- Aug 7, 2022Serve The Children
Serve The Children
- Jul 31, 2022Peace, Be Still
Peace, Be StillMark 4:35-41
35 And the same day, when the even was come, he saith unto them, Let us pass over unto the other side.36 And when they had sent away the multitude, they took him even as he was in the ship. And there were also with him other little ships.37 And there arose a great storm of wind, and the waves beat into the ship, so that it was now full.38 And he was in the hinder part of the ship, asleep on a pillow: and they awake him, and say unto him, Master, carest thou not that we perish?39 And he arose, and rebuked the wind, and said unto the sea, Peace, be still. And the wind ceased, and there was a great calm.40 And he said unto them, Why are ye so fearful? how is it that ye have no faith?41 And they feared exceedingly, and said one to another, What manner of man is this, that even the wind and the sea obey him?(KJV) - Jul 24, 2022Go Deeper
Go Deeper
- Jul 17, 2022Evil
Evil
Evil is everywhere in this world today, and probably nowhere more prevalent than the United States
It has become so commonplace, most people don’t even flinch when they encounter it anymore
This was a piece that Paul Harvey read on the air in 1965
WOW, he was right on target with how the devil was making our country his playground
We see exactly what you are talking about but what can we do about it?
That’s the thing, evil has become so prevalent that people feel as if nothing can be done.
I am going to read another letter to you this morning
1 Thessalonians 5 NASB
Apostle PaulThese are the very instructions for how to deal with the evil in the world today
We are in the end times and we do not know the day or the hour of Christ return
One of the most important things we can do today is;
1 Thessalonians 5:22NASBWe are usually pretty good with what we would consider the big things
Murder, Burglary, Assault….you know all the big things
But what about other stuff
We invite evil into our hearts on a daily basis
We have TV shows and movies that glorify evil
We go to movies that are even called Horror movies and pay to open our hearts to evil
We read books that are all about evil
You see instead of abstaining from evil or fleeing from evil we invite it in
The “we” I’m talking about here is not the lost world but people who call themselves believers
God’s people have got to wake up and realize that the toxic things of the world are exactly that, TOXIC
We know that judgement day is coming and instead of remaining vigilant and watchful we practice evil ourselves
I work for the NWS and their job is to keep the people safe by warning them of incoming bad weather
What if the NWS decided to just keep all the info to themselves and not put out the warnings. People would die!
If God’s people who know what is coming do not tell others, people don’t just die.
They spend an eternity in a devil's hell in eternal torment
Stop entertaining evil and instead pray without ceasing!
Sound the alarm and tell people how they can be saved!
Do you know Jesus?
- Jul 10, 2022Pain
Pain
Most of you know, I went through a lot of pain last week
By Wednesday afternoon, I was feeling kind of sorry for myself and hoping for relief
Then I thought about all the pain others were going through
All those around me that I know had much worse pain that I was dealing with, yet they continue on
How about the Apostle Paul? He was shipwrecked 3 times and lost at sea for a day and night
He was stoned, scourged 5 times, beaten, scandalized, slandered and even bitten by a poisonous viper
Paul never left the path God put him on, and his focus and energy never wavered
So, is there something we can learn from the pain that comes in our lives?
First of all, we need to know that pain happens
We would like to think that God would allow those who know him to have less pain and suffering, but that isn’t the case
I read someone said “life starts with a swat to the bottom and goes downhill from there”
Those who serve God have pain too, in fact, we have already talked about some of Paul’s struggles
To top everything else off, Paul was given a thorn in the flesh that was straight from Hell
Our passage today says it was a messenger from Satan sent to torment him
Paul begged God 3 times to take away that pain, but God said "My grace is sufficient"
We know that pain is part of life, but do we ever look for purpose in our pain?
In our passage today, Paul says the thorn was given to keep him from exalting himself
Also think about Philippi, where Paul and Silas were beaten in public and locked up
After that happened, the message of Christ exploded in that city
Or maybe Ephesus, where Paul ministered for a long time and then, after a huge riot, was run out of the city
More people came to Christ in the aftermath of that riot than during the whole 2 years Paul preached there
While we are in the midst of Pain, it is hard to see a purpose, but we can trust God to have a purpose, and we should seek it
Not even Jesus was spared from pain, so, we should remember that pain also has power
In Paul’s pain, and his begging for relief, he received from God power
Paul determined at that point, he would rather be strong in Christ through pain, than in his own strength
We watch people who are in pain but work through it anyway with a great respect
A football player, who is hurting, but stays in the game to carry the team to victory
A soldier, who even injured, fights on to keep his platoon safe
How about Christ, who, while enduring the worst torture even before the cross, pressed on to finish the fight
These are things that inspire us to fight on through the pain
Pain happens, pain has a purpose, and pain has a power
One last thing to consider, Have you ever thought about how a pearl is made?
A pearl is made through great suffering to the oyster
The gem inside has great beauty and great value, all from the suffering of the oyster
We can be inspired by Paul, but it was the pain that Christ endured that gives us life
While we still endure some pain in this world, through Christ, we can be relieved of all pain when we get home
Are you certain of that fact in your life?
- Jul 3, 2022God & Country
God & Country
In the last two weeks we have seen decades of bad laws reversed
Our 2nd amendment rights were protected
Abortion laws were overturned
Prayer in school was protected
I heard it referred to as a month of horrors but I believe it was a month of celebration
However, our country still has a long way to go to get back to God
Happy Independence day weekend!
Our great country was founded based on the freedom of Religion
Way back in the old testament, God showed a nation that it could only survive if it followed the Law
That law we know as the 10 commandments
Our very own country’s laws were originally based in the 10 commandments
Today, I want us to look at the most important way we can serve God and Country
We call this the Great Commandment
Love God and Love your neighbor
The first thing we all have to do for God and for Country is Love God with all our everything
How is this going to be good for serving our country?
If you love God with all that you have, you will walk with Him and He will direct your path
If God directs your path you will live the love of God and not get caught up in all the division
The biggest problem we have as a Nation is not all the division among the lost but among the saved
God’s people need to act like God’s people and live the love of God
Love your neighbor as yourself means to love like God loves
Jesus says we respect our Nation and God
We follow the laws of the land in a way that is pleasing to God
Our Nation is a Nation because brave men and women sought freedom to worship
When we think about Independence day it is important to remember why
With all it’s flaws, the United States of America is still the greatest country in the world!
But, always remember our first devotion is not to country but to God
If we truly lived the great commandment and loved God with everything and loved our neighbor as self,
The whole Nation would see how badly they need God
How can you live the great commandment unless you know the one it is about?
- Jun 26, 2022Unbearable Heat
Unbearable Heat
Have you been enjoying the Heat lately?
We have had new record high temps all over our area just this week.
I don’t know about you but all this heat made me think about one thing...
HELL!
So many people go through life never giving the existence of Hell one thought
For those who believe the Word of God, thinking about hell should cause us to work even harder to reach people
For those who have never made a decision to follow Christ, the thought of hell should be terrifying
There are those who argue, “a loving God wouldn’t send anyone to Hell”
To that I say you are right. But unrepentant people send themselves to hell
Today I want to look at several scriptures that tell us about hell
Hell is a place of eternal torment and agony
“Where the worm does not die and the fire is not quenched”
In this chapter in Mark that phrase is repeated 3 times! Do you think it is important?
“In that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth”
Have you ever seen a dog that is in terrible pain?
The outer darkness is also a reference to hell as indicated by weeping and gnashing of teeth
Have you ever sat in total darkness for an extended period of time?
There are months in Alaska where the sun never shines and the depression rate is off the charts
Total darkness can make you feel as if you are being crushed to death.
How hot will hell be?
This fire was so hot the guards died just getting near it. We have to believe hell is hotter than that.
We’ve already established that the fire is not only hot but unquenchable meaning it never burns out
The point today is that hell is real and those who do not accept Jesus send themselves there.
There is good news!
1 Thessalonians 1:9-10 NASBJesus saves us from the wrath to come.
To perish means to spend eternity in Hell
Good news God did not send Jesus in the world to condemn the world but to save it.
Today if you are here or watching online you still have the opportunity to accept Jesus
“whosoever believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life”
That eternal life is in heaven with Jesus!
- Jun 19, 2022A Father’s Blessing
A Father’s Blessing
- Jun 12, 2022God Or Google
God Or Google
A recent study of adults in the United Kingdom found they checked their smartphone every 12 minutes
I personally believe, today, in the US, it is probably closer to every 5 minutes
A recent commercial uses this to ask “ever wonder what all those people are doing on their phones”
The title of the message today is God or Google
The question is – Who do you turn to first?
It has been said that, if Google were to suddenly go away, a whole generation of young people would be lost
The reality is, it isn’t just young people!
This passage is about having confidence that you can take everything to God and He will answer
I asked the question "God or Google?", because too many believers ask Google instead of asking God
Understand that Google is people who have selected possible answers for random questions
Google isn’t your creator that knows you intimately
Yet many people would rather just Google it than to get on their knees and give it to God
John wrote this so that you may know you have eternal life.
I asked Google “How can I have eternal life?”
I received 201 million possible answers
I asked God “How can I have eternal life?”
One answer! The true answer!
Don’t get me wrong, Google can help you find out some things, but it is not always right!
You see there is never a time that God is unreachable
We know, without a doubt, that, when we pray, God hears us.
When He hears us, He will answer
Romans 10:9 gives you a definite answerGoogle gives you possible answers
The point I’m trying to make here today is the same point I was making Wednesday night
We have got to live Godly and not worldly lives
If we are believers, why are we not going straight to the creator first and always for the answers we need?
What if we talked to God every five minutes during a day instead of our smartphone?
What if “knee” mail became more important than email?
What if we in this world, truly trusted God more than Google
What a huge difference that would make in our world
Are you ready to do that today?
- Jun 5, 2022In The World
In The World
Have you ever just wished you could get away from all the junk in the world and have your own private world?
You’re not alone!
The truth is that if you know Jesus as Savior you are not of the world.
Because you are not of the world, the world hates you!
This is the main reason that we, as believers, desperately want to be apart from the world.
Take heart because the world hates you just like the world hates your Father
If we were comfortable in the world, it would mean we were not of our Father
Notice that Jesus says He did not ask to take us out of the world
Some believers want to hide away from all things and just be out of touch
This is not what Jesus said. He said He didn’t want us taken out of the world, just protected from the evil one
So if we aren’t intended to be taken out of the world, what does that mean?
Once again Jesus says we are not of the world as He is not of the world.
Why is something repeated in scripture?
For emphasis! Jesus says twice we are not of this world.
Then in vs 17 Jesus asks the Father to sanctify them in the truth
He also emphasizes the fact that God is the truth.
Don’t take them out of the world, just sanctify them, meaning prepare them in truth.
One of the reasons that God’s people would rather be out of the world is they aren’t spending time in His Word
Instead of spending time wishing we could get out, spend time studying why we are here.
Pay very close attention to vs 18Jesus says He has sent us into the world.
If He sent us, why are we trying to get out of it.
This passage shows that God’s people are to be in the world but not of the world
We, as a the human race, spend large amounts of time trying to get out of stuff
Probably if we spent more time just doing things instead of hiding we would all be more joyful
If Jesus says He sent us into the world then isn’t it about time we obeyed and went out trying to reach people
Instead of hiding in the safety of the church walls, let us Go and Tell!
Join me today in praying that God will reveal to us where and how we need to go
Are you ready to be part of this awesome family?
- May 29, 2022Peace
Peace
This is a time when we remember all the brave men and women that gave their lives for our Freedoms!
There is something about that….it took people before us to give us the freedom to live!
I will always celebrate my fallen brothers and sisters and the legacy they left behind
Today, however, I want us to look at another who died for ALL
This is Jesus who died for ALL
He spoke these things so that we might have peace.
What things? Vs 29-32Jesus said in vs 33 “in Me you may have peace” It is because of his death, burial and resurrection that peace was possible Peace from the desires of Satan because Jesus was greater In the United States today, we can have peace because of those who paid the price for us. Because they were willing to fight for the freedom to become “One Nation Under God” Because they were willing to fight that you may be able to execute the free will that God gave us As wonderful as that is, only Jesus death, burial and resurrection granted us real freedom…..from the penalty of sin. Jesus said “in Me you may have peace, in the world you will have tribulation.” The peace that we all so desperately seek is available but the world tries to block it from you In the world, we have senseless slaughter of children both unborn and born We have evil that is more celebrated than good. We have immoral and illegal acts that are everyday cast as “normal” or even “good” How can we look at our world today and find any peace? Our men and women, that gave their lives for this country, gave everyone freedom but some misuse it Jesus gave us freedom from the very sin that we commit which gives ultimate peace In fact, even after He said there will be trouble in the world He said “take courage, I have overcome the world” Today, in all the anxiety of this wicked lost world, remember Jesus has overcome! Today you may be still anxious because you do not know Jesus My question is, are you ready for peace? Know Jesus Know Peace No Jesus No Peace - May 22, 2022God Provides
God Provides
Perhaps today you are very concerned about all the mess going on in the worldThere are real problems that are very scary especially to consumers
This isn’t the first time people have been scared and concerned about their immediate future
The Israelites had finally been released from the bonds of slavery only now afraid they will starve to death in the wilderness
It is a natural thing as humans to fret when we see situations that seem impossible to overcome.
BUT GOD!!!
Even today our heavenly Father knows what we need and he will take care of us
The Israelites were desperate and they began to grumble against God but God said, I got this.
Nothing is impossible with God!
That still applies today!
The people heard what was said but they had yet to experience it.
It as if God said to the people, watch this!
He provided meat in the evening and what was eventually called Manna in the morning.
Neither of these things could have been done by men but God provides
Has there ever been a time in your life when you didn’t know how you were going to make it and something unexpected happened?
BUT GOD!!
He always does it in His way and perhaps we can’t even understand
“What is it?”
In Hebrew that phrase “what is it?” translates to “Ma’n Hu? Which we pronounce as Manna
Notice how the people gathered different amounts but it was exactly what they needed
Even though we don’t always understand, God provides exactly what we need, exactly when we need it.
Today I want us to understand that even in these uncertain times, God Provides
Instead of living fearful we can trust God to see us through.
So the only question is, do you know the God that Provides?
- May 15, 2022Sweet Aroma
Sweet Aroma
“Thanks be to God who always leads us”
Paul’s original plan had been derailed slightly, and he wanted to let the Corinthians know he was following God
This is how we all need to be, followers of God no matter if it isn’t according to our plans
Smells tend to stick in our memory. Both pleasant and unpleasant smells.
In this passage it is talking about a triumph parade during which the generals burned incense as they passed by
The picture here is of God in His triumph as a sweet aroma that we should always remember
We too should have a sweet aroma to God as we serve Him daily
The aroma of the triumph smelled great to the victors but very bad to those defeated
In this passage the drastic difference is the gospel is sweet to those who have received and foul to those who have rejected
Never the less, we are to strive to send that sweet aroma to God’s nostrils as we serve Him
Who is sufficient?
Is anyone sufficient?
Truly not one is really worthy but through Christ we can consult God
When we truly spend time with the Father our message to others is not corrupted by self
We give to them what God gives to us and it is a great thing
“we are not peddling the Word of God”
The meaning here is that we aren’t watering down or changing the Word of God but delivering it as we receive it
Have you ever watched an interpreter?
Sometimes I wonder are they really saying exactly what the person told them to say or not?
There are people in this world today that try to spin God’s word to fit their desire
When this happens the aroma is actually a stench
“we speak in the sight of God in Christ”
It is because of Christ and His propitiation of our sins, that we can hear from God in the first place
Through Christ we speak the Word of God and the first audience of that is God
When we hear from God and then share the gospel with others, God is the first audience member
He is listening so you better not spin it but pass it on, just like you received it.
When we do, God is pleased and we are like that sweet aroma that God loves so much.
If you choose not to share the word that God has given you, the aroma is not sweet but foul
Today will you march in triumph and produce a sweet aroma as you speak the gospel message?
Or will you remain stagnant and give off a foul stench that would not be pleasing to anyone especially God?
- May 8, 2022A Mother’s Laugh
A Mother’s Laugh
Happy Mother’s Day!
Today I would like to look at one biblical mother named Sarah
So we see that Sarah could not believe what she heard
Some people want to say that Sarah didn’t have much faith
Sarai, as she was originally called, is found following her husband in faith
She didn’t know where they were going or what they were supposed to do
But she did not protest; she followed where God told them to go
We can learn a lot from this mother
God could choose to show us everything planned for us up front
But, He doesn’t
So many of us are hesitant to step out on faith for any reason
What we can learn from Sarai/Sarah, it is most important to just go
I sometimes wonder how many people remain lost today due to our reluctance
In our text today, we are critical of Sarah because she laughed at a miracle
Most of you ladies in here could relate that, at an old age, childbirth would be impossible
All things are possible with God
Vs 1 says “the Lord did for Sarah as he had promised”
You see when we take that step of Faith God honors that
Sarah, at 99 years of age, gave birth to a son
I know what you are thinking
"I’m so glad that wasn’t me"
But for Sarah, God was faithful and He always is
Again, what we see is, even though Sarah doubted...
God blessed her
What we need to take away from this is, God is able
Knowing God is able, we need to trust Him and be faithful
One of our biggest problems today is we don’t fully trust God
We don’t want to step out on faith, but you never know when God will use YOU.
Sarah, after seeing the miracle that God did, said “God has made laughter for me”
“Everyone who hears will laugh with me”
When we are faithful, all those who are around us are lifted up too
Do you truly trust God?
Are you ready to do that right now?
- May 1, 2022Rejoice!
Rejoice!
Have you ever been so excited that you just felt like shouting?
Surely most of you in here have let out a big "woohoo!" a time or two in your life
Sometimes, something happens that is so good we just want to break out in song!This is one of those things
Zephaniah 3:14-17 NASBSing! This passage shows great joy. So much so we should burst forth in song!
I get so tired of us Christians who jump and shout and scream during a meaningless football game
And we won’t even shout out a good "AMEN!" in a church service. The Holy God should excite you!
The LORD is in your midst!
That ought to make you shout with praise, or maybe fear, if you’ve been living wrongly.
Don’t stop there however, the LORD is in our midst, with power to save!
We have committed sin which dooms us to eternal Hell, BUT GOD, shows up with the power to save!
God takes Joy in you!
You know I am messed up there is no way God could be joyful in me.
You can rest in His love!
This is the craziest thought ever….. God sings over you
Our messed up view of this stoic, rock faced God, sitting on His throne, makes it hard to think that God would sing
“He will rejoice over you with shouts of Joy”
You make God so joyful he breaks out in song!!
We often think we have failed so badly that God is annoyed with us but here we see God sings over us.
Fear NOT!
God loves YOUBecause of God’s great love “do not let your hands fall limp”
Don’t grow weary in your service to God
Rejoice!!
Sing praises, tell others, serve Him in every way because He saved you.
But all the downfalls I’ve had and the evil people that are never punished.
Rejoice!!
God will defeat the enemy!He will gather His people to Himself
Rejoice! Show the world that you know the LORD is in our midst and He is mighty to save!
God has NEVER abandoned His people and He never will!
Perhaps you can’t seem to Rejoice today
I ask you this question…Do you know Jesus?
Have you truly given your life to Him?
Rejoice, Rejoice oh people of God!!
- Apr 24, 2022Staring At The Cross
Staring At The Cross
As a Christian, the celebration of Easter is a huge deal!The build up, the long day of celebration, the tremendous joy that we feel knowing Jesus is alive.
Today, I want to talk about what sometimes happens after that day.
First, look with me to
Acts 1:1-3 NASBThe first thing I want us to see here is; Jesus gave orders to His apostles
There was a purpose of showing Himself, alive, to the disciples. He wanted them to believe, so they would actually carry out His orders
They had heard that he was going to rise from the grave, but doubt is powerful
Now, they have the motivation to carry out the orders that Jesus left them, knowing there is no doubt
Jesus gives them another command, to wait for the Holy Spirit
Sometimes, after a great event like Easter, we are energized and want to just strike out doing things for Jesus
But, we need to receive, through the Holy Spirit, what or how we are to do these things.
In other words, take time to pray for guidance before striking out.
When you receive the Holy Spirit, you will be My witnesses even unto all the earth
Basically what Jesus said in this passage is, you don’t have to know everything, you just have to believe and be obedient.
We may not know the days or times, but we know that Jesus will come again.
When we listen to the Holy Spirit, and the Spirit says to go here, tell this person, wait on this to happen, we need to answer
Jesus had equipped the disciples and given them orders to carry out because He knew He was about to leave.
While they were standing there with Him, He ascended into heaven.
They had to be amazed, excited and also fearful all at the same time.
Jesus, whom they had been walking with for all this time, has now gone to be with the Father
He didn’t leave them alone and He didn’t leave them without direction.
However, this event was so powerful, all they could do was stand and stare
We, as modern day believers, sometimes find ourselves after Easter standing and staring at the cross because it has been so powerful.
We want to just stay in the moment of the love that Jesus showed on that cross.
But look at verse 11 again
Why do you stand and stare? Don’t you remember what He said? He will come again.
When He comes again, don’t you want Him to find you carrying out the orders He left?
Remember, that those same orders Jesus gave to the apostles, He gives to all believers
GO! And TELL!
The cross is so amazing, because without the love that Jesus showed on that cross, we would have no hope.
However, He didn’t go to the cross for us to stare at it, but so that we could take that hope and share it with all who will listen.
We have been given an order and it is one that has never been rescinded.
Are you carrying out the final orders of Jesus today? Are you ready to begin doing just that?
- Apr 17, 2022Extraordinary Love Unveiled
Extraordinary Love Unveiled
Today we celebrate the Resurrection of Jesus Christ!
Many people today do not believe that Jesus existed or, if He did, surely He was not resurrected
We have been talking about Extraordinary love
I want you to see that Extraordinary love unveiled today
Jesus, the Son of God, lived, was crucified, and was resurrected
Now, I want you to understand why
God loves you more than you can even comprehend
The scripture today may seem unusual for resurrection Sunday, but hang in there
Jesus wanted us to know that He was going to prepare a place for us in eternity
This brings a peace, if you let it, about the end of this life.
Once you accept Jesus, you can have peace knowing that He has a special place for you.
Vs 3 says He is coming again! That is the ultimate peace!
You said (if we accept Him) what do we know about that?
Jesus said you know the way!
That is great, but I don’t know what He means by that, because I don’t know the way.
Thomas asked this question for you, and Jesus replied:
"I am the Way!"
You don’t have to be perplexed. Jesus said, I am the way, trust ME!
Knowing Jesus is knowing God!
Jesus told the disciples this before He died.
What if those are empty words?
The disciples, just like people today, heard Jesus, but then he died; so they were very confused
They, just like us, needed to be certain.
This passage shows us that they were first very afraid until Jesus appeared in the room
For the disciples and for us, this is a confirmation of the Resurrection
But Thomas was not convinced and said "I have to see it myself"
A week later, Jesus appeared once again in the upper room and showed Thomas His wounds
We never see where Thomas actually put his fingers in the nail prints, but having seen, he believed.
Jesus said Thomas believed because he saw but blessed are those who believe without seeing
Today we don’t physically see Jesus with our own eyes, but we can see Him in our heart
Once Thomas eyes were unveiled, he replied with “my Lord and my God”
He doubted, but once it was revealed, he was the first to call Jesus God.
Are you ready to accept the Way, the Truth, and the Life through Jesus today!
- Apr 10, 2022Extraordinary Love – Beautiful Light
Extraordinary Love – Beautiful Light
Have you ever groped around in a dark room trying to find a light?
There are so many things that can cause problems when you can’t see. How beautiful that light switch is when you find it.Jesus is the light and He is the only light in a dark world.We stumble around with all sorts of dangers in this dark world but Jesus wants to be the light that saves us!
Some believe that Jesus just wants to judge them for their failures and make them feel bad
But Jesus wants to be the light so you don’t have to walk in the darkness.
Jesus clearly says I did not come to judge the world but to save the world!
We get ourselves into all sorts of trouble but Jesus doesn’t say, you did this so you deserve it
Jesus says, I’m here to save you from all the darkness no matter how you got there.
Jesus does love everyone and that is important to know
But just as important to know, is the fact that there is a judge that will judge you for all eternity
Jesus says if you reject me then you will be judged and that judge is the Word
He says it is not His word but God’s word and if you reject Jesus you are rejecting God
God the Father sent God the Son who is Jesus into this dark world to be the light
God gave Jesus exactly what to say and to do that we might see the light
As we consider this extraordinary love that God has given the world think about this
We could have been left alone in the darkness trying uselessly to find our way
But God sent the beautiful light into the world and He is able to light the whole world
But you do not have to follow the light. You can turn away from the light and continue however you choose
Jesus spoke the commandment of God which is eternal life
He didn’t come to judge but there is a judge
The judgement comes from your decision to accept Jesus and all He said or to reject
What I want you to see here today is that in essence, you are your own judge. You make the judgement to accept or reject
Jesus came, He lived, He died, and rose again, all for you
Will you accept the beautiful light or turn back into the darkness?
- Apr 3, 2022Extraordinary Love – Love Rejected
Extraordinary Love – Love Rejected
First let’s look at what Jesus encountered
Demon possessed men
These men did not want to be filled with demons, but they, in fact, were
Mark 5:9 says when asked the name of the demon, the response was, Legion for we are many
A legion of troops was 5,000. So it could reasonably be estimated that there were 5,000 demons living in these men
Nothing is so bad that God can’t help you.
People today sometimes believe they are in such a bad way, that there can be no help for them
but ALL things are possible with God!
These demons were completely destroying the men and they could not stop it, nor could anyone in the town
They were so violent no one could pass by their way
Even the demons immediately responded to Jesus knowing exactly who He was
God has placed it in us to know who He is, just like the demons, but He gave us also the ability to reject
The demons knew Jesus was about to cleanse these men and they asked to be able to go into a new host
Even the swine didn’t want to be possessed by the demons and they all ran off into the lake and drowned
Why is this even relevant?
During that time swine were considered unclean and Jewish law prohibited them from even being around them
These men that Jesus cleansed were not only victims but they were in fact living against the law as well
“Only good people can be loved by God”
If that were true no one would be loved by God, because we know there is not one who is good.
This incredible miracle happened and the herdsmen immediately went to tell everyone.
Sometimes it is the things that happen around you and not necessarily to you, that can make a huge difference in your life.
Imagine the herdsmen excitedly relaying everything that happened to the townspeople
Jesus displayed an extraordinary love, by cleansing these men of thousands of demons
You would expect the town to be overjoyed!!
The whole city came out to Jesus but instead of being overjoyed
They said take your love and miracles and get on out of here. We don’t want that here!!
They saw the love that Jesus displayed and they flat out rejected that love!
You see Jesus came in love and healed the men in love but the people rejected that love.
That is the great and awful thing about God’s love it can be rejected
The townspeople were more concerned about keeping their way of life and their money
So many people today reject the Love of God because they don’t want to change their lives
Mark's version of this story tells us the man, that was freed from the demons, wanted to leave the city and go with Jesus
Jesus said instead no, go back into the city and tell people what I have done for you.
Even after rejecting Jesus until eternity people can still accept that Extraordinary Love.
Will you accept it today?
- Mar 27, 2022Extraordinary Love – In The Beginning
Extraordinary Love – In The Beginning
Today we begin a series that will take us to Resurrection Sunday
Every story has a beginning, and your story has a beginning too
This is all about the love of God, and He loved you from the very beginning
He loved you so much He created you in the first place
I want you to understand, that God made a way for us from the beginning, it wasn’t a backup plan after we sinned
The light of men, that we read about in this passage, is Jesus
But you see from the beginning that the world could not understand it
But God did not leave us in this state of lostness, instead, He sent a messenger
We know this messenger as John the Baptist. He came to tell the world about Jesus, the Christ
It is the job of every believer to continue this mission of shining a light into the darkness by telling about Christ
This is LOVE, that God didn’t let us stay confused and lost, but sent someone to show us the light
We see here, the light was in the world but man could not see Him
You’ve heard of not seeing the forest for the trees. The world couldn’t see Jesus because they didn’t know how to look
But through the love of God He was already here, in fact the world was made through Him
So grasp this fact, God loves you so much, He created ALL through the Savior and placed the Savior here for ALL
When we think about the crucifixion and the resurrection, we truly see God’s love
But it didn’t start there, it was from the beginning!
Verse 12 is the greatest news we could ever receive, that as many receive Him become His children
God created us, provided the light for us, and gave us the opportunity to accept the Savior, all in the beginning
This is extraordinary Love and there is nothing like it in this world or beyond
The love is so extraordinary that the Word became flesh and dwelt among us!
So today I want you to see that God sent His Son Jesus, the light of the world, into the darkness
So we would finally be able to see the light and accept that extraordinary love, so we could receive salvation
Salvation from the penalty of sin, eternal death
So the question is, do you see the light and are you ready to give your life to Him today?
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