Weekend Sermon -- "The Lord's Grace"

      It is time once again for this week's sermon. Thank you for reading it. I want to thank the Lord for giving me this ministry, and I hope that you are having a great week. 

     In our message today, we are going to step back from our study in the book of Mark this week because I want to bring a message about something that has been on my mind a lot recently. It has to do with the grace of God. 

     Grace can best be defined as God's unmerited favor. That means God giving us and providing us with good things not based on us doing something to earn or deserve it. He does it just because He cares for us and wants to provide the best for us. 

     As you know, I have sold my house and moved. Over the course of the last few weeks as this entire process has carried itself out, I have been looking back over the course of my life. Something really stood out to me in my reflections. I have been the recipient of the grace and goodness of the Lord over and over and over again. It is not through any good deeds on my part, it is all because of the goodness of the Lord. 

    One of the examples of God's grace in my life is the fact that He allowed me to be born in a Christian home to parents who showed me what it meant to live out one's faith for the Lord Jesus. By God's grace I was able to go to a Christian school and study and learn more about Him. 

    It was only by God's grace that I was able to beat the odds and make it through my early years and be here today. I was born with a congenital immune system problem and was not expected to live too long. But by the grace of God, I am still standing and moving forward trying to serve Him each day as He enables me to do it. 

     Another outstanding example of the grace of God at work in my life was finding my friend Toby. There was no way we would have ever come together unless the Lord Jesus made it all work out the way that it needed to work out. It is one of the defining points of my life finding him. 

    God's grace was also at work in allowing me to find a great teacher to help me learn about classical music and jazz. Some may say it was just the luck of the draw. But, I know that it was the grace of God. God providing for me more than I could ever ask or imagine out of His great goodness and love for me. 

    There have been numerous good things and good times that have happened in my life like becoming a writer and finding the right job that would not have happened except by the grace of God. It is all because of Him that I am what I am today and I have the things that I have today. It is all of Him and none of me. 

    The greatest gift of God's grace in my life is salvation through the finished work of Christ on the cross and through His glorious resurrection. It was not through any goodness or works of righteousness on my part that I am redeemed. It is all through what Jesus did for me. He took my sin and imputed His righteousness within me. By grace I have been saved. 

    I hope that you will look back this week at the many instances of God's grace in your life. And give Him thanks for all that He has done. If you have never come to know the grace of God through Jesus, I hope you will receive His gift of grace today. Amen. 

Prayer Requests

     Please keep praying for me as I try to move into the new aspect of my life. Transitions are difficult, but your prayers make a difference. 

     Keep praying for peace. This is really on my heart right now. All of the battles and strife in the Middle East and Iran need to stop. We need peace in Ukraine now. The battle in Sudan needs to stop. So many are suffering. Pray for peace in these and in the other war torn areas of the world. 

     Pray for my friend at work who is having a hard time with his health. He has had an operation that has gone badly. 

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

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

Verses For The Week

      John 1:16 -- "For from His fulness we have all received, grace upon grace. 

     Titus 2:11 -- "For the grace of God has appeared bringing grace to all people."

Weekend Sermon --"Mark 8:1-21"

      Thanks for reading the message. I thank the Lord for the opportunity to post the message. May the Lord's peace be with you this day. 

     Today, we are moving into chapter 8 as we continue our study in the Gospel of Mark. Earlier, we saw that Jesus had fed the five thousand. In our passage today, Jesus has a similar situation. He feeds four thousand this time, and the disciples still beforehand didn't understand that Jesus could perform this miracle. This is unbelievable to me. 

     After Jesus had fed the people, the Pharisees had the temerity to ask Jesus for a sign. He already gave them one. So, Jesus said that He wasn't giving them any more signs and walked off. 

    At that point, Jesus told the disciples to beware of the yeast of the Pharisees and the yeast of Herod. The disciples thought He was upset about them not bringing bread. 

    Jesus was exasperated with them at this point. He recounted to them the miracle of the five and four thousand being fed. Don't you understand? Jesus was probably just shaking His head. 

     What are we to make of this passage? What are some lessons that we can derive from it?

     I want to point out first that Jesus makes it clear that He fed four and five thousand on separate occasions. Some more liberal Bible scholars point to this passage as a mix-up or discrepancy in the Bible. It is not. They were two different miracles, and Jesus says so Himself. That is one reason He is so upset with the disciples and their lack of understanding.

     Next, what is the leaven of the Pharisees and Herod. This is interesting. Leaven is often used metaphorically in the Bible to represent something added that is impure. That is why unleavened bread was used. I think what Jesus is specifically referring to is the leaven of hypocrisy. That was the great sin of the religious leaders, and Jesus called them out on it time and time again. They did not practice what they preached. 

    More specifically in this context, they were trying to be deliberately obtuse in asking for a sign. They were just trying to cause trouble. Jesus had had enough of it. 

    We must be people who practice what we preach. We cannot say one thing and do another. If we claim to be followers of Jesus, people expect us to live according to a certain standard. To say we believe yet not follow the teachings and commandments of Jesus is the height of hypocrisy. It is one of the main reasons so many people are turned off of religion. 

    Now, to address what Jesus said to the disciples. They saw so much yet they did not understand. Sometimes the things Jesus said are difficult to grasp. However, Jesus does not give up on those who are trying. He kept on with these guys, and eventually, they saw the truth about Him, and they went and preached all over the world. 

    Sometimes, I think we do understand but say we don't so we have an excuse not to do what we know Jesus wants us to do. That is more of the yeast Jesus was speaking of. 

    Let us all strive to live out what we believe and practice what we preach. Let us always ask the Spirit to reveal the truth of the Word to us. Amen.

Prayer Request

     I purchased a new vehicle this week. I thank the Lord for His help. 

    Please keep praying for peace in the world. Ukraine, the Middle East and Sudan still need our prayers. 

    I want to thank the Lord that the Cyclospora has passed. Keep praying for an end to the Ebola outbreak. 

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

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

Verses For The Week

 Proverbs 21:21 -- "Whoever pursues righteousness and kindness will find life, righteousness and honor."

Galatians 6:2 -- "Bear one another's burdens, and thus fulfill the law of Christ."

Weekend Sermon -- "Mark7:31-36"

      Thanks for once again taking the time to read the message for the week. I have been having busy weeks and days with moving and working, but things are settling down a little now. Thank you all for your prayers. 

     Today, we are getting back in the swing of things and focusing our attention on our continuing study in the Gospel of Mark. In our passage, we see something that seems strange, but I believe that there are important spiritual ideas from this passage for us to grasp. 

     Jesus healed the people wherever He went. He came into the city and a man who was deaf and unable to speak was brought to Him for healing. Jesus took the man aside, and then Jesus put His figures in the man's ears and on his tongue. Jesus spit, looked up to Heaven and cried be opened in Aramaic. The man was healed and began to praise the Lord. 

     Why did Jesus do this healing this way? I believe that Jesus placed the man away from the crowd first of all to not make a spectacle out of him. This may have had to do with Jesus' understanding of his personality and what he had gone through in life. Jesus understands us at our deepest level, and He will do that which is best for us. 

    I think that Jesus put his fingers in the man's ears and on his tongue in order to communicate to the man that He was going to heal him. He wanted to let the man know that He was going to do a miracle and free him from the physical boundary that had contained him. 

     By looking up into Heaven, Jesus was showing everyone that divine power and not some magical incantation was responsible for the man being healed. All of the praise, honor and glory belongs to the Lord. 

    I also think that there is another very important insight that we can gain from this text. It is this, we often do not always understand what Jesus is doing and how He is working. We live in this world and pray and rely on the Lord and often we don't get why the Lord is letting x,y or z happen to us. I know this is true in my life. However, we can know this, Jesus is always working things out according to His plans and purposes for us. 

    I will give you a couple of examples. I know that I have been called to be a minister of the Gospel. When I was younger, I thought that would mean me being the pastor of a church. Then, the very fundamentalist churches of my youth rejected me, and I didn't know what would happen. But, Jesus had it worked out. He led me into writing and evangelism work. He was working things out according to His will even though I didn't understand how it would all work out at the time. Looking back, I see it worked out great.

    On another front. When I was a young man, the family dog attacked me for no reason at all. The vet thinks he had a brain tumor. I liked that dog, and I was depressed about the whole thing. However, out of that terrible event which I didn't understand, the Lord led me to my forever best friend Toby. If the one hadn't have happened, neither would have the other. I don't understand what my life would have been without Toby. Now, I don't for a second believe the Lord made that dog attack. However, out of the bad, the Lord brought something great. I didn't see it or understand it, but the Lord Jesus was at work. 

    I said all that to say this, the Lord works often in ways we don't understand until later. We may not understand until we get to see Him face to face. We can know that Jesus is doing all for our good and will always do what is right. We can and should always give Him the praise and the glory just as this man who was healed in an unusual way did. Jesus knows what He is doing. Let our trust be in Him. Amen. 

Prayer Requests

     Please pray that now that I have found a place to live, I will be able to find a newer car. I don't want anything fancy, just want something that will get me around. 

     Keep praying for peace. Ukraine and all the Middle East really need our prayers. Sudan needs our prayers for peace as does Congo. Haiti is still experiencing violence. 

    Pray for and end to Ebola and Cyclospora.

    Remember to keep praying for those in Nepal recovering from the natural disaster. 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 Mauritius and Taiwan. 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. 

Verses For The Week

Psalm 119:11 -- "I have stored up Your word in my heart, that I might not sin against You."

Hebrews 2:18 -- "For because He Himself suffered when tempted, He is able to help those who are being tempted."

Weekend Sermon -- "A Reflection On Life"

      Thank you for taking the time to read the message this week. I hope that everyone is enjoying the week. I want to once again thank the Lord for the opportunity to post the message. 

     Today, we are going to take a break from the series we are in engaged in the the Gospel of Mark because I want to focus on some of the things that have been going on in my life and how maybe that might be an encouragement to you. 

     If you have read the blog over the course of these last 15 plus years, you know that I have had to overcome a lot of struggles. I have dealt with grief, financial troubles and health issues. Through it all, as I have always told you, Jesus has been with me to help me to make it through both the good times and the bad. I don't know how people make it without Him. 

     At one point in my life, I was down to only eight dollars to my name. I wondered if I was even going to make it. But, the Lord was with me, and I am still here today. 

     Recently, I decided to move on with my life so to speak. I have been living in the house I lived in with my parents over the years. They both passed on to be with the Lord 17 years ago. The old house had begun to be an albatross around my neck filled with black mold and an absolute disaster. I decided to sell it, and move on. Thankfully, the Lord has helped me through this. 

    Over the course of the last few days, I have been thinking about the verse in the book of Joel that tells about God restoring what the locusts have eaten. I feel like that in my life. I was at rock bottom, but I feel more encouraged now. I feel like the Lord is helping me to come back from being so down, and maybe there is a fresh start with better things out there. 

     I said all that to say this. I want you to know that no matter what difficulty you are going through, the Lord Jesus is with you. He will help you to make it through. I don't know that everything you lost at some point in your life will be restored in this life, but I know it will be ultimately. Jesus said that those who follow Him will receive a reward. All will be well for those who are in Christ. 

    Keep trusting in the Lord. We don't always understand why we are going through what we are going through, but the Lord is going before us. He knows the way and the path. Ultimately, that way is to and through Him. Let us all keep pressing on and keep looking to Jesus who is the author and perfecter of our faith. Amen. 

Prayer Requests

     Please keep praying that I will get everything done with the move done successfully. I need to get a different car soon, so pray with me about that. 

     Pray for those in Tibet and Nepal who are dealing with the flood. Pray that aid and help will get to those who need it. 

    Let us continue to pray for an end to the Ebola and cyclospora outbreaks. Pray that those who are sick will recover. 

     Continue to pray for peace. Ukraine, the Middle East and Sudan all need our prayers. From what I understand, there is still a lot of violence occurring in Haiti. 

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

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