The Weekend Sermon -- Jesus Is Our Advocate

      Welcome to this edition of the Weekend Sermon. I hope that you are all having a very good week. I would like to begin by asking for your prayers in a couple of matters. First, as I write this message, the forecast is for bad storms in my area. Please pray that the storms will not be bad. Second, please pray that my health will improve. I am pleased to report that I am doing a little better. 

     For several weeks now, we have been in a series of messages studying the names and titles of the Lord Jesus found in the Old and New Testaments. Today, I want to focus on the fact that the Scripture refers to Jesus as our Advocate. What does this term mean, and what is the significance of it for us?

     We find Jesus referred to as our Advocate in I John 2:1-2 that reads, "My little children, these things I write to you, so that you may not sin. And if anyone sins, we have an Advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the Righteous. And He Himself is the propitiation for our sins, and not for ours only but also for the whole world."

     Most of us are familiar with the term advocate. It is a legal term. An advocate speaks for and stands up for someone. The way that we are most familiar with the term is in the courtroom setting. An attorney speaks on behalf of the client to the judge. The advocate pleads the case on behalf of the client. 

     Let's look at this in the spiritual context. All of us have sinned. The Bible is very clear about this. There is none righteous. All we like sheep have gone astray. 

     God is a righteous and just God. He has to punish sin. The wages of sin is death. Those who sin are destined for eternal separation from God. 

     However, God is also a loving and merciful God. He was determined to provide us with a way of forgiveness and reconciliation. God sent His Son the Lord Jesus into this world. Jesus lived a holy and sinless life so that He could be the Lamb of God to take away the sins of the world. On the cross, the Bible tells us that Jesus bore our sins in His body. He rose bodily from the grave in order to once and for all deal with the consequences of sin namely sin, death and hell. 

     Those who put their faith and trust in the work of Christ on the cross and believe in His resurrection are declared righteous by God based on the redeeming work of Jesus. When we come to Jesus, He takes away our sin. In place of our sin, the righteousness of Christ is imputed to us. So, God does not see us as sinners. He sees us clothed in the righteousness of His dearly beloved Son. 

     As believers, Jesus stands up for us when we do fall into sin. When Satan accuses us before the Father, Jesus as our Advocate stands in the court of Heaven and declares that no judgment can pass upon us because we are in Him. Those who are in the Son will find that the judgment of God has passed over them. Jesus has already paid the penalty for our sin. 

     This does not mean that we have a license to go around sinning. Those who are truly in Christ have a desire to live a life of holiness that is pleasing to God. The desire to live a life without sin is a mark of someone that has a true possession of faith and not merely an empty profession of faith. That is why James tells us that faith without works in dead. We are not saved by our good works, but they do serve as a demonstration of true faith in Jesus Christ. 

     I find it very comforting to know that Jesus is always on my side. He is always standing up for me, and He will never leave me nor will He ever forsake me. No matter what I go through, and no matter what hard times I might be facing, Jesus is always by my side. He will be with me for all of eternity. And He will be with you to if you turn to Him in repentance and faith accepting Him as your Savior and Lord. You can trust in Him and receive forgiveness of sins and a new life in Christ today. I hope you will do so. Amen. 

Prayer Requests

     Please pray that the storms will not be bad.

     Pray for those in Vermont recovering from the flooding.

     Continue to pray that the fires in Canada will be extinguished. 

     Let us pray for peace. Ukraine and Sudan really need our prayers at this time. 

     Pray that the elections in Guatemala will be fair. 

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

     Next week, we will continue with our current sermon series. On Monday, I will post the verses, and I will post the chapter on Jonah midweek. May God bless you all.  

Exploring The Minor Prophets -- Part 5

 Obadiah Part 2

     We also need to think about the teachings of the Lord Jesus when it comes to the point that Jesus told us that we are to love our enemies. Even if someone has done wrong to us, we are to be people who love in the same way that Jesus loved including those who opposed everything that He was trying to do.

     Jesus also tells us that we are always to do unto others as we would have others do unto us. In other words, we need to treat others in the same way that we would like to be treated.

     As Christians, when we see misfortune or problems beset someone, even our enemies, we are not to rejoice. Instead, we are to reach out in love in order to help others in the best way that we can as we are strengthened by the indwelling power of the Holy Spirit.

     Now, for the second area that we need to focus on. The nation of Edom took pride in the fact that it had excellent natural defenses. We are not able to be conquered by anyone was their thinking. However, the Bible tells us that pride comes before a fall. And Edom did fall, and it has not again existed as a nation since that fall.

     As those who would imitate the life of Jesus and follow Him as Lord, there is no place in our lives for pride and/or boasting. First of all, as Christians, we know that we are sinners. We could not save ourselves. Salvation is by grace through faith. It is a gift from God, so there is no reason for boasting as Paul tells us in Ephesians 2.

     We are dependent upon the grace of God for everything that we have not just our eternal salvation. Everything that is good and right in our lives comes from the grace of our Lord in Heaven.

     Instead of having an attitude of pride, the believer needs to cultivate humility in imitation of the humble heart of the Lord Jesus. Humility was one of the distinguishing characteristics of the Lord while He was on this earth.

     In the Upper Room, Jesus washed the feet of His disciples. He said that He had come to serve and not to be served. We need to have a servant’s heart like that of Jesus. It is not all about us. It is about serving Jesus and others.

 

 

Verses For The Week

 I am sorry that the verses were delayed. I am having ongoing health issues.

Isaiah 40:11 -- "Like a shepherd He will tend His flock, In His arms He will gather the lambs, and carry them in His bosom, He will gently lead the nursing ewes."

Matthew 9:36 -- "Seeing the people, He felt compassion for them, for they were distressed and dispirited like sheep without a shepherd."

Weekend Sermon -- Jesus Is The Author Of Life and Faith

      Welcome to this week's posting of the sermon. I hope that you are all doing well. I am having an up and down sort of week, so keep praying for me that I can keep going and doing what the Lord wants me to do. 

     As you are aware, we are currently in a series of messages studying some of the names and titles for the Lord Jesus found in the Bible. Today, we will be studying the fact that in a couple of different places, Jesus is referred to by the title author. What do these references mean?

    The first time that we see Jesus referred to as Author, He is called the Author of Life by Peter in a sermon recorded in Acts 3. Acts 3:15 reads, "You killed the Author of Life, but God raised Him from the dead. We are witnesses of this." What does is mean that Jesus is the Author of Life? 

     Jesus is the Author of Life in a couple of different ways as I see it. First of all, Jesus is the Creator of life in the universe. Paul tells us that all things were created by Him, through Him and for Him. Jesus is truly the source of and sustainer of all life in the universe. 

     Jesus is also the Author of Life in the sense that He is the one that allows us to live a truly authentic life. By this I mean that through His death and resurrection, Jesus has provided the way that we can be free from sin. We can have fellowship with the Father through Him which allows us to live in the way that God intended us to live from the beginning of creation. 

     In Hebrews 12:2, Jesus is called the Author and Finisher of our faith. This means that He is the one that provided salvation. Jesus bore our sins in His body on the cross. He took upon Himself the penalty for sin that we deserved. On the cross, Jesus dealt with sin. Through His resurrection, Jesus conquered death, hell and grave dealing with the consequences of sin. Salvation comes to us only through the Lord Jesus. As Peter said, no other one can provide us salvation. We have hope only through the Lord Jesus. 

     This verse in Hebrews also says that Jesus is the finisher of our faith. This means that He will see us through to the very end. Those who put their faith and trust in Jesus will be with Jesus for all eternity. He who began a good work in us will complete it. 

     This section in Hebrews gives us some important advice for living our lives. Throughout our lives, we need to keep our eyes on Jesus. We look to Him in all things. We don't look to the right nor to the left nor behind us. We keep our eyes on Him because He is our life. He is our source now and for all eternity. If we look to Jesus in all things, we will not go astray. We will know what to do in this world and we will be with Jesus forever in the place that He has prepared for those who love Him. Amen. 

Prayer Requests

     I am still not feeling my best, so please keep me in your prayers. I am dealing with a lot of stressful things right now as well. 

     Keep praying for an end to the fires in Canada. 

     We need to keep praying for peace in the troubled areas of this world. Ukraine, Syria, Sudan, Israel, and Yemen all need our prayers for peace. 

     For our prayer focus countries, let us pray for the those living in Brunei and Western Sahara. Pray that many will come to know Jesus. 

     Next week, I will post the verses on Monday. I will post the next section in of Minor Prophets book midweek. On Friday, we will continue with our current sermon series. May God bless you all. 

Exploring The Minor Prophets -- Part 4

 

Obadiah -- Part One

 

     Obadiah is the shortest book in the Old Testament containing just a single chapter. While it may be a short book, there is much in it for us to learn.

     First of all, who is Obadiah? What we learn about him from the Bible is minimal.

     There are a few people in the Bible named Obadiah. However, scholars are in agreement that these are not the man who wrote the book of Obadiah. The person who wrote this book was called on by God to bring a message. Nothing else is known about him.

     Our Obadiah lived just before the invasion of Judah by the Babylonians. Obadiah and Jeremiah were most likely contemporaries sometime during the period when Jehoiakim was the king.

     Jeremiah’s focus was on what was going to happen to Judah if the people did not change their ways, the focus of Obadiah was on the nation of Edom. Obadiah describes what will happen to that nation and why.

     Just a little background. You might say that Israel and Edom were the result of turmoil. The people of Israel are the descendants of Jacob. The Edomites are descendants of Jacob’s brother Esau. Jacob used deception to take the birthright from his brother. Esau was so angry that he was going to kill his brother.

     Although the two brothers eventually reconciled after many years, their descendants were at constant odds. When the children of Israel wanted to pass through Edom on their way to the land of promise, the Edomites would not allow them to come through.

     In his prophecy, Obadiah gives the message from God that the Edomites are doomed. They didn’t treat their kinsmen with proper hospitality when they were on their journey to their home. They were also perpetually making light of any misfortune that would befall the people of Israel.

     The people of Edom are informed that their nation will fall. Even though they had a lot of mountains to flee to for protection, these would provide no help. The word of the Lord had been spoken.

     So, what can we learn as Christians today from the message of Obadiah? For one thing, we have to follow the admonition of the Apostle Paul in his great chapter on love found in I Corinthians 13. In this chapter, Paul gives us the characteristics of what true love is all about. Paul says that love does not rejoice when something bad happens to another person. The Edomites only had contempt for their brothers.

 

Part two will be posted next week. 

Independence Day Memories With My Friend Toby

      The Fourth of July holiday is upon us here in the United States. As I write this post, the fireworks have started. It has got me thinking back to the Independence days I spent with my friend Toby. 

      The majority of dogs that I know are afraid of fireworks. Toby wasn't afraid of fireworks. They made him angry. When the fireworks started he would growl his deep growl. If he spotted someone outdoors shooting off fireworks, he would bark and bark at them to try to get them to stop.  In order to keep Toby from going completely apoplectic, I had to turn on the Jazz loud so it drowned out the fireworks. 

     I remember a particular fireworks incident. Keep this in mind. The people in the town where we lived were crazy with fireworks. It's a wonder the whole town hasn't burned to the ground. Some irresponsible people were shooting fireworks one night and they shot one that actually hit me in the head while I was sitting on the patio. My Mom saw it and shouted over to the people to stop shooting fireworks over at us. The man shooting fireworks got mad and ran towards my Mom screaming at her. Toby raced over and got in between my Mom and the man. He was growling and barking and the man stopped dead in his tracks then went right back over to his place and didn't shoot any more fireworks that year. 

    We had a lot of very pleasant memories of the holiday too. We always had a family cookout on the Fourth. I had an old grill that I would fire up, and we either bought T-bone or KC strip steaks. I cooked them and put KC Masterpiece sauce on them. I still like it the best. ( On a side note, I live about 40 miles southwest of Kansas City. The man who originally founded the KC Masterpiece brand had a couple of KC Masterpiece restaurants in the KC metro area. My friend Doug and I used to love to go and eat there. It was our favorite place along with California Pete's and Olive Garden.)

     Mom and Dad never really liked to eat outdoors, but Toby and I would sit out at the picnic table and have our holiday dinner. I made sure that he got a portion of the steak without any spicy sauce on it. We had potato salad, Cole slaw and a lot of other good things to eat. One year, we cooked hot dogs, and I enjoyed those about as well as the steak. I don't eat beef anymore, and I don't really miss it. Toby wasn't a big beef fan. He liked chicken. Toby agreed with my Grandpa that the only thing better than chicken was more chicken. 

     A lot of times on about any summer evening, Toby, me and my Mom would go out back and play games. Toby liked to race with me, and he always won. Our favorite game was hide and seek. I would go and hide while Mom held Toby. She would say, "Go find Garry" and Toby would sniff out the exact path to where I was hidden. When he found me, he would dance around with joy. 

     I really miss my Mom, my Dad and Toby. We were a family of four who really loved each other. I also miss my friend Doug who I mentioned. He passed away of the flu seven years ago. I know that they are all with Jesus as are my Grandma and Grandpa and Uncles. One day we will all be reunited, not because of anything that we did but because of what Jesus has done for us. We will one day have a joyous reunion. Praise be to God. 

     

Verses For The Week

 II Corinthians 4:18 -- "So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen, since what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal."

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