In honor of my Amazing friend;
Katherine Ellis
Solomon tells us life is a vapor, dust in the wind, vanity
In other words it goes by very quickly
With the time we have, we need to live life to the fullest
Ecclesiastes 11:1-10 NASB
"Cast your bread on the surface of the waters, for you will find it after many days.
Divide your portion to seven, or even to eight, for you do not know what misfortune may occur on the earth.
If the clouds are full, they pour out rain upon the earth;
and whether a tree falls toward the south or toward the north, wherever the tree falls, there it lies.
He who watches the wind will not sow and he who looks at the clouds will not reap.
Just as you do not know the path of the wind and how bones are formed in the womb of the pregnant woman,
so you do not know the activity of God who makes all things.
Sow your seed in the morning and do not be idle in the evening,
for you do not know whether morning or evening sowing will succeed,
or whether both of them alike will be good.
The light is pleasant, and it is good for the eyes to see the sun.
Indeed, if a man should live many years, let him rejoice in them all,
and let him remember the days of darkness, for they will be many.
Everything that is to come will be futility.
Rejoice, young man, during your childhood, and let your heart be pleasant during the days of young manhood.
And follow the impulses of your heart and the desires of your eyes. Yet know that God will bring you to judgment for all these things.
You Only Live Once
Some use this as a call to reckless abandonment
Instead, think of it as; make the most of the life you were given
Vs 1-2
"Cast your bread upon the water"
Not a little generous, but a lot generous
"Make your portion seven or even eight"
Live Life
Vs 3-6
Don’t let stuff stop your living
Inevitables
Uncertainties
Mysteries
When it gets hard, double up
Enjoy Life
Vs 7-8
Savor the little things as well as the big
Rejoice in ALL our days!
All means ……
Vs 9-10
Be wise, as we will all give account for our choices
Remove grief and anger and put away pain
John 10:10
This is Jesus speaking
"The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I came that they may have life, and have it abundantly."
Are you ready to have dessert by living life to the fullest?
That can only happen if you give your life to Christ
- Aug 30, 2020Life Is Short, Eat Dessert First
Life Is Short, Eat Dessert First
In honor of my Amazing friend;
Katherine EllisSolomon tells us life is a vapor, dust in the wind, vanity
In other words it goes by very quickly
With the time we have, we need to live life to the fullest
Ecclesiastes 11:1-10 NASB
"Cast your bread on the surface of the waters, for you will find it after many days.Divide your portion to seven, or even to eight, for you do not know what misfortune may occur on the earth.
If the clouds are full, they pour out rain upon the earth;
and whether a tree falls toward the south or toward the north, wherever the tree falls, there it lies.
He who watches the wind will not sow and he who looks at the clouds will not reap.
Just as you do not know the path of the wind and how bones are formed in the womb of the pregnant woman,
so you do not know the activity of God who makes all things.
Sow your seed in the morning and do not be idle in the evening,
for you do not know whether morning or evening sowing will succeed,
or whether both of them alike will be good.
The light is pleasant, and it is good for the eyes to see the sun.
Indeed, if a man should live many years, let him rejoice in them all,
and let him remember the days of darkness, for they will be many.
Everything that is to come will be futility.
Rejoice, young man, during your childhood, and let your heart be pleasant during the days of young manhood.
And follow the impulses of your heart and the desires of your eyes. Yet know that God will bring you to judgment for all these things.
So, remove grief and anger from your heart and put away pain from your body, because childhood and the prime of life are fleeting."YOLO!
You Only Live OnceSome use this as a call to reckless abandonment
Instead, think of it as; make the most of the life you were given
Live by Faith
Vs 1-2Be Generous:
"Cast your bread upon the water"Not a little generous, but a lot generous
"Make your portion seven or even eight"
Live Life
Vs 3-6Don’t let stuff stop your living
Inevitables
Uncertainties
Mysteries
When it gets hard, double up
Enjoy Life
Vs 7-8Savor the little things as well as the big
Rejoice in ALL our days!
All means ……Vs 9-10
Be wise, as we will all give account for our choices
Remove grief and anger and put away pain
John 10:10
This is Jesus speaking"The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I came that they may have life, and have it abundantly."
Are you ready to have dessert by living life to the fullest?
That can only happen if you give your life to Christ
- Aug 26, 2020Book Of Revelation Study 2
- Aug 23, 2020Walk Worthy
Walk Worthy
Do you really understand that this life is temporary?
We are all given a finite amount of time here in this world
What you do with this short time is what really matters
Look with me to
Colossians 1:9-12"For this reason also, since the day we heard of it, we have not ceased to pray for you and to ask that you may be filled with the knowledge of His will in all spiritual wisdom and understanding,so that you will walk in a manner worthy of the Lord, to please Him in all respects, bearing fruit in every good work and increasing in the knowledge of God;
strengthened with all power, according to His glorious might, for the attaining of all steadfastness and patience;
joyously giving thanks to the Father, who has qualified us to share in the inheritance of the saints in Light." Col. 1:9-12 NASBThis passage begins with "for this reason", which is similar to "therefore"For what reason:
Look at vs 4"since we heard of your faith in Christ Jesus and the love which you have for all the saints;"Basically, since we heard that you had become a ChristianWe have not ceased praying for you
Doesn’t that seem odd, that upon hearing good news Paul says "we are praying"?
They were praying for Spiritual wisdom for new believers
Once you become a believer, how you live matters even more"so that you will walk in a manner worthy of the Lord, to please Him in all respects, bearing fruit in every good work and increasing in the knowledge of God;" Col. 1:10 NASB"Walk worthy of the Lord". All you do now reflects on your Father, GodLost people act any old way and we expect that because they are lost
Believers need to walk worthy of the Lord for many reasons:
To please Him
To bear fruit in every good work
To increase in the knowledge of God"strengthened with all power, according to His glorious might, for the attaining of all steadfastness and patience;joyously giving thanks to the Father, who has qualified us to share in the inheritance of the saints in Light." Col. 1:11-12 NASBThe Father has qualified us to share the inheritance of the Saints in lightWalk worthy. We are responsible to honor Him"For He rescued us from the domain of darkness, and transferred us to the kingdom of His beloved Son,in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins." Col.1:13-14For He rescued us!Without His rescue we would not have hope
This reason alone is enough to walk worthy of Him"He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation.For by Him all things were created, both in the heavens and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities
all things have been created through Him and for Him.
He is before all things, and in Him all things hold together. He is also head of the body, the church;
and He is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, so that He Himself will come to have first place in everything." Col. 1:15-18 NASBWhen we realize all the things that Jesus is, how incredible!The firstborn of all creation
In Him ALL things hold together
He is the head of the body, which is the church
He is the firstborn from the dead!
Without this we would not be resurrected from the dead.
How do we truly walk worthy?
He will come to have first place in EVERYTHING.
Have you given Him first place in EVERYTHING?
- Aug 16, 2020Gray Skies & Sunshine
Gray Skies & Sunshine
Psalm 86:1-13With everything going on in our world it is easy to feel graySome people think that simply because you are a Christian you never get down
The passage that we read today was written by David, a man after God’s own heart
In the beginning of this passage we see heartache
"I am afflicted and needy"
Christians are not incapable of being afflicted and needy
The skies get gray over our homes too
So, as a believer, how do we properly handle the gray skies?
We look for the Sonshine!
When that sun comes out after a storm, it is always glorious
But, we need to remember that it was there during the storm also
Vs 4 shows us exactly what we need to do when we feel afflictedLift it all up to God. He is there in the storm and out of the stormThis Psalm begins with affliction but moves into huge praise and joy
Nowhere in this passage did we see God say let me take all the affliction away
Look at verse 5 and following; the affliction begins to turnSee, in the midst of the gray skies, David sees the Sonshine!Instead of dwelling on the afflictions, he begins to praise God and is filled with Joy
For us, right now in our world today, the best answer is to praise Him
There may be dark clouds all around us, but when we praise, we are filled with Joy
There is only one catch; In order to praise Him, you have to know Him
This very same Daivd committed some very terrible acts, but God gave him grace
No matter how gray the skies are, the Son is always shinning!
- Aug 12, 2020Book Of Revelation Study 1
- Aug 9, 2020The Battle
The Battle
Romans 6:1-11 NASB"What shall we say then? Are we to continue in sin so that grace may increase?
May it never be! How shall we who died to sin still live in it?
Or 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 as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father,
so we too might walk in newness of life.
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 he who has died is freed from sin.
Now if we have died with Christ, we believe that we shall also live with Him,
knowing that Christ, having been raised from the dead, is never to die again;
death no longer is master over Him.
For the death that He died, He died to sin once for all;
but the life that He lives, He lives to God.
Even so consider yourselves to be dead to sin, but alive to God in Christ Jesus."
- Aug 2, 2020I Am Your God – Fear Sermon Series
I Am Your God – Fear Sermon Series
What keeps you from being afraid?
What do you hold close that causes fear to flee?
Children may have a blanket or a stuffed animal;
Perhaps it is a person that makes you feel safe.
Look at
Isaiah 41:8-10"But you, Israel, My servant, Jacob whom I have chosen, Descendant of Abraham My friend,You whom I have taken from the ends of the earth,
And called from its remotest parts And said to you,`You are My servant, I have chosen you and not rejected you.
`Do not fear, for I am with you; Do not anxiously look about you, for I am your God. I will strengthen you,
surely I will help you, Surely I will uphold you with My righteous right hand.'In verse 8 God is talking to Israel
He calls them His servant, His chosen,
Descendant of Abraham, My friend
That’s awesome for Israel
Ephesians 3:6to be specific, that the Gentiles are fellow heirs and fellow members of the body,
and fellow partakers of the promise in Christ Jesus through the gospel,So that means that you too are all those thingsIf you have given your life to Christ
We become one with God’s chosen people
I told you last week that God was the author of Peace
Peace comes from knowing that, to God, we are His friend
Look at verse 9You whom I have taken from the ends of the earth, And called from its remotest parts,
And said to you, `You are My servant, I have chosen you and not rejected you.God has already seen you through so much
He literally takes us to the ends of the earth and back
Most importantly He has chosen you
Did you get that?!? God has chosen you, Christian!
So, what does He do for the ones He chooses?`Do not fear, for I am with you; Do not anxiously look about you, for I am your God.
I will strengthen you, surely I will help you, Surely I will uphold you with My righteous right hand.'I AM
I love scriptures that begin with "I AM"
The name of God given to Moses
I AM that I AM
I AM with you
I AM your God
I will strengthen you
I will help you
I will uphold you
With My Righteous right hand
I AM says you are literally in His hand
Do not fear!
I AM your GodIs He your God today?
- Jul 29, 2020Book Of Daniel Study 14
- Jul 26, 2020Fear Not! – Fear Sermon Series
Fear Not! – Fear Sermon Series
What is fear?
An unpleasant emotion caused by the belief that someone or something is dangerous, likely to cause pain, or a threat.
Simply put, fear is something we are uncertain about.How do we live with no fear?"Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, rejoice!
Let your gentle spirit be known to all men. The Lord is near.
Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God.
And the peace of God, which surpasses all comprehension, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.
Finally, brethren, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is of good repute,
if there is any excellence and if anything worthy of praise, dwell on these things.
The things you have learned and received and heard and seen in me, practice these things,
and the God of peace will be with you.
But I rejoiced in the Lord greatly, that now at last you have revived your concern for me;
indeed, you were concerned before, but you lacked opportunity.
Not that I speak from want, for I have learned to be content in whatever circumstances I am.
I know how to get along with humble means, and I also know how to live in prosperity;
in any and every circumstance I have learned the secret of being filled and going hungry, both of having abundance and suffering need.
I can do all things through Him who strengthens me." Phil. 4:4-13 NASBFirst - Rejoice in the Lord always!
It is impossible to allow fear to come in while rejoicing
We rejoice about the things we know
Fear comes from the unknown
Second -
Look at verse 6"Be anxious for nothing"
How is that possible to be anxious for nothing?
"In everything by prayer"
Third -
Look at verse 7"The peace of God that passes all understanding"
Peace:
The greatest enemy of fearFourth -
Look at verse 8"Whatever is….."
If we dwell on these things there is no room for fear
Fifth -
Look at verse 11"Be content in whatever circumstances I’m in"
Lastly -
Look at verse 13"I can do all things through CHRIST"
How can we do all things?
Follow the first 5 points as you trust in Him
Do you know HIM?
- Jul 22, 2020Book Of Daniel Study 13
- Jul 19, 2020The Cry Of His People
The Cry Of His People
Exodus 3:1-14 KJV3 Now Moses kept the flock of Jethro his father in law, the priest of Midian: and he led the flock to the backside of the desert, and came to the mountain of God, even to Horeb.
2 And the angel of the Lord appeared unto him in a flame of fire out of the midst of a bush: and he looked, and, behold, the bush burned with fire, and the bush was not consumed.
3 And Moses said, I will now turn aside, and see this great sight, why the bush is not burnt.
4 And when the Lord saw that he turned aside to see, God called unto him out of the midst of the bush, and said, Moses, Moses. And he said, Here am I.
5 And he said, Draw not nigh hither: put off thy shoes from off thy feet, for the place whereon thou standest is holy ground.
6 Moreover he said, I am the God of thy father, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob. And Moses hid his face; for he was afraid to look upon God.
7 And the Lord said, I have surely seen the affliction of my people which are in Egypt, and have heard their cry by reason of their taskmasters; for I know their sorrows;
8 And I am come down to deliver them out of the hand of the Egyptians, and to bring them up out of that land unto a good land and a large, unto a land flowing with milk and honey; unto the place of the Canaanites, and the Hittites, and the Amorites, and the Perizzites, and the Hivites, and the Jebusites.
9 Now therefore, behold, the cry of the children of Israel is come unto me: and I have also seen the oppression wherewith the Egyptians oppress them.10 Come now therefore, and I will send thee unto Pharaoh, that thou mayest bring forth my people the children of Israel out of Egypt.
11 And Moses said unto God, Who am I, that I should go unto Pharaoh, and that I should bring forth the children of Israel out of Egypt?
12 And he said, Certainly I will be with thee; and this shall be a token unto thee, that I have sent thee: When thou hast brought forth the people out of Egypt, ye shall serve God upon this mountain.
13 And Moses said unto God, Behold, when I come unto the children of Israel, and shall say unto them, The God of your fathers hath sent me unto you; and they shall say to me, What is his name? what shall I say unto them?
14 And God said unto Moses, I Am That I Am: and he said, Thus shalt thou say unto the children of Israel, I Am hath sent me unto you.
- Jul 15, 2020Book Of Daniel Study 12
- Jul 12, 2020The Good Shepherd – Fear Sermon Series
The Good Shepherd – Fear Sermon Series
Why are we living in fear today?
COVID-19,
Uncertainty of America’s future;Racial Tension,
Financial difficulties.Certainly these are all things that cause anxiety, but why fear?
Let me tell you about the Good Shepherd
Turn with me to the 23rd PsalmThe Lord is my Shepherd I shall not wantThe Lord is my Shepherd, I shall not wantSo why do we have fear of all these things listed earlier?The Lord is my Shepherd
The Shepherd’s job is to take care of the Sheep, right?
The Lord certainly does a good job of that. Keep reading this PsalmHe restores my soul, meaning, He takes away the fear, if we let HimScripture also tells us that we all like sheep have gone astray Isaiah 53:6
Look what He does vs 3
For His name’s sake.
When He takes care of you, people see HimThe Lord is my Shepherd I shall not wantThe Valley of the shadow of deathWe hang out here basically our whole lives
Look at the rest of vs 4
I fear no evil!Because You are with me!
Your rod and Your staff, they comfort me
Understand that this seems very strange to some people
The rod was used to punish the sheep when it got out of line
Not most people’s idea of comfort right?
The staff could be used to nudge and to rescue
So both of these things comfort us because they both are used out of loveGod takes care of us even in the presence of our enemiesHe anoints us for healing and for a mission to reach people
Our cup is running over due to the extreme amount of blessing He gives usThe rest of our livesDo you know the Good Shepherd?
- Jul 5, 2020Pass The Salt And Turn On The Lights
Pass The Salt And Turn On The Lights
Salt and Light are exactly what our nation need right now
Today we celebrate Independence Day
Independence from what?
From a King's rule and no freedom of religion
Our Nation's founders came here seeking freedom to worship
One of the main reasons for breaking away
In our Nation today, God is not considered by many
In fact, God is even despised and His name brings anger
The world today is full of hate and selfishness
This Nation has become dark and tasteless
Jesus said to His followers “You are the salt of the earth”
In His earthly days, salt was premium, important
It seasoned and preserved
But, if it becomes tasteless, it is no good
This happened because it was not pure
As believers, we must get the impurities out to be effective
If we are to see the nation change, we must season it
We must preserve it! Pass the salt to everyone!
“You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden;
Turn on the lights!
If we are the light, why is the world so dark?
Survey after survey show that over 50% of the nation claims Christianity
If those numbers are even close, why is the nation dark?
Christians, please turn on your lights!
"nor does anyone light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on the lampstand"
Is your light hidden?
Have you filled yourself with impurities?
Have you ever been the Salt and Light?
Jesus is the answer for you and our Nation!
- Jul 1, 2020Book Of Daniel Study 11
- Jun 28, 2020Purpose – The Right Path
Purpose – The Right Path
Jeremiah 29:11
"I Know"Romans 8:28
"All Things for Good"Proverbs 3:6
"The Right Path"In ALL ways acknowledge HIM
ALL
means
ALLChristians will quickly say we do that
When was the last time you started your day by submitting to Him
I’m speaking from experience
I believe I always take the big decisions to Him
This week He showed me that I wasn’t daily submitting
Solomon the wisest man that every lived wrote this Proverb
Proverbs 1:1-7How do you think that Solomon came to the conclusions?
Ecclesiastes 2:1-11Solomon, after doing everything his way, found how not to do itSolomon said doing it his way was vanity chasing the wind
Many of us have things to do every day and we just do them
We don’t ever consider giving each day to God
If Christians are not giving ALL things to God,
How can we be on the Right Path?
Ecclesiastes 12:13-14"I think I may be on the wrong road!"Call someone who can help you determine the right road
Proverbs 3:5Trust in the Lord and not in yourselfTrust only in the Lord
Proverbs 3:6It is time to be on the straight path! - Jun 21, 2020Purpose – All Things For Good
Purpose – All Things For Good
All Things for Good
The third most searched scripture on Bible Gateway - Romans 8:28
Turn with me to
Romans 8:28God causes all things to work together for good
be careful to see that God didn’t say all things are good
Sometimes things that aren’t very good
can work together to make things good
A shot hurts. Ask any child and they will tell you a shot isn’t good
However, the medicines that are administered are good
The quick delivery method through a shot is good
So two good things come together through one bad thing
making it work together for good
Happy Father’s Day to all you Fathers out there
Dads – we are called by God to be the leader of our families
to be the spiritual and physical leader of our families
Sometimes the decisions we have to make aren’t good
but we make them for the overall good
Our Heavenly Father does the same thing
sometimes He allows us things that aren’t good
But He causes even these things to work together
for good for those that love the Lord
SO Purpose?
This is a series on Purpose right?
Look at the rest of that verse it says according to His purpose
So the purpose, is in everything that we do,
it is for Him and not for us
He works all things together for good for His purpose
Right now in our tiny little world there are bad things happening
We see the things that are happening as bad
God is certainly using them to work together for a greater good.
His good purpose
Fathers, we all make mistakes with our children
You have to trust God
that He will use even our mistakes to come together for good
The biggest question is:
Do you trust God to work all things together for good?
Do you know Jesus? Have you given your life to Him?
All things for good to those who love God.Do
You
Love God? - Jun 17, 2020Book Of Daniel Study 10
- Jun 14, 2020Purpose – I Know
Purpose – I Know
- Jun 10, 2020Book Of Daniel Study 9
