James 1:12 -- "Blessed is the man who remains steadfast under trial, for when he has stood the test he will receive the crown of life, which God has promised to those who love Him."
Romans 12:21 -- "Do not be overcome with evil, but overcome evil with good."
This is a picture of me and Toby. It is one of the few pictures I have of the two of us together. I was usually taking pictures of him. This time, I got my mom to take a picture of us. I still have that old antique clock. This picture is from several years ago when I was a lot younger than I am now.
This is my old friend Toby. I like to post my favorite picture of him on the blog from time to time especially on days when I am missing him more than usual.
Thank you for reading the sermon today. I hope and pray that you all are doing well both spiritually and physically.
Well, we have reached the end of our sermon series on the book of I Thessalonians. As we wrap things up with today's message, there are two points that Paul makes that I want us to focus our attention on. First of all, let us look at chapter 5 verse 23 that states, "May God Himself, the God of peace, sanctify you through and through. May your whole spirit, soul and body be kept blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ."
This verse tells us that God is the God of peace. We live in a world that has wars and conflicts going on all over. If you read the blog regularly, you know that we have a list of nations that we pray for so that peace might come. God does not want there to be wars and fighting in this world. We as His people are called to seek peace and pursue it. Jesus said that those who make peace are blessed.
If you hear a pastor, teacher or religious leader condoning wars or speaking in an overly militaristic manner, that is not someone who is correctly representing the God of peace and His Son the Lord Jesus Christ. The Christian is not to focus on militaristic things and violence. We should be focused on doing what we can to bring hope and healing to the nations.
This is one thing that is certain, when Jesus returns to earth to establish His kingdom, war will be no more. The nations will beat their swords into ploughshares and their spears into pruning hooks. Nation will not rise against nation. They will study war no more.
Paul goes on to speak about sanctification and living lives that are blameless until the coming of the Lord. To be sanctified means to be set apart to a holy service. That is what we are called to be. God has sanctified us by His grace to do His will and His work in this world. We are called to live holy lives that are pleasing to the Lord, and we are to live lives that are an example to others so that they might know the True and Living God.
I believe that we grow in the grace and knowledge of the Lord every day. We are to become more and more like Jesus as we continue to follow Him. We lay aside our sins, and focus on following the example of Jesus. We ask what would Jesus do in each and every situation in which we find ourselves. We should be sinning less and less all of the time as we grow in our relationship with the Lord.
Some do not believe that we can reach a state where we are not sinning in this life. I don't agree with that position. If we allow the Holy Spirit to work in our lives, I believe that by God's grace, we can reach a state where we are sinning very little or not at all. It takes much work and discipline and a willingness to follow Jesus wherever He leads us.
I know that I have not arrived at a place where I am not sinning, but I am striving to be more like Jesus. It is my desire to do what pleases Him and to follow Him to the best of my ability.
Paul closes out this letter to the Thessalonians by asking that the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ be with them. We are nothing without the grace of the Lord Jesus. We are what we are not through any good works that we have done. We are only anything because of what Jesus Christ has done for us. We only have what we have because of His grace, mercy and blessing. Amen
Prayer Requests
I am really having a lot of health issues right now. I have very bad arthritis in my spine. I am also having a lot of stomach problems. Please pray that I can get to feeling better. Thank you.
Continue to pray for peace in the world. Syria, Ukraine, Ethiopia, Chad, Yemen and Congo need our prayers for peace.
Please pray about the election in Brazil this week. There is much at stake in this election from an environmental standpoint. Pray that whatever side loses the election will honor the will of the people.
Pray for the leaders of the world that they will be able to help their people deal with the burdens of the high inflation.
Pray for an end to coronavirus and the other diseases that are affecting so many around the world.
For our prayer focus countries this week, let us pray for those in Sri Lanka and Guinea. Pray that many will come to know Jesus.
Next week, we will be starting a new series of messages. This will lead us to Advent. I have two series of messages planned for the new year. On Monday I will post the verses. I will try to post something midweek if I am feeling up to it. May God bless you all.
Romans 8:10 -- "Love does no harm to a neighbor. Therefore love is the fulfillment of the law."
Galatians 5:14 - "For the entire law is fulfilled in keeping this one commandment, 'love your neighbor as yourself'".
Galatians 6:2 -- "Carry each other's burdens, and in this way you will fulfill the law of Christ."
Welcome to the Weekend Sermon. I hope that you have all had a very good week. I have been feeling better, and I thank the Lord for this.
Last week, we looked at a few of the more familiar verses in the book of I Thessalonians. In today's message, I want to focus on four verses beginning with 5:19 that says, "Do not quench the Spirit." This is a short verse with a lot of meaning in it.
One of the ways that I believe that we can quench the Spirit is by not listening to the direction that the Holy Spirit gives to us. When the Spirit instructs us to do a certain thing, we have the choice to obey or to disobey. If we do not listen to the leading of the Spirit, we are quenching the power of the Holy Spirit in our lives.
We also quench the Spirit when we do not heed the Spirit's warning about what is sinful. One of the roles of the Holy Spirit is to convict us of sin. When we ignore the Holy Spirit's conviction and warnings, we will only fall deeper into sin and farther and farther away from the Lord.
One other way that we can quench the Spirit that I would like to point out is that we do not follow the moving of the Holy Spirit in our worship services. We can have everything so programmed and choreographed that we are not open to the Spirit taking us in another direction.
Finally, there is a way for unbelievers to quench the Holy Spirit. When the word is given to those who are without Jesus in their hearts, the Holy Spirit convicts the sinner of his or her need for a Savior. By resisting the conviction of the Spirit, the Spirit is being quenched.
Verses 20 and 21 tells us not to hold prophecies in contempt but to test them. Whenever someone gives a word in a service, we as believers have to test everything by the revealed will of God found in the Bible. If anything that someone preaches, predicts or teaches does not line up with the Bible, it should be rejected. God will not contradict His word.
On another note, if someone utters a predictive prophecy that does not come true, according to the Scripture, that person is not to be listened to again. A lot of people in my country said that God told them that a certain person would be elected president. That didn't happen.
We now come to verses 21b and 22 that state, "Hold on to what is good, reject every kind of evil." We need to cultivate as much good as we can in our lives. We need to focus on what is pure, good, lovely and wholesome. We need to focus on being good and doing good. The Bible tells us not to have any association with the unfruitful works of darkness. We are even called upon to avoid the appearance of evil. If we are doing as much good as we can in this world, we won't have time for evil to enter into our thoughts and actions.
In all we do, we need to keep our eyes fixed on Jesus. He will lead us into what is good and what is right. Amen.
Prayer Requests
I am feeling a lot better. Keep praying that I will continue to improve. I thank you for your prayers.
Please continue to pray for those nations that have experienced damage from storms. Pray that they will get the help that they need to recover.
Pray for Haiti. That country is having a lot of trouble right now.
Continue to pray for an end to the coronavirus pandemic.
Ukraine, Yemen, Libya, Ethiopia and Syria all need our prayers for peace.
I would ask that you pray concerning the economic problems that are facing many nations and people. There are a lot of people worried about how they are going to heat their homes this winter due to the high inflation. Pray that God will give wisdom to the leaders of the world during this difficult time.
For our prayer focus countries this week, let us pray for those in the nations of Chad and Israel. Pray that many will come to know Jesus.
Next week, we will finish our series in I Thessalonians. I will post the verses on Monday. I will try to have a midweek post. May God bless you all.
Tigers race
up steps of desperation.
In the vining temple,
a roar
calls on all that is holy.
Tigers playing tag
on the Himalayan hills
romp under departing blue
waiting for the hunt
beneath a giant moon.
I Peter 4:8 -- "Above all, keep loving one another earnestly, since love covers a multitude of sins."
Colossians 3:12-13 -- "Put on then, as God's chosen ones, holy and beloved, compassionate hearts, kindness, humility, meekness and patience, bearing with one another and, if one has a complaint against another, forgiving each other; as the Lord has forgiven you, so you also must forgive."
Thank you for taking the time to read the sermon this week. I am glad that a few more people are reading the messages again, and I thank the Lord for giving me the opportunity to post these messages.
Last week, we learned about some of the expectations that Paul had for those who were waiting for the coming of the Lord Jesus. We are to be people of love who live at peace with one another. We are to encourage one another, and we are to forgive one another.
Today, we look at three of the more familiar verses in the book of I Thessalonians. Let us look at each one of these verses individually. First of all verses 16 states, "Rejoice always." In some ways, this may seem like a hard thing to do. When bad things happen to us, we can find it hard to be in a spirit of rejoicing. However, as believers in the Lord Jesus, we always have something to rejoice about. No matter what type of circumstances we find ourselves in, we can rejoice in the fact that our sins are forgiven. We can rejoice in the fact that we are filled with the Spirit. We can rejoice in the fact that Jesus Christ is in our hearts. We can feel His love for us, and we can have a relationship with Him. We can always rejoice knowing that we have eternal life. No matter what happens to us in this life, when this life is over, we will be with Jesus forever in the place that He has prepared for us.
In verse 17, Paul tells us to "pray continually." I don't think that Paul is saying that we are to spend 24 hours a day in prayer. I think that he is saying a couple of things here. First of all, we need to keep praying. We shouldn't let a day go by without coming to the Lord in prayer at least once. We can praise Him for who He is and for what He has done. We can bring our needs and the needs of others to Him. We can ask that He intervene in situations in the world. We can pray for peace.
Another point I believe that Paul is making is that we should always be in a prayerful mindset. What I mean by this is that we should be people who pray throughout the day. When we see a need, we bring it immediately before the throne of grace. We pray for our needs throughout the day. We pray for our family members and friends when we know that they need help or are going through some type of difficult circumstance. Prayer is a major factor in our lives. We need to be always praying for we know that the Lord does hear and answer prayer.
Finally, we come to verse 18 that tells us, "Give thanks in all circumstances." I'm glad that the NIV translates it this way. Some versions translate this verse as in all things give thanks which often leads to confusion. Paul is not telling us to be thankful that bad things have come into our lives. We don't have to thank God that we just had our house blown away by a storm or that we are sick. What we do need to realize is that even in these hard times, we have things that we can be thankful for as those who know Jesus as Savior and Lord.
At all times and in all circumstances, we can be thankful that we have been redeemed by the blood of the Lamb. We can be thankful for the fact that we know Jesus as our friend. We can express thanks that God has given us His word in the Bible. Even in the hard times, most of us can find a lot of other things to be thankful for.
I know that even when I face hard times, I can be thankful that Jesus gave me the best friend I could ever have on this earth. He gave me my friend Toby. I can be thankful that I had believing parents who introduced me to the Lord Jesus Christ and provided me with a Christian education. I am thankful that I can read and listen to music.
We need to be thankful to the Lord for the good things that He has brought into our lives. We also need to thank the Lord when we receive an answer to prayer. Many of us ask the Lord for things, but then we forget to say thank you. I am working on doing better at this.
Let us be people who rejoice and give thanks. Let us be people of prayer knowing that the Lord hears us and wants to help us in all things. Amen.
Prayer Requests
I have been feeling just a little bit better this week. Keep praying that I will feel better and better. Thank you.
Keep praying for peace in Ukraine. We also need to pray for peace in Syria, Yemen, Libya and Ethiopia.
Please pray for the people of Pakistan. I just can't get my head around how bad the flooding was there. Pray that they will receive the aid that they need. Also, pray for those in Florida, Puerto Rico, Canada, Nicaragua and other places in Central America that have been affected by the bad storms.
We need to keep praying for an end to coronavirus. Also, I am thankful that I heard that monkeypox is on the decline here in the US. However, other nations are still having problems. Let us keep praying for an end to this disease. Pray that the sick will recover.
For our prayer focus countries this week, let us pray for those in the nations of Senegal and Kyrgyzstan. Pray that many will come to know Jesus.
Next week, we will continue in I Thessalonians. I will post the verses on Monday, and I will try to have a midweek post. May God bless you all.
The book that I am reviewing today is a children's book entitled "Tiger Brother" written and illustrated by Jian Li. The book begins when a boy's father brings home what he believes to be a kitten. However, it soon becomes apparent that he has brought home a tiger cub for his son. The boy and the tiger become very close. They are just like brothers.
While the tiger is harmless, the people in the town are scared of the tiger. The tiger decides to go into the forest. He tells the boy that he will return if the boy ever needs him as long as he calls out wearing his tiger hat.
Will the boy need the tiger? Will the tiger come? You will have to read the book to find out.
I enjoyed this book. The illustrations are very well done.
Before I post the verses, I have something that I would like to suggest. There are a lot of people going through hard times around the world due to high inflation. There are people that need help just getting enough groceries. For those who have the financial means, I would like to ask that those who read the blog would consider purchasing one or two items for their local food pantry this week. If we all will do a little, it will help a lot.
I John 4:8 -- "Whoever does not love does not know God, for God is love."
I Peter 4:8 -- "Above all, love each other deeply, because love covers over a multitude of sins."
Thanks for taking the time to read the sermon. I want to apologize for not having a book review at midweek. I have not been feeling well again. Hopefully, I will be able to do that this week. I want to thank the Lord for giving me the opportunity to post this message.
Last week, we studied Paul's teaching about how we are to live in light of the fact that Jesus could return at any moment. Paul tells us just what Jesus told us. We are to live in such a way that we will not be ashamed at the coming of the Lord. We should be doing what Jesus wants us to do in this world, and following Him in all that we do.
In today's message, I want to focus on some of the additional instructions that Paul gives to those in Thessalonica as he is bringing his letter to them to a close. Paul starts out by telling the believers to respect and honor those who work among them. This is referring to those who are serving the church as teachers, pastors, elders, deacons, etc. Those who are taking care of the spiritual needs of the people are trying to serve the Lord and fulfill the calling that has been placed upon their lives. One way that we honor those who serve the Lord among us is by making sure that they have enough to take care of themselves in this world and that their needs are met. It is also helpful and encouraging not to be always criticizing the leaders of the church. However, if a leader is teaching something that is wrong or is abusing people in the church, that is something that absolutely must be dealt with.
Paul goes on to tell the believers to live at peace with each other. This is important for those both inside and outside of the church. Unfortunately, there is often a lot of division and rancor among Christians. In my experience, I've seen churches divide over the silliest things such as what color to paint the inside of the Sunday school rooms.
When we live in peace with one another, it allows the church to minister effectively. Contention causes a hinderance to the church being able to help others. When those in the outside world see people in the church fighting with one another, it is a big turn off. It is one of the things that most causes people to not want to have anything to do with going to church.
Paul goes on to say that we are to encourage the disheartened. The way I see this is that those in the church should help those who are going through really hard times. Life can really be hard sometimes even if you are a Christian. We need other believers to help us in these hard times with encouraging words and deeds.
We are called by Paul to help the weak. There are many in and out of the church that have needs that we must help meet. With the high inflation around the world, there is a lot of need to help those with high heating and energy bills. Food pantries are essential right now. The church has before it a great mission to help those who are suffering in body, soul and spirit. As we are able. let us all help those who are hurting financially, emotionally and spiritually in these difficult days.
Another admonition from Paul is that no one should pay back wrong for wrong. This is something that is often hard to do. When we are hurt, we want to get even. However, the Lord Jesus told us that when people wrong us, we are to forgive. Jesus gave us the ultimate example of forgiveness when He asked the Father to forgive those who were crucifying Him.
Paul finishes out our section for today by encouraging all of us to do good for everyone. That is so important. Jesus went about doing what was good and helping others. He is our example. Let us help others, work for the good, and be an example to others of how Jesus can change lives. Amen.
Prayer Requests
Please continue to pray that I will get better. I am still not feeling the best. I thank you for your prayers. I am also really missing my friend Toby, so please pray that I will not be so depressed.
Please pray for those harmed by the hurricanes. Parts of Florida are a real mess. Puerto Rico and Canada also had a lot of damage. Pray that people will receive the help and the aid that they need at this time.
Pray for those who mourn in Thailand.
Continue to pray for peace in the world. Ukraine, Syria, Libya and Yemen are just a few of the nations that need our prayers for peace.
Let us pray that the people of Jackson, Mississippi will get their water situation fixed.
For our prayer focus countries this week, let's pray for those who live in the nations of Tunisia and Indonesia. Pray that many will come to know Jesus.
Next week, we will continue in I Thessalonians. I think that there will be about two more messages from this book. On Monday, I will post the verses. I hope to have a review midweek. May God bless you all.
Hebrews 6:10 -- "God in not unjust; He will not forget your work and the love you have shown Him as you have helped His people and continue to help them."
Hebrews 13:16 -- "And do not forget to do good and to share with others, for with such sacrifices God is pleased."
Matthew 5:42 -- "Give to the one who asks you, and do not turn away from one who wants to borrow from you."
