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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Have You Received?

Acts 19:1-7, “And it came to pass, that, while Apollos was at Corinth, Paul having passed through the upper coasts came to Ephesus: and finding certain disciples, He said unto them, Have ye received the Holy Ghost since ye believed? And they said unto him, We have not so much as heard whether there be any Holy Ghost. And he said unto them, Unto what then were ye baptized? And they said, Unto John’s baptism. Then said Paul, John verily baptized with the baptism of repentance, saying unto the people, that they should believe on him which should come after him, that is, on Christ Jesus. When they heard this, they were baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus. And when Paul had laid his hands upon them, the Holy Ghost came on them; and they spake with tongues, and prophesied. And all the men were about twelve.”

Reasons we don’t receive!

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.”

Need to Hear!

Rom 10:13-17, “For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved. How then shall they call on him in whom they have not believed? and how shall they believe in him of whom they have not heard? and how shall they hear without a preacher? And how shall they preach, except they be sent? as it is written, How beautiful are the feet of them that preach the gospel of peace, and bring glad tidings of good things! But they have not all obeyed the gospel. For Esaias saith, Lord, who hath believed our report? So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.”

Fear!

2Ti 1:6-7, “Wherefore I put thee in remembrance that thou stir up the gift of God, which is in thee by the putting on of my hands.For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind.”

James 1:17, “Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and cometh down from the Father of lights, with whom is no variableness, neither shadow of turning.”

Comforts and Teaches us!

John 14:26 But the Comforter, which is the Holy Ghost, whom the Father will send in my name, he shall teach you all things, and bring all things to your remembrance, whatsoever I have said unto you.

Intercedes for us!

Rom 8:26, “likewise the Spirit also helpeth our infirmities: for we know not what we should pray for as we ought: but the Spirit itself maketh intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered.”

Makes a way!

Rom 8:8-11, “So then they that are in the flesh cannot please God. But ye are not in the flesh, but in the Spirit, if so be that the Spirit of God dwell in you. Now if any man have not the Spirit of Christ, he is none of his. And if Christ be in you, the body is dead because of sin; but the Spirit is life because of righteousness. But if the Spirit of him that raised up Jesus from the dead dwell in you, he that raised up Christ from the dead shall also quicken your mortal bodies by his Spirit that dwelleth in you.”

Desire!

Matthew 5:6 promises, “Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled.

Mark 9:23 Jesus said unto him, If thou canst believe, all things are possible to him that believeth.

Have ye received the Holy Ghost since ye believed?

When they heard this, they were baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus. And when Paul had laid his hands upon them, the Holy Ghost came on them; and they spake with tongues, and prophesied.

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Power with God and Man

Has anyone in here done any wrestling?

Has anyone in here found yourself wrestling with a problem in your life?

Has anyone in here ever wrestled with God?

A couple weeks ago I did a message titled “What are you clinging to?”

And I used the reference of Jacob wrestling with the Angel of the Lord and looking at it further I missed something in the event, Gen 32:28, “And he said, Thy name shall be called no more Jacob, but Israel: for as a prince hast thou power with God and with men, and hast prevailed.”

POWER WITH GOD AND WITH MEN!

I asked myself why and how did Jacob get to this point that something special would happen in his relationship with God and man.

If we look back, we know Jacob had a twin brother named Esau who was the firstborn entitled to the blessings from his father Issac. But his mother and him tricked Issac to giving the blessing to Jacob and as result Jacob found himself fleeing and working for his uncle Laban for 20 years.

Gen 31:3, “And the LORD said unto Jacob, Return unto the land of thy fathers, and to thy kindred; and I will be with thee.”

Jacob then gathered his family and possessions and headed back home. When uncle Laban found out he wasn’t very happy and got together a posse to pursue Jacob. I’m not sure what his original intent was but for Labans sake the Lord spoke to him in Gen 31:24, “And God came to Laban the Syrian in a dream by night, and said unto him, Take heed that thou speak not to Jacob either good or bad.”

Then as Jacob and the crew precede further he sent word to Esau and when they returned Gen 32:6-7, “And the messengers returned to Jacob, saying, We came to thy brother Esau, and also he cometh to meet thee, and four hundred men with him. Then Jacob was greatly afraid and distressed: and he divided the people that was with him, and the flocks, and herds, and the camels, into two bands;”

Gen 32:9-11, “And Jacob said, O God of my father Abraham, and God of my father Isaac, the LORD which saidst unto me, Return unto thy country, and to thy kindred, and I will deal well with thee: I am not worthy of the least of all the mercies, and of all the truth, which thou hast shewed unto thy servant; for with my staff I passed over this Jordan; and now I am become two bands. Deliver me, I pray thee, from the hand of my brother, from the hand of Esau: for I fear him, lest he will come and smite me, and the mother with the children.”

Looks like Esau is going to get that long awaited revenge against his deceiving little brother so, Jacob thought a little bribery would work.

Gen 32:13-18, “And he lodged there that same night; and took of that which came to his hand a present for Esau his brother; Two hundred she goats, and twenty he goats, two hundred ewes, and twenty rams, Thirty milch camels with their colts, forty kine, and ten bulls, twenty she asses, and ten foals. And he delivered them into the hand of his servants, every drove by themselves; and said unto his servants, Pass over before me, and put a space betwixt drove and drove. And he commanded the foremost, saying, When Esau my brother meeteth thee, and asketh thee, saying, Whose art thou? and whither goest thou? and whose are these before thee? Then thou shalt say, They be thy servant Jacob’s; it is a present sent unto my lord Esau: and, behold, also he is behind us.”

The scene is now set for “The Holy Wrestling Match of the Century”!

Gen 32:24-28, “And Jacob was left alone; and there wrestled a man with him until the breaking of the day. And when he saw that he prevailed not against him, he touched the hollow of his thigh; and the hollow of Jacob’s thigh was out of joint, as he wrestled with him. And he said, Let me go, for the day breaketh. (what was so important about that statement) And he said, I will not let thee go, except thou bless me. And he said unto him, What is thy name? And he said, Jacob. And he said, Thy name shall be called no more Jacob, but Israel: for as a prince hast thou power with God and with men, and hast prevailed.”

POWER WITH GOD AND WITH MEN!

Jacob was able to rebuild his relationship with Esau…

I asked everyone earlier if they ever been a wrestling match with God?

Did you give up before the match was over? I’m sure on the side of that wrestling mat we will find many of souls that surrendered, some maybe at the very brink of getting that victory!

Jer 29:13, “And ye shall seek me, and find me, when ye shall search for me with all your heart.”

Music to me is what leads me into a place that gives me the ultimate victory in the wrestling matches I sometimes enter into.

This is my desire to honor you, Lord with all my heart I worship you, and all I have within me I give you praise…

Draw me close to you, never let me go, I lay it all down again to hear You say that I’m Your friend…

This is the air breathe Your holy presence living in me, this is my daily bread, your very word spoken to me, And I’m desperate for you

Beautiful Lord, Wonderful Savior, I know for sure all of my days are held in Your hands, crafted into Your perfect plan…Take me, mold me, use me, fill me…

Act 1:8, “But ye shall receive power, after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you: and ye shall be witnesses unto me both in Jerusalem, and in all Judaea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth.”

POWER WITH GOD AND WITH MEN!

Many times, we wrestle with things we need to get rid of in our lives.

Act 9:1-6, “And Saul, yet breathing out threatenings and slaughter against the disciples of the Lord, went unto the high priest, And desired of him letters to Damascus to the synagogues, that if he found any of this way, whether they were men or women, he might bring them bound unto Jerusalem. And as he journeyed, he came near Damascus: and suddenly there shined round about him a light from heaven: And he fell to the earth, and heard a voice saying unto him, Saul, Saul, why persecutest thou me? And he said, Who art thou, Lord? And the Lord said, I am Jesus whom thou persecutest: it is hard for thee to kick against the pricks. And he trembling and astonished said, Lord, what wilt thou have me to do? And the Lord said unto him, Arise, and go into the city, and it shall be told thee what thou must do.”

We wrestle with many things and its not just sin, sometimes its our own self-righteousness. For me it was the standards established at a previous church I attended.

Whatever it is that you’ve been wrestling with, its time you get it pinned down to the mat. You can’t imagine what it will do for your life, it can rebuild relationships, it can get rid of a judgmental attitude, and it can even free you from the guilt you may have been carrying.

POWER WITH GOD AND WITH MEN

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Strength out of Weakness

2 Corinthians 12:10, “Therefore I take pleasure in infirmities, in reproaches, in necessities, in persecutions, in distresses for Christ’s sake: for when I am weak, then am I strong.”

All my life I’ve been fascinated with strength, I remember watching the Worlds Strongest man as a young man. To see these men pull airplanes, carry cars, throw kegs, pick up atlas stones and put on pedestal I found fascinating.

I got my first weight set probably when I was twelve or thirteen and would lift very regularly though I was a fairly skinny kid, I think I was 170lbs when I graduated high school, I desired to get bigger and stronger.

When I could afford it, I would go to the athletic club in Milwaukee and later in Janesville. I wasn’t planet fitness material then as I lifted heavier and heavier weights, I put a lot of effort into it if you know what I mean.

I remember they had a set of dumbbells that weighed 125lbs each and that was my goal, I was ecstatic the day I was able to bench press those a couple of times and felt like the strongest man in the gym at that moment.

Today, that is just a memory as many of us know as you age you not only lose strength, but the risk of injury goes up, though I still enjoy pushing that iron it’s a fraction of what I once did.

Our strength is fleeting!

I recently saw a story of Bill Kazmaier who was a three-time winner of Worlds Strongest Man that he had a GoFundMe account to raise money for a heart valve replacement, stents, and a pacemaker.

Our strength is fleeting, it one day fails us, Samson must have felt for years that his strength would get him out of trouble, his was a miraculous birth proclaimed by the angel of the Lord who was to be a Nazarite and would deliver Israel from the Philistines. He had several battles with the Philistines and once slew a thousand of them with a jawbone of an ass. He had one weakness though; he had a love for women and not the women of the Israelites.

One particular love interest named Delilah became his downfall and after several attempts to find out the secret of his strength Samson, spilled the beans, lost his hair, lost his strength and his eyesight.

A while later after his hair had grown back Samson cries out to God in Judges 16:25-30, “And it came to pass, when their hearts were merry, that they said, Call for Samson, that he may make us sport. And they called for Samson out of the prison house; and he made them sport: and they set him between the pillars. And Samson said unto the lad that held him by the hand, Suffer me that I may feel the pillars whereupon the house standeth, that I may lean upon them. Now the house was full of men and women; and all the lords of the Philistines were there; and there were upon the roof about three thousand men and women, that beheld while Samson made sport. And Samson called unto the LORD, and said, O Lord GOD, remember me, I pray thee, and strengthen me, I pray thee, only this once, O God, that I may be at once avenged of the Philistines for my two eyes. And Samson took hold of the two middle pillars upon which the house stood, and on which it was borne up, of the one with his right hand, and of the other with his left. And Samson said, Let me die with the Philistines. And he bowed himself with all his might; and the house fell upon the lords, and upon all the people that were therein. So the dead which he slew at his death were more than they which he slew in his life.”

When we try to compare mans strength with God’s, there is absolutely no comparison.

We have very little power over sickness even with all the medical advances man has made, at Matthew 8:14-16, “And when Jesus was come into Peter’s house, he saw his wife’s mother laid, and sick of a fever. And he touched her hand, and the fever left her: and she arose, and ministered unto them. When the even was come, they brought unto him many that were possessed with devils: and he cast out the spirits with his word, and healed all that were sick:”

We have absolutely no power to keep others from dying, Acts 10:38, “How God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Ghost and with power: who went about doing good, and healing all that were oppressed of the devil; for God was with him.”

We don’t even much power over sin in our lives, Romans 7:18-20, “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.”

But when we recognize our weakness, that in our own strength not much is attainable. Gal 2:20, “I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me.”

One of my favorite parables is Luke 18:9-14, “And he spake this parable unto certain which trusted in themselves that they were righteous, and despised others: Two men went up into the temple to pray; the one a Pharisee, and the other a publican. The Pharisee stood and prayed thus with himself, God, I thank thee, that I am not as other men are, extortioners, unjust, adulterers, or even as this publican. I fast twice in the week, I give tithes of all that I possess. And the publican, standing afar off, would not lift up so much as his eyes unto heaven, but smote upon his breast, saying, God be merciful to me a sinner. I tell you, this man went down to his house justified rather than the other: for every one that exalteth himself shall be abased; and he that humbleth himself shall be exalted.” If we are honest, we can be both of these people in this parable

Romans 8:31-39, “What shall we then say to these things? If God be for us, who can be against us? He that spared not his own Son, but delivered him up for us all, how shall he not with him also freely give us all things? Who shall lay any thing to the charge of God’s elect? It is God that justifieth. Who is he that condemneth? It is Christ that died, yea rather, that is risen again, who is even at the right hand of God, who also maketh intercession for us. Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword? As it is written, For thy sake we are killed all the day long; we are accounted as sheep for the slaughter. Nay, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him that loved us. For I am persuaded, that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come, Nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.”

Rom 8:37, “Nay, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him that loved us.”

When we finally can put all our trust in Jesus we can proclaim as Paul did…

2Co 12:9-10, “And he said unto me, My grace is sufficient for thee: for my strength is made perfect in weakness. Most gladly therefore will I rather glory in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me. Therefore I take pleasure in infirmities, in reproaches, in necessities, in persecutions, in distresses for Christ’s sake: for when I am weak, then am I strong.”

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Thankful for the Scars

John 20:27, “Then saith he to Thomas, Reach hither thy finger, and behold my hands; and reach hither thy hand, and thrust it into my side: and be not faithless, but believing.”

Jesus, even after His resurrection still possessed the scars He received during His trial.

I don’t know if when we see Jesus in heaven if he will still have those scars but in the book of Revelations when referring to Israel it is written that they will look upon Him who they had pierced.

Who in here does not have a scar on their body?

Who in here does not know the story behind that scar?

I’ve had many and I know the story behind every single one (bicep, hand, finger, eye, knee, chin, abdomen, thumb).

But we also have scars that cannot be seen that have more of an impact on us than any of those scars that we can see.

Luke 5:27-32, “And after these things he went forth, and saw a publican, named Levi, sitting at the receipt of custom: and he said unto him, Follow me. And he left all, rose up, and followed him. And Levi made him a great feast in his own house: and there was a great company of publicans and of others that sat down with them. But their scribes and Pharisees murmured against his disciples, saying, Why do ye eat and drink with publicans and sinners? And Jesus answering said unto them, They that are whole need not a physician; but they that are sick. I came not to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance.”

Can you imagine the label this man named Levi had carried, the tax man doesn’t get much of liking in our day, can you imagine the scars they carried back then, a publican and a sinner. I’m not afraid to say that I am not whole, but in need of a physician, because I’m a sinner.

But these are the ones God chooses, in Matthew West song “Broken Things” he has a verse that says “That its never the perfect, its always the ones with the scars you use”.

1 Corinthians 1:25-29, “Because the foolishness of God is wiser than men; and the weakness of God is stronger than men. For ye see your calling, brethren, how that not many wise men after the flesh, not many mighty, not many noble, are called: But God hath chosen the foolish things of the world to confound the wise; and God hath chosen the weak things of the world to confound the things which are mighty; And base things of the world, and things which are despised, hath God chosen, yea, and things which are not, to bring to nought things that are: That no flesh should glory in his presence.”

We can look at those that Jesus chose to take His message of salvation to the world and none would have been the first choice of the religious world today. They were men with callouses on their hands, the look of people that have been out in the wind and storms providing a living for their families. Their speech wouldn’t be as eloquent as those who that find themselves on the airways today.

Luke 14:16-24, “Then said he unto him, A certain man made a great supper, and bade many: And sent his servant at supper time to say to them that were bidden, Come; for all things are now ready. And they all with one consent began to make excuse. The first said unto him, I have bought a piece of ground, and I must needs go and see it: I pray thee have me excused. And another said, I have bought five yoke of oxen, and I go to prove them: I pray thee have me excused. And another said, I have married a wife, and therefore I cannot come. So that servant came, and shewed his lord these things. Then the master of the house being angry said to his servant, Go out quickly into the streets and lanes of the city, and bring in hither the poor, and the maimed, and the halt, and the blind. And the servant said, Lord, it is done as thou hast commanded, and yet there is room. And the lord said unto the servant, Go out into the highways and hedges, and compel them to come in, that my house may be filled. For I say unto you, That none of those men which were bidden shall taste of my supper.”

Most of us in here if not all of us were not born into this faith, we were found on the streets, we’re poor in spirit if not in the physical, were maimed (scarred), halt and blind. But when we heard the good news, it drew us to Him and though we weren’t much, Jesus accepted us and gave us a promise of life and that more abundant than we ever had.

Probably the main reason God choses the foolish is that there is one thing that God does not take fondly to, PRIDE!

I am a man with many scars that you cannot see and some I have to admit are not healed, but that has given me such a love for Christ and His people that I will go to the ends of the earth for anyone of you.

When I put many of these messages together, its not me speaking, it’s Jesus Christ speaking through me. I’m simply amazed at how things have happened in my life, how God has put certain people in my life, how He has opened doors to me, and I’m not the only one here that can say that.

Many in here including me have been through a lot and when someone I going through a trial that they think they cannot endure, we are the testimony that says that you can make it.

Do you have scars? Then let God use them to further His kingdom!

Isaiah 53:4-5, “Surely he hath borne our griefs, and carried our sorrows: yet we did esteem him stricken, smitten of God, and afflicted. But he was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace was upon him; and with his stripes we are healed.”

We are indeed the foolish of this world and that’s a great thing!

Be thankful for the scars.

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Occupy Until I Come

Luke 19:9-13, “And Jesus said unto him, This day is salvation come to this house, forsomuch as he also is a son of Abraham. For the Son of man is come to seek and to save that which was lost. And as they heard these things, he added and spake a parable, because he was nigh to Jerusalem, and because they thought that the kingdom of God should immediately appear. He said therefore, A certain nobleman went into a far country to receive for himself a kingdom, and to return. And he called his ten servants, and delivered them ten pounds, and said unto them, Occupy till I come.”

We all agree in here that we are very near the coming of the Lord Jesus Christ and are excited that we are part of His Kingdom.

In the meantime, we are required to “Occupy” but what does that mean? Do we just sit idly by and let the world go down the toilet?

The word “occupy” means in the Greek “to busy oneself with, that is, to trade”. So, the word itself tells us that we are not supposed to just show up once a week for service then do your own thing the rest of the week.

After we have come to Christ, we have several things to do to increase the Kingdom of God, we all know there is no greater joy than being part of someone coming to Christ. Matthew 28:19, “Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost:”

Romans 10:13-15, “For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved. How then shall they call on him in whom they have not believed? and how shall they believe in him of whom they have not heard? and how shall they hear without a preacher? And how shall they preach, except they be sent? as it is written, How beautiful are the feet of them that preach the gospel of peace, and bring glad tidings of good things!”

To be a good witness of the Gospel, we need to be able to share what it says, 1Peter 3:15, “But sanctify the Lord God in your hearts: and be ready always to give an answer to every man that asketh you a reason of the hope that is in you with meekness and fear:” 2Timothy 2:15, “Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.”

To “occupy until He comes” we also need to be a people that pray, prayer is defined by Miriam-Webster is, an address (such as a petition) to God or a god in word or thought.

Luke 18:1, “And he spake a parable unto them to this end, that men ought always to pray, and not to faint;”

1Thessalonians 5:14-18, “Now we exhort you, brethren, warn them that are unruly, comfort the feebleminded, support the weak, be patient toward all men. See that none render evil for evil unto any man; but ever follow that which is good, both among yourselves, and to all men. Rejoice evermore. Pray without ceasing. In every thing give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you.”

We also need to keep us from being affected by this world to the point that is affects our walk with Jesus Christ, Romans 12:1-2, “I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service. And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.”

The bible calls this sanctification,

Leviticus 20:7-8, “Sanctify yourselves therefore, and be ye holy: for I am the LORD your God. And ye shall keep my statutes, and do them: I am the LORD which sanctify you.”

1Peter 2:9-12, “But ye are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, an holy nation,: a peculiar people; that ye should shew forth the praises of him who hath called you out of darkness into his marvellous light: Which in time past were not a people, but are now the people of God: which had not obtained mercy, but now have obtained mercy. Dearly beloved, I beseech you as strangers and pilgrims, abstain from fleshly lusts, which war against the soul; Having your conversation honest among the Gentiles: that, whereas they speak against you as evildoers, they may by your good works, which they shall behold, glorify God in the day of visitation.”

Occupy until He comes is investing in God’s Kingdom, as we read on in the parable we can see the importance of that.

People often wonder what he highest calling from God is?

Its not preaching the best sermon ever, it’s not being a pastor, teacher, evangelist, prophet, or even an apostle. Its not sacrificing your life or giving every penny you have to the poor.

What matters is not the size of our service, but the One for Whom we do it for! 1Co 10:31, “Whether therefore ye eat, or drink, or whatsoever ye do, do all to the glory of God.”

Jesus Christ is coming back and in spite of how evil is rampant in our world I have an excitement in my heart because this world is not my home, my life is but a vapor, a speck in eternity. They can pass laws that we have to accept things that are contrary to the word of God, they can strip us of our tax-exempt status, can put chains on our doors.

The dollar can crash and the digital currency can be forced on us, our government can turn completely communist and remove all the rights that our constitution once gave us.

This will have no effect on my worship and love for our Lord and savior Jesus Christ.

John 4:19, “The woman saith unto him, Sir, I perceive that thou art a prophet. Our fathers worshipped in this mountain; and ye say, that in Jerusalem is the place where men ought to worship. Jesus saith unto her, Woman, believe me, the hour cometh, when ye shall neither in this mountain, nor yet at Jerusalem, worship the Father. Ye worship ye know not what: we know what we worship: for salvation is of the Jews. But the hour cometh, and now is, when the true worshippers shall worship the Father in spirit and in truth: for the Father seeketh such to worship him.”

Let’s Occupy Until He Comes!

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Choose This Day

Joshua 24:14-15, “Now therefore fear the LORD, and serve him in sincerity and in truth: and put away the gods which your fathers served on the other side of the flood, and in Egypt; and serve ye the LORD. And if it seem evil unto you to serve the LORD, choose you this day whom ye will serve; whether the gods which your fathers served that were on the other side of the flood, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land ye dwell: but as for me and my house, we will serve the LORD.”

Choices, we make several each day and according to the experts the average individual makes between 33,000 and 35,000 choices each day.

If you figure you sleep 7-8 hours per day that means in your waking hours you make approximately 2000 choices per hour or 33 choices per minute. A lot of those choices you can say are made from habits or unconscious choices but we do have the option to change those.

Just think of the things you do in the first minutes of your day, you open your eyes, look at the clock or don’t look at the clock , choose if you will close those eyes again, roll over, lay on your back, pull those covers up and try to go back to sleep, do you check your phone for any messages or calls, do you get up, turn off your sound machine, find your glasses, put some shorts or pajama bottoms on, go sit on your comfy chair, or go to the bathroom, do you do #1 or #2 or maybe both?

Some decisions are still choices even if we make the same ones every day out of necessity, like going to work, “I owe, I owe, so its off to work I go”.

The experts also tell us that 226 decisions we make every day are concerning food, this I think is under estimated as 5 minutes after we taken the last bite of our lunch my wife is asking what are the plans for dinner.

Have you been to the grocery store lately? The prices are not the only thing that’s shocking, the variety is also mind blowing, I like frosted mini-Wheats, but do you know you can get them strawberry, chocolate, vanilla, smaller size or even with no frosting. Mountain Dew you can’t get the original but you can get berry, orange, red, diet, and even a surprise flavor.

When it comes to our religion you also have literally thousands of choices out there on what you want to align your beliefs with, many of them watered down versions, 2Ti 4:3-4, “For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine; but after their own lusts shall they heap to themselves teachers, having itching ears; And they shall turn away their ears from the truth, and shall be turned unto fables.”

Galatians 6:7-8, “Be not deceived; God is not mocked: for whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap. For he that soweth to his flesh shall of the flesh reap corruption; but he that soweth to the Spirit shall of the Spirit reap life everlasting.”
From the very beginning man had a choice and choose the flesh, Genesis 3:6-7, “And when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was pleasant to the eyes, and a tree to be desired to make one wise, she took of the fruit thereof, and did eat, and gave also unto her husband with her; and he did eat. And the eyes of them both were opened, and they knew that they were naked; and they sewed fig leaves together, and made themselves aprons.”

There are many choices we make that we think and feel are right especially if we do not have Christ in our life or adhere to sound doctrine.

Pro 14:12, “There is a way which seemeth right unto a man, but the end thereof are the ways of death.” Pro 16:9, “A man’s heart deviseth his way: but the LORD directeth his steps.”

Our choices we make on a daily basis should line up with God’s word and God’s voice, Pro 3:5-6, “Trust in the LORD with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding. In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths.”

Our savior Jesus Christ made the supreme choice to become a man, live under the laws He gave man, suffer, die and thank God was resurrected for us!

Heb 12:1-3, “Wherefore seeing we also are compassed about with so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which doth so easily beset us, and let us run with patience the race that is set before us, 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. For consider him that endured such contradiction of sinners against himself, lest ye be wearied and faint in your minds.”

Jos 24:15, “And if it seem evil unto you to serve the LORD, choose you this day whom ye will serve; whether the gods which your fathers served that were on the other side of the flood, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land ye dwell: but as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord”

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