Monday, May 31, 2021

Memorial Day 2021

 

Freedom isn’t free


We remember and honor our Service men and women in the United States Armed Forces, who made the sacrifice to protect this nation’s Liberty and Freedom, at home and abroad.



All Gave Some and Some Gave All.

Keeping America safe from all enemies, foreign and domestic.


God Bless America


Sunday, May 30, 2021

Business as Usual - Part 1

Last Sunday, Pastor Kyle preached on coming out of the pandemic stating that after over a year of society-economic lockdown, we are feel a new sense of hope, yet cautiously optimistic. Looking back on his sermon in March of 2020, he recalled that Noah spent an entire year locked down in the Ark before exiting; a year of great loss and time to reconsider what was really important. On March 13, 2020, the “stay at home” order was issued and over 600,000 American lives lost and 3.4 million lives lost worldwide to this virus. In light that we are beginning to exit the Ark (so to speak preverbally), pastor Kyle gave a message based upon Noah’s Ark-exiting application, giving us a few things to think about before returning to "Business as Usual".

 

The point from his march of 2020 message was that you can find favor with God when your world is falling apart, when in Genesis 6-8. Noah found favor with God because he was a righteous man, blameless in his generation and walked with God. And like Noah, it has been a hard year, but the favor of God had been upon us. God’s favor is ushered in by our faithfulness to do what God ask and says.  

 

Genesis 8:18-22 So Noah went out, and his sons and his wife and his sons' wives with him. Every beast, every creeping thing, and every bird, everything that moves on the earth, went out by families from the ark. Then Noah built an altar to the Lord and took some of every clean animal and some of every clean bird and offered burnt offerings on the altar. And when the Lord smelled the pleasing aroma, the Lord said in his heart, “I will never again curse the ground because of man, for the intention of man's heart is evil from his youth. Neither will I ever again strike down every living creature as I have done. While the earth remains, seedtime and harvest, cold and heat, summer and winter, day and night, shall not cease.” 

 

The world was reset, but sin did not cease: as God said, “the intention of man's heart is evil from his youth.” And sin is still here today, despite everything that Jesus Christ has done for us to pay the debt. After such a long time of being locked down and cooped up, it feels liberating to get back to some normal activities. It is a reminder of the goodness and grace of God after such a horrible pandemic. 

 

A few that we can learn from Noah’s story to think about are (1) Some moves of God are so big that a simple “Thank you” is not enough - a sacrifice is warranted. It was the first thing that Noah did after existing the Ark, knowing that God was in charge of their provision, protection and prosperity. Most people in the post-COVID era are going to be thankful for getting through it and then go right back to their lives as they used to live it. As a result of this Coronavirus pandemic, many people have rethought their lives, their time and their relationship with people and the Lord. Three questions to ask ourselves are (a) Am I living sacrificially in terms of my earthly treasures? Give to meet needs. (b) Am I living sacrificially in terms of my time? Volunteer to meet needs. (c) Am I living sacrificially in terms of my talents? Use your gifted abilities to meet needs. 


Pray about these three questions because as Romans 12:1-2 says, “I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that you present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God, which is your reasonable service. And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God.” Sacrifice is a form of committed worship to God in this up-ended world today. This life is about the Lord and us serving the Lord in praise for His honor and to His glory. God blesses the sacrifice of His people. Genesis 9:1 “And God blessed Noah and his sons and said to them, “Be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth.” 

 

Let's continue Pastor Kyle's message on a few things to think about before returning to "Business as Usual" in the next post.

In Christ, Brian

 

Saturday, May 29, 2021

Pentecost Transformation – Part 3

Pastor Herk continues that the “soul” is the spiritual, rational and immortal substance in man and woman; mind, will and emotions; that part of man which enables him to think and reason, and which renders them a subject of moral government. The immortality of the soul is a fundamental article of the Christian system. Such is the nature of the human soul that it must have a God, an object of supreme affection. It is the understanding; the intellectual principle. It is the spirit; essence; chief part; as charity, the soul of all the virtues. Emotion is the soul of eloquence. It is the life animation principle or part. It is our internal power. It is active power; our courage; our fire; grandeur of mind, yet our caution also. It is our generosity; nobleness of mind; our intelligent being. Our heart affection and our appetite. The human soul is very complicated. You cannot fit it by yourself; you need help. The Holy Spirit is the mechanic for your soul. 

 

Ephesians 1:11-14 “In Him we also have obtained an inheritance, having been predestined according to the purpose of Him who works all things in accordance with the plan of His will, to the end that we who were the first to hope in the Christ would be to the praise of His glory. In Him, you also, after listening to the message of truth, the gospel of your salvation—having also believed, you were sealed in Him with the Holy Spirit of the promise, who is a first installment of our inheritance, in regard to the redemption of God’s own possession, to the praise of His glory.”

 

At Pentecost, the Holy Spirit arrived in grand fashion, but it should take wind and tongues of fire to get our attention. God, the Holy Spirit works in a different way today, through the humble and loving speaking of God’s people, through Bible Study, the preaching of the Word of God and Christ’s Gospel message. Just as then, changes are taking place on the inside of us. When we combine the Word with water and we get baptism. In Water Baptism, as with the baptism of the Holy Spirit, nothing appears top change on the outside, but a transformational change has taken place internally; born again, sealed and eternal. Romans 6:4 explains to us that, “we have been buried with Him through baptism into death, so that, just as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, so we too may walk in newness of life.” The Holy Spirit regenerates the spirit within and transforms our soul in a metamorphic change. Romans 6:5-7 continues to explain that, “for if we have become united with Him in the likeness of His death, certainly we shall also be in the likeness of His resurrection, knowing this, that our old self was crucified with Him, in order that our body of sin might be done away with, so that we would no longer be slaves to sin; for the one who has died is freed from sin.”

 

When we combine the Word of God with the bread and wine of holy communion, it’s increases our faith and strengthens our love for Christ and for one another as we experience this sacred sacrament together. God wants a closer relationship with us. If our vertical relationship between God and us are right and intimate – nothing between His face and ours in adoration and faithfulness, then our horizontal relationships with our fellow man will be improve. We cannot expect good and meaningful relationships out and around us, if we do not have a “right” relationship with God. Slow down because there is a fast-moving world full of distractions going on around us. We need to earn a new talk and walk as disciples of and ambassadors for Christ, children of God and citizens of the kingdom of Heaven. Our Christian walk on this journey is supposed to be Spirit-filled and Spirit-led; a walk in newness of life – evermore becoming more and more like Jesus. 1 John 2:6 tells us that, “the one who says that he remains in Him [Jesus] ought, himself also, walk just as He walked.” God walks alongside us in our walk, giving teaching, wisdom, knowledge and revelations, because He lives within us. 

 

Ephesians 5:6-8 warns, “See that no one deceives you with empty words, for because of these things the wrath of God comes upon the sons of disobedience. Therefore, do not become partners with them; for you were once darkness, but now you are light in the Lord; walk as children of light.” We are to be God’s children that bring spiritual healing and wholeness; not emotional, psychological and spiritual chaos, destruction and death as we are seeing around us in this sinful world. It is important for us to walk in the Holy Spirit everywhere we go. Galatians 5:16-25 expounds, “But I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh. The fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law. And those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires. If we live by the Spirit, let us also keep in step with the Spirit.

 

Christians are in church one or two hours a week; there may be a few more hours if individual Christians are involved in other ministries. The church encourages, equips and fills us for the good works of God. So, the place that needs us to be salt and light, to be a witness for the Lord, is where most of our waking hours are spent - in home, work, our neighborhoods, in community interactions and our travels; when we are exposed to the most amount of people and the greatest effect on impacting our world for Christ’s sake. 

 

Not only are we to be filled with the Holy Spirit, but allow the Holy Spirit to continue to be filling, guiding and leading us. How is it with your bold Christian talk and walk? Enjoy your life in God’s Holy Spirit. The joy of the Lord is our strength. Spread that joy as the Holy Spirit continues to work in and through you.

 

In Christ, Brian   

Friday, May 28, 2021

Pentecost Transformation – Part 2

  

Pastor Herk continues that in Acts 2:38 Peter said to them, “Repent, and each of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins; and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. Maybe our world needs a transformational change to clean up our thoughts, words and actions and be more godlike. Likewise, in baptism there is a spiritual and positional change that affects our entire being. Romans 6:3-4 asks, “Do you not know that all of us who have been baptized into Christ Jesus have been baptized into His death? Therefore, we have been buried with Him through baptism into death, so that, just as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, so we too may walk in newness of life.”  We find ourselves praising God anywhere and anytime for being our loving and merciful God, that provides, protects and blessings in our lives.   

 

Ephesians 5:18-20 “Do not get drunk with wine, in which there is debauchery, but be filled with the Spirit, speaking to one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual

songs, singing and making melody with your hearts to the Lord; always giving thanks for all things in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ to our God and Father.”

 

There are so many lost sinners in the world that do not know or believe in Christ. They all want to go to Heaven but they don’t know how to get there. They are waiting for someone to tell them the way, the truth and the life. Some believe falsely and in error that everyone goes to Heaven, some believe that if their good outweighs their bad then they deserve to go to Heaven, some believe that they can earn their way into Heaven on their own, and some believe that doing good works buys their way into the pearly gates. 

 

There are many in the Christian church that do not know the Gospel message of Salvation and lack understanding of what it takes to get to Heaven. Some are timid and weak, having lost their first love, and many never found it in the first place. We still need the Holy Spirit to come upon us today to change of our lives direction and purpose. The problem is: How many of us believe that we need to be changed? You hear people say: “I’m not so bad. I try to do the right things. I am nice to people. I’m okay the way that I am. What do I need to change?” A lot of things. Christians are still in the flesh and have sinful habits. Anger, envy, covetousness, lust and unforgiveness are to name a few. If we are filled with the Holy Spirit, sinful vices should start dropping away, and the others should become less and less as our indwelling Counselor convicts those sins unto repentance and transformation of the heart, mind and soul. We come to understand forgiveness when we come to realize all that God has forgiven in our lives.      

 

We all have moment of selfish pride and misunderstanding of what God is trying to tell us in the Bible. We may have different interpretations of passages and verses. We may fail to share our faith to our to other lost souls who do not know the Lord, of His Gospel of Salvation and how your life has been changed by the Lord. The moment we accept Jesus Christ as Savior and Lord of our live, we are saved but still need to change in the sanctification process of growing into the image of Christ. We need to be bold as and disciples of and ambassadors for Christ, children of God and citizens of the kingdom of Heaven. Each and every day, we need to become more and more like the person that Christ wants us to be. Stronger in our faith, bolder in our faith, growing in our faith, maturing in our faith, and spreading our faith to others – telling others how they can change also, save their soul and gain access to Heaven in blessed assurance of salvation through Christ. 

 

Matthew 5:13-16 “You are the salt of the earth; but if the salt has become tasteless, how can it be made salty again? It is no longer good for anything, except to be thrown out and trampled underfoot by people. “You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden; nor do people light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on the lampstand, and it gives light to all who are in the house. Your light must shine before people in such a way that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father who is in heaven.”

 

Trying to be a better person is not going to get the job done in and of itself. We need to seriously think about our salvation, our life purpose and what God put us of this planet at this time to do. Man’s chief end is to glorify God, and to enjoy him forever. Keep the main thing the main thing … it’s all about God. The lost generation do not believe in God, have nothing to do with God, and desire to be totally self-centered and lord of their life. Why? Partially because parents and grandparents have failed to teach the next generation to basics of the Gospel. They must teach them the truth of God, of sin, of Jesus Christ salvation, go to church together and, by example, show them what it means to holy walk with the Lord and walk in the Spirit. We need read them the Bible as the Word of God, to talk about the Lord and His standards for all people, and to encourage each other all along the way. Part of the problem with our society turning further away from God is that Christians are not being the Christians that we are supposed to be … being salt and light. What society needs is someone working on their soul; not a church that capitulates and compromises the Word of God in a secular world.


Let's conclude Pastor Herk's message on transformational change in the next post.

In Christ, Brian

Thursday, May 27, 2021

Pentecost Transformation - Part 1

John 14:15-17, 25-26 “If you love Me, you will keep My commandments. I will ask the Father, and He will give you another Helper, so that He may be with you forever; the Helper is the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it does not see Him or know Him; but you know Him because He remains with you and will be in you. “These things I have spoken to you while remaining with you. But the Helper, the Holy Spirit whom the Father will send in My name, He will teach you all things, and remind you of all that I said to you.”

 

Last Sunday was Pentecost Sunday in the church year and Pastor Herk preached on an aspect of how to become a better disciple. The Holy Spirit has come to transform your heart, soul and spirit, to change your walk, talk and thought – the life essence of who and whose you are. The Helper was given first at Pentecost to the Apostles of Christ. How do you sum up this event and how do you apply it to us today? Pentecost literally means "the fiftieth day" and is the second of the three great Jewish feasts, celebrated at Jerusalem yearly, the seventh week after the Passover, in grateful recognition of the completed harvest. 

 

Acts 2:1-11 When the day of Pentecost had come, they were all together in one place. And suddenly a noise like a violent rushing wind came from heaven, and it filled the whole house where they were sitting. And tongues that looked like fire appeared to them, distributing themselves, and a tongue rested on each one of them. And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak with different tongues, as the Spirit was giving them the ability to speak out. Now there were Jews residing in Jerusalem, devout men from every nation under heaven. And when this sound occurred, the crowd came together and they were bewildered, because each one of them was hearing them speak in his own language. They were amazed and astonished, saying, “Why, are not all these who are speaking Galileans? And how is it that we each hear them in our own language to which we were born? Parthians, Medes, and Elamites, and residents of Mesopotamia, Judea, and Cappadocia, Pontus and Asia, Phrygia and Pamphylia, Egypt and the parts of Libya around Cyrene, and visitors from Rome, both Jews and proselytes, Cretans and Arabs—we hear them speaking in our own tongues of the mighty deeds of God.”

 

All of us are looking to improve, because there are many things about ourselves that we’d like to change, by various means, for the better as an improvement. What is it about you that you’d like to change for the better? God is looking for our change for the better in you too. The gift of the indwelling Holy Spirit includes a better understanding of God for us; who He is, what He is all about and more clearly how we are to live as God’s holy people. But, what are the things that God is planning on changing in us and how does He plan on doing that? Change #1 was what happened to Christ’s disciples. Jesus’ followers realized that He was “the Christ, the Son of the living God”, but were still confused about His complete mission, their purpose and Jesus’ commission. The Holy Spirit brought clarity, enlightenment, wisdom, knowledge and understanding, which emboldens the human spirit with confidence because they were filled with the Holy Spirit, our inspiring Helper! 

 

Change Number Two, after Peter preached the Gospel of Jesus Christ, those who had received his word were baptized; and that day there were added about three thousand souls. Three thousand unbelievers were transformed that day; their whole way of looking at God, themselves and the world had changed by the Holy Spirit for the better, with the salvation by grace through faith and citizenship in the kingdom of Heaven in glory. They had been redeemed and reconciled unto God, found true peace through the Prince of Peace and knew Jesus Christ as their personal Lord and Savior. Their Pentecost was “born again” transformational change from the inside out and eternal. When we accept Jesus Christ as our Savior and Lord and receive the indwelling Holy Spirit within us, then we notice the godly change in our heart, soul and spirit; in thoughts, words and actions that are pleasing to God, praising and praying in holy and righteous relationship. Believers who are filled with, and are being filled by, the Holy Spirit think, speak and act differently … like the child of God they are.   

Let's continue Pastor Herk's message on transformational change in the next post. 

In Christ, Brian



Wednesday, May 26, 2021

Jesus Is Lord

This week, Michael writes that there are basics of our ministry. Five basics are first, that Jesus Christ is both Lord and Savior. The second is that the Bible is the final authority for faith and practice. The third is that we are men and women of prayer. Fourth, we link together with likeminded Christians. Fifth, we give it away.

People have asked: “Can you be saved without making Jesus Lord of your life?” Many say, “I thought that I was saved before I made Jesus lord. This was because of poor biblical teaching of the Gospel. But, when I was taught correctly about the lordship of Christ, I dedicated my life to serve Him as Savior and Lord.”

Franklin Graham wrote a book many years ago titled “The Name”. The name of Jesus Christ shouts out a choice: Whom will you serve? His terms are unilateral ... there is no other name under heaven whereby we must be saved. Jesus is not a negotiator, He delivers God’s non-negotiable terms ... He said, “I am the way, the truth and the life. No man cometh unto the father except by me.”

The name Jesus means “savior”. Savior is the One who brings salvation ... the One who saves us and delivers us from sin and the consequences of sin. He’s our rescuer and our Redeemer, who has paid for our sin and the penalty of sin. For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life through His Son Jesus Christ.2 Corinthians says, You are not your own. You were bought with a price. The payment was the price of His innocent blood in exchange for our guilty blood. For He who was without sin was made the perfect sacrifice for sin on our behalf that we may be made the righteousness of God in Him.

The spiritual battle raging around us is not about political correctness; instead it’s about power and control. Evil dictators do the devil’s bidding ... to take men and women captive against their will. The devil’s purpose is to steal, kill and to destroy. Those he takes captive are not atheists, they believe in “the god of this world”, the devil, who has blinded their eyes lest the glorious light of the gospel of truth should shine unto them.

To live for the praise and the glory of God’s grace. Without a test you cannot have a testimony. A lord is the supreme owner, the commander in chief over the life of a disciple who has confessed Jesus is lord. This means that I subjugate my will to His will. God will help himself to our lives whether we allow Him to or not. The Lord’s bond servant’s prerogative is to bow in submission to his Lord. Then all things will work together for good to those who love God and are called according to His purpose.

Without making Jesus Christ Lord, life will be an exercise in frustration. However, when we choose to abide with Him and within Him, He will work in us and through us to will and to do of His good pleasure. When God calls missionaries, they often worry about their safety in dangerous foreign lands. Those called to foreign missions, “the safest place is where God calls you to be.” A bond servant’s heart says, “thy wish is my command.”

Jesus said in John 15if you belonged to the world, the world would welcome you as its own and treat you with affection. A servant is not greater than his master... the world will not keep my word... they will persecute you because they persecuted me. The adversary, the devil, will do anything to entice us to acquiesce to his power. He and his minions strive for control over hearts and minds. The battle is not against flesh and blood but against spiritual wickedness from on high.

God is sovereign overall. God only is omnipotent. One plus God is a majority. As Abraham Lincoln said, the question is not whether God is on our side, but whether we are on God’s side. If God be for us, who can be against us? Who shall separate us from the love of God? Shall tribulation or famine or nakedness or peril, or sword? Nay, in all these things we are more than conquerors through Him who loved us.

A bond slave says to his master the words Jesus prayed in the Garden of Gethsemane, “not my will but thine be done.” As Bonhoeffer said, “When Jesus bids a man come, He bids him, “come and die.” For I was crucified with Christ, nevertheless I live, yet not I but Christ lives in me, and the life that I now live, I live by faith in the Son of God who loved me and gave himself for me ... that we may ever live for our Lord Jesus Christ ... to the praise of the glory of His grace!


Your brother in Christ, Michael

Tuesday, May 25, 2021

A Christian Legacy – Part 3

Deuteronomy 32:48-52 That very day the Lord spoke to Moses, “Go up this mountain of the Abarim, Mount Nebo, which is in the land of Moab, opposite Jericho, and view the land of Canaan, which I am giving to the people of Israel for a possession. And die on the mountain which you go up, and be gathered to your people, as Aaron your brother died in Mount Hor and was gathered to his people, because you broke faith with me in the midst of the people of Israel at the waters of Meribah-kadesh, in the wilderness of Zin, and because you did not treat me as holy in the midst of the people of Israel. For you shall see the land before you, but you shall not go there, into the land that I am giving to the people of Israel.”

 

Pastor Kyle continues that the second lesson is for us to focus on the progress over imperfections. God makes a way that, though we are sinners saved by grace, we can live in relationship with Him until our natural death. God is grieved when we sin, but makes a way for us to get back into a right relationship with Him. 1 John 1:5-9 tells us that “This is the message we have heard from him and proclaim to you, that God is light, and in him is no darkness at all. If we say we have fellowship with him while we walk in darkness, we lie and do not practice the truth. But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus his Son cleanses us from all sin. If we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.” 

 

The way that we get right with God is by repentance. Repentance simply means real penitence; sorrow or deep contrition for sin, as an offense and dishonor to God, a violation of his holy law, and the basest ingratitude towards a Being of infinite benevolence. This is called evangelical repentance, and is accompanied and followed by amendment of life. Repentance (metanoia, 'change of mind') involves a turning with contrition from sin to God; the repentant sinner is in the proper condition to accept the divine forgiveness. The prodigal sons and daughters may fall in sin, but they repent of it, get back up, seek our heavenly Father for forgiveness and walk in the Spirit. Jesus said in Luke 13:3,5 “unless you repent, you will all likewise perish.”

 

Psalm 130:3-4 “If you, O Lord, should mark iniquities, O Lord, who could stand? But with you there is forgiveness, that you may be feared.”

 

Life is a learning experience trough education by teachings and study, training and experiences, using available resources or by God-given revelation. God wants to see progressive growth and maturity in His children. When we focus on perfect or failure, we focus on the gap between us and God instead of the God that bridges that gap. Sin created a gap, but Jesus bridged that gap between us and God at the Cross. Our Savior paid an atoning sacrifice for our sin; it is finished and there is nothing we can do to earn or achieve salvation. What do we do to find that bridge? In Mark 1:14-16, “Jesus came into Galilee, proclaiming the gospel of God, and saying, “The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand; repent and believe in the gospel.” Jesus, as our Savior and Lord, asks that you and live a life of worship and obedience to His commandments, statutes and the Word of God in return, while continuing to make progress growing into the likeness of Christ in an intimate relationship with God. We need godly, healthy reflect to learn from our sins and mistakes in order to progress on paths of righteousness. Regret your sins, repent of them, get right with God and move forward. From bondage thinking to free in Christ. Psalm 124:1,8 “If it had not been the Lord who was on our side – [we would not be where we are right now, we’d all be lost and nobody would enter the gates of Heaven] - let His people now say, Our help is in the name of the Lord, who made heaven and earth.”

 

If you and I are going to create a God-sized legacy for our lives, we have to stop focusing on how imperfect we are in the flesh, focus on whose we are and how far we are progressing on growing into the likeness of Christ and walking forward in righteousness with the Lord, making steps towards the goal that God wants us to accomplish in our life on this side of eternity. See the Promised land with God.   

 

Deuteronomy 34:1-12 Then Moses went up from the plains of Moab to Mount Nebo, to the top of Pisgah, which is opposite Jericho. And the Lord showed him all the land, Gilead as far as Dan, all Naphtali, the land of Ephraim and Manasseh, all the land of Judah as far as the western sea, the Negeb, and the Plain, that is, the Valley of Jericho the city of palm trees, as far as Zoar. And the Lord said to him, “This is the land of which I swore to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob, ‘I will give it to your offspring.’ I have let you see it with your eyes, but you shall not go over there.” So Moses the servant of the Lord died there in the land of Moab, according to the word of the Lord, and he buried him in the valley in the land of Moab opposite Beth-peor; but no one knows the place of his burial to this day. Moses was 120 years old when he died. His eye was undimmed, and his vigor unabated. And the people of Israel wept for Moses in the plains of Moab thirty days. Then the days of weeping and mourning for Moses were ended. And Joshua the son of Nun was full of the spirit of wisdom, for Moses had laid his hands on him. So the people of Israel obeyed him and did as the Lord had commanded Moses. And there has not arisen a prophet since in Israel like Moses, whom the Lord knew face to face, none like him for all the signs and the wonders that the Lord sent him to do in the land of Egypt, to Pharaoh and to all his servants and to all his land, and for all the mighty power and all the great deeds of terror that Moses did in the sight of all Israel.

 

A legacy of a life well-lived for the Lord by a person used by God with vigor unabated. Always keep the fire for God in your heart. Get that passionate fire in your life, because if you don’t then you are not going to have the drive and stamina to achieve everything that you are wanting to accomplish. The struggles in our lives are real. Let struggles not define you, but let the struggles in life drive you to your Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. It’s what you do in that struggle that defines your legacy. In those struggle, we can choose to walk away from God or run to His mighty but loving arms. We come through the fire to be refined to greater faith, devotion and passion to follow Christ with vigor unabated. That’s the best legacy we could ever leave.   

 

In Christ, Brian

Monday, May 24, 2021

A Christian Legacy – Part 2

Romans 6:1-4 “What shall we say then? Are we to continue in sin that grace may abound? By no means! How can we who died to sin still live in it? Do you not know that all of us who have been baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death? We were buried therefore with him by baptism into death, in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, we too might walk in newness of life.”

 

Pastor Kyle continues that Ephesians 1:11-14 tells us that. “In Him [Jesus} we have obtained an inheritance, having been predestined according to the purpose of Him who works all things according to the counsel of his will, so that we who were the first to hope in Christ might be to the praise of his glory. In him you also, when you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation, and believed in Him, were sealed with the promised Holy Spirit, who is the guarantee of our inheritance until we acquire possession of it, to the praise of His glory”, but there is a qualifier. In Mark 16:16 Jesus says, “Whoever believes and is baptized will be saved, but whoever does not believe will be condemned.” Jesus explains in John 3:16-18, “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him. Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only Son of God. 

 

The Gospel is that all have sinned against God, deserve to go to Hell and have no way to remedy the situation on our own. God, in His love, mercy and grace, provided a way to forgiveness of our sin and salvation by sending His Son in the flesh to live a sinless life and die an toning death in our place on the Cross, if we repent of our sin, believe by saving faith that Jesus is the Savior sent by God, that Christ died for our sins and rose (just as the holy Scriptures foretold, conquering sin and death and imputing His righteousness upon them, transforming their “born again” heart, soul and spirit reconciled with God, adopted into the family God as a temple of the indwelling Holy Spirit as they make Jesus their Lord and obediently follow His sacred Word, Will and Way all the days of their life, until they go home to be with Him in the kingdom of Heaven. God’s grace is amazing (unmerited favor that gives sinners a salvation that they do not earn, deserve of can buy), but God grace is not cheap. It cost Christ His life and requires our repentance of sin and our steadfast belief by true faith in the finished work of Jesus on the Cross. Ephesians 2:8 clarifies, “For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God.”

 

That is why the unpardonable sin, or blasphemy against the Holy Spirit, is supposed to be a malicious and obstinate rejection of Christ and the gospel plan of salvation, or a contemptuous resistance made to the influences and convictions of the Holy Spirit. Hebrews 6 speaks to proclaiming the elementary doctrine of Christ to lay a foundation of repentance from dead works and of faith toward God, in the Gospel of salvation from sin, the resurrection of the dead, and eternal judgment. Without repentance, there is no saving faith. Prior to repenting and believing in Jesus Christ, Ephesians 2:1-3 explains that ”You were dead in the trespasses and sins in which you once walked, following the course of this world, following the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that is now at work in the sons of disobedience — among whom we all once lived in the passions of our flesh, carrying out the desires of the body and the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, like the rest of mankind. 2 Peter 3:9 “The Lord is not slow to fulfill his promise as some count slowness, but is patient toward you, not wishing that any should perish, but that all should reach repentance.”

 

Romans 10:8-10 “But what does it say? “The word is near you, in your mouth and in your heart” (that is, the word of faith that we proclaim); because, if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For with the heart one believes and is justified, and with the mouth one confesses and is saved.” Life in Christ or death in sin, it’s our choice. You cannot have it both ways. Hebrews 6:4-6 tells us, “For it is impossible, in the case of those who have once been enlightened, who have tasted the heavenly gift, and have shared in the Holy Spirit, and have tasted the goodness of the word of God and the powers of the age to come, and then have fallen away, to restore them again to repentance, since they are crucifying once again the Son of God to their own harm and holding him up to contempt.” Did they truly repent of their sin, accept the free gift of Christ and believe with saving faith in the first place?  

 

The path of blessing requires obedience. The path of destruction is clearly marks with clear signs and the way out is Jesus Christ. We may love Jesus enough to be our Savior, but do we love Jesus enough to obey His teachings and commands as our Lord, and stop our willful sins against Him? What do you do about your guilt and shame of unrepentant sin in your life? Have we gotten off of the throne of our life and allowed Jesus Christ to take His rightful place on that throne and following Him? We are called by Jesus to progress towards spiritual maturity, purity and greater holiness every day of our lives. In Luke 9:23 Jesus said to all, “If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me.” Proverbs 21:3 proclaims that, “To do righteousness and justice is more acceptable to the Lord than sacrifice.” The true pursuit of happiness is the pursuit of holiness. If you continue down the path of willful sin with no remorse or repentance, then where is your hope? 


Let's continue with my notes on Pastor Kyle's message about leaving a godly legacy.

In Christ, Brian

Sunday, May 23, 2021

A Christian Legacy - Part 1

This last Sunday, Pastor Kyle continued in our church’s sermon series through the book of Exodus and into Deuteronomy by opening with the statement that God wants everyone who calls Him the Lord of their life to affirm the reality that every single life is precious in His sight. But that statement doesn’t go far enough for the Christian. Not only is every life precious, but every life has purpose in the eyes of the Lord. God pens a story for every person and before we were born, God knows our end from the beginning and meet us everywhere in between. The purpose is that we should live this life to the praise and the glory of God, enjoying Him forever. And a part of that purpose includes leaving a legacy to the Lord, and not just for ourselves. That meaning that with God, there are no accidental human beings. 

 

Every generation is blessed with some outstanding leaders during their time; people who are extraordinarily gifted, talented, educated, knowledgeable, wise, blessed and greatly used by the Lord. Normal flawed individuals, gifted and used by God in extraordinary ways in spite of themselves. The loss of any legend leaves a ripple all around the world that echoes through the halls of history, including the biblical legend - Moses. He led His people out of slavery in Egypt and wrote the first five books of the Bible and the entire Torah, but his greatness did not come from himself; it came from God. Numbers 12:3 tells us, “Now the man Moses was very meek, more than all people who were on the face of the earth.” God used Moses to build the foundation blocks of the “redemption” story that Jesus Christ fulfilled.  

 

It is helpful for us to look at three separate passages that talk about the end of Moses’ life and glean some insights for ourselves; a sense of the legacy that God wants us to leave in our life, along with direction and purpose for the life that we live today, becoming the disciples that He desires us to be.      

 

Deuteronomy 30:11-20 “For this commandment that I command you today is not too hard for you, neither is it far off. It is not in heaven, that you should say, ‘Who will ascend to heaven for us and bring it to us, that we may hear it and do it?’ Neither is it beyond the sea, that you should say, ‘Who will go over the sea for us and bring it to us, that we may hear it and do it?’ But the word is very near you. It is in your mouth and in your heart, so that you can do it. “See, I have set before you today life and good, death and evil. If you obey the commandments of the Lord your God that I command you today, by loving the Lord your God, by walking in his ways, and by keeping his commandments and his statutes and his rules, then you shall live and multiply, and the Lord your God will bless you in the land that you are entering to take possession of it. But if your heart turns away, and you will not hear, but are drawn away to worship other gods and serve them, I declare to you today, that you shall surely perish. You shall not live long in the land that you are going over the Jordan to enter and possess. I call heaven and earth to witness against you today, that I have set before you life and death, blessing and curse. Therefore choose life, that you and your offspring may live, loving the Lord your God, obeying his voice and holding fast to him, for he is your life and length of days, that you may dwell in the land that the Lord swore to your fathers, to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob, to give them.” 

 

God Word is near to God’s people’s heart, accessible and simple to accomplish to anyone who was willing to apply them. The first lesson is for us to choose to obey God every day and reap the blessings for the rest of your life. For this commandment that I command you today is not too hard for you, neither is it far off. The word is very near you. It is in your mouth and in your heart, so that you can do it. Every day, God has set before you today life and good, death and evil. Sin will always lurk around the corner, beckoning and tempting us to walk away from the Lord. Choosing to enter into a sinful practice to the repentant and transformed Believer hangs Christ back up on the Cross (if they ever truly repented and accepted Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior in holy reverence and adoration) and carries both visible and soulful consequences in our lives. 

 

Galatians 5:19-21 states, “Now the works of the flesh are evident: sexual immorality, impurity, sensuality, idolatry, sorcery, enmity, strife, jealousy, fits of anger, rivalries, dissensions, divisions, envy, drunkenness, orgies, and things like these. I warn you, as I warned you before, that those who do such things will not inherit the kingdom of God. 1 Corinthians 6:9-10 concurs saying, “Or do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived: neither the sexually immoral, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor men who practice homosexuality, nor thieves, nor the greedy, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor swindlers will inherit the kingdom of God.” Why? Romans 6:23 “For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.”

 

Sin is wicked, evil, condemning and leads to death. What is sin? Sin is defined as the voluntary departure of a moral agent from a known rule of rectitude or duty, prescribed by God; any voluntary transgression of the divine law, or violation of a divine command; a wicked act; iniquity. Sin is either a positive act in which a known divine law is violated, or it is the voluntary neglect to obey a positive divine command, or a rule of duty clearly implied in such command. Sin comprehends not action only, but neglect of known duty, all evil thoughts purposes, words and desires, whatever is contrary to God's commands or law. Sinner neither enjoy the pleasures of nor the peace of piety. Piety in principle, is a compound of veneration or reverence of the Supreme Being, Almighty Creator God and love of God’s character, or veneration accompanied with love; and piety in practice, is the exercise of these affections in obedience to God’s will and devotion to His service. 

 

Among theologians, sin is original or actual. Actual sin, above defined, is the act of a moral agent in violating a known rule of duty. Original sin, as generally understood, is native depravity of heart to the divine will, that corruption of nature of deterioration of the moral character of man, which is supposed to be the effect of Adam's apostasy; and which manifests itself in moral agents by positive act of disobedience to the divine will, or by the voluntary neglect to comply with the express commands of God, which require that we should love God with all the heart and soul and strength and mind, and our neighbor as ourselves. This native depravity or alienation of affections from God and his law, is supposed to be what the apostle calls the carnal mind or mindedness, which is enmity against God, and is therefore denominated sin or sinfulness. Unpardonable sin, or blasphemy against the Holy Spirit, is supposed to be a malicious and obstinate rejection of Christ and the gospel plan of salvation, or a contemptuous resistance made to the influences and convictions of the Holy Spirit.

 

In John 8:31-34 the Lord Jesus said to those who had believed him, “If you abide in my word, you are truly my disciples, and you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.” They answered him, “We are offspring of Abraham and have never been enslaved to anyone. How is it that you say, ‘You will become free’?” Jesus answered them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, everyone who practices sin is a slave to sin.” The Apostle Paul echoes this in Romans 6:16, “Do you not know that if you present yourselves to anyone as obedient slaves, you are slaves of the one whom you obey, either of sin, which leads to death, or of obedience, which leads to righteousness?” Acts 2:38 says, “Repent and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins, and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. 


Let’s continue Pastor Kyle’s message on living and leaving a godly legacy in the next post. In Christ, Brian  





Saturday, May 22, 2021

Ascension into Heaven - Part 2

John 16:5-7 “But now I [Jesus, God the Son] am going to Him [God the Father] who sent Me; and none of you asks Me, ‘Where are You going?’ But because I have said these things to you, grief has filled your heart. But I tell you the truth: it is to your advantage that I am leaving; for if I do not leave, the Helper [God the Holy Spirit] will not come to you; but if I go, I will send Him to you.

 

Pastor Herk continues proclaiming that the work of the Holy Spirit within us is unexplainable but variable. The advantage of the Holy Spirit’s renovation and holy inspiration are even greater. Christ’s conversation encourages us to be righteous and holy, while the Holy Spirit quickens (makes alive) and enables us to be holy. We no longer have Jesus in bodily-form, but we do have Him in spirit-form – Christ with us. The ascension of Jesus prepared His disciples for the coming of Jesus’ spiritual presence within them. Christ ascended up from before their eyes and they turned back grieving, just to find Him in their heart.    

 

Acts 1:9-11 And after He had said these things, He was lifted up while they were watching, and a cloud took Him up, out of their sight. And as they were gazing intently into the sky while He was going, then behold, two men in white clothing stood beside them, and they said, “Men of Galilee, why do you stand looking into the sky? This Jesus, who has been taken up from you into heaven, will come in the same way as you have watched Him go into heaven.”

 

Generally, when loved ones leave us, three things happen: (1) an emotional good-bye gesture is shared, (2) a require is made to keep in touch with each other, and (3) make plans to see each other again. Jesus’ departure was not much different. The Angels gave the disciples hope; Jesus is not gone forever, He is coming back. In John 14:1-3 Jesus said, “Do not let your heart be troubled; believe in God, believe also in Me. In My Father’s house are many rooms; if that were not so, I would have told you, because I am going there to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I am coming again and will take you to Myself, so that where I am, there you also will be.” 

 

Matthew 26:63-64 But Jesus kept silent. And the high priest said to Him, “I place You under oath by the living God, to tell us whether You are the Christ, the Son of God.” Jesus *said to him, “You have said it yourself. But I tell you, from now on you will see the Son of Man sitting at the right hand of power, and coming on the clouds of heaven.”

 

This ascension of Jesus into Heaven was not the end, but just the beginning of the next chapter in God’s redemption story. The disciples were encouraged and inspired by Jesus’ ascension as they worshiped Him, and returned to Jerusalem with great joy, and were continually in the temple praising and blessing God. Now, we are likewise encouraged and inspired by Jesus’ ascension reality and significance as His disciples today when we read and hear of it. Don’t worry, Jesus conquered sin, death and Satan, is now seated at the right hand of God interceding for us and is coming back for us. Don’t just stand around looking up with anticipation while doing nothing for the kingdom of God. Get busy doing His ministry work in the world. He left godly things for us to do. Jesus has told us in the Bible (the Word of God), things that He wants us to be involved in and accomplish as believers and His followers. 

 

Jesus command in the Great Commission in Matthew 28: 18-19All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to Me. Go, therefore, and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit”, so we have to go out, look out into the world with initiation, spread the Gospel, go tell others what you have seen, heard and experienced yourself as a Christian. 

 

In Acts 7:55-56 He [Jesus’ disciple Stephen], being full of the Holy Spirit, looked intently into heaven and saw the glory of God, and Jesus standing at the right hand of God; and he said, “Behold, I see the heavens opened and the Son of Man standing at the right hand of God”, affirming Jesus’ ascension in Heaven. There is confirmation with the Revelation of Jesus Christ, which God gave the Apostle John in Revelation 1:7-8  which states: “Behold, He is coming with the clouds, and every eye will see Him, even those who pierced Him; and all the tribes of the earth will mourn over Him. So it is to be. Amen. “I am the Alpha and the Omega,” says the Lord God, “who is and who was and who is to come, the Almighty.” 

 

In John 17:5, Jesus prayed: “And now You, Father, glorify Me together with Yourself, with the glory which I had with You before the world existed.” In the ascension, Jesus return and was restored to His rightful place in the kingdom of Heaven at the right hand of the Father, Almighty God, in glory; exchanging a Cross for a throne.    

 

1 Peter 3:21-22 says, “Corresponding to that, baptism [of Noah’s ark] now saves you—not the removal of dirt from the flesh, but an appeal to God for a good conscience—through the resurrection of Jesus Christ, who is at the right hand of God, having gone into heaven, after angels and authorities and powers had been subjected to Him. Jesus’ ascension into Heaven was the exclamation point on His triumphal victory. The Lord accomplished what He came to do in completing His mission here on earth. The blessing for us is that Jesus Ascended into Heaven and we as His born again and cleansed Followers will ascend into Heaven as well. We celebrate and rejoice in that! We need to encourage each other and others in this truth. 


Now, go and fulfill the Great Commission proclaiming: I believe in God, the Father Almighty, creator of heaven and earth. I believe in Jesus Christ, his only Son, our Lord, who was conceived by the Holy Spirit, born of the Virgin Mary, suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified, died, and was buried; he descended to the dead. On the third day he rose again; he ascended into heaven, is seated at the right hand of the Father, and will come again to judge the living and the dead. I believe in the Holy Spirit, the holy universal Christian church, the communion of saints, the forgiveness of sins, the resurrection of the body, and the life everlasting. Amen.

 

In Christ, Brian

Friday, May 21, 2021

Ascension into Heaven - Part 1

 

Luke 24:50-53 And He [Jesus] led them out as far as Bethany, and He lifted up His hands and blessed them. Now it came to pass, while He blessed them, that He was parted from them and carried up into heaven. And they worshiped Him, and returned to Jerusalem with great joy, and were continually in the temple praising and blessing God. Amen.

 

Last Sunday, Pastor Herk of the Little Church in the Pines preached on the meaning and significance of the ascension of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.  Usually we focus on the crucifixion and the resurrection, but the ascension is pivotal. Christianity Today states that the Significance of Jesus' Ascension is: (1) The ascended and enthroned Christ pours out his Spirit on the church. (2) The ascended and enthroned Christ applies the blessings of salvation. (3) The ascended and enthroned Christ cares for his suffering people as they bear witness to him. The ascension of Jesus was also the climatic, crowning event of his exaltation, and the necessary precursor to his continuing work through the Spirit and the church.

 

The ascension, or His return to the Father in heaven, clearly marked the end of Christ's earthly ministry. It marked the success of His earthly mission, establishes Jesus as the reigning king over all powers in all ages and gives us access to God’s throne for mercy and grace. The ascension marked the time when Jesus once again enjoyed His heavenly glory and marks the beginning of the time when Jesus is preparing a place for His followers. And, it indicated the beginning of His new work as High Priest and Mediator of the New Covenant, providing an Advocate on earth whose presence is limitless. If we overlook this evet, we are going to miss out on some valuable lessons that we need to be aware of.

 

Acts 1:1-3 “The former account I made, O Theophilus, of all that Jesus began both to do and teach, until the day in which He was taken up, after He through the Holy Spirit had given commandments to the apostles whom He had chosen, to whom He also presented Himself alive after His suffering by many infallible proofs, being seen by them during forty days and speaking of the things pertaining to the kingdom of God.”

 

Why 40 days? Mentioned 146 times in Scripture, the number 40 generally symbolizes a period of testing, trial or probation. It rained for 40 days and 40 nights in Noah’s flood. During Moses' life he lived forty years in Egypt and forty years in the desert before God selected him to lead his people out of slavery. Moses was also on Mount Sinai for 40 days and nights, on two separate occasions, receiving God's laws. He also sent spies, for forty days, to investigate the land God promised the Israelites as an inheritance. The children of Israel were punished by wandering the wilderness for 40 years before a new generation was allowed to possess the promised land. Jesus was tempted by the devil not just three times, but many times during the 40 days and nights he fasted just before his ministry began. Now, He also appeared to his disciples and others for 40 days after his resurrection from the dead. These forty days between Jesus’ resurrection and ascension were important as a time of divine presence giving “many infallible proofs, being seen and speaking of the things pertaining to the kingdom of God.” 

 

Acts 1:7-8 And He said to them, “It is not for you to know times or seasons which the Father has put in His own authority. But you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be witnesses to Me in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.”

 

The focus of the Apostles was not where it needed to be. The “End times” prophesy and looking for Jesus’ return is not what the Lord is wanting His people to be focusing on. It is not for you to know. If that begins to consume our time then we are not seeing what needs to be done in His kingdom and we are missing out on the ministry needs to others around us and sharing the Gospel. And maybe missing out on the rest of the Holy Bible, which is meant for our instruction, growth and maturity. We have “here and now” sanctification growth in Christ that we need to be concerned with. If we are so obsessed in looking up and trying to figure out when we will see Jesus’ Second Coming then we will not be looking out into the harvest field of opportunity around us to see the ministries that need done … and there are many. 

 

Ten days later, the Holy Spirit came upon the Apostles in Jerusalem. Jesus encouraged His disciples that His departure and ascension to Heaven was a good thing and advantageous for them. Through the Holy Spirit, Jesus would continue to be with His disciples. Jesus said in Matthew 18:20, “For where two or three are gathered together in my name, there am I in the midst of them.” And in Matthew 28:20, “and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.” Amen.”  Jesus was going to be in His disciples.  He confirms this in John 14:19-24 saying, “A little while longer and the world will see Me no more, but you will see Me. Because I live, you will live also. At that day you will know that I am in My Father, and you in Me, and I in you. He who has My commandments and keeps them, it is he who loves Me. And he who loves Me will be loved by My Father, and I will love him and manifest Myself to him.” Judas (not Iscariot) said to Him, “Lord, how is it that You will manifest Yourself to us, and not to the world?” Jesus answered and said to him, “If anyone loves Me, he will keep My word; and My Father will love him, and We will come to him and make Our home with him. He who does not love Me does not keep My words; and the word which you hear is not Mine but the Father’s who sent Me.”


Let's continue Pastor Herk's message on the significance of Jesus' Ascension in the next post.

In Christ, Brian

Thursday, May 20, 2021

Life and Death

 

John 14:19 “A little while longer and the world will see Me no more, but you will see Me. Because I live, you will live also.”

 

The late Pastor James Kennedy states that the volumes on homiletics (the study of the composition and delivery of a religious message) declare that one form of a sermon is what is called the problem-solution sermon—one that has only two points. Today I would like to use such an outline because, you see, we have a problem. I don’t mean just any problem, because we all have many problems. I mean the “biggie,” the great problem that you have and I have and the whole world has, and that is the problem of our own mortality. That is the problem—death! It is a problem which, indeed, haunts many people most of their lives. In fact, the Scripture says that Satan has kept the whole world in bondage throughout their lifetime through the fear of death. Are you afraid to die? Are we afraid of death? 

 

How do we normally deal with that problem? Samuel Johnson, who gave us the first dictionary, said that most men spend all of their lives going from one diversion to another simply trying to forget their own mortality. We try to put it out of our mind and forget that God has said that in the day that you sin, you shall surely die. We have preferred to believe the lie of the devil who said, “You shalt not surely die.” And so we blot it out of our thoughts. Many turn to all kinds of other religions looking for a solution. Ah, but alas, my friend, they find none—for there is none. Christianity is unique! Christ alone has risen from the dead and burst the bands of the grave. This is the only answer we have to the greatest problem the world has ever seen. 

 

Yes, we have a problem. But I have the solution. The Scripture says of Christ, “I am he that lives, and was dead; and, behold, I am alive for evermore” (Revelation 1:18). Because I live, you  [that trust in me] shall live also” (John 14:19). That death people so much fear has been banished by Him. That death that robs life of so much of its joy hangs like a gray cloud, ominously on the horizon of our future. It rains on everybody’s parade someday. It snatches away all you have hoarded and gathered. It empties your closets and leaves you nothing but a shroud and a winding sheet. Yes, it takes all of your mightiest accomplishments and dumps them into a narrow hole in the ground. It translates your greatest achievements into two simple short words: hic jacit: “Here lies!” And that’s it! Born this date. Died that date. That’s it, folks. That’s life. Ah, but not for a Christian. For a Christian it’s just the vestibule of eternity, and for us there is much more. 

 

Many people over time looked down into the dark depths of a grave and wondered and wondered: Is there anything more beyond this? Then Christ came—that One who was dead, that Conqueror of the grave—and He said, “I am alive forevermore.” Now the Christian emblem emblazed upon the hearts of every believer is plus ultra. There is vastly more beyond the grave. 

 

Easter is all about that great, blessed, eternal future that Christ offers to us. God has placed eternity into the hearts of men. Everyone yearns for it. Nothing else can fill this need. Put all of your toys, put all of your accomplishments into your heart and they won’t fill it. “The heart is a God-shaped blank,” said Augustine, “and only God can fill it.” Only Christ can fulfill the hopes and aspirations of mankind which He hath placed into the hearts of men. 

 

Christ is the greatest person who ever lived. Why? For one reason: He solved the greatest problem man has ever had—the problem of his own mortality. He alone could solve that. He is risen from the dead. Christ alone is alive from the tomb, and the evidence is overwhelming. Christ solved that problem, and He brought life and immortality to light for all of those who will trust in Him. Christ opened the way to paradise. Do you know the way? It is amazing how many people believe in Heaven but don’t know how to get there. Jesus told us in the Scriptures: “I am the way” (John 14:6). Christ is the way. Come to Him who invites us all to take His yoke upon ourselves and to learn of Him, and as we place our trust in Him, our eyes are opened, our hearts are changed. We become new creatures in Christ. Christ brings that new life that—that transforming life. 

Pastor Kennedy asks: Has that happened to you? Have you been born anew into the kingdom of God? Whenever your time comes, may you rejoice in the assurance that you belong to Him, that He has lived in your heart all these many years. He has changed you and made you a new person. Has He done it to you? He is inviting you to come. He will take you to be with Him forever in paradise. Hallelujah! Amen

Wednesday, May 19, 2021

Trials and Temptation – Part 2

Continuing Michael's message: Regardless of the trials of life, Jesus said, in this world you will have tribulationBut be of good cheer, I have overcome the world. Joy is not the absence of pain, rather joy is the presence of the Lord. According to 1 Corinthians 10:13, “There hath no temptation taken you but such as is common to man: but God is faithful, who will not suffer you to be tempted above that ye are able; but will with the temptation also make a way to escape, that ye may be able to bear it.” 

What men meant for evil, God meant for good. Never let what people do to you affect how you love them in return. Romans 12 says “recompense to no man evil for evil, but overcome evil with good.” Then all things work together for good to those who love God and are called according to his purpose. The devil will tempt us at our weakest point. The sin is not in the temptation.

 

The sin is missing the mark of God’s will and purpose in our lives. When we succumb to the lust of the flesh and the lust of the eyes and the boastful pride of life, then we sin by missing the mark of walking in fellowship in Christ. Lust means to desire eagerly; to long; with after. To have carnal desire; to desire eagerly the gratification of carnal appetite. To have irregular or inordinate desires, “over desire.” Lust is anything that we desire over our desire to love God above all. How do we set our affection on things above instead of on the things of this world? How can we control our minds by focusing on what really matters? According to Philippians 4:8Finally, brethren, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report; if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on these things. The battlefield is in the mind. It’s a spiritual battle. To control our minds, think on these things that are worthy of praise.  


In years gone by, the popular consensus is that the United States is a Christian nation. Our founding documents, the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution established the United States of America as “one nation under God”. The Declaration of Independence establishes that Americans are endowed inalienable rights by our Creator. These God given rights include life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness (based on godly virtue.). These rights are subject to the laws of nature and of nature’s God. For this purpose the signers of the Declaration pledged their lives, their fortunes, and their sacred honor in firm reliance on divine Providence. They understood that God is our provider. The purpose of the Constitution was to secure God’s blessings of liberty to ourselves and our posterity.

The virtuous things that are upright, honorable, just, righteous, and pure are the praiseworthy ideals upon which our nation’s founding fathers established our nation. However, our nation has been perverted from the truth of God’s righteous standards of excellence and integrity. Like Israel in the time of Jeremiah, God’s people have turned their backs on God and the truth of His Holy Word. God is no respecter of persons. He is a respecter of His word. His righteous justice will prevail according to the righteous standard of His word.

 

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, and will forgive their sin and heal their land.”


The nature of God is loving kindness and tender mercy. He provides a way of repentance and reconciliation when individuals and nations return their hearts to the Lord. Repentance (turning from their wicked ways) starts with a broken and a contrite heart. If God needs to break our hearts to bring us back to him, then thank Him for breaking our hearts. Then if we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive our sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness.  

The way of reconciliation is through His Son, our Lord Jesus Christ. Our righteousness is not in our own flesh but in His nature we received when we were born again of God’s Spirit. God wants to reproduce children after His kind. He has reconciled us through the innocent blood of His sinless Son. For Jesus Christ who was without sin became the perfect sacrifice for sin on our behalf that we may be made the righteousness of God in Him.

Therefore, yield not to temptation. To turn away from sin, turn your eyes upon Jesus. Look full in his wonderful face and the things of earth will grow strangely dim, in the light of His glory and grace ... that we may ever live to the praise of the glory of His grace!


Your brother in Christ, Michael