Priorities for 2024

 

Intro: As we have just entered the New Year, it’s time to think about our priorities for 2024. Our top priorities should be of the spiritual nature. Those things that will help us grow in our relationship with God. Our spiritual life controls how we respond to all other things. God’s will for us all; 3 John 1:2 (NKJV) Beloved, I pray that you may prosper in all things and be in health, just as your soul prospers. Matthew 6:33 (NKJV) But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you.

I. The first priority is prayer. (Jeremiah 33:3 (NKJV) 'Call to Me, and I will answer you, and show you great and mighty things, which you do not know.'

A. We have an open invitation from God to call on Him in prayer.

Only through prayer can believers stay in contact with God, know what he wants them to do, and then have the strength to do God’s will in all areas of life.

B. The promise is (V:33b)

1. He will answer us. We should pray in confidence, complete trust in God and His word to us.

2. He will show us the things we don’t know. God’s plans for the future are inaccessible to ordinary people. Only God can unlock the secrets of the future, and He offered this knowledge to Jeremiah and to every one of us who are children of Abraham by faith.

II. Jesus invites us to call on God in prayer.

In Matthew 6:9-13 (NKJV) ⁹  In this manner, therefore, pray: Our Father in heaven, Hallowed be Your name. ¹⁰  Your kingdom come. Your will be done On earth as it is in heaven. ¹¹  Give us this day our daily bread. ¹²  And forgive us our debts, As we forgive our debtors.
¹³  And do not lead us into temptation, But deliver us from the evil one. For Yours is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever. Amen. Jesus had given the disciples a model prayer. Now He assured them that God welcomes prayer, and urged them to come to Him through their own prayers in His name.

A. Conditions of prayer. Matthew 7:⁷ "Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you

1. Asking – Continuously and persistently action. Emphasized by the present tenses in the verbs:

2. Seeking- Like seeking some lost treasure that means the most to you.

3. Knocking - “keep on asking”; “keep on seeking”; “keep on knocking”

B. Some things to ask in prayer. God’s wisdom for daily living and for clear direction in our daily lives in the choices we make and paths we follow. Pray for God’s help in being faithful, disciplined and committed to Him in the use of our time and resources all year long. Pray for help in seeking His Kingdom first and living righteously.

C. The promise if we do these things faithfully. Matthew 7:8 (NKJV)
. ⁸ For everyone who asks receives, and he who seeks finds, and to him who knocks it will be opened.

1. It will be given you. The answers we need to make right choices that will keep us faithful to Him.

2. You will find. We will find God more than ready and willing to help us along life’s journey this year.

3. It will be opened to you. Every door that leads to the abundant life and His blessings for us will be opened to us.

III. These promises are for everyone who asks. Matthew 7:9-11 (NKJV)⁹  Or what man is there among you who, if his son asks for bread, will give him a stone?¹⁰  Or if he asks for a fish, will he give him a serpent?¹¹  If you then, being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father who is in heaven give good things to those who ask Him!

A. The Father is willing to answer us because He delights in granting our request.

B. He will give us the good things that we need to promote our well-being.

Prayer makes sure we live with a humble acknowledgment of our need for His grace, knowing He is our only hope for staying on course and fulfilling our created purpose. God rewards those who call on Him.

Invitation: For the abundant life, make prayer your top priority for this year. Pray about everything from church, family and Nation to all your own needs. Ask God regularly to show you His agenda and priorities for your life, to order your steps so you can fulfill His Kingdom purposes in and through your life. First priority of prayer is salvation. If you have never called on Jesus to save you, now is the time! Ask Jesus to forgive your sins against God and invite Jesus into your life to take charge.

Have a Joyful Christmas

 

Intro: Christmas should be a time of joy. Joy is different than happiness. Joy comes from within you and happiness comes from external events or things. Happiness comes and goes depending on external circumstances. The joy that comes from within you is from the Holy Spirit and does not depend on external happenings. People tend to multiply activities during this holiday season and in their busyness forget the One whose birthday they are celebrating. So, their joy is not full and complete. They wind up tired, exhausted and depressed when it's all over. This is not what God intends for His people!

I. A joyful Christmas is thanking God for His gift to mankind. What if Christ had not come, this world would be a hopeless world. This world would be a lost world. There would be no access to God, there would be no atonement for sin, we would all be guilty before God. Would be no forgiveness, no Savior and no home in Heaven. We would all be doomed to Hell. 2 Corinthians 9:15 Thanks be to God for His indescribable gift! The greatest gift ever given was God's gift to the world: the gift of His own Son. Luke 2:8-14 (NKJV) ⁸  Now there were in the same country shepherds living out in the fields, keeping watch over their flock by night. ⁹  And behold, an angel of the Lord stood before them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were greatly afraid. ¹⁰  Then the angel said to them, "Do not be afraid, for behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy which will be to all people. ¹¹  For there is born to you this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord. ¹²  And this will be the sign to you: You will find a Babe wrapped in swaddling cloths, lying in a manger." ¹³  And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God and saying: ¹⁴  "Glory to God in the highest, And on earth peace, goodwill toward men!" No greater gift could ever be given. Since God has given us the supreme gift of His Son, we should respond in joy by giving Him our thanks. Jesus left the glories of Heaven and came to this earth as Savior to save mankind from the penalty and power of sin and to give us eternal life. John 1:12 As many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, to those who believe in His name. John1:17 says Moses brought the law to mankind but Jesus at His birth brought us grace and truth. John 1:16 And of His fullness we have all received, and grace for grace.

II. A joyful Christmas is making Jesus our focus as we celebrate. Matthew 2:1-2 (NKJV) ¹  Now after Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea in the days of Herod the king, behold, wise men from the East came to Jerusalem, ²  saying, "Where is He who has been born King of the Jews? For we have seen His star in the East and have come to worship Him." Matthew 2:9-10 (NKJV)⁹  When they heard the king, they departed; and behold, the star which they had seen in the East went before them, till it came and stood over where the young Child was. ¹⁰  When they saw the star, they rejoiced with exceedingly great joy. The wise men traveled 2 1/2 years and 1,500 miles on camels to find Jesus. They bowed and worshiped the babe who was King of all kings, Lord of all Lords, Savior of all mankind. We should seek Jesus this Christmas season as they did. We shouldn't let the problems and worries of this world take our focus off of Jesus. He is the problem solver. We shouldn't let Christmas activities take our focus off Jesus. When we celebrate someone's birthday, we don't leave them out of our celebration. They are the center of attention. We honor the one whose birthday we are celebrating. As we honor Jesus and praise Him for who He is and what He has done for us and what He is going to do, we will have a joyous Christmas.

III. A joyous Christmas is giving Jesus gifts fit for a King. Matthew 2:11 (NKJV) And when they had come into the house, they saw the young Child with Mary His mother, and fell down and worshiped Him. And when they had opened their treasures, they presented gifts to Him: gold, frankincense, and myrrh. The wise men brought Him their best gifts fit for a king. They brought gold, frankincense and myrrh. Nothing was to good for Him. They bowed in worship of Him. One of the greatest gifts we can give Jesus is our worship, our attention, devotion, love, and obedience. Deuteronomy 6:5  You shall love the LORD your God with all your heart, soul, mind, and with all your strength. Jesus longs for His children to have an awakened, and revived soul that thrills to the joy of His presence. He created us to glorify Him and enjoy Him forever. Jesus provides the fullness of joy and pleasure for our lives and our gift to Him is to glorify Him and enjoy Him by living in an intimate relationship with Him and giving our hearts and our possessions in service for Him. There was no room for Him in the inn, how about your heart? People sometimes get so involved in doing things around Christmas they don't have time to enjoy the One who is the reason for the season. Remember Martha in the bible. She was so busy serving she missed the most important thing, focusing on Jesus and listening to His words. Christmas can become mechanical. It can become a ritualistic celebration with no real meaning. It can become routine, with no thought of Christ. Christ should be the center of all we do not only at Christmas time but all year long. Jesus promises an eternal reward for those who live for Him in all they do. Colossians 3:23-24 ²³  And whatever you do, do it heartily, as to the Lord and not to men, ²⁴  knowing that from the Lord you will receive the reward of the inheritance; for you serve the Lord Christ. Honoring and Serving Christ brings us the joyful reward of the inheritance of the saints of God. The reward of His inheritance is out of this world, it is above all we can ask or think. Because of Christs' birth those who believe in Him will live eternally with God, and our Savior Jesus Christ. We will be reunited with all our loved ones gone on before us. Life will be perfected which means that the body of man will be perfected. Life will be totally different from what it is now. The very life and perfect state for which man has longed will be a living reality. All the suffering and evils of life, all the bad and negative experiences of life will be gone. There will be positions of enormous leadership, authority and service in His kingdom. Don't you think that Jesus deserves our full attention as we celebrate Christmas?

Conclusion: Oh what a wonderful Savior whose birth we celebrate tomorrow. May this be a time of joy and pleasure as we worship Jesus with all our heart, soul, mind and strength and may we joyously renew our dedication and commitment to Him. May we thrill at the joy of Jesus' presence in our lives not only this Christmas but for all time!

Invitation: Make sure you know Jesus before you celebrate His birth. Don't be a hypocrite! If you don't know Him as your Lord and Savior, confess your sins to Him and ask Jesus to forgive you. Invite Him into your heart to take charge of your life. This is what Christmas is all about! This is what life is all about! This is what your eternity depends on!

Thanksgiving to God

Intro: We Christians have much to be thankful for all year, not just once a year. We thank God that He is the ultimate Giver. He gave a gift too wonderful for words—the gift of his Son. God’s extraordinary gift of salvation through Jesus should motivate you and I to give thanks and be generous to others. Jesus gave the ultimate gift of Himself for us to pay the price for our sins. Spend time meditating on how much God and Jesus have given you. Then show your thankfulness by living for God and serving Him.

I. Thank God we have been set free from the slavery of sin. [Romans 6:17-18] (NLT) ¹⁷ Thank God! Once you were slaves of sin, (sin controlled you), but now you wholeheartedly obey this teaching we have given you. Now you live in obedience to God’s word! ¹⁸ Now you are free from your slavery to sin, and you have become slaves to righteous living. The unsaved people of the world act as they do because they are slaves to Satan and sin. Once we too were unsaved people controlled by sin, we had no choice. But thank God, now we are free from our slavery to sin and we are controlled by Christ.

II. Thank God We have been made spiritually alive with Christ. Colossians 2:11-13 (NLT) ¹¹  When you came to Christ, you were “circumcised,” but not by a physical procedure. Christ performed a spiritual circumcision—the cutting away of your sinful nature. ¹²  For you were buried with Christ when you were baptized. And with him you were raised to new life because you trusted the mighty power of God, who raised Christ from the dead. ¹³  You were dead because of your sins and because your sinful nature was not yet cut away. Then God made you alive with Christ, for he forgave all our sins. When Satan had his hold on us, we were spiritually dead. No access to God. Then God made us spiritually alive and delivered us from Satan and sin through Christ. The penalty for our sin and its power over us were miraculously destroyed by Christ on the cross. Thanks to God all our sins have been forgiven thru Christ and we are now new creatures in Him.

a. Thank God because Jesus canceled all charges against us. V:14 He canceled the record of the charges against us and took it away by nailing it to the cross. This record of charges was for all our trespasses against God’s law. We could not pay the debt for these offenses, we were guilty, but when we were saved by Christ, God wiped out the record of our sin for us by nailing it to the cross of Christ. Hallelujah, thank God for such a wonderful Savior who has canceled all charges of sin against us through His cross.

b. Thank God the devil’s power is broken. (v:15) Through the cross He disarmed the spiritual rulers and authorities. He shamed them publicly by his victory over them on the cross. Not only have all charges against us been nailed to the Cross, spiritual authorities and rulers have been rendered helpless against us because of the Cross. Jesus who now lives in us has the Supreme authority over all principalities and powers.

III. Thank God We have peace that comes from Christ. Colossians 3:15-17 (NLT) ¹⁵  And let the peace that comes from Christ rule in your hearts. For as members of one body you are called to live in peace. And always be thankful. ¹⁶  Let the message about Christ, in all its richness, fill your lives. Teach and counsel each other with all the wisdom he gives. Sing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs to God with thankful hearts.
¹⁷  And whatever you do or say, do it as a representative of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks through him to God the Father.                                         a. Because Christ has given us His peace, we show our thankfulness by living as His representatives in everything we do as we give thanks through Christ to God our Father.

IV. Thank God We have the victory over sin and death through Jesus Christ. 1 Corinthians 15:51-58 (NLT) ⁵¹  But let me reveal to you a wonderful secret. We will not all die, but we will all be transformed! ⁵²  It will happen in a moment, in the blink of an eye, when the last trumpet is blown. For when the trumpet sounds, those who have died will be raised to live forever. And we who are living will also be transformed. ⁵³  For our dying bodies must be transformed into bodies that will never die; our mortal bodies must be transformed into immortal bodies. ⁵⁴  Then, when our dying bodies have been transformed into bodies that will never die, this Scripture will be fulfilled: “Death is swallowed up in victory. ⁵⁵  O death, where is your victory? O death, where is your sting?”⁵⁶  For sin is the sting that results in death, and the law gives sin its power.⁵⁷  But thank God! He gives us victory over sin and death through our Lord Jesus Christ.⁵⁸  So, my dear brothers and sisters, be strong and immovable. Always work enthusiastically for the Lord, for you know that nothing you do for the Lord is ever useless. Because of these promises—of victory over sin, death, and the devil, a future resurrection with new bodies that will be fashioned by God himself, and of living eternally in His Kingdom, We believers now have motivation and responsibilities in living for God in these perishable bodies. Our time on earth is valuable, let’s show how thankful we are by living for Jesus and serving His Kingdom. Because Christ has given us the victory, we are to be strong and immovable. (v:58)

Conclusion: We have much for which to thank our Father God for. The way we live our lives will show how thankful we really are. The more thankful we are, the more we will begin to focus on the things of God rather than the world and our problems.

Invitation: Thanks to God, you have a chance right now to respond to Jesus. If you need salvation confess your sins to Jesus and ask Him to forgive you and save you from hell. Then begin to confess Him to others and live for Him as your Lord. If you need something else that only Jesus can supply, now is the time to bring your requests to Him.

Look to and Trust in God

 

Scripture Text

Proverbs 3:5-10

Intro: Solomon instructs us that to have favor and success with God and Man we need to look to and trust in God and His word.  Just as people in haste can reach out to the wrong set of answers looking for their needs to be met, we too, can hastily reach out to answers which are insufficient and outside of God's best for our lives.

1. When You Face Life's Challenges Trust in God. Proverbs 3:5 (NKJV) Trust in the LORD with all your heart And lean not on your own understanding; Heart in Hebrew refers more often to one's intellect (understanding, discernment, and will.) To trust in the Lord wholeheartedly means one should not (lean) or rely on his own understanding. Human insights are never enough. God sees things from His perspective and His ways are not our ways. Isaiah 55:8-9 (NKJV) ⁸  "For My thoughts are not your thoughts, Nor are your ways My ways," says the LORD. ⁹  "For as the heavens are higher than the earth, So are My ways higher than your ways, And My thoughts than your thoughts. He is always trustworthy. All the wisdom a person may acquire here on earth can never replace the need for full trust in God's superior ways.

  2.When You Reach for Life's Answers Look to God. Proverbs 3: 6 In all your ways acknowledge Him, And He shall direct your paths. There are many places a person can turn for life's answers but the place that never fails is God and His wisdom. In (all) your ways, recognize the existence of God, truth of God, and the facts of God. A person who puts His trust in the Lord and His wisdom and has an intimate knowledge and recognition of God in all his ways, finds that God directs or makes his paths straight. This means more than guidance; it means God removes the hindrances and sin, making a smooth path or way of life, bringing one to the correct answer or goal. Direct your paths means God will assist and bless all your endeavors and keep you from the paths of sin and destruction.
 
3. When You Look for Wisdom Turn to God. Proverbs 3:7 (NKJV) Do not be wise in your own eyes; Fear the LORD and depart from evil. People who acquire God's wisdom need to remember that they did not become wise by themselves; wisdom comes from God. A heart awareness of and proper response to God keeps us from evil. The fear of the Lord occurs 11 times in Proverbs. Fearing the Lord, Solomon wrote, is the beginning of knowledge. "Beginning" in the Hebrew means "the start." Fear as used here refers to a deep respect, reverence, and awe for God. It is used to describe the attitude of a person who recognizes God’s power, majesty, and holiness. The “fear of the Lord” is also associated with His wisdom and knowledge. One cannot gain knowledge of spiritual things if he begins at the wrong point, refusing to fear the Lord. To recognize God's character and respond by revering, trusting, worshiping, obeying, and serving Him help prevent the evil of pride and sin.

4. God's wisdom brings healing. Proverbs 3:8 (NKJV) It will be health to your flesh, And strength to your bones. Seeking and following God's wisdom instead of your own will be healing to your flesh and refreshment to your bones. As a result of fearing God and turning from evil, you will have health and vigor. Health in one's bones, mentioned several times in Proverbs suggests that spiritual and physical health are related.

5. Life's Priorities Start with God. Proverbs 3:9-10 (NKJV) ⁹  Honor the LORD with your possessions, And with the firstfruits of all your increase; ¹⁰  So your barns will be filled with plenty, And your vats will overflow with new wine. In Israel, honoring the Lord with their wealth and the first fruits of all one's crops was a way of expressing gratitude to Him for His provisions. They gave a tithe of all they earned and all their crops. It was a way of acknowledging, honoring and thanking God for His help. In return, God then promised to fill the barns (with grain) and the vats... with new wine. ("Freshly squeezed grape juice"). Honoring God first results in gain and brings prosperity, spiritual and material. (Matt. 6:33) Seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness and all these shall be added to you.

Conclusion: We should prioritize God in our lives and be sure that our ways belong to God and His wisdom if we want to be successful in this life.

Invitation: God's wisdom says that to enter His kingdom you admit you are a sinner and confess your sins to Jesus and ask Him to forgive you. Then invite Him into your life to save you from hell and guide you with His wisdom. Be baptized as a public testimony to your faith in Jesus as your personal Savior and Lord.

True Happiness

 

Scripture Text

Psalm 146:5-7

Intro: People do all kinds of strange things trying to find true happiness, but they can't find because they are looking in all the wrong places.

I. True happiness can only be found in the Lord God of Israel. Psalm 146:5 (NKJV) Happy is he who has the God of Jacob for his help, Whose hope is in the LORD his God, The psalmist, having cautioned us not to trust in princes (because, if we do, we shall be miserably disappointed), here encourages us to put our confidence in God, because, if we do so, we shall be secure and happy. Happy is he that has the God of Jacob for his help, that has an interest in his attributes and promises, those who have their hope in him, and live a life of dependence upon him, who have good thoughts of him, and encourage themselves in him, when all other supports fail. Every believer may look upon him as the God of Jacob or Israel. He is Head of the church, and therefore we may expect relief from him in reference to our distresses because He is our God and Father in particular, and therefore we may depend upon him in all personal wants and straits. We must hope, In the providence of God for all the good things we need, which relate to the life that now is.                                                         

II. He is the Maker of the world. Psalm 146:6 (NKJV) Who made heaven and earth, The sea, and all that is in them; Who keeps truth forever, As such, He therefore has all power in himself, and He commands the powers of all the creatures which He made and who depend upon Him: He made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that is in them, and therefore his arm is not shortened, that it cannot save or deliver. We can apply this to Christ, by whom God made the world, and without whom was not any thing made that was made. He holds all the universe in His hands. It is a great support to our faith that the Redeemer of the world is the same that was the Creator of it, and therefore has good-will toward it, a perfect knowledge of its needs, and power to help it. We may trust God's word, for He keeps truth for ever, and therefore no word of his shall fall to the ground; it is true from the beginning, and therefore true to the end. Our Lord Jesus is the Amen, the faithful witness, as well as the beginning, the author and principle, of the creation of God, [Revelation 3:14]. The keeping of God's truth for ever is committed to him, for all the promises are in him yea and amen.                       

III. Advocate of the helpless. Psalm 146:7 (NKJV) Who executes justice for the oppressed, Who gives food to the hungry. He sees to it that the righteous are vindicated, that their cause eventually triumphs. The waves may seem to be against them but the tide is sure to win.

IV. Provider. He gives food to the hungry, both in a spiritual and physical sense. He brings us into His banqueting house, and what a table He spreads!

V. Emancipator. [Psalm 146:7b] The LORD gives freedom to the prisoners.He sets the captives free—from human oppression, from the chains of sin, from the grip of the world, from the bondage of the devil, and from selfish living.

Invitation: To experience the happiness and joy of the Lord, you must know Jesus as your Savior and Lord. If you do not know Jesus as your Savior, right now right where you are, confess your sins to Jesus, ask Him to forgive you and save your soul from Hell. If you mean business, He will give you eternal life.

 

What God Has Done in Christ

Scripture Text

                                    1 Corinthians 1:30-31 (NLT)
³⁰  God has united you with Christ Jesus. For our benefit God made him to be wisdom itself. Christ made us right with God; he made us pure and holy, and he freed us from sin. ³¹  Therefore, as the Scriptures say, “If you want to boast, boast only about the LORD.”

Intro: There are many different religions in the world. Each one teaches a different way to try to reach God. Every religion except Christianity teaches works to try to make it to heaven. They are trying to reach God by their own goodness through their works, but our scripture for today says salvation is of God through Jesus Christ alone.

I. God has united us to Christ. [1 Corinthians 1:30] Even people who aren't any religion at all, think if they do certain good things God will accept them. However, since we have a fallen sinful nature no amount of so-called good works make us good enough to save ourselves. If we could work our way to heaven, then God would owe us salvation and Jesus died in vain. God will not be obligated to any man because man would try to boast of his goodness before God. In Christianity God did everything through Christ that was necessary for our salvation. God by His Spirit called us to Himself and then gave us the grace to respond to His call and when we did God united us with Christ. Our unity with Christ is by God's grace, not works. Read Eph. 2:8-10!

II. Christ is the wisdom of God. [1 Corinthians 1:30] If good works can't save a person, then how is God able to save men? By His wisdom. God took Christ and presented Him to the world as the wisdom of God. Christ is the wisdom of God given to the world so that men might know the way, the truth, and the life of God. God sent Christ to earth as the living Word of God. He was the perfect expression of God's wisdom to man. Everything Jesus Christ said and did was exactly how God wants man to speak and do. When you are united to Christ, you have God's wisdom. Read the N. T. starting with the four gospels to know the wisdom of God as revealed to us through Jesus.

III. Christ has made us right with God. [1 Cor. 1:30] It is not by man's efforts that we are made right with God, it is by what Christ has already done for us. God's wisdom tells us that. Jesus Christ is the answer, for He is the righteousness of God. God sent Jesus Christ to earth to live the perfect, ideal, and sinless life. Jesus Christ never sinned, not even once. Therefore, He stands before God and before the world as the Ideal Man, the Perfect Man, the Representative Man. By Christ's perfect life which He lived as man's representative before God and by His sacrificial death and shedding of His perfect blood on the cross for our sins, Jesus made us right with God. Jesus Christ is the righteousness of God. He is the only way a man can become righteous and acceptable to God. When a person believes in Jesus Christ—really believes—God takes that person's faith and counts it as righteousness. The person is not righteous; he and everyone else knows it. But God counts their faith and belief in Christ as righteousness. 2 Cor. 5:21 For God made Jesus who knew no sin to be sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him.
Jesus has also made us pure and holy before God. Pure means without spot or blemish. That's what we are in God's eyes because of Christ's sacrifice for us. Christ has freed us from sin. Jesus has provided complete redemption. He has freed our soul from the very guilt, penalty and power of sin, and He has loosed our bodies from the bonds of the grave. Philippians 3:21 Jesus will transform our lowly body that it may be conformed to His glorious body, according to the working by which He is able even to subdue all things to Himself. Jesus will change our bodies into the glorious likeness of His resurrected body.

Verse 31 says that a man is not to boast in himself, but if a man wants to boast, let it be in the Lord for all He has done for us through Jesus Christ our Savior and Lord.

Conclusion: God through Jesus Christ saves a person. No person can ever save himself no matter what good works he might do or by what someone says. Don't be fooled by what you here on the social media, news media, or what you here from a religious leader or any other leader. There's only one way to heaven and that's by Christ alone. [John 14:6] This is the wisdom of God.

Invitation: You must know Jesus as your personal Savior, or you will not make it to heaven. To know Jesus as your Savior, confess your sins to Him and ask Him to forgive you of those sins and invite Him into your life to take charge of you. Then be baptized as a public testimony and to show your sincerity. Then you will have a right standing before God and He will receive you into His kingdom when this life is over.

Isn’t it Strange?

 

Isn't it strange how 2 hours seem so long when you’re at church, and how short they seem when you ' re watching a good movie? Isn't it strange that you can’t find a word to say when you ' re praying but.. you have no trouble thinking what to talk about with a friend? Isn't it strange that you can ' t find a word to say when you 're praying but.. you have no trouble thinking what to talk about with a friend? Isn't it strange how difficult and boring it is to read one chapter of the Bible but how easy it is to read 100 pages of a popular novel? Isn't it strange how everyone sits out in the rain and cold for ball games but they use the weather for an excuse to skip Church? Isn't it strange how we need to know about an event for Church 2-3 weeks before the day so we can include it in our agenda, but we can adjust it for other events in the last minute? Isn't it strange how difficult it is to learn a fact about God to share it with others; but how easy it is to learn, understand, extend and repeat gossip? Isn't it strange how we believe everything that magazines and newspapers say but..we question the words in the Bible? Isn't it strange how everyone wants a place in heaven but... they don't want to believe, do, or say anything to get there? Isn't it strange how we send jokes in e-mails and they are forwarded right away but when we are going to send messages about God, we think about it twice before we share it with others? If you don't know Jesus Christ as your Savior and Lord, your destiny will be hell because that's what you choose. You can change that choice right now right where you are by confessing your sins to Jesus and asking Him to forgive you and save you for heaven. If you are sincere, be baptized in a bible believing church as a public Testimony of your faith in Jesus Christ. You will never regret that decision.

True Worship

Scripture Text Psalm 95:6-7

Intro: Worship is mentioned 182 times in the bible. Scripture stresses the importance of regular corporate worship, while at the same time recognizing that believers may worship God spontaneously. When was the last time you truly worshiped God?

I. What is “True Worship”? Worship means to show reverence and adoration for a deity.

According to the Bible, true worship is to wholeheartedly respond to all that He is, with all that we are. True worship is a response to God's love and power that comes from a deep gratitude, a transformed identity, and a holy lifestyle. True worship is not limited to a specific time or place, but is expressed in everything we do and say as an acknowledgment of God's priority in our lives. True worship is a matter of the heart or soul that connects us to God and honors Him with our praise and obedience. True worshipers worship God in spirit and in truth, meaning they worship from the soul and according to the truth revealed in Jesus Christ and the Scriptures.                                                                                        a. True worship is bowing down and kneeling in surrender to the Lord our Maker. Psalms 95:6 Oh come, let us worship and bow down; Let us kneel before the Lord our Maker. It's not so much the physical position as much as the condition of the spirit, & attitude of the mind. Worship in the truest sense takes place only when our full attention is on God, on His beauty, His glory, magnificence, and majesty, His power, splendor, love and compassion. True Worship is not in doing religious things but being in complete awe of God and reverence for all He is! If we are honest this doesn’t happen very often. Even in church or in times of quiet devotion, we get distracted and fail to see God as He truly is. It’s easy to be distracted! Our mind is the real battleground for God and the Devil. Many different ideas and philosophies try to block people from knowing the truth about God and worshiping him the way we should. These false philosophies that divert glory from God and hide the truth are the Devil’s strongholds. To give God and His word first place in our lives, 2 Corinthians 10:5 says We must “cast down arguments [about God] and every high thing [rebellious thoughts] that exalts itself against the knowledge of God, bringing every thought into captivity to the obedience of Christ.” We reject everything that opposes God's will for our lives.

II. Things That Prompt True Worship. True worship is Recognizing who God truly is. Psalms 95:3-5 ³ For the Lord is the great God, And the great King above all gods.⁴ In His hand are the deep places of the earth; The heights of the hills are His also.⁵ The sea is His, for He made it; And His hands formed the dry land.True worship recognizes that God is the  Lord over all the earth and universe. He is the sovereign, supreme, all-powerful God over all so called gods which are only (idols). God made everything including the vast universe of space and He holds it all in place by the power of His word. All things belong to God and are subject to Him!                                                                                            a. True worship recognizes that God made us. Psalms 95:7 (NKJV) For He is our God, And we are the people of His pasture, And the sheep of His hand. We are not here by accident. We didn't evolve from monkey's or a fish that walked out of the water! We didn't come to earth on a space ship from another planet. We are here by God’s perfect design and He had a plan for each of our lives before we were born. Psalm 139:13-16 (NLT)¹³  You made all the delicate, inner parts of my body and knit me together in my mother’s womb. ¹⁴  Thank you for making me so wonderfully complex! Your workmanship is marvelous—how well I know it. ¹⁵  You watched me as I was being formed in utter seclusion, as I was woven together in the dark of the womb. ¹⁶  You saw me before I was born. Every day of my life was recorded in your book. Every moment was laid out before a single day had passed. When we worship God we draw close to Him and we find His strength, encouragement, and peace and we find direction for our lives. Ps. 23:2a He restores my soul. He restores our weary, tired and empty soul and fills us with His Holy Spirit power to overcome anything. Then He leads us in the paths of righteousness for His name sake. [Ps. 23:3b]              b. True worship includes thanksgiving. Psalm 95:1-2 (NLT) ¹  Come, let us sing to the LORD! Let us shout joyfully to the Rock of our salvation. ²  Let us come to him with thanksgiving. Let us sing psalms of praise to him. When was the last time you sang a song from your heart to God acknowledging Him. When was the last time you thanked God for who He is, what He has done for you, what He is doing and what He has prepared for your future. Thank Him for His everlasting, faithful love for you in Christ Jesus.

III. True worship recognizes God we belong to Him. Psalm 95:7 (NLT) for he is our God. We are the people he watches over, the flock under his care. If only you would listen to his voice today! We are his own; he feeds and governs us, and his powerful hand protects us. We are part of His flock because of what Christ has done for us. John 10:27-30 (NKJV) ²⁷  My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me. ²⁸  And I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; neither shall anyone snatch them out of My hand. ²⁹  My Father, who has given them to Me, is greater than all; and no one is able to snatch them out of My Father's hand. ³⁰  I and My Father are one." That means We eternally belong to God and we are under His care. God watches over us and constantly thinks of us Psalm 139:17-18 ¹⁷  How precious also are Your thoughts to me, O God! How great is the sum of them! ¹⁸  If I should count them, they would be more in number than the sand; When I awake, I am still with You. Psalms 139:7 (NLT) I can never escape from your S pirit! I can never get away from your presence!

Invitation: True worship of God begins by being born again. John 3:3 Jesus answered and said to him, "Most assuredly, I say to you, unless one is born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God." To be born again comes by confessing your sins to Jesus Christ. The bible says that we have all sinned and fallen short of God's glory. You ask Jesus to forgive you and save you from the penalty of your sins. Then invite Jesus into your life to take charge of you and your daily affairs. Then be baptized in the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Then you can begin to truly worship God and receive His blessings for the rest of your life here on earth and then forever throughout eternity. 

Messages From Easter

Intro: Even though Easter is passed, the message of Easter has not. There are some messages from Easter we need to remember so that we shall never forget Jesus' love for us. May we always give Him all the praise, honor and glory for what He has done. He is worthy!

I. Easter's message of the cross shows there is nothing Jesus wouldn't do for us. John 1:14  And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth. Luke 19:10  for the Son of Man has come to seek and to save that which was lost." Jesus left the glories of heaven and the worship of angels to come to this earth to seek and save that which was lost. That includes you and I. He was treated terribly from birth to death, yet He lived the perfect life in our place as the representative of all mankind. Then He proved there was nothing He wouldn't do for us by giving His life on the Cross of Calvary as a sacrifice for mankind's sin. He suffered more than any man. He was beaten with a whip, mocked, spit on, slapped, His beard plucked out and a crown of thorns pushed down on His forehead. Then He was nailed to a cross by His hands and His feet where He hung for nine hours where He was forsaken by the Father God for the last three hours of His suffering on the cross. There He shed His perfect innocent blood for us as a propitiation for us to appease God's wrath toward us because of our sins. 1 John 2:2 Jesus Himself is the propitiation for our sins, and not for ours only but also for the whole world. The message of the cross is Jesus completed everything needed for our salvation when He cried. “It is Finished!” John 19:30

II. Easter's message of the tomb shows us there isn't anywhere Jesus wouldn't go for us. Matthew 27:57-60 ⁵⁷  When it was evening, there came a rich man from Arimathea, named Joseph, who also was a disciple of Jesus. ⁵⁸  He went to Pilate and asked for the body of Jesus. Then Pilate ordered it to be given to him. ⁵⁹  And Joseph took the body and wrapped it in a clean linen shroud ⁶⁰  and laid it in his own new tomb, which he had cut in the rock. And he rolled a great stone to the entrance of the tomb and went away. Jesus went to the tomb for us. Jesus who is God and could not die, became man so that He could experience death and be buried in a new borrowed tomb where His body lay for three days. Jesus in His love for us was willing to die and to be buried in that tomb so that He could experience everything that we do. At the tomb, God opened a sealed place of death, to reveal unmistakable evidence of Jesus raised to new life. The message of the empty tomb is our faith is to rise and trust in Jesus, His death and resurrection. The tomb proves there is nowhere Jesus would not go for us so that He could bring us abundant and eternal life.

III. Easter's message of Christ's resurrection promises nothing can separate us from God. The resurrection of Jesus confirms that God accepted Jesus' sacrifice for sin on the cross and gives us access to a right relationship with Him. When we believe Jesus died for our sins and God raised Jesus from the dead, we become children of God. Ephesians 1:13-14 ¹³  In Jesus you also trusted, after you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation; in whom also, having believed, you were sealed with the Holy Spirit of promise, ¹⁴  who is the guarantee of our inheritance until the redemption of the purchased possession, to the praise of His glory. The Spirit sealed us for God and took up residence in us when we were born again and the Holy Spirit is the guarantee of our complete salvation when Jesus returns for His church. 1 Cor. 3:16 Do you not know that you are God’s temple and that God’s Spirit dwells in you? Because the Spirit of God lives in us, we can never be separated from God thru all eternity. Romans 8:31-39 (NKJV) ³¹  What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us? ³²  He who did not spare His own Son, but delivered Him up for us all, how shall He not with Him also freely give us all things?³³  Who shall bring a charge against God's elect? It is God who justifies.³⁴  Who is he who condemns? It is Christ who died, and furthermore is also risen, who is even at the right hand of God, who also makes intercession for us.
³⁵  Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword?
³⁶  As it is written: "For Your sake we are killed all day long; We are accounted as sheep for the slaughter."³⁷  Yet in all these things we are more than conquerors through Him who loved us.³⁸  For I am persuaded that neither death nor life, nor angels nor principalities nor powers, nor things present nor things to come,³⁹  nor height nor depth, nor any other created thing, shall be able to separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord. Praise be to the Lamb of God, our Lord Jesus Christ. All glory, praise and honor go to Him! The message of Jesus' resurrection is that the price for the penalty of our sins has been paid and our salvation has been secured forever!

Conclusion: In conclusion, let us continually give Jesus our all as we live for Him in this dark and sinful world. May we ever be the light of the world and salt of the earth as we reflect God's glory into the lives of others through our testimony for Him.

Invitation: Jesus came to this earth to save you from the penalty of your sins. If you have never taken advantage of His salvation for you, right now confess your sins to Jesus and ask Him to forgive you and save you for heaven. Be baptized to show your sincerity!