redeemer of mankind? The One who can help us in time of trouble? So how can there be things that God cannot do?
Listen and see that these things, that God cannot do, are for our benefit!
Conversing with God should be a natural part of our life as a believer. Jesus broke down the barrier that kept us from going into the presence of the Father. Hebrews tells us to enter into His presence with boldness through the blood of Christ.
Having a conversation with God is not a one way direction. You do not get to say your piece and hang up. You need to remember to let Him speak to you!
Solomon also conversed with God. God had told him to build the temple for Him in Jerusalem. Solomon took on this endeavor with enthusiasm. At the completion of the temple, he had a conversation with God. We want to look at this conversation and what it means for us today. Hopefully you will be encouraged to have a conversation with the Lord Jesus because of it.
To have worth or value among men is a difficult road and not many seem to excel. Our value among men is based on the bottom line, how many letters are behind our name, or whether you beat someone in a competition. So, we have a lot of people running around with a worthless view of themselves and others.
It is good to know that if you are saved by the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ unto salvation, this does not hold true. Those who believe and are saved have great worth to God, and that is what matters.
Unfortunately, we would rather accept man's assessment than God's. Every believer not only has worth or value to God, but every believer can excel in that worth by following His word and ways!
There are two kinds of people idea people and the people that make the idea work. Idea people have great ideas that seem to sprout from deep within their mind. They are quite lofty in their presentation. However, they don’t have a clue when it comes down to the nuts and bolts of how it is going to work. Then there are the those who can take the idea and make it function. Their minds are geared toward the product and the practice that makes the idea a reality. If it is not practical in its application, then it has no worth.
Believers in God, the Creator and Sustainer of all things has, by His great power, accomplished both parts of the process. He created the worlds and all that is in them. He made man in His image and set them on the journey through life equipped with everything they need to have close fellowship with Him. Our life has a practical application that gives us worth.
The problem is that we choose not to follow His plan and spend our life wandering from here to there with no apparent destination. This morning we want to take time to remind you of some simple and yet profound truths that will help you get back on track and stay on track.
We live in a day of watered down religion and confidence in man's accomplishments! We are 'me' centered and we have abandon our commitment to God!
To mention that we walk with God by fearing Him is not accepted in our liberal minded world. That is old school and you don't need that religious stuff today, because you can stand on your own. However, the greatest blessing for man today is to fear Almighty God!
To fear God is faith with great reward for those who do. Jesus told the disciples, in Matthew 10:28, "Do not fear those who kill the body but are unable to kill the soul; but rather fear Him who is able to destroy both soul and body in hell."
As believers, we need to take this seriously. The greatest blessing is for those who fear God, and walk with Him. These things are synonymous. We want to look at fearing God according to His word.
Servants of God come in all shapes and sizes, many different places, and many different ages. Some are great leaders like Joseph or Daniel, while others are in some small and unknown place.
Sometimes we are called to minister for God in obscure places. It seems as we walk with the Lord there doesn’t seem to be a clear reason why we find ourselves in a particular place or circumstance. Today we want to look at what can happen when we are faithful where we are at.
We have just taken a journey to the most epoch event since the creation of man, the death burial and resurrection of Jesus! This is the most significant thing that has happened for all mankind and is precious to those who have received deliverance from sin! And even though these things give us victory, we are still struggling with sin. We are inundated with sights, sounds, and cravings in our day that draw us into sin. It is an ongoing battle. I John 2:16 tells us it is the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the boastful pride of life. It used to be a secret battle, but now it has moved out into the open. Galatians 5:19-21 give us the run down.
For the past 4 weeks we have talked about what the cross and the resurrection is all about. Today we reach the final chapter, which serves as only a beginning.
We began by establishing that because of sin that began in the Garden of Eden, we are all sinners with a need to be saved from that sin. A sinner is one who does not or cannot measure up to God’s holiness; we disobey God’s revealed will.
Because of this God set in motion before the foundation of the world, the perfect sacrifice, at the perfect time, in the perfect place, according to His prefect will, to achieve perfect results! The perfect sacrifice was Jesus, the Lamb of God which takes away the sin of the world. The perfect time was about 2000 years ago. The perfect place was Jerusalem, where He caused His name to dwell. His perfect will was accomplished by Jesus and His death on the cross. Today we celebrate the perfect results!
This morning we will cap off the truth of the matter and send you out building on the right foundation for your life in Christ!
This is a service that we do to remember the cross. That purpose for which Jesus came. It is finished, our sin paid in full. Listen to the scriptures read and sing along with the hymns and remember what He did for us!
In an imperfect world because of sin; with the perfect sacrifice; at the perfect time; God chose the perfect place for Jesus to die and be buried. Where is this place? Jerusalem. Why out of all the great cities of the world, did He choose Jerusalem?
Why not Rome, or Athens, or Alexandria, or any of the great cities of the day. These were well populated, educated cities. Out of all of these, He chose these things to happen in Jerusalem.
As we continue to take steps toward the resurrection, this message is the third in a series of messages that take us up to Resurrection Day. Today we are examining the questions of “When did this promised salvation happen.”
Time in a bottle is an advertising ad today; the prospects of being in control of your time by changing your hair color or smoothing the wrinkles of sagging skin. There are also time management books and seminars that help us manage our time effectively. There are people who dig up past time in books and archeological digs. There are others who want to know what is ahead in future time. But time is not in our hands, but God’s. The time of the cross and the resurrection were predetermined before the foundation of the world and put into motion when God planned and intended for it to happen. God determined and spoke through His prophets when it would happen. At the appointed and anointed time Christ came to fulfill the work of salvation!
In a society that has embraced so many different things concerning truth and salvation, and in the church that has succeeded in muddying the waters of this time of year, it is of paramount importance that we know the truth about and a Biblical foundation concerning the cross and the resurrection. This morning we will look at Who Died and Rose Again. There are many religions in the world that offer a savior through death and even a resurrection, but we do not want to allow confusion to reign in this matter. We set the precedent last week concerning sin and that sin gave way for deliverance from judgment, death and hell. So, if God said He would provide salvation, then we must see Who will bring it to us.
As Israel journeyed to Jerusalem to celebrate the Passover, we as believers are embarking on the same annual trek to celebrate the resurrection! It saddens me to know that there are people, even today, that sit in church year after year, that do not understand the scriptures concerning the cross and the resurrection. This morning I want to begin six messages that lead up to the resurrection, including the Wednesday evening before Resurrection Day when we remember the cross. These messages will deal with the what, who, when, where, and why of the cross and the resurrection. This morning we will look at the first step that begins the journey to the resurrection, Sin and the Promise.
There are many, if not a majority, of Believers today that do not know much about the Bible that is in their possession. We have in our possession the revealed Word of God! In my generation, the biggest question that came up was, “how can I know the will of God”. This question has a simple answer, listen to what God says in His word. This morning I want to take a quick survey of that book that we have, called the Bible. Let me begin with a few scriptures that set this precious word into motion.
During a time of despair in Israel when David and his men fled from Absalom, one of the sons of Korah was with him. The pursuit by the ungodly that drives the godly away from the presence of God is the setting that we find here this morning. We, as a people of God, are being driven from places of worship by an ungodly people; we are driven from meeting with our God or remembering our God by ungodly people. Sometimes we have allowed ourselves to be driven from these things, and sometimes we are ready to stand up and fight against these things, but the most important thing is the desire of our heart. If we are being moved from the presence of God in despair, we need to seek the God and keep our eyes on Him and let Him satisfy our soul!
This nation is sliding quickly into something that the founding fathers hoped would never happen. The church, that is the called-out ones who belong to the Lord Jesus Christ, has not followed God’s word and has plunged the church, and subsequently this nation, into peril and judgment from God. There are many who have been proclaiming the remedy, but it has fallen on deaf ears! The often-quoted verse from 2 Chronicles 7:14, if My people, who are called by My name, will humble themselves and pray and seek My face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, will forgive their sin, and heal their land, is always used to point at someone else and not ourselves. God has prompted me to tell you how Israel got into the same situation and we need to be doing. Not only do we need to humble ourselves, pray, seek His face, and turn from our wicked ways, we need to be acutely aware of the battle going on that we are in the middle of.
There is still a lot of turmoil and downright evil going on all over the world, and it is discouraging to say the least! We need to stop for a few moments this morning or even for the whole day and behold our Awesome God! Forget about all the things that bring you down, and cause discouragement. Just take a moment right now and stop. Psalm 65 was written by David as a song. Songs are great, they pull us into worship of God. We then get caught up in what the songwriter is sharing with the content. I am talking about songs of life, songs to God. This psalm/song of David draws us to look at our Awesome God!
When a person comes to Christ, that is, recognizes that they are a sinner and confesses to God, asking forgiveness for their sin, God forgives them. They then need to follow Jesus and can do so because of the Holy Spirit Who resides in those who walk by faith. Set before each person who walks by faith is the Word of God for them to follow. If we belong to Him, then we will walk with Him and engage in good deeds. Ephesians 2:10 tells us that we are His workmanship created in Christ Jesus for good works that God prepared before hand that we should walk in them. So, Paul’s last admonition to Titus was to instruct God’s people to engage in good deeds.
Have you ever read the warnings and cautions on the products you buy? Warning on can of spray; Don’t directly inhale this product because it is harmful and could cause death. All these warnings are on their because people forget what they have been told and somebody tried it! They needed to be reminded about these things before using them. You and I as believers in our God and Savior Jesus Christ need to be reminded of things as well. We need them because we forget. So as we go through this passage this morning let me remind you of some things that you probably know concerning interacting with people and the relationship we should have with the government.
Have you ever built a house or watch one built? The preparation to build a house begins with a foundation. If the foundation is not solid enough or anchored well, you cannot build the rest of the house. So, unless you have the foundation of the Grace of God, your life will not hold up in the challenges of life. Last week we talked about sensible people, and how each of us should follow sound doctrine or sound teaching. As Paul writes to Titus, he carries on in the next few verses with why this is possible! It is not by our power or strength but by His strength and power. It is because of the grace of God. Listen carefully to what is told to us about the grace of God, since this is foundational truth. Everything we have in Christ Jesus is laid out for us, and this is what we must build upon!
We continue to live in a nation, and even the world that is hell bent to destruction. But our focus, as ones who belong to Jesus, is always heavenward. In Habakkuk 3:16-19 we are reminded of these things and how we should respond. "I heard and my inward parts trembled, At the sound my lips quivered. Decay enters my bones, And in my place I tremble. Because I must wait quietly for the day of distress, For the people to arise who will invade us. Though the fig tree should not blossom And there be no fruit on the vines, Though the yield of the olive should fail And the fields produce no food, Though the flock should be cut off from the fold And there be no cattle in the stalls, Yet I will exult in the LORD, I will rejoice in the God of my salvation. The Lord GOD is my strength, And He has made my feet like hinds' feet, And makes me walk on my high places." Because we can rejoice in the Lord, we should be sensible people!
Ordinary, everyday people are sometimes those who are just part of the masses of humanity. They have a variety of jobs; live in a variety of homes; have a variety of families; and have a variety of relationships. These people often do many wonderful and commendable deeds among their circles of social contacts, for which they are not readily recognized. Without ordinary people, the extraordinary would not get done. Most of the people I know fit into this category of ordinary people. In this group, each one has a gift or a talent that benefits someone else. Among them are those who allow God to use them for His glory. This morning we want to talk about how God chose 12 ordinary men to do the extraordinary.
Several years ago there was an advertisement that said, Got Milk? I remember taking that ad and using it on the sign in front of the church. I didn’t use “milk” but “Got Grace?”
In life, we cannot get to heaven without God’s grace. It is Salvation by Grace. Our need for salvation arises from the plight of sin. We often think that we can work our way out of sin, but we are not able for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God. Some don’t know, or refuse to know, they are sinking deep in sin and before they realize it they die in their sin and are forever separated from God. Some recognize their sinking in sin and call out for God to save them. And He will.
Now, more than ever, we need to reclaim what has been lost to tradition of men, a shift in culture, and the lack of knowing God!
This time of year is marked, or should be marked, by the message of God with us, the fulfillment of the prophecies of the Old Testament, and salvation has come to all who believe!
We want to take a little time this morning to remember and review the events and people of this time over 2000 years ago.
There are many prophecies concerning God’s promise of the coming of Messiah. In Genesis 3:15, God told the serpent, “I will put enmity between you and the woman, between your seed and her seed; he shall bruise you on the head and you shall bruise him on the heel.” And in Genesis 12:1-3, God tells Abraham that in him all the families of the earth will be blessed. And again, in Isaiah 7:14, God speaks through Isaiah saying that “Behold a virgin will be with child and bear a son, and she will call His name Immanuel.” The promise of the coming of Messiah was a passion of the LORD God in His plan and purpose to redeem mankind from sin. His zeal, which is passion with intensity, will cause it to happen. There is nothing that can keep it from happening since there is no one greater than God. It is because of the zeal of the LORD that we celebrate Christmas, the birth day of the King! We want to see in this passage this morning the wonderful zeal of God.
Before the days of celebration of the birth of Jesus there was the promise of the coming King. When He came He was declared King. As God’s people, let us remember that our celebration each year is to remember that He is the King and thus requires our devotion. When God established Israel as a nation of His people, there was a promise of the coming of Jesus. Jacob gathered his sons together and told them what would befall them in the days to come. When he got to Judah, the fourth born son, he spoke about the coming of the Lord Jesus Christ. This was to be the coming of Messiah or Christ that was anointed by God to rule and reign. From the line of Judah, Jesus was appointed to come. Your festival celebration this year is to worship the King! Give Him honor and service that is due Him! It is not about a person who brings gifts and toys through a chimney, it is not even receiving and giving of gifts. It is to look in awe at the One who came to save us from sin, death, and hell. As we hear the message this morning, let it serve as the first of a couple of reminders this year.
We find ourselves today living in a post Christian nation. Our response has been to indulge in the offerings of the society, seeking pleasure, money, things, instead of seeking God. We have bought into the deception. Our nation was founded on Biblical principles, and we have even seen evidence of this in the historical records kept. As much as we have seen, we still are not willing to do what is necessary to change the course. If no one else is going to change, then I am not either seems to be our motto. So, we find ourselves in the mire of godlessness and a society that even hates those who would claim the name of Jesus for the life and practice. For many reasons like these we find ourselves like Daniel. Even though not of his doing he finds himself in a post God environment. Lets see if we can glean some lessons from Daniel about being a Christian in a godless world.
Thanksgiving is upon us. This year things are a little different. Some people will be gathering with family or friends to celebrate this national holiday. Others will be by themselves. This day has its roots in the first thanksgiving when the pilgrims shared a meal together with the native people of the land. They gathered to give thanks to God for a bountiful harvest! Thanksgiving is about God's bountiful provisions for us, not traditional food, or football games. Although neither is a bad thing, be sure it does not sway you from giving thanks to God! A Psalm of Thanksgiving is recorded for us in 1 Chronicles 16. It was a time of acknowledging what Almighty God has done. Maybe we can glean a few things for us to have a God centered thanksgiving this year, no matter what the current course of events have given us! So, we want to see how much more we can focus on this thanksgiving!
We know that when we have a physical problem, we tell the doctor what the symptoms are so that they can diagnosis the underlying problem. Today we are seeing God’s people becoming more distressed with each passing day. The symptoms indicate a disease that grows worse every day. God’s word tells us it is caused by God’s people, believers, disregarding the truth and are being caught up in the things of the world. So how can we stop this disease and change the course? The remedy is to change our direction, toward God. The passage we want to look at this morning gives us an example and principles on how to do this.
In our day, if you want the word of the day you turn on the television, computer, or radio and listen to man’s opinion. Man’s opinion on the electronic media is not the word of the day we should seek. Some people sit down with a devotional to get the word of the day. My wife and her sister-in-law have a hymn of the day that they share, which has been great. The word of the day that comes from God is the best of all because His word is true and accomplishes what we need. As people wallow in the current circumstances, let us examine what God says about the Word of the Day!
In a couple of days, there is going to be a national meltdown. Many people will believe that God has not listened to their prayers about this situation while others will think that God has answered theirs. In times like these we need to keep our attention on the LORD! It reminds me of when the disciples were out on the sea of Galilee and a storm came up and they were afraid. Jesus came walking on the water! Jesus said to them, "Take courage, I AM, do not be afraid" With that statement, Peter ask Jesus if he could come to Him in the storm. Peter walked on water above the storm when he was looking at the Savior, but he began to sink when he looked at the storm! Whether it is a personal storm or a national storm, the victory comes when we keep our eyes on Jesus!
People encounter Jesus every day. Each one has a decision to make. Some choose eternal life, while others reject Him and walk away. Eternal life is offered to all; John 3:16, For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son that whosoever believe in Him should not perish but have everlasting life. Why do some take it and others do not?
The scripture gives us answers to this paradox. In it we can examine how we have responded to an encounter with Jesus.
We live in a fast paced world. We have so many things on our plates that we are burdened and weary as we press on through this journey. We seemed to be plagued with great concerns over our family’s well being, our jobs, the anarchy that is going on in our nation and the worry what tomorrow will bring. And to cause greater concerns we listen to what is reported on the media that works people up into a tither. In Christianity we have false teachers, and people that thrive on sensationalism. There are many who keep worrying that God will not do what we want to happen, and it causes them to question if He is concerned with out plight, or even if He exists. So, with all this happening, what are we as believers supposed to do? Listen to the words of our Lord Jesus Christ.
In the course of our life, and on a regular basis, we need to exalt the Lord in our life! If we don’t lift Him up, then we are cheating ourselves of joy.
I often hear, what is there to say, it is just trials and tribulation everywhere… If we lift up the Lord then we are caught up in who He is and we are drawn out of despair!
When John the Baptist saw Jesus coming to him, he proclaimed, “Behold the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world!” In the times we live in, this foundational and eternal truth should resonate in our hearts! Let your life be anchored in this unchanging fact that keeps us from drowning in the chaos that surrounds us! In this passage today, we will look briefly at the old sacrifices, the final sacrifice, perfecting the saints, and confidence to enter the presence of God.
We began 3 weeks ago addressing a perceived problem, is that time at hand for Christ’s return. Every thing seems to point to it happening right now. Look what is happening to the world around us and the nation that we live in.
We pointed out that similar things to this have happened throughout church history. And they all thought the Lord was returning. It is not wrong for us to look for His return, for that is what we are instructed to do. But only God knows that time. As we look further to what is going on, we see that what is happening is because God’s people need to repent and return to the Lord, so that He can heal the nation and establish truth once again on this nation that was founded on His truth.
We need to recognize that this healing will take place when the church believes that judgement begins with the household of God first! As we have recognized what we have done, then we can be about correcting the problems.
Last week we shared the hope and confidence that we have in the Lord’s coming. We said that what is going on today is not what it seems that many have shared, but that it is something else. The time of His return is appointed by the Father and not something we can even guess at. The things we see going on today are a result of God’s people seeking after the wrong things. God reminds them why they are in this mess of their own doing. It reflects the same things we are seeing today. We will see it is not that God is not able, but that His people need to return to God with their whole being!
We see some things unfold that has the appearance of the return of the Lord Jesus Christ. People are singing God’s praises openly in hopes that God will listen and defeat the enemy or that He will catch His people away. But what does God’s word tell us about His return, what is happening now, and how we can correct our ways. We should always be looking for His return. But we must weigh everything against the Word! So, in the next three messages we will do just that.
Many people confess to know God but, in their thinking, conduct and actions they betray their confession. There are still a lot of people today that think if they say with their mouth that they are saved, all will be well. God has called us out of darkness and into His marvelous light! And since He has, we need to be following His example according to His word. In the church I find two kinds of people: Knowers and Learners. Knower – one who wants to know about something; to have knowledge of it. Learner - directing one's mind to something and producing an external effect We see again, what the Lord desires for us to be – a learner not a knower.
We are in the midst of a battle. The lines have been drawn. We belong to the Lord Jesus Christ who saved us by His blood shed on the cross and we need to stand as warriors for the Lord! We need to stand up for what is right. What is right, we find this in God’s Word. Jesus is our Leader; He is the Warrior in our midst. Zephaniah 3:17. We are told to follow Him. When He came to die for our sin, He did not come in fear of what He had to go through or the enemy that was against Him. When Peter cut off the ear of the High Priest servant in the garden of Gethsemane, He told him, 53 "do you think that I cannot appeal to My Father, and He will at once put at My disposal more than twelve legions of angels? (Matt. 26:53 NAU) We should be a tested warrior, but instead we have laid our weapons down. There is a song called “The Army of the Lord”
So, we want to look at Ephesians 6:10-13 this morning and see what we need to do if we are going to win this war that is going on today.
Frustration, uncertainty, fear seems to plague us during this time. Although this is not something new, it presents a challenge to our lives. As we go through these bumps in the road, we are urged to recognize what we have seen God do and follow Him through the maze.
Once again, we need to hear what God has to say to us. We need to understand that He is our leader, and we need to follow Him.
The Christian life is work, sweat, steadfastness. Faith involves action. Love involves effort. Hope involves endurance. Living for the Lord requires that we press on toward the goal that is before us; unless we believed in vain. If we are going to follow our Lord into heaven, then we need to apply ourselves in several ways. This passage reminds us of what we should be doing on a regular basis. Hopefully this will be a reminder for each one of us to excel in our life as those who are running the race to win. When Paul wrote this letter to the church at Thessalonica, he mentions their work of faith, labor of love and steadfastness of hope. He gives thanks that they are showing the people around them the practical outworking of their faith in difficult times.
When I was in High School, I took an electronics class. The teacher was always determined for us to learn how to do our work, not just know about it. On quizzes and tests, he would tell us if we want the answers, he would tell us, but he said that we would be graded on how we found the answer, ugh.
As people today we are faced with challenges in living for God. Others are always willing to give us the answers. We are probably guilty of doing that ourselves. Jesus wanted people, all people, to come to salvation and living the Christ like life; but He wanted us to know and understand how to do it. This passage serves as a lesson learned if we pay attention.
Some years ago, I was told by a lady whose parents were teachers that the new age movement had an agenda to disregard Christians and how to deal with the Christian influence in the public schools. I am appalled that our nation is trashing of traditional marriage in favor of homosexual partnerships; and the movement to remove God from our nation’s money and flag salute. We have dropped into hopelessness with abortions, religious institutions accepting and promoting the things that are contrary to God’s Word. And much, much more. So, what is all the commotion about? Psalm 2 addresses these things for us as a nation and as individuals. Listen to what the Lord says concerning these things…
A few days ago, I was rejoicing to see a man standing and not kneeling to the gods of this world. His explanation for this was right on. Sam Coonrod “I don’t think I’m better than anybody, I’m just a Christian. I believe I can’t kneel before anything but God, Jesus Christ. When presented with the gods of this world, we need to remember the essential things regarding our faith and only kneel before God Almighty, the Lord Jesus Christ. Here are the simple facts of belonging to the church of God that we need to hold near!
Stop for a minute and think about your frame of mind today. Are you in a panic and depression over what is happening today? Does your outlook have the alligators winning and you have forgotten that you were supposed to drain the swamp? And you are thinking that all is lost? Well, even with all these things we are told to persevere and be steadfast in the Lord for He is in control and will see us to the end of our days!
The church at Sardis was a shell of a church. They had a name, the 1st church of Sardis, but they were dead or dying. The LORD admonished them to wake up, pay attention, repent of their ways, follow Him, or they would lose it all.
So far it seems that the end result to keep from getting off track is to spend time with the Lord and practice His word in our lives. In this church they were commended for the way they conducted their lives as believers, but the Lord points out that many embrace a false woman prophetess who leads them away from the truth. He admonishes them to correct the problem, so listen to the message and see.
We are witnessing the power of Satan over the world. This is nothing new, for he has done this from the start in the garden of Eden. His bent is to destroy God’s plan and purpose for mankind. Although he has tried over the ages, he will not succeed! Here is another reason to follow the Lord in these days!
The Church, the body of Christ, has dealt with trials and tribulation since it began. In some places and at different times, it has been in a greater or lesser degree. Jesus told His disciples in John 16:33, “In the world you have tribulation”. But unless you get depressed over that statement, let me read the rest of the verse! "These things I have spoken to you, so that in Me you may have peace. In the world you have tribulation, but take courage; I have overcome the world."
I would like to kindle in you a spark today. A spark that stirs up a fire within you to know your Lord better and to walk worthy of your calling! In the first church, we see that the Lord is making an assessment of what they are doing regarding their walk with Him.
Our attention, as Christians has been drawn away to what is happening around us. We are manipulated by the media in all forms, with the express purpose keeping our eyes on the circumstances instead of on Jesus. Satan is good at what he does to make this happen. If believers are on the circumstances surrounding them and not on Christ, how will the world hear the truth.
Pentecost is the observance of the feast of First Fruits. It was a time that God’s people would give to God the first fruits of the harvest, honoring God as the giver of the harvest. It was also the culmination of Passover where God purchased the first born with His blood. Now the first fruits of the sacrifice was seen in the giving of His Spirit to seal the hearts of those who believe.
At the day of Pentecost, God’s Spirit was poured out on all mankind. After the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus Christ, the Spirit was poured out. We know that Jesus told them and us that when the Spirit comes, He will convict the world of sin, and would lead those who believe into all truth (John 14-16).
At Pentecost, the significance was that the Spirit is now in the hearts and lives of those who believe, the first fruits of the resurrection.
Prayer is a mighty tool in the hand of the believer. It is not something that we “do”, but something that we use to communicate with our God through the Lord Jesus Christ. Prayer is of equal importance with spending time in God’s Word. In fact, the two go hand in hand.
So, as we look at this passage this morning, be sure you listen to the context and content of what it is telling us.
It is not hard for anyone to see that we are having tribulation in America. For many years (around 37 years) God has impressed upon my heart that the United States would go through tribulation. I am not talking about the Great Tribulation. If you have paid any attention to the news over the past 37 years you will know that we have been in a steady decline from God’s word and have plunged into outright rejection of God today. It has caused and is causing great turmoil among the people, and it will continue unless God stops it. During this same amount of time, this nation has tried to look for solutions to curb the decline. All the solutions are based on a faulty premise; that we can fix it ourselves. We do not need anyone’s help, especially God Almighty’s help.
BUT, we are the solution. The answer to the problem, the solution for our demise is us! God’s people. We are the only ones with a solution and a solution that will stand. It is given to us in 2 Chronicles 7:14
I keep hearing the term, “the new normal”, and it bothers me especially as a believer in Jesus Christ, God Almighty. There have been so many changes in “normal” over my life, why is this any different. But the real “normal” for believers is never different.
There are three verses that are often misquoted by pastor, teachers and believers in general that give us normal or contentment in the middle of distress if we look at them in their context and not try to make them stand on their own.
These three verses that come to mind this morning have been made to stand by themselves for what people want to hear, but are far from what they mean; Psalm 37:4, Psalm 91:1, Jeremiah 29:11 There is some glimmer of truth in their suppositions, but it would be better if they would examine what the context tells us and see the conditions that surround these statements. The good in all of this is what these verses mean in scripture and how we can hold on to the promises for our lives today! It talks about our normal; contentment in the middle of distress. These verses are promises of what will follow those who follow Him!
I have sensed a despair among God's people today. Life has changed for a while and instead of looking to God, we are wallowing in the circumstances. When the world is going to hell at a rapid rate, where are we to find contentment? There are many passages of Scripture that give us the same results regarding this issue. It is the only way to be glad right now, in spite of evil, the storms of life, or the rapid descent of the world.
Preaching serves as one way to get the word out to you, asking God through His Spirit, to draw you to Himself. The truth of 2 Timothy 3:16,17 says “All Scripture is inspired by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, for training in righteousness; so that the man (or woman) of God may be adequate, equipped for every good work. Because of this, we are going to look at Psalm 51:1-17 this morning as we want pardon from sin and freedom to live to God. The three main points are Confess, Correction, and Act.
Every generation is plagued with problems that keep us from living our lives how God intended as His children. We have our eyes on the world, instead of our eyes on Jesus. We believe the propaganda of the devil that says there are too many problems to be able to be effective as a Christian, so don’t bother. As a child of God, is there ever enough grace to live in this world? His grace is sufficient or enough for us!
People are afraid of what is happening, even though we have brought this on ourselves. Governments are corrupt, ours included. We are making and worshiping our own gods. We outright reject Almighty God. No wonder we are experiencing these things. Why would God intervene in these things if we are just looking for a quick fix and then go about doing what we always do, without Him. It is because of these things that it is important to remember the event of the resurrection! In it truly is life and liberty and the pursuit of happiness!
In the history of the church, today begins a well followed tradition. This is Palm Sunday and it begins what we know as Passion Week, where Jesus enters Jerusalem at the appointed time to be the sacrifice for sin.
Often this time has become so scripted that we lose the truth buried in the pages of scripture!
This morning, we want to expand our look at the Triumphal Entry into Jerusalem. We want to catch some important lessons for us today. So, please listen closely…
When a shepherd would tend to the flock of sheep, there were many times as he led them from one pasture to another, that they would get scrapes and bruises going through the rocks and brambles. The shepherd would take out his oil and anoint them to heal their wounds.
As Believers we encounter many scrapes and bruises along our journey in life. We need many times the oil of the Shepherd to heal those, sometimes painful wounds.
After Jesus had gathered His disciples for Passover on the eve of His betrayal, He spoke with them about what was coming in the days ahead. He told them that He was going to be betrayed and given over to be killed and the third day He would rise again.
In preparation for this event and His return to the Father in heaven, He instructs His disciples about His presence with them. Let’s listen and see if we can be blessed by these things as well!
In the midst of a pandemic or any challenge in our life, it is important for us to remember that our hope is God! This message from Habakkuk gives us a look at what is happening and the end result for the Believer.
In this world we will have tribulation, Jesus said, but because He wanted us to have peace, He also said, take courage for I have overcome the world! We received a call from the local health department about gatherings during this current crisis and we should be prudent in dealing with this. On the other hand, the media has created a monster panic that has succeeded in taking our eyes off of our Lord and placed our destiny in the hands of man! We should never forget that there have been many situations like this in the past and there will be more that come, as the Lord tarries. It is how we deal with them as God’s people that determines where we have our focus.
Useful tools. Do you have tools you use around the house because they serve a specific function? I have many useful tools. A lawn mower, computer, a hose, hammer, screw drivers, etc. We have in our home other tools, like a dishwasher, washing machine and dryer, stove, sewing machine, iron, and so on… They are valuable because they are useful.
In Paul’s closing words, he mentions for us a list of faithful servants. These people were about the Lord’s business, doing His bidding, for the common goal of bringing glory to God, and building up the Body of Christ. They are useful for God.
We have advanced into a war zone in our society. There are so many things going on that it wants to pull us apart. People are full of fear, they are giving into chaos that surrounds us. So how can anyone press forward in life?
It starts at the cross! It continues into following Jesus. Then we press on to the goal of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus. By doing this we are not tossed around by the whims of the world and we can keep a steady, victorious, profitable life, while everything around is if falling apart! Its called the outpouring of our faith.
As a believer in Jesus Christ, living by faith, do you find that your life needs a tune up so that you are living a dynamic life for Jesus? As a child of God, saved by His grace, we have at our disposal the things that will give us a productive life!
We should be out there on the streets, in the highways and byways with our signs that tell all who believe, Death to the Flesh! We need this displayed in our churches, our homes and wherever we go as a needed reminder.
Paul was emphatic about these things. God’s word never allows for His people to be caught up in things that are contrary to His given word, the Bible. Paul knew that this was being proclaimed as the truth and some were being persuaded to follow this teaching. After all, if they could have eternal life without having to change their life and behavior, then they could be co-gods with God.
This passage has a purpose for those who believe. Paul’s prayer was for thanks that they had received the Gospel and responded to it. Then he goes on to tell them, and us that it is his, and my desire to see you filled full with the knowledge of God’s will, so that you would walk worthy of the Lord; so that you would bear fruit in all good works; so that you would increase in the knowledge of God; and so that you would give thanks, with grace, to the Father for their portion with the saints!
Like Paul, I want to get your mind on the things that matter; the things that have eternal significance, so that your attention is on the truth.
As a believer and follower of Christ Jesus the Lord we are often accused of using talk and practices that are not understandable to the unsaved. So, as we are viewed from an outside observer they are puzzled at what is said and what we do. It is not our intent to keep them out, but to show them what it means to belong to Jesus!
This means that it is very important to us to walk in Christ Jesus the Lord. This is what helps us to stand firm and carry on in our faith as we seek to live for Him. So, this instruction here needs no apology to those who do not understand, but serves as an admonition for us to walk in Him.
When you get a certain age or have a family history of heart problems, like high blood pressure that can cause a heart attack, we go to the doctor to get medicine to keep the blood pressure where it is supposed to be, so it makes the heart function right. In Proverbs 17:22, it says A Joyful heart is good medicine! It is better than any medicine on the market.
Paul tells the Colossians that his desire is to encourage their hearts through his labors for the Lord. He wants them, and us, to have a cheerful heart, which keeps us from falling victim to the world around us.
In our faith we find the journey is tiring, challenging, even filled with doubt, but we need to keep pressing on. We want to see some things that we need to help us to keep pressing on in faith!
Do you remember when you learned to drive a car? The pursuit of driving is an adventure with a lot of joys and tribulation along the way. Well pursuing to drive requires learning and commitment over time.
Well pursuing our faith is much the same as learning to drive. After accepting God's salvation, we need to learn about our faith so that we can grow and produce fruit of our faith. Then we need to increase in these things, while at the same time knowing the Jesus, our Savior is God.
The New Year has begun, and the changing of the old year into the new year is filled with traditions. Celebrate the old year leaving; partying; staying up till midnight; shooting off fireworks or making noise. Singing the song; Auld Lang Syne, remembering old friends and the events of the past year; committing to do the same in the new year. Resolutions that are made for the new year.
While this is a common practice for people, there is a better new year to remember if we are believers. Our new year does not come on January 1st, but rather in the spring time. To try and remember what we are committed to, we remember our new year as new beginnings once a month.
Here we are at the precipice of a new year. As we look back on this year, we can think of many great times and difficult challenges. As we think of these things, we need to be reminded that the Lord Jesus Christ was there through it all.
I think that we need to pause for a time and consider the truth of Psalm 23. The Lord is my Shepherd. As we consider these things, rest in the truth that unfolds in this Psalm for each one of us who have, by faith, received the gift of salvation and desire to live for Him.
I watch people today and listen to the commercials that bombard us about Christmas. It makes me weep inside because we have lost the meaning of the event that we celebrate! We have elevated things like presents, santa claus, parties, and so on above God’s wonderful news of a Savior!! We can’t hurry enough to go to church and get the “requirements” out of the way so that we can get on with what is most important to us; things; events; food. I know this is tradition, but it is wrong. Do all these things on a different day if you want but don’t overshadow the meaning of the birth of Jesus the Christ!
The birth of Christ is the greatest, most significant event in the history of the world! It is the pivot point for life and death! Without His birth, He would not have died on the cross for our sin, and we would die because of sin, eternally separated from God, Who created us!
Like a tip of the arrow, this passage in Philippians 4:8,9 drive home what Paul is trying to say to those at Philippi and us as well.
Reminders are good for us! They help us keep safe. Always remember to drive on the right side of the road. When cooking with gas, make sure the burner is lit when the gas is on. Be sure to look both ways before crossing the street. Without reminders like these, we can get ourselves in a lot of trouble. So, we know that reminding us about, the Goal of the Gospel that keeps our eyes focused in the right direction and shows us where we need to head; the Walk of the Gospel that shows us the path to trod and ushers us along the way; and this last area of Standing firm in the Gospel that reminds us to be steadfast, unwavering, allowing the peace of God to rule in our heart, is a safeguard for us in our daily life.
If an athlete says they are going to compete in the 50 yard dash, and they line up at the starting line, I could believe that they are an athlete that competes in running. But if the starting signal goes off and they just sit there at the starting line, then they are not what they say they are.
In the last message we spoke concerning the goal of the Gospel. As believers, we do not have to wander aimlessly through this life. Instead we keep our eye on the goal so that we can press on. We need to understand that to have a goal means nothing unless it is pursued. Paul gives us an admonition about this very thing in the next few verses.
Sometimes life is wearying. Daily chores or work, endless worries and challenges cause us to lose sight of the goal. We can become weary in well doing and even question God's plan for us. Once again we have a passage that gives us reminders and encouragement to press on. In this part of his letter, Paul says, “Finally,” or, “From this moment on, rejoice in the Lord.” It is a morsel of food to chew on as you go from seeing participation in the Gospel to examining the safeguard of the Gospel. He is going to stress for them again the things he had already instructed them about at an earlier time so that they would remain firm and secure and free from danger as they live according to the Gospel. It was no problem to for him to repeat these things. So it is important to be reminded of these things. If they sound familiar, that is a good thing to make sure you are following the Lord!
When a new product is advertised on TV, they are giving a testimony. They begin by telling you what it is, and then how it is proven to work. You know the one where they cut a hole in a perfectly good boat and put a screen door on it sprayed with this sealer and they take it out in the water, to show you how good it is. It is still just an advertisement, unless someone you know and trust can verify it. So saying that you are a born again believer in Christ and telling everyone that this, or that, is happening in our life sounds good, but how do we know it for sure. We know by observing. Paul has just told us about the Salvation that we need to have at work in our lives. We talked about a general statement, a purpose, and the result of the progression of Salvation. Now we will see specific testimony of two men who are participants in the Gospel.
When our children were growing up we wanted them to follow our command. Not because we wanted them to be slaves, but because we wanted them to be protected and grow up to be adults. If we used the command for them to stop, it might be what saves their life by not running out into the street and get hit by a car. If we said, don't touch that, we may not want them to get hurt. As Paul writes to the Philippians, he uses several commands like the one in this passage. He tells them and us, to work out our salvation. We often look at this passage with a critical eye. How can we be saved by faith without works, as Paul mentions in Ephesians 2:8,9, if he now tells us to work out our salvation? Participation in the Gospel goes beyond the initial point of faith into a life that is devoted to that faith. So we need to realize that this command is for our good.
When we hear someone say that someone has an attitude, or is copping an attitude it usually means that they want to do what they want to do, without listening to sound advice. In other words, they want to please themselves. If the word, attitude, is coupled with another word, we can see a whole different attitude emerge. As we remember that it was stated that we should conduct ourselves worthy of the gospel of Christ, we want to see that we need to have an attitude of humility. Humility is often looked upon as a poor, whipped person with no self worth and even a sense of being a slave. But to be humble is a noble word and should be the goal of every believer. The word carries the meaning ‘to bring low’. And as we see our participation in the Gospel, we are brought low at the cross of Christ. For our pride will keep us from eternal life in heaven if we do not humble ourselves as a little child (Matthew 18:4). Once we have humbled ourselves before the cross of Christ, and accept His salvation, then we are placed in a high position in Christ (Ephesians 1). Having this high position can go to our heads. We can become prideful, and this can lead to disunity in the Body of Christ, and disgust from the unsaved. Therefore, we need to practice humility.
In this day, we find that the opposition to believers is great. They began and continue to pursue the defeat of the church. The church is the collective body of believers, saved by His grace. It is not those who attend church, but don't believe. There has been a battle plan used over the years called, divide and conquer. If the enemy can split the church, they can isolate and attack. They do this with constant barrage of anti-truth, anti-God messages. Hitler's minister of propaganda said, if you tell a lie loud enough and long enough, people will believe it. This is happening today against the body of believers, redeemed by His blood. As believers we need to take up the battle to promote the Gospel of Jesus Christ to the world around us. We can see in this passage that Paul encouraged and admonished the saints to do just that.
As we see the United States and the world around us rapidly moving away from what is true, and not profitable for those of us who believe that Jesus is way the truth and the life, we need constant reminding and encouragement from God's word!
We are going to look through the letter that Paul wrote to the Philippians. People a lot like we are. So we want to be faithful and diligent to listen to what God has to say to us!
Have you ever felt that you could not conquer anything, or most anything in your life. It seems that life has a way of beating us down. We have more depression and feelings of inadequacy in our day than ever before. To overcome these things, we must dwell on the truth of God’s word and apply it to our lives. God passionately speaks to us today through John as he brings his letter to a close. John’s deepest desire was for God’s people, those who say they believe in God, was that they practice the presence of God in their life, recognize the witness of God through them, and know, as fact, what we have in Christ. He knows that by faith we can overcome the evil one, the world, and even ourselves. So let’s listen to what he has to say and put it into action in our lives today!
Confidence is that assurance of one’s ability to succeed in a matter. It is a great thing to have confidence in your ability to carry out a task that you have been given. A carpenter gains confidence in his work as he does different projects coupled with what he already knows. A master carpenter can tackle most any job because he has confidence. Unfortunately in these days, and throughout history, many have mistaken stupidity with confidence. Just because someone plows through a task doesn’t mean they have confidence. It usually ends up being a disaster. Confidence before God in our walk with the LORD is much more than saying I believe God and I have a Bible, so watch out here I come. Confidence in our walk with the LORD comes from time and the tempering of our daily walk with Him. As believers, we should be showing confidence as a Christian! Confidence to live for Him, confidence to testify for Him, confidence to lead others in their walk with Him.
Those three little words that everyone loves to hear, ‘I Love You’. It is romantic for couples in love. It is a bond shared with parents and children. It is a bond between friends. Let’s burst the bubble of these three little words and see what it means in reality! To say those words are nice, and enjoyable, but it should mean a whole lot more! We want to glimpse at this word ‘Love’ this morning. Where does it come from, the commitment that it shows, and that it is an action!
When 9/11 happened, many people were shaken; when we heard about schools being terrorized by unstable students with guns and mass shootings, we were shaken; when hurricanes and tornadoes touch down, destroying homes and killing people, we are shaken. When we hear about churches allowing women to pastor, homosexuals to be pastors, child abuse among the churches, people embracing false teaching, and people are leaving churches to pursue the world, we should be shaken! It is no wonder that John wrote this passage for his readers. They needed to understand two things; first the antichrist is coming and second be steadfast in the truth. As he lays out these things, he offers to them and to us how we can be steadfast, immovable in the truth.
Maybe you can remember back when you first received Christ as you savior. Remember the excitement that you felt. The newness of life and the promise of life eternal. Then you found out that the excitement was slowly slipping away. Then the training began to learn more about this life of faith. It took time and effort to learn, and maybe you still are. Then after a while you had to put what you learned to practice. Tough times as you struggle to discipline yourself with what you learned. Again, maybe this is where you are at. As you looked ahead, you can see mastery over these things. This is when you should be ready to lead others along the way and encouraging them as they struggle. Well, John writes with a fervor and a passion to people just like us. We want to examine the next section of John’s letter and see what is involved in growing up in Christ.
John wrote these things to believers. It could have been a cyclical letter to the seven churches to whom he was known. He was the brother of James, the sons of thunder. A fisherman who had labored on the sea of Galilee. John was overwhelmed by the Lord Jesus Christ. To John, a Jew, this was the fulfillment of the Old Testament; God Himself among His creation. And furthermore, he referred to himself from the time of the crucifixion on, as the disciple whom Jesus loved. Maybe after the Lord ascended into heaven, he and Mary would talk about all the things they had been a part. John was so sold out for His Lord that when he writes this letter, we see him say, “look at these things!”
It is interesting that in the past 50 plus years that there has been teaching by many that people who come to Christ only need to acknowledge Him, but not be concerned about living for Him. The Old Testament is our example as why this is not true. If the only thing that Israel had to do was to acknowledge God through the annual sacrifice to be accepted by God then why would God say that ‘they honored Him with their lips, but their heart was far from Me.’(Matthew 15:8,9) And again He said that ‘not everyone who says to me Lord, Lord, will enter in to His kingdom.’ (Matthew 7:21) The ones whom God regarded, were those whose heart and life were fixed on pleasing Him by doing what God had said is right. The Psalm that we are going to look at this morning declares this reality very well. So, those who seek God to follow Him are those who belong to Him and are blessed.
Are you worried about what tomorrow brings? It seems that life is uncertain. Almost like we just bounce from one thing to another. Or we become uprooted from what we have come to call comfortable. This is a normal part of life. Think about all the times you have changed things in your life because of circumstances, or our surroundings have changed, or our family has changed. The sons of Korah wrote a psalm to help us gain the right perspective of things that bring distress in our lives. A praise song for us to remember as we journey through life.
I am concerned about what is happening today! This week we celebrate our independence as a nation, and yet people have no idea what that means or why. It is no wonder that justice is perverted, our founding document for these United States, the Constitution, is ignored or interpreted for the benefit of a few, we see ungodliness taking over as mankind are lovers of self, lovers of money, boastful, arrogant, revilers, disobedient to parents, ungrateful, unholy, unloving, irreconcilable, malicious gossips, without self control, brutal, haters of good, treacherous, reckless, conceited lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God, holding on to a form of godliness, although they have denied its power. It makes it hard for God's children to live rightly, pleasing the LORD in all that we do. The life of faith that pleases God starts out with a simple faith in the Lord Jesus Christ and grows into a deeper faith. It is how the righteousness of God is revealed; from faith to faith (Romans 1:17).
It is becoming harder and harder to walk according to the Word of God in our day. It is also becoming more difficult to handle some of the weariness of stress that life can bring that takes our focus off of the Lord Jesus Christ. These things have ways of drawing us to the point of stressed out and exhausted. So, trying to rest in the Lord becomes difficult, at best. This passage in Matthew can help us rise up once again out of the despair. The Lord, Himself gives the proper perspective and hope for us to rest and carry on.
The Apostle Paul made this statement concerning the Gospel of Jesus Christ, the good news to all who will hear and respond, I am not ashamed of the Gospel, for it is the power of God unto salvation to everyone who believes!
This morning we are going to review briefly what the scripture says concerning our salvation. We want to be reminded that our salvation is on the basis of faith. Faith has two parts the hearing and the doing. It is important for us to see these things.
The music that we sing is not in the worship service to fill time! Most people I know can remember popular songs from their younger years. You can even see them remembering those good old days.... Songs can bring out our emotions to move around or to be quiet, yet these songs do not have much to offer except to make us feel good or sad. Hymns, on the other hand, are songs that exalt the Lord. There is a content to a hymn that is a message in itself concerning what God has done. And there are many hymns that can cause us to rejoice or feel sad, but their purpose is to be caught up into the presence of Almighty God as we recount what He has done.
It has been said, and rightly so, that if you were hauled into court for being a Christian, would there be enough evidence and witnesses to convict you. Peter and John were hauled into court for their preaching about Jesus. After questioning them they noted as they observed the confidence of Peter and John and understood that they were uneducated and untrained men, they were amazed, and began to recognize them as having been with Jesus. (Acts 4:13) What a testimony about them! It is something that should follow the fact, if we have been saved, that we should be a witness to the power of God in us to the world around us.
If you listen to the news that tells us there are storms ravaging the nation, about politics that are self serving, about murders including abortions, economic troubles, about so many who disregard the truth of the Bible living godless lifestyles, and much more, we wonder what to put our hope in! Today I want to remind you that those who are saved by the blood of Jesus, hope abounds! Hope, a sure hope, keeps us moving in the right direction in our life. It keeps us anchored to the Rock. It keeps us from fear of this present day, and it draws us into His presence for eternity.
The name mother has lost its precious meaning in our day! In our day it simply means that some woman is having a baby. More and more they have children for a number of reasons; because of passion, for monetary gain, to be something they wanted to be. We have even come to believe that having children is an inconvenience and so they are disposable! This is a very sad commentary on the decline of motherhood. The meaning to the title mother is given to those who give birth to children which are precious and looked at with anticipation. A mother will nourish them in their infancy. They are to teach the right things to their children. They have a bond with the child that carries through their life. The Apostle Paul uses the term of a nursing mother to describe how they taught the church at Thessalonica (1 Thessalonians 2:7)
I often hear people say, "I am blessed". To most people it means that they have things, money, position, or the general feeling that everything is going their way. On our trip this past week, I was thinking how blessed I am. But my reckoning is different than most. I was thanking the Lord for His provisions that made it possible to take this trip! To be blessed, according to the scripture is to be happy, or a heightened state of happiness and joy or a sense of well being.Over the years I have needed to remind myself where true blessing comes from and how to enjoy it. The word of God gives us many statements concerning this, and we will look at some today.
Today, because we celebrate the finished work of God's plan for salvation to all who believe, I want to give you an overview of God’s creation, God’s plan, and God’s offer this morning. My purpose is for you to see how God's plan for salvation is needed. The message of Redemption sees its conclusion in what happened over 2000 years ago. I want to remind you again that we are at the time of year where the message of redemption is celebrated. At this time we need to remember and honor our God instead the message of the world. The message of the world with all its pagan rituals should not overshadow this high and holy time for those who live by faith in the Lord Jesus, who is our hope! Today is a day of celebration! It is the day we set aside to remember the resurrection of the LORD Jesus from the dead! This was God's plan before the foundations of the world. Even before Adam sinned He had a plan in place to redeem mankind from sin, death and hell.
I want to remind you again that we are at the time of year where the message of redemption is remembered. At this time we need to remember and honor our God instead the message of the world. The message of the world with its bunnies and eggs should not overshadow this high and holy time for those who live by faith in the Lord Jesus, who is our hope! It is a time to remember and celebrate our salvation and I am here to remind you of this! So may our focus be on these precious things! We have heard this account many times! Every year we remember the triumphal entry into Jerusalem. This is a significant time for us! We need to recount the magnitude of what is written here! Jesus, Messiah, God encompassed in a human body, the long expected One spoken of in the Old Testament, was making His rightful entrance into Zion, the city of the great King (Psalm 48:2)
Again we are reminded that we are approaching the time of year where the message of redemption was played out in the world. It is a time that should shape our thinking and actions to remember and honor our God instead the world's message. We also said that the world's message of spring overshadows this high and holy time for those who live by faith in the Lord Jesus, in whom is our hope! So it is my duty and joy to remind you that as we move toward the remembrance of Jesus' death, burial, and resurrection, we want to continue to focus on these precious things. Today, we are looking at God's desire concerning salvation for the lost! We only have time to look at a few passages about this, but there are many more.
We said last week that we are approaching the time of year where the message of redemption was played out in the world. It is a time that should shape our thinking and actions to remember and honor our God instead the world's message. We also mentioned that the world's message of spring overshadows this high and holy time for those who live by faith in the Lord Jesus, in whom is our hope! So again I want to remind you that as we move toward the remembrance of Jesus' death, burial, and resurrection, we will continue to speak about these precious things. Today, written in Isaiah 61, we will see how God recorded for us that which was going to take place at the coming of the Lord Jesus Christ. Things that have taken place and things that apply to us today!
We are approaching the time of year where the message of redemption was played out in the world. It is a time that should shape our thinking and actions to remember and honor our God instead the world's message. The world's message of spring overshadows a high and holy day for those who live by faith in the Lord Jesus, in whom is our hope! So as we move toward the remembrance of Jesus' death, burial, and resurrection, we are going to speak to this precious thing. We are NOT going to entertain thoughts and practices of the world, the easter bunny, easter eggs, and such!
There will be 6 messages that start today and finish on Resurrection Day.
Living by faith in a corrupt world can be difficult at best. If we do what is right or stand up for what is right, we are challenged by those around us. If we speak the truth of God's word, we are heckled and put down as not being tolerant of others. Even though they refuse to be tolerant of us. We have legislated atrocities and are plummeting into destruction. So what are we, as God's people supposed to do? The story or account of Daniel in the lion’s den is similar to what we are experiencing today. He lived in an ungodly world with corruption and challenges at every turn. Daniel serves as an example for us today. This account of Daniel in the lions’ den gives us a look at living the Christian life calmly in the midst of adversity.
In this world we will be confronted on a daily basis with everyone trying to jockey for position as the best. Mankind without God does this on many levels; social, political, financial, and academic. Their pursuit is all that matters, and they want you to fall in line behind them. This is no doubt where the saying came from; we have seen the enemy, and it is us! The psalmist draws our attention away from this and shows us how our life can have meaning the way God intended. So, as we look at this psalm today, close out the world and listen to God speak to you.
We know that 4+4 is 8; and 9x9 is 81. We know that vowels are: a, e, i, o, u, and sometimes y. We also know that the rule for pronouncing the word, ‘p-i-n-e’ is pine. We learned to spell words like ‘believe’; 'i' before 'e' except after 'c'. All these things and more we learned in elementary school. These were basic things, or foundational things for us to move forward in many different areas of life. We use these things on a daily basis to press on and mature as a person. You cannot become mature without a foundation to build on. The writer of Hebrews wanted the recipients of this letter to press on to maturity, building upon a foundation of God’s word.
Someone said, "All God's children got problems. Things like financial problems, or relationship problems, family problems, problems of your own making, or even national problems! At times we either run away from the problems or hide from them. Neither one is the right solution.
The scripture gives us some great instruction on how to conquer the problems we encounter.
The theater brought degradation to the people. There is a desire for more blood shed whether hand to hand combat or in general. And people long for more. Many men had many women, multiple divorces. Women began to take leadership roles over men. Killing of babies, or selling children to prostitution. Many suicides, gambling, racing, naked and suggestive pictures and so on. The days are evil. This list of things was not taken from today, although the same things are happening today. They are taken from a book entitled, "The Environment of Earl Christianity" by Samuel Angus describing the time that the gospel was brought into the Roman culture during the early days of the church. Paul wrote on these things that were to come in 2 Timothy 3:1-5. As we look at our society today, let us not lose hope. The Word of God tells us how to live today as the days are evil.
The Word of God has all the answers on how to live for the Lord, if people will just read it and follow it. Dan Whittermore wrote a song called The Maker's Manufacturer's Instruction Manual, which speaks to this subject. If we want the answers we need to consult the source... God's word! Today's message is an admonition for us to let the Lord answer what is right and wrong, not our friends, leaders or anyone else.
As children of God we need to practice or be diligent in living life unto God and be godly. The word Diligence means: marked by persevering, painstaking effort; an earnest, persistent application to an undertaking. Making every effort. Pursuing with a passion, zeal, earnestly. If you are a believer then this passage today is for you!
We like shiny objects. If we see something shining on the ground or in the air or a tree, we want to look at it and see if it has any value. Some people like to wear "bling" so that they will be noticed by others. We like things to sparkle. Just as these things can catch our eye and our attention, we want to look at the holy city coming down out of heaven. We saw that God created a new heaven and earth, now we will go a little further into what John saw as he describes for us the new Jerusalem! It will catch your eye for sure!
In our day, we get excited about a lot of things; a new house, a new car, new clothes, new tools or toys, and so on. But these things do not compare with what were are going to look at today! In the last message, we talked about the 1000 year reign of Christ. At the end of that time God is going to create a new heaven and earth. That is what we are going to examine this morning. It is all that John can do to write this brief statement about what he is seeing. The full picture is what he is trying to describe. After describing the event, he writes more concerning the new Jerusalem because a few words cannot describe fully what he is being shown. So listen to what the Word of God tells us about this time.
Contrary to popular belief, the end of the world does not take place at the end of the tribulation. It will seem like it but things will continue, only in a different way. Remember after the flood there were only 8 people that remained. It did not take long for people began to multiply on the face of the earth again. In the course of 1000 years following the flood we find that the tower of Babel, Abraham, Israel, captivity in Egypt, and on to the period of the Judges. When He comes the second time and destroys those who have rejected Him, three things will take place. Satan will be bound for 1000 years; Those who died in Christ will be brought to life to reign with Christ; and at the end of the 1000 years, Satan will be loosed for a time.
Tis the season…. To buy things that you can’t afford for people who are not necessarily grateful for what they receive. To watch football and eat food. To go to crowded stores and wade through people on the roads...
Nope, that's not what we need to celebrate! Let's celebrate Jesus!
We have spent a few messages speaking about what Jesus told His disciples about the end of the age and the sign of His coming. Although it serves at a summary of what will take place the question begs to be asked, what about the church. This message deals with the church in the last days. And we must first define the church so that we have an understanding of who is the church.
We have seen what Jesus told His disciples about not being misled and the end of the age. Today we want to see the sign of His coming. As I said we are not covering every nuance of His return, but a summary that Jesus told His disciples. In the following few messages we will insert what He tells us about the catching away of the church.
When He comes at the end of the Tribulation in great power and glory, He will be the conquering King that will set up His thousand year reign from Jerusalem. He will sit on the throne of David.
There have been a great number of fires, unsettled weather, and even earthquakes in recent days, but they do not compare with what is to come. Jesus continues to answer the disciples questions that we began last week. When will these things happen, when is the end of the age, and what is the sign of His coming. Jesus lays out for them a summary of what is going to take place. We saw last time that we are to not be misled about these things. And we should not lose heart. We should keep our eyes on Him, trust Him, continue in His word. And, the end of the world will come, but we need to be steadfast in our hope. As we look at the end of the age, that He describes for us, we need to remember these things. As we listen to a brief description of the end of the age, our desire to tell others about Jesus and His salvation should increase!
Over the past 70 plus years there has been questions asked out what the future holds for believers. Are we getting close to the end? Is Christ coming soon? And so forth. Church attenders all want the answers, because life is getting tough, and so many difficult things are happening that make us wander if He is coming soon. Although we are not going to speak on every nuance of the end times, we want to see what God's word has to say. When Jesus was with His disciples they asked Him a question, much like we do today; "Tell us, when will these things happen, and what will be the sign of Your coming, and of the end of the age?" Jesus begins to share with them the answer. He answers them in three brief statements, Don't be Misled, The End of the Age, and The Sign of His Coming. We will cover these three things in the next few weeks and some additional things after that.
In our day, if we want to get an emergency alert, we send it over the airwaves to TV, radio, cell phones, social media, and so on. This has not always been the case. Many years ago, they used to ring the school or church bell to accomplish this. After that they used a siren. There have been many different methods to get people's attention in general, but the one we want to mention about is the trumpet. Throughout the scriptures there were several things that the trumpet was used. The last use that we will see will set in motion a series of messages for the coming weeks.
Are the people around us feeding off the crumbs from our table? There is a world around us that is dying for some - crumbs of hope for their hopelessness, - crumbs of love to conquer their fearfulness, - crumbs of forgiveness to do away with their guilt, - and crumbs of power to deliver themselves from bondage to sin and the evil one. We, as His people, should be feasting at His table and the crumbs that fall should feed the world around us so that they too can come to the table and bask in His blessing!
Paul takes every opportunity to tie together the theme of this letter. He was not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God unto salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek. He labored diligently for this very thing. He showed us the core of this statement through this letter to the Romans. And he broke it down so that we could see it in the fullness of the revelation to all mankind. As he comes to his final word on this wonderful truth, he shows us the practical outworking, the reality of the matter in this final chapter. Listen to this part as a proof of the truth of the gospel. Remember that the gospel is still relevant for today.
As God's people, we need to be convinced that our faith in the Lord Jesus Christ, His death, burial, and resurrection, are how we should live! A believer we have to have a conviction of things hoped for, so that we can live accordingly.
Paul had a conviction about the Gospel! He knew it was the power of God unto salvation to everyone who believes! His final comments to the church at Rome shows that he is convinced that this message of salvation needs to and will go forth!
We are approaching the end of this letter to the Romans. The theme of Romans is, "I am not ashamed of the Gospel, for it is the power of God unto salvation to everyone who believe, to the Jew first and also to the Greek." The letter is an explanation of this very thing. In this passage this morning we see this magnified as Paul speaks to those who are maturing in the faith, and the responsibility it contains; selfless love.
Family dynamics can be interesting. Especially as siblings grow up. The older a child gets, the more knowledge they gain. They use this new found knowledge on the younger siblings in a condemning way. You are not doing it right, like coloring in the lines, or riding a bike, or playing a game. They can become a judge instead of a helper. Paul knows that these same things happen in the family of God. He addresses this with a teaching that will hopefully dispel the judge attitude and cultivate the servant attitude in the family of God
When we were children, we were taught by our parents how to act; some gave good instruction so that we would behave well, and others gave bad instruction and we learned wrong things that we should not do. As Paul continues to speak to those who have believed the Gospel unto salvation, his desire is to instruct us in practical things for living in the world that does not embrace God or His word. He began, in chapter 12, with the admonition to live holy acceptable to God. He continues that in chapter 13.
Especially as we venture out into the world around us!
We talk about the gospel that is the power of God to everyone who believes. But let’s take a moment and step back a little further to why we need the Gospel. What is sin? Disobedience to God’s revealed word, which is rejecting God who created us. Genesis 2:15-17. What are the consequences of sin? Decay; death, physical and spiritual; eternal separation from God in the lake of fire.
The good news of the Gospel. The facts are that Jesus, who is God, came to die for our sin, satisfying the debt of sin. Jesus rose again from the dead, so that we would be saved from the wrath of God, spiritual death, and the lake of fire. We receive eternal life with God in heaven. Because of these things, those who believe are Living the Life! Paul's appeal to act carries on in the following passages
The Gospel is the power of God unto salvation to everyone who believes. Paul has spent much time explaining the power of the gospel, but now, knowing all this, it is an appeal to act!
Because of the gospel, Paul had a desire for his own people Israel to know the power of God unto salvation! He knows that the Gospel message is to the Jew as well as the Gentile. He wants us to know how God's plan will be done regarding both. As we think about the salvation of other gentiles, let us not forget to pray for salvation for Israel.
Sometimes we get bogged down in the reading of passages or chapters, and miss the intended message. I would encourage you to read the following passage in Romans 11 as follows, without the verse numbers to break it up. 1; 7; 11; 17; 25; 33.
Paul begins this passage with a determination that he started this letter with. His desire, his heart's desire, and prayer to God, comes from his conviction of the Gospel. He said it is the power of God unto salvation to everyone who believes. His motivation and passion was to tell the Gentile world, but he wanted to see his own people, the Jews, come to the truth of salvation in Jesus Christ!
The letter of Romans is like a head of lettuce. The head of lettuce represents Paul's statement that the Gospel is the power of God unto salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek. As we continue to peel back each leaf of lettuce we find the in depth explanation of the Gospel that God made before the foundation of the world.
In the gospel, we see the power of God unto salvation to everyone who believes! Also in our progression through this statement, we see another layer to the gospel, and that is hope. Without hope we have nothing to look forward to. Depression and defeat set in and we wither away. For those who have believed and put their faith in the God, they have a hope that springs eternal!
Paul is a master writer, being led by the Spirit to write these things about the Gospel of God! He is able to speak about the whole of the Gospel while at the same time, peeling back the layers that comprise the fullness of the Gospel. He is careful to keep the primary focus that the Gospel is the power of God unto salvation to everyone who believes, while reminding us that we are free to live without the encumbrance of the flesh, while we do what is pleasing to God. This passage today emphasizes the importance of the Spirit of God in the Gospel as the power of God in us. So, pay attention to what he says about being in the Spirit.
As we continue to journey through this letter of Paul's to the Romans, we are reminded that that the Gospel is what he shared with them, and us. There are many facets of the Gospel, yet one truth. Paul had a God given purpose to declare the Gospel and its power to all. This passage unfolds the relationship of the Law of God and the Gospel of God. It gives us a clear look at what we need to know about both of them so that we can see how the Gospel gives to us victory to live unto God!
Once again we are looking at the letter to the Romans. Paul makes the statement at the beginning, “For I am not ashamed of the Gospel, for it is the power of God unto salvation to everyone who believes”. And, as we have seen thus far, we have seen how he unfolds the truth of the gospel, so that we have a better understanding of it for our lives.
Last time we shared about how we are free to live in Christ. But he goes further to help us understand what that means. Are we slaves to sin or slaves to righteousness?
It seems that throughout the history of faith, we find ourselves listening to the whisper and the lull of the devil. He wants all people to follow him in rebellion against God. He exploits our mind and our flesh to do things that are only destructive. If we have put our faith in the Lord Jesus Christ, then he wants us to be defeated and as such, unproductive for God. But the Good News of the Gospel is that we are free to live this life unto God! It is the avenue of blessing. So much of the scripture speaks of the grace, mercy and love we receive from following God’s word. So, in this message we want to look at the realization that we are free from sin.
In this letter to the Romans, Paul speaks about the gospel. It is the power of God unto salvation to everyone who believes! He unfolds the gospel and the inner workings that makes it Great News! The passage today has a powerful message for the world and those who believe! It is the message of an unbelievable life that we can have in Christ Jesus.
Again we come to another step in Paul's explanation of the Gospel he held so dear. God used him to record for us the unfolding of the Gospel, for it is the power of God unto salvation to everyone who believes. So how are we made righteous before God according to the Gospel? We will address this in this passage this morning.
We live in a world that makes a point to say who is better than another. Our whole society labors intensely to see who can be the best, receiving the most money, applause, and recognition in their field of work. This clashes with what the Bible tells us about the gospel, and everyone who is a part of it. Let's be like the word of God and not the world. The Gospel is the power of God unto salvation, to the Jew first and also to the Greek. So now Paul must address the obvious question that the Jew would have, if I am a Jew and cannot judge others, what advantage is being a Jew? They were under the teaching that they were God's chosen people (and they are) and that they, who were righteous, could not associate with the unchosen people (the uncircumcised). Since this difference is taken away in the Gospel, what advantage is being a Jew.
Last week we began our trek through the book of Romans. Paul gives us the reason that he writes this letter. It is the Gospel of God to man. We need to recognize the difference between believing in the Gospel and the rejecting of the Gospel. Even though he lays this out very clearly, he continues to show the power of God to all and not so that a person can stand in judgment of others. This passage starts with what was just stated, Speaking to both Jew and Gentile at Rome. The facts of the matter are that the first things mentioned are where we should be, and the second things are not acceptable to God for anyone. And 1 Peter 4:17 tells us that judgment must begin with the household of God first!
There are many voices in the world today that say they have the truth. They bombard our time and our thinking and our hearts with things that are not true. We need to guard ourselves against these thing with the truth found only in God’s word.
We want to begin today on a series of messages from the book of Romans. It is a treatise or a systematic explanation of the truth to Gentile believers. Like the book of Hebrews that was written to the Jewish believers. As we go through this series, we need to keep the continuity of the explanation in our thinking, so that we do not get off the path.
God has called us to walk worthy of our calling. He wants us to tell others that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believes in Him will not perish but have everlasting life. Our lives should demonstrate that to others, daily, moment by moment. When we do, it will bring trouble upon us, especially in this day!
Here is a passage of scripture that teaches us how to have joy in trouble when we challenge an ungodly world.
For 30 years in full time ministry, the message that I have preached has been focused on teaching and admonishing people to walk with the Lord according to His word. The reason is that the world, our country, our society has drifted away from the truth. Christians are taking on the ways of the world instead of Christ. As I observe the progression away from worship of our God, I am convinced that we are not ready when the fire of opposition shows its face. In fact we are at that point now. We live in a godless society and we are being attacked on every side. So, how are we reacting to this? Are we hiding among the world and its ways, or are we taking a firm stand on the word of God that we say is our foundation.
Today is celebrated as Mother's day. Mothers borne us; cared for us; fed us; taught us; nagged us; all because they love us! Their instruction was something that would keep us doing what is right, if we listened to it. We have a great example of a mother's prayer to show us how to trust in God.
Have you ever built a house? There are many parts of the process; building plans, foundation, framing, roofing, wiring, sheetrock, floors, paint, etc. Building a house requires time, effort, know how, or skill. It takes many different people to make it happen.
Building for the Lord is no different; -building means growing and maturing in the Lord; -building means service; -and building means pleasing Him in all things.
Unless the Lord builds the house, they labor in vain who build it. Psalm 127:1
The days are evil! You might say it is not that bad, there is still good out there. That is exactly what the world and satan wants you to believe. We have been conditioned by the schools, movies, tv shows, news, social media, and the list goes on. We have taught people to love themselves above anyone else, go after the money by establishing what is considered poor. There are people out there defying the powers that be because they want their own way. There are a large number of families that have children that are disrespectful, and disobedient because of what they have been taught. People are not grateful for what they have. There are people who bully others to manipulate them to do things their way. There are people who gossip maliciously to bring others down. Many people are downright wicked. They are brutal to others. They are stupid and foolish. They pursue pleasure without restraint of any kind. They play the religious game, even though they do not believe.
Being a Christian requires the Master's Equipment to live for God. The most important piece of equipment is the word of God. It is required for us to be successful.
We need to know about equipment, and how to use it. To make sure we get the right, not a cheap imitation. Then we need to familiarize ourselves with it, so we can use it properly to accomplish the goal. The goal is to be like Christ.
Here we are celebrating the resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ! The holiest day for those of us who believe! It is the defeat of sin and the fullness of our eternal hope! The condition of man is without hope for redemption if we are the ones to bring it about; whether in our own circumstances, or national circumstances, even in our life as sinners before God. The only way for redemption to happen is when people seek out the Redeemer of man. Oh, we come up with temporary fixes, but nothing that will last. Only God can redeem us; and He has! As we look at His redemption today, may we come away with a gratitude for His redemption.
We are on a journey of faith! Every day, week, month, year we are on a journey. We make an annual journey to remember the things that give us salvation from sin and eternal life with the Lord in heaven. The song of ascents was important for Israel as they made their journey to Jerusalem. These songs reflected confession of sin, praise for Almighty God, humbled hearts, Thanksgiving to God for deliverance, and dependence upon the covenant God of Israel. We need to model our lives as believers in the same way. We do not need to travel to Jerusalem as Israel does, but we can make this trek reminding ourselves who our God is and the deliverance that He gave us at the cross.
We live in a world today that does not have any great expectations to give us encouragement and hope for tomorrow! In 2 weeks we celebrate our salvation and our hope. Jesus Christ, very God Himself, came to die for our sin and cause us to have and eternal hope, life everlasting for those who put their faith and trust in Him. Rest your faith on the hope we have in eternal life with God. In light of the fact that we are sinners, we are saved by faith. Because of this we have a great expectation that awaits those who trust in and follow the Lord Jesus Christ! Don't be downhearted for we are to be looking up, because our redemption draws near! We want to renew our hope and expectation for the days ahead!
We are approaching the high and holy day of our faith. Jesus went to the cross and suffered and died for our sin and rose again so that we could have victory over sin, death and hell! It will do us well to remember what sin is, so that we can remember His precious sacrifice for all. Sin is a terrible thing. It separates us from the Creator. It causes us to live a life of destruction. People who sin without repentance and faith in the finished work of Christ are dead; separated from the giver of life. Their life's goal is hell! The one who has repented and by faith in the finished work of Christ is made alive by the Giver of life. Sin does not have power over us. However, at this point people have not remembered what God says is sin. In fact the motto of the day is, It's just Sin, as if it has no consequences. This message is for us to see and define what sin is; what God has said sin is, so that we can turn away from it by the power of God in us. And for those who do not believe to be convicted of their sin.
As I get older, I find that running any distance from non activity is probably not profitable, unless there is an EMT just a few feet away. And no matter what our age, we have been told that we must first condition our bodies, do a little practice, before we take on running a race. As a Christian it is no different. For us to run the race that is set before us, we need to know why and how to run, then we need to practice the instruction we have been given, and then we can run the race. Too many times I have seen God's people trying to run the race and fall flat on their face. This message shows us, from God's Word, just how to run the race.
Throughout our life there are times when we mark milestones. There are things such as getting a drivers license, or graduation, or getting married, or a new baby, or a new job, or retirement. As these are important, there are many other milestones in your walk with the Lord; the day you were saved, or the time the Lord directed your path differently than you thought, or the day you shared the gift of salvation with a friend; or maybe when you were baptized; or any number of significant events as you walk with the Lord in the light of His word. It is good to mark these events and remember them. It is showing us how God has been at work in our life for His good pleasure and our blessing. The scripture underscores this process of marking these events for remembrance.
What occupies your thinking? Is it the local or national news? Is it financial things? Is it family things? How about your daily life? Clothing; food; work What kind of preparations have you made for the future? Housing; job; retirement. The Lord will return at an unknown time and bring judgment with Him. It may be soon, so do not delay in coming to Him for salvation, if you have not already. When His mercy ends, judgment comes and then it is too late. His judgment is coming upon the ungodly; those who have rejected the conviction of the Holy Spirit. And what awaits is the lake of fire. We want to examine the scripture in light of these things!
Are you ready for some football. This is the cry of Monday night football, Thursday night football and maybe even the upcoming Super Bowl. The call, Are you ready, has been going out for 2000 years! It is a call to the unsaved world and to the church of Jesus Christ. Are you ready for His coming? The only problem is no one is listening. We want to encourage you today with being ready for the Lord's return!
The Marine Corps has a motto, Semper Fidelis, which means, Always Faithful or Loyal. As fitting as this is for the Marine Corps, it is more fitting for believers in Jesus Christ. As a believer, we have one mindset as we live by faith in the promises of God, be faithful! This message is an admonition to be faithful to the Lord all of your life.
As believers through faith in God, we have a legacy to leave! When we leave this place, whether through death or moving to a different place, we have a left something behind. It is what people thought about us while we were among them. When people move to a new place, it is interesting to hear what impact they have left behind. This message is for us to consider what will be left behind when we leave this place.
No matter where we go on our journey through this life as believers, there are opportunities to share the Good News! We are such a transient society today that it is not unusual for people to find themselves in new places every few years.
In so doing there are many people wherever we go who need to hear or see the truth of God's word. The places we find ourselves at can have different character or even cultures that need to hear the truth of God's word. So we find that the possibilities can be endless for us to share the truth.
The birth of Christ is the greatest, most significant event in the history of the world! It is the pivot point for life and death! Without His birth, He would not have died on the cross for our sin, and we would die because of sin, eternally separated from God, Who created us!
Yet people today want to take away the birth of Christ, because it offends them, or they desire other things. A local person on their blog on the internet was advocating to take Christmas away from believers in Christ, and make it theirs, give it the honor of celebration of nature and the like. How absurd! Do they not understand that Christmas is to remember the birth of CHRIST?
Waiting for the birth of a child can be exciting, exhausting, and fearful for the parents. During the time between the announcement of the coming of Messiah and the time of His arrival caused many to be excited, weary, and fearful.
The announcement brought with it an excitement or expectation that was passed from generation to generation. Then there was a weariness because of what seemed like forever, that brought some to wonder when it would happen. As the final preparations began the excitement was renewed once again.
When a husband and wife are expecting a child, they send out announcements to family and friends. They want others to experience the joy they have, and to rejoice with them in their excitement of adding to their family! These notes are beautifully crafted for the wonderful news!
When God's plan for sending His Son to be born, there was great excitement and joy! Every year we celebrate the birth of Jesus! God even wrote an announcement of the event that was coming in a book and sent it out to family and friends!
In this message we are going to look at that announcement!
It only takes one generation to have the God of all creation forgotten! And have people not know who is the Savior of all mankind! The message today shows how we can recognize the need and share the truth of the Gospel of Salvation to a lost and dying world. There is a time of judgment coming when God will call home to heaven, those who received salvation, and the casting into the Lake of Fire those who have rejected His salvation.
You have heard the saying, "If life gives you lemons, make lemonade". There are times in our lives that we start out with a plan to look for opportunities to serve the Lord. As we begin to do, we can see the Lord at work! Sometimes things seem to go very wrong and we find ourselves at odds with the authorities. When this happens, "make lemonade!"
This passage gives us the encouragement and power to continue to use every opportunity to serve our Lord.
We all have a mission in life. Some people have a mission of making lots of money, some for gaining knowledge, some want to be in the spotlight, and others seek to lead a quiet life. As a believer in the Lord Jesus Christ, being saved by His grace, our mission in life should be wrapped up in knowing Him and serving Him! Jeremiah 9:23, 24 says, "Thus says the LORD, "Let not a wise man boast of his wisdom, and let not the mighty man boast of his might, let not a rich man boast of his riches; but let him who boasts boast of this, that he understands and knows Me, that I am the LORD who exercises lovingkindness, justice and righteousness on earth; for I delight in these things," declares the LORD." It is not only the primary mission in our life, but we should ask the Lord how to expand this mission.
Value is something that is subject to the person. You have heard the saying, “one man’s junk is another man’s treasure”. The value of something is based on its part in the plan that you want to accomplish. Someone can discard something that has no value to them, while another person sees great, or intrinsic value in the discarded item. This same kind of thing happens with people in the church. Every believer in Jesus has value in the body of Christ. Even though not obvious to all, there is a place for all.
There are over 300 denominations in the United States. It is a way that some of God's people have figured out how to keep people under their thumb, and be subjected to one sided, false, or subjective teaching. It produces division among God's people, and unsettles the soul of many believers. Today's message shows how this can happen and how to resolve these issues.
In our current day, there is a barrage of many gods that have become acceptable and embraced as real! It started back with what seemed like a harmless portrayal of superheros. They began with the likes of superman, batman, flash. They all possessed superhuman powers. Unfortunately, they added many who were created in the line of Greek Mythology, like wonder woman, fashioned after the goddess diana, thor, after the god of thunder, aqua man, from the god posiden. Many of these were created by those who came from higher education, who were pagan in their beliefs and created, or recreated the gods of myth, which have their origins in the demonic. Listen to how we can persevere against error today!
In a battleground situation there is always the chance for part of the troops to take on friendly fire. It happens when the made group of soldiers are not aware of the movements of another. There are times in the church where the religious people start shooting at those who would bring Good News about freedom in Christ.
In the past 2000 years we have made the church of our Lord Jesus Christ into a religious business. We have divided it up into sections, appointed people over each section, trying to make it a well oiled machine that does nothing.
We need to get back to the basics of what the church is here for and get on track to do what we should be doing, equipping the saints for service to God wherever God places them.
We have wars and rumors of wars, unrest at every turn, and we have those who follow man instead of the word of God! These are unsettled times that we live! How are we, as believers, supposed to live? God's word gives us some great insight into this situation. As we know, God's word has all the answers if we will listen.
If we are following the example that God gave us in Acts 11, we will be going out to establish a beach head in the world around us! His plan was for His people to share the good news with the unsaved in word and deed. Then gather those together who believe and establish an assembly for encouragement, and instruction. Listen to how they did it in the early church.
The message of salvation is for all people! But maybe they are not enthusiastic in hearing the message because we, as believers, do not seem to be excited about our salvation. This message shows us the transition from a select group of people, to the ethnos, the people, the nations. God's plan was that all would hear the Good News, and He wants to use us to proclaim it!
Sometimes we are attacked for being a Christian by the very religious institutions that hate what we stand for! Saul was an example of this. We see two lessons in the passage today. The first is that God can take those who oppose us as believers and turn them into a great defender of the faith. The second is that God uses these times of persecution of His people to build them up! So listen to what God tells us in His word!
When the topic of telling others about Jesus comes up, God's people want to run away and hide! God wants His people to tell others, even though many are not evangelists or outgoing. The message today shows us how to be used of God to tell others about Jesus, just like we are!
Do you have a 'theology' or a practice concerning what you believe? This passage helps us to see the reality in what we believe! Do we follow Jesus completely or are we just hoping to have fire insurance, or even hoping to make a little money in this thing we call life as a believer? Listen, and then ask the Lord to show you your heart!
Every day there is a battle brewing between heaven and hell! We often find ourselves in the middle of the battle, but how we approach it is dependent on what the battle is about. Here is a lesson on how we can do battle for the right reasons and for the right results.
There is always things that come up in a church setting that need to be resolved. In the early Church, there was a need to make sure the feeding of the widows was being handled correctly. The Apostles handled this situation that serves as a pattern for any situation that arises in the church today; they appointed men to the task. Listen to see how God blessed in this situation for His glory!
Lying to God is not something anyone would want to do, and yet it happens all the time! We should be diligent to keep our promises to God! This message shows what happened and can happen to those who think God will not hold us accountable if we lie to Him.
Every year we celebrate freedom in these United States. But, are we faithful in celebrating our freedom in Christ with the same jubilation? As believers, we have a greater celebration regarding our freedom in Christ, so lets talk about it!
This message continues on from last week. The need for rebellion among Christians against the wave of the world is needed before we are completely swallowed up with the deception! There are consequences, however, to living and proclaiming the truth to a world who rejects it. But stand firm and press on, following the the Lord who leads us!
The rebellion continues! This passage tells us again about our right and privilege to live according to the word of God, without intimidation. Again, it is our joy to show others the salvation that gives us eternal life, and bring glory to God!
It is time for rebellion! As Christians we need to practice what we preach, and not be regulated to the background in our society! We need to show the world that we are Christians without compromise! Join me as we go through the book of Acts, starting with being witnesses for Jesus!
Every believer should be developing a heart for God! It is more than showing up to church, once or twice a week. It is drawing near to the Savior and Guardian of our souls. We must be driven by a heart that seeks to know God more!
Sometimes we have preconceived notions, traditions, habits and such as these that keep us from listening to and practicing the simple things God has given us to do! The message today commands us to desire things above. Listen to His word and make the necessary changes in your life to bring it in line with His word!
We pick up again with the series on Practical Christian Living. This message speaks concerning the believer and the will of the Lord. It is imperative in our day and time that we pay attention to the word of the Lord about His will. We need to understand it, so that we can change what we are doing to receive His blessing. Even though we will speak about things that we do not like to hear in this passage, it is for our benefit, so listen and obey His word!
Remembering the resurrection of the Lord Jesus Christ, reminds us that there is a battle for your soul! Even though satan has been defeated at the cross, believers live like he has power over them. At the cross, satan was cast out of power and defeated! Therefore we need to live a raised up life of victory!
Imitating someone is prevalent in our society! A person's world is wrapped up in another person and loses their identity. If it is a person we imitate, then when they die we will have nothing, but if we imitate God, then we have everything, because He lives! So, the message today is about imitating God as His beloved children.
As Christians today, we have exploited grace! We are living as those who have not order or guidelines for being a follower of Jesus Christ. We need to get our act together and be truly followers of God! This message begins a 7 part series on Practical Living.
We are on the verge of disaster in the church and in the United States! There is only one way to divert what is coming upon us. God has the answer, if we will only listen!
Heaven and Hell are real places! The Word of God tells us about them and that they are the destiny of believers and non-believers. It surprises me how many people believe they, or their loved ones are going to heaven, yet do not believe or live for the Lord in their life. The Bible is clear, and we should be too, as to our destiny, heaven or hell!
It amazes me that a low percentage of people believe there is a devil! The devil has been assigned a place of a little red man with horns, and a pitch fork. This is exactly what the devil wants you to believe. But today's message will reveal the devil according to the Word of God, so be sure to listen!
Sometimes we need to put the world on hold and take a look at our Awesome God! There are too many things that pull at us one way or another, there is a lot of discontentment, trials and sorrows. But the one thing we can count on to lift us up is to behold our God!
In the history of the church, we have seen it dissolve into an institution instead of a living organism! It runs like a well oiled machine, but it doesn't do anything. It is as if the church has left its first love to become a business! We want to look at the scriptures to see what this thing call church is all about!
We have all kinds of lifelines today. They are used to get us out of trouble when we find ourselves in trouble. But the only lifeline you need is the Lifeline of Grace. Don't be fooled by what others may say about salvation, listen to what the Word of God says!
The word of God gives us the facts about man! The world wants you to believe that man came from some primordial soup and has evolved into what we are today. They even want you to believe that we will reach a utopian society in the course of evolving in this manner. However, God has given us the truth about man, that he was created by God. This message speaks of man's purpose, condition and destiny.
If you believe in the Lord Jesus Christ as your Savior, then remembering that the Bible is essential for knowing about the Lord our God is of utmost importance! We will look at The Book briefly in this message so that we will be diligent to use the Word of God!
There are many things we believe in our day but there are some things we believe that should be at the foundation of our life as a believer in God! This is the first of seven messages on the things we believe. Today we briefly and unapologetically present what the Scripture says about the Lord our God!
What a joyful way to spend the day we commemorate the birth of Christ! This message considers the joy of the shepherds as they hear the wonderful news of the birth of Messiah! Why the shepherds? Well listen and see.
This is the third message concerning the birth of Christ! In Isaiah 9, we see the Christ is to be the King of Kings! Allow you attention to be drawn to the truth that we commemorate on December 25th, not pulled off to pagan rituals and such. Honor the King!
It seems odd to have a message about the suffering of Jesus at this time of year. In an attempt to draw our attention to the real meaning of Christ's birth, we need to see what His birth means to us! Jesus was born, and it is a glorious day to remember, but it demands that we remember why in a time when everything has been so commercialized! May your heart be drawn closer to Him!
The day we celebrate Jesus birthday is coming! In a series of 5 messages, I hope to draw your attention to His birth! We begin this message with a look at Jesus after His resurrection as the fulfillment of Jubilee, our Jubilee. Be sure to listen as we see Jesus not in a manger but as Lord!
We are approaching the Christmas holiday. Where is your focus? Is it on the pagen part of this season or upon the wonderful truth of God with us? This message is a gentle reminder that the birth of Christ should be our focus!
In times like these - whether it is a personal storm or a national storm raging, we need to keep our eyes, our heart, and our minds focused on Jesus! Here is a message to help you remember to do just that.
Sometimes we encounter those who hate what the church is and stands for. It is not a time for us to cringe and find a place to hide, but rather to realize what we are doing is touching souls with the truth. No matter what comes against us, God's plan will prevail! So, listen to our recent attack and how God has prevailed in this situation and how He will prevail in all our situations, as we follow Him!
There is more to life than being born, passing time, and then death. There is more to life than people reading what we have done in an epitaph. To answer the question about life and living it to the fullness, we want to look at Psalm 90 in this message to see what God tells us about it!
What is our testimony as a Christian? Or maybe the better question is, what is a testimony? Listen to the message and find out what a testimony is and what it means for us today as believers in Jesus Christ!
This is the last of the three sermons from Isaiah. God has exposed His people, He has reproved them and now He is declaring His decision!
After exposing His people and their deeds to all of creation, the Lord reproves His people and then gives them the remedy to fix the problem. We, as His people today, need to listen to this reproof and remedy!
God calls to all creation to hear about the condition of His people! It is not pleasant to hear, but it is needful. Even though it was written almost 3000 years ago, it applies to the church today! Listen to this first part of a three part message to the church and to the world from Isaiah 1.
Fanny Crosby wrote the hymn, "My Savior First of All". At the start of the second verse she penned, "O the soul filling rapture when I view His blessed face". Sometimes we are so laden down with our journey here that we forget about that soul thrilling rapture when we see Jesus. The message today is reminding us of that wonderful hope we have in Jesus. Listen and rejoice in your soul!
Of all the daily reminders, this passage is probably the hardest do implement! To subject ourselves to anythings goes against the grain, and we want to rebel. However, these things can bring great joy and peace if we follow them!
We face evil everyday of our lives. It can be a challenge, but with these daily reminders you are able to overcome! So listen and remember what the Word of God tells us about these things.
In the course of walking with God, one of the hardest things for us to do is to be a blessing to others. And, once again, we need to be reminded daily about such things. Listen to see if you too need to be reminded to be a blessing to others, and therefore bring glory to the Lord with your life!
Daily reminders are important and this message gives us the first four that we should remember as we walk with God. I hope you listen intently and remind yourself about these daily. They will assist you in a closer walk with the Lord.
The world today does not fear God! What is even worse is the church that is called by the Name of the Lord Jesus Christ, does not fear God! In this message we want to see briefly what it means to fear God, and then show you that we are more blessed when we do!
If we are a born again believer, then we are set apart unto God, which means we are saints! As saints, we need training. Just like a child needs training to become a mature adult, so the saints need training to become mature Christians. Therefore it is important to avail yourself as a saint to the training found in God's word. Listen to see how this unfolds from God's word for us today!
With things shaping up in our nation and society the way they are, the question remains, how will we endure? The answer is easy, by walking with God. In Matthew and Luke we are given 7 principles for walking with God. Listen and hear these principles today, writing them down to remember them as you make your way through your days on this earth!
In this passage today we find that Israel was engaged in the things of the world instead of the things of God. It was a progression that caused His people to wander away from His word. The same progression can be seen in our day. People who claim to know the Lord do not gather to worship with other believers but gather with those who desire the pleasures of this life, and so become complacent and not interested in attending church to worship the God who purchased them. We want to see how we can reverse the trend in the message this today!
Every day we face troubles. But sometimes they seem to rise to 10 feet tall! Overwhelming problems that seem to have no solutions. In the message today, we find how to tackle the big problems in our lives through the lessons of the Word of God!
This message summarizes the teaching of Jesus to His disciples on the mount. Be sure to listen so that you can recall what He said, then you must make the decision to be wise and follow His truth, or foolish and reject what He teaches. The ball is in your court!
We live a life of challenges and joys, and sometimes we find life is hard. For a disciple of Jesus Christ, we need to be ready for whatever comes our way. The only way that we can accomplish this is to make sure we are putting His word into our hearts so that we act upon the Word instead of our own thinking. It comes from a relationship with God born out of action and not head knowledge! Listen to His word how we can keep pressing on in the fellowship of righteousness!
As Jesus continues to teach His disciples in right living, He continues on with possessions, worry, and judging. these things apply to all of His disciples! So listen to His instruction.
In our daily life as a disciple of Jesus Christ, we, of all people should desire to live according to righteousness instead of ritual! We are instructed in this passage to not be like the hypocrites, those who put on the mask. Oh, they look good to everyone around them, but their heart has no connection to the Lord. Continue to listen to the instruction of the Lord to His disciples!
The Lord continues to give instruction to His disciples. He never left them to live life on a guessing basis. In this passage, Jesus tells them that the Law is not done away with because it shows God's holiness, instead the fulfillment of it comes through Him because of His blood shed for us. Here is instruction for every disciple. It will keep you on the way of blessing!
Living for Jesus means that we are His disciple! One who desires to learn what it means to be a child of the King! This message begins with some items that we need to learn concerning what a disciple of Christ is all about. This is the first in a series about Living for Jesus.
It is becoming more difficult to walk according to the Word of God today! We can even become stressed out in the process. There are some wonderful things that can help us to regain our perspective and hang on to our hope.
Here is a message taken from Psalm 32 where David gave instruction of what it means to be joyful or blessed as a child of God! It is simple and direct. It has truths we need to remember at all times. Unchangeable because God is the One who decided these things before the foundation of the world.
The Lord gave us tools to live the Christian life. They are not laws for you to tow the mark but tools for blessing! He wants us to be strengthened with power through His Spirit in the inner man! Listen today and see if you are using the tools provided for His glory!
We have a problem! Our nation is heading headstrong for hell. The church has abandoned its purpose, and everyone is just waiting for someone to fix it. The Bible tells us that this is nothing new. However to fix it requires a few steps, understanding that there is a problem, acknowledging that there is a problem, and then how God shows us how to fix the problem.
This is the conclusion to the previous two messages in Joel. It follows on the heels of passion week, as it shows us the joy that awaits us after much tribulation!
The Resurrection is a powerful message that everyone needs to hear! It is the greatest day for those who believe, remembering the price that was paid for our sin and the promises that are ours in Christ! The message also has a blessed truth for those who do not know the Savior. Take time to listen and remember what it means for Christ to rise from the dead!
We approach Palm Sunday with apathy because we have heard the story many times. However, our approach is wrong! This should be a time for believers to rejoice in the event that begins with Jesus entering Jerusalem knowing where it will lead and ending with the risen Lord! Today listen to the message that speaks to Jesus willfully obeying the Father as He goes to the cross!
What is it going to take? We have often spoke of revival in America, but it is more an arrival, not of what is good, but what is destructive! The church today is in a horrible mess because we have allowed and even embraced that which is not of God, in the name of God. However, with the arrival of these things, we can also see God's call to return to Him. As you listen, may God challenge your own heart!
I believe a lot of people, especially Christians, do not see what is going on in our day. The prophet Joel spoke about things that were going to happen and related it to a locust swarm. What he said then, at the prompting of God, is relevant for us today, and we, God's people, need to wake up at take notice!
There are a lot of people today that think they are wise, however the truth is that they might be smart, but not wise. True wisdom comes from God! Listen as we talk about wisdom for today.
The Lord has put His children on a track that takes us to the place He prepared for us. Often times we get derailed. These are the times we need to cry out to the Lord to put us back on track. Let's learn this lesson from a blind man.
There is an agenda that is directed toward Christians in these days. There are people who desire to take down, defeat, and remove Christians from this nation. Yet, in spite of this, we, as Christians need to make a mark on the society and nation in which we live. The letter of Jude gives us some things to remember and use to make this happen.
In a world that is full of turmoil, believers need encouragement! This passage in Isaiah 26 gives us encouragement!
Everyone wants patience, in fact many resolve at the beginning of the year to be more patience. Is patience that hard for Christians to obtain. Listen to what the Word tells us about patience!
In a day where being a Christian is not popular, we must stand for the truth! This passage from Judges 6 & 7 gives us some encouragement in what God has called us to do as believers.
We are often challenged by the pull of the world around us. It is not difficult to see through advertising, non believing friends, the desire of the flesh and eyes, and so on. How can we gain the victory? Well Psalm 73 gives us a pattern for gaining the victory over these things!
As we begin a new year, let us resolve to remember our new beginnings in Christ. This message serves as a reminder of our new life in Christ!
The conditions of the nations at the time of Jesus' birth were not much different than what we see today in our nation and society. In the midst of all of this, there were still some godly people. A godly man meets with Jesus in the temple and speaks of times of refreshing from the Lord. Listen and learn some nuggets of truth to hold on to in this chaotic day!
We have heard this story over and over again. But before you dismiss it as another account of the Christmas story, listen to this grand account again, and consider what this means to you. You might even hear somethings about He birth you had never thought of. Hopefully it blesses you as it has me!
This is a short message about John the Baptist, who was the point man for the coming of Christ Jesus! It has a great application for us today.
Yeshua is the name for Jesus in the Hebrew. As you begin this season that we call Christmas, may your heart and mind be focused on God Saves, God with us, and not the external pull of the world.
Rebuilding our lives for the Lord is the most important thing we can do in the midst of chaos and apathy. This message is the second of two messages on the need for us to rebuild. This is the part that shows us that God is with us and will bless us as we rebuild and stand firm in His word.
This message is for the church today! We are being badgered and deceived into things that do not belong in the church, bringing apathy among God's people. We need to rise and rebuild as a people of God!
Gold everywhere! That is the report in 1848 which started a mad rush for gold, free for the taking! We have Gold everywhere, free for the taking, but few people pick it up. Today we want to look at some of the gold lying around and then how to mine it. Then we will be richer than anyone could imagine...
No one likes to talk about sin, even, or especially in the church today. Consequently the lines of sin are fuzzy and people justify their sinful actions in a number of ways. Today, we review what the word says concerning sin; and, Yes, even making specific points to what is sin according to the word of God. The good part is that if we know what sin is, we can, by the power of the Holy Spirit, refuse to present ourselves to it, being victorious in our lives as a believer.
In a day and age that seems to drag us into negativity, it is always good to be reminded from God's Word how to be glad! This is a simple, and profound truth, and one we need to remember as believers!
Attitude Check! We sometimes think more highly of ourselves than we should. In the message today we look at what kind of attitude we should have based on the example given us in His word.
In these present days our faith is being tested! But that is and can be a good thing. A faith that is untested is not faith but a convenient religious activity. There are some things we need to be reminded of, as believers, concerning our faith. So, stay tuned to see what the Word of God has to tell us!
There are facts in Scripture that are precious to those who believe in the Lord Jesus Christ as their Savior. This message looks at 7 fundamentals found in Revelation 2,3.
The Days of Grace and the Days of Tribulation are not the final chapter in God's plan for the ages. There is still the 1000 year reign and the final judgment. Stay tuned as we take a brief look at these things today.
Days of Tribulation are coming! But what does that mean for Christians. In a brief time today we want to look at only a small portion, yet a very pointed portion of the days of Tribulation.
The End Times are on the horizon. Under the heading of the Second Coming we have two categories, The Days of Grace and The Days of Tribulation. This message talks first about the Days of Grace briefly and the conclusion of those days. God is great that He has given us these things in His word for us to know!
In answer to Daniel's prayer, the Angel Gabriel was sent with a message about the end of days. Some look at this with a shroud of mystery. It was not intended to be a mystery, it was intended to be a revelation of what was to come for God's people. As you listen may our Lord give you understanding concerning this passage.
This is the first of several messages on the End Times. Let's see what the Word of God tells us about these things. As we begin there are some fundamental things we as believers need to remember. So listen and glean what the Lord tells us.
Rest for the soul is a vital part of being a Christian. Sometimes and on a regular basis, we need to take time to rest. Resting means sitting at the feet of Jesus, enjoying His fellowship. So listen to this message and find rest for your soul.
Peter was a man that we can all identify with. He jumped in where angels fear to trod; he was part of many miracles that Jesus did; and he was ready to ask the tough questions and counsel God when he thought things were going wrong. We can gain a lot of lessons from Peter, and gain some insight on how the Lord loves us. Listen and see.
Persistent prayer is necessary and important for us as believers. It is not just something to occupy our time, it is the fuel that runs our lives. Make sure you are persistent in prayer.
Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good. We are in a battle that only seems hopeless. It is important not to lose focus on what is necessary to fight this battle. Listen today to see what we should be doing instead of panic.
It is important in these days to imitate God, but if it is just theory, they you have nothing but knowledge. When you apply your understanding of His will, then you live a life of success! It is tough to persevere, but we can with His help!
Believers need to do this one thing - Imitate God as beloved children!
Watch and observe God, in His word and in others and imitate Him in your life!
The worth of your life is not determined by the world, but by God! If you are a believer, this message is for you. You have great worth to God and He tells us how to accomplish it.
As believers, success is not what the world dictates, but what God's word tells us! If we want to succeed in living the Christian life, we must plan to succeed. The scripture gives us the key to success, so listen in to this message for the truth!
Belonging to God is an important part of the life of the believer. It means that we are no longer outsiders to God because we are not a Jew. It also means that Jesus is our peace and we are fellow citizens with the saints!
Grace unlimited is what God offers to mankind. The reason He does, and what He offered is tucked neatly in this passage. However there is one more thing that must be done, we need to believe by faith and adopt His ways as our ways to experience His grace for eternity!
There are certain things that are essential for living the Christian Life. Without them we can stumble and fall, or live a life without the blessing of God. Here are some truths that will anchor you in the Christian Life.
Here is a foundational fact of God's Grace! It was given to us by God and it is only found in Christ. Believer, don't ever forget that you have everything from God in Christ. He set this plan by His will before the foundation of the world, and it will not change!
In the middle of a chaotic world, we need to know that, as a believer, we are blessed. Seven ways to know we are blessed, and you will find it different from the world's view of blessed!
Sometimes we need to be reminded of the events of the resurrection. This message is to remember the hope we have because He is risen.
When Jesus entered Jerusalem, He had resolve to go to the cross. Because of His resolve, we have salvation through His blood
As Christians, we have a mandate to pray first of all. When things are going well, pray first; if things are going badly, pray first!
The passage in 1 Timothy 2:1-8 gives us a reason and a purpose to pray first of all. If you put your trust in God, then pray first!