Sermon On the Net

A FREE GIFT

 

 

As I look to the sky,

What I behold, I sigh,

I see the wonders of Jesus,

The clouds, the mountains and us.

Ah yes, us, Jesus and me in the air,

A journey of bliss, I know not where.

 

And why am I able to see

In the beautiful sky, Jesus and me?

Me, a mortal born in sin,

My body dying from within,

My spirit living forevermore.

For I have chosen Heaven’s door.

 

Jesus says, ’I am the Way.’

Alas, I must choose today.

Where I am is eternal separation,

Where I could be is eternal salvation.

If it is to be, it is up to me.

I can choose life for eternity.

 

Jesus paid the price on the tree,

A ransom indeed, for many.

Thus, it is therefore, up to me

To accept or reject the gift, free.

 

If you told me the day would come when I would write a poem, I would say never. I guess that is the reason that wisdom says never say ……. I was sitting and looking at a beautiful white cloud in the sky while talking to Jesus, asking His guidance to write an article and behold out came a poem.

 

I would like to share a thought that has been on my heart recently, the characteristics of Jesus. Previously I wrote about developing Christ-like character and I would like to expand on that. In Galatians 5:22,23, Paul speaks of the qualities of Jesus as being ‘love, joy, peace, long suffering (patience), kindness, goodness, faithfulness, meekness (gentleness) and self-control.’ If we allow, the Holy Spirit will help us develop each of these qualities. These qualities are referred to as the fruits of the Spirit. Fruit, as we all know takes time to ripen, so it will be in this venture, it will not happen overnight. In time we can develop these qualities with prayer. It is not something one can force. We need help from He who possesses all of these qualities. Our natural tendencies are the opposite.

 

We must be aware of the technique the Holy Spirit will use; for example, if we are to learn to love others we may very well find ourselves in the company of people that are not so loving, or people who are difficult to warm up to. I dare say we will not find ourselves in the company of friends and loved ones to learn this lesson. No, we will be challenged, you can count on that. That, however, is how we will learn.

 

In closing I would remind you that Satan is alive and well and doing what he does best. He will be very active attempting to undermine your development at every opportunity. He will constantly test your love and try to break you down, to demoralize you with all kinds of  deceit of which he is a master. But, and I say but, we have a God who is in complete control of all things. He will never place us in a situation that we cannot handle. 1st Corinthians 10:13 says, “No temptation has overtaken you but such as is common to man; and God is faithful, who will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able, but with the temptation will provide the way of escape also, that you may be able to endure it.” As a final note of encouragement, we find in James 4:7 the comforting words; “Submit therefore to God. Resist the devil and he will flee from you.” And to that I say, AMEN.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Sermon On the Mount

Developing Christ-like Character

 

Have you given much thought to developing your character into what God wants? He has given us a lifetime to do it. I cannot think of anything I’d rather do than to develop at least some, if not all of Jesus’ characteristics. Today I am sitting in my car overlooking a large valley with magnificent mountains in the background. The area is called Valley Center. I was contemplating an article and all of a sudden I saw what I, at first, didn’t see: the majesty of the Lord, that which He has given us to enjoy, that which we so easily overlook, the hills covered with beautiful, natural landscaping, the rivers, the streams, the animals, the trees, nature and perhaps the most important thing of all, and that is time. Yes time, time to grow, time to think, time to love and time to enjoy all of God’s gifts to us; time to accept what He has done for us on the cross and time to develop His characteristics.

 

Are we growing Christ-like in character each day? Are we trying? Are we even thinking about it? I find myself thinking more and more about Jesus and it really is a joy. Maybe it’s because time is growing short, maybe it’s because I have finally begun to realize that this is what God wants for me in my life. Whatever it is I’m enjoying it and with the help of the Holy Spirit will continue to enrich my life with His Gift. I don’t think we can ever get too much of the Good News. To know that He is everywhere and that He is at my side every second of every day as He is with all of His children, is truly a glorious thought. Meditate on that thought for a while, let it sink in and enjoy it. He is with you, now and always. Jesus said, ‘Lo I will be with you always.’ Not sometimes, but always. Imagine, if you will, we are always in His presence; awesome. This is a time of trying to do what He wants us to do and we have help. His character manifests itself in us in accordance to the time we allocate to the Holy Spirit to help us develop. He’s willing, are we? In 2^nd Corinthians 3:18, Paul says, “But we all with unveiled face beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are changed into the same image from glory to glory, even as by the Spirit of the Lord.” Putting this in another way, as we let the Holy Spirit work within us we become more and more like Him and reflect Him more and more. This is a lifetime process and is the reason we are here. When a sinner is saved the Holy Spirit indwells that person; He becomes a permanent resident; what we need to do is to elect Him President. Ephesians 4:12-13 tells us helpers are provided to help us grow in Christ until the day when we will be like Him with Him. If that isn’t a glorious future, I don’t what is. It is a wonderful thing to know why we were born, what life is all about, and to know why we are here and where we are going and the help we have until we get there.

 

If you have yet to make a decision for Jesus, I pray that you seriously consider His plea to believe in Him, to believe in the reason for the crucifixion and to believe that He rose from the dead and reigns with His Father in Heaven until He comes back again for us in all His glory.

 

In the meantime, “Let no man deceive you with vain words; for because of these things comes the wrath of God upon the sons of disobedience. Be not partakers with them.” Ephesians 5:6-7.

 

A note of interest for you: Some 800 years before the crucifixion, the Psalmist, David predicted the death of Jesus, the Messiah by means of crucifixion. What is more startling then that is the fact that this was a means of Roman, not Jewish form of execution. The Lord has made it so easy for anyone to know Him, simply by reading His Word. Hebrews 4:12 says, “For the word of God is living and active and sharper than any two edged sword and piercing as far as the division of soul and spirit of both joints and marrow, and able to judge the thoughts and intentions of the heart.” In other words it has the power to reach deep within each one of our personalities and to judge our innermost thoughts. As God was, is and always will be, so is His Word.

 

 

 

 

 

Sermon On the Net

Who’s right?,,,,,,,,,,What’s right,,,,,,,,,,Am I right or am I wrong?

 

I pray this letter finds you all in good health, both spiritually and physically. Bunny and I are doing fine. The three questions above are simple enough but yet very profound in their ramifications for each of us. We are all aware technology inundates us with information so much so that it is actually overwhelming at times. Whatever you want to know can be found somewhere. It is so much easier, today, to gather and spread information and the speed at which it can be disseminated is awesome.

 

The reason I am telling you things you already know involves those three questions. I just finished reading a book, as part of my research, called Fast Facts on False Teaching, written by Ron Carlson and Ed Decker. It is worth stopping any reading you might be engaged in at the moment and read this one. I am going to highlight some of its content but you need to read it yourself. You may not have heard of the authors until now but I promise you will know who they are. Their work is an answer to the following questions:

 

1)     Is Atheism right?

2)     Is Buddhism the true religion?

3)     Is the theory of Evolution right?

4)     Are Freemasonry and the Masonic Lodge  right?

5)     Are Hinduism, Yoga and Reincarnation right?

6)     Is Islam right?

7)     Are Jehovah Witnesses right?

8)     Is the Korean messiah, Sun Myong Moon right?

9)     Is Mormonism right?

10) Is the New Age movement right?

11) Is Prosperity theology right?

12) Is Transcendental Meditation right?

13) Are Satanism and the Occults right?

14) Is Judaism right?

15) Is Roman Catholicism right?

16) Is Biblical Christianity right?

 

These are many questions, indeed, and each one needs an answer if we are to know who or what is right. The authors of the book I mentioned give us the benefit of their research in 255 pages of worthwhile reading on each of these subjects, except Judaism. Please remember they said these were fast facts probably meaning much more could have been written. I have no intention of trying to duplicate their work; instead I will attempt to point out a basic truth for each one.

 

Each one was instigated or created by a person who claimed to have had a revelation from God. I don’t know and perhaps the authors don’t either, the origin of Atheism, but for an Atheist to be right would mean that he or she would have to possess an infinite knowledge to know the absolute. As Ron Carlson stated, that person would have to be God Himself. Buddhism was created by Sidhartha Gautama, a man. Evolution is a theory created and perpetrated by men such as Darwin. The chapter on evolution is hilarious, a must read. Freemasonry and the Masonic Lodge was created and expanded upon by a man. Hinduism is man made. Islam was created by Muhammad, a man. Charles T. Russell created the Jehovah Witnesses, again a man. Sun Myung Moon claims to be the messiah. Mormons claim Joseph Smith as their founder. The New Age movement, in my opinion, was created by Satan using multiples of people over time. Transcendental Meditation’s founder was Maharashi Mahesh Yogi. Judaism is based on the Old Testament, not necessarily in its entirety, because if they believed everything in the Old Testament they would not have any difficulty accepting Jesus as their Messiah. Roman Catholicism has the Pope, a man. There is a common thread in all of the above and that is all of their doctrine is man made with some using those parts of the Bible that suit their purpose.

 

Finally we come to Biblical Christianity whose origin is God. One might say that I am taking liberty and being boldly presumptuous, well you are right. The evidence I present to you is contained in a book called the Bible, written by 40 different authors over a span of 1500 years, without one word of contradiction. What verdict do you think would be rendered in a court of law? One point I must make here is that Biblical Christianity’s doctrine is taken from the entire Bible, without exception; and adding nothing and taking away nothing. I don’t know of any work that has the credentials of the Bible. People listen to and many believe the media, television, movies, etc. My goodness, believe in and spread the Good News; this is what God wants and it makes Him happy.

 

Am I right? The last question each one must answer him or her self. I pray you are right because eternity is a long, very long time.

 

 

 

Sermon On the Net

FELLOWSHIP

 

Sooner is better than later. Recently I mentioned to you that I would write an article on fellowship and the more I thought about it the more I said to myself, do it now. Understanding fellowship is important, not only to be informed, but also an understanding of the meaning of fellowship might cause one to think about other areas. One thing is for certain, we are going to be in Heaven with all the believers we personally know today and all the others in prior times and all the others that we don’t know. Certainly this is an awesome thought. An interesting and most exciting thought just occurred to me about the story of the rich man who had everything in life, and Lazarus who was a beggar and lay at the rich man’s gate. They both died and the rich man went to hell and Lazarus went to Abraham’s side. The rich man saw Lazarus and Abraham but he was separated from them by a great chasm, and he wanted Abraham to send Lazarus over to him with some water to cool his tongue because he was in agony. The reason I mention this story is the fact that he recognized Abraham whom he had never seen before; there are other instances in the Bible that mention people who never knew each other actually recognize others. Let me get back to fellowship.

 

Let’s examine what fellowship isn’t and then we will discover what Biblical fellowship is; the way God wants it to be, that is. It is not just going to services and giving lip service to those with whom we come in contact. It is not meeting other believers for breakfast after services and discussing golf or football or whatever. It is not sitting next to someone without recognizing them or saying hello.

 

No, quite the contrary, to fellowship is to experience, yes to EXPERIENCE relationships with other believers. Fellowship is coming together with other believers who have something in common; Jesus. It is getting involved with other believers and sharing your heart with each other. When one reads 1^st Corinthians 12:12-31, a clear understanding begins to replace misunderstanding or confusion or simply ignorance. Paul uses the human body in analogous terms. Each member of our body is vital to the next and each part wonderfully compliments the next. For example, the big toe is small and insignificant when compared to the whole body, but try walking without it. Your balance is shaky and you will have difficulty staying steady. Therefore, as we look at each other we should keep in mind how important the other person could be to the whole body of believers. The eye cannot say to the hand, ‘I do not need you,’ quite the contrary, it is much truer that the members of the body which seem to be weaker are very necessary; see 1^st Corinthians 12:22, “On the contrary, those parts of the body that seem to be weaker are indispensable…”

 

Some time ago the pastor in our local church group expounded on this very subject and I must say he did a very wonderful job of it, so good that I am going to share his thoughts with you. When I say his thoughts, I mean the Bible coming to life. This is the reason Bunny and I have attended. His sermons are actually Bible studies, pure and simple. People are taught the word of God in every service.

 

He presented four levels of fellowship:

 

       Level 1 is choosing to belong. Ephesians 2:19 says “you are members of God’s very own family…” and you belong in God’s household with every other Christian. Romans 12:5 states, “In Christ we who are many form one body and each member belongs to all the others.”

 

       Level 2 is learning to share. In Acts 2:44…”all the believers met together constantly and shared everything with each other.” (We should remind ourselves occasionally that what we think we own, we do not, it all belongs to the Lord). It is much easier to share when we understand the meaning of sharing. I do believe that we would all admit that it is much easier to give away someone else’s property. This is what we do when we give in Jesus’ name. 1^st Peter says in essence, “open your homes to each other.” God opened His home to us in Jesus when He gave up the Spirit on the cross. We should be ready to share each other’s troubles and problems. Galatians 6:2 says, “Carry each other’s burdens, and in this way you will fulfill the law of Christ.”

 

       Level 3 is doing my part. 1^st Corinthians 3:9 says, “For we are God’s fellow workers; you are God’s field, God’s building.” Ephesians 4:16 says, “From him the whole body, joined and held together by every supporting ligament, grows and builds itself up in love, as each part does its work.” Jesus said in Matthew 25:40, “The King will reply, ‘I tell you the truth, whatever you did for the least of these brothers of mine, you did for me.’ This is such an inspiring and encouraging verse of Scripture, imagine, helping each other is the same as helping Jesus. WOW!

 

       Level 4 is to love believers as though they were your own flesh and blood (As God loves us). This is not an easy task, it takes effort and constant vigilance, however we can try. It will be easier if we remember to ask the Lord to help us love as He loves us. The Holy Spirit is always with us and ready to help; just ask. Acts 2:42 says, “They devoted themselves to the apostle’s teaching and to the fellowship, to the breaking of bread, and to prayer.” Romans 12:10 says, “Be devoted to each other in brotherly love.” 1 John 3:16 ”We know love by this, that He laid down His life for us; and we ought to lay down our lives for our brothers.” John 13:35 says, “By this all men will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.” Last but not least is Galatians 3:26, “You are all sons of God through faith in Christ Jesus.”

 

My prayer is that we all look to our brothers and sisters who are in Christ as family.   This is what God wants and it makes Him happy. It will make us feel good, too.