Weekend Sermon -- Jesus Is The Light Of The World

      This has been a week for me I have to say. I am sorry I didn't get to post the verses on Monday. My car was in the shop for five days. I just got it back. Thankfully, I had my brother's big truck to drive. With everything with the car, my health and work, its been hard to get to the library and post what I want to on here. I am glad to have my car back. I pray that it will stay good. I would like you all to pray in regard to a couple of things. It is terribly hot where I live. Please pray that the heat will break. Also, the air quality where I live has been bad. I've been having a lot of breathing problems. Please pray that I will be OK. Thank you.  Now, on to the message. 

     This week, we are going to focus on the fact that Jesus is called the Light of the world. In fact, Jesus called Himself this in John 8:12 that reads, "... I am the Light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but He will have the light of life." John's Gospel has a lot to say about Jesus as the light. Jesus is called the light of all mankind. He is also called the true light that gives light to everyone.

     I want to focus on Jesus being the Light of the world in two different ways. First of all, Jesus is the Light of the world because He came to drive away the darkness of sin. The Bible is very clear that everyone has sinned and fallen short of the glory of God. Our sin causes us to be separate from God and unable to have a relationship with Him. 

     In His love, the Father sent His Son the Lord Jesus into this world in order to deal with the problem of sin. Jesus brought the light of God's love and forgiveness to this world. Those who will put their faith and trust in the finished work of Christ on the cross will no longer walk around in the darkness of sin. The light of Jesus will break into the darkness and drive it away. Those who are in Christ are no longer in darkness. They have the light of Jesus in their hearts. They have a relationship with the Father. Their sins are washed away, and the light of Jesus allows them to know how to live a life that is pleasing to God in all respects. 

     There is another way that Jesus is the Light of the world. In His life, ministry and teachings, Jesus showed us all how to live in such a way that this world can be a much better place than what it is. He taught us to love God and to love our neighbors as ourselves. He taught that we should treat others in the way that we would like to be treated. If people in this world would follow the ethical teachings of Jesus, we could see this world changed in a profound way. We could see more people caring about one another, helping one another and seeking the way of peace instead of the way of violence. 

     Jesus is also the Light of the world in the ultimate sense, because He is the one who will bring about a world that is restored to the Edenic state. When Jesus returns, all of the darkness will be totally driven out by His marvelous light. 

     Now, Jesus didn't just call Himself the Light of the world. Jesus said that His followers were to be the light of the world and the salt of the earth. We are to shine the light into the darkness. This happens when we share the love of Jesus with other people by obeying the Great Commission given to us by Jesus. We shine the light in the darkness when we stand for justice and stand against the oppression of the poor, the oppressed and the vulnerable. We shine light in the darkness when we help others to be the best that they can be for the honor and glory of the Lord. 

     Jesus is the Light of the world. Let His light into your life. Let His teachings drive out the darkness. Share His light with this world who desperately needs Jesus. Amen.

Prayer Requests

     Please pray that the heat will break in the places in the US that are so hot.

     Pray that the forest fires in Canada will be extinguished. 

     Let us all pray for an end to the wars in Ukraine, Sudan, Syria, Yemen and the other war-torn areas of this planet. 

     For our prayer focus countries this week, let us all pray for those in the nations of Yemen and Qatar. Pray that many will hear that Jesus is the Light of the world. 

     Next week, I hope to post the verses on Monday. I will post the next chapter of the book midweek, and we will continue with our current series with the sermon. May God bless you all. 

Exploring The Minor Prophets -- Part 3

 

Chapter 3

Amos

 

     Our journey through the books of the Minor Prophets now brings us to the book of Amos. He was unusual among the prophets for a couple of different reasons. First of all, Amos lived in the Kingdom of Judah, but that is not where the Lord called on him to minister primarily.

     The second unusual thing about Amos is he has not in the ministry so to speak. When God called on him to carry the message up north, Amos was working as a shepherd and a tender of sycamore trees. He was a working man not someone of high status. He was not a full-time prophet like Elijah, Elisha or Isaiah.

     This leads me to the first important thing that we need to learn from Amos. God can and does use people from all walks of life to do and accomplish His will. Amos was a shepherd. The Bible doesn’t describe him as a person of great learning. God still used him because Amos was willing to do what God wanted him to do.

     God know what He is doing. If He calls you, He knows in advance that you will be able to accomplish the task. Our part is to answer the call of God in our lives in the affirmative.

     Also, I want to mention is a good lesson for others who think that origin is destiny. By this I mean that it doesn’t matter where you come from, your race, your ethnicity nor any other factor. You have the ability to do great things. Others may try to put you down, but you are able to do all things through Christ who gives you the strength.

     Going through the book of Amos, one thing that you are sure to notice right away is that God is very concerned about social justice. Time and time again, Amos will the people and their leaders know that God was greatly displeased with the way that the poor and the vulnerable were being treated within the Kingdom of Israel.

     One thing that God is not happy about is that the rich people in the nation were gaining more and more wealth for themselves through the exploitation and the oppression of the poor. They weren’t satisfied with what they had, they had to take what belonged to someone else who could barely feed himself and his family.

     Amos has a lot to teach us in this regard. I live in what is considered to be one of the most well-off countries in the world. Even though there are a lot of people here who have a lot of money, there are many in poverty. Many live on the streets, and others are a single paycheck away from financial disaster. Broadening it out from just one country and looking at the scope of the world, we see that some countries are very prosperous while others live with next to nothing.

     Amos lets us as followers of the Lord know that God is not happy with the current state of this world. When greed, oppression and injustice give one group of people wealth while others are left in poverty, sickness and despair, God is not pleased. We will do well to do all that we can to help others and to work for justice in order to honor God and His word.

     Just as in other prophetic books, God tells His people that He will judge sin. This is graphically illustrated in Amos chapter 8. However, God says that He will bring restoration upon repentance. Amos 9:13-15 gives us a great vision of the Lord restoring His people to a land of abundance and prosperity when they decide to come back to Him.

 

The Weekend Sermon -- Jesus Is The Head Of The Church

      Thank you for reading the message this week. I hope that you will take the time to read the chapters of the book on the Minor Prophets that I've posted if you get the chance. 

     This week, we are continuing with our series on the names and titles of Jesus that we find in the Bible. For today, our focus will be that Jesus is called the Head of the Church. One place where we see Jesus called this is in Colossians 1:18 that reads, "He is also head of the body, the church, and He is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, so that He Himself will come to have first place in everything." We also see Jesus referred to as head of the church in Ephesians 1:22 which states, "And He put all things in subjection under His feet, and gave Him as head over all things to the church."

     It is recorded in Matthew 16:18 that Jesus established the church based upon Peter's confession that Jesus was the Christ the Son of the Living God. Jesus is also called the foundation of the church. The church is also referred to as the Body of Christ. Jesus established the church in order to teach and encourage those who would come to believe in Him and what He accomplished through His life and ministry. The church has been given the mission by Jesus to take the message of the Gospel into all of the world. The church is to baptize and to make disciples.  The church has been established by Jesus in order to encourage other members of the church and to work in this world for good. 

     Jesus is the Head of the Church, and there are couple of things that I would like to say about this. First of all, Jesus' ministry and teachings are what the church is all about. The church should be propagating the teachings of Jesus to the wider world. Those who are the individual members of the church need to be examples of the message and the ministry of Jesus. The Church is all about Jesus. 

     Jesus is the Head of the Church also means that He is the one who is to be followed not an individual. A lot of times, a person will try to establish some type of church and claim to be the head and the one that people should look to as the chief authority. That is not in keeping with the Scriptures. We should never get our eyes off of Jesus and on to some person. A famous pastor, evangelist or some other church leader is not the head of the church and is not the authority for the church. Look to Jesus. Look at what He did and what He said. If all churches did that, we would have a lot fewer problems in this world. When we get our eyes off of Jesus, it leads to churches and people in the church having a lot of problems, turmoil in the church and false teachings in the church. 

     We need to look to Jesus in all things. The church is about Jesus. The church needs to teach Christ and His message, and it needs to show others how that they can follow Jesus in the midst of this world. As always, we should look forward to that day when Jesus comes for those that are in His church. Amen. 

Prayer Requests

     I really need prayer right now. I am going through so much that is bad. I am having health problems, and now my car is messed up. Please keep me in your prayers. Thank you. 

     Pray that the fires in Canada can be put out. 

     Let us pray for those affected by natural disasters around the world. Pray that those in need will get the help that is necessary. 

     Continue to pray for peace in the troubled areas of the world. Pray especially for Ukraine and Sudan this week. 

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

     Next week, posting may not be normal depending on what happens with the car. I hope to post the verses on Monday, the Minor Prophets chapter midweek and the sermon on Friday. May God bless you all. 

Exploring The Minor Prophets -- Part 2

 

Chapter 2

Joel

 

     Our study of the Minor Prophets now brings us to the book of Joel. As with all of the Minor Prophets, Joel has a small book containing his message from the Lord, but there is much for us to learn from this message.

     The key event described in the book of Joel is the judgment of the Lord sent upon the land in the form of an invasion of locusts. Some scholars believe that this is something that literally happened. It would not have been completely out of the ordinary as this was a fairly common occurrence in that part of the world. Locust swarms often caused significant crop damage.

     Other Bible scholars believe that Joel is using symbolic language. This school of thought holds that the locusts are a metaphor for the invaders who would come into the land and destroy everything. They would leave the land in a state of total destruction as when a plague of locusts devastates the fields.

     In my opinion, I believe that there was a true invasion of locusts that stripped the crops leaving total economic ruin in its wake. Joel says that it was a judgment because the people had once again fallen into idolatry and the sins associated with it.

     There is something that I want to point out. God never judges the people and then just leaves them. He never has and He never will abandon His people. His goal in every judgment is to see the people recognize what they are doing is wrong and turn to Him in repentance and faith. He knows that their only hope is to worship Him and Him alone.

     The prophet tells the people that the Lord will restore what the locusts have eaten. When they turn to Him, He will make sure that they have all that they had before and more. They will have enough to eat and will be able to have peaceful lives giving the Lord the honor and the glory for what He has done for them.

     This whole section about the locusts serves as a metaphor for our lives now in at least two ways. First of all, when we fall into sin, sometimes it brings disaster in our lives. This can occur pre or post conversion. Sinful behavior is in reality rebellion against the will and the ways of the Lord. Rebellion against the Lord leads to negative consequences in our lives.

    For instance, I know of people whose whole lives have been dominated by different types of substance abuse. They have suffered hurtful things in their lives both physically and spiritually as a result of their addictions. Sometimes, those who know Jesus do not follow Jesus’ specific will for their lives. This always leads to a life that is less than it could be or could have been.

     If we are willing to turn to Jesus, He can and will forgive. He will restore what the locusts have eaten. Now, I don’t mean that if you come to Jesus that all of your problems and the consequences of sinful behavior will instantaneously vanish. Ultimately, all will be restored when Jesus rules and reigns in righteousness when He comes back to earth again.

     There is another application of this passage that I would like to provide. There are a lot of people in this world who through no fault of their own have had the locusts destroy and devastate their lives. There are victims of physical, mental and sexual abuse. There are victims of economic, social and racial oppression.

     One day, the Lord will make all of these things right. He will bring justice and He will bring good things to the lives of those who have suffered so much in this life. All will be very well when King Jesus reigns.

     Now, there is another important thing for us to learn from the book of Joel. In Joel 2:24, the prophet tells us that in the last days, the Lord will pour out His Spirit on all people. The old men will see visions and the young men will dream dreams.

     When we think about the last days, we often think about the prophecies in the Bible concerning the events that will take place just before the return of the Lord. However, this is not what Joel is predicting in this verse. The fulfillment of this prophecy in the book of Joel occurred on the day of Pentecost. If you remember, on that day, there were many followers of Jesus gathered in the Upper Room waiting for the Spirit as Jesus told them to do before He ascended into Heaven.

     While the people were gathered and waiting, the Spirit came and descended on them and appeared as tongues of fire. The room was filled with the sound of a mighty rushing wind. Each person began to speak in tongues allowing the pilgrims coming to Jerusalem to understand the message of Jesus in his or her own language.

    At first, those who were listening thought that the people were drunk. However, Peter stood up and said that there were not drunk but they were filled with the Holy Spirit. Peter said that this was the fulfillment of the prophecy found in Joel that the Spirit would be poured out upon all flesh. As a result of Peter’s preaching, the Holy Spirit convicted the hearts of the listeners, and several hundred came to faith in Jesus.

     Those of us who have come to know Jesus as Savior and Lord received the Holy Spirit when we came to the Lord. The Spirit resides within our hearts. He convicts of sin. The Holy Spirit is our comforter and guide. He is the one who leads us into all truth and brings to our minds the things that Jesus has instructed us to do. The Bible says that the Spirit even prays on our behalf when we do not know how to pray as we should.

     Because the Holy Spirit has come, we have been empowered and gifted to take the message of Jesus Christ to the entire world. We can only accomplish what we need to accomplish for the Lord in this world as we yield to the Spirit and rely on the power of the Holy Spirit to aid us in accomplishing the mission and the work that God has set before us.

Verses For The Week

 I Corinthians 1:3-4 -- "Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our troubles, so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves receive from God."

Psalm 91:1 -- "Whoever dwells in the shelter of the Most High will rest in the shadow of the Almighty."

Weekend Sermon -- Jesus Is The Prince of Peace And He Is Our Peace

      Today, we will be continuing with our series on the names and titles given to Jesus in both the Old and New Testaments. I hope that you are all doing well, and I thank you for reading the message this week. 

     In the book of Isaiah chapter 9 and verse six, there are several titles that are given to the one who would be the Messiah. As we have seen in another message in this series, Jesus is the Messiah foretold of in the Old Testament. One of the titles given to the Messiah Jesus in the book of Isaiah is the Prince of Peace. 

     What does the title Prince of Peace mean? First of all, I want to say that Jesus is the Prince of Peace because of what He accomplished through His death and reconciliation that brings about reconciliation between God and man. Those who put their faith and trust in Jesus receive forgiveness of sins. The wrath of God has passed over us, and we have God as our Father in Heaven. The gap between God and man is bridged by Jesus Christ. 

     Jesus is also the Prince of Peace because if people would follow the things that He taught while He was here on this earth, the world would be a much more peaceful place. Jesus taught us to love one another and to love our neighbor as ourselves. He also told us that we should do unto others as we would have done to us. If we would follow Jesus' teachings and His path of nonviolence, this world would be a much more peaceful place. 

     I also want to say that Jesus is the Prince of Peace because when He returns to this earth, He will bring peace to the entire world. The people will beat their swords into ploughshares and their spears into pruning hooks. Nation will no longer rise against nation. People will study war no more. 

     In addition to being the Prince of Peace, the Bible says that Jesus is our peace. Ephesians 2:14 says, "For He is our peace, who hath made both one, and hath broken down the middle wall of partition between us." In John 14:27, Jesus said that He was leaving His peace with us. 

     What does this mean for us today? Even when we come to know Jesus as Savior and Lord, we still live in this world of difficulties. We have to make it through this life, and it isn't easy. This we know, no matter what we are facing or what we are going through, Jesus is always with us. He is helping us and sustaining us as we face our battles. Even in the darkest hour, we can rest in Him knowing that all is well for time and for eternity for those who are in Christ. 

     Jesus brings peace now and forever. You can experience the peace that only Jesus can bring by turning your life over to Him today. Amen. 

Prayer Requests

     Please pray that the storms predicted for my area tomorrow will not be bad.

     Pray for those who have been affected by natural disasters around the world. Pray that people will get the aid that they need. 

     Let us all pray that the fires in Canada will be extinguished soon. 

     Remember to keep praying for peace in the troubled areas of this world. Pray especially for peace in Ukraine. 

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

     Next week, we will continue with our current sermon series. I will post the verses on Monday, and I will post the next chapter of the Minor Prophets book midweek. May God bless you all. 

Exploring The Minor Prophets -- Part 1

      I've mentioned previously that I've been working on a book that will be an overview of the 12 Minor Prophets. I've finished the first six of the Minor Prophets, so I will be posted one chapter of the new book on the blog in midweek posts for the next few weeks. This is the first post that includes the intro and the chapter on the book of Hosea. Next week on the midweek post, I will post the chapter on Joel. Thank you for reading the blog. At the end of all 12 Minor Prophets, I will post the book as a whole. I would just like to mention that this isn't an in-depth commentary. This is just a work that is meant to briefly introduce each book and the main themes. I hope that it will cause you to become more interested in reading and studying these book of the Bible for yourself. 

Introduction

 

     The Minor Prophets aren’t named properly. They aren’t minor by any means. I know that they were given that particular designation due to the fact that most of the books are small. However, the name gives people the wrong impression.

     Many possess the mistaken notion that the Minor Prophets don’t have much in them that is really relevant for life today. Many think that they lack a message applicable to Christians.

     I hope that in this brief book that I can dispel the idea that the Minor Prophets are books that can be overlooked because they don’t have an important message. It is my hope that after you read this overview of the twelve Minor Prophets that you will understand more about the works and the men who wrote them.

     I’ve always been drawn to the Minor Prophets for some reason. I had the chance in both Bible college and seminary to study these books in depth, and they have become something of my specialty. I’ve had the privilege of writing about the books Haggai and Obadiah in another book that I wrote about the shortest books in the Bible. I’ve also been able to preach about and do Bible studies through many of the books in the Minor Prophets.

     In this particular book, we are not going to have an in-depth, verse-by-verse commentary on each of the books on the Minor Prophets. Instead, I want to focus on the main ideas that are contained in each of the works. I want to provide some background about each book and the book’s author. I then want to take a couple two or three ideas from each and see how that they apply to our lives today. As we go through each book, I also want to point out some of the prophecies about Jesus contained in these books and how He fulfilled them. We will also see that there are several prophecies regarding the Second Coming in these works as well.

     As you read about each of the Minor Prophetic books, take the time to read each work in its entirety. As you read, make sure that you pray that the Lord will take the words and help them becoming meaningful for you in a personal way. Hopefully, this book will make you want to know more about the Minor Prophets and you will seek to study one or more of the books written by these prophets in depth.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Chapter 1

Hosea

 

     The first of the Minor Prophets that we will focus on is Hosea. Hosea’s name means salvation, and that is significant because the salvation that the Lord offers even when we turn away from Him is a key component of this prophet’s message.

     Hosea ministered in the Northern Kingdom of Israel sometime shortly before Israel fell to the power of the Assyrian Empire. His ministry may have even been right at the very end of the end of Israel as an independent state. Keep in mind, Israel consisted of the ten tribes that rebelled and formed their own country when Solomon’s son attained the throne. Two tribes remained loyal to Solomon’s son, and that nation was thereafter known as Judah. Judah would remain in existence for several years after Israel fell to the Assyrians.

     In the very beginning of this book, God tells the prophet Hosea to go and take a wife who God knows will ultimately commit adultery against Hosea. In Hosea 1:2, this woman is referred to as a prostitute. In obedience to the Lord, Hosea married a woman named Gomer.

     Over the course of the marriage, Gomer gave birth to three children. Each child received a symbolic name. The first child was named Jezreel. The second child was named Lo Ruhamah which means “not loved”. God was no longer going to show His love outwardly for Israel. The third child’s name meant not my people. The ten tribes would not longer be God’s people. That was not God’s doing. It would come about because the people did not want to have anything to do with the Lord. Instead, they followed after idols. God will not force anyone to love Him and follow Him. If someone wants to walk away from the Lord, ultimately, He will let them do that.

     After a time, Gomer walked out on Hosea. This is what the Lord said would happen. She took up with another man committing adultery against her husband.

     When Gomer had been away from Hosea for a while, God told the prophet to go and take his wife back. Hosea searched for and found Gomer. He actually had to purchase her back as she had probably ended up as some type of sex slave at this point.

     So, what does this story from the book of Hosea have to teach us? This story works on two different levels. First of all, let us look at it as a symbol of what was actually happening at the time. Israel had abandoned the Lord just as Gomer had abandoned Hosea. God had taken His people out of the land of bondage, loved them, and made them His own. However, the people turned against God so often and in so many ways. They committed spiritual adultery by worshipping the golden calves and all other types of idols. They ended up committing all types of immorality in direct contradiction to the clear commands of the Lord.

     Because of the people’s sins against Him, God gave the nation over to their fate. However, God still loved His people in spite of the way that they had treated Him. He went after them, and He brought them back to Himself once they were willing to return to Him again.

     We can also look at this story in light of the ministry of the Lord Jesus Christ. Isaiah tells us that all of us are like sheep that have gone astray and followed our own way. We have rebelled against the Lord our creator. In spite of our rebellion, in spite of the fact that we were His enemies, God loved us and wanted to redeem us from our sins.

     The Lord Jesus Christ came to this earth to save us and provide forgiveness. He provides us a way back to the Father through His atoning death and through His bodily resurrection from the grave. The Lord bought us out of our sin by His shed blood on the cross.

     I also believe that there is another application from this account in Hosea. There are times after we have come to faith in Christ when we sin and go astray. We fail to do what the Lord wants us to do. We do the things that He has expressly told us not to do. At these times, we are in a sense committing spiritual adultery. But, there is forgiveness and restoration with the Lord. He never stops loving us, and He never gives up on us. It says in I John that if we confess our sins, the Lord will forgive our sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness.

     There is one more thing that I would like to point out from the book of Hosea. This book contains an important Messianic prophecy. A Messianic prophecy is one that points to something that the Messiah would do when He was on the earth. Hosea 11:1 tells us that the Messiah the Son of God would be called out of Egypt. When Jesus who is the Messiah was a baby, Herod wanted to kill all of the children in Bethlehem. The Holy Family fled to Egypt until the time it was safe to return to Nazareth. Jesus completely fulfilled this prophecy.

 

 

 

 

 

Verses For The Week

 Galatians 6:9 -- "Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up."

Matthew 24:13 -- "But the one who stands firm to the end will be saved."

Romans 2:7 -- "To those who by persistence in doing good seek glory, honor and immortality, He will give eternal life."

Weekend Sermon -- Jesus Is The Cornerstone

      Thank you for taking the time to read the sermon this week. I hope that you all have had a very good week. I am trying to do better, but I am still having some health issues. Please continue to pray that I will get to feeling better. 

     As you are probably aware, we have been studying the names and titles of Jesus found in the Bible. This week, we are going to concentrate our attention on the Bible referring to Jesus as the cornerstone. Why did Jesus refer to Himself in this way, and what does this mean?

    The first instance that we have in the Bible of the Messiah being referred to as the cornerstone is in Isaiah 28:16. This verse states, "Therefore, thus says the Lord, Behold I am laying in Zion a stone, a tested stone, a costly cornerstone for the foundation, firmly placed. He who believes in it will not be disturbed." We also see a reference to the Messiah as the cornerstone in Psalm 118:22 where we read, "The stone the builders rejected has become the cornerstone."

     In previous messages, we have seen that Jesus is the Messiah and the Son of God. He fulfilled in His life and ministry all of the prophecies made about the Messiah in the Old Testament. These prophecies were also fulfilled, and Jesus will refer to Himself as this cornerstone in Matthew 21:42 where He quotes the verse from the Psalms about Himself.

     In his sermon recorded in Acts 4, Peter will refer to Jesus as the cornerstone. He says that Jesus the cornerstone was rejected, but He is now the chief cornerstone. There is no salvation in anyone else except in and through the Lord Jesus Christ. 

     Now, what does is mean that Jesus is the cornerstone? First of all, it means that Jesus is the foundation of God's plan of redemption for the entire universe. Everything is built up and through the death, resurrection and return of the Lord Jesus. Those who will identify with Jesus in His death and resurrection will be saved. 

     Jesus is also the cornerstone in that He is the cornerstone of the foundation of the church. The church is built upon what Jesus did. He is the cornerstone, and the foundation is the teaching about Jesus given by the Apostles. 

     What does it mean that the cornerstone was rejected? Initially, Jesus came unto His own, but His own did not receive Him. The crowd screamed that Jesus should be crucified. However, others came and acknowledged who Jesus is and what He did through His life, death and resurrection. 

     In our world today, there are still those who reject the cornerstone Jesus Christ. They will not follow Jesus, nor will they acknowledge that they are sinners and in need of a Savior. However, millions around the world have, do and will bow the knee to Jesus and accept Him as Savior and Lord. He is the only way of salvation. In order for anyone to be forgiven and have eternal life, they must come to Jesus and accept what He has done for them. 

     I hope that you are not one who is rejecting Jesus. I hope that you will turn from sin and turn to Jesus. Believe that He died for you and rose from the dead. Let Him be the Lord of your life today. Amen. 

Prayer Requests

     Please pray that the fires in Canada will be extinguished. The air quality in the US is horrendous right now due to the fires. 

     Pray for the people of Ukraine. Pray for peace there and in Syria, Sudan, Yemen and other nations facing war and unrest. 

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

     Next week, we will continue with our current series of messages. I will post the verses on Monday, and I may have an additional post. May God bless you all. 

Verses For The Week

 Philippians 1:3 -- "I thank my God every time I remember you."

 I Corinthians 15:26 -- "The last enemy to be destroyed is death."

 Psalm 147:3 -- "He heals the brokenhearted and binds up their wounds."

 II Peter 3:13 -- "But in keeping with His promise, we are looking forward to a new heaven and a new earth where righteousness dwells."

 Revelation 21:4 -- "He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away."

Missing My Friend

 This was a great dog and my best friend. He passed away many years ago now on June 5. I miss him every day. Toby, we will meet again. 

Weekend Sermon -- Jesus Is The Son of David

      Thanks for taking the time to read the sermon this week. I hope you are all doing well. I would like to thank the Lord for allowing me to post the sermon this week. 

     Over the course of the last few weeks, we've been examining some of the titles and names that have been given to Jesus in the Scriptures. Last week, we saw that Jesus is the Savior. In today's message, I would like us to focus on the fact that Jesus is the Son of David. 

     Let me start by saying that Son of David was an important title because of the belief of the Jewish people that the Messiah would be a descendant of David. When Jesus is called the Son of David, that title is signifying the fact that Jesus is the Messiah. He was the one sent by God as prophesied in various places throughout the Old Testament. 

     There are several different places in the Bible where Jesus is referred to as the Son of David. The first reference is in the first verse of Matthew's Gospel where Jesus is referred to as the Son of David. Matthew then goes on to show in his genealogy, as does Luke in his genealogy of Jesus, that Jesus is the physical Son of David. 

     Once, Jesus had an encounter with a blind man named Bartimaeus. This man when he cried out to the Lord called Jesus the Son of David. 

     When Jesus entered into the city of Jerusalem during His Triumphal Entry into the city, the people called out that Jesus was the Son of David. 

     In his sermon on the Day of Pentecost, Peter tells the crowd that David prophesied about Jesus. Peter also reminded the crowd of the fact that Jesus is the fulfillment of God's covenant with David. God promised David that a descendant of David would rule on the throne of David forever. That man is Jesus Christ. Jesus is the Messiah, the one who will reign on the throne of David when He returns in power and great glory at His Second Coming. 

    In addition to the references to Jesus as the Son of David in these verses, Paul also refers to Jesus as the Son of David. One of those references is found in Romans 1:3 where Paul calls Jesus a descendant of David after the flesh. 

     Why is it so important that Jesus is called the Son of David? As we have seen, God made a covenant with David. God will always keep His word. He has never failed and He will never fail to keep His covenants and His promises. We can have confidence in all of the things that God has told us due to the fact that God has kept all of His promises in the past.

     It is also important that Jesus is called the Son of David because it is another affirmation in the Scriptures that Jesus is the Messiah. He is the Promised One who has come to save His people from their sins. He is the one who will one day rule and reign in righteous. As the righteous Son of David, He has and will ultimately defeat sin and everything that sets itself up against God and the things of God. 

    Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of David. He has come to redeem us just as was prophesied. One day, Jesus will return and establish His kingdom that will have no end. You can be part of that if you are willing to turn away from sin and ask Jesus for forgiveness. If you ask Jesus to be your Savior and Lord, He will totally change and revolutionize your life. Amen.

 Prayer Requests

     Please continue to pray for peace in the troubled areas of this world. Kosovo is having unrest as is Haiti. Ukraine, Syria, Sudan and Yemen all need our prayers for peace. 

     Pray for those affected by natural disasters around this world. Pray that they will receive the aid and the help that they need. 

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

     Please continue to pray that my health will improve. I thank you for your prayers. 

     Next week, we will continue with our current series. I will post the sermon on Friday, and I will post the verses of the week on Monday. May God bless you all.