Jeremiah 1:5 -- "Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, before you were born I set you apart; I appointed you as a prophet to the nations."
Jeremiah 10:12-13 -- "But God made the earth by his power;he founded the world by his wisdom and stretched out the heavens by his understanding. When he thunders, the waters in the heavens roar; he makes clouds rise from the ends of the earth. He sends lightning with the rain and brings out the wind from his storehouses."
Jeremiah 33:14-16 -- "The days are coming, declares the Lord, when I will fulfill the good promise I made to the people of Israel and Judah. In those days and at that time I will make a righteous Branch sprout from David's line; he will do what is just and right in the land. In those days Judah will be saved and Jerusalem will live in safety. This is the name by which it will be called: The Lord Our Righteous Savior."
Monday, August 31, 2015
Friday, August 28, 2015
Weekend Sermon -- I Am the Good Shepherd
Today is my favorite day of the week because this is the day that I have the privilege of posting the Weekend Sermon. I thank you for reading this blog, and I pray that the Lord's blessings will be upon you this day.
This week has gone pretty well at work. I haven't felt too bad physically either. I thank you for your prayers on my behalf. I have been praying about some financial decisions that I have to make in the near future, and I believe that I have things worked out. Please pray that everything will come together so that I can once and for all get my financial difficulties of the past behind me. Also, please pray for me as I continue to work on the religious book project I am presently engaged in.
In prayer this week, please pray about the situation with the terrible forest fires in the American West. Pray that these fires might be extinguished. Also, as I am writing this blog, there is a bad storm in the Caribbean. Please pray that this storm will weaken, and that it won't damage anyone's life.
Let us continue to pray for peace in Syria and Iraq. Pray for the Gospel to reach the Maldives, Algeria, Morocco and Tunisia.
Last week, we continued in our series of messages in examining the divinity of Jesus as presented in the Gospel of John. We examined Jesus' "I Am" statement, "I Am the Door." Jesus is the door of the sheepfold. He provides safety in the fold and protects us.
Today, we continue with the " I Am" statements of Jesus and focus on His statement "I Am the Good Shepherd" which is found in John 10:11.
John 10 is probably my favorite passage of scripture. For me, the idea that Jesus is the Good Shepherd is filled with a great deal of meaning. I would like us to examine some of what it means that Jesus is the Good Shepherd.
In this chapter, Jesus states one of the meanings of His statement that He is the good shepherd. The Good Shepherd lays down His life for the sheep.
One of the jobs of a shepherd is to make sure that the flock is safe at all costs. We see this is the Old Testament from the example of David before he became King of Israel. David was a shepherd tending a flock. At least twice, he was called upon to protect the flock from predators. David had to slay a bear and a lion in order to protect the sheep that were under his care.
We are the sheep that the Father has given to the Lord Jesus. Jesus came to this earth to give His life as a ransom for sin that those of us who are His sheep might be redeemed and find forgiveness, peace and hope. Jesus was willing to give His life in order to bring us salvation. He willing placed His life on the line to help us when we could not help ourselves.
Jesus is the Good Shepherd in contrast to false shepherds who do not really care for the sheep. In this passage, I believe that Jesus has in mind the religious leaders of His day. The false shepherds can also refer to other relgions that do not offer truth and hope. Sheep will not find what they need from these shepherds.
Ezekiel chapter 34 is a great chapter that contrasts the bad shepherds with the Good Shepherd. In Ezekiel it states that the Good Shepherd finds the scattered members of the flock and brings them back into the fold. This is similar to the words of the Jesus. Jesus says that the Good Shepherd leaves the 99 in the fold, and then He goes out and diligently searches for the one lost sheep that has gone astray.
This has two meanings. First of all, the Good Shepherd seeks after those who have not placed their trust in Him. Jesus' arms are open wide for anyone and everyone who wants to come to Him. Jesus said that whoever comes to Him, He will not cast them out. Jesus said, "Come to me all ye who are weary and heavy laden, and I will give you rest."
Jesus is also diligently searching for the Christian who has fallen away from doing what is right. There are many Christians who have left their first love and who are not faithfully following the Lord. Jesus is seeking after these people. He wants to reconnect and bring those who are wandering back into the safety that only He can provide.
Let us look at a few other examples of what a Good Shepherd does. A Good Shepherd like Jesus looks after the welfare of the sheep. Sheep require a lot of care. They are subject to a variety of different ailments, and when they are free grazing, they are frequently injured. It is the shepherd's job to maintain the flock and help them along.
Jesus as the Good Shepherd helps the injured and the weak among His flock. I know that I have to rely on the Good Shepherd everyday to help me through the difficulties that I face in life. Through struggles with depression, grief and bad health, Jesus has always been there to help me along the way. I can feel His guiding presence and His comforting hand in my life. When I am at my lowest, I can sense His encouragement like a rock in a stream not letting me sink any lower.
When I suffered what I consider great spiritual abuse as a young man in a fundamentalist church I felt like giving up on organized religion. However, I never felt like giving up on Jesus. This is especially true when I truly discovered who Jesus is and what He is all about.
As a young man, I was given the picture of Jesus as someone to fear. Jesus was the one who would make something bad happen to you if you didn't give 10 percent to the church. I was told that Jesus would take my dog away if I loved him too much. Our church stressed that Jesus is the judge, and that one day I would have to give a reckoning. Those who didn't measure up would still make it to Heaven, but Jesus would punish you greatly for wasting your life on earth.
Everything was based on fear. Through a study of many, many books about Jesus written by a wide variety of authors, I came to understand who the Good Shepherd really is. I grew to love Him with all of my heart.
I know that He wants what is best for me. Jesus loves me and He cares about me. He wants to bring me into good pasture and not bring fear and punishment and hardship into my life. I learned that Jesus is my friend.
One other aspect of the Good Shepherd is that the Good Shepherd leads His flock into good pastrue. I know that if I follow Jesus, He will lead me into a closer relationship with Him. He will allow me to know more about Him, and through that I will be able to minister to others who are in need. Ultimately, Jesus will lead us who follow Him to the place that He has prepared for us. Where Jesus is, we will be with Him for all of eternity.
There is one other thing that I want to mention. When Jesus refers to Himself as the Good Shepherd He is clearly stating that He is God. In Ezekiel 34, it is God Himself that states He is the Good Shepherd that will lead His people Israel. Jesus uses this same language to show us that He is the Lord of all creation come in human flesh to provide redemption and to lead His flock in the way that we should go. Everything that is mentioned about God as the Good Shepherd in Ezekiel is made manifest in the life and ministry of Jesus Christ.
Next week, we will continue in our series on the "I Am" statements of Jesus. I will post the verses on Monday and a review on Wednesday. May God bless you all. Amen.
This week has gone pretty well at work. I haven't felt too bad physically either. I thank you for your prayers on my behalf. I have been praying about some financial decisions that I have to make in the near future, and I believe that I have things worked out. Please pray that everything will come together so that I can once and for all get my financial difficulties of the past behind me. Also, please pray for me as I continue to work on the religious book project I am presently engaged in.
In prayer this week, please pray about the situation with the terrible forest fires in the American West. Pray that these fires might be extinguished. Also, as I am writing this blog, there is a bad storm in the Caribbean. Please pray that this storm will weaken, and that it won't damage anyone's life.
Let us continue to pray for peace in Syria and Iraq. Pray for the Gospel to reach the Maldives, Algeria, Morocco and Tunisia.
Last week, we continued in our series of messages in examining the divinity of Jesus as presented in the Gospel of John. We examined Jesus' "I Am" statement, "I Am the Door." Jesus is the door of the sheepfold. He provides safety in the fold and protects us.
Today, we continue with the " I Am" statements of Jesus and focus on His statement "I Am the Good Shepherd" which is found in John 10:11.
John 10 is probably my favorite passage of scripture. For me, the idea that Jesus is the Good Shepherd is filled with a great deal of meaning. I would like us to examine some of what it means that Jesus is the Good Shepherd.
In this chapter, Jesus states one of the meanings of His statement that He is the good shepherd. The Good Shepherd lays down His life for the sheep.
One of the jobs of a shepherd is to make sure that the flock is safe at all costs. We see this is the Old Testament from the example of David before he became King of Israel. David was a shepherd tending a flock. At least twice, he was called upon to protect the flock from predators. David had to slay a bear and a lion in order to protect the sheep that were under his care.
We are the sheep that the Father has given to the Lord Jesus. Jesus came to this earth to give His life as a ransom for sin that those of us who are His sheep might be redeemed and find forgiveness, peace and hope. Jesus was willing to give His life in order to bring us salvation. He willing placed His life on the line to help us when we could not help ourselves.
Jesus is the Good Shepherd in contrast to false shepherds who do not really care for the sheep. In this passage, I believe that Jesus has in mind the religious leaders of His day. The false shepherds can also refer to other relgions that do not offer truth and hope. Sheep will not find what they need from these shepherds.
Ezekiel chapter 34 is a great chapter that contrasts the bad shepherds with the Good Shepherd. In Ezekiel it states that the Good Shepherd finds the scattered members of the flock and brings them back into the fold. This is similar to the words of the Jesus. Jesus says that the Good Shepherd leaves the 99 in the fold, and then He goes out and diligently searches for the one lost sheep that has gone astray.
This has two meanings. First of all, the Good Shepherd seeks after those who have not placed their trust in Him. Jesus' arms are open wide for anyone and everyone who wants to come to Him. Jesus said that whoever comes to Him, He will not cast them out. Jesus said, "Come to me all ye who are weary and heavy laden, and I will give you rest."
Jesus is also diligently searching for the Christian who has fallen away from doing what is right. There are many Christians who have left their first love and who are not faithfully following the Lord. Jesus is seeking after these people. He wants to reconnect and bring those who are wandering back into the safety that only He can provide.
Let us look at a few other examples of what a Good Shepherd does. A Good Shepherd like Jesus looks after the welfare of the sheep. Sheep require a lot of care. They are subject to a variety of different ailments, and when they are free grazing, they are frequently injured. It is the shepherd's job to maintain the flock and help them along.
Jesus as the Good Shepherd helps the injured and the weak among His flock. I know that I have to rely on the Good Shepherd everyday to help me through the difficulties that I face in life. Through struggles with depression, grief and bad health, Jesus has always been there to help me along the way. I can feel His guiding presence and His comforting hand in my life. When I am at my lowest, I can sense His encouragement like a rock in a stream not letting me sink any lower.
When I suffered what I consider great spiritual abuse as a young man in a fundamentalist church I felt like giving up on organized religion. However, I never felt like giving up on Jesus. This is especially true when I truly discovered who Jesus is and what He is all about.
As a young man, I was given the picture of Jesus as someone to fear. Jesus was the one who would make something bad happen to you if you didn't give 10 percent to the church. I was told that Jesus would take my dog away if I loved him too much. Our church stressed that Jesus is the judge, and that one day I would have to give a reckoning. Those who didn't measure up would still make it to Heaven, but Jesus would punish you greatly for wasting your life on earth.
Everything was based on fear. Through a study of many, many books about Jesus written by a wide variety of authors, I came to understand who the Good Shepherd really is. I grew to love Him with all of my heart.
I know that He wants what is best for me. Jesus loves me and He cares about me. He wants to bring me into good pasture and not bring fear and punishment and hardship into my life. I learned that Jesus is my friend.
One other aspect of the Good Shepherd is that the Good Shepherd leads His flock into good pastrue. I know that if I follow Jesus, He will lead me into a closer relationship with Him. He will allow me to know more about Him, and through that I will be able to minister to others who are in need. Ultimately, Jesus will lead us who follow Him to the place that He has prepared for us. Where Jesus is, we will be with Him for all of eternity.
There is one other thing that I want to mention. When Jesus refers to Himself as the Good Shepherd He is clearly stating that He is God. In Ezekiel 34, it is God Himself that states He is the Good Shepherd that will lead His people Israel. Jesus uses this same language to show us that He is the Lord of all creation come in human flesh to provide redemption and to lead His flock in the way that we should go. Everything that is mentioned about God as the Good Shepherd in Ezekiel is made manifest in the life and ministry of Jesus Christ.
Next week, we will continue in our series on the "I Am" statements of Jesus. I will post the verses on Monday and a review on Wednesday. May God bless you all. Amen.
Wednesday, August 26, 2015
Book Review -- Scents and Sensibility
I am a big fan of the Chet and Bernie mystery series written by Spencer Quinn. When the first book, "Dog On It" was released a few years ago, I was hoping that this series would go on and on for many years. "Scents and Sensibility" is the eighth book in the Chet and Bernie series, and it is one of the best..
For those who are not familiar with the series, Chet is a large dog of over 100 pounds who was trained by the police. However, because a cat was involved, Chet didn't make it through training, and he was adopted by a private investigator named Bernie Little.
In Chet's eyes, Bernie can do no wrong. Together, Chet and Bernie solve crimes with Chet helping out by grabbing the perp's pant legs when needed.
In "Scents and Sensibility" the new case involves the son of Bernie's next door neighbors the Parsons. Billy Parsons is just out of prison after a stretch of 15 years for a kidnapping. During the the course of the book, Chet and Bernie will encounter, kidnappers, murderers and drug dealers. Along the way, readers will also be introduced to Chet's son.
"Scents and Sensibility is filled with action and adventure. Chet, who is the narrator of the series, is at his best. A reader can't help but laugh out loud at some of the things Chet comes up with. This book is particularly well-written, and the ending is certainly interesting.
I highly recommend this book. Even if this is the first book you have read in the series, it won't take long to figure things out. As with all of the books, the relationship between Chet and Bernie is what is important.
For those who are not familiar with the series, Chet is a large dog of over 100 pounds who was trained by the police. However, because a cat was involved, Chet didn't make it through training, and he was adopted by a private investigator named Bernie Little.
In Chet's eyes, Bernie can do no wrong. Together, Chet and Bernie solve crimes with Chet helping out by grabbing the perp's pant legs when needed.
In "Scents and Sensibility" the new case involves the son of Bernie's next door neighbors the Parsons. Billy Parsons is just out of prison after a stretch of 15 years for a kidnapping. During the the course of the book, Chet and Bernie will encounter, kidnappers, murderers and drug dealers. Along the way, readers will also be introduced to Chet's son.
"Scents and Sensibility is filled with action and adventure. Chet, who is the narrator of the series, is at his best. A reader can't help but laugh out loud at some of the things Chet comes up with. This book is particularly well-written, and the ending is certainly interesting.
I highly recommend this book. Even if this is the first book you have read in the series, it won't take long to figure things out. As with all of the books, the relationship between Chet and Bernie is what is important.
Monday, August 24, 2015
Verses For the Week -- Verses From Daniel
Daniel 2:20-21 -- "Praise be to the name of God for ever and ever; wisdom and power are his. He changes times and seasons; he deposes kings and raises up others."
Daniel 6:26 -- "For he is a living God and he endures forever. His kingdom will not be destroyed, his dominion will never end."
Daniel 12:13 -- "As for you, go your way till the end. You will rest, and then at the end of the days you will rise to receive your allotted inheritance."
Daniel 6:26 -- "For he is a living God and he endures forever. His kingdom will not be destroyed, his dominion will never end."
Daniel 12:13 -- "As for you, go your way till the end. You will rest, and then at the end of the days you will rise to receive your allotted inheritance."
Friday, August 21, 2015
Weekend Sermon -- "I Am the Door"
Welcome to the new edition of the Weekend Sermon. Thank you for joining me today. I hope that this day finds all of you doing very well.
Work seems to be going fairly well right now. Thank you for all of your prayers on this matter. I have been doing more writing work lately, and I am happy to have this work. It may be possible to go back to writing full-time in the near future. I am still trying to save up for an expanded ministry, so please be in prayer about this.
In prayer this week, please pray about the situation with the fires in the western part of the United States. These are very devastating this year, and several firefighters have lost their lives battling this menace. Let us also pray for the refugees around the globe who are facing hardship.
We have been praying for nations of the world that do not have a significant witness of the gospel in them. Lets us continue to pray for Comoros, Maldives and Brunei. And let us also pray for North Korea, Saudi Arabia and Yemen that the gospel would make inroads in these places as well.
As you know, we are currently in a series of messages on the "I Am" statements of Jesus that are found in the Gospel of John. Last week, we examined Jesus' statement that He is the Light of the Word. Today we move our attention to John chapter 10 were Jesus proclaims, "I Am the Door."
John 10:7-9 states, "Jesus said to them again, 'Truly, truly I say to you, I am the door of the sheep. All those who came before me are thieves and robbers, but the sheep did not listen to them. I am the door, if anyone enters through me, he will be saved and will go in and out and find pasture.'"
First, let us look at the context of this statement. In John 10, Jesus is giving a discourse about sheep and shepherds. He speaks about sheep knowing His voice, and who the true shepherd is in contrast to those who do not really take the welfare of the sheep to heart.
In this context of sheep and shepherds, Jesus makes the statement that He is the door. What does this statement mean for us? First of all, let us examine what the function of a door is. One of the main purposes of a door is to provide access to a building or home. Jesus is the door of the sheep fold in this passage. His sheep go in and out of the sheepfold through Him.
In some of the sheepfolds used years ago, the shepherd was literally a door. At night, after all of the sheep had been gathered in, the shepherd would lie down and sleep in the entry way so that no sheep could get out, and no predators could get in.
This is an apt description of the ministry of Jesus. Jesus is the door that provides access to the Father's house in Heaven. In the Upper Room, Jesus told His disciples that He was going to prepare a place for them that where He was, they could be there as well. He was preparing a place for His sheep in the Father's sheepfold.
The way that a person receives entry into the Father's House is through the door of Jesus Christ. Only those who enter through Jesus will be saved. But what does this mean?
What Jesus did for us on the cross provides access to the Father. All have sinned and offended the holiness of God. God in His holiness must judge sin. However, God is also a God of love. Therefore, He made a way to bring redemption to fallen humanity. He provided His Son the Lord Jesus to fulfill the demands of justice and the demands of love.
Jesus lived a perfect. holy and sinless life. He then went to the cross where He bore our sins in His body. He was holy and without sin, yet He took for us the punishment for sin that we rightly deserved. If a person accepts what Jesus Christ has done and turns to Jesus in repentance and faith, Jesus will provide access to the Father's House for that person. Eternal life is only available through Jesus.
This is one of the meanings of Jesus' statement that the one's who came before were thieves and robbers. All of the false gods and false religious teachings and hypocritical religious teachings that preceded Jesus cannot bring truth and salvation. Only Jesus who is God incarnate can provide salvation.
I believe that the statement "I Am the Door" has other meanings as well. A door not only provides access, it also hinders access. As the door, Jesus provides protection from the adversary that would attempt to do us spiritual harm and separate us from the Lord.
There is a beautiful illustration from Scripture that demonstrates our spiritual safety. Those who trust in Jesus are sealed by the Holy Spirit. We are then safe in the hand's of Jesus, and Jesus is in the hands of the Father. No one can snatch us away from the Lord. We are sealed to the day of redemption, and nothing can separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus.
Jesus is also the door in the sense that He provides access to good pasture. We will see more about the role of the shepherd in next week's " I Am" statement. But for now, let us just say that the shepherd lets the sheep out of the fold to find what is good. These has a spiritual and a physical aspect for us.
The Bible says that every good and perfect gift is from above. All that we receive that is good and nice in this life comes from Jesus. We receive our food, clothing and physical blessings from the hand of the Lord. Our friends, family and animals that we love are a blessing from the Lord. Those little things that come along to brighten our day are gifts from the Lord.
Just the other day, I just happened upon a series of cat videos that have brought to me an incredible amount of happiness. This wasn't just by chance, I believe that Jesus brings these good things in our lives to make us happy just as a shepherd lets the sheep out of the sheepfold to find good pasture.
However, the truest sense of this is in the spiritual realm. Everything that we need spiritually, Jesus provides. Jesus provides forgiveness of sins and atonement with the Father. Jesus is the comfort of our souls. He is with us in times of heartache and struggle encouraging us and helping us to make it through each day. Jesus is our everything. He is the friend that sticks closer than a brother. He is the one we can cast all of our cares upon because He cares for us. He is our guide, healer and helper. All that we have is from the Lord Jesus.
Everything I am is because of Jesus. Everything that I have that has been good in my life has been provided by Him. I now look to the ultimate good that Jesus will bring when I see Him at the end of this life. Then, Jesus who is the door will let me into the Father's House. This won't be because of anything that I have done, It will because of the grace and mercy of the Lord poured out on Calvary and confirmed when Jesus rose on the third day.
For some reason that I haven't quite figured out, whenever I have a series of messages about Jesus, the readership of the sermons goes done substantially. When I have messages from the Old Testament or a book of the Bible, readership goes way up. I don't understand this, because Jesus means so much to me. He is what the faith is all about. There is nothing if it wasn't for Jesus.
I am going to keep talking and writing about Jesus even if no one wants to read the blog, because Jesus is worthy of praise. He is the one who can transform people's lives.
When I started these sermons four years ago this summer, it was my hope that people would hear about the love of Jesus and turn to Him for salvation and find Jesus as their friend. If you are reading this blog today, and you have never trusted Jesus as Savior and Lord, I plead with you to turn to Jesus now. The one who is the door will let you in to His love and change your life forever.
Next week, we will continue with our series on the "I Am" statements. On Wednesday, I hope to have a review. Monday, I will be posting verses for the week. May God bless you all. Amen.
Work seems to be going fairly well right now. Thank you for all of your prayers on this matter. I have been doing more writing work lately, and I am happy to have this work. It may be possible to go back to writing full-time in the near future. I am still trying to save up for an expanded ministry, so please be in prayer about this.
In prayer this week, please pray about the situation with the fires in the western part of the United States. These are very devastating this year, and several firefighters have lost their lives battling this menace. Let us also pray for the refugees around the globe who are facing hardship.
We have been praying for nations of the world that do not have a significant witness of the gospel in them. Lets us continue to pray for Comoros, Maldives and Brunei. And let us also pray for North Korea, Saudi Arabia and Yemen that the gospel would make inroads in these places as well.
As you know, we are currently in a series of messages on the "I Am" statements of Jesus that are found in the Gospel of John. Last week, we examined Jesus' statement that He is the Light of the Word. Today we move our attention to John chapter 10 were Jesus proclaims, "I Am the Door."
John 10:7-9 states, "Jesus said to them again, 'Truly, truly I say to you, I am the door of the sheep. All those who came before me are thieves and robbers, but the sheep did not listen to them. I am the door, if anyone enters through me, he will be saved and will go in and out and find pasture.'"
First, let us look at the context of this statement. In John 10, Jesus is giving a discourse about sheep and shepherds. He speaks about sheep knowing His voice, and who the true shepherd is in contrast to those who do not really take the welfare of the sheep to heart.
In this context of sheep and shepherds, Jesus makes the statement that He is the door. What does this statement mean for us? First of all, let us examine what the function of a door is. One of the main purposes of a door is to provide access to a building or home. Jesus is the door of the sheep fold in this passage. His sheep go in and out of the sheepfold through Him.
In some of the sheepfolds used years ago, the shepherd was literally a door. At night, after all of the sheep had been gathered in, the shepherd would lie down and sleep in the entry way so that no sheep could get out, and no predators could get in.
This is an apt description of the ministry of Jesus. Jesus is the door that provides access to the Father's house in Heaven. In the Upper Room, Jesus told His disciples that He was going to prepare a place for them that where He was, they could be there as well. He was preparing a place for His sheep in the Father's sheepfold.
The way that a person receives entry into the Father's House is through the door of Jesus Christ. Only those who enter through Jesus will be saved. But what does this mean?
What Jesus did for us on the cross provides access to the Father. All have sinned and offended the holiness of God. God in His holiness must judge sin. However, God is also a God of love. Therefore, He made a way to bring redemption to fallen humanity. He provided His Son the Lord Jesus to fulfill the demands of justice and the demands of love.
Jesus lived a perfect. holy and sinless life. He then went to the cross where He bore our sins in His body. He was holy and without sin, yet He took for us the punishment for sin that we rightly deserved. If a person accepts what Jesus Christ has done and turns to Jesus in repentance and faith, Jesus will provide access to the Father's House for that person. Eternal life is only available through Jesus.
This is one of the meanings of Jesus' statement that the one's who came before were thieves and robbers. All of the false gods and false religious teachings and hypocritical religious teachings that preceded Jesus cannot bring truth and salvation. Only Jesus who is God incarnate can provide salvation.
I believe that the statement "I Am the Door" has other meanings as well. A door not only provides access, it also hinders access. As the door, Jesus provides protection from the adversary that would attempt to do us spiritual harm and separate us from the Lord.
There is a beautiful illustration from Scripture that demonstrates our spiritual safety. Those who trust in Jesus are sealed by the Holy Spirit. We are then safe in the hand's of Jesus, and Jesus is in the hands of the Father. No one can snatch us away from the Lord. We are sealed to the day of redemption, and nothing can separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus.
Jesus is also the door in the sense that He provides access to good pasture. We will see more about the role of the shepherd in next week's " I Am" statement. But for now, let us just say that the shepherd lets the sheep out of the fold to find what is good. These has a spiritual and a physical aspect for us.
The Bible says that every good and perfect gift is from above. All that we receive that is good and nice in this life comes from Jesus. We receive our food, clothing and physical blessings from the hand of the Lord. Our friends, family and animals that we love are a blessing from the Lord. Those little things that come along to brighten our day are gifts from the Lord.
Just the other day, I just happened upon a series of cat videos that have brought to me an incredible amount of happiness. This wasn't just by chance, I believe that Jesus brings these good things in our lives to make us happy just as a shepherd lets the sheep out of the sheepfold to find good pasture.
However, the truest sense of this is in the spiritual realm. Everything that we need spiritually, Jesus provides. Jesus provides forgiveness of sins and atonement with the Father. Jesus is the comfort of our souls. He is with us in times of heartache and struggle encouraging us and helping us to make it through each day. Jesus is our everything. He is the friend that sticks closer than a brother. He is the one we can cast all of our cares upon because He cares for us. He is our guide, healer and helper. All that we have is from the Lord Jesus.
Everything I am is because of Jesus. Everything that I have that has been good in my life has been provided by Him. I now look to the ultimate good that Jesus will bring when I see Him at the end of this life. Then, Jesus who is the door will let me into the Father's House. This won't be because of anything that I have done, It will because of the grace and mercy of the Lord poured out on Calvary and confirmed when Jesus rose on the third day.
For some reason that I haven't quite figured out, whenever I have a series of messages about Jesus, the readership of the sermons goes done substantially. When I have messages from the Old Testament or a book of the Bible, readership goes way up. I don't understand this, because Jesus means so much to me. He is what the faith is all about. There is nothing if it wasn't for Jesus.
I am going to keep talking and writing about Jesus even if no one wants to read the blog, because Jesus is worthy of praise. He is the one who can transform people's lives.
When I started these sermons four years ago this summer, it was my hope that people would hear about the love of Jesus and turn to Him for salvation and find Jesus as their friend. If you are reading this blog today, and you have never trusted Jesus as Savior and Lord, I plead with you to turn to Jesus now. The one who is the door will let you in to His love and change your life forever.
Next week, we will continue with our series on the "I Am" statements. On Wednesday, I hope to have a review. Monday, I will be posting verses for the week. May God bless you all. Amen.
Wednesday, August 19, 2015
Book Review -- History Books -- Wales
After I received my degree in theology, I went back to school and received a history degree. I have always loved history, and I enjoy reading history books. After Toby came to live with me, I became interested in the history of Wales. Over the course of several years, I have read several good books about Welsh history. In today's post, I will tell you about a few of the very best that I've read.
"A History of Wales" written by John Davies is my favorite Welsh history book. This volume contains a general overview of Welsh history from ancient times to the present. It is easy to read and understand, and I highly recommend it for those starting out in the study of the history of the land of Wales.
"Medieval Wales" by David Walker is a textbook that deals with Wales in the Middle Ages. This is the period of Welsh history I find most interesting, and this volume is a good overview of Wales during the time of the independent kingdoms.
"Modern Wales: A Concise History" by Gareth Elwyn Jones provides good information about the development of Wales in the twentieth century. It is highly readable and in depth on its subject matter.
"The Revolt of Owain Glyn Dwr" by R.R Davies is a biography of the man who attempted to throw off English domination and once again make Wales a free nation. As readers will discover, Glyn Dwr had some success, but in the end, England triumphs. The author looks into the reasons why.
These are just a few of the many excellent books about Welsh history that are currently available. Welsh history is an extremely interesting subject. For those brave enough to try, I recommend studying the Welsh language as well. I studied German in school and I took German and Spanish in college. I thought that I could pick up Welsh fairly quickly. I was wrong. It is a hard but interesting language.
"A History of Wales" written by John Davies is my favorite Welsh history book. This volume contains a general overview of Welsh history from ancient times to the present. It is easy to read and understand, and I highly recommend it for those starting out in the study of the history of the land of Wales.
"Medieval Wales" by David Walker is a textbook that deals with Wales in the Middle Ages. This is the period of Welsh history I find most interesting, and this volume is a good overview of Wales during the time of the independent kingdoms.
"Modern Wales: A Concise History" by Gareth Elwyn Jones provides good information about the development of Wales in the twentieth century. It is highly readable and in depth on its subject matter.
"The Revolt of Owain Glyn Dwr" by R.R Davies is a biography of the man who attempted to throw off English domination and once again make Wales a free nation. As readers will discover, Glyn Dwr had some success, but in the end, England triumphs. The author looks into the reasons why.
These are just a few of the many excellent books about Welsh history that are currently available. Welsh history is an extremely interesting subject. For those brave enough to try, I recommend studying the Welsh language as well. I studied German in school and I took German and Spanish in college. I thought that I could pick up Welsh fairly quickly. I was wrong. It is a hard but interesting language.
Monday, August 17, 2015
Verses For The Week -- Verses From Isaiah
Isaiah 49:1-3 -- "Listen to me, you islands; hear this, you distant nations; before I was born the Lord called me; from my mother's womb he has spoken my name. He made my mouth like a sharpened sword, in the shadow of his hand he hid me; he made me into a polished arrow and concealed me in his quiver. He said to me, ' You are my servant, Israel, in whom I will display my splendor.'"
Isaiah 51:16 -- "I have put my words in your mouth and covered you with the shadow of my hand --- I who set the heavens in place, who laid the foundations of the earth, and who say to Zion, 'You are my peace.'"
Isaiah 66:12-13 -- "For this is what the Lord says, "I will extend peace to her like a river, and the wealth of nations like a flooding stream; you will nurse and be carried on her arm and dandled on her knees. As a mother comforts her child, so will I comfort you; and you will be comforted over Jerusalem."
Isaiah 51:16 -- "I have put my words in your mouth and covered you with the shadow of my hand --- I who set the heavens in place, who laid the foundations of the earth, and who say to Zion, 'You are my peace.'"
Isaiah 66:12-13 -- "For this is what the Lord says, "I will extend peace to her like a river, and the wealth of nations like a flooding stream; you will nurse and be carried on her arm and dandled on her knees. As a mother comforts her child, so will I comfort you; and you will be comforted over Jerusalem."
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