Bless the Lord

 

Psalms 103:1-2 (NKJV)
¹ A Psalm of David. Bless the Lord, O my soul; And all that is within me, bless His holy name!² Bless the Lord, O my soul, And forget not all His benefits: That’s our problem, we forget so easily! We must think before we can thank. We must ponder before we can praise. We must remember before we can rejoice. Here are five blessed benefits of the Lord that we must not forget.

I. There’s the Benefit of Pardon. “Who forgives all your iniquities!” David begins by reminding us that God forgives all our iniquity (sin -wickedness). Our greatest problem is the guilt we feel because of our sin, and our greatest need is to know forgiveness from the Lord. David says that God forgives “all” our iniquity. That’s good news, isn’t it? Some of us have really blown it big time, and we have messed up over and over and over again. And we’ve done the same dumb things repeatedly even after promising never to do them again. I’m glad the word “all” is included because it means that God intends to forgive my future sins. When Christ died, all our sins were in the future. And when we come to Christ, all our sins are forgiven, even the yet-to-be-committed sins. But we must not let our forgiveness be a license to sin! What a God we serve! What grace! He forgives all our sins—past, present and future. He’s more willing to forgive than we are to be forgiven. He is eager and ready to forgive. He wants to forgive us all.

II. Benefit of Healing. “Who heals all your diseases.” After doctors and nurses have done all they can do, and after we have used all the latest technology and taken the newest drugs, healing must come from the Lord. Good medicine and good prayer go together. That’s why we pray for the sick. We may be healed by medicine or by surgery or by some other course of treatment or we may find healing through prayer or by a miracle from the Lord. All of those things are possible. And remember that any healing in this life is limited and temporary. Our ultimate healing comes when we are raised immortal and incorruptible. In that happy resurrection day, when Jesus comes and the “dead in Christ will rise first” (1 Thessalonians 4:16), then at last we will be totally, completely, and finally healed once and for all. Between now and then give thanks to the Lord for every bit of healing you experience. “Do you believe in divine healing?” That’s the only kind there is. It just comes in many different varieties.

III. Benefit of Deliverance from Destruction. “Who redeems your life from the destruction.” To redeem means to rescue from danger in the time of trouble. Destruction refers to death itself. That you are here today is proof positive that you are not dead. God has preserved you to this very moment and has protected you every step of your journey. If God willed it to be so, you would die today—and you might die today—but it cannot happen without God’s permission. Satan himself cannot touch you without God’s permission. Since all our days are written in God’s book (Psalm 139:16), and He alone knows how our earthly journey will end, we don’t have to live in fear of the future. Every day the Lord rescues us in a million ways that we don’t see. His angels encamp around us to deliver us from trouble. When the time comes to die, we will die. We are immortal until our work on earth is done. God is constantly at work behind the scenes, working to protect us from trouble, to clear the way ahead, and to give us strength for each new day.

IV. Benefit of a Coronation. “Who crowns you with lovingkindness and tender mercies.” We are crowned with the loyal, unending, unchanging love of God. He heaps up his blessings—and then he pours them out on us. Then he crowns us with “tender mercies.” Mercy implies our failures and defeat. Tender mercies means God knows what we are going through and He meets us where we are. If we were to receive what we truly deserve from God, we would stand no chance. Instead of justice or fairness, God give us “tender mercies.” The crown reminds us of our position as the children of God. Only kings and queens wear crowns, but it is the privilege of every Christian to be crowned with lovingkindness and the tender mercy of God.

V. Benefit of Satisfaction. ” Psalms 103:5 (NKJV) Who satisfies your mouth with good things, so your youth is renewed like the eagle's. God satisfies your life with good. That means there is nothing on earth that can satisfy us deeply except God Himself. Every good and perfect gift comes down from the Father of light with whom is no variation or shadow of turning. (James 1:17) But the emphasis is not on what we possess but on what possesses us. To be satisfied means to be so full that you need nothing else. Here David speaks of satisfaction deeper than anything the world can offer. God says to His children, “I will give you whatever you need so you can soar like the eagle.” All of us need this. I know I need it. There is a way to renew yourself, your energy, your outlook and your attitude. And what is this “miracle cure”? Fill your life with God’s good gifts to you. If you will let him, the Lord will give you something the world cannot match. The end result will be everlasting immortal life. God says, “I want to satisfy you—not with gold but with good.” Not with that which glitters today and is gone tomorrow but with that which is permanent, eternal, and ever increasing in value.

Conclusion: We can thank God for all His benefits toward us and show our thanks by living for Him each day. What a wonderful God we serve!

Invitation: If you do not know these benefits of God, just confess your sins to Jesus and ask Him to forgive you and save you from hell. He will not turn you away and it will be the greatest day of your life and you will receive all of God's benefits.

True Worship

 

Scripture Text

Text Psalm 95:6-7

Intro: The ‘Dictionary of Bible Themes” states that worship is mentioned hundreds of 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”? [v:6] Psalms 95:6 (NKJV) Oh come, let us worship and bow down; Let us kneel before the Lord our Maker. Worship means to show reverence and adoration for a deity. True worship is bowing down and kneeling in surrender to the Lord our Maker. [v:6 above] 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. It’s not in doing religious things but being in complete awe of God and 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! 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.” 2 Corinthians 10:5 (NKJV)   When your mind wants to wander bring it back into the obedience of Christ.

II. Things That Prompt Worship. Psalms 95:3-5 (NKJV)
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. He is the sovereign, supreme, all-powerful over-all so-called gods (idols). God made everything and holds in place the universe.     True worship recognizes that God made us. [v:7] Psalms 95:7 (NKJV) For He is our God, And we are the people of His pasture, And the sheep of His hand. Today, if you will hear His voice: Psalms 139:13-18 (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. ¹⁷ How precious are your thoughts about me, O God. They cannot be numbered! ¹⁸ I can’t even count them; they outnumber the grains of sand! And when I wake up, you are still with me! We are not here by accident. We are here by God’s perfect design and He has a plan for each of our lives. When we  worship God we draw close to Him and we find His direction for our lives. He restores our soul and fills us with His Holy Spirit power. Then He leads us in the paths of righteousness for His name sake. [Ps. 23:3] True worship recognizes God has made us a part of His forever family. [v:7] We are part of His flock which means We are under His care. God constantly watches over us. Psalms 139:7 (NLT) I can never escape from your Spirit! I can never get away from your presence! God also provides for our every need. The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want. [Ps. 23:1] True worship recognizes that we can never be separated from God and His love. Romans 8:38-39 (NKJV) 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.

Conclusion: We must learn to shut out the distractions that keep us from truly worshiping God. We must turn our mind and heart to Him every day, praising Him for who He is, what He has done for us, what He is doing and what He has already prepared for our future. We must not to forget to thank Him for His everlasting, faithful love for us in Christ Jesus.

Invitation: You cannot worship God until you have a personal relationship with Him. If you do not have a personal relationship with God, it comes by confessing your sins to Jesus Christ and asking Him to forgive you and save you from Hell. 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.

True Joy

 

Intro: Are you missing the joy in your life because you are only focusing on being happy? The next time someone asks, “Are you happy?” you should tell them, “Sometimes I’m happy, sometimes I’m sad, but I’m always joyful in the Lord.”

I. You may ask “what do I have to be joyful about?” First & foremost, we have joy in the fact God loves us so much He paid the price for our sin with the life of His Son Jesus Christ & through Him we have eternal life. We also find joy by being with one another at church. Being together, even in our homes. We can do things like tell stories, share memories, talk about our family, God & many other things.

II. The Bible has many things to say about godly joy. Psalm 5:11 (NKJV) ¹¹  But let all those rejoice who put their trust in You; Let them ever shout for joy, because You defend them; Let those also who love Your name Be joyful in You.

In John 15:11 we read were Jesus said, “These things I have spoken to you, that my joy may be in you, and that your joy may be full.”

III. Even when we are put through hard times, we still have joy with the Lord. The apostle Paul probably went through more hardships than anyone in the Bible except for Jesus. But he had joy. Joy that could not be taken away. Many of the Books he wrote were written in prison. Paul was locked up when he wrote Philippians. He was imprisoned but Philippians 4:4 says, “Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice!” Here he is in prison telling us to rejoice. If Paul can find reason to rejoice in times like this, we can do the same. Godly joy cannot be taken away from us! Life has times of hardship & sorrow, but through anything we can rejoice & be joyful in our Lord!

Invitation: The only way to have true joy is if you know Jesus as your personal Savior and Lord. You must confess your sins to Him and ask Him to forgive you. If you are sincere, He won't turn you away! Then you will know true joy!

Prayer: Heavenly Father, fill each one reading this with Your joy. Fill them with Your Spirit and hold them close to You. Give them the strength, comfort and encouragement they need for each day. Let them experience Your love in a special way. We pray in the name of Jesus. Amen!

Bless the Lord

 

Psalm 103:1-2 (NKJV) ¹  Bless the LORD, O my soul; And all that is within me, bless His holy name! ²  Bless the LORD, O my soul, And forget not all His benefits: Bless means to praise highly as holy; to glorify, which means to honor with praise, admiration, or worship. Our problem is we forget so easily! We must think before we can thank. We must ponder before we can praise. We must remember before we can rejoice. Here are five blessed benefits of the Lord that we must not forget.

I. There’s the Benefit of Pardon [v:3] “Who forgives all your iniquities!” David begins by reminding us that God forgives all our iniquity (sin -wickedness). Our greatest problem is the guilt we feel because of our sin, and our greatest need is to know we have been forgiven by the Lord. David says that God forgives “all” our iniquity. That’s good news, isn’t it? Some of us have really blown it big time, and we have messed up over and over and over again. And we’ve done the same dumb things repeatedly even after promising never to do them again. I’m glad the word “all” is included because it means that God intends to forgive my future sins. When Christ died, all our sins were in the future. And when we come to Christ, all our sins are forgiven, even the yet-to-be-committed sins. But we must not let our forgiveness be a license to sin! What a God we serve! What grace! He forgives all our sins—past, present and future. He’s more willing to forgive than we are to be forgiven. He is eager and ready to forgive us all.

II. The Benefit of Healing [v:3] “Who heals all your diseases.” After doctors and nurses have done all they can do, and after we have used all the latest technology and taken the newest drugs, healing must come directly from the Lord. Good medicine and good prayer go together. That’s why we pray for the sick. We may be healed by medicine or by surgery or by some other course of treatment or we may find healing through prayer or by a miracle from the Lord. All of those things are possible. And remember that any healing in this life is limited and temporary. Our ultimate healing comes when we are raised immortal and incorruptible. Then at last we will be totally, completely, and finally healed once and for all. Between now and then give thanks to the Lord for every bit of healing you experience. “Do you believe in divine healing?” That’s the only kind there is. It just comes in many different ways.

III. Benefit of Deliverance from Destruction [v:4] “Who redeems your life from the destruction.” To redeem means to rescue from danger in the time of trouble. Destruction refers to death itself. That you are here today is proof positive that you have been saved from destruction. God has preserved you to this very moment and has protected you every step of your journey. If God willed it to be so, you would die today, but it cannot happen without God’s permission. Satan himself cannot touch you without God’s permission. We have been saved from the destruction of hell. Since all our days are written in God’s book according to (Psalm 139:16), and He alone knows how our earthly journey will end, we don’t have to live in fear of the future. Every day the Lord rescues us in a million ways that we don’t see. Psalm 34:7 The angel of the LORD encamps all around those who fear Him, And delivers them. When the time comes to die, we will die, but we are immortal until our work on earth is done. God is constantly at work behind the scenes, working to protect us from trouble, to clear the way ahead, and to give us strength for each new day.

IV. Benefit of a Coronation [v:4] God crowns us with loving-kindness and tender mercies. We are crowned with loving-kindness, the loyal, unending, affectionate, unchanging love of God. He heaps up his blessings—and then he pours them out on us. Then he crowns us with “tender mercies.” Mercy implies our failures and defeat. God doesn't give us what we deserve. Tender mercies means God knows what we are going through and He meets us where we are. He is sensitive toward us. If we were to receive what we truly deserve from God, we would stand no chance. Instead of justice or fairness, God give us “tender mercies.” The crown reminds us of our position as the children of God. Only kings and queens wear crowns, but it is the privilege of every Christian to be crowned with loving-kindness and the tender mercy of God.

V. Benefit of Satisfaction ” Psalms 103:5 Who satisfies your mouth with good things, So your youth is renewed like the eagle's. God satisfies your life with good. That means there is nothing on earth that can satisfy us deeply except God Himself. Every good and perfect gift comes down from the Father of lights with whom is no variation or shadow of turning. (James 1:17) But the emphasis is not on what we possess but on what possesses us. To be satisfied means to be so full of God that you need nothing else. Here David speaks of satisfaction deeper than anything the world can offer. God says to His children, “I will give you whatever you need so you can soar like the eagle.” All of us need this. I know I need it. There is a way to renew yourself, your energy, your outlook and your attitude. And what is this “miracle cure”? Fill your life with God and His good gifts to you. If you will let him, the Lord will give you something the world cannot match. The end result will be blessings now and also everlasting immortal life.

Conclusion: We need to daily thank and bless God for all His benefits toward us and show our thanks by living for Him each day.

Invitation: Have you taken advantage of God's love in the salvation of your soul? If not, confess your sins to Jesus and ask Him to forgive you and invite Him into your life right now. Don't put it off. It's later than you think.

Freedom

 

Scripture Text

Titus 3:3-8

Intro: This Thursday we celebrate our freedom and independence. Many men and women have died to make sure we stay free from bondage to another nation. As we celebrate the Lord’s Supper here today, we want to remember the freedom that God has given us through the gift of His Son, the wonderful Savior and Lord Jesus Christ.

I. Remember our former way of life before Christ. Titus 3:3 (NLT)
³  Once we, too, were foolish and disobedient. We were misled and became slaves to many lusts and pleasures. Our lives were full of evil and envy, and we hated each other. a. Without God, all of us were unbelievers enslaved to our passions and desires. Left alone, all human nature can only go from bad to worse. Instead of living for God, our lives were full of evil and envy before Christ. No matter how much “love” we tried to create without God, the overriding power of our sin produced a greater amount of hatred. We needed to be set free from this bondage to the devil. Thus there was no hope for us apart from the intervention of the holy God, the Creator and Savior.

II. We were set free from bondage by God our Savior. Titus 3:3-6 (NKJV)³  For we ourselves were also once foolish, disobedient, deceived, serving various lusts and pleasures, living in malice and envy, hateful and hating one another.⁴  But when the kindness and the love of God our Savior toward man appeared,⁵  not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to His mercy He saved us, through the washing of regeneration and renewing of the Holy Spirit, ⁶  whom He poured out on us abundantly through Jesus Christ our Savior. a. All of our former bondage changed when the kindness and love of God our Savior appeared. What we could in no wise do for ourselves, God did for us through Jesus Christ His Son. God freed us from bondage to Satan and sin. He freed us in His kindness, love, and mercy. God in His grace saves and sets free those who believe, not because of any righteousness in them, but because of His mercy, love, and kindness. The three words, “kindness,” “love,” and “mercy” all represent aspects of God’s grace. Grace is the unmerited favor of God. The dual means of grace through which He accomplished this salvation are (1) the rebirth spoken of as a washing from the filth of our sins, past, present, and future. (2) We were renewed by the Holy Spirit ( 2 Cor. 5:17). The moment we believed in Jesus Christ as our Savior and Lord we were washed clean from the filth of our sins and we were given new birth and new life by the power of the Holy Spirit which God generously poured out on us Paul says in verse 6.

III. We have been justified by God’s grace. Titus 3:7 (NLT)  Because of his grace he declared us righteous and gave us confidence that we will inherit eternal life.” a. From Adam we inherited a sinful nature (the tendency to sin), and we were under God’s wrath and due His punishment. Because Jesus took the punishment we deserved for sin and made us right before God, we are now free from all bondage. We have been declared not guilty. We can trade our sin for Jesus’ righteousness. When we do that, we know that we will inherit eternal life. Colossians 1:13-14 (NKJV) ¹³ He has delivered us from the power of darkness and conveyed us into the kingdom of the Son of His love, ¹⁴ in whom we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins. Eternal life began the moment we gave our life to Christ, but there is more to come! Our experience now is only a foretaste of what God has guaranteed to us in the future! Praise be to God!

IV. We are to devote ourselves to helping set others free from bondage. Titus 3:8 (NLT) This is a trustworthy saying, and I want you to insist on these teachings so that all who trust in God will devote themselves to doing good. These teachings are good and beneficial for everyone. a. Believers must show their beliefs through their conduct. We must be careful to do good deeds all the time, wherever we are. Sound belief must manifest itself in good works. As we live a godly life before others, and help reach them with the gospel message, we will be helping to set them free from their bondage to sin and Satan.

Invitation: Allow the Holy Spirit to look into your heart and tell you whether you are a child of God or not. If God’s Spirit points out you are not His child, you need to correct that. Confess your sins to Jesus and ask Him for His forgiveness. Do it now. Don’t wait!

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.

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!

Things To Be Thankful For

 

Intro: We Christians have so much for which to be thankful for not just one day a year but each and every day we live. God has given us so many blessings both spiritual and material! I have listed some spiritual blessings because they are eternal. Be thankful that;

1. We are children of God. (John 1:12) But as many as received Him (Jesus) to them He gave the right to become children of God, to those who believe in His name. This verse speaks of Jesus granting the right or giving the authority to become a child of God. No one can attain this new birth by his or her own power, merit, or ability. Only Jesus can grant it. When we place our faith and trust in Jesus’ death on the cross as payment for our sins, we ask for His forgiveness of our sins and we receive Him into our lives, Jesus gives us the authority and power to become children of the living God. Galatians 3:26 (NLT) For you are all children of God through faith in Christ Jesus. We owe thanks to Jesus because He gave us the right to become children of God.

2. We are righteous in God’s eyes. (2 Corinthians 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. This is one of the great verses proclaiming the unbelievable love of God. Christ bore the penalty and the punishment for our sins. God made Jesus, who was completely innocent and perfect; to become sin for us so He could take away our sin. Once someone comes to Jesus and confesses their sin and asks for forgiveness and salvation, they become righteous in God’s eyes and they find a peace and satisfaction of soul which is everlasting, and that person will never cease to be righteousness. Nothing can ever change our standing with the Father. Think about that, Christians will never cease to be righteous in God's eyes. Jesus said in; John 6:47 (NKJV) Most assuredly, I say to you, he who believes in Me has everlasting life. Jesus makes it plain that the believer has been made righteous and has eternal life, starting the moment someone believes in Him as their Savior. The verb “believes” in these verses means “he who continues to believe.” We do not believe merely once; we keep on believing in and trusting Jesus. We owe thanks to Jesus for making us righteous in God’s eyes.

3. We are redeemed from the curse of the law. Galatians 3:10-14¹⁰  For as many as are of the works of the law are under the curse; for it is written, "Cursed is everyone who does not continue in all things which are written in the book of the law, to do them." ¹¹  But that no one is justified by the law in the sight of God is evident, for "the just shall live by faith." ¹²  Yet the law is not of faith, but "the man who does them shall live by them." ¹³  Christ has redeemed us from the curse of the law, having become a curse for us (for it is written, "Cursed is everyone who hangs on a tree"), ¹⁴  that the blessing of Abraham might come upon the Gentiles in Christ Jesus, that we might receive the promise of the Spirit through faith. Every person is guilty of violating the 10 commandments and under the curse of God's law until they are saved. Jesus took our curse upon Himself on the cross. To be hanged on a tree signified to the Jews that a person had been cursed. Christ willingly allowed himself to become cursed for all humanity, and so He endured the Crucifixion for us. At the cross, the curse of the law was transferred from sinful humanity to the sinless Son of God. Christ became our representative and took on himself the penalty of our sin for breaking God's laws and then He gave us His righteousness so we could be accepted by the Father. We are no longer under God's curse for breaking His law. Thanks be to Jesus for redeeming us (saving us) from the curse of the law.

4. We have victory over the world. 1 John 5:4 (NKJV) For whatever is born of God overcomes the world. And this is the victory that has overcome the world--our faith. It is faith (trust) in Jesus that saves us, and it is faith in Jesus that keeps us. We (walk) live our lives by faith. We are children of God by faith in Jesus Christ, and faith is the only way in which you and I will be able to overcome this world around us. The power of Christ, given to believers through the Holy Spirit, gives us the victory over the world, the flesh, the devil, death, and sin. We need to live our lives in the assurance that we belong to God and we are under His care and we have victory over the world.

Conclusion: These are just some of the things God has given us to be thankful for. As you read the word of God daily you will find many more things for which to be thankful because the bible says Ephesians 1:3 Thanks be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ. May we be counted among those who are thankful for every good and perfect gift that comes from God our Father.

Invitation: Do you know for sure you are a child of God? Can you say that without a doubt? If not now would be a good time to confess your sins to Jesus and ask Him to forgive you and invite Him to take charge of your life, then you too will be thankful that you now have victory over the world, the devil, death, and sin. The choice is yours!