Weekend Sermon

Philippians 4:8-- "Finally, brethren, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report; if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on these things."

     Our text for the day is one of the first verses I learned in Bible memorization.  When I was a child, I attended Christian schools.  At these schools, they always had some type of structured Bible memorization program.  The program that was the most fun was the one at my grade school.  If you learned a certain number of verses, you would achieve a higher ranking.  Each ranking had certain prizes that you could redeem at the end of every grading period.  I came away with a lot of nice prizes during my grade school years.
     By the way, prizes aside, Bible memorization is important.  It is important for adults as well as children.  All these years later, I can still remember many of the passages, like the one today, that I first learned in grade school.
     I would suggest that you start some type of systematic pattern of Bible memorization.  You don't have to try to memorize an entire chapter, or like one minister I know the entire New Testament.
     Start off small.  Just try to memorize a verse or two, and work up from there.  Learning and memorizing the Scripture will help you grow closer to the Lord.
     With that said, this message is not about Bible memorization.  It is about what we put into our minds and what we think about.
     There is no doubt that we live in a society today that is permeated with so many things that do not bring honor and glory to God.
     Most of the television programs and movies that are produced and broadcast are filled with those things directly opposed to Biblical teachings.
     For instance, almost every program depicts premarital sex as appropriate when the practice is absolutely forbidden in Scripture.  Furthermore, almost all comedy programs base their humor around sexual jokes and sexual innuendo.  Programs that would have been unheard of thirty or forty years ago are the norm in today's society.
     Many television programs and movies are filled with terrible violence.  The prevailing standard is that might makes right and that killing is something fun.
    This attitude is particularly noticeable in today's video games.  Game producers try to base entertainment on what games produce the highest body count and the most gore.
     Besides this, much of what passes for entertainment these days is filled with all manner of profanity.  You can't go to many movies without hearing the f-word or other profanities that are equally offensive.
     When members of society are constantly consuming these forms of entertainment that promote values contrary to the teachings of Jesus Christ is it any wonder that our society is facing the problems that it is.
     What is particularly troubling is that Christians are often watching the same television programs and going to the same movies, reading the same books, and playing the same games as those who are apart from Christ.
     When believers continue day in and day out to take in ungodly ideas, they become weakened spiritually and begin to either justify un-Christlike behavior or act in un-Christlike ways.
     In our passage today, the Apostle Paul instructs the Philippians to act in a different way.  He instructs them to think in those ways that are just, pure, and good.
     If we as believers will fill our minds with positive, uplifting, and Christ honoring things, our lives can only be the better for it.
     I urge you to make a positive choice in your entertainment habits.  This week and in the weeks to come decide not to take in those forms of entertainment that are negative or violent.  Instead seek out those things which are positive and uplifting and that promote Christian values.
     If we would all just look around, there really are many great entertainment values to invest our time in.
     There are a lot of great animal programs and nature programs to watch.  Also, they are a lot of older tv shows and movies that express good values.  If you're into reading like I am, read some of the great classics of literature.  There are also many great educational programs to view.
     We don't have to sink to the basest level.  We can fill our hearts with the good, decent and honorable.
     This week, I'm going to try to follow the Apostle Paul's admonition.  I hope you will as well. Amen.
    
    

Weekend Sermon--Luke 24:13-35

     Last week, we talked about being a doer and not just a hearer of the Word.  In order to be a spiritually mature Christian, both are necessary. 
     This week, we will focus on one of Jesus' post-resurrection appearances.  After Jesus rose from the grave on Easter morning, He appeared to various people at different times for a period of forty days.  After this, Jesus ascended into Heaven where He is seated at the right hand of God the Father where He is making intercession on behalf of all those who have placed their faith and trust in Him.
     During Jesus' forty post-resurrection days on earth, the Apostle Paul states that Jesus appeared to all of the apostles, James, and to over 500 other witnesses.  As we can clearly see, there are plenty of eyewitnesses to Jesus' resurrection.
     In our Scripture passage today, we see the account of Jesus appearing to two men on the road to Emmaus.  Two men were walking the seven mile distance between Jerusalem and Emmaus.  As they walked along, they discussed all of the events surrounding the death and resurrection of Jesus.
     As they were walking and talking, the two men were suddenly joined by another man who began walking and talking with them.  This other man was Jesus.  But, the two men didn't recognize Him.
     Jesus asked the men what they were talking about as they walked down the road. One of the men recounted the story of Jesus being crucified and how they had hoped that Jesus would be the one who would redeem Israel.  The men then said that some women were told by angels that Jesus was alive.  The rest of Jesus' disciples hadn't seen Him.
     Jesus said in verse 25, "How foolish you are, and how slow of heart to believe all that the prophets have spoken!  Did not the Christ have to suffer these things and then enter his glory?"
     Jesus then went through the entire Old Testament explaining to the men the Bible's teaching about the Christ.  I would have loved to have been there to hear Jesus' teaching.  That would have been tremendous.
     As night approached, the men stopped for the evening, and Jesus joined them.  As they shared a meal together, the men's eyes were opened and they recognized the risen Lord.  Immediately, the men went to tell the disciples everything that had occurred.
     What strikes me about this passage is how the two men could have failed to recognize Jesus.  Over the years, I've heard many explanations as to why the men didn't recognize Jesus.  I don't really buy into any of them.  From what the passage states, the two men were supernaturally prevented from recognizing Jesus until Jesus revealed Himself when they all broke bread bread together.
     I know this much, in our own day and time, we often don't recognize the presence of Jesus or the work of the Lord in our lives.  It isn't until sometime later that we realize what the Lord is doing or how He was working in a given situation.
     I know that in my life I fail to recognize the presence of the Lord even though I know that He will never leave me or forsake me.  When I'm depressed and really down I often feel as if I've been abandoned by God and all people.  It's not until I read the Scriptures or hear an encouraging word or song that I realize that Jesus is present in my life even in the midst of the hardest and darkest struggle.
     Sometimes we don't recognize the presence of Jesus in the people around us.  Matthew 25 records the events surrounding the coming judgment seat of Christ.  In this passage, Jesus says that when you have done it unto the least of these, you've done it unto Him.
     Jesus was present in the hungry person who needed something good to eat.  Jesus was present in the person who needed a warm coat on a frigid day.  Jesus was present in the lonely person.  And Jesus was present in the room of the sick and suffering who needed someone to be with them in their darkest hour.
     So many times we pass by a hurting world on our way to church or Bible study thinking that that is where we will have an encounter with the risen Lord.  We fail to recognize that we will truly see Jesus in the face of those who life has hurt the most.
     Many also fail to recognize the presence of Jesus in Communion.  When we as believers partake of the bread representing Christ's broken body and the wine representing Christ's shed blood, Jesus is spiritually present within these elements providing us spiritual sustenance.  We fail to recognize Jesus when we don't properly reflect on the true meaning and importance of Holy Communion.
     Maybe you are one who hasn't recognized the fact that Jesus is knocking at your heart's door asking to come into your life.  You haven't recognized that Jesus is the answer to the problems of life.  I urge you to open the door, and let Him in today.  May God bless you all.  Amen.
    

Weekend Sermon--James 1:22-25

    I had a wonderful Easter holiday, and I hope that you did as well.  Knowing that we serve a risen Savior is a cause for great joy.  As it says in a hymn, "We can face uncertain days because He lives."
     As I've probably mentioned before, James is one of my favorite books of the Bible outside of the Gospels.  James is a practical book.  In it, the reader will find much that is recognizable from the teaching of Jesus recorded in the Gospels.
     In today's verses, James discusses being both a hearer and a doer of the Word.  These are both important concepts.  They are both essential elements in a believer having a fruitful Christian life and becoming spiritually mature. 
     First of all, the believer is to be a hearer of the Word.  I believe that this means more than just physical hearing.  I believe that it also includes reading and studying the Word.
     In other words, we as believers are to familiarize ourselves with the Word of God.  How can we do this?  First and foremost, we all need to have a regular habit of reading the Bible every day.  I try to read portions of the Old Testament, New Testament, and the words of Jesus each day.  This is just my spiritual discipline.  I know some who like to start a book of the Bible and read it all the way through.  Others are involved in the practice of reading the Bible in such a way that they read through the Bible in one year.  Whatever the practice, the important thing is to be in the Word daily.
     We need to study the Word as well.  Study Bibles are a good tool  which enable readers to come to a fuller understanding of the text.  I like the ESV Study Bible and the Disciples Study Bible.  Although I'm not a dispensationalist, I also like the Ryrie Study Bible.
     Reading commentaries is also a great way to study and understand God's Word better.  I like the New International Commentary on the New Testament and the Matthew Henry commentary.  A good one-volume commentary is the Wycliffe Bible Commentary. 
     Whatever study guides or commentaries you use, it is important to study God's World in detail.  You will never know all that there is to know.  I've studied the Bible for over 30 years and graduated from Bible College, and I am still learning new things.
     Hearing the Word does mean physically hearing the Word.  There are several ways to do this.  First of all, if you're not already attending one, find a church where the Bible is taught effectively.  This is important.  In this day, it is often hard to find solid, Biblical exposition of the Word of God.
     Second, listen to good Bible teaching.  I've always enjoyed listening to Charles Swindoll.  Recently, I've been listening to Alistair Begg.
     Third, a good Sunday school class or a Bible study group is an effective way to hear the Word of God.  Hopefully, this blog teaches something.
     Well, hearing the Word of God is essential.  However, as James points out, it's not enough to be just a hearer of the Word.  We are to be doers of the Word as well.
     As a Christian, we can posses an abundance of knowledge about the Bible and theology, but if it isn't making a difference in our lives, we are in trouble.
     I've known people who have heard the Gospel many times.  They have a thorough knowledge of God's plan of salvation.  However, they have never made a commitment to Jesus Christ.
     I've also known long-time Christians who I'd consider Bible scholars who are the meanest, nastiest people you'd ever have the displeasure to meet.  They have knowledge.  They've heard the Word, but they aren't putting it into practice.  They aren't doers of the Word.
     We need to be doers.  How can we be doers of the Word?  One way is to follow the things commanded in the Scriptures.  We are doers of the Word when we follow the moral code established in the Bible.
     We are doers of the Word when we follow the commands of Jesus.  When we fulfill the Great Commission and practice the Golden Rule, we are doers of the Word.  When we feed the hungry and clothe the naked, we are doers of the Word. 
     Being a doer of the Word is really a hard thing to do.  Don't let anyone tell you otherwise.  The old sin nature fights to have its own way.  There is the idea that I want to do what I want to do when I want to do it. 
    In essence, being a doer of the Word means totally yielding to the Lordship of Jesus Christ.  It means following Jesus wherever He may lead. 
     This week, let's all try to learn more from God's Word and then put it into practice.  Amen.

P.S.--I would like to humbly ask the readers of this blog to pray for me as I try to find a new job.  I'm having a difficult time.  Thank you.  Thank you for reading the blog.  May you know the love of Jesus in your lives.

Weekend Sermon--Easter--Luke 24;1-12, I Corinthians 15

     Christ is Risen.  He is risen indeed.  Easter is a wonderful day.  It is a day of joy and happiness.
     Let's just look back on the events of Holy Week.  Jesus instituted the Lord's Supper.  He then went to the Garden of Gethsemane to pray.  Jesus asked if possible that this cup might pass from Him.  But, then He said the words, "Not my will, but thine be done."  After this, Jesus was betrayed, and then He was brought before the Sanhedrin and Pilate.
     What Jesus went through on the cross was horrible.  What suffering Jesus endured as He bore our sins in His body on the cross.  He did it because He loved us, and He wanted to make atonement for our sins. 
     After the events of Good Friday, just think of the despair that must have filled the hearts of Jesus' followers.  For the last three years they had faithfully followed Jesus.  Then, the unthinkable happened.  Jesus was crucified, dead and in the grave.
     Many of Jesus' followers probably wondered what they would do now.  They probably wondered how they would put their lives back together now that the one in whom they'd placed all their hopes was gone.
     When the women went to the tomb on Easter morning, they weren't expecting Jesus to be alive.  They weren't expecting the stone to be rolled away or that an angel would say, " He is not here, He is risen."
     They should have been expecting it because Jesus made it clear that although He would die on the cross, He would rise again to new life.
     If you remember, I gave a message about the sign of Jonah.  Jesus said that just as Jonah was three days and three nights in the belly of the fish, so to would He be in the grave three days and three nights.
     Even though His followers weren't expecting the resurrection, their sorrow was soon turned to joy when Jesus made multiple appearances to His disciples.  The Apostle Paul said that Jesus appeared to the apostles, James, and to over five hundred other witnesses.
     I know that because of Jesus' resurrection I can have joy in my heart even though the world is a very hard place for me right now.  It is an ultimate joy.  The last several years have been willed with a lot of hardship and sorrow.  And things aren't really getting any easier.
     I can have joy because Jesus is alive, and because He lives I will be with Him forever.  Because Jesus is alive, I will be reunited with my parents again one day.  They believed in Jesus as their Savior and Lord.  Although they are gone, they are alive in Heaven with Jesus.  One of these days when I pass away, I will be with Jesus, my parents, and my friend Toby.  All of this is possible because Jesus Christ rose again from the dead.
     Because Jesus rose from the dead, this life is not all that there is.  In the world we live in today, the wicked are rewarded and the righteous are often persecuted.  In the world today, it seems as if evil is everywhere and the forces of good are in retreat.
     However, because Jesus rose from the grave He will return to earth again in glorious victory.  One day, all things will be made right.  The righteous will be rewarded, and the Kingdom of God will have no end. 
     Christ is risen.  He is risen indeed.  May the name of Jesus Christ be praised both now and forevermore.  Amen.
    

Good Friday

    Today is the day we remember that Jesus gave His life in order to bring salvation to this world.  There are two passages of Scripture that I would like to share with you today.

Philippians 2:5-11-"Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus, who though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, but made himself nothing, taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men.  And being found in human form, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross.  Therefore, God has highly exalted him and bestowed on him the name that is above every name, so that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father."

I Peter 2:22-25-"He committed no sin, neither was deceit found in his mouth.  When he was reviled, he did not revile in return; when he suffered, he did not threaten, but continued entrusting himself to him who judges justly.  He himself bore our sins in his body on the tree, that we might die to sin and live to righteousness.  By his wounds you have been healed.  For you were straying like sheep, but have now returned to the Shepherd and Overseer of your souls."

Maundy Thursday

     Today is the day in Holy Week when we commemorate the events which occurred on the night before Jesus' crucifixion.  What I would like to focus on today is Jesus washing His disciples feet.  On this night, Jesus went to every disciple and washed their feet.  When Jesus came to Peter, Peter said, "You shall never wash my feet."  Jesus replied, "If I do not wash you, you have no share with me."  Upon hearing this Peter said, "Lord, not my feet only but also my hands and head!" 
     After washing His disciples' feet, Jesus said, "If I then, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also ought to wash one another's feet.  For I have given you an example, that you also should do just as I have done to you."
     Washing of feet was a job the servants of a house were supposed to perform.  Jesus was demonstrating to His disciples the principle of service and humility.  Jesus came to this earth to serve not to be served.  That is what we as modern day believers should be about.  We should be people of service.
     One of the best ways we can serve our fellow man is to share the good news of the gospel of Jesus Christ.  We also should reach out and help those in need who don't have enough to eat or who have other physical needs. 
     During this day, think of ways that you can be one who serves.

p.s--Tomorrow I will post about Good Friday.  The Weekend Sermon will appear on Saturday.