The Weekend Sermon -- "Jesus Is The Same"

      Welcome to the sermon for this week. I hope that you are all doing well. I have pretty much recovered from the storms. I thank the Lord for His help this week and for giving me the opportunity to post this message. 

     We have been going through the Gospel of Mark. However, I was thinking a lot this week about one of the verses in the Bible that is very meaningful to me, and I want to bring the message based on that verse this week. Lord willing, we will return to our study in Mark next week. 

     A verse that has meant a lot to me over the years is found in Hebrews 13:8. It reads, "Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, and today, and forever." Jesus is the same. What does this mean for our lives?

     First, let's look at the context of what this means for the person of Jesus. It means that Jesus is now what He was in the past and He will be that in the future. In other words, Jesus was the divine Second Person of the Holy Trinity the Eternal Son of the Father in eternity past. He was still divine when He was on earth, and He will remain so into eternity future. Jesus is not going to change. He is and was and will be the divine man. God who became man and dwelled among us. 

    This verse also tells me that what Jesus accomplished is going to endure. Jesus completed the work of redemption. His sacrifice is sufficient now, and it will remain sufficient in the future. We can stake our eternity on the finished work of Christ on the cross and in His glorious resurrection.

     Now, this verse also speaks to me on another level. It speaks to me on the level of trust in what Jesus promised. When Jesus was on this earth, He was completely trustworthy. What He said He did. Jesus told us that He has gone to prepare a place for us that where He is we can be there too. Since Jesus was trustworthy then, He is now, and He will be in the future. That means that we can take it to the bank that those who put their faith and trust in Jesus will be with Him in the place that He has prepared for all eternity. 

    My parents and friends who have preceded me in death believed in the Lord and in His promises such as all who come to me I will not cast out. They are with the Lord now. I believe in that because I believe that Jesus is the same yesterday, today and forever. He kept His word, He keeps His word and He always will. We can trust His promises to the max. 

     Jesus also told us that He would never leave us and that He would never forsake us. Our verse today tells me I can count on this forever because of who Jesus is. When I face hard times, Jesus will not abandon me. He will be with me in the good times and in the bad times. He will never leave me by myself. 

     One other thing I want to add. This verse lets me know that Jesus is the same in the way that He cares for people. Jesus demonstrated great compassion while He was on this earth. He cared about even those that others didn't care about and looked down on. Jesus is still the one who is filled with great compassion and caring for all. He will not change. He cares about you and your needs now and He will still care into the future. 

     Jesus is everything to me. He will always be who He said He was. We can trust His promises and His word. And we know that He will always desire and do what is best for those who love Him. Amen. 

Prayer Request

     Right now, I am trying to get out of my house and find somewhere else to live. Please pray that this will work out and that the Lord will help me. 

     Please keep praying for peace. We need peace in the Middle East. We need peace in Lebanon. Pray for peace in Ukraine and Sudan. 

     Keep praying for those affected by storms. Pray that they will get the aid and the help that they need. 

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

     Next week, we will back in Mark. I will post the verses on Tuesday. May God bless you all. 

Verses For The Week

 Matthew 5:48 -- "Therefore you shall be perfect, just as your Father in Heaven is perfect."

I Corinthians 15:34 -- "Awake to righteousness and do not sin."

Weekend Sermon -- "Mark 4:21-23"

     Thank you for reading the message this week. After all of the bad storms and upsets over the last few days, I am trying to get things back on course. I am glad to be able to post the message after all that has happened. Thank you for your prayers on my behalf. 

     We have been studying the Gospel of Mark for some time now, and I want us to pick back up with that today. In our text for today, we have two different ideas going on, and we will focus on both of them. 

     Jesus begins by telling us that the purpose of a lamp or a light is not to be brought out in order to be covered up and hidden. Its purpose is to illuminate the darkness and shine its light into the dark places of a home or building so that people can see. 

     Spiritually, Jesus is telling us as His followers that we are to be the ones who are shining the light of His love and grace and transforming power into this world. We don't want to cover up our light. We don't want to go through our days in this world without people knowing that we are followers of the Lord Jesus. 

     Being people who shine the light I think involves at least two things. First of all, shining the light means sharing the truth of the Gospel with others in this world. It means that we tell others about who Jesus is and what He has done. We tell others about the life changing power of Jesus and how they can know Him and the power of His resurrection. Shining the light means fulfilling the Great Commission. 

     To my way of thinking, shining the light also means that we shine the message of Jesus into the problems and difficulties that this world is facing. For instance, there is much injustice and hurt and oppression in this world. The Lord Jesus had much to say about living in peace and practicing non-violence while at the same time helping others and making the world a better place. Shining the light means telling this world what Jesus would have us do in regard to the issues of the day. We shine the light in this way when we stand against oppression and when we advocate for the poor and the marginalized within this world. 

     Now, there is something else going on in our verses for this week. J.B Phillips was a Bible scholar who did a paraphrase of the Bible several years back. I like how he puts a portion of our text, "There is nothing hidden that is not meant to be made perfectly plain one day, and there are no secrets which are not meant one day to be common knowledge."

     What does this mean? It is in the context of shining the light. One day, all the thoughts and intents of the heart of people will be made clear when Jesus returns as judge and ruler of the universe. The truth about evil, sin and wickedness will be revealed. All will come to light. People are not getting away with anything so to speak. 

     There is also a positive aspect of this statement by Jesus. One day, everyone will know the truth about who He is and what He has done. Every knee will bow and every tongue will confess that Jesus Christ is Lord to the glory of God the Father. 

     Let each of us shine the light of the love of the Lord out into the world. Let us make a difference for time and for eternity. Amen.

Prayer Requests

     I continue to ask for your prayers. I am having a hard time right now. Please keep praying for me. Thank you. 

     Please continue to pray for peace. Pray that the conflict with Iran will end and pray for peace throughout the Middle East and in Lebanon. Pray for peace in Ukraine and Sudan and Myanmar. 

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

     Next week, I will post the verses on Tuesday and we will continue in Mark. May God bless you all. 

My Old Friend

     Today is the birthday of my friend Toby. I miss him now more than ever. I hope that we can be together again soon. I thank the Lord for bringing us together and giving us a lot of good years. 

Verses For The Week And An Update

      Just wanted to give an update on some things that are happening. We have had terrible weather in my area as of late. Last week, a tornado came very near my town and caused some damage. I was not badly damaged, and I thank the Lord for that. Some of my neighbors had quite a bit of damage. Please pray for all who have been affected by storms in my area. I hope to get back on track with the blog this week. Please pray that there will be a lull in the stormy weather. 

Verses

Isaiah 40:29 -- "He gives strength to the weary and increases the power of the weak."

Philippians 4:13 -- "I can do all this through Him who gives me strength."

Weekend Sermon

  I am not doing well this week. I am facing a very hard time and hope you will pray for me. I am going to repost a past message this week. Thank you. 

Welcome to the Weekend Sermon. Thank you for reading the sermon this week, and I thank the Lord for this opportunity.

Over the course of the last few messages, we've been examining some of the characteristics that should be part of the growing Christian's life.

Today, we look at good works. Before we get too deep into the message, I want to clearly state that no one is offered salvation and forgiveness by the Lord based on the performance of good deeds. Ephesians chapter 2 makes it clear that we are saved by grace through faith and not by works. This same chapter also tells us that we are saved unto good works.

James tells us something similar in his epistle. He tells us that, "faith without works is dead." What James is trying to tell us is that a person who has a true possession of faith and not an empty profession of faith will be living a life filled with doing good in the world for the honor and glory of the Lord. 

We always need to look at what Jesus has to say on a subject. In Matthew 5:16 Jesus says, "Let your light shine before men so that they see your good works and glorify your Father in Heaven." In other words, Jesus is telling us that when we do good deeds in the world, they help point others toward the God who we worship. 

This is exactly what Jesus did while He was ministering here on Earth. Acts 10:38 tells us that Jesus went around doing good and freeing those who were opressed by the devil. 

So, what kind of good works should we be doing? Jesus tells us this in Matthew 25. He tells us to do good to those who are the least among us. That means feeding the hungry, providing clothing, visiting sick people and those who are in prison. 

There are many ways that we can do good in this world. There are many hurting people who need us to care about them. This planet and its creatures need someone to care and help. The world needs the help of Christians who will seek the path of peace with justice. 

Another way that we can do good in the world is to tell others about the love of Jesus. This will make a radical difference in the lives of those who turn their lives over to the lordship of Jesus Christ.

This week, let each of us find some way to do what is right and good in this world in the name of Jesus and for His glory. Amen

Verses For The Week

 Proverbs 3:27 -- "Do not withhold good from those to whom it is due, when it is in your power to act."

Galatians 6:9-10 -- "Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up. Therefore, as we have the opportunity, let us do good to all people, especially those who belong to the family of believers."