Thank you for taking the time to once again read the Weekend Sermon. I hope that all of you are doing well and are in good health. I thank the Lord for the opportunity to post this message.
I mentioned last week that I was going to start a new series of messages this week. However, I came across a verse this week that prompted a message that I want to share with you. It is in a sense a continuation of what we studied last week. If you remember, we saw that as we start the new year, we need to be built up in Christ,
Ephesians 2:20-22 compliments and adds to what we addressed last week. This passage states, "built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, with Christ Jesus Himself as the chief cornerstone. In Him the whole building in joined together and rises to become a holy temple in the Lord. And you too are being built together to become a dwelling in which God lives by His Spirit."
As I mentioned last week, we have to get our roots down deep into the Lord Jesus as we head out into a new year. We have to anchor our lives in His example and in His teachings. This passage uses the metaphor of our lives and the church being a like a building.
If you look at some of the ancient buildings, one of the first things that you will notice is that there is always a large cornerstone placed in the foundation. This was placed there in order to solidify the foundation in order that everything else that was built upon the foundation was secure. Jesus talked about foundations in one of His parables. He said that those who listened to His words and put them into practice were like those who built their house on a rock. When the flood came, the house endured. On the other hand, those who ignored His teachings were like those who built their house on the sand. The house was swept away when the rains came.
Everything that we do has to be built on Jesus Christ. The book of Hebrews tells us to keep our eyes on Jesus. Jesus told us to look to Him and not to look to the right nor to the left nor behind. We are to look to Him and follow Him in His way as we are on the narrow path that leads to eternal life.
Our passage also tells us that we are building the church and our lives on the foundation of the apostles and prophets. What does this mean? The apostles were taught by the Lord, and they were instructed to teach others. They went into all of the world to preach the message of Jesus. Some of what they preached is recorded for us in the New Testament. We are to read these words and base our lives on what they have to tell us as they follow and proclaim what they learned from spending time with the Lord Jesus. A good project for this week would be to pick one of the epistles like James, I John or I Peter. Read and study the book, and put into practice what it says.
The prophets also give us teachings on which we are to base our lives. They were entrusted by God to bring His message to a people that were often going astray. Malachi, Amos, Isaiah, Jeremiah and the rest presented a message of social justice and righteousness that is just as relevant now as it was then. These are the words that we are to build our lives on now.
As we live our lives following Jesus and the words of the apostles and prophets, we have to be led by the power of the Holy Spirit. One of the works of the Spirit is to lead us into the truth. The Spirit reminds us of all that the Lord Jesus has said. The Spirit convicts of sin and prompts us into the way that we should go. Always be sensitive and responsive to the work of the Holy Spirit in your life.
As we go into this new year, let us be students of the Word. Let us follow the teachings of the Word, Jesus Christ, and the word about the Word, the Bible. May we be led by the Spirit into being like Jesus in this world. Amen.
Prayer Requests
I am still having a lot of arthritis problems. I think that I am going to have to go to another doctor and see if I can get some additional help. I do want to thank the Lord that things are going better at my work.
Please pray for those who are suffering as a result of the fires in California. Pray for the safety of the fire fighters. Pray that those who need help will get the aid that they need. Also pray for continued aid to reach the storm victims in the US Southeast.
We need to keep praying for aid to reach Mayotte. That island has really been devastated by storms.
Keep praying for peace. Pray that the ceasefire holds in Gaza and that more hostages will be set free. Pray for peace in Ukraine and Sudan. Pray that the violence will end in Haiti.
For our prayer focus countries this week, let us pray for those in the nations of Gambia and Thailand. Pray that many will come to know Jesus.
Next week, I will be posting a message that I believe the Lord gave me at this time. After that, we will be starting the new series of messages. I will post the verses on Tuesday. May God bless you all.
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