Weekend Sermon -- The Attributes of God -- Part One

      Thank you for taking the time to read the sermon this week. My health is improving little by little. I am thankful to the Lord for allowing me to post this message. 

     Today, as we approach a new year, I am beginning what will be a rather extensive series of messages focusing our attention on the attributes of God. We will look at what qualities and characteristics make up the God of the Bible. I believe that this is of vital importance, because we need to know who the God that we worship is. There are a lot of people who worship a God of their own invention, but their God is not the God that is presented to us in the Scripture and fully revealed in the person of Jesus Christ. 

     Our first message in the series will focus on the fact that the Bible presents God as one God in three persons. This is most often referred to as the doctrine of the Holy Trinity. I know that there has been much debate over the course of Church history in the East and in the West regarding how the Trinity is defined. Let me say this. No one will ever be able to fully understand the doctrine of the Trinity. It is a holy mystery. We have to accept a lot of the doctrine of the Trinity on faith believing what the Bible does reveal to us about it. 

     First of all the Bible is clear that there is one God. Deuteronomy 6:4 tells us, "Hear O Israel the Lord is One." We serve and worship one God not three gods or many gods as those in some religions do. We also see in Scripture the doctrine that there are three persons in the Godhead. John chapter 1 tells us clearly, "In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God and the Word was God." The Word was made flesh in the person of Jesus Christ. This shows us the Father and the Son. Galatians 4 tells us that in the fullness of time God sent forth His Son. The book of Hebrews tells us that Jesus is God's Son and the final and ultimate Word of God to this world. Colossians 1:16 lets us know that all things were created by Jesus, through Jesus and for Jesus. 

     One of the passages in the Bible that most clearly demonstrates the doctrine of the Trinity occurs in the events surrounding the baptism of Jesus. Jesus went down into the water with John. When Jesus came up out of the water, a voice from Heaven said, "This is My beloved Son in Whom I am well pleased." At that same moment, the Holy Spirit in the form of a dove descended upon Jesus. In this event we have the voice of the Father, the Son being baptized and the Holy Spirit coming down as a dove upon Jesus all revealed. 

     Jesus taught the doctrine of the Trinity when He gave us the Great Commission. Jesus told us to go into all the world and preach the Gospel to every creature baptizing them in the name of the Father, and the Son and the Holy Spirit.  I believe that there could not be anything clearer.

     There are some who try to deny the doctrine of the Trinity. This is known as the unitarian position.  Most, not all, unitarians deny the divinity of Jesus Christ. Some unitarians believe in what is called the Jesus only doctrine. Unitarianism is not supported by the Bible. I believe that the few verses that I've shared with you today clearly demonstrate that God has revealed Himself as Father, Son and Holy Spirit. Amen. 

Prayer Requests

     My health is improving little by little each day. I thank the Lord for that, and I thank you for your prayers. 

     Let us remember to pray for those in the US affected by the terrible winter storms. Pray that people can recover and get any aid that they need in order to recover. 

     Please continue to pray for peace in the troubled areas of this world. Ukraine, Syria and Yemen really need our prayers. 

     Pray for an end to the drought in Somalia. 

     Pray that the sickness outbreak in the US and other parts of the world will end. We are dealing with flu, coronavirus and RSV in the US. Other places in the world are dealing with coronavirus, cholera and ebola. Pray that the sick will recover and that these sicknesses will come to an end. 

     For our prayer focus countries this week, let us all pray that those who live in the nations of Bhutan and Algeria will hear about the love of Jesus. 

     Next week, we will continue with our new sermon series. I will post the verses on Tuesday, and I will try to post a review midweek. May God bless you all. 

     

Verses For The Week

 II Corinthians 5:17 -- "Therefore if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come: The old has gone, the new is here."

John 13:34-35 -- "I give you a new commandment: Love each other. Just as I have loved you, so you must also love each other. This is how everyone will know that you are my disciples, when you love one another."

Weekend Sermon -- The Light Of Christmas

      Thank you for reading the sermon this week. I would like to wish everyone a Merry Christmas. I am still not feeling my best, so please continue to pray that I will be able to make a full recovery. I thank you for your prayers. 

     Today, we will be having what I call a combination Christmas and New Year sermon rolled into one. We often hear the Christmas story read from Matthew and Luke during this time of the year. However, the birth of Jesus into this world is told in another more theological way in the Gospel of John. In John 1 verses 1-5 we read, "In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God and the Word was God. The same was in the beginning with God. All things were made by Him, and without Him was not made anything that was made. In Him was life; and the life was the light of men. And the light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it."

     When Jesus came into this world on Christmas, He came as the light of the world. The world was trapped in the darkness of sin and despair. However, Jesus came to bring the light of His love and forgiveness to all those who would believe in Him and put their trust in Him as Savior and Lord. 

     Since Jesus has come into this world, the power of the light of His Word has shined into the darkness and exposed the darkness for what it truly is. The light of Christ is shining so that evil is being driven from this world, and will be driven out of this world ultimately when Jesus returns in power and great glory at His Second Coming which I believe could occur at any moment. 

     During the Christmas season, we think about the light of Jesus Christ. The season is about spreading the values of peace, love, joy and salvation. I would like to urge everyone in the year that is to come to keep shining the light. Jesus has called all of us who follow Him to tell others about Him. He has given us the mission of shining the light of His love and forgiveness into the darkness of this world. 

     As we go into the new year, let each of us work for the Lord to make sure that we are telling others about the love of Jesus and the salvation from sin that He offers to anyone who is willing to come to Him. Also, let us shine the light of Jesus into this world by working to make this world a better place for the honor and glory of the Lord. There are many needs in this world. There is a lot of hurt and a lot of pain. But the darkness that is in this world cannot overcome the light of Jesus Christ. His light conquers all, and we can be a part of shining the light of Jesus into the dark places of this world. 

     Christmas is about the coming of the light of love and the light of Christ into this world. Let each of us share His light during the Christmas season and throughout the year that is ahead. Amen. 

Prayer Requests

     Much of the United States in the grip of some really cold and nasty weather. Please pray that the temperatures will go up quickly and that people will be safe in this cold weather. 

     Please continue to pray for an end to the disease outbreaks in the world. In many parts of the world, the flu and coronavirus are really bad right now. Many countries are having problems dealing with cholera, and ebola is problem in some places. Pray that the sick will recover, and that these diseases can come to an end. 

     Continue to pray for peace in the world during this holiday season. Let us focus our prayers intently on peace in Ukraine. 

     For our prayer focus countries this week, let us pray for those in the nations of Madagascar and India. Pray that many will come to the light and love of Jesus. 

     Pray for Somalia. There is a bad drought there right now. Pray that people will get the aid that they need. 

     Next week, we will begin a new sermon series for the new year. I will post the verses on Tuesday this week, and I hope to post something midweek. May God bless you all. 

Verses For The Week

 Psalm 146:8 -- "The Lord gives sight to the blind, the Lord lifts up those who are bowed down, The Lord loves the righteous."

Malachi 4:2 -- "But for you who fear My name, the sun of righteousness will rise with healing in its wings. You shall go out leaping like calves from the stall."

Prayer Requests

     Please pray in regard to my health. I am not doing so well today. Also, we are supposed to have some really bad winter weather in my area this week. Please pray that it will not be as bad as predicted. Thank you. 

Weekend Sermon -- What Is It All About?

      Well, I am back posting. Here is what has been happening. I've been deathly ill with pneumonia for the past two weeks. I have been off work, and I almost died. I am feeling better now, and I will get back to posting and trying to get back in the swing of things. Please pray that I will continue to recover. Also, please pray concerning the weather in my area. It is supposed to get really cold. I am not real strong right now, and I am not going to be able to take too much, so pray that I can keep going. I am not afraid to die. I know that Jesus awaits beyond this life. However, I don't want to have a lot of pain. With that said, please pray. I will try to improve, and I will start posting again as the Lord gives me the ability. 

     For today's message, I want to discuss what it is all about. What is this Advent season all about? Why do we even have a Christmas season?

     The reason for Christmas begins with the fact that humanity chose to rebel against the Lord. When God created people, He said that they could eat from any of the trees in the Garden of Eden except for one. Of course, our forbears decided that they would not follow God and His ways. Instead, they decided to turn from the ways and commandments of the Lord and do what they wanted to do and how they wanted to do it when they wanted to do it. 

     God had to bring judgment upon the human race. Sin had to be punished. One man brought sin into the world, and as a result, death passed upon all people. Death physically and eternal separation from God are the consequences of sin. 

     However, God is not just a just and holy God who is required to punish sin. He is loving, caring and merciful. He decided to provide a way that people could be forgiven of their sins and come back into a right relationship with Him. God told humans clear back in Genesis 3:15 that the woman would give birth to a Messiah who would save people from their sins. 

     John 3:16 tells us about God's plan. "For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish but would have everlasting life."

      We have Christmas Day because Jesus is the Messiah who was promised to come into the world to save people from their sin. Jesus came to live a holy and sinless life. This allowed Him to be the spotless Lamb of God who could take away the sins of the world. Jesus bore our sins in His body on the cross so that whoever will place their faith and trust in Him might be forgiven and restored to fellowship with the Father. Jesus rose bodily from the grave in order to defeat the consequences of sin. Because He lives, we shall live also. 

     Christmas is about love, forgiveness, mercy and hope. Christmas is about new life in Christ. Christmas is your opportunity to receive the gift of eternal life through Jesus Christ the Lord. Christmas is about the love of Jesus. Amen. 

Prayer Requests

     Please pray in regard to my health. Thank you.

     Pray for peace during this holiday season. Especially remember Ukraine, Syria and Yemen. 

     Pray for those recovering from natural disasters

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

     Next week, I will try to get back to posting on the regular schedule. I will post a sermon about Advent. May God bless you all. 

Weekend Sermon -- Nehemiah -- Conclusion

      Thank you for reading the sermon today. I hope that you are all doing very well. I have been feeling a little bit better. 

      For the past few weeks, we've been studying what we can learn from the life of Nehemiah. He felt the need to serve the Lord by rebuilding the walls of the city of Jerusalem. He governed the people in the way of right, and he was particularly focused on making sure the the needs of the poor were taken care of. He worked to bring about justice for those who were oppressed. 

     Today, we will conclude our study of Nehemiah. I want us to focus on Nehemiah's devotion to following the commandments of the Lord. One of the things that was especially important to Nehemiah was that the people honor the Sabbath. He gave strict instructions that no work or commerce was to be conducted on the Sabbath day. When the people started to work and do business on the Sabbath, this angered Nehemiah. He reminded them that not following the commandments of the Lord was what got them into a mess in the first place. 

    Nehemiah always strived to do the right thing in accordance with the law of the Lord. He wanted to make sure that the festivals found in the Torah were honored and conducted in the right way. He made sure the the priests and Levites did their duty and were treated in a proper manner by the people. 

     I think that we have a lot to learn from Nehemiah. Just as he was dedicated to following the commandments given by the Lord, we need to make sure that we are following all that has been revealed to us by the Word made flesh, Jesus Christ. 

     Jesus came to this world to be the full revelation to us of what God is like. He is the one that we are to follow and listen to. We need to make it our business to learn what the Lord Jesus taught and how He lived His life as an example for us in this world. 

     The Bible tells us who are followers of Jesus that we are to keep our eyes fixed on Jesus. That means that we are to be diligent to follow Him and to follow His way. We need to be zealous in following the Lord just as Nehemiah was. Jesus expects each of us to diligently seek to serve Him and do what He taught us to do to the best of our ability as we our empowered by the indwelling Holy Spirit. 

     In Nehemiah's day, there were a lot of temptations and things to lead one off of the path of righteousness just as there are in our day an age. It is always easy for people to follow the crowd and do what everyone else is doing. We are called to move in the opposite way of this world. We are called to follow Jesus. We know what the way and teachings of Jesus are from the Gospels. Let us all make sure to read and study the words of our Lord. 

     Nehemiah asked the Lord to remember that he was trying to do what was right. The Lord does remember and rewards those who strive to serve Him and do what He has called us to do. Amen. 

Prayer Requests. 

     My health is doing some better. Please keep praying that I will continue to improve. My job seems to be going better as well. I am still looking for just the right job, but I haven't quite found it yet. 

     Please pray about the weather situation in my area. We are supposed to have very strong winds. Please pray that these winds don't cause any damage. 

     Continue to pray for those who have been hurt by natural disasters around the world. People in Pakistan and areas hit by hurricanes still need our prayers. 

     There are many areas in this world suffering from disease outbreaks. Ebola is a problem in parts of Africa. Coronavirus is still a worldwide problem. There are cholera outbreaks in several countries. Let us pray that these diseases will go away and that those who are sick will recover quickly. 

     Keep praying for peace around the world. Let us focus our prayers intently on Ukraine this week. 

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

     Next week, we will have a message for the Advent season. I will post the verses on Monday, and I hope to have a midweek post. May God bless you all. 

A Good Wildlife Film

      I have been watching the World Cup matches on a service called Tubi. While on the site, I noticed a documentary film called "The Tigers of Scotland". I was intrigued by the title. This was a great wildlife film about the Scottish wildcat and the efforts being taken to preserve this cat from becoming extinct in the wild. There was a great deal of information in this film, and the scenery and shots of the wildcats were very well done. I highly recommend this film.