Sermon On the Net

JOHN

 

I would like to begin a series of Bible studies, beginning with the Gospel of John. I chose John because this is the first book I read and it opened my heart and eyes. This is where I discovered God to be a living God, full of love and forgiveness and willing to shower us with His grace (unmerited favor). I would like to approach each chapter with 3 questions; what does it say, what does it mean and how can I apply it to my life.

 

The theme of the Gospel of John is the Deity of Christ; it deals with the nature and person of Christ and the meaning of faith in Him. John's purpose in this Gospel was to deliver the message that Jesus is the Son of God and believing in Him would give you eternal life. See John 3:16, "For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son that whoever believes in him shall not perish." We see Jesus as the manifestation of God the Father. The first 2 verses declare the deity of Christ; 'in the beginning was the Word and the Word was with God and the Word was God.' Verses 3-5 teach that He created all things and He was to be the light of mankind as a lit candle in a dark room. Unfortunately  man did not understand the meaning of His presence. Verses 6-8 tell of John the Baptist and his position of being the forerunner for Jesus and to proclaim His coming. Verses 9-15 teach that Jesus was in the world and the world did not know who He was. Even His own people refused to acknowledge or accept Him. For those who did believe Him, He gave the power to become children of God; adopted children of God, that is, in His family nonetheless. Verse 14 portrays the glory which we are to be indebted forever; "And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us and we beheld His glory, glory as of the only begotten from the Father, full of grace and truth." Verses 15-34 are John's testimony and witness of Jesus being full of grace and truth, conversely Moses presented the law. The Jews wanted to know who John was and he simply told them that he was a messenger of God sent beforehand to present Jesus. As said in the book of Isaiah (prophetic) to, 'make straight the way of the Lord.' John explained that he was baptizing in water, (this baptism was for repentance only), and that Jesus was coming. He told them in no uncertain terms that they didn't have a clue as to who Jesus was in spite of the many, many prophetic scriptures supporting His arrival. When Jesus had John baptize Him in the water, John saw the Spirit of God descending from Heaven like a dove upon Him. The Father had already told John that the One on whom he sees the Spirit descend, it is He that is the Son of God and is going to baptize with the Holy Spirit. All new believers receive the Holy Spirit when they accept Jesus as Savior

 

Verses 35-51 discuss the gathering of His disciples; as Jesus was walking through town His power and their faith compelled His followers to join Him, and without hesitation. John 10:14, "I am the good shepherd, I know my sheep and my sheep know me—just as the Father knows me and I know the Father—and I lay down my life for the sheep."

 

The question, 'what does it mean' is something each one of us should meditate upon to help them arrive at their own conclusions; I can share the meaning of it to me with you. If this were a live Bible class, each one would bring the meaning of the chapter with them and we would all share. As for me, it means Jesus is alive and well, always existed, and always will. I see the Deity of Christ; Father, Son and Holy Spirit. I believe He did come to earth for me, as well as anyone who is willing to accept Him as Lord and Savior. It also means that I am to commit my life to Him and obey Him. I see love, forgiveness, and grace in Him. I also understand how man can be obstinate to the point of losing his life forever. I see the power of displaying a truly forgiving and unconditional love when we see men drop what they're doing and follow Him with total commitment. I am totally comfortable with what I see in this chapter. It is both a delight to my heart and most encouraging.

 

The application of what I see and understand in John 1 is simple for me: I believe without any doubt what I see and feel, and will take that conviction and the strength it affords me and try to live my life in a manner worthy of a child of God. I would love to be like Jesus in character, but I will gladly settle for striving to be that way. I will always wear my banner of conviction and pray to help others understand that God loves them and has an open invitation to all. For those who have the power of conviction, wear it in humility as Jesus did, and help those as Jesus did, to recognize the vast emptiness within themselves. As Jesus said, "Come and see," not see and come, but "come" first and you will see afterward.

Sermon On the Net

FAITH AND FEAR

 

Could you envision living the rest of your life without fear? Could you envision living the rest of your life with sufficient faith to over come all obstacles life presents? Is it possible? Yes. Is it probable? No. It is possible, however, to minimize the overwhelming power of fear and to employ more effectively the benefit of living in faith. We can find the solution by understanding the forces that capture our thoughts and converts them into fear. With knowledge we can begin to understand the full meaning of faith and its application in our lives and how it can free us from the stranglehold of fear, and free us to enjoy a life that many people dream of or aren't even aware a life like this exists.

 

Let us begin the journey of understanding fear with the introduction of its author, none other than the devil himself, otherwise known as Lucifer. I believe using his name will be more effective; it makes him seem real and believe me he is as real as you or me. He was the highest-ranking angel in Heaven and tried to overthrow God. He failed in this feeble attempt and, along with his band of angels was thrown out of Heaven to roam the earth for a period of time known only by God Himself. Unfortunately, these fallen angels are a real threat, a very real force, trying every moment of our lives to put us in and keep us chained to a life of fear: a life of worry, sickness and despair. Lucifer is the creator of sin, the father of everything that is immoral or wrong. We would be well served to understand this and be aware; armed ready for him and his band of demons at all times. We cannot yield for even a second, as he is there waiting in his dark domain for the chance to strike and try to destroy us. He is the basis for the Curse levied upon the earth since the fall of man. There is much Scripture on this subject. People are always asking why there is disease and sickness in the world. Don't look any further than Lucifer, himself as being the cause. Before sin was in the world, there was no sickness or disease. There was no immorality to be found. Sin began in the Garden of Eden and has never left us and all the credit belongs to you know who, Lucifer. Man brought it upon himself by not understanding, by his lack of knowledge of the forces of evil that were to be unleashed upon the world in the Garden of Eden; which was to otherwise be, man's Utopia. I have a great deal of compassion for anyone who does not have a way out from these forces. Their end will be with Lucifer and then it will be too late; they will have an eternity of agonizing torment with no way out.

 

There is a way out for anyone who believes in the name of Jesus. See John 3:16:"For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish and have eternal life." Each person needs to make his or her decision. The ingredient for this is faith. It will be helpful to understand what faith is. The Biblical description of faith is found in Hebrews 11:1; "Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen." Romans 10:17 says, "…faith comes from hearing, and hearing by the word of Christ." In Hebrews 11:1, "Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see." In other words to accept something you can't see or understand is faith, and faith comes from and is enriched by reading God's Word. Faith shouldn't be a stranger to us, after all we live by faith every day, walking, driving, flying, etc. It really is peculiar that we exercise faith in so many areas of our lives that we know are fraught with danger and disaster, and without question, blindly if you will. It should be much easier to have faith in God because we have such an abundance of proof of His existence; we have the Bible (66 books written by 40 different authors over a 1500 year period), we have the world and everything in it (God's creation), we have the Universe over which man marvels. I just learned this week that there are in excess of 35,000 verses of Scripture contained in the Bible and without one word of contradiction or error. This is indeed, mind-boggling. My goodness, how much more proof do we need? Faith can overcome any doubt created by the master of deceit, Lucifer. Faith can help us 'see' and appreciate what Jesus did for us on the cross. We see tremendous demonstrations of faith throughout the ages, Noah, Moses, Abraham, Jacob, just to name a few. These were real people throughout the ages, exercising their faith in God. The Bible says that in some instances God spoke directly to some, but today there is no need for we have His written Word for all the people in the world to read and develop a knowledge of God, which will produce in us a powerful faith, with which we can overcome Lucifer and his band of demon angels. God said we can and that's good enough for me.

 

Science wants proof before it will accept and adopt a finding; repeated testing for a period of time and perhaps even a few years is their method of discovery. As I previously mentioned the Bible contains, if you will afford me the liberty to say so, 66 books, 40 different authors and 1,500 years of 'testing.' You decide which has more proof, never without error.

 

Fear will produce worry-Faith will overcome it, eradicate it. Fear produces sin-Faith overcomes sin. Fear causes illness-Faith can heal it. Last but not least, both fear and faith are a journey; one leads to hell and the other leads to Heaven. Hopefully you decide the correct road to take.

 

In closing I would like to remind you what to do when fear creeps in and it will no matter what your thoughts, stop and renounce fear (Lucifer) in the name of Jesus, pray and ask Him to help you overcome the fear and He will. Let the angels around you encompass you in their bosom. Keep this thought in mind, Greater is He that is in you, than he that is in the world.

 

I remain your friend and servant, Nick                                                          Number 25

Sermon On the Mount

He's Watching

 

 

Ever wonder how people would drive if they knew a police officer was watching their every move? Do you think we would change our driving habits? Most of us would, but there are a few good drivers who wouldn't have to be concerned. And yet I am sure that these careful drivers would feel uneasy just the same and be very careful to watch their driving; we would all feel uneasy if a policeman were watching. It is a natural reaction to authority.

 

I wonder how we would behave each day if we knew God was watching each minute of the day? I'm sure there would be changes in our behavior. Well my dear readers, God is watching all the time, even when we are asleep, and we should live our lives accordingly. He even knows the number of hairs on your head; Matthew 10:30: "And even the very hairs of your hair are numbered." I am convinced of this because the Bible says so, and I am thankful we have a loving and forgiving God who doesn't change His mind (Romans 11:29: "for God's gifts and his call are irrevocable") because of the way we live our lives: remember, please, none of us are perfect.

 

How important are we to God? Luke 12:6 states, "Are not five sparrows sold for two cents? And yet not one of them is forgotten before God." Sparrows were so cheap in those days that if you bought four, a fifth one was thrown in free. Luke 12:7 states, "Indeed the very hairs of your head are all numbered. Do not fear; indeed you are of more value than many sparrows." Yes indeed, we are priceless before God. We should always remember the tremendous sacrifice He made for us through Jesus. I'd say this is an exceptional demonstration of one who loves and cares for His family. I find it very difficult to be able to fully comprehend that kind of love, and perhaps you may also. Some day we will know and, oh, what a day that will be. In John 14:26, Jesus says, "But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in My name, He will teach you all things, and bring to your remembrance all that I said to you." A sermon could easily be preached on this verse. The Holy Spirit is here with us each and every moment of each day of our existence. (A note worthy of mention is that the Holy Spirit would make them remember every word that Jesus ever said to them, which adds to the credibility of the Bible as being the inspired Word of God.) In John 14:16, Jesus says that the Holy Spirit "will be with us forever." Hebrews 13:5 states that He "will never leave us or forsake us." God is here, now, as you are reading this; His presence is here, all around us, now and forever. He has been with us since we were born. God knew each of us, even before the foundation of the world, yes even before we were born. Jeremiah 1:5: "Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, before you were born I set you apart:…" The reference verse escapes me for the moment but the Bible does support what I said. In Matthew 6:28-32 we see a splendid example of God's love: He tells us that if the lilies of the field grow without effort and are more beautiful than Solomon in all his glory, and yet are thrown away, how much more will He do for us, His family? Jesus states, "your Heavenly Father knows that you need all things", and we will get them because He loves us. Let me leave you with a thought from the book of Lamentations 3:40, we are to 'examine and probe our ways, and let us return to the Lord.' He's here, He's watching, He wants us to talk to Him.  

 

I remain your friend and servant, Nick                                                      Number 24   

Sermon On the Net

 

 

Continued from last week's sermon.

 

Let's continue on this path and discuss human marriage.  

 

God, in His wisdom, ordained marriage between a male and female and nothing has changed since. Genesis 1:24: "For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be united to his wife, and they will become one flesh." What is transpiring in the world today is an absolute disgrace to the human race. It's obvious based on what God says that when two people marry they must remain as husband wife for their lifetime here on earth. Therefore it is imperative that they should have much in common; I personally do not believe that opposites attract like oil and water that cannot mix; cannot become one. When they are poured into each other all the stirring in the world cannot bring the two together as one.

 

This is the reason for a courtship or an engagement period, if you prefer; to discover whether or not there is compatibility which should be the cornerstone for a marriage relationship. Are there mutual likes and dislikes or is the foundation based on sex or beauty (a trophy wife as they say)? When the marriage becomes stormy, and it will, they have reason to stay the course or will they run at the first sign of a storm? If the sex attraction doesn't pan out as was thought, for whatever the reason, will there be enough 'glue' to hold the marriage together?

 

I would like to introduce at this time a beautiful woman some of you may know or have heard about; her name is Renee Bondi. She has a book called: The Last Dance but Not the Last Song, I would strongly urge you to purchase it and read about her incredible journey. I have never had the pleasure of meeting Renee but we have corresponded and we both know we will meet when we both go home. Renee is married and has a world-wide ministry and has touched the lives of countless numbers of people. The very reason I bring her to you is because of her marriage,

 

Two weeks before Renee was to be married she had a terrible accident; she woke up one morning only to discover herself lying on the floor in her bedroom propped against a door with her head in an unorthodox position. No one seems to know what happened. Following many months of recuperation Renee remained a quadriplegic as a result of the devastating incident in her bedroom. She and her fiancée married eventually and one day Renee asked him why he married her in her condition. His answer was very simple: he told her he married his best friend because he loved her, yes he loved her inner beauty, who she was inside. You see those quality's didn't die, didn't become paralyzed, they were there and would be forever and that's the reason he married her. I wonder how many situations like this would culminate in a separation. His love was without conditions, without expectations of what would never be for the two of them. As far as I know they are still joined together in a beautiful and blessed relationship with a family. Renee never lost her faith in God; she is truly one of life's great testimonies. If all marriages were based on that kind of love there would be no divorces; we would have widows or widowers but no divorces.

 

When he told Renee he married his best friend I couldn't help but to immediately call my granddaughter and begged her to buy Renee's book which I said I'd pay for (a little motivation), because she was in a relationship that I thought would be trouble for her in the future. He was a very controlling person and they always mean trouble. I knew she was a virgin and the relationship wasn't based on sex. After she read Renee's book and realized they weren't best friends after all. I am so happy she realized a little pain now avoids bigger pains later. My wife, Bunny, and I are so fortunate to have two fine daughters-in-law and happy marriages. The reason I mention this is because I really didn't have the proper advice for my two sons before they got married. However we did have the Lord who was and is always watching over us. God gave me a wonderful gift fifty-five years ago; Bunny has the kind of inner beauty that holds a marriage together, thank God.

 

The bottom line for anyone contemplating marriage is be sure you will be marrying your best friend. And remember no matter how calm the ocean may appear to be from a distance, if you are in storm-like waters presently I don't encourage you to take the voyage. There might be a hurricane out there.

 

In conclusion we should understand Jesus redeemed and raptured the Church (us) because He loved us without conditions. Once we are 'married,' if you will, to Him we are assured there will never be a divorce. We can look to John:16: "For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life." Eternal life is forever and we cannot be lost once we accept Jesus as our personal Savior. The Bible is replete with support for this.

 

When we are married we should make every attempt to apply the same kind of commitment to our marriage. We are to love, respect and honor our vows of staying together through all kinds of adversity. When two people are best friends before they marry, when they know each other's qualities, the odds of overcoming adversity increase tremendously. Next to love is forgiveness and married people must be prepared to forgive. God; and only God is perfect.

 

Nicholas Del Sesto

Sermon On the Net

The Bride Groom and the Bride.

 

God in His wisdom uses a metaphor to explain what will be the most beautiful and everlasting marriage of two beings or perhaps better said individuals. In the book of Revelation God says that Jesus, the Bride Groom, will come to take the Church, i.e.us, His bride back to Heaven for eternity. This is truly a marriage, if you will, of love (God's love), and because it is a marriage whose foundation is based on God's love it will not only last for eternity, but it will be an eternity of sheer ecstasy.

 

Ecstasy is defined by words that aptly describe what will be life in Heaven: trance, state, frenzy, high, stupor, joy, happiness, delight, elation, bliss, rapture, thrill, and finally excitement. Permit me to use the word 'life' for lack of a better way to explain what it will be in Heaven with our Creator. I believe we should explore those adjectives one by one to help understand what Heaven will be like for those who choose to believe in the true God of the Bible:

 

1)      Trance: One of the words defining trance is dream which we can apply the word fantasy. We can imagine now what a life without any of the trials of this life would be like.

2)      State: This would represent the condition or conditions under which we will live in Heaven.

3)      Frenzy or passion: I am quite sure our emotions will be filled with the passionate desire to express to God our gratefulness for being saved, and spared from an eternity of suffering and separation from Him. 

4)      High: As they say, we'll be on 'cloud nine.' It will be extraordinary.

5)      Stupor: I'm quite confident we could imagine our life with Him would put us in a 'stupor.'

6)      Joy: Happiness beyond description.

7)      Happiness: Joy beyond expression.

8)      Delight: What a pleasure it will be to be able to see and worship and thank Him forever.

9)      Elation: When we realize what it is that we have been spared I believe it would be safe to say we would be elated.

10)   Rapture: One of the words to describe rapture is Heaven; need I say more?

11)   Thrill: This will be a pleasure I can only imagine at this time.

12)   Excitement:  What say you, doesn't this word speak for itself?

 

The foregoing is what all Born Again Christians can look to.

 

There are many teachings in the Bible about life and marriage that God, in His wisdom, gives us. For example the 'marriage' of the Bride Groom and the Church is based purely on love; God's love. We need to define God's love which comes from the Greek word; agape. This is the kind of love that has no conditions attached to it; it is pure and I assume can only come from love; God is love actually. I looked in a Thesaurus out of curiosity and noticed one of the adjectives used to describe agape was the word, astonished which was defined by the adjective astounded, which was defined by the word amazed; and so forth and so on. I believe it is humanly impossible to describe Heaven or even attempt to do so. The one thing I do know is that I want to be there to express the feelings I have for Jesus that are feelings within me that are inexpressible. For anyone who might want to be critical of my using a Thesaurus to define a Greek word, please don't, I did it because it was an interesting diversion.