Weekend Sermon -- A Break From The Book Of James -- Matthew 6:34

      Thank you for reading the sermon this week. I was not able to post something midweek. I will start posting midweek again next week. I thank the Lord for the opportunity to post this message. 

     Today, we will be taking a break from our current series on the book of James. Over the course of the last few weeks, there are some words of the Lord Jesus that have had a lot of relevance in my life. I would like to share them with you and focus on them for this message. 

     In Matthew 6:34 Jesus said, "So don't worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will bring its own worries. Today's trouble is enough for today."

     This statement by Jesus is part of his Sermon on the Mount recorded in Matthew chapters 5 through 7. Within the context of this particular verse, Jesus is telling His listeners that the Father in Heaven knows the things that they need. They don't have to worry about the provisions of this life because the Father in Heaven will take care of their needs just as He care for the needs of the other parts of His vast creation. There is an ultimate context to these words. The Lord does supply our needs. However, sometimes, things go wrong in this life. Famines occur. People get sick. Bad things happen. As believers in the Lord, we know that no matter what happens to us in this life, the Lord will take us to be with Him forever in the place that He has prepared for those who love Him. We can rest in the knowledge that ultimately, only that which is good is in our future. 

     Our verse speaks to me particularly because I have found that it helps me deal with problems that I might have with anxiety. When I get focused out on what is going to happen down the road, I start to feel bad and have turmoil within my mind and spirit. All of the troubles and potential troubles start to pile up until I just feel completely overwhelmed. 

     Jesus is telling us that we need to focus on what is at hand. I have found that I need to focus on just going minute by minute through this life. I need to rely fully and completely on the Lord Jesus to get me through each moment of each day.

     In I Peter 5:7 tells us to cast our cares upon the Lord because He cares for us. That is what I found that I need to do constantly throughout the day. I have to ask the Lord Jesus many times throughout the day to help me through a particular problem or difficulty. I have to give the difficulty over to Him and let Him work it out in His way in my life. I have found that when I rely on the Lord Jesus, I don't feel as anxious. I have the assurance that the Lord Jesus is looking out for me in this life, and He will take care of me forever when I pass from this life over into the next life when I will be with Him forever and forever. 

     I believe that if each of us will focus on the present and give our problems in the present over to Jesus, we will worry less and be anxious less. When we give our problems over to the Lord, we are letting the King of all creation work on the problem on our behalf. He will do what is right, and He will do what is just. He loves us, and He wants only what is best for us. Amen

     Now, this isn't part of the sermon, this is just something that I want to discuss for a few moments. In my country and around the world, the Delta variant of the coronavirus is infecting many people. The CDC in my country is advising even fully-vaccinated people to wear masks in indoor settings. If you have not been vaccinated for the coronavirus, please get the vaccine. Also, please wear a mask when you are around others. We need to think about others, and we need to get this disease under control. 

     Prayer Requests

     Please pray for an end to the coronavirus pandemic. Pray that people will take the vaccine, and pray that vaccines will reach around the world.  Pray that those who are sick will recover. 

     Continue to pray for an end to the fires in the western part of the United States. Also, pray that those affected by flooding in Europe, the Philippines and others parts of Asia will get the aid and the help that they need. 

     Pray for the leaders of your country that God will give them wisdom. 

     Please pray for peace. Pray especially for peace in Afghanistan. What is happening in that country is really concerning to me. 

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

     Next week, Lord willing, we will resume our study of James. I will post the verses on Monday, and I hope to have a review midweek. May God bless you all. 

Verses For The Week

 Philippians 3:20 -- "But our citizenship is in heaven. And we eagerly await a Savior from there, the Lord Jesus Christ."

Colossians 3:4 -- "When Christ who is your life appears, then you will also appear with Him in glory."

Weekend Sermon -- James 5:11

     Thank you for taking the time to read the sermon this week. I thank the Lord for giving me the opportunity to post these messages each week. I hope that these messages are of benefit to you. 

     Last week, we discussed part of James 5:11, but I want us to focus our attention on just the last part of that verse for this week's message. The last part of the verse states, "The Lord is full of compassion and mercy."

     The Lord has great compassion on those who are in this world. Jesus is the revelation of God on this earth. During the time that Jesus was on this planet, He demonstrated in many ways His compassion for those whom He ministered to. Matthew 14:13-14 tells us that Jesus had compassion on the people who followed Him from town to town. One way that He demonstrated His compassion was by healing those who were sick among the people. In Matthew 20, we are told that two blind men called out to Jesus while He was passing by on the road. Jesus was moved with compassion for them, and He immediately restored their sight to them. Luke 7 records that Jesus was coming into the town of Nain when He saw a funeral procession coming out of the town. A widow's only son had died, and she was in great grief. Jesus was moved with compassion. He told the mother not to cry, and Jesus raised her son from the dead. On one other occasion recorded in Mark 6:34, Jesus had compassion on the multitude because they were like sheep without a shepherd. He knew that He needed to teach them about the way of abundant life and why He came to this earth. 

     Jesus cares about what happens to us. He wants to help us when we are going through hard and difficult times. I Peter 5:7 tells us to cast all of our cares upon Jesus because He cares about us. 

     The second part of the verse tells us that the Lord is full of mercy. Those of us who have been redeemed by the blood of the Lamb know how true this is. Because God is a just and holy God, He could have condemned all of us to death because all have sinned and come short of the glory of God. However, the Lord is merciful and loving. He wanted to provide a way of redemption. The Father sent His Son into the world because He was merciful to sinners. Jesus bore our sins in His body on the cross. He took the punishment that we deserved. 

     When a person calls upon the name of the Lord asking for forgiveness and trusting Jesus as Savior and Lord,  Jesus takes away that person's sin. In place of that sin, a person receives that righteousness of Christ. Because Jesus has come into the world to be the sacrifice for sin, God is now both just and the justifier at the same time. 

     Always remember that the Lord is compassionate and merciful. He has not dealt with us according to what we deserve. By His grace and by His grace alone, we are what we are. 

     I hope that you have responded to the compassion and mercy of the Lord by turning to Jesus as your Lord and Savior. Jesus welcomes all who will come to Him. There is no one who He will cast out. Today is the day of salvation. Amen. 

Prayer Requests

     I would like to thank the Lord for allowing me to get my car fixed at a very affordable price once again. Please continue to pray for my health. I am not feeling very well. I am having trouble with arthritis and with allergic skin problems. 

     Continue to pray for an end to the coronavirus pandemic. If you have not been vaccinated, please get the vaccine. Pray that all those who are sick will make a speedy recovery. 

     There are many places in this world that need peace. Afghanistan, Syria, Israel, Libya, Chad, Yemen, Ethiopia, Eritrea, Somalia and the Central African Republic really need our prayers. 

     Remember to pray for those affected by the floods in Europe. Pray that people will get the aid that they need. 

    Please pray that the fires in the western part of the United States will be able to be extinguished. 

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

     Next week, we will continue in James. I have about three sermons left in this series. On Monday I will post the verses. I hope to have a book review midweek. May God bless you all. 

Book Review

      With this midweek post, we are starting back with book reviews. Today's book is a book for younger readers entitled "Buster" written by Caleb Huett. Buster is a therapy dog that has come to live with a boy named Tonio. Tonio suffers from anxiety disorder, and his parents and counselors believe that a therapy dog like Buster will help him with his anxiety. 

      Buster really wants to help Tonio to have a better life. There is one problem. In order to really help his boy, Buster has to communicate with him. The dog rules state that a dog is never to talk to a human or reveal to a human the true intelligence of canines. Buster has already been in trouble for breaking this rule. Will he talk to Tonio in his efforts to help him? What will be the cost to Buster if he breaks the rule in order to do what he believes is the right thing to do?

      Buster is a well-written story that is sure to please readers who like good dog stories. I was especially drawn to the story as I have suffered from anxiety disorder for a long time. My dog Toby helped me when I was younger to deal with both anxiety and depression, so I know that a dog can really help those who need help with mental issues. I definitely recommend this book. The ending is written in such a way that there may be sequels to the book, and I look forward to reading those when and if they should become available. 

Verses For The Week

 John 8:12 -- "When Jesus spoke again to the people, He said, I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life."

John 5:24 -- " Very truly I tell you, whoever hears My word and believes Him who sent me has eternal life and will not be judged but has crossed over from death to life."

Weekend Sermon -- James 5:10-11

        It is once again time for the Weekend Sermon. I have not been feeling that well for that last few days, so I am thankful that I am able to post the sermon today. I hope and pray that you are all doing very well. 

     Before I start the message for today, I just want to urge people who have not received the coronavirus vaccine to get the vaccine. In my part of the country, we are seeing many people come down with the virus who have not been vaccinated. In the United States, the vaccine is free and widely available. If we all get the vaccine, it will help to make sure that there are not more variants of the virus. 

     Last week, we saw in James that we are to wait patiently for the coming of the Lord Jesus. He promised that He would come. While we are waiting for His return, we are to live our lives in such a manner that we will not be ashamed at His coming. The Lord has called us to make disciples and to do good in this world until the day that He comes to restore all things. 

     In our passage today, James once again speaks about patience. This time, he tells us that we are to be patient in the midst of suffering. This is something that is very hard to do. All of us suffer in some way while we are on this earth. Some suffer in body. They are plagued with diseases and conditions that can make life painful. Others suffer from mental health problems. There are Christians who suffer and are persecuted for their faith in Jesus Christ. Some people suffer due to the fact that they are in difficult and abusive relationships. Whatever the situation, there are a whole host of people in this world who are suffering. Suffering doesn't spare those who are believers. 

     James urges us to be patient in the midst of our problems knowing that ultimately we will be delivered from our suffering by the Lord Jesus. As an example of patience in the midst of suffering, James gives us the example of the prophets and Job. 

     There are many prophets who suffered as a result of their witness for the Lord. One that comes to mind is the prophet Jeremiah. He had to give a difficult message to the people. He was persecuted physically and he was verbally abused. He was a despised man in his nation. Jeremiah kept believing in God and doing what God had called him to do in spite of his suffering. He knew that God would fulfill His word. Jeremiah knew that one day he would be delivered from this time of suffering and stand in the presence of the Almighty God. 

     Job had awful things happen to him. He lost his wealth, his children and his friends weren't a whole lot of comfort to him. Job also suffered from terrible physical problems. He would not curse God and die as was suggested to him. Instead, Job kept believing in God. He knew that God would deliver him in his world or in the world to come. He knew that better days were in store for him, because he knew that God was faithful and good. Job said that he knew that his redeemer lived and that in his flesh he would one day see God. 

     When we are going through suffering, it is often hard to believe that the Lord is watching over us. As believers in Jesus, we must take hold of the promise that Jesus will never leave us nor forsake us. He is the resurrection and the life. Those who are His have been promised that one day they will be with Him in the place that He has prepared for those who love Him.  

     James reminds us that the Lord is full of compassion and mercy. He cares about us. He will help us when when call on Him. When we are with the Lord Jesus in Heaven, all the suffering and hardships of this life will not even come to mind. They will vanish away in the glory of the Lord. Paul tells us in II Corinthians 2:9 that it has not even entered into the heart of people the things which God has prepared for those who love Him. 

     I am looking forward to that day when I see Jesus and all suffering is over. That will happen when I die and go to be with the Lord or when the Lord Jesus comes again to this earth to restore all things. 

     You can have the assurance that one day all suffering will be over if you put your faith and trust in the Lord Jesus. I urge you to ask Jesus to be your Savior and Lord this very day. Amen. 

Prayer Requests

     As I mentioned, I have not been feeling very well, please pray that I will get to feeling better. I want to thank the Lord that the storms were not bad in my area. 

     Please continue to pray for an end to the coronavirus pandemic. Pray that people will get the vaccine and that vaccines will become available around the world. 

     Pray for peace in the troubled areas of this world. Afghanistan really needs our prayers right now. Let us also be in prayer for peace in Libya, Syria, Israel and Yemen. 

     For our prayer focus countries this week, let us pray for those who live in the nations of  Western Sahara and Kuwait. Pray that many will come to know Jesus as Lord. 

     Next week, we will continue in the book of James. I will post the verses on Monday. Midweek, we will return to our book reviews as I've completed my life changers series. May God bless you all. 

Life Changers -- Conclusion

       About ten years ago, my parents died within just a couple of months of each other. This has brought a number of changes to my life, but I want to focus on one.

     For many years, I suffered from anxiety disorder. My folks helped me to deal with this in many ways. Since they have passed away, I have had to deal with this issue head on. If I was going to get out in the world and make it, I had to get help. 

      The Lord helped me greatly with this problem. I also found a psychologist who set me on the right course. With the help of the Lord and others, I am able to do what I never was able to do before. 

     If you are dealing with anxiety or other mental health issues, get help. There are people who care and want to help to make life better.