Our Mission To love all people at all times and lead them into a new life in Christ.
Our Vision To be a church that will be multicultural and generational, having a lasting impact on the people to whom we minister.
To see the gospel extend beyond the walls of our church through various outreaches.
|
II Timothy 3:16-17 (NKJV)
“All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, thoroughly equipped for every good work.”
Today I have included a group of short statements related to the scripture in I Timothy from the Spirit-Filled Life Bible. Meditate on them.
4:7,8 Recognize that godliness is necessary to this life and to life eternal. Be disciplined in body, soul, and spirit.
4:12 Conduct yourself in an exemplary manner in every detail of your life.
4:3-5 Reject teaching that bases holiness on works. Receive thankfully the natural blessings from God. Sanctify by prayer what you so receive.
!:3-7 Teach only sound, thoroughly biblical doctrine. Do not attempt to teach what you do not fully understand. Operate from a motive of love, faith, and good conscience in all you do.
4:1,2 Be warned that some will abandon faith in Jesus Christ for demonically inspired teaching. Understand that hypocrisy is an open door to deceiving spirits. Liars will believe “the lie.”
1:8-11 Recognize that the law is to instruct and judge the ungodly, not to induce condemnation in the righteous.
6:20,21 Guard carefully the truth you have been taught! Reject human knowledge that denies the faith.
Acts 20:35 “I have shown you in every way, by laboring like this, that you must support the weak. And remember the words of the Lord Jesus, that He said, “It is more blessed to give than to receive.”
**************************************************************
|
My covenant I will not break, nor alter the word that has
gone out of My lips.
|
|
Psalm 89:34
|
When God promised to give Abraham land, Abraham asked, “God, how can I be sure?” And as if His word wasn’t good enough, God went one step further and cut a covenant with Abraham, binding Himself irrevocably to it to reassure His friend that He would do as promised (Genesis 15:7–8, 18).
Let me say something about God’s covenants. They can never be broken, only replaced with a better one. My friend, God will do as He has promised you, and to set your heart at ease, He bound Himself to a covenant with you when He cut it with your representative, Jesus, at Calvary.
So rest easy in the knowledge that you have a covenant-keeping God who CANNOT break His covenant or renege on His promises. Simply lean on His faithfulness and like Abraham, you will walk in your inheritance and healing. by Joseph Prince
“You will surely forget your trouble, recalling it only as waters gone by.” Job 11
Trouble comes to all of us at one time or another. For some it may be the loss of a child, a sudden loss of a job, unexpected doctor’s report. Whatever it may be, we do have the promise, “this too shall pass.” We sing a song here at New Life- “Troubles they don’t last always— for there is a friend in Jesus who will wipe away your tears—-with Jesus I can take it; with Him I know I can stand; no matter what may come by, way my life is in Your hands.”
Let us consider Job. He was a man who knew about trouble. When he lost everything, his wife told him to curse God and die. He refused and instead, responded to God in faith. In the end Job was given twice as much as he had before. The enemy of our souls wants to wear us out and to wear us down. He does this in very subtle ways, little by little day by day. He wants you to believe that it is always going to be this way. But God–He restores double for your trouble! “Even today I declare that I will restore double to you.” Zechariah 9:12
You may have been through some trouble, or are going through some trouble, but God is the One Who brings restoration. Isaiah 61:7 says, “For your shame ye shall have double; and for confusion they shall rejoice in their portion: therefore in their land they shall possess the double: everlasting joy shall be unto them.”
I need to prophesy to somebody and tell you that today is your day for a turn around. And I decree to you that in the very same place that the enemy said it was going to end, you’re going to step into a new beginning and the greatest blessing of your life. That thing that has been troubling you is only a launching pad to breakthrough. Just that quick I believe things are shifting in your favor!!!
Isaiah 54:13 “All your children shall be taught by the Lord, and great shall be the peace of your children.”
There are several ways that the church and parents can fight for their children. The church plays an important role and works with the parents in training the children about God. Yet the parents are more important. We only have them maybe 2 hours a week. You have them the rest of the time. It is your responsibility to train your children.
With school starting back soon, we encourage parents and grandparents to consider what is most important in teaching their children about God. It is your responsibility to train them. Material things do not replace time with Mom and Dad.
1. Love children. *More and more America is becoming a country that loves children less and less. The news media this week placed more importance on a dentist killing a lion than on the fact that some at planned parenthood are selling aborted baby parts. Psalm 127:3 “Children are a heritage from the Lord.” *Our church should be known for its love for all children. It should be evident and contagious, and on display for the whole world to witness.
2. Instruct children. Scripture commands that we “train up a child in the way he should go” and bring them up in the discipline and instruction of the Lord” Proverbs 22:6, Eph. 6:4 When was the last time you talked to your children about God or even read the Bible with them. Do you pray with your children? The schools will not teach them about God. They will learn about everything else there. *We should be thinking, praying, planning, and investing on how to teach children to think and feel and act for the glory of God. Do you teach your
children that church attendance is important for their growth and fellowship with other Christians?
3. Give for children. If you don’t have children, give your time and money to help families, your church, and organizations that love , serve, and teach children. * When the world sees us love little ones, they will be forcefully and beautifully confronted with the love of God Himself.
*Source CHURCH LEADERS “Five Ways We Fight for Children”
“…For the Lord does not see as man sees; for man looks at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart.” I Samuel 16:7(NKJV)
Man has so many things that he is concerned about. He tries to give a good appearance concerning many things in life. He wants a nice car and a good house. Clothes are important to promote his image. Most people want the way they look to promote their idea of success. Brand name clothing, fashion shoes, and classy accessories all “make the man.”
Many people desire wealth and possessions that enhance the image they want to project. They rejoice in their accomplishments and status in life. They want to feel important and envied by their friends and neighbors. While all this may be important, they may miss a very important thing. The above verse says that while man may be impressed by these kinds of things, the thing that impresses God is the condition of a man’s heart.
Only when our relationship with God is considered very important do we focus on the condition of the heart. Otherwise, we may not work hard on our heart’s health. We hear a lot in medical fields about a “heart healthy diet.” This is about what we eat or don’t eat that promotes a healthy muscle that pumps the blood through our bodies. But, how well do we nourish our “spirit heart”? What do we hear? What do we read? What do we watch? Do we feed our spirit junk food or good nourishing food? It may not make much difference to us but how does God feel about it?
While it is important to be healthy, it is more important to keep our “spirit man” in good condition because that’s what matters most to God. A good heart can make up for anything that is lacking elsewhere. But, nothing else can make up for a diseased heart when it comes to standing before God.
“Seek ye first the kingdom of God and His righteousness and all these things shall be added unto you. Matt. 6:33
In reading 1 Samuel the political affairs and the spiritual condition of Israel continue to go downward. This was a time when the scripture portrays “Every man did what was right in his own eyes. Judges 17:6 (Sounds like America today) This time of darkness was evident by the departure of the Ark of the Covenant. The Ark was Israel’s most sacred object, and it was the presence of God among His people.
In 1 Samuel 3:1 we see it described as a period of time when God was not speaking to his people very often: “… the word of the LORD was rare in those days; there was no widespread revelation.” The spiritual leaders had become immoral. God’s people were not obeying the law. Their hearts had turned far from Him. It seems since the people were not listening to Him why should He bother to speak them?
There was a time when the Philistines captured the Ark. Never in the history of Israel had the Ark of God fallen into hands of the enemy. But as we can see, the capture of the Ark only symbolizes what was already true, the Glory of God had departed from Israel. After God destroyed the idol of their god, Dagon, the Philistines gladly sent it back.
David was king of the Jews and his capital city was Jerusalem. He determined in his heart to bring back the Ark. David longed to bring the presence of God back. When David brought the ark into Jerusalem, he wrote a special psalm. (Psalm 24) David leads his people in worship. He dances before the Lord with all his might, and the entire house of Israel brought up the Ark of the Lord with shouts and the sounds of trumpets.
When the Jews brought the ark into Jerusalem, they believed that God came in with it. God was so great that they told the gates, “Lift up your heads.” This means, “God is great. He cannot get under you so you must make more room”. The Jews believed that God was their king, and He went everywhere with the Ark. They carried the Ark through the gates. To the Jews this was a symbolic picture of God as king of Jerusalem. The priests shouted, “Who is the king of glory?” All the people answered, “The LORD!“
I pray that we would long to hear the voice of God. That we would make room for the King of Glory to come in by creating an atmosphere for His presence. In His presence is fullness of joy!
Speak to us today, Father God. Our hearts are turned toward you. We celebrate You today for You have made us free and not just barely free but abundantly free!
Galatians 5:6 “Here’s the thing: in Jesus the Anointed whether you are circumcised or not makes no difference. What makes a difference is faith energized by love.”
God has made to us numerous promises regarding the power of faith. As we read in the Word, nothing is impossible without faith. We may know the power of faith but are not seeing any answers to what we are believing for.
We all go through times in our lives where it seems as if nothing is happening, and our prayers are just bouncing off the ceiling. Life happens and it has a way of draining our faith. Your faith is still intact. It may need to be recharged. A good battery may not be able to work because it has been drained after long use. You don’t throw away a good battery–you recharge it! You don’t throw away your confidence that God is able to bring to you what you are believing for. You recharge!!
It is time to refresh our faith in the God that is able to do exceeding abundantly above all we ask or think. Faith works by love and God is love. Our faith may be like that dead battery unable to produce power. Faith is still there. If I have faith to remove mountains but without love, I am nothing. The faith that is in me will be of no benefit without love. If we are going to make our faith strong and see it working in our lives, it must rest on the strong foundation of love. Galatians 5:6 tells us that faith is energized by love. Love is what makes faith work. Without love faith is inactive. Another word for energized is–strengthened, empowered.
Just as the dead battery is recharged by connecting it to a source full of power, so our faith can be recharged by plugging into the power love. God is the very essence of love.
“Therefore take heed to yourselves and to all the flock, among which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers, to shepherd the church of God which He purchased with His own blood.” Acts 20:28(NKJV)
There is an old hymn I want you to think about. Now consider the message of this song.
What can wash away my sin? Nothing but the blood of Jesus;
What can make me whole again? Nothing but the blood of Jesus.
For my pardon this I see, nothing but the blood of Jesus;
For my cleansing this my plea, nothing but the blood of Jesus.
Nothing can for sin atone, nothing but the blood of Jesus;
Naught of good that I have done, nothing but the blood of Jesus.
This is all my hope and peace, nothing but the blood of Jesus;
This is all my righteousness, nothing but the blood of Jesus.
Now by this I’ll overcome- nothing but the blood of Jesus;
Now by this I’ll reach my home—nothing but the blood of Jesus.
Chorus: “Oh! Precious is the flow that makes me white as snow;
No other fount I know, nothing but the blood of Jesus.
Today I want us to think about the blood of Jesus and the power of God that flows through it. My first question is this. Which is more powerful, the blood of Jesus or sin and unrighteousness? We would assuredly say it is the blood of Jesus. Why then do we believe and act as though it isn’t? “But, Pastor, how do we do this?” By believing that sin can defeat the blood of Jesus in our lives. Jesus is your righteousness and His blood is our propitiation. Jesus blood not only cleanses our sin, it removes it from us once and for all.
If we can become more conscience of our righteousness than we are of our sin, we would understand what it means; “..He made Him who knew no sin to be sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him.” II Cor. 5:21(NKJV) When you accept Jesus as your Savior, His blood cleanses you of all your sin, past, present, and future. It puts you in a state of perpetual righteousness. If you can believe this you can overcome “sin” every minute of the day as you see it not as something to continually repent of but as something that is continuously cleansed just because the blood of Jesus is now a living part of us. If this isn’t true, then we live in a perpetual state of flux. We are righteous today, unrighteous tomorrow, then righteous again when we repent then unrighteous if we sin(miss the mark). This is true of anyone whose righteousness is dependent on their works. By believing that we were made righteous by Jesus we can say “I am righteous” as easily as saying “I am saved.” Do you understand? Do you believe?
“He who sins is of the devil, for the devil has sinned from the beginning. For this purpose was the Son of God manifested, that He might destroy the works of the devil.” I John 3:8(NKJV)
According to this verse sin is the work of the devil. All sin is associated with the devil and all his works result in sin. The root of all sin rests in the work of the devil. In the Garden of Eden it was the work of the devil that led Eve to violate the “only” negative command given to her and Adam. It was the only “thou shalt not” given to them by God. The “thou shalts” included being fruitful, multiplying, filling the earth, and having dominion over every living thing.
With all the good things they could do, why did they get consumed with the only thing they were told not to do? It was because they listened to the devil. They walked with God every day in the garden and that fellowship must have been wonderful. But they ruined their world because they could not escape “sin consciousness.”
The Son of God was manifested to destroy sin. When did He destroy it? Was it once and forever at the Cross or is it an on going process on a day to day basis? Under the Old Covenant sin was destroyed by the shed blood of the sacrificed animal. It was only good for one year then the procedure was repeated.
On the other hand, the New Covenant is a better covenant resting on better promises. Listen to this. “But this Man, after He had offered ONE sacrifice for sins FOREVER, sat down at the right hand of God, from that time waiting till His enemies are made His footstool. For by ONE offering He has perfected those who are being sanctified.” Heb. 10:12-14(NKJV) The blood sacrifice of Jesus cleansed our past, present, and future sins. Continuing to repent of your sins in order to make sure you are still saved is the result of your sin consciousness and is as good as saying the blood of the Cross did not do a complete job of taking care of my sin. That attitude keeps the work of the devil alive in you. Therefore you can never have confidence in your relationship with God. The initial repentance of sin when you accept Jesus as Savior is the confession of our sins (sinful state). Any later “repentance” is our admission that we missed it and are willing to change our direction of life to what is God’s will. Even though there is a need to ask God to forgive us of missing the mark and limiting His work in our lives it is not for reestablishing our “saved” state. Remember you are saved because of your faith in what Christ did and not in the works you do. This enables us to have confidence which has great reward.
“…..Abraham believed God and it was accounted unto him as righteousness.” Romans 4:3
Everyone understands that God honors our faith. But, the big problem is what do I have to do in order to show God that I have faith worthy to be rewarded with answered prayers? The answer is that we can’t earn an answer to our prayers; we have to just have faith in Him. When Jesus said “Have faith in God” in Mark 11:22 what did he mean for us to do to have faith in God? What key unlocks the answer or what formula produces results?
It is really a simple problem and has an easy answer. However, we humans want to make things as difficult as possible so we can say we have accomplished something. It is not how much we pray nor how fervent we pray that matters, but it is how much we believe when we pray. Most people pray and then wait to see what happens. Jesus said the Pharisees thought their prayers would be answered because of them being long and wordy. Jesus said that was not the case. It wasn’t the amount of prayer but the confidence of the prayer that made the difference in the answer. It comes down to just how much faith you have in God. Do you dare to believe God? Not just that He is but that He is a rewarder of those that believe Him.
How did David kill Goliath? It was because he believed God would be on his side and deliver Goliath into his hands. It is an issue of what the heart believes and not what the hands are doing. The only thing you can do to release the power of God against your problem is to believe. The results do not depend on what you do but what God has already done. All you do is believe.
Is it to simple? Is it easier said than done? Just remember that the amount of confidence we have in someone depends on how well we know them. How well do we know God? The bible says that faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the Word of God. It is hard to believe in something you don’t know about or really trust in. Believing is the only key you need to unlock the mighty power of God. Find it and use it! Have I arrived? No, but I’m at work on it
“Now Mount Sinai was completely in smoke, because the Lord descended upon it in fire. Its smoke ascended like the smoke of a furnace, and the whole mountain quaked greatly. And when the blast of the trumpet sounded long and became louder and louder, Moses spoke, and God answered him by voice.” Ex. 19:18 (NKJV)
“I saw still another mighty angel coming down from heaven, clothed with a cloud. And a rainbow was on his head, his face was like the sun, and his feet like pillars of fire.” Rev. 10:1 (NKJV)
There is much said in the Bible about clouds and trumpets. Many of these references concern the appearance or presence of the Lord God. The first Scripture above is talking about the meeting of God and Moses on the mountain of the Law. It was such an event the people begged Moses to make it stop. They were in fear and trembling at what they experienced. When God showed up in the Old Testament, it was usually a sight to behold. If you had any doubt as to whether God was angry with you, it was an uncomfortable feeling. We need that same respect toward God today. Ask yourself this question. If God appeared in His awesome Glory, would I want to be there?
The second verse talks about the appearance of a mighty angel. The description of his visage paints a picture that would send chills down anyone’s spine. Most of the Gospels give us a view of Jesus in His humanity, but occasionally His “Glory” breaks through. The primary event is the Mount of Transfiguration where He glowed like the sun. We must learn to see Jesus in all His splendor because He will return in the clouds with power and great glory. He will not return as a cute baby or a mild and meek carpenter but as the Lord of Glory.
Are you ready to face the King of Kings and Lord of Lords? In I John 4:18 it says that perfect love casts out fear. The way we can stand at the coming of the Lord is by knowing without a doubt that He has perfect love toward us as His children. On the other hand, the world will shrink from Him in fear because there is no love relationship with Him. His first coming was in love but His second coming is in judgment. Are you ready? Are you ready, for the Judgment Day?”
“Forget the former things; do not dwell on the past. See I am doing a new thing! Now it springs up; do you not perceive it. Isaiah 43:18-19
How many times are we held back in entering into God’s best for us because of past blessings or failures. Past blessings can hold us back because we are wanting the same thing again. So we put God in a box that this is how He is always going to do it. We may miss on the new that God is wanting to do. Praise God for the past blessing but I believe God is doing a new thing. This is a new day.
Past failures can hold us back. Maybe we tired and it did not work out the way we prayed and believed God for. Paul tells us in Philippians chapter 3 “forgetting those things which are behind and reaching forth to those things that are before.”
Let’s forget about the past-the good, or not so good -it is nothing compared to what God is doing and going to do. This a new day!!!
For I breathing on you and in my breath I birth a new day and new opportunities. You have thought it is over I am not going to try again. I tried and it did not work out look at what happen. But the Lord says to you that it was in your own strength. But now is the time to try again. For I AM renewing strength were there has been none, I AM renewing the vision again. So take a deep breath and breath out the old and breath in the new. Feel the fresh wind of my Spirit, and receive my visitation today. For in my visitation I AM breaking old traditions that have you set to do things one way for so long you have thought there was no other way. But I AM making streams in the desert and causing things to bloom again for you. Breath again my sons and daughter, yes breath again! For I have come to set upon you and you will bloom again and see my glory. It is not over.
Church I feel in my spirit a reversal taking place. It is our time.
“I have given them Your word; and the world has hated them because they are not of the world, just as I am not of the world. I do not pray that You should take them out of the world, but that You should keep them from the evil one. They are not of the world, just as I am not of the world.” John 17:14-16(NKJV)
Things have really changed in the last fifty years. Even then the world recognized the moral position of the church. I am not saying that there was no conflict between Biblical beliefs and worldly ideas but most of secular society still respected Biblical ideas and standards even if they did not live by them. They were willing to admit they were sinning against God and much of their activity in these areas were hidden and kept as secret as possible.
Things that were “done in secret” then are now being done openly and with no sense of guilt. The world has a different position these days. They not only refuse to live by Biblical standards but actively work to silence the Christian voice. The idea of recognizing sin but still doing it has changed to denying that it is even sin at all.
Homosexuality has always been around since Genesis. Even though people were involved in it, they still knew it was sin. Why? It was because the Bible says so. Now man has “realized” that it is just a normal part of life for some people. If people lived together without being married, they would hide it if possible. Now it is treated like it is no big thing, and society doesn’t even notice.
Has the church become so much like the world in an effort to attract them that we have lost our convictions? The church has no right to mistreat sinners, but we have standards from the Bible that cannot be lowered to attract them. If we become like the world in order to attract the world, what are we going to offer them that will change their lives when they do come? If we preach and live a Jesus life, we are certainly “not of this world.”
“Who can find a virtuous woman? For her price is far above rubies.” Proverbs 31:10
Mother’s Day is a special time for honoring those women who have made life possible. This is a secular event and not a Scripture inspired activity. In other words Mother’s Day is not part of church history. Someone came up with the idea of honoring mothers. The church thought it was a good idea, and it was incorporated as part of this May holiday in the Sunday service. I like the idea and the reason behind it.
A ministry named “Proverbs 31 Women” took Proverbs 31:10-31 to show 10 characteristics of a virtuous woman. Don’t condemn yourself if you think you are not living up to par. Just use these ideas as building blocks for your life of virtue and God will help you succeed.
- Faith – A Virtuous Woman serves God with all of her heart, mind, and soul. She seeks His will for her life and follows His ways. (Proverbs 31: 26, Proverbs 31: 29 – 31, Matthew 22: 37, John 14: 15, Psalm 119: 15)
- Marriage – A Virtuous Woman respects her husband. She does him good all the days of her life. She is trustworthy and a helpmeet. (Proverbs 31: 11- 12, Proverbs 31: 23, Proverbs 31: 28, 1 Peter 3, Ephesians 5, Genesis 2: 18)
- Mothering – A Virtuous Woman teaches her children the ways of her Father in heaven. She nurtures her children with the love of Christ, disciplines them with care and wisdom, and trains them in the way they should go. (Proverbs 31: 28, Proverbs 31: 26, Proverbs 22: 6, Deuteronomy 6, Luke 18: 16)
- Health – A Virtuous Woman cares for her body. She prepares healthy food for her family. (Proverbs 31: 14 – 15, Proverbs 31: 17, 1 Corinthians 6: 19, Genesis 1: 29, Daniel 1, Leviticus 11)
- Service – A Virtuous Woman serves her husband, her family, her friends, and her neighbors with a gentle and loving spirit. She is charitable. (Proverbs 31: 12, Proverbs 31: 15, Proverbs 31: 20, 1 Corinthians 13: 13)
- Finances – A Virtuous Woman seeks her husband’s approval before making purchases and spends money wisely. She is careful to purchase quality items which her family needs. (Proverbs 31: 14, Proverbs 31: 16, Proverbs 31: 18, 1 Timothy 6:10, Ephesians 5: 23, Deuteronomy 14: 22, Numbers 18: 26)
- Industry – A Virtuous Woman works willingly with her hands. She sings praises to God and does not grumble while completing her tasks. (Proverbs 31: 13, Proverbs 31: 16, Proverbs 31: 24, Proverbs 31: 31, Philippians 2: 14)
- Homemaking – A Virtuous Woman is a homemaker. She creates an inviting atmosphere of warmth and love for her family and guests. She uses hospitality to minister to those around her. (Proverbs 31: 15, Proverbs 31: 20 – 22, Proverbs 31:27, Titus 2: 5, 1 Peter 4: 9, Hebrews 13: 2)
- Time – A Virtuous Woman uses her time wisely. She works diligently to complete her daily tasks. She does not spend time dwelling on those things that do not please the Lord. (Proverbs 31: 13, Proverbs 31: 19, Proverbs 31: 27, Ecclesiastes 3, Proverbs 16: 9, Philippians 4:8 )
- Beauty – A Virtuous Woman is a woman of worth and beauty. She has the inner beauty that only comes from Christ. She uses her creativity and sense of style to create beauty in her life and the lives of her loved ones. (Proverbs 31: 10 Proverbs 31: 21 – 22, Proverbs 31: 24 -25, Isaiah 61: 10, 1 Timothy 2: 9, 1 Peter 3: 1 – 6)
“And Jesus came and spoke to them, saying, ‘All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth, Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.” Matthew 28:18-20(NKJV)
This is a portion of Scripture we refer to as “The Great Commission” as use it as a point of reference with regard to evangelism by the church. There are many ways to practice the command to “Go”. One of the ways is what we will hear about this morning. This is not new to us any more than the Scripture I used. But we all need to be reminded about doing what we can.
We have a Gideon member with us today that is doing his part at his own expense to keep the “Great Commission” vision active. The Gideon organization has taken Bibles around the world making it possible to teach all nations about the Gospel of Jesus Christ. I know that we here in the United States have multitudes of commentaries and study books that we can use to study the Word of God.
But, what would it be like if the only thing you had was one Bible? Would you have enough information to know Jesus and how to live a Christian life? The answer is “yes.” The Bible needs no help in presenting the message of life in Christ. All the other sources are like gravy with the Bible being the meat. The Bible itself reminds us that it is “meat of the word.”
You may never have the opportunity to set foot on foreign soil, but you can plant a seed that someone from the Gideons can carry for you. You can start the process today by putting your financial “seed” in the special offering taken at the end of today’s service.
“Indeed I have all and abound. I am full, having received from Epaphroditus the things send from you, a sweet-smelling aroma, an acceptable sacrifice, well pleasing to God. And My God shall supply ALL YOUR need according to His riches in glory by CHRIST Jesus.”
Philippians 4:18-19(NKJV) AMEN!
“ Now the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, that ye may abound in hope, through the power of the Holy Ghost.” Romans 15:13
Of all the people living on the earth we as Christians are the only ones who have true hope. Those who have not come to accept Jesus Christ as their personal Savior only have a finger crossing kind hope. But Biblical hope is a “confident expectation and desire for something good in the future.” Hope in God is not a statement of uncertainty but of assurance that God, who cannot lie, will come thru for us again.
The Bible talks about the full assurance of hope in Hebrews 6:11, and in verse 12 it implies that hope and faith are the same. Go after Biblical hope with all you have, and the result of that pursuit of hope is that you will be like those who through faith and patience inherit the promises.
Full assurance used in Hebrews 6:11 is “plerophorian” and is also used in Hebrews 10:22 where it reads, “Let us draw near with a true heart in ‘full assurance of faith’. Let us go on and hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for He who promised is faithful.”
As Christians we have hope because it is rooted and grounded in the faithfulness of God. Faith not only looks back to the past but to the present and the hope part of faith looks to the future with expectation of full assurance. Hebrews 11:1 “Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen.”
Sometimes you just have to preach to yourself, and one of the best sermons when you are down is Psalms 42:5- “Why are you cast down, O my soul, and why are you disquieted within me? Hope in God; for I shall again praise him, my help my God.”
All of us know the feeling of waiting. Most people don’t like to wait. We wait in traffic; we wait on the phone as we are put on hold; we wait in the fast food lane. We may often feel frustrated because there is always somewhere else to go and something to do. This mindset often carries over into our spiritual lives.
But while most of us are in a hurry, it seems God is usually not in a hurry. He always has a plan and a purpose for everything. The problem with waiting is not having all the details. It seems as if we have everything figured out, and we want God to move within our time frame. But God rarely does things according to our time frame, and because of this we can easily get discouraged.
The good news is that God never asks us to wait without Him. I have come to understand that God is just as interested in the journey as He is the destination.
We have been given the stories of the great men and women in the Bible. Yes, they went through the difficulties of life, but God was right there with them. In the end, they enjoyed the process (which involves waiting) with God and the promise of God. Waiting during the difficult times develops our relationship with God.
The Bible tells in Hebrews 6:12 “Through faith and patience that we inherit the promises of God.”
Faith–a divine persuasion generated from God.
Patience –-steadfastness and staying power
Inherit–possess
This verse tells us that the promises of God are not always a quick thing. But through a divine persuasion generated from God with steadfastness and staying power, we possess that which we know God has promised us.
In His infinite wisdom God knows best, and He sees the bigger picture– we don’t. Praise Him for that!
“Therefore we were buried with Him through baptism into death, that just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life.” Rom. 6:4(NKJV)
One of the most talked about subjects in the Scriptures is baptism. It is discussed and argued about throughout the body of Christ and many denominations. Specific groups have formed because of their belief about baptism. It is a basic belief in Christainity yet there is much disagreement about the way it is to be practiced.
Throughout church history baptism has created many schisms in the church. Wars have been fought over it and ten of thousands of people have died from persecution because of their belief about baptism. Baptism was one of the elements that sparked the Protestant Reformation and divided the Roman Catholic Church.
With the development of Protestantism baptism became an issue among various groups or denominations. All the different doctrines of baptism were supported by interpretations of the Bible. Man began to impose his ideas about the subject and it separated many good Christians and created denominational walls.
Various practices arose concerning the method of baptism used and who should be baptized. Some groups started having infant baptism. Opposition to this arose and it was the cause of much tragedy and even deaths. Persecution arose against the Anabaptists because they believed that only consenting adults should be baptized. If they had received infant baptism it was not valid. They began to rebaptize believers. The church considered this to be heresy and tried to stop it through the Inquisition and great numbers of believers died as a result.
Methods of baptism have also led to divisions in the Church. There is imersion, sprinkling, pouring, and no baptism at all because it is “in the spirit.” It can be done sitting, standing, face down, face up, or other positions. Some believe it is only valid if done in free flowing water in the creek, river, lake, or ocean but never in any sort of container, including baptistries or swimming pools.
Can you see now what God has to tolerate in order to freely forgive the sins of man and have a testimony before men?
“For if the dead do not rise, then Christ is not risen. And if Christ is not risen, your faith is futile; you are still in your sins!” I Cor. 15:16-17(NKJV)
The greatest truth of the Christian Gospel is that Jesus is risen from the tomb. He is alive and seated at the right hand of the Father. If this truth is in question, there is no other reason for Christianity to exist and be promoted as the hope of mankind. It is not worth living for much less dying for. The most prolific writer of the New Testament said it directly in the Scripture above. Do away with the resurrection and you have successfully killed the Christian faith.
Some truths in the Bible can be misunderstood by people, and they do not change the basic truth of salvation. Believing or not believing in healing will not affect your salvation experience if you have truly trusted in the Grace of God and the shed blood of Jesus. You can believe what you want about prosperity, and it will not affect the outcome of your eternal life. It is true that correct beliefs will bring the blessings of God upon the believer in every area. Even our belief about baptism will not change our security in Christ.
I am not saying that these beliefs are not important in our lives. They will make a difference in our day to day life on this earth. You need to know and believe the Biblical truth about every issue of life. Only then can you walk in all the covenant blessings Jesus bought for you at Calvary.
But, there is no compromise about the resurrection. Jesus either rose from the dead or He is still dead. If He is still dead, then so are we. We are still lost in our sins and there is no hope for us in this life or the next. Actually, if Jesus is not risen there is no other life to look forward to. It is not a matter of opinion about whether or not Jesus rose from the dead. His resurrection is an essential element of the Christian faith. You cannot believe it any other way and be saved. That is a very important issue is it not?
“But if there is no resurrection of the dead, then Christ is not risen And if Christ is not risen, then our preaching is empty and your faith is also empty.” I Cor. 15:13-14 (NKJV)
“But someone will say [to you then], You [say you] have faith, and I have [good] works. Now you show me your [alleged] faith apart from any [good] works [if you can], and I by [good] works [of obedience] will show you my faith.” James 2:18(Amplified Bible)
The age old question, “Is it works or faith that saves?” never seems to garnish a concluding argument. The truth is there is no conflict in scripture about salvation. Salvation is by grace through faith alone and only one thing on our part is necessary, that is that we believe(have faith).
What, then, do we do with the discourse in James promoting the place of works as a testimony of the believer’s faith? We believe and accept it as proof of faith. The works that James speaks of are not works that produce salvation in one’s life. Rather, they are the works produced by the salvation one receives through faith (truly believing).
Faith results in a confirmation of what we say we believe. If I really believe I am saved by faith in the atoning work of Jesus on the cross then my life will reflect my new nature given to me when I believed. Good works are the fruit of salvation. Salvation brings forth a new “creation” with the mind of Christ.
James is saying that if I really believe Iam saved I will live like it. Works are not a means of salvation but a proof that you are saved. “As a man thinketh in his heart so is he.” If you do not know that you are saved how can you live like it? Doubt nullifies any chance of living the way we should.
We look for good works in order to confirm a change in the inward nature of the individual. Depending on works as part of our salvation will never give us any security that we are saved. It only produces doubt.
“For we are God’s [own] handiwork (His workmanship), recreated in Christ Jesus, [born anew] that we may do those good works which God predestined (planned beforehand) for us[taking paths which He prepared ahead of time], that we should walk in them [living the good life which He prearranged and made ready for us to live].” Eph. 2:10
|
|
