Hope

1 Corinthians 13:13, “And now abideth faith, hope, charity, these three; but the greatest of these is charity.”

Right smack in the middle of these three is the word “Hope”!

When we think of what the word “hope” means in our vocabulary we often think of something that can convey doubt.

It is defined in the Miriam/Webster dictionary as a verb; to cherish a desire with anticipation: to want something to happen or be true

hopes for a promotion

… all doctors can do is prevent dehydration, wait for the disease to run its course, and hope for the best.

As a noun; desire accompanied by expectation of obtaining what is desired or belief that it is obtainable

came in hopes of seeing you

a new medical treatment that has given hope to thousands.

There are 4 thoughts when it comes to man’s understanding of “Hope”,

Realistic; based on reason and reality

Utopian; hope for a better future achieved by action and goals

Chosen; conscious and deliberate decision to maintain hope despite circumstances

Transcendent; looking beyond current circumstances to find meaning or hope in a higher power

That is not what the word means in the bible!

Hebrews 11:1, “Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.” Amplified, “Now faith is the assurance (title deed, confirmation) of things hoped for (divinely guaranteed), and the evidence of things not seen [the conviction of their reality—faith comprehends as fact what cannot be experienced by the physical senses].”

We can look to the Old Testament and see the prophets, Israelites looked longingly to see the Messiah with hope!

Micah 7:7, “Therefore I will look unto the LORD; I will wait for the God of my salvation: my God will hear me.”

They were willing to die under extreme hate for this promise instead of surrendering that hope, Hebrews 11:32-39, “And what shall I more say? for the time would fail me to tell of Gedeon, and of Barak, and of Samson, and of Jephthae; of David also, and Samuel, and of the prophets: Who through faith subdued kingdoms, wrought righteousness, obtained promises, stopped the mouths of lions, Quenched the violence of fire, escaped the edge of the sword, out of weakness were made strong, waxed valiant in fight, turned to flight the armies of the aliens. Women received their dead raised to life again: and others were tortured, not accepting deliverance; that they might obtain a better resurrection: And others had trial of cruel mockings and scourgings, yea, moreover of bonds and imprisonment: They were stoned, they were sawn asunder, were tempted, were slain with the sword: they wandered about in sheepskins and goatskins; being destitute, afflicted, tormented; (Of whom the world was not worthy:) they wandered in deserts, and in mountains, and in dens and caves of the earth. And these all, having obtained a good report through faith, received not the promise:”

Hope is a powerful concept, Luke 2:23-32, “And when the days of her purification according to the law of Moses were accomplished, they brought him to Jerusalem, to present him to the Lord; (As it is written in the law of the Lord, Every male that openeth the womb shall be called holy to the Lord;) And to offer a sacrifice according to that which is said in the law of the Lord, A pair of turtledoves, or two young pigeons. And, behold, there was a man in Jerusalem, whose name was Simeon; and the same man was just and devout, waiting for the consolation of Israel: and the Holy Ghost was upon him. And it was revealed unto him by the Holy Ghost, that he should not see death, before he had seen the Lord’s Christ. And he came by the Spirit into the temple: and when the parents brought in the child Jesus, to do for him after the custom of the law, Then took he him up in his arms, and blessed God, and said, Lord, now lettest thou thy servant depart in peace, according to thy word: For mine eyes have seen thy salvation, Which thou hast prepared before the face of all people; A light to lighten the Gentiles, and the glory of thy people Israel.”

We do not know how many times this man came to the temple hoping to see his savior or how old he was…

But he never gave up the hope of what the Holy Ghost revealed to him!

We that have surrendered our lives to Jesus Christ live in hope every day, Romans 8:24-25, “For we are saved by hope: but hope that is seen is not hope: for what a man seeth, why doth he yet hope for? But if we hope for that we see not, then do we with patience wait for it.”

I live in that constant hope, it’s what keeps me continuing on this walk with Him, I know Jesus is preparing a place for me and will be coming back to take those that have been born again to that place. Have you seen this place? No! but I know its there because of the Hope that is in me.

It’s the knowledge that “He will never leave me nor forsake me” that is this source of hope.

Rom 15:13, “Now the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, that ye may abound in hope, through the power of the Holy Ghost.”

We recently got two new kittens; they both have Cerebellar Hypoplasia or as sometimes “Wobbly Cats”. They don’t seem to be able to go in a straight line, need help eating, going to the bathroom, and make lots of messes.

You know what? That describes me to a tee, I don’t always go in the direction I want or God wants for my life, I make messes out of a lot of things, these kittens also need to be with us it seems all the time, they know our voice, they know when we are in the room. I want to be just like that, I want to be close to Jesus all the time, and I definitely want to know His voice!

Isa 43:1, “But now thus saith the LORD that created thee, O Jacob, and he that formed thee, O Israel, Fear not: for I have redeemed thee, I have called thee by thy name; thou art mine. When thou passest through the waters, I will be with thee; and through the rivers, they shall not overflow thee: when thou walkest through the fire, thou shalt not be burned; neither shall the flame kindle upon thee.”

In this season of Christmas let’s keep our hearts filled with the hope from knowing our savior Jesus Christ came into this world to save sinners and give us a life everlasting with Him!

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Tis the Season

Galatians 4:1-5, “Now I say, That the heir, as long as he is a child, differeth nothing from a servant, though he be lord of all; But is under tutors and governors until the time appointed of the father. Even so we, when we were children, were in bondage under the elements of the world: But when the fulness of the time was come, God sent forth his Son, made of a woman, made under the law, To redeem them that were under the law, that we might receive the adoption of sons.”

As we just changed our calendars to November as well as our clocks back one hour many of us are starting to look at this as the beginning of the Holiday season.

We will soon here Christmas music in the stores and radio stations.

If you have shopped at Hobby Lobby anytime in the last 3 or 4 months you saw that Christmas décor was be putting up quickly and by now most of the stores in our area have Christmas displays.

Many places as well as Amazon have had pre–Black Friday sales so you pretty much have to live in a cave to not notice that “Tis the Season” has started.

In a few weeks we have Thanksgiving in which was made a proclamation by President Lincoln in 1863 in attempt to unify our union during civil war times, but it wasn’t officially the 4^th Thursday of the month of November until 1941.

We also know that this wasn’t the first thanksgiving that our country celebrated as several Presidents announced days of thanksgiving prior and for you history buffs in 1621 in Plymouth Massachusetts a group of English colonists and the Wampoang people got together to celebrate what many call the first thanksgiving.

But again, this isn’t what we should call the first thanksgiving, Psalms 100:1-5, “A Psalm of praise. Make a joyful noise unto the LORD, all ye lands. Serve the LORD with gladness: come before his presence with singing. know ye that the LORD he is God: it is he that hath made us, and not we ourselves; we are his people, and the sheep of his pasture. Enter into his gates with thanksgiving, and into his courts with praise: be thankful unto him, and bless his name. For the LORD is good; his mercy is everlasting; and his truth endureth to all generations.”

1Ch 16:34, “O give thanks unto the LORD; for he is good; for his mercy endureth for ever.”

Eph 5:18-20, “And be not drunk with wine, wherein is excess; but be filled with the Spirit; Speaking to yourselves in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody in your heart to the Lord; Giving thanks always for all things unto God and the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ;”

1Th 5:16-18, “Rejoice evermore. Pray without ceasing. In every thing give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you.”

For us Christians and really everybody thanksgiving shouldn’t be a day to be celebrated one day a year but an everyday event!

So “Tis the Season” then becomes all about Christmas!

As a child I think one of the best times was when we received an item in the mail that became the central theme of the next coming weeks.

Yes, the old Sears or JCPenney catalog, soon these catalogs were filled with pieces of papers marking one’s favorite pages. We made lists of the things that we would find under that tree on Christmas tree. With two brothers and a sister by the time Christmas came it looked as if these catalogs had been laying around outside for years as pages were ripped, folder over, these wrinkled covered catalogs.

As I got to adulthood however feeling of “Tis the Season” turned to I owe, I owe, it’s off to work I go and I grow cynical of the holidays as family responsibilities grew more and more busy, you had to be on the ball to get the latest fad for the kids like the cabbage patch dolls, the Teddy Ruxpin or tickle me, Elmo.

Fortunately for me over the years “Tis the Season” transitioned to Jesus is the reason for the season and I grasped the real purpose of the Holidays. I came to realize the gifts are cool and who doesn’t love the expression of a child when he or she opens up that package you so perfectly wrapped for them.

But, it’s about family, and that Jesus, Gal 4:4, “But when the fulness of the time was come, God sent forth his Son, made of a woman, made under the law,”

Its been said the Jesus fulfilled over 300 prophecies of the Old Testament and they include prophecies concerning His birth such as Isaiah 7:14, “Therefore the Lord himself shall give you a sign; Behold, a virgin shall conceive, and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel.” His place of birth, Micah 5:2, “But thou, Bethlehem Ephratah, though thou be little among the thousands of Judah, yet out of thee shall he come forth unto me that is to be ruler in Israel; whose goings forth have been from of old, from everlasting.”

that as a baby he would end up in Egypt, Hosea 11:1, “When Israel was a child, then I loved him, and called my son out of Egypt.”

Mat 2:13-15, “And when they were departed, behold, the angel of the Lord appeareth to Joseph in a dream, saying, Arise, and take the young child and his mother, and flee into Egypt, and be thou there until I bring thee word: for Herod will seek the young child to destroy him. When he arose, he took the young child and his mother by night, and departed into Egypt: And was there until the death of Herod: that it might be fulfilled which was spoken of the Lord by the prophet, saying, Out of Egypt have I called my son.”

December 25^th is the day we celebrate the birth of our Lord and Savior…

Rom 5:1-8, “Therefore being justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ: By whom also we have access by faith into this grace wherein we stand, and rejoice in hope of the glory of God. And not only so, but we glory in tribulations also: knowing that tribulation worketh patience; And patience, experience; and experience, hope: And hope maketh not ashamed; because the love of God is shed abroad in our hearts by the Holy Ghost which is given unto us. For when we were yet without strength, in due time Christ died for the ungodly. For scarcely for a righteous man will one die: yet peradventure for a good man some would even dare to die. But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.”

John 3:16 “Tis the Season”

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Make a Difference

Most of us desire to have purpose in our lives especially as Christians and the word tells us why we were created.

Eph 2:10, “For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them.”

Rom 8:28, “And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose.”

I hope you have that desire in you that makes us want to serve Him and if we do, we must have that desire to serve others.

Mat 25:31-40, “When the Son of man shall come in his glory, and all the holy angels with him, then shall he sit upon the throne of his glory: And before him shall be gathered all nations: and he shall separate them one from another, as a shepherd divideth his sheep from the goats: And he shall set the sheep on his right hand, but the goats on the left. Then shall the King say unto them on his right hand, Come, ye blessed of my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world: For I was an hungred, and ye gave me meat: I was thirsty, and ye gave me drink: I was a stranger, and ye took me in: Naked, and ye clothed me: I was sick, and ye visited me: I was in prison, and ye came unto me. Then shall the righteous answer him, saying, Lord, when saw we thee an hungred, and fed thee? or thirsty, and gave thee drink? When saw we thee a stranger, and took thee in? or naked, and clothed thee? Or when saw we thee sick, or in prison, and came unto thee? And the King shall answer and say unto them, Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these my brethren, ye have done it unto me.”

In the parable of the talents before these verses it tells us that God has put in investment in our lives and to the ones that use those talents for “His” purpose He says this, Mat 25:21, “His lord said unto him, Well done, thou good and faithful servant: thou hast been faithful over a few things, I will make thee ruler over many things: enter thou into the joy of thy lord.”

Often, we think that God won’t notice what we have done unless it makes some big impact but that isn’t the case, it’s often the things that nobody ever notices that make the greatest impact for the Kingdom of God.

When we look at the bible account of Naaman we have one particular verse that notice, 2Ki 5:1, “Now Naaman, captain of the host of the king of Syria, was a great man with his master, and honourable, because by him the LORD had given deliverance unto Syria: he was also a mighty man in valour, but he was a leper.”

We seldom look at the following two verses, 2Ki 5:2-3, “And the Syrians had gone out by companies, and had brought away captive out of the land of Israel a little maid; and she waited on Naaman’s wife. And she said unto her mistress, Would God my lord were with the prophet that is in Samaria! for he would recover him of his leprosy”

There would be no healing of this man Naaman without this little maid.

How about the feeding of the five thousand +?

Joh 6:5-7, “When Jesus then lifted up his eyes, and saw a great company come unto him, he saith unto Philip, Whence shall we buy bread, that these may eat? And this he said to prove him: for he himself knew what he would do. Philip answered him, Two hundred pennyworth of bread is not sufficient for them, that every one of them may take a little.” Now two hundred pennyworth wasn’t of particularly of great value, about $32, but it might have been all they had at that particular moment.

Joh 6:8-9, “One of his disciples, Andrew, Simon Peter’s brother, saith unto him, There is a lad here, which hath five barley loaves, and two small fishes: but what are they among so many?”

Joh 6:10-13, “And Jesus said, Make the men sit down. Now there was much grass in the place. So the men sat down, in number about five thousand. And Jesus took the loaves; and when he had given thanks, he distributed to the disciples, and the disciples to them that were set down; and likewise of the fishes as much as they would. When they were filled, he said unto his disciples, Gather up the fragments that remain, that nothing be lost. Therefore they gathered them together, and filled twelve baskets with the fragments of the five barley loaves, which remained over and above unto them that had eaten.”

Do you find it interesting as I do the neither one of these persons name was not mentioned in the miracles but without them the miracle wouldn’t of happened as we have witness of in the word of God.

When I look around in this room I see a room full of people that “Make a Difference”.

Many of our functions at JAM could not be accomplished if it wasn’t for you making a difference. Just being here it makes a difference to many of us.

Jud 1:20-22, “But ye, beloved, building up yourselves on your most holy faith, praying in the Holy Ghost, Keep yourselves in the love of God, looking for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ unto eternal life. And of some have compassion, making a difference:”

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Jesus Loves Me This I Know

Jesus loves me….

One of the first songs that we learn in Sunday School is you had the opportunity as a child to attend.

John 3:16-17, “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life. For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved.”

Unfortunately, we have a growing population that no longer believes that even those that attend church.

In Ken Ham’s book already gone which is a couple years old the Barna Group was asked to survey many churches young participants and found that 61% of them once they reach their 20’s will leave the church. We often put the blame on the colleges who have for the most part have become increasingly anti-God, pro-socialist in their teachings. When asked when they had made that decision, close to 40% developed doubts about Christianity in middle school, 43.7% in high school, only 10.6 began having doubts in college.

Proverbs 22:6, “Train up a child in the way he should go: and when he is old, he will not depart from it.”

Jesus loves me so…

Amos 8:11-12, “Behold, the days come, saith the Lord GOD, that I will send a famine in the land, not a famine of bread, nor a thirst for water, but of hearing the words of the LORD: And they shall wander from sea to sea, and from the north even to the east, they shall run to and fro to seek the word of the LORD, and shall not find it.”

You say, how can that be, we have bibles everywhere, we can listen to it, we have more and more “Christian” movies, you can watch a sermon anytime, anywhere, we even have apps on our computers and phones!

Let me ask you this, are the majority of the messages good fundamentally sound bible messages? The people sitting and hearing those messages have very little knowledge of the word…we have preachers proclaiming that they are just like God, we are to be prosperous, I even heard a man from the pulpit claim God ask him to forgive Him.

Hosea 4:6-9, “My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge: because thou hast rejected knowledge, I will also reject thee, that thou shalt be no priest to me: seeing thou hast forgotten the law of thy God, I will also forget thy children. As they were increased, so they sinned against me: therefore will I change their glory into shame. They eat up the sin of my people, and they set their heart on their iniquity. And there shall be, like people, like priest: and I will punish them for their ways, and reward them their doings.”

Jesus loves me this I know….

We have a society today that can’t accept God’s love, the age-old question lingers on that if “your” God is such a loving God why is there so much suffering in our world?

Just two weeks ago we had the shooting at Annunciation Catholic church in Minneapolis where 2 were killed at 21 others were injured. You had several politicians come out at tell us that prayer wasn’t the answer, Jen Psaki said, “enough with the thoughts and prayers” Mayor Jacob Frey said, “Don’t just say this is about thoughts and prayers right now, these kids were literally praying…”

Genesis 6:5-6, “And GOD saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every imagination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually. And it repented the LORD that he had made man on the earth, and it grieved him at his heart.”

Matthew 24:37-39, “But as the days of Noe were, so shall also the coming of the Son of man be. For as in the days that were before the flood they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day that Noe entered into the ark, And knew not until the flood came, and took them all away; so shall also the coming of the Son of man be.”

Jesus loves me this I know…

This book, “the bible tells us of the love of God, psalms 136:1, “O give thanks unto the LORD; for he is good: for his mercy endureth for ever.”

Romans 5:8, “But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.”

2Co 5:17, “Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new.”

John 3:16

Jesus loves me this I know…

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The Promise that Comes with Jesus

John 3:16, “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.”

In our world we experience broken promises all the time and its not just from our politicians, salesmen, advertisement is filled with promises that when it comes down to it are downright lies. Drug companies, supplements, exercise equipment all make promises that can’t be kept. Sadly, sometimes we have family and friends that make a promise that gets broken and even worse sometimes the man in the pulpit makes an untrue statement.

Num 23:19, “God is not a man, that he should lie; neither the son of man, that he should repent: hath he said, and shall he not do it? or hath he spoken, and shall he not make it good?”

Titus 1:1-2, “Paul, a servant of God, and an apostle of Jesus Christ, according to the faith of God’s elect, and the acknowledging of the truth which is after godliness; In hope of eternal life, which God, that cannot lie, promised before the world began;”

We find many people that God gave promises too that were fulfilled like Noah, the Israelites, David, Solomon, the Prophets, but the one that is mentioned over and over again is the one God made with Abraham.

Hebrews 6:13-18, “For when God made promise to Abraham, because he could swear by no greater, he sware by himself, Saying, Surely blessing I will bless thee, and multiplying I will multiply thee. And so, after he had patiently endured, he obtained the promise. For men verily swear by the greater: and an oath for confirmation is to them an end of all strife. Wherein God, willing more abundantly to shew unto the heirs of promise the immutability of his counsel, confirmed it by an oath: That by two immutable things, in which it was impossible for God to lie, we might have a strong consolation, who have fled for refuge to lay hold upon the hope set before us:”

Heb 11:17-19, “By faith Abraham, when he was tried, offered up Isaac: and he that had received the promises offered up his only begotten son, Of whom it was said, That in Isaac shall thy seed be called: Accounting that God was able to raise him up, even from the dead; from whence also he received him in a figure.

With the birth of Jesus, we have a whole new set of promises being fulfilled. In Josh McDowells book, “Evidence that Demands a Verdict” he takes 61 messianic prophecies concerning the birth, life, death of Jesus (refer to book page 167) gives the odds of Jesus fulfilling just eight of these prophecies is 10 to the 17^th power.

Let’s look at this promise Jesus made to His disciples.

Luke 24:44, “And he said unto them, These are the words which I spake unto you, while I was yet with you, that all things must be fulfilled, which were written in the law of Moses, and in the prophets, and in the psalms, concerning me.” Luke 24:49, “And, behold, I send the promise of my Father upon you: but tarry ye in the city of Jerusalem, until ye be endued with power from on high.”

Act 2:32-33, “This Jesus hath God raised up, whereof we all are witnesses. Therefore being by the right hand of God exalted, and having received of the Father the promise of the Holy Ghost, he hath shed forth this, which ye now see and hear.”

Act 2:39, “For the promise is unto you, and to your children, and to all that are afar off, even as many as the Lord our God shall call.”

2Corinthians 1:19-22, “For the Son of God, Jesus Christ, who was preached among you by us, even by me and Silvanus and Timotheus, was not yea and nay, but in him was yea. For all the promises of God in him are yea, and in him Amen, unto the glory of God by us. Now he which stablisheth us with you in Christ, and hath anointed us, is God; Who hath also sealed us, and given the earnest of the Spirit in our hearts.”

Promises that come with Jesus includes Peace, Joy, Comfort, Hope, and Eternal life that comes with a reunion

John 14:2-3, “In my Father’s house are many mansions: if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again, and receive you unto myself; that where I am, there ye may be also.”

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Keep Looking Up!

Luke 21:28, “And when these things begin to come to pass, then look up, and lift up your heads; for your redemption draweth nigh.”

It’s a sad time to live in our world today especially in the eyes of our youngsters.

Children from the ages of 3-17 six million are diagnosed with ADHD, 5.8 million w/anxiety, 5.5 million with behavior disorders and 2.7 million with depression.

With 12-17, year olds we have 18.8% considering suicide, 15.7% have a plan, and 8.9% have attempted suicide.

We presently live in a time in which stress, anxiety, and depression are going through the roof, according to the American Psychiatric Association in estimated $236 billion in 2018 (before covid) is spent on major depression disorder on adults.

Luke 21:26, “Men’s hearts failing them for fear, and for looking after those things which are coming on the earth: for the powers of heaven shall be shaken.”

There are thousands if not millions of self-help books, motivational speakers, videos, podcasts, and the like out there that try to get us to feel good about ourselves.

There is good money in motivational speaking for in 2024, Joe Rogan has made $60 million, Tony Robbins $50 million, Magic Johnson $40 million, Daymond John $25 million, Dave Ramsey $15 million, Robert Kiyosaki $10 million, Joel Osteen $5 million.

The bible in my opinion is one of the most positive books in the world, it’s the only one that gives us a promise of a future of beauty, hope, and love. 1Peter 1:3-5, “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, which according to his abundant mercy hath begotten us again unto a lively hope by the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, To an inheritance incorruptible, and undefiled, and that fadeth not away, reserved in heaven for you, Who are kept by the power of God through faith unto salvation ready to be revealed in the last time.” Sadly, it has become diluted in the eyes and ears of the world.

A Pew research poll from 2021, of the top 5 important things in Americans life, we find family first, friends second, material well being third, occupations fourth, and faith fifth, of all the developing countries America is the only one that had faith that high in the poll in fact in the total poll it only made 2% of 19,000 people polled.

Listen in this world we are not promised that we won’t suffer, physically, emotionally, or even mentally, in fact it can be quite the opposite.

John 16:33, “These things I have spoken unto you, that in me ye might have peace. In the world ye shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world.”

In the verse that we started with it comes near the end of Jesus telling us the condition of our world closing on the end of the Gentiles being giving the opportunity to obtain salvation and immediately telling us to understand the parable of the fig tree.

No matter who wins or loses the election this November you know what I’m going to do? Look Up!

No matter what happens to the stock market, interest rates, you know what I’m going to do? Look Up!

No matter how much gas prices go up or go down, you know what I’m going to do? Look Up!

No matter what the government or what laws they pass that may prohibit my worship of Jesus Christ, you know what I’m going to do? Look Up!

No matter what the doctor may tell me, you know what I’m going to do? Look Up!

No matter what happens to me in the future, Apostle Paul said in 2Timothy 3:10-12, “But thou hast fully known my doctrine, manner of life, purpose, faith, longsuffering, charity, patience, Persecutions, afflictions, which came unto me at Antioch, at Iconium, at Lystra; what persecutions I endured: but out of them all the Lord delivered me. Yea, and all that will live godly in Christ Jesus shall suffer persecution.”

You know what I’m going to do? Look Up!

Many in the bible went through hardships, Noah, Abraham, Joseph, David, Heb 11:35-39, “Women received their dead raised to life again: and others were tortured, not accepting deliverance; that they might obtain a better resurrection: And others had trial of cruel mockings and scourgings, yea, moreover of bonds and imprisonment: They were stoned, they were sawn asunder, were tempted, were slain with the sword: they wandered about in sheepskins and goatskins; being destitute, afflicted, tormented; (Of whom the world was not worthy:) they wandered in deserts, and in mountains, and in dens and caves of the earth. And these all, having obtained a good report through faith, received not the promise:”

Luke 21:28, “And when these things begin to come to pass, then look up, and lift up your heads; for your redemption draweth nigh.”

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Such a Mess-terpiece

So, who has it all together?

Romans 7:14-20, “For we know that the law is spiritual: but I am carnal, sold under sin. For that which I do I allow not: for what I would, that do I not; but what I hate, that do I. If then I do that which I would not, I consent unto the law that it is good. Now then it is no more I that do it, but sin that dwelleth in me. For I know that in me (that is, in my flesh,) dwelleth no good thing: for to will is present with me; but how to perform that which is good I find not. For the good that I would I do not: but the evil which I would not, that I do. Now if I do that I would not, it is no more I that do it, but sin that dwelleth in me.”

I ask you again, who has it all together?

If we really would sit down and would just be able to look at your life in nonjudgmental way, how would you describe it? Would you say you had it all together or would you say, what a mess?

It isn’t too hard to see that our country is a mess, from inflation, rising interest rates, uncontrolled crime, natural disasters, wars, awful political climate, to just to name a few.

The Apostle Paul was a man that most would think had it all together, but we can plainly see the struggle was real with him. He describes himself in 1Timothy 1:15, “This is a faithful saying, and worthy of all acceptation, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners; of whom I am chief.” Ephesians 3:8, “Unto me, who am less than the least of all saints, is this grace given, that I should preach among the Gentiles the unsearchable riches of Christ;”

We don’t have to look to far in the bible and see that many of the ones used by God were a mess, Jacob was liar, Moses killed a man, Aaron built an idol for the Israelites to worship, David committed adultery, most of the kings after Solomon were wicked, the prophets had issues, Elijah suffered depression, Jonah ran from his duties.

“People are messy”.

Look at the twelve men that Jesus choose to carry on His message. A thief, betrayer, denier, jealous, angry, fearful bunch of followers!

Thank God we are not like that, we got it all together, right?

Rom 7:24, “O wretched man that I am! who shall deliver me from the body of this death?”

1Co 6:9-11, “Know ye not that the unrighteous shall not inherit the kingdom of God? Be not deceived: neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor effeminate, nor abusers of themselves with mankind, Nor thieves, nor covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor extortioners, shall inherit the kingdom of God. And such were some of you: but ye are washed, but ye are sanctified, but ye are justified in the name of the Lord Jesus, and by the Spirit of our God.”

Rom 5:1-5, “Therefore being justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ: By whom also we have access by faith into this grace wherein we stand, and rejoice in hope of the glory of God. And not only so, but we glory in tribulations also: knowing that tribulation worketh patience; And patience, experience; and experience, hope: And hope maketh not ashamed; because the love of God is shed abroad in our hearts by the Holy Ghost which is given unto us. For when we were yet without strength, in due time Christ died for the ungodly.”

Thank God that Christ died for the ungodly, but He doesn’t want you to stay there!

1Ti 1:12-14, “And I thank Christ Jesus our Lord, who hath enabled me, for that he counted me faithful, putting me into the ministry; Who was before a blasphemer, and a persecutor, and injurious: but I obtained mercy, because I did it ignorantly in unbelief. And the grace of our Lord was exceeding abundant with faith and love which is in Christ Jesus.”

2Co 5:17, “Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new.”

Eph 2:10, “For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them.” NLT translation of workmanship is “masterpiece”

God has turned this mess into a Mess-terpiece!

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For His Good Pleasure

Ephesians 1:6-10, “To the praise of the glory of his grace, wherein he hath made us accepted in the beloved. In whom we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of his grace; Wherein he hath abounded toward us in all wisdom and prudence; Having made known unto us the mystery of his will, according to his good pleasure which he hath purposed in himself: That in the dispensation of the fulness of times he might gather together in one all things in Christ, both which are in heaven, and which are on earth; even in him:”

I don’t know if you ever have seen a picture of what man imagines God to look like but it usually is an old, grey-haired, muscle-bound man how is stoic without emotion. (My bible says Gd is a Spirit and no man has seen him so this is just the imagination of men).

Movies sometimes have given this same non-emotion to our savior Jesus Christ so is probably why I don’t take time to watch them for we are created in His image, Revelations 4:10-11, “The four and twenty elders fall down before him that sat on the throne, and worship him that liveth for ever and ever, and cast their crowns before the throne, saying, Thou art worthy, O Lord, to receive glory and honour and power: for thou hast created all things, and for thy pleasure they are and were created.”

“Pleasure?” you mean God, Jesus, had emotions, ahh yes, yes, yes!

Philippians 2:12-13, “Wherefore, my beloved, as ye have always obeyed, not as in my presence only, but now much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling. For it is God which worketh in you both to will and to do of his good pleasure.”

Ephesians 2:10, “For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them.”

We are created by Him and for Him, we are created with emotions just like our creator and we are to continue to walk in good works. Not to earn our salvation but because we love Him and desire to serve Him with all our heart.

That’s hard! John 15:4-5, “Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, except it abide in the vine; no more can ye, except ye abide in me. I am the vine, ye are the branches: He that abideth in me, and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit: for without me ye can do nothing.”

Philippians 4:13, “I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me.”

In our yard and around us we have a abundance of wild black raspberries growing in which I pick several gallons of each year we have lived here. Its not the easiest thing for its usually during the hottest weeks of the year and can take at least two hours to pick that amount. Thorns also are part of the raspberry plant and I also find the best fruit is found among the tallest and thickest of these. I have been cut by these thorns and been tripped up by the vines that grow among. But this never stops me for I always push forward because of the pleasure of canning several jars of jam from each batch I pick.

Life is similar to this as we have to endure what this world piles on us, but we know of the prize to come and our desire to be with our savior forever out weighs the sufferings of this world.

Hebrews 12:2, “Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith; who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God.”

Jesus did this for me so I will do this for him! Hebrews 13:15-16, “By him therefore let us offer the sacrifice of praise to God continually, that is, the fruit of our lips giving thanks to his name. But to do good and to communicate forget not: for with such sacrifices God is well pleased.”

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Dealing With Grief

Romans 8:18, “For I reckon that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us.”

In spite of we as Christians have been told we just like every other person in this fallen world go through times of grief. One author put it this way, “Grief never ends, it’s a passage, not a place to stay. Grief is not a sign of weakness nor a lack of faith, It is the price we pay for love.”

Romans 8:28 says, “And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose.” When I was dealing with the loss of my daughter to cancer, I will be honest and say that I didn’t like this scripture very much. How could something so horrible ever work together for any good…ever, and even today it’s a tragedy in my life that I still don’t care to think about but I have learned several things as result of handling grief.

Grief can either destroy you or can motivate you and for me it has allowed me to become more compassionate to others especially those that have experienced loss similar to what our family has. Matthew 5:4, “Blessed are they that mourn: for they shall be comforted.” We receive comfort from not only Gid but from others.

It definitely gave me a different perspective on precious, how fragile life, and how short life is, James 4:14, “Whereas ye know not what shall be on the morrow. For what is your life? It is even a vapour, that appeareth for a little time, and then vanisheth away.”

Grief has allowed me to not be fearful of showing emotions for I once took great pride in keeping my emotions in check. We are often told and have told our children to not cry or to suck it up and take it like a man. With the loss of my friend Russ, then my son Jeff, and then my daughter Sarah I found that I could no longer control those emotions and you know what? Its Okay! Isaiah 53:3, “He is despised and rejected of men; a man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief: and we hid as it were our faces from him; he was despised, and we esteemed him not.” Jesus knew grief and likewise understands the grief we suffer as well.

So, with that, I would like to talk about the bit “D”, yes “Depression”. Something that we as Christians ignore and claim that we are immune to it since we are filled with the Spirit of God. After the culmination of the three deaths in a relatively short time even though at the time I would have denied it, I was indeed in period of depression. I was never angry with God, but I was disappointed, because I know our Lord is a healer, but my friend and daughter where not healed.

I thought to myself that how could I ever enjoy life again, what is the point of going on if everything I love is being taken from me. Now I wasn’t suicidal (I don’t think) but I was emotional numb.

So, this gets me to the picture of our cat Bullet that I selected for this blog. I always been okay with cats but I could live without them. So, one day my wife decides to bring this kitten home and I was like why? But watching this little ball of fur run around, get into mischief, lay on my feet, purr as it would nibble on my nose, I began to laugh and smile once again, (we ended up with another cat “Duke” as Bullet was supposed to be a boy and turned out to be a girl and I’m okay with that).

Our cats didn’t save my life for only Jesus Christ can do that but they did change me to start enjoying life which is one thing we need to remember when going through grief is that it will be okay to smile, laugh, and have a good time one day and you shouldn’t feel guilty about it!

Psalms 34:18, “The LORD is nigh unto them that are of a broken heart; and saveth such as be of a contrite spirit.”

The last thing I want to share about grief is that it has made me even more aware of how much I need Jesus in my life, He never left me nor forsook me during my grief or my entire life and one day I will be in His marvelous presence, Revelations 21:4, “And God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes; and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain: for the former things are passed away.”

This Life isn’t Always Wonderful but a Wonderful life it IS!

I won’t take it for granted that everyone has seen, “It’s A Wonderful life” but it is a classic that even after watching it many times I find myself tearing up at certain sections of the movie. Who hasn’t wiped a tear off his or her cheek when Clarence gets his wings! It’s a story of how your life is so important to others no matter how you sometimes feel you had failed and you have no idea what effect you had on others’ lives.

We can at times feel that his life is too difficult, too tragic, or too sorrowful to continue on.

Ephesians 5:15-16, “See then that ye walk circumspectly, not as fools, but as wise, Redeeming the time, because the days are evil.”

I recently listened to Matthew Wests new song, “Wonderful Life” which gave me the title for this message.

Ron from Houston, Texas, Spent three years fightin’ ALS

If you knew all that he’s been through, You’d hardly say he’s blessed

But smilin’ through a phone call, He said “Let me tell you, friend

This life ain’t always wonderful, But what a wonderful life it’s been”

It’ll send you flyin’ high, It’ll bring you to your knees

It’s the heartbreak and the happiness, And everything between

It’s the laugh until it hurts, It’s the hurt until you cry

Can’t have one without the other, It’s how you know that you’re alive

In this broken and beautiful, Gone mad and magical, Awfully wonderful life

It’s a mountain and a valley, It’s a cradle and a grave

It’s a blessing and a battle, And it’s on any given day

It’s messy and imperfect, It’s a thief and it’s a gift

Yeah, this life ain’t always wonderful, But what a wonderful life it is!

Ron went home to Jesus, Got the call the other day

I sat and cried and thought about, The words I heard him say

I know there is a Heaven, Waitin’ for us after this

This life ain’t always wonderful, But this life ain’t all there is

No, this life ain’t always wonderful, But this life ain’t all there is!

My life like so many here has had some fantastic highs and some lows that if it wasn’t for Jesus in my life and the promise, He has for all of us I wouldn’t be standing here today.

Listen I don’t have all the answers but I put my life and faith in the only one who has the answers though He has that absolute right to not to let me know the answer to biggest questions we have in this world.

I do have an understanding of some things such as why are His people being martyred on a daily basis, John 15:18-19, “Jesus said that they hated, If the world hate you, ye know that it hated me before it hated you. If ye were of the world, the world would love his own: but because ye are not of the world, but I have chosen you out of the world, therefore the world hateth you.”

John 16:33, “These things I have spoken unto you, that in me ye might have peace. In the world ye shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world.”

I can also understand the outlook we as those that have Jesus in our lives have will be different for those who don’t have or believe in Christ, Ephesians 2:10-12, “For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them. Wherefore remember, that ye being in time past Gentiles in the flesh, who are called Uncircumcision by that which is called the Circumcision in the flesh made by hands; That at that time ye were without Christ, being aliens from the commonwealth of Israel, and strangers from the covenants of promise, having no hope, and without God in the world:”

I even know why death and suffering in is our world, Genesis 2:15-17, “And the LORD God took the man, and put him into the garden of Eden to dress it and to keep it. And the LORD God commanded the man, saying, Of every tree of the garden thou mayest freely eat: But of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, thou shalt not eat of it: for in the day that thou eatest thereof thou shalt surely die.”

That doesn’t mean that I may accept those hardships with a smile on my face or without getting mad at those events that break my heart…but they will never break my spirit!

THIS LIFE INSN’T ALWAYS WONDERFUL, BUT A WONDERFUL LIFE IT’S BEEN!

In the movie “Jumanji, the Next Level”, Danny DeVito starts out as a bitter, sarcastic, old man and makes the statement to Spencer that “it doesn’t get any better” and “Getting Old Sucks?” but we get to see how the realization of how his bitterness had destroyed his relationship with Milo for so many years. He tells Spencer then that “Getting old is a gift, I forget that sometimes, but it is”

THIS LIFE INSN’T ALWAYS WONDERFUL, BUT A WONDERFUL LIFE IT’S BEEN!

Psalms 23 so completely explains the provision God has given to us when life isn’t so wonderful.

Psalms 23:1 “A Psalm of David. The LORD is my shepherd; I shall not want. He maketh me to lie down in green pastures: he leadeth me beside the still waters. He restoreth my soul: he leadeth me in the paths of righteousness for his name’s sake. Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil: for thou art with me; thy rod and thy staff they comfort me. Thou preparest a table before me in the presence of mine enemies: thou anointest my head with oil; my cup runneth over. Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life: and I will dwell in the house of the LORD for ever.”

THIS LIFE INSN’T ALWAYS WONDERFUL, BUT A WONDERFUL LIFE IT’S BEEN!

My view of God has changed completely over the years and not because of the good times. It’s the struggles, it’s the hurts, it’s the pain that has made me into the man of God I am today!

I have learned of Gods tremendous value He has place on each of us…

John 3:16, “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life. For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved.:

Isa 41:10, “Fear thou not; for I am with thee: be not dismayed; for I am thy God: I will strengthen thee; yea, I will help thee; yea, I will uphold thee with the right hand of my righteousness.”

THIS LIFE INSN’T ALWAYS WONDERFUL, BUT A WONDERFUL LIFE IT’S BEEN!