Weekend Sermon -- The Way of Jesus -- Part 8

      Welcome to this week's edition of the sermon. I am sorry that the sermon was so short last week. I had to have a tooth pulled, and I really wasn't feeling well at all. I did want to post something, so I did the best that I could. I hope that you are all doing well. Before I go any further, I would like to ask you to pray for where I live in the central US. There are really bad tornadic storms in the forecast. Please pray that these storms will not materialize and be bad. Thank you. 

     In today's message in our way of Jesus series, I want to say more about the theme of peace that we touched upon last week. One of the titles that Jesus the Messiah is given in the book of Isaiah is the Prince of Peace. Love is definitely the first thing that we think of when we think of the way of Jesus. Peace is the second thing that I think about. It is so important that those who claim to be followers of the Lord Jesus are seen to be those who follow the way of peace and not the way of war and aggression . 

     One thing that makes me really sad is that throughout the course of history, those who claim to be followers of the Lord Jesus have engaged in so many wars of aggression even with those who are supposed to be their brothers and sisters in Christ. This is so ridiculous. The warfare, violence and bloodshed among those who claim to know Jesus is one of the major obstacles in telling people about the reality of Jesus. Those who don't know Jesus see those who are supposed to follow Him killing each other and invading each others countries. It happened much in the past, and it is still happening today. Why would anyone want to follow a religion if its followers don't act any different from everyone else?

     Wars come about according to James because people are greedy and selfish. Their sinfulness leads them into violence. Christians must stand up against this and say that there is another way. 

     Jesus gave us a teaching to follow that if all Christians would follow it, the world could be revolutionized. He told us to do unto others as we would have done to us. It is very simple yet so profound. If all people would follow this, we would see an end to war and violence. We would see peace because people would be following the teachings of the Prince of Peace. 

     It always bothers me when I see Christians, being aggressive with guns and violence. Jesus told us to put away the sword. He said that those who live by the sword will die by the sword. 

     Jesus also taught those who follow Him the way of peace through non-violence. He taught us to turn the other cheek and to go the extra mile. He taught us to overcome evil with good. If all of those who truly call Jesus Lord would act the way that Jesus taught us to act, they world would be the way that it should be. 

     Now, I'm not naive. There is evil in this world. We saw it in World War II. We see it today when a country invades another nation and attacks civilians. Sometimes, it is necessary to stop evil. However, with that said, Christians can stop violence by acting in the manner of Jesus. If we did, we could stop evil before it gets to the point where atrocities and war take place. 

     Let us take for example Germany in World War II. Many church people supported what was wrong, or they did nothing to non-violently stand against the Nazi evil. Evil triumphs when good people do nothing. If Christians would have never supported in any way the Nazis, they never would have been able to come to power. I know that there were those who did take a stand, but not enough people did. 

     Seeking peace means seeking justice. It means standing non-violently against evil so that little things don't grow into big things that cause resentments and lead to conflict. 

     So many things that Jesus taught against lead to injustice and conflict. For example, Jesus taught us to love one another, and the New Testament is firmly against any type of racism, classism or discrimination. If those who would call themselves Christians would follow the teachings of the Lord Jesus in these areas, so much conflict could be avoided before wars break out. 

    Now, I've said what I have to say about that for right now. There are two things that I want to add. Jesus is our peace. He gave us His peace so that we do not have to be afraid. The reason being is that He is with us, and no matter what happens to us in this life, we will go to be with Him in the place that He has prepared for us. Knowing this, we can stand for peace and justice without fear of the consequences. 

     Finally, peace will never fully come until the Prince of Peace returns to this earth in power and great glory. When He does come back, the Bible says that they will beat their swords into ploughshares and their spears into pruning hooks. Nations will no longer rise against nation, and they will study war no more. Every person will sit under his or her own vine, the Bible says, and no one shall make them afraid. This is the day that I am longing for. In the meantime, let us follow the way of Jesus and work for peace and justice in this world as we follow the path of the Savior's love. Amen. 

Prayer Requests

     Once again, I would ask you to pray about the storms. 

     Let us pray for peace in this world. Here are the countries where I know there are active conflicts. There may be more: Afghanistan, Israel, Ukraine, Chad, Libya, Yemen, Syria, Sudan, Congo, Somalia, Ethiopia. Let us pray for these nations that they might have peace. If you know of others, pray for them too. 

     For our prayer focus nations this week, let's pray for those in the nations of Indonesia and Sri Lanka. Pray that many will come to know Jesus. 

     Next week, we will continue in our current series. I will post the verses on Monday, and I will try to post something midweek. May God bless you all. 

Some Program Recommendations

      One of the reasons that I first started this blog was to spread the message about how it is so important for us to protect the environment and endangered species. I love animals and the beauty of creation. I find that there are no better programs to watch than those that deal with the natural world. 

      Nature on PBS here in the United States is probably my favorite program on TV. This past week, they had on an exceptional program called, "Portugal:Wild Land on the Edge". It did a great job of showing the beauty of Portugal. This program is available to view on the Nature website for a few more weeks. I would urge you to watch it. 

     Some other Nature programs that I've enjoyed especially are Coywolves, Wolverine, and Broken Tail. I've never really seen a program on Nature that I didn't enjoy. DVDs of almost all of the programs are available. Take the time to check them out at the library, or purchase one or two. 

Verses For The Week

 John 21:25 -- "Jesus did many other things as well. If every one of them was written down, I suppose that even the whole world would not have room for the books that would be written."

Luke 24:36 -- "While they were still talking about this, Jesus Himself stood among them and said to them, 'Peace be with you'".

Weekend Sermon -- The Way of Jesus

 I am sorry that the sermon is so late this week. I have had to have dental work done, work has been crazy and it is very stormy around here. 

Today we resume our way of Jesus sermon series. I believe that the Bible is very clear that following the way of Jesus means following the way of peace. There are few more important topics that we can talk about at this time in light of all the violence that is going on in the world.

In His great sermon, the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus said "Blessed are the peacemakers". Jesus also said that those who live by the sword would die by the sword. He told us that He would be our peace.

As those who would follow Jesus, we must seek the ways of peace. No one can say that they truly follow Jesus when they advocate or approve of a war of aggression. Christians are to pray for and work for peace. We are not to participate in wars of aggression.

Being a peacemaker means standing against war, but it also means that we stand against the systems of injustice that lead to violence. We do this non- violently as we point out the way of Jesus to all.

The greatest way that we can promote peace in the world is to point people to Jesus. Those who will truly give their lives over to the lordship of Jesus Christ will have peace in their hearts that will spread out into all of their other relationships. If people will truly want to know Jesus, they will desist from violence and seek the benefit and good for all. I will go into peace and non-violence as the way of Jesus more next week. Amen

Prayer Requests

Please pray that the Lord will allow me to feel better and that He will help me with my financial problems.

Pray for peace in Ukraine and for the Ukrainian refugees. Also remember to pray for peace in Syria and Yemen among others.

For our prayer focus countries this week let us pray for those in Japan and Mongolia. Pray that many will come to know Jesus.

Next week we will return to the normal blog schedule. May God bless you all.

Update

    The sermon will be posted on Saturday this week. 

Verses For The Week

 I Corinthians 15:3-8 -- "For what I received I passed on to you as of first importance: that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, that He was buried, that He was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures, and that He appeared to Cephas, and then to the Twelve. After that, He appeared to more than five hundred of the brothers and sisters at the same time, most of whom are still living, though some have fallen asleep. Then He appeared to James, and then to all the apostles, and last of all He appeared to me also, as to one abnormally born."

Weekend Sermon -- Easter

      Thanks for joining me today for the Weekend Sermon. Christ is risen today, glory be to His name. 

     Over the course of the last few weeks, we've been in a series of messages called the Way of Jesus. This is Holy Week, and it is Easter, so I am taking a short break from our current series to bring a message about Easter and the resurrection of the Lord Jesus Christ. 

     On Good Friday, we saw from the Gospel of John that Jesus was crucified. He died for our sins, and then He was buried in the tomb of Joseph of Arimathea. As the Sabbath was quickly approaching, the full preparation of the body of Jesus wasn't carried out, so on Sunday morning, some of the women who followed Jesus went to the tomb in order to prepare it. What they saw shocked them. 

     When the women arrived at the tomb, they saw that the stone was rolled away. An angel told them that Jesus was no longer there. He had risen from the dead just like He told them He would. The women were told to go tell the disciples that Jesus was risen, and that is what they did. However, the disciples didn't believe until they saw the Risen Lord revealed to them in person. After His resurrection, Jesus made several post-resurrection appearances so that there would be no doubt that He was alive. The apostle Paul tells us that there were at least 500 people who witnessed the fact that Jesus was alive. 

     So, what does the resurrection of Jesus mean to us. It means everything. When Jesus died on the cross, He shed His blood to redeem us from our sins. However, we know from what the Bible tells us that there is a consequence for sin. Sin brings death. In order to truly defeat the power of sin, Jesus had to rise from the dead conquering death, hell and the grave. 

     On Easter morning, Jesus rose in triumph over the grave. Sin had been defeated once and for all. Those who put their faith and trust in the death and resurrection of Jesus would have eternal life. He would be with us now and for eternity in the place that He has gone to prepare for those who love Him. 

     Because of what happened on Easter morning, those who are in Christ need not fear death. For those who know Jesus, to be absent from the body is to be present with the Lord. When we die, we go immediately to be with Jesus. It isn't because of anything that we have done, it is because of what Jesus has done for us. 

     Because Jesus rose, we do not grieve as those who have no hope. We will be reunited in Heaven with those who we love who were in Christ. All is well and all will be well because Jesus is the Risen Savior. 

     I want to invite you to come to know the Risen Lord today. Believe in what He did for you on the cross. Belief in His resurrection. Ask Jesus to forgive you of your sin and to come into your heart as Savior and Lord. You can come to know Him today. Amen. 

Prayer Requests

     Please continue to pray for peace in the troubled areas of this world. Pray for peace in Ukraine, Yemen, Syria and elsewhere. 

     Coronavirus is still a big problem in many places. Pray for an end to this pandemic, and pray that the sick will recover. 

     Continue to pray for the people of Tonga as they recover from the effects of the volcanic eruption that occurred a few weeks ago. 

     For our prayer focus countries this week, let us pray for those in the nations of  Guinea and Djibouti. Pray that many will come to know Jesus. 

     Next week, we will return to our series on the Way of Jesus. I will post the verses on Monday, and I will try to post something midweek. May God bless you all.  

Maundy Thursday

      This is the first of our Holy Week posts. I want us to focus on the events of Maundy Thursday. On this night, Jesus instituted the sacrament of Holy Communion. He told the disciples that the bread represented His body that was to be broken for them. The wine represented His blood that would be shed for them. As often as they ate the bread and drank from the cup, they were remembering His death until the time that He would come back to earth again. 

     When we partake of the elements of Holy Communion, we are remembering what Jesus did for us when He sacrificed Himself on the cross. He came from Heaven and took upon Himself human flesh. He was tempted in all manner just as we are, yet He was without sin. By living a sinless life, He was our perfect example, and He was the Lamb of God who would take away the sins of the world. We must always remember what Jesus gave up and what Jesus suffered in order that we might have forgiveness of sins and eternal life. 

     Jesus did something else on Maundy Thursday. He washed the disciples feet. He did this in order to demonstrate to them that He had come to serve and not to be served. As they followed His example in the world, they were to serve each other and those in the broader community. They were to go out and tell others about Jesus and help them to have a better life. They were not to go and get notice and riches for themselves. In all things, the disciples were to follow Jesus' example. We are to do the same. Let Jesus be our example as we seek to serve Him in this world. 

Update

   An update on the blog. Since this is Holy Week, there will be a Maundy Thursday and a Good Friday post. The Weekend Sermon will be posted on Saturday this week. 

    I have two prayer requests. Please pray that the storms predicted for my area will not be bad. Also, pray that all will go well with my dental appointment this week. Thank you. 

Verses For The Week

      Before I post the verses, I would like to ask that you pray that the weather in my area will not be bad this week. The forecast is for tornados. Pray that the storms do not come. Thank you. 

II Thessalonians 3:3 -- "But the Lord is faithful, and He will strengthen you and protect you from the evil one."

Psalm 138:7 -- "Though I walk in the midst of trouble, you preserve my life. You stretch out Your hand against the anger of my foes; with Your right hand You save me."

Weekend Sermon -- The Way of Jesus -- Part 6

      Welcome to the Weekend Sermon. I hope everyone is having a good week. Thank you for taking the time to read the sermon this week. 

     As you probably know by now, we are in the midst of a series of messages I've entitled the way of Jesus. These messages are intended to show the way that Jesus taught us to live. They are to show what it means to live as a follower of Jesus in this world. 

     In today's message, I want us to see that following the way of Jesus means helping the least among us as we have been taught to do by Jesus. We find Jesus' teaching about this specifically in Matthew 25. 

     In this chapter, Jesus tells us that there will be a great judgment of the nations when He returns to earth at His Second Coming. Jesus will separate the nations as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats. Jesus brings judgment against one group. He tells them that when He was sick, they did not come to visit Him. When He was hungry, they did not feed Him. When He was naked, they did not clothe Him. This group asks when they might have seen Jesus in this way. Jesus tells them that when they did not do good unto the least among them, they did not do it unto Him. On the other hand, Jesus tells the other group that they had clothed Him when they saw Him naked. They had visited Him when He was sick. They feed Him when they saw Him hungry. Jesus said that when they had done it unto the least of these, they had done it unto Him. 

     Following the way of Jesus means helping those who are considered to be the least among us. We have many people in many nations around the world that need those of us who follow the Lord Jesus to help them. In my country, there are many people who suffer from what is called food insecurity. This means that they don't know from one week to the next if they will have enough money to buy the food that they need for themselves and for their families. Many people in the US are reliant on food banks in order to have enough to get by from week to week. Without the free school lunches that many students receive, they wouldn't get a proper meal. Some schools even send food home for the children on the weekends so that they will have enough to eat. In my country, there are many homeless people who have virtually nothing. 

     Following the way of Jesus and helping the least of these means that we have to do all that we can to help people get enough to eat. There are people all over the world without enough, and the church of Jesus Christ needs to be the solution to the problem. One way that we do this is by feeding the hungry. We also have to be strong advocates for the governmental programs that will help those who need help. 

     Hunger is not the only need. There are many people who can't afford to go to the doctor. Many die of treatable diseases all over this world every day. This shouldn't be. Christians must follow the way of Jesus and work to bring healthcare to the nations so the everyone can have a bright future. We cannot just walk by on the other side of the road. We must be like the Good Samaritan who helped the man who needed aid. 

     I could go on and on, but there are two more things that I would like to mention. Many in my nation and around the world are exploited. They aren't paid enough to live properly. Rich corporations exploit people and don't treat their workers properly. Christians must be at the forefront of paying decent living wages and being advocates to end exploitation and seeing justice for workers around the world. 

    Now, some may find this controversial, but I believe that the least among us can refer to animals as well. So many animals suffer from abuse and neglect. It is abhorrent. Let us help these who are the least among us too that they might have the life that God intended for them. A life that is free from fear and harm. 

     None of us can do everything, but Jesus calls us to do what we can to serve the least of these who are among us. Let us all try to find a way to make a positive difference in this world and please the Lord who we claim to serve. Amen. 

 Prayer Requests

     I am having a lot of health problems right now. Please pray that I will get to feeling better. 

     Continue to pray for an end to the coronavirus pandemic. Pray that the sick will recover. 

     Pray that those in Tonga will continue to receive the aid that they need. 

     We must keep praying for peace in Ukraine. Pray for an end to the violence against the civilian population and pray for the refugees. Also, be in prayer for peace in Syria, Yemen and the other troubled areas of this world. 

     For our prayer focus countries this week, let us pray for those who live in the nations of  Iran and Vietnam. Pray that many will come to know Jesus. 

     Next week, I will continue with our current series. I will post the verses on Monday. I will try to post a review midweek. May God bless you all. 

Verses For The Week

 Romans 8-10 -- "If Christ is in you, though the body is dead because of sin, yet the spirit is alive because of righteousness."

John 5:21 -- "For just as the Father raises the dead and gives them life, even so the Son also gives life to whom He wishes."

Weekend Sermon -- The Way Of Jesus -- Part 5

      Thank you for reading the sermon today. I hope that everyone is doing well and is feeling well. The storms went to the north of my area, and I thank the Lord for that, and I thank you for your prayers in that matter. 

     For the past several weeks, we've been studying what it means to follow the way of Jesus. The early Christians were known as those who followed the Way. The way that they followed was the way of Jesus. We've been trying to see from the Gospels what that all entails. 

     In today's message, I want to focus on the fact that following the way of Jesus means living a life that is upright. One of the ways that we know how Jesus wants us to live in this world is by reading what He said in the Gospels. The Sermon on the Mount is one of the most important statements that Jesus made about living a life that is pleasing to God. We can live a life that is pleasing to God when we seek to avoid sin. 

     In the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus told us to avoid several different types of sin. He told us not to be angry with our brothers and sisters. He told us to avoid lustful behavior that could lead to adultery. Jesus told us about when divorce is sinful, and He went on to forbid the taking of oaths. These are just a few of the many things that Jesus taught us about living an upright life. 

     The Lord Jesus never did anything that was wrong. He was tempted in every manner just as we are, yet He was without sin. If we are to follow the Way of Jesus, we have to make sure that we are striving to live without sin in our lives. We are called to live lives of holiness in imitation of the life lived on this earth by the Lord Jesus. 

     In the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus said that He had not come to abolish the Law. We have been given many things in the Word that we are required to do by the Lord. In both the Old and New Testaments, we are given the information about what the Lord expects of us. We have been given the Ten Commandments to follow. There are many different places in the New Testament were we are told to refrain from specific sins. Jesus told us some of the serious sins that we are to avoid in our lives in Matthew 15:19. Jesus said that sinful behavior includes evil thoughts, murder, adultery, sexual immorality, theft, false testimony and slander." As we saw last week, Jesus placed a special emphasis on people not acting in a hypocritical manner. 

     As those who follow the way of Jesus, it is required of us that we deal with sin in our lives. When we feel the conviction of the Holy Spirit, we need to repent of our sin, and then as the Holy Spirit empowers us, we are to remove that sin from our lives and live in a way that is pleasing to the Lord. 

     In my life, I've found that the best way to overcome what is wrong in my life is to spend so much time doing what is right, that there isn't enough time to do what is wrong. It isn't always easy to do the right thing, but the Lord will forgive us when we fail. He will give us the strength to live a life of holiness that is pleasing to him if it is truly our desire to serve Him and honor Him in this world. Amen. 

Prayer Requests

     Please continue to pray for an end to the coronavirus pandemic. Hong Kong is having a great deal of difficulty right now. 

     Continue to pray for Tonga and Madagascar as they are recovering from natural disasters. 

     Pray for peace in Ukraine and pray for Ukrainian refugees.

     Pray for peace in Syria, Israel, Yemen and others areas where there is conflict. I am thankful to the Lord that a cease fire has been agreed to in Ethiopia. 

     For our prayer focus countries this week, let's pray for those who live in the nations of Bangladesh and Guinea-Bissau. Pray that many will come to know Jesus. 

     Next week, we will continue in our current sermon series. I will post the verses on Monday, and I will post a review midweek. May God bless you all.