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Nehemiah prayed based on God's vision for the people of Israel. Likewise, in a time of rebuilding, we need to have God's vision.
May God help you to to be able to flourish in your faith, but also help others flourish in their faith as well. May our Jesus and God our Father encourage your hearts and strengthen you in every good deed and word.
Paul encourages the church in Thessalonica to continue to serve God. Faith, love and hope are 3 spiritual graces that empower us to serve God. As a young church growing despite severe hardship, Paul encourages them to have hope in Christ so that their faith may flourish.
This Easter, let us realize that there is only one name that can give us salvation and change us from the inside out: Jesus
Before Nehemiah started the work of rebuilding the wall of Jerusalem, he prayed earnestly to God. Through his prayer we can learn about exalting God, confessing our sins, and, and praying according to his word to enrich our own prayers as we seek to rebuild the ministry in 2022.
In the final chapter of Exodus, the tabernacle is assembled and the nation of Israel, literally, has the Lord at its center. Over the course of the book, the Israelites learned more about God and God moved to the center of their lives.
This passage marks the end of the Lord's discourse to Moses on Mount Sinai. When the Lord finishes speaking, great things happen.
We make all kinds of preparations when a new baby is arriving to the family, and this increases our joy. If we also prepare our hearts for the Baby born in Bethlehem, we will find salvation, and lasting peace and joy.
As we continue through the laws in Exodus, we can see how different Israel was supposed to be from the other nations.
The Ten Commandments are the foundational document that would serve Israel like a constitution. For believers, it serves as the foundation of our faith.
The newly freed Israelites face two insurmountable obstacles, the Egyptian army was approaching and the sea was blocking their escape. They freaked out, but Moses reminded them that the Lord would fight for them, they only needed to be still.
Without remembering God and what he has done for us, it is easy to fall back into our lives of sin. Those who forget history are the ones who are doomed to repeat it. However, when we remember what God has done, it anchors us, and makes us stable even in the storms of life.
As we review our New Year's Key Verse for 2021, we look at how delighting in God's word brings blessedness. We are blessed because God's word enables us to grow, it cleanses, sanctifies and purifies us, and leads to our salvation, which is the ultimate blessedness.
The Lord had placed nine plagues on Egypt, but they did not move Pharaoh's heart to let the Israelites go. Now, there was one more plague to go, the final plague that would show the full authority of the Lord.
As we look into the 4th to the 9th plagues, we see the God is the King of Kings who makes both judgment and salvation. He shows himself to be King even over Pharoah, to display His power and make His name known. We know His name to be Jesus Christ.
In this passage, God teaches Pharaoh, the Egyptians and the Israelites about his existence and who he is. You can know OF someone and not really know them personally. God tells them, “by this you will know that I am the Lord.” Through the various plagues they will come to know that God can do whatever he wants, whenever he wants.
Habakkuk was a prophet from God who could not understand why the Lord did not act on all the injustices of his time. He did not understand God, but the Lord's response was unfathomable.
God tirelessly but patiently carries out his plans, fulfills all his promises, and reveals who He is to all people. God is working all the time, everywhere and weaving it into a story.
The LORD, represented by Moses and Aaron, confronts Pharaoh for the first time, demanding that the king let His people go. Pharaoh refuses, and intensifies the slavery. The Israelites cry out, but God's plan to free and redeem His people has just gotten started.
Moses was reluctant to obey God's calling, but God was full of grace toward Moses even when the Lord was angry with Moses.
Moses' name reminds him of his salvation, as it means 'drawn out of the water.' It also points us to Christ, who draws us out of the waters of death and delivers us to our heavenly home.
God's love for us is not dependent on our love for him. In the first chapter of Exodus, God is with his people, even though they do not know much about him.
Most of us are oblivious to the spiritual battle that is going on around us every day. How can we defend ourselves if we don’t even know that we’re in a war? In this passage, Paul teaches us how to defend ourselves.
Living the best life doesn't involve following famous people on social media. It involves submitting to God and treating your relationships like your relationship to Christ.
On this Mother's Day, we are all thankful and blessed to have a wonderful mother. How can we have a mother's heart to love and embrace others that are hard to love? Paul gives us the example through this passage.
Human nature is to fail. Even for all humanity's successes, we have failed even more. But how does God deal with sinners? What purpose does he have for them?
Ephesians is a letter of optimism and encouragement, and opens with a praise to God for his spiritual blessings. We see how God's ultimate plan, the Divine Purpose, is accomplished through Christ.
In the conclusion to 2 Corinthians, Paul reminds the Corinthians to return to their faith and live as Christ did. It may be the hardest thing they ever do.
Everything Paul did was for the Corinthian's benefit so they would become strong. But before they could experience the power of Christ, they first needed to acknowledge and admit to their weakness.
The strength of God shines greatest in us, when we are at our lowest. When we become less, he becomes greater. The sweet irony is that we receive the power to serve God beyond our own strength, though it is not us, but the grace of God. His grace is sufficient; His power is made perfect in weakness.
Deception is nothing new, it has been around almost as long as man has been alive. However, the antidote to deception is to have a pure and sincere devotion to Christ and we can have that when we delight in the word of God.
As Christians, we are called to be different from the world. We are called to be like Christ, filled with humility and gentleness, but the world may not understand.
God loves a cheerful giver because God Himself is a cheerful giver. By his great grace, he pours out blessings to those who give so that they may be able to give, and reap a harvest of righteousness, all of it resulting in thanksgiving to God.
Paul is encouraging the Corinthians to finish their giving by sending three men to help them. These men are to be the best and to take pains to do what is right.
Through this passage we learn that when we experience the grace of God through Jesus, we become willing and joyful givers.
Paul was overjoyed to hear of the Corinthians repentance. Repentance is a turning to God and turning from sin, and that makes all the difference between worldly sorrow which leads to death, and godly sorrow which leads to salvation.
In this passage, Paul encourages believers to not be yoked together with unbelievers. As believers, we must not compromise our beliefs for personal reasons. But, we must remained focused on God in all aspects of our lives.
Do you want to be blessed in 2021? Delighting in the word of God is the way we can grow closer to God and experience his personal blessing. See how through this passage.
Micah prophesied about the coming of a King and Shepherd who would be our peace. This was fulfilled in the arrival of Jesus Christ born in Bethlehem. Jesus is our peace. Looking back, we put ourselves in the audience of Micah's prophecy to get an idea of how to wait and watch for Jesus, who was, who is, and who still will be our peace when he comes again in glory.
In humble surroundings, a baby was born and placed in a manger. This baby was heralded by angels to shepherds out in the fields as the Savior who would bring peace.
We joke about 2020 being a bad year, like 1918, 1929, and 1956 all rolled into one. While it’s true, it’s been pretty bad, but truthfully, it’s not unique. Throughout history people have lived in darkness and suffered. Therefore it’s evident that we need peace. But where can we find a peace that will last? This passage gives us insight into solving this problem.
Our Thanksgiving 2020 message, given by Jimmy Mei, live from LA.
Many times, we do things only when we feel like it. However, our feelings should not create a stumbling block for others to come to Jesus.
God has reconciled to himself in Christ, giving us the ministry and message of reconciliation. We are therefore Christ's ambassadors, as though God were making his appeal through us. We implore you on Christ's behalf: Be reconciled to God.
We are promised things all the time, but how often have you been left feeling empty with a failed guarantee? Sadly, it seems there are no real guarantees in this world. But in contrast to the world, Paul says that God gives us a guarantee of what is to come. Find out what Paul means by this through today's passage.
Our bodies are like jars of clay, weak, frail and breakable, but God has shined the light of the gospel of Christ into our hearts. This is a treasure to display the all-surpassing, indestructible and eternal power of life that comes from God and not us.
The law, which condemned humanity, still has glory. But how much greater is the glory that comes from the ministry of the Spirit! In this passage, Paul shows us how much greater that glory is.
Have you ever wondered what role scent plays in your life of faith? Paul gives some insight into this through this passage.
Paul tells the Corinthians why decided to not visit them again, but in doing so he implores them to stand firm in Christ.
We can bring glory to God when we look out for the good of others and love one another, making God known and revealing the way to salvation in Christ. The salvation of sinners brings great glory to God.
In this concluding passage, Jonah gets a real life lesson on God's love for people.
After being thrown overboard into the sea, God provides a huge fish to save Jonah. His prayer inside the fish gives us an idea of how grumbling becomes gratefulness when we come to know that salvation is from the Lord.
In this first chapter of Jonah, the prophet Jonah runs away from God's mission for him.
As Paul concludes this letter, he gives thanks for the Philippians gift and generosity, and promises that God will meet all of their needs in Christ. This provision brings contentment, which is the foundation for lasting and enduring joy.
Have you ever had your joy taken away from you? The problem is joy robbers are always going to come; we can’t prevent them. Since we can’t avoid them, how we respond to the joy robber, and what we do after the encounter is very important.
We are may be from different countries, but there is only one citizenship that truly matters, being citizens of heaven.
What can make a person give up 20+ years of life's hard work and achievements? It has to be something important, something of value. In this passage we see what caused Paul to give up his life's work and change direction completely.
God has put in us a glorious salvation through the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. In light of that, Paul exhorts the Philippian church to work out their salvation, to bring out what God has put in.
In this passage, Paul calls for the Philippians to make his joy complete. Let's look how joy can be made complete.
Unfortunately, there are no problem free lives. However, Paul had learned to be joyful always even in the midst of hardship? How did he remain positive even though events hadn’t turned out the way he wanted? Through this passage we can learn Paul's secret to a joyful life.
The letter to the Philippians is the New Testament letter of joy. Paul begins with thanksgiving and gives the reasons why he always prays for them with joy, and what he prays for.
The year 2020 has been a crazy year already. As Christians, we might not know what to do or how to act, but whatever we do, we should do for the glory of God
Right now, our country seems more divided than ever and this division is very harmful. If a sports team is divided and not united, they cannot win. Therefore, I think we need to come back to love. Not something superficial or fake, but genuine and real. We need to love God and love one another.
As we conclude Mark's gospel, we see Jesus, a man of action continue to carry out his work of growing God's kingdom through the preaching of the good news. Despite the times, there's good news for all to hear, believe and share.
This is nearing the end of Mark's gospel. Jesus had died, but that was not the end because Jesus had risen!
The cross was once an emblem of suffering and shame, but through Jesus it has become a source of blessing, peace, hope and healing. O the wonderful cross! Look to the cross of Christ and be saved!
The religious leaders bring Jesus to the Roman governor Pilate, but Pilate tries to find out who is this Jesus.
After his agonizing prayer and victory in Gethsemane, his betrayer has arrived and Jesus will be arrested and taken to trial. The hour has come where Jesus would endure suffering for the sake of the world.
Happy Easter! Jesus' death on the cross and resurrection give us victory, even over death.
In His Last Supper, Jesus predicts his betrayal and establishes a New Passover, the Communion. Because he has given us himself on the cross, we are united to him and one another.
In this passage, there are three different types of people who react to Jesus based on what Jesus means to them. What does Jesus represent to you?
Jesus concludes his teaching the crowds in the temple courts with a revelation about who He is, and a warning about the teachers of the law. The crowds listened to him with delight, and Jesus praises a woman who gave all she had to live on because she delighted in God and trusted him.
Do you know what the most important thing in the Bible is? In this passage, a teacher of the law came up to Jesus to find out what the most important commandment is. However, by the end we find out what the most important thing is.
In an attempt to trap Jesus, the religious leaders brought up the hot button issue of the imperial tax. It is right and lawful to give back to our government the taxes due, but what can we give God? Jesus renews us, purifying our souls that our hearts, souls, minds and bodies may be acceptable to God. Offer your whole self, in holy living and loving service to others for the glory of God.
Jesus continues to talk to the religious leaders through a parable that shows their selfish attitude toward God.
What is authority? Who has it and how do we get it? In this passage, the religious leaders confront Jesus and question his authority, which is ironic because it occurs right after Jesus cursed the fig tree. If they had only opened their eyes and looked at the fig tree the answer would be obvious for only God has the authority to control nature.
It is not easy to keep the faith because of sin in and around us, but faith is what gives us strength and power and enables us to bear good fruit unto God. Jesus cursed a fig tree that represented a hypocritical people that had no faith. Jesus then teaches his disciples to combine faith with prayer, that will enable us to trust in God and love one another.
Jesus was blessed because he came in the name of the Lord. Likewise, we too will be blessed when we come in the name of the Lord.
A man born blind cries out to Jesus for mercy. It is one thing that we all need.
Nearing the final days of his life and destination, Jesus predicts his death a third time, but even with this solemn revelation two of Jesus' disciples maneuver to secure for themselves the greatest places in Jesus' kingdom. In what might be considered the key verse of Mark's gospel, and the meaning of Jesus' life, mission and death, Jesus corrects their misunderstanding with his own example: that the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve and to give his life as a ransom for many.
Whatever you do, all of it matters, you can do EVERYTHING as an act of worship and glorify God IF you have the RIGHT attitude and have your eyes focused on Jesus.
After John the Baptist was born, his father sang a song of praise to God because of the thrill of hope he felt knowing about what God was getting ready to do.
Mary was deeply aware of her humble state, physically and spiritually, and submitted herself to the Lord's will. When Elizabeth confirmed Mary's baby to come would be the Messiah, the Savior, a thrill of hope caused her to burst out in a song known as the Magnificat, which means to magnify the Lord's glory. She glorified God in her soul, and rejoiced in her spirit.
The message by special guest Matt Podzsus for our 2019 Thanksgiving service.
Getting into movies and sporting events require the right ticket, but so does entering the kingdom of God. In this passage Jesus shows us how to enter the kingdom of God.
Nowadays people don’t stick to marriage long enough to see the final result. They want to get out if it gets a little hot. Imagine if you put all the ingredients together for a cake but don’t put it in the oven to finish it, all you will have is uncooked batter. But after heat is applied, something delicious comes out. The same came be said of marriage.
Jesus and his disciples are embarking on their final path from Galilee to Judea, and an anticipation of glory was in the air. The disciples would argue about who would be the greatest, but they misunderstood something. We praise our Lord because he came to serve and give his life, and therein is the path to greatness.
Jesus' disciples tried to remove a demon from a boy on their own and fail. They weren't connected to the power source, but Jesus tells us that everything is possible for one who believes.
Who doesn’t like seeing movie trailers? What might be even better would be to get an exclusive preview of the movie only available to you and your closest friends. That’s kind of what Peter, James and John get in this passage. As the disciples go up a mountain with Jesus, they get a chance to see him in a completely different light than they are used to.
Who do you say Jesus is? When God opens our eyes, we will see that we have been blinded by our sin, and we will see that Jesus is our Savior, the Messiah sent by God to save us. Peter made this same, stunning confession.
Sometimes, the difference between failure and success is belief. A lack of belief can demoralize and cause you to fear and worry, but just believing a little can give hope to a hopeless situation. In this passage, Jesus warns his disciples about unbelief.
Have you ever wondered what could make God sigh? Take a look and find out through this passage as Jesus sighs while he heals a man.
A Gentile woman responds to Jesus' apparent rejection, owning up to being a dog and asking Jesus for just a crumb of His grace. Jesus did not reject nor insult her, but taught her who He was. When she realized it, He granted her request, and lifted her up from under the table to at the table as a child of God.
Being and keeping clean is always good, but if we clean the wrong spot the wrong way, we don't really clean. Jesus shows that outward actions are not what makes us dirty. Our hearts are most affected by what is within.
In this passage, Jesus encourages the disciples when they are in the midst of a storm. What do you do when the storms of life come assailing? It's always a good idea to turn to Jesus in times of need.
This is the only miracle found in all four gospels. Jesus demonstrates that he is a man with deep compassion, and that he is God with the same creative power. Combined he has the desire and ability to feed all his sheep, even the whole world, and give them everything they need. Through this miracle he shows that he is the source of our life and sustenance, both spiritually and physically.
Who are you? Your name identifies you, but it is not your identity. We shouldn't place our identity in things that will not last, but in what is everlasting. Our identity is meant to be in Christ.
What happens when you are put into a situation when all of a sudden a lot of pressure gets focused into a small area? Let’s see what happens when Herod finds himself under these circumstances.
When Jesus returned to his hometown, we was rejected by the people, but he was not discouraged. Jesus had a plan to share the gospel message to the whole world.
What do you do when you are in a difficult situation and you’ve tried everything you could think of and nothing is working and all you can see is impending disaster coming your way? Take a look at this passage to see how the disciples handled it.
God’s kingdom on this earth looks like nothing that the eternal kingdom that is to come. It may start small, but it is God who makes it bigger than we can ever imagine.
The word of God is a lamp for our feet, a light on our path. It makes us wise for salvation, and trains us in righteous living. The rewards it produces are directly proportional to the effort we give it in careful consideration through study, meditation and examination.
The Parable of the Sower is one of the most well known passages in the Bible, but sometimes it takes a different way of looking at things.
What does it mean to be part of Jesus' family? Take a look at this passage to see who is in God's family.
Jesus appoints his Twelve Apostles, who would become the foundation of the church. God builds his kingdom through people, through the preaching of the gospel, the good news about Jesus Christ.
The Sabbath day was one where people should rest and focus on God. The Pharisees forgot that, but Jesus, the Lord of the Sabbath, reminds them.
In this week's passage Jesus compares himself to a bridegroom and invites us all to a joyful feast.
Jesus calls Levi (Matthew), a tax collector to follow him. Levi is overjoyed, and Jesus eats with tax collectors and sinners at a banquet in his honor. Jesus welcomes sinners, because he came to heal and save them. You don't have to be perfect before coming to Jesus, come just as you are, recognizing your need. He invites you to follow.
Humanity is flawed and all people make mistakes; all people have sinned. Thankfully, Jesus has the auhority to forgive sins.
In this passage, Jesus meets and heals a leper. Thank God for Jesus who was willing and able to heal him. Thank God for Jesus, who was willing to get dirty in order to save sin sick people like us.
Jesus calls his first disciples, who were fishermen. To follow Jesus has a cost, requires learning from him, and obeying him, but the reward is becoming fishers of people, drawing them out of the darkness and into the light, into healing, wholeness and life by casting out the net of the gospel.
As we start our study of Mark's Gospel, we see the beginning of the gospel. God had come down to earth and that is good news.
Happy Easter. He has Risen! As less and less people believe in the resurrection, this year's passage focuses on Thomas and his doubt. I pray that you may be blessed through this passage.
The Holy Spirit gives us new life, brings about our adoption as children of God, and helps us to live and pray, conforming us more and more to the image of Jesus. This new life gives birth to a new hope for the perfection of our bodies and the universe. The Spirit enables us to thrive in this glorious hope until it is revealed.
Our last sermon in our series on Genesis. As we approach the book's end, we see Jacob's death and Joseph's death, but it is only the end of the beginning.
In this second to last chapter of Genesis, Jacob gathers his family all together for one last time to say goodbye and bless them. Jacob shares insight with each of his sons into who they are, what they've done and he even prophecies about their future. Through this passage we catch a glimpse of how one's past can shape their future.
Jacob adopts his grandsons Ephraim and Manasseh, effectively giving Joseph a double portion of the inheritance, the rights of the firstborn. Through the Holy Spirit God has adopted those who believe in Jesus as his children, making them co-heirs with Christ and giving them an eternal inheritance.
Joseph's family finally arrives in Egypt to settle. As the famine goes on, the Egyptians struggle to survive, but the Israelites thrive because God was watching over them.
How many times have you said "I promise..." only to go back on your words? Through this passage today we are going to think about some of the promises God has made to his people. For in this passage Jacob starts his journey to Egypt, which had it's beginning with a promise from God.
Joseph reveals himself to his brothers, and Jacob learns that he is alive and is revived. The brothers were vexed, but Joseph gave said this: God sent me here to save lives. This is a picture of the gospel: that God sent his Son Jesus to save lives. He lives forever to save!
People change all the time. Physical changes are one thing, but personality changes are another. In this passage, Joseph tests his brothers to see if they have truly changed from the selfish ways.
All of us have a hidden treasure, something so valuable that it can change our lives. In this passage Joseph’s brothers find their hidden treasure. Take a look to see if it helps you find yours.
For over 20 years, Jacob's sons lived with a dark secret about their brother Joseph. This sin was a dark cloud hanging over them every day. Now God would lead them to meet their brother, and start on the road to repentance to free them from their guilt and restore this chosen family.
In a project and in life, there can be times where it doesn't look like much is going on. That was the case for Joseph who was captive for thirteen years. However, God never forgot Joseph and now God's plan was beginning to unfurl.
Have you ever felt like you've been forgotten? That is such a terrible feeling. In this passage Joseph is stuck in prison and wondering if he is ever going to get out. He's lonely and feels as if everyone has forgotten about him. Thank God that he doesn't forget about us.
The Lord was with Joseph when he was a slave in Potiphar's house, and also when he was thrown in prison for a false accusation. Even in a dungeon, the Lord did not abandon Joseph. This was part of the plan to save the world. This would lead to the coming of Christ, who would be with us forever. If the Lord is with us, who can be against us?
In life, we can get caught up in our own little worlds, but that usually leads to making bad decisions and ending up miserable. We need to take a step back and look at the bigger picture.
Do you ever feel like you are just barely surviving life? Maybe it seems like you’re running from day to day just trying to keep up? Is this really what life is all about? Is this how it is supposed to be? God didn’t make us to just survive, we were made to thrive. Take a look at what it means to really thrive through this passage.
Christ was born, he died, he rose again, and the end is yet to come. His grace overflows in this - he saves us, he then gives us strength to wait on him, and when he returns, he will reward us. We wait because we have hope. We have hope because we have faith. And our faith will be rewarded with strength to soar, run and walk, so that the good news can be proclaimed to the whole world, until he comes again.
We live in a world full of discomfort; everyone experiences pain and suffering. Welcome Jesus in your heart and he will give you comfort and peace despite the discomfort of this world as you wait for his Second Coming.
Waiting has a lot of negative connotations, but Advent is all about the anticipation of the coming of Jesus. With the world crumbling around us, it is tempting to despair, but instead we should wait on the Lord.
Just as Zechariah needed to encourage the people of his time because of the fear when they encountered opposition, and Pope Pius XI needed to encourage the people of his time because of the distrust they encountered opposition, we too need encouragement because of the opposition of our time. May this passage be an encouragement to you.
The Pilgrims and King David both went through tremendous struggles. What did they have to give thanks for? In this passage, we learn about true a thanksgiving heart towards God for He is good; His love endures forever!
This is the well known story of Joseph, his dreams, and the treachery of his brothers to sell him into slavery. From the fall of Adam, we all had been sold into slavery to sin, born into it. Our only hope of freedom is redemption, and for this reason Christ came into the world to redeem us from our sins.
In this world, you can get far without God, but that is short-sighted. Esau's descendants did not follow God, but became a great nation. Despite all that, their names are not in the Book of Life.
Home is a place where you are welcomed and loved, comfortable and safe, a place where your loved ones are. Our ultimate home is where Jesus is waiting to welcome us.
Jacob returns to Canaan after 20 years and a difficult escape, yet more challenges arise. His daughter Dinah is raped, and Simeon and Levi take vengeance a little too far and massacre an entire town. Sin makes us obnoxious, odious to each other. Only in Jesus can we be cleansed and become the pleasing aroma of Christ to God and those around us.
President Franklin Roosevelt once said that we have nothing to fear but fear itself, but with God, we don't have to fear even fear. In this passage Jacob trusts God and finally meets his brother Esau with a surprising result.
When things seems to be falling down around us, we tempted to feel unlucky, like Jacob in this passage. But it may have nothing to do with luck and everything to do with God. Sometimes God has to break us down in order to build us up and bless us, just like he did with Jacob. Sometimes God uses events like this to help us to turn to him and cry out to God.
Jacob decides it's time to flee Laban, and Laban pursues and catches up with him. The Fear of Isaac protects Jacob. Apart from Christ, God is feared in a dreadful way. In Christ, God is feared in love and reverence, because he provides and protects.
Jacob worked for a terrible boss, his father-in-law, he could have given up and given into defeat, but by the grace of God, he doesn't. In the end, it's Jacob who experiences God's protection and blessing in spite of his bad situation. Through this passage, we see how God blesses his people for his purpose and will in mind.
Leah and Rachel get into a escalating war for what each wants, and what they each want is what the other has. But when has getting what you want ever satisfied you?
Jacob got a taste of how it feels to be deceived, when his uncle Laban switched Leah for Rachel. We live in a world full of deceit, but Christ destroyed the great Deceiver on the cross, and is the way, the truth and the life.
Jacob was running for his life, so that his brother wouldn't kill him, along the way unexpectedly he meets God personally and has a Bethel moment.
We live in a messed up world and we are messed up, too. Thank God that he does not need for us to be perfect. God can function even in our dysfunction.
Jacob deceives Esau and takes his birthright as the firstborn. In Christ, we are given the rights as a firstborn, a birthright and a blessing that can never be taken away.
The last couple of messages dealt with such topics as legacy, which was the good things that we either receive or pass on to our kids. This passage reveals the negative side of things that we receive or pass on. Take a look at this passage to see what we can do about it.
Birthrights are not something that we think much of nowadays, but they still have profound meaning to us spiritually. Esau sold his birthright for a bowl of stew, essentially despsing the birthright.
The legacy of Abraham is one of faith. When he died, he did not receive what was promised, but welcomed them from a distance. God was faithful. Abraham inherited eternal life, and that will be passed down to all his children who have faith.
Marriages are one of our most celebrated events. But even though this was such an important event, it happens almost anti-climatically, quietly one night with only a few people in attendance as Isaac and Rebecca are married in the confines of Isaac’s mother’s tent. Take a look and see how it happened.
Abraham's wife, Sarah, died at the age of 127. He was a nomad for sixty-two years, but now he needed some place to bury his wife and set down some roots.
The greatest test of Abraham's faith was about to take place. He was asked to give his one and only son - could he trust the Lord would provide? He did, and his son was spared. God however, gave his own Son, sparing him not, to provide for us redemption and salvation.
Abimelek approached Abraham to sign a treaty with him. Abimelek knew God was with everything that Abraham did, and the truth in that is greater than he imagined.
On this Father's Day let's celebrate the most faithful father we have, our father God. Through this passage we see how God loves us and keeps his promises to us through the life of Abraham.
Abraham relapsed into an old sin, and God tells Abimelek he is as good as dead if he does not return Sarah. We are as good as dead without God, but God's will for us is to have life.
What can cause a good person to become compromised? Is it just one bad day? The Bible describes Lot as a righteous man, but it is clear in this passage that his goodness had become compromised.
It is said that power corrupts, and absolute power corrupts absolutely. Then someone may ask, if God is all powerful, and he is the only judge, does God do what is right? This is an important question especially in our time when so many people are concerned about social justice issues. Take a look at how this passage addresses this question.
Sarah laughed at the thought that she would have a child at the age of ninety, but the Lord asks, "Is there anything too hard for the Lord?"
The time has come to set the promise of salvation into motion, and God introduces himself as God Almighty, "El Shaddai." He makes a covenant with Abraham to mark out his people through circumcision. This practice was symbolic, only a sign until the great fulfillment in the Messiah, who sets us apart as Abraham's children, who put no confidence in the flesh, purified by blood.
Abram and Sarai made a huge mistake because they were impatient, God reveals his grace through Hagar, whom he sees, knows and loves.
Abram shows us what pleases God, and that is faith. With it we receive righteousness, a gift that comes only from God. God verified his promise in a solemn covenant ceremony, and prophesied a period of darkness for Abram's children. Faith even through hard times is true faith, and will be rewarded.
In this passage, Abram is in a dire situation. His nephew had been taken but an army of four kings allied together. What is he going to do? How will God help him out of this one? Take a look and see the amazing grace of God.
Abram and Lot separate because they have too much stuff. In their separation, we see an example of passive faith and active faith.
Fear gets the best of us, even father Abraham. In his fear he lost his trust in God, but God remained faithful, and delivered Abram out of trouble. Never forget to turn to the Lord, even if you have failed in the past - by his grace he will take you from fear to faith with every step.
The Sunday message from our 2018 Easter event Foolish Cross
The Saturday morning message from our 2018 Easter event Foolish Cross
In this passage Abram gets a call from God, what will he do? These days, so many things are calling out to us trying to get our attention. It is so easy to get caught up listening to them, but we need to hear the voice of truth, the word of God, that draws up to our Creator, our Savior, Jesus. We need to learn from Abram.
The population grew after the Flood, and because there was one language powerful people came together to resist God's will to spread across the earth. God confused their language at Babel, and the nations were spread. Today, God calls people of every nation and language to be reunited as one body in Christ by the power of the Holy Spirit.
Dealing with the sin of the world, God wiped out the whole world in the flood, except Noah and his family. Unfortunately, starting over didn't solve the sin problem, but that was never God's plan.
In this passage, we see the first covenant God makes to mankind through Noah. This covenant revealed God's unconditional promise of grace. However, Jesus came and gave us a new covenant, one sealed in his blood which would wash our sins away.
The Flood was a worldwide catastrophe, but Noah and his family were kept safe because the Lord shut them into the ark. Our safety, our peace, our comfort and salvation come when we are covered and shielded by God in Jesus Christ.
The story of Noah's ark is one of the most famous in all the Bible, so much so that even people who have not read the Bible know some things about Noah's ark. This passage shows us the hope of God in one man Noah.
As the world's population begins to grow, we see the struggle between good and evil as the line of Cain unfolding its ever increasing wickedness and the line of Seth calls on the name of the Lord. However, the grip of sin upon mankind is so strong that it spreads and plunges the human race into darkness. But in the midst of this dark and sinful world gone wrong, we see the light of God's grace poured out for us.
A look into the genealogy of the great patriarchs who lived before the Flood, from Adam to Noah through the line of Seth.
Sin is a dangerous thing. It can start out small, but a little sin leads to a little more and a little more, until we are consumed by it. That's the slippery slope of sin.
Have you ever wondered why the world seems so messed up? This chapter explains it all, it explains the world and society as we see it today. It reveals the strategies the devil uses in tempting mankind. It shows how sin entered into the world. It reveals God's beautiful plan to restore and redeem a fallen world through his precious son Jesus.
Paradise is a place of ease, rest, relaxation and delight. God created Adam and Eve, and held the first wedding in paradise. It's clear we don't live in anything like a paradise now, but when Jesus comes again, he promises to take us to an eternal paradise, and invites us all to the great wedding banquet in his kingdom.
Everything has a beginning; this is ours. God is the creator of all things and that is a fundamental belief that we must have to accept anything else in the Bible.
When Jesus taught his disciples what it meant to follow him, his words were not empty. He knew what lay in store for him. He would put his actions where his mouth was. When Jesus came into this world, he did so with one purpose, to rescue the perishing. To do so, he would completely and utterly deny himself.
According to Google, home is the place where one lives permanently, especially as a member of a family or household. Therefore, when you accept Jesus’ invitation for him to bring you into God’s house, you are being accepted as part of God’s family.
Everything changes when God is with us. All fear is gone, wisdom is received, love is ignited and joy abounds. The child born of a virgin, our Immanuel, is Jesus Christ.
Christmas is the most wonderful time of the year. It is a time of great joy for all the people because Jesus was born.
How many of you have ever fallen prank to an April Fool’s joke? While it’s pretty harmless to get caught by one of those, being a real fool is no laughing matter. Through this passage we’ll see why.
This is a sermon that Chaplain Omar Brown gave for Thanksgiving 2017
The epilogue of Daniel's vision of a great war concerning the Antichrist and the end of days. We need wisdom to live in this upside down world, and those who persevere in it shall rise and shine bright as the heavens and the stars forever.
God is the God of history. He knows the past history and the future history of the whole universe and even in our personal lives. The contents of this vision show God's sovereignty with incredible detail.
What do you think of when you hear the word strength? Probably most would say physical strength. There are many kinds of strength. Strength of character, mental & emotional strength and so on. Not only is it important to have these kinds of strength, where that strength comes from also matters. Take a look at this passage because help us to know where Daniel gets his strength from while living in a crazy mixed up world.
Daniel is a man of prayer, and in this chapter we get an insight into one of his prayers. We also see how God responds with a very significant and important prophecy.
Daniel receives a vision of a tragedy that will occur more than 300 years in the future. When surrounded by tragedy, we can feel truly lost, but we don't have to be.
In this chapter Daniel has his own dream that leaves his disturbed. Through it he finds out God's plan for the future. In the midst of difficulty, Daniel catches a glimpse of God's awesome throne and sees Jesus coming in the clouds in power.
Daniel was thrown to the lions, yet God's angel shut their mouths because he was found innocent in the sight of God. No wound was found on him because he trusted God and he was lifted out of the lion's den. The story also prefigures the death and resurrection of Christ.
When Belshazzar saw the writing on the wall, he knew something terrible was going to happen. The writing on the wall meant his end was near. What does the writing on the wall mean to you?
In this passage, Nebuchadnezzar had a personal encounter with God. Through it, he learns the meaning of "God's sovereignty." In the end, he praises God who revealed his love through a period of discipline that opened his eyes and brought about a change of heart.
Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego were thrown into a blazing furnace, but amazingly they survived did not get burned in the least! See how only God can save in this way.
In the time of crisis, we can either overcome the situation or be swallowed up by it. In this passage, Daniel encounter such a crisis which ends up being a life changer. Take a look and see how he deals with a life and death situation.
The world is a dark, perilous and upside down place, but it is the only one we have to live in. Daniel and his friends show us how to live in the Upside Down.
Preaching today has a religious context, but in Timothy's time it was political - a preacher was a herald, like a town crier who proclaimed accurately the message of the king to the people. Paul's final charge was to proclaim the word of God - the good news of salvation through faith in Jesus Christ.
Have you ever felt unprepared for something? How would you like to be thoroughly equipped to do good work and never be unprepared again? In this passage we see the secret to being equipped. Hint: it's through the word of God.
We all kept caught up in stupid arguments, but these arguments do nothing but cause ruin. Christians are called to be set apart from the rest of the world and that means not getting involved with stupid arguments.
While Paul was in prison, Timothy had the task of carrying on the ministry and endure much suffering for the sake of the gospel and the church. In order to carry out this task, he needed strength, and he could find it in the grace that is in Jesus Christ.
Have you ever been uncertain of yourself? People are overcome by uncertainty all the time. This passage shows us the power of God to overcome all sorts of uncertainty and fear with his wonderful gift.
When we experience God for who he is and what he has done for us, we can’t help but sing with joy and celebrate. This passage gives us insight into God's message through his servant Isaiah to the people stuck in exile.
Everybody has thirsts, but the things of this world will not satisfy. This passage shows us how to satisfy our thirst and hunger.
We close out Titus with the encouragement to devote ourselves to doing good. The first chapter spoke of good teachers, the second of eagerness to do good, and here we see that we have been saved so that we can do good to others.
As believers what should we be eager to do? Through this passage we see what Paul encouraged Titus to be eager for.
Titus was left on Crete to complete the work of putting the church in order. His first task was to appoint elders in every city. Their lives were to be as sound (healthy) as their doctrine, which leads to doing what is good.
This is the end of the book of Hebrews, and, before we go, the author gives a list of how we can be properly equipped to serve God.
No one I know likes to receive discipline. But if we accept it with the right attitude, we can be blessed immensely through it. In this passage, the author of Hebrews shows us the secret how.
Discipline never seems pleasant at the time, but painful. But God disciplines those he loves as his own children. If you would accept it, it will strengthen you and your faith to battle against sin, and later on produce peace and righteousness.
This passage shows us what faith is and give us many examples of people living by faith.
Have you ever been a situation where you wanted to give up and just call it quits? It’s a tough state of mind to be in. But thank God for his word which always gives us hope. Through this passage, we see how the believers in the early Christian church didn't give up but kept pushing on.
We are made perfect by Jesus' one time sacrifice on the cross because it took away all our sins forever.
Blood means life and forgiveness of sin requires the shedding of blood. Animal sacrifices weren't enough. Only Jesus' blood is a better sacrfice for the forgiveness of our sins.
How many covenants have you made in your life? You might think, "not many" but guess again. However the New Covenant is the best one, find out why through this passage.
A look at who Melchizedek is and why the author of Hebrews keeps mentioning him.
What holds you together during the tough time of your life? Hope is an anchor for our soul, only ours, as believers, doesn't extend down into the sea, but up into heaven above.
The high priest of Israel was one who was given the honor and duty to make atonement for the sins of the people, and thus make peace between men and God. We now have a great high priest, Jesus, the Son of God, who has made this peace a permanent reality, so we are encouraged all the more to come to God, especially in our times of need.
We need rest. We live busy lives and are rushing constantly. God designed us to need rest and his rest is the greatest rest.
In a marathon race of faith, what we need most is a daily dose of encouragement to strengthen one another to continue to fight the good fight in spite of all the obstacles that clutter our path. Through this passage the author of Hebrews encourages us to fix our thoughts on Jesus the centerpiece of our faith. May God bless you with victory on your spiritual journey.
Our salvation is better than anything we can imagine. It's not just an ordinary salvation, but it is much more than that. It is so great a salvation, because we have so great a Savior.
This is the beginning to our study on the book of Hebrews. In this passage, we see that Jesus, the Son, is greater than angels, because he is worthy of all glory, honor and praise.
As we come to the last section in our study of Matthew, let's take a look at how Jesus wants to build his kingdom.
We hear a lot about fake news these days, which seeks to mislead. People need the truth. Here is a truth that will transform you, and it is good news: He has risen from the dead.
Death is a universal part of life. We all die, but each of our deaths have litte impact on the world. However, Jesus' death is a death like no other. It changed the world.
In our life we encounter many different types of leaders, with many different characters, some good some bad, but in this chapter we take a look at the character of the King of God's kingdom, our Lord Jesus Christ.
Jesus stands trial before Pilate. Though he is innocent he suffers as if he is a sinner, and is condemned. He did this for us to pay the debt we deserve for our sins, that in Him we can be set free from our bondage to sin.
This is our tenth anniversary message. Through the years we have seem people who have been redeemed by the blood of Jesus and it is our prayer that we may remember and hold on to the fact that we are redeemed and it is our purpose to show others that they are redeemed too.
Happy New Year! In this new year, let us worship God acceptably with reverence and awe.
Sometimes Christmas can seem hectic, busy or even gloomy, but we know it should be a time of peace, comfort and joy. See how we are given true consolation by the birth of our Savior.
Why is Christmas so important? It is important because Jesus’ birth marks the beginning of the restoration of all things, and that is the reason why we celebrate so much and there is so much joy.
God gives us hope, peace and joy with the promise of Christ, the coming king who will govern with perfect justice and righteousness for all people in all nations.
As the Advent season begins, let us prepare our hearts to meet the Christ.
This is the thanksgiving message given by Pastor Mack White on November 20, 2016 over Philippians 4:4-9 at IIT UBF. Included is an introduction my Joshua Hong.
During the trial of Jesus in the final hours of his life, his top disciple Peter denies him. Once he is condemned, Judas, the disciple who betrayed him, hangs himself. Both of these men followed Jesus throughout his ministry, learned from him, witnessed miracles by him, and were among a specially chosen and trusted group of twelve. Ultimately, one was redeemed and the other doomed. In today's passage we see the two somber events side by side, so we can compare and learn what the differences were between Peter and Judas.
Jesus is arrested and put on trial before the religious leaders. It looks like a dark time for Jesus, but he is not a victim. Jesus is in complete control.
When God created mankind he gave us free will. How we use our will is important. In this passage Jesus used his will to follow God and save mankind from condemnation..
The day of Jesus' death is drawing near as the Passover approaches. So, Jesus has one last Passover with his disciples. It may be the last Passover but it is also the first communion
Every day, without thinking, we evaluate what things are worth to us. Through this passage we think about what Jesus is worth. To some he was worth everything, to others he was worth nothing, what is Jesus worth to you?
As Jesus concludes his teaching about his Second Coming, he gives a prophecy about what will happen when he comes again. People from every nation will be gathered before him, and he will separate the righteous from the wicked. It will be revealed that the righteous are those who have persisted in truly loving one another. True love comes first from God, who covers our sins through the sacrifice of his one and only Son Jesus Christ.
In our third week about standing frim in our faith. We examine what it means to stand firm in faithfulness.
In this passage Jesus reveals wisdom. When Jesus first came into the world, the world wasn't ready even though we were given many hints about it. Jesus, with a broken heart for his people, pleads with them to keep watch and be prepared for when he comes again because when he does there won't be another chance.
What will it be like at the end of the world? Jesus will come again to restore the kingdom of God, will you be ready? Jesus prepares his disciples for this. They expected him soon, but he prepared them for a delay. He will come again, at any time, at a time no one will expect. Why the delay? His patience means salvation for you, so you may have a chance to believe and be saved. By standing firm in faith in Christ, you will be able to survive the coming judgment on the world when he comes again.
Hypocrisy is simply defined as not practicing what you preach. In this passage, Jesus warns the crowd about he hypocrisy of the Pharisees and teachers of the law and shows them how dangerous hypocrisy is.
In this passage, the Jewish religious leaders keep focusing on the wrong things, Jesus keeps trying to get them back on the right track.
Our Lord and God Jesus Christ will come to bring his people to himself, and there will be a celebration like a great wedding feast on that day. Many are invited, but only a few are chosen, because many have rejected the invitation. But all those found to be dressed in the righteous robes of Christ will be chosen for the feast. The invitation has been sent out, the preparations have been made. Come to the wedding banquet through Christ!
God is all around us. His hand is in everything. How should we respond? The religious leaders of Jesus' time responded to what he was doing with scorn and contempt. However, Jesus showed them a different way.
In the beginning, at creation, God made man to be fruitful, to increase, fill the earth and subdue it, but what happens when we are not fruitful? In this passage Jesus shows what happens to those who do not bear the fruit God desires.
We are entering in to the last week of Jesus' life. As he makes his way through Jericho, he opens the eyes of two blind men so that they may see. The next day, he makes his triumphal entry to Jerusalem, publicly declaring that he is the Messiah, the King chosen by God. The King has come. May God open your eyes so that you too may see, that your king comes to you. What marvelous grace - your king comes to you!
What is a true leader? Is it one who can bark out orders and stand above others? Jesus says that the best leaders, the true leaders, are the ones who serve.
In this passage there is a lot of talk about workers and wages but in reality it's all about God's grace.
Jesus teaches that the kingdom of God belongs to those humble and innocent as children. Shortly after, a rich young man comes to ask Jesus, "Teacher, what good thing must I do to get eternal life?" There is a problem with that. Jesus corrects the misunderstanding. With man, obtaining salvation is impossible, but with God, all things are possible. By repentance and faith in Jesus, eternal life is given to us, not earned. The gift of eternal life is an inheritance, our possession, which will never perish, spoil or fade.
As we know, these days there is a strong debate going on about the definition of marriage. But did you know that it wasn’t much different back in Jesus’ time? Although they argued different points, they still seemed to be somewhat divided on the topic. Listen to what Jesus had to say about marriage and divorce.
Have you ever been wronged by someone? What was your response? Anger? Silence? Venting? Jesus teaches us that we should be gracious to those who sin against us and be willing to forgive them each and every time. After all, God forgave us even greater sins.
The disciples argued among themselves who would be the greatest. They fought over the highest position. Jesus showed them that they cannot even enter the kingdom, unless they take the lowly position of a child. A child is humble, dependent and disinterested in rank. To these little ones, God gives grace, he guards them jealously, and will not allow any, not even one, to perish.
Faith is a tricky thing. No matter how much you have, you inevitably realize that you need even more. Jesus show his disciples that their faith needs to go deeper.
After Peter's confession that Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of the living God, Jesus began to teach his disciples about his upcoming suffering, death and resurrection. They were having a really difficult time to understand and accept this. In order to prepare them for the future, he takes a few of his disciples, and transfigures before them - showing his glory as the Son of God who came to die for the sins of the world.
Is women's intuition real, or just a myth? Do women have some sort of "psychic" ability or discernment? Do you usually trust your instincts and go with your gut feeling or do you second guess yourself? In this passage Peter give Jesus two responses. For one of them he is blessed and the other he is rebuked. What happened? Why the difference? Was he following his gut feeling or not? Or was it because he lacks a woman’s intuition? Take a look and see.
God give us so many things. He provides for all our needs, but people have a tendency to take what God has given and twist it for our own purposes. God provides but people pervert.
I believe that everyone has great faith. The only question we have to ask is, in what? When you sit down in a chair, I'm willing to bet that you worry about falling. You don’t even think about it because there is no doubt in your mind. But when it comes to Jesus, do you have the same level of faith? In this passage, we find someone who has exactly that level of faith in Jesus. Is it one of the disciples, or a Jew, or maybe someone that has seen one of Jesus’ miracles? Nope. In fact, this believer comes from a pretty unlikely place. Take a look and find out.
Jesus confronts the Pharisees over their traditions, which were designed to make one ceremonially clean. He exposed their hypocrisy by pointing out how they had used their traditions to overturn the Law of God, but he also exposed a deeper problem with all humanity: an unclean heart. For out of the heart come wicked thoughts. But this is why Jesus came: to cleanse us and give us new hearts. As the hymn goes, What can wash away our sin? Nothing but the blood of Jesus!
Jesus' disciples thought that they knew who he was. They had been with him for over a year and seen him do amazing things, but they did not realize who he was until they saw that Jesus is the Son of God.
It's not easy to understand persecution when it comes to you. But seeing it from God's point of view helps. It this passage we gain a little insight that may help you next time it comes your way. Jesus saw that the real reason for persecution was because of sin. And instead of trying to fight those who were persecuting him, he had compassion on them.
Have you ever wondered what the kingdom of heaven is like? In this passage, Jesus continues to speak in parables, but these next 6 parables are all on one subject: the kingdom of heaven.
A parable is a simple story but it holds a profound truth. In today’s passage, Jesus starts to speak to the crowd in parables. He tells the people stories, and why he does so is the subject of his first parable.
These days in our nation there seems to be a clash of cultures. Many think it’s about the election but I believe that it’s more than that, I believe that we’re seeing what happens when kingdoms collide. All of us must stand on one side or the other there is no middle ground and depending on which side you’re on, the consequences are serious.
Easter is a time we celebrate the resurrection of Jesus. In this final chapter in Luke, he repeats this idea three times: that as it is written, the Messiah must suffer, and on the third day rise again. This is none other than the gospel! It is not easy to believe, as we were not there, but Luke writes these things so that we may believe. Jesus' resurrection is as real as Independence Day is on July 4th. When you believe, and understand why Jesus had to suffer, die, and rise again, it will fill you with joy. Then you can say triumphantly, "He has risen!"
This is the closing message from the 2016 Easter retreat Forever.
This is Sunday morning's message from our 2016 Easter retreat, Forever
This is Saturday morning's message from the 2016 Easter retreat, Forever.
This is Friday night's message from the 2016 Easter Retreat Forever.
We live in a world that is moving at an ever rapid pace. Through all the busyness, we become weary and filled with stress, but Jesus calls to all who are weary and burdened and he will give them rest.
Is it wrong to doubt God? Does God condemn those who doubt him? What do we do when we have these doubts about God? Hopefully, this passage will help you to know what to do when you experience doubts.
In this passage, Jesus gives his disciples a mission: to proclaim that the kingdom of heaven has come near and to heal all kinds of diseases. We, too, have a mission from Jesus that we must choose to answer the call to.
There is only one faith that can truly heal and give life, and that is faith in Jesus Christ. That is because only Jesus died for our sins. Jesus shows us that faith comes from him, as he raises a dead girl to life. He also shows us his power to heal, when we believe in him. Do you believe Jesus has died for your sins and can raise you up again from death? Say, "Yes, Lord," and according to your faith let it be done to you!
They say that absolute power corrupts absolutely. All we have to do is take a look at the historical record of leaders with absolute power to see if this is true. Unfortunately more often than not this is the case. But what if there was a leader that never used his authority for selfish gain or evil purposes, would you be willing to follow such a leader? In this passage such a leader is revealed, check it out.
When Jesus rebuked a violent storm at sea, the wind and waves instantly calmed down. His disciples who witnessed this were amazed, and asked, "What kind of man is this? Even the winds and waves obey him!" No one in history has ever displayed this power before. This shows us that Jesus is fully God and fully man. He needed to be in order to be a proper sacrifice for the sins of mankind. Who is Jesus? Our God and Savior.
We have all been sick, injured, in emotional distress, weary, depressed and what we really need is healing. In this passage, we find Jesus healing a lot of different people a lot of different ways. He heals from near; he heals from far; he heals a few; and he heals many. Jesus heals because he goes to the root of the malady.
Every Christian from the moment we accept Christ, we start our journey to reach the kingdom of God. How do we figure out how to get there? How do we avoid the pitfalls along the way? Who can we trust? I believe this passage answers those questions and more as it helps prepare us for our journey.
You may have heard variations of the golden rule, Jesus' version states it this way, "So in everything, do to others what you would have them do to you, for this sums up the Law and the Prophets." To say it another way, we must love one another. That's what the Law boils down to. So how can we? By believing in God's grace to us, the expression of his love in the gift of Jesus Christ. Through Christ we may ask for and receive power to obey this command to love one another.
What are you seeking out of life? No matter what we seek, if what we seek is in this world, it will not last. Instead treasures in heaven last forever and the greatest treasure is God himself.
Our spiritual life is more of a marathon than a sprint. With such a long race there is a real danger that we can lose our momentum and lose the battle. How do we protect ourselves so that we don’t lose that momentum and complete our race of faith? I believe that confidence is key. My hope and prayer is that each of us may learn through this passage to encourage one another with our confident in God and finish what we’ve started.
As Christmas draws near, please remember that God loves you and he has raised up a horn of salvation, as a mighty Savior, just for you. Jesus wants to be your rising sun, so that he can light your path and guide you to peace. Merry Christmas!
Rejoice! Because God has taken away our punishment by sending his Son, Jesus Christ, to die for our sins. Rejoice! Because God has cleared away our enemies, sin and death. Rejoice! Because God is with you. In Christ, he has become your God, and you are his people, and he will come again to take you home to heaven. Rejoice in God, because God rejoices over you who come to him through his Son.
We prepare for Christmas in a lot of ways, from putting up the tree to making Christmas cookies. But how about preparing ourselves? Our own hearts and souls need to be prepared for the coming of Jesus and it is a lot like making Christmas cookies.
The Lord Jesus Christ, the righteous Branch of the line of David, first came to die on the cross, shedding his blood to redeem those who would believe in him from the bondage of death. He is the Son of Man given all authority on earth, and will return in judgment - to cast out and destroy all wickedness and save his people to establish an everlasting kingdom of peace. Will you be able to stand before the Son of Man when he comes again? Jesus tells his people to watch and pray.
Why do you do the things you do? What’s your motive behind them? What is your inspiration? Who do you want to be like? Michael Jordan may have inspired people to want to be great at basketball, through this passage Jesus inspired us to want to be perfect just like our heavenly Father. Jesus challenges us to think about our motivation for the things we do.
Keeping the law is hard. There are so many pieces to keep in mind, and quite honestly we fail at keeping the law multiple times a day. Many people think that the purpose of the law is to tell us how to be righteous, but that is not the case. The goal of the law is to point people to Jesus and show us how much we need to be saved.
The great subject of the Sermon on the Mount is the Kingdom of God. Jesus introduces the kingdom beginning with the words "Blessed are..." This tells you about the people of the kingdom of heaven: they are blessed - happy, favored, fortunate. Jesus also teaches that the people are salt and light, a preserving influence on life, while offering up their lives to bless others. The people are blessed to be a blessing, to shine the light so that others may see their good deeds and praise their Father in heaven. This tells you about the purpose of the kingdom: to glorify God.
What kind of leader do you want to follow? Looking at past and current political leaders, we can see how they fall short. Sadly, some were good but not many, most were unworthy leaders. However, this passage shows what a good leader is like. Jesus is worthy. He is the great light. He comes to save his people who are living in the shadow of death. He has authority to heal sickness and power over death. He doesn’t use his power to rule over people and serve himself. Instead he is compassionate with a shepherd for suffering people and ultimately he used his power to give his life to save us from destruction.
After being baptized and revealed as the Son of God, and before he began his public ministry, Jesus was led to the wilderness by the Holy Spirit to be tempted by the devil. This was a trial to prove Jesus' faithfulness to God and a part of many temptations to perfect and prove him to be the sinless spotless sacrifice for our sins. Through these trials and sufferings Jesus would also become our faithful high priest, who understands and can help us, and our king who triumphed over our great adversary.
Many times, we like to think that the world revolves around us, but in actuality it doesn't. John the Baptist was a man who recognized that his life was to prepare the way for the coming of the Lord.
We like to control the things around us, but in reality, we don’t have that much control.Now while we don’t have control God does. God is clearly in control of history. The events in this passage may look like they are random but they’re not, thankfully God is in control.
Matthew records how the birth of Jesus came about: he was born to a virgin named Mary who was engaged to a man named Joseph. Jesus was not conceived in the regular way, but came down from heaven and took on flesh in Mary's womb. Jesus is God who came down to be with us, because we could not go up to be with him. He came sinless, to give himself for us to die for us as an atoning sacrifice for our sins, so that we may be reconciled to God and be with him forever.
Israel was waiting centuries for the coming of the Messiah and Matthew shows that Jesus is the Messiah by giving his lineage going all the way back to Abraham.
In our media driven society people are consumed with TV and the popular shows. One of the things that draws a lot of attention is how a series ends. As soon as the series finale airs, the next day the internet is filled with reviews and people commenting good and bad. In this passage we see another finale. The end of Israel's grand experiment of a human led kingdom comes to an end. Everything that David and Solomon built gets wiped out.
The kingdom of Judah is about to collapse under the weight of her own sin. Judgment was inevitable. But before the terrible end there is a temporary period of peace and relief. Josiah reigned during this time, and he, like Hezekiah, was one of the greatest kings of Judah. He was commended for his obedience to God's law, and brought about great reforms in Judah. In Josiah we catch a glimpse of an even greater king to come: Jesus Christ our Savior, in whom is found the remission (forgiveness) of our sins.
King Manasseh turned his back on God and began to worship every idol under the sun. When he turned his back on God, God turned his back on him and the nation became like hell on earth.
No one knows how much time they have left in their lives. From this passage we learn that we need to ask ourselves, is our house in order? Are you ready if the Lord calls you home today? When we hear God’s word how will we respond to his calling?
Hezekiah was one of the greatest kings to rule over Judah. There is a tunnel in Jerusalem he commissioned that still exists today. He was commended for his faith in God, and was the first of the kings of Judah to remove the notorious high places. Assyria threatened to wipe our Jerusalem, bringing 185,000 soldiers, but Hezekiah prayed for deliverance, for this praiseworthy reason: that all kingdoms of earth may know that the Lord alone is God. God our Savior is the only God, and we come to him through Christ alone.
God bore with the sins of the northern kingdom for over two hundred years and this passage marks the end of Samaria. The Lord removed his hand of protection from Israel and the Assyrians conquered the land and deported the people.
For better or worse, things change over time. Usually not quickly, but gradually step by step until the end result is no longer like the original. But is this healthy for us spiritually? Check out this passage to find out.
Jeroboam II king of Israel was the great grandson of Jehu, who purged Israel of Baal worship. During his reign, the people were being heavily oppressed by Hazael king of Aram, and smaller nations were raiding their cities. Israel was wasting away, the people were miserable, but the Lord saw and saved his people. Our sins cause us to waste away, and provokes the Lord to blot our names out of the book of life. But Christ saves us, he blots out our sins so that our names will be permanently written in the book of life.
This is the Saturday morning sermon from the UBF Midwest/Missouri Valley Regional Summer Bible Conference.
The evidence is all over the Bible, the Lord is so gracious and compassionate toward his people when we seek him, but we waiver back and forth following the Lord only to disobey him. The only thing I can say is thank God for his grace and compassion.
Queen Athaliah nearly extinguishes the line of David. Out of the ashes rises Joash, a descendant of David, crowned king at the age of 7. When he comes of age, he issues a proclamation to come and restore the Temple, which was in a state of disrepair. Sadly, in a time of testing, he empties the treasures collected in the Temple. Our bodies are a temple of God. Our human efforts cannot restore it, but the King has called all to come to Christ, who can rebuild and restore these temples of God.
In this passage a little known person comes to the forefront of the story, her name is Athaliah. She is a holy terror and almost eliminates all of King David's decendants. See how God amazingly keeps his promise to his servant David.
Everything has a price. Some prices are reasonable, while others seem excessive. The northern kingdom of Israel has been under the influence of sin for some time and the Lord anoints Jehu to eradicate Baal worship from the kingdom. Jehu's methods seem excessive, but are they even enough to solve the problem of sin?
Elisha prophesies about all the evil Hazael would do to Israel. Judgment has come upon Israel for their idolatry, and soon the king's family would be cut off. Baal worship has now also crept into Judah - it was approved by their king and queen; Athaliah was like the Jezebel of Judah. The Lord would have had to cut them off as well, but nevertheless, for the sake of David, God did not destroy Judah. Instead he maintained a lamp for David, as he promised, allowing a succession of sons, and through them came the Savior Jesus Christ, the light of the world.
When we sinned and abandoned God, he could have easily gotten rid of us and started over. After all he is the creator right? But he didn’t he restores our failures. We can take solace in the fact that God wants to restore us.But what does restoration look like? Through this passage we get a glimplse.
Have you ever felt alone? Times can be tough and feelings of being alone are very common. It is easy to think that the Lord has abandoned us in this world, but the fact of the matter is that God has not abandoned us. Jesus is always there. He redeemed us. He delivered us. He provides for us in ways we don’t realize. We are not alone.
The Lord has great power over the heavens and the earth, yet shows great compassion to every single person. The Lord blinds an Aramean army, and they are deceived and led to Samaria. Their eyes are opened, and they see they are in the heart of enemy territory, their lives in danger. Elisha asks that mercy be shown to them, and they are fed. May the Lord open our eyes to see our sin, and then open our eyes to the mercy he has shown us in Jesus Christ.
Have you ever wondered, even for a moment, if there is a God? A lot of the world just denies his existence. In today’s passage, Naaman does not believe in God, but he took a chance and trusted. In the end, he saw that there is only one true God.
Talk is cheap and people don’t really care so deeply about keeping their promise. However in this passage we find that unlike people, God is trustworthy and he keeps his word and by this we can trust him a little more.
In this passage Elisha helped 2 women from different walks of life. He asked, "How can I help you?" One received unlimited oil to pay her debts and free her sons from slavery, another received a son she wasn't able to have before. God helps those in need. Under sin, the world was under great bondage and oppression. God sent us help, and Christ came to rescue us. Jesus freed us from sin, that we may live to love and serve him.
Have you ever been in a situation where you were beating your head against the wall trying to figure out how to get a task done and then someone comes along and says, "Oh that's easy, let me help you with that." and within minutes your done and you wonder to yourself, why didn't I ask them sooner? This passage has a lot in common with that scenario except that it involves three kings, a prophet and the word of God.
From the time of Adam until now, God has been ensuring that his kingdom has been continuously moving forward. In this passage, Elijah's time was over and Elisha takes up the mantle of Elijah's ministry.
Second Kings opens with the story of King Ahaziah, Ahab's son and successor to Israel's throne. When he is critically injured, he immediately sends messengers to inquire of the Philistine god Baal-Zebub. God intercepts them through Elijah and asks the king, "Is it because there is no God in Israel?" Do you believe there is a God in Israel? The God in Israel is the only God, and he has a message to all the world: there is mercy and salvation through faith in his Son, Jesus Christ.
What if there wasn't any resurrection for us? What kind of body will we have once we have been resurrected? How does knowing that we will be resurrected impact how we live our life now? These are some of the questions Paul answers in this wonderful passage that celebrates Easter.
The Sunday morning message from Wounded.
The Saturday evening message from Wounded.
The Saturday morning message from Wounded.
The Friday evening message from Wounded.
In this last passage in 1 Kings, the time of judgment has come for Ahab. A deceiving spirit moved 400 false prophets to tell Ahab to go to war. The one true prophet of God told Ahab the truth, but he put him in prison. Rejecting but cautious, Ahab tried to outsmart God by disguising himself in battle, but a random arrow found and mortally wounded him. Our sins will one day find us out, but Jesus Christ takes the hit of the arrow for us, so that we may live.
Have you ever wondered what makes God happy? Through this passage we explore God's joy. A surprising focal point for this passage to be sure. May God bless you through it.
The narrative shifts to King Ahab and he is surrounded by Ben-Hadad and the Arameans. At the right time God comes in and gives victory to Ahab despite being vastly outnumbered. Why does the Lord do this? It is because of his infinite mercy.
Elijah, restored and encouraged by God, obeyed His word and set out to anoint Elisha as his successor. He found Elisha hard at work on his family estate, and he threw his cloak around him, signifying the call. Elisha responded, and left all to follow and serve Elijah. God also calls us through his gospel to belong to Jesus Christ, and to be his holy people, to follow Christ, no longer serving the world or ourselves, but giving our whole lives to serve Christ.
How do you respond when you've given your best only to be let down in the end? Take a look at how Elijah handles it.
Elijah finally confronts Ahab. He calls for a meeting on Mount Carmel, where it will be decided who is God: the Lord or Baal. The epic battle begins.
After almost three years, God tells Elijah to go meet Ahab, for he is about to end the drought. Before that happens though, he meets Obadiah. Obadiah was a devout believer, who worshiped the Lord, and he saved 100 of the Lord's prophets. God is ruler over life and death, so he is to be feared. He sent his Son to defeat death for us, so our fear of God deepens to include worship, praise, reverence, love and obedience.
What in our time can you count on to be true? Pictures can be photo-shopped, people lie, however there is one thing that we can count on to be true. Take a look at what it is in this passage.
The northern kingdom, the kingdom of Israel, underwent four dynastic changes in under fifty years. There was blood and tears, and sin seemed to increase with each new king. It looked like the kingdom was under a generational curse. We all have generational curses that we are apart of. They can cripple and imprison us, but there is a solution: Jesus.
The southern kingdom, the kingdom of Judah was ruled successively by King David's sons. Rehoboam led Judah into idolatry, but for David's sake God did not destroy the house of David. In a great display of grace, patience and mercy, God kept his promise to David and established his house forever, through Jesus Christ. King David was a sinner, and so were his children, but his faith and wholehearted devotion to God was blessed. Our sins are forgiven through faith in Christ. God alone saves through Christ, and grants eternal life to all who believe in him.
Have you ever lost your joy? Do you want to know the secret of getting it back? Then, this passage is just what you've been looking for. May God restore the joy of your salvation.
We believe that Jesus is coming and we really need to make sure that we are ready for it. But have you ever thought of why we should care about Jesus coming? Have you ever thought about why we should get ready? Well, in short, Jesus’ coming is good news. Both of his comings are good news: his first coming and his second coming.
Are you looking forward to Christmas? I don't mean the gifts, although we like those. I'm talking about celebrating the birth of Jesus our Savior. Do you anticipate one day entering heaven and wondering what it will be like, as Christians we should. In this passage we anticipate the second advent.
At the end of the world the heavens will open and every eye will see the Son of Man coming on the clouds with great power and glory. He became a man to die for your sins, he rose from the dead and ascended to heaven, given all authority to judge. The good news must first be preached to all nations. Then the Son of Man will come again. If you believe in Him, then that day you will see your Savior, the judge who gave his life for you, coming to your rescue. If you did not believe, then that day you will see the judge, who died for you, but whom you have rejected.
Our 2014 Thankgiving message from Jimmy. Happy Thanksgiving!
We trust so many things in our lives, but we should be trusting God. Jeroboam didn't trust God's promise to him and his actions, in his distrust, led to what he feared most happening.
Rehoboam is the new king over all Israel, but he doesn't listen to the people and he faces the consequences: much of the kingdom is stripped from his hands.
King Solomon was abundantly blessed by God, but over time his heart was led astray by his hundreds of wives, and he began to follow their gods too. An idolatrous heart is like a cheating heart, and God in his anger would tear the kingdom away from Solomon. Yet out of his mercy he allowed Solomon to rule over 1 tribe, that one day a Savior king would come. God is angry with the wicked every day, but he sent his one and only Son Jesus Christ to save us from our sins and bring us into his eternal kingdom.
Through Solomon’s kingdom, we’re going to catch a glimpse of what God’s heavenly kingdom is like.
We don’t have to do many great things to come to God. God doesn’t want for us to follow a set of rules to come to him. He wants our hearts first and our obedience will come from that. Solomon dedicates the temple and recognizes the same thing.
King Solomon builds the temple for the Lord.
King Solomon intends to build a temple for the name of the Lord. Temples were built to honor and worship gods, but this temple would be the greatest ever, because there is no other god greater than the God of Israel. As magnificent as it was, this was only temporary, and a preview of the true temple and builder of God's eternal temple: our king, the Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.
To live under a wise leader is like smelling the fresh air and the warmth of the sun on a beautiful afternoon. On the other hand living under a foolish leader is like being stuck in traffic with car exhaust filling our lungs. Through the passage not only do we see God’s wisdom, but we see his wonderful grace and provision.
This is our first sermon from our series Kingdom. God is a promise keeper. Whatever he promises happens. He promised David that he would have a descendant on his throne forever and Solomon was that first step.
This is our final sermon from our study on the book of Acts.
Paul and the passengers were shipwrecked on the island of Malta. The islanders showed unusual kindness to everyone by building a fire and welcoming them. God had also shown unusual kindness, healing everyone who was sick on the island, and resupplying Paul and his ship with everything they needed. God shows unusual kindness to us by giving his one and only Son to save us, while we were sinners. In return, let's show unusual kindness toward others, especially to our brothers and sisters in Christ.
In life there will be problems.But what happens when your problems seem too big and you run out of hope? Take a look at this week's passage when Paul experiences real hopeless and despair.
No matter how great or small a person may be; we all have a story to tell. It is a story that has meaning and purpose. It is a story that is not just about you. It’s God’s story, too. The day that Jesus died for you forever intertwined your story with God’s like a beautiful song.
If you have ever worked on a project and completed it , then you'll know that's it's very satisfying to see it finished. But have you ever been in the middle of a project and wondered if it was ever going to get completed? In a previous chapter Jesus visited Paul when he was fearing for his life. God told him don't worry, I have plans for you to go to Rome. But now, Paul was in prison and the Jews were trying to take his life at ever turn. How was God going to carry out his plan for Paul's life? Find out in this message.
Over 40 men took an oath not to eat or drink until they had killed Paul, but God had other plans. In an amazing act of providence, God had overruled their plans and protected Paul with a detachment of 470 troops. The works of God's providence are his most holy, wise and powerful preserving and governing of all his creatures and their actions. God could use even non-believers and Gentiles to accomplish his will to proclaim the message of his great grace and salvation through Jesus Christ.
In this passage, you'll see three precious gifts that God gave Paul when he was in one of the most difficult times of his life. In truth, all of us need these gifts as well. We can't live without them. The good news is that our heavenly Father is has already given them to us. Now all we have to is grab a hold of them.Take a look and find out what they are.
We like to identify ourselves by what is around us or what we do, but those things will fail. On the other hand, when your identity is found in Jesus, you are firm because God is unchanging. Paul's identity was in Jesus and he remained firm even under duress.
From this point on, we see Paul bound for Christ throughout the rest of Acts. This would be part of God's will to spread the message of the good news to the Jews and their leaders in Jerusalem, then to the Gentile rulers and governers, and ultimately to Rome and to Caesar, the most powerful man in the world. This way the message of Christ would be broadcast to the whole world: salvation has come.
When facing a difficult decision, how can we tell the difference between what’s God’s will or just an emotional plea from a loved one? This is maybe one of the hardest difficulties we'll face. Sure people are ready to give you their advice, but it may or may not be God’s will for you. So how can we tell if it’s God’s will or not? Find out through this passage.
Paul's third missionary journey was coming to a close. Paul gave everything that he had to complete the task that Jesus gave him. Before it ends, Paul gives some final advice to the elders of the Ephesian church.
What do you think of when you hear the word, encourage? Who has been an encouragement to you in your life? In this passage, Paul demonstrates how he imparted courage to the early church and how we can be an encouragement to those around us. I pray that we may be mutually encouraged through this passage.
The church was starting to make a big impact in the city of Ephesus, but just then there arose a great disturbance about the Christians. A great mob formed and rioting and chaos ensued. We lose self control because we are under the power of sin and Satan. Only God can quiet the disturbance. The world may try to overthrow God, but God overrules the world. In Christ disturbances may come, but in Christ sin is overcome.
There is no name under heaven that is more powerful than the name of Jesus. This passage gives the evidence. Take a look.
We are always being an influence to the people around us, whether positive or negative. Being a positive influence, or a blessing, can have a lasting impact on others. Paul was so much of a blessing and encouragement to Priscilla and Aquila that it was passed down to Apollos who then passed it down to the people of Achaia.
What do you do when you stand alone, if you believe in Christ, you don't have to worry because God's got your back.
Paul delivers his famous sermon in Athens, to some of the most intellectual, learned people in all the empire. Despite their wisdom, they were ignorant of the most important knowledge - the knowledge of the one true God. When He sent his Son, Jesus Christ, the guilt of the world was exposed, as the Redeemer was slain and risen again. Now God commands all people everywhere to repent, you and me, and believe in the Lord Jesus Christ. It is a gracious command that leads to life.
Pride and jealousy destroy, on the other hand humility builds up and allows us to see Jesus for who he really is, the Messiah.
Paul and Silas end up in jail because they healed a demon-possessed girl, but it is all a part of God's plan to bring a jailer and his family into the church and give them salvation.
All of us have our own plans. We make them thinking that we know what is best, but we can’t see the big picture. Only God can. He is the Almighty Creator of heaven and earth and he doesn't do things without a reason. If he closes a door on our plans it’s because it wasn't right for us at the time. Through this passage God gives us an example of this in action.
Faith is the most important aspect in a Christian's life. Without faith it is impossible to please God. And not just any faith, but faith in the God and father of our Lord Jesus Christ is the only faith that counts. After the decisions at the Council, Paul set out to strengthen the believer's faith. Their faith was strengthened as fortified walls to stand firm, and from feeble legs to strong, so that they would mobilize for cause of Jesus Christ. May God strengthen your faith.
From our 2014 Easter Event: Uncommon. Jesus is uncommon and his death, his resurrection and thesalvation that he brings are also uncommon. Find out how truly unique and extraordinary our salvation through Jesus is.
We study Jesus every Easter. Why? Because Jesus is not just another religious figure; he is much more than that. Using four vignettes to explore this uncommon Jesus, we find out how he came to this earth to give mankind the most uncommon gift of all: true love.
How do you become saved? This is the question of salvation: are you saved by your own works, or not? Paul and Barnabas met with the apostles at the Jerusalem Council, the first meeting of its kind, to establish to answer to this question. The answer impacts all Christians, including you. The conclusion should not surprise you: it is not through works, but it is through the grace of our Lord Jesus that we are saved.
In this passage Paul proclaims the wonderful message of the Creator God, our heavenly father who is worthy of our worship. Sometimes we don't realize that we are stuck in idol worship, that we've lost control. When that happens, we need to stop and turn away from useless things, to the living God above.
We might think that the gospel is something complicated, but the gospel is simply the story of what God has done. It is the story of what God has done in the past, how he brought Jesus to us, how Jesus died on the cross and was raised from the dead. It is the story of what God continues to do now.
Now more than ever it is so important for every Christian be prepared for battle. We are involved in a spiritual war. In today’s passage we come across an intense battle. This is not a battle against flesh and blood, although that exists, this is a spiritual battle, an intense battle for a man’s soul.
The spread of the gospel was threatened when King Herod set his eyes on killing the leaders of the church for political gain. The kingdom of God cannot be stopped and in a display of power God freed Peter from prison and judged Herod, liberating the church from his persecution. God is the king of kings, full of grace. He will administer justice in due time, but shows mercy to those who come under the care of his beloved Son Jesus Christ.
God was working mightily in Antioch and it was all preparation for what was to come. God was developing the city to become the center of Christianity, especially as the church became more Gentile and less Jewish.
Everyone has favorites. We have our favorite friends, foods, movies, music, and sports teams. Favorites are not bad except when they begin to affect our relationships. I’ve seen how favoritism has caused problems in families, at work and sadly even in churches. However God does not show favoritism. In today’s passage we see how God opened Peter’s eyes on the subject of favoritism.
Peter healed Aeneas, a man who was paralyzed for eight years. All those who knew him and saw him turned to the Lord. A woman named Dorcas died of illness, but Peter, by the power of the Holy Spirit, raised her to life. When this became known all around the region, many people believed in the Lord. We are all bound and paralyzed by sin. We are dead in our sins - but Jesus Christ can heal us, and give us life. Turn to the Lord to receive healing and life.
Recorded in the ninth chapter of Acts is one of the most amazing transformations we will ever find in history. Right before our eyes we see a person go from breathing out murderous threats to defending the very thing he was out to destroy. How could that happen? It can only be described as a miracle performed by the grace of God.
We all have parts of our lives that we regret. We’ve made choices that we regret or are dealing with something in our lives that we wished didn’t happen. We are a broken society in need of hope, especially when it looks like no hope can be found. Although the eunuch looked to be in an envious position with his wealth and power, he too lacked hope until he found it in Jesus. The story of Jesus is one of hope that can change us dramatically like the eunuch.
Let's face it, no one likes to be told to repent. But if we really knew what repentance was, we would have a completely different view of it. Repentance brings life, joy and restoration to our heart.
A great persecution broke out against the church after the stoning of Stephen. The gospel began to spread out to Judea and Samaria, as Jesus had said. Persecution attempted to destroy the church, but instead made it grow even more. The truth cannot be hidden, and good news cannot be silenced. This is what they preached: Jesus Christ is the Son of God who was crucified for our sins - the Savior, the Messiah, the Restorer has come. Philip brought this news to a city in Samaria, and there was great joy in that place. We preach the good news when we believe it to be true.
By now, you've probably broken your new year's resolution, but God has kept his promise for generation after generation after generation. Today's message reminds us of God's faithfulness.
In his mercy, God chooses us. In his grace, God grows us. He gives us opportunity to become more though humble service, and with it, amazing results happen
I can't think of a better way to start the new year, than with loving God with all our heart, all our soul, all our mind and all our strength. Please join me in putting our faith into action by loving God in everything.
Jesus Christ came, suffered, and died on the cross for our sins. He rose from the dead and is now at the right hand of God. The work of redemption is complete, repent and believe the good news. Jesus, the King, the Son of God, is ready, and when he comes again he will judge the living and the dead. The world will see great signs. Believers, and only the redeemed of the Lord - when these things take place, stand, and lift your heads, for Christ will come and bring you to glory and perfection.
The angel foretold that a son would be born to Mary, he will be called Jesus, and he will be great. He did not have to earn greatness - he is great, because he is God. But his greatness was made evident to us all, when he came down from heaven to earth, born of a virgin, and taking on flesh - so that he could die for our sins and deliver us from darkness and even from death.
We must examine the motive behind all our actions. Hypocrisy and falseness are all over the place in the world, but they shouldn’t be in the church. If we can’t be honest in the church, then where can we be? Examine your heart before the Lord and repent of any wrong motives that you may have.
Persecution was beginning to heat up for the early church, but instead of giving in to fear, they came together and prayed. Their primary prayer wasn't for vengeance, or to even be spared from suffering. Instead they prayed to be enabled and strengthened to speak the word of God boldly. The Intl Day of Prayer in this month is a special time to pray for and remember the persecuted church. Through this passage, may we learn how to pray for them, and how to pray under persecution if it ever comes into our lives.
What do you do when you face confrontations because you believe in Jesus? when the pressure gets intense, don't worry, you can trust in Jesus. When the time is right the Holy Spirit will give you the words to say.
The Bible says that man was created in God’s image. When we sin, that image becomes dirty and broken. Peter speaks to a crowd about times of refreshing that will restore that image of God.
Even though Jesus isn’t with us physically any more, we have access to him through his name. There is no name like his, for there is power in the name of Jesus. In today’s passage Peter and John heal a crippled beggar in the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth.
The church is a people belonging to God. God has called his people out of the darkness, he has reconciled us to himself, and enables us to love one another through fellowship and forgiveness. The practices of God's people are a devotion to the apostle's teaching and to fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer.
God gave us his promise: “Everyone that calls upon the Lord will be saved,” all we have to do is repent and be baptized. Won't you take him up on his offer?
The Day of Pentecost is the birthday of the church. It is the day Jesus fulfilled his promise and sent the Holy Spirit in a display of great power. The Spirit filled the disciples with power as they declared the wonders of God in many languages. The knowledge of God, of his salvation was revealed to the whole world. The Holy Spirit still works today, baptizing believers into the church.
Jesus was taken up to heaven right before the disciples' very eyes. Even though it felt like it, it was not the end. It was the beginning as the disciples started to mature and become apostles. And we see how God uses them to start the early Christian church that would eventually change the world.
Acts begins where the gospel of Luke left off. Jesus has risen from the dead. He has conquered sin and death: this is the good news the world must know. He ascended to heaven, and sends the Holy Spirit to give us power to become his witnesses.
This is the end of the book of Nehemiah. When Nehemiah returns from Persia, he finds that the Israelites have returned to their wicked ways. After he returns, Nehemiah seeks to bring his people back to God.
If we want to leave a mark, then we have to let God leave a mark on us. To impact the surrounding peoples, you need to be impacted yourself. When you are impacted, God works through you, and he does things that defy all logic.
We need real repentance as we live before God. We need to come to God in prayer so that our eyes can be opened to see how loving and patient God has been toward us and how sinful we have been toward him.
The wall was completed with the help of God. With thankfulness, the Israelites worshipped reverently at the reading of his Law. Soon they were convicted of their sins and wept. Finally they understood his words, and rejoiced as never before. The word of God revived them, gave them strength to obey his commands, and renewed their love for God and for each other.
When we make a decision to follow Jesus, we’re going to run into opposition. We shouldn't let Satan distract us from what is important and bog us down with unimportant things. We should stick to the work that God has called us to do.
In this passage, the focus switches from rebuilding the wall and external opposition to handling internal affairs, effectually rebuilding the people of God. In order to rebuild the people, an effective cornerstone must be laid.
People from all parts of life put all their heart to the rebuilding of the walls of Jerusalem. They were God's people, and God gave them strength. The opposition came to hinder the work, but Nehemiah prayed, and exhorted the people, Remember the Lord! Fight for your people and your family. The people took up arms, and continued to build. God frustrated the enemy's plans. Let us work with all our heart to build God's kingdom, his church, and let us fight against the devil's schemes. Remember the Lord, he will fight for us, and he will give us success in these things.
Sometimes we don’t have a clue about what we want. We need focus, we need to know what our purpose is. And for this we need to pray and ask God what does he want us to do? I believe that God has put us here where we are for a purpose.
This is the start of the book of Nehmiah. Jerusalem fell about 141 years before the events of this passage and the people were exiled. Some exiles returned and had been living in the land for 93 year, but their condition was no better than when Jerusalem fell. Even though he had never been there, Nehemiah had a broken heart for the people in Judah and Jerusalem. He had God's heart.
Our ministry is like our family, our family in Christ. We are part of the body of Christ, we need to love and help each other. Just as we cannot survive without breathing, we cannot survive without prayer.
The Lord is the provider of all things. He is the one we should trust. To put trust in ourselves and to fail to depend on God is rebellion against him. Those who rebel will persecute those who trust. But the one who trusts God waits patiently, does not retaliate, but endures. Despite the evil around him, he does good. And when Jesus comes again, he will deliver those who trust him into eternal life in heaven, but send those who rebel into eternal punishment.
CDC reported that the 2011 divorce rate was 53% which was up 4% from the last decade. With divorce rates so high, is there any hope for relationships to last? That is why we need to draw near to God.
The wisdom of this world leads to envy and selfish ambition. The source of this wisdom is worldly, un-spiritual and of the devil. It leads to confusion, evil practice, and death. It is not true wisdom. The true wisdom is not of this world, it is from above. The source is from heaven, spiritual, and from God, and leads to peace, good works and life. It is first of all pure, and we receive it through being purified by Christ. Who is wise among you? Show it by good, humble deeds that come from wisdom.
Our tongue is one of the smallest parts of our bodies and yet it can be the most destructive part. How can we ever get a hold of it?
What does faith look like? How can we know whether or not we have faith? Faith is determined by how we act. A person affected by the grace of God will act differently than they did before. The proof of our faith is in our actions.
All of us have things we like, that are our favorites. We have our favorite song, or our favorite food, or whatever it is. I have my favorite sweat shirt and pants that I really like because they are so soft and warm and fit me so nicely that I wish that I could them all the time. I am comfortable with them. However when it comes to people, the Bible is clear that we should not play favorites.
Sin is lawlessness, and because we were born into sin, we cannot help but to break the law. But Jesus Christ came into the world to free us from the bondage of sin, and gives us freedom to fulfill the law when we repent of our sins. We are given power through the Spirit to love our neighbors, and to be holy, just as he is holy. This is the effect the word of God has in our lives. We must not merely listen to the word, but do what it says, and we will be blessed in doing what it says.
This week we start a new book-James. As we begin this book, keep in mind that James was a man familiar with sufferings. In the end James was martyred for his faith in Jesus. He understood trials and thus he didn't write empty words. He was speaking from experience. He will show us how to go from trials to triumph instead of from trials to defeat.
Only God is truly righteous, and only God is worthy of glory, honor and praise. Through Jesus, we share in God?s righteousness; it is imparted to us. With that righteousness given to us by grace we are able to obey God?s through faith, and not by our efforts. With that, God?s grace overflows from our souls to those around us.
When we bring our offerings to God, they must be acceptable to Him, otherwise what is the point. According to verse 16, Paul's life was about proclaiming the gospel so that we might become acceptable to God.
Many people reject the resurrection of Christ, but Matthew gives us evidence that his resurrection is undeniable. He rose from the dead, crowned with glory in triumph over death. He has been given all authority in heaven and on earth and commands his disciples to go and make disciples. Tell others what God has done for your soul, bring them to faith and obedience to God, that they may receive life and give all the glory to God, who is worthy.
The crown of thorns that the soldiers put on Jesus is a crown of pain. It is a symbol of God's curse and an object of scorn and wrath. This crown of thorns was more than the wreath on his head; it was everything that Jesus went through before the cross, on the cross and all the way to death. Though, ironically, that very crown of thorns is also a crown of glory in that it marks the abolishment of our sins.
The pattern of the world is that the strong dominate the weak but in Christ we are taught that the strong should use their strength to build up the weak. Our life of faith is like a long race, a marathon, it's not a competition of who gets to heaven first, but that we ALL get there. I pray that each one of us may be transformed so that we don't conform to the pattern of our world as we help one another run the race of faith, accepting and building each other along the way.
Only through Jesus can we be changed. Only when we are clothed in Christ will we be so flooded with love that whatever we do, we do in love. Only when we are clothed in Christ will we transformed by the renewing of our minds, because nothing else can change our minds. Our minds are stuck in sin and no measure of effort on our parts can change that. We will only continue down our downward spiral to destruction. Only Jesus can protect from both God's wrath and Satan's deception. And, only Jesus can change us.
All authorities that exist on earth have been established by God. Governing authorities exist to punish those who do evil, and to serve for the good of the nation. We should subject ourselves to the governing authorities because they are God's servants. But how about when a government is bad? We do not need to submit to doing evil, but even if we refuse to do evil, we should honor the authorities, for they are the Lord's servants, and pray for them. When we can submit in this way, we are entrusting ourselves to God's will, so that his will may be done.
To be truly transformed, we need to confront our sins and turn away from them. If we sincerely want to be transformed in love, we need to repent of our apathy, selfishness, and hatred. I pray that God may truly transform your heart.
The pattern of this world to be selfish and proud, but when the world works this way, everybody only cares about themselves and nothing gets done. God's will is for his people to be transformed and have sober judgment about themselves. This transformation is not a small, exterior change, but it is deep and radical. By Jesus' blood, we are transformed from the inside out.
All of us desire to do it, but very few of us can actually say that we have done it. What am I talking about? Keeping our promises. We have a tough time keeping our promises. Through this passage, I hope that you'll see that God does keep his promises, for he is faithful, gracious and always there for us.
Have you heard? The kingdom of heaven is near! Jesus Christ the Lord has given his life for us, to redeem us from sin and death. Israel heard the message, but did not believe - so how can they call on the Lord and be saved? But you, hear the word, believe with all your heart and call on the Lord, and you will be saved!
It does not, therefore, depend on man's desire or effort, but on God's mercy.
There is so much uncertainty in life. There is so much that we do not know, but there is one thing that we can be certain of and that is that nothing can separate us from God's love for us.
From time to time we have difficulties in life, but thankfully, God works for the good of those who love him. So the next time you have trouble, look to your heavenly Father for he loves you.
As Christians, we are all brothers and sisters in Christ, because God has adopted all of us as his children, given full rights as sons and daughters. This was done through Jesus Christ, who came to die for our sins. Through Christ, the Holy Spirit frees us from sin. The Holy Spirit gives us life, and brings about our adoption to sonship, transforming us into children of God.
We thank God for his blessings in 2012 and look forward to another great year in 2013. Here is this year's key verse for the IIT Fellowship. May God richly bless you.
Jesus is the best gift we could possibly hope for at Christmas. Let's see why. This message was given at Regina Dominican High School on December 16th, 2012. http://ubf.org/video/video_popup.php?vid=56172039
The oldest and most costly war rages on. It is a war in which everyone who has ever lived is a combatant. There are billions of people who have been lost since the first man and first woman declared war on their God. God can win the war outright. Instead, God sent a baby boy to win the war and give us peace.
The season of Advent is about preparing for Christmas, by focusing on the hope of the first coming of Christ, and at the same time anticipating his second coming. In this passage Isaiah prophesies 700 years before our Savior is born - a light has dawned, for to us a child is born, to us a son is given. This gave great hope to the Israelites, but also gives us a great hope. What is your hope this Christmas? Through this passage let us see why it is so wonderful to put all of our hope in Christ.
Sometimes we wonder, "If I'm a Christian why am I tempted so much?" Paul, who was a seasoned Christian as well, struggled with this same question. And through this passage we see his conclusion. TGFJ!!
God is so wise and all of his plans are fulfilled exactly like he expected. He even has expected side effects to the plans that he has. The law was intended to show us our sin. Sin was always there, but he law came to give it a name and make sure that we cannot deny its existence. The law shows us that we cannot keep it and that we need Jesus.
As I see it, we have two choices. Either we are alive to sin and dead to God. Or we are dead to sin and alive to God. We can't have both. And Paul is pleading in his letter to the Romans that they don't have to be stuck in their life of sin anymore because Jesus set them free. Thank God for Jesus! All I can say is, open your eyes and look at who is your master. Does your master lead you to shameful things or to good things like eternal life? Choose wisely and offer your body in a way that leads to life. God bless you.
The free gift of God is not like our sins. We sin because we were born sinners, and our sin comes from Adams first act of disobedience toward God. Our sins have caused us much grief in despair - but through this passage, Paul wants to tell us how much greater the grace of God is than our sins. Through Christ, God pours out his grace on us, so that grace may reign in our lives. Sin brought death, but Gods gift of righteousness brings everlasting life.
"Hope." No other word inspires as much. Four years ago, hope inspired an election. In 1963, Martin Luther King Jr inspired people with hope in his "I have a dream," speech. Hope has been the back bone to help people carry on throughout history. But what can we put our hope in when so many things in the world fail us or let us down? In this passage we find one thing that we will not be disappointed when we put our hope in it.
Abe is considered to be the father of faith for over three and a half billion people, but he was not righteous because of anything he did. In fact, Abe trusted God and his faith was credited to him as righteousness. That means that Abe trusted God and God gave Abe his righteousness and that promise extends to anyone who trusts God.
Whenever someone offends us, we feel like we have been wronged. And in order for our relationship to be restored, we want them to apologize to us. Then they are right with us. It is similar between us and God. In this passage we learn how we can be right with God.
God has always been true, he is always faithful. We must realize that we are the ones unfaithful to God, because of our sin. The laws of God were given to us to show us this is true, that we are sinners against a holy God. There is no one righteous, not even one, what can we do? We need to look to God, for though he is just he is also merciful. We need Gods mercy.
Hypocrisy occurs when our inner being does not match how we portray ourselves. However God is not concerned with outward appearances but always with our hearts. God longs for a real relationship with us, not some fake appearances in front of others. The problem occurs when we are seeking praise from men and not from God. If we are seeking the praise of men, in the end we will dishonor God through our hypocritical lives.
To pass judgment on someone means that you decide who someone is and decide their fate. You stand above them, and essentially condemn them. But God brings our sins to our attention so that we can repent and turn back to him.
If you leave something alone long enough, eventually it will break down and fall apart.It's the same for our world. If God leaves us alone, not only will we fall apart personally, but so will our world. In today's passage we will see what happens to a world without God it will literally become hell of earth.
Paul writes, in the gospel the righteousness of God is revealed. Righteousness is the main theme in his letter to the Romans. In this introduction we first look at that gospel, what it is, and how it works out in his life, and finally look at the power behind the gospel - the righteousness of God which is revealed in it, the righteousness that is by faith from first to last.
Paul encourages Timothy to be strong in the grace of Jesus. How true this is. I pray that each of us may grow stronger everyday in God's grace.
The only thing that really counts is when we become a new creation through Jesus Christ. May we live with love for God and for one another.
By grace, Christ has set you free. What will you do with your freedom? Will you seek to fulfill your own desires? Or will you use your freedom to come to God everyday and crucify your desires, so that the Spirit would come on you?
The Galatians were once free, but now they are backsliding into slavery under the law. Paul shows his intense concern in pleading and reminding them of their former freedom, and gives an allegory of Hagar and Sarah to represent two covenants of God. Through the blood of Christ, God has given his promise to free us from slavery and make us His very own.
God's love for all of his children is because we are his children, and for us that is something that does not come by heredity, but because Jesus died for us. Because Jesus paid our price, we can be called God's little boys and little girls, and we can call him Daddy.
The Galatians had exchanged their faith for the law, they had given up the Spirit and embraced human effort in order to be saved. This was folly, because the law only brings death and condemnation. Jesus Christ brings life and justification, because he redeemed us by his death and resurrection. We are justified only by faith in Christ.
The gospel of grace can feel lightweight. It seems too simple that Jesus did everything for our salvation. We think that that can't be true; so that's when we start adding things to give it some more heft. Unfortunately, the heft we add does not give strength, but burdens the individual, weighing them down with unnecessary labor.
Through this passage I realize how important our calling is to our life of faith. Our calling is the foundation upon which everything else is built. So it is crucial for each of us to know what our calling from God is. What's yours?
Through this passage, Paul insists that what we believe really matters. And he challenges the Galatians, and consequently us, with the fact that the gospel is unique. There are many things that claim to be true, but there is only one gospel, the gospel of Christ. And it’s by this gospel that we are saved.
Let us savor these words in our hearts, "Grace and peace to you from God and Jesus," and give praise and thanks to God for his rich and matchless grace, and look forward to the day when he comes again to deliver us into heaven. Grace and peace to you from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ!
John recorded these events so that we might believe that Jesus is the Son of God and have eternal life. However our belief should influence our behavior.There has to be some impact otherwise do we really believe at all? What is the proof? If we believe in Jesus, there should be evidence of that in our life. Therefore Jesus asks each of us who claim to believe in him,"Do you love me? Then show me, by feeding my sheep."
Jesus' resurrection from the dead is the ultimate proof that he is the Messiah, the Son of God, and that by believing in him we will have real, never-ending life that is not defined by our circumstances, but defined by God.
Jesus came to testify to the truth. He testified that he is a king, and He is the king of kings, because He is the Son of the living God. He is also a king who came to give His life, so that He may redeem a people for Himself. Who is your king?
Jesus trusts in his Father and reveals that he is God and shows us how we can win the spiritual victory by trusting in God.
God really wants to have a relationship with us. It's the whole point of why Jesus came to earth. It's the point of his crucifixion and death. It's the point of his resurrection, and it's also the point of Jesus' longest recorded prayer. Jesus prayed so that we could have a deep relationship with the God who created us.
The world in which we live is difficult. Life moves at an incredibly quick pace as things are getting more and more complex. People long for peace but have difficulty finding it. The world offers its version of peace but it's anything but that. What are we to do? Where are we to go? Jesus gives the answer in this passage.
Without the Holy Spirit, we can do nothing. Jesus promises his disciples to send the Holy Spirit that will reveal the truth about the world, how it stands guilty in regard to sin, righteousness and judgment. The Holy Spirit also will guides us into all truth, transforms us and enables us to glorify God by His power.
Jesus' resurrection was the evidence that Jesus is exactly who he claimed to b, that he is the Messiah, the one who was promised to come and save God's people from their sins. And Easter Sunday, the day that we celebrate this unique, glorious, wonderful event that changed the history of mankind forever: the resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ from the dead. Jesus has Risen!
When hardship, persecution, and hatred come, and they may come in varying measure, it is so important for us to remember Jesus. When happens keep in mind Jesus was hated first, but He overcame and won the victory. We can too as long as we remember Jesus.
Being successful, prosperous and fruitful drives many in our world. However if do not remain connected to Jesus, we lose sight of what is important and like everything else that sin has corrupted, even fruitfulness can be muddied and twisted. But through this passage I believe Jesus shows us what fruitfulness really means and how we can maintain it.
Jesus said, if you love me, you will obey what I command. It's not hard to obey when we realize all that Jesus has done for us. Because he loved us so, we should ask, how may I serve him? What can I do to please the one who gave his life for me? And when we obey, we show we love him, and he will love us and come and make his home in our hearts.
It's true, in this world we will have trouble. Some big and some small but if you're going to live life you'd better expect to have trouble. That may sound morbid, but the great thing is that through this passage Jesus shows us how to overcome our troubled hearts.
We accept that the reality of things is different than as advertised so much that we start living our lives in that way. We say many things, but the reality of who we are is different than what we say. However, Jesus is as advertised and because of Jesus, we are able to be so much more than we can ever imagine. Our reality changes because of Jesus.
Those who celebrated Valentine's Day this year were willing to spend an average of $126 per person on love. However I wonder how many of those celebrating really showed the full extent of their love. Sadly most are left longing for true love because human love is often incomplete. However in our passage today Jesus shows us what true love really is. He does this by giving his disciples the full extent of his love.
Jesus said, I tell you the truth, unless a kernel of wheat falls to the ground and dies, it remains only a single seed. But if it dies, it produces many seeds. He is our great example of a kernel of wheat, as he laid down his life to save us. So we commit our lives to him, that we may be used to save others and live for the glory of God.
Have you ever had a huge argument with someone where afterward you didn't want to talk with them? If you've had such an argument, how can it ever be reconciled? In today's passage we will see Jesus as the king of peace that brings reconciliation.
How does God love you? Jesus loved Martha, Mary, and Lazarus (two sisters and a brother) so much that when Lazarus fell ill, Jesus let him die so that they could know in their hearts and their heads that he is God and has power over everything including death.
What security do you have? About the only thing that is for sure in our time is dying and paying taxes. What are we to do? Through today's passage Jesus shows us what security really is and where we can find it.
Jesus is the way to true life. Jesus also leads us to life. Jesus is both the gate to enter into the kingdom of heaven, and the good shepherd. He has come so that his sheep can have life, and have it to the full.
This chapter brings up some very interesting questions for our lives. Why are we here? What are we living for? Why do we do the things we do? And what is the point of all the random circumstances that make up our lives? These are like the questions of the ages. These are the golden questions that people think about and try to answer. With such profound questions, we expect complex and profound answers, but honestly, I'm surprised at how simple the answer to all these questions really is and I can tell you in four words: give glory to God.
2012 Key Verse - Praise be to God, who has not rejected my prayer or withheld his love from me!
Our God is a merciful God, full of compassion for the distressed and even for his opponents. God shows his mercy to Zechariah and Elizabeth, who are old and childless, and gives them a son. This child will be John the Baptist, the forerunner of Jesus Christ, who was given for us by God's tender mercy.
Christmas is about remembering what God has done for us. It's when God sent his one and only son as a baby in a manger who would pay the price for our sin on the cross so that we may have life in his name. Christmas is about worshiping the baby Jesus as our Lord and Savior. Like the Magi who came bearing gifts, like Mary who sang songs of praise. Will you join us in worship, or will you let your worries rule your life?
We are a nation that loves freedom. It defines our very core, but not many Americans or anybody on this world really know what it means to be free. Today, through this passage Jesus shows us what it really means to be free.
Thanksgiving message delivered by M. Young Lee.
Light is essential for life. In the same way, Jesus is essential for life. He is the light of the world. He shines in the darkness, and gives light. He is also the light of life, as he guides our steps so that we will never walk in darkness.
If you ask 20 people, you will get 25 different answers. Even Jesus' own disciples had different opinions of who he was.Throughout this passage all kinds of people make judgment about who is Jesus but we can't rely on what other people say about Jesus, we have to come to our own conclusions and make our own judgment. That's why we need sound judgment.
How could Timothy proclaim the gospel of Jesus in such a way that would turn the people, living in the second largest city of the Roman Empire, from all their distractions and really change their lives? In this way, Timothy's world isn't much different that our own. And Paul's encouragement to him is valuable to us today.
What would you say, if there was food that endured to eternal life? What would you do for bread that would sustain you for eternity? That sounds like the ultimate alternative fuel source, but that is exactly what Jesus is offering in this passage: eternal sustenance.
Do you trust God to care for your needs? Is there something that you don't entrust to the Lord because you are afraid? Through this passage we see that nothing is impossible for Jesus because He is Almighty God who created all things. He is the one that we can trust. So don't be afraid.
True life is eternal life, and that is living in communion and unity with God. This life is offered only through Jesus Christ, who died on the cross and rose again to make peace between the sinner and God. His power and authority are proven by many witnesses, including the Bible, and he calls sinner to come to him. Those who hear will live.
Who in our world can we trust based upon only their word? Politicians? Co-workers? Family? Friends? How about even ourselves? Have you kept every promise you made? If we can't even trust ourselves, who can we trust? The truth is only Jesus. See why in this passage.
Even though the world is about two-thirds water, it's a very dry place. Everywhere you look you see misery and parched lips. People are yearning for life, but can only find death. In this passage, there is a woman who is just as broken and parched as each one of us. Jesus came to her and healed her. She wasn't parched any more. In fact, her spirit was given an abundance of life that poured over into her whole town.
There is a stark contrast between John's joy and his disciples' jealousy. John's joy comes from knowing Jesus Christ - and from his relationship with Him. John understood that his ministry, his moment in the spotlight, and his declining popularity, were all a part of God's sovereign plan and purpose. In this, John found great joy.
In our body of flesh we cannot produce good fruit - we can only live to please God if his Holy Spirit lives in us, and gives us a new birth. We need His Holy Spirit to convict us of our sins, and we must repent and look to Jesus who is our atoning sacrifice. Only then, will we be justified by God, and he will give us a new birth and eternal life.
In today's passage we find two very different events. First Jesus supplies wine at a wedding and then he tears up the temple. At first you may think that Jesus has gone crazy or maybe he had too much wine. And you might say to yourself, "This isn't the best way to start a ministry." I would have to agree with you, because if you are going into a profession you don't want to tick off the people who are in charge of that line of work. But we are people and not God and this is how he chose to start his ministry.
In this passage, six people found Jesus in different ways.However when you look you'll find that Jesus came to those who found him. You need the Christ in your life. It's the missing piece. You need the Lamb of God to take away your sin. Recognize your need and see the Lamb approaching you with his arms wide open. Praise the Lord! You have found the Christ.
What is your reaction to Jesus, the light, shining in the darkness on you? It depends, are you a criminal or are you lost? Same circumstance but very different reactions. If you are a criminal you run and hide but if lost, you are over joyed. Jesus came to be with us because he loves us.
The challenge that lays before us is to make the name of Jesus known. When we live in the company of God the Son, and stand in confidence in God the Father and act in courage through God the Spirit the fruit of our relationship with God is that we will boldly tell others about Jesus.
Humility is the way in which God works through us, and we need to have humility in order to be effective. Before we can be bold to share Jesus, we need to be humble, for humility unites us with God and with one another and gives us strength. Remember the saying, "attitude is everything," and our attitude should be the same as that of Christ Jesus.
The Bible is the story of God, the story of God creating the world, man falling into sin, and how God redeemed his creation. The Bible is the story of Jesus and what he did for each and every one of us. Don't take my word for it. Jesus says so, himself, in the very passage that we just read. To fully share Jesus with others we should have a full understanding of who he is from the whole Bible.
How can you be wise? How can you open doors? How can you proclaim the mystery of Christ clearly? Through this passage you'll find the secret is: devoting yourself to prayer, being watchful and being thankful.
Without the Lord, the Holy Spirit, we have no power to witness about Jesus. We may be able to speak the words and teach the Bible, but we will have no power to witness through our changed lives. The difference between the Pharisees' teaching and Jesus' teaching was that Jesus taught as one with authority.
Why do we share our faith in Jesus? We must be compelled by the love of God to do so. As we begin this new 6 week series, I pray that God may inspire us through the Holy Spirit to love God and one another with all our heart.
For the conclusion of our studies in 1 and 2 Samuel, we will look at David's final days and the wisdom he passes on to his son Solomon, who will succeed him as king. His charge to his son was to be strong, show yourself a man, and observe the requirements of the Lord - then you will prosper in everything you do, wherever you go.
Our God is truly a merciful God who in the spirit of a true shepherd offered himself as a sacrifice for us. We can depend upon the mercy of God because He has always been faithful.
The last words of a person's life are significant, because it represents a summary of their life. David's last words reflected a hope in God's promise – salvation through Jesus Christ. He was looking forward to something great, he was looking to heaven, and his last words reflected his life and his hope. Now as we look at a summary of David's life, may we be encouraged to live a life of faith, hope and love, so that our last words will also ring with those things.
Are you part of the Lord's inheritance? The Lord's inheritance refers to what belongs to the Lord. We become the Lord's inheritance the moment we believe that Jesus Christ is God's one and only Son and that He died for our sins and was raised from the dead and we put our faith and hope in him.
Have you ever felt hopeless and broken? It's because of sin. But I am so thankful for Jesus because he melts away all the pain and restores me with his love. While we were still sinners, Christ died for us. God's heart was so broken, that he stepped into his creation to save him to his glory. That is the greatest restoration that we could ever hope for.
How is your life going at the moment? Do you have peace or are you anxious? David trusted in the Lord. Even though the situation may not have looked good at the moment, he believed that God would sustain and deliver him in the end. This gave David peace to sleep at night and not worry.
David's legacy to Amnon and Absalom was to take what they wanted regardless of the costs. Without Jesus, that will be our legacy too. The effects of our sin will be seen down the generations. However, Jesus died to break the cycle of sin.
God witnesses to us - here it was through Nathan, but sometimes it may be through a guilty conscience or someone close to us or through the Bible. What we have to do is be willing to face God with the same painful honesty and confess like David. That's first step toward rebuilding our life.
The Lord has laid the foundation of his kingdom on Jesus Christ. Peace was established through him. Just as David dedicated treasures from every nation for the physical temple, so when we dedicate our gifts to the Lord, he will build his kingdom from people of all nations.
Easter Message If there is no God, then sin all you want. But if Jesus rose from the dead and He is God then that changes everything. Jesus is the Christ, He is the Son of God and His resurrection proves He is who He says He is. And if you are a true witness of Jesus Christ you can't go on living as before because Jesus is alive.
We must constantly answer Jesus' question, "What do you want?" because it will drive our future. People got from Jesus want they wanted. If they wanted to see a miracle, then that's what they saw. If they wanted to see a rebel, then they saw a trouble maker. If they wanted to see God, then they saw the Messiah. What do YOU want? Come to Jesus and see.
Having courage to pray is something we don't often think about,in fact before studying this passage I didn't think that prayer was something that required courage. But if David, a man after God's own heart, a man feared by his enemies, required courage to pray, how much more do we need it!
Our God is the holy God. Holy means separate, or set apart. Our God is set apart from this world, outside of space and time. He created all things and holds the heavens in the palm of His hand. He is spirit and eternal and beyond our understanding.
The Lord kept his promise to David. But even as the promise was being carried out, it looked like everything was going haywire. In the same way, we can look at our lives and wonder where is God. Just remember that God worked for thousands of years to bring Jesus into this world to bring salvation to all mankind and that He loves you and is drawing you to him.
Every person leaves some sort of legacy. Of course there are many traits that make up a person's character but their dominating factor produces some sort of legacy. For example, Hitler's life was dominated with power, destruction and death, while Mother Teresa typifies giving. Donald Trump embodies success or wealth and Jesus lived a life of sacrifice. When you breathe your last, what will be your legacy? How will your life be defined?
Our God is faithful to us. He provides and takes care of all that we need. We need to trust Him for that. And when we go astray and wander off the path, God is faithful and he is waiting for us to return. God didn't hesitate to welcome David when he came back to the Lord. And we can be thankful for that.
By P. Abraham Lincoln - Yale UBF Out of his divine compassion, God called us into a blessed life to bring us back to the kingdom of his dear son Jesus Christ our Lord. No one should be deprived of a loving, personal relationship with the living God.
What do you do, when you pray to the Lord and He doesn't answer you? While we may not go to a psychic, we might go to someone who doesn't believe in God or worse, the horoscope. Let's see God's solution.
How many are familiar with the term "backsliding?" At one point or another in our lives, we've all experienced backsliding. So how do we maintain righteousness or the attitude of faith, hope and love? Find out in this week's passage.
It has been said that a good wife is worth her weight in gold. Proverbs 31 says that they are more valuable that rubies and I believe it. David saw the value of a godly wife and after Nabal died, he went and took Abigail as his wife.
How strong are you? Some people are able endure and withstand harsh conditions while others fall apart when they see a mouse. In the end, though, there is always something that pushes our strength to the edge and causes us to break. David was on the run from Saul and his strength was failing. He was reaching the end of his rope. At that time, Jonathan came and helped David find a source of limitless strength in God.
Through the study of David's journey and the study of Saul's actions, let us see how God can then shape us and mold us into people after his own heart so that when we do inquire of the Lord, we know he hears us because we ask according to his will.
What is true friendship? Through this passage we explore the relationship between David and Jonathan who can only be described as true friends. Through them we we see a relationship that goes deeper than just an emotional bond because it is rooted in the Lord. May God bless you through His word.
When Saul focused on himself, God gave him over to his desires and he became tormented and full of rage and hatred. However, God was with David in everything because David loved God and sought after God. David had his Immanuel, and God protected David, gave him peace even in times of hardship.
2011 IIT UBF Key Verse By God's grace we have put another year into the history books. It's amazing to see how God works over the course of a year. As we put 2010 behind us let's look forward to 2011. But unless we map out where we want to go, we will not make progress nor can we tell where we have come from or where we are going. May God grant us his vision for our ministry in the coming year.
by Arthur Miranda Message from our West Loop UBF visit on 12/26/2010
by Dr. James Rabchuck From our all together Christmas Worship service Dec 19th at Regina Dominica High School
Through today's passage we want to see how God has been with his people starting with Abraham to David and finally Jesus. Along the way we will see how God has fulfilled His promises and helped His people.
Thank God for sending his precious Son Jesus to us. God has given us all the counsel, the might, the protection and the peace we need to live in this dark world. May God help us to have the joy that Isaiah had when he saw the light of Jesus shining in the darkness. Whatever darkness that you have inside of you, bring it to Jesus, for he will give you the wisdom you need to deal with it and know that nothing is too hard for him to solve and that he will give you the protection you need and the peace you desire when you have Immanuel Jesus in your heart.
In life, we fight many battles; self-doubt, self-pity, self-contempt, stress, anger, pride, lust just to name a few. Through this passage, we find that it is not with might or power that we can win our battles, only when we fight them in the name of the Lord, we can overcome anything.
At this time of thanksgiving, we must seek God in prayer and be thankful for all that he has done for us. Through this passage we learn from King Jehoshaphat to give thanks for God's love endures forever.
Our world is driven by stunning visuals. From beautiful graphic images, colorful nature scenes or elegant models, our world revolves around what our eyes are drawn to. However our God is different. He doesn't value a person based upon how good they look on the outside but He looks at the heart.
Often we think partial obedience is good enough. I'm not saying that we commit one act and we are condemned, but what we see is that a pattern forms in our life and just like with Saul one act of disobedience leads to another and another and another until you outright reject God. So now I ask you, where do you stand? Are you obeying God fully or do you have partial obedience?
Although the Israelites now had a king, God was still the High King over him and Saul was subject to God's law and his word. Likewise, the LORD gave us our lives, but we don't have the option of doing what we want with them. There is still a High King over us and we need to acknowledge that fact before time runs out, but thank God that he does give us many opportunities to come back to him.
The world is full of sin, deception and temptations- those who see this cry out in their hearts for deliverance, and God has provided that through Jesus Christ, his Son, who put those things to death through the sacrifice of his own life.
If one thing the last presidential election has shown us, is that people wanted a change from worldly rulers. They wanted to follow someone they can believe in. But what we fail to realize is that it doesn't come through a man. I too want to follow someone who inspires me, who I can believe in, someone who really cares for me. Someone who is not going to take advantage of me and use me for his own personal gain. Only Jesus is that person.
Have you ever hit rock bottom? In this passage, the Israelites hit rock bottom. All their terrible deeds and duplicity just left them bare, broken, and oppressed by the Philistines. They realize that the answer to their problems is not in their hands, but in God and they finally abandon their old ways and serve God only. Look at what happened in this passage and know that our lives are not that much different.
Have you ever had to go to court? How do people treat the judge? You'd better treat theme with the utmost respect or you'll find yourself in a heap of trouble. It's the only place where you can be thrown into jail without a trial and held for as long as the judge wants. If this is how we treat our earthly judges, what kind of respect should we treat our heavenly judge that has eternal power over us? Through this passage we can think deeply about this.
Do you know that God is trying to reach out to you just as he reached out to Samuel. If you have heard Gods call are you ready to act on it? If not, why? How long will you let God wait? And if you are ready and want to follow God, are you active like Samuel or passive like Eli? God is calling for those who want to follow him, the only question is, how will you respond?
Its tempting to focus on the evil and negative things written in this passage, or we can know that God is working and look forward to the change that he is bringing. "I will raise up for myself a faithful priest, who will do according to what is in my heart and mind. I will firmly establish his house, and he will minister before my anointed one always." (v35) The LORD is working, preparing something mighty.
1 Samuel is a book about the heart of people, our hearts. In it we see the broken heart of Hannah, the pure heart of Samuel, the corrupt heart of Saul and Gods heart in David. Through this passage we see Hannah pour out her heart to the Lord and how faithful the Lord is to those who cry out to him.
Peter wrote this letter to testify about Jesus and encourage Christians.His theme is: Eagerly wait for the glory of God. Also he gave two instructions: Be self-controlled and alert, and Humble yourselves.
Through this passage we learn the importance of following Christ by being eager to do good, by building up the body of Christ, and by rejoicing and being overjoyed, so that we can find the glory in suffering for Christ.
But if you suffer for doing good and you endure it, this is commendable before God. To this you were called, because Christ suffered for you, leaving you an example, that you should follow in his steps.
Jesus is the living stone who is the cornerstone for the church. He orients our lives to that of God. If we don't have Jesus as our cornerstone and foundation of our lives, then we can't possibly be aligned with God. Then let us seek Christ so that we can live our lives for God.
What do you think of when I say holy? Generally speaking, in todays world, being holy is not seen as something good. It is looked down upon. And yet Peter tells us that being holy is the best thing for us. Before you condemn him, lets give him a chance to explain.
The goal of our faith is the salvation of our souls. Over the course of time, this truth seems to slip farther and farther away from us, but we need to hold on to this hope through good times and bad, and day by day.
This is the end of Lukes Gospel. Through our study, we have witnessed Jesus birth, his miracles, his healings, and his teachings. We saw Jesus betrayed by Judas and arrested in the middle of the night. We saw the mockery of his trial, his crucifixion and his death and burial. And, finally, we saw that Jesus rose from the dead on the third day. The climax of the gospel is Jesus death and resurrection, but it is not the end of the gospel. The full gospel includes a little more.
Where do you place your hope? What happens when you loose what you have put your hope in? Jesus is the answer."He is not here; he has risen! Remember how he told you, while he was still with you in Galilee..."
From this passage, we will learn about the agony of sin, the atonement for sins, and the acceptance of the Savior, which is the only way sin in our lives can be put to death.
Jesus, knowing what they would do to him, answered the religious leaders question. In doing so, brought Gods grace to us.
Jesus said, "But you are not to be like that. Instead, the greatest among you should be like the youngest, and the one who rules like the one who serves." Jesus gives us the example of humility.
And he took bread, gave thanks and broke it, saying, "This is my body given for you; do this in remembrance of me." In the same way, after the supper he took the cup, saying, "This cup is the new covenant in my blood, which is poured out for you."
What in this world is never ending? Everything must come to an end sometime. Jesus said, "Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will never pass away."
"He is not the God of the dead, but of the living, for to him all are alive." When we come to believe that Jesus is the God of the living, that changes our whole life. It guides all our decisions as we live to acknowledge Jesus as our Lord.
God is the owner of all things. We are the stewards of the vineyard which God gave us. Let us give thanks to God for all his grace, especially the vineyard, the mission field, for us to bear much fruit for him.
The only question is, if the rocks can obey and sing the praise of Lord Jesus can we? If we dont does that mean we’re dumber than a pile of rocks? The question is will you submit yourself to the lordship of Christ?
One day, each one of us, will be accountable to God for what we did with what we received. On that day when the King returns, each and every one of us will be accountable for how we have put Gods money to work. How will you be graded?
We want to belong, but many times we have to act fake and not reveal too much about the real us because we dont really feel like we belong. But thankfully Jesus says, "For the Son of Man came to seek and to save what was lost."
"Have mercy on me," was a blind mans response when he came face to face with the Son of God. What will our response be?
Jesus told someone, "You still lack one thing. Sell everything you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me." Is there something in your life that is holding you back from a full devotion to Jesus?
Message to setup for our Easter Retreat delivered by Dan Bockenfeld. The path of humanity was going to hell. But God sent his son Jesus to forgive, rescue, and free us. It was the only event that could change the course of our history.
Jesus foresaw what it would be like for his disciples who would be waiting for him to return. They would be rejected by everyone who suppressed the truth. How would they survive? Prayer would be the key. They must learn how to pray.
Many people wonder what the kingdom of God will be like and when it will come. Jesus tells us what it will be like, but he never tells us when it will come. In this passage Jesus tells us how we should live until he returns and welcomes us home.
How often do you take the time out to tell someone you love, that you love them? Some people cringe at the thought! But that seems to be the general rule of human nature – in todays passage 10 men were healed, but only one came back to give praise and thanks to God.
As we live in this world we have all kinds of basic duties. As a student we have to attend class, do homework and master the material. But what about as a Christian? Do we have basic duties as a believer in Jesus? Lets think about that in this message.
To live a good life means to repent from our sins. When we read the Bible to find Jesus, we will see where we fall short. If we dont listen to what we hear and dont repent, we cant accept Jesus resurrection and it has no power for us.
Management, thats what this passage is about. Are you a good manager? Whats the gage, how do you measure if you are doing a good job or not? Jesus teaches us how to tell through the parable of the shrewd manager.
This parable is one of Jesus most famous parables. We think it is about a wild younger son and it is. Or about a judgmental older son and it is. Or about a loving father and it is. But its really the story of a wonderful TRUE older brother who brings us home.
Does one person make a difference in the world? Not really, but one person makes a huge difference to God. Especially one who repents. We dont like to repent, but this is the one thing that makes God rejoice. Read more.
In this passage Jesus teaches about the cost of being His disciple. Have you ever given much thought to what it takes to follow Jesus? If so, are you willing to pay that cost?
We all have excuses, no time, got homework, tired, or I just dont want to do. In this passage we see the heart of God who loves his children and wants to lavish them with his blessing. So what will be your response when God invites you?
As Christians we should live the life of love. But do we really? Divorce rates are alarming but Christians are no different than non Christians. Why is that, because we do not really live in love.
This is Christmas: that the burdened, gloomy, dark, distressed and oppressed have a light and freedom. For to us a child is born, to us a son is given, and this son is God who came to release people from the crushing weight of their sins.
Self delusion is a powerful thing. Its capable of causing people to believe something so deeply that we can do silly things. But what about eternal matters? Can you really risk self delusion when it comes to eternity?
Most people have some kind of idea of what they think Gods kingdom will be like. But who really knows? Well, Jesus does because he came from there and in this passage, He tells two parables that give insight into the kingdom of God.
This passage speaks a lot about repentance and Gods judgment. So it may be difficult to accept. But the real theme behind all of it, is Gods wonderful mercy and His cry for all people to repentance. May we all have open ears to hear it and soft hearts to accept it.
The Bible promises that Jesus is coming again, this time in power and glory, and this will signal the end of the world. The question of the hour is, WILL YOU BE READY WHEN HE COMES AGAIN? Have you ever asked yourself this?
Maybe this generation more than any other doesnt like hypocrites. But what would you do if your deepest, darkest secret was suddenly broadcast for the whole world to see? Todays passage speaks directly to a life of hypocrisy.
There is only one thing needed for this generation, all generations in fact, and that is Jesus.
Elizabeth was a godly woman with a good influence. This is Joshua Hongs message from our visit to U of C.
Who has had an experience with a bully? Confrontations with bullies leaves us feeling weak, alone and vulnerable. And through todays passage we are going to see how to deal with the biggest bully of them all.
In this passage Jesus is giving His disciples a crash course in prayer. As we pull this passage apart, lets think about three points in regard to prayer; privilege, purpose and persistence.
In our busy world,we may think that we need many things, but in reality only one thing is needed; Jesus. It is best to study the Bible like Mary and work like Martha.
The dictionary defines "Good Samaritan" as anyone who goes out of their way to help another. Jesus is the ultimate good samaritan because He went way out for us.
Aristotle once said, "Happiness belongs to the self-sufficient," If this is true, then not everyone can have a chance for happiness. Are you happy? Through this passage we learn the secret to happiness.
One engineer said, "Anyone can start a project but only a few can complete them." Like many things completing a project requires commitment. This passage looks at what is required to be a disciple of Jesus.
How carefully do you listen to Jesus? Does his teaching go in one ear and out the other? How long do you remember what was preached on Sunday?
Our identities describe who we are. There are countless pieces of our lives that contribute to our identities. If we are this multifaceted, then what about Jesus? Who is Jesus?
This passage begins with Jesus sending out the disciples to preach the message of the kingdom of God. It ends with Jesus feeding the 5000. Along the way, Jesus reveals what it means to obey His command.
At the start of every race all expect to win the race but at the end not everyone will finish the race. The same applies in our lives of faith. Many people begin the life of faith following Jesus, only to give up the race. The question is; are we prepared to run this race?
Paul encourages Timothy to live as a workman approved by God by being strong, enduring hardship, and remembering Jesus. Through his words, we see a sobering look at what the Christian life requires. May Gods grace be with you through this passage.
Theres no doubt that we live in uncertain times. In this chapter lets think about four points; putting our gifts to work, standing up to our fears, being willing to suffer, and finally trusting God. So as we begin our study of 2 Timothy lets open our hearts and listen to God's word this morning.
How many times in our own lives will we encounter difficult circumstances and have to make a decision to believe or not to believe? Lets open our hearts through this passage and listen to what Jesus has to say.
Evil desires to ruin us but salvation comes through faith. Our faith is demonstrated through submission to Jesus who has authority over evil. We must also accept His authority over our lives to be delivered, transformed and have power over evil. Lastly, salvation begets proclamation.
In a stormy situation, Jesus asks his disciples, "Where is your faith?" This is also a good question for us, what do we put our faith in? Where is our faith?
Children have great hearts. They love and give so easily. Todays passage is about the expression of love from a woman after she experiences the grace of Jesus forgiveness. Her love is extravagant and over the top but it is exactly how we should live our life.
Message by Joshua Hong when we visited U of C ministry.
In this passage, Jesus pays an enormous tribute to John the Baptist. What did John do to deserve that kind of praise? Today, lets study the example of John the Baptist and examine our own hearts, to see where we stand in our desire to please our Father in Heaven.
No one likes to talk about death. But it happens to all of us. What do we do? Where is God and does He care about us in our time of suffering? In this passage Jesus meets a widow whose only son died. Who could understand her sorrow and comfort her? Only Jesus.
In todays passage, Jesus encounters a Roman soldier who has faith that even Jesus is amazed. I think that if we find something that amazes God it must be worth learning about.
Jesus wants us to see that in everything we do, our heart dictates its outcome. What we become and who we are is a reflection of whats in our hearts. May God help us to examine our hearts so we can be pleasing to God.
Most people will never admit to it if but we all do it. Some do it consciously usually with scorn, pride, or arrogance. While others do it subconsciously and they are just as bad. They just dont know it. And if we dont stop it, how can we ever develop meaningful relationships? What am I talking about?
We use the word LOVE to describe everything from 'I love my job,' to 'I love my wife.' It seems to be the only word we have to describe positive emotion. Through this passage I hope that we may learn Jesus divine love.
If we seek comfort and satisfaction in the world, then the temporary comfort and satisfaction that comes from that stuff, is all we get nothing more. But if we hunger for God and his ways, then we will have real lasting joy.
Happy Easter! Peter over came his fear and became courageous when he was sure that God made Jesus, Lord and Christ.
Christians message at the 2009 Easter Retreat.
Abes message from the Easter retreat.
America is called the land of the free and the home of the brave. All our lives we have known freedom. But are we really free? Or have we given up our freedom for one bondage or another? Through this passage, lets think about true freedom.
In The Matrix, it wasnt enough for Neo to be The One, he also had to believe it. Although he was called to save the world, he couldnt do it unless he lived out his calling. As Christians, we are called by Jesus. We too must have faith to live out that calling.
Sometimes as Christians, we can get bogged down by a lot of man made rules. Then serving God becomes a burden to us and we become critical of others. Then in the end we try to make other people become more like us, thinking we have become the standard.
Hidden beneath our surface each of us have our own set of standards and when we dont like something we deem that it must be wrong. So every person, every generation, every culture has to examine itself to see if their standard is Jesus.
Jesus called Levi to follow Him. What is worth following? What is perfect? What should we follow? This passage gives us the answer.
Ever wonder why Jesus did the things he did? Everything He did was an opportunity to praise the Father and acknowledge that He is God. The same goes for us, but first we have to recognize that our life is intended to reflect God. Its not about you; its about God.
When Jesus called the first disciples, they left everything and followed Him. Inspired to catch men they hoped to catch someone like Moses, David, or Abraham. But unexpectedly they encounter a man covered with leprosy. Could this be the type of person Jesus wanted them to catch?
Jesus is the Son of God and there is power in Him. Let us not be afraid and fight the spiritual battle by the power of Jesus.
Where do we put our priorities? What do we love most in the world? If Jesus calls us to leave EVERYTHING and follow Him, will we answer the call?
Have you ever wanted to share the good news of Jesus and let the opportunity pass by? Or maybe you did share your faith and the other person rejected it? Lets see how Jesus handles this.
There have been many exciting championship boxing matches but the greatest fight ever fought took place over two thousand years ago in the desert. The stakes were high, not for the heavy weight title, but for the salvation of all mankind.
No one likes to be told to repent, but this is a sign of God's love for us. Let's produce fruit in keeping with repentance.
The proclamation of Jesus' heavenly identity continues in our passage today as two prophetic messengers, Simeon and Anna, join the angel in announcing his arrival.
What happens when our priorities gets mixed up? We can lose sight of Jesus. When this happens, we have to learn from Mary and Joseph to retrace our steps and find him again.
Where is the meaning of Christmas? The night of Jesus birth, some lowly shepherds were the first to find out what the meaning of Christmas is. Let's find out what they found and how we can find it, too.
Most people like to sing. But what do we sing about? The most common are songs about love. In this passage we see 2 songs of praise from 2 people who cant hold in their joy any longer and burst out in song expressing their love for Jesus.
God blessed mankind by sending his only Son Jesus through an old couple and a young girl. May God use us as a blessing for our generation.
Thanksgiving came to us from our Christian Pilgrim forefathers. It is their faith, commitment, suffering and thankfulness that set the course of American history and brought Gods blessing to America. Lets think about why God wants his people to give thanks in all circumstances.
Many of us are going through some tough times. Unfortunately there is no magic bullet that will make our problems go away. What we all need is something that will grab us tight, reassure us and encourage us. What we need is hope. Hope that can inspire us to keep on keeping on.
Courage is said to be one of the best human virtues. It enables us to face difficulty, danger, or pain without fear. Ernest Hemingway defined it as, Grace under pressure. Andrew Jackson said, One man with courage makes a majority. But David linked it to his faith in God.
All of us have them. Some of us have more than others, and some of us feel like every time they come, they come in a giant-sized package. What am I talking about? Temptations can be big or small. But it can be a time of victory or defeat depending on the out come.
Grace is a word that Christians throw around all the time. It's a fundamental part of our Christian belief, it's the glue of our faith. The grace of God is something that permeates Christian life, but how often do we forget about it?
Finally we wrap up our five month study of the book of 1 Corinthians. What a great book. In this last chapter Paul shares his father like love for the people in Corinth.
Sometimes in life we are overwhelmed by the fear of death. And as our days grow shorter this fear intensifies. Death is the enemy of us all. Through this passage we take a closer look at how the resurrection solves our fear problem.
Living in the age of unprecedented information, what do you consider to be the most important bit of knowledge? In this message you will see what the Apostle Paul valued as first importance.
Have you ever wondered how will the world end? Or what’s the meaning of the stock market shake up? In this passage, there are some hotly debated, controversial church topics such as prophesying, speaking in tongues and female speaking patterns.
We all want to be loved but the specifics of what it means to be loved or how to love is ambiguous at best. Everybody has his own idea and some of them are quite silly, but in this chapter we have a chance to see and understand the importance of love and what love really is.
What if you could have gifts that could never be misplaced or broke? And what if they are more valuable than anything that could be purchased? Would you want these gifts? Through this passage we will learn about the gifts our heavenly Father has given us and how we should use them as we find our place in the body of Christ.
Using our freedom in Christ to serve and win as many as possible.
Paul urges the Ephesian Christians to live a life worthy of the calling they received. Even one man's life of faith in Jesus can make a huge impact.
This letter that Paul wrote to the Ephesians answers the question: “Why am I here?” Learn about God’s intentions for his people, and gain insight into God’s plan for us.
Jesus heals a mute and deaf man.
In this passage Jesus blesses a humble woman’s faith.
A wealthy synagogue ruler and a nameless woman. Both experienced Jesus' amazing healing power. Through this they learn personally what it means to “Just believe.”
The calling of the twelve apostles. Jesus begins to lay a foundation for ministry that will reach the whole world.
