The Weekend Sermon -- "Faithfulness -- Part 1"

      Welcome to the Weekend Sermon. I am glad that you have taken the time to read the sermon this week. I have been doing somewhat better with my health, and I am thankful to the Lord for that. I am also thankful for the fact that we have been having some nicer weather for a change where I live.

     Last week, we concluded our series of messages on some of what the Bible has to say about joy. Today, I want us to start a new series of messages on some of what the Bible has to say about faithfulness. The Bible calls upon us to be faithful people. We also find much in the Bible about the faithfulness of the Lord, and that is what I want us to look into today. 

     One verse about the faithfulness of God that is very important is found in Deuteronomy 7:9 that states, "Know you therefore that the Lord your God is God, He is the faithful God, keeping His covenant of love to a thousand generations of those who love Him and keep His commandments." This verse tells us that God is faithful in keeping the covenants that He has made with us. 

     In the Bible, God made certain covenants with people. One of these is the covenant that He made with Abraham. He told Abraham that He would bless Him and that His descendants would be numerous. God told Abraham that through his seed all of the nations of the world would be blessed. God has faithfully kept this covenant. Through Abraham's descendant Jesus, all of the world has been blessed by knowing the love of God and having the ability to receive eternal life and forgiveness of sins through the Son of God Jesus Christ. 

     God has also been faithful in keeping the covenant that He made with David. He told David that one of David's descendants would rule forever from Jerusalem. Jesus is a descendant of David. He will come again in power and great glory and rule on this earth from Jerusalem, and His kingdom will have no end. 

     There are several other verses in the Scripture that speak of the faithfulness of God to us. We find one such instance in I John 1:9. This verse tells us that God is faithful and will forgive the sins of those who call upon Him. Whoever comes to the Lord in repentance and faith will be forgiven. That is God's promise, and He is faithful to do what He has promised. 

     In I Corinthians 1:9 we read, "God is faithful, who has called you into fellowship with His Son, Jesus Christ our Lord. This means that God has called people to have salvation and a relationship with Jesus. God will not go back on His promise that we can know the Lord Jesus, and that He will be a living presence within our lives. 

     We know from the Scripture that Jesus is God come in the flesh. He has made those of us who follow Him important promises. We know from Hebrews 13:8 that Jesus does not change. He is the same yesterday, today and forever. He is faithful in all that He has promised. Jesus has told us that He has gone to prepare a place for us so that where He is, we will be there too. We know that God has always been faithful to His promises, so we know that we can have rock solid assurance in the fact that when we die we will go to be with Him in Heaven if we have put our faith and trust in Him in this life. 

     Jesus has also promised that He will come again to restore all things. He said in the Gospels that at the end of the age, He will send His angels to separate the righteous from the wicked. He will then rule and reign on this earth returning this universe to the state in which it existed before sin entered into the created order. 

     God is faithful. II Timothy 2:13 tells us that God is faithful to us even when we are faithless. This is because God cannot deny Himself. We can have confidence in the Lord. He will save those who call upon Him. Those who trust in Him will have eternal life. They will be with Him forever. Amen. 

Prayer Requests

     Please keep praying that my health will improve. 

     Let us pray for peace in the world. I am especially thinking about Ukraine this week. Let us concentrate our prayers on peace for Ukraine. 

     Continue to pray that those living in Mayotte will get the help that they need to recover from the storms. 

     Pray for an end to the diseases that are plaquing many parts of the world right now. Flu is bad here in the US.

     For our prayer focus countries this week Brunei and Cambodia. Pray that many will come to know Jesus. 

     Next week, I will post the verses on Tuesday. We will continue with our new sermon series. May God bless you all. 

Verses For The Week

      John 16:33 -- "I have told you these things so that in Me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world!"

     Matthew 28:20b -- "And lo, I am with you always, even unto the end of the world."

     Leviticus 26:12 -- "I will walk among you and be your God, and you will be my people."

The Weekend Sermon -- "Joy -- Part 3"

      It is once again time for the Weekend Sermon. I hope that all of you have had a very good week. 

     Over the course of the last couple of weeks, we've looked into a little bit of what the Bible has to say about joy. Today, we will conclude our series by looking at what I am calling ultimate joy. 

      As we have seen, as believers in Jesus, we can be joyful right now because Jesus is our Savior and Lord. He is always with us, and He is helping us to make it along the path of this life. Our sins are forgiven, and we have the blessing of being empowered by the Holy Spirit in order to serve the Lord on this earth. In addition to this joy, we have an anticipatory joy. We know what is going to come for those who have put their faith and trust in Jesus Christ. When that anticipatory joy becomes a reality, that will be the ultimate joy for all who are in Jesus Christ. 

     In John 14:1-3, Jesus said the following, "Do not let your hearts be troubled, you believe in God, believe also in Me. My Father's house has many rooms; if that were not so, would I have told you that I am going there to prepare a place for you? And if I go to prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to be with Me that you also may be where I am."

     These are words that speak of the ultimate joy. One day, if Jesus should delay in His coming, all of us will pass from this earth. However, those who are in Christ will go immediately to be with Jesus in the place that He has prepared in the Father's house. We will be with Jesus forever. When Jesus comes back to this earth at His Second Advent, He will restore all things, and everything will return to the way that it was before sin entered into the world. 

     I am really looking forward to this time of ultimate joy. First of all, I will be able to see Jesus face to face. I will be with the one who I have believed in and trusted in for the vast majority of my life. Faith will become sight. All will be made right when we see Jesus. There will be no more sin. There will be no more pain, and there will be no more sorrow. 

     I also believe that we will have the joy of being reunited with our loved ones who have trusted in the Lord Jesus. I look forward to seeing my family and friends who are with Jesus in Heaven right now. 

     The joy that we have when we are with Jesus will never end. Nothing will ever be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus. 

     I hope that you right now have the joy in your heart that comes from having a personal relationship with the Lord Jesus. He said that all could come to Him, and He would not cast anyone out. I hope that you will trust in the Lord today. Amen. 

Prayer Requests

     Please remember to keep praying for all who are impacted by bad weather and natural disasters. There are many different places in the US that have experienced problems. Pray that people will get the aid and the help that they need. 

     Pray for peace in this troubled world. Pray for peace in Ukraine, the Middle East, Yemen, Sudan, Chad and Congo. Pray that the hostages will be freed. 

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

     Next week, we will have a sermon on a new topic. I will post the verses on Tuesday. May God bless you all. 

Verses For The Week And Prayer Requests

      There is another bad winter storm predicted for my area. Please pray that we won't get really bad snow and cold. Also, the people in Kentucky need our prayers as they are having terrible floods. 

     Nahum 1:7 -- "The Lord is good, a refuge in time of trouble. He cares for those who trust in Him."

     Psalm 145:9 -- "The Lord is good to all; He has compassion on all He has made."

The Weekend Sermon -- "Joy -- Part 2"

      Thank you for taking the time to read the message once again. I am always glad to have the chance to post the messages each week. I hope that at least some of you get something out of them. 

     Last week, we began a brief series on some of what the Bible has to say about joy. Joy is a fruit of the Holy Spirit that is produced in the life of the believer. We have joy knowing that Jesus has redeemed us and that we have been given the promise that if we are in Him, we will have a home with Him for all eternity. 

     In today's message, I want us to focus our attention on what the Bible says brings joy in Heaven. Heaven is a place of worship, and it is a place of joy. 

     One of the things that Jesus said brought joy in Heaven was the repentance and salvation of just one single person. In Luke 15:7, Jesus said that there is more joy in Heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine righteous people who have no need of repentance. The angels rejoice when someone turns from sin and turns to the Savior. It is interesting to think that we can have a part of bringing joy to the angels in Heaven when we obey the Great Commission and tell others about Jesus so that they can come to Him and have a new life in Him. 

     Another thing that the Bible says brings joy to the Lord is that the Lord finds joy in those of us who serve Him and praise Him. Zephaniah 3:17 says, "The Lord thy God in the midst of thee is mighty, He will rejoice over thee with joy, He will rest in His love, He will joy over thee with singing." When we come to know Jesus, we are adopted into the family of God. We are God's children, and He is our Father. Just as a Father finds joy in his family, God finds joy in those of us who are His children. He loves us with a great love. His love is even greater than a human father's love for his children. We bring joy to the heart of God by being part of His family. 

     Now, this might be a stretch, but I don't think so. In 3 John, John said that he found joy when he heard that those who were members of the church he founded were walking in the truth. He was joyful when they were doing the things that he taught them to do. I believe that we bring joy to the Lord Jesus when we obey His teachings and commandments. When we do that things that He has asked us to do in this world, I believe that that causes joy to be in Heaven. 

     Heaven is a place of joy. We can live in joy because we know Jesus and God is our Father. I hope that you will find the joy that only Jesus can bring. Amen.

Prayer Requests

     Please pray that I can find a new job. Also, pray in regard to my health. To be really honest, I am having a lot of pain, and it is getting me down. 

     I am thankful that most of the fires in California are contained. Pray that those in need will get the help that they need. Also pray for those on Mayotte and in the southeast US. 

     Keep praying for peace. Ukraine and the entire Middle East need our prayers. Pray for the release of the hostages. Thank God some have been freed. Also pray for peace in Sudan and Congo. 

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

     Next week, we will continue with our series on joy. I will post the verses on Tuesday. May God bless you all. 

Verses For The Week

 Psalm 71:14 -- "But I will hope continually and will praise You yet more and more."

Jeremiah 17:7 -- "But blessed is the one who trusts in the Lord, whose confidence is in Him."

The Weekend Sermon -- "Joy" -- Part 1

      Thanks be to God for a new day. I am thankful to the Lord for the opportunity to post the message. I hope that all of you are well. 

     Since the start of the year, we've been looking into what we can do to have a great year in the Lord. Last week, I posted a sermon about the message of John the Baptist. Starting with today's message, we are going to be looking into what the Bible has to say about joy. 

     When we become followers of Jesus, we become a new creation in Jesus. The old is gone and the new has come. When we receive Jesus into our lives, we are filled with the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit then begins to work in our lives to produce what the Bible calls the fruit of the Spirit. This fruit can be described as the qualities that are in our lives as a result of our letting the Lord have His will and His way within our lives. 

     One of the fruits of the Spirit mentioned to us in Galatians 5 is joy. A Christian who is being led by the Holy Spirit will have a life of joy. Now, what does this mean, and what does it not mean. First of all, it does not mean that we are always going to be happy about everything that is going on in our lives and in this world. Bad things do happen to good people. Christians are not immune from the problems that beset all who are on the earth. Jesus told us that in this world we will have persecution. It isn't all roses being a follower of Jesus.

     Even though we will have problems in this life, those of us who follow Jesus can still be filled with joy. How is that possible?

     The reason that we can have joy in all circumstances in our life is because we belong to Jesus. I Peter 1:8-9 tells us, "Though you have not seen Him, you love Him, and even though you do not see Him now, you believe in Him and rejoice with with an indescribable and glorious joy."

     Those of us who know Jesus as Savior and Lord can have a joy that goes beyond words because He is in us and has redeemed us from our sins. He has saved us and given us a new life in Him. He lives within us, and He lets us know that He is always with us. Jesus will never leave us as we go through this life. We can be joyful knowing that He will never forsake us and He will never leave us alone. 

     We can be joyful knowing that we have a home in heaven with Jesus. Jesus has told us that He has gone to prepare a place for us in Heaven. Those who are in Him can rejoice and be joyful knowing that for all of eternity that we will be with Jesus in a place where there is no sin, sorry or heartache. All is good, and right. 

     Heaven will be the ultimate joy. I am joyful knowing that life with Jesus face to face is in my future. It is not because of anything that I have done, but it is because of what Jesus has done for me. Not only will I be with Jesus, but I can have ultimate joy knowing that one day I will be reunited with all of my loved ones who have gone before me to be with Jesus.  As we go through these troubled days in our world, we can also be joyful knowing that one day, Jesus will restore all things to the way that they were before sin entered into the world. 

     Joy is possible through a relationship with the Lord Jesus. If you trust Him as Lord and Savior, He will give you an indescribable joy that will last throughout all of eternity. Amen

Prayer Requests

     Please keep praying about my job situation. Please keep praying that I will feel better. Thank you. 

     Continue to pray for peace. Ukraine, Israel, Gaza, Sudan and Congo all need our prayers for peace right now. 

     Pray for justice for the poor and the oppressed. 

     We can thank the Lord that the fires in California have been contained. Let us pray that those affected by the fires will get the help and the aid that they need. Let us also pray for aid and help to reach those in the US southeast and those in Mayotte. 

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

     Next week, we will continue with our current series. I will post the verses on Tuesday. May God bless you all. 

Verses For The Week

      Romans 12:15 -- "Rejoice with those who rejoice, weep with those who weep."

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