This is a sermon that I posted almost three years ago when I first started posting sermons on this blog. I've decided to post it again this week. Next week, we will return to our series on the miracles of Jesus. May God bless you this week.
Matthew 28:16-20
Haggai 2:4
Hebrews 13:5
In last week's message, we looked at the last words Jesus spoke to the eleven disciples before He finished His earthly ministry and ascended to the right hand of the Father. The main part of Jesus' last words were His Great Commission commanding the disciples, and all believers, to make disciples, baptize new converts and teach them to obey Jesus' commandments. We also examined just a few of the ways we as 21st century believers can carry out the Great Commission.
One part of Jesus' final words that we didn't get a chance to look at in depth was His statement that , " surely I am with you always to the very end of the age." To me, this is a profound and comforting statement.
In its most immediate context, Jesus is letting His disciples know that as they attempted to carry out the Great Commission, He would be with them helping them to accomplish the great task before them. This is the only means by which they would ever be able to accomplish what they did. Just think of it, eleven men went out and preached the message of Jesus, and from that small beginning, roughly 30% of the world now claims Jesus as Savior. If the Lord hadn't been with them during all of the struggles, hardship, and persecutions they faced they would never have made it. But, the risen Lord was with them every step of the way.
Just as the Lord kept His promise to the disciples, Jesus will be with us as well. He will never leave us or forsake us in our attempts to serve Him and in the hard times we face just trying to live our lives, He will always be there.
I know that without Jesus helping me, I'd never have been able to be a witness in the world. Since the time I was young, I've always had a lot of anxiety when it comes to speaking to people for the first time. It takes a lot of work for me to engage socially. Yet, as a young man I felt called to be in Christian ministry. In order to do this, I'd have to talk to people and share the faith.
At one church I went to, they did a lot of door to door witnessing. So, I started working in this ministry. At first, I didn't think that I could do it, but as I began to talk to people, the peace of Christ came over me, and I didn't have any problem speaking to people in this context.
The same held true in the context of speaking at the nursing home and the chapel services at the local Christian School. I know that Jesus was with me, and I felt His presence enabling me to do the task.
In college, I really had to rely on the Lord to help me to be a witness for Him. Without thinking that it would happen, I was thrust into my own little apologetics ministry. I went to a Christian college that somewhere along the line forgot what that meant. I'd have debates with the chaplain often. He didn't believe any of the orthodox doctrines of the faith. Not one to talk much in class, I didn't have any trouble speaking about the Bible and doctrines of the Lord with this chaplain or students. I knew Jesus was with me.
If you will step out in faith to fulfill the Great Commission, I know that you too will be keenly aware of the presence and power of Jesus in you life. He will give you the strength to do what He has asked you to do.
I believe that Jesus' words about always being with us are true in the struggles of everyday life. Jesus said that each day had enough trouble of its own to deal with without worrying about what the next day would bring.
I don't know how people make it in life without the presence of Jesus. I know that I wouldn't have made it this far without Him and His help in the really hard times.
I've faced probably four or five real hard times in my life when I didn't know if I could keep going.
Growing up and having a lot of heartache with church and school, along with a lot of sickness was hard. But, Jesus being with me saw me through.
Losing Toby just about killed me. He was the one Jesus sent to help me. After Toby left, I felt like I was back to square one. But, Jesus being with me saw me through.
When Mom had a massive stroke and Dad and I took care of her those five years before she passed away, I wouldn't have made it without the rock of the presence of Jesus in my soul never allowing me to get too far down.
Four months after Mom died, my Dad had a stroke at the veterinarian's office while he was there to pick up his Akita. He died two weeks later.
I'm still struggling, but I know Jesus is with me not only because His Word says it, I know it because when I pray and meditate I can feel His presence in my soul.
Every one who is alive has faced hard times when they didn't know if they could keep going. Let me assure you, Jesus is with you. He cares. He loves you. He understands and is working all things out for the ultimate good. Trust Him, and pray of His will.
Jesus promised to never leave us or forsake us. I know this is true. Let us be faithful to Him in all that we do for His honor and glory.
If your reading this and you've never asked Jesus into you life to be your Savior and Lord, I invite you to do so today. Pray to receive Christ. Repent of your sin, and accept Jesus' Lordship. He will hear you when you call on His name. Amen.
Saturday, June 28, 2014
Wednesday, June 25, 2014
Update
I am in the process of reading several good books, and I hope to have reviews of them in the coming weeks.
Saturday, June 21, 2014
Weekend Sermon-- Luke 8:26-39
Welcome to this edition of the Weekend Sermon. Thank you to all of you who read these sermons. I am sorry that I haven't been posting as regularly as I would like to as of late. There is a lot going on at work, and sometimes I am not able to get to the library during the hours that they are open. In the weeks to come, I hope to get back on the old schedule of reviews on Wednesdays and the sermon on Friday.
I want to thank the Lord for my job. I also want to thank the Lord for providing me with some more writing work this week. I quite unexpectedly was asked to write for a large internet company on a part-time basis. I am very grateful for this opportunity.
Continue to be in prayer for the people of Iraq. This country has know nothing but war and strife for the past several years. Please pray for peace, and continue to pray for our Christian brothers and sisters. Pray for the spread of the love of Jesus in Iraq.
Today, we continue with our series of messages on the miracles of Jesus. In our passage for this week, we find one of the more disturbing miracles that Jesus performed. In my opinion, this miracle has some aspects that are rather difficult to understand. It also provides a lot of meaning for today to those who are willing to look at what it has to teach.
Jesus had told His disciples that they were going to the other side of the Sea of Galilee. While they were enroute, a great storm arose, and the disciples feared that they might perish. Jesus performed a great miracle by speaking the words of peace to calm the storm of nature and the storm of fear in the hearts of His followers.
Eventually, the disciples and Jesus landed in Gadara. When they came off of the boat, they were confronted by a man who was demon-possessed. He wore no clothes and lived in the graveyard. This man was wild. The people of the town had tried to chain him up, but the man was always able to break free.
When this man saw Jesus, the demons revealed that there were many of them possessing the man. They asked that Jesus not torment them before the time. Jesus commanded the demons to leave the man, and the demons were sent into a nearby herd of pigs. When the demons entered the pigs, the herd ran over a cliff into the sea and drowned themselves.
When the people of the village saw what had occurred, they were afraid. They asked Jesus to depart from their village. The man whose life had been restored asked to come along and become a follower of Jesus. However, Jesus told the man to, "Return to your home, and declare how much God has done for you."
This miracle account from the life of Jesus has much to teach us today. One of the things that stands out to me right away is that Jesus cared about everyone, and He wanted to share His message of love with all people. Gadara was a Gentile city. However, Jesus wanted to go over to the other side of the Sea of Galilee to share His love with Jew and Gentile alike. Jesus also shared His love with those who were outcasts from society like this man who lived among the graves.
In our world today, there are a host of people who need to hear about Jesus. In many countries of the world, there are only a handful of Christians. The vast majority of the people have never heard the life-changing message of Jesus Christ.
Only 30 percent of the world's population claims to be Christian. That leaves 70 percent of the world at the very least who do not have a personal relationship with the risen Lord. It tells me that all of the followers of Jesus need to be about obeying the Great Commission to preach the Gospel to every one on this planet.
This miracle also teaches me that Jesus loved and cared about even those who the rest of society despised and who were thought to be beyond redemption. Jesus made sure to help a man who was filled with a legion of evil spirits.
There are many people with problems in the world, yet those in the church often reject them and turn them away. We often aren't like Jesus. We aren't helping the afflicted, we are just making them feel worse about themselves.
We as followers of Jesus need to condemn less and help more. I remember in the church that I grew up in as boy that they wouldn't help the homeless people because they said that they were all drug addicts and alcoholics. How different that is from the attitude of the Lord Jesus who reached out in love to even the most looked down upon people in society.
This miracle also demonstrates to me the power that wealth and greed can have upon people. When Jesus cast out the demons, they went into the pigs. The pigs not wanting to be a habitation of demons drowned themselves. Instead of being happy that a man was set free, the people were angry that their herd of pigs was gone. They cared more about profit than people.
This is true in our society today. Many of the major multi-national corporations exploit the poor and weak. They pay pitifully low wages and provide sub-standard working conditions. This is all done in the name of profit and providing value for shareholders. In many cases, churches and religious groups will invest in these companies thus joining the ranks of the exploiters and putting profit before people.
As members of the church of Jesus Christ, we should always put people above profit. We should stand for justice for workers and for the rights of the poor. The church should be the loudest voice of support for the exploited masses in this world today.
One other important aspect about this miracle that I would like to point out involves the reaction of the crowd. They saw the great miracle that Jesus performed, yet they rejected Jesus and asked Him to leave. People do the same thing today. Many who hear the message of the love of Jesus will turn Jesus away. They refuse to follow Him and make Him the Lord of their lives in spite of all that Jesus has done by dying on the cross and rising from the dead.
Finally, Jesus message to the healed man is a message for us today. Jesus told the man to go home and declare what God had done for Him. Let us declare what the Lord has done for us. He has saved us and given us an eternal salvation that can never be taken away. He has gone to prepare a place for us that where He is, we can be there as well. Jesus has given us all things that pertain unto life and Godliness.
May God bless you all this week. Amen.
I want to thank the Lord for my job. I also want to thank the Lord for providing me with some more writing work this week. I quite unexpectedly was asked to write for a large internet company on a part-time basis. I am very grateful for this opportunity.
Continue to be in prayer for the people of Iraq. This country has know nothing but war and strife for the past several years. Please pray for peace, and continue to pray for our Christian brothers and sisters. Pray for the spread of the love of Jesus in Iraq.
Today, we continue with our series of messages on the miracles of Jesus. In our passage for this week, we find one of the more disturbing miracles that Jesus performed. In my opinion, this miracle has some aspects that are rather difficult to understand. It also provides a lot of meaning for today to those who are willing to look at what it has to teach.
Jesus had told His disciples that they were going to the other side of the Sea of Galilee. While they were enroute, a great storm arose, and the disciples feared that they might perish. Jesus performed a great miracle by speaking the words of peace to calm the storm of nature and the storm of fear in the hearts of His followers.
Eventually, the disciples and Jesus landed in Gadara. When they came off of the boat, they were confronted by a man who was demon-possessed. He wore no clothes and lived in the graveyard. This man was wild. The people of the town had tried to chain him up, but the man was always able to break free.
When this man saw Jesus, the demons revealed that there were many of them possessing the man. They asked that Jesus not torment them before the time. Jesus commanded the demons to leave the man, and the demons were sent into a nearby herd of pigs. When the demons entered the pigs, the herd ran over a cliff into the sea and drowned themselves.
When the people of the village saw what had occurred, they were afraid. They asked Jesus to depart from their village. The man whose life had been restored asked to come along and become a follower of Jesus. However, Jesus told the man to, "Return to your home, and declare how much God has done for you."
This miracle account from the life of Jesus has much to teach us today. One of the things that stands out to me right away is that Jesus cared about everyone, and He wanted to share His message of love with all people. Gadara was a Gentile city. However, Jesus wanted to go over to the other side of the Sea of Galilee to share His love with Jew and Gentile alike. Jesus also shared His love with those who were outcasts from society like this man who lived among the graves.
In our world today, there are a host of people who need to hear about Jesus. In many countries of the world, there are only a handful of Christians. The vast majority of the people have never heard the life-changing message of Jesus Christ.
Only 30 percent of the world's population claims to be Christian. That leaves 70 percent of the world at the very least who do not have a personal relationship with the risen Lord. It tells me that all of the followers of Jesus need to be about obeying the Great Commission to preach the Gospel to every one on this planet.
This miracle also teaches me that Jesus loved and cared about even those who the rest of society despised and who were thought to be beyond redemption. Jesus made sure to help a man who was filled with a legion of evil spirits.
There are many people with problems in the world, yet those in the church often reject them and turn them away. We often aren't like Jesus. We aren't helping the afflicted, we are just making them feel worse about themselves.
We as followers of Jesus need to condemn less and help more. I remember in the church that I grew up in as boy that they wouldn't help the homeless people because they said that they were all drug addicts and alcoholics. How different that is from the attitude of the Lord Jesus who reached out in love to even the most looked down upon people in society.
This miracle also demonstrates to me the power that wealth and greed can have upon people. When Jesus cast out the demons, they went into the pigs. The pigs not wanting to be a habitation of demons drowned themselves. Instead of being happy that a man was set free, the people were angry that their herd of pigs was gone. They cared more about profit than people.
This is true in our society today. Many of the major multi-national corporations exploit the poor and weak. They pay pitifully low wages and provide sub-standard working conditions. This is all done in the name of profit and providing value for shareholders. In many cases, churches and religious groups will invest in these companies thus joining the ranks of the exploiters and putting profit before people.
As members of the church of Jesus Christ, we should always put people above profit. We should stand for justice for workers and for the rights of the poor. The church should be the loudest voice of support for the exploited masses in this world today.
One other important aspect about this miracle that I would like to point out involves the reaction of the crowd. They saw the great miracle that Jesus performed, yet they rejected Jesus and asked Him to leave. People do the same thing today. Many who hear the message of the love of Jesus will turn Jesus away. They refuse to follow Him and make Him the Lord of their lives in spite of all that Jesus has done by dying on the cross and rising from the dead.
Finally, Jesus message to the healed man is a message for us today. Jesus told the man to go home and declare what God had done for Him. Let us declare what the Lord has done for us. He has saved us and given us an eternal salvation that can never be taken away. He has gone to prepare a place for us that where He is, we can be there as well. Jesus has given us all things that pertain unto life and Godliness.
May God bless you all this week. Amen.
Saturday, June 14, 2014
Weekend Sermon--Matthew 17:24-27
I am glad to be with you today to post the Weekend Sermon. It has been a very stormy week in my part of the world. We are suppossed to have storms again tonight. I am praying that we don't get any severe weather or any more very heavy rain.
This week, I would ask those who read the blog to pray about the situation in the nation of Iraq. War is raging once again in this country. Let us pray for peace. Let us also pray for the spread of the Gospel in the nation of Iraq.
Today, we are continuing with our series of messages on the miracles of Jesus. Our text from Matthew's Gospel recounts a time when a tax collector came and asked Peter a question. The tax collector wanted to know if Jesus paid the temple tax. Peter said that He did. Later, Jesus asked Peter if the kings of the earth took tax from their sons or from others. Peter answered that of course the kings taxed others and not their own sons Jesus then instructed Peter to go fishing. Jesus told Peter to take the first fish caught and open its mouth. Inside, their would be enough money to pay the temple tax for both Peter and Jesus.
To me, this miracle has several interesting aspects. First of all, some Bible scholars do not even believe that this miracle happened. They question the fact that Jesus would perform a miracle that directly benefited Himself. I do not agree with this. As I have stated in the past, I firmly believe that through the guidance of the Holy Spirit, that the words of Jesus and the stories about His life that we find in the Gospels are absolutely true. Jesus is the Word made flesh. His words and teachings are the interpretive framework for the entire Scripture. Always look to what Jesus said and did in order to interpret the rest of the Bible.
With that little controversy put to rest, let's see what this miracle account has to teach us. One thing that this account demonstrates to me is the divine nature of Jesus. This is apart from the fact that Jesus performed a miracle. Jesus makes it quiet clear from His words to Peter that He is the King. Those who follow Jesus are sons of the Kingdom. Jesus as the Divine Son of God is King of Kings and Lord of Lords. He is the proper object of worship. Those who have given their allegiance to King Jesus will rule and reign with Him some day when He returns to earth once again to establish His Kingdom that will have no end.
As I have said many times in the past, I look forward with great anticipation to the day when Jesus comes again. This past week has been very difficult. There has been a lot of worry and stress. Sometimes the problems of life just seem overwhelming to me, and that has certainly been the case this week.
The thing that really keeps me going is the knowledge that Jesus will make everthing right. All will be well. Jesus is with me now helping me to make it. He will make all things as they should be when I am in His presence some glorious day.
I also see in this miracle account Jesus not only in His divinity, but I see Jesus in His humanity as well. He did something here to help out a friend. Jesus made sure that Peter had enough money to pay his taxes as well.
Often times it is not stressed enough that Jesus was fully human as well as fully divine. Jesus had friends on this earth that were closer to Him than some others. I think that from Scripture we can clearly see that Jesus' best friend was John. Peter and James were also very close friends of Jesus. Mary, Martha and Lazarus were also treasured friends of Jesus as was Mary Magdalene. While He was on earth, Jesus helped His friends and demonstrated what true friendship is really about. In fact, Jesus showed the ultimate example of friendship by sacrificing His life for his friends.
Another instance when Jesus helped His friends and looked after their welfare was on the night that He was betrayed. When He was arrested, Jesus made sure that once the soldiers had arrested Him that they let His disciples go free.
The thing that excites and amazes me is that Jesus says that we can be His friend as well. Jesus is the friend that I truly want to have. He has shown Himself to be my truest and best friend on many occassions throughout my life.
There have been times in life when I have felt very alone and lonely. I know that I would have fallen into a very deep depression or worse if it were not for the genuine awareness of the presence of Jesus in my heart. There have been times in prayer that I can truly feel that Jesus is with me. I don't really know how to explain it, but I know that I have experienced it.
Knowing Jesus as my friend, I know without a shadow of a doubt that He only wants what is best for me. Jesus is not condemning me, and He is not seeking to punish me or make me feel terrible about myself. Jesus cares about me, and He cares about you to.
The Bible says that we show ourselves to truly be Jesus' friends if we do the things that He has asked us to do. If we have truly been touched by the reality of friendship with Jesus we will be filled with His love and seek to spread His love to those around us. We will follow His commandments knowing that He cares for us and He only desires the best for our lives here and for all of eternity.
Jesus desires our friendship. We can come to Him in repentance and faith and receive forgiveness from all of our sins. Please, turn your life over to Jesus today if you have not done so. You will find what true friendship is really all about.
Next week, I will attempt to publish a book review. It may be hard as I am working long hours. I will post another sermon next week on either Friday or Saturday. May God bless you. Amen.
This week, I would ask those who read the blog to pray about the situation in the nation of Iraq. War is raging once again in this country. Let us pray for peace. Let us also pray for the spread of the Gospel in the nation of Iraq.
Today, we are continuing with our series of messages on the miracles of Jesus. Our text from Matthew's Gospel recounts a time when a tax collector came and asked Peter a question. The tax collector wanted to know if Jesus paid the temple tax. Peter said that He did. Later, Jesus asked Peter if the kings of the earth took tax from their sons or from others. Peter answered that of course the kings taxed others and not their own sons Jesus then instructed Peter to go fishing. Jesus told Peter to take the first fish caught and open its mouth. Inside, their would be enough money to pay the temple tax for both Peter and Jesus.
To me, this miracle has several interesting aspects. First of all, some Bible scholars do not even believe that this miracle happened. They question the fact that Jesus would perform a miracle that directly benefited Himself. I do not agree with this. As I have stated in the past, I firmly believe that through the guidance of the Holy Spirit, that the words of Jesus and the stories about His life that we find in the Gospels are absolutely true. Jesus is the Word made flesh. His words and teachings are the interpretive framework for the entire Scripture. Always look to what Jesus said and did in order to interpret the rest of the Bible.
With that little controversy put to rest, let's see what this miracle account has to teach us. One thing that this account demonstrates to me is the divine nature of Jesus. This is apart from the fact that Jesus performed a miracle. Jesus makes it quiet clear from His words to Peter that He is the King. Those who follow Jesus are sons of the Kingdom. Jesus as the Divine Son of God is King of Kings and Lord of Lords. He is the proper object of worship. Those who have given their allegiance to King Jesus will rule and reign with Him some day when He returns to earth once again to establish His Kingdom that will have no end.
As I have said many times in the past, I look forward with great anticipation to the day when Jesus comes again. This past week has been very difficult. There has been a lot of worry and stress. Sometimes the problems of life just seem overwhelming to me, and that has certainly been the case this week.
The thing that really keeps me going is the knowledge that Jesus will make everthing right. All will be well. Jesus is with me now helping me to make it. He will make all things as they should be when I am in His presence some glorious day.
I also see in this miracle account Jesus not only in His divinity, but I see Jesus in His humanity as well. He did something here to help out a friend. Jesus made sure that Peter had enough money to pay his taxes as well.
Often times it is not stressed enough that Jesus was fully human as well as fully divine. Jesus had friends on this earth that were closer to Him than some others. I think that from Scripture we can clearly see that Jesus' best friend was John. Peter and James were also very close friends of Jesus. Mary, Martha and Lazarus were also treasured friends of Jesus as was Mary Magdalene. While He was on earth, Jesus helped His friends and demonstrated what true friendship is really about. In fact, Jesus showed the ultimate example of friendship by sacrificing His life for his friends.
Another instance when Jesus helped His friends and looked after their welfare was on the night that He was betrayed. When He was arrested, Jesus made sure that once the soldiers had arrested Him that they let His disciples go free.
The thing that excites and amazes me is that Jesus says that we can be His friend as well. Jesus is the friend that I truly want to have. He has shown Himself to be my truest and best friend on many occassions throughout my life.
There have been times in life when I have felt very alone and lonely. I know that I would have fallen into a very deep depression or worse if it were not for the genuine awareness of the presence of Jesus in my heart. There have been times in prayer that I can truly feel that Jesus is with me. I don't really know how to explain it, but I know that I have experienced it.
Knowing Jesus as my friend, I know without a shadow of a doubt that He only wants what is best for me. Jesus is not condemning me, and He is not seeking to punish me or make me feel terrible about myself. Jesus cares about me, and He cares about you to.
The Bible says that we show ourselves to truly be Jesus' friends if we do the things that He has asked us to do. If we have truly been touched by the reality of friendship with Jesus we will be filled with His love and seek to spread His love to those around us. We will follow His commandments knowing that He cares for us and He only desires the best for our lives here and for all of eternity.
Jesus desires our friendship. We can come to Him in repentance and faith and receive forgiveness from all of our sins. Please, turn your life over to Jesus today if you have not done so. You will find what true friendship is really all about.
Next week, I will attempt to publish a book review. It may be hard as I am working long hours. I will post another sermon next week on either Friday or Saturday. May God bless you. Amen.
Thursday, June 12, 2014
Update
The Weekend Sermon will appear on Saturday this week. I am sorry that I was unable to post a book review this week.
Friday, June 6, 2014
Weekend Sermon--Mark 9:14-29
Hello, and welcome to another edition of the Weekend Sermon. I am glad to be with you once again this week.
This week, I would like to ask everyone to pray for Hong Kong. Hong Kong does have a substantial Christian population. In fact, I had a piece of devotional writing published in Hong Kong. However, Christianity is a minority religion in Hong Kong. Let us all pray for an outpouring of the Gospel in this area.
Today, we continue with our series of messages concerning the miracles of Jesus. At the beginning of Mark 9, Jesus went up on a mountain accompanied by Peter, James and John. While Jesus was on the mountain, He was transfigured before them. Jesus clothes became exceedingly white, and both Moses and Elijah came and talked with Jesus on the mountain. Later, a cloud descended and a voice came from the cloud saying, "This is my beloved Son. Hear Him!"
After the events that transpired during the transfiguration, Jesus came down from the mountain with His three disciples. Jesus found a great multitude of people gathered around the other nine disciples. There was a man who had brought his son to be healed. The boy was seized by a spirit and thrown to the ground. The boy's father asked Jesus' disciples to heal his son. However, the nine disciples that Jesus left behind were not able to bring deliverance for the boy.
This exasperated Jesus. He said, "Faithless generation, how long shall I be with you? How long shall I bear with you?"
Jesus asked that the boy be brought to Him and said, "If you can believe, all things are possible to him who believes." The father replied, "Lord, I believe. Help my unbelief."
Jesus commanded the spirit to depart, and the boy was made whole.
Later, the disciples asked Jesus why they were unable to bring about deliverance for the boy. Jesus said that this was possible only through prayer and fasting.
I find a lot of meaning in this miracle of Jesus. First of all, this miracle teaches me not to think too highly of myself. Look at the disciples. These nine men were among Jesus' closest followers, yet they were not able to cast out the spirit. Their position did not mean that they were as close to the Lord as they needed to be. They were relying on their own strength and reputation to perform good deeds, and they were not placing their total reliance on the Lord.
Sometimes, I get full of spiritual pride. I think that since I have been a Christian for a long time and that I have been to seminary that I am a really good Christian. I need to realize that I am nothing apart from Jesus. He is the source of my salvation and strength. Without Him, I can do nothing and I am nothing. All things are possible only through the grace of the Lord Jesus.
This miracle also teaches me something about Jesus. It shows not only Jesus' divinity, it demonstrates His true humanity. Jesus often became frustrated at His followers and the people that He dealt with. It is easy to see why. Jesus experienced what it was truly like to be a human. However, Jesus was without sin. Because Jesus experienced what we experience, He is able to show us great compassion in our weaknesses and our infirmities. He understands what we are going through and how hard it is to make it through life. Jesus is able to help us and guide us because He had been in the same situations that we are in. Jesus is the way, the truth and the life.
I also learn about faith from this miracle account. Jesus told the boy's father to believe. The father asked Jesus to help his unbelief. We need to have faith and believe that Jesus will do what He said He will do. At the same time, we must realize that we need Jesus. We do not have the strength within ourselves to even believe. Faith is a gift from the Lord. In fact, we can not even work up enough faith to believe in Jesus for salvation. Faith comes to us by the unmerited favor of the Lord.
If we are struggling to trust the Lord for deliverance from a problem, or if we are asking for something in prayer, we need to ask the Lord for the gift of faith to believe in the wonder working power of the Lord.
Finally, this miracle teaches the importance of the spiritual disciplines of prayer and fasting. Prayer is vital. Is the means by which we communicate with the Lord. It involves the aspects of both listening and speaking. So often we forget about the listening part. We need to spend time just listening to let the Lord speak to our hearts.
Fasting is also important. It is a time of self-denial when we are to turn our attention away from the temporal things of life and focus on the eternal things which do not pass away. It is an important time of communication with the Lord.
Let each of us believe in the Lord. Let us pray and fast and stay in fellowship with our risen Savior.
On Wednesday, I will try to post a book review. I am working long hours, so it may not be until Thursday that I post a review. I will post the sermon on either Friday or Saturday. May God bless you. Amen.
This week, I would like to ask everyone to pray for Hong Kong. Hong Kong does have a substantial Christian population. In fact, I had a piece of devotional writing published in Hong Kong. However, Christianity is a minority religion in Hong Kong. Let us all pray for an outpouring of the Gospel in this area.
Today, we continue with our series of messages concerning the miracles of Jesus. At the beginning of Mark 9, Jesus went up on a mountain accompanied by Peter, James and John. While Jesus was on the mountain, He was transfigured before them. Jesus clothes became exceedingly white, and both Moses and Elijah came and talked with Jesus on the mountain. Later, a cloud descended and a voice came from the cloud saying, "This is my beloved Son. Hear Him!"
After the events that transpired during the transfiguration, Jesus came down from the mountain with His three disciples. Jesus found a great multitude of people gathered around the other nine disciples. There was a man who had brought his son to be healed. The boy was seized by a spirit and thrown to the ground. The boy's father asked Jesus' disciples to heal his son. However, the nine disciples that Jesus left behind were not able to bring deliverance for the boy.
This exasperated Jesus. He said, "Faithless generation, how long shall I be with you? How long shall I bear with you?"
Jesus asked that the boy be brought to Him and said, "If you can believe, all things are possible to him who believes." The father replied, "Lord, I believe. Help my unbelief."
Jesus commanded the spirit to depart, and the boy was made whole.
Later, the disciples asked Jesus why they were unable to bring about deliverance for the boy. Jesus said that this was possible only through prayer and fasting.
I find a lot of meaning in this miracle of Jesus. First of all, this miracle teaches me not to think too highly of myself. Look at the disciples. These nine men were among Jesus' closest followers, yet they were not able to cast out the spirit. Their position did not mean that they were as close to the Lord as they needed to be. They were relying on their own strength and reputation to perform good deeds, and they were not placing their total reliance on the Lord.
Sometimes, I get full of spiritual pride. I think that since I have been a Christian for a long time and that I have been to seminary that I am a really good Christian. I need to realize that I am nothing apart from Jesus. He is the source of my salvation and strength. Without Him, I can do nothing and I am nothing. All things are possible only through the grace of the Lord Jesus.
This miracle also teaches me something about Jesus. It shows not only Jesus' divinity, it demonstrates His true humanity. Jesus often became frustrated at His followers and the people that He dealt with. It is easy to see why. Jesus experienced what it was truly like to be a human. However, Jesus was without sin. Because Jesus experienced what we experience, He is able to show us great compassion in our weaknesses and our infirmities. He understands what we are going through and how hard it is to make it through life. Jesus is able to help us and guide us because He had been in the same situations that we are in. Jesus is the way, the truth and the life.
I also learn about faith from this miracle account. Jesus told the boy's father to believe. The father asked Jesus to help his unbelief. We need to have faith and believe that Jesus will do what He said He will do. At the same time, we must realize that we need Jesus. We do not have the strength within ourselves to even believe. Faith is a gift from the Lord. In fact, we can not even work up enough faith to believe in Jesus for salvation. Faith comes to us by the unmerited favor of the Lord.
If we are struggling to trust the Lord for deliverance from a problem, or if we are asking for something in prayer, we need to ask the Lord for the gift of faith to believe in the wonder working power of the Lord.
Finally, this miracle teaches the importance of the spiritual disciplines of prayer and fasting. Prayer is vital. Is the means by which we communicate with the Lord. It involves the aspects of both listening and speaking. So often we forget about the listening part. We need to spend time just listening to let the Lord speak to our hearts.
Fasting is also important. It is a time of self-denial when we are to turn our attention away from the temporal things of life and focus on the eternal things which do not pass away. It is an important time of communication with the Lord.
Let each of us believe in the Lord. Let us pray and fast and stay in fellowship with our risen Savior.
On Wednesday, I will try to post a book review. I am working long hours, so it may not be until Thursday that I post a review. I will post the sermon on either Friday or Saturday. May God bless you. Amen.
Wednesday, June 4, 2014
Book Review
Today I am back to reviewing animal books. I've just read a very interesting book entitled "Sergeant Stubby" written by Ann Bausum. The publisher is National Geographic. This book tells the story of a stray dog that was adopted as a companion by a soldier heading to the battlefields in France during World War I.
Stubby was a mascot for the entire unit. However, Stubby contributed to the war effort in other ways as well. Stubby could alert the troops in advance when a gas attack was coming. He also captured a spy trying to infiltrate his unit.
When Stubby returned to the United States, he was a hero. He was given many awards and was part of numerous parades.
I really enjoyed this book. It gives much information about Stubby, but it also tells the story of the Great War that cost so many lives. I highly recommend this book.
Stubby was a mascot for the entire unit. However, Stubby contributed to the war effort in other ways as well. Stubby could alert the troops in advance when a gas attack was coming. He also captured a spy trying to infiltrate his unit.
When Stubby returned to the United States, he was a hero. He was given many awards and was part of numerous parades.
I really enjoyed this book. It gives much information about Stubby, but it also tells the story of the Great War that cost so many lives. I highly recommend this book.
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