Weekend Sermon -- "Mark 5:25-34"

      I thank the Lord for giving me this chance to post the message once again. I hope that all of you are having a really good week. I am doing pretty good. 

     Last week, we looked into the account in Mark of the healing of Jairus' daughter. Today, we want to look at the healing encounter Jesus had right in the middle of that story. 

     As Jesus was traveling to the house of Jairus to heal his daughter, there was a great crowd around Him, and they were following Him pressing in on Him from all sides. In that crowd was a woman who had a bleeding disorder for twelve years. She had spent all she could spend on the doctors of her day, and all they had accomplished was to make her condition worse. 

    This woman was determined to get to Jesus. She made her way through and touched Jesus' garment. Jesus perceived that healing power had gone from Him, and He wanted to know who touched Him. He located the woman who I am sure was fearful that Jesus might be mad. Of course, He wasn't. He told her to go in peace as her faith had made her whole. 

    What can we learn from this incident in the life of the Lord Jesus?  The first thing I want us to consider is that the Lord is the helper of the helpless and the hope of the hopeless. This woman had exhausted all she knew to do. She was out of money, and she was getting worse and worse. She needed help and hope, so she went to Jesus. In this, she is an example to us. 

    All of us, no matter who we are, need help from time to time. We get to the end of our rope and we don't know what to do. We have done all that we know to do. We need to go to Jesus. He is the one who will help us in our darkest hour. Even when we have given up hope, He is our hope. 

    Jesus is the ultimate help and hope. He helps us by forgiving our sins and giving us abundant life now and in the place that He has gone to prepare for us. He gives us hope letting us know that through the power of His resurrection, death is not the end. All who have died in Christ will be with Him and with those who have placed their faith and trust in Him. 

    The second thing I learn from this is that this woman did not let anything keep her from getting to Jesus. She was going to at least find a way to touch the hem of His garment. She was determined in her faith. That is how we should be. 

    We should not let the cares of this world and the sins that so easily beset us keep us away from the Lord. We need to be with Him, and we need to stay close to Him. We don't want anything to hinder our communion with our Savior and Lord. 

    Finally, I want to point out that Jesus is the one who sees and cares about even those who others have forgotten. Jesus wanted to know who touched Him because He wanted her to know that He cared about her. The disciples were ready to move on. But Jesus wanted the woman to know that she was seen and loved. 

    Jesus cares about you know matter who you are or were you come from. He loves you no matter your race, ethnicity or socio-economic status. He wants you to know that you are special to Him, and that you are dearly loved. 

    This miracle encounter shows us a compassionate Lord. He cares about us and He loves us. Amen. 

Prayer Requests

    I am trying to sell my house. Please pray that all will go according to the Lord's will. 

    Please pray for an end to the Ebola outbreak. 

    Pray that those affected by the earthquake in Venezuela will get the aid and the help that they need. 

    Let us pray for safety at the World Cup. 

    Continue to pray for peace. Pray for the Middle East, Sudan and Ukraine. 

    For our prayer focus countries, this week we will pray for those in Oman and Suriname. Pray that many will come to know Jesus. 

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

Verses For The Week

 Romans 14:8 -- "If we live, we live for the Lord, and if we die, we die for the Lord. So, whether we live or die, we belong to the Lord."

II Corinthians 5:15 -- "And He died for all, that those who live should no longer live for themselves but for Him who died for them and was raised again."

Weekend Sermon -- "Mark 5:21-43"

      Thank you for reading the message this week. I have been under the weather this week, so please pray for me. I hope that you are all doing well. 

     Today, we are going to be studying in the book of Mark once again. In our passage for the day, there are actually two different healing accounts. There is the account of the healing of Jairus' daughter and the healing of the woman with the bleeding condition. Today, we are going to focus on the first one, and next week we will focus on the second. 

     Jairus was an official with the synagogue who came to Jesus when his daughter was sick and on death's door. He asked Jesus to come to his house and heal her. Jesus agreed to come, but as they were delayed with the other healing, word came to Jairus that his daughter had died. Jesus told him to keep believing and they continued to the house. 

     When they arrived, the mourners were wailing over the loss of the little girl. Jesus told them that she was just sleeping, and they laughed at Him. Jesus went into the little girls room with Peter, James and John. He told the girl to rise, and she did. He then told them to give her something to eat. 

     For our message today, I want us to focus on the fact that they laughed at Jesus. Why did they do it, and why do people do it today? 

    When Jesus said the little girl was asleep, they laughed at Him. They thought He was crazy, but they were not thinking in the spiritual. Jesus knew that death is not the end. Death for those who believe in Him is like going to sleep and then waking up in His presence forever. There is nothing to fear in death for those who are in Christ. Jesus knew that this little girl was just asleep awaiting her transformation to glory, or in this instance, her resurrection at the word of the Lord. 

    Just as the people laughed at Jesus then, there are people that are doing the same thing today. People laugh at the teaching of Jesus. They think that it is foolish to love your neighbor as yourself. They find it unrealistic to not worry about tomorrow but to trust all things to the Lord. They find in laughable that one should turn the other check and love one's enemies as oneself. The teachings of Jesus are laughed at by many and discounted. 

    Many laugh at and disparage Jesus for claiming to be the only way to the God the Father. Jesus said the He was the way, the truth and life. No one can come to the Father except through Him. People find this offensive, and they laugh at Jesus for thinking and teaching this. They think that there are many ways not just His way. 

    I have met people that find it laughable that Jesus died on the cross to save us from our sin. In fact, I encountered one such person today. He laughed when I told him that those who put their faith and trust in the Lord Jesus will be with Him when they pass away. He found that laughable that anyone should believe such a thing in this day and age. 

    These are just a few of the things that cause people to laugh at Jesus or ridicule Him. In spite of that, Jesus still loves them. He loves the whole world and invites any and all to come to Him so that they might experience the abundant life that only He can give. 

    I hope that you will not reject, laugh at or ridicule Jesus. He is the one who has the words of life. He is the one who has come to seek and save that which is lost. Amen. 

Prayer Requests

    As I mentioned, I am not feeling well and need your prayers. Also, they are calling for flooding in my area. Pray that this does not happen. 

    Keep praying for an end to the Ebola outbreak. 

    Pray for peace. Keep Ukraine, Sudan, Myanmar, the Middle East and all areas encountering violence in your prayers. 

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

    Next week, we will continue in Mark 5. I will post the verses on Tuesday. May God bless you all. 

Verses For The Week

 Psalm 95:3 -- "For the Lord is a great God, and a great King above all gods."

Luke 1:50 -- "And His mercy is for those who fear Him from generation to generation."

Weekend Sermon -- "Mark 5:1-20"

     It is once again time for the Weekend Sermon. Thanks for taking the time to read it. I hope that you are all well. 

     We are in Mark once again this week. We are starting a new chapter, and I have to say, this is a story that has some difficulties in it. I will tell you what I think. Some may not agree. That is OK. 

     As we saw last time, Jesus and His disciples crossed over to the other side of the lake. They had now come to the area of the Gerasenes which was a Gentile area. When Jesus and those with him got out of the boat, they were met by a man who was violently demon possessed. He spent his time among the tombs and could not be contained even when chained up. He/the demons asked not to be tormented. 

    Jesus asked the demon his name, and they said Legion because there were many of them. Jesus commanded them to leave the man. The demons asked to be allowed to go into a herd of pigs grazing nearby. Jesus gave them permission, and when the pigs realized they were possessed they ran themselves off the cliff into the lake. 

    The man was free, but the people of the area didn't care. They asked Jesus to basically get out of town. 

    The man who was freed asked Jesus to let Him follow Him. However, Jesus said no. He told the man to go and tell others what God had done for Him. And that is what the man did. 

    So, what are we to make of all this? What is the lesson for us today? First of all, did this man actually have thousands of demons in him? The Bible is clear that he did, so I will go with that. However, this story is using symbolism to make a much broader point. 

    When Jesus asked the demon its name it said Legion. This is a direct reference to Rome. Rome was introducing the worship of idols into the entire area. That area where Jesus was was a hotbed for idolatrous religious practice which used pigs as a sacrificial animal. 

    By casting out a demon or demons named Legion, the story is letting us know that Jesus and His message is more powerful than the evil forces of the Roman Empire as well as more powerful than even a legion of thousands of demons. No power of evil can withstand the power of the Lord. 

     Now to the pigs. Did Jesus directly send the demons into the pigs? He did not. Also, the demons did not drive the pigs into the sea. The pigs did it themselves to prevent the demons from possessing them. Some will disagree with this interpretation. 

    The pigs are in this story to demonstrate the power of the Lord over the power of the gods worshipped by the Romans and other pagan peoples. They were left with nothing to sacrifice. 

    The reaction of the townspeople is also highly symbolic. Their reaction shows us the attitude of so many who care about profit over people. They were more worried about the bottom line of their loss of profit now that their pigs were gone than the fact that a man was freed from torment. They were also afraid of Jesus, and they wanted Him gone. 

    People today who care more about profit over people have the same attitude. They do not want to be confronted by the Jesus who calls us to care for the least of these. 

    Now, what about the man wanting to follow Jesus? Jesus said no. Why? Jesus wanted him to be His witness to his own people. And who could have been better? He was a walking and talking testimony to the transforming power of God's grace. 

    This account has a lot to teach us. Jesus has more power than any power of darkness. When we are in Christ Jesus, we are safe in Him. No power of hell can separate us from the love of God in Jesus Christ. Jesus will be the ultimate victor over every force of evil and darkness. It cannot and will not stand. 

    Our job as believers in Jesus is to care about people and to love others. We are to tell others about the wonderful things that the Lord has done for us so that their lives might be transformed by His forgiveness, love and grace. Amen

Prayer Requests

    Unless something changes, I am about ready to sell my house. Please pray for me. 

    Please pray for my sister-in-law as she is recovering from an operation. 

    Continue to pray for an end to the Ebola outbreak as well as hantavirus. 

    Keep praying for peace. Pray that peace comes in the Middle East situation and that the peace holds. We need to keep praying for peace in Ukraine and in Sudan. 

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

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

     

Verses For The Week

 Psalm 33:18 -- "But the eyes of the Lord are on all who fear Him, on those whose hope is in His unfailing love. "

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

Weekend Sermon -- "Mark 4:35-41"

     Today is the day that the Lord has made. Let us rejoice and be glad in it. Thank you for reading the message. I thank the Lord for the opportunity to post it. 

     We are back in the Gospel of Mark this week. We are going chapter by chapter and verse by verse through this book to see what the Lord would have us to learn. 

     For our message today, we are going to focus on the account of Jesus calming the storm. After the Lord had had an extended period of ministry, He told His disciples that He wanted to go over to the other side of the lake. This was the sea of Galilee, so it would have been about a seven mile trip give or take. 

     Jesus was in one boat, and there were other boats going over to the other side as well. Jesus went over and went to sleep. He was exhausted from ministering to all the people, and He was sleeping very soundly. 

    As they were making there way over to the other side, a huge storm came up. The waves were large and water was coming into the boats so much so that they feared they might drown. All the while, Jesus was still asleep. 

     Deeply troubled, the disciples woke Jesus up and asked if He even cared about the fact that they were drowning. Jesus got up and said, "Peace! Be still!". The winds and the waves quieted down right away. Jesus asked them why they didn't have any faith. 

    This astonished the disciples who wondered who Jesus was. Even the wind and the waves obeyed His commands. 

    So, what does this all mean for us living today? The first thing I want to focus on is the disciples wondering if Jesus even cared during the midst of the storm. Many of us wonder about this when we are facing the trials and difficulties that we encounter in our lives. We are really hurting, and we wonder if Jesus even cares what happens to us. 

    Jesus does care. In this account, Jesus wondered where was the disciples' faith. He was not going to let something happen to them. They needed to trust in Him that with Him in their midst, all was going to go just as it should go. He had it all under control. 

    When we are facing hard times and difficulties, we need to rest in the knowledge that Jesus does know and care. The Bible tells us that we can cast all our cares on Him because He cares for us. We have not been left alone. Jesus said that He would never leave us, and He will not forsake us. When we are anxious, we can turn to Him and ask Him to help us make it through and to make a way where there is no way. 

     Jesus is the one who has the power to stop the storms in our lives. He told the waves to be at peace and be still. When we are facing hard times, Jesus is the one who speaks peace into our hearts. He gives us the awareness of His presence. We can rest in His promises. No matter what befalls, He is watching over us and doing all things in accordance with His will. We don't have to have anxiety with the peace of the Lord that passes all understanding within our hearts. 

    When facing hardships, Jesus is the one who can provide the fix and the answer. He is the one who has all power in Heaven and on earth. We don't need to go to others to get the answer to the problem, Jesus is the answer. He has the power. Look to Him and Him only. 

     The disciples wondered who this man was. Jesus was and is the Second Person of the Holy Trinity. The Eternal Son of the Father. The God man. All things were created by Him, through Him and for Him. He is King of Kings and Lord of Lords. He is on our side. He is our peace. He is our Rock. Amen. 

Prayer Requests

     I am getting ready to sell my house. I need wisdom from the Lord on this. Please pray for me. 

    Pray for an end to the Ebola outbreak in Africa. Pray that those who are sick will make a full recovery. 

     Keep praying for peace. Pray for peace between US and Iran. Pray for peace in Lebanon and Gaza. Pray for peace in Sudan and Ukraine. Wherever there is war, let there be peace. 

     For our prayer focus countries this week, let us pray for those in the nations of Burkina Faso and Brunei. 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

 Isaiah 46:9 -- "Remember the former things of old, for I am God, and there is no other, I am God, and there is none like me."

Psalm 143:5 -- "I remember the days of old, I meditate on all that you have done, I ponder the works of your hand."

The Weekend Sermon -- Mark 4:26-34

      Thank you for taking the time to read the message this week. This has been a very busy week for me. I have a lot going on, and I will ask for your prayers on some matters latter. I do hope and pray that all of you are doing well. 

     We are back in Mark this week studying what the Lord has to teach us through this Gospel. In our passage for today, we have Jesus comparing the Kingdom of God to sowers and seeds and to mustard seeds. 

     In the first illustration, Jesus says that the Kingdom is like a man sowing seeds. He does not know how the seed grows, but it does and produces fruit. In the second illustration, Jesus says that the Kingdom of God is like a mustard seed. It is a tiny seed, but from that tiny seed a large plant grows. 

     What does this have as far as a meaning for us today? Let's look at the first illustration. I believe that Jesus is saying that the Kingdom of God is built on this earth by those of us who follow the Lord. What do I mean? We are the ones who have to be out planting the seeds. What are the seeds? First and foremost I believe that the seed being planted is the word of the Lord being sown into peoples' hearts. The seed is sown and planted when we tell others about the fact that they can have a life-changing relationship with the Lord Jesus. 

    Seed is also sown when we do good in this world. When we feed the hungry and clothe the naked and help those who are in distress we are sowing seeds that help to build the Kingdom of God. 

     Now, we have to be careful. We are the ones who are sowing the seed. It is the power of the Holy Spirit that gives the increase. He is the one who changes people's hearts and lives. Not by might. Not by power, but by My Spirit says the Lord. We can do nothing in our own strength nor through our own effort. It is the Spirit working in and through us. 

     The second illustration I think is a little different. I believe what Jesus is saying here is that the Kingdom of God begins like a tiny seed such as a mustard seed. That tiny seed is planted and then sprouts and becomes a huge bush. Who would have believed it!

     That is what the Kingdom of God is like. It has a small beginning. First of all it had the small beginning in the Upper Room, and now the Gospel has gone around the world. Also, when we spread the message and sow the seeds, it may seem like a small thing. But God, in His power uses that small thing and makes something great. 

    So, what is the take away from all this? We have to be out sowing the seed and doing the work of the Kingdom all the time. What we are doing may not seem like a lot in the scheme of things. However, the Holy Spirit by His power takes what we do and does great and mighty things by His power. It is our job to do what we can, and we rely on the Spirit's power the whole way. Amen.

Prayer Requests

     I am probably going to sign a contract to sell my house next week. Please pray for me in this matter. I have a lot on my plate right now, and I need your prayers. I need to find out just what I am supposed to do in the next portion of my life. Pray that I will know the Lord's will in all things. 

     Please pray for an end to the Ebola outbreak. Pray that the sick will recover. 

     Keep praying for those affected by natural disasters. Pray that they will get the aid and the help that they need. 

     Pray for peace. Ukraine, Sudan, Iran, Israel, Lebanon, Gaza all need to be at peace.

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

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

Remembering -- To You Old Friend

      This week marks for me a terrible anniversary. This week it will be thirty years since my best friend Toby passed away. I can hardly believe it, and I can hardly stand it. I am having a really hard time with the whole thing I have to admit. I miss him more each day. 

     On this anniversary I want to say a couple of things. First of all, Thank you Lord for bringing the two of us together. Neither one of us would have made it if you hadn't made it all happen. 

     Toby. Thank you for all the years of joy and fun. I love you and miss you. 

     I know that he is in heaven with my mom and dad. I don't have any doubt about that. I know we will be together again someday. It is just hard right now. If was still alive, my life would be so different and so much better now. 

     Jesus and a corgi dog named Toby made my life all that it is today. Without the Lord I am nothing. Without Toby I would not be here today. I hope we can be together soon. 

Verses For The Week

 I Peter 4:8 -- "Above all, love each other deeply, because love covers over a multitude of sins."

I Corinthians 16:14 -- "Let all that you do be done in love."

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. 

My Old Friend

     Today is the birthday of my friend Toby. I miss him now more than ever. I hope that we can be together again soon. I thank the Lord for bringing us together and giving us a lot of good years. 

Verses For The Week And An Update

      Just wanted to give an update on some things that are happening. We have had terrible weather in my area as of late. Last week, a tornado came very near my town and caused some damage. I was not badly damaged, and I thank the Lord for that. Some of my neighbors had quite a bit of damage. Please pray for all who have been affected by storms in my area. I hope to get back on track with the blog this week. Please pray that there will be a lull in the stormy weather. 

Verses

Isaiah 40:29 -- "He gives strength to the weary and increases the power of the weak."

Philippians 4:13 -- "I can do all this through Him who gives me strength."

Weekend Sermon

  I am not doing well this week. I am facing a very hard time and hope you will pray for me. I am going to repost a past message this week. Thank you. 

Welcome to the Weekend Sermon. Thank you for reading the sermon this week, and I thank the Lord for this opportunity.

Over the course of the last few messages, we've been examining some of the characteristics that should be part of the growing Christian's life.

Today, we look at good works. Before we get too deep into the message, I want to clearly state that no one is offered salvation and forgiveness by the Lord based on the performance of good deeds. Ephesians chapter 2 makes it clear that we are saved by grace through faith and not by works. This same chapter also tells us that we are saved unto good works.

James tells us something similar in his epistle. He tells us that, "faith without works is dead." What James is trying to tell us is that a person who has a true possession of faith and not an empty profession of faith will be living a life filled with doing good in the world for the honor and glory of the Lord. 

We always need to look at what Jesus has to say on a subject. In Matthew 5:16 Jesus says, "Let your light shine before men so that they see your good works and glorify your Father in Heaven." In other words, Jesus is telling us that when we do good deeds in the world, they help point others toward the God who we worship. 

This is exactly what Jesus did while He was ministering here on Earth. Acts 10:38 tells us that Jesus went around doing good and freeing those who were opressed by the devil. 

So, what kind of good works should we be doing? Jesus tells us this in Matthew 25. He tells us to do good to those who are the least among us. That means feeding the hungry, providing clothing, visiting sick people and those who are in prison. 

There are many ways that we can do good in this world. There are many hurting people who need us to care about them. This planet and its creatures need someone to care and help. The world needs the help of Christians who will seek the path of peace with justice. 

Another way that we can do good in the world is to tell others about the love of Jesus. This will make a radical difference in the lives of those who turn their lives over to the lordship of Jesus Christ.

This week, let each of us find some way to do what is right and good in this world in the name of Jesus and for His glory. Amen

Verses For The Week

 Proverbs 3:27 -- "Do not withhold good from those to whom it is due, when it is in your power to act."

Galatians 6:9-10 -- "Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up. Therefore, as we have the opportunity, let us do good to all people, especially those who belong to the family of believers."

The Weekend Sermon -- "Mark 4:1-20"

     Welcome to this edition of the sermon. These last few days since the last time I posted the sermon have been wild near where I live. A tornado smashed up a little town not far from where I live. A tornado touched down briefly on the road behind the big field in back of my house. Giant hail caused extensive damage to the two biggest cities in my county. There were also numerous tornadoes and storms in other areas not too far away. I thank God that I had no damage. Thank you all for your prayers. I hope that all of you are doing well. 

     This week, we are once again in Mark, and we are starting on chapter four. In our text for the day, Jesus gives us the parable of the Sower and Seeds. 

     Jesus said that a man went out and sowed some seeds in his field. Some of the seed when it fell on the ground was immediately eaten by the birds. Some of the seed started to grow, but it didn't do much. It didn't take root, and the hot weather dried it up fast. There were some other seeds that took root and grew well, but the weeds came up and choked it out so that no crop was produced. Now, there were seeds that sprung up and produced a great crop. 

     The disciples didn't understand the parable, so Jesus explained it to them. Let's look into that. Jesus says first of all that the seed is the word. When the word of the Lord is spoken or given out it is the broadcasting of the message of the Lord to those who would hear. 

     Sometimes, when the word of the Lord and His message of love and forgiveness is preached, people don't want to hear it. They reject the word, or objections are given to make them doubt the word of the Lord. They doubt the love of Jesus, or they deny the truth about who Jesus was and what He did. 

     Then there are those who do receive the message of the Lord Jesus, and they begin to grow. They are like people who start to come to church for awhile, but after a few Sundays, you never see them again. They listened, and they started to understand. However, they were not willing to make a commitment. They wanted to do what they wanted to do. In the end, they rejected the word of the Lord. They decided to not give their heart and soul to the Lord, and they withered away spiritually. 

     The third group spoken of by Jesus in this parable is interesting. They did receive the word. I believe they represent those who do come to know the Lord as Savior. They are growing in the faith and they are making progresses. However, problems start to arise in their lives. They become disillusioned. They backslide and fall into sin. They never produce any fruit. They never accomplish anything for the Lord.  I have seen many people like this who will eventually make the decision not to follow Jesus anymore, and they walk away from the faith. Often this happens when they face a tragic situation in their lives. 

     Thanks be to God, some of the seed produces fruit. There are those who follow the Lord who do great things for the Lord. Their lives produce the fruit of the Spirit. They do unto others as they would have done unto themselves. They love God and their neighbor. They tell others about the life changing power of Jesus Christ. They make a difference for time and for eternity. 

     We want to be two of kinds of people in this parable. We want to be like the one sowing the seed. We need to spread the message of Jesus all over. And we want to be the ones producing fruit. We want to do all that we can to bring honor and glory to the Lord Jesus Christ. Amen. 

Prayer Request

     Please pray for all of those in my area who had so much storm damage. Pray that they will get the aid and the help that they need. Also, more storms are forecast this week, so please pray that they will not be bad. 

     Keep praying for peace. As I write this message, things are still unsettled in the Iran situation and in Lebanon and in the Middle East. I am very distressed about the situation in Lebanon. Please continue to pray for peace in Sudan. That situation is really catastrophic. 

     For our prayer focus countries this week, pray for those in the nations of Gambia and Turkey. 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

 I John 4:16 -- "And so we know and rely on the love God has for us. God is love. Whoever lives in love lives in God, and God in them."

I Corinthians 16:14 -- "Do everything in love."

Weekend Sermon -- "Mark 3:22-30"

      Thank you for taking the time to read the sermon for this week. It has been a wild week where I live. A tornado hit the town just south of where I live and did a lot of damage. There was also a tornado just a little to the southwest of where I live. There was no damage in my town. Please pray that those harmed by this storm will be able to get the aid and the help that they need. 

     Last week, we paused our series going through the Gospel of Mark so that we could concentrate on Easter and the resurrection of the Lord Jesus. Today, we are once again back in Mark. If you remember, I skipped a section and said I would go back to it, and that is what our focus will be on today. 

     Jesus had been healing people and preaching His message of love and forgiveness and the coming of the Kingdom of God. His own family thought something was wrong with Him. The religious authorities did not like Him and wanted to do away with Him. 

     In our text today, the religious authorities go so far as to say that Jesus was casting out demons by the power of the devil. Jesus rebuked them and said to them that a kingdom divided against itself could not stand. He also said that by saying that the devil was at work when it was the power of the Holy Spirit was blasphemy against the Holy Spirit, and it was the unpardonable sin. 

     For our message today, I want to focus on two things. First, I want to talk about a kingdom divided against itself. In the direct context of our passage, Jesus is speaking about how foolish it would be for the forces of evil to be using Him to defeat them. They would be working at cross purposes. Jesus by defeating the power of evil could not be evil Himself. A power divided against itself will collapse. 

    Now, let us take this and apply it in a different context. Paul in I Corinthians speaks about the church being like one body with many members. Each one has its own role and function in the life of the church. One member cannot go their own way or not function properly otherwise the body will not function properly as a whole. 

    When we are divided and bickering and being hateful to one another in the church, that is not allowing us to get the message of Jesus out into the world. Division causes the message to not reach those who need to be reached and helped. That is why we need to be one in Jesus doing His will and preaching His message. We do this when each of us exercises the gifts of the Spirit given to us by the Lord. 

     Now, let us look into this matter of the unpardonable sin. What is it? I think that from what Jesus said it is claiming that what He was doing in the power of the Spirit was actually a power from the evil one. Why is it unpardonable? If Jesus was not who He said He was, then we have no redemption. There is no pardon for anyone. Plus, to make this claim about the power of the Spirit is to insult the entire Holy Trinity as the Spirit was in the Son and the Spirit came from the Father and the Son. 

     Can a person commit this sin today? I am not sure on this. I think though that Jesus was speaking about this specific occurrence. He was there in the flesh, and yet the religious leaders still accused Him of being in league with the devil. There was really no hope for them. 

     The only way that we can do anything for the Lord is through the power of the Holy Spirit. In Him we live and move, and have our being. Amen.

Prayer Requests

     Please keep praying that I will be able to feel better. I am doing some better. 

     Pray for peace. We need peace in this world. We need an end to wars in Lebanon and Iran and throughout the Middle East. We need peace in Sudan and many other places in Africa. Myanmar needs peace and so does Haiti. 

     Pray for those affected by natural disasters 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 Sierra Leone and Singapore. Pray that many will come to know Jesus. 

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

Verses For The Week and Prayer Request

      First of all, please pray for the folks in the little town south of where I live. They got hit by a tornado last night, and there is quite a bit of damage. Also, storms are forecast for my area all week. Please pray that they will not be that bad. 

Hebrews 10:36 -- "You need to persevere so that when you have done the will of God, you will receive what He has promised."

Proverbs 18:10 -- "The name of the Lord is a fortified tower, the righteous run to it and are safe."

The Weekend Sermon -- Mark 3:20-21 and 31-35

      Welcome to the Weekend Sermon. I hope that everyone had a great Easter. I know that I had a wonderful day. 

     Now that Holy Week and Easter are at an end for this year, we will be getting back on course with our continuing series of going through the Gospel of Mark. In our message for today, we are back in chapter three. We are skipping over a few verses, but we will go back to them next week. The verses for today are all about the same incident. 

     As we have seen, Jesus was out preaching and teaching and healing people. Crowds were coming from all over the region and beyond to see the one who taught with authority and cared about the people. 

     News reached the family of Jesus about what He was doing and what was happening. The Bible says that they went to get Him because they thought that He was out of His mind. 

     While Jesus was teaching, someone told Him that His mother and brothers were outside and wanted to speak with Him. Jesus said, "Who are My Mother and brothers?" He went on to say that whoever did God's will was His brother, sister and mother."

     This reaction had to come as a shock to Jesus' family when they heard about it. There is no place in the Bible where it mentions that He went out and had a conversation with them. In fact, the Bible says that His brothers didn't even believe in Him until after the resurrection. 

     What does this incident in the life of Jesus have to teach us today? What can we learn from it?

     When we try to do something for the Lord, or even try to follow a dream, there will be those who are close to us who will not understand and who will try to hinder us. Jesus' family could not get their minds around the fact that Jesus was the Son of God and the Messiah. They thought Him mad and wanted to take Him away. 

     In your life, there will come times when those who are your family and friends will try to hinder you from doing what God has called you to do. I know this because it has happened to me. I felt called to the ministry for most of my life. I have felt a strong desire to preach and teach the message of Jesus. However, there have been those who have tried to place obstacles in my path all along the way. Those who should have been my biggest supporters often turned out to be the ones who provided the greatest measure of discouragement. 

     When you try to take a stand for Jesus and His message, there will be those who think that you are crazy. They will want to know why you want to rock the boat or go against the grain so to speak. I don't say this to be negative, but people in this world that you are the closest too will often abandon you, make fun of you and try to keep you from fulfilling God's will in your life or the dreams that God has given you for your life. 

     As I said, I state this from experience. Unfortunately, everyone that I have ever known except my friend Toby has tried to keep me from doing what God has called me to do in one way or another. I have had some very bad experiences.

    So, what does this have to do with our text for today? Jesus didn't let it discourage Him. He just kept right on going with what He knew the Father wanted Him to do. That should be our example. If you know that the Lord has called you to do a work for Him, keep going. If you have a dream to accomplish something great and good for this world, don't let the doubters get you down. 

    Jesus knew that the Father was always with Him. We have Jesus with us in our hearts if we know Him. He will never leave us and He will never let us down. In the Bible, God said that even if everyone forsakes you, He will not forsake you. 

     Keep going and doing God's will for your life. Believe in Him and trust in Him. I kept on, and I have had a ministry for the Lord for many years now. I went to Bible college and seminary like I wanted to. I became a writer like I wanted to. Jesus was always with me. Praise be to the Lord. Amen. 

Prayer Requests

     Please keep praying in regard to my health. I am pleased to report that one problem that I was experiencing has completed healed. Thank you for your prayers. 

     Keep praying for peace. Pray for the peacemakers and for those promoting peace. Do not get pulled into the warmongering that is going on in some Christian circles. Pray for peace in the Middle East and for the people of Lebanon. Pray for peace in Ukraine. Pray for peace in Sudan. Wherever you know there is war, pray for peace. 

     Please keep praying for the people in Hawaii who are recovering from the flooding. 

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

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

Prayer Request

      I am thankful that a ceasefire has been agreed on. Let us keep praying for peace in the Middle East. 

Verses For The Week And Something I Want To Say

 Matthew 5:9 -- "Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called the children of God."

James 3:18 -- "And the fruit of justice is sown in peace by those who make peace."

    If you have read this blog for awhile, you are surely aware that I do not care for President Trump. I try not to get too political here on the blog because I want it to emphasize Bible teaching and some other more light things like book reviews etc. However, what was said today by President Trump has to be addressed. Today, on his social media outlet he said, "a whole civilization will die tonight never to be brought back again." This is a completely horrible statement. Civilians and civilian infrastructure are never to be targeted in a military conflict. I never in my life thought that I would see something like this from a leader of the US. Please pray for peace and an end to war and violence in this world. Let us follow the way of Jesus and not a political party or a person. 

The Weekend Sermon -- "Because He Is Alive"

      It is time for the Easter Weekend Sermon. Christ is Risen!!! He is Risen Indeed!!!

     As we enter the Easter weekend, I want us to focus on what is because He is alive. Jesus rose bodily from the grave on the third day after He was crucified. This is a fundamental Christian belief. If Jesus did not come out of the grave, we are those who have no hope. But, Jesus is alive. 

     Because He is alive, we know that sin and the consequences of sin are defeated. When sin entered into this world, the result of sin was and is death. Death passed upon all people because all have sinned and come short of the glory of God. 

     Jesus came and was the Lamb of God who would take away the sins of the world. When Jesus died on the cross, He took the punishment that we deserved for our sins. He bore our sins in His body on the cross. Jesus took care of sin on the cross. 

     Our Lord defeated the consequences of sin through His glorious resurrection. When He rose from the dead on Easter morning, Jesus defeated death, hell and the grave. The grave is no longer the victor, and death has lost its sting. 

     Because Jesus is alive, we do not have to fear death if we put our faith and trust in Him. Because Jesus is alive, we too will rise and be with Him when we die. Those who are in Christ immediately go to be with Him in the place that He has prepared for us when we pass from this earth. 

     Knowing this provides great comfort to me. Most of my family members and good friends have passed on from this earth. Thanks be to God, they knew Jesus as Savior and Lord. They are with Him right now, and one day I will see them all again. It is not because of anything that I have done, but it is because of what Jesus has done for me. 

     Because Jesus is alive, we have His peace and His presence with us until that day that we see Him face to face. He said that He would not leave us and that He would not forsake us. No matter what we go through in this life, Jesus is with us. 

     I hope that you know Jesus as Savior and Lord. If not, you can come to Him today. He will not cast out anyone who comes to Him. Thanks be to God that Jesus is alive. Amen.

Prayer Requests

      Please keep praying for peace. The whole Middle East needs peace. Sudan and Ukraine also need our prayers.

     Pray for those in Hawaii recovering from the floods. 

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

     Next week, I will post the message on Friday, and I will post the verses on Tuesday. May God bless you all. 

Good Friday

      Why did Jesus die on the cross? The Bible is clear about this. I Peter 2:24 says that Jesus bore our sins in His body while He was on the cross in order that we might die to sin and live righteously. He took our sins upon Himself as the Lamb of God who would take away the sins of the world. Those who put their faith and trust in Him will be forgiven. 

     The Bible tells us in I John 2 that Jesus is the propitiation for our sins. He came to fulfill the justice of God. Jesus bore our sins and He took the punishment that we deserved for our sins on the cross. On the cross the love and the justice of God were satisfied in the sacrifice of the Lord Jesus. 

     Jesus invites everyone to come to Him. He died for us because He loves us. Whosoever will can come to Jesus and receive His forgiveness and the abundant and eternal life that He offers to those who place their faith and trust in Him. 

     Jesus died for you. You can know Him today. 

Maundy Thursday

     Today is Maundy Thursday. This is the day that Jesus instituted the sacrament of communion in the Upper Room. Jesus washed His disciples feet showing that we are to serve one another and follow in the path of the humility of Jesus. 

     Maundy Thursday gets its name because of the mandate or the new commandment that Jesus gave to His disciples in the Upper Room. Jesus said to them in John 13:34 -- "A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another."

     Jesus loved us sacrificially. He was willing to sacrifice His life in order that we might be redeemed. Those of us who follow the Lord Jesus need to care about one another and help one another. We need to be good and kind to those who are our fellow believers in the Lord. 

     This command of Jesus to love goes out to all who are in the world. Jesus has called us to love others as He did. He has called us to love our neighbor as ourself, and He has called us to even love our enemies. He has called us to show our love by doing what is good and right to the least of those among us. 

     On this Maundy Thursday, let us reflect on the love of Jesus and how we might follow His commandment to love one another. 

Verses For The Week, Update and Prayer Request

      This is Holy Week, so I want to update you on the blog schedule. On Thursday, there will be a Maundy Thursday post. On Friday there will be a Good Friday post. The Weekend Sermon will be posted on Saturday this week. 

     I would ask that you please pray that the really bad weather forecast for my area this week will not materialize. Thank you. 

Verses:

I Peter 2:24 -- "He Himself bore our sins in His body on the cross, so that we might die to sins and live for righteousness, by His wounds you have been healed."

John 11:25 -- "I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in me, though he were dead, yet shall he live."

The Weekend Sermon -- "Mark 3:7-19"

      Welcome to this week's message. I hope that everyone is having a good week. I know that my week has gone well, and I am thankful to the Lord for that. 

     Today, we are continuing in our series where we are going through the Gospel of Mark to see what the Lord would have us to learn. In our message today, there are a couple of applications from the text that I would like to point out. 

     As we have seen, Jesus began His ministry in the area of the Sea of Galilee with His home base being Capernaum. Jesus began His ministry by healing those who were sick and by freeing people from the bondage of evil. He taught with authority, and the people were impressed because they had not heard someone teaching in this manner before. 

     As Jesus healed and delivered more and more people, the news spread far and wide about Him. People began to come to where He was teaching from all of the area around the Sea of Galilee. However, news spread about the works of Jesus beyond that. People came from across the Jordan, from Judea and from as far away as Tyre and Sidon in present day Lebanon. 

     There is a point for us today that I want to bring up. People were attracted to the Lord because of the good that He was doing and the message of deliverance and love that He was bringing. If we as the people of the Lord today are going to bring people in to hear about Jesus, we are going to have to be doing the same things. 

     If people see that those who follow Jesus are doing good and helping this world to be a better place, they will want to come and find out more about Jesus. If they hear a message of love and forgiveness and deliverance like the Lord Jesus preached, they will be drawn to Jesus and want to give their lives over to Him as Savior and Lord. We have to be sure that we are doing good to the least of those among us and that we are not being hateful or nasty in any way in the things that we say or do. We always want to draw people to Jesus as His ambassadors here on earth, and we never want to push people away so that they do not want to learn more about the Lord Jesus. 

    Now, I want to move into the second part of our text for today. Jesus had many disciples. There came a point where He wanted to chose a select group to be the leaders. These would be the ones who He would invest the most time in teaching and training them to take over when it was time for Him to ascend back into Heaven. 

     Jesus chose twelve to be the core group. What impresses me is the diversity of those that Jesus chose. He chose the fisherman like Peter, James, John and Andrew that He had known for a long time. They were ordinary men who worked hard for a living. He also chose a tax collector in Matthew. He even chose a political revolutionary like Simon. 

     The point I want to get across is that Jesus calls all sorts of people today to follow Him and to do His work. You don't have to be from a certain race or ethnic group. You don't have to have a certain background. The Lord uses all sorts of people from all over this planet to do His will and to accomplish things for Him. He may even be calling you to be one who will do great things for the Kingdom of God. Don't think that God can't use you, or that God can't call you to His service. The Lord Jesus called ordinary people to do great things for Him. 

     In all that we do, let our lives be yielded to the service of the Lord. May we do what He has called us to do and be a light shining in the darkness telling all of the love of the Lord Jesus. Amen. 

Prayer Requests

     Please keep praying in regard to my health. I am gradually doing better. Thank you. 

     We must be in prayer for peace in this world. The war in the Middle East must come to an end. Pray for peace in this region. Keep praying for peace in Ukraine. Pray for peace in Sudan. That conflict is horrific, and we just don't hear that much about it. Pray for peace wherever you know there is war. 

     Pray for those who are dealing with the flooding in Hawaii. Pray that they will get the help they need. 

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

    Next week, I will post the verses on Monday. We have finished with the James commentary posts, but I will repost them again in the future. I will post the message next Friday. May God bless you all. 

James: A Commentary -- Chapter 5

 

James 5:1-6

     This section is a powerful indictment against those who have amassed great amounts of wealth. Some people say that the Bible does not say that it is wrong to have a lot of riches. Yes, it does. It says it right here. Jesus said it too.

     In these verses, James says that the rich will weep and howl and lose everything because they have hoarded wealth in the last days. This means that they had enough money to live well and they could have given to help people and they didn’t do it. God says that’s wrong.

     One way that the rich hoard money in the last days is through the exploitation of the worker. They do not pay a living wage with proper health benefits so that they can have more and more for themselves. But, God knows what they have done, and there will be a day of reckoning. They may have lived in abundance on the earth, but their eternity will be bleak. That is not me judging, that is the revealed word of God.

     Jesus said as much. In the parable of the rich man, the rich man had a great harvest so much so that he was going to tear down his barns and build bigger barns. God said his soul would be required of him. Why? He had more than enough and kept if for himself instead of helping others.

     Jesus also gave us the parable of the rich man and Lazarus. The rich man had enough money to have purple clothing which was enormously expensive in that day. He bought that instead of helping Lazarus. The rich man ended up in hell.

James 5:7-12

     This is an important discussion on patience and perseverance in the midst of suffering in this world. What James is saying to us is that there will be suffering in this world while we wait for the promised coming of Jesus back to rule and reign in righteousness in this world.

     James gives us three examples of patient waiting for that which we are in expectation of. First the farmer. The farmer plants the seed in the field and then has to wait for the seed to sprout, for the sprout to grow, and then he has to wait for the fruit or grain to ripen. Eventually, the farmer will reap the harvest.

     The second example is the prophets. They told the people that the Messiah would come. They waited for years, and still, they did not see it happen in their own lifetimes. However, God kept His word. Jesus was born. He was the Promised One. The waiting of the prophets came to fruition in Jesus.

     James gives us Job as the third example. Job really went through a vast amount of suffering. In spite of it all, he never turned on God or cursed God. He waited for the deliverance of the Lord, and the Lord came to the aid of Job.

     We go through hard times now. Life is suffering. However, we have the promise that Jesus is coming. We wait and work for Him until the day we go to be with Him or He comes back to this earth.

James 5:13-15

     In these verses, we are given a guideline for praying for the sick who are members of the church body. A sick person should ask the church leaders to come and pray for him. They are to come and anoint the sick person with oil, and they are to pray for the recovery of the one who is sick.

     If the sick person has committed a sin, that individual is to confess that sin and receive forgiveness. A note on this. This passage is not saying that all sickness is caused by sin. It is saying that we are to confess and receive forgiveness. Some sickness may be caused by living a sinful lifestyle, but by no means is all or most sickness a result of that.

James 5:16-18

     These verses tell us about the power of prayer. The initial context is on praying for the sick. Prayer for healing is effective. I have seen the sick prayed for, and they recovered. I believe in the power of prayer. God does not always answer prayers in the way we want or expect. However, many people praying can have a great effect.

     As an example, James gives us the prophet Elijah. He was a great prophet of God. He prayed that it would not rain, and God stopped the rain for years. When he prayed again for the rain to come, it came back like a torrent. The fervent prayer of a righteous person avails much.

James 5:19-20

     James concludes his epistle by telling us one of the greatest things that we can do as a follower of the Lord Jesus. What is that? It is to turn sinners from the error of their ways. The Lord gave us the Great Commission to go and tell. When we tell others about the love and forgiveness of the Lord we are giving them the greatest gift in the world.

     Also, we are to help our fellow believers to turn back to the Lord when they have gone astray. We don’t do this by judging or condemning. We do that by being there for them when they need help and encouragement finding the way that they need to be on and the path that they need to trod.

Conclusion

     This journey through James has been exciting for me. I love this epistle and its message. I hope you will keep studying James, and I hope that you will apply the teachings of this book to your life.

 

Verses For The Week

 Psalm 103:8 -- "The Lord is compassionate and gracious, slow to anger, abounding in love."

Ephesians 4:7 -- "But to each one of us grace has been given as Christ apportioned it."

The Weekend Sermon -- "Mark 3:1-6"

      I am once again glad to be able to post the message this week. I hope that all finds you well. I am doing a little better than I have been, and I thank the Lord for that. 

     For today, we are once again making our way through the Gospel of Mark. In our last message, we began to see that religious opposition was forming to the work of Jesus, and we will see that once again in our passage today. 

     One Sabbath day while Jesus was in the synagogue, a man with a withered hand was in the audience. Jesus saw him, and He told him to stand up. Jesus then asked if it was lawful to do good or evil on the Sabbath. The people and the religious leaders did not utter a word. 

     The reaction of the people made Jesus angry. He was distressed that they were so stubborn and uncaring. So, Jesus told the man to go ahead and stretch out his withered hand. The man did as Jesus asked, and he found that he was totally healed. After this, the religious authorities and the party of Herod began to plot how they could kill Jesus. 

     What can we learn from this encounter that Jesus had with the man with the withered hand? There are two main points in this that I want everyone to get. First of all, the religious leaders of Jesus' day were not doing what God wanted them to do. They said that they served God and had a lot of religious ritual, but they did not do what God expected. All they had was ritual and laws. They did not really care about people or the true ways of the Lord. That is why they cared more about not violating a rule they made in order to see someone made whole. 

     This is happening in our own day and age. There are those just like the religious leaders in Jesus' day who say they follow Jesus, they have big churches and they make a big show, but they do not do any of the things that Jesus said. 

     Jesus said that we are supposed to care for the poor and least among us. Yet many religious people don't care about the homeless and those who are impoverished. Instead, they spend all they have on entertainment and want more and more for themselves. They want more tax cuts and can't stand to see some poor person get a little bit of help. 

     Right now, many religious people clamor for war when Jesus called for peace and non-violence. Jesus said we are to love our neighbor as ourselves and to do unto others as we would have done to us. However, I have seen some cheer on the deportation of those who have done nothing wrong. 

     Just as in Jesus' day, today they are many who say one thing and do another. Just like then, Jesus now knows those who are His own. 

     Now, for the second thing I want us to really understand from this text. It is always the right time to do what is good. No matter if the church service is going on like when Jesus was with the man with the withered hand, now is always the right time to help someone and to do what needs to be done to try to make this world a better place. 

     There is a vast world of hurting and lonely people who need someone to care about them. It is our responsibility to be like Jesus in this world and to aid people in need. It is our job and our responsibility to tell others about the love of Jesus, and we need to not just tell, we need to demonstrate the love of Jesus through our lives. 

     In all things, let us follow Jesus. Let us do good as He did. Let us learn from Him and follow Him all the days of our lives. Amen.

Prayer Requests

     Please keep praying in regard to my health, Thank you. 

     Right now, there are wars and conflicts going on everywhere. At least it seems like it. Please keep praying for peace. Pray for peace in this Middle East conflict where the US, Israel, Lebanon, Iran and many other nations are in the midst of conflict. I am really concerned about Lebanon. All of those people run out of their homes and nowhere to live. It is all so horrible. Also, please remember to keep praying for peace in Sudan, Myanmar and Haiti. And pray for the people of Cuba who are having a real mess right now. 

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

     Next week, we will continue in Mark. I will post the verses on Tuesday and the next portion of the James commentary on Wednesday. May God bless you all. 

James: A Commentary -- Chapter 4

 

James 4:1-3

    As we begin chapter four, James is continuing his theme from the previous chapter by telling us once again the problems that greed, envy and selfishness can bring into our lives. In fact, James tells us that wars, quarrels and fighting in our relationships and in this world are in large part a result of our selfish desires.

     James tells us that we desire to have something that someone else has so we go to battle and kill. We covet what another person or a country has, so we are willing to resort to violent means in order to get it.

     In essence, what James is getting at is that wars, arguments, and sinfulness in general are rooted in greed and selfishness with selfishness being the key problem. If we think about our needs and ourself all the time it makes us puffed up with pride. It causes us not to care about anyone or anything except the satisfaction of our own desires, and this is contrary to the example of Jesus whose whole life and ministry were about selflessness, humility, non-violence, and loving-kindness.

    James tells us that if we desire to have something in life, we need to ask God. But we need to have the right motives. We are not to go around asking God for things just so we can have our own selfish desires satisfied. When we ask for things, we are to ask with the motive of using the things that God has given to us for the betterment of this world and the people and the creatures within it.

James 4:4-6

     These next three verses contain two very important points. Let’s consider the first. Being a friend of the world means that we are enemies of God. Being a friend of the world means that we do things the way that people in the world who don’t know God do them. This world is in rebellion against God. This world believes in things that are in entire contradiction to the things of God. This world teaches that greed is good and selfishness is right. It teaches that might makes right and that the accumulation of position and possessions are what will bring happiness. This is not the teaching of Jesus. He told us that it profits a person nothing if they should gain the whole world and yet lose their own soul.

    To be a friend of God means to follow the teachings and the commandments of Jesus. It means being humble and loving God with all our heart, soul, mind and strength as well as loving our neighbor as ourselves. Being a friend of God means doing unto others as we would have done unto us.

    Now, there is another important teaching in these verses. In verse 6 we read, “God opposes the proud, but gives favor to the humble.” God does not approve of a prideful heart. A heart lifted up in pride is what got Satan in trouble in the first place. A prideful heart says that it can be good without God. It says that man’s way is the right way, and the God’s way is not worth following.

     On the other hand, the humble person receives God’s grace. A good example is from the teaching of Jesus. He told the parable of the Pharisee and tax collector. The Pharisee prayed telling God all of the good things that he had done. He was so glad he wasn’t like that sinful tax collector standing next to him. The tax collector would not even lift his eyes to Heaven. Instead, he said Lord be merciful to me a sinner. Jesus said that the tax collector and not the Pharisee was the one who went home justified. God gives grace to the humble, but He rejects those who are lifted up with pride and self-righteousness.

 

James 4:7-10

     On the continuing theme of humility, James exhorts his readers to submit to God and resist the devil. Being a humble person requires submission. We submit to God knowing that His way is the best way. We submit to obeying His laws and commandments. We submit to the path that Jesus has called His followers to walk. We must also submit to the Lord’s will that He has for us as individuals. Whatever the Lord has called us to do for Him in this world, that is what we need to be about doing.

    We are to resist the devil. Satan was the opposite of humble. He was lifted up with pride and thought that he could take over for God. He led a rebellion in the heavens and was followed by one-third of the angels. He was cast out of heaven, and he opposes God and what God wants to do in the world and in the lives of people to this day.

     Those who have the desire in their heart to be close to God, God will draw close to them. As Jesus said, He will not cast out any person who comes to Him. Whoever will may come. Come unto Me all you who labor and are heavy laden Jesus said.

    James goes on in this section to call sinners to repentance. He is calling people away from sin and back to a proper and right relationship with the Lord. Those who do not know God are urged to purify themselves. They must mourn for there sins so that joy will come from having a right relationship with the Father through the Son.

James 4:11-12

     These next two verses are very similar to the teachings of Jesus in the Sermon on the Mount. If you remember, I said that James is telling us many of the things that Jesus taught while He was on this earth. Jesus told us not to judge others. We should not try to judge a person’s motives or intentions because we have absolutely no way of knowing what is in another person’s heart. Also, Jesus told us that we need to get the beam out of our own eye before we worry about the speck that is in our brother’s eye.

     Verse 12 is so important. We are not to judge our neighbor. We are to follow the teaching of Jesus when He calls us to love our neighbors as ourselves.

James 4:13-17

     This section has a deep personal resonance with me. I am writing this on the 16^th anniversary of the death of my father. What happened to him encapsulates these verses. My dad got a report that he was in the best health of his life. He had been waiting to get the call from the doctor, and he hadn’t gone to pick up his dog from the veterinarian yet. He walked out the door to drive over to the vet’s office and told me we would go to get something to eat when he got back. That is the last thing my dad ever said to me. He died of a stroke.

     One of my best friends had the flu. I talked to him on the phone on Friday afternoon. He told me he was doing better, and that on Monday, we would work on the lawnmower we were repairing. On Monday morning he died.

     Life is short. It is here and then gone, and no one is promised a tomorrow. With that in mind, we all need to go about doing good and serving the Lord now. We need to tell and show people we love them now. There may not be a tomorrow to do it.