Thank you for reading the Weekend Sermon this week. I thank the Lord for this opportunity, and I hope that all of you are having a very good week.
I've been working hard at my job, and writing has been going well. :Usually in the month of December, there are fewer writing jobs, but this month has been good to start out with.
Please be in prayer for my one of my aunts and for one of my uncles. They both lost their spouses recently, and it is very hard to deal with the death of a loved one during the holiday season.
Let us all be in prayer for those in Yemen. That country is in the midst of war, and disease, and famine is rampant. Please pray for an end to the violence, and pray that the aid that the people need will reach the nation.
There are many other places in the world that need peace at this time. Pray for peace in Syria, Israel, Afghanistan, Ukraine, South Sudan and Libya
During this holiday season, let us pray that people will be filled with kindness. Let each of us try to follow the words of the Lord Jesus and do unto others as we would have done unto us.
For our prayer focus countries this week, please pray for those who live in the nations of Azerbaijan and Mali. Pray that many will hear the message of the love of Jesus. Also, pray that many all over the world will hear the message of Jesus' love during this Christmas season.
Over the course of the last few weeks, we've been studying the last few chapters of the book of Romans. Today we will finish chapter 16, and that will be the end of our Romans series. Starting next week on the Weekend Sermon, we will be having some messages centered around the Christmas season.
In today's passage, I want to focus on two verses. The end of verse 19 states, "I want you to be wise about what is good, and innocent about what is evil." This verse reminds me of Philippians 4:8 where Paul gives the instruction that we are to think about those things that are lovely, honorable, just and true.
There are a lot of bad things out in the world that can draw our minds away from the values promoted by Jesus. Many of the movies and television programs that are currently available don't express Christian morals and values. I've found in my own life that if I spend time watching or reading those things which are not reflective of the values of Jesus, it causes me to be less like Jesus and more like the world and its values.
There are a lot of good things that we can put into our minds that are honoring to the Lord. We should all be reading the Bible on a daily basis, but I'm saying more than that. There are good movies and books that do promote what is good that we can be spending our time reading and viewing.
I've been trying in my life to read more animal and nature books. During the coming year, I want to read more non-fiction and fewer mysteries and such. I like to read about the beauty of God's creation, and that gives me peace in my heart. I like to listen to music that promotes peace and tranquility within my spirit.
I'm not trying to come down on people or tell people that this type of book or movie or television program is wrong. I'm just saying that I find that my life is more peaceful and happy when I focus on those things that reflect the values of Jesus and His creation. I want to focus more on those things in the weeks and months to come.
Now, there is a second verse that I want to focus on. Verse 20 states, "The God of peace will soon crush Satan under your feet." What does this mean?
When humanity fell into sin and turned its back on the will of God, evil entered into the world. The Bible says that death passed upon all because all have sinned.
In Genesis 3, we read the record of the fall of humanity. In that chapter, God promised that one would be born who would crush the head of the serpent who was the symbol of Satan.
When Jesus was born into this world, this prophecy saw the beginning of its fulfillment. Jesus was the Lamb of God sent to take away the sin of the world. Jesus lived a holy and sinless life. Because of that, He could take our sins upon Himself on the cross. He could be our substitute. He took the punishment for sins upon Himself that we rightly deserved.
Because of sin, death had passed upon all people. However, Jesus dealt with the consequences of sin through His glorious resurrection. By rising from the grave, Jesus destroyed death, hell and the grave. Death has no power over the one who is in Christ.
Evil is still in the world. There is a lot of terrible stuff that goes on in this world. However, Satan and his evil will be destroyed once and for all when Jesus returns in power and great glory at His Second Coming. Then, all sin will be at an end. Wars will cease. Man's inhumanity to man will be over. Injustice will be at an end. All will be good and right. Peace and justice will rule the day. Love will triumph over the forces of hate.
The Bible says that Satan and all those who remain his followers will be cast in the lake of fire. Evil will be destroyed.
Until that day comes, those of us who are followers of Jesus have a job to do. We are to take the message of Jesus' love to those who don't know about it. We are to tell others that Jesus lived, died, rose again and is coming again. We are also to strive to make this world a better place. We are to feed the hungry, clothe the naked and help those who are oppressed. We are to stand for justice and goodness. We are to follow the example given to us by the Lord Jesus until that day when He returns and all things are made right and all things are restored to their original state.
I hope that you have come to know Jesus as your Lord and Savior. The Bible says that whoever will call on the name of the Lord shall be saved. You can repent of your sins and ask Jesus to be your Savior and Lord this very day.
Next week, our Christmas messages begin. On Monday, I will post the verses for the week. On Wednesday, there may be a review, but I am not sure yet. I will post the Weekend Sermon on Friday next week. May God bless you all. Amen.
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