Verses For The Week, An Update, And A Prayer Request

      Due to work scheduling, I am going to start posting the verses on Tuesdays. The sermon will still almost always be posted on Friday. I would ask that you pray that the predicted bad winter storm for my area will not materialize. Thank you. 

Here are the verses:

I Corinthians 5:17 -- "Therefore if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away, behold, the new has come."

Psalm 98:1 -- "Sing to the Lord a new song, for He has done marvelous things, His right hand and His holy arm have worked salvation for Him."

Weekend Sermon -- "Do The Right Thing"

       Welcome to the Weekend Sermon. I hope that everyone had a good Christmas. 

     This is the last Weekend Sermon for 2024. It's hard for me to believe that I've been posting these messages for almost 14 years. I do thank the Lord for giving me the opportunity to do this. As we close out the year and move into a new one, I wanted us to focus on what we need to be doing as we head into 2025.

     Shortly after Jesus was born, He received a group of very important visitors. The Bible tells us that wise men from the east saw a star and followed it. They came to Herod and asked where they could find the one who was born the King of the Jews. Herod didn't like hearing about anyone but him being a king, so he asked the wise men to search for the child, and when they found him, they were to report to him his whereabouts. Herod intended all along to do away with Jesus because he didn't want a potential rival for his power. 

     The wise men came and found Jesus in Bethlehem. They presented their gifts of gold, frankincense and myrrh. That night, they were warned by God not to go back and say anything to Herod. Trusting in the message of God, the wise men went home and did not report anything to Herod. 

     The wise men are examples to us of doing the right thing. They had a choice to make. They could have played it safe and gone back and reported to Herod. That way, he wouldn't come looking for them and try to harm them. They made a different choice. They honored God and obeyed Him. They disobeyed the political power and chose to follow God. 

       As we move into 2025, I hope that we will all be those who will do the right thing in this new year. That has several levels of meaning. First of all, I hope that we will do the right thing and follow the teachings and the commandments set out for us by the Lord Jesus. I hope that we will make it a commitment to work as hard as we can to obey the Great Commission and tell others about Jesus and what He can do for them. 

     In 2025, I hope that as Christians we will do the right thing and stand up against injustice and oppression. I hope that we will honor the way of Jesus over and above any leader or political party or philosophy. I hope that we will follow what the Bible tells us to do and not what a politicians says is right. 

     Finally, as we go about doing the right thing in 2025, I hope that we will all find ways to make this world a better place. We all can do something to help others to have a better life. We can contribute to making this a safer and more peaceful world. We can work to make sure that future generations have a thriving world in which to live. 

     Let us all determine in our hearts to do the right thing for the Lord Jesus in 2025. Amen.

Prayer Requests

     I want to thank the Lord for helping me with some of my health problems. I am still having a lot of arthritis pain, so continue to pray with me about that. Thank you. 

     Pray for those who were involved in the Azerbaijan airplane crash. Pray that the injured will recover. 

     Keep praying for the people living in Mayotte. Pray that they will get the aid and the help that they need. 

     Remember to continue to pray for peace. Ukraine, Syria, Israel, Gaza, Lebanon, Yemen and Sudan all need our prayers. 

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

     Next week, I will post another message. I may start a new series. I will post the verses on Monday. May God bless you all. 

Something Interesting

 https://cdn.bsky.app/img/feed_thumbnail/plain/did:plc:luzmohlorabxotpsu4riwvuo/bafkreigqk3i2fazh4lq5cqsru5kq2x44vu6i5o362qp5fntlvx7bz5id7u@jpeg

An Interesting Article

 https://www.nytimes.com/2024/12/22/opinion/christmas-jesus-power-humility.html?unlocked_article_code=1.jk4.ZNVE.1eE3g0sQk7Hy&smid=nytcore-ios-share&referringSource=articleShare&tgrp=ctr

Merry Christmas

     I want to wish everyone a Merry Christmas. I hope that you have a wonderful holiday season. 

     It is my hope and prayer that during the Christmas season that we will remember what the Incarnation is all about. God became man in order to redeem humanity from the fall. Jesus is called the Second Adam in the Bible. He succeeded in every area where the first Adam failed. Jesus lived a sinless life in order to be the Lamb of God to take away the sins of the world. He is the Messiah. The Promised One who has come to save His people from their sins. 

     If you don't have a personal relationship with Jesus, I invite you to turn to Jesus in repentance and faith during this Christmas season. Accept God's gift of love and forgiveness. Allow Jesus to be the Lord of your life. He will change your life now and for all eternity. 

Verses For The Week

 I Timothy 6:18 -- "Tell them to use their money to do good. They should be rich in good works and generous to those in need, always ready to share with others."

Luke 6:31 -- "Do to others as you would have them do to you."

Weekend Sermon -- "The Savior Has Come"

      I want to thank you all for taking the time to read this week's message. I hope that you are all having a wonderful holiday season. 

     This weekend sermon is the last one before Christmas comes around. In keeping with that, I wanted to bring a message that was about the Christmas season. 

     A topic that has interested me for quite some time is the various prophecies that one finds in the Old Testament about the Messiah. Some are very familiar like Isaiah 9:6 and Micah 5:2. There are many, many more prophecies about the first and second Advents of the Messiah that we find in the Bible. One of these is found in Jeremiah 23:5-6 that states, "The days are coming declares the Lord, when I will raise up for David a righteous Branch, a King who will reign wisely, and to do what is just and right in the land. In His days, Judah will be saved, and Israel will live in safety. This is the name by which He will be called, The Lord our Righteous Savior." These verses speak about the first and second Advents of the Lord Jesus. 

     What does it mean when the Lord says He will raise up a righteous branch for David? This is similar to the Messianic prophecy in Isaiah 11 that talks about the Branch. The Lord made a covenant with David. He promised David that a member of his family would reign forever in Jerusalem. The Bible makes it clear that Jesus was born of the line of David. He is the Branch that God raised up from the line of David to fulfill the covenant. 

      When Jesus was on this earth during His first Advent, there were a number of things that He accomplished and Messianic prophecies that He fulfilled. While on this earth, Jesus lived a holy and sinless life in order that He might be the Lamb of God to take away the sins of the world. When He was on the cross, Jesus bore our sins in His body in order that He might pay the penalty for sin that we could not pay. He became sin for us so that we might become the righteousness of God in Him. As our verse for the day tells us, Jesus became our Righteous Savior by dying for us and taking away our sins. Whosoever will call on the name of the Lord shall be saved. 

      The Bible is clear that the Messiah will come again. That is known as the Second Advent, and that is what much of our verses for the day are speaking to us about. When Jesus comes again in power and great glory, He will sit on the throne of His father David, and His reign will have no end. He will only do what is right, and He will only do what is just. All people will dwell in safety on the earth. Perfect justice and perfect peace will be the order of the day. There will be no more oppression, and there will be no more war. 

     Jesus came into this world as God and man. He came to redeem us from sin and from the consequences of sin. When He comes again, He will make all things new, and everything will be returned to the state in which it existed before sin entered into things. 

     Jesus has made a way for us to be redeemed and have forgiveness of sins. I urge you during this Christmas season to accept God's gift of love in Jesus and turn your life over to Jesus making Him your Savior and Lord. Amen. 

Prayer Requests

     I need a lot of prayer right now. I am having some bad health problems. Please pray that I will get better. Thank you. 

     Pray for those who are suffering from depression during this holiday season. 

     Continue to pray for peace. Pray for Ukraine, Israel, Gaza, Syria, Sudan and anyplace where you know there is conflict. 

     Let us pray for those affected by the bad storms. Mayotte was hit by a terrible storm. Pray that aid will reach the people. People in Madagascar, Comoros and Mozambique were also affected by the storm. Pray that they will also receive the aid that they need. 

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

     Next week, I will post the verses on Monday. I don't know what the message will be about yet. May God bless you all. 

Verses For The Week

      Yesterday was a hectic day. Here are the verses for the week.

Psalm 119:81 -- "My soul longs for your salvation, I hope in Your word."

Galatians 5:5 -- "For through the Spirit, by faith, we ourselves eagerly wait for the hope of righteousness."

John 14:2 -- "There are many rooms in my Father's house, and I am going to prepare a place for you. I would not tell you this if it were not so."

Weekend Sermon --"Biblical Teachings About Peace -- Part 4"

      Welcome to the Weekend Sermon. I hope that you are all doing very well and are in good health. I've made it through another week, and I thank the Lord for that. 

     Today, we will be concluding our series of messages on some of what the Bible has to say about peace. Next week, we will have a message based on the Christmas season. 

     As in all things, we want to look at what the Lord Jesus had to say about any subject or issue that we want to study. We've been doing that in this current series. As we conclude, I want us to focus on what Jesus had to say about what I will refer to as spiritual or inner peace. Jesus provides peace to those who are in need of rest for the soul, and He provides peace for those who are in Him as they work to make it through the difficulties that this life can bring. 

     In John 14:27 Jesus said, "Peace I leave with you, My peace I give to you. Not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your hearts be troubled, neither let them be afraid." Jesus further tells us in John 16:33, "I have told you these things so that in Me you might have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But, take heart! I have overcome the world."

     Those who have never come to know Jesus as Savior and Lord are not at peace with God. The Bible says that we are enemies of God when we are still in our sins. All have sinned and all come short of God's righteous standard. Our hearts are restless and burdened in search of what can bring peace and freedom from the guilt and shame that living in sin brings. Jesus is the answer. 

     When a person calls upon the name of the Lord and asks Jesus to forgive their sins and be the Lord of their life, Jesus frees that person from sin and indwells them with His presence. The old way is gone, and a person becomes a new creation in Christ Jesus. A person is no longer under God's wrath because they are clothed in the righteousness of the dearly beloved Son of God. 

     We have peace and no longer need to fear death when Jesus is our Lord and Savior. Through His death and resurrection, He has freed us from sin and and sin's consequences. We can live with the assurance of pardon knowing that Jesus has freed us and lives within us. 

     Now, there is another way that Jesus provides peace. He is with us in and through everything that we go through in this life. He has promised that He will never leave us and He will never forsake us. No matter where we find ourselves in life, we can meditate, pray and rest on the words of Jesus. He is our comfort and He is our strength. 

     In all things, we can find peace knowing that no matter what happens, Jesus has prepared a place for us in Heaven. We will be with Him forever, and nothing can ever harm us when we are with Him for eternity in Heaven. 

     If you do not have peace with God through Jesus, I urge you to turn your life over to the Lord Jesus today. If you are going through a hard time, rest in Jesus. Feel His presence with you. Know that no matter what, you will be with Him, and He will be with you forever. Amen.

Prayer Requests

     Please pray about the situation in the Middle East. It is a mess right now. There is a lot of instability, and many are facing great hardship.

     Continue to pray for peace in Sudan and Ukraine. Haiti needs our prayers as well. 

     Pray for those who have had to deal with storm damage. The UK had a bad storm, and people in Spain and the US are still dealing with storm damage. Pray that all 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 India and Sri Lanka. Pray that many will come to know Jesus. 

     Next week, we will have a Christmas sermon. I will post the verses on Monday. May God bless you all. 

Verses For The Week

      I am sorry about the verses begin posted so late. 

John 3:36 -- "Whoever believes in the Son has eternal life, whoever does not obey the Son shall not see life, but the wrath of God remains on him."

John 10:28 -- "I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish, and no one will snatch them out of My hand."

Weekend Sermon -- "Biblical Teachings About Peace -- Part 3"

      Thank you for once again reading the sermon for the week. I've been having a lot of health issues the past week, so please continue to pray for me. I really appreciate it. I hope that all of you are in good health and doing well.  I thank the Lord for the opportunity to post this message. 

     Last week, I decided to post a message with a thanksgiving theme as it was that holiday here where I live. Before that, we'd been studying what the Bible has to teach us about the subject of peace. I want to continue with that today. 

     One of the things that Jesus talked about a lot was how to have peace. He spoke about having peace with God and having peace in our hearts. He also spoke about what was necessary to have good and peaceful relationships with those who are around us. That is what I want us to focus on today. 

     Jesus is the one we have to focus on when we look into anything within our lives and how we are to live. Jesus gave us several teachings on peace. The first component of this teaching is the Great Commandment and the second like unto it. Jesus told us that we are to love the Lord with all of our heart, soul, mind and strength. He then told us that we are to love our neighbor as ourselves. All of the commandments, Jesus said, are contained within these two. 

     Having true peace in this world and in our relationships starts with loving God with all that we have within us. When we love the Lord with all that we have, we will obey His teachings and His commandments. This will then allow us to live in the world as He intended. If we are not willing to obey the teachings of the Lord Jesus, they is no way that we will be able to have peace within this world. 

     We must follow Jesus' teaching to love our neighbor if we are going to have peace. If we are striving with others we cannot have peace. Jesus gave us the Golden Rule in order to show us how we are to love our neighbors as ourselves. We are told to do unto others as we would have done to us. This means that we are actively to treat others in the same way that we would want to be treated. 

     When we keep the Golden Rule in mind and put its principles into practice, we will have peace in our interpersonal relationships. I also believe that if we would practice this on an international level, it would lead to a lot more peacefulness. If we would all put ourselves in someone's shoes, we would treat others better which can only lead to more peaceful relationships along with the justice and goodness that is needed for true peacefulness to be a possibility. 

      In order to have peaceful relationships, we have to follow the teaching of Jesus to not just love our friends, He also calls on us to love our enemies and those who persecute us. When we help those who aren't really good to us, and when we don't respond to hate with hate, we have the chance through the love of Jesus working through us to bring about change in another person's life. It isn't always easy to practice this. However, when we keep retaliating against those who are opposed to us, a negative chain of events just spirals out of control. 

     Having peace in our relationships requires doing something. Jesus said it required that we show love to all. Paul said that we overcome evil with good. When we do good for all and show and spread the love of Jesus to all, it will lead to better relationships. As far as nations are concerned, when we help others to have a better life, it will lead to better relationships as well. 

     By following Jesus and His way of love and goodness, we will have more peace in this world. Let us follow the way of the Lord in all that we do. Amen. 

Prayer Requests

     I want to thank the Lord that Israel and Lebanon are working towards more peacefulness. Let us pray that peace can come all over the Middle East. Pray for release of the hostages. 

     Keep praying for peace in Syria and Yemen.

     Sudan is a mess. Pray for peace.

     Pray for peace in Ukraine.

     Remember to pray for those in Cuba who are having such a terrible time with the power going off all the time. Pray that they can figure out how to keep the power on. 

     Let us pray for those affected by storms and natural disasters. Pray that they will get the aid and the help that they need. 

     For our prayer focus this week, let us all pray that many will hear about the love of Jesus in Jordan and Guinea-Bissau. 

     Next week, we will continue with our current sermon series. I will post the verses on Monday. I am working on a special post, and will have that up in the next few days. May God bless you all. 

     

Verses For The Week

 Ephesians 1:7 -- "In Him we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins, in accordance with the riches of God's grace."

Isaiah 44:22 -- "I have swept away your offenses like a cloud, your sins like the morning mist. Return to Me for I have redeemed you."