This week’s scriptures are: Genesis 11:1-9, Psalms 104:24-35, Act 2:1-21, John 14:8-17 (25-27)
Please pray with me:
Dear Heavenly Father, I pray that the words of this sermon are YOUR words, and not mine. I pray that the message here touches those that need to be touched. I pray that those receiving this sermon remember that all Honor and Glory are yours, Lord, both now and forever. Amen and Amen.
Grace and Peace to you from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. Amen.
Sometimes I wonder what life would be like, if we were all alike. I don't mean that we all look alike, but that everyone, everywhere on earth, spoke the same language and believed in the same God.
We could travel the entire world and understand what everyone was saying! We could read all of the signs and know that they said. WOW! Can you imagine?
Back in the days of Genesis Chapter 11, that's the way it was. Everyone spoke the same language and they believed in God. But they decided to build a tower to reach the heavens. I guess they wanted to be able to climb for days and days to see God.
So God saw their plan and He changed they way everyone spoke. I'm guessing it was fear of what everyone else was saying or planning, that caused everyone to scatter throughout the earth.
I'm sure they all went away in groups of people who were now speaking the same language, but how many friends and family members did they leave behind?
Can you imagine the noise from the babbling? To get an idea of what it must have been like, just go to the 1 year old class of any day care and listen.
Now fast forward to Acts Chapter 2. There we read about the Holy Spirit coming down in tongues of fire and resting on each of the Apostles. They were so filled with the Holy Spirit, that they began to speak in different tongues.
By this time, people from all over the world had moved to Jerusalem. They had learned to speak a common language, but each of them were hearing the Apostles speak in their own native tongues.
I cannot explain it, but there were people from at least twelve different nations living there. Yet everyone heard everything ALL TWELVE Apostles were saying in their own native tongue. God IS good!
The funny thing is these learned men thought the Apostles were drunk! Excuse me! If the Apostles were drunk, why were they speaking in such a way that EVERYONE heard them in his/her native tongue? Wouldn't everyone ELSE have to be drunk to ASSUME the Apostles were speaking in his/her native tongue?
Personally, I think I would have been amazed at this. Everyone understanding everything being said by these men.
Imagine if one of our world leaders could stand up in front of a podium and give a speech that was broadcast world wide and NO INTERPRETER was need for everyone to understand what was being said. I don't mean that just the learned upper crust could understand. I'm talking about even the poorest of the poor in the farthest reaches of the earth, could stumble across the broadcast somehow and understand every word.
WOW!
At one point in time, everyone spoke the same language.........
Today, God speaks ALL languages. He sends His Holy Spirit to be with us and fill us. So that even if we encounter someone who does not speak the same language we do, they can know that we are filled with the Holy Spirit........a common thread.........a common love for God.
So go out into that world today and the rest of the week and speak the language of God! People will understand you, even if they don't speak the same "earthly language". By letting God speak through us, We Can All Speak The Same Language.
Amen. Amen.
May the reading of this sermon bless you. May God be with you and you with Him, until we meet again.
Amen. Amen.
Sunday, May 19, 2013
Sunday, May 12, 2013
May 12, 2013 - Do you hate evil?
This week’s scriptures are: Acts 16:16-34, Psalms 97, Revelation 22:12-14,16-17,20-21, John 17:20-26
Please pray with me:
Dear Heavenly Father, I pray that the words of this sermon are YOUR words, and not mine. I pray that the message here touches those that need to be touched. I pray that those receiving this sermon remember that all Honor and Glory are yours, Lord, both now and forever. Amen and Amen.
Grace and Peace to you from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. Amen.
Today, I have just one question for you: Do you hate evil?
If you listen to the world around you, God does NOT exist. More and more, the news media and the liberals blame the problems of this world on Christians.
For a long time in THIS country, the Bible was taught in school. It was a reliable text book. I'm not talking about in a private school. Back then, there were no private schools, just schools.
Schools used to start their day with (GASP) a prayer. And the walls didn't tremble and the roof didn't cave in.
And what do you know, sex out of wedlock was scorned and you didn't hear of unwanted pregnancies or unwanted children. MARRIAGE was for life!
Crime rates were lower also.
Today we have babies having babies or getting abortions. People walking around angry all the time and they don't even know why they're angry, so full of hate. People killing others just because they can. More people just live together instead of getting married. Marriages are "until I get tired of you".
Oh, and the crime rates around the world keep going up and up.
How is this good? How is leaving God out of our daily lives a good thing? That's what the liberals and the news media want us to do.
The news media glorifies tragedies with the 24/7 coverage. What would happen if the news media stopped providing the coverage of some whacko going on a killing spree? Do you think that MAYBE some other mentally deranged individual who wants their five minutes of fame, would go out and try to out do the last mass murderer?
How would they get their fame if no one heard about it?
In today's lessons, we read that God loves those who hate evil. Are you engrossed in the daily news? Are you watching the 24/7 coverage of some individual going on a rampage? What movies and tv shows are you watching? Are they filled with evil?
How about the books you read? Are you reading Godly books or are you reading books about evil? Are you listening to music about killing and having random sex or are you listening to music about God and Godly things?
Recently here in Texas, a school track team was disqualified when one of their runners (a Christian) pointed to heaven as he crossed the finish line WAY ahead of his closest competitor.
We've had children expelled from school for having a Bible on their desk! It wasn't even opened. How far have we allowed the liberals and the devil to go? What was once a reliable text book is now banned.
We have people right now trying to make it a crime for Chaplains in the military to preach the word of God! They are doing everything they can to stop people from speaking of a God who LOVES. A God who loves those who hate EVIL.
Evil, is anything or anyone who goes against God. Of course, God will love those who hate evil. If we hate evil, then we MUST love God. If we love God, we MUST hate evil. It cannot be any other way.
GOD is good. Let me say that again. God IS good. One more time. God is GOOD.
If we love God (good), then we MUST hate evil (anything that goes against God). Simple.
So today, I have just one question for you: Do you hate evil?
Amen. Amen.
May the reading of this sermon bless you. May God be with you and you with Him, until we meet again.
Amen. Amen.
Please pray with me:
Dear Heavenly Father, I pray that the words of this sermon are YOUR words, and not mine. I pray that the message here touches those that need to be touched. I pray that those receiving this sermon remember that all Honor and Glory are yours, Lord, both now and forever. Amen and Amen.
Grace and Peace to you from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. Amen.
Today, I have just one question for you: Do you hate evil?
If you listen to the world around you, God does NOT exist. More and more, the news media and the liberals blame the problems of this world on Christians.
For a long time in THIS country, the Bible was taught in school. It was a reliable text book. I'm not talking about in a private school. Back then, there were no private schools, just schools.
Schools used to start their day with (GASP) a prayer. And the walls didn't tremble and the roof didn't cave in.
And what do you know, sex out of wedlock was scorned and you didn't hear of unwanted pregnancies or unwanted children. MARRIAGE was for life!
Crime rates were lower also.
Today we have babies having babies or getting abortions. People walking around angry all the time and they don't even know why they're angry, so full of hate. People killing others just because they can. More people just live together instead of getting married. Marriages are "until I get tired of you".
Oh, and the crime rates around the world keep going up and up.
How is this good? How is leaving God out of our daily lives a good thing? That's what the liberals and the news media want us to do.
The news media glorifies tragedies with the 24/7 coverage. What would happen if the news media stopped providing the coverage of some whacko going on a killing spree? Do you think that MAYBE some other mentally deranged individual who wants their five minutes of fame, would go out and try to out do the last mass murderer?
How would they get their fame if no one heard about it?
In today's lessons, we read that God loves those who hate evil. Are you engrossed in the daily news? Are you watching the 24/7 coverage of some individual going on a rampage? What movies and tv shows are you watching? Are they filled with evil?
How about the books you read? Are you reading Godly books or are you reading books about evil? Are you listening to music about killing and having random sex or are you listening to music about God and Godly things?
Recently here in Texas, a school track team was disqualified when one of their runners (a Christian) pointed to heaven as he crossed the finish line WAY ahead of his closest competitor.
We've had children expelled from school for having a Bible on their desk! It wasn't even opened. How far have we allowed the liberals and the devil to go? What was once a reliable text book is now banned.
We have people right now trying to make it a crime for Chaplains in the military to preach the word of God! They are doing everything they can to stop people from speaking of a God who LOVES. A God who loves those who hate EVIL.
Evil, is anything or anyone who goes against God. Of course, God will love those who hate evil. If we hate evil, then we MUST love God. If we love God, we MUST hate evil. It cannot be any other way.
GOD is good. Let me say that again. God IS good. One more time. God is GOOD.
If we love God (good), then we MUST hate evil (anything that goes against God). Simple.
So today, I have just one question for you: Do you hate evil?
Amen. Amen.
May the reading of this sermon bless you. May God be with you and you with Him, until we meet again.
Amen. Amen.
Sunday, May 5, 2013
May 5, 2013 - May God Be Gracious To Us
This week’s scriptures are: Acts 16:9-15, Psalms 67, Revelation 21:10,22 - 22:5, John 5:1-9
Please pray with me:
Dear Heavenly Father, I pray that the words of this sermon are YOUR words, and not mine. I pray that the message here touches those that need to be touched. I pray that those receiving this sermon remember that all Honor and Glory are yours, Lord, both now and forever. Amen and Amen.
Grace and Peace to you from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. Amen.
"May God be gracious to us and bless us and make His face to shine upon us". What GLORIOUS words these are to me. You see they remind me of simpler times. Of times when I was a child and young adult. They remind me of a great Norwegian man that was a part of my life for many years.
Art was a huge fan of "Hagar The Horrible". He often quoted Hagar. In fact it was fun to wake up on Sundays and see how would Hagar be used this week.
You see, "Art", was Pastor Arthur Solem. He was first my Chaplain at the Chapel on Fort Bliss, where he confirmed me in the Lutheran faith when I was thirteen. He married my wife and I, at Good Shepherd Lutheran Church (in El Paso), when I was twenty. He was there for the renewal of our vows, when I was forty-five. Easter Sunday, 2013, was his funeral service (I'm forty-nine). Yes, he was a part of my life for a long time.
Pastor Solem always ended his services with the benediction. Those very familiar words:
The Lord bless you, and keep you;
The Lord make His face to shine upon you,
And be gracious to you;
May the Lord lift up His countenance upon you,
And give you peace."'
I realize that the Benediction words that Pastor Solem used were from Numbers, but the words from Psalms 67 remind me of them. And how GREAT is it to think about God being GRACIOUS to us?
How many times have our children done something wrong and we dished out the punishment we thought was right? How many times were we GRACIOUS to them? Is God not our Heavenly Father? Are we not supposed to emulate Him? Then why are we not GRACIOUS to our children?
I've been guilty of this more times than I care to admit. You see, I have a temper that can flare at the slightest provocation. And yet, I TRY to be like God. I'm not saying that I'm abusive, although there are some, I'm sure, who would say that. I just know that I'm not GRACIOUS.
Think about Judas. I believe that even JUDAS would have experienced God's grace, had he given God the chance. And who among us has betrayed God to His enemies?
There have been many men and women who have committed horrible crimes, done terrible things. And yet, God has shown them Grace. God has reached down to them in their lowest moment and lifted them up. Bringing them into His loving arms and delivering them from sin. How AWESOME is that?
By being gracious, God blesses us. By withholding the things we deserve, we are blessed. Remember, the cost of sin is death? God's kept us from death by sending Jesus to die on a cross, so that our sins could be forgiven, if we just believe.
THAT is grace.
THAT is blessing.
So believe and receive that blessing! Receive eternal life, with God. Allow God to be gracious to you. Allow Him to bless you.
Until we meet again, may God be GRACIOUS to us!
Amen. Amen.
May the reading of this sermon bless you. May God be with you and you with Him, until we meet again.
Amen. Amen.
"The Lord bless you, and keep you;
The Lord make His face shine on you,
And be gracious to you;
May the Lord lift up His countenance upon you,
And give you peace."
Amen.
Please pray with me:
Dear Heavenly Father, I pray that the words of this sermon are YOUR words, and not mine. I pray that the message here touches those that need to be touched. I pray that those receiving this sermon remember that all Honor and Glory are yours, Lord, both now and forever. Amen and Amen.
Grace and Peace to you from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. Amen.
"May God be gracious to us and bless us and make His face to shine upon us". What GLORIOUS words these are to me. You see they remind me of simpler times. Of times when I was a child and young adult. They remind me of a great Norwegian man that was a part of my life for many years.
Art was a huge fan of "Hagar The Horrible". He often quoted Hagar. In fact it was fun to wake up on Sundays and see how would Hagar be used this week.
You see, "Art", was Pastor Arthur Solem. He was first my Chaplain at the Chapel on Fort Bliss, where he confirmed me in the Lutheran faith when I was thirteen. He married my wife and I, at Good Shepherd Lutheran Church (in El Paso), when I was twenty. He was there for the renewal of our vows, when I was forty-five. Easter Sunday, 2013, was his funeral service (I'm forty-nine). Yes, he was a part of my life for a long time.
Pastor Solem always ended his services with the benediction. Those very familiar words:
The Lord bless you, and keep you;
The Lord make His face to shine upon you,
And be gracious to you;
May the Lord lift up His countenance upon you,
And give you peace."'
I realize that the Benediction words that Pastor Solem used were from Numbers, but the words from Psalms 67 remind me of them. And how GREAT is it to think about God being GRACIOUS to us?
How many times have our children done something wrong and we dished out the punishment we thought was right? How many times were we GRACIOUS to them? Is God not our Heavenly Father? Are we not supposed to emulate Him? Then why are we not GRACIOUS to our children?
I've been guilty of this more times than I care to admit. You see, I have a temper that can flare at the slightest provocation. And yet, I TRY to be like God. I'm not saying that I'm abusive, although there are some, I'm sure, who would say that. I just know that I'm not GRACIOUS.
Think about Judas. I believe that even JUDAS would have experienced God's grace, had he given God the chance. And who among us has betrayed God to His enemies?
There have been many men and women who have committed horrible crimes, done terrible things. And yet, God has shown them Grace. God has reached down to them in their lowest moment and lifted them up. Bringing them into His loving arms and delivering them from sin. How AWESOME is that?
By being gracious, God blesses us. By withholding the things we deserve, we are blessed. Remember, the cost of sin is death? God's kept us from death by sending Jesus to die on a cross, so that our sins could be forgiven, if we just believe.
THAT is grace.
THAT is blessing.
So believe and receive that blessing! Receive eternal life, with God. Allow God to be gracious to you. Allow Him to bless you.
Until we meet again, may God be GRACIOUS to us!
Amen. Amen.
May the reading of this sermon bless you. May God be with you and you with Him, until we meet again.
Amen. Amen.
"The Lord bless you, and keep you;
The Lord make His face shine on you,
And be gracious to you;
May the Lord lift up His countenance upon you,
And give you peace."
Amen.
Thursday, April 25, 2013
April 28, 2013 - It's God's Plan
This week’s scriptures are: Acts 11:1-18, Psalms 148, Revelation 21:1-6, John 13:31-35
Please pray with me:
Dear Heavenly Father, I pray that the words of this sermon are YOUR words, and not mine. I pray that the message here touches those that need to be touched. I pray that those receiving this sermon remember that all Honor and Glory are yours, Lord, both now and forever. Amen and Amen.
Grace and Peace to you from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. Amen.
Some people are blind to the things right in front of them. Some people need to have things spelled out for them, before they'll believe what they are seeing.
I have a plan. My plan is to finish out my working days, at my current job, with as few problems and conflicts as possible. Sounds reasonable, doesn't it? But what if GOD has other plans? What if God has plans for me to be in a place of conflicts? Maybe He wants me to change jobs?
Maybe my writing these sermons is just the beginning of what God has in mind for me? Maybe He wants me to start being more active in sharing His word with others. Whatever that means. Where ever that leads.
Well, then, who am I to stand in the way of God's will?
Years ago I had opportunities that I turned down. I had a chance to take jobs and to go places, but I didn't do those things. It did not matter to me what that "little voice in my head" was saying to me at the time. I was NOT going to do it.
What would my life be like today, had I listened? Whose life would have turned out differently, had I listened?
How would you like to be the man (or woman) who had a chance to do something to help someone and didn't do it. And then later found out what difference you would have made.
Let me tell you a story I heard a long time ago. It changed the way I respond to that "little voice", that I believe is God talking to me. The story goes like this:
One night a man was driving home. It's dark and raining. Not a light drizzle, but a hard, driving rain. He sees a man walking down the street. He doesn't have an umbrella, so he's hunched against the driving rain.
The man driving hears a voice tell him to stop and offer the other man a ride. Being an arrogant man, he argues with that voice. He tells it that he doesn't want to stop and get wet and he doesn't want some wet stranger messing up his car.
The voice tells him again to stop and offer a ride. Again, the same arguments and he keeps on driving.
A third time the voice tells him to stop. One last time the man argues that he doesn't want to mess up his car and he doesn't want to get wet.
So he drove past the man and goes home.
After the man gets home, he goes and changes his clothes, gets comfortable and starts watching the evening news. There's a breaking news report about a pedestrian who was hit and killed as he walked to the store.
The first man starts to pay attention a little more closely, when he realizes that was the man he was told to stop and offer a ride to.
EVEN IF that man had not accepted the ride, he would not have gotten to the corner at the same time and he might have not been killed that night. Had the man driving the car only stopped to offer a ride, what difference might he have made in the other man's life?
In today's lesson we read about Peter going to the Gentiles and preaching to them. What a difference in their eternal life he made! Imagine if he had ignored that voice and gone another way? Would those Gentiles ever have heard the word of God? Would they ever have been saved from eternal damnation?
God's plan is a good plan. Who are we to stand in the way of God's plan? Who are we to say "no"?
I had no intention of writing these sermons, but God did. It was God's plan for me to do this. Are you hearing that little voice tell you to do something? Then DO IT! Don't stand in the way. It's God's plan.
Amen. Amen.
May the reading of this sermon bless you. May God be with you and you with Him, until we meet again.
Amen. Amen
Please pray with me:
Dear Heavenly Father, I pray that the words of this sermon are YOUR words, and not mine. I pray that the message here touches those that need to be touched. I pray that those receiving this sermon remember that all Honor and Glory are yours, Lord, both now and forever. Amen and Amen.
Grace and Peace to you from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. Amen.
Some people are blind to the things right in front of them. Some people need to have things spelled out for them, before they'll believe what they are seeing.
I have a plan. My plan is to finish out my working days, at my current job, with as few problems and conflicts as possible. Sounds reasonable, doesn't it? But what if GOD has other plans? What if God has plans for me to be in a place of conflicts? Maybe He wants me to change jobs?
Maybe my writing these sermons is just the beginning of what God has in mind for me? Maybe He wants me to start being more active in sharing His word with others. Whatever that means. Where ever that leads.
Well, then, who am I to stand in the way of God's will?
Years ago I had opportunities that I turned down. I had a chance to take jobs and to go places, but I didn't do those things. It did not matter to me what that "little voice in my head" was saying to me at the time. I was NOT going to do it.
What would my life be like today, had I listened? Whose life would have turned out differently, had I listened?
How would you like to be the man (or woman) who had a chance to do something to help someone and didn't do it. And then later found out what difference you would have made.
Let me tell you a story I heard a long time ago. It changed the way I respond to that "little voice", that I believe is God talking to me. The story goes like this:
One night a man was driving home. It's dark and raining. Not a light drizzle, but a hard, driving rain. He sees a man walking down the street. He doesn't have an umbrella, so he's hunched against the driving rain.
The man driving hears a voice tell him to stop and offer the other man a ride. Being an arrogant man, he argues with that voice. He tells it that he doesn't want to stop and get wet and he doesn't want some wet stranger messing up his car.
The voice tells him again to stop and offer a ride. Again, the same arguments and he keeps on driving.
A third time the voice tells him to stop. One last time the man argues that he doesn't want to mess up his car and he doesn't want to get wet.
So he drove past the man and goes home.
After the man gets home, he goes and changes his clothes, gets comfortable and starts watching the evening news. There's a breaking news report about a pedestrian who was hit and killed as he walked to the store.
The first man starts to pay attention a little more closely, when he realizes that was the man he was told to stop and offer a ride to.
EVEN IF that man had not accepted the ride, he would not have gotten to the corner at the same time and he might have not been killed that night. Had the man driving the car only stopped to offer a ride, what difference might he have made in the other man's life?
In today's lesson we read about Peter going to the Gentiles and preaching to them. What a difference in their eternal life he made! Imagine if he had ignored that voice and gone another way? Would those Gentiles ever have heard the word of God? Would they ever have been saved from eternal damnation?
God's plan is a good plan. Who are we to stand in the way of God's plan? Who are we to say "no"?
I had no intention of writing these sermons, but God did. It was God's plan for me to do this. Are you hearing that little voice tell you to do something? Then DO IT! Don't stand in the way. It's God's plan.
Amen. Amen.
May the reading of this sermon bless you. May God be with you and you with Him, until we meet again.
Amen. Amen
Sunday, April 21, 2013
April 21, 2013 - What Will It Take For You
This week’s scriptures are: Acts 9:36-43, Psalms 23, Revelation 7:9-17, John 10:22-30
Please pray with me:
Dear Heavenly Father, I pray that the words of this sermon are YOUR words, and not mine. I pray that the message here touches those that need to be touched. I pray that those receiving this sermon remember that all Honor and Glory are yours, Lord, both now and forever. Amen and Amen.
Grace and Peace to you from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. Amen.
Some people are blind to the things right in front of them. Some people need to have things spelled out for them, before they'll believe what they are seeing.
In today's lessons, we see a couple of examples of this. In Acts we read about Tabitha and Peter. Tabitha passed away and after her body was attended to it was put in a room upstairs. The people of that town sent for Peter to come to her. After he had prayed and told her to stand, she stood up.
People of that town needed to see a miracle before they believed in God, in Jesus.
In the book of John, we read how the people asked Christ to stop keeping them in suspense. They asked if He was the Messiah. Now Christ had been there for a while. He'd done miracles and He'd been teaching and preaching. Yet they asked Him if He was their Messiah.
How blind are those who refuse to see? How deaf are those who refuse to hear? Christ is RIGHT THERE! He's doing things that had never been done before. He's doing everything EXCEPT verbalizing that HE is the son of God. And so they asked.
Jesus told them that He and the Father are one. But did thy believe? I mean did they TRULY believe? Even the devil knows that God exists, but that does not mean he believes in God or trusts in God.
Jesus tells us that He knows His sheep and that they know Him. A shepherd knows his sheep by name. He can callout to them and they will follow him. Others can call out to the same sheep and they will not respond. Christs sheep will follow His voice. The KNOW Him. They KNOW He will keep them safe.
The Shepherd will meet all of our needs. There'll be no need to want for anything. The Shepherd will take us to the greenest pastures and allow us to rest and revive our spirit.
Even when we're going through dark times and dark places, we can be sure that the Shepherd will be with us. The Shepherd will keep us safe. So there's no need to fear. The Shepherd will protect us and comfort us.
When we are hungry, the Shepherd will feed us. Even in the presence of our enemies, He will prepare a place for us to eat. He will provide so much for us to eat and drink that everything will be overflowing. The Shepherd will anoint us so that we will be His.
The Shepherd will have goodness and mercy following us for our entire lives with Him. He will allow us to experience good things and He will have mercy on us when we stumble. We can spend the rest of our days dwelling in the Shepherd house. Protected, provided for and prospering in Him.
But just because the Shepherd is there for us, does not mean that we are with Him. The Shepherd is still gathering His flock. He has provided us with His word and His teachings in the form of The Bible. He has provided us with an Owner's Manual and a Perfect Guide To Life.........it's called the Holy Bible.
It took many people in Joppa (or Jaffa depending on the translation you're reading) had to see Tabitha raised fromt eh dead before they would believe.
For many people it took Christ telling them point blank that He and the Father are one, before they'd believe.
All of these generations later we are here. As you read this, I have just one question: What will it take for YOU?
Amen. Amen.
May the reading of this sermon bless you. May God be with you and you with Him, until we meet again.
Amen. Amen
Please pray with me:
Dear Heavenly Father, I pray that the words of this sermon are YOUR words, and not mine. I pray that the message here touches those that need to be touched. I pray that those receiving this sermon remember that all Honor and Glory are yours, Lord, both now and forever. Amen and Amen.
Grace and Peace to you from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. Amen.
Some people are blind to the things right in front of them. Some people need to have things spelled out for them, before they'll believe what they are seeing.
In today's lessons, we see a couple of examples of this. In Acts we read about Tabitha and Peter. Tabitha passed away and after her body was attended to it was put in a room upstairs. The people of that town sent for Peter to come to her. After he had prayed and told her to stand, she stood up.
People of that town needed to see a miracle before they believed in God, in Jesus.
In the book of John, we read how the people asked Christ to stop keeping them in suspense. They asked if He was the Messiah. Now Christ had been there for a while. He'd done miracles and He'd been teaching and preaching. Yet they asked Him if He was their Messiah.
How blind are those who refuse to see? How deaf are those who refuse to hear? Christ is RIGHT THERE! He's doing things that had never been done before. He's doing everything EXCEPT verbalizing that HE is the son of God. And so they asked.
Jesus told them that He and the Father are one. But did thy believe? I mean did they TRULY believe? Even the devil knows that God exists, but that does not mean he believes in God or trusts in God.
Jesus tells us that He knows His sheep and that they know Him. A shepherd knows his sheep by name. He can callout to them and they will follow him. Others can call out to the same sheep and they will not respond. Christs sheep will follow His voice. The KNOW Him. They KNOW He will keep them safe.
The Shepherd will meet all of our needs. There'll be no need to want for anything. The Shepherd will take us to the greenest pastures and allow us to rest and revive our spirit.
Even when we're going through dark times and dark places, we can be sure that the Shepherd will be with us. The Shepherd will keep us safe. So there's no need to fear. The Shepherd will protect us and comfort us.
When we are hungry, the Shepherd will feed us. Even in the presence of our enemies, He will prepare a place for us to eat. He will provide so much for us to eat and drink that everything will be overflowing. The Shepherd will anoint us so that we will be His.
The Shepherd will have goodness and mercy following us for our entire lives with Him. He will allow us to experience good things and He will have mercy on us when we stumble. We can spend the rest of our days dwelling in the Shepherd house. Protected, provided for and prospering in Him.
But just because the Shepherd is there for us, does not mean that we are with Him. The Shepherd is still gathering His flock. He has provided us with His word and His teachings in the form of The Bible. He has provided us with an Owner's Manual and a Perfect Guide To Life.........it's called the Holy Bible.
It took many people in Joppa (or Jaffa depending on the translation you're reading) had to see Tabitha raised fromt eh dead before they would believe.
For many people it took Christ telling them point blank that He and the Father are one, before they'd believe.
All of these generations later we are here. As you read this, I have just one question: What will it take for YOU?
Amen. Amen.
May the reading of this sermon bless you. May God be with you and you with Him, until we meet again.
Amen. Amen
Saturday, April 13, 2013
April 14, 2013 - Will You Answer The True Call?
This week’s scriptures are: Acts 9:1-6 (7-20), Psalms 30, Revelation 5:11-14, John 21:1-19
Please pray with me:
Dear Heavenly Father, I pray that the words of this sermon are YOUR words, and not mine. I pray that the message here touches those that need to be touched. I pray that those receiving this sermon remember that all Honor and Glory are yours, Lord, both now and forever. Amen and Amen.
Grace and Peace to you from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. Amen.
When the telephone rings, we usually answer it. Sometimes we have to check caller ID, to see who it is. What do we do when God calls? How do we respond when the Devil calls?
Satan has spent centuries calling us and our ancestors. He's gotten good at making humans believe the lies he's telling us. Sometimes he calls us down roads of death and destruction.
In today's readings, Satan was calling Saul and leading him down such a road. He had Saul convinced that he was doing good. That's why Saul went to the High Pries to get the authorization to have Jesus' disciples arrested.
Yet on his way to Damascus, Jesus called him. He had to ask who it was, because he didn't recognize the voice. They weren't friends. In fact, Saul had been doing everything he could to go against Christ and to deny Him.
Yet when He called, Saul answered. And just like Christ spent three days in the grave, Saul ended up spending three days without sight. He had to be lead around in darkness. Saul had to be shown the way.
Christ called to Ananias and he answered. Ananias knew of Saul and all that trouble he'd caused those who followed Christ. Yet he did what Christ told him to do. He answered the call.
So Ananias came to Saul and spoke the words that Jesus told him to speak and Saul saw the light. He even proclaimed Christ as Lord in the town. He answered the call.
Many times our callings are to do things that seem natural for us. Some are called to sing, some to preach. Some are called to evangelize, while others are simply called to be helpers. None are more important callings than others. You see, we're all called to do something that's for the betterment of mankind.
No matter what we're called to do, we ARE called to love Christ and to follow in His footsteps. Everyone of us are called to love one another. We're called to spread the word of God. We're called to love God with our WHOLE heart and our whole BEING.
By answering the call, everything else will fall into place. We'll find that we are not called to do anything that is difficult. For you see, the hardest thing we have to do is answer. God will do the rest.
God changed the heart of Saul. He changed the direction Saul was going in life. All Saul had to do was answer the call.
What is it you're being called to do? Is it to reach out to that homeless person on the corner? Or are you being called to write that next best selling novel or song? Maybe you're being called to mentor a child that has a bad home life.
What ever you are being called to do, answer that call! Differentiate between God's calling and Satan's calling. God will lead you to happiness and eternal life. Satan will lead you to heartache and eternal damnation.
Two phones are ringing. Two voices are calling your name. Satan, the liar - the false call. God the loving father - the true call. Both want you to do something.
Who will you answer? Will you answer the true call?
Amen. Amen.
May the reading of this sermon bless you. May God be with you and you with Him, until we meet again.
Amen. Amen
Please pray with me:
Dear Heavenly Father, I pray that the words of this sermon are YOUR words, and not mine. I pray that the message here touches those that need to be touched. I pray that those receiving this sermon remember that all Honor and Glory are yours, Lord, both now and forever. Amen and Amen.
Grace and Peace to you from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. Amen.
When the telephone rings, we usually answer it. Sometimes we have to check caller ID, to see who it is. What do we do when God calls? How do we respond when the Devil calls?
Satan has spent centuries calling us and our ancestors. He's gotten good at making humans believe the lies he's telling us. Sometimes he calls us down roads of death and destruction.
In today's readings, Satan was calling Saul and leading him down such a road. He had Saul convinced that he was doing good. That's why Saul went to the High Pries to get the authorization to have Jesus' disciples arrested.
Yet on his way to Damascus, Jesus called him. He had to ask who it was, because he didn't recognize the voice. They weren't friends. In fact, Saul had been doing everything he could to go against Christ and to deny Him.
Yet when He called, Saul answered. And just like Christ spent three days in the grave, Saul ended up spending three days without sight. He had to be lead around in darkness. Saul had to be shown the way.
Christ called to Ananias and he answered. Ananias knew of Saul and all that trouble he'd caused those who followed Christ. Yet he did what Christ told him to do. He answered the call.
So Ananias came to Saul and spoke the words that Jesus told him to speak and Saul saw the light. He even proclaimed Christ as Lord in the town. He answered the call.
Many times our callings are to do things that seem natural for us. Some are called to sing, some to preach. Some are called to evangelize, while others are simply called to be helpers. None are more important callings than others. You see, we're all called to do something that's for the betterment of mankind.
No matter what we're called to do, we ARE called to love Christ and to follow in His footsteps. Everyone of us are called to love one another. We're called to spread the word of God. We're called to love God with our WHOLE heart and our whole BEING.
By answering the call, everything else will fall into place. We'll find that we are not called to do anything that is difficult. For you see, the hardest thing we have to do is answer. God will do the rest.
God changed the heart of Saul. He changed the direction Saul was going in life. All Saul had to do was answer the call.
What is it you're being called to do? Is it to reach out to that homeless person on the corner? Or are you being called to write that next best selling novel or song? Maybe you're being called to mentor a child that has a bad home life.
What ever you are being called to do, answer that call! Differentiate between God's calling and Satan's calling. God will lead you to happiness and eternal life. Satan will lead you to heartache and eternal damnation.
Two phones are ringing. Two voices are calling your name. Satan, the liar - the false call. God the loving father - the true call. Both want you to do something.
Who will you answer? Will you answer the true call?
Amen. Amen.
May the reading of this sermon bless you. May God be with you and you with Him, until we meet again.
Amen. Amen
My Appologies
My Apologies to those of you who have been here in the last couple of weeks, hoping to see something new. I got away from writing partly out of frustration. You see, I didn't see too many people viewing this site and I became frustrated by that.
I forgot that sometimes the one who needs these messages the most, is me. I forgot that it only takes ONE life to be reached, to matter.
So, now that I am here and I've been reminded of this, I will pick up with the current week's lessons and write a sermon. I will TRY to stay focused and to write each week.
If you came here the last couple of weeks looking for something new, please forgive me for my shortfalls.
Thank.
I forgot that sometimes the one who needs these messages the most, is me. I forgot that it only takes ONE life to be reached, to matter.
So, now that I am here and I've been reminded of this, I will pick up with the current week's lessons and write a sermon. I will TRY to stay focused and to write each week.
If you came here the last couple of weeks looking for something new, please forgive me for my shortfalls.
Thank.
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