The Weekend Sermon -- Mark 4:24-25

      Thank you for taking the time to read the message this week. I am trying to get back on track. There have been so many storms and other difficulties. A lot has been going on. Hopefully, we can stay on track with our study of Mark. I hope and pray that you are all doing well. 

     Our verses for today present us with more difficulty than one might think. Depending on which version of the New Testament you are reading, you get a different reading in many of them. After reading many different ones in preparation for this message, I think the text of the New Living Translation gets at what Jesus is saying. It reads, "Then He added, Pay close attention to what you hear. The closer you listen, the more understanding you will be given -- and you will receive even more. But for those who are not listening, even what little understanding they have will be taken away from them."

     What Jesus is saying hear the way I understand it is that our growth spiritually is dependent on hearing and doing what He has said. When we do listen to Him and follow Him, we will grow and learn and we will receive more understanding and grow in the Lord. On the other hand, if we do not listen and practice the teachings and the commandments of Jesus, we will not grow spiritually. In fact, those who do not listen to the Lord will face condemnation. 

     We can see this in a way with a none spiritual example or two. When I was in college, we were presented with the facts of a course. What you got out of the course would pretty much be in line with the effort you put in. If you used the course information as a springboard to learn more about the subject, you would get more out of the experience than those who just wanted to get through it and get the grade. After the course was over, they more or less forgot about it. 

     Human relationships are like this. If we put in the effort of knowing and understanding another person, we will have a better and a deeper relationship. If we don't, at best we will just have a very superficial friendship. 

     So, what does this all mean? The way I see it is that we need to be those who are committed to hearing and implementing the teachings of Jesus. When we hear His words and do what they tell us to do, we grow closer to the Lord Jesus. We then learn more about Him and we keep becoming more and more like Him for His honor and glory. 

     James tells us about this. He admonishes his readers to be doers of the word and not forgetful hearers only. 

     We have to be committed to reading and studying the Word of the Lord. We need to be passionate about obeying the Lord and following His teachings and commandments. Amen. 

Prayer Requests

     I need your prayers on two important things. I am seriously considering selling my house. Pray that things will go well in this manner. Also, pray about my job. It isn't great there right now. 

     Please pray for an end to the Ebola outbreak in Africa. 

     Keep praying for peace. Ukraine, Sudan and the entire Middle East area need our prayers. I am so tired of all the war and fighting. 

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

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

Verses For The Week

 Psalm 105:2 -- "Sing to Him, sing praise to Him, tell of all His wonderful acts."

Psalm 101:1 -- "I will sing of Your love and justice, Lord I will sing praise."

Weekend Sermon -- A Message From Several Years Back

      This has been a really hard week. We have had bad storms again. I am just going to post a message from the past this week. Please pray that things will get better. Thank you. Also, keep praying for peace.

  Today, I want to talk about the compassion of Jesus.  While He was ministering on this earth, Jesus showed His compassion for people in a number of different ways.  Let's look today at the places where the Scriptures say that Jesus demonstrated compassion.
     The first instance in Scripture that reveals the compassion of Jesus is found in Mark Chapter 1 verse 41.  Jesus is approached by a man who is covered with leprosy.  The leper says to Jesus, "Lord if you are willing, make me clean."  The Bible says that Jesus was moved with compassion, touched the man and healed him.
     This isn't the only instance in Scripture that reveals Jesus' compassion for the sick.  Mark 9:14-29 records Jesus having compassion on a boy who was possessed.
     Matthew 14:44 says that Jesus felt compassion for the people and healed the sick.  And Matthew 20:34 records that Jesus had compassion on two blind men by the side of the road.  Jesus gave them back their sight.
     Jesus had great compassion on the sick and afflicted.  He was deeply moved by the suffering of humanity.  Jesus healed the sick and freed them from their pain.  People who suffered for a lifetime were delivered by the touch of the Savior.
     These instances of Jesus' compassion for the sick mean a lot to me.  I've struggled with illness my entire life.  Sometimes, you feel isolated and that no one cares about your suffering.  When I was a young boy in Christian schools, the kids and teachers often made fun of me because I was sick so much.  I learned that Jesus cared about me.  He loved me and had compassion for me.  He gave me an awareness of His presence letting me know that I was never alone and that He understood what I was going through.
     Unlike the people in the Bible, I was not healed of every affliction.  However, Jesus did heal me of vitiligo.  I know that Jesus will restore me to perfect health when I come into His presence face to face one day.
     Because of much of the emotional suffering that I had to go through at school, I believe that is why Jesus sent Toby to me.  Toby did not leave me when I was sick.  We helped each other.
     Just as Jesus showed His great compassion for those who were sick, we as His followers should do the same.  We should try to help people that don't feel well with their daily needs if at all possible.  If someone can't afford medical care, we as the church should help them out.  We should reach out to the sick and hurting in our circle of influence and around the world.
     One of the great stories of Jesus' compassion is found in Luke 7.  Jesus was traveling around the country when He approached the city of Nain.  As Jesus approached, He encountered a funeral procession for a young man who was the only son of his mother who was a widow.  Jesus saw the boy's mother weeping, and He was moved with compassion.  He told the mother not to cry and then raised her son to live again.  Jesus was moved with compassion at the sight of a grieving mother.
     Many people in our world today are hurting.  They grieve over the loss of a loved one.  It's been three years now since my mom and dad died, and it still hurts me deeply.  Many people is our society suffer from depression and anxiety.  As followers of Jesus, we can be a force of compassion by speaking words of comfort.  We can meet the needs of others by being the best friend that we can be.
     Jesus also demonstrated compassion for the hungry.  Matthew 15:32 says that Jesus had compassion on the multitudes because they had followed Him and now they had nothing to eat.  Jesus took five loaves and two fish and feed 5,000.  Jesus cared that people were hungry.
     Thank God for the compassionate people who work to combat hunger in this country and around the world.  Many churches operate food banks, and I think that every church should do this.  As followers of Jesus, we can donate food, time and resources to help alleviate hunger and food insecurity in this nation.  There are also many excellent groups to support who help feed people across the globe.
     Finally, Jesus showed His compassion on those who needed a Savior and a shepherd for their souls.  Matthew 9:36 says, "And seeing the multitudes, He felt compassion for them, because they were distressed and downcast like sheep without a shepherd."
     Jesus is the Good Shepherd.  He came to seek and save the lost.  Jesus will forgive and save from sin anyone who repents and accepts Him into his life as Savior and Lord.
     As His compassionate followers, Jesus calls us to share the message of the Gospel with others.  Jesus calls us to show compassion on the sick, the hurting and the hungry.

Verses For The Week

 Amos 5:15 -- "Hate evil, love good; establish justice in the gates."

Romans 12:9 -- "Let love be without hypocrisy. Abhor what is evil. Cling to what is good."

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.